A WORK OF STARGÅTE SG-1 FAN-FICTION—by Van ©2010
		Chapter 14

"Don't eat her!" Sam screamed, waving her useless spear in impotent horror.

Goldeneye shifted her unsettling, gigantic gaze from the bound, cowering fairy in her scaly palm to Sam and Markie.

"D-do what the Queen says!" Markie added, brandishing the fishing spear in a display of martial ferocity—a display somewhat dissipated by the tremble in her voice and the constant, erratic wavering of the spear's forked tip.

The dragon licked its chops, again, and re-focused on Janet.  "The Great Hunt is suspended!" she rumbled.  "I am to keep the Queen safe and away from the Temple!  Why are you here, Lightling?  Why shouldn't I eat you?"

"Uh... because that wouldn't be nice?" Janet suggested.  She was tugging on her wrist and ankle bonds without any real hope of escape.

"The Machine of Life has changed The Plan?" the dragon demanded.

"Not The Plan," Janet squeaked, "just... the plan.  I thought I'd drop by and see if the Queen needs anything."

"NEEDS ANYTHING?" Goldeneye roared.

Janet flinched, as did Sam and Markie.  The sound echoed off the canyon walls three times before dissipating.

"The Queen has fish and water and fire," Goldeneye huffed, "and a Hailey to play with!  What does she need with a Lightling?"

"Why shouldn't I have a Lightling to play with?" Sam demanded.

"Yeah!" Markie agreed, then turned to her Queen and blinked in confusion.  "But Janet said she's not a Lightling," she whispered, "and—"

"Hush!" Sam hissed, then turned back to face the dragon.  "She's a member of the Queen's Court-in-Exile!" she shouted.  "Don't eat her!"

"Two fairies can fly you out of the canyon!" Goldeneye growled.  "There are things in the forest that don't care if you are the Queen and would GOBBLE YOU UP!"

"Don't eat her!" Sam repeated.

Goldeneye stared at the shivering, naked, helplessly bound fairy in her hand.  "Well..." the dragon said, finally, "keep her tied up!  If I don't see either the Lightling or the Hailey tied up at all times, I'll eat them both!"  With that ultimatum, she flipped her hand, launched herself into the air, and flew away.

"Ahhhhhhh!" Janet screamed as she fell.

Sam had already tossed away her spear and was diving into the lake before Janet hit the water.

"Ahhhhh—"  Splash!

Sam reached the struggling captive in seconds.  "Relax," she said, as she rolled Janet onto her back, stretched her left arm across her left shoulder, and hugged her close in a rescue carry.  Janet's tucked position, wrists-to-ankles bondage, and the drag of the quarterstaff and her wings complicated matters, but they didn't have very far to go.  "I've got you," Sam said as she side-kicked towards the shore.  "You're safe." 

"That was quick thinking," Janet said, "that bit about 'the Queen's Court-in-Exile', I mean."

"Well, I had to say something," Sam muttered.

They reached the shore and Markie helped her Queen carry the bound prisoner to a comfortably flat rock.

Janet shook her head, trying to clear the sopping hair plastered to her face.  "Wow," she shuddered, "I thought I was a goner."

"She is a terrible dragon," Markie agreed.

Sam began untying the knot binding Janet's wrists to her ankles.

"Uh, you sure that's a good idea?" Janet asked, nervously watching the sky.

"Lean forward a little," Sam ordered.

"I'm not sure I can," Janet chuckled.  She tried, nonetheless, squashing her breasts against her thighs.

Sam slowly, carefully pulled the quarterstaff from under Janet's bent knees and crooked arms.

Janet sighed as she straightened her legs and back.  "Thanks," she said, grinning at her blond captor/savior.  Her ankles and wrists were still bound, and the rope leash was still knotted around her neck.

"You're welcome," Sam mumbled, took the far end of the leash, and tied it around a knob on a nearby boulder.  "I know you can probably free yourself," she said, "but remember what Big-and-Scaly said."

"Here I am, all helpless and tied up," Janet chuckled, twisting her bound wrists.  "Woe is me."

