This story is set after Window of Opportunity. Here, it isn't the Russians that have retrieved the Stargate from the wreckage of Thor's ship in the ocean…

"Night Jack."

"Daniel." Colonel O'Neill's mouth acknowledged the farewell before he really registered that his civilian team member had walked past him. Slowing, he eyed his watch 17.30 ? Puzzled, he turned and looked at the retreating figure, jacket on, keys tinkling as they dangled from his hand.

"Daniel ?" O'Neill raised his voice to make sure he was heard.

He stopped and faced O'Neill. "What ?"

"Going somewhere ?"

"It's half past five, Jack." Daniel started to walk. "Going home time."

"Not for you."

"Excuse me ?" Stopping, a baffled expression crossed Daniel's face.

"Well, I mean officially, yes, that's the time you're supposed to finish work, but you never, never go home on time. Hell, sometimes you don't go home at all !"

"So, today I feel like a change." Again, Daniel shrugged his shoulders and walked away.

"Something wrong ?" O'Neill's voice softened, troubled by his friend's behaviour.

"Nope." Daniel sighed, turning to O'Neill once more.

With his concern thrown back at him, O'Neill couldn't help but resort to sarcasm. "Got a date ?"

"What if I have ? It's not that unlikely is it ?" Daniel's nose wrinkled and he pushed his glasses up.

O'Neill's mouth opened, but no sound came out, he really hadn't seen that coming. When his brain finally managed to kick-start again, running but obviously not quite in gear. "No, err… sorry, I… I didn't mean… it's just… well, anyone we know ?" He grinned.

"Nope." Daniel got into the lift. "See ya." He punched the button and flashed O'Neill a brief smile before the doors closed.

O'Neill stared after him, shocked more by the brusque answers from his friend, than the revelation itself. Thoughtfully, he continued his way back to his office. Why was Daniel being so secretive ? Did he think he wouldn't be happy that the guy was finally getting his life back together ? He was… If anyone deserved a break, it was Daniel. So, why did it bother him so much that Daniel had a date ? Because life on SG-1 was never that simple, was it ?

The small fire crackled merrily, its warm glow the only illumination amongst the forest. A covering of thick cloud darkened the night sky on P4A 928.

Daniel sat on a log; reading as well as he could by the low flickering light.

"Okay that's it." O'Neill dropped in heavily beside him.

"It's still my watch, Jack." Daniel's gaze remained transfixed on his book, the reflection of the flames dancing on his glasses.

"That's not what I meant." O'Neill held his hands out toward the blaze, wriggling his fingers to radiate the warmth through them quicker. "You gonna share ?"

"What ?"

"Daniel, you've been seeing someone for the past two months, when were you figuring on telling us about her ?"

"What's to tell ?" Finally, Daniel lifted his head to face him.

O'Neill was beginning to get annoyed, he couldn't work out if Daniel was being deliberately obtuse or whether he simply didn't understand his interest. "It's what friends do, Daniel, you know, tell each other stuff."

An oddly amused expression flitted across the younger man's face. 'That's good coming from you, Jack. There's a fair few things you've neglected to share with me lately.' He steeled himself and said flatly, "It's my stuff."

"So, you're not gonna share then."

"I'm sorry," Daniel sounded irritated. "I didn't think that just 'cause I work for the military, that I needed my CO's approval to have a girlfriend."

"You don't." O'Neill was bothered by Daniel's attitude.

"It sure feels that way."

"I just don't know why you wouldn't want to shout it from the rooftops. You should be happy."

"I am."

"You don't sound it."

O'Neill's sardonic tone cut through some of Daniel's reticence. "I am, it's just… "

"Well, you could at least tell me her name." Playfully he gave Daniel a nudge on the arm. O'Neill was suddenly wishing he hadn't started this. It was obvious Daniel wasn't ready to say anything, but he just had to know. He told himself his curiosity was for the good of the team. If the usually preoccupied linguist became even more uncommunicative the team would not be able to function properly.

Sensing some of O'Neill's concerns, Daniel finally conceded. "Gwen," he said quietly. "Her name is Gwen."

The remains of the take-out lay scattered over the table in Daniel's apartment.

"It's okay, Daniel, we'll clear this." Carter motioned to Teal'c to help her. The contented feeling settling in her stomach, not just from the food. She looked across at Daniel, catching the smile of thanks that he gave in her direction, then to O'Neill. She had been worried for a long time about the unease between the two men. Finally there seemed to be a breakthrough. The invitation to share an evening as a team along with Daniel's new girlfriend had apparently mended a lot of, perhaps not broken, but at least shaky bridges.

O'Neill sat relaxed, one leg over the arm of his usual chair; watching as the girl who had barely detached herself from Daniel's arm throughout dinner guided the younger man onto the couch, where she snuggled up against him.

"So, Gwen, since getting any information out of Danny-boy here is like getting blood from the proverbial stone, how did you guys actually meet ?" He took another swig from the beer bottle as he waited for her to speak.

One hand wandered lazily up and down Daniel's thigh, as she appeared to look at him for approval before saying anything. He lifted his own bottle to his lips and she took that as a signal that it was okay to answer.

"I was in the library, when this idiot," she gave the leg a flirtatious squeeze, causing a wince to erupt on Daniel's features, "bumped into me and my essay went fluttering around the whole place. You should have seen the look on the librarian's face." She laughed at the memory.

"I helped you pick it all up." Daniel hastily put in his defence.

"Yes, you did. You were very sweet," she smiled teasingly.

Daniel grimaced at the description, she was playing right into Jack's hands and he thought she knew it.

Carter and Teal'c listened to the conversation behind them busily stuffing the Chinese cartons into garbage bags, amused at Daniel's plight.

Gwen continued with her explanation. "Then he noticed what my essay was about."

"Egyptian myths and legends," Daniel added.

"And the rest as they say is history." Gwen laughed at the double meaning of her words.

"So, another archaeologist in the family, how nice." O'Neill pretended to be irked at the thought.

"Well, not really." Daniel corrected him. "Gwen's a history student, that's not the same as being an archaeologist."

"Oh ? Sounds the same to me." O'Neill placed his empty bottle on the coffee table.

"Daniel's been helping me with my research. He knows sooo much." The girl turned her face adoringly toward him and gave him a light peck on the cheek.

