Not What He Seems

There was knock at the door. This struck the man inside the room as rather odd, since his guests usually just let themselves in and asked things of him that were thinly veiled commands. Such was the your life when you were seeking shelter under the roof of those who were once your enemy. They didn’t trust him, and he could not blame them, but just as they gave their word that they would grant him shelter from his fellow System Lords he would keep his part of the bargain by helping them any way that he could.

“Enter.”

The door opened to admit a Tau’ri female. Her face was one that he did not recognize, and as she came closer he detected a familiar presence. The distinct ‘hum’ of Naquadah could be felt within her, something that should not be possible for an Earth-born human with the noted exception of Lt. Colonel Carter. If memory served him, a human girl now living on this world would also have the metal within her, a remnant of the time Nirti had tried to use her as a weapon to destroy the Tau’ri Stargate. This woman was not Carter and she was too old to be the girl, so how had she come to be in this state?

“Lord Camulus?” He nodded in answer. “I’m Dr. Jennifer Copeland. I was hoping I could enlist your assistance.”

He rose from his chair. “Doctor? More tests, then?” Would the Tau’ri ever grow tired of poking him with their needles? To be fair, he knew that by remaining here, within their ‘Stargate Command’, he was treated less harshly than if he had been turned over to other agencies. He knew that General O’Neill had argued to keep him here for strategic reasons, citing that another body, the NID, already had a Goa’uld in their possession and therefore did not need another.

The woman smiled. “I’m not that kind of doctor. My strengths are anthropology and archeology, primarily the Norse and the ancient cultures of the British Isles. SG-17 brought back data that is clearly from a civilization that evolved from the Celts or someone before the Celts, but I’m having a bit of trouble with the translations. The language has evolved since it left Earth.”

“I am pleased. I have grown weary of needles.” He let his eyes move over her. She was just a bit taller than most Tau’ri females he had seen since his coming here, but not too tall and from the short hemline of her skirt it was clear that her length was in her legs. Her figure was curved enough to make her interesting, but not lush. The thick mantel of brown hair hung smoothly to her waist and large blue eyes sat perhaps a bit too far apart within a face that was marked by a high forehead and high, prominent cheekbones. There were certainly more beautiful women on the base, Lt. Colonel Carter among them, but there was a youthful enthusiasm and intelligence in Dr. Copeland that made up for any physical flaws she may possess. “Where is your data?”

“Oh, it’s in my office. It’s all right. I asked the General before I came here. He said it’s okay.”

Camulus nodded for her to lead the way. The woman seemed a bit uncertain of how to start off, but she did exit his quarters after a false start. He followed, pointedly ignoring the guards who detached themselves from his door and took position behind him. Her office was seven floors up from where he was housed; apparently General O’Neill kept most his small but skilled collection of scholars on the same level. The room they entered was about the size of the first holding cell he had been kept in when he arrived here, but it seemed more crowded because of the artifacts and files stacked everywhere.

“Pardon the organized chaos.” She scooped up a stack of files to clear a chair for him. “Everyone else calls it a mess, but I know my way around. Have a seat.”

He accepted the chair, looking around the room. Many objects were familiar to him from his time on Earth when he was known as a god of war. His eyes fell upon a stone tablet with a familiar carving, one that brought a smile to his lips. He rose and crossed the room to take it from the wall, holding the tablet in his hands to study it more closely. “An excellent likeness.”

The woman turned her head to see what he was speaking of. “Oh, please be careful with that. I can’t replace it if it breaks.”

“I miss that blade.” He looked up to find her wearing a rather eager expression.

“Then invincible sword of Mars Camulus. What few legends I’ve been able to find of it relate that as long as you carried your sword, you could not be defeated.” She came forward and gently took the tablet from him, returning the weathered depiction of himself in armor and bearing his sword of old to it’s place on the wall. “I suppose, though, it was the fact that you’re a Goa’uld that made you invincible.”

“And the sword.” He returned to this chair, folding his arms on the cluttered worktable and leaning forward to study the Tau’ri female.

“There was something special about the sword?”

“Yes. It was a blend of naquadah and iron, mixed with Goa’uld technology that made it appear to catch fire in the hands of a Goa’uld. It would cut through normal iron blades as though they were nothing more than twigs and struck fear in the hearts of those who opposed me.”

“You actually joined in the battles.” She brought over another folder, thick with papers. “I understood that the Goa’uld usually did not enter the battlefield until most of the enemies were destroyed, if they did at all.”

Camulus gave her a smug, superior smile. “How can one claim to be a god of war if one does not join his soldiers in battle? The faithful remain faithful when their god fights beside them rather than hiding on a golden throne somewhere high above.”

“I take it, then, that you don’t approve of the way the other System Lords wage war.” She walked around the table, pulling another chair with her so that she could sit next to him, placing the folder between them.

“It is cowardly.”

“And yet you requested asylum from us.”

“When one of them can come and face me himself in battle, rather than sending an army of Jaffa to wear me down first so he doesn’t have to put his own life in danger, then they will have earned my respect. Until then, I side with those who are true warriors, those worthy of my company.”

“Oh, well that last part sounded just like what we know of the Goa’uld.” She reached out and opened the folder, taking the first five printouts and laying them out in a straight line. “Let’s get started, shall we?”

She reached for a clean notepad and pencil. Together they worked four hours. Camulus only assisted with the parts she clearly didn’t understand, where the language had drastically changed from the original, and in recalling histories that were written but in which the text on the stone the pictures were of had worn to the point of being illegible. It was a history of great battles that had taken place on the planet, some of which he remembered clearly because he had been there. It didn’t take long for him to recognize the world as one from his former domain, populated with a proud race of fighters he had… cherished. Goa’ulds were not supposed to be overly fond of their human slaves, but he had always enjoyed a strong warrior. His own host had been one of his best generals in his mortal life, a prodigy when it had come to planning campaigns and waging wars.

The woman often stopped him to request further detail in matters. She wanted specific details of the weapons used and the ranks of command. She used his knowledge of his people to correct some minor misconceptions regarding the Celts and how combat and the honors of war influenced their lives. The changes in the language were the apparent result of the humans taking a few parts of the Goa’uld language and adapting it to their own over time. Camulus recalled the peculiar accent their tongue had given the words, hand how, over time, it had changed the words to something unrecognizable. But after going over photos of aged inscriptions for so long he began to grow tired of the task.

“Dr. Copeland…”

“Oh, call me Jenny. Dr. Copeland is too much of a mouthful.”

Camulus nodded. “Jenny, how did you come to be here?” He closed the file between them. “Why have you joined these warriors?”

She rubbed her eyes. “I was part of a two-for-one deal. There aren’t a lot of scholars willing to let themselves be shut up in a top-secret base and be part of history altering events that they’ll never get credit for. I just happen to be one of the few while also being married to a first class soldier.”

“Married?” This news gave him a surprising stab of jealousy. He quashed it as quickly as it appeared, knowing that it was misplaced towards a woman he had only met less than five hours earlier. ‘Jenny’ pointed to a photograph on her desk, the frame currently doubling as a stylish paperweight for a stack of papers. In the photo she was smiling, a handsome man holding her from behind, his cheek pressed against her own.

“Major Thomas Copeland, or has my father likes to call him, ‘That Rat Bastard Who Conned Me to the Altar’.” She tidied the file folder and carried it back to her desk.

“Your father disapproves of your choice in husband?”

“It’s… a long story. And one I really don’t feel comfortable in sharing.” She avoided his gaze, for the first time since she had come to his quarters.

“I understand.” It wasn’t deception; she wasn’t lying to him. He could tell she was uncomfortable. Her entire demeanor had changed from the lighthearted, studious manner just a moment ago to one of sadness. “Do you enjoy exploring the galaxy?”

“Me? Oh, not me. I’ve never been off world.”

That surprised him. “Never?” If she had never been off world, then how had she come to have naquadah in her system at all?

“No, I’m strictly a researcher. I’m sure you’ve heard of the infamous Dr. Daniel Jackson. He goes off world, finds lots of things he wants to study more closely, but they drag him off world again and it falls to the regular scholars like me to do the grunt work. Of course, I only speak nine languages compared to his repertoire of twenty-three, so I’m only one of about three who get to play with the discoveries.”

“But there are other Tau’ri scholars who travel to the gate.”

“Again, we’re passing into that realm of uncomfortable subjects.”

He was about to be rude and inquire further, until the door to the office opened. To his surprise, General O’Neill entered. “There you are. Been looking everywhere for you.” He gave a smile towards Jenny. “Mind if I take him back? I’m sure our guest would be willing to come out and play again some other day. Besides, I believe SG-19 is due back in a couple of hours.”

She turned around and looked at a square unit with a series of blinking lights. It made no sense to Camulus, but apparently she understood them perfectly. “Crap, it’s that late all ready?” She dashed across the room to a wall locker and pulled it open.

“And that, as they say, is that. Come on, Cam. I’ll buy you dinner.”

“Sorry, Camulus, but I really should take a chance to freshen up before Tom gets back. I would like your help again, though. If you don’t mind, that is.” She pulled out a bag from the wall locker, presumably with a change of clothing inside.

Camulus nodded. “I would enjoy that.” He was rewarded with a genuine smile.

“Come on, let’s give the lady some privacy.” Jack motioned that they should leave and they left the office, walking down the hallway towards the commissary. “Please tell me you aren’t suffering from it, too.”

“Suffering from what?”

“The ‘Copeland Effect’. I figured an all-powerful Goa’uld like yourself would be immune to it. That’s why I said yes when she asked if she could grab you for a while.”

“And what exactly is the ‘Copeland Effect’?”

“It’s the cause of various members of this post sporting random bruises and black eyes. Pretty young girl like that walking around in civvies that often include short little skirts, and the men tend to stop paying attention to where they’re walking. Thank Heaven she’s married. I’d hate to think what would happen if she weren’t called for.”

“The true pitfall of a warring man; a beautiful woman. More than one battle has been lost because of sexual attraction leading to the divulgence of secrets.”

“A truth that holds across the galaxy for as long as there has been a sex drive.” They rounded a corner, bringing the commissary into view. “Still, this is you we’re talking about. I mean, you’d have no interest in a mere human, right?” Camulus gave no answer as they entered the commissary.

~***~

Jenny was still working away in the kitchen when the front door opened. Her husband’s voice rang out through the house. “I’m in here!”

“As I should have known.” Thomas Copeland put his sports bag down beside the doorway to the kitchen before coming up behind his wife and wrapping his arms about her. “Whatever you’re making, it smells wonderful.” He pushed her hair to one side and pressed his lips to the side of her neck.

“Thanks. Hope you’re hungry enough for enchiladas.”

“I just spent three days eating nothing but freeze dried rations and MREs. Dog food would be a blessing right now.” He used one hand to crane her neck around so he could reach her mouth. She returned the kiss. He growled deep in his throat and turned her around, pulling her close to him.

Jenny broke the kiss and tried to grab control of her husband’s hands. “Tom, I’m in the middle of cooking, here.”

“That can wait.” He gripped her waist and turned them both around so that he was able to lift her up onto the butcher block.

“Tom, it’s almost ready. It’ll burn!” She yelped as his hands reached up underneath her skirt and jerked her panties down and off.

“We’ll order out.” He put one arm around her and pulled her closer, almost pulling her off of the butcher block. He captured her mouth with his own, kissing her deeply even as she heard the sound from his other hand unzipping his jeans. The metallic chatter made her shiver. She gave a small whimper, knowing that even as excited as she was at this moment, it hadn’t been enough time for her to be truly ready. He did this sometimes now, right after he returned from being off world.

As she anticipated, his entry was rough. She gasped and he sighed. She knew the drill by heart. He paused as though savoring the sensation, like a man who had been denied his favorite meal for far too long lingering over the first bite when he was served it again. Then he began moving within her, his actions demanding and forceful. It didn’t take long for her to catch up with him, her body quickly becoming wet enough to make his thrusts smoother.

She felt his fingers grip her hips with enough force to leave bruises. The legs of the butcher block squeaked against the tile floor as the force of his movements made it scoot across them. From this angle she usually got more benefit from the friction and it wouldn’t be long before she reached her climax. It wouldn’t be enough for him; the first one never was when he came back from a mission in this state. Dinner would be forgotten and she would spend the rest of the evening underneath him until he grew weary and she was too tender to continue.

There was a time when she would have been more verbal in her protestations, made more of an attempt to get him to wait until after dinner. That was before last year. That was before he spent most of his time away from home and in the beds of other women. Before all the nights she had spent crying herself to sleep because her marriage was failing. Now she was just thankful that her husband came home instead of seeking out another. For a time she had begun to feel ugly, undesirable and unwanted. She had blamed herself, believing with all her heart that it had to be some failing within her. That Tom had finally come back to her, had finally become a husband again with more passion and desire than even after they were first married, had been more than she had ever hoped for.

~***~

He turned off the lights to his quarters, far superior to what he had been given right after he had requested asylum. General O’Neill had kept him in a relatively bare room at first. After a time he had been given a room among the quarters set aside for important visitors. A bit of silent prodding on his part and the inadequate bed that had been here upon his arrival had been replaced by one that was larger and more comfortable. He had been given a television, though they restricted what he could see. Mostly he used it to watch their new broadcasts so that he could better understand this world. So far he had become fascinated with how the Tau’ri managed to defeat the Goa’uld time and time again but could not find peace amongst themselves on their own planet. So it was when he ruled here as a god, and so it remained.

His removed the clothing provided for him by the Tau’ri. It felt unsubstantial when compared to the breastplate of blood red leather that had become his symbol over the millennia, but he had no need of armor here. Most of what had been provided was the same as that worn by the soldiers here, with pants patterned to help them hide in brush and cover accompanied by lightweight shirts made from cotton. He did not mind dressing in the same clothing as these warriors. They were worthy of his presence and his cooperation. These men and women pushed aside their fears to charge out among the stars where they were facing enemies with greater numbers and technologies, their only advantage being their sharp wits and courage.

Camulus lay down on the bed, not bothering to cover up, enjoying the cool air on his naked skin. Now he had something to deal with. “Calum.”

The presence that was his host stirred within their shared mind. Shortly after coming here he realized that the fact he maintained dominance over the body disturbed the Tau’ri. He had been questioned a few times by the Tok’ra, always with Selmak/Jacob present, the liaison to the Tau’ri and father to Lt. Colonel Carter. The humans were uncomfortable with the idea of symbiotes in general, but they were less so with the Tok’ra and their practice of equal ownership of the body. In his own mind, he had always known that Calum was there. The general was a part of him, sharing in his victories and his pleasures, but rarely had they actually spoken.

“I thought you were going to sleep.”

“What was that?”

“Hmmm?”

Camulus smiled. The trouble with young warriors is that more than the lust for battle drove them. “That bit of anger earlier when we learned she was not available. She has a husband, Calum.”

“Since when has that mattered to us? Remember that pretty little thing we had during our war with Menalaus? I believe her name was Katrin. She was married.”

“To a man her father had shackled her to and who was old enough to be his father. We did her a favor by bringing her to us. This is different.”

His host gave a mental snort and fell silent. Calum had never liked being denied what he wanted, especially when it had come to women. He knew that the more time they spent in the presence of Jennifer Copeland, the more his host would attempt to tamper with their self control. Camulus did not understand why it was this woman; he would have thought Samantha Carter or one of the female soldiers would have appealed to Calum more,

“I wasn’t the only one thinking how easy it would be to push that scrap of cloth she called a skirt out of the way. Tell me you didn’t think how it would feel to have those legs wrapped around us.”

“Be silent. I wish the sleep.”

“Then sleep. I’ll supply the dreams.”

Calum always did come up with the best dreams. He filled them with victories and grand battles. He also filled them with the spoils of war. He conjured a vision of a defeated general giving over his daughter to them, a proud woman whose face was that of Jennifer Copeland. Together they took her to their tent and into their bed, celebrating the victory by enjoying the glory that was found in the body of a woman.

In the dark, a smile played upon the lips of the war god.

Jenny looked at her reflection in the full-length mirror hung on the back of the bathroom door. A frown creased her forehead as she pivoted to the left and ran her hand lightly down the lower part of her ribcage. Darkened, finger-shaped bruises were splayed on either side of her lower torso, contrasting sharply with too-pale skin.

“Oh Baby, I’m sorry about those. I guess I got a little carried away last night.” Thomas came into view, already dressed in his BDUs, and wrapped his arms about her. “Do they hurt?”

“Just a little tender. No big deal.”

“Any trouble breathing?”

“No, nothing’s broken.” She heard him make some sound of acknowledgement just before he started to place a line of kisses on her shoulder. She willed herself not to tense up. Last night had been unscheduled. He usually got calmer as the week went by, after he’d ‘broken his fast’ upon returning home. After a week of regular sex, he was usually more docile in spite of still being demanding. Her hips still ached from being stretched apart, her lower back still sore from spending too much time in awkward angles.

His fingers began to move the strap of her bra down, sending alarm bells ringing in her head. “You’ll be late.”

He lifted his head and turned to look at the clock. A low, feral growl came from him and she felt his fingers tighten on her shoulders. “Damn.” His grip lightened and he turned her to face him. “This mission may be a bit longer, a week or two, but then I’ll be home.” He gave her what she was sure he thought was a reassuring smile. She tried to return it.

“Be safe. Remember, you don’t have to be the fastest runner…”

“I only have to run faster than the rest of my team. Not very marine-like, Mrs. Copeland.”

“I’m not the marine. That’s your job.”

His smirk was reflected in the glass, but he moved away to pick up his belt and thread it into his pants. “What are you going to be doing to entertain yourself while I’m gone?”

She was grateful for the chance to pull on her skirt and top. “Cataloguing some artifacts SG-12 brought in this week.”

“Sounds thrilling.”

“Well, it’s hardly on par with getting shot at by Jaffa all day, but it has it’s merits. General O’Neill’s going to let me borrow Camulus to help with some of it.”

“Camulus?” There was something off in the tone of his voice. She turned towards him. “Why would you be spending time with him?”

“He’s an invaluable academic resource. Most of what we know about the Celts and the Gauls is guesswork and speculation based on archeological digs. Camulus is a first hand source of information.”

“I don’t like the idea of you being alone with a Goa’uld.”

She took up her stockings and began checking them. “Tom, he’s not about to endanger his place here by trying anything. Besides, there are always guards posted outside the door.” One of the stockings proved to have a run in it, and she didn’t have another pair. She’d have to swing by someplace on the way to work for some more.

“Why not inside the door?”

“Because I’d bore them to death talking about dusty, old artifacts.”

“I don’t want you going near him.” Now his tone was definitely wrong. He’d never spoken that way to her, like he was about to erupt into true violence. Jenny looked at her husband again to see him frowning at her.

“Thomas, I have a job to do. In order to do it in the most efficient manner possible, then I need to use every resource available to me. Besides, it’s not like he has much of anything else to do.”

She backed up quickly as Tom took a quick step towards her. “I told you not to go near him!” She saw one of his hands rise and felt her heart jump into her throat. He had never struck her, not once since their marriage, but at that moment he looked as though he could. She couldn’t deny that she was relieved when there was the sound of a car horn from outside. Tom’s ride had arrived. He turned to look at the window, and then turned back, pointing a stern finger at her. “We will discuss this when I return.” His words were sharp, enough so that she could almost feel them cut into her. He turned from her and walked out of their bedroom.

She tried to tell herself that it was an irrational fear that kept her back flush with the wall and made it difficult to breathe. Thomas had been her husband for five years and never once had he physically harmed her. He may have broken her heart more than once and made her doubt her own self-worth with his philandering, but he had never struck her. Still, it wasn’t until she heard the front door slam shut that she relaxed enough to step away and have a seat on the bed.

She couldn’t lie to herself any longer. Something was definitely wrong with Thomas. He wasn’t the same man she had married; he wasn’t even the same man who had cheated on her. He seemed to be growing more and more possessive, more forceful while at the same time becoming less and less concerned with her own feelings. It was almost caveman-like, and she wasn’t entirely sure that he wouldn’t have hit her if they hadn’t been interrupted.

Perhaps she had been too quick to back out of the divorce.

~***~

The custom of ‘knocking’ was not one he was yet familiar with, at least when it came to himself. Camulus, therefore, did not remember to do so before he entered ‘Jenny’s’ cluttered office. He paused at the sight of the young scholar with her skirt bunched up, apparently so that she could put on some type of undergarment. The door swung close behind him, the noise startling her.

“Oh! I’m sorry, I didn’t hear you knock.” She quickly pulled her hemline back down.

“I didn’t.”

This seemed to make her falter. “That explains it. Better that than being afraid I’m going deaf.” Her skin was flushed a deep pink from embarrassment. “Uhm… could you turn around?”

“Turn around?”

“And face the wall for a bit.” He stared at her in silence. “I have to put my other stocking on still. Please?” He decided to humor her and turned to face the wall. “Thanks.” There was a rustling of plastic and the sound of something skidding against the floor. “What have you been up to this past week?”

“Men from your Pentagon came to speak with myself and General O’Neill.”

“That sounds horribly dull. How were they?”

“I found them arrogant and foolish. I believe the general did as well.”

“So nothing out of the ordinary. Okay, I’m done.” He turned back around as she was crumpling up a package and tossing it in the wastebasket. “I hope you don’t mind getting your hands dirty.”

“Warriors do not concern themselves with dirt.”

“Good, because most of these pieces have about one thousand years of the stuff covering them.” She gathered up her notebooks and pens. “Come with me.” They left her office and started walking along the hallway. Jenny looked behind them with a puzzled frowned. “Where did your baby sitters go?”

“It was determined that I could be trusted with… limited… access to the base. I no longer am required to be under guard at all times.”

“That’s got to be a relief. Did they take the camera out of your quarters yet?”

“That was done some time ago.”

“They might start treating you like a real person yet.” She swiped her card through the security lock and opened the door to a room loaned out to store the artifacts.

“Why, exactly, did you request my help with this?”

“Just a theory I have. That sword of yours, what happened to it?” She set her notebooks down and crossed her elbows atop them to brace herself as she leaned forward. She looked up at him with that same excitement she had when they were working on the translations the week before.

“It went missing while I was still on Earth. I have always suspected theft. Why?”

“I think you’re right. About the theft, that is.” She crooked a finger at him, beckoning him to follow her. Further down the table was the tablet from her office. “Okay, this is a tablet with a representation of you with your sword. A little worn by age but a beautiful representation that I’m very lucky to have. This particular tablet was uncovered in a dig in Northern Ireland.”

“You let it out of your office. I am impressed.”

“Don’t be cute. Anyway, at first I figured this was just a depiction of you done by one of the faithful, but last week I was given a new set of photographs from a different planet, in the same language. Those, too, were accompanied by a depiction of you and the sword. Here.” She indicated the tablet next to it. “Now, they’re two different poses, one with your sword held out, the other with it held up. I didn’t think of it at first, figuring it was just a world that had been within your domain.”

“What changed your mind?”

“These.” She pulled some photos from inside her notebook and handed them to him. “As you can tell, the first set of engravings were the same, detailing a great battle. However, the other engravings are in ancient Greek, which was not somewhere you had influence. There was, however, a Goa’uld who did.”

“Ares.” Camulus felt rage beginning to boil within him. He read over the language of his faithful here on Earth and saw that a traitor wrote it. “One of his followers infiltrated my ranks.”

“That’s what I suspected when I saw this. Something didn’t feel right about it. Something kept nagging at me, so I pulled some files from last year. We found two other depictions of you, each with a tale about some great battle you fought and won, but fenced in by text about another Goa’uld. One was in praise of Ra, the other in praise of Kali. There’s no rhyme or reason to any of it. It’s almost like whoever was behind the placement was trying to throw people off his trail or was going a bit mad.”

“A man who would steal from a god of war would have to be mad.” Camulus’ dark eyes were roving over the photographs. “What is your current theory?”

“Well, madness after a fashion. I think whoever took your sword was hoping to use it to get into someone else’s good graces, but wasn’t having much luck in doing it. Maybe a minor Goa’uld or a human slave who knew how to use the stargates.” She leaned against the table, arms crossed before her. “I’ve managed to translate the Greek and I called in a favor to get a translation of Egyptian. In both cases the guy was toadying up to the Goa’uld in question. So far I’ve been working with the thought that your sword was too unique, something that you would have noticed had another Goa’uld taken possession of it. Kind of like stealing a one-of-a-kind piece of art; there aren’t many who’d want to dirty their hands with it.”

Camulus turned his gaze upon her, considering the idea. “It would have been a human or a Jaffa. Another Goa’uld would have tried to use the blade himself, and thus unlikely to be willing to part with it.”

Jenny frowned. “I must be slipping. I didn’t even catch that one.”

“Is there a hope that somewhere in all of this,” he waved his hand to indicate the hundreds of pieces neatly arranged in the room, “might somehow lead to the current location of the sword?”

Jenny shrugged. “That’s what I’m hoping. Most of the other linguists are tied down to other projects, so I thought I’d go to the only person more fluent in this than me. Do be gentle with the pieces. We can’t replace them if you break them and I’ll be force to have the cost deducted from your allowance.” She gave him a genuine smile as she pushed away from the table. She claimed two chairs and brought them forward one on each side of the table. “Make yourself comfortable. We’ve got plenty to keep ourselves occupied.”

She had to instruct him in the proper manner to go about examining and cataloguing the various artifacts. In truth, he found it dull, even demeaning, work. Jenny, however, seemed to thrive on it. She appeared to have an insatiable thirst for knowledge. Their progress was slowed more than once by her desire to discuss one piece or another in greater detail. Her hands were quickly stained with the dust and dirt from the artifacts and ink from her pen when she stopped to jot down notes.

Sometime later, far too long by his reckoning, a soldier rapped sharply on the wall next to the open door. Jenny jumped and looked over at him. “Something up?”

“No ma’am. The rest of your team just asked me to stop by and remind you to eat.”

Camulus kept his attention focused on the woman who seemed quite confused by this simple statement at first. She gave the soldier a quizzical look and then looked at the watch on her wrist. “Oh. I forgot.”

“Yes, ma’am. That’s why I was sent to remind you, ma’am.” The soldier gave her a smile and ducked out of the room again.

“I’m sorry, Camulus. I didn’t even stop to think about breaks. We’ve been at this for six hours.”

The apologetic expression on her face was somehow endearing. “You were distracted.”

“Yeah, a bit. Tell you what, how about I make it up to you?”

He arched one dark brow. “What did you have in mind?”

“Don’t eat in the commissary. Go and get yourself cleaned up while I procure dinner. Trust me; you won’t regret it.” She gave him an impish grin as she closed her notebook. “Something from off-base, my treat.”

“Agreed.”

Jenny rewarded him with a smile and stood up. “This should take me about… an hour and a half. It’s worth it, though.” She reached over and reclaimed the tablet from her office. “See you soon.” And with that she was gone, leaving him to look down at the multitude of objects they had reviewed.

He was certain there was a pattern to the clues hidden within these bits of stone and clay, but he could not detect it yet. Something told him that Jennifer would be instrumental in unraveling this mystery and, perhaps, returning his property to him. Mother ships and ribbon devices were all well and fine, but he enjoyed the poetic beauty of a perfectly balanced sword. His own blade, coupled with the Goa’uld technology he had built into it, had sliced through his enemies like a scythe through ripened grain. He missed those days of blood and victory.

