Title: For Real

Author: Geonn

Pairing: Sam/Vala, Sam/Vala/Daniel

Word Count: 13,946

Category: Drama, AU

Spoilers: Fallen, Affinity, Prometheus Unbound

Disclaimer: Not mine!

Rating: NC17

Author's Notes: The OT3 takes take to show up, but trust me... it's there. Since "girl!smut" was one of the requests, I decided I wouldn't get in too much trouble for exploring the ladies' side of things before I got to Daniel. :D And it's a slight AU, in terms of Prometheus Unbound. I attribute any differences to the differences in Vala's planning this go-round. :D At one point, Vala lists the Earth names of constellations. It's a plot hole, but one I really can't work around without expanding the scene ridiculously. And the fic is already bursting at the seams. So just roll with it. ;-D

Written for: , who requested "Vala/Sam/Daniel, piracy!, some girl!smut would be nice and cute animals." The character death is just a lie and no one gets pregnant. There's a little schmoopiness, but it's off-set by the hot girl sex. I figured 'twas a wash. ;-D

Summary: After a long imprisonment, Sam's memory of her life on Earth feels like a dream. When she escapes with a fellow prisoner, she decides to join up with her rather than to return to the team she remembers as phantoms.

The same hand which had forced her to her knees balled in her hair. Her face was forced upward and she looked into the face of the leader of this world. "What is your name?"

Name, rank, serial number rolled off her tongue like the alphabet song.

"Why did you come here?"

Name. Rank. Serial number.

He slapped her across the cheek and she stumbled, a handful of her hair coming out in the guard's hand. She fell facedown into the mud and spit onto the leader's shoe. The guard grabbed her again and thrust her into the leader's arms. "Bitch," he hissed. "Take her. Remove her clothing and lead her through town in chains. When she is ready to speak, bring her back to me."

The guards dragged Sam to the door.

Day one of her imprisonment had begun.

She remained in captivity for three hundred and twenty-two more days.

-

The Premier's suit jacket buckled snuggled over his ruffled shirt. He smoothed the material with his palm and turned to his advisor. "There are better things for a leader to do with his free time. There simply... must be."

The woman smiled and clasped her hands behind her back. She bowed as far as she could without the seams holding her blouse together popping. "Yes, m'Lord."

He arched an eyebrow and turned to examine the tail of his coat. "I look acceptable?"

"Yes," the advisor repeated.

He turned to her and smiled as he slipped a hand around her waist. "Say we merely make an appearance at this function? Come back here and..." His eyes dipped down to the cleavage revealed in frills and restraining cords, "...get better acquainted?"

The woman blushed and politely pushed him away with white-gloved hands. "Please, m'Lord...! You are a married man!"

"Married in name, married on paper," he said with a raised eyebrow.

She squirmed from his grasp and managed to smile as she did it. "Why do we not see how the party is going?"

He smiled and bowed from the waist. She hooked her arm around his elbow and followed him through the double-doors onto the patio. A man in a bright blue tunic and face-covering mask spotted them and put a hand on his stomach as he announced their arrival. "Premier Augustus and his advisor, the Lady Carter."

The introduction burst across the field and everyone turned to face the mansion. Augustus raised his hand and waved, smiling brightly like every politician ever to hold office, no matter what the world. Sam forced a smile for the crowd and tried to ignore Augustus's hand as it crept down the small of her back and cupped her ass through her gown. "My Lord," Sam whispered without moving her lips.

He tightened his grip and walked her towards the stairs. Sam ignored the claw on her ass and let herself be led onto the grounds. People swarmed them immediately for just a moment of His Eminence's time. Sam stepped to one side to free herself from his clutches, and lifted two champagne flutes from a passing tray. She handed one to Augustus - filling the hand that had just been full of her - and took a sip of her own.

The Premier merely moved his glass from one hand to the other and cupped her again. Sam resisted the urge to belt him and merely sipped from her glass.

The garden had been transformed into a fairground overnight. The five narrow reflecting pools were surrounded by mimes, clowns, jugglers and magicians. Children formed the nucleus of the crowd, while their parents stood a respectful distance away with amused smiles on their faces. The function wasn't about the man pretending to be stuck in a box or the playing card which seemed to appear from midair. It was their being seen on the grounds of the Premier's mansion that mattered.

At the head of the central reflecting pond, the grass had been carefully cultivated until it lay flatter than the surrounding land. Dyes had been used to create white and green squares of a giant chessboard. Sam tried to step away and the Premier was led by his hand to follow her. She walked him away from his admirers, him pardoning his rudeness as he was dragged towards the chessboard.

She scanned the crowd and felt eyes on her. Not because of her outfit; most women were wearing the same split-down the middle, halves-tied together with elastic blouse that she'd been forced to don. They stared because she'd exited the palace on the arm of the Premier, a coup most women in attendance would have worked their entire lives to achieve.

The creator of the chessboard stood off to the side, admiring her handiwork. "It is lovely," Sam called when they were within distance.

Vala turned and bowed reverently. "My Lord."

He tipped his head to her and scanned the grass board. "It looks marvelous, I suppose. But there doesn't seem much of a point, now does there?"

"Not at first glance," Vala said. She was wearing green overalls that allegedly allowed the workers to blend into the background. Why should the partiers be interrupted by the knowledge others were toiling on this hot day? She gestured at the board and said, "It is Jess."

Sam resisted the urge to instantly correct her. She hesitated and said, "I believe your work request referred to it as 'chess,'" she said.

"Ah. Right. Chess," Vala smiled. "I always get those two confused..." She cleared her throat and said, "I would be honored if my Lord would wish to participate in a demonstration of a game. It's really quite catching."

He glanced at Sam and realized he'd have to unhand her hind quarters if he were to play. He was about to demure when a woman behind him said, "Let us see this demonstration."

The Premier's hand left Sam's ass as quickly as if he'd been swatted. He turned and smiled to his wife. "Annabelle!"

She turned her pinched lips into a farce of a smile and gestured at the board. "It's looks as if it could be fun!"

"It does require a Premier and a Lady..."

Augustus moved to his wife's side and put his arm around her waist. Sam resisted the urge to check her ass for fingerprints as she moved towards Vala. They exchanged a look and Sam placed her glass of champagne on a passing tray. "My Lord," Vala said. "Perhaps you and Milady could take your positions in the centermost squares? I'm ever-so-eager to see how this game is played."

"As am I," Annabelle said. She wrapped her arm around her husband's elbow and led him to the board. He glanced at Sam with an eyebrow raised, an amused smile on his lips.

Sam returned the smile and glanced at Vala. Vala turned her hand slightly so Sam could see the rules printed on the palm. She made a gathering motion with her unmarked hand. "Could we have the Premier's guards, a few pages and squires, anyone who wants to play should come quickly, quickly!"

Sam turned and ran into the waiter. He attempted to hold his tray upright, but succeeded only in spilling all of the drinks onto himself and the bushes. "Oh, no!" Sam cried.

"Clumsy oaf," Annabelle muttered. She straightened her dress and faced forward, not wanting to give her husband's latest conquest more of her time.

"I'm so sorry," Sam said as she helped the waiter recover his drinks.

"Clean it up and bring replacements," Augustus scoffed. His eyes were again more focused on Sam's cleavage than the mess the waiter had made.

Sam lifted the broken flutes and piled them onto the tray. "Allow me to help you. It's the least I can do."

Vala said, "Let us continue, shall we? There will be time for drinks later. Now... this move is called a gumbutt."

Sam paused on her way out of the garden and shook her head. She smiled at the waiter and escorted him the rest of the way into the kitchen. Behind her, she heard Vala instruct the pawn in front of the queen to move forward two squares.

The waiter dumped his broken glasses into the trash and immediately began refilling new flutes. "Is there a restroom around here?" Sam asked. "I'm afraid the reason I hit you was... nature was calling..."

"Nature, ma'am?" the man said.

"It's... a euphemism where I'm from. The toilets?"

"Through that door, ma'am."

She bowed to him and hurried through the door he'd indicated. Several blue-suited guards remained in front of the doors, but most of them were gravitating towards the windows to watch the most peculiar new game being played in the garden. Sam brushed past them all, counting the doors she passed. Thirteen doors later, she found an unguarded corridor and a locked room.

She gathered her dress in her hands, lifting it until the lacy top of her stocking was revealed. She slipped the key from the lace and opened the door before anyone could notice her loitering.

The room was bare except for a large oil painting of the Premier. He was staring down at her, grim and respectable, as if he knew what she'd come for. She dropped the hem of her dress to the ground and walked to the painting. She ran her hand along the underside and felt for the catch. The painting swung out towards her and revealed a safe.

She entered the code she'd memorized and smiled when the safe door swung out as easily as the painting had.

