Chapter Text
“Can you believe they did this to us?” Jack groused from in front of her.
“No sir,” she answered curtly, wiping the sweat from her brow with the back of her sleeve as they trudged on through the trees.
“I’m gonna kill Daniel when we get back. Next time, we go back to Earth with the delegates and Danny and Teal’c can stay and make nice with the locals.”
“Yes sir,” she sighed. She took another small sip of water from her canteen; she wanted to drink the lot, her throat and lips were so dry from the heat, but she knew they had to make it last.
“All for a little bit of fucking Trinium.” He carried on moaning and she tried to tune him out. They needed the Trinium, he knew that, and he also knew that it wasn’t just a little bit; if these negotiations went to plan, they’d have more Trinium than they actually needed. A stockpile of the stuff had been far too tempting for the Joint Chiefs, and so they’d been ordered to do whatever was necessary to secure it.
“As far as I can make out,” Daniel started, the frown on his face concerning Sam somewhat, “They want you and Sam to stay and take part in a ritual.”
The colonel’s eyebrows shot up towards his hairline, “As far as you can make out?”
Daniel shrugged apologetically, “Their language is very difficult to translate directly.”
“What kind of ritual?” Sam asked, eyeing Daniel with suspicion.
“You have to go into the woods for three days.”
Jack waved his hand encouragingly in front of him, “Aaaaaand....?”
“That’s it.”
“That’s it?” he asked incredulously. “We just camp in the forest for three days? What’s the catch?”
“I don’t think there is one.” Daniel glanced back at the leader of the alien people, Sarki, who smiled and waved enthusiastically at SG1. “You spend three days in the woods to prove you’re worthy of their allegiance, and they want to send two delegates to Earth to learn about us.”
“Why just me and Carter?”
“I’m not sure,” Daniel shook his head a little, that frown back on his face, “I’ve kind of built up a rapport with the ones that are coming with us, and we know they don’t really trust Teal’c.” Their reaction to seeing a Jaffa walking into the village had been startling to say the least. It had taken days to convince the elders that Teal’c wasn’t going to hurt them.
“Ok, if you’re sure that’s all we have to do.”
She was ridiculously hot, the sweat soaking through her jacket and making her vest very uncomfortable. She’d give anything for a nice cool shower right now; and a change of clothes. She hefted her pack a little higher on her shoulders, almost groaning under the weight, but knowing they couldn’t stop until they got to somewhere safer.
“...‘No catch Jack’ he says, ‘just three days camping in the woods’. Yeah right. When I get my hands on the little...” The colonel carried on from there but lowered his voice, muttering under his breath, and she tried not to roll her eyes.
“Do you really think they did this on purpose?” she asked instead, not really believing anybody would go to this extreme to test their allies' resolve.
“Yes!” he answered emphatically, “It’s too much of a coincidence that they send us into the woods and then all of a sudden the trees catch fire.”
“Could just be the weather,” she ventured and he turned his head and glared at her. He’d suddenly become an expert on forest fires and had quite clearly told her there was no way this was an accident. He turned back to look where he was going, but it was a little too late and he stumbled on a tree root, which set him off on another tirade of muttered curses.
“Carter! Carter, wake up!”
She groaned and rolled onto her back. Surely it couldn’t be time for her watch already? She felt like she’d only been asleep for a few minutes.
“What’s going on?” She rubbed her eyes, trying to clear her vision, and noticed it was much brighter than it should be, considering he was waking her up in the middle of the night.
“We have to move, now!” He was already packing up their stuff and the urgency in his voice brought her to full attention. “There’s a fire. Get up.” She moved quickly out of her sleeping bag and pulled on her boots, grateful that it had been warm enough for them not to bother with the tent.
Before she knew it, they were ready to move, everything they’d brought with them safely stored in their packs. He took point and they began to move in the direction opposite to the fire; and that’s when she realised the fire was between them and the village.
“Uh...sir?”
“Yeah, I know. I’m hoping we can find the other end of these trees and double back around.”
