The Boston townhouse was precisely what you would expect in Beacon Hill with its Federal-style architecture and ornate interior. While she owned the entire building, ten years back Sekhmet had converted it into separate living spaces to rent out, reserving only the top two floors for herself as a penthouse apartment. The goa'uld ruled the world in her own way, subtly with real estate and investments and the influence her money could buy. She shifted into mannerisms that would (and did) fit in perfectly with the old money elite of this "Athens of America," as it was called, though Sekhmet used the nickname as an insult to these people who had no idea what the real Athens had been like. Tessa always noted the odd disdain for youth the goa'uld had, all while they observed humanity through hosts that mimicked the freshness they despised.

The pair took a few days to settle in and get the lay of the land again. The city hadn't changed much since the last time Sekhmet had been there so she was able to drop into some of her favorite haunts and strike up new relationships with old acquaintances. Sekhmet was surprisingly well liked everywhere they went, always able to pick up with people precisely where she left off, though her face changed with nearly every meeting.

Tessa threw herself into the first killing, telling her conscience that this was what was necessary to stop Sekhmet, but by the time the man was dead, she accepted that her vigour was really due to these being her last possible opportunities to feel the rush of screams and she found she wasn't eager for them to be over.

The Butcher killings had been taken over by an FBI task force which should show up soon after the first victim and give the pair of killers a very elite crop of special agents to choose from for their games. When they found themselves intentionally caught in the crowds around the second crime scene they'd produced not too far from the townhouse, Tessa was given control to assess and pick a target. They'd already hacked into the FBI's computer files and chosen a few possible options, but Sekhmet always liked having her own eyes (or her host's eyes, as it were) on potential victims. She needed to see how they moved and talked, how they spoke to others, and how others spoke to them. All of that information provided her with the beginnings of crafting who she needed to be to get what she wanted from them.

Two agents stuck out to Tessa right from the beginning and Sekhmet agreed they were their most likely candidates. Special Agent John Attaway certainly fit into the normal physical parameters that Sekhmet preferred, but Tessa didn't like the undercurrent of brutality she noted in his interactions with his team. Fortunately, their second option, Special Agent Aaron Molina noticed her in the crowd first and gave her a smile.

Sekhmet chuckled inside their head. "It appears Special Agent Molina has chosen us."

Tessa smiled back and then, rather boldly in Sekhmet's opinion, winked. SA Molina's smile widened slightly in surprise before he turned to another agent, handing him a file, and making his way toward the crowd. He came right up to the crime scene tape and pointed at Tessa.

"Excuse me, miss," he said very professionally. "Can I have a word?"

The crowd all turned to look at the young woman he addressed and Tessa organized their features to reflect concern. She hesitated as SA Molina lifted the tape and motioned for her to walk under it. Initially she remained still, letting a certain degree of fear begin to radiate from their body before pushing confidence back to the surface with a slight lift of their chin and walking forward. Sekhmet did not hold back her pride at her young host's deceptions.

SA Molina guided her gently off to the side of the crime scene, a good distance from both the body and crowd.

"I didn't realize it was a criminal offense to wink at an officer of the law," Tessa said with just a hint of Sekhmet's smirk.

He chuckled. "Oh, it's not. I'm sorry I frightened you. I-"

"Do you always question random passersby?"

"Only when they appear to be of interest."

Tessa shifted to concern again. "Suspect type interest or-"

"Getting your number and taking you out for a drink type interest." He kept his face serious for a moment more before releasing a large grin. "If I'm a person of interest to you, of course."

Tessa laughed nervously, but then lowered their voice to a whisper and leaned closer. "You're not worried I'm some kind of killer, returning to the scene of the crime?"

Molina's face hardened. "No offense, but I don't think you'd have the strength to do what this guy does to people."

This statement prompted a wicked laugh from Sekhmet in the back of their mind and Tessa had to fight back the smile that threatened their mouth as well.

He shook his head a little before extending his hand. "I'm Aaron by the way. Aaron Molina."

"Special Agent Aaron Molina." Tessa pointed to the badge hung around his neck then let their hand fall to his. "Mae Hartley."

