-- Chapter Eight: Knock, Knock!

Standing next to the four-wheel drive vehicles they had arrived in, Jack and Daniel stood and surveyed the expanse before them. The area of their investigation was about two-hundred eighteen yards from the next closest dig. Although it was by no means a certainty that they would uncover substantial finds there, they knew the potential for it was high.

The site where Abayomi wanted to build his hotel was southwest of those excavations, just beyond some cliffs. Abayomi had thought it would be a great marketing device for the new luxury hotel. According to Yazid, Abayomi's marketing slogan was going to be, "Come relax and overlook the ruins of Ancient Egypt."

"Is everyone here, Megan?" Daniel asked.

"Almost. We have a couple of stragglers, mostly due to flight delays. Most of the equipment is here, but Yazid called this morning to let us know that a few of the bigger pieces won't be here until tomorrow around noon."

"Okay. Jack and I want to take the children on a short tour of Abydos today before we get to work, and since we aren't quite ready to go, let's let everyone have a day to get settled. We'll get the tents up now, and then give everyone twenty-four hours personal time to get settled or look around."

"Sounds great."

Jack and Daniel worked with their crew to set up the work area. There was a large white tent that would serve as a mess tent where everyone would eat their meals. Another tent, a bit smaller, would serve as a supply area, with the majority of tools and equipment being kept there. Yet another moderately sized tent was erected in which to catalog and analyze artifacts retrieved during the excavation.

There were three large green tents tied together which Jack and Daniel had modified to be their tent house. It included a small kitchenette area, something they decided they needed because of the children. Jack and Daniel had a private chamber, not that they expected to have any privacy while at the site. Another section was for the babies and another for the older children. Teal'c would be staying with the older kids in their part of the tent house while Sam watched over the younger Jackson-O'Neills.

Bijou and Katie had beanbags in each section of the tent house so they could roam according to their moods.

Aside from SG-1 and the children, there would be sixteen team workers, ten employees from J-O Enterprises coming from the United States, and six local residents hired by J-O to assist. The sixteen people would be sharing four moderately sized tents. A smaller, though still nice-sized tent was set aside for Megan who as J-O's Director of Operations was given a tent of her own and one a bit nicer than the average worker.

"A perk?" she had beamed when Jack had told her about the special tent.

"There you go. A perk that's ... perkier than coffee."

"Don't let Daniel hear you say that."

"Never," Jack had laughed.

Tent One would be Megan's and was quickly dubbed "the office" since she was keeping all the records and logs with her.

Tent Two would be shared by J-O employees Kelly Tatem and Bibreanay Appleton along with locals Pili Gohar and Ramla Nassir.

Tent Three would be shared by J-O employees Ty Harper and James Zaller along with locals Manu Kenawy and Oba Diab.

Tent Four would be shared by J-O employees Karissa Lewis and Nellie Landon (one of the interns from the university) along with locals Layla Al-Hadidy and Tabia Ezzat.

Tent Five would be shared by J-O employees Jeff Leonard and Kyle Ambrose (the second intern from the university) along with local Tau Abdul, who was also the representative of the Egyptian Government. A spot was set aside in this tent for Yazid who planned to come and go from the site throughout the duration of the dig.

Satisfied that the main part of the set up was complete, Sam, Teal'c, and the Jackson-O'Neills loaded the children into the largest of the trucks and headed for Abydos.

"This is the Temple of Seti I, also known as the Cenotaph or the Great Temple of Seti I," Daniel said to his family as they looked at the previously excavated site. "It's largely a limestone structure, and the really unique thing about it is that instead of being built in the traditional rectangular shape, it's L-shaped."

"Where's the entrance, Daddy?" David asked as he studied the temple, looking for a door.

"See over there," Daniel pointed, "there were two courts built by Ramses II and a pylon that led inside, but as you can see, they've been almost totally destroyed. The way it was constructed, it gave the illusion that the entrance sloped upwards.

"Inside there are several sanctuaries for the gods, the most notable of which is ..." Daniel paused, looking at Jack as he spoke, "the one for Osiris. It opens out at the back to spread across the width of the temple. To the left of the sanctuaries is a corridor known as the Gallery of the Kings."

"Are there pictures there?"

