Disclaimer: I don’t own Stargate SG-1. Wouldn’t it be cool if I did, though? Seriously, that’d be a blast!

Author’s Note: Yes, I’ve seen all 10 seasons of SG-1, and the movie from which it was spun and the movies they gave us afterwards. No, I’m not following cannon to the letter. Any gripes about things not being exactly as they were or in the same sequence of the show will be printed off and used to toast marshmallows.

~***~

They stopped running once they could no longer hear the Jaffa behind them. Ronnie bent her legs slightly to allow her burden to be gently lowered to the ground, “I think we’ve lost them for now.”

“Only for a short time.”

“Hopefully long enough to catch our breath.” The Tok'ra was pale. Disturbingly so. He was taking shallow breaths while pressing one hand against his side. She suspected there was a rib fracture or two. “Are you gonna be able to recover?”

“Doubtful. There is much damage. To both of us,” The man swallowed, “You must get back to the Tau'ri. You must tell them what we know.”

Ronnie’s eyes scanned the area, looking for any sign that the Jaffa were catching up, “Okay. What do you know?”

“Ba’al is planning a summit among the system lords. All of them and not just the stronger ones. They…” He stopped, his breathing stopped briefly from pain.

“Lineare?” No response. Ronnie edged closer while remaining in a low crouch, reaching out to touch one of the few blood-free spots on his trousers. “Lineare!” Her voice was a harsh whisper, but she was rewarded by a pair of green eyes snapping open.

“He is trying to heal an aneurysm. We need more time to tell you everything.” Lineare’s host was Matthew. It was an oddly Terran name for a Tok’ra host, but considering that most humans in the galaxy originated from Earth, it wasn’t entirely outside of the realm of possibility.

“How bad is it?”

Matthew forced a weak smile, “Bad.”

She took a breath and nodded, “I’m sorry we didn’t do so great getting you out of here.”

“We are sorry that you lost the rest of your team. They were good and brave men.”

She would not cry. She was a Marine and currently charged with trying to get Lineare back to command so that the intel he had gathered on Ba’al could be put to good use. “They were the best.”

For a time there was no sound other than Matthew’s labored breathing and the twitter of birds in the trees above. The Jaffa still hadn’t caught up.

Matthew took another sharp breath. Ronnie looked over quickly, but control didn’t appear to be switched back to Lineare. “Would pain killers work? I have some lighter stuff in the emergency med kit.”

“No. It would not affect us,” he swallowed, “You need to tell the others what you can. What you can remember. Hopefully it will be enough.”

“But my memory isn’t going to be nearly as good as yours.”

Handsome lips twisted upwards to one side, “Not your fault. You’re only human.”

It was supposed to have been a relatively simple mission. Come to P6X-723 and meet up with Lineare to escort him back to Stargate Command. He’d gotten word out that he had come across something important involving Ba’al. Surprising, considering he had infiltrated the court of a minor Goa’uld of little import. He needed to be there in person for a full report and had gotten away. Only he hadn’t counted on a small group of Jaffa being dispatched to follow him.

SG-5 had been sent to get him. They had met the Jaffa head on and gotten rid of all but two of them, though it had been at the cost of the other four marines. And soon they could add Lineare and Matthew to the list of the fallen. That still left two Jaffa between her and the Stargate.

And it still left the problem of getting the intel back home.

Ronnie swallowed. It was a radical idea. One that was going to piss off the higher ups. “Does he have enough in him to leave?”

Matthew’s eyes opened to look at her questioningly, “Leave?”

She nodded. “Lineare. You said he’s injured, too. I’m not. Is he strong enough to… to change hosts?” It sounded even worse spoken aloud.

The Tok’ra was silent for a time, swallowing before speaking, “You offer yourself?”

In for a penny. “I don’t see where we really have a choice in the matter. We need to get that intel back to base, but I seem to be the only one still strong enough to have a chance.” She would not cry. She would not stop to grieve for the four good mean now lying dead in the underbrush of the forest. “You’ve both admitted that you won’t survive in your current situation. If he… he if blends with me, will he be able to make it?”

Matthew considered the question. “He has a better chance. Right now he’s trying to keep both of us holding on. You won’t need him to heal you, so he’ll be able to care for his own needs. It could work.”

Were she to be honest with herself, she was rather hoping that it wasn’t a good idea. Instead, she nodded. “All right. Okay,” she swallowed, “So… can he?”

