Sarah lay back on the cool, wet grass of a park just northwest of Colorado Springs, staring up at a myriad of diamond stars in the coal mine sky. Everything around her was peaceful, still, basking in the sheer perfection of Creation. Deciduous trees and tall wild grasses swayed in the slight breeze that meandered across Earth's surface. The air was cool, crisp; the Tok'ra fleetingly noticed her breath rhythmically rising in to the sky.
As calming and appealing as her surroundings were, Sarah had other things to think about. She and Vinnet were worried about Vandrof, who had been placed in a tank with a low electric charge until he again had a host. While he remained there, the life-preserving contraption was nothing less that solitary confinement. He could see outside, but he could not contribute, could not communicate. Vinnet sympathized with his position since she'd had the same confinement for three months before she blended with Sarah. She did not wish any of it for her friend.
On top of that, she was not unaware of the mounting tension among the Tok'ra. While some were grateful for any host, many felt that too many Tok'ra now sympathized too much with the Tau'ri. Although the former way of thinking still seemed to hold quite a bit of power in the High Council--otherwise they would not have asked for the declassification of their existence--Sarah had always worried that the discontent with strong-willed hosts would increase to the point that the Council would recall her.
A twig cracked, breaking into the crickets' monotonous chorus as well as the Tok'ra's thoughts. Vinnet took over, sitting up quickly, uselessly staring into the deep shadows on every side of the clearing. She sat perfectly still, keeping as low to the ground as she could without looking like a guerilla fighter. A few more twigs cracked, and the shuffling sound of a person making his way through the dry underbrush came to her ears. Finally, she recognized the figure emerging from the shadows as her host's boyfriend, David Rice.
Vinnet retreated on the condition that Sarah propose the symbiote's solution to one of the issues plaguing her. "Hey," the Tok'ra greeted, standing up to give a hug. "Thanks for meeting me here on such short notice."
He smiled as they embraced, his expression showing him to be tense. "It's beautiful out here tonight; I'm glad you thought of it." His voice sounded completely sincere, albeit extremely tired.
"Did you see the news last night?" she wondered, thinking to go about Vinnet's request in a logical way.
David nodded. "I actually did. My boss told me to check the news when I got home. It was interesting, but stuff like that just seems so remote. The news said some people think it's the end of the world."
"Yeah, right," Sarah commented, at first dismissing the idea as ridiculous; the Tok'ra's sudden appearance in the world's view of the universe should not cause a catastrophe. Then she considered another possibility: perhaps the proposed "end of the world" originated not from the Tok'ra but from another source, such as the Ha'tak lurking in Neptune's orbit.
David smiled and took a deep breath. Then he bent down to get to the ground, only to sop halfway through the motion. He took her hand. "Sarah," he began, pulling a small box from his pocket, "if there's any chance the world's going to end or be attacked by aliens or whatever, I need to ask you..." He gently opened the box as he finished, revealing a dainty ring bearing a small diamond. "Will you marry me?"
The Tok'ra stopped breathing for a couple seconds until Vinnet reminded her that it was necessary for their survival. She knelt down to David's eye level, her emotions conflicting. She certainly loved David, but with all that was going on, Sarah was far from ready to become engaged. "I want to say yes..."
"Then say it," he quipped quietly.
"There's so much you don't know about me."
"I know enough."
Sarah shook her head. After hiding an essential part of her life for so many years, she couldn't imagine that it was possible for him to even guess to what she refered. "No, you don't."
"I learn quickly."
She sighed, glancing enviously to the dark, peaceful woods as a tear slid down her face. "I've been lying to you since we met," she admitting, knowing the words set as much ice in David's stomach as it did in her own.
He gazed at the outline of her face he could see in the moonlight as he settled onto the grass. "How so?" he whispered after a while.
Sarah also sat back on the brass. "That's why I wanted to see you as soon as you got off work. Truth be told, I'm glad you saw the news last night but not today."
He frowned. "Why? What happened?"
"I'm a Tok'ra."
"What!"
Sarah continued slowly, ignoring his outburst. "Until yesterday, that fact was classified. I couldn't tell you anything related to my real job or who I really am. I probably told you too much, but I don't regret it, especially now."
His eyes left her face, and he seemed to be meditating on a small, lonely wildflower just in front of him. "So all this time I spent trying to get to know you..."
"Was still worthwhile. I didn't deceive you about everything, just when it came to classified things."
"Then I suppose you've never been to Germany." His voice held a hint of anger... or maybe it was disappointment.
"No, but I wish I could go."
The frustration in his voice grew. "Then, Sarah--and I hope that really is your name--"
"Usually," she admitted quietly.
"--where have you been all the times you went away on business?"
She sighed, knowing this was going to sound loony to him. Why did Tau'ri always have to seem so scared of new, foreign ideas? "I had to go offworld, to other planets. There are too few of us for Vinnet to live here without doing something useful."
