-- Heliopolis --

"Jack. Nothing's wrong. Stop asking. Please? Okay? I'm just worried that the power source for the shield will need some help before this storm is finished." One swift glance was all he got from her before she turned back to her worktable and continued to disassemble the broken generator.

Jack contemplated her stiff back as she studiously ignored him. Her entire body was a flashing road sign signaling that something was seriously bothering one 'Samantha Carter-O'Neill'. She'd avoided him all morning, ignoring their usual routine of a family breakfast with the flimsy excuse of fixing the generator in case they needed it for backup during the ever-increasing storm. So, after preparing breakfast for Jon and himself, then setting Jon up on the computer to play his favorite game; he then tracked her down to her comfort zone -- her hidey-hole – the lab.

Moving further into the room, he fondly watched her pretending to work all the while knowing she was simply hoping that he would leave. 'Of course she'd be here in the lab. This is where she's in control. There's nothing inside this lab that she cannot handle, unlike the other aspects of her difficult life. Sorry, Sam. Sorry that everything is so complicated, so dangerous. Damn but you deserve better.'

He had worried that they would never work as a couple. Knowing himself for what he was -- too closed off -- too shuttered -- a psyche too far gone from a lifetime of damage. No once had he considered that Sam had the exact same problem. If the saying were true that opposites attract then they never would have noticed each other – so alike they were in many unseen ways. Sam had been almost as sealed off as he, not quite as bad, but getting there. The characteristics they had so in common had almost done them in; had almost kept them from becoming a couple. Yet, it had all worked out thanks to the help of a certain Asgard friend – and luck.

Jack knew one thing – he would never love another woman as much as he loved Samantha Carter. Most people go through life thinking they know someone, that person they spend hours and hours in a day with – and yet, in a lot of cases, most people discover they don't know that person. That was in a 'normal' life – where the tests of ones' true character could be far apart and little in number. Yet, in their lives the opposite was true. He knew Sam Carter through and through, what with the life they had lived, with their trials of fire that would have tempered the finest steel and left the rest broken. He knew her for what she was: steel -- honed to perfection -- loyal, intelligent and brave.

His one consuming wish was that somehow her life could be easier. Definitely something she'd never had so far. First, losing her mother at so young an age to then be raised by one of the strictest disciplinarians known -- a career military man and an Air Force General to boot. Then taking on what had to be the most dangerous career ever conceived, ever even imagined, to then top the whole godforsaken load off by marrying him -- what prize was that?

The sudden guilt he felt made him reach out and stroke her hair. Sam froze for a moment at his touch; then with a conscious effort she ignored the gesture, "Jack, uhh. This is complicated – I really need to concentrate."

"Yeah… right. Complicated. Come on Sam, you could fix that thing blindfolded with your toes and you know it."

Sighing softly she laid her soldering iron down and studied the table in front of her before finally speaking, "Sorry Jack. It all just got to me this morning. You're going off alone…in danger…us here… cut off from…" her voice wavered into a heavy gulp. "I'm not cut out for this 'Staying behind while my man goes off to fight the battles' lifestyle."

"Oh…they actually named a lifestyle that? Someone was certainly on the ball."

"Jaack"

"Sorry Sam. Deflective humor -- my specialty." He couldn't help it; he stroked her hair once again. 'God, he loved her'.

"Nahh… Really?! When did you start doing that?" Then with a cheeky grin that warmed him to see, she turned and continued,

"Sorry Jack. Deflective sarcasm – which I learned at the feet of the Master."

"Who would that be….'Daniel? Teal'c? You could NOT be referring to me." Smiling, she simply walked into his welcoming arms. He enveloped her close; his face sank into her hair and held on silently as she suddenly, violently began sobbing.

"Hey, Hey, It'll all work out. You'll see. Come on." He repeated softly, his voice in her neck.

"God Dammit. I hate to cry. I never cry. Why the Goddamn hell am I crying?" Her muffled voice sobbed into his neck as he simply held her.

"You never curse either. So it's a day to try new things."

"God Jack. I'm sooo sorry. You do NOT need this right now."

"What?"

"This. Me. Doing… This." Abruptly she turned and walked out of his arms. He reluctantly let her go – not wanting to.

