Carter stared at the dark horizon, the cup of coffee growing cold. How much longer? She couldn't believe how fast the colonel had been traveling in pursuit of those who'd captured Daniel. She'd almost lost the breakfast Ferretti and Teal'c had insisted they all consume, at the sight of all the blood stains streaking the temple door.

"We'll find 'em Sam." Ferretti crouched next to her, pouring himself a cup of the strong coffee, offering a refill before replacing the pot next to the fire.

"I know....I just hope it's in time..." She glanced at her traveling companions. Tyler and Ryan, taking first watch passed each other, making slow circles around their small campsite. Adams tossed about on the sleeping bag, searching for a comfortable position to sleep. Teal'c stood apart from the others and like herself was staring out at the darkness.

"You know Daniel's indestructable and Jack....hell that man's tougher than old shoe leather and all the Goa'ulds combined." Ferretti grinned. "Whoever it is he's chasing, damn well better hope they haven't pissed him off."

Before she could respond, something in the Jaffa's stance caught her attention. "Teal'c?" Followed by Ferretti, Sam moved to the warrior's side. "What is it?"

"The wind carries the smell of a fire."

"Excuse me?.....Should we...."

"From that direction." Before they had time to react, the warrior was disappearing into the dark.

"Adams, with us!" Ferretti called, setting off after Carter and Teal'c. "Tyler, Ryan, stay alert!"

*****

Daniel pulled himself from the abyss of exhausted sleep as Jack caught in the grips of delirium, struggled against the confinement of Daniel's arms, mumbling incoherantly.

"N-no.....no....don-don't....go.....don't....leave.....Danny!"

"Shhhh....I'm here Jack.....It's alright....easy......I'm right here." The scholar used one hand to wet the strip of cloth, not caring he was spilling precious liquid, using the material to gently wipe the sweat of fever from Jack's face. "I'm here....not going anywhere...."

"Danny!......Don't go!.......pl-please.....don't l-l-leave....m-me...."

"It's okay Jack.....I promise....everything's gonna be okay.....I'm not leaving you." The scientist wiped the tears from the soldier's cheeks, gritting his teeth against allowing the tears to spill from his own eyes. He couldn't afford any weakness now. Jack needed him to be strong. Jack needed him to ignore his own pain, his own fever. Jack needed him to be there for him! Jack needed his help. "Shhh....shhhh....rest Jack......sleep.....I'll be right here when you wake up.....just sleep now."

"Daniel!" Carter knelt beside her teammates. The colonel was semi-delirious and Daniel seemed too focused on the man in his arms to even be aware of her presence as she stooped down beside them.

"I'm right here Jack......not going anywhere....I promise....I promise....."

"Daniel?" Placing a gentle hand over his, Sam took the cloth, and lifting his chin forcing him to look at her, wiped the perspiration from his own face. "Daniel?"

"Sam?....Here?...."

"Yeah Daniel, we're here," she assured him. "You okay?....We're camped about a quarter mile from here. Think you can make it?"

"Jack....can't...."

"I will carry O'Neill, Daniel Jackson." Teal'c volunteered.

"Hi Teal'c...."

"Hello Daniel Jackson." The warrior smiled at his friend. "It is good to see you."

Daniel surrendered his charge, his eyes never leaving Jack's limp body as Teal'c carefully lifted the colonel protectively cradling the unconscious man against his massive chest as if he were a sleeping child.

"Come on Daniel." Sam urged as she and Ferretti helped the scientist to his feet.

He swayed slightly, but caught himself. He had to make them understand. "Jck's hurt....inside....bleeding....."

Sam pat his arm as she gently steered him after the disappearing Jaffa. "It's okay Daniel. We know. We'll take care of him....We'll take care of both of you."

*****

Tucking the emergency blanket around O'Neill, Sam settled on the ground next to the colonel, casting a quick glance at Daniel's nearby sleeping form. While she and Teal'c had cleaned and bandaged Jack's various wounds, Ferretti had helped Daniel to Adams sleeping bag where the archaeologist had immediately succombed to exhaustion. Taking advantage of the situation, the major had quickly, almost professionally examined and bandaged Daniel's injured eye, informing Carter although the eye appeared badly scratched he hadn't seen any remaining glass.

She could hear Teal'c and Ferretti making stretchers out of the tents in preparation for the mornings travel. There had been no discussion, but none was needed, as both teams had agreed they would reach the gate the following day come hell or high water. No one would complain about the brutal double time march that would hopefully save the lives of two comrades.

"S-Sam?"

Carter looked down on her commanding officer at the husky sound of her name. "Hey,....how you feelin, sir?" The smile lit her face as she leaned closer to the colonel. "I know....stupid question."

