Chosen Dreams

Follows the episode Hathor

Daniel wanted desperately to stay in bed. His eyes felt like someone had been rubbing sand in them while he slept, and his body resounded with a growing feeling of weakness. He felt as if he had not slept in days, and - to be honest - as he glanced back at his bed he knew that if he did return to it, then sleep would be as elusive as it had been for the past five nights.

Shuddering, he spun about and left the room, unwilling to delve any further into his memory of the nightmares that had been waking him. He hurried his pace towards the Stargate control room, as if distance from his bed would erase the image of the evil, smiling face of Hathor as she bore down on him, dragging him deeper and deeper into a hell that he was unable to escape from in his dreams.

With a sudden movement, he detoured into the nearest bathroom and threw up what little food remained within his body. Standing, he shakily wiped a hand across his face and staggered to the wash basin to rinse his mouth. SG-1 had a mission, and he was going to be late.

Just as he was leaving the washroom, a soldier was entering and they clashed. The other man apologised when he realised who he had bumped into; Daniel just nodded and sped on his way.

***

Colonel Jack O'Neil glanced at his watch one more time and then back towards the door. He was seriously considering going to Jackson's quarters and dragging the young man from his bed; this was not the first time in the last few days that he had been late for a meeting, and it was starting to wear thin on the military-trained colonel.

Just as he was about to move, the man in question entered. He paused upon the threshold and, seeing the look that he received from Jack O'Neil, he smiled weakly and apologised, before he stumbled towards the others.

"Here, let me," Samantha Carter began as she moved forward to help her friend, but Jackson drew back sharply as if she was about to strike him.

"No," he snapped, then drawing back he took a deep, steadying breath and offered again, this time his tone milder, "No... I... I just overslept... sorry."

"Yeah, well, we do have a mission here, Daniel," O'Neil berated, his tone indicating that he was not impressed with his friend's tardiness. "Now that you're here, do you think we could get on with it?" As he spoke, he motioned towards the impressive Stargate that stood at one end of the large room.

"Daniel," Samantha began, unable to hide her concern, "are you all right?" She was looking intently at him, noting the pale features, the wide, frightened eyes, and the look of illness that seemed to hang upon him.

Daniel looked up at the woman, annoyed by her question, but realising that she meant well, he nodded, returning, "I'm fine... just... just a bit tired."

Captain Carter raised an eyebrow; 'just a bit tired' appeared to be an understatement. The man before her looked as if he had not slept at all in the past week, and it also looked, to her, as if he might collapse at any moment.

She opened her mouth to comment further, but was forestalled by Colonel O'Neil as he lifted his pack and ordered firmly, "Okay, gang, let's get this show on the road." As he spoke, the Stargate burst into life and he advanced up the ramp towards the opening into space and another planet.

The journey as always was short and yet seemed eternal. As Jackson spilled forth from the gate, he staggered upon the uneven earth and would have fallen if Teal'c had not been swift in coming to his aid. He held onto the other man until Daniel had gained his footing, then watched dispassionately as the young anthropologist pulled his arm out of his grip and shuddered away, totally ignoring the look of concern his actions earned him from Carter. Instead, he wandered down the gentle slope and began to look about, acting as if nothing had happened.

"What the hell was that about?" O'Neil asked no-one in particular, having witnessed the scene as he erupted from the Stargate.

He was not surprised when Carter answered, "He's been acting like that ever since that creature Hathor had her claws in him."

"Hathor?" O'Neil repeated in surprise. "But Dr Frasier passed us all fit for duty."

Sam looked after the man in question as he wandered out further and further from the gate, making his visual scan of the surrounding area. "I know she did... but it's... just...." She paused, not sure if she could express her concerns in words that Jack would understand.

"Just?" O'Neil repeated, his tone clearly indicating that he wanted her to continue.

"I can't say, sir," she began, then shrugged helplessly. "It's just a feeling that I've got, sir.... I know that he's not been sleeping, and have you seen him in the mess-hall, or anywhere near food in the last five days...? He looks like he's lost pounds." She petered off as Jack turned to look at Daniel again, and for the first time in five days he saw what she was talking about. The man walked with slumped shoulders, and slight shudders seemed to accompany his every step.

Without another word, Jack moved away from the Stargate and headed directly towards Daniel. When he reached the man, he grabbed him by his shoulder and pulled him about.

The reaction this got from Jackson was startling; the man paled considerably and stumbled away from O'Neil, his hands rising to protect himself. Then, realising that it was only O'Neil who had approached him, he stood upright, unable to suppress the raw anger that began to course through him. "What the hell are you doing?" he demanded, taking a few steps backwards to put space between him and the colonel.

O'Neil, on the other hand, was held in place, speechless. He was unable to understand the terror he had seen reflected in Daniel's eyes just as he grabbed at him, and now that he was up close to his friend, he could clearly see what Carter had been talking about: the man looked ill; he had definitely lost weight, and did indeed look as if he had not slept in days. His hand was trembling as Daniel raised it to brush his lanky hair from his eyes.

"Teal'c, get the stuff together," O'Neil suddenly called, turning away from Daniel. "We're going back.... Sam, start with the code." While the others made to obey the orders, Daniel stood and stared at Jack as if he'd lost his mind.

"Why?" he asked, coming to stand in front of his friend. Not getting an answer, as O'Neil began to turn from him, he roughly reached out and pulled the other man about to face him and demanded again, "WHY?"

O'Neil gave a few seconds' thought to the question before he answered, "Because I want my team at 100% for any mission, and at the moment my team isn't."

"Your team isn't?" Daniel asked. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?" As he spoke, he began to back away from the other man.

"Daniel," O'Neil began pacifyingly, reaching out to stop him, "I want you to see Dr Frasier once we get back." He paused, not sure how to continue; this was not a man he could order to the doctor. "I think that you need to take some time out.... to rest."

Jackson pulled roughly out of O'Neil's grasp. "Rest... rest...? What the hell is this? I feel fine, and you're not going to abandon this mission and use me as an excuse." He paused as he regrouped his emotions and then began again, trying to reason with the man in front of him, "You know how important this mission is... the temple that SG-4 found and those hieroglyphics... they could give us a lot of information about the Goa'uld.... Jack... please." He put his best pleading tone into his voice and waited expectantly.

"Daniel..." O'Neil began, but stopped when his friend continued to look at him, his face one of open sincerity. This mission was important to Jackson. "Only if you promise to see Dr Frasier once we return, and..." he added, seeing the expression on his friend's face, "you do as she says." Jackson was already nodding his agreement, eager to do whatever O'Neil asked as long as they could stay. O'Neil, seeing this, went on, his tone firm, "And you will do as I say until we get back to base?" Daniel nodded; he was prepared to sell his soul for a look at the temple. "Okay," O'Neil continued, not used to having the young man before him so keen to obey, "you can start by handing over your pack to Teal'c."

"But..." Daniel began. Seeing the steely look this earned him, he shrugged out of his backpack and held it out to the man in question. The Jaffa stepped forward and took the extra weight without a sound.

"Okay," O'Neil began, satisfied that Jackson was going to do as he was told. "Let's get moving."

Carter took the lead at O'Neil's nod, then Jackson, who was closely followed by O'Neil, with Teal'c bringing up the rear.

It took them about forty minutes of walking to reach the abandoned city that SG-4 had reported. It was an impressive set of buildings that carried the look of the ancient world, with a large temple towering from the centre. Daniel slowed to a stop as he looked at it in awe, then without thought he began to pick up speed, his tiredness forgotten.

Carter had stopped when she spotted the buildings, and was startled when Jackson pushed past her and broke into a slow trot. She shot a glance back at O'Neil, who flashed her an angry look and then motioned for her to follow him. She felt him running beside her as he called out, "Daniel.... Damn it, Jackson!" he cried as the man ahead of him disappeared into the dense forest.

They came upon him kneeling on the ground, just before the clearing that led up to the first of the buildings. He was leaning forward and breathing heavily, his eyes closed, apparently in some distress.

"Daniel?" O'Neil began, moving forward to stand beside the kneeling man. Not getting an answer, he bent down and rested a hand upon his shoulder. "Jackson, are you all right?"

The man in question took a deep breath to steady himself, then looking up at his friend he smiled weakly and offered, "I fell over...." He motioned towards the tree root that was sticking up from the ground, then to the scrape on his forehead.

"Did you hit your head?" Carter asked, coming to stand beside O'Neil and, leaning in, she also checked the wound. While it did not look serious, she was not sure about the dazed expression that now rested on his features.

Pushing off O'Neil's comforting grip, he staggered to his feet and offered, "I'm fine, but..." he added with a slight smile, "I think that I will walk the rest of the way." As he spoke, he tilted slightly and both Jack and Sam reached out to support him.

"All right," O'Neil ordered, his tone firm. "That's it... it's getting late, so we will make camp here for the night - and you..." he pointed his finger towards Daniel, "will rest until we are set; then you are going to eat your rations and get a good night's sleep."

"But..." Jackson began.

O'Neil broke in, his tone not giving an inch, "Or we could start back to the gate right now." Glancing at his watch, he continued, "We could be there before nightfall."

Daniel, knowing that he was beaten, pulled an unpleasant face but conceded that he had lost this particular argument. Turning, he headed towards another upturned tree and sat down. Tilting his head, he looked defiantly up at O'Neil, who just sighed before turning to give directions for the setting-up of their camp.

Within twenty minutes, two tents were in position and the smell of burning wood drifted over the canopy of trees. O'Neil wandered over to where Daniel sat. The man had not moved from his fallen tree trunk while the camp had been set up; instead he had just glared at anyone who had ventured into his space.

"Your bed awaits," O'Neil said, coming to crouch before the other man.

"Is this really necessary?" Daniel ventured, his tone disappointed, as if Jack had betrayed him in some way.

