Author's note/plea: Hello all! I know that people are reading this story and there are severalstory alerts attached it it which I really, really appreciate, but can I get some feedback? Please? If you love it, like it, or hate it just let me know. Don't make me beg...again...pretty please? As always many thanks to thoes who review (esp. LadyTwist and Desert-Blosom-By-The-Sea) and thanks to everyone who reads my humble little scribblings. "You make me fly...high!" (what is that quote from? It flits into my head at the weirdest times.)

Previously: "I just got off the phone with the day shift guards at Col. Carter's house," General Landry explained. "The night guards are both dead. Col. Carter and Ella McPherson are missing."
"Then you take care of me and I'll take care of you. I think our moms and your dad would like that."

Daniel could hear Ella's twelve-year-old voice saying those words so clearly that he was tempted to turn around and see if she was standing there. But he knew she wasn't. Ella was gone. Daniel was staring into the dead eyed gaze of the soldier lying in Sam's front hall. I'm sorry, Ms. McPherson, Daniel apologized to Ella's late mother, dead since Ella was nine. I am so, so sorry.

A forensics team from Stargate Command was combing over every inch of Sam's house, trying to find any clue as to who murdered the soldiers and abducted Sam and Ella. The front door had been forced open. The guard had been shot. The second guard was crumpled on the back porch, a bullet in the back having ended her life. Daniel had known her. June Wallis. Daniel couldn't remember her rank. New to the base, she had some interest in history and archeology and had tracked down Daniel as soon as she was settled in. She and Daniel had shared a few lunch times discussing the different cultures that had been found. Abstractly, Daniel wondered what Capt. Wallis's husband would be told.

Finally tearing his eyes away from the dead man's gaze, Daniel walked to the doorway of the guest room. He assumed that Ella had been sleeping here. The forensics team was done in there, so Daniel entered. The bed had been slept in, but there was no sign of a struggle. It looked for all the world as though Ella had just stepped up and disappeared.

Some of the items that Daniel had packed for his friend were spread about the room. A copy of The Hip Mama's Guide to Pregnancy was tangled in the covers. His heart twisted when he the photos that had been propped by the bedside lamp. They were from the frame he had found shattered, one from Ella and Alex's wedding and one of Ella and Daniel as children. Daniel slipped the photos into his front pocket for safekeeping and exited the room.

In stark contrast to Ella's room, Sam's looked like a battlefield. Jack stood, immobile, just inside the doorway. The bed table was lying on its side and a shattered lamp spilled across the floor. All of the small decorative items from the dresser top had been swept off. A broken perfume bottle scented the room of jasmines. Despite the beauty of the fragrance, it turned Daniel's stomach. The lush, sensual smell was too at odds with the violence of the scene.

Two forensic scientists were canvassing the room, checking for fingerprints, anything that would help. At this point, they were not finding much.

Daniel turned to his old friend. Rage was burning in Jack's eyes. "Jack?"

"She fought pretty hard." Jack took a deep breath, clenching his teeth. "Whatever happened, Sam didn't go easy."

"Sam is an excellent soldier, Jack, and she was trying to protect a friend. She wouldn't have gone down without a fight."

Jack nodded. "Anything in Ella's room?"

"No signs of a struggle, which is surprising, but Ella…" Daniel shrugged and shook his head. "She's a fighter, but she's not a soldier. She knows self-defense, but if someone got the jump on her or threatened the baby - "

"Baby?" Jack turned and met Daniel's eyes.

"Ella's pregnant." Daniel had to swallow past the sudden lump in his throat.

Jack rubbed his hand over his eyes. "Great. So what we have is someone with the skill to take down a top-notch soldier like Sam and ruthless enough to kidnap a pregnant civilian."

"And murder two other top-notch soldiers," Daniel added.

"Right," Jack said. "This doesn't sound like Loki."

"No, I agree. The Asgard would never do this."

Again, Jack surveyed the wreckage. "I should have been here."

"What do you mean?"

