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Contains graphic violence and sexually explicit material, including torture and rape Adults only, please.
 “I thought the video feed showed rolling hills and flowers,” O’Neill said as they stepped through the gate and set foot on a new world for the first time and found a veritable jungle. “Yeah,” Jackson said, lifting his foot from a pile of some sort of unsettling goo. “This isn’t very pastoral, is it?” “I don’t understand it, sir,” Carter said with a frown. “The video feedback distinctly showed a pleasant field of flowers around the stargate.” “Could we have somehow come to the wrong planet?” “The coordinates were entered correctly.” “And we would have sensed the energy surge if the wormhole were somehow altered.” “What about you, Teal’c?” O’Neill asked. “Any ideas?” “I’m afraid not, Colonel O’Neill.” Before they could discuss the matter further, a very old man dressed in rags leaped into their midst just in time to be mauled by some horrific looking animal. All four of them fired at the creature, which was dead before it and the old man hit the ground, but the man was obviously hurt badly. “What the hell was that?” O’Neill wanted to know. “This man should be dead,” Carter said from where she had knelt down by the old man. “But he’s not - we need to get him back ASAP before he bleeds to death.” “We don’t even know …” O’Neill saw the looks his team was giving him, so he gave it up and shouldered his gun to help carry the wounded man back to the stargate. “I’ll dial home,” Jackson said. The old man made it to the newcomers before the beast could pounce, but when he raised his hands to deflect the attack, nothing happened. What a time for his powers to finally fail! He had known the end was near, but he had hoped to go quietly rather than being torn apart. It was too late to move. All he could do was watch as everything seemed to slow. The weight of the animal hitting his chest knocked the air from him, while the back claws slashed his abdomen. One set of front claws punctured his chest while the other raked across his neck - almost slitting his throat. He hit the ground hard and the beast rolled off him dead. The newcomers could take care of themselves, it seemed. Another bit of rye irony, that. As his senses floated away, he could see the pretty blonde hovering over him. Her voice was ambrosia. At least he would die happy. 
“Incoming!” called a technician at SGC. “Call sign, SG-1, General.” “They’ve only been gone 20 minutes, get a medical team down there.” “Yes, sir!” General Hammond and a medical team were waiting when the gate opened. SG-1 returned with a stranger. “He was badly injured trying to protect us, General,” Carter said as Teal’c and O’Neill placed the old man gently onto the waiting gurney. The General looked to O’Neill for an explanation, but the Colonel only shrugged and raised his eyebrows. Realizing he was unlikely to get any further information at the moment, General Hammond sighed and followed the medical team and SG-1 to the infirmary. “The planet was nothing like the video feedback we got,” Jackson said. “No, it was one big jungle,” Carter agreed. “This old man lunged out of no where to come between us and some great big animal.” “Yeah,” Jackson added. “It was like a big cat with scales.” “And big claws.” “Yeah, really big claws.” “All right,” Hammond had to interject, waving his hands for emphasis. “All right, what say we get the story from the beginning and a little more objectively. Colonel?” “Oh, yeah, they were really big claws, Sir,” O’Neill nodded. “Definitely.” After an exasperated glare from Hammond, O’Neill said, “Okay, sir, it was like this: We got to the other side and it was nothing like the video feed - no flowers, now rolling hills, no green pastures. It was jungle. And not your nice rain forest jungle either - it was overgrown, slimy, smelly swampy jungle. So, we walked around a bit and discussed what may have gone wrong when this old guy popped up out of nowhere just in time to be mauled by a creature with really huge claws.” He held his hand in a claw-like manner to demonstrate just how huge. “And then we brought him back here. Sir.” The General looked to Teal’c, who said simply, “That is correct, General Hammond.” “Well, who is he?” “We don’t know, sir,” Carter answered. 
“Doctor Janet Frasier walked over pulling some rubber gloves from her hands. “Well, he’s stabilized at the moment and I don’t know why. His wounds were extensive when you first brought him in, but they don’t look half as bad now, which is a good thing because I couldn’t type his blood.” “He’s not Human, then?” “Oh, he seems to be Human - at least partially so, but he certainly has some abnormalities in his blood. If he keeps healing at this rate, he may be up and about in a week.” Just then, the old man began to mumble in agitation, as if he were having a nightmare. “What’s he saying?” O’Neill asked. Jackson narrowed his eyes and tilted his head a bit as he listened intently. “I’m not sure,” he finally answered. “But it sounds like an ancient form of Gaelic.” Everyone looked at each other in astonishment a moment before continuing their discussion. One of the first things they did was to send another probe through to P3Y-873, but all it showed was endless jungle. Where the heck had their first probe gone to? While Carter puzzled over that question and Jackson studied up on ancient Gaelic, O’Neill and Teal’c took the opportunity to practice their hand-to-hand techniques. O’Neill found it to be a bruising experience. The old man awoke with a familiar tingle through his body. He felt like he was floating and he kept his eyes closed to enjoy the feeling. It had been so long - death wasn’t so bad after all, he thought. But then he felt a twinge of pain. That wasn’t right. He shouldn’t feel pain when he’s dead. Maybe he wasn’t dead. But if he wasn’t dead, why did he feel the old familiar tingle again? Was it possible? Could it be? Was he … back on Earth? He opened his eyes and looked around. He was in a sterile looking room with several small beds like the one he was laying upon. He was covered by a white sheet. He peeked under it and saw he was wearing pants made of some sort of soft material. His wounds were bandaged, but they didn’t hurt very much. He heard small sounds just outside the room, so he slipped out of bed and padded over to the door. Opening the door a crack, he saw a woman wearing a long white coat. Her back was to him, but from the sounds, she was evidently fiddling with test tubes or some other glass apparatus. He walked up behind her and touched her on the shoulder. Doctor Frasier swung around with a cry and they both jumped in fright. She placed a hand to her chest and took a deep breath, but before she could say anything, several men with weapons appeared. The old man turned and waved his hand. Just as Dr. Frasier said, “No, don’t shoot,” the weapons floated out of the soldiers hands and across the room. The old man stepped back and held his hands up to show he meant no harm. A moment later, Daniel Jackson and General Hammond entered the room, followed closely by Major Carter, Colonel O’Neill and Teal'c. A couple more soldiers rushed in with weapons, but the old man waved his other hand and these weapons joined the others across the room. “Okay, stand down,” the General ordered. “Tell him we mean him no harm,” he said. Jackson stammered a bit, but then relayed the sentiment in ancient Gaelic. The man grinned in astonishment. It was good to hear his native tongue again, even if the pronunciation was somewhat flawed. “Maybe I didn’t say it right,” Jackson said. “Oh, no, you did quite well, actually,” the man assured him in English with a smooth, lilting accent. “The language has surely been dead for centuries, the fact you can speak it at all is astounding. Allow me to introduce myself - I am Merlin.” He bowed ever so slightly and added, “At your service.” “Merlin?” O’Neill said. “As in …. The magician?” Merlin raised an eyebrow at O’Neill and Jackson interjected, “Oh, I think Merlin was a wizard.” “Quite right, my boy!” Merlin replied jovially - he liked this young man. “And now that I’m back on Earth, I seem to be a wizard once more.” “When you jumped in front of that creature …?” Carter asked. “A most unfortunate moment for my powers to fail completely, wouldn’t you agree, milady?” Merlin grinned when Carter blushed at his use of milady. “I have introduced myself, but you . . .” “I’m Daniel Jackson,” Jackson volunteered. “And this is Major Carter, Colonel O’Neill and Teal’c. And this is General Hammond.” “Pleased to make your acquaintance,” Merlin said with another bow. “I take it, then, General, that you are in charge here?” “That’s right, Mr. Merlin.” “Oh, just Merlin, please. Might I ask, General, why are we … beneath the surface of the Earth?” “How do you know we’re beneath the surface?” O’Neill asked. “I can . . . feel it, Colonel O’Neill. I would very much like to see the surface.” “This is a secure facility, Merlin,” Hammond said. “Am I a prisoner here?” “If you are who you say you are,” Carter said. “I doubt we could keep you prisoner.” Merlin tilted his head at the Major. “I have no reason to feel malice towards any of you. You saved my life and brought me back to Earth. Even if my powers were at their full, I couldn’t just …. Wish myself from underground. But I have been gone a very long time and I would dearly love to see this world again. So, if I am not a prisoner, then, may I see the surface?” “I think that could be arranged, Merlin,” General Hammond said. “But first, we’d like to hear more of your story, if you’re feeling up to it.” “Up to it?” Doctor Frasier said. “I don’t even know how he could get out of bed.” Merlin turned and smiled sweetly. “And have you a name, dear lady?” he asked. Frasier grinned and said, “I’m Doctor Frasier, er, Janet Frasier.” “Janet,” he bowed and brought her hand to his lips. “Seems I owe my continued existence to you and I thank you.” She blushed and waved her other hand flightily. “Oh, well, it’s my job …” “And a fine job you’re doing, too, doctor.” Merlin straightened and Frasier smiled. “Let me get you a robe and some slippers, sir.” “Thank you once again, milady,” Merlin said as Frasier helped him slip into the robe. She brought a cane as well, along with the slippers, for which the old man was grateful. He calmly followed the others out as the soldiers shook their heads and retrieved their weapons. The soldiers glanced at the doctor, who smiled, shrugged and said, “Don’t ask me, guys.” “Have a seat, Merlin,” Hammond said when they’d entered the conference room. The old man eased himself into a chair with a soft sigh and the rest took their seats as well. Jackson was like a schoolboy. “What was King Arthur really like?” he asked before everyone had even had a chance to settle down. Merlin opened his mouth to reply, but Hammond cut him off with, “I think that can wait, Doctor Jackson; I’ve more immediate concerns at the moment.” “Oh, right, General,” he said, then leaned over to speak across Carter who sat between him and Merlin to add, “But I’m dying to know all about it, Merlin,” “Quite alright, my boy,” Merlin assured him with a grin - it was good to know the Human race still possessed a thirst for knowledge. “I seem to have a lot of time now, so no hurries.” “Right,” Hammond said with a soft glare in Jackson’s direction. “First, I’d like to know, were you born here on Earth, Merlin?” “Oh, yes, General - born and bred.” “But you’re not Human,” Carter said. “Half Human,” Merlin responded. “How did you end up on P3Y-873?” O’Neill wanted to know. “P3Y-873?” “The planet we found you on,” Carter clarified. “Well, that’s a bit of a long story, actually.” “We have time,” Hammond said simply. “Right,” Merlin sighed. “Well, the short version is, the Goa’uld felt I would make a … superior host.” O’Neill tensed, but no one said anything. “They were wrong,” Merlin added simply as he reached for a glass of water that sat on the table before him. He took a sip and reveled in the pure taste that only the water on Earth possessed. He’d forgotten how good it could be and took another drink. “How wrong?” O’Neill asked with an edge to his voice that made Carter and Jackson glance worriedly in his direction. Teal’c raised an eyebrow, but Hammond and Merlin both seemed not to notice. Merlin placed the glass back on the table and replied, “Very wrong.” He turned to face O’Neill and explained. “They couldn’t control me, you see - will is too strong. Lost, oh, a dozen or so little parasites before they gave up and dumped me off on some god forsaken planet somewhere.” Jackson said, “You believe in God?” and Carter said, “P3Y-873?” at the same time. Hammond, O’Neill and Carter all glanced at Jackson while Teal’c raised his other eyebrow. Merlin smiled at Jackson and told him, “Perhaps our theological conversation should wait, dear boy.” Then he looked to Carter, his gaze delving deep into her blue eyes, and said, “No.” Carter was lost a moment. Merlin may have been a very old man, but at that moment, his eyes were the clearest blue she’d ever seen and that one word spoken with that incredible voice was the most seductive thing she’d ever heard. She started feeling hot. When the old man finally broke the connection, she blinked in embarrassment and furtively glanced around to see if anyone had noticed. It must have been no more than a fleeting moment, but it had felt like an eternity sprawled before a roaring fire with strong arms holding her. She blushed. “No,” Merlin continued to the group. “Believe it or not, that was the best planet I could find. The one they dumped me on was about ready to explode in volcanic eruption. I was able to dial a viable address on the Chappa Eye before that happened, but that planet was little better.” “You were able to open the stargate?” Carter asked incredulous. “Stargate?” Merlin mused. “What an apt name for it.” He smiled and she melted a little more. “Yes, I knew how to dial an address, but the number of possible combinations is enormous and it sometimes took me months of trying to find one that actually worked. And none of the planets I found were promising. I finally gave up and settled on that one where you found me. It was quiet and after destroying several of the beasts, they tended to leave me be.” “It was a pretty dismal place,” Jackson said. “Oh, but I could always brighten it up when I wanted - well, so long as my power remained. It was failing, as you witnessed. I would have been dead in short order had you not arrived when you did and I thank you all.” “Did you make the area around the stargate look like a pleasant meadow, then?” Jackson asked. Merlin thought a moment. “Yes, for a while that day, I did. Why?” “Wait,” O’Neill said, leaning up. “Your illusions - they show up on video?” Merlin tilted his head a bit in thought. “That would depend on the type of illusion, I suppose.” “The question I have for you, Merlin,” Hammond said. “Is this - will you help us fight the Goa’uld?” “Fight the Goa’uld? Of course, I’ll help you, General, if that’s your goal.” He smiled and sat back before continuing. “May I ask a few questions of my own?” “Certainly,” Hammond said. “First,” he said turning to O’Neill. “Why did you want to know if my illusions would show up on video?” O’Neill opened his mouth to answer, but Jackson butted in with, “How do you even know about video? You had to have been taken before Earth’s stargate was buried, which was long before video …” Merlin smiled. “Perhaps, but I’ve been around since. I’ve seen many technologically advanced planets.” Jackson nodded and then mumbled, “Sorry” and gestured to O’Neill to continue. He opened his mouth once again to speak, but now Carter interrupted. “Before we went to P3Y … er, the planet we found you on, we sent a probe through the stargate, which sent back video of the area. It showed a lovely pastoral field full of flowers.” Merlin chuckled. “What a rude awakening you must have found when you arrived, then. Oh, that is funny.” O’Neill rolled his eyes, but didn’t say anything. When Merlin was done chuckling, he said, “Okay, so young Mr. Jackson - or did I hear the General call you Doctor as well?” Jackson shrugged in a dismissive manner, but Merlin didn’t give him a chance to say anything. “You answered my next question regarding the burial of the stargate. I strongly advised the Pharaoh to do so, but never knew for sure if he had. My abduction must have shook him up a bit.” He gazed off into the past a moment before coming back to the here and now. “Glad to know.” Looking now to Teal’c, he said, “My next question is for you, dear sir. The symbol on your forehead - I don’t recognize it - which Goa’uld did you serve, Jaffa?” Teal’c raised an eyebrow. “I was first Prime to Apophis.” “Apophis?” Merlin thought a moment. “I’m not familiar with him. Did you kill him?” “He is dead,” Teal’c answered simply. “Good.” Merlin nodded and sat back satisfied. “Finally, did Christianity ever catch on at all?” Everyone in the room glanced at each other, but this time O’Neill broke the silence. “Oh, it’s still around, yeah,” he said. Carter was quick to volunteer to escort their guest to the surface. They offered to get the old man some more suitable clothes - it was a chilly night in the Colorado mountains, but he waved a hand dismissively. He knew if he was able to recharge his power fully on the surface as he hoped he would, he could conjure whatever clothing he wanted. During the lift ride to the surface, Carter told him, “It’s evening, so you won’t really be able to see much.” “I can see in the dark,” Merlin replied as he leaned heavily on the cane. “Oh.” Silence. “It’ll be chilly.” “The cold doesn’t bother me much.” “Oh.” Silence. It was a long way up. “I’m afraid we won’t be able to leave the base.” “That’s quite all right, Major - do you have a first name?” “Oh, errr, well, of course I do.” She blushed. “And what is it?” “What’s what?” “Your first name.” He grinned ever so slightly, his eyes twinkling in amusement. “Oh, sorry. Samantha - or Sam.” “Well, Sam, I think we’re almost to the surface. I can feel it.” “Yes, you’re right.” Once outside, Merlin took a deep breath. “The air doesn’t smell quite the same.” “Probably pollution.” “Pollution? Ah, yes, industrial impurities. Pity.” They made their way to a lightly wooded area and Merlin stopped. He gazed up at the stars. With his feet firmly on the ground and slightly apart, he dropped the cane. His back arched slightly as his arms seemed to float up and out at a 45 degree angle; palms up and fingers outstretched, his two middle fingers curled slightly up. His long white hair drifted lazily behind him in a slight breeze. Carter almost spoke, but caught her breath when the old man started glowing. His eyes were open and a small rapturous smile curled his lips and he actually seemed to be glowing. Merlin felt the presence and his body reacted instinctively to the visitation. It was not his beloved Lady of the Lake, but another Earth Sprite named Viviane. She came before him like a dream and breathed sweet life back into his battered and worn body. A wordless conversation ensued; the likes of which he hadn’t had for so many centuries, he’d forgotten how wonderful it could be. As Carter watched, the old man began to change. The wrinkles on his face began to smooth, his frail body became firm, his wispy white hair darkened and became full. As the last of the wrinkles receded, the white beard grew shorter and darker until it vanished completely. When the glow faded, a beautiful young man remained. As Viviane withdrew back to her home, Merlin could feel the strength returned to his bones and the power returned to his mind. He closed his eyes a moment to savour the long forgotten feeling. Then he tilted his head and smiled at the beautiful woman standing nearby. Carter gasped as those same sparkling blue eyes pierced her soul. Speechless, she could only watch as he waved his hands slightly before his body and the pajamas, robe and slippers became … leathers, feathers and wool. He knelt slowly without taking his eyes off her and picked up the cane which was now a long, intricately carved staff. “Incredible,” she whispered. 
