Author Notes: Hey guys! This version is easier to read than the last version I submitted. It's the same story, but I think it is formatted better. Yeah, there is still violence and minor character deaths, and be warned that there are spoilers in this story. Otherwise, please enjoy. If you have time, I'd love feedback. Thanks!

Part One - The Test

"Hey stranger."

Doctor Daniel Jackson looked up from his cluttered desk where he had been writing in his journal to see Doctor Janet Fraiser leaning in the doorframe. She had a smile on her face, but disapproval in her eyes.

"Dr. Fraiser," Daniel started, capping his pen, closing his journal, half-standing before he frowned. "Am I sick?"

Janet chuckled. "Look, just because I came around to check up on you does not mean I'm worried about you relapsing. I didn't come here to ask if you were still having migraines, if you were still having nightmares, or even if you've been getting enough sleep." Somehow, Daniel didn't believe her.

"Well, I'm not having migraines, I'm not having nightmares, and after what Osiris put me through, I think I've had enough sleep for the entire base," he assured her. Janet nodded, some of her disapproval fading from her eyes as she entered the office.

"That's good," she said. "Hey, I may be your doctor, but do I really need a medical excuse to come by and see you once and awhile?"

"Of course not," Daniel told her, feeling his body relax a little bit more then it would have around any other medical doctor. Janet smiled before gesturing to his journal.

"Keeping busy? You've been pretty much a recluse Daniel. Either staying hidden away in your office or in the infirmary. Your team is getting worried about you."

"Tell me about it," Daniel rolled his eyes, bitter sarcasm rolling off his tongue. "In the past week, I've seen Sam twice while Jack's made an appearance at least eighty-four times, every time distracted, bored to tears, and ready for any mission. Teal'c drops by every once and awhile, showing more concern in his famous stoicism than I've seen in Jack's with all of his little visits combined together."

"That bad?" Janet couldn't help but laugh. "Well, at least Teal'c's getting worried about you. As for Jack and Sam, all I can say in their defense is that Sam's feeling the same way you are. You haven't exactly been visiting her to provide her with your sympathy either."

Daniel bit his lip and stared guiltily at his desk. Janet had a point. Sam had checked up on Daniel, and Daniel had checked up on Sam. But other than that, he hadn't taken the time to meet detective Shanahan and she hadn't gone to visit Sarah.

"And as for Jack," Janet grinned mischievously. "Off the record, I'm not too sure he's thrilled with Sam's new boyfriend."

"He'd disagree with you there," Daniel told her. "But yeah. I think he's eager to get SG-1 back on active duty so that he can have Sam to himself again."

"Well, he might have to wait a while longer," Janet replied. "Detective Shanahan is definitely making progress since last week, but I'm not letting him out of the infirmary until I've had farther observation on him. Getting shot by Osiris will take time to recover, and Sam won't want to leave his side. It's the same story with you and Miss Gardner."

"Yeah," Daniel nodded, his thoughts turning to Sarah once more. He had once loved her, a long time ago. Though that time had long since past, he still held great concern for her, and being taken as Osiris's host only heightened that concern. Now she was free, but hadn't yet been authorized leave from the SGC infirmary. She had been traumatized, and no one blamed her for wanting to remain in the safety of Cheyenne Mountain. Janet had recognized her insecurity at the thought of returning to the outside world, and had told General Hammond that Sarah was not yet healthy enough to travel. Nor was she healthy enough to be questioned, especially by the NID, who of course would love to interrogate the one time host of the dead Goa'uld. It was Janet's way of protecting her, and, being who she was, and understanding what Sarah meant to Daniel, she would protect the young woman at all costs.

"How long do you think she'll be in the infirmary?" Daniel asked, glancing at Janet and silently noting the pain in her eyes.

"Oh it's hard to say," Janet told him. "Sarah was taken as a Host outside the mountain, and probably feels she's safest here. She should see a psychiatrist, but before she does that, NID will want to have a little chat with her. Actually, they've been wanting to chat with her for awhile now. They've been pushing Hammond to push me to allow her guests. Officially, she isn't fit to see anyone without my clearance... Unofficially, it's up to her. I'm not letting her out of the infirmary until she's ready to leave. She's been through a lot."

"She has," Daniel nodded. "Thank you. I can't tell you how much I appreciate what you're doing for her."

Anything for you, Daniel, Janet thought to herself. Daniel was studying her face and could easily distinguish the pain in her eyes.

"Are you okay?" he asked her. Janet glanced at him sharply, realizing she had let her guard down, and immediately pulling it back up. When everyone else at the SGC had gone crazy, she had to be the rational one. She couldn't let anyone, especially Daniel, see her fears and her pain. She didn't want anyone to know that, by saving Sarah Gardner, she was terrified that she would lose Daniel again... this time to another woman. She had lost him when he had ascended, lost him when he returned with no memory, and now she feared she would lose him to Sarah.

She sighed. "I've been busy, Daniel. Sarah is one of the toughest patients I've ever treated. She's physically healthy, but too weak to even crawl out of bed. You've seen her. It's hard knowing that she should be celebrating over he new found freedom, but is too scared and too lost to even smile. The guilt that she must be feeling... It's hard."

"I know," Daniel agreed, accepting her words. Janet let out a very soft breath of relief. Though what she had told Daniel was entirely truthful, he was still unaware that anything else had been bothering her.

"So," Janet said, changing the topic. "How 'bout you? How long are you going to stay hidden away in your office?"

Daniel shrugged. "Until Sarah's better. I want to be easy to contact if she needs me or if something comes up. I've been working in this." He gestured to the journal he had been writing in before Janet had interrupted him. "Something for her to read. I think it might be easier for both of us if she read about what we do here. I'd give her our mission reports, but those are a little too formal and some of them classified. Even to her."

"Daniel," Janet said slowly. "Everybody can appreciate what you are doing for Sarah. I know I just told you that the colonel would have to wait awhile longer for a mission, but I think I should request SG-1 put back on active duty."

"What? Why?" Daniel looked at her curiously. Janet glanced at the desk, knowing this would be difficult for him. He couldn't stand to leave the base knowing that Sarah was here. And now Janet was suggesting that he go thousands of light years away to some distant planet on a mission!

"Daniel, Jack is going out of his mind, and I think Teal'c would be too if Teal'c wasn't so disciplined," Janet told him. "Hammond hasn't offered them leave, God only knows why, and even if he did, they wouldn't take it and leave you and Sam here. And I know the only way the two of you are leaving the base is if it's on a mission. Now you are both fine, and detective Shanahan and Miss Gardner will be all right. It is time SG-1 got back to business."

Daniel sighed and shook his head unhappily. "I get what you're saying, Janet. Do I have to appreciate it?" Janet smiled.

"Not now," she compromised. "But I expect some gratification when you get back. Besides, if you come back with a new injury, I'll see to it you're roomed with Sarah. I promise she'll still be here when you get back."

"Well then," Daniel walked with Janet out of his office. "I suppose it's time for me to meet Sam's boyfriend."

• * *

Major Samantha Carter sat in a chair next to detective Pete Shanahan in his private room at the SGC. Close enough to the infirmary to still be considered under Dr. Fraiser's observation, Pete was making a lot of headway with the injury Osiris had inflicted upon him. He had lost track of the time since that little showdown, but Sam said it had only been about a week. Though he could sit up and talk, he wasn't allowed out of his bed and had a feeling he would still be here for at least a month. Still, Sam had been telling him of the Stargate, and the adventures she had been on, and he was so fascinated with it that he was certain he could lie here for an entire year, just listening to her describe it.

"So... what?" he asked her, his amazement shining in his eyes. "The day kept repeating itself over and over again?"

"You see scenarios like that in the movies all the time," Sam said cheerfully. "Of course, I had no idea it had happened. It had only been one day for me. Jack and Teal'c, however... I thought they might have been clinically insane. I'm not sure any of us would have believed them if the tok'ra hadn't informed us that we were out of the loop for three straight months."

Pete was chuckling. "I wonder if they did anything crazy. I mean, the day started over and over again. No consequences."

"Yeah," Sam said, looking suddenly thoughtful. "Daniel asked Jack about that. I don't think the colonel ever told us one way or another what he and Teal'c had done to amuse themselves."

There was a slight knock on the door, and Sam and Pete both looked up to see Daniel poke his head in. "Is this a bad time?"

"Hey," Sam stood and smiled at the sight of her friend. "No, come in. I haven't seen you in awhile."

Daniel walked in and shut the door behind him. "Doc says I'm turning into a recluse, hiding out in my office. She also said we both need to get out more, or Jack'll lose it."

"Can't have that, can we?" Sam grinned at the thought. She turned to Pete. "Pete, this is my colleague, Daniel Jackson. Daniel, this is Pete Shanahan."

"Sam speaks highly of you," Pete said as Daniel walked forward and shook the detective's hand. Daniel glanced sideways at Sam.

"Well... Thanks." He looked back at Pete. "I've heard a lot about you, too." He glanced apologetically at Sam again. "From Jack mostly." Sam nodded, and bit her lip. It was no secret that the colonel had a grudge against Pete. After all, the man had dug into Sam's personal private background, had practically stalked her through Colorado Springs, and showed up at Daniel's house in time to watch Osiris make her escape attempt, and risked Sam's own life while obtaining the serious injury he was presently recovering from. That and the fact that he's Sam's boyfriend. Jack was probably hoping Sam would dump this guy for his little investigation.

"So how's Sarah?" Sam asked, deciding to change the topic. She immediately regretted the question, knowing how hard the whole affair had been - and still was - on the archeologist. However, Daniel didn't seem to mind.

"She's doing better," he told her. "I'm going to go see her next. I think... it might help her to see you, Sam." Daniel could tell Sam seemed uncomfortable by the idea, so he quickly explained himself. "She'll always remember what Osiris forced her to do. She doesn't really recognize anyone from before except for Janet and me. She'd recognize you, if you went and talked to her. Let her know she's not the evil thing that Osiris was." Sam glanced at the floor, and Daniel couldn't understand why she seemed to dread Sarah so much.

"I don't get it," Pete said, failing to observe the sensitivity surrounding this conversation. "Shouldn't she be really happy to have that thing out of her head? I mean, if I were in her place, I'd be celebrating."

"It isn't that simple," Sam told him quickly, seeing how Pete's words seemed to sting Daniel. "She couldn't stop Osiris from forcing her to do a world of evil. She's hurting right now because of all the guilt she feels. Sure, she's glad she's finally free, but that doesn't make up for what she feels she is responsible for. She hurt you Pete. And she's hurt many, many others. It isn't her fault... but she feels violated and guilty, not to mention terrified that it might happen again."

"Which is why you should go see her," Daniel said. "She hurt you in Egypt. She'd want to know you've forgiven her."

"Daniel," Sam was looking at the floor again. "She has done nothing for me to forgive. It's... what I did."

Daniel frowned. "What are you talking about?"

Sam sighed and glanced quickly at Pete. "Will you be okay? I need to talk to Daniel for a minute."

"Sam," Pete said in a serious, understanding voice. "I'm a cop. I think I can survive without you for at least a couple of hours." Sam offered him a grateful smile.

"Thanks." Pete nodded and Sam led Daniel out into the hall. It was quiet, and no one was around to listen in after Sam had closed Pete's door.

"I like him," Daniel told her after a moment of awkward silence. Sam glanced up at him and smiled.

"Yeah, he's all right," she admitted, allowing some humor to slip into her voice. But Daniel could tell it was forced.

"Sam, what's wrong?" he asked her gently. Sam glanced away from him again, which only confused Daniel more. When they talked, they were always able to keep eye contact.

"Daniel, shortly after you ascended," she finally told him. "SG-1 was sent on a mission to rescue Thor from the Goa'uld."

"Yes, I remember reading about that," he still wasn't sure what this had to do with anything. "It was a successful mission."

"Yeah," Sam bit her lip. "I might have left out a few minor details. Osiris found me when I was alone in the lab."

"What?" Daniel started, obviously surprised. "Did he hurt you?"

"It was over a year ago," Sam replied, shrugging off Daniel's concern. "And it wasn't anything I hadn't handled before. Jack and Teal'c knew some Jaffa had found me down there, but they didn't need to know about Osiris. Since they never figured it out, I guess any injuries I received from him weren't that terrible."

"Why didn't you tell anybody?" Daniel demanded, shaking his head. He finally met her gaze and held it. There was pain in her eyes.

"Because the first thing Osiris asked me was where you were," she told him. Daniel wasn't sure how to respond, and Sam kept talking. "I told Osiris that you were dead. That was not what he was expecting. And it wasn't what Sarah was expecting, and their response certainly wasn't what I was expecting."

"Their response?" Daniel asked, and Sam ran a hand through her hair.

"Every time we come face to face with a Goa'uld who has taken a host of someone we care about, no matter what we say, the Goa'uld responds with arrogance and cruelty. When Jack tried speaking to Skaara, all he got from the Goa'uld was laughter. I told Osiris that you were dead, and he said on instinct that I was lying." Sam took a minute to gather her thoughts, but Daniel still wasn't sure how he was going to react to all of this. Sam continued, "That in itself might not be so unusual. Of course I would lie to protect you. But when I looked into Sarah's eyes, there was pain, fear, and despair filling them. Osiris did not have as much control over Sarah as he would have liked, because he allowed her to show grief. I had never seen anything like it before in my life. I said what I said because I didn't feel the need to be tortured over a matter of where you were hiding. I didn't mean to be the cause of Sarah's despair. And knowing that you were dead must have brought her a lot of despair."

