samandjack.net

Story Notes: Okay, I don't know what happened here. This was supposed to be just an episode addition for "Abyss". Short. Simple. Silly. But somehow this thing headed in a completely different direction and just dragged me along with it. So after numerous re- writes, cancelled lunch-breaks, a lot of cursing about that so-called german-english dictionary, and at least twenty bottles of diet-coke we finally reached our destination. Big thanks to Lydia and TrinCarter for providing a road-map when I threatened to get lost on the way :)


Prologue: The legend of Kel'Ra

A shimmer of light seeped through the darkness. It spread fast, pushing over stones and objects, climbing up walls, flooding the ground. Soon after the darkness, the silence fled as the first sounds for centuries echoed through the chamber. Two shapes appeared in the entrance that had just been forced open. They stood there, not moving for some time as if they were paying tribute to the stones and bricks that had kept this secret safe for centuries. Finally they walked into the chamber, heading straight for the opposite wall. They stopped and looked up at the words that had not lost their power even though no one had read them for hundreds of years.

When the gate calls
two soldiers meet
When the journey starts
two hearts are put in chains
when the alliance is forged
the blending begins

when the walls crumble
two mouths tell the truth
when time stands still
two souls find happiness
when the scholar departs
the time of change is near

when the gate journeys towards the stars
two faces are smiling
when disease poisons the cold air
two souls make a pact
when death is near
the blending begins

when the soldier rises from the dead
two hearts are reunited
when the moon disappears
the blending is done

two lives will be sacrificed
two lives will be saved
two joined souls will find him
and their true love will set him free
so the healing of the Tok'ra can begin

After reading the words engraved in the stone, the two Tau'ri looked at each other. Then the taller one sighed. "Your dad's gonna kill me."

Chapter one: Waking up

Two weeks earlier

Jack O'Neill drifted through the darkness. There was no light, no smell, no sound or thought as his body and mind tried to heal. He had lost all sense of time and space, floating on an invisible cloud through an endless night. Sometimes there were bright spots in the darkness and he could hear muffled voices and beeping machines, before he was drawn back into oblivion. It took a while - hours, days, months, Jack couldn't tell - before the first conscious thought formed in his mind. A single word echoed through the darkness.



It was followed by two new words.



Jack watched as the darkness changed, just like the night-sky shortly before sunrise, listened as the whispers drifting through the darkness turned into voices. He knew there was something he had to do now, but he didn't remember what is was.

"Still no change?"

He knew that voice. Big man, bald head, blue shirt - Hammond. That was his name.

"We have to be patient. He needs to rest."

A new voice. A woman, brown hair, loves pen-lights - Dr. Fraiser.

"I still can't believe it worked."

Another voice. A man, grins at everything and everyone - Jonas something. He wasn't sure.

"Indeed. The chances of success were not great."

Golden tattoo, raised eyebrow - his buddy Teal'c.

"He's safe now. That's all that counts."

The last voice. The voice he suddenly knew he had been waiting to hear all along. He didn't need to picture her to remember her name.

Suddenly Jack knew what it was he had needed to do. He opened his eyes. At first he didn't see much except for green shapes in front of a greyish background. Then the shapes moved and turned into something else. His team. His friends. They weren't looking in his direction and Jack didn't say anything to attract their attention. He was content just looking at them for a while. Suddenly Sam Carter tilted her head, concentrating on something Jack could neither see nor hear. Then she turned her head, slowly, as if she was not sure if the thing that had caught her attention was really there.

Jack felt a strange sensation run through him, as his eyes met hers. There was a sense of awareness that almost made him dizzy. Somehow the colour of Sam's clothes seemed more bright, her features more emphasized, her whole presence more focused than everyone elses'.

"Colonel, you're awake!" Jonas' voice made Jack blink and the spell was broken. Jack wanted to say something, but his eyes closed stubbornly on him and he drifted back to sleep.

**************

He spent the next days in the infirmary. Everyone seemed to keep their distance to give him some room to come to terms with recent events. He hadn't spoken to Carter in days, but that didn't mean that she never visited him. He knew she had been there every night, when it was dark and quiet in the infirmary and he was asleep. He didn't know why, but he just ... knew. His train of thought was interrupted, when Janet Fraiser walked up to him.

"And how are we feeling today?"

"WE are pretty annoyed right now. WE want to go home. WE are bored." Jack replied, crossing his arms in front of his chest. Fraiser smiled at him and sighed.

"What else is new, Sir?"

"Well, you tell me. You look pretty happy, Doc."

"I just got your test-results back. If you promise to take it easy for the next few days, you can go home."

"Great."

Jack wanted to push himself off the bed, but before he could succeed, he felt Fraiser's hand on his chest, pushing him back.

"Now, what did I just say?"

"Take is easy", Jack repeated like a school-kid reciting a boring lesson.

Janet nodded. "And taking it easy means no driving as well, so I guess you'll have to wait here until I can arrange some means of transportation for you."

"I owe you one, Doc."

"Just one?", Janet asked, winked at him and walked away.

******************

Two hours later Colonel Jack O'Neill stood on the parking lot, taking in deep breaths of the cool Colorado air. The Sergeant at the gate eyed him suspiciously, because Jack had been standing there for over ten minutes, doing nothing. Jack closed his eyes and listened to the humming of the electric lights around the perimeter. He heard footsteps and smiled.

"Hey, Carter."

"Hey, Sir."

Sam stood next to him for a few minutes and they looked up at the night-sky. Suddenly she broke the silence with a question.

"So. How do you feel?"

Jack wanted to give her some more or less funny answer that was as far away from the truth as possible. But somehow the words refused to leave his mouth. To buy himself some time he just shrugged.

"Dunno."

He could feel Sam's concerned look on this face and sighed. He knew her well enough to know that this was not the answer she wanted to hear from him. But right now it seemed to be the only thing he was able to say. There was so much he had to sort through. His blending. The torture. Daniel's return. Daniel's departure. Jack shook his head to chase the memories away. He managed a grin.

"So. You're giving me a ride home or what?"

"That's why I am here", Sam replied as they walked to her car. They spent the first miles of their trip in silence. Jack looked out of the window, wondering. He should be feeling pretty bad right now. In fact, after all that happened he should be sitting in a corner crying. But he felt okay. Not too well, but okay. Maybe it was the company he was keeping. He glanced over at Sam from time to time, when he thought she was concentrating on the road. Jack realised to late that Sam had stopped at a red light and when she turned her head their eyes met.

"What?" Sam asked.

Jack wasn't able to answer the question, he was too busy being amazed t what he saw. There it was again. It was like she was shining. An ngel descended from heaven. He could not only see her, hear her, smell her, he could actually FEEL her, even though she was not touching him. Sam frowned.

"Sir? You okay?"

Jack blinked. "Yeah, sure, sorry. Just been lost in thought."

Sam grinned. "Penny for them?"

Jack shook his head. "Ah, not even worth that much, believe me", he ied and reached down to turn on the radio. It was hockey- night and olorado was playing. Sam smiled when a content grin spread across his face as he listened to the report on the game. Sam was still worried about him, but the fact that he was able to smile again was a relief to her. The game was soon over and the station returned to its regular programming.

"Grab a bottle of beer and take the telescope out of the garage, folks, cause a spectacular eclipse is coming your way. Tomorrow night you can watch the moon disappear, when the earth is moving between the sun and the moon."

Jack's head shot up. "That is already tomorrow?", he asked astonished. Sam nodded.

"Yes, why?"

"Wow, time flies when you're having fun", he grumbled. Sam laughed and shook her head.

"Are you going to watch it?"

"Ya sure ya betcha", Jack answered excited.

"It's just an eclipse, Sir."

Jack snorted. "Astrophysicists. You guys never get what it's all about, do you?"

"Oh and I guess you astronomers do?"

Jack nodded. "As a matter of fact, we do. We enjoy watching the wonders of the universe unfold before our eyes. But you guys have the ability to make it all boring in a matter of seconds."

Sam laughed and Jack grinned at her, suddenly feeling a lightness he had't felt in weeks. They spent the rest of the trip in content silence, until Sam pulled up in front of Jack's house.

"There we are, Sir. Door to door service."

"Thanks, Carter."

He wanted to invite her in, but for the usual reasons he thought better of it and got out of the car. They said their good-byes and Jack started walking towards his house.

He didn't get very far.

Jack frowned. Something was different. He couldn't really say what is was, just that something was missing, that had been there before. Shaking his head and blaming it on all the crap he had been through he headed for his home.

A few miles down the road Major Samantha Carter stopped at a red light. She was nervous, but didn't really know why. Just that it had started the moment she had left the Colonel at his house.

"Maybe just your protective instincts kicking in", Sam said to herself. After all she had spent almost every night at the Colonel's bedside for the last week, so naturally it felt strange not to be with him tonight.

The traffic-lights switched to go.

Chapter 2: Eclipse

The night of the eclipse. Jack was relieved to find something to occupy himself with. The night before had not gone well and the day that followed it had been even worse. Although he had tried, he couldn't stop the painful memories from resurfacing every few minutes. So when it turned dark and he climbed up on his roof he promised himself not to concentrate on anything but the moon and the bottle of beer in his hand. He adjusted his telescope and sat down in his chair. For a few minutes his strategy worked, but then his thoughts started drifting again. But this time it wasn't Baal, or Daniel or Kaanan that occupied Jack's mind. It was Sam. Jack missed her, although it had merely been 24 hours since they last saw each other. He shook his head and took another sip of his beer. He looked through the telescope at the bright shining moon. Still a few minutesto go. Suddenly Jack felt something. A presence. A familiar presence.He got up, walked over to the ladder and looked down. There was no one there. His eyes searched his garden and the road beyond. No sign of a car or a bike or anything at all. Jack shook his head again. Hissenses were playing tricks on him. That snake had probably managed to screw up his whole system and the damn sarcophacus- ressurection-thing hadn't been helping either. Just when Jack was about to sit down again, he saw two tiny spots of light travelling in his direction. A car.

Intrigued Jack remained standing, watching were the vehicle was going. It was coming down the road and even before Jack could make out the model or colour of the car he knew who it belonged to.

Carter.

Jack just stood there, watching her, as she stopped the car, got out and looked around. The lights in his house were dark and Sam hesitated for a moment, before she lifted her eyes to look up at the roof.

"Hey, Sir."

"Hey, Carter. Watcha doing out here in the middle of the night?"

"Showing you that even we astrophysicists appreciate simply looking at the wonders of the universe now and then."

Her tone was light, just like his own had been. But he could see that her eyes were wandering around nervously. Slowly Sam walked up to the ladder, almost as if she did it against her will. Jack watched her and when she was up on the roof, he asked her.

"Okay, what's really up?"

"What do you mean?"

"Carter. I know you. You don't just show up at people's houses in the middle of the night." Especially not at my house, he added silently.

"Am I disturbing you, Sir? I can leave if that's what you want..."

"No, that's not what I meant and you know it", Jack replied calmly. Sam glared at him for no apparent reason for a second, then looked to the ground and sighed.

"I know. I don't know what made me come here. I was out of Diet Coke and wanted to buy some. So I got into my car and . . . here I am."

"You know I don't have anything that starts with the word "diet" in my fridge", Jack said half-joking.

Sam ignored him and went on. "I just realised where I was going, when I had to stop over at the intersection."

Jack knew he was pushing his luck and that his question would probably make her leave, but he had to ask anyway: "So why didn't you turn around?"

Sam shook her head. Instead of leaving she sat down on the roof, wrapping her hands around her knees.

"I don't know. Maybe I thought that since I was already almost here, I could at least say hello. I don't know."

Jack sat down beside her, looking up at the moon. "Whatever. But since you're here now, you are welcome to watch the light-show with me."

"Thanks."