He smiled more broadly. “That’s just what I thought when I first laid eyes on you, Sam.”
“But how …?” “Magic.” He held his arm out and she took it with a grin. As they re-entered the facility, they received some startled looks, but no one challenged the major’s authority. News travels fast underground and everyone not on immediate duty was hanging around the entrance waiting for the newcomer’s return. General Hammond had tried ordering them all back to whatever they should be doing, but they only wandered back, so he gave it up. It’s not every day one has a chance to meet a wizard, after all. Major Carter, however, returned with a stranger. The fragile old man called Merlin was nowhere to be seen. Instead, there was some strong, sturdy man in the prime of life with long dark hair and a firm stride. He wore leather pants, fur boots, a heavy wool shirt and a cape that seemed made of feathers. In his hand was a long wooden staff full of minute Celtic looking carvings. General Hammond strode purposefully towards the duo and the rest of SG-1 followed. Everyone else remained at a polite distance. “What’s the meaning of this, Major?” the General demanded to know. “Where’s the old man?” Merlin smiled jovially and exclaimed, “I am the old man, General. You see me now in my true form - firm of body and … mind.” As if to prove his claim, he waved a hand and blooming vines suddenly climbed the walls and draped from the ceiling. “What the hell is this?” Hammond wanted to know. “I’m in a festive mood, General, and thought to liven up the place a little.” “This is a military installation, Mister, and I’ll have order - remove them at once!” Merlin shrugged and waved them all away again. “As you wish, General - I meant no disrespect. I am, as ever, at your service, sir.” He bowed graciously and sincerely. Hammond coloured slightly - suddenly somewhat ashamed of his angry outburst. “Yes, well, just don’t let it happen again. The Colonel can show you to your quarters.” He bowed his head slightly, turned and headed for his office. “Back to work!” he yelled to all the onlookers, who scattered like leaves in a crosswind. O’Neill grinned surreptitiously. The quarters provided were not regal, but it was certainly better than he’d seen in many a century. There was a soft cot, a desk and chair, a closet and a bathroom. This latter was interesting: Merlin was no stranger to indoor plumbing - the Romans had perfected the heated bath long before he was born, but he’d never seen a flushing toilet before and the indoor shower was a marvel. This he took advantage of right away. He stood naked in the shower, the hot water streaming over his sturdy limbs, washing away centuries of anger, rage, thirst for revenge, helplessness, boredom and loneliness. It felt wonderful to be young and strong again. He heard the bathroom door sigh open and then gently click closed again and he heard the soft rustle of clothing being removed, but he didn’t move or open his eyes. Someone slipped into the stall behind him, but still he stood with eyes closed and the water streaming down his chest. He thought he knew who it was, but couldn’t be sure. It didn’t matter; it had been so long since he had experienced any form of human intimate contact, he didn’t really care who it was. When the fingers brushed his shoulder and back, he sighed and knew it was Sam. Without opening his eyes or turning around, he said, “Be sure you’re willing to accept the consequences before you start something, Sam.” Carter was burning with desire. She had felt it back in the conference room when Merlin had pinned her with his gaze like a rabbit caught in headlights, but then she had felt the attraction was sick - he’d been such an old man. But now that he was young and strong and oh-so damned adorable, she couldn’t possibly resist. She wrapped her arms around him and leaned her head against his shoulder, running her fingers along the scant hair across his chest and down his belly, her hands travelling down and down till … He leaned his head back and moaned softly before turning into her arms. He was already rock hard and she’d been wet before she ever stepped into the shower. Her blond hair was damp and disheveled and her blue eyes seemed to mirror his own hunger. Her soft lips were gently parted and her tongue ran over her teeth seductively. Merlin tried to remember to breathe - he knew it was necessary for something or other. Her slender, pale body was beyond beautiful. He cupped one firm, round breast as he lowered his mouth over hers, probing with his tongue as she gasped in wanton pleasure. Merlin was like a statue standing there in the shower - a perfectly chiseled marble statue. Carter was almost afraid to touch him, but her arm rose of it’s own accord and her fingers brushed his shoulder and down his back. When he sighed and spoke, she lost all reserve. To hell with any consequences, she wanted this man now. When he turned into her arms and she could see that he was already hard with desire, it was all she could do not to pull him into herself then and there. When he gripped her breast and kissed her, she went limp in his strong, sinewy arms. Merlin lifted her effortlessly and sat her down on the shower seat, burying his face between her moist breasts, water streaming down his hair and onto her skin as he kneeled before her. She gripped his slick hair and pulled his face up to hers. “Now,” she demanded, her voice low and husky. “You sure?” Merlin asked, breathless. Their hands groped, kneaded and clawed at each other. “God, Merlin, shut up and take me now.” With that said, he gave over to his own need. Merlin rose to his feet, lifting Carter’s slim form as he did so. Bracing her back against the wall, he slid inside her swiftly and easily. Merlin moaned softly and Carter wrapped her legs around his waist with a whoop. The aged wizard grinned at her enthusiasm. Her nails raked along his back as he pumped her soft mound and kissed her slender neck. She was like a wild cat - growling, clawing, sucking him in deeper and deeper - he’d never known a lover like her. When he felt the tiny convulsions of her orgasm ripple along his shaft, he couldn’t hold back any longer and his seed sprayed inside her. They both moaned and held each other tightly as their bodies shuddered in physical ecstasy and he knew. He knew his seed was already taking hold, just as he knew the boy would be a great wizard. What he didn’t know was how he could tell her without tearing her world apart? The weeks that followed were filled with questions and awed whispers behind his back. It had been a long while, but he found he still enjoyed a little story-telling and he didn’t mind the furtive glances and supposedly secret signs against the evil eye. The lovely Doctor Frasier paid him a visit now and then to make sure he really was mended. She acted surprised every time she confirmed that he was fine and he just grinned charmingly at her as she walked out shaking her head. When they weren’t out on a mission, the members of SG-1 were common visitors. Daniel Jackson, in fact, made a nuisance of himself. Merlin didn’t mind, though, as the young man’s enthusiasm was refreshing. Jack O’Neill didn’t talk much, but he did teach Merlin how to box; much to his own regret, as the old mage was a quick study and had a strong right cross. With Teal’c, he would debate the finer points of Goa’uld strategy and they often meditated together. As for Samantha Carter, well, there were several more intimate encounters, but nothing so passionate as that first. And he had still not told her about the baby. The time under ground was taking it’s toll on him, though, and Merlin was growing weak again. He knew all would be well if he could get out into the air, but the SGC had yet to provide him with the pass necessary to get by all the guards - and the place was heavily guarded. He didn’t want to cause trouble for the people who had saved him, but he thought he’d have to mention it again soon. As it turned out, he’d become weaker than he’d realized. There came a day when Daniel Jackson came to collect him and found the man unconscious and unresponsive. Doctor Frasier and the medical technicians descended like angels, but they could find no reason for the man’s coma. “He had healed completely and was doing fine,” Frasier said to General Hammond. “I don’t understand it.” “Keep an eye on him and let me know if anything changes,” was all Hammond said before heading back up to his office. When Merlin awoke, he found himself in the same sterile environment he had awoken to not so very long before. Doctor Frasier was hovering nearby and the lovely Major Carter was seated next to the bed. He turned his head and smiled at her. She smiled back. “You had us worried,” Carter said. Frasier looked up at the sound and walked over frowning. “Merlin, you gave us quite a scare - what happened?” “You tell me, doctor,” he said, his voice a little strained. “I passed out?” “You’ve been in a mild coma for three days.” “Three days?” Merlin ran a hand over his eyes and over his stubbled chin. “I’ve been underground too long. I need fresh air and sunlight. Now. May I please be taken to the surface before I die down here?” Just then, O’Neill walked in. Instead of his usual fatigues, he was wearing blue jeans and sneakers. “I’m off … Oh, hey, big guy, you’re awake!” “Jack, where’re you off to and can I come?” Carter shook her head and whispered, “No, you don’t wanna do that.” “Fishing!” O’Neill proclaimed proudly. “A nice little place in Minnesota …” Merlin didn’t need to hear any more. “Great!” he said as he swung his legs over the side of the bed. “I haven’t been fishing in centuries!” Carter helped him get up with a surprised look on her face. “You want to go fishing?” “Sure! Fresh air, trees, water, sunlight, moonlight - what’s not to love?” “That’s what I always say!” O’Neill grinned broadly. “Finally, someone who understands me.” Merlin waved his hand and his pajama’s turned into cotton twill pants, tucked into high leather boots and a belted tunic with wrist braces. “Okay, that’ll kind of stand out in public,” O’Neill said. “Why don’t you try blue jeans.” Carter added, “What about ID? He’ll need some sort of ID. And maybe some money too.” Merlin looked at them both. “Coming, Sam?” he asked. “Oh, well, no, I have some …” “Some what? Some research to do? Some experiment to finish? A little fresh air would do you some good, too, you know.” O’Neill crossed his arms and grinned at Carter with one eyebrow raised as if to say, yep, told ya so. Carter looked from one to the other of them and finally shook her head in defeat. “Fine, yeah, okay.” Frasier shook her head too. With a grin, she suggested, “You’d better okay it with General Hammond and you can get him a temporary civilian military ID for now.” “There ya go,” O’Neill said as he turned and headed out the door for Hammond’s office. General Hammond took it all in stride. Teal’c had done fine in public and he was harder to explain with that gold insignia on his forehead. “Yes, yes, yes,” he said with a wave of his hand. “Have fun.” The trio ran into Teal’c on the way to the administration office for Merlin’s ID. “We’re going fishing, Teal’c,” O’Neill happily informed him. “You coming?” Teal’c raised an eyebrow and replied, “No,” before walking off. Merlin laughed. “Not fond of fishing, is he?” “Oh, he loves it,” O’Neill assured him. “Must be busy, that’s all.” Carter winked. The Tech Sergeant at Administration knew who Merlin was and was a little flustered. “Er, name?” he asked. “Merlin,” O’Neill answered. Merlin laughed and said, “I have noticed that you all have at least two names these days.” With a nod to the sergeant, he said, “Myrddin Emrys will do.” At the blank expression that met him, he spelled it out and then turned to his companions and explained, “My actual name. It’s Welsh.” “Right,” O’Neill nodded. “Um, position?” asked the sergeant. “Enchanter?” Merlin suggested. “Ahhh, make that ‘scientific consultant’ instead,” O’Neill replied. “Height?” “No idea.” “About six foot,” O’Neill estimated. “Weight?” Merlin shrugged. “One-seventy-five,” Carter supplied. Merlin raised an eyebrow but otherwise kept a straight face while O’Neill turned to Carter with a questioning look. “You sound pretty sure of that, Major,” he said. She nodded. “Pretty sure, yeah.” She kept her face neutral as well and O’Neill was going to get nothing more about this out of either of them. “Hair? Brown,” the sergeant was already saying. “Eyes? Er, blue. Any distinguishing marks?” Merlin opened his mouth to answer, but Carter piped up first. “None.” Merlin stifled a grin and O’Neill just shook his head - he wasn’t going to ask this time. He wasn’t really sure he wanted to know just how she knew that. “Place of birth?” “Maridunum. That’s in Wales.” “You’ll need a passport, sir,” the sergeant said. “Maridunum,” Carter mused. “What’s that called now?” Merlin shrugged as O’Neill said, “We can get him a passport later.” Turning to Merlin, he added, “Maridunum doesn’t sound very Welsh.” “It was a Roman town.” “How do you spell Maridunum?” the sergeant wanted to know. “Better not put that,” Carter said. “It’s probably not there anymore.” “Well, do you have a map?” Merlin asked. “I can find it easily on a map.” “I don’t happen to have a map of Wales on me at the moment,” O’Neill said, a little agitated now. “I do, sir.” The sergeant rummaged through his desk and produced a map of the British Isles. “Why do you have that?” O’Neill wanted to know as Merlin and Carter spread the map out on the desk. “Geography class, sir,” the sergeant grinned. “Everything is so changed,” Merlin said. “Here’s the river - I guess I must have been born near here - Carmarthen. Huh, I’d like to see it sometime, actually.” “Put Carmarthen,” Carter told the sergeant and spelled it out for him. “Right, now, er, date of birth?” “Oh, must have been about 450 …” “Okay, put 1955,” O’Neill said. “Just put 1955, okay?” “1955 it is, sir,” the sergeant grinned. “What’re you grinning at, Sergeant?” O’Neill wanted to know. “This is just so cool, sir.” O’Neill grinned knowingly while Carter shook her head and Merlin mused. The sergeant finished his typing and looked up again. “Okay, we need a photo. Er, you do show up on film, don’t you, sir?” “Indeed, and I have a reflection as well.” “Sorry, sir, I …” “Quite all right, lad.” Merlin grinned. “After some 1500 years, I’m used to it. With brand new ID card in hand and wearing a pair of O’Neill’s blue jeans, Merlin headed out of the mountain base with O’Neill and Carter. “Stop walking that way,” O’Neill said. “It’s embarrassing.” Carter giggled as Merlin explained, “These jeans are not comfortable, Jack.” O’Neill flashed Carter a mock glare and admitted, “Yeah, okay, so maybe they’re a bit tight - we’ll get you a new pair on the way.” “I like the view from here,” Carter snickered from behind. “Be that as it may …” With great aplomb, Merlin waved his hand and changed the tight jeans back into loose trousers. “Don’t do that out in public, okay? People will stare.” “Right, no magic in public. Gotcha.” A pair of sunglasses to match the ones O’Neill wore appeared in Merlin’s hand and he slipped them on with a grin. O’Neill shook his head and muttered, “Wish I could do that.” “This place is great!” Merlin exclaimed as the jeep pulled up to the cabin. He jumped out before the vehicle even came to a stop. “I love it!” He was like a child in a candy shop. “Strange guy,” O’Neill said. “But loveable,” he added when Carter gave him that look. Carter grinned knowingly and shook her head as she got out of the jeep and reached for her bag. “It is a beautiful spot,” she conceded. “That’s what I’ve been telling you!” “I know, I know,” she said, grabbing another bag. “Wait, you brought your computer?” O’Neill said incredulously, eyeing the laptop case. “I don’t like fishing,” Carter answered. It was O’Neill’s turn to shake his head this time. Once they’d gotten the bags into the cabin, they went in search of Merlin. “Where’d he go?” O’Neill wanted to know. “He was headed in that direction,” Carter answered. “Anything out there?” “Yeah. Woods. And rocks. And water.” They both sighed and walked into the woods. Merlin was entranced when they found him. He was also completely naked. Seated cross-legged on a rock near the water, his hands resting on his knees, Merlin was staring off at nothing with a slight grin on his face. “Okay, now that’s just strange,” O’Neill said. “Don’t you think that’s strange?” “Well,” Carter responded. “If it were anyone else, I’d agree, yeah - kind of strange.” “Still,” O’Neill added, arching one eyebrow. “How old did he say he was?” “Fifteen hundred years - give or take.” “Looks good for an old guy, doesn’t he?” “Hmmmmm,” Carter agreed with a sigh. “Feel free to join me,” Merlin said softly. Carter didn’t hesitate a moment, but immediately started removing her clothing. O’Neill arched both eyebrows now. “Hell, Sam, if I’d known this was all it would take to get you out of your pants, I would have insisted you come fishing a long time ago!” “Strip, Colonel.” “Yes, ma’am.” After sitting in silence a few moments, O’Neill spoke up. “What are we supposed to be doing?” “Nothing. Jack,” Merlin answered. “It’s called meditation. You’re supposed to clear your mind and get in touch with your body.” “Uh-huh,” O’Neill grunted dubiously. “Actually,” Carter spoke up. “I’m having a hard time clearing my mind. In fact, I’m having this incredible urge to ….” “Hmmph.” The moan had come from Merlin and O’Neill opened his eyes to find Carter with her lips around the head of the other man’s rock hard cock. “Errrrrrm,” he stammered. “Maybe I should make myself scarce.” “Shut up, Jack,” the other two said in unison. Merlin pulled the Colonel closer as he swiveled his own body to take hold of O’Neill’s stiffening cock. “Oh, hey, now,” O’Neill started to protest. “I really don’t . . . Oh, man, your mouth is so damned hot.” O’Neill closed his eyes and could easily imagine it was Samantha Carter coming down on him instead of … instead of another man? Okay, this was just too weird, but when he opened his eyes again, it was Carter swallowing him down. Merlin had entered her from behind doggy style and was stroking her easy and slow. Damn, but the whole situation was such a turn on! His cock was so hard now, it hurt. He wanted to throw her down on the dock and fuck her silly, but he was a little unsure of himself - this was most certainly against regulations. He didn’t have to debate with himself for long. “I want you both,” Carter muttered breathlessly, her lips still around O’Neill’s cock. “I want you both at once.” She released her fleshy lollipop before crawling off Merlin’s shaft and up O’Neill’s chest. “You are so damned sexy, Jack,” she said huskily as she lowered herself onto him. “Merlin, take my ass. Now.” “Damn, Carter,” O’Neill started. “You …” But she shut him up with a kiss and moaned into his mouth as Merlin eased himself into her tight ass. Three bodies writhed in sexual frenzy: each one groping, kneading, caressing, clawing at another. “Oh, God, Yes!” Carter exclaimed as her body shuddered in orgasmic ecstasy. “I’m gonna come, Sam,” O’Neill said. “Let me pull out.” “Hell no,” she answered just shortly before all three of them groaned loudly as both men sprayed inside her and her body shuddered once again in climactic release. She collapsed against O’Neill’s chest and Merlin collapsed across her back. After a while, the weight became oppressive. “Okay,” O’Neill said. “I managed to clear my mind and I certainly got in touch with a body, but now you two are gettin’ heavy - git off.” “Aw, but I like the feel of both of you inside me.” “Since when did you become such a …?” “Slut?” “Yeah.” Carter smiled and looked down at her CO. “Since I’m on vacation and had a chance to take two of the sexiest guys I know at once. I can now check that off my list of things to do before I die.” “Oh?” O’Neill said with a grin as he raised one eyebrow. “Any other kinky sex acts on that list and can I help you with those too?” “Well, there’s sex underwater …” “Hard to breath,” Merlin said, sliding out of Carter’s ass. “Yeah, that’s a problem.” Merlin leaned down and kissed her neck before diving into the lake. “And?” O’Neill prompted. Carter grinned. “And … there’s sex with another woman …” “Can I watch?” Carter laughed. “Then there’s sex with three guys …” “Oooh, we can ask Teal'c!” She smiled sweetly down at him and said, “Jack?” “Hmmm?” “Shut up.” She kissed him hard before rising and joining Merlin in the lake. “Jaaack,” he mumbled to himself. “You are so gonna get court-martialed …” Then he shrugged and added, “May as well have fun first,” and jumped into the lake too. After attempting sex under water, they decided scuba gear would be needed. Then they had to explain to Merlin what scuba gear was. Merlin grinned and shook his head as he calmly cut a few reeds for them to breathe through. Carter’s list was getting shorter. Carter came up laughing and shook her wet hair out of her eyes. “Well,” she said and kissed Merlin. “Now that we’ve scared all the fish away,” and she kissed O’Neill. “I’m hungry.” She walked out of the water, gathered her clothes and made her way back to the cabin. O’Neill looked at Merlin. Merlin looked at O’Neill. “Shall we?” Merlin asked, his eyebrows going up and down. “What?” O’Neill put his hands out in front of him. “Oh, no,” he said. “My backside is strictly exit only.” “Mine’s not.” Merlin was purring and he had that look in his eye. “Er, no thanks.” O’Neill ran away back to the cabin, leaving Merlin chuckling in the lake. He swam a few laps, savouring the leftover sensations and wondering just how O’Neill’s finely chiseled cock would