Author's note: Do I own this? Nope, nadda. I'd just like to take this time to say thank you everyone reading this, and to all who have followed, favorited, or reviewed. I'm so sorry this took so long to update. I've been so busy with exams and graduation that I haven't been able to write as much as I want to. Now that its almost summer I should be able to update far more often. I hope you all enjoy. :)

Chapter Twelve

Deja vu. Cassandra was lying in an observation room just like the one Kawalsky had been in a few weeks ago. She was hooked up to dozens of monitors measuring heart rate and respiration.

Daniel and Hammond sat with me in the observation deck while medical personal buzzed about Cassandra. As they started the procedure Daniel took my hand in his. I smiled at his display of comfort.

Dr. Warner had made a small incision in Cassandra's chest. "I'm inserting the scope. Image up." One of the monitors showed a real time image of her heart. Her heart pumped away, though with each opening and closing of her heart valves, a metallic object could be seen inside her heart.

Dr. Warner looked at the vital readouts and took a deep breath. "I'd advancing the scope."

The beeping that indicated heart rate picked up. "Pulse is rising." Janet reported, urgency rising in her voice.

"Adjusting view." Warner said rotating the scope.

Finally a clear view of the object came up on the monitor. It was circular with small tendrils of metal branching out into the surrounding tissue.

"Well, parts of it are definitely organic." Janet observed.

"I'm going to move in closer and try to get a biopsy." Warner moved the scope closer to object.

"Pulse is now 140."

The probe moved closer to the object and a small metal instrument reached forwards and scraped its metal covering and surrounding tissue. "I'm taking some samples."

The heart monitor began issuing alarms. "We have to stop." Janet shouted at the doctor.

"Just a little more." Dr. Warner pushed the scope in a little further.

Suddenly Cassandra's heart rate picked up, making the beeping of the heart monitor like one long sound. Then she flat-lined.

Dr. Warner immediately pulled out. "Removing scope. Prepare the paddles!" A nurse handled him the defib paddles. "Charging. Clear!"

I shot out of my seat, knocking my chair over, my hand flying to my mouth in horror. Daniel stood to, putting his arms around my shoulders.

Right as he reached in with the paddles Cassandra's heart started up again. "Wait, wait." Janet shouted, stopping him from shocking Cassandra. "Pulse is normal"

Letting out a breath I didn't know I'd been holding I slumped against Daniel in relief.

"I'm sorry General." Warner called up. "But I don't dare proceed any further."

Hammond frowned as he spoke into the mic. "You did your best son."

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

I watched Cassandra sleeping fitfully. She was curled against my side where I sat next to her on her bed. It wasn't fair. I know the world isn't fair, if it was fair nothing that happened the last few months would have happened. If the world was fair nothing bad would ever happened to good people. The world isn't fair, but could it give this little girl a break.

Cassandra tossed and turned, moaning in her sleep. I brushed my hand over hair, trying to calm her. Her eye flew open and she had the confused look of one newly awoken and unsure of where they were. "Mom?" Her voice carried a little of a whimper at the end.

It felt like a cruel knife to the heart that I couldn't give her her mother. "Hey baby." I said and her eyes found mine and focused.

"I was dreaming about my mom." She said with a sigh.

"You miss your mom very much?"

Cassandra nodded and buried her face in her pillow. "I'm tired."

"Well, you should get some rest. Don't worry, everything's going to be just fine. And when you get better, I promise you I am going to show you all the wonderful things about this planet." I got up from the bed and pulled her blanket tighter around her small body.

"Promise?" She asked pleadingly.

"Absolutely." I smiled down at her. "I mean it might take a little while to see everything. And by the time we try all the different foods we'll be so fat..."

She busted out laughing and reached up for a hug. Wrapping my arms around her I just hoped she lived to do those things.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

After she dozed off I headed out. Janet was doing an experiment with the material scraped off the object in Cassandra's chest and I wanted to be there. As I closed the door behind me I was surprised to find Daniel sitting in chair outside, apparently waiting patiently. If there was thing I knew about Daniel, it was that he wasn't patient, not unless he was truly worried.

