He should speak to Daniel, O'Neill told himself, before the rift between them grew too wide, but the words just wouldn't come. How could he begin to explain his actions in a way that Daniel would understand? Did he even understand them himself?

O'Neill flexed his hand, feeling the pain from the gash across his palm as it brought him back to reality, the wound that Daniel had inflicted. He'd seen the horror in Daniel's eyes in the aftermath, the realisation of what he had been forced to do in order to stay alive, and that had heartened O'Neill more than he liked to admit. Daniel felt something for him, then, or he would not have been so shocked at his own actions.

But knowing that and speaking the words that needed to be said to mend their relationship were two different things.

He crossed to the doorway and listened for a moment, all too aware of Daniel watching him. There was silence from the corridor, not even the slightest sound of movement. O'Neill took a breath to steady his hand and reached for the hanging, pushing it aside enough to give himself a view of the surrounding hallway. Empty. He frowned, puzzled by this discovery.

Had the guards left entirely? That seemed unlikely. The sound of a boot scraping on stone from further down the corridor confirmed that it wasn't so. O'Neill let the material drop, covering the doorway once more - he leant back against the wall and considered their options for a moment. He had to think of something - a way for both of them to escape, for Hathor's death to go unnoticed long enough for them to get away.

"Are we trapped in here?" Daniel asked.

O'Neill turned to him, noting that he now stood with his back resolutely to where Hathor's body lay. Daniel had clearly covered her face - the face of her host, his former friend - before doing so.

"I have an idea."

Daniel hit the stone floor in an ungainly heap, wincing as his head snapped back against the wall with enough force to make him feel more than a little sick. He lay as still as possible, hardly daring to breathe, his eyes closed as he tried to remain limp. Surely there was no way this plan could work?

"Bring him," he heard O'Neill snarl at one of the guards. "Now."

Daniel concentrated on keeping his entire body limp, even though his fondest wish was that he could see the guard's face as O'Neill poured every moment of his years of command into this performance.

He sounded aloof, arrogant and totally in charge. So different from the man he had come to know over these past days, so like the man Daniel had met the first time they laid eyes on one another. Or at least like the man he'd tried to be.

"Our Queen orders that she not be disturbed," O'Neill continued.

His voice came from a little further away. O'Neill was clearly expecting the guard to obey and it was only a moment later that Daniel found himself being thrown over the shoulder of one of those who had guarded Hathor. It was all he could do not to react instinctively, not to struggle against the hands that held him, but if they were to stand any chance of escape...

Before he knew it, Daniel found himself upside down, his head swinging perilously close to the wall once more with each step as the guard followed O'Neill down the corridor. He opened his eyes a little and smiled to himself when all that was in view was the back of the guard's tunic.

Daniel closed his eyes again, letting himself stay boneless, as he was carried down the hallway towards freedom.

Once they were far enough away from Hathor's chambers, O'Neill turned on the guard, a swift blow making him drop his awkward burden as he himself hit the floor.

"Help me," he snapped, as Daniel got to his feet. They each took hold of an arm, dragging the unconscious guard into a nearby chamber.

"I can't believe that worked," Daniel said, with a smile, as the two of them returned to the hallway.

"Me neither," O'Neill said, stifling his own smile at the slightly shocked expression that appeared on Daniel's face. It seemed Daniel had much more faith in his plans than he did or he didn't realise how much of the success of a plan was down to luck and audacity. "Fortunately the guards here are as stupidly loyal as I remembered."

"How did you know he'd obey you?"

"I was First Prime for a long time, Daniel," O'Neill said. "Obedience is prized where those in the service of Ra are concerned."

"How much time do you think we have before Hathor is discovered?"

"Not long. But enough, I hope."

He headed down the corridor quickly, more conscious than ever of Daniel's presence close at his heels. There was no time for talk now - they had to get out of the palace as soon as possible, whether Maybourne was waiting or not. They had been hunted before, but now they had killed Ra's Queen. There was no chance that offence could be forgotten - Ra's vengeance on them would be swift and merciless.

They travelled in silence for quite a while before O'Neill stopped.

"We should rest," he said, his eyes resting anywhere but on Daniel. How could he admit, even to Daniel, that he was tired, that his hand ached or that he just wanted everything to be over?

"Is it safe?" Daniel asked, moving round till he was in O'Neill's eyeline, making it impossible for the Jaffa to look elsewhere.

"Safe?" O'Neill laughed, hearing the bitterness of his own laughter as he did so. "There's no such thing as 'safe' now, Daniel. We killed Ra's Queen."

