By Demon Faith
AUTHOR: Demon Faith
EMAIL: rosabeth@hotmail.com
CATEGORY: Sam/Daniel
friendship/romance, Angst, Drama, Hurt/Comfort
SPOILERS: A reference to my
stories ‘Baggage Check’ and ‘Web of Deceit: Part 1’. Minor spoilers for:
Jolinar’s Memories, Forever in a Day, Serpent’s Song, Legacy Foothold, Fair
Game and maybe a few I missed.
SEASON/SEQUEL: Direct sequel to
Web of Deceit: Part 1. Not surprising really. Set in Season 3, between
Jolinar’s Memories and Shades of Grey.
RATING: PG
CONTENT WARNINGS: Torture, violence, graphic images: you might need a tissue!
SUMMARY: Who’s after Daniel this
time?
STATUS: Complete
DISCLAIMER: I still can’t believe
they’re not mine! But I suppose, if they were, Sam and Daniel would’ve got it
together a long time ago…Anyway, everything belongs to who it should do and,
most unfortunately, I didn’t earn any money from this. You want the story, just
ask first!
AUTHOR’S NOTES: This started as just
an excuse to beat the crap out of Mackenzie. But the muses wouldn’t leave me
alone! Sorry I’m dragging this out folks!
Daniel just stared at the NID
colonel, who was smiling smugly down at him. Mackenzie stood behind him, taking
great pleasure in Daniel’s discomfort.
“What do you want, Maybourne?”
The colonel just smiled, as a tranq dart sailed past him and
straight into Daniel’s arm. As the archaeologist keeled over, he managed to
whisper:
“Jack’s gonna murder you…”
~
Jack just wanted to strangle
something, preferably Dr Mackenzie. If he had hurt Sam and Daniel…well, there’d
be hell to pay! Jack was curious to just one thing: Mackenzie couldn’t have
done this alone. Who else was helping him? Teal’c was stiff in the seat beside
him and Jack knew that he wanted to pound something as well. But what could
they do? Absolutely nothing. Mackenzie wasn’t going to advertise his location
and they had no means of tracking them. They would have to go back to the base
and wait. Jack hated waiting. He had had to wait many times before. Waiting for
Daniel, most of it.
They were heading back when Jack
saw something in the hedge. He screeched to a stop, nearly causing Ferretti to
crash into the back of him. He leapt out of the car and ran to the roadside. He
crashed onto his knees, where Ferretti and Makepeace joined him. He pulled the
material from the hedge and then looked towards the door of the building.
It was part of a shirt.
Daniel’s shirt.
~
Daniel came to in a cell. Or, at
least, that’s how it felt. He was in a small, windowless room with only a
wooden chair and an exposed light bulb. It felt like a really bad prison movie,
but this was frightening real. He was strapped tightly to the chair and could
feel blood dripping down his forehead. Oh happy days! Daniel chewed
nervously on his bottom lip, waiting for something to happen.
He wasn’t disappointed. A few
minutes later, Maybourne walked in, holding a pistol. Ooh, a big, freaky
gun. I am sooo scared! Daniel raised an eyebrow. He saw so many weapons in
his line of work that one little pistol wasn’t going to intimidate him.
Maybourne smiled sickeningly but Daniel just shook his head in disbelief.
“Jack is going to kill you.”
“Yes, you said that already,
Doctor Jackson. Unfortunately, if I’m not on this planet, he can’t exactly
reach me.”
Maybourne gestured towards the
door and Daniel turned.
Standing in the doorway, was
someone Daniel had hoped he would never see again.
“Apophis?”
~
Jack gave the door a vicious kick.
He roared with anger and kicked it again but the door wouldn’t budge. Teal’c
calmly pushed him aside and punched the door in a movement that would’ve broken
a normal man’s arm. But Teal’c wasn’t a normal man and the door easily gave
way. Jack only just restrained himself from rushing in, yelling. Instead, he
motioned for his team to follow him, as he crept into the building. It was a
grotty, little house and Jack was very cautious. He turned a sharp corner and
yelled for his team. They skidded straight into the small room, Jack falling to
his knees before Sam’s motionless form. To his relief, her eyes quickly
fluttered open and she smiled weakly.
“What kept you?”
Jack returned her smile before motioning for Ferretti to look
after her. He scanned the room for Daniel but there wasn’t a trace. As he moved
to get up, Sam feebly grabbed his arm.
“He g…got him. On the d…door.”
Sam waved her arm in the direction
of the door and Makepeace swung it closed. Everyone shuddered in horror.
Because, pinned to the door, was
Mackenzie’s corpse.
~
The plot thickens, huh? Daniel sighed to himself, as he was unceremoniously
dragged to the second Gate. At least, I think that’s where I’m going…Daniel
thought wryly, why do the mean guys always pick on me? As he thudded
along the floor, he began to notice the fact that he was probably in Area 51.
Daniel was very confused.
