samandjack.net

Story Notes: A rounding up story for the What Should Have Been series.

Spoilers: Cold Lazarus, Window of Opportunity and The Lost City.

I'm admitting now before anyone points out, the words used in this are not Latin. I don't know Latin, and any websites or books I tried to find, just got… well, confusing. So most words are made up. And this story, is for all those who supported me when I was writing the What Should Have Been series.

Email: Katmellie@AOL.com (StargateLover69@Yahoo.co.uk)


The Forgotten Truth


Returning back from another blood bath, I was more than ready to return home and stay there with Sam and the kids. I knew seven months ago, it was a bad idea for someone my age to be returning back to the field after so long. But there wasn't anyone else, who knew the things that I knew and could get people to do things like me. Time and time again, I've had someone complain at me about the casualties of war. Do they think, I like for my men to die in front of me? Well, do they? 'Cause I certainly don't like to see my men, lying in pools of blood while the rest of us carry on, fighting the Goa'uld back to gain some ground for them, for the ones dying.

I came to a short stop, at the end of the ramp, and collapsed down onto the ramp, my legs were tired from inducing a five-mile run that could have been prevented. We were supposed to infiltrate the compound and get some secret information about Anubis's battle plans, for the next few months. But no! Some idiot, who was fresh out of the two week run through course, decided to back out of their agreement to fight the Goa'uld and took flight while the rest of us had to defend ourselves, when the Jaffa had spotted his fleeting green form. I couldn't blame the man for wanting to get out of this, wrong time to do it though.

Unclipping my P90 from my chest, I dropped it with a heavy thud and it clattered onto the shiny gray floor. My head was still pounding from the staff weapon blasts, swooping over my head as I ordered for a retreat and remained behind, to give them some cover fire. With a long sigh, I removed the constrictive hold my vest had around my chest, leaving it to hang open as I wonder how I was going to explain, to sixteen families, their son or daughter were lost because of the cowardice of one man.

With that thought troubling me, I pushed myself up and off the ramp, collecting my P90 as I stood. Stretching my back, I ambled out of the Gate room, weakly waving at General stood in the Control room, watching my four out of twenty men come home safe and sound. I rubbed a hand through my gray hair, shuffling my way towards the armory. I couldn't wait to get home.

Sam was due back this morning, from the Tok'ra base, bringing Linole back from her four months, working as Earth advisor and scientist to the Tok'ra. I hated it when she was with them, I couldn't protect her when she was with them. Luckily she had Jacob looking out for her, when she was there.

Handing my weapon to the Quarter Master, I smiled as best I could and turned away to head to the elevator. I just hoped that Malachi and Jessy had behaved themselves while they'd stayed with Kate. I didn't need to handle another crisis. Not after the mission I had. I was overdue, over worked, over tired and under fed. Never would I accept a seven-day mission ever again. Not even if Sam came with me, would I accept it. My two days off were going to be spent eating, playing with the kids, sleeping and catching up with Sam.

Stabbing the call button with my index finger, I glanced up to the reader as I continually stabbed at the button; I was impatient. The damn thing never came when I wanted it. I gave up, stabbing at the button, and began to pace up and down, in front of the elevator doors. Distantly I heard the 'gate dialing up, business as usual. As I rubbed a hand over my lower back, underneath my vest, I watched with curiosity as a medic team raced down the corridor and turned the corner towards the Gate room. More casualties, aren't we having a good day today?

I turned away from the hustling group of people and stabbed at the button again. Kicking the bottom of the door, I walked away from it with my hands in my pockets, as I made my way towards the stairs. As I went around the corner, feet pounded down the corridor behind me, coming to stand beside me.

"Sir," The young airman said with a snappy salute. "The General told me to tell you to come back to the Gate room. It's important."

"Airman, nothing at the moment, is more important than me having a hot shower." I said. "Can't you smell this smell emanating from me?"

"Sir, it's Colonel Carter and Dr Carter. They're in trouble." He said as I raced away and back to the Gate room.

My earlier needs were forgotten. It was bad enough that whatever had happened, had happened to Sam, but to Linole as well? The two women in my life were in trouble and needed me. Kate could easily look after Malachi and Jessy till I came back with them.

Stampeding my way up into the Control room, I saw through the window several people, coming through the 'gate. Some were aided by the unwounded as they came down the ramp. The General was talking to someone through the radio. My eyes scanned the monitors and delved into the dark corners of the room, looking for answers as to what was wrong with my wife and daughter. Nothing, there weren't any answers there for me. Scowling at anyone I made eye contact with, I moved to stand beside the General with my hands on my hips, waiting expectantly for the information that I needed to hear.

The General glanced at me while he spoke into his headset, to whoever was on the other side. "Yes, Colonel. Yes, he's here right now. Okay, I will. Yes, Doctor Fraiser and her staff have been warned about her condition."

"Sir?" I questioned.

"Colonel, would you go down into the Gate room and wait for Colonel Carter to come through. It's Linole, she's ill." General Kiley said, covering the microphone up with his hand.

I nodded my head at him; my concern went straight up and out of the mountain, heading skyward as I jumped down most of the steps, pushing people out of my way.

Entering the Gate room, the same time they came through, I was shocked when I saw Sam carrying one end of the stretcher that Linole was lying on. I shoved a technician out of my way and finally reached the end of the ramp, eager for them to come down off of it. Sam had been crying. I could tell. Her eyes were all puffy, her hair was tossed about and there were streaks running through the dirt on her face. Linole was out for the count, as they gently put the stretcher down on the floor.

The medical team, that I had saw in the corridor earlier, bung Linole onto the cart and wheeled her away without another word. Sam sighed exhaustedly as she fell back onto the ramp, burrowing her head into her hands. I sat down beside her and slung my arm around her shoulders, pulling her gently into my comforting embrace. She prevented me from bringing her head into the crook of my neck, shooting to her feet and away from me.

"Jack, we need to find him." Sam said, wiping furiously at her eyes.

I stood up confused. "Find who? What happened to Linole?"

"I swear, I wouldn't have left her if I had known… They were attacking through the 'gate. I went to help with dad, while Linole finished downloading her research. While I was gone they…Jack, they infected her with something." She said, crossing her arms over her chest, as she stood alone in the middle of the Gate room.

Scratching at the back of my head, I stood up off the ramp and wandered away from it. I was too tired to deal with this. Too emotionally drained to have this happen now. But I didn't have a say in it, now did I?

"Janet and Anise are going to work together, to find an antidote for her. Anise's is bringing whatever viruses they've stolen in the past from the Goa'uld and bring them here, while Janet stabilizes Linole for the time being." Sam roughened up her hair even more, coming to stand beside me.

"Yeah, okay." I said, registering the information. "What's the virus doing to her?"

Sam's head dipped to look down at the floor. "It's eating her bone marrow and her white blood cells. Anise said she'd seen nothing like it before."

"Goddamn it!" I cursed, covering my eyes with my hand. "How long she'd been infected?"

"A few hours, but the virus is working at an accelerated rate. That's why we have to find him before its too late, Jack." She said again, but still I was unsure as to whom she was referring to.

"Find who? Anubis? 'Cause I'd more than happily go find that son of a bitch!" I swore, already marching out of the Gate room to find anyone who would or wouldn't volunteer to come with me. Whether they did or not, I'd go by myself if I had too. The bastard would die for what he'd done to my little girl. No one hurt my family and got away with it. No one. He was mine whenever I got my hands on his snakey little neck.

"JACK!" Sam shouted at me, as she spun me round to face her. "Not Anubis, you idiot! I meant, we have to find Duncan."

"What'd we need that bastard for? He's got nothing to do with our family!" I sneered at her.

She rubbed tiredly at her forehead. "Janet needs him. Linole needs him. They've already checked and found, I'm not a match to take the bone marrow from. Duncan will probably be a closer match than me. We're gonna need his bone marrow when they cure Linole of this virus."

I frowned deeply at her as I thought it all through, letting my military training be in control instead of my fatherly instincts. I didn't want him near her. He hadn't wanted anything to do with her in the past, so I didn't see why there should be an event in the future, where he played a major role in Linole's life. He gave that up years ago. Sam began to straighten out her hair and her clothes, feeling useless because she couldn't really do anything to help her daughter, our daughter. We're as bad as one another. Always wanting to be hands on, when it comes to our lives and to our kids.

Racking my fingers through my hair, I started towards the elevator, taking hold of Sam's hand. It still felt weird to hold her hand when we were walking about the base. We'd been told not to do it on base and we don't unless were our way home together or we've snuck away from it all, to have a chance for ourselves.

With the program now public knowledge, we spend more of our time off world on training programs and on missions, and then we had when the SGC was a top-secret project. The need to sort the Goa'uld out and save our own and other civilizations from slavery was made more crucial, with more panic outbreaks happening everyday.

People crying wolf when they wanted to get everybody, all worked up about something. It was pointless to have everybody running round, screaming that the world was going to end. We were handling the situation; we've been handling the damn Goa'uld for the past twenty-eight years. But all that doesn't matter while one of my baby's was hurt. The world could stick their panic and fear up their asses, for all I cared.

There were few things in this world that meant anything to my family, my friends and me. That was all I lived for these days. Sam especially. So whatever was going to happen, that bastard of a father was going to help because otherwise; Colonel O'Neill, me, would lose the plot! Go nutso! Lose control of one's faculties! Be a few fries short of a happy meal!

************************************************************

I sat in the dark infirmary with things bleeping now and then, watching over the unmoving figure fast asleep in the bed in front of me. Hours had gone by since Sam and I came into the infirmary earlier, sitting on the sidelines while the nurses and Janet sorted and stabilized Linole. Her blonde hair was matted back with sweat, her full of life face was now a pasty color and she had so many tubes and wires coming from her, it look like something out of a horror movie.

Sam had fallen to asleep a few hours ago, her head resting in my lap while she slept on the bed, with her feet resting on the pillows. I couldn't sleep. I hadn't slept for three days and I guessed wouldn't be sleeping anytime soon either.

Rubbing a hand over my face, as I kept a protective hold on Sam, preventing her from falling off the edge of the bed as I yawned, I sleepily gazed around the infirmary. I'd been lucky so far. I hadn't been imprisoned, into the infirmary, in all the time I'd been back at the SGC. Though I did have to spend a week at home, when I strained my left arm. Wasn't I glad, it wasn't my right shoulder or I would have been out for longer.

