Face to Face

by Vicki James, 2001

Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of MGM, World Gekko Corp and Double Secret productions. No copyright infringement is intended.

Series: One Little Kiss, part III

Please do not post or distribute this story without the author's permission.

******

I had mixed feelings about returning to P8X 782.

On one hand it was the planet that had made me disappear, and invisibility hadn't been the nicest feeling. It hadn't been near as bad as having my body taken over by a symbiote but it had still been quite disconcerting to have no one be able to tell I was there.

On the other hand, it had been the planet on which I'd slept the night nestled warm and safe in Jack's arms. That had been the nicest feeling. So I did have at least one fond memory of the place.

We were going back to find out if there was anyone in hiding, living on the planet. I agreed with Daniel's supposition; it was likely there were inhabitants. Our goal was to locate the occupants, possibly find some new allies and hopefully get them to share knowledge of their cloaking technology with us. It seemed straightforward in theory, but quite a bit more difficult in reality, considering we were looking for people who were going to great lengths to not be found.

I stepped from the Stargate into - surprise - the light, misting rain of the planet.

"Oh for crying out loud!" grumbled the colonel behind me. "Isn't it ever a nice day on this planet?"

"Maybe this is a nice day, sir," I suggested as we set off with Daniel and Teal'c heading toward the machine we'd been studying on our last visit there.

"This would only be a nice day if it was at my cabin in Minnesota. Then it would be a good day for fishing."

"Fishing is good in the rain?" I asked. It wasn't a sport I could boast any sort of knowledge of and to my mind rain and boats didn't really seem to mix.

"Oh yeah, Carter. In weather like this, just after dawn, all the big ones would be biting." His voice held a rapturous tone. "We'd be the only ones out on the lake. It would be quiet and there would be a little bit of a mist rising off the water making us feel like we were absolutely alone."

"Except for the fish," I put in. I wasn't sure how his good day for fishing had suddenly turned into our imaginary fishing trip. The colonel and I had fallen into step together and unconsciously fallen back from Daniel and Teal'c, a fact I was glad of as our conversation was rapidly turning into a private moment.

Jack's rich voice lowered as he continued describing the outing. "We'd share a thermos of strong coffee and then after we'd hooked a couple good ones we'd head back to the cabin to have a big ol' fish fry for breakfast. With beans and eggs and toast, of course."

"Appetizing. So after the fishing and breakfast is over, what else is there to do in the rain?"

His mouth turned up in a lazy grin. "We'd go to bed."

I couldn't help it. My eyes widened and I felt a tell tale flush begin to spread across my face.

"After all, Carter," Jack continued, "if we'd gotten up at the crack of dawn to go fishing we'd want to grab some more sleep."

I let out a breath and congratulated myself on by and large maintaining my composure when he'd set my heart racing.

"It sounds like it would be nice, sir."

"It would. It will. I'll get you up there someday, Sam."

"Someday," I echoed and our eyes met. We were talking about more than a fishing trip.

By then we'd reached the site where the machine was located and Daniel was already impatiently waving me over to join him. I locked away the conversation I'd just had with Jack in the place in my memory that was his.

"It looks like someone's been doing some work on this since we were here last," said Daniel when I'd joined him. He was examining a series of inscriptions on the machine's side.

I busied myself taking readings. We were quietly absorbed in our respective tasks for a few minutes and then Daniel spoke up again.

"So," he began in a conversational tone, "Jack was trying to get you to go fishing?"

I grinned. "He's not going to let up until he convinces all of us to go up to that cabin of his."

"Oh come on, Sam," Daniel said giving me a pointed look. "He doesn't want 'all of us' to go up there with him. He wants you to."

Astonished, I could only blink at Daniel while my mind tried to formulate some sort of response. Daniel gave me a half grin and shrugged.

I was ultimately saved from having to provide a reply. Jack, impatient to be doing something, hollered, "Are you two done yet? Let's get a move on!"

"Just one more minute!" Daniel yelled back, waving with one hand at the colonel and picking up his pen to scribble furiously in his notebook with the other.

Once Daniel had finished recording his newest observations we all set off toward the ravine where I'd been rendered temporarily invisible the last time we'd been there. Since the cloaking screen had obviously been functioning in that area we felt it would be the place to look for a power source or outlet. Finding that might lead us to the people the technology was hiding.

While I was alert to any danger or discovery, I lagged behind the others with my thoughts. Daniel's comment had certainly given me reason for introspection.

Okay, so Daniel was obviously aware that Jack had feelings for me that were more than those for a colleague or friend. Ever since Jack and I had come to the wonderful realization that our feelings for each other were mutual we had relaxed a lot when alone together. It was a heady and delightful sensation to be able to share private looks and secret smiles. We did with eyes and expressions what we couldn't do with bodies or words. I yearned for more but knowing that was an impossibility at the present time I took what I could get. But I had always thought we were being circumspect. We'd behaved as we normally had whenever anyone else was around.

