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Runaway To Hell

Chapter Seventeen

Outside in the now crowded corridor, they listened with anxious hearts to Annika's quiet sobbing, hardly noticing that Casey and her husband had moved down the passageway and were engaged in a quiet but in depth discussion. Oakey, now that the immediate threat to her possessed sapling was contained, could divert some of her attention to what was distressing her counterpart and his mate from the alternate universe.

"It recognized you," Casey whispered, her eyes wide, her heart pounding with fear.

"Yeah, I noticed," he replied. Casey was shaking so hard that it was visible. He wrapped his arms around her, pulled her close.

"I'm so sorry...this is all my fault," she whispered.

"No, it's not," Daniel said softly, pressing his lips against the side of her head. "I'm The One, remember?"

"I'm your Guide, Daniel. I screwed up."

Oakey could sense the Protector's resignation at his wife's words as though they had had versions of this conversation many times before. And there was a helplessness of how to convince the Guide sapling that she had not failed. The Guide's doubt in her abilities again puzzled the seventh level being. She should not have such self-doubt... Oakey fought down another waspish thought of the neglect of the beings who had assigned the roles and abilities to the Protector and his Support. She had half a mind to pay the alternate universe a visit and tell them exactly what she thought of them. Oakey pushed the thought aside. That was an action to be contemplated after her sapling was free from the daemon's clutches.

She listened to the Protector and Guide's thoughts, learning of their experience with the daemon. What she saw gave her pause. Gently, so that neither sapling was aware of it, she drew the memory into herself, copying the entire thing before replacing it just as gently in their minds. Something had happened that none of the alternate SG-1 was aware of; it hadn't even nudged the Guide's subconscious. Oakey herself could barely sense it. Silently she withdrew to let the saplings finish their discussion in private, needing to examine this...vine...she had discovered.

"Daniel, it's-"

"Mibi." The archaeologist looked down into the green eyes of his wife. "He's the one who escaped, right?"

Casey nodded. "He hates you...because you stopped him. A mere mortal, and you prevented him from becoming the god he believed...believes...he is."

"He won't get away this time," Daniel said firmly.

"No, he won't," Casey replied. "We can't let that happen."

"Together, Case. We'll do it...together."

For just that moment, she allowed herself to relax into the safety of his embrace. She needed the comfort only Daniel's arms could offer to prepare for what was yet to come.

"Let's go see what's going on," Daniel said quietly, nodding to where Sam, Jack, Teal'c and Janet, followed by Ferretti and Veta, were moving toward the observation room. "And tell them just who we're dealing with."

A A A

"Damn, this sucks," Jack swiped a hand across his eyes. He wished Casper would stop crying; he hated that sound. But he supposed it was better that she was releasing some of the emotions plaguing her. Truth was Jack wished he were able to vent some of his inner turmoil right now.

"General, could you give me a rundown on what happened?" Janet asked. Ferretti had released her once the exodus of the room had started, though he firmly kept himself planted by her side in case she got any ideas.

"Yeah, sure, Doc," Jack gestured for them to head up to the observation room, figuring correctly that no one had any intention of going far. "For starters, the sedatives must have been a dodgy batch. They had no effect."

"Well, sedatives are only a tool to assist sleep." Janet walked beside the team leader. As a precautionary measure she kept to the shadows of the room, on the off chance that Annika looked up. She didn't want to set the psychic off again, yet as a doctor and friend she needed to observe her. "They don't always work, especially when the adrenaline is pumping."

Sam glanced back into the isolation room, before following up the stairs. "There was a lot of that in the last half hour."

Janet's stomach twisted to see how utterly exhausted and drained Annika looked. "How many doses did you give her?"

"Two," Teal'c replied.

"We can't give her a third, not so close together," the doctor frowned. "Maybe now that she's here...nowhere to go, with Daniel...she'll cry herself out."

Veta, who had entered behind Sam and Ferretti, cleared his throat. "Myst...er...Annika, never reacted like that when she was with us." He grimaced. "Except for when she thought you lot could track her just after the assassination attempt."

