Hello my patient readers. Only one more chapter to go (I think - maybe two). I know it's been a slow ride but I'm hoping to finish this week and then move on to finish Spring Cleaning and The Cliche. I do apologize and thank you for being patient with me.

"How is he?" Daniel asked, peering down at the still unconscious or sleeping Colonel.

Sam sighed and sat back on her heals. "About the same as the last time you asked, five minutes ago!"

"So sue me!" Daniel groused. "I'm worried about him, is all."

"We are all worried about him, Daniel Jackson," Teal'c said from where he sat, leaning up against the ships inner wall. "But it does no one any good to continue to ask. Major Carter is helping as best she can."

"You kids need to stop talking so loud. How's a guy to get any sleep?"

"Colonel!"

"Jack!"

"O'Neill!"

"Yes, I think you covered just about everything, although I didn't hear a 'Sir' in there. Jacob, what about you?"

"I'm not calling you Sir, Jack," Jacob Carter said as he swiveled around in his seat and grinned over at the now conscious Colonel. "So – feeling better?"

O'Neill grunted as he bent his arms and tried pushing himself up to a seated position.

"Sir, I don't think you should -"

"The floor is hard Carter," he said, "and my butt is sore."

She sighed and proceeded to help him sit up, reminded of another time and place, although a much colder one. "Here Colonel, have a drink." She handed him a canteen and he took a long swig of water. Afterward he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and regarded his team, who were all looking at him with worried expressions.

"I'm fine, guys."

"You do not look fine O'Neill," Teal'c said honestly. "Your face is much -"

"Okay, so I look like something the cat dragged in, but other than that I'm fine."

"I do not believe a cat had anything to do with how you appear O'Neill."

"Ha Tealc! A Jaffa joke." O'Neill laughed, but it was quickly followed by a groan as he clutched his stomach. "Ow."

"Take it easy Jack," Jacob called. "I used the healing device but it could only do so much. You're still pretty bruised."

"Yeah," Jack grimaced, "so I can tell. But thanks anyway."

"You're welcome," Jacob grinned and turned his chair to again look out the front of the Tel'tac, and into the depths of space.

"Here, help me move." Jack looked to Sam and then Daniel, who both squatted down and helped pull him back, so that he too was leaning against the inside of the ship. He sighed as he allowed his muscles to relax. "So, who's gonna tell me what happened. I – uh – don't remember everything."

"No? You don't remember talking about cosmic farts?" Daniel said, deadpanned.

O'Neill frowned and his face took on a confused look. "Cosmic farts? Uh – Carter? Is that something you've been keeping from me?"

Sam giggled as she relaxed back on her hands. She felt almost giddy with relief. The Colonel was really going to be okay. "No Sir – you simply asked me what happened to things when they were zatted three times. I didn't think you were – conscious enough – to understand the more complex theory, so I shortened it and told you they were turned to cosmic gas."

"Ah," he nodded his head. "And someone took that and made a childish joke about farts?"

"Yes Sir," she answered, looking as if she wanted to swallow her tongue.

"Carter?"

"Yes Sir?"

"Spit it out."

"Okay – ah – it was you Colonel."

"Me?"

"Yes, you – you thought it quite funny."

"I see," he frowned, his expression serious. "So I enjoyed the fact that we'd turned the bastard -"

"Bastards," Daniel corrected.

"Yes, bastards – into big farts, is that right?"

"Yes Sir, it is."

Suddenly O'Neill's head dropped back to the bulkhead and he closed his eyes. A moment later a huge grin cracked his face. "Such a fitting end." He began to chortle and a moment later was laughing a full out belly laugh until tears were streaming down his face. "Oh God! A cosmic fart!"

His teammates all watched as the Colonel had a laughing fit. Teal'c looked a bit worried, but Daniel just waved him down, a small smile on his own face. "It's good therapy," he said quietly.

Eventually O'Neill began to calm down, although every couple of seconds another choke of laughter would erupt from him. Finally he gave one last chuckle and leaned back again, his eyes closed, his body relaxed.

