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Runaway To Hell

Chapter Nineteen

Veta had watched from his position in the observation room. The man who he had only caught a glimpse of when they'd arrived through the Stargate, had arrived shortly after all hell had broken loose in the room below. Veta hadn't taken offense when the bald man had been a bit curt in introducing himself, the CO's attention primarily on the team below. The tiny little doctor had been hot on Hammond's heels. He didn't need to look around to know that the other guy...Furry something...would probably be nearby. Seeing the concern on their faces only enforced that he'd done the right thing in trying to get Myst back to her people.

His view of the universe had already been so much turned on its head, that when what appeared to be a cloud of black smoke...lunged...for that was the only way to describe what he'd seen, he'd hardly blinked. However now that the threat was over, he shuddered mentally. That cloud had lunged toward the open door of the isolation room. He'd seen the shadows below in the corridor, but hadn't realized until they entered the room that it was the lovely Casey and her Daniel. And then... He shook his head. They'd all stared at the wall. Literally just stood there, huddled together, staring at the wall. Apparently the Tree was showing them something; at least that's what was happening according to the woody sprites who had appeared from who the hell knew where. Since no one was surprised by their presence, he assumed all was good.

Then Annika had given a little cry, opened those pretty violet eyes and within a heartbeat everyone in the room below was 'awake'; looking around as if they weren't certain where they were, or what they were supposed to do.

In that moment, Veta was racing for the door. Not actually aware of the fact that he was instinctively running to make certain Myst was okay. He paused slightly as soon as he was inside the isolation room. "You do know who I am, don't you?" He was only half joking.

Annika gave a shaky smile, not really thinking about what she said. "Sure, you're the guy who's seen me naked, kissed me, and shot me."

All heads turned to security man who squirmed a little, especially under the accusing stare of blue eyes from behind glasses. "Now, let's just remember..." He thumbed at his chest. "Gay to the core."

Casey watched the psychic. Knew that everything she had endured was crashing down on her. She reached for Annika's hand.

Annika jerked away. "How can you bear to look at me, let alone touch me?"

"Because I know what it's like to be used by them. Whichever daemon it was, it used my own fears, my own insecurities, my own...jealousy...against me," Casey said softly. "I ran, too. Only not as far," she said, giving a small smile. She ignored the curious glance from her husband. No doubt he'd want to know exactly when she'd worked that out for herself.

"I'm so sorry, what I said..." Annika grimaced, "What I yelled at you..." her eyes darted to her team, "at all of you...it's inexcusable."

Casey smiled. "That wasn't you, my friend. That was Mibi. He's an asshole...was an asshole...of the highest caliber. Or..." she frowned slightly. "Would that be lowest caliber? Anyway, he was desperate, and he was using the best weapon he could find. You."

"Only we knew who it was, so what he said..." Jackson took a deep breath. He'd seen Casey’s face. He knew Annika's words had hurt his wife. "What he said was intended to hurt. He needed it to hurt. We've all been wounded in battle before. Probably will be again."

Jack nodded, grabbing onto the analogy. "Don't sweat it, Casper. Doesn't even rate as a flesh wound."

Annika doubted that. She had seen how much her venomous attack had hurt them...wished like hell that Mibi had taken full control of her mind. It would make it easier to accept the 'out' Casey had offered if she didn't remember what she'd said. But she remembered everything...every word. She remembered thinking of the 'best' way to get them to let her go...digging through the memories and knowledge she had of her teammates and friends to pluck out the worst of their 'guilty' secrets. She shook her head. "I went straight for the jugular."

Casey could see that Annika was suffering. There was one thing...she reached for Annika's hand. "Let's talk. Privately."

Annika couldn't help it she flinched away. It wasn't that she was worried about getting a vision. She felt contaminated and didn't want to spread the filth to any one, especially not to another psychic.

Crap, Casey thought, giving herself a mental whack on the head. Touch was how Annika received her visions. She resolutely walked to the corner of the room. Looked over her shoulder to see if the Annika was following.

The traumatized psychic took a step forward.

"Um...Annika..." Daniel lifted his hand, which also lifted his wife's since they were still cuffed together.

Her hand fisted as he fished out the tiny key. "Please don't," she barely whispered. She didn't want to be separated. As illogical as it was, the cuffs symbolized Daniel's love for her. And she really needed that right now.

Daniel hesitated. He was torn...he could see that Casey really wanted whatever it was that she was going to say to be just for Annika's ears. Yet, how could he deny the plea in his wife's eyes?

"It's okay," Casey said softly.

"Whatever I hear, it's safe with me, I promise," Daniel said, his voice low.

The blonde knew without a doubt that this man was just as trustworthy as her own archaeologist. She gave a slight nod.

Annika didn't try to hide her sigh of relief.

