AUTHOR: DebiC

EMAIL: dcole6@satx.rr.com

DATE: Feburary 2001

STATUS: Finished

CATAGORY: Action/Adventure Hurt/Comfort

SPOILERS: None

PAIR: None

SEASON/SEQUEL INFO: Third season, no sequel

RATING: PG13 Violence,nudity, and sexual situations.

SUMMARY: On a routine expedition the Team is attacked and Major Carter and Doctor Jackson disappear

DISCLAIMER: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of Stargate(II) Productions, Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions and Gekko Productions. This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money exchanged hands. No copywrite infringement is intended. The original characters, situations, and story are the property of the author. This story may not be posted elsewhere without the consent of the author. Thanks to Madeline for beta reading.

Chapter 1
THE CAPTURE

O'Neill slowly woke up. Something was terribly wrong. He was laying in the dirt. He hurt and he didn't know why he was there. It was quiet, too quiet and he had a headache. As his senses returned, he turned his head to look around.

There was the Stargate. It was nonfunctioning now, through it he could see sky and trees, but he remembered that it had brought his team here. Canting his head more to the right, he saw the unmoving form of Teal'c sprawled on the ground. Jack rolled over and managed to sit upright. The large Jaffa warrior was lying on his back in an uncomfortable looking position. His other two team members Samantha Carter and Daniel Jackson were nowhere to be seen. The Colonel crawled towards his remaining team-member on his hands and knees. When he got to Teal'cs side, he checked the big man for life signs. His pulse was strong and his breathing was good. As Jack put his hand on the Jaffa's forehead, Teal'c opened his eyes and blinked uncomprehendingly at him.

"Where are the others, O'Neill?" Obviously he wasn't going to be any help in figuring out the mystery.

"Don't know." Jack helped steady his friend in sitting up. "I woke up and it was just you and me." He rubbed his face with both hands. "Daniel and Carter were both with us, right?"

"Yes, they were with us as we came through the Chappa'i." Teal'c slowly got to his feet and reached for his staff weapon. "Some force then struck us down." He frowned at the effort of remembering as he extended a hand to his Colonel to help him get up.

"Well, where are they?" The older man asked frustratedly as he climbed to his feet, dusting off his fatigue uniform and picking up his automatic weapon. He walked around in a circle looking intently at the dusty, dry ground. "Can you tell anything by the signs?"

Teal'c joined the Colonel. He knelt down and looked around, casting for sign. There were some depressions in the soft ground. "Here. Here is where Majcarter and Danieljackson lay when we fell." He indicated some marks in the smooth dirt. "And here is where they were picked up."

O'Neill followed the Jaffa's lead. "Did someone carry them off, or were they...'beamed up' or what?

Teal'c squatted down and looked closely at the marks. "Here are footprints of soft-soled shoes. Someone carried them...to there. He indicated an area of disturbance on the ground. "A craft was used to take them."

O'Neill followed Teal'c to the area where all ground markings had been blown away. The ground itself appeared to have been burned. He knelt down and touched the scorched dirt marking. "I've never seen anything like this." He looked up at the big warrior. "What kind of craft?"

"It travels on a pad of air. I do not know your name for it." Teal'c looked thoughtful. "But it leaves no tracks only these markings at the start and the end of the journey."

O'Neill holstered his weapon and stood with his hands on his hips. "Why? Who would take them, I mean only Carter and Daniel? Why not us?"

"I cannot say. Perhaps... they did not want us." Teal'c looked around. "This is not a goa'uld transportation device O'Neill. Someone else did this." Jack looked at him. Teal'c thought a moment, then continued speaking. "They could have been taken by someone who does not know or care who they are."

"You mean they were kidnapped!" Jack looked angry. "Why?"

"Yes, O'Neill." Teal'c stood up. "There are beings that would take Danieljackson and Majorcarter for their value alone."

"Why?" The Colonel glanced at his team member. "So why not take us?"