"Do you want to go back to base and have Dr Frasier check you over now?"

Daniel looked at the other man and gauged his seriousness. Seeing the steely glint in the man's eyes, he knew that O'Neil meant every word he said, so he offered, "If I eat and rest this evening, you will let me inspect the temple tomorrow?"

"You have my word." As he spoke, O'Neil held out a hand, offering to assist Jackson. The smaller man looked at the hand, then slowly accepted it as he stood. Jack continued, "Get some rest while the food is being prepared, then I'll give you a sedative...."

"Sedative...?" Daniel began to argue, but swallowed his words when he saw that here was another argument he was going to lose. "Okay mother, if you insist... a sedative..." he shot back sarcastically.

After O'Neil had settled Jackson in one of the tents and was sure that he was resting to his satisfaction, he left to check on how the food was coming As he walked up to Carter, he remembered her words of earlier. Kneeling down and looking into the steaming pot, he said, "You mentioned that Daniel had not been... er... right since Hathor had got her claws into him?" He let the question hang, but the woman knew what he wanted.

"It's difficult to explain, Colonel," she began. "It's more of a feeling, really."

O'Neil looked back towards the tent that held the resting anthropologist and asked, his tone resigned, "And how long have you had this... feeling about Daniel?"

Carter looked at the man who knelt beside her, then at the surrounding forest, before coming back to rest her gaze upon her commanding officer. "I have to be honest and say that it was just before we came through the Stargate... but," she added, shrugging, "that might be because I've not really seen him in the last five days... well, not much.... Usually when we are confined to base, like we've been since Hathor's appearance, I can't help but keep falling over the guy... either in the med-lab, the mess-hall, or just the control room, but this last week I've hardly laid eyes on him... and at the briefing for this mission he was so... animated, excited about the mission that... well, he just acted and looked... normal."

O'Neil nodded, and had to admit that he had not bothered to search out the young man since the Hathor affair either, and - if he was honest - part of it was due to his own insecurity over the incident. While he didn't remember most of what had happened, he had suffered from the odd flashback and nightmare, where he had woken covered in sweat and terrified as he felt stifled while being held in the woman's embrace, with an intense pain ripping though his stomach.

"Colonel?" Carter asked, seeing that the man was lost in his own world. "Sir?" she ventured again, as she ladled some soup into one of the ration dishes.

O'Neil came back with a gasp and shook off the memory as he reached for the offered cup. Standing, he made his way back to Jackson. He paused as he entered the tent and saw that the man, while he had fallen asleep, was not resting easy. In fact he was twisting under his covers and tossing his head, mumbling under his breath as he fought against the grip of a nightmare.

"Daniel," Jack said as he approached the bed. Seeing that his words had no effect, he reached out with his free hand and shook the other man's shoulder.

Jackson surged from his nightmare and stumbled from the makeshift bed, causing it to collapse under him. He tripped and fell onto O'Neil, who lost his hold on the cup but made the split instant decision to save the flying man rather than the lost meal. He pulled Daniel into his grasp to keep him on his feet, and felt a surge of protectiveness as the man crumpled into his arms.

Daniel hung onto the other man, his breathing coming in short gasps and his body shaking with reaction. He could vividly remember the feel of Hathor's hands upon his body, the way she had stroked him intimately, curled her long slim hands about his shaking form as she had commanded him to do things that even now caused the bile to rise within his throat. With a groan that was a cross between great suffering and bitter pain, he pushed the offered support away and stumbled out of the tent to the nearby log where he had sat earlier and, leaning over, he threw up. He hung over the dead limb for several minutes while his body reacted to the revulsion he felt.

Finally he collapsed back onto the ground, and started when he felt a wet towel wipe gently over his sweating face. Opening his eyes, he saw O'Neil crouching before him, a towel in one hand and a cup of water in the other, which he offered to the shaking man and held while Daniel sipped a mouthful then spat it out, before he took a few more deep swallows.

When he felt more steady, he nodded his head and offered his thanks, but O'Neil brushed his words aside, saying instead, "It's Hathor, isn't it?" He silently waved the other two members of his team away; they each nodded in acceptance of his order and moved back towards the fire.

Night had fallen suddenly, and the glow from the flames gave Jackson a netherworldly look. "Every time I close my eyes she's waiting for me," Daniel quietly confessed, his tone bordering on the edge of tears. "At first I'd wake up covered in sweat and shaking, but I couldn't remember the dream, but lately... lately I've.... She's...." He stopped, unable to continue as the fear and sickness flooded back over him.

"Take deep breaths and finish the drink," Jack ordered, before he stood and motioned for Carter to approach. When she got near, he asked her, "Get me a strong sedative and something to settle his stomach."

"Sir, shouldn't we..." she began, but paused as the retching behind them began anew.

"Just do it," O'Neil snarled at her, before he turned back towards his heaving friend and rested a comforting hand upon the shaking back, gently rubbing in circles until the other man had finished and slumped back down to sit upon the floor. He looked totally drained.

When Carter returned, she handed Jack three tablets and another cup of water. Without saying a word, O'Neil reached out and offered them to Jackson, saying, "Here, take these... they will help settle your stomach."

"I don't think I can swallow anything..." Daniel began, his tone weak, defeated, but O'Neil just held them out again, letting his eyes give the order. Slowly, hesitantly, Jackson took the tablets and swallowed them one at a time, sipping at the offered water. When he had finished he handed back the cup, his expression one of total trust.

"Now, come back to the tent," O'Neil offered, moving to help Jackson to his feet. At first Daniel resisted, then slowly he rose and, using the offered support from Jack, he half-stumbled, was half-carried back to the tent. Slowly, carefully, the colonel lowered his friend back upon the other bed and helped him stretch out.

"I can't get her out of my mind," Jackson mumbled in confession, as he felt a blanket gently placed over him.

Sitting up suddenly, he reached out and gripped O'Neil's arm in fear, but he didn't need to say anything as Jack reached out and pulled the other bed over and sat down upon it, saying, "I'm not going anywhere. You just lay back and close your eyes; I'll be here when you wake."

"I can't sleep," Daniel mumbled about a yawn, his tone drifting even as he spoke the words, the drugs in his system acting swiftly. "I've tried... so hard... to just... close my eyes."

"I know, but just lay there for a little while and I'll make sure she stays away."

"She made me... do things..." Daniel mumbled, as sleep dragged him nearer and nearer to unconsciousness. "I feel sooo dirty..." he grumbled as he began to twist the blanket up under his arms. "She... used... used me to..."

"Shhh..." O'Neil advised. "Just go with the tablets, Daniel." As he spoke, he lifted his hand and gently wiped a loose lock of hair from the other man's sweating forehead. His heart was aching for his friend's suffering.

"Here, sir...." Carter offered another wet towel, which he accepted and began to wipe gently over Daniel's face. The soothing action seemed to settle the man further, as he sighed deeply and drifted into the arms of morpheus. "She raped him... didn't she, sir?" Sam asked, unable to keep the tremor from her own voice.

"Something like that," O'Neil replied, his tone hushed, but hard as the stone buildings that were near to them. "How could we have missed this?" he suddenly asked, "I thought Dr Frasier checked him over."

"I can only guess that the memory was buried so deep that it's only just now emerging, and only in his dreams... which," she added, seeing him about to open his mouth and protest that Daniel was now remembering while awake, and that was what was causing him to throw up, "he's starting to remember while awake."

"I thought that he remembered what Hathor did to him?" O'Neil began, his expression confused. "I mean... he remembered about the DNA, and all that stuff."

"Maybe..." Carter offered, searching for an explanation. "Maybe he remembered bits of it - you all did, but with each dose of that stuff she pumped into your system, your memories got foggier and foggier.... I mean," she added, "you, yourself, remembered some of what happened to you at first, right up until the time you went to talk to her about her having you off-balance, but you have no recall of her trying to turn you into a Jaffa - which was after she dosed you up again - do you?"

O'Neil hesitated; he did have some returning memory, but - like Jackson - the most recent memory seemed to be in the form of nightmares. Pushing aside his own problems and not answering Carter's question, he asked instead, "What can we do to help him?" As usual, he was driving ahead of the problem and seeking answers.

"I would suggest getting him some counselling... rape counselling... and, well, just

being there for him. It's never easy for a victim, when she's a woman, to admit that

she was raped, but for a man to be abused in such a manner... especially someone like

Daniel...."

"Damn it," O'Neil suddenly burst out, his anger starting to rise. "Why the hell did it have to be him? Hasn't he suffered enough... what with Shau'ri and Skaara, his whole life turned upside down... damn it," he repeated, looking as if he wanted to hit something.

His anger must have filtered into the sleeping man's mind, as he began to move uneasily and mumbled under his breath, as if at the beginning of a bad dream. O'Neil quietened instantly and, reaching out, he again began to wipe the cool cloth over his friend's face, and again the man quietened under his ministrations. Realising that he was not going to be able to vent his anger, Jack sighed and offered, "I'll take the first four hour watch; you can spot me for the next four while I relieve Teal'c."

"That will not be necessary," the Jaffa stated from the entrance of the tent. "I will be able to take the night watch without being relieved."

"I can't expect you to..." O'Neil began, but stopped as the tall, darkly handsome man offered, "Jackson needs you more, and there have been no reports of danger on this planet."

Unwilling to concede the point, the colonel just nodded his head and offered, "Come and get me if you feel tired, though."

Teal'c raised an eyebrow which Carter caught, and she sent him a winning smile before she turned her attention back to the sleeping man on the bed and asked, "Are we still going to the temple tomorrow, sir?"

O'Neil thought about it for a few moments, then nodded. "I did agree that he could, and if I back out now, he might decide that he can back out of whatever Dr Frasier recommends once we get back. At least this way I'll have some bargaining power."