"Nothing to thank me for. You're putting me out of my misery. I should thank you."

The words were out, before he could stop them. Sam looked up at him, concern darkening her blue eyes. "What happened?"

Jack looked away from her.

"Nothing. It's just. I keep remembering all this crap and that's pretty annoying I can tell you", he grumbled.

He sounded his usual Jack-O'Neill-self, but she knew him better than this. Beneath the annoyed tone there was pain. A lot of pain. Sam wanted to reach out to him, but she knew that she couldn't. Maybe it was what he needed now. What she needed now. But in the end it would make things only worse when everything returned to normal, when it HAD to return to normal. But the urge to touch him, to comfort him was getting stronger with every minute and Sam found herself fighting for control for the first time in months.

Jack cleared his throat. "There, the show is about to start", he said, getting up to look through the telescope. The earth had started to move between the moon and the sun. Sam and Jack watched as the light slowly faded and darkness crept over the white rocks, mountains and craters. At the same time Jack felt a strange sensation crawling up through his body. His skin was tingling and he felt like being really close to an energy field. He looked over at Sam and saw that she had the same surprised and worried look upon her face.

"What the hell is that? Do you feel that, too?"

"Yes, it's like the air is filled with electricity", Sam said, trying to wipe the feeling of the skin of her arm. She looked up at Jack. Just then the moon disappeared and the world turned dark.

But Jack could still see her. He couldn't see his telescope, the end of the roof, his house. But he could see her. As clear as if it was a sunny day.

"Carter?"

"I can still see you, Sir", Sam said irritated and got up. Her knees were weak and she stumbled as a wave of dizziness washed over her. Jack was at her side in a millisecond, grabbing her arm to steady her. The moment his hand made contact with her arm, a flash of sounds, images and feelings hit him. They were random, chaotic, not more then mere glimpses of what lay beneath, but so powerful and intense that it almost hurt. Jack and Sam let out a surprised scream at the same time and jumped apart. Jack retreated a few steps, but not too far. Would be a pretty bad moment to fall off the roof right now he decided. His heart was beating fast in his chest, his mind trying desperately to sort through the chaos between this temples.

"What the hell was that?"

"I don't know", Sam answered. Her voice was shaking. Her face had turned white. Pictures and sounds still echoed in her mind. Pictures she couldn't understand, sounds she couldn't really make out, feelings that were so contradictory, that Sam felt like she was being ripped apart. She closed her eyes and tried to focus, to calm down. There was one image that was clearer than the others. A young boy. Playing in front of a house. Sam recognised the boy at once.

Charlie.

Charlie?

Sam stared up at Jack in utter surprise. Had she just seen one of his memories? It was impossible, the scientist in Sam protested. But that scientist was also extremely interested in what was going on.

"Sir?", Sam asked quietly. Jack's eyes were closed. Sam reached out a hand, but pulled it back hastily when she remembered what had happened the last time they had touched.

"Sir? Everything alright?", she asked again a little louder. Jack nodded slowly and opened his eyes.

"Yeah, just confused. But hey, when am I not?", he replied, rubbing his temples to chase away the headache that had invited itself in with all the other stuff. "Carter, what was that?"

"I don't know", Sam said, watching him intently. "Sir, can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"When you touched me. What exactly happened?"

Jack shook his head. "I don't know. It was like watching every single tv-channel at once. I can't explain it. There were sounds, and pictures and feelings, but I couldn't make sense of anything."

Jack closed his eyes again and suddenly there was a single picture. He could see himself standing behind a force-field, all dressed in black, hitting the invisible wall with a shovel. He remembered being there, but he shouldn't be able to see himself. So that would mean he was seeing things through the eyes of the person standing on the other side of the force-field. And that person had to be...

".. you. This stuff belongs to you", Jack said, his eyes widening. Sam nodded slowly. "I experienced the same thing, I think I saw a glimpse of your memories."

Jack tilted his head. "Wow. Anything interesting?", he asked, just a little hint of nervousness in his voice.

Sam shook her head. "As you said, it was all so random, that I really couldn't make out anything clearly."

"What the hell was that?", Jack asked again. Sam shrugged. "Maybe it has to do with your blending."

"Oh, yeah, great, should have known that", Jack replied angrily. "What's next? Will I grow fur? Or glow in the dark or something? What the hell did that THING do to me?"

"I honestly don't know, Sir, but bear in mind, that I am merely guessing here. We should contact Janet. Maybe she can find out what happened."

"NO!" Jack replied with a little more vehemence than he had intended to. He took a step in her direction. Then paused.

"If we tell her this, she has to tell Hammond. And if he knows about this, he has to do something about it. And that would surely result in a lot of . . . difficult questions for the both of us." Starting with what his 2IC had been doing on his roof in the middle of the night.

"But we have to tell them about this, Sir."

"No, we don't."

"Sir."

"Carter."

"You know we have to."

"Why? Maybe we just imagined everything. Maybe it was just the damn eclipse. Somehow. It all started then. Yeah, must have been the world going dark. With all the crap we go through, maybe it was just a real-world methaphor that made us freak out for a second."

"You know that's not it."

"Do I?"

Sam was slowly getting angry. He tried to burry it even though it hadn't happened more than two minutes ago. Just like he tried to burry everything that was uncomfortable or involved deeper feelings of any kind. She walked up to him and looked him into the eyes. Jack held her gaze, but didn't reply. Their eyes engaged in a silent battle that neither of them could win. Sam felt she had no choice. Before he had any chance to retreat, she touched his hand.

This time she was prepared for what was going to happen. It was still chaotic and wild and loud and almost too much to bear, but through the whirl of pictures, sounds and feelings she could suddenly hear his voice.



It sounded different. Younger. Stronger. With no trace of sarcasm or anger. Just a hint of surprise.

"Sir?" Sam managed to ask between clenched teeth.

"Carter, let go", Jack answered, but his voice was different than before and it seemed to come from far away.

"Think of something", Sam suddenly said.

"What?"

"Think of something", Sam repeated.

"Okay, how about how I am going to phrase the charges for your court-martial? For the last time, let go!"

It should have been easy for Jack to just shake her hand off, but somehow he seemed paralysed. The things that flooded his brain made it impossible for his mind to execute any other task than trying to comprehend the information it was getting.

"Don't tell me, what you are thinking about, Sir. Just think it."

"Okay, will you promise to let go, if I do? This is killing me, Carter!"

"I promise", Sam replied. For a second nothing happened. Then an image appeared out of the chaos. A huge glass of shining blue jello.Sam gasped.

"I can see it."

"See what?"

"I can see what you're thinking."

Just then a sharp pain shot through Sam's mind and the world went dark...

Chapter three: Difficult situations

Jack O'Neill flinched as the bright light hit his eyes.

"Oh for crying out loud! Doc! Do you really HAVE to do this?"

Janet Fraiser switched the pen-light off and sighed. "The more you fight it, the longer it will take", she explained. Jack glared at her, but didn't get a chance to reply. General Hammond walked into the room.

"Doctor? Any results?"

"Well, Sir, I can tell you that this incident hasn't caused any permanent damage."

"Now, that's a relief", Jack snorted.

Janet shot Jack a glare and he fell silent at once. There was nothing more dangerous than a pissed off Doctor with a pen-light. He knew that from experience. Jack got up and straightened his shirt. Janet sighed and shook her head. While Janet tried to explain that she had no clue what was wrong, Jack's thought started to drift. He hadn't seen Carter at all since the, well, incident, if you wanted to call it that. He had to make sure she was alright, plus, well, he kind of needed to know how much she had told Janet about last night. Jack still felt uncomfortable about telling everyone what had happened. Hell, he wasn't even sure something HAD happened. Jack closed his eyes and listened to Fraiser and Hammond.

"So you have no idea why Teal'c found the two of them unconscious on the Colonel's roof?"

"No, Sir, but since they are both still in shock I haven't been able to get much information from them regarding the events of last night."

"Where is Major Carter?"

"She's almost here, gonna come through that door right . . . now."

Jack opened his eyes to find Hammond and Fraiser staring at him in disbelieve. Jack looked at them confused. "What?"

"How did you know that?", Janet asked.

"How did I know what?" Jack asked.

Fraiser pointed to the door and the blonde woman just walking through it.

"This. How did you know that Sam was gonna walk into the room just now?"

Uh.Uh. That was not good. And Jack wasn't even considering the fact that he didn't remember actually saying something. He looked from Hammond to Fraiser and over to Sam, but pulled his gaze hastily away from her when he felt his skin starting to tingle again.

"Lucky guess?", he offered with a shrug. Fraiser and Hammond still looked at him. Jack waved his hands. "Seriously! That was only supposed to be a joke!"

"No it was not." Sam's words were quiet, but Hammond and Fraiser had heard her nevertheless. They turned around. Sam walked over to them and continued.

"The colonel knew I was heading down the corridor, just as I knew he was in here."

"Of course you knew! I was unconscious for hours! Where else would I be but in the infirmary?"

"Sir."

"Alright, alright, fine." Jack got up from the bed he was sitting on and started pacing, his hands stuffed deep into the pockets of his pants. "So I wasn't joking. We sort of can sense each others presence. But it's no big deal, really. The Major thinks it has something to do with my . . . ah, you know."

Janet frowned. "Sam has the ability to sense Goul'd, because of the naquadah in her blood. But you don't have any traces of naquadah in your system, because the symbiont didn't die within you."

"Please Doc, could you try NOT to phrase it like this?"

"Sorry, Colonel. But the fact is: Without the naquadah you shouldn't be able to sense anyone's presence."

General Hammond cut in. "I am sure we can solve this mystery. What I am more concerned about at the moment is the fact that two members of SG1 lost consciousness for no apparent reason."

Jack looked at Sam. The General had a point there, he had to admit that. What if this happened again? Maybe during the heat of battle? Or when they were crossing dangerous territory. One of them could get seriously hurt. Or even killed. Jack made a decision and said.

„Well there was a reason. Kind of. We . . . got a little too . . . close."

The General fliched. „Excuse me?"

Jack started pacing again, waving his hands in grand gestures. „We watched the eclipse. Carter got up and seemed to be stumbling, so I grabbed her arm to steady her and just then it happened", Jack explained.

„What exactly happened?"

„We are not sure", Sam answered. „It seemed that for a moment there was a telepathic link between us. But we had no control over it, there were just random thoughts and memories, that didn't make any sense."

„Hey, my thoughts make perfect sense!", Jack protested. When everyone looked at him, he shrugged and added mumbling. „Okay, most of the time."

Janet started thinking out loud. „That would explain what happened to you. Your mind was probably not able to handle the imput it was getting. You have to remember: Every memory you have contains a huge amount of information: Dates, sounds, words, feelings, smells, links to other memories and experiences..."

"Yeah, Doc, we were there. We know. The question is: Why did it happen and how do we prevent it from happening again?" Jack asked.

"I am afraid I have to run some tests before I can even begin trying to answer that particular question."

Jack rolled his eyes and sighed. "Should have seen THAT coming."

****************

Three hours and countless tests later Jack O'Neill hopped onto the bed, rested his head against the wall and let out a deep sigh. Finally. Peace, silence and no more needles. Jack didn't hear her walk in, but then again he didn't need to anymore. A small smile spread across his face. Over all the fuss and confusion he hadn't realised until now, how good it felt to be able to do this. To just know she was there, without having to rely on his eyes or ears - just to rely on his heart. Whoa, Jack, since when did you turn into a romantic? Be careful, you're getting sentimental at your old days, he told himself. But the smile still wouldn't leave his face, no matter how hard he tried to suppress it.

"What are you smiling at?"

"Don't you know? I thought you could read my thoughts?"

"Very funny, Sir."

"Sorry."