Teal'c turned to look at his leader. "I am a Jaffa. Traditionally we 'belong' to the goa'uld. And, you are older than the others, therefore less valuable a commodity."

. "I'm not that old." Jack grumbled and made a face at him. "Wait a minute...you mean commodity...like property...like slaves?" He looked down at the scarred ground again. "Can you track this?"

"O'Neill. I can track them, but this would be a large well armed party. We two would not be enough to free them." The Jaffa shook his head unhappily.

"We need help here, don't we?" O'Neill looked worriedly in the direction that the marks led until they disappeared.

Teal'c only nodded at his Colonel.

O'Neill turned towards the Stargate. He absolutely hated this feeling of helplessness; he hated not knowing where Sam and Daniel were and he definitely hated leaving without them; but he would be back and not alone."

* * *

The Stargate opened and two figures emerged at a quick and determined pace. General Hammond left the control room and met Colonel O'Neill as they came off the ramp. "What happened? "He demanded. "Where's Doctor Jackson and Major Carter?"

Jack O'Neill jerked his fatigue cap off his head and angrily slapped it on his leg. "I don't know. It was a set up! They're gone, someone took them!" He looked up at his superior officer. "Request permission to form a search team and return to the planet."

"Calm down Colonel O'Neill. What exactly happened? The General was all too familiar with this look from his second in command.

O'Neill took a deep breath. "We exited the Stargate and bam, the lights went out. When we woke up...Danny and Sam were gone!"

"Gone where?" The general was beginning to understand O'Neill's agitation.

"That's the problem. I don't know!" O'Neill almost shouted. He was becoming more frustrated. "They were just gone. Someone knocked us all out and took Carter and Jackson." He looked at his Commanding Officer and friend. "I've got to go back for them!"

The General nodded, acknowledging Jack's feelings. "Jack, settle down. We can't go running off half cocked here." The General raised both his hands between himself and the emotional Colonel. "Teal'c, what's your opinion?" Hammond queried.

"As O'Neill says, We were rendered unconscious by some unknown force and when we awakened our teammates were missing." He paused. "We found sign of a craft or crafts, but we were unable to track them. We fear they were 'kidnapped'. The Colonel decided we needed 'backup' and I agreed." He looked down at the General. "We are most anxious to resume the search."

"Of course you are. But we still have no idea who these kidnappers are or why they've taken our people! " O'Neill just looked at his Commanding Officer with a stony eyed glare. General Hammond made his decision and glanced up at the control room personnel. "Scramble SG-6, Search and Rescue. Priority mission."

As the sounds of his people running around in efficient organization faded into the background, General Hammond gestured O'Neill and Teal'c towards the newly arrived Dr. Fraiser and her team. "Before you leave Jack, let the doctor give you quick once over." As Jack opened his mouth to protest, Hammond waved him down. "You were rendered unconscious. Let's try to find out why. When the Search and Rescue team is assembled you can leave." He glanced at Frazier. "Doctor, please make it quick."

"Of course, Sir." The petite brunette doctor met the Colonel with curiosity written all over her face. "Where's Sam and Danny?"

* * *

The two remaining SG-1 members allowed themselves to be led to the infirmary. Once there Dr Fraiser went straight to work. "Were you knocked out physically or did you just lose consciousness?"

"We just passed out Janet." O'Neill answered quickly, pulling off his outer shirt. "Can you hurry; I need to get back there." He jumped up on the exam table and stuck out his arm in her direction.

"I know you do. Now sit still and let me take your blood pressure." She quickly stuck a thermometer in his mouth and applied the cuff to his proffered arm and timed his pulse. "High."

Jack removed the instrument from his mouth. "Ya think! C'mon Janet. I don't have time for this."

"Colonel, sit still and let me finish this and it will be a lot quicker." Fraiser put the thermometer back in his mouth. "Do you have a headache?"

"Not until I realized they were gone!" He groused. "Then I got a headache!"

