-14-

Sam was reluctant to leave Daniel so quickly, but her burnt fingers were sore and she desperately wanted to put some cool salve on them to stop the burning sensation.

"Hi Janet," Sam called out as she entered the infirmary.

"Oh, hi Sam," Janet replied, smiling warmly.

"I just need some salve for my fingers," Sam explained, holding up her hands.

"Oh Sam, what happened? How did you burn them?" Janet asked, reaching for the ointment.

"Janet, it's the weirdest thing. It was one of Daniel's artifacts from Neona," Sam said, gently rubbing the cream on her fingertips.

"Oh? Does Daniel require some medical attention?" Janet asked, looking concerned.

"Oh, no. He's fine," Sam replied. The salve was beginning to work and the burning sensation was quickly dissipating. "That's what's so weird," she explained. "It's this cover stone to an urn he picked up in one of the caves. It's burning hot to my touch, but not his. There must be some kind of protective mechanism. I wish I could get that urn into my lab for some tests."

"Sounds like a good idea, what's the problem?" Janet asked, wrapping bandages around Sam's burnt fingers.

"Well, aside from the fact that I'm not able to touch it," Sam answered, "Daniel refuses to let me. He feels the urn is some kind of sacred object and is very protective of it. I just wish I could get some answers. Any ideas?"

"Well Sam, it seems to me that if Daniel doesn't have the answers and won't let you examine the artifact yourself, you're going to have to ask the Neonans themselves or someone else who is familiar with the Neonan's artifacts," Janet answered, returning the tube of salve back to its proper place. "Maybe the Asgard or the Tok'ra have some information about the people on this planet."

"Hmmm, thanks Janet, I don't know why I didn't think of that," Sam replied.

"I think we're all a little off these days," Janet answered. "And I don't think the effects of Daniel's raging pheromones are helping things any."

"I know what you mean," Sam replied. She was fully aware of the physical effect Daniel's presence was having on her. "I'm trying to control myself, but it isn't easy. How are you handling it?" Sam asked.

"Here," Janet said, handing her a vial of pills. "These pills will help desensitize your nasal receptors and reduce your sense of smell. Daniel will have no more effect on you than say… General O'Neill."

"Thanks." Sam slipped the vial into her pocket and headed out the door, smiling.

-15-

Since Sam had left to get some salve for her fingers, Daniel was left alone, once again, in his quarters. Staring at the urn and its glowing cover stone, his mind filled with questions Why was the cover stone hot to Sam's touch, but not my own? Is there some connection between the urn and me? Is this proof that I am indeed the true besheret?

Suddenly the glowing cover stone began to flash. First slowly and then more rapidly.

Daniel stood up and backed away, keeping his eyes on the urn and it's flashing lid.

"Daniel, my besheret," Tatarina called.

The strong scent of lilac's filled the room.

"Tatarina?" he asked, turning around.

Tatarina was standing directly behind him. She threw her arms around his neck and greeted him with a long passionate kiss.

Daniel responded in kind, his thoughts dissipating, leaving him with nothing but raw passion and desire for her.

Observation Room.

General O'Neill had posted two members from the SG-19 Team, Aaron Emery and Jesse Jacobson, to monitor the cameras in Daniel's quarters from the observation room. The two men were discussing their recent off world trip to PX-3885 when Jacobson glanced at the wall of surveillance monitors in front of them.

"Hey, Emery! What's Jackson doing?" Jacobson asked.

"Never mind Jackson, who's the girl?" Emery replied.

Both men stared at the scene unfolding on the monitors before them. From three different angles, the men had full view of Daniel in the arms of a gorgeous red-haired woman. The couple was clearly oblivious to the fact that the cameras mounted on the walls in Daniel's room were capturing their amorous behavior.

Mesmerized by the scene before them, both men stared speechlessly at the screens.

Daniel's quarters

"Daniel, my beloved besheret," Tatarina whispered into his ear between kisses.

Daniel, breathless, responded to her words in the only way he was physically capable of: with deep moans and groans of desire.

"Daniel," Tatarina repeated in an insistent tone of voice, pulling away.

"Noooo…" Daniel cried, as she ripped herself from his grasp.

"Daniel, I think you do not truly love me," she said, putting her hands on her hips.

"No-no, I do love you, Tatarina, my love. I love you with all my soul," he answered reaching out for her.

"Then why haven't you released my neshama from the urn?" she demanded.

"I-I can't," Daniel admitted sorrowfully, dropping down to his knees on the floor. "I don't have the authority to… the urn belongs to the Neonans."

"Nonsense, Daniel!" she shouted. "It is my urn, my neshama, I command you to break the second seal of the urn and release me! It is our destiny. It is the only way we can be together. Don't you want to spend eternity with me?" she asked.