"Lke...sht..."

She wiped his face again. "In the morning, we'll be able to get a better idea of how badly you're....hurt. I want to wait till then to give you any morphine."

He nodded slightly with understanding. "S'kay....D-Danny?"

"Sleeping, sir....Like you should be." Supporting his head, she held the canteen to his lips letting him take a large swallow. She shook her head with a wry grin. "Really sir, any airman could have followed the blood trail you left."

"Good.....dea..." His eyes had drifted shut, but flew open as her statement registered in his pain fogged mind.. "Wht...ya mean?......" Jack licked his lips, trying to concentrate on forming the words. "I wasn't....bl-bleeding."

"Sir, whether you realize it or not, you must have been." Carter glanced up as Teal'c and Ferretti joined her. "I had hoped we'd catch up with you before you caught up with Daniel."

".....Not.....m-me..." The colonel's head lolled as he slipped into unconsciousness.

At his words Teal'c had already crossed to their youngest teammate, pulling aside the blanket as Ferretti focused his light on Daniel's unmoving form.

"I don't....." Carter's words were cut off as the too pale face registered and as Teal'c tugged the fabric further aside, the flash's brilliant beam only highlighted the glistening red staining the blanket and the young man's uniform. "Oh my God!!!"

Teal'c the first of the three to move, tried to ignore the cold, clammy feel of Daniel's skin, the boneless quality of his body as stripping off the younger man's jacket the Jaffa gently lay him on his stomach, lifting the bloody shirt and removing the sodden bandage, permitting the three a better look at the wound in the scientist's back.

"It appears he was stabbed." He informed them somberly.

His words galvanized Carter into action and she grabbed the medic pack from beside Jack, kneeling by the scholar. While Jack had moaned in pain under her touch, Daniel remained silent, and motionless as Carter cleaned the gaping hole, pouring antiseptic over the area before applying another pressure bandage. She couldn't prevent the feeling of guilt spreading through her as she replaced the blanket? She had sworn to herself, her feelings for O'Neill wouldn't interfere with her actions as a member of SG-1 yet she had been so concerned with the colonel's condition, she hadn't considered Daniel may have injuries other than the obvious head wound. If Jack hadn't awoken, even for those few minutes, Daniel may very well have lay there, scant feet away from someone who supposedly cared about him and bled to death.

Watching Carter's ministrations, Ferretti was on a guilt trip of his own. It had never occured to him, the anthropologist might have further injuries. He hadn't even noticed the back wound. Hell, he hadn't even bothered to look beyond the facial injuries. He'd just been happy as hell seeing the scientist sitting there, holding the colonel, telling him he would get him home. Relief had flooded through him. They were hurt but they were alive. Now because of his stupid oversight and negligence, Daniel may not survive to see home again. And what would he tell O'Neill? 'Yeah, Colonel, Daniel saved your ass, only I let him die coz I was too stupid to do a thorough check of him and he bled to death. Don't bother to thank me, Jack...."

*****

Carter leaned against the wall, outside the infirmary door listening to the ensuing argument between SG-1's commanding officer and archaeologist. She shook her head in disbelief. The subject wasn't sports, archaeology, mythology, movies, military protocol or any of the hundred other things they normally discussed. The subject was cartoons.

"Think about it Jack....Olive Oyle was to put it crudely....a slut and a tease.....plain and simple." Daniel was stating. "She was supposed to be Popeye's girlfriend, yet she goes out with Brutus, batting her eyes and flirting all over the place and when he makes his move, she screams for Popeye who eats his spinach, kicks the shit out of Brutus, and rescues her skinny ass......And for that matter, if you really want to get picky, where did Sweet Pea come from?"

"The cabbage patch?"

"That's dolls, Jack."

"The point is Daniel, those cartoons are classics, not like the stupid crap today. What kind of a cartoon is called Cow and Chicken? Or....." Jack paused in his tirade, sniffing the air. "I smell pizza."

"I've never heard of that one."

The colonel tossed Daniel a look of disgust, as he tried to sit up, an impossible task with his leg in traction, before returning his attention to the entrance. "Carter if you wanna stay a major that pizza better not have any little dead fish on it!"

Carter pushed the door open with a wide smile. "And just how were you so sure it was me?"

"Because I'm the colonel....and I know everything."

Daniel snorted, almost choking at Jack's response.

Jack eyed the pizza boxes. "What no beer?" he groused.

"Alcohol is not permitted on the base O'Neill. We have, however, provided soft drinks." Teal'c announced, entering the room, followed by Ferretti."Pepsi to be precise."

Popping open the cans Ferretti poured each of them a glass. "You know, Janet's gonna have our asses if she finds out about this....I can hear her now.....Does this look like a restaurant to you people. Daniel and the colonel need their rest."

