Title: What If They Don't Come Back

Author: Rude's Mom

Disclaimer: I don't own Buffy or Stargate.

Warning: Characters are still dealing with the aftermath of rape.

"One of my Jaffa overstepped his authority. I'm afraid that your companions are dead."

"How? Why?"

"A personal vendetta on his part, he thought he was avenging his god. He has been punished."

Thomas recalled the mutilated corpse in the courtyard. "The Jaffa on the scaffold?"

Nimue nodded.

"Bit over the top wasn't it? I mean cutting of his hands and his..." Thomas let his voice trail off.

"He committed his crime in the name of Apophis. He was fortunate that I chose the manner of his death and not his god. He died quickly and only once." She shifted in her seat. "Now, about your ship. My Jaffa will eventually find it. You could speed things up by telling me where to find it."

"I don't think so."

"Then perhaps you will tell me where you got it."

"Our government built it."

Nimue snorted in disbelief. "My Jaffa say that you are the Tau'ri, from the first world. Your people can barely get themselves to your moon."

"Your information is out-dated."

"Is it? There's no way you could have advanced far enouth to leave your solar system without help. Who do you serve? Or maybe it should be who did you serve? So many System Lords have died in recent years, maybe yours was among them."

"The Tau'ri have been free since we kicked Ra off Earth."

"Are they?" The slightest of smiles crossed her face and only Johnson caught it. "I suppose that we will discover the truth of the matter when my Jaffa find your ship. If there is nothing in it to indicate that you are allied to the Goa'uld, you will be released and sent back to your world."

Johnson finally spoke up. "You are just going to let us go and send us on our way?"

"If I determine that you are not a threat."

"And if you do? Then what? A trip to the scaffold?"

"I try to avoid executing humans. If you represent a threat, you will probably find yourselves sentenced to work in one of the naquadah mines for the remainder of your life." Nimue stood up. "If you decide to give up the location of your ship, just tell one of the guards."

She walked out of the cell, the door closing behind her.

"Major, I don't know about you but I'd rather mine naquadah than face Jack O'Neill."

Thomas shuddered. "Agreed."

So much for trying to protect his daughter from the harsh realities of life Merdden thought as he left Aurora with Talla and strode back towards the palace infirmary. He still had a hard time believing that one of Nimue's Jaffa had nearly raped a woman to death. Elsbet met him in the hallway just outside of O'Neill's room.

"How is the patient doing?"

"Not well milord. She woke up and began to panic when she saw one of the guards."

He sighed. "I suppose that's not surprising. I will order that the Jaffa stay out of sight for the time being."

"Milord, that might not be enough."

Merdden waited for her to continue. When she did not, he prompted her. "Elsbet?"

She hesitated another moment before continuing. "Before Milady came, this," she waved a hand towards the room, "was not...uncommon. There were some cases where the woman could no longer bear the presence of any male. Most eventually overcame it, others did not."

"And you think that this will be the case?"

"I don't know. Her physical injuries are more severe than most but they may not be the worst of her injuries."

Realizing that the discovery of those unseen injuries would have to wait, he asked about the physical ones.

"The bleeding has stopped and her breathing is easier. I'm not sure about her hearing. I gave her a sleeping draft if you would like to see her now."

"With her head wounds?"

"She was panicking and was likely to injure herself further."

She moved aside to let him enter the room. His eyes adjusted to the room's dimmer light as he approached the bed. He was unnerved at how still the figure on that bed was.

"How much did you give her?"

"Less than half a cup. She fell asleep quickly."

He gently brushed the blonde hair back from the woman's face. "The bruising on her face is improving. Have you checked her ribs?"

"About an hour ago. The bruises had stopped spreading."

"Good, can you bring a light closer."

Elsbet brought a lamp to the bed.

Merdden carefully lifted the patient's left eyelid, then the right. "The pupils are responding."

"Milord?"

"It looks as if she is healing." Merdden stood back. "I'll send Dora back to help. If there is any change, send her to me or Nimue."

He figured it had been at least six hours since anyone had passed by his cell. Neither Nimue nor Merdden had returned with news of the colonel. Not that he had really expected them to. A Jaffa had brought him some bread and water earlier but no news of the rest of his team.

Xander finally fell into an uneasy sleep.

"Where's your team airman?" General Feretti asked.

An angry Jack O'Neill confronted him. "Where's my wife?"

A short, stocky blonde major pushed him against a wall in the gateroom. "How the hell do you make captain?"

Giles took off his glasses to clean them. "Well, what did you expect from the Zeppo? He was always the weakest link."

The room darkened and in the shadows he could see Cordelia, Principals Snyder and Flutie, Harmony, Larry, and Jesse. Behind them were his parents, Faith, Oz, Willow.

No it couldn't be Willow with the dead. She was still alive. Wasn't she? Wasn't she?

He awoke with a start, sweat rolling off his body.

"Shit."

"You shouldn't swear. Mother doesn't like it."

A small figure detached itself from of the shadows, startling him. It was the girl he had seen with Merdden.

"She doesn't?"

"Nope. Neither does Dad."

"Aurora?"

"And you're Xander. You know, Mother's still mad at you."

He gave her a crooked smile. "Yeah, kinda figured that out."

"You lied about Angel."

Xander nodded.

"I understand why you did it. She does too."

Okay, not expecting that. "So why am I in cell?"

"I said she understands, doesn't mean she's still not mad. She'll let you out. Eventually."

"That's comforting. How about the colonel?"

"She's not a prisoner. The rest of your team is though."

"What team?"

"The two men the Jaffa brought in. Mother put them in the gray chamber."

"Which is?"

"Where she puts important prisoners. At least the important prisoners that haven't made her mad."

"So, I'm important am I?"

She looked at him solemnly. "You know the way back to Earth."

Shit.