She glanced at her watch; that had been ten hours ago and they hadn’t stopped for more than a few minutes at a time since. They’d eaten power bars while they walked, unable to stop for real food, and were running low on water. The blaze continued on behind them and what little sky she could see through the canopy of the forest was bright blue and clear; they couldn’t even hope for rain to put it out. At least they had the shade of the trees to protect them from some of the glare of the blazing sun, but the heat and humidity were starting to get to her.
Eventually she noticed that the trees were beginning to thin out a little, and she was sure she could see more blue ahead than green. Thank god, they were almost out of here; she didn’t even want to think about the hike back to the village if they had to walk all the way around. The aerial survey she’d seen from the UAV had made the forest seem pretty expansive and she wondered if the Colonel had seen the same pictures she had. She wasn’t about to ask him, absolutely certain she’d get her head bitten off if she did.
They reached the edge of the trees and she was about to breathe a sigh of relief when she heard a loud barking curse from the man in front of her. She stepped out of the trees beside him, and as she took in the sight in front of her, a small “Oh!” formed on her lips.
Stretching out in front of them was a large crystal-clear blue ocean. The rocky shore curved around into a large bay to either side of them, the trees almost up to the shoreline all the way along. As she looked from side to side she saw the flames had spread further and wider than they thought and were making their way towards them from either side. They weren’t in any immediate danger but there was no way they were walking around this.
“Still think this is a coincidence?” he asked archly, pointing to the water where a small wooden boat was anchored, bobbing up and down on the waves. He dug a pair of binoculars out of his pack and began to scan the horizon of the ocean. After a few minutes, he lowered the binoculars and pointed out to sea. “There’s an island a few miles out.” He turned back to survey the forest behind them, then scanned either side of them again. She could almost hear him analysing their options. He let out a heavy sigh, obviously not liking the conclusion he’d come to. “We’ll row out and see how far along the coast this forest stretches, if it’s too far to row around, we’ll take the boat out to the island and wait for the fire to burn out or until we’re rescued.”
She raised her eyebrows, “That’s it? That’s your plan?”
“You want to take your chances back there?” he jerked his head, indicating the direction they’d just come from. She didn’t answer, she didn’t have to; they both knew this was their best option. He stepped down onto the rocks, slinging his pack into the boat, which rocked a little as he did.
“Do you think it’s sea-worthy?” she asked, even as she followed him, eyeing the rickety vessel with suspicion. He didn’t answer, just gave her an exasperated look. Right, no other options. She sighed heavily and stepped into the boat, taking his outstretched hand for balance. With their packs in the boat, there wasn’t much room; they were going to have to take turns rowing. He shrugged his jacket off, slipped on his shades and automatically took up the oars, motioning for her to untie the boat from where it was moored at her end. She took her jacket off too and the cool sea breeze felt wonderful against her overheated skin.
“Get some rest,” he ordered, “We’ll switch in a couple of hours.”
***
She woke to feel the heat of the sun blazing down on her and the gentle rocking motion of the boat almost lulling her back to sleep. She stretched out her arms and rolled her head; her muscles were aching already and a tiny wooden boat was definitely not the most comfortable place she’d ever taken a nap. She rubbed her eyes and sat up, squinting in the bright sunlight reflecting off the water. Jack was still rowing, but he looked exhausted. Every pull seemed like too much effort, sweat was dripping from his brow and soaking through his t-shirt, and he grunted with exertion between deep breaths. He paused, resting his forearms on the oars and gave her a weak smile.
“Feel better?” he asked.
She nodded truthfully. The sleep had done her some good, she didn’t feel like she was going to drop at any moment anymore, but she was still too hot and her mouth was too dry. She picked her canteen out of her pack and slowly took a few sips, then glanced at her watch. Damn, she’d been asleep for almost four hours.
“Why didn’t you wake me?” she asked.
He shrugged his shoulders. “You needed the rest; you didn’t get much sleep last night.” He was still breathing too quickly.