Mackenzie had kidnapped Sam; Maybourne had used that to get to him, so that he
could give him to…Apophis? Mackenzie and Maybourne he could get but Apophis?
Surely, Maybourne must hate the Goa’uld as much as anyone. Unless…Daniel
frowned. Maybourne wouldn’t be that stupid, would he? What would he get for
Daniel? Some advanced weaponry? Shield technology? A couple of ships?
All thought was stopped by a hard
landing in front of the Gate. One of the Jaffa began to dial. Jaffa? Since
when were there Jaffa? Apophis flickered into his vision, as the False God
raised his ribbon-device…
~
“Mackenzie was killed by bullets
to his head, abdomen and chest. It looked like he faced a sort of…firing
squad.”
Jack grimaced and Teal’c raised an
eyebrow. Janet sat back down and they all turned to General Hammond. Except for
Sam. She had insisted on being let out of the infirmary as soon as possible and
had since fallen into a depressive mood, similar to Daniel’s when Sam had gone
missing. She hadn’t said a word during the whole meeting; just sat there,
nursing a cup of coffee. Janet kept shooting her worried glances but Sam
refused to meet her eye. She’s blaming herself, thought the doctor.
“So, Doctor Jackson wasn’t in the
house? Are we sure he even got there?”
“He was there. He said…he had to
come, told me to rest, and then, he let himself be taken for me!”
Sam burst into a flood of tears
and leaned forward onto the table, sobbing in to the hard wood. Janet got up
and crouched down beside her, rubbing soothing circles on her back.
“Who took him, Sam? We need to
know.”
Sam looked up, looking extremely miserable.
“It was…Maybourne!”
~
So, here we go again! Daniel opened his eyes, to find himself tied to a
long, white post made of a hard plastic. Thick, black straps held him firmly in
an upright position that was extremely uncomfortable and he couldn’t move an
inch. He had lost his shirt and glasses somewhere back in Area 51 and the whole
room was blurry.
He could just make out Apophis and
a couple of Jaffa approaching. What the heck does snaky want with me this
time?
#You are under my control now,
Tau’ri. You will tell me who killed my wife, so I my have my revenge#
~
Sam swore loudly and threw her
coffee mug against the wall. It shattered over Jack, who was just walking in.
“Y’know, those things are
expensive…”
Sam scowled at him and turned back
to her work. She was trying to hack into NID but it just wasn’t working. Jack
peered over her shoulder and neatly typed in a password. The screen changed,
welcoming ‘Harry Maybourne’ to the NID database.
“How the heck did you get back?”
Jack winked at her.
“A little hacking of my own!”
Sam sighed and turned back. She
clicked on ‘Schedule’ and her eyes widened.
Suddenly, the door slid opened and
Apophis stopped. Daniel looked up, to see an Asgard in the doorway. The little
alien was dressed in loose, brown clothing that reminded Daniel of ancient
smugglers and pirates. He tottered forward, his two massive eyes blinking about
every minute.
“I am here, Apophis.”
#Greetings Thor, my brother#
Daniel started. Thor? The peaceful
Norse god? It couldn’t be!
“I see you have Daniel Jackson. He
is very valuable.”
#Do you want him, Thor?#
“It would please me greatly,
Apophis.”
Daniel was feeling sick. These
people were talking about him as if he was a trade item, let alone in the same
room.
#But I must get my information
first.#
“Allow me a few moments with him
and he will tell all.”
Great, thought Daniel, Get frazzled by the Goa’uld and
then interrogated by the Asgard. What a wonderful day! Daniel wondered
where he had got such a sarcastic mind. Probably too much Jack-exposure…
Apophis walked out, followed by
his Jaffa and Thor walked up to him. Daniel was beginning to ache now and he
could feel blood trickling down his torso.
“Greetings Daniel Jackson. I am
here to rescue you.”
Daniel blinked in surprise.
“You mean you’re gonna help me?”
“Yes. Tell Apophis some false
information and then I will take you back to Earth.”
Daniel’s brow creased into a
frown.
“Why are you here, Thor? Don’t you
fight the Goa’uld? Don’t they hate you?”
“The System Lords hate me but
Apophis thinks I am a rogue Asgard.”
Daniel nodded and then winced when it hurt. Thor strode back to
the door, pressed a few buttons and Apophis and Jaffa walked back in.
#Will you tell me, Daniel
Jackson?#
A thought sprang into Daniel’s
mind and he smiled inwardly. Kill two birds with one stone…
“Harry Maybourne killed your
wife.”
Apophis roared with anger and
struck Daniel across the face.
#You lie! I can see it in your
eyes!#
Daniel winced slightly and
re-thought his plan.
“I killed her.”
~
“Good job, people. But where could
the Goa’uld land?”
George looked around the briefing
room at the remainder of SG1. They looked very tired and haggard but they kept
on working to find a solution. Sometimes, they amazed him with their
determination and loyalty.
“Why did they have to ship in at
all? Besides, we would’ve seen them.”
Sam twiddled her pen between her fingers, trying to
push away those awful words.