Matthew nodded weakly, “He can. And he thinks you are very brave. We know how distasteful the idea of blending is to your people. We appreciate your sacrifice.”

“Yeah, well… I’m still sorry we screwed this up so badly.”

“You have nothing to be sorry for.”

Nice of him to think so. “Uhm… does it hurt?”

“It stings a bit, but the discomfort passes quickly.”

“Good. I hate pain,” A joke. A weak one. She knew how to work through pain. It was part of the job, “So… how does this work?”

He smiled, a bit wider this time, “I get to kiss you.”

That was unexpected. “No, seriously.”

“I am being serious. The Tok’ra do not attack their hosts from behind. Besides, it’s a nice way to die.”

“You used to flirt a lot before you were a Tok’ra, didn’t you?” The answering grin was laced with pain, “I don’t kiss a lot of people.”

“Pity. You’re a very beautiful woman,” Matthew swallowed, “We understand if you cannot…”

“No… I can. I will,” She licked her lips as she gave one last listen. Still no sounds to alert them to the presence of the Jaffa. Taking one last breath as a human, she leaned forward and pressed her lips against Matthew’s. The Tok'ra’s mouth parted beneath her own and at first it could have just been a bittersweet kiss between two friends.

Then something changed. Something large and fast slithered between them, exiting Matthew’s mouth and piercing the back of Ronnie’s throat with a sharp, stinging pain. Reflex made her pull back sharply, but the symbiote already had a good start. She saw the briefest flash of a black tail, whipping wildly like the tail of a tadpole, before it vanished inside her mouth. The slender creature twisted itself inside her neck, turning this way and that until it came to a rest around her spine. The pain started to subside as a disconnected voice whispered in her mind. Thank you.

The taste of copper and salt was thick in her mouth. Blood from the new laceration in the back of her throat. Probably some of Matthew’s blood as well. She spat it out onto the ground as a death rattle sounded from the man next to her. She looked at him and felt a wave of sorrow wash over her. As much as she regretted Matthew’s death, just as she regretted that of her team, Lineare truly mourned the loss of his companion. She had not realized those feelings would be within her as well.

She needed to move. Lineare was quiet inside her mind and instincts told her that it was because he had to see to his own physical repair. It was her job to get them home alive. Sparing only enough time to close Matthew’s lids over his eyes she picked up her weapon and moved on.

She circled around, keeping low in the underbrush. The two remaining Jaffa were still between her… them… and the gate. She found a large fallen tree and lay down behind it, allowing the branches of other trees and ferns to camouflage her. She couldn’t quite make out their faces but she was able to make out their general build. They weren’t much farther than the mid-level shooting range targets.

Patience. She needed to take her time.

Her finger inched out quietly and flicked the little switch on the side of her weapon, moving it from fully automatic to semi. Only one round for each squeeze of the trigger, but it would grant her better control.

She watched and waited. The Jaffa were searching the tree line the opposite side of the clearing. She had to wait until one of them turned around. She needed to see the part of the head no covered by the usual skullcap.

As though reading her mind, one of them did.

Breathe.

Release.

Aim.

Squeeze.

The single rapport cracked the silence of the clearing. The Jaffa’s head snapped back in reflex as he fell. His companion wasn’t paused by the incident nearly as long as she would have liked. He came running in her general direction, staff weapon at the ready. Ronnie flattened herself out beside the fallen tree, listening to his footsteps approach and waiting for the right moment.

The Jaffa slowed his approach as he reached the tree line. Veronica didn’t move a muscle. She was tense, wound more tightly than a piano wire. If she were to have one spark of good luck today, he would try to cross the fallen tree right above her. All she needed was just one thing to go her way. The Fates owed her after everything else that had gone wrong.

Apparently they agreed, because the metal toe of a Jaffa’s heavy boot appeared over the thick trunk just a bit south of her heart. She waited until the other foot came over before she struck upwards with the butt of her weapon at the spot where she was fairly certain Jaffa males were just as vulnerable as human ones. She heard his gasp of pain just before he crumpled and fell over.

Like a flash she was up onto her knees and driving the butt of her weapon into his face. Once. Twice. Thrice. He was dazed enough she could grab the zat at his waist and stand up before firing two shots in quick succession.

And she was safe. For the most part.

