Title: The Dark Side of the Moon
Author: Divinia Serit
Rating: T

Notes: Part III in the series starting with Through the Looking Glass and continuing with Smoke and Mirrors. Please read both before starting this one, unless you want to be thoroughly confused! This will stay in the Mentalist section for the first 3 chapters before moving over to the crossover section as usual!

Author's Note: Yay! *happy dance* I'm so excited to have finally started this story! It's been running around my head for the past year, and I honestly didn't mean to wait this long! I've definitely missed this world, and even though I had originally planned to not post this until I finished Evergreen, it was killing me! Plus, that one seems to be going off on its own at the moment anyways! Updates might be a little slow on this one- I'm really trying to take my time and actually plan things out! What a novel idea! I'm also going to try to write longer chapters than my normal 1500 words, so we'll see how it goes!

A big thank you to everyone who has poked and prodded me to keep writing, as well as to everyone who has read and reviewed 'Through the Looking Glass' and 'Smoke and Mirrors'. Your loyalty astounds me, and I love that so many of you care about this world almost as much as I do! I really appreciate all the time y'all take to read and review! It really makes my day!

I'd like to dedicate this chapter to Elodie Wolfe who always seems to be the first to review anything I write! It always makes me smile to have such great little review conversations in my inbox!

Finally, (I'm almost done and then I'll shut up!) a huge thank you to Tracie, Rach, Chibi, Susan, Cat, Mandy and so many others for being so awesome on FFN and in real life! When I first started writing fanfiction, I never thought I'd make such lasting friendships! You girls are all amazing, and thank you for being such an inspiring part of my life!

"Imagine if Christopher Columbus had come back from the New World and no one returned in his footsteps."

–Jim Lovell's response in Apollo 13 on why we should continue funding NASA shuttle missions

The plane was filled with tense silence as the nose tipped up and the aircraft lifted off. Teresa Lisbon clenched her fingers around each armrest during the turbulent start, and half expected a teasing remark from the man beside her. Patrick Jane remained silent. He continued to stare out the window, resting his forehead against the smooth glass. Lisbon frowned. Turning her head, she could see the faint outline of the military complex fade to a speck. Glancing to her left, she was met with the worried gazes of her team. With a small shrug of her shoulders, they lowered their gazes and leaned back into their seats, while Lisbon cast another frustrated look at the blonde.

Seventy two hours had passed since their botched return from the Dreamer world. The majority of their group had returned unharmed despite the fierce battle with Maldonado that almost prevented their escape. The rebel faction leader and vampire slave trader had returned for the young princess, and was content to use anyone in his way against her. In the end, Teal'c had dragged Divinia through the wormhole, but a sudden blast possibly destroyed the DHD and injured Cayt and Colonel Jack O'Neill preventing their return. Despite Major Carter's best efforts, the gate would not connect and the fate of their friends was unknown.

General Hammond allowed them to stay as long as possible, but without an easy and quick solution he was unable to rationalize their continued stay. So with a promise to keep them apprised of the situation, the CBI agents and one silent consultant found themselves being transported back to California despite their protests. Lisbon sighed and raised a hand to rub her temple. She knew Jane's sullenness was mostly due to the fact that a certain vampiress had barricaded herself in her quarters not long after their arrival and refused to come out or speak to anyone. Not even Jane's smooth words and solemn promises could get Divinia to respond, and Lisbon knew he had to be feeling a mixture of guilt and anger.

She gently entangled her fingers with his and was rewarded with a small smile. His face softened as he turned towards her and broke his attention away from the window. She watched as his attention flicked around the small cabin as he cataloged the locations and attitudes of everyone around them before sighing softly. Lisbon ran her thumb along the back of his hand, and was surprised when he leaned into her and rested his head on her shoulder. She reciprocated, and softly rested her head on his giving them both the comfort they needed after the stress and uncertainty of the past several days. Jane lifted both of their hands and pressed his lips to her hand in a silent thank you, as she squeezed his hand in response.

Suddenly, the weight of the journey hung on her shoulders, and Lisbon found herself unable to keep her eyes open. Her breathing slowly synced with Jane's, and she cast one final glance around at the others. Cho was flipping through a small paperback that he had borrowed, and Rigsby and Van Pelt were talking quietly amongst themselves. Giving in to the urge to rest, she breathed in deeply and tried to stop worrying. Sam would figure it out.

