Hi ya'll. Like I told the readers of LB, I found out that I won't really have time to write during the school week this year. This means that I will have to update on the weekends, but that i should update 'every' weekend, and the chapters should be longer, since I won't be updating as often as if I had time during the week. So I hope this is ok with all of you, and I hope you'll continue to review so I know what you think of the next chapters. Thanks so much!

Chapter 8

They took all of the morning and the first part of the afternoon looking for an opening in the rock face. It formed a complete circle, a valley at the far edge of the forest, and it was large enough to take a while to walk around. On top of that, they had to search meticulously through the foliage creeping up the rock, or they would never find a way to get it. They didn't stop, and didn't talk much. It wasn't until a couple of hours past midday that Mitchell finally stopped the group.

"Cameron, what are you doing? We have to keep going!"

"We need to rest and eat," he insisted. "If we don't, we'll be low an energy when we do find them, and we might not be able to get them out. I don't know about you, but I'm hungry."

There were nods all around, and Vala sighed. "All right…but we can't take long."

"We won't. Now sit down."

She reluctantly obliged, and Mitchell took his pack off of his back to search for MREs. In the process, he leaned back against the vine-coated rock wall behind him--and fell through.

"Colonel Mitchell!" Travis yelped.

"Cameron!" Vala jumped back to her feet, but Mitchell was already sitting up, pushing vines out of his way.

"I'm fine, I'm fine…" he assured them. The leaves had been hiding the small opening in the rock to a passage just wide enough for one or two people.

Vala smiled for the first time all day. "You found it!"

"Good; we can get moving right after we eat," Cassie added.

"Do we still have to--"

"Yes," every single one of them answered.

She sighed and sat back down. It was easier to do this time; because now she knew there was a way to get to her family.

Lunch was hurried, but they made sure to eat plenty to keep their strength up. Then they quickly packed away the remains, shouldered their packs, and cautiously took out flashlights and headed into the passageway. Mitchell and Hailey led the way, with Vala close behind, Teal'c took up the rear, with Skaara, Cassie, and Travis in the middle. They had to keep it almost a single-file line, with the width of the tunnel.

The passage sloped gently upward at first, and curved around, and then suddenly went up more sharply for a short while, before they rounded a quick corner and saw light again. When they peered out the opening of the tunnel, they saw that they were now at the top of the rock, looking down at a lush valley where a good sized village sat. That had been the source of the smoke they had seen on the UAV camera, apparently.

"They must be down there," Vala said softly.

Mitchell glanced around. "We're too exposed here. Anyone down there could look up and see us. Let's take cover for now and gather more intel."

Colonel Hailey nodded in agreement, and pointed out an outcropping of rock just a few yards from the opening. One at a time, they scurried from the tunnel and sequestered themselves behind the nearby shelter, keeping their eyes on the village below.

"Should I try the radio?" Vala asked.

Mitchell thought for a moment. "I wouldn't."

"How are we going to find them, sir?" Travis questioned.

"We'll keep an eye out down there for a little while. If that's where they are, it would be better to go in when it's dark anyway," Cameron told him.

He nodded. "Right."

Mitchell and Hailey assigned each member of the two teams a specific area of the valley below to keep watch on, and they began their vigil.

Daniel was tired, hungry, thirsty, and hurting, but none of it mattered anymore. Part of his mind wondered how he was supposed to tell Vala what had happened, while another part still refused to believe that Janet's death was anything but a dream, and yet another part just wanted to die with her.

For hours after he was dumped into the hut and left alone, he stayed curled on the floor, not daring to move, or do anything lest he be forced to face the reality of his situation. He was still in the hands of Osiris--who really could do anything he wanted with him--and his daughter was dead. For a little while he tried to think about Vala, and Charlie, and Adrian, and it helped a little at first, but not as much as he'd hoped.

He didn't know how long it had been, when the door finally opened again. Part of him ridiculously hoped that maybe it was Janet, and she was all right and they were bringing her back to him…Daniel sat up and turned toward the door quickly. But it was only a couple of the native men, probably come to take him to Osiris again.

He was right. The two men strode into the hut and picked him up off the floor with little effort. Daniel didn't bother to resist; he let himself be dragged. There was no reason to struggle anymore.

It was Skaara who suddenly pointed out suspicious movement, a couple of hours or so after they'd taken up watch. It was a good thing, too. They were all getting worried that it wasn't the right place.

