They didn't hear from Jack. He didn't call. He didn't come home. They didn't bother to try and page him again, knowing that he'd answer the first one if he could – and it would be like continually pressing an elevator button once you already had pressed it once; it wasn't going to make things go any faster than they already were.

The three of them sat in Jack's living room in worried silence – except for one call from Hammond, asking if there had been any sign of him. When Sam had told him no, he'd told her that he was going to the SGC and if she needed him – or if O'Neill showed up – she could reach him there.

About forty-five minutes after that call, there was a knock on the door, making them all jump in surprise after the silence of the room. Sam hurried to answer it, knowing it wasn't Jack – who knocks before coming into their own house? – but hoping that it might be someone who could help. When she opened the door, however, she was surprised to find Teal'c standing there; filling the doorway with his massive bulk, a frown on his normally expressionless visage.

"Teal'c."

"Major Carter."

The Jaffa moved into the living room without invitation, and Sam stood dumbly by the door watching him.

"I thought you were offworld," Daniel said, just as surprised to see him.

"I returned just as General Hammond arrived at the SGC," Teal'c said, looking down at Sirius, who was sitting on the sofa. "He told me that O'Neill is missing and requested I join you in the event that my assistance may be required."

"We're not sure what's going on, yet," Sam admitted, closing the door finally and joining them in the living room. She was glad to see Teal'c, though. The big Jaffa oozed calm competence, and she needed a little of that just then. The calm part, anyways. "Just that he vanished without a trace from O'Malley's and that no one knows where he is."

"Someone knows," Teal'c said. He bowed slightly in greeting towards the wizard. "It is good to see you again, Sirius Black."

"Thank you, Teal'c," Sirius replied. "I only hope my appearance doesn't have something to do with what's going on."

"You believe O'Neill's disappearance is the work of the Deatheaters?"

"We don't know anything just yet," Sam said, quickly. She wasn't quite so quick to lay blame. Not without more facts. "We have plenty of enemies – foreign and domestic – that could be responsible without looking for more."

"The timing is – as you said – suspicious, though," Sirius told her.

"Yeah."

Sam didn't believe in coincidence. Not really. Not where aliens and dark wizards were concerned, especially.

"What have you done, thus far?" Teal'c asked.

"We sent a message off to Dumbledore," Daniel said, realizing that that sounded rather lame. Jack had been missing for two hours now, and all they'd done is send off a letter. "He hasn't responded."

"Perhaps he-"

There was a flash of light that heralded the return of the phoenix just then, and everyone in the room but Teal'c jumped, startled. The bird glided to Sam, but stopped just shy of landing on her shoulder – instead hovering in the air in front of her. On its leg was a note, which she reached for tentatively, uncertain if he meant for her to take it or if she was going to get bitten for trying.

When Fawkes didn't do anything, Sam actually untied the note, and the phoenix resumed his perch on the back of the tattered sofa, watching them all with a steady gaze that plainly told them he was well aware of how serious things were.

"It's from Dumbledore," Sam said, unnecessarily, as she scanned the quick note. "He's on-"

There was a loud crack heard outside the door, and then another, and the door opened and Dumbledore appeared in it, blocking the doorway. Instead of doing anything or entering the room, the old wizard looked directly at Sirius.

"Change forms, please."

Frowning, Sirius stood up and was almost immediately replaced by the large black dog once more.

Only when he was certain Sirius had changed did he open the door the rest of the way, admitting the ugliest little… thing… that Daniel had ever seen. It was small, and um… ugly… with big eyes and huge ears, and if he didn't know any better, he'd have said it had a guilty look on its face.

"What is that?"

The thing spoke.

"I am Dobby."

Sam looked down at it, too, although she didn't have the confused, repulsed look in her expression that Daniel did. It did explain why Dumbledore had asked that Sirius change form, though. As far as Sam knew, Dobby couldn't recognize Sirius in his dog shape – which was convenient, because she was certain from everything she'd read about him that if he knew Sirius was alive, he'd have rushed to Harry's to tell him. Before she could say anything, Dumbledore spoke up.

"We have a problem."

OOOOOOOO

"A prophecy?" Jack repeated, frowning.

"Yes."

"As in… telling the future prophecy?"

"Yes."

"Pick up the Bible. You'll find a ton of them."

"A particular prophecy," Voldemort said, frowning. "One that concerns you."

Maybe it was the fact that his head felt ready to explode, but Jack really didn't have a clue what the guy was talking about – and he still had no idea what he was doing there. Voldemort was being extremely likeable – even for someone who wanted something – and that put Jack on his guard as much as anything. Not to mention all the bad things he'd heard about the guy, and the fact that he didn't have a clue where he was or how the hell he was going to get himself out of this mess.

"I don't know of any prophecy that concerns me," Jack told him, still more or less trying to break that calm demeanor and see the real Voldemort beneath it. The one who might make a mistake and do something that Jack could use to get free. "So you're S-O-L."

"I know of it, however," Voldemort said, uncertain what S-O-L was – and fairly sure he didn't want to know. "And I will take you to where it is hidden. All you have to do is pick it up for me."