"The Blending"

The walls were a sandy-brown, crumbling in some places to let in the bright sunlight, but miraculously intact in all others. The surface was a mess of faded, colorful paintings, depicting everything from daily life to the most sacred religious ceremonies. Engraved captions, filled with old, brown-black ink for easier reading accompanied the pictures.

Seated at the floor of one such wall was a man, dressed in green fatigues. His dark brown hair—longer than normal, as he hadn't had time for a haircut, and bothering him—was kept out of his bespectacled blue eyes with a matching green bandanna. A pen tapped paper as he glanced between the wall and his notebook while white teeth worried a full bottom lip.

The man was muttering to himself, frowning, writing in the leather-bound book and then making a frustrated sound. Deep lines seemed to be engraved on his forehead as he puzzled out the familiar characters and elusive language.

Another man, older by some nine or ten years, also in green fatigues and with dark sunglasses hanging from his neck, came up behind him. He carried an automatic machinegun, a finger on the trigger, forever ready for trouble. His almost trigger-happy nature had saved his team more than once.

"Heya, Daniel," he greeted. "How's it going?"

"Badly," the other answered shortly. "If all you're going to do is bother me, Jack, go the hell away. I'm working."

"What's wrong?"

Daniel sighed in irritation, recognizing that his commanding officer wasn't going to leave him alone until he answered the man's questions. "The language. I know most of the symbols, but what they spell makes no sense in the language. Here; look."

The blue-eyed archaeologist showed Jack his notebook, pointing with his pen at the transcription he had of the curved characters. "They're hiragana, simplified kanji symbols, part of the Japanese alphabet."

"Part of?" Jack asked, looking at the simple, beautiful inscription on the wall and the slightly scrawlier on Daniel's notebook.

"There's also kanji and katakana."

"And the problem is…?"

"Well, they only use hiragana, unlike the Japanese—I've figured these symbols for spaces, and these for periods, and these are like commas. But some of the hiragana characters have strange marks over them, and none of it makes sense in the Japanese language!"

"Khnum, nuestro dios," Jack read aloud from the translation.

Daniel blinked. "Read that again," he said excitedly, his eyes lighting up.

"Khnum, nuestro dios?" Jack said.

"Oh my god, why didn't I realize it before? It was right in front of my eyes!" Daniel whispered, and snatched the book back from Jack. "Then this must be an accented letter, and then this is a tilde—"

"Daniel?"

"It all makes sense now! They're talking about their god—they found out he was false and here—"

"Oh, Daaaanieeeel…"

"—they overthrew him! Oh, wow…"

"Daniel!"

The younger man started violently. "Jack? You're still here?"

"Of course I am!"

"Oh. Sorry."

"What is it this time?"

"The language! Jack, it's Spanish. Old, of course, and it's changed, but it's still Spanish, just written all in hiragana. That's why it doesn't make sense in Japanese," Daniel said without taking a breath.

"Okay, so you can read it?"

Daniel nodded empathetically.

"Good, 'cause you've only got another hour," Jack informed him. Daniel's face fell.

"Just one more?" he asked. Jack, seeing almost all of the enthusiasm bleed from the man, rolled his eyes and sighed in exasperation.

"Oh, fer—I'll call the general and see if I can get a couple more," he said. Daniel's face lit up, and he looked as though he was about to hug Jack, but at the last minute thought the better of it and wrapped his arms around his notebook instead.

"Thanks, Jack," he said in that quietly grateful way of his.

"No problem," the other replied with a dismissive wave of his hand. "Thank me after we get the time—if we get it."

With that, he walked out of the temple.

The stray thought of how good Jack's ass looked in fatigues passed Daniel's mind, but he pushed it out of the way—those thoughts were for home, not thousand-year-old temples. Nevertheless, Dr. Jackson went happily into the deeper reaches of the temple and worked.

"Sir?" Samantha Carter, sitting on a rock, asked suspiciously upon seeing the content look of her CO.

"Daniel's found out something—he's excited as hell, so I'm giving him some more time to play," Jack said.

"Sir?" Carter asked again, furrowing her brows.

