A/N: Ok.. so this is the longest chapter EVER. I kinda wrote a dot-point plan out for it a couple of days ago… and then when writing it, it just kept getting longer! Thanks for your reviews from the last chap – hope this one inspires some commentary!

Warning (or promise, depending on your sensibilities): Sam/Jack bizzo ahead

Oh man… no idea about a title… oh, hang on… got one. (Youall really needed to read that thought process, right?)

Chapter XVII - 24

Jack turned around slowly, rolling his eyes far back into his head. As he surveyed the cavern, he hoped that he'd just imagined Baal. Unfortunately, the slimy dark-haired goa'uld was indeed standing a few metres away from them, his image shaking slightly, with a narcissistic grin on his face.

"Oh for crying out LOUD!" Jack was completely fed-up with the entire situation, and if he didn't see Baal again for a very long time, it would still be too soon. "Did I, or did I not, tell you… to BUGGER OFF!" He had taken two steps towards the goa'uld's holographic image, feeling a sense of trepidation as he did so. His rational mind knew the malevolent false-god wasn't really there, but the images travelling from his eyes to his brain were triggering an altogether different response. Thankfully, any fear he felt was outweighed by the sheer irritation felt at having to deal with Mr. Holier-than-thou in the first place.

"You should know by now O'Neill," Baal was quite amused by Jack's reaction, "that I do not take orders from mere humans."

"Yeah well," Jack grumbled dangerously, "This mere human is gonna kick your ass sideways to hell one day – you mark my words."

"Quite." Baal didn't see any point arguing with Jack. "However at the present time, I believe you require my assistance."

Jack looked back to Sam and Fodor, who were both watching the interchange carefully. Sam was whispering some kind of commentary out of the side of her mouth to Fodor, presumably bringing him up to date on the situation with Baal. She caught Jack's eye as he looked back but didn't change her expression, concentrating instead on the goa'uld in the middle of the room.

"Uh, no, I don't think so." Jack puffed up his chest a little, standing taller in his position. "We got it, thanks."

Baal glanced briefly at the weak Asgard in the stasis pod and snorted snidely. "You mean that thing in the pod?" He let a loud roar of laughter escape his lips, before addressing Fodor directly. "Once a great nation, rivalling my own, your people is now brought to their knees – relinquishing their place before an attack of machines."

Fodor was shocked by what he was hearing. He turned to Sam, concerned. "Is what the goa'uld says true?"

Sam didn't take her eyes of Baal as she responded. "Yes, but the Asgard are fighting back." She lifted her voice so it could be clearly heard by Baal, her tone challenging him. "Besides, that has no bearing whatsoever here. I suppose you have already detected Thor's ship in orbit?" She felt a sly grin appear on her lips and caught Jack's eye, who was looking at her with admiration. "You may have cloaked your ship, but how long before he discovers your exact location? He already knows you're here."

Baal shook his head as he chuckled maliciously. "Ah but you assume my skills are outweighed by that of the Asgard." His eyes narrowed as he focussed on Jack. "Tell me, O'Neill, why is it that I can appear before you, but Thor is unable to do so? Hm?" Baal nodded his head, satisfied at Jack's inability to furnish an answer – sarcastic or not. "You see, I am not afraid of Thor, nor of any other Asgard."

Jack looked to Sam, strongly disconcerted by what Baal was saying. If it were indeed true that he possessed technology superior to that of the Asgard, then there was perhaps a real danger with his up-til-now annoying presence. The confidence that had run through him in knowing that Baal couldn't really hurt them began to seep away, and the knot in his stomach that had been threatening to cause an onset of nausea started growing. He could feel his heartrate increase exponentially but fought to keep his breathing under control. He had to keep it together - at least in front of Baal, at least until they could formulate another plan. With a will of iron, he returned his gaze to lock eyes with Baal.

"And yet you're not actually here." His voice had lost its playful tone, and was now deadly serious. "You cannot penetrate the shield. You have nothing on the Ancients."

