Disclaimer: I don't own Stargate SG1 or Stargate the movie, or anything else you lawyers can think of! But I do, however, own the heroine of this story, Aster! Yay!

"…Speech…"

'…Thought…'

'…Quote…'

''…Foreign language…''

oOoOoOo

Public announcement: I'm really sorry, but there was an error in the previous chapter that you really should hear: I accidentally got "Tel'tac" mixed up with "Pel'tac" and said "bridge" instead of "small ship-thing", thanks Isha for pointing that out! Thank you for your time. This chapter is rated PG-13 for bad language!

oOoOoOo

Aster rolled over and out of the bed and quickly slipped on a fresh and cleaned dress on that the handmaidens had delivered during the previous day's feast ceremony. She tied her hair up in a quick ponytail with a scrap piece of linen and promptly followed Klorel, who had gotten dressed at inhuman speeds, out of the chamber.

"Do you think Apophis will notice just one extra night?" Aster asked in concern.

"Yes," Klorel replied gravelly, "But he will not learn of Erebus. I will find an excuse…" he smirked, "He will believe me if I say it was of my own clumsiness or stupidity."

Aster touched his hand as they strode briskly down the corridors heading towards the Tel'tac, "It'll be fine," her smile full of reassurance.

Klorel smiled back; slightly more relieved.

oOoOoOo

Klorel moved with surprising speed down the corridors, towards the room the serpent guards had reported him to be in. Aster scuttled after him, along with the half dozen guards flanking the couple. Klorel looked unusually anxious, he was worried about his father being suspicious about his absence.

When they finally reached the room Apophis was said to be in, Klorel hesitated at the door. He scowled at the twin stone doors, and threw them open viciously, causing them to swing wide open and slammed against the ornate walls of the chamber. The commotion disturbed Apophis from his silent revere; he turned away from the window he had been staring out of to see his son marching steadfastly towards him, his face set.

"Father, you wished to speak to me?" Klorel asked levelly.

"You are late," Apophis replied coldly, "I demand to know where you were."

"I was away," Klorel replied coolly.

Clearly unfazed by his son's inadequate response, Apophis raised an eyebrow, "Away where?"

"…Away taking care of… things," Klorel growled stubbornly.

Apophis was close to outraged at his son's insolence. He opened his mouth to berate his son, when a thought occurred to him. He looked at Klorel, then behind him where Aster was stationed politely beside the doors with Klorel's flanking of serpent guards, and then back at his son.

Klorel blushed deeply at the implications Apophis held in the look that he gave him.

Aster had to bite her tongue to prevent her from yelling out denials and defences at how she was not a slut and that she would never sleep with Klorel and that Apophis was a pervert for even suggesting it. Instead her cheeks went scarlet and she scowled at the two self-acclaimed 'Gods'. She could hear one of the serpent guards near her stifle a snigger.

"…I expected better of you," Apophis murmured darkly.

Aster's jaw dropped in outrage. A few of the serpent guards beside her chuckled. Klorel's brows knitted together defensively at his father.

Apophis turned and walked back to the window, continuing his speech in a louder tone, "We shall depart for the Tau'ri world when the sun is highest. I expect you to be aboard the Ha'tak you will be travelling by then and not… distracting yourself," Apophis gave him a rather dirty look, "Is that understood?"

"Yes father," Klorel half-bowed.

"Good," Apophis snapped. He stormed out of the room, scrutinising Aster briefly as he made his way out.

No one moved until the sound of Apophis' sharp footsteps had faded from earshot. Klorel still stood where he was, not quite afraid but hesitant to face Aster after what had just happened. Taking a deep breath, he held his head high and turned around to see her, acting macho in front of the serpent guards. But instead of seeing the seething, angry teenager glaring daggers at him, as he had expected, Aster was simply trying not to laugh.

Their eyes connected and they both burst out laughing. "Did you see the look he gave me?" Klorel asked, his eyes teary with laughter.