"I was there, remember?" Daniel said, reaching for O'Neill's hand. He turned it over, palm upwards, his face intent when he looked up once more. "How is it?"

He wanted to pull his hand from Daniel's grasp. There was something about the emotions that quiet question evoked in him that shook O'Neill to the core. Something in the tone of Daniel's voice as well that said he blamed himself, believed he should have done something else - he'd clearly been associating with Daniel far too long if he could interpret him so easily.

"It will be fine," O'Neill said. He moved his other hand, tentatively, resting it over Daniel's. "We will be fine."

Daniel smiled. His hand was warm and alive, trapped between O'Neill's hands. Daniel's smile faded a little.

"You forgive me, then?" he asked, looking down at their joined hands.

"Forgive you?"

"Your hand," Daniel began.

"You think I'd prefer to have killed you? Or to be Hathor's servant till she tired of me?"

O'Neill let go of Daniel's hand, feeling the coolness of the air against his palm as he did so, stark contrast to the warm life that had been beneath it. He moved his hand up to Daniel's face, feeling that warmth once more. His fingers moved, tangled in hair, and he used that gentle grip to pull Daniel towards him till they were face to face.

"You want my forgiveness?" he asked, looking Daniel in the eye. Daniel nodded. "You have it. And my thanks." He paused, searching for the words that wouldn't come, the words that couldn't express what he felt. Daniel was the eloquent one in this relationship, after all. "And more, much more."

He closed the distance between them, the movement slow and easy, giving ample time for Daniel to pull away. Not that he did, not that O'Neill ever expected him to.

"Oww!"

O'Neill jerked back, wondering just what had happened.

"Daniel?"

"I'm fine," he replied. "Just a little tender right there."

Daniel had hold of his fingers, O'Neill realised, and was removing them from his hair.

"Your head?"

"What gave it away?" Daniel snapped, taking a step backwards. An apologetic expression appeared momentarily and he looked down.

"Let me see," O'Neill said, stepping close to Daniel once more. His fingers parted the hair, their touch as light as he could manage. There was no blood, that at least was a relief, but Daniel winced again when O'Neill's questing fingers touched his scalp. "You'll live," O'Neill said, relieved. "But you should have said something."

"I did."

O'Neill shook his head. "I was looking for something more helpful than 'oww!', Daniel. What if you'd been seriously hurt..?"

"I'm fine. Just bumped my head on the wall." He looked up again, taking O'Neill's hand and turning it palm upwards once more. "I did more damage to you."

O'Neill felt a smile forming and this time he didn't try and hold it back.

"I already forgave you for saving my life. Are we even now?"

Daniel nodded, closing the distance between them - this time O'Neill was careful where he put his hands.

He hadn't realised he'd missed this so much. The warm solidity of O'Neill's body against his own reminded Daniel of all that had passed between them and more, the things he thought he'd never experience again because of Hathor.

If her control over O'Neill had been stronger, not even the wound he'd inflicted would have prevented his certain death - Daniel knew that, even as he tried to push that knowledge somewhere deep in his mind. He couldn't deal with that now. He might not ever be able to deal with it.

It was better, Daniel decided, if he focussed not on what had happened but on what his actions had prevented. Or on the rush of blood within his body, the way he was reacting to O'Neill's advances, more eager and lustful than he'd ever thought he could be. As if his life before O'Neill had just been preparation, that the things he shared with the Jaffa were the only things that were real. It was clear that O'Neill's touch had woken something inside him, something Daniel had never expected to find in himself, something just a little wild.

Even if it wasn't safe, even if they shouldn't be wrapped together like this in a corridor where they could be discovered at any moment, there was nothing Daniel could do to stop himself. Not that he wanted to - after all, if they were facing death at any moment, what was the point of worrying about what might happen?

Sounds from further down the corridor, echoing strangely, brought them both back to their senses - Daniel pushed O'Neill away reluctantly, his hands sliding slowly over the metallic fabric of his tunic.

"When we get out of here," he began, not knowing exactly what it was he promised. O'Neill nodded, a knowing expression in his eyes that made Daniel smile despite himself.

They had been fugitives before, much of their time together had been spent running and hiding, but not like this. O'Neill's mind was moving as fast as his body, the only sound apart from the distant thunder of boots on stone their laboured breathing. They couldn't go on like this for much longer and it was clear their options were decreasing; the pursuing guards were effectively trapping those they hunted.

