Disclaimer Stargate Sg-1 and its characters are the property of Stargate (II) Productions, Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money exchanged hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations, and story are the property of the author. This story may not be posted elsewhere without the consent of the author.

"Witness if you will, a ghost town," Jack said, casually strolling through the alien city.

"A very advanced ghost town," Sam replied, choking back a grin at the antics of her CO. God, she'd missed this.

'Planet hopping?' Jolinar asked.

'You never worked with a team, did you?' Sam asked her symbiote.

'No. The Tok'ra usually work in solitude or pairs.'

"The architecture may indicate an Earth ancestry," Daniel said.

'He's right,' Jolinar said.

'And what do you know of Earth ancestry?' Sam asked.

'Everything you do,' the Tok'ra quipped, her tone light and teasing. They'd been back on active duty for just a couple of weeks, this exploratory mission the first one for the newly reunited SG-1.

"Aw, man..." She heard Jack complain. Pulling her attention back to the external world, she fought laughter at the sight of her CO lifting his foot out of some substance. "Anybody have any idea what this is?" he asked.

"I hate to say it sir, but it...seems like they might have a bit of a pigeon problem."

'Pigeon?'

'A bird,' Sam explained.

'Oh. Feces,' Jolinar said. 'You should take an image.'

'What?'

'The officers at the SGC often say that he's full of it.'

"I don't see pigeons...and there should be a lot of them," Jack said, totally unaware of Sam's other conversation.

"Well, whatever did this, did so pretty recently," she said aloud. 'Stop it,' the chided her symbiote, fighting laughter at the images the creature was feeding her.

"Perhaps they suffered the same fate as the inhabitants of this city," Teal'c suggested.

"Conjecture, Captain?"

"My data is consistent with the probe, sir. No radiation, the air's almost 100% pollution free. The goa'uld go for more of a scorched earth philosophy, sir," Sam said, drawing upon Jolinar's memories. In the past few weeks since they'd made their decision to stay on Earth and with the SGC, the Tok'ra had been more and more forthcoming with her knowledge.

Teal'c had been the most accepting, often adding his knowledge and perspective to hers. The colonel still had his reservations; Sam could see it in his eyes. Because of this, Jolinar tended to keep a low profile around the man, often feeding Sam information and letting the human relay it. She acted the same way with Daniel. In fact, Teal'c was the only person in the SGC that Jolinar came out and openly conversed with. At times, Sam felt it was like the Tok'ra was trying to get everyone to forget that she even existed. Sam didn't know why her symbiote was behaving this way, and every time she'd tried to question her, the creature simply pled tiredness.

After a while, Sam stopped asking, being honest enough with herself to admit that it did make things easier if people forgot her unique status.

"That is correct. A Goa'uld attack would have resulted in much more damage. Any technology would have been destroyed."

A loud buzzing filled the air and Sam watched Jack duck. "Wow! Did you guys hear that?"

'Jols?'

'I don't recognize it.'

Sam stared in horror at the large insect that landed on Teal'c's back. She could feel the tension increase and knew the others saw it as well.

"Ohh..." She heard Jack say softly.

"What are you gonna do?"

He silently pulled his side arm, his eyes narrowing as he took careful aim. 'Surely he does not mean to shoot it,' Jolinar said.

'Do you have a better idea?' Sam asked.

Maybe sensing that its death was imminent, the creature struck, it's tail swinging forward with a speed that even Jolinar couldn't see. Teal'c cried out and fell forward, grasping a pole to keep from falling to the ground.

"Carter...novocaine," Jack ordered, abandoning his attempts to shoot the creature as it fled.

"Yes, sir." She hurried forward. 'Jolinar, what's wrong with him?' she asked, fighting down the panic at the pain in her friend's voice.

'I do not know. His symbiote should be helping him.'

"Uh...we'd better get outta here," she heard Daniel say.

"No, really?"

"No, really," he insisted, ignoring Jack's sarcasm.

'RUN!' Jolinar screamed.

'What?"

"God! Let's move! C'mon! Let's go!" Suddenly grateful for Jolinar's gift of strength, Sam pulled one of Teal'c's arms over her shoulders feeling Jack do the same on the other side. They ran for their very lives, hearing the ominous buzzing of the swarm of insects drawing closer and closer.

She watched Daniel skid to a halt by the DHD, his hand flying across the surface of the device. "The code, Carter," Jack ordered, shifting his weight to allow her to free her arm.

She yanked her sleeve up, impatiently waiting for the gate to open. The second the vortex stabilized her fingers flew over the keypad, trying to ignore the growing buzz at their backs. "Clear!" she yelled, pulling Teal'c's arm back over her shoulder. They ran up the small flight of stairs, following Daniel through the gate.

"Lock it up!" She heard Jack yell the second they set foot on the ramp.

"Medical team!" she yelled, as Teal'c's legs gave out and he fell forward. Again relying on Jolinar's strength, she tried to support him, easing his descent.

"What is that?" She heard Hammond demand as the iris spun shut, ominous thuds heralding the persistence of the creatures.

"Those are bugs, sir! Big...ugly bugs!" Jack said, breathing as heavily as her, both from their exertions and their close call.

'Are all your missions like this?' Jolinar asked plaintively as they moved to allow the medics to get to Teal'c.

'Some,' Sam admitted.

'Great,' the Tok'ra said. 'Just great.'

<><><><><>

"He seems to be suffering from the side effects of a viral infection...fever, aches, chills..." Janet reported, her face revealing to them the seriousness of the situation.

"And his Goa'uld isn't helping?" Sam asked.

"No...that's not the worse part..."

'It should be,' Jolinar said. 'A Jaffa's symbiote should protect it from most threats.'

'Well, it's not,' Sam said. 'Have you heard of this bug before?'

'No.'

"The blood sample I took showed a rather disturbing amount of DNA that doesn't match Teal'c's," Janet continued.

"What does that mean?" Both Jack and Daniel asked.

"Actually, I'm not sure...um, to be perfectly honest with you, sir, I think I may be out of my league here," Janet admitted, startling her. If the doctor was at a loss, they were in trouble.

"General, if I may...when I was assigned to the Pentagon, I had the chance to work with Dr. Timothy Harlow. He's one of the world's top geneticists and he has full security clearance," Sam suggested.

"He'll be here before the end of the day."

<><><><><>

Sam walked down the halls, on her way to visit Teal'c. 'I wonder if Timothy's made any progress?'

'You did say he is the best,' Jolinar reminded.