O'Neill couldn't help but see the resemblance to Sha'uri at that precise moment. Gwen's long dark hair framed the rounded contours of her attractive face. She wasn't the stunning beauty of Daniel's former wife, but the alluring charm was plain. He was strangely troubled by the close comparison.

"Too much." His response shocked himself. 'Where did that come from ?' On seeing Daniel's stunned glance in his direction, he tried to play it up as if the comment was really the quip he had intended. "I've always said his head is way too full of useless information. Me ? I try to keep mine as empty as possible !" He was relieved when Gwen's laughter rang out again, melting his friend's sober expression.

When the evening drew to a close, Daniel and Gwen stood arm in arm, by his apartment door, saying their goodbyes as everyone left. Carter pulled Daniel into a hug as she whispered into his ear, "She's lovely, Daniel. I'm happy for you,"

"Thanks, Sam." He smiled, easing out of her embrace. "That means a lot."

Closing the door, he felt a hand take his.

"I like your friends." Gwen nodded toward the door. "They seem good people."

"Yes," he agreed. "Yes they are." He stood looking at the young woman before him, wondering if he could trust his feelings.

It had been so long since he had felt this way about anyone other than his wife…

There had been Hathor; well, Hathor was a very bad memory to say the least, the devotion falsely induced by her pheromones. He'd been unfaithful to Sha'uri and even though it was not technically his fault, the guilt still weighed heavily on his shoulders.

Shyla had been just as devious to attain her mother's prophecy of love. It had only taken one badly injured archaeologist and more than a few spells in a handy sarcophagus to achieve it. He had nearly lost everything then, his friends, his position in the SGC, his self-respect. With Jack's help he'd fought to get it all back. As hard a fight as he'd ever had in his life, but he'd won.

Then too soon after he'd lost Sha'uri forever, he met Kyra, beautiful, intelligent, kind and caring Kyra, but her secret past, unknown even to her, concealed her true self - the murderous and calculating 'Destroyer of Worlds', Linnea. A woman who at her own admonishment loved him, but would have gladly watched him die. He had seen only the best in her, Kyra was not Linnea, but his friends had feared for his safety and in the end he'd given in to their wishes. He often wondered how she was and whether he'd done the right thing in letting her go.

He focussed once more on Gwen.

She raised herself on to her tip-toes, seductively nipping at his bottom lip before pressing her lips firmly against his. Daniel's back came up against the door as the kiss deepened and all his thoughts vaporised. When, finally, Gwen withdrew, she tugged provocatively at the hand she still held and led the unresisting archaeologist to his bedroom.

P7C 142 was an oasis of a place. Even in the cool blackness of night the beauty of its flowers was highlighted by glittering starlight. The nearest village to the Stargate had been a two-day hike. Its people, though fairly primitive, had been friendly and welcoming.

SG-1 was now camped in the clearing where they had spent their first night on the planet. Their last stop before returning home.

"This is getting to be a habit." Daniel looked up as O'Neill sat beside him.

"Couldn't sleep. Thought I might as well keep you company. Not too many lonely nights for you these days, huh ?"

"Isn't that a contradiction, Jack ?" Daniel tilted his head on one side, grinning cheekily.

"You know what I mean." The Colonel poked at the fire. "Any coffee left ?"

"Yeah, I think so."

As O'Neill poured the dregs into a tin cup he noticed that Daniel was fingering something.

"Whatcha got there ?"

Daniel handed the object over for O'Neill to see. "It was Sha'uri's," he explained. "Kasuf gave it to me after…" The words would not come. The tarnished metal brooch was passed back into his hand and he gazed at it longingly. "I keep it here." He patted the left breast pocket of his jacket as he replaced the brooch there. "Kind of a good luck charm." A smile graced his boyish features, reaching his eyes.

O'Neill was warmed by that all too rare phenomena, thinking that there must be some good memories floating through the young man's head for once. He also noted that, unsurprisingly, the place the trinket was kept was over Daniel's heart. "Have you told Gwen about Sha'uri ?"

"Yes," though he added sadly, "not everything, obviously."

"She okay with it ?"

"Yes, why shouldn't she be ?"

"Oh I dunno, seemed like you were pretty deep in thought just now," O'Neill wasn't really too sure himself of where his questioning was leading but he could tell something was troubling his friend.

"It's been a year, Jack, since…" No, he still couldn't finish that sentence, way too painful. "Perhaps it's too soon. I was sort of asking Sha'uri if it was okay, you know ?" He looked again into the fire, the golden light sparkling in his watery eyes. "And to tell her that I will always love her, no matter what." He sniffed. "Pretty stupid, don't you think ?"

"No." O'Neill thought of times when he laughed and Charlie's face appeared. He would question whether it was all right to laugh, to be happy and the face would smile and say that it was. "Sha'uri would understand. She wouldn't want you to grieve for the rest of your life."

"I suppose." Daniel paused. "It still feels… wrong… somehow. Like I'm betraying the love Sha'uri and I had." He looked earnestly at the Colonel.

"You're not betraying anything Daniel. She'd want you to be happy. I know what it's like, what thoughts are going through your head."

"Sorry." Daniel apologised, concerned that he'd caused some bad memories to surface in his friend's mind.

O'Neill mentally kicked himself that he had made Daniel uncomfortable. He should never have mentioned his own grief. However disguised the reference was, Daniel would know what he meant. He hadn't intended to add that burden to the already guilt ridden archaeologist. He tried to alleviate the situation with a genuine offer. "Just remember we're here if you need to talk."

"Thanks, Jack."

"You wanna turn in ?"

"You sure ? I've still got an hour and a half of watch left."

"Go ahead. I'm up now." O'Neill poked at the fire and added a few more twigs from the nearby pile. "Bet you could do with catching up on some sleep." He winked mischievously.

Daniel felt his cheeks flush. He returned a wicked grin, acknowledging the joke, but didn't rise to the bait. Crossing to his tent he gave a theatrical yawn, gave O'Neill a quick wave and then ducked inside.

"Where's the birthday boy then ?" O'Neill set two six packs down on the kitchen counter, his head weaving around in search of his errant archaeologist.

"Oh, he called to say he'd been delayed," Gwen answered, handing him a bottle opener.

"Only Daniel would work late on his birthday," Carter added with a grin.

"Yes, some artefact or other needed translating. You know how he is, once he gets his hands on something he just can't put it down until it's finished." She poured herself another glass of wine from the half-empty bottle. "Still, you both must be grateful for his tenacity." She waved her glass toward the two officers.

