Coming Home -Part 4

[elfcat255]

Title:Coming Home--Part 4
Fandom: Stargate SG-1
Pairing: Sam/Janet
Warnings or Spoilers:This fic contains major doses of hurt, some sex and bad language, I shall warn you with the rating
Archiving-yes please(elfcat255@aol.com)
Summary -The plot thickens as a way home is discovered
Rating-R, just some bad language in this section.
AN- thanks to my beta, sams_ceara


As Sam rested her chin on Janet’s back, their bodies still intertwined; she began laughing softly.

“What?” Janet’s question sounding muffled since her mouth lay against Sam’s shoulder.

“This is so cliché; we’re basking in the warm afterglow,” Sam replied trying to hold back the giggle she wanted to make.

“Shhh…it was amazing; I’m not moving yet,” Janet informed her.

A few moments passed and Sam spoke up again, “Can we move now?”

Janet bit her lover’s shoulder. “Owww…what was that for?” asked Sam.

“Payback,” was the reply.

Lifting her head Sam pulled back just enough to make out the red mark on Janet’s shoulder where she bit her earlier, she placed a kiss on the spot. “Sorry…I barely left a mark,” she said softly.

Janet’s body shook as she chuckled.

“Can we move now?” sounded in her ear after a couple of minutes of silence.

“Why do you want to move so badly?” Janet finally asked.

“Because the sun’s coming through the back door and hitting me in the eyes,” grumbled Sam.

Janet slowly unwrapped herself from Sam’s body and moved aside allowing the blonde to turn around then sit next to her.

“Why didn’t you say that to begin with?” asked Janet as she reached around, grabbing a pillow to lie on.

“Because we were basking in the afterglow,” replied Sam with a wide smile; the pillow hit her in the head.

This started another round of laughing and tickling, ending up with Janet pinning her love to the cushions; Sam laughed and yelled, “Truce!”

Janet smirked at her, but stopped the assault and climbed off Sam, stretching out next to her pillowing her head on her lover’s shoulder. “You were just afraid I’d win,” she said smugly.

“No…if we kept going it would end up where the last fight did,“ Sam remarked, “besides I’m hungry.”

As if to prove the point, her stomach growled loudly. “See.”

“Oh all right…shower first then breakfast,” said Janet, sitting up and placing a kiss on Sam’s lips.

“Okay…I’ll go get the water warmed up,” Sam told her, sitting up and returning the kiss then rising from the floor. On the way out of the living room, she jumped up and pulled Janet’s pajama bottoms from where they landed on the ceiling fan.

The doctor laughed at her antics. “Good throw,” she said.

“Thank you,” replied Sam with a grin and a little bow, turning she jogged up the stairs.

Janet watched her disappear and then sat quietly, finally allowing the tears she had been holding back since their lovemaking to fall from her eyes. They were not sad tears; they were happy tears because after all that happened to Sam she was returning to normal.

Sam did not know the doctor had watched her sleep most of the night. Janet could not help it; every time her lover had moved Janet would wake to make sure she was not having a nightmare. Finally, as the sky began to lighten the doctor lay back to doze off, she had barely been napping when Sam began her little sneak attack.

“Water’s ready!” yelled Sam from upstairs.

Wiping the tears from her face Janet stood up; “On my way!” she called back and then walked out of the living room and up the stairs to join Sam.

After a long shower involving much giggling and hand slapping away from body parts( most of the slapping was to Sam’s frisky hands), the two returned downstairs to the kitchen where Sam readied the coffee while Janet began preparing them some breakfast.

The doctor watched as her lover pulled things from the fridge, the whole time humming a little tune. When the coffee finished perking, she poured two cups, handing one to Janet before she added the extras in hers‘, still humming.

“What are you humming?” she asked taking a sip from her cup.

“Hmm…oh, it’s something Daniel sang to me when I was trying to sleep one night,“ replied Sam as she sat at the island.

Janet nodded. “He told me about a lullaby he sang to you; he said that Share taught it to him,” commented the doctor.

“Hmm…must be the one then, it’s stuck in my head,” Sam told her, peeling a banana and then taking a bite.

Watching her lover eat the fruit, Janet gave her a wistful smile; she turned back to finish the eggs, once done she plated them and carried the plates to the island setting Sam’s before her. Sitting down they began eating; after a few minutes Janet looked up and spoke, ”Can I ask you a question?”

Sam glanced up; she nodded and took another bite of food. “Mmmuh.”

“Did you eat at all while you were gone? I mean Daniel looked thinner but you’re positively gaunt Sam; he told me Meg didn’t let anyone starve in her kitchen,” said Janet as she watched Sam’s face turn red.

“Umm…I ate…sometimes, I had other things on my mind,” Sam said, pulling apart a piece of toast and popping it in her mouth.

“Like how to get home and finding Teal’c and Jack?” asked Janet.

“No actually…Daniel found them and he also talked Meg into helping us escape; I had my hands full trying to find the crystals from the DHD,” replied Sam, “So…I may have skipped a few meals.”

“I’d say more than a few sweetie, you really need to learn to not let things take over and keep you from taking care of yourself,” admonished Janet.

Sam sighed. “I know…and I will…eventually; lesson learned though. Do you want to hear the rest of the story today?” she asked.

“If you want to tell me…sure,” replied the doctor.

“Yeah…I think my telling you helped, I actually slept last night…no bad dreams,” Sam told her.

Janet smiled; she knew that already. They stopped talking and finished their meal. Sam helped her tidy up the kitchen and they soon went into the living room; straightening up the cushions from their earlier antics, Sam stopped for a moment, “What day is it?” she asked.

“Tuesday,” replied Janet as she picked up their sleepwear.

“When is Cass supposed to be back?” asked Sam, as she threw pillows back against the couch.

“Not until this weekend,” Janet told her, “Why?”

“Can we keep the living room like this? I mean if you want to we can sleep upstairs; I just like stretching out on the floor though and it’s bouncy,” Sam said, bouncing on the balls of her feet.

Janet laughed. “Sure…but you really want to keep it like this so you can have more room to roll around,” the doctor gave her lover a sexy grin, “admit it.”

Sam moved to stand before the doctor, wrapping arms around her waist, “Busted…again…drat,” she whispered in Janet’s ear then placed a kiss below it.

“Okay, you have a story to finish, no starting that now,” said Janet, but she pulled Sam’s head up to give her a kiss, breaking it off she looked into her love’s eyes, “we have plenty of time for that later.”

Sam blushed. “Okay…I’ll hold you to that,” she said softly, a playful grin on her face.