I shrugged off my vest onto the bed behind me, finally taking it off since returning back to the SGC. I still smelt. Not the pleasant manly smell of sweat, but the 'Not showering for days while being on a planet, that's daily temperature was 78F' kind of smell.

"Dad?" Linole said weakly. Swallowing hard I watched, as she slowly turned her head to look at me. I smiled as best I could, moving Sam to lie on the bed whilst I got up. I moved to Linole's bedside and sat down on the edge of it, picking up her limp hand to hold.

"What's going on?" She asked.

"You're sick. They infected you with some virus. Aunt Janet and Anise are working on antidote right now." I said, reassuringly squeezing her hand. She didn't look please. I couldn't blame her. We all have distaste for Anise, since she made another pass at me again a few years ago. The woman didn't seem to understand that I was MARRIED and no longer single, I would never want to be if it meant she was chasing after me.

Sam hadn't helped much. Because she had kept her maiden name and Anise didn't understand our marriage rituals thingy, Sam thought it be funny at the Christmas party to tell Anise that I was looking for a wife. Yeah, I'd been looking for a wife. A wife, that belonged to me, so we could go home and get away from party because of the babysitter.

Linole hadn't been happy, to find me pinned in a corner with Anise telling me, she was still attracted to after all these years. What was it that women found so irresistible about me? I was sixty-six years old, well overdue for retirement again, with bad knees and a need for coffee to keep me going.

"Dad, I don't wanna die." Linole confessed with a tear running down her cheek. I huddled over her and gave her a hug, kissing her on the cheek. I didn't want her to die either.

"You're not going anywhere! You're staying right 'ere with your mum and me. I won't let anything bad happen to you." I promised, sitting up to wipe the other tears from her face. She was such a woman now it scared me. They'd been several boyfriends already, but none that were serious or that had stuck around for long.

"Dad," She said apologetically. "Don't take this personally, but…"

"What? Come on, you can tell me anything. You know that." I said smiling at her.

She looked away, down at my black t-shirt, and then back up into my eyes. "You smell terrible."

I chuckled, wiping a finger under my nose. "Thanks, kiddo. Needed to hear that right now, ya know?"

Linole laughed until she started coughing, I reached to get the water from the table beside her bed but she grabbed my arm, shaking her head at me. I sat back unsure onto the bed, knowing I'd better have called Janet or somebody since this was the first time she'd woken up.

I thoughtfully watched my daughter fall back to sleep, thinking she was better off asleep for now than having people stick needles in her, like they'd been doing while she was asleep. I wished this had never happened to her. My little girl was hurting, being eaten alive and I couldn't do anything about it, because I was too stupid to help.

If they'd put the virus in front of me, gave me something to shoot at, I could do something about it. But it wasn't that simple. There wasn't the chance for me to ride in on my white horse and save the damsel in distress. I couldn't tell her a joke or make her laugh, like I usually do when she's ill, to make her fell better. There wasn't yet a miracle cure to save her or for me to go steal from some Goa'uld laboratory. I was in a position where I had no control over anything.

The orders, that were stored in my head, wouldn't be any use to get them to work harder, when I knew they were doing their extreme best for Linole. Me, going in there to shout my mouth off at them, wouldn't help anybody.

********************************************************

I'd been wandering around the SGC, sent on an errand to get coffee but my errand had turned into my chance to think, thinking good and bad thoughts. Everyone, who saw me, wished Linole the best and asked how Sam and I were doing. How were Sam and I doing? We were both scared to death that we might lose Linole. I feared that I would lose Linole, another one of my children gone. Taken by Death's welcoming arms. She was so full of life. I swore she was the only person that I've truly admired, along with her mother, my grandfather and my parents.

Linole's worked her way through high school and such, and come out of it with a PhD at the age of nineteen ahead of her class in every way. Sam was so proud when we'd been sat in the audience, as Linole went up to collect her diploma and when she went up to get her doctorate. I didn't know what I felt about her doing so well, I was so happy that'd she have done well but I was scared that I was burdening her. The thick parent, that couldn't help their kid, when they needed them. I surely messed up at that. I couldn't even keep her save.

Jacob had come through the 'gate looking worse than I felt. He'd been helping the Tok'ra to get their new base sorted. He was in with Sam and Linole when I went off on a so-called coffee run. They were all talking about death and that they were doing their hardest. Linole didn't need to be hearing that right now, if anything she needed them to be strong for her. I just couldn't take the death chat, telling her she shouldn't be afraid of death. I was scared of her death. I was scared about Sam's and our kid's deaths, I didn't want any of them to die. Not when we were living in our own little heaven.

Scratching a hand through my hair, I turned the corner into Daniel's office after deciding I would check up on their efforts to find Linole's dad, Duncan. Teal'c and Daniel were staring blankly at the screens in front of them, searching through the millions of Duncan Walsh's that were out there.

"Hey guys." I greeted drearily, leaning down onto the edge of Daniel's workstation with my elbows. "How's it coming?"

"Erm…well," Daniel said, stalling for time. "We've narrowed it down to about two hundred and twenty seven. We're now canceling out the ones that are deceased or lived aboard. But it's looking hopeful. Teal'c found…"Daniel was cut short when his phone began to ring. He held his hand up to me as he answered the phone, listening to whoever it was on the other end of the line. His eyes darted from me to Teal'c and then back again, with his eyebrows narrowing each time.

Resting my head down onto one of the big old books, decorating Daniel's desk, I wondered if my day could get any worse. I heard the phone be dropped back into its cradle as Daniel cleared his throat.

"Jack, that was Janet. Kate's rung. Malachi and Jessy are playing up. They won't go to school." Daniel informed me.

"For cryin' out loud!" I cursed, standing up promptly off his desk and threw my hands into the air. "Today of all days, they decide to act like spoilt brats. Sometimes I wish that I had never gotten out of bed."

"O'Neill, if I recall correctly, you have not slept for four days. How in that case, could you wish that this morning, you had not got out of bed?" Teal'c questioned, being all wise about it.

I glared at Teal'c and then rubbed violently at my tired face, knowing either me or Sam, would have to go home and sort Malachi and Jessy out. Nodding my head, I waved goodbye as I left Daniel's lab, traipsing my way down the corridor to the elevator. It was probably best that I went home.

The boys tended not to argue when it came to me and I still needed a shower. Sam won't want to leave Linole anyway, her little baby was ill and that was that. Even when Malachi and Jessy were ill, she was the same. Swearing blue that she was not leaving their side until they were up and on their feet again.

Traveling down in the elevator to the Infirmary level, I made quick work of sauntering my way there and found Sam sat quietly on the edge of Linole's bed, as Linole slept again. Jacob was being checked out further down the infirmary, but his eyes were eagling Linole and Sam. As I went into the infirmary, I shoved my hands into my pockets, coming to stand still beside Sam.

I touched her gently on the arm, returning my hand to my pocket as I said. "I've got to head home. Malachi and Jessy are playing up. They don't want to go to school. Do you want anything from home?"

"No." She answered without looking at me. "Just go."

I nodded my head to the back of her head and left, hearing Jacob say something to Sam. I didn't know what he said and the way I was feeling, I wasn't about to go back to find out either. Making my way back to the elevator, I knew there was something going on within Sam's head. It was always a bad sign, when she only made one or two word sentences, keeping it to the bare minimum.

I pressed the call button and waited for the elevator, sighing tiredly at the numbers counting down to my floor. Behind me, someone touched my shoulder. I turned slightly to see who it was. Sam smiled at me repentantly, hooking her arms underneath mine to squash herself into my chest. Taking my hands out of my pockets, I wrapped them around her and hugged her, resting my head down on top of hers.

"I'm sorry." Sam said. "I'm just scared for her."

"Hey, I understand. You can take it out on me if you need to. I'm 'ere for you and Linole." I earnestly said, untangling my arms from around her, as the doors to the elevator opened beside us. "Go on, you go sit with Linole and I'll be back later after I've sorted Malachi and Jessy out and of course, had a shower."

"Yeah, you do need one." Sam commented, leaning forward to take another sniff.

Rolling my eyes, I stepped into the elevator, touching the button for the Entrance level. Sam smiled shuffling backwards down the corridor, crossing her arms over her chest as the doors closed in front of me. I didn't deserve her. I didn't deserve anything I had, but I was glad and cherished what I had. Though, thinking about what awaited when I got home, made me wish my mother were still around. She was one who never took any shit from nobody, not even from my dad and me.

*********************************************************

Racing up the driveway and into the garage, I could already hear shouting and screaming coming from inside my house. Trouble was brewing for my two sons. I flung open my door and hopped out of my seat, shutting and locking my door. I pocketed my keys, climbing the steps from the driveway to the garden that was littered with bikes and toys. Groaning at the mess someone would have to tidy up, I trudged my way up onto the porch and slid the patio door open.

Kate was shouting to the boys, who must have been a mile away, as her voice was raised so high. The patio door swished along its runner, as I pushed it too listening to the raised bantering in the other room.

My head was swimming, as I went through the office and living room to stand beside Kate, at the bottom of the stairs. She hadn't notice I was there, as she screamed up the stairs that one of us, Sam or I, was on our way home to deal with them.

"Kate." I said, laying a hand on her shoulder. She looked at me and sighed, stepping down the steps and ventured off into the dining room, leaving me to sort them out.

"Right!" I shouted up the stairs, as I charged my way up them. "Malachi! Jessy! You get your butts downstairs before I come into that bedroom of yours!" There wasn't a stampede of feet, sprinting out of their bedroom and down the stairs passed me. They couldn't possibly have decided to play up with me.

Rapping my fingers strongly on their door, I stood there talking to the door. "You two better come out of there and get downstairs, or I'll tell Jacob not to take you two to see Uncle Mark and Aunt Wendy next month! And there'll be no TV, Playstation or anything, if you don't come out of this room and go to school!" Still nothing.

"If you hadn't realized what that meant, I meant like right now, boys!" I twisted the door handle to shove the door open. "NOW!" I bellowed at them. They ran out of their bedroom and down the stairs, screaming to Kate they wanted to go to school. Grumbling to myself, I pulled my t-shirt off over my head, as I toddled into my bedroom and dumped the t-shirt on the floor by the doorway.