"Sam," Daniel could see her struggling over this. He took her hand and held it gently.

"I hurt Sarah more than she could ever have hurt me," Sam told him. "She obviously hated Osiris, and the thought of you was what kept her going day after day. I know that because I could see all her hopes fall when I told her you were dead. And it was a lie because you are alive and you are the one who saved her. I don't hate her. But she has every reason to hate me."

"Sam," Daniel cut in gently. "I think the only things she hates are Osiris and every other Goa'uld she's ever met." He would have said more, but the intercom sounded, requesting SG-1's presence in the Control Room.

"You know what that's about?" Sam asked quietly as she and Daniel made their way through the halls and corridors.

"Janet wants SG-1 back on active duty," he told her. Sam made an irritated face that caused Daniel to smile. "She wants to get our minds off of her patients and back on Anubis."

"I suppose that's understandable," Sam allowed. "System Lords and other powerful Goa'uld aren't going to slow down and wait for us to get back in the game. I can imagine Anubis was angry to learn about Osiris's death."

"Yep."

• * *

"P49-H213 is the home of the Pleikans," General Hammond briefed SG-1 once the team had finally gathered together. Teal'c had been the first to arrive, sitting at the conference table impassively. Colonel Jack O'Neill had been the next to show, eager to get the team off world. He had obviously gotten over Pete Shanahan the first few hours after meeting him. Time to move on.

"The Tok'ra and the Pleikans have had an understanding for several hundred years," Hammond informed them. "They have given us the address to the Pleikan world and have strongly urged us to meet with the Pleikan leaders and try to establish an alliance between them and Earth."

"Sir, shouldn't we send a team more qualified with negotiations?" Sam asked, preferring to remain at the SGC with Pete.

"Under normal circumstances, we would," Hammond replied. "However, the Tok'ra have informed us that the Pleikans are a little selective towards who is and is not qualified to be an ally. It was your father, Major Carter, who strongly suggested we send the best we had. And that would be SG-1."

"Sorry Carter," Jack grinned gleefully. "Earth could always use more allies, and we're the team for the job!"

"Umm, if I may ask," Daniel cut in, looking confused. "Why did the Tok'ra wait so long to share knowledge of the Pleikans? If they are potential allies, they might have been useful a long time ago."

"Like I said," Hammond replied patiently. "They are selective of their allies. More so than even the Tok'ra. The Tok'ra probably haven't felt we were prepared for an alliance with the Pleikans before now."

"And all of a sudden we're... prepared?" Daniel wasn't sure he bought it, and glanced at Jack. The colonel had a frown on his face that showed he wasn't buying it either. It had to have been taking him a lot of self-discipline to keep from offering some unnecessary retort. Man, was this guy desperate!

"Dr. Jackson, SG-1 has been the cause of more than one System Lord's downfall," Hammond reminded him. "The Tok'ra can no longer deny that the tau'ri are useful allies. You yourself have been able to ascend, which the Tok'ra consider quite the accomplishment. They believe we all could benefit greatly if this alliance was formed. However, it is up for the Pleikans to decide whether or not they want to work at our side. Which is why we are sending SG-1. No matter what everyone else says, I have faith that you are the ones capable of pulling this off."

"Thank you sir," Jack said deliberately before glancing at Teal'c. "So... what do you know about the Pleikans?"

"Very little," Teal'c replied. "They are a powerful race, almost the equal of the Asgard. However, they do not fight the way we do. They are more subtle. The System Lords show the Pleikans little concern, though it is the Pleikans who have caused much of the System Lords' great trouble."

"Do you think we could benefit from an alliance with the Pleikans?" Hammond asked the Jaffa curiously.

"Most certainly," Teal'c assured him.

"Then gear up," Hammond said commanded. "SG-1, you have a go."

• * *

Daniel hastened to finish packing his equipment. While Teal'c and Jack had both headed straight for the locker rooms, Sam had gone to see Pete and he had gone to explain to Sarah where he was going. Now he had less than ten minutes to finish gearing up and get to the gate.

"Hey, kiddo."

Daniel glanced over his shoulder to see Jack waiting for him, already set and ready to go.

"Glad to see you all happy, Jack," Daniel said as the colonel walked over to his side. Jack grinned.

"This has been the longest week of my life, Daniel," he told the archeologist. "Going off world definitely makes me happy. Especially since it's to a peaceful world where we can relax and not concern ourselves with the Goa'uld. Just talk our way into making ourselves some new buddies."

"Looking back, I seem to recall having the same idea when we decided to meet the Tok'ra," Daniel replied. "They held us prisoner even though Sam's dad was dying, and you have made it a point to convince everyone around you that our alliance with the Tok'ra is more of a burden than a convenience."

"Yeah," Jack saw Daniel's point. "But on the bright side. Not everyone can behave like the Tok'ra."

"And then there are our good friends on Kelowna," Daniel reminded the colonel. "With their bombs and radiation." Jack grimaced, and Daniel regretted bringing them up in their conversation.

"Those people are morons," Jack finally told his friend. "With the obvious exception of Jonas. Let's not forget what Teal'c told us. These Pleikan people are almost as advanced as the Asgard. And those guys I do love."

"But they're selective towards their allies," Daniel reminded him. "I'm seeing them as arrogant and much like the Tok'ra."

"When did you turn into such a pessimist, Daniel?" Jack demanded, studying his friend closely. Daniel laughed as he pulled on his backpack.

"I'm not," he admitted. "Just looking for ways to get you to confess you're only trying to get Sam as far away from Pete as possible."

"That obvious?"

"When do you ever agree to do something for the Tok'ra without complaint?" Daniel asked. Jack thought about that and shook his head.

"Perhaps my approach was a little amateur," he admitted. "Especially with people who know me so well. I just don't like this Pete Shanahan."

"Any particular reason why?" Daniel asked, throwing Jack a challenging glance. Jack just glared back as the two made their way towards the Embarkation Room.

"This has nothing to do with his relationship with Major Carter," Jack assured the archeologist in a rather stiff voice. "I'm happy she's happy. But that's beside the point. This guy put my team in danger because he wanted to breech security and find out what goes on in Cheyenne Mountain. If Osiris had killed Major Carter... As commanding officer of SG-1, it is my privilege to be a little peeved at the guy."

"A little?" Daniel grinned. Jack glared at him as they entered the Embarkation Room and went to stand beside Teal'c and Sam, who were waiting for the Chevrons to finish locking.

Hammond's voice came over the intercom as the seventh Chevron locked and the Stargate roared to life. "Godsend, SG-1. Come back safe with new friends."

Jack quickly looked over his team. "Ready to go?" With their confirmations, Jack faced the ramp and led his team once again through the Stargate.

• * *

"Colonel O'Neill?"

"That'd be me," Jack said, as his team stepped away from the Stargate and moved forward into an entirely new world.

Daniel quickly scanned his surroundings, awe already showing on his face and in his eyes. The planet looked similar to the world he had seen while under Amonet's ribbon device, right before she had been killed. SG-1 had been assigned to explore this planet, but shortly after their arrival, Daniel had abandoned his friends and gone through the Stargate to return to the place of Sha're's death. It had never happened, for everything he saw and did was part of Sha're's final message to him, spoken through the ribbon device. Jack and the others had never seen this world before, but Daniel had. The grass was purple, the trees were purple, and the sky had a lavender hue shaded into it. It was a very beautiful world... and Daniel's first thoughts were of Sha're.

Biting his lip, hoping to hide his pain, he turned to face the people who had welcomed them. There was a good number, probably at least a dozen waiting before the Stargate, obviously expecting SG-1. They wore purple robes that matched the grass and trees, and their hair was blonde, but with lavender highlights. Their skin was pale and creamy, and their eyes gray. They had defined faces that looked both intelligent and gentle. Daniel felt that they would be more like the peaceful Nox than the, as Jack sometimes put it, arrogant Tok'ra.

The Pleikan who was standing before the rest of his kind was once again addressing the team. "The Tok'ra have informed us that you would be coming. We have been expecting you for a while now."

"Well, if we're late," Jack shrugged. "Sorry." Daniel knew Jack was just trying to be polite. He probably couldn't care less if these guys considered him to be tardy. "Okay, you know who I am. This is Major Carter, Dr. Jackson, and Teal'c."

"I am Dedatra, councilor of the Pleikans," The alien introduced himself. He then gestured to a young woman who stood a little bit behind him and to his side. "This is Lethina, my beta councilor."

"You are most welcome on Pleikan," she told them, her voice both apathetic and gentle, with an almost musical like quality.

"Thank you," Jack said, nodding his head and turning to Daniel. "I told you this'd be easy. These guys are way cooler than the Tok'ra." Daniel just nodded, still too surprised at recognizing this planet.

"Come," Dedatra commanded. "We will take you into our village, and discuss our future relations." He turned and gestured for them to join him. Sam was the first to walk forward, and Teal'c followed. Jack glanced at Daniel with a frown, knowing that the archeologist was generally the first to mingle with an alien race. However, the younger man was still hanging back a ways, staring at some trees to his left, obviously preoccupied over something.

In his concern, Jack was about to call out to the archeologist, but Dedatra put a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Come," he urged the colonel. Jack watched as Lethina approached Daniel, and for now he accepted Dedatra's beckons and followed after the rest of the group. When he glanced over his shoulder, he saw Daniel and Lethina following, and decided to leave it alone for now. Still, he wondered what was on Daniel's mind, and had a strange feeling that Dedatra knew he was concerned over the other man.

A few paces behind Jack and Dedatra, Lethina was watching Daniel. "You have a look of familiarity about you," she finally told him. "I have not seen you before. But you seem to recognize my home."

"I think I've been here before," Daniel admitted, his voice distant, as though he was concentrating on something else and only half listening to her.

"That is impossible," she replied, though she didn't seem to think he was lying. "Or else I would recognize you as well. Why is it that none of your companions seem familiar with Pleikan?"

"Because they've never been here," Daniel frowned. "Neither have I. Not really. It was... like a dream, I guess."

"Your dreams brought you here?" Lethina seemed intrigued by that. Daniel glanced at her and saw that her eyes were shining.

"Dreams bring me many places," he told her, thinking about the dreams Osiris had plagued him with just a week earlier. It seemed, he suddenly thought to himself, that he dreamt more often under the influence of Goa'uld technology then not.

As they walked, Lethina and Daniel caught up with Dedatra and Jack, and shortly after the four of them caught up with the rest of the group. Daniel and Jack met up with Sam and Teal'c, while Lethina and Dedatra walked together, speaking in whispered voices.

"What do you guys make of it?" Sam asked, her voice full of wonder and excitement.

"So far so good," Jack replied. "They haven't called us primitive, young, unnecessary or childlike, so I'm thinking good thoughts."

"Appearances are not everything, O'Neill," Teal'c reminded the colonel. Jack nodded as they approached some hills and trees. The Pleikans led them up the hill.

"Well I'm not too worried yet," Jack said as they climbed. He glanced sideways at Daniel. "You know, you are being uncharacteristically quiet. Don't tell me you aren't fascinated by these guys." They reached the top of the hill and Daniel didn't respond. He stared straight ahead with wide eyes, and Jack immediately followed his gaze. Laid out before them was a large metropolis! It stretched far into the distance, both left and right. All the buildings seemed to have the same lavender tone as everything else on this planet did, and there didn't appear to be any pollution or combustion at all. Everything in the city was clean, peaceful, and beautiful.

"Wow," Sam said in fascination as she and Jack both moved a few paces forward. Sam glanced at Dedatra and the other Pleikans and saw both amusement and approval in their eyes. "This place is... I don't even know how to... It's amazing!"

"It is hard to believe the Goa'uld would leave a world such as this free and in its own accord," Teal'c said, glancing at Dedatra.

"My people have lived on this planet for many of your centuries," Dedatra explained. "We have existed longer than the Goa'uld. They have never been and are not a threat to us."

"You guys friends with the Asgard?" Jack asked, curiously.

"We are," Dedatra inclined his head. "And like the Asgard, we seek to protect those that can not protect themselves. However, our methods are different from theirs. Please continue." Dedatra motioned for the group to follow the path down the hill and into the city.

As they walked, Dedatra continued to speak. "You are tau'ri. Thousands of years ago, it was from your world that the Goa'uld found their hosts and slaves. But before that, they were a dying race."

"This we know," Jack said, wondering what this guy's point was. He glanced at Daniel, who was listening to the Pleikan with great intensity. "They couldn't find proper hosts, right?"

"The Goa'uld found the tau'ri before my people did," Dedatra said, suddenly sounding apologetic. "If we had found your kind first, then you would also have been made to be unfit hosts for the Goa'uld."

"Wait a minute," Daniel spoke up. "You're the reason the Goa'uld couldn't find proper hosts, and therefore were dying out?"

"That is correct," Dedatra confirmed. "We do not agree with the Goa'uld methods of survival. However, not all Goa'uld are unmoral, as the Tok'ra have shown you. And taking hosts is the only way for the Goa'uld to survive. Therefore, we do not fight them openly the way some races do. We do not fight to eliminate them simply because we do not agree with their behavior. You must understand that, if we are to be allies, we will not be fighting side by side with you on some distant battleground."

