A few days into their honeymoon, Logan and Sheppard visited a winery in Northern California. They wanted to bring back some gifts for their friends and thought wine might be just the ticket. As soon as they pulled up to the main building, something set off both of their radars. There was nothing overtly suspicious happening outside, but they knew better than to ignore it when their guts were screaming at them.

"What do you think?" she asked.

Sheppard shook his head and reached into the glove compartment, pulling out a handgun that had been issued to him at the SGC. "I don't know... Something just doesn't feel right."

Logan patted her purse, indicating that she, too, had her handgun with her. Sheppard got out and came around to her side to open her door for her, trying to look as casual as possible. Logan scanned their surroundings for any sign of trouble, but there was none. Numerous people were scattered about the grounds, in tasting rooms, or the sales offices, some where just touring the facility.

"Shall we tour?" she asked.

"Best way to get a good look, I guess."

They fell into step with a few other people who were just starting out on the tour, smiling amicably, and pretending to be simple wine enthusiasts. Midway through the tour, when they were beginning to feel somewhat foolish for thinking anything was amiss, something set Logan's back up again. Scanning the area once more, she noticed one of the outbuildings about thirty yards from where they were standing. She couldn't be sure, but she thought she saw someone duck inside, armed with a gun. Nodding casually to Sheppard, he glanced over to the building she indicated. He saw two men who, to his eye, looked to be standing guard. He saw no weapons, but he recognized the body language.

"We have to get in there," she whispered.

"Uh-huh...But we can't shoot our way in."

"Lost tourist schtick?"

He nodded. "Might work."

He took her hand and followed the rest of the group until they disappeared inside one of the tasting rooms. Then they ran over and crouched down behind some shrubs, checking to see if anyone had seen them detach themselves from the group. One of the men who'd been standing guard outside the small outbuilding had disappeared inside.

"Well," Sheppard began. "We can handle the one outside easy enough, but we don't know how many are inside."

"Good point. Um... honey?" she looked up at him.

"Yes?"

"Do you think we should try and call someone?"

"Like?" he shrugged.

"General Landry?"

"Sweetie, we don't even know what's going on here... Might just be drug-runners or something..." he pointed out.

"I...don't...think...so..." she countered, her eyes suddenly widening in shock.

"What?" he turned to follow her line of vision, but he still didn't see anything.

"That guy... John, he's got a zat!" she whispered harshly.

"What?!"

"Look, when he turns again, look at the waistband of his jeans."

Sure enough, as the guy turned around, he could clearly see the outline of a zat clipped to his belt.

"N.I.D. or Trust maybe?" she wondered aloud.

"I thought they were disbanded."

"Yeah, well...It just takes one to start them up again," she griped.

Sheppard pulled out his cell phone and placed a call to General Landry. He quickly explained the situation, telling him that they weren't sure how many or what group they were attached to, but that they had advanced weapons. Just as Landry began to question him further, his cell phone went dead. Logan pulled hers out, but she couldn't get a signal either.

"What now?" she asked.

"We have to get more intel..." he murmured.

"Agreed."

"You ready?" he asked.

"Ready."

He quickly pulled her close and planted a kiss on her lips. "Stay close, babe."

"You betcha snookums!" she teased back.

They easily overpowered the guard outside, knocking him out with his own zat. Sheppard tied him up with his belt and left him under a large bush next to the building. Quietly easing the door open, they quickly stepped inside and closed the door behind them. It was dark inside, but their eyesight soon adjusted and they were able to make out the interior of the room. There were no furnishings, save for a desk and a couple of chairs over in the corner. They made their way over to the other side of the room, where there was another door. Listening intently, they could make out no sounds, other than a strange humming noise that Logan found familiar. Sheppard motioned for her to stand on the opposite side of the door, while he opened it and checked for any sign of movement. Luck was with them so far. No one moved nearby and they didn't hear any voices.

"Cover my six?" he whispered.

"My pleasure, dear," she quipped.

Sheppard grinned lasciviously. "And when we're done, I promise not to take my eyes off yours!" he whispered.

"Promises, promises..." she motioned him on ahead of her.

