Abundance of Hope By Debbie Louise Gough - littlemissarty@hotmail.com RATING: R WARNINGS: Adult themes, angst, language, rape, violence CATEGORY: Action/Adventure, Angst, Drama, Hurt/Comfort, Smarm SPOILERS: season three, especially new ground, legacy and a few others TIME FRAME: Season 3 SUMMARY: Off-world, SG-1 are drugged and poisoned, and Daniel kidnapped to be sold as a slave to the Goa'uld. Can SG-1 be saved in time to rescue Daniel, or will his soul already be lost to them? DISCLAIMER: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. We have written this story for entertainment purposes only and no money whatsoever has exchanged hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations, and story are the property of the authors. Not to be archived without permission of the authors. AUTHOR'S NOTES: Okay, I must admit, this took me forever to complete, mainly because I only just finished my AS levels (Brit peeps will know what I'm talking about)and didn't have much time to work on this because, unlike the year elevens or sixteen years olds, we had to go back to school and begin immediate work based on year 13 stuff. neway, i digress. enjoy, send me feedback- my account is hungry- and please pay attention to the rape warnings and use proper judgement- this does not mean to cause offense. ******************* The sky was beautiful in that moment just before sunset- a mixture of scarlet, royal purples and lemon yellows, blending into one chaotic mess. Golden-white spots dotted the sky, marking constellations, planets, galaxies even. Two binary suns hung proudly as twin balls of orange fire, and hanging just above them, their ghost, the Moon. Daniel Jackson stared up at the glorious sight, a sad half-smile dancing across his unblemished face, as beside him, Major Samantha Carter stirred the fire, fiery light dancing in her eyes as it licked the air and the added fuel, dancing towards the suns. SG-1 had arrived on the planet, Kenos, over three weeks ago, on a simple reconnaissance. The people they had met had been friendly, albeit curious, and already they had taken several back to Earth, as a gesture of extending a hand of friendship. "This is boring," Colonel Jack O'Neill complained opposite them, as from one hand to the other, he juggled his radio device. Daniel arched an eyebrow in surprise. " You're kidding right?" he asked, tearing his gaze away from the sinking suns, to stare at the older man. Jack paused in his juggling, lowering the device to the ground, and crossed his arms over his long legs. "Sadly, I'm not." Frustrated, the Colonel drummed his fingers against his knees, staring into the depth of the fire. Teal'c, standing behind him, frowned, the golden emblem tattooed into his forehead creasing in two. Daniel made a spluttering noise, before falling into a stunned silence. Jack smirked, and arched an eyebrow, before elaborating: " Okay, I don't miss all the 'let's beat the crap out of the Tauri stuff'...it's just..." he paused, glancing up to the sky, as if in search of an answer, "...it's just something doesn't feel quite right here. I keep on waiting for someone or something to attack us." Momentarily, the Colonel shivered. Too many damn times his team had been taken by surprise, nearly resulting in their permanent deaths. The most recent had been on Bedrosia, when they had been captured and accused of being Optrican spies. " You're paranoid Jack," Daniel finally said in an annoyed tone, as he stood up. " We've been here for three weeks. Who's going to attack us?" The group silently watched him as he moved from the camp fire, to the small tent in the distance. When he had crawled into it, and zipped it shut with an air of finality, Jack hoarsely muttered, " Okay, what the hell was that?" Sounds of shuffling and combined swearing floated from the thick canvas tenet, producing an arched eyebrow from Jack, as he glanced over to Sam and Teal'c for elaboration. It was Teal'c who finally answered. " Daniel Jackson has been behaving most oddly over the past few weeks. I noticed that it began before we left for this mission- most likely this behaviour has been caused by his recent encounter with Oma Desala." Jack let out a sudden curse, his earlier childish behaviour retreating like a whippet to the far recess of his mind. Of course! He should have known! Recently, the team had received word from Bra'tac that Apophis, despite their initial hopes, was alive and well, and destroying the inhabitants of Chulak, searching for a child. Daniel had figured out that he was looking for the Harcesis child, and the team had set about, trawling through the addresses left on the Abydos cartouche, until there was only one possible destination left. They had left with another team, and had found what Jack had later referred to in the debriefing as a 'strange, strange little man'. The man it seemed, had turned out to be have been a guide for all those who wanted to seek out a higher plane of existence. Daniel had found the Harcesis child, had time to squeeze the toddler's chubby fingers before they were whipped away from him faster than he could recite 'Hi we're peaceful explorers from earth'. It was no wonder