It had been two days since Daniel's dream about Abydos, three nights since he "surrendered" to Jovannah's charms. In those two days, his rooms had undergone a massive transformation. Every bit of the fire and ice themed furniture and décor had been taken away. The ceiling now sported a calming cream paint, which complimented the ornate crown molding. The walls bore a fresh coat of paint in a neutral camel brown. The floors were still unfinished as the old carpeting had been torn out and rugs brought in until Daniel decided on the flooring he wanted. Personally, his hopes were split. He wanted to finish the rooms, to see what his ideas looked like when complete. But he also needed to return to Earth and preferred that option.
Today, he'd spent hours listening to merchants prattle on about the tile options available to him. He'd honestly tried to look interested, but brown tile was still brown tile, no matter if it had a different texture or striation. He'd begun to suspect that marble flooring would work best, and he knew that Jovannah would approve of the expense. He just couldn't bring himself to tell her to purchase the stuff. He wasn't cut out for this lifestyle. While he had plenty of money on Earth, he still kept to a budget, still made sure to put money in savings, and still worried about whether his bills were paid and he could afford to eat out. Having the authority to just order up enough marble to tile his personal quarters as if it cost only a few dollars didn't sit well.
Another thing had happened that day. Daniel had risen early, the unfinished room much more restful than before but still somewhat blank. He spent the dawn hour on the balcony and then, when Donat came inside to inform him that Jovannah was called away on governmental issues, invited the guardsman to join him for breakfast. Donat had hesitated, and rightfully so. But Daniel had logically pointed out that he would soon be the Malik. And the one thing that would thrill him as the soon-to-be-Malik would be if he could come to know his Chief Guardsman as a friend rather than an employee. In his opinion, friends protected their friends better than employees paid to do the job. Donat had been unable to argue, and the two men spent the next hour sharing stories of their childhoods. Daniel had been forced to explain foster care to Donat, and he could see the respect in Donat's eyes building as he told successive stories. In turn, he learned that Donat had been raised in the desert tribes, living a nomadic lifestyle until coming to work at the palace. There was more to the story, but Daniel had been unable to pry it out of Donat.
Now, as the sun set, Daniel wrapped his arms around himself as he waited for Jovannah to appear. She had agreed to meet him here at this time, hoping that her business would be concluded. Daniel intended to ask her about her work, showing an interest in what she did on a daily basis as he held her and pretended she wasn't keeping him as her hostage. It was important for Jovannah to trust him, to think that he had fallen totally under her spell. Only then would he be able to truly escape.
Drawing in a deep breath, Daniel took a step closer to the edge. The garden dead-ended in a steep drop that had been closed off by a rail, but Daniel was tall enough that the rail only came to his mid-thigh. His fear of heights long ago vanquished by that whole test scenario with Thor on Cimerria—when they'd found the Hall of Thor's Might—Daniel drank in the stunning vista before him. When he returned to Earth, he would miss the sunrise and sunset over the Gorane Sea.
A foot scuffed the path behind him, and Daniel turned, expecting to see Jovannah. Instead, Damek glared at him. An instant later, he was shoved backward. His stomach somersaulted as he stumbled over the railing. Then, he fell.
~oOo~
Damek watched in satisfaction as Dr. Jackson tumbled down the cliff. The man tried to catch himself, succeeding in slowing his fall but not breaking it. As Jackson's body bounced a few times and then came to rest on a narrow ledge, Damek pulled rope from beneath his cape and tied it to the rail. The force of the shove had broken the railing, lending credence to the story that Damek had devised. Watching to see that Jackson didn't regain consciousness, Damek lowered the rope past Jackson's position, grinning when he saw that it went so far down the cliff that one could fall the rest of the way with relatively minor injuries.
His preparations in place, Damek admired his handiwork for a moment. Jackson bled from his nose and a cut on his head, blood starting to seep through his clothing in other places as well. And he didn't stir. With any luck, his death would be ruled an unfortunate accident, leaving the Malikah devastated and vulnerable to Damek's comforting arms.
Hearing footsteps on the path behind him, Damek drew in a deep breath and shouted. "Help!" He whirled in time to see Jovannah run around the corner, Donat right behind her. He motioned. "I tried to stop him, Malikah!"
