Fic: Undertow Rated R 29/30
Oct. 26th, 2008 10:29 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
polgara_5Title: Undertow
By: Polgara
Rating: NC-17
Disclaimer: I own none of the recognizable characters. They belong to their respective creators and distributors.
Distribution: My site – Worlds of Possibilities, ff.net, Wormhole Crossing, and TtH.
Spoilers: Everything for Buffy is fair game. Everything up to and including season seven of Stargate SG-1. There will be very specific spoilers for season seven. You have been warned.
Setting: Takes place right after Homecoming of Stargate and three years after Chosen.
Summary: When someone close to Buffy dies, she finds herself on Jack’s doorstep. Before long, events and emotions pull them into something greater than they ever imagined.
A/N: My author notes are here for a reason, please read. If you still ask questions that are answered here, I will not answer them again. Do not beg for updates.
A/N2: I’ve only altered canon slightly. Ignore the whole Jack/Sam thing, it doesn’t exist here. And I’ve created a previous relationship between Buffy and Jack. It will get explained eventually, just be patient.
A/N: Just taking a moment to send out a huge massive thanks to Ava. She has been a wonderful and dear friend by checking over the more recent chapters and letting me know when I was straying off the path and gently pushing me to the finish line.
A/N2: Also, I know that Jessica Stein played Dr. Weir in the Lost City episode of SG-1, however, I'm going with the Torri Higginson version that everyone is more familiar with.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Buffy gently held onto her ribs as she exited the infirmary. Sometimes she swore that the doctors caused more pain during the examination than the injury itself. Since the new doctor in charge was only temporary, she wasn't about to spill her secrets to him. She was going to keep it close to her chest until Janet's permanent replacement arrived and she was sure they could be trusted.
Of course, she hadn't told Dr. Weir yet either and wasn't sure she was going to. As far as she was concerned, Weir was only a temporary replacement as well. She didn't think the woman would last long in this facility. Especially since she had heard rumors about the woman's aversions to the military.
Buffy slowed down as she came upon Daniel. She hadn't had a chance to talk to the rest of SG-1 and was unsure about their reactions to her return. Her own team had vacillated between excitement of seeing her and disappointment about her running from them. Jack's own team was liable to be more distant considering how much she had hurt him.
“Daniel,” she said with a wary smile.
“Ah, Buffy. Just the person I needed to talk to.”
She blinked in surprise. “Me? Really? What for?”
“Let's not talk about it out here,” he said before taking her loosely by the arm. As he led her through the halls he asked, “How are you feeling? Jack mentioned you were injured on patrol.”
“I'm doing okay. The ribs, cuts and bruises are healing.” She didn't mention that the healing was a little slower than normal. Not taking good care of herself for the past few weeks had left her tired most of the time which mean she didn't have the normal energy reserves for her normally quick healing.
“Good, good,” he replied, the sincerity clear in his voice. He directed her through a door and they found themselves in Jack's rarely used office. Daniel gave her a reassuring smile. “He's currently in my office working on a crossword so we won't be disturbed.”
“Okay,” she said slowly. “What do you need?”
“You need to talk to Jack. Soon,” he said placing his hands on his hips.
Buffy didn't respond as she carefully lowered herself into one of the available chairs.
“He's hurting and he needs you. The Ancient knowledge is already starting to unfold. He's begun substituting Ancient words for English and he doesn't realize he's doing it.” Daniel moved another chair closer to her and sat down.
Reaching out, he grasped both of her hands in his own. “If you don't talk to him soon, it will be too late. Either he won't be able to respond to you in English or he won't even be able to understand you. I know how hard it is losing someone you love and how scary the prospect of it happening again can be. I only knew Sha're for a year and if I knew what was going to happen, I would do it all over again. I loved her. Still do. She made me happy. You make Jack happy and I know he does the same. He's only got a few days left, don't let them slip away.”
“What if it's too late to tell him?” Buffy asked in a small voice.
“Not there yet. Don't let him keep thinking that you don't care,” Daniel said gently before standing. “I've got to get back to work. Think about what I said.”
