NOTE:

I really hope that this ending is up to parr. Endings are one of my weaknesses, so I hope that this one's okay. I don't own anything, by the way. I wrote this one in Jack's POV. Enjoy the chapter!

The good news was that the alien woman had dropped the device that could release me when she grabbed Dani. The bad news was that I couldn't get to it (being tied to the wall and all), Dani was now being attacked by the tiny creature (at the moment it was digging into her stomach), and the alien woman was blocking all attempt to get to her with ease. And I had to sit and watch as my 2IC, a highly trained Jaffa, and Ferreti got their asses handed to them. None of them could land a single hit on this alien woman. Which was actually quite impressive on her part, but very bad for us. As Carter was tossed to the floor beside me with a well placed kick, I quickly got her attention.

"Carter, grab the tiny do-dad that's right there, point it at me, and press the button."

The great thing about Carter is, when we're in a life or death situation, she never asks questions. She snatched the device up and aimed it at me, pressed the button, got back up, and continued fighting. As expected, the chains holding me retracted instantly, and I stood up quickly, wincing as my knee popped painfully. Shaking out my limbs, numb from being in the same position for so long, I cracked my knuckles and pressed myself against the wall, sliding along it. I caught Teal'c eye and looked at the alien woman pointedly. He got the picture, and adjusted himself accordingly. The alien woman shifted with him, her back now completely towards me. My team was amazing. I grinned and began to make my way over to Dani's position, only to find the floor rushing up to meet me a moment later.

I slammed into the floor with a groan, the woman having swept my legs out from under me. I pulled myself up into a crawling position, glancing up at the scene unfolding around me. Teal'c was advancing toward the woman, pushing her back with support from Carter and Ferreti. But, just as it seemed they were about to win, she lashed out with renewed force and Ferreti and Carter crumpled to the ground, unconscious. She shoved Teal'c back, grabbed Dani, and hauled her over her shoulder like she weighed nothing. Then she bolted out of sight. I hauled myself up and sprinted like there was no tomorrow. I had to get to Dani before the alien did any more damage. I and to save her.

The hallways zipped past me as I raced after the woman. My breathing was beginning to hitch, but I ignored it. My legs burned, and I ignored that too. Spotting a flicker of a foot, I angled in that direction and barreled into the infirmary. The woman was stumbling to a stop and she tossed Dani off of her shoulder like a sack of potatoes. She then held up one of her "children". The one that had been previously digging into Dani. The one that was fighting in her grip to get to Dani, who was starting to stir on the floor.

"Back away." Her expression was wild, unrestrained. She looked almost desperate. And she probably was.

"Why should I?" The voice in the back of my mind that sounded suspiciously like Danielle told me not to be a stubborn ass and antagonize her further, but I shoved it away. She antagonized me, why shouldn't I antagonize her a little bit? Nobody could deny that she deserved it.

"Because if you don't, I'll let go of my child, and it will burrow into your friend. Something I know you do not want to happen." Something dark was flickering in her eyes, and there was no doubt in my mind that she would carry through on her threat with no hesitation if I didn't back away. So I did.

"Okay, okay." I raised my hands up in a non-threatening gesture and slowly began to back away. My eyes flicked down to Dani and I did a double take. She was awake, her eyes boring into mine. Her gaze flicked to something beside me and I quickly followed it. It was a scalpel. My eyes went back to the woman and I realized the creature was no longer struggling. Now that Dani was awake, it didn't seem to want her guts anymore. And the alien woman didn't seems to notice at all. I had a quick silent conversation with Danielle, and I saw her take a deep breath.

"Hey!"

The woman jerked around to look behind her at Dani, and I took the window of opportunity. I ran toward the cart and felt my hand close around a scalpel. Taking aim, I let it fly. It may be a cliche, but time really did seem to slow down. The silver metal flew through the air, the woman turned, and the scalpel flew right past her.

"Damn it!" I cursed as she dropped the creature and lunged toward me. I dodged her first punch, but in the process ran straight into her next kick. The air whooshed out of me and I caved in on myself. As I fell to the floor, Dani took my place. Except she wasn't getting destroyed. Dani delivered a round house kick to the woman's ribs, and she stumbled backwards before regaining control and sending a few quick but powerful punches into Dani's already scratched stomach. This elicited a yell from Danielle as she fought harder, pushing her back. Punch, kick, roll, block, duck. It was almost like a well rehearsed dance. By then I had stood up, but I hadn't been much use. Until the other four came in. They advanced toward me and I was forced to turn away from the fight to have one of my own. My movements became automated, almost mechanical. I was trained to fight, and that training kicked in. I grabbed one in a headlock and fought off the others with a few well placed punches and kicks. Swiveling around, I tossed the one I had a hold of to the ground and punched the next one right in the nose, watching as he crumpled to the floor. I turned to the last two when the strangest thing happened.

A tingling sensation filled my entire body, but it was gone in a few moments. And so were my attackers. They were crumpled onto the floor in a useless heap. I glanced over at Dani, confused, and found her laying on the floor, the alien woman's body laying over her legs. She looked stunned.

"Um…"

I walked over and offered her my hand. She grasped it and pulled herself up.

"Thanks… what happened? She, uh... she just kind of collapsed."

I shrugged, "Not sure. My guys did the same thing."

She gave me an indecipherable look, "So, is it over?"

"I'm not sure." I looked around the room with a frown, "Maybe."

She let out a breath of air, "Well, this feels sort of anti-climactic."

"Ya, sort of does." I nodded.

"But it's over."

"God I hope so."

"Alright then."

"Yep."

We stood there nodding to ourselves for a little bit, taking it all in. It was over. The aliens were unconscious for some unknown reason (i'm going to assume it was some plan of Carter's), we weren't being hunted, weren't about to die, and we weren't dead. All in all, I'd say it was a pretty successful day. And I don't think anyone would disagree with me. Well, maybe except for the aliens who invaded. They weren't having such a good day. And I don't think anyone could disagree with me on that point either. And that was really the icing on the cake.

NOTE 2:

And then we only have the epilogue after this! Thank you so much to anyone who read, reviewed, and helped me while I wrote this story. It means a ton. And, as always, review, criticize, correct, or suggest anything you like. Thanks :)