Jack, Teal'c and Daniel stood watching the elevator slowly progress toward the bottom of the abandoned nuclear facility. Inside were Samantha, and a little girl, Cassandra. Jack's watch ticked down the seconds. Six minutes until the whatever-it-was inside Cassandra blew up.

Daniel stood silently waiting for Samantha to return. He knew how hard this must've been for Samantha. After all, he had had to leave his wife behind in the hands of Apothis. That all seemed so long ago now. He could still remember Shua'rai's touch against his bare skin, her laugh, her love. But even if he did get her back, would she ever be the same? Would all of her still remain? It had in Kendra's case, but would Shua'rai still be the Shua'rai that he had loved?

Emotions rolled inside him. Why was he so afraid for Samantha? Wasn't he married to Shua'rai. Was he worried, just because she was his friend? Or was she more than that? Daniel shook his head, trying to remain calm.

The elevator hit the bottom floor. There was a pause and it started coming back up.

Floor 28.

Floor 27.

Floor 26.

Pause...

Floor 27.

Floor 28.

"What is she doin'?" Jack yelled.

"She's going back down..." he whispered. In his heart he knew that she would do this. She would stay down there with Cassandra, come hell or high water. He didn't blame her.

"CARTER, Can you hear me? What do you think you're doin'? Jack added some obscenities.

"I'm staying down here," her voice came over the intercom.

"CARTER, COME BACK UP HERE!"

There was silence. Samantha didn't reply. Daniel had a mental image of Samantha tightly clinging to Cassandra with tears in her eyes.

"CARTER, I ORDER YOU TO COME BACK UP HERE NOW!" Jack screamed. He frowned, and resigned to the fact that she was staying. Looking to Daniel and Teal'c, he added, "You guys better clear out."

Daniel didn't reply. Neither did Teal'c. They knew that there was no need for spoken words.

"Right," Jack sighed.

Jack's watch hit the one-minute-left-to-go mark.

'Oh, God,' Daniel thought. 'Oh, God if you just let her live. Please just let her live. I'll do anything. I can't bear to loose her and Shua'rai both.' It had been years since Daniel had prayed for anything. Especially since the stargate program had been discovered. 'Just let her live.'

Jack's watch clicked past the ten-second-mark. Jack started counting down with it.

"Nine."

Daniel continued to pray.

"Eight."

'Just them live. They don't deserve to die!'

"Seven."

Why did he care this much for Samantha?

"Six."

Wasn't he married to Shua'rai?

"Five."

Why would the Goa'uld do this to a little girl?

"Four."

Daniel nearly wet himself in anticipation.

"Three."

Daniel braced himself for the coming explosion.

"Two."

'Here it comes,'"

"ONE."

Nothing happened. Daniel, Jack and Teal'c all looked to each other.

"I...don't feel anything," Daniel managed to choke out.

"Perhaps we were wrong about the time," the ever-pessimistic Col. Jack O'Neill had to add.

Daniel shrugged. "Perhaps nothing happened."

Jack buzzed on the intercom. "Carter, can you hear me?" He paused. "Carter, can you hear me?"

"I'm fine," Samantha breathed. "Nothing happened! I'm fine. Cassandra's fine. Nothing happened!"

'Thank you, thank you, God,' Daniel thought. 'Just for that, I think I'll go to church on Sunday.'