“Italics”
– Telepathic and/or Symbiote-Host communication
Blood of My Heart, Beloved of My Soul
Chapter 11
Hidden
Jacob Carter was lying on the muddy
ground watching the enemy encampment below.
There was no way he could get any closer with the place crawling with
“I
do not believe we are going to find the answer to that at this time,
Jacob. We should head back to the
Chaappa’ai before they decide to put a guard on it or we are discovered.”
“I
think you’re right, Sel.”
Jacob motioned to Martouf and Jocasta that they should head back towards the
gate.
When Jacob, Martouf, and Jocasta had
gated to this world, they had been under the impression that it was
uninhabited. It was considered a safe world by the Tok’Ra and was ideal
for the evasive action they used when returning to their base.
It had
been pure luck that had allowed them to find the encampment. When they came through the Chaappa’ai, the
area around it was deserted as usual, but as they prepared to enter the glyphs
to head back to the Tok’Ra base, the chevrons had started to glow. They immediately sought cover where they
could see who exited the gate, and they watched from their hiding place as a
large group of
Keeping a discreet distance behind the
Making sure they were far enough away
not to be overheard, Jacob spoke.
“I couldn’t make out much. Either of you notice anything?”
“I did not,” Martouf replied. “What about you Jocasta? Did you see anything that might explain
this?”
“No.
There are a great many
“Get
down,” Martouf hissed suddenly as he espied some more
Several hours later, Jacob, Martouf,
and Jocasta were discussing the recent incident with the Tok’Ra Councilor,
Garshaw. The three of them had been on a
mission for the past month and a half.
It was a success and they were ready for a little time to relax. If there was as much going on here as it
seemed, they wouldn’t be getting it. Of
course, until they could get a spy in her camp, they couldn’t know for sure why
she was hiding here.
Jacob sighed to himself. He had been looking forward to taking three
weeks off to see Sam and Mark. Moreover,
he wanted to be sure that Martouf went with him. He could safely leave him for Sam to
entertain while he went to spend some time with his son and grandchildren.
Martouf and Sam needed time
together. They were a good match. Jacob and Selmak agreed that what they felt
for each other was more than the remnants of Jolinar of Malk’shur. However, in order to realize it they’d have
to spend time with each other. He
grinned to himself. It was a good thing
Selmak was handling most of this meeting.
He hadn’t been paying attention.
“You
certainly are not, Jacob.”
“Sorry,
Sel. I’m back with you now.”
“We
are just now getting to the incident on the safe planet, Martmont.”
“What exactly happened, Selmak?” Garshaw questioned.
“We gated to Martmont using the usual
procedures. Before we could leave, the
Chaappa’ai activated, and a large group of
“Which System Lord is it?” Garshaw put the question to Selmak, but it
was Lantash who answered, “It is Bastet,” His voice held contempt and loathing.
“She has brought slaves and a great
deal of supplies. It is obvious she
believes no one knows she is there. I
believe this is very serious.” Lantash paused, and then continued, “She has
done this type of thing before, and it almost cost us a great many people. As you are aware, it was only through swift
intervention by some others, that our base was evacuated, and our people were
able to escape to safety,” Lantash spoke harshly and his eyes flashed.
“It appeared that she was having a
landing platform built, as well as a residence.
We need to find out why. It is my
belief she is hiding from the other System Lords. If that is true, then we need to know what
exactly she is planning,” Jocasta added her thoughts on the situation.
“I would like to be the one to
infiltrate her stronghold,” Lantash volunteered quickly.
“I do not think that would be wise,
Lantash,” Garshaw said decisively.
“I am the most familiar with her habits
and thinking, and that makes me the best qualified,” Lantash insisted, his
voice hard and tight.
“There is a possibility she could
recognize you,” Garshaw responded, choosing to attempt to reason with him
before having to issue an order.
“She believes I am dead,” Lantash said
flatly.
“If she figures out who you are, then
you, and possibly we, would be in extreme danger. I am sorry, Lantash. I cannot allow you undertake this. I know you want revenge, but in this, you
must bow to cooler heads. Please,”
Knowing how intensely Lantash felt about this, she again tried giving a softer
answer than she normally would.