"Are you well O'Neill?" Teal'c finally asked.

"Just fine buddy. Better than I have been in a long time, in fact. Damn it but I needed that."

There was silence in the Tel'tac as everyone let Jack simply enjoy the moment. Eventually, however, he sighed and opened his eyes. He looked around at his teammates and grinned. "Sorry about that."

"No problem Colonel," Sam smiled back. "It was nice to hear."

"Yes well," he said, suddenly appearing a slight bit embarrassed. He rubbed his nose and then sat up straight. "So, who's going to tell me what happened?"

"You don't remember?" Daniel asked.

"Yeah, some of it," he answered, his voice becoming more somber. "I remember that bastard putting me back in a cage and -" he looked down at himself. "Hey, I'm wearing clothes!"

"Yes O'Neill," Teal'c said solemnly. "We did not feel it was appropriate for you to be butt naked."

"What?"

"I think he means "buck" Sir, buck naked."

Jack's eyes moved to Carter and he did not blush – or at least he would deny it to his dying day. "That doesn't sound any better Carter."

"No Sir," she bit her lip.

"And who – helped me get dressed?"

All eyes turned to Sam – who suddenly looked indignant. "It was Daniel and Teal'c," she protested, to the laughter of Daniel and her father, and a raised eyebrow from Teal'c.

A moment later Jack joined in the laughter, a feeling of deep contentment suddenly coming over him. He was home – here, with these three – and okay, Jacob got a nod too. These were his family and they'd stuck by him through all and hell –

The Sadistic Bastard was gone and he was on his way home. What could possibly be better?

"So, are you going to tell me what happened?" he said after a few minutes.

Daniel and Sam filled him in on the things he didn't know – or had been too out of it to remember. He wasn't surprised at his teammates and how they'd come through – again. He was also pleased to hear what had happened to the snake and his Prime, although he pretty much remembered that. He figured he'd sleep a bit better from now on.

But what he was really curious about was what Jacob and his Tokra buddy had been up to.

"Poison," Jacob said.

"But I thought you guys couldn't use that because it would kill you," Jack said, confused.

"Not that kind of poison Jack. No, we brought a few bottles of Homel with us to share with our brothers in arms."

"Homel," he frowned. "Hey, wasn't that the stuff -"

"That we used to get you out of there the first time Sir," Sam reminded him.

"Oh."

"Yes, we thought it very fitting," Jacob said. "We waited until the very end and then invited our colleagues to share a glass with us. They were more than happy to do so. It's an expensive drink and hard to find."

"What if someone had refused?" Daniel asked.

"No one would do that. It would be considered an insult to refuse such a gift and would result in a fight to the death. No, we were pretty sure that everyone would have some – at least all of the Goa'uld would. None of the servants were allowed to touch it, on pain of death."

"Literally," Jack commented. "But – didn't people notice, when everyone started dropping dead?"

"Well yes, but by that time they had no idea what had happened. You see the poison we used was slow acting. Everyone was long finished their drink before the effects started. By that time no one associated it with the drink. Kal'trek and I were able to make our way out of there and the rest, as we say, is history."

"Mmm – so, mission accomplished?"

"Yes, on all fronts," Jacob smiled. "Now I suggest you all try and rest. You'll be back home soon."

Jack slid slowly down until he was lying on the floor. This time he didn't notice the discomfort. His mind was not on his body, or even on what had happened on the planet. It was on the future. His future.

He wished he knew what it was going to be.

By the time they were nearing the planet with a stargate, which would take them home, Jack's mood had crashed. He knew that a lot of it was simple reaction – and exhaustion – but the knowledge didn't seem to help.

He felt himself begin to grow depressed, even though he tried to pretend, for his friends' sakes, that he was still okay. They were all still high from their success and didn't notice his increasing silence.

What was he going to do? This last mission had been hard, much harder than he'd expected. Fortunately the outcome had been good, at least it had been after he'd killed the snakehead. But that still didn't negate the fact that he'd spent most of the journey to the planet sick with fear. He tried to tell himself it was only because of Raijin and the memories of what he'd been through, but a part of him knew the truth.

