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Sam and the techs on Gamma had succeeded in getting a pair of contacts made that would 'glow' when triggered by a tiny device fixed on the thumb of the ribbon device. Jacob/Selmak had sent the collar that would change the harmonics and modulation of her voice, giving her that dual quality characteristic of the Goa'uld. She was ready to begin her impersonation of Hathor.

She took the vial of the Hathor drug, and boarded the Hak'tyl. Master Bra'tac suggested that she call 'her' ship the Cal mah, which was Goa'uld for sanctuary. She agreed. Daniel, Jack, and Teal'c followed on the Persephone.

Methos was pacing on the bridge of the Phoenix. The ship was near a large moon, one that orbited an equally large gas giant, similar to Jupiter. 'Hathor' was to meet him here. Ashnan was already here; she was waiting on her own ship. In fact, she was insisting that the meeting be held here.

"My Lord, Colonel Carter…er…Lady Hathor approaches," the Jaffa at the communications console informed him.

The young/old man nodded. "Try not to make that mistake again, it could get us all killed," he said quietly. The Jaffa nodded solemnly.

He turned to look at Wade and Casey. "Okay, let's do this. Remember, Casey, fight me. Wade, you're going to try and keep her subdued."

They nodded their understanding. With four Jaffa handpicked by Teal'c, they ringed aboard Ashnan's ship.

Sam ringed aboard immediately after they did, four trusted Jaffa chosen by Bra'tac with her, and young Becca serving as her lo'taur. As had been agreed upon, Sam walked to Methos, kissed him on the lips gently. "It has been a long time, Methos," she said softly.

He smiled. "Yes, it has, Hathor. I was told that you had been killed."

"I allowed my enemies to believe that, while I slowly rebuilt my army. Now, I am ready to take on those who would see me destroyed." She turned to look at Casey. "Well, well, who have we here?"

"This is Casey Jackson," Methos replied. "My consort. I took the Chel’nok from the Tau'ri. I killed the one called Daniel Jackson, and took her, his wife."

Sam moved to stand face to face with Casey. "Ah, yes. Daniel Jackson. My Beloved. He became mine when I took over the SGC on Earth." She turned to face Methos, leaving the young blonde staring wide-eyed at her.

Casey had wondered why Sam had asked her what Daniel had told her about the incident with Hathor at the SGC, why the colonel had smiled when she had replied that he had said only that the Goa'uld had managed to take over the base until the women freed them all. Now she understood. No wonder Daniel hadn't wanted to talk about her!

"I also know that you killed the woman named Carter. Do not fool yourself concerning the death of Daniel Jackson, however. He is alive, Methos. I have seen him. He and the one called O'Neill, who would have become my First Prime, and the shol'va, Teal'c are even now looking for you," Sam 'informed' him.

Methos smiled again. "If Daniel Jackson is your Beloved, Hathor, then perhaps you will soon be reunited."

Sam shook her head. "He is immune to my…charms…now, and our last meeting was… unpleasant. I believe that I shall kill him for his insolence." Sam bit back a smile. The second time they had met Hathor, her minions had nearly convinced each of them that they were the lone survivors of SG-1, cryogenically frozen until 2079. Jack had been the first one to figure it out, and he had managed to free them, and eventually killed Hathor. But not before she had goaded Daniel, and tried to infest Jack with a Goa'uld.

The young/old man gave a careless shrug. "What you do with him doesn't concern me."

Casey stared coldly at both of them. "If Daniel is alive, he won't rest until he finds me. He'll kill both of you, and I'll stand at his side and watch!"

"I do not believe that will ever happen, my little Tau'ri. You will watch Hathor destroy him, unless he begs to become her Beloved once again," Methos replied.

The thought of Daniel with the real Hathor, begging to be her Beloved in exchange for his life, brought tears to her eyes. "No, you snake-headed bastard! He's more powerful than you know! That's why you couldn't…didn't…kill him! He'll come for me, and leave you, all of you, dead!" she hissed, looking from Methos to Sam to Ashnan and back again.

Sam smiled. She was going to have to tell Casey what a great actress she was! She looked at Ashnan. "You are Methos'…ally?"

That woman closed the distance between herself and Methos', put her hand in his. "Among other things." Her 'memory' of their day together with his lo'taur and Tau'ri consort filled her nights with longing. She was hoping for another such…adventure…while they were aboard her ship. Her intentions were plain to see in the calculating look she gave Casey.

It was all the three could do to keep from laughing out loud. Wade and Becca exchanged glances, also fighting to keep smiles from their faces.

"Come, let us refresh ourselves, and discuss the meeting that will take place as soon as the others arrive," Ashnan said. She turned and led the way to her private salon.

Methos grabbed Casey, pulled her close, allowed the young blonde to struggle for a minute. "Contact Daniel, let him know that the others are on their way," he whispered in her ear.

She struggled again, gave him a subtle look and wink. 'Daniel?'