'There just has to be a way to fix this. I mean, Junior's almost as good as you are.'

Jolinar sighed. 'Almost is the operative word. He is just an infant. And there is a vast difference between carrying a primta and being blended,' she reminded.

'I know, I know. I just…I don't want to lose him, not like this.' She heard footsteps echoing in the corridors and paused, the hair on the back of her neck standing up. She caught sight of a figure walking down an intersecting corridor, flanked by two SF's. 'No,' she said, her heart lurching. 'This can not be happening.' Panic overwhelmed her at the thought of having that man on the base.

'What's he doing here?" Jolinar asked, sharing Sam's alarm.

'I have a damned good idea,' Sam raged. 'I am going to kill the son of a bitch.' She turned and ran down the other way, abandoning the elevator for the stairs. He was not going to get her friend, she didn't care if she had to shoot him on the spot, he was not getting his hands on Teal'c.

<><><><><>

"Come in."

Jack walked into the office. "You wanted to see me, sir?" he asked the man, frowning slightly at the serious look on his face. The general remained silent, simply gesturing slightly with his head. "Oh, for cryin' out loud," Jack groaned, rolling his eyes at the sight of Harry Maybourne standing there.

"Colonel O'Neill."

"Hello, Maybourne," Jack said, his voice deliberately cold. He had balls showing up here, especially after what he'd done to Sam.

"I thought you would want to see this," George said, holding out some papers.

Jack took them, somehow knowing he wasn't going to like what he was going to read. He was right. "You've got to be kidding."

"It's an official order. I have no choice," the general said, shaking his head slightly.

"Well, uh...what about..."

"The president is currently unavailable."

"This facility is front-line. Your mandate is search and retrieval. Mine is research and development. As a source of information, Teal'c has been invaluable to your operation. Now he may prove equally invaluable to mine. This organism could be the biological weapon..."

"He saved your smarmy ass and everyone else on this planet. Does that count for anything in your world?"

"Absolutely. I am thrilled to get the chance to thank him personally."

"General Hammond, request permission to beat the crap out of this man."

"Denied, Colonel," the general said.

"Sir…" Jack protested, falling silent at the man's sharp look.

"Colonel Maybourne, I have to obey this…order, but it doesn't say here that I have to like it. Now get the hell out of my sight."

Maybourne turned, pausing to take the papers from Jack's hand, before he left the office. Jack watched him go, then shut the door behind him. "You think he bought it, sir?" Jack asked quietly.

George sighed. "I hope so. What about Captain Carter?"

"General?"

"Have you told her about our plans?"

Jack shook his head. "No, sir. I…I didn't want to get her hopes up."

George shrugged. "If you're not going to tell her, you may want to keep an eye on her. I have no idea if Jolinar feels the same way she does, but killing Maybourne is not in our best interests, not yet anyway."

"I will, sir," Jack said. He turned to leave the room, then turned back. "If this doesn't work, I really DO want to shoot him…sir."

"I just may let you," George muttered as the door closed.

<><><><><>

"You son of a bitch!" Sam yelled, hurrying into the room. She took no little satisfaction from the startled look on Timothy's face. "You told them," she accused, ruthlessly tamping down on remembered fear. 'I should never have trusted him,' she told her symbiote.

'We had to do something to help Teal'c,' Jolinar said.

'You know what they'll do,' Sam reminded. 'The NID's been wanting to get their hands on Teal'c for over a year

"Sam?" he asked, his face irritatingly innocent.

'Maybe he didn't tell,' Jolinar suggested.

'He did,' Sam told her. "It had to be you. Damn it, Timothy, Teal'c is my friend. He's sick..."

"Yes, he is and he's going to get the very best help available...on this planet. But your facility is not equipped for this kind of situation and you know it."

'He is right. Your doctor can do nothing for him.'

'That's not the point. I trusted him. I thought he was different,' Sam said, feeling no little amount of disgust for herself. "Please, don't tell me that you're ignorant here. Do you have any idea what they'll do to him?" she asked, fighting the urge to have Jolinar make her eyes glow and her voice resonate. She wanted to scare the crap out of him, hell; she wanted to beat the crap out of him. "They don't give a damn about fixing him. All they see is a potential biological weapon. Teal'c is nothing to them. They'll use him, experiment on him then they'll just toss him aside," she said, her memory of the past ruthlessly filling in Teal'c's future.

"Maybourne's people can be unscrupulous, but if Teal'c is to have any chance, it is with me...and I will do the best that I can," he insisted.

Sam felt her anger build at his stupidity. He was never this blind, this idealistic. 'He honestly believes he can make a difference,' Jolinar said.

'He's an idiot,' Sam bit out. 'You can't fight them. There's no way to fight them. They always win,' Sam said, her heart sinking. 'Help me,' she begged.

'What?'

'He's my friend. He won't…I WON'T let him go through what we did. He'd rather die, and I'd rather he die. Help me,' she begged, ignoring the puzzled look on Timothy's face.

'Samantha…'

'Please.' She felt the symbiote agree and she turned, stalking from the room.

"Sam?" she heard Timothy call. "Are you ok?" She didn't bother to reply. He didn't matter any more.

Nothing mattered any more.

<><><><><>

Jack leaned against the wall outside the infirmary, studying the remainder of his team. Both were uncharacteristically silent, their moods somber. He couldn't blame them. This sucked in so many ways. There was nothing they could do. Hammond had tried to call the president several times, only to fail each time. Jack wanted to hope that any second now the old man would come striding down the hall with a reprieve for Teal'c, but he acknowledged that it was unlikely. Whoever the hell was pulling Harry's strings, they had the right connections.

"General, I have a right to stop this. He is not well enough to be moved," he heard Fraiser protest. Nice try, doc, he thought knowing that she'd fail. Maybourne didn't give a damn about Teal'c's well being.

"Fortunately, I have a second opinion," Harry gloated. Jack felt his hands clench. He shoulda shot the SOB when he had the chance.

"How can we just let this happen?" Daniel asked.

"What do you want me to do?" Jack asked, shooting a glance at a silent Carter. She was taking this calmly. Too calmly. She hated Harry, he knew she hated him and all he represented, yet she'd been the most silent about the situation. He expected to have to hold her back. Instead she'd been so calm that it was spooking him. "Carter?" It was almost like she was in on their little secret. But she couldn't be. No one knew outside of their little circle of three.