There was activity going on downstairs, doors slamming as the kids and Kate went out the front door. I turned the taps on for the shower, leaving it to warm up as I took the chance to get Linole some things from her room. I knew that even though Sam had said there was nothing she wanted, I knew Linole would go stir-crazy in the Infirmary. She was as bad as me, when it came to getting medical attention. We would both rather sit at home in front of the TV, moaning about the chesty cough we had to everyone, who came into the room than go and see a doctor about it.

Gently I pushed opened her door and was greeted with the sweet smell of her perfume. Scratching at my bare chest, I went over to her side table to toss her MP3 player onto the bed with her bag of discs and then searched through her room for anything that would keep her entertained. My boots clunked on her wooden floor, as I moved about her bedroom, putting things on her bed behind me. With the items finally rounded up, I brought down one of the backpacks; she kept on top of her wardrobe, and proceeded to pack it full of the books and gizmos.

I closed her bedroom door behind me, placing her bag at the top of the stairs while I went back into my bedroom, unfastening my belt and my pants. Going into the bathroom, I was surrounded in steam coming from the shower, the water beating down into the bottom of the tub. I sat onto the toilet and untied my boots, lobbing them to the side and out of my path with my smelly socks and pants following. I heard someone coming up the stairs, so I left my jock strap on and put my dressing gown on as I went back into my bedroom to put my watch, wedding ring and dogtags on my nightstand.

"Hey Jack." Kate said from the doorway, checking that I was decent before she came in. "Where you been? It was yesterday, that I was supposed to drop Malachi and Jessy 'ere, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, something's come up." I said being vague. "Linole was infected with a virus, she's laid up in the infirmary. Janet and the others are trying to find a vaccine." Kate bit her lower lip as she sat down onto the foot of the bed. Tying my robe tightly around me, I leaned up the doorframe of the bathroom's door, folding my arms over my chest.

"She okay? How's Sam taking it? How're you taking it?" Kate spouted out in one big rush.

"Linole's baring. Sam's a bit distraught with it, as she can't do anything to help. And I'm…" I paused wondering just how I was. "…coping."

Kate shook her head into her hands. "They never say how bad it is out there for you guys. I mean, I never thought that something like this could happen to us. Our world is being pinpointed for destruction and all that stands in their way, is you guys and those friends of yours."

"Thor and his buddies." I filled in for her. "Kate, you shouldn't let this affect you. We're dealing. Nothing's gonna happen to Earth, not while Thor's looking out for us. My only buddy I do trust to look after my family, while I'm off somewhere."

"I wish now, they hadn't told us. Couldn't they just say that ship, which crashed into Paris, was just a meteor or something? I would have brought it." She said, making me smile. My sister always wanted to be the innocent one, but in this case she was an innocent. Along with everyone else on this planet and any other planet that had to succumb to Goa'uld threats.

"Well, wishing something that can't be is useless. We're gonna win this battle soon. I can promise you that." I said over my shoulder, as I headed into the bathroom, trying to cheer her up. I heard her chuckled, unbelieving the words that came out of my mouth. I couldn't really blame her. I'd heard words just like those come out of General Hammond's mouth before he had his stroke.

We'd been sat round the briefing table, going through the mission like always, when he had his turn for the worse. There was nothing no one could have done for him, even if they'd gotten to him on time. He died from it too, right in front of me in my arms.

Sighing unhappily to myself, I disrobed and stripped off my jock strap to get under the warm soothing spray of the shower. Kate shouted she was going to make me something to eat, as she left my bedroom. I didn't bother with a reply; I was comatose from the warm relaxing water running down my back, sorting out all my sore muscles and aches. Bracing myself up the tiled ceramic wall in front of me, I moaned down between my arms, letting all my current troubles wash down the drain with the water. In my moment in the shower, I was having a quiet minute with nothing going on in my head, just the hot spray above me and me.

I wiped the water from my face, reaching for the shower gel that was hanging on the rail in front of me. Squirting a healthy amount into the palm of my hand, I lathered my hands up with the apple smelling soap and wondered why the hell I was using Sam's shower gel. I guessed it was better than smelling of sweat and began to wash the awful smell away, which had been hanging round me for seven days.

************************************************************

I left the confines of the elevator dressed in my civvies, racking my fingers through my hair before I put my cap back on, following the green line on the gray shiny floor to the Infirmary. Linole's goody bag was slung over my shoulder, tapping against my side, as I walked with my hands deeply embedded into my pockets, my fingers playing with the key ring for my keys. I'd left Kate in charge of the house, as I had no idea whether Sam and I would be going back any time soon. I'd also left strict instructions for Malachi and Jessy to behave them selves or they'd be hell to pay. Rob was coming in to give Kate a hand. He was going to be staying with us anyway, while he was sorting out the business he had in Colorado.

Taking one last stride, I crossed the threshold into the Infirmary, frowning at Sam's body lying face down on one of the beds, sprawled out over the top of the covers. Jacob was talking with Linole, sitting beside her bed in a plastic chair. Removing my cap, I tossed my hair approaching Linole's bed to put the backpack down, at end of her bed with my eyes glued on Sam. I looked to the other two and gestured towards Sam with my hat.

"She was… becoming a little bit annoying." Jacob said slowly. "Doctor Fraiser gave her sedative about half an hour ago, she'll be out for sometime."

"Okay." I said unsure about the whole thing. "I brought some things for you, Linole. Hope they're okay, I didn't know what things you'd want."

Linole smiled warmly. "That's okay, dad. Anything's better than counting the tiles on the ceiling."

I chuckled, noticing she had a lot more color in her cheeks. Sitting down onto the edge of her bed, I took hold of her hand and cradle it, rubbing my thumb over the back of her hand. Jacob shifted his chair nearer to the bed. The cut on his forehead was crisscrossed with some strips, keeping the wound close.

As I placed my hat down onto the bed, Jacob said. "Anise and Doctor Fraiser have come up with a way, for the moment, to keep the virus from doing anymore damage."

"Really?" I asked surprised. "She's cured so soon?"

"No, just halted the virus for now. They're giving Linole a dose of Tretronin every couple of hours. It's stopping the virus from eating anymore of her white blood cells and her bone marrow. But it hasn't sorted the problem." Jacob told me. "We still need to find Duncan and find a cure. All they've done is brought her some more time."

"Right. Daniel and Teal'c had any success yet?" I inquired, fidgeting with the edge of my t-shirt.

Linole shook her head. "Not yet. They've narrowed it down to about twenty; they said when they checked in with mom. Last we heard, they were looking for you as mom's sorta…" We all glanced across at Sam. "…out of it."

I chuckled into my fist, getting up from the bed, as I put my cap on. "I'll go see Danny boy and T then, see what they wanted. When you're mom wakes up, tell her your Aunt Kate and Uncle Rob is gonna be looking after your brothers." Linole nodded her head in understanding, as I walked out of the room, tugging my cap further down into my view.

I was glad I'd caught an hour's kip at home; otherwise I would definitely be dead on my feet by now. Okay, so having the hour's nap at home wasn't the best solution but it was better than no sleep. The only thing keeping me up and about was my stubbornness to let my need for sleep, get the better for me and I had adrenaline running through my veins, with worry for Linole hovering over my head.

Pulling one of the sleeves down on my t-shirt, I remembered, as I pushed the call button for the elevator, that I hated this top. It was one Sam had brought me for my birthday, saying it showed off my muscular arms and torso. Last time I checked, I wasn't Teal'c. The t-shirt was tight around my chest and stomach, and clung to my arms equaling it would hike up my arms and from around my waist every time I moved. It was too fiddly for my liking.

I jumped into the elevator when the doors opened, greeted by a technician and his toolbox. Smiling politely, I leaned across the elevator and pressed a button, setting the elevator back into motion. The guy checked me out from head to toe, and rechecked when I moved to angle myself up the wall of the elevator. I had no clue, as to what he was looking at. Was the guy trying to freak me out? 'Cause if he was, this wasn't the time or place to be doing it. Confine space, with the two of us, and my sleep-deprived mind on animal instinct, I couldn't be held for my actions.

Luckily for him my floor came before his and the doors opened with good timing. Getting out of there, I quickly marched down the corridor, away from the scrutinizing eyes. I shook away the feel his eyes had given me, when he'd been checking me out from head to toe. The last time, I'd felt that uncomfortable was when I'd been face to face with Charlie again. Though it'd been the crystal entity, I still couldn't get over how… Charlie he'd looked.

I sighed down at the floor, as I briskly turned the corner into Danny's lab, finding the merry men with their noses stuck into books. Last time I checked, Duncan Walsh wasn't a legend. Unless they'd made a book about men, without the guts to live up to their responsibilities, than I guess not. Twiddling with my wedding band, I coughed into my hand, gaining the attention of the occupants of the room.

Daniel dropped the book he was reading and lost the page, as the book closed on itself when he let it go. "Jack! We've been looking for you."

"Yeah, Linole told me." I said, lifting a book up to take a look underneath it, at something that had caught my eye. "What was it, that you wanted to see me about?"

"Oh yeah… Erm… Hang on a sec." Daniel pleaded, shifting through the books piled on his desk while Teal'c watched on with curiosity. "I had it around here somewhere… Ah! Here it is!"

Daniel held out a piece of paper to me, gesturing down to the contents of it with his other hand. "That's the address of one Duncan Walsh, who lives in Canon city. Roughly about eight hundred and sixty nine kilometers away."

"Okay. Well, if you two fancy coming for a ride, you're more than welcome to come." I said, grinding my teeth at the picture of the man, who'd thrown my Linole away with a blink of his eye.

"I've got some work I need…" Daniel began but I cut him short, saying as I screwed up the piece of paper. "Daniel, that wasn't an invitation. That was me telling you, you better come with me or I'll kill the bastard for walking out on Sam, when she needed him and for leaving Linole."

Daniel's eyebrows sat on top of the frames of his glasses. "Right…So, really no choice in the matter? Okay, come on Teal'c. Let's go get changed." Daniel said, as he passed by me to head to the locker room.

"We shall meet you up on the surface, O'Neill." Teal'c told me, following after Daniel. I nodded my head absently, staring down at the crumbled piece of paper in my hand. The chance to shoot the guy was greater than I expected it to be. I didn't know the guy. I'd never met him and I already thought he was an asshole and deserved to be thrown through the 'gate, to any planet without an oxygenated atmosphere.

'Oxygenated?? Where'd that come from?' I thought, tossing the piece of paper into the trash. Soon I'd meet the guy, who could have taken my Linole and Sam away from me, and could have prevented my chance to have Malachi and Jessy. Damn bastard deserved to die in my eyes.