They held each other for a few moments then broke the embrace to finish straightening the living room. Once finished they lay on the floor, Sam propped up against the couch with Janet lying next to her, head resting on her lover’s shoulder, an arm thrown around her waist.

“Let’s see…I guess I pick up where I left off…..”

****

A gentle shake to her body woke Sam up from her nap; she opened her eyes to see Daniel kneeling beside the cot.

“Hey, Sam…how are you feeling” he asked, rising to sit on the cot next to hers’.

She pushed herself up onto her elbows. “Better…what ever that stuff is that Meg uses works great, there’s hardly any pain in my back and the cuts are healing up nicely,” she told him running a finger over one of the marks on her inner arm.

“Good…because we’re going to need to move soon; I found Jack and Teal’c,” he told her smiling.

“How are they?” she asked sitting up on the cot.

“A little worse for wear but in good shape; I couldn’t talk with them much, the guards watch the mine slaves really close during meal time,” he said.

Sam looked closely at Daniel’s face; she could see the bruise along his jaw and he had a cut over one eye. “What happened to your face and where are your glasses?”

“Oh…the guards like to bully me during evening meal; as long as I don’t fight back it’s over pretty quick, but last night one got a little carried away; my glasses were broken,” he told her, “I’m okay though.”

Sam gave him her best Janet look. “Really?”

“Yeah…I’m fine,” he assured her. “So…I’ve been asking questions.”

That made the blonde grin; of course, he finally found the time to start digging up information. “What have you found out?”

“Well…these people have been visited by the Goa’uld; in fact that’s one of the reasons why they live underground now and why the guards were treating Teal’c so badly,” he began.

Sam listened as he gave her a quick rundown of all the things he had discovered, from explaining where the weapons they were shot with came from to the class system used by the Mahri, which is what they called themselves. He told her Jarvis’s family were the hereditary rulers of this community but there were others scattered across the planet, each having there own underground towns. The towns traded with one another, hence the caravan they were part of when traveling here.

She held a hand up, stopping his ramble. “Has Jarvis shown back up?”

Daniel nodded. “He was at the mid-day meal; why?”

“How did he look?” she asked.

“Like he’d lost a boxing match…kind of racoonish,” he said.

She grinned. “Good, wonder if he’s ready for round two?”

“Sam…taunting him could get you killed,” Daniel informed her.

“Oh…he doesn’t want to kill me Daniel…in fact I’m sure he’d like to see me suffer before that happened. Besides, after what he did to me and what Meg told me he has done the bastard deserves anything done to him. I’ll be careful though; I plan on going home,” she said smugly.

“Please Sam, I don’t want to have to carry your body home to Janet,” Daniel said his voice growing quiet.

“Oh believe me…that will never happen, I made her a promise Daniel and I keep my promises, especially the ones made to her,” Sam told him standing to squeeze his shoulder.

“Okay…oh…I found us a way to escape!” he said all excited.

Sam walked away to begin pacing back and forth, stretching her legs, “Really…tell me,” she said.

“Meg travels once a year with one of the caravans to gather herbs for cooking and medicines and it’s not that far from the gate were she does it. She always takes several slaves with her, so she’s agreed to take us when she goes this next time; which will be within the next ten days,” Daniel said smiling, he was proud of finding them a way back to the gate.

She stopped and turned towards him. “We may have a slight problem,” she said.

“What problem?” Daniel asked a confused look on his face.

“Jarvis asked me how to make the stone ring (she made an air quote motion with her fingers) work; Do you remember seeing a DHD before you were shot?” she replied.

Daniel thought for a few minutes, shaking his head he answered, “No.”

“Do you think Meg would know?” she asked, walking over to sit beside him.

“Probably…we can ask her; I have to go help with the evening meal soon, she should be there,” he replied.

“Good…umm…do you think you can find me some clothes to put on?” she said, “I can’t do much wrapped in a blanket.”

“Oh…yeah, I can send one of the boys with something for you to change into,” her friend said, “in fact let me go do that before we have to start getting the meal ready.”

“Thanks,” she said as he rose from the cot and walked towards the door, disappearing down the hall.

Sam waited and sure enough a few moments later Korin ran into the room, his arms full of clothing. He skidded to a stop next to her, letting the clothing fall to land on the cot.

“I did not know what ya needed so I grabbed a lot,” he spoke his breathing heavy from the run.

Sam grinned at the boy. “I’m sure I can find something to put on in this lot,” she said sorting through the clothing.

“I’m ta show ya back ta tha kitchen when yer changed,” he told her, bouncing in place.

Sam picked up a skirt, tossing it to the side she nodded to the fidgeting boy. Finding a sleeveless top and a pair of pants from the pile she rose walking over to the screened off area, “Give me minute and we can go,” she told him, disappearing behind the screen.

Untying the blanket, she threw it over the screen, taking a moment to check over the cuts on the front of her body. She was not normally a vain person but some of the cuts were definitely going to leave scars; grumbling a few choice swear words she pulled on the homespun pants. They fit loose but the drawstring solved that problem, tightening it she then pulled the top over her head, it was a little short but she did not mind.

Once clothed she walked back to stand before Korin. “Well…I’m ready, lead away,” she told him.

Korin began to run then stopped, forcing himself to walk as they left the room, this made Sam smile. He led her down the hallway past several rooms until Sam could hear the sounds of many voices, exiting the hallway they came into the kitchen, which bustled with activity as the evening meal was readied. Showing her over to a table next to the far wall, she sat down while he ran off to finish his work.

Sam looked around the room, watching as the slaves worked. She could see Daniel at a far table with whom she assumed was Jared and Korin, carving slices off a huge slab of meat. Daniel looked up and spotted her, giving her a small wave he went back to work. She grinned, he seemed to be in his element, ‘Never figured him for the domestic type,’ she thought. She made out Meg’s small form weaving between tables as she oversaw the work; the old woman spotted Sam and made her way over to sit at the table with the woman.

“Well…yer looking good; how do ya feel?” she asked, picking up a pitcher sitting on the table, she poured a cup of water and pushed it over to Sam.

Picking up the cup she took a sip. “Much better, thank you,” she replied.

Meg nodded. “Ya feel up ta helping out?” she asked, motioning towards the bustling kitchen.

Sam laughed loudly, “Oh, I don’t think you want me to help Meg; I tend to be a walking disaster area in the kitchen,” she told the old woman.

“Can ya peel vegetables?” Meg asked cocking an eyebrow at the still chuckling woman.

