Part 2

They sat down in a small hall with a large, round table. Different dishes of chicken, salad, fruit and other meals were spread on the table, and from what Sam could tell after having tasted some of it, incredibly delicious. The first few hours were spent with Daniel and Sam telling Utra in the shortest possible time where they came from, who they were.

"Do you know if they still exist? Our ancestors?" Utra then asked with hope in her voice.

"I think they do," Sam responded and saw the excitement appear on the Utra's face in the form of a wider smile. "It's just that there have been some political problems there…"

Utra's smile lowered and she sighed. "Yes, I shouldn't be surprised. It has been like that since the beginning. There is a great amount of natural resources which other nations would like to have control over. It has been a constant battle between the nations, often with the desire to wipe us out so they could claim that which is valuable."

Daniel and Sam were both quiet for a while knowing the cruel reality back home all too well.

"You came through the stargate?" Utra then asked.

"Yes," Sam replied.

"Do you have many of them on Earth?"

"No. We've only found one," Daniel said.

"Where did you discover the gate?"

"In Egypt. Is that the one that your people used?"

"Yes."

"Why did some of you leave, while others stayed?"

"We had developed ideas which we believed would better our lives there. Unfortunately, they were mostly weapon plans. We also knew that our neighbors and other nations would try to steal those ideas, and use them against us. Some of our leaders there decided to immigrate to another continent where they believed it would be safer to live. Others decided to remain and continue to guard the homeland. They were very brave to do that."

"And you came to Egypt?" Sam asked.

"Yes. Two of our people returned 3 centuries later to see what has happened to those that remained. What we know is that our people there lived well, their civilization thrived. They were prosperous, but still devoured by political wars."

"Were there records of your immigration?"

"No. We wanted to learn more, but a war started here and we were unable to."

"With whom?"

"The Dezheari."

"We've never heard of them."

"They're a primitive race that wants to follow in the footsteps of the Goa'uld, but very unsuccessfully."

"You know the Goa'uld?"

"Oh, yes. We have never come across them but have heard of them."

Sam and Daniel glanced at each other to this.

"It will be dark soon. We will arrange for a bed for you."

"Actually, we could return tomorrow here if it's alright," Daniel said.

"That cannot be allowed, Daniel," Utra told him.

"But the rest of our team…" Sam wanted to explain when Utra immediately shook her head.

"We will provide some meal for them and if they wish, they can return to Earth. As for you two, if you still want to learn about us… you cannot come and leave as you please. Our rules might seem strange to you, but they're necessary. Please, stay."

Daniel and Sam exchanged a look or two, and with some hesitation, agreed to stay. The colonel however wasn't too happy with the news, and it took longer for him to be convinced.

-----

They were led to a small house close to the center of the city. The tall pillars were decorated with interesting images of horses, trees and lynx. Daniel guessed those must have been only memories for the Krasnians' homeland because here he saw neither a lynx nor a horse. Utra had advised them that not everyone could understand their language, especially those which weren't scholars and scientists in general. She also warned Daniel that although his version of the language was similar, it was not identical.

A friendly young woman greeted them at the entrance in the same way as Utra had: taking Sam's hands and kissing them, and afterwards giving a warm squeeze to Daniel's hands. She had some difficulty understanding Daniel's version of the Macedonian and would irresistibly giggle most of the time, when she wasn’t smiling. He did at least manage to learn that her name was Syna.

She led them to the bedroom and was about to wish them both a good night when Daniel spoke out. "Um, I'm sorry, there's only one bed here."

Syna smiled back and glanced at the bed.

"She doesn't seem to understand what I'm saying," Daniel quietly told Sam. "Do you…" He started gesturing with his hands at the same time as he spoke. "Have another bed?"

Syna tilted her head in confusion. Daniel tried again, and this time the young woman's blue eyes widened and her smile grew as she nodded frantically and ran out of the room.

"Does that mean she understood you?" Sam asked.

"Hopefully."

A few minutes later, Syna returned with a blue bed sheet and pillow. She handed them to Daniel. She then uttered some words, of what Daniel could translate as ‘pleasant night’ before she walked out.

