She walked down the lane, contently leaning her head on Liam's shoulder, much like she had done the last time she'd seen him. Their fingers were entwined and they walked silently through the wooded lane. They walked further into the woods, the tall trees thickening overhead, blocking the rays of the light. As they did so, she could feel him pull away from her, scared about the darkness overcoming him and afraid that he was going to hurt her by staying with her. "Bella." He whispered.
"I'm here, Love." She assured, strengthening her grip on his hand.
He continued pulling away as the darkness intensified. She could no longer see his face and was now herself wondering if she would lose him. "LIAM!" She called, praying that she would hear his voice respond.
"I…I can't!" He screamed, his hand slipping out of hers from the nervous sweat running down his palms.
She turned toward the sound and grabbed hold of his wrists. "I'm never letting you go, Liam, do you hear? NEVER!"
She awoke with a start as she realized that she had fallen so desperately in love with Liam Harris that her heart would never be whole without him in her life.
And with her heightened psychic abilities-compliments of Nirrti's experiments on the Hankan people- she was terrified that one day, he wouldn't be there to hold her hand, that he would literally slip away from her despite everything that she did to keep him from doing that very thing.
She quickly dressed and went down to the SGC. She would wait there for SG-1 to return from their recon mission.
Several hours later, she was staring numbly into her cup of coffee and didn't sense Sam sit next to her.
"Something on your mind?" The Colonel asked, looking at the young woman.
Startled, she jolted and looked at Sam. "Oh…I'm sorry…I was just thinking…"
"I noticed. Is there a particular reason that you're on the base at six o'clock in the morning?"
"Been here since three." She admitted.
"Really? What's going on?"
"I like the drab décor and dangerous atmosphere." She said, almost trying to sound like Jack.
"Cassie…"
"I had a vision…kind of a nightmare, actually."
"What happened?"
"I was walking with Liam, and then…as we walked into a thicker portion of the woods, he started to pull away from me, afraid. I don't know if I ever got him back."
"Wow, that's intense." Sam agreed.
"I…I need to know that he comes back safely." She admitted.
"I know what you mean."
"I don't want to think that I have to prove that I won't leave him."
"You think that's what the dream's about?"
"Either that or it's telling me that Liam's afraid of the dark…" She said, somewhat wryly.
Sam chuckled. "I doubt that's what it means."
Cassie took a sip of the bitter liquid. "I'm afraid I can't reach him. I'm afraid that if we run into another storm on the sea that our relationship won't make it."
Sam studied her surrogate daughter. "I know how you feel."
Cassie's head snapped up from her coffee.
"I know it sounds weird, but every time Jack and I were in a situation that made us realize just how much we cared about each other, I kept asking myself how many of these we would be in before we were forced to admit that we could never be together. Fortunately, I never had to find out."
"But, Sam, that's just it…I'm afraid that I will get to find out."
"You know, Cass, as someone who doesn't have heightened psychic powers, I would interpret your dream as your subconscious telling you that you're afraid of losing him."
"That's crazy…" She said, trying to downplay the reality of her fears.
"Just a thought…" The wise woman said, watching Cassie with obvious understanding.
"Do you really think that's all it is?"
"I didn't say that was all that it was, but I can't believe that your dreams are much different than ours. After all, that IS what you're afraid of, isn't it?"
Cassie didn't say anything as Sam listed what she was afraid of.
"That he won't come back from this mission, and you won't have been there to hold him? That something's going to happen, and your relationship won't have the strength to stand up to it? That he doesn't really love you?"
Tears began to blind Cassie's sight as the klaxons began alerting the base: "Unscheduled Off-world Activation! Unscheduled Off-World Activation!"
Cassie's heart began pounding in her chest as she brushed the tears away. "Liam." She whispered.
"Cassie…you have to stay here." Sam ordered as she rose.
Cassie still stood, but nodded. "I'll be in the infirmary."
--
Sam hurried into the control room. "Are we receiving an iris code?" She demanded.
"It's SG-1. They're under heavy fire."
"Open the iris." She commanded, as she got onto the intercom. "Medical team to the gate room. Repeat…medical team to the gate room."
Daniel, Liam, Alan, Kinsah, Teal'c and Jack returned through the Gate. "Close the iris!" Jack ordered as the SGC began taking fire.
Almost instantly, the iris was closed as Sam and the medical team arrived into the Gate room. "Where's Nick?" She asked, almost instantly.
