Jack was sitting on the bed staring at the wedding picture when she came out of the bathroom. He looked up at her and he saw her anger leave the minute she looked at him. He knew his expression showed the confusion and the terror he was feeling, but for once he didn't try to hide it.

"Please tell me what is going on," she said, coming over to sit down next to him. She was still in her nightgown with a towel around her neck, apparently getting ready to take a shower.

He didn't know what to tell her. The man in the photograph was not him, he knew that for certain. He was Jack O'Neill, divorced from his wife, Sara, and the father of a child who had accidentally killed himself at the age of 11. He was a General in the United States Air Force and in command of a top secret military facility that was fighting a secret war against an enemy that was not of this world. He had never met this woman before in his life, yet there he was standing with her when the photograph was taken. This had to be some kind of trick photography, but deep down he felt the stirring of genuine worry.

He wished the Go'uld would leave his mind alone and quit playing these games. Or was it the NID?

"Mac?"

"My name is not Mac, it's Jack O'Neill," he said again. "This is a picture of the two of us, but I swear I have never met you before in my life. I was at a party," he continued, "one that involved putting up with several politicians, which I hate to do by the way, and woke up here this morning. I did have a fair amount to drink last night, but nothing to cause me to hallucinate like this."

She was looking at him with concern again and he found he was grateful she didn't think he was crazy. At least not yet, he groaned inwardly.

"I know that this is not really a hallucination, is it?" he asked her, sighing when she shook her head. "That means someone is messing with my mind," he continued. "The question is, why?"

"I don't know what to tell you," she said. "All I know is that you went out with Dan and Kev for a guy's night out last night and they brought you home. This is not like you, honey. Please tell me why you are doing this."

"What am I doing?" Jack asked her, starting to get pissed. "You guys have tried this before, well actually it was Hathor and her goons, but still, what makes you think I am going to fall for it again? You know what?" he said, as his voice grew louder. "The least you could do is make sure you cross all the "t's" and dot all the "i's". Look at this!" he cried showing her his driver's license and his credentials. "It says Jonathan O'Neill with my address and everything. Christ, I'm dealing with a bunch of amateurs!"

The woman sat there staring at the items he was showing her and he could see the confusion on her face. She looked up at him in fear and this caused him to gloat. Aha, so he was right!!

"Where did you get this?" she asked, her voice trembling. "How can you not be my husband?"

She was pretty good; he had to give her that. "Come off it," he growled. "You made a mistake, it could have happened to anybody. Give up the game now, you got caught."

She continued to stare at him with tear-filled eyes, making him feel a little bad for being the one who caused the tears. No he didn't, he admonished himself. She was Go'uld, or NID or something like that.

"This says your birthday is October 20th," she said, looking at the driver's license again. "That's the same date as my husband's birthday," she accused, as the tears spilled down her face. "Why are you doing this?"

"The question is why are YOU doing this?" Jack retorted, as he stood up to loom over her. "What do you hope to gain?"

She just sat there shaking her head, wiping the tears from her eyes. "It's our anniversary," she said with a small sob. "It's supposed to be a happy day, right?" Her eyes were pleading with him to stop this, as she tried to smile and he wondered why she kept up this charade.

"Who do you work for?" he asked trying to get an idea of what he was up against.

"Nobody yet," she said. "I haven't gone to that interview yet. Look Mac… I… I mean Jack, whatever it is you are trying to prove…" She looked at him, then sighed. "Let's figure this out, okay? Please?"

"What?" Jack asked in surprise. She was going to help him? He really didn't like these games. "Okay then, let's figure it out," he agreed.

"All right," she said. "You say you are Jack O'Neill and so does this driver's license," she admitted, wiping the tears from her face. "But you look exactly like my husband, Angus MacGyver, well except he doesn't have a scar on his eyebrow…"

"Angus?" Jack said in surprise as he grimaced. "I don't blame him for wanting to be called Mac," he said before realizing that he just may be falling for her tall tales. He resolved to keep quiet and keep his disbelief intact. He hated it when he fell for a beautiful face.

