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Tieel wasn't the only one who had noticed the arrival of Lady Xena and her entourage. A bounty hunter by the name of Tergil had also recognized the trader and her assistant. The price on their heads was worth the effort of following them. He knew of one man in particular who would pay well for such beautiful blonde women. He contacted the one with whom he always dealt, and the order was given.

The Hunter was just leaving the system, prepared to go to hyperspace when they were fired upon.

"Oh, hell!" Jack hissed. He tossed aside the leather cuffs. Daniel and Teal'c did so as well.

"It's not Tieel," Daniel replied, from his place by the scanner. "This is somebody else."

The communications screen activated, and Methos smiled at them. "I take it that Lady Xena attracted more attention than just one trader's."

"Looks like," Jack replied.

"I've been monitoring this one's transmissions since he started moving toward you. We just eavesdropped on a message, that ship has contacted Nergal's palace. Whoever he…or she…is, they're under orders from the Goa'uld himself."

"Peachy," the general grumped. He wished for the 'extras' that the Phoenix possessed. "Return fire, Case, and then let's get the hell out of here."

Casey obeyed, laying a line of fire across the front of the bounty hunter's ship. The shields prevented her salvo from doing more than minimal damage.

The Hunter was hit again, and the engines went offline. Jack swore loudly. Sam contacted the Phoenix, but it was still ten minutes away. They all stood, stunned, when a huge man with light blonde hair and a scruffy beard, along with two others, large in their own right, appeared on the bridge. Three zat guns downed every man on the bridge before they could respond. Casey and Sam were already running toward the door, but were stopped by the man's companions. In just a matter of minutes the two women were prisoners on board the attacker's ship.

Daniel sat up, watched in disbelief as the ship moved away from them. "Not with my Wife you don’t!" He held his hand out, and blue ribbons of energy flowed from his hand, impacting on the ship before it could move to hyperdrive. The enemy ship hung in front of them, the engines dead. He reached out with his mind. Whoever had the women had drugged them immediately. He was able to feel her, but could sense that she was unconscious.

"Can you bring them here?" Jack asked quietly.

The young archaeologist shrugged. "I'm not sure."

"You pulled those men off of that dying ship," the older man reminded him.

"Casey was helping me," Daniel replied.

"Try, Daniel, try."

He nodded, closed his eyes. He focused on her, the energy he could feel from her. For a brief second he wished for her gift, her ability to 'feel' everything that was around him. If only she were conscious! When it appeared that the ship's engines were back online, he hit it again with a surge of blue energy. "Angel?" he whispered.

A  A  A  A  A  A

Casey rolled to her side. Whatever it was that she had been given wasn't strong enough to withstand her Quickening. Already she was moving back towards consciousness. She opened her eyes, sat up, moaned as she waited for the room around her to stop spinning. Sam was beside her, moving slowly as well. The ship around them suddenly shuddered. She gave a weak smile to her friend. "I'm thinking that would be two very pissed off husbands."

Sam gave a smile as weak as her young friend's. "I'm thinking you're right."

'Angel?'

"Daniel! We're okay, sweetheart, we're okay!" She reached out to touch him, to reassure herself that he was really there, felt his calming, loving caress in return.

'Babe, I need for you to focus. Is Sam with you?'

"Yes, she's right here."

'Good. Take her hand, and then focus on me. Concentrate on me, Angel.'

"Okay." She reached out and clasped Sam's hand. She closed her eyes, reached for him, felt the power that flowed from him. She could almost 'see' a stream of energy coming for them. It was too far to the right. She reached again, pulling it toward her. It was so hot, so powerful …she gasped when she felt it come in contact with her body.

'I have you, babe. Just hold on tight.'

She obeyed, clinging to the power that she felt, that coursed through her. Suddenly it felt as if she were being transported by the rings. She closed her eyes when the light became too bright to look at.

A  A  A  A  A  A

'Daniel! We're okay, sweetheart, we're okay!' Her voice was full of relief. He smiled when he felt her touch, the almost frantic caress. He reached back, soothed her, touched her mind gently with a loving touch his own.

"Babe, I need for you to focus. Is Sam with you?" He nodded at Jack. He could do this. He had to do this! He would not let anyone take her from his side! Never would that happen again!

'Yes, she's right here.'

He took a deep breath. They were together. That would make this much easier. "Good. Take her hand, and then focus on me. Concentrate on me, Angel." He began to call up the Fire that moved up and down his spine.