"He taken." Kinsah reported, a numb pain in his voice.
"He was taken?" Sam asked, surprised. "And you just left him there?"
"We didn't have a choice, Colonel!" Jack countered, harshly.
She looked at her husband and swallowed the tears that were at the surface. "Yes, sir."
Jack instantly felt bad. "Sam…"
"What time is debriefing, sir?" She interrupted, her face and voice emotionless, as though she was back in basic training.
"General, I need to treat this wound." Janet said, looking at the staff weapon wound that had adorned his arm.
"Not now, Doc…"
"No, go ahead, Janet…we're finished here." Sam said, coldly, as she turned and walked out of the Gate room.
Jack closed his eyes in frustration. "I can't believe that after nearly seven years of marriage I finally did that…"
"Neither can I." Janet said, a certain coldness in her own voice.
"Now, Doc, I can hardly deal with Sam being mad at me…so, PLEASE don't start."
"Oh, I don't have to…just wait until Lena finds out that you came back without her husband."
"Don't you think that I know that? Don't any of you realize that I'm beating myself up about it too?! Gosh…what do you think? That all of a sudden, my priorities changed when I started running this joint?" He got up and began to follow the route that his wife had taken, despite the fact that Janet wasn't yet done. But before he got to the blast door, he passed out from the loss of blood.
Janet hurried over, motioning for her team to join her. They got him onto a stretcher and into the infirmary.
--
Liam was taken into the infirmary, his leg having been shot with an arrow. The sight that met him was a pacing Cassie.
"Bella?" He asked, hoping that he wasn't hallucinating.
"It's me." She said, hurrying to his side and taking his hand.
"Wha…what are you doing here?" He asked as the nurse broke the arrow. He gritted his teeth as he squeezed Cassie's hand.
"I couldn't sleep. I thought I'd wait for you." She said, caressing his face as she tried to distract him from the pain.
"Why was that?"
"I had a dream."
The nurse pulled out one half of the arrow. "AGH!" He said, unable to contain his exclamation.
"Are you…?" Cassie began.
He raised a hand, to stop her as the nurse pulled out the other half. He gritted his teeth, but a low moan escaped his lips.
"What was it about?" He managed, trying to hold on to any bit of consciousness he could.
"What was what about?"
"The dream, Bella. What was the dream about?"
She swallowed. She'd been hoping that he wouldn't ask her that. "You know, I'd rather not talk about it right now."
"No, really…I ask because I had a dream about you last night."
"About me?"
He nodded as the nurse cleaned his wound. "I came home and I found you sitting on the living room couch…there was a little kid playing on the floor with some blocks. You said you had something…" He said, as the room began swimming. He passed out soon thereafter, and Cassie took a deep breath.
"Great." She muttered sarcastically. How was she supposed to tell him that she was afraid of him pulling away from her when he seemed to want more from their relationship?
--
Sam sat in the locker room, allowing the tears to fall down her cheeks. How could he have been so calloused? On the other hand, how could SHE have accused him of leaving someone behind?
She heard the sound of footsteps behind her. She almost turned to find out who was standing behind her, but she figured she would be able to figure it out. It was most likely Daniel or Teal'c as neither of them had been injured, but almost instantly she amended that statement. She knew it was Daniel. The footsteps weren't as heavy as Teal'c's. "What do you want?"
"You okay?" Daniel asked, walking further into the room.
"I'm fine." She lied.
"Doesn't look like it to me."
"I can't do anything about that, now can I?" She bit back. She was instantly contrite. "I'm sorry…you didn't deserve that."
"It's okay…you're under a lot of stress."
"I'm just so used to going out and being out there with you! I…I've had role reversal with Jack before, but…this is always the hardest…seeing him go out on missions and then staying here."
Daniel sat on the bench next to her. "Think about how Jack must feel."
"I do…" She insisted rather forcefully, but then, she let her voice crack with emotion as she whispered. "And that scares me."
"That scares you?"
"Because for a few moments, I'm envious and even resentful of his chance to go through." Tears slipped down her cheeks. "And then…something like this happens, and I'm suddenly grateful that I didn't have command of that mission, and…"
Daniel put his arms around her and hugged her, allowing her to cry on his shoulder. "Sam…Jack loves you. He really does."
"I know." She stammered between her tears.
"And even though it sounded like he didn't for a moment down there, he was just reacting to the stress of the mission."