"That's a 'no', then," he said and sighed.

The room was rather large for a simple bedroom. There was only the bed in the middle and a thin rug on the floor. Candles were placed on almost every spot on the walls; the ceiling had beautiful paintings of beaches, a man and a woman sitting down, eating grapes.

Placing her hands in her pockets, Sam bit her lower lip. "Who gets the bed?"

"I doubt the floor is very warm," Daniel responded.

Sam crossed her arms, and tapped her fingers. "One night."

She walked over to bed, and took the pillow and bed sheet from Daniel.

"It's not like I haven't shared a bed with a friend before," she said and chuckled slightly, although this was incredibly uncomfortable for her.

"Y-eah…" Daniel sighed. "Feeling tired?"

"Considering that I woke up just eight hours before? No, not really."

"That'll be a problem," he smiled and scratched the back of his head.

They stood on each side of the bed, just staring at the sheets.

"This is not very comfortable," Daniel finally said.

"I completely agree."

"Any suggestions?"

"Nothing that could be efficiently executed," Sam replied.

"Okay, then…"

"We'll have to do with what we have, unless you feel at ease about sleeping on the cold floor."

Daniel only looked at her in a way which gave Sam her answer.

"Right. Left side or right?"

"It's the same to me."

Both remained in their places. They looked at each other realizing that they were giving the situation an unnecessarily giant importance.

"We do sometimes consider each other as siblings, don't we?" Sam asked.

Daniel nodded.

"And siblings sometimes share beds, right?"

Daniel nodded again and so did Sam. Silence fell over them again.

"I'm going to look at the paintings on these walls again. I didn't have the chance to do that before," Daniel said straight away and turned around to gaze at the pictures and miniature signs between the candles. Since there wasn't any electricity here, the light of the candles gave the entire room an uncomfortably intimate atmosphere. Daniel sighed quietly and closed his eyes for a moment. This shouldn't be uncomfortable. They're teammates, friends… best friends. This was no big deal. But that little organ in his chest read through those thoughts way too easily. At the back of his mind voices screamed at him before laughing at his denial. Sharing a bed with Sam would not have been a big deal if nothing existed behind those so-called rational thoughts about his best friend.

Some make that mistake, even if unconsciously, to allow something else to develop for that friend, which afterwards they try to push it like some annoying disease out of the system. Daniel shook his head. He cared about Sam deeply; it did not mean that he was… Daniel took a deep breath and tried to exhale that thought. He cared for her. The problem was that that care reached dangerous levels of being equal to the kind which he had for his late wife. Even worse, at times it reached more hazardous levels, deeper than those he had known from before.

Daniel glanced behind them and saw Sam looking out through the window, her back turned. "You didn't come here to ask me about my leg," Jacob's words came echoing back. "You want to know about Sam." Like a little boy, shyly and maybe guilty, Daniel confessed. He was worried about her. He always worried about Sam. Daniel touched his forehead with the tips of his fingers. Yes, he worried, so what? What did his concern for his best friend have to do with this entire situation about sharing a bed?

Sam placed her hands on her waist, trying to concentrate on the beautifully clear night sky. She laughed at herself for acting like a child and throwing a silent tantrum about something like this. It is only one night. Her shoulders moved slowly up and down, in rhythm to her breathing. "It's gorgeous," she said, looking up at the sky.

"Hmm?" Daniel turned towards her and saw Sam waving him towards her. He walked up to the window. When his gaze reached the sky, he understood what his friend meant. "Wow," was his smooth reaction.

"I know." Sam smiled. The sky had an unusually dark violet color, with the moon - in its rather large size even from the distance – glowing with a magical blue; like little gems big and small, the surrounding stars were scattered across; some were even a faint emerald green, but the largest ones were placed in such a way that they were forming an almost full circle around the moon. That sight alone could have been an invitation for a honeymoon vacation in this city.

Both stood in their places, simply admiring the unique view before them in silence. In their experience, they've been sites strange beyond belief, and some of those sites incredibly beautiful. This one managed to be breath-taking.