At Janet's raised eyebrow at the 'stranger', Sam quickly made the introductions. "Janet this is Veta. He's the head of security on the Empyrean Loft. Veta, this is Doctor Janet Fraiser, our Chief Medical Officer."

"Pleasure," Veta gave a nod at the diminutive woman, then his lips twisted into a wry grin, turning back to Sam. "And you are?" At the blonde's blank look he pointed down into the isolation room to Daniel with one hand; with the other he gestured through the door to the man's twin, who was quietly talking with whom he presumed was his partner a little ways down the corridor. "I know those two are both apparently Daniel. There wasn't really time for further introductions on the Loft."

With a sheepish grin, Sam introduced the others on her team and Ferretti.

"So what was Annika's behavior like with you?" Janet pressed for details.

"Well, I can honestly say that I've never met anyone like her before," Veta admitted. "But now I don't know if I was dealing with Annika or the daemon." He gave his head a small shake. Never would he have thought that he'd ever have cause to use the word 'daemon' in a real life situation.

"Take a seat," Jack said, dropping into one of the chairs himself. "We have time to figure it out." As an after thought he activated his radio to Daniel's channel so that his best friend could also hear what would be revealed.

Veta did as asked and he had an avid audience in the SGC personnel. He had only just begun when Casey and Daniel joined them.

Jack immediately picked up that something was wrong. "What's up?"

"Um...we don't know if this makes a difference," the archaeologist said. "But we know who the daemon is."

Sam raised an eyebrow. "You've actually encountered this particular daemon before?"

Casey nodded. "He calls himself Mibi. He was the ringleader of the group our team fought."

"Is there anything you can tell us of how to remove its influence over Annika Jackson?" Teal'c asked.

Daniel shrugged. "His method of attack is different here. I can only assume that's because it's a different reality, his abilities may be affected here, he might not be as...strong...here as he was in our reality." He paused. "Or he might have changed tactics because his plan didn't work in our reality. He and his minions captured us...took us to the astral plane with the intention to either destroy us, or imprison us there for eternity. We were physically unconscious the whole time...Casey had 'seen' enough that our bodies were returned to the SGC almost as soon as we were knocked out. Once on the astral plane, we were manipulated into believing that we were different people, but all of us had some inkling that something wasn't right."

"Once we began to question the 'world' we were in, the illusion fell apart," Casey added quietly. "We knew we were going to have to face the daemons. Realized what was happening to us. But Annika's totally oblivious to the daemon's presence."

"Okay, so I guess the key is to convince Casper that the daemon is messing with her." Jack looked to everyone for a yea or nay to his conclusion. He received nods from everyone, including Daniel below. A gentle head pat told him Oakey also agreed. "Right, so, Veta, you were saying?"

As Casey and Daniel settled themselves in the remaining seats, Veta continued his account of Annika's time on the Loft.

Conversation tapered off once Veta wrapped up his recount, each of them lost in their own thoughts. Janet's hopeful theory that exhaustion would overcome Annika, now that she had stopped running, proved correct. The psychic had fallen into a fitful sleep. A side effect that they really should have expected but hadn't, was that Daniel, almost equally tired as his wife, had also nodded off.

"Doctor Fraiser, do you know the whereabouts of Keelah?" Teal'c asked. He had found it puzzling that she had not made an appearance since they had returned.

Janet briefly explained about Casey's premonition that Keelah remain out of sight when Annika returned, leaving out that she had also been included in the warning. "She's talking with the Nox." Her lips twitched. "Apparently Oakey would like to get to know the new sapling who has entwined with your heart."

The Jaffa gave a nod, and he spoke to the entity that was both everywhere and nowhere at once. "Great One, when you have finished your discussion, could you please let Keelah know I am thinking of her." He took the gentle breeze against his cheek as a yes.

Casey leaned against her husband. So much had happened, her mind was still spinning. And there was still the problem 'at home' that needed to be dealt with as well. "I wonder how Jack is doing," she said softly.

"I don't know, Angel," Daniel replied. "Hopefully he's okay."

