Rodney stared at the battered woman on the floor at his feet. In the other cell, Rebekah went on and on, begging him to do. . .something. He couldn't! Just the sight of Marina's blood made him want to pass out, but he managed to buck up, as Sheppard would say, and stand there. The men who delivered her to his cell walked out and locked the door without a backwards glance.

Finally, Rebekah got through to him. "Rodney!"

The tone in her voice made his head snap up. "What?"

"Do something!"

"I. . .I can't! I mean, I'm not a doctor! I can't fix her!"

"You don't have to, Rodney." Rebekah stared at him, the one eye he could see worried but steady. No wonder Jackson had fallen for her. She slipped a hand out of her cell and pointed. "See the way she's laying. You can get her on the bed and try to stop the bleeding."

"With what?" McKay glared and then realized he wore a jacket. "Oh, right."

Moving quickly, he knelt next to Marina and rolled her onto her back. She groaned and started to wake up from the little "nap" she'd taken after landing on the concrete floor. She still didn't quite become aware until he manhandled her onto the one bed in his cell. Her blood got on his clothes, but he decided he could do this. He'd faced Wraith, the Genii, had been captured multiple times, and fought off the Replicators. If he could deliver Teyla's son, then he could handle giving first aid to one battered woman!

Behind him, Rebekah spoke. "That's good, Rodney."

"I'm not an idiot, you know!" he snapped, instantly regretting it. "I'm sorry. It's just. . .I'm not very good. . . .I'm not a doctor."

"I gathered," Rebekah said wryly.

Rodney began dabbing at the worst of the cuts on Marina's face. "How do you know so much about this stuff? If you're not part of what Dr. Jackson does, what do you do?"

Rebekah snorted. "I work at a bank." When he shot a disbelieving look at her, she shrugged. "I'm a writer, too. I do lots of research."

Silence fell between the two of them as Rodney worked. Rebekah watched closely for the entire time, giving him pointers if necessary. Marina started waking up after he'd used a dripping faucet in the cell to clean her face as best as possible. She opened one eye—the other was swollen shut—and stared at him. "Thanks."

Rodney tried to smile. "Hey, it was the least I could do. Besides, she made me." He pointed over his shoulder.

Marina's eye moved in that direction, but she couldn't see her friend. "Why'm I in here?"

Rodney shrugged. "No idea. But you're bleeding all over the place, so I'm gonna. . . ."

He never got to finish that statement. The sound of gunfire came from outside the door. The two guards who had watched McKay closely reached into a cabinet and pulled out some heavy firearms. Shotguns, actually. McKay dove for the floor, his sense of self-preservation taking over as he tried to make sense of what had happened. Then, he realized he'd left an injured woman in harm's way. He grabbed her and unceremoniously deposited her next to him, overturning the bed for the minuscule protection it offered. "Get on the floor! Use your bed for a shield!" he hollered at Rebekah.

"And how am I supposed to do that?" she hollered back. "I can't walk!"

"Just. . . ." McKay was at a loss and frustrated and just stopped talking.

The guards opened the door. A loud pop-pop-POP echoed through the room, drawing a cry from Rebekah and a cringe from Rodney. When he looked up from his huddled position, however, he blinked when Sheppard ducked through the door. "Oh, thank God!"

Sheppard glanced around. "McKay?"

"Yeah, yeah, it's me. I am so glad you're here. Do you know what kind of place this is?" McKay couldn't stop the babble. "I mean, it's not bad compared to some of the places we've been, but seriously! I haven't had anything to eat since I got here, and. . . ."

"McKay!" Sheppard's sharp snap brought him back to the present.

"Right." Rodney watched more men come through the door. Mitchell and Jackson secured the weapons their captors had held, and Teyla started searching for keys. She handed them over to Sheppard as Rodney realized the hole in their team. "Where's Ronon?"

"Upstairs," Sheppard answered him. "Anyone else here with you?"

