Title: When All Else Fails

Chapter: Five

Disclaimer: The shows not my creation, the story, however, is mine. You can't have it.

A/N: I really didn't intend for my story to make people tear up like they have said they did. I'll put a warning up on my summary, I guess. What, Kleenex warning or something like that? Anyway, I'll try not to make it too sad! No promises though.

All right, I'm adding this after writing this chapter. This is a tear jerkier from the beginning. Sorry, I tried, really. I did.
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When she came again he was lying in a crumpled heap on the cold, hard floor. She wasn't sure if he was asleep, or if he just didn't care but she studied him for a couple of seconds. Instead of the normal, stoic demeanor of her former CO she saw an exhausted, weak shell of a man who'd all but given up. She sat down on the floor by him and gently called out his name. He jolted forward, his eyes searching the room for signs of danger, when they fell upon her they softened but the hard, twisted expression on his face didn't. God, what she wouldn't give to turn back time, stop all of this before it even happened. But she didn't have time to waste on what could have been, she had the opportunity to change it, and as soon as the SG teams arrived she would take it.

He didn't speak, she knew it was because he didn't have the strength to. He raised his hand to brush her cheek, but it passed right through. She looked away, not wanting to see the disappointment in his eyes. He groaned, getting her attention, and she looked back at him. His eyes, normally bright and shimmering were dull and filled with tears she knew he would never allow to fall. She smiled weakly, feeling her own tears brimming behind her eyes, though she held them back. She figured that if she faltered, he'd falter. That would be dangerous, for the both of them.

He groaned again before he passed out, again looking like nothing more than a crumpled heap on a drab, gray floor. To her he seemed tattered, broken. She could think of many times when he had been less than strong and heroic, but never had he seemed this far-gone. Not even when he was dying of the cold and internal bleeding in the Antarctic, even when the ancient outpost had completely taken over his mind and he was seconds away from dying as a result. This, seeing him so hopeless, it scared the hell out of her. Jack didn't give up hope, only once had she seen him do so in the more than 9 years she knew him, and that was when he had been stranded on Endora.

In her mind she could see Daniel, Teal'c, the rest of SG-1, the marines of SG-3, and SG-6 nearing the mothership, and a bunch of Jaffa guards in their path, almost 2 clicks ahead. She would have to leave him, to save him, and go to the others. Looking back at him one last time she left, praying to God that he would make it out safely. Knowing that no matter what, if they all made it through, things would never be the same.

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Daniel was walking when he noticed a bare, milky white arm swinging beside him. His head snapped around, towards the arm. Not surprisingly, it was Sam who the arm belonged to. She didn't look very happy; in fact it was exactly the opposite. The look on her face, in her eyes, was grave and determined. She didn't speak, but looked ahead and then disappeared.

When she reappeared it was right in front of him, he jumped and nearly yelled out, she startled him so badly. Normally he would have expected her to laugh, or at least a smart-ass comment out of Jack. But neither was going to happen, Jack wasn't there and Sam's soul was wherever he was. Until he was safe her sense of humor, her laughter, her smile, they were nothing more than fleeting memories. He stopped suddenly, as did all the others, expectant looks gazing intensely at her.

"You're headed straight for Jaffa," she told them. "I can't do anything until we're absolutely sure that it will lead to Jack's return. Because once the others find out I'm gone, and I can't help you anymore. I won't let that happen." She pursed her lips, "Go west for about one click, that area is clear. From then I'll instruct you further. If anything happens, I'll be here immediately." And as soon as she had appeared she was gone. They turned west and began walking.

It wasn't long before she returned again and told them to start walking north, almost two clicks. She said she had to go. Jack wasn't doing very well and she wanted to do everything to keep him holding on. Ba'al seemed to be taking his time with torturing him, and this time instead of doing it painfully and quickly he was starving him, watching him die slowly. They all understood and let her go without a word.

There were a few scattered Jaffa along the way, nothing to be alarmed about; they were dealt with immediately. It was good, in all truths, they got extra weapons. By the time Sam returned again they had come across four Jaffa, who must have been hunting something.

"We're only half an hour away," she informed them. "As long as you keep going in this direction you shouldn't come across any groups of Jaffa, and there are no locals that you could stumble upon. I'll lead the way when you get to the ship, I've been drifting around it, finding the best route." She laughed bitterly, "Everything has a backdoor, even Goa'uld motherships. If anything bad should happen, I could wipe out the entire planet if I wanted too. I wouldn't, but I could. I'm going to go through the ship one more time, then I'll come back."

"Hold up a second," Roberts called out. "How are we getting off of this planet? We can't get back to the 'gate without somebody catching us."

"There's a cargo bay right by the cell Jack is being held in," she explained. "We can steal a ship and Teal'c can fly it to the nearest planet with a Stargate."

Reese had a question, too. "Which planet would that be?"

"P3Q-331. The inhabitants are called the Shien; the planet itself is called Tiahha. They're simple people, we went on a mission there about 3 years ago."