---

Sam returned to the garden as the Premier moved one square to his right. He looked perturbed, but only someone who knew the game saw the real opportunity. The Premier's team was going to lose in... Sam scanned the board... seven moves. She smirked; Vala had gotten the moves right, at least.

She rejoined Vala at the side of the chess board and smiled. Mission accomplished.

Vala grinned brightly and continued the game. Now that there was no need for distraction, the rest of the moves came quickly. The 'queens' were standing behind the Premier and he had nowhere to go. He scowled at the board and pouted, "Come now, there must be something I can do!"

"Sorry, my Lord," Vala said. "The ladies seem to have blocked you in!"

The Premier's wife and her counterpart from the other team covered their smirks with the fingers of their gloves. The Premiere stepped off his square and forced a smile. "Well! Perhaps we can enjoy this game another day... For now, let us resume festivities!"

The game pieces scattered across the lawn. The Premier clasped hands with some of his teammates, ignored his opponents and scanned the crowd for his newest advisor. His hand ached for that sweet curve of her rear. He eventually searched the entire garden for her, but she was nowhere to be found. Afterward, she never returned to his council chambers and never graced his presence with her face (or her other delectable body parts) again.

It was as if she'd disappeared into thin air.

---

The blouse separated by tugging on the lowest string. The entire thing breathed out like a frontward-facing corset and Sam exhaled. "How do the women of the planet get around in these things? I mean, seriously..." She pulled the string out like a shoelace and shrugged out of the blouse entirely. She was topless, but at least she could breathe.

She took the pilot's seat of Vala's al'kesh and pulled the steering device towards her. As she lifted off, the shielded edges of the ship brushing aside the trees on the edge of the Premier's estate, Vala entered from the back of the ship. She dropped into the passenger seat and lifted her feet onto the console.

"How much did we get?" Sam asked.

Vala ignored the question; she was staring at Sam, her eyes drifting over the blonde's naked body. Sam looked over and rolled her eyes when she saw why Vala hadn't answered. "Vala..."

"All of it," Vala smirked. "Every bloody jewel."

Sam smiled. Four years ago, she never would have considered robbing anyone. But robber barons and tyrants like Premier Augustus, well... she could make exceptions. It seemed like she was making more and more these days.

"We're picking up a transmission from the planet," Vala said. She dropped her foot to the ground and checked the frequency. "Ahh, it's our benefactor."

She answered the call and leaned back in her chair. "Afternoon, my Lady. Or Madame Premier, I suppose I should say...?"

Annabelle smirked. "Well, I highly doubt my husband will remain in power once it's revealed he's lost the crown jewels."

"A third of which have been returned to your chambers. Say a... a beautiful yellow bird dropped them off."

Sam smiled at the compliment.

"Thank you, ladies," Annabelle said. "And apologize to your compatriot for my husband's wandering hands."

"Perils of the job, Madame," Sam called.

"Yes, well. A job well done. And I must congratulate you on succeeding in your mission while instructing us in a most wonderful new game."

Vala looked over at Sam. "Yes... we're just full of surprises, aren't we...?"

"Your signal is breaking up," Annabelle said. "Thank you again, Ms. Mal Doran and Ms. Carter. Your reputation is indeed deserved."

The screen cut out just as they passed through the atmosphere and the signal would have been lost. "Well?" Sam said. "Where to now?"

"Cesar Antares," Vala said. "A good four or five day journey from here. Time enough to count our riches."

Sam put the ship on auto-pilot and stood. "Enough time to rid myself of that Premier's fingerprints?"

Vala got out of her chair and followed Sam into the cargo hold. "We'll see what we can do..." She paused in the doorway and watched as Sam shed the costume of Premier Advisor. She was wearing petticoats and small brown shoes, her chest bare. She removed the curled wig she had been wearing and let her naturally blonde hair fall to the small of her back.

Vala bit her lip and pulled down the zipper of her jumpsuit. "Say what you like about the Premier... I cannot fault his taste."

Sam stretched out on the floor and picked up a handful of gemstones. She turned her palm and let the stones cascade over her naked chest. "Just get over here."

Vala let her jumpsuit drop as she crossed the floor.

---

Sam's nipples were covered by a sea of blue garnets, her navel filled with a green emerald. Vala was curled between Sam's legs, her head resting on Sam's stomach. Her hair provided a pillow and a shawl for Sam's encrusted breasts. Sam touched Vala's shoulder and said, "I think we got all the fingerprints off."

Vala smiled and looked up at Sam. "You sure?"

"Well," Sam said. She drew her leg up and tickled Vala's stomach with her toes. "I guess one can never be too careful..."

---

Vala fell asleep in the cargo hold. Sam covered her with a sheet from their makeshift bed and dressed in an off-white tunic and brown leather pants. When she returned to the pilot's seat, she saw they were right on course to Cesar. Offload some of their ill-gotten gems, party-hearted, get drunk, maybe get laid... Sam's smile faded at the last thought. She and Vala had always been partners of convenience, in all meanings of the word. They slept together when there was no one else to keep them warm.

But at a trading post like Cesar, their pockets bulging with spoils, their inhibitions lowered by drink, she'd find herself alone at a bar while Vala was upstairs in some bloke's bedroom.

Maybe this trip, Sam thought, she could suggest they share a room.

She chewed her thumbnail and watched the hyperspace waves wash over the viewer. Nah. Probably a dumb idea...

---

Vala joined her in the main cabin about an hour later. She was wearing an overlong t-shirt and nothing else. She sat down and crossed her bare ankles on the console again. Sam smiled at her and said, "Morning."

"Mm," Vala muttered. She scanned the controls and said, "We're not on our way to Cesar...?"

"No," Sam said. "We got a message from Tennet O'Voran. He has some refined weapons-grade naquadah he wants to sell us."

"Ooh," Vala said. She ran her hands up and down her arms and said, "I've chills!"

Sam chuckled. "I had to adjust course to get a good signal from him. We'll listen, see what he wants for it and dicker a bit about the price. We'll see what he wants is feasible."

Vala nodded. "And if it's not?"

"Then, on to Cesar Antares," Sam said. "Where we shall enjoy the spoils of our riches in drink and... in pleasures of the flesh..."

Vala smirked. "Mm! Yes." She chewed her lip and turned her attention back to the controls. Another empty night blowing her cash on drinks and ending up under some thrusting bag of bones from some random backwater. It was never as good as it was with Sam, so she didn't know why she even bothered to...

"Vala."

She realized Sam had been speaking and brushed her hair from her face. "Yes? What...?"

Sam pointed at the communication beacon. "Someone's calling."

"Oh," Vala said. She sat up and answered the beacon. "Tennet! Samantha told me we were in your corner of the universe!"

"Indeed you are. Unfortunately, we have heard you may be unable to meet our price."

"And that would be...?"

"Seven hundred thousand terkets."

Vala frowned and glanced at Sam. Sam did the calculations in her head and her blue eyes widened. She whispered, "About ten... closer to eleven times what we have in the cargo bay right now."

Vala's jaw dropped and she looked back at the screen. "That's a bit unreasonable, don't you think, Tennet? I mean, we're your old friends! We're Sala!"

Sam rolled her eyes at the ludicrous bastardization of their names.

"Right. The price stands. If you cannot afford it, there will be no hard feelings. We will merely sell our highly sought-after naquadah to another seller. We came to you first, because... you are Sala."

Sam groaned. Lord help them, it was spreading.

The communication cut off and Vala slapped the screen. "Tentacle-headed piece of grime. I mean, really. Where are we supposed to get that kind of money?"

"We'll think of something. For now... Cesar?"

"Yeah," Vala said. Her face brightened and she said, "Yeah. We'll liquidate the gems, but how about we skip the boozing and whoring about this time? Take the chance to really think about how to pay Tennet's price?"

"Brilliant," Sam said. "Absolutely... yes. Sounds like a wonderful plan."

Vala grinned and leaned back. In the meantime, she and Sam could split the cost of a room. And then... well, who knew where it might lead?

---

The locals called the black market of Cesar Antares Free Rain for good reason. The deeper a person traveled into the circular barrens, the more that was available for purchase; from people, to organs, to renting various body parts in hour-long increments. Sam and Vala never ventured too deep into the barrens. Jewels and cash were the most vanilla thing people could traffic in. The police hardly even looked into the money-changing booths on their way to raid the flesh-peddlers dens.

After they got rid of the Premier's jewels, the two pirates split up to spread some of their new wealth. Sam was the first one back to their small hotel room. A bed and a desk filled the tiny bedroom and what looked to be thirteenth-generation furniture stocked the front room. Sam made sure there was something between her new clothes and the ancient upholstery and laid her purchases on the couch.