"I think that General Hammond might have some... er... bargaining power as well, sir," Carter offered with a slight smile.

"Yes," O'Neil offered, no smile reaching his lips as he continued, "and it just might be enough to send a terrified Daniel scuttling back to academia instead of facing this."

"Yes sir," Carter replied, as she pictured the broken man Jackson could become if that was allowed to happen.

"Look," O'Neil began, sparing her a glance for the first time. "Why don't you use the other tent and try to get some rest, and you can spot me in about four hours."

"I could take over now if you want, Colonel," she offered, only to have her suggestion roughly rejected. Standing, she tossed one last look at the sleeping man and prayed that his friends would be strong enough to help him. It was a well-documented fact that it was the support of friends and family that contributed to whether or not an abuse victim would be able to put their ordeal behind them. Witnessing the gentle manner in which the colonel tended to his friend, she suddenly felt more hopeful about Daniel's chances of surviving the after-effects of his encounter with Hathor.

***

Daniel drifted slowly awake. He slipped layer by layer to wakefulness and relished the feeling of contentment that he had not felt in the past week. Opening his eyes, he looked up at the tented ceiling and frowned, at a loss for a moment to know where he was. Suddenly memory flooded back, and he twisted his head to look directly at Jack O'Neil who was half-sitting, half-laying on the bed next to him, seemingly asleep. Jackson also noted that the small camp bed had been pulled up closer to his own, and now rested within easy reach of his own position.

"Hi." Turning, he saw Sam standing just inside the entrance flap, her voice just above a whisper as she took in the sight of the sleeping colonel. "How are you feeling?" she enquired, moving over towards him, a cup of steaming coffee in her hand.

"Er... fine, I guess," he said as he frowned; his memory of the night before was vague, but he had the distinct impression that he had once again embarrassed himself before his companions.

"Well, at least you're looking better than you did last night." This came from Jack O'Neil, who sat up and stretched out the kinks that he had acquired from his awkward sleeping position, then spying the cup in Sam's hand he asked, "Is that for me or Daniel?"

Carter glanced down at the item in question, then handing it over to her superior she stated, "Well, I wasn't sure if either of you would be awake, so I was considering keeping it for myself."

O'Neil just smiled and offered, "There are time when I love being in command." He took a sip of the strong brew and swallowed it with obvious relish. "That first cup is a kicker, isn't it?" he commented to no-one in particular. Then he became serious again as he turned his full attention to the man still laying in the bed.

Daniel, seeing this, automatically began to throw the covers back, but was stopped by a hand on his arm.

"No," O'Neil said. "Give yourself a few minutes to touch base, then we'll talk about you getting up."

"I told you, I feel fine," Jackson stated with sudden anger.

He was interrupted as O'Neil shot back, "Yes, and last night you weren't, so let's just humour me on this, all right?"

Daniel would have loved to argue the point, but he had learned from experience that that rarely got him anywhere with the SG-1 commander, so he settled back and turned wide, innocent eyes upon the man seated beside him.

Jack, seeing the look, sighed. He had realised that it was not going to be easy, but seeing the expression upon Daniel's face, he also learned that he was not going to get any help from him. "Okay," he said, leaning back and taking another sip of coffee, "Sam, do you think you could get Daniel here some of this excellent coffee, and scrounge up some breakfast rations, which..." he pushed on past the exclamation of denial that was issued from the bed, "he will eat if he wants to finish this mission." The protest fell silent, but he could feel the glare that he got instead, but he wisely chose to ignore it.

Carter, seeing the trouble brewing, nodded her head and made a hasty retreat.

"I'm not a child," Daniel hissed as she left the tent, "and I don't appreciate being treated like one."

"And I don't appreciate having to treat one of my people as one, but you, Dr Daniel Jackson, have been lying to me... lying to us all for the last two weeks, and that does not please me at all."

"I haven't lied," Daniel protested, sitting up in the bed and glaring at Jack.

"Oh no...?" shot back the other man. "What about when Doctor Frasier gave you that medical examination after our little visit from Hathor? If I remember the report correctly, you stated that you felt fine and had no after-effects of her attack." He stopped and felt sorry for his words when he saw how they affected his friend, who had paled at the mention of the goddess' name, but - pushing that aside - Jack ploughed on, "Then, last night, you all but collapsed on us...." He let his words hang, hoping that Daniel would supply the rest and start to open up.

"I'm sorry..." Daniel stammered, unsure if he could even begin to explain what had been happening to him since his attack.

Seeing that Jackson wasn't going to continue, O'Neil decided to try a different approach. "Daniel, I'm not your enemy here... I'm your friend, and what that... that woman did to you..." he paused, not sure if he could say the words, "it was wrong... terribly wrong, and you have every right to be upset and hurt. But keeping it all inside... not talking to anyone about it, not eating, sleeping... that's just going to give you a one-way ticket to a funny farm and right off this project."

Daniel leant back and rested his head upon the wall of the tent and closed his eyes, his pain obvious to the other man. "Don't you think I don't know that?" he finally confessed, then turning startlingly bright eyes upon Jack, he hurried on, "But I can't help myself. Every time I close my eyes, I remember a little bit more; every time I sit down to eat, I remember... remember..." he began to swallow convulsively and hissed, "I remember what she made me do... with my hand, my mouth... my...." He stopped, unable to continue, as his breathing increased and his colour leached out, until Jack honestly thought he was going to faint from his distress.

"Hey... hey, calm down," he insisted as he moved across and, without a thought, pulled the other man into his grasp, where he tightly held him, rubbing his hands in a slow, calming motion up and down the other's back until he regained his senses.

Daniel held onto Jack as if his very life depended upon the contact, which in reality it did; this man was the only thing holding him back from the pit of despair he saw looming every time he remembered what Hathor had done to him. He swallowed convulsively as he also recalled his contemplation of a bottle of tablets that he considered taking a few night before.

As Daniel began to calm down, Jack slowly pushed him away slightly, so that he could look him in the eye and said, "I really think we should head back to base and get you some help."

In a sudden motion, Jackson forced the other man further away and accused, his tone one of raw betrayal, "No... you promised... you promised I could finish this mission."

Jack, seeing the hurt look and knowing that if he broke his word it would be hard for this man to trust him in the future, sighed and acceded, saying, "All right; we'll go to the temple that SG-4 found today, but we are heading back to the Stargate before dark." Daniel nodded eagerly; this mission was his purpose in life at the moment. "And you will eat whatever food we place in front of you, and," Jack added as an after-thought, "you will take some Senpenall... it will help settle your stomach."

Daniel knew the drug and realised that, while it would do as Jack said, it also contained a very mild tranquilliser. Normally he would have protested having to take it, but for once he saw the benefits of having his emotions buffered by the effects of a drug, so he nodded his agreement. It was this one action that caused Jack the most concern, because if Jackson was agreeing to take drugs without a fight, then he must consider himself to be in a very bad way.

As if on cue, Sam entered the tent carrying the ordered items. She placed a bowl of food into Daniel's hands and handed him a spoon, then, smiling warmly, she deposited a cup of coffee down beside the bed. From the look that O'Neil gave her, she knew that he knew that she had been waiting just outside the tent for an opportune moment to enter.

"Teal'c will be heart-broken if you don't eat every scrap of that," she offered as she stood back and watched Daniel lift the full spoon to his lips.

He looked down at the food, then over towards O'Neil, who just raised an eyebrow, his expression clear: 'No food, no mission.' Closing his eyes, Daniel shoved the food into his mouth and swallowed before he could change his mind. He continued in this matter until most of the food had been consumed.

Jack watched him eat for a few moments, then turned to Sam and quietly asked her to collect the tablets that he'd insisted that Jackson take. She threw him a startled look but hastened to obey, and returned with them just as Daniel finished his last mouthful and placed the bowl down beside the coffee cup, which he picked up and sipped at experimentally. His face cleared slightly, and he took another gulp.

"Here, take these with that," Jack offered, holding out two of the small white pills.

Daniel hesitated just a few seconds before he accepted and swallowed the medicine.

After making sure that the other man had indeed taken the pills, O'Neil stood and stretched, before he stated, "You've got fifteen minutes to get dressed and ready Daniel, then we'll head over towards the temple. Sam," he continued, turning towards the woman, "I'm going to go with Daniel, but I want you and Teal'c to strike camp, do a primary search of the other buildings that SG-4 didn't get around to, and then head after us... we will return to the Stargate before nightfall."

"Yes, sir," she returned as she followed him from the tent.

***

Daniel stood up from where he'd been crouching and stretched tired muscles. He'd been crouched down, reading the hieroglyphics that spilled across the wall in front of him for the last three hours, diligently transferring their words onto his notebook for further examination once he got back to his office.

"How's it going, Doc?" O'Neil asked from his seated position across the room. He'd been silent for so long that Daniel had forgotten he was there.

"Fine," he mumbled as he pushed his glasses back up his nose. "This is really fascinating stuff..." he went on, his tone enthusiastic as he explained, "these clearly indicate that the Goa'uld also visited this planet, at least long enough to pass on the language, but the people who lived here didn't take too kindly to being enslaved and, from what I can gather, they rebelled much sooner than their counterparts on earth." As he spoke, he crouched back down and began to write again, slowly moving along the wall, mumbling under his breath as he tried to make out the signs that were unfamiliar to him.

"Here," O'Neil suddenly appeared at his side, holding out a can of water and two more tablets. While Jackson gladly accepted the water, he ignored the pills. "Daniel..." Jack warned, his tone clearly indicating that this was not a matter open for discussion.

With bad grace, Daniel snatched the tablets up and swallowed them dry, before coughing and taking a long swallow of water. "Happy?" he gasped, once he was able to speak.

"Ecstatic," came back the dry reply, as Jack settled himself up against the opposite wall.

A few more moments of silence followed before Daniel said, his tone too casual, "You know, you don't have to stay here and watch me."

