Chapter 9

The night was cloudless, and a few stray beams of moonlight fell through the open window, illuminating Sam's form as she sat up in bed, knees drawn to her chest. Jack was lying on his side, watching her and wondering what was going on inside that head of hers. The rest of Saturday had passed and all of Sunday without anything abnormal happening. But ever since she'd called back to the base Sam had been acting different. She still smiled and laughed and joked, but it all seemed put on, and every so often Jack would catch her frowning off into the distance.

"Hey," he sat up finally, reaching out to touch her arm. "Something has been bugging you big time, I can tell. Now I thought you said that everything was going to be fine."

Sam turned to look at him with an odd expression. "I said that so Charlie wouldn't get upset and you know it."

"So there is something going on!" Jack's eyes widened.

"Jack…" Sam sighed heavily, scooting a little closer to him. "What I said was true, we don't know what Baal is up to, if he is even on Earth. But if he is, chances are he's after either me, Colonel Kowalski, Daniel or Teal'c."

Jack settled himself into a more upright sitting position and cupped Sam's face in his hands. "Baby, I don't think an alien would come looking for you in Minnesota. Now seriously, Sam, you barely got any sleep last night. We're on vacation, for cryin' out loud!" he managed to smile at her through the semi-darkness. "Just try and relax a little."

Sam looked for a moment like she was about to argue, then she returned Jack's smile, leaning in to press her lips to his. Jack scooted closer, letting the kiss deepen, sliding his arms around Sam and starting to lower her back against the pillows.

It was then that they heard the loud crash and shout that split through the night air like a gunshot.

For a moment they froze, Sam with Jack's lower lip still caught between her teeth. They reacted simultaneously, then, hurling themselves out of bed. Jack grabbed the shotgun from the corner of the room and Sam dove into her suitcase and back out again, holding the strange looking weapon she'd told Jack was called a zat'n'ktel, or zat gun.

As Jack pushed open the door they said nothing, communicating enough in a frenzied glance. They could hear the sounds of a struggle and by the time they burst into the front room of the cabin they saw a huge hulking man in strange looking armor trying to wrestle Charlie towards the busted down front door.

"DAD! SAM!" Charlie managed to bellow before the man clamped a hand over his mouth.

"Let him go!" Jack roared, raising the shotgun at the huge form, though he knew in the back of his mind it probably wouldn't do much good.

"Lower your weapons, Tau'ri!" The man swung a strange weapon forward, something Jack hadn't seen before; it was a large staff like device with a bulb at the end pointed towards him. The man pushed a button and the bulb split into four parts that crackled with energy. "Lower your weapons or you will all die!"

Jack glanced towards Sam. She had a grim expression on her face and after gauging the situation for a few minutes, reluctantly let her Zat fall to the ground. Whatever the staff weapon could do, it must be bad. Jack gave Charlie a look, trying with all his might to tell him through expression to be brave, and lowered the shotgun. Something about the look Sam shot him out of the corner of her eye told him she had a plan.

The man smirked and pulled Charlie out of the door.

As soon as he was out of sight Sam snatched up her Zat once again. "Come on, Jaffa can be fairly stupid sometimes…" Motioning for Jack to follow she rushed out after the man.

The sight that greeted them in the cleared space before the cabin was enough to cause Jack to skid to a stop in his tracks. There were more of the men in the strange armor and standing in the middle with one arm around Charlie's limp form was another man, goateed and wearing extravagant red and gold robes. Jack pegged this other man as a goa'uld the instant his eyes glowed.

"Ah, Major Carter, so glad you could join us," the goa'uld said, smirking at Sam. She was advancing on him, zat gun raised and a stony expression on her face. "Now you of all people should really know that would have no effect through my shield."

"Look," Jack snapped, moving to stand next to Sam and aiming the shotgun at the man. "I don't know who the hell you are, Snakehead, but you'd better let my son go right now!"

The man turned to smirk at Jack now. "I don't think we've had the honor of being introduced yet, Jack O'Neill. I know you, but you, sadly, do not know me. I am Baal! I am a god, and so, you had better lower that primitive projectile weapon before you make me angry."

"And you'd better let go of my son before I blow your brains out, capice?!"

