Samantha wanted her to die. The ashrak wanted her to die. Jolinar had prepared herself for certain death - which, as it turned out, was not so certain after all. An ancient power reveals itself to protect the Tau'ri and the Tok'ra - but can they accept its help? Tok'ra heavy. AU off of In the Line of Duty. Rated T to be safe.

[mental speech of host]

~mental speech of symbiote~

dreams, flashbacks, etc. Should be clear from context. If not, tell me!

Disclaimer: really?

Hey guys! Brand new chap for you! It's short but you'll get a longer one on Tuesday - earlier if you give me six reviews for this one!

PS: I have received some comments about ship. This story will not have a whole lot of canon character ship in it for a long, long time, maybe never. We'll see. So no matter what ship you like, you can enjoy this one. I did that on purpose.

Thanks ever so much to Roeskva and Shams for reviewing the last chapter!

Jolinar crept silently down the corridor, the mysterious girl beside her. The hallway was empty for the moment, which was a great relief – they had already had a few close calls with double-timing airmen. The main problem was not the soft sounds they produced, since Jolinar was well-trained in stealth and her companion somehow seemed to avoid making any sound at all, even with the unconscious ashrak hoisted onto her shoulder. Rather, it was the problem of avoiding being barreled into by people who didn't know they were there. Being invisible, though it allowed them to move through the base unmolested, apparently had its own drawbacks.

Sam had called a tacit truce, which Jolinar knew would only be temporary. She had stopped futilely baiting the symbiote in favor of puzzling over the device on her wrist. Jolinar, despite her worries, obligingly held the device up so Samantha could see it again. This, she noted with amusement, seemed to astonish her temporary host. Sam was irritated by her mirth. Jolinar frowned.

"Carter can look at that later," muttered their companion, still methodically scanning in all directions. "Keep your eyes up."

Jolinar acquiesced with a trace of reluctance; looking at the device had pleased Samantha. ~I promise, we will ask whatever questions you wish when it is safe to do so.~

[What's this about 'we'?] Sam fired back sarcastically. Jolinar merely sighed and did not answer.

Sam didn't really mourn the loss of her previous puzzle; she now had several to occupy her thoughts. How had their companion known that it was she who wanted to look at the device, and not Jolinar? How had she known her name? Why had the symbiote wanted to please her? And why on Earth was she now calling a Goa'uld a symbiote instead of a parasite?

Jolinar bit back her ever-present irritation over being called a Goa'uld. ~Samantha, blending, even on this minimal level, affects both of us. I wished to please you because I find your curiosity endearing. You began to think of me as a symbiote because you are beginning to know that that is what I really am.~

Sam tried to feel irritated at Jolinar's invasion of her private thoughts, until she realized that none of Jolinar's thoughts were private either. Perhaps it was an unavoidable side effect of the blending.

~It is,~ said Jolinar gently. She paused. ~I am sorry.~

How was this chapter? I'm not sure if I got the host/symbiote interactions right. Did you buy it?

[For the curious: In my world, a fully blended pair can shield thoughts from one another, but Jolinar's connection is so tenuous that she has reduced control.]

If you guys give me six reviews for this chapter, I'll post the next one early! That's a standing offer from now on. Please review! Whenever I'm stuck (like now), reading reviews helps give me inspiration! You guys are my motivation!

Thanks for reading!