"I love you with all my heart and would like nothing more than to spend eternity with you, but I cannot do as you ask," Daniel confessed. "I cannot do what I please with that I do not own."

"You must find a way or we have no future. I don't have much time, Daniel," Tatarina argued.

"I will see what I can do to release your soul, but I will not presume on the trust the Neonans have shown me, to do it," Daniel insisted.

Tatarina moved closer and gently ran her fingers through his hair. "My besheret, have you not noticed that you grow tired and hungry? Do you not feel the loneliness and sadness when I am not with you?"

"Yes, my body is growing weary and my hunger for food has returned. Tatarina, my love, I am lonely, even now, without you in my arms," Daniel answered, feeling the desperate need to touch her and hold her in his arms.

"Daniel, you do not have the gift of vitality you received when you broke the first seal of the jar. It was only meant to last a short time; meant to be merely a glimpse of the promise of the eternal vitality you will have when I am released and we are joined together. Do you desire this?" Tatarina asked, lightly pressing her lips against his forehead.

Daniel reached up and pulled her face to his, locking his lips firmly against hers. He put every bit of his passion into this kiss to show her his desire.

"Yes, Daniel, I believe you do," she whispered into his ear as the intensity of the kiss faded and they broke apart.

Observation Room

"Who IS she?" Emery asked Jacobson. "And how did she get in here?"

"We better alert General O'Neill," Jacobson replied, reaching for the phone, keeping his eyes glued on Jackson and his visitor.

"General O'Neill, there's an unauthorized visitor in Dr. Jackson's quarters," Jacobson said into the phone.

"Keep an eye on the situation and notify me of any changes. I'm on my way. Alert the guards to detain the intruder if he should try to leave," Jack commanded.

"She, sir," Jacobson replied.

"What?" Jack asked.

"The intruder is a 'she' sir, not a 'he'," Jacobson answered.

"Oh. Well, don't let HER leave the base without seeing me. That's an order," Jack replied.

"Yes, sir. I mean, yes, General."

Daniel's quarters

Daniel pulled Tatarina closer, wrapping his arms around her tightly.

"Daniel, I must go," Tatarina said sadly, "but there is one thing I must tell you," Tatarina said.

Daniel looked into her loving eyes and waited for her to continue.

"Do not return my urn to the caves. You must break the second seal on the urn and release me. You need not worry about the Neonans. They will make a gift of this urn to you when you tell them of your desire for me. Do this and you will pass the second test."

"Second test?" Daniel asked, confused.

"Yes. The second test is one of integrity. Strength of character, steadfast, and true you will be to me, if you are to you," Tatarina explained.

Outside Daniel's quarters

As Jack approached Daniel's quarters, he tried to prepare himself for whatever he may find. He didn't have much to go on; Daniel had a girl in his room, an unauthorized girl. Why did he feel like a parent expecting to catch his own teen-aged son messing around with a girl? Could this just be some sort of a mix-up and Daniel's in there with some female SG team member discussing the complexities of ancient languages? Nah.

"Step aside, men," Jack commanded. It's nice being the General. Everyone has to do what I say. Jack hid his brief smile.

"Oh, Daniel…" Jack called as he opened the door.

Daniel's quarters were completely dark.

Jack snapped on the lights.

No one was in the room except Daniel, who was fast asleep in bed.

"Daniel?" Jack asked, poking him.

"Five more minutes…" Daniel mumbled sleepily.

"Daniel!" Jack said loudly.

Daniel snapped his head up. "Huh?" He sat up, automatically reaching for his glasses and put them on.

"Jack? What are you doing here? Is something wrong?" Daniel tried to focus.

"Where is she?" Jack demanded.

"She?" Daniel looked around the room.

"The girl," Jack explained. "The girl that was in your room tonight."

"Girl in my room?" Daniel looked at Jack as if he had three heads. "Ohhhhh, you mean Sam. She was here for a short visit, but she had to leave. She's probably in her lab."

Daniel removed his glasses and slid back down into bed. "I'm really beat…" he mumbled.

Jack exchanged curious looks with the guards. "Let's go," he commanded.

-16-

"We searched the entire base as you requested, sir," Colonel Thomas announced.

Jack looked up at the Colonel, expectantly awaiting an answer.

"No signs of an intruder, sir," Thomas reported.

"Thank you, Colonel. Return to your duties and report back if anything comes up," Jack ordered.

"Yes, General," Colonel Thomas saluted and left the General's office.

What's going on here? Jack wondered.

"Excuse me, sir. Got a moment?" Sam asked, waiting at the doorstep to Jack's office.

"Sure, Carter. Come on in. Have a seat," he said warmly.