"Actually I'm glad you finally let it all out. Feel better don't' ya?" He inquired watching her as she used her sleeve to wipe her eyes and running nose.

"It's good to be able to cry – it's a release valve, not a weakness. Count yourself lucky that you can – I sometimes wish that I could."

She looked up to see if he was mocking her, to see instead, nothing but sincerity in his deep brown eyes.

"Sam you're one of the strongest people I know. You never ever have to hold back what you are feeling from me. Got it? There's nothing that you could do that would EVER change what I know you to be: courageous, brave and… beautiful."

With no warning, she flung herself at him, almost bowling him over. Automatically embracing her, he felt her body shaking as she sobbed into the crook of his neck once again. "Dammit why did you have to say that?! Look at me! For crying out loud…I'm CRYING AGAIN!"

Chuckling, he swung her gently side to side as he added, "Cursing again too. Gonna have to watch your language around the young'un or he'll be cursing like a… actually like his mother." Gently he leaned back to study her face and thought she'd never looked lovelier.

" Always... Remember?" His husky whisper sent shivers through her as it always did – always would.

Jack and Sam jumped involuntarily as suddenly something wrapped around their legs tightly and a small voice asked, "Why are you crying Mommy?"

Jack reached down and hoisted his small son up onto his hip so that he was held between them. "Family Hug!" he growled and his long arms encircled them tightly.

Sam answered, "I'm fine Jon. Remember when I told you sometimes people cry when they're happy?"

"So you're happy?" Jon asked his brown eyes still worrying over the sight of his mom's blotchy face.

"Very, very happy."

Jon reached out and stroked her hair, unknowingly imitating his father's earlier action. "Okay. I thought you were very, very unhappy from the other room. I thought you were worried about Daddy."

Jack and Sam exchanged glances. Jack wondered if he would be strong enough to protect Jon by keeping him from experiencing anything bad when the violence began and to himself, he grimly vowed that he would. He had to. He then noticed that Jon had picked up only on Sam's feelings so with this he had hope that his mental defenses were holding.

"Come on kiddo, let's let Mom get back to work on that generator. I need to check on the shield – and the storm. Sam, when you're through, come down to the study. I want to go over some things. "

"Sure. This won't take long… I'm not blindfolded and I'll use my hands."

Jack grinned and nodded and swinging Jon around onto his shoulders, bouncing him up and down. 'Ready for a rough ride, Captain?" He queried.

"Aye Aye Sir." Jon yelled and gripped his dad's tousled hair as reins for his 'ride'.

"Ouch Ouch Son." Jack responded right back, as he gently disentangled his hair from his sons' clutched hands. "I'm gonna be as bald as your Uncle Hammond if you don't watch it."

Jon giggled uncontrollably while repeating, "Daddy bald… that would be funnnyyy. Daddy with no hair would REALLY be funny."

"Not THAT funny. Did I ever tell you the story about how your God daddy Teal'c almost shaved my head?" Grimacing, he adjusted his sons' grip to his neck before they then gallivanted out the door. Jack relaying his Teal'c tale as he went, leaving Sam shaking her head thinking about her mercurial husband, "In some ways, I almost have TWO children to deal with… And God I wouldn't have it any other way.'

--Asgard Ship en route to Heliopolis –

The quiet drone of the ship's engines was hypnotic. Head nodding, Daniel jerked up, forcing himself to remain awake. Straightening and clearing his head, he continued to methodically oil and wipe clean the assorted parts that made up his disassembled P90.

Looking at the disassembled weapon was a dramatic reminder of how much he had changed. At one time, he would have spent his downtime reading ancient tomes instead of cleaning a weapon that really didn't need cleaning.

His mind filled with the memories of days long past, when the only weapon he could carry was the 9 mm and he was able to do that only because Jack had taken him under his large, grouchy wing and spent days of his personal time instructing him.

Remembering that first day Jack had taken him to the gun range; his own trepidation at the idea of even holding a gun, much less shooting it and his nervousness of being a student of one Jack O'Neill, and the worry -- would he even survive the experience?

Then on that loud gun range he was given a rare gift: insight into a complex man along with a friendship that was rarely bestowed. Two men, so diametrically different from each other in every way imaginable, still, somehow found grounds for friendship.

