Enjoy this next chapter! It's a nice, extra-long one, so I hope you like it. :) Please review. Most of you people haven't been reviewing the last couple chapters, and I really do need to know what you think, so please drop a line--or more!--and let me know. Thanks again!

Chapter 17

Meanwhile, the older Daniel was still being guided down the corridor by the two jaffa who had not remained in the holding room. Amaunet had been behind them at first, but had soon swept ahead. Daniel had felt her more than seen her move. He had been too busy nursing his offended stomach. It had taken a few moments to be able to straighten again without wishing he hadn't, and even now as he continued on behind the Goa'uld in front of him, one hand still hovered over his bruised middle.

The group passed the interrogation room generally used here in his experience--both past and present--and he frowned, wondering where Amaunet could be taking him now. Another few moments later it became clear to him when the Goa'uld entered the large room that housed the device that had accidentally brought him here, and the jaffa pushed him in after her. Grimacing in pain, he complied, though not happily.

Daniel looked to Amaunet, felt the confusion of emotions rising again like before, and forced himself to stifle them before they got out of control. He had a situation to handle.

"What are we doing here?" Daniel asked, putting on the most innocent face he could muster.

Amaunet looked at the device, and then looked at him, smiling. "This is the device that brought you here, is it not?"

"Why would you say that?" he said defensively.

"You were found here."

"No I wasn't. Actually, I was found down the corridor. Your jaffa followed me in here."

Amaunet glared at him, and one of the jaffa slammed the but of his staff weapon into the back of Daniel's legs, bringing him down with a loud grunt. Pulling in another breath at the pain in his legs and sore stomach, Daniel felt a lump forming in his throat again. He gulped it back mercilessly.

"Do not correct me," the Goa'uld hissed. "Yes, you were initially found in the corridor, but immediately came back here when chased. Why else would you have done that if you had not gotten here through this device in the first place?"

Daniel shrugged. "It was a door, and it was open," he replied nonchalantly, resorting to humor to distract himself from the tangle of feelings within.

"So you are telling me you did not arrive here using it?" Daniel remained silent, and Amaunet frowned. "Then how are you here? We already know you are from the future. You cannot hide that. Tell me how got here."

"I don't know how I got here," Daniel calmly answered in truth.

But she glowered at him again. "No. You are lying."

Without warning, a zat blast drilled into Daniel's back. Shouting in pain, he toppled forwards, shaking. Amaunet smirked as he trembled on the floor, gasping. He barely managed to stay conscious until the effects of the shot faded, and when the two jaffa pulled him upright on his knees again he was bleary-eyed, some of the tears having found their way to the surface. He blinked them back as Sha're's metal-capped fingers took his chin in her hand again.

"Now. You will tell me how you traveled here, Daniel Jackson," Amaunet said coldly. "It will not be hard…my host knows everything about you. I will learn what you know."

"I don't think so," Daniel answered quietly, just as firmly. "You couldn't force me to do anything then, and you certainly can't do it now. I'm different from the other man you have here. I've changed. You don't know a thing about me." Part of him hurt to say it, because he knew how true it was, and that if he ever really did see Sha're herself before he got home, she wouldn't be talking to the man she'd known. He was someone different, and not only that but he couldn't stay. No matter what happed here, he couldn't have Sha're back. It was a truth that had nagged at him ever since he'd realized where he was and who was here, what could happen, what he could do…but what he knew he couldn't do. Gosh…he hadn't even seen Sha're yet and already his heart felt like breaking again. Sha're…if he could just talk to the real Sha're…

As it was, Amaunet was especially angry now. Snarling, she drew back and hit him. Daniel gasped slightly in surprise and rocked one way from the force of the blow, his head snapping to the same side, but he refused to cry out. He winced at the stinging pain the back of her ribbon device-covered hand left behind, but then turned his determined gaze on her again. For a moment, just a moment, this threw the Goa'uld off, and her face faltered, but she quickly recovered and took up her superior sneer again. She backed away again.

"We will see, Doctor Jackson," she said simply. At her nod to them, the two jaffa pulled Daniel to his feet. In a split second, he made a decision. I have to talk to her…

When he had his footing, he made his move, pulling his arms from the jaffa's grip, and slamming his elbows back into their faces. Turning, he made a grab for one of their zat guns. The guard he tried to take the zat from had recovered enough to retaliate with a couple more punishing blows to Daniel's stomach, but the archaeologist still managed to grab the weapon off the jaffa's belt on the way down.

Daniel landed on the floor with a cry of pain, but managed to push himself far enough up onto one elbow to use his other hand to quickly shoot both jaffa with the zat, effectively knocking them out and getting them out of his way for the moment. Gasping from residual pain, he swept around and aimed the zat at Amaunet, who quickly smothered her shocked expression and opened her mouth to shout for more jaffa.