This work that Jennifer did, it was demeaning for a System Lord, but also useful. If he had possessed the knowledge that this puzzle was out there, he would have thought to ‘acquire’ one of Earth’s scholars years ago and set them to the task of solving it. Now, even if he uncovered the secret, it wouldn’t be easy for him to gain a chance to reclaim the sword himself. This would take careful planning.

He tore himself away from the artifacts, interrupted by the sound of the base klaxon and the loud speaker shouting “Unscheduled off-world activation.” Deciding he should get moving he journeyed through the gray corridors of the base to his quarters. Jenny had said she would need an hour and a half, and his contemplations had taken up nearly one third of that time already. He still had time to rid himself of the dirt collected in the ridges of his hands while working. He was showered and dressed far before a rapid knock sounded on his door. “Come.”

Jenny opened the door and entered. She had taken the time to clean up as well. To his disappointment, she had forgone her usual short skirts for a pair of jeans that rode low on her hips, paired with a red, form fitting top. In one hand she carried a large blue satchel of some kind and there was another case slung across her shoulder by a long strap. “I hope you like good food. I’ve brought one of my favorites.”

He only smiled as she set the cases down on the table provided to him. The larger, blue one was opened and a rich aroma began to fill the room. “I called in to O’Malley’s. It’s the best steak place in town. Don’t tell the general about this, though. He and the rest of SG-1 were banned from there a while back and I still haven’t been able to figure out why.”

“You go there often?”

“Not so much. Tom doesn’t feel like going out when he’s home, and when we do I have to be careful what I eat.”

Camulus frowned. “Why?”

She pulled out two covered plates. “Because I like Steak Oscar and Tom’s allergic to shellfish.” She set the plates out, one before each of the two chairs. “A very nice filet mingon topped with crab meat and a hollandaise sauce. It’s the crab that’s the problem. I cant’ risk kissing him after I’ve eaten it in case there’s enough to send him into shock.”

Camulus sat down in one of the chairs, feeling a bit more at home now. He had grown used to having people serve him over the millennia, of having the best of everything. The Tau’ri had begun treating him as a prisoner and only over time did he earn little freedoms and privileges. Still, however, he was not allowed to leave the base without an armed escort and had not seen the outside world in months. He watched as Jenny laid out service ware for the both of them and uncovered the meals. Even without tasting it he could tell that is was far superior than the swill served in the commissary.

“I didn’t know if you were the kind who drank wine or beer with his steak, so I brought both. Just don’t tell the general or anyone else. I’m willing to bet you’re not supposed to have it.” She opened the other case and retrieved two delicate glasses and a green glass bottle. He observed as she opened the bottle and set it aside. “We’ll try this first, after it breathes a bit.”

“Do you always treat your… assistants this well?”

“Nah, most of my assistants actually enjoy the work. I’m just feeling guilty about subjecting you to my obsessions and manias.” She finally sat down. “And I was having steak cravings. This is a good excuse to indulge them.” She unfolded a burgundy napkin and smoothed it over her lap. “Please, help yourself.”

Camulus cut into the meat on his plate and took his first bite. The steak was tender enough it hardly needed a fork, the crab sweet and salty all at once and the sauce blended the two together perfectly. A carnal creature, given to enjoying pleasures of all sorts, he closed his eyes to savor it. “Excellent. I’m beginning to feel quite compensated for my labors.”

“Yes, I do pay well, don’t I?” She grinned and gave a flourish with her fork before pouring the wine. “Now remember, if you rat me out to the higher ups I’ll never do this for you again.” She handed him a glass.

“They will never hear of it from me.” He sampled the wine and nodded his approval. For the first time since he had sought asylum here he felt comfortable, perhaps even close to free. General O’Neill and his pentagon could learn something from Jennifer Copeland on how to treat a guest such as himself. “Do you honestly think you’ll be able to locate my sword?”

“Hard to say, actually. We haven’t found any of the tablets in order and it may take me a while to figure out what the sequence is. Then we’ll have to find a way to use that information to determine the path the thief took.” She frowned as she pondered her current quest. “If he was trying to use the sword as a bargaining chip, then he probably kept it near him so that he would be able to present it if commanded to do so.”

“Meaning it could be wherever he died.”

“Most likely.” A tiny smile played at the corners of her mouth. “I think it’s high time I took the general up on his offer to start going off world. I’m not sure I want to trust this to anyone else.”

“You’re certainly enjoying yourself.”

“Aren’t you? It’s a mystery that’s thousands of years old! How can you not see the importance of that?”

Camulus shrugged. “I admit that it would be pleasing to know what happened to my sword.”

“You surprise me, sir. I wouldn’t have pegged you for a materialist.”

They finished their meal in relative silence and emptied the bottle of wine. Camulus relaxed in his chair, the epicurean in him satisfied, as Jenny cleared the table, stowing items in the cases and pulling out two bottles. “I wasn’t sure if you were the kind to drink beer. Want to try it?” Curious he reached out for one of the bottles. She twisted the top off of it before handing it over. “It’s Harp. I got spoiled on imports back in college, although some of the microbrewery stuff comes close.”

“Thank you for the meal, Jessica. It’s nice to be treated with civility for a change.”

“This must be hard on you. You’ve been held up as a deity for so long and then you landed with us. I’m afraid that most of the old beliefs have fallen to the wayside since our ancestors kicked you guys out.”

“And what of you?”

“Me? I was raised a Christian, Southern Baptist, although I’m not a very good one. I still hold to most of the rules, but I don’t remember to pray and I haven’t set foot inside an actual church since… my wedding come to think of it.” She leaned back with her own bottle. “It’s hard to make yourself get up on a Sunday morning when you’ve been working all week.”

“Do you believe in nothing, then?”

She was about to answer when the door opened behind them. Jenny turned her head to look over her shoulder as Camulus frowned at the unannounced visitor. General O’Neill gave them both a quizzical look as Jenny turned back around, her cheeks flushed. “Busted.”

“Beer? You gave him beer?” O’Neill walked over and took the bottle out of Jenny’s hand.

“Technically, it’s a lager.” The general was inspecting the still open cases.

“And you fed him O’Malley’s? I don’t even get O’Malley’s any more!”

Camulus smirked and took another pull from the Harp. “Perhaps you should volunteer to help her with her artifacts. She’s a firm believer in fair compensation.”

The general gave him a scathing look. “Don’t get used to it. I’m not about to let anyone on this base eat better than I do.” For some reason, this struck Jenny as amusing. She bit back a giggle. “I think you’ve reached your limit, Doc.”

“I quite agree, sir. However, since I’m flying solo this week, I can make use of the cot in my office without any feelings of guilt.” She smiled, unrepentant. “Did you need something, General?”

“I have to borrow Camulus for a bit. The Tok’ra are here and we need his help.”

“Oh, well. I don’t think I can think up anymore torture for him.”

“Torture by steak and beer. You’re pure evil, Copeland. Baal could learn something from you.”

Jenny sighed and stood up. “Thank you for putting up with me today, Camulus.”

He nodded his head towards her. “It was no burden, Dr. Copeland.”

“That’s sweet of you to say.” She reached into one of the cases and pulled out four more bottles of Harp. General O’Neill frowned as she walked over and placed them in the mini-fridge in the room. “After you’ve recovered from today’s mind numbing session of archeology you know where you can find me for another.” She smiled at claimed her cases, draping them over her shoulder. “Have fun with the Tok’ra.”

General O’Neill frowned. “Are you going to be okay getting home?”

“I’m tipsy, Sir, not drunk. And I’m smart enough not to drive, which is why I’m going to sleep on my cot. Good night, General.”

“Good night, Doctor.” O’Neill waited until Jenny had left before turning his attention back to Camulus. “I can’t believe she fed you steak and beer.”

Camulus shrugged. “And wine. She was grateful for my help. It is a shame that all Tau’ri are not as polite.”

“Yeah, well, she’s a civilian. She doesn’t know any better. Let’s go.”

They went through the complex to the briefing room where two members of the Tok’ra resistance were waiting along with the rest of SG-1. One he recognized as Jacob Carter, host to Selmak and father to Lt. Colonel Carter. The other was unknown to him. O’Neill made his way to his chair at the head of the table. Samantha Carter sat in the chair directly to his right; the chair to the left was reserved for Camulus. He sat down next to the Tau’ri general, keeping a wary eye on the Tok’ra. The distrust was mutual.

“Now that we’re all here, Jacob and just filling us in on a little problem that has been discovered. It seems that there’s a Goa’uld gone missing and the Tok’ra believe he may be hiding out in the SGC.”

Camulus frowned. “Another Goa’uld? I have not felt the presence of one.”

Carter nodded. “We were discussing that. Between the American soldiers and the ones from other countries now taking part in the Stargate program, there are so many people in and out of this base that those few of us who could sense the presence of a Goa’uld don’t come into contact with them that often. Just yesterday I met an airman for the first time who had been here for four months. Even with the mandatory examinations after each off-world assignment and yearly CAT scans, there is a possibility that a Goa’uld could infiltrate the base.”

“You took no other safeguards?”

O’Neill seemed to be thinking the same thing, but he still responded. “No offense, but usually the nature of a Goa’uld doesn’t allow them to keep a low profile. You guys tend to brag.”

Camulus pondered this a moment and nodded. “What Goa’uld is missing?”

“Zeus.” Selmak was speaking.

The general looked over at Camulus. “Anyone you know?”

“Cronus had more than one child named ‘Zeus’. He killed all but the last. System Lords are always watching for the possibility that their offspring may try to usurp them, but the last Goa’uld named Zeus fled with a contingent of Jaffa loyal to him before Cronus could have him executed.” Selmak nodded.

“We were tracking him until about ten Earth months ago. Since then we’ve gotten a few, sporadic reports of Jaffa who left Cronus' service when Zeus fled meeting with a human male. We’ve been able to get little information about the man other than rough descriptions that make it sound as though he could be a Tau’ri soldier.”

Camulus fell silent, his eyes focusing on the table before him. That would explain Dr. Copeland quite neatly. “Major Copeland.”

“What was that?”

Camulus looked up at the general. “The Goa’uld. It’s Major Thomas Copeland.”

O’Neill frowned. “Cammy, I know that the doc’s a nice girl and all but leveling accusations against her husband…”

“Jennifer Copeland has naquadah in her blood. I have sensed it.”

Dr. Jackson frowned. He had remained silent so far, but now chose to speak up. “Dr. Copeland has never been off-world. She hasn’t been in a position to be exposed to a symbiote.”

Camulus smirked. “There are other ways for it to have gotten there. I have enough experience to assure of that.”

The Tok’ra shifted uncomfortably in their chairs. From the corner of his eye he saw Selmak’s host shudder as Jacob took control of the body. “You’re saying that Dr. and Major Copeland are married?”

O’Neill frowned. “You don’t mean…”

“If sexual intercourse is frequent enough and over a long enough period of time, it’s possible. Eventually enough naquadah would leach into her through bodily fluids that it could be detected. It’s not unheard of for human concubines of Goa’ulds to possess detectable amounts.”

O’Neill turned his attention back to Camulus. “Enough experience.” Camulus shrugged, his expression still smug. “I’m not going to jump to any conclusions without a medical exam. Daniel, you’re her direct superior. Dr. Copeland should be sleeping in her office. Go down and escort her to medical, but don’t… fill her in on exactly why yet. Let’s confirm that there is naquadah in her before we tell her that her husband may be… this Zeus guy.” Daniel nodded and pushed away from the table. His eyes were concerned as he left the room. O’Neill looked back at Camulus. “Next time you sense something like this, tell somebody.”

~***~

There was precious little sleep obtained by any of them while they waited for the medical evaluation to be completed. In the meantime General O’Neill had sent a team to search the Copelands’ home for anything out of the ordinary. They were still waiting for the search results when the Tok’ra, SG-1 and Camulus reconvened in the briefing room, along with Dr. Atwater and Dr. MacKenzie.

“Gentlemen, what have we got?”

Dr. Atwater opened the medical file. “We have confirmed traces of naquadah in Dr. Copeland’s blood, less than what is present in Colonel Carter’s or in Cassie Frazier’s, but detectable. A CAT scan ruled out the presence of a symbiote and there is no sign of the explosive device such as what was in Cassandra. Outside of that there is little physical difference with the exception of some… bruising.”

“Bruising?”

Dr. MacKenzie cleared his throat. “Most of the bruising appears to be from Dr. Copeland being… gripped too harshly. Other bruises are indicative of rough intercourse. I’ve spoken to her about it and she has admitted that sexual relations between herself and her husband have been growing increasingly aggressive from his part. She’s not, however, suffering from battered wife syndrome. She’s fully aware of the situation and has already been weighing the possibility of distancing herself from the marriage.”

The general frowned, as did Camulus. O’Neill leaned back in his chair and rubbed at his eyes. “Daniel, please fill us in on Dr. Copeland. I know she’s smart, has most of the men under twenty-five tied up in knots and crappy taste in men, but not much else.”

Dr. Jackson nodded. “Jennifer Copeland is the daughter of Captain Frank Rice, United States Navy. She has a doctorate in both archeology and anthropology and speaks nine languages. She was brought into the SGC along with her husband, then Captain Thomas Copeland who was part of the SG-3 Marines until he was promoted and given command of his own team six months ago. Initially, Dr. Copeland was to be assigned to a team for off-world missions but shortly after she completed her training she was confirmed to be pregnant.”

“Okay, this seems familiar to me. She was beaten, lost the baby and almost died. I remember that part.”

Dr. Atwater nodded and flipped through her file. “A mugging, early in the third trimester. The physical and psychological damage of the event delayed her assignment to an off-world team. There were also marital problems following the incident that appeared to be resolving in the last bit. According to Dr. Copeland things began to turn around shortly after she filed for divorce. Then Captain Copeland asked for a second chance. That’s… uhm… a couple of months after that was when they began to have marital relations again.”

“Does she have any idea when he started acting… different?”

Dr. MacKenzie shook his head. “According to Jennifer the past two years have been an emotional roller coaster for her, with her husband changing personalities more than once. First he failed to be there for her when she was struggling through the attack and miscarriage, then there was rampant infidelity followed by his pleading that she not leave him. I believe she was trying to excuse his increasingly aggressive sexual behavior as his desire not to lose her, although that self-delusion is quickly fading. Now that we’ve advised her of the situation I believe it’s faded all together.”

O’Neill’s lips tightened. “How’s she taking it?”

“She’s still in shock, but she’s waiting outside.”

“Bring her in.”

Camulus watched as an airman escorted Jenny into the room. She was no longer smiling and the sparkle about her seemed to have been smothered. Dr. Jackson quickly got to his feet and pulled out a chair for his fellow archeologist. Camulus saw the other human placed a comforting hand on her shoulder after he pushed her chair back in. When O’Neill spoke his voice was soft, as though he were afraid the wrong word might crack the woman’s psyche.

“Dr. Copeland, I believe that Dr. Atwood has explained to you what we believe has happened.”

Jenny nodded. “Yes, Sir. You think Thomas has been taken by a Goa’uld as a host.”

“It’s not definite yet. There just happen to be a few scraps of information the Tok’ra have uncovered that indicate this Zeus guy might be hiding out in one of our soldiers.”

“Coupled with the physical evidence in me.” She was staring at a fixed point at the table, not meeting anyone’s eyes.

“Yeah, that too. Has he… said anything out of the ordinary? Anything particularly… not-human?”

“My marriage doesn’t really involve a great deal of talking anymore, General. It hasn’t for a while.”

“I see. Let’s start with the most recent. Was there anything unusual about him before he left on this last mission?”

Jenny shook her head but paused. “He was angry.”

“About…”

Jenny’s eyes came up from the table. She seemed surprise when she realized that Camulus had been watching her all this time. Her eyes locked with his for a moment before she turned them to O’Neill. “About Camulus. He asked me what I was going to be doing while he was away and I mentioned that I was going to ask Camulus to help me out with a project. He… he got scary. Thomas has never hit me, not once in the five years we’ve been married, but that time I really thought he might.”

The general looked at the Goa’uld to his left. “Any ideas why Zeus wouldn’t want you near her?”

“Most likely for this very reason. He knew I would be able to sense the naquadah and might question how it came to be there.” He shrugged. “Or jealousy.”

“Jealousy?”

Camulus arched a brow at him. “In his mind, everything that once belonged to his host now belongs to him, to keep or discard as he desires. More than one Goa’uld has decided to keep the wife or husband of their host.” He flicked his gaze over to the woman in question, not bothering to hide his perusal of her. “It would not be too hard to imagine that he decided to keep Dr. Copeland. Having an attractive and nubile woman sharing his bed would make his time here more… comfortable.” To his amusement Jennifer’s expression hardened under the heavy-handed compliment.

O’Neill gave him a quelling look; surpassed only by the scathing glare Colonel Carter threw his way. He ignored them both as the general spoke again. “All right, so we can’t be sure how long he’s been here, or how much knows or even why he was here in the first place. Regardless, I want a security team standing by when that team comes back through the gate. Take Copeland into custody and give him a full medical eval. Let’s confirm or deny that this Zeus really has him. If so… Jacob, can we count on the Tok’ra to get him out?”

Jacob Carter nodded. “You can. We’ll return Copeland to you, but we will need time to question the Goa’uld first.”

“Just try not to do too much damage. If he’s even in there.”

The Tok’ra liaison to Earth nodded in agreement. “If he’s even in there.”

She had not been in her office. Nor had she been found in the labs or workrooms. Camulus had overheard this from two soldiers who apparently were assigned to locate Jennifer Copeland. They knew she had not left the base, they just didn’t know where she was within the base. He gave the passing soldiers an irritated glance before turning to Dr. Jackson. “Where would someone go if they wanted time alone with their thoughts?”

“You mean within the complex?” The scholar thought a moment and shrugged. “Probably one of the lesser used sublevels. Someplace used for excess storage or for emergency housing when needed. There are about nine of them below us.”

He nodded and left the man to continue on to his office alone. As he made his way to one of the lifts he noted that many still threw looks of suspicion his way. It did not concern him, not now that he was given more freedom within the complex. His passkey allowed him to access the lifts without supervision and granted him entrance to the sublevels below. He had searched three without success, moving slowly through them and waiting for the tell tale hum of naquadah nearby. He found her on the fourth floor. She had entered a storeroom crammed with filing cabinets. She was sitting on a stool, staring at the far wall with her chin resting on her hand.

“I felt guilty, the first time that I met you face to face.” Her voice was soft, but his hearing picked it up perfectly.

“Why should you feel guilt?”

“Because when I got around you I felt the same sensations inside that I feel around Thomas. The feelings that started after it looked like our marriage was finally starting to turn around.”

Camulus stepped further into the room. “That was the naquadah. Those who have it in their bodies can sense it’s presence.”

“Yeah, I know that now. But then I was afraid it was… attraction. That’s why I felt guilty. It didn’t matter that he had… what he had done wasn’t important. Even when I knew he was with some other woman I never broke my vows. I come from a very old fashioned family. We don’t cheat and when we vow to stay together until death do us part, we stand by that vow.” She swiveled around on the stool to face him. She had been crying, but the tears had stopped some time ago, enough so that the redness was fading. “I almost decided not to ask for your help again. I didn’t want to put myself in the path of temptation. I tried to tell myself that what I was feeling was just a natural, biological response in the presence of a handsome man.”

“And I thought you saw me merely as an academic curiosity.”

“It was my academic curiosity that made me ask for your help the second time, in spite of my other concerns. You lived much of the history that I’ve made my life’s passion. I found I couldn’t pass that up.” She ran her hands through her hair, her expression one of pain. “Am I just the most colossally stupid woman on the face of the planet? How could I not know that my husband was a Goa’uld?! How could I not have seen that?”

Camulus shook his head. “From what I have learned over the past few hours, Thomas Copeland was not himself long before Zeus took him as a host. He took advantage of an emotional upheaval in your life because his chance to remain within this facility, to collect information on the Tau’ri, was in jeopardy.”

Jenny frowned. “Jeopardy? I don’t understand.”

“O’Neill contacted General Hammond regarding the situation. Apparently, Hammond had spoken with your husband and advised him that if the two of you could not work amicably during and after the dissolution of your marriage, then he would be transferred out of the SGC. It appears that soldiers are more easily replaced than qualified scholars. You were the more valuable person.”

She blinked, processing this new bit of information. “When did this conversation take place?”

“Nine months ago, around the same time it is suspected that Zeus had taken control of the host.” He stepped closer. “Clearly, it would have been suspicious had you died afterwards. Salvaging the marriage was the most logical action.” He reached up with one hand to brush her hair back away from her face. “It would have also had benefits.”

“Yeah, seeing to his ‘comfort’. Not exactly flattering.” She sighed. “I should have known. When he… when everything seemed to start getting better it was too perfect. He quit most of his annoying habits, was patient and attentive; even stopped spending Sundays’ watching football to spend time with me. It should have tipped me off.”

Camulus allowed his hand to stroke her hair gently. That she was allowing him to do so was a sign of trust. “General O’Neill has soldiers looking for you. I believe he wants your help when Zeus returns through the gate.”

She turned her clear, blue eyes to him. “I don’t suppose you could go back and tell him I’ve come down with a sudden flu or vanished from existence all together.”

“And miss out on your chance at revenge?” He took her by the hand and tugged her into a standing position, taking a seat on the stool himself before pulling her back so that she was half-seated on one of his thighs. When she did not move away or chastise him he knew he had guessed correctly. She didn’t need solitude at this moment; she needed comfort. “I am unaware of what the Tau’ri law might dictate, but I would consider what he has done an act punishable by death.”

“I’ve never killed anyone, and I doubt I could kill Zeus with Thomas’ face looking back at me. He was the soldier.”

“And yet, he failed his duty by you.” He felt her tense up a bit but kept a hand at the small of her back as she turned to look at him. Her expression was one of confusion, which he countered with his own inquiring look. “The past two years of your life were just carefully scrutinized by General O’Neill and the Tok’ra. The attack and how it brought about the loss of your unborn child. How it nearly ended your life as well. As your husband, it was the duty of Thomas Copeland to exact revenge by killing the man who almost killed you. Did he do this? Has he done anything to help bring him to justice? According to what is known, your attacker was never captured.”

“Camulus, things are different here. The laws…”

“Then what of his actions afterwards? His wife needed him and he failed her.” He lifted his other hand to keep her face turned towards him. “You needed him by your side to help you mourn the loss of your child and instead he made a mockery of your marriage. He proved himself unworthy of you. Your husband had left you a long time before Zeus sought to exploit your suffering for his own gain. Do not let the face of a traitor keep you from seeking the justice you deserve.”

“You see things very black and white, don’t you?”

“I have the benefit of not being as close to the problem as you.” He smoothed her hair. “Come. You should clean away your tears before you speak to O’Neill. Do not let anyone see you as anything other than in complete control.”

That got him the smile he was looking for. “You’ve seen me.”

“Yes, but I also know that being kind to you is likely to ensure that I will see more of you, and so far you have treated me better than any of the other Tau’ri. My motives are not selfless.”

“At least you’re honest.” He felt her shift her weight to stand up and moved his hand to assist. He heard her sudden intake of breath and felt her twist away, a frown creasing her forehead. He reached out and took her arm gently.

“Let me see.” She let him pull her back to him so that he could smooth her top upwards. The marks were still dark and ugly against her pale skin. Apparently Zeus could add ‘inexperienced’ and ‘clumsy’ to his growing list of failings. Human lovers, while able to take a great deal more abuse than one would have thought possible, were still breakable. He could have easily crushed her ribs and dealt her a mortal injury.

“I’ll be fine. It’s just bruises.”

“It should not have happened.” He let his hand travel over the marks once more before lowering the garment. “And it will not happen again.” He stood up and turned her towards the door, escorting her back to the levels above.

~***~

Camulus left her to her own devices as far as refreshing herself, heading back towards the conference room. He was given pause when he saw the Tok’ra and General O’Neill hurrying from there to the command center. Frowning, he followed them. The iris to the Stargate was closed, but the gate itself was still active according to the soft light flickering behind it. O’Neill, however, was watching a monitor that received the signal from the other side of the gate connection. Camulus positioned himself so that he could clearly see the face of a Tau’ri soldier, crouched low to avoid the staff weapon fire behind him.

“We’re pinned down, Sir! Johnson’s dead and we can’t find Major Copeland.” The Tok’ra exchanged dark looks.

O’Neill hit the intercom. “Security teams stand by! They’re coming in hot!” He looked at the soldier on the monitor. “Get ready to make a run for it on my mark.” He tapped the soldier in control of their makeshift dialing system on the shoulder and began to count down silently using his fingers. He reached one, the soldier entered the command for the iris to open and O’Neill snapped, “Mark!”

The iris slid open. Moments later three soldiers emerged from the event horizon, energy blasts shooting around them. Two Jaffa managed to make it through after them, only to be gunned down by the security forces. The iris closed, the gate disengaged. There was silence for a moment before the three survivors began to shout their disagreement with this.

“General! The Major’s still out there!”

“Stand down, Marine! I want you three to report to medical immediately.” He didn’t give them time to respond, but turned to the Camulus instead. “What are the chances that this was coincidence?”

Camulus shrugged. “There is always a chance, although it is unlikely. Zeus has fled; doubtless to join with Baal and give him any information he may have gathered during his time here. You have been compromised.”

“I know that.” O’Neill glared at the now silent Stargate before signaling to a random soldier. “Tell SG-1 I want to see them in my office.” Jacob/Selmak approached the general.

“How much could he have learned?”

“With at least nine months? There’s no telling what he’s got. We’re going to have to overhaul security from top to bottom.”

Camulus knew that he was forgotten. He backed out of the room silently, his jaw tight. If Zeus did go to join with Baal, then Earth may no longer be safe for him. Nor may it be safe for Jenny. Without the chance to interrogate the Goa’uld, there was no way of knowing what, if any, value he placed in his host’s wife. Many could simply forget the mortal spouse and dismiss her from memory. Others, however, would see her as a possession and plan to retake her.

He returned to her office and let himself in without knocking. He found her sitting at her desk going through papers. A glint of silver caught his eye from the wastepaper basket and he looked down to see that she had tossed the photograph of herself and her husband into it. “SG-19 has returned.”

Jenny blanched and looked up. “Already? They weren’t due…”

“Zeus is not with them. There was an attack by Jaffa, no doubt staged to help him escape.” He watched her take a deep breath and heard a sharp snap. The sound made her jump and look down at her hand. The pen she had been holding was now broken. She tossed the broken pieces into the wastepaper basket and pulled some tissues from a box in an attempt to clean the ink from her fingers. “He is not coming back.”

“Can you be sure?” She looked up at him, her expression pinched. “Can you promise me that?”

“No, but I will promise that should he return, he will not harm you.”

Her smile was sad. “I suppose they don’t need my help any longer.” She straightened up in her chair and nodded to herself. “Thank you for coming to tell me. Now I can at least go home and sleep without worrying that he’ll come walking through the door.”

Camulus leaned up against her worktable, folding his arms over his chest. “What will you do now that you’re free of him?”

