Title: The Joining
Author: Wendy Parkinson
Email: wendyparkinson@hotmail.com
Category: Drama, S/J romance
Challenge Response: Altia’s challenge to write a story where Sam and Jack can read each other’s thoughts.
Spoilers: minor mentions of In the Line of Duty, Bloodlines, Forever in a Day, Holiday, Urgo
Season/Sequel info: set third season
Rating: PG13
Content Warnings: Some sexual situations and adult themes.
Summary: SG1 are invited to a ‘ceremony of joining’ which has unforeseen consequences for Sam and Jack.
Date: 1st March 2000

Author’s notes: This one has been a long time coming! I started it last summer and would like to thank Sam and Kelly who beta’ed the original beginning of the story for me then. Their constructive comments were incredibly helpful. Since then, I’ve completely rewritten the beginning and finally got round to finishing it.

I would also like to thank Lola for her American perspective on swim wear! ;-)

Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1 and its characters belong to MGM, Gekko Corp and Double Secret Productions. This fan fiction was created solely for entertainment and no money was made from it. Also, no copyright or trademark infringement was intended. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

All feedback and constructive criticism will be greatly appreciated. No flames please.

copyright Wendy Parkinson March 2000

THE JOINING

Major Samantha Carter stepped through the Stargate and took in her surroundings. It was just as the MALP had predicted. She breathed a sigh of relief, because just like Colonel O’Neill, she hated surprises, particularly ones of the ‘we’re gating to a nice peaceful planet only to find a living hell when we arrive’ variety. Just as they’d seen on the video at the briefing, the Gate stood in a forest clearing, totally surrounded by trees. Sam could hear birds calling and the wind rustling in the branches arching above them. She glanced at the rest of SG1 who were cautiously looking around. The colonel gestured with his hand, indicating they should move out.

They began to walk down the ramp, Jack leading the way, his weapon at the ready, his head swivelling from side to side, looking for the first sign of trouble. “Trees, trees and more trees!” he said sarcastically. “What were we looking for again?” Jack directed the question at their bespectacled archaeologist, Daniel Jackson.

“A track. It showed up clearly on the tape from the MALP. I think it should be over there.” He pointed slightly to his left. Sam quickly checked the DHD as the men walked across the clearing.
“The DHD is in full working order, sir,” she reported a few moments later.
“That’s good to know,” the colonel answered. “The track leads off into the forest. Come on kids, time to follow the yellow brick road.”
Teal’c’s brow creased, as he digested Jack’s command. Sam and Daniel glanced at each other, waiting for the inevitable question. It didn’t come. The Jaffa noticed them watching him. “It was a reference to the Wizard of Oz, O’Neill gave me the video. It was most.... enlightening.”

Daniel and Sam shook their heads and took up their positions behind Jack and Teal’c as they began to walk down the track. Sam noticed the path seemed well used, the bracken and plants bordering it crushed to the ground under the passage of many pairs of feet. Dappled sunlight played through the forest canopy illuminating a host of wild flowers under the trees. Celandines and wild garlic provided a carpet of yellow and white, their heads bobbing, the slight breeze wafting the acrid smell of the garlic to Sam. She wrinkled her nose and turned her attention back to following the colonel. Walking directly behind him, she couldn’t help admiring his rear view. Steady on girl, she admonished herself, this is your commanding officer. Behave!

Sam was brought back to reality by a rabbit darting out of the undergrowth and running across the path. It scampered away into the forest on the other side of the track. Then totally without warning she felt the earth disappear beneath her feet, and she fell, down, down, until she landed with a thump that knocked the breath out of her, partially on top of Teal’c. It took her a few seconds to regain her senses enough to realise they were all in the bottom of a large muddy hole. Staring upwards from her position flat on her back in the ooze, she could see a huge trapdoor banging gently against the vertical side of the pit. So it was a trap. She wriggled to the side, muttering an apology to Teal’c who lay on his back next to Daniel. The archaeologist was face down in the mud, groaning, and next to her on the other side, the colonel struggled to sit up. He tried to wipe some of the mud from his uniform, then grimaced.

“OK campers, are we all all right?” He received three groans in assent. “Good. Teal’c lift Carter onto your shoulders and give her a boost so she can get out of here. Major, do you have a rope in your pack?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Jack,” interrupted Daniel, “it’s obviously a trap. Is it safe sending Sam up there on her own?”
“Well, there wasn’t anyone around and there’s no way we can all leave at once. The walls are at least ten feet high. Sam’s the lightest, she can tie her rope to something and we can climb out. And she does have level three hand to hand.” He turned to Sam. “Don’t you, major?”
“Yes, sir. Don’t worry, Daniel, I’ll be fine.”

Sam climbed onto Teal’c’s shoulders. He pushed her upwards and she made a grab for a tree root that hung over the edge of the hole. She took a firm grip and hauled herself over the rim and onto solid ground. As Sam wiped her muddy hands on her fatigues and sat up, she found herself staring at the business end of a bow and arrow.

“Now you stay quiet, or I’ll have to shoot you and I really don’t want to do that.” The man’s voice was friendly, his weaponry was not. He was tall, dark and wore a rough tunic of brown wool and green leggings. Smiling, he gestured Sam away from the hole by waving his bow and arrow. As she stood up, he ran his eyes over her. “Now that’s an unusual weapon. I’ll take it, if you please.” Sam reluctantly handed it over. There was no way she could overpower him safely on her own but all four of them should be able to easily. She decided to play along for now.

The colonel’s voice drifted up from the pit. “Carter, where’s that rope?”
Sam looked at her captor. “OK,” he hissed, “Get them out but stay away from the edge, I don’t want you warning them.”
“Yeah Sam, hurry up, it’s muddy down here,” shouted Daniel.

The man watched her carefully as she tied the rope to a nearby tree. “There are four of you, right?” he asked. Sam nodded and began to unwind the rest of the rope. It was then she noticed a movement out of the corner of her eye. Away to her left in the forest, another person was hiding. If Sam looked carefully, she could see another tunic, the same colour as her captor’s, poking out from behind a tree. So there were at least two of them. She glanced round the forest, searching for more but couldn’t see any. They would have to be careful.

Sam lowered the rope over the edge of the hole, staying away from the rim, as she’d been instructed. She watched as the rope jerked a couple of times, then became taut. A moment later, Daniel’s head appeared and he climbed quickly over the edge. “Sam, that mud...” He stopped when he saw the bow and arrow pointing at him. “Oh,” he said, almost to himself.

“Hello, my friend,” said the bow man, “as I just explained to the lady, I’d like you to stay quiet or.... well, I think you can guess, can’t you? And...” He looked carefully at Daniel, his eyes coming to rest on the archaeologist’s handgun. “...I’ll take that, if you please. And if you could stand next to the lady?”

Daniel nodded mutely, then passed him the gun. As he walked over to Sam, he glanced at her questioningly, obviously wondering about rushing the man. Sam shook her head. Daniel didn’t know about the second person, who was almost certainly armed as well. Their attention was diverted by Teal’c appearing over the rim. “Catch!” yelled the colonel as Teal’c’s staff weapon flew out of the hole, arched over the Jaffa’s head and landed with a soft thud in a pile of dead bracken.

“Get that, Hannah,” ordered the bow man. Before Teal’c could get to his feet, a woman shot out from behind a tree and picked up the staff weapon. She put it on the floor behind her and drew her bow, pointing it carefully at Teal’c. She was the person Sam had glimpsed earlier, clad in a tunic similar to the man’s but longer, a quiver of arrows slung over her shoulder, her long brown hair tied in two plaits. She glanced back at the staff weapon.