************************************************************

Driving down the dirt road that led this guy's parent's house, I watched on from behind my sunglasses and cursed the man, for making my trip harder than it had to be. We'd arrived at his home, in Canon city, and found out from his 'wife' that he'd gone to his parents old house, to do some work to it. She'd given us directions and I found myself feeling that maybe he wasn't such a bad guy after all. But then, that was when their 'kids' had come bounding into the house and asked who Daniel and I were. I didn't tell them anything, just said I was from the Air Force and looking for their dad. The bastard had kids. Linole had a half brother and sister, and didn't know it. I could kill him. Just let me get my hands round his pesky neck.

We finally got through the wall of tress and parked up beside the SUV, parked in front of the house. I scanned my eyes over the front exterior of the house, turning off the engine as Daniel and Teal'c got out. Sniffling into the back of my hand, I got out slamming my door behind me before I climbed the grand st eps onto the porch. I studied the porch; there was a swing seat at one end with old rickety furniture darted around it. At the other end of the porch, were packages sealed, ready to be opened.

I took a deep breath before knocking on the door, the sound of my knock echoed for forever inside the house. The house must have been empty of furniture, showing there weren't any tenants, at the moment. Pointing to Teal'c, I gestured for him to check the window down one end of the porch, and then motioned for Daniel to check the other end. I dug my hands into the pockets of my jacket, descending down the porch to wander around to the back of the house.

I slugged through the wet mud, almost slipping over to land flat on my back, if I hadn't grabbed onto a panel hanging off the side of the house. I studied up the side of the house and saw the cause for the wet mud, was the broken guttering above, dumping the rain into one spot.

Kicking the mud from my boots, when I'd gotten out of the muddy patch, I stopped when I heard someone using a chainsaw round the corner. I strode round there with a purpose, as the check shirted back turned off the chainsaw and put it down on the ground, removing the guard from in front of his face.

"Duncan Walsh?" I quizzed, standing a few meters away from him, with my hands securely planted in my coats pockets.

He turned round unsure, discarding his safety guard onto the worktable behind him. "Yeah. Who're you?"

"Jack." I said, keeping it short. "I need you to come with me."

"I ain't going anywhere with you, pal." Duncan defensively said. "What do you want?"

I shook my head down at the ground, sauntering towards him, saying. "I know someone who needs your help. Someone you walked out on long ago."

"Look, mister. You either leave my property right now, or I'm calling the cops." He threatened as Daniel and Teal'c came round the corner behind him. With another step towards him, I came face to face with the man, I'd secretly loathed for the past fourteen years. Duncan squinted his eyes at me, wondering what exactly he saw in my eyes. Daniel appeared out of nowhere, dragging me away from him.

"Jack, no." Daniel ordered before turning to Duncan. "Duncan Walsh?"

"Yeah." Duncan said again. "Who're you guys? You're trespassing on my property."

"Look, Duncan. We've come here to ask you for your help. Linole is very ill and we need to test you to see if you're a match. She may die if she doesn't get the bone marrow needed." Daniel told him with all the emotion he had going into it.

"Linole?" He said, playing dumb and ignited the fire further in me.

I pointed accusatively at him, barking. "You know damn well who she is! Don't play dumb! Her life is in danger and her mother is worried sick!"

Duncan scratched at the back of his head. "Look, you guys. I would love to help an all, but I'm not having anything to do with her. In my eyes, she doesn't exist. She was a mistake and that was that. Now, I want you guys off my property by the time I come back out." Duncan disappeared off into his house, as I stood there gawping at his retreating form. Oh, he seriously did not just walk away from me! He couldn't of!

Teal'c wandered over to join Daniel and I, his hands clasped behind his back, as he waited for some confounding words to be spoken. The only words I could think of at the time were the usual ones that shouldn't be said in front of anyone. The kind that would make a sailor blush. Grumbling I began to march back round to the front. Daniel and Teal'c were hot on my tail, telling me that I shouldn't go off and do something stupid. Me? Do something stupid? Don't be ridiculous!

Yanking opened my truck's door, I delved up behind the dashboard, and searched for the handgun I kept in the passenger's side foot well. I flicked the safety off, fighting through Daniel's arms and cocked the gun, as I stamped up the porch steps. I put everything I had into kicking that front door open. It opened, smashing the glass as the door slammed again the wall. Duncan appeared in the doorway to the kitchen, with a jar of instant coffee in his hands. I hit him squarely on the chin, knocking him backwards to spew over the table that was in the middle of the kitchen.

I flipped him over onto his back, perching myself above him with my foot on the nearest chair and pointed the gun at his face. "Now, Duncan! You will be coming with us! You will go in for testing! You will help my little girl or so help you God, I'll pull this trigger right here, right now! Believe me, I've killed worse people than you!" I ranted at him. "Now, I ask you again, will you come with us to help your biological daughter?"

The guy was shaking underneath me; tears welled up in his eyes even though he was trying his uttermost to stop them. "Yeah. I'll come."

"Thank you." I calmly said, letting him up and taking the gun out of his face.

Daniel stood in shock in the doorway, his mouth wide open as I squeezed passed him, putting the safety back on, on the gun. I let a big sigh out as I went out onto the porch, clambering down the steps, as they all trekked out of the house and climbed into my truck. When Sam found out about that, she was not going to be pleased with me. Not at all pleased with me.

*************************************************************

It must have been about two in the morning, when we got back to the SGC with Duncan. Daniel had called ahead and told them, we were bringing him in for testing. I'd left Daniel and Teal'c to take Duncan down to the Infirmary and remained up top, talking to the smoker clan as they had their annual smoke. After awhile, I went down in the elevator and wandered until I got to my office. So I was hiding from Sam, could you really blame me? As soon as she heard, what had happened to Duncan, she would be on the warpath. She always was when I'd done something wrong.

Sorting through and signing any papers clogging up my In-tray, I soon began to catch up on work and lose things to do. I marched about my office impatiently, playing with my yo-yo as I hummed some song that came into my head. I wanted to know the test results but if I went down there or rang the extension, I would get an ear full from one of them or even the dreaded look. Daniel had spent the entire trip back, giving it to me through the corner of my eye, all the way from Canon city. The disappointed look that I knew rather well.

I read the time on my watch, surprise to find it was about seven in the morning. They'd all be asleep or something. They had to rest sometime. Pocketing my yo-yo, I left the confines of my office and made my way down there, by the way of the stairs. As I entered the corridor leading to the Infirmary, I became wary of the silence. It was never that quiet in there. What was going on?

Approaching the door, I stuck my head inside with my back pinned up the wall, scanning the room for anyone who might have reason to give me that look. So what, if my methods aren't always the best ones? He came, didn't he?

Slowly I edged my way over to Linole's bed, she was fast asleep. I stood there after checking about the room that it was safe, and no one was going to spring up on me from behind and watched her sleep peacefully. I hadn't done this since she was about twelve. Just took the time to watch her.

When Jessy was born, I went out of my way to make sure the kids all had an equal amount of my time. I realized that I'd spent way too much with Malachi and had forgotten about Linole in the process. It wasn't intentional, it just sort of happened.

The slap round the back of my head, caught me by surprised as I cursed out loudly. "What the fuck?"

"What the hell were you playing at? Sticking a gun in his face!" Sam whispered angrily at me. "Were you born stupid or just do it for your own amusement?"

"Hey! Less of the stupid." I stated, rubbing at the back of my head. "What d'ya expect me to do? He wasn't going to come and help her! I had to do something!"

She rolled her eyes, sighing away all of her hostility. "Anyway, he's a match. We just need to find a cure now." Sam said, scowling down at the floor. "Oh yeah, Daniel wants you to meet him in the Briefing room, with the rest of your team and mine. The General's given Daniel permission to go search these ruins, where he thinks the Ancient's Lost city is located."

"I have to go? But I want… Never mind." I said, turning back round to watch Linole. "I better go get some sleep while I still can."

"Jack," Sam said in a sort of purr, sliding her arms around my waist from behind. "I love you, you know?"

Patting my hand on top of her joined hands, I crooked my neck round to see her over my shoulder. "Yeah, I know. I love you too."

"You better go get…" Sam began, taking her arms from around me.

"Yeah, I know. I'm going. I'll be a good little boy scout and go get some zees." I rambled, as I ambled to the door. She was chuckling as I left the Infirmary, going in search of my quarter's two levels up.

*************************************************************

With my arms bracing my head up above the Briefing rooms table, I had my feet perched on the wheels underneath my chair and swung side to side in my chair, as I boringly listened to Daniel prattled on about the tablet him and Teal'c had finished translating. My team, what were left of them, were doodling all over Daniel's preciously printed out briefing dossiers, while Sam's team sat back in their seats listening to Daniel with open ears. I was bored! Two hours, Daniel had been going on and on about what the tablet said. He was just going on and my head was going out the door, further away from his explanation.

He was telling the occupants of the room; about Jonas finding it in the chamber they'd found in the temple on Abydos and had now finally, after many cof fees and some quiet time in his lab, translated what was said on the tablet correctly. I was wondering just what had exactly taken him nearly twenty years to translate. I chuckled to myself, thinking that maybe Daniel had maybe lost his precious Latin book, down the back of his filing cabernet and had finally found it a few days ago.

Scratching at my forehead, I stopped swinging in my chair and concentrated on the picture being shown on the screen behind Daniel. From extensive study period in the loops, I could read the tablet without Daniel telling me what it said. After about the seven sixth loop, you sort of start to get the hang of this Latin crap. I sighed, sitting back into my chair, threading my fingers together as the slide changed.

"Now, you see this part of the text talks about a shrine, where people went to worship and prayed for…" Daniel babbled on about the temple, as someone yawned really loud. I looked around the room like everyone else, raising my hand to cover my mouth when I realized everyone was looking at me.

Looking down at my hand, I closed my mouth and glanced up to Daniel. He didn't look pleased. I shrugged my shoulders at him, knowing he was used to my outward displays of boredom. Teal'c momentarily looked at me down the table, shifting in his chair to get comfortable again. As Daniel carried on with his briefing, the door cracked opened with two troublemakers apologizing, as they came in and sat quickly down in the chairs either side of me.

I smiled at Alex and Gary, as they sat down, pulling their chairs closer to the table. Both my aspiring students were now Captains and climbing the ranks quicker than anyone else in their class. I was proud of them.