the younger man was falling into depression- he had lost his one link to Sha're, his deceased wife. And he hadn't even noticed. " Sir?" Carter stared at him from across the fire, her expression askance. Jack stood, his knees protesting horribly. " It's nothing Major," he bluntly told her, " Just some issues I have to clear with Daniel." He scrubbed a hand through his short grey hair, and strode swiftly, clearing the distance between the fire and the tent. In silence, a small frown marring her face, Sam watched as he bent and rapped softly on the edge of the tent Daniel was sharing with Sam. It flapped uselessly at his touch, and shooting warning looks over to the Jaffa and the Major, he softly pulled the flap up, ducking under it. He inhaled softly as his eyes adjusted to the dim lighting. Daniel lay, bunched up under his sleeping bag, his face slack, his breathing even. He was asleep- something Jack hadn't seen him do in a disturbingly long time. Soft golden brown hair fell in a slant across one pale cheekbone, the light from the setting sun catching it. //I guess everything over the past few days and weeks has exhausted him...it's about time. I'm sick of Janet forever telling me off for what he does...// He pulled his lean, long body out with a disgruntled sigh- the talk would have to wait until tomorrow. Shooting Daniel one last look, to make sure he really was asleep, Jack pulled the flap down, and reclaimed his place by the fire. Teal'c and Sam watched him in silence, until finally, the blonde Major asked quietly; "Sir?" "He's asleep Carter. I'll talk to him tomorrow. I'll take his watch as well- God knows when the last time he slept was." The dying light caught flecks of white in his normally grey-brown hair, as he hunched over, sipping at a lukewarm mug of coffee, silently thinking. His team, normally so efficient, was beginning to fall apart. //But so much has happened...// Lately, Jack had retired and pushed away his friends in an one-man attempt to seek out the traitor to the Base, who was stealing technology off the Tollans, Asguard and Tok'ra. Before that, they had been trapped in Hell- literally. Carter senior had been trapped on Netu, a regular holiday camp, and in typical fashion, SG-1 had been sent to Netu undercover, to rescue him. Basically, their plan had failed. They had been captured and flung into a pit, whilst Brynnea, then Apophis had taken them one by one to torture them. //Oh the joy of torture...// Only a few weeks had passed after Jack had returned from his 'retirement', when three quarters of SG-1 had been captured again- this time they had been suspected to be Optrican spies. A memory bubbled to the surface, during the debriefing, of Daniel, rubbing the back of his neck, and lowly making his one contribution to the entire meeting; " Oh lucky us. Weren't we special? We gated onto a planet in the midst of a political civil war." Oh God, how long had Daniel been detaching himself from SG-1? How long had he been acting distinctly un-Daniel like? //Maybe this has been happening for months, and I never noticed...// a flash of guilt soured through Jack's veins. Lately, he'd been too wrapped up in his own self-misery in losing Makepeace, a good soldier- if not an asshole of a man- to NID to pay too much attention to the rest of his team. Carter and Teal'c had had their own worries as well- for Teal'c, it had been nearly losing Bra'tac when the older Jaffa had lost the will to live- if only for a short while. "I'll take third watch sir," Sam suddenly said, snapping Jack out of his reverie. Blinking he stared at her- third watch was the most hated watch of all four them- something he was ashamed to admit, he had made Daniel, during the past few months, take. She smiled at him, light dancing across her face, as she bashfully added, " Alma told me last week that an important eclipse takes part tonight. I was hoping to get a glimpse at it- and it kind of coincides with that watch, sir." Jack made a face- as much as he was interested in space, he drew the line at eclipses. Had so, in fact, since that incident on Hanka, when he and Teal'c had been attacked by Nurriti's Jaffa. ** "You didn't think the Colonel had that telescope just to look at the neighbours, did you Daniel?" "Not at first." ** "Ah," he finally grinned, " Eclipses. Because they're so *damn* fascinating." ******************* Daniel Jackson lay stiffly in his tent, tears silently tracking the length of his jaw, his fingers curled around the hem of his sleeping back, one fist stuffed in his mouth to silence his heart-broken sobs. He could still see the boy- Sha're's child- lifting a chubby hand up, or entwining chubby fingers with his own tapering slender fingers. //Oh God, it hurts so much...why can't I have him?// The boy had been his last link- his only link if he was honest- to Sha're, and he had lost him- just like that- because of his hatred. Briefly, he wondered if Sam had gone through this heart-ache when Cassandra had been adopted by Janet- the two, after all, had grown close. //But she never lost her...she can see Cassandra whenever she wants to. I might never see the boy ever again...