It wasn't the cold metal grate of the ramp onto which they fell, but the smooth, slightly warm floor of an Asgard ship. In all the commotion he hadn't noticed the brilliant white light which had bathed them as Lalia's weight and the heavy cast on his leg disrupted his balance sending them tumbling onto the ramp. He glanced up at Thor who was stood a few meters away.

"'bout time you turned up"

Thor looked at him thoughtfully, studying the woman in his arms.

"Come O'Neill. I will heal your wounds and those of your companion, and then you must rest. We will talk later"

____________________________________________________________

Jack stretched slowly; it felt like heaven to be without the heavy casts for the first time in weeks. He tested the flexibility in both his arm and leg and suspected that they may just be stronger than before. He smiled down at Lalia who still slept at his side and rose slowly, going in search of Thor.

He made his way to the main control room of the ship, striding over to the large windows which showed the green, blue mass of earth far below, before turning to look at Thor.

"Great timing, as always, little buddy"

Thor inclined his head slightly.

"Your wounds were caused by the weapons of your own people"

Jack nodded "Some of them"

"Your companion is intriguing; my scans show that she possesses a mental ability above that which is normal for your race. Your own mind too has evolved since the last time we spoke."

"And that, is exactly what I wanted to talk to you about"

"Indeed?"

He leaned back slightly, resting his back against the enormous windows and began to retell everything that had happened over the last few weeks. Thor listened silently, his large black eyes blinking occasionally. When he had finished the small alien simply nodded and began to tap away at the central control, images began to appear on the screen, few of which Jack understood.

"Freya was fascinated by the emotion which you call love and carried out various experiments many hundreds of years ago with the humans on the planet of which you speak"

"Ah you guys and your genetic tinkering"

"Every human mind has the capacity for the abilities of which you speak, some more than others. Freya began to work on unlocking these powers, believing that the connection of two minds, powered by strong emotions, such as love, could be the next step in finding the salvation of our race. But the people of this planet feared the gifts which Freya had given them and began to exterminate the few that possessed such power. It is probable that Lalia's ancestors were of the few to receive Freya's gift, how they survived I cannot say. In time Freya abandoned the experiment, thinking the human race to still be too primitive and warlike to continue with this line of investigation."

"So where do I come into all of this?"

"When we first met I suspected that your mind was capable of more than you allowed"

"Doesn't everyone"

"Your contact with Lalia has served to unlock your latent power"

"Why can she hear everybody's thoughts while I could only see what Daniel, Carter, Teal'c and Hammond were thinking?"

"Your mind has only just begun to comprehend its new strength, it is reasonable to assume that you are easier connected with those who are closest to you. In time your abilities will grow and become more powerful that even those of your companion"

"The NID are gunna love that!"

"Indeed it seems you have a dilemma. She cannot exist in your world any more than you in hers and yet it is vital that you are not separated"

"Why?"

"Apart from your obvious feelings of love towards this woman, your mind is now connected to hers and I do not know what the consequences would be if you were separated for any length of time"

"And you think we might be the missing link to your little problem"

Thor nodded, "This also is true"

Jack turned and looked out the window again, study the planet below. Ten years ago, he never would have believed that he would be standing here now, in love with a woman who was technically an extraterrestrial. Earth had had to make some leaps of faith in the last few years; from thinking they were alone in the universe to planning colonies on other planets.

He almost heard the penny drop. Smiling he turned to Thor.

"I've got an idea and I'm gunna need your help in talking some people round"