Buffy sniffed softly as she watched him leave the room before reaching for the box of tissues sitting on the edge of the desk.
XXXXXXXXXX
Buffy was sitting alone in a corner of the cafeteria eating lunch when she saw Jack enter, followed closely by Daniel and Sam. Jack immediately headed over to the line and grabbed himself a cup of coffee and a bowl of Jello before picking out a table to sit at.
He laid down a folded piece of newspaper that he had been carrying and she could see it was the daily crossword. Daniel and Sam joined him shortly once they had grabbed their own meal. They exchanged worried glances over Jack's head as he studiously ignored them.
From her in plain sight hiding spot, Buffy watched him. He was stressed but was doing his best to hide it. She knew him well enough to recognize the signs. His shoulders seemed to sag slightly and his eyes were weary and resigned. While he was trying to continue his normal carefree attitude, his movements lacked their normal ease.
He looked a little lost as he turned his attention to Daniel to answer his question. The archaeologist kept referring to a book he had brought in.
Buffy hated knowing that she was a large part of why he was suffering. She had completely overreacted when he had opened his heart to her, because in truth it had scared her. She loved him so much and wasn't ready to face life without him.
The tiny blonde really needed to find a way to patch things up between them, but she had a feeling it was going to be difficult to catch a few minutes alone with him. Everyone was working hard trying to find the location of the Lost City in hopes of finding a weapon. After Bra'tac had arrived with news of an impending attack by Anubis' fleet everyone was feeling the pressure. The clock was rapidly ticking down and they couldn't see the path to the finish line.
It was unfair that Jack was now carrying the burden of saving Earth. It was her duty to protect them. Now here he was, performing her job. If she hadn't run, he may never have been placed in this position.
Daniel suddenly jumped to his feet, jabbering excitedly about something while Jack looked even more confused. However, he and Sam followed Daniel out of the commissary. It seemed that they may have found the location of the city. She hurried to finish eating. Like hell were they going without her.
XXXXXXXXXX
Buffy waited patiently outside of the door until she could hear a muffled 'come in'. Taking a quick breath to remind herself to not get too pushy, she opened the door to what used to be General Hammond's office. Boxes of files were piled up on nearly every surface and a woman with shoulder-length brown hair stood in the middle of it.
“Can I help you?” She wearily asked.
For a brief moment, Buffy felt sorry for her. It couldn't have been easy for her to step into Hammond's shoes under these circumstances. The woman had no experience dealing with a group of people who would never negotiate peace.
But Buffy refused to let it deter her from her self-appointed mission. She held out her hand. “I'm Buffy Summers. I'm a member of Colonel Dixon's team – SG-13.”
“Dr. Elizabeth Weir,” she said, returning the handshake with a small smile. Her hand was warm and firm. “Not to be rude, but is this just a general introduction or did you come to meet me for a specific reason.”
“A little of both,” Buffy admitted, not taking offense at the question. She was sure the woman had met a slew of people under different pretenses since she arrived. “I'm requesting to go with SG-1 on their search for the Lost City.”
“I'm afraid I can't allow that.”
“Why not?” Buffy asked, wanting to hear the reasons before pressing her case.
“The mission is dangerous enough without sending someone else with them and you're obviously injured,” she said, looking pointedly at the yellowing bruises on Buffy's face. “The only reason I'm allowing SG-1 to go now is on the off chance they just might find something.”
“My injuries aren't going to slow me down for long,” Buffy assured her. She kept her posture relaxed and non-threatening. “I know you're new here so you're not familiar with all of the dynamics. Jack is a very old friend of mine. We've gone back years. He's the one who brought me into the program seven months ago. I don't feel right staying behind on this one. If this isn't successful he doesn't have a lot of time left. I don't want to lose him out there.”
Elizabeth's eyes shone with sympathy. “But Miss Summers you are injured. I can't allow you out there in your condition. What if they encounter trouble?”
Buffy grinned. “We'll be spending most of our time on the cargo ship that Teal'c and Bra'tac found. Trust me, my injuries are not going to be a problem by the time we get to the planet.”