Sam favored the captive with an unsmiling stare.  "Just dry off in the sun and keep making a show of being helpless," she said, evenly.  "I don't know what I'd do if the dragon ate Markie."

"My Queen," Markie sighed.

Sam picked up the fishing spear and walked to the water.  "Great," she muttered.  "Now I'm fishing for three."  She focused on Markie.  "Keep an eye on things," she ordered, then shifted her gaze to Janet.  "The camp, I mean."  She turned and walked away, hefting the spear on her shoulder.

"I will, my Queen!" Markie called after her.

"Poor Sam," Janet whispered under her breath.  "She has a lot to think about."

Both fairies watched Sam's tan, wet, bikini-clad form dwindle into the distance.

Finally, Janet smiled up at Markie.  "The Queen gave you a name," she noted.

Markie smiled and nodded, a blush coloring her cheeks.  "She did."  She stepped closer, lifted the bandage still tied around her arm, and showed Janet the healing scratch on her bicep.  "The dragon gave me that mark, so the Queen named me Markie."

"That's sweet," Janet sighed.

"I love her," Markie said.

"I know, Markie," Janet sighed.  "I do too."

They turned their heads and watched Sam.  By this time she was some distance away and was stalking the shoreline in earnest, slowly gliding from rock to rock with her spear at the ready.

"She is so beautiful and graceful," Markie sighed, "even without wings."

"Yes," Janet agreed, "even without wings."

Far, far overhead, Goldeneye banked and soared, keeping watch over her territory.

Jennifer Keller imagined this was what being a captive in some sultan's harem must be like... if there was no sultan... and all his wives were identical clones... identical fairy clones with pointy ears and wings... and their sole mission in life was making Jennifer Keller cum!

She stretched her naked body and snuggled against the sea of cushions and the dozen or so naked Janet-fairies sprawled around her.  Elaborately woven bands of rope bound her ankles and wrists, but their long, trailing free ends stretched to the four corners of the room-sized "bed" with enough slack for her to do just about anything she wanted... except escape.  She lifted her right arm and examined the wide "cuff" around her wrist.  There was no real knot, unless you wanted to call the entire thing one big knot.  It was more a macramé fashion statement than bondage... although it certainly was bondage when the trailing rope was pulled taut.

The "Dark Pleasures" of the Darklings were a semi-distant memory (or wet nightmare), but the "Pleasures of the Light" were very much current events.  Not at this precise moment—it was sleepy-time for the current shift of lounging Lightlings—but she'd lost track of the number of times the tan-skinned, auburn-haired, brown-eyed, dimple-smiling, busy-fingered, tongue-slurping and lip-smacking fairies had made her cum.  She'd also lost track of time, itself.  Orgy had faded into mealtime had faded into orgy had faded into bath-time had faded into orgy... after orgy...  after orgy...

Sometimes the gigantic room was light, and sometimes it was dark.  The fairy tongues were always wet.

Keller sighed, and one of the sleeping Lightlings stirred and snuggled against her side.  Despite herself, Jennifer smiled.  It was impossible to hate these "fairies", not even the Darklings... maybe.  The Lightlings, at least, were kind and generous lovers, and it was almost as if her situation was more an element of their lifestyle than actual captivity, although she knew that she certainly was an actual prisoner.  Could be worse, she mused, remembering the sting of the Darklings' paddles swatting her sweaty butt-cheeks, or their nasty, multi-tailed "floggers" teasing her nipples.  She shivered and closed her eyes.  Better sleep while I can, she thought.

Just then, she heard the familiar flutter of an arriving fairy, opened her eyes—and gasped in amazement!  The arriving fairy was—her!

The newcomer was a Keller-fairy!  She had Jennifer's own features, as well as her brown hair, brown eyes, and fair-but-tannable complexion—and she had translucent, rainbow-hued wings and pointy ears!  Her long hair trailed down her back, except for a pair of long, thin braids that framed her face, and her only clothing was a combination loincloth and kilt-sarong of white silk, tied through her crotch and knotted on her right hip.  She was carrying a tray with six cups nestled in ring-like holders, together with a gracefully fluted carafe of glazed clay.  Her expression was one of open wonder—probably the mirror image of Keller's own.