“She is correct, Lantash. It would be foolish for us to put you in that
particular danger when we can send someone else. I understand your feelings in this. I know it is important to you, but you must
let logic win over emotion,” Selmak added.
Lantash was not happy with their
decision, but for now, he would argue no more.
He would wait and bring it up again later. He bowed his head in acquiescence. “As you wish,” He responded his voice still
hard and tight.
Almost visibly giving a sigh of relief,
Garshaw brought up the next subject for discussion. “There is another matter we need to discuss,
and it involves the Tau’ri,” Garshaw said.
“Is something wrong?” Jacob immediately asked.
“I do not believe so. They contacted us almost three weeks ago and
requested that you, Jacob, come to discuss something of mutual interest. When they were informed that you were on a
mission and not expected back for three weeks, they replied that the wait was
of no problem. They are expecting you in
three days time.”
“Does it concern my daughter?” Jacob asked.
“There was no mention of Major
Carter. They just requested a
meeting. Since there seems to be no
hurry, I suggest you rest and prepare for your trip. I do not know how long you will be required
to stay,” Garshaw continued.
“Martouf and I were going to take three
weeks and go to Earth anyway,” Jacob said.
“I’d like to visit my grandkids.
Of course, if this thing with Bastet should turn into something that we
are needed for…” With a shrug of his
shoulders he let the statement hang, but continued speaking to ask, “Will you
decide who to send to infiltrate Bastet’s compound?”
“Yes, I will take care of that. I am sure I will see you before you
leave. Jocasta, if you could remain
please? I will not keep you long.” The
dismissal was obvious, and the two men took immediate advantage of the release.
Jacob nodded, “Right. In that case, I think that Martouf and I will get some rest for a change, but
perhaps a bath first.”
Martouf managed to grin at him, “Most
decidedly a bath.”
The two men left the chamber
together.
“Ask
him, Martouf,” Lantash
prodded.
“Why?” Martouf asked.
“Because,
you are as curious as I am as to why he would want us to go with him to the
Tau’ri for such an extended period of time.
If you do not ask, then I will take control and do so myself,” Lantash replied, as he became
obviously agitated.
“All
right. Calm down,” Martouf replied quickly, but he was
becoming concerned about Lantash. Ever
since they had encountered Bastet’s forces on Martmont, he had been easily
upset.
“I
am calm. You are the one who is trying
to break out into a sweat. I have been
having a difficult time preventing you from doing so,” Lantash said, with an edge to his
voice.
Martouf cleared his throat, “Ah, Jacob,
I am wondering—” He began, but was interrupted before he could complete his
sentence.
“You want to know why I was planning a
three week trip to Earth with you as a traveling companion?” Jacob asked, amusement apparent in his voice.
“Well, actually, yes,” Martouf
responded bluntly.
“Do you want a platitude, or the
truth?” Jacob responded just as direct.
“I believe the truth would serve us
best,” Martouf answered in his usually placid way.
Jacob looked over at him, “I
agree. Let’s go to my chamber.”
“As you wish,” Martouf agreed.
“What
do you think Jacob’s reason is for wanting us to come along, Lantash?” Martouf questioned him.
“I am not sure. However it is likely that it has to do with
Samantha,” Lantash answered, seeming more his usual self.
“He is going to tell us to stay away from his daughter,” Martouf stated with a tinge of
anxiety. The thought of staying away
form Samantha, or only seeing her from a distance, was now distressing both of
them.
“Possible, but unlikely, Martouf. He would hardly be taking us with him for
several weeks, if that were the case,” Lantash answered in an attempt to halt Martouf’s runaway
imagination. There were few things that
upset Martouf’s usually calm demeanor, but Samantha Carter was one of the few.
“That’s true.” Martouf sighed, as they
approached Jacob’s quarters. “I suppose he will tell us now that we are
at his chambers.”
“Do
you wish me to take over, Martouf?” Lantash asked him.
“Not
yet. If things go badly, you can step
in,” Martouf assured
him.
“Wonderful,” Lantash replied with gentle
amusement. He attempted to calm Martouf
who was becoming visibly nervous.
Once inside his quarters, Jacob turned
to face Martouf, but did not say anything.
“I think you are making him nervous, Jacob,” Selmak observed as both he and Jacob
watched Martouf fidget slightly.