Rebekah answered the question for herself. "Hello?"

Behind Sheppard, Jackson's head snapped up. "Rebekah?" He left Mitchell and rushed down the hallway, speaking softly as Rebekah dissolved into tears.

Sheppard grinned. "They're dating."

"I figured." McKay stood to the side as Jackson called for a medic. One hurried over to him, in spite of Rebekah's pleas that someone look at Marina. For a moment, Rodney didn't know what to say or how to say it. The ordeal had been horrifying, but he was escaping with only a few bruises. Marina, however, looked horrible. Amanda pushed McKay out of the way and knelt next to the injured woman, placidly calling for help and giving orders.

Sheppard tugged McKay out of the middle of the cell. "Hey, you okay?"

"Yeah." Rodney frowned. "Where's Jennifer?"

"She's waiting at the plane. Lorne's with her."

"Oh." All of a sudden, the room spun, and McKay frowned. It had been a long time since that power bar and even longer since his last meal. He felt his blood sugar levels drop and his knees go weak. "Okay."

Then, he unceremoniously passed out.

~~O~~

Pop-pop-POP! The noise startled Rebekah so badly that she jerked and lost her balance. Her injured leg took a hit as she fell, and she couldn't stop the shout that came out. At this angle, she couldn't see anything that was happening, so she huddled on the floor and waited. People flooded into the room, and she vaguely heard Rodney comment to someone. Grabbing the bars, she pulled herself to her vantage point and tried to see around the corner. "Hello?"

"Rebekah?" The voice brought tears to her eyes, and she wasn't able to stop the emotional release when Daniel rushed down the cell toward her. "Hey, it's okay. I'm right here." He turned and hollered for keys.

"Daniel?" She reached through the cell. "Are you really here?"

"I'm here. Shh." He ran his fingers through her tangled hair while a small, exotic-looking woman unlocked the door. Then, he was inside and holding her as she cried. The woman didn't leave but gave them the space they needed.

Rebekah clung to Daniel, not minding the way his weapon poked her side or the Kevlar vest he wore or the smell of gunpowder that hung in the air. He held her and it was all going to be okay. She was getting out of here and going home. Once there, she could process what had happened between her and Marina. "Marina!" She pushed away from Daniel, trying to stand in spite of his protests. "They took her a little while ago, and when she came back, she'd been. . . ."

Daniel caught her before she did much more than flail around. "Hey, they got her. One of the best doctors we have is looking over her as we speak, and she'll be okay." He grabbed her face and forced her to look him in the eye. "She's okay," he said again.

"They took her."

"I know." He stood and, in one smooth motion, picked her up.

Rebekah wrapped her arms around his shoulders, grinding her teeth together when the move, no matter how gentle, jostled her injured leg. She wanted to bury her face in Daniel's shoulder and cry, but she refused to do so until she knew Marina was going to be okay.

Outside the cell, a large group of men and women waited while one worked over Marina's broken body. But Rebekah's friend was conscious and turned in her direction. No words were exchanged, but Marina simply nodded and closed the one eye that wasn't swollen shut. Another man with spiked black hair talked into a radio while Rodney was loaded onto his own gurney. The woman who unlocked her cell quickly informed Rebekah that he would be okay when he woke up. She accepted that, not quite processing everything that happened. There were too many strangers, too much activity. Colonel Mitchell patted her shoulder and then spoke softly to Daniel. She caught the words "hurricane" and "outside" but didn't hear much more. Her head ached, and her throat closed as she fought with her emotions.

"Daniel?"

He glanced down at her. "Yeah?"

"Can we go home now?"

He laughed. "As soon as we can take off through the hurricane, yes. But we can get out of here."

As he carried her away from the prison, Rebekah buried her face in his shoulder and started crying. She didn't stop until they reached the upper levels of the compound—which she would later learn was a safe house for the Trust. Once alone, Daniel set her on a cot while he pulled off his Kevlar vest and weapon. Then, he tugged her back into his arms and held her as she cried herself to sleep.