Sam nodded; “Well ya can be useful then,” Meg said and rose to pick up a bowl from a nearby table. She returned to place the bowl before Sam, along with a small knife, “Here ya are, that will keep ya busy for a little while,” Meg remarked and walked away to check on the meal’s progress.

Laughing softly she picked up the knife and began peeling the tuber-like vegetables. The activity in the kitchen picked up as slaves began taking trays of food out. She soon made short work of the vegetables in the bowl and sat watching as the kitchen slowly emptied; leaving her alone in the large room. She sighed, drumming her fingers on the wooden tabletop, rising up from her seat she walked over to the doorway everyone disappeared through.

Following the hallway, Sam soon came to another doorway, where she heard more voices; she peeked her head around the corner discovering the main dining hall. Staying in the shadowed alcove she watched as Daniel and the boys flittered back and forth between the tables, refilling cups. She saw what Daniel said earlier about bullying as a man tripped him and he barely kept the pitcher he carried from emptying onto the floor. After a few well-placed cuffs, he rose from the floor, walking over to stand against the wall. Sam frowned, he said he could handle it but still, seeing her friend being beat on made her angry.

A voice called out and Daniel moved to walk towards the head table. Sam stood on her tiptoes, but could not see what he was doing from where she stood, not wanting to draw attention to herself, she settled back into the shadows as the hall quieted down. She heard Daniel’s voice, unable to make out what he was saying but she knew the tone though; it was his lecture mode. Sam watched as the people sat quietly hanging onto his every word, when he finished they broke out in applause and then began rising from the long tables. She quickly left the alcove and walked back to the kitchens to wait at the table once more.

Slaves began entering the kitchen carrying platters with leftover food, placing them on one of the long tables they would exit again. Soon the table filled with trays as more were left; she saw Daniel enter with the boys in tow, they grabbed plates and stood in line to have them filled then came over to where she sat, Daniel placed a plate in front of her, giving her a nod with his head.

“Eat,” he told her then pulled up a short stool to sit beside her. Korin and Jared shared the chair across from her, both digging into their food.

Sam picked at her food, “Daniel I really need to ask Meg about the DHD,” she said, toying with a piece of bread. A serious look from him made her finally pick it up and take a bite.

“Ask me about what?” said Meg as she appeared at Sam’s elbow, startling the woman.

“Damn, you’re quiet,” muttered Sam, that remark earned her a slap to the back of her head. Sam looked up at the old woman, rubbing the hit spot, “Hey.”

“Watch yer mouth there are young ones present,” admonished Meg.

Sam mumbled an apology as Daniel and the boys covered their mouths to hide grins. Meg pulled a stool up to sit next to the four as they ate, ”What did ya want ta ask me?”

“Daniel told me about you helping us leave but we may have a problem,” Sam began; she went on to explain as best she could about the DHD and why they needed it to work and without it how difficult it would be for them to leave.

Daniel spoke up, “What about dialing manually?”

“No power source,” replied Sam, picking up a piece of meat with her fingers and taking a bite.

Meg thought quietly for a few moments, “Ay…tis such a thing not far from tha ring,” she said.

“Can you remember if it is in one piece?” asked Sam.

Jared chimed in, “It is hollow; I looked in it the last trip we made with Meg,” he told Sam.

The old woman gave the boy a look, “It was open, I didn’t do it,” whined Jared.

“Da…darn,” Sam said eyeing Meg, “we need those crystals; there’s no telling where they are or if they are still in one piece,” she finished.

Daniel’s face took on a thoughtful look as he tried to remember something, “Meg didn’t you tell me it was this community that drove the snakes away?”

Sam muttered, “Guess that part will always be the same.” Daniel nodded at her comment.

“Ay Daniel…was Jarvis’s great-grandfather who chased them away; why?” the old woman asked.

“That means the crystals must be around here somewhere, surely he saw them use the DHD to leave and then pulled it apart thinking it would keep them from coming back,” Daniel said rather cheerfully, glad to have remembered the fact.

“But this place is huge Daniel, where could he have put them; if they still exist,” Sam said sighing.

“We’ll just have to look for them then,” he said.

“Ay…Korin can show ya around ta search for them, the little scamp knows all tha hidey holes in tha keep,” Meg said, looking at her grandson, who just smiled, nodding his head fast.

“But won’t we be stopped by the guards?” Sam asked giving the old woman a confused look.

“Not if ya are running errands for me and besides Korin is well known among tha men, they will not question ya if he is with ya,” claimed Meg.

“Meg can I have a sheet of paper? I need to send Jack a note, telling him what we have planned,” Daniel asked of the old woman.

“Ay…Korin, fetch tha box from my room,” she said to the boy who left from the table in a flash.

“Ten days…ten days to find several power crystals in a keep no telling how huge,” grumbled Sam.

“Hey…we’ve faced worse odds,” Daniel said trying to cheer her up.

“Yeah…right,” Sam said toying with the food left on her plate.

Korin soon returned, jogging up to the table carrying the wooden box containing Meg’s supply of paper; he placed it before Daniel and then climbed back in the chair, nudging Jared over so he could finish his food.

Daniel opened the box, taking out the ink and quill along with a few sheets of the paper. Sam watched as he dipped the quill in the ink and began writing a short note to Jack. Once finished he blew on the wet ink until it dried then folded the paper up into a small square, handing it to Jared.

“Can you slip that to Jack in the morning?” he asked the boy.

Jared nodded, “Yes…I can do that; if I hide it in a loaf of bread the guards will never know,” he said grinning at the idea.

“Here now Daniel, draw me a picture of what tha crystals look like; I can search tha storerooms during tha day,” spoke Meg.

“Good idea…do one for Korin too, in case we have to split up,” Sam interjected.

Daniel nodded and then drew out rough sketches of what the power crystals where shaped like, blowing until the ink dried, he handed one to Korin and then Meg.

“Now…ya need to be off ta sleep; we have much ta do tomorrow,” Meg told the four as she rose from the stool to oversee the kitchen clean up.

The archeologist looked at Sam’s plate, “Is that all you’re going to eat?”

Sam nodded, “I’m just not hungry Daniel.”

He shook his head but knew better than to try to push her into eating; it would just make her angry, “Fine…but when Janet yells at you for losing weight I‘m going to tell you I told you so.”

Sam stuck her tongue out at him; this action made the two boys sitting across from her giggle and that earned them a funny face from Sam. Still giggling the boys slid out of the chair, picking up the used plates, they took them to the washroom. Daniel walked along beside Sam as they left the kitchen; she walked with her head bowed, mumbling something to herself.

