Jack leaned back in his chair, covering his face with both hands. It had been a long, boring day and all he wanted to do was go home. He didn’t mean to the house he shared with Gillian, he meant home to Colorado and to Rose. They would be leaving to go to Colorado Springs in two days and Jack was literally counting down the hours.

A knock on the door roused him and he quickly put his chair back down on all fours and picked up some papers from his desk, pretending to be working.

“Come in.”

The door opened and Gillian came in, looking happy and glowing in her pink flowered maternity dress; a small smile on her face.

“Busy?”

“Nah, not really, what’s up?” Jack turned his chair towards her, ever since the video conference she had been in a good mood.

“Oh not much just thought I’d come see what you were doing,” she sauntered over to him and sat down on his lap; feeling him suddenly tense.

“Ummm Gill don’t you think it’s a little early in the day for this sort of thing?”
Jack shifted in his chair a little, his hands hesitating a moment before one hand touched her waist and the other touched the legs that now went across his.

“No, it’s never too early--” Gillian wrapped her arms around Jack’s neck, leaning close to his ear.

“Someone’s coming to see you Jack; I thought I’d stop by and warn you before they showed up,” She whispered in his ear before planting a kiss on his cheek.
“Maybe later on we can get out early and go to dinner.”

“Yeah maybe, where do you want to go eat?” Jack’s hand slid up her back to her shoulder and pushed her closer to him.

“Who is it? And what do they want?”

“His name is Dr. Steven Brand; he works with Mac as an instructor in the Operative Program. He’s very anti-gun Jack and he knows Mac is too. I think he’s coming to ask your opinion on his latest class on alternatives to weapons.”
Jack leaned back to look at Gillian.

“I’m a military officer; I use guns every day to get my ass out of trouble. How am I supposed to tell this guy that guns are a bad idea? If it wasn’t for a gun I wouldn’t be here now,” his voice started to rise and she put her finger to his lips.

“I know that believe me I do, but you’re supposed to be Mac and he doesn’t use them.”

A knock on the door stopped the conversation and Gillian climbed off of Jack’s lap, choosing instead the edge of the desk as her seat.

“Come in!” Jack called out as he turned his chair back toward his desk and feigned working.

The door opened and a young man came in, he had medium brown hair and wire rim glasses; bearing such a striking resemblance to Daniel that Jack almost called him by that name. He even dressed like Daniel; wearing chinos and a green button down shirt with a tan sports jacket over it.

“Hi Steve, help you with something?”

“MacGyver, Gillian--” Steve gave nods to both of them.

“Sorry to just drop by like this but I wanted your opinion of something.”
He had a back briefcase in his hands and set it on the edge of the desk, popping it open and taking out a black folder.

“This is the syllabus for the class next week,” he handed the folder to Jack and closed the briefcase.

Gillian watched as Jack read the papers; raising his eyes occasionally to meet hers. She could see the annoyance brewing in those brown depths, his lips tightening.
“How is it Mac?” she asked, hoping it would be a reminder of who he was supposed to be impersonating; like it or not his own personal opinion didn’t count.

“It’s good Steve; you did a good job of finding weapon alternatives,” Jack handed him the folder back.

“But if an operative wants to use a gun that should be their own choice,”

Steve creased his brow as he pushed up his glasses.
“But Mac you don’t--”

“No, I don’t use a gun Steve, I use whatever I can find but that’s a personal preference. That decision should be left up to the individual; we can’t make it for them.”

The folder was returned to the briefcase and Steve closed it, a deep sigh coming out of him.

“Yeah Mac you’re right. I can’t force them to not use a gun just because I wouldn’t; that’d be wrong. I’ll restructure the lesson a little; make sure that they understand that it’s up to them. I guess I got a little carried away.”

“That sounds like a good idea Steve, glad I could help.”

Steve nodded as he left the office.

Gillian watched the door closed and once more sat in Jack’s lap; hugging his neck.

“That was great Jack, exactly what Mac would have said. You did a good job.”

“Thanks, it wasn’t easy though. I’m a big fan of guns; I’ve been in a lot of situations that I couldn’t think my way out of.”

“So has Mac, but he still wouldn’t use one,” Gillian leaned her head on Jack’s shoulder sighing; her happy mood disappearing.

“I wish we were in Colorado already.”

Jack gave her back a gentle, reassuring pat.

“Yeah me too.”

*** *** ***

Jack opened the wooden door and stepped into the house, sighing heavily as he closed the door behind him. He had a plastic bag in his hand that contained a six pack of beer and took it into the kitchen. Pulling a bottle from the carton; he twisted it open and had a swallow, tipping his head back as he did so. A thousand things ran through his mind as he tossed the cap into the sink, leaning his back against the counter.
He raised the bottle to his lips once more, but stopped before taking a second sip. The beer was lowered as Jack looked around; the house seemed way too quiet.
“Gill?” He got no answer and set his beer down as he headed down the hall. Gillian had gone home early from the foundation; she had a headache and wanted to get some rest.
The bedroom door was open; Jack reached out and touched it opening it all the way. His instincts kicked in almost immediately as he slowly stepped into the room. The first thing he noticed was Gillian on the bed; stretched out across it on her side with her head resting on her extended left arm. Something about her position creased Jack’s brow; her position seemed unnatural. He sat down on the edge of the bed and placed his hand on her left shoulder; rolling her onto her back.
Gillian’s head lolled to one side; her face seemed pale.
“Gillian?” Jack reached out and touched her neck, feeling her pulse. It seemed a little fast and something else caught Jack’s attention as well. He leaned down and took a closer look at Gillian’s neck. Scratches, red scratches were around the base of her throat; Jack reached out and touched them gently.
She grabbed at her throat…she clawed up her throat like she couldn’t breathe… Jack’s eyes widened as he pulled the unconscious woman towards him. He tucked one hand under her neck the other under her knees and lifted her up; cradling her to his chest. They had to get out of there and fast.
Jack had only made it halfway to the door when a puff of pressurized air rang out behind him and he felt a sharp pain in his back; quickly followed by a second.
He slowly turned around, seeing a man in black coming out of the bathroom. He had a tranquilizer pistol and the blond haired man raised it again.
“You’re coming with us Mr. MacGyver.”
The room suddenly tilted to one side but Jack fought the vertigo, stumbling.
“No, we’re not.”
Gillian’s closet door behind Jack opened and another man came out, he too dressed in black and had a tranquilizer gun in his hand.
Jack lifted his glassy eyes to stare at both men. He opened his mouth to start to say something but then closed it again as his knees turned to rubber.
The man from the closet was suddenly right in front of him and took Gillian from his arms.
“A little insurance policy to ensure your cooperation Mr. MacGyver.”
His words seemed a bit muffled; Jack tried to protest but sunk to the floor, grabbing the edge of Mac’s dressed. He tried to pull himself back to his feet in one last show of protest but he simply didn’t have the strength. His fingers slipped from the edge of the dresser and his eyes slid closed as he keeled over onto his side.

*** *** ***

Daniel pinched the bridge of his nose, the action raising his glasses. He sat in his office going over the last batch of Goa’uld translations. With a sigh, he finally removed his glasses all together and rubbed his hands over his face.