"If we are to be allies," Sam asked as they entered the city. Pleikans filled the streets, doing simple things such as regular chores, gardening, or, in the case of the children, simply playing. No one seemed to be in a particular hurry, and many paused to greet Dedatra and the strange team from earth. "What can we expect?"

"We offer shelter to our allies," Dedatra replied as they continued walking forward. "If there is ever a need for you to leave your home, you can come here until we can find you a suitable new world. The Tok'ra have benefited from this more than once."

"I can imagine," Jack grumbled. The Tok'ra constantly seemed to be on the move to new planets to avoid the Goa'uld.

"We will also provide you with a very limited supply of defensive technology," Dedatra continued. "None of the technology we may give you can be used as weapons. We do not provide anyone with anything that can be used in a destructive manner. That is about all we can do for you."

"What would you expect of us in return?" Teal'c asked, and his team immediately glanced curiously at Dedatra. Of course there was a price for everything. Dedatra glanced at Lethina before gesturing to a large building to his right. He led SG-1 through an open door into the building.

They found themselves standing in a large, circular room. Following Dedatra and Lethina to the middle of the room, they watched as the Pleikan gently stepped on a strange glyph on the floor. The floor flashed violet, and suddenly they found themselves in a completely different room.

"Nice," Jack commented before looking over the place. The room was circular, as the one before it had been, except that it reminded Jack of a stadium. They stood high up on the landing that circled the room below. A blue railing circled the upper floor, probably to prevent some clumsy Pleikan from falling fifteen feet. There were on this level several chairs that appeared to be made from a soft material not even Sam recognized, where people could sit and observe what happened in the room below. Glancing over the edge of the railing, Jack only saw what appeared to be some sort of bed or couch or something.

"You know, I love what you've done with the place," Jack told Dedatra. The Pleikan studied Jack for a moment before glancing at Teal'c.

"In answer to your question," he told the Jaffa. "It is not what we expect of you in return. It is... what are you willing to do in order to continue your fight against the Goa'uld."

"Huh?" Jack asked, frowning. "What do you mean by that?"

"As allies and friends," Dedatra explained patiently. "We will provide you with shelter and defensive technology. All we ask in return is the assurance that you will not put to waste what we give you. I mean no offense when I say that there is nothing you can offer us. But we will not give our resources to a race that expend our materials in your fight against the Goa'uld. You have to prove to us that you are so determined to fight the Goa'uld that nothing will prevent you from persisting."

"They don't want to give us their technology if they think we might just end up throwing it away, sir," Sam said, glancing at her commanding officer.

"Well, that shouldn't be too hard," Jack said, shrugging. He smiled. "Man, you guys know how to make a deal."

"How do we prove this to you?" Daniel asked, somehow knowing the Pleikans wouldn't just take their word for it. They needed evidence that the tau'ri wouldn't just give in to the Goa'uld.

"We have created a way to test the will of an individual," Dedatra explained, gesturing to the piece of furniture resembling a bed below them. "One of you must agree to take this test. Whoever volunteers will be placed in a simulation where we can watch and determine if the tau'ri are strong enough to be worthy of our friendship."

"How's that work?" Jack asked, his suspicion beginning to rise. Lethina took a step forward and held up what looked to be a small, circular chip. Daniel's eyes widened in surprise, Jack's narrowed in alarm, Teal'c frowned and Sam bit her lip. The chip looked alarmingly similar to the one Osiris had used on Daniel only a week before. Dedatra noticed the glance Jack shot Daniel, but didn't say anything. Lethina would explain the chip.

"This device will be placed on the head of the volunteer," she told them. "That person will be placed in the simulation, and the rest of us will watch his or her actions. The job of this device is to explore the mind of the volunteer and to take what the volunteer knows to be true to create a situation that he or she is both familiar with and a stranger to. The device will give the volunteer all the information he or she needs, but will also provide us with some information that comes from the volunteer's mind, but that the volunteer does not share."

Lethina glanced at Sam and smiled. "Your father, when informing us that you would be coming, told us to explain it like this: for those of us watching the simulation, it will be like watching a movie. There will be many scenes, some of which we will watch, but will be unknown to the volunteer. We will know things that are taking place that he or she does not, and because of this, it will be as much of a test for those not in the simulation as for the one who volunteers. The simulation is harmless, and no matter what goes on inside of it, the volunteer will be in no danger, and will wake up unharmed. The volunteer must gain the approval of Dedatra and myself in order to pass the test. If he or she does, then you will be deemed worthy of our friendship. If the test is failed, then we will guide you back to the Stargate, and ask that you not return here."

"That is all we can tell you for now," Dedatra cut in. "To explain any more would be to give the volunteer an unfair advantage."

"All right, all right," Jack said, shaking his head. "Sounds complicated. You have a friendship with the Tok'ra, right? Have they done this?"

"Yes," Dedatra replied. "It was, in fact, Selmak who gained our approval." Sam couldn't help but smile, even though she knew it probably hadn't been her father at the time Selmak took this little test.

"And how many other people have taken this test?" Jack asked, still not sure he liked the whole idea.

"Six," the Pleikan told him. "Only two have passed."

"Those odds are inspiring," Jack told him, sarcasm rolling off his tongue. He sighed and thought for a moment. "Okay. I guess I'll volunteer."

Dedatra shook his head. "I am afraid that it is our privilege to ask one of you to volunteer."

"What?" Jack glanced at the Pleikan in surprise. "Doesn't that defeat the purpose of volunteering?"

"Who we ask has the right to refuse," Lethina told Jack patiently. "The test is not an easy one, and we will think no less of any of you who does not wish to take it. However, we do have our preferences."

"And our approval is more easily earned when our preferences are respected," Dedatra informed the group.

"Of course," Jack replied, his tone obviously bitter. "Fine. Who will you chose to volunteer?"

"Easy there, Jack," Daniel said gently, seeing the colonel's patience with the Pleikans slowly dissipating. Daniel could tell Jack's opinion of these guys was beginning to change.

"We ask that Dr. Jackson volunteer to take the test," Dedatra replied, glancing at the archeologist. Daniel started.

"Me?" he asked in surprise. He frowned. "Why?"

"Oh it's not that hard to figure out," Jack retorted. "People are always choosing you to do something, Daniel. By now this sort of thing should be expected."

"On the way into the city, Dr. Jackson told me that he has experienced much through his dreams," Lethina explained. Jack and Sam both glanced at Daniel in surprised curiosity. "We believe that because of this, Dr. Jackson will be most compatible with the technology used to create the simulation."

"Oh well that's just not fair," Jack scoffed. "Daniel just did the whole 'let's place a chip on his head to probe his mind' thing last week. It's my turn now." Dedatra and Lethina both glanced at Daniel in surprise.

"You have used a device similar to this before?" Dedatra asked, sounding somewhat impressed.

"Yeah," Daniel replied, obviously uncomfortable with the conversation. "The Goa'uld... wanted me to translate a map for them."

"Then your body is even more prepared for the simulation then we first thought," Lethina told him. "You would be the best choice to take this test."

"Daniel Jackson has also experienced such occurrences through the Goa'uld ribbon device," Teal'c informed the Pleikans. "His mind has been strained on more then one occasion. Would it not be wise to allow O'Neill or Major Carter to take this test, as their minds have not employed as much exertion?"

"Dr. Jackson will be perfectly safe here," Dedatra assured them. "However, I have seen the concern his team members have for him. That you care so much for him tells me that he is indeed the logical candidate for this test."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Jack demanded, wondering how his concern for his best friend had become an issue.

"Probably because they want us to prove we'll fight the Goa'uld, no matter the cost, sir," Sam reminded the colonel. "To fight the Goa'uld, sometimes we have to let Daniel do things on his own." Dedatra nodded at Sam, obviously impressed with the major's intelligence. Go figure.

"It's okay, Jack," Daniel assured the colonel. "I think I can handle whatever this simulation turns out to be."

"I don't doubt that Daniel," Jack assured the archeologist. "The only thing bugging me is the attitude."

Dedatra and Lethina both glanced curiously at Jack, obviously confused by his terminology. Teal'c observed this and couldn't help but feel a sense of pride in himself that he could understand Jack's one-liners better than the Pleikans. This race was far more advanced than Earth, and even more advanced than the Goa'uld. The fact that Teal'c understood what it meant to be 'bugged' by something made him feel in his own way superior to the Pleikans, because they had no idea what it meant.

"Dedatra," Daniel was presently saying. "I will volunteer to take the test." Dedatra nodded.

"Very well. Let us begin." The Pleikan nodded to Lethina.

"If you will please follow me, Dr. Jackson," she said. Daniel nodded and followed her as she led him to a staircase he had not noticed earlier that led down into the room below. Dedatra gestured to the chairs that waited by the railing.

"Please have a seat," he told them as he sat in his own chair.

"Why not," Jack sighed as he nodded to the rest of his team. He sat in the chair between Dedatra and Sam, Teal'c sitting on the other side of the Major. They watched as Lethina led Daniel into the room below.

"Please lie down, Dr. Jackson," she ordered the archeologist. Daniel glanced up at Jack, Sam and Teal'c before climbing up onto the structure resembling a bed and lying on his back.

"Have a nice nap, Daniel!" Jack couldn't resist shouting down at the archeologist, giving him a sarcastic smile. Dedatra gave Jack another curious glance before nodding to Lethina. She turned her gaze back to Daniel.

"You do not have to do this, Dr. Jackson," she told him. "Once the test begins, you cannot leave the simulation until the test ends."

"I understand," Daniel assured her. "We can continue."

"Very well," Lethina said, and took her circular device and placed it on Daniel's left temple. The chip immediately turned a bright purple, and Daniel's eyes closed. Lethina hastened back to the stairs and climbed up to the landing. Taking her seat next to Dedatra, they watched as the empty area in the room both before them and above Daniel's sleeping body turned thick with gray fog. And in that fog, they watched as a room formed. In that room there was a desk, and sitting at the desk was Daniel.

"Neat trick," Jack couldn't help but blurt out. "Hollywood would pay big for effects like this."

"Your words, tau'ri, are both confusing and distracting," Dedatra told Jack sharply, obviously getting irritated with Jack's quips.

"This is fascinating," Sam whispered in pure awe. "I would love for you to teach me how you visualize this."

"It might be arranged," Lethina told the other woman. "If Dr. Jackson is able to pass the test."

The sitting figure of Daniel suddenly seemed to snap to life, and looked around the room in surprise.

• * *

Daniel's eyes seemed to open, despite the fact that they had never been closed, and he quickly scanned his surroundings. He was no longer in the Pleikan building he had been in a moment before. Presently, he was sitting at a desk in a room that he instantly recognized as part of his own house.

Surprised, Daniel's gaze fell onto the surface of his desk. As usual, it was cluttered full of books, paper, pens, and other various necessities, all of which were familiar to him. Wow. The Pleikans really are advanced. This is incredible. Daniel smiled at the thought of what Sam was thinking right about now.

Daniel felt a shiver run through him. He knew his friends and the Pleikans were watching him. Yet at the same time, it really did feel like he was back in his home on earth, completely alone. This was too amazing.

Daniel's gaze fell back to his desk, and he saw a single piece of white lined paper. It was a letter addressed to Catherine Langford, the woman who had originally introduced the Stargate to him. Daniel frowned. He didn't remember writing a letter to Catherine... He picked up the sheet of paper and began to read.

Dear Catherine,

I'm sorry that I haven't spoken to you in so long. With everything that goes on in Cheyenne Mountain, I've been kept rather busy. I hope things are still moving well with you and Ernest. I wish I could come see you, but things at Colorado Springs keep me from going anywhere except through the gate. Please tell him I said hi, and that I'll return the books he let me borrow - they are fascinating, by the way.

Catherine, the most amazing thing has happened in my life, and I thought you should like to hear about it. It isn't something I can discuss over the phone, and I'm not in a position to leave Colorado Springs to visit you. So now I am here writing this.

Catherine, I found her. She was on Abydos, and with child.

Daniel felt his body tense as he read that line. He remembered that day, at least five years ago, when he and Teal'c found Sha're pregnant with Apophis's child. It had been one of the hardest times in his life. He had been able to protect the Harcesis, but had not been able to save her. Daniel continued to read.

The child was not mine. It belonged to Apophis. However, that is no longer important to me. Sha're was free from Amonet, the Goa'uld who possessed her, so that she could give birth to the baby. Before the child was born, Teal'c and I took Sha're through the Stargate, and into the safety of the SGC.

Daniel stared at the paper in disbelief. That hadn't happened! Daniel's heart began to pound as he remembered trying to guide Sha're through the Stargate and to safety, but he had not been in time. The Goa'uld had landed, and they were unable to gate to Earth! He continued to read.

After the boy was born, Amonet took Sha're again. We held her in isolation while the NID tried to get their hands on both my wife and her child. That in itself is a long story, for they always are when the NID are involved. To make it short, General Hammond was able to convince the president that since the boy was born on an American base, he is an American citizen and free from the NID. Being too young to be of any use to the NID at present time was another factor that allowed Dr. Janet Fraiser and myself to protect the child. She had agreed to help me raise him, the way she is raising Cassandra.

But Catherine! Just a few days ago, earth has established an alliance with the Tok'ra! They are alien, and they have agreed to help us in our fight against the Goa'uld! Their technology is amazing! With their help, we were able to extract Amonet from Sha're! She is free!