feel inside him. Then he rose from the water with a sigh, gathered O’Neill’s clothes and his own and headed towards the cabin. The trio spent a week at the cabin. Carter spent most of her time at her laptop while O’Neill sat on the dock fishing and Merlin communed with nature - naked. “What the hell do you have against clothing, anyway?” O’Neill asked him after finding him sitting naked in the woods once again. “Well, nothing, per se,” Merlin answered. “It just gets in the way, is all.” O’Neill shrugged, shuddered, shook his head and walked away. The sexual encounter was not repeated and never mentioned, but all three of them were quite relaxed by the time they returned to the SGC. “So, what’s up next?” O’Neill asked, rubbing his hands in anticipation. He was still dressed in blue jeans. “P3Y-879,” General Hammond answered. “MALP shows a huge pyramid and a city, but didn’t find any actual signs of life,” explained Daniel Jackson. Then, looking over the top of his eye glasses, he added, “You three look refreshed.” “Oh, we are,” O’Neill assured him. “And how was P3Y-747?” “Hot, but fascinating. You know, there are ruins there that date back a million years or more. I …” “Tst tst tst,” O’Neill held up a hand. “I’m sure it was wonderful, Daniel. Now, where’s Teal’c?” “He is currently assisting Master Bra’tac with the Rebel Jaffa,” Hammond answered. “Merlin will be accompanying SG-1 on this mission - that is, if he’s willing.” He looked to Merlin. “Certainly, General! I’m recharged and rearing to go.” He smiled broadly. “Excellent. Be in the Briefing Room in fifteen; you’ll depart in two hours.” Two hours later, the team approached the stargate. Merlin had his long hair tied back and was walking stiffly, poking at pockets and pulling at straps. “Do I really need all this equipment?” he asked with a frown. “You wanted to be part of the team,” Carter said. “Even Daniel carries a gun,” O’Neill added. “Oh, well, a gun would be no use to me - I don’t know how to use one.” The only weapons he carried were a knife and his staff. Of course, he also had his magic wielding hands. “We should correct that oversight before your next mission,” O’Neill told him. “I don’t care much for these boots,” Merlin was still complaining. O’Neill rolled his eyes, Carter grinned and Jackson put his hand on Merlin’s shoulder. “I hear you,” he said in sympathy. “Kleenex?” he offered. “Er, no thanks.” Merlin furrowed his brow at the young man, trying to decipher if he was kidding him or not. The stargate activating, however, made the point moot. No matter how many times he’d seen the whoosh of the wormhole opening, it was still an impressive sight. His senses tingled in anticipation of the journey. Traveling through the stargate was not unlike the feeling of communing with his Earth Sprites. Forgetting his petty complaints, he grinned and took a step forward. “Coming?” he asked the others as he stepped through the horizon and vanished. O’Neill grinned. “Shall we go?” he said and the three of them followed the wizard through the gate. When the trio arrived, they found Merlin standing on top of a nearby hill. His hair and his cape were blowing in the breeze and he was gazing off into the distance with one hand shading his eyes. “Didn’t take him long to change his clothes, did it?” O’Neill observed. “Think he could change my clothes?” Jackson wanted to know. “Kind of kinky, isn’t it?” Carter asked, which made O’Neill smile and made Jackson blush. “No, I didn’t mean …” “Can it,” O’Neill ordered. “Let’s go find your pyramid.” Merlin heard them walking up behind him, but did not turn around. “Looks like this civilization has been dead quite a while,” he said. “The ruins are vast, but there’s an intact city about 20 kilometers east of the giant pyramid there.” “How the hell do you know that?” O’Neill wanted to know. Merlin turned now and the others could see that he now wore leather pants, his high suede boots and a cotton tunic with leather wrist guards in addition to his feather cape and the black SGC vest with all it’s accompanying equipment. “Quite a fashion statement,” Jackson said. Merlin ignored the comment and answered O’Neill with a small smile. “I saw it.” He started walking towards the pyramid and the others shrugged and followed. “Why do I have the impression I’m not in command anymore?” O’Neill wanted to know. “Put your foot down, sir,” Carter told him. “Yeah,” Jackson added. “Let him know who’s boss.” “He might turn me into a frog,” O’Neill complained petulantly. The pyramid was impressive, but there were no symbols or writings of any kind inside. “It looks like it could have been made yesterday,” Jackson said. “Maybe it was,” Merlin replied with a frown. “Whatta you mean by that?” O’Neill wanted to know. He didn’t like the sound of it. “I’m not sure.” Merlin’s frown deepened. “But I don’t like the feel of this place. Maybe we should leave this planet be.” “Without exploring the city?” Carter said. “Yeah,” Jackson added. “We can’t go without at least taking a look.” “Well, we could,” O’Neill said. At the pleading looks from his team, he shrugged at Merlin and said, “Let’s go.” Merlin followed, but his frown remained as he tried to decipher the feeling he had about this place. When they’d gone a few yards, it dawned on him. “Hey!” he said. “I know … OOMPH!” A shearing pain accompanied a powerful force that hit the back of his right shoulder, shoving him forward into Carter, who went down with him. 
O’Neill and Jackson turned to find countless Jaffa with staff weapons leveled at them. They could have opened fire, but the open ground offered no cover and there was no way to get them all. Where the hell had they been hiding anyway? Carter could see her weapon was useless, so she dropped it. “Merlin?” She said, fingering the blood seeping from the blast burn at his shoulder. She gently turned him over to find him unconscious. “Where’d they come from?” she asked no one in particular. “This doesn’t look good,” O’Neill said. The first sensation he had was pain. At first it was nothing specific, just a general feeling of overwhelming pain, but then it seemed to coalesce at various spots. His head throbbed, his shoulder ached, his wrists burned and he found it a little difficult to breathe. He didn’t want to open his eyes and desperately tried to stay asleep - so long as he slept, the pain was nothing more than a bad dream. But someone was calling his name and kicking his leg. It was very irritating. He opened his eyes and instantly regretted it. He groaned loudly and his head fell forward. “Merlin,” O’Neill said again, his toe shoving the other man’s knee. “Wake up, dammit.” “Stop kicking me, Jack,” Merlin pleaded. “Can’t you see I’m busy dying?” “You’re not dying, wake up.” The wizard slowly lifted his head and just as slowly opened his eyes. Blurry shapes solidified and he found himself in a small dark building with stone walls. The only light came from the open windows and door. O’Neill, Carter and Jackson each had their back against a stone pillar and their hands tied behind. Evidently, he did too - the pain in his arms and wrists seemed to indicate that. “What hit me?” he asked. “A Jaffa staff weapon,” Carter answered. “Wonderful.” “Hey, get us out of here.” “And how would you suggest I do that, Jack?” “You’re a wizard, aren’t you?” “A hand wizard.” At the blank stares he received from the others, he explained, “I need my hands - I’m a hand wizard.” He struggled with the bindings, but they were damned tight. Several Jaffa entered and marched over to Carter. They released her bindings and started to drag her away. “Leave her alone!” Merlin demanded. One of the Jaffa jabbed a pain stick into his side and the wizard yelled - an eerie yellow light streaming from his mouth and eyes. They dragged Carter out and Merlin slumped unconscious again. “We are so screwed,” Jackson said. O’Neill looked at him incredulously and said, “Ya think?” before leaning his head back with a heavy sigh. Merlin didn’t stay out long. This time, he awoke spewing invectives in several different languages. Jackson blushed. O’Neill raised an eyebrow. The wizard struggled with his bindings a moment and then became dangerously still. His eyes narrowed menacingly and with a burst of strength, he broke free. With a wave of a hand, O’Neill and Jackson were free as well. Merlin didn't tarry, though. With a single-minded scowl, he walked purposefully out and towards the building where Carter was being held as if he knew exactly where he was going. Any Jaffa who got in his way was blasted aside with a simple wave of a hand. The other two men had to trot to keep up with him. They entered the room to find Carter standing motionless - in some kind of trance, while a young man held a Goa’uld symbiote out before her. The young man turned at the intrusion, his eyes glowing and his hand raising to fire a blast from his hand weapon. Merlin raised his left hand towards the Goa’uld and clenched his fist tightly as he gestured with his right hand towards the Jaffa standing by Carter. The young man made a gurgling sound and collapsed dead while the Jaffa both slumped to the ground unconscious. He snapped his fingers in front of Carter to wake her up and then said, “We’d better get out of here. I can hold them off while you dial home.” “What happened?” Carter wanted to know. “Later,” O’Neill said. “You can’t hold them off alone,” Jackson insisted. “I’m an angry wizard, Daniel - I can do anything - go.” Merlin created an invisible wall of force around them as they made their way back to the stargate. It was a long way back, however, and by the time they made it, his power was weakening. “Dial quickly, Daniel,” he said. “I can’t keep this up forever.” Jackson dialed as quickly as he could and the recognition code was sent to open the iris. “Go!” Merlin told them. “I’m right behind you!” O’Neill, Carter and Jackson ran onto the ramp at the SGC and then turned to wait for Merlin. The soldiers in the gate room kept their weapons trained on the stargate while General Hammond called down from the control room and asked, “Where’s Merlin?” “Right behind us, sir!” O’Neill said, but then he frowned because there was no sign of the wizard. Merlin’s power was failing as the rest of the team ran through the gate. He decided to send a massive blast with the last of his magical energy and take out as many Jaffa as he could. Unfortunately, he didn’t have as much power left as he’d thought. The blast fell a bit short and he was left standing defenseless before hundreds of angry Jaffa. “Shit,” Merlin said before turning and diving through the gate. The wizard flew from the gate head first and tumbled to his feet on the ramp. “WHEW!” he said with a smile, but an energy bolt shot through after him and hit him squarely in the middle of the back before the wormhole disengaged. He staggered forward into O’Neill’s arms, muttered something in Gaelic and passed out. Merlin awoke to familiar surroundings. He groaned and muttered, “I hate this place.” Doctor Frasier smiled and walked over to him. “We like you, though,” she told him. “Best patient we’ve ever had - don’t have to do anything but give you a soft bed to rest on while you heal yourself.” “I’d heal faster in the open air, ya know.” He swung his legs over the side of the cot and sat up, running a hand through his long hair. “Never liked being underground.” “How do you do it?” “Do what? Magic or heal? Dunno either way. Magic is a part of me and I’m a part of this Earth. The Earth heals me.” “Does that mean you can’t heal like this on another planet?” “To a certain extent, I can - if it’s a friendly planet.” At her look of amused incredulity, he smiled and ran his hand through his tangled hair again. “Okay, so that sounds weird, but most planets are friendly enough so long as you respect them.” “Well, there’s nothing to hold you here for, Merlin, but General Hammond wanted to see you ASAP - and he’s going to want a report.” “A report?” “A mission report. Has anyone showed you how to write a mission report yet?” “Oh, everyone always wants reports - I don’t imagine they’ve changed much through the centuries.” He waved his right hand towards the nearby computer and a report started printing. Frasier looked at it with raised eyebrows, then shook her head and walked out, glad the wizard was on their side. When the doctor had left, Merlin rose and stretched his lanky frame. He was wearing what they called pajama’s again. He checked the nearby locker and found what they called fatigues. He could just wave himself up something more comfortable, but truth was, he was still magically weak. Why waste what power he had? He sighed and changed into the khaki clothing and the damned uncomfortable boots. By the time he made it to Hammond’s office, he had given up on the military boots and had used his power to change them into his comfortable suede tall boots. Hammond could bitch at him all he wanted, but those combat boots were just not comfortable! As a concession, he stopped at the door and tied his hair back before knocking. Never hurt to suck up to authority a little bit … “Come!” was the reply. Merlin entered with report in hand. “General Hammond, you wanted to see me?” “Ah, Merlin,” Hammond said cheerfully. If he noticed the boots or the hair, he didn’t let on. “Glad to see you up and about.” “Glad to be up and about, sir,” “Thank you for rescuing my team, but if you could …” Merlin thrust the bundle of papers out towards the General. “What’s this?” “My report, sir. I presumed you’d want one.” “Oh.” Hammond took the report. “Er, thank you, I was just about to … well, anyway, feel up to another excursion already?” “Certainly, sir. Um, what sort of excursion, if you don’t mind my asking?” “P3Y-747 - the, uh, planet Dr. Jackson had just come from when you, Colonel O’Neill and Major Carter returned from your holiday. Daniel thinks you would be a great help in deciphering some ruins there.” “Oh, fine, er, do I have time to …?” “Yes, you, Daniel and SG-12 will depart tomorrow noon.” “Oh, right, then. May I …? “Dismissed.” Merlin walked out with a frown. Dismissed. That rankled. With his power, he could rule the world and … oh, but that was a dangerous path to head down. He shrugged his shoulders and shook the thought from his head as he headed for Carter’s quarters. She wasn’t there. She could have been at her real home. He kind of wished he had a real home again. He headed for the lab. There she was. The lights were dimmed and the glow from the microscope washed over her features, giving her an angelic hue. She was beautiful. He stood in the doorway and watched her a while, mesmerized and a little frightened. That was new - Merlin, the great wizard - frightened by a woman. He had to tell her, but she was unlike any woman he’d ever known before and he truly had no idea how she would take the news. “You can come in, Merlin,” she said. “I won’t bite.” “You say that now …” He walked in and they embraced. “I’m glad you’re okay.” “I’m glad you’re okay.” She laughed a small titillating laugh and said, “So, we’re both okay. You ready to visit 747 with Daniel?” “Just about. There’s um, something I have to tell you first, though.” She looked expectantly into his eyes with a slight grin tugging at the corners of her mouth. He gazed back at her in abject terror. She tilted her head and said, “Yes?” “Errr, it’s just that …” Was he sweating? He, who could face Kings, Gods and an army of Jaffa without flinching, was sweating bullets before this mere wisp of a woman. He wiped his hand across his brow. “Haven’t you … ?” “What is it, Merlin? You look pale.” “Look, didn’t you notice when, you know …?” “No, I don’t know.” Carter wasn’t sure whether to frown or grin - he was like a little boy. “Your moon cycle - hasn’t it stopped?” “My …. You mean my period? Why?” “Sam, you’re pregnant.” She blinked indulgently. “No, I’m not. I have protection, Merlin.” “No, you don’t. Hasn’t your cycle stopped?” “I have an implant. An active woman with an implant very often doesn’t get a flow. Is that what has you worried, Merlin?” He sighed. “No, look, you don’t understand - I bypassed your protection. You are pregnant. And you have to decide whether you want to have my baby or not.” She stared at him a moment. Then slowly, she said, “You … bypassed … it?” “He’ll be a great wizard, that much I can see.” “Deliberately?” “I can speed up the pregnancy and make it easier for you; or I can terminate it immediately, but you must decide soon.” “You deliberately got me pregnant and now you want me to decide?” “I did warn you of consequences.” “That first night in the shower?” At his nod, she continued, her voice full of a thinly controlled anger. “I had protection - that kind of consequence was not supposed to be a problem.” She turned away from him and said to the wall, “How could you do such a thing without telling me?” “I don’t always know why I do things, Sam. I destroyed the old ways and eliminated magic from the world - why did I do that? Revenge? Compassion? Is the world better off for it or worse?” “What are you saying, Merlin?” “I’m saying it seemed like a good idea at the time.” She turned back to him and he almost expected a blow. Instead, she breezed past him and out the door without another word. “That went well,” he muttered to himself with a sigh. The next day, Merlin was in the locker room with Daniel and the members of SG-12 getting ready for their journey, when Carter stormed in. She ignored Captain Bowman’s nudity and Daniel in his boxers as she walked straight up to Merlin. He opened his mouth to say something, but she delivered a vicious right cross to his jaw first before turning round and storming out again. Six men stared after her, Merlin with his hand to his jaw. “Was it something you said?” Daniel asked. “Something like that.” After glancing at each other a moment, the men returned to their business and departed on schedule. Samantha Carter was livid when the pregnancy test came back positive. How could he have deceived her that way? After she smacked him, which was her first reaction, she stopped to think about what he’d done. How had he bypassed her birth control? The implant was still there, she could feel it. Could it hurt the baby? Gosh, a baby. She sat down and pondered. He’d said the baby would be a boy and a great wizard. Her son. She felt guilty now that he was away on a mission. She had smacked him one just before he left - what if something happened to him? She wouldn’t want that to be his last impression of her. But it was a routine scientific mission - nothing would happen to him. She had to decide what to do now, though. If she decided to keep the baby, she would have to tell General Hammond sooner or later. And what about Jack? Funny, she thought of him as Jack now, rather than Colonel O’Neill. How could she tell him about this? It would probably mean the end of her career. Oh, she could stay in the Air Force, but she wouldn’t be allowed off world again. Damn Merlin for putting her in this situation! She was still brooding and debating whether or not to tell Janet Frasier about this when the gate was activated. SG-12 was returning early? The four members of SG-12 staggered onto the ramp. They were disheveled and covered in dust and debris. Two of them were in obvious distress and being supported by the other two. “Report!” Hammond demanded. Lt. Col. Simmons spoke up. “There was an earth quake, sir. The ruins collapsed. We were outside reconnoitering the area - a tree fell on Bowman and Copeland, but we got them out from under it. Merlin and Dr. Jackson were inside the ruins when it happened. We could hear someone - at least one of them is still alive, sir, but we’re going to need help digging them out.” “We’ll suit up and be ready to go in two minutes,” O’Neill said and he and Teal’c turned to head for the locker room. “Activate the MALP video, I want to know what’s happening there,” Hammond ordered. Carter walked briskly up to the command room and accessed the MALP video feed. “Aftershocks, sir,” she said with a firm voice that hid the fear she felt. “The planet is unstable, General.” Her heart sank as she said it. O’Neill was pulling on his field vest as he and Teal’c walked into the command room. “We’ll risk it, General,” he said. “We’re ready to go right now.” “I’m willing to risk it too,” Carter added. “We are too, sir,” Simmons said. “Stand down till further notice,” Hammond said curtly before heading to his office. “Merlin?” Daniel Jackson was covered in dust and debris, but he felt all right. He couldn’t seem to move his legs, though. He coughed and said, “Merlin?” again. A grunt reassured him that at least the wizard was alive. “You okay?” he asked. Merlin couldn’t move and he couldn’t see anything either. He had a stabbing pain in his head and a crushing pain at his back and chest. His arms were numb. Jackson asked again if he was okay and Merlin managed to mutter, “No.” “Can you get us out of here?” “No.” “Your arms pinned?” “Yeah. I … think … I’m on my … stomach … with … something heavy … on … my … back.” He was only capable of shallow breaths and the pain in his chest increased each time he inhaled. “My legs are pinned, but I’m not hurting; I’ll see what I can do to get loose.” Jackson squirmed and dug with his hands until he could pull his legs free. It seemed to take forever. Once he was free, there was still not much room to move. The only light came through a small gap in the rubble, but it was enough to enable Jackson to see that Merlin was in bad shape. He was bleeding from a nasty gash on his forehead, but what worried him more was the chunk of stone embedded in Merlin’s back. Like a spear, it looked as if it had probably punctured the man’s left kidney. 