Daniel cut her off by raised the gun higher. "Call for anyone and I'll shoot." She shut her mouth again, but her eyes narrowed.

Using the wall next to him for support, Daniel pulled himself to his feet again with his free arm, though once up he leaned on the wall and that arm went around his middle as he tried to slow his pained, heavy breathing. But all the while he kept the zat trained on the Goa'uld. He knew what he had to do if he was going to talk to Sha're. He had to fire on her with the zat--the same tactic Jack had used to get to Skaara when Klorel had control of him almost eight years ago. Had it really been that long?

Daniel knew he had to shoot her, but his finger wouldn't move. He kept it aimed at her, but suddenly he couldn't bring himself to fire. He didn't want to hurt Sha're, but he knew he had to do it. There were things he had to tell her…Shoot, you idiot! He scolded himself as he flashed back to his dream earlier. He hadn't been able to do it then, or when it had really happened. He hadn't been able to stop Amaunet to save Sha're life because he hadn't wanted to hurt her. But in the end she had been killed. Now, if he was going to see his wife again he had to do what he hadn't been willing to do before. Why had he done what he'd just done? What had made him think he could do it this time?

The lump in his throat came back. Amaunet saw his inner struggle, and the corner of her mouth curled upwards. "You will not hurt me. You care for my host. You won't fire."

Tears stung Daniel's eyes as he fought with himself, but suddenly anger at himself for letting her die the first time took over. Even if this wasn't the same situation, even if her life wasn't at stake here, he wouldn't make the same mistake again.

"You're wrong," Daniel answered her softly, and then pulled the trigger before he could think himself out of it again.

Amaunet went down with a shout, but, as he'd expected, a she hit the floor the Goa'uld's cry pf pain morphed into a human's soft moan. Daniel's eyes widened and he threw the zat away, dropping to her side. Tentatively he touched her face.

"Sha're?"

After a few seconds her eyes opened and she looked up at him groggily. "Dan'iel?"

He nodded, sighing in relief as he gulped back the tears. "Yes." Then his face fell. "Well…sort of…I mean, I'm-"

Sha're reached up to where his hand rested on her cheek and took it in her own. "It's all right. I know you are from the future." Tears began to gather in her eyes. "I'm so sorry, Dan'iel. You are going through this again and I cannot stop it…"

Daniel helped her sit up and put his arms around her. "No, Sha're it's not your fault. I'm just happy to see you…" He stopped there, biting his lip. He shouldn't have even said that much; that sentence alone could give clues of the future.

Sha're pulled back and looked at him, saw the sorrow on his face before he pushed it away. "Dan'iel, what is it?"

He shook his head. "Nothing…"

Hoping to comfort him, Sha're leaned forward again to kiss him, but he held up a finger in between their faces. "No," he said quietly.

"Dan'iel?"

Sighing, he pushed a lock of hair from her face. "I'm sorry, but it's…it's not my place. I don't belong here; this isn't my time." He smiled softly, though there was sadness in it. "You belong to my younger self. I just wanted to see you. I had to tell you…" He trailed off, blinking back tears again.

"Tell me what?" She asked gently, her dark eyes searching his blue ones.

Finally Daniel took a deep breath and plunged ahead. "That no matter what happens, I'll always love you," he answered. "I-you know I know what the next several years will be like. I just…I just wanted you to know that before I left; I'll never stop loving you, Sha're."

His voice broke, and she embraced him again, more tightly this time. "I will always love you as well, Dan'iel," she assured him, now gulping back her own tears.

When she pulled back again there was sudden fear in her eyes. "Dan'iel, when Amaunet returns, she will be angry. She will want to hurt you…" she cried urgently.

Daniel gulped and nodded, shushing her. "I know. I know, Sha're, and whatever she does to me, I don't blame you, you hear me? It's not your fault. I chose to do what I did and if she wants to punish me for it I don't care; as long as I could see you," he whispered, kissing her forehead. Then he looked at her again. "But what about you? She can't hurt you, can she?"

At the question, something changed in her eyes and she looked away, as if guilty of something. His brow furrowing in concern at her reaction, he gently touched her chin and tilted her face back up to look at him. "Sha're?"

But he got no farther when suddenly her eyes widened and she shouted a warning.

"Dan'iel, look out-!"

Jackson didn't have time to turn before the zat blast struck him. He didn't even have time to cry out as the pain spiraled him toward unconsciousness. Before he blanked out he saw Sha're's eyes once again glow yellow-white as Amaunet re-took control.