“Isn’t that what fathers are for?” Jacob shot back.
“We have discussed this before, Jacob. Samantha is a grown woman. You must let her lead her life as she sees
fit. That includes staying out of her
love life and any sort of sexual mating that may occur between her and
Martouf.”
Jacob cringed inside. “Must you bring that up?”
“It is a problem you must get over. I feel confident that if we take Martouf to
the Tau’ri for three weeks, he and Samantha will very likely sleep together. Sleeping will not be all they do while in the
bed. It would not surprise me if they
became bonded. We have discussed this at
length, and you agreed it was only fair to give them the chance to see if they
are meant to be mated.”
“I know, Sel, and I do agree. It’s just really hard for a father to think
of his little girl doing that with some man, you know?”
“Probably no harder than it is for her to
think of you as doing that with some woman,” Selmak responded reasonably.
Jacob blinked. “Whoa,
she wouldn’t think about something like that, would she?”
Selmak gave the symbiote equivalent of
a shrug before responding, “I see no
reason why she would not. If she were to
see you and Jocasta together, she would soon notice your intimacy. There is no doubt the question of sex would
arise in her mind. I still do not
understand the Tau’ri obsession about sexual matters,” Selmak said,
obviously exasperated. “Jacob, stop stalling. Martouf is waiting.”
After long moments of tense silence,
Martouf spoke up, sounding distinctly edgy, “Jacob? You wished to speak to us?” Jacob looked at him for a very long minute.
Martouf cleared his throat somewhat
nervously, “Why is it you wish us to accompany you to Earth for several
weeks?”
Jacob shook his head and took a deep
breath, “Sorry, I was talking to Sel.
Look, this is a little difficult for me, so I’m just going to lay my
cards on the table.” He paused,
thinking.
Martouf frowned, “I am sorry, Jacob, to
which, um, cards do you refer?”
Martouf’s question broke the tension in
Jacob, and he chuckled, “It’s just a figure of Tau’ri speech, Martouf. It means getting everything out in the open
so everyone will know exactly what you mean.”
“I see,” Martouf said slowly. “In that case, what is it that you wish to
tell me that you require me to be sure to understand? I assume it is your reason for wanting me to
accompany you to the Tau’ri.”
Jacob plunged into what he wanted to
say, “It concerns you and Sam. I believe
that you would like to spend time with her.
I also believe the same is true for her.
I want you to go with me because I believe that you and Sam deserve the
time to find out if what you feel for each other goes deeper than just remnants
of feelings left over from Jolinar. I
think they do. For both of you.”
Martouf sent Jacob a look of surprise,
“Really? You think she cares for
me?” Martouf blinked a few times in a
startled manner before he began to smile.
“Yeah, I do,” Jacob rolled his
eyes. “Now, how about you tell me what
you and Lantash feel for my daughter?”
Martouf’s smile grew wider for a moment
at just the thought of being with Samantha for a few weeks. Then remembering that Jacob had asked him a
question he must answer, he became resolute and earnest, “I love Samantha,
Jacob. I have wanted to spend some time
alone with her so that perhaps she could begin to separate her feelings for me
from that of Jolinar’s. If she will
agree to be my mate, I will cherish her and honor her always,” Martouf said, in
a very solemn and sincere voice.
“What do you have to say to all of
this, Lantash? Jolinar was your mate,
too,” Jacob asked him.
“I feel the same way, Jacob. In fact, I believe that Samantha may be our
Soulmate. I believe I will love her
forever.”
Jacob nodded, satisfied that Lantash
and Martouf were sincere, but then he frowned, “Are you sure that Sam is the love of your life, Lantash? I’m getting some odd vibes from Selmak.” Jacob watched Lantash closely, waiting almost
tensely for his answer.
Lantash sighed, “There are some things
that happened long ago. They do not
change how I feel about Samantha. The
truth is I had a Heartmate. I have not
seen her in over one hundred and fifteen years.
When we parted, we agreed that if she was not able to return to us, that
we would not remain without love if it came to us and we found a new mate we
could love. She was my mate before
Jolinar. Several years after we parted,
I met Jolinar and Rosha, and I loved them for almost one hundred of your
years.” Lantash seemed lost in the
distant past for a moment, “As I said, it does not change what I feel for
Samantha.”