Of course, it is too dangerous for her and the child to return to Abydos, but the president has allowed her to live outside the SGC on earth! Sha're and I are together again, and we will raise the child Apophis fathered, despite the fact that he is his father's son. After all, if the boy had never been conceived, I would not have found Sha're. He is what brought us together, and I love him for it. We named him Charlie. For Jack. He has been such a friend, and I

Daniel stopped reading. He placed the sheet of paper back onto the desk, his hands trembling, unable to read it any longer. None of this was real. Only in his dreams - though probably not even in those anymore - would something so wonderful be allowed to happen to him. His entire body was trembling now, and tears were beginning to fill up in his eyes.

• * *

"Oh my God," Sam gasped. She looked at Jack, whose hands were both clenched into tight fists. Glancing at Teal'c, she saw that he watched the visual with an impassive expression, but concern in his eyes. The three of them had just finished reading Daniel's letter, and Sam was sure she couldn't keep the shock she felt off her face.

"This is bad," Jack was grumbling. He glanced at Dedatra, a look of resent crossing his face. "I thought this was a test of our determination to fight the Goa'uld. Didn't realize you were going to add 'drama in the daytime'."

"This is a curious reaction that I am unfamiliar with," Dedatra replied, his voice calm but intrigued. "The simulation is meant to force Dr. Jackson to face his greatest desire and to turn away from it in order to continue the fight against the Goa'uld. I have never seen the pain come before the sacrifice must be made."

"Should Dr. Jackson not be happy at this point?" Lethina asked, and at least her voice held some concern in it. "He receives what he wants the most."

"And to pass your little test, you're going to make him give up Sha're?" Jack asked in horror, but trying to remain disciplined. "No! This needs to stop right now!" Dedatra and Lethina both frowned.

"I am sorry, but the simulation has already begun," Dedatra told him. "We are unable to halt the test until it has been completed."

"Daniel Jackson has already taken this particular test," Teal'c spoke up, his voice somehow managing to remain calm. "And he passed it. To make him take it again is a considerable cruelty."

That hit the mark for Lethina in any case. She glanced at Dedatra in said something that Jack couldn't understand, her face showing great concern. He shot a glance at her and barked something in his own language. Then he faced Jack once more.

"If Dr. Jackson faces more pain then you would consider necessary, then I apologize," he told SG-1. "But the rules can not be changed for anyone."

"Well then maybe you should consider learning a little bit about a person's history before subjugating them to this!" Jack was trying very hard not to yell. "I volunteered, remember? You should have let me do this!"

"Colonel!" Sam glanced at Jack before nodding towards the fog. He turned back towards the visual and continued to watch, his opinion of the Pleikans beginning to deteriorate.

• * *

"Dan'yel?"

Daniel looked up sharply and spun around in his chair. The tears that had been forming in his eyes began to shed as he saw the woman who stood in the doorframe. Sha're was wearing blue jeans and a purple sweatshirt, her black hair flowing in waves down her back instead of in curls. She held a small baby in her arms, and there was a look of great concern on her face.

"My Dan'yel, what is the matter?" She walked towards him, her voice exactly as Daniel remembered it, her body exactly as it was, her walk unchanged. She was exactly as he remembered her, aside from her new apparel. She was so beautiful. And she was so close. And none of this was real.

"Sha're?" Daniel didn't care if this was nothing more than a Pleikan simulation. Sha're was right there, and if he was supposed to ignore that, then the Pleikans could go to Hell. He scrambled from his chair and in an instant was at her side, trying to hold her while at the same time not hurt the baby.

Sha're laughed, her voice music in Daniel's ears as she positioned the baby better for Daniel to hold her. "I'm sorry," she whispered as she pressed against him. "You hurt and I am laughing."

"No, it's okay," he breathed, afraid to let go of her. For a simulation, she felt entirely too real, too warm, too alive... This had suddenly become much more than a test. She was real. She was really here.

This is a mistake, Daniel told himself sternly. It won't last forever, and when it does end, you're going to be in a hell of a lot of pain! Don't do this to yourself! But Daniel couldn't let go of the woman he was holding. He didn't care that this wasn't real, and he didn't care that he would hurt later on. All he cared about was the moment. Right now was all that mattered. Now that he finally had Sha're in his arms... he couldn't bear to let go.

"Dan'yel, what is the matter?" she asked gently. "You are so sad. What has happened?"

He finally pulled away from her, but only so that he could stare into her eyes. "I feel like I haven't seen you in so long."

Sha're's eyes softened more than he had ever thought possible. Holding the baby in one arm, she reached for his hand and held it firmly. "I am right here, my Dan'yel. I am not going to go anywhere." She frowned and studied him critically. "You changed your hair. It is shorter."

Daniel couldn't help but smile as he finally glanced down at his own clothing. He wore blue pants and a black T-shirt - not exactly what he remembered wearing for his mission to Pleikan. "It's not all that's changed."

"Come, Dan'yel," she suddenly smiled, her face brightening. "You said you would show me your world today." Tightening her grip on his hand, she led him towards the front door. Daniel, wondering how he was being tested, completely surrendered to her and followed her outside.

It was a beautiful day. The sky was clear and blue, and the leaves on the trees seemed to shine emerald. With a car parked in a driveway in front of a house with a decent lawn, Daniel felt like he had not in over seven years. He had a family... and he was happy. Even though he kept telling himself that none of this was real, he couldn't help but feel happy.

Half way to the car, Sha're stopped and closed her eyes, lifting her head towards the sky. "Every time I see the outside of your world, I cannot escape the awe I feel at its beauty. It is so different from home."

"Yeah, it's no desert," Daniel agreed, staring at his wife. She was so beautiful... so close... "Sha're..." she glanced at him and Daniel couldn't resist pulling her close and kissing her. She leaned into him, and he was overwhelmed by the power of her presence. This wasn't real, but it really was. She was here, and they were kissing with more passion than anyone in the world could comprehend.

A van pulled up into the driveway, but Daniel didn't notice. Only when Sha're pulled away from him did Daniel look towards the car and see Jack O'Neill and Teal'c both very deliberately facing the other direction. Daniel frowned.

"Jack?"

"Hey!" Jack spun on his heel and faced Daniel with a grin. Teal'c turned with more grace, but that was only to be expected. "Hope we're not interrupting."

"Kinda are."

"When'd you cut your hair?"

"Long story," Daniel self-consciously ran a hand through his hair, getting a little annoyed with the 'old news' part of this simulation.

"Looks good," Jack assured him, before nodding to Teal'c. "He and I are headed towards the mountains. Thought we'd invite you, Sha're, and Charlie." Before Daniel could object, Jack glanced at the young woman. "Thought it was time you learned about one of America's favorite pastimes. And I know it'll be a new experience for you, seeing how you grew up on Abydos. It's called... fishing."

"Fishing?" Daniel could sense that she was frowning and smiling at the same time, despite the contradiction of such a thing. She was, as she had always been, curious and eager. She glanced at Daniel. "What is that?"

"We'll show you," Jack answered for the other man. The colonel glared evilly at the archeologist. "What do you say, Daniel?"

"Using my wife like this is cheating, Jack," Daniel replied. A part of him, he suddenly realized, had been hoping to keep Sha're to himself all day. But he wasn't ready to deny her anything, even if it was a fishing trip. Jack could see this, and chuckled victoriously. But Daniel wasn't ready to give him victory too quickly. He would hit the colonel where it hurt. "Where's Sam?" Jack immediately frowned, and it was Daniel's turn to grin in his own victorious way. Jack saw that and scowled.

"Said she had to work at the mountain, despite the fact that Hammond granted us a whole weekend's leave," he grumbled. He sighed. "Her loss. Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" He gestured to the van.

"Shouldn't we pack clothes or something?" Daniel asked frowning. "And we need a car seat-"

"Come on, Daniel, get with the program," Jack cut in. "I already have a car seat in the van, and if you think you can sneak out the back door with your wife and kid while making us believe you're packing clothes, you might as well forget it."

"What are you talking about?" Daniel asked in confusion.

"O'Neill insisted that we pack a sufficient amount of clothing for both Sha're and yourself, Daniel Jackson," Teal'c told the young archeologist. Daniel glared at Teal'c for a moment before turning to look at Jack in astonishment. The colonel shrugged.

"Get in the car, Daniel," he ordered. "We're all set for the weekend, and no one's getting out of it." Jack glanced at Daniel's wife and offered her a smile. "Come on, Sha're. You can sit shotgun."

"Shotgun?" once again Sha're glanced at her husband in both confusion and excitement. Everything in this world was so new and so different to her, and Daniel could see the pure joy in her eyes. Daniel couldn't resist smiling. She looked, for the first time in at least seven years, truly happy. It was all he had ever wanted for her, and now that he could see her like this, and be with her, he knew already that he wouldn't be able to bear leaving this place. Ever.

• * *

"You see?" Jack said, as he and the others continued to watch the simulation play out. "This thing you have Daniel in is supposed to give him his desires, right? I always knew he wanted to go on those fishing trips." His sarcasm masked the obvious concern that otherwise would have been prominent in his voice.

Once again, Dedatra stared at Jack in curiosity and disapproval. "You are an unusual representative of your race, colonel."

"Just wait until you actually get to know me."

"When Selmak told us to expect such behavior from you, we were skeptical that his warnings would be so accurate," Dedatra informed him. "It would appear that we should have taken him more seriously."

"Excuse me?" Jack sat straighter and glared at Dedatra in surprise. Then he turned and glanced at Sam. "Your father complemented me behind my back? I'm either offended or I'm touched."

"You have an attitude unlike any I have ever seen," Dedatra told him, cocking his head as he studied Jack intensely. "Selmak called it sarcasm. Not even the Goa'uld have displayed similar manners."

"If it makes you feel better, the Asgard said I had potential," Jack told him, his tone suggesting that this was a fact of great importance.

"Why do you behave such?" Dedatra asked. "None of your friends share your sarcasm, and Selmak said not to judge your race by your individual behavior. He said you were a special case."

"That was thoughtful of him," Jack replied coldly, wondering how he would greet Jacob Carter the next time he saw the Tok'ra.

"It's a defense mechanism of the colonel's," Sam said, deciding it was about time to speak up in behalf of her commanding officer. "You should take no offense by it, and after awhile, you will grow used to it."

"Thank you, Carter," Jack said, turning to once again glare at the Major. "With you and your father out to give friendly warnings and explanations, it's safe to assume every man's for himself."

"Sorry, sir."

"A defense mechanism," Dedatra said slowly, contemplatively. He narrowed his eyes at Jack. "What is it you are defending?"

"My reputation, apparently."

"More of this defense," Dedatra analyzed. "You want to be our allies, and yet you do not trust us enough to lower such protection." There was obvious disapproval in his voice, and Jack rolled his eyes.

"Come on," he groaned, trying to keep his growing frustration under control. He gestured to the fog visual that still played above Daniel's unconscious body. "I was trying not to let you see how much I resent this!"

His words obviously were unexpected. Dedatra glanced at Lethina, who was still showing concern on her face from when Teal'c told her that Daniel had experienced this particular test before. Slowly, Dedatra faced Jack.

"You would hide your true emotions under derision," Dedatra said softly. "So as not to lose favor with me. Such is deceit, and the way of your enemies."

"And to test a person's perseverance and determination to fight an enemy nobody cares for, just to find out if they are worthy of being called a friend in such a manner as this," Jack once again gestured towards the fog. "Is a cruelty bordering on torture. Which is also the way of our enemies."

Dedatra didn't respond, but studied Jack with an expression on his face that suggested serious contemplation.

"All right, if you don't want me to deceitful, then I'll be honest with you," Jack said after a moment. "We fight the Goa'uld. You fight the Goa'uld. In this case, the people of earth like to bring up an overused proverb. My enemy's enemy is my friend. I personally could care less of what you think about my people. For crying out loud, the Asgard approve of us! That should count for something! We haven't needed your help before, but it's nice to have friends. Why do we have to be worthy? So that your technology doesn't go down the drain if we decide to surrender to the Goa'uld? Your lack of faith in us is real inspiring."

"Sarcasm again," Dedatra noted quietly.

"Yes!" Jack practically shouted. "Sarcasm! Not only is it a defense mechanism, but it helps reduce stress."

"It fills you with negative energy," Dedatra informed him. "Is it not unhealthy for you?"

"Only if you're Daniel and are trying to ascend to a higher plane of existence," Jack grumbled. "Which I'm not, and anyway, is hardly the point. What if I were to say I don't find you worthy of being an ally? Would you then let Daniel come out of this simulation and let us go home? Cause I promise you we'd never trouble you folks again."

"That is not an option," Dedatra said regretfully. "And if it were, it is not your decision to make." He took a deep breath and sighed. "However, your concern for your friend is admirable. You have a commendable spirit. Your words will not go unchecked. I have listened to you, and you bring up some valid points."

"And that's supposed to make me feel better?" Jack asked, trying not to sound too exasperated.

"Enough of this," Dedatra said, gesturing to the fog. "This is what we must be giving our attention. It is of more importance presently."

"Yeah whatever," Jack grumbled quietly to himself.

• * *

The fog provided an image of the SGC. General Hammond was sitting in his office sorting through the ever increasing pile of paperwork that covered his desk. There was a knock on his door.

"Enter."

Sam walked into the office, looking somewhat apprehensive. "You asked for me, sir?"