"As much as I don't trust Maybourne, I have to admit...Timothy is the best and he gave me his word he was gonna help Teal'c," she said, not meeting his eyes. Jack frowned and looked at Daniel who shrugged slightly. He started to press her further, his words cut off by the door opening, revealing Maybourne and Harlow, trailed by two guards escorting Teal'c, in shackles. "What's with the chains?" Jack asked, feeling his anger well again.

"Maybourne," Hammond said, his expression revealing his disgust.

"Of course..." Jack watched his friend led away, his pain evident in his shuffling steps. This should not be happening. They'd just gotten back together, and now they were being torn apart. It wasn't right, it wasn't fair. Teal'c stumbled a bit and Jack watched one of the guards jerk him back upright. There was no compassion, no caring in the man's grip. In that moment he that if he stayed any longer, he'd do something he'd regret. Barely controlling his rage, he spun on his heel, stalking down the hall.

<><><><><>

'Are you sure about this?' Jolinar asked her host as they crouched in the bushes.

'I'm sure. They have to come this way.'

'That's not what I mean,' Jolinar said. 'Is this really the best way?'

'If they get him to Nevada, we'll never see him again. You know that.'

'Your friend Timothy…'

'Is a fool,' Sam said bitterly. 'You know what they'll do to him.'

'Yes,' Jolinar said, acknowledging that the Jaffa's fate in the hands of Maybourne would not be a good one. 'But is this the best way? Maybe your friends could help?'

'It's the only way,' Sam said, ignoring the Tok'ra's suggestion.

'Your friend was right. Doctor Fraiser has no idea how to help him.'

'Junior may still stop the disease,' Sam said.

'And if he doesn't?' Jolinar asked.

Sam sighed and closed her eyes. "He won't suffer," she whispered. "They're coming," she said, ending the conversation. She looked up, focusing on the white truck coming down the road towards them.

She armed and aimed her zat, grateful that they had brought some of the alien weapons back from Apophis' ship, and that she'd managed to liberate it from the base. She'd thought about shooting out the tires, but realized that Jolinar's idea of short-circuiting the vehicles electronics with a zat blast was not only quieter but also safer. Her finger tightened on the trigger.

'Wait,' Jolinar said, exerting a bit of control. 'Now!' She tightened Sam's finger on the trigger, firing the weapon. Blue light washed over the truck and it swerved, the driver struggling for control. It went off the road, ending up in the ditch. Sam hurried forward, quickly shooting the driver then making her way to the back of the truck. She flung open the doors, using Jolinar's faster reflexes to allow her to subdue the two guards and Timothy.

Teal'c was struggling to right himself, the manacles and yellow plastic suit hampering his efforts. Her eyes caught more movement and she raised her gun again, knowing who the last occupant was. She stepped forward, placing herself between Teal'c and the man. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" he asked. "You're violating a lawful order. I'll have your commission for this," he blustered, the severity of his threat lessened by the blood running down the side of his head and his arm that was hanging at an awkward angle.

Sam laughed, shocking both Harry and Jolinar. She stepped forward, raising her zat. "Is that supposed to scare me?" She reached out and grabbed his throat, squeezing it. "Am I supposed to be so intimidated at the thought of losing a meaningless title that I just let you go and help you torture my friend?" She shoved the zat into his face. "My God, you ARE an idiot. I would probably be doing the world a favor if I killed you." She squeezed her hand tighter, enjoying his struggles to breath

'Samantha?' She ignored her symbiote, her eyes narrowing as remembered fear and pain fueled her desire for revenge. 'You don't want to do this.'

Voices filtering in through the pain. Clinical hands pushing aside and cutting away her clothes.

"How's long it been?"

"The subject was shot eight hours ago."

"The wound looks like it's a week old. There's no sign of infection. It should be fully healed in another twenty-four hours."

"Good. Take her back to her room. We'll schedule the next test for then."

"Sir?"

"You heard me, Lieutenant."

"Colonel Maybourne, with all due respect, sir, she needs time to recover."

"Do you think they'll be so forgiving if they come? They won't give us time to recover. It's obvious that firearms merely slow them down. Let's see how the goa'uld responds to biological weapons." A rough hand grabbed her hair, pulling her head back. She forced heavy eyes open, just to look her tormentor in the eyes. "What would you like first, Captain? Small pox, or maybe Ebola?"

'Don't I?' Sam asked. 'You know what he did, you know what he was going to do to us. You remember him standing over us, planning what to do next. He stole my life, now tell me why I shouldn't take his in return?'

Jolinar surged to control, taking great care to make it as dramatic as possible. She deliberately flared Sam's eyes, sharing her host's pleasure in the abrupt paling of Maybourne's face. 'Because we are not like him,' she said softly. "If my host had her way, I would crush your neck like a bug. She wants you dead, but I prefer you alive. I want you to know that you owe your life to an alien. In the middle of the night when your dreams won't let you sleep I want you to remember that I OWN you. You live only because I let you live…and you will die the second that I decide you're not worth keeping around," she said, her cold voice resonating off the walls of the truck. She knocked him upside the head with the zat, letting him slump unconscious to the floor.

She turned, her eyes making out the form of Teal'c standing at the back of the truck. "We need to move," she said, hurrying towards him.

He dropped the helmet to the suit, breathing heavily. "Jolinar?"

She moved towards him, jumping out of the truck and pulling his arm across her shoulder. "It won't take them long to figure out something's happened. We need to get away from here."

"I…"

"I won't let them take you with them." Jolinar returned control to Sam. "Please," Sam said. "We'll find somewhere safe. Somewhere where they can't find you, where they can't hurt you."

He nodded, letting her pull him towards the trees. Within minutes they were gone, vanished into the wilderness, an abandoned biohazard suit the only sign that they'd been there.

<><><><><>

Jack stood in the corner of the infirmary, his attention torn between the patients on the beds and the figures walking down the hall.

"I want her arrested. She accosted a superior officer," Maybourne complained loudly.

"I don't know about superior," Jack muttered, rolling his eyes. Inwardly he was kicking himself. He should have expected this from the second he heard Maybourne was on the base. Carter didn't get along with the man, no big surprise there. Not after what he'd done to her. Hell, Jack didn't get along with Maybourne on a good day, and this was far from a good day. But she'd just unwittingly thrown a monkey wrench the size of Colorado into their plans.

"Colonel O'Neill. Captain Carter assaulted my men and I and kidnapped Teal'c. In addition, she's potentially exposing the whole planet to a biohazard of unimaginable proportions. For all we know, this is a plot by that creature in her head."

"Blow it out your ear," Jack said, pushing off the wall, deliberately not looking at Fraiser.