"No, just living your own life isn't good enough," he replied sarcastically.
Sarah rolled her eyes. "Daivd, the galaxy's a lot more dangerous than anybody's letting on. Earth could be a vacation world, but I've lived here all my life. It's not fair to the other Tok'ra if they're all working their tails off and risking their lives and I'm just sitting here doing nothing."
David sighed. "So living here and building relationships and getting a Masters degree in aerospace engineering and astrophysics all equates to doing nothing?"
The Tok'ra thought about it, then laughed for a moment. "Yes, I suppose it does mean nothing. It's not helping our cause much, though it might eventually help me MacGyver a hyperdrive in the distant future." She shrugged, trying to ignore David's hurt expression. "College is mostly something to pass the time and see if there's anything we know that can help the Tok'ra."
An ackward silence fell about them for a few minutes. Both boarded separate trains of thought while studying the serene environment. Finally, David spoke, carefully watching her reasctions. "If you said anything else, I would believe you in an instant. But how do I know you're really an alien?"
Sarah blinked a couple times. Had she not already explained this? No, he had not heard. Only in times like these did she realize how different the Tok'ra existance was. "You can talk to her if you want. She really does like you."
"What do you mean 'she'? What are you talking about?"
"Sorry, I keep forgetting I have to start from the beginning, wherever that is." She sighed, sorting her thoughts and realizing Vinnet's proposal would have to stay on the back burner for a while yet. "A person only becomes a Tok'ra when he or she physically and mentally blends with a symbiote--a snake-like sentient alien. If you want to, I can ask that alien to talk to you."
David said nothing but nodded, anzious to understand the difference between the woman he wanted to marry and the person with him now. As he watched, Vinnet took over her host's body. She flet overjoyed to finally have an opportunity to speak directly to the man her host--and as a result, Vinnet herself--had fallen in love with. The symbiote confirmed that Sarah's eyes had flashed not only by acknowledging the slight discomfort in her eyes but also by seeing David's reaction. The other Tau'ri's eyes widened, and his jaw dropped.
"Do not worry; eye-flashing is perfectly normal among Tok'ra." Vinnet took on a casual demeanor, leaned back slightly, and gazed up at the stars. "From here, you cannot see most of the systems we have visited." Sarah silently cheered as she noticed that Vinnet might again practice her hobby of "Name that System!" The symbiote pointed to one of the brighter stars. "One of the planets around that sun was called Abydos. Sarah nicknamed it Tatooine, though she has never personally been there." David remained quiet, having been quite startled by her strange voice. "One of the dimmer stars in that direction," she continued, swinging her arm around and pointing westward, "is where one of our friends recently died."
"I'm sorry to hear that."
"You can help," she insisted, catching the other off-guard. "And possibly spend the next century with Sarah... and me."
He slowly shook his head, still gazing int he direction Vinnet last pointed. "Last week, I would've jumped on that opportunity, but now that you, whoever you are, are here..."
"I have been present since before you met us. Sarah is still fundamentally the same person you have always known. The only differences now are that you know of me and we can tell you more about our life."
"Such as?"
Vinnet shrugged and met his stare. "The man I told you had died was a Tok'ra. His symbiote is still alive and in need of a host."
"What are you suggesting?" he wondered, fairly certain he didn't want to know, but too curious to just let it go.
"I am suggesting that it would be a great relief to both of us if you were to volunteer to be Vandrof's new host."
"I don't think I could do that," he replied, faltering. He shuddered. Although he was not quite sure why, the idea of this "blending" did not evoke warm, fuzzy feelings, especially when the word "host" was added into the deal. "How did Sarah become a, uh, host in the first place?"
Vinnet nodded, accepting that David had less motivation to volunteer than did most of those she had spoke with int he past few years. She retreated again, giving Sarah control of her body. "I hope you understand I still can't tell you everything," the Tau'ri began.
David's head came up quickly. "Sarah?"
She laughed lgihtly. "You'll get used to it, hopefully. Vinnet's going to try to remember that she doesn't have to mask her voice when talking to you."
He shrugged a bit. "O-kay... So how did you become a 'host'?"
Sarah's expression sombered a great deal. "A lot of what happened is still classified, so this isn't going to make too much sense. In eighth grade, I was taken off-world. The people who took me were going to, um, do something unpleasant. My blending with Vinnet prevented them from being able to do that. The Tok'ra High Council wasn't extremely happy about it, but they let us come back so I could finish high school."
"What was it like?"
She shrugged. "Annoying. Vinnet refused to help me with anything. Expecially in biology and chemistry, I knew she could tell me how to do something, but she tried as hard as she could to not give away answers."
He finally smiled a tad; Sarah's tone strongly reminded him of the person he had grown to love. "No, um, what was it like when you two... um..."
"Blended," she finished, sobering from her rant. When she next spoke, her voice was soft, her pacing slow. (So incredibly slow, that it's not going up here.)
"Teal'c, look scary and take point!"