Hold Me

by Sistine

URL: http://www.area52hkh.net/ass/sistine/holdme.php
Summary: An old Goa'uld nemesis comes up with a new way to destroy SG-1. An AU version of Metamorphosis, Originally published in 'Off the Record 2'.

Nirrti strode through the blackened corridors of Baal's palace, one solitary purpose in mind. She had been planning this since her previous encounter with the Tau'ri, and finally she would have one of the two key components. The other one--well, it would have to wait for a while longer.

She had no difficulty in locating the sarcophagus room. To her surprise, though, Baal was there waiting for her. He didn't look at all happy--something to do with his palace being attacked and his Tau'ri toy being taken away from him, no doubt. Nirrti bowed her head in greeting.

"What are you doing here?" Baal had little tolerance for Nirrti. She wasted too much time on genetic experiments in his opinion.

"I believe you were holding the Tau'ri O'Neill prisoner." Although Nirrti didn't have an overt army, she had a multitude of spies who kept her informed of her fellow System Lords movements in case something of interest came up. Her ascent up the ladder of System Lords had been discreet, much like Anubis, and she felt it was entirely possibly no-one knew just how much power she had.

Baal's eyes narrowed. "Why?"

Nirrti's eyes swept over the table, noting the knife with the bloodstains. Then she lifted her eyes to Baal again. "I require some of his blood."

This time Baal raised his eyebrows. "Why?" he asked again. "For one of your 'experiments', I suppose."

Nirrti didn't bother to reply to that, her haughty expression speaking for her. She let her gaze drift around the room. "The Tau'ri?" At Baal's stony silence, she stated, "I have a way to get rid of O'Neill and the others with him. All I need is his blood." Her tone indicated that Baal was a fool for letting O'Neill live. She would not make that mistake unless it suited her purpose to do so.

"Take it." Baal turned and stalked out of the room. It was no concern of his what she did.

An evil smile slowly spread across Nirrti's face. Oh yes, she would take it, and then the Tau'ri would pay for their interference.

Eleven months later...

Jack woke with an armful of sleeping archaeologist. He just lay there, breathing in Daniel's scent, and thanking his lucky stars that the young man was with him. It had been two months since they had found Daniel--without his memory--on Vis Uban, and one month since Daniel had remembered his relationship with Jack. One month since they had again become lovers. And this time, Jack was trying to savour every minute of it.

He had been a fool last time. The first few months of their relationship had been sweet with promise and anticipation, then two heady years had followed, filled with passion and love. But just before the end, it had started to go wrong. Jack wasn't sure how, or why even, but it had. It might have had something to do with the way he had started taking Daniel for granted, assuming that the love Daniel had for him would conquer everything.

It hadn't.

The row they'd had over Reese had been the beginning of the end. Actually, it had started the day before with Jack's jealousy getting the better of him. A new, much younger, anthropologist had started work at the SGC, and Jack had noticed how much time the man spent in Daniel's office. Daniel, of course, had dismissed Jack's claims that the man had 'the hots' for him, and the fall-out hadn't been pretty. When Jack had shot Reese, well, that had been the last straw. Daniel had listened to Jack's explanation why but couldn't forgive him, not at that time anyway. They had decided to have some time apart to let things cool down, only seeing each other at work.

And then Daniel had died.

The guilt and grief Jack had felt in the following weeks almost killed him too. Only two things kept him alive. One was the fact that Daniel wouldn't want him to die too. The other was the belief that Daniel wasn't really dead. Oh, he had seen Daniel die--he would never forget that as long as he lived--but he had also seen Oma Desala, and he had seen Daniel ascend. The hope that he might one day see Daniel again had sustained him through that horrible year. That's why he couldn't grieve like Carter had wanted him to. Because he didn't believe that Daniel was truly dead.

Running his hand lightly over Daniel's bare back, Jack smiled sadly. Getting Daniel back had been a miracle, and Jack had promised himself that this time would be different. No more jealous outbursts, no more treating Daniel as a flake but instead treasuring him and respecting him as he deserved. He had already lost Daniel twice--third time was not a charm.

"J'ck?" Daniel woke slowly and realised that he was snuggled up to the older man. He shifted a little bit to get more comfortable, then closed his eyes again.

"Mornin', Danny." Jack kissed the top of Daniel's head. How he had hated all those months of waking up alone. This was much better.

"Time?" came the groggy inquiry.

"Too early for you," Jack replied with a smile. "You've still got an hour."

"'Kay." Daniel shifted his hand onto Jack's chest and promptly went back to sleep.

Jack shifted his hand to indulgently stroke Daniel's hair and decided that he would stay in bed for a little while longer. Although Jack had protested against it, Daniel was being loaned out to SG-8, who were exploring some ruins on P3X-367 that looked Ancient. And even though Daniel's memory hadn't fully returned, he was still the SGC's expert on the Ancients. Jack was still sore that General Hammond hadn't approved the request for SG-1 to go along as back-up, and that's why he was savouring the time he and Daniel had together. Anything could happen, and Jack knew it--that's why he didn't want to let Daniel out of his sight. But he couldn't keep Daniel glued to his side forever. So Daniel was heading out to join SG-8 at 0930, leaving Jack behind to worry for two interminably long days. This site had better be worth it, Jack thought.

****

Daniel looked at the writing on the control panel. "It's definitely the Ancients," he said to Captain Anton Hickey, CO of SG-8. It was strange though because the decor of the fortress actually looked Indian rather than anything, well, Ancient. Something told him that this place had been occupied recently.

"Can you make it work?"

"Maybe. Just let me see if I can translate this first." Daniel crouched down to see the writing better. "Was this planet inhabited?"

"My team found dwellings nearby, plus a lot of bodies," Hickey stated. "We estimated that they had been there for about six months."

"So someone has possibly been here recently," Daniel said, starting to get a bad feeling about being there. "Did they die of disease or--"

Suddenly the ring transporter activated, and two Jaffa appeared in the room. Hickey drew his gun but was zatted immediately. Daniel remained crouched behind the panel, hoping that he wouldn't be found. Unfortunately, he didn't have such luck. A Jaffa rounded the panel, hauled Daniel into a standing position and then dragged him away while his partner dealt with Hickey. The tattoo on the Jaffa's forehead gave Daniel no clues as to which Goa'uld he served--Daniel hadn't seen the swirling design before. His question to the Jaffa about the emblem earned him a blow that had knocked him off his feet, so Daniel had decided that silence would be a good idea. He needed to remain in one piece for when Jack came to rescue him.

Just thinking of Jack gave Daniel strength. Although he didn't know all the details, he knew that he and Jack had been lovers before his ascension, and that they had fought in the weeks prior to that. He had the feeling that the arguments were what had driven him to accept Oma's offer, even though he couldn't remember. But Jack had shown that he had changed, and Daniel was enjoying the attention that was being given to him. He needed Jack to complete him, to make him feel wanted and loved. Safe. Jack made him feel safe. Given their job, that wasn't an easy thing.

Daniel and Hickey were taken underground into a cavern with three cells in the middle of it. Daniel was put in the middle, and Hickey in the one to his left. Since the other three members of SG-8 were already in the cells, that meant Daniel had two SG-8 members on either side of him. The separation cause an icy chill to travel down his spine; something very bad was going to happen.

"Where are we?" Hickey turned his head towards Daniel. "Dr J, you okay?"

"I'm fine," Daniel replied.

"Great." Hickey helped his cell companion, nineteen-year old Corporal Tony Valdez, into a sitting position. "Do we know who they work for?"

Daniel shook his head. "But I'm sure we'll find out soon enough."

****

Nirrti surveyed the image in the telecommunication device. She couldn't believe her luck. If she wasn't mistaken, that was Doctor Daniel Jackson sitting in the middle cell. Just when she had given up hope of finding one of the SG-1 team members, one had landed right in her lap. She would experiment on the others first, and if all went well, she would put the virus into Jackson. She smiled. Soon--very soon--she would be able to eliminate O'Neill and if all went well, the Tau'ri would return Jackson to the planet in order to save his life. And when they did that, she would experiment on the rest of them before eliminating them and then take Jackson as her slave.

****

A memory stirred when the woman entered the room. Daniel's eyes narrowed as he tried to remember how he knew this woman. It was just on the tip of his brain...

"We meet again, Doctor Jackson," the Goa'uld purred.

"So we do." Daniel's face gave nothing away about how he didn't remember her.

"I have been waiting a long time for this opportunity." She turned to the Jaffa behind her and took two of the long cylinders he was holding. Then she stepped towards the left-hand cell with Captain Hickey in it. "You will assist in my experiments."

"I don't think so." The part about the experiments rang a bell. Daniel frantically tried to remember why... Nirrti. The name came to him suddenly. This Goa'uld was Nirrti, the one who wiped out Cassie's planet so her genetic experiments wouldn't be discovered. Oh, this wasn't good.

"You have no choice." Nirrti aimed her hand device at the two men in the cell and sent a controlled burst towards them. They were flung to the back of the cell, impacting with the bars and crumpling to the ground. She then entered the cell and, one at a time, held a cylinder to each man's neck. Daniel assumed she was either injecting them with something or taking a blood sample--given her interest in genetics, it could be either. Then she left the cell and handed the cylinders to the Jaffa.

"What kind of experiments?" Daniel asked, not really expecting an answer.

"You will see," Nirrti replied. Then she and her Jaffa left the room.

Daniel went over to the bars that separated him from his now injured team-mates. "Are you okay?" he asked them as they started to stir.

"Headache," Valdez muttered. He looked up at Daniel with fear in his eyes; this was only his third mission through the gate and the first time he had encountered a Goa'uld. "Who was that?"

"Nirrti." Daniel could see the fear in Valdez's expression and could sympathise with it. He had to admit to a little bit of fear himself at not knowing what Nirrti had in store for them. He only hoped that as soon as they missed their check-in tonight that SG-1 would come looking for them and rescue them before they found what Nirrti was planning.

****

Sometime later, Nirrti returned with two Jaffa. One of the Jaffa unlocked Daniel's cell and went inside. Instinctively, Daniel moved away from the big man, trying to keep out of his reach. But inevitably he found himself trapped in one corner. The Jaffa's fingers closed around his neck in vice-like grip. He heard the others protesting as breathing became more difficult.

Nirrti watched with satisfaction, then said, "He will not be harmed if you co-operate. You," she pointed to Valdez. "Come here."

Valdez looked to his CO for an order. Hickey glanced over at Daniel, who was struggling to draw breath. He knew they shouldn't give in but he was under strict orders from the rest of SG-1 not to let anything happen to Daniel. But then there was the fact that something bad might happen to Valdez, not to mention the rest of them. Still, he nodded at Valdez, hoping for the best.

Reluctantly, Valdez went to the front of the cell where Nirrti was waiting for him. She grabbed hold of his arm when he was close enough and reached through the bars to press something against his neck. He felt a tiny pinprick and then his arm was released. Valdez stepped back, wondering what she had done to him.

At Nirrti's nod, Daniel was released, and he fell to his knees, gasping. He had been on the verge of blacking out--not a pleasant feeling--when the Jaffa had released him. As he drew much needed air into his lungs, Daniel's right hand came up to massage his throat. He could still feel the bruising grip, and was sure he would have the marks to show for it later.

The second Jaffa, who had just been standing there silently, suddenly zatted Hickey. Then Nirrti and her guards left the cells.

Valdez went over to his CO and checked for a pulse. Upon finding one, he sat back and looked over at Daniel, whose breathing was normalising again. "What was all that about?"

"I haven't a clue," Daniel said in a hoarse voice. But he was sure they would find out soon.

****

At the scheduled check-in time, SG-1 were waiting anxiously. None of them had liked the idea of Daniel going away without them, so they all needed reassurance that he was okay.

They waited. And waited.

Thirty minutes later, when there was still no gate activation, Jack slammed his fist onto the top of the computer. "Dammit! I knew we shouldn't have let him go!"

"It's only been half an hour, Colonel," General Hammond admonished calmly, although he was concerned also. He had a soft spot for Daniel too. "Give it a while longer."

"How much longer, sir?" Jack it out. "Something's obviously happened to SG-8." He knew this beyond a doubt.

Hammond checked his watch--1800. It would be dark on the planet by now, so a rescue team would be going in blind. Not that he would be sending one with checking thoroughly first, and considering that SG-8 had been given a day to explore the ruins, sending a team in after them would be premature. "Airman, dial up P3X-367."

"Yes, sir."

Everyone waited impatiently as the Gate went through its usual dial-up procedure and finally a wormhole formed. Hammond leaned forward and said into the microphone, "Captain Hickey, this is General Hammond. Can you read me?" No answer. He tried several times but there was no response.

"Sir, we have to go in," Jack demanded, completely disregarding protocol. Who knew what might have happened--part of the fortress might have collapsed, there might be inhabitants who had taken the team prisoner... anything could have happened. Jack knew he wasn't going to get much rest until he knew exactly what.

"Major, how long until sunrise on P3X-367?"

Sam Carter checked the MALP's reports from the preliminary survey. "Given the rotation of the planet, another eight hours, sir."