"Well, it's not as if we're needed," Jack replied with a shrug.

"Yes, sir," Sam said dutifully, looking over to Teal'c. The Jaffa just raised an eyebrow.

"Teal'c, stay here. Carter and I are going to call up the General."

Teal'c nodded, moving closer to the entrance of the temple.

There was a grinding, as if stone against stone. The floor groaned. As wrapped up in his work as he was, Daniel took no notice.

Until the floor fell from under him and he disappeared into darkness.

It twisted on the ground, finally able to get a better view of its surroundings. The chamber was dark, but that barely hindered it.

It was free--finally free.

There were others, squealing their joy and subsequent discomfort into the velvet blackness. It did not. But it could make out the others: seven.

It launched itself into the air, smelling human, a host. And the human was hurt. It had to get to him first. It couldn't allow the others to enter the human.

It came down hard on the first, breaking its neck with nary a sound but the dying creature's harsh half-squeal. The second it got rid of similarly. Two of the others had been too far injured by broken clay or rock and could not move; they were no threat. It continued to the fifth, snagging the end of its tail and throwing it back against a rock, bashing in its skull. The sixth he disposed of with a bite to the middle of its body, paralyzing it. The seventh--

The seventh was crawling up the arm of the human.

Quickly, it pushed and slithered, and finally launched itself at the seventh as it made to enter the host through the back of the neck. It bowled the other over, and the two writhed and fought, biting and twisting until one snapped the other in two.

Then the winner slipped into the host's mouth and through the soft tissue of the throat, attaching itself to the spine. There it began to heal its host's injuries.

Daniel woke with a start, but it wasn't a true awakening: simply a return to awareness. His eyes were closed, and he was half-covered in rubble. He could faintly remember what had happened. He was working and then the floor had crumbled and disappeared. One moment he was standing, copying the hiragana etchings into his notebook (after having taped the whole room), and the next he was falling, landing, a sharp pain in his leg--arm--rib--everywhere and then nothing.

"It seems you fell, and some of the broken stones landed on you."

He started again, but again his body did nothing. He felt a blind panic rise dear God what the hell was that was it a Goa'uld? oh shit oh shit oh shit and tried desperately to make his eyes open. They wouldn't.

"I'm sorry. If I let you to the fore, you'll be in a considerable amount of pain. I'm almost done with your arm, though, and I'll let you back in control when that's done."

Directing his thoughts at the new presence in his mind, he said, "You are a Goa'uld, aren't you?"

"I suppose I am, yes. My name is Thoth."

Daniel's heart sank to his stomach and a roiling dread filled him.

"Please don't be frightened. I am simply healing your wounds--nothing more, I swear it by Egeria."

"Egeria? Mother of the Tok'ra? You know them--the Tok'ra?"

"…Yes."

Daniel waited for more, but none came, so instead he let his mind drift, trying not to think about the creature he now shared his body with. Thoth was the god of scribes, writing and wisdom in Egyptian mythology. But since all the other gods were Goa'uld, Daniel didn't hope to get his body back.

So he let himself drift back into unconsciousness.

The next he woke his eyes snapped open. He thought at first that he was still locked in his mind, it was so dark. But then he was able to make out shadows, and for there to be shadows there must be light.

Then Daniel winced; he leg felt like it was on fire.

"That's good. It means the healing process is going well."

Daniel automatically looked around for the owner of the voice, but he knew it was inside him.

"Thoth, right? Are you Tok'ra?"

"Yes, I suppose. Though they don't really like me."

"Oh," said Daniel aloud. He began to move rocks off of his body, feeling the rips and stiff, dried blood-stains on his BDUs. "Why don't they like you?"

"I have slightly more…radical ideas and beliefs than they."

"Like what?"

Daniel knew that he sounded like a lunatic, talking into air, but he needed the feeling of being in control, hearing words he wanted to speak spoken.

"I believe you've noticed that whenever you say they are Goa'uld, they deny it vehemently."

"Yeah. It's annoying."