Aaron held on just a moment longer than was really necessary so Tessa let their hand slide gently out of his.

"So, Mae...can I take you out for a drink in a day or two? Not sure how long I'll be in town, though."

Tessa tilted their head to the side, their eyes looking him over, before giving a small shrug. "Why not?" Aaron's face was a bit hurt before Tessa smiled. "I wouldn't have winked before if I weren't interested."

Aaron smiled broadly again, relief on his face, and he handed her a little notebook and pen. Tessa suddenly had a flash of Sean doing the same thing and their stomach and face fell slightly, but Sekhmet immediately stepped in to recover the situation and jotted down Mae's name and number.

Sekhmet brought her hand up suddenly and glanced at her watch. "I've gotta go."

Aaron glanced back briefly to where the body lay. "Same. I'll give you a call then."

Sekhmet nodded before letting Aaron guide her back to the crowd. "Bye," she said quietly before ducking under the tape again and making her way through the people who continued to stare as she passed.

Soon Aaron Molina would be running "Mae Hartley" through their computer systems to see who she was and he would be greeted by a fairly thorough and normal background. He could find the inconsistencies if he devoted much time to the endeavor, but it would be apparent that only someone especially talented could develop such a profile out of thin air and she didn't appear to be that type of especially talented. She was safe from any true speculation.

The pair took on the activities of someone researching a book, the cover they'd developed for Mae, spending long hours at various libraries, walking in parks, and drinking copious amounts of coffee in posh little shops. Tessa was a bit surprised to learn that Sekhmet had actually written a few books in her various lives, her long hours needing to be filled with thoughtful activity. Once she'd even killed off her host rather tragically to generate publicity for the book she'd written under the woman's name and Tessa made sure to laugh at all the right parts of the story, diligently saving her horror for a later time.

It was only a few days before SA Molina called and plans were made for dinner with Mae Saturday night. That meant shopping, which was an activity Tessa could enjoy without any guilt. Sekhmet's wardrobe in every city was immense, but she knew the power of the right dress, the right shoes, the right hairstyle in the right moment. She could make people see her in completely different ways as she needed. Clothing was just as effective as armor in today's world.

Sekhmet and Tessa meticulously got Mae ready for the evening, both acknowledging that the facade was flawless. Everything about her appearance spoke to the background she'd established and yet, there was a certain level of dissonance which Sekhmet discovered humans needed to believe the veneer. Her characters were created from stories built upon basic facts. For tonight Mae looked elegant, but still wore a simple leather bracelet around her wrist, a fabricated gift from an imaginary little neighborhood boy she'd watched occasionally, but grown very attached to in a short period of time. It was these sorts of details that Tessa always appreciated, knowing that many of the stories were true, just from other lives or other people or other times.

Sekhmet had made reservations at her favorite restaurant from way back, Union Oyster House. She'd been frequenting the establishment for nearly 150 years and had been reminiscing over the last few days, sharing memories with Tessa. She'd watched the city grow from the booths in that restaurant, hearing men and women have the beginnings of ideas and then watching those seeds come to fruition, sometimes decades later through different eyes. She'd joined in with laughter and aped sympathy for tears. She'd made friends and enemies and lovers and victims. Sometimes all at once.

Mae met Aaron at the restaurant since she'd be over that way earlier in the day or that's what she'd claimed at least. Tessa walked them in, but Sekhmet couldn't help herself, taking over as she stepped over the threshold, her body relaxing into the familiar sights, sounds, and smells. As Aaron was not from Boston, but simply following The Butcher from city to city with the task force, he hadn't done any exploring of the city yet and appreciated Mae suggesting such an iconic place to eat.

Tessa's learned skills in conversation were apparent to Sekhmet, who had a look at their inner workings, but Aaron seemed to only see a beautiful woman with a good upbringing and education.

"So I'm assuming you're here for the possible Butcher killings?" Tessa asked in Mae's confident tone. "The FBI handles serial killers, right?" She sipped on her glass of water and glanced over the menu while they talked, already knowing what she would order.