For the past five days straight he had worked on the text carved into the obelisk; the dialect began to blend together into one incoherent blob and he squeezed his tired eyes shut, dropping his head.

“Daniel?”

Sam came into the room, holding a large white sleeve in her hand. She saw her distressed colleague and set the folder down on the desk, walking around her friend.

“Hey! You okay?” She asked as she leaned close to his ear, both of her hands on his shoulders she gave them a rub.

“Yeah—Just tired Sam, all of these symbols start running together after awhile--” He glanced over his shoulder at her, smiling meekly. “That feels nice.”

Sam saw the smile and felt her face heat up. “You just looked tense, that’s all--” She let go of his shoulders and reached out to get the folder.
“I just came by to show you this.”

Pulling what looked like an x-ray from the sleeve, she handed it to Daniel.

“What is this?” Daniel picked his glasses back up and slipped them back on.

“It’s a spectral scope of the obelisk; I thought you might be interested in it--”

Daniel held the black flexible sheet close to his desk lamp, the bulb illuminating the image.

“Oh my God--”

“Yeah that’s what I said too--” Sam leaned close to Daniel. “See this is the inside of the obelisk, as you can see there’s definitely something there--” Her hand came up, pointing. “This mechanism inside looks like it has some sort of power source, that might explain how it was that the NID guy got a zat-like charge that killed him.”

Daniel sighed, shaking his head. “But what is this? I mean—what is the point of this other than to kill someone that comes in contact with it?”

“Now that I don’t know for sure, do any of the translations mention anything?”

“Not really, at least not in my half. I suspect the answer lies in Gillian’s translations of the Carian language. She mentioned in the video conference that the obelisk has something to do with the gate, so when she gets here we’ll have all the answers.”

“What about the Goa’uld?”

“The carvings in the stone are pretty cryptic--” Daniel set the film aside and picked up his notebook. “So far it reads— ‘Go forth and conquer, scatter these among the stars. When the great power is called forth, it will rid you of your enemies swiftly and without remorse.’ ” He lowered the notebook, licking his lips.

“That make sense to you?”

A puzzled expression came to Sam’s face as she shook her head. “No, not at all.”

“Me either--”

A knock on the door startled them both and they turned towards it to see Mac standing in the doorway.

“Hey, am I interrupting something?” He strolled casually in the room, tucking his hands into his pocket.

“No, not really just going over the translations. What are you up to?”

Mac shrugged his shoulders at he sat down in the stool beside Daniel. “Not much, just bored out of my skull--” He picked up the film picture of the obelisk and held it up. “Whoa!”

Sam saw his face and raised an inquisitive eyebrow. “What? Do you recognize something?”

Glancing over his shoulder towards the door, Mac turned back and lowered his voice. “Well not exactly but I know an energy generator when I see one--”

“Yeah that’s what we think to--” Sam stood beside him.

“Well there’s more than just a generator here--” Mac pointed to something else on the film. “See this? This looks like a secondary module.”

Squinting her eyes she saw Daniel’s magnifier and pulled the white arm directly over the object Mac had pointed out, the image growing larger.

“Backup power source?”

“No, I don’t think so. It looks like it might--”

“Excuse me Major?” Sergeant Siler came into the room and Mac quickly changed his tune.

“That do hickey of yours takes nice photos Carter, how well does it take pictures of wild life?”

“It doesn’t sir, at least not the model I use--” She snatched the film away, an annoyed expression on her face as she put the film back in its sleeve.

“Something I can help you with Sergeant?”

Siler looked at the three people in the room; Daniel quickly dove back into his notebook, while Mac started playing with Daniel’s magnifier.

“Uhh, that analysis of the stone structure is almost ready. I downloaded the results of it into the base computer.”

Sam nodded, a smile coming to her face. “Great, thank you Sergeant.”

“Yes ma’am--” He glanced again at Mac, seeing him extend the arm on the magnifier out towards Daniel, the end of it brushing his head.

“Jack will you cut it out?” Daniel stuck his hand up and brushed the arm away.

Satisfied that things were fine, Siler nodded his head and left the lab. Sam watched him and slumped over the counter, wiping her hand down her face.

“Whew that was close!”

Daniel unstuck his nose from his notebook and glanced over his shoulder at Mac, shaking his head.
“God sometimes you really do remind me of Jack.”

Mac grinned, shrugging his shoulders. “Well that’s what I’m here for right?” He sat down in a nearby stool and covered his face with his hands. Sam saw this and walked around the counter, patting his back.

“Tired?”

“Exhausted--” Came the muffled reply as his hands slid away from his mouth.

“And Rose is off doing some dinner meeting with some dignitary or whatever, so we can’t even drive to Jack’s place and get some sleep.”

“Oh, well that’s not a problem Mac--” Daniel closed his notebook and set it pen down on top of it. “I’m pretty much done for the night; I can take you to Jack’s and crash on the couch till Rose gets there.”

“Yeah Daniel can take you, I’ve got to go look over the analysis of the obelisk and try and figure out what’s inside it--” She gave Mac a smile.

“But thanks to you I know which direction to go now.”

Daniel rose from his stool and pushed up his glasses. “All right, I’ll rest for a while at Jack’s and then be back in a few hours to finish deciphering the Goa’uld.”

“Okay, see you later--” Sam took the white envelope and left the two men alone.

*** *** ***

“Look, nobody likes going home to a dark house okay? Besides, it’s pretty typical for me to hang around with Jack. We do chess, eat pizza, watch hockey—guy things.”

The two of them were in the elevator heading to the surface of the Mountain.
Mac was frowning.

“So what IS it with this relationship stuff? As far as I can see Rose is a civilian and Jack’s—“

“—in the service, yes, but Rose and I occupy this—grey area—in terms of command. Technically we work as consultants with Jack, but since we’re in the field and under his jurisdiction, we’re ALSO associated in ways that the military hasn’t really made clear. Jack struggles with it sometimes, especially after a close call for either one of them.”

“Ah—“ with a wince of understanding, Mac rocked on his heels looking very much like Jack in that moment. When the elevator stopped, Daniel loped out, Mac following him. Daniel didn’t resume talking until they reached the truck.

“Part of it is the two of THEM, too—“ he admitted with a push of his glasses. “When you get right down to it, both of them are stubborn and single-minded, and although they’re absolute suckers for kids, dogs and each other, there’s a ferocity to them that can scare the uninitiated.”

“Sounds familiar—“ Mac smiled to himself. Daniel shook his head slightly.

“Not to THIS degree, Mac. If Gill was being threatened by a rattler you’d throw a blanket over it and drag her out of range. If Rose was being threatened by a rattler Jack would knife it, shoot it, cut it into three parts and feed them to the nearest Stargate. I can’t tell you how many first contacts he’s screwed up because of his over protectiveness—“

They pulled into the driveway of the dark little house.

“Hey! I’d get rid of the rattler too—I resent the implication that having common sense means I’m less—macho, or something—“

So saying, they climbed out of the truck. Daniel heard a strange sound, a whizzing noise. As he looked down, he realized a small dart was sticking out of his sweater.