“Damn, Merlin.” “Don’t worry about the blood,” Merlin told him. “Try to shift whatever the hell is on top of me enough to get one of my arms free.” “Right.” Jackson groaned with the effort and eventually managed to shift the stone a fraction of an inch. Merlin pulled his left arm free and then waved his hand in a curt gesture. All the debris surrounding them suddenly flew into the air, swirled around a few times and then scattered. Merlin yelped when the stone impaling him was removed and now the blood was flowing freely. He grasped the wound and then sighed with relief as the bleeding stopped and the pain faded. He stood and looked at Jackson, who was standing with his hands on his hips and a small grin on his face. “What?” Merlin wanted to know. “That is just so cool,” Jackson replied. “You sound like O’Neill now.” “Oh, please, no reason to start hurling insults.” They both chuckled as they headed for the stargate. “Off world activation!” exclaimed Sergeant Davis. “Call sign is SG-1, Sir!” “Open the iris,” Hammond ordered and Merlin and Dr. Jackson walked calmly out of the vortex. Major Carter ran into Merlin’s arms and kissed him. Jackson put his hands on his hips, O’Neill crossed his arms and tilted his head, and Teal’c raised an eyebrow. General Hammond simply said, “Welcome home, gentlemen - debriefing in twenty minutes,” and walked away, a slight grin threatening to tug at the corners of his lips. “So, does this mean I’m forgiven?” Merlin wanted to know once they were alone. “No,” Carter replied. “It means I was worried sick you might die before I could punch you again.” They both laughed at that and then sat down to discuss things. Carter was trying to explain how violated she felt, but Merlin didn’t seem to be listening. His eyes had kind of glazed over and his breath had grown shallow … “… And then I blew up into a million tiny bloody pieces …” Carter frowned when she got no reaction what-so-ever. Then she frowned deeper as she became alarmed. Merlin blinked at Carter’s frown and then winced as a familiar pain shot through his temples. “You were speaking to me, weren’t you?” he asked. “Yes. Yes, I was.” “Sorry. I had a vision.” He tried to smile, but the pain shooting across his temples made him close his eyes and hold his head a moment. “Been a while - I’d almost forgotten about the pain.” He opened his eyes and looked at her, still holding his head. “Did I say anything?” “No. What did you see?” “Well, the standing stones, actually. No prophecy or anything, just a vision of the stones and an overwhelming feeling that I must go there.” “In Wales?” “England, actually. The Giant’s Dance near Amesbury.” Carter pondered a moment and said, “Stonehenge?” “Right.” He stood, but swayed and had to lean against the wall to keep from falling over. “And this was a mild vision.” He grinned weakly at her concerned frown and added, “I just need some rest is all.” “Let’s get you to the infirmary.” “Oh, I don’t really have to, do I?” “Come on, you big baby.” But the mention of baby reminded them both what they were originally supposed to be talking about and they both frowned. At the debriefing, Merlin seemed preoccupied. “Well, I think we know now what happened to the civilization on that planet,” Jackson was saying. “They were wiped out by the earthquakes. We were able to scan most of the ruins, so with Merlin’s help, I think I can decipher it fairly quickly.” Everyone glanced over at Merlin, who’s eyes were sort of glazed over. “Merlin?” Carter said, concerned. His eyes focused and he noticed the silent glares from everyone else. “Err,” he stammered. “Was someone speaking to me?” “Are we keeping you awake, Merlin?” General Hammond wanted to know. “Keeping me …?” Merlin started, not sure what he meant by that. “No, look, it’s just that - UGMPH” The wizard grabbed his head and slumped to the floor. “Merlin!” Carter yelled and rushed to his side. He was writhing on the floor and moaning. “What’s going on, Major?” Hammond wanted to know. “He’s been having visions, Sir,” she told him. “Evidently, they cause pain.” “I … just have to … readjust … to the pain levels, is all,” Merlin said from the floor. “It’s been ….” “He’s passed out, Sir,” Carter said. “Well, get him to the infirmary,” Hammond ordered, a little taken aback by the wizard’s collapse. “So, what’s the big deal?” Colonel O’Neill wanted to know. “We just take a trip to Stonehenge, right?” “Yeah,” Daniel Jackson agreed. “It is open to the public.” “What is this Stonehenge?” Teal’c wanted to know. He had just returned from his mission with Bra’tac and still wore his Jaffa armour. “It’s an ancient circle of giant stones,” Jackson said. “There are a bunch of similar circles all over great Britain and Wales. Actually …” Merlin squeezed his eyes shut with a moan and grabbed the wall for support as another vision flashed through his mind and the pain seared his brain. “Another one?” Carter asked, concerned. “Yeah,” Merlin answered. “They’ll only get worse until I do something about it. D’ya think I could go today?” “Couldn’t hurt to ask,” O’Neill said. “Let’s go.” The entire team piled into Hammond’s office and asked for leave to go to England. “No.” Hammond said curtly. “I’m sorry, did you say no?” O’Neill said, not sure he’d heard right. “NID has found out about Merlin,” Hammond said. “Senator Kinsey is on his way to speak with him.” “Interrogate, more like,” Jackson said with a frown. “So let us go,” O’Neill said. “We won’t be here when the pompous son of a bitch shows up.” “I have my orders, Colonel, and so do you. Dismissed.” “Oh, this so sucks, Sir.” “I know it does, Colonel, but I doubt very much the Senator will be able to bother the wizard much.” “I don’t know, Sir,” Merlin said. “The longer I ignore this, the more intense the visions - and the accompanying pain will become. Couldn’t I just turn this Senator fellow into a duck and be on my way?” Hammond leaned over, a look of interest in his eyes. “You can turn him into a duck?” “Er, no, actually, I can’t, Sir.” When Hammond slumped back defeated, Merlin added, “Sorry - just my warped sense of humour, I guess.” “Damn, that sounded good,” O’Neill said, disappointed. “It did, didn’t it?” Hammond agreed. There was no love loss between SG-1 And Senator Kinsey. The Senator had tried to shut down the SGC, tried to take over the SGC, tried to have O’Neill killed, tried to have General Hammond removed (threatening his family to do so); and worst of all, it looked like the Senator would probably be running for President soon! “Well, I may not be able to turn him into a duck,” Merlin said, after hearing about some of this. “But I could give him big ugly boils.” “That sounds good, too,” Jackson said. The team looked to the young archeologist, as his vehemence was out of character. “Oh, the man is an ass-hole, and we all know it,” Jackson spat out. “I lost my wife, her child, my favourite college professor, my old girlfriend, my own goddamned life to the Goa’uld threat and all this guy cares about is petty politics.” He slammed down the book he was really not reading, said, “Makes me wanna puke,” and stormed out. “I sense Daniel has issues,” Merlin said. “Excuse me.” And he followed the young man out. Merlin had to follow all the way up to the surface, where he found Jackson throwing rocks at a tree. “Trees really hate that,” he said. Jackson stopped and looked at the wizard, who was now suddenly wearing what looked like a long wolf skin vest that flapped around his knees in the cold October breeze. “Really?” “Yeah, really - how would you like someone throwing rocks at you?” “Right now? Might be a relief.” He dropped the rocks he was holding and sat on the ground. “So, wanna talk about it?” “You a therapist too, Merlin?” Merlin sat down too and answered, “In my day, I was a little bit of everything. Arthur needed a lot of help.” 
“Well, he came from a broken home, didn’t he? Raised an orphan. Hmph, I can identify with that.” “Were you an orphan, Daniel?” “Ah, well, I was a kid when my parents were killed.” He shrugged forlornly. “A museum display collapsed on top of them. What a stupid way to die.” “Is there a smart way to die?” “I should have been able to stop it.” “You were a little kid, how could you have stopped it?” “I was a grown man when Sha’re was taken, and I couldn’t protect her either.” “Are you supposed to be the world’s protector?” “HA!” Jackson barked a harsh laugh. “I have no trouble protecting the world! It’s the ones I love who get taken and mutilated. Why the hell do I bother?” Merlin smiled. “Same reason I do. Because we care. And I’ve been at it a little longer than you have. Ahhhhh,” he leaned back against the tree Jackson had been abusing. “Don’t think I don’t get fed up too, cuz I do. There always seems to be some greater power with some grudge against me personally. I mean, what is it about me that makes people want to make my life miserable?” He was planning to rant a bit more, but the vision exploded through his mind again. He could see the circle plainly, exactly as it had stood the last time he had seen it - when he had buried a King there. It was calling to him; it needed him. He needed to feel the familiar tingle of it’s power or perish without it. 
“Merlin?” These momentary lapses could be alarming. The man just … blinked out for a while. Jackson sighed and waited for the grey-blue eyes to refocus. When they did, they were instantly filled with pain. Merlin grabbed his head and rolled forward onto his knees. “Damn, I don’t remember prophecies hurting this much, let alone plain visions.” “Come on, let’s get you back inside,” Jackson said. “Besides, it feels like it’s gonna snow out here.” He could see his breath as he helped Merlin up and back inside the base. “Snow?” Merlin asked wistfully. “I haven’t seen snow in - well, some 700 years or so, anyway.” “Well, once we get you sorted out, we’ll build a snowman, how bout that?” “Snowman?” Merlin chuckled. “Do kids still make snowmen?” At Jackson’s nod, Merlin added, “I used to do that when I was a kid. Well, actually, I made snow animals …” By the time they made it back down to level 28, Merlin was walking unaided, but still looked pale and weak. 
The Senator was there already and he seemed to find Merlin’s appearance amusing. He looked the other man up and down and grinned at the eclectic outfit of black fatigues, brown suede tall boots, grey linen tunic and ragged looking fur vest. “So, this is the mysterious Merlin, the great wizard, huh?” he said. “And you must be the pompous ass everyone’s been telling me about,” Merlin said affably. Jackson smirked and O’Neill laughed outright at that. Kinsey bristled, but remained his arrogant self. “By order of the President,” he said to Merlin. “You are to accompany me back to Washington, Mr. Merlin.” “Sorry, no can do,” Merlin answered. “Bit under the weather at the moment.” “I did say by order of the President, didn’t I?” “And that’s supposed to mean something to me?” “It means, my good man, that you have been ordered …” “Orders?” Merlin’s staff appeared from nowhere in his hand and he leaned heavily on it. “You know, I’ve refused orders from Kings, armies, Gods, Goa’ulds - what the hell makes you think I’ll take an order from you?” Kinsey sighed in a humouring way and told the squad of soldiers to “Take him into custody.” When the soldiers didn’t move, Kinsey ordered them again. The soldiers looked at each other and then tentatively took a step towards Merlin, who made a small gesture with one hand. The soldier’s rifles floated out of their hands and drifted to rest in a corner of the room. The men shrugged at the Senator and stepped back again. “Oh, this is ridiculous,” Kinsey said. He reached out to grab the seemingly feeble man, but no sooner had his fingers touched Merlin’s arm, than he found himself in mid air, suspended against the wall. Merlin didn’t fling him back with any force - he didn’t hurt the Senator, but he made it clear that it would take nothing more than a minute gesture to do so. “I don’t like being touched uninvited, Senator,” Merlin told him. “I am not a subject of your President or of you, sir. I assist here on a voluntary basis and any attempt to hold me prisoner would probably piss me off. Have I made myself understood, Senator?” “This is an outrage!” Kinsey said, red in the face. “Have I made myself understood, Senator?” Merlin asked again. “You will regret this, mister.” “Yes, probably.” Merlin flicked his right hand and the Senator was tossed down against another wall - none too gently this time. “Most likely,” Merlin added as he turned and headed slowly to his room at the base - still leaning heavily on his staff. O’Neill stood smirking with his arms crossed across his chest as Kinsey picked himself up and brushed himself off. Carter tried to look as if she hadn’t noticed anything, while Teal’c simply raised an eyebrow as he usually does when dealing with the Tarr’i. Jackson stood with his hands on his hips and snickered. Heck, he was a civilian too, so military protocol didn’t apply to him either. “You, uh, have a smudge there on your shoulder, Senator,” Jackson said, pointing. “Enjoy yourselves now, gentlemen,” Kinsey said. “Enjoy yourselves while you can.” He stormed out and didn’t look back. “That went well,” O’Neill said with a grin. “Is Merlin okay?” Carter asked. “He looked pale.” “Another vision,” Jackson told them. “He says visions never hurt so much before, so there must be something up with this.” The following days seemed endless. The visions were becoming more insistent. They were coming more often and more violently and left him more drained each time. He would have to follow it soon or surely die. General Hammond was preoccupied when Merlin knocked at his office door. “Come,” he said automatically. “General,” Merlin said upon entering. “I respectfully request a short leave of absence, sir.” “Denied. Dismissed.” The General hadn’t even looked up from his paper work. Merlin blinked and said, “General, I don’t think …” but Hammond cut him off. “Look, I know, Merlin,” Hammond said sincerely. “But we’re trying to get you a passport and it just can’t be done instantly. I’m sorry.” Merlin leaned over with his fists on the General’s desk. “I think you fail to grasp …” But the wizard’s voice trailed off as his eyes went blank, slowly rolling back into his head. A moment later, he said - his voice a pale shade of it’s normal timbre, "Come Samhain, when the veil has thinned, your debt will be paid, your future assured.” Then he collapsed and lay sprawled across Hammond’s office floor. “What the hell?” Hammond slapped his intercom and called for a medical team. Once again, Merlin found himself awakening in the sterile environment of the SGC medical wing. He groaned when he realized where he was. He sat up and was pleased to note he was still fully clothed and not in those stupid pajamas. “So, you have to be there by Halloween?” Carter said. “You’ll miss Trick or Treating,” O’Neill said. “What?” Merlin asked. “Trick or Treat - you know, when little kids get dressed up as scary monsters and go house to house collecting candy?” “Ah, I see,” Merlin said, but it was obvious he did not see at all. “Halloween, or All Hallows Eve, or Samhain, is, mythologically speaking, when the Goddess goes to the underworld, Jack” Jackson explained. “It’s when the barrier that separates this world from the next is at it’s weakest.” “Riiiiiight,” O’Neill said. “So, what did you used to do on Halloween, Merlin?” “Commune with the dead.” “Commune with the dead?” “Yeah, basically.” Merlin nodded. “Communed with the dead.” “I like Trick or Treating better.” Carter grinned and said, “I think I have to agree with Jack on this one.” Jackson noticed that she had called the Colonel Jack, but no one else seemed to notice anything. “Okay,” O’Neill said. “So, why don’t I just requisition a plane and fly you over to England myself, Merlin?” “Yeah,” Carter said. “He wouldn’t need a passport for that - just a military ID and he already has that.” “Worth a try,” Jackson agreed. So it was that on the morning of the 31st of October, the members of SG-1 found themselves renting a car in the North of England and preparing to drive down to Amesbury. “Says here,” Jackson said, reading from a tour book. “That Stonehenge is open to the public, but only for guided tours and you’re not allowed to touch the stones. Seems there is a big restoration project in the works. It was late evening when they finally arrived. The area had changed tremendously - Merlin almost didn’t recognize it. He was presently in the heat of a vision induced fever, however, and nothing slowed him down. He was out of the car before it had even slowed and the team had to chase after him. As he walked, his clothing morphed into a simple robe and soft boots. “People will notice,” O’Neill tried to warn him, but as they approached the perimeter, guards, visitors and neo-druids all slumped to the ground unconscious. Carter checked on a few, but they were simply sleeping. 