“What is that, Nathan?”
Nathan frowned but continued to cover Sam and Daniel with his bow. “I don’t know. Pay attention. There’s one more to come out of the hole.”
They heard Jack before they saw him. “Oh for crying out loud! I always hated shinning up ropes and this one has the added bonus of now being coated in mud. Thanks guys. Next time I lead from the front.” His baseball cap poked over the edge of the hole, then his hands grasped at a tree root. Sam held her breath. He was not going to be happy. Jack climbed out onto solid ground, stood up slowly and took in the scene before him. Sam had been right, he wasn’t happy. “Hi there,” he said, as his eyes met Hannah’s. “Anyone ever told you that it’s rude to point?” He glared at their captors as Hannah relieved him of his gun and his knife.

Daniel cleared his throat. “I’m sorry if we’ve broken any of your laws but we’re travellers and don’t know your customs.” He smiled encouragingly at Nathan and Hannah. Hannah smiled shyly back.
“Daniel, they’ve just stolen our weapons and *you’re* apologising?” interrupted Jack.
The archaeologist pursed his lips and tried to ignore the colonel. He turned to Nathan. “Don’t mind him, he gets..... *tetchy* sometimes.”

“We were told to come and find the four travellers that had arrived through the ring. You are they?” Nathan asked.
“Well, there’s four of us and we did come through what we call the Stargate,” answered Daniel. “We mean you no harm.”
“We have to be careful,” said Nathan.
“As there’s four of you and only two of us,” finished Hannah. She smiled coyly at Daniel from under her lashes.

“How did you know we’d arrived?” asked Daniel.
“Our wise man told us,” replied Nathan. “He said to take you to the village, it’s the ceremony of the joining tonight. I think you are invited.”
“But how did the wise man know?” persisted Jack.
“He knows everything,” replied Hannah. “You will come with us, please?”
“I don’t suppose we could we have our weapons back?” asked the colonel, none too thrilled with the idea of someone who ‘knew everything’.
“No,” said Nathan firmly.
“It’s a precaution, you understand,” added Hannah, who still stared unashamedly at Daniel.

“Is the trap a ‘precaution’ too?” asked Sam, pointing towards the hole.
Hannah smiled. “It does put the visitors at a disadvantage.”
Jack continued to glare at Nathan and Hannah. “You could have just said ‘hello’. There wasn’t any need for the mud bath.”
“In the past, not all of our visitors have been friendly. They wished to abduct our people. We have to be cautious, I’m sure you understand,” said Nathan.
“Were these unfriendly visitors called Goa’uld?” asked Daniel.
Nathan shrugged. “I do not know. It happened many years ago. I’m sure the wise man will be able to answer your questions.”

Daniel pulled Jack to one side. “I think we should go with them. Don’t make a fuss about the weapons, I don’t think they mean us any harm.”
“I’m not happy about this....” said the colonel doubtfully. “But it will probably be worthwhile talking to their wise man. He might know something about the Goa’uld.”
“So how did they know we were coming?” Sam asked. “I find it difficult to believe their wise man ‘knows everything’.”
“He probably has a device that lets him know when the gate is activated. ‘Wise men’ often present things as magical when in fact they have a completely logical explanation,” answered Daniel.

“The village is this way,” said Hannah, as she began to walk along the track.
Daniel fell in beside her and asked, “So, you said the wise man knew we were here. When did he tell you about us?”
“About an hour ago.”
Daniel gave Sam an ‘I told you so’ look. That was how long they had been on the planet. “This ceremony.... the ‘joining’, did you say? What happens in it?” he asked.
Hannah pursed her lips and looked uncomfortable. “We’re not supposed to talk about it. If you do, there is less chance you will be chosen. And I want Nathan and I to be chosen....”
“Hannah! Enough!” said Nathan sternly. When he turned his back, Hannah stuck her tongue out at him. Daniel smiled to himself at her childish behaviour.

They lapsed into silence and after a few minutes could smell smoke. The trees thinned out and Daniel could see the village nestled in a clearing. Most of the buildings looked wooden, their thatched roofs peeping up above the high fence surrounding the settlement. Wisps of smoke rose into the air over the houses, giving an almost eerie appearance in the weak sunlight.

As they passed through the gate, Nathan stopped and turned to SG1. “You must go straight to the wise man. This way.”
He led them across the bustling village, the crowds parting to let them through, the villagers staring curiously at the strangers, until they stood in front of a round building a little larger than the others with ornate geometric patterns painted on the door. A wind chime tinkled in the slight breeze. Sam was reminded of black magic and witchcraft. She shuddered involuntarily. Nathan wiped his hand on his tunic and knocked on the door.

“Come!” The baritone voice boomed out. Nathan wiped his feet, carefully opened the door and went in. A black cat stalked out, then sat down gracefully at Jack’s feet and proceeded to carefully wash itself. The colonel bent down and stroked it.
“Nice kitty,” he murmured.
Sam watched him. She smiled, she had always thought he was more of a dog lover.

Voices drifted out through the open doorway as SG1 waited patiently with Hannah. After a few minutes, Nathan re-emerged and beckoned them inside.

As her eyes adjusted to the dim light Sam could make out a man sitting in front of them on an intricately carved chair swathed in flowers, a mixture of golds and yellows, unfamiliar forms adding to her growing feeling of discomfort. Incense burned in a jar on a nearby table, its fumes mixing with the scent of the flower petals making her nose prickle and eyes smart. She heard Daniel rummaging in his pockets for a handkerchief.

Surveying their surroundings, SG1 waited. Jack impatiently cleared his throat. He found the wise man’s unnatural stillness disturbing. He was totally motionless, staring sightlessly into space. The dark eyes peering out from the thatch of wild black hair didn’t even seem to blink. The colonel found his behaviour worryingly reminiscent of strange things that happened at parties in the 1970’s.

The wise man slowly lifted his head to speak. “Nathan, you may leave.”
Nathan bowed and backed out the door, closing it behind him

The wise man stood up, his long, richly decorated tunic rustling slightly as he moved, and regarded SG1 with eyes that looked almost black in the gloom. A slow smile spread over his features.
“Now then, Major Carter, Colonel O’Neill, Dr. Jackson and Teal’c, my name is Joshua. I would like to welcome you to my village.”

“How on earth did you know our names?” stammered Daniel.
Jack’s eyes rolled heavenwards, “The other guy told him.”
“No, sir. Daniel never introduced us,” Sam pointed out.
They all turned to face Joshua.
“So how did you know our names?” repeated Daniel.

“I know,” Joshua said simply.
Jack sighed out loud. This was heading downhill fast. “Know what exactly?”
“Everything,” replied the wise man. “Perhaps a demonstration would be in order.” He looked carefully at Sam and said, “You were possessed by a being that you did not invite. It, no sorry, *she* died to save you. Your father has been very ill but he is now far away and in the best of health. You miss him.”
Sam’s mouth had dropped open. How did he do that? She was about to speak when Joshua turned to Teal’c.

“You carry a being within. Your wife and son are safe now but they had to leave their home because of the threat from the.....” He hesitated. “....from the Goa’uld.”
Teal’c inclined his head in acknowledgement of the wise man’s words. Sam found herself staring incredulously at the wise man.

“Dr. Jackson, your pain is great. Your wife was taken from you by the Goa’uld, she is now dead.”

“OK, I think we get the idea,” interrupted Jack. “You know all about us. So how *do* you do that?”
Sam had guessed why the colonel had cut Joshua off, she’d worked out what he was going to say next too. She’d hoped she was wrong. Unfortunately, she wasn’t.
“I told you, I know. And you Colonel O’Neill have the greatest pain inside. You mourn the loss of your son, a death for which you blame yourself.”
Jack gave the wise man an evil look as Sam, Daniel and Teal’c shuffled their feet uncomfortably and looked everywhere except at their commanding officer. There were some things they never talked about and Charlie’s death was one of them.

