Author's Note: As always, a huge thanks to those of you who reviewed and/or alerted that I can't respond to. I hope you have a wonderful Easter weekend! ~lg

~oOo~

When Daniel headed for Jovannah's personal quarters, he was beyond angry. His jaw hurt from clenching it so tightly, and he wondered if he'd put fingernail-sized cuts in his palms. His friends had been there for him, and she had manipulated him into leaving the palace so they couldn't make contact. That meant she knew what she was doing was wrong and just did not care!

"Well, I don't care if she cares!" he muttered to himself. "She is going to learn the hard way that it's not that easy!" He continued to talk to himself as he slowly approached Jovannah's rooms. If this went badly, he'd be stuck in that fire and ice suite indefinitely. He rolled his eyes. He was so tired of the fire and ice, back and forth, hot and cold thing that Jovannah did that he wanted to just shout at her and find some way to force her to send him back home.

Water. Daniel stopped walking, a hand going to the wall to steady himself. Why would his memory pick now to return? He stood in an underwater lab, glaring angrily at an aquatic alien. "What fate Omoroca?" The demand echoed in his ears and frustrated him even more. He had absolutely no idea who or what Omoroca was even if this. . .thing said Omoroca was its mate. Daniel tried appealing to its compassion, telling it of Sha're and how she'd been taken, but it only wanted to know one thing. "What fate Omoroca?"

Daniel blinked as he came out of the memory. His team had left him behind then, too. Granted, they'd had their memories altered to think he had died and there was nothing to take home. This time, they knew something had happened and were looking for him. Still, the emotions it stirred cut deeply. He had barely started remembering who these people were and what they meant to one another, and now he was separated from them.

The heat of his anger gone, Daniel finally reached Jovannah's personal quarters. Leaning against the paneled wall, he slowly slid into a seated position, pulling his knees up and burying his face in his arms. Oh, he was still angry. But it was different now. Over the last month since his return, his team had hovered. Daniel understood that they feared he might just up and disappear. But it had become stifling, hence why he'd joined this archaeological dig on another world. But they'd also helped him through that horrible, confusing time when he wasn't sure if he was Arrom or Daniel Jackson. They stood by him when he remembered something but couldn't remember why he remembered it. They willingly filled him in on details he'd forgotten and, ultimately, held him together when the bad memories surfaced. Without them, he wasn't sure he'd have survived this entire process.

And that made what Jovannah had done even worse in Daniel's mind. He had come here intent on barging into her quarters and shouting at her in his rage. But the realization of what she'd done hit him, and he decided to wait and confront her when she finally appeared. As far as she was concerned, she likely felt she had managed to accomplish her goals. Daniel intended to show her just how badly she'd messed up.

~oOo~

After the walk on the beach, Jovannah retreated to her quarters to rest. She had matters of state to attend to the next day, and she needed to be completely focused. The desert tribes had become increasingly hostile toward her, and their trade relations had suffered. Jovannah intended to work to rebuild that bridge, to preserve the peace her predecessors had forged with the sometimes unruly people.

For now, however, she took the time to lie down for a few hours. She never slept, but she did allow herself to dream. Her lips curved upward as she thought about her walk with Daniel. He would make a wonderful Malik, and it had been evident in how he'd handled the fishermen. He had asked so many questions at one point that Jovannah had stopped his inquiries. The man had an insatiable mind, something she found utterly irresistible.

Realizing she wouldn't rest here, she rose and walked into her bathing chamber. A cool bath later, she pulled a blue silk gown over her head and smiled as it settled into place around her body. This gown was also sleeveless, but a high collar and deep V in the front separated it from others she owned. She knew Daniel probably wouldn't like it, but she didn't care. It was one of her favorites, and she intended to use how well it fit her body to her advantage. After all, he'd seemed to be realizing that his place was here, with her.

Finally prepared for the evening meal, Jovannah opened the door and strode out into the corridor. Damek was off taking care of her bidding, something he'd been doing most of the day, leaving her alone when she saw Daniel. He sat a few steps down the hall from her door, his back against the wall and his knees pulled up to his chest. His spectacles dangled from the fingers of his left hand while the heel of his right hand pressed into his forehead. He didn't stir when she approached, but his voice carried in the quiet hallway. "Why?"

Jovannah blinked and crouched next to him. "I beg your pardon?"

He looked up at her, then, a frightening expression on his face. She'd seen him angry before, but this was cold rage. His blue eyes were bloodshot as if he'd been crying, and his voice was too calm. "Why did you send my team away?"

She smiled at him. "Daniel, I did no such thing."