Aster tried to breathe between laughs, "That was just classic! 'Distracting yourself'? You'd better watch out, I think he's onto you," Aster teased.

"About as much as I'm onto you," Klorel sniggered, leading her out of the chamber so they could go get some breakfast.

oOoOoOo

"Aw, I love these things!" Aster exclaimed softly at the little plate of pastries shaped into hieroglyphs. She and Klorel were sitting on the elaborate bed in Klorel's quarters with the selection of food the servants had brought in, "But you didn't need to ask the other servants to get it, you know, I could have gone," Aster looked worried, "What if they start spreading rumours?"

"Rumours? About us?" Klorel looked highly amused. Amused exactly the way Aster wasn't. "There were rumours already circulating from what was said by my father," Klorel tried to reassure her.

"By the serpent guards? But I thought they were warriors, not gossipers."

"Ladies gossip, men talk," Klorel smirked, "Besides, are you completely opposed to the idea of what the rumours are saying?" Klorel tried to look saddened.

"Aw, I just don't want the whole planet buzzing with it," Aster sighed, trying to evade the smirk that Klorel's puppy dog eyes were causing her.

"This whole planet is full of insignificant fools that are of no consequence to us, my dear Aster. The most significant person on this planet apart from us, my Father, is quite convinced that I am being 'distracted' by you right now," Klorel stated, making Aster chortle, "Do not care what anyone says about you, I know that the rumours are not true."

Aster's smile softened, "Which rumours? The ones that we slept together or the ones that you love me?"

Klorel paused, trying to think of a good reply, "Technically, we DID actually sleep together. We shared the same bed for the night and that is sleeping together, although without the implications…" Klorel sighed, 'I love you, I love you, I love you, I just can't say it!'

Aster sensed the tension and quickly changed the subject, "The sun is almost at it's highest…" Aster murmured absently, collecting up the plates.

"Aster…" Klorel bit his lip, 'What am I going to say?' "…Leave the plates. The servants will clean them up."

"Oh, thanks," Aster smiled, trying to show that nothing had changed.

Klorel smiled back nervously, 'I love you, I love you, I love you!' "Let's go…" 'I love you and I really, really want to sleep with you but I don't know what to say!'

oOoOoOo

"Hey," Aster greeted Bra'tac on board the Ha'tak as the ship prepared to launch.

"Young Aster," Bra'tac smiled, "It is indeed a great pleasure to see you again."

"It's good to see you too," Aster grinned, "…So tell me, how bad are the rumours?"

"You should not be concerned about what others say about you," Bra'tac replied calmly.

"Oh that's exactly what Klorel said!" Aster sighed in defeat. "Well the truth is; we did not sleep together, at all!"

Bra'tac raised an eyebrow, "That one… I have not hear of."

"Oh… Well now you know."

Bra'tac chuckled.

Aster tried changing the subject, "Do you really think it is a good idea to be leaving Klorel inside a sarcophagus without any guards?" she asked uneasily.

"There will be little time for rest in the sarcophagus once Lord Klorel and Lord Apophis arrive at your planet, so they are getting as much now as they can. And there are no current threats to Lord Klorel aboard this ship; you should not be worried. …Why do you ask?" Bra'tac frowned.

"I don't know… I've just got this weird feeling…"

"You may feel off-balance because you are unused to travelling at this speed," Bra'tac theorised, "But do not worry, it only takes a few minutes to get used to."

"Hmm…" Aster murmured quietly, staring out of the window.

oOoOoOo

Summoned by the call of the intercom, Aster followed the rest of the ship's occupants to the gate room. She took her place among the Jaffa and waited patiently for the visual communication device to activate.

From where he was hidden behind the crates, Daniel's jaw dropped, "Guys!" he hissed quietly, "It's Aster! She's beside the sarcophagus! Look!"