She nodded. "I know that too."
It was another few minutes before Cassie walked in. "Oh…" She said, walking in on Daniel and Sam. "I'm sorry."
There were tears in her eyes too, and Daniel pulled away from Sam who was now wiping her tears from her face. "What is it, Cass?"
"Jack's…he's not doing too good."
Sam paled and hurried to get up. As she raced to the infirmary, Daniel studied his stepdaughter. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine." She lied.
"Don't be like Sam right now…" Daniel said, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose. "I know you're not fine. I can see the tears. Now, what happened?"
"I think Liam wants more from our relationship…"
"Like?"
"Like something more permanent."
"And that's a bad thing?"
"No."
"Then, why are you upset about it?"
"Because I'm not sure he's telling the truth."
Daniel's head snapped up. "How do you figure that?"
"I had a bit of a vision."
"Of course you did."
"I don't need sarcasm, Daniel." She said, starting to walk out.
Daniel hurried after her and took her by the arm. "I'm sorry…I was just…what happened?"
"You're not going to laugh, are you?"
"Why would I laugh? This sounds serious."
"He said that he had a dream where we were married and that there was a little kid playing on the floor when he came home to be greeted by me."
"Sounds like a nice dream."
"But I had a dream where he was pulling away from me when things got rough."
"Not a nice dream."
"Tell me about it."
"Cassie, I know this seems really strange, but…love is a risky business."
"Thank you, Dr. Phil. Believe it or not, I have already figured that much out."
"Would you let me finish?"
"Sorry." She mumbled.
"No matter how psychic you are, there're going to be things that catch you by surprise. You can't make everything turn into a happy ending, no matter how much you try. Believe me, I know."
She looked at him, and found a level of understanding she knew was there, but had never seen in his eyes before.
"You're talking about Sha're, aren't you?"
"Among a few others, yes."
Tears stung her eyes, though they didn't fall. "I don't want to lose him, Daniel. I…I can't lose him."
"That's how it always feels at first." Daniel said, pulling her into a paternal embrace. "But you eventually learn to keep taking every day one step at a time, and then you start realizing that you've gone through a few months without them. And…you start to realize that you're okay with that."
"So…I should just let whatever's going to happen happen?"
Daniel hugged her tighter. "It's hard, isn't it?"
She nodded. "Yeah."
"But everyday that you get to love them…that's something that can't ever be taken away from you."
Now, the tears fell down her cheeks. "Thanks."
He wiped the tears from her cheeks. "Now, go check on him. I'm sure he's waiting for you."
She smiled a sad smile. "Okay."
"There's my brave girl."
--
By the time Sam reached the infirmary, the flurry of activity around Jack had diminished, and she could see that he was sleeping peacefully.
"Sam." Janet said, noticing her entrance into the room.
"Janet, what happened?"
"His heart rate dropped unexpectedly, causing him to stop breathing. We did some basic CPR, and managed to get him stabilized."
"But it's nothing residual?"
"I don't think so. I think it had to do with the sap that covered his face, but we managed to get that cleaned off of his face, and so, I doubt that he's going to have any more episodes like this one. However, we are going to run some tests on the substance."
"Mind if I sit with him?"
"Go ahead."
"Thanks."
She sat down, and grasped her husband's hand in hers. She had let her emotions cloud what had happened in the Gate room, and now, she was waiting for her husband to wake up. She hated feeling like this. Like if she had only been more understanding and tolerant that something like this wouldn't have happened.
"I'm sorry." The man lying on the bed whispered.
"Jack?"
"The one and only." He said, squinting as his eyes readjusted to the light.
"I'm so sorry." She said, happy and sad tears mixing on her face.
"Hey, I'm the one who pulled rank on you. You were completely justified in being upset."
"And I accused you of leaving someone behind. I should never have done that."
"Okay, let's leave it at the fact that this was a stressful mission, and we both took out our frustrations on one another."
She nodded.
"So…how're the kids?"
"They're fine. Lena's with them right now."
Jack cringed at the sound of her name. "I don't know how I'm going to tell her, Sam."
"I know, Jack."
"I mean, he walked off, and then…If only he'd followed orders, this never would have happened!"
"Okay, Jack, now isn't a time to place blame…" Sam began soothingly. "How many Jaffa?"
