The klaxons blared as Daniel stood in his Adydosian robes in the gateroom, waiting for the wormhole to establish. The faint outlines of a plan were forming in his mind, yet he kept his expression neutral as the blast of a wormhole finally burst into the room and cast a rippled reflection upon him as he gazed into its depths.

"Good luck, Doctor Jackson," came the voice of General Hammond through the intercom.

Daniel turned around to look up at the window to see the General standing behind with a doubtful expression on his face. He could see the General still thought he would have difficulty in achieving a useful outcome from the mission.

"Thanks," Daniel returned with a crooked smile and a wave of his hand as he turned back to the Stargate, walked up the ramp and stepped into the wormhole.

*******

Daniel had sent a message through to Abydos before he readied himself for his mission to notify them of his arrival, and as a result he was greeted by the presence of a large group of people as he stepped out of the wormhole and into the gloomy room that housed the Stargate.

"Daniel!" Cries of welcomes filled the air and the group surged forward and took turns in hugging and kissing greetings to their friend and guardian.

"Hi! Hello! Good to see you!" returned Daniel to varying faces as he laughed and smiled his happiness at being back on the planet he rarely found the time to visit in recent times. "Skaara!" He spotted his brother-in-law and drew him into an embrace.

"Daniel, I'm glad you're back," grinned Skaara, as he stepped back and motioned with his head over the crowd. "So is someone else."

Daniel raised his head over his friends and looked to the far entrance, seeing the person he was hoping would be there to greet him: Kasuf. The old man was leaning back against a pillar, watching Daniel's return with a calm smile on his face.

Daniel returned the look, his eyes showing relief that Kasuf had not shown disapproval of what he knew of Daniel's plan for Sa'akhu. The old man knew only what Daniel had told him when he sent his message through the Stargate earlier: that Daniel was there to speak with the priests to try and gauge the help of Sa'akhu for the battle against Nun.

"Kasuf." Daniel politely disengaged himself from the embraces that were still encircling him, and made his way to the far steps where his old confidant and father-in-law stood.

The man bowed his head in greeting and a wide smile broke out on his face as he opened his arms to welcome Daniel into his embrace. "It is good to see you again," Kasuf said softly in Daniel's ear and he held him a moment longer before stepping back and motioning towards the entranceway. "Come, let us celebrate your return."

There were cheers in the background and Daniel grinned and waved them into silence before he kindly put his hand on the older man's shoulder and shook his head. "This visit is about business not pleasure," he said apologetically. "There isn't time."

Kasuf's expression didn't change from a subtle smile. "There is always time to enjoy oneself, Daniel," he replied in a kindly scolding tone. "Will the enemy make a move soon or is it your actions that will start the war?"

Daniel considered the question and eventually he sighed. "We will start the chain of events against Nun. I doubt he will move so quickly after his loss of Earth's Jahul that I couldn't spare a few hours."

Kasuf nodded his approval. "Then the battle will start tonight, Daniel. Allow us a few hours together without concern."

Another cheer warranted a grudging laugh out of Daniel as he nodded and let himself be led out into the open desert.

*******

//No one can party quite like Abydosians// though Daniel with an affectionate smile on his face, as he sat amongst hundreds of his friends not an hour later, letting the noise of music, singing and laughter permeate his senses. It was heading towards the heat of the afternoon yet cooking fires were lit throughout the packed gathering, happily tended by enthusiastic women and men as the smell of spiced luxuries wafted in and amongst the tents and pillars that were surrounded by those celebrating the return of their guardian. Daniel sat at the head circle with Kasuf by his side, trying his best to let the worries of the future hours fall into the recesses of his mind.

"Daniel! Daniel!" came the excited cry of a group of young children, tripping over their robes as they came hurtling towards the centre group and the man that was quite obviously their hero. "Tell us stories!"

Daniel laughed, blushing slightly as he was fell upon by at least eight children, knocking him backwards between pillows to fall onto the sandy ground behind. "Ok! OK!" he yelled, raising his hands in surrender.

"Have you fought monsters?!" "Did you break into places using magic?!" "Have you done Ninja hands on evil aliens?!"

The questions came thick and fast, and Daniel had to shout to be heard over the group. Everyone on Abydos knew about his past on Earth, yet sometimes he wondered if the children had told his story so many times that they had convinced even themselves of his supernatural powers over the years.

