Animus

by DreamWvr73

A young woman comes to Earth with vengeance on her mind and targets the SGC.

1. Default Chapter

A young red haired woman dressed in a long velvet black cloak stood at the top of the stone steps gazing up at the gate; a smile on her bright red lips.

"It is time…" She turned around, looking at the gang of a dozen Jaffa warriors that were below her.

"Is everything ready?"

Her first prime Neswy stepped forward; his green eyes lowering as he bowed deeply. "It is My Lady."

"Excellent." She walked down the steps, standing in front of him. She reached out and touched his face, her fingers gliding up his cheek. "You have obeyed me without question; my brother was foolish to part with such loyalty."

"My loyalty is yours now Lady."

"And it pleases me…but now the test for all of my Jaffa has come." Her hands moved away from his face and pulled back her cloak sleeve, revealing the silver GDO remote.

"When the sun rises tomorrow, we will put my plan into action." Her gaze focused to all of the men present. "Serve me well and you all will be rewarded."

The gang of Jaffa all bowed. "We live to serve you Lady."

"We shall see." Her lips twisted in a cold smile as she turned around, facing the gate once more.

"Tomorrow, I will have my revenge."

Jack whistled to himself as he stepped out onto his back porch carrying a plate piled up with steaks and foil wrapped potatoes. A gorgeous Colorado early summer day, the temperature hovered in the 70s and he raised his face to the sun and sighed. Jack loved this kind of weather; he dressed for it in his tan Bermuda shorts and a blue Hawaiian shirt hanging open over a white muscle shirt. The nice weather also meant that his red brick built in barbeque pit could be fired up.

This thought made him grin; what he wanted more than anything right now was a nicely grilled steak and a fat baked potato with all the trimmings.

His backyard wasn't huge, nor tiny. A good chunk of the yard was taken up by a cement basketball court that connected to the porch. Jack had it put in for street hockey games and for skating in general. Beyond it against the back fence stood a white metal shed with a padlock on it that contained all of Jack's tools. Despite the big cement slab he still had a yard that needed cutting and trimming. On both sides of the yard were two long rows of flower beds made of red brick. Jack had made them at the same time he built the barbeque pit; for a long time they sat empty but now they contained Gillian's herb garden filling the air with the scents of lavender, heather, mint and rosemary.

He sighed heavily again as he went over to the barbeque pit, where it sat beside a hunter green set of wooden patio furniture. Jack pulled a beer from his pocket and twisted it open, having a hardy sip and setting the bottle down behind him on the table.

"Okay, let's see here. I guess the first thing we need is charcoal."

He looked around for the big bag of charcoal he had taken out of the shed and found it leaning against the side.

"Ah here we go."

The silver grill was removed and set aside; he had just started dumping the charcoal into the pit when Gillian poked her head out of the open glass door.

"Hey…mind if I practice?"

"Practice? Practice what?"  Jack set the bag down and began arranging the black lumps.  

"My toy of course." She raised her arm showing her fiancé the tarnished gold healing device.

"What is that doing off the base?" He tilted his head to one side in annoyance as he stared at the young woman wearing a pair of short jeans shorts and a green tank top. She shifted a little as she stepped out on the porch; her lips protruding slightly in a pout.

"I just wanted to get some extra practice time, that's all."

He crossed his arms over his chest, not buying into her sad sack face. "Drop the lip Gill; this isn't an argument over who gets to pick what movie we watch. That thing is a piece of Goa'uld technology; it never should have left the base and you know it."

Her pout disappeared, replaced with a seductive smile that drew her lips up in a bow. "So you're not going to let me use it?" She sauntered over to the table and hopped up onto it, crossing her long legs dramatically. Her bare foot gently moved up Jack's thigh. "What can I do to make you change your mind?"

Jack watched her, his gaze unwavering. "Forget it…it's not going to work."

"No?" Her instep brushed over the crotch of his shorts slowly. "Feels like it is to me."

Gillian's legs curled around both of his thighs and pulled him towards her.  She ran her hands up his muscle shirt and uncrossed his arms, pushing his over shirt off his shoulders.  She leaned forward nuzzling the hollow of his neck; her lips brushed against the skin as her legs tightened around his hips.

Jack sighed, his head dropping back to allow her better access.

"You're not playing fair." He grabbed her hands and encircled her in his arms, pressing her against his chest. He crushed his mouth to hers in a hard kiss that took the young woman's breath away. He broke it seeing her wide brown eyes and red lips. "Just watch it, okay?"

She nodded, pressing her mouth against his in another kiss as her arms hugged his neck. "I will all I want to do is practice."

"You want to practice now? On what?"  Jack let go of her as he turned around. "I don't see anyone bleeding or injured, do you?

"I'll find something." Gillian picked up her toy, sliding her hand behind the large round eye. "I'm still trying to work the bugs out of this thing."

Jack wandered over to his shed and opened it, reaching in for the can of lighter fluid.

"Well we don't have the same technology as the Goa'uld. They didn't get the parts for their ribbon and healing devices at the local hardware store."

"I know but what choice did I have Jack? I'm surprised Sam and I were even able to build these things much less get them to work right." Gillian stretched out her hand towards her fiancé wagging her fingers at him.

"I could practice on you."

"Hey hey don't point that thing at me." He moved a little from side to side, trying to avoid being her target. "It just might go off and blow up my head."

"Oh no it won't, I've got more control over it than that and besides this is the healer not the ribbon." Gillian lowered her hand. "Happy?"

The sound of the ringing phone drifted out to the back porch and it made Jack drop his head back; a scowl growing on his lips as he set the can down on top of the table.

"For crying out loud. We should have turned the phone off." Jack sighed as he put the silver grill back on and wandered back into the open sliding glass door.

Gillian turned towards the kitchen, listening to her fiancé talk to someone. She spotted the plate of steaks that sat on top of the pit and a wicked idea came to her mind.

Jack turned off the black cordless phone, tucking it into his pocket as he came back outside sliding the door closed. He saw his fiancée standing in front of the grill. The unmistakable smell of cooking meat filled the air.

"Hey I wasn't quite ready to light that grill you know." He walked up behind her and his eyes grew wide when he saw her hand with the round healing device above a steak in such close proximity to his can of lighter fluid. The bright orange light coming out of the eye, it made the piece of meat steam and begin to darken.

"Are you trying to blow yourself up?" Jack snatched the can away from the table and took it inside the house. He came out a moment later and watched her, his nose wrinkled.

"What are you doing?"

"Grilling." Gillian had her eyes closed, trying to keep her concentration deep.

"You're killing a perfectly good steak!"  Jack wrapped his hand around her wrist. "And since when do the Goa'uld know anything about BBQ?"

The young woman opened her eyes, the break in concentration stopping the beam. "I told you I needed to get this thing to work right."

"I'm all for doing that Gill but why do you have to do it on my steak?"  He looked down at the brown meat. "If that beam can do that to a steak what does it do to your body?"

"Probably the same thing." Gillian took the device off and laid it gently down on the table. "So who called?"

"Hammond." Jack took a pair of tongs out of his pocket and gently moved the cooked steak aside.  "He's taking SG-1 off of stand down."

"What for?" Gillian got up and wrapped her arms around Jack's waist, pressing her cheek to his back. "Did he say why?"

"Not over the phone, but it probably has something to do with the Tok'ra. He called a Senior Staff meeting for everyone at 0700." He turned around and gave the young woman a kiss. "I'll find out in the morning."

Jack, Sam, Teal'c, Daniel, Janet and about a half dozen other senior officers all marched into the briefing room and were greeted by a surprise. In the middle of the red and black wooden table sat several wide open bakery boxes, their contents visible.

"Uh oh." Jack eyed the display suspiciously, bending over slightly to inspect it.

"What's wrong?" Sam pulled the chair out next to him and sat down.

The colonel raised an eyebrow as he turned to look at his subordinate. "Do you not know about base politics Major? The badder the news the fancier the pastry. Hammond has something bad to tell us otherwise we wouldn't be staring at donuts, bear claws, éclairs and muffins at 7 o'clock in the morning." He raised the lid on the white box that stood at the far end of the row and shook his head.

"See! Here's cream puffs! That clinches it!"

Daniel shook his head as he chose the seat right across the table from Sam. "Don't you think you're being a tad paranoid Jack? Did it ever occur to you that General Hammond is just being nice by having this Continental breakfast for us?"

Janet spotted several silver coffee pots beside the boxes and she picked one up and sniffed it. "And Cappuccino too."

"Cappuccino?" Daniel's eyes widened as he licked his lips. "Really? I haven't had a good cup of Cappuccino in a long time." He spotted the face of his team leader and shrugged his shoulders.

"Coincidence?"

"Yeah sure but I'm just being paranoid. It's all my imagination, right?" Jack sighed as he sat down beside Carter and stared at the food. "Got to be something bad."

"Senator Kinsey?" Sam stood up and picked up a white napkin, pulling a bear claw from one of the boxes. She stuck her finger in her mouth and licked the glaze off of it before returning to her seat.

"No this is bigger than Kinsey, last time we were told about Kinsey all we got were muffins." Jack leaned his face into his hand and he sighed.

"Good morning everyone." Hammond walked into the room, pulling back the chair at the head of the table. "I apologize for being late, got stuck on the phone." He sat down, moving towards the table and folded his hands in front of him. "Everyone help themselves to a pastry?"

Jack raised an eyebrow, seeing the way the general nervously fidgeted with his hands. "Why don't we just cut through the chase sir? I think all of us here would like to know what's going on."

The balding man raised an eyebrow, a slight sigh escaping his mouth. He glanced around the table and saw that everyone present felt the same way. "All right, let me be perfectly frank with all of you. I got a phone call over the weekend; seems that the President has finally taken me up on my offer to tour this place. The Secret Service will be arriving within the week to start going over this place with a fine tooth comb."

"Well that certainly explains the pastry." Jack sighed as he wiped his hands over his face.

"I know this is going to be difficult people but I trust you all to do your best to make things go as smoothly as possible." He looked around the table. "With the exception of Colonel O'Neill and Daniel, you're all dismissed."

Everyone stood up; a few more baked goods were taken away as the room cleared.

"So how did this happen Major?" Gillian moved the gauze off of Sam's arm, seeing the jagged cut that ran diagonally across her forearm.

"My own stupidity." Sam winced at little as the nurse practitioner examined the gash. "My laser shifted and got me instead of the glass it was supposed to be cutting."

"Well I'm afraid your run in with the laser is going to require my skills as a seamstress."  Gillian went over the glass and metal cabinet and took out a suture kit.

Sam watched her, a smile coming to her face as she got an idea. "Hey instead of this testing your sewing skills, why not use it to test your other skills."

The nurse practitioner turned back around. "Other skills? You mean the healer?"

"Why not? That's what its for." Sam's grin widened. "Sure beats having to use anesthetic and stitch my arm."

Gillian nodded, her friend made a good point. "All right, let me get the box." She left the infirmary and returned a few moments later with a black metal box. She set it down on the tray in front of Sam and turned the combination lock on the top of it. The lock box opened and Gillian took out the round healing device.

"I don't know about this Sam, I haven't used it on a person before only a steak."

"A steak?"

"Yeah, it cooked it nicely but that doesn't mean I can get it to work on living flesh."