"Captain Carter," Hammond stood and turned to face her. "If I might get right to the point, what is it you are still doing here?"

"Some of the samples SG-4 brought back from their last expedition are beginning to show results to the testing we have been-"

"Sam," Hammond cut in, shaking his head critically. Sam bit her lip and ran a hand through her hair.

"It's just that..." she hesitated, staring at the floor. Hammond could easily see that something was distracting her, and she was using work as an excuse to forget about her problem.

"You can tell me, Sam," he assured her. Sam sighed, looking like she would rather be anywhere but in Hammond's office having this conversation.

"It's just that my brother called asking about dad," she admitted. "And I can't stand the thought of lying outright to him."

• * *

Sam frowned as she watched her counter-part in the simulation. She glanced at Jack, who was watching her with concern in his eyes. Concern obviously for her. She sighed and rolled her eyes. "It's fine, sir. My brother and I worked through that little issue years ago." She frowned again, and this time Jack saw intrigue in her expression. "I just don't get how Daniel knows about it. I never told him, and therefore I don't understand how this situation could possibly be taking part in this simulation. I thought it only brought up issues that Daniel knew about. Not the rest of us."

"That is the truth," Dedatra said impassively. "The simulation shows what Dr. Jackson knows to be true, but cannot read any further than his thoughts and memories."

"Well, you know Daniel," Jack stated with some pride. "He's way smarter than the rest of us. He knows you have a brother, and probably could figure out it was tough for you to help your brother mourn when you knew your dad was still alive."

"But he never asked about it," Sam insisted. Had Daniel known she had had troubles with her brother after their dad had become Tok'ra? Judging by Jack's guilty expression, he hadn't been secretly aware of Sam's family troubles beyond those with her dad.

"Daniel Jackson was probably still in grief over his wife," Teal'c offered. "He wanted his pain to be private, and might have understood you would have the same wish."

"Daniel wouldn't approach you over something that personal unless he thought he was necessary," Jack told her. "And you two were obviously able to pull through it more or less unscathed. I mean, here your brother is, setting you up with his good old friend, Pete." His tone had turned sour.

Sam frowned and turned back to watch the simulation show Hammond comforting Sam. She shouldn't be surprised. Daniel was always aware of the feelings of other people. Empathy was his greatest gift. And it didn't take a genius to figure out that if a brother and sister lost a parent, the brother would be in as much grief over it as the sister. Daniel would have been there for her... if she had gone to him. But back then Sam wasn't about to show weakness of any kind, especially to civilians. Back in the beginning Sam and the rest of SG-1 had not been through as much together as they had now, so many years later. In the beginning they had been a team. But now they were closer than family. Daniel would do anything for her, she knew. And she would do anything for Daniel.

Even if it means talking to Sarah Gardner? Sam felt a pang of guilt flow through her. So when the fog showed an image of the alarm at the SGC sounding out, interrupting Hammond's conversation with Sam, the Major put these thoughts aside and watched the simulation play out.

• * *

The alarm sounded throughout the base, and both Hammond and Sam looked up in surprise as the intercom turned on. "Warning. Unscheduled incoming travelers." Sam and Hammond both hastened to the Gate Room.

"What's the situation?" Hammond asked upon entering. A man glanced up from his computer.

"It's SG-14, sir," he informed the General. There was some alarm in the man's voice, for SG-14 was not scheduled to return for another three days.

"Open the iris," Hammond ordered. The man went back to his computer and as Hammond and Sam watched, the iris opened.

For a moment, nothing happened. No one came through the gate. Sam and Hammond both waited nervously, both already expecting the worst. After all, things always had a way of turning out terribly wrong in this mountain.

Suddenly a small silver ball was thrown onto the ramp in the Embarkation Room. Sam barely had time to widen her eyes in alarm as she recognized it to be a Goa'uld shock grenade.

"Sir!"

There was a brilliant flash of light... and then there was nothing.

• * *

The light from the fog was so bright that everyone watching the simulation had to turn away. When the light died down, Jack was the first to respond.

"Okay, what the Hell was that?" There was both anger and alarm in his voice. He knew perfectly well what it had been.

"A Goa'uld shock grenade," Sam informed him, stunned. "I don't understand..."

"Does Daniel know this is happening?" Jack demanded, glaring at Dedatra. This was nothing more than a simulation, but Jack would not want something this big catching Daniel off guard. Especially with Sha're involved.

"Dr. Jackson is on a... fishing?... trip," Dedatra informed the colonel. "He has no way of knowing what is taking place at your SGC."

"And neither do his companions," Lethina said. "The simulation has presented us with the problem, but not Dr. Jackson. He will learn of it in time."

"Sha're and now a Goa'uld invasion," Jack grumbled, realizing that he should have at least expected the Goa'uld. They were, after all, the whole point of this stupid simulation. "Perfect."

• * *

When Sam opened her eyes, she wasn't in the least bit surprised to find that she couldn't see. She groaned and sat up, wondering where she was and what had happened. Until she could see, there was little she could do to assess the situation. But she didn't need to be the rocket scientist so many people called her to figure out that the Goa'uld had attacked the mountain.

"Great." She sighed and wished her vision would hurry up and return to her. She sensed other people around her, but it was clear none of them were conscious. There was no sound of medical equipment nearby, and she didn't hear Janet Fraiser calling out commands or whispering encouragement. The silence spoke for itself. The Goa'uld were probably in control of Cheyenne Mountain and had locked Sam and a bunch of others up in a room somewhere. If anyone in the mountain had escaped capture, they were probably fighting with their lives. But the silence in the room made everything so uncertain. She wished she knew what was going on!

Sam could sense people around her beginning to stir. There was movement and some moaning.

"What happened?" someone to Sam's left asked to no one in general.

"A shock grenade," she hastened to explain. "One of the side effects is temporary blindness. Your vision will need a few minutes to return to you." Already hers was improving. She could see that there were about twenty men and women crammed into one of the SGC's holding cells. Crap.

"Where are we?" a woman asked, her voice trembling in fear. Fear she had every right to display. If the Goa'uld had found the holding cells and figured out how to properly lock people in them, then they probably weren't spending their concentration on resisting tau'ri. Sam glanced at her watch.

"A holding cell," she informed the other prisoners. "We've only been here for about an hour."

"Captain Carter?" General Hammond called out from the other side of the room. Sam stood and maneuvered her way through the small crowd towards the general.

"I'm here, sir," she assured him.

"Please tell me that these shock grenades do not belong to the Goa'uld," he ordered her. Everyone who was in the room heard the question and grew tense, waiting for Sam's reply and dreading it.

"I'm sorry, sir," Sam told him, regretfully. "I don't know how, but I believe the Goa'uld are now in control of Cheyenne Mountain."

"And in a holding cell there is no way for us to initiate self destruct," Hammond properly analyzed. "Or to warn the rest of the world."

"That is correct sir," Sam said. Her voice grew loud as she addressed everyone in the room. "Unless someone has a cell phone or a pager?"

"No signal in the mountain," a woman near the door said sadly.

"I have a pager," a man in a white lab coat informed them, reaching blindly into his coat pocket. "Actually I don't." He frowned angrily. "Damn, and that was expensive, too."

Sam let out an exasperated breath. It must have been too easy for the Goa'uld, if they were able to confiscate the belongings of their prisoners as well in the short time they had run over the mountain. She turned towards Hammond, who was blinking his eyes furiously. "How long before help arrives, sir?"

"We aren't due to contact the president or the joint chiefs for another two days, captain," Hammond said unhappily. "By then it could be too late."

• * *

"How's my little baby?" Jack asked as he picked up Charlie from his car seat. He spun around in a circle, moving away from the car, as he made faces at the boy, who consequently giggled. Jack stopped and held the baby in a more conservative grip, watching as Teal'c pulled duffel bags out of the back of the van.

Daniel grinned as he pulled Sha're close. Let Jack hold the Harcesis for awhile. It made it easier for him to hold Sha're.

"You know," Jack was whispering conspiratorially with the baby. "I have been waiting for this fishing trip for months! Wasn't expecting it to be with a Jaffa warrior, a desert beauty, a geeky archeologist, and the most adorable baby in the universe, but I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Geeky?" Daniel asked, looking at Jack with a frown. Jack grinned mischievously.

"I'll take it back only if you can catch a bigger fish then me, Daniel," he told his best friend. There was a light tone in his voice, and Daniel knew he was just goofing off. He was really excited over the prospect of fishing this weekend.

"Geeky?" Sha're asked, glancing from Jack to Teal'c, and finally to Daniel.

"It means charming, good looking, and heroic," Daniel explained. Jack glared at Daniel, who was grinning.

Sha're smiled. "I understand. He threatens to take back what he said if you catch a larger fish. It is his way to make sure he has a larger catch then you, my Dan'yel."

"Only Jack would resort to something that low," Daniel informed her. "It isn't even decent leverage. I could catch a bigger fish then him and not care at all what he says about me."

"Yeah, but you forget," Jack said, playing along for Sha're's sake. "I have your kid, Daniel." He bounced Charlie for emphasis. "I get the bigger fish or I get Charlie."

"He's joking," Daniel told Sha're, who had glanced up at her husband in sudden alarm. Daniel smiled. "He's just being foolish."

Teal'c took a step towards Jack. Daniel focused on the Jaffa, and almost laughed to see that he had somehow managed to pick up all four duffel bags and was carrying them on his shoulders. "Where would you like me to place these O'Neill?"

"Just inside the cabin, thanks," Jack gestured towards the small building near the waterside. Daniel followed Jack's gaze out over the lake. He had to admit it was a very beautiful place to spend the weekend. Sha're pressed up against Daniel as she also looked over the water.

"Your world is so beautiful my husband," she whispered. Daniel nodded. It was so much more beautiful now that he could see it at her side. Everything here was exactly as it should be. For a moment, Daniel forgot that it wasn't real. The fact that this was a simulation, that it had never happened before and never would happen in the future, deserted him. He was left alone on a mountain on Earth standing next to his wife. And everything was good and right.

But then the phone rang.

"Crap!" Jack glanced at the car, through the open windows, and at the cell phone that rested on the driver's seat, ringing away madly. "I should have turned that off before we left."

"I'm surprised you even brought it," Daniel noted as Jack walked towards the car. Teal'c, halfway to the cabin, stopped and turned to watch and listen. Jack glowered at the archeologist.

"Yeah, well that phone was expensive and I wasn't about to leave it at home," he snapped, probably kicking himself for having left it on so long. He reached through the window and picked up the phone. Turning, he leaned against the car as he answered. "O'Neill."

Daniel grinned, trying not to laugh. Something always happened when Jack tried to go on a fishing trip. In the back of his mind, he knew something might be wrong at the mountain, but he wasn't worried.

"Janet... Janet! Slow down!" Jack ordered, standing up with some alarm on his face.

More like he wasn't worried yet. Daniel pulled away from Sha're and watched Jack's face in concern. It was obvious by Jack's expression that Janet was upset over something.

"What? When?" There was exasperation in Jack's raised voice. "Oh for crying out loud! Did you call anyone else?"

"What is happening, my Dan'yel?" Sha're asked her husband in a timid voice. Daniel shook his head, uncertain.

"Well, maybe we should just let them!" Jack said in obvious anger. "At least until they shut Kinsey and the rest of the godforsaken NID up for good!" A beat. "That was a joke, Janet." Another beat. "Look, my sense of humor is beside the point. How many people got out?"

Daniel glanced at Teal'c. The Jaffa watched impassively.

"I understand. Where are you?" Jack's tone softened, for Charlie was beginning to whimper. Daniel rushed from Sha're's side and quickly relieved Jack from his burden. Holding the Harcesis child close to him, Daniel began trying to sooth the baby and keep him from crying.

"Okay, you know where my cabin is, right?" Jack asked, and waited for a moment. "Yeah, that's right. Come up here as quick as you can. Daniel, Teal'c, and Sha're will be waiting for you and you can explain to them what happened." He paused. "No, I'm heading down to the base." He waited for her to reply, and rolled his eyes. "Look, Janet, I won't do anything stupid all right. Not that I need your approval anyway. I'll see you in a little while... Be careful. Don't call anyone else and don't tell anyone where you're going." Without another word, Jack hung up the phone and tossed it back into the car.

"That was Dr. Fraiser," Teal'c said matter-of-factly. Jack nodded as he opened the car door and got into vehicle.

"Yep," he stated. "She'll be headed up here. I need the three of you to wait for her. I'll be back in a little while."

"Where are you going?" Daniel demanded, taking a step forward as he stared suspiciously at Jack. "And why are you going? Hello, fishing trip."

"It has to wait," Jack said bitterly. "Janet'll explain when she gets here. I personally don't have time to do it myself right now." Jack put his keys in the ignition and glared at Teal'c. "You're in charge till I get back. Don't leave the cabin for anything, and keep a careful eye on them." He nodded to Daniel and Sha're. "I want you to wait until I get back, cause one way or another I will be. Now listen to this, Teal'c, it is very important."

"I am listening."

Jack's tone was deadly serious as he gave the Jaffa his command. "If I am not alone when I return, you need to get these guys out of here. Protect them. If I am alone, but you sense something isn't right, do not hesitate to knock me out."

"Jack?" Daniel stared at his friend in horror. "What is going on?"