"Ninja hands?" Daniel laughed and rolled his eyes melodramatically at the young boy that had gasped the question in impressed excitement. "Oh, you know..." he replied in a lowered serious tone as he leaned forward, causing the children to scatter backwards a step. "I can't help but run into monsters on distant planets that I throw magic at while using my hands to Ninja them into submission." In an instant, he snapped his hands up fluidly in a defensive guard in front of his face and pulled a threatening expression.

The children squealed in delight, jumping around until Kasuf finally waved them away into the distant crowds. He looked to Daniel who was silently laughing to himself, having settled back against the pillows scattered around them as he stared at the sky.

"Enjoyment does you good," Kasuf observed, teasing approval in his eyes.

Daniel calmed himself and turned his head to look over to the man. "Yeah, there's something said for it, alright," he replied, letting a lazy grin cross his face as he entwined his hands behind his head. "It's time to speak with the priests, though."

Kasuf nodded and turned his head to look towards a group of elder men and women sitting to the side of the gathering, calmly enjoying the excitement bubbling around them. He caught their attention and each one rose and made their way towards Daniel.

As they joined him, Daniel sat up from his reclined position and gathered his thoughts. "I will need your help," he said as they each sat around the circle, their hoods still pulled over their heads as though the heat of the day did not affect them.

An elderly women, wrinkles tracing her past over her skin, nodded at the words. She was the nominated spokesperson for their group. "What is it you wish of us, Daniel?" she asked, kind eyes meeting his own.

"The SGC and the Tok'ra wish for the help of Sa'akhu with the fight against Nun," Daniel began in explanation. "I have been sent here to ask for your assistance in contacting him." He let a crooked smile cross his face. "I need you to back up my story if it's needed," he continued. "I will return to the SGC and tell them that Sa'akhu will help them, but for that to be convincing I'll have to say that I must use you as a way of passing on our requests. I might have to return through the gate to 'converse' each time. There shouldn't be a reason as to why you would need to speak to anyone at the SGC at all, but I thought it's best to tell you what I'm planning incase it doesn't go as I'm expecting."

The woman nodded, understanding the situation. "We will be ready to help if you need us," she replied.

"Thank you." Daniel let out a breath of air as his plan took another step towards clarity. "I appreciate it."

"You have always been there for us," replied the women as she rose from her seat, the other priests rising with her. "And we will always be there for you."

Daniel bowed his head, feeling more than humbled by the words. As the priests left, he noticed Kasuf watching him. "Something on your mind?" he asked to the old man.

"Only you," replied Kasuf with gentle concern in his voice. "You might be skilled in many areas but you still need much practice in *relaxing*."

Daniel laughed lightly and let himself fall back against the cushions behind again. "Touche," he murmured. "Then let me show you I can enjoy myself."

Kasuf nodded, his eyes twinkling. "That would please all of us," he said, motioning to the entire gathering.

Daniel kicked his sandals off and felt the push of sand through his toes. The music danced through his mind as he suddenly pushed himself up to his feet with a wide grin and spun lightly into the nearest group of dancers as the sounds of entertainment overtook his thoughts. As he felt Skaara grab his hand and direct him into the pulse of beating drums, he finally let his mind run free.

********

It was a few hours later than Kasuf and Daniel finally left the distraction of the gathering to sit alone on the sandy dunes nearby.

"Have you decided what to do?" Kasuf asked, referring to the Tok'ra and the SGC as they stared across the desert, watching the light shuffling of sand as a gentle breeze played through the late afternoon heat. He knew Daniel would wish to discuss what was to happen. He often did, needing the comfort of the older man's advice in his conscience.

"Yes," replied Daniel quietly. He glanced over at Kasuf with a slightly pained smile. "Is it strange that I'm not sure I want to help them?"

Kasuf was silent a moment and Daniel watched a path of grains as they were gathered in the breeze and scattered over his bared toes.

"You dislike deceiving them," Kasuf finally replied and Daniel could see the older man's eyes were kind in their stare.

"I just wonder if it isn't better for me to deal with Nun on my own," Daniel sighed.

"You are one man," said Kasuf. "And just as you need to feel involved in the battle against Nun, so do they." He smiled and Daniel knew it was the look of fatherly words of wisdom more than the counseling of an elder to a spirit. "It is best to accept their help, just as they accept yours. Battles are fought best when allies can lay aside their fears for the skill of their comrades."

