Author's Note: Thanks to Nutty and Dee for the beta, and making it a
better fic in the process. And another big thank you to everyone who has
reviewed this fic. I appreciate your kind comments.

Darkness Hides the Hunter – Part Seven

In the room's subdued lighting, the man's face showed only as a shadow above the stark whiteness of the single sheet.

Was he awake? Daniel peered closer, his nose almost touching the glass.

"Are you sure he's okay, Janet?" he asked worriedly. Jack seemed abnormally still.

Doctor Fraiser nodded, giving him an understanding look. "He's asleep at last." She sighed. "I was beginning to think I'd have to sedate him to make him rest." She touched Daniel's arm, giving it a slight squeeze. "Come on now. I did say only a quick visit and you've been here for almost thirty minutes. You should get off that foot."

Until she mentioned it, he hadn't been aware of the throbbing in his ankle, but now he found it hard to ignore. He allowed the doctor to lead him away, accepting a steadying hand as he prepared to manoeuvre himself down the short flight of stairs to the corridor. He gave one last glance over his shoulder as he followed her, the sight of the thick straps anchoring his friend to the bed as horrifying now as they had been when he had first entered. He knew it was necessary, but he also knew how much Jack would hate them.

The corridors were almost deserted; testimony to the lateness of the hour, the hard sound of his crutches on the cement floor the only noise.

There had been no progress in the search for the cause of Jack's illness, and now, two days after arriving home, frustration was starting to eat at Daniel.

His thoughts were interrupted by the soft tones of the woman walking alongside him.

"I've started a new series of tests. From what you and the others told me in the briefing, the Colonel was fine until the evening after his accident. Could you describe the creatures in the cavern to me again? Everything you can remember."

Daniel frowned, forcing his mind to recall as much as possible.

"I only caught a glimpse of them, Janet. From what Jack said there were hundreds of them, but most of them had flown away by the time we got there. They looked similar to bats, but more insect like. Jack did say they had spines on their legs and wingtips." He looked down at the small woman. "We told you all this before. I don't think there's anything we left out."

"I know, Daniel, but it's the only unusual thing that happened before the night Colonel O'Neill changed and I can't help thinking that it's significant, so bear with me – okay? Was there anything else?"

Daniel thought even harder. Janet was right. They needed as much information as possible if they were to find a cure.

"Anything that the Colonel might have touched?" Janet prompted him.

"Wait! Yes. Jack said they felt slimy."

"And there must have been droppings of some sort in the cavern." The doctor's eyes lit up with excitement. "Think. Did he have anything on his clothes?"

Daniel stopped in his tracks. "Of course! He changed clothes as soon as we stopped that night."

"What happened to his old uniform?"

"I'm not sure. I think it must have been with the rest of the things in his tent. Most of it was ruined so we didn't pack it. Sam and I were travelling light."

"So it may still be there?"

Daniel nodded. "Yes, it should."

Janet began walking again, her steps hurrying so much that Daniel found it difficult to keep up, despite their difference in height. "I'll ask the General to send a team back to the planet to retrieve the uniform, and get some samples from the cave. There shouldn't be a problem if they wear Hazmat suits. And in the meantime I have a couple of other leads I'll follow up." They stopped at the elevator, Janet pressing the button on Daniel's behalf. "Now you go to your quarters and get some rest. I'll be sure to let you know if there is any change in the Colonel's condition."

She turned away as soon as the warning ping of the doors opening sounded, and Daniel was left staring at her retreating back.

He got into the car, feeling a little more optimistic for the first time in days.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

He knew he was home. He knew he was at the SGC. He had no problem recognising the dull sounds of the mountain echoing above him, shifting and groaning.

He knew exactly where he was.

And why he was restrained.

He should be restrained.

He should be locked up in a padded cell, the key thrown into a deep hole, never to be found.