“Oh ssshhitttt—“ like a pile of laundry he slowly collapsed against the door of the truck.

*** *** ***

Consciousness came back to Jack and with it much pain, his head pounded like a drum and his throat felt like it was filled with sand. He opened his eyes, the bright light making him wince. He wanted to rub his eyes only to discover that he couldn’t. Much to his surprise and displeasure, Jack found himself in a chair with his arms tied behind his back sitting in an empty warehouse.

“What the—?”

“It will do you no good to struggle, Mr. MacGyver. The ropes are quite strong--”
Jack looked around, squinting his eyes as he tried to see through the bright light that shone straight down on him.

“Who’s there?”

“A friend that needs some answers--” The same blond man all in black that had shot him with the dart came closer, Jack could make out his face.

“What answers?”

“You’re too intelligent to be acting clueless Mr. MacGyver. The organization I represent has been tracking your movements for some time. We followed you and your wife to Plantation Island; we know what you found there.”

“Where is Gillian?” Jack flexed his hands, tugging a little at the ropes that were securely fastened around his wrists. The man was correct; they were tied tight enough to keep him from slipping out of them.

“She’s here, but I really would like to get the information out of you rather than her, don’t you think that’d be best?” The blond man turned to look at him, a small smirk on his face. “Considering her delicate condition and all.”

That response was meant to anger Jack and he knew it, he had played this game with the NID before and knew what they were expecting. He wasn’t about to play along and he knew that MacGyver wouldn’t either.

“We both know that you won’t hurt her. You need her so don’t even pretend that threatening her is going to get answers out of me--” Jack raised his chin, his expression stoic.

“Your reputation proceeds you Mr. MacGyver—Your dossier is full of remarkable adventures, quite a few of them government sanctioned--” He shifted sideways and began pacing in front of Jack.

“So I’m quite sure you know all about information extraction. You’re right, we wouldn’t hurt the woman because we do need her and her colleague Dr. Jackson—but perhaps there is someone else that would inspire you to speak--” He turned his back on Jack and disappeared from his sight. The door was unlocked, the sound of the metal being slid open echoed in the barren room.

Because his eyes did him no good, Jack closed them and let his hearing try and find out what was going on. He heard the metal door creaking and the sounds of multiples steps on the concrete floor.

Wheels—

Squealing wheels—

Something was being brought inside. With a loud slam, the echo so loud it made Jack jump, the sound of something being wheeled in grew louder.

Suddenly his chair was moved out of the bright light, his eyes finally given the chance to adjust to the warehouse’s dimness.

“This should help you Mr. MacGyver--”

A lamp clicked on, the light filled the room and Jack inwardly groaned when he saw that he wasn’t alone anymore. Not only was his inquisitor there but also three others.

Gillian still in her pink maternity dress; a piece of black tape had been placed over her mouth, her eyes large and frightened. Beside her was Daniel and Mac, the two men in civilian clothes; obvious they hadn’t been in the mountain when they were caught. They too had tape over their mouths.

“Recognize them Mr. MacGyver? I do believe its Dr. Jackson and Colonel O’Neill. They were in Egypt with you were they not? Perhaps they can fill in some of the blanks.”

The blond man leaned over Mac, his expression angry. “How’s your old pal Maybourne Jack? Seen him lately? He continues to be a constant thorn in the NID’s side; your situation may improve if you can give us any information about where he is--” The tape was jerked off and Mac’s chin was cupped, his face raised.

“Do the smart thing Jack, tell us something so we can both be rid of him--”

MacGyver’s eyes narrowed as he peered into his captor’s angry face. “Can’t help ya there Pal, Maybourne doesn’t exactly leave me maps to his location either--”

“I see—Well that’s fine--” His eyes boiled with anger as he jerked his hand away from Mac going over to Daniel. The tape was ripped off of his mouth too; Daniel grunted in pain and worked his jaw a little.

“Thank you, but if you think I’ve got something to say, forget it—” His eyes shifted to Jack, seeing the colonel give the tiniest of head shakes. Daniel knew full well what the NID wanted to know about but he wasn’t about to give up any information.

“I know you don’t have anything to say Dr. Jackson. You’re way too loyal to the SGC--” He left Daniel and went over to Gillian.

“I’ve got your husband Mrs. MacGyver; you are much too important to harm because you and Daniel know the secrets of the Goa’uld device. Secrets that my organization needs, we tried to find out on our own and it cost us an agent--”
He walked around behind her and put his hands on her shoulders rubbing them as he leaned down close to her ear.

“Tell me what I want to know about it or you’re going to watch your husband and Colonel O’Neill pay for your silence.”

Gillian trembled, her shoulders tensing instantly at his touch. She cast looks at the three men all of them shaking their heads at her. As relieved as she was to see Mac, this wasn’t exactly the reunion she had hoped for.

“What do you say Gillian?” He now stood beside her, his hand reaching out to stroke over her small belly.

“Ready to talk for me?” He jerked off the tape. “Ready to tell me everything you know about that obelisk?”

Mac watched his wife react to that; hearing her gasp and the way she shifted in her chair trying to get away from his touch. Every instinct he owned as both a husband and future father boiled within him; wanting to break that man’s hand off and beat him with it for even being close to her. He squeezed his eyes shut fighting those feelings because he couldn’t do precisely that.

“Get your hand off my kid!”

Jack piped up, tugging on the ropes again. After all he was playing Gillian’s husband and seeing her manhandled was supposed to outrage him; it really did rile him because he thought of Gillian as a friend.

The very husband-like outburst made the inquisitor smile as he straightened up and moved away from Gillian.

“Got your blood boiling to see your wife struggle? Didn’t like that did you? Maybe I should do something to you to make her react--” He grabbed Jack by his hair and jerked his head back.

“We don’t know anything about what it does! We’re still trying to figure that out!” Gillian licked her lips; they were sticky from the tape glue.

The blond man’s eyes slid closed and he sighed. “I see--”

Daniel’s gaze shifted from Jack to Mac. “She’s right--” He wrinkled his nose trying to push up his glasses.

“Is she Daniel?” He still had a hold of Jack’s hair, yanking it between his fingers. Jack gritted his teeth, wishing he could get free so he could break this guy’s neck.

“Yes. It’s got a language on it that we haven’t identified. Some sort of ancient dialect that probably doesn’t exist anymore--” Daniel tightened his lips, hoping this guy would believe him.

*** *** ***

The arcade was crowded, and the constant undertone of bells, buzzers and recorded music was giving Rose a headache; nevertheless she checked her watch again and sighed. She sat at one of the back tables near the concession stand; nursing a diet soda and shivering under her green coat, hoping against hope that Harry hadn’t had to veer off the meeting. Distantly in the arcade itself she could see Teal’c in one of the booth games while Carter was running the surveillance from outside, just as they’d agreed.

“Long time no see, Ms. Clowderbock—or should I call you Hot Mama?” Came Harry Maybourne’s silky, annoying tones. Rose shot him a resentful look, but he merely laughed and slid into the bench seat opposite her. He was wearing a checked lumberjack coat and a wool cap, and Rose thought the beard was a good look for him.