Jacob looked thoughtful, “Selmak says
that’s a very condensed version, but that the facts are there, and they are
true. I’d like to see my Sam happy, and
I think you and Martouf can do that. In
other words, you have my blessing. I’ll
even try to help, hence the three week trip to Earth.”
He smiled at Martouf, “Let’s get that
bath and some rest. Something tells me
we have a busy time ahead. I have a
feeling this thing at the SGC is going to prove to be important.”
“I agree, Jacob. They do not contact us without good reason.”
Both men headed for the bathing
pools. They’d know soon enough. For Martouf and Lantash these next three days
would pass far too slowly. “I hope you will at least try to remain
calm, Martouf,” Lantash gently chided him.
“I
am calm, Lantash,”
Martouf replied
“Of
course, you are. That is why I have to
work constantly to keep your hormones in balance,” Lantash admonished him.
“The
emotions that are coming from you are not exactly placid,” Martouf retaliated.
“No,
they are not. I am extremely anxious to
leave for the Tau’ri. I am quite willing
to admit it.” Lantash
seemed to quiver with anticipation.
“I am sensing something else, Lantash. Some emotions I cannot quite understand. They began when we first encountered Bastet’s
forces. You became extremely agitated
and that increased in the Council Chamber.
You became very agitated again, when you were discussing your
‘Heartmate’. I have no knowledge of
her. I think we need to discuss some
things.”
“Later,” Lantash sent refusal to discuss it.
Jacob seemed relaxed. It had been a long time since they had been
able to enjoy the comforts of the bathing pools. He looked at Martouf.
“I’m planning on going to visit my son
while we are on Earth. I’ll speak to the
General about assigning Sam to escort you off base, and then I’ll see if I can
get her to take some time off to spend with you. After that, it’s all up to you. You are going to have to handle your own
courtship.”
“I sincerely hope it will not prove to
be as difficult as yours was with her mother.”
Jacob laughed. He remembered telling Martouf about how he met
and eventually married his late wife, Sam’s mother. It had been a rocky path, but in the end, it
had been worth every bit of insecurity and anxiety she had put him
through. She had been a wonderful
woman. Thinking of her still brought
pain and sadness to him for what he had lost, but it also brought happy
memories of what they’d had together.
Sam was like her in many ways.
Jacob hoped she would find the happiness he had found with her
mother. “Sam is like her in many ways,
but she’s also my daughter. Could go
either way,” was his somewhat heartless reply.
Martouf smiled at him, “Lantash and I
will do our very best.” He sighed
loudly, and then moaned, “I think if I stay in the pool much longer, I will
fall asleep. I believe I should go get
something to eat and then get some rest.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Jacob agreed as
he yawned widely and decided that he, too, should get something to eat and then
sleep.
“We
are in our chamber and alone, Lantash.
It is later,”
Martouf announced as soon as they gained their chamber.
Lantash groaned, “I do not think we should discuss this now, Martouf. We are both very tired.”
“I,
too, am tired, Lantash, but I feel we should get this out in the open. I wish to know about this, why you have
hidden these memories and what is your connection to Bastet?”
Martouf insisted.
Lantash sighed and gave in. Martouf, although a gentle man in many ways,
could be extremely stubborn when he wished to be. Lantash knew he would not let up on this
until he was satisfied. “You have no knowledge of her because I have
kept her in my private thoughts. You
cannot comprehend the emotions because I am trying to keep them under control
and concealed from you.”
“Why
have you kept these memories of her locked away? Why are you attempting to conceal them?” Martouf asked his irritation apparent.
“She
is a memory from my past, Martouf.
Something long past that I have buried deep within my mind. Memories of things that passed before you and
I blended. There is no reason to cause
you suffering from remembering them, if I can prevent it.” Martouf was aware that Lantash was
becoming very anxious.
“Are
these memories so very unpleasant?”
Martouf was puzzled by Lantash’s reactions to his questions.
“The
memories of her are not. They are
wonderful. However, the others are
almost unbearable. Let us talk of
something else, Martouf,”
Lantash answered patiently, but he was becoming obviously distraught
“Why
have you never once mentioned her to me, or shown me what she looked like? What of Bastet?” Martouf persisted.