He remembered it all now. How long this moment of clarity would last, he didn't know, but he almost wished he could return to the haziness of before, when he watched his actions and walked apart from them, along a parallel and untouching path.

His eyes flickered frantically beneath their lids as he replayed the last few days in his mind.

What he had done to his team.

He had almost killed them. Wanted to kill them. Tried his damnedest to kill them.

He remembered the pleasure of the hunt, the blood lust. He could have excused his own actions if it wasn't for that memory. He had been on a mission, behind enemy lines, or at least he had thought he was. There had been plenty of times in the past when he had done things he wasn't proud of, but always with a clear objective in mind. He had been carrying out orders, the only way he was able.

Yes – there was some excuse. If he didn't remember the feeling of elation when he pressed the knife into Teal'c. If he didn't remember the total dismissal of Sam's suffering as she slowly strangled - as if she were beneath his notice. If he didn't remember Daniel's trust in him and the way he had turned it to his advantage.

He had betrayed them.

He should be hidden away where he could never hurt anyone again.

The pain surged through him in waves, almost unbearable, the ache in his shoulder a mere annoyance hovering in the background.

He didn't call out, didn't ask for help.

The pain kept him grounded in the here and now. Kept the other at bay.

His eyes flickered frantically beneath their lids while he clung to his memories with the determination of a damned soul.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

"Is there anything I can do, Janet?"

Janet swivelled the laboratory chair to face the other woman, noting the dark rings under her eyes. The other staff looked up at the voice, but turned immediately back to their tasks.

Janet gestured her friend over, getting up as she did so, knowing that she needed to help. "Come and have a look at these slides, Sam." She waited until the blond head was bent over the microscope before speaking again. "They're samples from the scratches on Colonel O'Neill's hands and scalp. I'm assuming that the majority of these injuries were from the creatures in the cavern, rather than the woods."

Sam didn't lift her head as she asked a question in a puzzled voice. "What am I looking at here, Janet?"

"That's just it. I don't know. It isn't like anything I've encountered before." Janet allowed some of her frustration to show as she frowned accusingly down at the neat array of slides on the table. "I'm waiting for the team to get back from the planet with more samples to confirm that the source of this is the cave. At least then we'll have a starting point."

"Do you think this could be the cause of the Colonel's behaviour?" Sam straightened, the seat squeaking as she turned. "Surely that's good, isn't it?" She coloured slightly at Janet's quizzical look. "I mean, that we know it isn't psychological."

"You mean something like Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome? A flashback, perhaps?" The doctor raised an eyebrow. "Did the Colonel exhibit any warning signs that you noticed? "

Sam shifted uncomfortably. "No, but given Colonel O'Neill's background, I thought that it could be a possibility."

Janet decided to let her friend off the hook. It was just that General Hammond had asked her the same thing, and despite it being a logical question, it had irked her. The Colonel was one of the most stable people she knew. Even after his torture at the hands of Ba'al he had shown no signs of stress – or at least not to her or Doctor McKenzie. His reactions had been those of the well balanced individual that he had always shown himself to be since his posting to the SGC, upset – yes, angry – naturally, but unbalanced – never.

"You're right, Sam. It could have been a possibility, even if a remote one. Hopefully the tests will discover a physical agent and prove any fears in that regard to be unfounded."

"And once we do, we should be able to find a cure." The look on Sam's face implored the doctor to agree with her statement.

Janet was unable to meet Sam's eyes, the hope in them plain. She looked down, busying herself with pulling some test tubes closer towards her. "It's always possible that we won't, Sam. You know that. There may not be a cure."

"I know. It's just..."

The doctor signed at the despondency in the other woman's voice. "Why don't you go check on Daniel and make sure he's eaten? I'll call you if I find anything."

As Sam left the room, Janet mentally added her to the list of people she had said that to in the last few hours. The General, Daniel, now Sam. All she needed was Teal'c to complete the set.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Teal'c watched through the window as the nurse deftly checked the sling holding O'Neill's injured shoulder in place, before changing the various attachments hidden below the bed.