"Excuse me?" Harry asked.

"Look, Maybourne. You and I both know Carter's got a damned good reason to hate your guts. And a damned good reason not to trust you any further than she can throw you."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Maybourne protested.

"Please," Jack sneered. He moved forward, looming over the colonel. "You took her, tortured her. And you were going to do the same thing to Teal'c," he accused. "I don't give a damn what kind of orders you have, you never should have been allowed to take him before, and as soon as we find them, you will lay your hands on them over my dead body," Jack said, leaning forward until Maybourne relented and pulled back, wincing as the movement jarred his broken arm.

"You don't have the authority."

"He may not, but I do."

Hearing Hammond's voice, Jack pulled back a bit. "Sir."

"General Hammond, I want to file a formal complaint against not only Captain Carter but also Colonel O'Neill," Maybourne said.

Hammond rolled his eyes, ignoring Maybourne and turning his attention to Jack. "Colonel O'Neill, you're in charge of the search teams. I want Captain Carter and Teal'c returned to this facility." He turned to Maybourne. "Colonel Maybourne, you are certainly welcome to file your complaints, but I am compelled to inform you that Captain Carter's status as an alien ambassador gives her immunity to prosecution. Now I see no sign of anything untoward happening here, unless of course someone here has any corroborating evidence." He pointedly looked at Janet.

"No, sir. I have nothing to report," she said. "The two colonels were merely talking."

Maybourne fumed while Jack stepped back. "Well then," Hammond said. "Colonel O'Neill, I suggest that you get to finding the missing members of your team. Colonel Maybourne, I imagine you would like to get your arm treated, so I suggest we leave the doctor to do her job." The general met Jack's eyes, nodding slightly. Taking the hint, Jack followed him from the room. "Do you have any idea where Carter would take Teal'c?" he asked softly once they were safely out of earshot.

Jack shook his head. "No, sir. She's smart enough not to just take him home. Why?"

"While I can certainly understand Carter's issues with Maybourne and the NID, the fact still remains that he's right, she is risking exposure to whatever is making Teal'c ill. We need to get them back here, now."

Jack shook his head. "You said…"

"Technically the NID is supposed to keep their hands off Carter, but if there are no witnesses, then they'll just deny all knowledge and we'll be right back where we started. Jack, if we can get them back here we can contain the disease and open up another option," he said meaningfully.

"General?"

"There is one place where the NID can't touch either of them."

"You mean to send them through the gate. Banish them off world."

"It's not the best option, but it is one place where I know they'll be safe," he said.

"I'll bring them back, sir," Jack promised. He turned and hurried down the hall.

"See that you do, colonel," Hammond said after him. "See that you do."

<><><><><>

Teal'c paid scant attention to his surroundings, using all his concentration to keep placing one foot in front of the other. Pain radiated from his gut, spreading all throughout his body. He was hot, sweat streaming down his back, then in the next instant he was cold, the same sweat feeling like icicles drenching his clothes. He had never felt this badly in his life. Even the grievous wounds he'd sustained in battle over the years paled in comparison to how he felt now.

All he wanted to do was lie down and pray for the pain to fade. But he couldn't do that, she… they wouldn't let him. "Just a little bit further," she promised, tightening her grip around his waist. He didn't know who had spoken, the host or the Tok'ra. Oddly enough it didn't matter. She was his friend, and if one of them lacked the strength to do what was necessary, the other one wouldn't.

<><><><><>

Jack pushed aside a branch, cursing under his breath as his boots skidded on some loose rock. So far, he and his teams had tracked Carter and Teal'c making their way away from the van and deep into the under brush. Fortunately there had been no shortage of volunteers, including Ferretti and Makepeace's Marines. Unfortunately, the lack of manpower wasn't a problem, it was the terrain. Realistically, they weren't that far out of Colorado Springs, however the landscape was rugged, rocks thinly covered by loose dirt and heavy vegetation.

More than once he'd wished for Teal'c and the Jaffa's incredible tracking abilities as he'd tried to follow his two missing teammates. The baying of a dog cut through the air and Jack stopped, shooting Ferretti a look.

"You gotta be kidding me," the major groused.

Jack sighed, wishing the man was wrong. "I wish I could say I was surprised."

"They're serious about taking them back, aren't they?" he asked.

"They're serious, Ferretti."

"Then we damn well better get there first, huh colonel?"

"We better, " Jack said. "Or the old man's gonna be pissed."

Urged on by the now imminent threat towards two of their own, they picked up the pace, hoping that they got there in time.

<><><><><>

Sam pulled Teal'c along, her harsh breathing sounding abnormally loud in the quiet woods. They were struggling uphill, hoping desperately to put some distance between them and their pursuers. How the hell had they caught up with them so fast? Teal'c pulled away and she let him lean against a tree, accepting his silent request for rest.

'He does not look well.'

'I know.'

'His symbiote is not helping,' Jolinar said.

'We just need to let him rest. Junior can't heal him if he's concentrating on keeping him on his feet,' Sam said stubbornly. She ignored the skeptical feelings coming from her symbiote. He'd be ok; he had to be ok.
A wail filtered through the trees and she felt her heart lurch. "They wouldn't," she whispered.

'What?'

"Dogs. Those bastards are using dogs."

Lying on a cot in her cell, desperately tired but afraid to sleep. The dead silence of the room pressing down on her, almost a physical presence. The walls were thick, heavy concrete that muffled any noise. Her heartbeat echoed in her ears and she fought to quiet it. She didn't want them to hear her, didn't want them to remember that she was here. If she stayed quiet enough, maybe they'd forget.

Footsteps echoing up the hall, both human and animal. Their regular patrol her only way to tell time in the windowless room. Canine toenails clicking on the floor, ticking away like some furry metronome. Marking the time until they came for her again.

"We gotta move," she said, pulling Teal'c's arm over her shoulder. "If we can get to the highway, maybe they'll lose the scent."

<><><><><>

Teal'c grunted, feeling his legs give out from under him. He heard Sam cry out, felt her pulled off balance by the sudden shift in weight. The baying of the dogs grew louder and he realized that there was nothing more he could do. "Go," he said, pushing her away.

"What? No." She reached out, struggling to pull him to his feet. "We're almost there."

"Do not die for me," he said. "You can evade them. Kill me." He reached out and covered her hand with his, bringing up the zat. She shook her head, trying to pull her hand from his as he pressed the trigger to arm the weapon. "My symbiote can not heal me. End it…now."