“And why is that?” Weir asked.
She shrugged. “I'm a quick healer.”
Dr. Weir raised an eyebrow in amusement. “A quick healer? That is what's supposed to convince me?”
Buffy let out a sigh. “If Dr. Fraiser was still here, she would clear me for the mission. She was a tough but caring woman who would have never cleared anyone if she believed they'd be a liability. She knew how quick I'd heal. Please. I need to be there for Jack.”
XXXXXXXXXX
Buffy nervously paced the rear of the flight deck of the cargo ship. Joining SG-1 on this mission wasn't going as well as she had hoped. Because Jack didn't know about her coming until she had entered the gate room, he hadn't packed her a hazmat suit like he had for the others. If she had known that their destination was an inhabitable planet covered in lava flow, she would have brought her own.
Now she was forced to wait on the ship with Bra'tac and Ronan, the ship's Jaffa owner, while SG-1 searched the planet below for the much needed weapon. She only had their radioed reports to keep her apprised of what was happening.
She hadn't spent a lot of time with Bra'tac before this, but found him to be a stern, eccentric man who treated her with respect and she did her best to return in kind. The fact that Jack trusted him was always good enough for her.
It was Ronan who was making her feel uneasy, but before this she had never spent an extended amount of time with a Jaffa who still carried its symbiote. Teal'c and Bra'tac had their dependence on the larva removed before she had met them so while they registered as different her body's senses would relax. The immature Goa'uld living in Ronan's pouch was setting off her spidey-sense big time. Even knowing that he was part of the Jaffa resistance didn't help ease her mind.
During the day it took to reach the planet, she stayed as far away from him as possible while trying to achieve her other goal – talking to Jack. Which wasn't going well.
Intellectually she knew that the situation was just as hard for Jack's friends as it was for her, but she couldn't help but get upset every time they had their own private conversation with him. She had tried repeatedly to get Jack alone so she could apologize and let him know how much she loved him in return. But between Sam and Daniel cornering him and Jack fixing the engines so they'd go faster it just hadn't happened.
At least he had seemed pleased when Weir had informed him that she would be joining the mission. Hopefully that was a sign that she hadn't screwed things up beyond repair. But Jack was using more and more of the Ancient language rather than English and she knew her time was running out.
No matter what, once they returned from the planet she was cornering him in the cargo hold. Nothing was going to prevent it.
Sam's voice came through the internal speakers. “Bra'tac, we're on our way. We know the location of the lost city. It's on Earth.”
“Understood, Major Carter,” Bra'tac responded from his position in the pilot's seat. He twisted to look at Buffy.
“You pilot the ship there, I'll get the rings,” she said. He nodded and turned back to the controls. She took the few steps needed towards the cargo hold when a sudden, searing pain ripped through her stomach. Hazel eyes looked up to see Ronan sneering down at her.
“You are betrayers of the one true god – Anubis,” he uttered softly, jabbing his knife deeper into her stomach. “Your blood is the price.”
Buffy dug deep into her well of anger to boost her strength. Her right hand whipped out and seized him by the throat. She forcibly shoved him against the wall and reached up on her toes to whisper in his ear, “You messed with the wrong human, Jaffa. I am a slayer and I bow to no one.”
Ignoring the fire rippling out from her abdomen the muscles in her fingers contracted as she applied pressure to the soft tissue of his throat, cutting off his air. He relinquished his hold on the knife to claw at her hand. It was his final, fatal mistake.
Her left hand plunged through his armor and into his pouch to grasp the snake within. She yanked it out and crushed the infant Goa'uld in her hand. “I may die, but you're going with me,” she snarled.
All of the previous injuries to her body that she was still healing from combined with the knife in her abdomen finally caught up to her. The bout of strength failed her then, allowing him to be successful in removing the hand closing his windpipe and shove her to the floor. A high pitched whine echoed in the cabin and Ronan's body was briefly blanketed by blue sparks. He fell unconscious to the floor and she looked to see Bra'tac still holding his zat.
“Hurry, the rings,” she gasped, her vision swimming as she lay prone on the floor.