"Oh, good!" one of the Lightlings purred, sitting up and stretching her arms.  "They said the first of the summer wine would be ready soon."

"Is it really summer wine?" another Janet-fey asked.  "I thought they were going to just mix fire-water with some nectar and grape squeezings.  Doesn't real summer wine have to ferment on its own, at least for a while?"

"Whatever," a third Janet-fairy said, also sitting up and stretching.  She smiled at the Kellers, the fey and the original.  "And look!  They've started to hatch."

The Keller-fairy began filling and distributing the cups, her eyes darting between the task at hand and her wingless, round-eared, naked template.

The Janets made quiet yummy noises as they sipped their "summer wine", sharing the cups among themselves.  One knelt at Keller's head (the original Keller's head), lifted her shoulders, and settled the back of her head against her warm, naked thighs.  She then held a cup to the dazed prisoner's lips.  "Drink, Jennifer," she purred.

Her eyes still on her fey-self, Jennifer sipped the contents of the cup—and coughed.  It was more a potent cocktail than anything she'd call wine.  "This it too freaky!" she objected, when she was able.  The cup was pressed to her lips, again, and she drank.  This time she was ready for the powerful, throat-burning but delicious concoction.  She tried reaching for the cup to push it away, but at some point her captors had tightened her bonds without her noticing.  Her hands never even came close to her mouth.  "Hey," she objected, but the giggling Janets were tightening the ropes even further, stretching her into a no nonsense, full spread-eagle.  "Hey!—N'rrrf!!"  A wad of silk had been stuffed into her mouth, and a cleave-gag was being tied to keep it there.

Meanwhile, other Janet-fairies had relieved the Keller-fairy of her tray and were unwrapping and removing her loincloth.

"Isn't she beautiful?" one of the Janets asked the Keller-fey as she led her forward.

The newly hatched fairy nodded, her eyes locked with the helpless Jennifer.

"You're beautiful," another of the grinning Janets added.

"I am?" the Keller-fairy asked, in wide-eyed innocence.

"You are," came the answer, from many lips.

A Janet-fairy took hold of the Keller-fairy's right wrist and placed the unresisting fey's hand on the captive's flat tummy, palm down.

"M'mmrfh!" Keller mewled through her gag.

"Would you like to make her happy?" a Janet whispered in the Keller-fey's ear (loud enough for the original Keller to hear).

"Oh, yes," the Keller-fairy answered, then gasped as one of the Janets slid a hand through her crotch, from behind, and began massaging her labia.

"We'll teach you," the Janet holding the Keller-fairy's wrist said, and began sliding the fairy's hand over Keller's abdomen with a circular motion.

"Do as we do," a Janet cooed.  "We'll teach you, and you can teach the others."

"M'mmmmmfh!"  Keller tugged on her bonds with all her strength, but she was helpless, and her fey-self's hand was now rubbing her labia, even as the naked fairy's own labia were being rubbed!  Too, too freaky!

The Janets not directly involved in the "lesson" sipped their summer wine and watched the action with dimpled smiles.  One of them reached out and gave Keller's left nipple a gentle caress.  Another leaned close and kissed her right nipple.

Keller was now panting, her breasts heaving, and her thighs and abdomen rocking in rhythm to the Keller-fey's gliding hand.  "Mrfh–mrfh–mrfh..."

"She likes it," a Janet whispered, then nuzzled the Keller-fey's neck.

"We can tell," another purred, and kissed the Keller-fairy's right breast.

"Just do what we do," yet another said.  "Make her happy, as we make you happy."

"Yesssss, Mistresssss," the Keller-fey sighed, her wings quivering as multiple strong, tan hands caressed her body.

"Mrrrrrrrrf!" Keller screamed through her gag, as more hands explored her helpless, stretched body.