~~O~~

Stargate Command

One week later...

The infirmary at Stargate Command didn't have decent views like the local hospital, but Rebekah wasn't complaining. The drab walls were safety to her even though, late at night, they reminded her of the prison where she'd been held. Daniel stayed during those hours, mostly just working in the light of a small lamp and quickly reminding her she was safe. She loved him even more for that.

Things had changed in the last week. Her new doctor, Carolyn Lam, told her that she would normally have been taken to the Air Force Academy hospital close by. But several members of the Trust, including William, had escaped the safe house during the chaos. Because he might still be after his lost "assets," which included Rebekah, she'd been brought to one of the safest bunkers on the face of the Earth. During the abduction, her leg had been reinjured. The work she'd already done had needed some help, so she wound up going through surgery less than forty-eight hours after her rescue. Rebekah had awakened to see Daniel sleeping in a chair while Colonel Mitchell read a magazine behind him.

She had met so many people in the last week. Daniel had brought General O'Neill, Murray, Vala, and Sam by to see her, all of them grateful she had survived her ordeal. He'd then introduced General Landry, Colonel Sheppard, Lieutenant-Colonel Lorne, and all the others who had participated in the rescue. After seeing the overwhelmed expression on her face, he walked alongside her bed as Dr. Lam wheeled her into a private room. After closing the door, he settled onto the edge of her bed and began telling her the most fantastic story she could imagine. She listened as he told of a young archaeologist brought in to translate a cover stone, never knowing the actual device was real. The young archaeologist opened the gate, went through to another world, and lived on another planet with his alien wife until another alien race kidnapped her. Then, he returned to Earth and began searching for her.

As she listened, Rebekah realized just how great a burden Daniel carried. His wife had been dead for nearly nine years, and in that time, he had traveled to hundreds. . .perhaps thousands. . .of other planets. Her world reeled as she struggled to digest it all. Daniel kept his story focused on him, on the Stargate and his work. But he promised to tell her more as she was able to hear it. Then, he presented her with the standard non-disclosure agreement, which she signed without thinking about it.

One thing had not been resolved, however, and Daniel never mentioned it. However, it ate at Rebekah, and she finally brought up the subject less than a week after her second surgery. "How's Marina?"

Daniel glanced up from the report he'd been reading. "Uh. . .she's good."

Rebekah nodded.

He set aside the report. "You should talk with her," he said softly.

She shook her head. "I don't even know who she is."

"You didn't know who I was until now."

"Yes, I did." She met his eyes. "You're a good man, Daniel. Probably the most amazing man I've ever met. And while I didn't know the full truth of what you do for a living, you still let me see you. I know you. Not Dr. Daniel Jackson of the SGC. But Daniel Jackson, the man afraid to lose again. The man who likes to write and laugh and enjoy coffee with friends. The man who isn't frightened when faced with impossibilities. You were honest with me and told me that your work was classified, that you couldn't talk about it. And I accepted that.

"Marina's different." Rebekah shifted and stared at the door across from her bed. "She lied to me, Daniel. Her name isn't even 'Marina' and I can't think of her as anything but 'Marina.' She didn't just betray me by pretending to be someone she's not. She betrayed our country—our world—and I bought it all. Hook, line, and sinker. I never even suspected."

"Did you ever stop to think that she wanted to do those things?"

Rebekah laughed. "Yeah, like she wanted to get me brought to this infirmary?"

"She did what she thought was the best thing for you."

"She did what she thought was best for her."

"You can't hold on to this forever." He leaned an elbow on his knee and stared at her. "Believe it or not, I've been where you're at. I've had a friend betray me."

"Really?"

"How do you think it felt when my wife tried to kill me?" he asked with nothing more than gentleness in his voice. "The day she died. . . ." He shook his head. "I remember thinking I would never forgive Teal'c."

"Teal'c?"

"Murray."

