Author Notes: Thanks for the great feedback! As promised, here's the next chapter!

Chapter 12

"General, we're getting an IDC through." Sgt. Harriman informed Hammond as they stared at the newly opened gate.

"Who is it?"

Harriman blinked, "It's registered to Jonas Quinn, sir."

Hammond threw a look sharply down to the computer readouts. Well, that definitely wasn't expected. SG-1 were due back in a few hours, and he had presumed Vala had gotten them into trouble with the locals again; that woman was more trouble than she was worth sometimes...or, all the time.

Well, this will definitely be interesting... "Open the iris."

He immediately headed to the gateroom, in time to see three figures come through the familiar blue sheen. He was sharply reminded how out of place they truly were, how different Jonas was from the man he had first met.

"General." Jonas nodded, Beren and Kera behind him dipping their heads in greeting. His tone was amicable enough, but there was something else, something that put George on edge. His voice was tight, and his face drawn, pale, making a rather noticeable bruise stand up in sharp relief to his skin. His eyes were tired, and the lack of Renn was not easy to miss.

"Jonas." For some reason, he felt the need to drop any formalities, "Beren, Kera. Welcome back." He left his tone hanging, inviting explanation.

Beren's face was grim, "If only it were under good circumstances, General. We wish to speak with you, Daniel and Vala too." A half-hearted smile flitted across his face before it was gone again, "And the rest of SG-1, of course."

"SG-1 isn't due back for another three hours. What's this about?" His eyes searched the three faces, and the tension in the gateroom amongst his staff was palpable, all of them knowing who these three people were. He watched as the girl moved forwards to stand next to Jonas, allowing her fingers to brush his in silent support.

"Nirrti's back." And George wasn't likely to forget the look on Jonas' face anytime soon.


"What!" Jack spat out in disbelief, starring at his commanding officer. They had arrived back after possibly one of the first uneventful missions SG-1 had experienced since Vala joined them, only to be met in the gateroom by Hammond who had informed them that Jonas, along with Beren and Kera, were up in the infirmary being cleared for general movement around the base. Vala and Daniel had shot off without even waiting for a further explanation or dismissal, leaving the rest of the team to get the news from the General.

Hammond nodded, "I don't understand it either, Colonel, but unless another Goa'uld has assumed her identity, the visitor to Beren's homeworld is indeed Nirrti."

"You know, short of Apophis, that woman was the one that really got on my nerves." Jack ground out. Nearly killing Cassie twice, murdering good men and almost killing Carter, and then giving those godawful visions to Jonas. Well, let's just say the woman had the kind of track record that had earned her a more than a little celebration upon her demise. And most definitely put her at the top of Jack's hit list if she wasn't as dead as they had been led to think.

"But how? We saw Wodan strangle her to death." Carter interjected.

They began walking towards the infirmary, intent to meet up with the others. Teal'c frowned, "It is possible that the symbiote underwent a form of hibernation, and succeeded in moving to another individual. Strangulation of the host is not as certainly effective as severance of the spinal cord."

Jack halted, "And you didn't mention this then, why?"

"I assumed that the telepathic being, Eggar, would have sensed if her presence was still alive, and I myself could not sense anything from her. Clearly I was gravely mistaken."

Jack ran a hand through his hair as they entered the infirmary, mulling over the situation in his mind. Sam grinned next to him, and walked forwards to hug their lost teammate, "Hey Jonas."

"Sam." There was a smile in Jonas' voice as he returned her affection, though tiredness was there too. The remainder of SG-1 could not fail to notice the worry that thickened the air. Vala sat on a bed next to Beren as a nurse seemed to be debating whether to approach the woman for her checkup. Daniel was largely impassive in his face, but Jack could tell by the way his eyes never left the three that all was not well, and then-

"Jonas, what happened to your face?" Sam exclaimed, reaching up to touch the healing cut and bruise gently as Jonas flinched away.

Beren snorted darkly, "Renn happened."

Jonas smiled in an attempt to disarm any attention from Jack or Teal'c, whose expressions had immediately turned to a mixture of anger and confusion, a look Jack now realised was already on Vala's face, a barely hidden in Daniel's eyes. "Renn and I have experienced a difference of opinions rather often these past few months. And it's hard to keep tempers in check when the heat is pushing to unbearable levels." He shrugged, " I kinda deserved it."

Vala snorted in disbelief as Kera huffed and whacked Jonas on the arm. Jack blinked as he raised one eyebrow. Sure, over the years, he had wanted to punch Jonas too, but that didn't mean he had ever followed through. Out of a morbid curiosity, he asked, "What the hell did you say to him?"

Jonas winced, "That I wished we were back with Neith, because at least then he would stop treating Kera like an invalid. That I'd rather be forced to kill a hundred more people than watch him destroy her in that desert hellhole."

Even Daniel couldn't keep the shock of his face that time, with Beren and Vala's expressions matching to suit; clearly Jonas hadn't told them either. It was an unspoken rule amongst the six that whatever happened, Neith would not be a subject to bring up under stress. Vala gaped at him, "How the hell did Renn not do more to you than that bruise? Even as you were leaving a few months ago he was barely tolerating your presence. I think he was jealous that Kera kept looking to you instead of him."

Jonas shrugged, "Conflicting memories. Renn and Beren got it worse out of all of us. Their lives before just didn't correlate with their lives after."

Beren snorted, "Don't I know it."

"Jonas, I was a con artist and a thief." Vala stated flatly. Everyone just looked at her, and she huffed, "Okay, fair point. But I am more loveable now."

There was a lull, and reality set back in, and Daniel spoke, "Forget blame, or whatever's happened. We need to decide what to do. If Nirrti's back..."

Hammond nodded, "Briefing room, one hour. Unless you have anything particularly pertinent from your last mission to report, Colonel?"