A more complex individual as Colonel Jack O'Neill would have been hard to find.

On the surface he presented as a one-dimensional soldier. Daniel's first impression had tagged him and filed him away under the A's for 'Anal military mindset'. Then with encounter after encounter, all the stereotypes fell apart – every time he pegged him, the peg would fall out. Jack O'Neill refused to be typecast and still did, to this day.

Jack's patience in teaching had been a surprise to be sure but the real kicker; the real eye-opener to the multi-faceted ness of Jack O'Neill had been his tolerance and his empathy. When Daniel had eventually confessed his fear of the weapons; he fully expected to have a jeering, derisive full-bird Colonel in his face; to instead be blind-sighted by the older man's sensitive understanding.

With discernment and empathy, Jack had pulled Daniel off the gun range to sit him down for a long talk, to quietly explain what Daniel had already known but still had been amazed at whose mouth was relaying it. Weapons were a necessary evil – a part of the package of being on the team – even the non-military had to be able to protect not only themselves, but to pull their weight in protecting their fellow teammates.

Jack had then taken baby steps with him and before he knew it – he was certified 'proficient' with the handgun; amazingly finding that he was actually quite good 'for a four-eye' as Jack had teasingly remarked.

"Dr. Jackson" the monotone voice of Freyr broke into his thoughts. Daniel looked up, all the while continuing his weapons assembly. "Yes Commander Freyr?" The small form of the Asgard moved into the room. "You were correct. We are detecting a massive atmospheric disturbance on the planet's surface. We are still unable to make contact with them."

"Have you experienced any further 'visions' DanielJackson?" Teal'c, who had been meditating 'Kel-nor-reem style' in the corner, spoke up for the first time. Daniel shuddered at the memory, "Nothing, Teal'c. I can honestly say that I haven't tried to instigate one… I don't think I could take it."

Teal'c's' noble face, serious, nodded his understanding as he rose from his meditative position in one fluid motion.

"How far are we from...?" Daniel's question was cut off as he was flung violently across the cabin, his newly assembled P90 falling heavily and sliding with him. Freyr was saved by Teal'c's quick action as his long arms held on to the smaller Asgard while Teal'c braced against a console.

"We've been fired upon." Freyr's gasped out as he disentangled himself from Teal'c.

Moving to a console he quickly contacted the bridge. Listening to the Asgardian conversation and Freyr's rapid-fire orders, Daniel pulled himself off the floor, picking up his weapon as he did so, to clip it to his vest.

Teal'c and Daniel moved to stand by Freyr at the console, continuing to listen, trying to understand their situation. Suddenly Freyr quit speaking and turned to them, his huge dark eyes blinking rapidly in his otherwise composed face.

"What happened?" Daniel asked quickly.

"Our ship has been disabled." For the first time Daniel noticed the 'drone' that was the inevitable background noise for an Asgard ship was missing.

"By whom?" Teal'c asked succinctly.

"Unfortunately at this point we do not have that information. Our scans are not locating the threat."

"How badly is your ship damaged?" Teal'c asked again as he moved to the small observation window to see what he could see outside the vessel.

"At the moment this is being determined. We are not in immediate danger. Life support is sufficient. I must return to the bridge." Freyr moved to the door.

"We're going too." Daniel responded. For a moment it seemed that Freyr was going to object but then he nodded "Yes, of course."

Arriving at the bridge, Freyr was immediately swept into the maelstrom of activity as the three Asgards that comprised up the whole crew, surrounded him at the main console. To Daniel it seemed all were talking at once. His head swirled as he tried to follow the gist of the conversations. Teal'c, ignoring the group, walked to the observation deck his gaze fixated on the ships' exterior where a spume of some sort of gas was being expelled into space and what appeared to be hundreds of pieces of jagged metal drifted all around the ship.

"There was no warning – nothing on our sensors to indicate that we needed anything more than minimal shields up." Freyr conveyed this almost under his breath to Daniel as he continued to listen and operate controls on the main console.

Daniel, noticing Teal'c, moved to join him at the portal his gaze riveted on the unveiling scene of destruction. "DanielJackson, it appears that this ship has been significantly injured."

