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Sam and Casey followed the same routine they had the previous morning, and just like the previous morning, breakfast was brought to their room. So far, other than the first evening when they had dined with the leaders of Dovinia, the same young woman served every meal in their room. Sam reported that she thought someone had opened the door during the night. She had gone to the bathroom, thankfully she had turned on the light, and when she re-entered the room, she was certain that she had seen the door close quietly. She had hurried to the peephole, but was unable to see anyone.

They waited impatiently for midday. They hadn't heard from Ihat at all. Casey was even beginning to wonder if perhaps they had been set up after all. Whatever was going on, their minds were made up. There was a door in that wall, and they were going to find a way through it. So far Rai had been their only company, but Sam was certain that guards were nearby. That their weapons hadn't been taken made her believe that the women didn't recognize them as weapons. Casey pointed out that it was possible that they were recognized, but not considered enough of a threat to warrant confiscation.

"The point is, we have our guns, and if we have to use them, we will," Sam said. "And we're going to have to take Rai with us, otherwise she'll sound the alarm before we can get far enough away to find the 'gate."

"I understand. I'm right there with you, girlfriend," Casey said quietly.

When Rai finally appeared, she seemed, nervous, her eyes casting about her as they walked down the hallway. And, they were distressed to learn, under no circumstances were they allowed to take their gear, or weapons, with them to their 'prayers'.

"Rai, have you heard anything from Ihat?" Casey asked casually, watching for the woman's reaction. The young woman nearly jumped out of her skin.

"Why do you ask?" Rai couldn't cover the quavering of her voice.

"No reason. I just thought she might have sent a hello or something," was the simple reply. Casey tried to make it appear that her feelings were hurt that the woman she had been 'involved' with had made no attempt to contact her. A glance at Sam confirmed that she too was suspicious of Rai's behavior.

No one in sight. Casey repeated her actions of the day before, hoping she hadn't forgotten anything. It was while they were 'praying' that it happened. Strong arms wrapped around them from behind, pressed cloths against their faces that contained something capable of knocking them out.

A  A  A  A  A  A 

Oskron went back to his section from the hub. He had never before received instructions like these. He knew that something significant was about to happen. He gathered his crew, and took them toward the library. His new friends were sitting there, eating from strange looking bags. "We are to wait here until further instructions arrive," he announced when he entered the room. "The message said that all would be revealed."

Jack and Daniel exchanged nervous glances. Were they being set up? Were these men in danger of being caught in a 'sting' to round up rebels and troublemakers? All three were wishing desperately for their weapons.

"Okay, I'm not going to just sit here waiting," Jack said. "Those old chairs could be broken down, the legs used as clubs."

"If they don't just shoot us or zap us or whatever before we have a chance to use them," Daniel retorted.

"No negative thinking!" Jack said. "Do these guys have any idea what might happen?"

"I doubt it."

"Better explain it to them. And then tell them that if they stay here, there won't be any chance to change their minds."

Daniel nodded, and turned to Oskron. He told them what he and Jack suspected. The men watched as the older man and the huge black man began to break the chairs apart, creating numerous clubs. About a dozen men left the library, only to return with chairs from the café, and more men.

"I'd say they're ready for a change," Daniel said softly.

"Looks like. They've seen what's out there…up there…whatever," Jack said. "They might have been pictures, but they know what's there. And they want it. Or them. Whatever."

The archaeologist couldn't help but grin. "Yeah, I think you're right. I think these men have caught a glimpse of the way things are supposed to be. Last night they seemed as interested in the idea of children, and having a family, as they were about hearing about sex. These men want what all of us want. A woman to love, who loves us back, and a family to call our own," Daniel replied.

"Yep. And the rebels up there want the same thing. Wonder how they found out that things aren't normal around here?" Jack mused.

"I have no idea. But one thing is for sure, things are about to change."

Teal'c stood slowly, his eyes on the hole in the shadows. "O'Neill, we have a visitor," he said quietly.

Jack and Daniel stood as well. Daniel motioned for the men to remain where they were.

A young…person…stepped out of the shadows. Dressed in a one-piece overall, it was difficult to tell if they were looking at a young man or a young woman.

"An In-Between!" Oskron whispered.

Daniel heard him, translated for his friends. "How better to pass messages from one zone to the other?"

Jack nodded. "Okay, Danny, find out what is going on."

With a nod of his own, Daniel took a cautious step closer to the…In-Between. "Hello. We received the message. What is it that you want us to do?"

The In-Between stretched out its hand. There was another note clenched in the fingers.

Daniel took the note and read it. "We're supposed to follow this…er…unit, it says here. It says Oskron's crew is to accompany us." He turned to the Dovinian and relayed what the message said. The In-Between watched, listened, and then carefully walked toward the open front of the building.

The men followed, hesitating only briefly as they were led into an alley that they had been told all of their lives was dangerous, and would kill them. Jack pointed out what looked like laser beam turrets on the walls as they passed the middle of the alley.

They walked for some distance before they came to wide, stone steps. They went up, and into what looked like an old terminal building. Whether it had been for bus, subway, or train travel, or something entirely different, the Tau'ri had no idea.