A few moments later, Vala arrived with her own armful of bags. Sam came out of the bedroom in a baggy cambric shirt and said, "Find much?"

"Loads," Vala said. She dumped her belongings and wrapped her arms around Sam's neck. They kissed hello until Sam smiled and pushed Vala away. "Did you think of any way we could meet Tennet's price?"

"No," Sam said. She pulled away from Vala and went back into the bedroom. "Show me some of your new clothes."

A row of yellow lanterns hung from the next building and it cast a creamy white-yellow glow into their bedroom. Sam leaned against the wall as Vala undressed. Vala dug into her bag and withdrew a pale purple blouse with plumed sleeves and a plunging neckline. She pulled it over her head without worry of underwear, straightened it and then spun on her heel.

"Well?"

Sam smiled and clapped. "Very nice."

"You look quite lovely yourself, madam," Vala smirked. She sat on the bed and tucked her right foot under her left knee. "Why don't you come over here? Let me get a closer look at that needlework...?"

Sam smiled and walked forward. "I thought these stops were about you getting your groove on with the male population. Getting some of that good, old-fashioned man-love you can't get in deep space."

"It was. It... might not be anymore."

Sam nipped Vala's bottom lip and pushed her down on the mattress. "Really?" Sam asked. Her hands slid into Vala's new blouse.

"I'm not sure," Vala said. Her eyes were closed and she let Sam wet her lips with the tip of her tongue. "Convince me."

Sam sank down onto Vala's body.

---

Sam embraced Vala afterward and kissed the top of her head. "I think maybe I will cut down on the boys," Vala whispered. Her lips brushed the curve of Sam's breast as she spoke and she watched the nipple pebble and harden. "It's much... easier with you."

"I'm easy?" Sam said.

Vala smirked. "You know what I mean. We've spent four years together, Sam. We know each other, we're comfortable with one another... You're even using my accent."

"I'm what?"

"My accent." She lifted her head. "You didn't know you'd picked it up?"

Sam blinked and said, "I... hadn't realized..."

"Four years," Vala repeated as she put her head back down. "I'm sure we've combined into an amalgam of each other. Me dark, you light."

"Yin and yang," Sam whispered.

"Hmm?" Vala asked.

Sam shook her head. She wasn't sure what it meant, but she sure liked how it sounded. Better than Sala, anyway. She ran her fingernails up Vala's spine and felt the darkness to her light shudder in her arms. "Hey," Sam whispered. "Hey, Vala."

"Sam," Vala whispered.

"Make love to me again."

Vala snapped to attention at that.

---

An hour later, Sam moved to the edge of the bed. Vala shifted under the thin sheet without waking and pressed her face into the pillow with a murmur. Sam sat with her hands between her knees and stared out the window for a moment. Moisture, sweat and come and saliva, had dried on her chest and thighs. Vala had humped, licked and sweated on her until their bodies were identically painted with each other.

Sam went to one of Vala's bags and found the bundle of long, thin cigarettes. She slipped one free and pressed it between her lips. She lit it with Vala's matches and took a long inhale as she walked to the window. The smoke burned her lungs, nostrils and eyes and she exhaled into the night.

Down below in the street, someone was kneeling on the sidewalk and gathering the contents of a spilled bag. She counted the paper lanterns swinging in the night breeze outside of their window - seven - and smoked silently. Vala muttered in a dream behind her and Sam focused on the sky.

Four years, she had slept next to Vala. Four years hearing her quiet conversations with dream people. Four years was an age in this case; long enough for their accents to float together and mix so much that she couldn't even hear it. Long enough for her to forget those damnable dreams, but not the lingering sensation that maybe they weren't dreams... images, faces, an entire world and a life that she couldn't just forget. No matter how hard they had tried to force her...

Four Years Ago ~

The cell was barely wide enough for her to lie down. She rested her left shoulder against one grated wall and pressed her bare feet against the opposite side. There was a small window in the door and they used it to drop food and pour fetid water into her cell. She'd been stripped of the clothes she'd worn to this place and forced to wear a ragged tank top and boxer shorts that were dingy to the point of falling apart.

She didn't know how long she'd been there, how long it had been since she was captured. She could still see her friends in the dreams that came. They had disappeared right in front of her and she... was left behind. They never came back for her. They never tried to rescue her. Her captors said that was merely because they didn't truly exist and, before long, she had started to believe that. Because if they did exist... then she wasn't important enough to rescue. So she started to believe that she'd made them up. A vivid fantasy. Much better than the alternative.

What was worse was the forgetting. She remembered hazy things, nothing solid, never solid facts. If that life was real, if she wasn't just making it up, how could she forget her mother's name?

One morning when she woke, the cell next to hers was open. A tall black-haired woman was dumped inside and the door was slammed shut. The newcomer shifted on the muddy floor and pressed her back against their shared wall.

"What did you do?"

The woman jumped at the sound of Sam's voice. "God!" she gasped. "I thought you were dead."

"I've thought the same from time to time."

The new prisoner sighed. "They caught me robbing their town payroll. Trying to rob, I suppose I should say. What did you do?"

Sam thought for a moment and finally said, "I existed."

"Harsh punishment. I'm Vala." She slipped a hand through the bars and Sam merely stared at it. Despite the cuts and scrapes that were barely beginning to heal, the hand was mostly undamaged. Sam found it hard, almost impossible, to believe in anything so pink, so pure and unsullied. She took the hand and bent down. She kissed the fingers.

The other woman laughed and forced Sam to remember laughter. "Well. Can't say I've ever had that sort of welcome. Do you have a name, gentle prisoner?"

Sam fingered the metal tags that hung against her chest. "I think I used to be called Sam."

"Good to know you, Sam." She withdrew her hand and said, "If you think of some way we could get out of this predicament, I'd be happy to listen. Or if you just want to talk. I find imprisonment goes faster when there's someone to talk to. Someone to listen."

Sam smiled. "I had a dream once."

"Ooh, I like dreams. Tell me about it."

Sam closed her eyes. "I was a soldier. An Air Force major named Samantha Carter, fighting for my planet..."

---

She waited until the food was delivered, since they couldn't hear the guard's approach. She knew they left once they dropped the food through the slot, but who knew how long they hovered beforehand? To eavesdrop, listen for escape plots, inside deals or just out of plain voyeurism? The red and yellow fruit dropped in one at a time and splattered Sam's ankles with mud. She picked it up and watched as Vala's food was delivered as well.

When they were alone, Sam said, "I have a plan."

"Let's hear it," Vala said. She wiped her fruit on the leg of her trousers and chipped away at the muddy peel with her fingernail.

Sam slipped her hand through the grating and said, "Give me that."

"You have your own," Vala said. She looked at Sam through the low bangs of her hair and held the fruit to her chest.

"I need both."

"I'm hungry."

"You can eat when we're free."

Vala looked down at her fruit and then reluctantly handed it over. Sam finished peeling it and held the fruit in the palm of her hand. She rolled onto her knees and held the fruit out towards the corner where their cells butted together. She brought her fingernails down and squeezed. The fruit exploded in a fury of juice. Vala cried out and covered her face. "What the hell are you doing?!"

"I accidentally squirted some on the bars yesterday. I don't want to get your hopes up, but..." She hit the bar with the heel of her palm and it buckled slightly.

"Our food eats through metal?" Vala gasped.

"The juice is corrosive," Sam said. "You haven't gotten an upset stomach since you started eating it?"

"Yeah, but... well..."

Sam peeled her own fruit and squeezed it again. This time, she slammed her palm against the sizzling metal as soon as the juices hit.

Vala watched as the two plates of metal parted. "Dear Lord. I am never eating fruit again." She leaned down and helped Sam wiggle the pieces free. When there was a gap large enough, Sam dropped down and slid through on her belly.

She turned and hooked both hands under the edge and lifted it. "Hurry...," she grunted. "I... can't hold it up very..."

Vala squirmed through quickly and Sam let the metal plate drop. Vala wiped her chin and nodded at the twisted edge of their former cells. "Nice. But... what took you so long to do that? I mean, I assume they've been feeding you the same thing since you got locked up."

Sam nodded and walked towards the door. Vala followed her. "So? Why didn't you escape before?"

"Where would I have gone?" Sam said. She turned to Vala, a pair of blue eyes in a sea of mud. Tips of blonde hair stuck out of the grime.

Vala wondered what this 'Sam' looked like under all the grime. Vala nodded and took Sam's hand. She kissed the knuckles, mud and all, and said, "You can come with me, gentle prisoner."

Sam ducked her head and turned away. "I think there's a corridor through here."

Now ~

Vala moaned and sat up, pushing her hair out of her face as she scanned the bedroom. "Sam."