"But the fact of the matter is, Tok'ra are Goa'uld. We need hosts to live, and prefer humans as our hosts. We can use the hand-device and the healing-device. We believe we are superior to all other races. Those are major similarities to the Goa'uld, are they not?"

"Yeah."

"We differ in our view of life and how it should be used. We believe in a truly symbiotic relationship, whereas the Goa'uld believe in complete autonomy over their hosts. We see humans as more than slaves and hosts."

"There's still that annoying superiority--ah!--issue." Daniel kept very still, breathing in deep, riding out the pain from his leg at a movement he made.

"I am sorry, but as I said, with you in the fore I can't numb the pain all that much AND heal the wound."

"That's--okay."

After the pain slid down to a manageable level, Daniel continued to shift rocks. "Where am I, anyway?"

"The closest approximation is a Goa'uld prison."

"Oh. Then I should stop moving rocks, shouldn't I?"

"Yes, that would be a good idea."

So Daniel kept still, but after a moment could not hold his silence. "A Goa'uld prison, you said? Finally we found it."

There was surprise from Thoth. " 'Finally'?"

"There were a couple references in a text I translated a couple months back. There wasn't a specific Gate address, though, so we kind of forgot about it."

There was no reply from the symbiote.

So Daniel fell silent again, and waited for Thoth to finish healing his injuries.

Time passed, Daniel didn't know quite how much, as Thoth slowly knit the bone and regrew the skin, mending and repairing blood vessels. Then when the wound was just a painful memory, Daniel began to move the stones very, very carefully off of his body.

"If you would let me have control, then--"

Simultaneously, Daniel thought and said, "NO!"

There was a sorrowful feeling from the Tok'ra, and then, "I understand. I'm sorry. Once we leave this place, if you could kindly contact the Tok'ra--you do know the Tok'ra, yes?"

"Yeah, they're our allies, but we can't contact them. Like Selmak said--"

"Selmak?! He's still alive?"

"It was a close call, but he is. He's with Jacob Carter now."

"A friend of yours?"

"The father of a friend."

"Ah."

Daniel finally heaved the last rock off of his body, and located his flashlight. Thankfully the light still worked. He switched it on, shining it over the sandy stone walls and multitudes of canopic jars. "Oh…god. Lots of Goa'uld."

"Eight jars, including my own, were broken by the stones."

Daniel saw one Goa'uld, broken in half, the ends of the spine jutting out of the flesh. He shivered. "That's disgusting."

He stepped over rocks, examining the floor to make sure he didn't step on anything with disastrous consequences.

"There's a stair to your left. An escape from this room."

The archaeologist turned his light and located the stairway, half-crumbling, but sturdy enough. He made his careful way to the steps, and cautiously began to climb.

"Daniel?"

Jack's voice echoed through the structure, bouncing back at him as if in mockery. There was no answering call. There was a similar result from the radio. Jack shook off his worry; it wasn't that unusual for Daniel to be so enthralled in his work that the rest of the world just…disappeared.

So instead he called Teal'c in, leaving Sam to guard the entrance, and they began to search for him. At a fork, the two split up. As Jack went deeper into the winding passages, and as the stones became older around him, he began to get worried--really worried.

Twenty minutes later Teal'c's voice rumbled from the radio. "O'Neill, I have found something."

"Daniel?" Jack answered hopefully.

"No. DanielJackson is still missing. I believe I know where he went."

"Where?"

"You will not believe me if I tell you."

With a sigh, Jack replied, "Comin' right over, T."

After managing the twisting corridors, coming to the fork and taking the left instead of the right, Jack reached Teal'c. The Jaffa was standing right outside the doorway to a room. "Hey, T, what's up?"

"I believe DanielJackson fell through the floor, O'Neill," Teal'c replied solemnly.

"What makes you think that?" Jack asked, coming up to Teal'c's shoulder and looking over. He realized his question was extremely stupid.

"There is a hole in the floor."

"It could have been there already."

"DanielJackson's gear is against the far wall."

"Ah."

They fell into silence. After a moment, Jack took a step in the door, but Teal'c's arm shot out, barring his path. "Teal'c?"

"The floor is unstable. If you enter, you may fall as well," Teal'c explained.

