On the sandy surface, the three Tau'ri ran towards the now opened gate, followed closely by Jacob. As they reached the dais the mercurial wall began to blink however Teal'c threw himself through at the very moment the wall disappeared. Jack and Sam looked at each other, neither sure if Teal'c made it through or not.

"Dial it up!" Jack demanded, but Selmak was already way ahead of him. Soon the ring exploded and filled with the shimmering blue light again and the three people stepped through.

*

On the distant world the wind howled, sending sand into everyone's eyes and forcing them to shield themselves from the whipping winds.

"We have come at a dangerous time!" Selmak said, yelling over the howls of wind.

"Where the hell is Martouf?"

"Lantesh is this way," Selmak said, leading them across the ruins of what was once a beautiful sandstone city, now ravished by winds and sand. There appeared to be no indigenous life on this world as Sam and Jack made their way behind the Tok'ra. Jack cast an eye over Sam and she shrugged, implying she had no answer for this as well.

After walking for a solid few minutes, made all the more harder by the head on wind and stinging sand, they marched up the side of a steep sand dune - their legs really feeling the effects by the time they reached the top. On the other side was a partially hidden entrance to what might have once been a pyramid. They followed Selmak into the dark tunnel, Jack foraging through his leg pocket for his zippo lighter and igniting it, providing some light for them. Sam indicated to the floor and two separate sets of footprints could be made out in the soft sand.

"They definitely came this way," Selmak said.

"Wanna tell us where the hell it is we're going to?" Jack snapped, not liking the blind mission one bit.

"We discovered this recently," Selmak told him, turning and entering a chamber that looked like it would fit right into an ancient pyramid in Giza. It was filled with gold artifacts, canopic jars shut with stone lids, and in the corner stood, amongst chipped and broken statues to some Gods Jack didn't recognize was Teal'c and Lantesh, looking down at a Sarcophagus.

Sam's face lit.

"A sarcophagus!" She ran towards Teal'c who was staring down at the closed tomb. He turned to her, his eyes still filled with tears. She gave him a hopeful smile. Jack approached a little more warily, his eyes casting around him suspiciously. He reached down, easing a hidden knife from his boot. Grasping it in his hand, he straightened up again and stood beside Teal'c.

"Is he..?"

"He is, O'Neill..." Teal'c said, without shifting his gaze from the dust covered sarcophagus. All five people in the room remained in silence for a long while then Jack looked across at Lantesh.

"You gonna explain any of this anytime soon?"

Lantesh and Selmak exchanged looks then the younger man stepped up to the side of the coffin.

"As you know, Tok'Ra do not believe in the use of sarcophagus.."

"You think it steals the spirit," Sam added, with a nod. Lantesh bowed his head slowly then looked up.

"We have had to keep this place hidden from the High Council, however we could not stand by and see your friend die.."

Jack stepped to the side of the sarcophagus, and leaned his hand into the dust. "You knew about this place yet you let us think we'd lost him?"

"You must understand! We can not reveal the location of this to the High Council. They will destroy it."

Selmak stepped up beside him, adding his voice to the argument. "We realize the importance of having such a devise for such occasions.." He swept his hand over the gold encrusted crypt. "However, should the High Council hear of this, such rescues will be impossible in the future."

"I understand," Teal'c said. Jack did a double-take, looking back at him.

"You.. you understand? Well, I sure as hell *don't*!"

Sam's eyes lit with realization as well. "Don't you see, Colonel? They had to do this without arousing suspicion..." she said, giving the Tok'ra inside her father a hesitant smile which he acknowledged with a slight bow of his head.

Jack thought about it a moment then shrugged. "So why did you leave it so long?"

"We had to deal with the High Council first. She told us then that she would offer Daniel Jackson the Tok'ra Funerary Rites. We could not act before she came to offer them to you for fear they would discover our secret. We are sorry."

Jack's eyes squinted then he sucked in a deep breath through his nose. "Well, I guess.. you got him here ..in the end.."

Sam smiled across the sarcophagus to the two Tok'Ra. "We are really, really grateful for this.."

"We would not have revealed the whereabouts if it were not for the devastation of our hosts. They were both extremely sorry for the events that led up to your friend's death. We agreed to assist them," Lantesh said, his eyes falling onto Jack.

