PART SIX

With the guards inside the temple taken care of, Daniel shucked off his rags and with at a good-luck nod towards the other three, he activated the rings. The familiar whohoom-whohoom-whohoom preceded the blindingly lit metal rings that encircled and then dematerialised him. The disorientation topside was brief and expected. Giving the ring room a brief survey, he noted a few differences to Apophis' preferred décor; which was hardly surprising given Zakar's lineage was not ancient Egyptian.

"Sightseeing later, Daniel," he chided himself and hurriedly ran his fingers over the cuneiform surrounding what he hoped was the exit. Finding a raised symbol and twisting it, he was rewarded with the panel sliding aside. "Bingo."

Then peeking out and ears straining for that telling sound of heavy, marching footsteps, Daniel kept to the wall as he exited. Thankfully the corridor was empty as far as he could see on either side and while there was definite commotion, it came from a distance with the exception of the repetitive alarm. So far so good he thought and took the right side, speeding up to a cautious jog. Now to find the others and make a miraculous escape. Easy peasy lemon squeezey.

A few close scrapes later with him forced to dive into the nearest hidey-hole, he made it to the security block and then hit his first major obstacle; two guards stationed outside one of them. As hints go it was pretty big, but didn't really help him much. Aware that time was running out and Teal'c needed the security system disabled before he was blown out of the sky, Daniel raised the zat, sucked in a deep, fortifying breath and squeezed off two blasts.

Seized by blue tendrils of electricity, the guards crumpled and he didn't even wait to see if one or both had a stronger resistance to the stunning effects before he sprinted over. There, he paused with his fingers poised; hesitating over the keys of the security panel. His mind went utterly blank. "C'mon! Think!" The blankness passed and mentally crossing his fingers it was a universal code, he entered the same one Teal'c had shown them on Apophis' ship. Lady luck was still on their side and it accepted it.

Nerves and relief did not make a great mix and Daniel felt like a kid on a sugar high as he fairly bounced waiting for the panel to slide up enough that he could see inside. The first thing he saw as the door finally rose high enough was Jack a few ft away; rocking back on his heels with both hands jammed into his pockets. As sardonic as ever, O'Neill quirked his brows and complained, "Took ya long enough."

Behind him, Sam was helping her dad to his feet. Much to his surprise of the three of them only Jacob looked like he'd been tortured.

He wondered why the heck he'd even worried. "You're welcome and it's good to see you, too," Daniel retorted, heavy on the sarcasm. Tossing Jack the zat, he dug out a berretta for Sam and went to hand it over.

"We need to get to the control room-"

"Yeah, we know," interrupted Jack just as he fired a second, killing shot at the groaning Jaffa sprawled outside their cell. Then hunkering down, he relieved the bodies of their zats for Jacob and Daniel to use.

On his feet Jacob looked steadier and Sam explained what they'd agreed, "We're splitting up. I'm going with the colonel to find the other communion device while you and my dad take care of the control crystals."

At the helm, Teal'c felt at home and seemed completely unfazed at the barrage that was being released on the Al-kesh by the now visible, if still docked, goa'uld war ship.

Seated next to him, Ka'al suddenly asked, "What did you mean by my still talking like a slave?"

Dodging the onslaught and still sighting and firing on the Jaffa attempting to stem the rebellion on the ground, Teal'c answered without hesitation, "You declare the goa'uld to be false gods and yet you still adhere to their precepts on what is honourable and acceptable in war."

A cannon placement being set up on the highest ridge around the mine exploded as he fired on it. He continued, "The goa'uld trained us to accept loss of friends as if it were nothing and consider only long-term objectives. Fighting alongside the Tauri has taught me much. O'Neill and Captain Carter would not leave me behind and so I will not leave them."

"With such an attitude, the Tauri will not last long," Ka'al declared.

"I did not say that they are all the same," Teal'c spared him a dark look. "Only that amongst SG-1 leaving captured team-members behind when they can be saved is not acceptable."

The other Jaffa appeared to mull that over. "They accept you, even though you once served their enemy?"

"They do." Teal'c slid him a glance that was for once rife with meaning, "Does Maeve not accept you…as well as the others you fight alongside?"

Something close to fear passed over Ka'al's ebony features, "I believe so, but I cannot be certain until they are free of Zakar. War and oppression can bring about many a strange alliance and then afterwards it crumbles like sand."

Since the truth of that was undeniable, Teal'c was unable to offer reassurance and so returned his full attention to controlling of their craft.