Sam turned from the window and said, "I'm here."

Vala threw back the blankets and said, "I'm hungry. Dinner?"

"Dinner," Sam said. She walked to the bed and handed her cigarette to Vala. Vala muttered a thank you and took a drag. She exhaled a smoke ring and pulled her blouse back on, leaving it unbuttoned as she followed Sam into the main room. Sam had emptied several of the bags and set a few pouches of food aside.

Vala sat cross-legged on the couch and blinked blearily at the preparations. "Blue or white?" Sam asked as she held out the two boxes.

"White," Vala said. She took the box from Sam and puffed her cigarette as she unfolded the top of the box.

"I was thinking about the day we escaped."

Vala smiled. "Good times."

Sam smiled and sat on the floor in front of Vala. "We took that entire payroll," she said. "How much do you think was there?"

"Enough to buy our al'kesh," Vala said.

"You think we could rob another town? Pay off Tennet?" She made a grabbing motion and Vala passed the cigarette to her. She took a drag and coughed before handing it back. "I don't know of anyplace big enough or lax enough with their security to make it worthwhile." Sam poked at her food and tossed a few tubers that looked like scalloped potatoes into Vala's box.

"Thank you," Vala said. She plucked one up and chewed as she thought. "You know... Tennet and his people love ships."

"You want to give up the al'kesh? Half the worlds we visit don't have Stargates. How would we survive?"

"We'd survive," Vala said.

Sam shrugged and fiddled with her food. "The best thing," she said, "would be to steal another ship. Use that to trade Tennet."

"Ideally. How do you propose we steal a ship?" Vala asked. She picked a broccoli-type vegetable from her box and held it up. Sam nodded and Vala fed it to her.

"Thank you," Sam said. She dabbed at her lips and said, "We'd just have to keep our eyes open. Wait for the perfect opportunity to appear."

Vala sat back and her blouse fell open. Sam glanced at her bare breast before tearing her eyes away. "Tennet won't hold onto that naquadah for long."

Sam shrugged.

Vala raised her eyebrows but said nothing.

"So we wait," Sam said finally.

"Yeah. We wait."

Four Years Ago ~

Vala opened the cooler and withdrew a handful of cheese cubes. She spilled them onto the kitchen counter and found a knife to cut them into bite-sized pieces. As she was dividing the segments onto paper towels, Sam returned from the bathroom and Vala got her first look at her former prison-mate. She was struck dumb; the pink flesh, the bright blue eyes, the hair combed away from her face... the mud had been concealing a gorgeous creation. "You certainly clean up well," she said when she was able to speak.

"So do you," Sam said meekly. She looked longingly at the cheese.

Vala held a piece out and said, "You want it? I separated it equally."

Sam tentatively took the piece and smiled. "Sorry... I've gotten used to distrusting people."

Vala shrugged. "You broke me out of prison. I owe you."

"I thought you'd already paid me back for that. Letting me come with you."

"Right," Vala said. "Here's the thing. I don't work with partners... it's nothing personal, but a hundred percent of a take is better than sixty percent." She took a bite of cheese. "You should just go home. Really rip into them for making you rescue yourself."

Sam looked away. "The people holding us told me it was a lie. That I'd been trapped by the force field because I was raving like a lunatic. That I was being locked away for my own good."

"Lies," Vala said simply. "They tried the same thing with me."

"But I..." Sam winced and shook her head. "I can't remember details. What was your mother's name?"

"Adria," Vala said with a bit of venom.

"I don't know mine," Sam said softly. "I think she died. When I was very young. But I don't know how young and I don't know how she died. I... should remember that. I should know that." A tear rolled down her cheek and she covered her face with her hand.

Vala sighed and rolled a block of cheese across her palm.

"Please," Sam whispered. "Let me come with you."

Vala made a face and popped the cheese into her mouth. "Well, we're not going anywhere until we find a way through the Stargate." By the time they reached the Stargate, news of their escape had spread. Four guards were stationed around the dialing device and wouldn't budge until the prisoners were caught. "For the time being, we're stranded."

Sam thought for a moment. "The payroll you were going to rob?" she said as she wiped her cheeks. "How big was it?"

"Massive," she said. "I was hoping to use the funds to get a ship. Do away with this Stargate hopping. There are thousands of worlds out there, millions maybe, without a Stargate. Just ripe for the picking!"

"What if I found a way to rob the payroll and get the Stargate clear at the same time? Would you let me come with you then?"

Vala raised an eyebrow. "Then I would say you'd earned passage with me. At least for a little while..."

Now ~

Sam sat alone in the main room and watched idly as space drifted across the bow of their little ship. She could hear Vala in the back, sorting their new clothes and purchases. Sam was surprised at how organized Vala was when it came to their spoils. She was thinking of jobs large enough to get what Tennet was asking for. Judging by their last few takes, they would have to pull at least four or five big jobs just to get up to his asking price. If he tried to dicker and raise the price, they'd be sunk.

She was starting to think they shouldn't have spent so much on Cesar when an alarm began to sound. She sat up and pushed away her musings as she turned on the small screen next to her console. A ship. A large ship. She killed the engines and turned on the sensors to sweep it for life sizes. Her eyes widened and she called for Vala over her shoulder.

Vala ran in from the back. "What's wrong?"

"I picked something up on the scanner," Sam said as Vala approached her chair. "Something very interesting."

She put the image up on the main screen and Vala's eyes widened. "Now, that is a ship. Have they spotted us?"

"I think we're out of her range, but I can't be sure. I killed the engines as soon as it showed up."

"Who does it belong to?"

"It's not a design I recognize," Sam admitted. Although... something about it felt so... She shook off the feeling of dŽjˆ vu and said, "Of course, I haven't been around as much as you..."

"Watch it," Vala warned as she leaned closer. "No... no, I've never seen a ship like that before. Life signs?"

"Just over a dozen."

"A dozen? That can't be right..."

"They may just be on a shakedown cruise. It could be a new design that they're testing before they devote an entire crew." She shook her head. "A ship that can't be identified on sight, a miniscule crew... we could take them, Vala."

Vala looked dubious, but her eyes widened at the possibility. "You think?"

"You could probably do it alone," Sam said. "Together? They don't stand a chance. We zat the crew and send them over here, we commandeer their ship and take it to Tennet. The size of that thing... we can negotiate for the naquadah and a new al'kesh."

Vala said, "Okay... okay..." Her voice was almost shaking with the possibilities. "We'd need a disguise."

Sam blanched. "Not those hideous costumes you bought last month."

"The art of terror, my dear, Samantha," Vala said. She headed back into the cargo bay and Sam trailed behind her. "You want to get through this with a minimum of damage done to either side, right? The suits are fully functional. They'll protect us from practically any weapons fire. And odds are, the people over there are going to be more willing to shoot us than they are these."

She opened the crate and Sam looked down at the two Kull warrior helmets. She lifted one out and wrinkled her nose at it. "Okay. I'll get changed and you... back us up to that derelict we passed a few light years back. At least make it look like a Super Soldier attack."

Vala smirked. "Why do you insist on calling them that?"

"The scariest monster stops being scary when you give it a stupid name."

Vala nodded. "Ah. Well, then. Mission accomplished. In spades."

Sam slapped Vala's ass as she headed back to the controls.

---

"We need help," Vala's voice said from the speaker. Sam was in the opposite chair, making sure there was the necessary bit of static and breaking up over the line. "We require assistance. Our engines have failed and we've lost power to life support. Repeat, stranded in Plan..."

They had set the distress call in a loop in the hopes that whoever was in that big, beautiful ship was feeling chivalrous. They had gathered all their spoils into a safe, loaded it into one of the ship's life pods and sent it out into deep space with a tracking beacon. Hopefully, no one would stumble over it accidentally in the vastness of space. If they did, the safe would hinder them for a while at least. It wasn't the best solution, but if they planned on stowing the big ship's crew on the al'kesh, they couldn't very well leave their loot lying around.

They'd spent the last half hour in pleasant silence, both of them already dressed in their Kull warrior uniforms. Their helmets and zats were sitting next to the rings in anticipation of the trip to their new toy.

Vala looked Sam over, taking notice of the way her long blonde hair drifted over the shoulders. When they'd met, Sam's hair had obviously been in the process of growing out. Whether she'd cut it herself or if her captors had tried to scalp her, Vala much preferred this style. She said, "You look good in armor."

Sam smiled and said, "Flirt."

Vala held her hands out in a 'what did you expect' gesture and looked back out the window. "I'm glad we spent all that time together on Cesar Antares," she said suddenly.

"Yeah?" Sam said, trying to keep her emotions in check. "You didn't miss your boys?"

"To be honest, those nights we were apart, I usually ended up wishing I was with you. Or that you were there."

