It was with a buoyant step that Jack brought up the rear. Finally this mission was over! "Lucy, we’re…" he cut off. Unless the museum had undergone a super speedy renovation, they were not in the museum. "…not home. Crap, now what?"

Everyone else was just as confused and irritated as they took in their unexpected surroundings. The room was large, with a string of quantum mirrors making a bizarre border along the walls. A device off to one corner was switched on, a pure white light glowing in its center.

Sam recognized the room, though she had only seen it for a second. "This is where the mirror first connected to when we were trying to get from 2004 to 1973."

"The mirrors, they all have the attachment." Daniel was examining the ancient portals. Spotted something else. A small disc attached to the corner of the mirror they had emerged from. The mirror beside it had a similar anomalous disc. "Wonder what this is."

"It allows us to connect to any mirror, active or not, without interfering with that mirror’s usage."

SG-1 spun around with sighs of relief at the familiar melodious voice. Lya and Anteaus shimmered into view.

"Kinda like stealing cable?" Jack quipped, though he knew that in all likelihood the comparison would be lost on the Nox.

"Um, not that we aren’t happy to see familiar faces." Daniel adjusted his glasses on his nose. "But we weren’t expecting to arrive here."

"We brought you here," Anteaus replied.

"Okay," Sam was puzzled by how nervous the two Nox were. "Why?"

Before they could reply, Annika butted in. The insistent nagging that something was dreadfully wrong was now like a siren in her ears. And what she saw in the aliens’ auras confirmed it. "Who are you?"

Lya frowned. "You know who we are, cousin."

The psychic vehemently shook her head. "A wolf in Nox clothing. I know who you look like, but the Nox do not have deception and guilt in their auras."

The Nox woman sighed, and Annika saw the color of her guilt become stronger. "I assure you that we are Lya and Anteaus of the Nox, but Annika is right. We have been deceiving you."

At Annika’s accusation SG-1 had warily drawn back, regrouping together should they need to defend themselves. With Lya’s startling admission they tensed further, even more confused than when they had first stepped through the mirror. Emotionally raw from the last two days, they weren’t in the best frame of mind to learn that the Nox, a race they trusted, was somehow misleading them.

"Deceived us how?" Teal’c asked.

"The explanation is lengthy," Anteaus warned.

"We’re not going anywhere." Jack motioned with his hand for them to continue.

Brother and sister exchanged looks, wondering where to begin.

Anteaus cleared his throat. "When the people you know as the Ancient’s Ascended from this plane of existence they left in our care many of the devices that posed potential risks should they fall into the wrong hands."

"Why didn’t they simply destroy them?" Sam interrupted. "Why didn’t you?"

"To destroy what has been made would be to deny that they ever existed," Lya explained. "For better or worse, once created they have the right to be."

"Having possession of these mirrors," Anteaus picked up where he’d left off. "Our ancestors decided to put the mirrors to use and created this room to study the cause and effect of decisions made. Given the potential risks of the attachments, to prevent any accidents from overcurious students, this device was created to monitor temporal activity of our time." He gestured to the console with the white light. "At the moment of any change to the true timeline it activates a temporary temporal shield that encompasses approximately one quarter of our city, protecting the people within."

"Temporary?" The scientist in Sam was fascinated, though she was still as much in the dark as to where this history lesson would lead.

Lya nodded. "Dependant on the seriousness of the alteration. It gives a limited amount of time to rectify the change. If it is not changed back then the shield collapses and the ‘change’ would be permanent."

Daniel was thoughtful. "So you knew when Ba’al changed our timeline."

The Nox nodded.

"But it was more than that, wasn’t it?" Annika had been listening to the explanation, carefully studying their auras. So far they had been telling the truth… She gave herself a mental shake. Never would she have thought she’d be questioning the integrity of the Nox.

Another nod, this one slower.

"In this instance we had advanced knowledge that Ba’al would attempt to alter the timeline," Lya said softly. "The Council and we," she indicated Anteaus and herself, "had a shared premonition. It is a very rare occurrence. To our knowledge it has only happened twice before in our history."

"How much warning are we talking about?" Jack’s eyes narrowed. His gut was telling him that he wouldn’t like the answer.

"By your measure of time, nine years," Anteaus said.

The poignant pause from both Nox made all of them count back in their heads to determine the significance of that time.