"What I do not understand is why did you required Daniel Jackson's assistance in this? Could you not have sent one of your own up to plea your case?" Teal'c asked, stepping into the light surrounding the gold sarcophagus.

"No one would have won the case for us like Dr Jackson did," Lantesh said definitely.

"And even if they had, and still died, we could not bring them back like we can with Dr Jackson."

"We would have no way of explaining it."

Jack nodded. That made sense!

" Also, no one Tok'Ra has the powers of persuasion that Daniel Jackson has. We *would* have perished as a race.." Selmak said truthfully.

"And you would have no alliance with which to fight the Goa'ulds," Lantesh added, staring straight at Jack as he delivered that piece of fact.

The three team mates exchanged glances then Jack gave another shrug. "Well, yeah, I guess..."

The casing started to open and everyone stepped back, except for Teal'c who stepped closer. They all held their breath as they awaited the first movements from within the internally illuminated coffin.

Slowly a hand lifted out, shakily grabbing the edge of the lid.

"Daniel!" Sam and Jack said together as they hurried up to the side of the sarcophagus. They peered in to see that Daniel was a little dazed, but smiling up at Teal'c.

"Um, what happened?" He asked bewildered as he looked between his three friends.

Jack cringed slightly. "You got a little *damaged*..." He said, trying to sound casual about it. Teal'c looked at him over the light of the sarcophagus. The Colonel gave a succinct shrug then looked back in at Daniel who was slowly sitting up, trying to get his bearings in the unfamiliar surroundings.

"Damaged? What? In the transport process?" he asked, letting Teal'c lift him from the casing and put him onto his feet. He stumbled slightly on the shifting sands and crashed against his lover's broad body, feeling safer when Teal'c wrapped his arm around his waist and held him tightly. Daniel was looking at Jack, and hadn't noticed the Tok'ra on the other side of the room yet.

"Kinda..." The colonel said with a slight cringe.

Daniel looked around the room, then at Sam. "Where are we?" He pressed up from Teal'c hold, slowly walking around the room and seeing the artifacts lying in the dirt and dust. He picked a few up, blowing on them to remove the sand. Sam looked over at the colonel and they both shrugged, not sure what to tell him. Daniel looked back over his shoulder at her, awaiting her answer.

"Uh, I'm not sure, actually," she said, still surprised to be talking to him once more. He nodded, then turned his attention to a partially embedded statue, facing head down and face away from the archaeologist. He squatted, losing balance slightly, and his hands grappled to hold something. Teal'c was by his side in a flash, his hands reaching out and capturing Daniel's flailing arms and holding him steady. The two men exchanged smiles again then Daniel eased his hands from the hold and returned to the statue. He tugged on it until it shifted from the sand and then he turned it over, unable to recognize the face on it. In the background Jack and Sam were silently arguing in surprise because this man, who a few minutes ago was dead, was now searching through this ruin of a room looking for archaeological treasures. When Daniel turned from the artifact to look at them, Jack spoke up.

"We.. ugh... we.. sort of... left the Tok'Ra world in a hurry..."

Disbelief, fear, sadness, disappointment flooded into the blue eyes as Daniel dropped the artifact - it landed with a muffled thud into the soft sand at his feet- as he stumbled slightly, reaching behind for the set of hands he knew would be there. Teal'c didn't fail him, he was there, ready to hold Daniel up as the archaeologist's legs gave out on him.

"I... failed...?" Pain edged the words to a sharpness that cut through everyone's heart in the room. With a tremor in his voice now he looked between Sam and Jack. "They wiped out the Tok'ra?" His voice cracked now - the dismay of failing hitching his breath and catching in his throat.

Teal'c squeezed his lover gently, smiling as Daniel turned confused eyes onto him. "On the contrary, Daniel," he told him gently, watching the pain ease in the blue eyes as his own smile grew. "You won the case not only for the Tok'ra but for the Tau'ri as well."

"I.. I.. I .. did?" Daniel asked, his voice rising in surprise as he tilted his head to look at Jack then Sam. He stumbled as his feet slipped in the soft sand once more, and he was grateful for Teal'c's tight hold. He looked at his lover, a small smile bowed his lips that told Teal'c that he was glad he was holding him. Teal'c returned it with a very loving smile. "You are very brave, my Daniel," he whispered, his free hand brushing Daniel's cheek lightly. Daniel's cheeks flared as he shot Sam a quick look.

