Author Notes: This story follows "Along The Way Home". I'd like to make a note regarding that last story. Several people asked me if the places and facts depicted in it are real. I would just like to clarify that they are! I hope you enjoy this latest story, and your feedback would be greatly appreciated! You can visit my site that has all my stories:
http://jacks-cabin.com/Suz/

"Now!" Sam screamed over the gunfire as she continued to shoot at the Replicators that were closing in around them. There were so many, too many. She was beginning to fear that they might not even make it through the gate.

Jack heard the command he was waiting for. Taking the detonation device out of his vest pocket, he pushed the button, releasing a massive explosion on the deceleration drive. It rocked the whole ship violently, and sent it into a sideways plunge towards Earth. The sudden shift in the direction of the Beliskner caused them all to lose balance.

Not waiting for even a second, Jack was back on his feet as the Replicators were now within inches of their positions. He backed up in long strides, his gun hoisted under one arm, releasing rounds of bullets in a large sweeping motion. Bumping into Sam, who was also backing up towards the wormhole, he grabbed onto her vest with his free hand, and using all his force, thrust both of them straight back into the wormhole where Teal'c had just gone.

The spinning seemed to last forever. But after a few seconds, they emerged from it onto a planet. Slamming hard onto their backs, they rolled away from the Stargate with the same momentum that Jack had propelled them backwards with. As they came to a stop, they heard the sounds of gunfire. Stunned for a moment by the impact they had just made with the ground, they both looked up to find Teal'c firing at, and luckily destroying, three Replicators that had managed to make it through the Gate. As the wormhole disengaged from the loss of the connection on the other side, all was suddenly quiet.

Jack, trying to catch his breath, was up on his knees in an instant, gun at the ready. As the quiet settled in, relaying that the danger was gone, he saluted Teal'c with his hand. "Teal'c, buddy! Great job! Is that all of them?"

Teal'c turned around. "It is, O'Neill. I only saw three come through. If there are any others, I suspect we would have seen them here near the Stargate." Looking around, he continued. "And I see none."

Jack lowered his gun and breathed a sigh of relief. Looking over at Sam, he gave her a look of concern. "Carter? You okay?"

Sam put her hand to her back as she sat up on her knees. "Fine, Sir, just a bit sore. You?" She looked at him as he stood up. The sky was filled with sunlight, highlighting a bright blue sky.

Offering her a hand, he helped her to her feet. "Well, my body will probably hate me in the morning, but apparently these old bones have still got what it takes to survive."

Smiling at him, Sam started to brush herself off from the layer of dust they had picked up as they rolled along the ground. "You're not old, Sir. And thanks for the assistance in getting us through the wormhole. I wasn't sure if we were going to make it or not."

Jack smiled back at her as he watched her brush her hair off with her hand. Even covered in dust, she was still incredibly sexy. "Yeah, you'd think the Asguard could have devised some sort of fancy exterminator to take care of their little Replicator butts, especially with all of that technology." Jack paused, a confused expression suddenly on his face. "Speaking of which, didn't you push Thor through the Gate?"

Sam whipped around, a worried look forming on her face as she realized that Thor's stasis pod was nowhere to be seen. Looking back at Jack, she answered him. "Yeah, I did! Teal'c? Did you see him when you came through the Gate?"

"I did not, Major Carter. Should he not have been here?" Teal'c responded, a pensive look on his face.

"Well, yeah," Sam said, "he should be. It doesn't make any sense...unless the wormhole's telemetry was changed when the deceleration drives blew."

Jack held up a hand. "Wait! I know this one. If that's the case, then it means that we..."

"...Are not on P3X-234." Teal'c said, finishing for Jack.

Jack looked at Teal'c with annoyance. "You know Teal'c, there's such a thing called not stealing someone else's thunder!"

"I don't think that's it, Sir," Sam said, an idea visibly forming on her face. "I think we're still on the planet that Teal'c originally dialed."

"Huh?" Now Jack was really confused. "But didn't you say that an explosion was what caused us to jump Stargates when we were stranded on Antarctica?"

Sam shook her head in agreement. "Yes, I did, but unless there are two Stargates on this planet, there would have been no other Gate for the wormhole to jump to. It might have just made it unstable for a few seconds."

"So...it was a good thing that we weren't in the wormhole during that time?" Jack said, still confused by how the whole thing worked.

"In a way, yes. It might have even aided in getting rid of any Replicators that might have gone through before us."

Teal'c spoke up. "But then where is Thor? Would he not also have been destroyed?"

"No," Sam said thoughtfully, "because I pushed him through long before we ever set off that explosion."

Just as Jack was about to ask his next question, a bright white hologram suddenly appeared out of nowhere. The shadowy figure of an Asguard stood before them, looking up at each of them. Jack cocked his head slightly to the side. "Thor?"

The Asguard looked at Jack. "No, I am Freyon. I appear before you to inform you that Commander Thor is alive, and we give you our thanks for saving him."

Sam looked confused. "So, did you transport him up to a ship?"

Jack looked at Freyon with a sudden expression of hope. "Hey! How 'bout a lift?"

Freyon looked at Jack and then back at Sam. "Unfortunately, we cannot help you. There is no ship. We transported Thor's stasis pod out of the wormhole. There is a locator beacon on the pod, which we used to beam him home to our planet. There were no available ships to send to retrieve him or you. Our world is engaged in battle against the Replicators, and all ships are being used in that fight."