"I'll take my chances," Jack answered, and continued on inside. Teal'c made no further move to stop him, but neither did he follow.

Jack walked to the edge of the jagged hole, peering in. He couldn't see anything in the pitch darkness. He turned his flashlight on, shining it down into the hole. The first thing he saw was a mangled Goa'uld symbiote. "Oh, GROSS!!"

"O'Neill?"

"It's a dead Goa'uld. It's split in half," Jack explained. He scanned the rest of the room, or what he could see of it, and counted six more dead symbiotes. "There's seven total. Damn it!"

Teal'c didn't need to ask why Jack was suddenly angry and distressed. It was likely that Daniel, if he had indeed fallen, was a Goa'uld's host.

Jack ran a hand angrily through his hair, saying again softly, "Damn it."

In the darkness, the passage of time was unnoticed. Minutes became days became moments became millennia became hours. Daniel followed the wall; the batteries to his flashlight had died and he had lost his pack when he fell. So instead, he put his hand to the wall and let it guide him.

"Do you think," he mused aloud, "that we'll be stuck here forever?"

"These are escape tunnels. They must come out somewhere."

"It's the 'somewhere' part that bothers me," the host replied wryly. Despite himself, he was beginning to like Thoth. He was interesting, intelligent, and though his sense of humor needed a bit of work, Daniel truly enjoyed talking to him.

"So…you sounded like you knew Selmak when I mentioned him."

"Yes." The answer was short and curt, accompanied by a flood of images and feelings: hands, bot masculine and feminine, running over his body; lips against his own; contentment; belonging; love; need; desire. Daniel stumbled, and clutched at the wall. Thoth said nothing, but the flow stopped abruptly. The young man took a few moments to center himself, and then continued onward.

"That was…Selmak?" Daniel asked hesitantly. Thoth's silence was answer enough.

Then, miraculously, he saw light. He chuckled softly. Thoth asked, "What is so humorous?"

"Light at the end of the tunnel," Daniel said.

"I do not understand."

"I, ah, guess you wouldn't," Daniel admitted. "Usually, the light at the end of the tunnel signifies death, or the road to heaven."

He felt that if Thoth had been in charge, he would have paused, blinked, and then shook his head at the oddities of the human race.

Daniel sped up his pace, the light becoming brighter as he came closer. Then suddenly he pushed open the door and was bathed in sunlight. He stood a moment, blinking the spots away from his vision as he got used to light instead of darkness. He looked around and realized they were still by the temple, just on the opposite side. Good, he thought.

He randomly chose a direction and began walking along the wall. He tried his radio again and sighed; it was out, just like when he had tried in the tunnel.

"Oh well," he muttered.

He walked on, one hand trailing over the stones in the wall, trying not to think about his friends' reactions when he revealed he currently carried an extra passenger in his body. After that experience with Jolinar--even though it turned out to work out to their advantage--he wasn't sure if he would be accepted or locked up with high security. The latter was probably more realistic, he mused.

He rounded a corner and saw Sam. "Hey, Sam!"

Sam turned, a smile of relief spreading on her face as she saw who called. "Daniel!" Then her smile turned to one of puzzlement, "How did you get over there?"

"There was a back entrance," Daniel explained, and it was the truth. Just not the whole truth. A lie by omission is still a lie, he thought guiltily.

Carter pressed her radio, "Sir, I found him."

"If he moves, shoot him," came Jack's voice, cold and menacing. Samantha started in alarm.

"Sir?"

"That's an order, Major," said Jack, and you could tell he was seething. Reluctantly, Sam raised her gun on a frozen Daniel.

He knows. How does he know? Daniel thought, panicked.

"It does save you the trouble of telling him," Thoth said reasonably, almost as if to comfort his host.

"I wasn't talking to you!" Daniel shouted back. Thoth retreated into the smallest corner of Daniel's mind, giving him space.

The two held their positions as if locked in place. Sometimes, Carter hated being career military, and she hated holding a gun on her friend. Daniel just wanted a chance to explain, to try and make them understand, before he was shot or locked up.

