"What kind of agony?" Jack asked, taking the attention form Hammond, who had been floored by the vehemence of Dotty's response. "What's going to happen?"

"I can't tell you," Dotty said.

"Why not?" Sam asked. "It's not like you haven't already interfered or anything. You could just-"

"It's been tried. In several different realities people from other realities described in great detail what was coming – to help those who were facing what had already occurred on the other worlds."

"What happened?" Daniel asked in a hushed voice.

"It was a disaster," Dotty said. "Every time. Even the realities that might have had a chance…"

"But-"

"I'm not going to tell you, Colonel," she said, firmly.

Jack scowled and turned to Ian, who looked like he was feeling a lot better already – although he was rubbing his chest as if there was still an ache there.

"Do you know?"

Ian shook his head.

"No."

"It's not something the download will have given him, Colonel, so don't bother grilling him for any answers. Just like the rest of you, he has a role to play in things that are coming – and we can't risk anyone knowing more than they need to."

"But-"

"For that matter, if not for the fact that Ian needed me here, I'd never have come, and you'd still be in the dark about any of this…"

Which was true enough – although Sam was already pretty sure she would have figured it out, and Fraiser had pretty much decided she'd have ended up killing Ian to dissect him and find out just what was going on inside that kid's body.

"So what do we do now?" Hammond asked.

"You continue doing what you've been doing."

"But we need to get ready for whatever this is that's-"

"You're already getting ready for it," she said, and for the first time her features softened. "You and your people are doing exactly what you're supposed to be doing – and you're doing very well, I assure you."

"But-"

She held up her hand and interrupted him before he could argue.

"We almost screwed it up for you. Ian's memory is even more impressive than we thought, and we underestimated him – which isn't something we do all that often."

She threw a rueful look at the cadet, who wasn't watching her. He was distracted, and she knew from healing him what was wrong with Ian, but it wasn't something she could help him with – and something she wouldn't embarrass him by mentioning it in mixed company.

"But you didn't?" Sam asked. "Didn't screw it up, I mean?"

Dotty shrugged.

"We hope not. That's part of the reason I'm here, because we don't want you turning Ian into a lab rat trying to figure out what he knows and what he doesn't. If you do, everything's lost – for your reality, at any rate."

"And then what?" Daniel asked.

"Then we go on to a different reality and hope that that is the one that can-"

"Wait a minute," Jack said, scowling. "You're just going to leave us to face whatever it is that's coming?"

She nodded.

"Yes."

"That's not-"

"You don't need us, Colonel O'Neill. You and your team – and the rest of the SGC – are doing fine."

"But we-"

"Have more going for you than a lot of realities have. Had. And the best chance to make it. Just keep doing what you're doing."

"That's not very helpful, Dotty," Jack said, reprovingly.

She shrugged.

"It's all you get."

Bah.

She looked around, meeting the gaze of everyone in the room, and resting her hand lightly on Jaffer's head.

"I need to get back to my own place, now… Ian doesn't need me any longer, and the longer I'm here the more chance there is that I'll spill something I shouldn't."

"Why not stay for lunch, then?" Jack said.

Sam smiled.

"Where do you go from here?"

"It's a secret." She turned to Hammond. "I'd like to set the address of your dialing computer myself, if you don't mind?"

"And if I don't let you leave?" He asked.

She smiled, and there was suddenly an almost dangerous glint in her eyes.

"You couldn't keep me here, General. I assure you."

Yeah, he was pretty sure of that. Even without the confidence in her voice. Hammond nodded, and sighed.

"Very well… I'll show you to the control room."

"Thank you." Her smile was warm, once more, as she looked at the others. "You're doing great, I promise." And then she and Hammond left the room, leaving the rest of them in a slightly awed silence.

"So…" Daniel said, more to break the silence than anything else. "What do we do now…?"

"You're going to get out of my infirmary so I can give my patient an examination," Fraiser said, shooing them all towards the door. "You, too," she said, looking at Jaffer, who rumbled deep in his chest but got up from his warm comfortable spot next to Ian and hopped off the bed and joined Jack.

"Call when you're done," Sam requested. "I'd like a chance to talk to Ian…"

Janet was sure she did – and was just as certain that everyone else wanted a chance to talk to him, too. But she wasn't going to let anyone talk to him until she was done with him and was certain he was as healthy as he looked.

"I'll call you."

They left, with various backwards glances, and as soon as the door closed behind them, Janet turned to Ian.

"You're better, but there's something wrong, still, isn't there?"

He flushed, and nodded.

"I need that catheter out."