She could feel herself fading as she heard the transport rings activate. All she wanted was to see Jack one more time before she died so she tried her best to force her eyes to focus. However, when the light from the rings died, all she saw was an orange blur from the hazmat suits.
SG-1's voices sounded distant as they talked over themselves in an attempt to find out what had happened. Then Jack's horrified face came into sharp relief in front of her as he knelt down.
“Jack, I'm sorry about everything,” she gasped. The blood pooling from her wound caused her shirt to stick to her skin as she fought to breathe.
The crease between his brows got deeper as his expression turned thoughtful. As she struggled to continue speaking, he placed on finger over her lips. Then his brown eyes drifted to the knife still lodged in her abdomen. His face a mask of concentration as his fingers wrapped around the handle and began to pull it out.
Sam reached out to stop him. “Sir, if you pull that out now we may not be able to save her at all. It could be -” she broke off as she took in his determined features.
He carefully slid the knife out and let it drop to the floor beside him. His cool hand touched her heated skin and his eyes drifted shut.
Buffy could feel something happening deep inside her causing her to scream out in pain as her organs and muscles began to rapidly knit themselves together. Her back arched up off the floor of the cargo hold as Jack continued to heal her. Then just as quickly, the pain was gone and she sagged back in relief.
Sam lifted up the sticky mess that was Buffy's shirt and her eyes widened in amazement. “Holy Hannah, it's gone. He healed her. How?”
“He has accessed the healing power of the Ancients,” Teal'c said in awe.
“Guess his condition is a little more advanced this time,” Daniel said softly, one hand reaching out to steady Jack as the older man swayed.
Buffy abruptly sat up to fling her arms around Jack's neck and he held her tightly. They clung desperately to each other.
Daniel looked over at Ronan's still form before turning back to the others. “Let's get him tied up and out of here. Then give them a few minutes alone,” he suggested, rising to his feet.
“The traitor will not trouble us for long,” Bra'tac said solemnly. “She has removed and killed his prim'tah. If he awakens, his death with be long and suffering.”
“Good,” Daniel said darkly as they slipped out of the room and shut the door.
By: Polgara
Rating: NC-17
Disclaimer: I own none of the recognizable characters. They belong to their respective creators and distributors.
Distribution: My site – Worlds of Possibilities, ff.net, Wormhole Crossing, and TtH.
Spoilers: Everything for Buffy is fair game. Everything up to and including season seven of Stargate SG-1. There will be very specific spoilers for season seven. You have been warned.
Setting: Takes place right after Homecoming of Stargate and three years after Chosen.
Summary: When someone close to Buffy dies, she finds herself on Jack’s doorstep. Before long, events and emotions pull them into something greater than they ever imagined.
A/N: My author notes are here for a reason, please read. If you still ask questions that are answered here, I will not answer them again. Do not beg for updates.
A/N2: I’ve only altered canon slightly. Ignore the whole Jack/Sam thing, it doesn’t exist here. And I’ve created a previous relationship between Buffy and Jack. It will get explained eventually, just be patient.
A/N: Just taking a moment to send out a huge massive thanks to Ava. She has been a wonderful and dear friend by checking over the more recent chapters and letting me know when I was straying off the path and gently pushing me to the finish line.
A/N2: Also, I know that Jessica Stein played Dr. Weir in the Lost City episode of SG-1, however, I'm going with the Torri Higginson version that everyone is more familiar with.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Buffy gently held onto her ribs as she exited the infirmary. Sometimes she swore that the doctors caused more pain during the examination than the injury itself. Since the new doctor in charge was only temporary, she wasn't about to spill her secrets to him. She was going to keep it close to her chest until Janet's permanent replacement arrived and she was sure they could be trusted.
Of course, she hadn't told Dr. Weir yet either and wasn't sure she was going to. As far as she was concerned, Weir was only a temporary replacement as well. She didn't think the woman would last long in this facility. Especially since she had heard rumors about the woman's aversions to the military.