Joshua seemed oblivious to the undercurrents in the room and said cheerfully, “It is the ceremony of the joining tonight. Will you be our guests?”
Daniel glanced at Jack, who nodded curtly. “We’d be honoured, Joshua,” began the archaeologist, “but could you tell us a little more about the ceremony?”
“No explanation is necessary. It will all become clear tonight. Now if you will excuse me, I have matters to attend to. Nathan and Hannah are still outside, they will look after you. Oh, and Doctor Jackson?”
“Yes?” said Daniel hesitantly.
“The Goa’uld have not visited this planet for seventy-three years. We believe the threat from them is minimal.”
For once, the archaeologist was completely at a loss for words.

With a nod towards SG1, Joshua left the room. Jack was the first to speak.
“Well, that was...... *weird*.”
“Creepy,” muttered Daniel as he tried to suppress a shudder.
“How do you think he did it?” asked Sam.
Daniel answered her, shaking his head, “He reminded me of a cheap fortune teller, but he’d got his facts right and he was being far too specific to be guessing.”
“As I said before, *weird*. Now kids, do we stay or do we go? Opinions?”
Jack glanced round at the rest of his team.

“Well, we said we’d stay. And it does offer an opportunity to study another culture,” offered Daniel.
Sam nodded, “Even Joshua seems harmless. He just has a knack of knowing things.... If we stay we may find out how he does it. This ‘ability’ may even be the reason the Goa’uld leave them alone.”
Jack turned to the remaining member of SG1.
“Teal’c?”
“I do not believe these people are a threat, O’Neill.”
“OK, we stay for the ceremony of joining. Whatever that is.....”

Nathan and Hannah took them to a square in the middle of the village where they gave them food and drink. Hannah handed each of them a piece of flat bread and a wedge of cheese, then Nathan passed round mugs of water. Sitting down on a nearby bench, Daniel thanked them for the refreshments.
“It is our pleasure. I have to go now but I will be back in time for the ceremony. Hannah can stay a little longer. Please feel free to explore our village. The ceremony begins at nightfall, please be back here by then. Hannah, could I have a word?” Nathan pulled her to one side, leaving SG1 temporarily alone.

“What do you suppose that is?” Sam asked, pointing to her left. Her team-mates turned to look. In the middle of the square was a golden pole topped with a shining orb. The bright sunlight reflected off the metal making the orb difficult to look at.
“Slightly reminiscent of a may pole, probably has some cultural significance,” observed Daniel.
Jack looked puzzled. “Don’t may poles have stripes?”
Daniel couldn’t keep the exasperation out of his voice. “I said ‘slightly’.”

Hannah walked up to them and smiled shyly at Daniel. “We didn’t introduce ourselves before, did we?” he said. “I’m Daniel, this is Sam, Jack and Teal’c.”
“I suppose you worked out my name’s Hannah?”
“We guessed,” said Jack. “Hannah, what would that thing be? Is it something to do with the joining ceremony?” He pointed at the ‘may pole’.
The young woman looked doubtful. “It’s called the Orb of Power and it opens up during the ceremony.”
“Opens?” asked Daniel. “Like this?” He spread his hands apart, mimicking a flower beginning to bloom.

Hannah nodded. “Pretty much. But I’m really not supposed to talk about it or we’ll have no chance of being chosen.”
Jack, who had noticed the effect Daniel was having on Hannah, dug the archaeologist in the ribs. If anyone could persuade her to tell them more, Daniel could. Jackson tried again, this time with what Sam and Janet called ‘Daniel smile #2 - the unbelievably cute one’. “Chosen for what?” he asked.
Jack watched in frustration as Hannah blushed, then quickly shook her head. “No, I’m not supposed to say. You’ll have to wait and see! I ought to go now. I’ll see you all later at the ceremony.” She turned on her heel and left.

“You’re losing your touch, Danny boy,” said Jack as they watched Hannah disappear into a crowd.
“I don’t know where you ever got the idea that women are interested in me. It’s entirely a figment of your imagination!”
“Not according to Janet. You have quite a fan club in the infirmary,” teased Sam.
“Those nurses are just doing their job. They’re nice to everyone,” Daniel protested.

SG1 spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the village. The people were friendly but not very forthcoming. All they would say was that it was bad luck to talk about the ceremony. After a couple of hours of fruitless questioning, the team went back to the square and sat down to wait for the festivities to begin.

As the light faded, the square began to fill with people. Their drab tunics had gone, replaced with bright clothes and sparkling jewellery. Their was an air of anticipation in the crowd. A band struck up a mournful tune and a few of the villagers began to dance. Daniel watched them with fascination.
“It’s almost like a waltz. Amazing how something so similar could have evolved so far from Earth.”
Jack winced, sometimes he just didn’t have the patience for Daniel when he went into ‘lecture mode’. Glancing over at the dancers, he had an idea. Standing up, he turned to Sam. “Carter, would you do me the honour?” he asked, holding out his hand.
Sam opened and closed her mouth a couple of times before she found her voice. “You’re asking me to dance, Sir?”
“Well, I’m not asking you to marry me,” he muttered sarcastically.

Sam took the offered hand and followed her commanding officer. When they reached the other dancers Jack turned to her.
“You know, Carter, sometimes I just wish he could be bored by a new culture and not want to study it.....”
The dawn of realisation hit Sam and she stopped dead, pulled her hand from Jack’s grasp and firmly placed her hands on her hips. The nerve of the man!
“You only asked me to dance to get away from Daniel?”
“Yeah, why else would I?”
Sam could think of a very good reason, but wasn’t about to start discussing her private fantasies about the colonel *with the colonel* in the middle of a crowd of strangers.

“Aw, come on Carter, people are starting to stare.”
He held his arms out and smiled hopefully.
“All right, then. Just one dance though. Then we’re going back and I’m going to tell Daniel how interested you are in hieroglyphics.”
“You wouldn’t?” He looked at her with what she thought of as his ‘puppy dog’ stare, his dark brown eyes pleading. She was hard pushed not to laugh.
“Try me.”

She stepped forward into his arms and they began to move in time to the music. Jack held her carefully, reverently. One arm around her waist, the other holding her hand. He slowly massaged her back, sending shivers up her spine. Sam could smell his after shave, a scent she’d come to associate with him over many missions. Feeling safe and comfortable she forgot about being mad with him and rested her head on his shoulder. A slow dance is a slow dance, whatever planet you’re on, Sam thought. She felt him gently squeeze her fingers in his, then he whispered, “So do I get a reprieve?”
She realised with a jump that the music had stopped. “OK, just one more dance.”

As they moved slowly around the square, Sam’s mind began to wander. Jack holding her like this was the stuff her fantasies were made of. She swallowed as she felt his hand gently trace patterns on her back. The already balmy evening was starting to feel even warmer. He pulled her closer to him as they were jostled slightly by some of the villagers and she was pleasantly surprised when he didn’t let her go again.

Watching from the edge of the square, Daniel muttered under his breath, “About time too.....”
When he glanced up at Teal’c, next to him on the wooden bench, Daniel had to suppress a laugh. The Jaffa was smiling dopily at Sam and Jack.

The music stopped abruptly and the dancers all began to return to their seats. Sam and Jack held hands and looked shyly at each other as they made their way back to their friends. When they realised that Daniel and Teal’c were watching them they sprang apart and looked horribly embarrassed. The archaeologist smiled to himself. Then his attention was drawn by a drum roll and Joshua appeared in the middle of the square, as if from nowhere, amidst a cloud of purple smoke. “He’d make a fortune in Las Vegas,” mumbled Jack, as he sat down next to Sam.

Joshua waved his arms in the air with a theatrical flourish and the crowd hushed. “Welcome to the ceremony of the joining,” he announced. “The orb will choose the couple with the most desire for each other and unite them in the joining. They will then have the gift of perfect knowledge.”
“I wonder what ‘perfect knowledge’ is?” whispered Sam.
Daniel replied, “We’ll have to wait and see, I guess, but I’ve never come across anything quite like this before.”