She glanced over to the next bed where a corpman was working with Teal'c. The Medic shrugged. "He's fine, Doc."

Dr, Fraiser pulled out her penlight and made a move towards O'Neill's face. He gently pushed her hand away and removed the thermometer again. "I'm fine, he's fine." Jack slid off the table and stood in front of the doctor handing her the offending instrument. "We're both fine. But Danny and Sam aren't fine. They're missing and we're leaving." He picked up his fatigue shirt and slipped it back on over his black tee shirt. Teal'c copied his movements. The corpman just stood back.

Dr Fraiser, however, stood her ground.. "Do you even know where to look?" She asked worriedly.

"No. But we know where to start. Then we'll follow it to the finish!" He reached down, grasped her by the shoulders and gently moved her out of his way. "Goodbye Janet."

"Jack," He turned at his name. "Find them, Jack!" Her last words followed them down the hall and lingered in the air.

* * *

Hours later, O'Neill was sitting on a large rock watching SG-6 set up the camp for the night. His head ached and his heart hurt. Teal'c came up behind him with a canteen. "You must rest O'Neill."

"Damnit! Where are they?" The Colonel was not tired, hungry or thirsty. He was mad, worried and frustrated. "We need to keep going." He glanced over at the campsite and scowled.

"Where, O'Neill?" The warrior felt the same way but was trying to keep it in perspective. "Where shall we search tonight in the dark?" He handed the water to his leader then sat down on a rock across from him. "If we continue, the tracking would only prove to be a hazardous guess."

Jack stared down at the canteen in his hand. "Yea, but why were they taken?" He looked up at Tealc'. "Why them?"

The dark skinned man tilted his head a moment, thinking of the two missing scientists. He spoke slowly and quietly to his friend. "Majorcarter and Danieljackson have more things in common with each other than they do with us." He moved to the rock next to O'Neill. "They are both fair skinned, they are both light haired, they are both young and they are both 'attractive'. They would both draw attention in a crowd."

Colonel O'Neill looked at him and nodded. "Then what you are saying is that someone took 'em because they're both good looking!"

"It is possible." Teal'c spoke. "I believe that we are in a part of the galaxy that is frequented by slavers who capture innocents and sell them to others for their pleasure." He shook his head. "It is not unheard of even among the system lords. Occasionally it is a source of hosts."

"Well, where are these people?" Jack stood up and started pacing. "Why can't we find them and say 'Hey, those are my two geniuses and I want 'em back. You can't have them! I need 'em to save the flaming galaxy from snakes!"

"The victims are not usually sold on the planet that they are captured on, O'Neill." He replied. "Most of the time they are removed to other worlds where they are not so likely to be recognized and claimed by their people."

"And that leaves us where, Teal'c." O'Neill turned around and threw his hands up in the air. He spun on his heel to face the Jaffa. "There are millions of planets out here. Where the hell am I supposed to look for them?"

Teal'c could only shrug helplessly. "I don't know O'Neill. I only know that we must search. Perhaps we can catch up with them before they reach their ship."

"A ship!" O'Neill ran his hands over his face and through his short graying hair. He looked up at the Jaffa with dispair. "They have a ship?"

"I do not know for certain, but it is a possibility." Teal'c continued. "Our best opportunity is to find them before they leave the planet."

Jack tilted his head back and looked up at the stars. They were different from the ones at home. These weren't friendly. They were cold.

Chapter II
THE JOURNEY

Daniel Jackson woke up to the rocking of the hard 'floor' of their cage. As he rolled over onto his back and opened his eyes he saw Samantha Carter lying next to him. He propped himself up on one arm and touched her face. The slender blond woman was breathing easily and appeared unharmed but was unconscious. As he looked around he noticed to his dismay that they were in a cage with metal bars that was balanced on some sort of trailer. It was being towed along in tandem with several others also carrying cages with captives in them.

