Author's Note: To Aya C, Thanks so much for your review. It means a lot to get a note from readers saying they like the story. All you who read but don't review, keep this in mind. It gives us writers a reason to write and keep the story flowing! ~lg

SGA SGA SGA SGA

The snake called for a few new Jaffa to escort Anna and the Marines to his ship in orbit. She wasn't surprised, and she wished she could establish some sort of radio contact with Sheppard and Evan. According to the plan, they should be waiting to follow this ship into hyperspace. But the Jaffa took her medical kit, radio, and the weapons she'd allowed herself to carry. The ATA retrovirus, however, was hidden in a secret pouch next to her skin. They didn't search her well enough to find it.

They were saving her for Nephthys. Anna knew this and tried to keep all signs of distress from her face. She'd learned a lot from Evan in the last month, and she tried to affect his nonchalance in the face of danger. She wasn't sure she managed it, but, as the Marines came to, she greeted them dispassionately.

Being ordered to take a dive for the sake of the mission had to grate on their nerves, Anna realized as the ship jumped into hyperspace. Their commander, a man who introduced himself as Major Daniels, eyed her. "You'll be fine, ma'am."

She chose to accept the reassurance rather than reminding the man that she knew Nephthys rather personally. "I know."

Silence descended as they waited, no one wanting to dwell on what their possible fate might be. Anna knew enough to know that Nephthys would keep Daniels and his men for the sake of breaking her will to survive, if the snake didn't implant her with another symbiote just to mine her mind for knowledge of the ATA gene. And that knowledge had grown. In the time that she had spent creating the ATA retrovirus, she had also discovered some things that might help her make the gene therapy available to more people. That knowledge could become a valuable bargaining chip.

Hours later, the ship dropped out of hyperspace, and another contingent of Jaffa came for Anna. They refused to allow the Marines to accompany her, and she gave Daniels what she hoped was a reassuring smile. This was part of the plan, after all. And, if Sheppard's part had gone according to plan, he and Evan were somewhere around here, just waiting for the opportunity to follow her. Rather than allowing her worry to show, she held her head high as the Jaffa escorted her to a set of transporter rings.

Once on the planet, Anna shook off the memories of the times she'd used the rings in the past and walked peacefully in the middle of the Jaffa. She might be scared out of her mind, but she decided to keep her head up. After all, if a team of Marines could allow themselves to be captured when they obviously could have taken their opponent, she could face Nephthys. She needed to face Nephthys. As her relationship with Evan deepened, she had discovered this need to put her time as Nephthys's host in the past.

The palace Nephthys occupied wasn't one of typical Goa'uld design, although signs of Goa'uld occupation could be seen. But, this was different. Rather than gaudy gold with Egyptian hieroglyphs, this palace boasted a number of Ancient designs. Most of these had probably been discovered after Nephthys came to the Pegasus galaxy. Anna still wondered how the snake escaped the Tok'ra, but she didn't let that show. Instead, she kept her chin up and her back straight right up until the Jaffa presented her to a man dressed in a dashing black suit and cloak.

Nephthys turned, and his eyes lit at the sight of her. "A welcome sight." He folded his arms across his chest, his ribbon device catching the light of the candles around him. "Welcome, Anna, to my kingdom."

She didn't look at him.

He circled her, looking up and down her body. "You have changed in the last year."

"So have you," she returned. She couldn't help it. "I never knew you went for guys."

Nephthys laughed. "Yes, it is quite a change for me." He studied his hands as if he'd never seen them before. "But it is a change I enjoy. Jaffa!"

The men who brought her to this twisted throne room stepped forward and used their staff weapons to knock her to her knees. Nephthys grinned. "Better. So much better. Now, where were we?"

"I think you were about to tell me what a lucky girl I was to be brought to you," Anna said sarcastically. This is part of the plan, she told herself. Just keep him talking until Sheppard and Evan show up. Then you can administer the retrovirus and go home. Ironically, she didn't picture Earth when she thought of home.