Daniel gave a murmur of acceptance and let himself relax into the sand, feeling the grains as a light comfort against his skin. "You're right, of course," he said after a moment of contemplation. "I suppose I'm used to being the sole guardian of others. It's easier when I only have to watch out for my own back."

Kasuf nodded, understanding what Daniel meant. "They are your allies, Daniel, not your children," he said. "They are strong and can choose their own battles. Work with them. They need a sense of involvement and completion as much as you do."

Daniel didn't answer but both men knew the conversation had been resolved. Daniel would return to the SGC and with him would come the allegiance of Sa'akhu.

*********

There was a crowd of Abydosians waiting at the Stargate as Daniel walked towards it in the semi-gloom of filtered light that had drifted in from the lowering sun outside.

"Good luck, Daniel!" shouted a voice, and Daniel turned his head with a wide smile as he saw Skaara pushing his way through the crowd.

The boy embraced him with a tight hug and Daniel laughed as he felt a swell of people group around them instantly, their arms circling him as words of support and farewells echoed around the room.

"Thank you, thank you!" Daniel shouted over the noise, reaching around to clasp hands with some, nod his head to others, and affectionately scruff the hair of the children hovering around his legs.

The group finally cleared a path, allowing Daniel to program in Earth's address and step back from the gate, ready for the wormhole blast to open his path back to the SGC. He turned back to the room as he waited and a hush fell over the assembled people.

"I know many of you are concerned about this mission, considering how potentially difficult it will be for me to keep Sa'akhu a secret when I'm working with the SGC and the Tok'ra so openly," he said, and nods around the crowd greeted his words. "But don't worry," he continued with a smile. "Think of it as any other mission, and I know your prayers are with me. I'm really not as clumsy as I look," he added, grinning at the laughter that served to ease the tension in the room. Behind him the wormhole engaged in a blast of energy as he turned his head momentarily to acknowledge its call. "Goodbye, my friends," he said, bowing his head in respect for their worried minds. "I will return."

Daniel took a deep breath and stepped once more through the gate.

*******

The blare of klaxons greeted him on the other side, and Daniel ignored their usual deafening noise as he walked down the ramp and headed towards the briefing room.

He arrived a minute later, walking into the room to find Jack, Sam and Teal'c seated alongside Jacob, General Hammond and Thor. //Thor!// Daniel didn't bother to hide the surprise from his face as neither he nor alter ego knew that Thor would be arriving to partake in the meeting. Thor, for his part, just gave his version of a smile, keeping his face carefully void of anything unusual, and nodded his head in greeting.

"Thor," said Daniel out loud, as he walked forward to take a seat at the end of the table. "Nice...to see you...?" He let the words form a question that he hoped someone would answer.

General Hammond took the cue. "Thor came through the gate while you were gone, requesting to join in our discussions of strategies," he said. "He has been most helpful in supplying information about Sa'akhu."

Daniel raised an eyebrow to the roof at that comment, and turned his head towards Thor. "You have?" he asked, his tone idle but the words clearly asking a lot more to the Asgard who could read his hidden meaning.

"Indeed, Doctor Jackson," replied Thor calmly. "I have told all here that I have heard of Sa'akhu and that I am convinced that he is in such a form that could assist with the battle against the Goa'uld. Sa'akhu has formed allegiance with the Asgard before and I feel I should offer myself as a means of contact with the spirit...alongside you, of course, Doctor Jackson," he added innocently. "You, being connected to the Abydosian people, are also in a position of contact and together we bring a strong chance of convincing Sa'akhu of your need for help."

"I thought you couldn't interfere," said Jack suddenly, raising an eyebrow at Thor. It occurred to Daniel that Thor couldn't have arrived long before he did, if Jack had only just realised the inconsistency in Thor's story.

Thor stared back, his large eyes calmly boring into Jack's gaze as he replied. "I am not interfering, for contacting an Abydosian spirit is not considered a breach of any treaty."

Jack grinned. "I like how your mind works, there, Thor buddy," he said, pleased with the reply. "Right, so Daniel and Thor work together to contact Sa'akhu- Oh, did you find anything out, Danny?" he added, suddenly realising, as he often did, that he had not given Daniel a chance to speak.

Daniel shot a frustrated grimace at Jack, but didn't rise to the bait. He looked towards General Hammond instead. "Sa'akhu is willing to help us."

There was a few hushed intakes of breath around the room from both SG1 and Jacob at the news.