"When we deciphered the Stargate," Daniel concluded, looking to the Nox for confirmation.

At their nod, Jack felt his blood pressure shift from simmer to boil. "Wait, you’ve known for nine years that this crap was going to happen and you said nothing?"

"We did not know when Ba’al would make the attempt," Anteaus explained calmly. "We weren’t shown a specific date, only a series of events that would indicate the time was drawing near."

"And we did not know what Ba’al would change," Lya hastily added. "We had no idea it was more than one event or that it would be so traumatic."

"How do you know what the changes were?" Teal’c demanded. "Other than Daniel Jackson’s parents, the mirror was not at the locations to be rectified."

"I scried for your positions," Lya admitted. "To follow your progress."

"What were the series of events?" Sam fought down the anger at having been spied upon.

Doe eyes focused on Annika. "It started with the first time you unconsciously entered my dreams."

"Okay, I rephrase my former comment," Jack drawled sarcastically. "You had five months to slip a warning into conversation, and yet I don’t recall receiving the memo that Ba’al was going to screw with our history."

"Not all visions are shown to be told." Lya seemed to be begging for Annika to agree with her.

"If we had informed you of what was to come your response may have been different," Anteaus tried to justify their reason. "You would have tried to stop it from ever occurring…"

"Damn straight we would have."

"Jack, this had to happen." Daniel voiced what he had concluded back in Colorado Springs. "If we had stopped Ba’al from sending the Jaffa through the first time, we wouldn’t have had reason to go back."

"I don’t have a problem with that! I never wanted to go back!"

Jack was stonily belligerent, but he had to admit that Daniel had a point. Yet things still weren’t adding up. Turned his attention back to the Nox who were looking like kids hauled off to the principal’s office. "So why are you telling us this? Why bring us here? You could have let us go home, we’d be none the wiser and you could have kept your Big Brother secret."

The Nox man took a deep breath. "We were faced with a dilemma. The events that were changed were not of our doing. If they had of been, it would have been our responsibility to correct if the Council deemed it necessary. Our laws forbid us from interfering in the actions of others. Yet given the magnitude of the effects of Ba’al’s tampering, and that we were given forewarning,, we were compelled to assist as our laws permitted."

"We’re talking about one of those fine lines you love walking, aren’t we?" Sam asked.

Anteaus nodded. "We could not directly intervene, however our laws do not forbid imparting our…knowledge…to others who can. We knew that certain…things…would be essential, others helpful…

"What did you do?" Daniel had been watching Lya though Anteaus had been talking. Her hands were clasped in front of her, fingers twisted in agitation, but her eyes hadn’t strayed from his wife. Whatever they had done, it was clear that it involved Annika specifically. Instinctively he stepped back, looping an arm around his wife’s waist, protectively holding her to him.

"We enhanced Annika’s abilities," Lya said softly. "Dramatically enhanced them."

For a moment there was a stunned silence from all of SG-1.

"You did what?" There was a hard edge to Jack’s voice.

Lya spoke directly to Annika. "Despite your natural gifts, there were certain essential abilities that would take years to develop, if they would have developed at all…once we realized there was only a few months in which to work, we had no choice."

"How did you do it?" Annika felt like she’d been hit by a truck. Never had she felt so betrayed. Not even when her mother had turned her back on her. She’d loved the Nox, trusted them as much as Daniel and the rest of SG-1. She’d thought they had cared for her too, but now it seemed that they had only gotten close to her to use and control her. "Have you been spying on me all this time?"

"No. Today was the first time I did that," the Nox woman replied. "During our meditations, I encouraged the part of your mind that you refer to as the dead zone to grow. How the individual aspects developed was dependant on the circumstances you were in. We did not know how or when they would manifest. When they did we were able to stimulate them to increase in strength."

Daniel could feel Annika’s hurt, how shocked she was that the Nox, and especially Lya, had manipulated her. He was stunned himself. That sort of behavior he expected from the Tok’ra. Never would he have thought the Nox were even capable of that sort of interference. He felt her legs wobble and her whisper, "I need to sit down." Gently he guided her to the floor, sitting with her, keeping a supporting arm around her. "What precisely did you enhance?" he asked, amazed that he was able to keep a civil tone. It was one thing to not inform them of Ba’al’s plan. He could understand the reasoning of that and given the neutrality of the Nox nature it made sense. It was a completely different kettle of fish to have been manipulating Annika for months, gaining her trust and encouraging the use of abilities they had basically implanted in her.

