Author's Notes:  Well, this is the final installment. Judy and I both hope everyone enjoyed the story. And special thanks to Judy for being wonderful to work with, and to Mary for knowing where all the commas go.

DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognisable characters and property of Stargate SG-1 belong to MGM/UA, World Gekko Corp. and Double Secret Productions.  This fan fiction was created solely for entertainment purposes and no money was made from it.  Also, no copyright or trademark infringement was intended.  Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.  Any other characters, the storyline and the actual story are the property of the author.  Not to be archived without permission of the author(s).

Part Nineteen: by PHO

Daniel fought to suppress a groan as Teal'c gently lifted him into his arms. "O'Neill, we do not have much time. If the ceremony had gone as planned, the new 'Apophis' would even now be rising from the altar, with his First Prime in attendance. The remaining Jaffa will arrive shortly to escort their new god to the sanctuary of the sarcophagus."

"He's right." Aris interjected, "The uglies will probably be along soon. We gotta roll. I'll lead. Major Carter, if you'll follow me, then Teal'c with the good Doctor, and our two Colonels..."

"Boch! Who died and left you in charge?" Jack's face went from ghost pale to beet red in a matter of seconds. "I'll make the deci... oh, for crying out loud. What he said. Move it people! Teal'c?"

"Daniel Jackson will be safe with me, O'Neill."

Jack nodded, then pointed toward the door. Aris cautiously disappeared through the doorway followed closely by Sam. Daniel, held firmly in the big Jaffa's arms, was not far behind. Jack moved quickly to Makepeace, who hadn't moved from where he'd leaned his head against the wall. "Robert, we gotta move."

Makepeace whirled, and nodded his understanding, but failed to completely suppress the self-loathing in his eyes. The Marine Colonel slipped wordlessly from the room, Jack on his heals.

They almost made it to the underground caverns undetected, but timing is everything in any venture, particularly an escape, and theirs had just been blown. It was only a small group of Jaffa which rounded the bend, but... Fortunately the new Jaffa were rather undisciplined, and stared at the SG group for a moment in shock, allowing Carter and Aris to open covering fire for the remainder of the team. Makepeace slipped around Teal'c, made helpless by the injured team member held securely in his arms, and dove into the caverns. Teal'c counted silently to three, giving the Marine time to clear the front of the doorway, and followed him.

Jack added his own supportive fire to Carter and Aris' angry rounds. "Carter, Boch, into the cavern." The Major needed no encouragement as she sprinted for the door, only to find she was still following the alien. Jack rolled across the hallway, diving through the door, just as a round of weapons fire from the angry Jaffa embedded itself in his former location. The SG-1 commander had barely cleared the doorway when a Zat blast closed it permanently. Covering his head to avoid the rocks, Jack heard Sam hurl language most unbecoming a lady at the alien, then felt her small hand on his arm, assisting him to his feet. "Language, Major." He chided softly, inwardly grinning at her blush of embarrassment. Addressing the rest of the team, he nodded at his Marine counterpart. "Makepeace, you're on point."

"But Colonel..."

"We've been through these tunnels, Makepeace knows the way out."

"Yes, sir." Sam moved quickly to Teal'c's side, and placed her hand on their now unconscious friend's forehead. "We need to get him back to the gate. He's far too warm. And, before you ask, I've got the remote."

"Good work, Major. Move out." O'Neill silently thanked, and not for the first time, whichever petty paper pusher at the Pentagon, had seen fit to assign Samantha Carter to his unit.

Makepeace wound his way through the tunnels, smiling inwardly as he moved into each new passageway undeterred. Sighing with relief, he realized that there should be only one tunnel left to go. Turning, he started to announce that they were almost home free, when he saw what the others had missed ... a secret passageway, opening wide to reveal a small band of Jaffa guards. Boch had already slipped passed him and was headed for the planet's surface, while O'Neill, and Carter had their attention focused behind them. Teal'c, and Daniel, were sitting ducks. With a cry of alarm, the Marine hurled himself at the helpless pair, shoving Teal'c out of the line of fire, and barely avoiding being hit himself.