Sam hopped onto the bed opposite his and leaned her back against the wall, just as he had done some moments before. No one else was in the room and the lights were turned down. They sat in almost complete darkness and silence for a few minutes, before Sam picked up the conversation.

"Seriously, what are you smiling at?"

"This."

"What?"

"You know. This."

"You mean this room? I didn't realise you liked being in the infirmary so much", Sam replied smiling. His grin got broader.

"Hey, someone has to carry on at least one tradition Daniel started."

The smile vanished. From both their faces. Jack scolded himself for making such a lame joke. Daniel. He just didn't have enough time or strength to deal with those feelings too on top of everything else. But it was already too late - the image was there. Daniel standing at the side of his bed, saying good-bye. And just as the first time around Jack had to carry the burden of saying farewell, of letting him leave, alone. And just like the first time he hadn't told anyone about it, because he didn't know how, even though he had wanted to so badly.

"Oh my god"

Jack opened his eyes to see Sam staring at him.

"What?"

"Daniel. He was here. Right here"

Jack stared at her for a second.

"How do you . . .?"

His eyes widened. Suddenly he jumped up and started yelling at her.

"You have no business poking around in my head! Stop it!"

"I am not doing anything!" Sam defended herself.

"Oh yeah? Then how do you suddenly know about that?"

"I don't know, this image just appeared in my head."

Jack glared at her, a dangerous combination of hurt, confusion, fear and anger flashing in his eyes. Sam got up and braced herself against his next outburst. She didn't have to wait long.

"Oh yeah, right. And how did it GET THERE?"

"I don't know!. . ."

"Of course you do!!"

"I said I don't know!"

Janet Fraiser poked her head into the room, looking alarmed. "Everything okay? I heard someone yelling. Is there a problem?"

Sam closed her eyes for a second, relieved that Janet's sudden appearance had interrupted something that sure as hell would have developed into a major fight.

Jack rubbed his eyes and shook his head. "No, Doc, we're fine. Just having a difference of opinion about the Stanley Cup finals."

Janet's look told Jack that she wasn't buying it, but thankfully she didn't say anything else and instead chose to leave. Jack was about to turn back to Sam to continue their argument, but then he stopped. He felt something. Pain. Fear. Anger. The Pain of being shut out. The fear of not being trusted. And anger at not knowing what to do about it. Jack closed his eyes.

"I'm sorry. Really."

When she didn't reply Jack turned around and looked at her. There were no tears in her eyes, but Jack could feel her pain and he knew that his words and actions had caused it.

"Look, I didn't mean it the way it sounded, I was just . . . surprised, that's all."

"It's okay, I know." Sam said flatly.

Jack walked towards her until they were only inches apart. Sam's eyes were cast down. He wanted nothing more than to reach out and lift her chin, so she would look at him. But he knew he couldn't, so instead he waited, showing a patience no one would have expected Jack O'Neill to have. Finally Sam raised her head.

"No, apparently you don't", he replied softly then fell silent when he didn't know how to go on. Hell, what was he supposed to tell her? How was he supposed to explain to her, that he hadn't been angry at her but at himself? He had spent weeks trying to find the right words and the right time to tell Sam and Teal'c about his last conversation with Daniel. And after his escape from the abyss things sure as hell hadn't gotten any easier to explain. Jack felt the familiar fear creeping up his heart. The fear that they would blame him for not preventing Daniel from leaving and that it would tear SG1 apart.

When he looked up he saw understanding in Sam's eyes. She knew. He looked to the floor, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"I guess I was just pissed that you found out this way. That I didn't have the guts to tell you about Daniel myself."

Sam reached out to him, and although her hand stopped before actually touching his, it felt like she did.

"You just did. Maybe not with words. But you did."

They stood there for a few seconds not knowing what to say. Suddenly Jack sighed and shook his head, his next words leading the way back to a more familiar territory.

"Man, this is weird."

"You could say that, Sir."

"How do we always manage to get ourselves in such ...difficult situations?"

"Well you've always had sort of a talent for it, Sir. As for me: Must be the company I'm keeping."

"Thank you very much." Jack snorted, but didn't manage to keep a straight face for long. When Janet Fraiser entered the room she frowned at the two officers sitting there grinning at each other. She blinked, slightly annoyed that there was apparently something going on in her infirmary she had no control of.

"Colonel? Sam? You'd better take a look at this. I found something."

*******************

When Janet Fraiser finished her explanations, Jack blinked.

"So that's it? Just some electrical charges in our brains having a party? That is causing all this?"

Janet could hear definite disappointment in Colonel O'Neill's voice. And it seemed she wasn't the only one, because Sam was shooting him a questioning look. Jack shrugged.

"What? Don't you think that's a little . . . dull?"

"This is medical science, Colonel. There's nothing "dull" about it." Janet replied and put down the medical chart.

"We know now HOW it works, but I have no idea what triggered it or why just the two of you are affected. You haven't been on any missions together in weeks, so we can rule out that you contracted this off-world."

"So, that leaves . . what?"

Janet and General Hammond exchanged a glance, then the General took over. "We think it may have to do with your blending. So we asked the Tok'ra for help. They will send someone over as soon as possible."

Jack jumped up. "The Tok'ra? Thanks, but no, thanks. I still try to get over the last time they tried to "help" me."

"Colonel, I know how you feel about this..."

Jack glared at Hammond. "I don't mean any disrespect, General, but I don't think you do. Just give our Doc some more time. She'll figure it out. We can do this alone. We don't need their help."

"I am afraid we do, Colonel", Janet said. "If this has something to do with your blending as we suspect it may have, then the Tok'ra are the only ones who can shed a light on this."

Jack opened his mouth to offer his take on the situation, but the General spoke first.

"Colonel."

Hammond looked at Jack and waited until he got his complete attention. "You realise that until we can solve this, I won't be able to put you back on active duty - or let the rest of SG1 depart on any off-world-missions."

Jack glared at the General for a few more seconds, then sighed. "So it's either the Tok'ra or a lot of downtime with the prospect of even more downtime. Right?"

No one said anything, but then again that was an answer in itself. Jack rolled his eyes and lifted his hands towards the ceiling.

"Fine. You write the invitations, I bring the snacks."

When Fraiser and Hammond left, he leaned over and whispered to Sam. "After all, how much worse can it get?"

*******************

The answer to his question was given three hours later, when the two Tok'ra representatives stepped through the stargate. One of them was a man in his mid-twenties. The other one was female. Sam and Jack looked at each other, for the first time since all this started sharing the exact same thought and not being the least surprised by it.



Chapter 4: Feelings and prophecies

Anise stepped down the ramp of the stargate. Her movements were smooth and her eyes were searching the room with mild curiosity.

"I see not much has changed since my last visit to earth", she said.

"Likewise. You haven't ... aged a day", Jack replied dryly, hiding a smile at sensing Sam's feeling regarding Anise's choice of clothing. If you could call it that.

Anise exchanged greetings with everyone, before she introduced her companion.

"This is Fengar. He is one of our most renowned experts on the side-effects of blending."

"You have *experts* for that?", Jack asked. General Hammond saw the darkening look in Colonel O'Neill's eyes and hurried on to say: "We appreciate any help you can give us. Please follow Doctor Fraiser to the infirmary. She will explain everything to you."

*****************

Jack eyed the female Tok'ra suspiciosly through the window, while she talked to Dr. Fraiser.

"Will you please sit down, Sir? You're making me nervous. Literally." Sam said, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"Why her? There are hundreds of them out there. Why did it have to be her?"

"I'm not too happy about that myself, but maybe she's able to help us, Sir"

"Oh yeah, just like the last time?"

Jack flinched at his own words. Great. There we go again. Why couldn't he just swallow his tongue and shut up forever? Would prevent causing a lot of damage in the long run.

"I'm . .."

"I know", Sam replied, shooting him a small reassuring smile. Jack shook his head in amazement.

"Wow, this takes really some getting used to."

He turned back from the window and sat down next to Sam. The more time passed the better he got things under control. His skin still started tingling when he was near her, but it wasn't a bad or overwhelming sensation. Just a nice reminder of the special connection they shared now. He still hadn't figured out how that thought/feeling/memory-sharing thing worked. He had tried several times to "send" his thoughts to her, but it hadn't work, while on other occassions, when he rather would have kept them to himself, he had gotten a glare from Sam telling him that she had heard every single word. But then again Jack had heard a few thoughts from his 2IC that were sure as hell not intended for anyone's ears - or mind, so it seemed she wasn't able to control it either.

Just like now.

Jack heard the words he had spoken almost two years ago echo in his mind.



Feelings of joy, fear, longing and pain, all mixed together to form an emotion so strong it made Jack shiver washed over him and although he remembered feeling something similar back then, he knew that this was not his memory, not his joy and not his pain.

Without thinking he reached out and took Sam's hand in his. She gasped as she felt his hand close around hers. But his time there were no random memories or thoughts rushing through her mind. Just a strong feeling or reassurance, of comfort and understanding, that made it's way from her hand up to her heart and mind and soul. Sam closed her eyes, trying to hold on to that feeling with every single fibre of her being. She felt warm and content, safe and ...loved. Pushing away every warning sign she had put up over the years, every rule she had formed to keep her distance from him and every reason why this was ultimately wrong, Sam felt her body follow where her soul already rested, as she put her head on his shoulder, wrapping her arm around his waist, holding him close, never wanting to let go.

Footsteps. The sound of footsteps approaching. Her hide-it-or-deny-it- reflexes kicked in and Sam let go of him, quickly sitting up. A small moan of regret escaped Jack's throat as he felt Sam slip away - both in body and mind. It took several seconds before he was able to get over the feeling of loss and managed to open his eyes again. Anise was walking up to them, pausing in mid-step, looking at them curiously.

"Are you well?", she inquired. They both nodded, both not trusting their voices to work normally. Anise raised her eyebrows and Jack hurried to clear his throat and say.

"Really, couldn't be better. What about you? Long time no see! How's it going on ...? Where did you say you disappeared to again?"

"That is classified information."

"Oh. Right. Sure."

"I had an important mission to complete."

"Oh really? What was is? Oh, wait, I guess that's classified as well."

"You are correct."

Jack glanced over at Sam. She still hadn't said a word and kept looking on the floor, her eyes almost blank. Jack concentrated on her, but couldn't sense anything. Aware that Anise was still watching their every move he hurried to turn his attention back to her - without making the impression of doing so of course.

"Well, it's really been nice catching up on everything", he said, getting up and rubbing his hands in anticipation. "So. Any ideas yet on our little problem here?"

Anise hesitated for a moment, then cast her eyes to the floor. "We haven't been able to figure out the cause of this phenomenon yet. But it seems your connection is getting more . . .stable for the lack of a better term."

Jack looked at her puzzled. "What do you mean?"

"When you touched Major Carter neither of you lost consciousness."

Jack flinched just a little. Damn, how long had she been in the room anyway? The answer was simple: Apparently long enough. He sighed, fighting the urge to shut into complete denial-mode and instead forcing himself to a brief nod.

"No, we're both still alive and well, thank you."

"What happened?"

"Nothing." Both Jack and Anise looked at Sam. Sam got up shooting Jack a long serious look he understood without having to rely on any other senses than his eyes. He was a little surprised that it was Sam who made the decision not to mention what just had happened, but also a little relieved. Better not pour oil into the flames. Anise already knew more about them than Jack wanted anyone - maybe even including himself - to know.

"For a second I felt dizzy, but I didn't receive any thoughts or memories from the Colonel."

"Maybe in time you will be able to fully gain control over it", Anise suggested. Jack looked at her, raising his eyebrows.

"in TIME? Are you suggesting that this might never go away?"

"I am merely pointing out that you seem to be making progress in mastering your new ability."

"That's not an answer and you know it", Jack shot back.