“I’ve been thinking about that, actually. I would like to join an SG team, but first I have to convince the shrinks that I’m not a mental case. After this latest little nightmare, I’m not certain I can do that. They think I’m about two steps from a complete and total breakdown, and I can’t fault them for believing it. Hopefully I’ll at least be allowed to keep my present job.”

The thought that they might feel her incapable of continuing to work here due to the current events alarmed him. He needed her to remain. He couldn’t trust any of the other scholars here to solve the puzzle that might lead to his lost blade. And he did not want to go back to being barely tolerated and wholly mistrusted. He could not be trusted, of course, but it was still pleasant to have someone who did not treat him like a high level prisoner. “I doubt they would let you leave. You would be too difficult to replace.”

“Perhaps.” She gave him a half-hearted smile. “Now that Zeus is gone, maybe they’ll let me go home and get some sleep. It’s been a trying night.”

“Then you should go. I only ask that you make sure to speak with me when you return. I would know that you are well.”

“What? You think I’m going to crack up, too?”

“I think you’ve undergone a great many trials. A weaker person would have already ‘cracked’.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence.” She stood up, stretching her arms over her head. “I think I will make a break for it while I can, tell Dr. Jackson that I’m taking the day off. I’ll catch up with you tomorrow.” She opened her desk drawer and retrieved her purse from it before ushering him out of her office and turning out the light. “Try not to let the Tok’ra get on your nerves too much while I’m gone.”

Camulus smirked. “I can tolerate the Tok’ra as much as they can tolerate me.”

“That’s why I mentioned it.” She gave him one last smile. “Good night.” He inclined his head in acknowledgement before watching her walk away.

~***~

It had taken four months and three psyche evals before General O’Neill signed off on putting Jenny onto an SG team. After that point, Camulus found that his time with the Tau’ri was no longer as pleasant. She still sought him out for his assistance and his company whenever she was on Earth, but it seemed the more and more often she was on some other world, searching for her secrets and her clues. When she did come home, however, it was usually with breathless enthusiasm and excitement. Without her sham of a marriage holding her back, she was blossoming into the woman he had known she could be.

“And the last one was… here.” She circled a planet on the star chart now taking up one wall of her office with a grease pencil. He was half listening to her, half admiring her. It wasn’t a normal working day for her and she hadn’t bothered to dress in attire more suited for her job. Instead she had come dressed in a pair of short pants that left most of her long legs exposed and a brief top that left her arms bare. She had been forced to reach up onto her toes in order to make the last mark, defining her legs beautifully.

“You feel that you are getting closer?”

“I believe I just might be. His writing is becoming more and more erratic, more desperate. I believe he was reaching the end of his rope. He’s starting to ramble on about something as well, something about finding that the sword was useless in another’s hand. The way he carries on, I’m not certain he realized that only another Goa’uld could use it to it’s full potential.”

Camulus feigned ignorance, not wishing to reveal anything further. The sword couldn’t be used by another Goa’uld or by anyone who wasn’t in this particular host body. “You said that you suspected madness. Clearly you were correct.”

She shrugged. “Perhaps.” She closed her folder and gave him a bright smile. “So, what have you been up to while I was gone?”

“Tolerating idiots and fools. Your pentagon has asked me to assist in the development of naquadah based weapons.”

“Sounds like fun.”

“I’m sure it pales in comparison to digging up dusty artifacts on distant planets.”

“I’m sure it does, too.” She gave him a look that was calculated innocence. “Are they being very mean to you?”

“Very. The moment you set foot through the gate they throw me back into a cramped cell and give me nothing but stale bread and water to eat. I believe it is General O’Neill’s revenge against me for that time you brought me dinner.”

She affected a sugar-sweet pout. “Poor baby. Do you want me to beat up the big, bad General for you?” He laughed, full and deep. She gave him one of her brighter smiles in return. “I have a favor to ask.”

He arched a brow. “A favor. What is it? I might be inclined to grant it.”

“How noble of you! I want to learn how to speak Goa’uld. Fluently, not the mishmash I have now.”

“That’s a rather large favor to ask. What can I expect in return?”

She blinked. “My never ending gratitude?”

Camulus shook his head. “Not good enough. I’ll need something better.”

“Like what?”

He shrugged. “I’m sure you’ll think of something.” He smirked as she put her hands on her hips, her eyes narrowing suspiciously. Just to be crass he allowed his gaze to rake over her figure, lingering on her long, tapering legs.

“I’ll admit you’re gorgeous, but you’re not that gorgeous.” She threw her grease pencil at him, only to give him a glare when he caught it perfectly. “How about I make sure that you never have to have dinner in the commissary if I’m in the base?”

He appeared to consider this for a moment before nodding. “That would be a good start.”

“But you’ll be at the mercy of my cravings.”

“Which are?”

“Right now? I’m craving a large pepperoni pizza with a cheese-stuffed crust.” She didn’t wait for a response but grabbed the phone off her desk and dialed an outside number. Camulus twirled the grease pencil in his fingers as she placed an order. When she was done she reached for her purse and claimed her wallet. “It’ll take them about thirty minutes to get it here. I’ll have to meet the driver at the gate.”

“And what am I do to until then?”

“You could think up a lesson plan. I’ll bring the food down to your quarters.” She took the grease pencil from him and began to wave him out of her office. “Trust me! If there’s one thing I know, it’s food.”

He said nothing but made his way back to his rooms, rudely ignoring a ruddy-faced scientist who tried to catch his attention on the way. These over-excitable children annoyed him and he had spent enough time with them already. He had been cooperative and patient in Jennifer’s absence. His time with her was a well-deserved reward. He would not be interrupted.

True to her word she arrived at his door bearing a large, square box and a case of ‘Dr. Pepper’. “No Harp?”

“Harp with pizza? You drink the cheap stuff with pizza, but I didn’t have time to run to the liquor store.” She sidestepped him to get into the room, setting the box down on the table. Camulus shut the door and turned to watch her as she put the box of drinks into his small refrigerator, taking out two for them before shutting the door. “Stick with me, Cam. I’ll teach you all there is to know about living on Earth. Hey! That could be fair payment for my language lessons.”

“That doesn’t really interest me.” He claimed a chair at the table, still watching her as she opened the cans.

“You’re a tough customer, Camulus. I should take you with me next time I need to buy a car.” She offered him one of the drinks. It was sweeter than he was used to and the carbonation took him by surprise. The second drink was far better than the first, but he would have preferred another beer.

“Why do you want to speak fluent Goa’uld?”

“Because we have an annoying tendency to run into them when we’re off world. I figured that since I’m supposed to be the linguist on the team I should learn how to understand the enemy when I hear them. How will I know to feel insulted if I don’t know when they’re insulting me?”

“Do you always treat everything with such humor?” He took up one of the slices of the ‘pizza’. It was messy and by no means as good as the steak she had treated him to before, but the cheese and meat combined were oddly satisfying.

“Lately I have been. I thought long and hard about it and I’ve decided that I’ve shed too many tears over the past couple of years. Life’s too short to be sad. I refuse to be beaten down again.” She wiped a bit of grease from the corner of her lips. “Besides, I have enough stress in my life right now.”

“Oh?”

“Given the unusual circumstances of my marriage at this time, the military is pulling some strings to muscle my divorce through. However, since there is the possibility that… Zeus may be captured; I have to keep in mind that everything Thomas and I had together is equally ours. The house is already sold. Luckily we had less than half of it’s value still financed so I came out quite nicely on that. I’ve paid off what was owed on his truck and my Wrangler and our credit card bill. Half of all our liquidated assets are being put into an account in case the Tok’ra are able to remove Zeus from Thomas’ body so that he has something to start over with. The other half I’ve put down on a smaller house in a quieter neighborhood.”

“Why leave him anything at all? Didn’t he forfeit any claim to it when he betrayed you?”

Jenny shook her head. “That would be like kicking him while he was down. And I never intended to make it a messy divorce, not even when I was mad at him. It would have been petty, anyway. As a civilian consultant my paycheck is a great deal more than his. That was one of several reasons why I blamed myself when our marriage went south; not many men could handle their wives making more money than they do. I can manage without him, but it will be tougher for him to manage without me.”

He found himself reaching for another slice of pizza. It seemed that the food tended to ‘grow’ on a person. “You are a far kinder woman than many would be in your place. Even after all he’s done to you, you can still find it within your heart to forgive him.”

She gave a delicate shrug. “My father says I’m too soft hearted. He keeps wanting to keel haul him. I have to keep reminding him that they don’t do that sort of thing any longer. It went out with wooden ships powered by wind.” She gave a little laugh. “Dad’s very ‘Old Navy’. I think he blames himself for my lousy choice of a husband.”

“Because he did not see it himself?”

“Because he was never home. He’s a captain of his own ship, but even before that he was always out to sea. He used to complain that every time he came home I’d grown into a different person again. I believe he thinks that had he been around to be the threatening, fatherly presence, he would have seen Thomas for what he was. But it’s hardly fair. We had a good marriage until the attack.”

“But he would have no cause to blame you for the attack. I seriously doubt that you are the kind to willingly put yourself in harm’s way.”

“It wasn’t the attack itself. It was what happened after the attack.” She sighed, setting a half-eaten piece of pizza down, a frown creasing her forehead. “Thomas and I really wanted that baby. We were both looking forward to being parents. It was hard enough to wake up in a hospital and find out that I’d lost him, but after I’d had a chance to heal from the injuries…” She broke off and took a breath. Camulus could tell that this pained her, could see it in the tightness that had taken root at the corner of her eyes and lips. “The doctors told us that there was too much physical damage, that there was a lot of scarring. Technically I can still conceive, but I could never carry to term. That’s why Thomas went off the deep end like he did. He wanted to be a father… and I couldn’t give him that any longer.”

He regretted pushing the issue because the smiling woman who had sat down to share a meal with him was gone again. He had seen many young women, human and Jaffa, relegated to less important positions within society because they proved to be barren. There were few opportunities for them to still be useful members of their villages such as Jenny had as a scholar of Earth. Many a warrior under his command had decided to have their marriages removed when their wives continuously failed to provide them with a child. This part of Thomas Copeland he could understand, even if he did not agree with it. It would have been kinder to release Jennifer of her marriage vows than to force her to watch as he sought to replace her with someone who could bear his children.

He reached across the small table and took her hand. “Come.” He pulled and she left her chair without protest, allowing him to guide her to him so that he could pull her into his lap, cradling her head upon one of his shoulders. “It is unfortunate that there will likely be no children to whom you can pass on your brilliance, but you do not have to let that define you. There are still those who can benefit from what you have to give.” He felt her relax in his arms and encouraged her to remain where she was by shifting his arm so that she was supported. It had been too long since he had held a woman this close. Jenny was warm and soft, and there was a light, fresh scent upon her skin that was enticing without covering up her own, natural fragrance.

“You know, it’s times like this I can almost forget that you’re supposed to be the enemy.”

“Enemy? I thought I was an ally.”

“You requested asylum. You were a System Lord, and you’re still a Goa’uld. They make sure to remind us of that, often. I think they want us to be sure we don’t let our guard down around you.”

“So your generals and your leaders are intelligent after all. I was beginning to wonder.”

She tilted her head upwards. “But I still can’t figure you out. What do you hope to gain by staying on Earth? We don’t trust you and the Goa’uld will kill you the first chance they get. What is there here for you?”

He considered his answer carefully, deciding whether to be serious or charming. In the end, serious won out. “The satisfaction of guiding the Tau’ri in the destruction of Baal.”

“Simple revenge, is it?”

He gave a careless shrug. “It’s a start.” This got him an amused, almost musical laugh. He watched the sparkle return to her clear, blue eyes as she gave him a light smack on his forearm. “There are other things to recommend Earth, however. I find that the more scholarly pursuits have much to offer.”

“Yes, we brainy types are quite interesting.”

He moved his hand so he could tilt her head upwards. “Very.” She looked as though she was about to ask him something, but he cut her off with a kiss. He felt her give a little jump in surprise but did not pull back. Instead he pressed forward and was pleased to note that the slender fingers of one of her hands curled into the fabric of his shirt as though to keep him from escaping. He could taste the soda and pizza, but there was a sweetness to her that was all her own. He deepened the kiss, pulling her closer to him as he did so. He was so intent on experiencing the moment that he almost missed when she stopped being so willing and started trying to pull away.

He released the kiss and his hold on her, allowing her to scramble up from his lap. She distanced herself from him, facing away with her hands covering her eyes. “Shit! I can’t believe I just did that.”

He rose cautiously from his chair. “Jennifer…”

She turned around. “This can’t happen again. Ever. I shouldn’t have let it happen this time.”

He stepped forward and reached out to grasp her shoulders gently. “And why not? What harm is there in two people finding comfort in one another?”

“The harm? To begin with I could lose my job!” She wrenched herself away from him, shaking her head. “This is my fault. I let things get too comfortable. I should leave.” She turned to the abandoned food, closing the pizza box. “I… I don’t think I should come here any more.”

What? “Jenny, it is I who have overstepped my bounds. I should not have taken such liberties.” She shook her head and said nothing as she cleaned up the table. “Jennifer, you are the only thing that makes my stay her tolerable any longer. Do not shut me out.”

That got her attention. She paused and looked towards him, her expression confused. He could not let her slip through his grasp. If she shut him out, she took his hopes of reclaiming the sword with her. “Everyone on this base treats me like an enemy, someone barely trusted. You are the only one who has shown me a modicum of civility, the only one who shows me any real kindness. Do not abandon me.”

He wasn’t sure if he had convinced her. She looked wary, uncertain. He watched her pull her bottom lip under, worrying it with her teeth for a moment before she took a breath. “We have to keep things professional. No more sitting in your lap and definitely no more kissing. We have to be responsible. Don’t get me wrong, those things were nice and you gave them to me when I needed them most, but they can’t happen again.”

He nodded in agreement. He would do as she asked; pull things back to a ‘working’ relationship. He felt his host grumbling in the back of his mind but even Calum knew that this was only a temporary settlement. They would give Jenny the extra time she apparently needed, give her space until she was ready for something more. “When is your next mission?”

“Not for another three weeks. Major Davies’ wife is having a baby. They’ve got her scheduled for a C-section in two days and the General gave us all some downtime so he can be there to help out afterwards.” She picked up the pizza box. “I’m going to spend the time working on a few projects.”

“Such as your little mystery regarding the sword?”

She smiled. “Among others. If it’s not too terribly awkward now… I’d still like those language lessons.”

He inclined his head slightly. “I’m still willing to give them to you. When would you like to begin?”

“I have to finish a report for Dr. Jackson tomorrow and then help catalogue some artifacts the two days after that. How’s Thursday afternoon?”

“As far as I know there are no interrogations or torture sessions planned for me. A dull day. I could use the distraction.”

“Thursday it is, then. I’ll bring lunch. Something better than pizza.” She walked towards the door, opening it herself. Camulus watched her as she left, reclaiming his abandoned drink without thinking.

He was running out of patience.

~***~

Jennifer slid her key-card through the slot to summon the elevator. To her surprise, General O’Neill was inside when the doors opened. “Copeland! Fancy seeing you here. Come on in.” She stepped inside, the doors sliding shut. Before she could reach for the buttons to select the ‘Geek Level’, O’Neill pushed the button leading to the level the Gate Room was on. “I hate to ask this, but are you having problems with Camulus?”

She felt the back of her neck heat up. “Problems, Sir? Like what?”

“Anything at all. You know, the Military takes things like sexual harassment very seriously. If he’s stepping out of line in any way…”

She sighed, her face heating up along with her neck. “There’s still a camera in his quarters.”

“Actually, there’re three.”

“So you saw everything.”

“Uhm… yeah. I got a little worried there for a moment. It didn’t look like he was going to take ‘no’ for an answer.” He leveled his steely gaze at her. “Do I have a reason to be concerned?”

“We discussed it, General. It won’t happen again.”

The General gave a sigh. “I wish I could be that certain, Doc. You see, it concerns me that an attractive, intelligent woman, such as yourself, seems to have caught the attention of an alien that we know has no qualms about having sexual relations with humans. He’s admitted as much.” He gave a shrug. “He’s bigger, faster and stronger than you are, even without the Goa’uld strength added in. I don’t want to see one of my people get hurt.”

Jenny shifted uncomfortably. “I appreciate your concern, General, and I promise I’ll be careful. Besides, you’ll have us under constant surveillance. If things get out of hand just send in the Calvary.”

“How about I just send in Teal’c with a Zat?” O’Neill gave another sigh. “Look, if it were anyone else I’d order you to stay the hell away from him. But it’s you, and as much as I hate to admit it, you’re the only one who seems to get that guy to loosen up.”

An uneasy feeling started to nip at the back of her mind. “How long have you had us watched, Sir?”

“Since we figured out Zeus was inside Thomas and Camel-Ass made that smart-aleck comment about you being a ‘benefit’. I didn’t like the way he was looking at you. Carter didn’t either. I believe she wanted to have him gelded.”

“And all this time we’ve been under surveillance. Why?”

The General looked decidedly uncomfortable. “At first it was just so I could make sure he played nice. However, certain officials in the pentagon now wonder if you can’t get him to be a little more… forthcoming with the details of Goa’uld technology. I told them that he wasn’t likely to fall for it, since it would be off beat for an archeologist to be asking about such things, but they’re hoping he’s… interested enough to be more talkative.”

Jenny gave a snort. “Just call me ‘Mati Hari’. That has to be one of the silliest things I’ve ever heard.”

O’Neill put his hands up in a placating gesture. “I agree. I told them so, myself.” The doors to the lift opened and the General stepped out, turning around to hold the door open. “Just… be careful. And if he tries to get grabby again, hit him someplace vulnerable…hard.”

 

~***~

“What?”

“I said, could Cammy come, too?”

“You’re kidding, right?”

“Do I look like I’m kidding?”

General Jack O’Neill narrowed his eyes as he studied Dr. Copeland closely. She didn’t look as though she was kidding, not even a little bit. “You want me to let him out of the base and into suburban America?”

“It’s just my new house! If you want me to keep him all warm and kittenish, then it would be the height of rudeness for me to have a housewarming party and not invite him.” She leveled one of her get-your-butt-in-gear-and-finish-that-report looks. “You know I’m right.”

Jack sighed. “Okay. Okay. You can invite Camel-Ass, too.”

Jenny grinned. “Thank you, Sir. I trust you’ll make sure that he’s there on time.”

“With bells on.”

~***~

The residences of the Tau’ri were strange to him. They seemed flimsy and ill suited to grant shelter, but he did not dare to pass judgment so quickly. These humans never ceased to surprise him.

Camulus glanced at the other occupants of the vehicle. General O’Neill was there, as was the Sholva, Teal’c. He expected that there would be guards already at Jenny’s residence, it was what he would do, but he would not allow that to dampen his mood. To be allowed out of the base to go somewhere that wasn’t a laboratory or a room filled with tiresome generals was a new experience to him. He was looking forward to the change of scenery.

They arrived at a modest dwelling in an area where the homes sat on relatively spacious land, at least more so than some other places they had passed. These homes appeared to be older but well kept, and many of them had larger toys that indicated children. Jenny’s home, however, was devoid of any such things. Their driver pulled up close to the house, almost as if everyone had left this space clear for them, and shut off the engine. “Okay, we’re here. Now remember, be on your best behavior or I’m sending your butt to Baal with a big, red ribbon tied around it.”

Camulus gave an annoyed look to the General. It would serve no purpose for him to do anything to upset Jennifer at this time. “I am an invited guest, just as you are, General. I will be a gracious one.”

“Just so we’re clear.”

They exited the vehicle. Camulus had been given different clothing better suited to the event. He found the ‘blue jeans’ comfortable, but not as roomy as the BDU pants he normally wore. To the casual observer he could just be another human male, nothing that would arouse suspicion. He caught sight of a young girl who was washing a vehicle a few doors down. She looked to be about fifteen or sixteen summers in age and scantily dressed. At the moment she was no longer paying attention to her task, too busy staring in his direction. The affect this body had on females had always been pleasing, but he was not interested in mere children.

O’Neill pressed a button beside the door and they heard the faint sound of a chime from somewhere inside the house. A few moments later the door was opened by Jenny. She had her hair pulled back and was wearing a light dress and seemed well suited for the heat of the day. Her smile was bright and genuine when she saw who had arrived. “I was beginning to wonder if you guys were going to show. Please, come in!” She stepped aside to allow them entry, accepting a bottle of wine that O’Neill had brought with them as a gift. “Be careful. Davies has commandeered the grill.”

O’Neill growled. “That man couldn’t boil water! Don’t worry. I’ll save dinner. Which way?” Jenny pointed to the East and laughed when the general headed off to stop Major Davies from destroying the food.

“Thank you for inviting me into your home, Jennifer Copeland.”

“Thank you for accepting my invitation, Teal’c. Please, make yourself at home. I could give you the nickel tour if you like.”

“I would be honored.” The Jaffa bowed slightly, which took his eyes off of both of them. Jenny gave Camulus a silent glance of welcome, her blue eyes bright.

“This way, if you please.” The house was two stories, but none of the rooms were overly large. However, since she had liquidated most of what she and her husband had owned jointly, she had been able to purchase furnishings that were better suited to such a place. Upstairs were her bedroom, a guest room ‘for when my father decides to drop by’ and a bath. Downstairs was home to a spacious ‘living room’ that opened to a small dining area with an attached kitchen, another bath and a third bedroom she had opted to use as an office instead. Camulus gave this room an appraising glance. Every wall was hidden by bookshelves which were already half filled. There was a heavy desk in the center of the room with a computer and office supplies. He couldn’t help but comment on it.

“It’s so clean and orderly.”

Jenny rolled her eyes. “I know. I can’t find a thing. Give me a week or two and I’ll have it looking more like me.”

Camulus laughed, but his eyes were busy. He had noted which of the soldiers present looked more like guards. One of them had taken up a position by the front door when they had arrived and he had spotted two more through the glass of the doors leading from the kitchen to the back yard. As he suspected, O’Neill was taking steps to ensure he did not escape.

From somewhere outside Dr. Jackson’s voice rang out, calling for Teal’c. The Jaffa hesitated. “Oh, go on. We’ll be fine.”

“Perhaps I should take Camulus with me.”

“Teal’c, he’s not going anywhere. Go ahead.”

The Jaffa hesitated a moment longer but eventually bowed to Jenny and exited. Camulus waited until he was out of earshot to speak. “Thank you. He was starting to wear on me.”

“They’re just afraid you won’t behave yourself.” She fixed him with a stern gaze. “You will behave yourself, won’t you?”

“Of course.” He helped himself to the chair at the desk. “Is this sort of thing common among the Tau’ri?”

“A Housewarming Party? It is in America, not so much elsewhere. People usually give gifts to the new homeowners to help them decorate the place. I have plenty on my own already and asked that people just bring themselves so we can break the place in properly.” She leaned up against the heavy desk, her stance relaxed and at ease. “The best part is the food, in my opinion anyway.”

Camulus chuckled. “I have wondered how it is you remain so graceful, as much as you appear to enjoy eating.”

She reached out with a playful swat towards his head, but he avoided it easily. “Brat. If you must know, I often forget to eat, so when I do, I eat well. And then there’s tennis and the physical training I have to do in order to keep my certification to go through the gate.”

“Physical training? And you didn’t ask for my assistance? I believe I may be insulted.”

Jenny rolled her eyes, shaking her head. “Somehow I don’t think that me in skin tight spandex alone in a room with you would be a safe thing.”

“Perhaps not, but it could be enjoyable.”

“Behave.”

“I am.”

“Yeah, badly.” She stood up straight. “Remember what I said. We can’t take this any further than co-workers.”

“I remember.” He smiled, keeping his eyes on her face. “Come, let’s join the others before your reputation is damaged.”

O’Neill had taken over the grill, Major Davies looking on with his arms folded over his chest and a put-upon expression on his face. Music was playing from a portable sound system overseen by Walter and small groups of people were chatting together throughout Jenny’s fenced in back yard. Jenny claimed two bottles of beer, handing one to Camulus as she led him over to a set of chairs off to one side.

“Thank you for agreeing to come. I’m sure this will all seem rather silly and boring to you.”

“On the contrary, the more I observe of the Tau’ri the more I am puzzled as to how they continue to thwart all attempts to defeat them. You bicker amongst yourselves constantly, you fall at one another’s throats over something as significant as the color of skin, your tendency towards self-destruction is unmatched by any other sentient race in the galaxy. I don’t see how you’ve lasted this long.”

“Gee, thanks for the compliment.”

He grinned and took a drink of his beer. “Then there is the occasional exception. The clever humans who appear to carry the dead weight of the others. Those few who could actually hold their own against the Goa’uld.”

“Like Colonel Carter and her never ending ability to outsmart the lot of you?” Jenny batted her eyes sweetly as the general hollered out that the food was ready. “Stay put, I’ll get it.” Camulus leaned back in his chair, ignoring the suspicious glances thrown his way by multiple members of the SGC and not bothering to hide the fact that he was keeping an eye on Jennifer. From the angle between them the sunlight illuminated the simple dress she wore, silhouetting her long legs beautifully through the cloth.

He had been without a woman for far too long and the object of his intentions was proving increasingly uncooperative.

She returned after a time with two plates burdened with aromatic foods. She handed one to him with a smile and reclaimed her seat. “Bar-B-Q’ed ribs, a delicacy from the South. Don’t try eating them with silverware or I’ll lose all respect for you. The fork is for the coleslaw and potato salad.”

“Understood.” He put down the bottle of beer and examined his meal. The sauce on the meat seemed… messy, but he saw that Jenny had no qualms about picking up the ribs and biting the tender meat from the bones. The food was good and went well with the cold beer. What drew his attention, however, was when Jenny stopped to lick the sauce from her fingers every now and again. She seemed completely oblivious to the attention she drew, not just from him, but also from several other young men present. It didn’t seem to occur to her that watching her lick at her own long, delicate fingers might put dangerous thoughts in the heads of others.

All in all it was a pleasant afternoon. Though he wasn’t allowed to see much of the Tau’ri home world, he did enjoy the chance to be out of the base and on the surface. The fresh air was a welcome change from the recycled atmosphere of the base. The delicate scent of the roses in the back yard garden behind Jenny’s house hung in the air, matching perfectly with the feeling of the afternoon. The only thing that would have made it better would have been… if he and Jenny were someplace other than Earth.

“Where did that idea come from? What would you do with her if you had her? It’s not as though O’Neill will leave us alone with her more than an hour at a time, and we’ve never been that brief.” An image of Jenny resting peacefully in a large bed draped in fine furs, her pale skin contrasting seductively against the darkness, flashed through his mind. Instead of being annoyed at his host for the idea, he lowered his chin to hide the smile playing at the corners of his mouth.

O’Neill came over to where he and Jenny were sitting, his expression wary. “So, Doc, have you discussed your idea with our guest?”

Jenny washed a mouthful of slaw down with her beer and swallowed. “I haven’t had the chance yet, but since you brought it up…”

Camulus looked politely puzzled. “Idea?”

“Yeah, an idea. I… uhm… was asking the General here about the possibility of enlisting your help with a couple of off-world trips, to follow up on preliminary reports other SG teams brought back.”

“She’s apparently looking for something she thinks you can help her find.”

His sword. Camulus kept his face carefully passive. “You mean I would actually be able to do something other than sitting in hole in the ground and be poked by your barbaric medical staff? Interesting.”