The general nodded. "We'll send a MALP through at that time to survey the area. Colonel, if they haven't reported in by 0200, have a search and rescue team prepared to go through the gate at that time."

"Yes, sir." Jack longed to argue that they should go now, that every minute they waited meant that Daniel could be that much closer to death, but he knew he would never win the argument. So he would have to settle for this and make sure that he was through the gate right on the dot of 0200, and not a second after. He was not going to lose Daniel again.

****

By Daniel's calculation, Hickey's fever started an hour after being zatted. The man's hands started shaking as beads of sweat rolled off his forehead. Daniel handed his bandanna over to Valdez, who used the material to wipe the sweat away. But the fever grew worse. The full body shakes started after another 45 minutes, and Hickey curled up into a ball to try and control it. Daniel and the other two members of SG-8 could only look on helplessly as Valdez did everything he could to help Captain Hickey.

But nothing helped.

The shaking seemed to come and go, leaving the captain exhausted. By 2300, sores had started to appear on his skin, open sores that stung painfully when Valdez tried to clean them. The young man retreated, not knowing what else to do.

At about that time, Nirrti entered the room, the same two Jaffa with her. She looked upon the huddled form of Hickey with satisfaction--the virus had worked. The man wasn't dead yet but that was only a matter of time. "Bring me Jackson," she ordered.

The two Jaffa entered the cell and immediately closed in on Daniel. The linguist knew he wouldn't be able to escape capture but gave it his best shot anyway. When he caught, he was slammed up against the metal bars, creating more bruises on his body. Then he was dragged out of the cell, down a long corridor, and into what looked like a lab. There, he was manhandled into the waiting chair, and his wrists and ankles strapped down. Daniel tried to struggle against the restraints but he wasn't strong enough to break free.

Nirrti stood beside the chair, watching the struggles with amusement. Then she reached out with her left hand and caressed Jackson's face. So beautiful, she thought; it would be a shame to kill him. "Do not worry. This will be painless. For you."

Daniel flinched away from the metal-encased fingers as they travelled over his face and then his bruised throat. Fear settled in his stomach, leaving him cold--the look of pure evil in Nirrti's eyes made him very afraid. He tried to think of something flippant to say but nothing came to mind. Jack had told him he used to be good at snake-baiting but right now, Daniel couldn't believe it. He couldn't work out how Hickey had become ill either because Nirrti hadn't touched him, only Valdez when she had come to the cells the second time. His eyes tracked Nirrti when she left his side, going over to a metal bench that had a variety of instruments on its top.

Nirrti selected a long cylinder to extract a sample of Jackson's blood, then she went back to the young man's side. She pressed the cylinder to his neck, extracting both blood and a hiss of pain because of the bruises. Then she took the blood sample back over to the table.

Daniel watched her work for what seemed like hours. He tried asking a few questions but only succeeded in getting himself gagged. That meant there was nothing left to do but wait and think. How was Hickey faring? Was he dead yet? No, probably not, he decided; Nirrti hadn't left the lab to check on him. But how had she made him sick in the first place? Since he had nothing better to do, Daniel put his mind to solving the questions.

Going on the assumption that Nirrti had firstly given the men a virus, perhaps what she gave Valdez was an antidote, and she wanted to see how the men reacted to both things. But that made no sense. Why give Valdez the antidote? Wouldn't it make more sense to see how quickly both men died?

Discarding that idea, Daniel thought about the blood sample theory. Nirrti had taken blood from both men for some reason, then had come back and injected Valdez with... what? Altered blood? A virus? But if it was a virus, why was Hickey affected and not Valdez?

Realisation slowly dawned. What if Valdez was being used as a carrier? Hickey was the closest in proximity, so he had been the first victim. But even that theory had flaws because Daniel felt fine--aside from the fear and dread--and neither of the other men from SG-8 had become ill. Why?

Daniel remembered that Hickey had been zatted and then Valdez had gone to check on him. No... Daniel looked at Nirrti with wide eyes. Valdez was carrying a virus that relied on human contact; that's why Hickey was sick. But why the need for the blood sample? Surely she would have just injected the virus straight away?

His train of thought was interrupted by Nirrti coming back over to him. She caught his chin in a tight grip, holding it steady as she injected something into his neck. His protest was muffled by the gag.

Nirrti smiled, her eyes hard. She had put the final touches on her virus, and given the promising results so far in the cell, O'Neill would die 24 hours after coming into contact with Jackson. Finally, she would have her revenge.

Taking advantage of her bound captive, Nirrti undid Jackson's jacket and then pushed the t-shirt up out of the way. Her eyes filled with desire as she drank in the sight of the smooth flawless chest in front of her. She traced her jewel-encased hand over the soft skin, delighting in the Tau'ri's reaction. "You would make an excellent mate, Doctor Jackson," she said as she continued to caress him.

I don't think so, Daniel replied mentally, wishing he could speak. His body reacted instinctively as the cold metal traced over his sensitive skin, his breathing quickening slightly as goosebumps were raised on his skin. He had to settle for glaring at her with as much hate as he could muster.

"Perhaps another day," Nirrti continued, letting her fingers draw a line across his lower stomach. "First, you will kill O'Neill." Interested in his response, she removed the gag with her other hand.

"No, I won't," Daniel said immediately.

"You will have no choice."

A chill went down Daniel's spine at the words. She sounded so certain... What had she done to him? "Why do you want to kill him?"

"Don't get me wrong--one day I will wipe out the rest of you," Nirrti stated. "But O'Neill has been a thorn in our side for too many years. He will die."

Not if I can help it, Daniel thought determinedly. He had just got Jack back--there was no way he would lose him now.

"Guards!" Nirrti called. Two Jaffa entered the room. "Take the prisoner back to the cell," she ordered. "If a rescue team arrives, let them through. Doctor Jackson is to be rescued. Oh, and tie him up."

The plot thickens, Daniel thought as the restraints were undone and he was hauled to his feet. As he was dragged back to his cell, Daniel's mind sorted through the new clues. Nirrti had been adamant that he was going to kill Jack, and in order to effect that, she wanted the rescue to be easy. And if Daniel was tied up, then someone would have to touch him to set him free. But what made Nirrti so certain that Jack would be the one to do it?

The final piece fell into place. Nirrti didn't know whether Jack would be one of the rescuers or not but she did know that sooner or later, Jack would touch him. That meant if he could be safely rescued, that no-one was in danger because the virus was specifically aimed at Jack.

Oh God. Daniel's legs gave way as he realised what that meant. Jack wouldn't be able to touch him or he would die. A tiny part of him marvelled at the technology and knowledge Nirrti must have to be able to do this, while the rest of him was horrified. Nirrti was right; if he didn't warn Jack, he would kill him. That's what Nirrti had been experimenting with, then, with Hickey and Valdez.

Daniel was thrown roughly into his cell. Before he could recover, the Jaffa were upon him, and his wrists were quickly tied together behind his back. Then the gag was replaced, presumably so he couldn't warn anyone. He was then dragged over to the low bed and his bound wrists secured to something so that he couldn't get anyone from SG-8 to untie him. Then the Jaffa left.

"Dr J?" Tony Valdez moved over to the bars. He was creeped out by his dying CO's proximity and the fact that he couldn't do anything to help him. He was also scared that he was going to die here. "Are you okay?"

Daniel shook his head, wishing he could tell the others what was going on. He looked over at Hickey and saw that the man was lying deathly still. Turning his head back to Valdez, Daniel asked a question with his eyes.

"He's still alive," Valdez replied, not looking over his shoulder to check. "I tried to help him but..." He trailed off, unable to voice his failure.

"It's okay," one of Valdez's team-mates, Lt Mitch Connor, spoke up. "We're all going to be okay," he said with conviction.

Daniel wished he could agree. His gaze drifted back to Captain Hickey. No, some of them would definitely not be okay.

****

The MALP went through to the planet at 0150. The people assembled in the control room--SG-1 and Hammond--could see the sky beginning to lighten. General Hammond tried raising SG-8 on their radio for nearly ten minutes but with no luck. He wasted no time after that in authorising the search and rescue mission--he, too, had a bad feeling about the SG-8's silence.

Jack virtually ran down into the gateroom, Carter and Teal'c at his heels. SG-3 was already there, geared up and waiting for the mission, and as soon as SG-1 arrived, they headed through the gate, Jack in the lead.

On the other side, the seven SGC members quickly made their way to the fortress. Once inside, Teal'c took the lead. As Jack followed Teal'c towards their new destination, he prayed that Daniel would still be alright.

****

Hickey was almost dead, Daniel judged by the hoarse breathing. Valdez had gone over to Hickey to try and give him some comfort, and Daniel couldn't warn him that the contact was probably just speeding up the process. It would do no good for Valdez to know that though, Daniel decided, figuring the young man had enough to deal with.

The outer door opened suddenly, and the two Jaffa from before came in. One went into Daniel's cell and banged the linguist's head back against the bars so hard that Daniel greyed out. A second push knocked him unconscious. The Jaffa had been told to make sure the Tau'ri would not be conscious when his rescuers found him, and this was the way the Jaffa had found the most satisfying.

His partner zatted the remaining prisoners--twice for Hickey--and then both guards left the cells.

****

This is too easy, Jack thought as he made his way through the fortress. There was no sign of any Goa'uld, and so far they had only seen two Jaffa. Where was everyone?

"In here," Teal'c stated solemnly, stopping in front of heavy wooden doors.

Jack didn't ask how Teal'c knew; the big man was always right. He nodded at Teal'c to open the doors, and once there was enough space, Jack went through, ready for a fight. To his surprise, the place was also deserted of guards. However, they had hit the jackpot regarding SG-8. His eyes immediately focused on Daniel's unconscious form in the middle cell. What had been done to him?

As soon as the doors were lifted, Jack was inside Daniel's cell and advancing towards his lover. He was two feet away when Daniel suddenly opened his eyes and stared at him in horror.

Daniel had been gradually drawn back to consciousness by sounds in his cell. When he realised that it could be Jack, he forced himself to open his eyes. No, Jack, stay away, he projected at his partner.

Jack was confused by the look in Daniel's eyes and a little hurt. But he kept advancing until something solid impacted with his left shin. Startled, he glanced down. Daniel had kicked him! "Daniel?" He took a step forward, only to be kicked again. "What are you doing?"

If someone can get this gag off me, I'll tell you. Daniel looked past Jack at Teal'c. When he had caught Teal'c's attention, he flicked his eyes towards Jack and shook his head.

"I do not believe Daniel Jackson wishes you to go near him, O'Neill," Teal'c observed.

The hurt was more pronounced this time. "Why on earth not?"

"I do not know." Teal'c stepped towards Daniel and, when there was no protest, continued until he was kneeling beside the scholar. Quickly, he removed the gag before starting work on the bindings.

"It's a virus, Jack," Daniel lost no time in stating. "If you touch me, you'll die."

The matter of fact way Daniel stated that told Jack that he wasn't joking. "A virus?" he asked nonetheless.

"Yes. Nirrti ran an experiment first." Daniel looked over to where Captain Hickey was lying.

Jack followed the direction of Daniel's gaze. He saw Colonel Wiseman, CO of SG-3, kneeling over Hickey and then shaking his head. "Colonel?"

"He's dead."

"Damn," Jack muttered. He turned back to Daniel, who was getting to his feet with Teal'c's help. Carter appeared from nowhere to check Daniel for injuries. Hickey was a good man, Jack thought; he hadn't deserved to die like that. The sores on the captain's body looked painful even from this distance. "So the virus in you--"

"Would do that to you, yes--ow!" Daniel exclaimed as Sam's probing fingers found the large lump on the back of his head. "Nirrti was confident it would kill you and only you." His eyes locked with Jack's and he could see the shock there.

"Nirrti did this?" Sam asked as she looked at the blood covering her fingers. "Daniel, you're bleeding." She checked the back of his jacket - there wasn't too much blood there so the injury was recent.

"I'll be fine." He wasn't in any danger. "Sam, you need to find Nirrti's lab, see if she left anything behind." Although Daniel had his doubts about that considering Nirrti knew someone would be coming for them.

"We'll drop by on our way out." Jack itched to be over there assisting Daniel but forced himself to stay put; he wasn't in a hurry to die. He looked around to see the three surviving members of SG-8 being helped to their feet. "Everyone ready to go?"

****

The trip back to the gate took a while. Daniel was doing his best but the head injury was beginning to take its toll. He was clearly flagging, even with Teal'c's assistance. Jack took a couple of steps towards Daniel before he realised what he was doing. He couldn't go over and help. He had to stay away and do nothing.

Speaking of nothing, Nirrti's lab had been void of anything useful. Not that he had really expected to find anything. So now he would have to rely on Fraiser and Carter to come up with a cure because there was no way he wanted to spend the rest of his life unable to touch Daniel.

Jack dialled up Earth, then watched as SG-3 took Hickey's body through on the makeshift stretcher. Then SG-8 followed, all of them still in shock. Then Teal'c and Daniel, then Carter, and finally Jack went through, his eyes never leaving Daniel until the wormhole claimed him.