"No. No. We can get away. Teal'c don't."

"Jolinar, you know what you must do." He looked her in the eyes, seeing the host's fear replaced by the symbiote's determination. "Do it!" he yelled. He felt her finger tighten on the trigger, then her whole body spasmed and she fell forward, collapsing in front of him.

Exhausted, he fell, helpless to do anything but watch as they were surrounded.

<><><><><>

Sam fell forward, pain raging throughout her chest. She struggled to move, her efforts halted when rough hands rolled her over, yanking the zat from her unresisting fingers. Dimly she realized she'd been shot, she felt the hot pooling of blood soaking the back of her shirt.

'Don't move,' the symbiote said. 'Let me check out the damage.'

She tried to look at Teal'c to see if he'd been shot as well but a hand grabbed her hair, pulling her head up. A person loomed over her, his sweat dripping off his face to land on hers. "Bitch," he spat. She frowned, not understanding the reason for his vehemence. "You don't recognize me, do you?" She shook her head slightly. "Typical," he sneered, reaching into his pocket. "Or have you killed so many people that you don't even remember them?"

'Jols?'

'I don't…' The symbiote broke off as he brought a syringe into her field of vision. 'This isn't good.'

"Lieutenant Matthew Brewer. He was fresh out of the academy, at his first assignment, Area 51…when you murdered him in cold blood." He stabbed the syringe into Sam's chest, emptying the contents into her. "I'll see you in hell."

In her mind, Jolinar screamed.

<><><><><>

"Apparently, Colonel Maybourne had some of his men waiting at Peterson. That's how they were able to get the head start in the search," Hammond said, looking around the briefing room table.

"It wasn't a search, it was a goddamned hunting party," Jack said, his disgust plain on his face. "Five more minutes and they'd have murdered both of them."

George didn't respond, knowing nothing he could say would help. O'Neill was right. Brewer and his men weren't simply searching for Carter and Teal'c, they had been hunting them down, a fact borne out by the fact that Carter had been shot in the back.

Fortunately, Jack and his team had caught up with them, preventing Brewer from completing his plans. They'd air lifted Teal'c and Carter back to the SGC and taken the men into custody.

"Janet?" Daniel said. Jack looked up, seeing Fraiser and Harlow walking into the room.

"Doctor?"

"Why do I think you don't have good news," Jack said, reading the expression on her face.

"Sir." She acknowledged the general. "I wish we did have better news. Captain Carter is stable, for now," she said.

"What does that mean?" Daniel asked.

"I thought the snake was supposed to fix stuff like that?" Ferretti asked.

"Normally, yes. A symbiote would aid in healing the wound. But in this case I don't think it'll help."

"We tested the substance in the syringe you brought back," Harlow said. "According to Doctor Fraiser, it is an Earth based version of the symbiote poison used by Sam to kill Amaunet."

"How the hell did they get their hands on that?" Jack asked.

"Do you mean Jolinar is dying?" Daniel said.

"I don't know, sir. And I don't know that either, Daniel. Right now the symbiote is in…the equivalent of a coma, her life signs are virtually non-existent."

"But Amaunet died within an hour of Captain Carter injecting it with the poison," Hammond said.

"Yes, sir. But Sam injected it directly into the symbiote. Captain Brewer injected Sam. And her body may have filtered some of it, which could be all that's keeping Jolinar alive."

"So all we need to do is wait for Jolinar to get better then she can heal Sam," Daniel said.

"It's not that easy, Doctor Jackson," Harlow said.

"In the last few months, Jolinar has become Sam's immune system. Normally this is a good thing. She's got an immunity to virtually any disease. Unfortunately, as long as Jolinar is in this coma, she can't help Sam," Janet said. "I'm already seeing the first signs of an infection. It's possible that IV antibiotics can clear it up. We'll have to wait and see."

"How about Teal'c?" Hammond asked.

"He's not much better," Janet said. "Junior seems to be slowing the progression of the change, but it's still happening."

"There has to be something we can do," Daniel said.

"Well, I have access to several variations of experimental RNA inhibitors which are being researched at the moment, and combined with the natural healing abilities of the symbiote..." Harlow spoke up.

"How does that help Teal'c?"

"It's possible that I can use the inhibitors to reverse the change."

"Then do it," Jack said.

Harlow looked at Janet. "Using just the inhibitors won't work. What I really need is access to the creature's venom," he said.

"Oh man," Jack said, running his hand through his hair. "You would have to say that."

"Are you sure it's the only way, Doctor?" Hammond asked.

"I'm afraid so, General."

"I'll go get one," Ferretti offered.

"Me too," Daniel said.

"Colonel?" Hammond asked Jack.

"If that's what it takes," Jack said.

"Very well, you can leave when ready." Hammond got up from the table, signaling an end to the briefing.

Jack watched him go, then turned to the remainder of his team. "Let's go hunt some bugs, kids."

<><><><><>

Pain, cold piercing pain radiating through her back. Why did it hurt? It shouldn't hurt. 'Jolinar, it hurts,' she said. 'Make it stop hurting."

Only silence greeted her request, puzzling her. She never stayed quiet. At times, Jolinar could be called chatty, always curious about Earth and the things she saw. More than once, she'd had to jump-start Sam's metabolism to compensate for an ice cream binge or one too many trips through the buffet.
'Jolinar, come on, give me a hand here,' Sam said, biting her lip.

Still getting no response, Sam concentrated, trying to turn her mind inwards. They had to be in the infirmary, she recognized the smells and sounds. She fought the light-headedness of painkillers, digging deep into her mind to touch Jolinar's consciousness.

She entered a virtual hall, rows of doors as far as she could see. That was how they divided up Sam's mind, doors and rooms, some open, some closed, some public, some private. They each had their own place, their own space. A refuge when they wanted their privacy

Jolinar hadn't shared everything with Sam, and said she never would. A fair exchange considering that Sam had her secrets as well. She walked down the hall, her footsteps echoing off barren walls. Reaching Jolinar's room, Sam knocked, calling out softly.

Still not getting a response, she tried the doorknob that refused to move under her hands. Fear merging with panic, she tried harder, twisting and jerking. She pounded on the door, calling out, desperate for a reply.

Her pleas remained unanswered

<><><><><>

Janet knocked on the door, taking one last glance at the papers in her hand, hoping against hope that they'd change.

"Come," Hammond said.

She took a deep sigh and opened the door, stepping into the general's office. "Sir."

"Doctor. Please, have a seat," he offered. Janet sat down, unable to meet his eyes. "You don't have good news, do you?" he said.