Maybe behaving as we normally had was telling enough. SG-1 was a team that had grown close. We all knew each other well. It wasn't difficult to imagine Daniel sensing the undercurrent of feelings between Jack and me. The question was could others outside of our immediate circle sense what lay between us as well? If they could, was it going to present a problem? I knew I couldn't go back to pretending, to hiding from Jack how much I cared.

We'd walked along through the forest and down the rock fall to the ravine floor. I caught up to the men as they stood looking around. The colonel was standing with his hands on his hips, scanning the area.

"Just before you took your tumble down the hill, Carter, I thought I saw something that looked out of place." He frowned, brow furrowed in concentration.

"Out of place how?" Daniel asked.

"I don't know. I just remembered something catching my eye and my brain telling me it didn't belong."

We all looked around for a moment and then the colonel said, "Look. There." He pointed to a nearby part of the ravine wall. "Doesn't the hill there look...blurry?"

He was right. Along the section of hillside he indicated, the dirt embankment, scattering of rocks and scraggly grasses appeared less sharply in focus than that immediately nearby. It wasn't something we would likely have noticed had we not been looking for something so the slight variation had stood out for us.

The colonel walked over to that area of the ravine, got about three feet from the hillside, and vanished.

"Jack, we can't se you anymore!" Daniel announced, sounding a bit shocked. I couldn't blame him for his tone. Watching someone disappear was rather unsettling, even if it was something we had anticipated might happen.

The colonel's voice came in a gleeful sing-song. "I'm right heeeeeeere!"

A moment later Daniel suddenly danced sideways. "Wha-- Jack!" His admonition was answered by the colonel's chuckle.

Daniel's right shoulder flinched, then his left. "Jack, stop poking me!" he demanded.

"Hee hee hee."

I rolled my eyes in mock dismay but I couldn't help grinning. Sometimes he was such a little kid. It was one of the things I loved about him.

Then my own shoulder flinched and my toes curled as a warm breath rushed into my ear. His laughter came again, but it was softer and lower this time. And it was just for me to hear.

"Okay sir," I said, raising a brow. "You're having way too much fun being invisible alone." I marched over in the direction the colonel had taken when he'd disappeared.

"Spoilsport," he said and when I turned to his voice I could see him.

"You're gone now, Sam," Daniel advised.

"So you can't see either of us?" the colonel asked. With Daniel's confirmation in response Jack grinned at me and waggled his eyebrows suggestively. I laughed.

"Daniel, Teal'c, come and join us," he said. They stepped closer and then met our eyes and we knew they were then able to see us.

"Okay people." The colonel's tone was brisk and businesslike again. "Let's play a little hide and seek and we're 'it'." Well, businesslike for him. "We need to find whatever it is powering this cloaking field or maybe even the invisible people who built it. Look for anything that could be concealing machinery, anything that looks like it doesn't belong."

It was Teal'c who found the door, if such a term could be applied to the rent in the large rock jutting out from the hillside. He called us over and sure enough, hidden behind a mass of clinging vines was a narrow passageway. Shining a light through the colonel determined the slim entryway opened up into a tunnel beyond. One by one we slid in through the crevice where our wrist lights joined to illuminate the darkness within.

The tunnel ran off into the distance, well past the reach of our lights. It was fairly broad, wide enough at least for two people to walk side by side. While it was formed of rock the surface of the curving walls and ceiling was just a bit too smooth.

"This isn't a natural tunnel." Daniel voiced my thoughts.

"Terraformed?" the colonel suggested. We'd seen it before on other worlds.

"Possibly." Daniel shrugged.

"With no evidence of habitation on the surface it's possible we're looking for subterranean dwellers," I added.

"Let's find out." The colonel started off down the tunnel.

We walked some distance and as time passed the temperature began getting cooler. As we moved deeper into the tunnel we started seeing hints of moisture on the walls and a dampness permeated the air. We'd gradually begun seeing junctures along the tunnel, passageways branching off here and there, but we stuck to what appeared to be the main thoroughfare. The atmosphere of the cold, barren tunnels seemed to call for quiet so we had been walking in silence save for the rustling of our clothing and the scattering of pebbles under our boots.

When the colonel held up a hand to call us to a halt we all heard what his ears had also picked up.

"Water," I said, naming the distinctive rushing sound.

The colonel nodded and moved forward to a fork in the road just ahead. "It's coming from down this way." He gestured with his wrist light down a narrower passageway breaking off from the main tunnel we'd been following. Standing at the juncture we could also feel a gust of air coming from that direction.

"Lose the lights," the colonel ordered, snapping off his own.

We complied to find ourselves in immediate and absolute darkness. But then my eyes began compensating and I found I could start to make out the darkened silhouettes of my team members. And, further down the narrow passageway a faint brightness emitted to make possible our vision in the blackness of the underground.

"The light at the end of the tunnel," the colonel remarked. "Let's go." He flipped his light back on to once again aid in seeing our way.

