samandjack.net

Story Notes: AU, Angst, slight Sam/Jack UST, Sam/Janet Friendship.

Spoilers: 'Rite of Passage', 'Heroes pt. 2'.

Sadly, I have to say this is probably the last story featuring Janet unless I go back a season. As you'll see from reading it, it's another approach looking at ways in which the character so many of us love so much could be brought back so I hope you enjoy it even though it will never happen on screen like this.

Dedication: I'm going to be sappy and dedicate this not only to my four Hussys, who encourage me to write, to be evil and to be a numpty and who keep me company by being evil numpties, too. I love all four of you, I really, really do and I can't wait till we're all together again. But, and here's the sappy part, I'm also going to dedicate it to Amanda Tapping and Teryl Rothery who will never read it but who created the Sam/Janet friendship in the first place, which is mostly what inspired this story to be written because it's one of the reasons I love the show and the characters so very, very much.

Yes, I'm a sap. Blame Ruthie and Maz for that, it's contagious.

Jo@ram32.freeserve.co.uk


The Ripple Effect

=*=

They didn't make their decision based on what they saw on the other side. It was desperation that forced them to leave, and fear for their lives that made it possible for them to reach forward and touch the mirror.

"Are you sure this is the best place for us?" Charles Kawalsky, former Major in the USAF, asked his companion uncertainly as he glanced around the dark and dusty room. "It doesn't look very promising.."

"It's in storage," Doctor Janet Fraiser retorted coolly. "We need to let them know we're here." Her cautious eyes ran over the security beams below, above and around them. "I'd be willing to bet this is either Area 51 or the Pentagon. Somewhere the SGF store everything they find that they don't have time to look at properly. It's possible they don't even know what they've got here."

Her foot nudged one of the beams and alarms went off all around them.

"I'd say they know," Kawalsky murmured, taking a step closer to her as red lights flashed and doors to the room opened, with armed SF's flooding in. "And it's safe to say they know we're here, too."

"Your observation skills never fail to amaze me," Janet muttered sardonically, instinctively taking a step back when the guns were pointed at her. "We're from the SGF," she spoke up, reaching back to grip Kawalsky's hand with her own. "We need to talk to someone from your SGF, maybe someone from SG-1."

As the SF's continued to stare silently, Kawalsky moved and wrapped an arm around her waist. "My wife and I would like to request asylum," he stated loudly, quelling her surprised look with a brief glance. "The world we came from has been destroyed by the Goa'uld. We'd like to help you stop the same thing from happening here."

One SF moved but the others remained in position, their weapons locked on the two intruders. It was a tense ten minutes later that Kawalsky and Janet were separated and contained in holding cells adjacent to each other.

"Well," Kawalsky murmured as the door swung shut behind the SF's who'd led them there. "That was a bright idea."

Janet glared at him through the bars, her arms folded across her chest defiantly. She refused to let the fear rising inside her take over. "They didn't shoot us on sight, that's got to be a good thing," she answered in retaliation. "We don't know what things are like here. How different they are. We don't know if our counterparts.."

Her voice trailed off as the door swung open again. A stern SF walked in and glanced them over. He nodded briskly. "The SGC has been contacted. Someone will be here to verify your story soon."

He left as soon as the announcement had been issued.

Janet stared at Kawalsky, a smug smile on her face. The former Major rolled his eyes and sat down on the bunk in the corner of his cell.

It would only be a matter of time before it started again. Before they had a second chance.

Before another world would realise what a difference one event could make.

=*=

"Does anyone know why we're being sent to Area 51?" Doctor Daniel Jackson asked as he took his usual seat at the briefing room table. Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter sat opposite him and Teal'c took his seat beside him as he put his question to the others.

"You got the same memo we did, Daniel," Jack replied with a shrug, glancing at the woman sitting beside him. "We don't know any more than you do."

General Hammond chose that moment to enter the room, greeting them with a curt nod. He motioned for the Colonel and the Major to remain in their seats, his expression troubled as he took his own at the head of the table. "I'll answer your question, Doctor Jackson, but I'm not sure you're going to like the answer." He glanced around the table, his gaze lingering for a few seconds longer on the military half of SG-1 before plunging onwards. "The Quantum mirror was activated at 0700 hours this morning. Our visitors are requesting someone from the SGF go and talk to them."

"SGF?" Sam questioned with a raised eyebrow. "An alternate version of the SGC?"

"That's what we thought, Major," General Hammond confirmed with a nod. "I believe it stands for Stargate Facility instead of Stargate Command but that's something you can ask our visitors when you arrive."

"Who do the visitors claim to be, General Hammond?" Teal'c enquired when he noticed the General stall. He recalled the last time the Quantum mirror was used and glanced at O'Neill and Major Carter out of the corner of his eye, watching them shift uncomfortably in their seats and filing the information away for later reference.

General Hammond swallowed and paused. "The visitors claim to be Major Charles Kawalsky and Doctor Janet Fraiser. I've been asked by the President to send SG-1 to Nevada to question them as they claim their world has been destroyed by the Goa'uld. If you believe their story, you may bring them back here where Doctor Smith and Doctor Warren will confirm they are who they say they are."

"And then what, General?" Sam's hands clenched into fists where they rested in her lap, an action witnessed only by the man sitting beside her. "Will you grant them asylum?"

Her mind was focusing on the problems such an outcome could create and they all knew it. Not the fact that there would be two Janet Fraisers or two Charles Kawalskys as sadly that wasn't an issue but the fact that she lived with a teenager still grieving for her mother. That she was still grieving herself for her best friend, a woman who had been lost not three months ago.

"I discussed it at length with the President and Joint Chiefs," General Hammond answered slowly, carefully choosing his words. "If they are who they say they are, and they present no danger to us, the President has agreed that we can offer them temporary asylum with us until we can find them another reality to live in. That is if it isn't possible to help them save the one they came from."

"What if we can't?" Daniel wanted to know, his eyes darting from the General to Sam. He shared his friend's discomfort in possibly being confronted with having to accept another Janet Fraiser. He had grieved - was still grieving - for his friend and didn't know how he'd take having another version of her in his life, let alone how Sam and Cassandra would cope with it. "What if there's no where else that's... suitable?"

"If that is the case, they will be granted permission to stay here." General Hammond answered grudgingly, understanding the mixed emotions being radiated at him from the members of SG-1 as he felt them keenly. He had been close to Doctor Fraiser himself, there had been many a time when they'd spent long hours in the commissary or in her office talking about the people sitting with him in the briefing room, wondering if they'd make it back in one piece. "Major Carter, I understand this will place you in an uncomfortable position, as both Cassandra's guardian and as a close friend to Doctor Fraiser. If they do remain here, you will have permission to brief Cassandra on the circumstances. It's only right that she should know."

Sam bit her lip against the angry retort that rose within her and gave him a polite nod in response. Her knuckles had turned white under the table with the effort of repressing the frustration she felt at the thought of being responsible for creating more upheaval in Cassandra's young life.

"If there are no more questions, SG-1, you are dismissed," General Hammond stood and stared at the still sitting members of SG-1. "I know this is going to be hard for you and I wish there was someone I could send in your place.."

"We understand, Sir," Jack acknowledged his concern with a nod, shooting a glance at his Second before meeting the General's gaze again. "We'll be back before you know it."

"See that you are, Colonel," General Hammond sighed. "The sooner this is over the better for all of us."

He left them then, wishing there was something he could do to change it. Wishing the mirror had been destroyed when he had given the order four years ago.

"You heard the man, campers," Jack said with as much enthusiasm as he could muster, trying to keep the morale in his team high as he got to his feet. "The sooner this is over the better. So let's get going."

"Yes, Sir." Sam slowly got to her feet, flexing her fingers. She met Daniel's worried gaze and gave him a vaguely reassuring smile, one that faltered when her gaze locked with Teal'c's. "I need to make a phone call before we go," she said softly, hanging back as they started to leave the room. "I'll catch up with you on the surface."

Staring at her, Jack met her gaze and held it. He nodded slowly, understandingly, and motioned for Teal'c and Daniel to leave before him. "Ten minutes, Carter," he told her softly. "I can't give you any longer than that."

"Then it'll have to do." She squared her shoulders and walked passed him, heading straight for the privacy of her lab.

=*=

The phone rang three times before it was picked up. "Hello?" The normally bubbly teenager still sounded subdued, not to mention wary.

Sam stifled a sigh and forced some brightness into her voice. "Hi Cass, it's just me." She wasn't cut out for being a parent, she'd decided, let alone trying to be a substitute for a woman who was a wonderful mother.

"Sam, hi!" Her tone brightening a little bit, Sam could easily imagine Cassandra curling up in the corner of her couch, cradling the phone between her ear and her shoulder as she finished painting her toes nails with some wildly coloured varnish. "Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing's wrong," Sam lied and ignored the stabbing sensation in her chest at doing so. "I was just ringing to let you know I might be a little bit late tonight. I've got to go to Nevada, for work."

"Nevada?" Cassandra repeated doubtfully. "You're going to Nevada?"

"I know, it's not very exciting but I promise, that's where I'm going," Sam answered reassuringly, knowing that Cassandra worried every time she stepped through the Gate. After all, her mother had died on a mission off world and it was understandable that she feared the same thing happening to someone else she loved. "I'd let you know if I was going anywhere else.."

".. Even though you're not supposed to," Cassandra finished for her. "I know."

There was an uncomfortable pause, a silence that was as familiar as it was strained. Cassandra wasn't a child, Sam reminded herself for the seventh or eight hundredth time since Janet had died. But still, she was Cassandra's guardian and until September rolled around and Cassie turned eighteen and started college, it was her responsibility to make sure the teenager knew she wasn't alone.

"So," Sam cleared her throat and closed her eyes. "Have you got any plans for today?"

She could almost visualise Cassandra roll her eyes then shrug, assuming a bored expression that hid what she really felt. Nothing but boredom.

"I might go shopping," Cassandra replied eventually. "A group of people are going to the mall this afternoon. Dominic asked if I wanted to go, too."

"That'd be good," Sam encouraged then immediately wished she hadn't said anything when her comment was greeted by stony silence. "I mean, if you want to. You could go to the movies, if you wanted. There's some money on the bookshelf if you need it.."

"I have my own money," Cassandra retorted bluntly. She had plenty of it. Her inheritance from her mother's death had left her with a healthy bank balance and they both knew it. "Shouldn't you be going?"

Sam bit back another sigh and let her head fall back, feeling the beginnings of a headache brew in her temples. "Yes, I should. I just wanted.. I wanted to make sure you were okay."

"I'm fine." Cassandra's tone softened slightly.

"Okay, then I guess I'll see you tonight," Sam murmured into the phone. "Take care, Cassie." She started to move it away from her ear when the teenager's voice stopped her.

"Sam?" She sounded quiet, her voice nowhere near as confident or as cold as it had been.

Her heart rose in her throat. "Yeah?"