"Carved figures, David, of Seti, Ramses, and ... too many to name or we'd be here all day. In fact, we'd better go."

The family headed for the next site Daniel wanted to show them -- the Osireion -- which was located directly behind Seti's temple.

Jack looked at Daniel as if he were crazy to be bringing them to this particular place, even though he knew that the site was important in the history and excavation of Abydos.

"This place is believed to be a cenotaph to Osiris."

"Daddy, I don't mean to interrupt, but what exactly is a cenotaph? I've never heard that word before."

"Sorry, Jen. A cenotaph is a monument, like this place, that is erected in honor of some dead person, but it's not meant to be a tomb or anything because the honoree's remains are elsewhere. In fact, most of the temples and monuments here don't have any, uh, residents. Mostly, Abydos is just a big honorary place because it was such a powerful city."

Jennifer nodded her understanding so Daniel continued.

"Actually, though, this particular cenotaph has a burial chamber that has a fake sarcophagus in it."

"Sarcough-a-what?" Jennifer asked again.

"Coffin," Jack answered.

"Eww," Jen responded.

"Cool," David grinned.

"The coffin is usually made of stone and has some kind of decoration or inscription on it, too," Daniel added. "Anyway, this one was originally surrounded by water. It's totally submerged now because of the rising water table. Okay, one more place to see today."

The family headed for their vehicle.

"Daniel? Daniel, is that you?"

"I don't believe it," Jack said sarcastically to Sam and Teal'c. Wish we'd managed to zat her when she was still Osiris.

"Sarah?" Daniel asked, his voice tentative.

"Small world, isn't it?" the tall blonde spoke with her still-thick British accent. She walked over to Daniel and embraced him. Then she looked at Jack and greeted him. "General O'Neill, how are you?"

"Oh, just hunky dory; and you?" Jack asked in a flippant and condescending tone.

Daniel shot his soulmate a warning glare that Jack ignored as the conversation continued.

"And who are these beautiful children?"

"Ours," Jack protectively held David to him with a hand on his shoulder. He also shot Jennifer a look that she correctly interpreted as "stay right here, young lady."

Teal'c had moved in front of the specially-made stroller that held the Munchkins and the twins.

"Yours, General?"

Daniel knew what was coming. Though he had helped Sarah adjust to life after having the Goa'uld symbiote of Osiris removed from her, they hadn't stayed in touch. She had no clue about his relationship with Jack.

Daniel also knew that Jack didn't like the woman. It had little to do with her time as a host, but more because of her brief two-month tenure as Daniel's girlfriend. It wasn't jealousy that angered Jack, but Sarah's callous treatment of the younger man when his theories had been scorned by the archaeological community, not to mention that he was convinced she had only been interested in Daniel in the first place because of his ties to Professor Jordan.

"Ours, Daniel's AND mine."

Sarah looked confused. She stared at the two men, and then at the children. Finally, she said, "I don't understand."

Jack again ignored the warning stare from his husband as he held up his left hand, and then grabbed Daniel's left hand, prominently displaying their matching gold wedding bands.

"Ours. His and mine, as in together, forever, in fact. It's permanent, no going back. Married ... with a capital M, thank you, Ma'am."

Daniel rolled his eyes.

"M...m...married?" Stunned to stuttering, Sarah looked at Daniel. "I don't believe it. Daniel, you wouldn't!"

For a moment, Daniel wanted to give Jack some grief, but their entire family was present, and he was afraid that the children might not understand any hesitation on his or Jack's part. He knew this was a shock for Sarah, and Jack wasn't helping.

"Yes, I would, and I did, marry Jack, that is, almost five-years ago now."

Jack eagerly added, "But we've been together for almost ten years."

Sarah was astonished, but not in a pleasant way. Her face had an ugly, twisted look on it.

"Really? I can't believe you'd subject children to such a ... lifestyle. I ... I don't know what to say. I'm ... shocked. I never took you for a ..."

"Hey, back off," Jack ordered loudly.

"Daddy?"

Chenoa anxiously went to Daniel, putting her arms around his leg, effectively silencing Sarah who had opened her mouth to say more.

"Hey, come here," he said as he picked her up.

The toddler didn't understand what was happening, but she felt uncomfortable around the strange woman, and she could sense that her parents were upset.

"Wrong?"

