Author's Note: Just in answer to a review (since I try to answer comments as often as possible) I don't have a beta – if I were to get a beta, I'd have to wait for them to review my writing and I don't want people to have to wait any longer than necessary for the next chapter. I have the grammar check on – and the spell check – and both miss things (you'll all note that from and form are frequently used wrong) sorry if the mistakes are annoying, the other option is for me to stop writing quickly and go for accuracy from now on and update once a week.

If you have a pet peeve, feel free to email me, and not leave an anonymous review so there's no way I can get back to you about it. I always reply to emails and criticism – ask anyone who has written to me! I don't mind being corrected, but I'm not perfect and never claimed to be, and probably won't start trying to be so late in life. That said, I'm getting back to the story now. I'm sorry if I sound as if I'm venting (to use a little volcano pun) but I work my little fingers off writing these stories and don't get me wrong, I love to do it or I wouldn't, but being nitpicked isn't fun when the only place I have to respond is in my story (which ruins the flow, however juvenile my writing may seem) That said, to those of you who review: thank you! To those of you who send me emails: Thank you! I do appreciate you guys (and gals) and again, I am sorry to vent here.

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

"He what?"

Sam sighed, but only inwardly. She knew that Hammond wasn't yelling at her, and further, she'd known he was going to yell so she'd pretty much been expecting it.

"He disappeared with Teal'c and Jack," she repeated. "I can only assume he's with them."

"How did that happen?"

She shrugged, helplessly.

"Thor must have thought he was supposed to go – or maybe since he was holding the device that told him to make the transfer, he was taken, too. I don't know, Sir."

"And people wonder why I sleep so poorly..." Hammond muttered, turning back towards the door that led to the Command Center of the SGC. "Is there any way we can contact Thor and have him send Cadet Brooks back to us?"

"We can try, Sir. He hasn't been replying to our calls – we assume he's monitoring things, though. I'm sure Jack will send Ian back the minute he realizes what's happened."

"True." Hammond nodded. There was no way O'Neill would let him stay.

OOOOOOOOO

Jaffer's low growl was the warning Jack had been waiting for. There wasn't a flash of light anywhere in the vicinity, but he was sure that Teal'c had just been beamed into the safe-house, and it was only a matter of time before the Jaffa found him and Clay down in the basement. A second low growl, and Jaffer flattened his ears, thoroughly annoyed at the vibrations and high-pitched noises that had been going off around him all night.

Jack looked down at him, wondering about the second growl – maybe Jack had been beamed in separately?

"O'Neill!"

He heard Clay make a noise as his name rang through the basement form the open door at the top of the staircase, and he scowled. Damn. He'd been hoping the Major wouldn't find out who he was, but it hadn't occurred to him to tell Ian to tell Teal'c not to use his name.

"Down here, Teal'c."

There was movement on the stairs, and Jack came trotting into view, coming over to greet Jaffer cheerfully, and then stick his nose in Jack's hand for some attention. O'Neill rubbed the dog's face for a moment, not taking his eyes off Clay, but when he saw extra movement out of the corner of his eye, he turned to see what was going on.

Teal'c was there – it was hard to miss him, after all – but standing next to him was the one that had caught Jack's attention. Ian Brooks, still barefoot and wearing an expression Jack couldn't quite figure out – and didn't care to.

"What are you doing back here?"

"Thor sent me."

That was true enough.

"What?" It was amazing to see how quickly O'Neill could go from shocked to angry. "That little gray-"

"I told him you said to." Ian interrupted. No sense in getting the little gray whatever it was into trouble as well – especially since he hadn't done anything wrong.

"Why would you tell him that?"

"Because I wanted to come back."

"Well, you're not staying. I'm not going to-"

"I can help," Ian protested. "There must be something you can use my help with."

"I don't need your help!" Jack shouted. "This is between me and Kinsey, and it has nothing to do with you. You're-"

"It has everything to do with me," Ian interrupted, his own temper flaring, now, too. He took a step forward, pointing at Major Clay, who was watching the scene with a slightly pole-axed expression on his face. "He didn't sneak into your fucking bedroom with guns and start roughing you up, Colonel! He didn't knock you out and lock you up and start off a chain of events that has gone from strange to downright fucked up. And because of him," Ian looked down at his watch for the briefest moment before looking back at O'Neill, "In about half an hour, they're going to find me and my roommates out of bed – and off the campus – and call my father – who's going to be incredibly pissed off at me!"

Jack frowned. He'd forgotten about the people at the Academy. Ian took another breath.

"This has everything to do with me – even if it wasn't supposed to. I'm here, and I want to help." He looked at Clay, and his temper – which he'd been getting under control after the initial outburst – suddenly flared once more. Ian pulled the Glock out of his waistband, pointing it at the Major. "Did you know that Hayden is allergic to whatever the fuck you shot him with? He probably would have died, you sorry piece of shit, and it would have been all your fault!"

"Ian!"

The cadet glared at Major Clay for another long moment, obviously trying to suppress his fury, and turned to Jack, the gun still pointed towards the cell.

"You can stay."

"What?"

Jack shrugged.

"You can stay. You're right; this has everything to do with you and you have a right to be here."

"I can?" Ian asked, shock clearing out the last of his anger. "I do?"

Jack nodded.

"You don't go anywhere near Kinsey, though – and you don't even let him see you, do you understand? Kinsey is mine."

"What do I do, then?"

"You can guard Major Clay here," Jack said. "I don't want to leave him alone, and it's pretty obvious that you're not his best friend at the moment. Do you still have that tranq gun?"

Ian nodded, moving his jacket aside to show the butt of the pistol to O'Neill.

"Don't use it. I need him awake. If he gives you any trouble, shoot him with the Glock – just try to aim for something that won't kill him. I need him alive, too. Bleeding I can live with, though..."

"Yes, Sir..." It was obvious that Ian still was surprised that Jack was letting him stay, and he wasn't the only one.

"O'Neill..."

"Watch him for a minute, Ian. I need to talk to Teal'c alone."

The Jaffa and the Colonel walked to the other end of the corridor.

"Do you think it is prudent to allow him to remain?" The Jaffa asked.

Jack nodded.

"He's not going to get in the way, Teal'c, and he's just crazy enough and angry enough that he'll be able to keep Major Clay there from trying anything stupid – which means that I don't need to use you or the dogs to watch the Major, and I can use you to help me with Kinsey."

It couldn't have worked out better if Jack had planned it.