Daniel bumped her shoulder with his, “Hey, Sam.”

She looked up, bumping him back, ”Hey, Daniel.”

“Don’t worry…we’ll find the crystals, you’ll be home before you know it,” he told her as they walked.

Sam sighed, “I know…but what if we don’t; It’s not like I can build a generator this time there’s not any advanced technology lying handy for me to throw something together you know.”

“Positive thoughts, Sam…positive thoughts; didn’t you tell me you had a promise to keep?” he said raising an eyebrow at her.

“Yes…but…” he stopped her before she could finish; “No buts…your only thoughts should be about finding those crystals and getting home, right?” he said.

“You’re right…positive thoughts,” she said and then gave him a smile.

Just then two bodies ran past them, ducking into the doorway to their left, “Ah…the scamps have beat me to the clean water,” Daniel said, shaking his head and laughing.

Sam joined him in the laugh, “You go get cleaned up, I’ll meet you in the room; two more doors up, right?”

“Yeah…see you there,” he told her then entered the door the boys had run into.

Sam walked on down the hall until she reached the room where she slept; strolling over to her cot, she saw the covered jar on the bench. Picking it up she discovered Meg’s healing salve, looking at the half healed cuts on her arms she decided to put some more on what she could reach. Moving to stand behind the screened area, she pulled off her clothing and began rubbing the cream into the cuts on the front of her body. Before long she heard Daniel and the boys enter the room, sticking her head around the screen she called out to Daniel.

After making sure Jared and Korin were in bed he walked over, “What do you need?”

“Can you put this on my back and the back of my legs,” she asked.

“Sure, Sam,” he said taking the jar from her and moving around to stand behind her, “you know something?”

“What?” she asked looking down at him as he knelt to put the salve on her legs.

“I could start making some rather crude remarks about your nakedness, I’ve seen you without clothes so much this mission,” he said trying to hold back a laugh.

“You start doing that and I sic Janet on you,” she replied giving him a grin.

“Riiiggght gotcha,” he remarked.

He stood to spread the creamy salve on her back, “This is looking really good Sam,” he said, “you might have a few scars but not many; this stuff works great.”

He finished and she pulled her clothes back on, “I know…we have to take some back for Janet to analyze; she‘ll love it,” she commented.

They walked back around, going to their cots. Sam looked over at the large lump on the cot next to Daniel’s smiling she asked, “Do they always sleep like that?”

Daniel nodded, peering down at the two boys, making sure they slept. He went to sit beside Sam on her cot, “Did Meg tell you about Korin’s mother?” he asked keeping his voice low.

Sam nodded, her face blanking over; “Well the same thing happened to Jared’s; Meg raised the two of them together,” he told her.

Sam’s brow developed a furrow, as the look on her face grew serious, “Why is Korin a slave if he’s Meg’s grandson?”

“It’s that whole class thing again; because his mother was still a slave when she went missing that automatically made him one too. Meg earned her freedom after her daughter was born or else she would have been born free. It’s complicated I know,” he said seeing the confused look on Sam’s face now.

“What about his father? Is he a slave too?” she asked.

Daniel thought for a minute then he spoke, “Jarvis is his father Sam.”

“Then that means…” she began.

“Yes…following the hereditary line it means Korin is next to rule here unless Jarvis has other sons and according to Meg there are none but Korin,” Daniel whispered.

Just then the tiny old woman walked into the room, interrupting their conversation; she walked over to where the two boys slept, pulling the blanket up around the sleeping figures. Once that was done, she glanced over at Sam and Daniel.

“Ta bed with ya…I need yer help in tha morning boy,” she said shaking a finger at them.

“Yes, Meg,” he said moving to his own cot. Sam could not help but giggle and this earned her a glare from the old woman.

“Now that yer up and about ya will help too girl,” Meg told her with a smirk and turning she walked out of the room.

Sam lay back on the cot, ”Oh brother,” she whispered.

She heard laughter from Daniel’s cot, “Night girl,” he said in between laughs.

“Night…boy,” she replied but laughed along with him.

The two soon drifted off to sleep, knowing they had much to do in the next five days if they wanted to make it home.

****

Sam paused in her story telling, she glanced down to see Janet fighting to stay awake.

“Hey, you…I know I can’t tell a story like Daniel can but boring you to sleep, that’s a new low even for me,” she said giving Janet a little shake.

“No…you tell it just fine,” she said yawning, “I guess I didn’t sleep very well last night.”

Sam used her free hand to lift up the doctor’s chin until she could look into her eyes, “Did you watch me while I slept?”

A blush rose on Janet’s cheeks, “Yes,” she whispered.

Sam leaned down placing a kiss on her love’s forehead, “Then take a nap, the rest of the story can wait until you’ve gotten some rest,” she said softly.

“Are you sure?” asked Janet, trying to fight back another yawn.

“Yes…I’m almost done anyway, sleep I’ll finish when you wake up,” Sam told her.

“Okay,” was the sleepy response as Janet snuggled up closer to Sam’s body.

Sam held her close as the doctors’ breathing evened out and then pulled one of the blankets over the two of them; leaning her head back, she closed her eyes, soon joining Janet in sleep as she too dozed off.

****

Janet woke from the nap first; she glanced up from her spot on Sam’s shoulder to see her lover’s head tilted back against the couch, her mouth slightly open. Janet grinned, ‘Well it’s only fair she did it to me first,’ she thought. Sitting up slowly as not to wake the sleeping woman she reached a finger up to trail it across Sam’s nose. No movement; she did it again, still nothing. Janet shook her head and then ran her finger lightly over Sam’s upper lip; all that did was make her mouth close. The doctor grumbled and then tried brushing her fingers along Sam’s neck, thinking that surely it would cause a reaction, nothing. She sat back making a huffing noise.

“What are you trying to do?” asked Sam.

Janet looked up, Sam had one eye open and a grin on her face, “I was trying to wake you like you did me this morning,” grumbled the doctor.

The blonde opened both her eyes, sitting up she stretched arms over her head, causing her back to pop loudly, “Janet…it takes more than that to wake me up…you forget I have to sleep off world with the guys all the time. Sleeping through their snores is an art form not to mention all the practical jokes Jack tries. Besides, I wasn‘t sleeping very hard anyway,” she informed her lover, reaching over to grab onto her, pulling her into hug. “However, you’re easy to wake up…I think it has something to do with you being a doctor,” mused Sam.

