Author's Notes: The story (or at least the dialogue) has been long-written, else I probably would have changed some of it, especially knowing how some of you feel about my dear Dr. Bailey... I think you might be a little disappointed, since we don't see him get what's coming to him... rather the opposite. I'll make an attempt to explain myself later, perhaps. ;)
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"Teal'c, we need to go back in after them." Sam stated as she paced outside the temple.
"O'Neill ordered us to the surface." Teal'c replied stoically.
"They might need our help!" she pleaded.
Teal'c tilted his head in affirmation and followed as Sam lead the way. The two passed quickly into the underground room and the tunnel leading to the storeroom. As they reached the door leading to the network, Harrison Bailey emerged, coughing and covered in dust.
"Carter! Follow him to the top!" Jack ordered, also emerging from the darkness and dragging an unconscious Daniel. "Teal'c!" he indicated his need for help and the jaffa complied, taking Daniel into his own grip.
Moments later, the team plus Bailey exited the temple.
"Sir, we should really clear –" Sam began.
Jack nodded. "Get to the jeeps." He was out of breath.
As they drove a few miles away, in the early hours of the morning, the dust cloud from the disturbed sand could be seen. Bailey remained uncharacteristically quiet next to Teal'c, while Sam checked on Daniel.
"Carter?" Jack questioned.
"He's alive, Sir." She answered, beginning to clean up the gash on the corner of Daniel's forehead.
"Of course he is." Jack joked, remembering the conversation he'd had with Bernadette.
"He should be fine after he wakes up... but he'll have one hell of a headache."
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Daniel clipped on his sunglasses to avoid the glare of the mid-day sun, also being careful to avoid the butterfly strips on his head as he drew on his boonie hat. He crossed his arms over his chest and stared at the temple. As it stood, the archaeological team was given permission to return, just as he had promised Kurt they would, as the SGC didn't think a long-dead goa'uld posed much of a threat. Furthermore, since the tomb, sarcophagus and network had been buried but the rest of the temple remained in tact, barring a few key artifacts which had been removed, there was no real reason to keep the discovery from being published.
"Daniel?"
He turned as a voice came from behind, and smiled as his old friend sauntered up, hands in his pockets.
"So," Kurt began, "are you up on your Assyro-Babylonian mythology?" he asked.
"Lamashtu." Daniel answered. "Possibly a source of the Hebrew Lilith. A female demon who stole babies from the mothers, brought disease and sickness, and caused nightmares and disturbed sleep." He continued. "Also known as 'she who erases.'" Daniel finished.
"Yes." Kurt nodded. "Very good." He paused before engaging the conversation once again. "It's a great discovery, you know. She has no other known temples or shrines or sanctuaries of any sort."
Daniel also nodded. "It's everything you hoped it would be."
Kurt was silent again, and Daniel waited for the question he knew was coming.
"Going to let Harrison take the credit, are you?" the older man asked.
Daniel turned back to the temple. "I don't need my name on a paper." He answered. "It wouldn't get much play for the rest of you if my name was on it anyway."
Kurt came up beside his friend. "I was right before, wasn't I?" he questioned. "You do have proof, and you found more here, didn't you? That's what you couldn't tell us... that's what your job involves." Kurt waited for an answer, but didn't get one. "Why won't you go public? You could redeem yourself."
Daniel dropped his gaze and stared at the ground. "The world isn't ready to know what I know, and that's more important than redemption."
Kurt nodded again. "Will you tell me... someday?" he asked.
Daniel pursed his lips and bobbed his own head slowly up and down. "Someday."
"You did good work, here Daniel." Kurt told the younger man earnestly after a brief silence. "We brought you in because we knew you'd figure it out, and your talent and curiosity took you beyond what anyone could have expected."
Kurt held out a hand; Daniel shook it and was pulled into a hug.
"I'll be waiting to hear from you." Kurt told him.
Daniel's forehead crinkled, still thinking of the compliments that had been paid him, and he gave a small smile in return.
Kurt began walking away, returning to the new camp that he was setting up in preparation for the others' arrival. He stopped a shouting distance away.
"Your friend, Sam," he called out, "you work well together!" Kurt smiled. "Elena wanted me to tell you that!"