Anise shook her head. "I understand this must be . . unsettling for you, Colonel, given the fact that you are not a person who likes to talk about feelings or memories, let alone sharing them."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It's been my observation . . ."

"Just don't, okay? Don't observe, don't suggest, just figure out what the hell is going on here!"

Sam watched Jack and Anise argue for a while, then she silently made her way over to the door and stepped out into the corridor. She had to get her emotions under control, plus she figured it was only a matter of time until the anger building up on the other end of their telepathic line would make its way over to her. Sam closed her eyes, taking in deep breaths.

"Are you well?" a soft voice inquired. Sam opened her eyes and looked into the pale face of Anise's companion.

"Fengar. I didn't see you. Sorry. Yes, I am fine. Just needed a little . . . distance."

Fengar leaned over and looked into the room, a smile forming on his face.

"Anise said he had a fiery temperament."

"That's one way of putting it", Sam mumbled.

Fengar tilted his head. "This must be very difficult for you."

"I'm fine, really."

"You don't want to talk about it. I understand. Sharing memories and thoughts is a very intimate process. We Tok'ra know."

He pointed to his neck, winking at Sam.

Sam felt a smile stealing into her face. She started to like Fengar.

"Yes, I suppose you do."

Sam rubbed her temples, just realising that she had a headache.

"Any idea yet what to do about this thing?"

"Drink lots of fluids and take one Teza every two hours", Fengar offered. When Sam looked at him confused, he grinned, pointing to his head.

"Headache-medication."

"Oh, now I get it. You have quite a sense of humour."

"You find that strange for a Tok'ra?"

"No, I guess your people just don't have a lot of reasons to be funny at the moment."

"That is true", Fengar admitted. "Our numbers are getting smaller with each day. We could use a miracle or two now."

Sam looked closer at Fengar. He wore the same clothing as the other Tok'ra men, except for a small necklace with a symbol in the middle. It was a golden circle, in which the head of a hawk was embedded.

"A lucky charm?" Sam asked. Now it was Fengar's turn to look puzzled. Sam pointed at his necklace.

"Oh, that. No. Or maybe it is. Depends on your beliefs."

"What does it mean?"

"It is the symbol of Chons."

"Chons? Somehow that name sounds familiar. I think a friend of mine might have mentioned him before."

"You might have heard about him, yes, because the story of his life started right here on earth. Chons was an offspring of Hathor. He was one of the three Goul'd ruling over an important city in the old kingdom. Even while still posing as a god, Chons tried to use his powers to heal instead of causing suffering. In time he managed to wipe out disease, even bring people back from the dead without using a sarcophagus. That was the time a wounded Tok'ra sought refuge in the city and the two of them met. Chons was amazed to hear the tale of the Tok'ra. So he left earth and the ways of the Goul'd. In the years to come he saved hundreds of Tok'ra from dying, healing every wound, every disease - and the Tok'ra florished. But Hathor and the other Goul'd had not forgotten his betrayal. They searched for a way to find Chons. And they found it. His wife Kel'ra. She and Chons had shared a special bond, a true love, deeper than anything you can imagine. They shared everything. Their bodies, their feelings, even their souls. So the Goul'd wanted to use Kel'ra to locate Chons. She swore never to betray her true love and killed herself to keep her promise. Chons knew at once what had happened and his grief was so intense and painful that he lost all his faith, his hopes, his powers. Feeling that he would only be a burden to his fellow Tok'ra, he decided to leave them. Just before his departure he saw a young couple standing at the bank of a river holding hands, reminding him of everything he had lost, but also of everything he had possessed. He walked over to them and made them write down what became known as the prophecy of Chons."

Fengar paused and Sam looked at him encouragingly. "And? What did it say?"

"That's just the thing. The young man built a secret chamber where he cut the words into stone, so time would not wipe them out. But no one ever found that chamber - or the planet it is on. All we do know is that the prophecy tells of two lovers, two joined souls, who will find Chons and their true love will set him free and bring him back to the Tok'ra."

"Wow, that's quite a story."

"It is."

Fengar smiled and shrugged. "Of course I could have just told you that Chons was our greatest healers and therefore his crest has become the symbol for all Tok'ra medical personnel."

With that he headed back to the infirmary. He pushed the door open and turned around to face Sam a last time. "As I said: Depends on your beliefs."

Chapter Five: Confessions

Jack caught up with Sam in the commissary and sank down on the empty chair opposite her, letting out a deep sigh.

"I'm telling you, that woman is a nightmare."

Sam grinned at him and instead of saying something nudged the glass of blue jello over to his side of the table. Jack raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"Hey, how did you...?"

He shook his head. "Okay, I know, THAT was a stupid question."

Sam swallowed a mouthful of her red jello and answered. "No, actually it was not. Well, not really."

"Huh?"

Sam put down her fork. "I didn't sense you being hungry or anything. I just thought after that run-in with Anise you might need something to cheer you up, Sir."

Jack grinned as he swallowed the first mouthful of jello. "Thanks." He closed his eyes in pure delight. "Oh, boy, works miracles."

Sam sighed and shook her head. "What is it with you and Anise anyway? I mean, she's not on top of my list either, for reasons we both know, but you seem to be much more uncomfortable around her."

Jack put another bite of jello in his mouth to buy himself some time. There were three possibilites: Option number one: Lying to her, thus risking her noticing it, cause let's face it, he had to admit even without her new abilities, Sam was pretty good at realising when he was just making something up. Option number 2: Ignoring her question, risking that his mind was giving her the answer *and* some very embarrasing pictures along with it anyway. Option number three: Just flat out telling her.

"Shhh hhmmmnnnn on mmmgh", Jack finally mumbled into his jello.

"What?"

Jack leaned closer in, making sure no one else was listening in on their conversation.

"She hit on me."

Thankfully Sam had just swallowed her food, or otherwise she would have caused the cleaning crew to put in some extra-hours tonight.

"She did what???"

Jack waved his hands in panic. "Would you please keep your voice down?!" His eyes searched the room nervously. Sam leaned back in her chair, trying very hard to refrain from giggling. Naturally she didn't succeed.

"I am glad my misery is so entertaining", he grumbled.

"Sorry", Sam managed to say between giggles. Jack glared at her which had the only effect that Sam was losing it completly now, bursting out with laughter.

"This is NOT funny", he protested.

Sam shook her head. "Oh, yes, it is, Sir."

Jack growled. Sam wiped the tears away from her eyes and shook her head.

"You have to admit there is a certain humour to it, Sir."

"No there isn't. It was really scary."

"Oh come on, are you telling me, that brave Jack O'Neill, slayer of Goul'd and master of gate-travel, got scared because a woman laid her eyes on him?"

"It wasn't her eyes, it was . . . never mind. I shouldn't have told you in the first place. I only did it, because I wanted avoiding you actually.. you know. . . seeing it."

Sam made a serious face and replied. "I am really sorry and I promise not to laugh at your misery ever again, Sir."

"Liar." Jack grumbled, but the smile on his lips betrayed his tone.

Sam raised her eyebrows. "Me? Lie? Never?" She grinned and picked up her fork again. "So", she said in a casual tone. "Anything else you rather want me to hear than to see?"

Just one thing, Jack thought.

"You didn't!"

Several people turned around and looked in surprise at Jack and Sam's table. Jack flinched. Damn. Thinking about the kiss during the time-loop was a really dumb thing to do right now. So you could also say it was the O'Neill-thing to do. He avoided Sam's gaze and started to take a real interest in the inscription on the back of the fork.

"Sir?"

"What?"

"Tell me, you didn't. . ."

"I didn't what?" Jack replied nervously, failing miserably to fake confusion. He knew pretty well what she meant. Slowly he lifted his head and looked at her. She looked quite angry, but the feelings Jack caught from her told a different story. Confusion? yes. Surprise? yes. Anger? Not really. Regret? Regret. Now that was interesting. He had to think about that one.

"That was really inappropriate! What the hell were you thinking?", Sam hissed.

"Just for your information: I resigned first!" Jack protested.

Numerous heads shot up. Jack pushed his chair back.

"Uh,I think we better take this somewhere else."

*****************

The door closed with a loud thud behind Sam and Jack. Jack walked with long strides up to the middle of the room, then turned around and started blurting out. "Look, cut the crap, okay? You can look at me as mad and upset as you want to, but I'm not buying it. I know that actually you are neither."

"That's where you're wrong! You kissed me! In front of General Hammond! Without even asking me first - or telling me later! And you think I am NOT mad at you right now?", Sam yelled and started pacing.

"That was the most stupid stunt you ever pulled, you know that? What if the time-loop hadn't continued? Ever think of that? Did you at all think about me or the consequences, when you did it?"

All valid questions. She sure had a point there. Jack wasn't surprised. He had had over two years to imagine what would happen if she ever found out and how he'd defend himself and his actions. Every single word was what he'd imagined it to be. But the motivation behind those words was somewhat different than he had expected.

"Carter."

"I can't believe it. All this time and you never said a single word."

"Sam."

"This could have ruined both of our careers."

"Would you stop ranting for a moment?", Jack shouted. Sam stopped pacing and turned to him. Jack looked at her adding softly: "Please?"

Sam sighed and crossed her arms in front of her chest. Jack took in a deep breath.

"First of all: I had 18+ time-loops to think that particular one through, so I am pretty sure I took every possible risk into account. I admit, not giving you a warning ahead may have been a little selfish, but you do need two people to make this kissing-thing work and believe me it worked quite well. But that's not the point either."

"Then what do you think it is?"

His voice was calm.

"You tell me."

Sam looked at the floor. After a few moments, she sighed, admitting: "You're right. I don't care about not being asked first or the General watching us. I just regret not remembering it."

"But you can remember it.", Jack said quietly and reached out to her, his brown eyes all serious and focused on her pale face. "You can."

Sam stared at him, his words echoing in her mind. And what if she did remember the feel of his lips on hers? If she did remember his hands holding her? His breath intermingling with hers? Would it just be another cruel reminder of what could but should not be? Or would it be the spark to light the fire again they had tried to extinguish for so long?

Sam wanted answers. Knowing completely well that this could change everything for the both of them she took his hand in hers and closed her eyes.



Jack O'Neill opened his eyes, looking at the woman standing in front of him. He slowly disentangled his hand from hers and waited in silence until she raised her head to look at him. He could see tears glistening in her eyes as well as a question.

"Since you couldn't at the time, seems I had to remember for the both of us", Jack answered, his words not more than a whisper.

Up on the surface the full moon cast its silvery light over Cheyenne mountain, chasing away the darkness...

Chapter 6: Dreams and drawings

Sam Carter stumbled and went down with a curse on her lips. She hit the ground hard, but managed to get back on her feet in seconds. She started running again. She pushed away the branches that wanted to stop her advance, never once looking back. Her breathing was hard and created small clouds in the cold air. She ran deeper and deeper into the forest, following a trail only she alone was able to see. Slowly she felt her pace getting slower as her whole body seemed to get heavier with every single step. But she had to go on. She was getting closer to him. She could feel his presence more clearly with every second. Mustering up all her strength Sam speed up and within seconds she disappeared behind the trees.