Ronnie gave a few deep breaths, trying to will her heart to slow down. So far she wasn’t finding any physical benefits to having a snake in her head, though that was probably due in part to the snake in question having had the snot beaten out of it. Finding herself surrounded again in nothing but silence punctuated by the occasional bird, she stepped over the fallen tree and broke from the tree line.

She moved at a brisk pace, her eyes scanning around her continuously. She was fairly certain that all the Jaffa were accounted for, but that didn’t mean that another group hadn’t landed sometime later to shore up their numbers. She wouldn’t relax until she was on the other side of the gate. With that in mind, she punched the address into the DHD and waited for the wormhole’s event horizon to stabilize before pulling her GDO from the cargo pocket of her BDUs and sending her code. She gave it the requisite amount of seconds before she walked through.

The freezing cold as she was reassembled on the other end was to be expected. She gave a deep sigh as she took in the familiar security personnel, their P-90s all trained in her direction until Hammond gave the order to stand down. She heard the rushing sound as the gate disconnected behind her as the general came down from the control room.

“Lieutenant, where is the rest of SG-5?”

She closed her eyes in pain, “Gone, Sir. We were set upon by a group of Jaffa shortly after we made contact with the Tok’ra. Their… their bodies are about two miles in a direct line from the gate. Matthew should be about two to three miles west of them.”

Hammond frowned. “Matthew? Who is Matthew?”

“The Tok’ra host, Sir.”

“Just the host?” He looked confused, “What about Lineare?”

She took a breath, not coming any closer than halfway down the ramp. “He’s here, Sir. With me.”

~***~

Veronica opened her eyes and looked about the room. It was one of the few ‘private’ rooms on the base connected with the infirmary. Only she wasn’t alone, “Dr. MacKenzie.”

The psychiatrist looked up from what was probably her file and gave her a concerned frown. In spite of what some of the others thought about MacKenzie, he wasn’t all bad. “How are you doing, Lieutenant?”

“Oh, let’s see,” She swallowed and pretended to be thinking, “My entire team is dead… and… oh yeah… I got a comatose snake in my brain.” She let her head fall back against the pillow, “I’m in for extra couch time, aren’t I.” It wasn’t a question.

“Most likely, but I was asking how you are doing, Veronica.”

Yeah, she figured that, “I keep wondering if I did enough. If somehow I wasn’t Marine enough. I mean, the rest of the team is dead and I got out without more than a few bruises.”

“Well, that and a comatose snake,” MacKenzie got up from the chair and walked over towards her, stopping at her bedside, “I’d recommend at least a mild anti-depressant, but I doubt it would have much effect on you. Still nothing from the symbiote, I take it.”

She shook her head, “Not a peep.” Her head tilted up to the monitors next to her bedside. She’d gotten used to understanding them over the past couple of days. “Still kicking, though. See that?” She pointed to one of the monitors, “The bottom line is my heart. The top one is Lineare’s. And the box to the left of that monitors brainwaves. Again, me on bottom and the hitchhiker on top.” She looked back to MacKenzie, “But… you probably knew that all ready.”

“I’ve seen my fair share of hospital equipment, yes,” he looked at her appraisingly, “You’re getting bored.”

“I passed bored two days ago,” She levered herself up into a sitting position, “I’m physically fine, but Doctor Fraiser says I can’t go anywhere until Lineare wakes up. I’m seriously to the point that I’d be happy to do paperwork, I’m so bored.”

“Yes, well, you’re life is going to get a little extra excitement today.”

“I heard. The Tok’ra are coming to visit, only we have nothing to give them because, again,” she pointed to her head, “he’s still out cold.”

“True, but they’re still coming,” he tapped her file against the palm of her hand, “I just came by to see how you’re doing. I was here already for my usual visit. And I also wanted to tell you that I’ve had to move your usual appointment to this Friday instead of Thursday. General Hammond doesn’t want you leaving the base to come to the hospital so we’ll be having your session here.”

“Got it. I’ll see you, then,” she glanced at the clock as the door to her room opened to let one of the techs from the infirmary in, “And now it’s time for me to get all gussied up to meet our company.”

“I’ll leave you to it, then. I’ll see you on Friday.”

“I’ll clear my calendar,” She gave him a weak smile as the tech helped her to start removing the lead wires connecting her and the symbiote to the monitors. She would have enough time to get a proper shower and put on some real clothes. Just a uniform, but miles ahead of the hospital gown she’d been stuck in since the General had ordered her to the infirmary upon her arrival.