“Well you have a point there; I do sleep lightly,” replied Janet, “So…how do they wake you up when you‘re sleeping soundly?”

Sam laughed, leaning back taking Janet with her until they were against the pillows again, “If I told then you’d use it on me all the time,” she told her.

“Tell me…or I tickle,” Janet said holding her hand over Sam’s ribs.

“Okay…okay I’ll tell; but I might as well finish the story then,” Sam said trying not to laugh.

“Okay then finish it…wait...let me go to the bathroom first,” replied Janet, unwinding herself from Sam’s hold, “be right back.” She rose from the floor to disappear out of the living room.

While Janet was gone Sam got up, going to the kitchen she fixed them something to drink; leaning against the island she mused over what she was about to tell Janet.

‘I know she said she was fine with me killing Jarvis but will that change when she finds out how I did it? Now that she knows I killed him I can’t skip over that part,’ she shook her head trying to clear the dark thoughts from her head. Hearing the bathroom door open she walked back towards the living room, meeting Janet as she walked past the kitchen doorway.

“A beverage for you pretty lady,” Sam said, handing her a glass.

“Why thank you,” Janet replied.

They walked back into the living room together and went back to the pillows, this time Janet sat against the couch while Sam lay down, her head resting in the doctor’s lap. Once settled Sam began talking again, “Okay…waking me up huh…well this is how Daniel does it….”

****

Daniel tried to wake Sam up the next morning, he shook her shoulder but all that accomplished was her rolling over onto her side. He shook a little harder; this earned him a few mumbled words. He tried again this time speaking to her along with the rough shake, “Sam…Sam…time to get up.”

More mumbled words answered his call; finally, he decided to resort to playing dirty, “I hate to do this but you asked for it,” he said wetting a finger.

Not two seconds after he stuck the wet finger in her ear she bolted up from the cot, “What tha…” she cried out, swatting at her ear.

Sam heard him laugh and she whirled around on the cot, “Damn it, Daniel! That was gross!”

Holding his sides Daniel wheezed out, “Sorry…Sam…but you wouldn’t wake up…had to do it.”

“You so need to think of a new way to wake me up that’s getting old…gross and old,” she muttered rising to stand next to the cot.

“Well how does Janet wake you up then?” he asked after finally controlling his laughter.

Sam stretched her arms up, twisting her body to loosen up the kinks from sleep; she winced when her ribs protested, “I usually wake up after she gets up so there’s no need for tricks,” she replied smugly, “What time is it?”

“I have no clue; being underground kind of does that to you, I just wake up when the boys tell me to get up,” he told her, “Come on we have work to do before we can start looking for the DHD crystals.”

Sam began following him from the room but stubbed her foot on one of the cot legs, “Ow damn it…I wish I knew what that bastard did with my boots,” she grumbled and then limped after Daniel.

When they reached the kitchen Daniel went to work at pulling bread from the oven, Sam stood in the doorway watching the kitchen bustle with activity; she felt like a sore thumb not knowing what to do to help. The problem solved itself when Meg walked up to stand before her.

“Well…can ya stir?” the old woman asked looking up and grinning at Sam.

“Yes,” replied Sam with a grin of her own.

Meg led her over to one of the large cauldrons filled with bubbling porridge, she stuck a paddle-like spoon in the mixture and stirred it a few times, “Now…ya do it,“ she told Sam and then walked away to check on the other slaves progress.

Sam watched her walk away then took hold of the paddle, she began stirring the mixture a few times, ‘Damn…she really is stronger than she looks, this stuff is thick,’ she thought trying to find a steady rhythm to the stirring process. Before long a thin sheen of sweat coated her body as her arms began to tire and her ribs started aching, Sam looked around for the old woman but did not see her anywhere. Glancing over in Daniel’s direction she saw him look towards her, she quickly mouthed, ”Help!” motioning him over with her head.

He let Jared take over from him and quickly walked over to her, “Problem?” he asked smiling at her.

“Don’t be a smart-ass Daniel, this is harder than it looks; especially with cracked ribs,” she growled at him.

“Damn it Sam…what where you thinking?” he said taking over the stirring.

Sam moved to stand bent over, hands resting on her knees, “I wanted to help, just didn’t think it would be that hard to stir,” she told him, standing up with her arm holding her left side.

“Go help Jared and Korin with the bread; let them pull it out of the oven, you can stack it,” Daniel told her.

She walked over to the ovens where the boys were pulling loaves out using another large paddle this one much longer though. Jared turned towards her with the tool and called out, “Catch!” tossing a loaf at her. Sam caught the hot bread, juggling it between her hands then dropped it in a basket sitting on the floor.

She eyed the grinning boys, “No wonder they call you two scamps; well what are you waiting for?” she made a motion with her hands telling them to start tossing.

For a while, she had a steady rhythm going, catching hot loaves and dropping them into baskets, when one was full another boy moved it away to place an empty one at her feet. Sam was doing a great job until someone grabbed her by the elbow, causing her to miss a throw from Korin.

“Hey! What tha…” she yelled, until she saw it was Meg who grabbed her.

Another boy took her place as Meg pulled her over to the table to sit down, “What are ya doing?” the old woman asked.

“I was helping with the bread; why’d you pull me away?” Sam said looking up at the tiny woman from her stool.

“Because Daniel told me why ya moved from tha porridge ta tha bread; are ya daft woman? I didn’t spend all that time healing ya up for ya ta hurt yerself again,” Meg admonished her, with a shaking finger.

Sam started to speak but Meg stopped her with a look and a question, “Would yer Janet let ya do it?”

Sam sighed, “No, she wouldn’t; but catching the bread wasn’t hurting me,” she said with pout.

“Grab my hand,” Meg told her holding out a hand.

Sam took hold of the hand and Meg said, ”Now pull me towards ya.”

Sam tried, but the tiny woman never budged; “See yer weak as a babe, now sit and do not move,” scolded Meg and then she walked away, leaving Sam gaping like an idiot.

‘She’s Janet fifty years from now I just know it,’ Sam thought, but now that Meg made her sit down, she was feeling a little dizzy. “Must be the heat…yeah it’s the heat Sam,” she said to herself.

****

Sam paused in her telling when she felt a hand run under her t-shirt to rub along her left side. She looked up to see Janet with a frown on her face, “What?”

“Your ribs…we’ve been…and I’ve lain on…” Sam stopped her words by reaching a hand up and placing it over Janet’s mouth.

“Hey…I started that remember and you cuddling up to me makes me feel better, besides they don’t hurt that bad now, just a few twinges; nothing I can’t handle,” she told her lover, removing the hand after Janet kissed her palm.