There was a stairway a couple of feet ahead of them. With Sheppard in the lead, they slowly made their way down the stairs. The hum grew louder and the walls of the stairway were vibrating. Something told Logan she should KNOW what it was they were walking into, but...

"Kree!"

They froze as they heard the sharp command echoing from down the hallway at the bottom of the stairs. Sheppard glanced over at Logan curiously and mouthed "Kree?"

"It can't be..." she whispered.

"What?"

"Not here..." she shook her head.

"What?"

"That humming..."

"Logan... sweetheart... Please?" he arched an eyebrow at her.

Suddenly the door at the end of the hall opened and ten large men walked out, followed by a tall, dark, and (grudgingly admitted) handsome man. Logan gasped at the sight of him, and muttered, "Aw, crap!"

They quickly had to plaster themselves against the stairway wall to avoid being seen by the passing group. Sheppard hadn't missed the incredulous look in her eyes when she saw the last man, who appeared to be the leader. Once they'd passed and things grew quiet again, Sheppard pulled her farther back up the stairway.

"You recognized that guy...?"

Logan nodded, looking alternately pissed off and somewhat concerned.

"Who is he?"

"John... I don't know how or why, but that was... Ba'al!" she told him.

"Ba'al? As in foot-BALL?"

She shook her head seriously. "As in Goa'uld System Lord Ba'al."

"I thought Daniel said they'd been wiped out."

"But not completely... Teal'c and Bra'tac had Ba'al in their sights after the replicators were destroyed by the ancient weapon on Da'kara, but he was able to ring to another ship and escape... I don't know how he managed to get here undetected, but he must have come here to hide, knowing that Earth was the safest place to hide."

"Great... So he's one of those... what did O'Neill call them? 'Snakeheads'?" he asked, his gut churning at the thought.

Logan nodded. "We need to find out what he's doing here."

"Let's go..." Sheppard whispered, making his way back down the stairs.

They moved around the underground facility undetected for a good twenty minutes without learning much. They'd found the source of the deep humming that reverberated throughout the facility, a Goa'uld power generator, as Logan had suspected. They hadn't seen Ba'al again, since that initial sighting. They weren't sure if that was good or bad. Whatever he was doing here, Ba'al HAD to be up to no good. After all, he was BA'AL.

Since they were unable to determine what his plans might be, they figured that they might as well get out while they could, and let Landry know what they'd discovered. They began to make their way back to the stairway and had almost made it when a door suddenly opened directly in front of them and one right behind them. With only one zat between them, they knew they couldn't fight their way out. Logan's heart sank when she saw Ba'al walk through the door toward them. Though it had been several years, she knew there was no way he wouldn't recognize her. Sheppard eased in front of her, trying to use his body as a shield.

"Major Logan Devane, isn't it?" he smiled darkly. "It has been some time since last we met."

"Ba'al," she nodded. "It's actually Lt. Colonel now."

Sheppard looked at him oddly. "Do they always sound like that?" he whispered.

"Yes," she whispered back.

"Are you going to introduce me to your..." smirking smugly. "...protector...?" Ba'al asked.

"Allow me to introduce MYSELF... Lt. Colonel John Sheppard."

Ba'al looked at Logan. "Am I supposed to be impressed?"

"You should be," Logan replied.

"And why is that?" he arched an eyebrow at her.

"Just take my word for it, trust me."

"Tell me, Lt. Colonel Devane... Are you still with the SGC... You don't appear to be in... uniform," his eyes caressed her appreciatively.

"In a manner of speaking," she replied. "What have you got going here, Ba'al. Don't tell me you've given up your delusions of achieving galactic domination to... sell wine?"

"Hardly."

"How did you get here? And why Earth, of all places?" she prodded.

"How did I get here...? I have my ways. And why Earth? Why not Earth? I believe you call it... hiding in plain sight?" He hazarded a disdainful glance at Sheppard. "Your friend here isn't very talkative."

Logan laughed. "You wouldn't say that if you really knew him."

"If that is so, perhaps HE would like to explain what the two of you are doing wandering around my facility?"

"He wouldn't," Sheppard said.