Baal sighed in a bored sort of way, raising one hand around which a gold device appeared to be wrapped. Before Jack had a chance to react a bolt of energy flew from the device, throwing Jack backwards a couple feet and knocking the gun from his hands. He was winded, but got back up again a split second later just in time to see the Jaffa around Baal aiming their staff weapons at himself and Sam.

"Now, Major Carter," Baal continued, passing Charlie to one of the Jaffa. "I would suggest you lower your weapon as well before we're forced to take more drastic action."

"Charlie hasn't done anything to you," Sam said, remarkably calm and not lowering her Zat. "Let him go, take me instead."

"Oh, I'm afraid it isn't going to work like that, Major," Baal's eyes flashed again. He had something in his hand now, something that looked suspiciously like a Zat gun. "At least not yet."

The last thing Jack saw before everything went black was the blue bolt of energy from Baal's zat coming right at him.

He awoke sometime later, pain lancing through his body and anxious voices surrounding him.

"Doc, over here!" it was definitely Kowalski. "I think Jack's waking up."

Hands were checking Jack's pulse and feeling his forehead. When he opened his eyes he saw the worried face of Dr. Fraiser peering down at him.

"Jack?" she said gently. "How are you feeling?"

Jack sat bolt upright, trying to push the small woman away from him. "Where's Charlie?!"

"Whoa, whoa Jack calm down!" Kowalski knelt beside Jack, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Easy there."

For a moment Jack took stock of his surroundings. He was still on the front lawn outside the cabin and the sky was glowing with early dawn light. Dr. Fraiser and Kowalski were on either side of him and he saw Sam sitting a couple feet away with the Jackson guy and the alien Teal'c. She had a blanket around her shoulders and looked agitated.

"Where's Charlie?!" Jack demanded again, turning to glare at Kowalski.

"From what Sam's said it sounds like Baal's got him," Daniel said from where he sat next to Sam.

Kowalski sighed. "And I bet going to rescue the kid would be playing right into the slimy bastard's hands."

"I don't care!" Jack roared, causing Janet to jump slightly. "We're going after my son!"

"Of course we'll go after him," Sam mumbled.

Daniel was nodding in agreement. "We've got a plane waiting to take us back to the base. We'll make plans from there."

A short while later they were flying back to Colorado Springs. Jack was pestering whoever he could get his hands on with questions, but they all seemed to be giving him the same answer; Baal didn't seem to be intending to harm Charlie, no doubt what he was doing was using the boy as a bargaining chip to get the members of SG-1 to come to him.

"We'll have to be careful," Kowalski said as they began to descend. "We want to get Charlie back, of course, but we don't want to give Baal what he wants if we can avoid it."

Things moved a little chaotically from there. Jack and Sam were ushered down to the infirmary to make sure they were suffering from no worse injuries, then Sam showed him to the locker room where he was lent a spare uniform to wear. Sam was called up to the briefing room after that and Jack trailed after her, not really sure if he was supposed to be going. General Hammond gave him an odd look as he sat next to Sam, but didn't object.

"I've contacted the tok'ra about our situation," the general leaned forward to address the team seated before him and folded his hands. "They've got an operative inside Baal's ranks and she's reported that he's taken Charlie to his mother ship. Major Carter, we're just waiting to hear back from your father. He was going to locate a cargo ship for us and accompany all of you to Baal's ship."

Sam nodded. "Great."

"Colonel Kowalski, I'm giving your team a go for this mission," Hammond gave Kowalski a stern look. "You'll depart as soon as Jacob Carter gets back to us."

"Sir," Jack butted in. "With all due respect, I'm going with."

Hammond scowled at him. "I'm afraid I can't allow that."

"This is my son!"

"I realize that, Colonel, but you've had no field experience with this sort of thing. I'd be sending you in completely unprepared."

"Uhm, General," Daniel said. "Need I remind you that when we went through the 'gate on the first mission to Abydos we had even less of an idea of what we were facing than what Jack has. None of us," he gestured around at SG-1, "have undergone any sort of official training program."

"And," Sam added, her eyes widening, "Sir, if you'll remember, the only reason I myself went on that Abydos mission was because the Air Force had asked Jack and he declined."

Jack stared at her. "What?"