As we advanced the light grew progressively stronger as did the sound of water become more audible. The tunnel had narrowed to the point by which we had to walk in single file but we ultimately found ourselves walking out of its slight confines and into a vast room.

The ceiling soared above us and from somewhere up there came the light source that now rendered our wrist lights unnecessary. We stood on a wide ledge below which a river of water surged quickly on by. To our left the water tumbled down rocks forming a series of sluices from high above. Our ledge ended at a succession of wide platforms climbing step-like beside the cascading falls.

"Somebody built this," declared Daniel and I silently agreed with him. Despite the natural stone surfaces of the cavern and the waterway in functionality it appeared as man-made as any dam or hydroelectric facility back on Earth.

"Still can't tell where the light's coming from," the colonel commented. While it was obvious the light was coming from up above the waterfall, its source was still beyond our range of vision.

"We could climb it," I suggested, indicating the step-like protrusions leading up from the ledge.

We all eyed the ascent. While the shelves were cut broader and higher than steps might have been, it did still seem as though they were there for the purpose of climbing alongside the falls. Water ran freely over the steps in a few places where the stone wall channeling the water had crumbled away, but they still looked navigable.

"Just when I'd started to dry off," groused the colonel good-naturedly. "Let's do it."

He led the way, followed by Teal'c, then Daniel and me. It proved a steep climb on a sometimes slippery surface that commanded my full attention.

I'd received a good couple of soaking sprays on the way up but I'd still not been prepared for the shower of water that hit me full on as I'd almost reached the summit. I'd been pulling myself up a step, head bowed to escape the rain of water on my face when I suddenly plunged unwarily into a powerful cascade. The force of the water was such that I could do little more than hold my position, and my breath, for a moment as I struggled to not get torn from the step in the water's wake.

Back in my early 20s some girlfriends had once managed to convince me to go on holiday to Jamaica with them. During our trip we'd taken a break from the rum punch and reggae at the resort to visit Dunn's River Falls. There guides would lead a dozen or so tourists, hand-in-hand forming a human chain, on a walk up the falls. For the most part it had been easy going, but there was one point during which the water had streamed over my head, pushing down on me. It had lasted only a few seconds before the hand holding mine had helped to pull me up and away but in those few seconds a wonder if I'd ever break past the water had flashed through my mind.

Those thoughts repeated themselves only this time the experience lasted a lot longer than mere seconds. In Jamaica I'd been wearing a bikini, not weighed down by a cumbersome pack and full BDU. In Jamaica the water hadn't been so cold.

I was shut off from everything except for the rush of the current sweeping over me. I couldn't see, couldn't hear save for the water's roar. I pushed against the current, straining to move past it, my hands scratching to find purchase on the slippery stone surface above my head.

Just when I thought I wouldn't make it, that I'd have to try going backwards and risk being washed away down the flue, I felt a strong grip encircle my wrists. The upward pull on my arms gave me the added momentum I needed to scramble out of the water's captive flow.

I landed sputtering on the firm surface of a step beside Daniel.

"Are you all right?" he asked, letting go of my wrists. Water dripped from his hair and clothes to form puddles with the rivers running off of me.

"I will be," I told him, still trying to catch my breath.

Daniel offered me a wry grin. "Don't worry, they had to fish me out, too." He waved up to the top of the waterfall.

I looked upward to see Jack peering down over the top of the stone stairway at us. You okay? the concern in his eyes said. I'm fine, replied my fleeting smile to him. He gave a quick nod.

Daniel and I clambered up the rest of the steps to find the colonel and Teal'c prowling around a massive room. We were still underground, still inside a structure hollowed out of the natural hillside. But here a great window yawned open in the ceiling, directly underneath of which was a pool of water that could actually be termed a small lake.

"Brilliant," Daniel remarked as he took in the sight. "The rain water is collected in the pool then channeled off down the falls."

"Someone knew what they were doing here," I said through teeth that hadn't stopped chattering since my dousing. I wrapped my arms around myself and hopped up and down trying to spark some warmth in my limbs.

The colonel joined us, a collection of wood in his arms. Judging from the ground, branches and other debris also rained down through the opening in the ceiling.

"Rest time," he announced. "Let's see if we can get dried off and warmed up."

I nodded and while the colonel set a small fire I shucked off my pack and then sat down beside it to remove my boots and jacket. I had a pair of dry socks to change into and my shirt had stayed fairly dry beneath my jacket, as had at least the upper part of my trousers. I spread my jacket on the ground beside me hoping the meager heat of the fire would help to dry it out a little and then I wrapped my thermal emergency blanket around myself to try and generate some warmth.

Daniel and the colonel similarly stripped off some of their wet things but Teal'c seemed impervious to the cold and wetness. Still, he came and sat with us around the small fire. We threw around some conjecture about the reservoir and dam system and voiced impressions about the catacombs we'd so far traversed.