Jovannah hurried to the railing, her hand coming to her mouth when she saw Jackson's still body below them. "What happened?"
"I came across him trying to escape, Malikah." Damek made certain he put the right amount of distress into his voice. "He saw me, panicked, and lost his grip."
She nodded, unable to speak as she turned to Donat. Her eyes were wild with panic.
Damek took over the situation, also looking at Donat. "Go gather more rope. I will climb down and bring him back up."
"Be careful!" Jovannah gasped. "Please, don't hurt him more!" Tears filled her eyes, convincing Damek that she truly did love Jackson in some way.
Playing the part of loyal Chief Guardsman, Damek organized a rescue. Men were called to stabilize his rope, and he used the rope he'd placed there for Jackson's supposed escape to help strap the man to his back. The work was not without risk. Had any of his men lost their grip on the rope holding him, he could have fallen. The outcropping that had caught Jackson was barely large enough for one man, let alone two. After securing the second rope to Jackson's body, Damek checked his breathing. He looked up. "He is barely alive," he called.
At the railing, Jovannah paled even further. She spoke quietly to one of the maids that had gathered to watch the excitement, the younger woman running away a moment later.
On the outcropping, Damek carefully picked up Jackson and draped the man over his shoulders. He used more of the rope to make certain he could climb. It was not perfect, and Jackson could still fall. Suspecting that the Malikah would not accept failure even if Jackson was dead by the time Damek reached the top of the cliff, he took another moment to ensure that the man wouldn't come loose from the bindings. Then, he began the arduous task of scaling the cliff wall.
By the time he reached the top, Damek's arms and legs quivered from use. Jackson might have been a slight man, but he was solid. Damek accepted help from Donat and the other guardsmen, holding himself up as they gently unbound Jackson from his back. Then, as soon as the extra weight was removed from his body, he collapsed in an exhausted heap. While he'd suspected he would have to "rescue" the man, he still had not anticipated that it would be so difficult of a climb. Donat ordered a second maid to bring water for him, and Damek accepted the cup with a gracious smile.
Meanwhile, Jovannah flew to Jackson's side, tears streaming as she pulled him into her arms. Ignoring the blood that stained her white gown, she ran a hand down his face and cradled his head in the crook of her elbow. "He barely lives," she whispered.
Donat knelt at the Malikah's side. "My lady, let us take him to his rooms."
Jovannah looked up at the guardsman's gentle words. Her face was soaked, her expression crushed. She finally nodded, almost as if she had not understood at first. "Of—of course," she said brokenly.
Donat motioned to two other men, and they carefully lifted Jackson from the Malikah's arms and placed him on a stretcher that had been brought. The maid that Jovannah had sent on some mission while Damek had been on the ledge with Jackson returned, carrying a plain leather pouch. Damek watched the activity, drinking his water and trying his hardest not to glare. He had no knowledge of Jackson before he arrived on Evonnia, but other men would have died in that fall. As the Malikah's entourage disappeared inside, Damek narrowed his eyes. He would just have to work harder to eliminate the man he hated.
~oOo~
Daniel was floating, comfortable and in pain all at once. His body clenched, but he couldn't make sense of what had happened. It was familiar, however, bringing up the worst memories he had to date. Suddenly, he was back in that hospital bed while Janet hovered on one side and Jacob Carter tried to heal him from radiation poisoning on the other. But this was different. The bed was larger, softer, and there were voices around him. Women were crying softly, gasps sounding as he felt his wounds begin to heal. It was almost as painful as the original wounds, but Daniel couldn't bring himself to the surface yet.
Then, it was over. Daniel's eyes popped open as the orange glow from the Goa'uld healing device faded. He sucked in a deep breath, still trying to reconcile his current position in his chambers with his last memory of falling. Then, he met the eyes of the woman responsible for healing him.
Jovannah lowered her hand, the Goa'uld healing device obvious for all to see. Her other hand came up to gently touch his face. "It is good to see you alive, my love."
