A/N: I apologize for the extremely long delay in getting this chapter up. I have no real excuse; I simply had a period where a nasty case of writer's block and some real life stress caused me to need a short break from the wonderful world of fanfiction. Thanks to those of you who have stuck with me, and welcome any newcomers =). Enjoy!

~Chapter 7~

As Sam and Jack neared the cell where Daniel and Jacob were being held screams of agony once again filled the air. Rounding the corner of the hallway leading to their destination they raced towards the doorway only to skid to a stop several yards away as the screams coming from inside abruptly stopped. They shared a slightly panicked look before moving once again towards the controls operating the cell's door. As horrible as hearing the pained screams had been, the silence was worse. The screams had at least meant that Daniel and Jacob were alive.

Jack glanced at Sam briefly before he began to punch his access code into the panel next to the door. To someone who didn't know her well she would have look like the perfect soldier; her eyes filled with determination and her face impassive. He, however, could see the tension underlying the surface. From the tightness around her eyes and the way she had lost some of the color she had just managed to regain, he knew she was on the verge of a breakdown and that what they found behind the door could well send her over the edge. He honestly didn't know how she was holding it together as well as she was. Being captured, tortured by a goa'uld, and rescued by your supposedly dead CO was enough to set anyone's mind reeling.

As the cell's door slid open, Jack's blood began to boil with rage once again at the sight before him. Tarik was poised menacingly over Daniel, staring at his unconscious form with a scowl; while Jacob was swaying precariously in his kneeling position, his mouth slightly agape in confusion as he tried to process Jack's appearance through his pain induced haze.

"My Lor…" Tarik began to speak before his words were cut short by two quick shots from Jack's zat gun. At the same instant Sam disposed of the other jaffa present in the room with two shots of her own.

"Dad!" Sam exclaimed as she rushed to kneel at her father's side, while Jack moved to check on Daniel.

"I'll be okay, kiddo. Selmak's presence makes me slightly more resistant to this particular form of torture than a normal human," Jacob attempted to reassure her as she freed his hands from where they were bound at the small of his back. As he flexed his arms in an attempt to get the blood circulating properly in them once again, Jacob turned his attention to Jack with raised eyebrows as he pieced together the only logical explanation for the man's sudden appearance with Sam, "You're Khepri's new host?"

"Yep," Jack responded as he freed Daniel's hands and moved him into a more comfortable prone position.

"How the hell did that happen? You've always been… vocal about your feelings on the idea of becoming host to a Tok'ra," Jacob questioned.

"Long story," Jack mumbled with a shrug before being cut off from further explanation by a groan from Daniel. Jack reached down and lightly slapped the archaeologist on the cheek a few times in an attempt to help rouse him. As his eyes came into focus, his brow furrowed as he registered the identity of the figure kneeling next to him.

"Jack?"

"Daniel. Nice of you to join us," Jack said as the archaeologist pushed himself into a sitting position against the cell's wall.

"You're supposed to be dead," Daniel muttered groggily as he leaned his head back against the wall behind him and let his eyes slide shut momentarily; his entire body ached and he was pretty sure he was hallucinating.

"I missed you too, Daniel. And, yes, I'm doing fine. Thanks for asking," Jack retorted with mock indignation as he patted his friend on the shoulder. The feel of Jack's hand impacting solidly with his aching body finally roused Daniel into full awareness.

"I'm not hallucinating? You're really here?" Daniel questioned, punctuating his words with absentminded pokes at Jack's chest. He still half expected his hand to pass directly through his friend.

"Yes, Daniel," Jack responded with a dramatic roll of his eyes, "but you won't be for much longer if you don't stop with the poking," he continued, batting Daniel's hand away in annoyance.

"Not that I'm not happy to see you, but how? We saw you… and then Sam said… and I mean I guess Hathor had a… but what about the… Sam, are you sure he's not a Goa'uld?" Daniel babbled as he turned his head in confusion between the two Air Force officers.

"Oh for crying out loud, how many times do I have to say this today? We are NOT a Goa'uld!" Jack exclaimed in annoyance.

"We? Did he just say we?" Daniel questioned the room at large before his eyes widened as Jack lowered his head briefly before Khepri began to speak.