Casey took a deep breath. "I was taken captive by Ba'al. He used ker'nishta' on me...a nice drug the Goa'uld invented to wipe a slave's memory clean...so they can be trained," Casey explained at the question in violet eyes. "But..." Her glance darted to her husband. His eyes were focused on her. She turned slightly, so that he couldn't see her face. "I...it hurt so bad...the knives. It was in the first hours after I was captured. He hadn't...there hadn't been...he hadn't given me the first shot yet. But...there were four knives in me...one in each thigh, one in the palm of each hand." She closed her eyes. Shuddered slightly. "Not just 'in'. Through. Long damned blades..." Tears filled her eyes. "I was willing to do anything to make the pain go away."

"Gods," Annika murmured.

"I never knew what pain was until that day," Casey continued. "And...I...I..." She lowered her head, but not before her confessors saw the wetness of tears on her lashes. "I hated them. I screamed my hate out loud. Ba'al...he...he laughed. I called Daniel the most horrible things...I hated him for not rescuing me...for not stopping the torture. I hated all of them. What you said was nothing compared to what I was screaming that day."

Annika took a shuddering breath. "The difference is, they didn't hear."

"Maybe not. But I have to live with what I said...what Ba'al knows...every day," Casey replied. "And what he knows, he knows because of me. At the time, in that moment, I meant every word. I was striking out at them, Annika, even though they weren't there to hear...or defend themselves. I wanted them to hurt as badly as I was in that moment. Not logical, I know. But then, I suppose when you're being tortured, logic isn't in great supply. And Ba'al heard it. He sat there and listened to every word...every accusation, every hurtful thing I could think of...I..." Once again green eyes closed then opened slowly. "I handed Ba'al the perfect weapon against us."

"Casey, I don't know, how 'exact' our two realities are," Daniel said gently. "But here...every one of us have said things...revealed things to our enemies...that we're ashamed of."

Casey shook her head stubbornly. "Not like I did. Never like that." She turned her attention back to the psychic.

"Being tortured...you do anything to make it stop." Blue eyes were haunted by his own memories. "Say anything...do anything," Daniel repeated, giving Annika's hand a squeeze. "You may not have known you were being tortured, but you were. None of us will hold it against you...just as I know that if Casey's team knew what she said they wouldn't hold it against her."

Casey started. She'd never contemplated the idea that if her teammates knew what she'd done, that they would...could...understand. And would forgive her. Her gaze moved to meet her husband's. The worry in his beautiful eyes made her cringe. Maybe...maybe someday she'd tell him...confess her sin to him as well. "You'll learn to live with what you said. It will hurt, it will bother you from time to time...but their love..." Casey smiled at her Daniel's counterpart, "his love will help you heal."

Annika felt the tiniest knot of guilt unravel. Both Casey's and Daniel's words gave her a starting point to heal. Daniel's thumb caressed her hand. She knew that he was trying not to 'bombard' her through their bond with his emotions. She glanced up into his eyes. Saw the love reflected in them despite everything she had put him through. For the first time she really felt like she would get through this. At least...she would after she was able to douse herself in vanilla oil to cleanse Mibi's stench from her. "Thank you," she whispered, reaching out her free hand to grasp Casey's.

"What are friends for?" Casey asked, squeezing Annika's fingers slightly.

She released Casey's hand, and her hand of its own accord started to rub at her forearm, where the essence of Mibi lingered the most.

Daniel barely hesitated. His hand dipped into his pocket and pulled out a bottle of the cleansing oil his wife used. "Here."

With only one free hand each, they fumbled a bit to unscrew the lid. Casey was about to offer her help when there was a loud clearing of a throat behind them. Annika turned her head and her eyes pricked with tears. Jack, Sam, Teal'c and Keelah each had a bottle of the oil in their hands, tops undone.

"We've got spares," Jack quipped.

With a wobbly smile, Annika stepped towards her team. One by one, each of them sprinkled a few drops of the oil onto her hands.

Watching from above, Hammond let the impromptu 'ritual' play out. It struck him as symbolic of SG-1's attitude, to all rally around and help one of their own when they were hurting.

When Hammond had received word from the security room about Annika's suicide attempt, he had hurried up to the observation room with Doctor Fraiser. The pair had arrived in time to see the daemon removed. He'd been worried when the whole team, plus Casey and her husband, had taken on glazed expressions to their faces. However Lya and Rosettym, now that it was 'safe' for them to emerge from the infirmary, had explained that Oakey was showing them the destruction of Mibi. "If everyone is feeling up to it, I think it would be best to debrief as soon as possible."

"If you don't mind, sir, we should be getting back to our reality," Doctor Jackson said, his arm sliding around Casey. "We still have problems that need to be taken care of."

Hammond gave a nod of agreement. "Very well. Thank you for your assistance."