Sam wrinkled her nose. "You cooked a steak with it?"

Gillian slipped the device over her hand and gently picked up her friend's arm. "Okay, let's give see if this works." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly as she moved the device above the cut.  The eye began to glow with an eerie orange light, the beam shone directly on the wound and Sam's blue eyes widened.

"It's really warm." She swallowed hard, looking down at the slowly closing gash. "It's getting warmer Gillian." A mild hint of panic resounded in her voice and it made the nurse practitioner open her eyes.

"It's all right Sam, just relax." She reached down and took Sam's hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

"Just take a deep breath and let it out slowly. It looks like we're almost done."

Sam nodded, inhaling and exhaling deeply.  "I just didn't expect to feel anything."

"It's the energy, that's what made it warm." Gillian watched the cut finish closing and the seam slowly fade away; she moved the device away from Sam's arm and stuck it back in the box with the other healer and the two ribbon devices.

"How's your arm?" Her fingers brushed across where the cut had been; absolutely no trace of it remained.

"It tingles a little." Sam glanced at her arm and wiggled her fingers a little.  "As long as it works, that's all that matters."

Gillian laughed, shaking her head. "Yeah it worked but I still need more practice."

"You're better at it than I am." Sam slid off the table. "It must be the doctor in you."

"Attention, all personnel…off world activation!"

The sirens and flashing lights started and the two women glanced at each other.

"I better go see what's up." Sam ran out of the infirmary, heading for the elevator.

Gillian listened to the PA announcement repeat itself again; she knew there were quite a few teams off world and the thought that one of them might have come home early popped into her mind.

That has to be it…or maybe it's the Tok'ra…She thought to herself as the alarm sounded on and on.

Jack, Daniel, Teal'c and the general all stood behind the technician watching as the defense team flocked around the gate; their guns at the ready.

"We have a signal coming in sir, it belongs to the Tok'ra."

Hammond nodded. "Open the iris."

"That's odd, I wonder what's up." Daniel crossed his arms over his chest as he watched the iris spin open, the metal tucking up into the center wheel of the gate.

"With the Tok'ra who knows." Jack tucked his hands in his pockets as he watched the shimmering water.

It fluttered again and the black cloaked figure stepped through it, her hand behind her back while the other pulled her hood off to reveal her face. Everyone in the gate room gasped, their jaws agape.

She was the spitting image of Hathor, the only difference being her eyes and her hair. Her cinnamon colored hair was long and curly and the shade of her eyes was a familiar pale blue.

"Oh my God…Hathor." Daniel's blue eyes were wide behind his glasses as he stared at her.

"No it can't be, Hathor's dead." Jack too had a stunned face, his mouth dry. "She'll have her shield on General; the bullets will bounce off and kill the SF's."

"Tau'rii…lower your weapons." Her voice was sweet, sinfully sweet with a hint of seduction in it. "Or I will be forced to destroy you." She took her other hand from behind her back showing them a silver ball about the size of a grapefruit. "This bomb will not only level this place but most of this state as well."

She threw the ball up in the air; it hovered above her palm; a low humming sound coming out of it.

Her expression darkened. "Do it now."

Hammond looked at the other three men in the control room. "We have no choice." He grabbed the mike and moved it towards him. "Defense team, drop your weapons."

The SF's obeyed, setting their guns on the ground a group of a dozen Jaffa came in behind the young woman. "Jaffa Kree! Take them!" Her gaze cast to the control room. "The ones in the control room as well."

She removed her cloak, the black garment fluttering to the ground revealing a bright red sleeveless dress. The material crisscrossed over her chest, her midriff bare. The skirt she wore looked more like a pair of panties and a pair of Roman sandals that tied around her ankles completed the outfit.  She moved with cat-like grace down the ramp as she watched her Jaffa round up the SF's. 

"Open the door." Her gaze focused on the technician.

The blast door slid open and Ihya headed up it to the control room along with four Jaffa.

A shadowed figure peered down from the control room stairs, watching as the red haired woman and the Jaffa took over.  Jack, Daniel, Teal'c and Hammond were forced to sit at the briefing table, one of the guards keeping watch over them.

"I demand to know who you are!" Hammond sat the head of the table, his fair skin tinged red with anger.

"You demand?" She crossed the room towards him. "You are in no position to demand anything." Her gaze shifted to Daniel and her face grew solemn.

"Who are you?" Daniel swallowed hard as he looked into her beautiful face; her resemblance to Hathor was uncanny. "Hathor was your mother, was she not?"

"We are called Ihya and yes, she was the mother of us." She turned toward the archaeologist, her light blue eyes staring deeply at him. "And you are our father."

Daniel's mouth dropped open; his breath seemed to freeze in his chest. "I am? How did that happen exactly?"

Both of Jack's eyebrows went up. "You mean you don't know?"

Ihya lifted her head, glaring across the table at the colonel as her eyes flashed. "Silence your tongue!"

Her voice suddenly changing to the familiar baritone of the Goa'uld. "Or I will have my Jaffa pull it out!"

Jack nodded his head slowly. "Wow, Daniel your little girl just threw a tantrum."

Ihya rounded the table; coming to stand in front of Jack. She extended her arm, the gold of the ribbon device around it glittering in the fluorescent lights. She opened her hand and the jewel against her palm began to glow.

"Your life is in our hands O'Neill and we can take it easily." Her hand closed and she lowered it. "Jaffa Kree!"

Neswy was at her side in an instant. "Yes my Lady?"

"Your pain stick." Her eyes never left Jack as she held out her hand.

Neswy placed the black stick with the pair of fork-like prongs in her hand and bowed his head. 

"What do you command Lady?"

Ihya thumped the stick against the palm of her hand. "Take your men and round up everyone, you know where they must go." She glanced over at Hammond, seeing his sour expression.

"Bring the woman doctor here."

"As you command Lady." Neswy gave another bow as he and a group of Jaffa left the control room.

Jack watched Ihya with the pain stick in her hands, wondering what she was going to do with it.

"Got plans with that thing do you? Or do you just like holding it?"

Her cool blue eyes narrowed as she stuck it under Jack's chin, raising it. "Tempt me not Tau'rii or you will be losing a very vital part of your anatomy to this stick." She pulled it away, gliding the two prongs down his olive drab shirt before stabbing it into his stomach.

Jack grunted; a bright yellow glow coming out of his mouth and eyes as he doubled over in pain.

The grey ladies room door opened a tiny bit, enough to reveal one brown eye. Gillian watched as the Jaffa shoved everyone out of the infirmary, the taller of them with the gold emblem taking Janet by the arm and leading her away. The young woman bit her lip as the Jaffa searched every room, she would need a place to hide if they came to search the bathroom.

"Jaffa!" The prime still had a hold of Janet. "I must take this one to see Ihya."

The group of men nodded. "We have searched, there are no more."

"Excellent! She will be pleased. You know where the others must be taken."

Janet swallowed hard, looking around. All her nurses and orderlies had been rounded up but her nurse practitioner wasn't among them. The petite woman wasn't about to tell them that they had a missing person; she simply watched the exchange silently.

"Go now, you have your orders." Neswy shoved Janet down the hall while the Jaffa herded her medical staff towards the elevator.

Gillian carefully opened the door and glanced to the left and right. The women's locker room was only a few doors down and she carefully headed towards it.

"Are you all right O'Neill?" Teal'c had his hand on his team leader's shoulder, helping him straighten up.

"Oh yeah, just peachy." Jack rubbed his hand over his stomach. "God I hate those things."

Daniel took his glasses off, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I can't believe this, how can she possibly be my daughter?"

Teal'c returned to his seat. "You provided the DNA for the Goa'uld larvae when Hathor was in this place; it is possible she took it and engineered the child."

"Engineered? How?" Jack's stomach was sore and every movement he made only seemed to add to it.

"The Goa'uld Nyerti is most likely the one who did it. It is widely known among the System Lords that she does experimenting, engineering a human child would not be difficult."

Hammond leaned forward against the table. "What I want to know is how did she get one of our GDO's? And the one belonging to the Tok'ra no less."

Daniel shook his head. "Your guess is as good as mine on that one sir; I don't think the Tok'ra would give us up."

Ihya, Janet and Neswy all came into the briefing room, the conversation coming to an end in an instant and the four men's attention shifted to the doctor.

"Doctor Frasier, you will lock down this mountain and make is so that only your code can allow access to the surface."

"And if I don't?"

Ihya smiled; her bright white teeth flashing as she snapped her fingers. Neswy pulled a zat gun off the arm band around his wrist and opened it. He aimed it at each one of the men around the table.

"One of them will experience a great deal of pain." Ihya nodded at Neswy and the first prime fired it Jack; the blue beam hitting him in the chest. The force of the blast knocked his chair over spilling him to the floor.

"Jack!" Daniel stood up but Neswy aimed the zat at him. The archeologist froze and simply stared at the first prime.

Ihya stared at the doctor. "Do as I say or another one of your friends will suffer!"

Janet swallowed hard as she stared at the unconscious man. "All right, I'll do it."

"Take her to the control room."

Neswy closed his zat and put it back on his arm. "As you command Lady." He grabbed Janet by the arm and led her out of the debriefing room.

Daniel and Teal'c stood the chair up and picked Jack up off the floor, sitting him back down.

"Jack?" Daniel shook his shoulder a little. "Jack can you hear me?"

"O'Neill seems to be the target of her wrath." Teal'c touched Jack's neck. "He will revive soon."

Daniel sighed, returning to his chair. "Well that's logical, after all Jack's the one that killed Hathor."

Jack groaned his whole body a mass of tingles from the blast.

"Oh yeah...she definitely takes after her mother." He wiped his hand down his face. "I guess she's a little sore over Hathor being made into a popsicle huh?"

Sam snuck quietly up the stairs as the alarms starting going off. The mountain was being locked down so the odds of getting help were slim. Ihya knew the layout of this facility, undoubtedly the armory as well so she would need to get weapons from another place.

The ribbon device…Gillian had them in the infirmary…She thought to herself as she made her way down the grey hall trying to find the stairs that would take her up to the infirmary.

Gillian changed out of her white lab coat and her blue uniform, slipping into a pair of camouflage pants and a black t-shirt. The clothes belonged to Sam and she hoped that her friend didn't mind her borrowing them, but given the situation she doubted Sam would. She peeked around the corner, seeing the hall was clear as she made her way down it. The metal lock box with the ribbon devices was still in the infirmary and she had to get to it.

The metal door to the holding cells opened and Janet was shoved in; Neswy came in behind her pointing to the cell on the left.

The two cells contained both men and women and Neswy pointed to the one that had the women in it. "In there!"

He pulled a set of keys out and unlocked it, motioning her inside. "Go!"

Janet put her hands up. "All right, all right I'm going."  She walked inside the cell, seeing the half dozen women that were already in there. "Boy is this familiar."

Neswy locked the cell and slammed the metal one behind him, the electronic lock clicking in place.

Janet took off her white coat and draped it on the bed beside her. She unbuttoned a couple of her uniform buttons and widened the collar.

"Well ladies, anyone got any ideas?"

There were three women from a few of the teams and the two nurses from the infirmary.

"Yeah I got one."