// The low sound of the zip being tugged open caught his attention, and he closed his eyes, feeling damp eyelashes brush against his cheek, wondering if it was Sam- the two were sharing the tent, whilst Jack shared another tent with Teal'c (unfortunately, the budget at the SGC extended to only two tents per team, and the inhabitants of the planet had left briefly to welcome some distant travellers who arrived annually). Instead, there was hushed silence, and then a male voice calling softly to a mumbled question, "He's asleep Carter..." Jack. It was Jack. There were more muffled sounds-a boot scraping against the plastic floor of the tent, the flap dropping, and then the soft thuds of boots moving away from the tent and back to the fire. Daniel tensed as he remembered their earlier, one-sided argument. //God Jack, you actually like the violence?// Along with the small boy, he could still see the ranks of Jaffa, twitching, screaming, smoke beginning to snake around the soles of their feet, as colossal bolts of blue lightening slammed into them repeatedly. And then after that, their remains- black, smoking, skeletons, crumbling to ashes in mere seconds. Before that, there had been a young woman, a blackened hole through her stomach, maggots crawling over her body...Daniel shifted, swallowing the rising bile, as more memories flashed through his mind of people he had helped to kill...or had seen been killed... Sha're, a fresh staff weapon wound to her stomach, her eyes wide in pain as she stretched one hand out to her husband, whispering how she loved him...all because he had made her stay by the Stargate, instead of letting her join him and the others on the journey to the small chamber he had found... Fresh tears stung the corners of his eyes, and a whimper rose through his throat. His parents, crushed beneath the temple stone, over and over again, whilst Sam looked away, and the Gamekeeper taunted him with hints on how to save them, and his patronising, horrified, "Who would let their parents die such a horrible death?" He had seen so many deaths- and had caused too many deaths by opening the Stargate, or allowing himself to be captured... //And Jack likes that?// Half the reason Daniel found it so difficult to sleep at night was because of the images of all the people who had died because of him kept returning to taunt him- or worse, the nightmare of Sha're scowling and screaming at him that haunted his dreams nearly every night... but it had always been tolerable. He had coped- albeit weakly- but he had coped. But he found it hard to believe that Jack O'Neill, whose own son had shot himself with a gun, was bored when they finally got a break from all the shit in the Universe. He thought back to his own, sad comment in Jack's living room a few months ago; " Maybe I've never known you at all..." Maybe he really hadn't... //Or maybe it's because of who I am...// Daniel thought back to home; a billion light years away. Home, the small sapphire blue and leaf green planet, third in order from the Sun; Home in Canada, Colorado, where the weather was pleasantly mild. Home, at the SGC base, and finally, home where a young cadet had remarked with a dismissive air, that civilians didn't belong in military operations. //I'm a civilian, right? So maybe I'm not as strong minded or willed or...// He was shivering now- more images of those dead Jaffa flashing cruelly past him as he struggled inwardly to find a reason that justified his hatred of death- he was slowly failing. A noise caught his attention, and immediately he tensed, preparing for another checkin with Jack. Behind him, the zip was tugged down once again, and this time a female voice murmured, "Wake me up for the third watch sir," before crawling into the Tent, kicking off her boots. //Sam.// Trying to pretend that he really was asleep, he barely noticed that he was trembling, shaking pitifully, the colour leeching from his face. He listened cautiously as Sam shuffled into her sleeping bag, still wearing her fatigues, like Daniel- this planet was too cold not to. She paused as she pulled the sleeping bag up to her chin, and scrutinised him- he could feel the burn of her gaze against his cold skin. //Am I really cold or do I just think I am?// A warm soft hand gently brushed by his cheek, and then Sam murmured to herself, "God, he must be freezing." There was more shuffling, and then something heavy and deliciously warm was draped over his quaking body. An emergency blanket, Daniel realised dully. His thoughts were dulling- exhaustion from his sobs seeping in, and the darkness approaching, he allowed sleep to claim him. ******************* ** He could see them, leering up at him with dark murderous eyes, smoke still pluming from their blackened skin. The nearest one smirked as he crumbled away, soft words dying on his lips. It didn't matter; Daniel could easily translate them; "Give us the boy." "No," his voice shook, as he inched away from them, stumbling, shivering. God, there was so much blood. Where had it come from? "No, he isn't yours to take." "And neither is he yours," a softer, more deadlier voice whispered in his ear. The Jaffa cringed away, crumbling into black sooty ashes, as Daniel