"Yep. We took over pretty quickly, especially after that cop got killed back in Denver." Sekhmet immediately stepped into control, unsure how Tessa would react.

"I remember hearing about that. Awful." Mae, of course, was very sympathetic to the situation.

"And The Butcher always seems to stay a few steps ahead of us." He took a drink from his beer and Tessa watched as Aaron disappeared and Special Agent Molina took his place. "But I got a very interesting phone call yesterday, traced it back to the Air Force. Can you guess what they told me?"

Ever the innocent, Sekhmet looked genuinely bewildered by the turn in conversation. "I've never been in the Air Force. I'm not sure why you think I'd know what they said to you."

SA Molina folded his hands in front of him on the table. "They gave me a little tip on The Butcher. Said it's actually a woman. A young woman. A young, tall, beautiful woman."

"I thought you said a woman couldn't possibly do the things this guy did to his victims."

"And I said exactly that to the man on the phone. He said she was some kind of experiment, could do things other women, and men for that matter, couldn't do. "

"Are you telling me The Butcher is some kind of experimental superwoman created by the Air Force? That's a bit far-fetched, isn't it? And why are you telling me?" Sekhmet let realization gather on Mae's face slowly before erupting in anger. "Oh my word. You think I could be-" she lowered her voice like she had just realized she was yelling instead of intentionally altering her volume for effect "-The Butcher. What is wrong with you?"

Sekhmet put her napkin on the table and started to reach for her purse on the seat next to her, but as she started to push up from the table, Molina put his hand on her arm, gently seating her again.

"Well then, why don't you tell me about yourself? Prove me wrong." Aaron reappeared and his smile seemed genuine. It was clear he didn't quite believe the seemingly crazy story of the anonymous tip.

Mae smiled. "Well, I'm going to assume that being an FBI agent with FBI resources, you likely looked into me already." Sekhmet raised her eyebrows slightly. "Would that be a correct assumption?"

Aaron tilted his head to the side with a shrug. "Perhaps."

Mae rolled her eyes. "Well then, why don't you tell me about myself so I don't bore you with details you already know."

"Alright. Mabel Hartley. Twenty-six. Named after some distant relation who had also lived in Boston. Undergrad at Cambridge. Very nice. Art History?" He looked at Mae for confirmation and she nodded. "MBA from Harvard. Impressive."

"Thank you," Mae said curtly.

Aaron watched her face closely with each detail. "Well-off family. Parents currently living in London. Residence is a family home in Beacon Hill. Unmarried and unemployed."

"Currently researching a book. Not unemployed." Mae smiled coolly.

Aaron chuckled "My apologies." But then his smile faded rapidly. "Of course, none of that is actually true."

Sekhmet lowered Mae's eyebrows in confusion. "I'm sorry? What's not true?" Sekhmet didn't even speed up her heart, so calm in the face of possible discovery.

"None of it. Your entire life is only a few layers deep. My initial check into you looked all quite normal, but after that tip, I went back. You were thorough, but you must have known it wouldn't hold up to any real scrutiny."

Sekhmet sighed, silent for a moment, and changed tactics. "Okay okay. So I'm not Mae Hartley. I may have a past I'd like to get away from, but that doesn't make me a killer. It certainly doesn't make me The Butcher." She leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms in frustration.

He leaned forward further, looking over her carefully. "The anonymous tip said one other thing as well."

"Congratulations," Sekhmet spat out in a less than educated accent. She needed him to believe she was just a simple con artist.

"He said I should tell you, the real you, whatever that means, that something called Tokra could help you, free you. Any idea what he meant?" He looked ready to pounce at the slightest sign of movement from the woman across from him.

This was it. Tessa had her moment. A deep mental breath.

"No. I have no clue what-" the calm voice of Sekhmet was cut off abruptly.

"HELP ME!" Tessa screamed as hard as she could to get through and was surprised when it came out as loud as it did. The entire restaurant turned to stare.

She forced herself past the shock and dug deep to hold onto control. "Help me. Kill me. I can't stop her for long."

Aaron nearly fell out of his chair in shock, but sat up straighter than before once recovered. "Who are you? Are you The Butcher?"