Jack looked a little disappointed. "Ah. Well, no sweat! It's good to know the little gray guy is okay. Tell him we'd send him a get well card, but seeing as how we don't have the address, it might not be possible."

Freyon simply blinked up at him. Sam could see that Jack's sarcasm wasn't registering. "So," she said, changing the subject, "you're just a hologram, projecting from your planet?"

"Correct," Freyon said. "Commander Thor requested that I give you his thanks and assure you that he will be fine. He would also like to pass on his congratulations for a successfully completed mission."

"Can Thor not speak to us himself?" Teal'c said.

"He cannot," Freyon replied. "He is still recovering his strength and will continue to do so for the next few of your Earth days." Looking back at Jack, the Asguard continued. "Can you not gate home to your own world?"

Jack hesitated. "Um...yes?"

Sam couldn't help but smile to herself. Jack was always so cute when he tried to appear like he knew the answer to a question he really didn't fully understand. She looked up and met Jack's eyes. She knew that was her cue to finish for him. "Actually, in order to Gate to this planet, I had to transport our primary Stargate up to the Beliskner. It was destroyed with the ship. But we have a second Gate that was discovered a few years ago. It was put into storage for safekeeping. We can only assume that the SGC was able to figure out what we did, and are now unpacking the other Gate for use. Once that's in place, we'll be able to Gate home."

"I see," Freyon said. "Well, you should be safe here until then. As you may know, this is an Asguard-protected planet. The people here are quite friendly and welcoming. I regret that I cannot stay any longer. I wish you luck in getting home, and thank you once again for your assistance." With that, the hologram disappeared, leaving them alone in the quiet of their surroundings.

"Well," Jack said, "I guess the rest is up to us. Carter. Why don't you try dialing home? Maybe we'll get lucky and Hammond will already have the Gate in place."

Sam nodded at him. "Yes, Sir." She walked over to the DHD and began dialing the seven symbols necessary to connect with Earth. When she'd dialed in the final symbol, she placed her hand on the red activator circle and pushed as she held her breath. Nothing. No connection. She looked back at Jack. "Sorry, Sir, but it looks like we're going to be stuck here for a while."

Jack nodded and looked around. The sun in the sky was getting lower. The Stargate was located in the middle of a large green and yellow grassy field, which came up to their knees and swayed gently in the breeze. A single dirt path led away from Gate and towards a thicket of tall trees in the distance. Beyond them, mountains rose up to the sky.

"So, Teal'c," Jack said as Sam came to join them. "Why did you dial us to this world? It doesn't look familiar to me."

"Me either," Sam replied.

"That is because you have not been here," Teal'c said. "I first came here with another SG team when we were searching various worlds for you and Major Carter after you did not come through the Gate when it overloaded. We searched for miles around the Stargate. In our searching, we came across a small village of people who were quite friendly. I chose to remember this world in case we decided to come back here one day."

Sam spoke up. "Did you know that this was an Asguard-protected planet?"

"I did not, Major Carter."

"Well," Jack said, "it seems you made a good spur-of-the-moment decision. Good job!" Jack reached out a hand and patted him on the back.

Teal'c bowed his head in Jack's direction. "Thank you, O'Neill."

After a moment, Jack spoke again. "Well, we probably should find a place to camp for the night. I'm assuming that the village you found is somewhere along this path."

"You are correct, O'Neill."

Jack cringed slightly. "Sarcasm Teal'c, it's called sarcasm. Shall we?"

Sam smiled, trying to conceal her laughter. Teal'c led the way, with Sam following and Jack taking up the rear. Each of them had their weapons held at the ready, just in case.

After walking about a mile south on the trail, they came to the edge of the treeline. Jack craned his neck as he looked up and whistled. "Wow! Are you sure we're not in California? These trees could actually rival the Redwoods."

The bases of the tree trunks were enormous, expanding out at least 10 feet in width. Their height seemed to stretch up forever, with the canopy of the forest concealing their very tops. As they started forward again, the forest floor became a canvas of bushes with bright red berries and ferns that stretched out its leafy fingers in all directions. As the path continued to wind its way deeper into the forest, the trees became denser and slightly closer together, obscuring the natural light that was already beginning to fade with the setting sun.

After a short while, they began to hear the sounds of wood being chopped and children's laughter. Coming around a small curve in the path, Teal'c stopped abruptly, causing Sam to stop short of running into him. Jack, who wasn't paying attention, ran straight into her back, causing both of them to lose their balance. Sam caught herself on the ground with her hands, landing on her knees as Jack bounced backwards onto his butt.

Teal'c looked behind him to see what had happened. He raised an eyebrow in Jack's direction, who was rubbing his lower back with one hand as he got up. "Ahh Teal'c! A little warning first before putting on the brakes!"

Teal'c looked over at Sam, who had gotten back up, and then looked back to Jack. "Perhaps if you were to pay attention to the path in front of you, you might avoid such unfortunate happenings from occurring."

Jack rolled his eyes. "Thanks for the advice."

Sam smiled at Teal'c's point of view as she once again dusted herself off. "So why'd you stop, Teal'c?"