He knew it was necessary. They couldn't risk letting him free. He just hoped that the fiercely proud man was unaware of the indignity.

Unfortunately Teal'c had the sneaking suspicion that O'Neill was awake and in his own mind. He had seen the signs. The slight twitch as the nurse entered the room, the heightened colour as the young woman saw to his needs. Teal'c had watched over his commander too many times in the infirmary to not know when he was faking sleep.

He waited until the nurse had left the room, nodding to her as she moved past him and down the corridor.

Then, as silently as possible, he opened the door of the isolation room, shutting it equally quietly behind him.

"O'Neill." He waited for a moment, expecting no answer, and getting none. After a few beats, he continued. "I have come to ask your forgiveness. Although I had no choice but to stop you by any means available, I fear I struck harder than necessary." He took a breath, steeling himself for the confession he knew he must make to atone, in some small way, for his actions. "My pride was wounded and I wounded you in return." He watched for some reaction, but the other man remained still. "I know you are awake, O'Neill. I understand if you do not wish to speak to me."

"I tried to kill you." The croaky voice was soft.

Teal'c crouched beside the bed, bringing his head level with that of his friend. "Yes, but you did not succeed, and for that I am grateful." Teal'c smiled ruefully, as the Colonel's eyes opened in surprise. "You were not yourself, and have no blame in this matter. I, however, knew what I was doing. Once again I ask your forgiveness."

"There is nothing to forgive. You did what you had to do. What I would have expected you to do. You saved Carter and Daniel's life." The dark eyes blinked as if he was trying to clear them, his lips barely whispering the words. "I would have killed them, you know."

"Yes. But you did not." Teal'c reached the short distance to the hand, balled into a fist and held by the strong leather bands. He lightly rested his own large hand on the others, feeling a small burst of pleasure as the fist opened and the long fingers touched his.

"What's happening to me, Teal'c?" This time there was no mistaking the doubt and confusion in the voice of the man on the bed.

"Do you not remember Doctor Fraiser talking to you yesterday?"

O'Neill shook his head. "I remember a lot of things about the last few days, but not that." A fleeting look of pain crossed his face, but was quickly hidden.

It seemed that the vagueness O'Neill had exhibited on the planet had returned.

"You are unwell. It is probably an illness you contracted on the planet. It has affected your behaviour, hence the restraints. Doctor Fraiser is hopeful of soon finding a cure."

O'Neill frowned. "If it's an illness, and I'm in an isolation room, should you be in here? Is it contagious?" Teal'c felt the hand retract as his friend tried to move away as much as the straps would allow.

"I do not believe I am in any danger of contracting the illness, O'Neill. I was in close contact with you on the planet and show no signs of it."

"Even so, you shouldn't be in here." The Colonel raised worried eyes to the door, and for a moment Teal'c thought he was going to call out. He spoke firmly, taking the other's hand once more.

"Do not fear for me, O'Neill." He fixed his eyes on the one man he would name brother. "You need not face this alone." He knew O'Neill would be blaming himself for what had happened, and he couldn't allow it.

The long nails suddenly dug cruelly into his palm, as Teal'c saw the moment his adversary returned. The expression on the Colonel's face flickered and wavered, the frown lines clearing, leaving it confident and relaxed, only the narrowing of his abruptly cold eyes betraying the merciless mind behind the mask.

"The only thing I blame myself for is not doing the job properly. After I gutted you I should have left you dead on the forest floor for the scavengers to find."

Teal'c pulled his hand from the other's grasp.

He stood, backed off a few paces, and gave a slow dignified nod of his head.

"I will leave you now, O'Neill and return when you are yourself once more. If you remember one thing from my visit, let it be these words. You are not to blame."

He turned, ignoring the glob of spittle that hit his leg, and left, to the sound of laughter.