"No, Sweetie. Nothing's wrong."

"How can you say that? Look at you ... married to a ..." Sarah looked around, as if trying to hide her words, "man."

Chenoa did not like Sarah. The woman frightened her, so much that the toddler held on to Daniel even tighter. She began to sniffle.

Seeing the uncertainty in his daughter's expression and how she was now clinging to Daniel, Jack's anger peaked.

"Not nice seeing you again. Daniel, let's go."

Daniel glared at Sarah as he walked swiftly by her. He'd expected more from her, if not as a friend, then as a scientist who knew and accepted that ancient cultures had differing ways of life. For Sarah to condemn Daniel now was at the very least disappointing to the younger man.

"Daniel, wait. I didn't mean it the way it sounded."

Still holding his daughter who was on the verge of tears, Daniel spoke firmly.

"Look, I know it's a surprise, and a shock I guess, but these are our children, and right now, you're upsetting them. Goodbye, Sarah."

Daniel turned and quickly caught up with Jack. Just behind the two was Sam pushing the stroller, and behind her Jennifer, David, and the girls. They heard Sarah call out one more time.

"You have to admit it's a bit of a surprise, Daniel, though maybe it explains ..."

"DanielJacksonO'Neill is not interested in what you think his marriage explains." Teal'c stood tall and menacing in front of the thin woman, dressed all in white, eerily reminiscent of Daniel's and Sam's previous run-in with her in Egypt. "Please, stay back."

Teal'c rejoined the family, shooting the woman a parting glance of warning as Jack began driving towards their next destination.

Inside the vehicle, Teal'c saw how upset the older children were. Jennifer was seething. She understood exactly what Sarah was saying. David was a child genius. He understood the words, too, but he was also a little confused. He was happy with his new parents, didn't have a problem with their genders, and truly didn't understand why Sarah did. Love is love, after all. Still, the words had disturbed him. Little Chenoa was sniffling, not sure what had happened, but she just really didn't like that lady who had upset her fathers.

"La...dy ... sniffle ... bad?" she asked Daniel.

"Not bad, but she, uh ... she just doesn't like that Jack and I are married. It surprised her."

"Mar'red good."

"You got that right, Sweetheart," Jack said firmly as he drove.

"She shouldn't have said all those things," David said a bit dejectedly.

"DavidJacksonO'Neill, what other people think or say is of little importance. You must follow your heart and what you know within yourself to be true. It is the only way to live with honor."

David thought for a moment and then replied, "I know I love my Dad and my Daddy, and they love each other, and we're ... we're a family."

"Then that is all that matters."

"Honr'ble," Chenoa sniffled.

"Don't think about what that lady said, Noa," Jennifer added. "She's just ignorant. She doesn't understand what love really is, that's all."

"That's right, Jen," Sam confirmed.

"What ig'rant?" Chenoa asked in a whisper into Daniel's ear.

"It means she doesn't understand."

"Oh."

Disgusted by how the woman had upset her siblings, Jennifer suggested, "Maybe we should tell her so she'll understand."

"Some people ..." Jack had begun, in a tone that indicated he was about to rip into Sarah big time.

"Jack ..." Daniel spoke firmly. Don't go off on Sarah. This isn't the time.

You're right, Love, even if she is a ...

Jack!

Sorry, Danny.

"What was Dad going to say?" David asked.

"I was just going to say that some people ... take longer than others to embrace things that are different. Maybe she just needs a little time to adjust to the situation."

Thank you, Jack.

She's still a witch with a capital B.

Daniel rolled his eyes at the silent comment, but soon they arrived at their next destination, and it was time to put aside the incident with Sarah and concentrate on the excavated locale.

"We had to come here for Jack," Daniel explained.

"For me?" Jack asked with his eyebrows arched.

Daniel smiled as he explained, "You'll see. This is the temple of Ramses II. It's of better quality than most of the other temples dedicated to Ramses."

"Looks pretty ... ruined for ruins," David said.

"Yes, it is, but in the time of Napoleon it was still pretty much intact. It's sad to see the state it's in now, but still there are some very colorful images that we can see. It also has some hieroglyphs of ancient aircraft."

"Aircraft?" both Jack and Jennifer asked at the same time.