"If they should catch us," Daniel wheezed, pulling O'Neill to a stop.

"No." He knew without a doubt what Daniel was about to ask and O'Neill wasn't sure that he could do it.

"You know what will happen to us." Daniel's grip tightened on the sleeve of O'Neill's tunic. He didn't need to say more; shared knowledge of the horrors that probably awaited them flew between them without words.

Their conversation was interrupted then, a low grating sound coming from nearby making them both turn instinctively in its direction. A section of the wall was moving, turning slowly to reveal an opening, impenetrable darkness stark against the decorated wall that surrounded it.

"This way," a voice said from the darkness. They didn't move. After a moment, a figure emerged from the opening, face shadowed by the hood though the voice was clearly that of a man, deep and resonant. "Now."

O'Neill looked at Daniel for a moment, as he heard the sounds of pursuit come ever closer. Daniel nodded once and followed him into the darkness, his hand still keeping its grip on O'Neill's sleeve.

Though this had seemed like the lesser of two evils at the time, when placed against their imminent capture at least, Daniel was beginning to wonder if it had been such a good idea after all.

The slab of rock they had seen move began to return to its former place, the makeshift doorway closing as slowly as they had seen it open, and they were left in the velvet darkness. O'Neill's arm was warm under Daniel's hand, warm with a reassuring solidity that imbued Daniel with hope even as he wondered what would happen to them next.

A flare of light signalled the lighting of a torch, its guttering flame casting shadows across the walls of the room in which they stood as his eyes adjusted. Daniel could hear the footsteps of the guards in the corridor they had just left, moving past their hiding place, but they were muffled, more muffled than he would expect from the narrow span of stone that now separated hunter from hunted.

Daniel forced his attention back to the stranger, moving round so that he stood more at O'Neill's shoulder even though he wasn't really sure what use he would be should this turn out to be a trap. He didn't let go of O'Neill's sleeve, though - that was his lifeline, his link to sanity and security in the darkness, and as long as the Jaffa didn't openly object, Daniel had no intention of losing it.

"Who are you?" O'Neill asked, his voice echoing oddly in the darkened room.

A splash of colour on one of the walls, briefly illuminated by the flickering torchlight, drew Daniel's eye - he stared for a moment, squinting into the darkness, his curiosity piqued. Daniel was torn between discovery and safety, even as he considered the possible motives of their new-found companion.

"A friend," the hooded figure replied. "Someone who shares your cause."

What was that he saw depicted on the wall? It looked like the pictures of pyramids Daniel knew so well, representing the one that formed the basis of Ra's palace, but alongside the familiar shapes of men and animals were stranger ones, unfamiliar ones. He wanted to take a closer look but forced himself to pay attention to the conversation instead.

"Cause?" Daniel echoed, then wondered if he should have spoken at all. Should he be pretending to be less than he was, to pass as a common slave in hopes that could help them escape?

O'Neill interrupted him, his voice terse.

"Friends do not hide their identities from one another," he said. "Who are you?"

There was silence for a moment, punctuated only by the harsh sounds of breathing - there was silence from the corridor outside, the guards had clearly passed by. Then their companion crossed to the nearest wall, pushing the torch into a bracket there. Daniel let go of O'Neill's sleeve then, crossing to the wall without a second thought, poring over the figures painted there that the closer light revealed.

"What is it?" O'Neill asked, his voice close behind Daniel.

"I've never seen these figures so clearly," Daniel said, without turning round. His hands traced the story, so familiar from frequent hearing and half-obscured images.

"For good reason," the stranger said, his hands raised to the hood that shadowed his features. "Ra would not have any know his true identity. Or how would they still believe him to be a god?"

He'd accepted Daniel's grasp on his sleeve as a sign that things were coming back to what resembled normal between them. Once O'Neill knew that he would have scorned anyone seeking such comfort, but the things they'd experienced together, one way or another, had widened his horizons more than he'd ever expected.

Not that this meant, of course, that when Daniel finally let go, drawn to the images on the wall as though he was a moth drawn to the nearby flame, O'Neill had any intention of letting him out of arms reach. Particularly when they seemed to be stuck in this room for the time being with someone who was a stranger to both of them.

"Who are you?" O'Neill asked again, as their new companion pushed back his hood. He could sense something about the other man and that feeling made O'Neill uncertain. "You are Jaffa?"

"I was, once," the stranger said, his dark eyes shadowed with memory. O'Neill eyed him uncertainly - the other man was large, solidly built, even his loose robe failing to disguise the muscle that only years of hard training could create.