"I told Sam after the meeting that I should come over. Last night, I mean. But she said not to worry, she had work and Ella was too tired for company and anyway I had to meet with Hank, so we agreed to just see each other at the base today. I should've just come over."

"Jack, I - " and then something clicked in Daniel's mind. Jack…and Sam…"Oh." Daniel was a smart man but at the moment he felt ridiculously stupid. Daniel saw past the black rage in Jack's eyes to the fear. The fear for someone he loved very much.

"I'm sorry, Daniel, we were going to tell you and everybody…" Jack sighed and looked at the room. "I should have been here."

"Jack, if you had it would probably be your body lying in the hallway. Sam and Ella were the only one the killers wanted. We have to assume that they are still alive. So, what do Sam and Ella have that makes them worth all of this?"

Jack considered the question. "Well, if I was trying to build a new alien weapon, I would want someone as smart as Sam on my team. It's crazy, though. Whoever was here must have known that Sam was SG1. Pretty bold move on their part. But why would they have grabbed Ella? She's not military or a scientist."

"No, but she's Alex's wife and she is pregnant with his child. If Alex…is still alive… they could be using her as collateral. 'Do what we want, or we'll kill her,' sort of thing." Daniel's chest tightened as he said the words.

"Okay, so they came here for Sam and lucked into finding Ella?" Jack speculated.

"Or they – oh god - " and then Daniel knew. "They followed us."

"Who followed you?"

"There was this van, outside of Ella's house. That's why I took her to the base. They must have just followed us and just waited to see if she would leave. So when she and Sam drove off…god I might as well have just delivered them over!"

"Daniel, stop," Jack held up his hands to quiet his friend. "Look, you and I can play the blame game all damn day and it will do us no good. We need to focus. Whatever is going on, I am tired of being two steps behind these guys. Mitchell!" Jack bellowed as they walked out to the hallway.

Teal'c and Cameron were standing in the hall. The dead soldier had been placed in a body bag by medics now that the scene had been thoroughly photographed. A large bloodstain marred the lovely rag rug and hardwood flooring.

"Sir," Mitchell responded. "Everybody is preparing to pull out. We just got word that a news crew is on its way. Landry wants us out before they arrive."

"And the day just gets better and better," Jack muttered. "Okay, let's - " Jack's words were cut off as he was enveloped in a bright, shimmering light. Before Daniel could even blink in surprise, a similar light wrapped around him. The next thing he knew, he was standing in the SGC conference room. Gen. Landry was seated, smirking just a little. A small gray Asgard blinked owlishly up at him.

"Thor!" Jack glared at the alien.

"Greetings, O'Neill," Thor responded, placidly.

"Welcome back you two," General Landry said. "Thor thought this would be the quickest way."

"Daniel, give Mitchell and Teal'c a call. Let them know that we are not missing now." Daniel picked up the desk phone while Jack continued his rant. "For cryin' out loud, Thor. Does it ever occur to you to warn us before you snatch us off our feet?"

"I was simply responding to your request for communication," Thor explained.

"Whatever," Jack sat down at the table.

While Daniel assured his teammates that he and Jack had not, in fact, joined the ranks of the missing, he watched Jack try to reign in his anger. It didn't work.

"So, Thor, what's Loki up to these days?" Jack snapped once everyone was seated.

"Loki remains in stasis while we decide what to do with him. Judgment has not yet been passed on his actions with your cloning." The Asgard continued to sit calmly.

"That was years ago," Jack replied.

"We have been verybusy, O'Neill."

"What we really need to know," Daniel joined the conversation, "is what does Loki have to do with this?" He pushed a drawing of the Goa'uld weapon across the table.

Asgard were not emotional beings. Though capable of friendship and loyalty and possessing remarkable ferocity on the battlefield, if they possessed subtle emotions, it was impossible to read them. Therefore, it was very surprising to realize that Thor looked…fearful?…at the drawing.

"You've seen this before, haven't you Thor?" Daniel prodded.

"Yes," Thor finally answered. "How did you come across this?"