As Daniel finished speaking there was a rushing noise and the orb began to slowly rotate. It opened like a flower revealing a dazzling light. Spinning faster and faster, the petals folded back until they were almost touching each other under the orb. The light coalesced into a beam and played over the crowd. Like a searchlight it passed from one person to another illuminating them in its blinding light. The rotation of the orb slowed and so did the beam. It seemed to pause over people in the crowd, who were visibly disappointed when it moved on. It came towards SG1 and as it slid slowly over Daniel he found himself recoiling from it and trying to protect his eyes. Then it moved on to Sam and Jack. It enveloped both of them and stopped completely. There was a sigh from the crowd as it got even brighter, effectively hiding Sam and Jack from view.

Before Daniel and Teal’c had chance to react, the beam shut off plunging the square into darkness. Blinking frantically, Daniel tried to see if his friends were OK. As his eyes got used to the reduced light he could make out two bodies slumped on the ground. Teal’c was already by their side.
“Daniel Jackson, they are both unconscious. We should return to the SGC.”
“Wait, let’s see if this is supposed to happen. I’ll get Joshua.”
“Daniel Jackson, we need to leave immediately!” Teal’c shouted at Daniel’s departing back. He could understand how O’Neill sometimes became so frustrated.

Daniel ran towards Joshua’s house but found his way barred by several burly villagers, including Nathan.
“I need to see the wise man. My friends are sick!”
Nathan replied, “Joshua sees no-one for several hours after the ceremony, he has to regain his strength.”
Daniel attempted to calm himself. Taking a deep breath, he tried again. “Well then, perhaps you can help. My friends are unconscious, does that always happen after the ceremony?”
“Sometimes, sometimes not. They will recover and enjoy their gift. They should be grateful, it is a great honour.”
“I’m sure it is but I think we’ll take them home, if it’s all the same to you.”
Nathan shrugged. “As you wish.”

When Daniel got back to Teal’c the Jaffa had already organised a cart to transport them back to the Stargate. After they had carefully lifted Sam and Jack into it, they climbed up and Teal’c took the reins. As the horse plodded forward Daniel hoped fervently that his friends were all right. He’d got a nagging suspicion that he might have guessed what ‘perfect knowledge’ might be and he didn’t think Sam and Jack would be very happy about it....

“Off world activation!” shouted Lt. Simmons.
General Hammond walked up behind him. “Who is it, son?”
“They’re transmitting SG1’s code, sir.”
They both stared through the control room window as the gate stopped rotating and the wormhole formed. Then a figure came through. The General caught his breath as he saw Daniel with Sam in his arms.
“Med team to the Gateroom!” he ordered, then felt dread clutching at his stomach when he saw Teal’c emerge carrying the unconscious form of Jack O’Neill. He rushed downstairs and burst into the Gateroom hard on the heels of Dr. Fraiser and her team.

“Dr. Jackson, what the hell happened here?”
“There was this ceremony, a blinding light, they just collapsed.” He turned to the Doctor. “Are they going to be OK?”
“Can’t tell at this stage, they seem stable.” She swung round to her assistant. “Get them to the infirmary!” As Sam and Jack were taken away she addressed Daniel again, “You don’t know what caused this?”
“It was a light. It passed over me, then stopped when it got to them. It got brighter, then switched off. When we could see properly again they were on the ground.”
“The people called it the ceremony of joining. They say they have been blessed with a great gift - they called it ‘perfect knowledge’,” added Teal’c.
“Yeah, they said sometimes the recipients of this gift did pass out.”
General Hammond couldn’t understand this, and he didn’t like things he couldn’t understand. “Perfect knowledge?”
“At this stage, I’d just be guessing General,” said Daniel. “Could we go to the infirmary?”

The General nodded and followed Daniel and Teal’c from the Gateroom. When they reached the infirmary they were forced to wait in the corridor outside as Janet and her colleagues worked urgently around Sam and Jack. After what felt like an eternity, she emerged from the room and came up to the General.
“Sir, as far as I can tell, they are both asleep.”
“Asleep?” repeated General Hammond incredulously.
“Yes, sir. I can’t find anything wrong with them. I suggest we wait and see if they wake up. I don’t want to introduce stimulants into their systems at this stage as I don’t know exactly what caused this.”
“Very well, Doctor. May we see them?”
“I can’t see any reason why not. Go ahead.”

As Teal’c, Daniel and the General entered the infirmary they noticed that Jack was beginning to stir. By the time they were by his side he was struggling to open his eyes.
“Wh- what?” he mumbled.
“Welcome back, Colonel,” said Janet. “How do you feel?”
The colonel yawned. “A little groggy. I have a headache.”
Janet shone a light into his eyes. “Well, I can’t see much wrong with you. Would you like a painkiller for the headache?”
Jack nodded. The doctor handed him a glass of water and two tablets. “Thanks,” he said, as he took them from her.

“Now are you going to tell me what happened to you and Major Carter?” Janet asked.
Jack stretched and blearily looked round the infirmary. “How did I get here?”
“What’s the last thing you remember, Colonel?” asked the General.
“Dancing with the major.”
“You were dancing?” queried the General, looking across at Daniel and Teal’c for confirmation.
“That was before the bright light,” said Daniel.
“Oh yeah, there was a bright light......” agreed Jack, then a frown crossed his face. “Hey Carter, be quiet, can’t you? I’ve got a headache.”
The others looked at Jack, then at each other and then over their shoulders at Sam, who was lying on a bed behind them. She sighed softly and shifted in her sleep.

“Carter, can it, will you? You’re making my head hurt.”
Daniel licked his lips, bent down and spoke softly to Jack.
“Jack, are you saying you can hear Sam?”
“Yeah. She’s too loud. She’s not usually like this, what’s wrong with her?”
The colonel took in the expressions on everyone’s faces. “OK, what did I say that’s making you all look like that?”

Janet took a deep breath. “Colonel, we can’t hear her. She’s fast asleep.”
Jack’s gaze followed the Doctor’s outstretched arm. She was right, his major certainly looked asleep but he could definitely hear her. She was singing. He must remind her not to give up the day job.

“So none of you can hear her singing?”
“Singing?” asked Teal’c, one eyebrow raised.
“Jack, we’ve heard her sing before, remember? It’s one of the few things she’s not good at,” added Daniel.
They all swivelled round to look at Sam who was beginning to move.
“Mmmm,” she moaned.
“Carter!” exclaimed Jack, his eyes wide as saucers. He stopped when he realised everyone was staring at him. “I’m guessing no-one heard that either?”

There was a general shaking of heads, then Janet asked, “What did she say, Colonel?”
“She asked me to....” Jack’s voice trailed off and he squirmed uncomfortably, opened and closed his mouth a couple of times, glanced across at Sam, then finally said, “It wasn’t important. What’s wrong with me, Doc? Why am I hearing voices?”
Daniel chewed his bottom lip pensively, his arms folded in front of his chest. “No, Jack. Not *voices*, just one voice. You can only hear Sam.”

“Hi guys!” said Sam dreamily. Then she sat up with a start and looked at Jack furiously. “You can apologise for that, *sir*. I could have you up on charges!”
“You started it!” Jack snapped back.
“Oh hell!” mumbled Daniel. “Sometimes I hate being right.....”
“Explain, Dr. Jackson,” ordered the General, who was rapidly losing his patience. Jack and Sam stared at each other in horrified fascination. The colonel narrowed his eyes and frowned. The major glared back.

Daniel let out a long breath. “I think a demonstration would be in order, General.” He glanced round the room, then walked over to a table and picked up a newspaper. Opening it, he handed it to Sam.
“Read something from that page. Not out loud, just to yourself.”
Sam looked puzzled but did as she was asked. Daniel looked at Jack.
“Well?”
“Aliens abducted my dog?”
Sam nodded mutely. Taking the paper from her, Daniel passed it to Jack. He turned to the back page and began to read. Sam broke the silence.
“International Soccer. England 3, Germany 0.”
Jack mumbled, “Unbelievable but true.”