"What'd we miss?" Alex whispered, leaning forward onto the table.

"Hell if I know. I'm not exactly listening myself." I whispered back, nodding my head in greetings to Gary. The time seemed to fly by, now I had Alex and Gary sat beside me, giving me someone to make comments to and hear merry whispered banter from. Daniel began to wound his talk up, crossing the room to the light switch. The men sat round the table were blinded from the lights coming on.

Daniel turned back to the table and paused for a moment, seeing everyone blinking their eyes into focus. "Oh… Sorry. Anyway, from the observations made by the MALP over the passed few days, there has been some Goa'uld activity on this planet."

"Hello!" I blurted out before thinking about it, gaining the attention of the room. "No one mentioned anything about the Goa'uld a minute ago. In the future, Daniel, I advise you mention this information first before boring us to death. It may give some of us reason to listen to you."

"Shouldn't you be listening anyway?" Daniel said, setting the remote controller down onto the table beside his papers.

"That's not the point." I stated, with some of the men round the table chuckling into their hands or down at the table. "Anyway, this mission. All we've got to do is cover your six, right?"

Daniel pouted his lips in thought, pushing his glasses further up his nose. "Basically, yes. And you should be covering my twelve o'clock."

"Right. Well, everyone better go and get geared up then. Meet down in the Gate room in about half an hour. Dismissed." I said, rubbing at the back of my neck.

Everyone began to leave the room, chatting about the details of the mission or about something totally off base, as they left the room. As the last of them left, I got up out of my seat while Alex and Gary went over the mission together, retrieving a briefing dossier from the center of the table. Daniel was collecting his papers and slides together, with me coming to stand next to him.

"Daniel, you know I'd rather be spending time at Linole's bedside, than going on a mission." I said, crossing my arms over my chest. "I don't understand, how you could ask for me to be on this mission. I'll only break something."

Daniel huddled his papers to his chest, wedging the box of slides between them and his chest, as he said. "First off, I didn't ask for you to be on this mission. And I would as well, like be spending time with Linole. The General was the one, who said you had to be the commanding officer on this mission. You are the highest ranking officer below General Kiley."

"I'm sorry, Daniel. It's this whole thing with Duncan and Linole, it's got me all wound up." I said, cracking my knuckles in frustration.

Teal'c stood up from his chair and joined us, clasping his hands behind his back. "O'Neill, you have nothing to fear from Duncan Walsh. Linole believes you to be her father, and nothing Duncan Walsh may ever say, will ever change her mind about this point. You have done more for Linole, than Duncan Walsh can ever do for her."

Daniel and I shared a look before looking back to Teal'c. "T, I'm not wound up about that. I have other reasons." He raised his eyebrows at me and then left the room with his tail between his legs, going off in search of food most likely. I laughed silently, putting my hands into my pockets and walked Daniel back to his lab, leaving Alex and Gary arguing over the finer points of the mission.

I was glad to be back, working in the SGC again. When I was injured, I lost all faith in myself. My confidence in myself had been left back there on that planet, hiding under the underbrush I'd laid in for days, as I waited for them to come rescue me. But I think the time away, getting my life back into some order and getting an actual love life, has brought a new sort of confidence to me. I don't need to hide behind jokes anymore. I don't need to throw a wisecrack at someone, when I'm getting confused. I can be myself around these people, when before I was just the shell of a man who'd lost his entire world to one bronze bullet. I was a new man.

*************************************************************

Checking my vest and sidearm were securely fastened, I stood amongst the other campers going on this little field trip. I hadn't seen Sam or Linole, to tell them I'd be gone for a few hours. Daniel wanted me to look through something with him, but it turned out he'd wanted me to help him, move his filing cabernet back against the wall. So I was right to guess that one of his precious books, had fallen down the back of it. I fastened my P90 to my chest, yawning down at the butt of my weapon, as the 'gate opened. Widening my eyes for a moment, trying to keep them open, I began to make my way to the front of the queue.

The General wished us God's speed, as we were walking up the ramp, it made me cringe at the thought of not coming back. I went through first, adjusting the tightness of my cap. Coming through onto the other side, I was greeted by the sunlight blinding me. I shielded my eyes with my hand, as I went down the steps, the others coming through behind me. They all took up tactical advantage points in the clearing, while I stood near the DHD, surveying the tree line and hill in front of us. Daniel came to stand beside, as I was putting my sunglasses on, attaching his sunglasses attachment to his glasses. As he put them back on, Daniel then pulled his bandana tighter, looking about the green land in front of us.

Teal'c went over to the MALP while Alex began to redial Earth. I rested my hand on top of my P90 with my left hand braced on my hip, as I began to make a start on our ten-minute hike to Danny's ruins. I was ready to fall asleep there and then, but I kept going.

I turned my head to talk to Teal'c over my shoulder. "Teal'c, I want you and Sam's team to remain here at the 'gate, to secure it. I don't want our escape route to be ambush if we run into any surprises."

"I understand." Teal'c bowed his head to me, as the MALP went through the 'gate behind him. Marching up the hill with the four other members of my team and Daniel, I began to wish I had shot Duncan. That way, I would be sat in a cell somewhere, where I could catch up on some zees. An old man needs his sleep, you know?

Taking my cap off when we reached the top of the hill, I wiped the sweat from my forehead, sighting the tip of the ruins as two of men jogged ahead to secure the area. I smoothed my cap on backwards, intrigued as we got nearer to the stone building. Signaling to Naylor and Young to make a perimeter, I followed Daniel into the shade of the building. The cool shade was welcome, as I banked up the first strong strut, which could hold my weight. Daniel was off reading the walls, missing something that had already caught my eye.

"That looks familiar, Danny boy." I commented, gesturing to the object on the wall. Daniel twisted round to look at what I was gazing at. His eyes lit up in surprise, as he approached the object.

"It's exactly like the one, that downloaded the Ancients knowledge into your head." He said, running his fingers round the edges of it.

I moseyed over to stand behind him, gently taking his hand away from the machine. "Lets not get touching this one, so quickly as the last one. We both know what happened that time around."

"You're probably right." Daniel agreed, backing up away from the alien device. "I wonder why they made more than one. You'd think if they didn't want everyone having their knowledge, they'd keep it in a room like we found. Kind of closed in somewhere. Wonder why this one's out in the open like this." I let him get on with his reading and stood watching the purple tinted object, ready to make a break for it if it tried to grab me, like last time. There was no way in hell; I was going to stick my head in that thing voluntarily. I still remember how much the damn thing hurt.

Distantly I heard something begin a long descent down from somewhere. Like a bomber making its attack run. Naylor came running in from outside, panting for breath, as he pointed wildly outside. Daniel got up from the floor, wiping the dust off his pants, as I flicked the safety off on my P90.

"Sir," Naylor finally said. "Death Gliders on approached to our position and another one making a run towards the gate. They've made us, sir."

I turned to Daniel, glanced at the object on the wall and turned back to Naylor in the doorway. "Hold them off as long as you can. Tell me when there are ground troops, making their way up 'ere." Naylor disappeared off outside with rapid gunfire going on, as I felt and heard the pounding of the blasts from the Glider, hitting into the ground.

"Daniel, you have a minute to come up with a plan, as to what we do with this thing this time." I said, gesturing towards the object.

"Well, I supposed it's like the object you got pulled into." Daniel hypothesized.

I checked outside with a glance, saying. "Another vending machine of the Ancients?"

"Yeah." Daniel said, titling his head to one. "We can't let them get to this, Jack. You know, as well as I do, if they get hold of the Ancient's knowledge, we'll have more System Lords running round with the knowledge that Anubis has."

My mind raced away from me. "Yeah… That's probably it, you know? Anubis has the knowledge of the Ancients. No wonder, Anise and Janet haven't been able to come up with a cure yet. They think its gonna be Goa'uld manufacture, when he's probably spliced it with some virus he knows, thanks to the Ancients knowledge."

"Jack?" Daniel questioned. "What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking that maybe, the answers to our problems, are standing right in front of us." I said, taking a daring step towards the object. "If I download that knowledge into my head again, then we destroy this thing and get out of 'ere. I can workout what's wrong with Linole, find the Lost city and then have Thor get it all out of my head."

Daniel pulled me round by my arm. "Jack, don't be stupid. It nearly killed you last time around, and you know Thor's out of contact with us and don't really have time to sort individual problems out. There's no guarantee that he'd be able to get it out this time round."

I grasped hold of his arms after pulling my sunglasses off. "Daniel, there's no other options at the moment. I'm willing to take the risk. It's what I'm here to do. Take risks for my country."

"You won't have to deal with Sam's wrath, if this goes wrong." He mumbled, as another blast from a Glider hit the ground nearby.

Naylor and Wheldon came running in. "Sir, Jaffa are beginning to climb up the hill. Young and Robins are holding them off for now, but its on a wing and a pray."

I nodded my head, understanding the situation and turned to look at Daniel again. "I've got to do this Daniel before its too late."

"Okay." Daniel said, giving me permission, as he unclipped his sidearm from its holster, guarding the door while Young and Robins, went back out to join the fight. I gazed at the object for a minute or two, slipping my hat off from my head and took another step towards it.

Stuffing my hat into my pocket, I studied round the object for anything harmful before placing my hands onto the wall. I took a deep calming breath and then leaned in to look at the bright lights through the spy hole. It wasn't as bad this time round, as I was expecting the hands to come out and grab my head. The pain wasn't as bad either, the information filtering in through my eyes into my head.

I was well aware of the battle going on around me; the ground shook now and then under my feet. The machine released me and I felt myself collapsed backwards onto the floor, blacking out as my head connected with the floor.

*************************************************************

People were scurrying around me, babbling on about something as I came to. A few voices didn't sound too pleased about something, I couldn't blame her. Cracking my eyes opened, I turned away from the light, hanging above me and sat up over the side of the bed, holding my head in my hands. It felt as though, I'd been out on the town the night before and was now paying the consequences for a night out of drinking. Someone pushed me over, clambering on top of me to hit me round the head. I held my arms protectively around my head, trying to miss her hands, as they slapped the back of my head.

"You stupid idiot!" Sam shouted at me. I didn't dare say anything, I knew she'd take anything I'd say, the wrong way and hit me even more. One of the others pulled her off and Janet helped me to sit up. I rubbed at my head, looking down at the floor in front of the petite Doctor.