"Then you are a Host?"

This was going from bad to worse. Their terse conversation had managed a miracle, attracting Daniel's attention away from the images on the wall, his eyes intent now on the two of them.

"Not as you believe," the stranger continued.

"Then who are you? What are you?"

Daniel's mind was still racing with the possibilities opened to him by the images on the wall, even as he half-listened to the conversation between O'Neill and their newfound 'ally'. Out of the corner of his eye, Daniel saw him push his hood back, and turned to discover the identity of their rescuer.

"You claim not to be a host," O'Neill said, "but I sense a presence in you."

The stranger smiled a little, one eyebrow quirking upwards. His eyes glowed momentarily, the familiar golden light replacing the darkness there briefly.

"Indeed," he said, his voice resonating round the small chamber. "I am Teal'c, host to Selmac. And I am Tok'Ra."

Through the wall, they could hear the booted feet of the guards as they passed down the corridor outside and their conversation dwindled for a moment till silence fell once again.

In the flickering light of the torch, O'Neill watched their new- found 'friend' carefully, trying to judge how much of what he said was true. He'd heard of the Tok'ra, of course, but always thought them more myth than reality. He had certainly not expected to run into one in the very corridors of Ra's palace.

"How can we know if what you say is true?"

The stranger looked at him, dark eyes unreadable in the gloom.

"Have I not saved your life? Both your lives?" he asked, glancing across to where Daniel crouched.

O'Neill felt himself tense as the self-styled Tok'ra looked at Daniel. There was something about him, something that O'Neill didn't trust, regardless of who he claimed to be.

"So what happens now?" Daniel asked, breaking the tension between them. "And who are you?"

Even though he couldn't quite make out the expression on Daniel's face, O'Neill could hear the curiosity in his voice. That was a constant where Daniel was concerned, it seemed, no matter how close they came to disaster.

"I was once a Jaffa," Teal'c began. "First Prime to Apophis, trained from my childhood to serve him loyally. But it was not enough..."

Daniel found himself fascinated, even though he could tell that O'Neill was uncomfortable and didn't trust the Tok'ra at all.

"...and I had begun to question his orders. Finally Apophis ordered me to kill the innocent inhabitants of a village that had sheltered members of the Tok'ra. When I refused, he had me punished - my symbiote was torn out."

Despite himself, Daniel discovered he was coming to trust this Teal'c more and more as he spoke. There was something about his voice, something about his manner, that made Daniel believe that he was who he claimed to be.

"The villagers were slaughtered by those I had once commanded and I was left there to die. Time passed and I was found by members of the Tok'ra, those who I had hunted. They offered me the chance to live, if I became Host to Selmac."

Daniel tried not to imagine that. It was bad enough that the Jaffa were forced to carry the infant Goa'uld, exchanging health for that slavery, but to become a Host? And willingly? Daniel couldn't imagine it, didn't want to imagine it.

"And you agreed?"

"What choice did I have?" Teal'c asked. "I wished to live, I wished revenge on the false god I had once served."

His face was unreadable but something dark lingered in Teal'c's eyes.

"Why are you here?" O'Neill asked. Daniel had almost forgotten he was there, he had been so quiet while Teal'c had spoken.

"The Tok'ra sent me. At last we shall live up to our name - I am here to kill the false god known as Ra."

There was something not quite right about this, something that O'Neill couldn't put his finger on. Was it also something about how Daniel seemed to believe every word this stranger spoke? It had taken so long for him to come to trust O'Neill, so why was it this stranger had earned Daniel's trust so quickly?

"We have been planning this for months," Teal'c said. "Ra must die. And you have already aided our plan by killing Ra's queen - now I can complete my mission."

O'Neill considered this for a moment.

"I saw no indications of anything changing in the palace," he said. "Who else supports you?"

Teal'c shook his head.

"The less you know, the less you can reveal."

"We'll help you," Daniel said, suddenly. He turned to where O'Neill was, the expression on his face worth all that they had experienced together - trust and belief in O'Neill written clearly in Daniel's face. "Won't we?"

O'Neill found himself nodding, reluctantly.

"But we need to rest first," Daniel continued. "Food would be good too."

Teal'c provided them with food, then O'Neill watched over Daniel as he fell asleep, his face relaxed and innocent in the flickering light from the torch. He himself then entered the state of kel no reem, wondering all along if he had made the right decision.

