Author's Note: Let it not be said I'm not above being bribed!

OOOOOOOOOO

His name was Chelani and had for the longest time thought that he was the last of his kind. The product of a long line of ancestors, going back to a single mixture of Ancient and Asgard, Chelani had been told of his heritage by his mother, who had believed herself to be the only one left of that line. She, in turn, had died when he was still very young, leaving Chelani living alone in a small village on a nameless planet. A planet that was eventually taken over by Jaffa.

Because of his good looks and excellent health, Chelani had been separated from the other villagers and taken to the Jaffa's Masters. And was chosen as a host to one of the most ambitious. A Goa'uld who called himself Anubis.

Taken against his will, but unable to do anything to defend himself, Chalani soon found himself blended with a creature he could never have imagined. Nothing in his life had prepared him for the evil that was now sharing his soul – or the madness that was in the mind of the symbiote. And it grew even worse when Anubis searched the mind of his young host and found out just who and what he had acquired.

The Goa'uld now knew about the Ancients. Knew far more than any of the other Goa'uld, Jaffa – and possibly even the Asgard. While Chelani didn't remember all that his mother had told him over the years he'd been growing up, Anubis had access to his memories – even those from years before – and the Goa'uld went through all of them methodically, wallowing in the knowledge that he now had access to technology that none of the others did. Knowledge he couldn't use directly on any Ancient technology – damned their safeguards, anyways – but that he could and would use to build his own ship. A ship with weapons and shields that would be more than a match for any of the others – and anyone else who might try to stand in the way of his ultimate goal.

The only mistake the Goa'uld had made was when he'd decided that he should ascend. From what he gleaned from the host's memories – which were undeniably meager on the subject – if he managed to ascend he would have unlimited power, and access to an entire other plane of existence. It was too much for the ambitious Goa'uld to pass up.

He almost did it. Almost managed to make his way to that other existence. Chelani could have done it. Would have eagerly done it, because it would have freed him from the evil within him, but Anubis pulled back at the last moment, refusing to lose his fountain of knowledge of the Ancients. The evil intentions in his soul had stopped him anyways, although he hadn't known it, and when he pulled back, it had actually torn the fabric of his own existence, throwing himself and his host into a virtual nightmare of living in two places at once. Which was uncomfortable, but didn't stop him from his plans of subjugation. If nothing, it made him worse than before, with absolutely no regard for anyone, now – including his own kind.

What followed had been a whirlwind of conquests, vicious and swift, with those he left behind either completely under his control or dead. He was unstoppable, now, or so he believed, and he was ready to take on the Asgard. Which meant finding one of their protected planets that they cared so much for and threatening it. Nothing could stop him.

And he'd been wrong. Fatally wrong. He'd come up against a boy. A boy who had the same technology as himself – only he was actually using technology built by the Ancients – and one who actually threatened Anubis himself with a mere touch. Somehow the boy freed the Chelani from the grip of the symbiote, and then turned the Ancient/Asgard hybrid's own immune system against Anubis, shredding the Goa'uld before he had a chance to even react. With the symbiote gone, Chelani was able to finish what he'd begun, and had ascended as an escape from what had turned into a far more terrible existence than he ever could have believed possible. He'd escaped, throwing only a quick thank you to the boy before leaving him on his own.

Escaping.

Without so much as a thought for what might happen to the boy now that Anubis was gone and the ship was about to explode around him.

OOOOOOOOOO

Ian felt the presence with him. It wasn't the same as he felt with Alexander, though, which told him immediately that this wasn't Alexander. This presence was more powerful in some respects than Alexander was, but far younger and inexperienced with the power that he wielded.

"I am sorry…"

The 'voice' of this presence was different from Alexander's, as well, and there wasn't the same encompassing friendliness and affection emanating from this Being. All Ian felt was guilt and vexation.

Ian frowned.

"For what?"

"For leaving you. I could have helped, but I did not. I was too afraid."

Because he'd linked with the symbiote – and therefore the host – Ian knew why.

He shrugged, even though he really didn't feel the motion. He couldn't feel any of his body.

"You had reason to be."

"I left you."

"We got out."

"But now what? You are mortally injured…"

He was? Ian scowled.

"I don't feel that bad."

"You cannot survive your injuries. I should have stayed with you. I could have flown the Gateship."

The sincerity in the Being's voice made Ian's scowl vanish.

"I'm dying?"

"Yes."

"Shit."

"I am here to help you."

"Yeah? How?"

"Ascend. Join me. I can show you how…"

Yes, that would save him, he supposed. From what Ian knew about ascension, he'd live forever if he ascended. He didn't want that, though. No more than he wanted to rule the Earth – or wanted to have asparagus for dinner.

"You're Ancient. Heal me."

Chelani shook his head, regretfully.

"I cannot."

"Why?"

"I do not know how…"

"I do," Ian told him, insistently. There was no way he was going to leave the people in his life now that he was actually starting to enjoy it. "I'll show you how, and you do it."

There was hesitation.

"I am uncertain if they will allow-"

"You owe me, goddamn it!" Ian snapped, angry. "Do it!"

Stung by the truth in the statement, Chelani lost his hesitation and Ian felt him moving closer to him, until he had trouble separating himself from the Ancient. Then he felt the other's mind merging with his own, and Ian showed him what he needed to do. Things he couldn't do himself, but which came naturally to Chelani.

In the operating room, monitors that had been screaming at the doctors who were working frantically on the young man on the table were suddenly beginning to finally register normal readings as the medical teams began to win the fight they were engaged in.

For the first time, they started to hope.