Allright, this is the next part. This story starts a little slow. I hope that I still keep it interesting.

Oh, and as to Osiris being a guy or girl I'm going with what we were told in the episode The Summit that he preferred male hosts. He's only been awake for a few days and in my mind still considers himself one. It will take a while for him to consider himself otherwise.


"Daniel." Carter breathed as the rings disappeared leaving the space in the middle empty of anything much less Daniel. She couldn't move, just stood there staring at the space where Daniel should have been. She didn't notice Dr. Frasier standing up or making her way over. So lost in her thoughts that she actually jumped when Janet touched her shoulder.

"Sorry Sam, I was trying to get your attention."

"He's gone."

"What?" Janet questioned, concern flooding through her as she tried to decipher that statement. As she did she looked around and noticed for the first time the lack of a certain archeologist.

"Sam, where's Daniel?" She questioned. Sam looked over to her and then down at the empty gun in her hand.

"He's gone." She repeated and then collapsed to the ground.

"Sam!" Janet shouted, alarmed. She knelt next to her friend and noticed the still form in the center of the room. Oh crap, she berated herself as she remembered Steven. "Sam, we have to go now. Dr. Rayner needs immediate medical attention. We have to get him to safety and then contact the General and let him know what has happened." What has happened? She wondered as she tried not to imagine all the reasons why Daniel would be gone.

Samantha Carter nodded slowly as she carefully stood up and moved to Steven. As soon as they got him help she would tell Janet the full story, for now she had work to do. The two of them managed to make a makeshift stretcher and carry Steven to the jeep. Once there Sam took the wheel as Janet kept an eye on Steven.

The ride back was long and made in tense silence. Steven remained unaware of his surroundings and Sam was not yet ready to speak. When they finally arrived at the nearest town with adequate medical services Janet was all business. She hounded the doctors and officials alike. Her main concern at the moment was to see to Steven's condition.

However, once she was satisfied that he was no longer in any immediate danger she started making arrangements for her and Sam Carter to travel back to the states with Steven where he would be transferred to a hospital there. Once she'd finished with this she went to find Sam and prepare her initial report for General Hammond.

She found Sam in the lounge, elbows on her knees as she stared at her cell phone. Janet didn't have to guess to know that Sam was gathering up the nerve to call the general and let him know what had happened.

Taking the seat next to Sam she didn't speak immediately. She placed a hand on Sam's shoulder and waited. Being a doctor she'd learned about more than just the physiological part of her patients. She'd learned to pay attention to their mental health as well. She knew that Sam would tell her what had happened; she just had to give her a moment and let her know she wasn't alone.

As much as she wanted to simply wait, she knew that Hammond was expecting a report soon and she didn't have enough information to give him an accurate one. When they'd left the temple Sam had simply called and told him that they had found Steven and were bringing him to get medical attention.

"Sam, how are you doing?"

"He's gone." She once again repeated.

"Daniel?" Janet asked even though she had already figured it out.

"Osiris..Osiris took him. I tried to stop them, I fired at the rings but it was too late."

"You did everything you could Sam. What happened is not your fault."

"I know that, Janet. I do. It's just that…"

"No, there is no 'it's just' in this Sam. I may not have seen exactly what happened, but you were knocked unconscious, we both were." Sam sighed and pushed the button on her phone that she'd been staring at for the last hour.

"You're right Janet." She took Janet's hand as she listened to the ringing on her phone. When the call was picked up on the other end she breathed deeply and calmed her nerves. Janet's hand in hers helped immensely.

"Hammond."

"General."

"Major Carter. Do you have an update for me?"

"Yes sir."

"Well Major?" He prompted when she did not answer right off.

"We arrived at the temple and when we entered we found Dr. Rayner unconscious in the middle of the room. After confirming he wasn't a go'auld he awakened long enough to admit that he had taken the missing artifact and had wanted to take credit for the find. He told Daniel he realized that he'd been right about everything all along."

"Dr. Jackson must have liked that. So if Dr. Rayner was not the go'auld, who was."

"It was Sarah Gardner sir."

"Dr. Jackson's other friend from when he was working with Dr. Jordan."

"Yes. She showed up and used a hand device to knock both Dr. Frasier and I into the wall. We both lost consciousness for a time. When I came to I saw Osiris standing near the exit." She had to pause for a moment and catch her breath, the scene replaying vividly in her mind.

"She was facing the wall and saying something, I can't really remember. I started to get up and that was when I noticed Daniel was curled up on the ground next to Osiris. I was able to retrieve my gun and fire off several rounds but the go'auld had already activated the rings and escaped to a ship that must have been hidden in the temple." She finished quickly, wishing it wasn't true.

"Are you saying that Dr. Jackson is in the hands of a go'auld?" Hammond queried, hoping he'd heard wrong.

"Yes sir that is what I'm saying."

"Why didn't you mention this when you called earlier?"

"Because I I don't know sir. I should have said something but Dr. Rayner needed medical attention and I just couldn't bring myself to say it." On the other end of the line she heard Hammond sigh softly and knew he understood.

"Very well, where are you now?"

"Janet and I are waiting for Dr. Rayner to be stable enough to transport to the states. Janet has arranged for us to travel with him. We will speak with him then and tell him something to keep him from looking into the matter any further."

"Understood. When do you think you'll be back?" Sam thought a moment before asking Hammond to hold on and questioned Janet to see if she had any idea. Janet said the doctors here believed Steven would be ready to go in a few hours and they had already chartered a private flight for the three of them. Hopefully Steven would be coherent enough once stateside that they could deal with him and leave shortly thereafter.

"We should be leaving here in a few hours General, after that it depends on when we can speak with Steven sir."

"Understood. Call if there are any changes or you're due to arrive." Hammond finished and hung up the phone. Sam listened to the dial tone for a moment before flipping her phone shut and burying her face in her hands.

Janet enveloped Sam in a hug and held her as she shook with repressed tears.

"Why is it always Daniel?" Sam intoned, not expecting any answer.

Holding back tears of her own Janet didn't try to give one, she simply held her friend tighter.


Hammond stared at the phone for several minutes after hanging up and tried to find some explanation for what he'd learned had occurred.

He could think of none.

Dr. Jackson it would seem was simply incapable of not landing himself in trouble. If Hammond weren't so fond of Daniel he would have fired him by now. His reason for staring at the phone however was not just because he was hoping that Major Carter was going to call back and say it was all some really cruel April fools joke.

No, he was staring at it because now he had to get in touch with Colonel Jack O'Neill and he had a sneaky suspicion that the task was going to prove impossible and he would have to wait for O'Neill and Teal'c to return in two days.

First he should send some messages to their allies, alert them of the situation. Yes, that's what he needed to do. He'd have Walter try and contact the Colonel. If that didn't work he would just have to send someone to inform him personally.

Major Davis was just a phone call away. Decision made Hammond picked up the phone.