"Don't forget," Jack ordered the Jaffa. Then he glanced at Daniel. "In a word. Goa'uld." With that, Jack turned the keys and pulled away from the cabin, leaving behind three stunned companions and a baby.

• * *

The holding cell Sam, Hammond, and the other men and women were locked in had a single bunk bed. Sam sat on the top bunk, tired of waiting and not knowing. There was another woman on the bunk with her, and three more on the bunk below. Hammond was one of the few who stood, pacing back and forth around the room, while the rest sat on the floor, dejected.

It had been almost four hours since Sam had awoken. And nothing had changed. The uncertainty of everything was maddening! How had this happened and what was going on? Was there still a world outside the mountain? Or had it been defeated already? How many Goa'uld and Jaffa had come through the Stargate? And when would help arrive?

Hammond was just about to order his men and women to try getting sleep when the door opened. About ten Jaffa strode into the room, staff weapons and zat guns at the ready. They forced the men who were standing, including Hammond, onto the ground, and eyed the people on the bed critically. But there was not enough room in the holding cell for them to be too tyrannical, so they left Sam and the rest alone.

As if the cell was not crowded enough already, a man entered. Sam recognized the man, as did General Hammond, and they both caught their breaths in alarm. Apophis.

• * *

Jack knew it was a simulation, and that it wasn't real. But still... seeing Apophis all of a sudden caught him off guard. He knew it was a Goa'uld responsible for invading the mountain, but had rather been expecting Anubis, or Baal, or someone else more recent. SG-1's first enemy had not been on the top of his list, though now that he thought about it, he figured he should have been. With Sha're and the Harcesis on Earth, of course Apophis would come.

Regardless, seeing Apophis like this after so many years still caused Jack's heart to leap up into his throat. The Goa'uld was exactly as he had remembered him. It was scary how similar a simulated version of the host was to the one in real life. And what was worse was the expression on the Goa'uld's face.

If Daniel has to face Apophis, I hope the kid's ready for it, Jack thought as he stated out loud. "Man. Guy looks pissed."

• * *

Apophis scanned the room, his dark and angry eyes landing without mercy on every prisoner in the room. Sam, having been on the bed, was noticed almost immediately. Apophis's eyes flashed when he saw her. He made a sharp command to his Jaffa in his own language. They hastened to obey, making their way towards the bed and pulling Sam off of it. She bit her lip, clenched her hands into fists, and struggled to keep calm as they dragged her towards Apophis and forced her onto the ground before the Goa'uld.

"Tau'ri," he snapped with loathing dripping from his tongue. "Where is your queen?"

"She was being kept in this very holding cell," Sam snapped back, knowing she should keep silent, but having been around Jack for far too long. "Apparently, she got out."

A Jaffa behind her pounded the back of her head. Sam grimaced in pain as she landed hard on the floor. Apophis waited for her to get back on her knees, and she did, rubbing the back of her head. She glowered at Apophis.

"I don't understand," she was prepared to ask the question Hammond and the rest of the prisoners wanted answered. "How did you get past the iris? SG-14...?"

Apophis smirked at her, savoring in his victory. "You mean the five men I captured and slowly tortured until they broke? They proved to be a lot more cooperative than other Tau'ri I have dealt with."

"Oh God," Sam gazed at the floor in front of her. She had known some of the men on that team... The thought that they had been tortured until forced to give the Goa'uld the codes to unlock the iris... and now Earth was being overrun... and there was quite possibly nothing anyone could do about it... It was too much to take in.

"There are many Tau'ri in this mountain," Apophis continued in a slow, deliberate voice. "All of whom are either dead or imprisoned. I can treat them as slaves, and allow them to live in peaceful servitude. Or I can treat them as traitors, and torture them all slowly until death. Their fate is entirely up to you."

Sam trembled as great pressure suddenly weighted her down. She was being forced to betray Sha're or everyone else in the mountain... possibly the world. It was an impossible choice to make.

"Negative, captain," Hammond suddenly said in a solid, commanding voice. "You are not to speak to Apophis."

Suddenly the pressure was gone, and Sam remembered why she appreciated a solid chain of command. "Yes sir."

Apophis's eyes landed squarely on Hammond. They flashed with recognition. "You are the leader of the Tau'ri?"

"I'm a leader of the Tau'ri," Hammond replied in a firm voice that demanded respect. "There is no single leader over the people of this planet."

"But there is," Apophis said in an angry and cruel voice. He smirked, obviously enjoying every moment of this little interrogation. "I rule this planet."

"You are going to find that it will be very difficult commanding the Tau'ri," Hammond continued in his unwavering tone. "They know what freedom is. They won't surrender to you."

"They will or they will die," Apophis spat, glowering at Hammond. "Your kind will no longer try me. They will submit or, when my Queen is returned to my side, this entire world will be destroyed."

"You think you have won because you have taken the mountain?" Hammond sounded amused. "There are still three very prominent warriors you have failed to eliminate over and over. When Ra threatened Earth, two of those warriors killed him. Now that you threaten Earth, they won't stop until they have killed you as well. And one of those three warriors is the Shol'va."

Apophis angrily approached Hammond and held his hand up to the General's face. He activated the ribbon device, and Hammond felt pain greater then he had ever felt before in his life.

Sam shut her eyes, using all her discipline to keep from jumping to the General's aid and probable death. However, the others in the room began to protest, and the Jaffa found themselves busy controlling some of the men who were ready to die to protect General Hammond.

Sam's eyes opened and she saw that the door had been left open and unguarded. About twenty meters down the hall, there would be an elevator. It was all too likely that the Jaffa and Apophis had been using the stairs leading up and down the mountain. If they had not figured out how to use the elevators... If she could get to them without being killed... she could escape the mountain...

Part of her told her to run. If there was any chance that she could get out and get help, she should take it. Run now and she could save the day. She could find Jack and warn him. She could warn the rest of the world.

However, another part of her told her to stay put. They had staff weapons and zat guns. There was absolutely no way she could make it to the elevators before they stopped her. And if she could, Hammond and the rest would be punished for it. Besides, no one was to be left behind. If she were going to escape, she needed to escape with everyone. Not just herself.

The choice was difficult, and before she ever could decide what she would do, Apophis released Hammond. The General held his head in his hands, gasping for breath, and trying to get past the pain. Apophis returned to his position between Sam and the door. The opportunity was past.

Apophis's eyes flashed at his prisoners. "Consider your options Tau'ri. I will return, and you will make your choice." He turned and left the cell, his Jaffa right behind him. The door closed and locked, and Sam sighed in defeat.

• * *

"I saw that," Jack said in regard to the elevator conflict, as he turned to face Sam once again. "That look of indecision. She should have gone just to piss Apophis off some more." He gave Sam a confident smile. "She would have made it to the elevator, too. She would have gotten out."

"And she would have gotten General Hammond and the rest killed," Sam informed the colonel. "Besides..." Sam glanced at her hands in her lap. She could not believe she was about to say this. She felt Jack's eyes on her, and felt her cheeks flush. Thoughts of Pete filled her mind, and guilt weighed heavy on her heart. But she had to say it. "I think she trusts a certain colonel will handle Apophis for her, if she just waits for him to come."

Jack felt his heart skip a beat as he realized what Sam had just said. Their eyes locked. Jack saw the expression in her eyes... and suddenly his heart felt lighter. Not knowing what to say, he could only shrug. "She would have made it to the elevator." Then he grinned. "Of course it would have gotten stuck while she was in it, and then she would have needed rescuing, but she would have made it there."

Sam smiled. Jack smiled.

Inwardly, so no one could see, Teal'c smiled.

"I think you are forgetting who the test is about," Dedatra said sourly.

• * *

Jack sat in his car, which he had at a stop a few kilometers away from the entrance to the SGC. Watching the unmoving car - instead of the posted sentries Jack would have liked to see - there were four Jaffa guards. In their hands, they each held staff weapons, and were watching the car waiting to see what would happen next.

Jack sighed as he considered his options. He was never planning on actually entering the SGC. Not by the front door in any case. He had only been wanting to look around, possibly speak with the sentries if they hadn't rushed inside the mountain to help fight or abandoned their posts, and just figure out what was going on.

Instead, he had driven right into the view of four Jaffa warriors. They, having never seen a car before, had no idea what they were facing, and weren't at all eager to make the first move. And so they were all standing still, facing off. Kind of reminded Jack of a modern western.

This is worse then I thought, Jack thought bitterly. They were already spilling outside. And if the sentries weren't around, then they probably had complete control over the mountain. As far as Janet Fraiser knew, she had been the only one to escape the facility.

"Sorry Daniel," Jack grumbled to himself. "Looks like your alternate reality dream is coming true after all." This sucks.

"Okay, O'Neill, think." What could he do to - once again - save the world from Goa'uld invasion?

The Jaffa were beginning to timidly approach the van. Sure, they had no idea what it was, or how much power it boasted. But they were trained Jaffa warriors, and would do their duty even if it meant death.

"Bad idea, buddies," Jack scolded softly. "This is my planet. For once it's me with all the fun little toys at my disposal." He reached for the radio and turned it on. Lowering his windows, he flipped to a station playing the hard core rap teenagers listened to these days and, intending on giving these guys quite the distraction, cranked the volume up... and up... and up...

The Jaffa heard the strange music and paused, glancing at each other in uncertainty and alarm. They had never heard rap before, and it seemed to scare them.

Jack began to rev up the engine. Go figure. Modern conveniences of the twentieth century would save the planet from the Goa'uld invasion. Jack couldn't help but chuckle as the Jaffa began to back off in fear. However, they wouldn't risk the wrath of their "god" by fleeing. They readied their staff weapons.

Jack floored the pedal. The car shot forward, and the Jaffa, in their fear of the vehicle and its radio, did not move out of the way quickly enough. Jack spun the wheel at almost the last second. He wanted to avoid a head on collision and possible damage to his car. Its right side collided into the four Jaffa, and Jack almost lost control of the van. Bringing it to a halt before it ran into anything else, Jack gathered his bearings and lowered the volume of the radio. He wasn't quite sure how fast he had been going, but he did know that he had hit all four of them at a decent speed.

Grabbing his gun and clicking off the safety, Jack cautiously stepped from the car. He carefully made his way around it, and saw four bodies on the road. He couldn't tell if any had survived. Since they were all lying more or less still, if there were any still alive, they were too dazed to move. But Jack wasn't going to risk it. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he could hear Daniel reminding him these Jaffa had families back home. And Jack accepted that. However, his duty was first and foremost to the United States, as well as the entire planet. They could spare defeated Jaffa on other worlds. But coming here... Jack thought of the countless families on Earth.

Jack recognized the tattoos on the foreheads of the Jaffa. They belonged to Apophis. Jack allowed his military training to take control, and he fired four shots at each Jaffa. He would protect Earth. And he would leave Apophis a message telling him to back off or, once again, fail miserably.

Jack knew it was unlikely he would get to the armory inside the base without getting caught. So he took this opportunity to gather four staff weapons and four zat guns. He tossed them into the back of his van before hastening to the driver's seat. It would probably be a good idea to leave now before more Jaffa showed up to investigate. Turning the car around, Jack headed back towards his cabin. While he went, he thought about General Hammond and Captain Carter, as well as everyone else trapped inside Cheyenne Mountain.

Hold on just a bit longer, kids, he silently prayed. I'll figure something out. If Apophis thinks he can just waltz onto Earth and take it without a fight, he's dumber than Kinsey. Jack glanced in his rearview mirror to watch as the mountain drew farther away. Apophis might have gotten through the first iris. But before he could claim Earth as his, he had to get through the second iris. He had to get through SG-1.

• * *

Part Two - A Thousand Words

"A truck approaches."

Daniel, who had been pacing around Jack's cabin, frustrated with the waiting and uncertainty, spun around to face the window. And sure as the Jaffa had said, a truck was driving up the road and a moment later parked outside the cabin.

Sha're was sitting on a couch tucked in by the far wall holding Charlie in her arms. She had been quiet ever since Jack had left, and Daniel couldn't blame her. Thoughts of the Goa'uld would terrify anyone - especially a woman who had been the host of one for so long. She stood nervously.

"It's Janet," Daniel breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Dr. Fraiser hasten from her truck. She wore jeans and a blue shirt, which meant she had probably gone home before coming here. That thought was confirmed when Daniel saw Janet's foster daughter, Cassandra, jump out from the passenger's seat. Both mother and daughter looked utterly terrified, though Dr. Fraiser also appeared paranoid, as she slowly turned in a wide circle, inspecting the surrounding area as though expecting some demon to attack. Finally she seemed satisfied, and motioned for Cassie to head towards the cabin. Teal'c and Daniel were at the door waiting for her, with Sha're not too far behind.

"Janet, what's happened?" Daniel demanded as he allowed her and Cassie room to enter the cabin. As soon as they were both inside, Teal'c shut the door and locked it. They led Janet and Cassie back into the small living room, where Janet immediately collapsed upon the couch.

"It was awful," Janet said, lowering her face into her hands. "I have never been more scared in my entire life."

"You are safe now, Dr. Fraiser," Teal'c informed her. Cassie curled up near the fireplace, wrapping her arms around her legs. Sha're moved to sit next to Janet and offered her Charlie. As soon as the baby was in the doctor's arms, she visibly relaxed. Sha're smiled.

"The power of children," she confided with the other woman. Janet glanced at her and nodded.