****

It was half an hour before Jack could get in to see Daniel. The linguist had told Janet straight away about the virus, so Jack had been prohibited from seeing Daniel until now. He stood at the end of the bed, hands behind his back. "Hey."

"Hey." Daniel tried to smile but it didn't work.

"How do you feel?"

"Like a pincushion," Daniel replied; Janet had taken so many samples of his blood, he wasn't sure he had any left. "I'm sorry about kicking you earlier."

"No problem. You had no other way of telling me." His shin ached with the memory. "Nirrti certainly planned things well, didn't she?" Jack observed, thinking about the whole set-up. From tying Daniel up to the easy rescue, Nirrti had thought of everything--all in order to kill him without raising suspicion. The thought chilled him.

"Yes." Daniel wrapped his arms around himself since Jack couldn't. "How are the others?" He hadn't seen SG-8 since arriving in the infirmary.

"They're okay." In shock, but generally okay. Valdez in particular had been affected by the recent events. Jack sympathised; it was never easy watching someone die slowly. "And we will be too."

"Only if Janet can find a cure," Daniel stated bleakly. "What if she can't?"

"Hey, don't think like that!" Jack told him firmly, gesturing with one hand for emphasis. "She'll find a cure!"

"Jack--"

"Daniel, Fraiser will find a cure." She just had to. Jack stared into those big blue eyes and prayed for a miracle.

****

Nirrti smiled to herself as she walked back into her lab. The rescue had gone well, with the Tau'ri being recovered. Now it was only a matter of time before O'Neill was infected and would die before they could find a solution. And when the Tau'ri discovered that Jackson was also dying, they would bring him back to the planet to find the sarcophagus.

And then she would have him.

****

Janet Fraiser came bustling into the infirmary, closely followed by General Hammond and the rest of SG-1. "How are you feeling, Daniel?" she asked when she reached his bedside.

"Fine," Daniel gave his standard response. The painkillers he'd had before had lessened the throbbing in his head.

"You got off lightly this time," Janet continued. "Just a few bruises and a mild concussion."

Jack focused his eyes on the bruises on Daniel's neck. It looked like someone had tried to strangle Daniel, and Jack wanted to kill the Jaffa who had done it. He also wanted to kill Nirrti for putting the virus in Daniel. Basically, he was in a homicidal mood.

"Doctor Jackson, what can you tell us about the virus?" Hammond asked.

"Not much. Just that Nirrti took a blood sample from me, then injected me with something, saying that I would kill Jack." Daniel hugged himself tighter. "She used Captain Hickey and Corporal Valdez as guinea pigs first."

Hammond took it that Hickey's death hadn't been pleasant, judging by Daniel's defensive body language. "And you believe that the virus is specifically aimed at Colonel O'Neill?"

"Yes."

"Doctor?" Hammond turned to Fraiser.

"I should have the results in a few hours, sir," Janet replied. She was working as fast as she could on this but Earth science wasn't as advanced as the Goa'ulds. "Until then, Colonel O'Neill should keep his distance."

"Is the virus passed through skin contact or air?" Sam inquired.

"Skin, I think." Daniel thought back to Valdez's actions. "Every time Valdez touched Hickey, the symptoms got worse."

Everyone absorbed this news quietly.

"Sir, Nirrti had this planned," Daniel continued. "If SG-1 had all turned up, I think she would have just killed us. But since it was just me.." he trailed off, puzzled. "The thing I don't understand is, how did she get a sample of Jack's blood?"

Glances were exchanged. Finally, Jack spoke up. "Had to be from Baal." That was the only way he could think of.

At Daniel's puzzled look, Sam explained, "The colonel was taken prisoner early last year by Baal. Didn't he tell you?"

"No." Daniel looked at Jack, who looked steadily back at him. Why hadn't Jack said anything about that?

"I'll fill you in later," Jack stated. He hadn't wanted to talk about it with Daniel until the linguist remembered or asked about it. "So, Nirrti got some of my blood and just waited for SG-1 to turn up to use it?" He shook his head. "Man, she needs to get a life."

"Jack," Daniel warned. This wasn't a joking matter. To get Jack's blood, that meant Nirrti had been planning this for about a year. And it was his bad luck to be the one she infected.

Janet checked her watch--0430. "I recommend that everyone gets some sleep. Daniel, don't move," she ordered as the linguist went to get up. "I want to keep an eye on that concussion. No arguments."

Daniel lay back reluctantly. He saw Jack's half-grin out of the corner of his eye and just glared at him. Daniel accepted Sam's hand on his shoulder with a half-smile, grateful for the contact since he couldn't have Jack. But he was glad to be home just the same.

Jack stayed back for a minute as everyone else filed out of the infirmary. "Try and get some sleep, Danny. I'll be back in a few hours, okay?" He couldn't say more than that in this public location.

"Do you think that's wise? I mean, I could be wrong about how the virus is transmitted." What if he could give it to Jack just by being close?

"I'll take my chances." Daniel wasn't often wrong, and Jack was prepared to stake his life on that.

"Jack, don't." Daniel didn't like--well, he did but he didn't--Jack taking that kind of risk. "I don't want you to die because of me."

"I won't. Now get some sleep." Jack made sure he was facing away from the cameras before mouthing, 'I love you'. Then he left the infirmary.

Daniel just lay there thinking, even after one of the nurses turned the lights out. He and Jack had been so happy and now this had to happen. What if they could never be lovers again? Or work together again? He would have to leave so that he didn't accidentally touch Jack and kill him, because who knew how long he was going to be a carrier for! Daniel also felt guilty about Captain Hickey's death. If SG-8 hadn't been with him, Nirrti wouldn't have experimented on them, and a good man wouldn't be dead. It was all his fault.

That troubling thought kept him awake for a long time.

****

The next morning, Janet diverted Jack before he could go into the infirmary. "Daniel's still asleep," she said.

"Are the results in on the virus?" Jack asked. He hadn't slept at all thinking about it.

"Some." Janet had snatched a couple of hours sleep before going back to work on it. "It's unlike any virus I've ever seen. It's extremely virulent, and it appears to have traces of your DNA in it."

"Which is why it would only affect me," Jack surmised. "Any hope of killing it?"

"I don't know yet. We're running some tests now to see but I'm afraid this may be out of my league." Janet hated admitting that because she wanted to be able to help Daniel.

"What about getting in that genetic specialist, you know, the one that came when Teal'c was getting turned into a bug," Jack suggested.

"Doctor Timothy Harlow. I was just going to make that recommendation to General Hammond," Janet said.

Jack nodded; that was good. "Can I go in now?" He really wanted to see Daniel.

Janet looked over her shoulder and saw that Daniel was stirring. "Okay. But stay well away from him."

Of course he would; he wasn't stupid. Jack went into the infirmary and stood next to the bed. He watched as Daniel's eyelids slowly fluttered open. "Hey."

"Jack?" Daniel's groggy brain was slow to engage.

"Yeah, it's me."

Daniel's eyes opened wider as he remembered why he was in the infirmary. "Jack, move away from me."

"So, how did you sleep?" Jack changed the subject, continuing to stand at Daniel's bedside, hands in his pockets so he wouldn't reach out to touch.

"Fine. Jack, don't stand there." Daniel didn't want to take any risks.

"I'm not going to touch," Jack assured him. He looked his lover over. The bruises on Daniel's throat were more pronounced this morning, as were the dark circles under his eyes. Jack's fingers itched to do something, although whether it was comfort his lover or strangle Nirrti, Jack wasn't too sure.

"Sir." Sam chose that moment to enter. Like the other two, she hadn't slept well, her mind churning with possible solutions. "Daniel." She smiled at her favourite linguist then turned to her CO. "Sir, should you be there?"

"That's what I was just saying." Daniel shifted in the bed so that he was sitting up. "Jack, will you just..." He waved a hand towards Sam.

"Okay, okay." Reluctantly, Jack moved to the foot of the bed. "Better?"

"Marginally."

"Any news from Janet?" Sam wanted to know.

Jack shot a look at Daniel; he didn't really want to say this. "Yeah, actually. The virus has my DNA in it."

Sam nodded. That had been expected. "Anything else?"

Besides the fact I can't touch Danny? Jack thought bitterly. "She's gonna ask Hammond if Doctor Harlow can come and take a look."

"That's good." Sam was encouraged by that. "He'll find a cure."

Daniel wasn't so optimistic. "What if he can't? Nirrti's experiments are way beyond ours."

"Think positively, Daniel," Jack ordered. "We will find a cure."

Daniel wished he was as confident.

****

Janet returned a few minutes later and gave Daniel the all clear. "But," she said, "I'd like you to remain on the base until we find a cure."

"That could take weeks, even months," Daniel protested. He hated spending too much time underground, and he had only just bought a new house.

"We don't know whether Nirrti designed this virus to do anything else," Janet stated firmly. "If you're here, we can deal with it immediately."

"I suppose,' Daniel grudgingly gave in.

"Colonel, I need you to keep your distance, just to be on the safe side."

Jack grimaced but nodded his head in agreement. It was his habit to venture round to Daniel's office at least once a day--how was he going to fill in that extra time?

"I'll walk you to your office," Sam offered to Daniel, not wanting him to feel alone. She knew there was a special bond between him and Jack; this not-touching thing would be very hard on both men.

"Thanks," Daniel accepted the offer. He stood up and went with Sam, not even looking at Jack. "Uh, I should get changed first."

"Of course."

Jack watched them go, resignation in his eyes. This was one time when he would not be able to help Daniel through the crisis. "Keep me informed, Doc."

"I will." Janet could see how hard this was on Jack. After he left the infirmary, shoulders slumped, Janet headed back to the labs. A cure needed to be found as soon as possible.

****

Daniel buried himself in his work after Sam left him in his office. He didn't want to think about the endless days, weeks, possibly months, stretching out ahead of him in which he would be without Jack. The older man was such an integral part of him--both pre- and post-ascension--that Daniel didn't want to even contemplate a future without Jack in it. It was just his luck that Nirrti had chosen him to be the carrier of the virus. Why couldn't it have been someone else?

No; the only other people Nirrti would have infected were Sam and Teal'c, and that wouldn't have had the same effects. It was quite likely that Teal'c's body would have rejected it even though he no longer carried a symbiote and was more susceptible to diseases. And Sam--well, that might have worked but Jack was less prone to patting Sam on the head or shoulder, so there was less chance of them touching although Nirrti wouldn't know that, and she would probably assume that Sam would actually be the best carrier. The point of rescue would have been a danger though because Daniel wasn't certain that the others would have come to the same conclusion fast enough. They might have but Daniel knew that he thought differently to them.

The final factor was that Daniel was the only member of SG-1 who went on off-world missions with different teams. Therefore, he was the only one who could have been captured separately to the rest. And wasn't it just his luck to have gone on a mission with SG-8 to the planet where Nirrti had been hiding out? If he didn't know better, he would have thought someone had arranged that...

No, the Ancients wouldn't have done it, he told himself. They might have kicked him out but Daniel didn't think giving him to a Goa'uld would be their style. But since he couldn't remember much of his ascended state, he couldn't really say for sure.

Sighing, he focused back on the work in front of him. He needed to keep busy, that's what he needed to do. Then maybe he wouldn't realise just how much he was missing Jack.

****

After pacing up and down outside Daniel's office for five minutes, Jack finally decided to go in. He stopped well short of the desk and kept his hands in his pockets. "Hey."

Daniel looked up and felt a pang of regret when he saw his lover. "Hey." Because he couldn't touch, his fingers itched to reach out to the older man.

"You gonna knock off soon?" It was twenty hundred hours and Jack was thinking about heading home.

"No, I think I'll keep working for a while," Daniel replied. He had nothing else to do since he couldn't go home.

"Right." Jack looked down at the floor and shuffled his feet, unsure of what to say next. "Well, I'm gonna, uh, go so if you need anything..." He looked up, his heart in his eyes.

Daniel's expression spoke volumes about what he needed. But he said, "I will." He knew, though, that a phone call wouldn't be enough. After only a month, he had become used to being with Jack, and their enforced separation was going to be hard.

"Okay, then, well, I'd better go." Before I do something stupid like hug you, Jack said to himself. He took one step towards the door. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," Daniel echoed, a faint smile on his face at Jack's reluctance to leave. When Jack made no further moves, Daniel's smile faded. "Jack, go."

"Right." Jack managed to get his feet moving in the right direction. "Don't work too late," he warned.

"I won't," Daniel promised.

"Good." Jack looked one last time at Daniel. "Night." He reluctantly made himself walk away.

"Night," Daniel echoed softly to the empty room. He put down his pen and rubbed his fortress with his fingers; he could feel a headache coming on. Grabbing the aspirin bottle, he shook out a couple of tablets and popped them into his mouth, washing them down with a mouthful of water. It was going to be a very long night.

****

Jack got to the elevator and stopped. The thought of going home without Daniel wasn't very appealing. If the mission had gone to plan, Daniel would have been going home with him. But he wasn't. Thanks to Nirrti, they wouldn't be going home together any time in the near future.

Doing an abrupt about-face, Jack headed for one of the on-base quarters. Maybe he would go home tomorrow night.