Nephthys laughed again. "What changed you?" He returned to his seat on the dais in front of her. "I rather like this change."

"You would," Anna muttered.

"Yes, I believe you will do." He stood and motioned for a woman to carry a canister into the room. "How ironic is it, my dear, that you once served as my host? Now, you will become my queen."

SGA SGA SGA SGA

Lorne stirred when the Goa'uld ship dropped out of hyperspace. Sheppard, who had actually drifted to sleep, sat up suddenly and blinked. Lorne knew better than to interpret that as carelessness. Everyone in the Jumper understood the risk that Anna had taken, and all of them were committed to getting her back alive and alone. That last thought caused Lorne to clench his jaw in an attempt to remain calm in front of his men. He could come apart later, when he was alone.

Sheppard retracted the Jumper's drive pods and carefully left the Goa'uld ship behind. Then, they waited until McKay's computer beeped. "Okay," the scientist said. "They've taken her to the planet."

Sheppard didn't wait for anyone to speak to him. He plotted in the coordinates that McKay gave him and found a place to set the Jumper down. Then, he stood and collected his TAC vest and P90 from Teyla. "Two teams of four. Stay in stealth mode. Lorne, stay in constant contact. If you get the chance, stun Nephthys. I want Brandt alive, if possible."

"Yes, Sir." Lorne checked the Beretta strapped to one leg and the taser strapped to the other. The last time the Atlantis expedition had faced down a snake, Sheppard had disabled the symbiote long enough for Caldwell to give them his command code. He hoped to do the same with Nephthys, though he wasn't above killing Brandt to rescue Anna. That thought should have disturbed him, but he refused to dwell on it. If Sheppard could kill his CO in an act of mercy, then he could kill a man under his command to save the woman he loved. Lorne pushed all other personal objections from his mind.

The two teams left the Jumper, and Lorne took point as they headed for Nephthys's castle. This one was different from the one where the snake had taken Brandt. From the way Sheppard described it, this palace was larger and a lot more ornate. The gaudy decorations typical of Goa'uld dwellings were absent, but there was plenty of bling to go around. Lorne ironically noted that, should all the Ancient artifacts on display come to life, he would likely be blinded by the brilliant light that usually accompanied them.

While Sheppard had assigned them to take the back door, they still encountered resistance first. A blast from a staff weapon bounced off of the wall next to his head, and Lorne dropped to one knee and returned fire. Two Jaffa fell, but two more took their place. Sheppard spoke through the radio, asking what had happened to stealth mode. "Sorry, Sir," Lorne said as he finished off another Jaffa. "They were guarding the back door."

"Sheppard." Ronon's voice came over the radio, and Lorne heard the tell-tale sounds of the Satedan's big gun firing at someone.

"Crap." Sheppard fired off a few rounds. "Lorne, find the doc."

As if he needed to be told that. He checked the device McKay had given him to track Anna's transmitter and motioned toward the right. His team followed, Reed and a Marine assigned for this mission dutifully ending any Jaffa who tried to follow. Lorne kept his P90 at the ready, his finger never far from the trigger. If the Daedalus hadn't been out on assignment, this would have been slightly easier. They could have waited for Anna to give an all clear and beamed her out. But, as it was, they had to search this palace room by room to find her.

Without warning, Lorne found a staircase leading up. He passed the information to Sheppard and started to climb. Most of the bottom level of this palace seemed to be servants quarters and barracks, anyway. The most likely chance of finding Nephthys would be to climb the stairs. Sheppard replied that he copied and would follow as soon as Ronon finished playing with the Jaffa.

Upstairs, they encountered even heavier resistance. But their efforts were rewarded. A Goa'uld, presumably Nephthys, screamed orders as Jaffa raced to barricade the intruders from their god. Lorne had no problem with clearing the path courtesy of his P90. He'd brought extra ammunition just for this task. The fallout would come, eventually. Right now, however, he focused on the mission.

When they reached the "throne room," Nephthys held Anna in front of him, and several Jaffa blocked their path. Reed and Coughlin eliminated them, freeing Lorne to face down a snake using the body of a former subordinate officer. Anna stared at him, her eyes filled with both relief and fear.

