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When SG-1 walked into the tavern, they found Seleconne and Ba’al tied up and sitting in the middle of the room, surrounded by SG-6 and Marine One. Marine Two and Three were holding the perimeter, although none of the townspeople seemed to care one way or another what was happening in their very midst.

"Well, you aren’t dead after all," Ba’al smirked when Daniel walked in.

"Nope."

"Did your little whore tell you that she was in the bed of yet another god?"

"Oh, Methos? Yeah, he’s dating her cousin. They might have slept in-"

"On," she corrected, her eyes dancing.

"On?"

"Yep, we didn’t even pull the blankets back. Definitely on," she said.

Daniel grinned. "Case and Methos might have slept on-" he looked at her, she nodded. "On the same bed. But I can assure you that nothing happened."

Ba’al looked at her. Why did she torment him so? He hated her! He wanted her dead, wanted her to suffer! Wanted her in his arms. By his side. As his Consort. He pushed aside those thoughts, reached for the rage. Embraced it even as the host of the body he inhabited continued to torment him quietly, almost silently, with thoughts of her beautiful body, her sweet lips, her soft voice. "She is lying."

"No, I don’t think so," Daniel replied. "I’d know it if she were."

Ba’al looked hard at the man, knew that he was The Chosen. Yes, he thought, Jackson would know if she were lying.

Daniel looked down at Seleconne. Here was the man who had caused all the heartache that he and Casey - especially Casey - were dealing with. He was so angry that words wouldn’t come.

The short man recoiled from the look of icy hatred in those blue eyes.

"Here’s what’s going to happen," Jack said, his voice completely devoid of any emotion. "The two of you are going to answer our questions. Then we’re going to kill you." He turned to Daniel. "Let’s get everybody onto the Phoenix. I don’t want any…surprise…visitors. We still don’t know who Seleconne is working for. I do know it isn’t Ba’al."

Daniel nodded. "Sounds good to me."

Thirty minutes later the Phoenix was heading for home. Marine Two and Three had gone back through the ‘gate. Casey had wanted to go with them, eager to see her children. But her place was by the side of The Chosen.

A  A  A  A  A  A

The two prisoners were kept in separate cells…at opposite ends of the corridor. Casey had volunteered to help the Marines take food and water to them. Daniel watched her, a worried frown on his face. He found himself walking into the control room, where he could watch, and listen, to what transpired in the detention area. He watched her walk to Seleconne’s cell, watched as the Marines lowered the force field, and as she entered the narrow room.

"You are the wife of Daniel Jackson," Seleconne said. He smiled at her.

"And you’re the bastard who set him up. For Simmons, correct?"

The small man paled slightly.

"Don’t worry, he’s dead. Daniel killed him." She studied the black haired man. "I can see the resemblance. The dark hair, and dark eyes, of course. Your eyes and chins are…were the same. She was your sister. I’m guessing older."

Seleconne’s mouth dropped open. "You know of Drucilla?"

Casey barely repressed a shudder. "Yes. Unfortunately, I do. I can’t say that I’m sorry she’s dead, or that her…pleasure house…has been destroyed. I’m glad that the men she… tormented…are free. I’m glad that the women…girls…that you abused are free. And it won’t bother me a bit to watch you die. You hurt my Beloved, caused him so much anguish. For that alone you deserve to die. I'd kill you myself…right here, right now…if Jack didn’t want information from you first."

The short man had backed up against the wall of his cell, each word so imbued with anger…with hatred...that it was tangible.

She said nothing about his movements, but set the tray of food and the bottle of water on the floor. "You don’t deserve this, but we Tau’ri try to be fair, and treat prisoners with a modicum of care." She walked out of the cell, slammed the control that raised the electrical force-field.

Daniel was smiling. If Casey thought she was angry with Seleconne, she should be on this side of the ordeal! He was furious with the man who was the cause of all of her pain. It had started that night in his camp, continued until Thor had beamed them to his ship. She still suffered. His own actions, he knew, were to blame for her pain. But those actions never would have happened if not for this short, dark haired man.

She stopped in front of Ba’al’s cell. She took a deep breath. "If he so much as breathes wrong, you shoot, do you understand me? I’m Immortal. Just make sure the bastard is dead if you do fire," she told the Marines firmly.