Lya instinctively stepped forward to help, concerned by Annika’s suddenly pale face, however she found her path blocked by Jack, Sam and Teal’c, who were protectively closing ranks on their teammate. The Nox woman moved back with a look of sad understanding. "For starters, her telekinetic ability. Annika does have that facet of her gift, however it is significantly weaker."

"Her premonitions?"

"No." Lya shook her head. "That is all her own. As is her sight of auras."

Teal’c supplied another gift. "The astral traveling?"

"Only a minuscule amount," Anteaus supplied, hoping that the answer would soften the Jaffa’s glare.

His expression remained the same. "The protective bubble?"

With a sigh Anteaus nodded. "Only the most advanced of our race ever acquire that particular ability. It was necessary for the creation of the temporal bubble that stopped you all from being affected by the time changes. It is doubtful that she would be able to generate that again."

"The Marco Polo act?" Jack added the next ability.

Both Nox looked confused, not understanding the reference.

"The invisibility," Sam curtly explained.

"Oh. Yes," Anteaus nodded. "Though possibly she may be able to use it sporadically."

"What about our bond?" Daniel bit out. He’d hit the roof if that very personal gift had been tampered with.

"No. That is entirely separate and uniquely her own," Lya hastily assured, then gave a weak smile. "In fact your connection caused us some difficulty."

"Well, sorry for causing you grief while you were screwing with my head," Annika snapped. Her shock was quickly being replaced by anger. "Next time give me some warning and I’ll try to be more accommodating."

"And what about the nifty trick from today?" Jack butted in.

Sister and brother exchanged looks.

Lya took a deep breath. "That was never an ability that any Tau’ri mind could generate. I was responsible for all of your translocations today. I…I did that without the approval of the Council. I saw how much you wanted the…tasks…to be over…"

"And what was one more magic trick to add to the rest of my phony abilities, right?" Annika said sarcastically, getting back to her feet.

"You think I give a flying fuck about the abilities?" Annika shook her head in angry bewilderment. "Why in God’s name didn’t you just simply ask? Say, hey, we’re going to tweak your abilities ‘cause you’ll need them down the track."

"For the same reasons we did not tell you all of Ba’al’s plot, it risked altering your natural reactions."

"So you just let me believe that those abilities were my own," she said hotly. "That they were a part of me, when really it was just you manipulating me?"

"The way we did it was unavoidable. You had to be accustomed to the abilities and learn control for them to be of any use to you." Lya had known that their reaction would be one of anger. It didn’t make it easier to bear the brunt of their wrath. "We’ll…I’ll understand if you wish to sever all ties with us…"

"Oh, sweet pea, you are not going to get off so easy. Family doesn’t work that way…" Annika cut off, and if anything turned even whiter. "Unless…unless you made that up to work in with your plans…"

"No! You are a descendant of Naturra," Lya’s heart wrenched at the devastated look on Annika’s face at the idea. "If you were not then we would not have been able to enhance your gifts." She blushed at how bad that sounded.

Suddenly all of SG-1 felt themselves tugged by an unseen force, making them skid a foot towards the entrance.

"For shit’s sake!" Annika grumbled, having to grab onto Daniel for balance. "Are you doing this?"

The Nox shook their heads, though there was recognition in their eyes and if anything they looked even more like reprimanded kids than before.

The huge doors at the end of the door were blown open. A gust of wind swirled its way across the marble floor, paused a moment in front of the two Nox, making their twiggy hair blow across their faces, then approached the confused SG-1. As wild as its entrance was, the wind was a gentle caress across their cheeks.

Jack found himself lifting his head to continue the touch. "Casper, is it me, or does that feel like Oakey?"

"Yeah, it does." Annika was enveloped by a mix of emotions; love, comfort and all the emotions of a mother embracing her hurting children. They hardly noticed when they were lifted completely off their feet and floated from the room. In the warm cocoon of the Matriarch’s hold, the team were drifted through the halls of the Nox city then flown down to the forest below, coming to a gentle rest in the branches of the sentient Tree.