"That's what they believe," Daniel answered without missing a beat, though chuckling slightly. "They are on the ceiling. There's one that looks so much like a helicopter that it's almost frightening."

"This I've got to see. Lead on," Jack directed.

"Wow!" Jennifer exclaimed as they studied the hieroglyphs.

"Awesome, Dad. It does look like a helicopter, and that looks like a submarine."

"Sure does," Jack responded. "I guess you could make a case here for gliders and blimps, too. It's just incredible."

After spending a bit more time in conversation, Jack looked at his watch and indicated it was time to go.

"Maybe we can come back and see some of the other sites another day ... if you guys would like that," Daniel suggested, not really sure if he was boring his family or not.

His fears were quickly put to rest by a round of affirmative remarks and smiles. He enjoyed showing his loved ones these special places, and it meant a lot to him that they all seemed to be enjoying it.

"Ready, Love?" Jack asked as he held Daniel close.

They had eaten breakfast and visited with all their children, and in a moment, they'd be walking outside and beginning the real work. Both were excited ... and nervous.

"Yes. Jack ..."

"It's going to be everything you want it to be, Danny. I feel it."

Jack kissed his husband, and Daniel allowed himself a moment to rest his head against Jack's shoulder.

"Jack, do you have regrets? I mean, we could be ... building airplanes or something?"

"Nope, not a single regret in my body." Jack rubbed Daniel's back, and felt the tension there. "Relax, Love. These are all our employees. We have nothing to prove to them, or to anyone. We're here to do a job, that's all."

"That's all," Daniel chuckled, knowing so much of their professional futures rested on the success of this dig.

"That's all, Danny. Angel, remember, if you fall, just get back up."

Daniel pulled back and looked into Jack's eyes.

"Gawd, I love you ... so freakin' much, Jack. You always say the perfect thing."

"It's easy. I happen to love you."

"Makes me pretty lucky, doesn't it?"

"I'm the lucky one. Come on. We don't want to be late on our first day, right? It's time to walk the yellow brick road to our Emerald City."

Daniel laughed and then led the way outside their tent. The workers were waiting, as requested, for the order to begin their work. The air was full of excitement, anticipation, and curiosity. What would they find, and what new discoveries would they make? They knew deep within themselves there would be something; it was only a question of what and when.

"Okay. We don't know what we'll find for sure, but let's just do our jobs as well as we can. Karissa and James, I'd like you two to start on the northwest corner ..."

Jack smiled as he watched his husband walk the workers around the camp, placing each in their assigned area and making sure everyone understood their tasks. There was no sign of Daniel's tension or nervousness. To the crew, he was calm, reassuring, and all-knowing (in a good way).

Doing great, Love. I'm here if you need me. Jack continued to watch, smiling when Daniel looked at him and returned the smile, his blue eyes shining. Life is good!

"Jack, something feels off. Can you check the site plan? I don't know ... I just ... I think the grid is off."

"Okay, let's see ..."

Jack pulled out the site plan that had been prepared based on the proton magnetometer survey results. He walked the site, comparing the printout with the grid that had been laid out with the use of stakes and cord.

"This is wrong. What happened here?" Jack studied the southwest corner of the excavation area. "This needs to be four-feet north," Jack mumbled to himself.

Jack had a funny feeling in the pit of his stomach. He and Daniel had directed the layout of the grid themselves. He knew they hadn't plotted this area. Jack bent down, kneeling as he looked at the stakes and cords.

"Jack, did you find out something?" Daniel asked as he approached.

"Danny, we didn't do this."

Daniel looked around, realizing Jack was right, but not wanting to think about what that might mean.

"Jack, we ... we must have."

"No, we didn't." Jack stood up and addressed two of the employees working in that particular spot. "Oba and Jeff, we need to relocate this."

Jack exchanged a look with Daniel and then made sure the new excavation trench was begun in the correct area. Daniel returned to what he was doing. A few minutes later, Jack went to their tent.

"How's it going?" he asked Sam and Teal'c.

"Just fine, Sir."

"Dad, is something wrong? You're scowling," Jennifer asked.

"Of course not. Carter ..."

Jack nodded and led her outside.

"Sir?"

"You ever have one of those feelings that things aren't as right as they seem to be?"

"Sometimes."

"I've got one. Watch my kids, Carter. Watch them close."