Daniel couldn't help but notice that the oil Annika was rubbing in was doing a fine job of smearing the blood on her arms. "Sir, do you mind if we clean up a bit first?"

"Of course," Hammond agreed.

"I'll take the Jacksons down to the mirror," Jack decided. "Teal'c, could you show Veta where the briefing room is?"

The Jaffa gave a nod.

Annika turned to her friends from the alternate reality. "Thank you for everything that you've done." To her the words sounded lame, but she didn't think there were any words that could express her gratitude. Resisted the urge to apologize again.

Casey smiled. "You're welcome."

The alternate archaeologist gave a guilty smile. "Just wish I'd have dealt with Mibi when I had the chance, then none of this would have happened."

"He's taken care of now and that's all that matters," Daniel said.

"True. The Ascended rebellion is over now, forever."

Casey turned to the other members of SG-1. "And thank you for the intel on the mini-Jack situation." She glanced towards the ceiling. "Goodbye, Oakey, and thank you...for everything!"

Oakey had refrained from trying to coax her saplings to take up her offer to remove their misplaced guilt. She knew that her saplings could be stubborn. She just hoped that once they had some time to adjust to the idea, that they would come around and request her help.

There was the rustle of leaves, and Oakey's voice echoed in their minds. "You are welcome, Guide sapling. It was a true pleasure to meet thee."

"Thank you, Oakey," Daniel said, pulling Casey closer. "For everything you've done for Casey, and for me."

"It was an honor to meet thee, Protector sapling. I have given my word to thee and to your Guide. I am but a whisper away."

Casey nodded towards Teal'c, Sam and Keelah. "Help her?" She gave a wry grin. "But I guess that goes without saying, huh?"

Sam nodded. "And we have back up plans in place."

"Plans A through Z," Casey giggled.

Veta couldn't help but wiggle his fingers at the blonde. "See ya', gorgeous."

Casey grinned. "See ya', handsome. Good luck man hunting."

Jackson gave a barely civil nod at the man, already propelling his wife toward the door. He wasn't at all pleased to hear that little 'exchange', something he had always considered a term of endearment reserved solely for his use when it came to Casey. And as for her calling the alien 'handsome'...he was gay for crying out loud!

Jack took note of the look on Daniel's face. Best to get those two back where they belonged, before someone got hurt. He didn't want to do the paperwork that would undoubtedly be involved with returning a broken archaeologist to his own reality. "Okay, let's get the Mirror Express moving."

Casey had no chance to make any further comments. Daniel was already dragging her into the corridor. Jack was doing his best in that moment to keep up. "Express is just a term, Stud Muffin. I don't think Jack meant we have to run."

"Uh huh." Daniel dared to glance over his shoulder. Damned if the alien hadn't moved...was Veta watching Casey's ass or his? The thought had him moving for the elevator with even more haste.

Teal'c's lips twitched as he gestured for the security man to precede him. "You are wicked."

"So I've been told," Veta shrugged. "Though usually it's not in reference to my sense of humor."

Janet scooted around the exiting men, intent on getting to Annika to see for herself that she truly was physically all right.

"Hey, Janet," Annika gave her friend a smile. It was kind of a relief to see someone she didn't have to apologize to.

"Welcome back," Janet returned the smile, her hand dipping into her pocket for her trusty penlight. "Are you hurting anywhere?"

Only mentally, Annika thought, but she knew that for the moment the doctor was speaking of her physical body. She shook her head. "Just tired." The psychic let herself be given a cursory examination, finding the SOP comforting. For the briefest of seconds she felt like it was just the end of a standard mission, until Janet gently examined the healing Sam had done on her arm.

"Let's get these cuffs off," the doctor said, noticing the red marks that had formed around her wrist during her struggles.

Daniel felt a small surge of panic beneath his heart and he sent a soothing caress to his wife. "I'm not going anywhere," he murmured for her ears only. As he inserted the key to unlock the metal bands, he made sure that his hold of her hand remained in place. Not that he could have let go even if he wanted to, which he didn't. Annika's fingers were tightly closed around his as though clinging on for dear life.

"We shall also take our leave," Rosettym glided into the room with Lya a step behind.

Annika's eyes went wide to see the Nox women. "You've been here the whole time?"

Rosettym gave a nod. "We needed to remain hidden due to our connection to the Great One. Had the daemon become aware of our presence it would have put you in even greater danger."

"It seems that we have once again failed in our duties as kin," Lya said, her doe eyes laden with guilt. "We are so sorry that we were not there in your time of need."

Oakey would have apologized directly to her sapling, however, her guilt over what she had done was too raw for her to fully control. She settled for a gentle caress.