After what seemed like an eternity, Jack and Teal'c burst out of the temple. Teal'c raised his staff-weapon, aiming it square at Daniel's heart. Jack held his P-90 at the ready.

"Sir, what's this about?" Sam asked, though her aim never wavered.

"Daniel's a Goa'uld," Jack answered softly. Carter's shock was palpable. "He fell into a room full of those jars. I don't know how many of them broke, but there were seven of them dead. One had to get into Danny."

"Jack, I--" Daniel tried, but the Colonel cut him off.

"Shut up, snake! Keep your hands where I can see them," O'Neill growled. Daniel obeyed, keeping his hands well away from his body.

"Carter, take his weapon."

Sam moved to Daniel and took the pistol and the knife. Then she went back to her previous position. "Sir, maybe we should let him--"

"No, Carter."

Daniel was staring at him with those intense blue eyes. He needed to make Jack understand that he wasn't a Goa'uld. He had to explain. He placed his faith in their near-telepathic bond, since Jack didn't seem inclined to let him speak. But Jack wasn't listening. Please, Jack, Daniel begged silently. It's me, it's Daniel. Let me explain. Please.

Jack didn't look at him, didn't hear his plea. He said indifferently, "Tie him up."

Teal'c advanced with the cuffs, and Daniel let him put them on without resistance. Then another set, and a third. He guessed they had learned after the Unas planet incident. He knew that Thoth could easily break two. A third, if he tried really hard. Then Teal'c added a fourth from Daniel's own pack.

"Not even I can break four," Thoth told him.

"Good," Daniel replied scathingly. "I'm not planning on trying to break free."

Thoth sighed in silent acceptance.

Jack motioned with his gun that Daniel was to start walking in the direction of the Stargate. Obediently, Daniel started walking, looking at the path in front of him.

He felt a sharp pain in the back of his skull and blackness engulfed him for the second time that day.

Sam glanced over her shoulder at Teal'c, who had Daniel slung over his shoulder, and Jack behind him.

"Sir, was that really necessary?" she asked.

"No. But he's easier to deal with this way, isn't he?" Jack replied lightly, only half-joking.

"We do not even know which Goa'uld we are dealing with, O'Neill," Teal'c said.

"Did you consider that it might be a Tok'ra, sir?" Sam said, a reproachful edge to her voice.

"Yes, Carter, I did," Jack answered.

"Then why didn't you let him explain?" the Major demanded to know.

"Let me ask you this, Major," Jack said, emphasizing the 'major' and making Sam flinch, but not back down. "Has a Goa'uld ever tricked us into believing that they're not a Goa'uld?"

"Yes, sir."

"And has one ever pretended to be a Tok'ra?"

"Yes, sir."

"Well, did you consider that this one might?"

Carter turned back around, shoulders and back stiff. The silence was uncomfortable all the rest of the way to the 'Gate.

Daniel woke with a pounding headache. He raised his hand to his head, wincing, but at the same time thinking joyfully, It was a dream!

"What was?"

The voice made Daniel cry out with surprise, sitting up quickly and banging his head on the bunk above. "Ow…"

As if I didn't have a big enough headache… he thought dejectedly.

"I'm sorry," came the apologetic voice of Thoth. "I didn't mean to surprise you."

"Yeah, well, you did," grouched Daniel's mental voice.

He surveyed his surrounding and flopped back onto the pillow. He was in a holding cell, one that reminded him of Jolinar's. Same grey concrete walls, same iron bars, same laser grid to keep him from touching said bars. Same bunk bed with uniform grey sheets.

"This is just lovely," he muttered aloud.

"I see you're awake again."

Daniel turned on his side, seeing Jack with an SF. The older man looked haggard from too-little sleep and too-much worry.

"Jack!" he cried, sitting up again, forgetting about the bunk and subsequently hitting his head again. "Aw, crap!"

"That wasn't my fault," Thoth said, and Daniel had the distinct impression that the symbiote was deeply amused.

Daniel resisted the urge to say something extremely rude and kept his silence. Jack also seemed to sense that was the best course of action, as he hadn't moved since Daniel had noticed him.