A pair of legs appeared from the top bunk and a woman dropped down to the floor. Her name was Major Paige Rowski, the newly appointed team leader of SG-3.

A petite woman; she stood at five foot 2 with a slim build, dark brown hair neatly tied in a twist and a pair of wide dark eyes. Her team had just gotten back from a jungle mission, the team leader decked out in camouflage with an olive drab t-shirt.

Janet watched her, leaning back against the wall. "What's your plan Major?"

"Simple, we get the Jaffa in here and take them out."

"Take them out? With what? We have no weapons."

Paige unbuttoned her camouflage shirt, dropping it to the floor. She pulled out the collar of her t-shirt and stuck her hand inside it; when her came back out she had a small knife with a black rubber handle. The knife had a four inch steel blade that flashed in the fluorescent light above them.

"What about this?"

Janet's eyes grew wide. "Where did you get that?"

The major smiled, shrugging her shoulders. "Always be prepared Doctor. You never know when trouble is going to come."

Gillian slid her arm through the coils of the ribbon device and adjusted it; slipping the covers over her fingers. She heard a noise coming from behind her and quickly ducked under one of the beds. She watched a pair of black boots come walking quietly into the infirmary. 

The nurse practitioner slipped further under the bed trying to see who it was that escaped being captured. She saw the legs of this person and craned her neck higher until she saw a familiar blond head.

"Sam?"

Sam whipped around, her blue eyes round. "Who's that?"

Gillian came out from her hiding place and stood up. "It's me Sam."

"Gillian." She sighed in relief, touching her hand to her chest. "God you scared me to death. I came in here looking for the ribbon devices."

"They're right here." She ducked down and picked up the metal box.

"Great thanks." Sam went over to where she was and unlocked the box; taking out the other device.  

"How is it that you didn't get captured?" Gillian watched her friend put the device on.

"I was on my way to the control room when Ihya and her Jaffa gang came in through the gate."

"Who? Who's Ihya?" Gillian creased her brow. "And how did she get through the iris?"

"She had the Tok'ra's GDO and a bomb with her to stop the defense team from shooting her." A scowl spread across Sam's face. "And she claims that she's the daughter of Hathor and Daniel."

Gillian's dark eyes grew wide and her jaw hung open. "Daniel? Oh my God!"

"It gets worse Gillian." Sam sighed shaking her head. "Colonel O'Neill killed Hathor and from what I saw Ihya seems to be taking her revenge out on him for that."

"So is that why she's here? To get even?"

"I really have no idea why she's here. It could be for revenge or she came here to do what her mother started out to do; take over the SGC and conquer Earth." Sam extended her arm and opened her hand.

"It doesn't matter though, what does is that we can stop her."

Gillian nodded; she too stretched out her arm. "Two ribbons are better than one. Where do we start Major?"

"We're going to need to get control of the gate, but we can't do that on our own we're going to need help."

The sound of clanging metal caught their attention and the two women ducked down.

Ihya sauntered over to the table; her hips swinging gracefully with each step she took.

"We know you have questions." Ihya spun Daniel around in his chair before dropping down in front of him. "Especially you…for you are the father of us and this puzzles you does it not?"

Daniel licked his lips swallowing hard. "Yes, if you truly were my biological child you wouldn't be so--" He looked her up and down. "--grown up."

Her sky blue eyes gazed over her father's face. "But you are our father. When my mother left this place she already had the necessary seed implanted in her belly."

Jack wrinkled his nose. "So Hathor was pregnant?"

Daniel glanced over his shoulder at Jack. "It makes sense Jack after all why would the Goddess of Love have to worry about something like that?"

"Hathor did it deliberately."

All eyes focused on Teal'c; the Jaffa raised his head slightly. "There is a tale told among the Jaffa that there is one child born of a queen and of a human that will one day bring back the race of Goa'uld queens." He raised an eyebrow. "Hathor and her kind are few; without the queens there are no more Goa'uld."

Jack shifted in his chair. "So she was trying to make what…a comeback?"

"That is correct O'Neill; a new race of queens would make the Goa'uld the superior race in the galaxy."

Daniel looked down at his daughter's face recognizing her eyes as his own. "Is that what Hathor was trying to do?"

"The Goa'uld Nyerti is the one that engineered you, is she not?"

Ihya stood up fast; the whites of her eyes flashing as she glared at Teal'c.

"You know too much Jaffa! My mother had plans for this world and many others!"

"Oh well isn't that too bad." Jack made a tisking sound shaking his head. "What a damn shame Hathor's little plan didn't work. It's not the first time you know; she's batting a big fat zero in her quest for galaxy domination."

"Former quest, Hathor is no more." A small smile of satisfaction bloomed on the Jaffa's face.

"Thank you Teal'c." Jack raised his head. "Former quest; I stand corrected."

"Jaffa Kree!" Ihya rounded the table as four of her Jaffa came running in.

"What are your orders Lady?" Neswy gave a deep bow.

"Take Hammond and Teal'c to the holding cell."

He turned around and spoke to his men. "Asheru, Djua, take these two down to the holding cells!" Both men gave the first prime a deep bow as they stood Hammond and Teal'c up taking them away.

Ihya slowly faced the first prime; a cold sneer spreading across her lips. "Is all in readiness as I instructed?

"Your orders are being carried out as we speak Lady. Siptah and his men are gathering all that you need for your chamber."

"Good." She touched the face of her first prime. "You will inform us when all is ready?"

Neswy swallowed hard bowing his head. "As you command Lady." He and the last Jaffa left to return to the gate room.

Ihya watched them leave, smiling. "Soon Mother, our plan will succeed this time."

A group of four Jaffa stepped into the infirmary looking around. Their staff weapons at the ready they began checking under beds, behind screens and anywhere else someone could hide. Sam and Gillian were under a pair of beds watching as the group of grey clad men got closer and closer to where they hid.

Gillian held her breath as a pair of booted feet suddenly appeared right beside her.

"Come out of there Tau'rii!"

She glanced over at Sam seeing her nod her head.

"All right, I'm coming out. Don't shoot."  Gillian slid out from underneath the bed, her arm with the ribbon device tucked behind her back. The four men all stood at the foot of the bed with their staff weapons open. One of them ducked down and spotted Sam; he backed up and waved his weapon at her.

"And you too!"

Sam appeared between the two beds smiling widely at the Jaffa.

"Hi guys, something we can help you with?"

"You will come with us now or you will die!"

The major turned towards her friend. "Gillian, I think these men want us to go with them."

Gillian nodded. "I think you're right Sam, should we accept their invitation?"

"Yeah I think so."

Sam extended her left hand out at the same time Gillian stretched out hers and the two flashes from their ribbon devices sent the men flying. The Jaffa slammed into the far wall and crumbled to the floor in a pile.

"Wow that was impressive." Sam went over to them and picked up their staff weapons. "We need something to tie them up with."

"There's some extra tubing in the supply closet." Gillian ran to the far side of the room and into what looked like a glass booth. In it were shelves from floor to ceiling covered with medical supplies. She quickly grabbed a plastic package of oxygen mask tubing and tore it open. Higher on the shelf was another package that contained a suture kit and she unzipped the bag and pulled out the plastic wrapped scalpel.

"I've got some Sam." Gillian took the safety cap off the scalpel and began cutting the tubing into foot long sections. "Here, start tying them up."

Sam crouched down and picked up a piece of tubing. She rolled one of the Jaffa over and put his hands behind him tying them together.

"What do we do with them after we tie them up?" Gillian cut the last of the tubing and began helping Sam bind the other men.

"We can lock them in Janet's office."  Sam spotted a roll of first-aid tape on a tray and she used long strips of it as a gag across each bound man's mouth. "All right, now they won't make noise. Let's get them into the office."

Paige stretched out on the top bunk; her ankles crossed as she stared up at the ceiling. The sound of clanging metal grew louder and she sat up.

"Ladies, I hear someone coming."

She jumped down from the bunk and took her knife out opening the small blade. She looked at the other women from SG-11 and SG-6.

"Trevors, Baker, let's get ready."

Janet also stood up; hearing Jaffa footsteps as they approached the holding cell door.

"They're coming."

The electronic lock clicked and door opened; Hammond was the first to appear through the doorway. A scowl on his face as he was shoved through it; he spotted both cells full of his people.

Paige glanced at the other women raising an eyebrow giving them all a slight nod.

The women watched as Teal'c came in; his hands at his sides. He knew something was up and glanced between both cells his eyebrow raised.

"Get back from the door!" Asheru shouted as he took a set of keys from his belt. He started to bring the key to the lock when some noise coming from behind him made him whip around.  The women were shouting and two of them could be seen rolling around on the ground.

"Djua kree! Guard them!" He ordered as he unlocked the women's cell and stepped in.

Paige and a blond woman named Baker from SG-6 were tussling on the ground.  Asheru pointed his staff at the other four women.

"Move to the other end of the cell! I am no fool!"

Janet put her hands up. "Okay, okay no problem. We'll just mosey on over here." She looked through the open door at Teal'c and raised an eyebrow. Her eyes shifted to Djua and gave a nod to him. Teal'c seemed to get the gesture and slightly bowed his head.

Asheru crouched down in a vain effort to stop the two fighting women.

"Stop it! Both of you stop this at once! Ihya will slaughter you for this!"

He reached out and snagged Paige's camouflage shirt and tugged her off of Baker. Paige had her open knife in her left hand and spun towards Asheru; the blade piercing through his soft rubber like shield that was over his pouch. Blood erupted over her hands as he gripped her shoulders; his gaze pained and surprised as the staff weapon fell onto the floor along with Asheru; the blood pooling around him on the concrete floor.

Teal'c watched what was going on and saw his chance. He grabbed the staff weapon in Djua's hand and brought the palm of his hand into the Jaffa's nose with a loud crunch as he broke it and sent the bone fragments up into his brain. A thin trail of blood leaked out of Djua's nose as he fell backwards onto the floor.

Hammond bent down and got the keys off Djua's belt and unlocked the cell full of men. "All right let's move out! Teal'c you're in charge!"

Paige had the other staff weapon in her hand as she and the women came out of their cells. "Control room sir?"

"Yes Major that's where Ihya is and she's holding Colonel O'Neill and Doctor Jackson."

They all were about to leave the holding cells when Teal'c raised his hand. "Someone is coming."

Everyone fanned out along both walls, their backs against it. Teal'c stood right beside the door his staff weapon hissing open. The electronic lock clicked and the door opened slowly.

The air in the room seemed as quiet and still as a graveyard; the group waited in breathless anticipation for whomever it was to come through the now open door. Finally two gold sets of fingers crossed the threshold and Teal'c grabbed whoever it was by the wrist spinning them into the room; his staff weapon between their eyes. His dark eyes widened when he saw it was his friends.

"Major Carter! Lieutenant MacKenzie!" Teal'c quickly lowered his weapon. "Are you injured?"

"No Teal'c we're fine." Sam took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "We just came to help you guys break out."

Gillian spotted the dead bodies of the two Jaffa. "But apparently you didn't need rescuing." Her attention shifted to the general. "Daniel and Colonel O'Neill?"

"They're in the control room along with our unwelcome guests."

"Sam and I took out four Jaffa that came into the infirmary."

"There are four more in the gate room."

Sam looked at Teal'c. "So that's eight plus the two in here. And I saw two more outside the armory."