Sam's question was answered as a child poked his head up from behind a bush that was to the side of them. "Oh, I see," Sam said, smiling gently at the young boy who couldn't have been more than six years old. "Hello," she said, moving slowly towards him, "I'm Sam. What's your name?"

Squatting down to his level, she reached out a hand and touched his arm. His brown eyes searched hers for understanding. His hair was a light brown, which had been roughly cut, and parts of it were long enough to fall into his eyes. Sam gingerly reached up and brushed aside a strand that had fallen over his left eye. "Can you tell me your name?"

When the boy just continued to stare at her in curiosity, Sam slowly stood up and looked at Jack, who had come closer to them. "I don't think he understands me, Sir."

Jack looked at the boy. He reminded him of Charlie when he had been this boy's age. Looking at Sam, he blinked back the emotion in his face. "Is he, you know..."

"No, Sir," Sam said, "I don't sense the presence of a Goa'uld in him." She wanted to reach out to Jack. She could see that the boy before them was reminding Jack of his late son. She gave him a sympathetic smile. Looking back down at the boy, she continued. "Maybe they speak a different language."

Suddenly, a voice came out of nowhere. "He does understand you. He just won't response." A man in his forties approached them. He was dressed in plain, woolen clothing. His shirt and pants were tan, and he wore a darker color of brown in the leather belt around his waist. He was tall and lanky, with tanned skin and a kind smile. "Hello. I am Joseph. This is Damien."

Jack nodded at Joseph. "I'm Jack, this is Sam, and that's Teal'c."

Joseph looked at each of them, a confused expression forming on his face when his eyes met Teal'c's. "I remember you. You are the Jaffa who came looking for your friends many cycles ago."

Teal'c bowed his head. "Indeed."

Joseph smiled. "It is good to see you again. I hope you were able to find them."

"I was. These are the friends I was searching for." Teal'c motioned with his hand at Jack and Sam.

"That is good to hear. I felt terrible that we were unable to help you. The villagers will be overjoyed to hear of your success. Have you come back to inform of us this?" Joseph puts his hands on Damien's small shoulders and waited for their response.

"Um, no, actually," Sam said. "We came through your Stargate because our ship was being destroyed. But we can't Gate home to our planet until they fix the Stargate in our world."

"I see," Joseph said. "Well, you must stay with us until it is fixed. We are more than happy to welcome you."

"That's very nice of you," Jack said, "but we don't want to put you to any trouble..."

"Oh, it's no trouble," Joseph said, "we help when we can. Come. The village is just up ahead." Joseph gave them a reassuring smile as he turned and took Damien's hand, who continued to watch them over his shoulder.

As they started out, Jack walked next to Sam. "I guess Freyon was right," he said in a low tone. "They are friendly."

Sam smiled as she watched Damien stare up at Teal'c in amazement. They were walking behind Joseph, Damien, and Teal'c. "Yes Sir, they are." Speaking up, she addressed Joseph. "Um, Joseph? You said that Damien wouldn't respond. Why is that?"

Joseph stopped and turned around, giving her a sad smile. "Right after your friend came looking for you, we were attacked by warriors that looked like serpents. Many bore the symbol on Teal'c head. We remembered Teal'c telling us briefly about the Jaffa, and how he once was apart of them. The...Goa'uld, as he called them, invaded our village in search of our children. Many were slain, and some taken. Luckily, that day, most of our children were away from the village. I was among them, guiding the children on an exploration trip when we returned during the attack. We hid, but Damien ran to find his parents. I went after him and managed to reach him before he gave himself away. But I was not in time to shield him from seeing both his parents slain before his very eyes. Since that horrible day, he hasn't spoken a word."

Jack clenched his fists together. He was getting tired of the constant tragedy that the Goa'uld left in their wake. One day, it would end. "I'm sorry about your village. How many are left?"

Joseph sighed. "The children outnumber the adults, but putting everyone together, there are about 100 of us left." He turned back around and continued forward. "The village is just up ahead. Come."

They followed him, not saying anything else, each of them reflecting on the destruction the Goa'uld constantly left behind. After a few moments, Joseph stopped. The light in the forest had grown very dim, and shadows danced around them. "We are here."

They looked around them, but saw nothing except the forest floor. Jack broke the silence. "Um, sorry, sometimes I'm a little slow. Where is it?"

Joseph laughed. "It is good to know that the deception still holds." Suddenly, he lifted his hands and gestured to the trees above them. "Welcome to our village."

They all looked up as amazement filled their faces. High above them, torches of light glowed in the growing darkness, twinkling like the stars themselves. Enormous platforms had been erected throughout the trees, with wooden rope bridges linking the platforms and trees together. Small, modest huts had been erected on them, and the sounds of voices could be heard filtering down on the breeze.

"Whoa!" Jack said quietly, rubbing his eyes and trying to grasp the reality of it. "You live up there?"

"We do. Ever since the attack, we moved our village from the ground below to the trees above." Joseph's pride in his village was notable in his voice.

Sam looked back down, meeting Joseph's eyes. "How did you do it? It's...amazing!"

Joseph's smile in the now near darkness could still be seen. "A lot of hard work, and some much needed help from the great and mighty Thor."

Jack brought his head down. "You know Thor?"

"Of course. He is our salvation, and has promised to protect our planet and people from those who would seek to destroy it." Joseph turned and headed towards some wooden stairs that had suddenly become visible. "Come. Let us go up before the darkness takes hold of the land for the night."