Unbeknownst to them Janet was peeking through her office blinds, a happy self satisfied smile lighting her brown eyes. This group of people, relaxed and laughing was a far cry from the ones who had straggled through the gate a little over a week ago, two of them on homemade stretchers, the others ready to collapse from exhaustion.

While the soldier and scholar were suffering dehydration and fever, except for the internal bleeding, O'Neill's numerous injuries had been easily treated.

Daniel on the other hand had suffered severe blood loss, calling for a massive transfusion. Fortunately, there was no permanent damage to his eye although it would require he wear the eye patch for a while longer. In fact the black patch and stubble of beard gave the handsome young man a rather roguish look.

The petite doctor had to admit she'd been as surprised as the others to discover it had been O'Neill captured and Daniel doing the rescuing rather than the other way around. It seemed they had all become so accustomed to Daniel needing rescued it had never occured to any of them....Janet shook her head, letting the blinds fall back into place....whether he realized it or not, the archaeologist had become quite a soldier.

Jack's debriefing had taken place in the infirmary, Daniel lying unconscious in the next bed. Janet had listened in amazement as the colonel, described how the scientist after following them had sneaked into the village, avoiding the guards. How he'd confronted the natives, scaring the hell out of them and making them all believe his teammate was a servant of Apophis.

"You should have seen him...ordering them around like he really was First Prime or something. By the time he was finished I think they were ready to make him king."

Later when he was able, Daniel's debriefing had also taken place in the infirmary. He'd explained how he'd discovered the natives were criminals exiled to the planet from their homeworld, who had been permitted to bring only those few items which would help them survive. Every few months, food staples were sent through the gate. The men who had attacked SG-1 had been awaiting the arrival of those needed supplies when they'd spied Jack and Daniel leave the temple. They had hoped to appease Maypel by handing over the leader of those who would steal from him.

"Why do we always end up on the prison planets?" Jack had quipped only to be stunned to silence by Daniel's response.

"Maybe the fates are just preparing you for your future....or sending you a warning." Although he knew the scholar was only kidding, the answer had given him something to mull over.

Now the pizza and Pepsi were shared and teammates were laughing over the latest joke someone had posted on the computer system. It had become a source of irritation to the colonel. Really bad jokes kept popping up on the screen at the most unexpected times. Carter had tried to track down the source, but failed and now she was happily regaling them with a vivid description of the latest e-mail. In the midst of their laughter, Janet threw open the door in what she hoped displayed a fit of anger, though she was having a hard time keeping a straight face. She, too, had seen the latest e-mail.

Faking indignation, she stood hands on hips, glaring at the teammates. "What the hell is this....Does this look like a restaurant to you people?! Daniel and the colonel need their rest." She almost laughed seeing Ferretti's eyes widen as she repeated his earlier words. "Clear out and take this mess with you! My staff consists of nurses not maids."

"You heard the lady, let's move the party to my quarters." O'Neill threw his blanket aside.

"Excuse me colonel, you're going no where but to sleep," Janet pulled a syringe from her pocket, "one way or the other."

"Come to think of it......I am a little tired," he commented Laying back, he ignored Daniel's snicker as Teal'c, Carter and Ferretti quickly gathered the trash and with assurances they'd visit the next day hurried from the room.

"Daniel, can I ask you something?" Jack glanced at the youngest member of his team as the door to Janet's office closed. He was relieved to see color returning to the scientist's face, a vivid picture of the deathly white complexion flashing through his mind. "And if you say you just did, I'll get outta this bed and slap you upside the head."

"I hate to break it to you Jack, but you aren't getting outta that bed until Janet says you're getting out of that bed.." He grinned at Jack's grimace of disgust. . "So what's bothering you?"

"What?"

"You've been wanting to ask me something for days now....What is it?"

"I just wondered where you suddenly learned to lie so well." The colonel shrugged. "I mean you're always so damn honest and suddenly there you are telling these King Kong clones how we're servants of Apophis and how he sent you after me and so forth and so on."

"From you." Daniel turned onto his side, his back to Jack, waiting for the explosion.

"Excuse me?! What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

A grimace of pain crossed his face as Daniel rolled back to face his friend. "What's the one thing you kept repeating about bluffing every time you dragged me off to one of those poker games of yours......The secret to a good lie is to mix the truth in with it. I never said Apophis sent me after you....I said 'our lord' sent me after you." As far as Daniel was concerned that was the truth. It could only have been God that kept him on his feet, let him find Jack and formulate the plan that allowed them to return home safely. "You're the best liar I know Jack."

"Thanks kid....I think."

That's all folks.