Jack O'Neill paused to take a look around. Not that it really mattered. He had lost every sense of direction hours ago. Jack tilted his head as a quiet murmuring sound reached his ears. That sounded like water. Maybe a river? Jack decided to follow the sound. It didn't take long until he stepped out behind the trees and found himself on the bank of a river. Jack blinked. Now that was something you didn't get to see every day. The colour of the water was of pure silver. It wasn't a reflection of the sun or anything, it was the colour of the fluid itself. Jack cast his look upwards. This was the first chance he got of seeing the sky on this planet. Between the grey clouds Jack could make out two mighty moons, that were even visible during the day. Interesting, but not very helpful Jack decided. He wanted to look down again, but something in the sky caught his attention. It was a hawk, sailing along the clouds, the first sign of wildlife Jack had seen so far. He looked down at the water, realising that his mouth was well too dry for his taste. He kneeled, took a small branch and held it into the water. When he pulled the branch back out of the fluid it was wet, but otherwise intact. So whatever this fluid was, it was not acid. Good start. Jack saw his own reflection dancing on the waves. So that's what I look like, he thought. He didn't remember much. Neither how he got here, nor what he was supposed to do, nor anything else. Only that his name was Jack and that he had managed to get himself lost in this forest. He remembered one other thing - or rather felt it. He had lost something. Something very important. He blinked. Beside his own reflection another one appeared. The face of a woman. He jumped up and screaming her name ran back into the forest.

"Saaaammmmmm!!!!"

He woke up from the sound of his own voice screaming. Jack sat up, his heart was beating painfully against his chest. He rubbed his hands over his face, just to make sure that he was awake and no longer a prisoner of sleep and the nightmare that had accompanied it. He blinked, then gasped, as he remembered.

"Sam!"

Within seconds he was out of the door of this quarters, running down the corridor towards the room where Sam rested.

He ran into her half way down the corridor - as well as into Janet Fraiser and Jonas who just tried to calm her down.

"I need to see him. Now. Let me through!", she yelled at the two people blocking her way.

"Sam, calm down, please", Janet pleaded. Sam shook her head, trying to get past her.

"Janet, let me go!"

"Sam!" Jack's voice boomed through the corridor. Jonas and Janet turned around in surprise. That was all Sam needed. With one smooth movement she was past them. Jonas and Janet watched in surprise as Sam and Jack embraced, holding each other tight.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, you?"

"Yeah, fine."

Sam took a step back, relieved at seeing him alive and well.

"I lost you. In the woods somewhere. I thought I'd never find you again."

"Likewise", Jack replied. Suddenly he had the bad feeling of being watched and let go of Sam. He took a step back as he noticed Janet and Jonas standing there.

Uh.Uh.

"Hi guys. What's up?", he said waving at them. Janet and Jonas just looked at each other. This was really getting out of hand . . .

*****************

"I'm telling you it was just a dream", Jack said nervously, avoiding practically everyone's gaze. SG1, Fraiser, Hammond and the two Tok'ra were sitting in the briefing room, discussing last night's events.

"A dream that made you run around the SGC in underwear in the middle of the night screaming?", Jonas asked. Jack shot him an angry look, but looked away fast, when he felt the heat creeping up his cheeks.

"I wouldn't put it that way", Jack mumbled.

Fengar, sensing Jack's unease, cleared his throat. "Did the two of you share the same dream?", he asked.

Sam shook her head. "That's the weird thing. It was not the exact same dream. I think it was the same forest we were in, but we were not in the same place. We were actually trying to find each other."

"Maybe the dream expressed your fears of being separated?", Anise suggested. Jack clenched his fists. Of course she just HAD to phrase it like that. Evil woman. Evil, evil woman.

"Don't give me that psycho-babble, okay? I'm telling you, if this was just some metaphor or anything, then it was a pretty colourful one - including a silver river, a hawk and two moons. Now why would our minds make that up?"

At Jack's words Fengar's head shot up and he looked at him in surprise. "What did you just say?"

"There was a silver river, a hawk and two moons. I remember it. But it doesn't matter, because it was just a nightmare. I don't get what the big deal is."

Jonas opened his mouth, but closed it again without uttering a sound, when he saw the warning expression on Jack's face.

General Hammond cleared his throat and turned to Anise. "Any success on finding out what caused all this?"

As Anise started to explain in long words and longer sentences that she basically had no clue, Jack's mind started to wander. Without realising it he picked up a pencil and started drawing random shapes on the sheet of paper lying in front of him.

"So I am suggesting another test", Anise finished. General Hammond looked at Jack and Sam.

"Colonel? Major?"

Jack's head shot up and he blinked, realising that he hadn't gotten a word Anise had said.

"Uh, sorry, Sir", he mumbled, casting his look down. His eyes caught the drawings on the paper and he frowned.

"Colonel?"

Jack looked over to Sam, who just put her pen back on the table.

"Carter?"

"Yes, Sir?"

"Hand me that paper, will ya?"

Sam frowned, but pushed the paper across the table without any comment. Jack looked at it, then back at his own sheet.

"Folks, I hate to say this, but we may have a new problem."

He pushed the sheets to the middle of the table, so everyone could see them. Three complete symbols were drawn on each paper. The seventh symbol was cut in half, one part of it drawn on Jack's paper, the other one on Sam's. Teal'c raised an eyebrow and said:

"This appears to be a gate address."

Jonas frowned and shook his head. "Doesn't look familiar."

Fengar stared at the symbols for quite some time. "I don't know. There's something about it that actually does look familiar, but I can't really say why."

"Maybe it is a Tok'ra adress?", General Hammond asked, giving Anise a serious and somehow warning look. "You'd tell us if it that was the case."

"Of course. But this adress doesn't belong to any Tok'ra planet, if it is a valid adress at all."

"Well there is only one way to find out", Jack suggested. General Hammond nodded. "Very well."

The seventh chevron locked with the familiar sound. Behind the window of the control-room eight people watched as the stargate established the wormhole, connecting earth with a planet hundreds of light-years away. Jack glanced at Sam, catching a feeling of excitement and amazement. Jack smiled. Although they had seen this happening hundreds of times already she seemed as amazed by it as the first time they had gone through the gate together six years ago.

"Send the MALP", General Hammond ordered and Jack snapped back out of his thoughts, watching as the machine made its way slowly up the ramp and disappeared behind the curtain of shimmering blue light. Jack looked at the monitor, just in time to see it come to life with the first images the probe caught of the unknown world. Jack could see trees. A lot of them.

"Breathable air, normal temperature", Janet said, reading the data the malp was sending along with the images. "This could well be an inhabited planet."

"The MALP is not picking up any artificial energy source or transmissions of any kind", Sam said, staring at the monitor. Was this the forest she had dreamt about last night? It could well be, but then again there had not been any real landmarks in her dream to distinguish the forest from any other forest. Jack turned to the seargent operating the MALP and said.

"Can you give me a picture of the sky?"

"Of course, Sir."

The picture changed as the tiny camera mounted on the MALP moved. There was not much to see though. The branches of the trees made it almost impossible to see beyond the forest. Jack narrowed his eyes, searching for a weak spot in the defense line of the trees.

"There." He pointed at the monitor.

"Can you zoom in on that spot?"

"Yes, Sir."

"There!", Jack repeated, pointing at the screen. "You see that?"

"Looks like . . a moon", Jonas said, narrowing his eyes just like Jack had done a few seconds before. "No, look, there's another one. That's two moons." He turned to face Jack.

"Just like in your dream, Colonel."

Jack nodded, wanting to reply, but just then he caught the look on Fengar's face.

"Fengar? Everything alright?"

The Tok'ra's eyes were fixed on the two shapes in the sky.

"Depends, Colonel."

Jack frowned. "Depends on what?"

Fengar cast a long look at Sam. "Depends on your beliefs."

Chapter 7: Truths and Beliefs

"That was irresponsible of you, Fengar!"

Anise slammed her fists on the table in anger. Jack frowned. He had never seen her act so . . . emotionally before. Well, except maybe for once . . ah, better not go there again, he reminded himself quickly and cast a glance at Sam, making sure she hadn't picked up his train of thought. Anise was glaring at Fengar in wild anger, while the scientist tried to defend himself.

"It was my duty to inform our fellow Tok'ra of this discovery!", he said holding Anise's gaze.

"What discovery, Fengar? It is just an uninhabited planet. Nothing more."

"It is the planet where Chons made his prophecy and you know it!"

"It's just a legend, nothing more, Fengar. And this is the worst time to evoke hopes in something that is not real. The fight against the Goul'd is not going well, many Tok'ra are desperate. And desperate people tend to be influenced very easily. They try to hold on to every sign of hope no matter how small it is. Making them think Chons might be coming back to join the fight is not only irresponsible, but cruel as well!"

"But don't you see it? The two moons, the silver river, the forest. It all fits perfectly with the reports of our historians. I am certain this is Chons' planet."

Anise sighed, shaking her head. "Even if it is, that would make it a great archeological discovery, but nothing more than that."

"But if we were to find the prophecy of Chons, maybe we could learn how to bring him back. We need him now, Anise. More than ever."

"Chons was a great healer who saved a lot of Tok'ra lives. But the stories on his final days with the Tok'ra are nothing more than a myth, Fengar. Chons is most likely dead and nothing will bring him back to us."

"Two lovers, two joined souls will!" Fengar exclaimed. "And I believe they are sitting right over there!"

All eyes in the room turned towards the two people Fengar was pointing at. Jack blinked in honest confussion.

"What?"

Understanding dawned on him and his eyes grew wide with alarm. Jack jumped up.

"Are you nuts?", he yelled, his voice slightly higher than usual. Sam was at his side in an instant. Fengar waved at them, obviously seeing his point proven by her actions.

"Two lovers! Two joined souls!"

"We are NOT lovers, okay?", Jack shouted.

"You will be able to set him free!"

"Which part of the word "not" did you not understand?", Jack yelled clenching his fists.

"I don't understand why you are trying to deny it."

"Because there is NOTHING to deny!", Jack protested screaming at the Tok'ra.

"I don't understand. What you have is a gift. Why are you not willing to accept it?"

"There is nothing to accept", Jack yelled, taking a step closer, anger flashing in his eyes. Sam touched his arm, trying to calm him down. Before Jack could find the air to continue yelling she interjected.

"Fengar, I am sure you are excited about this, because you believe in it. But we are not what you think we are. This special connection we have is just a medical condition, probably due to the fact that we've both been hosts. That is the reason you came here in the first place, remember?"

"But don't you see it? Two joined souls! That's what you are!"

"Our telepathic link could be interpreted that way", Sam admitted. "But just to make it clear to you: We are not lovers. Never have been."

Fengar looked at her for a long time, then over at Jack, who continued glaring at him. Finally he closed his eyes and lowered his head.

"I am sorry. Forgive me. The excitement over finding Chons' planet has clouded my judgement. I am sorry if I offended you."

Jack snorted. "You'd better be."

Fengar looked at him. A long serious look that seemed to penetrate Jack's defence perimeter with ease, reaching right into his soul. Jack felt uncomfortable and started to tap with his foot against the table, just to get rid of some of the tension, Fengar's intense stare caused. Finally his patience was running thin.

"What?" he asked Fengar challenging. The Tok'ra only smiled. "Nothing, Colonel, nothing at all."

****************

"This is not good. This is sooo not good.", Jack mumbled.

He stopped in front of the wall, turned around and started walking to the other end of the room, just as he had done numerous times before. Sam sat on the edge of her desk, her feet dangling in the air. She had stopped listening to Jack's growling a long time ago, retreating to her own space and strange enough succeding with it. At least for the time being. Maybe Anise was right, maybe their brains were adapting to the new circumstances, giving them better control over their new abilities. A surge of anger and aggression flashed trough her and Sam gritted her teeth. Okay, so much for control.

"Sir."

"I swear, if this guy even looks strange at us I'm gonna knock his lights out."

"Sir!"

Sam closed her eyes, trying to fight the emotions flooding her body. It hurt. It physically hurt.

"And if he dares to mention this to anyone . . ."

"Oh for crying out loud, would you stop it now? I can't take this anymore!", she yelled, jumping down from the desk, putting her hands over her ears and retreating to the other side of the room, bringing as much distance between herself and him as possible. Jack's anger vanished within a second and was replaced by a much stronger emotion: Concern. He slowly headed over to where Sam was standing. She had her back to him, her hands still covering her ears. Jack stood behind her, unsure what to do.

