The Price of Charity

Spoilers: The Quest (part 1)

Pairing: SamJack established relationship, a bit of DanJan, but if you want to ignore it and call it a close bond of friendship, you can.

Note: Something that came to me while watching the "charity scene" in The Quest (part 1). This is added onto the end of it; just a little bone that the powers that be could throw the shippers out there. Just a short little one-shot, not betaed so all mistakes are my own. I've never written Cam or Vala before so bear with me.

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Daniel looked around one more time, and shut the lid of the box.

"Did it work?" asked Vala finally.

"I don't know," answered Daniel. No one moved for another moment, and finally Vala got impatient, and ran to the edge of the force field. The others watched as the yellow shimmering light that marked the boundary allowed her to pass straight through it.

"Good job, Jackson." Mitchell followed Vala, but when he reached the boundary it solidified. He hit it again with the butt of his gun.

"I don't think that's going to do anything Mitchell," commented Daniel. Sam walked over to the force field and got the same result. Daniel, Baal, Teal'c and Osric all moved to try the force field. Daniel and Teal'c were stopped at the edge, but the other two passed through to stand on the other side with Vala.

"Vala cover him," ordered Mitchell, gesturing at Baal, and Vala levelled her gun at him. He rolled his eyes at Mitchell.

"May I at least take a seat whilst you brilliant people decide how to get yourselves out of there?" he inquired. Mitchell nodded and Baal and Osric took a seat on a nearby log, while Vala continued to cover the goa'uld.

"Okay, Jackson. Why didn't it work?" Mitchell turned to find Daniel crouching over the box again, while Sam scanned the inside of the force field with one of her instruments. He decided to leave the scientific stuff to Sam, and moved over to join Daniel. The box still contained the items that they had put there; a ring, a hairdryer, a ceremonial dagger, a pen, a cap, some technological thing, and a rock.

"Okay well Vala, Baal and Osric got through, and they put in the hairdryer, the ceremonial dagger, and the ring respectively. So what is different between those items and the rest of them.

"The items that they placed in the box are perhaps items that they were unwilling to part with. The other four items seem to have less importance. Perhaps if we were to part with something more meaningful the shield would allow us to pass."

"Of course!" exclaimed Daniel. "To give something that you don't want in the first place isn't all that charitable. If we give it something that is very meaningful to us, it should let us through!" He removed their four items and returned them to their owners. The four of them started searching themselves. Mitchell was the first one to add something to the chest; a battered pack of cards. Daniel looked at him.

"What? My grandma gave them to me when I was a kid. They're my favourite deck of cards!" Daniel shrugged, and resumed rooting through his pack. Finally he pulled out a battered photograph from one of the pockets. He unfolded it to find a picture of all of the original SG-1 at Jack's house with the Fraisers. Janet was looking even shorter than usual squeezed between Daniel and Sam, with Teal'c standing behind her. He blinked back a few tears, and placed the photograph in the box. Teal'c, having found nothing in his pack or pockets, finally settled on the SG-1 badge. He ripped off the Velcro and set it in the box. Daniel looked up to Sam who had given up on her bag and was searching her pockets now.

"I don't think I have a single thing in here that I care about giving up!" exclaimed Sam, looking up. I usually don't bring anything that I would care about losing…" she looked up to find Daniel looking at her steadily. "What, Daniel?" she asked. He continued to look at her pointedly, and finally lifted his hand when it was obvious that she wasn't going to take his hint. Her eyes registered sudden alarm as her hand flew to her neck.

"Daniel! I can't!"

"Something you wouldn't want to give up otherwise," Daniel reminded her.

"If we are to find this weapon, we will likely need your expertise," added Teal'c. "O'Neill will understand." Mitchell looked between the three members of SG-1 in utter confusion, but none saw fit to enlighten him. Daniel held out his hand to Sam and she slowly reached up to undo a chain around her neck. She slipped it out, and let the ring hanging from it slide off. She looked at it sadly, and shoved it into Daniel's hand. He added it to the trunk, and shut the lid, before giving Sam a quick hug and gathering his packs.

"Jackson?" began Mitchell, intending to ask for an explanation, but Daniel just mouthed 'Later' at him, and followed Sam and Teal'c through the barrier. Mitchell shrugged, still hopelessly confused, and followed his team. He would make sure that Daniel explained it to him back on Earth.

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The writing isn't amazing, but I wanted to write this more to just get the idea out there. If you read it, please leave comments, even if it's just a word to say what you thought of it. Thanks for reading.