I couldn't get warm. I'd gone from huddling under my blanket to alternately rubbing and stretching out my arms to try and get the blood flowing. Then I tucked my legs up to my chest with my arms pressed in between. I still had my thermal blanket wrapped tightly around me but I continued to shake with the cold.

This didn't escape Jack's notice. He and the others had dug into ration packs during our pause but I didn't think I could stop shivering enough to feed myself.

"Are you okay, Carter?" he asked, watching me shudder.

"I'm freezing," I admitted, feeling too miserable to care if I sounded soft. "I can't seem to get warm."

Jack continued to watch me for a moment then he put down his ration pack, picked up his thermal blanket and moved around behind me. I expected him to lay his blanket over my shoulders so I was almost shocked out of my shivering when he plopped himself down behind me and wrapped his arms around me, cocooning me within his embrace, against his chest, with his blanket wrapped around us both.

I kept my surprised eyes trained on the fire for a moment; I was barely breathing. Then I peered cautiously up at Daniel and Teal'c who sat across the fire from us.

Daniel had a hint of a smile on his face and Teal'c looked as impassive as ever. I raised my head higher as the three of them continued on with their conversation.

I don't know what I had expected. Had I thought they'd jump up and point accusing fingers, condemning Jack and me as defilers of all that was right and just in the United States military? Heck, Daniel wasn't even military and Teal'c wasn't even from Earth, never mind the U.S.

Teal'c knew about Jack and me. Hell, Teal'c knew almost everything that had transpired between Jack and me. Almost. He'd been present for the za'tarc testing. He'd also been present when I'd crawled out of Jack's tent the last morning we'd been on this planet. His quiet greeting then had filled me in on the fact that I was no longer invisible. He'd seen me all right. Seen me leaving my CO's tent first thing in the morning.

Yet it didn't seem to have disturbed him. Just like Jack and me sitting there nestled together under the blanket didn't seem to faze Daniel in any way. Neither of them cared, at least not in a bad way. It seemed to be a complete non-issue to them. And really, it was not like Jack and I were doing anything terribly wrong, so why should it be an issue to me?

Why indeed?

Coming to that realization I exhaled a deep breath I seemed to have been holding and relaxed my body against Jack's. Even through our clothes and my blanket his body still gave off heat like a blast furnace and it wasn't long until my shivering had ceased.

I warmed up to the point by which I almost began to feel drowsy; I was so content to be resting in Jack's arms while sitting around a campfire conversing with the team who were very much our extended family.

It felt so right. But it wasn't, at least not in the eyes of the military. We were Air Force officers in the same chain of command, we were on duty, we could not let personal wants outweigh our responsibilities.

But someday...

I allowed myself another moment to savour the feeling of being in Jack's embrace, with his strong arms wrapped around me, his chest pushing against my back as it rose and fell with each breath, his deep voice reverberating by my ear and his breath tickling me there at the same time.

Reluctantly, I sat forward pulling myself away from where I reclined against him. He loosened his hold on me allowing me freedom to move but he didn't completely let go. His hands slid to rest lightly on my upper arms and his blanket was still around us.

I craned my head around to meet his gaze. "I'm much better now," I told him. "Thanks."

"Anytime," he volunteered in a warm tone pitched low for my ears only. The way his eyes affirmed the offer made my breath catch in my throat.

He ran his hands slowly down my bare arms and then he gave a quick squeeze before dropping his hands away. He pulled his blanket off of us.

"Get a quick bite to eat if you want, Carter. We move out in ten."

******

We hadn't traversed much more deeply into the tunnels before we found them. Or more accurately, before they let us find them.

As we'd walked along we'd started noticing more signs that the construct of the tunnels was not wholly natural. Here and there appeared wooden beams bracing the structure of the walls and square openings cut with precision that led off into the darkness, which could have been ventilation shafts of some kind.

We came out of a dark tunnel into an equally dark chamber. By shining our lights around we could see it was a circular room with a multitude of tunnels leading from it like spokes in a wheel.

Before any of us could open our mouths to question which avenue we should take the room was abruptly flooded in brightness. Blinking, I had my weapon leveled before my eyes had adjusted and I knew without seeing that the colonel and Teal'c had done the same.

My vision cleared to show that we were surrounded - literally. At each tunnel leading out of the chamber stood a half dozen men, some holding mechanized-looking weapons, many others wielding simple clubs or small knives. They were all dressed somewhat similarly, in tunics and trousers that appeared neat but homespun. They all seemed human but, as we'd come to know, appearances can be deceiving. We'd all moved slightly so that the four of us stood with our backs to each other and we held our ground.

"We mean you no harm," Daniel said. He stood beside me and I could just see from the corner of my eye that he held up his hands, palms outward, rather than holding his weapon. "We're explorers."

"What is it that you want here?" The voice, a man's, came from behind me so I couldn't see the speaker.

"We explore different worlds through the Stargate. We're interested in learning more about your cloaking technology," explained Daniel.

"You travel though what you call the Stargate in the company of a Jaffa." The man spit the last word out as though it tasted bad on his tongue. "Are you in league with the Goa'uld?"