Tessa tightened their jaw, closing their eyes as she tried to hold on, but their voice was strained with the effort. "Yes. Please end it. Kill me."

"I'm not going to kill you. You need help." He reached out to touch her hand, but the contact interrupted Tessa's concentration.

Their head shook slightly before snapping back to glare at SA Molina. Out poured a deep and unnatural voice. "That...bitch! Everything I've done for her and she betrays me." Sekhmet shook her head again, closing her eyes, but when she reopened them, they flashed at the special agent who gasped and pulled his weapon out as he stood.

The other patrons missed the goa'uld tricks, but were frozen in shock at the man pointing a gun at the woman who had just yelled for help.

Sekhmet calmed herself and clasped her hands on the table, returning to her human voice. "Please, Aaron. You're making a scene. Why don't you sit back down?" She smiled sweetly and gestured to his chair.

He shook his head, keeping her in his sights. "Stand up and put your hands on your head."

Sekhmet smirked. "How about we make a deal?"

"You're hardly in position to be making any deals, don't you think?" It was his turn to smirk, the years of chasing her finally culminating in this moment.

She kept her voice smooth and low forcing the man to lean closer to hear. "I would think you of all people should know what I'm capable of by this point."

Molina laughed. "I've seen what you can do with men that are already tied up."

"Oh, my sweet special agent, they rarely started out tied up. It was far too enjoyable to...subdue them first."

Sekhmet was buying time. She had regained her voice and for a moment, her arms, but Tessa was holding back everything else. The goa'uld filled their head with her voice. "Maybe I should let Agent Molina know how that part was your specialty." Tessa couldn't spare any focus for a reply, but Sekhmet could feel her host's fear increase. "They'll never let you go once they know what you've done."

Sekhmet turned her attention to the external threat again. "Here's what's going to happen. You're going to walk with me out of here and then I'm going to give you some first hand experience into the very things you've devoted your life to over the last few years."

His disgust was apparent, along with his confidence. "And why would I do that?"

Tessa felt the smirk deepen as Sekhmet gained back enough control to lean forward. "Because if you don't, I'm going to slaughter everyone in this restaurant."

Molina glanced around at the packed room which had gone completely silent as they stared, the fear thickening with every moment. He returned his gaze to the calm smirking woman, narrowing his eyes as if he were trying to tell if this were a bold bluff or legitimate threat.

Sirens filled the air then and the special agent relaxed into overconfidence. "I don't think you'll be going anywhere except jail."

Sekhmet began to laugh uproariously before she dropped her face and raised her hand to ask for a moment to collect herself. The unexpected reaction allowed her to capitalize on the hesitancy and confusion of both her host and captor and Sekhmet grabbed the menu in front of her, shoving it upwards towards Molina's arms and knocking the gun towards the ceiling as it fired. A few quick steps around the table had her hands around his throat and the gun, keeping either from being a threat. She squeezed her fingers and palm tightly, lifting him just slightly up onto his toes, but not enough for the crowd to observe.

As Aaron began running out of air, his grip loosened on the gun and as his arms started going slack, Sekhmet twisted the gun around into her palm with an impressive dexterity and pointed it at the witnesses.

"You should have taken my offer," she whispered to Aaron in her goa'uld voice.

She took aim at a nearby man, out for a family dinner with his wife and grown children, and fired. He collapsed onto the table, but Sekhmet was already firing at a young mother whose head drooped backwards, empty eyes staring through the wood planked ceiling.

Tessa retreated in shock, watching in horror as an elderly man was the next victim, followed by a young man with a blond beard, and next by a middle aged woman with sleek black hair, but then the gun trained itself on a small little girl, maybe four years old, and the host roared back to life, throwing every ounce of strength she had into the hand holding the gun.

As the two minds fought for dominance, their other hand released SA Molina and he crumpled to the floor, the room erupting into chaos as screaming patrons ran for the exits. Tessa held their body completely still, but slowly inched her control into their mouth and voice.

"Aaron, help me," she pleaded to the man at her feet. "Handcuffs. Quickly." She couldn't get any more words out without losing control of their trigger finger, but it was enough.