Merlin continued unimpeded. The chain link fence surrounding the circle vanished and Merlin walked into the center of the giant stone dance. He closed his eyes and his arms floated out from his body, but the flow of energy was not right. He frowned and studied the circle, only now noticing that the stones were a shambles. With a few graceful gestures, the fallen stones were righted and Stonehenge was restored. “People will so notice that,” O’Neill said. Carter shushed him. The team hovered at the edge of the circle, not sure what they should do or if they should even be there at all. Merlin waved his hand and the landscape seemed to change completely - the roads were gone, trees appeared around them and the hill was shrouded in mist. He waved his other hand and a neat fire blossomed near the center of the circle. He raised his arms and began chanting in an ancient Celtic dialect. Soon, he knelt before the fire, his back slightly arched, his head slightly back. His arms floated out from his body again, palms up, and his middle fingers curled slightly up. His eyes were open, but if he saw anything, it was not of this realm. The chanting continued. “While, uh, not much is known of the ancient Druid rituals,” Jackson whispered. “I believe a, uh, blood sacrifice would come about now.” “Is that what we’re here for?” O’Neill whispered hastily. Carter shushed them as Merlin drew a dagger from his right boot. Still chanting, he waved the blade through the flames a few times and then, without so much as a flinch, sliced through the palm of his left hand. He squeezed blood through his fist and liberally sprinkled the ground before him, at the same time waving the blade through the flames again. With a flick of his wrist, he drove the tip of the dagger into the ground and resumed his position with his arms out. 
All of a sudden, a sort of vortex opened at the other end of the circle and a striking woman stood in mid-air. She wore a flowing gown and her long dark hair was done up in a row of braids. Her black eyes were emotionless and she held a long bow. “Okay, does anybody else see that?” O’Neill wanted to know. For the first time throughout this ordeal, Teal’c took interest. “I see it, Colonel O’Neill,” he said. As they watched, the woman drew the bow back and an arrow flew straight through Merlin’s chest, driving itself into the turf behind the wizard till only the fletching could be seen. Merlin yelled once, his body shuddering with the blow. He remained upright for what seemed a long moment and then he slowly slumped to his side. The others stared in amazement as the vortex closed and the dust settled. Carter was first to leap to the prone body. She turned him over, fully expecting to see the pallor of death and a stream of blood. What she found was a sleeping man, a look of contentment on his face. She clawed at the robe, but there was no wound - no tear in fabric or flesh. Astounded, she looked up to see the three men standing and examining the arrow in Teal’c’s hand. “There’s not a mark on him,” Carter said. “The arrow is real enough,” Jackson said. “You all saw what I saw, didn’t you?” O’Neill wanted to know. “I think we did, yes, but who’s going to believe us?” Jackson said. Merlin opened his eyes, but he wasn’t seeing anything yet. Colours swirled around his head and he somehow felt he should have been in pain, but he wasn’t. Someone was calling his name - a gentle voice on the breeze. It was a familiar voice, a comforting voice. “Nimue?” he whispered. “Merlin, it’s me - Sam, are you all right?” “Sam?” His vision focused and he blinked at the four concerned faces staring down at him. “What happened?” “This arrow went through your chest, old buddy,” O’Neill said, holding the arrow out as proof. “But it didn’t hurt you,” Carter added. “Oh, you’re wrong there,” Merlin said as he pulled himself back up to his knees. “It hurt like bloody hell, actually.” He ran his left hand through his hair, but it hurt and he stared at the cut on his palm for a long while as if he didn’t know what it was. He glanced down and pulled the dagger out of the ground, wiped the blade on his robe and slid it back into it’s sheath in his boot. “So, what was that all about?” O’Neill wanted to know. “My mother - Queen Mab.” Merlin allowed Carter to help him to his feet. “Her way of telling me what’s done is done, now get off my ass and get back to it.” “Nice Mom,” O’Neill quipped. The mist subsided and the landscape returned to normal - including the chain link fence, and the team was on the wrong side of it. “The place has changed so much,” Merlin said as he looked around. “I’ll say,” O’Neill told him. “You righted the stones.” “I lifted the stones?” “With a wave of your hand,” Jackson confirmed. “And people are so gonna notice that,” O’Neill insisted. Merlin chuckled and mused, “Then it was certainly easier than the first time I lifted them." “You put the stones here in the first place?” Carter asked astounded. “Oh, no, they were here long before I was born, but several had fallen and I was charged with raising them again. Took weeks of calculation, months of engine building and 180 men and I did it now with the wave of a hand?” He shook his head in amazement. “The people are waking up,” Teal’c informed them. “Oh, you better do that thing you do and put them out for a while longer,” O’Neill told Merlin. “I knocked them all out?” “You don’t actually remember anything, do you?” Jackson asked. “Not much, no.” “We’re gonna get arrested,” Carter said. “If you make the fence vanish again, we can run for it,” O’Neill offered. “Make the fence vanish? You’re kidding, right? I’m lucky I can stand.” “Oh, great.” O’Neill leapt half way up the fence and clambered over. “Are you coming?” The rest of the team looked at each other, glanced at the people just arising and the guard heading their way, and then scrambled over the fence too. Merlin got hung up with the robe he was wearing and used his remaining magical power to change his clothes. They reached the car and by the time O’Neill pealed out away from there, Merlin was unconscious in the back seat, his head resting on Carter’s lap. “What’s he wearing now?” O’Neill asked as he peered at the rear view mirror. Merlin was still wearing the brown suede boots, but instead of the robe, he now wore brown soft brushed cotton pants, tucked into the laced boots, and a quilted green tunic, with brown leather wrist guards. “His usual gear - he must have used what remained of his power to change.” Carter combed her fingers through the sleeping man’s long hair as she spoke, a sort of wistful look on her face. “Ummm,” Jackson said. “Is there … something more between you two than you’ve let on?” In the front seat, Teal’c had one eyebrow raised and O’Neill strained to hear the answer to that question himself. Carter looked far away a moment and them muttered softly, “I’m pregnant.” The car swerved and then screeched to a halt at the side of the road. “WHAT?!” O’Neill yelled from the front seat. Carter knew what O’Neill was thinking - the baby could be his. She shook her head slightly to answer his unasked question and said softly, “That first night, after he changed.” “Didn’t take you long,” O’Neill muttered petulantly. “Well, if he’d looked at you with those big blue eyes of his the way he’d looked at me, you wouldn’t have been able to resist him either.” O’Neill thought of how Merlin had come on to him back at the lake and shuddered. “Um, Sam,” Jackson said. “Aren’t you, ya know, on the pill or anything?” “I have an implant, actually, but Merlin bypassed it.” “He deliberately impregnated you without your knowledge or consent?” Teal’c asked. “That is not particularly honorable.” “He said it seemed like a good idea at the time.” “HA!” O’Neill laughed. “Sorry, but I’ve heard that one before.” He put the car back on the road and drove to a secluded looking wooded area to hide out till the heat died down. Merlin was still unconscious, so Teal’c and O’Neill carried him to a campsite where they built a small fire and settled down to rest a while. They discussed anything and everything, carefully avoiding the topic of pregnancy, while Merlin slept with his head resting on Carter’s lap. He was in service to a mighty king - although, he couldn’t quite recall which - and was out on patrol with the King’s personal guard when a rag-tag group of soldiers from a neighboring kingdom arrived in search of a prized bull which had gotten loose. “Lower your weapons,” Merlin told his troops. “How can we help you, Milord?” he asked Duke William, leader of the visiting party. “The bull is a particular favourite of our Monarch and we have reason to believe he ran in this direction. We would appreciate any help you could provide, Sir ……..” “I am Merlin, a simple advisor to my King,” he bowed. “My troops would be happy to help you search.” He leaned close to his captain’s ear and whispered, “Look to the mountains in the west, you’ll find him there.” The captain nodded and mounted up the majority of his troops. “Let us head to the west,” he said. “We may find him near the mountains.” “No, we saw him running north, he hasn’t had time to cut west to the mountains.” The captain of the guard glanced at Merlin, who nodded imperceptibly. “North, then,” he said, turning his horse northwards. “Let’s go.” As the troops trotted out of camp, Merlin turned to the remaining three soldiers with him and said, “Mount up - we need to find that damned bull before he falls off a cliff.” So it was that he found the bull exactly where he knew it to be and returned to the camp site with it. What he hadn’t expected was to find the Duke and his men waiting there for him. “You found him, good!” The Duke was all smiles, but there was something sinister in his manner. “Where are my men?” Merlin asked politely, but forcefully. “Searching, of course.” Everything happened too fast. Arrows pierced the three remaining guards before they could draw swords and as Merlin pushed a wall of air against the attackers, knocking them from their horses, someone looped a rope around his neck from behind and yanked him onto his back on the ground. He had no time to do anything else as several men piled on top of him, tying his hands tightly behind his back. As he lay helpless, Duke William placed his foot on his chest and pushed hard. Merlin winced as one of his wrists cracked with a loud pop. The Duke smiled down at him. “So, it’s true,” he said. “Simple Merlin - not only do you have the Gift, but you have the Sight as well. My Monarch will be pleased.” “Mine won’t,” Merlin snarled. “What’s the meaning of this?” “I’m told you’re also immortal. We’ll soon find out for sure. Let’s go, men!” Merlin was dragged by that rope around his neck all the way back to the neighboring kingdom. Most everything after that was a blur of pain and screams until they threw him into what looked like a guest room and slammed the door. He crawled to the bed, struggled onto it and passed out. Next he was aware, he had apparently been bathed and shaved and was now being clothed by a couple giggling young women. He blinked and they were gone. The Duke now stood before him with several men at arms. “Time to meet your new Master,” William said. 
The men at arms surrounded him and they had to hold him up as he was too weak to even stand steadily on his own, let alone walk. They marched like this through the castle and into an ornate throne room. The crowds parted as Merlin was led/dragged up to the throne. Once there, the men at arms pulled back, leaving Merlin wobbly standing on his own. He looked up to see Samantha Carter sitting regally on the throne with a circlet of gold around her head. As if that wasn’t enough of a shock, a very heavily armed and scantily clad Jack O’Neill was standing next to the throne and was saying, “Kneel before your Monarch!” Merlin stood dumfounded for too long, evidently, as something heavy and metallic slammed into the back of his legs. He fell to his knees with an … “Oomph.” Merlin snapped awake and muttered, “Shit,” as the memory of that strange dream remained so vividly in his mind. Slowly, it faded and was replaced by the image of Samantha Carter - dressed in blue jeans and knit cap. He was about to remark on what a relief that was, when a very large brown bear approached. “Hello,” Merlin said to it. 
The bear replied, “Merlin?” in a rather soft male voice. “You may want to move away from here. There are men approaching.” “Are they hostile?” “I do not know, Merlin. They are men.” Merlin grinned. “Okay, thank you, my friend. Good bye.” “Good bye, Merlin.” Merlin watched the bear leave and then turned to his companions, who were all staring at him in various rigid postures. “What?” Merlin asked. “The big honkin’ bear!” O’Neill exclaimed. “Would you like to explain that?” “You saw him, then?” “Uh, YEAH! Kinda hard to miss.” “Did you, uh, hear him say anything?” “Noooooooo,” Jackson said. “Did, er, I say anything?” “Noooooooo,” Carter said. “Hmmm, I’ve never had an encounter like that when other people were present - I didn’t actually realize it was real.” Merlin sat up and stretched. “In any case, he says there are men approaching - we might want to hasten a retreat?” “Riiiiiight.” O’Neill doused the fire and they all rose to head for the car. On the way past Merlin, O’Neill muttered, “What the hell,” and punched the wizard across the jaw. Merlin’s head snapped back, but he didn’t fall. “What the hell?” he said, rubbing his jaw. Teal’c passed next. The dirty look he gave him and the low guttural growl he uttered, made Merlin flinch in anticipation of another blow that did not come. Instead, Teal’c shook his head in disappointment and walked past. Jackson had his hands in his pockets; he rolled his eyes and shook his head as he passed. Still caressing his sore jaw, Merlin looked to Carter. “You gonna hit me too?” When she shook her head, he said, “You told em, I take it?” “It came up, yeah.” Merlin sighed sympathetically. “Have you made a decision yet?” “Not definitely, no.” The mountain was crawling with security when they got back. “What’s all this, then?” O’Neill asked of no one in particular. “I dunno,” Jackson answered. “But those suits over there look like Secret Service to me." “Damn, you’re right, Daniel,” Carter said. “Is this something we should be concerned about, Colonel O’Neill?” Teal’c wanted to know. “Yeah, what’s a secret service?” Merlin wanted to know. “Oh, well, the Secret Service do one and only one thing - they protect the President of the United States. As to whether this is a good thing or a bad thing, well, that depends on why the President is here.” “Ah, this President,” Merlin said. “He’s like your King?” “Oh, no,” O’Neill said. “We fought a revolution to rid ourselves of kings. The President is elected by popular vote.” “Well, theoretically, anyway,” Jackson added. “Yes, I have heard of this, Merlin,” Teal’c said. “There are elections and candidates throw dirt at one another.” Merlin raised an eyebrow. “It’s called mud slinging, Teal’c,” O’Neill corrected. Merlin smiled. “Ah, yes, I know the concept well.” Now Teal’c raised an eyebrow. “I’ll explain it to you later, Teal’c,” Merlin told him. By the time the team reached sub level 19, they could hear the alarm claxon. Just as the lift opened at sub level 28, the alarm went silent. “Gate room?” Carter suggested. “Gate room,” O’Neill agreed. The team encountered no SGC personnel along the way. When the door opened to the gate room, a wall of force approached them, but it never reached them, for Merlin had waved a hand and dispersed it. He walked past his companions with a slight frown tugging at the corners of his mouth and approached the woman standing at the base of the ramp. The situation looked serious. Armed guards surrounded the gate with weapons aimed at the beautiful woman, who was obviously Goa’uld. General Hammond was up in the control room with the President. The team could see through the large window that Lieutenant Ford was on his knees in hand cuffs. The member of SG-12 was staring out at the woman with a look of longing, which explained how the Goa’uld got past the iris. “Merlin,” the woman said with a grin. “It is true, then. You are alive and well.” “Diana,” Merlin replied. “I’d like to say it’s good to see you again, but I do so hate to lie.” She laughed a hearty laugh and said, “Oh, but you loved me once, Merlin.” “No, I loved Brigitte. You took her from me and still mock my love with your presence.” Diana lashed out suddenly and struck Merlin, flinging him across the room to slam into a wall. He picked himself up and wiped some blood from a gash on his right cheek. He grinned. Then, he pushed both hands forward and sent a wall of force towards the woman, who blocked it with her personal force field. Undeterred, Merlin walked up to her and reached through her shield to grip her round the throat. He picked her up and threw her across the room. She laughed and said, “You haven’t changed, my love.” “I’m not your love, Diana.” “You’re my plaything, Merlin, and I’ve missed you.” She held her palm weapon up before him, a stream of energy flowing into his forehead. The pain drove him down to one knee, but not for long. With a grimace, he forced himself to stand. He seemed to grip the energy beam in his fist and then he pulled it away. She slapped him hard across the face, drawing blood. He caught her hand and she slapped him with the other, drawing blood again. He grabbed her other hand too, then switched both small hands into his left fist, leaving his right hand free to close around the woman’s throat. “If you think my love for your host can protect you, you’re mistaken,” Merlin said through clenched teeth. “Her life ended the moment you entered her body.” With her super-human strength, she broke his hold and flung him across the room again, where he hit the wall hard, slid down to the floor and lay moaning on his back a moment before rolling over and getting to his knees. She began to say, “You … !” but Merlin cut her off with a pointing gesture and a squeeze of his fist. It was as if he held her heart in his hand; the harder he squeezed, the more she choked, till she suddenly vomited blood and collapsed. Merlin rushed to her side and gently took her head