A/N This story was originally posted on Heliopolis a few years back and it was the first SG-1 fanfic I ever wrote. I've dusted it off and made some revisions in the hope that the story reads better than it did originally.

Please note this is a dark story, dealing with a subject matter that wasn't dealt with very often on the show itself... torture. There are parts that are quite traumatic, so anyone who doesn't like that kind of thing should steer well away... the Brit isn't pulling any punches!

It is also a Sam/Daniel love story.

Let me know what you think and don't be lulled into a false sense of security with the first couple of chapters...

Te Amo:

Chapter 1:

"We look forward to the continuation of our trade negotiations with the people of your world, Dr Jackson," the village elder bowed solemnly toward the archaeologist, "I'm sure that there is much that our cultures can learn from one another."

Daniel winced inwardly at the implied slight embedded within the elder's words before reluctantly and somewhat uncomfortably returning the bow.

"Oh... I don't think that's gonna happen," beside him, Lieutenant Colonel Samantha Carter repatriated her P90 from the hands of one of the men that surrounded them, her trained eye checking it over to see if it was still serviceable, "you kissed goodbye to any chance you had at establishing trading links with our world the minute 'we' met."

She made a deliberate show of locking and loading the weapon, sliding the bolt back with easy movements, sending a round into its chamber.

The elder gave her a contemptible look, his cheeks flushing a violent shade of puce at the audacity of her words.

"This is absolutely outrageous," he spluttered feebly, his gaze turning back toward Daniel, "we insist that your woman apologise."

Carter swung the P90 over her shoulder with an exasperated shrug.

"You can insist as much as you want, but I wouldn't go holding your breath."

With that she pivoted on her heel and began to march out of the village, kicking up small clouds of dust in her wake.

'So much for submissive and contrite,' Daniel thought as he shrugged apologetically at the group of village elders who were looking at him in a way that could only be described as sorely disgruntled. Cupping his hands in the compliant gesture that he had been taught upon their arrival, he bade the elders farewell before taking off in the direction of his friend.

"Sam? Hey! Hold up a minute."

The dust cloud kicked up by her more than hasty retreat enveloped his face, plastering his glasses in a coating of sandstone coloured debris. He yanked them off, using the hem of his BDU jacket to wipe them clean before hurriedly replacing them.

Much to his annoyance he found that Sam hadn't heeded his request to slow down, if anything it seemed as though she had lengthened her stride. All he could see in the early morning sunshine was the silhouette of her gradually receding form.

He sighed to himself.

The morning was clear and bright, the sky a cloudless cerulean blue. Even this early in the morning the sun was strong and a heat haze wavered across the horizon. Daniel found himself breaking out in a sweat as he trudged along the well worn path, the perspiration prickling uncomfortably against his skin. He was desperate to shrug out of his jacket, and the pack that he was carrying was beginning to bite into his shoulder.

However, he knew better than to stop because he could tell by her body language that Sam had no such compulsion.

He quickened his pace, almost running in order to catch her up. Up ahead he saw her stop at a fork in the road in order to take her bearings. He sucked in a lungful of humid air and jogged up to her, a little ashamed that he seemed so out of shape and reminded himself that he would have to put that right once he got back on base.

"You know… I realise that the past few days haven't been a ball of fun for you but…" he hesitated, carefully choosing his next words, mindful of the situation that they had just extracted themselves from, "…I think what you did back there was a little out of line."

He grimaced as the words left his mouth, realising that they hadn't come across as sympathetic as he had hoped they would.

"Excuse me?" Sam turned to face him, her cheeks aglow with a flush of crimson that was not entirely caused by the speed march she had just undertaken. "You think I was out of line?" Her blue eyes, normally placid and engaging, blazed instead with a heated fury. "I'll tell you what was out of line, Daniel... spending three days of my life being totally ignored by everyone in that sorry excuse of a village just because my gender is deemed insignificant by the ruling majority."

Her gaze blazed a fiery trail across his face, daring him to show even the slightest disagreement of her assessment.

As much as he loved his work, there were times when he truly hated it and the last few days had only reinforced that feeling.

Their introduction to the people of P5J 794 hadn't gotten off to an auspicious start.