"I've got nothing better to do," Jack said, leaning his head back and closing his eyes; it had been a long night and he'd only been dozing a short while before Carter had entered the tent.

"Well, you're putting me off... just sitting there," snapped the other man, throwing his pad and pen down.

"It's a done deal, Daniel," Jack shot back, not even prepared to begin the argument.

"If I leave... you leave."

A brooding silence followed, while the younger man snatched up his fallen items and once more began to read the words before him. He felt trapped and tired. The words, while interesting, were not giving him anything of value, nothing that he or his companions could use against the Goa'uld... if anything, it was just another depressing story of another race of people who were enslaved by their masters, and many died while trying to win their freedom. Jackson could not even tell if they had been successful in their fight, as the story seemed to end in mid-telling. He really needed to go deeper into the temple to see if there were further hieroglyphics that expanded upon those he now studied.

A noise attracted his attention back to his companion and he noted that O'Neil had drifted off to sleep and was snoring quietly. This caused him to smile, which faltered as he remembered why Jack hadn't got any sleep the night before. Pushing his guilt away, he slowly stood and began to edge out of the room; there was a lot more of the temple that he wanted to explore, but Jack had been insistent that they concentrate on the first level that SG-4 had mapped out and confirmed as being safe.

Slipping his torch out of his backpack, Daniel shone it down the narrow corridor and slowly began to tread the sloping walkway. Turning a corner, he disappeared from view and the hallway slipped back into the darkness that it had known for the last two thousand years.

***

O'Neil awoke with a gasp as he heard Carter and Teal'c approach the room he was sitting in. One swift glance informed him that Jackson was not with him. Muttering a curse, he quickly left the room and bumped into the other two as they were about to enter.

Looking at his watch, Jack noted that he'd been asleep for about twenty minutes.

Without preamble he said, "Jackson's missing."

"Missing?" Carter repeated in surprise, but then fell silent at the glare this earned her.

"I take it you didn't see him as you made your way here?" It was not likely, but Jack had to ask. Getting a negative head-shake, he sighed and reaffirmed, "Then he's missing." Then, feeling the need to be honest, he offered, "I fell sleep; just woke up and he's gone. Now, if I know Daniel, he's probably gone exploring... and you can bet your last month's pay that it's not anywhere that was deemed safe by SG-4."

"Didn't they report finding traps within the temple in their report, Colonel?" Sam suddenly asked, fear for a friend filling her voice.

"Yeah, and they made the Indiana Jones movies look like cartoons, so we'd better try and find him before he gets himself squashed by a rolling stone." Although the words were light, the tone was not; neither was the anger that edged his voice, and Sam felt a moment of sorrow for the young anthropologist once O'Neil caught up with him.

***

Daniel was totally captivated. He walked slowly along the corridor, his hand trailing along one wall, as if he could impress the writing he saw upon his fingertips and keep them forever in his memory. He angled his torch and allowed the small light to shine upwards; the pictures that greeted him were as full of colour as the day the artist had painted them.

He swallowed hard and wondered how many eyes had seen these markings, and how long ago the last person had wandered down this very way to read the words.

Turning a sharp corner, he came to the doorway of a large room which he would have to pass through to get to the corridor across the way. He hesitated upon the threshold, before slowly entering. While he had passed through many such rooms on his wander, this was the only one that made him nervous, and once he entered he knew why.

Standing in the middle of the room, surrounded by the words of a long-forgotten race, there stood a sarcophagus. But, while it was as large and imposing as the golden ones that Daniel had previously seen during his encounters with Ra and Hathor, it was made from the same stone as the rest of the temple, indicating to Daniel that it was not one of the Goa'uld's, but one that the forgotten race of this planet had carved.

Slowly he moved towards it, and then stepped carefully around, his lips moving silently as he deciphered the markings that covered the stone walls. He stopped, and then frowned when his foot encountered an uneven raised edge within the floor. Glancing down, he noted that one of the slabs appeared to be slightly out of place, lower into the ground than the others. This in itself caused him to stare at it longer than necessary. During his entire trip in the temple, he'd come across nothing that was not perfectly made to match the design of the building - as if it were a large jigsaw; each piece had a place and each place had a piece.

As if on cue, a low rumbling sound reached his ears and he tilted his head to hear it better. A small amount of grit drifted down to settle upon his head, and glancing upwards he stopped breathing when he saw a large square slab of rock falling towards him, as if from an incredible height.

Its descent took only seconds, but he managed to leap from its pathway and landed hard upon the ground as it crashed down beside him, catching the edge of his outflung jacket, holding him firmly in place.

Laying there winded upon the ground, he felt his vision darken for a few seconds as shock invaded his system. Slowly reality asserted itself again and he noted, with a stab of fear, that there was still a sound playing off to his right.

With strength he didn't know he possessed, he yanked his jacket out from under the slab and had to suffer the sound of tearing cloth before he was finally free, minus a jacket. Then, scrambling to his feet, he staggered back when he saw that the lid to the sarcophagus was slowly opening. His first reaction was to flee from the room, screaming, until he reached the safely of O'Neil's large weapon, but for some reason his feet seemed unable to move and he opened his mouth to scream a silent cry for help as the lid continued to grate open.

After what seemed like hours to Daniel, the lid finally stopped moving and he stood waiting for a hand to show itself over the lip of the stone tomb. All fell silent; the only sound was Jackson's own harsh breathing as he fought to contain his growing terror.

More time passed and nothing appeared to attack him. Slowly Daniel moved towards the open sarcophagus - almost against his own will he took one step at a time - until finally he was in a position to lean forward to peer inside. He tilted forward for a quick glance, then leapt back, expecting to be attacked at any moment.

He took another steadying breath when still nothing leapt out at him. This time when he looked into the open tomb, he took a few seconds to scan what lay before him. Surprisingly, it was a sight that he had witnessed before, during his days of accompanying archaeological digs in the Valley of the Kings.

He was looking into the open tomb of a member of some long-lost race, and seeing the splendour with which they buried their royal dead. The skeleton that rested under the heavy weight of golden armour was tall; the head-dress had fallen from the withered creature and exposed the head for inspection, but the chest and upper body were still covered with the armour and the legs hidden from view by the remains of the lid, which had slipped crossways to open the tomb.

The body was surrounded by weapons that Daniel didn't recognise, and by some large, worn scrolls that were pressed down the sides of the arms, as if packed as an afterthought. Jackson carefully reached into the tomb and removed one of the scrolls. He returned to his backpack and pulled out his second torch, the first having been used enough that it was now dimming.

Slowly, carefully, he opened the scroll and began to read. As the words and images hit him, he slowly slid down the wall for support. This was the story that he'd read in the room where he'd left O'Neil, but this version was much more bloody and painful, and spoke of a war that had lasted many, many years until the enemy (star-people as the scroll called them) had been vanquished. There was one word that kept repeating over and over again in the scroll; Daniel didn't recognise it, but - from the story - it tied in heavily with the final battle and the destruction of the star-people.

As he read, Jackson felt his excitement grow. Could this be some weapon, some knowledge that they could use against the Goa'uld? With shaking hands he unfolded more of the scroll, but it ended before it explained the story further. Standing, Jackson headed back towards the tomb, intent on retrieving more of the scrolls.

After thirty minutes he had digested nearly all of the ancient parchments, and had become convinced that the weapon they spoke of was the reason why the Goa'uld had retreated from this planet and made no further attempt to return, even though the Stargate had not been buried or destroyed.

Jackson headed back towards the sarcophagus; his attitude towards it had changed from terror to casual acceptance. He no longer saw it as a threat, only as a source of information. Reaching in, he tried to pull the last scroll from its buried position under the large shield that lay to one side of the skeleton. It was stubborn and refused to move, and Daniel was loathe to pull it, in case he tore the scroll.

Standing on tiptoe, he leaned into the tomb and as gently as possible slid the shield to one side and freed the scroll. As the shield moved, a sound reached Daniel's ear and he knew another moment of fear as he remembered the last time he'd heard an alien sound within the room. Glancing up, he noted that there was no slab about to fall on him. Instead he felt a whisper of movement at his feet and, without thought, he pulled his legs up and, suddenly off-balance, tumbled into the tomb as pain flared up his leg.

He gasped in agony and, grabbing at the injured limb, he looked down and noted blood pumping along his pants leg. He gritted his teeth against the bile that rose in his throat and tried to contain his panic. He knew that if he panicked now, it could cost him his life. That being the case, he fought against the light-headedness that threatened to invade his senses and struggled into a sitting position.

That, in itself, was a painful experience with the skeleton positioned under him, but he finally managed to pull himself up until he was sitting on the edge of the tomb, half resting upon the lid. Gingerly he lifted his wounded leg, and noted with shock that he was still bleeding. With growing weakness he roughly pulled his shirt off, then, holding it at each end, swung it around and around until it made a long, thick bandage which he proceeded to wrap tightly about the six-inch deep gash that was torn along his calf muscles at the back of his leg. He suddenly knew that if he didn't reach help soon, he would pass out and then die from loss of blood.

His strength fast-failing, he struggled out of the tomb and noted, as he did so, the jagged slice of sharpened flint that now flared from the side of the tomb; it was this that had caught his leg as he dived into the sarcophagus. As he fell off the tomb, he collapsed on the ground, breathing heavily. He had to reach his backpack and the other scrolls before he left.

He knew that O'Neil would be searching for him and would not leave until he found him, even if he only found Jackson's body. If that was the case, then the colonel would also find the scrolls, and he knew that Jack would take them back to Stargate Command for others to decipher and gain the knowledge of the weapon.

Half-hopping, half-staggering, Daniel reached his backpack and, dragging it up, he turned and began to edge his way along the wall as he stumbled out of the room and along the passageway that he'd used to reach this particular room.