Three more heads poked discretely from behind the shipping crate to catch sight of Aster. Sam was the first to whisper something, "Oh my God… she has one of those things on her forehead…"

Before Teal'c could tell them what that meant, the long range visual communication device came to life and Apophis' image appeared before them inside of the glowing orb.

"Chel hol, Jaffa," Apophis' voice echoed through the room. SG1 watched as their Aster and the other Jaffa bowed before their 'God'.

"The end of a dark moment in Goa'uld history approaches. Soon we will wipe out the scourge that plagues us," Apophis' eyes hovered over Aster as the word 'scourge' passed his lips, "I will rejoin you as we come out of the shadows. Until then, you are to follow all orders of my son...as if they were my own."

The golden panels of Klorel's elaborate sarcophagus slowly eased apart, revealing the occupant within. Aster felt the unease she had felt earlier leave her as soon as she saw Klorel again, "Bow down now, Show your reverence to my son. The mighty warrior, Klorel," Apophis announced.

Klorel rose to his feet and faced his father proudly, "Tel kol, Jaffa," everyone again bowed, this time to Klorel, "Kel, Apophis. Re nek… Klorel."

"Re nek, Klorel," Apophis smiled paternally, before his image faded from the orb. The serpent guards and servants all bowed before the blank sphere.

Klorel, flanked by serpent guards and followed by Aster and the rest of the entourage, departed the gate room. In a few moments it was completely empty, save the four members of SG1, who sat in a small huddle whispering quietly about what had just happened.

"Were gonna try and grab Skaara," O'Neill announced firmly.

"Sir, are you sure? It would be like trying to take Apophis!" Carter argued.

Teal'c put his opinion in for O'Neill, "They do not know we are on board. There'd be little to keep him under heavy guard."

Carter looked uneasy about the idea, "Okay, but with respect, sir, I think your making an emotional decision here."

"Maybe, but it's also the best strategic decision."

"Is it?"

"Jack has a point. If we can capture him, maybe we can get through to the old Skaara. Kendra said that she could fight Pasras Goa'uld when it was still inside of her, and Aster is there too, she'll help us. Knowing her, she's probably waiting for an opportunity to help get Skaara out of this place just like we are," Daniel advised them.

"Are you sure? I mean, she has one of those things on her forehead, what if they've put a Goa'uld inside of her as well?" Sam asked with worry.

"Skaara wouldn't have let that happen," Daniel said softly, knowing the friendship bond the two of them had.

"If she's got a snake in her head we'll deal with it," O'Neill told them decisively, "Let's go."

"Sir? What about a contingency plan?"

"C4."

oOoOoOo

"Did you miss me at all?" Klorel smiled, pulling Aster to his side as they made their way down the corridor along with the entourage of Jaffa.

"Worried sick," Aster murmured as they turned into a room, four of the serpent guards accompanying them, only half in jest.

Klorel grinned and squeezed her hand, "Do not worry, it will not be much longer. Here, sit down, you look tired…" Klorel led her to a corner of the room, showing her to the stool, ''I know this can't be easy for you,'' he whispered gently.

"Don't worry, I'm fine," Aster replied earnestly, smiling a smile that sent warm fuzzies running up and down Klorel's spine. He touched her arm affectionately, then walked over to the front of the room and activated the control panel.

Aster looked around the room, seeing the four serpent guards, the sarcophagus and… two dark figures that just rolled in through the door.

Aster leapt out of her seat when the figures started firing at the guards. She dove at the fallen body of the closest serpent guard and retrieved the Zat'n'kitel attached to his belt.

She looked back to the fight scene and was instantly revealed. She saw the familiar faces of Colonel O'Neill and Teal'c firing at the guards, and Klorel advancing on their position. Her brain did flip-flops inside of her head, 'This is it! They've come to rescue Skaara! We can go home! It's all over!' she thought in a micro-second, all of her memories and feelings for Klorel muffled by the memory that this was what she had been waiting for all this time… Skaara could be free…

Without warning Aster stood up and aimed the zat gun at Klorel, "Oi!" she exclaimed, getting Klorel's attention. Holding the zat steady and giving Klorel the hardest, coldest look she had ever given anybody, she said clearly, "Move and I will shoot."