Baal waved his hand in the air to indicate his nonchalance towards this minor detail. "Ah but I will, O'Neill." He matched Jack's unsmiling stance. "Given time, I will." With that, he disappeared again, his face adopting an all-knowing smile as the image flickered out of existence.

Jack felt numb. The minute Baal had disappeared his entire body had slackened with relief, although he knew this would only be a short reprieve. His mind was racing but paralysed at the same time. He knew they needed to do something… anything… but was struggling to come to terms with the newly promoted danger they faced. He heard Sam talking quickly and purposefully to Fodor and moved automatically towards them, doing his best to function normally.

"You believe this goa'uld is acting with the help of another?" Fodor blinked slowly over his wide oval-shaped eyes.

"Yes." Sam was aware of Jack's abrupt change in demeanour, but she knew at the same time that for the moment they needed to act. Nevertheless, she moved slightly closer to him, so their arms were almost touching. "We think he is acting in consort or under the orders of Anubis – a goa'uld who possesses technology unknown to others of the same species."

"I know nothing of this Anubis, but admit that this Baal may be correct."

These words snapped Jack abruptly back into the moment. "What? You mean we actually do need this show-pony's help?" A wave of alarm swept over him and he felt his knees weaken slightly at the prospect. Only the warm feel of Sam's hand delicately brushing against his lower arm kept him from collapsing.

"As much as I see this causes you chagrin, I must acquiesce to this probability." Fodor said, calm as ever. "We had tried on numerous occasions to capture Turramulli without success. He could not be transported with our technology, and any effort to capture him within physical restraints proved fruitless."

"So how was he captured and interned here?" Sam couldn't believe what she was hearing. It just wasn't possible that the Asgard were this powerless. The replicators represented a serious threat; she wouldn't have thought for an instant that a primitive goa'uld – no matter the advantages of the host's physiology – could prove so dangerous to them.

"The Ancients." Fodor stated matter-of-factly. "They lured him here under false-pretences, but it is unknown to us how; we had tried the same approach on many occasions without success."

"And they didn't share this vital piece of information for you?" Jack once again re-engaged with the conversation. "How Tok'ra-esque of them…" he added with a murmur, before returning inwards to his own thought.

Sam glanced at Jack quickly, a smile tugging at her lips. "I guess we'd better talk to Thor." She said to no-one in particular.

General Marty was pacing along a circular course around the apparent transportation site on Uluru. He'd been warned about Colonel O'Neill's abrupt demeanour, and certain contempt for the rules, but he was still not going to tolerate the use of such a tone of voice from the arrogant yank.

(A/N: Don't all shout at me. I know Jack's not arrogant – I'm just telling it like an outsider might see him if they got on his wrong side!)

"Captain Hindmarsh!" He bellowed, for Stacey was a good 100 metres away from his position, consulting with the media-liaison officer of the base. She came sprinting to him, a somewhat apprehensive expression on her face. "You know these people more than I do," he began when she arrived, saluting formally at her superior officer.

"Not really sir," she glanced sideways at Jonas, who was deep in conversation with Teal'c. Granted, she'd talked to them more than any of the other Australians on-site, but she'd still only known them for less than 24 hours.

"Well, you've talked to the alien Jonas in particular," General Marty continued impatiently. "Do they really know what they're doing?"

Stacey sighed inwardly, reminding herself once again that he was a man of great power. "Sir, I think they're the only people who have a chance at this – they're the only people who could know what they're doing." She tried to inject as much credibility into her voice as possible.

General Marty sighed and looked at the dormant alien walkie-talkie again. Considering he had been waiting for someone to contact them again, it shouldn't have been such a surprise when a voice started squawking through it.

"Jonas? Teal'c?" Sam's voice included was laced with urgency.

"Major Carter, this is General Marty." He snapped into the communicator. "Status report please." It was a statement and not a question.

"Sir, we have a problem. I need to speak to Teal'c… sir." She added the second sir deliberately, sensing the Australian man's combative tone.

