Many, many thanks to all those who stuck with me through the long wait. My muse had packed up and left, only recently returning and allowing me to finish this.

"Be still!" Managing to keep an eye on the pile of leaves covering the device from their vantage point, Daniel glared at Hope.

She glared back. "I'm getting a cramp! And the damp is seeping through my BVDs or whatever they call this getup. How long have we been here, anyway?"

"I don't know. Not long enough."

"How long do we wait? What if everyone's dead? What if—"

"I DON'T KNOW." Daniel sighed in frustration. "I've only been doing this a year. I'm still not used to this," he waved a hand indicating their situation, "or this." Now it was the gun's turn.

"Yeah, you never were too keen on using one of those." With a worried glance at the weapon, Hope reached out and turned it from pointing in her general direction. "I really don't think two pistols are going to be much good against a platoon or battalion or whatever it is that a group of Jaffa call themselves."

"Lucky for you the cavalry arrived."

Jack's unexpected voice made the two archaeologists jump; flipping over they stared at the rest of SG-1 in a mixture of shock and relief.

His eyes landing on the empty pack next to Daniel, Jack frowned. "You didn't lose it, did you?"

"Wha?" Daniel blinked a few times, shifting mental gears. "Ah, no, it's over here." Scrambling to get up, he slid down the gentle slope to dig about under the dead leaves, eventually emerging with the strange piece of equipment.

"Good. Let's go."

Daniel stuffed the Goa'uld device in his pack as Sam and Hope passed him, Teal'c waiting patiently as always to take up the rear.

Hope handed her gun back to Sam, and looked up at her. "So that's it?"

Sam smiled. "You were expecting more?"

"I dunno," Hope shrugged. "I half expected to see a few of those Jaffa instead of you guys." She picked her way over a fallen tree. "Was all ready to shoot something and now... I mean, I'm glad I didn't have to, but... jittery. Like the last time I had to use a gun."

"Were there many?" Waiting for Hope's answer, Sam didn't hear the 'ow' as a tree branch she pushed past whipped back to hit Daniel.

"A couple. Most thought I was crazy to begin with, so they left me alone, but there were a few... "

"It took us awhile to get Daniel to even consider carrying one," Sam confided. Together the women glanced back to watch Daniel as he picked his way through the forest, Teal'c helping with the larger obstacles.

"Daniel has a way about him," Hope finally said. "Besides, he's a man. The vast majority of the cultures I was digging in were extremely patriarchal. Kept their women on a short leash."

Hope broke off as they entered the temple's clearing; coming around to the front of the building she stopped to pick up her discarded fieldbook. Seeing a few fallen Jaffa bodies, a morbid sense of curiosity made her go look at one.

Movement around his abdomen caught her attention; with sick fascination Hope watched a milky white thing with black eyes surface from under the Jaffa's armor.

"Whoa!" Hope danced back, holding her notebook up as a shield as her motions and the sound of her voice brought her into the larva's focus. "Daniel?! Sam?!"

Suddenly the infant Goa'uld exploded, and Hope turned to see Sam lowering her P90. She looked Hope over.

"You okay?"

"Yeah. Ewww!" With a moue of distaste Hope flicked snake pieces off her. Sam grimaced in sympathy, plucking a few out of Hope's hair.

"So would that thing have... you know, try to make me a Goa'uld?" Hope asked as she eased away from the remaining Jaffa.

"It looked too young, although it may have tried," Sam answered. "No offence, but--- " Spinning her around Sam looked for an entry wound in case that wasn't the first larva.

"None taken." Hope shuddered, more from the thought of being possessed by one of those things as the cool air on the nape of her neck.

"What happened?" Jack barked out, jogging up to the pair.

"Sir, one of the Goa'uld larva emerged from its pouch. Dr. Kylie saw it and let us know, and I neutralized it."

Jack nodded, looking at the bloody carcass. "Did you check her?"

"Yes, sir, and I didn't see a point of entry."

"Hmm." He looked at Sam, Kawalsky going through both their minds. "Peters! Davis!" Jack's sudden shout brought two members of SG7 running.

"Sir!"

"Escort Dr. Kylie back to the SGC. Have Fraiser check her over; she may have been infected with a Goa'uld."

As one, two P90's came up to train on Hope as she tried to keep the panic running through her under control. She didn't feel any different, but then again, would she?

Slowly, ever mindful of the muzzles pointed at her, Hope made her way back to the Stargate. She really wished Daniel was with her, but he had gone back into the temple after they returned. It was for the best, she figured- - if she had one of those things in her she didn't want Daniel doing something noble and dumb and getting hurt.

The flume ride didn't seem as rough the second time around, although she did have her mind on other things; Hope, along with her escort, stepped into the Gate room to what appeared to be every SF under the Mountain with every rifle crammed into the tiny space.

Then she noticed Hammond and Dr. Fraiser at the base of the ramp, standing next to a gurney with leather restraints on it. Hope's steps faltered, and her wide, scared eyes met the general's.

The affable look in those blue eyes was gone, replaced with a hard, determined expression that finally made Hope realize how he had made it so far up in rank. Glancing over at Janet, she found the same resolution in her face, but with a touch of sympathy that gave her hope.

"Dr. Kylie, if you please." Hammond's sharp voice brought Hope back, and the clanging of their boots was unusually loud as she walked down the ramp, followed by Peters and Davis, ending up in front of the gurney. Surprised to find herself still clutching her fieldbook, Hope gave it to Hammond and climbed up onto the gurney, laying back and closing her eyes tightly as the cuffs were wrapped around her wrists and ankles.

A tear welled up and ran down the side of her face as the stiff collar was buckled around her neck; the gurney began to move to the infirmary and Hope felt a slim hand slip into hers, she clutched at it, thankful for Janet's touch.