'Right here, babe.'

'Ashnan just informed Methos that the other System Lords will be here soon. Evidently they're all on their way.'

'Okay. Thanks for the heads up.'

'You never told me about you and Hathor.' She couldn't help but smile a little bit.

'What?'

'You never told me that you were Hathor's Beloved.'

She could 'hear' him groan. 'Yeah, well, it's not something I like to think about! I was under the influence of that drug of hers. It didn't work the second time around.'

'So I was just told. I guess Sam will just kill you, unless you want to beg to be her Beloved again.'

This time Daniel chuckled. 'She just had to use that, didn't she?'

'Hey, it worked!'

'I'll bet it did. Love you, Angel.'

She almost giggled out loud. 'Trying to reassure me?'

'Smart aleck. No, I'm not trying to reassure you. I just needed to say it.'

'Love you too, Sweetheart. I have to go now. I really do love you, Daniel.'

'I know, Angel. I love you, too. Be careful.'

'You, too.'

A  A  A  A  A  A

Methos pulled Casey onto the sofa beside him, watched with satisfaction as Sam settled herself on the other side of him. Ashnan's eyes flashed with jealousy. "How many System Lords will be attending this meeting?" he asked.

She glared at Sam before she answered. "Five. Laurel has convinced Burien, and Penatil spoke with Unlinkil-jeen and Orion."

Casey tried not to react to two of the names. Unlinkil was the name of the god that they had found references to on P7R 459. The '-jeen' suffix could be a reference to this Goa'uld as being a child of this 'god'. And Orion was a mythological figure on Earth. Yet another Goa'uld who had at one time lived there? She would have to remember to tell Daniel about this. Any information they could find on these 'gods' would give them an advantage.

Methos nodded. "Good. Together we are stronger than Nergal. If he wishes to fight us, then fight we will. It isn't right that he takes from those around him with such blatant disregard for the designs of the Empire."

Ashnan smiled. "I agree, my love. For too long Nergal has done as he pleased, making himself stronger, more powerful than the rest of us. It is time for him to learn that he is one of us, not above us."

"Anubis was taught such a lesson. He was destroyed for his arrogance," Sam said quietly.

"Methos has told me of this one. That he was destroyed is only what he deserved. The rules of the Empire are explicit. None may place themselves above their brothers or sisters," Ashnan said, nodding.

Methos began to absently run his hand up and down Casey's arm. She was sure that he wasn't even aware of doing it. However, in keeping with their charade, she tried to pull sharply away from him. He looked at her for a moment, then smiled. "Noc! Do not try to escape me, my little Tau'ri. Remember your place."

"My place is at Daniel's side," she said through gritted teeth. And to her, that was the absolute truth. She would much rather have Daniel here than Wade. She reached out, just to touch him, feel his presence. Closed her eyes when she felt his gentle caress in return.

Sam looked at her. "I think I shall allow him to live. So that he might see his wife at the side of her god, and that she can see that he has no power, cannot save her."

Casey stared at Sam for a few seconds, bit her lip to keep from laughing. The blonde colonel glanced at Ashnan, found that woman busy giving instructions to her lo'taur, and winked at her young friend. "He'll kill you, all of you. I'm glad that all of you snakeheads will be together. It will make it easier for him to destroy you all!"

A  A  A  A  A  A

Methos, Wade, and Casey were back on the Phoenix, Sam and Becca on the Hak'tyl. Their communications were carefully encoded and hidden in white noise. Even if Ashnan were to discover that they were talking to one another, the prior 'relationship' between Methos and 'Hathor' would be enough to explain it away. The rest of SG-1, on the Persephone, were able to listen to the conversation, but would not risk replying.

"What we have are five System Lords who alone aren't a threat to Nergal. Not actually much of a challenge for us," Methos was saying. "Together, with Sam and I, we're still going to be equally matched. So, we'll see what happens the first time around. If things go our way, we let them take out Nergal, then the Phoenix, the Hak'tyl, the Prometheus, and the Persephone will take the five of them out. If not, I'll suggest an alliance with the Tau'ri. I don't know that they'll go for it, but we can at least try."

"If nothing else, if it looks like the battle is going Nergal's way, if the Prometheus and Persephone join in, it might give us the edge we need," Sam replied.

"According to what little Ashnan told us, Orion is the oldest of the Goa'uld, at least in this sector, with the exception of Nergal. She is his contemporary, although she's younger. By a century or so. Penatil is the youngest, and Unlinkil-jeen is the least experienced, I'm thinking that he…or she…is the offspring of Unlinkil, the god we had never heard of before. Burien seems to be an unknown, Ashnan didn't seem too eager to talk about him. Either she doesn't have intel on him, or she doesn't want Methos to know about him. I'm thinking it could be that Burien is a former lover…or maybe not as former as she would like," Casey added. "Oh, by the way, tell Tony that I'll be glad to send on his best regards the next time I see Ashnan."