"Major, need I remind you that this operation is with the participation of the Australian government on the condition that we be kept informed of ALL developments?" Damned yanks, he was thinking to himself. He was damned if they were going to drag the Australian forces into something they didn't want to be involved in.

"Sir I understand your concerns and I assure you Teal'c and Jonas will inform you of all the details in due course." Sam was speaking almost faster than she could think, trying to remain diplomatic. "In short, the dangerous alien orbiting the earth at the moment has just become more dangerous, and we need to inform Thor – the good alien." She realised her language could be construed as patronising, but it was the simplest explanation she could come up with.

Hearing the word 'alien' twice in the same sentence, General Marty realised again that he was completely out of his depth. Resignedly, he motioned to the large jaffa to approach and handed over the Tok'ra communicator.

"Major Carter." Teal'c stated, "I am pleased to hear your voice." The jaffa listened intently, his face registering consternation as Sam spoke, revealing the dangerous situation they found themselves in. "Indeed I will contact Thor immediately and we will attempt to locate Baal's vessel."

At that moment, Thor himself again appeared on Uluru, in between Teal'c and General Marty. The latter jumped slightly at the sudden appearance of the grey alien. Despite himself, he recoiled in a mix of fear and shock as the small figure spoke.

"Major Carter." Thor spoke deliberately. "I have monitored your conversation with Teal'c and this is undeniably a matter of serious concern. I was able to locate Baal's vessel briefly – it would appear this was when he appeared in the cavern."

"That figures." Sam sounded resigned to their hopeless situation. "It's undoubtedly cloaked most of the time."

"I agree." Thor blinked slowly. "However I have already begun the search for his vessel with a view to apprehending him."

Sam took a while to respond. "Fodor doesn't think that's a good idea Thor." Everyone present could feel the tension rise in her voice. "Apparently we really do need Baal's help to neutralise Turramulli."

Thor took this piece of information in his stride, although he did move closer to Teal'c – General Marty seemed on the point of explosion. "I will trust in your and O'Neill's judgement, Major Carter." He said. "I will not cease in my search for Baal's ship – I will, however, abstain from detaining him."

General Marty grabbed the Tok'ra communicator out of Teal'c's hand as soon as Thor had relinquished it before disappearing again. "Are you telling us, Major," he snarled, "that we actually have to wait for the alleged bad-guy to come to our aid!"

"I'm afraid so sir." Sam's voice was slowly gaining the bellicose edge that Jack's had had when speaking to the Australian general.

"Well can you at least give me a status report on Fletcher and McGregor!" he raised his free hand into the air in a gesture of disbelief. "Can we do anything! I don't need to remind you of the precarious situation we're in here on the surface…"

There was a brief silence before Sam spoke. "I regret to inform you sir, that both the men are now dead – their injuries at Turramulli's hand were too severe." There was a deep sadness in her voice. "I don't think even the best care could have staved off the mix of hypothermia and ensuing infection that would result from having most of their skin removed."

General Marty paused to collect his thoughts. His heart sinking at the news. The minute he'd heard of the situation at Uluru he'd suspected this would be the outcome, but couldn't help but feel that the Americans hadn't done enough to help his – and their – man. The ends couldn't justify the means – and one had to be very careful when sacrificing the lives of good soldiers for the cause of the bigger picture.

"I sincerely hope you're right Major," he said tersely, "for if I discover that you could have done anything to improve their chances of survival," he was downright aggressive now, "you can be sure the Australian government will be reconsidering its alliance with the USA."

There was the sound of a muffled struggle through the Tok'ra communicator, followed by the sound of an irate colonel. "I think I speak for the US government, SIR," Jack's voice roared out of the device, "when I say that if it came between US-Australian relations and the safety of our ENTIRE planet, then we know where our duty lies!" He continued, without pause even for a breath. "And need I remind you that your man wouldn't have come anywhere near harm's way if everyone had just WAITED for us to arrive before climbing this damned rock!"

