Author Notes: This series, which is a sequel to my story, Home Again, has some strong language and violence. Any feedback and/or gentle criticism is greatly appreciated.
Thanks to all of you who have sent in reviews and feedback. I really appreciate it. Special thanks go to Turtle D for correcting all my mistakes.

The klaxons were blaring as SG-1 and the Tok'ra stood in the Gate Room. O'Neill looked around and tried not to show his excitement. He was going back out there! An honest to God mission, he thought to himself. It's about damn time!

He looked over at Jacob who was talking to Carter, probably saying his good-byes, although he would be traveling through the Gate with them. Jacob wasn't going to be joining them on this trip, his job of talking O'Neill into this mission over. They were going to gate to the Tok'ra world, then board a ship to take them to Ba'al's fortress. From there, it was anyone's guess, although to be fair, they did have a plan.

"Chevron 3 encoded!" came the voice over the intercom.

Some plan, O'Neill thought as he mentally went through his pre-mission checklist. He was interrupted by Daniel bumping into him and O'Neill smiled back at one of his best friends.

"Ready to go, Jack?" Daniel said looking him up and down. "What's missing? Oh, I know. Your cap," he said reaching over to grab Gallagher's hat to give to O'Neill.

"Hey, that's my hat, thank you very much," Gallagher said snatching it back. "The General has his own," he said pointing to the object O'Neill had in his hands.

"Chevron 4 encoded!"

"Yeah?" O'Neill said. "Well, I like yours better. Hand it over," he reached over to get the hat, but Gallagher had pulled back and wagged it in front of him as if taunting O'Neill.

"It's the same one you have, except mine's a 'copy' of yours," Gallagher grinned.

O'Neill just shook his head and joined Daniel's laughter. Damn kid, he thought.

"Chevron five encoded!"

"Jack," Jacob said as he came over to stand near him, "I'm glad Gallagher's coming along. He will be a major player on this mission."

"Yeah, well you have no idea how hard it was to get Hammond to agree with it. Like pulling teeth," O'Neill said. "I'm glad I won't be here when he arrives to take over while I'm gone."

"Best way to hide out," Jacob said knowingly. "And don't worry, your secret is safe with me," he added nodding at Gallagher.

"Chevron six encoded!"

"Thanks, Jacob. We do appreciate it."

"You going to be okay seeing Ba'al up close and personal?" Jacob asked him worriedly.

"Yeah," O'Neill said. "I'll be okay."

"Chevron seven locked!"

The Stargate erupted in a swirl of blue white light that seemed to magnify the thrill O'Neill was experiencing. He watched as the energy pushed the event horizon out toward them before settling into the calm environment that always reminded him of a whirlpool.

"Let's move out," Carter called causing O'Neill to remember the little chat they had early that morning about who was going to be the boss on this trip. He had made it clear that she was going to be in charge WHEN he was not available, which caused her to frown at him before saying the ever popular phrase, "Yes, sir."

He grinned when she looked up at him and she actually looked sheepish at what she had done before turning to walk up the ramp. God, he loved that woman. Don't go there, Jack, he said to himself as he followed her up the ramp and into the vortex.

They stepped out into a wooded area. O'Neill was pleased that it wasn't a desert like the first planet they found the Tok'ra on. He wasn't too fond of the desert, having spent some of the worst months of his life in one.

He turned to survey the land as the Gate shut down and he noticed several people stepping out from behind the trees to greet them. They were Tok'ra and Jacob raised his hand in greeting.

The Tok'ra welcome party consisted mostly of men, but O'Neill noticed a woman among them and he recognized her as she came closer to him. It was Shallan, the woman he rescued from Ba'al's fortress, the woman whose voice haunted him during his nightmares.

O'Neill didn't say anything and he stood there as she came up to him, her eyes searching his. She smiled at him and said, "I was not sure if you would come, but I am glad you did."

He just stood there staring at her, the memory of finding her in her cell while Kanan controlled his actions floating through his mind. He remembered her frequent visits, warning him that he shouldn't have come to get her. Memories of her face as she stood in front of him in Ba'al's chamber whispering to him, 'Is it you?' before fading away to the back of his mind to bide her time until he needed to see her again. She stood before him now and her presence brought back the grief, terror and agony he suffered at the hands of her Lord, Ba'al.

"O'Neill," she said staring into his eyes as she reached up to stroke the back of her hand down his cheek, "you have recovered?"

"Yes," he said softly, his memories still bogging him down.

"I wish to thank you again for saving me," she said. "You are a good man."

"No problem," he said. "The Tok'ra treating you right?" he asked, suddenly worried for her.

"Yes," she said with a small smile. "I am reunited with Kanan and we are doing what we can to destroy the Goa'ould, all of them."

"Kanan," O'Neill said, feeling the anger well up inside him again. He didn't want her to see the anger so he pushed it away, giving her a small smile of his own.

"You are very brave to go back into the fortress," she said. "I have something I would like to give you. It will help you if your journey gets rough."

O'Neill looked at the threaded bracelet she had given him. The dark brown threads were woven tightly with a few tiny wooden beads intertwined throughout. It was a talisman, he knew, and he was honored that she would give it to him. "Thank you," he said with feeling.

"Perhaps it will remind you of me when it is time for you to leave the fortress," she said, "and in turn you will remember the way out."

"Perhaps," he said with a sad smile and a small nod. He had a feeling he would be remembering her anyway, with or without the bracelet.

"Shall we go?" Jacob asked O'Neill.