Hammond raised his head; a determined gaze tightening his lips. "We'll need to take them out so we can get some weapons and regain control of the gate." He looked at all of the soldiers. "Let's move out people!"

The soldiers, with Hammond in tow, ran out of the holding cell area.

Neswy returned to the control room, his face pale as he gave the reclining young woman in the leather chair a slight bow.

"My Lady?"

Ihya had her feet up on the work station, shoving over the keyboard with a brush of her toe. A smile formed on her lips as she turned the chair slightly towards him.

"Neswy…what news do you bring us?"

The first prime swallowed hard, not exactly sure how to break it to her. "Many of the Jaffa are dead or missing Lady. I do not know what has happened to them."

Ihya's face turned brick red as she got on her feet fast, knocking over her chair. She raised her left hand with the ribbon device at the frightened man and opened her fingers.

"You know the punishment for failure!"

Her light eyes flashed as the jewel began to glow orange.

Neswy closed his eyes. "I have not failed you Lady! I have done all that you ask! There is still a chance your plan can work!"

Ihya lowered her hand. "Speak quickly!"

"This is a nightmare Jack." Daniel closed his eyes briefly as he leaned back in the chair. His tongue passed over his lips as he tilted his head towards his cuffed left hand and wiped his mouth.

"I mean first Shau're becomes the unwilling mother of Apophis' child and now I become the unwilling father of Hathor's!" He looked down at the floor and he jerked hard in his chair as a sudden rush of anger washed through him, his face reddening. "Why do they do this Jack! I mean who the hell do they think they are! Playing with people's lives and hearts like that!" The action tussled his hair a little over his face and he tossed his head to one side in an effort to move it aside.

Jack watched him, unsurprised at the sudden passionate outburst. "They think they're better than us Daniel. We're nothing to them; you said so once yourself." He sighed as he tugged on the cuffs that secured both his hands to the arms of his chair.

"But I know how you feel."

Daniel's gaze focused on his friend. "You do?"

"You think you're the only one that Hathor used? She used me too." Jack tilted his head a little. "I mean not exactly how she used you but I wasn't completely willing either."

"She did use you Jack but she didn't--" Daniel stopped talking, shaking his head. "She didn't violate you the same way she did me."

Jack leaned back in his chair. "Oh you don't think so? You don't think that … that… thing she wore didn't violate me"

Daniel dropped his head for a moment and sighed; his hair spilling forward.

"What are we going to do Jack? I mean we can't just sit here and let Ihya finish what Hathor started." He raised his head once more, his blue eyes clouded with both anger and pain.

Jack licked his lips and pressed them together as he looked around; for the moment they were unguarded.

"Roll on over here Daniel."

"For what?"

"Well we're going to try and get out of these handcuffs." Jack looked down at the arm and grabbed the padding wiggling the arm from side to side. "These arms aren't secured that well to the chair, maybe we can get them off."

Daniel dug his heels into the carpet and began to roll the chair away from the table.

"And then what?" His voice sounding slightly strained as he made his way around it towards Jack on the other side.

"One thing at a time Daniel." Jack met him around the front of the table and turned his chair sideways. He spotted the gold pen that stuck out of the breast pocket of Daniel's olive drab shirt.

"I'm going to need your pen."

Daniel glanced down at his pocket. "My pen? For what?"

Jack rolled his eyes. "Will you stop with the ten thousand questions and just try and reach it?"

"Okay, okay!" Daniel turned his left wrist towards the inside of his arm. He bent forward; his fingers flexing as he managed to grasp the pen and slide it out of his pocket.

"Got it!" Daniel held the pen between his first two fingers. "Now what?"

"Here give it to me." Jack scooted his chair even closer to Daniel's; stretching out his hand as far as the handcuff would allow.

The gold pen dropped against his palm and he curled his long fingers around it.  "Okay, if I can get this clip off I can use it to pick the cuffs."

Daniel raised a cynical eyebrow. "Pick the cuffs…with my pen?" He nodded his head slowly; pursing his mouth. "Okay MacGyver."

Jack narrowed his eyes. "Hey anybody that can build a plane out of garbage bags is cool in my book. Show some respect." He got a hold of the clip and bent it up until it snapped off the top; the pen falling on the floor. "Got it."  He stuck the end of it in Daniel's cuff and started working it around.

"Come on." Jack moved the piece of metal, gritting his teeth until the cuff popped open. 

Daniel's blue eyes grew wide. "Wow I can't believe that actually worked." He shook his wrist out and turned the chair so Jack could get to his other hand. The second cuff opened and Daniel stood up stretching his legs a little.

"Oh my legs are sore."

"Yeah yeah now you have to get me out of my cuffs." Jack held the piece of metal between his fingers.

"All right I'll give it a try." Daniel sat back down in his chair and took the pick from his friend.

"I've never done this sort of thing before."

"Move it a little from side to side."

Daniel leaned down closer silver cuffs as he jigged the metal piece. "I'm trying."

The cuff finally clicked and a proud smile appeared on Daniel's face. "Hey! I got it!"

"Thank you." Jack rotated his wrist around; shaking it out. He plucked the clip from Daniel and shifted in his chair as he worked on the handcuff around his left wrist.

"Once we get out of here we'll need to get some weapons and take out Hathor junior and her minions."

"That will not be necessary."

The sound of the Goa'uld baritone behind them made Jack drop his head and sigh; he glanced over his shoulder and saw Neswy and Ihya.  

"We have plans for you both."

The first prime's staff weapon opened with a flash as he aimed it at both men.

"All right people are we ready to go?"

Hammond had a 9mm Beretta in his hands as he and Teal'c came out of the armory. The group had just taken it back and the gang of people moved in and out of the room arming themselves.

The bodies of two Jaffa lay in the corridor; their hands tied behind their backs.

"Move out! Let's go!"

Everyone scrambled about the cacophony of the arming weapons ringing out as the soldiers formed two lines along both sides of the hall.

Major Rowski slung her P90 over her chest. "You heard the general let's go!" 

Teal'c took the right flank across the hall from her, gripping his staff weapon while Gillian and Sam stood behind them; their backs against the wall.

The buzzer started going off as the lights dropped down from the ceiling and began to flash. Hammond raised his head as the red light danced across his face.

"The gate!"

The soldiers needed no further motivation as they ran through the hall's many twists and turns as they headed for the gate room.

"I thought the mountain was shut down!" Gillian looked at Sam not understanding how it was that the gate could be activated; she thought that the lock down ensured that it couldn't be.

"It's shut down from the outside but that doesn't include the gate! You can still dial out!"

The sirens suddenly stopped just as the soldiers entered the gate room watching the event horizon burst.

"Oh God, they went through." Gillian swallowed hard as she glanced at Sam, Teal'c and Hammond.

"Is there any way we can find out where they went?"

Sam nodded. "We can check the dialing computer for the last entry and the cameras will tell us too."

Hammond's jaw clenched and his blue eyes turned fiery. "But before we go after them we need some answers." He turned tail and marched out of the room followed by the remaining members of SG-1 and Gillian.

The puddle of the open wormhole fluttered as Jacob and Martouf stepped through dressed in the same tan clothing and long boots they always wore.  Both men bowed deeply at the waist staring at the crowd gathered at the bottom of the ramp.

"Greetings to all of you from the High Council of the Tok'ra."

Jacob straightened up and a smile broke out on his face as he saw his daughter.

"Sam." He met her at the end of the ramp and hugged her; closing his eyes. "We got your message and came as soon as we could."

"I'm glad you did Dad, we've got a problem." Sam let go of her father and took his hands.

"I figured; otherwise you wouldn't have sent for us." Jacob saw his old friend and gave him a nod.

"George."

"I'm glad you're here Jacob and the major is correct; we do have a problem."

"So what is it?"

Hammond tightened his lips. "A few hours ago we were invaded by a Goa'uld claiming to be Hathor's daughter. She took Colonel O'Neill and Doctor Jackson and went back through the gate."

Jacob looked surprised, his eyebrows raising. "How did she get through your iris?"

He glanced briefly at the remaining members of SG-1. "She had a GDO and the code that went with it." Hammond sighed shaking his head. "Jacob, the code matched the one we designated for the Tok'ra."

Martouf glanced at Jacob. "And you're sure?"

"Absolutely, otherwise we never would have opened the iris."

Jacob bowed his head briefly as the symbiote inside of him took over. "You are certain of this? All of the GDO's you furnished with the Tok'ra are accounted for."

Sam nodded. "We're sure, who has the GDO's?"

Martouf extended his arm showing the one around his wrist. "I have one, as does Garshow and Tanus took the third one."

Gillian glanced at both men. "Tanus? I thought she was going to be restricted from leaving the Tok'ra home world for a while because of Anise jumping into me?"

"She was, but her work with that new metal is very important and the High Council lifted her restrictions."

Hammond creased his brow, his temper beginning to grow. "Then it's obvious it was her GDO that Ihya got a hold of."

Martouf shook his head. "I assure you General Hammond that Tanus would not have given it up willing."

"Willing or not she did, we need the coordinates of the planet she went to."

Sam crossed her arms over her chest. "If that's where Ihya got the GDO than that's where she took the colonel and Daniel."

"Of course we'll give you the coordinates and we request that we be allowed to accompany you to the planet and find out what happened."

Hammond glanced at his old friend. "Go ahead Jacob; we're going to need all the help we can get for this one." He looked at the two members of SG-1 and the nurse practitioner. "Gear up and be ready to ship out in 10 minutes. I'll inform Major Rowski and the rest of SG-3 to lend a hand."

"Yes sir." Sam, Gillian and Teal'c ran through the opening blast door heading for the gear room.

"Move Tau'rii!" 

Neswy poked Jack in the back with his staff weapon as they entered a dungeon; the floor covered with fetid straw and the sound of dripping water.

"Yeah yeah I'm going."

They passed a group of cells with high bars and Jack stopped to look at them. The result was another shove that sent him tumbling to the ground. He lay there on his stomach, turning his face to the side waiting for his chance.

"Get up!" Neswy poked him in the back. "On your feet Tau'rii!"

He jabbed the center of Jack's back and that's when the fallen man saw his chance. Jack rolled onto his back, grabbing the staff weapon and pulling Neswy down to him, his face meeting Jack's fist. The first prime ended up flat on his back; looking up into the dangerous end of the staff weapon.

"Now…you were saying?"

Neswy wiped his mouth, breathing hard. "You won't get away with this, my mistress will stop you."

"Yeah well we'll see about that."

A flash from across the room suddenly hit Jack, the force lifting him into air and flying into the far wall. He slammed back first into it, knocking the air out of his lungs and landing face down. The staff weapon now lay in front of Neswy and the First Prime got to his feet quickly picking it up.

"My Lady Nyerti?"

The air seemed to flutter in front of him as the dark haired Goa'uld appeared. She was dressed in a red vinyl outfit and narrowed her eyes at the Jaffa.

"Perhaps this time you can do as I instructed without problems?"

Neswy bowed deeply. "As you command Lady, forgive me."

Jack groaned lifting his head slowly to see her. "Oh terrific…another one. That's all I need." His head flopped back down as unconsciousness washed over him.

Consciousness returned to Jack slowly and with it came pain in the back of his head from the impact with the wall. He raised his hand to rub it only to find he couldn't.