"Jack?"

"Who are you?" Jack's voice was monotone.

"Jack, it's me. It's Daniel," the archeologist said.

"Who are you?" Jack repeated.

"That's all he asked for when I woke as well. That and 'who do you work for' and various variations," Thoth supplied

"Jack, don't be an ass," Daniel said in exasperation. Jack raised an eyebrow. That's when Daniel realized how difficult this was going to be. When Jack wanted to be impossible, he could be.

"Jack, we went on the first Abydos mission together. Surely you know it's me," Daniel tried again. Jack was unresponsive, just staring at Daniel with shaded eyes. "You always thought I was such a flake, but you still defended me when Kawalsky punched me. You still chased after me when the creature on Abydos dragged me off."

"Who are you?"

Daniel collapsed back onto the bed. "Please, Jack, don't do this again. Don't hide from me. Be sarcastic, or funny, or hurtful, or angry, but don't be emotionless. You know I hate it when you do that."

Jack crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Fine. I'll humor you. Who's the snake?"

"His name is Thoth. He says he's Tok'ra," Daniel said, only partially relieved that they were getting somewhere. Jack still didn't believe him.

"Let's say I believe you," Jack said. "Then he wouldn't mind if Jacob checked him out?"

"Jacob?" Thoth asked.

"Selmak," Daniel replied absenly.

Thoth seemed to freeze; again with the tumultous emotions. "No, not Selmak. Garshaw--Garshaw would know me. Anyone but Selmak!"

"Thoth?" Daniel asked in concern. Daniel thought he would be ecstatic to see his former—what, lover?

Thoth didn't say any more, the panic receding, but not dissipating completely.

"Thoth says he wouldn't mind," lied Daniel.

Jack searched him for a moment, then nodded. He turned to the SF, "Get Generals Carter and Hammond, Doctor Fraiser, Major Carter, and Teal'c."

The SF saluted and left.

Jack went back to passively watching Daniel.

"Jack?" Daniel asked tentatively.

Jack simply narrowed his eyes. "Don't think this means I believe you. It just means I'm willing to give you a chance. Because this was gonna happen anyway."

Daniel opened his mouth, closed it and then said finally, "I'm telling the truth, Jack."

"We'll see," was Jack's even reply.

Soon, the group arrived. There were also two other Tok'ra, and two more soldiers, who stopped and stood right outside of the doorway. Jacob had a very familiar object with him.

"Isn't that a zatarc detector?" Daniel asked.

Jacob didn't pause from the set-up. "Yes."

"I'm not a zatarc," Daniel said.

"No," Jacob replied, "but it works well enough for lies. We also have a memory enhancer, to see the symbiote's memories."

Jack opened the cell. Daniel stayed sitting on the bed, knowing a wrong move could earn him a zat blast.

The colonel drew in a chair. "Sit," he ordered.

Daniel moved to the chair.

"Direct your eyesight here," Jacob said, pointing. Jack withdrew. Daniel did as told. "What is your name?"

"Daniel Jackson."

"And that of the symbiote?"

"Thoth."

Jacob stopped in surprise, then went back to the device with a determination that seemed to have nothing to do with Daniel.

"May I speak to Thoth?"

Daniel's head bowed. Then he sat up straighter, and the deep, otherworldly voice of the Tok'ra said, "Speaking."

"You are Thoth?"

"Yes."

"You are a Tok'ra as you say?"

"As I always was."

"What happened when you disappeared--why did you disappear?" Selmak demanded after a brief pause.

"That would be better answered with the memory-enhancer," Thoth answered. After a nod from Selmak, Dr. Fraiser walked around the zatarc-detector and as gently as she could, inserted the probe. Thoth barely flinched.

"Well?" Selmak asked, showing uncharacteristic impatience.

Upon the screen, an image developed…

…"Thoth, tell those of Abydos that they must do better next time or I shall not be as forgiving," Ra said, staring disdainfully at the dead Abydonians scattered around their naquadah tribute.

"Yes, milord," came Thoth's voice, younger and higher than Daniel's.

He was gone in a flash of yellow as the rings rose.