"Sam, it's a fortress. We're not talking about a handful of Jaffa. If that had been the case, Nick would be here now…"
"A fortress?" She asked, sick to her stomach. She knew what it was like to be imprisoned in a fortress.
Flashes of Jack lying in a goa'uld stasis pod with Hathor's seductive taunting passed before her eyes. The symbiote burrowing into Jack's neck. Closing her eyes in horror as Daniel watched, a numb blindness to his sight. And after Kanan, Jack had been in Ba'al's heavily guarded fortress. If they hadn't gotten lucky, they may never have gotten him back…
"Sam, you okay?"
"I'm fine." She lied, snapping back to reality. This was not a time for flashbacks.
"You sure?"
"Just thinking…"
"When do you ever stop?" He teased, gently.
She flashed him a grateful smile. "Thanks…"
"Look, we're going to get Nick back."
"I know." She said, nodding in understanding. "We've managed to get our people home in one piece before."
"Against impossible odds, I might add." He said, wiping away her tears.
"I know."
"Well, except for Daniel…but at that point, he manages to die, ascend, and come right back again."
Sam laughed, and Jack smiled. "It's going to be okay."
"I know."
Sam held Jack's hand for a little longer. "I'm going to go and change places with Lena."
"Sam…"
"Jack, I know it's going to be hard, and I'm not disputing that, but…she needs to know."
Jack nodded.
"And unfortunately, you'll be in here for a little bit longer…Janet wants to run some tests."
"Ya know, I feel fine…"
"I know, but…your heart just stopped and you stopped breathing. You had us all scared."
He nodded, gravely. "All the same, I'd rather know for sure that she's not a vampire."
Sam chuckled. "She's not a vampire, Jack."
"But her favorite drink is the Bloody Mary, she doesn't stop at the number of tests a normal doctor stops at…and I saw a mark on Daniel's neck yesterday." He said, playing up his "suspicions."
"Jack…" Sam said, one eyebrow raised. "For one, Bloody Mary's aren't really bloody…it's tomato juice…Number 2, she's being cautious about what she's dealing with, and number 3, the mark on Daniel's neck yesterday was a hickey."
Jack shuddered. "That's what you think."
Sam chuckled and kissed his forehead. "I'll be back in a little while. I have to check on the kids."
He nodded. "I know. And I need to talk to Lena."
"Uh huh."
He gave her a sad smile. "Do you think I made a mistake?"
"What?"
"In coming back…did I make a mistake?"
"No." Sam said, looking at him, very seriously. "No, Jack, you didn't make a mistake. You did what you had to do…"
He looked down at the ground. "That isn't doing Nick a whole lot of good right now."
Sam placed her fingers under Jack's chin. "Look at me."
He brought his eyes up to her face, reluctantly.
"If you, Kinsah, Liam, Daniel, Teal'c or anyone else had been killed trying to get him back, Nick would have had your head. Lena's going to know that. So…you didn't do the wrong thing. Now, you just have to get well quickly so that you can lead the rescue mission."
"What made me think that I could lead this mission, Sam?" Jack whispered. "It's been almost five years since I was out in the field. Now, all I do is read reports, and…I just wanted to go back out there…"
"Jack." She said, silencing him.
He looked unwillingly into the blue pools of her eyes. He felt himself melt at what he found there: love, tenderness, and a ferocity that he had only seen a privileged few times in his life. He smiled as he realized that he drowned every time he looked into those beautiful orbs because her soul completely overwhelmed him when he looked into her eyes.
"First of all, field work isn't something that you just lose after a period of time…it's like riding a bike. So, regardless of how long it's been since you were out in the field last, you're still one of the best…you wouldn't be at the SGC if you weren't."
He felt somewhat heartened by that, but he wasn't sure what else she could say. However, that didn't seem to stop Sam. "And second of all, you are the most amazing commanding officer I have ever had."
He opened his mouth to protest, but she placed her finger over his lips. "And I'm not just saying that because you're my husband and the father of my kids."
"But Sam…"
"No buts, Jack…this wasn't your fault. It was tragic, yes…but that's what we do…and then, we do our best to minimize the casualties…Nick doesn't have to stay there forever, so…get better so you can bring him home."
Jack looked at his wife. "A pep talk? I thought that was my job."
"In a marriage, it's a joint responsibility."
He smiled. "Yes…it is."
"Now, I'm really going to go and check on the kids so you can talk to Lena."