"Don't lie to me!" His sudden shout startled her. She lost her balance and fell backwards rather ungracefully as he rose to his feet. He slipped his spectacles onto his face and simply glared. "You sent my team away—my people who came looking for me! I told you that you wouldn't get away with this. Do you have any idea what you've done?"

"What I've done?" Now, Jovannah felt her own anger match his. She recovered her poise and stood to face him. "What I have done, Daniel, is give you a new home. A new life. Something better than anything you could ever have had on Earth."

"You don't know that." His voice had calmed again. "You can't know that."

"Yes, I can." She motioned around her at the palace as she spoke. "Here, you have servants. You have power. You have everything you could ever want or need. I have provided you with all of this. All I ask for in return is. . . ."

"Is for me to remain your prisoner for the rest of my life," Daniel interrupted. "Sorry. Not interested."

Jovannah narrowed her eyes, her patience failing her. "What more could you ask for than what I have given you?"

"You don't want me to go there."

For the first time in a long time, Jovannah felt a shiver of fear make its way down her spine. Daniel was too calm, too quiet. Except for shouting at her for lying to him, he hadn't raised his voice. He now stood in front of her, drawn up to his full height while his eyes flashed behind his spectacles. Every word he said was perfectly pronounced, as if just speaking calmly was an act of will. In her experience, men who reached this point usually exploded a short time later.

That was enough for her to give a longsuffering sigh. Drawing on every ounce of training she'd received, she stepped toward him and put a hand on his arm. Ignoring how he tensed even more at her touch, she stared up into his eyes. "Daniel, my love, try to understand how I feel."

"Do not call me that!" He backed away from her, jerking his arm from her grasp. "You are not my wife, and the very thought that you would be. . . ." He laughed in derision. "You don't have a clue about me or what I've gone through or how I want to live my life!" His voice again rose to a shout.

"Then tell me!" Her patience gone, Jovannah yelled back at him.

"You want to know?" He whirled and faced her, his eyes wide in an angry, almost evil, expression. "Do you really want to know what I've been through?"

"Yes!"

"My wife was killed by the Goa'uld. We had one year together before she was taken." He continued speaking, moving on past that one point in time. "It took another two and a half years before she actually died, but that was when she was taken from me. I died, multiple times over only to be resurrected in a Goa'uld sarcophagus. I've risked my life and my sanity for the people of my world, fighting a fight I never thought we'd win just so that they could live in blissful ignorance. And I will continue to do so. Some of the things I've seen. . . ." He laughed again, that same note of derision in his voice. "You wouldn't understand."

As he spoke, something in Jovannah changed. She'd seen Daniel as a highly intelligent man who had no idea the power he truly had. But, now, she realized what he was. He was a soldier, a leader in a fight against the greatest threat this galaxy had ever faced. And he had an evil side, one that he kept under control but used to fuel his fight against the creatures that had taken so much from him. But he was wrong. "You might be surprised at how much I understand, Daniel."

"Will I?" He wrapped his arms around himself. "I told you I'd lost my memories of everything, didn't I? I'm barely remembering who I am, much less what I've gone through. I know what happened to me because my team—who are like my family—have told me. But I don't remember it. And, when it does happen, it's usually not a pretty scene. Can you understand that? Can you really know what I'm going through right now?"

Jovannah lifted her chin, struggling to hold back the angry words in her mind. Right now, Daniel didn't need anger or shouting. "I have a long memory, Daniel Jackson. One that won't allow me to forget the atrocities of the past. Perhaps we are not so different."

That sneer was back. "You have no idea how different we really are." He turned as if to leave her alone and then stopped when a thought occurred to him. Facing her, he wore an expression that was somewhere between anger and feigned confusion. "Tell me something, Jovannah. How am I supposed to feel like I belong here—the way you want me to feel—when my personal belongings were taken from me, the clothes I have now don't fit, and I am not given the freedom that every other human being on your planet is given?"

Without another word, he left her in the dim corridor to think over what he'd said. Her appetite gone, Jovannah watched him disappear from sight before releasing the curses she'd held back. She knew he would recognize the language if he heard and, at this exact moment, didn't really care. She had made a mistake in dealing with Daniel. He was so much more than what she'd first imagined, and that created a stronger draw to him than what she'd felt before. It would take time for him to overcome his anger at her, but she lifted her chin. She could endure.

In the meantime, his parting words made sense to her. She whirled and headed the opposite direction, her mind occupied with plans for the coming days. If Daniel wanted to feel like he was truly accepted, she would find a way to do so. The first step in that was to allow him to leave the palace. She just hoped she didn't regret it.