Molina pushed himself to his feet, still gasping for each breath, and extracted the gun from her frozen grip before pulling out his handcuffs and wrenching her arms behind her back.

Tessa still had to work hard, knowing a single set of cuffs would never hold an outraged Sekhmet, whose screams and curses were growing louder inside their head, and she closed their eyes, forcing out whispers between clenched teeth. "Two sets. Not enough to hold her."

Aaron seemed to understand, having just felt her strength on his throat, and nodded. "The police are here. Hold on just a bit longer."

The police had been held up by the mob trying to escape and were just now getting themselves into the third floor dining room, guns trained on the pair.

Molina coughed out his identification along with pulling out his badge slowly from his back pocket. "She's The Butcher and I want a second set of cuffs on her."

The closest officer raised an eyebrow at what surely looked like total paranoia, but Molina wasn't going to explain.

"Just do it!" he yelled at the hesitating man, reaching up to grasp his throat in pain.

A second set of cuffs was placed on her wrists, imprisoning Sekhmet but allowing Tessa release. Sekhmet flew back into control, fighting against the cuffs and screaming profanities in several languages, both human and alien.

Unable to inflict pain on the officers, she instead concentrated all of her rage on her traitorous host. In control fully now, she unexpectedly handed the body back over to Tessa, but before the host could speak, Sekhmet radiated a burning agony throughout every muscle and all that came out of their mouth was a blood curdling scream, their head flinging backwards and their knees giving out. As the pain subsided, Tessa could feel the floor against their face and hear the men arguing through the haze

"What did you do, Frank?" one yelled, a hand gently pressing onto her back as he leaned down.

Another voice, thick with a Boston accent insisted he hadn't even touched her and what was this chick's problem anyway.

Tessa's breathing slowed again and she opened their eyes to find SA Molina kneeling down and looking at her. She mouthed a single word to him. "Please."

She caught his nod just before another scream was pulled from her by Sekhmet's cruelty and their body shook on the ground as the steady scream poured out before she again went limp and silent.

Two officers reached under her arms to drag her to her feet, but Tessa couldn't assist them and Sekhmet wasn't going to take control again until the residual pain was gone. They dragged her like a rag doll to the side of the room, head flopping from side to side, but at the narrow stairs, the pair hesitated on how to get the prisoner down to the ground floor. Sekhmet took control again to solve their dilemma.

"I can walk down the stairs on my own, thank you." If she were going to be captured, she certainly wouldn't be dragged. Her stride was steady and sure, with no resemblance to the recently screaming girl, leaving the officers with mouths hanging open slightly.

As she stepped outside onto the street, Sekhmet took in the crowd that had gathered and breathed in their fear, letting her wicked smirk take center stage. Paired with the slim fitting dress, long legs, and hips that swung with each step, no one could take their eyes off of her. This was the type of adoration Sekhmet had been missing since her days posing as a goddess had ended and she had forgotten how good it felt to be both completely feared and completely admired.

SA Molina was on the phone with his superiors, working on getting an FBI vehicle there ASAP so they didn't have a fight over jurisdiction, when Sekhmet caught his eye as he hung up, flashing him a cruel smile.

He walked over, clearly angered by her callousness. "What could you possibly have to smile about?"

Sekhmet was enjoying taunting him. "Three things actually. One, that was fun. I haven't done a public massacre in such a long time, even a small one like that. I forgot how different the thrill was from a more intimate murder."

SA Molina spat onto the ground in disgust. "Fun? You just killed five innocent people up there."

Sekhmet ignored his reprimand. "Two. You killed those people. I gave you options. It's one thing to throw yourself in front of a bullet to save someone. It's something else entirely to sacrifice yourself by willingly walking out of a restaurant with a woman who would brutally torture and kill you, isn't it? Those five are on you. Really, this is probably a more appropriate torture technique for you anyway. You'll spend the rest of your life seeing their faces, their families' faces. Will you go to their funerals? Will you beg for forgiveness?" She didn't need to take him as host to burrow into his mind and take over. She knew her voice, her words, would stay with him until his last breath.

