"The legend of Kel'Ra" By Sam23

TITLE: The legend of Kel'Ra

AUTHOR: Sam23

CATEGORY: SJ-Romance, hurt/comfort, angst, adventure and hopefully a little humour too J

EPISODE RELATED: Children of the Gods, In the line of duty, Divide and Conquer, Upgrades, WoO, Meridian, Redemption, Frozen, Abyss, plus a few others

RATING: PG

STATUS: complete

SPOILERS/SEASON: 6

ARCHIVE: SJ and Heliopolis

FEEDBACK: would make me a very happy camper

DISCLAIMER: every time I press a key I hear a voice squeeking "not mine, not mine, not mine". Hm, maybe I should see an otologist...

SUMMARY: two lives will be sacrificed, two lives will be saved, two lovers will find him ... and thus the healing of the Tok'ra shall begin

AUTHORS NOTE: 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.

<Alive?>

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.

<She saw Colonel O'Neill walk into the control-room, wearing civilian clothes and a big grin. General Hammond looked at him in surprise. Jack just smiled.

"George."

"Colonel! What are you doing out of uniform?"

"Handing you my resignation."

Alarmed Sam took a step closer. What was going on here? "Resigning? What for?"

"So I can do this."

And suddenly she was in his arms, her body understanding what was happening before her mind had even started to react. She closed her eyes, her heart beating faster, as she felt his lips pressing on hers. Her hand wandered up to snake around his neck as he pulled her closer and deepened the kiss. A small moan escaped Sam's throat. She forgot about the stargate, the control-room, the General, just savouring the feel of his mouth on hers, the touch of his hands, the heat rising up in her body. Sam surrendered to him, suddenly knowing that this was all she ever needed, all she ever wanted. Just when she was ready to make him understand all that, there was a bright flash of light - and he was gone.>

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