As they started to follow, Jack spoke up in a hushed tone. "Well, I guess that explains the Asguard-protected planet thing. I'm going to have to talk to our buddy Thor about getting a nice little treehouse of my own."

Sam quietly laughed as they headed up the stairs that wrapped around one of the trees. As they continued to climb, the sounds from the village became more distinct. After a few more minutes of climbing, they found themselves crossing one of the rope bridges over to a platform that seemed to be the gathering spot for most of the villagers. Children could be seen laughing and dancing as some of the adults played music in tune with their steps.

When they approached, Joseph informed those gathered there who the strangers were, and where they had come from. Most of them recognized Teal'c immediately, some with more happiness then others. The day of the attack on their village could be seen reflecting in some of their eyes as they studied the symbol on Teal'c's forehead. But after a few moments, they all seemed to relax, and welcomed Jack, Sam, and Teal'c into the village with smiles.

Joseph turned to them. "Now, you must be exhausted. Let me show you to where you will be sleeping, and I'll see that we get you something to eat and drink. And tomorrow, I will take you on an exploration of the area surrounding us."

Sam smiled at him warmly. "Thank you, Joseph. We really appreciate your help. We hope we won't have to inconvience you too long. I'll go back to the Stargate tomorrow and see if we can return home."

"I understand your desire to see your home again. But you are welcome here for as long as you need." Joseph moved forward through the crowd with Damien on his heels. Jack, Sam, and Teal'c followed him, returning smiles that met their faces.

After a few minutes of winding around platforms, they came to a hut. Inside, a torch had been lit that gave enough light to see by. There was one bed that basically consisted of straw and feathers, wrapped in a sheet. Blankets had been laid out and food, consisting of soup and bread, had been placed on a small table.

Joseph cleared his throat as they looked around. "We are a simple people. We don't have much more to offer than this, but hopefully, this will do."

"It's perfect, Joseph," Sam said. "Thank you."

Teal'c bowed his head. "It is very kind of you, Joseph."

Jack smiled. "Yep, I'd have to say, very cool!"

Joseph gave him a confused look. "Well, if it is too cold, I could bring you some more blankets. But we are in our warm season."

Jack shook his head. "It's an expression...it means great, wonderful, nice."

"I see," Joseph said. "Well, if there is anything else you should need, don't hesitate to ask. There is always someone around. Damien and I will come find you in the morning for breakfast and our trip, should you wish to do it. Goodnight to you." And with that he turned and left. Damien remained behind and continued to gaze from Sam to Jack. Even though his name was called out, he didn't move. Jack looked over at Sam and shrugged slightly.

Sam smiled at him and then brought her smile to meet Damien's eyes. "Did you need something sweetie?" she said in the nicest voice possible.

Damien moved forward slowly and reached out a small hand for hers. She took it tenderly and lightly squeezed it.

As he looked up at her, Joseph entered again and sighed. "Damien, it's time to let these people rest. I apologize. The two of you apparently remind him of his parents. They looked very similar to you."

Jack looked at the boy holding Sam's hand. "If this is going to be a problem for him, we can go."

Joseph held up a hand. "No, it's no problem. Actually, he probably enjoys having you here. It might even help him."

Sam looked at Joseph. "Won't it be hard on him though if we stay and then leave in a few days?"

Joseph walked over to Damien and picked him up, holding him close. "Damien knows his parents are gone forever. In a way, he has become like a son to me. He will be fine. Don't worry. We again bid you our goodnights." With that, he turned and left.

Teal'c watched as Sam turned and looked at Jack. Finding an excuse to give them a moment, he spoke. "I am going to go out and speak with a few of the villagers that I recognized. I will be back shortly." With a nod of his head to them, he stepped out of the hut and drew the curtain closed that served as a door.

After a few moments, Sam reached out a hand and took Jack's. Squeezing it, she drew closer. "Are you okay? I know that Damien had to have reminded you of Charlie. And now that you remind him of his father..."

Jack reached out and pulled Sam into his embrace, holding her close. "I'm fine. And yeah, he does remind me of Charlie. But I'll be okay. I've got you, right?"

Sam squeezed him tighter. "Yes, you do." She drew back and looked into his eyes. It was amazing how similar Damien's eyes seemed to be to Jack's. She smiled and placed a gentle kiss on his lips. Drawing back after a moment of bliss, she laid her head down on his chest in contentment as he kissed the top of her head. She did love him. She knew that now, without a doubt. But did he feel the same about her? What if she told him and he didn't return her feelings? She closed her eyes and listened to the sounds of his heart. Its rhythmic beats seemed to have a calming effect on her, and they calmed her fears and brought her back to reality. Time would tell. She would have to trust that when the right moment came along to tell him, she would know it.

Jack loved feeling her in his arms. Anymore, they felt empty when she wasn't in them. It was amazing the calming effect she had on him. He had been feeling Charlie's loss just moments ago when he found out that he reminded Damien of his father. He missed being a dad, and hoped one day to be one again. Could this woman in his arms be the person to help him with that dream? He wasn't sure. He didn't want to push too fast, too hard. He was afraid of losing her, of feeling too much too soon. He knew that his heart was full of her. He saw her in his dreams every night, and his heart jumped a notch every time he saw those blue eyes of hers starring back at him. He also knew that he didn't want to imagine his life without her in it. What did that mean? What was his heart trying to tell him?