“I still want to check them out, take some x-rays,” the doctor told her.

“Yes Dr. Fraiser; now can I finish the story?” asked Sam.

Janet nodded, but did not move her hand from its position on Sam’s side as her lover began the story again, from where she was interrupted.

****

Sam sat there with her elbows propped on the table, chin resting in her hands, watching as the kitchen started to calm down as the meal was taken out for serving. Daniel soon walked over to sit with her, he carried two bowls with a loaf balanced on top of one of them, sitting one in front of her, he then sat in the opposite chair.

“Rat,” muttered Sam, breaking the bread in half.

“Was she right?” he asked raising an eyebrow.

“Yes…but you’re still a rat,” she grumbled, tearing a smaller piece of bread off and taking a bite.

“Fine…if I’m a rat then you’re a mule,” Daniel remarked as he began eating his food.

Neither one said another word for several minutes; they just sat eating their food until Sam reached out, pushing the other half of the bread towards Daniel. He poured a cup of water and slid it over to Sam. A few more minutes passed and they both looked up at the same time, speaking; Daniel saying ”Sorry,” and Sam saying “Thank you.” This made them grin but they just nodded to one another and continued with their meal.

“So why aren’t you helping serve?” Sam said, starting conversation again.

“Morning meal is help yourself; the bigger meals are at mid-day and evening. Meg usually has me cleaning by now,” he told her.

Sam laughed at her friend; “What?” he asked looking confused.

“You…this,” she said motioning a hand at the kitchen, “I didn’t know you were this domestic.”

Daniel gave her an odd look, “I’m just making the best of a bad situation; I mean compared to some of the things we’ve been through this is a piece of cake…” his voice trailed off when he saw her face blank over and then grow serious.

“For you it has been maybe…” she did not complete the sentence but rose from the stool and walked out of the kitchen rather quickly.

Daniel sat there a frown on his face, “Damn it, Daniel…you did it again…stuck your damn foot in your mouth,” he muttered to himself.

Before he could get up to follow after her Jared and Korin entered the kitchen, their shoulders burdened with an empty cauldron; they set it down and quickly walked over to stand before Daniel.

“I gave the message to your friend, Daniel,” Jared told the frowning man.

“Ah…well done, Jared; did you have any problems?” Daniel asked, still worried about Sam.

“No…we did it just like Jared told ya, hid tha note in a loaf of bread; tha guards never knew,” said Korin, chiming into the conversation.

“Ay it was easy,” Jared said smiling, “he told me something to tell you too.”

“Oh really…what did he say?” Daniel asked eager to hear news from his friend.

Jared’s face scrunched up in concentration as he tried to remember the exact words; his face brightened as he recalled it, “He said to tell space monkey he was going to kick his butt the next time he saw him, for not obeying orders and to tell Carter not to do anything stupid.” Jared looked at Korin to see if he got it right, his friend nodded enthusiastically.

“He seemed pleased with tha message though Daniel,” Korin supplied.

Daniel chuckled, that was Jack all right; threaten him harm and tell Sam not to pull any crazy stunts, typical Jack.

“Good boys…well done, now see if Meg has anything else you need to do before we get started on our little scavenger hunt,” he told them.

They gave him an odd look and he just shooed them away; he had to go find Sam and then apologize for being an idiot. He watched as they picked the cauldron up again to take to the washroom, when they left he rose and walked in the direction Sam had, hoping she had not gone very far.

Sam did not go far, in fact, her quick steps carried her back to their sleeping room, and she sat down on her cot, staring at the far wall. Tears welled up in her eyes and her shoulders began to shake as silent sobs racked her chest. ‘Damn Daniel…he just had to say something stupid,’ she thought.

It was not as if she would be able to forget the things Jarvis did to her easily, the scars left from the cuts would never let that happen. She just felt sick to her stomach thinking about what he’d done to her and to the untold others over the years; she had faced all kinds of situations when captured by Goa’uld but never from a human being. The loathing she held for the man, frightened her. Laying down she curled up on her side, tears rolling across her face as she tried to come to terms with that feeling. Sam knew given the opportunity she would never let him do that to her again or to any other woman if she could help it, that thought frightened her also.

She heard footsteps enter the room, coming to a stop next to her cot and then a hand was laid on her shoulder, squeezing it softly.

“I’m an idiot Sam…can you forgive me?” asked Daniel softly.

“Depends,” she replied.

“On what?” he asked sounding confused.

Sam rolled over to lie on her back, looking up at him she said softly, “If you can forgive me for thinking the thoughts I’m having right now. I hate him Daniel and if given the chance I just might kill him.”

Daniel nodded his head, taking her hand he pulled his friend up into a sitting position then knelt down, gathering her in his arms. Daniel could feel her body shake with sobs as she agonized over the statement.

“Of course I could forgive you Sam; hell if I could get my hands on him I’d probably do the same thing; you have every right to hate the man. I wouldn’t think anything less of you for it,” he told the crying woman, “now come on, be strong…don’t let this eat you up, we have job to do if we want to get home; promises remember?”

Sam pulled back from his arms, she wiped the tear streaks from her face and nodded, “Promises…right; if I have to build a damn windmill to power the gate we’re going home Daniel,” she told him a small smile on her face now.

“Good…now come on we have crystals to search for,” he said rising from the floor and pulling her up.

On the way back to the kitchen he told her about Jared’s success with the note and Jack’s message sent back with the boys; this made her laugh and shake her head, “That’s Jack for you; but would he really kick your butt?”

“I don’t plan on giving him the chance Sam,“ he replied grinning at her.

They walked into the kitchen to discover Jared and Korin sitting down, eating their morning meal. Meg sat on a stool beside the two boys and turned to face the pair as they walked up to the table.

“Here now…after these two finish their meal ya can start yer search; I’m going ta let ya do this instead of helping with tha mid-day meal Daniel. However, I will need tha three of ya for evening time,” she told them; looking up at Sam she added, “ya need to take it easy girl, ya will be no help ta yer friends if ya run yerself ragged.”

Sam sighed, “What is it with everybody trying to make me slow down? I can do this Meg.”

“Ay…so ya say; but come with me, I need ta bind yer ribs,“ she told Sam, climbing down off the stool and motioning for the taller woman to follow her.