As befitting her rank Sam had introduced herself first to the assembled village elders before presenting Daniel. The elders had reacted with a surprising amount of unconcealed contempt and had prompted Daniel to ensure that, "…his woman hold her tongue." Incredulous at their remark, Sam had tried to explain the situation, but things had only gotten worse.

One of the elder's nearest her had reacted angrily, striking out with his hand, intending to land a savage blow toward Sam's face. Only her quick reflexes and training had stopped the blow from landing, but in the process she had grabbed the elder's wrist in a combat hold causing him to gasp in pain.

The situation had deteriorated rapidly after that.

The elder's had refused to speak to Daniel as long as Sam was present. Due to the expediency and importance of the mission that they had been given, Sam had reluctantly stepped aside, bowing to the wishes of the elders, and had tried instead to learn more about the village from the rest of the inhabitants.

However, it soon became apparent that word had gotten out that the female traveller was not to be communicated with. Every man in the village shunned her, turning their backs to her as she had approached them. On an emotional level Daniel had found it very difficult to converse with the elders knowing that Sam was being deliberately ostracised by the male population of the village.

It had become almost unbearable when it also became evident that the female villagers had been barred from speaking with her too.

For three days she had been totally and systematically ignored.

To make matters worse their weapons, the pack containing their MRE's and their water had mysteriously vanished on their first night, and had only been returned to them that morning when Daniel had made it clear that they were leaving.

"You know, Sam, this isn't the first time that we've come across a paternal society that suppresses its women."

Daniel remembered one of their first trips through the Stargate when the then Captain Carter had been treated in a similar way, although remembering how that had turned out, he realised that it probably wasn't the best comparison.

Sam impaled him with an icy glare.

"Are you suggesting that I should be used to it?"

"Well…no…but..." he stammered.

"Or perhaps you are suggesting that I should just accept it... is that it?"

She shook her head in disbelief.

Daniel wanted to say something to calm her, he opened his mouth, but before he could say anything she cut him off.

"Maybe you think that in situations like this we should go back to how it was in the beginning... when female members of the SGC skipped these kind of meet and greets... because if you are..."

"That's not what I'm saying.. what I'm trying to say is although it's wrong, and I'd be the first to say that it is, these people know no different. For centuries this is how they have lived their lives and it's not going to change overnight. We can't expect it to change just because they meet us… it's asking too much…and whether you like it or not…we are going to keep running into this crap."

Sam ran a hand through her short cropped blonde hair.

"You know something? I could have endured it, suffered their petty prejudices if it had led to something... if we had found that Ancient repository that we've been looking for... but no... all we got was squat!"

She pulled a battered looking baseball cap out of a pocket and jammed it on her head with an angry tug.

"What the hell were SG-9 thinking when they asked us to check this place out? How could their Intel have been so screwed up?" She planted her hands upon her hips and gave Daniel an aggrieved look. "We've wasted three days that we couldn't afford to waste. We could have been helping Mitchell and the others search one of the other quadrants. I bet they have had a more fruitful time of it than we've had."

Although he tried desperately to stop it, Daniel felt the side of his mouth quirk upward as a grin began to spread across his face.

Sam held up a finger in warning.

"Don't you dare!"

She pinned him with another withering glare, one so intimidating that he wondered if she actually practiced it in the mirror. No wonder veteran airmen were known to cower when they had been on the receiving end of that look.

"That whole sorry episode stays between you and me," she made sure that he got the point by jabbing her index finger non to gently against his chest, "otherwise..."

The rest was left ominously unsaid, but Daniel knew that if he told anyone about what had happened on their second night, Sam would likely have his guts for garters, along with more intimate parts of his male anatomy.

Thinking that the matter was resolved, Sam turned back toward the direction that she had been looking in earlier, her mind obviously focused once more on finding the Stargate and getting them both off of the planet.

"You know you really shouldn't talk to your husband that way..."

She had taken a couple of steps forward before his words hit home, her body jerking to a halt as though she had taken a couple of snub nosed rounds in the back. She pivoted around so quickly to face him again that he was amazed at how well she had kept her balance.

Even with his vast knowledge of ancient and alien languages, he found it hard to find a word that could describe the look that she gave him.