Closing her eyes as leaves and flowers softly brushed against her, Annika could hear the Tree’s thoughts. She hadn’t known what her older children had done, was upset that her new saplings had been hurt, by both the deception and what they had had to endure; wanting to soothe their pain; asking them to forgive, for as a mother it troubled her to have her kin at odds with each other. Breathing in the subtle scent of her flowers, Annika felt comforting warmth encase her and the ache of her heart dimmed. The anger and pain of what Ba’al had done and the sense of betrayal of the Nox, almost melted away. They were still there, however they took the form of a distant memory; the rawness replaced by the precious memories of what good had come from the last two days, the joy at having been able to spend time with their departed kin, the knowledge that the Nox had not the intent to cause harm but to help in the only way they were able. When she opened her eyes, she saw that Oakey had had the same effect on her team. The haunted looks to their eyes had receded, the anger that had fired their blood cooled, and while none of them could say that they were back to normal, they could say that they would be.

Jack unconsciously stroked the smooth bark, struggling to find the words to express his gratitude at what the sentient Tree had done. Even having his team’s support he had been scared to death of the repercussions of having to go through Charlie’s death again. Wasn’t sure he’d be able to come back from the ledge that he had been so close to flying over. But now, somehow, this Tree had sucked the worst of the pain away. For once he couldn’t come up with a quip adequate for the occasion, so he settled for a single whispered word. "Thanks."

Oakey gave a leafy hug in response.

For a few moments they all were silent, enjoying the relief of not having the stress that had been their constant companion. Then with their thoughts more composed they were able to discuss the remaining issues at hand with a bit more objectivity.

Daniel hesitantly spoke first, directing his comment to his wife. "Looking back at what we needed to do…without you having those abilities, I’m not sure we would have been able to pull it off."

Annika heaved a sigh, giving a nod of agreement. "It’s just I feel like my whole relationship with Lya is based on a lie. I mean they’re the Nox. They’re not supposed to do this sort of thing. They’re not supposed to have a hidden agenda, even if that agenda is to ultimately save our butts."

"Is what they did any different from when we tried to save them from Apophis during our first encounter?" Teal’c quietly asked. The original members of the team recalled that mission, where they had ‘agreed’ to leave though their true intent was to go after the Goa’uld. Regardless of how that encounter had ended, their motives had been similar, protection and help without the Nox being the wiser.

"They didn’t have to tell us," Sam pointed out. "They came clean with what they did, knowing full well how pissed off we’d be."

"Yeah," Jack grumped. "And then they look up at us with those big eyes…it’s like yelling at a puppy."

"I guess the only question left is what I should do." Annika lifted troubled eyes, seeking the advice from the others.

"It’s your call," Daniel gave her hand a squeeze. "We’ll support you either way."

"The tricks come in handy, can’t deny that," Jack shrugged. "But you gotta’ do what’s right for you."

Sam gave her an encouraging smile. "Personally I don’t know how you’ve coped with just your visions let alone with all the other abilities the Nox dumped on you."

"If I keep these gifts, I’d feel like a fraud," Annika was still torn. "But if I give them up, I’d feel like I’m letting you all down."

Teal’c regarded her solemnly. "When my prim’ta died, I felt that without the enhanced strength and regenerative capabilities I was more of a hindrance than a help. However, now each achievement in our fight, I know that the strength comes from within me and not by…unnatural assistance."

Annika gave the Jaffa a grateful smile. He had hit the nail precisely on the head and had cinched her decision.

"Hey, speaking of which," Jack interrupted. "Junior still around?"

Teal’c patted his stomach, having forgotten about the symbiote in the commotion of arriving at the Nox planet. Heaved a happy sigh. "Thankfully, it is not."

From below them they heard an uneasy shuffle of feet. Peering through the leaves they saw Lya anxiously standing by the trunk, their original packs lined up by her side. She waited until they had climbed down before speaking.

"The first thing I should have done when you first arrived, was apologize. You trusted us unconditionally and I hope that one day we…I…can earn that trust back." Though she spoke to all of them, they knew it was directed especially at Annika.

The psychic regarded her seriously. "I won’t pretend not to be still mad, but I hope that we can too."

Lya’s relief that her apology hadn’t been rejected was clearly evident on her doll-like face. "Have you reached a decision regarding the abilities?"

Annika nodded. "Take them away. If they’re not mine, then I don’t want them."

Hesitantly the Nox stepped closer, raising her palm to the redhead’s forehead. "You are certain?"

She gave a firm nod. Saw the Nox take a steady breath and felt the whisper as she called upon the natural power within the air. There was a slight tickle within her mind that slowly spread throughout her body. Then all of a sudden it was gone and the Nox drew her hand away. "That’s it?"