Behind him the fading light of his first torch flickered and died, but the room was not plunged into darkness, as slowly a pulsing green light began to beat from within the sarcophagus.

***

O'Neil was furious. As he stalked along the narrow corridor, the other two members of his team following close behind, he thought back and had to admit that he'd never, ever been as angry as he was now. Not even when he'd learned on Abydos that Jackson didn't know the way home had he been this angry.

As he walked, he planned what he was going to do to Daniel once he'd got his hands on him. They had spent the last two hours moving after him, losing his trail and then having to backtrack until they found it again. Precious moments had been lost and, with each wrong step, O'Neil's anger and frustration had grown.

A hand upon his shoulder caused him to pause, a snarl of annoyance forming upon his lips. Teal'c stood behind O'Neil, his hand raised, head tilted as he listened to a sound that neither of the others could hear. "This way," he finally said, slipping easily past the colonel and preventing Jack's angry words. With sure steps he headed along the corridor.

Jack threw a quick look back towards Sam, who just shrugged and then followed as the other man began to trail after the tall Jaffa. Several turns later, Jack felt his step quicken as he began to hear what had attracted Teal'c's attention.

Rounding a corner, all three stopped at the sight that met their eyes: Jackson was staggering along the corridor, leaning against the wall as he wavered along. The pause was only a second long before all three of them rushed to his aid.

Jackson, suddenly feeling the support of his friends surrounding him, looked up into Jack's face, then smiled weakly in relief as his eyes rolled back and he passed out. O'Neil and Teal'c took his weight and, between them, they were able to lift him easily and gently place him upon the floor.

"He's losing a lot of blood from a leg wound," Sam stated as she followed the others down and began to examine the origin of the blood. As she carefully unwound the shirt, she gasped and gripped her hands over the wound that spurted blood up into the air. "Damn, get my pack. I need a pressure bandage right away."

Jack instantly reached for the pack in question and, within minutes, between them they had managed to stop the bleeding and re-secure the leg.

"How the hell did he manage to do this?" Jack questioned nobody in particular, but Teal'c answered, his tone deep, his concern evident.

"I would think that he tripped one of the security devices. He was lucky to make it back to us," he finished, as he watched the others work on his friend.

"Sam," O'Neil said, leaning backwards to give her more access to the injured leg, to which she was securing another pressure bandage in case the first gave out before they got him from the temple and out into the light, where she could inspect it better. "Make sure you keep him alive."

Carter paused in her work and, looking up, she said in some surprise, "I'll do my best, sir."

"Good," Jack offered, closing his eyes before he stated, "because as soon as he's well enough, I'm going to kill him." Neither of the other two commented on his words, as they were spoken with too much conviction to have been said with any humour behind them.

"Okay," Sam said, moving backwards and trying to break the tension that crackled about them. "That should hold until we can get him out of here, then I'd like to check it and maybe put some antiseptic powder on it."

"I will carry him," Teal'c offered, and Jack stood back and allowed the taller, stronger man to scoop up Daniel, which he did as if he was picking up a fragile child. Once he was secure within his grasp, Teal'c motioned for the others to go ahead.

"Captain, you take point, Teal'c you go in the middle, and I'll take the rear." O'Neil spoke firmly, reaching down and picking up Daniel's backpack. He was surprised to see it was full to brimming over, but he said nothing as the others followed his orders.

***

The trip out of the temple was long. None of them had realised just how deeply they had ventured into the building, and the sun was on its downward arc by the time they escaped the narrow confines of the temple.

Moving a safe distance away, Teal'c gently laid Daniel down upon a raised slab and stood back while Carter moved in, placing her pack beside the injured man who had not regained consciousness during the trip. Resting a hand upon his forehead, she frowned and offered, "He's got a slight temperature."

O'Neil came to stand beside her and looked down at his friend. He noted his too-pale face and sweating upper lip before he said sharply, "Do the necessary and get him ready to travel; we're heading back towards the Stargate, asap."

"Yes, sir," she offered as she got to work. Gingerly she released the two pressure bandages and noted with relief that the bleeding seemed to have stopped slightly. The wound now bled sluggishly and, with practised hands, she applied the medical aid and soon had it efficiently cleaned and covered again.

Standing, she stretched and released the kinks from her back. "That's the best I can do here, sir," she offered her commander, who had stood by and watched the entire proceedings with thin lips, his body still taut with anger.

"Right," O'Neil spoke sharply. "Let's get moving, people. I want to be back through the gate before dark." Turning towards the tall Jaffa, who had also stood silently during the procedure, he asked, "Do you think you could carry him again? I want to make good time."

The dark man looked at his injured friend, then back to O'Neil before he nodded his head, saying as he did so, "He weighs next to nothing." He leant forward and gathered Jackson within his strong grasp once again.

"Right," Jack said, once more impressed with the taller man's strength. "Let's get moving... Sam, you're point. Teal'c, as before, you're middle, and I'll follow."

***

Daniel was moving, of that he was sure. He could feel his body swaying from side to side, and yet his legs seemed to be motionless and his position seemed wrong. He frowned and considered how this could be so. Slowly he opened his eyes and squinted, as the fading light pounded into his aching head.

"Daniel is awake," came the deep tones of Teal'c. Daniel glanced up and realised that he was being carried by the Jaffa. He opened his mouth to comment on this, but stopped short when memory returned in a flood, causing him to gasp.

Jack appeared at Teal'c's side and frowned down at him, but seeing that the Jaffa's words were true, and meeting his injured friend's confused glance, he smiled and offered, "Take it easy there, Daniel, we'll have you back at base in no time." He kept his tone light, pushing past the anger that still flowed. Shouting at Jackson now would do no good.

"Scrolls," Jackson gasped as he weakly struggled within Teal'c's grasp. "Got to get them," he panted, surprised at how weak he felt.

"Daniel... Daniel," O'Neil insisted, finally taking the man's head and holding it still so he could look into his eyes as he finished, "I've got your backpack with the scrolls in... we'll get them back to base and, when you're feeling better, you can read and catalogue them, Okay?"

"No...." Daniel began to struggle harder, and finally Teal'c let him slip to the ground when he realised that dropping him would only cause further harm. "Got to go back..." he gasped, as he was gently lowered and laid upon the floor. Teal'c looked towards the colonel for direction, but O'Neil waved him aside and watched as Daniel tried to struggle to his feet, but his strength deserted him and he lay gasping, dragging in breaths as his body fought to stay conscious.

"Jackson, don't you do this to me," O'Neil rasped through gritted teeth as he watched the other man. "We have got to go back..." he tried to explain. "You've lost a lot of blood. Now, this isn't an argument; I will have Carter sedate you, if I have to."

"Jack... please," Daniel pleaded, reaching out and gripping the other man's arm. "There was another scroll... it was the final one and I'm sure that it contained the knowledge of the weapon...." He stopped again as pain flared from his leg, which he had been twisting in his effort to rise.

"Weapon...?" Jack suddenly zeroed in on what Daniel had said, a confused frown crossing his handsome features. "What weapon? We've not found any weapons here."

"The scrolls..." Daniel tried to keep his voice calm, knowing that he stood a better chance of getting his own way if he did so. "They tell the story of these people and their fight against the Goa'uld... how they won.... The scrolls mention a weapon... a weapon so effective that it was enough to keep the Goa'uld off this planet.... Please Jack... we have to go back."

O'Neil looked up at Teal'c and asked, "Could there be such a weapon?"

The Jaffa considered the question carefully, before answering, "There are many tales of planets that were able to fight off the Goa'uld, and some of them mention weapons that were very powerful and that were used effectively against them.... The Goa'uld would leave those planets undisturbed, for fear that their revolutions would travel across the skies and infect other planets." He paused and added, "Very much like what happened on your own planet."

Reaching up, Jackson caught at O'Neil's arm and tried to pull him down again as he stated, "We have to go back... while I can still remember the way through the passages to the room."

O'Neil considered his options, and was very tempted to do as Jackson wanted. The chance to get a solid weapon that they could use against the Goa'uld was very tempting, but looking down into the shockingly pale face of the young anthropologist, he knew where his real duty lay. "No, Daniel... I'm sorry," he began with real regret, "but I have to get you back to Stargate command; you need urgent medical attention."

"No... NO!" Jackson was almost frantic in his denial of the other man's words. "You don't understand..." he began, but then slumped back as the fight left him and he accused, his fevered mind seeking an answer for O'Neil's reluctance to return to the temple, "you don't want to find them... you want to make me pay for discovering the truth of the Stargate, and because Hathor liked me best." Tears slowly trickled down his face. "Shau'ri... Shau'ri... I'm sorry.... I'm so sorry."

O'Neil rocked backwards as the other man's words caught at him; he could not believe what he had just heard. Did Jackson truly believe the rubbish he had just spouted? Jack wanted to reach out and shake the man, demand that he listen to what O'Neil had to say. How could he even consider such a thing? "Daniel," he began, gently reaching out to grip the shoulder nearest to him, but his hand was roughly shaken off as Daniel continued to shiver and rock in his own tormented world, begging forgiveness from his missing wife. Jack swallowed hard before he pressed on, "I promise we will come back here... I promise.... Just as soon as you're well enough, we will come back and you can find your missing scroll."

"Too late," Daniel began, looking up into Jack's eyes and pleading with his last weapon; hope was shining from the blue depths. "Let me go back now.... Please... I remember what path I took... just let me go back... I can find the sarcophagus and the scroll."

"Sarcophagus?" Carter suddenly dropped in; she had been kneeling near the injured man but had not spoken as she watched the agony play out before her, but the knowledge of another life-giving chamber of the gods broke her silence. "Sir," she began quietly, "if Daniel has discovered another sarcophagus, we should be able to use it to heal him...." She stopped, uncertain whether or not to continue.