“Been listening in lately?” Rose sourly demanded.

“Oh I never miss a Friday night Love Connection if I can help it—that lord and master one was a hoot.” Maybourne smiled, his gaze automatically scanning the exits.

“I faked it, Harry—“

“Whatever—the bootlegs are going for ten bucks a copy.”

Rose shuddered and shot a hard glare at the former NID agent.

“A copy ever comes to light and you KNOW there are going to be some bodies when the smoke clears.”

Maybourne chuckled.

“We can only hope. And speaking of hope—“

“Where?”

“—house. There are several in this city that the NID owns under assumed names, about six in all. Most of them are inactive, but I checked the utility records and two are currently using juice—one’s on Sixteenth, by the railroad yard, and the other’s over by those industrial parks on the north side of town.”

“Best guess?”

“The one on sixteenth—it’s off the main road and traffic runs all hours. The industrial parks shut down after dark, so any movement out there would be spotted.”

“Makes sense. I don’t like running up a tab, Harry. How much is this going to cost me?”

“Rose---“ Maybourne tried to sound disappointed in her lack of faith, but his grin gave him away. She snorted.

“Harry, no more signed copies. I don’t care WHAT they bring on the internet—“

“Three more and I’ll call us even. You know as well as I do that they go for three hundred dollars a pop. Sign three more when you get Jack back, all right?”

Rose looked deep into Harry’s roguish eyes and sighed, thinking about deals with the devil.

*** *** ***

“Looks like Maybourne’s info is good,” Carter murmured when Rose and Teal’c climbed into the SUV a few minutes later. The laptop on the Major’s front seat was on, the screen showing a street map. Teal’c nodded.

“We have the element of surprise, Major Carter, and enough weaponry to insure success.”

“I agree, but I’m putting in a call to the general to give him our situation—if we don’t manage to pull this off, at least he’ll know where to start looking.”

The other two nodded. Rose checked her Sig Sauer and Teal’c tucked a zat into his waistband as they drove on. Within forty minutes the SUV had reached the railroad yard, and Carter cut the lights. The largest warehouse stood alone, and the rusted gate to the chain fence surrounding it stood open. Teal’c was already examining the gravel when they got out of the car.

“Only one other set of tracks, recently made.”

“Yeah. Since we’re only three at the moment, let’s circle around and scout it together.”

Working in unison, they moved in the darkness and easily found the single guard just within the circle of light shining down from the back door of the warehouse. Teal’c slipped behind the man and squeezed his neck; within a minute he was unconscious and they dragged him out of the way. Carter signaled the other two to follow her lead and they pushed open the smaller inset door, stepping into semi-darkness.

“—Dispose of them in the desert. After that, we go back to Egypt—“ Two men stood with their backs to Carter and didn’t even get to see her as she zatted them in the back and stepped over their bodies. A muffled noise caught her attention.

“Daniel—“ she hurried over to him. Rose scanned the room, alert for any sounds as Teal’c moved to untie first Gillian, then Mac and Jack. O’Neill took the proffered zat with a grim smile. Mac wrapped his arms around Gill, taking a moment to reassure them both.

“Two still walking—“ O’Neill muttered. Teal’c nodded. With practiced ease, SG1 spread out, moving quietly through the offices at the far end of the warehouse. They found no one, but Teal’c and Daniel each picked up laptops and carried them out.

“Sweeeet,” O’Neill gloated, shooting a glance at Rose. “Little door prize for the good guys.”

In careful but quick stages they reached the back door. Jack signaled, and Teal’c took point, checking in all directions before stepping into the light. The guard was still half propped in the bushes where Teal’c had dragged him.

“We head for the mountain. Radio Hammond for an intercepting escort—I’m not putting any of us a risk for a game of Chicken before we get there,” O’Neill told Carter, who nodded. Rose tucked the laptops in, and helped Gillian in as well. Mac climbed into the back with Daniel as O’Neill took the wheel and the SUV took off in a spray of gravel.

*** *** ***

“Well you both check out all right--” Janet closed her clipboard and offered a hand to Gillian, helping her sit up. Mac stood beside her with a small smile on his face, relieved.

“I suppose I don’t have to call you Colonel anymore?” She asked, seeing him shake his head.

“Nope, Jack’s back so I’ve officially been decommissioned.”

“All right Mac, but you better get back down to the briefing room, everyone’s waiting--”

“Yes ma’am--” Mac stated and with a roll of her eyes and a shake of her head, Janet left the couple alone.

“So—did you miss me?”

Gillian raised an eyebrow to her husband and tugged on his wrist, moving him so he stood in front of her. She slipped her arms around his neck and stroked her fingers through his short silver hair.

“You have no idea how much I’ve missed you--” She whispered, her eyes shining as she pressed her mouth to his, ignoring the gasps of surprises she heard.

Undoubtedly a few people thought she was kissing Colonel O’Neill.

MacGyver returned it, groaning at the warm sweetness of his wife, reacquainting himself with her taste and feel. He broke the kiss gently, touching his forehead to hers.
“I missed you too, both of you--” His hand touched her stomach, stroking it.

“We better get to the briefing room, Daniel and I need to talk about that obelisk; it’s not the harmless chunk of stone that it appears to be.”

“Yeah I saw the scans of the inside, it’s definitely got that wolf in sheep clothing appearance--” Mac stepped back and taking his wife’s hands helped her down from the table.

*** *** ***

“Well now that we’re all here--” Hammond smiled at the couple as they approached the table. Gillian remained on her feet while Mac pulled the leather chair out beside Sam and sat down. She was between the two men and gave an involuntary shudder at how close Mac really resembled the colonel; even the smallest detail of his eyebrow doctored sent a shiver down her spine reminding her briefly of something out of the Twilight Zone.

Daniel cleared his throat, gazing down at the photographs Gillian had taken of the obelisk. He opened his black notebook and picked up a page from it.
“Okay—the obelisk--” He began before raising his eyes to the people gathered around the table.
“It’s not exactly your run of the mill artifact, far from it--”

“We knew that Daniel, if it were the NID wouldn’t have invited us to one of their out of the way warehouses--” Jack piped up, he and Rose sat side by side; she smirked at his remark relieved that he was back.

“It’s a weapon Colonel--” Gillian stated. “A very dangerous one--”

“Right--” Daniel agreed, licking his lips briefly. “The one side of the artifact that has the Goa’uld language translates to: ‘Go forth and conquer, scatter these among the stars. When the great power is called forth, it will rid you of your enemies swiftly and without remorse.’ The rest of the translation is basically an instruction manual on how to operate it.”

Jack nodded, pursing his mouth. “So how is this thing a weapon? If you follow the Goa’uld Guide to Death there, what does that obelisk do?”

Daniel shot a gaze at Gillian; it was now her turn to speak. “We’re not exactly sure; the side of the obelisk with the Carian language has an incantation. The translation talks about how the language must be recited along with the Goa’uld in order to activate the weapon.”

“And if you don’t?” Sam asked, looking past Mac to gaze at the two archeologists.

“If you don’t then you die.”