"Be careful, okay?" Cassandra murmured softly. "I love you."

The insecurity and doubt she felt about the teenager's feelings for her melted away with those three words. "I love you, too. See you tonight."

"See you."

They hung up without another word. Sam glanced at the clock, relieved to find she still had four minutes before she was due to meet the others on the surface. She let her head drop forward into her hands and closed her eyes, willing the inevitable to be over already.

=*=

The journey to Nevada seemed to take less time than normal. It didn't seem like five minutes had passed since they boarded the transport waiting for them in Colorado but that wasn't the case as a SF who seemed to take the 'don't speak unless spoken to' rule to heart drove them to the secured facility inside Area 51.

"Colonel O'Neill, SG-1," a man in a Major's uniform greeted them as they stopped and exited the vehicle. "If you'd come this way, we have Major Kawalsky in interview room one."

"Where is Doctor Fraiser?" Teal'c questioned as the four of them followed the Major into the building and along a long grey corridor. "Is she not also ready for questioning?"

The Major, a man called Matt Crabtree, acknowledged the question with a nervous nod. "She is, Sir, but we thought you'd like to question them separately. If you'd prefer to question them together.."

"No, these arrangements are just fine," Jack interrupted. "We can start with Kawalsky and after we get the basics from him, Teal'c and Daniel can go talk to Fraiser to confirm."

"Teal'c and Daniel, Sir?" Sam glanced at him from the corner of her eye, an eyebrow raised.

"Yes, Major. Teal'c and Daniel," Jack confirmed, his expression stern. "You're too close, Carter" he murmured in a quieter tone.

Sam said nothing but he could tell by the way her shoulders tensed and her spine stiffened that he'd pay for his comments, in the form of silent treatment Sam Carter style.

They reached the interview room and each took a deep breath before stepping inside. Kawalsky stared at them as they took up positions around the room - Jack and Sam sitting down in the two chairs opposite him, Daniel and Teal'c lingering near the door, waiting for the signal that they should go and question Doctor Fraiser.

"Major Kawalsky," Jack began, studying the man sitting opposite him. His old friend was a little greyer than he remembered, a little older, but then he guessed the same could be said about him. "You say you're from the SGF. Is that an equivalent to our Stargate program?"

"It was the name of our Stargate program, yes," Kawalsky answered slowly, his gaze lingering warily on Teal'c. "And I'm not a Major anymore," he added curtly. "The Air Force doesn't exist where I come from."

"It doesn't exist?" Sam looked at him in concerned alarm. "You mean..?"

"The Goa'uld wiped it out, yeah," Kawalsky responded, leaning back in his chair in a gesture that was far too casual to be genuine. "Along with half the planet and the entire SGF. I suppose you want to know how it happened."

"Sure," Jack rejoined with a shrug, deciding to meet the casual attitude with a laid back reaction of his own. He knew Kawalsky too well, even after so many years without being a part of his life. The man was tense, on edge. Nervous. "You told the SF's you wanted to stop it from happening here. Now's your chance."

Kawalsky sat up straighter, grasping his hands together on the table in front of them. "We were infiltrated from the inside," he started, his voice as blank as his expression was pained. "By the time we realised what was going on it was too late. Those who were immune were taken as slaves. Janet and me, we were slaves at the SGF. We knew about the mirror, though, and we decided to make a break for it. We didn't even look to see if there was anywhere else before coming through. We agreed pretty much anywhere had to be better than where we were."

"Those who were immune were taken as slaves?" Sam traded a look with Jack and leaned forward, trying to force the mental image of her much missed friend out of her mind. The distraction was as unwelcome as the heavy sensation in the pit of her stomach. "Immune to what?"

"The virus. The biological agent the Goa'uld used to take out most of Earth's population," Kawalsky explained. "It was actually created at the SGF, then released on the surface. We never figured out what it was, just that it was airborne and extremely contagious. If you didn't have a natural immunity to it you had no chance at surviving."

"Who created it?" Daniel asked from the doorway, meeting Kawalsky's gaze when the former Major stared at him. "You said you were infiltrated from inside. Who was the Goa'uld and where'd the symbiote come from?"

Kawalsky glanced from him to the two military officers in front of him. "Our Major Carter was taken over first," he answered quietly. "We never figured out how the Goa'uld got inside her but she was the first one to defect. She created the biological agent, she forced Jan to help her.. Then somehow she got another symbiote from somewhere and Jack.. Colonel O'Neill became a Goa'uld, too. They used the Stargate to contact some other Goa'ulds, I'm not sure which ones, but they made an alliance and pretty much took over the world. Destroying it."

With a concentrated effort, Sam and Jack didn't look at each other. They both stared ahead, trying to decide if the downcast expression on Kawalsky's face was sincere.

"Daniel, Teal'c, go talk to Doctor Fraiser. Make sure the story checks out," Jack spoke eventually. His voiced seemed to echo around the room in the aftermath of silence that had fallen over them.

"She'll tell you everything I did," Kawalsky confirmed, meeting the Colonel's gaze curiously. "Then what'll happen? Will you let us stay?"

"We'll take you back to the SGC," Sam explained softly as the door clicked shut behind their teammates. "We'll have to make sure you're not carrying the virus and check you are who you say you are before we can decide either way."

Kawalsky nodded slowly. He stared at her, stared through her. Sam shivered and he forced himself to look away. "What about our counterparts?" He asked quietly. "You.. Our Major Carter did some research into Quantum realities.. She said having two of one person in any one reality would result in something, failure of some kind. I can't remember what it was exactly."

"That won't be an issue here," Jack answered for her, a quick glance confirming that the innocent question had hit home a little too hard. "It won't be an issue."

Kawalsky said nothing. He leaned back in his chair and told himself he'd done all he could.

=*=

It was with a great deal of reluctance that Jack gave Sam permission to travel in the van with the alternate Fraiser and Kawalsky. It was because of his reluctance that he ordered Teal'c to travel with them, despite the armed SFs who would be escorting them for the ten-minute journey from the airfield in Colorado to the SGC.

Carter had been noticeably quiet on the plane home. Jack had watched her out of the corner of his eye, just as he knew Teal'c and Daniel were watching her, and he'd noticed her look occasionally towards Janet and Kawalsky but her gaze always shifted before one or both of them could see.

Once she was in the van, Sam began debating whether her decision to insist Colonel O'Neill let her ride with them was wise or not. She felt uncomfortable around them but her emotions were in such a state that she couldn't pinpoint what it was exactly that she didn't like.

"Major Carter?" Janet Fraiser, sitting opposite her, gave her a warm but shy smile when she looked up. "Are you okay?"

Sam swallowed. She sounded and looked so much like the Janet Fraiser they'd lost but there was something in her voice, something cool and formal. A reminder that she wasn't who Sam desperately wanted her to be. "I'm fine," she managed with a weak smile, refusing to look at Teal'c.

Concern she could handle. Pity she couldn't.

"Are you sure?" Janet pressed, her brown eyes wide with concern. "I understand that the me in this reality.. That she died recently."

"Less than three months ago," Sam confirmed quietly. "It's still something we're trying to come to terms with."

Janet nodded, a sympathetic expression arranging her features. Her eyes grew distant and her knuckles turned white when she clasped her hands together. "It took me a while. When you. I don't think it's something you ever get over completely."

Her interest caught, Sam looked up at her, biting down on her bottom lip to curb her curiosity - and her grief. "Were you good friends?"

"The best," Janet answered with a watery smile. "You - Sam - helped me a lot with Cassandra. I struggled at first, didn't know if I'd make a good Mom but between the two of us we figured it out. When Cassie died, I didn't know if I could cope but you.. Sam.. She took it badly. It was only a matter of days afterwards that we lost her, too."

"You lost her to the Goa'uld," Sam murmured softly, her eyes filling with tears despite her attempts to stop them. "I'm so sorry, I didn't realise you'd lost Cassandra."

"You didn't?" Janet's gaze cleared and sharpened, focusing on Sam keenly. "Your Cassandra, she's still alive in this reality?"

Sam gave her a tremulous smile and nodded briefly. "She is. I've been looking after her since you.. Since her mother died."

"I'm sorry," Janet apologised sincerely, glancing at Kawalsky out of the corner of her eye. Her 'husband' shuffled a little bit closer on the bench they were sitting on.

"Thanks but you've got nothing to be sorry for." Sam looked up from her hands and managed a strained smile. "It's not your fault she's dead and you're not."

Janet's smile widened and she let her head fall to the side. "That's not what I was apologising for."

There was something in her voice, something that made Sam sit up straighter and Teal'c prepare to move. Quickly.

"Then what are you apologising for?" Even as she asked, she knew the answer. Her heart sunk as the voice that had been warning her something was wrong finally broke through the mirage of thoughts and feelings keeping it from being heard.

Janet's eyes flashed. Kawalsky pounced first on one of the two escorts sitting in the van with them, followed by the other even as Teal'c moved to stop him.

"For this," Janet smiled, lunging at the woman sitting opposite her.

Struggling to fight back, to defend herself from the person who looked so much like her best friend, Sam heard the screech of breaks and felt the van wobble precariously on it's wheels as it turned sharply. Too sharply.

The hands around her neck though small were very deadly and very strong.

Darkness surrounded her even as her world was turned upside down.

=*=

A part of his subconscious knew even before they turned the corner. Something wasn't right, something about their story just didn't sit right with his subconscious.

His suspicions were confirmed when they turned and the toppled over van came into sight.

Slamming down on the breaks, the car had barely stopped when both doors opened. Daniel and Jack ran towards the van, coughing when the cloud of black smoke settled on their lungs. They both rushed to the back of the van, pausing only for a second or two when they noticed the doors were open - and that there was someone missing.

Their attention was diverted by a muffled groan and by the movement that followed it. Teal'c. The Jaffa was slowly backing out of the van, dragging Kawalsky behind him, the latter of whom was restrained and was slowly regaining consciousness.

"O'Neill," Teal'c acknowledged them with a grunt, pulling Kawalsky all the way out of the wrecked vehicle. "Major Carter will require assistance. She is alive but is yet to regain consciousness."

"What about the others?" Daniel asked as he and Jack made their way into the van with as much caution as the situation would allow. "The drivers..?"

"I do not know about the drivers. The escorts that were with us are dead. Doctor Fraiser has escaped." Teal'c let Kawalsky fall to the ground once they were a safe distance away. He wanted to go and help his friends but knew he couldn't leave the Goa'uld at his feet unguarded. "They are Goa'uld," he cautioned when Jack and Daniel returned supporting Sam between them. "Doctor Fraiser attacked Major Carter and Major Kawalsky attacked our escorts before I could restrain him."

Jack frowned as he and Daniel carefully laid the unconscious form of his Second on the ground beside them. He should've trusted his instincts. Carter was injured and two men dead because he hadn't. "Daniel, stay with Kawalsky and call Hammond. Tell him we're gonna need some medical assistance and some proper restraints, as well as a lift back to the Mountain. Teal'c, you're with me. We've got to check on the drivers. If they're alive we need to get them out of there."