Sam shivered.
What could they be doing to him? Was he even still alive? Sam closed her eyes
to stop tears escaping, and continued.
“I think they
used the second Gate.”
Teal’c and Jack
raised eyebrows but George nodded.
“NID are capable
of anything. Unfortunately, it is unfeasible to attempt a rescue.”
George held up
his hand to prevent protests, and continued.
“ Firstly; we
don’t know where he is. Secondly; we can’t easily find out. Thirdly; we don’t
even know if Doctor Jackson is still alive.”
Sam stood up, eyes blazing and tears streaming.
“I know he’s
alive, sir. He can’t be dead. He’s Daniel; Daniel doesn’t die.”
Suddenly,
there was a flash of light from the Gate Room and Sam yelled. She thundered
down the stairs and crashed to her knees. Daniel was lying unconscious on the
ramp, looking very tired and beaten. Sam gently drew his head into her lap,
fondly stroking his short, brown hair. Jack ran in and Teal’c took the phone
from the wall.
“I require Doctor Frasier in the
Embarkation Room. Daniel Jackson has returned…”
Jack landed beside Sam and began
to check Daniel over.
“Dammit! Why does Space Monkey
have to get in so much trouble?”
“Do you have to call me that,
Jack?”
Daniel coughed slightly and his
eyes flickered open. Sam smiled tearfully at him and his lips curved upwards.
Janet and her medical team entered the scene and Daniel was lifted onto a
gurney. Jack pulled Sam to her feet and she hurried after Daniel.
~
“When are they gonna come out?”
Jack thumped the door and it
shuddered. Teal’c was trying to meditate and Sam was hunched in a corner,
pretending to be asleep.
The infirmary doors opened and Sam
looked up, wide awake.
“Well, it’s about time!”
Jack charged through the open
doors, followed immediately by Sam and Teal’c. A very frazzled Janet tugged the
to one side.
“He took a hell of beating but
should make a full recovery. Psychologically, I can’t say but he appears happy
enough.”
“Janet! Are they here yet?”
Daniel’s whine cut through the
infirmary like a knife and Sam was gone in a second. She rushed to his bedside
and he smiled up at her.
“Hello there. So, how are you
feeling? Mackenzie wasn’t too cruel to you, was he/”
Sam laughed. After all he had been
through, she was the one he was most concerned about!
“Me? Are you alright?”
“Yeah fine. Nothing too bad this
time.”
Sam raised an eyebrow but Daniel
inclined his head slightly. Sam turned, to be faced with one very angry
colonel.
“What were you thinking, Jackson?
Rushing off to rescue damsels in distress without any back-up! Are you
cracked?”
Daniel cringed slightly, as his
headache started to thunder again. Suddenly, a slap echoed through the
infirmary.
“I am no damsel! And I don’t think
Daniel’s cracked at all!”
Daniel opened his eyes, to see
Sam, hand still raised. Standing in front of Jack, who was clutching his face.
“Hello? I can speak for myself,
believe it or not!”
They turned back to him, looking
decidedly embarrassed.
“I had to rescue Sam and nothing
could’ve stopped me. It is my fault that all this happened and therefore I
should be blamed, not you.”
“That’s rubbish, Daniel,” said Sam
and Jack, in unison.
Daniel smiled, as Jack sauntered
off to find Janet. Sam sat beside Daniel and he took her hand.
“I nearly lost you today, Sam.”
“And I nearly lost you.”
Daniel looked down at his hands,
trying to say something. Sam took over instead.
“I don’t want to lose you again,
Daniel. I nearly didn’t have a chance to tell you and I couldn’t bear you not
knowing.”
Daniel looked up, eyes shining
with expectation.
“I love you, Daniel. I want us to
be together.”
Daniel pulled Sam into a hug,
ignoring the pain it caused him. Sam felt the same; glad to be in his arms,
even if her ribs protested.
“I love you too, Sam.”
“Ah, love! Ain’t it just great?
So, when’s the wedding, kids?”
Daniel and Sam broke away from
each other, to stare accusingly at Jack and all the other nursing staff.
“Sam, you really should be in bed.
Of course, we don’t have a double, so if you can bear to be without Daniel for
a few days, we’ll move you across the way.”
“Unless we push two together. Then
they could…”
“Not in my infirmary, Jack
O’Neill!”
“Oh yeah? What about when…?”
“I do not wish to hear this tale,
O’Neill.”
“Me neither, Jack.”
“Ditto, sir.”
Janet smiled at him and flounced
away, apparently forgetting the idea of moving Sam.
“You really should rest, Sam. I
don’t want you to get ill.”
Daniel looked at Sam in concern and she smiled tiredly.
“Okay, if it makes you feel
better, I’ll sleep. But I’m not moving from this chair.”
“I wasn’t going to ask you to.”
Daniel lowered Sam gently forward
onto his chest, stroking her hair absently.
“I could get used to this,
Daniel.”
“So could I, Sam,” he murmured,
“so could I.”
THE END