froze. Happily, the baby gurgled, squeezing Daniel's fingers innocently. Swallowing hard, Daniel turned to face the entity, a ball of white light, a woman's face occasionally forming, a frown marring it. "Please," he begged, fat tears rolling down his cheeks, "please don't take him. He's all I have left..." Oma Desala looked disgusted, and this time her face twisted, darkening, two coal black eyes scowling at him from the pits of hell. " The child is a marker of your failure," she snarled, her hands prying the baby's chubby fingers away from him, "of your wife's rape. Of your weakness, of your inability..." The tears were flowing down his cheeks now, washing away the blood pooling around his ankles. Oma tugged at the child, gathering it protectively in her arms, soothing its forehead as it began to howl. Daniel, torn, sunk to his knees, his shoulders shaking. Oma scowled down at him, floating away from him, taking his last link to Sha're away... ** Daniel's soft whimpers of denial woke Sam up, and blearily she kicked at her sleeping bag, fumbling for the zipper to free herself from its grasp. Daniel, she could just make out in the bright moonlight (the eclipse had long since ended), was writhing in his, his face screwed up, as faint howls of denial tore through his throat. Tears cascaded his cheeks, and Sam, feeling tears stinging her own eyes, bit her lip. It was a nightmare- that much was obvious. But which one? When Sha're had died, she had spent months sharing this tent pretending to be the Abydonian beauty, whether that meant stroking his hair lightly, or even- she blushed at the thought- planting soft, gentle kisses on the nape of his neck or the back of his hands. Anything to silence the pitiful wails. When they had returned from the Bedrosian home-world the Colonel had dealt with Daniel's nightmares- they had been given several weeks off for a vacation- one that Daniel had skived and spent in his office, losing weight and sleep because of nightmares of whatever Rygar had threatened him with when he had been taken away from their group. "Please, he's all I have left..." Daniel murmured, his words muffled against the sleeping bag, his fingers uncurling, stretching out for something that wasn't there. //Aha. The boy.// Sam reached out to stroke his brow, her thoughts cast back to the eclipse, to remind herself there was nothing wrong with comforting a team-mate. It had the opposite effect- instead of soothing him into a deep sleep, Daniel just jerked awake, a soft cry of 'No!' on the tip of his tongue. He blinked rapidly, swiping at his tears with one hand, before he realised that he wasn't the only one awake. "Sam," he blearily said, his voice choked as he tried to smile falsely. "Did I wake you? I'm so sorr-" Sam cut him off before he could continue with the absurdly contrite murmuring. "Daniel, it's okay. I was already awake." She lied. Daniel nodded sleepily in understanding. "The eclipse, right?" Sam, grateful for an excuse, nodded energetically. Already, her body was sagging with sleep, her eyelids as heavy as lead. Daniel let out a yawn, his eyes over bright. Sighing, Sam gently pushed him back down, entwining her hand with his. "Go back to sleep Daniel," she murmured. Daniel, his eyes drifting shut, nodded, his fingers curling instinctively around hers. She stared at them for a moment, as his breathing evened, and he drifted into a dreamless sleep, before settling back into her sleeping bag, feeling oddly pleased. ******************* The afternoon light was bleak and grim, shadowed by dark grey clouds when Daniel finally awoke, his eyelashes beating weakly against a damp cheek. His tongue felt oddly thick, his eyes puffy and sore, and his stomach growled and roiled in hunger. Jack, a blanket huddled around his body, waved him over, as he forced himself to crawl out from the tent, blearily rubbing the back of his hand against his eyes. The fire had started again, with renewed strength, greedily reaching up to the sky, in an attempt to warm the shivering group. //Typical,// Daniel thought to himself as he stumbled awkwardly over to the assembled team, dragging the emergency blanket Sam had draped over him during the night, with him, //the first peaceful mission we have in ages, and it's the middle of Winter.// He could still remember the look of mock horror plaintively etched over Jack's face as Alma, a native to the planet, and the Chieftain's daughter, had explained to him in the people's language- a mix of pigeon Egyptian and oddly enough, ancient Latin- that they had arrived during the Winter solstice. "What's the time?" he asked blearily as he sunk onto a nearby log, gratefully accepting the flask of steaming hot black coffee, and the semi-cooked MRE (Meal Ready to Eat) from a shivering Sam. She wore a faint beam, and had been busily tapping furiously at her battery- operated laptop, adding- he glanced over her shoulder- data on eclipses and binary suns. " I'm guessing the eclipse went well," he added as an afterthought, catching Jack's sudden grimace. "Yes, it did," Sam murmured proudly, not bothering to glance up from the laptop. "And the time is 1200 hours." Daniel noted with relief that she wasn't mentioning his nightmare from the previous night, and shot her a small, inward smile of gratuity. //I wish they wouldn't give it to me in twenty-four hour digits, Daniel miserably thought, it just emphasises how I'm civilian and they're not.