He kept waking up. Daniel tried to make himself relax enough to sleep again and found that he couldn't do it. A couple of feet away, O'Neill was in kel no reem and Daniel rolled onto his side, so he could study the Jaffa as he meditated.

Even now, with all that they'd been through together, it was easy for Daniel to remember how he'd felt the first time they'd met. Before he'd realized that O'Neill would change his life forever and that he would do the same for the Jaffa - would either of them have done something different if they had known that then?

Daniel couldn't believe that he wouldn't, couldn't convince himself. Being with O'Neill had changed something forever, given him someone to rely on when he'd become so used to having to rely on himself. Now Daniel didn't feel so alone and that was a feeling that he cherished.

"You do not sleep."

Teal'c's voice broke into his thoughts, deliberately pitched low so as not to disturb O'Neill. He turned towards it, even though he was still thinking of O'Neill, wondering just how different these two men were and how alike.

He had seen the way Teal'c looked at him; Daniel would have to have been blind not to notice it, but he didn't feel the same way about anyone other than O'Neill. He couldn't imagine how he could, because what would that be based upon?

"Too much to think about," Daniel said. Teal'c was watching him and Daniel squirmed a little under that look. "You said you've been here for months?"

"Indeed."

"Then why didn't we know?" Daniel pressed. "My friends in the resistance would have welcomed your aid, given you shelter and worked with you. After all, we have the same goal."

Teal'c was silent for a moment and Daniel wondered if he would ever answer.

"I did not wish to put your friends at risk," Teal'c replied, finally. "Indeed, it was only by chance that I came across yourself and O'Neill before the guards captured you both, though I heard them speak of what you had done."

"You did?"

"They were surprised. Some had never before considered that a god could be killed."

"They're not gods," Daniel blurted out, before thinking who it was he was talking to. "You should know that better than anyone," he continued.

"It has suited over the Goa'uld over many centuries to portray themselves as such," Teal'c said, nodding. "Such deceit has maintained their power over those who served them, through fear."

Daniel felt Teal'c's eyes travel across his body once more and suddenly he was glad of the all-encompassing robe he wore, smelly and disgusting as it was. The Tok'ra made him feel under-dressed despite it all.

"And the Tok'ra are different?"

He felt himself start with surprise as Teal'c looked down, then up again, this time with a golden light in his eyes. His voice, when he spoke, was different too, echoing in the small room.

"We are."

The quiet conversation was enough to bring O'Neill back from the depths of kel no reem and he listened in silence as Daniel and the Tok'ra spoke. Daniel sounded interested, almost enthralled with what Teal'c was saying, and O'Neill felt an unfamiliar emotion grow inside him. A cold knot of fear and jealousy combined lay low in his stomach.

He had no claim on Daniel after all, none at all. There was nothing to stop him walking away, even though O'Neill found that he hated even to think of such a possibility.

And now Daniel was talking with Teal'c the way they rarely had the chance to talk themselves, listening to him as he told of how different the Tok'ra were from the Goa'uld. As Teal'c told Daniel all the things that Daniel would want to hear, things that made Teal'c different from O'Neill himself, the unwilling slave of a false god he had served for most of his life.

It was only natural that Daniel would admire the singlemindedness of the Tok'ra, their willingness to risk everything in order to defeat the Goa'uld. O'Neill felt that cold knot inside himself grow, weighing more heavy with every moment.

When Daniel heard O'Neill stir from his meditation, he didn't look round. Teal'c was outlining his plan by now, detailing his intention to penetrate into the heart of the palace and confront Ra himself. A bold and audacious plan that just might work.

"And where do we fit in?" Daniel asked.

"I have need of an attendant," Teal'c said.

"And I guess that would be me?"

"It can hardly be O'Neill," Teal'c said. "His face is far too familiar to all who inhabit this palace."

He didn't need to look at O'Neill to imagine his frown.

"I don't like it," O'Neill said. "It's too dangerous."

The more he thought about this, the less he liked the idea of it. Daniel going alone into the palace again, with this relative stranger, while he was stuck in hiding to wait for their return. How was O'Neill supposed to agree to this?

"It could work," Daniel said, as he turned back to where O'Neill was. He had that expression on his face, thinking only of what might happen in the future and ignoring how they might get from here to there.

O'Neill nodded, uncertain how to put into words the uncertainty he felt. Was this just the jealousy he was feeling, or was it something more than that? O'Neill felt strangely protective towards Daniel, wished that he could take his place, even though he knew it was impractical.

"He can't go like that," O'Neill said, turning to Teal'c. The Tok'ra nodded.