Too agitated to sit on his throne, Zakar paced as he waited for reports from his Jaffa. He was never good at waiting even when he had no choice and now was no exception. The resistance had been a thorn in his side for months now, but they had never been as bold as this before, or as effective. Rather than blaming himself for not stamping them out sooner, he blamed the newcomers. They must have rallied the previously pitiful resistance into a full-blown rebellion. They would pay for that.

"Have the prisoners brought before me," he barked at one of the two Jaffa who remained with him and when the imbecile didn't move fast enough, he snarled, "now!"

Jacob had been right about it being easy to spot Zakar's personal space. Aside from the sarcophagus the place was sumptuous. "Hey, this is one snake who likes his creature comforts," commented Jack in a low hiss as he and Sam ducked inside bent in a defensive crouch. Seeing it was empty they relaxed and lowered their weapons.

"I see what you mean, sir." A little awed, Sam's gaze bounced from chairs, backless couches and even a bed made out of what looked like solid gold. The coverings had a sheen that could only be silk, or another material very like it. Diaphanous drapes covered the walls in jewel-like colour that would have looked garish in a lesser setting.

Standing amidst all this glitz and glamour, the colonel turned a slow circle to take it all in and get his bearings. Minus his cap, salt and pepper hair was mussed and framed an undeniably handsome face that nearly always managed to be just shy of serious no matter what the circumstances. With the jacket of his BDU's open at the neck his black tee-shirt underneath was visible and the glint of metal tucked between both could only be his dog-tags.

Those dog-tags brought back recent memories. Sam smiled amused with herself for preferring to look at a man dressed in drab olive green camo rather than ancient golden artefacts. Thinking about it, she figured it wasn't so surprising. Even before all of this happened, she'd known her CO wasn't exactly hard on the eyes.

"Daniel would have a field day in here," she joked lightly.

Big brown eyes swung her way. "Yeah, probably." His smile was brief, but warm enough that she had to suck in a breath. Until that moment she hadn't been sure how things would be between them after the caves incident. She still wasn't really, but she was hopeful.

He must have caught the sentiment because he went still as if caught. The moment stretched and something akin to regret passed over his face before he turned away, saying, "Let's just find this thing and get outta here," he told her. "The sooner we can get off this ship the better."

That was nothing less than the truth. Joining him in searching, it was a few minutes later before Sam came across a box that was roughly the right size and sealed tight no matter how hard she tugged. Her fingers hovered over it and she had to take another deep breath to call out, "Colonel, I think I've got something here."

Coming over and dropping to one knee beside her, O'Neill took a turn at trying to prise the lid off. It refused to budge and pursing his lips, he said, "Well, we need to know if it is the right thing before we try humping this damned box out of here with us." Then gesturing for her to move back, he aimed the zat and fired once.

The lid popped with an aggrieved sizzle and heads brushing then leaned in to peer inside. Nestled at the bottom was a replica of the wishbone shaped device they'd found halfway across the galaxy less than two weeks earlier.

His puffed out air washed over Sam's cheek. "Zippideedoodar, Captain. We got what we came for."

Sam couldn't remember the last time she'd felt so ambivalent about accomplishing a mission. Yes, she could. Make that never. "Looks that way."

There was a pause and then he nudged her to look at him. "What say we not tempt fate and use this now?"

Sam's brows knitted and her smile was uneasy, "Fate, sir?"

"Yeah!" Dark eyes danced with sardonic humour and echoed in a crooked grin. "You know the one that likes to bite us in the ass just when we think we're okay?"

"You're worried that somehow we'll get cornered and have to barter for our freedom with the box?" she hazarded.

"Something like that," he confirmed without dropping his gaze from hers. Kneeling hunched over the box together, it occurred to Sam that he wasn't telling her that this was what they were going to do, he was asking her.

Fresh warmth suffused her and unbidden a thought popped into her head that refused to leave again. Licking her lips, Sam nodded even as she warned, "You do remember it knocked us out last time, Colonel?"

Sheepish, he shrugged, "I'm kinda hoping that as this is supposed to be the undoing half it won't do that this time."

There was absolutely no logical basis for that rather optimistic line of thinking, but recklessly Sam didn't care. The idea of delaying this until they were back at the SGC was impossible now anyway. She needed these last few minutes to be done while they were alone and not under the watchful eyes of Janet, General Hammond and everyone else.

"Okay, let's do it." But, when he reached in to grasp the device, she shot out a hand and caught his. When he looked askance at her, she finished the sentence, "In a second."

With his undivided attention, Sam made a conscious decision to stop over thinking and went with her gut. "I'm sorry about dismissing you back there at the meal-"

Flinching, he interrupted, "Carter, forget about that."