"What the hell?"  He was once again handcuffed but this time instead of a chair he found himself chained to a wire mesh table; it stood vertically with a slight tilt to it.

"Welcome to my lab O'Neill." Nyerti reappeared and walked towards him; a smile on her face.

Jack raised an eyebrow. "You treat all your guests this way?" He tugged on the chains, making them rattle against the metal table.

"Only the ones that are of the utmost importance." Nyerti reached out and ran her hand up Jack's shirt unbuttoning it.

"Um…" He looked down at her busy fingers and swallowed hard. "You know as flattering as this is; I'm afraid I'm going to have to pass."

Nyerti ignored him, parting the two ends of his shirt.  She ran her hands up his black t-shirt; sighing at the strong muscles she felt through the material.

"A shame Ihya cannot use you; you truly are a delightful specimen."

"Thanks, I think."

"Do not enjoy yourself Nyerti." Ihya sauntered into the room, a scowl darkening her features. "He has another purpose that you are aware of."

"I know what purpose he serves!" Nyerti reached around her back and pulled out a large knife. "I don't need you to remind me."

Ihya produced a large dagger, gripping the handle tightly. "We shall see won't we?"

Jack watched the little exchange seriously worried as to what exactly they planned to do with those knives. A Goa'uld cat fight came to mind as the two women stood in front of him; both of them brandishing their weapons. 

"Well this just got a whole lot more interesting."

Ihya heard him and raised an eyebrow. "We are glad you agree O'Neill."  She took her knife and slashed Jack's black t-shirt, a surprised gasp coming out of him as he looked down and saw the split.

"Hey! Aren't you a little young to be playing with knives?"

"Silence!" Ihya dragged the tip up his neck to his jugular vein. "Fight this in any way O'Neill and we promise you a slow painful death."

Jack swallowed hard licking his lips. "Yeah well your mother once threatened me with that and look where she is now." The point poked into the tender skin and a large drop of blood ran down his neck.

"We mean what we say O'Neill." She flashed her eyes at him before turning her head slowly to Nyerti.

"Let us begin."

Nyerti grinned as she grabbed Jack's already slashed shirt and drug her blade under it. The sharpness of it slicing through the material easily; her smile grew wider at the sound of ripping fabric as she began pulling his t-shirt off.

"The pants as well." Ihya reminded her partner as she once more focused her gaze on Jack's face, seeing the deep scowl on his lips. "Do not worry child, soon you will help us inspire our father to cooperate."

"I don't think so."

That earned Jack another poke and he squeezed his eyes shut briefly; feeling his own warm blood trickle over his skin.

Gillian clipped the thick black bands around her thighs, making sure they were secure. She zipped up her vest a little higher as she picked up her ribbon device and slid her left arm through it. 

The remaining members of SG-1, Jacob, Martouf and SG-3 were in the gate room preparing to ship out.

"Ready for this Gillian?" Sam asked as she checked her P90.

"I'm ready Sam." Gillian put a green cap on, adjusting it low on her head. "You're not going to use the ribbon?"

"I'm taking it with me for a backup weapon but I do much better with this." She raised the big gun briefly before letting it dangle at her side. "You're not taking a gun?"

"I've got my sidearm."

"Lieutenant MacKenzie?" The voice of Hammond from above turned the nurse practitioner around. "Yes sir?"

She saw him in the control room glass as he pressed the button on the microphone. "Take a P90, just in case."

Gillian sighed, giving her commanding officer a nod. "Yes sir."

One of the SF's handed her one and she thanked him before sliding the strap across her chest, adjusting it so the weapon hung at her side.

"I know you have a lot of familiarity with the ribbon device but it's still fairly new to you and we don't know what you'll be facing on that planet. It's best to be prepared for anything."

"Yes sir." Gillian turned away from the window and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly.

The center wheel of the gate began to spin and she watched each chevron lock into place. She sighed as she stepped onto the ramp standing beside Teal'c. The Jaffa raised an eyebrow, seeing her distress. He knew there were two reasons, one being the obvious; her fiancé taken the through the gate but he decided to focus on the second reason; the fact she had little gate experience.

"All will be well Lieutenant MacKenzie; you handled yourself well on P2B552."

Gillian crossed her arms over her chest, wiping her hand across her mouth. "Yeah I know Teal'c but that was different."

"How so?"

"That was a simple reconnaissance that took a turn for the worse, this is a rescue mission and I'm not a warrior Teal'c. What I did on 552 was out of necessity and I'm damn lucky that we all came out of that in one piece."

Teal'c lips turned up slightly in the Jaffa version of a smile, his dark eyes flashing with amusement.

"You sound like O'Neill."

Gillian's dark eyes widened slightly. "Oh God! I do." She snickered a little; dropping her head briefly before raising it and reaching down to take her friend's hand. She knew what he was trying to do and his confidence in her and the outcome of the situation soothed her nerves.

"Thanks Teal'c, I feel a lot better."

"You are welcome."  Teal'c gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.

Sam, Jacob and Martouf joined the duo on the ramp. "Are we ready?"

Gillian nodded. "Yes sir I believe we are."

Major Rowski pulled the hammer back on her P90. "Yes sir, ready and so is my team." She glanced over her shoulder at the group of men; their faces like granite.

"Chevron seven locked!"

The event horizon activated, the wormhole reached out towards them before whipping back into the standing puddle of water.

"Wormhole established."

Hammond bent over a little and moved the microphone towards him. "SG-1, SG-3, you have a go. Major Carter, you're in command of this operation"

Sam turned back towards the window and snapped a salute. "I'll do my best sir." She turned back and slipped her glasses on. "You heard the general Major, move them out."

Rowski saluted her and spun around. "Marines! Let's go!"

The camouflaged clad men all shouted their approval and stomped up the ramp; slipping into the wormhole.

Rowski smiled proudly and put on her sunglasses. "That's my team, I'm so proud."

Gillian pressed her lips together. "As you should be Major, they're very…enthusiastic."

Sam smirked, clearing her throat. "Yes they are, but they're also good at what they do and I have a feeling we're going to need them." She motioned with her head to the gate.

"Let's go."

The rest of the team walked up the ramp and disappeared through the wormhole.

Lying on his side in a massive red silk covered bed, Daniel groaned as he regained consciousness and rolled onto his stomach. The motion only magnified the pain in his head and he reached behind his neck rubbing it; trying to remember what had happened.

"Welcome back."

Daniel slowly opened his eyes; his head pounding as he saw his daughter sitting sideways at the head of the bed; her ankles crossed.

"We wondered if you would ever return to us."

"Ihya." Daniel squeezed his eyes shut. "What happened? Where's Jack?"

"You'll see your friend soon enough." Ihya reached out and stroked her hand down her father's face.

"We are sorry for your head, but we are not to blame for it."

Daniel snagged her wrist; his light blue eyes focusing on hers. "Whatever you think you're doing…its not going to work."

A scowl spread on Ihya's red lips as she jerked her hand away. "You will cooperate or we will make you sorry!"

"I'm not going to cooperate Ihya. I was a victim of your mother, I won't be yours too."

"We shall see." Another Goa'uld tinged voice echoed in the room and Daniel turned around to see Nyerti coming through the door; a group of Jaffa behind her.

"Nyerti." Daniel sat up as he watched her, licking his lips and wiping them.  "Teal'c was right; you were the one that engineered her."

"My finest creation." Nyerti stood beside the bed and touched Ihya's fire colored hair. "There were problems but now that you're here we can remedy them."

"Problems? What kind of problems?"

"Engineering a child is easy Daniel, getting one to be ready to reproduce is difficult." Nyerti walked along the bed; her black fingernails gliding across the silky sheet.

"Ihya's appearance is that of a fully grown adult but inside it's another matter all together." She leaned close to Daniel and ran her hand down his chest. "She needs another boost of DNA from you in order to allow her reproduction system to become fully mature."

Daniel scooted back on the bed. "I don't care what she needs she's not getting it from me!"

"Jaffa Kree!" Nyerti's shout was quickly obeyed as the six Jaffa she came in and surrounded the bed; their staff weapons hissing open.

"No!" Ihya got off the bed in a hurry standing toe to toe with Nyerti. "You cannot harm him!" Her blue eyes flashed. "We agreed what had to be done! You cannot go back on it now!"

Nyerti raised her head, an arrogant expression crossing her features. "I could put him in my sarcophagus."

Ihya whipped around and glared at her father. "You know what else we have in mind for him."

Nyerti sighed and crossed her arms over her chest. "Jaffa…bring him."

The group of men split up, two of them grabbed Daniel by his arms and hauled him off the bed. The rest of the men marched out of the room in a straight line. They returned a short time later pushing in a table with a black sheet over what appeared to be a body; there was no mistaking the distinctive dips and valleys.

Daniel saw it and his eyes rounded. "Oh my God."

He swallowed hard; the first thought coming to his mind was that his friend had been killed.

Ihya saw the color drain from his face and she touched her mouth; snickering.

"Do you mourn for your friend so quickly?"  She reached out and fisted the sheet in her hand.

"Would you care to see him?"  The sheet began to slide up and Daniel turned his face away; squeezing his eyes shut.

"No! I don't want to see!"

Ihya jerked the sheet off all the way and Daniel opened one eye, his curiosity getting the better of him as he slowly turned his head. What he saw made his mouth drop open; Jack dressed in only his boots, his dog tags and a pair of olive drab boxers. He was bound, gagged and blindfolded yet otherwise unharmed and Daniel breathed an audible sigh of relief despite Jack's state of undress.

"Jack?"

The sound of his name got his attention and Jack wiggled about on the table pulling at the cuffs around his wrists.

Nyerti took the gag from Jack's mouth and removed the blindfold; uncovering a pair of steely eyes.

"Oh you are so going to pay for this!" Jack hissed as he struggled against his handcuffs. He saw Daniel and the flush in his cheeks from anger seemed to calm down. "Are you all right Daniel?"

Daniel nodded. "I would ask how you are but it's pretty obvious." He saw the two trails of dried blood on Jack's neck.

"Yeah I'm tied up at the moment." Jack narrowed his eyes at Daniel's daughter. "She definitely takes after her mother; Hathor couldn't keep her hands off my clothes either."

Nyerti shook her head. "No no, this will never do." She walked around the table and put her hands beneath it, flipping a switch. The lower half of the table dropped while the upper half rose, lifting Jack to a 45 degree angle. He appeared to be standing yet leaning against the table.

"Ahh, much better."

The Jaffa still stood behind Daniel and Ihya plucked a pain stick from one of them.

"Now…as we were saying." She circled Daniel slowly like a predator. "Do you still say you will not help us?"

Daniel crossed his arms over his chest. "Yes, I do."

Ihya suddenly stopped walking, her lips drawing back in a smile. "We were hoping you would say that."  She turned her head towards Jack, that cold smile dripping with ice.

Jack saw it and licked his lips knowing it could easily spell trouble for him.

"Uhh…help with what Daniel?"

Before Daniel could answer him Ihya jabbed the pain stick against Jack's stomach. He cried out in pain squeezing his eyes shut. The yellow glow coming out of his mouth as he convulsed; the wire mesh he was up against only spreading the charge throughout his body.