"That request," Sam turned towards him. "About five years ago you got a request to return to active duty and join in a top-secret mission, right? You were telling me about it. I only recently put two-and-two together and found out that you were the qualified officer who turned down your place on the team."

"See?! There you go!" Jack gestured with one hand. "Sir, I spent several years with the black ops and far too long as a POW in Iraq, I think I'm ready to handle whatever is out there."

Hammond sighed, pursing his lips. He looked at Kowalski. "Colonel? What do you think?"

"I think, sir," Kowalski replied. "That Jack should be reinstated into active duty as a temporary member of SG-1."

"I agree," Sam added hastily.

"I concur as well." It was the first time Teal'c had spoken up and it surprised Jack a little to hear the deep rumble of the alien's voice. "I believe that a warrior often performs above and beyond his usual levels when defending a child. O'Neill would be a great asset in our rescue of young Charlie."

Jack nodded to him. "Thanks."

"Indeed." Teal'c bowed his head.

"Alright then." Hammond nodded at them all before turning to Jack. "Colonel O'Neill as of now you're back on active duty, just in case someone in Washington tries to pick a hole in this. You'll be accompanying SG-1 through the gate and I expect you to follow any directions given, even if they're from a lower ranking officer such as Major Carter."

"Understood, sir."

"Right. Colonel Kowalski, take your team down to the armory. I expect you to be ready the minute we hear back from the tok'ra."

Kowalski was already on his feet. "Yes, sir! Alright, team, lets move it!"

Jack examined the P90 in his hands, weighing it, lifting it to firing position and nodding admiringly at it. The team was standing in the Gate room, waiting for Jacob to come through and Jack was trying to do everything he could to distract himself from the sickening, twisted knot of worry lodged deep in his stomach.

"You know," Sam murmured, moving to his side. "I can tell something's wrong. You haven't made a single comment about seeing me in uniform."

Jack wasn't looking at her. Instead his attention was focused on the Stargate, which had suddenly sprung to life. "Sorry…I'm just thinking about other stuff…"

"It's alright." Sam patted his arm, then looked up at him. "It's going to be ok, Jack. We'll get Charlie back."

"Damn straight we…holy-!" Jack leapt backwards as a great rush of what appeared to be bright blue water leapt at him from the Stargate. It retracted into a shimmering puddle seconds later, and a second after that the surface rippled and Jacob Carter came marching down the ramp.

"Ok, I've got the ship waiting and it's all set to fly us out to Baal's mother ship," he said, walking over to the team. "We've even managed to get some valid identification codes thanks to our operative. And…Jack…what are you doing here?"

"I'm tagging along," Jack said, straightening up. "Seeing as it's my son and all."

Jacob raised his eyebrows but shrugged. "Suit yourself…Now we're going to have to be very careful, as I'm sure you all know, because no doubt Baal's going to be expecting us." He looked around at the five people assembled before him. "Are you all ready to go?"

"Yes, sir!" Kowalski nodded, then turned to Hammond. "General?"

While they were talking the gate had shut off, but was now dialing again. Jack watched in detached fascination as the chevrons lit up, and then, finally the great swoosh shot outwards. He still jumped a little, but managed to restrain himself for the most part.

"Good luck and God speed, SG-1," Hammond said. "You have a go."

Kowalski and Jacob were the first up the ramp, followed by Teal'c and Daniel. Jack watched as the other four vanished into the rippling blue surface of the Stargate and he raised his eyebrows apprehensively, turning to Sam.

"So we just walk right through it?"

Sam nodded and they began walking up the ramp, side by side. "Yeah. It's no big deal. What you're seeing is the event horizon of a stable wormhole. Pretty much what happens is your molecules get disassembled and reassembled on the other side. It doesn't hurt at all, but you'll probably feel a bit nauseated when you step out. You get used to it after a while."

They were standing before the gate now, and Jack reached out one tentative hand to touch the surface. It rippled under his fingers, but didn't feel wet or cool as he'd expected it too. He turned to Sam.

"Do I trust you?" he raised his eyebrows.

"I certainly hope you do." Sam looked up at him. Then she smiled reassuringly and reached out, taking his hand in hers. "Come on, it only takes a couple of seconds."

Jack took a deep breath. He squeezed his eyes shut, fingers closing tightly around Sam's fingers. Together they stepped forward and through the Stargate.