"No, sir!" Taking a breath, she continued, "It scared me is all because deep down I believe the device didn't pull my feelings out of thin air either." She didn't tell him it had taken almost dying and hallucinating to drag that confession from her subconscious.

Then, before O'Neill could frame a reply and still following instincts that had less to do with her gut than somewhere higher up, Sam leaned in, cupped his jaw with her free hand and kissed him.

With her heart hammering in her chest, she kept the kiss tentative. His stubble was sharp but his lips were soft with surprise. Sam brushed her lips over them and felt the tingles all the way to her toes. Half expecting to be rebuffed, she gave a tiny gasp when his large hand cupped her jaw, too, long fingers reaching her nape as he pulled her closer and returned; then deepened the kiss.

Oh God! It was so beautiful that tears stung.

The military part of their natures that was so ingrained it was an integral part of them gave way without a whimper and passion ignited with a sweetness that made them both tremble. Sam's body hummed with it when the kiss turned gently plundering. Their breath melded as open mouths fused again and again in a frantic mating that gathered momentum by the second. Then it was over.

Pulling away, O'Neill dropped his hand and gave her time to recover before reaching inside the box again. Still a little dazed and feeling a dizzying mixture of relief and sadness, Sam followed his lead. They didn't look at one another again as they gripped it simultaneously and both gave a hoarse yell as powerful pulses of energy rocketed up their bodies.

The Al-kesh climbed steadily and let loose with more cannon blasts at Jaffa cowering in the forest. Then coming back around and diving towards the mother ship it fired again. Despite knowing the shields would not allow them to penetrate, Zakar reared back as the ship rocked ever so slightly.

"The pilot must be a fool to think he can harm us," assured the Jaffa at the weapons console.

"The fact that he's a still living fool is what concerns me," snapped Zakar, turning his head to aim a glower squarely at him. "Shoot him out of the sky or I'll send you down to the mines with the slaves."

"Yes, my lord," re-motivated the Jaffa proceeded to send volley after volley towards the expertly dodging scout ship. "Do you wish us to take off so that we may give chase and hunt down the blasphemers?"

"No," Zakar shook his head, "It doesn't appear to be straying far enough to warrant that." His eyes narrowed thoughtfully as he stared out at it. That wasn't the first time the much smaller vessel had fired on them, almost like it was testing for something. Testing for…shields? His hands clenched hard enough the knuckles turned white and stricken with a sudden fear, he whirled. "Send guards to the control room. Nobody must be allowed near the crystals."

"Immediately, my lord."

Spinning back to the view-screen and mind racing, he realised sickly that he no longer had the manpower onboard to execute a proper search for intruders. All of a sudden this attack no longer seemed so preposterous and pathetic.

How could things unravel so fast? His old powers where within his grasp and yet his hold on even this ship seemed to be slipping. His eyes glowed white with fury at that. "No!" he bellowed and spun. Only to see the Jaffa he'd send after the prisoners return alone and white-faced with terror.

He didn't need to hear the explanation and yet he had no choice. "The prisoners have escaped, my lord."

His voice was strangled, "Join the others in protecting the control room." The crystal at the centre f his palm glowed as he stabbed a finger at the Jaffa at the weapons console, "You, remain here and destroy that ship!"

"Where will you be, my lord?"

He was already at the exit by then. "I am going to my chamber. I will return soon."

Daniel was keeping a watch while Jacob opened a panel one at a time and smashed the long crystals inside. Unfortunately there were a lot of panels. Concentrating on what he was doing, the ex-general turned Tok'ra kept him informed. "That's the hyper and subdrives gone." He slid that panel shut and yanked open another.

The sounds of boots marching closer had Daniel gripping the zat tighter and turning to hiss, "Hurry! I think we're about to have company."

Looking up and catching his expression, Jacob Carter leaned back on one hand and raising a foot, smashed it through the crystals. "In that case, consider shield and weapons offline, too."

"Good. Does that mean we can go?"

"No," Jacob replied bluntly, "Now we have to find and destroy the backups or this will have been a total waste of time."

Just as he finished speaking an all too familiar sound of a staff weapon heralded trouble arriving. Ducking out of the way just in time, Daniel didn't even look at the smoking crater in the wall where he'd been standing.

Returning fire, Daniel settled himself low to the ground like Jack had taught him and retorted, "Well hurry up. 'cause I could do with a hand here. I'm an amateur remember."