He had lost his edge.

He glanced at each one of his teammates and felt a surge of warmth. These were his friends! He loved spending time with them, and the camaraderie of a mission was something he'd missed horribly. But, at the same time, he could still feel the stress of a mission that had almost ended in disaster.

Could he go out there again? Could he once more roam the galaxy, meeting new people, experiencing new things, fighting to protect Earth? At one time he had relished the thought. It had given him a purpose in life, a way to move forward and forget, for a time, the tragedy of losing his son. And for many years it had been an incredible adventure. So was he a fool for thinking about giving up all of that?

He heard Sam giggle, and turned his face towards her. She was looking at Teal'c, grinning at something the big guy was saying. He couldn't remember the last time she'd looked so happy and he recognized that he had a lot to do with that. His wounds, both physical and mental, had worn her down and he felt guilty as hell for causing her anguish.

His mouth turned up in a tiny grin – knowing that she'd kick his ass if she had any idea what he was thinking. But it was true – she'd been there beside him, whether physically present or not – since he'd been captured by Raijin. She'd asked for nothing – or almost nothing – and instead had been given a whole load of crap and nothing but pain.

Part of him felt like he should just walk away again, tell her that he wasn't good for her and she should get another life. The other part of him told him he was a fool to keep running away from her. She hadn't given up on him yet. If he did walk away, he was pretty sure she'd suffer and try and convince him to stay.

Or maybe this time she would decide she'd had enough and she really would let him go and she would move on.

" – it would serve you right O'Neill," he muttered.

"What's that Jack?" Daniel asked.

"Nothing. Just talking to myself."

All three of his teammates regarded him with various degrees of interest, curiosity and concern. He found himself wanting to reassure them that he was okay, but the words wouldn't come. Finally he sighed and gently lowered himself to the floor.

"Tired," he said shortly. He could see everyone's face relax slightly. Of course he was tired, they thought. Even though Sam, especially, still looked slightly worried, it was nothing like a moment ago. He'd deflected their worry into something tangible and easily fixed.

"How long until we get home Jacob?" he asked abruptly, not wanting an interrogation from the science twins. From Teal'c all he would get was the Eyebrow, and he could ignore that.

"It won't be long now Jack. Just rest and we'll have you back in the Infirmary in no time."

"What? No – I want to go home. I've spent enough time in the Infirmary to last me a life-time."

"But Sir -"

"Nope! I'm perfectly fine – ah!" he held up his hand to stop her – or anyone – from speaking. "I may be a bit bruised and sore, but Jacob healed anything serious and right now all I need is my warm, comfy bed."

"But Sir," Sam said again, speaking quickly. "You're all the way up in Denver. Do you really feel up to a long drive home?"

He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. He couldn't believe it, but he'd forgotten that he now lived in an apartment in Denver. And no, he didn't feel like a long drive. He felt way too miserable for that.

"You can stay with me Jack," Daniel offered suddenly.

"Thanks Danny, but all you have is a couch and I don't know if I'm up to that right now."

"You can have the bed, I'll have the couch," his friend offered generously.

"No, really. I can get -"

"You can stay at my house," Sam blurted suddenly. From her flustered look Jack was pretty sure that she hadn't thought about her offer before making it. She was probably regretting it by now, he thought cynically.

"I have a guest room," she added quickly, looking down at the ground rather than at him.

He could feel Jacob's eyes burning into his back, and knew that he had better say no. Staying at Sam's would complicate things, just when he was trying to figure out his life - and would definitely piss off her father. And it might give rise to rumors, which she didn't need – although technically he'd retired and was only active again for this mission, which had now ended.

No, it wouldn't be the wise or prudent thing to do. He could stay at Daniel's or in a VIP suite at the SGC. He was sure George would let him stay awhile. It would be better.

"Okay – thanks Sam. I appreciate it." And with that he closed his eyes and rested.