"Thank you, sir," Sam replied, taking a seat across the desk from Jack.

"What's on your mind?" Jack asked smiling.

"Well, sir, it's about Daniel," Sam explained.

"What about Daniel, Carter?"

"I was with him in his quarters, earlier," Sam began.

"So, I've heard," Jack commented.

"Sir?"

"Sorry, please continue."

"As I was saying, I was with Daniel earlier this evening," Sam continued. "He showed me the artifacts he had brought back from the Neonan caves."

Jack placed his hands together with only the fingertips touching, as he listened.

"There's this urn, sir. There's something odd about it. I want to examine it in my lab: run some chemical tests and x-ray it to determine what it's made of and what's inside," Sam explained.

"You're talking about that urn shaped in the form of a woman, right?" Jack asked.

"Yes, sir. I think it's affecting Daniel and I think it warrants the attention."

"What's the hold-up?"

"It's Daniel. He's very protective of it. He believes there is a life entity of some sort encased in this urn and is afraid tests could harm or damage its contents," Sam explained.

"Can these tests cause any harm to anything inside the urn?" Jack asked.

"Without knowledge of what is actually inside the urn, there's no way of knowing that for sure, sir," Sam answered.

"So, you run the risk of harming the contents of the urn by trying to determine what the contents of the urn are …" Jack responded. "How ironic."

"Yes sir."

"Daniel is the authority on these artifacts, sir. I don't think he's thinking with a clear head and there is a distinct possibility that the urn is the cause of it," Sam continued. "The urn may be the cause of Daniel's black-outs and hallucinations."

"Carter, I want that urn removed from Daniel's quarters. If there is any possibility that it is affecting Daniel, then we need to quarantine it."

"Sir, it may not be as easy as all that. I tried to pick up the cover stone of the urn and burned my fingers." Sam held up her bandaged hands. "I think there is a protective mechanism that prevents anyone, but Daniel from handling it."

"You burned your fingers on a jar of ancient pottery?" Jack asked in disbelief.

"It isn't what it seems, sir."

"And it didn't burn Daniel's fingers…" Jack said.

"No, sir." Sam shook her head.

"Then we'll just have Daniel move the thing to a secure …"

"No sir, that won't work. Daniel is very protective of it. He won't allow it. He insists that the urn, as property of the Neonans, must not be tampered with," Sam explained.

"Then, maybe we should just return the thing to the Neonans…"

"No, sir. I'm afraid that won't solve anything. We need to know what danger this urn is to us. If it affects Daniel this way, it could affect the rest of us. We need to know what is in this urn," Sam said firmly.

"The Neonans have demonstrated that they are a generous, amicable group of people. They've been forthright and eager to build an alliance. I don't see why we can't just ask them if they'll agree to let us run some tests on the urn, and, if necessary, open it," Jack suggested.

"And what if they don't?" Sam asked.

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," Jack replied.

"What do we do about the urn in the mean time? I don't think Daniel should go near it, until we know more about it."

"If we can't move the urn, then we'll move Daniel. I'll quarantine his quarters and move him out of there until we can get to the bottom of this."

"Yes, sir," Sam answered.

Sam rose from her seat to leave.

"Sir?" she asked, hesitantly

"Yes, Carter?"

"I'd like to contact my dad. Maybe the Tok'ra have encountered the Neonans and have something to share. It wouldn't hurt," Sam suggested.

"That would be fine. I think I'll give my buddy, Thor a call. I haven't heard from him in a while," Jack replied, smiling.

-17-

"Daniel Jackson, I have been asked to escort you to your physical examination with Dr. Frasier," Teal'c said calmly.

"Another examination?" Daniel rolled his eyes and groaned. "By whose request? Dr. Frasier?" he asked.

"That would be General O'Neill," Teal'c answered, entering Daniel's room.

"I haven't even had my morning coffee yet," Daniel complained, putting on his shoes. I sure hope Janet doesn't need to inspect my toes again, he thought.

"Can we stop at the commissary for a bite to eat first?" Daniel asked, hoping to delay the inevitable.

"I'm afraid not. My instructions were to bring you directly to Dr. Frasier."

"Of course," Daniel shot-back. His stomach began to growl, which only put him in a crankier mood than he already was. "Let's get it over with then," Daniel said, heading out the door.

To Daniel's dismay, he and Teal'c arrived at the infirmary only moments later.

"I'll wait for you right here, Daniel Jackson," Teal'c said.

"Why? Don't they trust me to make it back to my room by myself?" Daniel asked, annoyed.

"You are not going to your room after the examination. I have been instructed to take you directly to the Conference Room for a meeting with General O'Neill," Teal'c informed.

