Alina opened her eyes cautiously. She was lying on a stone slab of some kind, surrounded by many people watching her guardedly. An older man with dark eyes and a thinning pate bent his head. "The procedure is a success," he declared.

Alina cried out in fright and scrambled off the slab. "Goa'uld!" One of the first things Ba'al had done had been to place her in the sarcophagus to restore her vocal chords.

"Hey, easy!" Jack stepped out of the crowd and caught her in his arms. "It's okay, honey; they're not Goa'uld. They're Tok'ra."

Alina panted rapidly, her arms going round his waist and her face turning into his chest. "Tok'ra?" she asked stupidly.

"Yeah," Jack said, dropping a reassuring kiss to the top of her head. "Similar deal; snake in the head, but these are the good guys. The resistance, if you like."

If Jack trusted them, maybe she could trust them too. The older man with the dark eyes looked kind. She turned her head and shivered when she saw pain in Jack's eyes and evidence of healing wounds. What had Anat done whilst in possession of her body?

"I am Alina," she said, unwilling to leave the warm safety of Jack's arms right now.

The kind-looking man nodded his head and his eyes flashed. "I am Selmak of the Tok'ra. The Goa'uld within you has been removed – you are in good health."

Alina was … overwhelmed. "Thank you," she said, her large eyes shimmering with unshed tears. She swayed unsteadily in Jack's embrace. "I am … very tired," she said. "Is there somewhere I may rest?"

"Of course," the older man replied. "My name's Jacob, by the way. May I call you Alina?"

Alina was startled. She knew that the Tok'ra were the enemies of the Goa'uld, but had not realized that they literally shared the one body. She could feel both minds; one currently in the background. "You are … the host?" she said.

The older man smiled at her. "That's right; Selmak's my symbiote. We've been together about five years now."

"A match made in heaven," Jack put in. Alina managed a small smile – you did not have to be an empath to detect the sarcasm in his tones.

"We love you too, Jack," Jacob replied with a small grin.

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Sam Carter watched her former CO arguing playfully with her dad. I hope he'll be all right, she said to Garshaw.

He will do well, Garshaw returned comfortably. He has coped with much worse than this in his life.

Sam felt Garshaw's shudder of distaste for what Kanan had gone through at the hands of Ba'al. The Grand Counsel had been disgusted by Kanan's betrayal and had had the High Council put out the Tok'ra equivalent of an APB on the renegade Tok'ra.

I suppose, Sam agreed cautiously, but I can't help wondering how much crap he has to go through before something gives.

He is a good man, and deserves happiness. Garshaw paused. What do you think he will do now?

Sam mused. If she knew the Colonel, he'd likely insist on 'gating back to Earth using the Tok'ra GDO and face his punishment. Two weeks after she'd left Earth to join the Tok'ra, she'd learned that the charge of AWOL had been supplemented by 'desertion'. And that meant court-martial for definite, with the possibility of life imprisonment.

She closed her eyes. Jack O'Neill would go mad in prison; she knew it. It would be the end of him.

I know you wish to protect him, Samantha – especially from himself – but the Colonel must do what his conscience dictates.

Yeah. Sam sighed. Stubborn son of a bitch that he was.

The girl twisted in Jack's embrace and regarded Sam steadily. "I remember you," she said softly. "How did you come to join the Tok'ra?"

"Yes! Excellent question; pray tell," the Colonel chipped in, keeping his arms protectively around the young woman.

Sam ignored the twinge of jealousy she felt, reminding herself that this young girl had gone through a horrible ordeal – if she could derive comfort from the Colonel's warm embrace, she deserved it. "I was shot in the back with a staff weapon a few weeks ago," she said. "My spinal column was shattered – there was nothing Janet could do for me."

"So you joined the Tok'ra?" The Colonel sounded dubious, and she could understand that. "But you always said that whole Jolinar snake-in-the-head deal was the worst thing to ever happen to you!"

"And it was," Sam agreed, "but I was fighting her. And, no disrespect to the Tok'ra, but she acted more like a Goa'uld. I wasn't a willing host. This time I went into it eyes wide open. Garshaw's previous host was killed during the attack on Revanna." She managed a weak smile. "It's early days yet, but it's going well, sir."

"Lose the sir, Carter. I'm not your CO anymore," the Colonel said roughly. "And … you're okay now? Back's good?"