Less than ten minutes later the scene of the accident was a blaze of activity. Doctor Smith and a team of her infirmary staff turned up to tend to Sam and the drivers, and Kawalsky was sedated before being taken to the SGC in a secure van with armed SFs.

"The drivers have concussion, Sir," Jack reported to General Hammond, watching with eagle eyes as Sam was loaded into a second van and Teal'c was treated for a scratch he'd acquired during the incident. He paused and listened to the General's question, swallowing impulsively before answering. "Carter has concussion, too, Sir. There's also some bruising to her neck, Teal'c said Fraiser is responsible. She was already unconscious and Fraiser was gone by the time he had Kawalsky subdued. Yes, Sir. She's on her way back to the SGC with Doctor Smith now, Sir. We'll follow them in. Yes, Sir. Debriefing in 15 minutes."

With a sigh, he hung up the phone, his gaze moving from his injured teammates to the woodland surrounding them. She was out there somewhere, a Goa'uld in the body of a dead woman.

"What did General Hammond say?" Daniel asked as he and Teal'c approached and the doors to the van Sam was in were closed.

"We debrief in 15," Jack answered shortly. "Then we start searching for her. You okay, Teal'c?"

Teal'c gave a small nod and straightened, following Jack's gaze. "I am well, O'Neill."

"Shame the same can't be said for Sam," Daniel murmured. He bit his lip when Jack's eyes moved to rest on him. "Doctor Smith said she should've started to come around by now. She's concerned there's another reason Sam's not waking up, maybe she was starved of oxygen for too long.. She's going to run some tests at the SGC," he finished with a sigh. "She'll be okay."

"Yeah. Maybe." Flexing his fingers where they'd been clenched around the phone, Jack motioned to the truck they'd arrived in. "Let's head back and get the briefing over and done with. The sooner we find Fraiser the better for everyone."

Daniel and Teal'c followed him and silence lapsed over the trio until they were five minutes away from the SGC. That was when the thought occurred to Daniel and made him sit up straighter in his chair.

"Jack?"

"Yeah?"

"We're going to have to tell Cassandra," he said with a nervous gulp. "If there's someone looking like Janet wandering around there's a chance she'll see her or someone she knows will see her.. We should warn her, explain that it's not her Mom."

Jack's hand's tightened on the steering wheel and he nodded, his jaw clenched. Usually the job would fall to Carter but since she was unavailable.. "I'll call her when we get back to base. I'll have Hammond send someone to stay with her tonight and if we haven't found Fraiser by tomorrow morning, we'll go and tell her. Maybe bring her to the SGC so she can sit with Carter."

"Do you think she might go after Cassie? The other Janet, I mean?" Daniel wondered aloud, half expecting the question to go unanswered.

"I believe it is possible," Teal'c responded in his calm manner, no traces of the anxiety he felt showing in his voice. "Doctor Fraiser did tell Major Carter that her daughter had died in her world."

"Doctor Fraiser also told a lot of lies," Jack countered, hitting the breaks a little harder than necessary when they made it to the parking lot at Cheyenne Mountain. "She might have lied about that. Heck, being Goa'uld she might have been responsible for killing the Cassie in her reality."

"Perhaps so but I do not think she was lying, O'Neill," Teal'c's reply was smooth, his expression showing just the slightest of concern. "Her grief seemed genuine."

Jack opened the door to his truck and jumped out, slamming it behind him once Teal'c and Daniel got out on the other side. "There's only one person who can tell us that for sure. Hopefully by the time the briefing's over Kawalsky will be awake, and ready to talk."

As doubtful as that seemed, Teal'c wasn't prepared to dash the hope his Tau'ri team members harboured. He followed them into the SGC, his hands clasped behind his back, hands clenched into fists.

He was prepared to use force if necessary, to provide 'encouragement' if the Goa'uld inside Kawalsky refused to talk. He owed it to Major Carter for being unable to help her sooner and he owed it to Cassandra Fraiser, out of memory to her mother, to the woman who had saved his life and the lives of his closest friends on so many different occasions.

=*=

Different. The world was different to what she remembered.

There were living trees, living animals, living people.. There was a sense of freedom, a sense of peace.

In a small way it was nice but it irritated her for the most part.

Everything she'd worked for, everything she'd achieved. All gone. Wasted in an ungrateful reality, ruined by the interference of a race that had no business trying to help the people of Earth.

*Her* people.

They had been hers, for several glorious months. She'd had Kap'il to share it with, of course, but he wasn't as ambitious as she was. He had been content taking over the SGC, threatening the outsiders with setting the self-destruct before escaping through the Stargate. It had been fun to do for a while but she'd come to look on his plan as being immature, reckless. Not to mention a waste of such a wonderful resource.

So she had used her own expertise and that of her host, spending long hours in the labs she had taken over to create a virus that would spread and kill those who weren't worthy. Those who lived would serve her, with one of them eventually replacing her host. She had been so confident, so close to creating the perfect host..

And then the Asgard had come.

A low growl formed in her throat and startled the elderly woman sitting beside her on the park bench.

Her companion looked at her and quickly moved away.

She growled again in disgust.

In her own world, the woman would have cowered behind the bench. Got down on bended knee and pleaded for her life.

It wasn't the same here and she didn't like it.

People ignored her. Some of the male Tau'ri paused to throw her an admiring glance but the females passed her by as if she wasn't there, as if she was like them. A nobody.

They had no idea what her name was, no clue as to what she could and would put them through once she had her way.

And she would have her way. Somehow, she would have control again. She would be the powerful one, the ruler, the one everyone feared and worshipped.

How she was going to get it was the problem her mind was constantly working to overcome.

She couldn't count on Kap'il, not anymore. Not now she'd left him in the hands of the Tau'ri. They would question him but he wouldn't break. Maybe if he was still alive when she returned to power she could reinstate him at his side but maybe not.

Maybe she could find someone to replace him, someone more powerful who could help her achieve bigger, greater things.

Unable to sit on the bench for long, the energy inside her demanding to be used, she got to her feet and began walking around the park, lost in her thoughts.

She needed to get to the SGC, needed to get inside. How could she do that?

She couldn't turn herself in, who knew what they'd do to her then? They'd restrain her, perform tests, and try to make her talk. Do all the things she'd done to them in her reality, albeit in a slightly more humane way.

No, she couldn't just expect to walk through the door. They shoot her on site. But she couldn't have let them take her there and find out who she really was, either, that was something she kept reminding herself. She'd done the right thing by escaping, by taking them by surprise while she'd had the chance.

Now she just had to think of a way to get in without them noticing.

Or to get in without giving them a chance to take her down.

She pondered her options, barely feeling the breeze wash over her skin or hearing the sound of the trees swaying gently as she walked under them.

There were no trees where she'd come from.

They'd all died, the last victims of her hard work, of the plague she'd spread throughout the world.

She didn't even want to take control of the SGC, not this time. Not yet. She just needed to get inside, get to the Stargate. Then she could go to her own world, maybe see if her alternate self was there.

The corners of her mouth twitched at that.

What a team they'd make, two of her inside different hosts. Working together to bring about the destruction of the System Lords, working together to take over as many different races as they could.

The mere thought sent shivers of pleasure racing up and down her spine.

Yes, she needed to get to the Stargate. She could plan everything else once she was free, depending on the situation she found herself in then.

So she needed a way in, a cover. She needed to do something that would make them afraid to try and stop her. Something that would scare them into letting her go through it without putting up too much of a struggle.

She needed a hostage.

Someone they cared about, someone they wouldn't want to see hurt.

Someone she could get to without too much trouble.

An idea formed in her mind, her smile spreading to encompass her entire face. Her pace quickened, a bounce appearing in her step.

It was the perfect plan, she thought to herself. Just perfect.

=*=

If he could cross his arms he would've done. Instead he had to settle for glaring at them defiantly. "I will not tell you anything," Kap'il announced, the voice he used no longer belonging to the host.

"You will tell us everything," Teal'c responded, taking a step closer to the man in restraints. This man had fooled him before, albeit in another time, but the two situations were still similar. "You will start by explaining how you came to be in control of your host."

Kap'il's eyes flashed but he said nothing. He merely scowled and lifted his chin, refusing to be beaten by a Sholva.

"Come on, Kawalsky," Jack joined the questioning from where he stood leaning against the door, his arms crossed across his chest, an attempt at restraining himself as they waited for Daniel to get back with news of Carter. "You're not going anywhere, you might as well tell us now or.."

"Or what," Kap'il questioned with a raised eyebrow. "You will kill me? Do that and you will gain nothing."

"Or I'll get Teal'c to extract the information in other, less civil ways," Jack finished with a glare of his own. "At least give us your name, and the name of the Goa'uld in Doctor Fraiser."

His mind processed the request and he decided it couldn't harm either himself or her by answering the Tau'ri question. It would be the only question he answered willingly, though. He wouldn't betray her by revealing any more than that. "I am called Kap'il and my Queen is the Goa'uld Nirrti. That is all I will tell you."

Teal'c and Jack exchanged glances; both agreeing the Goa'uld was telling the truth. It was a start, anyway. Not the answer they'd wanted but at least it was an answer. They had been questioning him for what felt like hours, asking him over and over again how he'd come to be in Kawalsky, what had really happened in his reality, which Goa'uld was in Janet, where he thought she'd have gone, what they'd come to their reality for..

He had remained stubbornly silent throughout the questioning.

There was a knock at the door and Jack moved aside to allow Daniel access. One look at the archaeologist's face was enough to tell him the news he had wasn't good. Teal'c, too, noticed the expression and moved away from the Goa'uld to hear what his friend had to say.

"General Hammond sent a message to the Tok'ra," Daniel started in a low voice, not wanting to alert the Goa'uld that there was a chance he would soon be removed from his host. "Jacob radioed in about five minutes ago, they're on their way here."

"What about Carter?" Jack got straight to the point, not liking the way Daniel shuffled uncomfortably from foot to foot. "It's just a bad concussion, right?"

"Doctor Smith isn't sure," Daniel answered quietly, chewing nervously on his bottom lip. "She said Sam should've come around by now, that she thinks the bruising means the Goa'uld caused more damage to Sam than we originally thought.. Jacob's going to take care of it. Doctor Smith said he'd probably be able to heal her in an hour or two so it's nothing to worry about.."

"Nothing to worry about?" Jack raised an eyebrow and Daniel shrugged. "Even if Carter's going to be okay we have a big problem on our hands," taking pity on him, Jack decided to let the subject drop. "Nirrti's on the loose. According to Kap'il, the snake in Kawalsky, Nirrti's the snake in Doc Fraiser."

"Nirrti?" Daniel stared at him in surprise. "But Nirrti's dead.."

"In our reality," Teal'c reminded him grimly. "Evidently she did not die in theirs."