"So Sa'akhu is real?" Jack asked, clearly impressed.

Daniel nodded. "The priests say they are the only ones the spirit communicates with, but I have been given permission to act as a counterpoint between us-", he nodded around the assembled group, "-and them in relaying the requests. Uh...Thor might actually be able to help with that..." Daniel added as he looked over at the Asgard. "I was going to have to travel to Abydos each time Sa'akhu needed contacting, but you might have some way I can communicate without needing to travel physically...?" He let his voice trail off in the form of a question.

Thor nodded his head and gazed around the assembled people. "I can link Doctor Jackson to the priests on Abydos. I have a device that will allow Daniel to communicate telepathically with the priests and relay the responses back to him."

//Clever// Daniel thought with an internal grin at the simplified genius of the plan. //That's just what I was hoping you'd say//

"Do you have it with you?" asked Sam to Thor, clearly interested in the prospect of being able to see first-hand an Asgard telepathic device.

"No I do not," replied Thor. "I will have to return to my ship." He rose from his chair and bowed his head to the assembled group. "I will not be long." He turned and walked out of the room and not long after, the sound of the Stargate activating could be heard.

"Sooo...Daniel," said Jack to the sudden silence in the room. "Tell us about Sa'akhu. What's he like?"

Daniel raised his eyebrows at the unexpected question, yet looking around the room he found everyone present was also interested in the answer. "Uhh..." he mumbled, clearly unsure what to say. "He's...well, I haven't met him *personally*." He could see Jack's disappointment in the answer so continued on. "He considers his role as a guardian important," Daniel said, letting the words flow from inside him. "He has...talents that he believes are gifts that help him assist those in need."

"A noble spirit," commented Teal'c, approving of the sentiment.

"Do you know whether he exists as pure energy or are we dealing with an alien in a purely physical form?" asked Sam, the scientist within wanting to know the answer.

Daniel smiled, knowing the question was going to burst from her sooner or later. "I don't know," he replied. "No one has seen him to tell the tale. Some have at most heard his voice, and even they are rare to find. He leaves no traces."

"I like him," said Jack suddenly with a crooked grin. "He's my type of guy. Doesn't talk to much." He gave Daniel a meaningful look, clearly showing his views on Daniel's verbal usage in comparison to his newfound interest in Sa'akhu.

Daniel opened his mouth to retort the teasing insult, and he could see that Sam also was looking to further her discussion on the nature of Sa'akhu's existence, yet both were interrupted by the sound of the klaxons signifying the opening of the Stargate. It was Thor returning. The Asgard came through the gate and climbed the steps back to the briefing room.

"I have the device," he said upon entering. "I have depositing a second one to the Abydosian priests. They are ready when you are."

"Welcome back, nice to see you again," said Jack, as his way of expressing his astonishment at the speed of Thor's actions. "Long time, no see."

"Thank you, Colonel O'Neill, but I have not been gone long," replied Thor, completely missing the undertone.

Daniel hid a smile with the bow of his head. "So, how do we do this?" he asked of the Asgard as Thor walked up to him. Daniel had the very clear suspicion that Thor was back so soon as he had never gone to the Abydosian priests to deposit a device that wouldn't have been needed.

Thor held up his hand, showing a flat, small ring of metal, dark silver in colour. He reached up to Daniel's forehead and pressed it against his temple. It stayed connected as he took his hand away. "You will now be able to communicate," Thor said as he returned to his seat. "Speak in your mind and begin when you are ready."

"If I may ask, Thor-" began Sam, but she was politely interrupted by General Hammond.

"I think we will save the technical discussion until later, Major," he said kindly, knowing Sam would just be refused the knowledge she wanted, regardless of her attempt. "Doctor Jackson," the General continued, looking towards Daniel and sitting straighter in his chair, clearly tense at the unusual prospect of communicating with a spirit. "When you were on Abydos, did you bring Sa'akhu up to date with our situation?" Daniel nodded and the General continued. "In that case, can you ask him what he can offer us by way of help?"

There was a heavy silence in the room as all eyes fell on Daniel. "He...wants to know more about what the Tok'ra know of Nun's operation before he makes a decision," said Daniel, leaning forward in his chair with a look of concentration on his face, as though listening to internal voices.

"Nun is based on a planet in the Stargate system, but we don't know which one," said Jacob in response. "All attempts at gathering intel are marred by the presence of the Jahul. It either blocks our sources or feeds us false information. We don't sense the presence of a ship around our planet. That might mean there is a Jahul on the surface of our planet."