"Yes, ma’am."

Daniel’s smile widened. She was definitely pissed off.

The guard lowered the force field, and Casey stepped into the cell, carrying the tray. She didn’t even look at the Goa’uld as she sat it on the floor.

"Do you have no words of anger, of hatred, for me?" he asked.

"I said everything I needed to say the last time you were in this cell," she replied.

He nodded slightly. "You are indeed a whore. To sit and make love with another man, when you knew that your husband was alive and well, takes a whore."

She stood up, and looked at him. Her lower lip went between her teeth.

Don’t do it, Case, he thought. Don’t buy into his lies. He couldn’t help but reach out and caress her gently.

She smiled at the soft caress. "Well, Daniel was aware of the entire thing. I don’t know if you have plays…acting…or not. We do. It’s great entertainment. That’s all it was Ba’al. An act. Really, what did you witness? One kiss. Not much of a kiss either, because we were both trying too hard not to laugh. I'm not a whore. I know that. Because Daniel told me so. And Daniel doesn’t lie."

Ba’al snorted, shook his head. "A man in love will say anything to keep the woman he loves happy. Even if he knows the truth to be different from what he tells her."

Casey thought about this. Took it to her heart, examined it. Wondered if there was any truth in it.

Daniel could see her eyes. Damn that freakin’ snake! ‘Don’t you believe that for one minute, Angel. If a man really loves a woman, he’ll tell her the truth, even if that truth might hurt. And then he’ll do his best to ease that pain. You are not a whore, Casey, don’t let that lying snake-headed bastard get to you.’

‘I take it you’re watching the monitors?’

He hesitated. Would she be upset, think he was spying on her? ‘Yeah, I am, Angel.’

‘Any particular reason?’

‘To make sure you’re safe.’

She smiled. ‘I thought it was so you could keep me from killing them.’

He chuckled. ‘Wouldn’t bother me in the least if you did.’

Ba’al watched her, knew that something was going on. He took advantage of her distraction, reached for her, grabbed her by the throat.

Daniel was already pushing the alarm. Then he was running to the cellblock.

Casey struggled for a minute. "Shoot him! Damn it, shoot!"

"I will rip your throat out," Ba’al hissed in her ear.

"Go for it. You’ll still wind up dead. That’s all that matters to me!" she snapped. She struggled against him, felt his arms tighten, the hand on her throat get a tighter grip.

"We are going to walk out of here," Ba’al said smugly.

"I’m Immortal. Nothing will keep them from killing you," she replied calmly.

The host of the body continued to whisper that she was the answer, that the Tau’ri would not fire upon them, in order to protect her. Continued to tell the Goa’uld that had tormented him for years that Immortality belonged only to the gods, not Tau’ri. The Goa’uld, maddened from overuse of the sarcophagus, and the ‘adjustments’ made to the mind of the host by the Ancient, listened to the whispers.

Daniel raced to the cell, watched as Ba’al pushed ever closer to the front of the cell. Casey met his eyes, and smiled. ‘Babe, it’s going to hurt like hell.’

‘I know. I’ve done it before.’

He nodded, and as soon as Ba’al was standing in the opening, he hit the control with his fist. Both the Goa’uld and his wife screamed in agony as the force field came up. He waited several long, intense seconds, then shut it off. He waited until the seizures in her body had stopped before he picked her up. "Put him back in the cell. Chances are the snake will heal the body."

The Marines obeyed.

A  A  A  A  A  A

He carried her up to their quarters. He would report to Jack once she was okay. He stretched out beside her, his hand caressing her body gently as he waited for her to reanimate. He smiled when her back arched, and she gasped in a breath.

"Oh, yeah. That hurt," she said softly.

He leaned over and kissed her. "Welcome back, Angel."

"Thank you. Is he dead?" Her hand was moving up and down his chest.

"He was when I…we…left. Don’t know if he still is or not." He pushed hair away from her face.

"Guess we should tell Jack what happened." Her fingers were tracing his jaw.

"Yep." He caught her hand, kissed her fingertips. "We’d better go now, or we won’t make it off of this bed."

"I know," she said quietly. "But…later…later I’m going to show you how much I love you," she whispered.

He shivered at the promise. "I’ll hold you to that, Angel."

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