Eager for a distraction from waiting, Jack perked up at the mention of his name. Guessed it wasn't him they were talking about. "What's wrong with me...him...your Jack?"

Casey sighed. "He has a bad case of mini-Jack syndrome."

The archaeologist couldn't help but grin at his wife’s comment. It was an amusing description and fit the situation perfectly. "From what evidence we have, he was abducted, and regressed to about fifteen years old. We don't think the regression was intentional, but whatever the cause, it's killing him."

"Oy," Jack scowled. Discussing the 'mini-me' incident wasn't his idea of a good distraction. He had enough unresolved emotions regarding the daemon and Casper without wanting to add buried feelings about his clone. But it was better than staring at the sleeping Jacksons like they were in a zoo on display. "Been there, done that. So don't want the Loki t-shirt." Actually, he thought a little snarkily, my mini-me's probably got the t-shirt.

Casey's eyes lit up. "Really? How did you..." She frowned, turning to look at Sam. "How did you fix him?"

At that moment, Janet was paged over the speaker to Hammond's office. The doctor got to her feet. "I'm guessing he wants an update."

Every eye in the observation room looked down at the couple that was sleeping in the room below. The 'update', they all knew, wouldn't be much. Mibi was still very much in control of Annika. She was in danger...and they all sensed that time was running short.

Veta had only been listening with half an ear to the conversation. He would admit that when Myst...Annika, he mentally corrected himself, had drunkenly told of her team's accomplishments, he had taken it with a grain of salt. In the short time he'd been here, he had begun to realize that Annika had actually downplayed them. He studied the sleeping couple below. Daemon or no daemon, he was convinced that his plan to reunite them was the right thing to do. There was a serenity to Annika's face that he had never seen before, that he knew in his heart was brought on by the simplicity of being in her husband's arms. And despite the threat of the daemon still hanging over his head, Daniel also had that same look of peace. His gaze shifted from the sleeping couple to the other Daniel and his wife. Now those two were something he had never even considered possible. When he'd demanded to come with SG-1, he'd had no idea that his whole concept of the universe would be turned on its head. Daemons and alternate realities...it all seemed so commonplace for the people sitting around him, who were now chatting about people being 'regressed' in age, of all things.

He hadn't meant to stare at the blonde psychic, but the casual movement of her husband, sliding his arm around her shoulders possessively, brought his thoughts back to the observation room. Veta recognized the male action of 'claiming' his mate. He couldn't resist having a bit of fun, inadvertently interrupting any continuation of the previous conversation. "Your wife is safe from me...you on the other hand..." he paused, his gaze moving over Daniel's frame as if it were a caress. "You are just sex on legs, aren't you?"

It took monumental effort to keep a straight face at the archaeologist's reaction. It was almost an unconscious move to shift back slightly, using Casey as a shield from Veta's 'predatory' gleam.

"Don't suppose there's a third Daniel Jackson around here who bats for gay pride?" Veta asked innocently.

"Um, no." Daniel's voice was slightly strangled.

"Pity," Veta shrugged. "Just thought I'd check." He tossed a cheeky grin at Casey.

Casey found the man's mischievousness contagious. "You could try a different reality. But if your counterpart is alive there you'd only have a couple of days...bliss...before you had to come back."

Veta raised an eyebrow. Now there's a concept he'd hadn't thought of. Wondered if the other 'him-s' were as straight as he was gay.

The blonde psychic dropped her tone to whisper conspiratorially. "But between you and me, a little taste would be better than none at all." She frowned slightly. "Then again...it could leave you with such a bad case of want you'd never be satisfied again."

Veta could see that Daniel was both aghast at his wife's suggestion and embarrassed by her praise. "You're one lucky lady."

"And I'm well aware of that fact," Casey said softly. "I thank the Goddess every day for bringing Daniel into my life."

Veta's gaze, filled with merriment, flickered to the others in the room. Sam was biting her lower lip to stop from grinning. Interestingly, Teal'c seemed just as amused as the women. Ferretti was trying to make himself as small as possible in the corner. Jack wasn't quite as subtle in his reaction as Daniel had been. He grabbed Sam's hand, lifting it to clearly show the diamond ring on her finger. Having seen the matching rings on Annika and Daniel's fingers, Veta could only assume a ring was a sign of commitment.