"His real name's Teal'c?"

Daniel grinned slightly. "I knew I forgot to tell you something!" He chuckled at his own oversight. "Yeah, his name's Teal'c, and no he's not human."

Rebekah grabbed one of her pillows and threw it at him. "I need to know these things!"

Daniel caught the pillow and set it on his lap. His eyes told her that he wanted to get back on topic. "Look, just talk to Marina. Listen to her. It'll help."

Rebekah didn't answer him, choosing to glare at the door in response. Her mind whirled, though, as she tried to think about all the implications. It had been a week since her few hours as a Trust captive, and Marina hadn't tried to see her in all that time. Not once had anyone mentioned her name in connection with a visit. At first, Rebekah was grateful, but she now wished someone would give her some information. And Daniel wouldn't help.

It took another day for Rebekah to make up her mind concerning her former best friend. Daniel hadn't pushed her, choosing to stick to his guns about giving Rebekah information. Frustrated and knowing she wouldn't be able to move on in life until she did so, she finally nodded. "I'll talk to her."

Daniel, who had been working quietly at the table across the room, glanced up. "Who?"

"Marina."

He set down his pen and reached for his glasses. "You sure?"

"Yes." She met his eyes. Every day, he brought his work into her room and kept her company, telling her stories of his time with the Stargate Program. Some were funny, some weren't. It gave Rebekah a better idea of the man he was, and she could hardly believe someone like Daniel Jackson would stare at her with such affection in his eyes as he did when she simply called his name.

Now, he blinked. "Okay. I'll get a wheelchair, and we'll go."

While he tracked down the wheelchair, Rebekah sat up, ran a quick brush through her hair, and swung her legs over the edge of the bed. Dr. Lam had finally taken out her IV, and she loved the freedom. Still, she drew a scowl from Daniel when he returned. He didn't say anything as he helped her into the chair and turned her to the door.

The corridors of the SGC were busy, but no one gave Rebekah a second glance. The events in Las Vegas and Louisiana had been processed, and the curious stares had finally stopped. At another private room, Daniel pushed Rebekah inside. Rebekah stared at the woman in the bed. Marina lay with one arm propped on pillows, a cast showing that it had been broken. Her knee was elevated though not injured worse than a sprain. And her face was a rainbow of bruises, one eye still slightly swollen as it healed.

Rebekah's heart sank. Marina had been lying in here alone all this time?

Daniel set the brake on Rebekah's chair and put a hand on her shoulder. "I'll be right outside."

Marina stared at Rebekah. "Hey."

Rebekah smiled slightly. "I heard you were hurt, but. . . ." Tears filled her eyes. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" Marina shrugged, wincing when it pulled at injured muscles. "You didn't do anything."

"I didn't know you were this badly hurt."

"A beating does this to a person." Marina took a moment to breathe. "Rebekah, for what it's worth, I never meant for any of this to happen. I came to that writing group because I like to write. Nothing more. I didn't know Dr. Hottie would walk in or that you two would one day become an item or any of this. You really were my best friend."

For once, Marina's use of "Dr. Hottie" didn't upset Rebekah. "You were mine, too." She sighed. "What now?"

"Now, Marina Gonzales is going to disappear. She'll have. . .an accident while away to see family or something." Marina looked away from Rebekah as she said that. "It's how it has to be."

Rebekah nodded, not quite trusting her voice just yet. She stared at her hands and shook her head. "You know, I want to blame you for everything. But I can't."

"I blame myself."

"You shouldn't." Rebekah shrugged. "How were you to know that a man in Las Vegas, of all places, would be framed for murder and that it would reveal your cell of the Trust along with that one? How could you be responsible for stuff. . . ." She chuckled mirthlessly. ". . .for crap above your pay grade?"

"You sound like him, you know."

"Who?"

"Daniel."

Rebekah smiled at that. "He's a good man."

"Does he know you feel that way?" Then, she sighed, obviously thinking she'd overstepped her bounds. "Never mind."