O'Neill raised his eyebrows, with an 'What on Earth do you mean ?' expression.

"You know, when you were lost in Antarctica after the wormhole jumped Stargates," she continued, seemingly oblivious to the glares criss-crossing between the three members of SG-1. Even Teal'c looked positively shocked.

As Daniel drove home, the car in front seemed to be having some trouble in keeping on the move.

When it finally puttered to a halt, an old man got out. At first the scientist was tempted to drive past, not wanting to be late for the gathering of his friends, but he stopped. If nothing else, he could probably call road service on his cell phone, as he didn't think it likely that the old man would have one. He approached the man, who was struggling to raise the hood of the car.

Daniel never managed to utter a word to offer assistance. He briefly heard the speedy crunching of boots on the loose tarmac behind him, before he felt a sharp blow across the back of his head. The world lit up in vivid multi-color as the pain registered and then everything became black.

"I don't know what you're talking about," O'Neill kept his voice calm and level, despite the fact that he was boiling with rage inside. 'Just what the hell have you told her, Daniel ?'

"Oh yes, of course, it's all classified isn't it. Sorry, but it sounds so exciting though and dangerous. Daniel said that you all got killed once, but were brought back to life by aliens." She thought for a moment, surreptitiously eyeing the responses around the team. "The Nox wasn't it ? Sometimes I swear he's making it all up. Maybe someone should make a TV series about it !" Forced laughter followed Gwen's comments.

When the laughter died, an uneasy silence was broken by the sound of O'Neill's now empty beer bottle connecting with the worktop rather too heavily.

Something inside was telling him what nonsense this situation was. Who would believe what they did for a living unless they saw it with their own eyes ? It was too incredible. Sometimes even he had trouble buying it ! But she had obviously been given the information and whether she believed it or not wasn't really the issue right now. In the wrong hands that information would be a threat to national security - other world powers would not be happy to discover that they had access to alien technology. He cringed, the person who held that knowledge would be in danger too. The sounds of a body slammed by a car and a head cracking on the pavement echoed through his mind. If she ever let any of this slip, someone would be bound to investigate the story and discover that it was the truth, again. He couldn't let that happen. What had Daniel been thinking ?

He took a deep breath, composing himself, before launching into a hastily thought up excuse for whatever she had been told. "I'm sorry you had to find out this way, Gwen, but Daniel has had a bit of a problem with this sort of thing in the past."

The girl looked quizzically at him.

"He has a rather vivid imagination. He works for the Air Force, not NASA. Seems like he's strung you a few lines to make his work appear more interesting, I mean how exciting can an archaeologist's life be ?"

"But, but," she faltered, "he told me that he was needed because of the first contact stuff… his skills as a linguist, his interest in anthropology, the mythology that seems to have been spread throughout the galaxy…"

"Daniel translates decoded messages that we get from satellite transmissions. Occasionally, one of our units picks up relics when they're on recon missions. Sometimes they get sent to him, because of his other interests." He shrugged his shoulders apologetically.

"He seemed so sincere."

"Yeah, well, like I said he's done this before. His last girlfriend couldn't take any more of it so she left. He tried to follow her but she got a restraining order in the end." The lies came freely as he got into the swing of things. He was shocked at himself, but let his disappointment and anger take over.

"Oh my God." Light-headedly, Gwen stumbled back against the cupboards and reached a steadying hand to the worktop. "I had no idea. He's that unstable ?"

"We only stick around to make sure he doesn't get himself or anyone else into more trouble. We thought this time he was doing better, but it doesn't look that way now, does it ?" O'Neill's despondent tone was genuine.

"No." She suddenly found the floor very interesting.

"Actually, Gwen, if you don't mind we really should be going." Carter decided that it would probably be best if they left, if Daniel were to walk in now, she had the horrible feeling that O'Neill would tear him limb from limb and maybe Gwen would as well.

She wasn't that happy with him either. Surely he knew that their work shouldn't be discussed at all outside the base, even with the closest of friends or family. She was reminded of that awful time, when she had wanted to tell her father everything, but she hadn't, despite the fact that he was then dying of cancer. Wanting him to know that she was realizing her dreams and his. Not able to say why she was turning down the supposed offer of a lifetime to get back into NASA's astronaut program. It had hurt her and it had hurt Jacob, but she had to do it, for the good of her work, for the good of the SGC, for her country and ultimately the world. It had torn her in two, but she'd stayed silent. Why couldn't Daniel have done the same ? Perhaps he was not the man she thought he was…

O'Neill made for the door with a purposeful stride. "Tell Daniel that we'll see him in the morning," an undercover threat evident in his voice. "If you stick around long enough to tell him that is."

Gwen shut the door on the premature departure of the team and leaned back against the wall. Smiling, she tugged on the annoying hair extensions. 'Soon be rid of these,' she thought. She took a cell phone out of her bag. "Hello, Sergeant Taylor here, Sir. Yes, it's done, worked like a charm." She nodded to herself in silent approval of her actions. "Do you have him, Sir ?" She waited for the reply before ending her call. "Yes, I'll report in straight away, Colonel Maybourne."

Returning to the kitchen, Gwen retrieved a tape recorder and microphone from behind the blind and deposited them in her bag. She gathered together the few clothes and toiletries that had accumulated over her times spent in the apartment and stuffed them in the bag as well.

Taking a last look around the flat for anything she might have missed, she blew a mocking kiss at the only framed photograph on the bookcase - one of SG-1 with Cassandra, that Janet had taken on a picnic in the park. Then she closed the door on a job well done.

The journey back to base was strained and silent. Carter wanted to speak to her CO about the things he had said to Gwen, but thought it best to keep quiet for the moment. There was sure to be a meeting to discuss the consequences of what Daniel had apparently done. She wasn't sure if she really wanted to be around when that potentially volcanic confrontation took place, or for that matter, witness the fallout that would undoubtedly ensue.

As O'Neill parked up his jeep, his eyes were scanning the car park.

Carter had been doing the same, "Looks like Daniel's gone home, Sir."

"He'd better stay there." O'Neill's face was set in a mask of fury. "I'm going to see Hammond."

"I shall accompany you, O'Neill." Teal'c strode after him.

"Wait for me !" Carter broke into a jog to catch the two men.