Jenny grinned. “Is that a yes?”

“Hold on! I haven’t said that I’d let him go.”

Camulus arched a brow in O’Neill’s direction as Jenny sighed. He had spent enough time with her to recognize when she was about to go into one of her lectures. “General, what harm is there in letting him go? He has no army, I’m not asking that you arm him and he’ll be under the supervision of a unit of soldiers.”

“And who’s going to keep an eye on him?”

“Me.”

Both men blinked at the woman between them. Camulus smiled and took another drink of his beer. O’Neill looked dumbfounded. “You?”

“Why not? It’s my idea.” Jenny looked from the general to Camulus and back again. “I’ll play watch dog. Besides, I want him there to help me in my research anyway.”

O’Neill held up his hands to silence them both. “I’ll take it under consideration. Until then, he doesn’t set foot through the ‘gate. Understood?”

Camulus slid his gaze over to Jennifer who was rolling her eyes. “Understood, Mister General, Sir!”

---------------------------------------------------

In the end it had taken the addition of three seasoned soldiers added to the team before O’Neill would sign off on Camulus going through the gate. At first it was only for short missions, no more than twelve hours at a time for recon. After a while, however, the need to go into greater detail of information gathered by other teams, and the necessity of Jenny being the one to clarify that details, required that Camulus either be taken out of the equation entirely or allowed on extended excursions.

So far he had proven quite valuable.

As a system lord, Camulus had been to many worlds and had heard of many others. He recognized signs and symbols that the Tau’ri had no idea about. There were subtle hints that even a First Prime such as Teal’c would not have been privy to, allowing him to lead the humans to several secret caches of weapons and technology. The Tau’ri arsenal was now enriched with Goa’uld energy weapons, much of which they shared with the Jaffa rebels who were ever chipping away at the power of his former comrades.

He didn’t regret it for a moment.

Much of the time, however, was spent in close proximity to Jennifer. She was mastering written and spoken Goa’uld quickly, thanks to his patient tutelage, but they still ran across subtle variations brought about by time. She also needed his help in figuring out incomplete phrases where erosion or natural disasters had seriously damaged carvings. Still, she needed very little prodding from him. Her reports had even the infamous Daniel Jackson drooling in envy. Most of the time he was only a ‘sounding board’ for her to bounce her ideas off of. The speed at which she processed and deciphered information was almost too much for even him to keep up with.

“The longer this goes on, the more erratic this guy becomes.”

“You’re certain that it’s him?”

“Oh, I’m certain, all right. I can’t explain it, but it’s almost as though he has an ‘accent’ in his writing.” She looked up from the weathered stone she was kneeling over and caught his skeptical expression. “I know, it sounds silly, but that’s the only way I can put it. It’s the sentence structure and the way he spells certain words. It stands out from the other stuff. Even when he switches from Egyptian to Latin, he doesn’t use what would be considered ‘proper grammar’. He bounces all over the place, but the basic build of his phrases stays roughly the same.”

“So he was descending further and further into his own madness.” Crouching down next to Jenny, Camulus peered at the weathered stone. In truth, he quickly grew bored with this work, but he never tired of her endless enthusiasm. He had to wonder what mystery would ensnare her after she had solved this one. “I’m surprised you can keep it all straight.”

“The dark secret of archeology: We’re all a little mad. No sane person could do this job and do it well.”

He had to laugh at that. They were, for the most part, alone. Three men were left to guard the perimeter around the gate (and ensure that he did not try to escape through it), three were currently scouting the dense forest area around the clearing where they had found the ruins of a temple and one was about fifty feet from them. Jenny called the last their ‘chaperone’, since she strongly suspected that he was there because the general didn’t trust Camulus to keep his hands to himself. Camulus was inclined to agree. There was something fatherly about O’Neill’s concern for Jennifer, in an amusing sort of way.

She pulled another chunk of stone from where it was mostly buried in the tightly packed ground around them and turned it over in her hands. It was very much like putting a puzzle together. Time had eroded the pieces so that they did not fit together perfectly, but the basic shape of the original piece was still discernable. Camulus rested back on his heels and watched her as she played with her artifacts, pausing to push an errant strand of hair behind her ear. Her expression was studious; her eyes alight with excitement as she nibbled on her lower lip in concentration. He felt the desire to rid her of the pushy and demanding soldiers of her team, banishing their schedules and deadlines so that she could remain here as long as she needed to, uninterrupted by such petty concerns as orders.

The small radio by Jennifer’s hip crackled, breaking it’s long silence. The hushed voice of Major Davies could be heard. “Janson, did you see that? The movement inside the tree line.”

“No, Sir, I… wait… there it was.”

“All units report.”

Jennifer’s hand switched the soft bristled brush she had been using to her free hand automatically as she reached for the unit, not looking down. From his place twenty feet away their guard did the same for his own. In order of rank the various members started to confirm their presence. Jenny was always last since she was the civilian in the group, but she never got the chance. The sound of energy weapons firing pulled her attention away from the stones in front of her and in the direction of the Stargate. Weapons fire from the Tau’ri P-90’s soon followed.

The soldier left to watch over them took cover behind a fallen pillar. Camulus scanned the tree line. His superior vision caught sight of men in what looked like Jaffa armor. With a curse he reached out and gripped Jenny’s arm tightly, pulling her closer to the ruins of the temple and pushing her to the ground beside him. An energy blast from a staff weapon missed his head to pulverize a portion of the rock behind him.

Davies’ voice broke over the radio. “We’re under fire! I repeat; we’re under fire! Copeland! What’s your situation?”

Jenny depressed the button on her hand held. “We’re getting hit here, too!” She tilted her head just enough to peer over the ledge Camulus had thrown her behind and saw Sergeant Manning take a hit, falling down and not moving. “They got Ricky!”

Davies gave a curse she probably wasn’t meant to hear. “Try to get someplace where you can hide! Keep out of sight!” The radio went dead.

“Yeah, like that’s an easy order.” With Manning down the weapons fire had lightened up. It looked as though the Jaffa were trying to find out where they were, or they had orders to bring Camulus in alive.

He glared, torn between the desire to tear the men apart and the cold knowledge that the Tau’ri had not trusted him enough to give him a weapon with which he could defend himself and Jennifer. With a growl he grabbed her arm again and pulled her into the remains of the temple. They would have to do their best to hide and hope that the other soldiers were able to get through this unharmed.

The interior of the structure was a study of light and shadows. Occasionally a hole in the ceiling where the rocks had fallen away let sunlight pour through, but there were long expanses of darkness where Jennifer really needed a torch or flashlight to see what was going on. Camulus, however, was more than able to see in the darkness and steered her deeper within the complex. He found a niche that was just big enough for her and pushed her into it. “Stay here.”

“Where are you going?”

“Stay.” He hugged himself close to the wall and made his way back the way they had come. Jenny frowned, the knowledge that he didn’t have so much as a field knife gnawing away at her mind. With a sigh she threw herself back against the wall, drumming at the stone with her fingertips. Had she not been doing so, she would have missed it entirely.

There were depressions in the stone wall much like those made when it was carved. Jenny frowned and turned around quickly, bending down and rubbing her hands over the stone. There was nothing but blackness, making it impossible for her to see what was in front of her. She reached down and wrestled with the buttons of one of her cargo pockets and dug inside for the small key chain that kept the key to her locker on the base. A small, round light was attached to it, mainly to give her something larger to keep track of than anything else. Still, it gave off just enough light when squeezed that she could illuminate about an eight-inch circle.

The carving was in Goa’uld. It was clean and sharp, obviously made with an energy device of some sort rather than traditional hammer and chisel. She tried to shield the light with her body to keep from making herself a target while translating it. “Here lies he who would…” she scratched away a clump of moss that had grown in the damp, “betray his god.”

Her heart began to thunder loudly within her chest and her throat went dry. It seemed too cruel that she might find the answer to the puzzle now, when they were under attack and might all die. With curious hands she began to feel of the cracks and crevices of the wall, seeking some sort of lever or catch that would open wherever the body was entombed. She found a recess a good foot above her head when she was standing on her tip toes and reached inside. She couldn’t see and just had to hope that dust was all that was inside. Something small scurried under her hand when she got too close and it took all her will power not to scream. Finally her fingers wrapped around a lever. It was stubborn from age, but she finally managed to make it give way.

The sound of stone scraping against stone made her blood freeze. She released her grip on the small light so that it blinked off and looked behind her for any sign that she may have drawn attention to herself. She heard nothing, not even the sound of a scuffle. She looked back and peered into the darkness, her nose wrinkling at the smell of stale air. Patting her pockets she realized that she didn’t have a bandana or handkerchief with her, and her facemasks were left behind in their haste to get out of sight. Going into a long-sealed room was unwise. Most of the ‘mummy’s curses’ were actually the result of deadly molds and fungi that grew within enclosed places. Wanting to avoid any serious illnesses she pocketed her key and light and pulled the black cotton shirt she wore off. It wasn’t perfect, but it would have to do in a pinch.

She wrapped the shirt around her mouth and nose, tying it the best she was able behind her head. Taking her little light out again she slowly made her way into the room. It was hard to see anything in the blackness and she scooted her feet forward an inch at a time, scanning the floor in sections. Archeology made her patient, if nothing else. You could spend hours uncovering just one clay pot if you wanted to do so without damaging it. Forcing herself to ignore the dire nature of her current situation, she continued her search.

They had thrown him in here without shoes or boots. The yellow tinged bones of his left foot were the first things she found. She trailed the light upwards over coarsely woven cloth that appeared brittle with age. The clothing lay baggy and loose on the empty frame. The design of the clothing was close to what it should be. Cautioning herself not to get too hopeful, she panned the light over from side to side. She frowned as she encountered the right hand. It had been wrapped up in strips of cloth like makeshift gloves. Panning over to the other side she found the left hand also bound, only this hand was wrapped around the hilt of the greatest treasure she could have imagined.

She lowered herself to her knees beside the skeleton to get a closer look. Dust and pale lichen had grown over the length of the blade, but the gleam of tempered naquadah still glimmered in places. She smiled under the cloth of her shirt and reached out to scratch at the lichen with a fingernail. As the skin of her thumb came in contact with newly exposed metal she felt a searing burn in her hand. “Yeowch!” She shook her hand out in reflex. Suddenly the hand wraps seemed quite clear.

Reaching over she studied the wrappings on the empty hand. The fabric was too brittle with age for her to use. She pondered her predicament for a moment before reaching up to untie the shirt from her head. She kept the cloth over her face long enough to take a deep breath of air, holding it. Quickly she took the shirt and used it to wrap around the hilt of the sword. She stood up, meaning to lift the blade with her and found that it was far heavier than she had anticipated. She had handled bastard swords in college, barely, while studying the time period. Those blades were heavy enough, but the naquadah in this sword made it even heavier. She forced herself to keep her breath inside and started to move backwards, dragging the blade with her. It scraped against the stone floor as she moved as quickly as she could into the cleaner air of the corridor outside.

She turned her head away from the door of the chamber, taking deep, cool breaths. She wondered if a Jaffa would even have the strength needed to skillfully wield this blade, or maybe she was just weaker than she had thought herself to be. She couldn’t wait to get it into the light and clean it off. She couldn’t wait to see the Invincible Sword of Mars Camulus in all it’s glory.

The sound of an energy weapon and an enraged roar reached her ears from somewhere in the direction Camulus had gone. The reality of the moment came crashing back down upon her. She almost cried out for him, to let him know that she had the blade, but she stopped herself. Pushing away from the wall she gripped the hilt tightly once more and started to take it with her towards the battle.

~***~
He had already killed two of his would-be captors with his bare hands. That one of them still bore his mark upon his forehead had only served to enrage him further. Baal was so bold as to send his own Jaffa to destroy him! This insult would not go unanswered. He had taken up the staff weapon from the fallen traitor and was using it to fight the remaining three. It would seem that the Jaffa sent to claim him had not been aware of what it took for a Goa’uld to be considered a god of war. They were clearly unprepared to face the warrior before him.

He dispatched one of them and was concentrating mainly on the second while keeping the whereabouts of the third clearly in his mind. By keeping the second Jaffa between himself and the third he had an effective shield against more weapons fire. It had been foolish for them to follow him into the narrow halls of the fallen temple. There wasn’t enough room for more than two to fight in these close quarters. The rush of adrenaline, the blood pounding in his ears, the heat and power of combat… how he had missed it!

The close quarters staff combat was easy for him. His opponent was by no means his equal. Apparently the other Jaffa noticed this as well, for he chose to ignore any warriors’ code or sense of honor and opted to fire upon his comrade instead. The surprise and shock of the action was clear on the dying soldier’s face. Camulus refused to let it distract him and gripped the staff weapon, aiming it towards the remaining Jaffa. The other warrior grimaced, preparing to fire on a man he had been raised to believe was a god, all in the name of his own god. Facing as he was, the Jaffa didn’t see what Camulus did. He didn’t know about the flash of pale skin or see the swiping motion made with something long and heavy held by slender arms. From the lack of change in his expression, Camulus doubted he was even aware of the blade cutting into his neck, ending his life.

Camulus lifted the staff weapon away from its direction, secure in the belief that Jennifer would not attack him, not even if she could lift the sword without trouble. He watched as the Jaffa fell, the momentum of it pulling the sword blade down and Jenny along with it. She winced with discomfort. The reason why was easily detected. The force of the swing, coupled with the weight of the sword, had pulled one of her shoulders out of socket. He moved closer, his eyes checking her for any other signs of injury. He saw that she had wrapped her shirt around the hilt of the blade to avoid the technology within it from burning her, but there was an angry red mark on her injured shoulder where she had been forced to rest it briefly in preparation of her blow.

He put the staff weapon against one of the walls before bending down. He took hold of the sword with one hand and wrapped the other around Jenny to help her up. The weight of the blade in his hand was like and old friend. The hum of power recognized him instantly as he lifted it up, holding it out at arms length to study it. “You did it.”

Jenny shivered, the chill of the air getting to her now that the stress of the moment was fading. She tried to see the sword, but there wasn’t enough light for her to make out any great detail. “Funny thing about the alcove you left me in. It had all this writing in it.”

Camulus smiled, pulling her closer so that the warmth of his body would banish some of the chill. “What is it that the Tau’ri say? ‘Fortune favors the bold’?”

“Or the extremely lucky.” She winced as she pulled away from him to try and tug her shirt back on. Her wounded shoulder was tender. “What’s with the burning thing?”

“The blade recognizes only it’s master.” He concentrated and sent an arc of flame over the length of the sword, scouring the dust and lichen from it so that it gleamed as if it had just been forged the day before. “You would consider it an ‘anti-theft’ deterrent.”

“Impressive.”

He looked down at the woman beside him. He could almost hear the desire she had to study the blade at length. It represented a wealth of history and a chance to banish misconceptions those in her profession had labored under for decades. “Later, Dear One. First we get to safety. Then you can examine it until it no longer interests you. I promise.”

“What’s the plan?”

“The plan is that you stay close to me and do exactly what I say.” She frowned, chewing on her bottom lip. “What?”

“It’s just occurred to me that I’ve done the one thing I wasn’t supposed to do?”

“Which is?”

“Allow you to be armed.”

“And what use could a sword be against staff weapons?”

“An ordinary sword, nothing. A simple blade made of a naquadah and steel alloy, still not much. A sword that recognizes it’s owner by touch and can erupt into flame… that makes me wonder what else it can do.”

Camulus gave her a warm smile, lifting his hand up to snake under her arm and rest against the shoulder. “Brace yourself.” He saw her tense her jaw line, taking a breath. With a quick move of his hand he popped the shoulder back into place. She blanched a bit, but did not yell or faint. Her strength pleased him as he lifted his hand to cradle her cheek. “You have nothing to fear from me, Jennifer. Put your trust in me. I will keep you safe.”

She couldn’t see him well enough to note his expression, and at the moment she had little choice to do otherwise. She swallowed and gave a shaky nod. “All right. You’re the boss.”

He brushed a light kiss against her forehead. “Stay close.”

He led the way out of the temple ruins, placing one of Jenny’s hands on his waist so that she would not be separated from him. Taking it slow, he kept his senses alert for sounds of enemy soldiers. As they exited into the sunlight he felt Jenny flinch, unable to adjust as quickly as he could to the sudden change in brightness. He waited for her to re acclimate, taking the time to scan the area. The soldier’s body was gone, most likely taken to whatever transport vessel the Jaffa had arrived in. With a sarcophagus he could be revived for interrogation.

Also missing were Jennifer’s pack and work kit. She had apparently noticed it as well. “Crap! They got my GDO. We don’t have any way to signal the SGC to open the iris.”

“Will they?”

“Not without the specific key code. They could punch numbers at random but the chances of hitting the right one are astronomical. We’re given new codes each trip and if you’re more than twenty-four hours late in reporting in they shut the code out and you’re screwed.” She sighed. “We’ve got to find a GDO.”

Camulus smiled, knowing that she couldn’t see him with his face turned from her. “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of everything.” He moved towards the tree line. The sound of a horn caught their attention, making them both pause in the heavy brush. There was no answering call, the other contingent of Jaffa lying dead within the temple ruins. “Stay here and do not move until I say.” She nodded, crouching down in the underbrush.

He moved a good fifteen feet away from her, taking cover behind a massive tree. He could hear the Jaffa moving closer. Smiling to himself he lifted the sword, thinking to it. The hum of power began to build within it, steadying out so that it matched his own heartbeat. He watched and he waited. When the line of Jaffa make into view through the trees he made a sharp, arching slice with the sword. A wave of energy erupted from it, cutting through the trees and the Jaffa with a deafening roar. Splinters and leaves swam through the disturbed air, mingling with the copper scent of blood.

He waited just long enough to be certain that there were no survivors before making his way back to Jennifer. She had her hands over her ears, her eyes glued to the now broken remains of what had been several large trees. Camulus reached down and took hold of her elbow, pulling her to her feet and resuming their journey towards the Stargate. He suspected that the rest of Major Davies’ team was either captured or dead… or both. There wouldn’t have been any reason to believe that he was with them, that he had ever been allowed to leave Earth. They should be unchallenged.

The remains of the campsite had been picked clean. Nothing more than the tents and the now cold campfire remained. The equipment and packs had been taken, most likely in hopes that they would yield the codes to open the Tau’ri iris or military secrets. There was nothing technological left. He knew that the lack of Tau’ri soldiers or a GDO made Jenny nervous, but he found it quite liberating.

He hurried the pace to the Stargate, pausing at the tree line when he heard the sounds of a Hatak taking off. Both of them watched the ship leave the atmosphere. Jenny’s fingers tightened on his wrist. “The others are in there.”

“Most likely.” He looked over his shoulder to her. “However, the Tau’ri are nothing if not resourceful. You should have more faith in your soldiers and you allies. If Davies or O’Neill do not figure out a way to get them back, then most likely the Asguard or the Tok’ra will see to it.” He pulled her forward. “Right now we need to see to our own escape.”

“How do we get back? You know they won’t open the iris for us without the codes.” She sighed. “But if we wait, they’re likely to send a team to find out what happened.”

Now was not the time for her to remember how clever she was. “Even now your team is being taken to Baal or one of his lieutenants. They will be healed, revived and tortured for information, which could very well include that you and I were part of the team. I am not willing to wait and see who comes looking for us first, and I’m not willing to allow you to remain behind to fall into enemy hands.”

“Then where are we to go?”

He looked towards the Stargate. “To a safe haven. Someplace Baal does not know about.” He took her hand and led her from the cover of the trees, moving quickly. “We have to be quick. There was bound to be more than one Hatak vessel. The Jaffa that took your team will notice when the others fail to return.” He released his grip on her to dial the coordinates he needed.

Jenny watched on, her brow furrowed with uncertainty. The wormhole was established with a rush of energy before the event horizon stabilized. He turned and reached out to her, but she hesitated. “Where are we going?”

Camulus stepped closer. “I told you to put your trust in me and I will keep you safe. I will keep that promise.”

“Where?”

He took a breath, leveling his gaze at her as he contemplated what he should tell her. “I had a few planets in my domain that were not part of the charted worlds, planets that the other system lords did not know about.”

“And that you didn’t tell us about.”

He put a hand to her cheek. “I could not be certain that the Tau’ri would grant me asylum as I requested. I kept them secret in case I needed a place to hide for myself and those still loyal to me. I am taking us to one of those worlds. We will be safe there.” He gave her a gentle smile, rubbing her cheekbone with a thumb. “Trust in me. I would never bring you to harm.”

She frowned, worrying her lower lip again and clearly torn in what she should do. He could almost hear her thoughts. She had nowhere else to go. If she stayed here there might be a rescue mission, but the Goa’uld who now had her team might also come back first, searching for him. If she left, she would be at his mercy, dependent on him rather than how it had been up until now.

Still, he knew that Jennifer would want to live. She nodded her head, reaching up to take hold of his hand. “All right.”

He smiled and pulled her towards the gate, leading her through to safety.

-----------------------------------------------------------

He never knew that his host had the ability to see into the future.

Camulus smiled to himself as he leaned against the support that helped frame the doorway that separated the main room from the sleeping chamber. The current scene that had him smiling was that of the large bed his followers provided for him. It was covered in exquisite furs, but the truly beautiful part was Jennifer sleeping peacefully among them.

On each of his ‘hidden’ worlds a lodge was kept for him, a place of his own for when he returned. For added protection the settlements were Norse in layout and design. Most Goa’uld ships would avoid them out of concern that they may be under the care of the Asguard. He avoided large cities and palaces, for those would attract unwanted attention. His residences were more like hunting lodges, but they were comfortable.

It hadn’t taken long for the chieftain he had left in charge of this particular settlement to come out to meet them, along with a small guard. Camulus had cut their welcomes short, pointing out that Jenny was both wounded and weary. When they reached the settlement he had turned her over to the care of the chieftain’s mother and two daughters. Jenny had been taken into the lodge meant for him while he met with the men of the settlement and, later, leaders of the Jaffa contingent encamped close by. The news was somewhat pleasing. He had just a little over one third of his men left, not enough for a direct assault, but enough to make strategic hits. Also good to know was that three ships had been completed and work was continuing on the Death Gliders. His forces were not as grand as they once were, but they would do for a start.

He had left the meeting in the company of his First Prime, listening to the rest of the report. As they had grown closer to the lodge he saw the old woman leaving, Jennifer’s dirty and blood splattered clothing rolled up in her arms. Camulus dismissed the soldier by his side and entered the lodge, noting at once that the hearth had been lit, flooding it with warmth. The metal tub had been emptied and refilled with hot water, steam rising from the surface. He had picked up an empty goblet and sniffed curiously. Mulled wine with additional herbs to help her sleep in spite of her discomfort from her injured shoulder. Content in the knowledge that she was getting much needed sleep, Camulus opted to avail himself to the bath first.

He replaced a staff weapon resting in an ornate rack with his sword, giving the blade a loving caress before turning away and stripping off the Tau’ri uniform he was wearing. Now that the rush of combat had faded, his skin felt sticky and uncomfortable with sweat, dirt and blood. It was more of an irritation than anything serious, but he did not wish to retire while still in such a disheveled state. He scrubbed the filth from his skin and hair before getting out and drying himself off before the fire. None of the other Goa’uld remembered the simple pleasures of a life such as this. They had become too soft and pampered in their existence, forgetting the times when even a god had to struggle to survive.

His sensitive hearing picked up the sound of Jennifer mumbling restlessly in her sleep, drawing his attention back to the current place and time. Tossing aside the cloth provided to dry himself with he walked over to a case resting on a small table. Inside were a ribbon device and a healing device. That shoulder needed tending to as well as various scrapes and bruises she had gained in their flight. He slipped it onto his hand and walked towards the other room. That was when he found her sleeping soundly in the bed meant for him.

The people here did not bother with such things as sleepwear. They kept one another warm on cold nights. Jennifer’s clothing had not been replaced, but she seemed to have adjusted well. Or she was too weary to really be concerned by it. One of her long, shapely legs had worked its way out from under the furs, the pale skin contrasting beautifully against the sea or black and dark brown. Her long, thick hair was spread out around her and the furs just barely covered her chest. The image was marred only by the one shoulder, swollen and turning a dark, ugly shade of purple.

He pushed himself away from the doorframe and approached the bed. Jenny stirred sleepily as his weight settled down beside her, crystal blue eyes cracking open to look at him. Her expression was petulant, as if unhappy to have been disturbed from her slumber, but he merely gave her a gentle smile and urged her to turn over to lie more directly on her side. She watched him as he brought up the hand device and hovered it over the delicate joint. Reaching out through the device he could ‘see’ the damage inside. Tendons were stretched and strained, one of them actually torn. The damage was fresh, however, and easily repaired. He heard her sigh softly as the pain receded.

“Thank you.”

He brushed a stray lock of hair aside before pushing her onto her back. The other injuries were minor in comparison. Some abrasions where thorns from vegetation and snagged at her skin, a few bruises from unnoticed collisions. She started to pull away when he got to places that would require her to bare more skin than would be considered modest, but he kept her from doing so with a firm hand. Her discomfort was evident on her face as he sealed the cuts and scrapes on her upper thigh and the bruises across her midsection. His hand hovered over the three, shiny pinky scars on her abdomen, the reminders of the brutal attack from years past. Curious, he reached out into her womb with his mind. He saw the scars there, the damage that made her body inhospitable to new life. It was too old and too severe for a mere hand device, but a day and a night within a sarcophagus would be more than sufficient to restore her fertility.

It was no more than what she deserved for all that she had given him so far.

He sat up, removing the healing device and setting it aside. Jenny took the opportunity to cover herself again, coming up onto her elbows. “Where did you go?”

“There were matters I needed to attend to.” He turned back to her, inclining along the bed so that there was very little space between them.

“Are you aware that you’re naked?”

He arched an amused brow. “I could inquire the same of you.” He reached out with one hand and trailed a length of fur along her leg. “And more so in some areas, I noticed.” He was referring to the extent to which she had removed unwanted body hair from her person. The reminder made her blush, even in her semi-drowsy state. “I am assuming that is a practice that traveled to North America from the east.”

“Actually it’s a practice I fell into in college because of my love for micro-bikinis during Spring Break.”

He didn’t understand the explanation, but he wasn’t going to complain about the affect. He continued to trail the soft fur over her, smiling as her skin reacted by coming up into ‘gooseflesh’. He could sense her desire to relax into his touch conflicting with her sense of ethics demanding that she move away from him. He couldn’t help but feel that ethics were highly overrated as he brushed the fur over one breast for the briefest of moments before blowing across them.

“No.” She sat up quickly and inched away. “We can’t.”

“And why not?” She gave him an incredulous look and was about to answer when he interrupted her. “We are not on Earth. This is not Stargate Command. There are no generals or scholars or politicians for you to answer to.” He shifted his body so that he had one arm on either side of her, the width of his torso leaning over her. “You do not have to be the perfect archeologist. Here you do not have to be Doctor Copeland. You need be no one else but Jennifer, and you need be nothing other than a woman.”

Her lips parted to take a breath, but he pressed forward before she could speak, sealing them with his own. There was a brief, muffled protest before she dared to accept it. He could feel the exact moment when she surrendered to him and he claimed that surrender before her pesky morals had the chance to rear up again. With a firm pressure he removed the fur between them and cradled her close.