Klorel looked as if he had already been shot. Aster tried not to let her ice-queen façade slip at Klorel's pitiful reaction. His mouth moved to form words, but no sound came out. His eyes became teary with emotion, caught halfway between sorrow and anger. Teal'c grabbed him from behind and Klorel roared in outrage, "Chel nok, makor!"

Aster watched silently, keeping the zat trained on Klorel, as O'Neill and Teal'c sealed up the room and removed the ribbon-device from Klorel and sealed up the room. Klorel just glared daggers at her, pure and utter hatred etched into Skaara's innocent face.

"Hey Skaara, long time no see. You too, Smith," O'Neill broke the tense silence.

"Thank you, sir," Aster replied automatically, collecting the weapons from the fallen serpent guards, her mood suddenly swung angry, "What took you so long? I almost had to sleep with that thing!" Aster motioned at Klorel.

" 'Sleep with him'?" O'Neill repeated incredulously, "…What the heck has been going on here?"

Aster shrugged, "Couldn't get Skaara out of here all on me onesies, and being 'myself' almost got me killed. So I had to pretend to like him for the better part of a year to gain his trust while I found some way to horribly betray him and save Skaara from a fate worse than death."

"You lying, deceitful—" O'Neill interrupted Klorel's anguished yells before he could call Aster something that would raise the rating of this story considerably.

"I see he got pretty attached to you," the Colonel observed wryly.

"Colonel O'Neill, we do not have much time…" Teal'c warned.

"Alrightie then, talk to me Skaara, I know you're in there."

"My father will have you all beheaded—"

"Come on Skaara, think. Try to remember me, I'm Jack O'Neill, this is Teal'c!"

"Ah, Teal'c! The traitor… I will take great pleasure in delivering his head to my father."

"He is not your father!"

"He is my father. He seeded the queen mother. He chose the host I will live out eternity. Apophis gave me life."

"Oh my GOD! Too much information! That is just SICK! How can you think of your own parents that way Klorel? Oh… EW!" Aster exclaimed, almost clawing her eyes out.

"Smith!" O'Neill barked, "Not helping!" O'Neill and Klorel argued some more, Aster was losing her patience.

"Fine. Sir, move out of the way," Aster looked Klorel in the eye and fired the Zat'n'kitel at him.

"SMITH!" O'Neill roared. Any Jaffa that hadn't already heard them, they had by now.

"He's fine sir. Two shots kills; one prevents him from controlling the host for a short while."

"Sha're! Dan'ele!" Skaara cried out. Aster felt her stomach knot in guilt.

oOoOoOo

"Father, I wish to present to you a great gift," Klorel announced, "The traitor, Teal'c; And I present the human that recruited him… The Tau'ri slave you gifted to me is in league with them."

"Hey Pops," O'Neill greeted the serpent 'God'. Apophis was about to yell at him, when Aster took the opportunity to interrupt him.

"And, just so you know, I did NOT sleep with him you sick pervert!" Aster stated evenly while being restrained by a serpent guard.

"SILENCE!" Apophis snapped, "Klorel, where did they come from?"

"We do not know… We found them after departure," Klorel admitted.

Aster struggled against the serpent guard who held her captive with her arms behind her back as the conversation continued. Aster was only half listening, half twisting and pulling her arms, trying to free them, but to no avail. The conversations between the two aliens drew to an end and Aster faced her comrades with an expression of 'now what?' on her face. The Jaffa released her, but held his staff weapon at the ready in case she tried anything and ordered her along the corridors along with O'Neill and Teal'c.