"Jack." Daniel started to move; only to be grabbed by the Jaffa and held in place. "They want more of my DNA so Ihya here can reproduce."

The pain stick was pulled away and Jack slumped against his bounds panting hard; two prong marks left behind on his skin were an angry red color.

"Reproduce what exactly?" Jack slowly raised his head seeing Daniel's helpless expression.

"I think it's that child Teal'c mentioned; the one that's supposed to be able to bring back the race of queens."

Jack slowly straightened back up, his muscles quivering and tingly from the electricity; the two prong marks in his stomach burned.

"And who's supposed to be the father of that baby? It's not me that's for sure." He looked down at himself. "Although I'm dressed for such an occasion."

Jack glanced at both women seeing their knowing expressions before his gaze focused on Daniel. He wrinkled his nose at the thought of Daniel being with his own daughter.

"Eww."

Daniel shook his head, his gaze bouncing between the two women like a tennis match. "No, you can't mean."

"It's called incest ladies, need a dictionary?" Jack looked at Ihya; yes she was a gorgeous woman with a perfect figure yet the fact she was so young and related to Daniel made her so totally unappealing that he visibly shuddered.

"Don't do it Daniel, you know will happen if you do." He shook his head. "If the Goa'uld get more queens they'll be unstoppable."

"Silence!" Ihya swung the pain stick at Jack's head; the prongs slashed open his left cheek as his head whipped violently sideways. He slowly turned his head back; blood pouring down his face from the jagged slice on his skin. "Forget about me Daniel, look at the bigger picture."

Daniel swallowed hard, literally caught between a rock and a hard place. He knew Jack was right and this was his one chance to make sure the Goa'uld numbers would never grow any higher.

"Well? What do you say?" Ihya touched Daniel's chin and lifted it, the metal finger covers of her ribbon device cold against his skin.

His blue eyes shifted towards the man tied to the table directly behind Nyerti's right shoulder.

Jack's stern gaze spoke volumes to him and he closed his eyes at the difficulty of the choice now before him. Either way there were no clear winners only depths of losing; his eyes snapped open as they took in his daughter's face.

"I say no."

Ihya cupped his chin squeezing it hard. "Then you will watch your friend suffer!" She shoved his face away from her hand and jabbed the pain stick over and over again into Jack's body, moving it up and down his chest.

Daniel closed his eyes and covered his ears, not wanting to see or hear his friend's screams of pain and suffering. He bit into his lip tasting his own warm blood. 

Nyerti smiled at the show, admiring the Tau'rii's resilience. She turned back to see Daniel and grabbed his hands; pulling them away from his ears.

"You will watch and listen!" She grabbed the back of his neck and held him in place. "Now look! Or his pain will be a thousand times worse!"

Daniel struggled against Nyerti's grip before finally opening his eyes. Jack hung from his shackles; they were the only things keeping him horizontal. The skin of his chest and stomach was red and bleeding from the repeated pokes of the pain stick.

Ihya had stopped for a moment admiring her handiwork, her lips twisted in a cruel smile.

Realizing his torment had stopped, Jack raised his head seeing the guilt etched into Daniel's face.

"You did the …right thing…Daniel." He managed to gasp out and give Daniel a small smile before his head dropped once more and the soft hissing of Jack's breath escaping could be heard.

"Jack!" Daniel realized what that sound meant and he wrenched away from Nyerti's hold. He lifted Jack's head and pressed his fingers against the side of his neck.  There was nothing. 

The next thing Daniel grabbed was Jack's wrist; the skin bloody and raw from being tugged on, he sunk his fingers into it. Again he felt nothing and Daniel dropped his head wiping his hand across his forehead before turning around to face both women.

"He's dead."

 "Pity." Nyerti sighed shaking her head. "So strong and stubborn."

Daniel said nothing simply crossed his arms over his chest, hugging himself in a vain effort to quiet his trembling. He felt numb, totally numb as if his body had been dunked in freezing cold water.

Ihya watched her father, seeing his pained expression. "You did this; your friend is dead because of you."

"No!" He suddenly burst into life, his face reddening with anger. "I'm not the one that kept hurting him with that pain stick! It was you!"

"What choice did you leave us? You would not help us with our plans!"

"I still won't!" Daniel looked back at Jack. "You have no one to hold over my head now."

"That's not true." Nyerti reached down and took the pain stick from Ihya. "We can still use your friend."

Daniel pulled off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Jack is dead."

"Yes he is, but I have a sarcophagus." Nyerti lifted Jack's chin, stroking his cheek. "It will revive him."

"But that will be entirely up to you." Ihya stood beside Nyerti. "Give us what we want and he will live again."

"Perhaps you need time to think things over." Nyerti clapped her hands and her Jaffa came into the room.

"Put him in a cell."

Two of the men grabbed Daniel by both arms and started to take him away. He jerked out of their grasp and adjusted his shirt as he walked amongst them.

"Jaffa Kree!"

They stopped and faced their mistress once more.

"You forgot this one." Nyerti pointed with her chin to Jack and two of the men gave her deep bows.

"Forgive us Lady."

The body was shoved back against the table and the handcuffs were released. The two Jaffa grabbed it by the arms and dragged the lifeless man across the floor.

The iron bar door rose high in the air and Daniel found himself face down; his nose literally in a pile of dirt that covered the cell floor. Jack's body tumbled in with him and the bars slammed back down with a loud clang. The gang of Jaffa stomped out of the room, leaving Daniel alone.

He paced back and forth, his arms crossed over his chest as he periodically glanced at the bare back of his now dead friend; trying not to hear his pained shouts or picture his body convulsing from each charge it absorbed. It didn't work and he hugged himself tighter as another wave of guilt washed over him.

A thousand thoughts raced through his mind as he tried to find a way out of this for both of them.

"There has to be an alternative." He whispered to himself, rubbing his hands down his face. They dropped to his sides in frustration.

"Of course there's a solution! I just have to sleep with my daughter to do it!" He balled his hands into fists as he covered his head briefly.

"No! That's not even an option!"

He gritted his teeth as he banged his fist on the bars and then yelped in pain.

"But obviously violence isn't the way to solve it."  He said to himself as he shook his hand out.

Daniel rubbed his hand, flexing it. "How would Jack get out of this?" He whispered to himself before he even realized what he said. He glanced over his shoulder and sighed; his stomach suddenly twisting into a large knot.

Lying on his side, Jack appeared only to be sleeping; his head resting on his arm. Daniel sat down behind Jack's head and carefully lifted it; placing it in his lap. He reached out with a shaking hand and rolled Jack onto his back. Even though at times the two men didn't see eye to eye on almost everything they were friends. No, more than friends…they were family.  That's what SG-1 was; one big family and this acknowledgement came to Daniel as he stared down into Jack's pale face.

He heard Jack's last words echoing in his mind. You did the …right thing…Daniel.

"Did I Jack? Did I really?" He shook his head, sighing. "I let Nyerti and Ihya kill you when I should have been able to talk my way out of it! Talk our way out of the situation!" He took a deep shuddering breath feeling his chest tighten in despair.

"I shouldn't have let them go that far. I'm sorry Jack." Daniel whispered swallowing hard; feeling as if he had let his team leader down in some way.

"If there was any other way to bring you back without giving Ihya what she wants I would do it. You know I would." He licked his lips wiping his hand down his mouth. "You told me to look at the bigger picture and I'm trying to. You told me that so I wouldn't feel guilty, but I do." His glasses slipped down and he pushed them up.

He shifted a little hearing a soft tinkle of dog tags.  Jack's tags shifted around his neck to the left side of his battered chest.

Daniel reached out towards them but then pulled his hand back briefly. He sighed as he reached out again and picked them up, cringing as blood slickened his fingers.

The metal tags were covered in it as Daniel looked at them, reading Jack's social security number, blood type and religious preference. The second tag slipped from behind the first and something about it caught Daniel's eye. He turned it over seeing some deep scratches.

"What's this?"

His glasses were lifted from his face and placed on the top of his head as he took a closer look.

A set of initials seemed to be carved into the back of Jack's second tag. The letters were tiny but clear…GEM. He knew what they stood for and it made Daniel groan and pinch the bridge of his nose.

"Gillian…what am I going to tell her?"
She's a beautiful, sweet woman and she deserved to know the truth. Daniel thought to himself as he moved his hand from his face.

"How am I going to tell her the truth? That I'm the one that killed the man she loved because I had to choose between him or the fate of this galaxy." He squeezed his eyes shut. "Stop it Daniel! Just stop it! You did the right thing! You're going to have to believe that!"

He got a flash of when Anise had taken over Gillian and the conversation he and Jack had in the locker room. Jack spoke of how much he loved her and the future they would share together.

Daniel opened his eyes and looked down at his friend again; he felt a lump form in his throat at the assertion that the couple had no future now. He thought about Shau're and how his future with her had also been destroyed by a Goa'uld. Now it was happening to his friend and the idea of Gillian's impending heartbreak because of his decision made the emotions that had been threatening to undo him break to the surface. His eyes began to well up with tears and roll down his cheeks.

"I'm sorry Jack. I'll do what I can to make this easiest on Gillian, I swear."

Daniel took a deep hitching breath and dropped his head; he gripped Jack's dog tags tightly in his hand as everything washed out of him in a tidal wave of pain, guilt and sorrow.

Gillian gripped the P90 firmly in her hands as her back slammed against the side of the stone castle. Another light thump rang out behind her as Paige raised her gun barrel high. Her dark eyes roamed over the desert terrain around them as a few more members of her team all lined up in a row.

"All clear! Go Lieutenant!"

Paige whispered to her as Gillian nodded and circled around the front. A wrought iron gate was over an archway that led to a courtyard with a tall concrete fountain. It contained a deep square pond, the walls standing at a little over four feet high. 

Gillian ran around the side of the castle and kicked open the gate hiding behind the wall just beside it. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Teal'c. He too did a sweep of the area, leaning against the wall on the other gate. He pressed the button on his radio.

"Major Carter, Major Rowski, all is clear, bring your team in."

Page and her team quietly entered the courtyard lining up on both sides of the wall.

Sam, Martouf and Jacob came in behind Gillian.

"The entry to this place should be just beyond that foundation."

Martouf nodded. "I believe you are right Samantha." He crossed the terrace quickly and ducked down behind one of the fountain walls. He looked over his shoulder at Sam and nodded to her.

Sam returned it and hand signaled for everyone to keep, low, keep their eyes peeled and join Martouf.

One by one the soldiers climbed into the pond. They peered over the wall at the double door entryway that seemed to be clear.

"I don't trust it." Sam pulled a pair of binoculars from her pocket and looked through them. "It can't be this easy. It has to be a trap."

"I concur Major Carter." Teal'c borrowed the binoculars and briefly glanced at the door trying to find some indication that things were not as they appeared.

"I need a volunteer to get close to those doors." Sam looked over her shoulder at Paige and her team.

"I'll go." Gillian straightened from her crouching position and joined Sam.

"All right Lieutenant, just watch yourself."

She nodded as she carefully climbed over the wall, flopping down onto her belly. She crawled across the ground to the doors and leaned against the wall, craning her neck around it peering into the room.

A barrage of staff fire blast came out of the doorway and Gillian pulled back.

"Hit the deck!"  