She motioned for him to move, “Time to switch, sir.” He didn’t argue, just carefully manoeuvred himself to the opposite end of the boat while she did the same, both of them trying not to rock it too much. She settled into position, flexing her grip on the oars and, bracing herself for the journey ahead, began to row. It wasn’t easy; the weight of both of them, plus all of their gear, was more than she’d expected it to be and she felt a sudden pang of guilt for resting so long.
There was a time when such a comment from him would have her bristling in irritation, stepping up on her feminist soapbox and ready to prove herself; these days she felt no need to, she’d learned quickly that he respected her just as much as any of the men he worked with, and if he was looking out for her, protecting her, it was in no way because he thought she wasn’t as strong as him.
He stretched out as well as he could, letting out a low groan as he straightened out his back and she winced in sympathy as she heard his knees pop at the change in position. He took a sip of water and she watched as his body slowly unwound and relaxed. He picked up their second canteen and poured all of their remaining drinking water into one before dipping the empty one into the ocean, pulling it back out and pouring the cold water over his head and neck. He shook his head, scrubbed a hand through his hair and grinned at her. “Much better, but I'd rather jump in.”
She laughed softly as he looked longingly at the rippling water beneath them. He tried to lie down, but the boat didn’t really accommodate his six foot two frame, so he settled for as close to lying down as he could manage and closed his eyes. Even if he didn’t sleep, he needed to rest.
It was two hours before he woke and she had to wonder at how he did that. He always kept perfect time in his sleep off-world, always waking for his watch without an alarm and without fail, no doubt trained into him during his years of black ops. He stretched out his arms and blinked the sleep out of his eyes, sitting up, instantly awake and alert and glancing over her shoulder.
“We’re almost there,” he said and she nodded. She’d been checking over her shoulder periodically and had been relieved when the island finally seemed to be getting nearer. She could make out a few details of the approaching shoreline; a long stretch of sandy beach fading into luscious greenery, a few rocks scattered here and there amongst the breaking waves and absolutely no sign of habitation. If they weren’t on an alien planet and about to be stranded, she would’ve thought it the perfect spot for a vacation; a true untouched paradise. She had been unsure about his vague plan of action, but as she’d watched the burning forest they’d left behind expand along the coast, stretching far beyond her eyesight, she knew he had been right. There was no way they would’ve been able to walk around; this really was their only option for survival.
They took rowing shifts of thirty minutes each for the rest of the way and eventually felt the bottom of the boat skim across the sand underneath the water. They jumped out, heaved the small boat into shallower water and secured it to one of the rocks before unloading their gear and dumping it down on the beach, well above the tide mark and out of reach of the breaking waves. She stretched, the muscles in her arms and shoulders burning from the exertion of the day, but they had much more to do before nightfall.
Jack clapped his hands together, “Ok, first thing we need to do is find water, we’re almost out.”
She nodded wearily. “Yes Sir.”
“I’ll go see if I can find anything,” he nodded towards the trees, “Start making camp.” He picked his vest up and pulled it back around him, clipping his P90 to it and securing his radio in its pocket. He tapped the radio with his fingers, “Contact every ten minutes.” Then he grabbed their canteens and made his way into the trees.
He was gone almost an hour, returning just as it was beginning to get dark. She’d made camp, organising their respective kits, bedrolls and sleeping bags, and building the makings of a fire for cooking their MREs. She was starving and knew he had to be too. He handed her a full canteen of water and she dropped a purification tablet in it before taking a long drag and letting out a satisfied sigh.
“There’s a spring back there, and a stream leading to a pond,” he said, taking a seat on his bedroll. So they had fresh water for drinking, and clean water for bathing. “I also found a cave,” he continued, extra shelter if they needed it, “And there are tons of little animals running around that look a bit like rabbits, so we might have a food source too, if we need it.”
They spent a comfortable few hours on the beach managing to finally cool down by slipping off their boots and bathing their hot feet in the cool lap of the surf. She was amused at the sight of them both paddling in the water, pants rolled up to their knees like children, but it felt wonderful after their long slog today and she couldn’t remember the last time she’d seen him smile like that. The genuine, childlike happiness on his face made her wistful for the days when things were so much simpler between them, when their friendship was just that and not tainted by suspicions, interspersed with so many things they just did not talk about. When they could just enjoy each other’s company and not worry about who was watching them and what they might read into a smile or a casual touch.