~oOo~

Damek followed SG-1 at a discreet distance as they left the city and turned toward the dig site. He knew the big man, Teal'c, had picked up on his presence. But the other two seemed somewhat oblivious. It was fine with Damek that the Jaffa knew he was being followed. Damek had no intention of doing anything to them beyond ensuring they did not return.

As the trio disappeared on the horizon, Damek walked back to the palace. He had discouraged them for now, but men and women like SG-1 did not give up on their people so easily. Damek wished he could actually take his anger out on Daniel Jackson, but the Malikah would literally kill him for it. Instead, he devised a plan to keep SG-1 from returning. As long as they knew their team member was alive, they would not leave Evonnia alone. If Daniel Jackson were to die, however. . . .

Content with his plan, Damek returned to the palace and found the Malikah in her study. She had plans spread out in front of her for the next week, and he listened as she gave him instructions. Then, when she dismissed him, he went about his business with his mind occupied by what it would take for him to make Earth believe Daniel Jackson had died.

~oOo~

The scent of cooking meat hung in the air. Daniel walked wearily from the pyramid toward the settlement nearby. To others, the place looked tattered, sub-standard. But, to Daniel, it was home. He smiled as he wound his way through the tents where children laughed, women chattered, and men dropped their heavy burdens for the night. Many greeted him, most of the children running forward to get a hug or a pat on the head.

Daniel readjusted his glasses and sighed. He needed a new prescription, but that wouldn't happen. The headaches had started a few weeks ago, and it was the same every time his prescription expired. Thankfully, they weren't too severe. He could handle them for a while longer. Besides, Jack had promised to make contact soon.

His tent came into sight, and his pace quickened. He'd spent hours at the cartouche, translating and learning more about ancient Egypt than he'd ever imagined. His mentality on life had changed in the last year, personally and physically. While his robes hid most of the evidence, his body had hardened through physical labor.

He lifted the flap to his tent and smiled. Sha're knelt over a fire, her hair held back from her face by a thin strand of leather. Daniel smiled as she rose and moved to him. She greeted him with a kiss. "Welcome home, Husband."

Daniel slipped his arms around her waist. "Thank you." He bent to kiss her again. "Smells good."

She also smiled. "I figured you would be hungry." She took his hand and pulled him toward the fire. Within just a few moments, she had him seated and enjoying a bowl of her stew. Daniel had eaten this particular meal many times before, but he didn't complain. He was alive, married to the most amazing woman in the galaxy, and could not be happier.

Daniel blinked at the ceiling as the dream faded. He wasn't on Earth, and the ceiling was not his tent on Abydos. It was the overly-ornate ceiling of his rooms in the winter palace of Evonnia. Grinding his teeth together, he sat up and rubbed his eyes. He'd had the same dream before, one that never failed to leave him in a pensive mood. The first time he'd had the dream was right after his return to Earth. Through it, he remembered Sha're's name.

In addition to the wonderful feeling the dream stirred, he also felt the bitter disappointment at remembering Sha're's death. At that moment, sitting in Teal'c's room, he'd wondered if he even wanted to recall his former life. He'd lost his wife, a woman he'd loved more than anything, and the other things he remembered were just as painful. But he'd found the strength to continue and would do so now.

Awake for the rest of the day, Daniel stood and walked into the bathroom. It was the only place he could escape the fire and ice theme of his rooms, and he wondered exactly what Jovannah would say if he suddenly started redecorating. She did say this was his home, and he found the blue walls and orange furniture jarring and anything but restful. Splashing some cold water on his face helped dispel the headache. Scraping a hand over the beard that had grown in the last couple of days, he sighed. His razor had finally given up the ghost, not that he minded. If Jovannah wanted him clean-shaven, then she'd have to give him a razor. That could be used as a weapon when he eventually made his escape.

He had just entered the sitting room when the door opened. Donat slipped inside. "Dr. Jackson. Are you unwell?"

Daniel turned from where he'd been about to light a brazier. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just. . .can't sleep."

Donat closed the door behind him. "Is there anything I can get for you?"

"Nope." With his wits returning, Daniel was able to think a lot clearer. He wasn't certain he should tell Donat anything. While the guardsman was friendly, he still served Jovannah. Daniel refused to give her more leverage over him. "I'm good."

"Very well." Donat reached for the door as if to leave and then hesitated. "Dr. Jackson, if I may be so bold, I would ask a favor."

That surprised Daniel. "Okay. What?"

"Do not make assumptions based on how things appear." With another nod of respect, Donat left him alone.