Sam followed the tiny woman through a doorway off to the side of the kitchen, after a few minutes they came to a closed door; Meg opened it and led her into the room. Sam looked around; this was definitely Meg’s personal quarters. A low cot like the ones in their room was along one wall, while several shelves, full of books and various objects, covered the other walls; Sam assumed they were personal keepsakes. A desk sat in one corner, its top covered in loose sheets of paper. While Meg gathered what she needed to wrap Sam’s ribs, she walked over to glance at the papers on the desk.

Picking a sheet up Sam tried to decipher the spidery handwriting. A throat clearing caused her to turn around, to find Meg watching her, “Sorry…just curious,” she said apologizing.

“Ay...come here now and let me do this,” Meg told her.

Sam put the paper down to walk over and stand before the tiny woman, she pulled off her top and stood while Meg wrapped a length of cloth around her ribs, also covering her breasts, flattening them.

“Don’t you think that’s a bit much?” Sam asked as she flexed making sure the bandage was not too tight.

“Jarvis asked about ya last night girl,” Meg commented, “I told him ya had died from yer injuries.”

Sam looked down at the tiny woman, “Thank you, I was wondering if he had asked about me,” she said softly.

“Ay…and with ya wandering around tha keep I thought best ya be disguised; yer lanky enough to pass for a boy with yer bosom tied down, as for yer hair…a little charcoal dust will solve that problem,” Meg told her, walking away allowing Sam to put her top back on.

The old woman returned with a small pot of black dust, “Now bend down and let me put this on yer hair,” remarked Meg. Sam leant over, covering her face to let the woman dust her hair with the mixture. Once finished Meg told her to shake her head a few times, Sam did this and stood up, she sneezed a couple of times as the dust floating around her settled. Meg stood back to check out her handiwork.

“Ay ya make a fine dark haired boy Sam, a little thin but that can’t be helped; tha dust also make ya look more like one of my kitchen slaves, especially after I’ve made em clean tha fire pits,” she said grinning, “This should help ya make yer way around tha keep with less trouble,” remarked the old woman.

“If I don…“ Sam sneezed, “sneeze my head off,” she completed with another sneeze.

“It will pass, now we’ve a search ta begin,” Meg told her, turning to leave the room with Sam not far behind her, rubbing a hand across her face.

The two women walked back to the kitchen, when they entered into the room Daniel looked up from where he sat and did a double take, “Sam?” he asked, looking confused, he thought it was her but without his glasses it wasn’t sure.

As she grew closer, he stood, squinting and taking in Meg’s handiwork. His friend had left the room but a much different person returned. She now resembled a tall lanky boy, her chest was flat and her hair was a dingy grey color; not to mention her face and arms were streaked with smudges, making her look like she’d been climbing around in a dust bin.

Sam spun around in front of him, “Well?”

“It works,” he told her grinning.

While Daniel checked over Sam’s disguise the two boys disappeared to soon return, they stopped a few feet from the teammates, their heads close together, as they talked with each other. Daniel glanced over to see Korin nod his head a few times, to whatever Jared was saying. Coming to an agreement the two boys looked up at Daniel.

“I’m going with you Daniel and Korin will go with Sam,” the boy told them.

Sam and Daniel gave each other looks, “Well I guess that’s that then,“ Sam said, “let’s go Korin.”

Korin grinned at the tall woman and led her away while Jared took hold of Daniel’s arm dragging him off. Meg watched the pairs leave, sighing she walked off to oversee the start of the mid-day meal and then begin her own search through the storerooms.

The better part of the day passed; the two boys led their charges over the keep, checking as many room as possible with no results. As the time neared for evening meal, each pair made their way back down to the kitchen. Sam and Korin walked into the bustling room to find Daniel and Jared already there, they were just beginning to pull a slab of meat from over the fire pit.

“Any luck?” asked Daniel of Sam as he carried one end of the pole.

“No…just a lot of dusty rooms; you?” said Sam brushing her dusty clothing off and following him to the table.

Daniel began carving slices off the slab, “Well…there’s always tomorrow; positive thoughts Sam…positive thoughts.

“Yeah…I’m going to wash this stuff off me,” she said running a hand through her dirty hair, “be back in a little bit.”

Daniel watched as she walked out of the room, head bowed and shoulders slumped. Sighing he went back to work, letting it take his mind off the disappointment he felt also.

A short time later Sam returned to a much quieter kitchen, she ran a hand through her wet hair, slicking it back. Not wanting to stay in the kitchen, she ventured down the hallway to stand in the alcove leading into the main hall; just in time to see Daniel fall to the ground, the platter he carried clattered to the floor. A man stood over him, placing several well-aimed kicks along his body.

Sam’s fists clenched and she frowned, ’Damn it Daniel…fight back!’

After a few minutes the man stopped and Daniel crawled up from the floor, picking up the dropped food and platter, he made his way to the doorway where he found Sam hiding, “What are you doing here...if someone sees you…” he began.

“Why don’t you fight back?” she whispered.

Daniel began walking towards the kitchen with her following, “Because if I did it would just be worse Sam…they want you to fight back; gives them an excuse for further beatings,” he told her as they entered the kitchen where he fixed a new tray of meat to carry back out. “Now stay here…if one of the guards spots you they’ll pull you out into the hall and then Jarvis will know you’re alive,” he told her, “and yes Meg told me about that.” He said when she gave him a confused look.

Sam watched him leave and then went to sit at the table to wait for the meal to end; she laid her head on her arms, closing her eyes she drifted into a light sleep.

The sounds of people entering the kitchen woke her from the nap a short time later. Rubbing her hands across her face, she watched as the same routine from the night before played out. Before long, Daniel and the boys joined her at the table bringing their food with them. Sam picked at the meal on her plate, not feeling hungry at all. After a glare from Daniel, she began eating just to make him happy.

Meg soon joined them; sitting on a tall stool she looked at their silent faces, “Here now why are ye all quiet?”

“We had no luck today Meg; did you?” asked Daniel.

“No…tis only the first day of searching though, “ she told him.

“This place is huge, we‘ll never find them,” grumbled Sam, as she pulled apart a piece of bread, tossing the bits back on her plate.

“We haven’t searched the entire keep yet Sam,” Jared said, trying to get his new friend out of her funk, “there are still the more levels to search, we might find them there.”

“Thanks, Jared,” she said giving him a smile; this made the boy duck his head, a blush rising on his cheeks.

“Well… ya best finish eating and then off ta bed with ya,” Meg told the four; she looked at Sam, “did ya re-wrap yer ribs after washing up?”

“Yes, Meg…I did,” Sam told her.

“Good,” the old woman remarked, then left them to finish her work before she too could sleep.