Sam sighed quietly. "Well, we'd better not be discovered in this position when Teal'c returns. Are you hungry?"

Jack slowly, and with regret, let her go. "No, just tired. Those bugs really wore me out. How about you?"

Sam smiled. "Same here. Do you want the bed?"

Jack folded his arms across his chest. "Now what kind of gentleman would I be if I took the only bed in the room. No, that's yours. I'll take the floor with Teal'c."

Sam smiled at him. "If Teal'c wasn't here, I'd insist that we share the bed." She lifted her lips to his and placed a sensual kiss on them. "Goodnight, Jack." She moved past him and laid down on the bed.

Jack just stood there for a moment, taking in the sensations that were still rolling through his body from her lips being on his, loving the sudden visions that were jumping through his mind. He sat down on the floor and looked at her. The bed was low enough to be eye-level when he sat up. Taking her hand, he kissed it tenderly. "Goodnight."

When Teal'c came in 30 minutes later, he found both his teammates fast asleep. Sam was on the bed, and Jack on the floor beside her. They were both turned towards the other, staying as close as they could. Teal'c smiled. He saw a future for these two friends of his. Somehow his instincts were telling him that they would find a way to each other. Someday.

The next few days were filled a variety of activities. They met more of the villagers, went exploring around the area, attempted to dial the gate several times every day, with no luck, and Sam and Jack spent as much time with Damien as they could. Not that they really had a choice. He seemed to have attached himself to them, following them everywhere they went. He never spoke, but had begun to smile every once in a while, and even Joseph said it was a huge improvement from where he used to be.

On their third night there, the village had planned a celebration for their visit. A large feast had been prepared, and music was sure to keep the party going for hours. Before the dancing was to begin, Joseph and Damien walked up to Sam and Jack, who had just finished their meal. They were watching Teal'c as he held a conversation with one of the village women, a conversation they both seemed to be enjoying.

Joseph smiled as Damien took hold of Sam's hand. "Damien wants to show you something. I think you'll both like it."

Getting up, they followed Joseph as Damien went between them and took Jack's hand as well. Sam and Jack looked at each other and smiled. They walked a short distance to a part of the village they had yet to see. There weren't many huts, just empty platforms for viewing the rest of the village from. But when they went around one of the trees, they saw the real purpose for them.

At the edge of a platform, the trees suddenly opened, and stretching out before them was the forest below. But more wondrous than that was what was happening in the sky. Two perfectly twin moons, as bright and large as they'd ever seen a moon, had begun to rise into the night sky, casting a white glow on everything around them. The trees sparkled and the few clouds in the sky reflected their light perfectly.

Sam looked over at Jack briefly and caught the sparkle in his eye from the sight before him. The gray in his hair seemed to glean with a brilliance she'd never noticed before. As they stood there watching the moons rise, she desperately wanted to take Jack's hand and hold it, though she knew she couldn't. But seeing the continuous connection between them through Damien, who still held onto their hands, gave her heart a sense that she was holding it.

Jack smiled at Sam and then down at Damien. "Now this is really something!" Jack squatted down and touched Damien's cheek. "Did you and your mom and dad like watching this together?"

Sam watched with emotion in her heart as Damien smiled and shook his head yes to Jack's question. She loved to watch his interactions with the boy that had grown so attached to them. A unique tenderness seemed to come out of Jack when he was around children, and it was just one of the many things she loved about him.

Joseph spoke up. "These two moons indicate the start of a new cycle. They rise once after the light of the day has come and gone thirty times. They then remain in the sky for a period of five light days, and five dark days." Joseph turned and smiled at them. "We are glad you that are here to behold such a sight."

Sam smiled at him. "It is amazing, Joseph." She reached down and placed a hand lightly on Damien's head. He turned his head and looked up at her, his innocent eyes big and brown and full of joy. "Thank you, Damien, for showing us this." Damien released Jack's hand and wrapped his small arms around Sam's waist. Sam was touched, and returned his affection with a hug of her own.

Jack watched them embrace as the moonlight reflected all around them. If he didn't know any better, he would swear he was dreaming. It all seemed too perfect to be real. As Sam looked up at him and smiled over Damien's shoulder, Jack's heart skipped a beat. The deep pools of blue color in her eyes glowed in the moonlight, and her skin seemed to take on a surreal appearance. She looked almost angelic, and it made him realize what his heart already knew: that she was an angel, his angel, who had saved him from a life of darkness and despair.

They walked back to the party a few minutes later, renewed in spirit from the site they had just beheld. The music was now going full force, and people were dancing and laughing from the joy it brought. Teal'c had found a dance partner in the woman he'd been seen talking to, and he seemed to be enjoying himself immensely. Joseph and Damien walked over to Joseph's wife and began telling her of the latest improvement in Damien's show of happiness. Sam and Jack watched as Damien smiled up at Joseph and Athena. It was obvious that he had transferred his love for his parents, now past, onto these two remarkable people.

Just then, a new song started to play, one that had an almost Irish jig to it. Jack smiled and grabbed Sam's hand, pulling her with him towards the dance area. He didn't care who saw. He was going to dance with the woman who had managed to bring the light back to his life, and for whom he cared deeply for.