"Yes, s … Jack. I don't even have a scar." Sam was distracted when she saw the young empath shudder. "Colonel," she said.

"Jack …," the young woman said tentatively, her hand fluttering up to touch his bruised cheek. "I … I am sorry," she said, tears shimmering in her eyes.

"God, honey … you're not responsible for what that bitch did," Jack said. "You need to think about what you want to do next. But whatever you decide, I'll be there with you every step of the way."

Sam blinked at that. She knew the Colonel and the empath had formed an unusual bond, but this declaration was almost … lover-like. Surely not? The empath was little more than a child – couldn't be any older than Cassie.

The girl shifted in Jack's lap to look at Sam and the other Tok'ra. "May Jack and I talk in private?" she asked.

Sam dropped her head and allowed Garshaw to take control. A lot of the Tok'ra didn't do that as they felt it was overly dramatic, but Sam found it was easier to cope with the change in minds if her head was down. "Of course," Garshaw said gently. She and the other Tok'ra left.

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Alina looked at the man she had come to regard as a father, despite his handsome features, tears falling anew. I … I am so sorry, she pleaded. I tried to fight her; but … I was not strong enough.

Oh, God, kiddo … Jack stroked his thumbs under her eyes, wiping away the tears. I'm sorry too. That snaky bitch was in control of you. But you can still have a good life. You're young and beautiful. It will happen for you.

Thank you, Jack, she communicated shakily. It is … so much to think about. I will need time.

Plenty of it, Jack said, putting a soft kiss to one of her tear-stained cheeks. He shifted, suddenly uncomfortable, and she wondered what he was going to say next.

Jack … you wish to return to your world, do you not?, she queried.

He sighed and shifted again. Part of me does, but I need to be here for you too, he admitted roughly. If I go back to Earth, I won't be allowed to leave again. My ass will be court-martialed as soon as I set foot through the 'gate. I'll probably get a jail sentence.

But … you were only seeking to protect me! Will your superiors not understand that?

Jack took a deep breath. I did a bad thing for good reasons. There has to be discipline in the military – officers can't go off half-cocked on their own missions.

She wiped away the last of her tears. I will come with you, she added. If you are to be disciplined by your military, then I will stand up to defend you, as you defended me.

But … Then Jack sighed. Why bother?, he complained. You're tiny, but so damn stubborn.

Alina managed a weak giggle. I will take that as a compliment.

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Stargate Command:

"Receiving Tok'ra IDC, sir!"

"Open the iris," General Hammond said with a sigh. He respected and liked the Tok'ra, but sometimes he wondered if they would ever visit Earth without bringing trouble with them.

The iris retracted and several Tok'ra stepped out of the event horizon onto the ramp. Jacob Carter, Sam Carter, a young woman he didn't know, although she seemed familiar somehow, and … Colonel O'Neill.

The young woman was clutching for dear life to O'Neill's hand as they walked down the ramp.

Hammond leaned into the mike. "All units; stand down!" he ordered.

Then he headed down into the embarkation room. "Colonel O'Neill," he said formally, beckoning two SFs forward, "I hereby inform you that you are under arrest."

The young woman suddenly wrapped her arms around O'Neill's torso. "Please do not hurt him!" she pleaded, fixing huge eyes on Hammond's face.

What the hell …? George Hammond found himself wanting to protect her and even the two SFs stepped back a pace.

O'Neill stroked the young woman's hair. "It's okay, honey," he said. "I told you they'd have to do this." He looked over at Hammond. "I'll come peacefully, sir," he said.

Hammond breathed in deeply. He hated this. "Airmen; escort Colonel O'Neill to holding." He turned his attention to the young woman, who refused to let go of the Colonel. "We won't hurt him," he added gently.

She regarded him solemnly with those big eyes and … he remembered just where he'd seen those eyes before. This was the empath SG-1 had met on 779. "It is my fault," she confessed. "Jack is special and I … bonded with him. He was … driven to protect me when he felt my danger at the hands of my former master."

"I understand," Hammond said softly, now understanding why he felt so protective of this little girl. "But we have rules."

"I know." The girl sighed and loosed her hold on the Colonel. "Jack explained them to me and that he did the wrong thing for a good reason."

"I'll be okay, kiddo," Jack said, stroking her cheek before allowing the SFs to escort him out of the embarkation room.