"How did she get in Doctor Fraiser?" Daniel asked curiously, glancing over Teal'c's shoulder at the Goa'uld watching them intently. "How long.."

"We don't know, Daniel, he's not telling us anything." It was Jack's turn to shrug as he threw the Goa'uld another glare. A grim, humourless smile passed briefly over his lips. "Guess we'll have to wait till the snake's gone and ask Kawalsky what he remembers. Any news on whether Doctor Fraiser's been seen?"

Daniel shook his head and sighed. "There was nothing to report last time I checked in. It's like she's disappeared, or at least she's blending in really well with everyone else in the Colorado Springs area."

"She will not be found until she wants to be," Teal'c responded wisely. "Or until she makes a mistake."

"Hopefully it'll be the latter," Jack murmured, hoping that the mistake he wanted Nirrti to make wouldn't result in someone innocent losing his or her life. "We better go report to Hammond."

"And wait for the Tok'ra to get here," Daniel added, stepping back so Jack could bang on the door and signal for the SF outside to let them out. "We have to think about telling Cassie, too," he reminded them as they left the room. "Especially now we know which Goa'uld it is."

Jack's jaw clenched. "It can wait for a few more hours," he decided after a pause. "She'll take it better if we can tell her Carter's going to be okay at the same time."

Disagreeing but not wanting to let Jack know, Daniel nodded but said nothing, following Teal'c and Jack into the elevator when it arrived. He glanced surreptitiously down at his watch, hoping it wouldn't take too long for the Tok'ra to get there.

The sooner they did, the sooner Kawalsky would be able to tell them what had happened.

Then they'd know what they were dealing with, and hopefully know how to stop Nirrti from achieving whatever goal she'd set herself.

=*=

Her mind was made up. It was the only thing to do, the only way to get inside. Her host hated the idea, begged with her to think of something else but Nirrti brushed away her pleas with a decisive chuckle.

It was what she had to do. If she happened to enjoy herself during the process, if she happened to take pleasure in her host's distress, then they were just handy fringe benefits.

Her eyes scanned the patrons of the park as she walked towards the parking lot. She leaned against a tree on the outskirts, watching as families gathered together and departed after a fun day spent together. Sickening. Their smiles, their laughter, their happiness.. It was sickening. There were so many other things they could spend their time and energy on but Nirrti sighed, conceding that she'd never understood the attraction of having meaningful relationships. As far as she was concerned, it was best to focus all of her time and attention on bettering herself, on bettering whomever she'd chosen to be her host for that particular century.

Narrowing her eyes, she shook herself mentally and her attention zoomed in on the possible target.

A man, apparently alone, got out of a blue car. He had a creature with him, a bundle of fur her host recognised as being a dog.

Other than the mutt he was alone. And he was heading her way.

Perfect.

Pasting the most flirtatious smile she could muster on her face, Nirrti stepped out from the shadow of the tree, directly into his path. "Hi," she spoke confidently, her gaze locking with his.

The man looked at her with a raised eyebrow, the dog at his side forgotten as she held out a hand. "Hi. Nice day for a walk," he stuttered, taking her offered hand and holding it.

"It certainly is," she smiled again, gazing up at him through lowered eyelashes. Most Tau'ri men weren't used to the direct approach, she'd learnt that when seducing that idiot Kawalsky when she'd decided he was getting too close to discovering her secret. The shy, bashful route was much more effective and would help her achieve her goal a lot sooner.

Good.

She didn't have any time to waste.

"I hope you don't mind me intruding," she continued, keeping her voice soft and coy. "But I hate walking alone and saw that you, too, were by yourself.. I don't suppose you'd mind keeping me company, would you?"

"I'd never deny a pretty lady," the man replied, responding to her flirting with an easy grin. Hand in hand, they started walking through the trees, with Nirrti leading as much as she could. "What's your name?"

She hesitated for a split second before a dazzling smile spread across her face. "Janet, my name is Janet."

"Well, Janet, it's nice to meet you. I'm Scott, Scott McMinnon," he introduced himself, hardly able to believe his luck.

How was he to know his luck was about to dramatically change?

"It's nice to meet you, Scott," she all but purred. "Very nice indeed."

Ten minutes later, the park was silent. Families had gone home and there were few people about. Scott McMinnon was no where to be seen but his beloved dog Jasper could be found cowering at his masters side, occasionally licking, occasionally sniffing his former master.

Whimpering when no response was forthcoming.

Nirrti was nowhere to be seen when the police arrived.

Nor was the car she'd stolen, after making sure its owner wouldn't need it anymore.

=*=

While one man was losing his life, another was gaining his.

Jacob oversaw the procedure or removing Kap'il from Kawalsky but as soon as the symbiote was safety stored, he left for his daughter's room. Selmac warned him about using the healing device in his highly emotional state but he refused to listen.

Standing over his daughter, device in hand, Jacob closed his eyes and concentrated on healing what the injuries preventing her from making a full recovery.

"Jacob," the voice of General Hammond broke into his thoughts and disrupted the flow from the healing device. "I'm sorry to interrupt but Major Kawalsky isn't recovering from the procedure.."

"In a minute, George, I'm almost done," Jacob ground out through gritted teeth, closing his eyes again to pick up where he left off. He was constantly aware, though, of the man standing behind him staring at his back and of the voice in his head telling him his daughter was going to be okay and it was time to leave her.

He didn't want to leave her.

He hadn't known about Janet Fraiser's death until the message had come through the Stargate and his heart had broken for her when he'd come through and learnt she was taking care of Cassandra in her best friends absence.

His daughter had lost so much, had been through so much.

And it hurt to know that only a few weeks before her best friend had died her own father had left her.

He had left her.

Willingly.

Putting the cause, putting the fight, before his relationship with his daughter.

"Jacob," his voice softer now, as if sensing his guilt, General Hammond took a step closer and put a hand on his arm when the stream of light from the device faded. "I know you don't want to leave her but Major Kawalsky needs your help. It would be pointless to save him from the Goa'uld only to let him die now."

"I know." With a heavy sigh, Jacob let his hand fall back down to his side but he made no attempt at turning away from his daughter. He didn't want to turn his back on her, not again. "I should've been here, George. I should've been here to help her."

"You had no way of knowing what was going to happen, Jacob, none of us did." General Hammond unwittingly repeated everything Selmac had said just seconds before. "She understood why you had to leave. She doesn't resent you for it."

Jacob snorted derisively. "You wouldn't know even if she did. She's too good at hiding how she feels for you or anyone else to know. It's my fault she's like that. I made her the way she is."

"Then you should be proud," Hammond responded firmly. "You should be very proud of her, and of yourself for raising her."

Although he didn't believe it, Jacob let himself be taken by the arm and steered away from her bed. All the while vowing that he would make it up to her. Somehow, someday, he would make it all up to her.

He allowed himself to be ushered into the room Kawalsky was being kept in, nodding distantly in response to the look he got from Jack and Daniel, noticing Teal'c standing in the corner with a zat gun, ever ready for something to go wrong.

"Sam should be okay now," he managed to force the words out on seeing the worry in their eyes. After seeing the relief flood their faces, a relief he wanted to share but for some reason couldn't, Jacob let Selmac take over so they could concentrate on the task at hand.

Kawalsky was pale, his body lifeless.

For a moment they feared they'd left it too late but finally the healing device started to do its job. Jacob was barely aware of Selmac lowering his arm, of the job being finished. He was aware, however, when Selmac relinquished control that the pale form in the bed was staring up at him.

Confusion on his face, understanding dawning in his eyes after several wordless moments.

His mouth moved but the words refused to come out. Jacob instinctively leaned closer, straining to catch what Kawalsky was trying to say.

"Thank you," came the strained reply from the man who had been kept a prisoner in his own body for what felt like countless years, from the man who had been forced to kill and torture countless friends because of the parasite he harboured.

The words touched a part of Jacob and he managed a small nod to acknowledge the words. Then he stepped back and let the medical staff do their jobs, wishing his daughter had woken up after he'd finished healing her, wishing she'd been in a position to say thank you.

Wanting to believe she would be happy to see him when she woke up.

General Hammond must have noticed how lost he looked, how close to tears he was. The General moved towards him quietly, taking his arm again and leading him from the room and the curious eyes of those who had witnessed the scene.

"Come on, Jacob," General Hammond murmured, sensing the weariness radiate from his friend. "You need to rest, get your strength back up. Sam wouldn't want to see you like this."

Jacob agreed and allowed himself to be led again, taking no notice of the journey from the infirmary to the General's office.

He couldn't help but think the General was right.

Couldn't help but worry his daughter wouldn't want to see him at all.

=*=

It was her teammates who insisted he should be there when she woke up. Jacob was surprised, having expected them to form a protective wall between himself and his daughter but no, SG-1 encouraged his presence at her bedside, even told him she'd be pleased to see her father sitting next to her.

It seemed strange to him that they would let him sit beside her if she would be upset at his presence and he was so convinced that she wouldn't want to see him that he couldn't allow himself to see the truth. That no matter what he'd done, no matter how many times he left her, he would always be her father and she would always love him for that.

He held her hand for the two hours it took for her body to relinquish her from the land of unconscious. He held his breath when she started to stir, biting down on his bottom lip when her eyelids fluttered before finally opening.

"Dad," she murmured, a sleepy smile breaking out across her face when she realised who was with her. Jacob felt his heart soar when Sam gave his fingers a quick squeeze, the motion letting him know she was glad he was there as well as reassuring him that she was okay. "How long have you been here?" She asked, barely managing to stifle a yawn.

Unable to help himself, Jacob took the hand he held in his and raised it to his lips, pressing a soft kiss against her knuckles as he revelled in the feelings that washed over him. "A few hours or so. George contacted us to ask for help with Major Kawalsky, and to see if there was anything we could do for you."

"For me?" Her blue eyes clouded over with confusion, her head moving slightly to gaze at him from an angle. Her gaze wandered then, taking in her surroundings and a frown appeared on her face. "I don't remember.. Dad?" Panic passed over her features and her grip on his hand tightened. "What happened? I don't know how I got here.."

"It's okay, sweetheart, it might take a while for it to come back to you." He spoke to her in calm, soothing tones, running his fingers over the back of her hand to ease her anxiety. "You were on your way back to the SGC with Major Kawalsky and Doctor Fraiser, do you remember that?"

Sam nodded, letting her head fall back against the pillows as she tried to concentrate, tried to remember. "I remember talking to her, asking about her reality.. Then something happened, right? She's a Goa'uld, they both were.." She tried to sit up then, the anxiety returning to her face. "I have to tell them, have to warn them.."

Jacob stood and gently restrained her, settling her back down against the pillows. "They know, Sam. The Goa'uld attacked you while you were in the van. The Goa'uld in Doctor Fraiser escaped and we removed the one in Major Kawalsky a few hours ago."