The short interval of activity left her tired. This was concerning, but no unexpected. Since her return she had been tired most of the time. She might be bored, but she didn’t seem to have the energy to do much. And when she wasn’t sleeping, she was eating. Her appetite seemed endless.

Wasn’t having a snake in her head supposed to make her better? Stronger? Faster?

Maybe she should ask for a refund.

She was in the middle of a yawn when Dr. Fraiser arrived to walk with her to the debriefing room. “Are you up for this?”

“Do I have a choice?”

“Not really. Sorry,” For good measure the doctor did a quick check of her vitals, “Still fatigued?”

“Perpetually. And still starving.”

“Well, the second I can do something about,” Fraiser reached into one of the pockets of her lab coat and pulled out an energy bar. Ronnie took it with a grateful sigh and tore it open, munching down on it as the two guards walked with them in through the corridors.

“You are a lifesaver. I’m gonna be so fat and lazy when I finally get this guy out of my head.”

Fraiser gave a laugh, “Well, not for too long. You’ll be on a stringent rehabilitation regime along with your sessions with Dr. MacKenzie.”

“Sounds like fun,” They stopped at the foot of the spiral steps that led up to the conference room, “Who’d they send?”

“Jacob Carter and Malek.”

Ronnie gave a sigh, “All right. Let’s get this over with.” With a grim sort of resolve, she began to ascend the steps.

SG-1 was there, along with General Hammond and Major Reynolds. And, of course, there were the Tok’ra. Both Malek and Jacob Carter looked her way expectantly as she entered the room with Dr. Fraiser. Ronnie shoved down the trepidation she was feeling to snap to attention, “Reporting as ordered, Sir.”

“At ease, Lieutenant,” Hammond motioned to one of the chairs at the end of the table, one that put her opposite the Tok’ra. “Have a seat. This is Malek and Selmak of the Tok’ra. They have arrived to check on your progress and to give us some updates.”

Ronnie nodded in a quiet greeting to the two Tok’ra on the other side of the table, telling herself to ignore the queasy feeling in her stomach. She was in the SGC. There was no need for her to be nervous. Right?

~***~

Malek studied the Tau’ri officer across the table from him. He had expected her to be physically healthy because she was a soldier. The height did not surprise him either. What he had not expected was the clear indication of shyness coming from her. The soldiers of Earth he had met in the past usually exuded confidence and bravado. The young woman before him, for all her height and physical fitness, did not feel as though she belonged with this rough group.

Selmak turned his chair slightly so that he was facing more in Lieutenant Marks’ direction. “Allow me to offer the sincerest thanks of the Tok’ra, Lieutenant. We understand how distasteful the blending is to most of the SGC and know full well the personal sacrifice you made in offering Lineare this option to live.”

The woman gave a weak smile, “No problem.”

“Let’s hope it’s a temporary fix.” That was Colonel O’Neill. The man was an honorable warrior and had helped them in great ways, but he still grated on Malek’s nerves.

“We will search for a suitable host, of course. However nothing can be done until such time as Lineare awakens and is well enough for the transition,” Malek looked back to the woman across from him, “He still has not spoken to you?”

She shook her head, “Nothing. But we know he’s still alive.” Her hand gestured towards the physician at her side. “Doctor Fraiser has us hooked up to monitors most of the time and he’s still reading.”

Fraiser opened up the folder in her hands and glanced down. “When the Lieutenant returned through the stargate Lineare’s life signs were very faint. Almost non-existent. Had they waited even a minute longer, I doubt he would have survived. After a day his signs became stable. Since then they have gotten stronger but he has not shown any signs of regaining consciousness,” she closed the folder, “What we have noted is that Lieutenant Marks seems to often be extremely fatigued and hungry. Her symptoms are much like that of a woman in early pregnancy. It’s as though her body requires a significant increase in caloric intake and rest.”

Dr. Jackson decided to enter the conversation before Malek could ask the obvious question. “Are you pregnant?”

Marks seemed to… flinch? Dr. Fraiser interceded, “That has already been ruled out, Dr. Jackson.”

“Well, I only ask because we know that if the host is pregnant then if the symbiote asserts itself it can cause a miscarriage. Being a Tok’ra, Lineare might be keeping quiet to prevent that.”