"Actually, we're wondering if Sa'akhu wouldn't mind just killing Nun," interrupted Jack, cutting to the chase. "Save us a lot of trouble."

"He can't kill Nun yet as he doesn't know enough about his operation," replied Daniel calmly. "He says to be patient. It would be unwise to rush."

"Then what does he suggest?" Jack asked, clearly not impressed with the concept of patience.

"He says that the first step is to protect Earth, and in that we must act now," said Daniel. "It's not been long since he destroyed the threat to Earth and Nun will soon want to replace it with another if we don't divert his attention elsewhere. Namely, the Tok'ra homeworld."

"Excuse me?" responded Jacob with concern. "I'm not sure about the wisdom of that."

Daniel paused, as though waiting for a response. "Sa'akhu will deal with the Jahul and the system lord that has infiltrated the Tok'ra, giving you the opportunity to group your forces and organise your intel. He will contact both the Tok'ra and us when he has achieved his mission and then it will be time to destroy Nun. Nun will either go to the Tok'ra homeworld himself as it is too major a loss to ignore, or he will remain at his base to formulate a defense as we have taken out too many of his spies for him not to respond. One of these locations will be the frontline of the battle. We must be ready."

"What about the other Jahul?" asked Teal'c. "There would surely be others guarding Nun."

Daniel nodded in thought. "Yes... Sa'akhu says he will deal with them. We just need to be ready to deal with any goa'uld or Jaffa present."

"And where is Nun now?" queried Jack lightly. "Does Sa'akhu know?"

Another pause. "He doesn't know but will find out soon," said Daniel. "He will report back when he has more information. He predicts it will be early tomorrow morning before we will hear from him."

"I thought he was all-knowing," Jack retorted in a lightly sarcastic stage-whisper at Daniel.

Daniel gave Jack a long-suffering look. "Sa'akhu's a spirit, Jack, not a God or an Ancient or anything else on that par."

"Thank Sa'akhu on behalf of us," said General Hammond to Daniel, before Jack could cause a diplomatic incident with their new ally. "Tell him we will be waiting for his notification to say the Tok'ra are no longer under Jahul influence. We'll have a small army ready to send where the battle is."

"As will we," said Jacob, rising from his chair. "I'll return now to notify the others."

Daniel nodded and let seconds tick by before pulling the communications device from his temple and returning it to Thor.

General Hammond also rose. "In that case, this meeting is over. Everyone is dismissed." As Jacob and Thor left to return through the Stargate, the General turned to SG-1. "You can all go home if you want. We aren't expecting any news for a while so I want you all refreshed and back by 0500 tomorrow morning. I'll decide on our army in the meantime." He sighed as he looked out the briefing room window towards the Stargate. "All we can do until then is wait."

*******

As SG-1 filed out of the briefing room, Jack hovered back to walk next to Daniel.

"Sooo...how was your trip?" he began, clearly wishing to strike up a conversation. "Do you smell like *alcohol*?" he added, eyebrows raised. "I'd been meaning to ask..."

Daniel turned to him with an innocent expression. "Food and wine sacrifice for the favours of Sa'akhu," he replied. "I didn't have much," he shrugged. "You know I have no tolerance for it. Turning up to the meeting drunk wouldn't've been the most professional thing I've ever done."

Jack gave a quiet chuckle and Daniel knew any further questions regarding his excursion to Abydos had been put aside. It was lucky for him as Daniel was hoping to go straight to his office with little fuss so he could beam up to Thor's ship for the beginning of his mission.

"So, folks," yelled Jack ahead to Sam and Teal'c suddenly as they neared the lifts. "Daniel's place, now. I'm calling some social time for us."

Sam and Teal'c turned around to stare at their superior with looks of surprise at the sudden announcement. Daniel winced inwardly. He knew exactly why Jack had called the outing and why it was to take place at his house. As much as he worked to avoid Jack's scrutiny, he was apparently still under suspicion. Clearly, Jack didn't want to let him out of his sight at such an important time in the battle against Nun.

"Ah, sir," began Sam, "the General told us to rest before-"

"Don't worry about that," Jack interrupted with a wave of his hand. "There's always some disaster or another happening." He pulled what he considered as an appealing expression. "Come on, you two. I'm only asking for a few hours. We've all been a little stressed lately. It would do us good to spend time together without being in mortal danger."