****

Sam was at the mountain bright and early the next morning to assist Janet with the virus. On her way to the infirmary labs, she decided to visit Daniel, expecting that her team-mate would still be in his office. Her suspicion was proven correct, although he wasn't working. Daniel was sleeping on the cot in the corner of his office. His glasses lay askew on his face and there was a book on the floor, indicating that he had fallen asleep working. Sam smiled fondly at the sight; how she had missed the year he had been gone. And now, if they couldn't find a cure, he would leave again because he wouldn't be able to serve on SG-1. Maybe he would join another team but it wouldn't be the same without him.

Quietly, she removed his glasses and put them on the desk, then did the same with the book. Giving in to an impulse, Sam stroked the short fringe back from his forehead. The bad things always happened to Daniel no matter how hard they all tried to protect him. She would do her best to make sure that this bad thing was short-lived.

****

Jack had woken early and had spent an hour down in the gym working off his frustration before going to see whether any progress had been made on the virus. He found Janet, who had just herself returned to the labs. "Any news, Doc?"

Janet shook her head. "I'm afraid not, Colonel."

"Has Doctor Whatsisname arrived yet?"

"Doctor Harlow will arrive within the hour," Janet replied. "Sir, this could take several days," she warned him.

"I know, I know." And he did. It was just hard to sit back and do nothing. He couldn't even comfort Daniel, for crying out loud!

"Sir, I know you're worried but the best thing you can do is to let us work, okay? I'll let you know if there's any news," Janet promised.

Jack nodded and then left the labs. If he couldn't bug any of the medical staff or Daniel, what the heck was he supposed to do?

****

Daniel stepped out of the shower and pulled on the bathrobe. He felt marginally better but even the hot water had not washed away the feeling of the virus seeping through his skin.

As he stepped into the locker room, a figure moved in front of him and he automatically sidestepped. It was just as well that he did because that figure was Jack. Daniel took another step backwards when he saw who it was.

Jack had put his hands up to stop the collision and he quickly withdrew them, only inches away from Daniel's body. "Daniel!" That had been too close.

Daniel looked at his lover with worried eyes. "Did you touch me?"

"No."

"Good." Daniel crossed his arms over his chest. "Can you let me past?"

"What? Oh, sure." Jack stepped back into the middle of the room to give Daniel plenty of space. "How are you this morning?"

"How do you think?" Daniel snapped.

"Okay, stupid question," Jack acknowledged.

Daniel slammed his fist against the wall in anger. "I hate this!" he exclaimed.

Jack couldn't say anything that wouldn't have sounded patronising. So he kept quiet and shoved his hands in his pockets again so he wouldn't reach out.

"Why me, Jack? Why us? Why couldn't Nirrti have been on another planet? Why did SG-8 ask me to go to that planet?" The questions just flowed out of Daniel's mouth. "Why do these things always happen to me?"

"I don't know." The words were inadequate, Jack knew that, but there was nothing else he could do or say. He didn't know why the universe always picked on Daniel.

Daniel stood there thinking, his frustration fading away. "Jack, we're going to have to be very careful. If we accidentally bump into each other--"

"We won't," Jack interrupted. He would be very careful.

"You'll end up dead," Daniel continued as if Jack hadn't spoken. "Maybe you should take some time off so that doesn't happen."

Jack shook his head. "I can't do that."

"Then I'll get General Hammond to issue an order. Or I'll put myself in an iso room," Daniel stated. "But we can't let this happen again." It was too risky.

"Dammit, Daniel--"

"Jack, you know I'm right."

The older man looked at his lover; yes, Daniel was right. But that didn't make it any easier to accept. "I can't go home," he said in a calmer tone of voice. "I need to be here."

"Then stay out of my way." Daniel hated doing this but he knew it was necessary. And he did not want to be responsible for accidentally infecting Jack.

Jack nodded reluctantly. "I'll try." He would even take to wearing gloves so that he couldn't accidentally touch Daniel if that's what it took. "I promise."

Daniel accepted that with a nod of his own. He turned his back on Jack and started getting dressed. After a few moments, he heard Jack's footsteps walking away, and then the locker room door closed with an audible click. It was then that Daniel let down his guard and leaned his forehead against the wall, trying to keep his emotions under control. He felt so mixed up at the moment, wanting Jack to stay with him but knowing he couldn't.

He slammed his fist against the wall again, welcoming the pain. Then he composed himself, finished getting dressed, and took himself off to the gym. He really needed to hit something.

****

As Teal'c entered the gym, he saw Daniel Jackson punching one of the bags hard. Judging by the amount of perspiration, the scholar had been at it for some time. He ventured over to the punching bag. "Daniel Jackson."

Daniel paused at the interruption. Sweat dripped down his face and into his eyes so he wiped it away with his forearm. "Hey, Teal'c."

"You are not often here at this time," Teal'c commented.

"Yeah, well, I've got good reason today," Daniel retorted. He shook out his hands, having not bothered to put gloves on--that's how angry he was at what had happened to him. Normally he wanted to protect his hands but today he hadn't cared.

Teal'c's attention was drawn to Daniel's hands. The knuckles were red and scratched now, with spots of blood on some. "You are injured."

Daniel looked at his hands. Now that he had stopped, he felt the sting of pain from his abused knuckles. "I'm fine," he tried to shrug it off.

"You must see Doctor Fraiser immediately," Teal'c contradicted. "Your wounds must not be left unattended. It was very foolish of you not to use your gloves."

"I know." He hadn't exactly been thinking clearly. And now that he was, he realised he had been very foolish indeed. His blood and sweat were all over the bag. If Jack were to come in later and use it... He paled at the thought.

"What is it?" Teal'c noticed the stricken look.

Daniel quickly explained what had occurred to him. How could he have been so stupid? If Teal'c hadn't interrupted him, he would have left without giving it a second thought. And he could have infected Jack. "Can you arrange to have this area cleaned up?" He had to get to the infirmary and talk to Janet.

"Indeed."

****

"You want to be admitted to an isolation room?" Janet echoed in surprise. That hadn't numbered amongst the questions she thought Daniel might ask.

"I don't want to risk accidentally infecting Jack." He had filled her in on what had happened in the gym. "I think it would be best if I just stayed away from the rest of the base." Going home was out of the question while they didn't know what else might happen.

Janet knew Daniel was really worried if he was offering to be isolated. "You're absolutely sure about this?"

"Yes."

"What about removing Colonel O'Neill from the base?" she suggested.

Daniel shook his head. "I've already asked him. He said no." A sweet but foolhardy gesture.

"If you and the colonel both wear gloves, then the risk of skin to skin exposure is greatly reduced," Janet stated.

Daniel hadn't thought of that. "You think that will be safe?"

Janet nodded. "From all that you've told me, yes. The virus doesn't seem to be airborne, or else Colonel O'Neill would already be infected."

That was a good point. "My uniform couldn't infect him?"

"I'm not sure," Janet admitted. "I'll run some tests and make sure. In the meantime, I suggest you wear surgical gloves so that the risk is minimised."

"Okay," Daniel agreed. He would do anything to prevent Jack from becoming infected.

****

That, and the fact that Daniel rarely ventured out of his office, meant that by the end of the week, Daniel had not infected Jack with the virus. Sam and Teal'c took it in turns to keep an eye on Daniel as he gradually withdrew into himself. Their casual touches could not make up for the ones he was missing, and as the days dragged on, it grew harder to stay positive without them. Daniel hadn't realised how much he would miss Jack's casual touches.

Doctor Harlow had arrived and was working around the clock on a solution. So far, however, he hadn't found one. Twice he'd tested antidotes on Daniel and twice the antidotes had failed. However, he hadn't given up hope yet.

Jack was slowly climbing the walls in frustration. He hadn't seen Daniel for several days, except for a few fleeting glances at a distance. They hadn't even run into each other in the locker room. He'd had to rely on the rest of his team and Fraiser for updates. He wore the surgical gloves every day even though he felt like an idiot, but since Daniel was avoiding him, it seemed like a pointless exercise.

He was saying as much to Janet when Corporal Valdez was brought into the infirmary after suffering a mild fit. Jack's heart sank before he even heard the prognosis - the virus inside had started to degrade and was infecting the carrier.

"Get Daniel down here," Fraiser ordered as soon as the results came through on Valdez.

Jack didn't argue. He travelled quickly to Daniel's office and walked straight in without knocking.

Daniel looked up, his eyes widening when he saw who it was. 'Jack, what are you doing here?"

"Fraiser wants to see you." Jack drank in the sight of his lover, noting the pale face and rings underneath the blue eyes that indicated a lack of sleep--he knew the feeling.

Daniel was half out of his chair before he asked, "Why?"

"Uh, Fraiser will explain," Jack chickened out; he couldn't break the news to Daniel. He didn't even want to know himself. "I'll walk with you."

"Thanks." For once, Daniel didn't tell Jack to leave; he was glad of the company. "So--how have you been?" he asked as they walked along.

"About what you'd expect," Jack replied. "You?"

"Same."

There was silence for a minute. Daniel walked along, his arms crossed and head down, keeping as much distance as possible between him and Jack. To anyone not aware of what was going on, it would look like they were fighting.

"This sucks," Jack said abruptly.

Daniel couldn't agree more. "Do you think they'll ever find a cure?"

"Sure."

"That sounded really confident," Daniel said dryly, looking sideways at his lover.

"Daniel."

"Jack."

The man in question stopped walking and turned to face his lover. Before he spoke, Jack made sure there was no-one within earshot or sight of them. "We will find a cure."

"How can you be so sure?" Daniel wanted to know. He wasn't at all sure.

"Because Oma didn't send you back so you could die again." The words slipped out before he could stop them.

Daniel shook his head. "The virus is aimed at you."

"And at you." Jack looked squarely at Daniel. "I think you'd better talk with Fraiser."

"Jack, tell me!" His lover just turned and started walking away. "Jack!" Daniel jogged to catch up with him. "Tell me!"

"I can't." How could he tell Daniel that it looked like he was going to die again? Jack looked at Daniel and saw the young man recoil from the fear he saw in Jack's eyes. "I really can't."

"I'm not going to die," Daniel promised. He had too much to live for now.

Jack just smiled sadly at him. "I'll wait for you out here," he said as they rounded the corner to the infirmary.

Daniel hesitated for a moment, not wanting to go in. But when he realised that Jack wasn't going to say anything else, he entered the room to find Janet waiting for him. "What's going on?" he asked immediately.

Janet had been prepared for that question and briefly explained what had happened to Valdez; she knew Daniel would not appreciate facts being kept from him.

"So the virus within me is going to mutate too and most likely no-one will find a cure before it kills me," Daniel summed up in a flat voice. "Killing two people with one stone." He was horrified by the thought. He was going to die. Again.

"We're doing the best we can, Daniel," Janet offered as she drew a blood sample. Once that was done, she gave him an encouraging smile and then left the infirmary, telling him to wait.

Jack walked in and sat across from Daniel. He could tell that Daniel knew by the look of blankness on his face. "I'm sorry," he said inadequately.

"Don't--just don't talk right now," Daniel said. He didn't want to think about the new development.

They sat there in silence for another few minutes until Janet came back in. "So, Doc--" Jack started to say before he was interrupted by the pint-sized doctor.

"Daniel, I'm clearing you to work but I want to do another blood test at 1300 and another at 1700." Janet fixed her patient with a stern glare. "No forgetting, Daniel. This could be vital."

"Yes, Janet." Daniel resolved to keep the appointment no matter how involved he got in his work; this was one time he wouldn't be trying to avoid the infirmary.

****

After talking with Janet, Sam took it upon herself to make sure Daniel got to the first blood test on time. When she arrived at his office, she was surprised to see him already heading towards her. She glanced at his desk--yes, it was in its usual state of disarray. So for Daniel to have kept an eye on the time, it meant that he was taking this very seriously.

"Oh, hi, Sam," Daniel said when he saw his friend. "What are you doing here?"

"I thought you might like some company," Sam quickly amended her reason.

Daniel didn't really want any company but he didn't want to hurt Sam's feelings. "Of course." His friendship with her was still on tentative ground, on his part at least. He knew Sam had been thrilled to have him back--she had told him so--but there were times when her actions told him differently and he couldn't help reacting to that. "How's the research going?"

"Slowly," Sam replied. "We're not going to give up on this," she promised him.

"Well, if Janet is right, you're not going to have much time," Daniel stated. "Hickey was dead within hours."

A cold feeling settled in the pit of Sam's stomach. She knew Daniel was facing the same death sometime within the next couple of days, as was Valdez. "Have you seen the colonel recently?"

"In the infirmary this morning. Other than that..." Not that he had been expecting anything different.

"He hasn't been around at the labs either," Sam mused. "Maybe he's finally doing some paperwork."

"This is Jack we're talking about," Daniel said with a half-grin. In two months, he had only even seen Jack working a handful of times. Although to be fair, being 2IC of the SGC meant he had to move around a lot, overseeing everything.

Sam grinned back, sharing the joke. "Maybe Teal'c talked him into watching 'Oprah' with him," she said, thinking of the Jaffa's interest in talk shows.