"Yes, Sir. General ..."

"I don't know what to tell you, Carter ... it's ... just a feeling."

Jennifer was writing a letter to a friend in the United States. She had been quiet all day.

"Jen, is everything all right?" Sam asked.

"Peachy," the teenager answered drolly.

"Okay, just checking. I'll leave you alone."

"Thanks, Sam."

Sam walked outside, a smile on her face as she walked to the larger "mess" tent.

"Well, Carter?"

"Hasn't a clue. She's moping around, positive everyone has forgotten."

"Never," Jack said with a smile. He looked around. "Where's that husband of mine?"

"Three guesses."

"In a hole?" He saw the blonde's 'of course' expression on her face, and shook his head. Of course. "Carter, finish wrapping this for me, okay? I need to go pull a Daniel out of the ground."

Sam laughed as she watched Jack leave the tent. Some things would never change, and one of those things was Jack having to pull Daniel away from work.

"Danny?"

"Hi, Jack."

"It's time."

"That's good, Jack."

"You're going to miss it."

"I'll get it later," Daniel responded as he crossed his eyes, not sure what they were talking about.

"Okay. I'll tell Jen that you are out in a hole and wish her a happy birthday for you."

"Thanks, Jack."

Jack nodded and walked away. He whistled as he walked. Then, he turned and looked at his watch, counting down as he did so -- "Five ... Four ... Three ... Two ..."

"Jack, wait!"

The older man laughed as his archaeologist practically leaped out of the hole he had been working in and ran to him, gasping for breath.

"Gawd, Jack, couldn't you have just reminded me."

"I did. Come on, you have two minutes to get cleaned up."

"Two whole minutes?"

"One minute and fifty-nine seconds ... fifty-eight ..."

"Smart-aleck," Daniel said as he quickly made his way towards the closest shower.

Five minutes later, Sam walked back into the tent, calling out, "Jen? Hey, Jen, where are you?"

The teenager emerged from her area of the tent.

"Yes, Sam?"

"Your fathers want you to join them for dinner in the big tent."

"Okay," the girl quietly responded and then did as requested, heading for the tent.

Sam and Teal'c smiled as they gathered up the babies and headed for the tent as well. Jennifer entered and ...

"SURPRISE!"

The entire crew was in the tent which was festively decorated.

"Let the party begin," Jack shouted, turning on the Britney Spears CD.

Jennifer smiled, knowing how her parents didn't like the pop icon and yet still allowed her to listen to her music of choice.

Megan, who apart from being J-O's Director of Operations was also considered the best chef on the crew, had prepared a special birthday cake for the teenager who was celebrating her thirteenth birthday. It was a carrot cake in the shape of a pyramid.

"That's so cool, Megan. Thank you."

The party lasted for two hours before most called it a night. Everyone was on a similar schedule, and they needed to be up early to begin working the next day. Jennifer hugged her fathers and thanked them for her surprise.

"We'd never forget."

"I know, Dad. It's just you already sent me to the concert, and I didn't think you'd do anything more because, well, that was so awesome."

"Birthdays are special, Sweetheart. They are to be celebrated, all of them."

Forty-five minutes later, Daniel snuggled into Jack's warm embrace in their moderately comfortable bed.

"Birthdays are special," Daniel said softly, remembering all the special things Jack had done for him over the years to celebrate his own special day. "I love you, Jack."

"Love you, too, Angel. Sweet Dreams."

"Danny, come on, let me try."

"Jack, you are one of the least patient people I know. This is ... meticulously tedious work."

"But, Angel ..."

"Okay."

Daniel rolled his eyes in submission as he walked over to the small trench at the center of the site. Daniel jumped in and Jack followed.

"Here are the tools of your trade. Now, I know you recognize these, and we've discussed their use in digs before, but you have to decide which tool is right for the area you are digging. So, here's some dental picks, a shovel, a trowel, and a knife."

"Where should I start?"

"Anywhere. No one has found anything in this area of the site. Of course, there may not be anything to find, but the point is, you can pick your spot."

Jack picked up a trowel and began to carefully pick at the dirt to his left. Daniel was positive Jack wouldn't last more than five minutes, but thirty minutes later, they were still at it, and Jack hadn't whined or complained once.