"One hit did all this damage! What was it? An asteroid?"

"No. An asteroid would have been detected on the ships' sensors." Teal'c answered.

As if summoned from their minds – the Asgard sensors started their shrill alert of an incoming threat.

"What now?" Daniel asked under his breath as his heart raced in his chest.

Freyr and his crew once again resumed their Asgardian chatter as they scanned the ships' consoles – while Daniel and Teal'c simply searched the dark space around the ship as they listened on, feeling helpless.

"Brace for impact." Teal'c could have been saying 'please take a seat', so calm he sounded, but his actions were not quite as calm as he grasped the smaller man at his side and pulled him around, their backs slamming against the wall.

Even though the shields were maximally deployed, the hit still shook the ship as if it were a rat in a terrier's grip. Daniel pushed away from Teal'c to catch the sight of the massive beam as it fought to break through the ships' shields. Straining to see beyond the brilliance of the ray, he could not see the source. "The ship must be cloaked." Daniel exclaimed as Teal'c too, attempted to seek out the attacking vessel.

"Indeed" Teal'c responded along with his classic lifting eyebrow.

Just then the whole ship shuddered heavily – a metallic shriek of rending metal assaulted the eardrums of all those onboard.

"What's happening?" Daniel asked, his hands pressed to his ears as he frantically looked around.

"I believe the ship is breaking up from the first impact." Teal'c conjectured, his own large hands cupping his ears in protection.

Bracing against the wall they rose and stumbled across the quaking deck to where the Asgards were bent over their consoles. Freyr spoke first, "We are preparing to abandon this vessel. We will lose our shields in five spans – that is minutes to you."

Teal'c and Daniel exchanged grim glances. Whoever was out there had managed to bring about their destruction with hardly a battle. 'Who were they?' Daniel wondered.

Nervously, he gripped the P90 tighter and hurriedly asked,

"Are you going to use the transporter beam to get us away?"

Freyr didn't pause in his work as he quietly responded,

"No, we cannot, due to the damage suffered. We will have to use our escape pods. Two Asgards can fit into one but with your larger forms, I'm afraid that you will each have to go into one alone. They will be programmed to land on Heliopolis in the perimeter of the coordinates that Thor designated."

Daniel felt a moment of panic rip through him. He battled it down and hoped that it had not shown. Quickly he asked knowing there wasn't much time, "Can you get a message to Stargate command informing them of our situation?"

Freyr shook his head, as he answered, "Again, we have lost all ability to send out anything other than a distress satellite it will transmit a encrypted message and give our location. It will stay active until it is retrieved. I'm sorry Dr. Jackson."

Daniel nodded his understanding. Freyr finally stopped what he had been doing on the console and speaking in Asgardian, the other three discontinued their own activity. The noise of a dying ship filled the large room as the vibrations grew stronger. Freyr and the other three Asgards moved toward the door, "Please, follow us – quickly." With that Daniel and Teal'c followed the Asgards through the dying ship; several times almost being thrown down by the bucking and yawing as it continued to lose it's structural integrity.

Reaching the pod jettison station, Freyr turned to face his crew and the Tauri. His large dark eyes solemnly looked at each before he spoke,

"One more thing before we embark, we must be prepared for anything upon reaching the planet. We have yet to discover the nature of our threat. This fact alone merits my deepest concern. We do not know what we will encounter upon arrival. The O'Neill's could already be lost to us. We must be prepared for this discovery." Freyr's eyes found Daniel's and rested there. The gentle warning seemed especially directed to him. Daniel grimly nodded back.

Freyr then turned and directed his Asgard crew to continue the procedures. Immediately he found the console unusable but was prepared for it and in moments had pulled a panel board open and manually worked to open the pods. First, putting two of his crew in one container and with a few words of Asgard in obvious farewell, he quickly jettisoned it. Moving to the next open pod, the last Asgard crewman pushed a container in and after a brief goodbye, then entered the chamber and was sent on his way.

Turning to Daniel and Teal'c he motioned to the next pod, "Which of you wishes to go next?" Teal'c had frankly been wondering if he would even fit into one. Looking at Daniel, he nodded for him to go next. If there was a problem with his fitting, he knew Daniel would never leave without him, so it would be much better if Daniel went first.