Samantha Carter hissed out a muffled curse as the wire she was stripping sparked with a live jolt. Shaking her hand, she slipped her finger into her mouth and glared at the offending object. Turning it over, she stared at the metal cube once more. There had to be some way to reengage the teleportation device to get back to the Dreamer planet. There had to be a quicker way to solve this whole scenario. It had been seventy-two hours since they had stumbled through the gate, and they were still no closer to solving the problem. The blonde astrophysicist frowned. She would not tolerate failure. They didn't leave anyone behind.

The familiar catch-phrase sent her stomach flipping and she missed her Commanding Officer's comforting presence. The outcome of the fight was unknown, and the only information they had was Divinia's terse reply that they had been shot down as they approached the Stargate. Their injuries appeared non-lethal, but there was no telling what occurred after the Stargate closed. Daniel had pointed out that Jack and Cayt were most likely fine, and were probably being treated like royalty as guests of the Queen. Her guards, after all, outnumbered Maldonado's group of Dream Spirits and the situation was surely under control.

Rubbing her temple, Sam turned back towards her laptop and started a diagnostic tool once more. Teresa Lisbon and her team had left a few hours before. Frustrated, but unable to help, General Hammond decided that it would be best if they returned to California despite Patrick Jane's protests. He agreed to keep them apprised of the situation and promised to recall them the second they had any news. Sam couldn't even bring herself to say goodbye. Instead she had retreated to the comfort of her lab as she tried to piece together a solution.

"No luck so far?" a quiet voice asked from the doorway. Sam looked up in mild annoyance at the interruption.

"I can't get the cube to activate, Daniel. It's like it was only meant for one transport or I could be completely wrong and we need to activate a part on the other side."

"You'll figure it out, Sam. At least Jack and Cayt are in friendly company this time. It's nothing like being stuck on a completely foreign planet alone."

Daniel studied the astrophysicist over the rim of his glasses. He knew she had caught the veiled reference to Edora when her mouth tightened. Even then, she had been ready to work herself to the point of exhaustion in order to bring Jack home. He knew she'd succeed again, but he wanted to remind her that she wasn't alone. Other solutions were being considered.

"You should talk to Divinia."

Sam looked up with a puzzled expression. Although it wasn't unusual for Daniel to make random jumps in a conversation, she wasn't sure what he was trying to imply.

"I was planning on asking her advice. She may have additional knowledge about the cube-" Sam trailed off when she noticed his face tense.

"She won't come out of her assigned quarters. She won't eat or speak to anyone. Janet's worried about her since she was already in pretty rough shape when we arrived," Daniel paused and caught his friend's eye. "Sam- the poor girl went through a traumatic experience even if she won't admit it, and now she's alone and on a foreign planet. She needs someone who understands."

Sam's head jerked up as she fully comprehended the meaning of Daniel's speech. She already knew she was walking a thin line with her commanding officer, but she had never confirmed her feelings aloud. It was taboo. Until then, they made do with lingering touches and wordless communication. She could only imagine what the vampiress was going through being separated from her mate. Although Daniel did like to bring up the unspoken connection between her and Jack O'Neill, she could tell her was extremely concerned about both of them. Sam sighed.

"Alright, Daniel."

The concrete walls felt like they were closing in on her. Divinia shivered as a cold chill brushed up her skin. She didn't like being inside. She felt too confined and it made her restless, uneasy- especially in a room like this one with no windows and only a steel door. She wanted to go outside where she could see the stars. She sighed. Of course, they wouldn't be the stars she was used to. Everything here would be completely foreign. It was all Cayt's fault, she thought angrily. She knew he had an agreement with Colonel O'Neill to make sure she went through the gate, and yet she felt betrayed. Helpless. She had been unable to protect her mate, and had been dragged away like a child. Her eyes burned with unshed tears, but she refused to cry.