SA Molina's face had contorted to display the horror that had just been thrust upon him, making Sekhmet widen her grin even further.

"And three." She waited until he looked up into her eyes and held them for a moment before speaking again. "You will never get to keep me. I'll be gone in matter of days, if not hours."

The special agent overconfidence took hold again. "We'll see about that." An FBI vehicle had finally made its way through the chaos to pull up in front of them. Agents jumped out and greeted Molina while they looked Sekhmet over suspiciously. "Get her out of my sight," Molina said with another round of coughs, eliciting laughter from his prisoner again.

"You really should see a doctor, Aaron. You can already see my lovely handprint on your throat." A quick wink before the officers still holding her arms passed her off to the waiting FBI who then loaded her into the back seat, a bit roughly after they'd heard her comments to their colleague.

Sekhmet settled into the vehicle for the drive to the Government Center just a few streets over. "I think we could have just walked there faster," she noted to the agents with her, though they all diligently ignored her.

Media had already gathered, the news of the shooting and possible capture of The Butcher having spread quickly, and Sekhmet treated it like a red carpet event with smiles and winks and a seductive strut. Tessa raged back to life, her face being the one on parade, but Sekhmet's anger was still fresh and she brutally shoved her host back to her corner with a quick reminder to behave.

Placed in an interrogation room and left alone, Sekhmet plastered a subtle smile on her lips for the benefit of the two way mirror before turning inward to address her own personal shol'va.

"If you're hoping I'll just find another host, you are sorely mistaken," she said in her goa'uld voice inside their head, relishing in the defeat that seeped out of Tessa's only refuge. "I do not forgive easily and I will take my revenge on you for a long long time. You won't be rid of me any time soon."

She again handed control over to Tessa whose screams filled the room as the torture resumed. As it ceased, the girl slumped forward, held up only by the metal attaching their wrists to the back of the chair, and the goa'uld would patiently wait after each session for Tessa's breathing to normalize before slamming her back into the chair again with another round of torment. Finally, Tessa heard the door open and close, but she could no longer even lift their head enough to look at their first visitor.

Aaron's voice was soothing when he began to speak. "Can you look at me?"

Tessa weakly shook their head and Sekhmet allowed her just a few words. "Please...kill me."

"What's your name? Let me help you." He reached out to tip her face to look at him, but as he did, he found Sekhmet there with a smile, and he flinched backwards like he'd just found a snake instead of a kitten, shaking his hand to rid himself of the contact

Sekhmet straightened her body and shook her hair out of her face. "Are the handcuffs really necessary anymore? Clearly you have me surrounded now." Sekhmet made her voice silky again. "Take them off. Please."

"Not a chance in hell." The disgust had returned with a vengeance.

SA Molina slapped a photo onto the table in front of Sekhmet. "Is this you?"

Sekhmet had to fight hard against Tessa again as her host saw the photo of herself, innocent eyes and smiling face, with Sean, his arm wrapped around her tightly as they sat in his favorite bar in Denver. She'd been turned slightly away from the camera so it wouldn't be quite clear that it was her.

"Might be. Hard to tell, but I don't recognize the man in the photo." Her head shook slightly to the side before a strained whisper escaped.

"Sean."

Sekhmet growled in aggravation. How was Tessa getting through?

"Sean? Sean Fields? Detective Sean Fields? Do you recognize him?" His voice got louder as he spoke and Sekhmet laughed at his efforts.

"She's not deaf, Aaron." She leaned back against the chair, the picture of calm. "Just usually mute."

"I want to speak to her. Let me speak to her," he demanded authoritatively.

"Why? What will you give me in return?" She kept her eyes trained on him as she leaned her body slightly toward the table.

He let his eyes run over her slowly. "I'll handcuff your hands in front of you instead of behind," he finally said with a slight smile.

Sekhmet considered his offer. "Change the cuffs first and I'll let you speak with her."

"Fine." He got up and went to the door and called the guards outside into the room. "Don't make them shoot you."