"Yes."

"I don’t feel any different." Annika couldn’t help the touch of suspicion in her tone.

Lya didn’t take offence, she had in fact been expecting it. "Try to use one of the enhanced abilities."

"Why didn’t I think of that?" She gave a lopsided grin. Annika twisted her hand in the pattern that had become second nature to her, trying to fold the air around one the backpacks. The bag remained fully visible. She tried again with the same results. Gave her team a bright smile. "Nope, not even a flicker!"

They all grinned back, though the irony wasn’t lost on any of them. A few months ago they had been over the moon that she had mastered the trick, now they were equally happy that she couldn’t.

"Okay, I think it’s about time we head home." Jack lifted his pack to his shoulders. He raised an eyebrow at the Nox. "Unless you have any other surprises up your sleeve?"

Lya gave a hesitant smile, the teasing lilt to the team leader's voice giving her hope that the friendship they had been building had some chance of survival. "Do you not think you have had enough surprises for one day?"

The Nox received smiles from Sam and Teal’c, indicating that they too were willing to put the day behind them. With a touch of trepidation she turned to Daniel and Annika. The couple who were part of her family by blood and marriage, usually gave a hug of farewell, that is until today.

Annika hesitated for a second, then stepped forward to embrace the woman. Though she still had very mixed emotions, the tight hug she received back spoke of how truly sorry Lya was, how happy that Annika hadn’t shut her out of her life. Almost casually she asked, "So, see you next Friday, eleven o’clock? Barring any inconvenient Goa’uld incursions, that is."

"You still wish to continue with your lessons?" Pulling back, Lya let her surprise show.

"You’re still my teacher…as long as you don’t mind a student that has jumped to the bottom of the class."

"I’ll be there," she assured. Raised worried eyes to Daniel. He had as yet not spoken directly to her since climbing down from the Family Tree. She knew that he was by nature a forgiving compassionate man, but also very much protective of the ones he loved. To her relief his arms closed around her.

When he pulled back there was a small smile to his lips. "Lya, I was wondering, could you do us a favor?"

"If I can, of course." She was curious by the wicked gleam in his eyes.

"We thought it only fair that we should inform Ba’al that his plan didn’t work." He reached into his top pocket and withdrew a rectangle of paper. "We were going to leave this in the temporal box for him to find, but the timing didn’t fit. Any chance you could send this via the mirror?"

Lya took the paper and read the hastily scrawled message. "I will deliver it personally."

Once they reached the Stargate, Sam was about to tap out the address into the DHD, when she had a sudden thought. "Our GDOs would have been locked out by now."

"We can go to the Alpha site," Teal’c suggested.

Jack nodded. It would mean another delay before they actually made it home, but he couldn’t see another way around it.

"I could try to go astral," Annika spoke up hesitantly.

"You sure you’re up for that?" To Jack, their resident psychic was looking more than a tad exhausted, her skin so pale it was almost translucent.

She shrugged. "No time like the present to see just what my new limitations are."

He gave a slow nod, not entirely sure if Annika was just too damned stubborn to admit that she was ready to drop. Noticed that Daniel had cautiously sidled closer to his wife, thinking the same thing.

Closing her eyes, Annika centered her breathing, concentrating on the ability that two days ago had come so easily to her. To her immense relief she felt the familiar drifting sensation and when she opened her lids it was to see the transparent image of herself hovering in front of her. She did notice that it wasn’t quite as strong as she normally projected.

Sam dialed the ’gate address and the Stargate billowed out in all its glory.

Annika felt Daniel’s arms, wrap around. "How do you feel?"

She leant into the warmth of his embrace. " A little lightheaded," she admitted. "But nothing I can’t handle."

"If you need to, draw what you need from me," he offered. He felt a tickle of her thanks beneath his heart.

Jack made a shooing motion to her astral embodiment. "So, flitter off and tell the General we want to come home."

Casper gave a mock salute, and zipped through the event horizon. Emerging through the iris, she ignored the marines pointing their guns at her and looked straight to the control room. Behind the glass she saw General Hammond rush into the room. The tension that had creased his face at the wail of the klaxons dissolved into relief when he recognized her. She smiled brightly up at him, giving him a wave. "Hiya’, General."