Rebekah leaned forward and touched Marina's hand. "So, 'Marina's' dying? Who's going to take her place?"

Marina shook her head. "I don't know."

The uncertainties in Marina's face broke Rebekah's heart, and she was finally able to let go of a little of her anger and bitterness. It would take a lifetime to fully forgive, but she could start right now. "When you do figure it out, let me know. Somehow. I want you to be okay."

The ghost of a smile touched Marina's face. "What about you? What are you going to do?"

Rebekah considered that for a moment and thought about all the times in the last week that she'd almost blurted out how she felt for Daniel. "I don't know. But I want Daniel to be part of it."

"You love him, don't you?"

"Yes."

"Then tell him."

"How long are you gonna be here?"

"I think they're moving me out in the next few days." Marina shifted in the hospital bed. "I'm glad you're okay, Beks." Then, she cringed. "Sorry."

"I'm glad you're okay, too."

A few minutes later, Rebekah wheeled herself out of the room and found Daniel waiting in the corridor. She didn't say anything as he took over steering her chair. Marina's words about him floated through Rebekah's head, and she realized that she needed to stop being afraid. Daniel wasn't Brody, and he had never once treated her with anything less than respect and genuine affection. She did love him, and telling him she loved him wouldn't change that. She failed to convince her heart of that, but she knew what she needed to do.

When the elevator came into sight, however, she frowned. "Where are we going?"

"My office," Daniel replied from behind her. "I thought you'd like a change of scenery."

Rebekah grinned as they rode the elevator down a few levels and watched curiously as they wound through the corridors. Daniel greeted quite a few people along the way, and she was surprised when they also waved or said hello to her. At his office, she took the time to really absorb the whole feel of the place. While technically a drab military office in an underground bunker, Daniel had transformed it into a cluttered archaeologist's haven. Hardly one ounce of the walls showed behind bookshelves, lamps, artifacts, and pictures. A framed picture of Sha're adorned one wall, but she also saw a framed picture of herself on his desk. He wheeled her directly to the couch he'd placed there and helped her get settled. Before he could get away, she grabbed his hand.

"Thanks."

He knelt down beside the couch. "Listen, Rebekah, there's a lot you still don't know, but there's something. . . ."

She put a finger on his lips to stop him from talking. "Me, first." For a moment, the office was silent as she wrestled with her own fears. Then, she blurted out the words she wanted to say. "I love you, Daniel."

A slow smile crossed his face. "That's good. 'Cause I was about to tell you the same thing." He leaned forward, placing a soft kiss on her lips. "I love you, Rebekah. And I always will."

~~O~~

Two weeks after their rescue from the Trust, Marina was released to go into the world. She'd recovered quickly, and makeup hid the majority of the bruises. While she'd been cloistered beneath the surface of Cheyenne Mountain, news had reached Colorado Springs that Marina Gonzales had been called away on a family emergency. A drunk driver struck her car, and she had died almost instantly. Marina read the obituary and sighed deeply. The time for regrets had passed, and she had a new life to live.

Leaving the infirmary with her hair straightened and freshly dyed blond, she ran into Colonel Cameron Mitchell. The man had stopped by her room once to leave paperwork for her to look over, but she hadn't found the time to connect with him since. Now, her regrets came roaring into the present.

She had loved this man. In the short time they'd been together, she had fallen in love with him and didn't want to imagine loving anyone else like she loved him. But he would never look at her with the same warmth in his blue eyes. Instead, he nodded. "So, it's Arianna Morales, now?"

"Yes." Marina walked gingerly, careful of healing ribs. "I've always wanted to live in California and become a beach babe in my spare time, so now's my chance."

Mitchell rolled his eyes at that. "How long until 'Arianna' goes a different route?"

Marina met his eyes. "Unless she's physically killed, she won't." She shook her head. "You might not believe it, but I really do care about you."