"There!" he said excitedly. "I think those two men that just went into that hut over there are bringing someone out. Maybe it's them." It was the only hut that was guarded, and they'd been paying special attention to it since they'd gotten to where they were.

All eyes turned to where he indicated, and a moment later two big native men stepped out of the hut--dragging Daniel Jackson between them. Vala sucked in a quick breath and watched them drag him across the village toward another hut, one that was sort of set apart from the others. Daniel wasn't unconscious, or at least she didn't think so. He just wasn't resisting at all. His body was limp, and his head was down, though he didn't appear hurt. They dragged him into the other hut, the door was closed behind them, and they were gone again.

"We just have to keep watching," Cameron said quietly. "We'll know if they bring him back, so we'll know where he is tonight so we can go in. Janet's probably in that hut they took Daniel out of. That's why it's guarded."

"Thank you for stating the obvious," Vala said dryly.

Osiris was waiting for him again, but the chair was not. The guards dropped him on the ground in front of the Goa'uld, but all he did was grunt. All of them probably assumed that he was too weak and/or too grief-stricken to cause any trouble that way.

They were right. Daniel hadn't had anything to eat in almost thirty-six hours, not to mention no water. His chest, throat, and stomach still hurt, and his head was pounding. He wasn't going anywhere. He didn't bother looking up, and just let his head rest on his arms. He could hear Osiris smirking above him.

"Perhaps now you are ready to cooperate," he snorted harshly.

Daniel didn't respond, and was a rewarded with a foot smashing into his gut. Crying out, he doubled over, choking and coughing. When he still didn't answer, the Goa'uld kicked him again, and then a few times more. It wasn't until he was sprawled on his side, moaning and spitting out blood, that he was given another chance.

"I suggest that you tell me what I want to know, Daniel. I can and will do whatever I wish to you until I have it; I don't have your daughter to worry about anymore. She's taking a permanent vacation at the bottom of the lake near the stargate."

Daniel tried not to--he really did, because he didn't want to give the Goa'uld the satisfaction of anything--but he flinched at that, shuddering.

Osiris drew back as if to kick him again, and Daniel shouted and drew up his arms in front of him. "You don't have to do that!" he coughed for a moment as the Gould looked at him curiously, and then continued, voice cracking. "Don't you get it? There's no point to…telling you now. You…you took everything here worth protecting!" He wanted to smirk, but just couldn't make himself do it. Not now. "You screwed up, Osiris."

Needless to say, the Goa'uld didn't appreciate that very much.

Vala and the others watched the hut Daniel had been dragged into anxiously, while also keeping watch for any signs of Janet. There was nothing else but the minimal bustle of village life for too long. Women cooked and hung landry to dry, after they'd washed it in a nearby stream. It seemed that many of the men were gone; probably hunting. Children ran between the huts, playing. When Daniel had been dragged out, most of them had glanced in his direction, and then gone back to what they were doing, not seeming to care. Somehow, it was disturbing that it wasn't an unusual sight for them.

Finally, the door of the hut opened. The same two men came back out, dragging Daniel again--but this time he looked much worse, though it was hard to tell exactly how much worse from where they were. But it was obvious that he'd been beaten, and this time he really was out.

Vala gasped. "Daniel!" She started to move instinctively, not even remembering how far away she was. Mitchell and Cassie held her back.

"Easy, Vala, easy!" Cameron soothed. "It'll be dark in a couple of hours, and we'll get them out of there, okay? He'll be fine. They'll both be fine."

Vala swallowed and nodded, watching anxiously as the native men on the valley floor dragged her unconscious husband back into the first hut and came out again without him, closing and latching the door.

The two men dispersed back into the village, and another man now came out of the other hut. He was taller, more handsome, and as he strolled through the viallge it was obvious that he was well respected. Or feared. At first it didn't seem unusual. This man was obviously the chief, or leader of the village, and he had been questioning Daniel about…something. And now they had to get both Daniel and Janet out of there. The situation didn't need anymore explaining.

But then the chief spoke.

None of them could tell what he was saying, but he spoke to the men, and even from where they were hiding, the tone of his voice was unmistakable.

He was a Goa'uld.

Teal'c scowled deeply. "This is not good."

Vala swallowed. "No, it's not."

"I thought we killed them all a long time ago," Cameron groaned.

