Buffy woke slowly, forcing herself to keep still, to assess her injuries and where she was. What she did know was she was restrained to a hospital bed but didn't recognize where. With a deep internal sigh she remembered the crash and knew that Jay was trying to find her.

"She's in remarkable good shape considering the accident. The head lac is already visibly healing, her assorted bruises and contusions are fading quickly." Came a muffled voice.

"What about her blood panels?"

"All clear. She's A positive, no anomalies. "

"Hmm, let's do a cat and pet scan and see what we can see." There was noise as various cabinets were opened and things placed onto a tray. Buffy jerked and there was a muffled exclamation then she felt a needle prick and was out again.

SG-1 and SG-2 were crowded into Jack's office while he made a phone call. "Starsky, call me." And he hung up. He looked at the crowd, "Let's get our civvies on and head on out, Jay, Daniel, Hayden you're with me, Carter, Teal'c, Ballard and Hailey you take one of your vehicles. We want to be low-key and the humvees aren't. As soon as we hear something we'll call Carter. Move out."

10 minutes later the two teams were headed down the mountain. Jay's face was pale and set and he turned his head towards Jack who was driving again.

"Jack, they won't hurt her will they?" There was silence in the back seat from Daniel and Hayden.

Jack ran a frustrated hand through his hair, "Christ Jay, I don't think so."

"Jay, you know how strong Buffy is. She'll probably have freed herself before we get there." Daniel said reassuringly.

Jack's phone rang and he answered, "O'Neill."

"Hello Jack."

"Whadya want Harry?"

There was a chuckle, "You called me Jack. What do you want?"

"Remember Buffy?"

A muffled oath, "You didn't sit on her? Christ on a crutch Jack! You had to know how valuable she was to them!"

"She's a grown woman who can take care of herself Harry! She's no fragile flower." Jack huffed, "Not the point. They caused her to have a car accident then took off with her, a little over two hours ago, where do you think she is?"

There was silence and Maybourne spoke, "They have a safe house on the west side of the city. Meet me at the gas station on the corner of Academy and Fountain." And the phone went dead.

Jack clicked his cell closed and snorted, "I always think that he's in Tahiti or something then he surprises me by being in town. Danny, call Sam and tell her to take another route to the BP on the corner of Academy and Fountain. We're headed straight."

Daniel met Jack's eyes in the rearview mirror and nodded, then dialed. A few minutes later the two vehicles pulled in from different directions into the gas station. Jack got out, took off his sunglasses and leaned against the crew cab of his truck. A blue Mercedes with tinted windows pulled up beside him and the window moved quietly down, "Jack."

"Harry."

"You have something for me?" the man asked charmingly, making Jack roll his eyes. He turned slightly, "Danny?" and a box was handed through the window to him. He in turn gave it to Maybourne who opened it.

"A .44. Jack you must love me."

"Yeah, yeah. Let's go already."

They followed Maybourne for a few miles when Jack's cell rang again, "Yeah."

"It's the brick and blue house mid block, 9566 Glenn Summer. I'll disable the security and you can take your people in."

"2 minutes Harry."

Jack pulled up in front of the house next door while Sam parked around back in the alley. Sam's team would take the back entrance while Jack's would go in the front.

****

Buffy regained consciousness for a second time. The men were discussing some x-rays that were lit up on the wall.

"Get the biopsy needles, we'll do organ biopsies next." One of the men stated.

Her eyes opened just a little and she gave a careful look around. Needles? Uh uh. Her wrists were still bound by what felt like leather straps. She gave them an experimental tug and smiled grimly. Her muscles still felt like mush but her adrenaline was kicking in just fine when the lights went out.

****

Jack let Jay kick the door in, surprising the armed men sitting on the couch. Both Jack and Jay pointed their guns at the men, "Get down!" Jack yelled and the men immediately went to the floor.

Jay grabbed one by the scruff of the neck, "Where's my wife?" he barked when the door between the kitchen and the living room swung open.

"Well well, if it isn't Colonel Coburn."

"Simmons." Jay snarled and he dropped the man he had. He was about to move forward when Simmons had his weapon up and pointed straight at Jay's forehead.

Meanwhile Sam and Teal'c snuck in the back, followed by Hailey, Ballard and Maybourne. There was a set of stairs that headed down and Maybourne headed down those while Sam and the others spread out through the kitchen and mudroom.

As soon as the lights had gone off Buffy had jerked her wrists several times and snapped the restraints off of the bed. The leather was still around her wrist but she could deal with that. While the two men scrambled around in confusion Buffy slid off of the bed and headed for the door she remembered seeing when emergency lighting popped on.

"Hey! Stay where you are!" one of them yelled and she heard the sound of a round being chambered. She sighed and held up her hands, "Not going anywhere." One of the men came up behind her to grab her wrist, she twisted, grabbed his wrist and slammed him over her shoulder into a wall. The other man fired off a shot that she dodged, scrambling underneath the hospital bed.