A low moan caught his attention and he looked back down at his teammate. He knelt down next to her. "Ow, what hit me?" Sam said in a low voice trying to focus on Daniel.

"As near as I can remember, we had just come through the Stargate and everything went blank." Jackson answered her. "Some sort of force field maybe." The young man guessed.

Sam tried to sit up and the two of them together managed it by using the bars for support. "Where's the Colonel and Teal'c?" She looked around at their surroundings.

"I don't know. I haven't seen them since I came to here." He shook his head. "But I would think that they got caught in the same thing that knocked us out."

She looked back as far along the train as she could see. "You don't think...?" She looked at her companion in fear of her thoughts.

"I think that Jack being Jack and Teal'c being and Teal'c that they probably got away." Daniel shifted so that he could lean on the bars more comfortably.

"Why are you so sure?" Sam put a hand to her aching head and peered at her companion.

"Because I have to be." The slender archeologist took his glasses off and wiped his eyes; pinching his nose with his fingers. "I have to know that they are looking for us and they're going to make a dramatic entrance and rescue us." He paused looking up at her. "Because that's what Jack does."

"OK." She sat up and scooted over next to him, she tried to smile hopefully. "I like that idea. I just hope they don't take too long."

Jackson looked around at their sparse surroundings and nodded in agreement. "Me too, Sam. Me too."

* * *

The train of cages continued across the barren landscape for several more hours. Daniel and Sam rode mostly in silence, taking comfort in their close proximity to each other. As the sun started to set on the horizon the transportation slowed and then settled down lowering itself onto the dusty ground.

"That's weird." Daniel got to his knees and crawled to the wall of their cage peering over the edge.

"What's weird?" Sam had been almost asleep, lulled by the motion of the vehicle.

Daniel tried to look down between the bars. "We're in, er on a hovercraft." He moved to a different angle and finally sat down in disappointment of not being able to see their transport better. He looked back towards her. "No wheels."

"Are you sure?" She sat up and pushed her blond hair out of her eyes. "I hate to be dense, but what does that mean to us, exactly?"

"It means Sam, that we have been captured by an advanced race." He scooted back over to lean on the bars again next to his teammate. "I initially thought that we had been picked up by some mid level culture natives, but this advanced technology doesn't fit that scenario."

"Why do they have us anyway?" She figured he didn't know but the question had to be asked. "Why us and not the Colonel and Teal'c?"

"The closest thing I have ever seen like this was in Morocco on one of my parent's digs." He shifted to find a more comfortable position. "When I was five or six there was this caravan that came through our camp. I remember my mom and I hiding in the tent until they were gone. My dad said that they were slavers and that they might try to grab us for the market in Arabia." He shook his head. "I remember Mom being very skittish for several days. I went off with one of the local kids and she just about had a heart attack."

"But Daniel, we've never seen any thing of this sort before." She asked suspiciously. "Why now and why us?"

"As near as I can figure, we were taken because of our physical attributes." He counted off on his fingers. "We're both younger, fair skinned, light haired and blue eyed. In a dark skinned society we're unusual enough looking to be valuable." He looked up at his friend with sorrow. "As slaves."

"That doesn't make me feel any better, Daniel." Carter pulled her knees up to her chin.

"I'm not going to lie to you Sam. I'm sorry." Daniel looked up at her over his glasses. "We just have to get away before that happens."

As they sat talking two men had come over to their cage. They were of human type, medium height but more slender than an earth human would have been. They wore flowing robes and turban like headdresses with a face covering attached. They spoke to each other for a few minutes.

Carter leaned over and whispered to Jackson. "Can you understand what they're saying?"

The younger man was listening intently. "It sounds sort of familiar, not Latin or Egyptian, but an Aramaic derivative.

He listened a few more seconds, then said something to the pair. "Hello, can you understand me?"

The taller of the two looked back at him. "Yes, young one. I hear you."

Daniel tried another phrase. My name is Daniel Jackson, we..." He started to introduce himself but the man raised a hand to stop him.