Teal'c stumbled backwards, struggling to retain both his footing and his hold on the injured man. Jack whirled and instantly opened fire on the newly arrived Jaffa. Carter used her incredible speed to lend Teal'c a supportive hand. Boch, meantime, had ducked back inside, and aimed his Zat gun at the top of the hidden door. The resulting cave-in trapped the attacking Jaffa behind a wall of stone. Jack's sigh of relief was short-lived as Makepeace groaned and clutched his arm, blood streaming from an open wound on his head. "Shit, damn, hell." Struggling to his feet, he managed a choked, "Let's get the hell out of here."

"Robert?"

"It's nothing. Broken arm, and there are at least two of you, Jack..."

"Jack? Jack?"

The quiet, solemn voice broke through O'Neill's exhausted stare off into the distance. "What?" The SG-1 commander started violently and quickly lowered his voice for fear of waking the sleeping scientist. The past twenty-four hours had been a whirlwind of activity since they'd stumbled through the gate, emotionally drained, but with only two physical casualties... Makepeace, and ... Daniel. The emotional scars of Daniel's abduction would take much longer to come to terms with. "Robert?"

"How is he?" Makepeace also spoke in muted tones.

"Dr. Fraiser says he'll be fine. With time ... and rest." Jack's eyes never left the too-pale face on the pillow. "How's the arm?"

The Marine shrugged. "It's okay. Itches like crazy, though. I really hate plaster."

"I don't think I ever thanked you for shielding Daniel and Teal'c when those Jaffa showed up. You're lucky you only got a concussion and broken arm when that wall collapsed."

"Least I could do, after what happened."

Something in the other man's voice pulled Jack's attention away from Daniel. The Marine's face was pale and drawn. "Robert..."

"Don't say it, Jack. I know everything's my fault, and I am truly sorry."

"Excuse me? Sorry for what?"

"God, Jack. I lost him in the first place, for Christ's sake. And then, when you found him, I tried to kill him."

"Let's put blame where it belongs. Cantor Boch would have gotten his dirty paws on him no matter who'd been with Daniel. ... And, and I was going to let you kill him."

"Only because I talked you into it."

"I should have..."

"I fired the GOD DAMN ZAT at him! If Carter hadn't gotten there, I would have KILLED him."

"And I would have let you. God, Robert, of all people, I should've known Daniel wasn't a Goa'uld."

"How the hell do you figure that? You don't have snake memories."

"And neither, my friend, do you."

Makepeace sheepishly met his counterpart's grin. "So... We both screwed up and Jackson's alive because he's incredibly lucky?"

Jack shrugged and placed a gentle hand on the too warm forehead. "Lucky? He's got an odd kind of luck. Gets him in trouble, then saves him at the last possible minute."

"Pauline."

"What?"

"Old silent flicks. 'Perils of Pauline.' The 'heroine' ended up tied to a railroad track or in the path of stampeding cattle or something just as stupid in every episode. Always got rescued in the nick of time."

"So you're saying that Daniel's the SGC's 'Pauline'."

Makepeace grinned. "Yep."

Jack just shook his head. "Unbelievable. But we better get moving. The Tok'ra have word on them."

"Apophis and Sokar?"

"Yeah, from the little I've gathered, they're both missing and presumed alive."

"Shit!"

The two men stared for a moment longer at Daniel before backing toward the door. "He's breathing easier."

"Ya think?"

"Yeah, and his color's coming back."

Jack sighed. "Bout damn time. Let's book it."

"Oh, Jack, about Pauline?"

"What about him, uh, her?"

"She was always rescued by a dude named 'John', Jonathon."

"Don't go there, Makepeace."

Three months later:

"Jackson, it's time to eat." Makepeace snarled for the third time since the announcement had come through his ear phone.

The young archaeologist merely waved a hand absently in the Marine Colonel's direction. "Later... The mix of cuneiform and hiero..." His voice faded away as his brush uncovered yet another symbol.

"Problem?" O'Neill asked as he approached Makepeace.

"Cuneiform and hieroglyphics." Makepeace responded dryly. "Some sort of mix. Your pet archaeologist doesn't want dinner."

"I see. Let me try. Daniel?"

"Hmmm?"

"Dinner."

"Ah ha."

"Now, Daniel."

"Ah... Hmmm?"

Makepeace traded smiles with Jack. "Plan B?"

"Ya think?"

"I do."

"Ditto."

Twin shadows covered the wall, blocking the light from where Daniel was working. A strangled yelp followed closely behind iron grips on the archaeologist's arms. "Colonel, JAAAACK PUT ME DOWN!"

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