Jack spoke before Daniel could respond. "No, we're not talking until you tell us what you know about this."

"O'Neill, am I being – accused of something?"

"No," Daniel answered. While he understood Jack's anger, it would get them nowhere. "Thor, some people are missing. Two civilian friends of mine, and Col. Carter. This drawing was found under my friend's car. He is an astrophysicist and I believe that he was working on this. There was another drawing in his house and written on it was the phrase, '…sometimes we choose our gods and sometimes they choose us,' written in Goa'uld." There was no mistaking it this time. Thor looked very unnerved when Daniel recited the phrase.

Jack leaned forward in his seat. "Thor, tell us. Did Loki build this weapon?"

There was a long silence as the Supreme Commander of the Asgard fleet examined the picture. Then, he raised his liquid black eyes and answered, "No. The Loki that you know did not create this."

Jack's eyes narrowed. There was more he, all the men knew it. "But?"

"The Asgard you know as Loki did not create this weapon," Thor repeated. "However – many years ago Loki was taken as a host to a Goa'uld."

"What!" Jack asked, softly.

Daniel remained silent. Thor's story was inconceivable, yet it made a weird sense. The Goa'uld were technology thieves. What better way to get something from a culture then to steal one of its greatest minds? Everything began to line up in Daniel's mind. As the Harcesis, Shifu would have knowledge from all Goa'uld. Is it possible that Shifu gave Daniel this weapon as a coincidence? Or had Shifu somehonw known it would be important someday?

"How could a Goa'uld take an Asgard as a host?" Jack was sticking to the practical issues at hand.

"We did not know, ourselves, that it was possible until it was too late," Thor admitted. "As far as I am aware, it is the only time it has ever happened."

"Who was the Goa'uld that took him?" Daniel asked.

Thor's gleaming eyes turned to Daniel. "We have never learned it's real name."

"Well, what happened to it? Is it dead" Again, Daniel was aware of the discomfort radiating from Thor.

The Asgard considered his words carefully before he spoke again. "The Goa'uld that claimed Loki was unlike any we have encountered before or since. It would never admit to its original name. Rather, it always took the name and persona of the current host. Loki was its prisoner for a very long time. Most of your Earth legends of Loki are from this time."

Another piece clicked in Daniel's head. He lifted the drawing. "This was built here, wasn't it? This is the Midgard Serpent that circled the ocean, isn't it?"

Thor nodded. "Before his experience as a host, Loki loved humanity. He found humans, especially Earthlings, fascinating. But the Goa'uld only wanted death. I have seen what this weapon can do and I know what this Goa'uld is capable of. They must not find each other again."

"'They must' – do you mean that the Goa'uld is still alive?" Anger flared in Jack's voice but Thor was telling the story at his own pace.

"As Loki, this weapon was created and used to terrorize that people who worshiped him. Stories grew of a giant fire-breathing serpent, although he always referred to it as his 'Laughter.' Many humans died before the High Council realized what was happening. When we came, the Goa'uld escaped. It claimed other bodies and hid, finally managing to escape this planet."

"Legends of Loki paint him as a shape-shifter," Daniel remembered.

"Indeed. It is a well-earned reputation. It enjoyed hiding. It enjoyed hurting and killing and mayhem. When we finally trapped it, we removed it from the host. But Loki, our Loki, would not let us destroy it."

"Why not?" Jack asked.

"He felt some connection to the symbiote. Both in it's intrinsic value and as something he could learn much from."

"Some sort of Asgard Stockholm Syndrome?" Daniel speculated.

"After his experience, Loki was never the same. The Goa'uld caused much damage in its time." Thor looked at all three humans.

"Thor," Jack's voice was deep and intense, "where is this Goa'uld now?"

"Loki hid it away in one of his lab's. I can take you there." Thor moved his hand.

"Wait!" Jack yelled before he could be transported again. "We wait for Mitchell and Teal'c. We are going as a team and we are not coming back until we have found Sam, Ella, and Alex. This ends now."

TBC