"Yeah, let's get this show on the road," O'Neill said. He turned to follow Jacob, but looked back at Shallan, grateful for her thoughtfulness. She gave him a small wave before being engulfed in Kanan's embrace and O'Neill turned back to follow Jacob through the trees.

Gallagher trudged behind O'Neill, while lost in his own thoughts. He had been shocked to see Shallan, having recognized her almost instantly, and he couldn't stop the memories that had swirled around him. Dark memories that threatened to swallow him whole and it was difficult to shake off the terror those memories brought back.

He often wondered why her vision came to him between and during the sessions and had come up with several theories. Well, besides the obvious one of having lost his mind, that is. Maybe he needed to remember her beauty and fragility in order to keep her safe by not telling Ba'al what he wanted to know about her. Or maybe it was because the memory of her was the only one he had while Kanan had control and he hung on to it in order to gain back some of the control. Whatever it was, the memory of Shallan, the frequent visits from Daniel and the thought that Carter and Teal'c would figure out a way to get him out of that predicament were all that held him together.

He wondered what it was that she gave to O'Neill. Something to remind him of her, she had said. Like he didn't remember her every single time he had a nightmare, he thought shaking his head. Gallagher was pretty sure that he was going to be reminded of her every step of the way while traipsing through Ba'al's playground.

The trek through the woods seemed to take forever and they didn't follow a path as far as Gallagher could tell. He admired the Tok'ra for their cunning in making it hard for the Tel'tak to be found by anyone coming through the Stargate.

He looked back and saw Carter following him and she smiled at him when she saw his gaze was on her. They had only been on this planet for a brief time and no one actually spit out any orders yet, but he couldn't help but wonder if Carter had a talk with the General about who was going to be in charge. If he knew O'Neill, and he knew him very well, Carter was going to have to resign herself to being second in command again.

Gallagher grinned at the thought of those two butting heads, knowing Carter would give in to her superior officer without too much of a fight. It just amused him to no end when he thought of her 'demotion' to second in command, especially after she made such a fuss about him joining her team. Of course, he would never admit that to anyone. His mama didn't raise a fool.

They reached the cargo ship and he helped Daniel and Teal'c load some supplies and equipment onto it, while O'Neill and Carter talked with Jacob. They had just finished putting the last crate in the hold when Gallagher's least favorite person showed up with his companion, Janun, and both men offered to help.

"We are finished here," Teal'c told them.

"I see," Kanan said and both Tok'ra walked into the ship to prepare it for take off.

Daniel and Gallagher looked at each other and rolled their eyes at the abruptness of the Tok'ra and they walked over toward Jacob and O'Neill, while Teal'c stayed behind to close the compartment.

He had almost reached the General when Gallagher heard her voice calling to him. "Gallagher," she said, the softness sending a chill down his spine.

He turned to look at Shallan and was surprised when she put her hand on his arm.

"Kanan tells me that you are O'Neill's clone and that you may share his memories. Is this true?" her eyes were searching his, looking for the truth.

"Yes," he said as he looked back into her eyes. No use lying to her now. "It's supposed to be a secret."

"Your secret is safe with me," she said reaching for his hand. "Do you have his memories?" she asked again.

He looked down at the hand that was holding his, trying to steer off the memories her question invoked in his mind. He wondered if he was able to hide the fear in his eyes when he looked back at her. "Yes," he whispered. Her eyes widened and he knew what she was thinking.

"Tell me," she said quietly, her eyes still searching his.

Gallagher suddenly wished he was anywhere but here. He didn't want to remember any of it, but he knew it was inevitable the moment he heard of the mission. Those memories were not going to stop him from doing what needed to be done and he might as well get used to them.

"I remember your eyes," Gallagher said. "You were looking at me just as you are looking at me now, searching for the truth of who I really was. I remember your voice when you asked me if I was the one you were waiting for. I remember your fear when I found you in your cell and tried to drag you out of there. And I remember the agony and the anger, as I tried to hold on to my dignity as long as I could. I don't want to remember any of it, yet I still do."

This seemed to satisfy her. "Thank you for saving me," she told him, turning his hand palm up and dropping something into it. She closed his fingers over the object and looked back at his face. "It's something to remind you of me and will hopefully help you and O'Neill get out of there safely."

"What is it?" he asked.

"A token from my heart," she said with a smile. "O'Neill has one just like it, as does Kanan."

"Thank you," he said, looking in her eyes to show her his sincerity. "I'll keep it with me."

"You need it more than I do," she said backing away and he knew at that moment it had been hers. He looked at the bracelet she wanted him to have and felt the sting of tears in his eyes. He blinked them away and looked back at her giving her a smile that told her she had touched his heart. "I'll keep it with me to remember you," he said again.

She smiled back at him and they turned toward the ship to find O'Neill standing there watching them. Shallan took Gallagher's hand and led him over to stand next to the General. "I would ask you both one more thing," she said, as her face became serious. "Please forgive Kanan."

Neither man answered her simple request. Gallagher stared at her as he tried once again to hide his anger from her. He wondered if the General was doing the same.

"Please," she said, "please try to forgive him."

"I will try," O'Neill said.

"Me too," Gallagher agreed.

She gave them a nod and turned to walk away. Gallagher found himself wondering if Kanan agreed to Shallan's behavior toward the two men. He knew that he personally would be steaming if he saw his woman touching other men as Shallan was doing.

O'Neill interrupted his musings by grabbing him by the arm and dragging him off toward the ship. "C'mon already," he said. "We have another world that needs saving."

Oh yeah, Gallagher thought as he followed his 'original' to the ship.