Sam's head moved slightly back when she felt Daniel's hand on her right shoulder, and its weight increased when his fingers gently squeezed her shoulder. She glanced at the hand but said nothing. It wasn't anything unusual. Her left lip began curling when all of a sudden a white flash hit her with such intensity that it almost blinded her.

When she opened her eyes Sam saw daylight through the window instead of the night. The strong sunlight in her face caused her to shield her eyes with her hand. She wanted to gasp because of the sudden change of climate when a gentle, warm breath close to her ear froze her in the spot.

"It's a beautiful morning, isn't it?" the familiar voice turned her head towards the source. Her heart nearly crushed against her ribcage as the sight of his face and those eyes looking at her were keeping her frozen, unable to move. His blue eyes smiling back at her with some unusual intensity, not hiding behind the familiar glasses of his; Sam could still feel his hand there on her shoulder as he watched her.

"D-Daniel?" her words were almost muffed as Daniel's face moved dangerously close to hers with the intention of a soft morning kiss. She was about to move her head away when the same flash of light hit her once again.

When her eyes uncovered the sight before her, she didn't know whether to be relieved or alarmed to see the same night sky as before the abrupt change; but she did feel confused.

"Sam?" Daniel called her.

She looked at him with his glasses on and the slight worry behind them in his eyes.

"I-I, uh, I just…" Because of her uncertainty of what had happened only a moment ago, Sam decided to keep it quiet for now. "I think bed sounds like a very good idea right now," she said and quickly distanced herself from him.

"Are you okay?" Daniel asked her.

"Yes, I'm fine," she spoke as calmly as she could and reached for the bed sheets.

"I thought you weren't tired," Daniel said when he noticed Sam sitting on the bed.

"I thought so, too." She smiled briefly. Forming her hands into fists, she pressed them against her lips, looking at the floor. "What do you think of Krasna?" she asked and looked up at him.

Crossing his eyes, Daniel watched her confusingly until he felt ready enough to reply to the question.

"It looks amazing. If they are who they say they are, I'm a little surprised the architecture hasn't advanced since, what we know as, their ancient period."

"Yeah, that sort of puzzles me also. Utra mentioned that the scientists were the ones who knew the languages as well as she did… how did the guards understand what you said, if your version of the language wasn't the same as theirs?"

"Well, they're probably trained to know it. If they're that strict of whom they allow entering the city, then…"

Sam nodded in agreement. "It's strange how they've never come into contact with Goa’uld."

"Either that or they have but they're not telling us."

She looked up at him. "That's interesting."

"It is? What?"

"I would've expected you to believe them."

"Considering that we know so little about them, I'd say suspicion is quite justified at this point."

Her lips curled. "True."

"So, should we… retire for the night?"

Sam glanced at her side of the bed and then shrugged.

"Sure," she agreed.

Daniel walked over to the other side of the bed and sat down. Both took off their boots and then hesitantly slipped underneath the sheets. The surface beneath them was unbelievably comfortable, having such an effect on their bodies that they became more relaxed, giving their brains an increased desire to sleep.

A soft whistle was heard behind the wooden door, causing both Sam and Daniel to sit up. A choked female voice then followed after the whistle. It was Syna.

"What did she say?" Sam asked.

"I think she asked if she could enter," Daniel responded and shouted a few words. The door opened and a soft blue color emerged from the opening, followed by the young woman's small figure. When Syna appeared, she was holding a rough diamond with the size of her hand.

"A diamond?" Sam was surprised by the glow which the gem released.

"Better than a candle, I guess," Daniel said as he and Sam watched Syna enter the room.

Without saying anything, the young woman walked over the candles. Removing a piece of yellow cloth from her waist, a belt was revealed with a small canteen hanging from it. Syna reached inside to gather some orange powder on her fingers. She then touched the flames on each of the candles, extinguishing them. When the room was finally covered in the thick darkness, Syna muttered a word and quickly exited the room.

Sam and Daniel watched, or at least tried to see the closed door through the darkness.

"Curious," Daniel then spoke.

"Same here," replied Sam.

"Goodnight, Sam," Daniel said gently and lay down.

She followed. "Goodnight, Daniel," Sam responded in the same tone.

-----