Teal'c bowed his head. "I accept, O'Neill," he intoned.

Jack turned and stared at Sam with a raised eyebrow.

Sam sighed. "Ok, fine, sir. But only a few hours."

"Er...Jack...?" said Daniel as his plans for tonight were slowly being overtaken by Jack's suspicions. "I'm not really up to it tonight, nice of you to invite yourself over, all the same..." He let a mildly sarcastic tone fill his words.

"Anytime," replied Jack with a confident grin, blithely ignoring the sarcasm while daring Daniel to challenge his invitation. "We're all going and I won't have any arguments. None of you look like you're on your death-beds, so you can all spare a few hours."

"Yes, sir," muttered Sam, shooting Daniel an apologetic look. He returned it with a shrug of his shoulders as they were both used to Jack's behaviour.

//A few hours// thought Daniel as they waited the lifts. //I suppose I can postpone my mission for that long//

"Let me just change my clothes," Daniel sighed, showing he had given in to the idea of the social gathering as he gestured down to his Abydosian robes. "I'll meet you on the surface."

"Don't even *think* of bringing any notes back with you or doing some translations or whatever else you do in your office," scolded Jack teasingly. "We'll see you above ground in five minutes or I'm coming after you."

Daniel blushed an embarrassed grin. "Five minutes, right," he said, and turned off down a nearby corridor and made his way towards his office.

It only took him a couple of minutes to change into his SGC clothing. His main reason for wanting to return to his office still lay on the side shelf. It was the triangular communication device that signaled for Thor to beam him to the Asgard's ship. Daniel knew that he couldn't beam from his office now Jack had called the social night at his home, so he would have to bring the device with him and hopefully call an early end to the evening in order to beam out from his apartment instead. He quickly pocketed the small device and made his way back towards the lifts and up to the surface, meeting up with his teammates as they waited at their cars.

"Ah, I see you took me at my word," commented Jack approvingly, with a glint in his eyes. He held up his wrist to show Daniel his watch. "Four minutes, thirty-six seconds. Must be some kind of record for you."

Daniel just rolled his eyes, refusing to take the bait. "Are we going or what?" he replied and quickly got in the driver's side of his car, watching as his friends grinned and prepared themselves to leave.

A comfortable drive later and they all arrived at Daniel's apartment. As a group they made their way upstairs and into his home, throwing suggestions for possible dinners back and forth as they strolled into his kitchen.

It was a companionable half-hour later that the four teammates found themselves sitting around Daniel's living room with a warm dinner of an Abydosian-style curry on their laps and drinks in their glasses.

"So...did anyone else think we'd be sitting around tonight waiting for an alien spirit to take out a mind-controller so we can kill a false god?" said Jack, by way of breaking the silence.

Daniel let out a light laugh while Sam smiled and Teal'c raised his eyebrow at the comment.

"Well, when you put it like that..." said Sam as she took a sip from her wine, leaving the sentence hanging. She sighed and Daniel could see she was ready to raise the discussion of work again. "Speaking of the 'alien spirit'," she began, turning towards Daniel. "Do you think there's any chance of you convincing the Abydosians to let me communicate with Sa'akhu?" Daniel could see the scientist inside her wanting desperately to study what was still suspected to be a supernatural phenomenon. "I'd love to find out what species he is," she continued, her eyes unfocused as her mind saw a thousand possibilities, "whether he actually exists fully in this plane on the same frequency as we do..."

"Sam," Daniel interrupted gently with a kind smile in his eyes. He had hoped that he could use Jack's attempt at keeping an eye on him as a means of distracting his teammates from anything work related. "I don't think I'm really in the inner circle on this one," he said. "I've only been relaying messages through the priests, and I doubt they'd be eager to start quizzing their guardian spirit on his existential status. It might appear slightly *rude*," he concluded with a grin, clearly letting her know that he didn't believe it would be tactful to follow that path.

"Right," Sam said with an slight tinge of embarrassment to her cheeks at letting her curiosity get the better of her.

"Come on, guys, we're not at work anymore," Daniel said with a roll of his eyes. "Let's talk about anything but, alright? So anyone seen any good movies lately?"

The others took the hint and they all settled back to chat about meaningless thoughts that passed through their minds for the next hour, as they slowly worked their way through dinner.