“Like the NID guy that you and your husband found?” Rose added, seeing Gillian’s grim nod.

“Exactly.”

All eyes suddenly turned to gaze at Teal’c, including Hammond. The Jaffa simply raised an eyebrow at the sudden attention, a smirk appearing on his lips.

“Teal’c have you ever heard of a device such as this?”

“I have General Hammond, but what it does precisely I do not know. Apophis had several of them placed on a planet whenever he conquered it, but I myself did not witness the device’s activation.”

“From what I saw there is some sort of secondary module inside, but if we risk messing with the obelisk in any way we’re going to end up like that NID guy and Dr. Baum--” Mac played with his fingers, a sure sign of his nervousness and concern.

“Well if this thing is supposed to be put on a planet, why don’t we find a nice lifeless one and run a few tests? That way we can find out for sure what it does without risk to anyone here or the SGC.”

Hammond nodded, considering Sam’s statement. “All right, we’ll do that--” He checked his watch; it read that it was almost midnight.
“But for right now I suggest you all get some rest. You’ve had a busy night. Colonel, if you would be so kind to show the MacGyver’s to one of the guest quarters?” He rose out of his chair and stood up.

“Yes sir, we’ll do that then and be back here--?” Jack waved his hand in a circle and raised an eyebrow, lifting his chin slightly.

“I’ll have the SF’s wake you all at four AM.”

“Four AM it is sir--”

“Dismissed--” Hammond left the room, everyone rising to their feet as he did so.

*** *** ***

MacGyver unbuttoned the grey shirt he had on, letting it slide down his shoulders. He had a headache, a slight after effect of the tranquilizer darts that he and Daniel had been shot with.
Gillian sat on the bed rubbing both hands over her face.
“Hey, you okay?” He saw her and dropped to his knees in front of her, his hands tracing over her legs.

“Yeah--” She put her hands on his bare shoulders, leaning her head against his collarbone. “I’m just tired Mac, tired and afraid. Right now we don’t have a life outside this mountain.”

Mac wrapped his arms around his wife, trying to soothe her. “It’s going to be all right Sweetheart--” Feeling her pressed against him made him close his eyes in sheer bliss.

“God I missed you--” He whispered in her hair, kissing it. Her small hands slid down his back and it made him groan.

“I don’t know how much privacy we have in here--” She glanced up at the ceiling, seeing the black camera.

“Not much in this place--” Mac pulled back from the hug, both hands coming to his face. He knew exactly what she wanted and he wanted it too.

“It’ll wait till we get out of here, all right? Right now I think we should just rest.”

Nodding, Gillian wrapped her hands around her husband’s wrists and gave them a gentle squeeze.

*** *** ***

Rose watched at Carter finally picked up her tray and bussed it to the kitchen, then shot Jack a soft-eyed look that he met and returned with added intensity. She toyed with her vanilla pudding.

“So.”

“So,” he responded, as aware as she was of the personnel around them, the cameras in the corners. She glanced at her watch and Jack mirrored her, hiding his grin their old signal. Yes indeedy.

“So—I still have a few reports that need your signature, Colonel—“

“Okay yeah—“ he tried to sound cranky but it was hard to keep the enthusiasm out of his voice. Rose slowly got to her feet and let Jack take her tray as she blotted her lips. They converged at the doorway and walked down the hall together, maintaining decorum, chatting in low undertones although the things Jack was saying were NOT fit to be shared. Rose held back her giggles and unlocked her office door with fumbling fingers. Jack followed her in with ungentlemanly haste, slamming it shut behind him.

“Colooooooooommmmmmph!” Rose bleated around the muffling impact of Jack’s kiss as he cupped the back of her neck and yanked her to him. She responded with ferocity of her own, hands snaking around his big shoulders, clinging for dear life as the kiss deepened.

Jack sucked in a quick breath and dove back in; dropping kisses over the bridge of her pointed nose from cheek to cheek, losing himself in the sweetness of her mouth, his tongue sliding around hers.

“M-miss me?” Rose laughed softly when she caught her breath. Jack held her close, hand around the back of her head as he smiled into her ear.

“Only every minute of every hour of every day,” came his amused tone. “But I handled it well.”

“Yeah well I didn’t,” she gulped, nuzzling his jaw line. “For some damn reason I MISSED you, Flyboy.”

“Oh I can understand that—“ he punctuated his response with kisses, “—Being stuck with the pale imitation of studlyness instead of the real thing—“

“MmmmmJack that’s rude!” Rose chided, nipping his nose. “And untrue—“ she added, just to see him narrow his eyes. He glared at her for a long second but she distracted him by running her index finger firmly down the length of his tented fly. Jack tensed, sliding a hand down to grip hers.

“No teasing the python when I’m deciding to kill MacGyver or not—“ he warned. Rose laughed, pulling Jack to her, letting her thigh rub between his in a lascivious way.

“Mac was a perfect gentlemen, babe.”

“With emphasis on the GENTLEMAN rather than the PERFECT, right?” Jack rasped, his big hands sliding down into her fatigue pants to cup her silk covered bottom. Rose didn’t answer, and he growled. She giggled.

“Jack honey—“

“Yeah?”

“The security camera’s on---“

It took him four and a half minutes to run out of profanities.

*** *** ***

Mac’s eyes snapped open; he peered over Gillian’s shoulder at the digital display on the alarm clock, seeing that it was half past six AM.

“Gill?” He propped himself up on one elbow gently shaking her shoulder.
“Gill we need to get up.”

“Hmm?” Gillian peered back at him, her eyes barely open. “What? What’s wrong?”

“It’s after six, why didn’t someone wake us up?” Mac rolled the other way, stumbling a little as he climbed off the bed.

“Maybe they forgot?” Gillian sat up carefully, sometimes mornings were a little rough on her, despite the fact she was well past morning sickness occasionally the nausea still came to her when she first woke up.

“No I doubt that, they probably just didn’t want to come get us till they were ready to--” Mac went over to the dresser and opened it; there were black t-shirts and olive drab pants in every size.

“Looks like we’re stuck with military fashions, not that we’ve got much choice--” He shook his head, grinning. “I’ve sort of gotten use to olive green and jumpsuits. I also know a lot more about military protocol that’s for sure.”

“Better make my t-shirt is a large,” she picked her dress up off the floor and folded it up.

“Here, why don’t you go take a shower and we’ll go find out where everyone went--” MacGyver handed his wife a pair of green pants and a black t-shirt; she took the folded garments and entered the door to the bathroom on the other side of the room.

*** *** ***

Jack yawned widely rubbing his hands over his face as he gazed out the control room window. He watched carefully as the MALP, with the stone obelisk tied to it, prepared to leave. Beside him Daniel, Teal’c, Hammond and Rose looked as equally tired, standing behind Sam.

“Well sirs, this should just about do it--” She typed on the keyboard, confirming the gate address once more. The planet, a lifeless moon, would be the perfect sight for the obelisk test. Behind the ramp sat the grey UAV on its launch frame, preparing to go through the gate as well.

“Everything is just about ready sir, should the MacGyver’s be woken?” Sam asked over her shoulder at the general.

