Well, what can I say? You've all been wonderful. I should be doing schoolwork but I did this instead. So you better appreciate it. This chapter isn't beta'd because it's out early so sorry for all the mistakes. I hope you're able to understand it. :) On with the show.


General Hammond peered around the briefing room table, taking his time to look at each honest face closely and determine if they were in their right minds. His gaze moved slowly until it rested on Pete. The cop grinned and gave a little wave.

"Colonel O'Neill is in his body?" Hammond asked pointing at Pete as if he was something he just scraped off the bottom of his shoe. He looked to Sam for a scientific and intelligent explanation.

Sam opened her mouth to give such an explanation and only found that she had to close it again "Yes," she said instead.

"Do we know how?" he asked Sam again. This time Sam didn't even try, she looked to Daniel who shrugged and in turn looked to Teal'c who raised an eyebrow. "Don't any of you know?" he asked.

"Well it's possible that Sophie had some kind of technology similar to Machellos in the room or on her person that could have done something like this but without access to Pete I don't see how she could have programmed it to choose him. It's either that of it was a complete coincidence that the Colonel jumped into Pete," Sam offered.

"Didn't anybody see anything that could be something like that?" Hammond asked and sighed loudly again when the whole table shook their head simultaneously, even Pete who was bridging for Jack.

"Does anybody have any other theories?" the General asked.

Daniel cleared his throat "Umm…" he rose his hand and gave a wave "Sophie did mention magic," he said uncertainly.

Sam immediately screwed her face up in revulsion, Teal'c raised the other eyebrow and Janet who had been silently staring daggers at Pete decided to stop and look up she was so opposed to the idea of magic. Hammond just had his mouth hanging open and a look of complete astonishment that after everything Dr Jackson had seen he was now willing to believe in magic.

"Oh please," Jack said desirably.

Pete silently agreed with him.

"Well, think about it," Daniel said "Pagans used to say that magic was just a technology we had yet to understand and it something to do with harnessing the power of the planet and nature," he looked around at the wide array of expression ranging from utter disgust to 'Has he finally lost it?' looks. "Maybe Sophie has found a way of getting to a stage where she doesn't need machinery to aid her in technology; this would mean that she's far more advanced than the Asguard, even the Nox. Maybe even at the same stage as the Ancients are now,"

"Doctor," Hammond asked Janet. "Is this woman Ancient?"

"No, sir," Janet said simply. "She's just an old woman in need of care, I've seen no evidence of the Ancient gene,"

Hammond swivelled his chair to look at Jackson again and in turn Sam who was sitting right next to him.

"I said she maybe at the same stage…not she is an Ancient," Daniel said sheepishly.

"Ok, pushing aside the magic mumbo jumbo and the how she did it. Did she have any reason why she would do this?" the General asked the group of blank faces.

"I believe she was attempting to help us," Teal'c said as he was the only one not an owner of a completely dazed and blank look.

"Help you?" Hammond asked.

"She appeared to have extensive knowledge of our lives and our feelings," Teal'c said.

"That's right," Daniel said as he began to remember what she had told them. "She told me I shouldn't worry about gaining what I'd lost when I ascended." The archaeologist grinned happily "I haven't even thought about it since she said that and I had a dream last night about my memories of an ascended being!"

"Anything important?" Hammond asked about the dream.

"No…but I had one!" Daniel said excitedly.

"I, myself have not been so critical of my strength and abilities since Sophie told me my actions will enable my people to taste freedom," Teal'c said with one of his rare smiles.

"And you both say that this Sophie made you feel this way," Hammond asked anxiously, he didn't want his people being influenced even if it was making them feel better.

"Well she didn't actually make us feel but she started us on the correct line of thought to bring us happiness," Daniel explained seriously.

"What did she say to you, Major Carter?" Hammond asked.

"She didn't really get to saying anything before she did this to Colonel O'Neill," she indicated to Pete.

Frankly, Pete was getting a bit peeved at people looking at him like he was something gross that had crawled it's way into the mountain and was about to tell them what he thought when General Hammond started talking to him.

"We need a direct conversation with Colonel O'Neill now, Mr Shanahan," the General said softly and almost sounded like he thought Pete was worthy of sympathy.

"Yes!" Jack cried but quickly silenced himself when Pete got annoyed again. Frankly, Jack wasn't that excited about having the conversation that was inevitably coming but any type of freedom was a good thing.

Pete grudgingly relaxed himself and spoke. "Come on then, let's get it over with. Half an hour," he reminded them.

Jack, feeling Pete's body relax for the first time all day quickly took over everything. It was like he was slipping into new clothes. It tingled all over as each body part let go of control from Pete then allowed Jack to take control instead. He worked from the feet upwards until only the eyes were left and Jack could see Pete starting to panic as he wildly looked around the room like a scared rabbit.

"Relax, Shanahan," Jack said carefully "The eyes?"

The rest of the room watched in astonishment as Pete slowly closed his eyes and opened them again, a different person looking back at them.