Malek saw Marks’ hand clench into a fist, seemingly of its own accord, as Fraiser again asserted that it was not possible that the host was pregnant. The conversation seemed to upset Marks in some way.

Hammond resumed control of the conversation again, “You said that you were able to look into the mention Marks made about Ba’al holding a summit.”

Selmak nodded, “We were. And he had planned to hold a summit to discuss the ‘Tau’ri Problem’, which was to include not only the higher ranking system lords but also several of the minor Goa’ulds.”

“Had planned?”

Selmak nodded, “Unfortunately the summit has been put on an indefinite hold due to several combative altercations which have broken out between some of the scheduled attendees, including an attack by two others against Ba’al.”

Lieutenant Marks frowned. “You mean Lineare blew his cover and got royally stomped for nothing?”

“Such is the way when dealing with the Goa’uld. Their lust for power and general mental instability makes it nearly impossible for them to cooperate with each other for any extended length of time. An ‘indefinite’ hold means the summit may never happen or, if it does, it will be some time from now and likely with a far different list of invitees.”

The Tau’ri were clearly not pleased. Colonel O’Neill growled, “Well that was a colossal waste. We lost a whole team!” Malek frowned at the terminology and gave a quick glance back to Lieutenant Marks. Apparently as long as she was blended with a symbiote, she was considered as lost as the men who had fallen. And from the expression on the woman’s face, she was well aware of the sentiment.

Hammond’s shoulders appeared weighted under the stress of so much bad news, “I share your feelings, Colonel, but we all know that there is great and mortal risk involved in our jobs. The Marines we lost went into this with both eyes open,” The general leaned forward, arms resting on the table, “What are the Tok’ra plans at this time?”

Selmak gave control over to Jacob to answer, “Selmak and I have an assignment to carry out, otherwise we’d be asking to use one of your visitor suites. As it is, we ask that you extend your hospitality to Malek so that one of us is here when Lineare finally comes around. There may still be intel he gathered which can be of some use to us.”

Hammond gave a nod, “I see no problem with that. Of course you will be asked to remain confined here to base unless escorted by SGC personnel. Not that we don’t trust you, but we need to maintain the secrecy of the Stargate Program.”

Malek gave a nod, “We understand. And we thank you for your hospitality.” He looked back towards Lineare’s new, and likely temporary, host. She didn’t meet his gaze, her thoughts seemingly elsewhere.

She’s very beautiful, but she also seems very sad. He agreed with his host. There was something troubling the young Tau’ri who had so selflessly given their brother safe haven within herself. Something he suspected had nothing to do with any discomfort she felt regarding the blending itself.

~***~

Though the General had accepted them as guests, Malek was well aware that their presence did not sit well with the members of the SGC. There was a part of him that was insulted, but for the most part he could understand. Until they met the Tok’ra, Earth’s only knowledge of their race came from the Goa’uld. The galaxy was populated with the descendants of people stolen from this world. The crimes committed against humanity by the system lords were probably second only to the crimes they had committed against the Jaffa. It was difficult to think of anything worse than engineering the genetic predisposition towards complete immune system failure in order to force absolute dependence.

Still, there was a heavy feeling of isolation as he passed through the corridors in the areas where he was allowed without escort. Much of the SGC was still considered ‘off limits’, but he was allowed to visit Lieutenant Marks. He gave a polite nod to the guard outside of her room before knocking. He heard her voice call out and let himself in.

She was in the narrow hospital bed they had provided to her, the leads to the medical equipment monitoring both her and Lieneare still attached to her forehead and chest. Her eyes flicked over and she lowered the remote in her hand. A television mounted in one corner of the room droned on, “Hey. Haven’t seen you since… six hours ago.”

He had been here to see her this morning, “I apologize. It is not my intention to make a nuisance of myself.”

She waved off his concern, “You’re not. I could use the distraction. I’ve slept all I can and it appears I give everyone else on base the wiggins.”

He frowned, “Wiggins?”

“I make them nervous,” she waved him in further, “Come on. I don’t bite. I was just catching up on the mid-terms.”

Malek drifted towards the one serviceable chair provided in the room, his eyes moving to the television, “What are the mid-terms?”

“Political races that hit half-way through a Presidential term. The elections were yesterday. I wanted to see who pulled off Texas.”

A familiar name came up on the screen beneath a handsome man with graying hair, “Marks?”

She sighed, “Yeah. A.K.A. ‘Dad’.”