"There?" Sam laughed. "Kinky."

"What's so kinky about watching?" Vala asked.

Sam scoffed and shook her head.

"Would you? Watch?"

Sam bit her lip and looked at Vala. She was about to reply when an alarm went off. Vala leaned forward and said, "They're here. They're scanning us."

"Fast little son of a bitch," Sam said. "I think we should add a little to our price for that."

Vala nodded. "We should... They're hailing us."

"This is General George Hammond of the Earth vessel Prometheus. We're answering your distress call and standing ready to assist you."

Sam recoiled and squeezed her eyes shut.

"Sam?" Vala said. "Sam, what is it, what's wrong?"

'No, no, no, no,' Sam yelled at herself. 'It's a coincidence. It's a coincidence. All lies have a bit of truth and none of that world was real. It was all a dream, a dream, a dream.'

Vala was holding her, staring into her eyes. "...it off. We don't have to. Sam! Sam!"

Sam touched Vala's face and grounded herself in reality. "What?" she gasped.

"We can call it off. Turn on the engines and high-tail it back to Cesar and get high and fuck and..."

"No," Sam said. She closed her eyes and said, "No. We go on with it."

"All right. We should get in place."

Sam nodded and turned to disable the rings. "Okay, let's go." She and Vala stood in the center of the rings and put on the Kull helmets. They checked their zats and clasped hands as the rings came to life around them.

The world brightened and then faded into a pale blue room. Sam fired first, taking out the ring operator. Vala walked calmly forward, mimicking a true Kull, and opened the doors to the main corridor. She turned and motioned to the left. Sam nodded and walked to the right.

Vala paused to check the layout of the ship on a computer screen. Footsteps pounded towards her and she turned. As the crew rushed around the corner, she fired the zat. Two of them went down while the other, a muscular man wearing glasses, ducked behind a stack of crates. Vala decided to let him go for the moment; they'd grab him soon enough. She had a general idea of where the bridge was and walked on.

---

Sam swept the corridor with her zat and spotted a handful of people crouched behind consoles. She knelt down and touched one on the arm. She was wearing a patch with a gray triangle hovering in space over pale blue sphere. She traced the stitching and ignored the whimpering of the frightened crewmember.

How could this be? It was all so perfect...

She must have dreamed the future. Dreamed this world, this ship, now. This was her destiny. She stepped back and motioned with her zat for the prisoners to stand. They slowly complied and she stepped back. They filed forward, shuffling their feet to what they suspected would be their execution.

Sam made them stop and drag the crewmembers Vala had zatted into the ring room. Once they were all inside the rings, she hit the activation key and watched them disappear.

Her hand was still on the key when Vala arrived from the bridge. She, too, was herding the bridge crew towards the rings. Sam recognized them from her dream and knew those fearful days in a dirty cage must have been a prophecy.

Sam stepped aside and let them in and sent them away when they were in place. Alone in the corridor, Sam said, "My dream. Of the planet called Earth, of the Stargate Command... it was all true."

"I saw," Vala said in her filtered, Kull voice. "What does it mean?"

"It means we were supposed to be here. To do this."

Vala cupped Sam's helmet and nodded. "I'll need your help on the bridge, then. I don't suppose you dreamt how to fly this bucket?"

Sam followed Vala down the corridor, unaware of the remaining crewmember lurking behind one of the crates. He'd been listening to their conversation, trying to pay attention despite his shock at the realization they could talk to hear their words. Prophecies were always bad news. He checked the energy level of the weapon and followed after them.

---

Sam walked up to the computer monitor on the wall and shook her head. "Unbelievable. I dreamt blueprints of this ship. They were nowhere near this complex, but... it's almost as if I made them myself. I know what all these measurements mean, all these... numbers and words."

She reached up to remove her helmet, but Vala stopped her. "We're not alone," Vala whispered.

"What?"

Vala stepped closer. "I left someone. For fun."

Sam was about to ask what she meant by fun when a beam of light exploded uselessly across the back of Vala's armor. They both turned and Sam said, "Daniel." The word rose to her lips out of habit and obviously caught him off-guard.

"Who...?" he said.

Vala shot him with her zat and he collapsed with an angry cry. They stepped forward and Vala said, "You know him?"

"He was in my dream," Sam said.

---

Vala was still trying to figure out the controls for herself while Sam held a zat on Daniel. They'd strapped him to the captain's chair, fully-clothed (against Vala's wishes) and were just waiting for him to wake up. When he finally stirred, he looked at the zat focused on his chest and straightened his posture slightly. "Hey, how's it going?" he said in a mock-cheery voice. "Guess it's just the three of us, huh?"

Sam and Vala both ignored him.

"It's a little strange, isn't it?" he continued. "See, that weapon I shot you with should have killed you. What's even stranger is you guys don't usually take prisoners. It's kind of kill first and... and, well... that's about it. The killing." He cleared his throat. "Of course, since you guys were talking to each other when I came in, you're probably not the standard batch of Kulls."

He waited for a response and rolled his eyes. "Okay, well, if you're not going to talk to me, I suppose I could just sit here and talk to myself... It's boring, but at least..."

"You may prove useful," Vala said.

Daniel blinked. "Okay. Now we're getting somewhere." He glanced at Sam, who was still holding the zat steady. "Where is everybody else?"

Sam answered, "We transported them onto the al'kesh."

Daniel chuckled. "Well... then, you kept the wrong guy. Because I don't know anything about the ship."

Vala approached him. "But you are very attractive."

Sam and Daniel both looked at her. Vala pushed past Sam and stood in front of the chair. "What do you say?" Vala asked Sam. "Do you think he'd be... worthy?"

Sam felt a hot flush that had nothing to do with her helmet. "You can't mean..."

"I do," Vala said. "Come on. Once we get the hyperdrive up, we'll have a good long trip to... get acquainted with one another."

"Whoa, okay, um... if I could step in?" Daniel said. "Look, I-I'm flattered. Really. I am. It's just that you're... not my type. I'm more than a little disturbed that I might be yours..."

Vala glanced at Sam and bent down. She put her hands on either side of her helmet and pulled. "No!" Daniel said. "Whoa! No, don't!" He cringed and turned away from what he expected to be the Kull warrior's true appearance. Vala smiled as she straightened with a flip of her hair. Daniel relaxed, his eyes wide and confused.

"Don't worry," Vala said. "I'm not going to hurt you."

"Thank God," Daniel gasped.

"Much," Vala added. "I hope."

Daniel rolled his eyes and looked between them. "Since I don't know you... I'm guessing this other one said my name earlier. Do we know each other?"

"Only in dreams," Sam said.

She removed her own helmet and stood proudly before him... until his face registered familiarity. But that wasn't possible. She'd only met him, had only known him, through dreams. If he knew her, then that would mean nothing was right. Nothing was as it seemed. She wanted to beg him not to know her, but it was too late.

"Sam?"

She cracked.

---

Vala found Sam in the commissary, an empty room filled with the scents of past and future meals. She was in the corner, hugging her knees to her chest. If she'd been wearing her helmet, it would have been a hilarious sight. If she'd been wearing her helmet, Vala wouldn't have been able to see the tears. "Sam?" she whispered. "Sam, what is it? How does he know you?"

"I don't know," Sam breathed. "I dreamt this. None of it was real. None of it was ever real. He can't know me."

Vala sat next to Sam and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "He told me your name was Colonel Samantha Carter."

"Colonel?" Sam whispered.

"He said you were a member of his team."

Sam clamped her gloves over her ears and shook her head. "No. No. No."

Vala pulled Sam's hands away from her ears. "He said he saw you three days ago."

Sam blinked and looked at her.

"Three days ago, when you and I were still making love in Cesar Antares. You're not who he thinks, Samantha." She kissed Sam's lips. "So. Why don't we go see if we can figure out this mess?" She stood and reached down. Sam took her hand and stood. "There," Vala smiled. "Better?"

Sam kissed Vala and said, "Let's go talk to him."

---

"I don't have a clue," Daniel said. "Sorry."

"Think, damn it," Sam said. "Four years ago. What happened four years ago? On a planet called Termis?"

Daniel shook his head stubbornly. "I wish I could help you. I really do."

Sam closed her eyes and thought back to the nightmare. It had seemed so real, but now it was like trying to hold a handful of sand. Pieces kept fading and other pieces... just hurt. She began to pace and looked at Vala, who was stripping down to her catsuit out of comfort more than titillation. Sam stared at the muscles rippling below Vala's clothing and used the sight of her body as an anchor to reality, to what she knew. "We were in a building. We were running. Force fields were going up and I was trapped behind one."

"Oh!" Daniel said. "Oh... my God..." She turned. "I remember. P44-823. But... no. No, we didn't leave you behind."