Ba'al stood and stared at Sheppard thoughtfully. "There is something about him that reminds me somewhat of... O'Neill."

Sheppard smiled. "Why, thank you!"

"That was not a compliment, I assure you."

Sheppard shrugged. "Nevertheless..."

"So tell me, Ba'al... How did you get all these Jaffa to follow you? Don't they know about..."

"Silence!" he bellowed, cutting her off.

"They don't, do they?" she smiled wickedly.

"What don't they know? That the Jaffa are fr..." A sudden zat blast silenced Sheppard before he could finish his sentence.

Logan dropped to her knees beside Sheppard and glared up at Ba'al. "That wasn't necessary!" she snapped.

"Perhaps not, but it was extremely satisfying," he smirked. "Now then... What shall we do with the two of you?" Ba'al asked.

"How about you just let us walk out of here?" she suggested.

Ba'al laughed. "And why would I do that?"

"Out of the goodness of your heart... hearts... whatever," she ventured.

"Well, that IS a change, Colonel Devane. I seem to recall that you once accused me of not HAVING a heart."

"Did I? Well, I always make it a point to see the best in... someone. I'm sure you've... grown... a lot since your near death at the hands of Anubis... and then Teal'c... What do you say we just call it even?" she batted her eyelashes at him.

It hadn't escaped his notice that she'd manuevered herself into a position where she could stand protectively over her fallen comrade. "I think we both know better than that, Colonel."

"Now see, there you go proving General O'Neill right... again. I was all set to give you the benefit of the doubt, but..."

"Tell me, my dear...The protective stance you've taken over your friend here. Is it out of concern for a fellow warrior, or something more?" he interrupted her

Logan shrugged, struggling not to show even the slightest hint of panic. "You know us crazy Tauri, Ba'al..."

"Yes, what is that ridiculous code of yours...? You never leave your people behind?" he asked.

"Very good."

"Very foolish."

"Potayto - Potahto..." she shrugged.

"Tell me, how long before a rescue team swarms over my little operation here?" he asked.

"Time being relative...?" she checked her watch, "Could be any time now."

"You always work in teams of four, where are the other two of your unit?" he glanced around as if expecting them to appear at any moment.

"They're around here somewhere..." she bluffed.

"Well then, it would seem prudent that we should prepare to evacuate this facility before your friends arrive."

"Where are we going?" Sheppard croaked weakly.

"Welcome back, Colonel Sheppard," Ba'al smiled grimly. "You will be staying behind, but Colonel Devane here... She will be accompanying me on my ship."

"I don't think so," they said in unison.

"I beg to differ... Although... Yes... Perhaps I should take you both," he mused thoughtfully.

"What changed your mind?" she asked, trying to stall for time.

"I thought to save this surprise for later, but... We have been working diligently to restore the Goa'uld to their rightful place in this galaxy. That you should happen upon my operation at this precise time is most fortuitous."

"Because...?" Sheppard asked.

"The infant Goa'uld we have been breeding have been too young for implantation... until now."

"What is he saying?" Sheppard whispered to Logan.

"I'm saying I have at least TWO who ARE ready to take a host..." he replied.

"Well, we've kind of got our hands full with our own lives right now, Ba'al, don't really see how we can take on anyone else's, so we'll have to decline your... uh... generous offer," Logan said.

"I'm sorry... Was I giving you the impression that either of you had any choice in the matter?" he grinned malevolently.

Ba'al ordered his Jaffa to prepare for evacuation, making sure they understood that the tank containing the infant Goa'uld was to be well-guarded and transported to his ship first.

Logan helped Sheppard to his feet, never taking her eyes off of Ba'al. "We will fight you on this, you know that?"

"I'm counting on it, my dear. I shall find it most entertaining," he nodded.

"I wouldn't be too sure of that if I were you," Sheppard said.

"He's right. Part of the reason the Goa'uld were defeated was your arrogance... your overconfidence... and the fact that you underestimated the human race," Logan pointed out. "I thought you were different than the others."

"Trust me, I am. And they are gone but, here *I* am," he smiled.