“So… you are a person of consequence.” That meant that they would need to find a replacement host quickly. The Tau’ri would not want the potential exposure. To his confusion, however, she shook her head.

“Not me. Just them.” She turned up the volume and he heard the voice over talking about the smiling man waving to the crowd of well-wishers. By his side were a well-dressed female of roughly the same age and two children in their early teens but with few physical traits in common. The disembodied voice went on to say that the new senator was joined at the celebratory party with his wife and their two adopted children. No further mention of the family was made.

“They omit you because you were not there?”

“No, they omit me because I’m rarely mentioned,” she turned off the set, “I came up a few times during the race whenever his handlers wanted to play up on the ‘child in the military’ angle, but otherwise I don’t matter,” she shrugged, “It’s complicated.”

“Because of the secret nature of the stargate program, then.”

“No, that would be infinitely less complicated,” she shook her head, “It’s no big deal. I’m used to it.”

Something in her voice encouraged him to drop the subject, “You said that you had slept all you could?” She nodded.

“I’m feeling more energy, and I’m losing the urge to eat half my bodyweight every day. I’m hoping that’s a good sign. The other option is that the food from the mess is so bad that I can’t even choke it down for Lineare’s sake.”

“Mmm…” Malek decided to stay on relatively safe ground, “Were he able to comment, I think he would thank you. It isn’t ‘bad’, but it tends to be rather bland.”

“Yeah. Government food safety guidelines. They want to avoid as many food allergies as possible, so they avoid using things that commonly set them off. We can’t even get real peanuts in what they try to pass off as Kung Pow Chicken,” she gave another shrug, “Pretty much all the mess has going for it is the Jell-O and the fact that they use real potatoes instead of instant.”

He failed to see the significance, but didn’t want to stop the conversation, “I am curious; why join your world’s military? I’ve noticed that the male to female ratio is far from balanced. What made you decide to pursue the life of a soldier?”

“Goes back to the parents. My options were pretty much let them pay my way through college or find a way to pay for it myself, and at the time we were in the early stages of our falling out. I opted to go through the ROTC and work for the rest.” She pulled her legs up under the hospital blanket, putting her feet together so that her legs butterflied out. Her knees bounced as she held her feet with her hands. “I majored in math with a minor in computer science, so telling people who know me that I’ve been assigned to NORAD is somewhat believable. And after I got out of college and into the real Marine Corps, I found that I really liked it. Being picked for the SGC, especially after they told me what I’d be doing, was like a dream come true. I hadn’t even known I’d had that dream until it was offered.”

“There’s a great deal of risk involved in your job.”

Sorrow flashed over her face again, “Yeah, there is. We’ve lost a lot of good men since the SGC was started. Our enemy is more advanced and pure evil, but we’ve got an advantage.”

Malek frowned, “What’s that?”

“Humans are the most tenacious species you’re likely to find. You might trample over us and knock us down for a while, but if you want to beat us for good then you’d better wipe out every last one of us. Leave anyone behind, and it will come back to bite you in the ass.”

He considered this and found that he could not argue with it. As a species they were remarkably resilient, if not simply hard headed. There was a definite note of pride in Veronica’s voice as she spoke of her people. It spoke of an intense loyalty that, coupled with the bravery and quick wittedness he already knew her to possess, made for a woman who was shaping up to be more and more impressive the more that he discovered of her.

He was about to ask her more about herself when the door opened up. Dr. Fraiser took note of his seat near the bed but said nothing about it before walking over to check the monitors, “Time for your six hour check, Lieutenant.”

“Yippee,” her voice was flat, almost bored. It had to be wearing on her nerves, all this time in isolation with the medical staff always watching, “What’s for lunch today?”

“Pot roast. Feeling hungry?” Fraiser took hold of her wrist to check her pulse.

“Not really, just curious. I don’t suppose I could talk you into getting takeout. Something with a little more taste, like a double cheeseburger?”

Fraiser smiled, “Not on your prescribed diet, Lieutenant.”

“Aww, come on. Just one little cheeseburger. I’m not exactly a candidate for a heart attack.”

The doctor released her wrist and started to record the number in her chart, “My advice would be to hit up someone who’d be coming on base from the outside.” Fraiser gave her a look that seemed to communicate more, as though there was a specific person in mind. The must have been because Veronica’s lips turned up in a smile.

Malek rose from the chair, “How does everything look?”