"Thank you." She returned her gaze to Teal'c. "Unfortunately, it's safe to presume that no one is safe. Not anymore."

"Jack mentioned the Goa'uld, but didn't tell us what was going on," Daniel prodded. "I'm not sure I understand."

"As far as I can tell," Janet began slowly. "SG-14 dialed home a few days early. I was in the infirmary at the time, so I didn't actually witness anything. General Hammond ordered the iris open, naturally, but it wasn't our men who came through the Gate. They were Jaffa. I think they used a shock grenade, but anyone who would know for certain has been captured or killed."

"My god," Daniel whispered. "They invaded the mountain?" This didn't seem possible. It couldn't be real! Cause it isn't. This is a simulation. From the Pleikans. Don't go forgetting something so important.

"Yes," Janet said in response to Daniel's question. "By now I am almost positive that the Goa'uld have overpowered the SGC. There were so many of us trying to resist, and some of us trying to escape. But we were unprepared and outnumbered. In the short time we were fighting, rumor stated that SG-14 had been captured by Apophis and tortured until they helped the Goa'uld get by our iris. They caved. So now Apophis has complete control."

"But you got out," Daniel whispered, trying to keep calm. Glancing at Cassie, he saw the look of pure terror on her face. The first time she had come across SG-1, she had been the sole survivor of a planet where the people had been massacred by the Goa'uld. This was probably her worst nightmare. Then he glanced at Sha're. She was staring at the floor, her face unnaturally pale. Daniel turned back to Janet. "How many got out?"

"Daniel," Janet's expression turned to one of great guilt. "The men and women who had still evaded capture and were still resisting the Goa'uld decided that someone needed to get outside and warn the world of what was happening. They chose me. I left the mountain by myself because if two or more tried to escape, they would be noticed more easily. I didn't run away because I was afraid. I ran away because I was chosen to contact the rest of SG-1. I'm the only one who got out."

"You mean everyone else..." Daniel stared at Janet in horror, realization striking him hard. The only free people left standing with experience fighting the Goa'uld were him, Jack, and Teal'c. That wasn't enough! Sure they could phone the White House and get a whole army ready to defend the world, but still that army would have no idea what it was up against. Already the Goa'uld had every advantage over this world. At this point, Daniel wasn't sure that even an army could stop the Goa'uld. Especially if Apophis had sent for a couple of motherships to come back him up. Then the Earth really would be doomed.

"I will go to him," Sha're suddenly offered. Daniel glanced at her sharply, and Janet studied her as if she had lost her mind. Cassie looked up and Teal'c rose an inquiring eyebrow.

"Wait a minute," Daniel shook his head. "Repeat that?"

"I will go to Apophis," Sha're said very quietly, refusing to meet the gaze of anyone around her. "I am why he came here. He will take me and leave."

"Ah, no," Daniel walked over to his wife and knelt beside her. "Sha're, if you go to Apophis, he'll realize Amonet is dead. He might kill you. And then he'll destroy the rest of the planet." He gently turned her face to look at him. "You and Charlie are probably the only reason he hasn't destroyed Earth yet. By staying here, where you are safe, you're actually protecting us."

• * *

"Hah!" Jack glowered triumphantly at Dedatra. "How 'bout that? He can't give up what he desires most, 'cause that'd be surrendering to the Goa'uld."

Dedatra frowned. "The simulation has never before made such an error. Perhaps his wife is not his true desire."

"I believe you are wrong," Teal'c spoke up. "Sha're is the one person Daniel loves more than anyone or anything else."

"We must wait for the simulation to end," Dedatra insisted. "We must wait and see the truth."

• * *

"What are we gonna do?" Cassie asked in a quiet, scared voice. "I mean... we can't just... let them?"

"Should we not call your president?" Teal'c asked, his voice as strong and calm as it always seemed to be. "And inform him of our situation?"

"Probably," Daniel was still gazing at Sha're, but after another moment, he looked over at the Jaffa. "The thing is, I'm just a civilian. I'm not sure entirely who to call. I mean, the president just isn't going to speak to a civilian, and I can't bring up the Stargate to his secretary. I really think we should wait for Jack."

"Jack said that he was going to the base," Janet told them, her fear apparent in her voice. "What if he doesn't come back?"

"Do not worry for O'Neill," Teal'c advised. "He is very capable. I believe he will return to the cabin in due time."

"Yeah," Daniel nodded his head. "We should at least give him a few hours. He said he'd come back. I believe him."

• * *

Apophis stood in a long corridor with three other Jaffa. They faced a small room in which a ladder was built leading up past the ceiling and up still farther towards the surface. Presently, a Jaffa warrior was climbing back down. He turned and bowed before Apophis.

"My Lord, we are in the bottom of a pit, and this is a way to get out," the Jaffa said. "It leads into a forest, and though it is a long climb, it leads to the outside world of the tau'ri."

"You have done well," Apophis said before glancing at the Jaffa beside him. "I want every possible escape route found and placed under heavy guard. Absolutely no one may enter or leave my new palace without my permission."

At that moment, a troop of Jaffa led by a warrior called Tri'pu approached. They all bowed humbly before Apophis.

"My Lord Apophis," Tri'pu rose at the Goa'uld's consent. "I regret to inform you that four Jaffa have fallen. Whoever is responsible for their deaths was not identified or located, but the Jaffa were placed at the entrance of your new palace, so we believe the one responsible came from outside."

Apophis glared at Tri'pu as he considered the Jaffa's words. He immediately remembered the words of one of his prisoners. There are still three very prominent warriors you have failed to eliminate over and over. Was one of those three responsible? In any case, it would not look good to the Jaffa who served him if an unknown enemy was killing warriors behind the Goa'uld's back. He would have to be found and dealt with promptly.

"My Lord," Tri'pu spoke again. "Whoever it was... he took the weapons of the Jaffa he killed."

Apophis's eyes narrowed in anger and consideration. So this one would resist. He will be crushed as will the rest.

• * *

Jack arrived at the cabin a few hours later. He pulled the van up next to Janet's truck and got out alone.

Teal'c and Daniel hastened outside to greet him with Janet on their tail. Sha're stood back near the house with Cassie and Charlie. Jack waved a hand in a friendly greeting.

"Hey kids," he called out as Teal'c, Daniel, and Janet approached. Jack glanced at the doctor. "Glad you and Cassie could make it."

"Are you alright?" Janet asked in concern.

"I am," Jack nodded before gesturing to the van. "Not sure about her. I think she might have a few dents and scratches in her. I think it's about time I bought that Cadillac." Jack motioned towards the back of the van. "It's pretty bad, you guys. Jaffa are already prancing around outside the base. But on the bright side, I found a few weapons lying around."

He opened the back door and with Teal'c's help, he pulled out the collected staff weapons and zat guns.

"This gives us more of a chance," Teal'c noted as the group headed back inside the cabin. Daniel eyed Jack skeptically.

"And you just happened to find them lying around?"

Jack shrugged. "Maybe not. Had a little run in with a couple of Jaffa. Guess their mothers never told them to stay out of the road. In any case, Apophis isn't going to be too happy."

"Is he ever?" Janet grumbled. She sighed. "You're in charge, colonel. What should we do?"

"Well we could call Maybourne and the NID," Jack suggested. "We could call the White House, or the Joint Chiefs and get back up. Procedure dictates we inform someone with the ability to help us out of this mess."

"I'm sensing a 'but'," Daniel noticed. Jack nodded.

"But the more people we send in the there, the more likely Apophis will send for backup," the colonel stated. "If a mothership shows up, I doubt we'll be able to stop it a second time."

"If we get enough people to infiltrate the SGC, Apophis might not have time to call for help," Janet stated. "If we kill all of them-"

"Come on, Janet," Jack cut in, frustrated. "Apophis has had hours to secure the base. By the time we send any team in there, he'll have every advantage to hold us off, if not even defeat us entirely. Especially considering half the people running this country are idiots. They don't know what they're up against, they're arrogant, and more importantly, some of them are going to be skeptical. The men sent in to fight won't be from the SGC, since those guys are all prisoners, and they won't take us seriously when told they're up against aliens. Somewhere, someone will make a mistake, and then it'll all be over. The only people who stand a chance at defending Earth at this point are us."

"We can't do it alone," Janet objected, shaking her head. "There are way too many Jaffa. Even with the weapons you collected, colonel, we don't have the proper resources to fight by ourselves."

"It's been done before," Jack reminded her. "We beat Ra against all odds. We have weapons. It'll be easier to sneak a few of us into the mountain than an entire team with no experience against the Jaffa."

"And then what are you going to do?" Janet demanded. "Colonel, this may be hard to accept-"

"Thor," Daniel suddenly said, looking over at his friends as he felt sudden hope. After all, it had been done before. Or at least it had been done before in the real world outside the simulation.

All eyes were on him now, and Daniel could see they were all baffled. Jack frowned. "Excuse me?"

"Well, I know it's taking a pretty big leap," Daniel admitted, as thoughts and ideas raced through his mind. "And it is probably going to be a little risky, but if we can get into the base, and find Sam, if she's still alive, we could break her out. And then I could help her rebuild that power generator of yours, Jack, to power up the Stargate and allow us to go through and meet with the Asgard. They'll help us. If anyone can chase away Apophis, it's going to be Thor." Daniel was met with the blank stares of his companions.

Jack was the first to speak. "That would require us to break into the SGC, then break out, then break into it again, get the thing to the generator, then get to the computers to dial out, and then actually get through the Stargate. Also, we'd need to find the right materials and spend the time actually trying to figure out how to build the stupid thing. And I hate to say it, Daniel, but the odds of success are not high in our favor."

Jack had a point, Daniel couldn't deny that. In the real world, it had taken two Carters to build the thing properly, and there was definitely a possible chance that Sam had already been killed in this simulation.

"Okay, so maybe it is a bad idea," Daniel grumbled. "But if we do it right, it would work."

"Maybe," Jack shook his head. "It's good you're coming up with ideas, Daniel, but let's try brainstorming plans that might actually be feasible."

"We could go through the second Stargate," Daniel suggested. "We could contact the Tok'ra-"

"To contact the Tok'ra, we need to get inside the base," Jack reminded him. "And trying to use the second gate will bring up too many questions and take too long. We need something else."

"At this point," Teal'c cut in, his voice remaining steady and calm. "I do believe the Asgard may be our best strategy. Perhaps we could find a way to gate to Cimmeria and contact Thor there."

"When Sam and I solved Thor's riddle, he appeared to us," Daniel said, growing excited. "Now that I know the answer to the riddle, I could do it again, and we could ask Thor for help that way!"

"Now wait a minute," Jack looked and sounded skeptical. "I know the Asgard a great guys, but will they really travel all the way to Earth just to scare away the Goa'uld?"

"Yes!" Daniel nodded in his excitement. "I promise you, Jack, this could work! It will work!" He turned to Sha're, who was listening intently. He smiled encouragingly at her. "We'll all be fine."

"I truly hope so," Sha're whispered.

"Okay, so we have a goal," Jack analyzed. "Now we need a plan. How are we going to get in there and dial to Cimmeria? They aren't just going to let us, you know." Daniel nodded, but only needed a few moments to think.

Finally he glanced at Teal'c. "How will Apophis react when he realizes that we don't have a dial-home device?" Teal'c did not respond right away, and no one else knew what to say either.

"He will either demand one of the prisoners to show him how to return through the gate, or he will find his own source of power to dial out," Teal'c finally offered. "Either way, I do believe it will anger him."

"If one of us became a prisoner," Daniel began. "We could help him out a little with the dialing computer."

"I think he would notice if we tried to dial to Cimmeria," Jack objected. "I mean, everyone knows the address, right? The place is forbidden, remember?"

"Yes, but," Janet strongly resembled Carter deep in thought. "Apophis wouldn't understand how the computers work. We could lie to him. Explain that the computers need an address sequence typed in it as a reminder of what the symbols mean. We could tell him that by dialing the address to Cimmeria, we don't mean to go there. We just need to allow the computer time to warm up. We could tell him that we'll dial wherever he needs to go after we dial to Cimmeria."

"Okay," Jack considered this. "But then what? Whoever is on the computer dialing can't possibly make it to the gate before Apophis realizes what is going on and stops him. Someone else would have to be by the gate and ready to go through the instant all the chevrons are locked." Jack glanced at Daniel. "That would have to be you. You're the one who knows the answer to that riddle thingy."

"Right," Daniel was nodding. "So I'd have to get there without being caught." Pressure suddenly weighed down on Daniel. The more he thought about this, the more impossible it seemed.

"That'll be tricky," Jack frowned. "They'd have the gate guarded."

"The infirmary would have knock out gases," Janet suggested. "Some would knock out even a Jaffa."

"If we go through with this," Jack said in a steady, authoritative voice. "The timing would have to be perfect. Unflawed. We will not be able leave any room for error. If a single thing goes wrong, it could mean our deaths. It'll be over."

"If we do nothing," Teal'c stated just as calmly. "It will already be over." Jack nodded and sighed.

"I really don't like this," he stated honestly. He thought for a few moments and no one spoke. "All right, I suppose we should come up with a more detailed plan. This is the most serious mission we've ever taken. We need to make sure that nothing goes wrong."

• * *

The door finally reopened.

Sam and her companions had been locked up in there for hours, and it was driving her insane. Unsure of what was happening outside the base and unable to do anything about it, Sam was feeling more helpless than she had in a very long time. She just wanted something to change. Something to happen! And now the door had opened and two Jaffa stood in the entrance.