“Good Morning--”

Everyone turned to see Mac and Gillian, both of them in black and olive green. Jack gave an approving nod though he stared a little at Gillian; despite the bagginess of the t-shirt she wore, her belly could easily be seen and he raised an eyebrow to the general.

“Sir? Does this qualify under ‘Don’t ask, Don’t tell’?”

Hammond smirked at that, lowering his head a moment. Gillian grinned at the joke, stroking her hand over her belly. “You don’t have to ask me anything Colonel.”

Mac rolled his eyes, putting his hand over his wife’s. “She’s right you don’t have to ask, this was the result of an extensive undercover operation Jack.”

The retort got Daniel snickering, clearing his throat as Jack shot him a look that would have made most subordinates running for cover.

“Looks like he’s taken his replacement of you pretty seriously Jack.”

“So why didn’t you wake us up at four?” Gillian went over to stand beside Sam, gazing out the window at the gate. “Wow! That thing is huge!”
The center circle began to spin with a whirring sound, the first Chevron locking into place.

“We thought it’d be best to let you rest until we were ready--” Sam answered with a smile, seeing Gill’s wide eyed amazement.

Rose pulled out the chair to Sam’s right and sat down. “Are you both ready to say what you have to say?” She asked, glancing at both Gill and Daniel.

“Oh! Right! Let me get the translations and the photos of the obelisk--” Daniel quickly went down the back stairs and disappeared.

“The translation is at home, I hope I can remember it again once I see the photos--” Gillian watched the inner circle spin and shook her head; fascinated. “It’s like a giant safe, the way it spins in one direction and then goes in the other.”

“All right, here they are--” Reappearing, Daniel handed Gillian the photos of the obelisk while he opened his notebook. Pulling the chair in front of her out, Gill sat down and looked at the photos carefully.

“Okay I remember the incantation, shouldn’t be a problem.”

The last chevron locked into place and Sam announced it through the microphone. The vortex came straight out of the center towards the control room window and Gillian gasped.
“Oh my God!”

The wave suddenly snapped backwards, the puddle fluttering as the wormhole formed.
“And that—water is what you guys walk through?”

“At least once a week--” Sam punched in more keys and adjusted the headset on her head.

“UAV launch in 5...4…3…2…1…launch!”

The little plane’s rocket booster burst into life, it slid up its frame and became airborne, slicing through the center of the gate with ease.

“Successful launch…standby for the MALP.”

The little grey machine sat on the end of the ramp, Sam moved a lever and it rolled down slowly towards the gate; the movement sluggish due to the weight of the obelisk strapped to it.

“Easy does it Carter, don’t want that thing falling and doing God knows what--” Jack said behind her, his arms crossed over his chest.

“It won’t do anything yet Jack, it hasn’t been programmed to--” Daniel looked at him through his lowered glasses a moment before pushing them back up.

“So what’s going to happen here?” Mac asked, his gaze bouncing to anyone that could answer him.

Turning around in her chair, Sam addressed the question.

“Basically MacGyver, what we’re going to do is send the obelisk through the gate and both Daniel and Gillian are going to activate it. The UAV is going to fly directly over it and record for us exactly what it’s doing since we’re going to have the gate closed for safety purposes--” She turned back, just as the MALP penetrated the wormhole.
“MALP and the artifact should reach PZA886 in 5…4…3…2…1.”

A picture suddenly came onto Sam’s screen of a desolate desert planet, nothing but tan sand stretching out in every direction. She panned the camera right and left.

“All clear sir--”

“Very well Major, is the MALP in position?” Hammond asked, seeing her swivel around in her chair and nod. “Yes sir, all we need to do now is activate the obelisk.”

All eyes shifted to Daniel and Gillian.

Daniel nodded, stepping forward. “Can you turn on the loud speaker on the MALP?”

“Sure--” Sam activated it and got up from the chair, letting Daniel sit down.

“Okay Gill, from what I translated, I go first and then you. Say the words as clearly as you can.”

*** *** ***

Gillian licked her lips, clearing her throat as she looked at the photograph; the last line in the incantation was hers. The obelisk didn’t seem to be doing anything; everyone kept a close eye on it through the monitor.

“Last line Gill, do it--” Jack rocked back on his heels a little, anxious to see exactly what the obelisk was going to do.

“Right--” She took a deep breath and began to recite the last line. “U-yo-tsv-hi hi-a da-na-da s-ka- gi.”

The last word seemed to echo and no sooner had the words left her mouth then the obelisk began to shake. The pointed top of it seemed to pop open like a rosebud, a small cloud of dust wafting into the air.

“It opened--” Daniel whispered his blue eyes wide as he watched the monitor.

“Something else is happening--” Sam looked at the readings. A whirring began to grow louder, the sound finally coming through the UAV speakers as it hovered above, the only source of the video feed.

The gate suddenly burst into life, the vortex engulfing the obelisk and the MALP. As soon as it cleared the UAV readings suddenly went through the roof.

“Oh my God!” Gazing at the monitor, Sam shook her head slowly as she looked over the readings.
“I don’t believe this--” She whispered.

“Believe what Major?” Hammond leaned close to the monitor, he didn’t see anything just the open artifact and the gate.

“Sir the UAV is picking up massive amounts of radiation.”

“Radiation? From what?” Puzzled, Jack crossed his arms over his chest as he peered at Sam’s monitor.

Sam shook her head, her brow creasing. “According to what I’m getting from the UAV, its Naqahdah radiation.”

“The radiation comes from the stargate--” Teal’c simply stated, everyone turned around and looked at him.

“The gate?” Raising his eyebrow, Jack looked at Teal’c seeing his gentle nod.

Curious, MacGyver moved over to the computer and saw the readings Sam spoke about. The numbers that flashed across the screen made him take a deep breath.

“That’s enough radiation to kill every living thing on Earth.”

“Of course—that’s what the translation meant--” Daniel stated, glancing down at his notebook briefly. “— it will rid you of your enemies swiftly and without remorse.”

*** *** ***

The tension on the briefing room was almost palpable; MacGyver glanced around the assembled group, noting the serious expressions on every face, including Gill’s. He looked down at the table.

Across from him, Jack O’Neill was scowling at something on a paper in front of him, Rose pointing out a line, leaning over his shoulder. Carter was scribbling what looked like a complex string of mathematics on her scratch pad, and
Teal’c was waiting patiently. General Hammond cleared his throat.

“Doctor Jackson, if you’d care to begin—“ he rumbled. Daniel shot to his feet and paced to the front of the table, a sheaf of notes in his hand.

“Thank you General. All right, as I’m sure we’re all aware, the obelisk that Gillian uncovered is in fact a complex genocide machine designed to eradicate the population of an entire planet by means of Naqahdah radiation drawn directly from the Gate. This device uses a two-part trigger, probably as a fail-safe. The radiation lasts for the duration of the event horizon’s link to the planet selected and kills—everything.”

Jack nodded his expression bleak. As he toyed with a pen, he added,

“Not quite the advanced technology we were hoping for, sir.”

“I agree,” Hammond sighed, looking back at Daniel, who was rubbing the back of his own neck.