"What do you want from me ?" Daniel repeated the question for what seemed like the tenth time.

He twisted his hands again, trying to free them from their bonds. Every time he moved his head a hammer seemed to bang at the base of his skull, sending tiny stars skittering across his vision.

The room was dark, save for the table lamp on the desk in front of him. A folder was neatly placed in the middle of it, though from his seat, he could not make out the words written on top. His shoulders were beginning to ache from the way his hands were tied behind his back around the chair. He tracked the shadowy figure that had deliberately kept out of sight in the gloom. "Who are you ?"

"Someone you'll wish you never got on the wrong side of." A face suddenly appeared in the lamp's glow, causing Daniel's head to snap back in surprise, he winced at the movement. The cold expression glared menacingly at the young man. Narrowed, dark eyes sought out the shocked blue ones and peered into their depths, as if piercing his soul.

"C-Colonel Maybourne ?" Daniel fought the stammer that would proclaim his fear of the man that had threatened him in the past. He never really thought that the Air Force officer would do anything to carry out his intentions, but looking at him now, he realized that he was in very big trouble. "You can't keep me here."

"You're in no position to say what I can or can't do, Doctor Jackson," he almost spat the name.

"People will be looking for me." Adding to himself, 'I hope.'

Maybourne laughed heartily. "Colonel O'Neill perhaps ? Oh, somehow, I don't think so."

"What have you done to Jack ?" Daniel leaned worriedly toward his tormentor.

"It's not what I've done…" the NID man was being callously obscure.

"Look, I'm sure we can sort all this out. Just untie me and…"

"Ah, ever the diplomat." Maybourne paced around the chair. "Not really my way, Doctor. I've always believed that actions speak louder than words." With that he nodded to another man that stepped from the darkness. A vicious backhand swept across Daniel's face, splitting his bottom lip.

When the lights that danced before his eyes diminished, he rounded defiantly on the Colonel.

"What's the matter Maybourne, can't you do your own dirty work ?" His retort earned him another swipe to the same cheek. He could almost feel the bruises starting to form beneath the stinging heat of his flesh. Licking the blood from his lips, only one thought came into his mind, 'Jack, help.'

Three members of SG-1 sat sullenly in the debriefing room awaiting the General's arrival.

O'Neill's fingers drummed impatiently on the table, as he wondered how much longer Hammond was going to be.

Although late in the evening, General Hammond was still on base. When O'Neill had blustered into his office, he was surrounded by heads of departments, deeply engrossed in yet another seemingly endless meeting on expenditure. Despite the ill-mannered entrance of his second in command, initially, Hammond had been grateful for the possibility of escape from the mundane problems of income versus outgoings; with the valid excuse of a more pressing matter. Until, that was, the General caught sight of the Colonel's eyes. Something in them was screaming at him that he might be better off staying where he was. He hadn't seen the man looking that way since he came back from P3R 636… He shuddered. 'Dear God, what now ?' Hopefully placating both parties, he'd asked O'Neill to wait in the debriefing room while he got to a convenient point to suspend the meeting.

"Am I growing horns or something ?" O'Neill growled at Teal'c.

"You are not, O'Neill."

"Then can you stop with the staring, already ? And that… eyebrow…thing…"

Teal'c's eyebrow's raised higher, puzzlement replacing concern.

"I think what the Colonel is trying to say, Teal'c, is, 'Why are you looking at him like that ?'" Carter explained. She too had noticed the way the Jaffa had been regarding the Colonel.

"I am troubled, O'Neill."

'Makes two of us, Teal'c.' O'Neill replied silently.

"I have always found Daniel Jackson to be an honorable and trustworthy man. It is hard to comprehend that he would make such a transgression."

"He's done it before." There was no emotion in O'Neill's voice as he answered.

Drawing blank looks from around the table, O'Neill tersely clarified his statement. "Nick."

Carter was aghast. "But, Sir, that was totally different circumstances. He…"

"But, Sir, nothing." O'Neill cut her off. "He was out of line then, no matter what the circumstances… and he's way out of line now."

"Nicholas Ballard poses no threat to the SGC." Teal'c stated calmly.

"Not all the while he's on that planet," O'Neill agreed, "but if he hadn't stayed there Daniel would have faced a severe reprimand for disclosing information about the Stargate." He thought about the run in he'd had with Hammond just after they'd returned from P7X 377. Should they or shouldn't they take Daniel to task over his disclosure of certain top-secret facts ? They had quickly decided not to… right then, given the situation. Daniel was already down over Nick leaving him again and then he'd gotten sick and they were just so relieved that he made it through the appendix attack at all that any thoughts of castigating him went straight out of the proverbial window. "Looks like we should have bawled him out after all," he added quietly, more to himself than anyone else.

"If Daniel Jackson had not told Nicholas Ballard about the Stargate, he might still be lost to us." Teal'c was not giving up his defence of his comrade that easily.

'He's lost to us now !' O'Neill yelled inside his head. "Not the point, Teal'c."

"And we might not have discovered another potential ally against the Goa'uld." Carter came at him with another argument.

"Again, not the point, Carter." O'Neill's head was aching. Wrestling with his conscience was proving to be an unhealthy sport.

Carter shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Her stomach was doing somersaults. How could they be having this conversation about Daniel… of all people… Next to Janet, he was the one person she felt she could confide in, tell anything to, without fear of being judged. Her initial reaction had been the same as the Colonel's, in the light of what Gwen revealed she knew, but Teal'c speaking up against what they were both seeing without question had made her think. There was always more than one side to every story… "Shouldn't we at least hear Daniel's side of things before we condemn him ?"

Teal'c backed up Carter's line of reasoning . "Is it not the custom of your country that one is innocent until proven guilty ?"

"And what the hell would you know about it, Teal'c ?" O'Neill snapped. He dropped his head, feeling spent. Composing himself, he rubbed a hand over his face. "Sorry, Teal'c. I shouldn't have said that. I'm just…" 'Just what ? Confused ? Angry ? Hurt ? All of the above ? Definitely… and more definitely tired… tired of wondering what he should be feeling… and just… tired… exhausted, old.'

He was saved from having to finish his apology. General Hammond strode briskly into the room, waved at the three rising figures to remain seated and plonked himself into his position at the head of the table. He had caught the last part of the rapidly over-boiling discussion as he walked up the hall and the expressions of his top team were enough for him to be grateful that it was some time since he'd eaten. There was someone missing from the infamous group… Usually, when he came in and there was arguing in progress it was between Colonel O'Neill and Doctor Jackson, but Jackson wasn't here and O'Neill was arguing with… Teal'c ?

