Jack and Teal'c walked to Daniel's cell in silence. They showed the airmen guarding the cell their ID cards and entered the room. Dr. Branston was bent over a man in a straightjacket who was lying on a mattress on the floor. She injected his arm with a sedative and turned to the two men.

"He's still conscious. The sedative isn't heavy enough to knock him out completely. He can talk, if he wants to, although his words will be slurred."

They nodded and she left the room. It was sad seeing Daniel like this. Doped up so he barely knew who he was. O'Neill flinched as he remembered the last time he saw his friend in this state, when Daniel was believed to be insane. He remembered that no matter how much Daniel tried to tell them what was happening, no one listened. Well, thought O'Neill, It won't be like that this time. No matter what he did, somewhere in there is my friend, and if he shows himself I will stand by him.

Jack walked over to the mattress. He knelt beside Daniel, and Teal'c stood beside him.

"Daniel," said Jack to Jackson's back, "Daniel, I know you can hear me. Talk to me Daniel, tell me what's happening to you."

Only silence replied him.

"Daniel Jackson," Teal'c said, "If you can speak to us, do so, or we will be forced to believe you are lost to us."

There was a still moment until Daniel's body reluctantly rolled over to face them. They were shocked to see tears rolling continuously down his cheeks, silent pain crying out from his eyes.

"Daniel!" O'Neill's voice was filled will concern.

"Jack," choked Daniel, "Teal'c…" he rolled his head to look at the Jaffa.

"Daniel Jackson. Are you alright?"

"Teal'c, I couldn't stop it. I just couldn't. It was like… It was like being possessed."

"Like a Goa'uld?" O'Neill was worried.

"No…" he stared at O'Neill, "Try to understand, Jack, I can't become lost to you, because I am not taken. I did that, in there, I killed Janet and I damn near killed the others too."

Jack was confused, as was Teal'c, but it didn't show on Teal'c expression.

Daniel sighed, "I was in my state of mind Jack. I knowingly did it all."

O'Neill's face turned dark as realisation dawned on him. Even Teal'c's face turned cold.

Jack looked away, "You killed Janet."

"Not on purpose Jack!" Daniel grabbed at his chance to redeem himself although he was still sobbing.

O'Neill turned to him again, "Why?" his voice was so quiet and indifferent it was impossible to tell whether this man was angry or disappointed in the man he knew and fought with for so long.

"I was overcome with this urge – a terrible, senseless urge. It was like I was being forced."

"And yet you say you are not possessed by anything," Teal'c stated.

Daniel sighed again, the tears had stopped and he could speak more strongly, "Not now. But then, just for those few minutes, I was watching from the back of my consciousness, watching through a dark, merciless cloud. It was like knowing what your body is doing, yet not being able to control it. But no, I cannot deny that it was me, not another being."

Jack looked at him, studying him, until he couldn't take any more and stood. Teal'c looked down on Daniel and bowed his head before turning to leave.

"Jack, please. Please try to understand," Daniel's face was clear but his eyes tugged with desperation and hopelessness.

O'Neill looked at him once more and left.

"Teal'c," he said to the Jaffa, "Teal'c please don't leave me like this."

The warrior watched Daniel struggle with himself and knew that he couldn't let these pleas go unnoticed.

"I will try Daniel Jackson," and he, too, left.

Daniel watched the large man leave, staring at him in a kind of faint shocked relief, then collapsed onto his back on the hard mattress.

Meanwhile in her lab Carter was sitting in her chair with her head on the desk and her arms covering the back of her head. She sighed loudly. I should go see Daniel, she thought, what gives me the right to be angrier at him than anyone else? She looked up to stare at her computer screen. Nothing. At least if I see him I can get some closure in knowing that I have seen him. I don't even have to go into the cell. But she knew that she would. How can I feel like this when I don't even know what happened? I know why, it's because I don't want to know. Then her logical, military side started to take over. You're emotional because you're exhausted. Go see him. You are his friend until proven otherwise and until you know what has happened to him you will not make any judgements. Although she knew she hadn't made any judgements already. She would write this report and visit the man when she was done.

Before she knew it, being so focused on the report, it was 11:30 and she was typing the last words. Slowly she got up and headed for the cell. She could not get over the fact that one of her best friends was dead, but another of her best friends was responsible and she had the responsibility to stand by him.

She entered the cell to see Daniel standing beside the wall, watching her come in. He blinked and jerked himself into trying to pace alongside the wall, which he had been doing for the past ten minute, when he had heaved himself to his feet.

"Daniel?" she walked towards him slowly but stopped about three metres short.

He snapped his head toward her. Then the tears started again, not as heavy as before but just as anguished.

"Sam."

"Daniel," she started, "What happened? Why did you kill Janet?" her voice became determined and cold, her eyes failed to meet his.

"Sam, I am so sorry, I didn't mean to, it just happened," he was Daniel, always thinking, he figured that Carter would talk to O'Neill and Teal'c tomorrow, "Sam, help me, get this stuff out of me. Please," he begged her.

"What stuff?" now she looked into his eyes, she had vowed to herself to help him if she could.

"I don't know," he sounded helpless, like he was trapped, "Whatever that lizard put in me when it scratched me," he was at a dead end.

Carter suddenly remembered the breakthrough.

"Show me the mark," she said to him, walking closer. She was brought back to the reality that this man was her trusted friend once, that he still might be.

Daniel pulled up his shirt, now bare of a straitjacket that he had calmed down and was over the incident. The skin below his ribs was raw and red, and in the middle of it all was three short tracks of closed cuts. All that was left was thin, bloody scar lines, leaking clear pus.

"It healed quickly. It barely even hurts anymore," he told her.

She nodded, and reached out to touch the topmost scar. He flinched and dropped his shirt back down. She pulled her hand away. She was surprised that they didn't catch on to the marks not being bite marks sooner, but then, she supposed that earlier it would have been indistinguishable.

"Help me Sam?"

"I'll try Daniel. But I can't make any promises."

She walked back to the doorway where she turned and watched Daniel slide down the wall. He seemed as though he had lost hope, but she knew him too well to think that he had no faith in them.

"Good-bye Daniel."

"Bye Sam."

She had nearly shut the door when he called out, "You know that I didn't mean to kill her, don't you Sam? I didn't want to."

She stuck her head through the gap in the door and just looked at him.

Then she closed the door and waited until the airman locked it before walking back to her quarters with more on her mind.

In the cell, Daniel made himself comfortable on the mattress. He would sleep uneasily and dreamlessly tonight.

A/N: Am I not a person of my word? Well, no, not really, but I did put this chapter up 'soon' as promised. The same day as the last chapter in fact! Even if only because I had to, knowing what to write. Now I don't know what to write next, so it may be a while. I'm just glad I'm back onto this story again!