Fraiser’s eyes remained on the chart, “Both their vitals are strong and are within what we know to be normal for a cooperative blended entity.” She smiled as she lowered the chart, “I’m growing more and more optimistic.”

That did sound encouraging. “Then perhaps Lineare will regain consciousness soon.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised,” Fraiser gave Veronica an encouraging smile, “Anything you need to tell me, Lieutenant? Any odd symptoms or inconsistencies?”

“Nope,” She popped the ‘p’ with a puff of air, “Other than the feeling that I’m living in a glass bubble, everything’s just peachy.”

“Sorry about that, Lieutenant, but it can’t be avoided.”

Malek frowned, “Doctor Fraiser, is it really necessary for her to be as isolated as she is? Now that her strength is returning, surely there is no harm in allowing her some freedom around the base.”

“I agree with you; however the General wants to take precautions. We were able to confirm that Lineare was gone after we recovered Matthew’s body, but he still wants to be certain that this is Lineare before he lifts the order.”

“What?”

Malek and Dr. Fraiser turned to Veronica in response to the single word. “It’s not that he doesn’t believe that it was Matthew’s symbiote you took in, he just wants to be certain that it was Lineare in Matthew to begin with.”

She frowned and shook her head as she sat up, “No, not that, the other thing.”

Now it was Fraiser’s turn to frown, “What other thing?”

“The other thing you sai-” Veronica paused, her expression becoming thoughtful, then surprised, “You’re awake!”

Both Malek and Fraiser jumped. He was about to step forward but the Tau’ri doctor pushed past him to reach Veronica’s side first. “Are you certain, Lieutenant?”

She nodded, “Yeah. He’s up.” Her brow furrowed, “Calm down! You’re all right. Nothing is wrong!” There was a moment of silence as the doctor checked the readings on her monitors. “Yes something happened to you, you were two steps away from dead! You and Matthew were both dying. I wasn’t so I offered to bring you back.” Fraiser was comparing the current readings with the records on her chart.

Malek took a tentative step forward, “Lineare, you are safe. We are among the Tau’ri, on their base.” Veronica held a hand up in his direction, a silent request that he step speaking.

“Look, I can’t understand you with you ranting like this! Slow down and tell me what has your dick in a knot!” It was coarser speech than Malek had heard her use since meeting her. She sounded more like those rough Marines with whom she served that the reserved, somewhat shy woman he had come to know over the past few days.

He watched as her expression changed from irritated to… dumbfounded? “Oh.” It then changed to chagrin and no small amount of embarrassment. “Oh! Are you sure?” she blinked, “Uhm… yeah.”

“What is wrong?”

Veronica’s head snapped in his direction. She looked as though she had forgotten he was there. Her eyes then darted to Dr. Fraiser. “Malek, could you… leave us alone for a bit? I need to talk to Dr. Fraiser about something sort of private.”

Fraiser was taking her penlight from the pocket of her lab coat, “What seems to be the problem, Lieutenant?”

“Lineare thinks there’s something wrong,” she licked her lips, “He think it has to do with the… thing.” Her eyes darted towards Malek briefly and he could see the discomfort in her eyes, “The one in my medical files. The one only you and MacKenzie know about?”

Doctor Fraiser’s mouth fell open a bit before she snapped it closed and turned to him. “Malek, I’m going to have to ask you to clear the room.”

“Doctor, I feel I should be here. If there is something wrong…”

“We don’t know that there’s anything wrong at this time, but at any rate I have to protect the privacy of my patients. I’ll fill you in as soon as I have something to tell you.”

“I cannot leave. Lineare may…”

“Malek, just go!” His head snapped to Veronica’s face, but he could tell it was Lineare looking back at him. The feminine face was set in a hard expression, the same one he’d seen the Tok’ra operative wear in nearly all his hosts.

But there was something else in the strange, teal colored eyes looking back at him. Something that seemed to come from both minds. It was fear. Both Veronica and Lineare were afraid, but it was obvious that they were not going to speak of that fear with him in the room.

“I will need to know as soon as possible, Doctor Fraiser. If we need to bring a Tok’ra physician to tend to Lineare, then I can send word.”

Dr. Fraiser was gently herding him from the room, “No need to jump to those measures just yet. I need to first ascertain if there is a problem to be concerned over.” She gave him a gentle, professional smile before shutting the door and leaving him in the hall.