"Right." Daniel stared at the closed door for a moment before returning to what he'd begun. Once all the lights were lit, he reached for his journal. He'd been working to preserve the pages for important information, but he needed to write some things down. Writing calmed him, kept him from bottling up everything and just self-destructing. He clearly remembered spending hours on Abydos, writing things about the cartouche and his life, hours after Apophis's attack that took Sha're from him, hours following Sha're's death, hours when his hand cramped and he still pressed on in an attempt to purge the anger or pain. Tonight, he wrote about his dream, about Sha're and who she had been. He stayed in place for hours, refusing to rise even when his body ached from holding the same position. His realization about his team, about what SG-1 meant to him, flowed onto the page after he finished describing the perfect memory of Sha're. The anger at Jovannah had faded, leaving behind a sort of despair. Without SG-1, he was lost. That was why he'd decided to return to Earth early. It was just his dumb luck that Jovannah took a liking to him. Without SG-1 around, Daniel was worried that he'd lose what little hold he had on his memories.

Thinking that made him snort. Of course he wouldn't lose what he'd remembered. His team just made the transition from having been dead to being alive that much easier. He'd pinned all his hopes on getting rescued that day, and a scheming, manipulative woman had taken it away. Well, he could be scheming and manipulative himself. He simply needed to plan better, to be better prepared for her tactics. Writing all of this down helped Daniel see how much patience this would take. Escaping from Jovannah, a woman accustomed to having anything she wanted through whatever means necessary, wasn't something a person could do in a single night. He hated the growing belief that he'd need to play along with her.

Shuddering at that thought, Daniel dropped his pen and wandered out onto the balcony. The pre-dawn hours, when the sky was barely starting to lighten, often cleared his head. He couldn't know how he knew that, he just knew. Taking a deep breath of the crisp, clean air, he made a decision. He would do whatever it took to get back to Earth. If that meant giving the impression he was surrendering to Jovannah's charms, he would do so. First, though, he would wait to see just what his little explosion the day before had accomplished.

Decision made, Daniel walked back into his sitting room and dropped onto the couch. He was tired, more from his own thoughts than from anything else. He'd give just about anything to return to Abydos, to that idyllic moment with Sha're. Thinking of that time, he smiled. Even now, he missed her. Rather than thinking about her death—something he had barely remembered while on the archaeological site—he chose to dwell on the time they'd had together. Just before the sun rose, his eyes slipped closed, and he slept for the remainder of the morning.

~oOo~

General George Hammond was accustomed to bad news coming from the other side of the Gate. He had watched too many people bring injured or dead friends through, had seen the shell-shocked expressions on the faces of refugees, and had felt the bitter grief of the loss of friends. In recent days, he'd worked to not hover over Dr. Jackson following the man's miraculous return from the dead. Hammond remembered how angry Daniel had been when he returned from Kelowna that first time, how he'd headed straight for the infirmary and refused to allow anyone to touch him, how painful it had been to let the man who made the Stargate work go on to whatever reward he faced as an Ascended being. But, right now, he could have done without the reminder.

SG-1 had just returned, and Hammond stared at the expressions on their faces. Colonel O'Neill looked so angry that George almost ordered the security teams away from him. Teal'c wore an impassive expression, and Major Carter did nothing to hide her emotions. That, alone, spoke volumes.

Falling back on protocol, Hammond kept his voice even. "SG-1, report."

"He's not there, Sir." O'Neill stopped in front of his commanding officer. "According to Dr. Gabi, Daniel came back to Earth a week ago. They weren't expecting another check-in until today, hence why they didn't call. They just assumed he had arrived safely."

"What did the Malikah have to say?" Hammond had made certain he understood the Evonnian government before he ever allowed Dr. Jackson to return. He'd met Jovannah once and found her an interesting mix between too young and having seen too much.

"No Malikah, Sir," O'Neill replied, his irritation coming out in his tone. "Just her Captain who told us she'd gone to the summer palace to deal with matters of state. According to him, Daniel never arrived at the winter palace."

Hammond nodded. "Understood." He motioned to the door. "Get yourselves checked out and cleaned up. We'll debrief and go over our plan of action in one hour."

The team filed out of the gate room, and Hammond stared after them. Their anger and emotional response was justified. Daniel Jackson was more than a friend to them. He was a brother, a man who held that group together. To have him go missing so soon after his return stung everyone. Hammond sighed as he glanced at the Stargate. Whoever had taken Dr. Jackson had a surprise in store if they thought they'd get away with it. Just the subdued anger in Teal'c's eyes was enough to make Hammond cringe when he thought of what the Jaffa would do to those who had captured Dr. Jackson.

"Heaven help them." With that muttered phrase, Hammond walked out of the gate room and to his office. Apparently, he had a kidnapping investigation to begin.

~TBC