He wasn't out for long, however. Only moments later one of the jaffa who had arrived awakened him with a harsh kick, drawing a yelp of pain from the barely conscious scientist. Daniel tried to pick himself up off the floor, but the jaffa pushed him down again. He glanced toward Amaunet, who sneered at him.

"You will pay dearly for your insolence, human," she informed him, before the squad of jaffa that had come to her rescue descended on him, fists and feet swinging in his direction.

Daniel would have found this newest bout of déjà vu to be funny, but he didn't have a chance to as he shouted from the blows, beginning to drown again in the sea of pain he wished he didn't remember so well.

Darkness and pain were the only two sensations Daniel was aware of as his consciousness slowly returned. Part of him just wanted to sink into the nothingness again, but awareness pushed itself on him. What…what happened?

He shifted, trying to move, but it only sent sharper ribbons of pain shooting through his hurting body and tugged a groan from his throat. The movement did, however, tell Daniel that his wrists were chained to a wall above his head, and that he was sitting on the floor against the wall. The darkness was his closed eyelids, but he didn't dare open them. He didn't know who would be waiting for him to wake.

He remembered Sha're, talking to her, she hadn't answered his last question, then her warning, and then…pain. Daniel shifted again, trying to get a feel for how badly he was hurt, and with the pain it caused came more flashes of memory: The blue flash of the zat blast that had taken him down, the glow of Sha're's eyes under Amaunet's control again, the jaffa crowding him, pushing him to the floor again, beating him down…

That's what had happened. He'd been beaten to a pulp again. He suppressed the sigh that came because he knew it would only hurt; his rib cage hurt the most by far. He wouldn't be surprised if he had several broken ribs this time, time, not to mention the cracked ones.

An insistent foot pushed at his leg, and someone was saying something unintelligible. After a moment his mind had cleared enough to realize it was a jaffa speaking in Goa'uld. The man knew he was awake. Grimacing, Daniel squeezed his eyes more tightly closed and willed unconsciousness to take him again so he wouldn't have to face Amaunet's wrath, which now obviously awaited him. But a few seconds later after he refused to reply a harsh kick to his already severely bruised middle forced his eyes open and a shout from his throat. His reaction was to double over, but the chains stopped him and he fell back against the wall, gasping.

Amaunet smirked from above him. "Welcome back to the land of the conscious, Doctor Jackson."

"Welcome," Daniel rasped. "Yeah, sure."

The jaffa kicked him again for his remark, and seemed take pleasure in his victim's scream and subsequent moaning.

"D-Do you…do you have to…to do that?" Daniel gasped after a minute or so. The jaffa drew back as if to kick him again and he flinched, ducking, desperately not wanting to be hit again as badly as the first two times had hurt his already battered ribs.

"Enough," Amaunet said quickly, stopping the jaffa from kicking Daniel again. The archaeologist would have sighed in relief, but it would have hurt too much. He looked toward her, wondering why she had called the guard off, and saw her approaching him. "Now, Doctor Jackson, shall we try again? How did you get here?"

"Your jaffa beat me up and chained me here; that's how I got here," he replied weakly.

The Goa'uld's smirk stayed in place. "You are still just as smart-elic as your younger self." Then the smirk faded into a frown. "But I do not have time for such nonsense. Now tell me how you came here, and tell me when you are from. Tell me of the future."

"No," Daniel said firmly. "I wouldn't betray my planet then, and I'm not going to betray my future now. You can't change my mind."

"Oh, I believe I can. No one can resist the Goa'uld forever. You will tell me what I want to know eventually. Both of you will." She nodded to someone he couldn't see, and he turned just in time for déjà vu to wash over him yet again as one of the jaffa touched the end of a torture stick to one of the chains that bound him. Amaunet smiled as Daniel cried out, though it didn't last as long as he'd thought it would, and a moment later the device had been pulled away.

Amaunet just looked at him, daring him to defy her. He took the dare.

"You're gonna have to do better than that," he snorted, trying to slow his breathing and ignore the pain from his ribs.

At that, she glared again. She skewered the jaffa next to Daniel with a meaningful glance, and he shoved Daniel's body forward. The scientist grimaced as his wrists pulled on the chains and his arms twisted in the wrong direction. Seconds later the jaffa touched the torture stick to the back of the human's neck, and Daniel started to scream.

"Okay, I still don't think it was such a great idea to call the Tok'ra. Jacob's great and all, but it's been almost a whole twenty-four hours since they started to help, and we still don't have any leads," Jack O'Neill complained. "I mean, really, what was the point?"

Jack, Teal'c, and Janet Fraiser had just returned from their last search of the day. It was late, and though they would have gladly continued through the night, General Hammond had ordered them all to get some rest. Now the three of them had crashed in the commissary--all eating blue jell-o. They were the only three in the room.