The In-between signaled that they should stay where they were. It disappeared through a door at the far end of the long room. A few minutes later, the door opened again, and Sam and Casey walked through.

Casey stopped short, her eyes moving over the crowd of men, looking for one face. When she saw Daniel, she raced into his waiting arms. "I missed you," she whispered as soon as his lips had left hers. She glanced over her shoulder, saw that her best friend was in the arms of her husband as well.

"I missed you, too, Angel," he replied, holding her tightly against his chest. He kissed the side of her head, pressed his face against her hair. "Love you."

"Love you, too."

"So how did you manage to get down here?"

She pulled away slightly, her arms still wrapped around his neck. "We met up with one of the leaders of the rebel faction. She's hoping to use our presence to prove to the rest of the sisters that their way of life is totally wrong. She said we had to be together to do that."

Warning bells went off in his mind. Something didn't feel right. "Babe, I want you to do a search. Tell me if we're in danger."

She frowned, but obeyed. She waited for his touch, then reached out. She could feel excitement, a bit of trepidation, a lot of tension, but no danger, at least none directed at SG-1. "Nothing. I mean, there's a lot of apprehension right now, but we're not in any danger."

He pulled away from her, held her hand tightly, tapped Jack on the shoulder. "Don't tell Sam, but I have the feeling that the four of us might be putting on a little show," he whispered in the older man's ear.

Jack groaned. "Any particular reason?"

"Yeah, Casey said she and Sam met one of the rebel leaders. Guess this leader wants to use our presence to prove that their way of life is wrong."

This elicited another groan from the older man. "Look, we don't let them know if we can help it, and we don't do it if there's a way out of it."

"Agreed." Daniel turned to Casey and smiled, pulled her back into his embrace.

She looked over his shoulder. At a group of men who were staring at her as if they had seen a ghost.

"Uh…friends of yours?" she asked quietly.

Daniel glanced over his shoulder and smiled. "Yeah, they are. Come on, I'll introduce you." He put his arm around her shoulders and steered her toward the men. They stared at her, many of them were standing with their jaws hanging open. "Oskron, this is my Wife, Casey," he said speaking to the tall, dark haired leader.

The man could only stare at her.

An older man pushed forward. "I am Hallet. You are truly beautiful."

She blushed when Daniel translated. "That's just because I'm the first woman he's ever seen," she mumbled.

Daniel grinned, pulled her close and kissed her forehead. "Nope. It's because you are beautiful," he whispered.

Commotion near the entrance that the men had used caused all attention to turn in that direction. "The other two supervisors contacted by the rebels," Oskron said quietly as they watched the men file in. One group wore trousers, with jackets over what looked like tee shirts, the other group wore one piece overalls, the type worn by mechanics. They all stopped and stared at the two women who stood in the room.

"Casey? Is this a trap?" Jack asked nervously.

She shook her head, reaching out again. "No. These men…these men have been chosen to be the first…uh…topside?"

Daniel and Jack grinned at each other. "That's what they call it here," Daniel told her.

"Well, I have no idea what to expect, just that we're probably going to be taken up there," she replied.

The crowd of men continued to stare at Casey and Sam, moving as close as they dared, as close as their husbands would allow.

"How do we know that they aren't In-Betweens?" a voice called out.

"Yeah, we should make sure that these are real women!" another voice shouted.

Jack glanced at Daniel and Teal'c. The three of them would never be able to hold off this crowd alone. Daniel turned to look at Oskron. He had the same fevered look in his eyes.

"I think we're going to have a bit of trouble," Jack said softly. He put himself in front of Sam. Teal'c put himself directly in front of Jack. Daniel stood in front of Casey. They stood there, shoulder to shoulder. "Okay, campers, we're going to move toward that door. Nice and slow."

They managed to move three steps before they were completely surrounded by the men. Casey and Sam were in the middle of Jack, Daniel and Teal'c now, those men faced out toward the ever-moving crowd.

"You don’t want to hurt them," Daniel said quietly to Oskron.

The man shook his head. "No, we do not wish to harm them. Merely to…see them."

Daniel's heart was pounding against his ribs. If trouble started, it wouldn't take long for the three of them to be overpowered. Then Casey and Sam would be at the mercy of a group of men who had never seen a woman in the flesh; armed with information on just how soft they were, how sweet they smelled, how incredible it was to hold them. He had the sinking feeling that things were about to get ugly. He translated what Oskron had said.

Jack snorted. "Yeah, right. First it's a look. And then some bastard won't be able to control himself, and he'll want to touch, next thing you know, we'll have a gangbang to end all gangbangs. No way. Tell them to back off."

"Oskron, please, tell the men to back up. This isn't right. This is frightening the women," Daniel pleaded. "Don't let the men hurt these two women."

Oskron looked around him. "You frighten them! Move away! Back up!"

For a few seconds, it seemed to have an affect. Then the group suddenly surged forward. Daniel gasped when the first fist hit his face. He tried to fight back. Felt his arms grabbed and pulled behind him. Within seconds he was being beaten. To death. He was sure that Jack and Teal'c were suffering the same fate, although no doubt the Jaffa was taking a few down with him.