Divinia curled tightly into the thin blanket that had been draped across the bed. The room was colder than she was used to, and she wished she hadn't returned Dr. Jackson's jacket. Shivering slightly, she tried to figure out how long she had been in the room. Somewhere along the way, she had lost all track of time. She found that she didn't much care. She didn't have the energy to move. She longed to drift off into a deep sleep, but she was plagued with nightmares- visions of Cayt and Colonel O'Neill falling after being shot, feelings of terror lingering from her time spent with Maldonado, and memories of Cayt's almost execution.

"Daniel, you don't have to drag me. I am capable of walking on my own."

Sam's voice outside her door jarred her from her thoughts. Tensing slightly, she continued to stare at the wall in front of her and kept her back to the door. She could make out the slight murmur of voices, and she assumed Sam was protesting the intrusion into her room. Closing her eyes, she exhaled deeply when she heard the lock being tampered with. She knew someone would try sooner or later, and she was surprised Patrick Jane hadn't tried when he banged on the door earlier. It had hurt to ignore him, but she couldn't stand to face anyone. She kept hoping if she closed her eyes she would wake up and find that it had all been a horrible dream.

But it wasn't. And she couldn't stay in solitude forever.

The door clicked open, and a single set of light footsteps entered the room. The door closed with a soft thud, and Divinia knew it was Sam. Daniel wouldn't have been able to stay quiet so long.

"I brought you some clothes," Sam simply said.

Divinia felt the bed dip as the other woman sat down. She froze, unsure of how to react. She could practically feel the other woman reach out to touch her, before changing her mind and withdrawing her hand. A few more minutes passed, and Divinia knew Sam would leave soon. The blonde wasn't quite as comfortable around her as Teresa and Jane had been. Making up her mind, Divinia slowly rolled back over.

Samantha Carter bit back another biting comment as Daniel practically dragged her towards the VIP quarters. Rolling her eyes, she clutched the small bag of clothing with both hands and stood awkwardly in front of the door. Despite her protests, she knew the younger girl must be feeling betrayed and alone after everything that happened, and she knew no one else on base besides Janet and SG1 would be likely to check on her. She had hoped the vampiress would respond to Jane and Lisbon before they left, but obviously they hadn't even been allowed in. She'd have to pick the lock.

With a look telling Daniel to leave, Sam set the bag on the floor before fumbling with the locking mechanism. It really wasn't that complicated as long as the base wasn't in an emergency lock down. The door clicked open, and Sam paused before picking up the bag. Taking a deep breath, she pushed open the door and was greeted with darkness. She closed the door behind her and waited for her eyes to adjust to the pitch black room. She could barely make out a small form huddled on the bed, and she approached slowly.

"I brought you some clothes," she said softly.

Divinia had her back to her, but she could tell the princess was still clothed in the torn and bloody dress she had worn in the battle. Sam felt a small surge of anger. Someone should have checked on her sooner, despite the vampiress' wishes. She reached out to touch the girl's shoulder, but stopped, remembering that Divinia tended to startle easily when she was distracted. Sam sighed, and sat in the darkness as the minutes ticked by with no sound or movement from the young woman beside her. She was about to leave when the vampiress suddenly rolled over, and Sam was greeted with an expression that was so utterly lost and hurt that she felt her heart clench. Sam reached over and ran her fingers through the girl's tangled silver hair, and she was surprised with the girl allowed her to continue, her eyes glazing over once more.

Sam wasn't sure how long they sat in silence. Instead, she focused on slowly untangling Divinia's hair and hoping that her touch provided the young woman with some sort of comfort. The next time she looked down, she was surprised by the girl's steady gaze on her own. The vampiress studied her for a moment before looking away once more.

"It's too quiet." Sam almost winced at Divinia's emotionless tone. "Something's wrong. My head hurts. I can't feel him. I can't sense anyone."

Divinia's big eyes were shimmering with unshed tears, and Sam finally understood what she meant. She had almost forgotten about the vampires' telepathic abilities with members of their clan and Patrick Jane's strange experience with Divinia's voice in his head when they rescued her from the slave camp. For the first time in who knows how long, the vampiress was experiencing complete and utter silence. Divinia let out a shaky breath, and clenched the blanket while burying her head in the pillow. Sam continued to run her fingers across the girl's scalp for a few more minutes while she got her thoughts under control. Pulling back, she slowly stood up and was met with Divinia's apprehensive gaze once more.

"Let's get you cleaned up."