"I don't think even Teal'c would be able to keep Jack there at the moment," Daniel replied, knowing how much Jack hated those kind of shows. He paused, reaching the infirmary doors sooner than he liked.

"I'll wait here," Sam said softly, seeing Daniel's reluctance to go in. "It'll be okay."

"Yeah." Somehow Daniel wasn't so sure about that. As he went into the infirmary, he could hear voices coming from Janet's office. He resisted the temptation to see who it was and went to sit on one of the beds. When Jack left the office a minute later, Daniel was totally surprised. "Jack?"

"Hey, Daniel." Jack quickly schooled his features into a neutral expression.

"Daniel! On time, I see." Janet hurried out into the infirmary. "Now, if only you did this every time I wanted you here, the visits would go more smoothly." She gestured for him to remove his jacket, then went about getting a sample of his blood. Normally she would get a nurse to do it but she wasn't going to take any chances with this.

"Where would be the fun in that?" Daniel joked, sharing a conspiratorial grin with Jack. Something about Jack's grin felt off though, and Daniel's face immediately fell. "Jack, what's wrong? You're not sick, are you?" They hadn't touched so he couldn't possibly...

"I'm fine, Daniel." Jack pushed his worries out of his mind. "Nothing's wrong."

Daniel's eyes narrowed. "Don't lie to me, Jack."

"I'm not." Well, technically he was telling the truth; nothing was wrong with him. Jack looked straight at Daniel and tried to project truthfulness towards his lover.

Daniel wasn't buying it but he knew when not to push. "How's Corporal Valdez?" He felt guilty that he hadn't gone to see him.

"As well as can be expected," Janet replied, avoiding a direct answer. "There, all done. I'll see you back here at 1700." She hurried off to do the tests.

Daniel stared after her, confused by the abruptness. Then he turned back to Jack. "What's going on?"

"She's just busy, Daniel." Jack shuffled his feet awkwardly. "Listen, I've got some things to do. Meet you back here at 1700?"

"Sure." Daniel's mind was working overtime as he watched Jack leave. What was going on? Was it something they weren't telling him? Or was it just his imagination?

****

The first symptom appeared as Daniel headed down to the infirmary for the next blood test. As soon as the tremors began, he leant against the wall, trying to keep himself upright. Fortunately, the tremors stopped after only a few seconds but it was long enough to scare him.

Jack was waiting outside the infirmary. He took one look at Daniel's pale face and instinctively went to touch him.

Daniel quickly backed away, hands raised to ward Jack off. "Don't!" He continued on into the infirmary where Janet was waiting. "It's started," he said to her, not bothering to hide it from her. Janet would find out from the blood test anyway.

"When?" Janet gently ushered Daniel onto the bed and got him to lie down.

"A couple of minutes ago out in the corridor."

Janet got her thermometer out. "What happened?"

"My whole body just started shaking," Daniel replied. "It only lasted a few seconds." He accepted the thermometer Janet put in his mouth and then looked over at his lover.

Jack tried to keep a poker face as he stared back at Daniel. He vividly remembered watching Daniel die from radiation poisoning, his skin slowly peeling away. Jack had seen Valdez only a few minutes ago, the sores having started to appear on the young soldier's body, and the sight had been too close to Jack's memories for comfort. He couldn't let Daniel die like that again! But how could he stop it from happening?

Janet removed the thermometer--Daniel's temperature was only 0.2 degrees higher than normal. "Your symptoms don't seem to be as bad as Corporal Valdez," she told Daniel.

"That's good, right?" Jack asked, cutting in.

"I hope so. Daniel, I want you to stay here tonight, just so we can keep an eye on you."

Daniel agreed without any argument. He didn't want to be alone right now. "Can I keep working?"

Janet nodded, knowing how Daniel hated inactivity. And in this case, it wouldn't do for Daniel to dwell on what was ahead of him. "Colonel O'Neill can arrange that for you." She placed a hand on his arm. "I'll be back later."

Jack pulled up a chair and sat down next to the bed as soon as Janet left. "I wish I could hold you right now," he said softly so that no-one but Daniel could hear him.

"I wish you could too," Daniel replied as he turned onto his side to face Jack. Then he took a closer look at Jack's face and saw past the facade the older man had up. "Bad memories?" He hadn't inquired too much about how he had died the last time.

Jack contemplated lying but realised Daniel would see through it. "Yeah."

Daniel wished he could reassure Jack but they both knew he'd be lying. "How's Valdez?"

"Not good," Jack said after a slight hesitation. "So, what books did you want me to get?"

Daniel told him and let Jack escape out of the infirmary. He knew it wasn't easy for Jack to go through this again, so he couldn't blame Jack for not wanting to be around him. Still, after only a month together, it stung to be abandoned.

****

Jack stood at Daniel's desk and tried to remember everything he had been asked to collect. He always prided himself on having a good memory but when faced with volumes upon volumes of Daniel's books, all with similar names, he began to forget. Of course, being worried about Daniel didn't help--Jack couldn't push the image of Daniel dying out of his mind. If they couldn't find a cure in the next couple of days, that's what Daniel would look like again. Jack shuddered. No. They were going to find a cure.

"Are you unwell, O'Neill?" Teal'c inquired from the doorway. The corners of his mouth twitched as O'Neill jumped at the sound of his voice.

"Don't do that, Teal'c." Even after seven years, Teal'c could still sneak up on him. "I'm fine. I'm just getting some stuff for Daniel."

"How is Daniel Jackson?" Teal'c had dropped in on the scholar a few hours ago but not since.

Jack halted in his search for books. "Not good. The symptoms have started, so Fraiser's keeping him in the infirmary. He'd probably welcome the company," Jack hinted.

Teal'c inclined his head. "I will see if he wishes to participate in Kelno'reem." Perhaps that would provide some measure of comfort to Daniel as he battled the virus.

"Good idea." Maybe he should join in too, Jack thought. He waited until Teal'c had gone before he leaned forward onto the desk, head hung low. His eyes focused on a notepad that Daniel had filled with his scribble, and his heart seized much as it had fifteen months ago when he'd first walked into Daniel's office post-ascension. This time Jack doubted that Oma Desala would be around to save Daniel's soul. This time he would lose Daniel for good.

No! Jack slammed his fist down onto the desk. He was not going to lose Daniel again! Jack ran through the possibilities in his mind. The Tok'ra were unlikely to be reached in time; same with the Asgard. Beyond those two allies, there wasn't anyone else who would be able to help them. And Daniel would never forgive him anyway if Jack 'pulled rank' to save him. Unless...

Jack's gaze fell on Sha're's picture and it triggered a thought. A sarcophagus. If Nirrti had a base on P3X-367, then it was likely that a sarcophagus was there.

Hope renewed, Jack rushed off to talk to Hammond.

****

"Excuse me?" General Hammond couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"SG-1 can take Daniel and Valdez back to the planet and put them in a sarcophagus," Jack repeated. He knew that Daniel hated the sarcophagus--he did too, for that matter--but it could be the only way.

"And if there's no sarcophagus there?"

Jack remained silent.

"Before we even know if Doctor Fraiser can cure this virus, you want to take two sick men back to a known Goa'uld planet where Nirrti might still be hiding, just in case there's a sarcophagus there?" Hammond summed up.

"That sounds about right, sir." Jack tried for non-chalance but couldn't quite keep the emotion out of his eyes.

Hammond knew how hard Jack had taken Daniel's death the last time, and he had no wish to see either of them go through it again. However, there were limits. "I'm afraid I can't authorise a mission like that at this stage."

"General--"

"Jack, what if this is exactly what Nirrti wants? You could be walking into a trap."

Jack was prepared to take that risk but it would be a bad command decision to make the rest of his team take that risk too. "Well then, I recommend we send a UAV through, sir, see if it picks up any lifesigns."

That sounded more reasonable. "Granted."

****

Down in the infirmary, Daniel's kelno'reem wasn't going well. As the time passed and there was still no sign of Jack with his books, Daniel grew impatient. He forced himself to concentrate, to relax, but it just wasn't working.

Eventually Teal'c opened his eyes and looked up at his friend, who was seated on the bed. "What troubles you?" he asked.

"You mean besides the fact I'm going to die again?" Daniel said sarcastically then immediately wished the words unsaid. "I'm sorry, Teal'c. I'm not good company at the moment."

"I understand." Teal'c had observed the relationship between Daniel Jackson and O'Neill but had never said anything about it to anyone. Until now. "You wish O'Neill were here."

Daniel eyed Teal'c cautiously. "Yes," he said slowly. "He was supposed to bring me some books."

Teal'c inclined his head, acknowledging the excuse. "I saw him in your office. I believe he was having trouble locating the correct ones." Because of his grief, Teal'c implied.

The pre-ascension Daniel would have known what the undertone meant; this Daniel did not. "Maybe I should have just given him a list."

"I do not believe that would have helped," Teal'c stated. He gracefully stood and moved to stand next to the bed. "O'Neill is most anxious to find a cure."

There was nothing Daniel could say to that. He looked up at Teal'c and saw the compassion in his dark eyes; Daniel took comfort from that. "Let's try again." This time he would be more focused.

Teal'c nodded. He briefly placed a hand on Daniel Jackson's shoulder, then resumed his seat on the floor.

****

Janet sat back in her chair with a sigh. She rubbed her tired eyes; how many hours had she been staring into the microscope now?

"Get some rest," Sam suggested from her place on the opposite side of the table. "We'll keep going." There were several genetic scientists in the lab, including Dr Harlow, working on the same problem.

"Alright." Janet gave in without a protest. She was exhausted and she would be able to think better when she'd had a couple of hours sleep. "I'll just go and tell Daniel how it's going."

Sam immediately felt guilty that she hadn't been to see him. "How is he?"

"Pretty much as you would expect." Janet couldn't imagine how Daniel must be feeling right now. "See you later."

Janet headed to the infirmary, collecting a tray of food along the way. When she stepped into Daniel's room, she noticed that the lights were dim. Then she saw Daniel sitting cross-legged on the bed and she wondered what he was doing until she saw Teal'c's head nearby. Meditating--that was good, she thought. Janet was just about to leave them to it when Daniel's eyes opened. "Hi, Daniel," she said, walking towards him.

"What's the news?" Daniel asked, not even noticing that she was carrying a tray of food. All he was interested in was finding a cure.

"Well, your bloodwork shows signs of the mutation but it appears to be much slower than Valdez's," Janet told him.

"That's good, right? I mean, it gives you more time to find a cure, doesn't it?" For him, he realised; Valdez would still most likely die. He glanced towards the other room.

"Yes, it does." Janet saw the knowledge of Valdez's death in Daniel's expression.

"What about the healing device?" Daniel suggested suddenly. It was the obvious solution--so obvious, no-one had thought of it before. "Sam can use it on Valdez and then me." Daniel's own need for healing wasn't urgent yet.

Teal'c and Janet exchanged a look, remembering the last time Sam had used the healing device. They turned back to look at Daniel, and it was Teal'c who spoke. "Major Carter has not used the device since she failed to heal you."

"Oh." Daniel dropped his gaze to look at the bedsheets. Since he couldn't remember much about that time, he hadn't known about that; no-one had mentioned it to him. No wonder Sam had acted strange when he had come back--she probably felt guilty that she hadn't been able to help him. "Well, there would be no harm in asking, would there?"

"No, of course not," Janet replied, seeing her chances of sleeping disappear. "I'll go and ask her while you have something to eat."

Daniel noticed the food for the first time. Unsurprisingly, there was no coffee on the tray but at least the food was edible. Too bad he didn't have much of an appetite. "I can go ask Sam," he offered.

"You," Janet stated, "will stay here."

A nurse came rushing into the room. "Doctor, he's seizing again."

Janet immediately headed out of the room to attend to Valdez. Daniel turned to Teal'c.

"No." Teal'c anticipated the scholar's suggestion. "You will remain here. I will seek out Major Carter."

Daniel flopped back onto the bed. He knew he couldn't argue with Teal'c. "If you see Jack, remind him that I'm still waiting for those books." His tone was slightly bitter; where had Jack gone?

****

Down in the control room, Jack stood silently analysing the data from the UAV on the computer screen. The small aircraft had just flown over the fortress where Daniel and the others had been found. The first sweep had sensed heat patches in the fortress, and a second closer sweep had confirmed it. Which meant that Hammond was not going to authorise a visit to see if there was a sarcophagus there.

The only sign of frustration Jack showed outwardly was the tightening around his eyes. Inside was a different story. But he hadn't given up hope yet; there was still time. Maybe he could give Thor a call.

****

The shaking was worse this time, Daniel noted absently as the tremors racked his body. He huddled on the bed, trying to minimise the shaking and silently calling for Jack. Not that Jack would be able to help but it would be nice to have him nearby.

Janet entered the room and saw what was happening immediately. She called for another nurse then rushed over to Daniel's side. The shaking was already beginning to subside but Janet did a thorough examination anyway. Then she ordered that he get changed and then be hooked up to the monitor.

Teal'c arrived back just as the wires were being connected to Daniel. "Doctor Fraiser?"

"He had another episode," she explained as she continued about her business.

Daniel looked over at Teal'c. "Did you ask Sam?"