Slender arms strengthened by years of digging and lifting stone artifacts, wrapped around him, fingers curling into his hair. Once she had banished her conscience, Jenny was a much more uninhibited partner. The reminder that there was no one here but they, no surveillance cameras or over-protective generals, was like a magic wand, freeing her to let go. Camulus pulled back long enough to pull her back down from the pillows she had tried to escape to. The fur brushing against her skin made her shiver. He smiled down at her as he covered her again, his hands slipping up and under her to hold her close.

There was an almost lighthearted playfulness to their lovemaking. For every kiss shared, there was a playful nip. No inch of skin went unexplored by either of them as they finally took the chance to learn one another. All the cat-and-mouse games were over, the dodging maneuvers Jenny had been executing to evade his often un-subtle advances tossed out of the playbook entirely. When he finally did coax her to wrap those long, glorious legs of hers around him, she was the one who let her head fall back with a blissful sigh.

They connected with one another perfectly. Both of them had been without a lover for so long that they didn’t move at first, savoring the sensation of the moment in silence. When he began to thrust within her, it didn’t take long for her body to respond in kind. Each whispered words of encouragement to the other, neither of them pretending to be shy or uncertain. It was Jenny who reached her climax first, however. He could recall ever having heard a more lovely sound than the way she gasped his name as she shuddered. He followed her soon after, squeezing her tight as he emptied himself into her.

Camulus rolled over onto his back, carrying Jenny with him so that she was lying upon his chest, her head resting just below his collarbone, her hair fanning out over her sweat-dampened back. In a moment of nostalgia he contemplated that it was very much like ‘old times’. The day had begun with bloodshed and battle, and it had ended with a warm and willing woman in his bed.

He could not think of a more perfect day.

--------------------------------------------------------

She woke up to low speaking voices around her. She was feeling far too mellow to open her eyes just yet. The furs were warm and her body still tingled from her previous activities. Camulus had let her catch her breath after the first time. The second time, however, he had drawn things out, reducing her to near tears by bringing her just to the brink of climax before stopping to let her fall back down again no fewer than four times. In the end she had resorted to some rather brutal threats, to which he laughed but did finally let her finish.

The voices were both male, one of the Camulus’. The language was a mix of Goa’uld and Gaelic, switching back and forth so that it was a bit hard to separate. She relaxed and let her mind make the translations automatically. The Gaelic was easy; she had learned that back in college. The Goa’uld was a bit trickier, but not impossible. The man who wasn’t Camulus was advising him of training schedules and weapons tests. He was also advising him that the soldiers were ready for his inspection. Camulus was replying that he was ready.

A large, warm hand slipped under the furs to run up along the back of her thigh gently. She felt his breath upon her cheek before his lips pressed against the spot just under her ear he had found the night before. A shiver ran over her entire body as a little whimper escaped her. “Sleep. I will return later.” Reflex made her turn her head back and he accepted the invitation, kissing her deeply as his hand gave one buttock a firm squeeze. When he pulled away she allowed her head to fall back upon the bed, her eyes barely open as she watched him fasten his cloak and turn to leave with the man who must have been standing in the doorway still.

She really didn’t want to wake up just yet. If she woke up then she would have to return to being responsible. She’d have to remember that she was breaking all sorts of protocols and rules by her actions last night. It didn’t matter that she couldn’t even recall the last time she had been held with that much tenderness or when she had actually, truly enjoyed lovemaking; she wasn’t supposed to play footsie with the Goa’uld.

However, there were down sides to being as clever as she was. Even as Jenny tried to return to sleep, snuggling down deep into the furs, her mind was whirring. Synapses fired as her brain processed all the information from the time that they fled from their attackers at the temple up to the conversation she had overheard. Just as she was about to slip back into dreams, one word sounded loudly in her mind, making her sit up suddenly, staring at the now empty doorway.

“Soldiers?”

She frowned, her mind recalling the file on Camulus and the record of his conversation with Dr. Weir. “I have nothing left with which to fight.” He had claimed that his fleet and armies had been destroyed, that he was unable to hold his territories and they had fallen to Baal. However, he did have a few worlds he could still claim, worlds that the other Goa’uld had not known of. He had told her that they were so that his people had a place to run to, a safe haven. Certainly that would include his Jaffa, but how many ‘soldiers’ did he have left? Enough for strategic raids, perhaps? Sabotage teams? Simple planetary defense?

An uneasy feeling was starting to settle in the pit of her stomach. The other man had also mentioned weapons test. Was Camulus still trying to create new weapons? Who had he planned to use them on, Earth or Baal? She swallowed, her warm, fuzzy feeling starting to dissipate.

She heard the door of the lodge open and giggling voices of women. Clutching the fur to her chest she watched the doorway until the old woman from the night before appeared, her two granddaughters behind her. The woman smiled, her hands bearing a platter of food, which she carried into the room and placed on the bed beside Jenny.

“It’s time you were up and about. You need to eat something more substantial than what you had last night.”

If anyone had told her she would actually use the Gaelic she had learned in casual conversation, she would have thought they were mad. “Thank you.” She accepted a warm bun from the plate, noting that it was slightly sticky from some type of sweet glaze. “Where has Camulus gone?”

The old woman seemed slightly discomfited by Jennifer’s casual address. “Our Lord has gone out to see his Jaffa. They have been preparing for his return.”

“How… how many Jaffa are there here?”

The woman smiled as she smoothed back part of Jenny’s hair. “Oh, don’t you worry your pretty head over warriors and armies. Lord Camulus will see to such matters. Your job is to remain strong and healthy. Eat up.” She walked away from the bed before she could note that the ‘pretty head’ bristled at such patronizing treatment. “Your clothes were beyond repair, but we have found something that should suffice until more suitable garments can be made. I do apologize that we have nothing befitting your station.”

Jenny swallowed. “My station?” There was no response as the woman ordered her granddaughters to fill the large tub. She frowned and tore another chunk out of the bun. ‘Pretty head?’ ‘Her station?’ She wished she had Lt. Colonel Carter’s gift for confronting such medieval behavior. Hell! It predated even medieval behavior!

By the time she had finished her bun and two hunks of strong cheese, followed by a goblet of cool water, her bath was ready. This time, thankfully, she didn’t have to worry about the hair as the women gathered it up and fastened it out of the way. Now that the shoulder wasn’t hurting her any longer and she had enjoyed a good night’s sleep, for the most part, she wasn’t as patient with the personal service they offered. She was even less happy about the grandmother’s insistence that she submit to being rubbed down with oil that had been steeped with flowers and sweet herbs. She would have protested more strongly if she hadn’t figured Camulus would question her about refusing his hospitality.

She dressed quickly in the clothes they had brought for her, lacing up the fur-lined boots impatiently. “Which way did they go?”

“They went over the ridge, but they should be back before the evening meal.” Jenny stood up and moved towards the door. “My lady?”

“I’m just going to see what they’re doing. I’m sure I’ll be okay.” She left before the woman had a chance to voice any further protestations. When she stepped outside the lodge she was suddenly reminded how chilly it was here. She could see her breath on the air in white plumes and by the bright green buds on the trees she guessed it to be this world’s equivalent of spring. Hoping that she’d warm up once she got moving, she scanned the village until she found what looked like an extremely well beaten path. It seemed the most likely direction.

The path was muddy and plain, but deeply rutted from cargo wheels and churned by countless footprints. She kept to the tree line where decaying leaves from the previous fall made it a bit easier to travel. As she moved further and further from the village, there was a growing sound of weapons fire, both that of energy weapons and what sounded like projective weapons such as Earth’s firearms. She lifted the skirt of her dress up to facilitate movement and crested over a ridge framed in dense tree growth. The sight of what lay below in the valley stunned her.

They wore no armor, nothing to indicate that they were Jaffa, but instead wore clothing much like that of the male villagers. What gave them away was that a great number of them carried staff weapons. She was too far away to see clearly, but she thought she could see the outline of what looked like traditional firearms, much like those the SGC would issue to it’s soldiers. She recalled the murmured talk of weapons testing and realized that Camulus must be trying to take advantage of the weakness in traditional Goa’uld protections that her own people had discovered; they had advanced to far that they had left themselves vulnerable to more primitive arms.

What surprised her most of all was the sheer number of warriors below. This was more than a few hundred or even a few thousand. She was pretty sure it might even be more than a few tens of thousands. There were countries on Earth that could not boast an army this size, and behind them rose what looked like a nearly completed Goa’uld mother ship.

“You lying son-of-a-bitch.” Her heart felt as though someone was squeezing it in a tight fist within her chest. She had always known that Camulus couldn’t fully be trusted, but the sheer magnitude of his falsehood felt very much like a personal betrayal. All the time they spent together, all the times they had spoken, and he had never once hinted that he still had the ability to call up this large of a force. He had never hinted he could call up any size force.

She felt the odd hum of the naquadah in her blood stir about the same time there was the tell tale snap-hiss of a zat being readied. She sighed and raised her hands slowly. “Forward” came the gruff command, urging her to proceed down the path leading over the ridge and into the valley.

~***~

Camulus was very pleased with the Tau’ri styled weapons he had ordered his men to develop before Baal had begun to push into his dominion. They would not do much against the Kull, but they would be as effective against enemy Jaffa as the Tau’ri’s own weapons. The other Goa’uld had refused to see the benefit of reverting back to such tools, blinded by their pride and their arrogance.

“These weapons are loud and not as intimidating as our staffs, but they have proven to possess great destructive potential.”

“Part of the reason the Tau’ri continues to thwart all attempts to conquer them. The other part is their sheer determination of will.”

“I will admit, My Lord, that I had my reservations when you ordered us to create them.” Camulus’ First Prime frowned as he caught sight of one of his guards coming down the hill with a woman before him. Camulus noted the change of attention and turned to see Jennifer escorted towards them, her hands upheld. He couldn’t help but be amused. The expression on her face was mutinous.

The guard marched her right towards them. “Lord Camulus. I caught this woman spying on us from the ridge.”

“Was she now? How unfortunate.” Camulus smirked as Jenny raised her chin defiantly. “Lower your weapon. Jennifer is my honored guest.” Jenny lowered her hands; her jaw clenched tight as Camulus detached his cloak and draped it over her shoulders to ward off the chill. He was fastening the broach as he spoke to the two Jaffa. “Leave us.”

He kept his hands on her shoulders, holding her in place before him until they were alone. “You are displeased.”

“Funny, learning that a person I’ve been in close quarters with for going on two years now has been lying to me has a way of ticking me off.” She bit the inside of her bottom lip to keep herself from tearing into him with a string of curses that would have made her father blush. “You told us that you had nothing to fight with.”

He nodded. “I did. I learned long ago never to reveal everything, not to a foe or an ally. I told Dr. Weir what she needed to hear for her to agree to grant me asylum.”

“And maintained your story so we would keep you around.” She shook her head, not truly believing her own gullibility.

“I told you that I would return later.”

“Yeah, well, I’m not the kind of girl who can sit around the house and twiddle her thumbs all day. Just how big of an army do you still have?”

“Does it matter?”

“Yes! It matters! You lied to me. I can see lying to O’Neill and to Weir, but you lied to me, the one person who ignored everyone’s warnings and all the conventional beliefs we have regarding the Goa’uld to treat you like a person. Right now you can’t even begin to realize just how pissed off I am!”

He smiled down at her, which made her bristle even more. “You have a temper. I hadn’t realized.” She took a breath to tear into him again but he stopped her by answering. “My forces numbered a bit over two million Jaffa warriors before Baal’s attacks. I have barely one third of that remaining.”

“That’s over six hundred thousand. There aren’t that many here.”

“I did tell you that I had more than one world the other system lords were unaware of. My forces are divided to better hide their numbers.”

“And that?” She nodded towards the mother ship.

He made a non-committal sound in his throat. “The first of what I hope to have as my new fleet. Ships are more difficult. They take time and resources. By comparison the weapons inspired by your Tau’ri rifles were far easier to manage.” He turned his attention back to her, taking note of the firm set of her jaw line. “I still have an inspection to complete and you are in danger from the cold. Return to the lodge and let the village matron see to your comforts. We will discuss this later.”

“Sending me to my room like a naughty child?”

“Actually, it’s my room. And I’m sending you there because you need to calm down.” He rubbed her shoulders briefly. “Go. I will return to you tonight.” He turned her towards the path leading back to the village and gave her a gentle push between the shoulder blades. She walked towards the path without another word, leaving him to stare after her in silence.

~***~

No one stopped her on her way back through the village. The matron didn’t even come out of the main lodge to call her back inside. Jennifer concentrated on not seeming out of place. She tried to keep her pace casual, even offering a brief smile to a pair of women who caught her eye as they were weaving together baskets outside of a lodge. With determined steps she walked through the village and down the less traveled path that went to the Stargate.

She couldn’t dial home, of course, as she still had no way to signal the SGC to open the iris. She couldn’t go back to the world where they were attacked because whatever Goa’uld had come after them there might have returned with search parties. She needed some place where she could get a message of some sort to Command and would also be safe from Camulus or his Jaffa from following her. She went over gate addresses that Davies had made her memorize as she searched out the symbol for this world so she would have a point of origin.

As she located the symbol, one name popped into her mind: Cimmeria. The people there had been given a means to signal Earth that they needed to speak with them and the Asguard’s ‘Hammer of Thor’ would take care of anyone containing a Goa’uld symbiote who might try to follow her. It was a potential safe haven that all SGC personnel were required to learn the address for if they were going to go off world.

She started to punch in the address, the sound of the rings in the ‘Gate sounding far too loud for her comfort. She hoped that she would be able to establish the wormhole and step through before anyone was alerted to her escape. She was up to the sixth symbol when she felt that curious hum again. The ironic thing was, if she’d had a symbiote of her own she probably would have sensed him long before he was able to sneak up on her like that.

One arm wrapped about her and pulled her back against his chest while his free hand slapped down on the center control module to abort the dial. “And interesting choice, Jennifer.”

“Yeah, I hear it’s nice there this time of year.” Why did it have to feel so good to be held against him? She tried to force herself to ignore how nice it was to have his warmth to ward off the morning chill, telling herself that he was in the wrong and she was perfectly within her rights to leave. Internally she was cursing herself for her own weakness. It didn’t matter how great the night before was, great sex wasn’t worth sacrificing her loyalties or her values. She took a breath and prepared to argue her point, but he tilted her face up sharply to look at her. Suddenly, any venting she was going to do was forgotten and even his warmth could no longer be felt.

He was furious. She couldn’t recall ever seeing him that mad before. Alarm bells sounded in her head; just like that time Zeus had looked as though he were about to strike her because she hadn’t automatically backed down from working with Camulus. She felt the blood drain from her cheeks, her breath catching in her throat.

Apparently satisfied that she now understood the seriousness of her misbehavior, he released his grip on her jaw and nodded to a Jaffa who had accompanied him. “Escort Jennifer back to my lodge. Make sure she remains there.” He released her into the care of the soldier, his gaze still coldly dark as she was led away.

--------------------------------------------------------

Jenny had sent the matron and her granddaughters away after she returned to the lodge, throwing Camulus’ cloak haphazardly over a low-seated chair. The Jaffa guard sent to escort her was standing just outside the doorway. She searched the building for a back exit, but found that there was a guard placed there as well. “Just peachy.” She signed and threw herself down onto a smooth bench made from a halved log balanced on wooden braces. “Now what?”

She was left alone within the lodge for hours, until long after the sun had gone down outside and the room had started to grow colder. She tried to busy herself by stoking the fire and adding more wood, but that only entertained her for a few minutes. She couldn’t rest because of her nervousness at what would be said or done once Camulus returned. In the end she gave up and started pacing the floor of the lodge, her heartbeat refusing to slow.

He didn’t announce himself; he just stood in the doorway and waited for her to notice him. She stopped pacing and tried to gauge his temperament by looking at him. It wasn’t possible. His expression was stoic and unreadable. When he neither said anything nor entered further into the lodge, she swallowed and tried to go first. “I have a right to be angry. You deceived me and deceived the SGC.”

“I know. That is why you’re speaking with me.”

Jenny faltered, confused as to why he was speaking in a ‘normal’ voice rather than his usual resonating tone. “Who else am I going to speak with? You’re the one I’m mad at.”

He smiled and finally came further into the lodge. “You’re mad at both of us, actually.” He crossed over and poured himself a mug of ale provided by the village. “I am Calum.”

“Calum?”

“I was a general in Lord Camulus’ armies. He considered me a prodigy, held me in high respect above other, older warriors. We were in a great battle with Ares when his previous host body was wounded farther than he had the ability to heal, and we were unable to get him to his sarcophagus in time. It became my honor to be his new host.”

“This is impossible. The Goa’uld don’t even acknowledge that their hosts still remain.”

The man smiled. “Most of the Goa’uld take unwilling hosts, men and women who are captured because of their physical beauty. My predecessor was not a handsome man. Camulus chose him because he was an excellent warrior, as Camulus himself is a warrior. He was old and battle scarred already. It was just my lord’s good fortune that when it came time for him to take a new host, his current favorite and most loyal general was me.”

She didn’t know how to take this. “You consider it an honor to be a host? Are you insane?”

He drained his ale has he walked closer to her using a wide, circling route. Had she been better trained in tactics she would have noticed it was a stalking maneuver. He set the goblet down on the mantel of the hearth. “Why wouldn’t I? I am as close to being immortal as is possible. Everything Lord Camulus experiences, I experience as well. His victories are my victories. His conquests are my conquests. His lovers are my lovers.” He had reached her, approaching from behind so that he was towering over her. “Tell me,” he began as he pushed her hair out of the way, lowering his face so that his breath brushed over the outer edge of her ear and the sensitive skin around it, “did that idiot you called ‘husband’ ever learn of that one little place…” He brushed his lips over the spot below her ear, causing her legs to buckle. Taking advantage of the situation he scooped her up into his arms and carried her towards the other room.

“Put me down!” She tried to wrestle her way free but he was too strong for her to manage it. He tossed her onto the bed and came down to straddle her hips before she could back away, his hands grabbing her wrists and pinning them over her head.

“You will listen! You feel hurt and betrayed, and perhaps you have a right, but so do we. We comforted you when it was discovered that your marriage was a sham and your husband taken as a host. We protected you during the attack and brought you to safety. We have seen to your comforts and healed your wounds. All this we have done for you, repayment for what you have given us, and you repay our generosity by trying to escape.” He tightened his grip when she tried to break her hands free. “Lord Camulus is enraged. It wasn’t so very long ago that you would have been beaten for your actions, but I asked him to give me this chance to speak with you.”

She glared up at this stranger who held her. “Why would you do that?”

“Because I can see why you are angry. You are not a soldier, but neither are you some pretty little bit without a thought in her head. We have never had the pleasure of a woman who is every bit as clever as a man, and certainly not one who is far more intelligent that most men. We may not like it, but we can understand why you would see our omissions as a betrayal.”

“Then let me go. You have what you wanted.” He arched a brow down at her. “I’ve had all day to think about it. You wanted your damn sword and I’ve found it for you. It must be a nice trade off since the SGC wasn’t likely to dance to your tune.”

Calum smiled, or maybe it was Camulus, she couldn’t be sure any longer. “You are correct. We had hoped to manipulate the Tau’ri until they followed our guidance against the Goa’uld, use their numbers to shore up our armies. However, it soon became apparent that your generals were unlikely to bend to our will. That you had found your clues to our blade was a nice surprise. And you are correct in that we now have what we wanted, everything we wanted, so why would we willingly give any of it up?”

She frowned up at him. His smile grew a bit wider as he lowered himself down until his face was only inches from her own. “Our sword was not the only thing the Tau’ri had to offer. You were wasted as one of O’Neill’s little scholars, tucked away inside a mountain and having to answer to him for everything that you did. We will not keep you so constrained.”

“You have nothing that interests me.”

“There is a device left behind by the Ancients on one of the planets Lord Camulus still holds.” She stopped struggling almost immediately, her expression wary. He smiled, knowing he had her attention at last. “I thought that might interest you.”

Jenny considered denying it, but thought better in the end. “What kind of device?”

“We don’t know, we never figured out how to work it. Perhaps you could discover its secrets.” He moved her arms to her sides so he could wrap his own around her, cradling her close. She licked her lips in contemplation.

“I might have a theory or two. I’d need to see it, first.”

“Not yet.” She gave a jerk, but he merely squeezed her a bit more tightly. “When we could not learn how it worked we took steps to ensure that no one else would be able to use it, either. The power source has been compromised. Another will have to be found before it is safe to let you touch it.” He ran his lips over her jaw line, smiling against her skin when she shivered.

“I’m not in mood.”

“Liar.” He scraped his teeth lightly across the sensitive skin of her throat. “I cannot recall ever knowing a woman as responsive as you. Not even the finest courtesans brought to our bed were as passionate.” He ran his lips down until he could give a delicate lick to the hollow at her throat. “Your husband was a fool to look elsewhere. You have no equal.”

She tried to think of a biting comment to throw back at him, but it was hard for her to think at the moment. Apparently Calum had been paying very close attention to Camulus’ activities the night before. He knew exactly where her weak spots where, rendering her incapable of coherent thought in very little time. The most primal part of her wanted to give in, to repeat the pleasure of the night before. It took all her strength of will twist her body aside under his weight. “NO!”

Calum/Camulus raised his head, his eyes dark. “Very well. Have you little fit of pique. You are entitled to it.” He got up from the bed, releasing her wrists at the last moment. She scrambled back against the headboard. “But do not think that we will allow it to last indefinitely.”

She watched as he turned away, straightening his kilt as he did so. His broad shoulders gave a single shudder. When he turned back around, his eyes flashed bright, making her breath catch in her throat. When he spoke again, it was with his usual, deep resonance. “Do not try to run from me again, Jennifer. You would not appreciate the consequences.” He kept his gaze on her a moment longer, as if attempting to bore the seriousness of his command into her mind with his eyes. Finally, he turned away and left her alone in the lodge.

Jennifer pulled her knees into her chest and took a slow, shuddering breath. She would have to plan her next escape attempt more carefully.

~***~

“Baal doesn’t have him?”

“Definitely not, although he does have the rest of your soldiers.”

Daniel frowned and looked from O’Neill to Jacob. “You said he had the soldiers. What about Dr. Copeland?”

Jacob shook his head. “From what our operatives have told us, both Camulus and Jennifer escaped the attack.”

“Escaped to where, Jacob? We’ve checked every safe haven the teams are given if they’re GDOs are compromised. They’re not on any of them.”

Jacob lowered his head and gave a little shudder as Selmak took over. “There have been reports of swift, strategic raids on armories and holdings of Baal and the other System Lords. These raids seem to have been carried out by Jaffa bearing the mark of Camulus, using weapons much like the Tau’ri firearms. At first the Goa’uld believed that Camulus was guiding your forces in battle.”

“Oh, like that would ever happen!”

“Post combat analysis of the rounds from the weapons, however, proved that they were not strictly of Tau’ri design. The slugs carry a small, naquadah core that allows them to explode upon impact with the target, inflicting serious damage.”

O’Neill exchanged an incredulous look with Sam and Daniel. “Some snake has made weapons based off our technology? Isn’t that working backwards?”

“Not entirely. The Tau’ri have been successful so far partly due to the fact that the Goa’uld have become too self-assured in their technology that they now overlook projectile weaponry. Camulus’ followers have blended your technology with that of the Goa’uld so that they can take advantage of that weakness. The rounds would even have an affect against the kul warriors. It would still be difficult to stop them, but it would be possible.”

Carter frowned. “Wait a minute. Camulus’ warriors?”

“The son of a bitch still had an army.”

Selmak nodded. “Everything seems to confirm that. Not as large as most of the system lords, but his forces never were. Camulus’ strength was in his superior battle tactics and cunning. Right now he is using stealth and quick, precise attacks. Going after energy weapons, stores of weapons grade naquadah and crystals needed to complete ships.”

Sam looked over to Jack. “He’s trying to rebuild his fleet. He’s trying to rejoin the war.”

“And he could do it, now. Reports indicate that it is believed he has regained possession of his sigil of power.”

Daniel blinked. “The Sword of Mars Camulus. Jenny’s pet project.”

“And? So what? It’s a sword!”

Selmak surrendered control to Jacob. “Jack, the sword is the Swiss Army Knife of weapons. It’s a blend of Goa’uld and a technology from an alien race that doesn’t even exist any more. There’s only one of them, and it’s designed only to acknowledge use by Camulus in that particular host body. It has built in protections to burn any ordinary person who touches it. A Jaffa it attacks a bit more strongly and another Goa’uld it immediately begins to incinerate.”

“That would explain why the thief could never find anyone willing to take it off his hands.”

O’Neill nodded. “That’s cool. So it’s picky about who touches it. So what?”

“That’s just part of it, Jack. The records show that the sword can also act as a personal shield. Also, like the Goa’uld ribbon devices, it can be controlled by thought. When he last held the sword, it was reported that Camulus could level a host of soldiers with one swipe of his blade, possibly some sort of energy wave. It was also supposed to be capable of agitating particles to the point of incineration so that it could ‘shoot’ fire.”

“Partial to incineration, was he?” O’Neill sighed. “All right, it looks like our boy Cammy is back in business. The question is; will he be a threat to us? We’re not exactly an important target at the moment. Do we even know where he is?”

Jacob shook his head. “So far we’ve been unable to locate the planet he is using as a base of operations. We do know that it isn’t any of the worlds that were part of his known domain before Baal supposedly destroyed his holdings. Most likely he had something in reserve in case he was pushed to the edge.”

“Uhm… guys?” Daniel sat forward in his chair. “May I remind you that Dr. Copeland is also missing? She was the one who was trying to find the sword. If Camulus has it, then we can probably be safe in assuming that she found it. If Baal doesn’t have her, then it’s likely Camulus does.”

O’Neill winced. “Oh… I think we can bet that Camel Ass has her. We just don’t know what he plans to do with her… after he’s done with what he probably wants to do with her.” He tapped his pen against the conference table, frowning at the polished surface. “Jacob. I want my people back.”

“I know, Jack. The Tok’ra are aware that there is still bad blood between Earth and us after we pulled out of the alliance. However, there have been some changes in the council lately, new members with different ways of thinking.”

“And?”

Selmak took back control of the body. “The Tok’ra Council now sees that the alliance between the Tok’ra, the Tau’ri and the rebel Jaffa was the best chance at bringing an end to the Goa’uld’s domination of this galaxy. We are willing to rejoin with the Tau’ri as allies, and we are willing to extend the hand of friendship to the Jaffa. If we can rebuild the alliance, we stand a much better chance at succeeding.”

“And how do we know that you won’t cut and run on us again?

“Sir.”

“No, Samantha, it’s quite all right. I understand his reluctance.” Selmak nodded and gave a weary smile. “We are sincere, General. As a show of good faith, we stand ready to assist you in locating and reclaiming your captured soldiers.

--------------------------------------------------------

Frank Rice gazed out through the observation window, looking at the seemingly innocuous metal ring in the chamber below. His shoulders were held back, hid jaw set in a determined line. Behind him, Jack exchanged a look with George. The other general was looking less than comfortable. “Captain Rice, we know this is a shock to you. As you know the Stargate Program is of the highest secrecy. We are only able to brief you on it’s existence because of your exemplary military record and the personal requests from two of Joint Chiefs of Staff. Rest assured that General O’Neill and our allies are doing everything they can to get back their missing members.”