Thoth snarled. "Someday soon, Ra…"

He swirled around, leaving the pyramid to inform the workers of Abydos of their god's edict. As he reached the Jaffa guarding the entrance, he said, "Burn the bodies."

If there was a touch of regret in his voice, neither Jaffa noticed, or chose not to comment…

…"Thoth, come here."

Thoth walked gracefully to Ra's throne. "Yes, milord?"

"I have heard some distressing rumors, my scribe," Ra purred, his effeminate lips curving slightly. Then he became solemn. "Very distressing."

"I do not know what you mean, milord," Thoth said, bowing respectfully.

"No…" Ra said. Suddenly his hand was flat and a stream of orange was penetrating Thoth like cancer, setting every nerve aflame in a way that neither zat'nic'atel nor pain-stick could. Then it was gone. "Unfortunately for you, one of my Jaffa caught you communicating with the Tok'ra."

"I would never," Thoth said, trying to be properly scandalized while fighting the aftereffects of the hand-device.

"I didn't think you would be one of those parasites," Ra continued, as if he hadn't heard Thoth. "You have always been so loyal. None but Meryre has been so--but again, he was a turncoat as well." Ra waved a hand in the air, as if to rid himself of lingering thoughts of this 'Meryre'. "Nonetheless, you must be dealt with."

"Milord—"

"Silence!" Ra roared, then motioned to the Jaffa. "Do with the host what you will. The Tok'ra will be imprisoned for eternity, like the other traitors. Tell the navigator to change course to Saqqara."

"Yes, my lord," the Jaffa said, and he and another dragged Thoth out of the room…

…darkness, everywhere. But it was warm and he felt content—until he realized it was a canopic jar, and his host was most probably dead. Jeshure, he thought, forgive me. I was careless.

Then, he put himself into a hibernation-like sleep…

Selmak was silent for a moment after the screen faded to black. Then, "Why did you choose Daniel as your host?"

"I didn't have a choice," Thoth replied, as another image formed. Carter flinched at the noises of the other Goa'uld in the chamber, but after that listened in stoic silence to the battle.

Finally Selmak turned to Thoth, his eyes pained and hopeful. "How do I know you aren't making this all up?"

Thoth simply stared, keeping his mind carefully blank. He knew what evidence he could give to Selmak, but he also knew that the other wouldn't want him to show it while so many others were in the room. Like, for instance—he crushed the memory as the screen formed, stopped half-way as his mind blanked out again, and then disappeared completely. Thoth pulled the probe out of his temple, and then said, "You know, Selmak."

Selmak closed his eyes, and then Jacob opened them with a slight stumble. Teal'c caught him. "Thanks, Teal'c," Jacob said absently, staring at Thoth for a moment. "Selmak didn't give me much warning."

"You are welcome, GeneralCarter," Teal'c informed him stoically.

Thoth bowed his head, and let Daniel back in control. He raised his head, staring each defiantly in the eye. "Well? Do I pass?"

"With flyin' colors, kid," Jacob said with a slightly shaky smile. "George, Jack, Sam, Teal'c…Daniel," he said, dismissing himself, and walking out of the room.

"Thoth? What exactly were you two?" Daniel asked tentatively.

Thoth sighed. "Life-mates. I suppose that 'marriage' is the closest term you have to what we did, but it is not exactly right."

"Hey, earth to Daniel!" Jack shouted. Daniel started.

"Jack? What?" he asked, annoyed.

"You kinda zoned out there," Jack said, still reserved.

"I was talking to Thoth."

"Ah," Jack said in a tone Daniel didn't recognize.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Daniel asked.

"Nothing, Daniel," Jack said innocently.

Daniel eyed him critically, then sighed and dropped it. "I'm hungry," he said instead.

"I'm afraid I can't let you out of the mountain just yet, Doctor Jackson," Hammond said. "I'm sorry."

"I understand, General," Daniel answered.

"Commissary is making its mystery meat today, Daniel. You're welcome to eat with the Colonel and me, and Teal'c if he wants," Sam offered, effectively locking Jack into coming with them.