She shook her head. "No, sir. I wish I did. My latest test results show that the antibiotics are having little effect. The infection is progressing and I can't stop it," she said, her voice choking a bit.

"I'm sure you've done all you can," Hammond soothed.

"No, sir. I haven't," she said. He shot her an alarmed look. "My theory is that it's Jolinar that's suppressing Sam's immune system. If we remove, or kill her…there's a chance Sam could recover."

"Then why haven't you?"

"Sam won't let me, sir." Janet glanced down at her hands, then back up to look him in the eyes. "She says they'll either live together, or die together."

"I see," George said.

"Sir," Janet said after a minute. "Normally when a member of the SGC is seriously wounded, we transfer them to the Academy Hospital so that their family can visit…"

George shook his head. "We can't do that. Not as long as she's blended. I can't run the risk of Jolinar's existence becoming public knowledge," he said. "We were barely able to contain the knowledge of the Stargate program when we transferred the Nasyians to the hospital a few months ago."

"I know, sir. I honestly don't even know if Sam has any family. She never talks about them. But General, she is dying. Is the secrecy of this program worth a lifetime of regret and unanswered questions?"

<><><><><>

Sam slowly opened her eyes, using her hearing to confirm where she was. Over the low murmur of a radio, she heard the faint sounds of a baby. Turning her head, she saw Daniel sitting in a chair, Hrabe playing on his lap.

Somehow, despite the odd circumstances of his conception and birth, the child seemed to be coming out pleasingly normal. If she didn't know he was the child of two goa'uld, born and bred among the stars, she wouldn't be able to tell. He was perched on Daniel's lap, his tiny hands wrapped around a bright yellow plastic rattle that he was swinging around.

She watched Daniel play with him, his love for the boy clear on his face. It was amazing how he'd accepted him, the simple fact that he was Shau'ri's child being more than enough to win him a place in her friend's heart.

So far, Hrabe had been perfectly healthy, nothing more than a normal little human boy. She should tell Daniel, warn him. Or should she? Maybe Jolinar had been wrong. What if the whole Harcesis thing had just been a myth. If she told them, they'd never look at Hrabe the same again. They'd watch him, monitor him. And god forbid if the NID got wind of it.

Maybe she shouldn't say anything. Pray for the best. That had been her original plan, but that plan had been conceived when she knew she'd be around for the next twenty years or so to keep an eye on the boy. That wasn't going to happen now. She would never see him grow up, she knew that with complete certainty.
Jolinar had been silent ever since she'd woken up three days ago, her coma like state reducing her to a physical presence only. And that presence was lessening day by day, muted further by the painkillers she was on. The gunshot wound wasn't healing, in fact, according to Janet, it was getting worse.

Janet had suggested that if the symbiote were to die or be removed, maybe Sam's immune system would reassert itself. But Sam couldn't do it. There was still a chance Jolinar could overcome the poison, and she couldn't kill her while there was still a chance. Jolinar hadn't abandoned her, and she couldn't abandon her friend. As far as she was concerned, they would live together or die together. For some reason, that thought didn't scare her. She felt oddly at peace with her forthcoming death. There was a certain relief in removing the uncertainty from life.

"Hey? You're awake."

"Hey Daniel. Is Hrabe ok?"

"Oh, yeah, he's fine. It's time for Shau'ri's check up. And since Abydonians aren't big on babysitters, Robbie here came in too." He picked the child up and sat him on the edge of the bed where Sam could reach out and touch him. "Besides, last week the general was hinting that he really wanted to see him."

"He's getting so big." She traced the embroidered Winnie the Pooh on the front of his over-alls. Through some quirk of genetics, he'd inherited his mother's coloring, coffee colored skin and dark hair, but had brilliant green eyes. "How's Teal'c?"

"Doctor Harlow's serum is working. According to him and Janet, the changes to his DNA are…undoing, or however they say it. He's going to be fine," he reassured her.

"That's good." She closed her eyes, fighting the pull of the drugs. Usually she hated the fuzzy headed feeling she got from narcotics. But not now, now she welcomed it. It made it easier for her to ignore the distinct lack of feeling from elsewhere in her body. Janet said she thought the swelling would go down and she was sure the symbiote could fix the damage to her back. Right now, Sam didn't care. Either Jolinar would wake up and fix her and she'd walk again, or they'd both die. Life was rather simple when it boiled down to one of two decisions. It was neater that way, like a computer program. Ones and zeros, yes or no, life or death.

"Danyel?" Sam opened her eyes to see Shau'ri step into the room. "Doctor Fraiser said you were here."

"Shau'ri. You all done?" Daniel stood up, taking Hrabe in his arms.

"Yes," she said, stepping forward to take the child from him. "Samantha," she acknowledged, barely sparing Sam a look.

"Shau'ri, hi," Sam said, studying the woman. She looked strange, different from all the times before. Gone were her Abydonian robes or goa'uld finery. Instead she was wearing a flowing peasant skirt and t-shirt.
She looked happy and content, although Sam could pick out shadows in her dark eyes. Shadows that told of hardship and horrors, memories that haunted her, that would likely always haunt her. "How are you getting along?"

"Your planet is a truly wonderful place. It's so…big," she said.

"You should have seen her the first time we used the microwave," Daniel said, laughing. "I've created a monster when it comes to microwave popcorn. I should buy stock in the company."

Sam smiled, imagining the puzzlement of a person suddenly thrust into the modern world. She'd done that with Jolinar. It had reawakened Sam's fascination with technology to see it through Jolinar's wondrous eyes. It was amazing how a millennia old creature could still be fascinated by instant coffee and satellite TV.

"That's good," Sam said.

"We should go," Daniel said after a minute. "Get Robbie home in time for dinner." They said their goodbyes and left Sam alone in the room. Closing her eyes, she focused on the music coming from the radio, suddenly realizing how different it was not to have to explain the lyrics to someone, and how much she missed it.

<><><><><>

George parked his car, pausing for a minute, dreading what was coming. He should have expected the phone call, Jake was actually overdue for his monthly, deliberately casual phone call, the one where they chatted for about twenty minutes about old times and recent events before they got down to the real reason for the call. The oh so casual mention of Carter's name, the gentle inquiry that was really a desperate plea for information, any crumbs of knowledge George could drop in his lap.

Sighing, he got out of his car, walking into the small coffee shop. Jake was sitting at a table in the corner, a paper cup of coffee sitting in front of him. George nodded and purchased a drink, quickly joining his friend. "Jacob."