"She attacked me," Sam murmured, her expression sobering and her eyes becoming darker, more subdued. "She apologised to me and then she attacked me."

"I know. And I know about Janet, our Janet." His own eyes misting over, Jacob returned the grip on her fingers. "I'm so sorry, Sweetheart. If I'd known sooner, I would've come back to make sure you were okay."

"I know you would, that's why I didn't want them to tell you." A brief smile crossed over her mouth but faded again as the memories grew stronger. Her eyes shone suspiciously and she turned her head into the pillow, letting her eyelids slide shut to hide the moisture from her father's eyes. "I know she isn't the same person, I know she's not our Janet but.. I hoped.. I didn't want to believe she was a Goa'uld. I could sense something, I knew something was wrong but I didn't want to believe.. I didn't want to loose her again."

Unsure at what to say, Jacob chose to say nothing for several moments. He leaned forward and brushed his lips against her forehead, one hand clutching hers as the other brushed her cheek. "We'll find her," he promised, his voice husky. "We'll get the Goa'uld out of her and maybe.."

"It won't be the same," Sam muttered, her eyes still firmly closed. "She won't be the same."

"I know, Sam. I'm sorry." He didn't know what else to say, knew there was nothing that could be said that would take away the pain his daughter was feeling.

Silence passed over them for several long moments, then Sam opened her eyes, her features once again arranged in a frown. "Is she still missing? Has someone told Cassandra? She needs to know, just in case she goes after her.. Cassie needs to be warned it's not Janet, that she's not her Mom.."

"From what I understand, Cassandra's being looked after. Someone was sent to stay with her last night and Jack is planning on telling her everything today, then bringing her back to the SGC so she can stay with you." He saw her relax slightly at his words, then saw the determined look enter her eyes. "No, Sam," he said sternly, his expression that he knew she recognised from when she herself was a teenager about to be forbidden from doing something. "You're not going with them. Doctor Smith has put you on medical leave for the next forty eight hours and nothing you say to anyone is going to change that."

Her eyes narrowed as he knew they would and Jacob could barely hide an amused smile as she eased herself up into a sitting position and crossed her arms over her chest in defiance. "We'll see about that," she murmured, her stubborn tone matching the expression she wore.

He sat back in his chair, allowing himself to finally relax and enjoy the moment. She was going to be okay. Whether or not her teammates would be after they told her they didn't want her going with them was another story, and one he couldn't wait to see play out.

=*=

Finding her hadn't been as difficult as Nirrti had anticipated. Making her move, however, seemed to be a lot more difficult to what she'd planned.

She had watched the teenager sit outside the local shopping mall, laughing and talking with friends and felt something inside her snap. The Cassandra Fraiser she'd known had died many years ago. Her host had grieved for the loss of her daughter and Nirrti had mourned the loss of her pet project.

Seeing the girl again, alive and in the flesh and seemingly happy did things to her that she didn't like.

Her host was pleased, of course. Saddened that the teenager wasn't her daughter but pleased that in some reality she'd survived the ordeal her own daughter had died during.

Nirrti was angry. It meant that somehow things were different in this world. Her plans had not only been thwarted but it meant that she, her counterpart, had somehow been cohered into helping save her life.

She had shaken off the residual feelings she felt on seeing the teenager but had still been unable to move. It was too public, she decided. There were too many witnesses, too many people who knew the Janet Fraiser of this world was dead.

She would get her chance later, she promised. When the teenager went home, alone. She was confident that Major Carter wouldn't be a problem, having taken care of that particular detail earlier and she was equally confident that Kap'il would keep the Tau'ri occupied for at least another hour or so.

There was plenty of time - or so she'd thought.

Cassandra hadn't been left to her own devices. She had slunk down in her seat, silently seething as the non-descript black car pulled up beside the teenager and her friends. She had recognised the uniform of the officer who had stepped out and had growled in frustration when Cassandra hadn't hesitated in going to the woman in uniform.

"It's Sam, isn't it?" The colour had drained from her face, the teenager's voice carrying to her through the window she'd opened a crack. "Oh, God, something's happened to Sam."

One of the teenage boys walked over to her, slung a protective arm around her waist, staring at the newcomer in obvious distrust.

"Major Carter will be fine," the female officer responded in a tight voice she tried to soften with a smile. "I'm here to take you home, Cassandra, and to stay with you tonight. Colonel O'Neill sent me."

From her position crouched down in her seat, Nirrti could see the teenager narrow her eyes suspiciously and felt a tug of triumph. Surely she'd turn the woman away, tell her where to go.

"I'm not a baby," Cassandra retorted sharply, crossing her arms over her chest. "I can look after myself."

"I was warned you'd say that," the female officer countered. "Look, we can stand here arguing about it or you can get in the car. I'll explain what I can on the way to your house."

"How do I know you are who you say you are?" Cassandra commented with obvious distrust. "If Sam's okay, why isn't she here? And if she's not okay, Jack would've come himself or sent Daniel or T-Murray," she corrected herself smoothly.

"My name is Sergeant Louise Miller," the woman sighed patiently, reaching into her pocket to pull out a cell phone. "You can call General Hammond and check with him if you want but I'm under orders to take you home and make sure you stay there till Colonel O'Neill comes for you and that's what I'm going to do."

Cassandra's arms lowered and her face lost some of its suspicion. She took the phone that was offered to her and didn't hesitate in dialling.

Nirrti had watched, holding her breath, as Cassandra had carried out a short conversation on the cell phone. She couldn't be sure of what was said as she only heard one side of it but she was pretty sure no one had told the teenager she was there.

No one had warned her her mother had seemingly come back from the dead.

She'd watched as the teenager had reluctantly said goodbye to her friends before grudgingly slipping into the car with Sergeant Miller. As discreetly as she could, Nirrti put the car she was driving into reverse, muttering under her breath when it stalled, but managed to catch up and follow the teenager home.

And that was where she'd been ever since, sitting in the stolen car outside of Sam Carter's house, biding her time, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

She had hoped that she would get the opportunity she'd been looking for during the course of the night but had faced disappointment again when Sergeant Miller had been joined by not one but two more officers who stood guard outside the house from dusk till dawn.

Her body demanded sleep but she refused to acknowledge it. She sat hunkered down in the car, waiting even as her patience rapidly ran out.

Her time would come, she was confident of that. Until then she would watch and wait, planning her next move with meticulous care so that nothing could go wrong.

Nothing would get in her way.

=*=

They had argued non-stop for ten minutes. Daniel and Teal'c had silently backed down after the first five minutes but there was no way Colonel O'Neill was going to change his mind. He had discussed it with General Hammond, Jacob Carter and Doctor Smith and they'd all agreed it would be too much of a risk to allow Carter to rejoin the team with Nirrti still out there, especially as the Goa'uld in question had taken on the guise of Carter's best friend.

"The answer is no, Carter, it's not going to change. You can complain all you like, you can report me to Hammond, I don't care. Everyone else agrees with me on this, you're staying here and that's final." He stood at the end of her bed, glaring at her even as she glared back.

"With all due respect, Sir, I don't think you appreciate the true nature of the situation," Sam shot back, sitting up and somehow managing to put up a good fight despite the pallor of her skin or the tell-tale bruising around her neck. "Cassandra will worry if I'm not there when you tell her. She'll think something's wrong and I promised her I would be careful. She won't take it as well coming from you as she would from me and I'm fine, damn it. There is no reason why I shouldn't be allowed to be part of the team on this. It's not as if we're going off world, we're just going to my house!"

"And there is a Goa'uld on the loose who's already tried to kill you once and might try doing the same," Jack countered, his temper as frayed as his nerves. "How do you think Cassie's going to feel if we let you out of here looking like this? You look terrible, Carter. You look ill. She'll feel much better knowing you're being looked after than she will thinking you're putting off your recovery because of her."

"It's because of how I look that I should go with you," she argued heatedly. "How do you think she's going to take it when you tell her Nirrti's back? And not only that but she looks like Janet, too? Add that to the fact she's going to ask where I am so you'll have to tell her what happened. She's going to need me, Colonel, she's my responsibility, not yours."

Jack almost softened at the way her voice almost broke. Almost. "It's because she's your responsibility that you can't go, Major. You have to take care of yourself if you're going to be able to help her and going on a snake hunt isn't doing the responsible thing. It isn't doing what's best for Cassie. We'll bring her here as soon as we've told her the basics, okay? Then you can make sure she's okay and you can reassure her that you're okay and both of you will be out of the line of fire which will make our jobs easier."

"So I'm a liability now, is that it?" The fire that had been fading from her gaze was back with a vengeance. "I failed to realise she was a Goa'uld because of my feelings for the host so you can't risk me doing it again? Is that it? You don't trust me to be able to see her as being the enemy?"

"That's bullshit and you know it."

She cut him off before he could finish ranting at her. "If it's bullshit then why do I feel like you don't think I'm capable of doing my job? Why does it feel like you don't want me there because you're afraid I'll screw up again?"

"You didn't screw up in the first place, Sam, no more than anyone else," Daniel interjected; unable to stand back and let her berate herself for something that wasn't her fault. "Arguing about what we're going to do next is getting us nowhere. Doctor Smith said Kawalsky wants to talk to us and cleared it for us to ask him some questions so why don't we do that and then we'll decide who's going where."

"Daniel Jackson is correct," Teal'c agreed, taking the side of reason above either side of the opposed military half of the team. "Major Kawalsky will surely be able to enlighten us on what we can expect from Nirrti when we find her."

Jack and Sam stared at each other in silence, neither willing to back down. It was Sam who eventually broke the silence, her sullen tone reminding them all including herself of the teenager who had unknowingly sparked the debate. "Am I allowed to sit in on the questioning or is that too much to ask?"

"If Doctor Smith clears it you can be there." Jack responded stiffly, turning on his heel and leaving the room.

It took all of the self-restraint Sam had not to throw something at the door after him.

=*=

To Sam's satisfaction, she was allowed to sit in on the interview with Kawalsky. To Jack's satisfaction, she was only allowed to sit in if she agreed to observe rather than take part. She agreed to sit in observation room with her father and Daniel, allowing Teal'c and Jack to take charge of the conversation below.

Not that they really needed to take charge.

Kawalsky was a lot more forthcoming now he was able to speak freely. He sat up on his bed, conscious of the distrust in their eyes as they stood beside him. "I don't want to be here anymore than you want me here," he said immediately, folding his arms across his chest before unfolding them again in agitation. "If I could go home I would but I don't have a home anymore."

"Do you want to tell us what really happened in your world?" Jack started, leaning casually against the bed. "I take it everything you - the snake - told us before were lies."

"Not everything," Kawalsky answered slowly. "For the most part he told the truth. Except it was Janet the Goa'uld took over first, not Sam. It all happened so quickly, no one knew she was a Goa'uld until she made me one, too. "

"How did Nirrti come to be in possession of Doctor Fraiser?" Teal'c questioned, his voice cool and his attention focused completely on the man sitting just a few feet away.