General Hammond looked horrified.
“You’re telling me that they can.....”
He left the question hanging, unwilling to actually say something that sounded so preposterous. Daniel nodded in agreement.
“Yes. I believe the ‘perfect knowledge’ the wise man spoke of is the gift of telepathy. Sam and Jack know what each other are thinking.”
“Holy Hannah!” exclaimed Jack, then looked slightly surprised and smiled apologetically at Sam.

No-one seemed to know quite what to say. Sam and Jack watched each other warily as the General voiced something that everyone in the room wanted to know. "Can you just hear each other? Or do you know what the rest of us are thinking too?"
“I can only hear the colonel, sir. It’s like there’s a weird movie playing in my head with Colonel O’Neill doing a running commentary,” said Sam. Daniel and Janet grimaced. A movie with a Jack O’Neill voice over was not their idea of a fun time.
Jack nodded in agreement. “Nicely put, Carter. That’s how it is exactly. Except I can’t understand some of your ‘running commentary’.
Sam grinned. “There’s no need to worry, General.”
"Yes, sir, your secrets are safe. I can only hear Major Carter and she can only hear me."

"That's a relief," said the General, mopping his face with a handkerchief.
"Now then, I see our priority is to reverse this.... What did you call it, Dr. Jackson?"
"Joining, General."
"Yes, joining. By the way, do you know why Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter were honoured with this gift?"
When Daniel hesitated, Teal'c answered for him. "Joshua, the wise man, stated that the couple with the most desire for each other would be joined."
Sam looked at the floor and Jack mumbled, "Thanks, Teal'c," under his breath.

"Well," continued the General briskly, "that's not important at the moment. What we need to do is find out how to reverse the effect. Ideas, people?"
"Teal'c and I could go back to the planet and speak to Joshua. The only snag is I don’t know if he’ll see us yet. We were told he has to recover from the ceremony."
"That's one option. Doctor Fraiser, do you have any suggestions?"
"I can do some scans. Try and figure out what's happening. But I can't guarantee I'll be able to cure it."
“Very well, people. Full briefing in one hour. I want some answers. Dismissed.”

Everyone dispersed, leaving Sam and Jack sitting on their beds looking at each other. Jack cleared his throat nervously.
“About earlier... I’m sorry about what I was thinking but I was only thinking it because you’d just been dreaming it.”
“I had?”
“Oh yeah! Really hot and heavy! You asked me to.... well, I don’t need to say it, do I?”
Sam’s voice had virtually disappeared when she said, “Oh!” Then when she remembered he could hear her thoughts she added, “It was only a dream. I don’t have any control over my dreams. Last week I dreamed General Hammond turned into a beetle, it doesn’t mean I want him to.” She pursed her lips and frowned at the colonel. “I’m *not* rambling.”
Jack smiled. “There’s no need to get defensive, Carter. And you were only rambling a little... It was nothing compared to what Daniel is capable of.”

There was an awkward silence. Sam didn’t know what to say and she was trying desperately hard not to think *anything*, particularly not anything embarrassing, which she found unbelievably difficult. The most inappropriate ideas kept popping into her brain. She squashed them back and started to recite the periodic table to herself. She stared at the floor and noticed the colonel was smiling to himself and had suddenly found the ceiling incredibly fascinating. He had a lovely smile. She always turned to mush inside when that smile was directed at her. If only they could..... Oh hell, that one sneaked in when she wasn’t paying attention. Jack’s head suddenly jerked towards her. “You have fantasies about me? When you’re awake?” Sam sighed and slumped forward, her head in her hands. This was going from bad to worse. Jack stared at her incredulously, seeming to find her revelation difficult to comprehend.

Staring at the floor, she nodded. “I’m sorry,” she muttered. “It’s totally unprofessional, wrong, out of line....” He stood up, walked across the room and sat down next to her on the bed.
“Look Carter, this is pretty weird. We’re just going to have to accept that until this thing can be reversed we have no secrets from each other. I trust you with that, and I hope you trust me. Thinking something isn’t the same as saying it, and until we get back to our separate selves we’re going to find out some surprising, possibly shocking, things. We just need to believe that when this is all over, we can put it behind us.” He smiled gently at her, then continued, “You never know, it might actually be fun.”

Sam hesitantly lifted her head and looked up at him, managing a watery smile. When their eyes locked, she felt a wave of desire from him that made her gasp with shock. Her mind was flooded with erotic imagery of him kissing every inch of her naked body, of him caressing her with his strong hands, of him making love to her. She blushed and turned her head away.
“Sam?” he whispered. “That’s how I feel about you. You’re not the only one with fantasies. I’m sorry, I didn’t want you to think you were alone in this, I didn’t mean to embarrass you.”

When she glanced up at him he was beginning to lean in towards her and she knew he wanted to kiss her, gently part her lips with his tongue, run his fingers through her hair, pull her closer. She had had no idea that he thought of her as anything other than a soldier under his command. “No, you’re a beautiful, desirable woman,” he whispered. He wanted to push her back onto the bed, undo her clothes and worship her with his hands and mouth. The thoughts came so fast, the sensations were overwhelming. It was the most intimate experience she’d ever had. His lips were almost touching hers when the door opened and Dr. Fraiser came back in. They sprang apart. Sam could feel how annoyed and frustrated Jack was, and smiled. “Perhaps later?” she thought, as she tried to bring her breathing back to normal.

Jack looked at her with a twinkle in his deep brown eyes. “Only *perhaps*?” he thought back. Sam had an urge to giggle, in a way this was like talking behind the teacher’s back at school. Jack grinned and pulled a face at Janet when she wasn’t looking.

The Doctor frowned at them. “Have I missed something?”
“No, Doc, we’re fine thanks,” replied Jack.
Janet looked at him doubtfully, then said, “Colonel, if you could go and get showered? I’ll run some tests on Captain Carter, then she can shower while I’m testing you.”
“Oh joy! Tests, I love tests....” muttered Jack as he left the room.

Sam watched as Jack made his way down the corridor, waited for the lift, then when the doors opened, walked in. Every now and then, this weird movie was interspersed with the colonel thinking stuff at her. The thoughts were mainly comments about the telepathy still working even though they were now three floors apart.

Janet had prodded and poked Sam from every conceivable angle and was no nearer to finding a cure. Sam, on the other hand, had found great difficulty concentrating on anything the Doctor had said. She had been a spectator as Jack had reached the locker room, then removed his shirt, T-shirt, boots, socks, trousers and.... oh, yes, his boxers too. Noticing Sam’s erratic breathing and flushed complexion, Janet asked how she was feeling. “Are you all right?”

“Fine!” squeaked the major. Jack stepped into the shower and picked up the soap. Working up a lather, he began massaging his broad chest in circular motions, the suds running in rivulets down his toned, naked body. His hands slowly worked lower as he relaxed under the steaming water. Sam gasped.

“Are you *sure* you’re all right, Sam?” asked the Doctor. “You don’t have a headache, do you?”
“No,” mumbled Sam, managing to recover at least a little of her composure as Jack washed his feet. She took a deep breath and smiled at her friend. “If you got an up close and personal view of Jack O’Neill in the shower, how would you feel?”
Janet laughed. “Honoured? It still works at this distance?”
“Oh yeah!” she replied with feeling.

They stepped into the lift, Janet standing between Sam and Jack. All three turned around to face the doors as the colonel pushed the button to start their descent. Sam couldn’t help smiling to herself, she’d successfully had a shower without Jack ‘seeing’ a thing. She’d sung ‘Row, row, row, your boat’ at the top of her voice the whole time and had kept her eyes shut or fixed on the ceiling. Sam knew Jack was frustrated with her, she kept getting flashes of irritation that he hadn’t thought of doing that and embarrassment that she’d watched him when he was showering.