"It should be safe to leave here now," he said. Teal'c crossed to the wall through which they had entered their sanctuary. He listened intently for a moment before his hands moved across the surface of the wall and it swung open once more. "We should go."

They followed Teal'c through the now-quiet corridors, back into a part of the palace that Daniel guessed had been deserted for a while. He gave up trying to follow the turns that they made after a few minutes had passed and concentrated instead on trying to figure out just what it was he was feeling.

And to try and determine just what O'Neill was up to as well.

"We are here," Teal'c said, as he stepped aside to allow the two of them to enter a shadowed room.

There was the sound of trickling water and the thought of being clean again made Daniel smile. He'd give almost anything to get out of his robe and wear something that didn't smell of half-dead mastadge.

"Here." Teal'c handed something to Daniel and even in the dimly-lit room, O'Neill could see the way that Daniel blushed as he realized what it was.

"I can't."

"You must," Teal'c replied. "If this plan is to succeed."

He didn't like this, didn't like it at all. It wasn't just the idea of being left behind while Daniel and Teal'c travelled through the palace, it was the implications of it all. The moment Daniel put on the outfit that Teal'c had somehow procured for him, he was sending out a particular signal and O'Neill wouldn't be there to protect him from the consequences of that.

"O'Neill?" Daniel was stood beside him now, the skimpy outfit clutched in one hand and a worried expression on his face.

"I'm fine."

"We can think of something else," Daniel said.

O'Neill didn't miss the way his hand tightened on the material he held - he reached out and insinutated his fingers into Daniel's fist, making him ease up.

"No, Teal'c is correct. I am too recognisable to pass through the palace unnoticed."

"Well, I don't like it either," Daniel continued.

He could tell O'Neill wasn't happy. It didn't take much of an imagination to figure out why that was - he didn't trust the Tok'ra any more than O'Neill did, it was just that he couldn't see another way forward. If they didn't strike at Ra now, what chance would they have in the future?

Such an opportunity would never present itself again.

If his people were ever to be free, they had to strike now. So he had no choice at the moment but to trust Teal'c, to go along with his plans and see what happened.

He turned to Teal'c, wanting a little privacy.

"Could you wait for me in the corridor?" Daniel asked.

He turned back to O'Neill, not waiting for a response - from the way O'Neill relaxed momentarily Daniel knew they had been left alone, that Teal'c had done as asked.

Daniel began to strip, dropping the outfit Teal'c had given him at his feet, as he attempted to shed the itchy robe he'd seemed as though he'd been wearing for a lifetime. When it became stuck round his head, and he struggled a little, Daniel felt warm hands come to assist him and smiled to himself when they lingered on his skin a little longer than was completely necessary.

Naked, at last, Daniel found himself face to face with O'Neill, concern clear in his dark eyes.

"I don't like this," Daniel found himself saying before he could think about it. O'Neill nodded, his hands sliding up to rest on Daniel's shoulders - he found himself leaning into O'Neill's grasp, gathering strength from it, the warmth of O'Neill's hands.

"Be careful," O'Neill said. "This Teal'c, I don't trust him." Daniel nodded.

Reluctantly, Daniel moved out of O'Neill's grasp, crossing over to the water and quickly washing himself. He tried not to think about O'Neill watching him, making himself concentrate on what he was doing. He quickly rubbed himself dry, or as dry as he could, with a rough towel that he found nearby before he picked up the outfit that the Tok'ra had obtained and slipped it on. It was even flimsier than Daniel had imagined, barely coming down to mid-thigh.

O'Neill was silent throughout this process and Daniel turned back to where he stood. There was desire written clearly in the Jaffa's eyes and Daniel found he was smiling. But, alas, they didn't have time for this, not now.

"I have to go," Daniel said, as he headed for the door. "Keep that thought for when I return."

He hated this. Pacing the small room, O'Neill was sure he would have hated the plan even if he had come up with it, even if he had been there to try and keep Daniel safe himself, rather than relying on someone he didn't like and trusted even less.

He'd seen the way Teal'c looked at Daniel, heard that note of admiration in Daniel's voice when the two of them had spoken. All of that made him uneasy, made him wonder if Daniel wasn't falling under the Tok'ra's spell, believing in him a little too much.

After all, they only had his word. No other way of proving that anything he said was true.

He tried not to think of Daniel, Daniel washing the dust and smell of their travels from himself, of how Daniel had been dressed as the deep red of his robe contrasted the burnished gold of his skin.

Damn. That wasn't the way to calm himself either.