Kawalsky lifted one shoulder in a shrug, glancing down at his hands before raising his eyes and swallowing hard. "It was.. Cassie got sick. We didn't know what was going on, she just started doing things no normal teenager should be able to do. It turned out it was because of what Nirrti had done to her, the result of tests she'd been performing on Cassie's people. When she hit puberty.."

"She started to change," Jack finished for him, nodding to show the same thing had happened in their reality. "I take it you went to Nirrti's lab and she managed to sneak back with you like she did here?"

"Yeah." Kawalsky swallowed again. "We didn't realise she'd come back with SG-1 until it was too late. Cassie died. There was nothing Jan could do. She and Sam spent so long trying to come up with a cure, trying to find something but nothing they did, nothing they tried could help Cassandra. It all got too much for her, her body gave up.. Then Nirrti was discovered when she tried to leave through the Stargate and she was taken prisoner. Jan.. Janet was furious. She was so furious when she found out Nirrti could've helped, that she could've saved Cassie.. We didn't know what she was planning. I guess none of us could've stopped her even we'd known."

"She confronted Nirrti?" Teal'c guessed, recalling their own Doctor Fraiser doing the same thing. The only difference was Cassandra Fraiser had still been alive at the time. She'd still had a fighting chance.

"She did. She took a gun with her, sedated the SF standing outside the cell." Kawalsky sighed, closing his eyes against the flood of memories. "When we found her, Nirrti was dead. Or we thought she was. We thought Janet had shot her but that wasn't the case. Somehow, I still don't know how, Nirrti had left her previous host. It could've been before Jan shot her or afterwards, I'm not clear on that part. All I know is that the woman I spent the night comforting wasn't my friend."

A momentarily silence fell over them. It was clear from Kawalsky's pained expression that there had been more than just friendship between himself and the Janet Fraiser of his reality. Jack had to fight to keep his attention on his former friend, instead of letting it wander up to the observation window and settling on his Second.

"How did you end up being a Goa'uld?" Jack told himself to continue the question, unaware that his voice had softened and his expression had turned more sympathetic than suspicious. "Where did she get the second symbiote from?"

Kawalsky glanced passed him and looked directly at Teal'c. "The Teal'c in our reality had died a year before. His symbiote had matured; there was nothing we could do for him. We returned his body to Chulak but kept the symbiote in stasis at the SGF. Jan was one of the few people with access to it. When Nirrti realised I was getting suspicious, she invited me to Jan's office so we could talk. I didn't stand a chance, Colonel. She's a hell of a long stronger than she looks."

"I can believe that." Jack managed a small, understanding smile then pressed on. He could practically hear the time ticking away and could feel Carter's gaze burning into his back as her anxiety for Cassandra grew. "So what happened next?"

"It's pretty much what he told you, except instead of Sam it was Jan and instead of you it was me. Using Jan's background and what she already knew, Nirrti created a virus and released it at the SGF to test it out. Most people died, those who didn't she said would be kept as slaves. You have no idea what it was like, Colonel, and I hope to God you never do." The shadows on his face made his eyes sink further, the haunted look one Jack was sure he'd been seeing in his minds eye for a long time to come. "They contacted other Goa'uld, lesser System Lords who agreed to help in exchange for the virus. Bastet was their main ally. She's the one who helped spread the virus on Earth. She used a ship, distributed it that way.. It was horrible, Jack. Those who lived were terrified, they started fighting, killing each other and themselves because they didn't understand what was going on. They thought it was the end of the world."

"So what happened to make them leave? If they were in control, why did they have to come here?"

"Their slaves started fighting back." A glimmer of a smile passed over his face. "Led by Jack. He was one of the few people in the mountain the virus didn't kill. Kap'il was wary, he knew he could be trouble but Nirrti insisted on keeping him around because she enjoyed making him uncomfortable. She enjoyed making sure Jack knew everything she'd done, she told him about all the people she'd killed.. That was their downfall, really. She told him that she'd killed Sam on purpose. It was before she made me a Goa'uld, before anyone knew Nirrti was still living on inside her. Sam.. It looked like she'd overdosed out of grief at losing Cassie but she hadn't, not really. She'd gone to her best friend for support and thought she was just taking some sleeping pills. She wasn't. She was taking something Nirrti had concocted, something that killed her and made it look like suicide."

When no one said anything, Kawalsky forced himself to continue. He caught himself glancing up at the observation room, and quickly looked away only to see Colonel O'Neill sneak a glance in the same direction.

"She should never have told you - Jack - that. It made him even more determined to kill her. He didn't care anymore if he hurt Jan, too, he just saw red and wanted Nirrti gone. I don't know how he did it but he managed to rally some of the other slaves. They helped him escape through the Stargate and he must've made it to the Asgard, probably through Chimera or K'Tau. It was only a matter of hours before the Asgard arrived. That was when Nirrti decided to use the quantum mirror. She told Kap'il it was the only way they could save themselves."

"And yet she left him," Teal'c noted, an eyebrow raised as he surveyed Kawalsky through solemn eyes, as if trying to see from his expression alone if they were being told the truth. "Do you know where Nirrti will have gone?"

Kawalsky lifted his shoulders helplessly. "My guess would've been that she'd come here. She would know that she hasn't got a chance of taking over this world so she'd want to make a break for the Stargate, start afresh somewhere new until she's stronger, maybe has had time to build an army or something. I wish I could tell you where she is but I honestly don't know."

"Do you think there is a chance she will go after Cassandra Fraiser?" Teal'c continued to question him when everyone else remained silent.

He, too, had been shocked by what Kawalsky had told them but he had the advantage of being able to remind himself that Major Carter's killer had bee n the Goa'uld, not the person it was inhabiting at the time. It would be difficult, he knew, for all of them to come to terms with. Not only had they been told that Janet had killed her best friend, a woman who was still very much alive and very much loved by her teammates but Doctor Fraiser, a woman who had vowed to save and heal, had taken the life of someone who had trusted and relied on her.

"It's possible," Kawalsky replied slowly, running the idea through his head. He nodded and looked grim. "Yeah, it's possible. In her eyes, Cassandra was responsible for everything that happened. Cassandra's death was the key moment. If she'd stopped it from happening or managed to escape before she was found, she never would've been trapped on Earth. She might have achieved a lot but she was never happy there. She always planned to leave eventually, after she'd caused as much destruction as she could."

"Then we must go to her at once, O'Neill." The sound of Teal'c addressing him seemed to jolt Jack out of the thoughts that had dragged him down. "We must ensure Cassandra Fraiser gets to the SGC safely."

Jack nodded, his expression still a little distant as his gaze fell on Kawalsky's face. "Thanks, for your help."

"I only hope it's enough, Colonel," Kawalsky answered with a nod. "Though nothing I can do for you will ever make up for the things I did in my world."

"You must not blame yourself, Major Kawalsky." Teal'c's departing words startled them all. "The Goa'uld are a ruthless race. They seldom let their hosts interfere with their plans. You could not have done anything to prevent them."

"Thanks," Kawalsky spoke aloud to the empty room, sensing more than seeing Daniel, Sam and the two Generals leave the observation room above. "Somehow that doesn't make me feel any better."

=*=

"You're staying here, Major, and that's an order," was the first thing Jack said when SG-1 reunited in their locker room. General Hammond and Jacob had retired to the General's office to talk and Sam had managed to convince Doctor Smith that she needed to check her teammates were alright before going back to her room.

The gruff tone of voice he used was enough to convince her arguing would do her no good.

"I wasn't going to say that I should," Sam replied in a quiet, softer voice, standing aside as her teammates got ready. It was a strange feeling to be watching them instead of joining them, one she hoped would never be a regular occurrence. "I was going to tell you I think you're right, Sir. I should stay here. Probably not for the reasons you want me to do but someone needs to stick around in case Nirrti heads back to base without Cassandra."

Teal'c shot her a look and Daniel sighed heavily, both suspecting that round two was about to begin.

"You're not to confront her if she does turn up, Carter. Let the SF's handle it." He didn't turn away from his locker, didn't even look at her. "I don't want to come back and find out from Hammond you disobeyed an order and got yourself killed. That kind of thing won't look good on my record."

"I'm not going to go up to her unarmed and ask her to kill me again. Or try to kill me again if that's what you're thinking." Rolling her eyes, Sam refused to rise to the bait. Not again. He was too tired to fight but she didn't want them knowing that. They'd only worry and that would be no good to anyone. She stifled a yawn and moved to sit on the bench in the middle of the room, trying not to let her teammates see how weary she was. "Just promise me you'll bring Cassandra back in one piece. That's all I'm asking."

Jack glanced at her, briefly, then looked up, caught Daniel smiling and Teal'c looking at him expectantly and averted his gaze. "No problem."

"Thank you." Accepting that it was as much as a truce as they were going to get on the subject, Sam pushed herself up and shuffled towards the door on legs she wasn't confident would make it back to the infirmary. Regardless of whether they would or wouldn't, she wasn't going to let her teammates know either way. Opening the door, she was halfway through it before she paused, twisting slightly to look back at them. "Sir?"

He didn't look up from where he was tying the laces of his boots; resting his foot on the place she'd been sitting not moments again. "Yeah?"

"If the situation was reversed you wouldn't be happy with being left behind either."

She was gone by the time he looked up. Sighing, Jack finished tying his boot and straightened. He started to turn towards the door when he realised Teal'c and Daniel were staring at him. Waiting.

For what he didn't know.

"What?"

"Nothing, O'Neill."

"Nothing, Jack."

Sighing at them, he grabbed his leather jacket and shrugged it on, starting towards the door only to find they were still staring at him. "Okay, so she's right." He shrugged again, opened the door and motioned them through it. "What else do you want me to say?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing, O'Neill."

They both passed by him, apparently amused by his reply.

'People are weird,' Jack decided, closing the door and following his teammates down the corridor towards the elevators. 'Is it any wonder I prefer dogs?'

=*=

The drive to Sam's house was completed in relative silence. Jack didn't want to say anything, too aware of the smug expressions on his friend's faces and Teal'c and Daniel didn't think it would be necessary to say anything more.

Less than a minute after they pulled up outside Sam's house, the front door opened and Cassandra ran down the steps and down the path towards them, with Sergeant Miller following in rapid pursuit.

"Where's Sam?" The teenager demanded, looking first at Daniel, then at Jack. Teal'c, she knew, wouldn't break down and tell her anything if he was under orders not to. She crossed her arms over her chest and stared at the two men she knew she had a chance at getting to talk to her. "I'm not going to anywhere until you tell me where Sam is. You can't keep me locked up forever, you know."

"We don't want to keep you locked up," Daniel gave her what passed for a small smile, trading a look with Jack as they silently decided who would say what. "We're here to take you to the SGC so you can see Sam for yourself."