"George. Nice of you to come." George sat down, shifting a bit to get comfortable on the absurdly tiny chair. "You remember when the only way to have coffee was either with sugar, cream or instant? None of this espresso, half-caf, decaf, mocha crap," Jacob groused.

George chuckled. "Black is still the only way to drink it." He picked his up, taking off the irritating plastic lid. "What's wrong, Jacob?" he asked seriously.

"Who says anything has to be wrong?"

"Thirty years, Jacob. And you've never lied to me. Not even about that girl in Saigon…what was her name?"

Jacob laughed. "A gentleman never tells," he said, looking down. "How's Sam?" he asked seriously, abruptly changing the subject.

George shook his head. "You know I can't talk about it."

"Jesus Christ, George. I'm not asking for your mission statement, I just want to know about my little girl," Jacob said.

George opened his mouth, the well rehearsed cover stories ready to trip off his tongue, and then he stopped. This wasn't one of Jacob's normal fishing expeditions. There was something different about his friend, something in his eyes that wasn't usually there. His shoulders were more stooped, his demeanor calm, his banter forced. "What's wrong, Jacob," he asked again.

"What are you talking about?"

"Jacob."

"I got cancer, George," Jake said, his voice calm and accepting.

"Oh Jacob," George said, his heart sinking as he heard the words he so desperately didn't want to hear.

"There's nothing like imminent death to put your priorities in order," Jake said, shaking off his friend's concern. "I can't do much about Mark, but I do want to make sure my daughter is ok. That's all I'm asking."

George looked down at his cooling coffee. His duty was to protect the program, preserve the secrecy of the Stargate. So much of his life had revolved around secrets, keeping them, breaking them, hiding them. Like so many times before, friendship was supposed to take a backseat to his duty, his job, his life.
More than once, he'd been prepared to die to protect the project, to save his planet. And now his duty demanded that he let his best friend, his partner during so many nightmarish raids into enemy territory, go to his grave alone and miserable to save the program. No. If there was one thing he'd learned in his life was that duty didn't mean much if it came at the cost of your soul. "Come on," he said, pushing his chair back.

"George?" Jacob frowned up at him.

"You want to know how Sam is? Why don't you come see her?"

"I don't understand." Jake stared up at his friend.

"You will, Jacob. You will," he said, pulling the man to his feet and leading him from the coffee shop.

<><><><><>

The klaxons blared and Jack hurried down the stairs. "Whatcha got?" he asked.

"SG-7, sir," Davis said. "And they're two days early."

"Get a medical team down there," Jack ordered. "Open the iris." He watched the four members of SG-7 plus one stagger down the ramp, looking more a little roughed up.

"Close the iris!" Major Henderson yelled.

"Do it," Jack ordered. He made his way down to the gate room, giving the stranger an appraising look. The woman was dressed in torn and stained clothes and Jack could see bruises coloring her skin. "Major? What happened? Who's your guest?"

"Colonel. It turns out P2R458 wasn't exactly goa'uld free. Soon after we arrived, Heru'ur showed up. He captured us, but we managed to escape, thanks to Anise here." Henderson indicated the woman.

"Really?"

"She was a prisoner there too, sir," Captain Kenner said. "She helped us find our way out, without a fire fight."

"You are in command of this facility?" she asked.

"Right now I am. Thank you for helping our people," Jack said sincerely.

"Any enemy of the goa'uld is a friend of mine. I would like to return to my home," she said.

Jack looked to Henderson who shrugged slightly. "We convinced her that it'd be safer if she came here first, sir. I thought we could at least trade her a hot meal and a check up in gratitude for helping us out." Jack read his silent message, that the major thought there was more to the woman than met the eye. "The major has a point," he said. "Why don't you let our doctor look you over. We can probably even scare up a shower and something to eat, then we can send you home," Jack suggested.

"That is not necessary," she said.

"Please, it's the least we can do to thank you for helping us out."

She hesitated another minute, then sighed. "Very well," she agreed.

The rest of Henderson's team ushered her from the room. "She did save our sixes, sir," he said.

Jack sighed. "I know. There's just…there's something odd about her."

"Sir?"

Jack shook his head. "Never mind. Go get checked out, but keep an eye on her," he ordered.

"Yes, sir." The man left the gate room and Jack looked down at his watch. General Hammond should be back any time now and Jack wondered how the man would deal with this newest problem.

<><><><><>

Teal'c sat in the chair, lightly meditating as he kept his vigil. It was a vigil he and his teammates had been keeping for the last week, himself joining in a few days ago when Doctor Fraiser pronounced him cured.
He knew his friend was dying, and it grieved him. She'd been injured in an attempt to keep him from harm, and that was a debt he could never repay.

He knew Doctor Fraiser held out hope that the symbiote would perish, thus giving Captain Carter's body a chance to heal itself, however that was not to be the case. Both host and symbiote were alive, although barely.

He knew they had formed a tight bond during her imprisonment, he had just not realized how close they were. They were both prepared to die for the other, an act he found as distressing as he did honorable.

"Teal'c." Her voice was barely above a whisper. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes glazed with a combination of fever and drugs. He knew it would not be long now before the toxins in her body killed her, something Doctor Fraiser called septic shock.

"Captain Carter. Do you require something?" He leaned forward, taking her limp hand in his.

"Hrabe," she whispered. "Watch him."

"I do not understand. Hrabe is not here."

She shook her head. "No. Watch him, guard him. Harcesis," she said, not able to keep her eyes open.

"Captain Carter?" He broke off, an odd feeling tingling down his spine. He got up, walking to the door. He opened it, coming face to face with a young blond women, flanked by SG-7.

"Kree shak, Jaffa," she said, pushing past him.

"Major Henderson, who is this person?"

"She helped us escape," the major said, following Teal'c back into the room.

The woman was standing over Captain Carter's bed, her hand on the woman's forehead. "What have you done to her?" she demanded.

To his surprise, he saw Captain Carter open her eyes, blinking to focus them. "Nise?" she muttered.

"Who are you?" the woman demanded.

"She is Captain Samantha Carter, host to Jolinar of Malkshur," Teal'c said, moving closer to the woman. "And you are goa'uld."

"No. I am not," the woman said. "If your name is Teal'c then you are the sholva and these are the Tau'ri," she said, motioning at the gathered humans.

"Ok," Henderson said, stepping forward. "So you know us. How about returning the favor. Who the hell are you?"

"My name is Anise, my host is Freya and I am Tok'ra," she said. "What have you done to her?" she demanded.