Sam didn't hear him; the memory had taken over. "I gave you the plans to modify the ring transport. Told you to... use the beam to pull me out. I only needed a little bounce, from one side of the field to the other. I felt the beam. I felt you try, I'll give you that much. My God, the pull... it felt like I was going to be torn apart. And then... nothing. You quit. You gave up. And I was captured. They put me in a dark fucking cell and deprived me of food, water, of everything. If Vala hadn't..." She closed her eyes, the sound of her lover's name snapping her out of it.

"Sam," Daniel said. "We rescued you."

"The hell you did!" Sam snapped.

"The transport worked. It pulled you up to the ship," Daniel said. He cut his eyes to Vala, his eyebrows raised and his voice earnest. "Believe me, Sam. You have to believe me, we never would have left you behind on that world or any other. You're back on Earth. You're... a Colonel, you're engaged to be married."

Sam glanced at Vala and shook her head. "What... the hell are you talking about?"

"The beam worked, Sam," Daniel said. "We pulled you up to the ship."

Sam backpedaled until she hit a console with the back of her legs. She yelped and spun around, running from the room. Vala watched her go and tightened the bonds holding Daniel down. "You stay put," she hissed. She ran after Sam.

---

Sam only had a vague destination of "away" as she ran. Her boots pounded loudly against the floor and her vision was blurred by tears. She ran into a doorframe and howled, gripping her shoulder but not slowing. She eventually found herself in a dark room, crew quarters by the furniture, and walked slowly to the window. Vala had used the sub-light engines take them away from the stranded crew on the cargo ship and the stars were lazily slipping past the window.

She walked in her heavy Kull warrior uniform to the window and hugged herself. She saw her reflection and remembered the night, the forest... and Vala.

Four Years Ago ~

The security force had blockaded all roads out of town. Vala had led Sam through the woods to the dirt road they believed would be used to transport the payroll. With only the moonlight as a guide, as they dared not light a torch, they lay down in the mulch and waited for daylight. They started out apart, but cold soon forced them together. Sam fell asleep on top of Vala, holding her tightly to stave off hypothermia.

When dawn broke and dew covered their exposed skin, Vala woke Sam and they crawled on their bellies to the roadside. They waited patiently, face-down in the dirt, until they heard the whine of the payroll truck's engine. Vala started to rise, but Sam stopped her with a hand on her elbow. "No."

"It'll pass us!" Vala hissed.

Sam nodded.

Two black cars came around the bend, driving slowly on the pitted road. They had flashing white lights on their dashboard to illuminate the dying night's gloom and to flush out any interlopers. The payroll truck was next, a squat and heavy truck that seemed ready to sink into the ground. Behind it was one more security car.

Sam patted Vala on the arm and said, "Stay here. You'll know when to make your move." She stood and ran back through the woods.

Vala watched her go and then turned back to the motorcade. "I hope I'm not putting my trust in a crazy woman..."

The cars moved so slowly she could make out the people beyond the windows. The driver of the lead car was eating his breakfast, taking both hands from the steering column to shove another piece of flakery into his mouth. Vala rolled her eyes and drummed her fingers against her cheek. She was about to give up when an alarm filled the air.

She flipped onto her back and realized this was Sam's signal. As she rose from her camouflage, the three security cars swept off the road and headed back the way they came in triple-time. Vala watched in shocked as the payroll truck stopped dead and alone in the middle of the road.

She pulled the collar of her shirt up over her nose and ran into the street. She pulled open the back doors of the van and said, "All right, nobody moves!"

The empty back of the van complied.

The driver turned in his seat and stared wide-eyed at her.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"All the security forces were sent t-t-to guard the Stargate. We figured... it was safe enough with the escort..."

Vala smiled behind her mask and grabbed two bags with each hand. "Well. Next time, I guess you'll know better. Ta!" She pushed the door shut with her elbow and ran.

The town was in chaos when she ran through. An entire boardwalk was in flames and two cars had rammed head-on into one another. The security forces scrambled between the fire and the accident, no one knowing where they should be or what, precisely, was actually happening. Vala laughed and ran on to the Stargate.

One guard remained in front of the dialing device. Before he could spot her, Vala hurled two of the money-heavy bags at him. "Heads up!"

The remaining guard did as instructed and turned his face to the sky. One bag landed smack-dab on his face and he went down like a wet towel. Vala whooped and picked up his weapons as she ran past. "Sorry 'bout the nose, fellow," she said to him. Her hands were trembling as she entered the coordinates.

Small explosions continued to erupt behind her in town. Sam's distraction had worked beautifully - beautifully. It was a masterpiece. Vala pressed the red dome and watched the Stargate come to life. "Brilliant," she breathed. She hoisted the bags and headed for the stone pedestal.

"Wait!"

She paused and turned. Sam was running pell-mell down the dirt road. Her hand was cradled against her stomach, blood leaking through her fingers. Sirens filled the air. "Please, Vala, don't leave me!"

Vala hesitated. She was a step away from freedom. If she waited for Sam, she may get pinched again. What good would that do either of them? Sam had sacrificed of her own free will. Vala should have just saluted and stepped through the blue wall of water. She reached out and put her hand into the shimmering sea. Sam wailed, "No!"

"Hurry!" Vala yelled. "I'm waiting! Hurry!"

Sam picked up a burst of speed, but it wasn't much. She made it to the pedestal and Vala motioned her through the event horizon. "Thank you," Sam whispered.

Vala nodded and ushered Sam past. As soon as she was gone, the dirt road filled with security forces. "Time to go," Vala said. The security man in the lead shouted for her to stop and opened fire. Vala felt her arm explode in pain and fell through the event horizon.

Sam caught her on the other side. "Dial," Vala gasped. "Dial quickly. Sagittarius, Taurus, Monoceros, Cancer, Eridanus, Sculptor and the point of origin... it's a flame. A flame! Go!"

Sam ran to the DHD and input the constellations Vala had named. Vala lay on her back beneath the fist of energy that shot out, smiling as they kept their pursuers from chasing them. "Well. Looks like a clean getaway..."

Sam knelt next to her. "You were going to leave me."

"Yeah. I was," Vala admitted.

"I won't leave you," Sam promised. "Not while you're hurt."

Vala looked up and saw the woman she'd rescued, the trust in her eyes and also the fire. She thought of the Tok'ra who had 'freed' her and was gone in a heartbeat. Would it have been different if he'd stayed? If he'd been there to help when things got... ugly? Vala grasped Sam's hand. "All right. We split the cash; it can be your payment for coming up with the plan and for helping me until I'm better. But after that, you're gone. Got it?"

"Got it," Sam smiled.

Now ~

The reflection of Vala's face hovered into view next to Sam's. Sam looked her and said, "How did you find me?"

"Life signs detector," Vala held up a small black box onto the desk and stepped closer to Sam. "Are you..."

"No," Sam said preemptively. "I'm not real. I'm a copy. A mistake. An error. A--"

Vala silenced her with a kiss. Sam moaned and felt a tear slip free and roll down her cheek. Sam fought her and pushed her away. "No. No. Go away. Leave me alone."

"I won't leave you," Vala said, her voice rough. "Not while you're hurt."

Sam sobbed and pulled Vala to her again. They kissed passionately, Vala working to release the clasps on Sam's uniform without pulling away from her. They grappled and Sam finally broke the kiss to get out of her suit. "Make me feel real," she gasped as she pushed Vala onto the bed. "Please, Vala, I need it." She was still wearing the gauntlets around her wrists and the boots made her look like she was wearing bellbottoms. At the moment, however, she didn't give a fuck how she looked.

She climbed on top of Vala and pulled the shoulders of her catsuit down. Vala arched her back and her breasts slipped free of the tight material. Sam cupped the soft white flesh and brushed her thumbs over the dark nipples. They rose in response and she pinched them between her thumb and forefinger. "I love you," she finally said out loud.

"I love you, Sam," Vala said. She put her hands on Sam's hips and slid down the mattress on her back. She kissed Sam's breasts through her catsuit, licking and raising the nipples against the sheer material. Sam spread her legs to either side of Vala's hips, balancing on her hands and towering over Vala on all fours.

Vala slithered like a serpent, connected to the woman above her by the lips. She kissed Sam's tight stomach and cupped Sam's mound with one warm hand. Sam whimpered as Vala positioned herself between Sam's thighs. "So?" Vala whispered. "Does this feel fake? Like a copy?" She pressed her lips to Sam's pussy lips and Sam howled.

Her tongue, pushing the material of the catsuit against Sam's labia, seemed tripled in size. Sam made fists and pulled the sheet up, bucking against Vala's mouth. Sam came inside her suit and sobbed Vala's name as she collapsed onto the mattress.