She lifted my head up and shone her penlight into my eyes. "Sir, how're you feeling?"

"Oh you know, nail through the head kind of headache. But I'm barring up." I said, observing Jacob and Daniel talking to Sam while Teal'c restrained her. "How long have we been back?"

"Oh… A few hours. Daniel carried you all the way back to the 'gate." Janet said, ripping off her rubber gloves. "Sam's pretty upset with you."

I ruffled up my hair, saying. "You couldn't give Sam and I, a moment to talk, could you?"

"Sure. Just let me get everyone out of here." Janet answered, stacking some things together on a tray and then began to usher everyone, who wasn't needed, to the door. I slipped off the bed, wobbling on my feet, as I stood up, and made my way over to a plastic chair.

The door closed behind Janet, Sam and I were the only ones who were left in the Infirmary. It felt eerily weird to have so much silence. She was standing up against the wall next to the door, biting at her thumbnail with her other arm hugging herself. Pulling my arm out of my jacket and then other, I tossed it onto the nearest bed and dropped my hands down into my lap. I glanced about the room and saw no sign of Linole.

"Where's Linole?" I asked to the room, knowing it was better to speak indirectly to her, when she was like this.

"Janet's put her in an observation." Sam stated.

I scratched at my forearm, saying. "You know, if you had been there instead of me. You would have done the same thing."

"How the hell do you know that?" She spat out angrily.

"You've got Goa'uld closing in on your position, a Glider swooping in over head and there's either the chance they get it or we do. Which would you rather have happen? Us get it, or them?" I said, giving her a hypothetically problem to solve. She likes problems like that.

She shoved her hands into her pockets. "I guess I would have done the same thing."

I rubbed at my head. "You got a headache?"

"My fron is killing me, but I'll be okay." I told her as I looked up, her face showed nothing but shock. "What?"

"It's started already." She stated. "I'm already losing you to it." I got up out of my seat, stumbling almost before I got my footing and crossed over the room to her. Cocooning her into my arms, I stroke my hand down the back of her head. She burst into tears, clutching at my t-shirt, as her tears soaked into it.

I was putting so much onto her. She had the stress from worrying about Linole, now about me and she was thinking, she was going to lose me. I wasn't going to anywhere if I could help it. Sam shook in my arms, as she let out all her frustration in her tears, crying harder into my chest. I shushed her crying, holding her up close to my shoulder, as she clamped her arms around me.

"Why is it always us? There's always something keeping us apart." She sobbed. "Are we ever going to have it easy?"

"Hey, who wants anything easy? The fun part is dealing with the stuff the Lectron throws at us." I commented, causing her to cry even harder. "Look, I'm only going to have this in my fron, till we've helped Linole and found the locas of the Lost city."

She prized herself away from my chest, looking up at me with her sadden blue eyes. "Jack, I don't want to lose you."

"I'm not going anywhere." I promised, stooping down to kiss her. Her hot tears scalded my skin, as her hands clutched at the back of my head, unwilling to let me go. We stood like that for sometime, kissing her worries and troubles away but slowly I felt myself going, with more of the knowledge being unlocked in my head.

**************************************************************

Sitting in the lab with Anise and Janet, I was studying the virus through the scope, writing down some gibberish that they would understand. I couldn't stop writing. Wherever I went, if there was a pen or a whiteboard with a marker pen, I would write down whatever came into my head or was giving solutions to people, with Daniel translating whichever words came out. It was starting to get annoying, to me it sounded perfectly normal. I was talking English. Though I guess, from hearing myself back with the tape recorder, I was talking nonsense to them.

I rubbed at my eye, when I stopped looking through the microscope and concentrated on what I was writing. Janet and Anise were hanging over my shoulder, looking at the diagram I drew and what chemicals and such would cure Linole. Pulling at my hair, as I got frustrated with my hand unable to write down the information fast enough, I started to grunt to myself. Daniel came into the room with Sam, bringing the coffee I'd asked for ages ago.

Casting the pen down onto the table when I was finished, I got up off my stool and took my coffee from Sam, quickly leaving the room. I was sick to death of the flashes of information, going through my head. Languages, mathematical problems, scientific wonders and much more, kept invading my everyday thoughts. I was too tired to be dealing with this. The only person, I could blame for this, was me.

Feet were chasing me down the corridor, but I wanted some time to myself. I needed to have a moment, to think this through and I wanted to see Linole. I wanted to see my daughter and talk with her, before it was too late.

"Jack!" Sam called, catching up with me, as I turned the corner into Linole's room. Linole watched us enter her room with a smile, cursorily gazing at me, as I pulled my arm away from Sam and sat down on the stool beside her bedside. I smiled putting my coffee down on her table.

"Dad, how're you doing?" Linole asked, as Sam pulled up another stool.

"Eug, I'm kui eug." I said, before taking a sip of my coffee. "How ani pu kui?"

Linole looked bewildered for a minute or two, thinking through what I said. "I'm okay. Has Anise and Aunt Janet found a cure yet?"

"Your dad's been helping them with it. He's just come from there right now. Haven't you, Jack?" Sam said, touching me on the shoulder.

I nodded my head. "Eetium. Pu'll be betera sona." Touching Linole's arm gently, my fingertips were burning against her bare arm. I tried to take my hand away, but nothing would work. I was frozen. People were talking quickly, shouting for help. My hand began to burn, as I closed my eyes.

Linole said something to someone, as I let go of her arm, falling backwards off my stool to crash into equipment and Sam. We fell down onto the floor together, with wires and cables tangling up around us. She was asking if I was all right. I wanted to answer her but I was so tired. I just wanted to sleep. Drifting off away, I made an effort to touch her face and smile warmly, then went to asleep. I'd been longing to sleep for so long.

*************************************************************

I didn't know where I was, but I was certainly not in Kansas anymore. The sun shone down the on the village in front of me. The people were going about their daily business, trading and selling fruit and cloth, just an average day at market. I slowly took a step and began to walk through the crowd of people. It was similar to Abydans, when we had first arrived on their planet, but scanning around I don't see a Jaffa, or a mother ship sitting on a nearby hill, in sight. These people were genuinely developing on their own accord, or they'd been saved from the Goa'uld ages ago.

Carrying on through the crowd, people began to stop and point at me, making me uneasy, as they whispered about me. I was stopped from going any further, when the crowd turned around and closed in on me. I stood there, wary of everyone watching me.

"Jack O'Neill," A woman said, coming out from the crowd. "What are you doing here?"

"Erm… like to know that myself." I said, gazing round at the people looking at me. "Where am I?"

The woman stepped forward and touched me on the shoulder. "You are not meant to be here."

"You're telling me, sister. Can you send me home or summit?" I asked, feeling stupid with everyone watching me.

"You are a friend of Daniel Jackson's, are you not?" The woman asked. "He was ascended with us once."

"Ascended? I'm not ascending anyway, if anything I'm gonna descend back to Earth right now." I glanced around for anything that could lead me home, an exit sign or a Stargate. "You wouldn't know, how I'd do that?"

The woman spaded her hand onto my face, closing her eyes. I closed my eyes involuntarily and opened them to find myself on my back, looking up at the ceiling in the Infirmary. Gradually I sat up, scaring Linole and Sam as I raised up from the bed. I blinked my eyes a few times, touching the side of my face where the woman had touched.

Sam was distraught, touching my face, tugging at my clothes. "Jack? Are you okay? What happened?"

"Ego doa kno cnawan. Ego finire." I said to them. "Pu doa kno understandan ego?"

Teal'c bowed his head in deep thought. "He said he does not know, he is fine. You do not understand me." I was glad I now had Teal'c back; he'd been off helping some other team out, as there was nothing for him to do.

Lucky the two of us had both been stuck in the loops and had learned Latin. I squeezed Teal'c on his shoulder, smiling at him. Sam kept twiddling with the hair, on the back of my neck, and was almost sitting in my lap, getting as close as she could to me.

An image kept popping into head, flashing now and then. I lowered my head into my hands, concentrating on it, wanting it to stay longer so I could tell what it was. My body shivered, as a cold wind ran up my back. Huddling my arms close to my chest, I glanced round and was surprised to find myself, in the middle of a snow blizzard.

There were lights in the distance, I set off to trudge my way through the snow, sinking with each step deeper into the snow. I got a good few feet before it began to get too cold. Trying my best to take another step, my foot went through the snow and even further. I fell. I was falling through the snow, opening up a hole that had been hidden by the snow.

It was dark in the ice cavern that I was falling through. With a hard thud and a groan, I landed onto what I guessed to be a slab of rock. Rubbing my shoulder, I hissed at the pain and felt my hand getting hot. I couldn't move my hand again. My fingers squeezed at my shoulder, as it get hotter and hotter.

A minute passed and I was finally able to let go of my right shoulder. Inspecting the cavern, I halted when I saw a huge double door, covered in ice a few feet away from me. I shivered as I approached the door, slipping on the ice under my boots.

Clearing the ice off the door, my teeth chattered together, the sound echoed through the cavern. The door was covered in lines and symbols, the same writing that was written on the altar on P4X639. I read it in my head, my eyes widening with surprised as it read.

'We are the Ancients. Centuries ago, we lived like you on this world. We traveled the universe in ships, spreading out over the universe. Over a time, we lived contently on other worlds, with are race conspiring to join our Allies in the stars. After a time, our race became ill and we could not do anything to stop it. Slowly it killed our people off one by one. We tried to save ourselves, but it was useless. The last surviving members of our race secluded themselves away and made us into what we are today. They elevated themselves onto a plan of existence, not known to the mortal world. Behind these doors are the treasures of our legacy, left to those of our brethren who we re-spawned to one-day take back, what is rightfully ours. Those of you that step through this door will be entrusted with the responsibility of our legacy. Your path has been long and enduring, your rewards await you.'

I stood there looking at the door, realizing I had it. I had found Daniel's little Lost city. It wasn't on some distant planet, it was right under our noses. It was here. It was here on Earth. We were the Ancients? How could…? What the…?

Closing my eyes to the cold and darkness, I thought hard about the warmth of the SGC, wanting to go back to the SGC and away from this cold place. I opened my eyes to be standing in the car park. 'So much for reappearing inside the SGC.' I thought to myself. Shivering one last time, I quickly jogged through the cars and trucks to the elevator.

I pressed the button repeatedly and then stood still, watching the numbers count up, as I rubbed my hands together. The doors opened and I stepped inside, pressing the last button on the panel. I waited and waited, pacing the elevator like a caged animal.