The general felt like a deer in the headlights; he much preferred the mini-me distraction to this new turn of conversation. "Hey, I'm so straight you could use me for a ruler."

Sam decided to rescue the freaking out men folk. "As you might have guessed, homosexuality isn't really accepted in the military here." Added a friendly heads up for she didn't want Annika's friend to be unnecessarily targeted while he was on base. "Those who are 'outed'...let's just say that they are subjected to prejudice."

Veta smiled, touched that she had felt the need to give the warning. "Do I look like someone who gets teased because I like ass instead of tit?"

Casey couldn't hold back her giggle. "I just can't see anyone teasing you. Can't see too many men turning you down, either!"

"Well, aren't you a sweet little boost to the ego," Veta grinned. He may be gay, but he could flirt with the opposite sex with the best of them.

The banter was too much for Jack, who was still trying to wrap his head around the fact that Veta, who looked as tough as they come, was gay. "I didn't think you liked girls!"

Veta's ingrained sense of humor wouldn't be denied, even as he had the thought that in his line of business, the distinction between 'girls' and 'women' was important. "I have been known to swing both ways when the right person comes along. And Casey's not a girl. She looks like a woman to me."

"A happily married woman," Daniel said, his voice almost a growl.

"Girls, women...semantics. You know what I mean," Jack replied, edging closer to the door.

Casey ducked her head. She could sense that Veta was simply teasing. He was thoroughly enjoying the fact that Jack and Daniel were damned near panicked, both searching desperately for a way to excuse themselves from the alien's company. "You're pretty good at boosting egos yourself, Mr Veta."

From his seat, Veta gave a short bow to Casey. It was becoming all but impossible not to laugh out loud. "Why thank you, gorgeous. If anyone could turn me completely straight, I have no doubt it would be you." He grabbed Casey's hand to give a playful kiss.

Casey smiled. "What a sweet thing to say, Mr Veta! Thank you!"

"And it's just 'Veta'. We're pretty casual on the Empyrean Loft."

"Of course...Veta. You can call me Casey."

"With pleasure," he replied, deliberately adding a sultry hint to his voice.

Daniel narrowed his eyes. Just what the hell was Casey up to? Did she actually believe the line of crap this guy...this gay guy...was laying on her?

"Jacksons, how about I get the mini-me report for you?" Jack by this time has successfully skulked to the door.

"Yeah, good idea," Daniel replied, on his feet in an instant. He dragged Casey along with him for protection, whether he wanted to admit it or not.

Ferretti watched the 'mighty warriors' of SG-1 hotfoot it out of the room. He was pretty sure Veta was messing with them, at least as far as the man's 'attraction' to the SG-1 members went. But it was always good to let a guy know where he stood. "You just keep your eyes away from the Doc and we're good."

Veta chuckled. "Relax. I was just pulling their leg. I don't pursue happily married 'anybodies'...and I'm a hundred percent homosexual. Are you married per chance?"

"Nope, but it's a possibility in the cards." Ferretti got to his feet. "Now if you don't mind, I'm going to do something manly, like cleaning my gun."

Veta fought back the automatic quip of innuendo that comment conjured up. The major's retreating figure signaled the opportunity to finally let loose with the laughter that was bubbling inside him. He really did love homophobics. They were such easy marks. Sam's chuckle joined his. Her sapphire eyes met his and he could read the silent thank you for giving a bit of levity to what was a stressful day.

His returning smile was warm, then he raised an eyebrow at the warrior who had remained silent all this time. "You're not worried?"

Teal'c kept his expression neutral. "Should I be?"

"Depends," Veta shrugged. "Would you attempt to brain me if I said your ass is cute?"

"It would just be a statement of fact," Teal'c replied, his cheek twitching. "I have it on good authority from Keelah that my ass is indeed cute."

Veta blinked then another laugh of genuine amusement escaped. "Damn, is everyone partnered off in this place?"

