Author's Note: Thanks again for reviewing my stuff, and to let you know, this is after last season and before the current one. So yes, there will be some similarities and some foreshadowing to things that have already happened in the current series but not in this story. Does that make sense? I hope so. And btw about the current series, that whole "I'm hungry" line from Jack was just clever. I love it!

Disclaimer: THEY'RE MINE! No, not really, I promise. Just this story. And that's all. Really, it is. I promise!

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The rest of the flight was near uneventful, except for the regular repartee between the "lovebirds" as Jack had begun calling Daniel and Vala. Lots must have changed if Vala would even consider being interested in Daniel. Well, maybe not…they already bickered like an old married couple. Jack smirked at the word. Marriage. Sam's voice came over the PA.

"We're approaching the planet, sir."

"Okay…great! Now what?"

"I don't know, this is Daniel's expertise."

Jack looked at Daniel. "Well, said expert should start explaining, methinks."

Daniel looked up. "Right. So the first thing we should do a scan for energy signals."

Sam answered. "Thor already did, not much but by Baal's palace.'

Jack arched an eyebrow. "Palace?"

"For lack of a better term, yes, palace."

"Okay. Palace."

He could hear the slight irritation in her voice. "So now what, Daniel?"

"Well, our best bet would be to go to the strongest energy signal and start looking around."

Jack got up from the ground, a little too light on his feet to have been on such a long flight. "Then beam us up, Scottie. Or, down, rather."

"Wait, just a second, Jack," Daniel held his hand out as he read the tablet with a magnifying glass's aid, "The text at the bottom says something about a series of caves and caverns shielding treasure."

Vala moved from her post to lean on Daniel's shoulder.
Oh boy, I love a good treasure hunt. Where do we start?"

Thor spoke, apparently over his anger enough to offer an opinion. "Perhaps I should scan the planet for geographical structures with unnatural substances."

"Sounds good, Thor. How long will that take?"

"A few minutes, O'Neill."

"Alrighty then. Suit up, kids. We're movin' out."

Daniel had to admit, it was starting to feel like the old days. That is, it would be if Vala weren't there, butting into everything. But sometimes, the present situation can be better than the past. Shaking the thought from his head and deliberately not looking at Vala, he followed Jack out. "You coming Teal'c?"

"In a moment, DanielJackson."

Vala hung back as she saw Teal'c pressing buttons. Daniel was getting tiring. Sort of. Well, not exactly, she just wondered how many heads she could get inside on this little trek. "What are you doing?"

"Making sure our presence is undetected and that our stealth was successful."

Vala laid her head on his shoulder, breathing deeply. "They can't see us, can they?"

"No," he looked at her with raised eyebrows, "Is there a reason why you are in such close proximity to my shoulder?"

"Well, nice guys finish last, but you seem strong enough to be a winner…"

Teal'c didn't move. "To what are you referring? Is there a race somewhere I should know of?"

When Vala didn't have an answer right away, Teal'c moved toward the artillery room, sending Vala hurling toward the hard floor.

"I must ready for the mission. You might consider it as well."

Teal'c left to an exasperated Vala, who was muttering under her breath. "Well I give up. Jack's taken; Teal'c's a walking statue…" the same old smile spread across her mouth as she stood, calling down the hall, "Daniel? Perhaps you could help me with those vests, I never can get them tight enough for my liking."

She hadn't expected an answer, but as she rounded the corner, she caught an arm full of bulletproof vest. "Do it yourself, Vala. My offer to lock you in the bathroom still stands."

Putting herself to rights, she blew a strand of hair out of her face. She murmured to herself before proceeding.

"No fun."

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Jack suited up, as he knew he should, but couldn't help but asking Teal'c a few questions. "So…if the Jaffa rebellion was successful…how come we need guns and all that jazz?"

Teal'c answered as he put on his vest. "Not all the Jaffa have heard of our victory yet, and Baal may have some of his other soldiers at his disposal."

"You mean those creepy looking things with the weapons in their arms and the white glowy eye deal? The super soldier things?"

"Indeed."

He looked to Sam. "I hate those guys."

"You and me both. Let's just hope we don't run into any of them."

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Once on the planet, they were careful to keep their stealth. Jack, of course, was leading their trek through the woods, looking for the cave Daniel described and Thor had found. Well, located would be more of an accurate term for what he did. It was still a mile to get there, seeing as it was near Baal's newly dubbed "palace". Everyone had their machine guns and P-90's in their possession. As for Vala, Daniel gave her a P-90 after constant badgering that he wanted her dead and wasn't even decent enough to give her the smallest gun to attempt to defend herself with. So he forked it over to her "flattered" response. "Oh, Daniel, you do care."

"No, Sam shouldn't have to do two jobs on the way back."