A soft breeze against Annika's cheek and she knew that the apology was said on behalf of Oakey as well. "You weren’t to know," she said softly to the Nox, then raised her eyes to the air around her. "You killed the daemon, that's the best apology you could ever give." Here gaze dropped back to Lya and Rosettym. "But I'm still a bit confused...how was I affected when Oakey...er...blew her tree?" When she had become aware of the daemon's presence, the effect of the Great Being's wrath had been one of the fleeting details that had gelled in her head.

"We have much to discuss, cousin, when you're feeling up to it," Rosettym caressed Annika's cheek. "But your team has the details and can fill you in."

"Okay," Annika nodded, a little bemused, accepting a tender hug from Lya.

After the Nox had left, Daniel gently tugged his wife towards the door, eager to leave the visual reminder of the daemon's battle that stained the room. "Come on, let's hit the showers."

A A A

When Annika stepped out of the cubicle, she was a little disappointed that Daniel was nowhere to be seen. Was he avoiding her? She couldn't blame him if he were.

Keelah, perched on the locker bench, saw the look and gave a reassuring smile. "Since the debrief is probably going to be long, Daniel thought you'd be craving a real brew of coffee."

"I am." The disappointment faded, though she thought wryly that the coffee would be as much for him as her, but it was the thought that counted. Rubbing a drizzle of vanilla oil into her neck, Annika wondered if she'd ever feel 'clean' again. How long would it take for Mibi's residue to stop making her skin crawl?

"We have something for you." Keelah gave a shy smile holding out a tin and opened the lid.

Annika's oil application stilled with surprise when she saw what was inside. "Cookies?"

"Sam and I baked them."

"Sam...baked?" Admittedly it was with a touch of wariness that Annika took one of the morsels dusted in what looked like icing sugar. Sam's disasters in the kitchen were well known, however Keelah's expertise could have acted as counter balance.

The blonde emerged from the shower stall toweling her short crop of hair. "Don't worry, I was more the scientific theory behind it. Keelah did the actual practical work."

"The guys were our taste testers." Keelah gave a slightly apologetic smile. "These are yesterday's batch...if I had known you'd be back with us today I would have made fresh ones."

The explosion of sweetness in her mouth was delicious. "They're good." Yet Annika tilted her head in confusion. As lovely as the gesture was, it was an odd thing for them to do, especially for Sam who didn't cook at all.

"We were discussing ways to help you when we removed the daemon's influence from you." Sam grimaced. "Well, we didn't know that it was a daemon until today, only that something was compelling you."

Keelah continued on. "We know that you need to cleanse yourself with vanilla oil, but that's for external...er...contamination."

"And we tried to figure out something you could use internally."

"You came up with cookies?" Annika could hardly get the words out from the lump in her throat. Had a feeling that tears would be regular occurrence for the near future.

Both women nodded.

Keelah began a list. "There's vanilla sugar, pure vanilla extract and vanilla dusting powder. It took a few attempts to put as much of the vanilla into the batter as possible and still leave it edible."

Sam was making quick work of dressing. "The theory we based it on, is that the cookies will digest and break down into your bloodstream...and filter through every part of your body."

Annika had no idea if the idea would work but she was filled with a warm fuzzy feeling that her friends had gone to so much trouble to help her. The internal itch in her bones was dampened a little. "Thank you, I'm feeling better already." She took a second cookie before she started to get dressed. A small feeling of contentment filled her as she buttoned her pants and tied her laces. It was funny how simply dressing in BDUs made her feel like she really was back.

A few minutes later the three women were entering the briefing room. Jack, nursing a cup of base sludge, was standing by the viewing window, watching General Hammond see off the Nox. Teal'c was stirring in sugar to two cups of tea, one of which he held out to Keelah. Veta was already seated, cautiously sniffing at his mug.

One smell and Annika guessed it was the same brew as Jack's and she felt the need to warn the security man. "You take your taste buds life into your own hands if you drink that."

"Thanks for the tip," Veta grinned.

At their entrance Jack turned towards them, his eyes scanning Annika from top to toe. "Casper, you're out of uniform."

Annika glanced down at herself. Couldn't see anything out of place.

"I believe theses are yours, Annika Jackson." Teal'c gave a slight bow, holding out his hand.

She gave a slightly watery smile at seeing the three embroidered patches. Silently she took them, sticking them on their correct positions on her sleeves.

"Much better," Jack approved. After he'd seen the Jacksons to the mirror, he'd raced up to his office to get the patches. Then had made one more stop to the Security office for a final item before heading down to the briefing room. He fished that item out of his pants pocket and tossed it to the slightly overwhelmed psychic. "And you'll be needing this."