“Advanced, but perhaps in the most dangerous self-defeating fashion. The sheer arrogance of this weapon, the shortsighted cruelty of it is staggering, General; this weapon is the ultimate example of Dog in the Manger. In effect, the Goa’uld would rather kill a world than conquer it.”

No one spoke for a long moment. Gill finally looked up at Daniel, her eyes bright with unshed tears.

“How could a culture so barbaric and evil have given us the legacy of the pyramids, Daniel? I don’t understand—“

“The Egyptians gave us the legacy, not the Snakeheads. Humans took the culture and made it worthwhile,” Jack replied. Rose nodded and broke in.

“Speaking of legacy—I have a recommendation for this obelisk, sir.”

“Dismantling?” Hammond pondered carefully. Rose shook her head.

“Not all of it—“

“It would be too dangerous, sir—“ Carter added, smiling regretfully. “The risk to the Earth would be incalculable, and trying to dismantle it on the moon it’s on right now would be too expensive. In fact, it would probably be better to leave it where it is---“

“—Minus the Carian panel,” Rose finished smoothly.

Hammond looked confused, but Teal’c interjected at that point, his deep voice strong.

“Without the second inscription, the device cannot be triggered and thus will remain inert, General Hammond. It is Ms. Clowderbock’s contention that the Carian panel would be sent to Area 51 and placed among the other tablets that Doctor Jackson has stored there currently. This would help to further safeguard it from any internal pilfering.”

Hammond looked around the table and slowly nodded.

“In the interests of security then, I think we better add the gate address of this moon to our locked out file as well.”

*** *** ***

With the debriefing over, the gang was dismissed and Gillian went back to the guest quarters to rest. She had just taken off her boots and stretched out on the bed when there was a knock at the door.

“Gillian?”

“Yeah?” Sitting up, she wiped her face gazing at the door. “Come in.”
The door opened and in came Daniel, a concerned look on his face.

“Hi Daniel--” Gillian gave a polite smile.

“Hi--” He licked his lips, wiping his hand across his mouth. “I thought that maybe we could talk.”

“About what?” She shifted a little in the bed, leaning back against the headboard.

Daniel approached the bed, his eyes watching her as he walked. He saw the way she avoided his gaze; a somber expression painted on her lovely face.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, he cleared his throat pushing up his glasses with his index finger.

“Where’s MacGyver?”

“With Sam, she’s going over the UAV readings from the obelisk and Mac offered his physics knowledge--” She still didn’t look at him, her gaze focused on the Air Force recruitment posters hanging on the walls.

“He’s pretty smart, I’m sure he can give Sam a decent run for the money.”

“He is--” Gillian’s head lolled to one side, finally looking at Daniel. “You’re not here to ask me about my husband, are you?”

“No, I’m not--” Daniel grinned, dropping his head a moment before his grin faded. His sky blue eyes rose, peering into Gillian’s face. “I know how you feel Gill, the first time I ever found out I was right about the pyramids and when I found out about the Goa’uld. You feel disappointed and heartbroken, right?”

Gillian lowered her gaze a moment, wiping her hand over her face. She couldn’t deny what Daniel said.

“It’s like everything I’ve dedicated my life to just went up in smoke Daniel--” Sighing, she squeezed her eyes shut a moment. “I’ve always loved Egypt, the Giza pyramids, the Nile—all I ever wanted was to learn everything I could about them.”

Daniel nodded a knowing smile on his face. He understood every word his fellow colleague spoke-- Egypt was in his blood too.

“Me too, but don’t think of it like that because it’s not true--” He reached out and gently touched her hand. “Remember what Jack said? What he said was right. It wasn’t the Goa’uld that made Ancient Egypt Gill; it was the Egyptians who rebelled against Ra and buried the gate. They were the ones that gave us that legacy and we owe them for that. If they hadn’t done that you and I would be hosts right now and so would everyone else on Earth.”

“Ra was here?” Gillian’s brow creased, even deeper when she saw Daniel nod.

“Yes—all the other cultures out there originated from here Gill--” He saw she wanted to know more and shook his head again. “I wish I could tell you everything but there’s no time. You’re just going to have to trust me Gillian when I say that you’re love of Egypt is justified and doesn’t have anything to do with the Goa’uld, all right?” He grinned again, giving her hand a squeeze. “If anything knowing what you know now should make you love it more. I know I do.”

She studied him for a moment, the shine in his eyes bright and truthful behind those black wire rimmed glasses.
“You’re right Daniel—but it’s more than just the Goa’uld--” Gillian sighed deeply, her lower lip beginning to tremble when she saw Daniel’s questioning expression.
“I could have killed everyone—I could have messed around with the obelisk and brought Armageddon to this planet.”

“Gillian--” Daniel leaned forward and pulled her into a gentle hug. “No, that’s not true; if you could understand Goa’uld then yeah that might have happened but you don’t.”

Gillian wrapped her arms around Daniel, leaning her head on his shoulder. “There wouldn’t be more than one of those things here would there?”

“No, there wouldn’t be a need for more than one--” He let go of the hug and put his hands on her shoulders. “If it wasn’t for you this planet would still be in danger.”

“Me? How? What did I do?”

“You made that phone call, if you hadn’t done that we never would have known about the obelisk--” Daniel watched her eyes widen a brief moment.

“I never looked at it like that before--” A warm smile came to her face as she reached down and touched Daniel’s hand. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome--” He gave that small hand a pat and got up from the bed. “I better let you get ready to go home.”

She nodded as Daniel smiled and left the guest quarters.

*** *** ***

Before nighttime fell, Gillian and Mac were flown back to LA via an Air Force transport plane and a short time later were paying a hefty cab fare for the drive home. Exhausted, they both stumbled into the bedroom and plopped down on the bed.

“I’m not moving from this spot for a long time--” Gillian sighed as she snagged her pillow and stuffed it under her head.

“Well I can’t say the same--” Mac rolled over and climbed out of the bed, leaving a trail of military clothes behind him as he made his way to the dresser. He pulled out jeans and a t-shirt, sighing. But that exhale of breath quickly turned into a groan as he caught sight of himself in the mirror.

“I can’t take this anymore and there’s no way I’m going to walk around looking like Grandpa Mac until it grows out.”

“So what are you going to do?” Gill turned her head to stare at her husband. “It doesn’t look that bad you know, I think it looks pretty sexy. Sort of a preview of what you’re going to look like when your hair does go gray.”

“I still have time before that happens--” He picked up his olive drab pants from the floor and pulled out his wallet tucking it into the back of his jeans.

Gillian watched him and sat up. “Where are you going?”

“Drugs and Stuff. I figure they should still be open--” He put the olive pants and the black t-shirt into the wicker hamper. The black boots were also picked up but were quickly slipped onto his feet as he sat on the edge of the bed.
“I like these boots, they’re pretty comfortable.”

“Drugs and Stuff doesn’t close till midnight. What are you going to get there?” He didn’t answer and his wife raised an eyebrow. “You’re going to get hair dye now?”

“Yup, right now--” MacGyver stood up and walked back around the bed. He leaned over and kissed Gillian. “I’ll be right back, you will help me with it won’t you?”