“I’ll get you back, Carter,” he thought.
She grinned at him over Janet’s head. “I’d like to see you try!” she thought back.
There was a mischievous twinkle in the colonel’s eye as he thought, “OK, then...... I’d like to undo that top button on your shirt and kiss your neck.”
Sam’s eyes widened in shock, she’d expected more of a ‘custard pie in the face’ kind of revenge.
“That can be arranged too, if you like....” he added.
“Get out of my head, Colonel!”
“Would if I could, but I can’t! Now where were we...? Oh yes, I was kissing your neck. How about if I undo the next button on your shirt and kiss your earlobe?”

Sam tore her eyes away from Jack’s, confused by the direction this was taking. She licked her lips and noticed Janet looking up at her curiously. Sam smiled in what she hoped was a reassuring way at the Doctor, who frowned and turned back to stare at the lift doors.

“Another button? A little nibble on that earlobe?”
Sam swallowed hard, she felt colour rising to her cheeks.
“The rest of the buttons. I help you take the shirt off.....”
She shut her eyes. She was not going to let him know how much this was turning her on...
“Sorry, too late, Major, you just did! And stop trying to make me forget where I’d got to..... Next, that T-shirt would have to go...”

Janet seemed to sense something going on and looked up first at Jack, then at Sam. “Are you two all right?”
Sam nodded incoherently. “Yeah,” she mumbled.
“Don’t worry about us, Doctor, we’re just discussing the major’s laundry.”
Janet frowned at the colonel. She obviously wasn’t buying the ‘laundry’ explanation. Shooting Sam a ‘you’re going to have to tell me later’ look, she turned back to face the doors.

“I’d kiss you on the lips, gently at first, then part your lips with my tongue and deepen the kiss. Our tongues would dance together as I run my hands down your back and undo the clasp on your bra...”
Sam took a deep breath in a futile attempt to steady herself. She had had no idea he could be so..... descriptive.
“I have hidden depths,” he replied, smiling smugly at her, one eyebrow raised. “But I’m really much more a man of action. You know, better at doing things than talking about them....”
Despite her efforts to the contrary, Sam’s breath was coming in short gasps. Licking her lips again, she stared longingly at Jack. She couldn’t ever remember wanting anyone so much. She seriously contemplated stopping the lift at the next floor, pushing Janet out and then locking the doors.
“Nice idea, Major, but it could be difficult to explain to General Hammond.”

The mention of their superior officer brought Sam back to reality with a bump. “We’re on duty, in a public place, he’s my commanding officer.... What was I thinking?” she thought.
“You really can’t remember? I can remind you if you like?” came the mischievous reply. He winked at her, then added, “Loosen up, major, we might as well have some fun with this.” She couldn’t help smiling at him. “Anyway, where were we?”
A thought popped into Sam’s mind before she could stop it. “You’d undone my bra.” She winced.
Jack smiled seductively as he continued, “Thank you, I’m glad you were paying attention.... I slip the bra from your shoulders and step back to gaze at you. You’re beautiful. I gently caress your breasts....”

“Colonel! Major! This is our floor. Are you sure you’re all right?”
Sam and Jack realised with a start that the lift had stopped and Janet was talking to them. Jack smiled to himself and glanced at Sam who smiled shyly back. “Perhaps later?” he thought.
“Only *perhaps*?” she replied, echoing their conversation of earlier.

Doctor Fraiser clasped her hands together on the table, took a deep breath and looked round the briefing room at the assembled members of SG1 and General Hammond. She’d had to deal with some strange injuries, infections and even body switching over the last few years but telepathy had to rate as one of the weirdest things she’d come up against. And the way Major Carter and Colonel O’Neill kept looking at each other was.... well.... *hot* was the word that kept springing to mind. God only knew what kind of thoughts they were exchanging. On the way down to the briefing, they were positively smouldering at each other.

She didn’t have any answers for the General, she had no idea how it worked, how to stop it.... anything. This was not one of her better days. Oh well, better get it over with....

“After running extensive tests on the colonel and the major, I am forced to conclude that apart from increased activity in the frontal lobes of their brains, there is nothing wrong with them. They are in the best of health.”
General Hammond frowned. “Doctor, being able to read minds is not normal. I’d class that as *something wrong*. Have you discovered any way to reverse it?”
Janet licked her lips. “No sir. I have been unable to find the cause of the telepathy and therefore am unable to even guess at how to reverse its effects.”

“Sweet,” muttered Jack.
Sam frowned at him. “How can you say one thing and think another at the same time?”
“I couldn’t say that in a briefing!” said Jack. Noticing Daniel, Teal’c, Janet and General Hammond staring at them, he mumbled, “Sorry, I guess it’s kind of rude to have conversations you guys can’t hear.”
Sam forced a weak smile. “This is really weird...”

“So, Doctor, what are your recommendations?” asked the General.
Janet took another deep breath, she didn’t need to be telepathic to know what Sam and Jack’s reaction was going to be to what she was about to say. “Off active duty and confined to the base, at least for a few days until I’m sure there are no unforeseen side effects.”
“Doc!”
“Janet!”
“No arguments! You’re not.... *yourselves*. At the very least having two lots of thoughts in your brains must be extremely disorientating. I can’t risk you not being at full strength in a combat situation, it could put lives in danger.”
“Let us go back to the planet. See if Joshua can reverse it,” pleaded Jack.
“No, sir. Sorry. I want you here where I can keep an eye on you. Daniel and Teal’c can go back to the planet.”

“I agree, Doctor. Under the circumstances, caution is advised,” said the General. “Are you ready to return to the planet Dr. Jackson?”
“Yes, General. Teal’c and I will be leaving in fifteen minutes.”

“Janet, can’t we at least go home?” asked Sam.
“No, but you can stay in your own quarters here on base. I think quarantine is unnecessary at this time.”
“Thank heaven for small mercies,” mumbled Jack.

“It must have been confusing for Urgo,” said Sam, as they walked down the corridor towards the living quarters. She smiled when she felt a wave of confusion from Jack. She’d been quite worried when she’d realised how often he didn’t understand her but he didn’t seem unduly bothered by it. Jack just kind of accepted it as the normal state of affairs and the confusion was usually accompanied by a thought reminding himself that she was way smarter than he was. Sam decided to elaborate. “Having four lots of thoughts in his head.”

She felt comprehension dawn. “Oh yeah!” Jack agreed. “Though wouldn’t it be five, if you count him?” His eyebrows shot up. “You don’t like me thinking of something you didn’t, do you?”

Sam blushed slightly and shrugged. What had he said earlier? They’d find out some surprising, maybe shocking things about each other. He’d been right. She smiled when she realised Jack really didn’t mind what went on in her head. He was still thinking about Urgo.

“Did you notice how Urgo was intent on embarrassing me?” asked Jack. “He didn’t do it to anyone else.”
Sam grinned as she saw a tropical shore with palm trees wafting in the breeze. A woman lay on the beach. She had blonde hair and wore a very tiny bikini. “At least he didn’t say who was wearing the bikini,” she said.
“And all the time you were thinking about Daniel, Teal’c and I in really skimpy speedos?” His eyes widened in amazement.
She grinned again. She was beyond ‘embarrassed’, now she resided somewhere in ‘who cares?’ territory. “You’re all in very good shape. You can’t blame a girl for wanting to look, can you?”

She could tell Jack was a little hurt. “Daniel and Teal’c?” he queried. “I thought you were only interested in me? Of course, they have youth, and Junior, on their side....”
“But with age comes experience,” she replied mischievously. The flirting was reaching dangerous levels again. Nearing Jack’s room, Sam felt her mouth going dry with anticipation of what may be about to happen.
“I know, exciting, isn’t it,” he said, leaning down to whisper in her ear.