“Including my daughter.” Frank turned away from the window, his eyes dark. “The last, serious argument I ever had with my wife involved Jenny’s desire to go into archeology. She was all we had and I had always assumed that she would follow in my footsteps. I had grand visions of a female admiral like Hopper. She had the brains for it. Amanda, on the other hand, wanted her to be anything but a sailor or a soldier. She wanted to keep her safe.” He managed a slight smile. “I agreed with her when she put it like that. Leave it to Jenny to find a way to turn archeology into a contact sport.”

Jack felt a familiar twinge inside his chest. No man should have to face the prospect of burying his child. “Dr. Copeland is a resourceful young woman. She’ll be fine.”

Rice nodded, squaring his shoulders. “This… thing… what did you call them?”

Hammond braced his arms on the table. “They are called the Goa’uld. They’re a parasitic race that enters a host body, usually through the mouth or the back of the neck, and wraps themselves around the spine at the base of the brain, taking over control. An off-shoot, known as the Tok’ra, are allies of ours and tend to keep a host every two to three centuries where a Goa’uld can use technology to extend the life of a host for over one thousand years if it suits them to do so. They once ruled Earth, setting themselves up as gods until the humans of this world rebelled and ejected them. Unfortunately, they do tend to control much of this galaxy.”

“And one of these… things… took over Thomas.”

O’Neill grimaced. “Yeah, it seems that one of them did. Calls itself “Zeus”, but not the one who was here ages ago. A different one. He made a run for it while off world. No word from him since.”

“And this other one? The one we were actually sheltering, the one that you think has my daughter.” Rice’s voice was shaking, but it was more from anger than sorrow. “What of him?”

Ever the one for quirky timing, Daniel chose that moment to come into the room, busily scanning a report as he drank from his coffee cup. Jack perked up immediately. “Daniel! Just in time. Captain Rice here would like to know about Camulus.”

Daniel frowned, switching gears in his mind quickly. “Celtic god of war, not very prominent in history and apparently never the most powerful of system lords. However, recent events would seem to indicate that he’s been hiding a force of unknown size, presumably waiting to strike back at Ba’al.” He handed the report in his hand to General O’Neill.

“Danny, this is Captain Rice. He’s Dr. Copeland’s father.”

The slightly scruffy archeologist blinked in surprise. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Captain.”

“Danny here is your daughter’s direct supervisor. He can’t say enough good things about her.”

“She’s a brilliant linguist and has the ability to think outside the box. Traits that are useful in this program.” Danny faltered a bit, clearly uncomfortable with having stumbled into the debriefing.

“Are you the one who recommended she go through the Stargate?”

“No, actually that wasn’t me.”

Hammond cleared his throat. “Putting your daughter on a team was the initial idea when we brought her into the SGC. However, as you recall, there have been several major events in her life that required us to delay that plan. She was an invaluable resource when studying and deciphering data brought back from off-world missions.”

“And she’s been an even bigger help since she started going off-world herself.” O’Neill leveled a gaze at the aged officer. “Your daughter is a brave and intelligent woman. Any man would be proud to be her father.”

“I am proud, but I’m also her father. And right now my only child isn’t at home, she’s not even on the planet. An enemy has her and we haven’t a clue where she is.” He looked back at Hammond. “General, I’d like to request a transfer into the SGC. I want to be part of this.”

Hammond frowned. “Captain, the SGC doesn’t have a lot of positions for Naval officers. You have been given clearance to be briefed on this project and we will keep you apprised of any new information.”

“With all due respect, General, that’s not good enough. I need to be part of this, to be part of bringing Jenny back home.”

“General Hammond, if I may, he is a career officer and used to command and tactics and… other things. I wouldn’t mind the help.” It was Jack’s way of trying to get someone to do the administrative things that drove him nuts, and Hammond knew that. Still, just as he was about to deny the request, a little voice inside of him pointed out that he would have wanted the same had the opportunity presented itself when he was in charge of the SGC.

“All right, I’ll put in a request to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, but ultimately the call will be theirs. Until then, Captain, we’ll keep you apprised of any new developments. I’m sure that General O’Neill will be glad to offer you a VIP room here while you’re here.”

“We’ve got a really great one we keep ready in case the President ever decides to stop by.”

~***~

Jenny urged herself to remain patient as the matron pulled at her hair to keep it tight. They were braiding it into some elaborate style she would have never bothered with at home. She had kept her hair long for her own reasons, mainly because short hair was more work. Long, thick hair like her own could be pulled into a tail or rolled into a bun, and you didn’t have to spend all that time drying, teasing and curling every morning. If she had ever tried anything this elaborate on her own, she probably would have chopped her hair off with a butcher knife in a fit of rage.

She noted that the attitude of the matron was a bit less friendly towards her since her argument with Camulus. It was clear that she was being blamed for his current mood, which was less than pleasant. No one was being cruel or accusatory towards her, but there were fewer smiles directed her way than before. The matron had more contact with her than anyone else these days, and made her own disappointment in Jennifer clear in her own little ways, such as yanking sharply on her hair yet again.

No other chance to run had presented itself. She wasn’t allowed to go anywhere without at least two guards and both the front and rear entrances to the lodge were guarded at all times. Being forced to share the same bed as Camulus didn’t help her mood any, either. She had tried to get away with making a pallet with some furs and pillows in the main room, but he hadn’t allowed it. He had not tried to press his attentions on her, but he expected her to retire to the bed when he returned from whatever it was he went out and did with the Jaffa, and he still did not allow her even a simple shift to sleep in. Being held close to him, and sometimes halfway beneath him, was playing havoc with her resolve.

The matron was just pinning her last braid securely into place with an elaborate hair comb when the door to the lodge opened, allowing Camulus entrance. He stared down at her from his full height, saying nothing. She stared back, searching his expression for any indication of rage or disgruntlement. He gave nothing away until his lips quirked up at one corner. “Come. I have a surprise for you.”

She frowned, but stood up. He waited for her to slip on a pair of sturdy boots that would have clashed horribly with the elegant gown he had ordered be given to her had her skirts not been long enough to hide them completely. Camulus fastened a warm cloak about her shoulders, slapping her hand away when she tried to do it on her own, before leading her outside. They traveled through the village to the Stargate. A Jaffa dialed up a gate coordinate as they came into view so that the wormhole was established fully when they reached the clearing. Camulus kept a hand on the small of her back as he walked her up the stone steps and gave her a gentle nudge to get her to go through the gate.

She emerged on the other side into a bare clearing in what looked to be a well-established forest. Four Jaffa were guarding the gate dais. Camulus stepped through right beside her. “This way.” He escorted her down the dais and through a barely perceptible path, noted only by old stones that had been laid out to mark the route. They were thick with moss and had small plants growing between them, indicating that they had been there for some time.

The path was long, at least two or three miles, and built along a rolling hillock. The forest was alive with creatures that were just out of sight, but could be heard rustling off to each side. They walked on in silence. Jennifer began to wonder what Camulus was up to, even beginning to feel a little quiver of fear, until they came out into another clearing. This one was broad and flat, and ended in a cliff overlooking a lush valley. It was what stood in the center of the clearing that made Jennifer catch her breath.

“I thought it might interest you.”

Jenny took a step forward, but Camulus stopped her by taking hold of her upper arm. She looked up at him with a frown, confused why he would bring her here if he was going to keep her from examining the structure more closely, but he gave her a playful little smirk before letting her go. Realizing he had just been teasing her, she gave him an answering glare before turning away and hurrying towards the clearing.

The gathering of stone structures before her appeared to be dwellings. The village appeared abandoned, but the interesting thing was that they were laid out in a circular pattern like the megalith structures on Earth. She gave a frustrated sigh, putting her hands on her hips, as she looked out over them. “Is something the matter?”

“I need my kit. I need my notebooks and camera and such. How can I gather data if I don’t have my kit?” She was facing away from him, looking out over the stone circle.

“That is why supplies and equipment are being brought to us. I can give you two, perhaps three of your weeks to study the structure.”

She turned around with a shocked frown on her face. “Two or three weeks? It could take months to even scratch the surface!”

He arched a single brow. “It is that or nothing.”

She studied him, wondering how far she dared to push the matter. Realizing that she was still on the bad side of this ‘relationship’, she acquiesced. His reaction was a triumphant expression, making her turn back to the stones before she gave in to the urge to kick him. She felt like a child on Christmas morning after she had just unwrapped a new doll.

The supplies took forever to get there, leaving her only about five hours of daylight to work with. Thirty minutes of that were spent getting a crash course on how to record information on a Goa’uld tablet. After that, she was left alone with two Jaffa to be her ‘assistants’ while the campsite was set up. Once the light had faded too much for her to see by, and Camulus had refused to let her set up any artificial lights, she took what she had so far into the main tent that would serve as her home while she was here.

Her accommodations while getting her field credits for her doctorate were never this grand. A single, large bed had been set up along with several fat cushions to sit upon, but so had a low-seated table. She put her data down on this, ignoring the Goa’uld now reclining on one of the cushions, going over a tablet of his own. They worked on their individual projects in silence, he with a single tablet and she with at least three tablets, quick sketches she had done on parchment and a three dimensional star chart.

She wasn’t aware of how much time had passed, but it must have been a great deal. She vaguely recalled someone bringing in the evening meal because she had absently eaten a bit of it while cleaning up her notes. It wasn’t until much later that Camulus’ voice cut through her jumble of thoughts.

“Why do you need the star chart?”

“There is a theory that the stone circles on Earth, particularly Stonehenge, are astronomically aligned, and those dwellings are laid out in the exact same pattern. I need the star charts to see if this place is lined up with the stars here.” She said all of this without looking up. “I don’t suppose you remember any reason behind the rings being built?”

“No, I don’t. The Asgard were behind them. They never gave us a reason, and the Goa’uld have never been on friendly speaking terms with them.”

“Well, access to alien technology would explain how they were built. We’ve often wondered how stones weighing over six tons each were placed that way miles from the original quarry.” She looked over her sketches. “The structures were abandoned in a hurry. We found clothing, baskets and furniture, even toys.”

“Intriguing.” He walked over to her side, bent down, and pulled the tablet out of her hands. She gave a short yelp of protest. “It is time to sleep.”

“But I’ve just gotten started!” She reached out for the tablet but her picked her up and lifted her out of the way.

“You will have all of tomorrow and the day after that.”

“But…”

“And the day after that.” He dropped her onto the bed, reaching out to push her back when she tried to scramble up to get to her workspace. “It is time to sleep.”

She frowned up at him. “I’m not sleepy.” He didn’t say anything. He merely reached down to pull her overshift up and over her head. “Can’t I just have a few more hours?”

“It is already past time the you should have retired.” He reached for her undershift and tugged it off of her as well, leaving her bare. “If you insist on neglecting yourself, I will return you to the planet and will not give you access to any artifacts again.”

She looked at him through narrowed eyes, trying to assess whether or not she dared to disobey. In the end she thought it better to be humble, for now. She scooted back on the bed so that she could slip underneath the covers. Once he was satisfied that she wouldn’t try to go for her notes again, he undressed himself. She was putting out the light next to her as he climbed in.

Jenny wasn’t surprised when he reached over and pulled her to him. That was business as usual. What did surprise her, however, was when he reached up to tilt her face towards him so that he could kiss her. He hadn’t bothered to kiss her since her attempt at escape, not once. Now he was kissing her deeply, as though she hadn’t been giving him the proverbial cold shoulder over the past month. More to the point, she was kissing him back.

She started to stiffen up and pull away, but he tightened his grip as she did so. A thumb caressed the side of her head gently, rubbing the sensitive spot just below her ear and making her shiver. Her mind started to whirl as she tried to think of what to do. Part of her wanted to push him away, but there was another part of her that argued that he was never likely to trust her enough to let his guard down if she kept resisting. Besides, she knew what he was capable of and there was still another part of her that wanted to experience that again.

She willed herself to relax, to become pliable under his touch, and wrapped her arms about him. He gave a soft, triumphant growl in the back of his throat. It couldn’t hurt just to enjoy him while she could, to indulge in a little comfort. Just until she could make a run for it.

--------------------------------------------------------

Tal’Mak had been born and dedicated into the service of Lord Ba’al. It was the only life he had known for so long, and in that time he had seen many things that made him doubt that Ba’al was a god after all. He had sought out the Jaffa Resistance after much self-reflection and joined their ranks, only to return to Ba’al’s forces as a spy. Since then, he had found very little that he could forward that was of any use outside of troop movements from his own companies.

It did not help matters that Ba’al had placed him with Zeus, a minor Goa’uld with little power or position within the court. He was only tolerated because his host was once a Tau’ri warrior and thus he might be able to provide valuable insight into the troublesome humans. Currently, however, the Goa’uld’s assigned task was trying to locate Camulus and ascertain just how large a force they were dealing with. It had taken months of gathering snippets of information, but they had narrowed possible locations to four areas, one of which had been little explored by the Goa’uld. They had taken a Tal’Tak to the surface, cloak engaged so that they would not be seen. Since Tal’Mak was not a First Prime, they had been able to mask his brand so that he appeared to be nothing more than a tall human. Both he and Zeus dressed in the same drab clothing as those who lived here so as not to draw attention to themselves.

From the air they had already seen the large number of Jaffa in training. There was a nearly completed mother ship being constructed near a mountain range so as to make it more difficult to see visually. The settlements were more like those of the people who lived under the protection of the Asgard, which was one reason they had been reluctant to land here in the first place. The presence of Jaffa, however, made it seem less likely that this was an Asgard planet.

They made their way through the muddy streets and located a large structure that appeared to be more finely appointed that the others. They noted the guards standing out front, and not wishing to be found out just yet, they made their way to the back of the structures. To their surprise, there were two more guards at the rear entrance, but these were easily dispatched by shots from a zat’ni’ktel, leaving no evidence of their presence. They moved inside with caution, not wishing to be discovered just yet.

The interior of the lodge was comfortable, but cluttered. There were parchments with sketches and rubbings scattered about on various tables, some held in place by worn artifacts that did not match the style of the lodging and furnishings. Tal’Mak frowned, taking it all in. “He is searching for something?”

Zeus picked up one of the sketches, his forehead creased in a frown as he looked at it. Tal’Mak noted that the Goa’uld seemed almost disbelieving as he examined it, but he soon appeared to be swiftly becoming enraged. “This cannot be.”

“What is it, My Lord?” There was a faint sound from the side room. Tal’Mak tensed, wondering if they were about to be attacked, but Zeus dropped the sketch and made for the thick drape dividing the rooms. The Jaffa followed, puzzled.

The other room was mostly filled with a large bed covered in rich furs. Camulus’ concubine was still abed, her long, dark hair flowing over the coverings and a good portion of a pale, smooth back exposed where the furs had slipped down in her sleep. The Goa’uld always claimed the loveliest women to warm their beds. Camulus appeared to be no different. Tal’Mak felt a twinge of jealousy, but found his attention drawn towards Zeus when the Goa’uld gave a dark growl under his breath and stalked towards the bed. The Jaffa was surprised as Zeus reached down and gripped handful of the woman’s hair close to her scalp and pulled up, rousing her instantly.

“I told you stay away from Camulus, and here I find you in his bed?!” He gave a wrenching twist, pulling the woman from the bed and throwing her down so that she landed gracelessly at Tal’Mak’s feet. “What a sweet and loving wife you are.”

The woman tried to scramble away from Zeus, only to come into contact with Tal’Mak’s leg. She looked up at the Jaffa with wide, blue eyes for just a moment before looking back at the Goa’uld. “How did you find this place?”

“How I found this planet is the least of your problems, Jennifer. You should be more concerned with my finding you here.” Zeus bent down and grabbed the woman by the wrist, yanking her up into a standing position. “I do not take betrayal lightly.”

Zeus was becoming angry to the point of being senseless. If his voice grew much louder, he would likely bring the guards in on them. Tal’Mak tried to point this out to the Goa’uld, but Zeus silenced him with a bark. The woman gave a short, mirthless chuckle.

“I can’t betray someone to whom I never had any loyalty. Thomas Copeland was my husband, not you.”

Tal’Mak did his best to hide his surprise. This was the wife to Zeus’ host! A Tau’ri woman here, in Camulus’ camp. Did that mean that the Tau’ri were still working with the former System Lord? It would explain his new weapons, but surely Master Bratac would have known of this.

“This is how you show your appreciation for all I did for you.” Zeus gave the woman’s arm a painful twist. “This host betrayed you, scorned you, laughed at you while he bedded his whores. Who was the better husband?”

“My Lord, we should gather the information we came for and leave before we are discovered.”

Zeus tightened his grip on the woman’s arm. “It is rumored that Camulus has reclaimed his sword. Did you find it for him?” The woman did not answer him, so he twisted her arm again. “Did you find it for him?” Tal’Mak heard her gasp in pain, but she still did not answer. Zeus gave her a cold smile. “That sword was one of your little obsessions, Jennifer. A puzzle you could not step away from.”

“I’m surprised you were paying that much attention.”

Tal’Mak gave a worried glance of his shoulder. Fortunately, the front guards had still not heard anything. “My Lord, perhaps we should take her with us. We can question her in safety.”

Zeus wasn’t hearing him, apparently too enraged by what he saw as the woman’s infidelity. “What does he have you searching for now? Another weapon? Something from the Ancients?” The woman refused to answer. Zeus’ eyes flashed in anger. “Answer me, Jennifer.” He tightened his grip on her arm with enough strength that Tal’Mak heard a bone snap.

The woman screamed.

Tal’Mak readied his zat’ni’ktel as Zeus backhanded the woman, sending her crashing to the floor. The Jaffa at the front entrance came into the building, weapons readied. Instead of readying himself to face the guards, the Goa’uld seemed more interested in killing the woman. His foolish choice made it possible for him to be hit by the blast from a staff weapon. In truth, Tal’Mak was not all that concerned for the false god.

“Jaffa!” Tal’Mak paused, waiting to hear what the guard had to say. “Surrender, and Lord Camulus may spare your life!”

The operative word being ‘may’. “I have his woman! Let us go, and we will spare her!”

“Do not be a fool! Our lord will not let you leave this place alive if you harm her, and he will not allow you to take her with you.”

Tal’Mak clenched his jaw, not liking the situation. A soft voice spoke behind him, trembling slightly with pain. “They have a point. He’s rather possessive of his toys.” He looked over his shoulder to where the woman had managed to move herself so that she was leaning against the bed, cradling her broken arm. Zeus was still senseless from the staff blast. “If you go quietly, I might be able to reason with him.”

“And I should trust you?”

She gave him a weak smile. “I’m probably the only person on this planet you can trust.”

She was Tau’ri. From the sound of things, she was the wife of Zeus’ host, and she described herself as Camulus’ ‘toy’. It was not hard to reason that Camulus had managed to take a captive with him when he escaped the warriors of Earth. She could promise nothing to him, but he had no doubt that a Goa’uld would kill him for endangering even a ‘toy’.

He closed the zat’ni’ktel and slid it out of the side room before making himself visible, hands out to show he was unarmed. Four more guards had arrived to join the other two. Two of them took him into custody while two more moved into the side room to check on the woman. They were dragging Zeus out when Camulus arrived.

~***~

The next time Tal’Mak saw the Tau’ri female, her arm had been healed and she was dressed. Camulus had put him to work, slave labor for the most part, moving heavy items for the village. It allowed him to notice things, such as how the woman was never outside of the lodge without at least two Jaffa walking with her. It would seem that she was as much a prisoner as he, only she had made good on her promise to speak with Camulus on his behalf. The Goa’uld had been planning to kill him, until she argued that as a Jaffa he had been forced to go where Ba’al commanded him to be. Her exact words were something along the lines that “it wasn’t his fault that he got stuck with that idiot”.

When he was not working, he was kept in a small cage across from Zeus. The Goa’uld was often gone for long periods of time as Camulus interrogated him. He would be brought back, his body only healed as much as it took to keep him from dying completely, the host body bruised and bleeding from the methods used. The longest respite Zeus was given happened over a period of six days, in which time he was in a worse temper than usual. The Goa’uld seemed surprised when the guards came to get him on the seventh day.

“No! I told him all I know! He said that he would release me!” Tal’Mak said nothing as he watched the false god being led away. It did not surprise him that Zeus had given in under the torture. Camulus was not as old as some of the System Lords, but he had been around far longer than Zeus and had doubtless gained a detailed understanding of how to wring answers from the reluctant. It would have taken a greater mind than Zeus to withstand true torture.

The next day, when Tal’Mak was returned to his cage after his labors, Zeus was again in his own cell. This time, however, there were no bleeding and open wounds. He appeared to have been healed after his interrogation and he was freshly bathed and wearing new, if not common, clothing. The Jaffa was puzzled as he looked at him, noting an expression of despair in his eyes, something very much unlike a Goa’uld. It wasn’t until after the guards brought their food and left them in peace that he spoke, and Tal’Mak came to realize that something was very much changed.

“How long have we been here?”

It was the voice that caught his attention, devoid of the usual resonating quality the Goa’uld affected. “My Lord?”

The man shook his head. “The snake’s gone. Camulus removed him. I can remember bits of it all, but things are fuzzy. I can’t remember how long we’ve been here.”

Tal’Mak hesitated before answering. “It has been nearly two months since our capture.”

The other man seemed to consider this. “Two months here, and no telling how long that thing was calling the shots before then.” He turned his face to look at Tal’Mak, the simple wooden trencher of food forgotten. “You seem familiar. Have you known me for long?”

The Jaffa set his own food down, shifting himself to face the man more fully. “I have known Zeus, the Goa’uld who lived inside you, for nearly a year now. Lord Ba’al assigned me to be his guard some seven months ago.” He studied the man closely. “I am Tal’Mak.”

The human gave a sad smile. “Major Thomas Copeland, United States Marine Corp. I’d say that it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, but this place isn’t exactly conducive to small talk.” He looked down at his simple stew, but did not seem inclined to eat. “Tell me, that snake… Camulus… does he have a woman with him? A human woman?”

The Jaffa lowered his eyes. He, too, had a wife. She was a beautiful woman who had given him two strong sons, and he felt honored to have her. But how did you tell a man that his wife now lay with another? “There is a woman… I cannot be certain of who she is.”

“Tall, long legs, long hair… blue eyes that look right through you.” The Tau’ri leaned back in his cage, resting against the bars. “I was hoping it was just something that snake cooked up to torture me with, that Jenny was back home, safe and sound and getting on with her life.”

Tal’Mak paused. “The Goa’uld are adept and controlling the minds of others. Their ways are mysterious. You cannot assume that your wife has knowingly betrayed you.” He was surprised when the man gave a bitter laugh.

“I wouldn’t blame her if she has. God knows I deserve it. Hell, I probably deserve to be castrated, given the way I’ve treated her. I don’t know why she put up with me as long as she did.”

The Jaffa did not know how to respond. He recalled Zeus taunting ‘Jenny’ with what was apparently her husband’s betrayal of her. How much this man must be suffering, to know that his behavior was such that it sent his wife into the arms of an enemy such as a Goa’uld! Tal’Mak did not think he would have been able to stomach the thought of his beloved wife sharing Ba’al’s bed, or any Goa’uld. Thankfully, the System Lords did not ‘lower’ themselves to mingle with Jaffa in such a fashion.

They spent the remainder of the night in silence, neither of them very interested in their meager suppers.

~***~

She frowned. “We’re leaving?”

“If Zeus found this place, then Ba’al could follow. When we found and examined the main ship, it was confirmed that a transmission to Ba’al was sent with an update before they were able to locate this world. It will lead him too close to us.” Camulus removed his sword from it’s resting place and slipped it into it’s sheath. “For the safety of all, we must relocate.”

Jennifer could see the wisdom in the decision, surely. Still, she did not like it. She had been clinging to some faint hope that the SGC and it’s allies would eventually find this place, like Zeus had. If they moved, her trail would be lost again. Still, there were others to consider. She had shut out his voice while lost in her thoughts and did not hear him until he was standing next to her, calling her name. “What?”

A look of mild annoyance crossed his face. “I said that you should hurry with packing the artifacts you brought back to study. I am not certain that my Jaffa could do so to your satisfaction. They may break some piece of stone you find invaluable. After all, they are warriors, not scholars.”

“Oh, right. Of course. I’ll do that.” She stepped away from him to return to the main chamber, which was now cluttered with her research. She hadn’t realized how much at home she had started to become. She was mindful of his watching her in silence and figured that he was having a minute fit of disgruntlement at her inattentiveness. Camulus was used to being the center of attention and did not like it when he was ignored. It was a relief to her when he finally left the lodge to see to other matters.

She wrapped her ‘pieces of stone’ in thick clothes and small furs to protect them from breakage. Some of the objects had been truly remarkable finds. There were bowls and utensils carved from wood and stone. A couple of days before leaving she had found a trash pit that yielded clues on the basic diet of whomever had lived at the site. Her favorite, however, was a child’s toy. It was a doll, carved from wood and still dressed in a brightly colored dress that was now fragile with age. The wood had been rubbed smooth in some places from too much handling, indicating that it was either well loved by one child or had been passed from parent to child at least once. What had made an entire village leave in such a hurry that a beloved toy had lain forgotten? Had the Goa’uld relocated them to serve as slave labor somewhere else? Had the Asgard moved in to save them from some unknown disaster? She was pretty certain that it wasn’t a plague, because then she would have found evidence of bodies.

If only he had let her stay a while longer!

She was just reaching the last few rolls of parchment she’d used for sketching when the guards came inside. “Jennifer Copeland, Lord Camulus sent us to bring you to him when you are done here.”

She looked over her shoulder. She’d taken to calling her guards ‘Mike’ and ‘Ike’, but only in her head. They didn’t talk much. Ike didn’t talk at all, leaving Mike to deliver any messages or communications. “I’m almost finished.” They waited patiently as she rolled up the last pages and slipped them into a leather scroll case, which she then tied shut and placed in the top of her final crate. The lid closed and sealed with a mechanical ‘hiss’. That would keep her research materials safe, as long as Ba’al didn’t find them and blow their ship out of the sky. She turned back to the guards, wiping the dust from her hands onto the fine cloth of her gown at her hips. “Well, where is he?”

They led her from the lodge to the building where the higher-ranking Jaffa often met and where Camulus had ‘questioned’ Zeus. Jennifer frowned, not comfortable with going into that place. She had made her disagreement with the violent interrogation of the Goa’uld abundantly clear. In her mind, she did not feel it was right to torture Thomas for Zeus’ crimes, and she had no doubt that Thomas would also feel the pain. Camulus, on the other hand, scorned what he felt was misplaced pity on her part towards a man he felt did not deserve such sentiment. He had even offered to execute both Goa’uld and host for her, and had not understood why the idea was so abhorrent to her.

He was talking with his First Prime when she arrived in the building. Jenny paused, not entirely comfortable with the scene before her. Camulus was pulling on a ribbon device as he was talking, making sure each of the finger caps sat snugly on the hand as he stood by a large, gold box she wasn’t too thrilled about.