Sam still chuckling replied. "Annika's made it her mission to find a love match for everyone."

Laughter tapered off, the comment inadvertently snapping them back to the current situation. All eyes turned back to the window and the couple who slept fitfully in the room below.

A A A

To say that he was angry was an understatement; that he was gripped with fear more so. How his plan had gone so drastically wrong in so short a time was a mystery that he had yet to fathom. But that was the least of his problems. That the SG-1 of this reality, and those of his own birthplace, had found him was pretty much irrelevant. Mibi, having no intention of being a martyr for his own cause, had devised a contingency plan for just this kind of situation. Having dealt with SG-1 before, he knew their infernal luck could wreak havoc on the best laid plans. His back up plan had been simple. He would simply leave the seer he had spent many joyous weeks playing with...leave her to face the aftermath of what he had made her do. Leave it up to her to try to explain why she had felt compelled to abandon Jackson...the unwavering conviction that would begin to dissipate as soon as his influence was removed, making the dreams she was positive were visions seem like a pitiful excuse. It wasn't ideal, for he knew that every Jackson possessed the most annoying of attributes, that of a forgiving heart, especially for those he loved. But it would be a thorn in their relationship, one that could take a long while to remove. At least that was what he had thought, until now.

Something had changed in the archaeologist since Mibi had seen the seed of hatred take root on the planet of the assassination attempt. Rather than fester and grow as it should have, it had withered. Perhaps if he had tried to check on the progress of Jackson's emotional state he would understand how the man's love had increased and not waned. But he had been having way too much fun reveling in the misery of Annika and he had assumed it was not necessary.

Hindsight was a cruel mistress. For if he had tried at any time over the last two weeks to leave the psychic, he would have discovered the problem he was now faced with. He could have worked out a solution before finding himself trapped in a room with his mortal enemy outside. It never occurred to the daemon that while he had been compelling Annika to run, he was being subjected to an even subtler compulsion than he was exerting; one that was fed into the pleasure center of his mind that made him hungry to not miss even a moment of the torment his victim was going through. A compulsion that was unwittingly being sent by the subconscious mind of Mibi's victim herself, the process of which ironically she had learned from Mibi's manipulation of her.

Somehow the seer had tethered him to her mind. When he had felt the ripple of rage of the beings he had befuddled on the Nox planet, Mibi had rippled in terror. Self-preservation had kicked in. He wasn't fool enough to think that he could survive a direct confrontation with the beings, even a daemon knew his limits, and he had intended to revert to his contingency plan. He had gathered the necessary force of will to open a portal to another reality, however when he had tried to fly through it, he had literally been snapped back. Knowing it would only be a matter of time before the beings, now free of his influence, would locate him, he had tried to rouse Annika, screaming through her mind to wake up and leave; his panicked intent to find a portal that the psychic could use to take herself and thus him to another reality. The universe was dotted with many such devices, thanks to the Ancients leaving their experiments and technology intact; one of which he had sensed nearby when SG-1 had dragged Annika back kicking and screaming.

Abject terror had filled him when he had sensed the being on the ship, which had turned to stunned disbelief to be confronted with SG-1, and now he was trapped and annoyingly deaf to anything that was happening beyond the walls he was enclosed in. He could only assume that The One and The Guide had somehow devised some sort of shield after their previous experience with him and his kind, and had passed that technology onto this reality's SG-1. He had also sensed the being on base, though he was unsure if the mortals were aware of its presence. None of them had mentioned it that he had heard. He was also pretty sure that the being was no longer near. There was only residual 'dust' within the room, but that was no more than what was littered around the rest of the universe. He presumed that since The One was here, the being had withdrawn for him to deal with the situation. The higher beings of Mibi's home reality were known to palm off certain tasks to The One, and Mibi had no reason to think that this wasn't true in all realities. He had escaped The One before, he was confident he could do so again.

His one obstacle was how to rid himself of the seer. And he had to do it before she regained her strength. Even now, after just a few minutes of being back with her team, back with Jackson, he could feel the walls of deception he had so carefully built being weakened by the vines of love, determination and support from the humans. Shoving aside the panic gnawing at him, Mibi began scheming.

