Title: Time Wounds All

Author: Kellifer

Email: kelliferk... (same for MSN addy)

Category: Action / Angst / Team dynamic (mild Sam/Jack UST - canon)

Rating: Chapter 1 - G (Later chapters to be advised)

Note - Set mid S8ish timewise but stand-alone so no spoiley spoilers.

Summary: Memory loss, Tok'ra and the Ninth Chevron.

Disclaimer: DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters and
places are the property of MGM, World Gekko Corp and Double Secret
Productions. This piece of fan fiction was created or entertainment
No monetary purposes and no infringement on copyrights or trademarks
was intended. Previously unrecognized characters and places, and this
story, are copyrighted to the author. Any similarity to real persons,
living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

-Chapter One-

Jack hated Geek Week.

No, that wasn't entirely true. There were certain aspects of it that he did like. The fact that there were no teams offworld and therefore in danger was one of those. He also enjoyed downtime as much as the next man and although on base, for a week he wouldn't have to read mission briefings or sign the endless reams of paperwork that were usually piled in his in-tray.

What made him uncomfortable was the sheer number of … geeks in the SGC.

For one week every four to five months, all teams would be recalled and there would be no offworld missions. A complete diagnostic could be run on the Stargate to address any problems or faults they had experienced in that time. It was also a week where every scientist in the place would jostle to test out theories and new ideas concerning the 'gate that could not be risked at any other time.

First in line was always Samantha Carter.

Jack had attempted to surreptitiously schedule Sam's last leave to coincide with Geek Week, but she had found out and it was the closest to death Jack had ever come, Ba'al actually killing him aside. He had patiently allowed her to rant at him for over two hours about how vital her presence was for the week so she could run the tests she wanted to. When he had dared to propose that maybe some of the other scientists should be able to have a turn, Sam had used more colourful language than even he knew.

Jack smiled at the memory.

Frankly, he had to admit to himself, he would've been disappointed if her reaction had been anything but what it was. He simply enjoyed baiting her. The third hour of her tirade, Sam had realized this and had stormed out of his office.

Jack swung into Daniel's doorway and sighed. Daniel was slumped across his desk, dead to the world.

"Daniel!" Jack barked, grinning when the archeologist nearly slid from his stool in surprise.

"I'm awake!" Daniel exclaimed. Jack put a fist to his mouth to stop laughing when he noticed that there was the faint trace of writing across Daniel's right cheek where it had been pressing against a book. Jack then noticed that the page below was smudged. He strode into the room and smacked his hand down on the book before the younger man could notice the damage he'd accidentally done.

"How many times do I have to tell you that beds are for sleeping?" Jack smiled, lifting his hand to rescue the askew glasses about to slide from Daniel's face. He folded the arms and placed them carefully on the desk. Jack then looked at the book and groaned. "Ah, look what I did." He said. Daniel's eyes followed his and widened in horror.

"Jack! Christ, do you know how valuable this is?" Daniel pulled the book towards himself, hugging it to his chest. Jack composed his face to look properly chagrined and nodded. Daniel slid from his stool and crossed the room, holding the book up to one of his brighter lamps to assess the damage. He looked back at Jack and his eyes softened. "Just… try and be careful okay?"

"Of course." Jack nodded, knowing he had already been forgiven. He knew Daniel would never be as quick to forgive himself. Jack liked to protect his team, even from themselves. "I was going to try and drag Carter away from the 'gate long enough for a meal. Want to help me pry her fingers loose?"

"Sure." Daniel agreed quickly.

xxxxxx

"Daniel, you have-" Sam's hand floated up to her cheek but when she saw Jack vigorously shaking his head behind Daniel's shoulder, she dropped it. "-to help me with some translation later." She finished lamely. Daniel furrowed his brow but nodded. As they walked along the corridor Sam made sure she and Jack dropped a little behind. "Did someone write on him in his sleep again?"

Jack snorted. "Crashed out on a book."

"He's going to notice when he looks in a mirror and then we'll be in trouble for not telling him."

"I'm hoping to think of a brilliant way to get it off him without him knowing what we're doing." When Sam's face filled with confusion Jack elaborated. "He smudged a book and thinks it was me." Sam nodded in understanding and Jack felt a warm glow. He liked that he didn't need to explain further.

"You have something on your face DanielJackson." Jack winced when he heard Teal'c's voice. He looked up and smiled when he saw Teal'c grab Daniel by the jaw and rub his cheek clean with a sleeve. "It is gone now." He amended.

"Why didn't I think of that?" Jack laughed and Sam hid a grin behind her hand. Daniel was glaring at them both, which made them laugh harder.

Sitting in the commissary and with a astoundingly large bowl of Lemon Chicken to improve his sour mood, Daniel was quizzing Sam about her latest theories and what she had been doing with the 'gate. Jack had effectively tuned out until he heard her mentioning that she needed to go offworld. If he'd been a dog, his ears would have perked.

He dropped his last forkful of cake to his plate with a clatter. "There is no offworld travel during Gee… during diagnostic week."

"I know that's the case usually, Sir, but there are some tablets I need brought back from P4X-989. There were some photos of them and the translations have been helpful but incomplete. I'm hoping there are further writings. I also know what you were going to say." Sam waggled a finger at him.

"Be that as it may, there's no backup because we're not expecting anyone to go offworld. All the field units are currently off base."

"I'd only need Daniel and Teal'c. SG4 had no contact when they went there and there's no reason to believe with the MALP readings recovered that there are any hostiles, native or otherwise. The address is one of the one's off-the-map." Sam explained, using their term for a 'gate address that was presumed to be unknown to the Goa'uld, having been entered into their dialing computer by Jack himself when he had the Ancient knowledge downloaded into his brain.

"The answer is no, Carter. We can schedule you for next week."

"Sir, it'll be a cake run. In and out, no muss, no fuss. Any sign of hinkiness and we hightail it back to the 'gate." Sam was using Jack's words on him and he realized with a pang that Hammond must have heard him wheedle this exact way more times than he could count. He missed the days when Hammond had been on the receiving end of these arguments.

"Is there a reason you can't wait till next week?" Jack tried another tack, knowing that logic never worked on either Sam or Daniel when they were determined, but trying it regardless.

"I need to use the writings to run some tests and I can't do it when normal activity resumes. If I have to wait until the next Geek Week-" Sam smiled when Jack coloured. "I'll go crazy. Worse, I'll drive you crazy."

Jack glanced at Daniel who had opened his mouth and he knew he was about to be ganged up on. He held up his hands in placation. "Aerial MALP, and if there is no one, and I mean absolutely no one around, then you can go." Sam beamed and Jack held up a finger. "In and out. Grab the stuff and come back. I don't want to hear about disturbing a site." He glanced pointedly at Daniel who looked pained but nodded all the same.

"Alright. Get Siler to set up the MALP. You get an hour offworld max."

Jack could see both Daniel and Sam ready to protest and turned to Teal'c.

"You have my word O'Neill." He agreed for all of them.

xxxxxx

Jack could handle SG1 being late. That was normal.

An icy knife of fear touched his spine when the klaxons began to sound, heralding their early return instead. He was mentally preparing himself for one of them to be wounded.

He wasn't prepared for Teal'c stepping through the event horizon alone.