--
Lena's heart raced while she kept from running through the corridors of the SGC. She was unaware of it, but she had held her breath while doing so…something that probably defied the laws of biology, but was occurring nonetheless…
Nick hadn't called. Nick hadn't called to tell her that he was safe…so he probably wasn't.
That was all that was running through her head as she went to the infirmary. She hadn't heard anything that Sam said after "you need to go to the infirmary," so she was expecting to see Nick's body lying broken on an examination table.
"Lena?"
She was keeping her emotions in check by the intensity of her urgency to see her husband. "Where's Nick?" She demanded.
"Lena." Jack called from his bed.
"Not now, Jack, I have to see my husband." She said, not even turning her gaze away from the doctor's face.
"He's not here."
It was as though his words had fallen on deaf ears. Lena's defensive stance didn't break for a moment. But as the words sunk into her mind, she felt her knees go weak as her exterior crumbled. "Oh god…" She said, sobs breaking free from the very depth of her soul. Janet and a couple of the nurses nearby helped her back to her feet and to the chair by Jack's bed.
"Lena…I'm…" He tried to console the sobbing woman next to him. "I'm sorry." He finally choked out. "He was taken prisoner, and…" He took a deep breath as he reached out and took one of her arms. "We're going to get him back."
She just nodded, still allowing the tears to fall down her cheeks. It took her a few minutes, but she finally, she calmed down enough to listen to all that Jack had to say. "What happened?"
"He was taking a walk to loosen his stiff leg. I swear he's as bad as Daniel. I mean, we go to Abydos, and Daniel gets kidnapped by this candy bar-eating monstrosity of a beast, and it drags us right to…"
"Jack."
He looked over at her again. "Sorry…trying to forget that we left him behind." He said, bleakly.
She nodded, trying to restrain the tears threatening to fall down her cheeks again.
"Lena, we're going to get him back."
She nodded, trying to tap into her reserves of emotional strength. "I know…but…"
"Lena, there is no but." Jack said, firmly. "As soon as I can put together a team, we're going back."
She looked up at him with eyes filled with despair. "But how do I explain to the boys that their dad isn't coming home right now? When their uncles Teal'c, Jack, and Daniel have returned…how do I tell them that Nick's still there?"
Jack composed himself for a moment before answering. "I don't know. But we're all here…and none of us are going to take this lying down."
She nodded as she placed one hand on Jack's arm. "I know. And thank you."
"Hey, you're family." Jack said with the matter-of-factness that this loyalty required.
"And that means so much to us." Lena said, thoughts of Nick's biological family in Australia, tearing at her heart. "Really."
--
Nick was taken to a chamber where he was strapped to a table. "You are not one of the members of SG-1." Aten said, staring at the dancer.
"Yeah, I'm a new character in the TV show." He said, cheekily.
"TV show?" Aten asked, as he motioned for the Jaffa standing nearest Nick, holding a goa'uld pain stick. "What is this TV show?"
"Nothing you'd get…you don't have cable…" Nick retorted.
Aten nodded and Nick suddenly understood what pain the goa'uld were capable of inflicting on humans when the painstick was placed in the center of his chest, creating a searing pain to course through his entire body while images of his brother's death haunted his mind.
However, instead of causing Nick to kneel submissively, the act proved to enrage him. "What the bloody hell did you do that for?" He thundered.
Aten was intrigued by the man's vernacular. "You do not speak like the other members of SG-1."
"That's because I'm from Oz, dammit!"
"Oz…" The goa'uld turned the name of this new place over in his mind as his long white fingers tapped his chin thoughtfully. "What are the coordinates?"
"No coordinates…" Nick said through gritted teeth.
Aten nodded again, and the painstick was placed against Nick's chest again, causing great pain.
"What are the coordinates?"
"Look…" Nick panted. "You've got the wrong person. I'm new to Gate travel…I don't know the coordinates to anywhere."
Aten sighed. "You are tiresome…and while you have amused me for a little while now, I am growing tired of your insolence."
He nodded to another of the Jaffa who pulled a symbiote from his pouch. "We'll have to take more drastic measures, then."
Nick paled. "No…"
"Oh yes…" Aten said, staring the dancer in the eyes. "And we will learn all that you know about…Oz."
Part of Nick was struck with the hilarity of the situation. On one hand, Oz referred to his homeland, Australia, but on the other, it referred to the mythical land from "The Wizard of Oz." He couldn't help but allow a tiny chuckle to erupt from within himself, and the goa'uld turned incensed as his eyes glowed a bright yellow.