O'Neil offered, "Yeah, tell me, Captain - is that right before or right after we dispatch the Goa'uld in residence?"

"No..." Jackson butted in, having heard the hushed words. "It was empty..." he lied. "She's right, I could use it to get well... otherwise I might bleed to death before we reach the Stargate." As if to prove his point, he slammed his hand down upon his heavily bandaged leg and howled at the pain this caused.

"Daniel!" Jack snarled, snatching and firmly holding his hand away from the wound.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Through eyes that were slipping closed from pain and suffering, Daniel offered, "You've got to take me back there now." His tone carried a certain amount of triumph, and O'Neil was tempted to deny his request just because of that, but reality kicked in and, looking down at the injured leg, he noted the seeping blood as it began to leak through the second pressure bandage.

"I swear, one of these days I'm going to kill you myself, Jackson," he snarled, before he slumped and agreed, "Okay, Daniel, we'll take you back into the temple, but one more outbreak like that..." he pointed to the bleeding wound, "and I'll carry you back to the Stargate myself and throw you through."

Jackson opened his eyes and smiled weakly at his friend. "Get me back to that sarcophagus, Jack, and I promise you won't have to kill me." It seemed a strange thing to say, but O'Neil let it slide past him as he noted the fearful look that entered the other man's eyes.

Standing, Jack suddenly came to a decision. "Okay, if we are going to do this, then let's do it." He turned and motioned for Sam to come closer. As she did so, he asked, his tone hushed, "Have you got anything in that bag of yours to help him with the pain, but not totally knock him out?" As he spoke, he scanned the sky and knew that they only had an hour or two of daylight left. He realised with regret that they would be spending a second night on the planet.

Sam nodded and offered, "Yes, Mophazine should hold his pain at bay, but still keep him moderately functional." As she spoke, she began reaching into her bag and drew out the drug.

Kneeling back down beside Daniel, Jack explained what they were going to do. While the anthropologist was not too thrilled with the idea of the injection, he was quite prepared to accept it if it got him back to that room with the sarcophagus and the last scroll.

***

The trip back to the temple went without a hitch. Teal'c had resumed carrying Jackson, who had begun to slip in and out of consciousness, and his arm now rested about the other man's strong neck, so that when he was awake he had a clear vision of where they were travelling. If he felt any awkwardness at his position, he didn't mention it.

When they reached the building, O'Neil decided to leave the majority of their gear at the edge of the forest, taking only the essential equipment back into the temple. He noted with surprise that Daniel sat up straighter and struggled to get down, seeming to draw energy from the nearness of the temple, but one warning word from Jack stopped his movement as O'Neil ordered firmly, "No, Daniel. Teal'c is going to carry you, otherwise all deals are off."

"You need to take me back to the room that we were originally in; from there I'm sure I can find the sarcophagus." He didn't mention the fact that every few seconds his vision would narrow to a pinpoint and his head would buzz, nor that he was fighting off the growing effects of exhaustion. He needed to get back to that room; he had to get that last scroll and discover the truth about the weapon. He felt bad about lying to his friends, but he truly considered this to be their only chance of finding a weapon that could be used against the Goa'uld.

Stepping back into the temple was a bit of a let-down; the sun had nearly set and the difference between the fading light and the darkened temple entrance chamber was slight. Moving swiftly, the four made their way to the original room that SG-4 had scouted and pronounced safe. From there, Daniel began to direct them down a number of twisting corridors.

He seemed to have revived significantly when they entered the temple; the fever that was flushing his face - while still very evident - seemed to have been surpassed by his excitement of going back into the sarcophagus' room. But, as they travelled deeper and deeper, his energy seemed to be disappearing, his words slurred and his eyes fought to stay open, until finally his tone halted and he went limp in the large Jaffa's arms.

"Daniel?" O'Neil snapped, coming up behind the taller man, then - seeing his friend's pale face and closed eyes - he sighed and asked, glancing at the ceiling for assistance, "Now what do we do?"

"I guess we follow this," Captain Carter stated, shining her torch down towards the floor. It clearly highlighted the splatter of dried blood, as it disappeared off into the darkness.

"Oh this is just great... maybe we could get Daniel to slit a vein on every mission, just in case we lose our way." O'Neil's tone was sarcastic, edged with a slight ring of bitterness. "And if he really pisses me off... I could always offer to do the cutting." Seeing the shocked look this earned him from the others, he waved his hand forward and offered, "Okay people, let's move forward. This standing about isn't going to do us any good."

The rest of the trip was made in silence, until finally they came across the room where Daniel had been injured. "Colonel," Sam said, pausing on the threshold, much as Daniel had done previously, "there appears to be a green light glowing from the sarcophagus, sir."

O'Neil edged past Teal'c and his burden and looked towards where Carter was pointing. He noted the glowing light with a frown, then another factor struck him and he asked, his tone one of growing suspicion, "Teal'c, do you ever remember a Goa'uld sleeping it off in a stone sarcophagus?"

The tall Jaffa frowned and pulled his lips down in a frown as he answered, "Not to my knowledge."

"Okay then, do you remember if Ra - or any of the others - had some poor relations who couldn't afford a gold sarcophagus?" he asked again, this time his tone hardening to cracked ice.

"There isn't such a thing as a poor Goa'uld," Teal'c stated with certainty.

Straightening his shoulders, O'Neil turned back to Teal'c and glared fiercely at the unconscious Jackson. As he did so, he asked Carter, an idea beginning to grow, "Have you any smelling salts in that first aid kit of yours?" The ice would have sunk an unsinkable ship.

"Yes sir, I believe that I do." Sam's own anger at Jackson's lies was also near the surface, but unlike O'Neil her tone became very polite and professional as she dug out the requested object.

Breaking the vial under Jackson's nose, O'Neil waited until the dazed man coughed weakly and returned to consciousness. Slowly he opened his eyes and looked at the two angry people before him, then slipped a look up at Teal'c, whose face was unreadable as always. "I take it..." he began slowly, "from your expressions that we're there?"

"Would you mind explaining just what the hell is going on here, Dr Jackson?"

Lifting a tired arm, Daniel pushed back his glasses and offered, "You wouldn't have come back here otherwise." It was a statement of fact, and he showed no remorse for his actions. Then, noticing the green glow that was coming from the room, he asked, "Where is that light coming from?" The slip into unconsciousness seemed to have refuelled his energy level slightly, as he craned forward to see into the room. Teal'c moved forward to allow him the view. "It's coming from the sarcophagus!" Daniel exclaimed.

"You mean it wasn't glowing when you left?" O'Neil asked, turning to look back into the room.

"No.... I mean, I know that I was otherwise occupied... but I think I would have remembered a green glow. I wonder what's causing it?"

"Let's not find that out," O'Neil said, motioning for the others to pull back.

"What... what are you doing?" Jackson stammered as he was moved from the doorway of the tomb.

"We are heading back towards the Stargate," Jack said firmly.

"But wait... we can't.... What about the scroll?" Jackson demanded, beginning to struggle again.

"Oh no you don't," snapped Jack, moving swiftly in front of the other man and lifting his clenched fist. "You even think about giving me trouble, and I'm going to knock you out with my own fist." The words were spoken with such conviction that Daniel halted in mid-struggle and swallowed hard at the steely glare he encountered.

"Jack... we can't... we can't just leave the scroll... it's far too important..." he pleaded, his voice almost tearful in his insistence to go back to the parchment.

O'Neil hovered between carrying out his threat and giving in to the pleas. Finally he sighed, knowing that what Daniel said was true; if there was a chance of finding this mystical weapon, then it was up to him to find it. Taking off his backpack, he asked, "Where is the damned scroll then?"

Jackson slumped back, relieved that his friend was going to help him. Taking a steadying breath, he offered, "It's in the sarcophagus, just under the shield." As Jack began to move away, he continued, concern filling his tone, "Be careful of the traps...."

O'Neil paused and, looking back, he asked, "Traps?"

"Yeah, but I think I set off all the ones that were about the tomb," Daniel offered, before he added helpfully, "The slab on the floor and the razor-sharp rock that is projecting from the tomb itself."

"Oh, this just keeps getting better and better, doesn't it?" Jack mumbled as he looked into the room and noted the two objects that Daniel had mentioned. "Now you," he motioned firmly towards the other three members of his team, but Daniel in particular, "don't move a muscle."

Cautiously he stepped into the room. He could hear Carter take up a position behind him. Her gun, he knew, would be held at the ready, her voice eager to give warning if needed.

As he edged forward, he scanned the surrounding area. The light from his helmet torch outshone the dim green glow from the sarcophagus, and he was able to see more clearly the writing upon the walls. He paused when he spied Daniel's torn jacket, protruding from under the large slab that looked as if it had fallen from a great height. Tilting his head, he looked up the shaft and suppressed a whistle when he realised just how near his friend must have come to being in the jacket and under the slab. Forcing the ensuing anger aside, he turned his professionally trained eye upon the actual sarcophagus itself.

He could see the sharp, vicious-looking, finely-honed flint that had done the damage to Daniel's leg, and could only wonder at the action the younger man had taken to stay alive. He began to re-evaluate Jackson's survival rating - that was, if O'Neil didn't kill him himself.

On reaching the sarcophagus, he realised that a low hum accompanied the glow and, peering into the tomb, he noticed that a large gemstone in the middle of the shield appeared to be the origin of both the light and the sound, as it pulsed with life. Beside it rested the last scroll. Reaching into the tomb as carefully as he could, he gently lifted it up. As he did so, he caught the edge of the shield and felt a sudden flash of fear when the sound increased in volume. Spinning, he was halfway across the room before the gem suddenly burst into greater light. It lit up the whole room blindingly, and Carter looked away with a gasp of pain.