Inside their head, Sekhmet wondered if this Aaron Molina actually would make a good next host. "What do you think, Tessa? What better way to torture him than to force him to become The Butcher."

Tessa laughed from her corner. "If I can deceive you, he'll have no trouble doing the same."

Sekhmet rapidly handed over control and blasted Tessa with another shot of intense pain, letting her scream as the guards nervously shifted their weight.

As her body drooped again, SA Molina quickly undid one side each of both sets of handcuffs, bringing her arms in front of her, but Sekhmet regained control and stood abruptly, grabbing hold of his neck and pressing his mouth to hers. He fought her, trying to push her away, but his strength was nothing to hers.

Her lips pulled back just far enough to speak, but only Molina could hear her hissed words and see her sneer. "Kiss me back and I won't break your neck." His eyes bore into hers, outraged by her games, and his hesitation made Sekhmet tighten her grip on him. "And make it a good one."

He finally blew out a breath and resumed the kiss, deepening it and pulling her close, and it likely would have been a kiss Sekhmet would have enjoyed, but she was ignoring both it and the yelling guards in favor of taunting her host.

"Perhaps I should take another host," she purred into their head. "He's so very tempting. Should I take him next, Tessa? It would be so easy. Even the cameras wouldn't be able to tell I've moved into his body. I could even let you live. At least for a while."

Tessa was tempted by the offer of freedom, but she knew Sekhmet's games all too well.

"Would you sacrifice him for your life, Tessa?"

Her host retreated away from the argument, an unspoken promise to behave.

Abruptly, the goa'uld ended the kiss then, releasing Molina's neck and letting her finger trail down his cheek, giving him another quick peck.

"That wasn't so bad now, was it?" she asked coyly, quickly turning around to sit and neatly arrange her hands on the table, waiting to be cuffed again.

She winked at the guards as she watched the man behind her in the mirror. Aaron wiped his mouth and leaned against the wall for a moment, then straightened his posture, turned to roughly handcuff the smiling woman, and returned to his seat, directing the guards to leave.

He looked up, but not into her eyes anymore. "Now..." his voice was rough, likely a combination of being strangled earlier as well as revulsion for what he'd just done and he cleared his throat, trying to strengthen it. "Let me speak with her." The demand emboldened him again and he lifted his eyes to hers.

Sekhmet shrugged her shoulders before shoving Tessa back into control. The host cowered, expecting pain again, but when it didn't come, she opened their eyes to look into a face that hated her. It softened, though, as it observed the change, the old Tessa unburied with the pain.

Tessa despised her current weakness along with the man's gentle approach to her like a small caged animal. She was in no need of pity. She wasn't a victim as much as a usurper of her own lost power, but she needed to preserve the protective instincts he felt, so she maintained the pained expression on their face and slumped their body even further.

Sekhmet guffawed from the back at her host's continued deceptions. "Tessa's already long dead. Why are you fighting for her? You're mine. We're the same."

Her ramblings in their head were more truth than Tessa wanted to admit, but she'd have to fight to ignore them if she was going to stop the carnage thrust upon her.

Tessa jumped as SA Molina touched their hand, trying to get her attention. He'd been talking and she'd been distracted by both her own thoughts and Sekhmet's, and she looked up questioningly.

"Who are you? What's your name?" he asked again.

Tessa sighed. "Does it matter?" she said, lacing her tone with defeat.

He pushed the same picture in front of her again. "Is this you? Are you Tessa James?"

She couldn't keep their eyes from widening at the sound of her old name coming from someone other than Sekhmet, her name spoken aloud having died to the world with Sean, but she quickly hung their head again. "No. Tessa's dead."

"Actually dead or metaphorically dead?" He was desperately trying to keep the frustration out of his voice.

"Hopefully soon, both," she whispered at a level loud enough for Molina to hear, but low enough that he likely thought it wasn't meant for his ears. She tipped their head up again and spoke with more confidence. "We have two choices here, Aaron. Either you kill me or you call Colonel Jack O'Neill of the Air Force."

"The Air Force again. I will not let them take you."

"I'm afraid they won't give you choices." Tessa's own frustration was apparent. "Just put a bullet in my head and be done with it."