Annika blinked back tears at her ID badge that landed slam-dunk in the cookie tin. Daniel arrived carrying a pot of coffee just as she was clipping the badge to the loop on her BDUs. Her nose twitched at the familiar aroma and she gratefully accepted the mug of the steaming brew. Daniel smiled at her, though his eyes were filled with questioning concern when they dropped to the tin of cookies she was clutching to her. She hoped her returning smile was reassuring. "They're working like a charm." Sliding into her usual chair she plucked out another cookie to nibble on.

The archaeologist was about to sit himself when he caught sight of the contents of Veta's mug. He rolled his eyes. "Jack, do you want to kill our guest?"

Veta, who had yet to 'risk' taking a sip, willingly let Daniel replace it with a freshly poured mug of 'real' coffee.

"There's nuthin' wrong with this stuff," Jack protested, taking a gulp to prove his point.

"Uh huh," Daniel sniffed, sitting down; felt a thrill of joy that the seat beside him had its rightful occupant. His hand itched to clasp Annika's hand, but he didn't want to crowd her or appear overly clingy. His heart soared when she immediately switched her cookie to her other hand and reached to link her fingers with his. "This from a man whose idea of 'espresso' is to go through the drive through."

"Hey, it makes sense," the general shrugged, turning away from the window now that the Nox were gliding up the ramp to the wormhole that a wave from Rosettym's hand had created.

Oakey had already said her farewells, so all of SG-1 was curious when they heard a gentle rustle in their ears, which they had begun to learn was Her version of 'knocking'.

"Sapling Jack," the seventh level being sounded bemused, "I have a message for you from one of my...superiors."

"Ya' do?" Jack's eyebrow rose in surprise, loping to his seat across the table. "What is it?"

"The super jellyfish requests that you keep making Her laugh."

The general nearly spat his coffee across the room.

"You understand the message? It is quite cryptic."

He managed to swallow the mouthful without choking. "Um...yeah. Tell Her...er...I'll do my best."

"Very well. Farewell, my saplings. May the wind of Life blow in your favor." Another rustle and the Great Being was gone.

Jack waved away the curious looks he was receiving from his team. "Long story."

Janet hurried in, relieved to see that the meeting hadn't started yet and sat in one of the few spare seats.

Ferretti had come with her though he wasn't going to sit in for the debrief. His eyes went straight to Annika. "Hey, Cupid! Great to have you back."

"Thanks, Ferretti." Annika smiled.

"Oh, and awesome passing of intel by the way. Knew you'd find a way to slip something by that freak."

"What are you talking about?" Confusion marred her brow.

Ferretti blinked, now as confused as the psychic. "Your hocus pocus heads up...you sent my team to the planet with the drunk. We wouldn't have found ya' without it."

Violet eyes turned to her team. "What?"

"We haven't had a chance to go through the details yet," Sam explained to the major, then swiveled her chair to face Annika. "You were fighting Mibi all along. Gave clues for us to follow. The report you gave to Hammond, the 'fruitful trading possibility' for SG-2...they found one of the guests of the Loft drowning his sorrows, singing Elvis's version of your wedding dance...they traded a few drinks for the entry disc."

"Our wedding song?" Annika didn't think her eyes could go any wider. She looked to Daniel for confirmation, who nodded. "But how..." Her voice trailed off and her head swung to Veta who was seated on the other side of her.

"Guilty," the man shrugged. "I saw how that song affected you when Sach' started playing it that morning in the kitchen. I lifted your music gadget and had it incorporated into the ship's show. We then tweaked...um..." he paused, wondering if they had any moral objections to subliminal technology. "Let's just say that the tune stuck in people's heads."

The silence that descended in the room was one of shock. Everyone only now realizing just how many separate 'events' had converged to have SG-2 overhear the drunken warbling of that unlucky guest...and just how slim the odds had been that it had come together at just the right time.

Veta cleared his throat. "Mahj'arc and I knew it was a long shot...also knew you didn't belong on the Loft, no matter how easily you fit in. You belong here." He waved his hand around the room.

"Veta...I..." Annika was at a loss for words. Her time on the Empyrean Loft, working with Sachee, interacting with the crew, all of it...had been her saving grace. She had no doubt that left ‘alone’ with Mibi controlling her she would have gone insane in her desperation to keep her nightmare vision from coming true. It was only as the details of SG-2’s ‘trading’ mission was revealed, that it became apparent how strongly the security man had tried to reunite her with her team.

Veta flashed a smile, reading the emotion on his friend’s face. "You’re welcome."

Ferretti ducked out as Hammond strode in, having caught the last part of the conversation. "Annika I'm sure you have as many questions as we do. Hopefully between us we can get all of the answers."

Annika rose to her feet. Other than that brief glimpse of him in the observation room before going to shower, this was the first time she had seen the CO since returning. "Sir, I'm so sorry." She raised her eyes, prepared to receive whatever reprimand the base CO was going to give. "I essentially blackmailed you...put you in the most horrible position..."