Jack looked at his hands and felt his nose and grimaced as he felt the squidginess of it.

"What's wrong with my nose?" Pete asked indignantly.

"Nothing's wrong with it, Pete," Jack said quickly removing his hands "I'm just not used to it,"

"Just don't…touch anything," Pete said.

Jack rolled his eyes.

"Uh…sir?" Carter asked. Jack looked at her and was pleased to see a giant smile on her face. One of the ones that could send any spirit soaring with the jets and before he could suppress it and get his feelings under control he felt his heart beat getting faster and his throat become dry. How did she manage to do that to him? Already he could feel the comforting warmth that her presense brought him start from his chest slowly spread out until it touched the tips of his fingers. Or Pete's fingers. Jack quickly snapped out of it and mentally shook himself. It was neither the time, body or place for thoughts like that. He blinked and returned Carter's smile.

"Just friends, you say?" Pete said angrily. At the same moment that Jack got his heart to slow down he could feel Pete's utter hatred and jealously boil from the pits of his stomach. "I want my body back, give it back now!" he screamed at him.

"Hey everybody," Jack said, completely ignoring Pete. "Miss me?"

"So this is Jack now?" Daniel asked curiously.

"Yes Daniel," Jack said grumpily.

"Let me out!" Pete yelled as he tried snatching control off Jack who was now fully stuck the position of handling the body. It wasn't so easy getting control when you were just the voice in the head.

"Say a Jack thing so we know it's you," Daniel replied with a suspicious look on his face as he peered at Pete/Jack over his glasses.

"What do you mean 'say a Jack thing'? I am Jack O'Neill! I'm always saying Jack things," he said tetchily as he battled with Shanahan.

"It's him," Sam said certainly.

"Thank you!" Jack cried.

"How can you tell?" Daniel questioned Sam.

"Because he's a sneaky, slimy bastard who's trying to steal my girlfriend!" Pete yelled for all he was worth giving Jack a very painful headache.

"Because he's not doing 'Pete' things," Sam explained.

Jack clutched his head as Pete carried on shouting and screaming at him. He was almost sad that after all the progress they had made in attempting to get along had just been washed away by one glance from Carter. On the other hand there was another part of Jack that was happy that Pete was getting to see what it was like being on the suppressed side of the brain.

"Colonel O'Neill, are you alright?" Hammond asked.

"Yes sir, Pete just is a- has a headache," Jack smiled as Pete threw off a litany of insults at him.

"Well, we'd like to hear your views on the mission, Colonel," Hammond said cautiously "Do you know of any reason why this woman would put you in this situation?"

"She claimed she was trying to help Carter and I, sir. She seemed to think this was the best way to do it," Jack reported.

"The best way to help Sam is to keep you away from her!" Pete shouted. "She doesn't need someone like you screwing up her life!"

Jack fell silent at Pete's words and took a glance at Sam who was looking at him with a concerned expression.

"She's with me now!" Pete said forcefully, but no longer yelling. "Move on,"

Maybe this was what Sophie wanted him to know.

"What was she trying to do?" Hammond asked confused.

"I don't know, sir," Jack said in a deflated voice "You'd have to ask her,"

"Doctor, is there any change in Sophie's condition?" Hammond asked Janet, who was now looking at Jack very softly, it was a great change to the way she regarded Pete.

"None, sir," she replied "In neither hers nor Colonel O'Neill's body,"

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The next ten minutes found Jack in the infirmary giving himself the once over with a critical eye…literally. Pete had been non-stop with the insults and the assurances that Sam wouldn't care if he just died that he was almost starting to believe the cop. Some things he was sure that Pete was just over-exaggerating but it still got some semblance of a message through to Jack. One that said Pete was angry and he wasn't afraid of showing it.

Pete wasn't quite sure why they were sat back in the infirmary staring Jack's body in a coma. He didn't care to be honest he was just focused on making Jack feel like he was the biggest loser on the planet. If he could achieve this and maybe get his body back in the process, he would be happy.

Jack reached and flicked his own face and watched as he did nothing, no reaction. He then proceeded to poke his arm and give it a little shake.

"Piece of junk," Jack commented above Pete's abuse.

Pete stopped shouting and looked at the motionless body for a moment and silently agreed with Jack. Let's face it, the guy was getting old. How much more could he have left in him. Pete was about to tell Jack this when he realised something. They had been left alone.

"Where is everybody?" Pete asked registering only two guards within a 100 metre radius of them.

"They've gone to discuss what to do about us," Jack said "Don't worry they're just deciding if they should go back to the planet and what people to take,"

"Why are we here?" Pete questioned. "And why haven't I got my body back? They don't need you anymore,"

Jack sighed. "We are here because I wanted to see how my body was doing and you haven't got yours back because I don't feel like giving it back," he said happily.

"You're keeping me in here?" Pete said outraged.

"Yep," Jack said with a grin.

"Like a …a…"

"Prisoner?"

"You bastard!"

"Right back at ya, Shanahan,"

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