'Okay.' He could feel her reaching toward him. He held his hand toward the ship, sent the Fire, the power, to where she felt the strongest.

He felt her…there! "I have you, babe. Just hold on tight." He closed his eyes as he concentrated on bringing her to him. He had no specific thought, no command, he only wished her safe in his arms again. The Fire burned hotter, the power stronger with each second that passed. He could feel her drawing closer…closer…just a little more…almost…there!

Casey opened her eyes. She had been sitting on the floor of a holding cell. Now she was sitting on the floor of the bridge of the Hunter. With a cry of relief she was on her feet and into the arms of the man she loved, the man who had just saved her…the arms of The Chosen. She buried her face against his shoulder. "I was so afraid, Daniel," she whispered.

"It's okay, babe," he whispered as he held her tightly. "I have you, Casey, nobody is taking you from me, ever." He looked over to see Sam wrapped protectively in Jack's embrace.

The communications screen activated. The blonde man who had taken them sneered. His eyes narrowed when he saw that the women were in the arms of the two 'slaves'. "I see that your… pets…serve you well, Lady Xena. I should have searched you and your little helper more thoroughly, I see. I had no idea you had transportation devices. Where could you have had them hidden, hmmm? Know this, I will capture you. Next time, you won't escape from me." The ship beside them moved away, heading for the docking port on Kolamar.

"What say we get out of here?" Jack asked. Teal'c had quietly informed him that the Jaffa had the engines online once again.

"Didn't Methos say that this guy contacted Nergal?" Daniel asked.

"Yeah, so?" the older man frowned.

"Feel like a promotion from pet slave to bounty hunter?"

"Contact Nergal ourselves, and tell him that we have Lady Xena and Gabrielle?"

Daniel grinned. "Why not? Obviously he wants them. It's a way to get inside and find out what he's up to."

"Yeah, well the problem I have with that is the getting out part," Jack replied. "Unless you can zap us in and out of where we need to go."

The young man shook his head. "I can't do that. But we have a ring transport on this ship."

Jack studied the blonde man for a few seconds. "What the hell. We're going to have to face him sooner or later. Might as well be sooner." He looked over at Casey. She was still clinging to Daniel's vest. "Case, any bad feelings?"

She closed her eyes, reached out as far as she was able. She shook her head. "Whoever that was is really pissed. But other than that, I don't feel anything…bad."

Jack put his arm around Sam's shoulders. "Okay, let's get some rest, and then we'll figure out how to contact Nergal. Danny, tell the help that if Methos calls, to have him wait a few hours so we can get some sleep."

Daniel turned to the Jaffa. "If Methos contacts the ship, tell him that we'll reply after we've rested."

The two Jaffa nodded. Both hid their smiles well, although Teal'c caught the fleeting evidence of one just before he turned to follow his friends to the quarters assigned to them. He didn't bother to hide his smile. He was well aware, as were the Jaffa, that sleep would not come to either the Jacksons or the O'Neills for some time yet.

A  A  A  A  A  A

The room was small, the bed not quite as wide as a full-sized one, but it was good enough. Daniel pulled her into his arms and kissed her, his hands wrapped around her face as he drank greedily from her lips. Her responses served to add fuel to the fire that was roaring up and down his spine. Her hands were moving over his chest, soft caresses that scorched his skin, made him ache for her.

His kiss was possessive, needy. His hands held her still as he took from her. She gave him all that she had; letting her kiss tell him that he alone was the one she needed, craved. His chest was warm and strong under her fingers, and the feeling of his skin against hers sent the flames higher. She stepped closer to him, pushed her breasts against him, let her hands slide over his shoulders.

He pulled his hands from her face long enough to shrug the vest from his body. One hand went back to cup her cheek, the other began to tug at the lace that held her bustier together. He pulled fervently…wanting…needing…to free those beautiful breasts for his hands, his mouth. He felt her reach up, gently push his hand away, pull the lace through the eyelets. His hand caressed her breast through the leather as her fingers worked. When the lace dropped to the floor, he impatiently pushed the bustier from her body, both hands cupping her breasts. He ran his thumbs over her hard nipples, felt her gasp.

Casey sighed into his mouth as his hands moved over her aching flesh. She pushed against his hands…needing…wanting more from him. He began to gently massage her, the sensations sending messages of pleasure to her brain, and desire to that secret place between her thighs. She moaned softly when he began to pinch her nipples. One hand was already in his hair, the other was caressing his hard shaft beneath the black leather that he wore. She sighed again when his mouth left hers, began to trail moist kisses over her jaw to her throat.