Jack tossed his hand at her and said, "Danny, she kinda found out.."

She gave a quick grin then shrugged at her friend. He blinked quickly. "Oh?"

Jack shot a quick glance at Teal'c then smiled at Daniel. "He's right though! You did real good, space monkey!"

Silently Daniel nodded then he inhaled a deep, shaky breath before blowing it out loudly, with a soft laugh - pleased that everything had worked out. He blushed now as he saw the smile Jack was giving him then he casually scratched at the back of his ear with his thumb. "So is anyone going to tell me how badly damaged I was?" He pulled at the silver suit, twisting from the waist and looking for any signs of damage. He looked up with a frown. "Since when do sarcophagus repair clothing?"

Jack shrugged. "I've heard it happens, depends on the model .." he quipped. Sam frowned and shot him a quizzical look so he gave a sharp shrug.

Daniel smiled as he ducked his face again. "Seriously, what happened to me?"

The three friends exchanged looks and then finally Jack told him, seriously, "Danny, you ...actually.. you ... died.."

Daniel looked between his friends and started to see the evidence of grief on their faces. The red rimmed lashes, black shadows under their eyes and flushed cheeks. He looked at Teal'c. "I *died*?"

The Jaffa held the weakened man as he slumped slightly against him. "It is alright. The Tok'ra assisted you with a sarcophagus." He looked across the room and Daniel followed his gaze, seeing Jacob and Martouf for the first time.

"You?" He asked, blinking wildly. They both bowed their heads. "But it goes against everything you hold true for Tok'ra's?"

"We could not stand by and see you die, Daniel," Martouf was now talking again. "Or rather, our Tok'Ra's could not stand by and see you die."

The anthropologist looked at him a long moment then he pushed away from Teal'c and went around to them. "Thank you."

"You are welcomed. Thank *you* for saving us.." Martouf said as he and Daniel embraced quickly then the anthropologist turned and hugged Jacob. Jack looked at Sam and saw tears brimming her eyes again. Playfully he shoved her gently and she looked at him, smiling before ducking her face.

"We should get back before we're missed.." Jacob said, starting to make his way to the entrance. Daniel nodded and he joined his friends, walking between Jack and Teal'c as they all headed back out of the chamber.

**

Out on the surface of the world once more, the small group had paired off as it made its way back to the Stargate. The winds had died down now, and the sand was soft underfoot, making the trek laborious and exhausting. Martouf walked beside Sam, the two of them talking quietly while Jack and Jacob went off together, a little ahead of the rest. Teal'c walked with Daniel, keeping a vigilant eye on his lover's heavy steps through the shifting sands. They were a little to the side of Sam and Martouf, and from where Sam was positioned, she could watch them as she spoke with Martouf.

He was complimenting her, yet again, for being a remarkable person. She shook her head as she gesticulated towards the other two men, walking together slowly. "*They* are remarkable. You know, I've had times, in my past, where I've developed, well let's say, a more than 'professional interest' in my co-workers, but all along I've had the rule about fraternizing shoved down my throat. I used to wonder about that, used to feel like it wasn't fair. That I was the kind of person that broke the mold and that I *could* have a relationship with someone on my team, and cope with a life-threatening situation, all without it affecting my performance or decisions.." She shook her head as she sucked back a deep breath now, then she jutted her chin towards the two of them on the next ridge over. "I'm not so sure now. I don't think I could have coped as well as Teal'c did. I mean, it blows me away that they are together, but what's even more amazing about them is that they followed the rules, right down to the last moment!"

Martouf stopped walking and looked at her. "I do not believe you would have acted any differently, Samantha."

She shook her head as she shrugged, her hands firmly on her hips. "I really.. I don't know!"

He smiled and shook his head. "You are a very good soldier."

"Yeah, but if it were my boyfriend that I had to let go into a situation that he might not come out of..." She shivered. Martouf turned to look at Teal'c assisting Daniel across the dunes. Then he turned back to her.