"We did indeed, Colonel Mitchell--but there are still many minor Goa'ulds in hiding. They are of no consequence, so we do not bother to locate them. Unfortunately, I fear we were wrong in that decision."

"Ya think?" Cassie hissed.

Nightfall couldn't come fast enough. They started moving surreptitiously down the slope at late dusk, and when the village seemed to have finally settled in for the night, they went in. Cassie and Travis stayed halfway up the slope for observation and cover, and the other five of them crept through the foliage at the edge of the village until they were behind the hut they knew Daniel was in, and were hoping Janet was in as well.

There was a guard on each side of the hut. Vala and Mitchell zatted the two they could see from the back. When the two from the front came around to see what the sound had been, they were brought down. Thankfully, the spaces between the huts were enough that no one else should have been able to hear it.

Mitchell looked back and silently motioned for Skaara and Hailey to stay back while he, Vala, and Teal'c went in. Vala followed him around the hut, Teal'c behind her. Carefully, they slipped into the hut and closed the door behind them. She spun immediately, but there was no light, only the moonlight filtering in under the door. She had to turn on a flashlight to see.

Immediately her heart sank. She swept the purposely dim beam back and forth, but still she saw only one figure huddled inside the hut. It was Daniel, over by one of the walls, and he was still out.

One of Mitchell's hands squeezed her shoulder gently. "We'd better wake him up. We don't need him waking up on his own, freaking out and giving us away. And don't worry…we'll find Janet."

Vala nodded wordlessly and hurried to her husband. She rolled him onto his back and swallowed hard. It wasn't as bad as she'd feared, but his face was bruised, there was a nasty cut above one eye and a couple more on one cheek. His body had been curled around his middle as if protecting it, and she didn't have to guess why.

Someone calling his name, and lips pressed to his forehead brought Daniel out of the darkness that had taken over. At first he couldn't see anything, but as his vision cleared, he realized that he was on his back looking up at…his wife.

"Vala…" he said hoarsely.

She smiled a little. "Hey."

He smiled back, just a bit, just for a moment, before he remembered where he was and what had happened. And panic took over. How could he tell her? He didn't want to.

Before he could think further, he coughed, and everything from his throat to his abdomen hurt. He grimaced in pain, but his worry must have slipped out onto his face as well, because Vala wasn't only soothing him because of the pain.

"Shhh, easy, it'll be all right. We're here now. We'll get out of here, and go home, as soon as we find Janet. Do you know where she is?"

For some reason, the completely trusting tone of her voice did it. Daniel started to cry again, softly, but he couldn't stop it. He barely noticed when Mitchell and Teal'c came over to help. Cam knelt next to Vala and tried to help calm him down.

"Hey, Daniel it's okay. What's wrong?"

He shook his head, not wanting to say it. He couldn't say it.

"Daniel?" Vala asked. Now she sounded worried. That hurt too.

Mitchell put a hand on his shoulder. "Jackson, what is it?"

He wanted to answer. He didn't want them to keep wondering, not knowing. But he didn't want to tell them either. And he still couldn't stop the tears.

Vala gently pulled his head and shoulders into her lap, and stroked his hair back. "Daniel, please," she said in a strained voice. "Tell me what's wrong."

"I'm sorry," he choked out finally.

He could almost hear her swallow. "For what?"

Daniel tried to slow the tears, but couldn't, not entirely. "I tried…but I couldn't stop it…"

"Stop what?" Now her voice was more urgent, and he could see her, Mitchell, and Teal'c looking at each other in alarm. Oh how he didn't want to say it…

"Osiris," Daniel whispered next.

Osiris? But he had been taken care of before she had even met Daniel…Vala didn't believe her ears. The fear tightening in her chest didn't help either.

"Daniel, Osiris is dead," Mitchell pointed out.

He shook his head. "He was…helped, and escaped here…He's been hiding." His breathing was a bit labored, and Vala feared for his safety as well as worrying about Janet. What was he trying to tell them? Tears still tracked down Daniel's cheeks.

She took a breath. "And what happened, Daniel? Where's Janet?" she asked again, voice rising in pitch.

Daniel all but flinched at the question, and just shook his head. He started to cry harder again, and Vala held onto his shoulders tighter. She looked at Cam, and his eyes clearly read Something's not right here.

You think? She thought bitterly.

"Daniel, what?" she pleaded quietly. They couldn't risk being found, but she had to know. "What about Janet?? Is she here somewhere?"