"Uhh... me? Okay. Sure." Daniel eyeballed the small dimensions and realized his weapon would never fit, so quickly he unsnapped it and laid it on the floor.

Backing into the small pod, Daniel found Teal'c eyes and grinned weakly. Years of being around Jack O'Neill paid off for him, as his nonchalant quip reverberated with vibes of his ex-leader. "Last one down buys the Pizza and Beer for a month."

Teal'c was not fooled, "You will be fine, DanielJackson. I will see you on the surface."

Daniel smiled and added, "Oh, and you will fit in one of these, Teal'c. It'll be tight, but I've already made sure."

Teal'c inclined his head in acknowledgement that he also had not fooled anyone.

Taking a deep gulp, Daniel expelled it, "Freyr… ready when you are."

Freyr nodded and manipulating the panel, the pod door began closing, "Good luck Dr. Jackson." Then Freyr quickly entered the code and just as quickly the pod was launched.

Now it was just Teal'c and Freyr and a dying ship that had them lurching and bracing to keep their balance. Teal'c cocked his head inquiringly as he studied the small form of the Asgard, "After I am gone – how will you evacuate without anyone to operate the controls?"

"I have the ability to set the pod on a timed delay. It will not be a problem. Thank you for asking." Freyr paused and glanced around as he added, "This has been a good ship. I am sorry to lose it."

"What is the name of this vessel?" Teal'c asked suddenly realizing that he did not know.

Freyr glanced back at him in surprise. "I thought you knew, this ship is the 'O'Neill II'"

Teal'c smiled a rare large smile, "Possibly the Asgards should consider this name… 'Unlucky'?"

Freyr returned the smile with his own smaller one, "Perhaps."

Laying his own armaments on the floor, Teal'c moved to the escape vessel,
"Very well. I am now ready." And with all the Jaffa dignity he possessed, he squeezed his massive body into the small space.

"The journey will not be long." Freyr offered up in sympathy at his obvious discomfort.

Teal'c smiled and inclined his head as slowly the pod door closed. His last view of Freyr showed him once again working the panel for his own escape as smoke began filling the air around him.

Daniel had never been inside a clothes dryer but now felt he knew what the sensation would be like. The capsule blew through the atmosphere, buffeted and bounced with the inside wall growing first warm and then almost immediately hotter and hotter. There was a small slot for viewing but unfortunately it was designed for Asgardian height and which meant in human terms it was situated a little above his waist. Unable to squat completely he could see very little. He wished he had asked more questions on exactly how these pods would land – he gritted his teeth and held on.

When the change came – it took him completely by surprise. From hot, tail spinning action to nothing. It was as if someone or something had hit a switch and the clothes dryer was suddenly off. Hunching down, he saw that he was still high above the planet's surface. 'What the hell?" As he tried to look out, a brilliant light filled the pod leaving him temporarily blinded as he squinted trying to protect his vision yet still see.

The pod walls were already cooling down as a deep vibration filled his small space. A small jolt made his realize he was once again moving, yet straining to look out, he could see the planet growing smaller and smaller as he was apparently being pulled away from it.

Hitting his communicator, "Teal'c can you read me?" Letting go, he listened hopeful to hear the deep voice respond – to nothing – only silence. "Damn!" He said softly.

A fleeting hope that somehow Freyr had repaired the ship and was recalling them back filled him, to then be extinguished as logic kicked in. Some sort of tractor beam had a hold of him and just as suddenly he knew he was in deep trouble.

So, when the pod gently rotated as it continued to be pulled through space, and the huge alien spacecraft was visible through the small portal, he was almost, ALMOST prepared for the sight. Caught like a small fly in a spider web, there was nothing physically that he could do. So, closing his eyes, straining to concentrate, he began summoning Jack.

-- Heliopolis --

'Unknown incoming traveler – no IDC -- Get to the gate room' Jack jerked awake leaving his dream behind but the klaxon noise continued on, resonating out through the speaker installed in the bedroom wall. 'The perimeter alarm' he muttered as he rubbed his eyes and sat up quickly. Glancing at his watch, he rolled out of bed and for the first time noticed that Sam was not there on her side of the bed.