She didn't answer him because there was a knock on the door and a boy's voice bellowed out, "Mom? Dad? You decent?"

The woman looked at him with fear, "Please don't upset them with all this," she pleaded, as she stood up to stand next to him. He hesitated before nodding at her and she looked relieved. "Please," she whispered, before calling to her son, "Yep, come on in."

"Happy anniversary," said the boy when he walked in. He looked like he was around nine or ten years old, with his mother's honey brown hair and his father's eyes. Charlie's eyes, Jack thought with a start.

"Thank you sweetie," the woman replied giving him a hug. "Where's your sister?"

"In the bathroom, like where else?" the boy said in a mock Valley Girl accent, as he grinned at Jack. "She's doing her best to make herself beautiful for the kids at school."

"Well she won't have to work too hard at it," the boy's mother said, smiling at her offspring. "She is already a beauty as it is." She then swatted at the kid when he rolled his eyes.

"Whatever!" he exclaimed. "What are you going to be doing today Dad?" he asked, turning to Jack.

"Not much," Jack replied, as the woman sent him another pleading look. "Gonna do some investigating." Ain't that the truth, he thought resignedly.

"Investigating?" the boy asked. "I thought you retired from that kind of stuff. What are you investigating?"

Jack was saved from trying to come up with something when a young girl about 12 years old came in the open door. She was a beauty, he admitted to himself. She had inherited her mother's good looks.

"Mom," she complained. "Pete let Herman out of his cage, and now I can't find him. Pete did it this time," she repeated, apparently to keep from getting in trouble with her mother. "Morning Dad," she said to Jack.

"I did not!" the boy cried, his face turning red. "Why are you always trying to blame stuff on me? I didn't do it Dad!" Pete said coming over to Jack's side.

"Yes he did!" the girl fired back. "I didn't do it, so it must have been you!" she yelled, her face turning the same shade as her brothers.

"Alright already," Jack yelled over the noise. "Everybody out! You," he said, pointing at the girl, "go find Herman and you," this time pointing at Pete, "go help her. Your mother and I have something important to discuss and I can't even think with all this noise. Go on," he said, shooing them out.

They left grumbling and he distinctly heard Pete say, "At least I had the decency to wish them a happy anniversary," as he left. Jack turned to the woman, but was interrupted by the girl who came back into the room and threw herself into his arms. "Happy anniversary Dad," she said smiling, as she reached up to kiss him on the cheek. "Happy anniversary Mom," she said turning to give her mother a hug. "I didn't forget," she continued defensively, "I was just a little upset. Ooh," she exclaimed, as she touched the necklace around her mother's neck. "Is that your present? It's beautiful!! Oh Dad, it's gorgeous. Will you buy me one?"

Jack found himself smiling indulgently at the girl, then mentally shook himself. This was all a set up, he reminded himself sternly. "Go," he said to her. She gave her mother another hug before leaving, closing the door behind her.

"Okay now. Let's start with the basics," Jack said after the door was closed. "What's your name?"

"My name is Melanie," she replied, staring at him, trying to dig deep down into his soul. "Everyone usually calls me Lanie."

"Lanie," Jack said, "you do know that I am not your husband, don't you?" He found himself envying this Mac guy.

She didn't answer him. Instead she reached up and put her arms around his neck and began to kiss him again. He felt himself giving in to her despite his best intentions, wrapping his arms around her when he felt her tongue take possession of his mouth. She pulled back a few minutes later, dragging her hands down his arms and he let go of her to get his bearings. Whoa!

"There is something different about you," she said looking deeply into his eyes. "I wanted to make sure."

"I am not your husband," he said sadly. For a minute there, he wished he was.

They continued to stare at each other until the door burst open and O'Neill found himself facing a very irate husband and two wide-eyed children.