The communicator fell silent, leaving General Marty staring at it in disbelief. Stacey stifled a grin as she heard his words, revelling in this rare occasion – it wasn't often the great General Marty was put in his place. Looking sideways to Teal'c, she saw with surprise that the overbearing alien seemed to be smiling just as she – it was the first time she'd seen him display any emotion whatsoever.

Jack threw the communicator to the floor of the cavern with disgust. "I'd give almost anything to be doing this off-world right now – no incompetent bureaucrats to deal with." He nodded with approval as Sam took the device and deactivated it.

"I think he's just frustrated sir," she sighed accommodatingly, "it can't be easy up there, what with the media coverage."

Jack wasn't really listening anymore. The general's invective had drawn him out of his mind into the real situation, but he quickly receded into himself – if for nothing else, in order to suppress his ire at the General's idiocy. The sense of apprehension was still growing within him, and without someone to shout at, he again felt the panic taking over. To calm himself down, he turned his attention to the now completely lifeless bodies laying on the ground. He carefully moved them to the end of the cave and lay their possessions next to them. Covering their bodies, he paused slightly to reflect on the hopeless loss of life, wishing it could have been any other way.

Sam left Jack to his task, aware of the inner turmoil he was fighting. Instead she turned back to Fodor. "So we wait for Baal?" she said softly.

Fodor blinked slowly and nodded in agreement, before reaching a slender hand out to Sam. "I fear this is true." He said. "In the meantime, I would ask that you allow the pod to perform its function and treat my injuries." He motioned to the control section at the head of the stasis pod. "Once you have closed the lid, my wounds will start to heal – the process hopefully complete within the hour."

Sam followed Fodor's instructions wordlessly and the Asgard disappeared under the sliding lid of the pod. That complete, she breathed out slowly and turned to look at Jack, who was still crouched down next to the dead soldiers now on the edge of the cavern.

"Sir?" She began uncertainly. Jack didn't move, but inclined his head slightly, indicating that he was listening. "Sir, there's nothing we can do."

Jack stood up slowly, his knees creaking with the effort. He shuffled dejectedly towards the centre of the room where their packs were still on the ground and constructed a backrest for him to lean against. Keeping his mind focussed on these mundane tasks, he worked silently, conscious of Sam's watchful eye, before settling on the ground. He picked up his P-90 and began loading and unloading it, arming and disarming it. He needed the activity to keep sane, to avoid thinking too much about Baal and the danger they faced – one way or the other.

"Ma'am!" Stacey was distracted from the ongoing conversation between Teal'c and Jonas by the sound of an urgent voice.

"Yes Sergeant?" she moved slightly away from the other people to talk to Bruce. His formal address to her had surprised her, but was understandable considering the presence of the General.

"Stace," Bruce started quietly, trying not to alarm General Marty, "the media's going nuts – that chick from channel 10 has been talking to some conspiracy nutter and they've somehow got footage of that little alien guy."

Stacey was alarmed, to say the least. "Have they shown the footage?" her eyes were wide.

Bruce shook his head to indicate no. "They're threatening to though… it'd tie in great with what their conspiracy theorist is saying." Seeing the questioning look on Stacey's face, he continued. "He's talking about some intergalactic war between aliens over Uluru…" he paused, smiling quizzically. "Not far from the truth, eh?"

"What's going on?" Stacey hadn't noticed Jonas approach, who was now standing next to her.

"One of the media outlets has footage of Thor." Stacey rubbed her hand over her forehead, trying to stave off a growing headache. "They haven't shown it yet," she added hastily, seeing the alarm on Jonas' face, "but we're going to have to resolve this thing soon if you guys wanna keep this all secret."

"Damn straight we gotta resolve this!" General Marty barked at them from a couple of metres away. He had been listening intently into his mobile phone for the last 5 minutes, interjecting only to say 'yes sir,' and 'no sir.' He turned to address Jonas, his nostrils flaring and eyes blazing with the contempt he now felt for the alien and his American allies. "We've got all the reinforcement we can gather heading here right now, but that crowd is going to get worse and not better!" He thrust his arm out, motioning at the sea of people on the ground, colouring the vast red floor of the desert at twilight. "The Prime Minister's given you an ultimatum." He was now leaning in on Jonas, imposing a menacing figure. "Twenty-four hours. After that, we're reopening the tourist site – whether your people have escaped or not."