"You missed." She said, moving to the other side of the room. He knelt down and was looking for her when he fell to the tile floor on his stomach. Surprised she looked over and saw another set of feet in highly polished black wing tips.

****

Simmons was smirking, the gun unwavering while he was sure that his associates were taking care of Mrs. Coburn. Suddenly he wasn't smirking anymore, Teal'c had grabbed him by the neck and was slowly making him turn purple.

Jack moved forward and took the gun from his nemesis' nerveless fingers. "Sorry Simmons."

Jay moved forward into Simmon's face, "Where is my wife?" and everyone jumped at they heard the shot in the basement. Sam stepped back and Jay raced through the doorway and the others followed him.

Jack smirked at Simmons, "You shouldn't have done this. A nice man named Anthony Bretano was at their wedding. You might have heard of him, Secretary of Defense? Guess how he'll feel when he hears what happened to the 'peach of a woman' that he met on her happiest day?" He had the intense satisfaction of watching the man go milk pale.

****

"Hello?"

A man bent down, "Hello yourself." His blue eyes twinkled.

Buffy abruptly remembered the airport meeting, "You're Jack's friend."

"Call me Harry." He gave her a hand and pulled her up. Her head shot up as she heard feet pounding down the stairway, but a bellowed, "Buffy!" made her smile. She wobbled slightly as the adrenaline rush left her and Jay pushed through the partly shut door, his panicked face clearing as he saw her. Sam and the others went to truss up the downed men.

He placed his weapon quickly in the back waistband of his pants and moved to his wife, cupping her face. He could see the cut almost healed on her forehead, the bruise around her eye and the shudders in her body. "You're going to make us late for the party babe." She half smiled, her eyes tearing up and he pulled her gently to him, rocking her slightly as she shook even more.

Jay looked at Maybourne, "I owe you big."

"I'll collect some other time. We need to leave, the neighbors will get suspicious about the gunshot and call the cops." He gently touched Buffy on her shoulder and she looked around with a watery smile.

"Anytime that you need help, for something legal mind you, call me." She said softly and he smiled.

Jack was in the living room talking to General Hammond on the phone when he saw Harry thought the swinging door.

"Teal'c, hang on to Simmons for a moment, I need to see someone about a horse." Teal'c nodded but looked puzzled, "Very well O'Neill."

Harry turned as he was about to go back out the back door and Jack waved him through following. "Thanks Harry. You wanna write down anyplace else that we might need to know about in the 'Springs?"

"Jack, Jack, Jack. And lose my leverage?"

Jack rolled his eyes, "Pardon me." Hearing sirens he looked over at the other man, "We owe you."

Maybourne visibly hesitated then shook his head, "Coburn and his wife both said that I could collect with them. You don't owe me Jack." He flashed a grin at the astonished Colonel and quickly headed to his car and drove away.

Jay sat Buffy down and Sam checked her over quickly, then undid the leather straps, tossing them to the floor. "How many fingers do you see?" she asked.

"I see two " She looked at her bare feet and cursed, "They took my favorite boots damnit!" and Sam laughed.

Hailey came to the top of the stairs, "Colonel O'Neill says that we need to go."

"Can you walk?" Sam asked.

"Did anyone find my clothes?" Buffy whined slightly but Jay shook his head, "They'd have cut them off honey."

"Damnit."

General Hammond was waiting for them when the got to the mountain, Buffy in Jay's arms since she was in a hospital gown and no shoes.

"Are you alright Buffy?" he asked, seeing the bruises on her face still.

"Yes Sir. I'm a little irritated that my favorite boots are gone though." She wriggled her toes and Jay rolled his eyes at his CO, "I'm taking her to Doc Sir."

"Do that. And you have an anxious visitor waiting for you as well."

Buffy gasped, "I forgot about Mihal!"

Mihal was at that moment pacing the General's office when he felt Buffy's presence. He opened the door and strode out, unerringly finding the right hallways, his shadow-Airman Michaeli, right behind him until he reached the infirmary.

Jack stood up from where he was leaning against the wall, "Mihal?"

"Colonel O'Neill. May I see Buffy?"

Jack hesitates but then he heard Buffy, "Mihal?"

"Buffy would you sit still?" Janet asked, frustration in her voice. Jack waved the alien in and Jay and Buffy both looked up with smiles as he strode in. Immediately he walked to Buffy, placing a hand on her forehead before looking over at Jay.

"My mother can help her and we can still attend the celebration as well." Jay looked at Jack who shrugged.

"I really need to keep her here for more tests." Janet protested. Jack looked at her for a moment, "She'll be ok with the Nox, Doc."

Everyone looked at Janet who sighed and raised her hands, "Fine. But when you come back I'll need to check you over."

"Not a problem Janet."

Jay stood with Buffy in his arms, still in her hospital gown as the gate activated and the event horizon stabilized.

"Good luck and have fun Colonel and Mrs. Coburn." Came General Hammond's voice. Buffy looked over her husband's shoulder and waved, Jay turning slightly and nodding, then they stepped through and were gone.