"I did. She is retrieving the device now." Teal'c just knew he should have stayed with Daniel Jackson instead of abandoning him.

"And Jack?"

Teal'c briefly considered lying but dismissed it as dishonourable. "I did not see him." He saw the hurt in Daniel Jackson's eyes and resolved to deal severely with O'Neill when he did show up. "If you wish, I will endeavour to find him."

"No." Daniel shook his head weakly; the last episode had left him feeling drained. "Maybe it's better if he stays away this time." Now say it like you really mean it, Daniel berated himself.

Sam quickly rounded the corned and halted when she saw Daniel attached to the monitors. "Oh boy," she muttered. This wasn't looking good. Her fingers tightened on the healing device that she was carrying.

"It's not as bad as it looks," Daniel stated with a brief smile. "Sam..."

"I don't know, Daniel," Sam anticipated the question. "It-it didn't work last time." One of the few times she had well and truly failed. She couldn't bear it if it happened again.

"That was last time. This is different." At least, he was hoping it was. "Please, Sam."

Sam couldn't resist the pleading in those big blue eyes. "Okay." She stepped forward.

"No. Valdez first," Daniel told her. He could wait for a while longer but Valdez couldn't. "He needs it more than me."

Sam looked to Janet for confirmation. Janet nodded slightly, informing Sam that Valdez was indeed more ill than Daniel. Sam turned back to the linguist. "Are you sure?" She knew Daniel always put others first but she didn't have to like it.

"Yes."

"Okay then." Sam and Janet moved next door while Teal'c remained with Daniel.

Jack chose that moment to make an appearance. He had been searching for Teal'c to take with him to the Hall of Wisdom on Ka'tau--he should have guessed the Jaffa would still be with Daniel. And speaking of Daniel, Jack observed that his lover was now wearing a white hospital gown and had wires attached to his body. His heart sank. Daniel's condition had obviously deteriorated while Jack had been away. "Hey, guys." He tried to act casual.

Daniel's eyes hardened at the casualness. "Where have you been, Jack?"

"Seeing if Nirrti and company were still on the planet."

"Why?"

"So we could get you to a sarcophagus."

Daniel's eyes widened in understanding. "And?" he asked hopefully, even though he didn't like the idea of going back into one of those things.

"We can't." Jack held Daniel's gaze steadily, hopelessness radiating from him. "I'm sorry." He watched the hope disappear from Daniel's face, and the fear he had felt earlier came back.

"Major Carter is attempting to use the healing device on Corporal Valdez," Teal'c stated to O'Neill, wishing that he could do more.

Jack had completely forgotten about that. "I'll go see how they're doing," he said. If the healing device worked, then he wouldn't have to contact the Asgard.

Daniel said nothing as Jack left, just turned his head away in resignation.

****

Sam concentrated hard on healing Valdez, wanting to atone for her previous failure. But something didn't feel right. She couldn't say how but she knew it wasn't working the way it should. That fact caused her to concentrate harder. But when the device switched off, she was not confident that it had worked.

Janet advanced and drew a sample of blood--that was the only way they would be able to fully tell whether Valdez was healed. The sores were gone but it was what was on the inside that counted.

Everyone waited silently for Janet to come back. When she did, her face was grim.

"Well?" Jack demanded. That face did not bode well.

"The virus is still there," Janet reported. "It seems to have mutated back into its original state but I didn't know whether that's permanent."

Sam was stricken. Yet again, she hadn't been able to use the healing device to cure. But why hadn't it worked?

"Am I going to die?" Valdez asked weakly, having woken up in time to hear the comments.

"Not if I can help it," Janet replied, bustling over to his side.

Jack slipped out into the corridor, letting the others deal with Valdez. The first attempt at healing had failed. This made Jack wonder whether a sarcophagus would work.

"Sir?" Sam had followed her CO out.

"I knew I shouldn't have let Daniel go with SG-8," Jack complained. "It always happens when Daniel goes off-world without us. Kidnapped, addicted, infected with a deadly virus..." He trailed off.

Sam knew nothing she could say would help; he just needed to vent. "Do you want me to use the healing device on Daniel?" she suggested, not entirely confident about it. "It might give us extra time to find a cure."

"Sure. Go ahead." Jack was all for anything that would buy him some more time with Daniel. Not that he could do anything productive in that time except be there for his lover. Speaking of being there... Jack realised Carter had gone into Daniel's room and he hastened to follow. When he again saw the machines hooked up to Daniel's body, his heart skipped a beat. Oh Danny, he thought.

"What happened?" Daniel inquired of Sam as soon as she entered the room. He was curled up on his side, waiting for the next lot of tremors.

"The virus mutated back to its original form," she replied.

Good news and bad news rolled into one, Daniel thought as he rolled onto his back; the virus had suffered a set-back but if Sam used the device on him, it would still be unsafe for Jack to touch him. Daniel looked over at Jack and saw the deep sadness in his eyes. The healing device might buy some time but the end result would be the same--death. And they couldn't even say a final goodbye to each other as they would like, with a kiss, not without sealing Jack's fate too.

"At least it will give us more time," Jack stated. That was something.

Daniel supposed that he should be grateful for that. Provided, of course, that the healing device worked on him. He looked at Sam. "Okay."

"We should wait for Janet," Sam said. "Just in case." What if something went wrong like it had last time?

"It will be fine, Sam," Daniel said with a confidence he didn't feel. "Just... do it," he ordered.

Sam looked at Jack, who shook his head slightly, indicating they should wait for Janet.

"I saw that, Jack." Daniel glared at him.

"Listen, Fraiser will be back here in a minute," Jack pointed out. "What's the harm in waiting till then?"

Daniel raised one eyebrow; there was a lot of harm in waiting. Every second they waited was another second that the virus had to mutate.

"Sir, Nirrti must have known we would try the healing device," Sam spoke up, the thought just occurring to her.

Teal'c nodded his agreement. "And she would know that no-one here would be proficient enough to use it to completely heal Daniel Jackson."

"She wants us to take Daniel to a sarcophagus," Jack followed on from their reasoning. He had already thought that it might be a trap. "Danny, did she do or say anything that indicated she would see you again?"

Daniel thought back over the conversation he'd had with her. "She said I would make an excellent host one day."

Host or slave, Jack wondered, eyeing his linguist to see if there was anything being held back.

"You seriously think she would put this mutation in me to get me back?" Daniel asked incredulously. He couldn't fathom such an idea.

"She's a Goa'uld. Anything is possible," Jack stated.

Janet came into the room and observed everyone's serious faces. Then she turned to Daniel. "They've told you?"

"Yes," Daniel replied. "And I still want to go ahead with it."

"Okay then." Janet nodded to Sam, who stepped up to the bed.

Daniel lay down and closed his eyes, folding his hands over his stomach. He could feel the warmth in his body as Sam moved the healing device over his body, and he imagined all the virus cells running for cover. When the warmth stopped, he opened his eyes.

"How do you feel?" Janet asked, stepping over to draw a sample of blood.

"Pretty good, actually," Daniel replied. When Janet was finished, he sat up. "So how long before the symptoms come back?"

"I don't know. It could be a day or a week or maybe never." Janet gave him a 'hang-in-there' smile and then left.

"It won't be never," Jack said pessimistically. "Nirrti wants Daniel back." And Jack would do his very best to make sure she couldn't have him.

"Colonel, knowing it's a trap, couldn't we plan around it?" Sam queried. "We could go in, take out the Jaffa and Nirrti, and then take Daniel and Valdez to the fortress."

"Problem with that is, they probably won't show themselves until they see Daniel. We'd have to smoke them out." And that was when all the casualties would occur.

"So you take me with you to begin with," Daniel stated.

"No," Jack refused flatly.

"Jack--"

"No." He was not going to let Daniel fall into Nirrti's hands.

"Well then, you can't go either," Daniel argued, "considering she wants you dead. And since she wants Sam and Teal'c dead, they can't go either."

"Daniel--"

"Jack, it's a risk we have to take." Daniel stared at the older man, begging him to put aside his feelings and think like the colonel.

After a long pause, Jack gave in. "I'll talk to Hammond about it." He would also see about contacting Thor first so that they didn't have to go into Nirrti's den. He was not going to lose Daniel to that Goa'uld.

****

"Permission granted."

"Thank you, sir," Jack said with relief. He virtually ran out of Hammond's office and went to collect Teal'c, hoping all the time that Thor was going to be available.

****

"What do you mean, he's unavailable?" Jack demanded.

Freyr stared impassively back. "Supreme Commander Thor is currently busy in another part of the galaxy."

"So call him back here!" Jack knew how fast Asgard ships could fly.

"That would be inadvisable," Freyr stated.

"Well then, how about you drop by Earth then?" Jack suggested.

"I cannot."

Jack gritted his teeth in frustration. "Why not? Doctor Jackson is going to die unless one of you pays him a visit!"

"That is most unfortunate," Freyr replied, his expression still maddeningly neutral.

"You could say that," Jack ground out, wishing he could hit the Asgard. "You're just going to sit back and let him die again?"

Freyr appeared to hesitate then cocked his head as if listening to something. "I will pass your message on to Supreme Commander Thor." And then he disappeared.

Jack threw his hands up in disgust. "Great! Just great! We save their galaxy from the Replicators and this is the thanks we get!"

Teal'c, who had been standing silently while O'Neill had been communicating with Freyr, now spoke. "What did he say?"

"Oh, that Thor was unavailable, and while it is 'most unfortunate' that Daniel is going to die, there's nothing the Asgard will do about it." Jack strode over to Teal'c, anger radiating from every pore of his body.

"Then we have no other option," Teal'c stated, referring to Nirrti's planet.

"Apparently not." Jack just hoped they would be able to pull it off.

****

Janet had let Daniel out of the infirmary to do some work, so the linguist was busy in his office when Jack called around after his off-world visit.

"Hey." Jack stood in the doorway, hands in pockets, and looked at his lover.

"Hey." Daniel deliberately didn't look up. It had been so hard this past week to go without any physical contact with Jack, and he thought that if he looked at Jack then he wouldn't be able to help himself. "How did it go with Thor?"

"It didn't." Jack advanced into the room and leaned against the bookshelves opposite Daniel. "According to Freyr, Thor is 'currently unavailable' and the rest of the Asgard are too busy to drop by." His sarcasm was tinged with anger.

"Did you really expect anything different?" Daniel queried, his fingers clenching on his pen. He should have known better than to hope himself.

"Considering all the things we've done for them recently, yes," Jack stated. There was silence from Daniel as he raised his head to stare impassively at Jack. "Okay, not really. But there's always a first time."

Daniel looked down again, longing stirring in his soul. "So we're going back to Nirrti's planet then."

"If Hammond approves, yeah." Jack glanced at the doorway to make sure no-one was passing by, then he said in a low voice, "I would give anything to hold you right now."

"Don't." Daniel closed his eyes, trying to block Jack out; it hurt enough as it was.

"When we cure this thing, you and I are going to take a long vacation," Jack continued, already imagining it. They would stay in bed for days to make up for the time that was lost.

'When'. Daniel wished he had Jack's confidence. He opened his eyes and stared at Jack. "I love you," he mouthed.

"Love you too," Jack mouthed back. Speaking aloud, he said, "I'd better go talk to Hammond, see if he's approved the mission yet."

"Okay." Daniel turned his attention back to his work. As soon as Jack left though, he leaned back in his chair, all thoughts of work forgotten. How were they going to pull off the mission without getting caught by Nirrti? He didn't want to become a host, and he desperately hoped that she wasn't planning on making him her Beloved - unfortunately, the memory of Hathor had returned recently. He wasn't sure how he would cope if that happened again. But he didn't particularly want to die again so this was the only way. It was a risk they would all have to take.

****

An hour later, SG teams 1, 3 and the remainder of 8, were geared up and waiting in the gateroom for the results of the UAV flyover of P3X-367. Jack was in the control room with Hammond, looking over the data. There were presently no life signs in the vicinity of the fortress and that worried them both. Nirrti would have some idea of the virus's timetable so she wouldn't have left; that meant she and the Jaffa were in hiding, presumably deep underground.

"I don't like this," Hammond commented. His intuition said the teams would be walking into danger.

"Neither do I, sir," Jack replied. "But we don't have a choice. Besides, we need to destroy Nirrti's lab as well." That might slow down her experiments for a while.

"Agreed. Just remember that she wants you all dead."

Not all of us, Jack thought. "We'll remember." Jack was counting on Nirrti's momentary surprise when she saw him to slow her reactions long enough to get past her defence shield.

Hammond nodded; he knew Jack would do everything in his power to bring everyone back alive. "Good luck, Colonel."

"Thank you, sir." Jack went down to the gateroom and briefed everyone on the sensor readings. Then he motioned for SG-3 to go through the gate first. SG-1 followed, and SG-8 brought up the rear.

The planet was eerily silent, as if it knew what was going on. Jack's gloved fingers tightened reflexively on his rifle as he walked down the stone steps in front of the Stargate, prepared for an attack - just because the sensors couldn't find anyone didn't mean that the Jaffa weren't there. He ordered two members of SG-3 to guard the gate and then lead the rest of the teams towards the fortress.