Vala slid free of Sam's thighs and crawled to the top of the bed. She held Sam as she wept. "You're real," Vala said. "You're really real."

---

Vala got out of bed some time later and went to the wardrobe. She found two jumpsuits and put one on the mattress next to Sam. "I'm going to go check on the prisoner. See if we can send Tennet a message." She started for the door.

Sam stood and said, "Vala, wait." Vala stopped and Sam walked to her. She slipped her arms around Vala's waist and pulled her close. She whispered in her ear, "If I didn't exist before we met, then I don't exist without you." She kissed the curve of Vala's jaw and released her. "Go check on Daniel. Once we contact Tennet, we'll see about... passing the time."

Vala's eyes sparkled and she slid her hand down Sam's back. "Mm, really?"

"Really," Sam smiled. She kissed Vala and said, "Go on."

Vala separated from Sam and left the quarters.

---

Sam got lost on the return trip to the bridge but managed to call up vague memories of the blueprints she - or rather, the real her - had helped design. As she rounded the corner, she realized things had gone south in their absence. Daniel was standing with his back to the door while Vala had a zat'nik'atel trained on him from across the room. Daniel had managed to get his hands on a zat and was inching slowly towards the communications chair.

"Just take it easy," Vala said. She didn't look at Sam, didn't give Daniel a chance to know she was even there. "No one's going to hurt you."

"No, you're just going to steal our ship."

"Surely you have another one," Vala said.

Sam slipped forward, grateful she'd gone barefoot after her encounter with Vala.

"I'm just going to send a distress call... then we'll discuss what my planet does and doesn't have."

Sam grabbed him from behind, wrapping her arm around his waist as she closed her other hand around his zat. He struggled, but she wrenched the weapon away and let it drop to the ground. Daniel thrust himself backward and sent them careening into the far wall. Sam grunted and brought her hands up to cover his eyes.

Vala rushed forward and dropped to her knees. She grabbed the ankles of Daniel's boots and yanked him forward. He fell on top of Sam, still struggling despite Sam holding his torso and Vala wrapped around his legs like a snake. "Stop fighting, goddamn it!" Vala snapped. She moved up, her arms around his knees and her face over his crotch. As he bucked against her, he slammed into her face and she felt something intriguing through the material. "Ooh, our boy likes wrestling with women..."

Sam laughed and kissed Daniel's ear. "Is that true, Daniel? Are we making you hot?"

Daniel clenched his jaw and strained, bringing both hands up to grab the sides of Sam's head. "No hair-pulling!" Sam said. She flattened her palms on his chest until she found his nipples. She squeezed and twisted them through his t-shirt and Daniel arched his back with a yelp.

Vala opened her mouth and nipped at Daniel's crotch, grazing his erection with her teeth. "Come on, Daniel," Sam whispered in his ear. "Come on. Stop fighting. Let us do this..."

Daniel clapped his hands over Sam's ears and she howled. Her grip loosened and he sat up, pushing Vala away from his lap. She was knocked on her ass and grabbed the zat she had dropped. As Daniel rolled onto his knees and tried to get up, Vala shot him in the ass with the zat. He growled and crumbled to the ground in a heap.

Sam had her hands up by her head, her ears still ringing. "You still want him?" she asked Vala.

"Oh, yeah," Vala said. She straightened her jumpsuit and flipped her hair. "Now more than ever."

---

Daniel came to and realized he was tied up again. "Great," he muttered. He tugged on his wrists... and realized he was spread-eagle on a bed. And stripped down to his boxer shorts. "Oh, this is definitely not good..." he muttered. The window of the quarters revealed they were in hyperspace. They'd figured out the controls; hardly a surprise considering who one of the hijackers was. 'A Sam is a Sam,' he thought, 'no matter how she cuts her hair.'

He dropped his head onto the pillow and said, "Hello? I assume you're there."

Sam stepped out of the shadows. "Sorry we had to tie you up."

"Yeah," Daniel said. "And my clothes?"

Sam smiled. "I'm not so sorry about that."

Daniel closed his eyes and dropped his head onto the pillow. "Wonderful," he muttered.

Sam sat on the edge of the bed and looked out the window. "I've thought about you guys over the years. Wondered if you missed me." She looked over her shoulder. "Who am I engaged to?"

"A police officer," Daniel said. "Named Pete."

"Oh."

"I think your, uh... brother set you up."

She said, "Did you... and I...? I mean, did we...?"

He smiled. "It's funny, you know, I... I asked you that once. The other... you..." He cleared his throat and looked away. He wondered where Vala was.

"You didn't remember if we'd..."

"No, it's... well. No. I didn't. I'd... sort of... died."

"Died?"

"Yeah," Daniel said. "It's almost an SG-1 pre-requisite..."

Sam smiled. "So you were attracted to me?"

Daniel looked at her. "Um..."

"I fell in love with you before we even met. You brain, your... wiles. The fact you didn't care what people thought about your theories. You were fearless."

"An academic James Dean."

Sam laughed and turned to face him. "Daniel..." She put her hand on his stomach and said, "Why does it have to be fighting?"

"Um..."

She bent down and lightly kissed his lips. "Why can't it just once... just once... be soft?" She slipped her tongue into his mouth and he closed his eyes. When they broke the kiss, she said, "Is this what you wanted me to do? When you asked if we'd ever slept together?"

"Yeah," Daniel sighed.

Sam slipped her hand over his stomach and gripped his erection through his shorts. He gasped and she straightened. "Vala," she said.

Daniel jerked and sat up as Vala stepped out of the shadows. She was still wearing her jumpsuit, but the zip was pulled to mid-stomach. The slip of skin it revealed was enough for him to see she wasn't wearing anything underneath. "Well, well. Look who's awake."

"Uh... Sam, I-I thought..."

Vala frowned. "Now... how would that be fair?" She turned and said, "Come here, Sam. Let's get our boy ready."

"Ready...?" Daniel asked dubiously.

Sam stepped forward and Daniel's eyes widened. She was wearing a standard black t-shirt. A pair of boxer shorts peeked out from beneath the hem. Sam stepped behind Vala and put her head on her shoulder. Her hand slipped into the zipper of Vala's jumpsuit and cupped her breast. Vala sighed and turned her head to find Sam's lips. Daniel's eyes widened as Sam's hand worked, as her tongue slipped into Vala's mouth.

His body didn't care it was tied up. It didn't care that it wasn't really Sam or that he was being held hostage. His body wasn't American at the moment and it definitely wanted to negotiate with these terrorists.

Vala pulled back and kissed the corner of Sam's mouth before she turned back to Daniel. His shorts had risen and Vala smiled. "Sam's just going to watch for now... she'll be your prize if you're good."

She pulled away from Sam and knelt on the edge of the bed. "We're in hyperspace. Even if you did manage to get out of here, get to the bridge and stop us, you have no idea where you are. So you might as well..." she bent down and brushed her hair over the inside of his thigh, "...enjoy the moment."

Daniel grunted and closed his eyes, trying to think of anything to ignore what her hair was doing to his thigh. He let his mind race: 'Cuneiform was first used by the Sumerians. Later on, it was adapted by the Assyrians and was then adopted by the Akkadians, Elamites, Hittites to write their own languages and... and was...'

Vala licked his cock through his underwear and his thoughts turned into cuneiform, become a dead language that no one had any hope of deciphering.

Vala pulled down the waistband of his shorts and let his cock rise free. "Come on, Daniel," she said, lips against the warm shaft of his erection. "Play with us. Say yes."

He looked at Sam and said, "Yes."

Vala's smile expanded, her eyes gleaming. "Wonderful. Now... let's... get down... to business..."

Sam moved to the corner of the room and leaned against the window. She watched as Vala took Daniel into her mouth and slowly devoured him, sinking down on his erection. Slowly, the red blush rose in Daniel's face and his arms went slack against the ropes. He tilted his head back and began to rock his hips in time with Vala's mouth. She brought her hands up and tickled his balls, cupping them in her hand as she swirled around his cock head with the tip of her tongue.

Sam moved her feet apart and pressed her boxers against her pussy. She circled slowly with two fingers, watching Vala explore Daniel's cock. She released him and bent down to taste his balls, stroking his cock with her hand as she dipped her head between his thighs. Sam held her fingers tight and found her clit, circling it slowly.

She knew Vala's tongue, the way it moved, the talent she had with it. Picasso's hand, Fred Astaire's feet and Vala Mal Doran's tongue. Sam closed her eyes and moved her hand to the leg of her shorts. She dipped her hand inside and touched bare, moist flesh. She sighed and opened her eyes to see Vala watching her. Daniel's cock was in her mouth again and he looked completely given-over to her.