Nothing could distract Klorel for the blind and utter rage he felt. It had only been moments before when he and Aster were walking down the very same corridor, together… smiling… in love… 'What love? It was all an act!' Klorel thought to himself furiously, 'She does not even feel remorse. She can feel nothing, she is just a puppet!'

'She told me her plan when she first shot us with that zat gun,' Skaara's mind confirmed, 'She was just trying to find a way to rescue me. And why do you suddenly worry for her good opinion? You've stated many times how the Tau'ri are so insignificant to you, why now care about how she feels?'

'I DO NOT CARE HOW SHE FEELS!' Klorel's thought exploded inside of his head, 'I will show her… she will see her planet destroyed. All of it!'

Klorel led the group into a room and turned to face O'Neill, "You wish to go home to your planet?"

"Of course," O'Neill replied.

Klorel barked an order at his guards, "Jaffa! Rel toc remoc!"

Aster's brow furrowed in confusion, walking over to O'Neill. She saw a Jaffa put his hand on an orb which changed colour and heard Teal'c start to warn O'Neill about something… then felt herself being propelled forward violently. She was saved from the fall by Klorel's pincer-like grip grabbing her arm and yanking her back up on her feet. Neither said anything.

"…Extreme deceleration," Teal'c finished.

"Yeah, thanks Teal'c."

Aster could feel a bruise developing on her arm where Klorel had grabbed her; it certainly wasn't a friendly lift up. She turned her head at the sound of Jack's exclamation and goggled at the view of Saturn through the window, speechless, "Wow… that's really… Saturn."

"You will get to see your home, one last time. Before you, and everyone on your planet, are destroyed. And your kind will disturb the Goa'uld no more," Klorel told them coldly.

''What's with the change of plan?'' Aster muttered in the Goa'uld language Daniel had taught her.

"Shol'vah," Klorel hissed back, the foreign word being the one usually associated with Teal'c by the Goa'uld caught O'Neill and Teal'c's attention.

Aster rolled her eyes, "Oh get over it…"

''I trusted you…'' the Goa'uld growled miserably.

Aster gave him the evillest smirk she could; "All's fair in love and war."

"Neither of which do you know," Klorel snapped.

That wiped the smirk off Aster's face. O'Neill, Teal'c and almost everyone else in the room looked back and forward between Aster and Klorel as if it were a tennis match.

"And you do?" Aster questioned dryly.

Klorel looked as if he was about to boil over, "I LOVED YOU!" he yelled.

A very heavy silence fell upon the room. No one dared to breathe.

"I have priorities," Aster said coolly, "My work comes first."

"That's gotta hurt…" O'Neill murmured to Teal'c.

"Indeed."

"This is even better than watching soaps… Got any popcorn?"

"I do not."

"SILENT!" Klorel screamed, tears forming at the corners of his kohl-painted eyes.

A smoke bomb rolled into the room, catching everybody by surprise.

A firefight broke out, zat and staff blasts flying through the air in rapid succession. The guard behind Aster swung his weapon about to fire on SG1 and accidentally whacked Aster on the head, knocking the girl to the ground.

Klorel looked through the mess of the fight and saw Daniel creeping behind the sarcophagus. His rage burned, 'This is what she betrayed me for… her friend…' Klorel thought angrily, remembering how Aster had listed the archaeologist as her only real friend she had on Earth. Klorel knew he really couldn't take his anger out on his own host, which was the main reason for Aster's betrayal, but Daniel was the next best thing.

Aster groaned and rolled onto her front, getting onto her hands and knees with one of the worst headaches she had ever felt, next to the one she woke up next to Klorel with… 'No. No! Don't think about that now.' Memories flogged her brain, she felt so confused…

"Skaara!" O'Neill cried, "Skaara, don't!"

Aster looked up foggily and saw Klorel, torturing Daniel with the ribbon device. Daniel was dying… Aster choked back a sob, "Danny!" she got to her feet, stumbling a bit, "Klorel you bastard, let him go!"