The air had cooled as darkness fell and by the time they’d eaten and cleaned themselves up, they were both too tired to do much. He insisted on keeping a watch rota going, just in case there was anything dangerous on this island that they hadn’t discovered yet; they could explore more tomorrow, for now, they both needed to rest.
***
The night was thankfully uneventful and when she woke in the morning, the first thing that she noticed was that the stretch of forest they’d left yesterday was now almost completely engulfed by flames, and still spreading further. It had been quite a sight in the dead of night; the towering inferno reflecting red and orange light over the calm water had been almost hypnotic.
They spent the morning exploring their immediate surroundings and discovered that the island wasn’t all that big. It was a couple of miles square at the most and they hadn’t found a single thing that could be construed as threatening. The cave he’d discovered was small and way back in the middle of the land mass, carved into the rocky cliff face of a small hill. It seemed as if it might have been used as a dwelling at some point: there were scorch marks on the floor near the entrance as if a fire had burned there, and piles of old, very dry wood in one corner.
“You know, this almost looks man-made,” she mused as one hand skimmed across the smooth surface of the rock. The shape was too symmetrical, too perfect, and its sheltered position in the trees made her doubt that it could have been caused by some kind of erosion.
“Oh this is so not a coincidence.” His eyes followed the same line hers had and he shook his head. “I just don’t see why they’ve done this.”
“Maybe...Daniel interpreted it wrong and it really is some kind of ritual, something more than just camping in the woods.” She winced. If they were being tested in some way, their stay here surely wasn’t going to be easy. He was muttering under his breath again and she tried to tune him out, leaving the cave and taking point, smiling slightly when he followed her without question. She wasn’t completely unaware that he’d been doing that more and more over the last couple of years; letting her take charge, even letting her make command decisions. At least their professional relationship was still heading in the right direction; he was grooming her for her own command, she knew that, he wouldn’t be at the SGC forever.
She made her way back to the beach and settled her gun on the ground, double checking the safety, and then tugging her vest off. It was hot; even hotter than yesterday, she thought, and the sun hadn’t even reached its highest point in the sky yet. She brushed her sweat-dampened hair away from her face and blew out a breath.
“We should try and make some kind of shelter,” he commented, his eyes lingering for a moment on her flushed skin and then scanning the beach and woods, “We need shade.”
“The tent?” she asked, but he shook his head.
“That’ll get way too hot and I don’t really want to wreck the material in case we need it.” He too stripped down to just his t-shirt, then he pulled his knife out of its sheath and made his way to the tree line. She followed silently. “Ok, we need some kind of a frame and something to cover it with.” He looked upwards. “Think you can climb up these trees if I give you a boost?”
She looked up; the trees were almost shaped like palm trees, but weren’t as tall, and she thought she might be able to reach and pull herself up. “Yeah I think so.”
“Good, we need some of those big leaves.”
She placed her boot on his linked hands and he lifted her easily until she grasped the tree, making sure she had a solid grip before he let go. She shimmied as high as she could, took out her knife and began to cut the waxy leaves at the stem. She heard him moving around below her, hacking at a few of the smaller plants and she was careful not to drop the leaves on him when she let them go. Working together, they managed to collect enough timber to construct a small wooden frame between two of the trees and enough leaves to lay on top of it for shade.
He surveyed the pile of building material in front of him and clicked his fingers. “We need something to fix it all together. Don’t suppose you have a hammer and nails in your pack?” He was smiling, grinning almost and she shook her head, pleasantly surprised by his better mood today.
“No sir,” she laughed.
“Duct tape?” She shook her head again. “Rope?”
“I’ll see what I can find.” She tipped her pack out onto the sand, rifling through her belongings, and found a pack of tie-wraps she’d forgotten all about. She snatched them up and triumphantly handed them over to him.
“Excellent,” he exclaimed, still grinning. In no time, using the wood, leaves, tie-wraps and a few vines he’d found on the forest floor, their shelter was up and secure; and when she stood underneath it, she had to admit it provided a lot of relief from the burning sun.