Nephthys snorted. "Is this all that Atlantis sends me? A mere messenger boy?" He readjusted Anna, betraying his knowledge of just how lethal Lorne could be. "I am not one to be trifled with."

"Really?" Lorne shrugged. "Because this is the first time I've ever met you." He was tempted to add that he'd never heard of Nephthys, but he couldn't do that to Anna. He respected her too much to make light of her experiences. "Quite honestly, I'm not too thrilled with you now that we've met."

"Insolence will get you nowhere." Nephthys tightened his grip on Anna's shoulders. "You, of all people, should know that, Major. You've faced us in the past."

Lorne nodded. "Yeah, and, if memory serves, my people won. Or did you not get the memo?" He noticed Anna's fingers working their way to the hidden retrovirus and knew that the task of keeping the snake occupied fell to him.

"You will regret your words, Major."

"Will I?" Lorne allowed a predatory smile to escape as Sheppard's voice in his ear told him they had the lower level secured. "Unless I'm mistaken, we have you surrounded, and your Jaffa are being defeated as we speak."

"I can at least kill Brandt and Travis."

"Yeah, but you won't." Lorne hoped his words came across as arrogance. "Brandt has the gene you crave, and Travis knows more about it than anyone in this galaxy. You're bluffing."

"Am I?" Nephthys drew himself up to his full height. "I am a god, Major. A god among men. I do not bluff."

Still on her knees, Anna finally let out a slight chuckle. "There is a God, Nephthys." When her words distracted the snake, she plunged the unnoticed syringe into his leg. "You're not Him!"

Nephthys roared, releasing her and raising the ribbon device, it's jewel already glowing. "You will pay for your insolence!" he shouted.

The next few seconds passed in a blur. Anna ducked out of the way as Lorne pulled the taser. Coughlin shot the ribbon device-and Brandt's hand, preventing him from attacking them. And Lorne fired the taser, it's electrical shock knocking Nephthys to the ground. He let off for a moment, just enough to see if the snake would reestablish control. It did, and he repeated the procedure until Brandt finally fell unconscious.

With the threat neutralized, Lorne threw military protocol out the window. Sheppard ran into the room, having heard the shouting and come running. Reed and Coughlin secured Nephthys/Brandt and prepared to take him back to Atlantis. And Anna climbed to her feet, looking shell-shocked. Her eyes wandered from their captive to Lorne, and she nearly knocked him over as she threw herself into his arms.

The radio crackled to life at that moment. "Colonel Sheppard, this is Caldwell. I got word of your mission. Need a hand?"

Sheppard grinned slightly. "Yeah, we could use the help. Get our guys off that ship in orbit."

"Already done," Caldwell assured them. "How is Dr. Travis?"

Sheppard eyed the corner where Anna still hadn't let go of Lorne. "She's fine, Colonel. A little preoccupied, but otherwise okay."

"Good to hear."

"Listen, beam up everyone but my team. We'll return to the Jumper and meet you in orbit." When Caldwell agreed, he touched his ear. "Sheppard out."

Lorne released Anna, and she stepped back just as the world disappeared in a flash of white. Moments later, they stood on the command deck of the Daedalus, watching Anna's team of Marines gladly take Nephthys into custody. Caldwell watched him go. "The preparations for Nephthys's removal are already in the works. Brandt should be back to himself before we reach Atlantis." He turned to where Anna still held Lorne's hand. "You okay, Doctor?"

She smiled suddenly, and Lorne buried his grin. "Yeah, I am. Thank you, Colonel."

"Sir," Marks interrupted. "We've got Colonel Sheppard and the Jumper."

"Very well," Caldwell said as he returned to his seat. "Set course for Atlantis."

Lorne led Anna from the bridge, knowing that any number of briefings and possibly a trip to Earth were in their future. But that didn't matter now. She was alive, safe, and with him. As long as those three requirements were met, he would remain a happy man.