"Noooo. No, no, no," the colonel interjected. "We don't like those guys. We're at war with them. Teal'c here has joined our fight against his former oppressors."

There was a pause. Those men within my range of sight continued to eye me warily over their weapons and I did the same. Then the man, their leader from the sound of it, spoke again.

"No one fights the Goa'uld. They are too formidable a foe." Despite his words, his tone seemed almost questioning.

"We fight 'em," the colonel said. "I could introduce you to a few others in the great galactic neighbourhood who do, too."

"If what you're saying is true," the man slowly intoned, "then I would like to hear more. Will you lower your weapons so we will know you mean us no harm?"

"How about you go first," countered the colonel.

"We have watched you every time you have come to our planet. This is your third visit here. If we had wished to harm you it is likely we would have done so already."

Another pause. Then the colonel ordered, "Stand down."

I lowered my weapon and turned around to see a tall, white-haired man approaching the colonel. He was thin, but more wiry than gaunt and dressed in the same fashion as the rest of the men who now held their weapons to their sides.

He gave the colonel a respectful nod. "I am Adin, First Elder of Corran. Welcome."

"Jack O'Neill, Colonel. Of Earth. This is Doctor Daniel Jackson, Major Samantha Carter and, of course, Teal'c."

Adin nodded to each of us in turn and then waved a hand gracefully in the direction of one of the tunnels. "Please come with me."

We followed him down the tunnel, which was lit overhead but only intermittently and with only enough lights to provide the bare minimum of illumination. Soon, however, we turned into an intersecting tunnel that was lit as brightly as any corridor at the SGC. There we began seeing doors along the walls and even passed by a few people who stopped to stare unabashedly as we walked by.

Eventually Adin halted by a pair of large wooden doors. He opened one of them and ushered us inside.

The sparseness of the hallways we'd walked had not prepared me for the opulence to be found within this room. Though not ostentatious, this chamber had obviously been designed to please the eye.

While the walls were still formed by the ubiquitous rock of the underground structure, they were inlaid with patterns of glittering stones similar to quartz or agate found on Earth. Tapestries woven in bright crimsons, golden yellows and deep sapphire blues hung along the walls, the rich hues a brilliant contrast to the dull fabrics of the clothing worn by Adin and the other Corrans we had seen.

A massive, long table carved out of a dark wood and polished to a glossy sheen dominated the room. The table was surrounded by at least two dozen chairs made out of the same wood and upholstered in more colourful material.

Beyond the table was a broad glass window. Daniel and I both gravitated toward it.

If the richness of the room had surprised me it was nothing compared to my amazement when I looked out of that window.

"Wow!" I declared in awe as my eyes widened at the sight before me.

"Yeah," agreed Daniel.

Out of that window lay a whole city and a fairly large one at that. Stretching out before and below me I could see a multitude of houses and larger buildings, narrow roads, green spaces and even several waterways and a small lake. High above this metropolis arched a domed ceiling through which the perpetually gray skies of the planet could be viewed. This dull light, however, was augmented by artificial orbs set in metal girders crisscrossing the dome that shone down upon the city like several tiny suns.

"We must be at the heart of the mountain," Daniel commented and I nodded in agreement. We'd done most of our exploring of the planet around the base of the vast mountain towering not far from the Stargate.

"Great interior designer you guys have got," the colonel commented. I glanced over at him and noted he did look suitably impressed.

"This place is our people's salvation. We escaped here when the Goa'uld invaded our home world," Adin solemnly explained.

"Your people are not indigenous to this planet?" Daniel's brow furrowed. "You found this place?"

"We created this place," Adin replied.

Oh wow. About a million questions immediately sprung to my mind. But before I could open my mouth to voice the first Adin smiled and held up a hand as if to forestall the barrage he knew was to come.

"Please. Let us sit down and partake of some refreshment. Then we can be comfortable as I feel we have much to discuss."

Adin took his place at the head of the great table. Daniel and I sat to one side with the colonel and Teal'c seating themselves across from us. As though on cue, and maybe it was, a young man entered the room bearing a laden tray. He set a cup made of a glazed earthenware in front of each of us then offered in turn a dark, steaming beverage he poured from a large pitcher.

When the colonel's cup had been filled he took a wary sniff from it. "I just have to ask. There isn't any remote chance this stuff will act as an intoxicant, is there?"

"No, not at all," Adin assured him.

"That's good. We had an interesting experience with that somewhere else." Jack directed his comment to Adin but spared me a quick glance and I saw the faintest hint of a smile play at the corners of his mouth.

Interesting indeed. Jack had no memory of that night on Ke'le'don but I sure did and he was teasing me about it. I hid my own grin.

"This is a favourite Corran beverage," Adin said as Jack lifted his cup to take a drink. "The only ingredient in it that could affect you is a very mild stimulant."

Jack sputtered on his sip and I choked back a laugh. Taking a quick taste from my own cup I then said, "I think it's like coffee, sir."