Sam laughed and pulled back on Jack's hand, trying to slow his pace down. "Jack! I don't know how to dance like that."

Jack turned around and gave her a mischievous grin. "Well, neither do I, but we're going to try it anyway. Just go with it...don't think. If Teal'c can do it, we can. You aren't going to back away from a challenge are you? That's not the Samantha Carter I know!"

Sam gave him a playful smile. "Well, when you put it that way....lead on!"

Jack whipped her out among the dancing villagers and swept her into his arms, dancing and spinning in circles as the speed of the music increased. By the time the song ended, they were left breathless with laughter and happiness, cheering and applauding with the rest of the people to the musicians who had given them such a spirited song. Happiness abounded all around them, and it was as if the rest of the world, and universe for that matter, had slipped silently away, leaving only this reality.

Hours later, after dancing until they had no energy left, the party ended, and Jack, Sam and Teal'c walked back to their hut. Each of them knew that they would sleep well that night. It had been an evening that would prevent any unpleasant dreams, and bring only good ones.

Sam smiled up at the sky, full of light from the twin moons that now hung high in the sky. "It was a great evening."

Jack smiled at her comment. "You bet it was. Teal'c! Next time we have to strand ourselves on a planet, remind me to ask you to chose the address. It has been a great past few days. Daniel's going to be sorry he missed it." Jack thought of his teammate stuck back on Earth, recovering from an unwanted appendectomy. He knew that he would really resent it once he heard their debriefing.

Teal'c focused on the platforms in front of them. "Daniel Jackson would have liked this place. Perhaps we should come back one day and show him this world."

Jack looked over at Teal'c. "That's a great idea, T. I think we should. Surely there's some mineral survey you need to do, right Carter?"

Sam looked over at him and smiled. "Yes, Sir, I think one could be done. I'll head to the Stargate tomorrow morning and see if we can dial home yet. They've got to be close to getting the Stargate working by now."

"You go have fun," Jack said. "I'll just finish up the sleep you'll be losing."

"Don't put yourself to too much trouble, Sir," Sam said, giving him a sarcastic undertone as she smiled.

Jack smiled back at her. "It's no trouble at all! I'm happy to help!"

They reached the hut and went inside, each of them laying down almost immediately, with sleep following shortly. It had been a fun past three days, and they found themselves secretly hoping that they would get a few more days there before having to go back to their reality.

A small shake on Jack's shoulder slowly pulled him out of his dreamless sleep. It became more urgent, pushing harder as seconds went by. Groaning, he flipped over on his back and covered his eyes with his hand. "Carter! This had better be important..." Sliding his fingers apart and opening one eye, he found himself looking at Damien instead of Sam. "Oh," he said, pushing himself up, trying to get his bearings. "Morning Damien." He watched the anxious look on the child's face and smiled. "Something you want to show me?"

Damien took his finger and frantically pointed to the empty bed where Sam had been. Jack looked over at it and then looked back at the child. "It's okay, Damien. Sam just went to see if we could go home yet or not. She'll be back soon."

Damien frantically shook his head back and forth. Jack suddenly started to wonder what this was about. He'd never seen Damien so distressed. Getting up, Damien grabbed Jack's hand and pulled him outside of the hut. Now Jack was getting worried. Squatting down, he took Damien firmly by the shoulders and looked him squarely in the face. "Damien, what's wrong? Is it Sam? What are you trying to tell me?"

Just then, he heard Joseph's voice. "Oh, there you are, Damien. I was wondering where you'd gone off to. I'm sorry, Jack, I hope he didn't disturb you."

Jack stood up and looked down at Damien in concern. "No, he didn't. He seems concerned about Sam, though. She went to check on the Stargate early this morning..."

Joseph got a startled look on his face. "She did what? No, please tell me she didn't. I didn't get a chance to warn you yet!"

Jack voice became firm. "Warn me about what? What's going on!"

Joseph shook his head in disbelief. "I didn't think you'd be up this early..."

"Joseph! Tell me what's got you so upset? And what does this have to do with the Stargate and Sam?" Jack didn't like the feeling that was beginning to churn in his gut.

Joseph took a breath. "I didn't get to tell you about the white flowers. When the mighty Thor came and helped us to build our homes up here in the trees, he told us that he would protect us from the Goa'uld. Our homes are built in the trees for two reasons: to protect us from those who would try and attack us, and to keep the mist from white flowers away from us. It rises from the ground the first light day after a new cycle. Thor put it there as a way to protect us."

Jack was beginning to become agitated. "What mist! What are you trying to tell me?"

Joseph hurried on. "The mist is released from the white flower that rises above the ground. Anyone on the ground during that time breathes it in and falls into a deep, toxic, sleep. After a few days, they cease to live!"

Jack thought his heart had stopped permanently. "What! You're just now telling me this!! You know that we've been dialing home everyday! When were you planning on informing us of this danger?"

Joseph got an apologetic look on his face. "I'm so sorry! I should have told you sooner. I just didn't think you'd be here this long..."

"Oh, for cryin' out loud! When are these...flowers suppose to release this mist?" Jack was trying not to lose his temper, especially with Damien standing there.

Joseph's voice got very quiet. "They already have."

Jack didn't wait a second longer. Pushing past Joseph and Damien, he started to run. He could hear Joseph running after him. "Wait," Joseph cried out. "The air may not yet be safe to breathe. You must not go down there!"