in his lap. “Brigitte,” he said as he tenderly brushed strands of dark hair from her eyes. “I’m so sorry, Brigitte.” Tears welled up in his eyes, blurring his vision. But the woman smiled and reached up to stroke his face and wipe a tear away. “Do not cry, my love. I die free, thanks to you.” “You die because of me,” he sobbed. “And I thank … you …” Her last breath spent, she drifted away from him forever. The complex remained silent as the wizard sobbed quietly. After a moment, he gently laid her head on the floor and rose. Without looking at anyone else, he stalked off to his room at the base - the only home he had in this time. Once the door was closed behind him, Merlin roared in grief and started smashing anything within reach. His energy spent, he collapsed to the floor where he sat staring at the wall with his back resting against the cot and his legs straight out in front of him. From somewhere, he produced a bottle of very old scotch which he attacked with a vengeance. It was half empty when the knock came at the door. Without turning around, he yelled, “GO AWAY!” and took another swig of the scotch. “Merlin,” General Hammond said as he opened the door. Upon seeing the destruction of the room, he said, “What the hell?” “I said go away, General,” Merlin sneered, still without turning around. “Or did I not yell loud enough?” “Merlin, the President would like to meet you.” “Not now.” “I think …” “NOT NOW! I don’t care if he’s the King of bloody Britain, I don’t feel up to discussing petty political intrigues with some pompous …” Hammond cleared his throat and Merlin stopped himself and said, “ He’s standing right there, isn’t he?” “Yes.” Merlin sighed heavily and rose slowly to his feet. With his back still to the door, he took a long pull from the bottle in his right hand and then ran his left hand through his long hair. “Are you drunk, Merlin?” Hammond wanted to know. The wizard finally turned to face his visitors. “No, General, but I was working on it,” he said. He tried to grin, but all he could manage was a grimace. He glanced quickly at the group of strangers and finally settled on a middle-aged gentleman wearing a flashy tie. “So, you must be the President,” he said. “You’re the only one not wearing a …” -- he gestured around his ear -- “… thing in your ear.” “And you must be Merlin,” the man said as he held his hand out. Merlin fumbled with the bottle and reached for the extended hand, but noticed his own and the whole front of his shirt was covered in blood. He hesitated in mid reach, clenched his fists a moment to suppress the rage he felt and then waved himself a clean change of clothing. The blood on his face vanished, but he didn’t heal the wounds and bruises on his face - he wanted to keep them a while longer to remind himself what he’d just done. Then he shook the President’s hand with a firm grip. “I won’t help you take over the world,” he said. “Merlin,” Hammond admonished. Merlin held his hands up in surrender and said, “Been there, done that, didn’t work out. Just wanted to make it clear at the outset that I would never do that again.” The President grinned and assured him that he had no intention of asking him to help take over the world. “What you did in there,” Hammond started, but Merlin cut him off. “I don’t want to talk about it.” “But that was a Goa’uld …” “I just killed the woman I loved, General. I had hoped to have a little time to myself to be pissed off, but I see that’s not gonna happen, so when I say I don’t wanna talk about it, I mean, I do NOT want to talk about it.” He glared in such a way as to make it perfectly clear that he would not talk about it and the General let the matter rest. “Would you mind taking a walk with me, Merlin?” the President asked. “Of course not,” Merlin said, but he wasn’t all that convincing. They left his ransacked room, followed closely by several Secret Service agents. “I’ll take that, if you don’t mind,” Hammond said with a gesture towards the bottle Merlin still held. “Certainly, Sir,” Merlin replied graciously. He took a last long pull and then handed it over. “You should try some, General - it’s really quite smooth.” “I’m sure it is, Merlin. I’ll be in my office if you need me,” Hammond said to the President before giving Merlin a better behave look and walking off. “He probably won’t drink any,” Merlin confided to the President. “He takes his job very seriously.” The President wanted to go outside to talk and the lift ride up was cramped with all the Secret Service agents. When they got out into the lightly wooded area, Merlin stopped and turned to the body guards at his heels. “What are you doing?” he asked. “Do you really think anything can happen to him while I’m here? Do you really think you could stop me if I decided to do something to him?” At the blank stares, he explained, “What I am trying to say, in my own subtle way, is BACK OFF!” The leader of the agents bristled, but the President laughed and waved his hand dismissively. “It’s okay, Bob, hang back a ways. I’m sure I’m safe with Merlin here.” When the agents had pulled back, Merlin loosened his neck and calmed down a bit. “Sorry, Sir, but I’m a little on edge.” “I won’t pretend to understand exactly what went on today or to know just how you feel, but I do realize it was something extraordinary and that you’re hurting for it. I’m sorry I disturbed your grief, although getting drunk is never a very good solution.” “Well said, but I haven’t been drunk for a good thousand years and thought it was about time.” “A thousand years,” The President chuckled. “Hard to fathom.” Merlin didn’t hear him because he was staring at a distant hill. “Do you have a man stationed on that far hill?” he asked. “What?” The President squinted, but saw nothing. “No, why?” “Then duck.” “What?” “DOWN!” In one brief instant, Merlin shoved the President, who went down; the Secret Service agents all drew their weapons, ready to shoot Merlin; and a bullet from a very high powered rifle tore through Merlin’s chest. The shooter was so far away, no shot was even heard. Stunned breathless, Merlin stared down at the gaping hole in his chest. He glanced behind him and saw an even larger exit wound in his back. Swaying and wincing from the pain, he held his left hand over his chest as he stretched his right arm out towards the shooter no one else could see. There was a bright flash of light on the distant hill and then Merlin sighed with relief as he was able to breath again. The wound was healed. He glanced around him. The President was seated on the ground, leaning back on his hands and staring up at Merlin slack jawed. The agents were all frozen in indecisive positions - some aiming their weapon at Merlin, a few looking towards the hill and one watching the President. “Well, that was unpleasant!” Merlin said. His face was now healed too. The agents holstered their guns and helped the President up off the ground. Bob, the leader of the agents, was talking into his tiny microphone, telling someone to get over to that hill to check it out. “Er, I think maybe we should head back,” The President said, smoothing his jacket. “Agreed.” They began walking back. “Those projectile weapons hurt like hell,” Merlin added. “You took a bullet for me, Merlin, and you don’t even like me.” Merlin laughed. “Instinct,” he explained. Then he frowned and said, “You might want to look into whoever knew you were coming here today.” “Yes, of course. Thank you for, um, well, saving my life.” “It’s what I do.” Merlin stopped and placed a hand on the President’s shoulder. “Look, can you make it back into the base without me? There’s something I must do.” He had a far away look in his eyes and started walking away before getting an answer. “Er, sure,” The President said to his back. “Are you gonna let him get away with that, Sir?” Bob wanted to know. The President raised his eyebrows at his Secret Service agent and said, “Are you kidding me? You saw what he just did, you think I’m going to call him on a small breach of protocol?” He shook his head and added, “I’m just glad he’s on our side.” Merlin walked off into the woods alone. He was following a beckoning voice. He reached a pleasant clearing and stopped. He sat cross-legged on the grass and waited. The voices were all around him; sweet, soft, comforting voices. The Earth Sprites had something to tell him and they were all speaking at once. He smiled and wordlessly told them to calm down and speak one at a time. He was not altogether pleased by what they had to say. “What’s done is done,” he said aloud. “I shall deal with any consequences as they arise. Can we not discuss something more pleasant? I haven’t seen any of you for hundreds of years.” When Merlin returned to the base, he went to General Hammond’s office. “General,” he said. “I thought I’d find the President here.” “He’s getting ready to leave.” Hammond leaned back in his chair. “I want to thank you, Merlin, for what you did; for everything you’ve done.” “I owe you an explanation, General, painful though it may be.” Merlin pulled up a chair and sat down. “I won’t go into some 800 years of history, but … when I was taken by the Goa’uld … well, let’s just say that I was mistreated. At any rate, there was a woman - a very beautiful woman, as you witnessed today. Aside from her outer beauty, Brigitte was an incredibly sweet, shy young woman. She was the first woman I had actually fallen in love with since the loss of my Nimue. “Well, like I told you when I first got here, they thought I would make an excellent host, but found me to be too stubborn, so Diana was in charge of breaking me. She rather enjoyed her job. When it became apparent to her how I felt about Brigitte … she made me watch. She tortured her to death. And after resurrecting her in a sarcophagus, she took her as a host. And then she … forced me to have sex with her - I won’t call it love making. For decades, she mocked me in that body. “Today I killed the Goa’uld bitch who tormented me for over a century and in so doing, I killed a sweet, innocent young woman who’s only crime was loving me.” After a pause, he said, “So, can I have my bottle back?” Hammond sat with his mouth open for a moment, then he reached into his desk drawer and pulled out the scotch bottle he had confiscated. “Do you mind?” he asked. Merlin shook his head and Hammond took a good long pull from the bottle before handing it over. “Thank you.” Merlin stopped at the door and turned back to say, “By the way, don’t be too hard on your officer. He was under the influence of a very powerful drug - it was one of Diana’s specialties. I can make a sort of antidote - I’ll show Janet how to make it. Might be a good idea to inject your teams every time they head off world.” That said, he took the bottle back to his room and finished getting drunk. He was lying on his back on his cot - so drunk, he wasn’t sure if he was dreaming or not - when the door opened and Carter slipped inside. “Merlin?” she whispered. He grunted and she moved closer. “Merlin, you okay?” “Sam?” She sat on the cot next to him. “General Hammond told us … about … her. I came to make sure you were okay.” “What he didn’t tell you, because I didn’t tell him, was that when Brigitte was tortured to death, she was pregnant with my child.” What he didn’t tell Carter was that Diana was furious when she realized she had killed the baby and tried for over a century to create another one. No, he didn’t say anything more, but the tears welled up in his eyes and when she took him in her arms, he wept freely. “Oh God, Merlin, I can’t even imagine the horrors you faced with the Goa’uld.” She sobbed with him until lust took over and they groped each other. He took her roughly, desperate to ease his pain in her body, but he couldn’t. With each thrust, she moaned with passion, but he groaned in torment. It was just a matter of time before he would lose her the way he’d lost everyone else he’d ever cared about. Being immortal was a bitch. They both yelled in climax and Merlin buried his face in her breast. She stroked his hair as he sobbed. He was still inside her and still rock hard - how could he do that while drunk? “I’m sorry, Sam,” he mumbled. “I’m so sorry.” “Sorry for what? Fantastic sex?” He lifted his head and looked down at her. “No, I’m grateful for that. I’m sorry for all the grief I’ll cause you.” “Why?” she asked, suddenly anxious about the baby. “What have you seen?” “Nothing, but I bring nothing but pain to the ones I love and I’m afraid you’ll be no exception.” “I’m a big girl, Merlin. I can take care of myself. Now, suppose you tell me just why you’re still stiff as a tree inside me after drinking an entire bottle of scotch …” “You like that, do you?” He grinned. “Yeah, I do.” She grinned back at him. “Living forever does have it’s advantages,” he said as he started making love to her all over again. “Merlin,” she said, a little breathless. “Would you do something with me?” “Of course.” “Take me from behind.” “I am behind you.” “No, take my ass and use a vibrator with me.” “Vibrator?” He raised an eyebrow. “My duffel bag - over there on the floor.” She pointed. He pulled out of her and went to her bag on the floor. From the side pocket, he pulled out what looked like an artificial penis. “Okay,” he grinned. “This looks promising.” There was a little button. “What’s this?” He flicked the button and it began to vibrate. “Ah, so that’s why it’s called a vibrator.” “Have you never seen one before?” “Noooo, can’t say I have.” Still grinning, he came back to the cot, where she was waiting on all fours. He ran one hand over her ass and said, “So, you want me here …” He rubbed the vibrator over her dripping clit. “And you want this thing here …” She moaned an affirmative. With a wave of fingers, he had lubricated her and began to ease himself into her ass. At the same time, he slowly inserted the vibrator. He was slow and methodical and when he switched on the vibrator, she groaned loudly. “What are you doing?” she asked. “What you asked me to.” Her breaths were coming in short and choppy, with a moan escaping with each exhale. “The vibrator isn’t designed to work like that.” “It is now.” “Oh, my god,” she muttered. “Am I hurting you?” “No.” She was breathing quickly and moaning constantly now. “Do you want me to stop?” “Hell no!” Things went on like this for quite some time. Merlin held her against his chest, pumping her slowly and deeply from behind, while making the vibrator do things it was not designed to do in front. Carter’s body shuddered. She flung her head back against his muscled chest and clawed at whatever she could get her hands on. She felt like she wanted to scream. “Oh, my god, Merlin; you’re keeping me just at the edge - let me go over, please.” “Not yet,” he smiled. “Believe me, when you do, it will have been worth the wait.” Her whole body tingled and she felt like she would explode. “God, Merlin, I can’t - Ahhhhhggggggg!” He had finally let her go and she screamed like never before. The climax wracked her entire body, which twitched uncontrollably. His own yell was drowned out by hers and he held her tight as her body bucked on his. His still hard cock was milked dry by her spasms and both their bodies shuddered together. He removed and turned off the vibrator before pulling her down onto the bed with him, where she continued to shudder with him still deep inside her. “God, Merlin, it won’t stop!” she exclaimed. “It will, eventually,” he assured her. “How can an orgasm last this long?” He grinned. “Well, I’m good; what can I say?” “Oh, god, but that’s an understatement, Merlin - you’re incredible!” “I notice you’ve been using the word god in conjunction with my name quite a bit tonight.” “Oh, honey, the way I feel right now, as far as I’m concerned, you are god!” Merlin laughed. “Is it easing up now?” “Yeah, but I don’t think I could walk yet.” “No need to, baby.” He hugged her closer and inhaled the sweet scent of her. “I’m not going anywhere.” He held her close, running one hand through her hair and massaging her breasts with the other, while her extended orgasm eased up. Once she could control herself again, she reached back to caress him. “Oh, damn, Merlin,” she said, getting a look at his arms. “I clawed the hell out of you - I’m so sorry!” “Heh,” he grinned. “Not a problem, Sam.” They rocked together silently for a while before Sam spoke up again. “Merlin?” she said. “Hmm?” “Would you let me use the vibrator on you?” “On me? You mean, up ….?” He made a rude gesture and she nodded with a grin. “Well, that’s kind of kinky, isn’t it?” “So, you won’t do it?” “Oh, I’ll do it, but it’s kind of kinky.” She giggled and pulled herself off his incredibly still hard cock. “How do you do that?” she wanted to know. “Is it a wizard thing?” He chuckled and replied, “No, more a having lived over 1500 years kind of thing.” She went to her duffel bag and pulled out a leather harness which she crawled into. Back at the cot, she picked up the vibrator. “This should be cleaned,” she said. He waved a hand. “Done.” She grinned and fit the vibrator into the harness. “So, you, uh, came prepared tonight, did you?” Merlin asked with a sly grin. “Oh, no,” Carter said innocently. “I carry this duffel bag around with me everywhere.” Merlin laughed and positioned himself on all fours for her. “Ready when you are.” She wriggled up to him and ran her hands over his fine ass. “Lubricant?” With another wave, he was lubricated. “Thank you.” She rubbed the tip of the vibrator over his anus and asked, “Ready?” “Yep.” She very slowly and gently began to enter him. “Sam?” “Hmmm?” “I won’t break.” “What?” “You can go as hard and as fast as you want - you won’t hurt me.” “So, you’ve done this before, then?” “No comment. Whoa!” She had rammed the vibrator all the way in suddenly. “You okay?” “Yeah.” She pumped slowly a few times, which made him groan quietly and then asked, “Will this vibrator still work like it did with me now?” “Oh yeah; the changes I made are permanent - it’ll work that way whether I’m around or not.” She grinned at that and asked, “Ready?” “Yep.” She switched the vibrator on, which caused quite a sensation for her as well. She muttered a slight, “Ooooh” while he groaned loudly, arched his back and