I was out of there when the doors opened, jumping into the next elevator with the Airman on duty, shouting for me to come back. The elevator trundled its way down at its own pace. I was being impatient with it. The doors opened and I escaped out into the corridor, running down the corridor to Daniel's lab. I hadn't realized it, but I wasn't aching. My shoulder wasn't giving me any complaints, my knees were quiet and my back was staying hushed too.

I skidded round the corner into Daniel's lab, finding Daniel and Teal'c reading through the crap I'd written out earlier. "Ego cnawan ult locas ov Losian civitas!"

"What'd he say?" Daniel inquired, getting up off his stool, as I kept saying it over and over.

Teal'c cocked his eyebrow up, closing the book he was reading. "He knows the location of the Lost city, Daniel Jackson."

Daniel looked at me in shock and then snooped about me, looking at the snow in my hair and on my t-shirt that was melting. "Jack, where have you just been?"

I grabbed him by his shirt and pulled him over to the map, he had hung on the wall, pointing to the Arctic. Daniel frowned at the poster and then at me, switching between the two. Shivering, I let go of him and hugged my arms around myself, fighting off the chill running through me to my bone. I wished I were warm, as I rubbed at my arms, but instead of finding my bare arm and then the sleeve of my t-shirt, it felt as thought I was wearing a fleece. I looked down and was freaked out, to find myself wearing different clothes.

Daniel stepped back in shock, as Teal'c got out of his seat, moving around me to see if there was some trickery, about my clothes changing. I held my hands out in front of me, begging for one of them to help me. There were feet pounding down the corridor outside. Sam, Janet and Linole came in, gawping at me.

"Where the hell did you go?" Sam asked, grabbing hold of my fleece.

Daniel tapped her on the shoulder, pointing to the map on the wall behind me. "He's been to the Arctic."

"What?" Linole questioned. "That's not possible."

I chuckled, saying. "Na, Linole. Nan es Yautor."

Everyone looked to Teal'c. "No, Linole. Nothing is impossible."

They all looked wondrous at the map, trying to figure out my magical disappearance, to a place that was over hundred of miles away. Peculating away to one another, I sat down at Daniel's desk and began to write again. This time to write a goodbye letter, if something was to happen to me.

************************************************************

They were all discussing how exactly, they were going to get the cavern I'd been to, when they couldn't get the exact location out of me. I was bored. Everyone was ignoring me, the gimp on the sidelines. They were talking about how I was able to transport myself there and back, how I could have healed Linole and myself of all injuries. My shoulder no longer had any pins in it, my knees showed no sign of cartilage damage and my strained back was all better. There was nothing wrong with me. There were also claims from people, who I'd touched briefly about the base, that I'd healed them of something too. I don't know what was going on anymore.

Holding my head in my hands above the table, I hummed a song to myself, as I rocked my head side to side. I loved the song I was humming. It was our wedding song. I think Natalie Cole and Reba Entire, 'Since I Fell For You' sang it. We'd been so happy on our wedding day, even with the trouble we had before it. Fearing I might be killed by my old Colonel. No one was able to split us up during the Reception. People, who wanted to talk with Sam, had to put up with me clinging onto her with my good arm, and people who wanted to talk to me, had to put up with her clinging onto me. She was so beautiful on our wedding day.

I dreamt away into my own dream, when someone nudged me in my side. "Jack? Jack, what the hell you thinking about?"

"Huh?" I grunted, looking up from the table to see across the table, Sam dressed in her wedding gown.

I bit my lip to stop myself from laughing. I guessed I better watched what I thought about instead of wished for. Changing her back to her BDU's, she stared at me over the table, wondering just what exactly was going through my head.

I began to think seriously about, how they were going to get to where I'd been, when there was a blinding flash in the room. My butt became cold, as I plunged backwards into the snow. The others were all sat round the cold cavern, dressed in winter wear. Teal'c helped me up, as I caught sight of the big double doors, behind Daniel.

"Well, that was enlightening." Linole said, springing up from the cold floor, brushing off the snow.

I went over to the door and stood in front of it, my hands gliding down the cold metal. Daniel and Linole came to stand either side of me, scrutinizing the door.

Daniel ran his finger over each individual symbol on the door. "Jack, is this it?"

"Yeah." I replied, as everyone looked at me. "What?"

"You're speaking English, dad." Linole said, with her hand resting on my shoulder.

"Oh… Right. Great." The words tumble out of my mouth, but I wasn't really paying that much attention to them anymore.

I slid my hand through the door, shocking everyone around me, as I walked through the door. Spinning round, I unlocked the door and let them in.

"Anyone coming with?" I asked, sticking my head around the door.

They all quickly followed Sam, as she came in, touching me to make sure I was there. I smiled at her while reaching up to caress the side of her face. The others wandered off down the ice corridor, speculating what this place could be.

Sam tiptoed up to my height and kissed me on the cheek. "What was that for?"

"That was for healing Linole." She said, wrapping her arms about my neck. "This is for being you."

Her lips were cold, as they captured mine, pulling me down so she didn't have to stand on tiptoes any longer. I encircled my arms about her waist, her coat puffed out under my arms, as they compressed it down. We were caught up in one another, as someone crunched the snow down, running up the corridor to get us.

"Dad! Mum! Come look at this… God!! Jacob's right, you two are like a teenage couple!" Linole cried at us. "Could you take a break and come look at this!"

Groaning, we separated and followed Linole down the ice corridor, holding hands as we went. I heard Daniel excitedly jumping about, telling Teal'c about something he was reading on the wall.

Sam and I came to a standstill, looking at the door; Daniel excitedly strode in front of. I let go of Sam's hand, moving to inspect the door. Looking it up and down, I spotted a switched on the wall covered over in ice. I rubbed my hands together, crossing over to it as Daniel instructed the others, to push the door. Standing in front of the switch, I blew into my hands, as the four of them pushed at the door, sliding and losing their footing on the icy floor. Daniel was telling them a different approached, as I pushed the button.

The ice corridor shook, causing the ice to fall down from the ceiling and from around the door. I sheltered Sam from the falling ice, watching Teal'c pin Linole and Daniel up against the wall, out of the way of the falling ice. Slinging Sam over my shoulder, I jumped out of the way of the ice, darting about the corridor trying to miss the falling ice while the door opened to a cavern. Sam was yelling to the others to move it, as she wriggled out of my shoulder, grabbing hold of my coat.

"JACK! GET US OUT OF HERE!" She yelled at me.

Holding onto her, I transported us into the safety of the cavern, the doors had opened up to, and I closed the doors when the others had managed to get inside, without getting hurt. Sam went to check on Linole while I turned the lights on, waving my hand towards the torches hung around the room on the walls.

I swore Daniel was drooling at the sight of the rocks, scattered about the room. I was myself, only because I recognized them to be guns. Big honking space weapons. Walking along the row of weapons, I picked one up coming to a stop and powered it up. Sam and Linole were checking the weapons when the ceiling shook, sending a drifting cloud of snow down onto us. I glimpsed at the others, putting the weapon back onto its rack.

"You guys look through this lot, I'm gonna take a look upstairs." I said before disappearing. Standing up top, I could see the Gliders, flying low to the ground as some jets chased them. It had already begun. They were trying to invade.

I reappeared in front of them, as they began to make their way down the corridors, leading off from the main chamber. They looked to me for answers, just like they always did. Teal'c didn't need to ask me, he could tell from the look on my face what was going on upstairs. Sam took a step closer, having not seen this look on my face in many years.

"They're here, aren't they?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, they're back." I said, dropping my head down to rest my chin against my chest. Massaging my forehead, I pivoted round to look down the corridor. My feet were off down the corridor, trudging through the snow to enter another room.

This room was different to the others. There was one exceptional honking space gun in there. The ship looked old but still in good nick. I walked up the ramp whilst the others entered the room, gasping at the awe-inspiring sight that welcomed them. The ship powered up, as I reached the top of the ramp. It seemed the cold hadn't affect the inside of the ship, the bridge looked, as though, it hadn't been left for more than a day.

Flicking a switch on a control panel, screens started to boot up as Linole and Teal'c came aboard. I wandered about the bridge, like I was familiar with the instruments, turning on and reading the screens to find every thing was working perfectly. Teal'c sat down at the helm, looking over the controls. I came up behind him and activated the bay doors to open. They steadily opened with the ice and snow, falling in through the opening.

"Teal'c," I said, pointing at the controls in front of him. "This has nearly the same controls as the X-302. Push the leaver forward to do down, pull it back to go up and left and right to turn. Simple."

"Dad, you don't expect us to fly this do you? This probably hasn't been up in the air for centuries." Linole pessimistically said.

I turned from Teal'c and guided Linole into the weapon stations chair. "Linole, you have faith in your science. Have faith in this ship." I said before talking her through the weapons. "Now, the fire buttons are here. The red one's for the energy weapon and this one's for the rockets. You only have twenty, it says on the screen, so use them wisely. This is your targeting screen; it'll do it automatically. All you've got to do, is press either one of these buttons when this icon turns red."

I scampered across the bridge to check the fuel supply, leaving them to familiarize themselves with their controls. Jogging down the ramp, I passed between Sam and Daniel and searched the underside of the ship, for the fuel compartment. As I pressed the button to open it, Sam came to stand beside me, watching the hatch drop down, as I uncovered snow from on top of the fuel line.

"Jack, what are you doing?" She questioned, whilst I lifted up the fuel line and connected it to the ship. "Jack, what's going on?"

"I need to get this bird in the air, Sam. Teal'c and Linole can take care of the Gliders and that, while we search the rest of the cavern." I crouched down and activated the pump. "Just keep out of my way, please." I said, darting back off up into the ship to check the tanks.

Teal'c and Linole were discussing their controls, as I started up the engines. I checked each console and rerouted most of them into Linole's station. She didn't know what they were, but it would save her from getting out of her seat to look at each individual station.

"Linole if any of these screens flash blue, press this button 'ere." I said, pointing at the yellow button above the weapon controls. "Teal'c, when I've disconnected the fuel line, you can take off. Don't let anything bad happen to Linole." I said, activating the ramp to close before sending myself to the fuel line. It was noisy in the cavern with the engines running on the ship. I unclipped the fuel line and then Teal'c slowly took off, shooting out of the bay doors.