It struck him that he was walking right into an explosive situation, one that could very likely blow right up in his face and from Jackson's absence, he guessed the archaeologist had set the fuse.

Hammond listened to O'Neill's account of what had transpired that evening, trying not to show the agitation building inside of him. "So, Colonel, you're telling me we have a breach of security. Will this girl take the information elsewhere ?"

"I think I managed to convince her that what Daniel said was basically a pack of delusions and lies, Sir."

O'Neill was sure that she wouldn't discuss things further, for the time being at any rate. "If we haul her in now to find out just how much he's told her, won't that make it more obvious that there's some truth in what he's said ?"

Hammond thought carefully for a few moments. "You may be right. I'll order surveillance on their apartments and track her for a while, until we can be sure that she's bought your story. In the meantime, I want you to find Doctor Jackson and find out just what he thinks he's doing."

"Yes, Sir," three sombre voices answered in chorus.

Carter was still fazed by the evening's events. She spoke up again, not wanting to believe the worst of the man she considered a more like a brother than her own real one. "I still can't understand why Daniel would do this."

"I can," O'Neill replied. "Daniel's a civilian. They have a different perspective when it comes to loyalties. To be true to his own values, he would have to tell her the truth about what he does for a living, he'd see it as only fair, as right. In the outside world, even I would agree that you shouldn't keep secrets from those closest to you, but in the military we live by a different set of rules, don't we ?" He briefly thought of all the things he'd kept from Sara…

Seeing a resigned look on Carter's face, he directed the next question at her to press his point home. "Did you tell Jacob about the Stargate, before we offered him the chance to become a Tok'Ra ?"

"No, Sir." Feeling like she was being interrogated, she kept her reply formal.

"And he was in the military, but you still didn't tell him… because that's our rules."

"That's correct, Sir."

"Can you see Daniel looking at it the same way ?"

She gulped, emotion threatening to choke her. "No, Sir. But…" She wanted to say more. True enough Daniel would probably argue that he should be able to tell Gwen about where he was, how dangerous things were, but would he actually do it ?

"No." O'Neill quickly doused any counter attack she was planning. 'But…' Of course Daniel wouldn't see things the same way they had had drummed into them from their first day in uniform, but he had always understood the necessity of secrecy with regard to the Stargate, did he still…? Seeds of doubt over his friend's supposed guilt were beginning to grow, would Daniel really betray them all ? The evidence against him was however, overwhelming. "Besides," he sighed, "it's a great way to impress a new girl friend."

"Actually, I'm surprised she bought the stories at all. They're pretty fantastic." Voicing O'Neill's earlier misgivings, Carter's eyes wandered between the two superior officers.

Teal'c remained a silent witness. He had already made his feelings known and since it obviously disturbed O'Neill, he kept his eyebrows raised to convey his continued concerns on the matter.

"She's infatuated with him. I think she'd have believed anything he told her." O'Neill convinced himself.

"What'll happen to him, Sir ?" Carter asked the General.

"He'll likely be charged with treason, whether it was intentional or not." He answered bluntly.

She looked away from him and back to O'Neill. She knew how deeply hurt he was by all this. Her own heart was aching badly enough, but he looked drained, worn out. A weariness had settled over his features and his posture had wilted. She was worried that his thoughts would once again lean toward retirement, as they had at a time Daniel was lost to them before, courtesy of Nem.

She wasn't at all sure how she would handle the possibility of the Colonel retiring and she knew she certainly shouldn't be thinking about it now. This wasn't about her, her feelings… but the thoughts invaded her mind nonetheless. Part of her longed for the 'normal life', like Mark had… a loving partner, kids… a family. If the Colonel were no longer in the Air Force, there might be a chance for them… together, but did she really want that ? After the zatarc fiasco, when they'd had to come clean over their feelings for each other, they had never talked about it, what it meant for them, what it meant for the team. It just went back to business as usual… Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter, team-mates. Except it could never really be back the way it was, could it ? And if they did get together, what would happen to her career ? What would happen to SG-1, anyway ? With no O'Neill, no Daniel… Oh God… Daniel.

"Well, have you decided on your answer to my question, Doctor Jackson ?"

"Ah, yes, actually… the answer is NO."

"So, how can I persuade you to undertake my little task ?"

"I won't do anything for you, Colonel Maybourne. I'd rather die."

"Mmm, somehow I thought that is what you might say. If you won't do it to save yourself, perhaps you would to prevent Henry here from hurting someone you do care about."

There were sounds of a skirmish outside the room and a woman cursing loudly. Daniel lifted his aching head as the heavy metal door groaned open. His eyes struggled to gain focus on the figure dragged literally kicking and screaming through the opening.

"Daniel ?" the struggling woman called. "Daniel, what the hell is going on ? Who are these goons ?" A sharp slap on her cheek, from one of the men pulling Gwen into his view, put a stop to her questions.

'No, not Gwen. Please, God, no…' Daniel's distress quashed his bravado. "Don't hurt her please," he pleaded with Maybourne.

"If you do what I ask, the two of you can walk away from here hand in hand into the sunset. It's up to you," the weasely man offered. He stepped closer to Daniel until their faces were just inches apart. "What's it to be ?"

"I can't."

"Henry," was all Maybourne had to say for the largest of his cohorts to grab the girl roughly and pull her arm up behind her.

"Daniel, please," she begged, tears already flowing. "Why are you letting them do this to me ?"

"Stop it. It's me you want. Please stop it." Daniel pleaded, wrenching his arms in a renewed effort to liberate his hands.

"It's a simple choice." Maybourne smiled sinisterly. "Agree to do the translation and I'll put an end to it, otherwise…" his nod at Henry gave the man consent to illustrate his point. Gwen's arm was pulled up further, eliciting a pain filled cry.

"Okay !" Daniel could bear the torment no longer. "Okay, I-I'll do it," he said, demoralized, looking at the woman as she began rubbing her freed arm and shoulder. "I'm so sorry, Gwen."

She stared back at him as she was taken out of the room. Unnerved that the light in her eyes had grown suddenly glacial, a shiver ran down his spine.

Maybourne picked up the folder from the desk.

"Are you going to let her go ?"