Prudence would dictate that he should let the matter drop and that he shouldn't antagonise her anymore, especially when she was still pissed at the way she had been treated by the villagers.

However, much to Daniel's surprise he found that prudence seemed to be taking the day off.

"You were the one that accepted that piece of fruit, so technically… in the eyes of the elders we're…"

Sam gesticulated wildly with her right hand.

"If someone..." she gazed pointedly in his direction, "... had actually taken the time to speak to me... maybe... just maybe I would have known the consequences attached to taking that particular piece of fruit from you."

Daniel squirmed a little under the weight of her stare.

"I tried to warn you... I raised my eyebrows when you reached for it..."

"That was a warning?"

She looked incredulously at him.

"What else was I supposed to do...they were watching me... they had barred me from having any communication with you."

"How was I suppose to know that was a warning? I was damn hungry, Daniel, they hadn't fed me all day and the goddamn bowl was full of that particular piece of fruit." She threw her hands up in the air in disgust. "Talk about loading the dice! How was I to know that by taking that fruit from you... I was declaring my acceptance of our marriage?"

She muttered something that sounded like a profanity and turned around again, signalling to him her intention that the conversation was over. He watched her make her way along the dusty path, checking her compass points as she retraced their journey back to the Stargate.

They carried on walking for most of the morning. Sam's mood lightening considerably as the distance between them and the village grew. By mid-day they had made good time and by Daniel's estimation they would reach the valley that housed the Stargate by early afternoon.

He was weary, the intense heat and humidity culminating in an uncomfortable sluggishness. His stomach growled with hunger pangs, reminding him of the fact that in their hasty departure they had forgone breakfast.

"Sam…hold up."

He walked over to the side of the trail and slumped down on the grass.

Slipping his water bottle from its holder he unscrewed the cap and swallowed a couple of tepid mouthfuls. He felt Sam settle next to him, a tired sigh breaking from her lips. He proffered his water bottle toward her, which she gratefully accepted and he watched as she sipped thoughtfully at its contents.

"Feeling better?"

She nodded an affirmative and took another sip of the warm water before replacing the cap and handing the bottle back to him. He stowed it away and then started rummaging in his pack for provisions. He brought out a handkerchief sized parcel and started to untie it. Inside were a few pieces of bread, some cheese and a purplish- greenish coloured fruit. He lay the handkerchief on the ground between them and handed Sam a piece of bread.

"One of the women slipped it to me as we were leaving the tent this morning." He took a bite into a piece of cheese, chewing it thoughtfully. "Guess she thought that I needed to keep my strength up."

"Lucky you, the only thing I received this morning were a couple of contemptible looks from the elders."

Daniel continued to share the remainder of the meagre meal between them until only the piece of fruit was left. Sam eyed it suspiciously as though it were some kind of booby trap.

Seeing the expression on her face, Daniel chortled softly to himself.

"I can assure you, Sam, this is not a piece of forbidden fruit."

"It's okay, Daniel, you have it. I'm not hungry anymore."

He knew that was a lie because he knew damn well that she hadn't eaten anything, apart from the bread and cheese, since the whole debacle with the fruit basket the night before. He pulled his commando knife out of its scabbard and began cutting the fruit into segments. He popped one of the pieces into his mouth and closed his eyes as he slowly chewed it.

"Hmmm, delicious."

He opened his eyes and glanced at her, noticing that a broad smile was playing across her lips. Teasingly he popped another juice laden segment into his mouth.

"Want to try some of my fruit, Sam?"

He waggled his eyebrows solicitously.

Sam giggled.

"You're incorrigible."

She moved her hand toward the handkerchief and snagged a segment of fruit with her fingers and popped it into her mouth. She grabbed another piece and together they devoured the impromptu dessert.

As he ate, Daniel's mind wandered back to the night before.

It had been a long and embarrassing night, made all the worse by the fact that Sam had been manhandled into his tent by the village elders. Before her entrance, it had been made abundantly clear to Daniel that he was expected to partake of his marital rights, and if necessary this should be undertaken without his newly acquired wife's consent.

Even now he could still see the look of repulsion and anger that had spread across Sam's face as she became aware of the situation. It had taken all of his powers of persuasion to convince her that come the morning she had to look contrite and submissive, because in all honesty he hadn't known how the villagers would have reacted if they had found out that the intended consummation of their marriage had never taken place.