Vala lifted her head and stroked her fingers lazily up and down Daniel's erection. "I think voyeurism is overrated," she said. "Don't you, Daniel?"

He grunted.

"Speak clearly now," Vala teased. She tightened her fingers around him and he groaned.

"Yes."

Sam walked to the bed, keeping her hand between her legs, and stood next to the bed.

"Now, Daniel, if Sam unties you, will you be a good boy?"

"Yes."

Vala nodded and dipped her head again. Sam watched, finding it hard to breath, as Vala took Daniel into her mouth again. She absent-mindedly untied the cords holding Daniel's wrists to the edge of the headboard. His right arm came free and he reached down to cup the top of Vala's head. "God," he hissed.

Sam dropped her boxers and stepped out of them, kneeling on the bed next to Daniel. She stretched out next to him and spread her legs, flattening her hand on his tight belly. The Daniel she knew wasn't this buff, didn't feel this tight. She let her fingers drift down to his pubic hair and she scratched his flesh with her short nails. Daniel grunted and twisted his hips.

Vala's hand snaked across Sam's bare thigh and cupped her pussy. "So wet," Vala said around the tip of Daniel's cock. She slipped two fingers into Sam's pussy and Sam whimpered. Daniel turned his head and reached over with his free hand, cupping her breast through the thin t-shirt she wore. He pinched her nipple and she arched her back towards him.

She breathed his name and he released a shaking sigh.

Vala released him and sat up, shrugging out of her jumpsuit. Both Sam and Daniel watched as her breasts were bared. She pushed the material down to her knees and dropped to her side to completely remove it. Her thighs were wet, her pussy glistening and ready. She crawled up Daniel's body and straddled his hips. "Sam?" she said.

Sam gripped Daniel's cock, giving it a few slow strokes for good measure, and then pressed it against Vala's pussy lips. Vala rocked her hips and closed her eyes, mouth open in a silent gasp, as he filled her up. Sam dragged her fingers up his length and split her fingers around him, stroking Vala as she took Daniel into her.

Daniel grunted and clasped his hands on her hips. When she was fully seated, he began to thrust into her. She rose and fell with his body and threw her head back. "Sam," Vala gasped.

Sam sat up on her knees and kissed the swells of Vala's breasts. Daniel opened his eyes and, presented with the bare curves of Sam's ass, swatted the pale flesh. She yelped, bit Vala's nipple and pushed her ass towards him. He spanked her other cheek, then slipped his hand between her legs to touch her wet pussy. Sam groaned and rocked in time with Vala. She lifted her head and kissed Vala's lips, tasting Daniel's pre-come on her tongue and lips.

Sam reached between Vala's legs and brushed her clit as Daniel pushed into her. Vala groaned and broke the kiss. "Oh, this was a fantastic idea..."

Daniel arched his back and tightened his hands on her hips. "I'm... god..."

Vala pulled away from him, leaving his cock waving in the air. He gasped, groaned and grabbed himself. Sam bent down and took him into her mouth just as he came. Vala watched, strumming her own clit as she watched Sam's throat work. "I knew you'd swallow," Vala murmured. She pulled Sam's head to her and took a taste, slipping her tongue across Sam's. "Mm. Mm, nice," she breathed.

Daniel put his hand on Sam's thigh and she turned to look at him. Vala guided Sam closer to him and she raised one leg. "No. Wait," Sam breathed.

"It's all right," Vala whispered.

"I know. I just... I want to be on bottom," she said, ducking her head bashfully.

Vala kissed Sam's shoulder and guided her to the mattress. As Sam stretched out, Daniel rolled over and settled between her legs. "Are you still hard?" Vala asked. She licked the curve of his ear and slipped her hand down his stomach to cup his cock. "Mm... oh, yes, he's still rarin' to go, Sam." She wrapped her fingers around him and pushed him into Sam's inviting pussy.

Sam groaned and pressed her head into the pillow; it had been ages since she had anything thicker than two fingers inside of her. Daniel grunted and pushed into her tightness, closing his eyes so he wouldn't see Sam's face contorted with pleasure. It was something he really didn't need haunting his wet dreams. Vala pressed against him from behind and Sam wrapped her legs around them both, pulling them in, holding them tight.

When Daniel came again, he pulled back and spilled onto her trembling thigh. Sam gasped and felt Daniel and Vala put their hands over her pussy. Two of Daniel's fingertips slipped inside of her, thick and rough and calloused, and Vala expertly brushed her clit. Sam cried out and lifted her hips off the mattress as she came.

Daniel extricated himself and Vala collapsed on Sam. He rolled to the side of the bed, watching as they assaulted each other on the opposite side. He pulled on his jumpsuit, leaving his top half bare as he hurried from the room.

Vala broke the kiss and sighed as Sam kissed down her throat. "He's escaping," Vala breathed.

"We can't take this ship," Sam said. She nipped at Vala's collarbone. "It wouldn't be right. These aren't my people, but they are my family."

"I know," Vala sighed, pressing her pussy against Sam's thigh. "But damn. It would've been nice to see the look on Tennet's face when we showed up with this."

Sam laughed and kissed Vala.

"Are you really okay?" Vala asked.

"Shh," Sam whispered. "We're fucking."

"Oh," Vala said. "Right. Sorry. My bad."

---

When they arrived on the bridge, Daniel was wearing his jumpsuit and lazily aiming a zat at the door. Sam and Vala were wearing identical jumpsuits and, for a moment, Sam imagined them all being members of the same team. "Hello," Daniel said. "I, uh... shut off the hyperdrive and contacted my people. They're on their way here."

"We're not taking your ship, Daniel," Sam said. "It wouldn't be right." She shrugged. "I suggest we call it a draw and return to our neutral corners."

Daniel glanced at Vala.

"What?" She rolled her eyes and said, "I promise to behave. No more trying to kick you in the head. And if you want, we'll put on the Kull warrior outfits again. You can say you kicked our asses up and down the ship, really look mack-o."

Sam chuckled. "Mach-o."

Daniel stood up. "You'd really just walk away?"

"Yes, Daniel." She pulled a zat from the pocket of her jumpsuit and tossed it to him.

He picked it up and stood. "All right. I suppose it wouldn't be terrible if we just kind of... forgot this happened."

"My thoughts exactly," Sam said.

"But if we run into each other again..."

"All bets are off," Vala said.

Daniel squinted at her. To Sam, he said, "Are you sure she's... ah..."

"For real?"

"Yeah."

"Oh, yeah," Sam said. She smiled at Vala and said, "We both are."

---

"What about Tennet?" Vala asked as they fastened their suits back on.

"We'll deal with him. Either back out of the deal, tell him a buyer fell through or find some other way to pay him."

"His bosses won't like another delay."

Sam shrugged.

"You never answered my question. Are you sure you're okay? It was quite a bombshell got dropped on you."

Sam paused and looked at the far wall. "It was shocking. World-shaking. I was almost broken. If you hadn't come after me..." She closed her eyes and reached blindly. Vala took her hand and held it. "I've always wondered, at the back of my mind, what would happen if I was given the chance to go home. Now, I know there's no home to go to. There's no choice."

"You might have left me?"

"No," Sam said. "It would've broken my heart to turn away from my home, but it would have killed me to leave you. Now... I know. You and my home are the same thing."

Vala smiled and looked down at her hands. "I don't care about people, you know."

"I know."

"No long-term attachments."

"I know."

"It's easier that way."

"Four years," Sam smirked.

Vala chuckled and brushed at her face. "Do you think the crewmembers will realize something's up if the Kull warriors are crying?"

Sam laughed and said, "Better put on our helmets, then."

"Yeah," Vala said. "In a minute or two." She moved closer to Sam and leaned in. Their lips met in a gentle kiss.

---

The exchange was made, the Tau'ri back on their ship and Sam and Vala returned to their own. While Daniel filled in Hammond and the others, Vala quietly turned the ship and headed fast in the opposite direction. Sam had the jumpsuit draped across the lap of her Kull warrior uniform, fingering the stitching on the Earth patch. Vala watched her and smiled. "Regretting your decision?"

Sam looked up. "Not for a second. I'm just keeping this around as a reminder of what might have been."

Vala nodded and looked out the window. "So? Any preferences on destination? Sky is wide open."

"Second star to the left and straight on 'til morning," Sam said.

"That's beautiful," Vala said.

"Just made it up."

Vala stifled a laugh. "You've a gift. Truly."

Sam smirked and put her jumpsuit aside. "I'm going to get out of this thing." She stretched and stood up. She paused on her way to the back and said, "If you wanted to stick this on auto-pilot, I'd be happy to help you out of yours as well."

Vala bit her lip and set the autopilot at random. She didn't care where they were going; the ship could fend for itself for a half hour...