// " Twelve?" he repeated in disbelief, instead, "Why didn't anyone wake me?" Jack was smiling grimly, as he glanced up from where he had been eating half-frozen lasagne, and smugly replied; " Because we need you as our linguist for the team Daniel," he reminded the archaeologist, " which in turn means you need the occasional nap now and again. You know what they are right?" He frowned when Daniel didn't even so much as smile. "Seriously Daniel, you were exhausted last night. It seemed a little cruel to wake you. Besides, what's the hurry? Alma and the others won't be arriving for another half and hour or so." Daniel eyed him suspiciously, casting his mind back to Jack's obvious boredom the other night. "You've changed your tune a bit," he mumbled in between chews, narrowing bright blue, bloodshot eyes. Was it his imagination, or did a guilty expression suddenly cross the elder man's face? Jack looked to the ground awkwardly, and stood up, shrugging the emergency blanket off. "Yeah," he sighed, offering one hand to Daniel, pulling the younger man to his feet, "about that. I need to speak to you," he glanced over to where Teal'c and Sam were, "in private." Daniel shot them a backwards glance, tensing, but then realising he probably had no other choice, he let his emergency blanket drop to the floor, and reluctantly followed the Colonel, hugging his shivering thin body tightly. When the camp site was finally out of site, and all that they could see were the lush rolling hills ahead of them, and the sparse, dying trees behind them, Jack spun on his heel to face Daniel. He didn't look so much as...angry- more like annoyed. With whom, Daniel couldn't tell. "What's going on Jack?" he asked nervously, bouncing on the balls of his feet in a futile attempt to bring warmth to his body. He blushed when Jack eyed his movements critically. After a tense pause, Jack dropped his gaze, and scrubbed a hand through his military short hair. " I don't know Daniel," he finally answered, " you tell me. You were pretty tense last night." Daniel tensed, and smiled feebly. "I was tired Jack, as you pointed out earlier on." He paused, wondering whether he should continue, then with a shrug added, " Plus, I don't really always enjoy our...adventures Jack. A lot of bad stuff's happened, and I don't like that." Jack looked unconvinced, his brown eyes suspicious, one eyebrow arched, as if to say 'uh-huh, sure.' He too, was bouncing on the balls of his feet, arms crossed. //God Jack...I don't want to lose your respect. Do you want to hear that? Do you want to hear how I wake up screaming every time I go home, because I can't get rid of the images of the dead Jaffa?// A sudden white-gold shaft of light broke through the clouds, dancing over the top of the hills, catching individual blades of grass...and...in the distance, something glinted, sparkling in the pale sunlight. Jack's prep talk momentarily forgotten, Daniel glanced up, a small smile playing across his face. Jack watched him suspiciously, then understood as a delighted, faint call reached their ears from the distant hills. " Dan-yel! Dan-yel Jackson!" Daniel's cheeks dimpled, and he flashed his pearly white teeth as he spun to grin at Jack, excitement sparking in his eyes. " Jack, it's Alma and her people," he softly said, all but dancing. Jack could still remember his excitement, when they had first arrived to find a peaceful planet, rich with culture, flourishing with unusual specimens of life- some extinct on their own planet. Apparently, Alma's people, the Kenosians, left their village ritually each year, spending a few short weeks in celebration by the Stargate, before leaving to meet natives from a neighbouring planet who arrived in 'flying chariots' to trade with them. Although wary, Daniel was still excited at the prospect of witnessing the event, and as he had pointed out to the Colonel on the second day, "It was unlikely these people were Goa'uld- the Goa'uld would just pillage their village for what they needed." "That's nice Daniel," Jack evenly said. " I'll talk to you later, I guess." As Daniel's head bobbed up and down absently, Jack sighed. He doubted the younger man had even heard him. ******************* The days were short on Kenos- Sam frowned as she glanced at her watch. It only read 1700 hours, but already, the sky was darkening- streaks of crimson, violets, vivid orange and yellow gnawing at the bleak sunlight, seeping like blood in water across the sky. The binary suns were once again setting, the moon rising high above them. "Major Carter," Alma of the Kenosians announced her presence quietly, softly, and Sam flinched involuntarily, glad for once that the Colonel was with the Elders, Daniel and Teal'c, helping to unload the yards of soft silk, and foreign dishes prepared by the neighbouring natives- the Elisions. A soldier was meant to be constantly alert, prepared- especially in her line of work. Instead, she