"Carter? I'm sorry." Jack wanted to kick himself. He had used that particular sentence far to often during the last few days. She didn't turn around, probably hadn't even heard him talking to her. Jack closed his eyes and tried to concentrate.





She sounded different. Younger. More vulnerable. But not weak.











He felt a small wave of amusement coming from her and sighed in relief, knowing that when he opened his eyes they would be looking into her face.

And they did. "Hi there", Jack said, smiling at her. Sam just looked at him with a somewhat neutral expression. Okaaaay, he thought. Neutral is good. We can deal with neutral.

"Look I am sorry, I didn't mean to send my anger over to you, but I still can't control this."

"It's okay, I know, I can't control it either. It just . . .hurt. That's why I wanted you to stop."

Jack flinched and shot her a worried glance. "You okay?"

She nodded. "Yeah." She rubbed her temples and grinned. "Except for a little headache."

Jack scratched his forehead. "Sorry `bout that." He stuffed his hands as deep as possible into his pockets, feeling really guilty.

"I was just upset about the crap that stupid snake-head said."

"I know. It's okay", Sam answered, the smile disappearing from her face, her eyes getting dark. Suddenly Jack felt a deep pain ripping through his heart, followed by a cry of loss and desperation, of shattered hopes and longing. The pain was so real that it made him flinch and actually touch his chest. He stared at Sam in shock.

"God, no. No, no, no. You're getting that all wrong! I never meant...! Hell, Sam, how could you think even for a second that . . .! I'd never . . . never ever . . .", he blurted out, his mind trying so hard to think of the right words that it didn't manage to form a coherent sentence.

Jack cursed, gave up on this intellect and just followed his instincts. He crossed the distance between them in the flash of an eye and wrapped his arms around Sam. Her body was tense in his embrace at first, but started to relax, when he began stroking her back, whispering.

"I was angry at him for putting us in the spotlight back there. I am sure we are providing the gossip for the whole base anyway right now, but gossip is one thing. Being pointed at in front of the General is an entirely other. But I was never ever upset or embaressed or appalled by the thought of you and me being . . you know."

He sighed with relief, when he felt her settling into his embrace. "Don't you ever think that I would be upset about that", he whispered.

He felt her nod against his chest, the action accompanied by a wave of relief. Jack smiled. "Even though we can read each others thoughts, I think we definitely still have to work on our communication skills."

He heard her muffled laughter and felt her arms tightening around him. Jack closed his eyes, savouring the feel of her body close to his. The feel of her heart beating in the same rhythm as his own. He continued stroking her back, content to be able to hold her like this. After what seemed like an eternity Sam suddenly spoke, her head still resting on his chest.

"You really scared me there for a minute."

"I scared *you*? Well, you managed to make me babble like an idiot. And to seriously consider singing. How scary is that?"

"Sorry", she mumbled into his shirt. Jack smiled, giving her head a gentle nudge with his nose, a gesture so small and yet so intimate that it made Sam almost cry. Jack felt the sudden shift in her emotions and his body tensed.

"What's wrong?", he asked alarmed. He almost didn't hear her quiet response.

"Just the usual."

Jack's heart grew heavy. The usual. Meaning: The world. The SGC. The regs. Everything that awaited them on the other side of that door. Jack pulled her closer, making a deciscion.

"We have to face what's out there eventually."

He gently pushed her away at arm's length so he could look into her eyes. They were wide and full of questions and fears and hopes all at the same time. Jack pointed to his heart, then to hers. "But I think it will be much easier, if we faced what's in here first."

As their eyes closed, their lips met and their bodies touched, three words echoed through their minds and hearts, spoken by the new and yet already familiar voice of two joined souls.

Chapter 8: a magical land

The Stargate sprung to life, followed seconds later by the sound of the alarms kicking in. In the commissary Jack looked up from his breakfast, frowning. Jonas Quinn who was about to settle into the empty chair next to Teal'c, turned in confusion. His arms moved, obviously wanting to place his tray on the table, but just before the task was completed, he picked it up again. Jack sighed. "Jonas?"

"Yes, Colonel?"

"This is how it works: Assess the situation. Make a decision. Stick to it."

He pointed with his fork at Quinn's breakfast. "Because if you don't you'll end up with not satisfying your curiosity AND a cold meal."

"Right" Jonas grinned and nodded, but still didn't move towards or away from the table. Jack rolled his eyes and was about to get really annoyed, when he picked up definite amusement coming from across the table. So instead of giving Jonas a somewhat sarcastic, but from Jack's point of view well-deserved answer, he mentally winked at Sam,stood up and smiled.

"You can of course just wait until I order you to put the tray down and follow us to the gateroom. Which is hereby do."

SG1 arrived in time to see the cause of the morning fanfare step down the ramp. Sam's eyes widened in surprise as she recognised the visitor.

"Dad!"

"Hey, Sammy." Jacob Carter gave his daughter a big hug and smiled. Jack, somewhat nervous, kept his distance and just waved at Jacob. Better not take any chances, Jack thought. After all, every dad was equipped with a standard issue boyfriend-radar. And that was the most dangerous and efficient spy-equipment in the whole galaxy.

"Hey, Jacob. Great surprise. Whatcha doin here?"

Jacob sighed heavily, rolling his eyes. "Believe me, this is not my idea, but Selmak insisted we'd come here, so I really had no choice in the matter if I didn't want to spend the rest of my days arguing with myself. Sort of. In a way. You know."

Jacob looked around. "So where is this idiot that started all this insanity?"

"You mean Fengar?", Jack asked.

Jacob sighed. "Yeah, that one. Do you know what his little story did? We're slowly drifting towards chaos. Fractions started to form the moment the word was out. Now there are those who believe in Chons return running around losing their heads and those who just try to keep control of the situation."

"And to which fraction do you belong?" Jack asked on their way to the infirmary.

"We're still discussing it", Jacob growled and rolled his eyes. "Selmak is sort of a fan of this whole Chons-ressurection- thing."

"And you disagree", Jack guessed.

Jacob shook his head. "Don't you? After all, that's like saying we're gonna go wait for the return of the Queen of Hearts and the white rabbit. It's just a fairy tale, nothing more."

Suddenly Jacob started to eye Jack suspiciously. "Which brings me to an important question and you better have a good answer to that one, Jack. What's this stuff I hear about you and my daughter being the chosen "lovers" who are supposed to find Chons?"

Jack hoped his face didn't turn white as quickly as he felt it did.

"Uh..."

Very eloquent, Jack. Really. But one had to admit, this was a really tough situation. Not only did he have to battle the glare of doom from Dad, but also the nervous feelings he received from the woman walking next to him. Jack cleared his throat and managed a grin.

"Yeah, you know, we wanted to wait a little longer before telling you."

Panic, simple, pure and complete panic hit him like a train. But Jack ignored Sam's not so subtle message and went on.

"But we had to make sure, we had invited all our dear friends from the magical land of gossip, backbite and crap to the wedding first."

Jacob laughed and shook his head in relief. "Oh man, I'm sorry. You two must be going through hell right now. Won't mention it again, I promise."

Luckily Jacob stepped through the door just then, thus missing his relieved but somewhat angry daughter elbowing her commanding officer in the ribs.

********************

It wasn't nice, it wasn't clean and as sure as hell wasn't quiet, but after two days the Tok'ra managed to reach an agreement. SG1, Jacob and Fengar were to check out P5K763 aka Chons' planet. If they didn't find a sign of the mystical Tok'ra hero there within 48 hours, Fengar had agreed to renounce his story. General Hammond had been reluctant to let Sam and Jack leave, but gave a go- ahead in the end nevertheless, since they hadn't shown any odd behaviour or health-problems during the past two days. Of course both of them had deliberately tried to keep a low profile so no one would notice just how strong their connection had gotten.

Jack O'Neill looked up at the shimmering pool of light, dancing inside the confines of the stargate. Jack smiled, as he adjusted his cap. Finally they were on their way again. With all the time he had spent in this damn mountain recently Jack had been slowly heading towards developing a not so mind case of claustrophobia. Action. That's what he needed now.



Jack grinned, but didn't turn around, when he heard to bolting of numerous boots behind him and the by now familiar arguing of Jacob and Fengar. Instead he concentrated on answering Sam's question.











"Jack? Are you listening?" Jacob. Damn it. Jack snapped out of it.

"Yeah, what?"

Jacob raised his eyebrows and pointed to the stargate. "Let's go?"

"Yeah, sure."

Jacob frowned. "Jack, are you okay?"

"Yeah, why?"

Jacob sighed, rolled his eyes and started heading towards the event horizon.

***************

The moment the journey was over Sam knew. This was the place. This was the forest she had dreamt about. Without a doubt.

"Now that looks familiar", Jack said, putting their thoughts into words. Jacob randomly picked up a small branch lying on the ground, studying it with only mild interest.

"This is the place you dreamt about?"

"Yeah", Jack said, stepping away from the stargate. He turned around, looking in each direction.

"Any idea where to go from here, Carter?"

Sam shook her head. "No, Sir."

Teal'c tilted his head. "O'Neill. Listen."

It took a while before Jack could make out the sound that had caught Teal'cs attention. It was the murmuring sound of a river and it was coming from northwest.

Jack shrugged. "Good a place as any to start."

As they walked through the forest, Fengar kept talking about Chons and the prophecy. Jack who was walking a little ahead of everyone else grinned. It seemed the Tok'ra had decided to pass all of his wisdom on to Jonas Quinn, who tried desperately to get off the hook, but didn't succeed.

"On earth Chons was first of all associated with the moon."

"Really?" Jonas asked, before he could stop himself. Angrily he gritted his teeth as he realised that he had once again accidently fueled the fire that was buring inside the Tok'ra.

"Yes and a powerful one at that. Legend has it that on the night Kel'ra died and the night Chons vanished, the moon vanished as well."

"Wow. How did he do that?" Jonas asked.

Jacob shook his head. "He did not do anything. Coincidence. An eclipse at the right time and on the right planet - and there you go: You've got your legend."

Sam stopped dead in her tracks. Jack turned around, alarmed by her confusion.

"Something wrong, Major?"

"No, Sir", Sam replied and continued walking. Jacob's eyes narrowed as he watched the exchange. Jack had been walking at least ten steps ahead of Sam and he had his back to her, so why did he know that Sam had stopped? Their connection must be more powerful than they had admitted, Jacob thought.



Jack's voice rang in her head.

Sam asked. Jack sensed slight anger, but chose to ignore it.









Jack felt anger rising inside his stomach. What was she trying to do here? He KNEW she was lying and she had to know that he knew. Well, or something like that. But what made Jack really angry was the fact that if it hadn't been for their special link, he would have bought the "No, Sir" without thinking twice. He would never have guessed she was lying. Lying to him.







Anger, impatience, hurt and years of military training were combined to one powerful thought.



It was out there before Jack could control or stop it. Because that was just the thing. You could stop and think about something before saying or doing it, but there was no way you could first think about thinking something. So it was out there and as much as Jack wanted to take it back, he knew he could not. Because in that particular moment that was exactly what he had felt and thought. No room for interpretation, no chance to deny it and they both knew it. He felt Sam slip away from him, but he didn't try to stop her. Instead he walked faster, widening the distance between them.

They reached the river by night-fall and decided to stay there until the next morning. Fengar was asleep as soon as his head touched the ground. Teal'c and Sam were off to gather some wood for the fire, which only left Jack and Jacob back at the camp. Jack stood at the bank of the river absently throwing stones into the water, watching as the objects caused the silvery surface to ripple. Jacob sat on a dead trunk and kept watching Jack. He was worried. Really worried. Nothing had really happened today. Nothing that would explain why Sam and Jack suddenly seemed to ignore each other. It was not something that was visible to just anyone. Fengar sure as hell hadn't noticed anything odd. But Jacob had spent enough time watching Sam and Jack on missions to know when something was wrong. If they had had a fight, he would not have been concerned about them at all. Just being in the presence of Jack O'Neill for more than five seconds raised the odds for getting into an argument by about 80 percent. He knew that from experience. But this was different. He silently watched Jack fighting with the river for another five minutes, then got up and walked over to him.