"Daniel!" She saw him go down, trampled now by the men who continued to surge forward, toward her and Sam. She tried to get to him, felt hands all over body, groping her, touching her pulling at her clothes.

She wasn't sure how long it had been. Hands everywhere. She couldn't breath. Suddenly she was thrust on top of what had once been a ticket counter. Her clothes had been ripped from her body, and she stood shaking, next to an equally naked and shaking Sam.

The door opened behind them, and Ihat and several other women entered, their eyes going wide at the sight of the two women, naked and terrified, standing above a crowd of men who stared at them silently now.

Casey could feel their shock. "Don't blame the men. It's simple biology," she said, as calmly as she could. "They've never seen a woman before. They wanted…needed to see us. This is really all your fault!"

Ihat nodded slowly. "You are right, and for that I apologize." She looked at the quiet group of men. She closed her eyes for a second, then climbed up to stand between Casey and Sam. She stripped her clothes off. The other women did the same. They stared as hard at the men as the men stared at them.

Behind the group, Jack, Daniel and Teal'c were taking deep breaths, their Quickening healing bruises and broken ribs and concussed brains.

One of the women knelt down and touched the face of the man closest to her. He in turn reached up and touched her face.

"Uh, Ihat, unless you want some real trouble, I suggest we get some clothes on, and that woman needs to leave that man alone," Casey said, worried that they could see another outbreak of…enthusiasm.

The redhead nodded, and pulled her clothes on. There was nothing but tatters left of Sam and Casey's clothes.

Daniel took his BDU shirt off and climbed up beside his wife, wrapped it around her and pulled her close. He could feel her trembling. "Are you all right?"

"I’m fine. They just wanted to…look…I guess. I think the touching part will come next. Some of those guys are really…um… excited," Casey said, blushing brightly. She buried her face against his shoulder. She could see the erections that pushed against the overalls and trousers the men were wearing.

The group of men wearing jackets approached slowly, and several took off those jackets and offered them to Casey and Sam. The women accepted gratefully, tying them around their waists in an attempt to cover themselves completely. The men of Dovinia Minor were too engrossed with looking at the two women who still stood on the counter, to take note that the strangers were not only alive and breathing, and standing beside their wives, they didn't have a mark on them.

Ihat turned to Daniel. "I apologize for what has happened. I should have known that seeing a woman for the first time would be…overwhelming. Please forgive my shortsightedness."

Daniel frowned. "You're lucky that nothing more happened."

The woman lowered her head. "I did not understand that the…drive…would be so strong."

Two of the other women motioned to Ihat. She excused herself, and went to speak with them.

Oskron, his face battered and bloodied, made his way to where his new friends stood. "I tried to stop them, Daniel, but they were too many…too strong."

Daniel knelt down and put his hand on the man's shoulder. "I know. She's okay. They're both okay. They're frightened, but nothing worse happened."

"They are very beautiful," Oskron said, his eyes flickering over the woman at Daniel's side.

He grinned. "Yes, they are."

Ihat approached them. "I must ask that you return with me. We will see to it that you are given a place where you may clean up and rest." She turned to Oskron. "My friend, we must strike now, while we can. You and your men wait here. We will return for you, and we will take you into the city with us. It is time that men and women live together, as is proper."

Oskron smiled bowed his head slightly. "We will be ready. You are right, it is time."

Daniel jumped down from the counter, the men near it backing up respectfully. He helped Casey down, then put his hand on Oskron's shoulder. "In the library, in boxes under a tarp, are all of the books on the history of Dovinia. Send someone to get them. You'll need them," he said, glancing at Ihat. She nodded, and smiled.

The tall dark headed man nodded as well. Oskron turned to Hallet. Three other men were chosen, and they ran back down the alley toward the library.

Jack, Daniel, and Teal'c grabbed their packs from the edge of the room, where they had been placed, although who had put them there was a mystery that would never be solved. The team followed the women through the door, and onto an elevator. When they reached ground level, they were whisked into a nearby building, and shown into separate rooms. The rooms looked like stark hotel rooms. Sam and Casey found their gear waiting on the beds, as well as all of their weapons.

"I apologize, but I must lock the doors," Ihat said. She gave no reason for the locks. She smiled, and walked away.

The door closed behind them, and they could hear the lock activate. Daniel looked around, trying to see where the cameras were hidden. He smiled. If he couldn't see them while he was looking for them, chances were that Casey wouldn't see them, either. There was no way to refrain from making love to her, not without telling her the reason why. And after just three days, his need was so great he was already fighting an erection that threatened to rip through his pants.

Casey put her arms around his neck, pressed her body against his. "I think you missed me," she whispered, moving her hips against his.

"Oh, yeah," he whispered in return, locking his arms around her slender waist. Just holding her, smelling her, was about to drive him out of his mind. The Fire was burning in his body, and his heart.

"Let's take a shower," she said softly.

"Sounds like a good idea."

"A very good idea," she said, her eyes dancing.

"Are you trying to tell me that I stink?" he asked, a grin on his face.

"Too subtle?"

He cracked up, scooped her into his arms and carried her into the bathroom. And he didn’t give a damn how many cameras were watching.

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