She re-packed all her gear and scooped up the clothes she’d been wearing yesterday. “I’m gonna go wash these,” she said, “Want me to do yours too?” He looked surprised at her question, but nodded his assent, handing her his pants and t-shirt from the day before and she smiled a little when she realised he hadn’t handed over his underwear.
She made her way to the small, sheltered pond they’d found, leaving him on the beach, and busied herself washing their clothes, faintly bemused at carrying out such a domestic task as doing his laundry. She smoothed the clothes out on a rock that was in clear view of the sun, where they would dry in no time in this heat, and eyed the inviting-looking water. Scanning the trees, making absolutely sure he hadn’t followed her, she stripped down to her tank top and panties. She briefly thought about going further, but decided against it; if he did come looking for her, she didn’t think she would ever live down the humiliation of him catching her skinny dipping. P3X 595 had been bad enough all those years ago and she barely remembered that.
The cool water felt wonderful against her hot skin and she made her way into the middle of the pond, ducking her head and shoulders under the water. It was the first time she’d felt comfortable since they had left the forest, and she thought that maybe, just maybe, this situation they’d found themselves in wasn’t so bad after all. They’d definitely been in worse over the years, and the surprising shift in his mood offered her a little hope that this could possibly even be good for them; it might offer them a way to reconnect, to fix an ailing friendship.
***
When she made her way back to the beach, she found the colonel sitting under their new shelter, shaping a long stick with his knife. She settled next to him, placing their fresh, folded clothes between them.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
He grinned and nodded towards the roll of thin wire on the floor by his side. “Making a fishing pole,” he said, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
“Do you always carry fishing wire off-world with you?”
“Yup, never know when you might need it,” he answered sincerely and she rolled her eyes.
“You’re actually enjoying this aren’t you?”
He dragged his attention away from his hands and to her, “You gotta admit there are worse places to be stuck.” Oh yeah, she could think of a few. “And there are definitely worse people to be stuck with.” He grimaced and she knew he was thinking about the last time he’d been stranded off-world.
She raised her eyebrows, “Such a compliment sir, that you’d rather be stuck with me than with Maybourne.”
He cleared his throat and looked out to sea, “Yeah well...just don’t go crazy and try to shoot me ok?”
“I’ll try not to sir,” she said with a smile.
They lapsed into a comfortable silence; all she could hear was a gentle breeze rustling through the trees and the sound of the waves breaking on the shore. Being near the ocean always reminded her of her childhood years spent in California; long days spent playing in the sand and sea, soaking up the bright sunshine. She watched him work beside her, whittling the piece of wood down to a smooth, even surface. They hadn’t been this comfortable with each other in months, the tension between them almost unbearable at times, but they always seemed to have a way of putting all that aside if their survival was at stake. Just the two of them, working together, had a certain camaraderie that couldn’t be matched by anything else.
“It’s a nice beach,” she mused.
“Yeah, it is.” His hands dropped into his lap, his work momentarily forgotten as his eyes scanned either side of them, taking in their surroundings, “Reminds me of Maui.”
She laughed, “What is it with you and that place?”
He bowed his head and she saw a sad smile pass across his face, “Uh...honeymoon,” he answered simply and she closed her eyes, berating herself for prying.
“Sorry,” she said quietly. The quiet tension stretched between them again; they never talked about the fiercely guarded details of his personal life, especially his life before the SGC. Come to think of it, they didn’t talk much at all these days, and she wasn’t even going to try and kid herself that she didn’t know why.
“And I thought it was just the tiny bikinis,” she joked, trying desperately to lighten the mood, and was gratified by a sharp laugh from him and a wide smirk crossing his face.
“Well there’s that too,” he turned his head and waggled his eyebrows at her. “Don’t suppose you happened to bring a tiny bikini with you?”
She felt the flush in her cheeks and lowered her head to hide her smile. “No sir,” she said softly.