Buffy slowed down as she came upon Daniel. She hadn't had a chance to talk to the rest of SG-1 and was unsure about their reactions to her return. Her own team had vacillated between excitement of seeing her and disappointment about her running from them. Jack's own team was liable to be more distant considering how much she had hurt him.
“Daniel,” she said with a wary smile.
“Ah, Buffy. Just the person I needed to talk to.”
She blinked in surprise. “Me? Really? What for?”
“Let's not talk about it out here,” he said before taking her loosely by the arm. As he led her through the halls he asked, “How are you feeling? Jack mentioned you were injured on patrol.”
“I'm doing okay. The ribs, cuts and bruises are healing.” She didn't mention that the healing was a little slower than normal. Not taking good care of herself for the past few weeks had left her tired most of the time which mean she didn't have the normal energy reserves for her normally quick healing.
“Good, good,” he replied, the sincerity clear in his voice. He directed her through a door and they found themselves in Jack's rarely used office. Daniel gave her a reassuring smile. “He's currently in my office working on a crossword so we won't be disturbed.”
“Okay,” she said slowly. “What do you need?”
“You need to talk to Jack. Soon,” he said placing his hands on his hips.
Buffy didn't respond as she carefully lowered herself into one of the available chairs.
“He's hurting and he needs you. The Ancient knowledge is already starting to unfold. He's begun substituting Ancient words for English and he doesn't realize he's doing it.” Daniel moved another chair closer to her and sat down.
Reaching out, he grasped both of her hands in his own. “If you don't talk to him soon, it will be too late. Either he won't be able to respond to you in English or he won't even be able to understand you. I know how hard it is losing someone you love and how scary the prospect of it happening again can be. I only knew Sha're for a year and if I knew what was going to happen, I would do it all over again. I loved her. Still do. She made me happy. You make Jack happy and I know he does the same. He's only got a few days left, don't let them slip away.”
“What if it's too late to tell him?” Buffy asked in a small voice.
“Not there yet. Don't let him keep thinking that you don't care,” Daniel said gently before standing. “I've got to get back to work. Think about what I said.”
Buffy sniffed softly as she watched him leave the room before reaching for the box of tissues sitting on the edge of the desk.
XXXXXXXXXX
Buffy was sitting alone in a corner of the cafeteria eating lunch when she saw Jack enter, followed closely by Daniel and Sam. Jack immediately headed over to the line and grabbed himself a cup of coffee and a bowl of Jello before picking out a table to sit at.
He laid down a folded piece of newspaper that he had been carrying and she could see it was the daily crossword. Daniel and Sam joined him shortly once they had grabbed their own meal. They exchanged worried glances over Jack's head as he studiously ignored them.
From her in plain sight hiding spot, Buffy watched him. He was stressed but was doing his best to hide it. She knew him well enough to recognize the signs. His shoulders seemed to sag slightly and his eyes were weary and resigned. While he was trying to continue his normal carefree attitude, his movements lacked their normal ease.
He looked a little lost as he turned his attention to Daniel to answer his question. The archaeologist kept referring to a book he had brought in.
Buffy hated knowing that she was a large part of why he was suffering. She had completely overreacted when he had opened his heart to her, because in truth it had scared her. She loved him so much and wasn't ready to face life without him.
The tiny blonde really needed to find a way to patch things up between them, but she had a feeling it was going to be difficult to catch a few minutes alone with him. Everyone was working hard trying to find the location of the Lost City in hopes of finding a weapon. After Bra'tac had arrived with news of an impending attack by Anubis' fleet everyone was feeling the pressure. The clock was rapidly ticking down and they couldn't see the path to the finish line.
It was unfair that Jack was now carrying the burden of saving Earth. It was her duty to protect them. Now here he was, performing her job. If she hadn't run, he may never have been placed in this position.
Daniel suddenly jumped to his feet, jabbering excitedly about something while Jack looked even more confused. However, he and Sam followed Daniel out of the commissary. It seemed that they may have found the location of the city. She hurried to finish eating. Like hell were they going without her.
XXXXXXXXXX
Buffy waited patiently outside of the door until she could hear a muffled 'come in'. Taking a quick breath to remind herself to not get too pushy, she opened the door to what used to be General Hammond's office. Boxes of files were piled up on nearly every surface and a woman with shoulder-length brown hair stood in the middle of it.