The soldiers ducked down behind the stone walls as the blasts hit, raining down chunks of concrete and dust down on them.

Gillian unzipped her vest pocket and pulled out a grenade; she started to pull the pin out of it when a thought came to her. Daniel and Jack were in this castle somewhere, the last thing she wanted to do was injure them.

"Damn it." She muttered to herself as she put back the grenade and zipped the pocket.

The battle between the Jaffa and the team began, the blasts going off all around her. To her left was a set of stone steps that led up and down to what looked like another level of the castle.

Gillian tightened her grip on the P90 as she got up and went down the flight of stairs, hoping she chose the right direction and it would lead to Jack and Daniel.

Ihya turned towards the sound of the approaching Jaffa, her face lighting up with a smile when she saw her father. Daniel appeared a little on the pale sighed, his eyes and nose both red.

The men dragged Jack's body behind them and dropped him in front of the wire mesh table.

"As you commanded Lady."

She dismissed them with a wave of her hand and they bowed before once more taking their places outside the door. Ihya saw her father's sorrowful expression as she approached him.

"You feel remorse over what you have done, do you not? The death of your friend?"

Ihya crouched down and turned Jack over, her hand traced down his neck and across his collarbones.

"He could come back; Nyerti's sarcophagus is in her chamber. He can be placed there and revived."

Daniel finally faced her, his arms crossing over his chest.

"And all I have to do is give you DNA and help you conquer this galaxy," Daniel shook his head slowly.

"I can't do that Ihya, I won't do that."

Her calm expression darkened into an angry one as she stood up fast.

"Nyerti has ways of making you change your mind, ways that up until now we chose not to use on you! Jaffa Kree!"

Three of the men were on the other side of the room were quick to race over.

"Put him on the table," She demanded as she turned to see Nyerti enter the room.

"Still no cooperation?"

Nyerti shook her head, making a tisking sound, "I have just the thing for him."

She went over to a table on the far side of the room and bent down; pulling out what looked like a black suitcase.

Daniel struggled against his handcuffs watching Nyerti open the case and take out a vial of purple liquid.

"What is that?"

Nyerti saw his wide eyes and laughed, "it has no name Daniel, but it is a sexual enhancer."

She walked around the table to stand in front of him, letting him get a closer look at the thick glass tube.

"The Goa'uld have used this for centuries as an aphrodisiac. One dose is all it takes for days of endless pleasure."

"And the downside is…?--" Daniel raised both his eyebrows in curiosity.

"Brain damage…irreversible," Nyerti grinned as her fingers stroked up and down the tube. "But you'll have the greatest of pleasure before it happens."

Daniel glanced between the two women; swallowing hard when he saw Nyerti pick up a syringe.

"I'm not really fond of needles."

"One shot and Ihya gets what she wants," Nyerti stuck the needle in the tube and pulled back the plunger, filling the hypodermic.

An explosion from outside the door startled them as the double doors to the basement burst open.

Daniel jerked on his handcuffs as he turned towards the doors.

A P90 emerged from behind one of the still open doors and fired, the explosion of bullets making sparks across one of the Jaffa before sending him to the ground. The other two shot the door with their staff weapon, the blasts set part of it on fire.  

Gillian came out from behind the doors and ducked around them.  She crouched down low and craned her neck around it and fired, taking out another Jaffa.

Daniel saw her and pulled on his handcuffs, "Gillian!"

Ihya's blue eyes narrowed as she held out her left hand and opened her fingers. A blast came out of the eye and hit the door above Gillian.

Nyerti watched what was going on and shook her head. She had about enough of this and pressed the black device around her wrist. She fluttered once before disappearing.

Gillian crawled out from around the door slapping a fresh clip into her P90. Only one Jaffa remained and he had taken refuge behind a stone pillar on the far side of the room.

The floor under her was marble and freezing cold against her skin as she made her way towards it.

Ihya let off another blast with her ribbon device, trying to hit the crawling woman. The energy burst slammed into the stone pillar raining down dust and concrete bits onto Gillian.

The only remaining Jaffa stepped out from behind the pillar just as another blast went off. The wave hit him, slamming him against the far wall and with it a loud crunch as his neck snapped like a twig. He crumbled to the floor.

"Come out Tau'rii, drop your weapon!" Ihya opened her hand, aiming the jewel at him. "Or we will destroy him!"

Daniel watched the jewel against her palm begin to glow orange. 

"She means it Gillian."

Gillian sighed as she stood up, raising her P90 high in the air before setting it down. She unzipped her vest and unclipped the bands around her thighs, dropping her knife and sidearm.

"I'm unarmed, let him go."

"Come over here," Ihya lowered her hand and turned towards Gillian, a smile on her face.

Gillian walked over to her, stopping in mid track when she saw Jack on the floor; her heart falling into her shoes.

"Jack--" She ran over to him, dropping to her knees.  The wounds on his chest and face made her gasp; she touched his neck and found no life there. Raising her face slowly she gazed up at Daniel, her eyes growing shiny.

"What happened?"

Daniel turned away from her pained gaze. "Ihya needs DNA to make more queen Goa'uld, when I wouldn't cooperate she used Jack as my motivation."

Gillian closed her eyes and touched her forehead to her fiancé's. "Jack would rather die than see that happen Daniel."

"And so he did, most painfully--"

Gillian's head snapped up as she glared at Ihya, the anger replacing the sorrow that surrounded her heart; turning her brown eyes to boiling coffee. She gently placed Jack's head back on the ground as she stood up, facing Ihya.

"Oh…such fire--" Ihya chuckled as she saw the anger. "Is that venom for us?"

Her heart pounding madly in her chest, Gillian breathed hard; the anger coursing through her veins like lava. Focus the energy, put emotions into it. I have seen the Goa'uld control the devices by simply altering their mood…  Teal'c's words echoed in her mind; everything seemed to slow down to a crawl as she raised her left hand. A rush flowed through her system, burning in her chest like a roaring fire as she spread her fingers wide; her brown eyes focused with intensity and deep concentration on the young woman standing less than 10 feet away.

The charge built up in the jewel lying against her palm until it finally burst forth, the bright orange wave floating in the air towards Ihya's energy shield. The flash of the two energies combining made a sizzling sound as the burst penetrated it, slamming into the young woman. Ihya raised her arms to shield her face and a deep pained scream came out of her as the energy turned her black, the burning traveling down her skin and dress enveloping her.

The expression on Daniel's his face was one of horror and disbelief; his daughter literally burning to death right in front of his wide eyes. He jerked on the cuffs that bound him hard, as if he could break them and somehow stop what was happening.

"Gillian!" He called out, but she didn't seem to hear and for the briefest of moments Daniel wondered if the powerful Goa'uld device had somehow taken over his friend; changed her as his trips to the sarcophagus had changed him.

The orange glow faded and Ihya disintegrated as she crumbled to the floor in a pile of black ash.

Gillian lowered her hand; breathing hard as she saw what she had done. She turned around slowly and looked at Daniel.

"No! Don't!" Daniel cowered, turning away from her and squeezing his eyes shut waiting to feel the heat of his own demise.

"Daniel…"

He slowly turned back towards her; he licked his lips and swallowed hard; simply staring at his friend.

"My God…You incinerated her."

She said nothing as she went over to the wire mesh table and drew her knife, sticking it into the lock and twisting it; the cuffs falling away.

"Nyerti has a sarcophagus, any idea where it is?"

Daniel stared at the ashen pile that was his daughter. "It's in her chamber; I think it's on the next level up."

"Gillian!" Sam called out to her as she and the rest of the team suddenly came running into the room.

"Oh no." She whispered when she saw Jack's body lying between the two people.

Jacob and Martouf crouched down and examined Jack, touching him. "There is still a chance he may be revived."

Jacob raised his head, giving a nod. "Yes, his body temperature is still high enough that a sarcophagus may rejuvenate him." He moved around Jack and sat him up, tucking his arms under Jack's.

"Martouf get his legs."

"I have never seen a ribbon device do this." Teal'c stood beside Daniel at the other end of the room over the remains of Ihya.

Gillian turned around to acknowledge his statement. "I was angry Teal'c; I used Jack as my emotional charge." She hung her head for a moment, looking away from his gaze.

Sam let go of her P90, letting it drop to her side as she touched her friend on the shoulder.

"Come on Gill, we need to get the colonel into that sarcophagus."

Gillian said nothing, simply nodded as the group left the room in search of Nyerti's chamber.

Her boots thumped against the floor in a slow repeating pattern as Gillian paced back and forth beside the long gold sarcophagus. Her arms crossed over her chest; she hugged herself hard trying to quiet her nerves.

"It's going to take a few minutes Gill, relax." Sam sat on the edge of Nyerti's bed beside Daniel; her elbows resting on her knees.

Daniel rubbed his hand over his face, he too seemed anxious for the sarcophagus to hurry up and finish its work.

"Daniel, you're not responsible for what happened to the colonel."

A pair of doubtful blue eyes shifted towards Sam; Daniel shook his head and sighed heavily.

"You know the last thing Jack said to me was that I did the right thing."

"And you did," Jacob stood over by the window; he walked around the bed and sat beside Daniel.

"Ihya and Nyerti were going to rejuvenate the queen Goa'uld; that would have spelled disaster for the rest of us. Believe it or not Daniel you did a noble, heroic thing; sacrificed your friend for the good of us all."

Sam nodded, reaching down and taking Daniel's hand. "Colonel O'Neill is going to be just fine Daniel so stop beating yourself up, all right?"

Daniel gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "I'll try." He said with a small smile.

The gold doors on the sarcophagus opened with a hiss as they began to part. Gillian whipped around practically stumbling; she leaned over them watching with a mad thumping heart as the doors widened enough for Jack to be seen.  His skin a shade of pink, Jack resembled a newborn baby as the chamber opened fully.

Gillian reached out with a shaking hand to touch his face, the slash caused by Ihya's pain stick gone.

"Jack?"

Her hand stroked his cheek gently. "Come on, open your eyes and talk to me."

Jack suddenly took a deep breath; his chest expanding as his eyelids rose slowly to gaze at the woman standing over him.

"Gill?"

Gillian nodded slowly as she bent over and placed her head on his chest. "Yeah it's me, are you okay?"

The thudding of his heart in her ear made her close her eyes in relief; the sweetest sound she ever heard.

"Chest hurts a little."

She straightened up and ran her hand over it, not one trace of the wounds from the pain stick were left.

"I'm not surprised considering how your chest looked."

Gillian took his hand and pulled him up, the second he was vertical she threw her arms around him.

"God Jack."

"I know." He returned her hug, his arms tightening around her as his fingers touched her head.

Gillian suddenly remembered they weren't alone and let go of him. "Come on, let's get out of there."

Jack sat on the edge of one of the doors and swung his legs around. He crossed his arms over his chest, shivering.

"Welcome back sir." Sam smiled as she got up from the bed and handed him a blanket.

"Thanks Carter." Jack wrapped the blanket around himself, sighing at the warmth.

Daniel stood beside her, an uncertain expression on his face. He started to open his mouth but then closed it again.

"Why don't we get you home sir?"

Jack nodded as he stepped down from the sarcophagus. "I think that's a good idea Major, I've had about all I can stand of this place."