A A A

Jack led the way to his office, half expecting some smartass quip from either one of the Jacksons about him actually knowing the location. "So, you have a mini-me running around?"

"A very annoying mini-me," Daniel replied, his cheek twitching. "I'm sure your teammates could commiserate."

"Ha ha. You're just a laugh a minute, aren't you?" Jack groused. He paused, then looked sideways at the couple next to him. Hell, they didn't know about mini-me! Not the cloning part, anyway. So, would it be kinder to hear it from 'strangers'? Or should he tell them that he was unable to locate the folder concerning the mission? Surely their Doc would be figuring it out soon.

Casey was watching the man who was identical to the Jack she knew. "There's something wrong," she said softly.

Jack started. He'd momentarily forgotten that Casey was every bit as good at that hocus pocus stuff as Casper. Started to deny it. Who am I kidding? She already knows something's hinky. "Yeah, there is."

He could feel the couple's worried eyes on his back as he sorted through files in one of the tall filing cabinets in his office. Jack kept silent, delaying the explanation as long as possible. The report would explain it better than he ever could. It had all of the Doc's and Sam's findings. Jack's part of the file was actually only a page; there were only so many words to describe going to sleep and waking up a week later to find his team hovering over his bed. Handing the thick folder to the twin of his own archaeologist, Jack watched the guarded look that filled those familiar blue eyes.

Looking as if he were about to read his own execution orders, Daniel flipped open the folder. Scanned the contents of the summary. One word seemed to jump off the page at him. He barely heard Casey's gasp of disbelief beside him, as she read the report as well. "This is a joke, right?"

"Would we joke about an Asgard science drop out not putting the pieces of me together properly?" he quipped.

"It might not be true for our reality," Casey said softly.

Jack shrugged. "Maybe not. But...since everything else up to the point where Daniel went all glowy-jellyfish is the same, I'm betting that it is."

When it rains, Daniel thought wearily, it pours. "Guess we should let them know we're okay. And about...this." He held the file up.

Jack nodded. "You know the way."

It was obvious that Jack wanted to get back to his team to be nearby should Annika, or her Daniel, need anything. "Right," Daniel murmured. He put his arm around Casey's shoulders, led her toward the elevator.

Jack watched the shell-shocked couple go. Wondered how his counterpart would take the news. Actually, it wasn't 'his' counterpart, it was his mini-me's counterpart. He couldn't vouch for his mini-me's feelings, but he remembered how...irked...he'd been to find out that an Asgard had been messing with him. However, he had seen the lost gleam in the boy's eyes, hiding behind a front of smartass quips and sarcasm.

Sam had told of how his mini-me had reacted upon learning he was dying and that the only viable option at the time was a Tok'ra stasis chamber. And that wasn't counting how the poor bugger felt when they figured out he was just a defective copy of the man whose memories were in his head. The kid had taken off. The way Jack figured it, (after Sam had translated the medical report for him about how messed up the kid's innards were,) the kid had been lucky not to collapse during his jaunt to the fishing hole. The thought made Jack frown.

Casey and Daniel hadn't mentioned how far into the week long incident they were. Different reality...different emergencies happening mixed in with the 'constant' hairy adventures that seemed to parallel each universe; the fact that Casey and her hubby had come through the mirror highlighted that. The crew back in their universe may not have had as much time to devote to the mini-me case. What if their mini-me's cellular degradation was further along? If their mini-me reacts the same way as mine did...and let's face it, clone or no clone, the kid is Jack O'Neill in spirit anyway...what if his body started to give out at the creek and he collapsed or fell? The kid could drown or injure himself, possibly speeding up Loki's butcher job. Jack wondered if the current mini-me waiting by the mirror would believe the whole clone thing if another Jack was there to corroborate the tale.

Mind made up, he strode towards the elevator. When he exited on level twenty-six, he saw the Marines assigned to guard the mirror were now outside in the corridor. He could hear Daniel's and Casey's voices coming from within.