General Marty's threat was dampened slightly by the presence of Teal'c, who visibly hardened his stance at these last words. "You would abandon those who have on countless occasions saved your world?" He growled at the General.

The General couldn't find an answer, and was now recoiling in fear in front of the increasingly irate Jaffa. He looked uncertainly towards Jonas, who, despite his previous display of diplomacy, didn't look like this would extend to the current situation.

"General," Jonas said coldly. "Of course we will try to neutralise the threat and get everyone out of that cavern before the deadline – sooner if possible – but you must understand that there is more at stake than your government's public image." He shook his head in disbelief. "This is not an opportunity for political gain or loss – and political motivations will NOT have any bearing whatsoever on our actions."

Sam moved silently over to where Jack was sitting and perched on the ground next to him. She watched as he loaded and reloaded his weapon with abject determination. Eying Turramulli carefully, who was pacing around the cave network on the other side of the forceshield, she settled into the ground, crossing her legs comfortably and resting her forearms on her knees.

After about ten minutes, she couldn't remain silent any longer. Jack hadn't varied his movements by even the smallest degree during this time, and was still working with the firearm, his expression unwavering. She knew he could probably keep this up for hours and so cleared her throat.

"We've had to make a deal with the devil before." She said quietly, still looking straight ahead. "We'll be able to make it through this as well."

Jack didn't indicate whether he'd heard her or not, continuing his now rhythmic motions.

"We've got Thor on stand-by." Sam tried again, injecting some more force into her tone of voice. "The minute we've got the information we need, Baal will be history."

"I wish."

Sam nearly missed the comment. Her heart skipped a beat as she tried to figure out whether she'd imagined it or not. Looking sideways she saw Jack hadn't stopped what he was doing, but was now handling the P-90 with more violence. His expression was no longer absent, vacant, but contorted with a mixture of anger and fear. Slowly, so as not to startle him, she moved her hand to his and stilled it with her touch. He froze instantly, not moving a muscle. He was staring at Sam's hand touching his, as if he were waiting for her to give up and leave him be. Instead, she increased the pressure and clasped his hand in hers, slowly drawing it away from the firearm. With her other hand, Sam took the P-90 away and placed it beside her on the ground so Jack couldn't reach it. Slowly, Jack turned his head to look at her, not giving an inch. He waited for her to speak.

"This is no different from any other mission." She whispered; her face inches from his. "You're Colonel Jack O'Neill. CO of SG1. 2IC of the SGC." She emphasised each word deliberately. "You're the one human most of the goa'uld fear – and Baal's no different. He's just like any other one of them – and if it's not today, we will one day defeat him."

Still Jack couldn't say anything, but he was sure Sam knew what was going through his mind. He wanted to believe her, but was trapped between his memories of torture and his apprehension for the near future. When he looked just at her, when it seemed like just them in the room – he knew what she said must be true. But the sound of Turramulli shuffling around only 20 metres away placed the seed of doubt in his mind, prevented him from rising above the sense of panicked paralysis he was trapped in.

Try as he might, he couldn't block the sound of the feared goa'uld out of his mind. What's more, the harder he tried, the louder Turramulli's movements seemed to become, until he could only hear the coarse breathing of the monster, in time with his steps. Fighting to pull-himself out of this torpor, Jack shakily lifted his free hand to touch Sam's cheek; he needed to connect with her.

Sam felt the uncertain shaking of his hand as it fluttered over her jawline. "That's right Jack. I'm here. It's just you and me. Stay focussed on my face – nothing else."

Without warning, Sam felt herself being pulled into him with such force all the air was expelled from her lungs. Jack had her clamped against his body, her head pressed against his shoulder. He was clinging onto her with all possible strength, his breathing now coming in heaves as he managed to come back up from the depths of his tortured mind.