Sam turned around, calling over her shoulder with a smile. "Aw, Daniel, you do care."

Daniel smirked back at her, and though Jack knew it was all playful jest to make Vala angry, which was working…Sam was his girl. Vala noticed the small difference in his eyes and commented.

"But Daniel, Sam's taken. You wouldn't want to make Jack angry, he is the stronger of the two of you."

Everyone stopped and looked at Vala while Sam and Jack, who had been walking side-by-side and casually chatting, took a step away from each other. Sam tried to laugh it off. "What?"

"Come on, you'd have to be blind not to see it. You're a Colonel, not an actress, Sam."

Having no reply, no one was more relieved to hear Daniel's declaration but her. Or maybe Jack, who wasn't sure to take that as a compliment to his brawn or an insult to everything else. Sam and Daniel…that was laughable…

"Guys, I think I found something."

Jack snapped out of his staring match with Vala to answer him. "Great! What is it?"

"I think it's the entrance to the cave."

Sam joined him. "What makes you think that?"

"The inscription up here is in Ancient," he pointed to the writing above what looked to be a door. With no "handle".

The rest of the team caught up with him. And waited. After a few moments of silence, Jack spoke.

"Okay…what's it say?"

"The wise will enter here."

He nodded. "Alright then. Everybody…think wise thoughts."

As Teal'c' was preparing to do so, Daniel noticed something near the door. "Wait a minute…" he dug out the tablet and moved to the ground in front of the door. Covered in fallen leaves was a stone niche, about as deep as the tablet. Daniel didn't move though; he was obviously thinking. Or at least it was obvious to those who'd known him 9 years plus. Vala, on the other hand, was impatient.

"Well, come on now, put it in."

"Wait," Daniel dusted off the remainder of the leaves to see two more inscriptions on either side of the niche. It was now apparent that the stone reached the entrance of the cave. On one side were inscriptions in Ancient, and on another were inscriptions of Goa'uld. Teal'c saw this and commented.

"Should you not face the Ancient side of the tablet to the Ancient inscriptions, Dr.Jackson?"

"No, any fool could match symbols, but the saying above the door indicates a wise man."

"Wouldn't the wise man 'just do it'?" Jack added.

"Not if it wasn't right, Jack," Daniel started to read the inscriptions carved in the stone on the ground and nodded once, "The writings in Ancient match those in Goa'uld on the tablet, and vice versa, so if I put it in like so," the ground shook as the tablet left Daniel's hand and fell into place. The cave was dark, a musty smell coming from within it.

Daniel finished his sentence. "It should open the cave."

Jack began walking to the entrance, bending over as he passed by Daniel to pat him on the back. "Way to go, Spacemonkey."

Smirking at his old nickname, Daniel arose and followed Sam and Teal'c. "Hated that name then, too."

He then remembered the difference between the two times and looked back to see Vala, loosely holding a loaded gun at her side with her hip stuck out, her other arm across her chest.

"You coming?"

"You want me to go in there."

"Yes."

"Right now."

"Yes, that would be the idea."

"Daniel, it's dark in there. I don't want to go in there—"

In reply to her response, he flipped on the flashlight on his machine gun and shone it in her eyes. She squinted and jumped, slightly irked when she saw it was Daniel. "Come on, Vala, it's a flashlight. It's not like it's gonna burn you to death."

With that, Daniel left, knowing she would follow. "I didn't know it was you I mean…well…alright fine, I'm coming."

"Good. I was about to get Teal'c to carry you over his shoulder."

As Vala entered, she ran up next to Daniel. "I hate you. You know that."

"Of course you do, that's why you're hitting on me all the time."

"Oh, will you just stop it?"

Daniel couldn't resist. "Not when we both know you like it."

With that, they fell silent, Jack holding his forearm up to stop them all. "Hey Daniel? This is supposed to be an undiscovered cave, right?"

"Well, technically yes, but it is possible Baal found it and—"

"Because I think we might have company soon."

"Why, what do you see?"

Daniel moved to the front and stared at what seemed to be a Goa'uld artillery room, a few items missing but nonetheless in tact. They would have to go through or around Baal's ship to get to the ZPMs. And that was if they were lucky.

"How much time do we have until we need to get back, Carter?"

She checked her watch. "About three hours sir, why?"

"We need to move if we're gonna get back in time. Any ideas Daniel?"

No response. Jack tried again. "Daniel?"

He jogged up to meet them. "I think Baal built into the most direct route from here, but there's another way, I just came from there."

Jack shrugged. "Works for me. Grab a few zats and let's move out."

And off they went, four people who knew exactly what they were doing after many years together in the field, and one newcomer, trying to adjust to the way they teased about certain subjects and not others, and how they read each others minds and decided things with a few words here and there. She sighed and picked up a zat. "Oh well. On with the show."

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