They had salvaged the sarcophagus from Zeus’ primary ship after Camulus had gotten the location of it and led a raiding party. The ship was too big to steal, having too many locator beacons to lead Ba’al directly to them, but they had been able to take a lot of items from it. They now had plenty of control and power crystals as well as zats, staff weapons and supplies. With the crystals, they were able to finish the mothership in construction, along with four transport ships. It wasn’t much, but it was a start.

Camulus dismissed his First Prime and turned his attention to Jennifer. “You have secured your items?” He sent her guards away with a wave of his hand.

Jenny nodded. “Everything is cushioned and packed.” She stopped a few feet from him. He seemed… off. “What did you need to see me about?”

He touched the release on the sarcophagus so that the lid opened before stepping towards her. “I thought you would like to know that I have removed Zeus from Major Copeland. The symbiote has been destroyed and the host has been healed of his physical injuries. I cannot make any promises about his state of mind, however.”

That surprised her. “Thank you.”

Camulus came to a stop beside her. “When we leave this world, he will be given the symbol for the gate address and a transmitter so that he can contact your base. If the Tau’ri want him back, they can have him.”

She blinked. “You would do that?”

“I will, but I do not wish to. I only do so because I understand that you are still laboring under a misguided sense of ‘fairness’ towards him. You would be better served in giving him the punishment he deserves, rather than give him your pity. You are too soft hearted, Jennifer. It is likely to be your undoing one day.”

She started to bristle under the gentle scolding, but stopped herself. “I… I feel he has suffered enough as it is. Thank you… for letting him go.”

“He may still have some residual memories from the symbiote that may help the Tau’ri in their fight against Ba’al. It serves my purposes for them to keep his attentions drawn elsewhere.” He moved again so that he was standing behind her. She hated it when he did that, when he would stand so close that she felt like an ant next to his large frame. “But what of you? How are you going to deal with the fact that he will return to your world? Can you bear the thought of him finding another woman to take your place? That he will pick up the pieces of his life and carry on as though you were never there?”

She swallowed. Yes, the idea of that hurt, but it would not kill her. “Marriages fall apart, Camulus. It’s a sad fact of life. People change over time and grow apart. People show weaknesses in their character that their spouse knew nothing about. That’s what has happened here. It’s time for us both to move on.”

“How very… mature of you.”

She took a deep breath. She didn’t know how she was supposed to be feeling right now. Part of her was grateful that he had freed Thomas and was now willing to send him home, happy that his nightmare would be over. Another part of her, however, did see the logic behind Camulus’ argument that she should demand her ‘pound of flesh’ for more than a year of crying herself to sleep because of the scent of perfume clinging to her husband’s clothes and long nights alone. “When are we leaving?”

“Soon. Very soon.” He wrapped his arms about her and pulled her to him so that her back was flush with his chest. He did this from time to time, as though she were a security blanket or life-sized doll he was using for comfort. The hand with the ribbon device drew lazy patterns over her lower abdomen while the other held her close to his body. “There are only a few more things to loaded into the new mothership.”

“Then we should get moving.” She didn’t know why, but her stomach was starting to churn. He was being too affectionate, especially given the circumstances. Surely he wasn’t wanting a final roll in the hay before the bug-out.

“We should, but there is one more thing to be done. A debt to be repaid.” He lowered his head so that his lips were just at the outer edge of her ear, warm breath brushing across the sensitive skin there. “You returned to me what was stolen. For that, I am truly thankful. All that was stolen from me will be mine again, because of you. And for that, I will reward you.”

“Reward me?” It was hard to think when he was nuzzling her like that. How could he continue to turn her own body against her like he did? Thomas had been with her for longer than Camulus, and even he had never been so adept at making her head spin like this. “Are you letting me go as well?”

The soft growl under his breath made it clear that was not the desirable response. She felt his grip tighten on her just a bit. “And let you go back to those who will never fully appreciate you? I could not do that to you, Jennifer.” The hand that had been toying with her lower stomach began to come to rest, palm flat against her. “Instead, I will return the favor you have done for me, and give you back what was taken from you.” He tightened his hold further. “I only regret the pain that you must endure for that to happen.”

Pain? “I don’t understand…” She gasped in shock as Camulus pushed the ribbon device hard against her body. It suddenly felt as though a thousand burning needles were ripping into her lower abdomen to dance sporadically within. She gripped his hand with her fingers, digging her nails in tightly and trying to pull him away, but he was too strong for her. She thought she heard him trying to speak to her, his lips next to her ears, but she wasn’t able to make out the words. Some distant part of her mind told her that she needed to stop screaming if she was to hear him, properly, but her lungs and mouth would not cooperate. The pain was too intense, too great to think through. Finally, between the agony and the lack of air from screaming, she fell into a dark oblivion where it was a bit easier to ignore.

Camulus kept a firm hold on her as she lapsed into unconsciousness, her screams finally silenced. He continued the pulse of energy a few seconds longer to ensure that the resulting damage would be enough. The sarcophagus would not be able to do much with the well-healed scarring from the original attack, so it was required that the damage be re-done in order to be healed well enough to be effective. He seriously doubted that she would wake up grateful. He swung the unconscious woman up into his arms and carried her to the sarcophagus to place her inside. The guards came in just as he was shutting the lid and locking it shut.

“See to it that the sarcophagus is taken to the ship. It is to remain locked.” The Jaffa nodded in understanding as he walked out of the building.

The village was almost completely empty of life. The human inhabitants had emptied their homes of anything important and had been sent through the chappa’ai to other secure locations. The Jaffa would be with him in the now completed ships. If and when Ba’al found this world, there would only be a memory of their existence. He was pleased by how efficient his people continued to be. They were worthy of his attentions.

Major Copeland and the Jaffa looked up at him from their cages. Both had a healthy measure of suspicion, but it was the human who dared to speak. “That was Jenny screaming. What did you do to her?”

“Concern? That is surprising, given how poorly you have treated her in the past.”

The man shifted until he was in a crouching position within the cage, his eyes blazing with anger. “What did you do to her? I want to see my wife.”

“You do not have a wife any longer, Thomas Copeland. She has dissolved the marriage in accordance with your Tau’ri laws.” He gave a triumphant smirk as the man’s face registered his shock. “This should hardly come as a surprise to you. Had you been from any other world in this galaxy, her father would have likely killed you for your indiscretions.”

“I want to see her.” Copeland’s voice had been reduced to barely more than a whisper.

“That is not possible. Jennifer has been taken to my ship in preparation of our departure. I am here because she feels pity for you, given your recent ordeal, and would be under a great deal less stress if she could be assured that you are unharmed. When we leave this world you will be given the means by which you can contact your leaders on Earth. What happens to you after that point is none of my concern.”

Camulus made to turn away, but the man spoke again. “You have what you needed from her! I remember that much. That sword, that was the artifact she was looking for. You don’t need her any more, so why are you taking her with you?”

The Goa’uld gave a short, amused chuff. “Because I am not you, Major Copeland.” He turned to face the human fully. “You had an intelligent, attractive and honorable woman at your side as your wife, and in your blindness you all but threw her away. Now I am the one who has her. And, unlike you, I am not blind.” He cast a glance over his shoulder at the Jaffa who had been watching the exchange with silent interest. “Do what you want with the other. Set him free or leave him to rot in that cage, it does not matter to me.”

Copeland called out to him again. This time, however, Camulus ignored him, walking back through the empty village with strong, purposeful strides.

--------------------------------------------------------

He ordered the room cleared before he opened the sarcophagus. Her eyes opened as she woke with a brief shout, looking around wildly. “Jennifer?” She sat up suddenly, and he really wasn’t that surprised by her fist connecting with his jaw.

“What the fuck was that all about?!” She waved off his attempt to help her out of the sarcophagus, preferring instead to clamber out gracelessly on her own. “What, you’ve grown tired of just plain sex and decided to turn into some kind of demented sadist?”

He closed the sarcophagus and made a move towards her. “Jennifer…”

“No! Don’t touch me! I don’t want you anywhere near me!” She held up her hands in a warding gesture. He stopped, but leveled a patronizing look at her.

“If you will but listen, all will be made clear.”

“There is absolutely nothing you could possibly have to say that I have any interest in hearing!” She backed away from him. “What could you even say to explain this? You hurt me!”

“I told you that I would give you back what was taken from you.” She tried to move around him, but he was quicker. He took hold of her wrists and pulled her close so that he could pin her to him. “I am sorry for the pain that you felt, but the sarcophagus cannot undo wounds that have healed on their own. The old scars had to be reopened in order to repair the damage done to you.”

She faltered, his words getting through. Her expression was one of confusion and disbelief. He loosened his hold on her, coaxing her silently until her hips were resting against the sarcophagus, leaving her no route of escape. “You could always conceive, but you could not hold the child until he was ready to be born.” He lowered one hand to cover the flat of her stomach. “Now life can grow here again.”

Her hands hovered down to rest over his out of reflex. It was too much to take in. She had mourned her child and had mourned the loss of any chance to try again. It seemed unreal that she would suddenly be back to how she was. Strong hands framed her face, lifting her gaze up to meet his. She wouldn’t call his expression kind, or even warm. He still looked superior in his actions and his deeds, and wholly in control. “It is a small gift to give you when I think of what you have returned to me, but it was something your own healers could not do for you.”

He lowered his head to kiss her, his hands leaving her face to run down her arms. His lips were demanding as he pulled her more closely to him. It was so easy to just fall into the habit of kissing him back. She wanted to laugh and cry all at the same time, and even as the rational part of her was screaming at her to run, she was grateful to him for doing this. The pain he had caused her seemed unimportant when compared to the end results.

Her feet left the floor as he lifted her up so that she was seated on the closed sarcophagus. Hands pulled the hem of her gown upwards and the cooling sensation of the air against her skin gave her back some measure of her senses. She had first acquiesced to his advances because of his assurances that there would be no one to answer to. He had offered pleasure without consequence, a time of being desired and made to feel beautiful. He had preyed on her hunger for such things in a moment when she was weak and all she had to depend on had been his promise to protect her. Now there was the danger of a very real consequence. One that would be small and dependent on her for everything, and one that she had always longed for. But did she want that to come from this person?

She pulled away from the kiss, trying to gather strength enough to push him away, but he merely switched to kissing a line down the length of her throat. Inhaling, she prepared herself to speak, but his hands pulled her hips forward, impaling her upon him and driving away any thoughts of stopping. What were the chances that she would conceive the first time out of the sarcophagus, anyway? She could think of a plan to escape later, after he was lulled into believing she had been tamed.

~***~

The last person that he had ever expected to see in his debriefing was his former father-in-law. He wasn’t overly thrilled with the prospect. He had always found Frank Rice an insufferable, holier-than-thou asshole who was almost always right. It was an extremely annoying habit in the father of the woman you had married. Thomas had never been smart enough, or strong enough or anything enough in the eyes of Captain Rice.

Correction; Admiral Rice. It seemed that good ole Frank had been promoted as well as given a place at Stargate Command since that snake had run off with his body. With his luck it probably made the man even more annoying. If it hadn’t been for General O’Neill, Thomas didn’t think he could have borne it. O’Neill may be a hard ass, but he was fair and had a vicious humor that made even the worst chewing out a bit more bearable.

“So you can’t recall anything more about Ba’al’s forces or troop placements.”

“No, Sir, not without help. From what I can recall, Ba’al didn’t tell all of his underlings the same information. He kept it broken down for security purposes.”

O’Neill sighed, running a hand over his face. “Well, it was worth a shot. Any chance you found out the location of our missing soldiers?”

“That wasn’t under Zeus’ jurisdiction. General, I’d be willing to let the Tok’ra use that memory device on me, if it will help. There’s bound to be something inside my head that could be useful.”

“And we’ll do that if it comes to that, Major.” Of course. O’Neill wasn’t that fond of the Tok’ra, not under any circumstances. Their working relationship had always been shaky, a best. “Now, you say that Zeus was set to locating Camulus, and when he had done so, you were both captured.” He indicated Tal’Mak, who had claimed to be a member of the Jaffa resistance and for whom Teal’c had vouched. A fortunate break in the nightmare. The Jaffa inclined his head in an affirmative. “How did that happen?”

Thomas looked to Tal’Mak to fill in the gaps. “We entered the lodge that served as Camulus’ dwelling. Once inside, we found artifacts and drawings. Something about them was familiar to the Goa’uld.”

O’Neill’s expression turned to one of interest. “Familiar? Something Cammy’s looking for?” But Thomas could remember this part.

“The handwriting was Jenny’s, Sir. He recognized Jennifer’s work. That… Camulus has still got her.”

Admiral Rice sat up straighter, a flicker of hope crossing his features briefly. “Then Jennifer is still alive.”

Tal’Mak nodded. “Camulus keeps her as his mistress. While his captive, I saw enough to reason that she is not there willingly. He has her under guard at all times and controls who may see her and when.”

“So he let you two go, but kept her.” The general frowned and looked over at the admiral, who seemed to be struggling to keep his composure. “Did he happen to say why?”

Thomas looked down at the table before him. “He said that he did it because of Jennifer. That she felt pity for me.” He heard Rice make a non-committal sound to his right but did not have the strength to meet the man’s eyes. Now that he had reflected on his actions in the past, he acknowledge that had he been in the Admiral’s place, he would have arranged a convenient accident for the man who had cheated on Jennifer.

O’Neill shifted in his chair. “That will be all for now, Major. I want you to have a full report on my desk by thirteen hundred hours, and I want you to stop by the infirmary and have them arrange for you to see McKenzie. Maybe we can get those memories out of your head the old fashioned way, rather than bugging the Tok’ra about it.” He shut the folder in front of him. “Dismissed, Major. Tal’Mak, welcome to Earth. I hope you enjoy your stay with us.”

Thomas rose from his chair out of habit, but he had something else on his mind. “General O’Neill?” Jack stopped and looked at him. “Camulus said… he said that Jenny had gotten her divorce in my absence. I was wondering…”

O’Neill gave a glance over at Rice, and then nodded. “You should check in with the JAG liaison. I believe she made arrangements in case you were able to come home.”

So Camulus had been telling the truth about that. Oddly enough, it did not hurt him as much as he would have thought. He felt empty, but he could not feel pain for something that had been entirely his fault. “How are we going to bring her home, Sir? She may not be a Marine, but she’s still one of us.”

“We’ll bring her home, Major. She’s alive, and that’s the most important part of the equation.” O’Neill gave him what he supposed was supposed to be an encouraging smile before leaving. Thomas was acutely aware that the admiral was still looking at him.

“Congratulations on your promotion, Sir.”

“It was the Navy’s last ditch attempt at keeping this old sea dog in the game, but General Hammond called in some favors to get me assigned here.” Rice was an imposing man at 6’4”. That had been another thing Thomas has never liked about his father-in-law… that and the fact that Frank Rice hated the sight of him since the first day that they had met. “I still don’t like you, Copeland.”

“I am very much aware of that, Admiral. To tell the truth, I don’t like myself all that much, either.”

Frank paused. “There may be hope for you, yet. I want you to know that my little girl did her best to do right by you. She split everything down the middle and set it aside for you in case you made it back. She sold the house, got a little place of her own. That’s where I’ve been staying, keeping it up for her. There’s a guest room if you don’t want to stay on the base.”

“Thank you, Sir, but I think I’ll just stay here. I’m not sure if I’m ready to go out into the world just yet. There’s still a part of me that isn’t sure what memories are mine and which ones were the snake’s.”

The admiral gave a nod. “You’d better check in with the infirmary before you try to get any sleep. Something tells me you’re not going to have very pleasant dreams.”

“Yes, Sir. Thank you, Sir.” He waited for Frank to leave first, leaving just him and Tal’Mak. The Jaffa turned an inquiring look to him.

“You do not seem surprised that Jennifer had her marriage removed.”

“To tell you the truth, I’m more surprised that it took her so long. In her place, I would have dropped my sorry ass a long time ago.” He took a breath and looked over at the Jaffa. “I wasn’t what you’d consider a model husband. I had this coming.”

Tal’Mak gave a slow nod. “What will you do now?”

“Try to pull my shit together. Try to learn from this and become a better man. And in the meantime, try to find a way to bring Jenny back home.”

“You are still concerned for her.”

Thomas looked at the Jaffa. “You know what the Goa’uld are like. How can I let that thing keep her? He’s bound to get bored with her, or worse, make her a host the moment he finds a queen to put in her.” He shook his head. “You can’t imagine what that’s like. Being trapped in your own body, like walking around in a nightmare that you can’t wake up from, watching yourself do these horrible things and not being able to stop. Jenny’s got a soft heart. She couldn’t survive something like that.”

Tal’Mak nodded, his expression thoughtful. “I will not ask you why you feel that she was justified in leaving you. That you can see it is enough. However, Jennifer has survived this long under Camulus’ control, and had the courage to speak up to him on our behalf. These are signs of a strong woman. Do not discount that strength easily. If you believe she can survive him, then you will be better able to continue your search.”

~***~

The older members of SG-19 were waiting for him when he walked out of medical. He paused, his mind not quite willing to believe that they were there until Chan gave him one of those quirky half smiles of his. “Howdy, Major.” Technically, Dusten Chan was full-blooded Chinese, but he had been born and raised in Alabama… and he loved to use his Deep South accent to mess with people’s heads.

Thomas gave a relieved smile. “Howdy, Lieutenant. What brings you folks down to this part of the base at this moment in time?”

Chan gave a one-shoulder shrug. “We figured that there wasn’t a single snake out there who had a clue what a good beer should taste like and you’d be thirstin’ for one right about now.”

“I’m not sure if I want to leave the base just yet.”

“That’s the best part; you don’t have to. General O’Neill is claiming temporary blindness for tonight. He ain’t all that bad for a general.”

They found themselves in one of the guest rooms, indulging in cheap pizza, cold beer and a Playstation with the latest Tom Clancy game. Thomas wasn’t the best with game consoles when he was sober. He absolutely sucked at them when he was drunk. After a while, he threw the controller to Chan and claimed another beer. “Do you guys know what true stupidity is?”

Beau Delacroix looked over his shoulder. “Landing a woman like Jenny and then screwing around on her?”

Chan paused the game. “Extra stupid if said woman’s daddy ends up stationed at your post.”

Thomas sat down on the bunk. “I’m dumber than you realize. Do you Jenny made me wait until we were married? She didn’t want her daddy to find out if she was having sex before she got a ring.”

Chan almost choked on his beer from laughing. “Who the fuck would be stupid enough to try and get her to? I’ve seen Frank Rice. That man’s scary.”

“Try looking across the dinner table at him every Christmas.” Thomas took another swig of his beer. “I waited. I was so damn hot to have her by the time the wedding night rolled around it’s a miracle I didn’t scare her off. She may not have known what she was doing at first, but she learned damn quickly. I’ve been with a lot of women, ain’t none of them been that much into sex.”

Delacroix reached for another slice of pizza. “Then why would you cheat on her?”

Thomas raked a hand through his hair. “You remember when Jenny got attacked?”

Chan rolled his eyes. “No, Sir. Don’t remember that all. We only sat at the hospital with you the entire fourteen hours she was in surgery. We only had to listen to the screaming when some idiot let her wake up enough that she overheard them say the baby was dead. Nope, can’t say that it rings a bell.”

Thomas shook his head. “Dusty, you really shouldn’t be allowed to drink. Your mouth runs off from your brain when you do.” He tossed his now empty bottle into the trash. “When I was allowed to go in and see her, after they had her stabilized and all, I looked into her eyes. She was hurting, all torn up inside mentally as well as physically. I tried to think of something to say, something to make her feel better, but I couldn’t think of a damn thing.”

Beau shook his head. “Sir, that’s not your fault. Lots of men would stumble all over themselves in a situation like that. Women are just better at that stuff.”

Thomas shook his head. “You don’t understand. I couldn’t think of anything to say because I realized that I didn’t love her. I cared about her in the sense that you care that a human woman was brutally attacked, but that was all. It was like she was a stranger to me.” He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. “Hell, I don’t think that I ever really loved her. I think I was just in love with the idea of having her, and then she turned out to be so damn much fun. I cheated on her… I wanted to see if I could feel something for anyone.”

Chan gave a perplexed look over at Delacriox. Beau seemed to be pondering this revelation seriously, but finally spoke up. “Permission to speak frankly, Sir?”

“There’s no rank here, tonight, Beau. Just say what’s on your mind.”

“You’re a worthless piece of shit.”

Thomas gave a short, bitter laugh. “Yeah, Beau, I am. That’s for damn sure. Everything that’s gone wrong over the past few years has been entirely my fault. Even if I didn’t love Jenny, I had a good thing going and I threw it away. Worst thing I ever did to Jennifer Rice was to convince her to marry me.”

Dusten leaned back in his chair. “So what are you gonna do?”

“I’m going to do something decent by her, for a change. There’s only one thing I can do that would even come close to making up for the wrongs I’ve done her, and that’s getting her back home. I’m gonna get her away from that slimy snake and bring her back home.” He reached over and got another beer. “Then I’m going to get a transfer out of here and let her get on with her life.”

Dusty frowned. “Why do you leave? She’s the civilian.”

Thomas shrugged. “I can remember a few things, little snippets now and again. Shortly after that snake took over, General Hammond called me in to give me a talking to. He made it clear that I was the expendable one. He could replace me, easy, but it would be harder to find someone to replace Jenny. He wanted me to tell him if I could continue to work with a degree of professionalism after the divorce.” He gave Dusty a sad smile. “That’s why Zeus started working to save the marriage. If they kicked me out, he’d lose his advantage. It was a win-win situation for him; he got to stay in command of a gate team and he got Jenny every night when he was planet side.”

“Are you saying the snake appreciated her more than you?”

“Hell no. She was a possession, that was all. Just something to keep him entertained while he was with the SGC. I don’t think Jenny’s ever met anyone who truly appreciates her.” He frowned. “I don’t think such a person even exists.”

Beau tossed his used paper plate into the waste bin. “I’m sure he does, Sir. We just gotta bring her home so she can find him.”

--------------------------------------------------------

Jenny frowned as she looked over the section of text again. It made no sense, none of it did. The words were a jumble of improper sentence structure, even for a derivative of Latin. She put down the rubbing and ran a hand over her eyes. Someone came into the room behind her.

“Doctor Copeland, Lord Camulus’ ship is approaching. He will be here within the hour.”

She frowned and looked over her shoulder at the servant standing at the door. “And?”

The girl faltered. “We… I thought you might like to know so that you can prepare.”

Jenny sighed. Of course. Camulus had been out annoying Ba’al and would expect his pet to be available for him to snuggle with. Lately she found herself walking a fine line between her research and keeping her ‘host’ from throwing a temper tantrum. At least he was a bit more docile these days, ever since she started feeling queasy upon waking and he had confirmed that she was pregnant. She didn’t know whether she should be angry or amused at how he crowed like a damn rooster about the baby.

She placed a weight on the scroll to keep it from flying off the desk and pushed herself away from the table. Camulus would spend time after his arrival getting reports from his Jaffa, so she actually had close to three hours, four if they had a lot to say. The servants had a bath scented with a combination of fragrant oils that flower petals that Camulus preferred for her waiting. She was scrubbed from head to toe, her skin oiled, her hair dried and put up in a style that kept it out of her but allowed the length of it to fall down her back and a gown of a smooth, silky fabric slipped over her. The women that served him were uncomfortable with the short length of these shifts their god had ordered made for his mistress, but Jennifer recognized them as being close to the style of some of her personal clothing back home.

The second she got back she was going to start dressing like a nun.

The stargate and critical systems on this world were kept under tight guard, allowing her to be without constant supervision for a change. Waving off the servants she left her quarters alone to make her way to his audience chamber. As she rounded the corner, however, she caught sight of familiar faces. “Davies? Janson!” Her eyes were not deceiving her. It was her team, or at least two members of her team. The men turned around, clearly surprised to see her there, but as she hurried forward to meet them a pair of Jaffa blocked her path. Davies called her name, but the guards with them turned them back around and shoved them down another corridor.

“Hey!” She made to shove her way past the two guards blocking her, only to have them stand firm. She stood on her tiptoes, trying to see which way the others were being taken, but they were swallowed by shadows. Giving the pair blocking her a stern glare, she waited for them to let her by, fully aware that she’d be allowed no further down the corridor than the door to the audience chamber.

Camulus looked past his First Prime to note her entrance. A pleased smile crossed his features and he dismissed the remaining Jaffa in the room. Once they were alone, he beckoned her forward. “You have been missed.” He reached out as she drew nearer to pull her to him, but she stepped back.

“I just saw Davies and Janson outside.”

He moved quickly forward and took hold of her wrist, pulling her to him and into his lap. “Yes, they were found inside the holding cells of the stronghold we raided.” He pulled her into the curve of his arm, nuzzling her temple gently. “I brought them back with us.”

“But why are they restrained?”

He leaned back, giving her a perplexed look. “I cannot be for certain that they would not attempt some type of sabotage.”

“You worked side by side with them for months! We were a team.”

He shifted her position in his lap so that she was pinned firmly against him. “It served my purpose to appear docile and cooperative at the time, but you are aware that the rest of your ‘team’ did not trust me. Now, I find that I cannot trust them.” He ran a hand over her hair. “Do not let it concern you. You should not allow yourself to become overwrought, not in your present condition.”

“But it does concern me.” She tried to squirm out of his grasp, but he held firmly. She heard him sigh.

“Would it lessen your concerns to know that I do not plan to keep them?”

She stopped struggling and looked up at him. “Depends on how you mean it.”

He gave one of those half-sided smirks she had grown to hate. “Things have been learned that I feel the Tau’ri should be made aware of. There were originally three members of your team that survived. McDowell was taken as a host.”

It felt like a fist had been plunged into her stomach. “A host? For whom?”

“Anubis. It would appear that he is not as immobilized as we had all hoped.”

She frowned and made a move to sit up. This time he let her. “And Ba’al knew this?”

“Of course. As it turns out, Ba’al is not his own master. He has been following Anubis all this time. The Kull warriors are in the service of their old master. Anubis is still unable to take on a permanent host. Vaselov’s body became unusable and he required another. He selected McDowell.” He reached out to stroke her cheek lightly. “This is information that your Tau’ri should know, so I have decided to send the remaining two soldiers back to them, unharmed.”

He pulled her back towards him. “Does this ease your mind?”

They were going home. That was something, at least. “Yes, it does.” She was about to ask if she could go with them, but thought better of it after remembering how that particular topic tended to make him angry. At the moment he seemed rather content, running his hand in long movements down her back, stroking her as though she were nothing more than some cuddly, little kitten. She noticed that he did that with increasing frequency the more victories he won. Not that he still didn’t expect sex as well. On the contrary, he wanted more of that, too. e He Hehh She was more upset with her inability to say ‘no’ in that respect than she was with him. No matter how firmly she told herself that she was going to turn him down, all it took was a few touches on his part to shatter her will power.

No, as far as getting out of this particular situation, she would have to hold out just a little longer. Her window of opportunity had not come just yet.

“I have something for you.”

“Hmm?” She turned her attention back to him. He was reaching over to a small chest on the pedestal next to his throne. Opening the lid, he pulled out an elaborate necklace that looked to be made of gold and amber.

“It was among the items we took from Ba’al.” He moved his other arm so that he could use both hands to fasten it around her throat. “I knew it was meant for you.”