Hammond paused in his stride to the head of the table. "Annika, welcome to the club."

She blinked in confusion. "Sir?"

"It's a very exclusive club, that just about every one of us in this room is a member of." He smiled warmly at her. "Membership is unfortunately granted by being possessed by an alien entity who makes us act contrarily to our nature."

Annika fought back another rush of tears. Everyone was being so forgiving. She felt like she didn't deserve it.

Daniel gave his wife's hand a gentle squeeze, recognizing the guilt that still hounded her. God knew he had experienced it enough himself over the last few years. A glance around the table and he could see the compassion in their eyes and their own haunting of their own experiences. He fleetingly wished that Annika hadn't broken the connection to Oakey when the Great Tree had tried to take their guilt away. Not so much for himself, but for his wife. She had been through so much at Mibi's hands; he didn't want her to suffer any more. At the same time he understood why she had clutched at those feelings, even if they were 'negative' and misplaced. They were the first real emotions she could claim were irrevocably her own for the last three months. Hammond bringing the meeting to order pulled him from his reverie.

"Okay, people, let's start at the beginning."

The debrief was long as they sifted through the events and it was well into the night when they finally wrapped things up.

Annika was humbled by the lengths they had taken to find her. The open-ended agreement with Boch had made her jaw drop. And as they told of every lead that had turned to a dead end it amazed her that after so many setbacks that they had just pressed on. "Thank you for not giving up on me." Her voice was thick with emotion.

"We never give up," Jack quipped. "Ya'd think having already dealt with one version of SG-1 that Mopey would have figured that out. Determination is our middle names."

"I believe the more appropriate term, O'Neill, is mule-headed," Teal'c corrected.

"Whatever floats your boat," Jack shrugged.

"Mr Veta," Hammond said, rising to his feet, officially adjourning the meeting. "Given the late hour, you are more than welcome to stay. We can arrange quarters for you."

"Thank you for the offer, but I'd prefer to return to the Loft." Veta followed suit as everyone else also stood up. "My work day is only halfway through, and I know Mahj'arc, Sachee and a few others will be anxious to know what's happened."

"As you wish," Hammond gave a nod. "Please know that you are welcome here at anytime."

Veta acknowledged the invitation with a nod, then bid farewell to the team he had spent the better part of two weeks trying to find.

"I'll walk you down," Annika said.

The rest of the team remained behind, giving Annika some privacy with her friend.

Janet's eagle eye caught the yawns everyone was trying to stifle, the events of not only the day but the last few weeks, finally catching up with them. "Doctor's orders. Everyone is hereby to march themselves to bed and I don't want you emerging for at least twelve hours. You can do your catch up session tomorrow," she added, knowing of the team's ritual for reconnecting after intense missions, especially those involving prolonged separation.

Jack's mouth opened to object, an automatic reaction ingrained after years of the Doc's 'medical coddling'. Then snapped his jaw shut. Sleep was sounding pretty damned good now that all his kids were back together, safe and sound. They may be a bit tattered around the edges but jeez, when were they not? "Good plan, Doc."

The CMO's eyes narrowed suspiciously, not accustomed to such easy acquiescence. "Glad you agree. So let's go." She began ushering all but Daniel out of the room, knowing it would be pointless to even try to get him to go ahead without Annika.

"Janet," Daniel called the doctor back, pulling out a small bottle from his pocket. "I won't be needing these anymore."

She took the sedatives with a smile. "No, you won't." Then she put her doctor's face back on. "Bed. As soon as Annika's finished up." She paused then reworded her order. "Sleep. As soon as Annika's finished up."

"Yes, ma'am," Daniel agreed. As much as he wanted to make love to his wife, he knew that Annika was too exhausted. And he was almost as tired. He could control his libido until the both of them were rested enough to do the physical reconnection of their love justice.

Though the second easy agreement in as many minutes made her suspicious all over again, she wished Daniel a good night and left with the rest of SG-1.

A A A

As the first of the chevrons locked, Annika grasped Veta's hand. "Thank you for taking me in. I don't know where I'd be right now if..." her voice trailed off as 'what ifs' began to skirt her mind, which was immediately followed by the memory of what she had done, or rather what Mibi had made her do, namely putting her team through hell...especially Daniel. Right now it was very hard to make the distinction between Mibi's manipulation and 'her' actions.

Veta tried to ease the torment of his friend. "Just try to remember that something good did come out of all this," he whispered, hugging her tightly. "You physically saved Mahj’arc...and mentally...I don’t know what Sachee’s future would have been if you hadn’t come into her life." His voice had become gruff with emotion but he cleared his throat, deliberately adding a teasing lilt to his tone. "And let’s not forget your biggest accomplishment."

Annika pulled away with a look of confusion. "Which was?"

"Saving me from the clutches of ‘Lose Your Balls Beth’."