"How is she?" He asked standing.

"She's fine, sleeping." I said, staring down the hall to Janet's office, expecting him to follow behind me.

He took me by the arm as I passed him. "Um. Um, if you want…I can sit with her tomorrow. For a few hours."

"No, I'm okay." I answered. He raised his eyebrows, unconvinced. "I just…I want to, need to do this."

Daniel watched me long and hard before speaking again. "Okay. But I guess what I'm saying is that you don't have to do this alone."

Smiling I took his hand. "I not alone."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

"The layer of fatty tissue between the two sides of the object is decaying very slowly." Janet said. We were watching a live feed from a room several floors down. Two robotic arms were posed to connect.

"What's the significance?" Organic chemistry was never Daniel's strong suit.

"I'm not sure." Janet tapped on the computer screen with her pen. "I'm about to do an experiment to find out. One side of the object is made up of a combination of iron and potassium; the other side is made up of the element that makes up the Stargate."

"What?" Daniel exclaimed, taking a seat next to Janet and I in front of the computer

"Uh-hm. I'm assuming it's the Naquada that was in her blood. Somehow the object is collecting it."

I scooted closer to the monitor to get a better look at the readings. "Now, from what I remember of chemistry, potassium can be one of the most volatile alkaline metals on Earth. If it was combined with even a small amount of Naquada..." I trialed off. What I remembered of my high school classes wasn't enough to give me a definitive answer, but if I had to guess I would say that the result would be very, very bad.

"That doesn't sound very good." Daniel agreed with my thoughts.

"The room you're looking at is in the sub-basement floor of the complex. It's lead sealed. Let's see what happens when we put the two objects together." Janet typed in commands to the computer and the robotic arms began to slowly move closer together.

"Where are the samples?" I asked, the robot arms didn't seem to be holding anything.

"I'm only using a microscopic particle of each." Janet explained.

"Do you think that'll be enou..." I began, but stopped when the arms came to together. A loud boom came from both the monitor and and below us, shaking the room. The video feed filled with static for a moment before fizzing out.

"The readings are off the scale. Gamma and particle radiation." Janet shouted, frantically typing.

"Are we safe?" Daniel asked.

Janet watched the readouts for a moment before sitting back in her chair and nodding. "Yeah, but we have a big problem."

"If two microscopic particles can cause that…" I said.

Janet finished for me. "Then the object inside Cassandra could cause a nuclear reaction a million times bigger." She ran her hand across her forehead and slammed her pen down on the table top.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Hammond called a meeting shortly after that. Janet, Daniel and I sat around the briefing table with Hammond at the head. Daniel was drumming, more like pounding, his fingers against the table "It's a setup. It has to be. The Goa'ulds wiped out every last living person on that planet except Cassandra, and then they made us think that it was our fault; because they knew that we wouldn't leave her there. They knew that we would bring her back here. And they used their technology to put that thing inside of her." He was utterly disgusted and enraged.

Janet handed Hammond a report on the device and the results of the experiment."It's like they designed a way for us to help them create the device after she came through the Stargate. So we wouldn't detect it until it was too late. We gave her iron supplements. We may even have turned the device on with a jolt of electricity when we resuscitated her."

"You're saying it's meant to destroy us." He asked flipping through the report.

I nodded "At least this complex; the threat to the Goa'uld, the Stargate."

"They used that little girl like a Trojan Horse." Daniel was barley containing his anger. I couldn't see what his hands were doing, but the distinctive sound of a pencil snapping came from his direction.

Hammond only glanced at him before turning to Janet. "How long do we have?"

Janet stared emotionlessly down at her hands as she spoke. "One hour and fifty-two minutes."

Hammond was a little taken aback. "You can predict it that accurately?"

"The cellular decay of the tissue Dr. Warner sampled appears to be happening like clockwork." Janet answered.

