A/N: Hello again! I'm back with this new idea, the other story is currently on hold, but it will get finished eventually. I just had this idea knocking around and I had to write it down. It's jumpy, it'll jump from present to past and back and fourth, I hope this doesn't bring about confusion, but the present story and the past story are firmly separated by line breaks to help ease the confusion. I have no more mid-terms, and final are in April, so I should have more time for writing in between the papers that I have to get done for my classes. I hope you can expect fairly regular updates, even if the updating times get a bit weird. Read on and enjoy!

Chapter 2

The past is so close that he can almost reach out and touch it. It had only been a short time ago that he had been happy and full of life. A lot can change in a moment's time.

The mission had started early this morning, or was it yesterday? He can't remember; his mind is foggy. He gasps again and his forehead wrinkles with the effort. It was this morning. He's sure now.

It was always thrilling to step through the shimmering blue event horizon of the gate. It was a taste of adventure that people such as himself longed for. Every day was a new adventure, unpredictable, challenging. He liked it that way.

General Hammond had briefed them the evening before about what to expect. The inhabitants were peaceful people, traders, he had said. SG-3 had gone on a mission to that same planet at the beginning of the week without any reported difficulties.

Colonel Weatherly, leader of SG-3 had said, "The folks were mighty nice. Great with hospitality and they made a wonderful homecooked meal."

The middle-aged Colonel had said that the people offered them an alliance, a trustworthy relationship. General Hammond was politely pleased and briefed SG-1 on the situation. He said that it would be "A nice change." Colonel O'Neill had offered no argument, made one of his usual jokes and accepted the diplomatic mission for the team.

With the news of the new mission, SG-1 seemed relaxed, eager even. It would be nice to take an uneventful mission for once.

Uneventful, yeah right. The wind dies down and Jonas lays shaking on the ground, yet he is not chilled with anything, but the threat of oncoming death. Perhaps that is enough. Perhaps he needs nothing more than death to take his warmth away from him.

The land is silent, there are no shouts, and there are no footfalls. Nobody is coming to rescue him. Frustrated tears burn behind his eyes, but he will not let them fall. Even in death he does not want to appear weak. He draws in a shaky breath and waits for the pain to pass. It dulls, but does not vanish. He doesn't think it will ever vanish.

A lonely bird calls to him, but he cannot answer, his throat is dry, his voice refuses to work. He can only lay there, useless, broken and helpless. His mind wanders…

General Hammond had been there to bid them farewell. He had watched them leave, smiled and told them that he'd see them when they got back. They'd stepped into the gate and been shuttled along to the peaceful planet.

Sure enough, when they'd arrived, it had seemed peaceful enough. A party had been there to welcome them with friendly greetings and smiling faces. The people had indeed seemed pleasant. Had they only known the true motives behind the cheerful exteriors.

Looks can be deceiving. That was certainly true for the people on the planet. The only problem was that they hadn't seen it sooner.

The inhabitants had led them into the main town, a quaint little place with a few intimate buildings and small homes on the outskirts. The marketplace had been set up to welcome guests with decoration chains and joyful music playing in the background.

The day had gone well and for once, SG-1 had thought that the mission would be uneventful and relaxing. However, that thought was only in place until the sounds of terrified screaming had interrupted a rather intelligent conversation between Jonas and a young man.

Colonel O'Neill had been the first to start after the noise, always the hero, always the leader, never dropping that façade once. The Colonel had left the relaxed behind and had slipped into battle mode, a mode that Jonas was used to seeing him in. Soon to follow were Teal'c and Sam. Jonas ran after them and he heard the pounding of footsteps behind him as others came as well.

The screaming had been coming from a riverside. A shallow river, more like a brook, not very wide and not as active. The water bubbled happily over soft stones and pebbles, yet the young girl next to it clearly had not been feeling the same joy as the stream. Her straight brown, hair, pulled into a simple ponytail stuck to her wet cheeks where she had been crying. Her deep brown eyes quivered helplessly and she was reaching into the water for something.

Jack went to her and cast anxious eyes that matched her own into the brook. His face blanked and then took on a confused, anxious expression as he dropped on his stomach and reached forward into the water and pulled another young girl free of the shallow stream. He had cradled her small body next to his chest and listened to her mouth to hear if breath escaped her lips.

The older man's face paled and he quickly lay the child onto the grassy bank and began compressions, being careful not to break her fragile bones. The young redhead coughed and brought up the water that had taken her lungs hostage. O'Neill rolled her to her side and lay a steady hand on her shoulder.

From somewhere in the crowd that had gathered, a man and woman burst through, the woman was crying and the man had an alarmed, misty look in his eyes. Both dropped next to the trembling girl that O'Neill had just saved from an untimely death and ran grateful fingers through her red waves. The woman drew the Colonel into a thankful hug and he replied with a curt "You're welcome."

Jack had gotten to his feet and made his way to the other girl, who, not knowing what to do grabbed the older man around the waist and cried tears of relief. O'Neill knelt in front of her and held her while she cried into his shoulder.

A short amount of time passed and the child finally released O'Neill and went to greet her father who was coming through the crowd with a concerned expression on his round face. He scooped the child into his arms and kissed her hair as she began to cry again. "I'm sorry daddy. It's all my fault."

The father hushed his girl and said, "I'm just glad you're okay, and Gwen will be as well."

Jack had pushed himself to his feet and sauntered easily over to stand next to Sam who smiled and replied "Good job, Sir."

Jack had shrugged, "It's what I do."

A man had stepped from the crowd and offered eternal gratitude to the Colonel, but Jack wanted none of it. He shrugged it off as though it was nothing and cast his eyes to where Jonas stood and smiled. A smile that Jonas had returned.

Jonas's mind stops wandering. He still doesn't know how he ended up in the current predicament. Saving a child is no cause for war. He smiles, of course not. It isn't the child that started this.

The wind blows again, a long and lonely whisper across a dead, barren land that was once lush with life. Life is too short, he knows that now, but he can't change what has happened, he can only look to the future and hope that it is brighter than the past.

He swears to keep faith, he refuses to accept defeat and give up. He will not be the guest of honour at Death's next banquet. He will fight to keep his life, even though the grim reaper raps at his door…

TBC…