Janet answered him. "They're doing everything they can, colonel. There getting in touch with all the contacts they can, and they have three ships out searching all the planets they can reach quickly."

"Yeah, cargo ships," O'Neill retorted. "Those things are, what, the size of this room, if not smaller?"

"Actually, O'Neill, I believe that they are a bit larger," Teal'c supplied helpfully.

Jack rolled his eyes. "Whatever. But we've been through, what, fifty planets now?"

"That's where we would be if we'd gone on by ourselves, but with the Tok'ra's help, almost a hundred have been searched," Fraiser answered.

Jack sat back. "All right, all right, so they have helped, but we still haven't found any trace of Carter or Daniel. We still have no idea where they whatsoever!"

Janet sighed. "Well, colonel, if it makes you feel any better, Daniel was just as frustrated as you are when we were looking for you and Sam when you got stuck in Antarctica."

"Ah," O'Neill replied. Then he turned to look at Teal'c "Wait…Daniel was? What about you?"

Teal'c inclined his head. "I was deeply concerned for you, O'Neill, but jaffa are not easily…'frustrated'."

"Uhh…okay," Jack said finally, and then turned back to Fraiser. "Okay, now what?"

"Now we sleep," the doctor replied immediately, gathering up the now empty jell-o cups from her friends and throwing them away.

"Well, actually," O'Neill said as she came back to the table. "I was kinda thinking more along the lines of sneaking out to look for them some more…" At the look on Fraiser's face he stopped. "I'm kidding, doc."

Janet raised an eyebrow. "It had better be."

"Sorry. I tend to do that more when I'm worried," O'Neill admitted, shrugging. "Daniel and carter have been missing without a trace for almost three days, and we don't know if they're hurt, or have been captured, or…" He shrugged again. "Well, yeah. I just hope we find them okay."

Fraiser nodded. "I know what you mean. I do too," she said quietly, but then quickly shifted back into doctor mode. "Now, you, colonel, to bed, now. I'm going too. We both need it. Teal'c-"

"I will kel-no-rim, Doctor Fraiser, as General Hammond has ordered us to rest," Teal'c answered, nodding. "I do not need to be forced to do so, as with some humans at times." A hint of a smile tugged at the corner of the jaffa's mouth as he stood and turned to go.

O'Neill stood as well. "Hey, that was a joke!" he called after Teal'c as he followed his teammate out. "Would you quit catching me off guard with them like that..."

Smiling, Janet shook her head and followed them.

Eventually Amaunet had grown tired of having the jaffa use the torture stick, and had them unchain him and drag him to her. By then he'd been too exhausted to do much more than moan in protest from the pain of being moved.

And now, Daniel Jackson was trapped. He was trapped on an alien world, brought here against his will, by a means he didn't yet understand. He was trapped in a Goa'uld facility belonging to Apophis, the one person-or thing, or whatever-he hated most in the entire universe. He was trapped in the grip of the two serpent guards that held him between them, wouldn't allow him to move even an inch.

Not that he would have been able to move much if they weren't holding him so tightly that his arms hurt. Because not only was he caught between them, but Daniel was trapped in the clutches of a Goa'uld hand device trained on his aching forehead. Pain racked his entire body so harshly that by all rights he should have been trembling violently, but he couldn't move. He couldn't struggle. His knees had given out long ago from not only the torture, but from weakness from the earlier beating. The two jaffa still held him halfway up, and by now his arms felt as if they didn't let go soon, they would tear from their sockets.

This wasn't right. This wasn't where he was supposed to be. The Goa'uld had been defeated. Except for Baal, they weren't a threat anymore. The Ori were the problem now. There shouldn't have been a Goa'uld doing this to his. This shouldn't have been repeating…

But that wasn't it. No, the worst part of it all was that Daniel was trapped in a nightmare that refused to end. Because the face that loomed before him, not quite in focus anymore because of his blurring vision, was too familiar, too precious to him to be the cause of the agony he was feeling.

But it was reality. He knew his eyes weren't lying, hadn't been lying to him since he had been brought here. And the knowledge brought with it an even more unbearable agony, one that tore at his heart relentlessly, one that showed on his face more clearly than anything else as he stared helplessly up at his tormentor, forcing back one of the loud groans of pain that had issued from his mouth so often in recent hours.

Instead the stricken young archaeologist forced himself to speak, even though it only made the pain worse.

"Sha're…" Daniel gasped once.

But of course she did not reply. Amaunet only frowned and increased the intensity of the orange beam leaping from the ribbon device to his forehead, and Daniel shouted, his face twisting in agony as the pain increased exponentially. He hadn't even thought that was possible. Obviously I was wrong, he thought helplessly as his vision began to darken quickly.

And Daniel Jackson's world abruptly went black.