"Danny, is this something?"

Daniel raised his eyebrows as he peered over Jack's shoulder.

"It might be. Okay, whatever it is, or isn't, it's small; could be fragile."

"Dental pick time?"

"And not to clean your teeth either," Daniel said with a smile. "But, Jack, we don't just dig the things out. We need to ..."

"... log it, record it, photograph it, yadda, yadda."

"Yadda, yadda, Love."

Daniel sat back and let Jack work. He continued to be surprised at the diligence and care Jack used in doing the work properly. Daniel answered questions and guided him when necessary. Some time later, Jack held the prized possession in his hand. It turned out to be larger than originally thought as only the tail-end of it had been protruding.

Jack looked at the item, a frown appearing on his face.

"Daniel, we can't log this."

"Why not?" Jack sighed and showed the object to his husband. "It would be hard to explain a Goa'uld ribbon device."

Alarmed, Daniel said, "Jack, if there is a tomb here ..."

"Knock, knock, who's there?"

"Maybe we're overreacting. You know, too many years seeing a Goa'uld around every corner."

"Maybe, but we still can't log this," Jack said regretfully.

"I know."

"We'll lock it away in our tent and hope this is just a fluke."

"Jack, I'm proud of you."

"What?"

"It's ... the way you worked today." Daniel walked to Jack just as the older man put the device in his pocket. Putting his hands around Jack's neck, Daniel spoke softly, "I kept waiting for you to get impatient, to make some joke, but you didn't. You worked so hard, Babe. I almost think you enjoyed it."

"I did, Danny. Crazy as it sounds, I did."

"I love you, Jack."

Daniel kissed his husband, their tongues waltzing together for several minutes before they decided they should stop and go spend some time with their children.

"Doctor Jackson!" Oba called out. Daniel ran over to the area where Oba had been working. "Look! There are many items here."

Daniel examined the area Oba had unearthed. There were clearly many items to be documented and removed. They were definitely onto something. Many of the workers near this portion of the excavation had been discovering artifacts as well. Most were still cataloging them. Daniel was excited and couldn't wait to examine the finds more closely.

"Daniel, this looks interesting," Jack called out as he held up the item he had just found in the small hole he was excavating ... or attempting to excavate.

He wasn't really sure what he was doing, but he was trying, and Daniel was getting a kick out of watching Jack "playing".

Daniel laughed, then warned, "You might want to put that down, Jack."

"Why?" Jack was studying the object. "You know, if this was a bit more round, it would make a great juggling ball."

"Jack, put it down," Daniel said, unable to suppress his laughter as he spoke.

"Daniel, what's so funny?"

"That's coprolite."

"Okay ... and that is ..."

"Preserved dung."

"Preserved ... dung?" Jack gulped, his eyes blinking several times as he looked around to see if anyone was watching. He dropped the item to the ground, and climbed out of the hole. "Eww, Danny. Why would anyone preserve dung?"

"Actually, that's just fossilized, but I'll have James preserve it. You see, researchers do that to learn about the diets of humans from ancient times."

"How ... exciting," Jack said.

Daniel laughed, shaking his head, as he returned to what he had been doing before the interruption.

Jack looked across to see Daniel examining an item in his hand.

"Danny, you have that look," Jack said, walking over to stand next to his spouse at a table that had been placed next to the areas where several items had been dug out.

"It's Amun-Re, or the symbol for him anyway."

"Almond who?"

Daniel smiled and shook his head. Jack would never change, and that was okay with him.

"No, Jack, it's Amun-Re, also known as Amun, Ammon with various spellings. Self-created, he is believed to be the physical father of all the Pharaohs."

"Like Zeus?"

Daniel chuckled and then sighed, "Kind of."

"Don't we all?" Jack said a bit flippantly, causing Daniel to glare at him. "So who exactly is this ... Amun-Re dude?"

"Some think he's mostly modern within the context of ancient Egyptian religion. He's, uh, only documented in history from the eleventh dynasty when the temple at Thebes was dedicated to him. Amun-Re replaced Montu, the war god, as the principle god of Thebes during Egypt's New Kingdom. Actually, that's when he became a universal god."

"Big claim to fame."