" 's good," Jack managed to stammer as he coughed.

We were served some kind of sweet bread to go with our "coffee" and I sat patiently waiting (okay, not really) for a sign from Adin that we could begin our discussion.

Fortunately, the first elder seemed as eager as I was to begin finding out about one another. As soon as he'd had a quick word with the young man who'd served us and had then dismissed him, he began.

"You want to know how we came to be here, how we wrought this city from stone," Adin asked rhetorically. "It is not a pleasant story and I fear our prospect for a happy ending is in jeopardy. However..."

Adin took a swallow of his drink then rested his palms on the table and sat back in his chair.

"Our world was quite technologically advanced and while we retain some of that knowledge we have never had the infrastructure here to support industry or scientific applications. We have regressed to somewhat of an agrarian society, but at least we are safe and free. Or so we thought."

"Safe from the Goa'uld," Teal'c commented.

Adin inclined his head. "Yes. Our home world was a peaceful, prosperous place. When I was a young man, still an adolescent really, our people discovered the Stargate hidden on our world. As a scientist my father was involved in amassing its secrets. He and others working with him eventually did so and had just begun exploring other planets, much as you do. That's when the Goa'uld came."

"That sounds a lot like our story," Daniel said.

"How did you stop them from coming?" asked Adin, his expression bleak. "From taking your people? From taking them over?"

"We lost some," Daniel replied quietly.

"We installed an impenetrable shield over the Stargate," I put in. "It is opened only if the proper codes are provided."

"Our people tried to fight. At first the Goa'uld came only intermittently, dealt with what resistance they encountered, and left the rest of the population alone. But then one day they came in force, not through the Stargate but in great star ships with legions of Jaffa. We fought, but they were invincible. They decimated an entire continent of our world and warned they would return to enslave the rest of our population. That's when we knew we had to flee."

Adin paused to take a sip from his cup and then he grimaced. My own drink had grown cold as I listened with horrified attentiveness to his story.

"We had a lot of mineral resources on our world and had already been using the technology to carve out living space from rock for our mining operations. The cloaking shield was used to mask the domed ceilings of the mines, allowing them to operate even right near population centers without interfering with the visual topography of the area. Our scientists found a way to adapt those technologies to a greater scale and my father discovered this planet. We evacuated as many of our people as possible to here and built a new Corran world."

The colonel whistled. "It's an impressive set-up you've got here. But haven't the Goa'uld investigated this planet, discovered the technology you have on the surface like we did? You didn't bury your Stargate here."

"Some wished to but it was decided we must retain an avenue of escape in case the Goa'uld did find us and come in ships. As for the generator visible on the surface...that is a recent problem. It used to be cloaked as well, but the field there has destabilized."

"You can't reinitialize it?" I asked.

"No," Adin responded, shaking his head. "Not many years after we relocated our people here we suffered a large cave-in. We lost a great number of lives - my father, other scientists - and most of our records pertaining to the shield generation. We have managed to maintain the shield but the knowledge of how to recreate it has been lost, though we have many studying to try and solve the intricacies of its operation."

"We could help with that," I blurted out in my eagerness to get a good look at the technology. "We have scientists, computers..."

I trailed off as I remembered it wasn't my place to be offering up Earth's resources. I glanced at the colonel but he was nodding his head favourably.

So was Adin. "It would have to be discussed between all the elders, but I think we could benefit from your assistance. One other problem we have, however, is that most of the records that still exist were written in an old dialect once used by our scientific community that no one of surviving generations fully understands."

"Ancient dialect? Like on the shield generator we found?" Daniel asked. "I can read it. Or...I can read some of it; I could decipher the rest of it in time."

Adin's eyes widened. "That is wonderful. I will convene a gathering of the elders right away. Time, I fear, is something of which we may have little."

"We'll have to speak to our people, too," the colonel advised. "But why the big rush? I mean, I can understand you wanting to get things fixed up as soon as possible, but you're still well hidden here."

"But you found us, so we're obviously no longer hidden well enough," came a new voice from the doorway.

We all turned our heads to see a young woman standing there. None of us had noticed her slipping into the room before she had spoken up.

"Karaya, please come join us," Adin said in a warm tone. "This is my daughter, Karaya," he told us.

She moved to take a seat at the table, her height and graceful bearing evidently inherited from her father. As Adin made the introductions Karaya regarded us each in turn with frank curiosity shining from her wide brown eyes.

It was our turn to tell our story about the SGC and Earth's fight against the Goa'uld. The colonel did much of the talking, with Daniel providing clarification when Jack lapsed into too many colloquialisms. Teal'c and I chimed in where appropriate.

Adin listened with rapt attentiveness but Karaya seemed to be doing more observing of us, studying us rather than taking in what we were saying.

I couldn't blame her. Adin had said the Corrans had relocated when he was in his youth. Karaya, who looked to be in her mid twenties, would have grown up here never knowing anyone from outside of this city, never mind from another planet.