They stopped in front of his door. The phrase ‘perhaps later’ kept popping into Sam’s mind. She could no longer tell if it was her thought or Jack’s and she found herself giving up on any attempt to hide what she was thinking. “Oh Sam,” he murmured, his dark eyes gazing into hers. He kissed her gently on the cheek. “Come in?” he asked quietly, as he opened the door.

Sam nodded and stepped past him into his quarters.

Daniel glanced over his shoulder for what felt like the hundredth time since they’d arrived back on the planet. No, they weren’t being followed. Well, at least he didn’t think they were, he’d be the first to admit he wasn’t good at this sort of thing. Anyway, if there was a problem he was sure Teal’c would notice. The Jaffa walked on steadily in front of him, forever alert to possible danger. Daniel was grateful they had avoided the trap this time, he didn’t like getting covered in mud. Of course, knowing where it was had made it much easier to spot.

He wondered how Sam and Jack were getting on. They were probably fighting like cat and dog. He frowned. At the briefing he’d sensed a strange atmosphere between them, almost as if they were thinking about...... He shook his head. No, they were far too stubborn to ever admit their feelings even if they were in each other’s minds.

It had to be a bizarre experience, being able to read someone else’s mind, Daniel thought. He allowed himself the luxury of wondering what it would have been like to know exactly what Sha’re was thinking, to know what she felt when he touched her, when he kissed her. He sighed involuntarily. He still missed her. He would always miss her.

Teal’c’s deep voice brought him back to reality. “Daniel Jackson, we are approaching the village,” said the Jaffa, turning to the archaeologist.

Daniel noticed the wooden fence with its high gates straddling the track less than twenty yards away. “So we are, Teal’c. I’m surprised no-one has come to meet us.”

With perfect timing, the gates swung open and Hannah stepped through. “Greetings, Daniel,” she said, smiling sweetly at him. “And to you, Teal’c.” She glanced up briefly at the Jaffa, then her eyes drifted back to Daniel. “Joshua sent a message that I was to meet you and keep you entertained for a while. He will see you in about an hour. Would you like to go for a walk?” She gestured at another, narrower, path leading away from the gate into the forest.

“I really don’t think...” began Daniel.
“Excuse me,” interrupted Teal’c. He inclined his head towards Hannah. “I wish to speak with Daniel Jackson in private.”
“Sure, go ahead.” Hannah took a couple of steps back so she was out of earshot but still had her eyes glued to Daniel. He was beginning to feel a little uncomfortable.
“What?” he hissed at Teal’c.
“I believe you should take a walk with the young woman, Daniel Jackson. She seems fond of you. She may be willing to give you information if she speaks to you in private. I will remain here and wait for Joshua.”
Daniel opened and closed his mouth, then frowned. “I think you have been spending way too much time with Jack,” he mumbled. Teal’c raised an eyebrow and stared at Daniel, his face its usual impassive mask. The archaeologist shrugged. “OK, I’ll try, but I doubt if it’ll do much good.”

Jack carefully closed the door and turned to face Sam. They both knew what they wanted but now they were alone they were both overcome with nervousness. Sam could tell Jack wasn’t sure what to do next. She smiled gently at him. “I’m nervous too,” she thought.
“I can’t hide anything from you, can I?” he replied, his voice low.
“I don’t want you to.”

He walked over to her and rested his hands gently on her shoulders. Searching her face, he said softly, “I have never wanted to make love to someone as much as I want you right now. I don’t know if it’s the telepathy, or whether that’s just made me admit how I feel but I want you, Sam.... I want you.”
“I feel the same, Jack.”

He leant down and kissed her very softly on the lips. Despite all the flirting, it was the first time they’d kissed and Sam was unprepared for the intensity of sensations that washed over her. She felt the kiss twice over. Her own body quivered with anticipation, her breath came in short gasps, she felt herself getting hotter, every fibre of her being screamed for him to make love to her. She could feel the beginnings of Jack’s arousal, a stirring in his groin that she knew was for her. Sam knew he could feel the same. He pulled back and gazed into her eyes. “This is going to be amazing,” he whispered.

She nodded in agreement as he took her hand in his and led her to the bedroom.

Daniel followed Hannah into the forest, the young woman occasionally sneaking glances back at him over her shoulder. After a few minutes of walking in silence, they came to a fallen log. To Daniel it looked like a good place to rest his tired legs. “Could we sit for a while?” he asked.
“Yes, of course. You must be weary after your walk from the.... What did you call it?”
“The Stargate. I am a little tired.” He sat down on the log and smiled at Hannah. She sat down next to him, apparently unsure of what to say next.

“So, where’s Nathan today?” asked Daniel.
“Don’t know, and I don’t care!” Hannah snapped petulantly.

Daniel winced. That was obviously not a good choice of subject. He tried again. “So why were Sam and Jack joined, instead of, say.... you and Nathan?”
“The orb picking a couple is a sign they are ready for marriage. Nathan and I weren’t chosen so we are not destined to be together.” Hannah let out a heartfelt sigh and shuffled closer to Daniel.
“Can’t you have another go?” asked the archaeologist. “When’s the next ceremony?”
“Months yet. And in any case, Nathan has been out with Lucinda today. He seems to think we’re over.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. You seemed well suited.”

“Not really, he was always bossing me about! Not like you....” she smiled at Daniel. “You’re a real gentleman, I can tell.”
In an attempt to get back to the point, Daniel said, “My friends are joined. How do we reverse that?”
“Reverse it?” Hannah looked at Daniel as if he’d sprouted an extra head. “Why would they want to do that? It’s a wonderful gift.”
“Not to Sam and Jack.”
“Yes, it is, they will know each other more intimately than they have ever known anyone else. It is a great gift.”

“So you said. But they don’t want to be joined. It is preventing them from doing their jobs.”
“I don’t understand. They must be about to marry, yes?”
“No.”
“Why not? The orb chooses those with the most desire for each other.”
“They say they can’t have a relationship, it’s against regulations.”
“I don’t understand.”
“To be quite honest, neither do I.” Daniel sighed and decided to try a different approach. “Is the effect permanent? Will the ‘perfect knowledge’ wear off after a while?”
“It will remain until they fully express their love for each other. That will be the most amazing night of their lives.”
“Fully express their love? You mean....” Daniel felt himself blushing. “...sleep together?” He couldn’t help wondering how Sam and Jack would react to this little gem of information.

Hannah looked puzzled. “On this planet, the act of love does not involve sleeping. Perhaps you would like me to demonstrate what I mean?” She leant over and kissed him softly on the lips.
“I.... er.... Hannah!”
She kissed him again. “Do you want me to stop?”
As far as Daniel was concerned, panic was beginning to set in. “Yes... No... Yes... I don’t know.... What about Nathan?”
“I told you about him earlier, he doesn’t care about me any more.” She kissed Daniel again, a little more firmly.

“Look Hannah, I.....” Her lips met his again. It had been a while since he’d been close to a woman, and an attractive, willing woman throwing herself at him proved more than his conscious mind could deal with. Any resolve Daniel may have had about keeping a clear head and finding out what he needed to know began to crumble and he found himself reaching up and caressing her face, slipping his hand round to the nape of her neck and pulling her towards him, deepening the kiss.

Teal’c stood patiently waiting for Joshua to speak. Nathan had shown him in a few minutes before, then left him alone with the wise man. Joshua stared into space, his eyes focused on a point somewhere over the Jaffa’s left shoulder.