Jack's attention, however, was fixed firmly on the door, which was growing smaller as another slab of stone that had rested unseen above it began to fall into place, acting like a door, covering his exit forever. He took a gulp of breath and, throwing himself forward, he slid under it just before it crashed down. Carter reached out and firmly yanked him away from the trap that had nearly killed him. In the background he could hear Jackson, frantically calling his name, and it was the evident tone of terror that kept him from losing himself, as he responded to the other man's desperate cry.

"I'm all right," he gasped, as he lay panting upon the floor. For a fully-trained marine, he had not exerted himself very much, and yet that one action of diving across the room and under the slab had seemed like the equivalent of a ten mile hike.

Slowly, rhythmically, another sound reached their ears and dust began to fall in upon their heads. Carter turned fearful eyes upon her downed commander and asked, "Is that what I think it is?"

O'Neil scrambled to his feet and offered, "I don't know, does it sound like a temple coming down on our heads?" Even as he asked the question, he was motioning the others to head out in front of him at a sharp jog.

Teal'c loped along the narrow passageways, carrying Daniel as if he weighed nothing at all. The injured man tried vainly to hold on, but the continual jogging of his wound and the fever that was building proved to be too much, and he slipped into unconsciousness, not knowing if he would awaken.

While it seemed to have taken them hours to wander the narrow walkways from the original room that SG-4 had discovered to reach the sarcophagus, it only seemed to take them minutes to return, as the temple began to crumple about them. Soon they erupted out of the temple and staggered back towards the forest, and the safety that it provided.

As he reached the edge of the forest, O'Neil turned back and watched as the temple shuddered; it seemed to shrink in upon itself until it was only two thirds of its original size, and billows of dust and dirt shot up into the night air. Leaning forward and resting his hands upon his knees, Jack pulled in gulps of air and offered, "Now that's what I call a trap."

"We were only able to outrun the destruction because of the temple's age, and the mechanisms of the traps had grown bad with disuse," Teal'c stated as matter-of-fact.

Jack squinted up at him and smiled, before replying, "Well, I for one am very grateful for that fact."

"Colonel!" Carter's cry of distress attracted O'Neil's attention away from the Jaffa and back to the man he still held secure within his arms. "Daniel's bleeding again." Her hand-held light clearly showed the slow drip of blood as it seeped out from under the bandage.

"Okay gang," O'Neil said with more levity than he felt. His anger at Jackson returned in full, and he fought to keep his mind on his present objective as he ordered, "Let's get Daniel treated, and then set up camp for the night. We are not going to be able to make it back to the Stargate tonight."

Several minute passed as they worked to re-bandage the anthropologist's wound and then set up the two tents of the night before. It was a basic camp, but soon the smell of cooking food began to wash over the deserted temple.

This night passed much as the previous one had, except that Daniel's injuries were considerably worse, and all three of his companions breathed a sigh of relief when dawn began to crawl across the landscape. They wasted no time in breaking camp:

O'Neil decided to leave most of the equipment and travel light, speed being of the essence. As he watched Sam check Daniel's wound, he recalled the night and the fevered dreams that had left the other man tossing and twisting upon his bed, as he vainly tried to fight of the advances of Hathor. While in reality he had not been able to succeed, in his dreams he had put up a tremendous struggle that left him weak and drenched with sweat, calling out to his friends to help him.

O'Neil had never been as pleased to see a Stargate as he was when they came upon the one that would take them home. Shaking with his own fatigue, he stood by Carter as she keyed in the symbols that would take them back to Earth. She, too, carried the edge of exhaustion about her person, but like O'Neil her training would not allow her to give in to it. As she entered the code, Jack glanced at Teal'c who had again volunteered to carry Jackson. While he looked tired, he still gave the impression of being able to carry the injured man a lot further.

"You go first," O'Neil said, waving the Jaffa forward. As the two men disappeared, he turned to Carter and motioned her forward. After she had gone, he was alone on the planet and turned to look at the landscape beyond him, then down at Jackson's rucksack that he had carried. It contained the scrolls that Daniel had thought important enough to die for. With a shake of his head, Jack turned and stepped into the shimmering portal of the Stargate.

***

Daniel was without pain. He licked at his lips and tried to push away the need to open his eyes, but finally his curiosity won out and he slowly, owlishly blinked and looked into the concerned face of his friend, Jack O'Neil, who broke into a wide smile when he saw that Daniel was gazing back at him.

"How do you feel?" he questioned gently, sitting back on the seat that was pulled up close to the bed.

Jackson considered the question carefully, before he answered honestly, "Better than I think I have the right to." As he spoke he tried to shift his position, but was prevented by his leg, which was suspended in the air with a very heavy bandage swathed about it.

"It wasn't a dream, then?" Daniel asked, then coughed as his dry throat protested. He managed to gasp, "How long?"

Seeing Jackson's distress, Jack reached for a small plastic cup that was sitting at the bedside and offered him a small spoon of ice chips. "Take it slow and let them melt in your mouth," he advised, before he answered, "In answer to your questions; no, it wasn't, and this is your third day."

"Three days!" Daniel exclaimed, looking about in shock, as if he could verify Jack's words.

"You lost a fair amount of blood, and the fever got a pretty strong hold on you. Dr Frasier said that you might not have made it if we left it too much longer...." Jack stopped suddenly, unable to continue. He wanted to shout at his friend, demand why he had so foolishly risked his life by allowing them to believe that he had found a Goa'uld sarcophagus, but instead he forced himself to remain calm.

"Man... I feel so tired," Jackson offered with conviction. He realised that he didn't have the energy to even lift up his hands and wave aside the other's concern.

"That's what getting your leg sliced open can do for ya," O'Neil offered with a certain amount of relish, then - taking pity upon his friend - he offered, "You were in micro-surgery for over six hours... but the good news is that they managed to save your leg."

"My leg... I... will I...."

He had turned suddenly pale, and looked decidedly green; it kind of reminded O'Neil of the glow from the sarcophagus, but he quickly pushed that thought aside as it still made him angry when he thought of it. Instead, he hastened to reassure, "Your leg will be fine, Daniel, you were lucky; it mainly caught muscle - the ligaments will be painful for a while, but you'll be up and about in no time."

"The scrolls... what about the scrolls?" Daniel suddenly asked as he remembered them.

O'Neil looked down at his hands and, noticing the plastic cup, he held it up and offered more ice chips which were gratefully accepted. "Well, we've had a little bit of trouble deciphering them, but from what we have been able to make out so far, they tell an interesting story. They don't really give any indication of what the weapon might have been.... I'm sorry, Daniel... I know how much you wanted them to." He paused, allowing his words to sink in. He winced at the deep look of disappointment that clouded his friend's face, and offered hopefully, "General Hammond has sent back SG--3 to investigate the damage done to the temple, but, so far, it looks like it imploded in upon itself, and they haven't been able to get more than twelve feet into the main entrance room."

"So I risked everything... the mission, our lives... for nothing," Daniel said, turning his face away from his friend. He was unable to look at him as he felt a deep shame for what he had done; he had been so sure that the weapon the aliens spoke of would have been invaluable in their fight against the Goa'uld.

Jack, seeing how much his words affected his friend and trying to ease his obvious discomfort, offered, "They do give a very detailed description of what exactly happened during the war between them and the Goa'uld, and that gives us some good ideas of what to expect, if they should ever reach Earth in their own ships."

"Their own ships?" Daniel questioned, tilting his head to look once more at the other man, his insatiable curiosity awoken by the other man's words.

"Yes, that's what finally destroyed them... those who built the temple, that is. According to the last scroll - and it was all told in the last scroll, so we would have had to have gone back for it, anyway, Daniel," he stated, looking the other man right in the eye so he would know that he was not just saying it. Seeing the slight nod of acceptance he got, Jack continued, "Anyway, according to the last scroll, Ra or one of his brothers sent some ships there, and within days of their arrival they had destroyed the population of the planet. From the description it looks like some form of chemical warfare, but SG-4 found no sign of it when they did the first batch of tests, so it must have run its course and died long before we got there."

"And the man... the, er... king... the one who was... who was buried in the tomb... do we have any idea of his part in all this?" Daniel was now totally engrossed in the story that O'Neil was telling him, and the questions were falling over themselves in his mind as he fought to sort them all out.

"Didn't you read the scrolls?" Jack asked in some surprise. He found it hard to believe that Daniel could have had the items within his grasp, and resisted reading them.

"I think I did," Daniel confessed with a slight frown as he tried hard to remember, "but everything is a little bit hazy.... Sorry," he admitted, slightly shame-faced.

O'Neil sat back and then nodded; he glanced at the time and noted that it was only two in the morning... there were still a few hours to kill before the morning shift arrived and the underground base came slowly to life again. Settling back, he folded his arms loosely across his chest and thought back to the meeting he'd attended the day before. "Okay, let's see.... The first set of scrolls, as far as we can make out, are mainly concerned with the original battle to get rid of the Goa'uld. They tell the story of the one that the inhabitants won, using the weapon that you know about. After that, they had themselves some pretty big celebrations and made the main guy a king and all that. The last scroll deals mainly with what happened when the Goa'uld ships turned up; it was a complete surprise and, from what we can make out, they were all dead within days. The last scroll ended in mid sentence... but we can surmise that the scrolls were hidden in the temple, because of the elaborate traps and the assumed knowledge that the Goa'uld would not be able to get to them."

He paused, seeing the look of distress that crossed Jackson's face, before he continued, knowing what the younger man was feeling, "Daniel, I know this isn't pleasant, but it's what the Goa'uld do... we know that, and the people on that planet died hundreds, maybe thousands of years ago. But those scrolls we brought back... you were right, they are important - and, you never know, they just might give us the edge that we've been looking for." He stopped again, and this time he reached out and grasped Daniel's shoulder in reassurance, wanting to stress his earlier words. "You were right to go back for the last one, and - once you're out of here and have some time to properly decipher them... I'm sure that you'll be able to shed even more light on the events that led up to the destruction of that planet."