Hailey was still naked—which she was coming to accept as her natural state in the Fey World—and was comfortably seated on a soft cushion.  She was also still very much a prisoner.  A steel collar was locked around her throat and its long, attached chain trailed away to a ring mounted at a junction in the bars of the ten-fairy-meter, spherical cage in which she was imprisoned.  And the cage was dangling from its own chain, something like eighty or ninety fairy-meters above the floor of the vast chamber of the Machine of Life.

One of the copies of herself that had delivered a recent meal had called the mountainous light-show of glowing crystals "The Machine of Life".  Janet, the joined fairy Janet, had also mentioned a "Machine of Life".  So, "Machine of Life" it was... either than or "Magic Mountain", "Six-Flags Over Fey World", "The Galaxy's Biggest Nightlight", or...

"I've got to get out of here," Hailey muttered under her breath, "before I lose it, completely."

Down below, every now and then, one of the Felger-trolls would carry in a large, ivory egg and deposit it on the stone floor.  The shambling, furry things had been at it for some time, and more than two dozen eggs had already accumulated.

"Hey, Mack!" Hailey shouted.  "What's with the eggs?"  The Felger-trolls ignored her.  They probably couldn't even hear her.  But sometimes—not often, but sometimes—another voice would answer.

"I am making daughters," the Machine announced.

It wasn't exactly speaking, but Hailey could "hear" its voice, inside her head.  And it spoke in Sam's—in Major Carter's—voice.

"How many servants do the Janet-fairies need?" Hailey demanded.  "They're all going to get fat from lounging around with nothing to do but boink each other and eat."

"The Plan requires many hands performing many tasks," the Machine responded.  "This is a critical period.  Events shall become history, which shall become myth.  And finally, they shall become history, once again."

"Uh... okay," Hailey said, smiling to herself.  "Nothing cryptic about that.  Seriously, what are you making?"

"Soldiers," the Machine answered.  "I am making soldiers."

Hailey's eyes widened in alarm.  "Soldiers?" she gasped.  "What do you need with soldiers?  The Earth is not your enemy, I promise!"

"Your 'Earth' has no further role in The Plan," the Machine responded.  "My soldiers shall be an expedient means of direct action, should chaotic drift require governance, to restore stability and prevent the establishment of undesirable saddle-points."

"Oh," Hailey muttered, "nothing cryptic about that, either.  Thanks for explaining."

"You are welcome.  Behold, the first of my soldiers is born!"

One of the eggs was rocking, violently.  As Hailey watched, it cracked, fell apart, and a slime-covered, female fairy emerged.  Even from the elevated height of her cage, Hailey recognized the fair-skinned, red-haired figure as it stood erect and stretched its slender, athletic, shining body.

"Laura!"

"Even fresh from the shell, my Cadman-daughters are skilled in unarmed combat and the use of the staff, far better than any of my other daughters.  They shall be formidable soldiers."

A Felger-troll arrived with a tub-sized basin of water and another with a stack of towels.  The Cadman-fairy wet a towel and began wiping her face and body.

Hailey frowned.  "Uh... she's born with Laura's combat training?  She won't be a blank slate, like my fairy copies?"

"I recorded the Cadman's engrammatic matrix while she was stored in my array," the Machine explained, "as was done with all members of your 'rescue mission'.  I had only your DNA, gathered at the SGC by my Darkling-daughters, when I set the specifications for my Hailey-daughters.  My soldiers shall have many well-integrated elements of the Cadman's memories and personality."

"In that case," Hailey said, "you better stop calling them 'soldiers' and start calling them 'Marines'."

"Computing..." the Machine responded.  "Computing...  You are correct.  Semper fidelis."

"Oorah," Hailey chuckled.  "Say... as long as we're friends and chatting like this, care to tell me when you're gonna let us all go?"  She waited for a response, but none was forthcoming.  "Hello, Mack?  Old buddy?"  She sighed and curled up on her side.

Down below, a second Cadman-fairy had hatched, and a third egg was starting to shake.

So... she's Janet, Sam pondered, for what felt like the millionth time since she'd left camp.  She's Janet.  She's a fairy... but she's Janet... and she's not dead... and she loves me.