Jack shook his head, "The usual, sir. We came, we saw, Carter had fun and the rest of us were bored. Then we left."

"Very well. One hour then."


"What do you think they'll decide?" Beren broke the silence of the room. He, Jonas and Kera were staying in one of the VIP suites. After being a part of the preliminary meetings, giving all the information they could, Jack and Hammond had moved off to discuss further, while the rest of SG-1 got some much needed sleep in the bunks down the hall. The three of them knew they should probably be doing the same, but the tension of the situation was too much. For Beren, the fate of his people hung in the balance, while Kera could not help but think of her brother. Jonas was just trying not to think. Period. Renn, being back at the SGC, Nirrti.

"I don't know." He murmured in reply.

"Urgh." Beren scrubbed his hands over his face, "I hate waiting. I think it's one of the few things Vala and I still have in common."

Jonas smiled a sad smile, "You have more in common than that. You've just fallen out of habit, that's all."

"But you two haven't?"

Jonas shrugged, "Earth isn't my home; I was always the alien. Even Teal'c is still the alien here – it's a fact of life. Kera was the alien among her own people. We didn't need to readjust...after."

"You're lucky then. It wasn't as hard."

"Wasn't as hard?" Jonas parroted incredulously, "We had to watch as the rest of you – our family, the only people who truly understood us for who we were – drifted apart. Yeah, that wasn't hard at all. You were the only people who understood how much of a horror that time under Neith had been. The only ones who shared the nightmares." His voice quietened, and Beren shifted uncomfortably as Kera's eyes flicked between the two of them, her body language unclear.

"We're all a mess." Beren murmured, after a while.

Jonas laughed humourlessly, "Yes, we most definitely are. And no amount of denial or acceptance is going to change that fact." He glanced at Kera, who nodded softly, "But if the SGC can't help you free your people, you'll still have us. And, I'm sure, Daniel and Vala. You are still family, and I know they won't let us down..." Renn was not spoken of; it was a topic best left untouched, especially when conversation had already come so close to Nirrti, the woman Beren know to have plagued Jonas' amnesiac dreams for over a year under Neith.

Beren lips twitched into a shadow of a smile, "Thank you."


Daniel was not as asleep as the others thought. Neither was Vala, but then, Daniel didn't know that either. Until she sneaked up behind him, that is, "What do you think you are doing?"

"Vala!" Daniel snapped in shock as his fingers nearly slipped and sliced themselves off. "Don't do that!"

"Do what?" She smirked innocently as she sat down beside him.

Daniel sighed in good humour, knowing when not to bother, "Never mind."

The soft, repetitive noise began to fill the room again, and after a pause, Vala spoke again, "You didn't answer my question."

"I would have thought it would be obvious." Daniel replied without looking up.

"Daniel," Vala's tone brooked no argument, "You haven't touched that sword in half a year. Not since we started getting our memories back."

"I know. The edge has gotten dull."

"Oh, for the love of... Daniel, stop avoiding. Put that damn sword down and talk."

Daniel snorted as he complied, "Since when do you want to have serious conversations?"

"Well, clearly sharing a bed with you has rubbed off on me." Vala responded dryly. "Now, spill."

"I should never have let Jonas go with Renn. He didn't want to leave. Hell – I shouldn't have let Renn force Kera to go either! If I had stopped him, then none of this would be happening."

Vala shook her head, "Yes, and when Beren came to his senses about how repulsive his father is, he would have had no way to return. I don't have to like what Jonas did, but I understand why. I also know how pigheaded Renn can be, and how there is no way you would have prevented him from taking Kera with him."

"Beren's here because of Nirrti."

"No, Beren's here because he needed an excuse. And Nirrti gave him that. He's a proud person, Daniel, and I used to be able to say I know him better than you. Maybe I still do. The point is that if Beren hadn't wanted to leave, then he wouldn't have – he would have tried to stop Nirrti by himself. But he wanted help, he wanted to find us."

"I didn't realise how much I was missing them until I saw them. And it doesn't seem right, Renn being the only one not here."

"I know how you feel. Don't get me wrong, I love being on SG-1, but I like knowing where Beren is, and that Kera and Jonas have our backs." Her voice softened, "I like knowing you and Renn will make the right choices, and look out for us all."

Daniel smiled, "Neith really screwed us up, didn't she?"

"Speak for yourself, I was already dysfunctional."

Daniel laughed for the first time since they had returned from their last mission, reaching round and kissing her softly on the lips, "Thank you."

Vala grinned, "I try." She gestured to the sword, "So, am I to understand I should find out where they put my staff and zat?"

"What?"

"We're going back with Beren, aren't we? Even if General Hammond can't okay the mission?"

"Yes. Even if it's just the five of us. Even without Jack, Sam and Teal'c... even without Renn."

"No such luck." Daniel and Vala turned to see Jack enter the room at those last words, "Hammond's okayed the mission. Nirrti needs to be dead. Like, years ago. We go in under dark, which is in about ten hours according to Beren. Get some sleep, and we'll go over the mission brief at 1100."

Daniel smiled, "Thanks Jack."

His friend shrugged nonchalantly, "Yeah, well I take it as a personal offence when these guys come back to life. It's a blot on the track record. Besides, after what happened with Cassie – twice – and Jonas? Do you really want to be the one to tell the Doc we're not going to do anything?"

Daniel winced, knowing too well how explosive Janet's reaction had been upon hearing that Nirrti was not in fact as dead as they had all thought. "Good point."

Jack nodded, "1100, kids." And he walked out, leaving Vala and Daniel to work out how the hell they were going to make sure this wouldn't be as suicidal as their usual missions.

To Be Continued...

Author Notes: What do you think? There's only a little way to go now!