Within seconds the corridor between them and the Jaffa was alive with bolts of energy. Then just to confuse the issue further the whole ship shook hard enough that Daniel almost tumbled out from behind his cover. Jacob didn't fare so well and had to pick himself up off the floor. Upholstering his own Zat, he joined Daniel. Raising his voice over the cacophony, he said, "I'm guessing Teal'c now knows the shields are down."

Drifting in and out of consciousness, Sam's first real awareness of her surroundings came when a hard fist picked her up by her jacket front and literally tossed her across the room. Over the ringing in her ears and her own groans of pain, she heard somebody ranting along with the sounds of heavy objects being thrown and crashing to the floor.

Zakar must have found them!

Clawing her way back from the pain-filled fog, Sam opened her eyes and forced herself to roll over. Blue and gold blurred and the ranting grew clearer.

"…waited so long. I refuse to allow a gaggle of pitiful, primitive humans to drag me back down."

Blinking the blurs settled into long flowing robes gathered on the smooth black marble of the floor. Terror lanced when she saw Zakar was crouched over a barely conscious Jack with one hand fisted into his jacket to bring his face closer.

"I was once your GOD! And yet now you dare defy me just because you've learned how to use a stargate…"

She'd never seen anyone so filled with fury. His eyes were nearly bugging out of his sockets with rage and spittle flew with every savagely spoken word.

Unfreezing, Sam fumbled for the berretta and then remembered she was no longer wearing her holster and that she'd put it down nearby while she searched.

Damn!

"Your kind was still scrabbling in the dirt for food and living in caves when I arrived. My worshippers numbered in thousands and I terrorised or pleasured at my leisure. Did you really think you could rise so far as to overcome me- ME?!"

Jack's head lolled weakly as his upper body was shaken. "Go screw yourself," he whispered.

Oh God! He shouldn't have said that thought Sam with a sinking feeling. It was pretty damned clear she was going to have to move now or watch him die. Frantically searching, she spotted the pistol not far from the box holding the device. The problem was that it was nearer Zakar than her.

Zakar had gone silent and still after the colonel had spoken. Then, eyes glowing he lowered his head close enough for his beard to brush against Jack's cheek. "I think it's time to put you to sleep, slave," he said in a low, strangled voice that grated along every nerve.

Zakar sat back enough to raise his right hand with the fingers splayed. The ribbon device began to glow and shimmer. At the same time a high pitched hum began to build.

No, no, NO! Crap! She wasn't going to make it. A sob clogged her throat.

Whipping up her own fury, she swallowed it back. Oh yes, you are. You will NOT give up.

Biting her lips against the pain in her abused body, Sam inched her way over as silently as she could. The muscles in her thighs cramped and she had to stop and clench them to make the pain dissipate and muscle unlock. Then she began again. The marble was cold under her clammy hands as she used both arms and legs to drag her weight across the distance.

The colonel moaned and his back arched as the agony ripped through him A line of golden light shot out from Zakar's palm and ended with a shimmer over his brow. A muted scream gargled in his throat and it was all the impetus Sam needed to propel herself those last few feet. She held onto one thought and one thought only. He wasn't going to die. She wouldn't let him.

She was close enough. The pistol lying in the floor was an impassive salvation and lunging for it, Sam closed her damp fingers over the grip. The welcome coolness of the metal barely registered before Zakar began to laugh maniacally. Twisting around she sighted him and squeezed the trigger, once, twice- three times. The bullets slammed into the goa'uld and knocked him to the side. The ribbon device fell silent and Jack slumped back to the ground.

Zakar was wounded, but not dead and whipping his head round to glare at Sam his eyes glowed; remorselessly squeezing off another round, she put a fourth bullet right in between them. The smooth round hole that appeared was nothing compared to the mess that flew out of the back of his head. Mouth hanging open in pure shock at his own abrupt demise, Zakar toppled to lie in a puddle of his own blood.

Dizzy and nauseous her gun hand slumped to rest on the floor and her head fell back to the floor with a thud. The air reeked of acrid gun smoke and the resulting hush was stark. Unable to hear the colonel over her own panting, Sam pulled herself together and crawled over to him. There she laid two fingers on his neck; praying the pulse would be strong and steady. Finding it, she slumped and laid her head on his chest. Her fingers remained where they were, a comfort to so to speak, for the both of them.

Daniel, Jacob and Teal'c found them that way a few minutes later. Gently turned Sam's smile wobbled at seeing the range of worried faces stood over her. "Hi," she said hoarsely.

"Hi yourself," replied Daniel carefully and crouched down. "You guys, okay?"

"Sure," she quipped, "Don't we look okay?"

"You do not," answered Teal'c seriously. "Do you require assistance in leaving this place?"