"We did not do anything," Teal'c said. "Both host and symbiote were injured by someone else. We have been attempting to heal them."

"Perhaps I can help," she offered.

<><><><><>

She sat on the floor, her knees pulled close to her chest. She heard a noise, but she didn't open her eyes. There was nothing to see, nothing but an empty hall. It'd been like that the past few days, the doors fading away, melding into the plain white walls of her mind. The doors were all gone now, all but one. She was trapped in here, trapped with the door at her back the only way out. An escape route that had remained stubbornly closed.

She heard another sound, a faint noise echoing off the bare walls. "Sam?" Who was there? No one was ever there, it was just her and the silence.

The lock rattled and she frowned, feeling the steady presence at her back shift. 'You should answer him.'

'Jols?' Sam's eyes flew open and she spun, staring in amazement as the door opened. 'I thought you were gone?'

'No,' she said softly, wrapping Sam in a warm embrace. 'I'm still here. I'll always be here.'

<><><><><>

Sam sat on the picnic table, contentedly turning her face to the sun. So long, it'd been so long since she'd seen the sun.

'It is bad for your skin you know,' Jolinar teased.

'Then fix it,' Sam replied, stretching out her legs to expose more of her body to the warming rays. She could feel the first tingling of sunburn, but she didn't care. It felt too good to stop.

She'd dreamed of this, basking in the sun, so many times during the past month. She'd spent so much of that time either flat on her back or recovering that she literally couldn't remember the last time she'd felt this good.

Jolinar still hadn't totally recovered from their ordeal, the symbiote sleeping most of the time. Sam was a little better. Her back still ached and she still took some prescription antibiotics and vitamins, but she was basically healthy. Janet thought it'd take her another month or so to fully recover from their near death experience.

"Beer?"

She opened her eyes, reaching out to take the cold bottle from Jack. "Thanks." She took a drink, savoring the bitter taste of the alcohol.

'Ick. How can you drink that?' Jolinar complained.

'It's an acquired taste.'

"Dad getting along ok?" he asked, sitting beside her.

Sam nodded. "Yeah. Anise was showing him around. He and Selmac seem to be getting along," she said referring to her father's recent blending.

"So, you gonna turn this snake in the head stuff into a family affair?"

"God, I hope not," she said, running her fingers through her hair.

'Hey.'

'Hush.'

She took another drink as she stared across the lawn. It was Cassie's thirteenth birthday and Jack had declared that every Earth girl had to have a birthday party to celebrate their passage into being a teenager.
Sam knew this wasn't the 'official' party that was being held at Janet's house Saturday night. This was just a small gathering to allow Cassie to celebrate with her adopted family, SG-1 and their loved ones.
"It's a nice party, Jack," she said. "I think Cassie is having fun."

Jack snorted. "She's humoring us because she knows adults buy better presents than her friends." She shot him a skeptical look. "Hey, I remember when I was a kid. You figure this stuff out at an early age."

She chuckled, watching Teal'c baby-sit Hrabe while Daniel tried his hand at grilling burgers, with Shau'ri at his side. 'Tell him,' Jolinar requested.

'About Robbie? I thought we were waiting?'

'Not that, the other thing.'

'Oh.' Sam took a deep breath, then tipped her bottle, gulping down a little dutch courage. "I'm sorry, Colonel," she said, turning to face him.

"About what?"

"About not trusting you. About running away with Teal'c. It was stupid, I…we, nearly exposed the whole planet to those bugs."

"Yeah, you did," he agreed quietly.

"I wasn't thinking, I couldn't think of anything beyond keeping him out of Maybourne's hands," she continued.

"We did have a plan, you know," he said.

"You did?"

Jack nodded. "Maybourne's made a few enemies in the last few months, possibly more than his friends can protect him from. The one thing we needed was proof. I mean, what happened to you was….bad…"

"But it's my word against his," she said. "You have proof about what happened, just not who did it."

"Yeah," he said. "We had someone on the inside, they were going to get us the proof we needed to toss Harry into a cell for the next century or so."

"And I screwed that up," she said with a heavy sigh. "Did Teal'c know?"

Jack shook his head. "We never had a chance to tell him…or you."

"So, now what?"

"We wait. Either Harry's learned his lesson, or he'll try again."

"I'm sorry, sir. I just thought if I acted alone, I'd keep the SGC out of it."

"We were already in it, from the second Teal'c came back infected, we were involved. You know, Carter, you don't have to play the lone ranger. We're here to back you up, you just have to let us," he said, getting up from his seat and walking away.

'He is angry,' Jolinar said.

'Yeah. He trusts me, us, and I didn't trust him. He doesn't take betrayal well.'

'You should warn him,' she said, directing Sam's gaze towards Teal'c and Hrabe.

'What if we're wrong? What if he's a normal little boy?' Sam asked, horrified at the ramifications of their decision. If they were right, they would be warning their friends of a potential danger. If they were wrong, they'd be destroying Daniel and Shau'ri's lives, not to mention their friendship.

'What if he's not?' Jolinar asked as Sam watched Teal'c play with the boy. The Jaffa was lying on his back in the grass, Hrabe sitting on his stomach, his favorite yellow rattle clutched in his chubby hands. He muttered and giggled, rambling on in innocent baby talk, occasionally hitting Teal'c with the rattle. 'What if they have a monster in their midst, a monster in the guise of innocence.'

No one else was watching his antics. Cassie and Janet were just coming outside, carrying the plates and condiments for the burgers while Jack busied himself lighting the citronella candles to discourage the mosquitoes.

Hrabe giggled loudly, laughing as Teal'c tickled his stomach. Tired of being assaulted by the rattle, they watched him gently take it from the child, laying it safely out of reach. Hrabe stared at it, his small face creasing into a frown. "Gime jova," he said reaching forward.

Daniel and Shau'ri turned. "Did he just talk?" Daniel asked, kneeling by his son.

"I believe so Daniel Jackson, " Teal'c agreed as Shau'ri pulled her son off Teal'c's chest. The baby cuddled up to his mother, then reached out one grubby hand, stretching for the rattle. "Gime," he said again.

"Which of your twenty-three languages is that, Daniel?" Jack teased.

Daniel shook his head. "He didn't get it from me."

'No, he didn't,' Jolinar said, her dread spilling over to Sam.

'He got it from his father,' Sam agreed, gimme Sholva, still echoing in her ears. 'His real father.'

~Fin~

To be concluded in Paid in Full

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