"Then act like it, Ba'al," she shook her head at him. "I've always thought you were smarter than them. Prove me right."

He grinned widely at her. "Oh please... do explain."

"Yes, you're smarter than any of them were. And I don't mean just intellectually. You're savvy in a way they never were. You recognize the value of humans..."

"On occasion," he nodded.

"You even like us," she added.

"Some of you," he shrugged, staring pointedly at her.

"Let us go," she told him. "Work with us, not against us."

"Your superiors would just as soon toss me into one of those appalling penal facilities and let me rot until I die of old age, rather than work for me."

"With you, not for you," she corrected him.

He grinned wickedly. "Potayto-potahto."

Suddenly the ground started shaking. They could hear the sounds of charges going off above them.

"Secure them!" Ba'al shouted.

Sheppard grinned wickedly. "That would be the cavalry!" he announced, elbowing the Jaffa holding him in the ribs.

Logan hit the one closest to her and tried to reach the zat he'd taken from Sheppard. Another Jaffa moved in and clubbed Sheppard over the head with his staff weapon, knocking him to the ground. He was still conscious, but barely, and in no condition to fight. Logan stopped struggling and kneeled on the floor next to Sheppard.

"Separate them!" Ba'al ordered. "Take him to the transporter with us, and have her follow shortly thereafter."

"NO!" Logan screamed as Sheppard was dragged away, still trying to kick his way free.

Despite the fact that she was virtually half their size, it still took three Jaffa to contain her. Just as they were about to zat her, another blast occurred right above their heads, knocking the Jaffa to the floor. Logan wriggled out of their grasp and, grabbing a zat that had skidded across the floor, she took off after the ones who'd taken Sheppard. Logan could hear the sound of gunfire and staff blasts behind her as she ran to catch up with the Jaffa carrying Sheppard. She could also hear the telltale sound of transport rings being activated somewhere ahead of her.

"No!" she cried out and ran faster.

Ba'al had already ringed out and the two Jaffa holding Sheppard were just stepping into position on the platform when she burst into the room. Her first shot took out one of them, but the other one had already activated the rings before she could shoot him too. He fell just as the rings appeared, blocking her way to Sheppard. Her last picture of him was of him slowly sinking to the floor, barely conscious.

"NOOOO!" she screamed as the light flashed and the three of them were transported out of the room.

Logan frantically searched for the ring controller when a group of ten men burst into the room behind her.

"Freeze!" one of them ordered.

Logan rolled her eyes and raised her hands above her head. "Listen to me Lieutenant!" she barked. "I'm Lt. Colonel Logan Devane, you can check with your superiors. I'm one of the ones who called you in here. My ID is in my back pocket, I'm going to reach for it..."

"Slowly... And show me your tags!" he ordered.

She reached into her back pocket and pulled out the tiny wallet containing her military ID, then she reached into her shirt and pulled out her tags. "I don't have a lot of time, Lieutenant, so make it quick!"

Lieutenant Holt looked at her tags and then at her ID. "Very well ma'am. Can you tell me what the situation is?"

"In a nutshell, Lieutenant. Lt. Colonel John Sheppard has been taken captive by the enemy and we're going to go get him back!"

"Where... And who is this enemy?" he asked.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you, so just follow me and do as I say!"

She located the controls and ordered five of the men to stand with her on a circle imprinted on the floor. She told the others to secure the building and wait for instructions.

When Sheppard appeared on Ba'al's ship he had enough presence of mind to grab the two zats carried by the Jaffa with him. There was nobody present in, what looked to him, to be a cargo bay, but he was sure that others would be coming soon. He hid behind some crates and waited, trying to give his throbbing head a chance to clear. He knew Logan would be along soon, provided she hadn't been retaken by more Jaffa. His heart sank when he saw that two more Jaffa entered the bay and ran over to check on their fallen comrades. But, as soon as they dragged the men off the transport platform, the rings lit up again, throwing them backwards. Sheppard took advantage of the distraction to step out and fire both zats at them before they could react. He turned to aim at the newcomers who'd just transported in, and was surprised to find a contingent of soldiers, from Earth, surrounding Logan on the platform.