The waves of strong emotion Lantash had
been trying so desperately to suppress and keep to himself suddenly broke
through. Martouf gasped as they
encompassed him in wave after wave; rage, hatred, contempt, fear, revulsion,
despair, and hopelessness were mixed together with unbelievably agonizing
physical pain, so incredibly intense that Martouf could not breathe. There was no doubt that Bastet was the cause.
As the feelings slowly eased and passed
they were suddenly replaced by a new deluge of emotions: all encompassing love,
tenderness, excitement, joy, enchantment, and a passion that was like a fire in
his blood, a passion such as he had never known, even with Jolinar. This was the Heartmate, Martouf felt, but he could
not hold on to an image or name other than adored
one.
Once again, the emotions slowly passed
to be replaced by new feelings. They
seemed to be drowning him. They engulfed
him, an immense sense of loss, anguish, desperation, and an agony of mind and
spirit so immense that Martouf sank to his knees. This desolation, this grief, was so intense
he could not cry out. All he could do
was survive until it passed. As they
ebbed away, Martouf struggled to his feet and made his way to their sleeping
platform. Once there he collapsed onto
it.
After several minutes passed, and both
of them became calmer, Lantash approached Martouf. “I am
sorry, Martouf. It was not done
deliberately. I would not have exposed
you to those emotions if I could have prevented it,” Lantash said remorsefully.
“I
brought it on myself, Lantash. In my own
stubbornness, I would not let you drop the subject, as you wanted to do. Therefore, I apologize to you. I understand now, though, so perhaps it was
for the best. Martouf felt remorse for pushing Lantash past
his limits.
“Perhaps
you are correct. We were both at fault
to some degree.” Lantash hesitated, but it became apparent
that he was determined to say this to Martouf, “One good thing has come from this.
Now, you will know why I am sure Samantha is our Heartmate and possibly
our Soulmate.”
“I
do not understand. What do those
emotions have to do with Samantha?”
“I
believe we would feel the same if we lost Samantha, Martouf. We would both be utterly devastated. My previous mate was my Heartmate. What you felt were the feelings I had with
and for her. That same passion, wonder,
enchantment and joy, every one of those emotions are the same ones we feel for
and with Samantha. Our emotions, our
feelings, for Samantha, are as intense now as those I had for my former mate
whom I was with for eighty years. Given
time, I believe they will become even more intense. She is our Soulmate, Martouf,” Lantash said, deep conviction in his
voice.
Martouf thought about Lantash’s words. They were true, he realized. Losing Samantha would cause the same
overwhelming sense of loss and desolation he had just experienced. “I
agree. She is. Now, we must convince her.
<i>“I believe she already knows it, but is afraid that it is Jolinar’s
feelings and not her own. We must
convince her otherwise. We must succeed
in this,” Lantash said firmly.
“Yes. We must succeed,” Martouf
agreed, but he wasn’t sure of their success.
Lantash sent approval. “Then I
suggest we start by getting ready to go to the Tau’ri. It might help to calm some of your agitation
to be doing something constructive toward that end,” Lantash suggested the
first thing he could think of to occupy their minds.
“All
right. We should begin to gather the
belongings we wish to take together.” Martouf sent extreme indecision. “Should
we take the necklace and the, what was it Jacob said such things were called?”
Martouf questioned Lantash.
“You
are talking about the ring; the one that Jacob told us about when he recounted
the story of how he proposed to Samantha’s mother. I believe he called the ring he gave her at
that time a betrothal ring,” Lantash
told him.
“Yes,
that is it. Should we take it?”
Martouf wanted to know.
“Yes,
I believe we should. If we cannot
convince Samantha to be bonded and mated to us while we are there, perhaps we
could ask her to become ‘betrothed’ to us.
All we can do is try.” Lantash was determined to at least try
to form an attachment of some type, even if it was not a full bonding. If the Tau’ri went through a betrothal before they took a mate, then
they would agree to do so, too.
“Three
days seems like a very long time.” Martouf ached with longing and almost
trembled with trepidation. Would she
respond in her usual detached way or would she this time welcome them as more
than her former symbiote’s mate?
Lantash tried to comfort Martouf, “If we stay busy, the time will pass
quickly. Moreover, stop dwelling on what
Samantha might or might not do. It will
only make the waiting worse,” Lantash counseled him.