Jenny craned her neck down to peer at it. “Ba’al had this? It looks Roman. See the metal work… what?” She looked up as he started to chuckle.

“Typical. I give you a gift and you immediately start trying to determine its origins.” He took the necklace out of her curious hands and laid it back against her skin. “Do you never tire of learning?”

“If we stop learning, then we stop growing.”

“And you would never allow yourself to stop growing.” He placed a hand at her neck, his thumb rubbing her cheek. “You are a treasure, My Jennifer.” He smirked as she stiffened. “And still you persist in deluding yourself into believing you will be allowed to leave me one day. Do not think that I am unaware of your sentiments. You would flee if you could, which is why you will not be present when I return the Tau’ri soldiers to Earth.” He pulled her close with a quick tug, until her mouth was less than an inch from his own. “You belong to me, now. And unlike those who would lay claim to you in the past, I will not be so foolish as to allow you to slip away.” He kissed her, quick and hard, before letting her go and allowing her to scramble out of his lap. “There are still matters I must see to. Await me in our chambers. I will join you there, soon.”

Jennifer left the chamber as quickly as she was able and didn’t stop until she was back in the chambers they shared. Once the doors had shut, she leaned against them, her hand clamped over her mouth to keep herself from crying out. Sure, she had admitted to herself that Camulus saw her as a sort of pet or toy, but to hear him say it himself, so bluntly. As long as she was able to tell herself that she was her own person, she had always been okay, but to hear herself reduced to nothing more than a mere possession by someone else tore at the very fiber of her being.

She hated the hot tears that began to sting her eyes and run down her cheeks, seeing them as a sign of weakness. She couldn’t wait any longer. She had to find a way out of this, had to find a way back home. She had to escape, before she lost all that there was of herself.

~***~

“Why did it take so long to get someone on the inside? The resistance has been getting new members left and right.”

Tal’Mak nodded in acknowledgement of this. “It is true that most of the System Lords are losing Jaffa from their ranks as more and more of our brothers join us in our fight for freedom, however Camulus is not known for treating his Jaffa as harshly as his peers.”

Jack frowned. “So… what… he’s a kinder, gentler Goa’uld?”

“Camulus treats his soldiers more like brothers at arms. Most of the System Lords, when they realize they face defeat, would order their Jaffa to fight until the last of them had died. When Camulus recognized defeat, he ordered his Jaffa to gather their wives an their children to them and flee to secure worlds unknown to his enemies, to do what they could to forge new lives and prepare for his return. Many of those among his Jaffa who do not believe him a god still view him as a wise general and a benevolent leader. Finding those who are not blinded by this loyalty is difficult.”

“But you do trust the contacts you’ve made.”

“We do.”

Jack looked from Tal’Mak to Bratac and back. “And?”

Bratac leaned forward. “Our intelligence states that three days ago Camulus and his forces returned from attacking three of Ba’al’s outposts. One of these proved to contain the only two Tau’ri warriors remaining of the group Ba’al captured. It was also learned that Ba’al is not the one behind his apparent conquest of the other System Lords.”

O’Neill gave an interested look. “He’s not? If Ba’al isn’t behind Ba’al’s actions, then who is?”

“He is serving the orders of Anubis.”

Daniel blinked. “What!” Jack groaned.

“What is it gonna take to kill that guy?” He looked over at his 2IC. “Carter, can’t you whip up some kind of dohickey?”

Teal’c looked at his friend and mentor. “Where is Camulus keeping the Tau’ri soldiers?”

“At his new outpost. We have the gate coordinates. He is keeping your Dr. Copeland there as well.”

Daniel straightened up. “He is? That’s… great. Uhm… we’re going after them, right? Jack, say we’re going after them.”

“Sounds like a good idea to me. Besides, if we wait too long, Camulus is likely to move again.”

Bratac nodded. “Agreed. We could make a decisive strike now.”

Jack frowned. “Yeah… how many Jaffa does Camulus have, exactly?”

Tal’Mak frowned. “The full strength of his force is unclear, but it is rumored to be somewhere near one million. It is likely to have grown, swelled by displaced Jaffa who found themselves less important as Ba’al turned more and more to the Kull.”

“That’s a lot of enemy soldiers, who just happen to be occupied with keeping Ba’al from gaining too much power.”

Daniel looked nervous. “Jack, say we’re going after them… please.”

“Don’t get nervous. We’re going to go after them, I’m just thinking that a full assault might be a needless risk of life if we can do this… with more subtlety.”

Teal’c raised a single brow as Bratac looked at the human with confusion. “You have a plan?”

“I may have something. You may not have heard, but General Hammond pulled some strings to get me a kind of… co-commandant of Stargate Command.” Jack grinned. “He came with a really great perk.”

~***~

Jenny was finding it more difficult to concentrate on her research. The passage of text in the rubbing was still complete and utter nonsense to her. No matter what way she turned it or what little difference in dialect she used, it still came out as gibberish. With a sigh of frustration, she dropped the scroll and rubbed at her eyes.

“You are working yourself too hard.”

She jumped, surprised. “I didn’t hear you come in.”

“Little wonder. You are never fully present when you are working.” He looked over her jumble of notes and sketches. “It would not seem to be going well.”

“Whoever wrote this was even crazier than the goof who stole your sword.” She gave him an irritated look when he laughed. “Glad you’re amused. You’re not the one trying to translate it.”

“You could just stop.” He smirked at her dark expression. “But of course, you are not one to just ‘twiddle your thumbs’.”

“You’re in an annoyingly good mood. Why?”

He crossed the room and pulled her to her feet. “Do I need a reason?” He pulled her close, wrapping his arms about her. “Things are progressing as I have planned, much in part because you returned that which was lost to me. You have brought me much good fortune.”

Yes, of course. She put that damn sword back into his hands and restored his place in the eyes of his armies. She gave him the edge he needed to stir up their belief in him. Thanks to her, they had the courage to fight Ba’al and come out on top. The one thing she didn’t know was if Camulus would be any better as a supreme ruler than Ba’al or Anubis. Had she done the galaxy a favor, or had she unleashed an even greater monster?

“What are you thinking?”

She shook her head. “Nothing… I’m just tired.”

“Not too tired, I hope.” He pushed her hair back and lowered his head to place his lips against the bare skin of her neck. He had given her a respite over the past week, being uncharacteristically sensitive regarding her unhappiness over their conversation when he had returned from his last round of attacks. He had gone back to just holding her while she slept, like he had after the first time she tried to escape. It appeared, however, that he wasn’t going to give her a full month this time around.

She tried to think of a reason to ask him to stop, something that he might actually listen to. Salvation came, however, in the form of the alarm klaxon sounding. Camulus’ head came up with a jerk, his brow knitting together. “Stay here.” She obeyed, gladly, as he left her makeshift study.

The klaxon continued to sound with orders barked in Goa’uld coming over their version of a communications system. Guards were being ordered to the planet’s Stargate, something about an unexpected activation. Death gliders were being scrambled. Jenny listened to it all, her heart hammering in her chest. “We’ve been found.”

She hurried to one of her chests that she used to store her artifacts. Lifting the lid, she reached down into the bottom and pulled out a small, leather bag that held dirt and dust gathered while cleaning pieces for closer study. It was something so small and insignificant that it always managed to go unnoticed. She poured the contents out into the pockets of the smock she wore to protect her clothing from getting dirty during her work. She also pocketed the small, but sharp, knife she had been allowed for delicate scraping. It wasn’t very thick or strong, but it could still inflict pain if she got in a good blow. She knew it was a long shot, but if she could use the chaos of an attack as cover, she might be able to get to the holding cells to get Davies and Janson. They would be better in a fight than she was, and between the three of them, they might just make it out alive.

She pondered the best time to make her move. Almost as though the enemy was reading her mind, an explosion sounded from somewhere. It was close enough that the vibrations were felt, but not close enough to cause any visible reaction in the building itself. A few seconds later the communications system came alive again, with orders for three of the Jaffa squads to join several others already converging on the weapons stores. That was her moment.

She exited the room, trying not to draw attention to herself and staying close to the corridor walls so she wouldn’t impede the Jaffa as they hurried to join the fray. She had a good idea where the holding cells were, even though she had not been allowed to explore in that area since the others were brought in. Ducking into a sideway, she waited until another group of Jaffa had passed before moving back out and continuing on.

Another explosion vibrated through the foundation, this one from the other side of the compound. Just how large was the attacking force? The sudden, horribly thought of winding up at the hands of Ba’al or Anubis crossed her mind. She didn’t have anything of value to give them, but that didn’t mean they wouldn’t torture her just for giggles. She swallowed hard and pressed on, doing her best not to let fear get a stranglehold on her. Her stomach jumped into her throat when a hand came out and wrapped around her upper arm.

“Doctor Copeland, come with me.” It was one of the Jaffa; she had seen his face many times before. She didn’t hesitate. She slipped her hand into the pocket of her smock and brought out a handful of the dust there, throwing it into his eyes. He bit off a curse, but he did let her go out of reflex to rub. She took hold of one of his arms and used her body weight to pull him past and into the corridor wall, stunning him enough for her to make a break for it. She hadn’t gotten three steps before someone detached from the shadows of another corridor and grabbed her. She tried to scream, but a large hand clamped over her mouth as she was pulled against a large figure. A head was placed next to her own so her capture to speak in a low whisper.

“Dr. Copeland, it’s all right. We’re from the SGC. We’ve come to take you home.”

Jenny’s hands had come up to her captor’s wrists in reflex, her first instinct to pull them away. Now she hesitated. Under her left hand there was a wide bulge that felt to be of a rough, canvas cloth. Hesitantly, she moved her fingers towards the edge and gave it a slight pull. There was the distinct sound of Velcro pulling apart. A cover flap to a combat watch, used to keep the LED screen from reflecting light or the time piece itself from lighting up and blowing cover if accidentally bumped just right. It was strictly an Earth military thing. She relaxed in relief and nodded in grateful understanding.

The man let her go and she turned away to lean against the opposite corridor. Another man, dressed in a uniform more black than green, his face darkened with paint, moved past them to check on the Jaffa. “You all right?”

“I am fine. I had not expected her to lash out like that.” Both the soldier and the Jaffa returned to the corridor, taking shelter in the shadows. Her captor, the commander of the unit, apparently, was nodding.

“You could have been a guard coming to haul her back wherever it is he keeps her.” He looked across the narrow space to give an approving nod in her direction. “Good thinking. You keep that level head and this will be a whole lot smoother. Where were you trying to get to?”

“The holding cells. They’ve got Davies and Janson in there. I thought this was an attack by Ba’al or one of the other Goa’uld. I thought we might use the distraction to slip out.”

“Really? That’s what we were thinking when we planned this little party.” The commander looked over at the Jaffa, who seemed to be getting his vision back quickly enough. “Do you think you can get us to where they’re keeping our soldiers?”

The Jaffa nodded. “We are not far.”

“Good. You take point, I’ll be right behind you. Stills, Mac, you’re after me. Doctor, you stay behind them and Meyers and Brown will be in the rear. Follow our lead, and if we tell you to run for it, haul ass out of the area. Got it?”

Jenny nodded. It wasn’t too different from the standing orders she had from Davies when they were a full team, planet hopping across the galaxy. She watched the others closely. The leader moved just close enough to the light at the entrance of the corridor that she could make out a patch, barely perceptible against the fabric of his shirt, right under the SGC patch. It was something she recognized and was the most sterling piece of evidence that these men were on her side. No System Lord would have known to use that particular emblem.

But when had the SGC started using Navy SEALs?

---------------------------------------------------

Camulus kept up with the reports coming in from his Jaffa. What they were telling him made little sense. “No one has come through the Chappa’ai?”

“No men, no weapons fire, nothing. Perhaps they are blocking us.”

He frowned, considering this. He had used the same tactic himself, but it didn’t sit right with this situation. “There is no way we could evacuate our numbers through the Chappa’ai in the middle of an attack. They are not trying to keep us from running.” He frowned at nothing as his mind replayed the events so far. “The Chappa’ai is a distraction. The explosions were too soon afterwards, and no ships have been spotted. They arrived in cloaked ships, then had allies connect to our Chappa’ai to draw attention away from their movements.”

“We would have noticed a large force landing, even in cloaked vessels.” The First Prime was puzzled. True, nothing had come through the portal, but how many men could be brought to the planet unseen with any hope of truly harming them. “Perhaps this is nothing but a raiding party, My Lord?”

Camulus’ expression turned murderous. “Not a raid. It is a rescue.” He got up from the throne, his cape billowing behind him.

“Should we tell them that we are willing to turn over their warriors anyway? It is what you had planned, My Lord.”

“They will not be satisfied with just the soldiers. They will want Jennifer as well.” He unsheathed his sword as he made his way to the door. “Send Jaffa to the holding cells. Do not let the Tau’ri leave with their men.”

He made his way to Jennifer’s workroom. He had not expected her to be there, not really. Her notes, her charts, everything was in its usual disarray, as though she had just stepped out to see to some personal task or to take a nap. He did not believe she would be in the chambers they shared, either.

Calum’s voice sounded from within him. “There is no way to be certain that the Tau’ri have found her.”

“There is no way to be certain that they have not, either.” His grip tightened around the hilt of the sword as another explosion sounded from outside the compound. “They are targeting our weapons stores as a further distraction, keeping the Jaffa pulled in several directions so that they can get in and out of the base with little difficulty. Clever. But then again, we did not select them as a possible tool because of a lack of intelligence.” He turned and left the workroom. He would give her the benefit of a doubt and at least pay a visit to their chambers. He did not find Jennifer, but he did find someone.

“Searching for someone, Major?”

Three Tau’ri soldiers turned. Thomas Copeland opened fire, but the shielding from the sword deflected the rounds effortlessly. Camulus gave the man a condescending look. “Why are you here, Copeland? You all but threw her away. You have no place in her life any longer.”

“Maybe not, but I can at least see to it that she has the opportunity to find someone better than you.”

“Better than I?” Camulus gave a mirthless chuckle. “Look around you, Major. I have given her a life of comfort and luxury. I have indulged her desires to learn and explore.” He gave a knowing smirk. “And I have given her the child she carries.”

The words had the desired effect. Copeland’s hands tightened on his weapon. “Jenny can’t have children. Not anymore.”

“I am a god, Major. I have the power to heal wounds, even those as destructive as what Jennifer suffered. I restored her ability to bear life. Even now a son grows strong within her. My son.”

One of the other Tau’ri soldiers shifted nervously. “He’s blowing smoke, Sir. Trying to get to your head.”

Copeland shook his head. “No, he’s telling the truth.” He took a breath and kept his weapon trained on the Goa’uld before him. “It doesn’t matter. We’re taking her home. And we’d like to take that pretty blade of yours with us. Hand it over.”

Camulus lifted a single brow in his direction before raising his sword and sending a blast of energy towards the three men, knocking them flat.

~***~

“It’s good to see a friendly face for a change.” Davies rubbed his wrist where the restraints had bound him. He gave a cursory glance over the simple shift and smock that Jennifer was wearing. “You okay, Copeland? When you weren’t brought in with the rest of us, we’d hoped you made it back home.”

“No such luck.” She looked over at the leader of the SEALs. “Any idea how we get out of here?”

“The plan is to leave the same way we came in, then rendezvous with the second team.”

Davies frowned. “Second team?”

“Rescuing you was the primary objective. As a secondary objective we’re supposed to do our best to secure that fancy sword your host uses.”

Jenny blinked. “You’re going after the sword? Not a chance. The first thing Camulus would do when the alarm started sounded would be to get the sword. Not to mention it burns anyone but him to tries to touch it. Believe me, I remember that part.”

Their Jaffa ally came back in. “There are troops moving this way. Camulus must have reasoned out your distractions. We need to hurry.”

The SEAL commander nodded and reached up to the com unit on his pack strap and clicked it twice. A moment later three answering clicks sounded. “They’re ready. Let’s go.”

They had to move quickly before the Jaffa realized that the cells were empty and started to search for them. Jenny thought that they were going to attempt to get outside of the complex, but instead of going out into the corridor, the SEAL commander motioned for her to come by his side. She frowned and did as he indicated, surprised when he took one of her hands and placed it on his belt. Before she could ask what he was up to, there was a curious, tingling sensation followed by a soft, blue-white light. A moment later, she was standing inside a ship of some sort.

“Okay, that was different.”

The commander smiled. “Doctor Copeland, welcome aboard the prototype of the X-502, Home World Security’s new stealth transport.”

Davies looked around at the interior of the ship. “This is ours?”

One of the SEALs grinned. “Yep. Earth design, Goa’uld cloaking shield and Asguard beaming technology. Capable of transporting equipment and supplies or up to three well equipped combat units. There’s an X-602 as well, for heavy transport, but it wasn’t ready to go just yet.”

Jenny moved towards the front of the ship. “Commander, what about your other team? Any word?”

The commander was looking over the com readouts and shook his head. “No, nothing yet. Are you sure Camulus would have the sword with him?”

“Now that he has it, he never enters a combat situation without it. There’s almost a superstition around among his Jaffa and it acts as a protection device for Camulus. He’s got it on him, and your team isn’t going to be able to get close as long as he does.” She frowned. “Who did you send?”

“SG-19, Major Copeland’s unit.”

She felt the bottom fall out of her stomach. “Thomas! Is he insane!”

The SEAL turned around and gave her an inquiring look. “He was insistent on coming, would have begged if he wasn’t a Marine.”

“Camulus has been riding my ass to give him my blessing to execute Thomas since this entire fiasco began. He’d jump at a chance to kill him. You’ve got to get them out of there!”

The man frowned, seeming to weigh her suggestion carefully before he tried the same technique of com clicks. There was no response, so he attempted a second time. Again, no response. He turned to another of the SEALs. “Lieutenant, see if you can zero in on their signals and we’ll beam them out.”

~***~

Thomas felt as though someone had pushed a brick wall over on top of him. From his left he heard Chan moan and say something in Chinese. Beau’s accent had gone so Cajun that no one could understand what he had said. As for Thomas, he dared to open his eyes to find one rather pissed off Goa’uld standing over him. “I would have thought you were intelligent enough not to return for her, Major. Where is she?”

“What? You misplace her?” He winced as he tried to sit up. “Pretend you’re a ten-thousand-year-old fossil. That should bring her running.” He forced a fake laugh. “Oh, wait… you are!”

Camulus’ eyes flashed in annoyance. He moved just close enough that he could place the end of his sword at Thomas’ throat. The metal searched into the human’s skin, making him yell out in surprise. “Where is she?”

Thomas gritted his teeth. Now he believed the Tok’ra about the sword. He had to admit, before he thought they were just buying into some old legend. No wonder Jenny had been salivating over the prospect of finding it. He hoped this jerk at least let her study it after she’d gone through all the trouble to locate it. It was the least he could do for her. “Hopefully, half-way back to Earth by now.”

Camulus lifted a skeptical brow. “Without you? I doubt it.”

“Hey, I’m the schmuck who screwed around on her, remember? She’d probably be happy to leave me behind.”

The Goa’uld sneered. “We both know her sense of morality is too strong for that. She will not leave you. She will probably even shed tears over your corpse, but rest assured that I will be there to dry them.” He moved the sword down until it rested over the human’s heart before bringing his other than to the hilt. He made the movement deliberately slow, wanting Copeland to realize that he was about to die. It wasn’t until there was a shimmering blue light enveloping the man that he realized that he should not have taken so much pleasure in the act. He looked towards the other two Tau’ri, both of whom were gone as well. Asguard technology; hardly surprising given that he was dealing with one of their staunchest allies. The enraged roar that the god of war let out was heard by many, carried down through the corridors of the complex.

Calum’s voice emerged from his mind. “It is not likely that she is still here.”

“Of course she is not still here. O’Neill is obsessed with accounting for every one of his people. He would insist that it be a full rescue.”

“They may still be on the planet.”

“We did not sense their ship. If it is here, then it is cloaked, and with the Asguard transporter technology they would not even need to land.” His hand tightened around the hilt of the sword until the blood fled from his knuckles. He tried to reign in his anger, but failed. With a snarl he unleashed a wave of heat towards the bed that he had shared with Jennifer, setting it ablaze.

Calum was silent for a brief moment, allowing Camulus to watch the flames devour the fine curtains and bedclothes. “We could go after her.”

“We could, but we will not.”

His host faltered. “You are letting her go?”

Camulus watched as the pillows that had cradled Jennifer’s clever head blackened and smoldered. “For now. Let her have her illusion of freedom for a time.”

He felt his host relax. “Then you do plan to go after her.”

“Eventually. To do so now would be foolish. The Tau’ri may not be as advanced as the Goa’uld, but they make up for it with tenacity and intelligence. We will have to bide our time.” Camulus smiled, his anger vented. “Jennifer needs to be reminded that she belongs to us, and that we will always reclaim what is ours. That lesson would be lost in the rush of adrenaline. She will remember it more if we bring it to her when she feels secure in her own life.”

The god of war watched the bed continue to burn as he sheathed his sword. He could wait. What was time to a god?

~***~

The door opened when he rang the bell. Thomas managed not to swear at who opened it. “Admiral. Is… is Jenny home?”

Frank Rice gave his former son-in-law a scowl. “Inside, second door on the right.” He stepped aside to let him in.

“Thank you, Sir.” Thom found her packing books into boxes. “Moving again?”

Jenny looked around. She looked quite different from when they had rescued her. The fancy clothes were gone in favor of blue jeans, sneakers and a red t-shirt. She gave him a slight smile. “No, just moving things around. I tried to get Dad to take the master bedroom, but he said that I would need to be closer to the nursery and we’re going to turn this room into his bedroom.”

Thom paused. “Yeah, they said that you were going to keep the baby. Are… are you sure that’s what you want?”

Jenny closed the top of the box. “Yeah, I’ve thought this through. Camulus’ host was human, and since I’m not a host myself, there’s no reason why this baby shouldn’t be okay. Of course, I’ll have to let the military run all kinds of tests on him for most of his formative years to make sure he’s okay, but the doctors feel confident that he’ll just be a kid with some naquadah in his system.”

Thom sat down in the office chair. “How are you going to do it? I mean, how are you going to take care of a baby and keep working at the SGC? They told me that you’re not leaving.”

“Dad. He’s staying, for good. He was going to resign before he found out about the whole mess with the abduction and such. Only stayed on as long as he did to be there when I came home. Now he’s decided it’s time to retire. I think he wants to be here for the baby, kind of make up for being away so much when I was a kid.”

“An at-home grandpa?” Thomas pictured Frank Rice changing dirty diapers and getting spit-up on his starched shirts, and grinned. “I want video.”

She threw a roll of duct tape at him, which he caught with a laugh. He started to twirl the tape around his index finger, frowning. “Jenny… I gotta know… why didn’t you realize that thing wasn’t me?”

She paused before claiming a stool nearby for a seat. “Because I didn’t know who you were any longer, Thom. One of the most horrible things a woman could go through happened to me, and you weren’t there. You came home when it suited you to do so, but you weren’t there. I started… I started to doubt myself, think it was my fault in some way. Then, just when I thought I was a complete failure as a wife and a woman, you seemed to change and want me back. You seemed so desperate for me; I fooled myself into believing that you realized you actually cared. It… it was a while before it became clear that something was wrong.”

“And Camulus?”

Jenny winced. “Yeah, him.” She met Thomas’ gaze. “I’m not some silly school girl with romantic notions of an alien prince falling in love with me. And I wasn’t in love with him. I was weak, and he took advantage of that weakness. It had been over a year since you and I had actually been together, then Zeus was so demanding and one-sided during sex… there was finding out that you weren’t you, the attack and Camulus saving my life by getting me off that planet… he took advantage of the situation. For the first time in a very long time, someone touched me like I was something precious, even beautiful. I was starving for that kind of feeling again, and Camulus was clever enough to know it.”

“So it was just… sex.”

She shrugged. “I think I may have deluded myself into believing it was something more a time or two, but I never let myself become stupid for too long. He showed some affection for me, but it was the same kind of affection he gave to that sword of his. I was a possession, nothing more.”

Thomas nodded and looked down at the floor. The silence stretched out between them like melted plastic until he took a ragged breath and raised his head; his eyes shining with unshed tears. “I am so sorry for what I did to you, Jenny. I never meant to make you doubt yourself. It wasn’t you, none of it. I was the jackass.”

She gave him a sad smile. “I know you were. The important thing is that you know you were. You didn’t destroy me, Thom… just strained me a bit.”

“You could have let him kill me. Hell, you could have done a lot of things. There aren’t many women who would have kept things split down the middle like you did, not with their husband missing and not likely to come back.”

“It wouldn’t have been right. Cheating on your marriage vows isn’t worth being killed for and leaving you bankrupt would have just been… petty.”

He gave a short laugh. “You always were too good for the real world. Decent folk like you aren’t supposed to exist any longer.”

“Sure we are, Thom. They just keep in the background.” She took a breath and gave him a smile. “What about you? What are you plans from here?”

“I put in for a transfer.” He held up a hand to stop her protests. “It’s not your fault, I just don’t want to be here cramping your style, and there are a lot of people who look down on me because of how I treated you before that snake got into my head. I offered to leave the SGC entirely, but now that I don’t have a wife or family to worry about, O’Neill got me a spot on the Deadalus when it returns to the Pegasus Galaxy. Me and some others are going there to bulk up the garrison on in Atlantis.”

“Atlantis? Lucky you. I’d love to go there, but I’d have to learn Ancient, first.”

Thomas gave her a smirk. “Should have been a Marine, Doctor Copeland. Then all you would have had to know how to do is shoot straight.”

She returned his smile. “I’m not the Marine. That’s your job.”

He laughed, remembering her old come back well. “So… we’re good? You and me?”

“I don’t hate you, Thomas. I tried, but I can’t. I wish you well, and I want you to be happy.”

“I’m not so sure I deserve to be happy. You, on the other hand, definitely deserve it. And I think that, after a suitable period of re-acclimation to Earth, you should start dating again.”

She blinked. “You do.”

He grinned and nodded. “I do. I could even suggest a few people. I have recently learned that Dusten Chan has been holding a torch for you for quite some time. In fact, he’s offered to help me pack so I can get my ass off the planet where I can’t be breathing down his neck as he tries to get your attention.”

She laughed in surprise. “Dusty? Not a chance! He used to try and juggle the artifacts. Dr. Jackson banned him from all our work rooms.”

“No? Well, there is that SEAL commander… Bryant! Your dad loves him, already. I’m sure he considers him the son-in-law I never could be. Good teeth, too.”

She pointed a finger at the door to the study. “Out! Go pester someone else!”

He got up, but didn’t stop. “Hey! What about Beau? He’s single, and you already know you love his cooking.”

“Dad!” She was laughing so hard now that it was all she could do to push him out the door and down the hallway. Frank Rice stood up from the recliner in the living room, newspaper in hand, and watched in amused silence as his daughter shoved her ex-husband out through the front door. Thomas barely got in a final ‘Good-Bye, Sir’ before she shut the door, still laughing.

There had been a cold knot in the pit of Admiral Rice’s stomach ever since the day he learned his daughter had gone missing. Now, watching her laughing with genuine mirth, leaning up against the front door, that knot untied itself. For the first time since his debriefing on the Stargate program, Frank truly believed that his baby girl was going to be just fine.

~*~ The End ~*~

 

Far Away

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