"HOLD!" Logan ordered as five weapons were simultaneously pointed at Sheppard. "This is Colonel Sheppard." she informed them.

"Hi guys...Nice of you to join me." he quipped.

"Where the hell are we, ma'am?" Holt asked.

A sudden slight, momentarily dizzying shift occurred in the area around them, screwing up their equilibrium for a few seconds.

"What was that?"

As out of it as he was, Sheppard knew exactly what it was. "That, gentlemen, was this ship going into hyperdrive."

"What?" Holt asked.

"Aw crap!" Logan exclaimed.

"No kidding," Sheppard agreed.

"Ma'am?" Holt called to her again.

"Okay... Here is the short version. The enemy we're facing is not human, as I'm sure you could tell by the men you were fighting down on the surface."

"The surface, ma'am?"

"Yes. You are now onboard a space ship, traveling through a hyperspace window to... God knows where. Now we need to take control of this ship and get ourselves and hopefully a few prisoners, back to Earth.

"Back to Earth? Ma'am are you sure you're feeling okay? Did you get hit in the head, too?" he pointed to Sheppard, indicating the trickle of blood down the side of his head.

"I'm fine, Lieutenant, now snap to! We're in a very serious situation here!"

"I think she's right, Lieutenant," called out Sergeant Walker.

He was standing near a small window, looking out. His eyes were round with fear and amazement.

"What kind of ship is this, Colonel Devane?" Sheppard asked.

Logan looked around quickly. "Not sure. It's not big enough to be a mother-ship and I think the Prometheus would have detected that anyway."

"Wouldn't the Prometheus have detected us when Ba'al opened the hyperspace window?" Sheppard asked.

"Yeah...I'm sure they'll be following us, but we need to stop this ship."

"Okay..." he grinned. "Point me in the right direction."

"Not you, Colonel," she shook her head vehemently.

"We don't know how many Jaffa are onboard," he argued.

"Not your problem, Colonel. You're in no condition to fight, so you're staying put."

"But..."

"No!" she barked. "Lieutenant Holt?"

"Ma'am?"

"I need one man to stay here with Colonel Sheppard and watch our six. The rest of you will be coming with me."

"Where to?" he asked.

"I'm familiar with these ships, Holt, and depending on which model it is, I know about where the main power source is... We knock that out, stop the ship, and then hold off any Jaffa that come along until the cavalry arrives."

"Jaffa?"

"That would be the enemy, Holt. The same guys you were fighting on the surface."

Logan began digging through the crates stored against the wall until she found what she was looking for. Quickly distributing the wepons, she explained what they were and how they worked.

"We call these 'zats'. You might have called them 'ray guns' when you were kids, but these are very real. One shot knocks them out, a second shot kills. Now, the powers that be are going to want to interrogate these guys, so let's try just to immobilize them if at all possible, especially their leader, although, you should know that he is likely to be protected by a personal shield."

"Like a force-field?" one of them laughed.

"Exactly," she smiled grimly. "I know this is hard for you to believe, but everything I've told you is the truth. We've been fighting these guys for a long time."

"Any questions?" she asked.

All of them chuckled nervously at her obviously rhetorical question.

"I think the questions can wait until we're in control of the ship, Colonel," Sheppard smiled.

"Okay, everybody clear on what we have to do?" They all nodded. Logan pulled the soldier aside who was staying behind with Sheppard.

"You don't let that man out of your sight, Sergeant. He is vital to the security of our planet. Do I make myslef clear?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Alright, let's move out!" she ordered.

Sheppard grinned and watched the five of them steal out of the cargo bay together. He rarely had an opportunity to just WATCH Logan at work, but it never ceased to amaze him how incredibly competent she was. These soldiers had no concept of what it was they were facing, but Logan's cool, confident demeanor had instilled immediate confidence in them as far as her ability to lead them. She was one of the most kick-ass soldiers he'd ever had the privilege of working with, and he was bursting with pride at the realization that he was married to this exquisite creature.

Sergeant Deeds looked over at Sheppard's smiling face. "She's... uh... she's really something, isn't she, sir?"