had been caught day- dreaming. "Alma," Sam responded cautiously, twisting on the log to pat to a space next to her, motioning to the middle-aged woman to sit next to her. Graciously, her long deep red hair pulled, and bunched under a head- dress- briefly, Sam grimaced, remembering her own unpleasant encounter with a head-dress-, Alma lowered her slender form onto the log. The woman turned coal black eyes to earnestly stare at Sam, and smiled cautiously. During their stay, just before the Kenosians had left, Daniel had taught them enough English- as broken as it was- to hold light conservation, for when he wasn't around to help with the translation. "How can I help- uudjat- you?" The word, uudjat, felt unfamiliar, and the young Major stumbled clumsily over its pronunciation. Alma smiled her appreciation at Sam's help, and biting her lip thoughtfully, replied in broken English; "I was simpeti- wondering- if Dan-yel has a mate. Many of the young Fema's wish for him to be their mate..."Alma trailed off uncertainly, a crimson flush seeping into her pale cheeks. Sam could imagine what the girl was about to ask- //but you want him for yourself...// Sam chewed her lower lip thoughtfully, delicately folding her hands over her lap. "Ne. No," she cautiously replied, thinking of his deceased wife, and then his disastrous encounter with Kera, "Dan-y...Daniel doesn't. But he's had bad- ishmael- experiences with them in the past." She raked a hand through her pale blonde hair, the colour of spun gold in the dying sunlight. "I see." //Oh am I glad Daniel isn't here right now...// Alma was looking thoughtfully at Sam again, her nose wrinkled slightly, creasing the smattering of freckles in two. Self-consciously, Sam asked, "What?" before hastily adding "Sumat?" in the Kenosian language. Just in case. "I was also wond...wondering why Dan-yel accompanies you. He is obviously not an Eunat." At Sam's puzzled glance, and her raised eyebrow, Alma hastily added, "a soldier." Sam fell silent at this. It was an honest question- one that delved through unpleasant memories that shamed the young Major. When SG-1 had first been formed, Daniel had only been included because of his a.) extraordinary linguistic skills, and b.) because of his sheer determination to be included on their team in the search for Sha're. Months had passed, and slowly, Daniel had wormed his way into their hearts, becoming a firm member of the team, rather than an awkward fourth wheel. She had been horrified when Jack had announced gloomily on Apophis' ship "He's...uh...staying behind," and even more so when Daniel had been forced to witness his parents death over and over again. As close as they had been, those events had deepened the bond amongst the team. And finally, when Sha're had been killed, and the boy had been whisked away under his nose, they had learned his true importance. They had learnt it in that moment when a dozen or so Jaffa had primed their weapons at the defenceless, barefoot man, that they needed Daniel. Without him, they were awkward, clumsy, ill-fitting. He was their conscience, the team soul. Sensing Sam's trepidation, Alma smiled feebly, and stood, offering Sam her hand. "It does not matter," she firmly said, pulling Sam to her feet. Sam arched an eyebrow, her bright blue eyes quizzical. " The feast. The men would have finished their work, and now we must celebrate." She glided past the tents, her long velvety blue cloak trailing behind her, and Sam, smirking inwardly, followed her, subconsciously patting her hair, and massaging an uncomfortable kink from the back of her neck. Inhaling deeply, she suddenly smiled widely as a spicy, sweet, delicious odour wafted over to her, coiling around her, wrapping smoky tendrils around each cell. Sensing the Major's appreciation, Alma mimicked her smile. "That is the Omatta," she grinned. "A speciality of the Elisions." "It smells lovely," Sam remarked. A sense of unease washed over her as she passed through the clearing to the waiting groups- the Kenosians were dressed in elaborate robes, garnished with silvery flowers, and the sparkle of Naquadah, with the Chieftain talking animatedly with a fellow Kenosian, beaming. The Elisions, however, despite their obvious technological advancement, wore thick, plain robes, and worn-out sandals. Unlike the Kenosians who were small and lithe, the Elisions were anything but; they were like beefy giants, wearing leering grins, their dark eyes lusting as Sam moved slowly, and awkwardly across the vicinity to where the rest of SG-1 sat. //Lusting...wait, not after me...// Her sense of unease grew, as she realised it wasn't her they were leering at, but Daniel. Daniel with his fair skin, youthful complexion and sorrowful blue eyes. Daniel didn't even seem to notice either, as he sat, looking desolately down at the table, his eyes glistening. //Perhaps that's best though. I don't think Daniel would feel too happy about being lusted after...