The men on the Persephone laughed. SG-6, who were sitting with SG-1, laughed loudest at the flush that covered the man's olive-skinned cheeks.

"Casey is going to…slip…and tell Ashnan that it was SG-1 that freed Tony. We figure that it might help convince these Goa'uld that the Tau'ri could be a valuable ally, if needed," Methos said.

"Okay, until the others arrive, we basically sit back and wait, although I have the feeling that Ashnan isn't going to be happy doing that. I expect her to either demand that Methos board her ship again, or she'll go to the Phoenix," Sam said.

"Don't worry, Daniel, plenty Sectonin left in those rings," Casey giggled.

Once again the men on the Persephone laughed. Casey had been reluctant to tell them about Ashnan's request of Methos, but her report demanded it.

'Just as long as you use it before she strips you this time!'

'Smart aleck!'

Methos saw the smile on her face, knew that Daniel must be teasing her. If the men on the Persephone had questions, Daniel would relay them to Casey. "So far everything is going as planned, and expected."

"My Lord, Lady Ashnan wishes to speak to you," the communications officer reported.

"Well, ladies and gents, it seems that Ashnan is a bit jealous. I'll see if I can't soothe her ruffled feathers a bit," Methos said with a grin.

A  A  A  A  A  A

"My love, join me for dinner," Ashnan said, appearing on the communication screen. "Your Consort is invited also, of course."

Methos looked at Casey, a plan forming in his mind. "I will join you. I will consider bringing Casey." He waved his hand, and the communication link was broken.

Casey looked at him. "You're up to something."

The young/old man grinned, then turned to the Jaffa. "Would it be unusual for a System Lord to visit another ship without his lo'taur, just four loyal Jaffa?"

"No, Methos…er…my lord, it would not. If you wish, we will attempt to download information from her computer. There are several Rebels on board her ship," the tall man replied.

He nodded. "Good. Then Casey and Wade will stay here. Do you know for sure which Jaffa are rebels?"

"Yes. They will help us with the computers, in exchange for passage to the Jaffa Rebel home world."

"As long as they aren't agents of Ashnan, or even another of the System Lords bent on wiping out the rebellion," Methos replied dryly.

The Jaffa around him exchanged smiles. "There is a way to know for sure whether a rebel is truly with us or not. These Jaffa have passed that test."

"I will trust your judgment on this." He turned to Casey. "I might not be back tonight. It's perfectly fine if you want to sleep in your own quarters."

She nodded. "Okay. Just be careful, Methos. No talking in your sleep!"

He chuckled. "If I did that, I would have lost my head long ago. Wish me luck!"

"Good luck, Old Man," she said, a smile on her face.

A  A  A  A  A  A

She was lying alone on their bed, missing him so much it was a physical ache. "Daniel?"

'Right here, babe.'

"I miss you," she said softly.

'I miss you too, Angel.'

"I wish you were here."

'I wish I were there too, Casey. It makes me nervous having you that close to enemy.'

"That's not why I wish you were here right now," she giggled.

She could 'feel' his smile. 'You don’t miss me being there to protect you?'

"Oh, I miss that. It's a little action with that anaconda of yours that I'm missing more."

Sitting in his quarters on the Persephone, Daniel laughed out loud. "Anaconda, huh? Where did you ever come up with that?"

'Animal Planet. Ever seen one of those things? They're huge!'

He was practically rolling on his bunk. Her words stroked his ego as well as making him laugh. "God, I love you!"

'I love you, too, Sweetheart. So…um…do you miss me?'

"Very much babe."

'Really? Like…what do you miss the most?'

He grinned. "I miss kissing your sweet lips. I miss playing with, making love to those perfect boobs. I miss holding you close. Miss pounding into that sweet body of yours."

'Um…how are the kids?'

He laughed again. "What's the matter Angel?"

'You know damned good and well what the matter is! I'm going to have to take a freaking cold shower! From now on, Barney comes with me on missions like this!'

He laughed again. "The kids are fine, babe. I just received a message from your mom. Nicholas is cutting another tooth, and it seems that Emily might have the chicken pox. It's going around, and Doctor Montigue says it's better that they get it while they're young, then they aren't sick with it."

'My baby is sick? Oh, Daniel, I should be there! We should be there!'

"Angel, she's okay. Erin isn't even sure she has them. She found a few red spots on her tummy. She's not acting sick at all." He reached out to soothe her, felt her frustration and worry. He smiled when he felt her caress him in return. He 'heard' her yawn. "Get some sleep, Angel. I'll talk to you later."

Casey pulled his pillow into her embrace. "I'll try. I don't sleep well without you."

'I know. I don't sleep well without you, either.'

"Love you, Daniel."

'Love you, Casey.'

"Goodnight."

'Goodnight, my Beloved.'

She felt his gentle caress, felt him 'move away'. With a sigh, she closed her eyes to sleep.

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