"Let's get the pants off and lay down," he whispered in her ear. His mouth moved back up to hers as he worked her pants from her hips. He felt her hands release his swollen member, push against the leather. He pulled away from her, pushed gently until she was sitting on the bed. He knelt down and pulled her boots from her feet. She lifted her hips, and the pants came next, bright blue panties hooked under his thumbs as well.

She slid to the floor, pulled his boots off, his hand on her shoulder holding him steady as he lifted first one foot and then the other. He leaned over, pulled her to her feet and put her back on the bed. Her eyes locked with his while he stripped the pants from his body. He lay down beside her, his hand moving over her breasts, his mouth on her throat. She wrapped her arms around him. She rubbed her cheek against the top of his head, her body arched toward him when he lowered his mouth to her breast and began to suckle hungrily. As always, he took his time making love to her this way, giving each breast his loving attention, arousing her more with each lick, each tender bite he made. Her hips were beginning to move as he sucked harder on each rosy nipple.

The need to worship her drove him nearly insane. He held back, wanting to make her as eager for his caresses as he was to give them. When he could wait no longer, he trailed kisses down her flat belly, let his tongue tease that tiny ring, then settled himself between her thighs. He could feel the heat rise from her, smell her arousal. He moaned when he allowed himself that first taste, her hips bucked against him as his tongue moved over that sweet, wet flesh. He drank that sweet honey straight from her well, teased her swollen nub with his tongue until she was making soft noises, her hips moving up and down against his mouth. He slid two fingers into her well, felt her come. He began to stroke her, building up the orgasm she needed, wanted.

"Please, Daniel, let me taste you," she begged breathlessly.

He ignored her pleas for a time, moving her ever closer to her release. When he could feel that she was close, he moved up, straddled her slender shoulders and fed his raging erection to her hungry mouth. He closed his eyes as her mouth and hands went to work on his aching flesh. He sighed…never had there been a woman in his life who could give him such pleasure this way. She made love to him every time as if it were the last. His hips jerked when she teased the sensitive head with her tongue. He was so close…too close. He pulled away from her, pushed her to the side of the bed, stretched out beside her. "Ride me, babe," he whispered

With a smile that threatened to melt his brain, she moved over him. She supported herself on one outstretched arm, put the other hand between her thighs and held open her soft folds. She watched his eyes, as he watched her body come ever closer to his erection. "A little help?" she whispered.

He immediately grabbed his stiff cock, held it toward her body. She lowered herself slowly, taking him in one tantalizing inch at a time. His eyes were full of fire, his hips pushing up toward her. When he tried to enter her too quickly, she eased away from him. "Come on, babe, I can't take much more," he whispered.

She looked at him, put both hands on the bed beside his shoulders. She shoved her hips down, took him completely into her well in one strong push.

"Oh, god!" he moaned. He grabbed her hips and began to thrust up into her. He could feel her using those inner muscles - holding him, massaging his full length.

With a smile of pure delight, she began to ride him, her hips moving back and forth. When he started gasping for breath, she paused, then used her legs for leverage and moved up and down on him, letting him nearly fall out of her before shoving her hips down again.

He grabbed her hips, held her firmly. She sat up straight, her hands on top of his. He watched her face as he ground against her with every thrust upwards that he made. It didn't take long before he could feel her thighs quivering against him. "Give it to me, Angel," he commanded in a whisper. That sweet whimper filled her throat, she let her head fall back, her long hair brushing against his thighs. 

She cried out, bucked against him. Her body was alive with sensation, every nerve ending humming with pleasure. Her release sent her soaring into oblivion. "Now, Daniel, now! Fill me with your love!"

Her whisper nearly drove him over the edge. He shifted them until he was lying on top of her, then began to pound into her sweet well. He felt her come again just before he went flying over the cliff into that valley of ecstasy. He dropped down on top of her, panting, smiled when her arms pulled him ever closer. "Love you, Angel," he whispered.

"Love you, my heart," she whispered in reply.

He shifted them once again. He held her tightly against his chest, his hand moved up and down her back. For the first time since it had happened, he allowed himself to think about what he had actually done. He had used the Fire, and had been able to bring her back to the ship. He hesitantly touched the flames that he could feel flowing through him, could always feel flowing through him. Just as it had when he had helped her start the engines of Thor's ship, it felt…different…now; stronger, hotter. He briefly wondered if it would reach a point when he couldn't handle it, couldn't stand the heat of the power that coursed through his veins.

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