He returned the smile. "You’re a sight for sore eyes."

"Sorry we’re a bit late. Kinda ran into a bit of trouble." She flapped her hand to the Stargate. "Can you let us in, please?"

He gave a nod, giving the order to Sergeant Harriman to open the iris. "Stand down, people."

The marines, who had partly relaxed when they recognized the apparition, now stood fully at ease. A few seconds after the iris had spun open, the event horizon rippled and the errant team stepped through, having received the all clear from Annika at their end.

Casper merged with her physical body, and Annika heaved a sigh. "Ahh, there’s no place like home."

Hammond hurried into the ‘gate room before the blast doors were even halfway open, taking in at a glance not only their civilian clothes, but the zats’ tucked at their waists and the weariness lining their faces. "I take it you were not enjoying an extra few days with the Nox."

"Not exactly, sir," Annika replied, then frowned at the CO’s strange comment. "You weren’t worried that we missed our scheduled return?"

"Not quite." Hammond ran a stressed hand over his bald head.

"General, I’m crushed." Jack feigned hurt.

Daniel raised a bewildered eyebrow. "Not to sound petulant or anything, but we’ve been ‘missing’ for almost three days."

"A fact that we had no way of knowing," Hammond gave an apologetic smile. "For almost three days the Stargate hasn’t been working. We haven’t been able to dial out and none of the teams off-world have been able to dial in. Your incoming wormhole was the first successful activation."

"That’s odd," Sam mused. "I wonder if that has anything to do with us."

"Why?" Hammond asked. "What were you doing?"

Before anyone could reply, Rodney McKay came barreling into the room, though he seemed more interested and pleased to see the Stargate working than to see SG-1.

"McKay, buddy, it’s great to see you." Jack gave him a slap on the back.

"Oh, uh, hi, great to see you too." Rodney was taken aback by the friendly greeting. In fact he was a bit spooked that the entire primary team were smiling brightly at him. He hadn’t had the best encounters with SG-1 and normally they avoided him like the plague. Pushing the anomalous behavior aside, he focused on what he’d actually come into the room for. He studied the small diagnostic in his hand, glanced up at control room to Sergeant Harriman. "Walter, what happened? When did the ‘gate start working again?"

"As you can see, we brought in Doctor McKay to assist in determining what the problem was. He wasn’t having much success," Hammond said dryly.

"Can’t thank you enough!" Annika smiled at the scientist.

"Thanks." His eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Just curious, thank me for what?"

"For your brilliant idea for the memory device," Sam replied brightly.

McKay blinked blankly at them, becoming even more suspicious that Sam was congratulating him, given they had a love-hate relationship, with him doing the loving and Sam doing the hating. "You’re welcome. Um...what memory device?"

"The one you tweaked for Annika’s visions," Daniel replied.

"Well, as much as I’d like to take credit, I haven’t ‘tweaked’ a memory device."

"Yeah, you did." Annika paused with a frown, looking to Sam. "Well, technically he did, but that was then, and since we’ve changed the then back to how it should be, he really hasn’t, has he?"

"Technically, no."

"Huh, well, thanks anyway, McKay." She grinned back at him. "You were a real help, even if you’re not now. Oh, that came out all wrong, but you know what I mean."

"Actually no, I don’t. I have no idea what you’re talking about."

"I’m afraid I agree with Doctor McKay." Hammond had been trying to follow the conversation of his primary team and had failed miserably. "Why don’t you start from the beginning?"

"Short version, sir?" Jack asked innocently.

The general nodded warily, wondering just what the colonel would come out with.

"Ba’al futzed with the timeline, we futzed it back. In between we said hi to our dead relatives, played Santa Clause, killed Ba’al…what did the tally end up being?" He looked to the others.

"Three times, I believe," Daniel supplied.

"Right. Killed Ba’al three times, and discovered the Nox are not the cute little twigs we thought them to be."

Hammond eyed to the rest of the team looking for confirmation, not entirely sure if they were pulling his leg.

"Honest, sir, if you don't believe us, just ask Oakey," Annika replied solemnly.

"Who in God’s name is Oakey?" he demanded.

"A tree," Teal’c answered.

The old adage drifted to Hammond's mind, ask a silly question... And truth be told, it concerned him more that he was not shocked by that absurd answer. "This is going to be a long debrief, isn’t it?"

"Relatively speaking, sir," Sam grinned.