Heck, I could pretty much consider meeting people from other planets old hat by now but it still never ceased to amaze even me. I caught Karaya's eye as she glanced my way and she returned the smile I offered.

The colonel had just wrapped up SGC 101: the condensed version when Karaya immediately spoke up. "I have a few questions."

I guess she was paying more attention than I had given her credit for.

"What type of material is this "iris" of yours comprised of? What manner of weaponry do you use against the Jaffa? How many other planets have you visited? Do you have ships that can travel the stars? Do your people welcome contact with those from other worlds? How do you-"

"Karaya!" Adin held up a hand to stop her volley of questions but his tone was that of an indulgent parent. "Hopefully we will soon have time for all of your questions. My daughter is one of the new generation dedicated to studying the cloaking technology and other lost sciences," he informed us.

"Oh you and Carter are going to get along great," the colonel told Karaya.

"I'm a scientist, too," I said to answer the inquisitive look she directed my way. "I hope we'll have an opportunity to work together."

"As do I," Karaya responded gravely.

"Now," Adin declared, "the day grows late. We would like to offer you our hospitality for the night. Is that agreeable?"

"Sounds good to me," the colonel advised.

"Then perhaps Karaya can show you to your accommodation so you can refresh yourselves before we meet back here for evening meal." Adin nodded at his daughter who rose from her seat. We followed suit.

Karaya took us out a different door from the one leading to the main hallway we'd previously travelled.

"As you might imagine we have no need for visitors' accommodation," Karaya said wryly, "but there are some rooms kept available for the elders to use during meeting sessions. I trust they will suffice."

"Oh, I'm sure they'll be like a five star hotel compared to sleeping on the ground," the colonel commented.

Karaya looked befuddled by Jack's "five star hotel" comment but her features relaxed when Daniel thanked her and assured her the accommodations would be fine.

We stopped before a series of doors in the hallway. "Here is a room for you, Teal'c and one for Dr. Jackson." Karaya indicated the respective rooms. "And one for Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter."

"Whoa!" exclaimed the colonel. "One?"

"We need one each," I put in.

Karaya regarded us with confusion. "But are you not pledged to each another?"

Jack's eyebrows shot upward. "No."

"No," I echoed, shaking my head.

"No, no, no," Jack reiterated.

I shot him a look. He didn't need to protest that much. He widened his eyes and gave me the faintest hint of a shrug.

"But we observed you the last time you were on the planet. You shared-"

"We need two separate rooms," I interrupted swiftly.

"My apologies; we must have been mistaken," Karaya said. "Major Carter, you may have this room."

"Thank you," I replied and quickly escaped through the doorway before anyone noticed the flush that was creeping across my face.

This room was also lit by a large window overlooking the city, and did in fact appear to be what I'd imagine the Corran version of a five-star hotel to look like. It had all the appointments - bed, nightstand, desk, table, a few chairs - and was decorated in the same understated finery as the room we'd just left.

I sank down onto the bed absently noticing that it was rather small for one Karaya had thought Jack and I would share. But then, if she'd thought us "pledged" I guess she'd imagined us to not mind sleeping close together. And not that I would mind, given the appropriate circumstances.

But good grief, I thought as I dropped my head into my hands. It was enough that Teal'c had discovered Jack and I had shared a tent - however innocently - the last time we'd been on the planet. Now, apparently, a whole contingent of Corrans had witnessed that too!

I'd thought we'd been doing an acceptable job of keeping our feelings between ourselves, of letting any unguarded moments remain private and still somewhat befitting the confines of our ranks. It looked like I'd been wrong. People were noticing. How many others had guessed what lay between us?

It had to stop. We had to rein in our feelings and start behaving like responsible adults, like respectable officers again. I raised my head and ran my hands desolately through my hair.

But how? The emotion was there. We couldn't just turn it off anymore than we could hold back the event horizon of an open wormhole.

Should we temper our interactions with more decorum, lose the shared glances, private smiles and subtle innuendo we were now so used to communicating with? I gave a soft snort. Jack O'Neill rarely acted decorously even when it was required of him.

If we couldn't cool things down while working together there seemed to be only one alternative. I should leave SG-1. I closed my eyes with the realization as just thinking of it nearly broke my heart. I loved being a part of our team. Granted, if I did transfer to another unit then Jack and I could openly pursue a relationship. But it would be a relationship marked by frequent absences. We would no longer be sharing our missions and experiences with each other and that was something I cherished. Each of us would go off world with our respective unit and the other would wait, worrying if the team was late, wondering what was happening so far away through the Stargate.

I'd hate that. I would rather be able to remain together as colleagues even if it meant forsaking anything more. Forsaking our feelings for the time being, of course. I truly believed Jack and I would have our day. That conviction was what kept me warm at night. Because he couldn't.

Sighing, I rose from the bed. There was another door in the room beyond which I hoped was a washroom. I needed to clean up a bit before dinner. I knew I'd have plenty of time to lay awake that night contemplating the future and present for Jack and me.