Klorel gritted his teeth and only fed more power into the device on his hand.

"Skaara!" O'Neill shouted.

Then shot the Abydanian boy, twice.

Aster dropped to her knees where she was, shaking in fear and whimpering denials. The world sped her by; she just sat there staring at her best friend, lying dead on the floor. All that she had been through, all that she had done, all that she had felt…

Daniel offered her a hand up but she ignored it. When he tried to help her to her feet she slapped his hand away, "Go." She said coldly, not looking at him, still sitting on the ground.

"Aster…" Daniel began consolingly.

"Smith, pull yourself together," O'Neill ordered, feeling emotional himself.

"Shoot me," Aster hissed in response, "I'm not going with you."

"Aster, we haven't got time for this, we need to get out of here," Daniel told her gently, "The ship's rigged with C4, if you stay you'll die."

"I don't care, just stay away from me!" She stood up and walked over to Skaara's side, kneeling beside the dead body. She touched his shoulder in silence, to say goodbye. 'You did nothing to deserve this fate, Skaara…'

While her team mates were by the window watching the approaching view of the Earth, Aster smiled sadly at Skaara's lifeless body, "It would have been a lot easier if you had just kept your old host, Klorel, you know…" she whispered tearfully. She sat there, watching over Skaara as if he were asleep.

And then the small metallic ball rolled in and blinded everyone, knocking them all into painful unconsciousness.

oOoOoOo

Linkin Park

"Breaking the Habit"

Memories consume
Like opening the wound
I'm picking me apart again

You all assume
I'm safe here in my room
Unless I try to start again

Bridge:
I don't want to be the one
The battles always choose
'Cause inside I realise
That I'm the one confused

Chorus:
I don't know what's worth fighting for
Or why I have to scream
I don't know why I instigate
And say what I don't mean
I don't know how I got this way
I know it's not all right
So I'm breaking the habit
I'm breaking the habit
Tonight

Clutching my cure
I tightly lock the door
I try to catch my breath again
I hurt much more
Than anytime before
I had no options left again

Bridge:
I don't want to be the one
The battles always choose
'Cause inside I realise
That I'm the one confused

Chorus:
I don't know what's worth fighting for
Or why I have to scream
I don't know why I instigate
And say what I don't mean
I don't know how I got this way
I'll never be all right
So, I'm breaking the habit
I'm breaking the habit
Tonight

Bridge:
I'll paint it on the walls
'Cause I'm the one at fault
I'll never fight again
And this is how it ends

Chorus:
I don't know what's worth fighting for
Or why I have to scream
But now I have some clarity
To show you what I mean
I don't know how I got this way
I'll never be all right
So, I'm breaking the habit
I'm breaking the habit
I'm breaking the habit
Tonight

oOoOoOo

Note: The song is supposed to be relative to Aster breaking the habit of being Klorel's servant, if it's not that obvious, lol. Back to writing chapters by the transcripts! And I would like to thank Gateworld for the transcript of "Within the Serpent's Grasp" and moon-catchin dot net for "The Serpent's Lair".

I would like to thank Isha for her review… This is not interactive! (Yes, I live in constant fear every day that FFN will pull the plug on one of my fanfics for no good reason. They've done it thrice before)

Isha: That is simply one of the best reviews I have ever had the privilege of reading! And it's certainly the longest I've had without the reviewer developing a split personality! Thank you so much! And thanks heaps for helping me out with the error of calling a Tel'tac a Pel'tac. It's just so hard to get them around the right way!:D It's a lot of fun writing the interactions between Aster and Klorel, I'm glad you enjoy reading them!

And guess what everybody! I'm getting the Stargate best of: season 1 DVD for Christmas! D I'll be watching this episode! YAY! (Because I've never actually seen it before) But I'm not sure if Dad got it...

Kohl is a great word, look it up in the FFN dictionary! :D

Love using the UNDERLINE tool, lol.