Despite herself, a laugh escaped. "I’ll try to hold onto that."

As the last chevron locked and the wormhole billowed out, she pulled from her pocket the pyramid ring that she had washed when she had cleaned up and the transport disc Mahj'arc had given her. She held them out to Veta, but he waved them away.

"Keep them," he said, walking backwards up the ramp. "You’re always welcome at the Loft. You and your family drop by anytime for some good old fashioned fun!" He gave a wave farewell, which Annika returned, and disappeared into the event horizon.

Annika turned to leave the ‘gate room, to see Daniel leaning against the wall just beside the entrance. He looked hesitant to approach while at the same time his eyes seemed to be drinking in the sight of her.

"Would you like to get something to eat?" he asked

She shook her head. Hating to see the doubt clouding his features, she quickly walked to him and drew him into a hug. "Although as crazy as this is going to sound, I think I actually missed mess hall food."

Daniel eagerly wrapped his arms around her, savoring the moment of having his wife back. Placed a kiss to the top of her head. "Now that just proves that you were under an alien influence," he teased lightly.

Another rush of guilt flooded her. "I’m so sorry...I put you through hell..."

He placed a finger to her lips cutting her off. "The daemon put us through hell."

She grimaced. "Logically...that sounds right coming from you, but for me..." She swallowed. "I remember doing it, feeling it, thinking it. I remember the thought processes that led me to every action, every word. The only things I don't remember are the clues I gave."

"That was a defense mechanism," Daniel pointed out. A shudder ran down his spine at what Mibi could have done to his wife if he'd become aware of what Annika's subconscious had done.

"I know but..." She heaved a sigh riddled with guilt, "it would help if I could remember, ya' know? Make me feel less of a pawn." The last couple of words were muffled by a yawn.

She looked as tired as Daniel felt; knew that her exhaustion was worse than his. "How about we get some sleep?" He had to stifle a yawn of his own. "Pick this up in the morning? Or afternoon, or evening, or whenever our bodies decide to wake up?"

"That's the best idea I've heard in a long time." The quip was only slightly forced. She twisted sideways, keeping one arm firmly around Daniel's waist as they headed for the elevator. She had no intention of letting him go if she could help it.

Daniel adjusted his arm to drape over her shoulders, just as needy of the contact as Annika. "I convinced Janet to let us use the VIP room." It had been part of the reason he'd rushed through his shower, to speak to the CMO alone. Knowing that Annika wouldn't be allowed off-base tonight, he'd negotiated their stay.

Annika suspected that Daniel's comment was made out of kindness. By 'us' he really meant 'her'. Possessed by a daemon or not, she had tried to commit suicide. Even if no one said it aloud, she knew it would be at least forty-eight hours before she would be taken off 'suicide watch'. Her suspicion was confirmed when they entered the quarters. The security camera, that in the past for privacy was angled to the wall or ceiling whenever they had used the room, was now directly lined up to view the entire room. But for the moment Annika was too tired to be concerned by the SOP.

Daniel followed her gaze, a frown creasing his brow. When he'd convinced Janet that there was no point in Annika remaining in the infirmary since she wasn't 'sick', he'd been firm in the need for privacy. "You've been watched enough to last a lifetime," he muttered, lifting his hand to tilt the lens away.

"Leave it." She gently grasped his hand, lifting it to her lips to place a kiss to his knuckles. Touched beyond words that he understood how much the idea of total privacy meant to her...or at least would mean to her if she wasn't so damned tired. Right now she didn't care if they had the whole of Dodger Stadium watching. "I know the camera's there." A shiver ran through her, still coming to grips with the fact that Mibi had been spying on her for months.

Daniel caught the distinction and reluctantly left the camera alone. "But if it starts to freak you out just say so and I'll rip the thing out of the wall."

They stripped down to their underwear, though Annika borrowed Daniel's shirt, which was big enough for her to be comfortable to sleep in.

Annika practically crawled under the covers. Her exhaustion making her limbs heavy and slow, she used the last of her energy to shuffle to the waiting arms of her husband. "I missed this so much...missed you so much...my heart was crumbling every moment I was away..."

"But it's over now." Daniel tipped her chin up, placing a tender kiss to her lips. "All the heartache and pain will now be just a memory."

Three weeks of longing for his touch wouldn't be denied and she responded to his kiss It was soft and gentle and slow, savoring the moment of the first reconnection of their love. It was only when another yawn intruded that they reluctantly drew apart.

"I love you," Annika whispered, her arm lying across his chest hugged him tightly. "Please remember that."

"I never forgot it," he murmured. He was concerned by her choice of words, but with her struggling to keep her eyelids open, now wasn't the time to go into it. "And I will always love you."