I was pleased to discover the door did in fact lead to facilities offering all the necessary, if somewhat antiquated, fixtures. I splashed some water on my face and ran a brush through my hair, tidying up as best I could. Hopefully this wasn't going to be a formal dinner and if it was, I hoped the Corrans would find a slightly wrinkled and worn BDU ensemble to be the height of elegance.

That thought made me smile a little and I found myself further cheered thinking about the prospect of more discussions regarding the cloaking technology. Maybe after dinner I could even get Karaya to show me some of what she'd been studying.

I'd just finished my ablutions when a knock sounded at my door. Jack, I decided, here to make sure I hadn't been too embarrassed by Karaya's error regarding our relationship.

As I crossed to the door my emotions warred between misery that we'd soon have to discuss our future and the ridiculously intense happiness I felt from simply having him around.

I swung the door open with an abashed smile on my face to greet...Daniel.

"Hi," I offered, a bit surprised to find him standing there with such a serious expression on his face.

"Hey Sam. Can I come in?"

"Sure." I closed the door behind him as he crossed into the room.

He took a quick look around. "Well you've got the luxury suite. I guess because they expected you and Jack to be sharing it."

"Uhh..." was what I managed to stammer.

"That's why I'm here." Daniel turned to fix me with an intense look. "Sam, you were upset with Karaya thinking you and Jack were a couple. But you shouldn't be. I mean, it's obvious the two of you have feelings for each other and there's nothing wrong with that."

"Oh, it's obvious?" I said, unable to hold back my surmounting frustration and anxiety. "So everyone knows then. And of course there's nothing wrong with it, except that it's completely against regulations!"

Daniel stared as I ranted but he swiftly recovered to countermand my observations.

"No, no Sam, I don't mean it's obvious to everybody." He shook his head. "I mean it's obvious to me but I know you and Jack. I see the two of you together all the time. And I know what it's like to share those types of feelings with someone."

"Daniel, Jack and I aren't...we haven't..."

He held up a hand to stop my flustered attempt at an explanation.

"It's okay. I don't know what you and Jack have or haven't done about things and it doesn't really concern me. But what would matter to me is if you did nothing."

"Why?" I had to ask.

"Because you deserve the happiness you'd have with each other. Both of you do." Daniel took a deep breath. "I only had a year with Sha're, but I wouldn't trade it for anything, not even if it meant I wouldn't have to hurt as much as I do."

His eyes turned pleading as he continued. "I don't want you and Jack to miss out on finding that kind of happiness, that contentment, that completion. I know it's against regulations, but I think after saving the world a few times maybe it owes us something in return."

"Think about it, okay?" he concluded softly.

I nodded. "Okay. Daniel...thank you...for caring."

"Hey, you two are my friends, right? My stubborn friends. My stubborn friends who need to have their heads knocked together." Daniel grinned. "I'll leave now."

I smiled fondly. "See you at dinner."

Daniel left and I barely had time to turn from the door when there was another knock upon it.

This time it was Jack.

"Can we talk for a minute?" he asked, a worried look in his eyes.

"Sure," I said, ushering him into the room with a stupid grin on my face. Daniel had unwittingly helped me to resolve a couple of the issues I'd been struggling with.

"Are you okay?" he inquired with concern. "Karaya made a mistake."

"I'm fine. It was a misunderstanding. Besides, she wasn't that far off base."

His expression changed from troubled to relieved to surprised. "Why? Are we pledged?"

It was my turn to be dumbfounded. My mouth dropped open. That's not what I'd meant by my comment but then again, maybe that wasn't far off base either.

"Yeah," I said quietly, giving him a tremulous smile. "I think...maybe we are." Pledged to each other, a promise for the future.

"Yeah," he whispered in return. We stood staring at each other, reading each other's feelings in our shared gaze as usual. Jack had stuffed his hands in his pockets and I clasped mine behind me to stop myself from reaching for him.

"Daniel was just here?" he said finally, tipping his head toward the door and breaking the spell that had bound us.

"Yep," I acknowledged. "He gave us his blessing."

I grinned as Jack's surprised expression reasserted itself. "What?"

"He thinks the world owes us so we should be able to defy regulations and pursue a relationship."

The way he was looking at me made me think that if I voiced my agreement he'd sweep me off my feet and onto that bed then and there.

"But Daniel doesn't run the military," I added softly.

I had realized the world did owe us something. Oh, not enough that I'd challenge the rules of an institution I respected and that I'd promised my loyalty to, but just enough that I wasn't going to let regulations dampen my feelings and my small ways of expressing them to this man who stood before me.

"Too bad he doesn't," Jack commented. Then he shook his head. "On the other hand that probably wouldn't be a good thing."

I smiled and relaxed; my hands dropped back to my sides.

Jack smiled too. "Can I take you in to dinner?"

"Yeah, you can do that."

The world owed us at least that much, too.

******

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