“Can I help you?” She wearily asked.
For a brief moment, Buffy felt sorry for her. It couldn't have been easy for her to step into Hammond's shoes under these circumstances. The woman had no experience dealing with a group of people who would never negotiate peace.
But Buffy refused to let it deter her from her self-appointed mission. She held out her hand. “I'm Buffy Summers. I'm a member of Colonel Dixon's team – SG-13.”
“Dr. Elizabeth Weir,” she said, returning the handshake with a small smile. Her hand was warm and firm. “Not to be rude, but is this just a general introduction or did you come to meet me for a specific reason.”
“A little of both,” Buffy admitted, not taking offense at the question. She was sure the woman had met a slew of people under different pretenses since she arrived. “I'm requesting to go with SG-1 on their search for the Lost City.”
“I'm afraid I can't allow that.”
“Why not?” Buffy asked, wanting to hear the reasons before pressing her case.
“The mission is dangerous enough without sending someone else with them and you're obviously injured,” she said, looking pointedly at the yellowing bruises on Buffy's face. “The only reason I'm allowing SG-1 to go now is on the off chance they just might find something.”
“My injuries aren't going to slow me down for long,” Buffy assured her. She kept her posture relaxed and non-threatening. “I know you're new here so you're not familiar with all of the dynamics. Jack is a very old friend of mine. We've gone back years. He's the one who brought me into the program seven months ago. I don't feel right staying behind on this one. If this isn't successful he doesn't have a lot of time left. I don't want to lose him out there.”
Elizabeth's eyes shone with sympathy. “But Miss Summers you are injured. I can't allow you out there in your condition. What if they encounter trouble?”
Buffy grinned. “We'll be spending most of our time on the cargo ship that Teal'c and Bra'tac found. Trust me, my injuries are not going to be a problem by the time we get to the planet.”
“And why is that?” Weir asked.
She shrugged. “I'm a quick healer.”
Dr. Weir raised an eyebrow in amusement. “A quick healer? That is what's supposed to convince me?”
Buffy let out a sigh. “If Dr. Fraiser was still here, she would clear me for the mission. She was a tough but caring woman who would have never cleared anyone if she believed they'd be a liability. She knew how quick I'd heal. Please. I need to be there for Jack.”
XXXXXXXXXX
Buffy nervously paced the rear of the flight deck of the cargo ship. Joining SG-1 on this mission wasn't going as well as she had hoped. Because Jack didn't know about her coming until she had entered the gate room, he hadn't packed her a hazmat suit like he had for the others. If she had known that their destination was an inhabitable planet covered in lava flow, she would have brought her own.
Now she was forced to wait on the ship with Bra'tac and Ronan, the ship's Jaffa owner, while SG-1 searched the planet below for the much needed weapon. She only had their radioed reports to keep her apprised of what was happening.
She hadn't spent a lot of time with Bra'tac before this, but found him to be a stern, eccentric man who treated her with respect and she did her best to return in kind. The fact that Jack trusted him was always good enough for her.
It was Ronan who was making her feel uneasy, but before this she had never spent an extended amount of time with a Jaffa who still carried its symbiote. Teal'c and Bra'tac had their dependence on the larva removed before she had met them so while they registered as different her body's senses would relax. The immature Goa'uld living in Ronan's pouch was setting off her spidey-sense big time. Even knowing that he was part of the Jaffa resistance didn't help ease her mind.
During the day it took to reach the planet, she stayed as far away from him as possible while trying to achieve her other goal – talking to Jack. Which wasn't going well.
Intellectually she knew that the situation was just as hard for Jack's friends as it was for her, but she couldn't help but get upset every time they had their own private conversation with him. She had tried repeatedly to get Jack alone so she could apologize and let him know how much she loved him in return. But between Sam and Daniel cornering him and Jack fixing the engines so they'd go faster it just hadn't happened.