"I do not care to know your name young one. It is not important, and besides you will have a new one soon."

"Why have you taken us?" Jackson tried another tact.

"Why, you are my property. I captured you at the great circle. I found you and your woman. I will sell you at the market to make my living." The man laughed at Daniel's expression. "She is not worth so much, I think. She is too skinny and she is not so young. But you, you are very beautiful and you will bring much at the great tent."

"Where are our friends?" Daniel asked suspiciously.

"One belonged to the great Gods and the other was too old. He would have been hard to train and harder to sell. So we killed them and took you". He laughed at the young man's expression. "But you are worth much to the right buyers." Daniel's heart sunk at this news of their friends. But he needed more information.

"We are free people." Daniel protested. "You cannot sell us."

The robed leader laughed. "You don't look free to me. You look like two slaves on their way to be sold to the highest patron."

"We cannot be separated. We are a mated pair!" He knew he was grasping at straws but they needed to stay together. It was worth a try to convince them.

"Huumm. That is an idea. But...I think you will bring more alone." He laughed again. "I have many customers who will want each of you...but not together."

The other man looked thoughtful. "But Boss, maybe as a breeding pair they would bring much more."

The big man laughed again. "I can get twice more for this one alone." He indicated Jackson. ".at the great tent. Besides, the quicker we separate them the easier it will be for all." He shook his head. "They aren't worth my trouble to find a breeder to sell them too." He waived them off as he turned on his heel and left, his associate following behind him.

Daniel sighed and turned back to Sam. She had been watching the exchange silently but now demanded to know what was said.

"Unfortunately, I was right about them being slavers." The young man said. "I tried to convince him that we were a mated pair to be sold together, but he didn't buy it."

Sam was touched by Daniel's attempt. "Why not?"

"He said that you were too slender and" he looked awkwardly at the floor "He thinks you're too old to bring a high price. So we're to be separated."

She looked a little discomforted by that but then shrugged. "Well, I am over thirty."

"Sam, I got the feeling if you were over 16 you were too old." He looked up at her. "Sorry."

"For what?" She tried to laugh, but it sounded hollow. "For me being too old to be of much interest a slave trader?" She shook her head. "I wish I'd have been forty or fifty. Maybe then he would have left me behind with the Colonel and Teal'c."

Daniel looked up at her worriedly. "I uh, I hope you don't mind..."

"About the pair thing. Forget it. I'd rather we stayed together." Sam acknowledged its importance to them. "It would be easier for the Colonel to find us."

"Me too. But that didn't do a lot of good either." He looked up at her. "He said we're worth more separately than as a pair." Now came the hard part. "Uh, Sam. I have to tell you. He said that he killed Jack and Teal'c."

Her heart stopped for just a moment. "Do you believe him?"

Daniel shook his head. "No, I don't. I think he just said that to discourage us." He reached out to touch her shoulder. "I'll take more than someone like them to finish Jack and Teal'c."

She nodded back at his confidence. "Yea, they're too tough to die from this bunch of jerks."

* * *

Later that evening after a meal of some sort of boiled oat porridge, the two scientists settled down on the floor to sleep trying unsuccessfully to get comfortable. "I guess we're not getting any blankets or anything." Sam commented wistfully as she wrapped her arms around herself..

"No, I guess our comfort is not much interest to our owner." Daniel looked over at her. She was all curled up in a ball. "What's the matter? Are you cold?" He guessed.

"Yea, getting that way." She glanced over at the sun that was almost hidden, dropping behind some far away hills. "It's almost night."

"It always gets cold in the desert." Jackson looked pensive for a minute. "This reminds me of Abydos. It probably will get down into the 40's tonight. You'd better slide over closer." He moved in her direction. "We'll be warmer together.'

She shifted across the hard flooring to get next to her friend and teammate. She leaned up against his chest and he wrapped his arms around her shoulders. As they lay down together they huddled into a spoon position. "Do you snore?" She asked him teasingly.