"You," one Jaffa was glaring at General Hammond, who immediately stood from the bed he had been waiting on. "Apophis requests your presence."

"What for?" Hammond demanded.

"You will soon learn," the Jaffa barked. "Come now." Hammond considered him for a moment, but knew he had no choice. Before he went, he quickly turned to Sam.

"My order still stands, captain," he told her. "Do not answer any question Apophis might ask. But if I don't come back, you're in command."

"Yes sir," Sam felt her fists clench as the impatient Jaffa approached Hammond and forced him from the room. Once again the door closed.

Sam sighed as the other prisoners in the room began to speak frantically with one another. Their leader was gone. And it was very possible that he wasn't coming back.

• * *

The group had gathered outside. Plans had been made, and they knew the sooner they put those plans into action, the better their chances at success would be. Presently, they were preparing to leave the cabin and head for Cheyenne Mountain. Teal'c stood impassively by the van as Jack called Catherine Langford on his cell phone. He would tell her that if the mission failed, she would know if he didn't call her back in forty-eight hours. If that were to happen, she would contact the White House. Janet stood with Cassie and Daniel stood with Sha're who was holding Charlie. As Jack talked to Catherine, Janet turned and knelt down to look into her daughter's eyes.

"You need to stay here with Sha're, Cassie," Janet told the young girl. Her eyes were wide with unshed tears.

"You'll come back, right?" she asked in a soft whisper. "You aren't going to... die?"

"I'll be with SG-1, honey," Janet said gently. "If Apophis hasn't stopped them by now, he never will. I'll come back, and we'll all be okay. I promise." Cassie went to hug her mom, and Janet held her tightly, not wanting to let go. "You're very brave, Cassandra."

"Sam told me that," Cassie said. "She tells me that a lot."

Janet pulled away and wiped unshed tears from her eyes. "Sam is very smart. And she's right. And after this is over, Sam and I will take you someplace special. You wanted to go to Disneyland, right?" Cassie nodded, but not even the prospect of seeing Mickey Mouse could excite her enough to forget about Apophis and the dangerous mission her mother was going on.

Daniel turned to face his wife. She looked up at him in wide-eyed fear. Daniel could feel the fear and dread that was making her tremble. He pulled her and Charlie close.

"Do not go, my Dan'yel," Sha're pleaded. "It is too dangerous. I do not want to lose you again."

Daniel could feel his heart breaking. Leaving her like this was so much harder then he ever imagined it would be. He didn't want to go, but staying behind was out of the question. "I'll come back, Sha're. I swear we'll be together fore-" he stopped mid-sentence as he realized what a lie that would be. This was a simulation. He wouldn't be with her forever. As soon as this was over, the simulation would end, and he'd wake up on the Pleikan home world. Sha're would be dead. But for some reason, Daniel no longer believed that. This was real. He felt Sha're pressed against him, he felt her trembling, and he could sense her tears. "I have to go. But there's just so much I want to say before I leave."

Sha're pulled back and looked up at him. "I know, my Dan'yel. But what you would say in a thousand words, I can only say in a short few. I will love you forever. Come back to me when it is over." Sha're kissed him, and Daniel felt more whole then he had in years. She pulled away and looked into his eyes. "As you killed Ra, so shall you kill Apophis. And then you will return to me."

"I promise," Daniel told her. "I love you. I always have. And I always will." Daniel thought about his feelings for Sarah, and his feelings for Janet. But he knew in his heart that even if he loved either of them, he would always love his wife most of all. No one could take that away.

"Daniel, Janet!" Jack called as he motioned for Teal'c to get into the passenger's seat. "Time to go, kiddos."

"It'll be okay," Daniel assured Sha're as he tried to assure himself. "I'll come back."

"I know you will, my husband," Sha're said, her voice trembling now. She was trying not to cry. "You always come back for me."

Janet had opened the door to the back of the van and had climbed in. Jack sat in the driver's seat. They waited for Daniel as he held Sha're close and kissed her again. It was so hard to leave. But a few moments later, he walked to the car and climbed in through the open door. As Jack pulled away from the cabin, Cassie and Sha're, holding Charlie in her arms, stood watching. They continued to stand there watching even long after the van had disappeared from sight.

I know that you're hiding things. Using gentle words to shelter me. Your words were like a dream. But dreams could never fool me. Not that easily. I acted so distant then. Didn't say goodbye before you left, but I was listening. You'll fight your battles far from me. Far too easily. "Save your tears, cause I'll come back," I could hear that you whispered as you walked through that door. But still I swore to hide the pain when I turned back the pages. Shouting might have been the answer. What if I cried my eyes out and begged you not to depart? But now I'm not afraid to say what's in my heart. Oh a thousand words have never been spoken. They'll fly to you, crossing over the time and distance holding you suspended on silver wings. And a thousand words, one thousand confessions will cradle you making all of the pain you feel seem far away. They'll hold you forever!

Cause a thousand words call out through the ages. They'll fly to you even though we can't see I know they're reaching you suspended on silver wings. Oh a thousand words, one thousand embraces will cradle you making all of your weary days seem far away! They'll hold you forever. Oh a thousand words have never been spoken. They'll fly to you. They'll carry you home! And back into my arms suspended on silver wings! And a thousand words call out through the ages. They'll cradle you turning all of the lonely years to only days. They'll hold you forever! Oh, a thousand words... ~ Jade from Sweetbox

The van continued down the road. Jack drove in silence and no one was in the mood to talk. It was growing dark outside, and a light rain was beginning to fall. The task that was ahead of them seemed to draw nearer and nearer, growing more impossible. If they failed, and it seemed all too likely that they would, Apophis might never be stopped. Failure couldn't be considered as an option.

But with the challenges presented by this impossible mission came cold determination. When it mattered the most, SG-1 had never failed. When it mattered the most, they gave everything they had, and it had always been enough. So it had to be enough this time, too.

They continued to drive towards Cheyenne Mountain. When another car drove by them, they paid it no attention.

• * *

Sha're and Cassie sat in the small living room, worry and anxiety building up inside of them. It hadn't been all that long since Janet and the men had left. Fifteen minutes at the most. But the more time passed by, the worse the waiting became.

Cassie was sitting on the floor holding Charlie. Before the Tok'ra had extracted Amonet from Sha're, Cassie had been like an older sister to the boy. And now she tried to play with him in order to calm her nerves and relax.

Headlights from a car reflected off the far wall, and Cassie glanced out the window to see a car pulling up outside the cabin. She frowned and glanced at Sha're. "Do you think they forgot something?"

"I don't know," Sha're replied. Something was wrong. Instinct was screaming at her to run. "Take Charlie upstairs and hide."

Normally Cassie would ask why, but she also felt that something bad was about to happen. She stood and hurried to the staircase, keeping a gentle hold on the baby. Sha're slowly went towards the door, her heart beating harder and faster.

There was a knock on the door and Sha're stopped dead in her tracks. A voice called through the wood. "Colonel O'Neill?"

Sha're was breathing very hard now. She recognized the voice. It was a friendly voice. She didn't understand why she was so afraid. She closed the distance between herself and the door and opened it. "General Hammond?"

The General stood before her and started when he saw her. "Sha're? What on Earth are you doing here?"

"Dan'yel and I were to spend time here with Jack and Teal'c," Sha're explained in a trembling voice. Something wasn't right. "They left me here... went to... how did you get out of the mountain?"

"That doesn't matter," Hammond shook his head, looking very delighted to see her. "I had just been looking for the colonel and Teal'c. But I'm glad you're here, Sha're. Is Charlie here too?"

She was about to nod, but stopped. Something was definitely wrong. She would protect her son at all costs. "Jack said it wouldn't be safe to bring him here. The woods are no place for babies. We left him... with... a friend of Dan'yel's."

"Who?" Hammond frowned, though he seemed to accept this. Sha're shrugged, and shook her head. Her heart was beating terribly.

"What is happening, general?" she asked. Hammond considered her for a moment and took a deep breath.

"I'd like you to come with me, Sha're," he finally told her. "I wanted you to meet someone."

Confusion was making her all the more uncertain. "Is this the time for that? My Dan'yel and the others are going to try to defend your planet. Should you not-"

"Sha're," Hammond's voice became cold, and his eyes hardened. "I am not asking you to come with me." He turned back towards his car and beckoned whoever was in it to come out. Sha're's heart stopped cold as she watched two Jaffa step out from the car. Hammond turned back to Sha're, who was staring at him in horror. He smiled and spoke with the hideous dual-voice of a Goa'uld. "You will come with me now and meet my Lord Apophis. He would like to see for himself that Amonet is no longer alive and ruling within you."

Sha're couldn't breathe. This couldn't be happening! It was like a nightmare! She couldn't let them take her!

Before Hammond could stop her, she slammed the door in his face and locked it. She could hear him shout a protest, but she ignored it. She had to get out of the house! Lead them away from Cassie and her son, but at the same time escape from them! She spun around and raced through the kitchen to the back door. She heard the front door slam open, and she heard Hammond shouting orders to the Jaffa. She opened the back door and raced through.

It was cold and wet. The rain was getting worse. She bolted into the woods. She could hear the Jaffa right behind her. They would be faster and stronger and healthier then her, but she couldn't just surrender to them.

She raced past trees and brush, trying to see through the rain and the darkness. It did no good. The ground beneath her was wet, and there were leaves littering the forest floor. It was all too easy for a woman who had lived her entire life in a desert to slip on a patch of wet ground. She did and landed hard on her side.

Before she could regain her footing, powerful hands grabbed her arms. She screamed and struggled, but it didn't do her any good. The Jaffa were by far stronger then she would ever be. Forcing her to turn around, she found herself staring straight at General Hammond. His eyes flashed in disapproval. There was no longer any doubt about it. He was now the host of an unknown Goa'uld.

He approached her and caressed her face. "Sha're, this is no way to behave. I doubt very much Lord Apophis would harm someone as lovely as you. Even if she is no longer the host of his queen."

"Don't do this, please!" Sha're struggled not to cry, but it was a losing battle. "I just want to be left alone!"

"I am afraid that that will not happen," Hammond said. "You should never have helped the Tau'ri when they first came to Abydos to kill Ra." Hammond grinned and turned to the Jaffa who were holding her. "Let us now return her to Apophis. He shall be very pleased."

• * *

From the room upstairs where Cassie hid, she watched through an unlit window as the two Jaffa forced Sha're into Hammond's car. The general was already in the driver's seat, and moments later they were driving away from the cabin. Cassie turned from the window and stared at Charlie, who was sitting on a bed playing with a doll. She didn't want to cry. But she was alone again. With the exception of a very young baby, she was alone.

• * *

"Christ," Jack watched the simulation play out in horrified astonishment. "Hammond's a Goa'uld!"

"That would appear to be the correct assumption," Teal'c agreed. Sam said nothing, probably out of concern for Cassie, despite the fact that this Cassie wasn't even real.

"And now Sha're is headed off towards the mountain," Jack sighed and shook his head in disgust. "This mission has gone wrong in so many ways already."

"At least it's just a simulation," Sam offered. "It's not real. Apophis is dead." Her voice didn't sound at all encouraging.

"It's real enough for Daniel," Jack grumbled. "Therefore it's real enough for me."

• * *

Jack parked the car about half a mile away from the entrance to the base. Janet, Teal'c, and Daniel all piled out. They were each armed with a zat'ni'katel, and Teal'c also carried a staff weapon.

"Okay, remember," Jack told them through his open window. "When you get in, head straight to the infirmary to get that knock out gas. Then lie low until the gate opens. When it does, I'll sound the alarm, and you'll have thirty-eight minutes to get through the wormhole. That is unless Apophis has figured out how to use our primitive technology. If he knows how to turn things off, we're pretty much screwed, so let's hope he doesn't know anything about computers."

"You remember the address to Cimmeria?" Daniel asked, concerned Jack might get it mixed up with some other world. But Jack nodded, confident.

"Now listen," the colonel commanded. "I might not get the chance to speak to any of you guys again, so I might as well get it out now. This is really important." He waited a few moments to make sure he had their attention. "If for some reason we can't get to Cimmeria to contact Thor, then whoever shoots Apophis in the head gets to take the rest of us out for a nice large dinner and possibly a trip to Disneyland with Sam and Cassie. Got it?"

"I do not," Teal'c sounded uncertain. "What is Disneyland and where is it located?"

Jack stared up at the Jaffa, not surprised, but looking stunned. "Teal'c! Buddy! No child should be deprived of the magical land of Mickey Mouse. Now I know we're going to make it out of here alive."

"We should go now," Janet cut in. "We're wasting time and the rain is starting to pour."

"Right," Jack nodded. He gave them a little wave. "Have fun you guys. I'll see you in a little bit."

"Good luck, Jack," Daniel called. Jack nodded as he started the van back up again and continued down the road towards Cheyenne Mountain.

• * *

It didn't take all that long for Jack to arrive in front of the tunnel leading into the mountain. He immediately noticed that the bodies from earlier had been removed, and four new Jaffa were guarding the entrance. However there was someone else there that Jack had not expected to see.

"Looky at what I found," Jack whispered in delight when he saw Apophis and the Jaffa turn to observe the car. Apophis's eyes flashed in anger, though he did not seem alarmed. Neither did the four new Jaffa. Well that was th