Scratching the back of my head, I walked off back down the corridor we'd come down and went down another one. Daniel and Sam were following quickly behind me, the snow crunching under their boots. I pushed open the door at the end corridor, entering a room with a chair in it. I ambled about the room, leaving Sam and Daniel to gaze at the chair in wonder, as I went into the control room. I knew this was what I was here for. The big honking weapon that we have needed since the start.

Booting up the computers, I was aware of someone standing beside me. I ignored them, shooting about the room, reading screens. They stood there watching me, she wasn't like the woman I had met briefly earlier. There seemed to be something about her that I didn't like. I stopped reading the screen in front of me, slowly I stood up to my full height and circled round on the spot, finding her smiling at me.

"You won't beat my master." She said. "He is much more powerful than you and the others."

"And your master would be…?" I asked, stepping towards her, as Daniel and Sam stood in the doorway.

"My lord, Anubis, of course. Who will, be your lord soon." She chuckled at me. I swallowed in disgust, squinting my eyes at her. There was something about her, something daring me to do something I didn't want to do.

Sexily she ran her fingertips down my chest, trailing them back up to touch the side of my face, as she gaited around me, brushing her self up against me. "Join us, Jack. You know we're the winning side. You're not part of their world anymore. You're part of mine. Can't you feel it?"

I glanced over to Daniel and Sam in the doorway, she was right. I had become more than what they were, but that didn't change how much I cared about them. It didn't make me want to go about flaunting my powers, or whatever it was that I had. But… this woman was provoking something in me. She had a hold on me like I'd never felt before. Her hand persuaded me to look at her, stood pressed up to my side. I hadn't realized how close she actually was to me.

"You know you want to, Jack" She said. "Just like you want to do this." Her lips closed around mine with her hands pulling nearer, urging me to kiss her back. I was shocked that I was, I was kissing someone other than Sam. And that was unacceptable.

I shoved the woman away to send her spiraling backwards onto the floor. Wiping at my lips with the back of my arm, I spat out the feel of her tongue, revolted with her and myself. It made me sick. She was getting up, as I spat on the floor again, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand. The woman did not look please. What did they say about women's wrath?

I stood there boldly with my arms crossed over my chest. "You made the wrong choice. You should have joined me and my master."

"Well, I have a lot going on this plane, so cut the crap." I spat at her, still trying to get the feel of her tongue out of my mouth. She glared at me, as she raised her hand up at me, the orange jewel lit up on her hand. I didn't care about my own welfare, as I knocked Sam and Daniel out of the doorway.

The shockwave blast from her hand device knocked me backwards, sending me flying through the window behind me into the room with the chair in it. Groaning down at the floor, I rolled over onto my hands and knees, shaking the glass out of my hairs and my dizzy spell away. The woman appeared in front of me, she grabbed me by my coat and hauled me up onto my feet effortless. She clutched her hands full of my coat and lifted me off the ground, evilly chuckling up at me.

"What you laughing at?" I asked, fighting against her hands.

She smiled, saying. "I find it funny, how you have all those powers yet you still don't know how to use them. When I am done with you, I'll kill your friends and go join my master, as he watches your planet be destroyed."

I punched her in the face; she released me as she stumbled backwards, holding a hand to her face. Straightening my coat, I strode over to her, grabbing hold of her around her neck and lifted her up, to throw her across the room. I hated hitting women! She hit the wall, sending a shower of ice down from the ceiling. Sinking to the floor, she left an indent in the wall, as she slumped forward onto her hands and knees. I crossed over to her, clenching my fist, as she began to choke.

She pulled at her top, trying to loosen the constrictive hold I had around her neck. I knelt down next to her, watching her lips turn from purple to blue. She collapsed onto the floor, as she choked her last breath, and I unclenched my fist, causing her to gasp for air.

Helping her up by holding her arm, she looked about the room unsure of her surroundings. Sam and Daniel came across the room, standing a safe distance away from the two of us.

The woman looked up at me, shying away, as she said. "Where am I? Who are you?"

"My name's Jack." I told her, placing my hand on her forehead, healing her injuries and wiping the horrific memories given to her by the Goa'uld. "You're okay now. The snake's gone now."

"Jack?" Sam questioned, as Daniel came over, seeing the fear on the woman beside me face. "What just happened?"

"I took the Goa'uld out of her." I said, aiding the woman towards Daniel. "Sam, I need you to get these two out of 'ere. There should be a ship nearby that's fuelled and prep, ready to go."

She frowned at me, as Daniel passed between us, with the woman clinging onto his arm. "What you going to do? Aren't you coming with us?"

I checked to see how far away Daniel and the woman was, as I stepped closer to Sam, taking hold of her hands. "Sam, I know right now you're not gonna want to know what I have to do. You'd rather I'd come with, instead of staying here. But you see, I have to. I have to stay here and work the weapon." I told her, as a tear ran down my cheek. "I looked inside that Goa'uld's mind before I killed it. Anubis has his whole fleet coming here right now. They'll be 'ere in minutes. I need to work the weapon and destroy them before they destroy us, scarifying myself in the process."

"No!" She screamed at me, causing Daniel to look back. "You're not going to do it! Someone else can do it! Get another one of these blasted Ancients to do it!"

"Sam! Listened to me!" I shouted, shaking her by her shoulders. "It has to be someone who's half mortal and half ascended. I need to do it, 'cause I haven't seen many who can do the things I've been doing."

Sam had tears streaming down her cheeks, staring down at something on my coat. "You promised me. You promised me, you weren't going to go anywhere."

"Come 'ere." I said, drawing her into my arms, cradling her head into my shoulder.

She cried into my shoulder whilst Daniel came over, sensing I would need him to get her out of here. Daniel gently swayed her into going with him, letting me trudged my way through the snow, back into the control room. I started activating things, lights powered up in the other room, as the others left, in search of the ship that I had told Sam about.

I flicked and pushed switches, powering the whole place up. I set the machine to lock onto the ships that were positioned over Earth and were coming out of hyperspace. I didn't know exactly what was going to happen to me, when I sat down in that chair but I knew I had to do it to save Earth.

Setting the machine to countdown, I jogged out the control room and jumped into the chair, hanging onto the armrests, as the machine powered up above me. A bright light focus down on me, as the countdown ended with my current existence.

**********************************************************

Two Months Later

Watching the traffic zoom passed outside my window, I was sunk down in the passenger seat of Daniel's car, driving down the mountain in a big rush to get me home. I had no idea what home was. Daniel had told me I had a wife and three kids at home, but I didn't remember any of it. They'd come through this ring thing, where this woman had told me to wait for them.

She seemed nice but had disappeared before I could ask her any questions, like what was my name. This man beside me had come through the ring thing and had immediately run down the steps to hug me. I hadn't known how to react to him, so I just stood there and let him get on with it. He kept going on about this woman named Sam, who was supposedly my wife. Sounds more like a man than a woman's name.

They'd brought me back through the ring thing, that they'd called a 'gate, and took me to see some tiny woman, who stuck a big honking needle in my arm. I'd jumped off the bed, as soon as she had stuck it into my arm, hissing and cursing at the woman. She'd laughed at me, saying I was still the same old Jack. Well I was glad I was still the same old Jack, because she'd let me leave as I was.

This big guy had patted me quite hard on the back, telling me he was glad I was back. Where'd I go? That's what I want to know. And who were these people, who'd taken me home with them?

Daniel turned down some street, grumbling about traffic, as he came to stop behind some cars. I rolled my eyes for some reason, I didn't know why. It wasn't like an everyday thing for me, to seat in a car with a stranger and roll my eyes at their grumbling. Was it? I couldn't be sure. He reached into his coat pocket, pulling out this black oblong thing, which I think was a cell phone, and began to ring a number on it, as he put the phone to his ear.

I observed the people in the street outside; looking through shop windows at the things they had display. It was kind of weird, but I could remember this blonde woman and I, walking down a busy street when she suddenly pulled me over to a shop window, and told me she wanted me to buy her this ring, for her birthday. I'd laughed at her at the time, telling her I already had her birthday present, at home somewhere.

Chuckling to myself, Daniel was talking to someone on the phone, telling them, he was bringing a friend with him. I was his friend? This guy certainly makes friends fast!

He drove on when the traffic started moving, pocketing his cell phone back into the inside pocket of his jacket. They'd given me some clothes out of someone's locker, saying they belonged to me. I'd taken them and put them, not too sure about it but I'd put the t-shirt on too. I think whoever had brought this t-shirt, had had other reasons for doing so other than buying me another t-shirt. The thing was leaching onto my chest, constricting my breathing.

Another street whizzed past my window before we were pulling up, into the driveway of someone's house. I wasn't too sure about it, but I was experiencing a strange sense of deja vu. A black truck was sitting in the garage, next to a red Pontiac, both seeming eerily familiar to me. There was a Harley parked in the other side of the double garage, sitting lonely on its own with a car parked, just outside of the garage.

Daniel began to get out of the car; I took that as my cue to get out. I got out and immediately found myself complaining about the state of the garden. Their bikes were scattered around the garden, no difference as when I left the house after my little nap on the couch. I stopped as I rounded round the front of the car. Shower? House? Was this where I lived?

I shook the thought away and followed Daniel up some steps leading to the garden, maneuvering around the toys and bikes. Climbing the steps onto the porch, I pocketed my hands, waiting when Daniel opened the patio door and stepped inside, gesturing for me to come in too.

I shyly stepped inside, greeted with two boys sat at the breakfast table and young woman dashing about the kitchen. The two boys stopped playing with their toys and jumped out of their seats, clinging onto me around my waist. I didn't know what to do.

Daniel patted me on the shoulder, taking the two boys away into some other room. The young woman stop her dithering and stared me, shuffling her way towards me before she broke out into a run to launch herself at me. I caught her in midair, finding I actually was enjoying this woman hugging me. Stroking some hair out of her face, I knew she wasn't my so-called wife but she meant just as much to me, and so did the two boys on second thought.

"Dad!" Linole (?) excitedly said. "We thought you were dead!"

There was a stampede of a pair of feet, coming towards me from the dining room. Looking over Linole's shoulder, I saw the woman who made my heart melt. She was so beautiful. I put Linole down before clutching the other woman with my arms. It felt safe in her arms.

We rocked from side to side, whether it was her doing it or if it was I doing it, I didn't know. I just knew I didn't want to let go of her. I was home. I was where I was supposed to be. Home with my… Sam.

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The End



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