"It's not the waters fault, you know?"

"What?"

Jacob pointed at the river and the stone that just splashed into it. "I don't think the river will mind, but maybe you should opt for something else than your usual aggression-therapy."

"What's your point?", Jack asked growling, picking up another stone and throwing it into the water.

"My point is, maybe you wanna talk about it."

"About what?"

"About what's going on between you and my daughter."

"Nothing's going on."

"I noticed that and that's what worries me."

"What? You're worried because nothing going on between us?", Jack snorted and shook his head.

"You sure, you're not the one who needs therapy?"

"Jack, you know what I mean."

"No, I don't."

Inside Jacob and Selmak let out a shared sigh. Okay, this was not going to be easy.

"I am hinting at the fact that the two of you haven't exchanged a word for hours. You didn't even give her an order."

Another stone dropped into the water.

"So?"

"Jack, what's going on?"

"Nothing."

"Come on, I know both of you better than this."

"Maybe we just need a little . . . distance, that's all. All this sensing-stuff is not that easy to handle, you know."

Ah, that was it. Jacob crossed his hands in front of his chest.

"So that's it. You're afraid of getting too close."

Jack didn't answer. To say he wasn't thrilled where this conversation was going was an understatement. Jacob, not aware that Jack and his daughter were already way past the "getting too close"- part, continued.

"She's your 2IC, your her CO, and you're both smarter than to risk your carreers and everything else for some attraction thing that naturally develops when you've been through as much together as you two have. Everyone knows that, Jack. General Hammond knows that and I know it, too. There are regulations, and they are there for a reason. But there's no rule that says the two of you can't be friends. You don't have to ignore each other just to convince us that nothing's going on."

"Man, you sure as hell have a lot of faith in us", Jack mumbled, glad that Jacob couldn't see the guilty expression on his face in the darkness. Jacob smiled and patted the younger man's shoulder.

"Yeah, but I know it's well deserved. After all, you know exactly that I will kill you without thinking twice should you so much as dare to look at my daughter the wrong way, right?" Jacob replied smiling.

"Yeah, sure", Jack answered, now feeling really miserable.

**********

The feeling didn't go away no matter how hard he tried to get rid of it. And the fact that it was his watch and everything was quiet and there was absolutely nothing to focus on didn't make it any easier. So Jack O'Neill thought about it. Seconds turned into minutes, minutes turned into an hour. Jack sighed, fighting the urge to get up and continue his "agression therapy". He continued thinking.

Maybe Jacob was right. No, Jacob *was* right. They *did* know better than this. At least they had for the past six years. But that was before . . . this.

Anise had been right. Everyone knew that Jack wasn't comfortable sharing his feelings with others. But Jack had settled rather easily into this whole thought/feeling/memory-sharing-thing with Sam. Because it had not felt wrong. It had not felt like an intrusion and it had given him the chance to make her understand how he felt without his brain producing one of those lovely misunderstanding/embarrassment-things it usually did when he talked to her alone.

But nevertheless he should have seen it coming. What had happened today was exactly one of the reasons for this whole fraternization- rule. But how were they supposed to go back to the way things were? How were they supposed to go anywhere at all?

He was so caught up in his thoughts, that he didn't realise he was no longer alone, until suddenly two arms slid around him from behind and he heard a soft voice whisper in his ear.

"Stop thinking, will ya? I really need to get some sleep here."

Jack closed his eyes in relief. There was his answer. Why going anywhere when you were exactly where you wanted to be?

Chapter 9: Borders

Jacob and Selmak were pleased with their work. Sometimes a little man-to-man-to-symbiont-talk was all that was needed. Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter were walking next to each other, discussing the course of action.

"We can't just continue walking along the river forever. I mean, this guy could be anywhere on this goddamn planet. Maybe he's not a big fan of fishing? Maybe he's more the desert type or something. He could be anywhere", Jack said.

"If he is here at all", Jacob cut in.

"Right. If he's here at all."

Suddenly Jack paused and blinked. The little group came to an halt.

"What is that?" Jack asked, pointing at a white shape that was just coming into view behind a row of trees.

"I don't know", Jonas said, pushing away some leaves that had managed to land on his jacket.

Teal'c raised an eyebrow. "It appears to be an altar of some kind."

Jack frowned. "You can see that from here?"

"My eye-sight is superior to that of the Tau'ri", Teal'c stated. Jack raised both eyebrows.

"Really? Since when?" he asked, waving his hands, before Teal'c could answer. "Ah, never mind. Come on, kids, let's take a closer look at this."

They assembled around what turned out to be a white rock. Fungus had taken reign on the surface, but had to face defeat, when four knifes were drawn. After freeing the rock from its enemies, SG1 took a step back.

"There", Jack said. His head turned when he heard Fengar gasp. The Tok'ra had fallen to his knees staring in amazement up at the white rock. Jacob crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"I'll be damned."

On the rough surface of the rock golden symbols started shimmering in the sun. Above them was the picture of a man. He had the head of a hawk and wore traditional egyptian clothing. On his head he carried a round shape. The moon.

"Chons, I presume?", Jack asked.

"Looks that way", Jacob said. Sam reached out and let her hand wander along the rough surface of the altar.

"This doesn't look like a normal stone."

"It isn't", Fengar said, slowly getting back on his feet. "This is a piece of the moon of Egypt."

Jack frowned. "What? You mean our moon? He stole a piece of OUR moon?"

Fengar didn't listen, he was too busy touching the altar. Jack watched him for a moment, then looked at Jacob.

"Since our friend here seems to be busy, maybe you could assist in the translation of this stuff here?"

Jacob nodded and started reading.

"the answers are near
only true love can find them
the path is clear
only true love can follow it.
the border is here
only true love can cross it"

Jacob frowned. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"It means we have found the secret chamber! We have found Chons' prophecy! I knew it!" Fengar exclaimed, raising his hands to the sky. Jack shook his head and adjusted his cap.

"Hold your horses, fellow, because this can't be it, right? I mean the prophecy said something about bringing Chonsy back, this doesn't even mention him", Jack said pointing at the inscription.

Fengar shook his head. "This is a sign, a clue for those who are looking for Chons' prophecy."

"But what does it mean?", Jonas asked, putting a hand to his chin. "The border, does that refer to the border of a country or a real one, like a fence or a wall or a force-field or something?"

"I do not see any walls or fences", Teal'c said. Jack frowned and carefully stepped past the altar, waving his hands in the air. He walked a few meters away from the others, then turned around and shrugged.

"No force-field, I guess. Carter?"

"Yes, Sir?"

He waved at her. "Does your radar-thing pick up anything?"

Sam suppressed a smile and the urge to think about the real name of the device. Instead she reached into her backpack and produced a small hand-device capable of reading even the smallest power-source in the area. Sam frowned at the readings.

"This is odd."

"What is it?", Jack asked, deciding that it was about time he headed back to the others. But he stayed where he was, when he saw Sam walking in his direction.

"There is something here, but I can't seem to get an exact reading", she said, pointing the device in every possible direction. She reached Jack and stopped, shaking her head.

"There is something here, but the readings I get don't make any sense." She turned around. "Dad? Could you and Selmak take a look at this?"

"Sure", Jacob said and started walking in their direction.

He didn't get very far.

Jacob yelped, as he bumped into the invisible wall.

"What the hell?"

Teal'c and Jonas were at his side in an instant. The Jaffa carefully reached out with his big hands, raising an eyebrow in surprise when the motion was stopped by an unseen force.

"There appears to be a force-field in place", Teal'c said. Even though he trusted the Jaffa's words, Jonas Quinn reached out his own hand and touched the unexpected obstacle.

"But I just walked past it", Sam said confused. "So did the Colonel."

The only person not at least disturbed by the events unfolding beneath the two moons was Fengar. He walked up to the force-field and smiled.

"Only true love can cross it", Fengar recited.

Jack shook his fist at him. "Don't you start with *that* again!"

"You two were the only ones able to cross the force-field", Fengar insisted.

Jack didn't particularly like the look that slowly crept into Jacob's face, so he hurried to protest. "So? Maybe Carter accidently triggered it by stepping on something? How about that for an explanation?"

Jacob looked at Sam and Jack. "That sounds likely to me."

Jonas cleared his throat.

"Well, it's actually easy to find out, really."

Everyone turned to face him. He shrugged.

"Why don't we just wait and see what happens when they try to get back over here to this side?"

Jack felt stupid. But so did Sam and that was kind of comforting to know. They slowly walked back towards the altar. Jack felt his muscles tense, as he expected to run into the energy-barrier any second.

But he didn't.

Sam and Jack looked at each other, when they passed the white rock and stopped next to Jonas and Teal'c.

"Uh, well . . ." Jack said.

"That is . . . " Sam said.

"Yeah", Jacob said. "That is really bad."

Chapter 10: the love thing

They were still standing at the altar of Chons, still arguing and still not reaching any conclusions.

"There could be hundreds of reasons why this works for us and not for you guys", Jack said.

"Such as?", Fengar asked.

Jack shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe because we're both human."

"So is Mr. Carter", Jonas said.

"Ah, technically? Not anymore." Jack replied, shooting Jacob an apologising look. Sam nodded.

"The Colonel is right."

"It doesn't really matter anyway", Jacob said, sighing. "I've had a long conversation with Selmak and we agree that although I was somewhat . . . sceptic about this whole Chons-legend-thing, we definitely have found something of value here, albeit it be only of archaeological and not strategic importance."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning: You would do the Tok'ra a great favour if you checked this thing out, Jack."

Jack raised his eyebrows. Doing the Tok'ra a favour was not exactly on top of his list. But he felt Sam's curiosity rising and it managed to awaken his own need for answers. God, he had definitely spent too much time around noisy people. Daniel would have just looooved this, he thought.

"Okay, okay", Jack agreed, gesturing at Sam to follow him. "Come on, Carter, let's check this thing out. See ya later, kids."

They crossed the force-field without any effort and headed in the direction the river was flowing, somehow being instinctively drawn there. When he was sure they were out of hearing range, Jack asked.

"You believe it?"

"Believe what?"

Jack gave her a oh-please-you-know-what-I-mean-look. Sam shrugged, thinking about it for a few seconds before giving him an answer. "I'm not sure yet. I know I should say no, but there are a lot of strange coincedences."

"Such as?"

"The eclipse, the fact that we knew the coordinates to this place, being able to cross the force-field, not to mention our new special ability to get on each others nerves on a 24-hour-basis now."

Jack grinned. "Oh, good, I see your sense of humour is really improving these days."

Sam frowned at him, but couldn't manage to hide a smile for long. She looked at him.

"What do you think?"

"Don't you know?"

"That was just a figure of speech, Jack." Sam rolled her eyes at him. Jack stuffed his hands in his pockets and shrugged.

"Well, I guess I have to say I don't believe a word of it to keep up my good reputation as being a really tough-macho-no-nonsense- super-realistic-dont-believe-in-santa-or-the-easter-bunny-guy."

Sam looked at him in surprise and with something that could only be interpreted as a mixture of hope and relief. "But?"

"But I have to admit you're right. There are a lot of coincedences here, plus. . ."

Jack fell silent and stuffing his hands even deeper into the pockets looked to the ground. Sam eyes him intently.

"Plus?"

He didn't reply.

"Jack?"

"Hm?"

"Plus what?"