// Some of the beefiest of the Elisions had now moved over to where the Chieftain, flitting black eyes back to where Daniel sat, interest sparking in their expressions. Some were even smiling- a tight, unnatural expression, as if they were unused to it. Alarmed, Sam watched them as one subtlety raised one hand waving it over to Daniel, and his voice low, asked; "Tunat esque maana tra'noc?" Sam flitted concerned blue eyes back to Daniel- if he had heard the question, he hid it well; he was lifting a wooden spoon to his mouth, smiling and arguing with Jack. Whatever the men had asked had offended the Chieftain as he launched into a rapid-fire argument, slashing his hand through the air to punctuate his point, his eyes narrowed. Alma looked alarmed, and was pressing her hands against the table, preparing herself to join her father. The air was thick with tension as the large group of natives suddenly fell silent- the Elisions staring at the Kenosians, and half of the Kenosians staring uncomfortably at Daniel, the other half at their Chieftain. The food suddenly lost its appeal, and children were shifting uncomfortably behind their parents, beady eyes wide with worry. Then suddenly, the tension, the uncomfortable silence was broken by a forced laugh by the largest of the Elisions. Daniel, his brow furrowed, relaxed, and turned his attention back to Jack, as the Elision murmured; "Ne etna. Ne etna." Sam, despite the obvious relief, stared at the two Chieftains. There was something wrong with that scenario- the Kenosian one looked...taut and *angry*...and the Elision Chieftain looked vaguely annoyed, his beefy hands rolled into fists. //Something is very wrong...// "Sam, what do you think?" Sam blinked suddenly as Daniel's soft voice broke through her reverie, and he placed a warm hand on her arm, drawing her attention away from the two feuding Chieftains. Soft golden firelight danced over the top of his hair, and in the hollows of his bright blue eyes. His cheeks were dimpled, as he teased her, "You were a million miles away there Sam." He held up the bowl he was clutching- a smooth golden ornate bowl, clear liquid with suspicious green, yellow and red bits floating in it, sloshing happily inside the bowl. "So what do you think?" Sam glanced down at her own soup, and tentatively, dipped an enamel spoon into the liquid, stiffing it suspiciously. It smelt like spicy apples, tinged with a distinctly floral smell. Satisfied that it at least *smelt* edible, she brought the spoon to her lips, sipping at it. At first, it tasted wonderful- thick, warm cloying liquid the flavour of mixed fruit that dripped soothingly down the back of her throat. Jack was smirking, lines creasing around his eyes, and Daniel was looking away. A second later, she found out why. The soothingly smooth liquid *burned*- burned like fire down the back of her throat. Her eyes watering, she immediately brought one slender hand to her throat, massaging it, as the burning sensation grew. A snort to her left told her that evidently the men- or Jack at least- had expected this, and unsuccessfully, she glared at them. "Daniel, what *was* that?" she rasped when the burning finally died away, leaving her with an uncomfortable itch at the back of her throat. Her eyes stung with unshed tears, as Daniel smiled bashfully, a crimson flush streaking across his face. "An Elision delicacy apparently," he finally mumbled. "Made of the juices from fruit and flower blossoms and uh..." his cheeks dimpled, and he flashed an apologetic grin at her, "...the serum from their version of a chilli pepper. A very, very spicy chilli pepper." Jack next to him first snorted, then let out a roar of laughter, and Teal'c arched an eyebrow quizzically. The Elision men looked delighted, the unusual expression replacing their natural permanent surly scowls, and they weaved in and out of the large crowd, darting over to them. They carried enamel goblets, dark red liquid sloshing over the side, staining the grass. The largest approached Daniel, holding out the cup, speaking quickly, the words rolling easily from his tongue. "Tsuni en pomti ar'ache desa elisi?" Jack turned a puzzled face to Daniel, as the younger man held up a hand, and slowly repeated; "Desa elisi?" He didn't smile when the Elision man nodded energetically, setting the tray of goblets onto their table, and like Alma, looked suddenly very queasy, colour leeching from his skin. For a moment, Sam wondered if the man had told him whatever it was he had argued with the Kenosian chieftain earlier on. Jack, not seeming to notice this, reached past him, with a quizzical expression etched across his face, and took one of the goblets. Daniel made a face, and quietly muttered, "Jack, I really think you shouldn't have that..." Even Alma, normally so calm, seem scandalised, and the fact that were only four goblets seemed to indicate this was a SG-1 speciality. Jack either ignored him, or simply didn't hear his warning as he first sniffed it suspiciously, then tipped it to his lips, gulping it down hungrily. The queasy expression grew, and Daniel even swallowed, with some difficulty, as Jack smiled in appreciation at the liquid, the liquor staining his teeth like blood. //Funny I should be thinking that...