"Well, Egypt was one of the most influential parts of the world, Jack, so any god of Egypt would be deemed to have great power. It's funny that you compared him to Zeus because by the twenty-fifth dynasty, that's really pretty accurate."

"Danny, how could he be the father of all the Pharaohs if he's so new?"

"Because he's actually mentioned in the Pyramid Text from the Old Kingdom, fifth dynasty. That shows him to be a primeval deity and a symbol of creative force. So ... he's been around a while, and the more his power grew, the more he overtook the other gods who became mere manifestations of Amun-Re's powers."

"So this ram here is all you need to know that this stuff is Amun-Re's?"

"No, not just this. Look, Jack ..." Daniel walked to one side of the table. He began by holding up the item he had been holding in his hand. "This piece of granite, not sure what it is exactly, but it has the picture of the ram on it. Uh, Amun-Re was originally associated with the goose, but in later times, it was the ram, a symbol of fertility."

"Fertility," Jack repeated.

"Yeah, he had a thing about procreation, but this is the kicker." Daniel picked up another item. "This is a piece of bronze, and on it is the image of Amun-Re. See, he's wearing plumes which was something frequently associated with him, and he has a beard, and here again is the ram, sitting next to him."

"What's that self-created business you mentioned earlier?"

"That's what the myth says. They believed he could regenerate himself by becoming a snake and shedding his skin."

"Great -- another snake."

The hair on the back of Jack's neck was beginning to stand up. That feeling was back again.

"Daniel! Daniel, wake up!" Megan called out from outside Jack and Daniel's tent. "It's important. Daniel!"

"Danny, we're being paged," Jack said as he shook his husband.

"Sleeping," came the barely audible response.

Jack got up and walked to the tent opening, peeking his head through the opening.

"A little early, isn't it, Megan?"

"I'm sorry, Jack, but we just made a major find. He'll want to see it."

"I'll see what I can do."

Jack smiled charmingly at Megan, who nervously backed away as Jack disappeared through the opening. He walked back over to the bed and ran his hand along Daniel's cheek. He loved the feel of his lover's skin.

"Beautiful perfection," he said softly, and then he leaned over and nibbled on Daniel's upper lip.

Daniel sighed contently as Jack traced his lips with his tongue and then kissed him. Almost on automatic, Daniel granted Jack access, lifting his arms to go around Jack's neck.

"Mmmm."

"Mmmm, yourself. Hey, I'd love to take this further, but not only do we have children nearby, but Megan says they've uncovered something you just have to see."

"Want to uncover you," Daniel whispered, still mostly asleep.

"Works for me."

Jack kissed his husband a bit more passionately until suddenly Daniel awoke.

"Find? What find?"

"I don't know. Why don't you take a shower, get dressed, and go find out?"

"I'd rather do this first." Daniel cupped Jack's face and brought him down for another kiss. "You're always first, Jack. I won't ever let you forget that again."

"I love you."

"Love you, too."

Ten minutes later, Daniel found Megan near one of the middle excavation trenches.

"Morning, Megan. What did you find?"

"Good morning, Daniel. Sorry to disturb you so early, but take a look."

Daniel's eyes grew wide. He leaped down into the hole, looking at what appeared to be a wall.

"Cobra heads."

"Exactly," Megan responded.

"There has to be a tomb here. The cobra heads are protectors of the gods. There has to be a tomb, has to be."

Daniel's mind was moving swiftly. He knew they were close.

Meanwhile, Jack still had that feeling, a feeling stirred up even more when he went to check on the ribbon device and other items they had locked away. The box was still locked, but it had been moved. He knew Sam and Teal'c wouldn't have touched it. Something was going on, but he didn't have any proof and really had no clue exactly what it was. He was relieved when he opened the box that everything was still in place, but that funny feeling in the pit of his stomach was stronger than ever.

Making sure the children were set for the morning, and that Sam and Teal'c were up babysitting, Jack joined Daniel and learned about the find. As they talked, they heard Daniel's name being called. It came from the back of the site, where Ty and Tabia were working.

"Doctor Jackson, it is a tomb!" Karissa called out.

Everything was beginning to happen quickly. Jack and Daniel exchanged a look. Each had the ribbon device in the back of their minds, but neither wanted to believe that every time they turned around, they would run into a Goa'uld ... and then again ...

On to Chapter Nine...