threw his head back. “Oh, that is something,” he admitted as he squirmed and moaned. She began to thrust harder and deeper and he began to groan continually and arch his back. “Can I hold your hair?” she asked. “Yeah, it won’t hurt me.” She grabbed a handful of his long hair and used it to pull herself into him each time she thrust. She was riding him like a stallion and he loved every moment. Just when he thought he would come, she reached around and grabbed his scrotum. She gripped his balls and the base of his cock in such a way as to hold off his ejaculation. “Oh, not fair!” he complained. “Is so fair,” she retorted. “You kept me at the edge so long I thought I would die.” “Oh yeah?” he laughed and waved a hand behind him. The vibrator suddenly entered her as well. She yelped and laughed. “God, Merlin, you are so wicked.” She switched off the vibrator, pulled out of his ass and yanked off the harness, never releasing her grip on his balls. Then she shoved him over onto his back and attacked his cock with her mouth. “I’m wicked?” he asked, still laughing. “I’ve never known a lover so aggressive.” She eased the vibrator back into him and turned it on. “Intimidated?” she asked, talking around the large mouthful she was sucking on. It was hard for him to talk as he squirmed, moaned and grunted at the onslaught, but he managed. “Didn’t you notice how sweaty I was just trying to explain you were pregnant?” She chuckled and continued her attack. He groaned loudly and bucked his hips off the cot. “C’mon, Sam,” he begged. “Let me come already!” “Not yet.” “I can turn you into a toad.” “No, you can’t.” “Damn, you know me so well!” She laughed so hard, she couldn’t maintain the pressure needed and Merlin finally came in a big way. He came so forcefully, and she was laughing so hard, she couldn’t swallow it all and she dribbled down her chin. “Hmm, you taste sweet, like honey,” she said. He wiped her chin with a finger and licked it off. “Hmmm, yeah, I can make it taste like barbecue sauce if you’d prefer.” She laughed heartily at that and fell into his arms. As she snuggled up close and pulled the sheet over them, he reached beneath him and pulled out the still vibrating vibrator. He switched it off and set it aside. “Well, now that it’s a double dildo,” Carter said. “How am I gonna get the batteries in it?” “Batteries? Oh, no, it doesn’t need batteries anymore.” “What? It’ll just work perpetually now?” “Yep.” “Like I said before, Merlin, …” “I’m god?” She smiled indulgently. “You’re incredible.” “Oh, right, that too.” He wrapped his arms around her and then chuckled. “What?” she asked. “Sometimes, it’s good to be a wizard.” P47-118 was a rather pastoral planet with what looked like a primitive society. When SG-8 failed to return from their visit, SG-1 was dispatched to find out what happened. “Well, it certainly is tropical,” O’Neill said, fingering the already sweaty collar of his khaki T-shirt. After sneezing several times in rapid succession, Jackson agreed. “There’s a village several miles to the east of here,” Merlin informed the others. “Won’t even ask how you know that,” O’Neill said. “We’ll just head in that direction.” After walking a short ways in silence, Merlin spoke up with, “This place doesn’t feel right.” “Ut-oh,” Carter said, remembering the last time he said that. “Jaffa?” O’Neill asked. Merlin waved his hand, frowned, waved his other hand and frowned more deeply. “There is no magic here,” he said. “What?” “My power is voided somehow; we seem to be in a magic free zone.” “Here, take my pistol,” Carter said, looking around anxiously. “I wouldn’t know how to use it, Sam.” “How bout this?” O’Neill handed him a zat gun. “Oh, a zat’ni’katel, yeah, I can use that.” He took it and activated it so the serpent form raised it’s head and then deactivated it and put it in his pocket. Teal’c grinned slightly because Merlin knew the proper name for the weapon O’Neill insisted on calling a zat gun. “We may not need weapons, though,” Merlin continued. “Just because this is a magic free zone, doesn’t mean the natives are hostile.” “No, but this does,” Jackson said. Everyone turned to him and saw what he saw - the members of SG-8 crucified in a gruesome manner. “Oh, shit,” Carter turned her head at the sight, her stomach churning. Morning sickness was becoming a problem. “Okay,” O’Neill said, shifting his weapon on his shoulder. “That is not a good sign.” “I’ll go dial home,” Jackson said. “Right behind ya,” O’Neill replied. But they didn’t have the chance to get back to the stargate before all hell broke loose. Wooden arrows and spears rained down around them. A spear went through O’Neill’s right thigh and he went down. Jackson dove on top of Carter and took an arrow in the shoulder. Teal’c ignored the two crossbow bolts in his hip and blasted a few natives with his staff weapon, but they were soon surrounded and O’Neill ordered a surrender. Merlin had slipped away into the woods before anyone noticed him. One of the natives yelled something at them in a strange language. When no one acted, he got mad, kicked O’Neill and yelled again. “ARG!” O’Neill exclaimed. Then he muttered, “Son of a bitch.” The native yelled something else and yanked the spear out of his leg, which made O’Neill grunt and grab the wound. “Daniel …..” he said through clenched teeth. “Er,” Jackson tentatively spoke - trying several different languages, not altogether sure what language was being used. A few words were exchanged and then Jackson knew. “They’re speaking an obscure Polynesian dialect,” He said. “They want us to get up.” The team was taken to a village where they were unceremoniously tossed into a cage. Carter pulled the crossbow bolt out of Jackson’s shoulder with no warning. “OW!” he exclaimed. “Damn, that hurt.” “Tell me about it,” O’Neill said as he tried with trembling hands to tighten his belt around his leg to stop the bleeding. “Where’s Merlin?” Carter asked, as she tended Jackson’s wound. “He escaped through the woods when the natives attacked,” Teal’c answered, as he tended his own wounds. “Well, I hope he has the sense to inform Hammond of our situation before getting himself caught,” O’Neill said. A native entered and danced around chanting for a while. “Floor show?” O’Neill asked. “I think he’s a shaman,” Jackson answered. The shaman stopped his dancing in front of O’Neill. He waved a rattling thing around a few times and then smacked the wound in O’Neill’s thigh. “OW!” O’Neill exclaimed, but the shaman ignored him and started dancing around again. “Oh, hey,” O’Neill said, removing his belt tourniquet and examining the wound. “It’s all healed.” The shaman stopped in front of Jackson and repeated the rattling and smacking and his wound was healed too. He danced around Teal’c a moment, healed his hip wounds and then hovered around his pouch a moment. He frowned, but then went to dance around Carter. He gently placed his hand on Carter’s belly and smiled before exiting the cage. Teal’c raised an eyebrow and looked to the others. Jackson said, “Amazing.” “I hope he didn’t hurt the baby,” Carter said, a hand on her belly. “So, you’re gonna keep it, then?” Jackson asked. Carter shrugged. “I guess all magic is not banished here.” O’Neill said, changing the subject. As if on cue, the sounds of energy bolts and screams echoed around the camp. “Merlin has returned,” O’Neill proclaimed with a slight grin. The grin faded quickly, however, when the sound of automatic gun fire peppered the air, followed by complete silence. “Ut-oh,” O’Neill muttered. “Oh, my god,” Carter said when she spotted Merlin’s body being dragged towards their cage. As soon as he was dumped inside, Carter was by his side. She gently turned him over and rested his head in her lap. He’d been hit 4 times in the chest and was struggling to breathe, but was still conscious. “That weapon …,” he gasped. “Hurts like bloody hell.” “Don’t die on me now, dammit.” “Can’t help it, Sam.” He gazed up at her and tried to smile. “So sorry … I wanted to be here for you … and the baby.” A spasm of pain shook his frame and blood welled up in his throat, making him cough painfully. He groaned and then his whole body tensed as a vision seared through his brain. He saw Sam holding their baby and was pleased, but the added pain could not have come at a worse moment. “Not now,” he muttered before passing out. The shaman arrived again and did his dance. He whapped Merlin on the forehead first, which made the wizard moan and roll his head to the side. When the second bullet wound was whapped, Merlin came to with a groan and caught his breath at the next two thumps. When the shaman danced out, Merlin furrowed his brow and looked under his T-shirt at the now healed bullet wounds. Somewhat put out, he said, “So, the only magic not working around here is mine?” “Looks like it, old buddy,” O’Neill said grinning. The native who had been leading the hunting party that captured them came up to the cage and yelled something at them. “Does he have hemorrhoids or something?” O’Neill asked. Carter shushed him and he added, “What? He’s always angry.” The native waved a sword around and yelled again. Jackson said, “He said something about … a hero?” “Champion,” Merlin corrected as he got to his feet. “He wants us to choose a champion to fight - using that sword.” “Right,” O’Neill said. “Guess that would be me.” He reached for the sword through the bars, but Merlin stayed his arm. “Not this time, Jack,” the wizard said. “Look, I’m in comm -“ “Have you ever fought with a sword?” “Well, ye -“ “In battle?” O’Neill sighed. “Well, I have. And, while I may not be our world’s greatest swordsman, I have wielded our world’s greatest sword. In battle.” He pushed the Colonel’s arm back down and reached for the sword himself. “No, this one is mine, Jack.” The native opened the cage to let Merlin out. Once the cage was closed and locked again, the native punched Merlin in the jaw and said something angrily at him. Merlin swung the sword, stopping it mere millimeters from the man’s throat and said something angrily right back. “Er, Merlin?” O’Neill cautioned. “Just a little male macho posturing, Jack. You should understand that.” When Merlin and the native walked away, O’Neill turned to Jackson. “I think the native guy was mad because Merlin killed a friend of his,” Jackson explained. “And I think Merlin told him off for attacking us and killing SG-8.” “Good for him.” Merlin was led to a sort of arena nearby where he swished the sword around a while as he waited for his opponent. When his opponent arrived, Merlin was somewhat dismayed to find there were three of them. “Oh, shit,” he muttered. He hadn’t been exaggerating when he’d said he was not the world’s greatest swordsman. Still, he’d once witnessed the world’s greatest swordsman battle three highway ruffians. King Arthur had rescued the aging and magically weak Merlin from three decidedly ruthless brigands, and a gory spectacle it had been, too. Okay, he could do this. He squared his shoulders, loosened his neck and prepared for the onslaught, unsure even what a victory on his part would mean for him or his companions. The three men tried to surround him, but Merlin wouldn’t let them. Then they came at him all at once. Merlin blocked the first one and ducked beneath the sword of the second only to clash with the third. There was some pushing and shoving, and an occasional clang of metal on metal before Merlin sensed another coming up behind him. He ducked, rolled and took a slicing blow across his back. Muttering expletives in several different languages, Merlin lashed out and caught the guy in the throat. Hoping that opponent was done for, he turned his attention to the other two. They were decidedly unchivalrous and insisted on coming at him both at once. He kicked one aside and turned right into the blade of the other. A bit shocked, but trying to ignore the pain, Merlin grabbed the hilt of the other man’s sword and pulled. This had the immediate effect of forcing the blade further through his own body, but since his opponent didn’t let go, it also pulled the other man onto his blade. The man’s eyes went wide in disbelief. With a grunt, Merlin kicked the man off his blade, valiantly pulled the sword out of his gut and then, armed now with two swords, he turned to face the final opponent. The angry wizard was an impressive sight. Covered in blood and menacingly twirling a bloodied blade in each hand, he had a manic gleam to his eyes that made the final opponent hesitate. Merlin stepped in and released a flurry of blows that forced the other man back till he tripped over his own feet and Merlin brought the tips of both swords down at the man’s throat. Breathing heavily and sorely tempted to finish it, he instead pulled away and turned towards the one who seemed to be in charge of the proceedings. “This challenge is over!” he said in their language. When he heard the last opponent rise and charge after him, Merlin turned and punched him squarely in the face. The man went down and stayed down this time. Turning back to the leader, he continued, “I will not kill for your enjoyment and I will not die for your pleasure!” He drove the points of both swords into the dirt and walked slowly (and painfully, though he tried to hide that fact) back towards the cage holding his friends. Carter was positively pale. Merlin grinned feebly at her and stood at the cage door, waiting for it to be opened. With a broad smile, the leader of the hunting party came and opened it for him. He bowed to Merlin as the wizard entered the cage and then locked it behind him. Teal’c and Carter helped Merlin to the only chair in the cage and eased him into it. “That had to hurt,” O’Neill said. “Oh, yeah,” Merlin replied softly. “Wasn’t very sporting of them to pit you against three of them,” Jackson said. “No,” Merlin agreed. “That was a bit of a disappointment.” “You showed great skill with that weapon, Merlin,” Teal’c commented. “Did I? Made it all up as I went along. Not nearly as easy as Arthur made it look.” He was having difficulty breathing and now he coughed slightly before leaning over and spitting out a mouthful of blood. Carter pulled his head to rest against her stomach and ran a hand through his hair with her eyes closed. She wasn’t sure she could handle a baby wizard without him and she knew she didn’t want to find out. Merlin smiled weakly and said, “I can hear Junior breathing.” Carter smiled in spite of herself, but then frowned again as Merlin was racked with another coughing fit. He groaned and spit out another mouthful of blood. “If that shaman doesn’t get here soon, I’m going to drown in my own blood,” he said matter of factly. “Here he comes now,” Jackson observed. And the shaman entered their cage once again to do his healing dance. He had to smack both the entrance and the exit wound in order to heal the sword thrust. Merlin yelled both times and then breathed a sigh of relief as the pain ebbed away. He barely even noticed when the little man with the rattle struck the slice at his back. Once the healing was done, the shaman stopped his dance and smiled at Merlin. Never uttering a word, he waved his hand over Merlin’s hands and then placed an unlit candle on the floor between them. He nodded and grinned at the wizard who frowned and looked from the shaman to the candle and back again. Tentatively, Merlin reached out his hand towards the candle. A tiny flame suddenly flickered at it’s wick. The shaman smiled, nodded and left the cage. Everyone was silent as Merlin waved his hand to extinguish the flame and then pointed again to light it. He grinned. “So you’re magic is back?” Carter asked. “Can you get us out of here?” O’Neill wanted to know. “No on both counts,” Merlin answered. “Magic must work differently here. While I still have my power, I would have to learn how to use it all over again here. Like a child. Creating fire was the first thing I ever learned. I was not a model student. No, it would take me years to be able to work my magic in this place. Sorry.” The leader of the hunting party showed up again and requested that Merlin accompany him to speak with the clan chief. When he returned some three hours later, the wizard looked tired. The cage was opened for him and then left unlocked. “So?” O’Neill asked. “Well,” Merlin started. “It was rather difficult to get any sort of coherent story from this guy. Rather irritating, actually and I have a splitting headache.” He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose between thumb and forefinger a moment before continuing. “Basically, he liked the way I fought and he liked that I have magic.” “So, he likes you …” Jackson interjected. “Basically, yeah. Ummm, SG-8 apparently insulted them in some … obscure way, but we are free to go. We may take the bodies of SG-8 with us and … never return.” There was a pause before O’Neill said, “Insulted them?” Merlin shrugged. “Evidently, but I really couldn’t figure out exactly how. The man was very vague - almost incoherent. In fact, I believe he was quite high on … something.” “Okay,” O’Neill said. “I sure have no problem with never returning, how bout you guys?” “We should leave immediately, Colonel O’Neill,” Teal’c advised. “Let’s get the hell out of here,” Jackson said. “Yeah, before they change their minds,” Carter added. “Our stuff?” O’Neill wanted to know. “It’s waiting for us at the gate.” “Let’s go.” When SG-1 stepped out onto the ramp at SGC, there were stretcher bearers waiting to take the bodies of SG-8. “After Merlin’s message, I wasn’t sure I’d see any of you again,” General Hammond said somberly. He was a little taken aback by their appearance. None of them seemed injured, but O’Neill’s pant leg was torn and crusted in blood, as was the shoulder of Jackson’s shirt and the hip of Teal’c’s pants. Merlin was actually still wearing the same clothes he left in, but they were tattered and bloody. With a frown he said, “I’m glad to see you all back in one piece.” Merlin put a hand under his T-shirt, winced and moaned a few times and then dropped four bullets into Hammond’s hand. “More or less, General,” he commented before walking off towards his quarters, leaving Hammond holding the bullets with a questioning look on his face.
