Author's note: I don't own Stargate. So I started my second year of college a few months ago. I can't believe how long I've been working on this story.

Chapter Thirty-One

Apophis looked ten years older than the last time I'd seen him from where he was lying on a hospital gurney. Both his legs were in thick casts and most of his body was wrapped in heavy duty bandages used for severe burns. All his limbs were strapped down with leather bindings though he didn't look strong enough to peel off a band aid. And maybe it was just the low lighting in the isolation room, but his hair seemed to have been peppered with grey.

Hustling about the room were several nurses and up in the observation deck Janet monitored the vitals of Apophis as they were displayed on her computer screens.

"Erin Clark! Enter!" Apophis suddenly spoke up, his eyes snapping open.

I'd been standing in the doorway, going back and forth on my decision o whether to enter or not. How had he known I was there? Though if I asked him I'm pretty sure his answer would be the typical, 'I am a God" bulls #t.'

"So you know my name?" I asked coming to his bedside.

He strained against his binds to lean up towards me. "From what we hold in common. My son Klorel."

I crossed my arms to keep my hands from visibly trembling. Rage flared up in my chest and hate like I'd rarely felt before fueled my glare and it took all my strength to keep from strangling the fallen god.

Apophis smirked showing that he took pleasure in the pain he was causing me. "So, have you come to make good on your threat?" He laughed and looked up at the ceiling, giving me an opening to attack.

I gasped. Nearly two years ago on Chulack, right after Skaara had been chosen I'd caught Apophis's gaze and told him I would kill in in the most painful way possible. Thinking back on it made me feel sick. It was the first time I'd ever wished death on a person. And looking back on it I realize that it was said in the heat of the moment but in reality I don't think I would ever be able to follow through with it. At least I hoped I wasn't that person.

With a huff I uncrossed my arms and clasped my hands behind my back, trying to play it cool. Apophis couldn't know how much power he had over me. "I'm surprised you remember that, given how many death threats you must receive daily."

He laughed, the reverberation in his voice making it sound like a bark. "Yes, but you are the only one who was the former lover of Klorel's body."

My hands whipped out from behind my back and clamped down on the metal railing around Apophis's bed, otherwise they would have been around his neck. "That body has a name, Skaara. I was nothing to your son and he was nothing to me."

He smirked and turned his head to meet my gaze. "I will tell you what I told your brother of my mate Amunet. They are one in the same."

I frowned back. "Not anymore."

Panic flashed in his eyes. "My son… where is he? What has been done?!" He violently strained against his bindings, "No, no. NO! My son… it cannot be!"

I stepped away from his bed when the machines monitoring his heart rate set off alarms and nurses rushed in. His back arched up on the gurney, his breaths coming in gasps. One long, prolonged gasp sapped his energy and he fell back onto the gurney.

His eyes were wild. "See-mu-we! See-mu-we!" He shouted, his voice lacking its normal reverberation.

"What's happening?" Janett's voice called over the loudspeaker.

I approached the bed slowly. "That's ancient Egyptian. Janett, I think that is the host speaking!" My wide eyes finding her's up in the observation deck.

"What is he saying?"

"Help me." I translated.

Then just as quickly as he host surfaced he was again buried when Apophis's eyes flashed gold. "Leave me you pitiful human." He growled.

"Miss Clark." One of the SF's assigned to guard Apophis came into the room and stopped at my side. "General Hammond is requesting your presence in the briefing room.

"Tell him I'm on my way." I answered, and with one last glance at the man who destroyed my family, I left.

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Who was waiting on the briefing room when I entered was a surprise, not a nice one at that. "Martouf?" I smiled and warmly shook his hand that he offered.

"Erin Clark. It is indeed a pleasure to see you again. I only wish it was under better circumstances." He took his seat with the two other Tok'ra opposite where my team, Jannat, and I sat. "Since Jacob has joined the Tok'ra, I have come to a…deeper understanding of your people, your purpose, and your extraordinary gifts."

Hammond, who sat at the head of the table smile cautiously. "Thank you."

Martouf bowed his head slightly. "You've shown great skill and cunning in retrieving Apophis from the hands of Sokar. However…"

Jack cut him off mid-sentence. "You know, as much as I love where you're going with this, we…didn't exactly do that." He finished with a small wince.

Martouf furrowed his brows and gazes around the table at our team in confusion. "Our operatives aboard Sokar's vessel witnessed you leave the crash site and enter the Stargate."

"We received a signal, a set of coordinates." Sam jumped in to explain. "We had thought it came from you." She waved her hand in the Tok'ra's general direction.

"We sent no such signal." Martouf denied shaking his head.

"We know that now." Jack said sarcastically.

"Then who?" The side of Martouf's mouth twitched irritably.

I spoke up, before Jack said whatever snarky comment he had loaded. "AS of right now we're working on the assumption that it was Apophis who sent the message."

A rumble of unease passed between the Tok'ra seated at the table. Martouf ducked his head and rose it, speaking. His voice reverberated denoting that it was Lantesh who was in control at the moment. "Why would he take refuge among the Tau'ri? He despises you. More than that, you have nothing of use to him."

"He's going down, and he wants to take us with him." Jack answered.

Lantesh glared at his men out of the side of his eye. "He has taken advantage of your weakness."

Sam cleared her throat and hurt showed on her face. "We don't consider what we did a sign of weakness."

The snarl on Lantesh's face softened as he looked at her and he let out a long sigh. "I apologize, for my words. By the fact remains that Sokar has now turned his attention towards your world. Turn Apophis over to Sokar now, and he may spare you."

Hammond leaned over the table, bracing himself on his forearms and setting the Tok'ra with a stern glare. "I'm afraid we can't do that just yet."

The response from Lantesh was just a quick and sharp. His eyes flashed as he began. "If he remains here, you will all die. If not by the hand of Sokar, then by the many Goa'uld who would wish to destroy Apophis themselves. You do not see what you have done. You've entered a battle in which you are ill-equipped to fight—tipped the balance of power among the Goa'uld, and in so doing, worsened the fortune of your entire race."

"We must know what would happen to him if we turned him over." Hammond countered.

"I'm certain he would be executed" Lantesh hesitated, "…eventually."

"I see." Hammond said, the look on his face telling all that the option of handing Apophis over had just been wiped off the table.

Lantesh, however, was not going to let it go that easily. "Surely, you welcome this. His guilt is clear. He cannot be allowed to escape punishment."

"He won't." Jannat said, speaking for the first time. "He's dying."

The expression on Lantash's face brightened at this news. After a quick glance at his companions he addressed Jannat. "You are certain of this."

"Yes." Jannat nodded and handed out a copy of Apophis's medical report to all at the table. "His body has begun to age at an increasing rate."

After flipping through a few pages of readouts that probably meant nothing to him, Lantesh closed the report and tossed it aside. "Without a sarcophagus to rejuvenate him his injuries will become fatal."

"In the short time he has remaining, we may yet learn information that could help us to defend ourselves." Hammond explained.

"The knowledge and technology you have are too primitive for such information to be of any use." And to emphasize this Lantesh waved his hand disdainfully at the equipment set up around the room. When this didn't visibly sway us he pounded his fist on the table-top so hard that even the other Tok'ra jumped. "Why don't you comprehend the danger you are in? We cannot defend you from the Goa'uld. You cannot expect us, too."

"We don't." Jack countered in a cold tone.

"Overconfidence was their failing, O'Neill." Lantesh was just as chilly. "I hope it has not also become yours."