Jack sat on the wooden bench in the locker room, his graying hair wet and tousled as he unfolded a black t-shirt.

"Jack?"

He looked up to see Daniel standing by the door, his hands in his pockets.

"Hey Daniel."  Jack slipped the t-shirt over his head and pulled it down his chest.

"Doctor Frasier examined you?" Daniel casually wandered over to the bench; the thudding of his boots echoing in the tiled room.

"Not yet, I'm sure she'll want to after the debriefing." Jack stood up and unbuckled his pants, tucking his t-shirt in.  He ran his hands down it and sighed.

"Something wrong?"

"Yeah--" Jack turned towards Daniel, his face puzzled, "my dog tags are gone; I guess I lost them on that planet."

Daniel glanced down at the floor briefly. "Uh no…you didn't,"  he pulled his right hand out of his pocket; the silver tags and chain dangling from between his clutched fingers.

Jack stretched out his hand and took them, his dark eyes searching Daniel's face. He found what he was looking for and cleared his throat.

"Thanks." 

He studied them for a moment, seeing the faint trace of blood crusted in the stamped lettering.

"Daniel--" Jack began as he licked his lips, pressing them together. He opened his mouth and then closed it again as he glanced down at the tags once more, seeing Gillian's initials scratched into the back of the second one. 

"You were going to give them to her, weren't you?" 

Jack raised his head, his gaze focusing on his friend.

Daniel shifted his weight, his hands coming up to touch the back of his head.  "Yeah, I was going to do everything I could for her, knowing it would never be enough to ease the pain."

"Who's pain Daniel? Hers or yours?"  That statement made Daniel's eyes slowly close.

"You did the right thing; even if there hadn't been a sarcophagus." Jack watched Daniel turned away from him and it only made his temper flare a little. He took a few steps towards Daniel and grabbed his shoulder, spinning him back around.

"Ihya could not have been allowed to succeed." His dark eyes now boiled with anger and frustration at not being able to get through to his friend.

"Even if it meant my death or anyone else's Daniel! That's what being a part of this team is about, it's not for ourselves it's for the good of this planet. That's why this whole facility was created in the first place! My death would have been hard on Gillian yes, and on you too but it would have been a small price to pay to keep the Goa'uld from growing even more powerful than they already are!"

Daniel jerked away from his grasp. "That's too high a price Jack!" 

His word echoed against the tile all around them as Daniel glared at his friend.

"Life is never a small price to pay! Do you honestly think I could live with that? With not only destroying your life but Gillian's too! Seeing her day after day with tears in her eyes knowing I'm the reason for them?"

Jack sighed, wiping his hand across his mouth. He made a good point but that still didn't diminish the bigger picture. Daniel needed to see the truth in what he did; Jack just needed to put it another way.

"Daniel…If you had given Ihya what she wanted then Shau're would have died for nothing. You've always said that you would do anything to bring them down."

He watched as Daniel's eyes grew round; his mouth dropping open.

"And that's exactly what you did."

Jack nodded, seeing his words seemed to have finally sunk in. "It took a lot of guts and I'm proud to call you a member of my team and my friend." 

He slipped the dog tags over his head, giving them a pat.

Daniel didn't know what to say.  It was a moment of rarely seen honesty that he had never had before with Jack and might not ever again. His head lowered for a moment before it raised again; a small smile on his lips.

Jack took a comb out of his locker and ran it through his hair. "There, all set," He spread his arms out wide. "Ready to be debriefed." His eyebrows went up. "Oh, wait. That was earlier."

"No, more like unclothed," Daniel rocked back on his heels.

"Ah…my mistake--" Jack motioned towards the door. "Shall we?"

"Yeah, death really changed his perspective."

Daniel whispered to himself as he shook his head; a small smile on his lips as he followed his team leader out of the locker room.

Jack sat with his back against the headboard; his legs drawn up against his bare chest. He heard the shower turn off and the curtain slide back along the rod.

"Any minute now--" He said to himself as the door suddenly opened and his fiancée came out; her white silk robe tied around her.

He watched her, his eyebrow raising. "You know if this keeps up I'll have to change professions."

"What are you talking about? Changing professions?" Gillian untied her robe, letting it fall down her shoulders as she slid it off and hung it on the back of her closet door, closing it.  She had a matching white silk nightgown underneath is as she rounded the bed and sat down on it.

"Yeah, from Air Force colonel to counselor."

He lowered his legs and turned on his side to face her. Jack's smile faded to a more pensive expression.

"You hardly said anything on the way home and at the debriefing you could barely get out what happened."

Gillian laid down on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. "I'm really tired Jack."

Jack stretched out beside her, peering down into her pensive face. "Stop it Gill, you're being just like Daniel. Feeling guilty over something that had to be done."

"I didn't have to kill her Jack."

He laid his head on her chest. "It was an accident; you didn't know that blast would kill her."

Gillian touched Jack's hair, stroking it. "I'm supposed to save lives, not take them."

Jack's head jerked up; his stare becoming deep and serious. "Do you really think she was going to let Daniel go? Do you really think she would have let any of you go? I doubt Ihya would have spared any of them and I know Nyerti wouldn't have. That Goa'uld bitch would have sliced and diced everyone for spare parts in her freaky experiments."

Jack laid down and gripped her wrist, pulling her on top of him in a hug. He felt the warmth of her tears in the hollow of his neck as he stroked her hair and back.

Gillian seemed to calm down a little, taking a deep shuddering breath. "Damned if I do, damned it I don't. Either way would have been the death of someone close to me."

"Either way you had no choice. Just like Daniel didn't, Ihya had to be stopped one way or the other."

She sighed, nuzzling against Jack's neck. "I'm just glad it's over."

"Me too." He lifted his head and kissed her temple. "You know you never said how it was you escaped being captured by Ihya's Jaffa?"

His fiancée started snickering, her lips lightly brushing against Jack's throat.

"What? What's so funny?"

Gillian raised her head, the laughter making her feel a bit better. "It wasn't anything special Jack. Sergeant Siler drove a metal sliver through his hand. I had to perform a little surgery and broke the bottle of disinfectant I used on my lab coat. I went to the bathroom to wash it off and was about to go back to the infirmary when all hell broke loose."

Her fiancé nodded; his hands on either side of her face. "Talk about a stroke of luck."

"I know, and here I felt like an idiot for spilling that stuff all over me."

The white cordless phone started ringing and Jack sighed as stretched toward the nightstand and picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Hi Jack, its Elly."

Jack's face broke out into a smile at the sound of Gillian's mother. Elizabeth MacKenzie, a sweet, warm and loving woman, sounded exactly like her daughter although her voice had a tiny bit more age to it. They had yet to meet face to face but he always enjoying talking to her. Elly taught science at the local middle school and shared a love of astronomy with her future son-in-law.

"Hi Elly, how's the kids?"

"Fine Jack, they're good. We're going to the Planetarium next week."

"Great! Sounds like fun! I'll be on the next plane to LA." Shifting in bed and tucking his arm behind his head, Jack winked at his fiancée. Gillian shook her head as she leaned it against his chest sighing and closing her eyes.

Elly chuckled on the line. "I wish you would Jack, you know Joshua and I want to meet you."

"Yeah I know Elly, I want to meet the both of you too but with work and all…"

"We know Jack, the Air Force doesn't grant leave very often and you've got your cadets to think about."

Jack sighed as his hand came down to touch Gillian's back, his fingers sliding over her bare skin sensually.

"You're right about that, my kids do need me. But we should be able to take some leave maybe in August."

"That'd be great; Joshua and I would love for you two to come to LA. Or maybe it'd be better if we went to Colorado. We'll work out the details later.  And speaking of kids; is mine around anywhere?"

He looked down at his chest and smiled, Gillian had fallen asleep.

"She's here Elly but fell asleep."

"Oh the poor Baby, that hospital runs her ragged. Don't wake her up she probably needs the rest."

"No I won't wake her but you're right, she does work pretty hard."

"Well I better let you join her Jack, have her call me this weekend."

Jack nodded as he moved down in the bed a little. "I will Elly, tell Josh I said hi and we'll talk to you later."

"Okay Jack, my love to both of you, bye."

"Bye." He carefully turned over and hung up the phone.

Gillian groaned, raising her head. "Does my mom want to talk to me?"  She asked dreamily, her eyes barely open.

Chuckling, Jack ran his finger down the side of her face; brushing a few strays strands of her hair from it. "She said she'd talk to you this weekend."

"Okay." She dropped her head, sighing. "I didn't mean to fall asleep."

"Oh so you didn't mean to use me as a pillow?"

"I didn't say that." Gillian shifted over, lying on top of Jack. "What did Mom say?"

Jack's hands came to her shoulders, rubbing his palms over them and down her arms.

"Not much, she asked about us taking leave to go see her and your father."

"You told her about August?"

"Yeah, it'd probably be best if we went there. Our cover stories have me at the Academy and you at the base hospital; if they want to see were we work that could be a problem."

"A big one, so we'll fly to LA." She slid up along his body until she could stare down into his face, her hands roamed over it as she pressed a kiss to his lips. "Know what else Mom's been asking about?"

His fingers gripped her shoulders as he sighed. "I can imagine, but go ahead and tell me."

"Our wedding."

Jack's eyebrows went up as he nodded. "Ah that. I'm not surprised."

"Well we got engaged almost six months ago Jack, next month will be our one year anniversary as a couple. Don't you think we should at least talk about the wedding?"

He laced his fingers behind her back, holding her in place. "All right, what do you want?"

Gillian shrugged. "I don't know, something simple but nice. I only plan on doing this once." She ran her fingers across the hollow of his neck. "What did you and Sara do?"

"Eloped."

"Really?" She stared wide eyed at her fiancé. "No fancy smancy wedding?"

"Oh God no!" Jack shuddered. "Between my mother, Shannon and Kelly; not to mention Sara's family, we just decided to save everyone the headache and just take off. We went to Vegas for the weekend and did it there."

"Is that what you want to do this time too?" Gillian asked in a small voice; her dark eyes hopeful that he would say no.

Jack had eloped with Sara and the disastrous way that marriage ended almost made him shudder for a second time. He stared deeply into Gillian's big eyes seeing that this time things were going to be different.

"No." He paused. "I want to do it right this time. Maybe we can have the base Chaplin or a JAG marry us in a small simple ceremony."

Gillian's gaze softened, a small smile coming to her lips. "You do? Really?"

"Yes, really."  He sighed heavily, his hands sliding up her back to hug her around the neck. "I'll even wear my dress blues if you want."

"I'd like that." She closed her eyes, the strength of her embrace increasing. "What about our families?"

Jack winced a little. "I think it'd be best if we keep this to ourselves. We'll break it to them gently later."

His fiancée yawned against his neck, the rush of warm escaping air made Jack wiggle.

"Hey that tickles."

"Sorry."

"I think it's time for sleep Gill, we've had quite an exciting day. We can talk more about the wedding later."  Jack rolled partially on his side and clicked off the lamp, the bedroom instantly dark.

Gillian slid off him and stretched out on her side. Jack curled up behind her; his arm across her waist.

"Night Gill."

Her eyes slid close as she wiggled against Jack, pulling his arm further over her.

"Night Jack."

The couple relaxed against one another trying to put the stress and horror of the day out of their mind as they drifted off to sleep.