"Why couldn't she come here?" Cassandra wanted to know, trying desperately not to let the fear she felt show on her face. "She's been injured, hasn't she? She said she was just going to Nevada.. Did she lie to me? Did she get hurt on a mission?"

Jack took over from Daniel as the archaeologist shrugged helplessly. "She's okay, Cass, I promise you that. But she shouldn't have told you we were going to Nevada."

Cassandra rolled her eyes. "She always tells me where she's going. I know she's not supposed to but I asked her to so she does. You can't get her into trouble for it, Jack."

"Actually I can," he corrected, his eyes narrowing as he glanced over her shoulder to check Miller wasn't listening. The expression he got in return convinced him she could be trusted, that the ball was in his court so to speak. No one need know about the major breaking the confidentiality rules unless he decided otherwise. "Carter was injured, Cassie, but she's going to be okay. She's at the SGC with her Dad, waiting for you to go to her so she can explain what happened."

"No." Cassandra stood her ground, keeping her arms crossed so she couldn't fidget with her hands. "I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what's going on. I'm not stupid. I want to know why you sent someone to baby-sit me last night and I want to why you think it's safer for me to go to the SGC instead of Sam coming here."

Jack shrugged, and sensed Daniel shuffle uncomfortably behind him. "Why don't we go inside and we'll tell you what we can, okay?"

"I told you, I'm not going anywhere till you tell me what's going on. Who hurt Sam?" Cassandra demanded, barely moving from the spot.

"The Goa'uld Nirrti is on the loose," Teal'c answered briskly, unwilling to waste any more time than necessary. He kept reminding himself that Nirrti was still out there somewhere, possibly on her way to the SGC, possibly hurting innocent people to get her way even as they spoke about her.

"Nirrti is dead," Cassandra managed when she recovered from her initial shock. Her expression was suspicious, her tone horrified. "Mom and Sam told me she died a year ago."

"She did.. This Nirrti, well, she's not from around here. She's from an alternate reality." Daniel bit his lip and took a step forward; cringing when the teenager took a step back. "It's more than that, Cassie. Her host.. It's someone we know, someone we've lost."

"No." Cassandra shook her head and took another step back, almost bumping into Sergeant Miller who was standing behind her, gazing at her with pity in her eyes. "No. Not my Mom. Tell me she's not my Mom."

"I'm sorry, Cass," Daniel could think of nothing more to say. He shoved his hands into his pockets and stared down at his feet, wishing he could somehow take away the pain she was feeling. He tried to put himself in her shoes and couldn't imagine it, couldn't come to terms with what it would feel like to loose a parent only to have them return as your enemy. "There are people out looking for her now. Hopefully we'll find her soon.."

"She hurt Sam?" Her mind was struggling to keep up. "How badly?"

"Not too badly," Jack answered quickly, seeing but ignoring the quick glance Daniel threw in his direction. "Jacob came with some Tok'ra, on other business, so she's okay. She just had a concussion, some bruising.. She's worried about you, though, so the sooner you're ready to go the better."

Her heart rate was beginning to slow down, the colour slowly returning to her cheeks. "Okay," she murmured, pausing for a second to study his face, as if to check that what he'd said was the truth. "Okay. I'll just go.. I'll get some things. Can we leave straight away?"

"As soon as you're ready, Daniel and Miller will take you back to base," Jack assured her and issued the order at the same time.

Neither Daniel nor Sergeant Miller objected.

Less than five minutes later Cassandra, Miller and Daniel were on their way to the SGC in the same non-descript black car that had picked her up from outside the mall the day before. Jack and Teal'c lingered at Sam's house long enough to dismiss the other two officers and to check it was locked securely before they both got back into Jack's van and started driving towards the park, where a woman matching Janet Fraiser's description had been spotted the day before.

They didn't spot the blue car pull out seconds later and start on the same route as the black one, nor did they realise that the very person they'd been talking about had overheard every word of their conversation.

=*=

The park was swarming with police officers when they got there, that was the first thing that struck them as being odd.

"I thought it was supposed to be need-to-know only," Jack mused aloud, getting out of the truck and sharing a look with Teal'c. They were approached by one of the officers, who opened his mouth as if to tell them they had no right being there. "Colonel Jack O'Neill, United States Air Force."

"Right, Colonel O'Neill. Officer Johansson. I was told you would be coming to look at the body, they think it might be linked to the woman you're looking for." Officer Johansson did an abrupt turn and started leading them through the park before they could question him more, giving them no choice but to follow. "I don't know how a woman could've done this but never mind."

"I wasn't aware there was a body," Jack interrupted, quickening his pace so he could match the officer stride for stride. "You said it might be linked to our search?"

"The man in question, a Mr. Scott McKinnon, was spotted leaving the parking lot yesterday afternoon with a woman who fits the description of the one you're looking for. His body was found this morning, a jogger alerted to it by his dog but both his car and the woman he was with are no where to be found." Officer Johansson explained, motioning for two officers guarding the scene to move away to grant them access.

Jack lingered back with the officer as Teal'c moved towards the body, crouching down beside it to get a closer look. "I take it you've got people looking for the car?"

"We have. And we passed the information on to your people first thing this morning so I wouldn't be surprised if they're out there looking for it, too." Office Johansson gave him a sidelong glance. "We'll find her, Colonel. If she's responsible for this, we'll find her."

"I believe she is," Teal'c rejoined the conversation, his tone grim.

Jack looked from the body to his friend. He could tell just from the angle of the man's head that his neck had been broken, his face frozen in a look of surprised horror. "You find any evidence..?"

"The bruising around the neck is concurrent with that Major Carter suffered recently," Teal'c informed him quietly. "And the footprints in the ground nearby match those of the same build and weight as Doctor Fraiser."

"Right." Heaving a sigh, Jack nodded to Johansson. "Thanks for your help, Officer. We'll let you know if we find her."

"Likewise, Colonel." Johansson returned the nod and watched as they walked off. "Good luck."

They had only just got the truck doors closed when Jack's cell phone started ringing. Taking it out of his pocket, he glanced briefly at the display before opening and answering it. "O'Neill. Yeah. Yeah, we were just there. Teal'c confirmed it was probably the snake. Yes, Sir. We're on our way. O'Neill out."

Teal'c looked at him expectantly. "Has something happened, O'Neill?"

"Nothing good," Jack muttered, turning the key and reversing out of the parking space. "Hammond just had a call. Someone spotted the dead guy's car in Carter's neighbourhood. It was apparently parked outside all night." He hit the steering wheel in frustration after pulling out onto the road. "Damn it, someone should've noticed. Miller or Jenkins or someone."

"Do you believe Nirrti was there this morning?" Teal'c asked, subconsciously gripping the side of his seat as they took a corner a little too sharply.

"Yeah, and I'm willing to bet she's not there now," Jack answered with a frown. He took the phone and tossed it to Teal'c. "Give Daniel a ring. Tell him to be on the lookout for a blue car following. If he notices it, tell him to alert the SGC immediately. We'll start back now."

Taking the phone, Teal'c hit speed dial and held the phone to his ear, patiently listening as the phone on the other end rang and rang.

"There is no response, O'Neill. Daniel Jackson is not answering his phone."

Jack swore and put his foot down on the accelerator. He had a bad feeling they were going to be too late.

=*=

She couldn't believe her luck when SG-1 had arrived and sent Cassandra towards the SGC. It gave her the opportunity she'd been waiting for, the chance to make her move.

She drove as far as she dared, taking a short cut her host had discovered in her previous life and parked the car on a dirt track around the corner from the entrance to the Cheyenne Mountain complex. The rest of her journey was completed on foot.

She hid in the trees, letting them conceal her shape from view as she waited for the car to appear.

The moment it started down the patch of road towards her position, Nirrti stepped out from the bit of woodland she was hiding in and stood in the road.

It was a gamble, a risk, but one that ultimately paid off.

Sergeant Miller saw her at the last moment and slammed on the breaks. The car skidded but came to a stop not far from where she was standing.

Perfect.

Nirrti smiled and watched, able to see the horror on Daniel Jackson's face, unable to stop herself from chuckling at the shock on Cassandra's.

Finally. Her time had come.

The Sergeant was slumped over the steering wheel, obviously unconscious. That left the other two occupants of the car with two options - they could stay where they were and she would go to them or one of them could get out and move the unconscious Sergeant, taking her place behind the wheel and continuing on their journey.

Nirrti was pleased to see they didn't seem to agree on what action to take.

She watched as Daniel unfastened his seatbelt and opened his car door, heard him order Cassandra not to move. How she loved teenagers, Nirrti mused. They never listened to what was said, never did what they were told.

Cassandra got out of the car before the archaeologist could stop her. Instead of walking around to the driver's side of the car, Cassandra took a few steps closer to Nirrti, not seeing the Goa'uld.

Nirrti knew she was seeing her mother.

"Hello, Cassandra," Nirrti greeted her with a warm smile. "You look well."

"Cassie, get back here." Daniel shouted, starting to walk towards the teenager, unwittingly forcing her to move faster.

Nirrti watched through calculating eyes, measuring the distance. 'Just two more steps,' her mind urged, her eyes lighting up with anticipation. 'Just two more.'

Cassandra took a step forward.

Then another.

Then it happened. Nirrti reacted so quickly, reaching out and grabbing her as her eyes flashed. She smiled, turning her head so she could talk into Cassandra's ear as she held the shocked teenager against her, one arm wrapped firmly around her neck, the other securing Cassandra's hand behind her back.

"Stay there, Doctor Jackson," Nirrti called out, her voice no longer sounding like that of Janet Fraiser. "Unless you want Cassandra to die you will do exactly what I say."

Daniel froze, watching them through mistrustful eyes.

"Go to the driver's side and get rid of the woman," Nirrti ordered, tightening her grip on Cassandra's eyes so the teenager cried out. "Toss her weapon over to me and dump her body at the side of the road."

"She's not dead." Daniel argued even as he went around the car and opened the door, checking Miller's pulse to make sure he was telling the truth. "We can't just leave her here."

"Someone will find her eventually," Nirrti shrugged, making it clear she didn't care either way. "Do it, Doctor Jackson. Or I will make sure you regret it."

She watched as he did it, rolling her eyes as he gently lay the unconscious woman on the grass verge out of harms way. She tilted her head to the side when he hesitated in tossing the gun he'd taken from the Sergeant's holster but smiled when he did what she'd ordered.

"Pick it up for me, Cassandra, nice and slowly," Nirrti added. "Don't try anything stupid or I'll break your pretty little neck."

Cassandra trembled, reaching down to do what she was told, ever conscious of the weight around her neck. She could feel the tears prickling her eyes but managed to keep all but one from escaping, telling herself over and over again that she had to stay strong. She couldn't break down, even when the gun was snatched from her hand and aimed at her head. Her mother wouldn't want her to and neither would Sam.

