A/N: OK, here's a short one to keep you guys going. I expect it will be a while after this til I get another one up because I have university exams starting in about a week. Thanks for everyone who pointed out the mistake I made in the original version of the 1st chapter. I changed it quickly, it was an editing mistake - i don't have a beta you see, but if anyone wants to volunteer it would be good to have someone who could point out all my mistakes before i submit it. And just to clarify I haven't seen most of season 8 cause they show it here on sunday afternoons when i usually have a rugby game (its generally frowned upon to run off the pitch half-way through to watch a tv show). No, i'm not kidding. To avoid mistakes there will therefore be as few references as possible to actual episodes and probably the plot of this story will be not be consistent with what happens in season 8.

VIP Suite, SGC

"Sorry guys. I know it sort of sucks to be locked up in here but there's a tv and some games and the General says he'll have someone bring up his playstation for you." Sam informed them.

"Sweet!" Matt decided. He hoped the man had some shooting games – his Dad never let him have shooting games. Rachael's mind however was on something entirely different.

"Aunt Sam, why were you and Jack flirting?"

"We weren't!" Sam threw back quickly, praying the guards at the door hadn't heard. "I have to go, I'll check in on you later." Sam closed the door, locking them inside the VIP room.

Matt thumped his sister on the arm.

"Ouch!"

"Serves you right. What'd you go and say that for?"

"Cause they were!" Rachael defended herself.

"Look, sis. We're inside a real, top-secret US military base here. This place probably doesn't even exist. It doesn't matter if all they do is count paperclips, those guys out there are real soldiers with real guns. I get the feeling that pissing people off is a bad idea. And 'people' includes Aunt Sam."

"Well you didn't need to yell." Rachael complained. She crossed her arms and stomped across to the other side of the room.


The Briefing Room

"So Colonel Jenson. Tell me what was so important you couldn't tell me over the phone."

"We have a visitor, General O'Neill." The man tried to explain to his Commanding Officer.

"I swear, Colonel, if you called me back to talk to Kinsey again I'll have you reassigned to cleaning his toilets with a toothbrush for the next twenty years."

"Sir," Carter interrupted, "Colonel Jenson has apologised for that several times over the past two months."

"Nothing wrong with a little grovelling, Carter."

Sam rolled her eyes.

"Actually, sir" Jenson informed his Commanding Officer, "Our visitor came from offworld."

"And this is urgent, how?" Jack asked, frustrated.

"Siler estimates that we won't be able to dial out for at least another 3 days. Something to do with chipboards and parts and then I sort of tuned him out."

"They're doing the best they can, General." Sam reassured them, "But realistically…we all know this is going to take some time to fix."

"Exactly who did come through the gate, Colonel Jenson?"

"Perhaps you'd better see for yourself, sir."


Daniel Jackson's Lab

"Good morning, Daniel Jackson." Teal'c's voice resounded around the anthropologist's modest sized laboratory.

"Morning Teal'c." Daniel mumbled back, not breaking eye contact with the book he was studying.

"I have brought coffee and doughnuts."

Daniel looked up.

"You have?"

"Indeed." Teal'c held them up to demonstrate.

"I guess this can wait a while." Daniel said, reaching for a cup of coffee. He took a large gulp then closed his eyes as he enjoyed the feeling of the hot liquid in his throat. The noise of Teal'c not-so-subtly clearing his throat brought him back to reality. "So…uh…you seen Jack or Sam yet this morning?"

"Indeed I have not. They did not come into the officer's mess for breakfast this morning."

"Neither did we."

"No. However the cook has been working for several hours. Upon enquiry he informed me that he has seen neither officer today."

"That's weird. You don't think they…? Nah, forget it." Teal'c cocked an eyebrow.

"Whilst I am sympathetic to their situation, I do not believe Colonel Carter and General O'Neill would compromise their positions by engaging in such an activity, Daniel Jackson."

"You're right. It's probably something to do with that offworld activation a while back. You didn't happen to check it out, did you?"

"I did not. I was choosing doughnuts. I concluded that someone would endeavour to communicate with the members of SG-1 if our presence was required."

"Yeah." Daniel muttered. Woe betide anyone who came between Teal'c and his doughnuts.

AN: Just so that you know, having a story that people actually read is really quite scary!