"I don't know. Neither Sha'uri and Jack ever complained." He answered airily.

"Well, you must not, 'Cause you know the Colonel would have told you."

"Yea, I figured as much." As they lay down, he pulled her closer.

"Daniel."

"Yes, Sam."

"Do you really think they're still alive?" Unbidden, her eyes filled with tears.

"Yes, Sam. I really do." Daniel replied confidently. He pulled her hair away from her neck and whispered in her ear. "Jack and Teal'c are both awfully hard to kill."

"That's true." She nodded to herself. "But I bet he's really mad."

* * *

Early the next morning, Daniel woke from a fitful sleep. He had been dreaming that he was back in Kousuf's tent with Sha'uri lying in his arms. But the hair that his face was nestled in was blond and smelled of shampoo, not the desert herbs his wife had used. He looked around without moving trying to determine what had happened while they had been sleeping. There was not much movement in the camp yet and he was able to study their surroundings in more detail. Sam groaned in her sleep and tried to get more comfortable on the hard surface. She shifted and cuddled closer to Daniel. He couldn't resist placing a kiss on her exposed neck.

She rolled over and sleepily looked at him. "Daniel?"

He blushed and shifted to put some distance between them. "Sorry."

"Don't be. I'm not." She responded.

"It's just we will probably be separated soon and..." He let the sentence go unfinished.

"It's OK, Daniel. Look, you're sweet and if Sha'uri and uh, other things...hadn't happened I probably would have made a pass at you a long time ago. I care a lot about you." She rolled over to look at him, still in his arms. "Do you think she would have liked me?" She asked thoughtfully.

He smiled at the mere thought of his wife. "I didn't know anyone whom she didn't like and who didn't like her." He looked away. "She was the best person I ever knew. I didn't deserve her. I couldn't protect her from the goa'uld and now I can't protect you from this."

Sam reached up and touched his cheek. "She loved you a lot, Daniel. It wasn't your fault."

He shook his head. "No, Sam. That's past. But this is now and they're going to separate us soon. We've got to have a plan."

She nodded. "The important thing is if one of us can get free, we have got to get back to SGC for reinforcements." She placed her finger on his open mouth to stop him from interrupting her. "This is obviously well organized. We have to get back and find out what happened to the Colonel and Teal'c. Then we've got to report back to General Hammond. If they send another team in here without intelligence, this could happen again."

Daniel agreed unhappily. "But Jack said never to leave anyone behind."

"I know, but one person won't be able to stop this." She insisted. "If you can get away, go. Find the Colonel and Teal'c. If you can't find them or they can't help us, then get through the gate."

Daniel nodded unhappily. "Whichever one of us gets the chance, it's agreed."

Later that morning, the caravan started moving again. During the day Daniel was determined that Sam needed to learn a few important words and phrases...just in case she was the one to escape. They sat head to head and Jackson patiently repeated sentences over and over for her. Sam managed to get a few sentences memorized in the next several hours. The linguist wanted her to be prepared in the case that she got free and ran into someone who would help her.

"Here. Practice it again." Daniel calmly repeated the line to his friend again. "My name is Sam. I am a free woman. Take me to the Chappa'i. My tribe will reward you."

"Daniel!"

"Repeat it." Daniel was very stern. "You have to know it. Don't pull a Jack O'Neill on me."

She made a face at him, then started again. "My name is Sam. I am a free woman. Take me to the Chappa'i. My tribe will reward you."

"Perfect." He smiled at her effort not to giggle. "Just remember that and you should be all right.

"Right. All I have to do is escape, find friendly natives, find the Colonel and Teal'c and find the Stargate. Piece of cake. I can do it in my sleep." She made a face at him. "Give me something hard to do."

"Ok, repeat after me. "My name is Sam. I am a free woman. Take me to the Chappa'i. My tribe will reward you."