"Watch me!" Jack yelled out over his shoulder, running faster as the platform opened up. Speeding down the stairs, he ran for what seemed like forever, he eyes focused ahead of him, looking for the great circle on the horizon. When he finally reached it, he stopped and bent over, catching his breath. He didn't feel any differently.

"Carter! Sam! Where are you?!" He called out again, desperately hoping that she was eating breakfast in some hut, unaware of the danger down below. His heart was beating so fast he didn't think it would ever slow down. He had to find her. "Carter!"

"O'Neill!" Teal'c yelled out, running up behind him. "Joseph informed me of what has happened. Have you found Major Carter?"

Jack could barely control his anger at the situation. "Does it look like I've found her!" Taking a breath, he lowered his voice slightly. "Sorry, Teal'c, no I haven't. Search over that way. I do the same over here. If this damn grass wasn't so tall, we could see easier!"

They both began searching, and with each passing minute, Jack's heart became a little more hopefully that she was still at the village, and any moment now, would run to him to tell him that she was fine. But all that faded when he saw something black lying in the distance.

"Oh God!" He stumbled forward, running until he fell on his hands and knees at her side. "Carter! Sam! Can you hear me?" She didn't respond at all to his touch. She just laid there as if she were sleeping, her face content in a peaceful dream. But he knew that it couldn't have been peaceful. It was obvious she had tried to run when the mist was released. His heart racing, he felt for a pulse and found one. "Teal'c! I found her!" Looking over his shoulder at him, he yelled again. "Dial the Gate! See if it's working. We've got to get her home."

Teal'c did as he was instructed. Jack gathered Sam into his arms and stood, walking towards the gate as he held his breath, hoping to see the wormhole shoot out. When it didn't connect, he felt desperation set in again. "Damn it! What in the hell is taking Hammond so long in getting that second Gate working?" Looking down at Sam, unconscious in his arms, he felt completely helpless. "Forget it! Let's get her back to the village. Maybe Thor left some kind of antidote. If he didn't, I'm going to kick his little gray butt from here to the next universe!"

After what seemed like forever, they finally reached the village. Climbing up the stairs, Teal'c had offered to carry Sam, but Jack refused with a shake of his head. Reaching the top, he found Joseph and Damien among a crowd of concerned villagers. At the sight of Sam in Jack's arms, tears formed in Damien's eyes.

"Oh, no!" Joseph said desperately. "This is all my fault. If only I'd told you sooner."

"Yeah, well, this isn't the time for that now. What I need to know is if Thor left you some kind of antidote for this sleeping sickness." Jack waited as patiently as he could for an answer.

"There is one, but to my knowledge, no one has found it." Joseph cast his eyes down at Jack's hard stare.

"What do you mean, no one has found it?" Jack's voice came through gritted teeth.

Joseph looked at Jack. "Thor told us that there was one way to reverse the toxin. If any of us were to fall ill to the white flower's effects, we were to look for a single red flower that would remain above ground as long as the moons hung in the sky. It supposedly can be ground up into a potion for the person to drink, which will cure them."

"Well, great," Jack said. "Go get it!"

"As I said," Joseph replied, "no one has ever seen it."

Teal'c spoke up. "Thor never told you of where this flower is to reside?"

"No, he didn't. I don't know..."

Suddenly, Damien ran forward and pulled on Jack's leg. Squatting down with Sam in his arms, Jack looked at him. "What is it? Do you know where the flower is, Damien? Please, if you do, show us. Sam needs your help, as do I."

Damien wiped at his tears and nodded. Not waiting for anyone, he took off down the stairs. "Damien!" Joseph yelled.

Jack watched as the little boy disappeared around the tree trunk. Looking at Teal'c, he nodded in the direction Damien had just gone. "Teal'c. Go with him. Find me that flower...please!"

Without a reply, Teal'c quickly bowed his head and took off down the stairs after Damien. Standing up, he looked down at the woman in his arms, who meant more to him than life itself.

"What now?" Joseph's voice slowly penetrated Jack's ears.

"Now we wait, and hope that they can find what we need to help her." With that, he walked forward, the crowd parting as he went, and carried her back to their hut.

Once inside of it, he laid her down on the bed and covered her with a blanket. Smoothing the hair out of her face, he caressed her cheek with his hand. Sitting down on the bed beside her, he took her limp hand in his. "Come on, Sam, fight. You have to! Don't let this beat you. You can't leave me. I won't stand for it. Do you hear me? That's an order!" He watched her face for any sign of response, but there was none. He could feel the worry lying heavily on his heart, and he didn't know how much more of it he could take.

Another day and night passed without any word from those searching the forest. Jack had remained at Sam's side, constantly pacing back and forth, and sleeping for only short moments of time. Only once did he leave her to go back and try the Gate again, getting more aggravated at what could be taking the SCG so long to get the second Stargate working.

On the morning of the sixth day, Damien stirred Jack from a fitful sleep. He held a cup of liquid between his hands. Jack looked behind him to find Joseph in the room as well. No words needed to be said. The look of triumph on Damien's face told Jack all he needed to know.

Taking the cup, he carefully held Sam's head up with one hand while parting her lips with the edge of the cup. Giving it to her slowly, he managed to get most of it down her throat. Laying her head back, he wiped off the side of her cheek with his hand. "Now what?" Jack hardly recognized his own voice. With them being gone so long, he had begun to fear the worse. Sam's pulse had become weaker, and he wasn't sure how much longer she would last.