Jack gave a nod at the Marines before stepping in, his eyes going straight to the mirror where his counterpart's clone was standing with Sam and Teal'c by his side. His eyes raked over the teenager, searching for any sign that his body was about to give up the ghost. Noticed that there was no shock or disbelief on the kid's face, making him presume the Jacksons hadn't told him yet. Intent on studying the clone, Jack missed the relief in the archaeologist's eyes at his appearance.

"Jack...um...there's something you need to know," the AU Daniel spoke quietly to the lad, casting a sideways glance at the unsuspecting general beside him. "And...um...Jack, here, is going to tell you all about it."

Jack shot the alternate version of his best friend a glare. "You did it again!"

"Did what?" the archaeologist asked, genuinely confused.

"You palmed this little...task...off when that," he motioned to the kid, "happened here."

"It wasn't me," Daniel protested.

"You, him, all the same," Jack muttered.

"At least I'm consistent," he couldn't help retort.

The general rolled his eyes. There was no doubt in his mind that every Daniel Jackson in every reality was just as much a pain in the butt as his own. This version of Daniel was case and point to that little 'consistent' fact. "You're his best friend."

Daniel took a deep breath. Yes, he was Jack's best friend. His Jack. How in the hell was he going to share this particular tidbit of information with a...teenager...who was in no way prepared to hear what he had to say?

Jack could see the unease in familiar blue eyes. With a sigh, he stepped closer to the mirror. Motioned for his...counterpart...to do the same. "Uh...well...you're not...um...you're not me."

The look the boy gave was one of confused exasperation. "Duh. I'm me."

Shaking his head, the general tried again. "No. You're not him. You're you."

"Huh? Look, I might not look like myself at the moment, but I'm still Colonel Jack O'Neill. Just spit it out already."

"Sorry, kid," Jack replied sadly. "You're not Jack O'Neill. Oh... part of you is. In a way, I suppose."

"What the hell are you talking about?" the boy demanded, frustration in his voice and expression.

"Seems that Loki, the Asgard clown who took...Jack O'Neill...graduated last in his class at Asgard U. He cloned you. You're...you are a copy of Jack O'Neill. And...um...well... the copy didn't turn out clear. There are a few fuzzy spots. Kind of screwed you up." Jack watched the kid's reaction. Unsurprisingly he looked like he'd been sucker punched.

"What?" he managed to croak.

"The real Jack O'Neill is up there on Loki's ship somewhere," Jack further explained, pointing upward, toward the ceiling of the room in the reality on the other side of the mirror. "You're a copy. A clone."

"You're full of shit."

Jack turned around and held out his hand. Daniel put the mission folder in it without a sound. "Here. Read it for yourself," he said quietly.

Carefully taking the folder that poked into the room through the mirror, the kid looked over at Daniel and Casey, who were looking particularly worried. With a glance and a subtle nod, he encouraged Sam and Teal'c to join him. The three of them spent several silent moments going over the mission report.

Jack was about to tell them to flick to the end to give them a sense of hope, when he heard a rumbling in his head. Absently he wondered just how blasé he was becoming that it didn't worry him that a Tree had a direct line into his head. Then he registered the panic in her rustling leaves. All thoughts of reassuring the mini-me vanished at Oakey's urgent cry.

"My sapling's dying!"

"Crap, something's happening with Casper." Jack didn't wait to see if the Jacksons followed. His heart pounding, he was out the door in a flash, sprinting to the lift.

A A A

When Annika awoke she allowed herself just a few blissful moments. Feeling Daniel's arm possessively holding her while he slept, the sound of his breathing soothing to her ears, his breath a warm tickle against her neck. Oh gods, how she had missed this, how she had yearned for it, ached for it. Gradually she became aware that she was lying on something soft. Her eyelids blinked open. She hadn't noticed the mattress before, set up along the side of the room. Assumed Daniel had moved them to it after she'd fallen asleep.