"You would have followed rules and orders, just like they did. That's what makes the team, SG-1, so unique. You all care, but you also know the rules."

Sam rolled her eyes as she watched Jack walking with her father then she faced Martouf. "Have you ever had someone you were romantically involved with go into a situation like that?"

Martouf thought for a moment then nodded. "Jolinar."

Sam's face crinkled slightly as she suddenly recalled that moment in Jolinar's memories. Her blue eyes widened as she felt the intensity of the fear the Tok'ra had, followed by the flood of love she felt for Lantesh and Martouf. He watched her and then frowned. "Are you alright, Samantha?"

She nodded. "I just.. I know what you mean..." She smiled at him, hoping he understood. He smiled hesitantly at her.

"You felt it?"

She nodded and started walking again. He watched her watching her team mates. Daniel and Teal'c were merely walking together, as she had seen them do a number of times, and Teal'c's arm was around his waist, helping him walk - as she had seen a number of times. Yet this time, it was different in her eyes.

"You are watching them again," he informed her.

She shook her attention from the two men and focussed onto Martouf beside her. "Sorry. I guess I just ..I .. I can't believe that about them."

"Are same-sex relationships not common on your world?"

"No!" She said with a little laugh then looked at him. "Yours?"

With a slight shrug, Martouf said simply, "sometimes, when the time comes to change hosts, we do not have the *choice* of sex. We must take whoever volunteers."

Sam stopped him by holding out her hand. "Was Jolinar ever joined with a.. man?"

"Not in my association with her, but Lantesh has told me of one such joining."

"How does that work? I mean, if Jolinar had a male host..? Would you..?" She looked at him then bowed her head, realizing it was a very intimate subject.

"Do not blush, Samantha," he said with a smile in his voice. "It would depend on the host."

"You're kidding? You'd.. consider .. a male host?" She asked, surprised by the answer.

Martouf smiled. "I feel most of what my Tok'ra feels, so Lantesh would affect my opinion greatly. When a Tok'ra mates, it is for life and Jolinar was Lantesh's mate. As the Tok'ra have no sex, it would make no difference to him whether the host is male or female." He saw that this surprised Sam considerably. He smiled shyly as he added, "Like I said, it would depend on the host." With a laugh in his voice he leaned in and whispered, "*Not* if it were Jack O'Neill."

Sam laughed and cast a quick glance at her C.O. "What about Teal'c or Daniel?"

Martouf tilted his head then nodded. "Daniel Jackson - Yes. I find him personally attractive. He is also very intelligent, which is extremely appealing." Martouf nudged her suggestively. She smiled at him as she blushed slightly. "However, my personal choice would be a female host. I prefer the company of women."

Sam crossed her arms across her chest and she gave a sharp jut of her chin as she looked at him. "What happens now for you? Now that Lantesh has lost his soul mate?"

Martouf raised his brow slightly. "We wait. One day we will meet another Tok'ra or host that appeals to us..."

She smiled as she squinted into the sunset. "It must be very hard though. To find.. someone like that..?"

He looked at her a long moment then diverted his eyes. "Not so hard, Samantha."

She looked at him and saw the gentle smile on his face. Wetting his lips quickly, he stepped ahead of her and started down the dune to the gate. She frowned as she watched him walk away, then she jogged after him.

*

At the dais, Jack turned to Jacob. "So, as far as you know, we took Daniel back to earth..."

The Tok'ra host nodded. "Yes. How you revived him from there is something we know *nothing* about."

With a nod Jack said, "Gotcha!" Then he turned as Martouf approached them. Sam went over to her father and they spent a few moments in private conversation.

Jack and Martouf sauntered over to the DHD where Daniel was standing, his hands resting on the side of the device as he caught his breath and watched the sunset. Teal'c was about a long step away from him, watching the sunset also. They both turned as Jack and Martouf approached.

"Danny," Jack said, indicating that he'd like to speak to him in private with a jut of his head. The anthropologist looked at Teal'c, clearly not sure what Jack wanted to speak to him about. Teal'c gave no outward show of emotion as he watched the two of them move away. Martouf looked at him and gave him a gentle smile. Teal'c arched his brow as he bowed his head silently. Tilting his face, he looked over at Jack and Daniel, standing a short distance away, talking together.

To Be continued...