****

For the next eight days they followed the same routine; Meg helped Sam to disguise herself and the two boys led them into new sections of the keep, searching everywhere for the crystals. With no luck in finding them yet, Sam was beginning to think she just might have to build that windmill.

Korin and Sam were walking down a hallway on the uppermost level on their way back to the kitchens when Sam noticed a closed door they had not checked.
She walked up to the door, trying the handle to discover it locked. Korin appeared at her side and she looked down at him.

“What’s in here?” she asked the boy.

“That is Master Jarvis’s quarters,” he told her, “he keeps it locked at all times.”

Sam’s hand dropped off the handle and a sick feeling washed over her, “Okay…let’s get back to the kitchen,” she said pulling Korin away from the door. As they walked away she could not help but glance back, ’It’s the only place we haven’t looked; they have to be in there,’ she thought. Shaking her head, she followed Korin, paying close attention to the route he took back to the kitchen. She had a plan, but she knew Daniel would not like it... not at all.

By the time she and Korin reached the kitchen Sam’s plan was fully formed. Glancing around she spotted Daniel and Jared entering from another doorway; she gave her friend a questioning look and he just shook his head. Sam ran her fingers through her dirty hair and then motioned to Daniel that she was going to wash up. He gave her nod and a little wave then began helping the boys prepare the meat for evening meal.

Sam knew for her plan to work Jarvis had to be able to tell who she was; she just hoped Meg did not pay the price for her revealing herself. Grabbing a clean outfit from their room she hurried back to the bathing room and quickly undressed, jumping into one of the tubs she scrubbed herself as clean as possible with the homemade soap then dunked underwater, using it to clean the dust from her hair. Finishing she climbed out and dried off, shaking her head to get most of the water off before running the towel over it. Pulling on the clean clothes, she forgo wrapping her ribs; if this worked, it would not matter anyway. After dressing she ran back to the kitchen, she needed to find Meg, for her help and to warn her about what she was going to do.

Spotting the old woman at their table she jogged over, “Meg…can I talk to you for a minute…in private?” she asked.

Seeing the serious look on the taller woman’s face Meg led her out of the kitchen and to her room, “Now what did ya need to tell me that ya couldn‘t out there?” she said looking up at Sam.

“I think I know where the crystals are,” stated Sam.

“Well tis good then,” remarked Meg, but the look on Sam’s face made her change her mind, “Where are they?”

“They have to be in Jarvis’s quarters, I’m assuming the rooms came with the job right?” she said, giving Meg a questioning look.

“Ay…they are tha same quarters used by his forefathers,” Meg told her.

“Good…then tonight I’m going to come back to life; will that cause problems for you?” said Sam.

Meg thought for a few minutes and then laughed, “No girl…if he tried ta call me on lying about yer death then it would bring up why ya were injured in tha first place; I don’t think he wants ta draw attention ta himself in that way. I’ll be fine,” Meg assured her.

Sam sighed in relief, “Good…I don’t want you or the boys getting hurt because of the stupid stunt I’m about to pull; as it is I’m not telling Daniel because he will try and stop me.” Sam‘s face turned serious, “I plan to be out of his clutches by the time that caravan leaves, so don’t worry.”

Meg nodded; “Now…I need a piece of wire about so long,” Sam held her fingers apart, “it needs to be thin enough to bend but not break and a thick sewing needle if you have one…oh and a mirror.”

Meg went over to chest sitting at the end of her cot and after a few minutes of digging through it returned with the objects Sam asked for. She watched as Sam tested the strength of the wire, nodding at its condition. Sam walked over to the desk, setting the mirror up she lifted the lid on the lamp and ran the needle through the flame a couple of times, repeating her actions with the piece of wire as well.

“Here now…what are ye doing?” asked Meg as she watched.

“He’s going to strip me and I need a way to get out of the chains he will lock me in, this isn’t the most sanitary thing to do but it’s my only option,“ explained Sam.

Meg watched as the woman stood close to the mirror, sticking out her tongue she felt around on it until finding the spot she wanted then took the needle and jabbed it through the flesh.

“Sit! Tha hur les tha firs ime, “ Sam said jumping up and down, her speech impaired from the needle still stuck in her tongue and her eyes watering from the sharp pain.

“Now I know yer daft girl,” muttered Meg.

Sam held up her hand and then turned back to the mirror; she took the piece of wire and threaded it beside the needle until it was through; pulling the needle out she then wrapped the wire around her tongue, working her bound tongue around she made sure the wire would not cut into the roof of her mouth. Once satisfied with the position she turned back to Meg and gave her a smile, “See no problem.”

“Daft but in a smart way,” Meg said grinning, “now we best get back ta tha kitchen.”

The pair made their way back to find the preparations almost complete, Meg patted her on the arm, “Ya be careful now Sam…tha boys and I have grown fond of ya,” the tiny woman said to her and then walked out of the kitchen towards the main hall.

Sam watched her leave, “I’ve grown fond of you all as well Meg,” she whispered.

Waiting until all the slaves left the kitchen she made her way to the alcove to stand; she planned to run out and stop Daniel from being bullied, figuring that was the best way to draw attention to herself. She did not have long to wait as she saw Daniel go down not far from the head table. She recognized his bully; it was Kern. She saw him kick Daniel a few times and then her eye caught the glint of light on metal; Kern held one of their side arms in his raised hand.

“Oh shit!” she yelled and ran from the alcove.

Just as Kern leveled the gun at the downed man, a blur tackled him. Sam rolled around on the floor trying to wrestle the weapon out of his hand. After a few minutes of struggling, she managed to turn the gun towards him and it went off with a loud retort. Kern stopped struggling and slumped back to lie motionless beneath her. Before Sam could react, someone kicked the weapon from her hand and pulled her off his body. Several blows and kicks later she was dragged before the head table, a kick to the back of her legs made her fall to her knees where she stared up at Jarvis and spit the blood from her busted lip on the floor before him.

“What have we here? Ah pretty one…I was told you had died,” Jarvis commented, giving Meg a hard glare. The old woman just glared back at him.

“I’m like a cat…I have nine lives, “ remarked Sam, her stare never wavering even though blood from a cut on her forehead ran into her eyes.

“We shall see pretty one…we shall see,” he sneered at her rubbing his nose,

“Take her to my quarters!” he yelled at the guards behind her.

Sam started to struggle but a blow to the back of her head stopped that as she slumped down on the floor to be picked up and carried away.

Daniel watched as they dragged her out of the main hall, ‘Damn it Sam…what have you done?’