"Not yet, when you have proved that you are working satisfactorily, then I might consider it." He dropped the folder into Daniel's lap and made for the door, motioning to one of his men to untie the prisoner's hands.

"Just don't hurt her, please." Believing that no one was entirely without compassion, Daniel hoped that his plea would be heeded.

"She will be safe all the while you co-operate. If you fail me, then I cannot be held responsible for what will happen to her, that will be on your head, Doctor Jackson." Maybourne never could resist adding a bit of drama to his words.

The key clunked in the lock as his captors left. Alone in the gloom he sighed heavily, massaging his wrists to coax some feeling back into his bloodless hands. His gaze finally rested on the folder and digested the writing on it, his body stiffened in horror. He remembered Makepeace's words when he had been arrested after the stolen technology fiasco. The treacherous Colonel had said that they didn't know just how high up the orders came from. Was it possible that some of the equipment, or the plans from backward engineering had remained in their possession ? Because he really couldn't think how else someone on this planet, someone unbelievably naïve or just plain stupid (perhaps both) could have been in contact with Apophis.

"Colonel !" Carter called the length of the corridor to her CO, noting the stooped gait, uncharacteristic of the ramrod straight back she was used to.

"What is it, Carter ?" he tried not to sound irritated. All he really wanted to do was get away from this place and wallow in a few beers, or perhaps something stronger.

"I've been trying to get hold of Daniel, Sir." She saw the muscles in his face tighten at the mention of the name. "There's no reply from his apartment or his cell phone."

"If I were him, I'd be staying out of contact too," he replied bitterly.

"Have you checked out his office yet ?"

"On my way there now, Major." O'Neill began walking.

"Mind if I join you ?" She took the fact that there was no reply to mean that he didn't, so she quickly caught up with him. "Doesn't this all seem a bit strange to you ?"

"That's one word to describe it." O'Neill's mind was working overtime on this. How could he not see that this was going to happen one day ? He should never have agreed to Daniel being on the team. Civilians in a military world were always trouble, always.

He was as angry with himself as he was at Daniel. Just when and why had he let the geek get under his skin ? His self-berating didn't let up. Trouble, with a capital T, is what you get when you start letting the nice guys into your heart. He could do without it, couldn't he ?

Basically he was sure that Daniel was still one of the good guys, but unfortunately for everyone concerned, one with a big mouth. Huh, more mouth than brains; and in Daniel's case that really was saying something.

Reaching their objective, they opened the door to the archaeologist's office and the familiar musty smell of old tomes permeated with the welcoming aroma of a newly opened pack of coffee, drifted over them.

The desk in the middle of the room was cluttered with books, some open, others with post-it notes protruding crazily from between the pages. A wad of notes, hastily, but neatly written were left in front of the chair with both a pencil and a pen holding them down.

Carter switched on the desk lamp and leafed through the papers and found that there were gaps in the writings, presumably where certain words or phrases were still to be translated. She then looked at what in her eyes was just an ornate statuette but she remembered on her last visit here (was it really only yesterday ?) how Daniel had been fascinated by the pictograms around the base. There was a piece of tape loosely stuck after one of the symbols and she guessed that it was a marker for the place he had reached in his deciphering. "I don't think he finished this, Sir."

O'Neill was leaning against the doorway as if uncertain whether to enter. After all the rage that had run its course on the walk here, without warning, a wave of loss crashed in. In a way it was like being at the edge of Charlie's room all over again, too many memories. To cross the threshold might dissipate them forever and he didn't want that. He wanted to hang on to them, despite what Daniel had just done to him… done to them all. Charlie's death had been a tragic accident, but, he suddenly realized, Daniel had committed professional suicide for a second time - if you included radical lectures to inflexible old fogies.

"Perhaps we ought to check what time he left, Sir." Carter's words snapped him out of his melancholy.

O'Neill didn't answer, taking one last sweep of the over-filled room, overwhelmed by the feeling that the place was somewhat dingy without the brilliant light that usually filled it, gleaming unknowingly from behind two pale blue orbs.

Daniel didn't really want to translate the document, but he had to admit that he was more than a little intrigued by its content. So, he flicked the pages over, not taking any notes at this point, merely deciphering the alien text mentally. He was so caught up in a particular passage that he was unaware the room had been entered, until a cup of coffee landed on the desk in front of him.

"Uh, thanks," he said casually, not looking up, just as if O'Neill or Carter had been the one to bring it.

"Nice to see that you're getting on with it, Doctor Jackson. I did rather think you might be a little more stubborn about my request."

Abruptly, he became aware that it was Maybourne's voice penetrating the darkness away from the immediate area of the desk, Daniel's head snapped up.

"I wouldn't really call being kidnapped and threatening my girlfriend, 'making a request'."

"I do whatever I deem necessary to get the job done, Doctor," the smartly uniformed man replied.

"Well, if you want this job done properly, I'm gonna need the rest of this text."

"What do you mean ?"

"This," Daniel held up the document and waved it in front of the officer, "is incomplete." His mind took a more impudent stance, 'Not all there… just like you.' He could picture Jack's face, the words would have slipped effortlessly from his lips.

"If you're trying to stall for some time in the pathetic belief that Colonel O'Neill will come to your rescue, you'd better think again."

"Jack will be looking for me."

"Maybe, but not in the way you would wish. Last I heard he was trying to catch a traitor." Maybourne stared meaningfully at Daniel, his lips drawn into a tight smile, barely showing his teeth.

Daniel eyed the man curiously.

Maybourne couldn't resist revealing more of his malicious plan. "I've made sure that your buddies at the SGC would toss you to the wolves as soon as look at you."

Daniel could only wonder at what Maybourne meant by that and for once found himself completely at a loss for words. After staring open mouthed for what seemed like an eternity, while his brain was in overdrive, running through the implications of Maybourne's revelation and not liking any of the possibilities he came up with, he hung his head in defeat.

The Colonel was apparently pleased with his reaction. With a decidedly smug expression on his face, Maybourne left the room and locked the door behind him.

O'Neill and Carter stopped at the reception desk.

"Airman, I need to look at the log for last evening."

"Yes, Sir," the young recruit barked and handed over the book.

O'Neill scanned the pages for the previous day, instantly finding the distinctive penmanship amongst the other scrawls. In at 7.40am out at 7pm. He thought for a moment. If Daniel had left the base at 7, then he would have easily been able to get home before they had all got to his apartment for the 'party'. He passed the book over to Carter for her to see. Instantly, he saw the same realization spread across her face too.