Quickly pulling on his sweatpants, he grabbed a t-shirt and pulled it over his head as he jogged out, heading for the stairs. The screaming pitch of the storm outside seemed to have subsided some he thought in relief even as he pondered what could have set off the perimeter alarm.

Passing Jon's room, he quickly checked to see if Sam was there as Jon had been having problems sleeping lately. Finding his sleeping son alone, he quietly shut the door and continued downstairs. His first fear had been that the storm had been too much and the shields had given away. Yet glancing out the exterior windows as he ran, he could see the shield was holding. Even as he watched, he saw an uprooted tree hit and disintegrate upon contacting the barrier.

"Sam! What's going on?" He asked upon spying her, clad in one of his old t-shirts –her normal sleeping attire – with her blonde hair almost as wild as his usually was, in front of the controls. Looking up swiftly at him, she responded, "I couldn't sleep – just came down for a cup of tea when the five mile perimeter alarm went off."

"Any idea what's out there?"

"I'm running a scan…should know in a moment."

Running his fingers through his hair he moved to the second console and began his own checks on the power levels of their various shields.

"Shield strength is down to 70 and surging." He said softly almost to himself.

"That's still plenty for the storm." Sam said absently.

"It's not the storm I'm worried about.' He responded,

"Holy Hannah…" Sam muttered as her fingers flew over the keyboard.

"What?" Jack asked turning toward her.

"There's a distress signal, it's saying that an Asgard ship has been attacked …survivors had to abandon it….'The O'Neill II'"

"What? Not again. What's with my namesakes' always getting …" abruptly he stopped talking as the looping distress message began again; playing across their screens.

Tensely she interpreted the message, "They're in our orbit. Five escape pods out there -- needing to be picked up."

Scowling in concentration, she triggered another screen and studied it closely. Jack looked on over her shoulder as she relayed her findings, "I'm tracking three… no, here's another, four vessels entering atmo now."

"How do we know this is for real and not… a trap?" Jack asked as he squinted in study of the screen.

Sam paused, stunned. The thought hadn't even occurred to her,

"I don't know … it doesn't feel like a trap…does it?"

Jack considered her absently, his thoughts inward, before finally answering, "No. It doesn't. It's gotta be Thor. Can you track their trajectory?"

"Yes and its' not good, they're going to fall into the ocean. I've still only got four tracking … one's missing."

"Can we lock on them and beam them in?"

"No Jack. With this storm and our power fluctuations…I don't want to take the chance."

Jack gave a swift nod as he just as swiftly made his decision, "Okaay. No problem. I'm just gonna go for a little joyride and pick them up with my ship – contact me when you get the location of the last one."

Jack was already on the move to get ready, but was brought up short when Sam called out, her tone shocked as she evidently translated more of the distress signal,

"Jack! It was Freyr's ship and Daniel and Teal'c were with him!"

Hearing the fear in her voice, he sighed heavily but managed to produce a smirky grin as he turned back to her and said, "OF COURSE they were… leave it to SG-1 to get into trouble. They'll be fine. I'll have them back here before the coffee's finished percolating."

It worked. Sam smiled, albeit nervously, and attempted her own banter, "Percolating? Jack? Uhh… showing your age there, big fella." Then sighing heavily she continued,
"I'll be on the radio… be careful out there."

Returning to the bedroom, he quickly changed into his BDU's. Pulling his cap on over his unruly hair, he was making his way back downstairs when he heard a sound from Jon's room. Quickly entering the room where the sounds of the storm were muffled by its interior location, he paused and listened. Once his eyes adjusted to the dark, he realized that Jon was still asleep. Frowning, Jack watched as his small son restlessly rolled and turned, apparently caught up in a dream, mumbling and talking as he did so.

'I hope he's not getting sick.' Jack thought as gently he stroked the soft hair off his son's forehead to find it wet with sweat. They had thought the storm was the reason for his erratic sleep but now Jack had to wonder if something else was the culprit. Thinking the room was chilly; Jack picked the discarded covers off the floor only to find that they too were sweat-filled. Perturbed, Jack knelt beside the bed and gently massaged the small back.