"You laugh? You have not been told of the horror that you will be forced to view through your own eyes. You will see yourself mutilating small children, you will see yourself burn villages, and you will murder thousands of innocent slaves. And part of you will be filled with pleasure at the sight of such devastation while another part of you wants to close your eyes and retch up each and every memory until you die. And it will be the part of you that pleasures in such pervasions that will win, while you are powerless to stop it. You will never see your family again, and truth be told, part of you will be glad. Because to see what you've become would make them wish you'd never returned to be among them."
A chill ran down Nick's spine. "Lena." He whispered as visions of his wife came to mind.
Aten turned to the Jaffa with the symbiote awaiting implantation. "Wait." He motioned for another attendant to produce a cup filled with a blood-red fluid. The contents of that cup were forced into Nick's mouth and he sputtered while the bitter liquid eased down his throat.
"What the hell was that?" Nick asked, as the images that met his eyes were distorted in a hallucinogenic haze.
"That, my friend, was the Blood of Sokar." Aten said with an evil smile. "Did you enjoy it?"
"I'm sorry, Aten, but I forgot to tell you…I'm not your friend and I'm on a no-blood diet." Nick said as he collapsed to the ground.
--
He walked through the Gate and he looked around the Gate room. That had been too easy. Only a moment before, he had been held prisoner in Aten's chambers.
"Nick!" Lena cried as she ran toward him.
"Lena…stay back…" He said, afraid of what might happen. However, his voice was gravelly like that of the demon that had held him captive.
"Nick?" She asked hesitantly, stopping instantly.
Jack and Sam arrived into the gate room and Nick looked at Jack. "Why am I here? Why did you let me come through the Gate?"
"Why shouldn't we?" Jack asked, one eyebrow raised.
"Because I am a servant of the one true god, Aten." The voice within him spoke with overwhelming forcefulness.
"Nick? What are you talking about?" Lena asked, a nervous smile on her face. "Stop acting like that, Nick…" She stepped toward him, but Jack pulled her back.
"Don't."
"Jack, it's my husband!"
"No, Lena…he's the antithesis of your husband."
Nick lunged at his wife, pulling her into a headlock, and placing a gun to her head. "You breathe a word of this to anyone, and she will die." He said, his eyes flashing yellow.
"Nick, you don't want to kill your wife…"
The more human part of him looked at his wife, his heart breaking in two. He fought against himself – Jekyll versus Hyde – as he tried to save her from the awful fate that awaited her in his hands. He would release her if it was the last thing he did.
His whole body shook with the effort of the battle. His mind against the mind of another trapped inside his body. Horrific images were replayed in his mind over and over. Thousands of innocent slaves dying by one word uttered from his mouth, mercenaries running in fear from his guard…
His hold on his wife increased and he could feel her tears run down his arm. "Nick." She gasped. "You don't want to do this…"
"Nick, the Tok'ra can help you." Jack said, walking slowly toward him.
"Take another step, and I will shoot!" He could feel his lips move in utterance of the awful threat, but he was as surprised as the rest in the room by the words that they spoke.
Jack stopped for a moment. "Nick…you know that I wouldn't try to hurt you…"
Nick was still struggling to keep the symbiote from pulling the trigger on his wife, but a train whistle was summoned from the depths of his mind. In his surprise, he retreated for a moment. It was the window of opportunity that the symbiote had been waiting for. A single bullet entered Lena's temple, and she fell in his arms.
"NO!" Nick said, seeing only the sight of his wife's limp body in his arms, and not the evil grin of the goa'uld towering over him.
"Lena…please, darling…don't die."
He had collapsed to the ground only to see her death through his own eyes. The look of horror was frozen on her face as her blood trickled down his arms. She had already breathed her last breath, and Nick wanted to die. He caressed her face one last time before he stood.
"Kill me." He commanded. "I've killed her…now kill me."
Aten looked at the dancer smugly. "Oh, that won't be necessary."
He nodded for the Jaffa to retrieve the symbiote again. The symbiote was feisty and Aten only smiled evilly in triumph. "He will suffer for his insolence."
Nick seemed to regain his composure enough to see the symbiote coming toward him. He tried to hit the arm of the Jaffa but the Jaffa counteracted, and before long, the symbiote was burrowing into Nick's neck, sending him once again to a desolate island of dreams.