"Well, that would explain why the translation he was supposed to be working on was only half done. He really did leave it to get home in time."

"So, why didn't he get there ?" A sickening feeling was beginning to creep through O'Neill.

As he translated more and more of the document, Daniel could feel his heart hammering harder and harder against the walls of his chest. Whoever had initiated the negotiations behind this work of treason was seriously in need of a mental health programme. They obviously did not appreciate how truly evil the Goa'uld were, if they could even dream of trying to make a pact with them. What made the idea worse was that they didn't seem to making this deal with the interests of all humanity at heart. This was politics played for personal gain, a very deadly game indeed.

The door to General Hammond's office was open, but O'Neill gave a polite rap on it before sauntering inside, closely followed by Carter and Teal'c.

"Any word on Daniel's whereabouts yet, General ?"

"No, Colonel, I was hoping you might have some ideas." Hammond finished writing and viewed his best team. They seemed to be sticking together very closely just now. Word had already got round about Jackson's mistake. 'Some would call it outright betrayal,' he thought, but he couldn't bring himself to think that badly of the young man.

"Not really, he's usually here." O'Neill brought his hands up and turned right round, exasperated. "He goes home… occasionally, to the library and the museum, apart from that…" he shrugged his shoulders.

"He's been pretty quiet since he started going out with Gwen," Carter added unhelpfully.

"Damn it," O'Neill condemned himself. "I knew I should have had him tagged."

Teal'c raised his eyebrows quizzically and Carter chuckled inwardly, but her superiors' faces remained grim.

"Perhaps we should start searching their apartments and Daniel's office more thoroughly," O'Neill begrudgingly offered. It was not a job he was going to enjoy, remembering the last time they had had reason to go through the archaeologist's possessions.

"Get to it, Colonel. Take whatever manpower you need. Dismissed." He watched his dejected personnel march out, he couldn't remember seeing them with so little enthusiasm for a task. Then realized that there was at least once, when he had sent them on a similar mission and he'd had to fork out for a new side window on his car at that time.

As Daniel checked and rechecked his work, it was very clear to him, that there should be more writing to translate than what he had in front of him. Maybourne had been bemused by his question about the rest of the text, so perhaps he didn’t understand.

Daniel was perplexed. Cartouches simply did not stop half way through, not in any hieroglyphics or pictograms he knew, so what was going on ?

O'Neill jabbed the rarely used switch of the main light in the stuffy office. Clucking his tongue, reproachfully at its stiffness, he remembered how often he had nagged Daniel about straining his eyes by working in the gloom from just the desk lamp and the computer's monitor. The image of a little boy in glasses with shaggy hair leafing through an enormous history book by flashlight, under the bed covers, had plagued him every time they'd had the argument. Daniel had always maintained that the dim glow helped him to focus on the problem at hand and perhaps more significantly it reminded him of working by the light of tallow candles on Abydos.

He scoured the papers, emptied the drawers of the desk, rifled through the filing cabinets. He flicked open books, looking for hidden notes, for any evidence of his friend's apparent betrayal or where he might have gone. O'Neill's eyes scanned the room again, before heading toward the locker in the corner.

It was the last place to search. 'The last place to violate,' his mind chastised him. He had avoided it, but now… he tested the door. It swung open, typical of Daniel's trusting nature not to think that he had anything to lock away, to hide.

'What am I doing ?' O'Neill asked himself as he rummaged through the books on the top shelf, then the adjacent array of plastic bottles of pills, Tylenol and some blister packs of antihistamines. A spare pair of boots sat in the bottom and a few Kleenex were scattered there too - thankfully unused, he mused, as he turned those out too.

That left the clothes. Going through the neatly stacked and racked clean fatigues he felt like a thief.

He was about to give up on the hated task, when he felt something in one of the jacket pockets. He picked it out, gazing at it thoughtfully - Sha'uri's brooch. If it meant as much to Daniel as he had intimated that night on P7whatever, seemingly an eternity ago, would he have left it here, if he did not intend to return ?

He was contemplating his discovery when the alarms began blaring. Clutching the brooch in his hand, he jogged to the 'gate room. He arrived just in time to hear the technician's voice on the loudspeaker, "Receiving the Tok'Ra IDC, Sir."

Hammond's voice gave the command to open the iris.

Seconds later the familiar figure of Jacob Carter, followed by two similarly dressed Tok'Ra operatives carrying a large metal box, stepped from the wormhole. Immediately, the former General sought out O'Neill's face amongst those of the SFs surrounding the room.

"Jack." He stepped forward to take the outstretched hand.

"Jacob." O'Neill was relieved to find he was talking to the man rather than his symbiote, Selmak. He still found it a really unnerving concept to have two minds able to control the one body and the fact that Tok'Ra had often proved themselves to be rather lacking on the communication front, usually at the SGC's expense, was more than irritating to him. "Something we can do for you ?"

"Actually, this is something we can do for you."

"Oh ? Well, there's a first time for everything," O'Neill retorted sarcastically.

General Hammond joined them and greeted his friend.

"If we can get this set up somewhere," Jacob motioned toward the case, "I think you'll be very interested in what we have to show you."

Daniel hadn't seen outside the room where he had been working, so, as he was led to a small cell a few doors down the gray corridor, he took in the surroundings. The place reminded him of the SGC, colorless, featureless.

"You can sleep here," the guard gruffly pronounced as he gave Daniel more than a nudge to get him inside the tiny room.

An unmade, metal-framed bed was pushed up against one wall, with little space left for anything else. Daniel stood for a while, glumly contemplating his situation.

A few minutes later, the door reopened and the guard gave Gwen a similar rough shove, propelling her toward Daniel.

"Gwen." he reached out to embrace the young woman, once the door was locked. " I am so sorry you got caught up in all this."

"Me too," she replied sharply. "What do they want ?" She asked, stepping away from him.

"They want me to translate some documents," he said slowly, taken aback by her rejection of his effort to comfort her.

"Must be important, if they're prepared to kidnap people to get it done." She moved to lean against the wall. Daniel's gaze followed her as he caught a glimpse of something maddeningly familiar.

It took scant moments for his brain to process the image and then comprehend what it could mean. Suddenly, he lunged at Gwen, grabbing the collar of her sweater.