Despite her preoccupation, Sam had managed to spear five, good-sized fry.  They dangled from the end of her spear, hanging on a cord stringer threaded through their gills.  It was more than they needed for the evening meal, but she hadn't realized she had more than enough before the fifth fish was already wiggling on the end of her spear.

She loves me.

Sam considered herself a heterosexual.  She wasn't intolerant, but growing up in her Father's household... and then as a cadet in the Academy... it was a given fact.  Boys chased girls, and girls let themselves get caught.

Besides, it was something of an open secret that she had a "thing" for O'Neill... for Jack... not that she could or would act on it, of course... and she knew Jack wouldn't.  And as if things weren't complicated enough, she had a sneaking suspicion her amorphous, unacted upon and legally forbidden attraction to her SG-1 CO was more of a convenient excuse to keep her otherwise nonexistent "love life" on semi-permanent hold than anything else.

And she didn't like girls.  Okay, she could appreciate female beauty, just like she was sure the guys could appreciate male beauty, not that they'd ever admit it.  And Janet was certainly beautiful... cute... adorable... pretty... radiant... She'd known that, like, forever.

And she already loved Janet, or she had... before she was killed.  She'd loved her like a best friend.  But romantic, erotic love?  That was different... wasn't it?

Lost in her thoughts, Sam had all but reached the camp.  Her eyes were on the rocks as she picked her way along the shoreline, stepping from stone to stone.  She lifted her gaze at the cave, and—"What the hell?"

Markie was sitting on the flat rack where she'd left Janet a bound prisoner.  The blond fey was naked and sitting on her rump with her knees tucked against her breasts.  Her wrists were lashed to her ankles with the quarterstaff tucked under her knees and above her elbows, the same technique Sam had used to bind Janet before the appearance of Goldeneye, before she knew she was Janet, and not a Lightling.  In addition, the same bit-gag of cord and driftwood was clinched in Markie's teeth and tied under her long, blond locks at the nape of her neck.  Finally, one end of their only length of rope, Janet's former body-harness, was tied around Markie's throat with the far end tied to the same knob of the same boulder Sam had used to tether Janet.

The Hailey-fey smiled at her Queen above her gag and fluttered the fingers of her bound hands in greeting.

Sam sighed, rolled her eyes, and carefully propped the spear and fish against a driftwood log near the fire pit.  She then stepped behind Markie and untied her gag.  "Okay, what happened?" she demanded.

Markie worked her jaw, licked her lips, and continued smiling at her Queen.  "Janet wanted to go up into the forest and get some plants to cook with the fish, so I untied her and she tied me up to take her place."

"Markie!" Sam snapped.

Markie blinked in surprise.  "What, my Queen?  The dragon said one of us always has to be tied up."

"And you let her talk you into setting her free and tying you up, instead?"

"Well... yeah."

Sam sighed.  "And the gag?"

Markie blushed.  "I asked her to gag me, my Queen.  I wanted to see what it's like.  I've never been tied and gagged before, and it looked like so much fun when you were bound and gagged and the Janets let us play with you... you know... before."

Now Sam was blushing, as well.  "Well... next time let me decide who gets tied up and who goes fluttering off into the forest, okay?"

"Yes, my Queen."

"If there is a next time," Sam muttered.

"What do you mean, my Queen?"

Sam sighed, again.  "What if Janet never comes back?"

Markie's smile returned.  "Oh, she'll be back, my Queen.  She said she wouldn't be long."

"I hope so," Sam mumbled as she drew the knife and reached for the fish.  Then, she heard the flutter of fairy wings from overhead and looked up.

"I'm back," Janet announced as she dropped straight down the cliff and landed beside Markie.  She was wearing the loincloth and bandeau Sam had given to Markie, and the silk cloth she'd used for her supply bundle bulged in her hands.

"Don't do that!" Sam snapped.

"What?" Janet asked, a smile curling her lips.

"Don't talk Markie into untying you and then wander off while I'm away and then sneak back like nothing happened, okay?"  Sam grabbed the stringer of fish and stomped away from camp.

