Author's Note: Sorry this one took so long! Mom's in town visiting!

OOOOOOOOOOO

They led Chelani to a small conference room and sat him down in a comfortable leather chair at one end of the table there. The rest of them sat around him, all waiting to hear what would bring an Ancient back to their abandoned city when the Humans had been there almost ten years and hadn't seen one in the entire time.

The Ancient didn't make them wait long.

"Ian Brooks, Jack O'Neill's dog has died."

Ian frowned.

"Jaffer?"

Not that Jack had ever owned another dog, but Ian was so stunned by the news that he couldn't think of anything intelligent to ask.

"Yes. He collapsed several hours ago, and died a short time later."

The room was silent. Mainly because they all knew that it was Ian Chelani was there to talk to – and Ian was too shocked by what he'd heard to say anything else just then. He'd known Jaffer was getting old, but hadn't realized he was that old. He added up the years and was astonished to come up with sixteen. Most labs lived to be about fourteen – his own beloved lab Bubba had been killed in a hunting accident at the age of nine – but while Jaffer had seemed to slow down a little in the last few years, Ian couldn't even imagine him dying.

And he couldn't imagine how Jack was handling the loss.

"Let me get this straight…" McKay said, interrupting before Ian could ask about Jack. "You came here to tell us about a dog?"

"Not just any dog," Chelani replied. "Jaffer."

Ian's look over at McKay was hardly complimentary, and Rodney gave him a look that plainly asked what he'd done this time.

"What about Jack?" Ian asked, before anyone could say anything else.

"Jack O'Neill is in grave danger," Chelani answered. "That is why I am here."

Now they all looked confused. All of them except Ian, who stood up.

"We need to talk. Alone."

Chelani nodded, standing as well.

"Yes."

Ian looked at the others pointedly, and Weir cleared her throat, clearly baffled.

"We'll… um…"

"Wait outside," Sheppard finished for her, standing up. "Come on Rodney."

McKay hadn't stood when the others did.

"What? Why do we have to-"

"Come on."

Sheppard didn't even give him a chance to argue; he just took him by the arm and pulled him to his feet and out the door, which Weir closed as she walked out behind them.

"How much danger?" Ian asked as soon as they were gone.

"He'll be dead in a week."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"You didn't have to come…"

Janet Bregman shrugged, but then nodded.

"Yes, I did."

Sam smiled sadly, grateful for the company –and the support. She knew that Janet hadn't left Colorado to help Jack. She'd left to support Sam – who was heartbroken at the thought of never seeing Jaffer again, but knew she had to be strong for Jack – who was probably going to handle things far worse. And according to Monica, he was handling things badly indeed.

Before she could say anything, though, the pilot's voice came over the intercom, informing her that they were about two hours out of DC.

Sam nodded, even though he couldn't see it, and sighed, leaning against the leather seat and closing her eyes. What an awful day.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOO

They took him back to the White House. After a brief discussion between Daniel and the head of Jack's Secret Service detail, they simply decided it was the best place to go. Jack didn't say a word as they hustled him past a small number of media who were always on the watch for the president's dealings and knew Monica's practice was the last place he'd been seen and into the waiting car.

Daniel slammed the door behind them – ignoring one newswoman who stuck a microphone in his face and asked him what was going on.

"Let's go!"

He turned and watched his friend, who had turned in his seat as well, his eyes glued to the last place he'd been with Jaffer.

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

"A week?"

Chelani nodded.

"You're shitting me."

The young ancient didn't even know how to respond to that. Instead, he chose to give the best explanation that he could.

"When Alexander joined his soul to that of Jaffer's – and then bonded the lab and O'Neill, he made a connection that could not be broken. Not in life, at any rate."

"And when Jaffer died…?"

"It broke the bond."

"And Alexander?"

"Will die with Jack O'Neill and Jaffer."

Ian stared at him in disbelief for another long moment, and then – predictably – he exploded.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me! Why didn't they make Jaffer immortal or something? What were they thinking that-"

"They did what was necessary at the time, Ian," Chelani said. "It worked. Your world survived where so many before it had failed – and you saved me."

"And now Jack's dying!"

"It is unfortunate that-"

"Unfortunate?! Fuck you Chelani!"

"There is a chance…" Chelani said, stepping back from Ian's anger.

Ian scowled.

"What kind of chance?"