Daniel pulled away from her touch. "You're a Goa'uld!" Memories of the few times he'd seen Sha're after her abduction on Abydos flashed through his mind, and he scooted away from her.
Something in Jovannah's eyes hardened, and she turned to speak over her shoulder. "Leave us." Her order rang through the crowd that had gathered.
"I'd really rather you didn't," Daniel called, dismayed when the people in the room, Donat included, obeyed without hesitating.
As soon as the door closed behind the last person, Jovannah turned back to Daniel. "I am not a Goa'uld." Her voice was still hard, reminding Daniel of another time before his ascension—one that he couldn't quite grasp. "I am Tok'ra."
All at once, the memory returned, and he clearly heard the resounding voice of Garshaw of Belote. "We are not Goa'uld!" The panic in Daniel's chest calmed slightly, though it didn't fade entirely. He pushed himself into a seated position, looking over his body and seeing the signs of severe injuries. "Thank you for healing me," he said quietly.
Jovannah smiled, but it trembled as tears came to her eyes. "You were nearly dead, Daniel. I feared for your life; otherwise, you would have never known the truth."
"Never?"
"No." She met his eyes, one of the tears making its way down her cheek. "It is forbidden for anyone other than the Malikah to know of this. But I could not let you die, Daniel. You are too precious to me!"
His feelings still in an uproar, Daniel pulled her into his arms. Right then, he wasn't thinking about his ruse to make her trust him. He simply needed her to be quiet for a moment so he could think. The easiest way to do that was to offer comfort.
Jovannah was a Tok'ra. He wondered if it was the host or the symbiote that loved him. It also explained the hot-and-cold act she'd been doing since he arrived. Daniel tried to wrap his mind around what she'd just revealed and found himself thinking of things like the Tok'ra-Earth alliance. They'd love to know that one of their own had set herself up as queen on a world, clearly moving from host to host to stay in control. Those weren't the actions of a Tok'ra, no matter how Jovannah argued against it. Those were the actions of a Goa'uld.
Suddenly unable to keep holding her, Daniel set her away from him and climbed out of the bed on the other side. Jovannah looked surprised that he'd been so abrupt with her, but she stayed silent when he simply backed away and then turned his back. At least he knew she would not kill him for knowing the truth. But Damek would. That thought had him whirling back around. "Where's Damek?"
"He is resting after saving your life." Jovannah stood and began to make her way to him, stopping when he stepped backward and held up a hand. "Daniel, what is it?"
"You're a Goa'uld," he said again. A little laugh of disbelief escaped. "I mean, it explains some things about you that didn't make sense to me. And it tells me why you think you can keep me here against my will." As he spoke those last few words, the smile faded from his face as he gave her a long, hard stare.
"Daniel, I am not a Goa'uld. All Malikahs are Tok'ra. It is the way it has been done for centuries."
"No matter how much you tell me you're not a Goa'uld, I won't believe you." He glared. "I've spent the last six years of my life fighting the Goa'uld! I know how you operate and think. You take prisoners, use everything to your advantage, and set yourself up in a position of power. About the only thing you haven't done is have the Evonnians worship you as a god."
"Because I am not a god." Jovannah straightened, her face still emotional. "I know it will take time for me to prove that I am Tok'ra and not Goa'uld. But I hope you will give me that chance."
"Let me go home."
"What?"
"You want to prove you're not a Goa'uld?" Daniel walked forward, seeing how Jovannah shrank back from him as he advanced. He must have had quite the fierce expression on his face. "Let me go home. That'll prove you're not a Goa'uld."
"I. . .I cannot do that," she whispered.
Frustration welled up inside of him, and he wasn't able to stop the curse that escaped. He took a few steps away from her and then turned to glare at her again. "Then you're a Goa'uld. And nothing you do will convince me."
They stared at one another for a long time. Daniel held her gaze, not backing down and not softening his expression. Jovannah and Whatever-the-symbiote's-name-was needed to hear this. If they thought he would be convinced that they weren't Goa'uld, they would learn differently.
Finally, Jovannah lifted her chin. "I can see that you are angry and will take some time to work through the shock." Her voice and chin trembled. "I will leave you to do so." Without another word, she left the rooms.