::::::::::::::::::::::

I stood the edge of Cassandra's bed watching her sleep, oblivious and completely innocent. I bit down on my fist to keep from sobbing. My body shook so hard that I was sure I would fall apart at any moment. That was how Daniel found me. "How could they do this,Dani?" I asked, tears spilling from my eyes.

Daniel walked over and quickly pulled me into a hug. "To the Goa'uld, she's not as we see her. She's a tool. Her death is a very cheap way to get rid of us."

"I want to hurt them." I said through gritted teeth. "For this, for everything."

"I know." Daniel tightening his arms around me.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

I waited for Hammond to hand up his phone call before knocking. He looked up from his desk and waved for me to come in.

"I know this decision isn't easy for you." I said sitting in one of the two chairs arranged around the front of his desk.

"In fact, the decision is quite easy." He hung his head and let out a defeated sigh. "The consequences are what's difficult."

"There has to be another way. There has to." I pleaded.

He shook his head sternly, wiping all emotion off his face. "I've been assured there is absolutely no way to remove the object from the girl without killing her. Therefore, we have no choice. According to Dr. Fraiser's measurements, the rate of atomic decay, we have one hour and twenty minutes left. The girl should be prepared to go back through the Stargate."

I stood . "I'll take her, Sir."

"Along with SG-4. I want O'Neill, Carter, and Teal'c to return with you." He said, some sympathy leaking through his stoic demeanor.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

"Chevron three, encoded. Chevron four, encoded." A technician announced over the loudspeakers as each coordinated was imputed on the spinning Stargate.

Cassandra and I stood at the end of the ramp in our biosuits. I held her hand while we waited for the gate to finished dialing.

Suddenly her grip on my hand slackened and her she looked up at me, her gaze unfocused. "Help?" she asked in a small voice. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she collapsed.

"Cassandra!" I screamed catching her head before it hit the ground. I glanced up at the control room and met Daniel and Janet's eyes briefly before they ran out and down the stairs into the embarkation room. Janet knelt down to us and yanked Cassandra's mask off. Daniel stood a little ways back to let her work, pacing nervously with his hand over his mouth.

"What's going on?!" I asked, my voice shrill with panic.

Janet felt Cassandra for a pulse and shined her light in her eyes. "She slipped into a comma." She announced.

"What?!" I yelled.

The gate behind us began to spin with n incoming wormhole. "Close the iris." Hammond ordered over the loudspeaker.

"No need sir." A technician answered. "I'm reading SG-1's remote signal."

Oh, now what! I thought, rocking an unconscious Cassandra in my arms.

The wormhole was only open for a few seconds before Jack, Sam and Teal'c tumbled through, dust and fly rocks exploding from the event horizon behind them. Jack threw himself to his feet as the gate shut off. "Get the girl away from the gate!" He shouted ripping his mask off.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Janet had taken Cassandra back to the infirmary. After several assurances from Janet that she would keep her safe until I got back I grudgingly went up to a meeting to go over recent developments.

When I walked into the briefing room I was surprised to see that they had all waited for me. I took a seat between Daniel and Sam.

Teal'c began relaying what he believed the Goa'uld's plan were. Apparently this Nerti had done something like this before. She planted a bomb in an emissary, and when they walked through the gate it had gone off. I shivered thinking about how close we had come to getting blown to kingdom come.

"The Goa'ulds kept SG-7 from coming back through to warn us. All part of the plan." Jack was to uptight to sit, so he walked around the table. This was his third time around since the meeting had begun.

"So what are we going to do now?" Daniel asked.

Hammond sighed and turned to Teal'c who sat next to him. "Teal'c, Dr. Fraiser says the device inside the girl is on some sort of timer. You're sure it will go off if we send the girl through the Stargate?"

Teal'c's eye twitched, but otherwise gave no other sign to the anger that I could tell he was felling as he answered. "We should not attempt it. The Earth Gate is what the Goa'uld wish to destroy."

"Cassandra's condition deteriorated once she got near the Stargate." I said.

"I can't risk the security of this mountain. We'll have to take her somewhere else." Hammond looked around at my team sternly, meeting each of our gazes.