// "It's good," he murmured, taking another sip, flitting dark brown eyes to Sam. "Carter, you should try some. You too Teal'c." Both Alma and Daniel looked revolted, as the younger man spluttered his dismay as Sam, her mind suspicious, mimicked her Commanding Officer, and Teal'c simply took the goblet, downing its contents in one. //What the hell happened to caution?// "But it has sacrificial blood in it," he hissed, unsure of who he was warning. It was as if they never heard him though- the rest of his team were staring at their goblets, transfixed. "Dan-yee-el Jaa-ckson?" a deep, timbre voice interrupted his thoughts, and slowly, Daniel turned to face the Elision chieftain, a fixed smile etched into his face. His name was spoken with unease- as if the man had both difficulty pronouncing it, and...it was as if the man had taken an instant dislike to him, Daniel decided. "Houi?" he asked, saving the man some embarrassment, by speaking in the Elision's tongue. "Yes?" "I was wondering if I could talk to you," the man continued carefully, taking Daniel's example, and reverting back to his own, native language, "about your people and their customs. This is the first time people from other worlds have visited the Kenosians, apart from ourselves." Daniel shot Jack, Sam and Teal'c a backward glance of trepidation. Sam was smiling absently at the moon- large, full and a soft pink-grey, hanging proudly in the dark, velvety sky. Jack was still sipping at his goblet, despite the liquid having long gone. Teal'c looked perturbed, his golden tattoo creased in two. To be honest, they looked, well, drunk. He looked suspiciously down at his own drink, the one he had refused. //It must pack quite a punch...// "Okay," he responded uneasily after an eternity. Pushing his chair back, he shot the rest of SG-1 one last look, smiling placidly, as he stood up. The Elision chief beamed, his eyes darkening, as he motioned for Daniel to follow him. Uneasily, his hands shoved as deep as they could into his pockets to hide his nervousness, he complied, ignoring the watchful eyes of the rest of the Elision clan and Alma's own alarmed gaze. //Relax Daniel, all you're doing is talking...// So why didn't it feel that way? ******************* Sam cautiously sipped at her wine, smiling in sudden surprise. It was a thick, syrupy liquid, it's heady scent coiling around her brain, fogging her thoughts. Somewhere in the back of her mind, the military part of her screeched, 'there is something very, very wrong here Major', the incessant voice pounding angrily in her head. She took another sip, ignoring it, and smiled vacantly as the world suddenly distorted and blurred, and sounds around her became metallic, echoing hollowly around her. Distantly, she heard Daniel, in a disembodied voice, cry in distress, "But it has sacrificial blood in it..." The words meant nothing though- they were just sounds to her fogged mind. Her eyelids felt heavy, and she vaguely noted that it now took twice the effort to keep them open. Blearily, she squinted down at her blurry watch- it read 1900 hours. //A bit early to feel tired Carter...// she inwardly admonished. Somewhere in the distance, a shadowed, blurred figure moved, twisted, dancing towards their table. Vaguely, she cocked her head, and arched an eyebrow, staring vacantly at the figure. It moved straight to Daniel, speaking rapidly in what she could only imagine was the Elision native tongue. Daniel's face creased into a frown, as he puckered his lips, softly replying. //Something isn't right...// The world looped in a myriad of different colours, dancing mockingly in front of her, and the young Major, the colour leeching from her face, frowned, tentatively reaching out to touch one of coloured spots. It vanished at her touch. "Daniel..." his name had left her lips before she realised she was speaking, and slowly, cautiously, she twisted to face him. Something was very, very wrong- the world was looping crazily around her, and her body felt heavy, exhausted. She blinked back another rank of colours, and then gave a start, a strange sound gurgling up her throat. Daniel was gone...and so was the Elision man. Her stomach gave a sudden lurch, as panic flooded her system; memories of Alma's earlier reaction, and the Elision's interest in Daniel brutally attacking her. "Alma," she mumbled, curling her fingers around the woman's cloak. The woman, frowning, jerked and glanced down at the fingers, and then at Sam's pale face. "Alma, Daniel's gone." The Kenosian nodded, her eyes narrowing into thin slits. A sharp, bitter noise erupted from her throat- it sounded suspiciously like a Kenosian curse- and she glanced around the table, her dark penetrating glare shifting from one pale face to another, until it finally came to a rest on Teal'c. The Jaffa was unusually pale, his face pulled into a grimace- but out of all of them, he looked the most alert- Jack had already slumped unconscious onto the table. "Jaffa," she commanded, "you must accompany your friend, make sure he is safe." She watched silently, reproachfully as Teal'c stood, his eyes dark, angry and clouded with alcohol and drugs. Sam, swaying, watched him retreat into the darkness after the young archaeologist. The world was swimming constantly around her, and it took all her strength not to heave then and there.