Sekhmet had had enough and wrenched back control with more force than was required. "I think that's enough," the goa'uld snapped as she balled her hands into fists.

The door suddenly flung open and in walked SG-1, Tessa feeling a renewal of hope at their entrance.

"Interview's over, son," O'Neill said in his usual flippant attitude.

SA Molina stood, facing the intruders. "And who the hell are you? This is my prisoner and my interrogation."

"Not anymore." O'Neill waved a hand towards him. "And you can take it up with the President if you wanna argue about it." The colonel turned his attention to the woman at the table who smiled broadly.

"Nice to see you again, Colonel. My host was just talking about you."

He was clearly surprised by that confession.

"All good," she quickly assured him. "You brought all sorts of friends, I see." Sekhmet looked over the rest of the team. "Captain Carter. Although I read recently that you were promoted. It's Major Carter now. Congratulations."

The blonde woman clearly hadn't gotten over the sting of losing her the last time they'd met and she glared as Sekhmet spoke.

"And Dr. Jackson. Always a pleasure." She dipped her head to the archaeologist before her eyes fell on the tall muscular Jaffa. "And my favorite Shol'va, Teal'c." She paused. "Well, actually, I'm afraid you've been replaced by this-" she pointed to herself as best as she could while handcuffed "-shol'va. Please, no tears, though. Try to save them for when you're alone."

Sekhmet's dramatic sarcasm only managed to provoke a single raised eyebrow from the Jaffa.

Dr. Jackson stepped toward Sekhmet at her comments. "What traitor? Your host?"

O'Neill cautioned his friend. "Daniel...not too close."

"Jack, if her host was able to regain control…" His face made it apparent he wasn't thinking of the woman in front of him and Tessa remembered that his wife had also been taken as a host.

Sekhmet grit her teeth and stiffened her neck as Tessa fought for dominance, the goa'uld's deep voice roaring in fury before her host could again reappear.

Tessa felt their eyes flash in her frustration as she forced their mouth to speak. "Someone end this." She turned to Teal'c, knowing his hatred of the goa'uld permeated deeply. "Kill me."

Sekhmet again regained enough control to torture her betrayer and Tessa's pleas twisted suddenly to screams, making everyone in the room take a quick step backwards.

The screams ended, but Tessa couldn't stop a single agonized sob from following them.

O'Neill looked around uncomfortably before turning to his team. "Alright, let's grab her and move out." He turned again to open the door behind him, stepping to the side to allow Dr. Fraiser and her team to fill up the small room further.

Sekhmet became primary again and her wrists twisted against her restraints, anger radiating from her.

SA Molina put himself between the trespassers and his prize then. "You're not taking her. I've worked for over two years to catch her. And what is she? I want answers."

The goa'uld was revived by the enjoyment of watching the special agent's success thwarted by those higher up and her smirk returned as she relaxed her body with a soft laugh, forcing the man to turn around to face her.

"Don't worry, Aaron," she cooed. "They'll eventually let me go and I'll be sure to come back so we can pick up right where we left off." Sekhmet narrowed her eyes at him. "I'm guessing you'll make a different choice the next time we meet and then we can have a nice...intimate...chat."

His body tensed even further and from her prison, Tessa momentarily wondered if he would attack, but his training was too good for that, and he settled for the release of his fists slamming the table before he stormed out of the room, likely off to find his superiors to halt the prisoner theft that was occurring.

Sekhmet shrugged. "He has no idea how many times I could have killed him today. Or taken him as a host, for that matter. So ungrateful." She watched as Dr. Frasier approached with a syringe and Tessa could feel the goa'uld's fear before it was overtaken by rage.

Sekhmet twisted her legs around and thrust a sharp heel towards the doctor, catching her leg and knocking her down, but the awkward angle preventing her from doing any real damage. The others rushed to help her up, but O'Neill just shook his head in frustration.

"Oh, for cryin' out loud," he mumbled before pulling out a goa'uld zat'nik'tel weapon and firing a blue energy towards her. Both symbiote and host tensed as the pulse hit them and then the world went black.