Jack had come to a stop behind an empty chair and glared down at the table top. Then his eyebrows shot up with a sudden idea and he snapped his fingers in rapid fire. "What about the abandoned nuclear facility in…"

"Right. It's just twenty minutes away." Hammond interrupted and strode into his office, picking up his direct phone line to the white house. "This is Major General Hammond. Get me the Secretary of Defense immediately. Tell him it's a matter of life and death."

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

It was nighttime as we all rode in the back of a military transport to the nuclear facility. I held Cassandra close to keep her from tumbling as the road became increasingly bumpy. The transport stopped a small concrete building in the middle of a huge forest.

Immediately a dozen armed officers climbed out and took up posts around the building and its entrance.

The rest of SG-1 climbed out, waiting for me to bring Cassandra. Seeing that I couldn't climb down with her in my arms Teal'c climbed back in and carefully took her out of my arms and climbed out. I smiled at him gratefully and joined him on the ground.

I held my arms out for her once I was firmly back on unmoving earth. Teal'c quirked his one eye brow, then bowing his head slightly he handed her back to me.

Holding her close I turned to follow Jack and Sam into the building. I saw Daniel watching me closely and I knew that he could tell I was straining with Cassandra's weight a little. He held his hands up, a gesture that if I need him he would take her. I shook my head sadly and glanced down at the small girl in my arms. I didn't want to spend what little time she had away from her.

Entering the building SG-1 took up positions in a circle around Cassandra and I. We walked down a cold, concrete corridor that lead deep into the mountain, coming to a stop before a set of elevator doors.

Jack checked to make sure the elevator was operational and pressed the up button. Then he turned around to face me. "I can take her from here now, Erin."

"No Jack, I got this."

He nodded curtly and jerked his thumb over his shoulder gesturing at the doors. "This elevator goes down thirty floors through solid rock. Takes about three minutes to get to the bottom. That gives you four minutes to start back up."

As if on cue, the doors opened and I walked forward into them. Facing my team I met each of their gazes before the doors closed.

It seemed like an eternity. There was nothing to do but watch the red glowing numbers in the far corner of the elevator count off the floors we passed on our way to the bottom.

I felt Cassandra stir in my arms, but I was to wrapped up in my own head for the moment.

"Where are we going?" Her voice pierced my consciousness like a lance.

My heart, already drumming away, began pounding even harder I my eyes flew wide in horror. Of all the merciful gods, why did she have to be awake for this. The universe was cruel if it was going to let her see the end coming.

"Go back to sleep." I begged her, kissing her forehead.

"I'm not tired anymore." She protested like any child would and squirmed to be put down and I set her on her feet. She glanced up at me. "Are you crying?" she asked, and for the first times I noticed how wet my cheeks had become.

The elevator doors opened, and taking her hand I led her down the hall to one of the chambers Jack had told me were sealable, the better to contain the blast he said.

The lock on the outside looked like the steering wheel of an old ship. Swirling the lock open, there were a few faint clicks and I heaved against the heavy metal door, pushing it open.

There was a small bit of crumbling concrete in a corner of the room the could serve as a crude seat. Taking Casandra's hand I led her into the room and sat her down. I knelt down so were we face to face. "I need you to sit and rest here for a while, okay? I have to go."

"You promised to never leave me alone." She whimpered slightly.

Tears fell from my eyes, regardless of how strong I tried to be for her. "It'll be okay, I'll be right back." I choked up. Taking a deep breath I brushed back some of Cassandra's hair. "You are so brave. Remember?"

She nodded slightly, somehow she seemed to know what was coming. "I'm very brave."

"I have to close the door." I said standing. Again she nodded and I walked to the entrance.

Grabbing on to the lock I paused. This wasn't right, I couldn't leave her here, alone. Silently I thought about Daniel and Jack who were my closest family. About Sam and Teal'c who I'd become close to the last few months. About Sha're and... Skaara. Without a doubt I knew that one day they would be freed, but not by me. "Goodbye." I whispered and taking the door I slammed it shut, swirling the lock in place and sealing us both in.