His head just continued to shake, and both of the men looked worried now. That didn't help any, and Vala could feel tears pricking her own eyes as a horrible idea of what was happening slowly formed in her mind.

"Daniel, tell me she's here," she pleaded desperately. "She has to be. They captured both of you. She's in another one of the huts, Daniel. It's the only explanation. Just tell me where, please, where is she??"

Daniel sobbed and gripped her jacket. "Gone," he cried.

"Gone?" she echoed unbelievingly.

"I'm sorry," he sobbed. "I'm so sorry…"

Teal'c's head lowered Mitchell took a shaky breath. "Oh no…"

Vala looked up sharply. "No. He can't be right. They beat him, and Osiris is a Goa'uld. He could have made him believe anything…"

"That would be pretty hard to fake," Cameron said quietly. "I'm sorry."

She blinked rapidly. "No…" One of Teal'c's arms went around her shoulders, but she pushed it away. "No. We're going to get him home. He needs medical attention as soon as possible. Then we'll come back." It couldn't be true. Janet had to be alive…somewhere…

Teal'c and Mitchell pulled Daniel up together, and draped him between their shoulders. He groaned, but not loud enough to give them away, they hoped. His crying stopped, but he didn't say anything else. To keep her mind off of…well, everything, Vala took point as they crept out of the hut and back to Skaara and Hailey, and then back up the rock face to pick up Travis and Cassie. Surprisingly, they got back to the woods without incident.

Travis couldn't believe his ears. He didn't know what to think. Doctor Jackson hadn't really said anything since they'd gotten out of the valley and headed back for the stargate. Mrs. Jackson had only said briefly that they weren't sure about Janet, but that they couldn't find her tonight. Colonel Mitchell had said quietly that Doctor Jackson had said she was…gone. Apparently the plan was to come back as soon as they knew more--as soon as they could get Daniel to tell them what had happened.

But how could they leave at all, without her? Was she really gone? He refused to believe it until he heard more. It couldn't be true. It couldn't be.

Jack waited anxiously in the control room with his wife. Sam was pacing the room nervously. SG-1 and SG-13 should have been back by now. Maybe search-and-rescue was unpredictable, but they still shouldn't have taken this long. It was past midnight, and they were all starting to worry. Jack had come as soon as he had heard what was going on. He wasn't going to leave Sam here by herself to deal with this, when he could be here.

Finally, finally the 'gate opened.

"It's SG-1's code," the 'gate tech announced. Walter Harriman had finally retired--just recently, actually. He was missed, but they all saw him around.

"Open the iris," Sam ordered immediately. He did, but no one came through immediately.

"Stargate Command, this is Colonel Mitchell."

Jack stood as Sam nodded to the tech to open the radio frequencies and replied. "This is Stargate Command. We read you, Cam. Did you find them?"

There was a hesitation. "Uh…about that…"

Sam swallowed, and Jack felt his throat tighten.

"We did…sort of. But we uh…we think we've got one casualty."

Crap…

"Just get over here, colonel," Sam gulped.

"Yes ma'am," Mitchell sighed.

The radio transmission cut off, and a few seconds later the teams started coming through the 'gate. SG-13 came first, and then Vala, and Mitchell and Teal'c supporting a barely conscious Daniel…but no Janet.

Oh god no…

One of Sam's hands shot up to cover her mouth, but she said nothing; only headed immediately for the stairs, shooting a worried glance at him. Jack followed as quickly as he could with his blasted screwed-up knees, and reached the 'gate room shortly after she did. Both teams were still at the base of the ramp; they hadn't moved, and none of them were saying much. Mitchell and Teal'c had sat down with Daniel on the step. Travis looked dumbstruck and lost, Vala had plastered on a neutral expression, and the rest of them just didn't seem to know what to do with themselves.

"What happened?" Sam asked quietly.

Vala shook her head. "We don't know."

Daniel sobbed. Jack's attention snapped to his friend, and while Sam got an abbreviated de-brief from the others, he went to him. Mitchell moved and let him sit next to Jackson.

Jack gripped his arm lightly, pulling in a breath. "Daniel...?" He didn't respond at first. He only stared at the floor, arms around himself. "Danny…it's me. It's okay…"

He shook his head. "No it's not," he cried softly. "It's my fault…"

Memories he didn't want right now pushed forward in Jack's mind, and he battered them back so he could focus on his friend. "What is?" But he was afraid he already knew what. And he didn't like it.