Janet's smile faded... then she sighed, knelt beside Markie, and untied her bundle.  Inside were sprigs of several different kinds of plants tied together with twists of grass stem.  There were also some berries and several large, flat, green leaves.

"Why is the Queen angry?" Markie asked.

"She's still thinking about... things," Janet answered, quietly.

Markie was looking at the plants and leaves.  "You found what you were looking for?"

"I think so," Janet muttered.  Her eyes were on Sam's back, who had knelt at the shoreline and was using the knife to gut and scale the fry.  She sighed, picked up a bundle of tiny, yellow-green leaves, gave it a sniff, then held it to Markie's nose.

Markie took a deep whiff.  "Umm...  That smells nice.  And it will make the fish taste better?"

"I think so," Janet said.  "I found things that smell like sage and mint.  I chewed a few leaves and they haven't made me sick... yet.  Anyway, it's worth a try."  Her eyes were still on Sam.  "Do you want to be untied?"

"No," Markie answered.  "You need to help the Queen cook.  All I know how to do is the fry fry."

Janet smiled, leaned over and planted a kiss on Markie's lips.  "Okay.  I'll take your place after supper.  I'm going to build up the fire to make some coals."

Markie batted her eyes.  "Uh... can I have my gag back, please?"

Janet's smile widened.  "Flirt!" she accused, and reached for the stick and dangling cords.

Markie giggled, then took the bit in her mouth and held her head still as the cords were tied at the nape of her neck.

"There," Janet said, leaned close, and kissed the tip of Markie's nose.  "Don't go anywhere."

Markie giggled, again, and watched Janet walk away towards the pile of firewood in the back of the cave.  She then shifted her her gaze to Sam... and sighed.

The Queen was beautiful... but right now she was sad, and that made Markie sad.

Sam had accepted Janet's suggestion that they try roasting the fish.  Janet sprinkled a few carefully chopped leaves of her gathered herbs (what they hoped were herbs) over the cleaned fish, tucked a few berries and more herbs into their gutted body cavities, wrapped each fish in a pair of green leaves, and pinned the resulting leaf-packets closed with green twigs.  They then raked the coals of the fire to one side, placed the fish bundles on the hot sand, covered them with a thin, flat rock, then raked the coals over the rock.

"Tomorrow, I'll go looking for a butter deposit," Janet quipped, but Sam was still in a cloudy mood and the joke fell flat.

They waited about an hour... then carefully retrieved one of the packets.  The leaf wrappings were slightly blackened, but still largely green.  Janet carefully pulled the twigs holding the outer leaf closed, then opened the wrappings.  Steam rose from the fish, as well as a mouthwatering aroma.  She used a clean stick to spear a small chunk of flesh, then smiled and offered it to Sam.

Sam blew on the chunk, then took a cautious bite.  "Pretty good," she conceded.

"Ummm!" Markie hummed, wiggling her toes and fingers and smiling above her gag.  Apparently, the bound hostage-fairy was hungry.

Janet chuckled as she went to the rock.  She untied the knot linking Markie's bound wrists to her bound ankles, then carefully pulled the quarterstaff from under her knees.  The little blonde turned her head to the side, making it easier for Janet to untie and remove her gag.

"Thank you, Mistress," Markie said, after licking her lips.

Janet smiled.  "Call me Janet, okay?"

"Okay, Janet," Markie grinned.

Janet kissed Markie's lips, then went to bring her some fish.

By this time, Sam had the remaining four packets out of the fire pit.  Janet smiled (and noted that Sam still wasn't in a mood to smile back), then gingerly carried one of the piping hot bundles to Markie's rock.

Markie watched with hungry eyes as Janet unpinned the leaf and opened the packet.  "Yum!" she said.

"Roasted lake-fry with berry and herb stuffing," Janet announced, and placed a clean stick in Markie's right hand.  "I'll help you if you need it," she offered.

"Thank you, Janet," the grinning fey responded.

Janet chuckled and ruffled Markie's hair.  She turned to get a packet for herself, but Sam was already bringing one over, as well as the already opened packet for herself.

"Thank you, Sam," Janet said, and accepted her share of the dinner.