"What the hell are you doing ?" she spat angrily, trying to wrestle from his tight grasp.

Clinging to the squirming woman, Daniel's hand managed to find what had taunted him. He pulled the neck chain out from under her clothes. The dog tags clinked together as they dangled in front of him. As if burned, he let go of the offensive evidence and pushed Gwen away. He took a few staggering steps back, shaking his head in denial. "N-no." The realization dug deep into his being. "Y-you… you're working for them ?" He looked desperately at her, hoping she would have some excuse for this. "H-how could you ?"

"Just following orders," she replied offhand.

"That's all I…we…" he stammered, hopelessly, "our relationship was to you ? Orders ? An operation ?"

"Yeah, sorry," she apologized, unconvincingly, with the barest shrug of her slender shoulders. "It was kinda fun though," she admitted, wryly, "and as I was hand picked for the assignment, I was able to secure myself a pretty good deal, career-wise."

'Hand picked ?' Looking at the woman with more objectivity, it dawned on him. The long jet-black hair, dark eyes, tanned skin, full lips… hand picked, tailor made, similar but not too close in appearance to…

"This can't be happening." Daniel suddenly felt sick, lost; as misplaced in the world as he had been when he had stumbled into the Alternate Reality on P3R 233. Coldness swept him into a bitter embrace. The last few months of happiness - a sham - a lie - for what ? He reeled back, coming up against the wall. 'Oh God, Sha'uri, I'm so sorry.' Tears threatened to escape, but he fought them, not wanting to give Gwen, or them, the satisfaction of seeing how completely they had destroyed him.

Maybourne's entrance at that moment was all the confirmation Daniel had needed that he was under surveillance. "I see you two have become better acquainted," he mocked.

Gwen had straightened to attention and stood stiffly as the Colonel approached her.

"That was rather careless of you, Sergeant Taylor. We were hoping to utilise your… association… for a while longer." Maybourne was irritated that he would no longer be able to use the woman's safety as bribery for Daniel's co-operation. Had he known anything at all about what made the young man so special in nearly everyone else's eyes, he would have recognized that even though Gwen had used him so badly, he would still have willingly surrendered his life in exchange for hers. As it was, he dismissed her. "That will be all, Sergeant."

Daniel watched numbly as Gwen saluted her CO and marched from the room.

"Why ?" he asked, sagging dejectedly onto the end of the bed. The springs squealed in protest.

"Let's just say that her involvement opened up some options."

Daniel thought for a moment, wondering what sort of options those would be, but decided there were more pressing subjects for discussion. "You can't seriously think that you'll be able to make a deal with Apophis."

"That's not up to me. My job was just to make sure you translated that tablet so that we could negotiate."

"The Goa'uld don't negotiate, they just take whatever they want… and what they don't take, they destroy."

Another figure appeared in the doorway. "I think they'll be interested in what I have to offer." Senator Kinsey stepped into the room. "Doctor Jackson, we meet again. I trust Colonel Maybourne has been treating you well."

It took about fifteen minutes for the Tok'Ra to assemble the device that had been transported in the box, during which time Carter and Teal'c had reached the briefing room.

"Dad !" Carter rushed at her father, grateful for the comforting embrace. Recent events had taken their toll on her spirit and the sight of Jacob was very welcome. She quickly composed herself, assuming her military persona again, under the tolerant gaze of her two superior officers.

"We have a spy in Apophis's ranks. He sent us this recording." Motioning toward the machine, one of the operatives activated it. A holographic image whirled into life above its centre. The round face of Colonel Maybourne could be clearly seen as he accepted a tablet from the leading Jaffa.

Jacob watched the expressions on those about him. He was expecting the concerned looks, but his daughter's appeared more troubled than the rest. "Sam ?"

"Oh my God." Her eyes were widening, focussed on someone else in the scene. "Colonel, look." She pointed at the woman standing stiffly to attention behind Maybourne. "Can you zoom in on her ?" she asked the Tok'Ra operating the machine.

When he complied, everyone honed in on the person she was indicating.

The short hair was deceptive and the shadow from the peaked cap hid the eyes somewhat, but the features were unmistakably those of Gwen.

"Is that not the young woman that Daniel Jackson has been involved with ?" Teal'c questioned.

"It would explain a lot, Sir." Carter looked fixedly at her CO.

Suddenly aware that he was still holding the brooch in his left hand, O'Neill was now certain that Daniel hadn't disappeared of his own volition, nor told anyone about the project. However, with uncovering the proof of his friend's innocence, the thought began to dawn on him that if Daniel was not a willing player in all this, then he could be in really serious trouble. O'Neill's hand squeezed the trinket. "Crap."

Daniel stood open mouthed as the Senator strolled into the cell, wishing for nothing more than the ground to swallow him up right here, right now.

"Doctor Jackson has finished the translation, Senator," Maybourne fawned.

"Actually, I haven't." Daniel interjected. "I told you, it's incomplete."

"What does he mean ?" Kinsey spoke to Maybourne.

"He told me he would need the rest of the text to finish, but he's got all that my team copied off the tablet. I thought he was just stalling for time."

"A tablet ?" Daniel quizzed him. "Did your team copy all the pages ?"

"I don't…" Maybourne started.

Irritated at the man's ignorance, Daniel interrupted him. "A Goa'uld tablet can have more than one page, you need a device to scroll through them. I'm guessing you didn't have one." Daniel suppressed a shiver as the thought of the last time he had used one of the page-turning devices stung him nastily.

"Er… no… we…"

"Well, there you are then, you're missing some of the text." He threw his hands up in exasperation. Military Intelligence ? Ha !

"Maybourne ?" Kinsey's face flushed, angry that he was going to be embarrassed by Jackson again.

© May 24, 2001 The characters mentioned in this story are the property of Showtime and Gekko Film Corp. The Stargate, SG-I, the Goa'uld and all other characters who have appeared in the series STARGATE SG-1 together with the names, titles and backstory are the sole copyright property of MGM-UA Worldwide Television, Gekko Film Corp, Glassner/Wright Double Secret Productions and Stargate SG-I Prod. Ltd. Partnership. This fanfic is not intended as an infringement upon those rights and solely meant for entertainment. All other characters, the story idea and the story itself are the sole property of the author.

Many thanks to Jmas for her edit and suggestions and also to Scribe for her comments.