Daniel stayed at the back of the group - as far away from Jack as he could get without being in danger. Jack was at the front with Teal'c, and Sam was behind him with Captain Wiseman from SG-3, protecting their six. Valdez was just in front of Daniel, trying to put on a brave face but the linguist could see the fear in the young man's eyes; he imagined something similar was in his eyes too.

The whole group was on edge, waiting for an ambush. Jack believed that any ambush would take place in the fortress where there was less room to manoeuvre; a quick discussion with Teal'c confirmed the Jaffa's agreement. Upon entering the fortress, weapons were raised higher ready for an attack. Teal'c led the way, cautiously but fearlessly advancing through the corridors until they found the sarcophagus room.

Jack's suspicions grew the longer they were in the fortress. Nirrti was obviously waiting for something in particular, and Jack wished he knew what it was so he could be ready.

****

Nirrti watched as the Tau'ri entered the sarcophagus chamber. She was surprised to see O'Neill among them--he should have been dead a week ago. Given the closeness that she had observed between Jackson and O'Neill on her previous two visits, she believed that the younger man must have somehow warned him. Either that, or the two men were no longer close. But since they were here, Nirrti ruled that out--O'Neill would not have come if he didn't care.

So--how could she use that to her advantage? She couldn't let Jackson get into the sarcophagus, not yet anyway, as that would hamper O'Neill's rescue attempts. So the ambush would have to take place soon and would have to incapacitate all the Tau'ri. Then she could toy with SG-1 at her leisure. Hurting Jackson in some way would most likely be the best way to torture O'Neill--perhaps even killing him before O'Neill suffered the same fate.

"They are all to be captured alive," she ordered her Jaffa. "They will make good test subjects."

"Yes, my lord." The First Prime bowed and led his men out of the room.

Nirrti smiled. Soon her plan would come into fruition.

****

"Valdez should go first," Daniel was saying quietly to Jack as they entered the sarcophagus room.

Jack could see the sense in that--Nirrti probably wouldn't strike until it was Daniel's turn. "All right. Valdez!"

The young corporal went over to Jack. "Sir?"

"You're going first." The lover in Jack wanted Daniel to go first but the colonel in him knew this was better tactically. Jack went over to the sarcophagus and opened it, his rifle trained on the inside just in case someone was waiting for them. Fortunately, the sarcophagus was empty. "In you get."

"Me, sir? I thought Doctor Jackson would be first," Valdez said, looking back towards Daniel in puzzlement.

"We haven't got time for a debate, Corporal. Get in," Jack ordered.

Valdez handed his P-90 over to Jack and then went to get into the sarcophagus. Before he could lie down, a panel in the wall slid back and a shock grenade rolled into the room. Upon seeing it, Jack yelled, "Run!"

The SG teams took off at a run but they weren't fast enough. Only Teal'c and the two marines escaped the effects and they started firing on the Jaffa who had suddenly appeared in the corridor ahead of them. The other six Tau'ri lay on the ground, stunned by the grenade.

Teal'c spared a glance at his unconscious comrades before concentrating on the Jaffa again. It had indeed been a trap. The question now was, how would they get out of it? They were outnumbered and his comrades were vulnerable in their unconscious state.

The decision was taken out of his hands when another shock grenade rolled his way.

****

Daniel awoke slowly, his head fuzzy. He opened his eyes but saw nothing. Not realising the blindness was temporary, he began to panic. He instinctively went to move and found that he could not. Now that he was noticing, he realised that his hands were restrained separately above his head to something behind him.

There was a faint rustle of material which alerted him to the fact that someone was nearby. He froze, memory of the situation coming back to him. The person was unlikely to be Jack or one of the others, so that only left only a couple of possibilities, neither of which he liked. Daniel remained silent and waited to see who it was.

A single finger touched his left cheek, startling him. It then traced over his skin down the side of his neck. "I knew you would be back." Warm breath ghosted over his ear as the words were spoken.

"Good for you," Daniel replied, trying not to show any reaction to Nirrti's touch.

"Since you did not kill O'Neill, I will do it while you watch," Nirrti purred, running her hand down Daniel's chest. "He will die most excruciatingly."

"That's a surprise," Daniel said dryly, his heart thudding in his chest at the thought of Jack dying and being helpless to prevent it.

"As for the others, I have something else in store for them," Nirrti continued as if Daniel hadn't spoken. "The technology you wished to study has the ability to change DNA. Unfortunately, the effects are always fatal." Her hand moved to cover his groin.

"Well, as I'm going to die soon, I doubt I'll see all that." Nirrti's groping brought back memories of another Goa'uld doing similar things to him, and he hoped things wouldn't go that far this time.

"You are not going to die, Doctor Jackson," Nirrti promised. "I have something else in store for you. But first O'Neill will die knowing that he failed to save you." She stepped away and left the room, leaving Daniel alone to think about how Jack was going to die.

****

"Ow!" Jack complained as he woke up with a splitting headache. He opened his eyes but couldn't see anything--the shock grenades, he remembered.

"Sir?" a voice from nearby said. Carter's voice, Jack recognised.

"Hey, Carter. Blind?"

"Yes, sir."

Peachy. "Teal'c, you there?"

"I am, O'Neill," came the Jaffa's deep voice.

Two down, one to go. "Daniel?"

Silence. Jack felt fear start to rise in his chest. "Daniel?" Still no answer. "Wiseman?"

"Did anyone catch the number plate of the truck that hit me?" the CO of SG-3 complained as he came back to consciousness.

"Don't worry, it'll wear off." Jack rubbed his eyes as if that would help his sight return faster. "Who else is here?"

The other four SG members spoke up, which left only Daniel unaccounted for. A hollow feeling formed in the pit of Jack's stomach. Nirrti had his linguist. She was so going to pay for that.

****

Nirrti timed her entrance perfectly. She stood outside the cells with her invisibility device hiding her from view, observing the Tau'ri as they regained their sight. In particular, she watched O'Neill, assessing him. When he had his sight back, she moved around to stand next to him and then pressed the button.

"Okay, this is better--what the--?" Jack exclaimed as Nirrti suddenly appeared on the other side of the bars. He had forgotten about her cloaking device and wondered how long she had been standing there. "Oh, it's you."

"O'Neill."

"Listen, if you remember, I let you go," Jack stated.

"And I told you I would not have done the same," Nirrti replied.

"Where is Daniel?" Sam stepped forward and challenged the Goa'uld.

Nirrti didn't even glance at her. "How is it you are still alive?" she asked O'Neill. It shouldn't have been possible that he had lived.

"That would be telling," Jack replied.

"It is of no consequence anyway," Nirrti continued. "You will die here anyway."

Surprise, surprise, Jack thought. "And I suppose that you'll make Daniel watch in the hopes that he will become more pliant." The Goa'uld were so predictable. "It's been done before. Never worked, by the way."

"We shall see." Nirrti was confident it would work this time. "The others will assist in my experiments." She still needed expendable humans to test the DNA machine on.

"I don't think so," Jack stated, even though there was no way to prevent it.

"You will have no choice," Nirrti echoed his thoughts. Without bothering to look at any of the others, Nirrti walked out of the dungeon.

"Always a pleasure," Jack muttered, turning to face the others. SG-1 were in the same cell, with the other teams split between the other two cells. "So, ideas anyone? Teal'c, you able to bed the bars or something?" The bars seemed to be fairly rusty.

"I will try." Teal'c used all his strength but it did not seem to be enough. "I am sorry, O'Neill."

"That's okay, T. Anyone else?" Jack again invited ideas. He was met by silence. "Yeah, that's what I thought."

"Do you think she put Daniel in the sarcophagus?" Sam asked from her position near the colonel.

Jack shook his head; the Goa'uld were a sadistic bunch so Nirrti wouldn't cure him until absolutely necessary. "I think she'll wait until he is dead." His heart contracted at the thought. There had to be a way to prevent that! He turned and looked at the back wall of bars. It appeared that the bottom half lifted up. He went over and examined it--no sign of a lock. But when he tried lifting it, the bars wouldn't budge.

"Sir, I think the controls are over there." Sam pointed over to the far wall.

"Of course they are." That was always their luck. Jack sat down on the ground and leaned back against the bars. It seemed he would have to just wait and see what opportunities arose to escape.

****

When Daniel's eyesight returned, he realised he was secured to the lattice framework in the room with the Ancient device. From what Nirrti had said, the device had the ability to change a person's DNA; Daniel figured that wasn't a good thing.

He shivered; the air was cool and his jacket had been removed. And--he tugged against the restraints--he was not going anywhere soon. Nirrti wanted to wear him down so he would do her bidding. Why was it always him the Goa'uld went for? Was there a label on his forehead that said 'easy prey'? Not that he was but many Goa'uld out there seemed to think so.

A touch on the back of his neck made him jump. He bent his head forward, away from the touch, but fingers moved into his hair and his head was pulled back hard against the lattice.

"Such spirit," Nirrti purred softly into Daniel's ear. "I look forward to breaking it." She let go of his hair and moved around to stand in front of him.

Daniel noted that the revealing blue leather outfit she was wearing was supposed to be seductive but he didn't feel anything. "You'll be dead before then," he said, hoping it was true.

"Your friends cannot help you. They will die and then you will join me by my side." Nirrti stepped in close, invading his personal space.

"So you said before. That doesn't make it any more true." Daniel pressed himself back against the lattice while trying to look as though he wasn't doing so.

Nirrti merely eyed him with desire. She lifted a hand to cup Daniel's chin and held him in place while she inspected his face. Beautiful, she decided. Then she released him to run her hand over his chest. "I can give you more power than you have ever imagined."

"Thanks but no thanks," Daniel refused. He'd had power when he was ascended but apparently it hadn't been all it was cracked up to be. "I think I'll pass."

"Surely you wish for the power to help your friends."

"You wouldn't give them to me if I could do that," Daniel countered.

Nirrti smiled briefly. "Very smart. But by the time you receive the powers, you will not need to help your friends."

There was no mistaking the implications of that sentence, and Daniel had the horrible feeling she was going to make him watch them die.

"Now, who will we start with first?" Nirrti mused. "Maybe the woman. Or one of the others?"

Daniel kept his face impassive. He knew he shouldn't have let anyone else risk their lives to save him because if Nirrti had her way, no-one else would be left alive.

"Your friends will be last," Nirrti decided. "Then they will know they have failed before they die." She left him then to select a subject for her experiment.

Daniel rested his head back against the lattice and wondered how he could prevent Nirrti from murdering his friends.

A few minutes later, Nirrti arrived back. She went to stand behind the device while a Jaffa pushed Lt Connor from SG-8 onto the raised platform in the middle of the room.

Connor turned his head towards Daniel and saw the position he was in. "You okay?"

"I've been better," Daniel replied.

"Silence!" Nirrti activated the machine. Holographic images of molecules appeared and started to swirl around Connor.

To Daniel, that didn't appear to be too bad but he changed his mind less than a minute later when the pattern changed. The molecules seemed to tighten around Connor, causing pain. Daniel had no choice but to listen to Connor's cries of pain, each cry adding guilt to the linguist's conscience.

The Jaffa was there to catch Connor when the machine switched off, and he escorted the Tau'ri out of the room.

"What did you do to him?" Daniel demanded of Nirrti.

"I just altered his genetic make-up slightly," she replied. "Unfortunately, I fear that he will not survive it."

Daniel looked at the machine. Why had the Ancients made such a device? "Reverse it."

Nirrti ignored his demand. She stepped out from behind the device holding a small communication ball. After it was switched on, the gold covering disappeared to show the cells. "There are still six more humans to experiment on. I will return later for your decision."

"Decision about what?"

"If you submit to me, they will live," Nirrti lied. Then she left the room, confident that he would give in.

Daniel's eyes were drawn back to the cells. He could see Jack, Sam, Teal'c and the others. Could he condemn them all to death? And would Nirrti keep her word?

****

When Connor was brought back to the cells, Jack went over to the bars separating them. "What happened?"

"I'm not sure," Connor stated. "But I feel like something has changed inside me."

"Changed how?"

"I don't know, sir." He wished he could explain it.

"Did you see Daniel?" Sam asked, coming over next to Jack.

"Yes, sir. Nirrti had him tied to the wall nearby. He seemed to be okay," Connor reported.

Jack silently renewed his vow to kill Nirrti as soon as possible; even if Daniel seemed okay, there was no proof that he actually was. He determined to insist that he be taken next so that he could see for himself.

****

An hour later, just after Capt McCarthy from SG-3 returned from his turn in the machine, things took a turn for the worse. Connor started sweating heavily and was unable to stand, and Valdez had started shaking again. Jack knew that if the mutation had reoccured in Valdez, then Daniel would soon be experiencing the same symptoms.

Another hour later, and Connor started going into convulsions, still sweating profusely. Then, without any warning, he started vomiting water and suddenly, he just broke apart into a flood of water.

Everyone stared at where Connor had been. "What just happened?" Jack asked no-one in particular.

"I don't know, sir," Sam answered. "At a glance, I would say that Connor just fell apart as if the molecules holding him together stopped working."