He was quiet for a moment and she could still feel him looking at her, until he cleared his throat and turned away. “Danny and Teal’c should be back tomorrow,” he noted, his gaze focussed across the ocean at the still expanding forest fire.
“Doubt there’s much they’ll be able to do,” she said.
“I thought it was my job to be the pessimist?” He turned his head towards her, his expression serious as he spoke his next words, “We’ll be alright Carter.”
***
The first thing Daniel noticed when he stepped out of the Stargate was the huge fire raging through the woods next to the village. The second thing he noticed was the huge smiles breaking out across their delegates’ faces. He frowned.
Over the last three days, he’d managed to pick up a lot more of the alien language, and conversation was flowing much more easily than it had when they left here. He was about to ask Gamada and Abeeku what they were smiling at, but they bounded down the steps leading up to the gate and ran to the village. He and Teal’c followed quickly, confused even more by the excited chatter that greeted them and the animated way Badru, the village’s historian, was gesturing at the fire, the same wide smile on his face. None of the villagers seemed the slightest bit concerned about the danger they might be in, and their leader, Sarki, greeted Teal’c and Daniel warmly.
His eyes scanned the gathering crowd quickly and he saw Teal’c do the same, but there was absolutely no sign of Sam or Jack.
He managed to get Gamada’s attention, “What’s going on?” he asked and again Gamada smiled brightly.
“It is ‘Loshar’,” he exclaimed, and Daniel turned the unfamiliar word over in his mind, but couldn’t translate it. “Your people have done us a great honour, we shall be forever grateful.” He bowed his head solemnly and Daniel felt an instant rise of panic.
“Where are Jack and Sam?” he demanded, and he saw Teal’c stiffen at his tense posture and the mention of their names. Gamada grinned, as did most of the crowd, and a low murmur rippled through the throng of people.
“Do not worry; I’m sure they are safe. They should have made it to the honeymoon island by now.” Laughter broke out amongst the gathered villagers, followed by whoops and hollers and obscene gestures that left very little to the imagination.
“Honeymoon?” Daniel sputtered and drew a hand to his forehead. “Oh boy.”
“DanielJackson, is there something wrong?”
“Oh yeah,” he answered, “Jack’s gonna kill me.” How could he have interpreted this so wrong? He cast his mind back to three days ago, picking apart Sarki’s words; he was almost positive nobody had mentioned an island of any kind and absolutely certain he hadn’t heard any words that translated as “honeymoon”.
He addressed Sarki directly, “Can you please explain this to me?”
The chief nodded and gestured towards the smiling historian, “Badru will explain.”
Badru lead them to his home, thankfully away from the hyped-up crowd of people. They stepped into the cool building and Badru pulled out a well looked after, but very old looking scroll, unrolling it to show Daniel an intricate pattern of pictures and script. It was quite breathtaking.
“The ritual of Loshar is legendary amongst our people,” he began, “We ask all our visitors to participate, and only those who are worthy will become our friends.”
“I was sure Sarki said they just had to stay in the woods for three days...” Daniel began, and Badru nodded eagerly.
“That is all we usually require, it is a test of strength, ingenuity, the ability to survive, but none of us even thought they could...” he swallowed and Daniel was a little alarmed at the tears welling in Badru’s eyes. He placed a hand gently on Badru’s arm, encouraging him to continue. “The legend tells of visitors from a far off place,” he pointed to the scroll, “It is said that when they arrive they will be our salvation. They will protect us from the return of evil.” He eyed Teal’c apologetically before turning his attention back to the scroll. “The ground will burn for seven days until the great storm comes, and then new life will grow from the ashes. The ones who instigate true “Loshar” will forever be welcomed here.”
“And the island?” Daniel asked, not even sure if he really wanted to hear the answer.
Badru grinned again, “The island was created by our ancestors, thousands of years ago. It is a sacred place where only the most powerful amongst us are allowed to honeymoon. All of our great leaders are conceived there.”
Daniel almost choked. Conceived?
Badru continued, “The chosen ones must journey through the woods and find the vessel on the ocean. They must make it to the island and stay until they have consummated their union.”
Daniel sighed and closed his eyes. They were going to kill him.