His train of thought was broken by Sam.

"Time to go." She stood up, shouldering her P90 once more. "It's only a few more miles to the gate."

Daniel hesitated for a moment, watching her as she started back down the trail again, then stowing away his commando knife and handkerchief, he set off after her.

A couple of hours later they had made it to the path that lead down into the narrow valley that housed the Stargate. A few feet ahead of him he saw Sam slow her pace and when he tried to pass her, she threw out an arm to bar his way.

"What's up?"

"I'm not sure," she pointed toward the clearing that was nestled at the bottom of the valley, "but something feels wrong."

Daniel's eyes narrowed in concern.

"What do you mean... wrong?"

Sam pulled a pair of field glasses out of a pocket in her BDU's and began to scan the immediate area.

"I can't put my finger on it. It's a feeling more than anything else. It might be nothing..."

"...or it might be something." Daniel finished.

After ten years of being in the field together certain little idiosyncrasies had rubbed off on each of them and Daniel knew from experience to trust Sam's gut instincts. Gently he took the field glasses from her hand and stared through them.

The Stargate was nestled in the apex of the valley, atop a stone plinth with a flight of steps that led down to the DHD. A horseshoe shaped deciduous forest acted as a perimeter, its tall trees screening the valley from three sides.

"There's nothing down there, Sam, not even the cows that were pastured there when we arrived." Daniel's mouth twisted upward in a small grimace. Lowering the field glasses, he looked back at his friend. "I can't say that my boots will be lamenting their loss."

Sam ran a hand across the base of her neck, an unconscious habit that she had whenever something was troubling her.

Daniel doubted that she was even aware that she did it.

"Maybe it's the absence of the cows. Maybe they've been moved to a new pasture?" Moving the hand away from her neck, she used it to shield her eyes against the bright sunlight as she continued to stare down into the valley. "It has been three days."

"It hasn't stopped that internal radar of yours from pinging though, has it?"

She shook her head.

"No, it hasn't."

She took the field glasses back from him and swept the valley with them once more.

"Do you think it could be the Ori, they were spotted on several of the planets adjacent to this one?" Daniel shifted position slightly, easing the load on his back. "This planet would be ripe for a visit by a Prior."

"If you ask me they would be preaching to the converted, that damn village is halfway there already with its Medieval attitude. Serves themselves right if they fall foul of the Priors. Maybe a little prostration to the 'All Hallowed Ones' will teach them a lesson."

"You don't mean that, Sam."

Daniel's words were soft and just a little reproachful.

"You're right," she looked at him, the contrition in her blue eyes palpable, "nobody deserves the Priors."

"But do you think it might be them?"

"I don't think so, if it were a Prior or a detachment of Ori soldiers we'd be able to see them. Stealth isn't their thing... they prefer a full frontal attack." She shook her head softly from side to side. "I'm not even sure if it's anything at all. Could just be that the last few days have me irrationally on edge."

Daniel pulled his bandana from a pocket and wrapped it about his head, carefully tightening it at the back.

"So what do you think we ought to do?"

Sam was quiet for a long moment, and Daniel knew that she was thinking through their options.

"We can't avoid going down there, it's our only means of getting home. So I guess we go check it out," she released the safety on her weapon, "but let's take it slow, keep an eye out for anything that doesn't sit right because this damn pinging isn't going away."

She nestled the P90 tightly against her right shoulder, her index finger resting against the trigger as she sighted down the barrel, training the weapon upon the adjacent tree-line.

Daniel followed suit as he took up a similar stance, his own weapon sweeping the opposite tree-line. They covered the ground back to back, protecting each other, walking crab-like until they reached the clearing that housed the Stargate.

When they reached the stone steps that housed the DHD, Sam took up a position at the foot of the dais, sweeping the P90 in a wide arc, making a final check of the surrounding area. Satisfied that it was clear, she nodded to Daniel who, having shed his cumbersome pack, climbed the stone steps cautiously; when he reached the DHD he swept his hand across the large glyphs and activated the first chevron.

As the chevron engaged... all hell broke loose.