"I couldn't stop him…" was all he said. Then Daniel looked up, and Jack saw his eyes. And he had to stifle a gasp.

It was the same look he'd seen in the mirror, all those years ago. That haunted look he'd had after he'd seen Charlie--

Suddenly there were tears in Jack's eyes too. "Oh Daniel…" He wrapped his friend into his arms and held on tight while he cried, trying hard not to cry himself.

Because he knew for sure that there was no 'we think' to it. Daniel had seen his daughter die.

Janet didn't know how long she had been in the storage cellar. With no light, she had no sense of time. She knew she'd fallen asleep again for a while, and that she'd been awake again now for what must have been several hours. But she wasn't sure. She was still hurting, and much more hungry and thirsty. When the door above her finally opened again, the light, though dim, drove a spike of agony through her head.

Eyes closed, she struggled as two men pulled her up out of the hole, untied the ropes around her ankles, stood her on her feet and pushed her forward. She fell to the ground again immediately, unable to coordinate her feet to walk so quickly after being held still for that long. She cried out in pain, her eyes popping open. She immediately squinted again, but could still see that she was lying on the forest floor, in the early morning light.

The men dragged her to her feet again and made her walk, but after only a few steps she fell again. It was hard enough with her legs aching from being tied and cramped, but the fact that her hands were still tied behind her back didn't help either. They made her try again, and again she tripped and fell--but this time on purpose. She was beginning to form a plan in her mind. Her sides were bruising by now, and she glared at them angrily when they pulled her up. They made her start walking twice more, and twice more she fell. Her bruised, cracked, or however damaged ribs had healed some, but it still hurt to hit the ground. But if it worked, it might be worth it.

Finally, when they pulled her up the sixth time, one of them untied her hands so she could balance more easily.

Janet broke into a run, ignoring the throbbing pain in her head and chest. She had to get away. She had no idea which direction the stargate was, but she would find it. She had no other choice without a radio or anything else…

One of the natives slammed into her from behind, bringing her down. He landed on top of her, and she shouted in pain when she felt something in her chest snap. This time, there was no guessing what had been damaged and how.

Gasping, tears gathering in the corners of her eyes, Janet could only struggle weakly while the other one helped hold her down and they retied both her ankles and wrists. At least they tied her arms in front this time. Then the bigger one picked her up over his shoulder, which didn't help her rib cage any. Pain stabbed into her chest as he walked, and she didn't even know where they were going. She tried beating on his back with her tied hands, but he ignored her. She screamed, but they didn't try to quiet her. She still had a gag on; no one would be able to hear her anyway.

They walked almost a mile, she thought, and then came to what looked like a solid wall of foliage. But then they pushed a few vines aside, and she saw that it was rock, as they went into a tunnel, and up. They came out at the top of a valley, and as the two men started down the trail with her she saw the village.

Dad! Maybe they had decided to stop the charade. Maybe she would be able to see him…

But Osiris met them at the edge of the village, and he did not look happy. He followed the two men back to the prison hut, and for a moment Janet felt hopeful again, but when they opened the door and dropped her inside, and she saw that her father wasn't there, her heart sank again. One of the native men bent down and cut her bonds. Finally, he even took the gag off as well.

Janet coughed and tried to clear her throat, but it hurt. Breathing was still a little more difficult than usual, and there was no moisture in her mouth.

Osiris stormed into the hut. "I hope you are more cooperative than your father," he glared.

"Where is he?" she croaked.

"He's dead," the Goa'uld replied brusquely. "He refused to tell me anything. He would say nothing at all because he believed you dead. I had no choice but to kill him."

Janet stared at him for a full minute. "No…you're lying," she whispered.

"I know you have no reason to trust me, because I lied to your father about your alleged death, but I assure you that your father is quite dead. I killed him myself, with my ribbon device."

"No!" she shouted hoarsely. "He's not dead!"

The Goa'uld smirked. "Where you were hidden was the only off-site storage facility the village has. And I'd be glad to show you around the rest of the village so you can be certain that he's not here."

No…no that couldn't be right! "No…"

"And I do hope he likes swimming."

Janet sobbed. "No. Nonono!" Osiris shrugged, and all of them left, closing the door behind them. She leaned against the wall and cried, not even sure why. She didn't know what to believe.