Sheppard nodded affirmatively. "She's one of a kind, Sergeant."

"So...we're really onboard an alien space ship, traveling through space?"

"That's right."

"And you two have been doing this for a long time?" he gaped at Sheppard.

"Yep."

"That's...uh... incredible, sir."

"You have NOOO idea, Sergeant."

TWO LEVELS DOWN**********************

Fortunately, for Logan and her men, there weren't many Jaffa around as they crept quietly through the ship. Ba'al must have left most of them behind when he bailed out on his operation. However many he had left, she knew he would have them guarding the most vital systems of the ship. Sure enough, there were about ten of them standing guard over the entrance to the main power generator. Logan quickly and quietly instructed her men about the best strategy to take all of them down, without having them raise the alarm.

On a count of three, the five of them jumped out, firing their zats as they did. All ten were taken out in a matter of seconds, without any of them being able to fire off a shot. Logan led three of them inside and placed the other two at the entrance, in case any more Jaffa came along. It had been several years since Logan had even been on a Goa'uld ship, but she thought she remembered which crystals would shut the drive systems down without shutting down life support or opening up a door while they were in space.

She carefully removed three crystals and the ship immediately decelerated and came to a complete stop. Then she also pulled the crystals powering the weapons systems, so they wouldn't have any way of fighting back once the cavalry arrived.

"We're going to have company soon!" she warned them. "Let's get ready."

Logan hid the crystals, so that even if the Jaffa managed to retake the room, they would still be unable to power up the drive systems again. Her men spread out, taking cover behind whatever they could find, but where they could still see the door.

"Company!" Green shouted from the doorway.

Within moments, they were trading fire with three Jaffa who'd come to check on why the ship had suddenly stopped. It took several minutes, but the five of them finally managed to knock out the Jaffa. Logan instructed them to bind them securely before they woke up, or any of their friends came to help.

They repeated the same process three more times, and had taken out a total of fifteen Jaffa. They had no way of knowing how many more were on board, so they simply held their position and waited. Sooner or later, she knew Ba'al would have to show himself unless he wanted to be stranded there with no way to escape from the sure to be in hot pursuit, Prometheus.

Ba'al sat in the pilot's chair on the main deck, silently fuming. He couldn't believe that a mere TWO humans could overpower his Jaffa and take control of his ship. TWO! And one of them a WOMAN! The Tauri had been a thorn in his side for far too long. He wanted to go down to the control room and crush the life out of them, but Ba'al was not stupid. He was outnumbered now, with his Jaffa captured or killed. He hadn't outlived the other System Lords by acting on his emotions rather than common sense. He had to find some way to reroute the controls to his location and get the ship moving again before the Tauri could catch up to him.

Logan and her men had been waiting for almost an hour, with no sign of Ba'al or any more Jaffa. As much as she wanted to go and find him, she knew they couldn't leave the control room unguarded. That would be precisely what Ba'al wanted.

"This Prometheus you talked about...?" Holt asked.

"Yes?"

"Any idea when we can expect her?"

"Not really," she admitted. "Tracking another ship that has gone into hyperspace isn't as simple as reading a radar console, Lieutenant. They'd have to calculate exactly where we opened a window and then plot our presumed trajectory. They don't want to overfly us, run right into us or even take the wrong course altogether. It'll take some time for them to get it just right."

"But... they WILL, right?"

"Yes, they will... In the meantime, it looks like there's a secure hold a couple of doors down from us. We should start taking these Jaffa in there before they wake up enough to put up a fight. Only two men, the rest of us will stand guard to make sure Ba'al doesn't find a way in here."

Two soldiers took the Jaffa, one by one, to the secure hold where they were locked in to prevent them from escaping their bonds and rejoining the fight for the ship.

"What kind of weapons does this Ba'al have that we should worry about?" Holt asked.

"It's a little hard to explain. He's got a device, that wraps around his hand... It's capable of blowing someone to bits or knocking them off their feet... Sort of a mega shockwave type... thing..."

"Okaaaay..."

"Trust me, you don't want to mess with him."

"And we can't fire back because of his personal... force-field."

"Right."