"Jack," he began, then leant back as he felt a shiver of weakness wash over him, but he pushed it away as he fought to continue, "I hear what you're saying, but... but I had no right lying to you... and getting you back into that temple.... I could have cost us all our lives."

Daniel was now fighting to keep his eyes open and Jack, seeing this, again squeezed his arm, saying, "Look, now is not the time to talk about this... you're tired and you need some more rest, but I do agree with you... and we are going to have a very, very serious talk about what happened...." He paused, considering his words, before he added, "I can't say that I totally agree with your... er... methods, but now is not the time to go into this." Jack smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes and, seeing that Jackson was still troubled, he offered, "Look, as soon as Dr Frasier lets you out, I'll take you down to the gym and we can discuss your method with gloves... marine style... if you want...?" He stopped, gauging how his words were being accepted. They seemed to be doing the trick, as Daniel began to relax under his grip. "Now," he continued firmly, "try to get some more sleep and I promise you... we will discuss this when you're feeling better... okay?" Not getting a reply, he asked again, "Okay?"

Jackson slowly looked up and met Jack's gaze, before he slowly nodded his head in agreement and offered, "Okay... with gloves?"

"Big gloves..." Jack agreed, this time with a genuine smile. "Now, you try to get some more sleep." Jackson glanced nervously about the small ward for a few moments before his eyes slowly closed, then they shot open again as he flashed upon something he'd rather forget. O'Neil, seeing this, offered, "Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere and I'll be here when you wake."

Jackson smiled warmly at his friend's words, knowing that O'Neil would never break his promise. Slowly his eyes closed, and this time he slipped into an easy sleep - secure in the knowledge that his friend, Jack O'Neil, was keeping watch.

***

Two weeks had passed, and Jackson was now up and about on crutches. In fact, he was becoming the menace of the underground complex as he hobbled from one room to another. He had been allowed to return to work the previous week - admittedly reluctantly - by Dr Frasier, and only after promising to take thing easy and not push himself too hard... which he had immediately ignored, as he had spent the first three days locked in his makeshift office with the scrolls, venturing out only when forced by the others of the SG-1 team.

The information that he'd managed to pull from the scrolls was incredible, and while the initial reading by other members of the complex had been interesting and told the story as far as they could, Daniel managed to dig out more details and was able to bring the inhabitants of the long-dead race to life. He'd even managed to discover the name of the dead king who had guarded the scrolls. He had been the man who had initiated the first rebellion against the Goa'uld, and it seemed a fitting place to bury the scrolls as the race was dying. He also discovered that the race had survived many generations before the Goa'uld ships had arrived, so in one way he felt better for the long-dead race... at least they had had approximately 600 years of freedom before they had been destroyed by their previous masters.

Once the scrolls had been properly deciphered by Jackson and the information fed into the computer to update their fast-growing database on the Goa'uld, Daniel seemed to slip into a depression, moping about the lower rooms, spending many hours and nights sitting in the control room, just looking at the large Stargate before him, ignoring all attempts to get him to leave by base personnel.

What his thoughts were, no-one knew, but O'Neil appeared late one evening, after being called by the watch commander, to find his friend, half-asleep on his chair but still stubbornly refusing to leave. With a silent nod of thanks towards the captain on watch, Jack had used a cross between his persuasive abilities and just plain bullying to get Daniel to his feet and assist him as he hobbled back to the anthropologist's bare, sterile room.

Once there, O'Neil insisted on waiting while Daniel prepared himself for bed. Jackson was annoyed at being treated like a child, but Jack just let his snide words wash over him; he had other, more important issues that he wanted to raise, and he had been waiting for just such a moment to raise them.

"Happy now?" Daniel asked as he returned from the bathroom, his dressing gown tied tightly about his middle.

"Daniel," Jack began, steeling himself for the coming argument, "I think we need to have a talk."

Jackson stood up straighter on his crutches, not liking the way Jack had spoken. "About what?" he asked warily, raising a hand to push back his glasses that had slipped down his nose as he hobbled.

O'Neil took a deep breath and, choosing his words with care, he began. "It's about Hathor," he finally admitted.

"What about her?" Daniel shot back, his entire body language screaming that this was one conversation that he didn't want to have. That mere fact alone caused Jack to sit up straighter and set his resolve.

"You promised me on our last mission that you would seek some help, once we returned.... It's been over two weeks now, Daniel, and all you're doing is either hiding out in this room, or at Stargate control. Now, I want to know what the hell is going on, and are you going to keep your promise and get some help?"

Jackson moved away from his friend and awkwardly sat down on a chair that was by the desk. He hunched himself over and glared at O'Neil as he answered bitterly, "I think blackmailing a friend is a shitty thing to do."

Jack felt anger ripple along his spine as he fired back, just as quick, "And I think welching on a deal is a shitty thing to do, as well."

Daniel opened his mouth to give a retort, but then slowly closed it, finally admitting as his shoulders slumped, "I can't, Jack... I'm sorry... I just can't.... It's too personal, what she did, and... what makes it worse is that... that I agreed to it. That's what makes this so much worse... I mean, I'm married to Shau'ri... just because she's not here doesn't mean... I can... just...." He finally stumbled to a halt, unable to finish, and the tormented eyes he turned upon O'Neil did indeed inform the other man that this was not an easy task for his friend.

"Daniel... you didn't do anything wrong, for Christ's sake. We were all under her spell - me... General Hammond... damn it, every single man on this base... all of us were abused by her in one way or another. What she did to me...." He stopped suddenly, unable to reveal his own fears before this man. Then, realising that Jackson was actually listening to him, he pushed his own night terrors aside and began, "I've been having dreams as well.... But," he added for good measure, "I saw Dr Frasier about them, just after we got back, and I'm now talking to an outside counsellor. He's really good, and has the proper clearance so I can be as open as I want, and it's really helping me."

"You're seeing a counsellor?" Jackson asked in total surprise, his jaw hanging slack as the other's words impacted on him.

Seeing the look of stunned disbelief that Daniel was giving him, Jack turned defensive. "Well, it's helping... and, while I will admit that I'm still having the occasional nightmare, they've been a lot better the last week, and I've only seen him three times so far."

"Three times?" Jackson repeated, a mental image hitting his funny bone. There was humour in his voice as he offered, by way of apology, "I'm sorry, Jack, but I just can't picture you sitting on a couch revealing all your inner fears and phobias to a virtual stranger."

"Yeah... well, I guess I got used to it after my son died." There was a certain amount of bitterness in the statement, and Daniel was immediately sorry for his words, but Jack - seeing it in his eyes - waved the unsaid words aside and explained, "My commander at the time was pretty hot on post traumatic stress syndrome and all that shit, so he insisted that I attend so many sessions.... At first I was just as sceptical as you are, but after a while it... well, it really seemed to help - and, while I bullshitted the guy before we travelled through the Stargate, once I got back, I looked him up again and it really did me some good." He stopped and looked over at Daniel, who was still seated upon the chair; he looked desperately tired, and Jack knew that he'd not slept the night through since he'd been released from the med-lab. "I really think that it would do you some good as well."

Daniel sat for a long time just looking at Jack. What went on in his mind, the colonel had no idea, but he guessed that he was thinking back on his wife, his life on Abydos and all that he had lost, as well as his run-in with Hathor. Finally he nodded; it was a slow action, and Jack knew that it took a lot of courage for the other man to concede the point.

Tentatively Jack offered, "I've got an appointment with him for tomorrow morning. His name is Dr Sewell. I'm sure that I could get you a follow-on appointment if you were interested?"

Daniel chewed at his bottom lip as he thought about it, then finally he agreed, "If you think that it would be all right."

"Hey... no problem, the guy owes me. I'll give him a call first thing." Jack didn't bother stating that he'd already booked the appointment the last time he'd visited; he was determined that Jackson would be accompanying him when he returned for his next appointment. "Now, why don't you see if you can get some sleep?"

Daniel stood and slowly hobbled towards the bed, gently placing his glass on the bedside cabinet. The young anthropologist remained silent as Jack held up the covers and helped him slip his bandaged leg under them. Moving to the desk, the colonel turned on the small lamp before switching off the overhead light, throwing the room into semi-darkness, then - moving back to the seat that Jackson had just vacated - Jack pulled out a tattered and much-read paperback. "I've been meaning to finish this book since we first visited Abydos... would you mind if I just sat here and read it? I know if I go back to my own room I'm going to get disturbed."

Daniel shook his head and offered, "No... by all means... I... er... thanks, Jack." While one part of his mind felt indignant that O'Neil felt he needed to remain the rest of the night, another part of him was touched by his friend's ability to see his desperate need not to be alone, and to act upon it without making it an issue.

"Hey," Jack said, settling back upon the seat and tilting the book so that it caught the rays of light. "Do you want me to read to you?" he asked, tilting an eyebrow up.

"What's the book called?" Daniel asked, his tone already sleepy as he tucked himself further under the covers, feeling that he was going to be able to sleep for the first time in ages. He knew that Jack would awaken him if the nightmares of Hathor were to return.

"Bikini Bunny Bombshells Blast Vegas."

With a gentle smile, Daniel offered in answer to Jack's previous question, "No... that's all right... but I've got the sequel to that one... Bikini Bunny Bombshells Let Loose In Los Angeles... if you're interested." His words were slurred as he finished.

O'Neil seemed inordinately pleased at the thought of a sequel and, looking at the book cover, he took in the sight of the scantily-dressed young bimbos, brandishing large guns that they could never conceal about their virtually-unclothed persons, and he smiled broadly and said, "A sequel... great." But his words went unheard, as Daniel was already asleep.

THE END

STARGATE      *      HOME PAGE

This website is maintained by Donna and Wyvern
email Donna