"Yeah, I can see that," he said sarcastically. After a moment, in which he took control of his own emotions, he frowned at her. "I liked you, but you destroyed what trust we had between us. I can't get over that."

"I'm not asking you to." She held up an envelope. "Would you at least give this to Rebekah? It's nothing that would give me away. Just a quick letter from a friend." She blinked back a few tears, surprised at how tough this parting had become.

Cameron took the letter. "Sure." He escorted her to the elevator. "I hope things work out, Arianna," he said, emphasizing her new name.

"Arianna" smiled sadly. "Me, too, Colonel. Take care of Dr. Jackson and Rebekah for me."

He nodded. "I will." Then, he paused and frowned again. "Take care of yourself, too."

She lifted one hand as the doors closed and then let out a deep breath as the elevator took her to the surface. Her life of lying and deceit was over, and she had been released to live a new way. From now on, she vowed that she would develop friendships based on truth—as much truth as she could give them while living under a fake name. The Trust would eventually be brought down, and she'd be allowed to resume the name of Nora Brown. In time. Walking into the parking garage and getting into the car General Landry had ordered to take her to the airport, she blinked back a few tears.

Marina Gonzales was dead. And, in her "death," she had left behind the best friends she had ever known.

~~O~~

Cam watched the elevators close, his chest feeling as if he'd been smacked by one of the Sodan's krantu staffs. He'd liked Marina. . .a lot. Seeing Jackson so happy with Rebekah only highlighted just what Marina's lies had cost him. He once thought of himself as the "settling type," but recent events made him wonder if he'd ever find the right girl. Or if he wanted to find the right girl. Did he have what it took to pick himself up from this fiasco and think about dating again? He hadn't loved Marina, not the way that Jackson loved Rebekah, but he knew he could have if they'd had enough time.

A lot had changed while Rebekah and Marina—Arianna—had recovered from their injuries. Landry had been called to Washington for meetings with the President and Secretary of Defense. General O'Neill returned with him, stating in no uncertain terms that the SGC would be starting up their own branch of intelligence work. That branch would focus on alien threats to Earth's security: the Goa'uld, the Trust, and the remnants of the Lucian Alliance. Anything that could infiltrate Earth's governments. They'd called for a large number of resources and, since the legendary SG-1 had gone their separate ways in recent months, had asked Mitchell to head up this new venture. He had refused, saying Agent Barrett of the NID was better suited for the job.

Turning from the elevator with all these thoughts in his head, Cam found Jackson leaning against the wall behind him. The archaeologist straightened. "So, she's gone?"

"Yeah." Cam frowned. "How's Rebekah?"

"Pretty upset." Jackson shrugged. "She lost her best friend, and it really hit her today after. . .Whatever-her-name-is-now left."

"She's going by Arianna." Cam eyed his friend. "Maybe it's better if she doesn't know."

Jackson chewed on the inside of his lip. "I can't lie to her, Mitchell. If she asks, I'll tell her."

Cam grinned suddenly. "You're really serious about this, aren't you?"

"Now that she knows what I do for a living, yes." Jackson met his eyes. "I've also talked with Jack, and he's ambivalent. Happy I'm happy but not thrilled I'm thinking about getting married. Again."

Cam blinked, trying to catch up with that statement. "You're getting married?"

"Thinking about it." Jackson grinned at him.

"Oh." Cam nodded. "Congratulations." He left Jackson smiling like an idiot in the hallway and found his rarely-used office for a few moments of quiet. His trust in his ability to read a person had been shaken by Marina, and he knew it would take a long time to rebuild it. Jackson bounced back from things like this, not Cam.

With a sigh, he pulled out the form he'd been completing before Arianna's departure. He looked over it again and nodded. A vacation...that's what he needed. He knew it would take a while for all of this to settle, so he'd added the dates a month out with the proviso they could be changed. But he planned to get away some place unrelated to work, family, or any other thing in his life so he could just heal.

~TBC