Daniel stood in place long after the door closed in Jovannah's wake. His body ached, a residual effect of the healing device. While it mended the body back together, the muscles that had been tense from pain, nerves that had been damaged, and bones that had been broken often hurt for some time afterward. The intensity of this ache told Daniel just how close to death he'd come. Again. Deciding that he could do nothing else for the night, he went into the bathroom and began to draw a bath. What he wouldn't give for a good, long, hot shower. This would have to do, though, and he let out a deep sigh as he sank into the water some time later. He laid his head back and stared at the ceiling as he tried to figure out what to do next.
~oOo~
"You're a Goa'uld!" The panic on Dr. Jackson's face made Donat straighten suddenly. He watched the man scoot away from the Malikah.
Jovannah turned and barked out an order. "Leave us!"
Donat tried to pass along a message to Dr. Jackson that he would be right outside the door. But the man didn't receive it in his emotional state. After all, what Donat had just witnessed Jovannah do had stunned even him. He'd known the Malikah was powerful, but he had not realized just how powerful. That altered his plans.
Outside the door, Donat waited for everyone else to leave the room and then closed the door with him inside. He moved to the wall next to the door that led to Dr. Jackson's bed chamber, ducking behind a large armoire so that he could listen without being seen. He frowned as Jovannah talked about something called a Tok'ra. While he, like everyone else in the galaxy, knew of the Goa'uld, he did not understand what this Tok'ra creature was. Based on Dr. Jackson's reaction, it could not have been a good thing. Of course, Dr. Jackson kept insisting that Jovannah was, in fact, Goa'uld.
After a long silence, Jovannah hurried through the sitting room and left without ever looking back. She was emotional, and Donat had seen the way she wiped at tears streaming down her face. He stayed where he was, not wanting Dr. Jackson to know that he'd eavesdropped. But he was glad he had.
Dr. Jackson's first question, the one about Damek, confirmed what Donat had suspected. Dr. Jackson had not tried to escape. Somehow, Damek had made it look like he'd fallen. Donat let out a silent breath. If Damek wanted Daniel dead, then the Chief Guardsman would not stop in his campaign. Eventually, he would succeed. It would be better for Dr. Jackson to return to his world than for him to die a senseless death at the hands of a jealousy-crazed guardsman.
When he heard Dr. Jackson begin drawing water in the bathroom, Donat straightened and slipped from the room. He had much to accomplish that night, and he knew he only had a short space in which he could act.
~oOo~
Janet Frasier watched the various members of SG-1 file into the briefing room with a barely-contained smile. She'd finally received the results of the DNA profile and could not wait to tell them the news. They all sat down at the table, only Teal'c managing to look impassive.
Jack glanced between General Hammond and Janet. "And? So? Well? What?"
Janet almost laughed at the impatient questioning. She opened the file. "I just received the DNA results we were all waiting for."
Sam blinked. "This fast? It's barely been forty-eight hours."
"Given the nature of the situation, I put a rush on the work and made it top priority," Janet explained. "I can now say with certainty that the man you found was not Daniel."
Jack held up a sudden finger. "I knew it!" he crowed.
Sam let out a relieved breath. "He did it again!"
Janet didn't have to ask her what she meant. "Yes, he did." She glanced at the DNA profile before her. "Based on this genetic profile, I'd say the body in our morgue is Evonnian."
General Hammond finally entered the conversation. "How do you know?"
"Well, as you know, we obtained genetic profiles from various Evonnians when Jonas negotiated the Earth-Evonnia treaty." Janet handed a print-out to every person at the table although she knew that only Sam would fully understand it. "We found that all Evonnians have a unique protein marker in their DNA. The best I can theorize is that it's something picked up centuries ago from an environmental influence, likely the soil, and adapted into their genetic code. This man that we have in our morgue has that genetic marker."
Sam glanced between her CO and Hammond. "What about the treaty?"
Hammond's jaw clenched for a moment. "I don't care about the treaty right now." He turned to Jack. "Colonel O'Neill, you have a go. Find out what happened to Dr. Jackson."
Jack let a smile cover his face that actually made Janet very glad he was a good friend. "Yes, Sir."
~TBC