A voice box next to the door crackled with Jack's voice. "Erin, do you read me?"

I pressed to outgoing button so he could hear me. "Jack, I'm staying."

"Negative, get back up here."

"Jack," I sighed, taking a deep breath. "She's awake."

"Oh God." I heard Daniel say faintly in the background.

"I'm sorry" It seemed so inadequate for last words, but they were all I had.

Jack wouldn't give up that easily. "No, I am ordering you to get back up here, right now. Right now!"

I ignored him and ran to Cassandra. We wrapped each other in a hug, she burying her face in my shoulder.

"Are we going to die?" She asked.

"No, we are not going to die."

On my watch a timer had been set, counting down until the device was supposed to go off. I watched as I went from 10...9...8, and held Casandra tighter.

"We're both very brave." She said. "I love you."
"I love you too." I smiled through the tears.

3...2... I closed my eyes and waited for the heat.

Waited.

Waited.

Nothing happened. We pulled back and looked at each other.

"Erin? Can you hear me?" Jack called over the intercom. "Erin?"

Standing I went to let them all know we were still alive. "We're okay. Nothing happened. Cassandra's fine, I'm fine. It didn't happen. I just…I couldn't leave her."

"How did you know?" Jack asked.

"I... didn't. I just had a feeling that everything would be okay. I can't explain it." Smiling I looked back a Cassandra.

She let out a laugh and made a running jump into my arms, hugging me tight.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

It was a beautiful day at the park. Jack had called and said to meet him there, and that he had a surprise. Daniel an I walked with a swinging Cassandra between us, with Sam and Teal'c bringing up the rear.

"Aren't you a little heavy for this." Daniel grunted as Cassandra took another swing.

"Cassandra!" Jack called from across the park, something fuzzy wiggled in his arms.

"Hey, there he is." I smiled and let go of her hand as she went running up to Jack.

"So, how'd you know?" Daniel asked as we took a seat on a bench.

"I can't explain it, Daniel. I just knew." I shrugged.

Teal'c's mouth quirked in a little smile. "Mother's instinct, perhaps."

"Subtle." I grinned at him, and Sam had to stifle a laugh to.

Jack had come over to stand by our group. "Are you sure about this?" He asked while we watched Cassandra play with a little ball of fuzz.

I laughed, running a hand through my messy hair. It seemed everyone knew I was adopting Casandra. "Why, afraid of being made a grandpa at such a young age?" I asked.

His eyes widened in shock for a moment, then he smiled like he liked that idea. "Grandpa Jack, has a ring to it."

"Hey Erin." Cassandra called running over with an armful of puppy. "See my new dog?" She grinned ear to ear.

"Wow. Your new dog?" I questioned, then glared up at a smirking Jack, who just shrugged as if saying, What can you do?.

She nodded vigorously. "It's an Earth rule. Every kid has to have one. But I don't mind."

Again I glared at Jack, "Its a good thing I went for the condo instead of the apartment then."

"Why don't I take the dog for a little walk." He took the dog out of Casandra's arms. "C'mere, Teal'c? You know anything about dogs?"

"Nothing." Teal'c quirked his eyebrow. "Captain Carter, will you assist?"

Still smiling, Sam rose from the bench to follow, "Sure."

Roving my eyes around the park, something caught my eye. "Hey Cassandra, remember what I said about all the wonderful things about this planet?"

"Yeah." She answered.

"Well I'm gonna start right now." I said taking her hand.

"What are those?" She asked, pointing at the set of play equipment we were walking towards.

"Those are called swings." I answered.

"They look like fun. We never had swings in... Toronto." She said using the cover for where she had supposedly been born.

"They sure are fun." I smiled as she took of at a run towards them.

Author's Note: Only a few more until I start on season two. I've been thinking about putting what I write of season two in a separate new story entry, though I would keep it in this entry if that is what ya'll want. Let me know and review. :)