Daniel rose from his chair when he finally saw his friends' plates were empty and gathered the dishes together, waving away offers of help. In a strange way, he was glad Jack had called the gathering, regardless of the Colonel's underlying intentions. Daniel hadn't relaxed socially in the presence of his teammates in a long time; Sa'akhu took up most of his free time.

Jack's eyes followed him as he walked out of the room with the pile of dishes, leaving his three teammates alone to talk.

"So...I know this seems a little out of the blue," said Jack after a comfortable moment's silence between the three, "but have either of you noticed anything strange going on with Daniel?" He knew the question seemed less than subtle considering its timing, and he tried to lessen its impact by smiling casually and letting himself mould into the soft padding of his chair.

There was silence for a moment as both Sam and Teal'c looked over to stare at their Colonel.

"*Daniel*?" Sam said, bewildered by the question. "What, tonight?"

"No, just recently," said Jack idly as he took a sip of his beer. "Strange behaviour, not being where he'd said he'd be. Things like that."

"I have not," replied Teal'c with an unreadable expression in his eyes.

"Neither have I, sir," said Sam, concerned by the line of questioning. "Nothing more than the usual, anyway. Daniel's *Daniel*," she reiterated with a shrug, clearly showing what she meant: that Daniel was too harmless to be involved in anything that could possibly be seen as suspicious. "He's probably just distracted if he's been acting strange," she added with a reassuring look. "You know Daniel - he'd get lost in his own head if we weren't there to pull him out every now and then."

"Do you have a concern, O'Neill?" asked Teal'c. "It is unlike you to doubt Daniel Jackson."

Jack stared back a moment as though deciding whether to admit to his true thoughts. "I don't know, Teal'c," he said finally. "He's lied to me a couple times in the last few days. He gave me excuses when I confronted him, but... I don't know. It's just a gut feeling that there's something more going on." Jack saw Sam open her mouth to protest his words, but he interrupted her before she had a chance to speak. "Look, Carter, I don't like what I'm saying either," he continued with a sigh as he combed his fingers through his hair in frustration, "but I can't just ignore it."

Sam sat back in her chair and stared at Jack for a moment, clearly concerned by his admission. "Just...don't do anything you'll regret," she said finally. "I'm sure it's nothing, but be careful what you say around him. You know he cares about your opinion of him."

As the discussion fell into a heavy silence, Daniel stepped lightly away from his position hidden behind the kitchen wall where he had been listening to the conversation. He had suspected Jack would want to ask Sam and Teal'c about his recent behavior, but he had hoped that Jack wouldn't have chosen tonight to do it. It was too dangerous in timing to have his fellow teammates start watching him closely, considering how often he had to be on and off world for Sa'akhu's missions within the battle against Nun. He walked calmly back into the room.

"Look, guys, I'm sorry to be rude," Daniel said with a yawn, his eyes tired as he strolled back over to his friends, "but I'm beat. I think I might call it a night if there's going to be any hope of me being back at base by six tomorrow."

"We are due back at Stargate Command at 0500 not 0600, Daniel Jackson," commented Teal'c as he stood from his chair.

Daniel winced. "Worth a shot..." he muttered, managing to tease a grin out of Sam for his efforts. "Well," he continued louder, "it's *definitely* past my bedtime, then." He politely waited while Jack and Sam took the hint and also stood up and they all walked towards the door.

"It's been lovely, Daniel," said Sam, as she gave a light squeeze to his arm and a smile. "Thanks for dinner." He could see she was over-compensating in her politeness due to the words Jack had spoken to her before.

"Thank you indeed, Daniel Jackson," said Teal'c with a bow of his head. "Dinner was most agreeable."

"My pleasure, guys," Daniel smiled, as he held the door open for them and watched them pass though. "Jack, nice of you to call this outing," he added, turning to his friend who had not yet left the room. "See you tomorrow."

Jack stood for a moment, meeting Daniel's eyes calmly. "Tomorrow, Daniel," he nodded in confirmation, and Daniel could see there was still a guarded presence within the tones.

Daniel just nodded casually in reply, smiling as though he didn't see Jack's suspicions. He shut the door after his friend left and turned back to his empty living room. His eyes fell on the Asgard communication device he had left on the sideboard when they had first arrived.

"*Now*...," Daniel murmured to himself as he walked over to small object, "Time to start this war." He pressed the circle inside and vanished in a blinding flash of light.

*****

CONTINUED IN CHAPTER FOUR...