"My host did indeed say we. I am Khepri of the Tok'ra. It is a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance, Daniel Jackson."

"Well, that's new," Daniel muttered before recovering enough to greet Khepri properly, "uh, it's nice to meet you too; sorry, this is just all a bit of a shock."

Khepri nodded in understanding before Jack retook control of his body and helped to pull Daniel shakily to a standing position as alarm bells began to echo through the base.

"I think that's our cue," Jack announced with a grimace as he made his way to the doorway and peered out into the hallway beyond, "You two well enough to walk?"

"Doesn't look like we have much of a choice, does it?" Jacob remarked as he and Daniel began to move forward unsteadily.

"Carter, you take point," Jack ordered as the group moved out into the hallway and he moved to Daniel's side to help support the still very wobbly younger man.

"It really is good to have you back," Daniel remarked as they made their way to the storeroom where their C4 and weapons were likely being kept.

"Why, Daniel, are you actually admitting that you missed me? I'm touched," Jack smirked.

"I wouldn't go that far; but I was dreading the thought of breaking in a new Colonel," Daniel needled as he grinned back. Jack shook his head slightly and chuckled. It was still going to take a miracle to get them all out of compound in one piece, but surrounded by his friends once again he felt more himself than he had in the weeks since their initial capture by Hathor.

SG-1 SG-1 SG-1 SG-1 SG-1 SG-1 SG-1

Teal'c, get ready to ring us aboard," Daniel yelled into the radio attached to his vest as he and the rest of the group raced from the entrance to Hathor's breeding room to the cover of the nearest Al'kesh.

Initially they had met little resistance while recovering their equipment and making their way to the numerous tanks of larvae. Unfortunately, however, it was only a matter of time before one of the numerous groups of Jaffa searching for their missing queen stumbled across the intruders planting explosives in the breeding facilities. Within minutes the chamber was swarming with Jaffa and a firefight was raging. Daniel considered it a small miracle that they had escaped from the base without an errant staff blast hitting some of the C4 and blowing them all to hell.

"I am in position," Teal'c responded moments later and Jack signaled for the group to continue advancing forward towards the ring platform while he covered their flank. Reaching the last ship they were forced to dash into the open, everyone crouching low to provide the pursuing enemies with as small of a target as possible.

"Now, Teal'c!" Sam screamed as they dove onto the platform and were almost instantly surrounded by the activating rings.

"Everyone okay?" Jacob questioned as the light dissipated following their re-materialization within the ship's hold.

"I will be once Daniel gets his knee off my ribs," Jack muttered from where he was half pinned beneath the other man.

"Sorry," Daniel replied.

"Ow! I said move your knee, not dig it in!" Jack yelped as most of Daniel's weight came down on Jack's torso as he tried to scramble out of the pile of bodies.

"How else was I supposed to get up?" Daniel questioned.

"Not that way!"

"But…"

The two men were rapidly falling into their usual pattern of bickering when the distinctive sound of a zat being opened to firing position silenced them.

"Hey, Teal'c!" Jack greeted turning to face the very confused Jaffa currently pointing a weapon at him. "What's with the zat?"

"He is Goa'uld. How is it that you did not sense its presence?" Teal'c questioned as he turned towards Jacob and Sam.

"We…" "He…" father and daughter began simultaneously before being cut off by Jack.

"For the last time… we… are…TOK'RA!"

"Are you certain he is being truthful, Jacob Carter?" the Jaffa asked shifting his glance suspiciously between Jacob and where Jack was still seated on the floor of the ship looking extremely annoyed.

"He's telling the truth," Jacob confirmed, "although how Khepri has managed to put up with him is beyond me."

Jack rolled his eyes in response before standing and turning his attention towards Teal'c.

"Now can you please lose the zat and get us the hell out of here. I'm past ready to get home… If I still have one that is…" Jack amended with a grimace as he remembered how quickly the Air Force had insisted they clean out Daniel's apartment after his 'death.' "So… uh… what'd you guys do with my stuff?"

A/N: Only the epilogue to go now and I promise not to make you lovely readers wait another 2 months this time =). Unlike this chapter (which gave me a tremendous case of writers block) I've known more or less how I wanted to close out this story for a while now. Hopefully it won't take too long to actually get down on paper.