"What for? A meeting about what?" Daniel was aggravated.

"I have not been informed as to the details of this meeting. I do know that Doctor Frasier, and Colonel Carter will be in attendance as well."

"Fine," Daniel agreed reluctantly.

"Dr. Jackson, my favorite patient," Janet greeted. "Hello Teal'c, good morning."

"Good morning, Dr. Frasier," Teal'c answered.

"Okay, we've got a lot to do today; might as well get started. You know the routine, Daniel, please remove your clothes," Janet ordered.

Daniel sighed and began to disrobe.

-18-

Sam was the last one to enter the conference room. Jack, Teal'c, Janet, and Daniel had already arrived and were waiting for her.

"Sorry I'm late. I've been trying to reach the Tok'ra," Sam said.

"Any luck?" Jack asked.

"None, sir," Sam answered.

"Well, keep trying. I'm sure you'll get through eventually," Jack replied.

"Excuse me, but if you don't mind my asking… what is this meeting supposed to be about?" Daniel asked.

It wasn't that he wasn't grateful to be out of the confines of his room, but he couldn't help feeling that everyone knew what this was about, but him!

"Just doing a little follow up on a few things, Daniel," Jack replied. "How've you been feeling? Any more black-outs?" he asked earnestly.

"I'm feeling fine. Actually, I'm a bit hungry since I haven't eaten breakfast yet this morning. Had a good night's sleep and feeling fine. Thanks for asking," Daniel answered.

"Hunger… that's a good sign. Sleeping again… that's good too. What about the black-outs?" Jack asked, leaning forward.

"Black-outs… I don't think I've had any more… I mean I slept last night… I woke up this morning…" Daniel explained.

"Interesting." Jack turned his attention to Janet. "What's the good doctor have to say about Dr. Jackson's state of health?"

"I ran a full battery of tests, did a complete and thorough exam, and compared the results to the previous ones. The results indicate that Daniel's body has returned to his previous 'normal' condition. Blood pressure is up a bit, his weight is down, body temperature is normal, blood sugars are down…"

"Doctor…?" Jack narrowed his eyes at her. "How about a more general 'overview'?

"Yes sir, the most significant change is the drop in his pheromone levels. I'd say after eating a full, but well-balanced and healthy breakfast, Daniel should be his old self," Janet smiled at Daniel before returning her attention to Jack.

Daniel sighed with relief. "Does that mean no more physical exams?"

"Well, I don't know about that, a follow-up or two might be a good idea to insure that your body systems have leveled out," Janet advised.

"I must say that sounds very good, but I'm not entirely convinced that this thing is completely out of his system," Jack commented.

"What? Wait a minute…" Daniel objected.

"Let me ask you a question, Daniel," Jack interrupted.

"Okay," Daniel answered with an edge to his voice. He couldn't believe where this was going.

"Daniel, who was that woman you were with in your room last night?" Jack asked in a sarcastic tone of voice.

Daniel froze. Woman in my room? He knew he had to get this one right or he'd become a permanent fixture in Dr. Frasier's infirmary.

"Well?" Jack asked, looking expectantly at Daniel.

"What makes you think I had a woman in my room?" Daniel asked, stalling for time. Who in the world could he be referring to? I remember Sam coming to the room, but the look on Jack's face says it's not her.

"Are you telling me you don't remember?" Jack persisted.

"Um, wait a minute," Daniel began frantically to search his mind. Was there a woman he didn't remember? How would Jack know this?

"Perhaps, this will refresh your memory," Jack replied. He pressed the button that turned on the large video screen and began to play the recording of Daniel and Tatarina in Daniel's room.

Daniel's jaw dropped in amazement as he watched Tatarina move about his room. They flew together as reunited lovers who had been separated for far too long. Daniel and the others watched as the couple on the screen exchanged a series of passionate, heated kisses, growing more forceful and fervent with each embrace.

"Tatarina…" Daniel said aloud.

"I'm glad to see you're well acquainted with this young woman. Do you mind telling me who she is?" Jack asked.

"I-I don't know where to begin…" Daniel stuttered staring at the screen, watching the amorous exchange that had eluded his memory.

"You don't remember this do you?" Sam asked Daniel.

"It's really weird…My memory of this has a dreamlike quality in my mind. I haven't forgotten… it's more like a fading away," Daniel explained.

Daniel's jaw dropped as he watched the video of himself in the throws of passion with Tatarina. Growing uncomfortable with his colleagues watching, he looked away.

Jack stopped the video. "Who is Tatarina?" he asked gently.

"Don't worry, Daniel, it was never meant to be a secret," Tatarina's melodic voice whispered in his ear. Her soft lips pressed firmly against his cheek. The room began to fill with the strong scent of lilacs.