Surprised to see him, Sam focused up at the Jaffa. "Hey Teal'c," Her expression was quizzical. "I thought you were flying the Al-kesh?"

His proud head bowed briefly in acknowledgement. "I was until the shields came down and then I assumed I would be needed here and left Ka'al to continue providing aerial support to the resistance."

Putting an arm under her shoulders to help her rise, her dad squeezed a gentle hug and said, "A good thing he did too as Daniel and I were pinned down in the control room." The sombre lights in his eyes as he looked down into her face offered an apology, "We came as soon as we could."

"I know." Watching Daniel assist Teal'c in lifting a still unconscious O'Neill over one broad shoulder, she finally felt like she could relax.

Giving Zakar's body one last withering glance, she said, "Let's go home."

Lights and voices finally drew Jack back up from the drifting nothingness. Squinting, he voiced a loud groan in protest at the hammer-drills currently assaulting his brain, or what was left of it anyway. Unwilling to risk an increase in pain from opening his eyes to those lights; he left his other senses to pick up the tiny details that would clue him in as to where he was.

Detergent, antiseptic wipes and coffee; soft footfalls from rubber soled shoes, low rhythmic beeping and hushed voices from four familiar voices told him all he needed to know. He was in the infirmary back at the SGC and Sam, Daniel, Teal'c and Janet were waiting for him to wake up. As for the coffee; it was permanently associated with Daniel in his head.

Swallowing back what felt like a desert worth of sand, he turned his head and cranked open his eyes to see if he was right. The first person he laid eyes on was Sam sitting on the edge of the next bed along. Making eye contact, she gave him a blinding smile and nudged Daniel next to her. He pulled his head out of the book, looked up and followed her chin jerk towards Jack

"Hey," he said.

Teal'c stationed himself at the end of the bed with his hands behind his back and simply said, "O'Neill."

"Hey kids, wassup?" croaked Jack and winced at the sound.

Sam passed him a bottle of water and what followed was five minutes of constant dialogue with the gist being that Zakar and his Jaffa got their butts whupped; the resistance won the day and many of the kidnapped people were now looking to the Tauri for helping in finding their way back home.

"So, a usual day at the office then," he joked when they'd wound down. "You all did a great job. Consider me a proud CO."

Teal'c appeared to mull over whether that was an accolade worth having and judging by the small smile and head bow, he decided it was.

"Whoa! Jack you must be sick," Daniel snarked mildly, peering over his glasses.

"Jacob okay?" he asked Sam, risking a direct look and trying desperately not to relive that kiss. Headache or no headache it still packed a punch.

Hesitating as if expected someone else to answer, Sam looked as surprised as he felt when the others suddenly decided they had other places to be and drifted out. Alone, her smile was awkward and she latched onto the topic he'd given her. "My dad's fine, sir, thanks for asking. He sends his best, but had to go back," she flapped a hand, "something urgent came up. You know how it is."

"I do," he agreed quietly; then called her name equally quietly, "Sam."

Shocked he'd said her first name, she finally looked him in the eye. "Sir?"

Now he had her attention he didn't have the first clue what to say to her. Carter, forget the device. I do want you, desire you, admire you and maybe even love you. He shocked himself with that last one. Not so long ago he'd been convinced he'd had his time of loving and being loved. He'd even been content with that.

"Sir?" she prodded. "Did you have something you wanted to say?"

"You can't hear me anymore," he queried as a last confirmation. He didn't really need it because the whole time they'd all been telling him what he missed he'd gotten not a peep from her. It was over. Given how much effort they'd put into achieving just that objective it was starting just how much that bothered him.

Her eyes darkened to a deeper blue before she lowered them. "No," she said low.

In the end he chickened out. "We'll be okay," he said in lieu of the truth. Her only reply was a nod and a wan smile that didn't touch the sadness in her eyes.

Seeing that sadness an ache started in his chest and Jack was moved to offer more. "And given the choice I wouldn't change any of the last two weeks." He searched for the right words and cursed his own glaring ineptitude in that area. "It's been…"

The coward in him wanted to say something flippant to lighten mood. Maybe something like; 'it's been a blast'. Instead, he continued. "It was pretty damned special."

As easily as that the sadness melted and her smile blossomed into something sweet enough the ache over his heart actually intensified. "Yes, sir, it was."

Despite the fear, pain, embarrassment and forced self-confessions. It had been had pretty damned special.

THE END

LINK: Here's the link I promised for the full 'adult' version. Please do not read if you are not 17 years old and over. http://sjalways-forever.