Eventually, Jack managed to loosen his grip on Sam and look at her. He didn't let her go; instead he had withdrawn his arms from their strong embrace around her torso to a comfortable resting position, his hands comfortably placed on her forearms, thumbs stroking the soft skin on the inside of her elbows. Suddenly ashamed by his complete loss of control, he let his head slump into his chest and laughed bitterly.

"Told you I'd freeze." He said hoarsely, still not recovered.

"You're fine Jack." Sam whispered with conviction. "You had no problems when Baal was here. A little… reflection… in his absence isn't going to hurt anyone."

"Still feel like an idiot." Jack was almost starting to sulk now, signalling his progress.

"Sir," Sam leaned in and peered up at his face, "you are an idiot – but not for the reasons you think you are."

Jack couldn't suppress a smile at this comment.

"So do you believe me now?" Sam knew it was dangerous territory, but they had to resolve his fear once and for all. She didn't realise she was holding her breath until he replied.

"Carter." Jack lifted his head to look at her. He looked at her plainly, without any pretence, his expression completely frank. "You're always right – I should know that by now."

They sat there, looking intently at each other for a few moments, both lost in their own thoughts. It was finally Jack who broke the silence.

"Sam," he realised he had started to tremble slightly with trepidation, "if-"

"Not going to happen, sir." Sam cut him off before he could finish.

"But I didn't-" Jack protested, pulling away from Sam slightly to get a better look at her face.

"I know." Sam said "But you're not going to start proposing 'ifs'." She raised both her eyebrows and narrowed her eyes, showing she was serious.

There were so many things Jack wanted to be able to say; he wished he was better with words, with feelings. Looking into her eyes, he tried to transmit them telepathically, but suspected it was no use. Inwardly grunting with dissatisfaction, he looked up to the ceiling of the cavern as if it would provide him with some clue. He daren't consider what Sam might be making of all this – of his actions, his effective mental breakdown, his incompetent attempts at communication. Finally steeling himself, he looked back down and saw she hadn't moved as much as a muscle. She was still looking at him, however now the mark of concern had returned to overshadow her delicate features.

"Hey, I'm fine." He whispered, smiling lazily. As if to prove it – and to solve his communication problems – Jack followed those words by moving closer to Sam, feeling her breath catch as he gingerly touched his lips to hers.

There was less hesitation than before, and he felt her lean into the kiss almost immediately, urgently pressing her lips against his. He could feel himself losing control as Sam grasped his neck with one hand while playfully kneading her fingers into his side with the other. It was driving him crazy, and he thrust his tongue into her mouth, pulling her entire body closer to his, urgently feeling every inch of her pressed against him. Finally, he pulled away, trying to contain himself as Sam groaned slightly to show her discontent at the distance opening up between them.

Sam leaned closer to Jack, moving her mouth to his ear. "Yes you are." She whispered playfully, before retreated back to look at his face, which registered shock at her impish comment.

He must have looked very shocked, because Jack almost immediately saw Sam's face fall, perhaps as she grasped the implications of the situation they were in. He moved quickly to pull her closer.

"I suppose we need to… well… talk… about this." He murmured, while resting his chin comfortably on her head. When he felt her nod against his neck, he knew he'd got it in one. "Yeah…" Neither of them said anything for the moment, but instead relished in the moment.

A/N: Ok. So there's no WAY I can start a conversation of this importance when I'm up to page 9 of a word document… I probably should have split this into two chapters… but that just requires me posting twice… and you all read of my dilemma with the title – why would I subject myself to such difficulties twice?

Now, I know I've promised not to second guess myself… but I'll just underline that although your reviews have been wonderful, I remain somewhat unsure of my abilities concerning the cheese-factor etc.

Also, it's a sad day for me today. My car, a beautiful silver 1980 BMW 528i left to me by my grandfather, (and so named 'Grandad') has just died – no hope of resurrection. He had been in my family from birth – bought brand new in 1981 – and was a member of the family. Now not only do I have easy transportation, but it's the end of an era – so please be nic