"Good girl," Nirrti praised, making sure her hostage could feel the gun at her temple. "Now we're going for a little drive. Doctor Jackson, please get in and start the car. You're going to take Cassandra and myself to the SGC. Please don't try and play the hero, I can assure you it won't work."

Grudgingly, Daniel did as ordered and held his breath, tensing as Nirrti and Cassandra approached the car. He forced himself to look ahead when Nirrti shoved Cassandra into the backseat, pushing her so hard the teenager couldn't help the exclamation of pain that escaped her throat.

They were less than three minutes away from the SGC when his phone started to ring.

"Leave it," Nirrti barked, her eyes glowing as the car moved swiftly along the road and around the corner. "They can't help you now."

=*=

The base was on full alert when they got there, that was the first sign something was wrong. The second sign was the worried SF who met them at the entrance and hurriedly explained everything as they started the journey down to the 28th floor.

"It's Nirrti, Sir," the red faced airman stuttered. "She arrived fifteen minutes ago with Doctor Jackson and Cassandra Fraiser. She had Cassandra as her hostage and demanded to be taken to the Gateroom or she'd kill her. We did try to subdue her but she didn't like that. She shot three people, one was fatal. Last I heard Major Carter was trying to reason with her to get Cassandra released."

Jack swore several times, enough to make the red-faced airman flush a darker shade of beetroot.

Teal'c remained silent until they were in the second elevator, on the way down to the Gateroom. "You cannot be surprised that Major Carter is attempting to intervene, O'Neill. You would have done the same thing yourself had you been here."

"I know, Teal'c." Deciding the elevator wasn't going faster enough, Jack pressed the button several times in an attempt at getting it to go faster. "How did Nirrti get in? I thought we were supposed to have the best security this side of DC!"

"Perhaps it was the sight of Cassandra Fraiser as her hostage," Teal'c reminded him unnecessarily. "Or perhaps it was the fact she shot those who tried to stop her."

Jack scowled and pressed the button a few more times, just for luck. "Now is not the time for sarcasm, okay?"

Teal'c said nothing; he merely stared at the Colonel, fighting the temptation to point out that sarcasm was something he himself used in times of desperation when they were out in the field.

"Come on, what's taking so long," Jack muttered impatiently. He saw Teal'c open his mouth out of the corner of his eye and held up a hand. "Whatever you're going to say, think about whether it really needs to be said."

Remaining silent, Teal'c bowed his head slightly and willed the elevator to go faster. Not just because he wanted to ensure his friends were all right, but also because being confined with O'Neill in such a small space was not somewhere he desired to be, particularly not given the current situation.

=*=

Tension hung heavily in the air between them, the sense of danger settling over her like a heavy cloud she couldn't shake.

Sam focused her gaze on the teenager being forced on the top of the ramp, refusing to be distracted by the action she knew would be going on in other parts of the building. She could feel her father's gaze on her back, burning through her clothes into her skin. She could sense Daniel hovering to the left of her and Kawalsky waiting at her right. She didn't need to turn to know General Hammond would be watching from the control room even though he'd given up trying to reason with the Goa'uld several minutes ago.

"Let me go or I will kill her," Nirrti threatened, not for the first time. She held Cassandra close, the gun pressed so firmly against the young woman's chin that Sam could almost see the bruise forming.

It was so hard to stand there, watching them. To see the fear in Cassandra's eyes and not be able to do anything about it. To see her best friend holding her own daughter hostage and have to remind herself that Janet Fraiser was gone. Dead and buried.

The woman holding Cassandra was her enemy.

Not her best friend.

"If you let Cassandra go, we'll open the Stargate and let you go," Sam tried to reason with her, the lie slipping easily from her lips as she risked taking another step forward.

Unfortunately, Nirrti knew better than that. She laughed bitterly and pulled Cassandra back a step. "You insult my intelligence if you think I would believe that. Let me go and I will send her back to you."

"Now you're insulting mine," Sam countered. She didn't take another step, though, unable to risk Nirrti doing more than just causing a few bruises to the young woman she loved so much.

"Open the Stargate!" Nirrti screamed, her confidence waning as the seconds passed by. "I swear to you I will kill her if you do not!"

"How do we know you won't kill her if we do?" Sam shot back, meeting Cassandra's gaze and hoping the expression she wore was reassuring. Hoping the teenager couldn't see the fear in her eyes. "We have no reason to believe you."

"And I have no reason to believe you," Nirrti responded, glaring at the blond Major, warning her not to take another step forward by pulling Cassandra further in front of her, using the teenager as a shield against the many weapons pointed at her.

"Then it looks like we're going to be here for a long time because there's no way in hell we're going to let you leave with Cassandra." The words were pushed out passed the lump in her throat, through the teeth she ground together.

They were at a standstill and they both knew it. Neither woman was willing to budge. Nirrti was fighting for freedom; Sam was fighting for love. Both were worthy causes but only one of them could emerge the victor.

The crash doors opened behind her but Sam stood her ground, refusing to give into the instinct to turn and look.

Nirrti glanced briefly in the direction of the doors to see Jack and Teal'c stride through them.

For a split second, her grip loosened on her hostage.

That split second was somehow enough.

Cassandra unwittingly made it easier, leaning slightly to one side as her tired legs grew wearier. Kawalsky had a clean shot and took it without hesitation.

The tranquilliser dart hit her squarely in the shoulder.

Nirrti stared down at it in shock for several seconds before lifting her head and glaring in the direction from which it had come.

"You!" She shouted. "You betrayed me!"

Her grip slackened even more and Cassandra saw her chance. She bolted down the ramp, away from her mothers ghost and into Sam's waiting arms. Both of them slid down to the floor, the rush of adrenaline slowing as the situation finally came to an end.

Nirrti aimed her gun at Kawalsky and fired. Her blurred mission caused her to miss, though the bullet ricocheted off the wall and grazed one of the armed SF's.

She felt no triumph at having been able to hurt anyone else.

She felt nothing at all.

Spiritlessly, she slid down to the ramp, her eyes rolling backwards as her hosts body gave up the fight.

It was over.

Letting the tranquilliser gun fall to the ground, Kawalsky slowly made his way up the ramp towards her. He knelt down at her side and cradled the woman he'd come to care about in so many ways in his arms, looking up at the shadow that fell over him.

"Help her," he begged, his eyes mournful as he stared up at Jack, then let his gaze move across the room to pass over the crying teenager in Sam's arms before settling on the window of the control room. "Please. You can't leave her like this. You have to help her."

Jack said nothing.

With the exception of Cassandra's crying, the gateroom was completely silent.

=*=

Once again, Sam found herself sitting in the observation room, waiting for something to happen. Her father wasn't with her, though, having left for the Tok'ra base at some point during the night. Cassandra was curled up in a chair next to her, her head resting in Sam's lap as her fingers ran through her hair. Teal'c and Daniel had left several hours ago, after doing nothing but waiting, but Colonel O'Neill was still there, sitting on her other side, his gaze fixed on the scene below.

Kawalsky sat at Janet's bedside, refusing to leave her even though the night was almost over.

It had been a long day, and an even longer night, but eventually Nirrti had been removed. It hadn't been easy; she hadn't gone without a fight. Jacob had had to use the healing device for two hours straight to repair the damage the Goa'uld had caused to her host on her way out.

"Is she going to stay here?" Cassandra asked sleepily, startling the two grown ups who thought she was still asleep. "Now that the Goa'uld's gone, is she going to stay?"

The uncertainty in her voice made her sound so young, so childlike. Sam's heart broke afresh at the turmoil the teenager had been through over the last three months. "There's nowhere else for her to go," she answered eventually, keeping her voice soft to match Cassandra's tone. "We could try finding them another reality but the chances of finding one where they can stay together is remote at best."

"Oh." Cassandra nodded against her leg but made no move to sit up so Sam kept up the caress, soothing her hair back softly. "Are they going to live here? On base?"

"Probably," Jack replied before Sam could, lifting his gaze from the window so he could gaze at the teenager. "You won't have to see them anymore than you want to, Cassie. You don't have to see her at all."

"But you will," Cassandra murmured, letting her eyes close again as she moved her head around on Sam's lap to get more comfortable. "You'll both have to see them, won't you? Sam?"

Her hand stilled and she swallowed the lump in her throat. Sam took a deep breath, using the time to find the right words to use before deciding there were no right words. Not in this situation. "I guess we'll have to. I won't lie to you, Cass, it's not going to be easy but we've got no choice. I guess we just have to keep reminding ourselves they're not the people we want them to be."

"Same goes for them," Jack picked up on her line of thought, throwing her a slightly lopsided grin when Sam glanced up at him. "You've got to remember that where they came from is different, too. They lost us and it's gonna be just as hard for them to get used to having us around again."

"I suppose so," Cassandra sighed softly. "I just wish.. I wish Mom were here. She looks like Mom, probably sounds like her but.. She's not my Mom and I really wish she was. I miss her so much."

The lump in her throat rose another notch and she couldn't stop the tear from rolling down her cheek. "I miss her, too, Cassie. I wish there was something we could do to make this Janet Fraiser the same person we lost but we can't. It wouldn't be fair on her and it wouldn't be fair on your Mom. I'm sorry, honey."

"It's not your fault," Cassandra replied, her voice muffled either by Sam's leg or by tears, neither of the grown ups could tell. "I'm just glad I've still got you."

"Me, too." Her mind replayed the scene in the gateroom, replayed the moment she'd walked in to find the teenager with a gun at her throat. The scenario could've ended in so many different ways and she would be forever grateful it hadn't. "Me, too."

Cassandra fell quiet and it took them several minutes to realise the teenager had fallen asleep again. Jack returned his attention to the window, rejoining the waiting game, wondering how they would get through the difficult weeks ahead.

Sam stared at the same window but instead of the figures through the glass she saw nothing. Her vision was too blurred for her to see much of anything. She wanted to believe that everything was going to be okay, that somehow they'd get through the tough times ahead and emerge on the other side with smiles on their faces.

She wanted to believe it, desperately so, but somehow couldn't bring herself to believe in second chances. People didn't get that lucky, at least not straight away.

They were all going to find it hard at first, everyone would have something to adjust to. Kawalsky and Janet would first have to get used to being free, to being human again. Then they'd have to accept what their roles had been in destroying their own world before they could even begin to make a start settling into their new one.

Cassandra would be strong, she knew. It would be difficult and probably mean a lot more strain was put on their relationship but Sam could only hope they'd get through it in the end, together, and hopefully come out closer than ever.

For herself, she didn't know if or when she would come to terms with it. What she did know was that she still needed to grieve for the friend she'd lost before taking the chance at getting hurt again by letting someone else get close.

It wasn't going to be easy, not by any stretch of the imagination. There would be more heartache, much more tears to come, but hopefully they'd get through it.

Hopefully they could all start again.

=*=

End of The Ripple Effect



End Notes: Thanks for reading :) Feedback of all shapes, sizes and types would be very much appreciated if you can spare the time: jo@ram32.freeserve.co.uk

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