Martouf sighed and continued to think about the packing that needed to be done. “Our clothes will not be appropriate for a stay on earth,” He pointed out.
“We have the Tau’ri uniform we used before when we were on assignment with SG1. We will ask Jacob what to do about other pieces of apparel.” Lantash was relieved that Martouf seemed to be relaxing a little.
“Good idea, Lantash.” As Martouf wandered around the room gathering the few things he thought were appropriate to take to the Tau’ri, he suddenly realized how tired he was. He murmured to Lantash. “We have three days in which to do this. I am going to bed. I am very tired.”
“You are right. We could both use some rest.” Lantash said, relieved that Martouf was finally giving in to his exhaustion and was going to get some rest.
Following his usual nightly routine, Martouf was soon in bed. He was asleep almost immediately. Lantash was active a little longer, thinking about Samantha. He could see her in his mind.
Several hours later, Lantash awoke with a start. What had awakened him? Martouf groaned deep in his throat. Lantash immediately became aware of Martouf’s emotions.
He was dreaming. Lantash let Martouf’s thoughts and feelings wash over and through him as he let them take control of their shared body. He moaned quietly to himself, but did not awaken Martouf.
.
Martouf watched Samantha as she slowly and seductively removed the remainder of her clothing. She was so beautiful. Her body was sleek, long-limbed and graceful. Her breasts, firm and high. He moaned his need for her.
As she joined him on the bed, he became aware of her hands on him. She was touching his body softly, yet quickly, never staying in one place for long. Her mouth followed her hands, breathing fire onto his skin. She slipped him into her mouth and he caught his breath, but she did not stay long enough to cause him to lose control, only long enough to send his desires burning higher.
His body ached for her. He tried to bring her hands back to him. Her mouth back to him, to still them around his hardened shaft, but she would not pause in her sensual exploration of his body long enough to give him the release he needed.
She stretched herself next to him lying full length beside him, inviting him to touch her body. His hands touched her face, her neck, her breasts. They slid down her body and softly stroked her. Soon his lips followed, his breath hot and moist, panting in his need to kiss and caress her everywhere at once. As his lips found her breasts, and he took first one nipple and then the other into his mouth, he began to rock his hips against her. He was on fire, and she was the cause of the flame that, he hoped, would soon burn out of control.
His hands trembled as he slid them lightly up her thigh towards the center of her womanhood. She was so hot, so very hot and wet. As his fingers entered her, he could feel her clenching them, wanting more, wanting him.
She was ready for him, looking up at him, begging him with her eyes to come to her. Whispering with her lips against his skin that she needed him, wanted him. Now, now. He moaned deep in his throat, and leaving her breasts rosy and shining from his suckling, he took her mouth as he plunged deep inside her.
Once there, he lost all control; he fleetingly wondered why Lantash was not helping him control his need, but the thought was lost in his desire for this woman, and the heated passion that was her body. Their ride was fast and hard and she was with him as he exploded deep inside her.
Martouf woke himself with his strangled cry of Samantha’s name. He lay face down on his bed, gasping for breath, his muscles still tense from the intensity of his sexual release.
He rolled over onto his back. “Lantash,” Martouf sounded a little cross.
“Yes, Martouf?” Lantash answered in an innocent tone of voice.
“Why did you not awaken me?” Martouf still panted slightly.
“Did you not enjoy it?” Lantash almost smirked.
“Enjoy it? Lantash, I have not had a wet dream since I was an adolescent,” Martouf answered in a huff.
“You did it very well for being out of practice for so long. I enjoyed every minute. When we are truly mating with Samantha and are enjoying the real thing, we will make it last much longer. I promise you,” Lantash vowed solemnly.
Martouf sighed. He did feel better. He slowly dragged himself from the bed and over to his chambers’ washing facilities. He gazed in the mirror, not seeing himself, but seeing Samantha, as she had looked in his dream. She had been wanton, willing, and wild in his arms. Her body heated in the fires of their passion. He bowed his head. Lantash noticed his distress and knew that he was not going to be much help. Even as he tried to calm their shared body, flashes of their shared dream entered his thoughts, too. Their shaft was already hard again.
He did not know if they could survive another night like this. The next two days were going to last forever. For both of them.
TBC