While she contemplated her next move, she remained still in Daniel's embrace, insisting that she couldn't risk waking him until she had a viable plan. A mocking voice in her head laughed bitterly at her logical reason. The longer she lay there, the more obvious it became that she only had one course of action left to her. Her eyes focused on her hand resting on the mattress in front of her face. She looked not at her fingers that had entwined with Daniel's as they slept, but at the shiny silver cuffs around their wrists. They would never give her the chance to escape. Not now that they had caught her.

Not moving her head, her gaze took in their positioning to the observation room. Behind her she knew that there would be at least one person, whether medical personnel, a guard or more likely a member of SG-1, sitting vigil in the room above, watching through the glass. Knew that there was a second eye, this one mechanical, a camera in the corner near the observation deck, recording their every breath. However, Daniel's body lying on his side should be blocking their sight of her. As long as she didn't make any sudden movements her actions should remain undetected.

Her eyes shifted back to her hand. Very slowly she began to unlace her fingers from those of her husband's, her ears honed for any change in Daniel's breathing indicating the movement was waking him. To her relief his breaths remained slow and steady. Though it was awkward to use the arm that was bearing the brunt of her weight from her lying on her side, she slid her hand upwards, to grasp the ring on her finger, the one Mahj'arc had given her on the Loft. Carefully she pulled it off, having to twist it a little to get it past her knuckle. Holding the ring in her hand, she studied the flawless crystal clear gem. This small, pyramid shaped stone was the tool that would save SG-1.

Taking a deep breath, she gripped the band of the ring tightly. Gritting her teeth, in a preemptive effort to stop whatever sound she may make, she pressed the stone to the inside of her wrist. The tip, which was required to be sharp to fit precisely into the ship's door locking mechanism, cut into her soft skin like it was a hot blade through butter. Taking another breath she steeled herself and then as quickly as she dared, she drew it down the length of her forearm. Ignoring the pain, knowing that if she made a noise it would wake Daniel and he would stop her, she ran the ring now stained with her blood, backwards, slicing her skin deeper.

She knew she hit the vein when the blood that was pooling in her wound swelled and overflowed over her wrist in rivulets onto the mattress. She lay there, watching the blood seep into the white material. Hoped that it wouldn't take long before she lost consciousness. How much blood loss was too much before it would be too late for them to revive her? She had no idea, had never contemplated suicide before.

Her head started to feel a bit woozy, which she took as a good sign. Shouldn't be long now. She was filled with an uncontrollable need. She didn't want the last thing she saw to be her own blood or the grey wall of the observation room. The last image she wanted to see was Daniel's face.

Slowly she sat up, by fluke her body blocked the observers' view of her self-inflicted wound and the blood pool growing bigger on the mattress. She gazed down at the love of her life, his face relaxed in peaceful sleep. Very gently she reached out with her free hand and caressed his cheek. Unconsciously he leant into her touch, a smile touching his lips. This was how she wanted to remember him.

Annika didn't realize she was crying until a tear splashed down onto his nose. The wetness stirred Daniel into wakefulness and he blinked dazedly at her. She saw the mix of emotions that filtered across his still sleep-addled mind. Confusion was quickly replaced by a moment of disbelief as though he couldn't quite recall how she came to be there looking down at him. The immediate switch to joy and love, made her heart twist in agony, but she found herself responding in kind to the smile he gave her. Then those blue eyes became concerned as he saw the tears trickling down her face. Before he could speak she leant down, capturing the lips that she loved so much with hers.

Startled by the sharp one-eighty of her behavior, Daniel froze for a second, then surrendered to the first kiss he had shared with his wife in three weeks. The kiss was soft and tender, then the need to taste more of her grew. His hand tangled in her hair, holding her to him, while his other entwined their fingers. So caught up in the wonderful taste of her, it took a few seconds for his brain to wonder at the hot stickiness that made his fingers slippery against her skin. His sharp intake of breath had him breathing in a metallic smell above the vanilla scent that constantly lingered around her. He jerked back, his eyes swinging down to their cuffed hands with a look of horror at the mass of blood still weeping from her forearm.

Panic clutched as his heart. He closed his free hand tightly over the wound to try to stem the blood flow. "We need a medic!" he roared.

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