At least he had seemed pleased when Weir had informed him that she would be joining the mission. Hopefully that was a sign that she hadn't screwed things up beyond repair. But Jack was using more and more of the Ancient language rather than English and she knew her time was running out.
No matter what, once they returned from the planet she was cornering him in the cargo hold. Nothing was going to prevent it.
Sam's voice came through the internal speakers. “Bra'tac, we're on our way. We know the location of the lost city. It's on Earth.”
“Understood, Major Carter,” Bra'tac responded from his position in the pilot's seat. He twisted to look at Buffy.
“You pilot the ship there, I'll get the rings,” she said. He nodded and turned back to the controls. She took the few steps needed towards the cargo hold when a sudden, searing pain ripped through her stomach. Hazel eyes looked up to see Ronan sneering down at her.
“You are betrayers of the one true god – Anubis,” he uttered softly, jabbing his knife deeper into her stomach. “Your blood is the price.”
Buffy dug deep into her well of anger to boost her strength. Her right hand whipped out and seized him by the throat. She forcibly shoved him against the wall and reached up on her toes to whisper in his ear, “You messed with the wrong human, Jaffa. I am a slayer and I bow to no one.”
Ignoring the fire rippling out from her abdomen the muscles in her fingers contracted as she applied pressure to the soft tissue of his throat, cutting off his air. He relinquished his hold on the knife to claw at her hand. It was his final, fatal mistake.
Her left hand plunged through his armor and into his pouch to grasp the snake within. She yanked it out and crushed the infant Goa'uld in her hand. “I may die, but you're going with me,” she snarled.
All of the previous injuries to her body that she was still healing from combined with the knife in her abdomen finally caught up to her. The bout of strength failed her then, allowing him to be successful in removing the hand closing his windpipe and shove her to the floor. A high pitched whine echoed in the cabin and Ronan's body was briefly blanketed by blue sparks. He fell unconscious to the floor and she looked to see Bra'tac still holding his zat.
“Hurry, the rings,” she gasped, her vision swimming as she lay prone on the floor.
She could feel herself fading as she heard the transport rings activate. All she wanted was to see Jack one more time before she died so she tried her best to force her eyes to focus. However, when the light from the rings died, all she saw was an orange blur from the hazmat suits.
SG-1's voices sounded distant as they talked over themselves in an attempt to find out what had happened. Then Jack's horrified face came into sharp relief in front of her as he knelt down.
“Jack, I'm sorry about everything,” she gasped. The blood pooling from her wound caused her shirt to stick to her skin as she fought to breathe.
The crease between his brows got deeper as his expression turned thoughtful. As she struggled to continue speaking, he placed on finger over her lips. Then his brown eyes drifted to the knife still lodged in her abdomen. His face a mask of concentration as his fingers wrapped around the handle and began to pull it out.
Sam reached out to stop him. “Sir, if you pull that out now we may not be able to save her at all. It could be -” she broke off as she took in his determined features.
He carefully slid the knife out and let it drop to the floor beside him. His cool hand touched her heated skin and his eyes drifted shut.
Buffy could feel something happening deep inside her causing her to scream out in pain as her organs and muscles began to rapidly knit themselves together. Her back arched up off the floor of the cargo hold as Jack continued to heal her. Then just as quickly, the pain was gone and she sagged back in relief.
Sam lifted up the sticky mess that was Buffy's shirt and her eyes widened in amazement. “Holy Hannah, it's gone. He healed her. How?”
“He has accessed the healing power of the Ancients,” Teal'c said in awe.
“Guess his condition is a little more advanced this time,” Daniel said softly, one hand reaching out to steady Jack as the older man swayed.
Buffy abruptly sat up to fling her arms around Jack's neck and he held her tightly. They clung desperately to each other.
Daniel looked over at Ronan's still form before turning back to the others. “Let's get him tied up and out of here. Then give them a few minutes alone,” he suggested, rising to his feet.
“The traitor will not trouble us for long,” Bra'tac said solemnly. “She has removed and killed his prim'tah. If he awakens, his death with be long and suffering.”
“Good,” Daniel said darkly as they slipped out of the room and shut the door.