She started to respond, but then she couldn't fight the need for sleep any longer. Her eyes drifted shut in the first peaceful sleep she'd had in months.

Daniel was just nodding off when a quiet rap on the door roused him. He had a moment of internal debate of whether to get up to see who it was, risking waking Annika, who was wonderfully nestled into his side with her head resting on his shoulder, or risk waking her by calling out. Self-indulgence won. He was just too damned comfortable to move. "Yes?" he called softly, hoping whoever it was would hear.

The door opened a fraction and Jack's voice drifted in. "I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"

"No, Jack. What's up?

With confirmation that he wouldn't catch his friends in their birthday suits, the general poked his head around the door. "Nuthin', I just wanted to say..." His voice drifted off his mouth creasing into a smile to see the cozy positioning of his newly reunited friends. Met Daniel's gaze in the darkness. "Happy birthday, Danny."

Blue eyes went wide, darting to the illuminated numbers of the wall clock. One minute past midnight. The last few weeks his method of tracking the days had been by how many minutes, hours and days Annika had been gone. He'd lost track of the actual date, particularly after the 'key date' of Annika's birthday had passed.

Jack gave a low chuckle. "We got ya' something, but I don't think it'll top what you got now." He wiggled his fingers at the sleeping woman who hadn't even stirred. His best friend's face lit up with a smile Jack hadn't seen for three weeks.

"Yeah, nothing can beat this," Daniel agreed, his arm tightening a little around the warm body of his wife.

"Sweet dreams," Jack whispered, quietly closing the door again.

With a blissful sigh, Daniel pulled the blankets up just a bit, loving that Annika snuggled deeper into his embrace. He knew that the emotional recovery of his wife could take a while. She'd effectively been taken hostage for three weeks...been brainwashed. It wouldn't be easy to come back from that. But she was home, in his arms and he could feel her love stronger than ever. He sent his own love through their bond and a soft sigh of happiness blew from her lips. As long as they held onto that love they would get through it. Placing a kiss to his wife's forehead, breathing in the soft vanilla scent he had been missing and craving for what seemed like an eternity, Daniel let sleep overtake him. His mind conjured up no dreams for his dream had already come true and she was lying safely in his embrace.

A A A

"How are they doing?"

"They're sleeping now." Janet gathered up her notes of the day and slid them into a folder. It had come as no surprise to Janet that the other members of SG-1 had remained on base, even though there was no physical or medical reason for them to do so. "I expect that they will all sleep through most of tomorrow. Daniel and Annika probably much longer."

Hammond gave a nod. "I suspect you could do with a good night's sleep too."

"That's the plan, sir."

"Should we have Doctor MacKenzie on call?" he asked her medical opinion.

Janet gave a moment's thought before answering. No doubt all of them could do with few sessions of counseling. Getting them to attend those sessions was another matter. "They're SG-1. They've always managed to sort through their issues together without outside help. But this incident is different. Ask me again in a couple of days, sir?"

He gave a nod of agreement. He caught sight of a pair of boots at the edge of his doorway. Guessed it was Major Ferretti who had made himself comfortable in his assistant's chair, waiting for the doctor to be finished with the informal meeting. His suspicion was confirmed when he heard a soft snore echo in. "Have a good night, Doctor."

Janet rose at the dismissal. "You too, sir."

Hammond watched the doctor quickly walk from the room. A small smile touched his lips as he saw her gently reach out to touch what he presumed was Ferretti's shoulder. Heard a soft grunt as the major was shaken awake and words that were too quiet to make out.

A little bleary eyed, Ferretti stood up and peeked his head around the door. "Good night, sir."

"Good night, Major."

Ferretti snagged the CMO's hand in his before the couple headed for the elevator.

Hammond's smile faltered a little as his gaze dropped to the file on his desk, relating to SG-1. Daemon possession was a new one to add to the list of horrors the team had endured. Endured and survived. He just hoped that their ability to bounce back didn't fail them this time. He was particularly concerned about Annika. She had been unusually withdrawn during the debrief. Which he supposed was entirely understandable. The rest of her team had had almost two full weeks to come to grips with the fact that one of their own had been possessed. Annika had had barely a few hours. Plus he doubted that given how exhausted she was that she'd been able to truly process that knowledge. But he had faith that she would come through it...that they all would come through it and probably become closer as a team because of it. As Doctor Fraiser had said, 'They're SG-1'.

The CO was about to file the report in the cabinet behind him when a sudden urge had him opening the bottom desk drawer. He removed a bottle of single malt whiskey and a glass. Poured himself a generous shot and raised his glass. "To SG-1...the best damned team that ever was...is...or will be." He downed the amber liquid, replaced the bottle and glass in the drawer and filed the report in the cabinet behind him. With a bounce in his step, he headed for home, the thought smugly crossing his mind. Prophecy complete.

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