He looked around if they were really alone out here, which he knew was kind of silly and stupid and a behaviour associated with a teenager, but he couldn't help it. When he was certain that *no one* would hear his words, he mumbled still not looking up.

"Well, it is kind of true. You know. The whole love thing."

Sam smiled at him, softly touched his arm and sighed. Jack suddenly turned his head and looked at her with an upset and somewhat annoyed expression.

"Hey, I am *not* cute!"

Sam laughed, leaned closer and planted a kiss on his cheek.

"Yes you are, but I won't tell anyone", Sam grinned.

"You'd better not", Jack growled, then stopped as he realised they had reached a dead end. Or rather. A mountain of black stones, rising up well above the trees. The surface of the mountain was so dark, that Jack didn't see the entrance to the cavern, until his hands that were wandering along the rocks grabbed nothing but thin air.

"Now, you could call me an optimist, but I think we found what we were looking for. Get your flashlight out", he ordered.

They left most of their gear at the entrance, taking along only their weapons, some water and the flashlights. At first the cavern looked natural, reaching at least 20 meters into the mountain. Stalactites were hanging from the ceiling. Sam and Jack crossed the cavern in silence, until they reached the far end and solid rock.

"And now?" Sam asked.

Jack frowned. "I bet there is a door around here somewhere. We just have to find it."

He let the flashlight wander over the dark stone, bringing every single part of it into the light. They kept looking for over an hour without finding anything. Finally Jack took his cap down and stuffed it into the back-pocket of his BDUs. His short hair was all sweaty and in it's usual mess. He scratched his head. "Well, so much for finding Chonsy. There's nothing in here."

He settled down, leaning his back against the wall, closing his eyes for a minute. Sam sat down next to him.

"But there has to be."

"But we've looked everywhere, Sam."

"But the altar, the force-field. If there was nothing to find in here, why go through all that trouble to protect this cavern?"

"Maybe some other hot couple was here before us and took all the souvenirs?", Jack suggested, a huge grin forming on his face. Sam laughed and leaned her head against his shoulder, just for a second, before she sat up again, reaching for her bottle of water. She took a sip then handed the bottle over to Jack. He shook his head.

"Thanks."

He watched Sam putting the bottle back on her belt, then folding his hands and resting them on his knees asked without looking at her.

"That was it, wasn't it?"

Sam shot him a confused look. "That was what?"

"Yesterday. What you didn't want to tell me. When Fengar talked about the eclipse. That's when you started believing there was some truth to his story, wasn't it?"

Sam ran her hand trough her hair and answered without looking at him either.

"Yes. It somehow all made sense. It was crazy, it was stupid, it was childish, but it made sense."

"And you thought what? That you couldn't tell me? That I wouldn't believe you?"

"Jack, you wouldn't have."

It was not an accusation, just a fact. Jack knew that. He sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. "Yeah, probably."

Silence descended over the cavern. Suddenly Sam turned her head to look at him. To look at this face she knew so well. Jack felt her gaze resting on him and turned his head. Their noses were almost touching.

"What?"

"What you said before. Did you mean that?"

"Yes, I hereby order you never ever to utter or think the word cute in my presence."

Sam smiled briefly. "No, not that. The other thing."

Jack closed his eyes in understanding. "Oh, that."

He took her hand. "Yeah, I did. Never thought I'd say this out loud one day, but then again I never thought I'd travel to other planets, get lost in time, revert to a primordial state, fight of nasty little robot-bugs, see a Jaffa read the "National Whisperer" or get a snake implanted into my neck."

He smiled and shrugged. "So you can see, stranger things have happened."

Sam shook her head. "It's really funny."

"What is?"

"How much words mean, even when you are able to communicate on an even more powerful level."

Jack shrugged. "Maybe we're not meant to be able to communicate on that particular level. I mean, imagine this would have happened to us say five and a half years ago."

Sam laughed. "We probably would have ran away screaming. Or killed each other."

"Something like that. We probably would have sensed nothing except maybe some little attraction, but shrugged it off and moved on, never looking at each other again, thinking the other one wasn't really interested."

"Never knowing what was to grow out of this "little" attraction."

"Exactly."

Sam smiled. "How did you get to be so wise?"

Jack grinned. "Must be rubbing off."

He got up, held out a hand to Sam and pulled her up to her feet. "Come on, let's go back to the others. Fengar will be pretty upset, when he hears that there's nothing in here but a few bats and spiders."

He started to move, but Sam pulled him back. "Jack?"

"Yeah, wha...?"

He didn't finish the sentence, because when he felt Sam's lips on his, every single word, every single thought vanished from his mind within the blink of an eye. He forgot everything. His job, his name, his past, his pain, his believes, until all that was left was just the part that loved her and received her love. Jack could have stayed forever in this place, but suddenly even through his closed eyes he could see an image.







Chapter 11: Chons

When the gate calls
two soldiers meet
When the journey starts
two hearts are put in chains
when the alliance is forged
the blending begins

when the walls crumble
two mouths tell the truth
when time stands still
two souls find happiness
when the scholar departs
the time of change is near

when the ring journeys towards the stars
two faces are smiling
when disease poisons the cold air
two souls make a pact
when death is near
the blending begins

when the soldier rises from the dead
two hearts are reunited
when the moon disappears
the blending is done

two lives will be sacrificed
two lives will be saved
two joined souls will find him
and their true love will set him free
so the healing of the Tok'ra can begin

Jack and Sam stood there in silence, looking up at the words that had waited to be read for hundreds of years. They weren't written in Goul'd or Asgard, not in English or Russian. Jack didn't know what kind of language it was, but he understood every single word, nevertheless.

Slowly the realisation sank in. They weren't just looking at some fairy tale written a few hundred years ago. They were looking at their own past, which back then had been the future. Even to Jack, who normally wasn't impressed easily, that was mind-blowing. The two humans stared up at the words, memories drifting through their minds, like keys being played on a piano. There they were, in the briefing room, in the locker room, in Antartica, there was Sam being blended with Jolinar, the Zatar'c testing, the time-loop, Daniel's departure, their flight in the X302, Sam looking down at Jack wearing a contamination suit, Jack climbing out of the sarcophagus, and finally both of them sitting on his roof, looking at the moon. So it was true. Everything was true. The whole damn phrophecy thing. And that also meant...

Jack sighed. "You're dad's gonna kill me."

Sam smiled and shook her head in awe. "Wow, how did Chons know? How on earth could he have known all this was going to happen?"

"A valid question, my friends."

Jack and Sam whirled around, raising their weapons in unison. The young man standing in front of them smiled. "No need to defend yourselfs in here. I am a healer, not a soldier."

Jack lowered his weapon and gave Sam a brief nod to put down her weapon as well. She tilted her head.

"Are you Chons?"

The young man bowed his head. "That is who I am."

Jack frowned. "I don't mean to offend here, but I thought you'd be . . taller."

Chons laughed, a warm and soft sound. When he fell silent tears were shining in his eyes.

"Forgive me, but this is the first sound of laughter in here since the day the moon and my heart turned dark."

"The day you lost your wife", Sam guessed. Chons nodded silently. After a few seconds he continued. "I lost everything back then. No one could understand that. I had found true love and I lost it. That was a wound even my great powers could not heal."

"So you left?", Jack asked. Chons nodded again. "Yes, I left to grieve. I never wanted to return to a universe where love was so easily lost, but just when I had decided to end it all I saw them. A young couple, not noticing anything but the love they felt for each other. And that was when I made the decision that brought you here. To wait until two lovers would find me. Until I saw true love again, thus knowing that the universe was worth saving after all."

Jack raised his eyebrows. "You want to save the whole universe? Isn't that a bit . . much for just one guy and a snake?"

Chons shook his head. "By saving just one life you can save the entire universe."

"Ah." Jack just said, slightly irritated.







Jack shot Chons a smile. "Well Chonsy, a lot of things have changed out there. The Tok'ra could really use some healing hands right now. If you get my saying."

Chons bowed his head again. "With your arrival my time of grief has ended, if it is in your power, will you bring me back to my people?"

Jack scratched his head. "Yeah, well, some of them are waiting outside actually. So, I'd say pack your things and we'll say goodbye to this tomb."

When they stepped outside into the sunlight, Chons lifted his head up to the sky, looking at the two moons, a content smile forming on his face. He cast one long look back at the entrance to the cavern, then he turned around, ready to leave. Sam and Jack exchanged a glance, silently making a decision.

"Uh, Chons, there's one thing we need to discuss before going back."

"What is it?"

"What's our little part in this game? I mean, why us?"

"I just wrote down what I saw that day out there by the river. It all came to me in a vision, that was evoked by my deep desire to see true love one final time."

The Tok'ra smiled at the two humans standing next to him.

"But then again I could have just told you that I was in possession of a temporal probe and accidently activated it, when I was distracted by the sight of the young couple."

With that Chons stepped out into the forest. He turned around when Sam and Jack hesitated to follow him. Chons smiled.

"Depends on your beliefs."

Jack sighed. "Now where have I heard that before?"

Epilogue

The briefing was slowly coming to an end. Finally. Jack shifted nervously in this chair. He just wanted to get the hell out of here. Three hours. Three hours and they were still talking. And they were not just talking about anything, they were mostly talking about him and Sam. Though Jack actually had no reason to complain about it. While they were on their little hero-hunting-expedition, Janet and Anise had discovered the reason for Sam and Jack's telepathic link - and that it really had to do with their blending experiences. Both Kanaan and Jolinar were carrying a special protein and had passed it on to their hosts. It had been in Sam for years, lying dormant until it was acticated by the arrival of another being with the same protein in his blood. Sort of like . . . magnets.

Why and how Jolinar and Kanaan's bodies had produced that chemical in the first place neither the Tok'ra nor the human scientists could say. Fengar thought it had something to do with both of them finding true love and ultimately sacrificing their lives for it. Of course with Fengar everything was true love. It's about time the guy started looking for his own true love, Jack thought, glancing over at Sam.

He didn't know what she was thinking or feeling, because a little injection from Janet had been enough to sever their link forever. But Jack didn't really mind. They didn't need telepathy. They had their own link now. As if to prove his point Sam looked up from the report she had been studying and cast him a quick smile. Jack returned the gesture.

"Well, if that is all", the General said, folding his hands, pleased that everything was going to be back to normal soon. Jacob, Anise and Fengar got up. Jack looked at them.

"Say, fellas, how is Chonsy doing?"

"He is well, Colonel O'Neill. He is currently visiting two of our bases, healing the Tok'ra wounded in the last attack of the Goul'd. His knowledge on medical science is of immense value to us. We can never thank you and Major Carter enough for bringing him back to us."

"Hey, no problem. We want to make all our customers happy."

Sam, Jack, Teal'c, Jonas, Fraiser and Hammond went down to the gate-room to say good-bye to their guests. Anise and Fengar had already stepped up the ramp towards the blue light, but Jacob turned around half-way and headed back to Sam and Jack.

"I know I should be glad that in the end we were able to explain this prophecy with scientific methods. But Selmak and I think some part of me as well would have liked to see this as a fairy-tale come true."

"Even including the and-they-lived-happily-ever-after-part?" Jack smirked. Jacob shot him a long thoughtful look.

"Maybe. Maybe even that."

Jacob gave Sam a hug and shook Jack's hand, before walking up the ramp and following his fellow Tok'ra through the stargate. After everyone else had left, Sam and Jack still stood in front of the stargate. Finally Jack sighed, closed his eyes for a second and shook his head.

„Let's get out of here, shall we?"

A smile danced over Sams's lips as she reached out and quickley squeezed his hand.

„Exactly what I was thinking."

THE END



End Notes: That's it, folks. I really, really hope you enjoyed this one. Never wrote such a long ff before. Let me know what you think :)

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