"Okay, that's not good," Jack understated. Nirrti was probably going to do the same to all of them, SG-1 last, which meant there was little hope of survival. Unless there was something he could do about it...

****

Daniel watched in horror as Connor simply melted into a puddle of water, the change in his DNA making him fall apart. He couldn't let the others suffer that same fate, especially not Jack. "You win," he said aloud, knowing that Nirrti was most likely behind him.

Nirrti came forward, trailing her hand over his ribs. "I'm disappointed. I expected you to hold out much longer than this."

He had too but Daniel didn't want all those deaths on his conscience. "Reverse what you did to McCarthy and then let them all go."

"You are in no position to bargain," Nirrti stated, sliding her fingers up under the t-shirt.

Daniel's head fell back as the shaking started. It only lasted for a few seconds but it was enough to tell him that the mutation was back.

Nirrti smiled; perfect timing. "And I cannot let SG-1 remain alive." She stepped back and motioned to her Jaffa. "Bring me O'Neill," she ordered.

"You don't have to kill them," Daniel said even though he knew he wouldn't sway her.

"Yes, I do." It was a matter of personal satisfaction. In a few hours, she would be free of SG-1.

****

Jack was relieved to be the next one taken so that he could see Daniel for himself. His eyes immediately found the linguist's as he entered the room where Nirrti waited. Relieved to see that Daniel looked okay, Jack turned his attention to the Goa'uld; it wouldn't do to give Nirrti a clue about just how much he cared for Daniel. "I see you've come up with another unique way to kill people," he commented conversationally.

Nirrti didn't smile as she walked up to him. "Such bravado. You were always foolish." She looked him up and down then turned away to go over to Daniel. Making sure O'Neill was watching, she slid her hand under Daniel's t-shirt and up his chest. "You knew I would be waiting and yet you came to save Doctor Jackson's life. A most unwise move."

"Obviously." Jack gritted his teeth as seeing Nirrti touching Daniel but he didn't let any reaction show.

"He will be by my side when you die, and then I will teach him the pleasures of serving his god." She moved her hand to grasp his chin and then kissed him.

Daniel's eyes met Jack's, and the latter saw the pain there. Daniel knew what fate awaited both of them and hated his helplessness as much as Jack did. However, while they were still alive, there was hope. "You know, you guys really should get some original lines."

Nirrti pulled back and turned her head to her Jaffa. "Put him in."

Jack was forced up onto the raised platform while Nirrti went over to the controls. She pressed a button and the coloured bubbles appeared. "Pretty," Jack commented.

Daniel couldn't help a half-grin from forming at the casual tone. One of the things he loved about Jack was his refusal to show any fear in front of the enemy. Then the grin faded as Daniel remembered what the machine would do next.

The colours tightened around Jack but unlike the other two, it didn't cause him pain. Daniel stared in surprise; why wasn't it affecting Jack like the others?

Nirrti looked at the readings with undisguised interest. There was something different about O'Neill's DNA, something that would make him a very powerful ally. She couldn't get a proper scan though - something was blocking the sensors. Still, she had enough information for the moment. Nirrti switched the machine off. "Intriguing. Your genetic structure is not like the others."

Jack shrugged. "I've always been special." Silently, he sent a 'thank you' to Thor; that special marker had probably saved his life--for the time being, anyway.

Nirrti surveyed O'Neill thoughtfully. He looked older than she wished her consort to be but if he was the one who could wield the powers, then she could overlook that fact. Although... Her eyes strayed to Daniel. O'Neill was loyal to him. If she continued with her plan, O'Neill might choose to remain by Daniel's side. The idea was worth investigating, she decided. Nirrti nodded at her First Prime, who zatted O'Neill. "Take him to my chambers," she ordered.

"Yes, my lord." The two Jaffa picked O'Neill up and took him away.

"What are you going to do to him?" Daniel demanded to know. Nirrti looked so smug that he was afraid for Jack.

"I am going to give him the opportunity to serve us," she replied. "You had better hope he agrees if you want him to live." With a final pat to his cheek, she left.

"Oh boy," Daniel muttered under his breath. He had noted the use of the word 'us' and had his suspicions as to what Nirrti was going to propose to Jack. The question was, would Jack agree so that he could remain close to Daniel or would he choose death?

Something sharp pressed against the side of his neck and he flinched away from it. Footsteps behind him faded away, leaving him to wonder what Nirrti had just done to him.

****

Nirrti threw the syringe away as she walked towards her chamber. She had just given Daniel a drug that would speed up his mutation and kill him within hours if the antidote was not given; her insurance that O'Neill would not kill her.

She sat on the bed next to O'Neill and waited for him to wake. When he started to stir, she ran her fingers through his silvery hair.

It took only a couple of seconds for Jack to wake up enough to realise that it wasn't Daniel's fingers in his hair. He immediately rolled away but not as far as he hoped due to the cushions that blocked his path. "Hands off!" he ordered.

"Do not fear, O'Neill, it is not you that I want," Nirrti replied with amusement.

"Hands off Daniel as well."

"Yes. Daniel." Nirrti purred his name. "Such an excellent specimen. He will make an excellent host."

"Over my dead body," Jack stated.

"If that is what is necessary." Nirrti shifted closer to him. "But it doesn't have to be. I can give you the power to protect him," she offered.

Jack eyed her suspiciously; there had to be a catch. "In exchange for...?"

"You will become my First Prime."

"Ah, no," Jack refused. He had done the Jaffa bit before. "Sorry, but I don't really want to work for you."

"You deny yourself a great opportunity," Nirrti stated. "Imagine--the ability to move objects by just thinking about them. Seeing into your enemy's mind."

"As attractive as that sounds, no." The cost was too high.

Nirrti sat back. "Why not?"

"Because Daniel wouldn't be Daniel. And I'd have a snake in my gut," Jack replied. "You know the first thing I'd do if I had those abilities? Kill you. In fact, I could do that right now."

"You will doom Daniel to death if you do so. His condition worsens and only I have the antidote." Nirrti got off the bed and went over to the communication device. She switched it on to show Daniel hanging limply from his restraints.

Jack got up slowly and went over to get a better look. His heart froze for a second when he saw how drained Daniel looked. "What did you do to him?"

"I merely sped up the process," Nirrti said smugly. "If he does not receive the antidote soon, he will die."

"There's always the sarcophagus," Jack countered.

"It will not cure him. Only the antidote will do that."

"I'll take my chances." Jack started towards the door.

"You are a fool, O'Neill," Nirrti scorned as she went to stop him from leaving.

"No, you are." Taking her action as meaning the sarcophagus would work, Jack stepped around Nirrti, grabbed her head and twisted it hard.

Nirrti's eyes flashed once as her neck snapped, and then she died.

****

A muffled thud sounded in the sarcophagus room.

****

Jack let Nirrti fall to the floor and then he ran out of the chamber. Daniel was shaking violently when Jack reached him, and sores were beginning to appear on his face and arms. Without a thought to himself, Jack undid Daniel's restraints and then gently lowered the young man to the floor. "Daniel, can you hear me?"

"J-Jack?" Daniel felt the cool hands on this skin and tried to move away. "Don't-don't touch m-me."

"Too late." Now that Nirrti was out of the way, they would be able to use the sarcophagus; he had been unable to hold Daniel for way too long. Of course, there were still the Jaffa to deal with but Jack was confident they would be defeated soon. He stroked Daniel's forehead until the shaking stopped. "Can you walk?"

"Think so. Where?" Daniel struggled to sit up.

"Sarcophagus."

"Nirrti?"

"Dead."

"Oh." Daniel felt relieved at that. "Help me up?" He wasn't going to be able to stand on his own as the shaking attacks had left him weakened.

Jack helped Daniel to stand and then secured his arm around the slim waist. "Let's go."

They slowly made their way to the sarcophagus room, fortunately not encountering any Jaffa on the way. Jack assisted Daniel over to the sarcophagus and then pressed the button to open it. Nothing happened. Jack pressed it again. Still nothing happened. "Uh-oh."

"What?" Daniel asked weakly, feeling another attack coming on.

"It won't open." Jack moved Daniel to rest against the sarcophagus and then surveyed the rest of it. His heart sank when he saw the hole in the other side. Someone had blown a hole in it; it wouldn't work.

"Jack!" Daniel slid to the ground, shaking. He heard Jack rush to his side and then strong arms were lifting him to rest against a firm chest. "Hold me."

"Never going to let go," Jack promised. If only he had listened to Nirrti in regards to the sarcophagus. She must have somehow jury-rigged it to explode upon her death. And now there was no way to cure Daniel. "I'm sorry, love, the sarcophagus won't work. Nirrti destroyed it."

Daniel curled up and felt Jack's arms tighten around him. "Don't... want to die."

"I know, love, I know." Jack didn't want to either but that was his fate now too. He cradled Daniel's head to his chest. "I love you so much, Daniel."

"Love you... too, Jack." The shaking stopped again and Daniel decided on a course of action. He had to make the most of the time he had left. "Kiss me."

Jack obeyed, careful of the sores around Daniel's mouth as he didn't want to cause more pain. The kiss was a desperate one, both of them knowing it could be their last.

Slowly, reluctantly, Daniel drew back. He looked Jack in the eye and brought one hand up to cup Jack's cheek. "You have to free the others."

Jack shook his head. "I'm not going to leave you." He had just promised that and he wouldn't break it.

"They won't be able to get free by themselves," Daniel pointed out. "Please."

"I'm not going to leave you," Jack repeated. He didn't want to miss a single precious moment. He drew Daniel in for a brief kiss. "Will you marry me, Daniel?"

The pain-filled blue eyes opened wide. "Marry you?" Was Jack serious?

"Yes. What do you say?" Jack held his breath as he waited for an answer.

Daniel stared at his lover, amazed that Jack was taking this step. "Yes." Even if it was not for long, he would die happy knowing just how much Jack loved him. "Yes, love, I will."

Jack smiled at the endearment he hadn't heard from Daniel's lips for a long time. "Shall we be O'Neill-Jackson or Jackson-O'Neill?"

"The latter. Then you'd be Jon-Jon," Daniel joked weakly.

"Ha-ha." Jack affectionately ruffled Daniel's short hair as tears came into his eyes. "What kind of dog will we get?"

"Jack--" Daniel curled up against as the shaking started.

"Hang in there, Danny," Jack tried to soothe. He looked heavenwards. "Please don't let him die," he prayed aloud.

There was a white flash of light and suddenly the two men were on board Thor's ship. Jack looked up to see the little Asgard sitting in his command chair. "Thor, old buddy! Now that's timing!"

"I came as soon as I could." Thor looked at Daniel and then pressed a button on the arm of his chair. Daniel disappeared in a flash of light. "Do not fear, O'Neill. Daniel Jackson will be made well again."

"Thank you," Jack said gratefully, relief hitting him like a ton of bricks. "What about the others?"

"They have been released and the ones who were ill are being treated," Thor replied. "You are in need of medical attention as well," he observed.

"As soon as I know Daniel's okay." Jack wanted to be there when he woke up. "Where is--" There was another flash of light as he was relocated "--he?" Jack finished. He stared at the pod in the middle of the room as the cover slid back. "Danny?"

"Hi, Jack." Daniel slowly sat up and looked around him. "Thor?" He hadn't exactly taken it in before.

"Yep. Talk about timing!" Jack stepped forward.

Thor appeared between them in a flash of light. "It is your turn, O'Neill."

"Oh. Right." Jack went over to the pod and got in. "This will only take a few seconds, right?"

In response, the pod cover closed. Thor turned to Daniel. "I am sorry that I was unable to come sooner," he apologised.

"That's okay. We're just glad you came at all." Daniel couldn't believe how close he had come to dying again. "The others?"

"They are safe," Thor assured him.

"How did you know where to find us?" Daniel asked as the pod cover opened again.

"Your General Hammond informed me."

"Right." Daniel turned to Jack and grinned as the older man struggled out of the pod. Then he turned back to Thor. "Thank you."

"You are most welcome." Thor decided to give the men some privacy and disappeared with a flash of light.

Jack walked over to his partner and enfolded him in his arms. "How do you feel, Doctor Jackson-O'Neill?"

Daniel's grin grew wider. "Much better. So, we are still getting married, are we?"

"Oh yeah." Jack wasn't going to wait another second. "I, Jack O'Neill, take you, Daniel Jackson, to be my husband from this minute forward, to have and to hold," he placed special emphasis on the word, "in sickness and in health, as long as we both shall live."

Daniel felt his knees go weak and he leaned into Jack for support. Jack had meant the proposal! Finally, he knew he had found where he belonged. "I, Daniel Jackson, take you, Jack O'Neill, to be my husband from this minute forward, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, as long as we both shall live."

"I now pronounce us married," Jack said. Then he leaned in to kiss Daniel thoroughly.

Daniel pulled Jack to the floor and positioned the older man on top of him. They had some serious catching up to do...

****

Thor switched off the audio, smiling to himself. He had known the two humans were meant for each other and was pleased that they knew it too. He beamed the other cured Tauri back to the planet and then plotted a slow course for Earth so that Daniel Jackson and O'Neill could have plenty of time to celebrate being alive...