Strangely, as soon as Jack touched him he quieted down, his body curled up and a ragged sigh escaped him, as he mumbled disjointedly. "Love lambs… love... hurts." Concerned, Jack felt a sense of urgency and knew what he needed to do. Closing his eyes he centered himself and then accessed the ancient knowledge that he had forcibly closed off for the past two weeks. Carefully he probed and felt for his son's thoughts.

A jagged blast of pain speared through him knocking him to his knees. How could Jon be experiencing that and survive? Jack gasped and gripped his son again. This time he was better prepared, his mind filled with anger – not his – not Jon's – whom it belonged to was hidden from Jack. He then felt desperation and the phrase that Jon had muttered came to him – it was a plea that filled Jack with urgency. He then knew who this was – Daniel.

His deliberate blocking of Jon had also blocked anyone else from psychically reaching him – namely Daniel. Now Daniel was out there trying to get to him and not able to, yet had found Jon, whether planned or not, Jack didn't know. He knew that Daniel and Jon had communicated from the earliest moment of Jon's existence so he wasn't surprised.

Trembling, Jack reached out to Daniel with his mind, 'Daniel, where are you?' He asked and waited. Feeling Daniel's pain but nothing more, he wondered if Daniel was in the throes of death or torture. Finally he heard his voice, 'hurts… love you Lamb' Jack immediately realized that Daniel was talking of Carolyn. 'Lamb' being his pet name for her. 'Daniel, this is Jack… where are you?'

'Jack… JACK! So sorry … get Jackson away… NOW… so sorry.' His voice was gone. But the sorrow and pain that he had felt, remained, stamped indelibly on Jack's mind. With his head suddenly pounding like a jackhammer, Jack resolutely pressed on. 'Respond Daniel. This is AN ORDER. State your circumstance… NOW.'

Eventually, whisperingly he felt Daniel again and heard his voice, 'I'm here…in Hell.'

Jack entreated with the pain-filled voice, 'Come on Danny… explain yourself. Tell me what I need to know.'

Finally Daniel came back to him, his presence much weaker, 'It's a spaceship of some sort. I've never seen one like it… I don't know who they are. They won't let me see them. They're hurting my brain… they know about you. I'm so sorry I couldn't help it. … Love my Lamb. Tell her that I loved her.'

'No, Daniel. YOU will tell her. We'll get you out of there. Just hang on.'

'NO... JACK! You have to take care of Jackson! They WILL kill him. That's ALL they care about… it's all about him… get away while you can… they know where you are.'

Suddenly the connection was gone. Jack felt hot breath on his neck as he opened his eyes and found himself slumped over Jon's bed. Groaning, he tried to raise his head to find Jon plastered against him, his face buried in his dad's neck and holding on for dear life and repeating, "Daddy, daddy, Daddy..."

"Shh… Jon, it's okay." Jack got to his feet, pulling his son up into his arms as he did so.

"Daddy… They're coming. They want us all to die."

"No one's gonna hurt you. Your Mom and I will keep you safe."

As if on cue, Sam was there. Swinging into the room at a dead run, she was brought up short by the sight of Jack and Jon. "What's wrong?" She cried and continued the short distance to them as she went on, "I felt Jon's pain in my head…. Is he okay?"

Jack's tortured eyes met hers and over Jon's head, he silently nodded. Jon then reached with both arms for his mother and she pulled him to her, clasping him closely.

Quickly Jack gave her the news of what had transpired. He checked his watch and checked it again in disbelief. Only a couple of minutes had passed since entering Jon's bedroom and he would have sworn it had been at least half an hour.

"Oh my God, Jack! They must have intercepted Daniels' escape pod. They're close!"

Almost involuntarily the words came forward. Realizing what she had said in front of Jon, her eyes filled with anger at herself as she fought for control of her feelings and won. With a ragged breath she whispered, "Jon, we're going to be fine. Uncle Daniels' gonna be fine too."

Jack nodded and said, "Sam, I hate to leave... but I …"

She interrupted him, all the while continuing to console Jon,
"Of course. Go. We're fine. The coordinates for the pods are ready for you."

He nodded heavily. "I'll be back as soon as I can. Keep the porch light on." He enclosed them both in a hug and then was out the door without looking back.

end of Part 6 – The Good Fight