Sam sat opposite Markie, without responding, and continued eating.

"Tomorrow," Janet said, between bites, "one of us ought to look for some gourds or big nuts or something we can use for drinking cups."

Sam continued eating, in silence.

"That's a good idea, Janet," Markie said, brightly.

Sam continued eating in silence.

"Don't you think that's a good idea, my Queen?" Markie asked.

Sam shrugged, pulled one of the berries from her fish's cavity, and popped it in her mouth.

"It's not like this is all my fault," Janet said, evenly.

Sam glared at the auburn-haired fey.  "You're the one that said it was your fault."

Her expression carefully neutral, Janet picked at her fish.  "It's my fault, but I didn't ask for any of this to happen, so it's not my fault."

Sam picked at her fish, then she popped another berry in her mouth, chewed, and swallowed.  "I can see why you used to drive Cassie crazy," she huffed.

"What?" Janet demanded.

"When she went through her 'brooding-teenager' phase," Sam clarified.

Markie watched the exchange with dismay.  The Queen and Janet were fighting, which was... bad!  Not to mention the fact that she had absolutely no idea what they were fighting about!

"I think that's very unfair," Janet muttered.

"Unfair?" Sam demanded, "then I suppose you don't love me, anymore."

"Not when you pout like a..."  Janet noted the twinkle in Sam's eyes, and what may have been the merest hint of a smile threatening to curl her friend's incredibly attractive lips.  Janet ate another bite of fish, this time including one of the berries.  "And don't even try and tell me you don't like being Samantha Carter—Interstellar Queen of the Fairies."

"Mwah?" Sam gasped, staring in disbelief and narrowly averting choking on a mouthful of fish.  Finally, she managed to swallow.  "How can you say something like..."  Janet was smiling one of her patented, all knowing, dimpled smiles... and chewing roasted fish.  "If it was true love," Sam muttered (and now she really was smiling... maybe), "you'd love me even when I pout."

Markie's eyes were welling.  "Please don't fight," she begged.

Janet smiled, leaned over and kissed Markie's cheek, then gave her shoulders a reassuring hug.  "We're not fighting, Honey-pie," she chuckled.

"We're not," Sam confirmed, smiling her first real smile in hours.

"I... I don't understand," Markie sobbed.

Janet hugged her close.  "It's alright, really.  We're sorry."  She focused on Sam.  "Aren't we, my Queen?"

"Very sorry," Sam confirmed.  Her smile turned into one of her infamous brat-smirks.  "Especially Janet.  She's very, very sorry."

Markie's head against her breasts, Janet favored Sam with her best We-are-not-amused stare—but her spirit was soaring!  Sam is back!  And she isn't mad at me anymore!

"Your heart is beating very fast, Janet," Markie noted.

Janet blushed, especially when she noticed that Sam's brat-smirk had become a dimpled, knowing grin.  "It's nothing," she muttered, and released her hold.  "How's your fish?" she asked, returning to what remained of her own meal.

"Very good, Janet," Markie gushed, then smiled at Sam.  "Isn't it good, my Queen?"

"Very good," Sam nodded, still grinning.

Janet's blush deepened... and her heart was still pounding.

"Say, Janet?" Sam said, popping the last of her berries in her mouth.  "Want to take a walk after we clean up?"

"Uh... yeah," Janet responded.  Now her cheeks were burning, and a thrill coursed up her spine.

"Your wings are quivering, Janet," Markie noted.  "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine!" Janet responded, perhaps a little too forcefully.  "Really," she added, smiling at her fellow fey, "I'm fine."  She could tell Sam was still enjoying her embarrassment.  I'll get you for this, Sam, Janet promised herself, and the thrill returned.  OH GOD how I'd love to get you for this!

"May I go along on the walk, my Queen?" Markie asked.

"No, Markie," Sam answered, still grinning.  "You'll be tied up, guarding the camp."

"Oh goodie!" Markie giggled, squirming with excitement.  "Tie me up really good this time, okay?  And with a real gag."

"We'll see," Sam said, smiling at Janet.  She popped the last of her fish into her mouth, and chewed.