She asked if there were anymore questions, then, upon receiving a 'no', left. Daniel found himself feeling anxious, his stomach twisting into knots, hoping that everything was going to turn out all right.

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"It's almost over," she whispered to him. "Just hold on a little longer, Jack. It'll be over soon."

He blinked at her, shaking his head. "Don't waste yo-"

"Damn it, Jack, stop. I'm not going to let you give up on me, you hear?" For once she was glad that she could be invisible to everybody but him and that she could yell and scream all she wanted, nobody else would hear, unless she wanted them to. "I am not doing all of this just so you can give in."

A small, sad smile appeared on his lips. "You never did follow orders," he joked.

"Please don't do that," she asked, "don't joke."

He nodded, lying his head on the ground. "Go help them," he told her. "The sooner they get here, the sooner I get out."

She nodded and disappeared, but didn't leave the room right away. She watched as he struggled to get comfortable on the cold, hard ground, a wince on his face. She wished she could reach out and hold him, comfort him, anything. She would soon, she told herself. The others were close by, pretty soon and this would all be over. He would be home, safe, and she ... she would be descended. Whether she would be sent back to Earth or some other planet was still unknown, but no matter what she would find her way back to him.

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It was dark when they made it to the mothership. It was bright, gold, and shinning in the moonlight. It stood tall and gleaming, something that could be viewed as beautiful, if not for the dangers that lurked in its walls. He felt himself shiver as he stood there, gazing up at it in wonder, it was bigger than any they had come across before, and the others were just as awestruck as he was. Brighter, too, he noticed. The gold shimmered more, and he found himself reaching out to touch it. It was cold, that was what he noticed first. He almost pulled his hand away, but before he did he noticed that it felt rough and uneven, not how a Goa'uld would have it. It would normally be smooth and polished, Ba'al was slacking.

"Shouldn't Colonel Carter be here by now?" Major Sanders, a member of SG-6, asked.

"She should," Daniel said, eyeing the ship once more. "Maybe something's gone wrong."

"Indeed, I do not believe that to be true, DanielJackson."

"Huh?" He asked, turning around looking at Teal'c. "Why?"

"Look to your left, Doctor Jackson." Robertson said.

He did so, "Oh. Hey, Sam."

She was frowning, "They're not going to be taking him away for torture anytime soon. Right now Ba'al is trying out something new, starvation. Jack hasn't had anything to drink or eat in almost four days, and the Jaffa haven't exactly been too nice to him. He's weak, bruised, and hungry. I don't think he'll last another day in this condition. If we're going to do anything, then we'd better do it now. From what I know Ba'al is asleep now, which doesn't actually mean much, there are still Jaffa littering the entire ship."

"What's the plan, Colonel?" A SG-3 marine asked.

She took a deep breath, "I go first, alone, and make a ... path for you guys to follow. If there is Jaffa I distract them, or get rid of them, which ever is necessary. I know where he is being held. Like I told you before next to the room he's in is a cargo bay. We steal a ship, fly it to P3Q-331, and gate home."

They soaked in then information, going over the plan of action in their heads, then all murmured words of agreement. She breathed deeply again, uncertainty passing through her eyes. Then, with a look of determination she asked, "Is everybody ready?"

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He was sleeping when he heard the shouts, they were panicked though he could clearly tell they came from Jaffa, one voice even sounded like it belonged to Vol'ture. He pulled himself up, off of the floor, and stood, wavering for the first seconds before steadying himself. Looking up, he tried to figure out what was happening. Were Sam and the rest of them attempting to rescue him already?

There was nothing he could do but stand and wait; dumbly looking upwards, silently praying to make it out safely. Then he saw her; she was with him, down in that godforsaken hellhole.

"They're on their way," she told him, her voice faltering. "You should probably lay down."

He understood, once they flipped that switch the gravity would change, that he would fall.

"I have to go now, Jack." She said gravely. "Oma knows what I've done, I have to take my punishment. Be safe, Jack. I love you."

As soon as she had appeared she was gone, he laid on the ground, waiting for Danny, T, and the others. Footsteps could be heard, from many people who were running.

"Jack!" The voice was distinctly Daniel's. They had made it; he was going to get out. Suddenly, he was standing again and he could get out of the room. He followed the others as they ran to a room right next to the one he had just escaped from. He was confused at first, but then he saw the ships, it was a cargo bay. One ship was already open and waiting for them to get aboard. They did and Teal'c took the wheel, or rather the controls.

"Where are we going?" He asked as they took off, finally able to rest.

"P3Q-331." Reese told him, "How are you, sir?"

"A little thirsty, stomachs been growling. Food would be nice."

"Of course," almost immediately a MRE was in front of him, never in his life had he been so happy to see one of those things. He dug into it, eating at record speed. When he was finished he sat with Daniel, he had a few things to ask him about.

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A/N: So, the explanation on how they got him out will be in the next chapter, coming from everybody's favorite spacemonkey. Sorry if this was a sad chapter, too. Anyway, let me know how this chapter turned out. The more (nice) reviews that I get the more motivated I'll be to get the next chapter out!