Teal'c inclined his head. "I shall indeed accompany you," he said.

Daniel smiled gratefully. "Thanks."

Jack barely picked at his pie, and Daniel watched him with a growing feeling of despair. He could practically see his friendship with Jack slipping away.

"You can leave if you want, Jack," Daniel said finally, interrupting the conversation Sam and Teal'c were having next to them.

Jack's head snapped up. "No, it's okay, Daniel. I'll stay."

"Really, Jack. I can see I'm making you uncomfortable," Daniel managed a small smile. He managed around the lump in his throat, "I won't mind."

Jack opened his mouth to argue again, but then snapped it shut. He said instead, "Actually, I should go. I have paperwork the size of Mount Everest…and it's not going to do itself." He smiled back at Daniel, but the motion didn't reach his eyes. "I'll see ya around, Daniel."

Daniel fought bravely to keep the building tears from falling, and suddenly bent his head. Thoth blinked owlishly.

"Thank you for dumping me into your place," Thoth said sarcastically.

"Sorry," Daniel replied.

"Thoth?" Carter asked uneasily.

"Yes," Thoth replied, leaving Daniel to his depression.

"You were Ra's scribe," Teal'c said matter-of-factly.

"I was."

Sam remembered the memories, and asked, "Who was Meryre?"

Thoth shrugged, finishing Daniel's dinner. "I do not know. He was before me."

"Why were you under Ra's rule?" Teal'c asked, raising an eyebrow slightly to indicate his interest.

"The Tok'ra wanted someone on the inside—Ra was the most powerful of the System Lords, you know," Thoth said.

"I do."

"That was a…never mind. Anyway, I managed to gain favor with the Goa'uld until I became his most trusted advisor and second only to the First Prime. Then someone caught me, and, well, you saw what happened then," Thoth said with a shrug.

"So you were stuck in a canopic jar…how long were you in there?" Sam asked curiously.

"I really don't know…though by how far you've advanced, I'd say a couple hundred years," Thoth said.

"Try a couple thousand," the amused voice of Jacob Carter inserted. He sat down in the place Jack had just vacated.

"Sel—no, Jacob, yes?" Thoth clarified.

"Yeah. Actually, I'm here for Selmak. He chickened out, but he wants to talk with you," Jacob said.

"I thought he would," Thoth said with a nod. He turned to Sam and Teal'c. "Thank you for a wonderful lunch."

"Yeah, thanks. Do you mind stopping by my lab later? I have some stuff I want you to take a look at," Sam said with a cheerful wave.

"Of course."

Thoth stood, and followed Jacob out.

"I wonder what they have to talk about," Sam mused.

"They seem to be very close," Teal'c observed.

"It must be odd, seeing a friend in a different body after—Dad said thousands of years? I know it would unnerve me," the major commented.

"I do not believe they were friends," Teal'c said, staring at the commissary door.

"They seemed friendly enough," Sam refuted. Teal'c turned his dark gaze on her, an eyebrow lifted high. It took a moment, but then Sam blushed and said, "Oh! …oh."

The walk to the V.I.P. quarters seemed to be the longest Thoth had ever taken. The dull grey walls that stretched out before them seemed to lengthen of their own violation. They passed few people.

The elevator ride had been just as bad. Jacob and Thoth were awkward and silent, and Daniel pestered Thoth with questions about his past.

Finally the strain was too much and Daniel took control, and he and Jacob, the latter still being infallibly polite, chatted.

Then they came to a blue door, one that led to Jacob's temporary on-base quarters.

Jacob opened the door and motioned Daniel inside.

The sound of the door closing had such finality to it that Thoth, who had taken back control, shuddered.

He looked into Selmak's now-brown eyes, and thought, This is going to be a loooong conversation…

The reference to Meryre is from another of my stories. It's called "The Rebellion" (http://www. fanfiction. net/s/ 2231147/ 1/ take out the spaces) . He was Ra's personal slave; kinda like a lo'tar, except not. Go read it.

This is going to be part of a series called "The Scribe and the Scholar." The next part: Thoth and Selmak…talk. I wonder how much talking they'll actually do, hm?