“Of course I will.”

“Okay, I’ll be back--” He kissed her again and left the room, closing the door behind him.

*** *** ***

DING!

The small kitchen timer went off and Gillian sat back up. “Mac! Time’s up! You better wash that stuff out of your hair!”

“Okay!” Came the echoey reply from the bathroom followed shortly by the hiss of the shower.

Gillian got up, returning the timer to the kitchen. She wandered back into her room and took off her military attire, placing it in the hamper.
Pulling a pink nightgown from her dresser, she peeled back the bed and slid gratefully into it just as the shower turned off.

The whir of her hair dryer was the next sound she heard and then finally, the bathroom door creaked open.

“Well? How did it come out?” She asked as she saw one brown eye peering out at her.

The door opened all the way and a smile came to Gillian’s face at the sight of her blond husband.

“Come here--”

He dropped down to his knees as she sat up. Reaching out she put her hands on his bare shoulders and peered at his hair interestingly. With gentleness she ran her hands up his neck, face and into the golden locks. Despite the fact it was much shorter than she was used to, barely long enough on the sides and back to run her fingers through. She ruffled the bangs he had making them spike a little.
“You know its going to take a while to grow your hair back out.”

“Yeah I know, but I should be grateful its even this long. Rose said that Jack usually buzzes his hair pretty short. It just so happened that with all the activity on the mountain lately, he hadn’t had time to get it cut.”

“I think I did a pretty good job, I don’t see any traces of the gray--” Smoothing his hair back down, she wrapped her arms around his neck; his skin still cool from his shower.

“I had to be me again Gill, can you understand that?” Mac encircled her waist leaning his head on her shoulder.

“Yeah I can--” She closed her eyes sighing at the scent of her husband’s skin; the smell so familiar it sent an instant feeling of comfort and safety flooding through her so strong she groaned.

“What? Why did you do that?”

“Because its you, there’s such a difference between you and Jack—I can’t even describe it. But whenever he would touch me or hug me, it just didn’t feel quite right.”

Mac grinned, understanding exactly what she meant. “Yeah I know the same thing with Rose. I woke up beside her when we stayed at Jack’s and I felt the same way--” He let go of her and moved back looking at his wife curiously. “And what did Jack mean when he said that the Grapevine was going to be really nice to me from now on?”

Gillian brightened. “He didn’t tell you about that?”

“No, why what happened?”

She leaned forward and touched her nose to his. “Oh I’ll tell you all about that, but not right now. Right now I want to get reacquainted with my husband--” Her mouth took his, slowly, sweetly as her fingers touched his shoulders and pulled him more firmly against her. When the kisses ended she lifted his chin and latched onto the side of his neck, hearing his surprised gasp.

“Oh yeah—really missed you--” Mac stated as he dropped his head back further, offering his throat.

“You did huh? Am I a Hot Mama or what?” She grinned against his skin feeling him suddenly stiffen in her arms. He lowered his head back down, looking like Bambi caught in the high beams.

“You know about that?”

“Sure, Rose told me--” Gillian watched her husband blush so hard that even his hair seemed to redden. She snickered, stroking her fingers over his burning face.
“Mac—its all right, I know you and Rose had to pretend--” She kissed him again and after a few seconds he returned it, some of the tension seemed to leave his shoulders as the kiss deepened.

Gillian leaned back on the bed taking her husband with her; Mac’s weight on top of her, their body heats blending together. No more words were spoken as they reacquainted themselves with one another slowly and completely, long into the dark hours of the night.

*** *** ***

O’Neill rubbed his temples and sighed as Rose and Harry argued in low voices at the other end of the bar. The beer in front of him was empty, and the bartender eyed him questioningly, but he shook his head.

“Fine—no more signatures then, the laptop is more than enough to keep me in the lifestyle to which I have become accustomed,” Harry purred. He shot a look at the door and then back again to Rose.

“This upgrades the threat of course—I doubt Simmons is going to do anything for a good long time while his stooges scramble to get these back. At the risk of sounding patronizing—nice work.”

“Well consider your back scratched for a while—“ Rose shifted and picked up her purse, heading to the ladies’ room. Both Jack and Harry watched her go, Harry shifting to sit next to him.

“And the world is saved yet again, Jack--don't you ever get tired of not getting the credit. Nice dye job by the way--"

“Yeah, well at least I still have enough to color,” O’Neill sourly commented. Harry chuckled. In a swift sleight of hand move he passed a gleaming CD to him. O’Neill shot him a look. Harry smirked.

“A little something from the boys at surveillance—“

O’Neill looked slightly perplexed; Harry got up, adding under his breath,

“For the trip home.”

Shrugging, O’Neill pocketed it and was settling up with the bartender when
Rose returned. She looked up at him and shook her head ruefully.

“I can’t wait until you get back to your normal pewter shades, darling. The blonde just doesn’t do it for me.”

He smiled, kissing her forehead lightly as he herded her out of the bar and into the truck. Rose settled in, doing up her belt and setting her purse at her feet while O’Neill clambered in. He dropped the CD into the tray as he pulled into traffic. Rose glanced at him curiously.

“Vivaldi? Verdi?”

“Maybourne—some sort of gift—“

Rose’s hand shot out for the eject button just as her amused voice clearly announced,

“You do NOT outrank me in bed, Jack O’Neill!”

“What?” O’Neill leaned forward, his expression puzzled. Rose tried for the eject button again as her voice continued,

“If anything, I’m your SUPERIOR, darling. You love to work under me in an in depth capacity. Get your sweats off right now, big boy!”

“You never said THAT---I sure as hell would have remembered—“ O’Neill muttered, only to hear a familiar voice, a male voice reply,

“Stop wiggling your cute little, ah, butt—“

Rose flushed crimson. O’Neill’s jaw dropped for a moment, then clamped closed ominously. He grabbed Rose’s wrist, holding her firmly but gently as the rest of the recording, complete with yelps, groans, creaking bedsprings and squeaks played on.

By the time the duet of breathless abandonment ended, Rose was brick red and O’Neill was a good thirty miles over the limit and past his turnoff. Silently he brought the truck to a stop along the side of the road. He turned his head to glare at Rose.

“Hot Mama?” He blurted with astonished fury. Rose shrank in her seat, “Hot MAMA?”

“Jack, we KNEW we were being recorded, Mac was a hell of a good sport and you know damn well NOTHING HAPPENED!”

“Well it sure as SHIT SOUNDS like a hell of a LOT happened, TOOTS!!”

Rose lifted her chin and stared at him, her eyes moving from his dark searing gaze to the hard thrum of his pulse along his throat. She shook her head.

“Remember Lord and Master, Jack? Remember Snookies? All those other stupid head games we’ve played knowing damn well we were being recorded? You know this is just one more. Just one more.”

He reached over and undid her seat belt with one hand, using the other to pull Rose bodily into his lap. Wildly, fiercely he kissed her, tongue sliding into her astonished mouth, sweeping with deep passion. When he let her breathe again, he added with a smirk and a wink,

“Gotcha . . . Hot Mama.”

END.