Suddenly the wise man turned and looked straight at Teal’c. “I cannot take away the gift.”
Although he had been expecting this kind of behaviour, Teal’c still found it disconcerting to have questions answered before he’d asked them. “Sorry, it’s a bad habit of mine,” added Joshua, “I really ought to let people actually *speak*.”
“Do you not know of any way to remove what you call ‘perfect knowledge’?” asked Teal’c.
“It will disappear when they fully express their love.”
Teal’c tipped his head on one side, and tried to form his next question.
“Yes, that’s it!” said Joshua, “You’ve got what I mean.”

“But you must have given them this gift, surely you can take it away?”
“No, they have to make love. There is no other way.”
Teal’c frowned slightly. “If you cannot help, then Daniel Jackson and I must return to the SGC.”
“Ah, yes, your friend Daniel. At the moment, he is furthering interplanetary relations by... er... forming an alliance with Hannah. She can be a forceful young woman when she puts her mind to it. When you go looking for him, I’d recommend making plenty of noise so they hear you coming.”
Teal’c raised an eyebrow, then nodded his head in acknowledgement of Joshua and set off to look for his friend. He didn’t have to look far. When he emerged from Joshua’s house, Daniel and Hannah were walking towards him, holding hands. Teal’c noted that Daniel looked slightly flushed, but happy, and his hair was untidier than usual.

“Hi Teal’c, I’ve found out what we need to know but I don’t think Sam and Jack are going to be very happy about it. Did you speak to Joshua?”
“Yes, I did, Daniel Jackson, and I also found there is no easy solution to the problem. We should return to the SGC and report our findings.”

“Give me a minute, will you?” asked Daniel, nodding meaningfully towards Hannah. Teal’c gracefully inclined his head and began to walk slowly towards the village gates. Daniel turned to face her. “Well, I guess this is goodbye.”
She smiled, “Yes, it is. The next ceremony is in three months, perhaps you could come back for it? We might get chosen.”

He leant down and kissed her tenderly on the lips. “I’ll see, if I have leave coming, I might just do that.”
“You’d better go, your friend is waiting. Goodbye, Daniel.”
“Bye, Hannah.”
As they walked through the gates, Daniel turned round and waved at Hannah, who smiled and blew him a kiss.

Sam felt warm, soft lips brush hers, urging her back to consciousness. She opened her eyes to be greeted by Jack’s smiling face looking down into hers. He lay next to her propped up on one elbow and gently stroked her hair. “Hi there, sleepyhead. You dozed off.”

Sam smiled self-consciously. “Sorry. I guess I was a little over-relaxed.”
“No apology necessary, I can’t remember the last time I felt this contented myself.”
He leant down and kissed her lazily. She looped her arms around his neck, running her fingers through his short hair. Sam couldn’t believe how right this felt, how much she still wanted him. He deepened the kiss and ran his hand down her body, leaving a trail of fire in its wake. She let her hands begin to explore his back, feeling the well-defined muscles moving under her fingers. And to think if it hadn’t been for the telepathy, they’d still be completely oblivious of each other’s feelings. Sam stopped dead. The telepathy! She pulled back from Jack abruptly.

“What’s the matter, Sam?” he asked, his face a picture of concern. “You’re not regretting anything, are you?”
She shook her head emphatically. “No, no regrets. I just realised..... I can’t hear your thoughts any more.”
Jack tipped his head on one side, as if he was listening intently. “You’re right, it’s worn off. I can’t hear you either.” His brow creased into a frown. “I’d got used to it, you know. I feel kind of.... lonely in here.”

“Do you think it’s gone because we made love?”
“No, why should it? It’s quite a while since we got zapped by that beam, I bet it just reached the end of its natural life.”
Sam gently caressed his face, feeling the slight stubble rough under her fingers. “I’m going to miss you being in my head.”
Jack kissed her on the nose. “What we did, it was pretty intense, wasn’t it?”
“Amazing.”

“All the sensations were twice as strong because I knew what you felt too. I never knew what it was like for a woman, not really. You can talk, and try and understand, but you can never really know. What we just experienced was something unbelievably special. Perhaps the wise man was right, it is a great gift.”
“Yeah, a great gift....” Sam’s voice trailed off as Jack leant down and kissed her.

The phone rang, making them both jump. Jack reached across, over Sam, and picked it up. “Colonel Jack O’Neill.” As he listened to the voice on the other end of the line, he nuzzled Sam’s neck and kissed her earlobe. Her passion-fogged brain hoped it wasn’t anything important, she wanted to stay just where she was, in bed with the man she had dreamed about for three years. As Jack kissed a particularly sensitive spot, she sucked in a sharp breath. She had never imagined it could be this good. Jack’s voice brought her back to reality. “It’s all right, Lieutenant, I’ll tell Major Carter, she’s with me at the moment.” He put the phone back on its cradle. “We’re going to have to get up. That was Graham Simmons. General Hammond wants to see us immediately. Apparently Daniel and Teal’c are on their way back.”

Daniel and Teal’c stepped through the Stargate to be greeted by General Hammond and Doctor Fraiser standing at the bottom of the ramp surrounded by the usual complement of armed guards. “Stand down,” ordered the general. The soldiers dispersed as Daniel and Teal’c walked down the ramp. The archaeologist chewed his bottom lip. He was not looking forward to reporting his findings. “Report Doctor Jackson?” said the general.

“I think it would be better if we went somewhere more private. Perhaps your office, sir?”
The general looked puzzled, then nodded and led the way upstairs.

When they were all seated in his office he turned to Daniel. “So what did you find out? Is the joining reversible?”
“Yes, it is, but I don’t think you or Sam and Jack are going to like this much.”
The general was rapidly losing his patience. “Cut to the chase, Doctor!”
“I... We.... were told that the joining is a precursor to marriage and is only reversed when the couple involved ‘fully express their love’. In other words, when they.....” He swallowed hard. “...make love.”
“Oh,” was all the general could manage to say.

The Doctor raised her eyebrows. “Well, at least I’ve got something to go on now. Certain chemicals are released into the body during lovemaking, perhaps I’ll be able to find a cure using them. The colonel and the major may not actually have to.....” Janet didn’t finish her sentence though she did reflect that after seeing the looks Sam and Jack had been giving each other she got the feeling they might be disappointed if she did find a cure.

“There is no other way of reversing it?” asked the general.
“No, General Hammond. I spoke to Joshua, the wise man. He can produce the effect but he cannot remove it. He was most insistent there was no other way,” said Teal’c.
“Where are Sam and Jack?” asked Daniel.
“They were still in their quarters when you came back. I sent for them, they should be here shortly.”

Perfectly on cue, there was a tap on the door. “Come,” shouted the general. Daniel looked over his shoulder as Sam and Jack walked into the room. The archaeologist couldn’t ever remember seeing either of them so happy, their faces were split by beaming grins and they radiated joy and good humour.
“Good morning, campers!” said Jack.
“Hi everyone!” said Sam.
“Hello, Colonel, Major,” replied the general. “Doctor Jackson has some news about your condition. You may not like this. Perhaps the two of you ought to sit down.”

“Don’t worry about that, sir,” continued Jack. “We’re cured! It wore off! No telepathy!” He tapped the side of his head. “Just me in here now, sir! Sorry you went on a wild goose chase, Daniel.”

Daniel’s mind raced, as he managed to stifle a smile. So Sam and Jack had.... Well, no wonder they looked happy. He glanced round the room. The general had puffed out his cheeks and was intently studying the blotter on his desk. Teal’c had tipped his head on one side and raised the inevitable eyebrow. Dr. Fraiser stared in unashamed fascination at Sam and Jack, who seemed oblivious to everyone’s reactions and only seemed to have eyes for each other.

The Doctor cleared her throat. “Colonel, are you sure it just ‘wore off’?” she asked. Before the colonel answered, Daniel noticed a glance pass between Sam and Jack. A glance that to him confirmed they’d found the cure all on their own.
“Yeah, Doctor. It wore off, OK?”
The general pursed his lips and nodded his head slowly. “If you say so, Colonel, if you say so.....”

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