"Now we wait and hope," Joseph said in a soft voice. "The potion should work within the day." With that, he smiled sadly and turned, leaving the hut. Damien placed a hand on Jack's cheek and smiled. Jack knew he was trying to help, but he couldn't return his smile this time.

Damien walked out of the hut and left Jack to be along with Sam. "Come on, Sam. You've got what you need now. So fight! Don't leave me, please! I...." Jack stopped himself in mid-sentence and reached out, touching her cheek. Suddenly, he knew what his heart had been telling him all along. He was in love with her, a love deeper than he'd ever known he could feel. And now, she may not ever know how he really feels. But does she feel the same for him?

Tears began to well up in his eyes at the frustration in his soul. As a single tear slipped down his cheek, he felt a small hand suddenly reach up and brush it away. Damien had returned, unknown to Jack, and stood next to him, smiling softly.

"You love her, don't you?" Damien's small voice took Jack by surprise. Speechless, Jack just nodded yes. Damien took Sam's hand and put it in Jack's. "My Mommy once told me that love is more powerful than any potion that could be mixed. But she also said that love is nothing without faith. That you have to believe in it to find it's true meaning." Taking his small hand, he placed it over Jack's heart and looked up at him. "Believe."

Stunned, Jack watched Damien retreat out of the hut, leaving him alone once more with Sam. Looking over at her, he rose up and sat down next to her. Closing his eyes, he bent over her and placed a gentle kiss on her lips.

As his lips caressed hers, he heard a slight groan and felt her lips move in response to his. Pulling back quickly, he called out her name. "Sam? Sam! Can you hear me? Come on, that's it!"

Opening her eyes slowly, she found her vision blurred, but as it focused, her eyes found Jack's and she smiled. "Jack," she said, her voice groggy. "What happened?"

Jack didn't know what he wanted to do more: to dance around the room to the beat of his suddenly happy heart, or to pull her to him and kiss her wildly. Restraining himself, he smiled down at her with emotion in his eyes. "Hey, Sam, " he said softly, "it's about time you woke up. That had to have been one of the longest naps you've ever taken!" Seeing the confusion in her face, he started from the beginning and told her everything.

Just as he was finishing, Damien, Joseph, and Teal'c entered the hut, smiles appearing on their faces as they saw her sitting up. Damien ran over to Sam and threw his arms around her. "Sam, you're awake!"

Sam was shocked, as was Joseph and Teal'c, to hear the child's voice. "Hey there, kiddo. Yeah, I am." Cupping his face with her hands, she smiled down at him. "When did you start talking?"

Damien looked over at Jack and smiled. "Just now. I'm glad you're okay." He looked behind him at Joseph, who had just collapsed to his knees, he eyes brimming with tears as he smiled through them. Running over to the man he now knew as his Dad, he was lifted into his arms and held tightly.

"Oh, Damien!" Joseph said. "How good it is to hear your voice!" They hugged each other tightly, rejoicing in the joy of the moment. "I love you so much!"

"I love you to...Dad," Damien said, making Joseph laugh with joy.

Teal'c watched them with great pride before looking over at Sam and smiling. "It is good to see you well again, Major Carter."

"Thanks Teal'c," Sam said, wiping a tear of happiness from her eye as she watched the exchange between father and son.

That night, there was another celebration, for not only Sam's recovery, but for Damien's gift of speech returned. It was a joyous night, one that no one would soon forget.

The next morning, Teal'c informed them that the Stargate finally connected with Earth. Everyone accompanied them to the Gate, each saying their farewells to the travelers that were now their friends. Damien hugged each of them in succession, coming to Jack last. When Jack bent down and put his arms around him, Damien whispered in his ear.

"Don't forget what my Mommy said: love is nothing without faith. It is more powerful than anything that may try to hurt you. It is your strength when you have none, and it is your comfort when you despair. Don't be afraid. Just believe."

Jack drew back and gave him a wink and then a smile. "Thanks buddy! You take care of yourself. I'm gonna miss you!"

As Sam dialed in their IDC code, Jack looked over at Teal'c. "So, Teal'c. What's up with the little chin...growth you've got going?"

Teal'c raised his eyebrow at him. "One of the women in the village asked me to wear it. She said that she preferred it on me." He looked over at the woman that Jack had seen him talking to on occasion and bowed his head at her, smiling.

Jack cocked his head to the side. "Really? So she goes for the beard-thing, huh? It's really pointy..." Jack reached out a hand to touch it, but was met by Teal'c firm grip.

"Do not speak of it further, O'Neill." Teal'c released his hand as Sam looked over at them, curiosity on her face.

Jack held up his hands. "Okay, buddy, it's your thing. It looks great, really!" Looking over at Sam, he gave her a look that told her he didn't really think so. She just smiled and tried not to laugh.

With one last look and a wave, they turned towards the wormhole and headed towards it. Sam and Jack looked at each other and smiled, looking behind them at Damien one last time before stepping through the blue pool.

Seconds of twisting and swirling went on before they finally stepped onto the other side, and into the SGC.

Looking at the General in the control room, Jack gestured with his hands. "Well, it's about time!"

<< BACK