 “Ready to visit P4X-229, Merlin?” O’Neill asked. SG-1 was in the gate room hefting their packs and cinching straps in preparation for departure as the stargate whirred and locked into place. “I dunno,” Merlin answered. “I’ve noticed a disturbing trend with these missions.” “You never return in the same clothes you leave in?” “I always return injured.” “Oh, that. Yeah, you spend more time on your back then any man I know.” Carter snickered at that, which made Merlin grin. Teal’c raised his usual long-suffering eyebrow and Jackson looked away as if he hadn’t heard or seen a thing. O’Neill raised both eyebrows and shook his head. They must go at it like beavers, he thought. Lucky bastard. “Ready, gang?” The wormhole engaged and Colonel O’Neill waved his team through. On the other side they found an abandoned city. “Why is the stargate always in an abandoned city?” O’Neill wanted to know. “The architecture shows a level of technology similar to our own, Colonel,” Jackson said. With a wave of his hand, Merlin changed his boots from the uncomfortable combat boots to his soft tall boots and said, “Civilization lies thataway.” “Then, lets head thataway,” O’Neill said. As the team made their way towards the city Merlin insisted sat just behind the nearby hills, they passed through an area of complete barrenness where a strange energy force enveloped them. “What the hell?” O’Neill said. “I can not move, Colonel O’Neill,” Teal’c admitted. “It seems to be some sort of probe,” Jackson observed. “Am I the only one in extreme pain here?” Merlin asked before screaming in agony. “Merlin!” Carter called, but try as she might, she couldn’t move to get to him. When the force subsided, Merlin fell hard to his knees and then slumped to the ground unconscious. “Damn,” O’Neill said. “Didn’t take long this time, did it?” Carter gave her CO a dirty look and rushed to the fallen man to check him over. “He’s alive,” she said. “But his pulse is racing and his breathing is shallow. His pupils are dilated as well. We’d better get him home, Sir.” “Right, let’s go.” But before they could head back, a crowd of people surrounded them. They were not threatening, but they were well armed. “Welcome, strangers,” said a handsome middle-aged woman with greying blond hair. “My name is Imogen. Don’t worry, your friend will be taken care of.” Several of the people lifted Merlin and started carrying him off. “Wait,” Carter said. “Where’re you taking him? What’s going on?” “It’s all right,” Imogen assured her. “He’ll be well looked after. Come. Come meet our leaders. We don’t get many strangers here.” “I wonder why,” O’Neill muttered under his breath. They were ushered in to meet a group of friendly people who were evidently the governing body of this city - or perhaps the planet, everything was a bit vague, and then a sort of party was thrown in their honor. Everyone was quite friendly and trusting as well - no one paid any attention to their weapons. Everyone, in fact, seemed just as well armed. “Welcome to NRA world,” O’Neill whispered. Teal’c raised an eyebrow and Carter rolled her eyes, but Jackson said, “Too right,” which seemed a little out of character for him. He looked around, though, at all the heavily armed people and couldn’t help but wonder just how much trouble they were really in. He didn’t have long to wait for an answer. “Excuse me,” Imogen interrupted. “Just a quick question if I may - do you have any preference as to method of execution?” O’Neill choked on the wine he was drinking. “What?” Carter and Jackson said in unison. “Did you say execution?” O’Neill wanted to know. All innocence, Imogen answered, “Yes.” At their shocked expressions, she explained, “Your friend, the magician? Magic is forbidden here. He will be executed in the morning. Have you a preference as to method?” “You can’t execute him!” Carter said. “He hasn’t done anything!” “He has magic,” she said as if this should certainly have been obvious. “Magic is forbidden - under penalty of death.” “Why have you not mentioned this before now?” Jackson asked. “Did you not know?” “No,” O’Neill said, rising menacingly from his seat. “We did not know.” His hand strayed towards his sidearm, but some 50 people around them put hand to weapon as well and stared at the newcomers. He moved his hand away from his gun and picked up the wine glass instead. “We would not have come here had we known,” Jackson said. “We,” Imogen flustered. This situation had never occurred before. “We assumed you brought him here to be executed.” “Why would we do that?” O’Neill asked, still standing and towering over the now worried Imogen. “People do.” She frowned. “I’m sorry, but there can be no exceptions. Your friend must die tomorrow.” She put her hand to her mouth as tears welled up in her eyes and then she turned and ran away. Carter tugged at O’Neill’s sleeve and asked, “What’re we gonna do, Jack? We can’t let them kill him.” O’Neill flashed a grim smile at all the people watching and sat back down. “I don’t know, Carter. I’m open to suggestions.” “General Hammond would not approve a jail break, Colonel O’Neill,” Teal’c said. “That’s why we’re not gonna tell him about it, Teal’c.” “A jail break?” Jackson said. “In this place? Absolutely everyone is armed to the teeth. We wouldn’t stand a chance.” “We have a wizard, remember?” Carter said. “Whatever we do, we had better do it now,” Teal’c advised. “I agree,” Carter said. “Oh well,” Jackson said. “I guess dying the second time round must be easier, huh?” O’Neill frowned and muttered, “Not necessarily.” He stood with wine glass in hand, downed the last of it and set it down. “Let’s do it.” Merlin awoke to a feeling of complete emptiness so profound, he almost cried out. He was shackled to the wall of a small cell with arms outstretched. His wrists ached from the pressure of his body hanging limp. Somebody whispered his name. “Sam? What’s going on?” “Long story - we have to get you out of here.” “Sounds good to me.” “You can move your hands?” “Oh, yeah, I can move my hands.” He moved his hands around in the shackles to prove it. “Good, get yourself out of there and come with me.” “Sorry, no can do.” “What? Why?” “Cuz I have no power.” “What?” “My power is gone, Sam. I can’t feel it anymore. It’s rather a horrid feeling of emptiness, actually, but there ya go. I’m sure as hell not strong enough to break these chains.” “Shit, Merlin, what -- ?” Someone was coming and Sam ducked back into the shadows. “I see you have awakened,” Imogen said with a smile. “I am Imogen, and you are?” Merlin looked at her a moment as if deciding what to do or say and then he smiled graciously and answered, “Call me Merlin.” “Merlin, I have come to inquire …” She paused a moment, biting the corner of her lip. “I have come to inquire if you have a preference as to form of execution?” Merlin stared at her a moment, then looked off into the distance as if lost in thought. “Well, I’ve never really thought about it before,” he said. “But, I suppose, if you had a very sharp knife, that a throat cutting would be relatively quick and painless. Messy, of course, but if done properly, the mess can be minimized.” What the hell is he doing? Carter thought to herself. He’s discussing his own execution as if he were deciding what to have for lunch. Imogen nodded and took notes. “Um, sharp knife, yes, sir.” She tried not to look at him. “So,” he said, still in a pleasant conversational tone. “Mind if I ask why I am to be executed?” She avoided his eyes. “Magic is forbidden here, Merlin. Anyone found to have magic is executed.” “Well, seeing as how you seem to have stripped me of my magic already, I can’t say death will be all that unwelcome.” Imogen finally met his eye. “I’m sorry, Merlin. Your friends told me that you didn’t know. People come here … to be rid of their magic users. We just assumed …. Well, I’m sorry, Merlin, but the law doesn’t make allowances.” She was in visible distress, while Merlin remained completely calm and unperturbed. “Make sure it’s a really sharp knife,” he told her coldly. “And make a single quick, but deep slice right across the throat. Might want to spread some absorbent cloth around first, you know, to keep the mess to a minimum.” Imogen stared at him aghast a moment, scribbled a few more notes and then fled in tears. “My imminent execution was your long story, Sam?” he said vehemently. “Now you know why we have to get you out of here.” “So, what’s the problem?” “This is NRA world,” “What?” “Everyone here is very heavily armed. We’ll have to do it quietly.” “I won’t make a sound.” Jackson poked his head round and asked, “What’s the hold up? Let’s go.” “Merlin has no power.” “What?” “Powerless, Daniel,” Merlin said, waving his hands around and not doing any magic. “Well, how the hell …? Eh” Jackson shoved his way through. “Keep watch,” he told Carter, as he started to pick the lock on the cell. “What’re you doing?” Carter asked. “Getting him out of here.” Jackson got the cell opened and then went to work on the shackles while Carter kept watch. “Nice work, Daniel,” Merlin said once he was free. “Now what?” “Now we get the hell back to the gate and get home,” Carter said. They met up with O’Neill and Teal’c. O’Neill said, “Look, if we get separated, you get your ass through that stargate, Merlin. You’re the one they want to execute. Understand?” “Yeah, I got it.” “Here, take this.” O’Neill handed him a zat gun. “Thanks.” Just then, all hell broke loose. “GO!” O’Neill told Merlin. Merlin took off while the rest of the team provided cover fire. After an extended exchange of fire, a loud siren went off and everyone lowered their weapons. SG-1 remained under cover, unsure of what was going on now. “Please!” A man stepped forwards with arms outstretched and empty. It was one of the leaders they had spoken to earlier. “Put your weapons away! We would speak with our strange visitors!” “Forgive us if we don’t exactly trust you!” O’Neill yelled back. The man turned and spoke quietly to Imogen, who then approached the team. She was unarmed and they let her get close. “It’s alright,” she assured them. “We have discussed your … unique situation and had already agreed to release your friend. No one has been seriously harmed and we would like to be friends. Come. You may speak with our leaders once again, or you may leave immediately - whatever you wish.” “Maybe we should speak with them?” Jackson whispered. “What for?” O’Neill replied. “They’re loopy.” “Our mission is to win allies, remember, sir?” Carter whispered. O’Neill sighed and then grinned sardonically at Imogen. “Take us to your leaders, then,” he said. Merlin made it to the gate and dialed home. He transmitted the recognition code for SG-1, but then waited a moment, expecting the rest of the team to be right behind him. This may have been a mistake, for he was struck by a zat as he was waiting. He dove aside and returned fire with his own zat, but was struck again by a zat and then by a staff weapon and he went down. Luckily, the wormhole disengaged before any Jaffa could enter. “He still lives, my lord,” said the Jaffa who got to him first. A fit young man stepped closer. His dark eyes glowed and he said, “Intriguing. Bring him along.” A ring transporter was lowered and the Goa’uld, Jaffa and Merlin vanished. SG-1 all ducked when the mother ship whizzed past overhead. “Was that what I think it was?” O’Neill said. “It was indeed,” Teal’c answered. “That chariot of the Gods?” Imogen said. “We see it every now and then, but the Gods never show themselves.’ “They never show themselves?” Jackson repeated. “Why not?” “I don’t think they can get by the barrier.” That was an intriguing notion. “Why do they come?” Teal’c asked. Imogen shrugged. “It is said they sometimes take magic users that come through the great circle - before they can make it here through the barrier.” “What do they do with the magic users?” Carter wanted to know. Imogen shrugged again. “No one knows.” “Do your Gods have names?” Jackson asked. “Probably, but no one knows.” “They may have taken Merlin,” Carter said anxiously. “Imogen,” O’Neill said. “We’d like to be friends, but right now, we need to go check on … our other friend. Would it be alright if we sent representatives to speak with your leaders later?” “Of course. Friends are always welcome here. But, be sure not to bring any magic users you don’t want executed.” “Right.” SG-1 returned home to find the gate room full of Marines with rifles aimed at them. “At ease!” General Hammond ordered and guns were lowered. “What’s going on?” he asked. “That’s what I’d like to know, sir,” O’Neill replied. “Where’s Merlin?” “Didn’t he come back?” Carter asked anxiously. “No. About half an hour ago, the gate was activated and your recognition code transmitted, but nothing came through.” “Damn!” O’Neill swore. “I should have stayed with him.” “Colonel?” “He must have been taken, sir.” “We have to go back after him,” Jackson said, knowing how it felt to be left behind. “We saw a Goa’uld mother ship, sir,” Teal’c said. “Merlin must be aboard that ship.” “And we have no idea who’s ship is was or where it’s headed,” O’Neill said grimly. The first thing that registered to Merlin when he awoke was that his power was back. His spirit soared with the sensation of fullness. Then he opened his eyes and noticed the ache in his arms and the throb of engines. His wrists were bound together and covered by a sort of hood - making movement of his hands impossible. He was stripped to the waist and barefoot, hanging from a hook on the ceiling. He recognized the hum of the engines - he was aboard a Goa’uld mother ship. Just as despair began to well up inside him, someone grasped a handful of his long hair and cruelly yanked his head back. A sinister voice muttered into his ear. “I own you,” the voice said. “Your life is mine.” A sharp blade was dragged across his throat and as Merlin choked on his own blood, he realized the irony. After all, this was the form of execution he had chosen. 
Jacob Carter stepped onto the SGC ramp and his daughter uncharacteristically ran into his arms. “Whoa, Sam, what is it?” “You have to help us, Dad.” “Are you crying?” She pulled back and wiped her eyes. “It’s a hormone thing.” General Hammond approached and shook Jacob’s hand. “Welcome home, Jacob, and thanks for coming.” “Your message said it was urgent. What is it?” General Hammond, Jacob and SG-1 retired to the conference room for explanations. “So, this Merlin,” Jacob said. “He’s for real?” “Oh, he’s real alright,” O’Neill told him. “And he’s … the Merlin?” “The one and only,” Jackson said. “Well, I don’t see how we can help. You don’t know who has him or where.” “Doesn’t the Tok’ra know which Goa’uld frequents that planet?” Carter asked. “No. That planet used to be under the dominion of Ra. Since his death, we didn’t know anyone was claiming it. It’s not a particularly valuable planet.” “We have to get him back,” Carter pleaded. “There’s nothing I can do, Sam. But if he’s such a powerful wizard, as you say, then surely he can take care of himself.” “They’ll torture him, Dad, and then maybe kill him once and for all.” “I’m sorry, Sam, but I don’t see how I can help.” “You have to do something.” “All right, Major,” Hammond said. “That’s e -“ “You don’t understand,” she said desperately, standing. “I’m pregnant!” “WHAT?!” Hammond and Jacob exclaimed in unison. O’Neill, Jackson and Teal’c all cringed. “I know I should have told you sooner, but I’m telling you now. I’m pregnant with Merlin’s child and he’ll be a wizard. I don’t want to have to raise a wizard alone, Dad.” Hammond glared at O’Neill. “How long have you known?” “Me? Oh, hey, I …” He hung his head and mumbled, “Two weeks, sir.” “Don’t blame them, sir, I wasn’t sure till now that I would actually have it. Aaaaahhhhhhh!” “What?” Jacob asked. “A vision.” Carter went pale and stared off at nothing. “Oh, my God!” She gripped the table top till her knuckles went white. “What is it?” Hammond asked. “Merlin. He’s just been disemboweled by Baal.” “Ooooh!” O’Neill squirmed in his seat and cringed. “Oh, man, I’m glad he never did that to me. If he’s with Baal, I sympathize.” O’Neill had been captured and tortured by Baal himself and wouldn’t wish that on his worst enemy. Merlin was dragged from the sarcophagus and hung up onto the hook again. “Welcome back,” said the voice from behind him. Merlin didn’t even try to see who it was - what did it matter anyway? The man walked around in front of him. A tall, thin, dark man, he looked as sinister as he sounded. He had angular features, dark hair and dark eyes, a goatee and a perpetual scowl. “Who are you?” he asked in that cavernous Goa’uld voice. Merlin looked at his captor with weary eyes. “My name is Emrys,” he answered. “Who are you?” A quick slice across his left side was his answer and Merlin cried out. “I ask the questions.” The man walked around his victim, running the point of his dagger lightly across exposed skin. “Why are you here?” Merlin frowned. How the hell could he answer that when he didn’t even know where he was? Without thinking, he asked, “Where are we?” The dagger was sliced across his right side this time, making him cry out once more. “I ask the questions, remember?” “I don’t know who you are,” Merlin told him. “I don’t know where this is and I sure as hell don’t know how I got here.” The man smiled and drove the blade into his side up to the hilt, puncturing his spleen. “AARRGH, shit,” he exclaimed. He cried out again when the blade was pulled out. The man was still grinning when he sat down in front of his prisoner. Merlin was breathing heavily from the pain, with his eyes closed as he tried to regulate his own body. After a while, the man frowned and asked, “Why are you not dead yet?” “Ha!” Merlin barked a laugh as he looked down at his tormentor. “Another question I can’t answer.” The man walked around him again, studying him closely. “You are a resilient specimen,” he said. “Also, one devoid of curiosity, it seems.” He stopped in front of his captive again. “You have not asked me what I want to know yet.” “You ask the questions, remember?” Instantly, the dagger was pounded into his gut just below the belly button. The blow drove the wind out of him, so he was capable only of an “Oomph” in response. The man’s evil eyes stared directly into his as he slowly pulled the dagger up. He pulled it up till it struck the breast bone and then yanked it out. Merlin made no sound as the blade split him open. He stared back in defiance, his body shuddering from the pain, his jaws clenched to hold back a cry. He heard the splat of his intestines spilling out onto the floor. “Wouldn’t you like to see?” the man asked. Through clenched teeth, Merlin replied, “Would rather not, actually.” The man grabbed his hair again and forced his head down. Never particularly squeamish, he was none-the-less somewhat perturbed by the sight of his own entrails laying at his feet. He groaned and shut his eyes. The man laughed and released him. “But still you do not die! Any other man would have at least passed out by now.” He stood directly in front of his victim, watching him. “You do intrigue me.” He lifted his captive’s chin and waited for the clear blue eyes to open again. He smiled as he reached into Merlin’s chest cavity and wrapped his fingers around the beating heart. Slowly he squeezed. Merlin continued to stare defiantly into his executioner’s eyes as the life was crushed out of him. “Oh, my God,” Carter said again. She was shaking so much, she had to sit down. “How can you have a vision, Sam?” Jacob asked. “I don’t know, but I know it’s true. There’s a sarcophagus. We have to find him.” Jacob’s eyes glowed and he now spoke in the cavernous voice of his Tok’ra symbiote. “If he is with Baal, perhaps we can track him down,” Selmak assured her. Out of the sarcophagus and hanging from the ceiling again, Merlin’s khaki pants were slimed with blood. He could have killed for a drink of water. No one knew where he was, so if he was going to survive this, he’d have to get himself out; but damn them for keeping his hands bound this way! The sadistic Goa’uld bastard walked around him again, trailing that damned dagger along bared flesh. Blood trickled down to the floor. “You intrigue me greatly, Emrys,” he said. “I shall enjoy toying with you. At the moment, however, I require information.” He flicked the blade deeper here and there at random, making Merlin flinch or twitch as he hung helpless before him. “Information you can provide, Emrys.” Merlin sighed and dropped his head, dreading the questions to come. “I require the identification code needed to open the barrier that protects your stargate on Earth.” Merlin laughed. This isn’t what he had expected. “You find my request amusing?” “Immensely.” He waited for a blow that never came. Instead the man came close and looked into his eyes. “How so?” “First, that you would think I know; and second, that you think I would tell you if I did.” And third, that you think any code I could give you would still be of any use, he thought, but didn’t say. “Oh, you know.” He turned away and walked to a nearby table where he put down the dagger and toyed with other things there. “My men witnessed you entering the code.” He picked up a small bottle and turned back around. “Pity they weren’t close enough to have caught the code itself. But they did catch you.” He walked closer again. “And you will tell me.” He splashed some liquid from the bottle across Merlin’s chest. “One way or another.” Merlin flinched at the coldness of the liquid, but then he uttered a stifled cry as the acid began to burn it’s way through his flesh. “Once it reaches your bloodstream, it will travel throughout your body. It will effectively emulsify your organs. That takes a while, though.” He set down the bottle and picked up the dagger again, fiddling with it in his hands as he spoke. “A particularly … unpleasant way to die. Especially, I should think, for one such as you, with such a high threshold of pain. I’ve seen men go insane from the pain long before now, and yet there you hang; staring defiantly - even refusing to cry out.” Merlin suddenly yelped. His eyes went wide, but he bit off the scream he really wanted to utter. He tried not to breathe, because it hurt every time he did. He flung his head back and squeezed his eyes shut as his breaths came in short gasping bursts. The man smiled. “I see it has reached the bloodstream. Exquisite, isn’t it?” He walked around behind his prisoner and leaned in close to his ear. Resting the edge of the blade against his captive’s throat, he said, “I can end the torment, Emrys. Death can’t release you, but I can. Tell me what I want to know, and I’ll slit your throat cleanly. That could be the end. I wouldn’t have to resurrect you.” Merlin looked up into the dark eyes and laughed bitterly. “A generous offer, you Goa’uld son of a bitch. But when I kill you, it will be swift and permanent.” The man slapped the back of Merlin’s head and walked back in front of him. “Resilient, defiant and arrogant,” he said. “You would make an excellent host, Emrys.” Merlin stared back down, but was unable to respond. Blood was now bubbling from his lips, nose, ears … “Looks like maybe your brain is now melting. That has to hurt. Can be difficult to recover from as well.” Merlin tried to tell him to bugger off, but speech was impossible now. He convulsed violently and was gone. “Scoop him up and put him in the sarcophagus,” the man ordered and several Jaffa rushed to comply. “Nobody knows where Baal has gone,” Jacob Carter was saying. “He hasn’t landed anywhere, which means he must still be on board his ship and no one has spotted it yet.” “This is really maddening, Dad,” Major Samantha Carter said. “I don’t think I could bear to lose him now.” Doctor Janet Frasier entered the infirmary with chart in hand. “Well, tests are positive, Major.” She looked at her friend and said, “You are indeed pregnant, Sam.” “I knew that.” “And now we know it.” Carter didn’t miss the sarcasm and she sighed. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner, okay?” Frasier grinned and said, “Well, the baby is fine - no complications I can see. And I removed your implant - I know you said Merlin told you it wouldn’t effect the baby, but better safe than sorry.” “Thanks, Janet.” “Any word about Baal’s ship?” “No, nothing,” Jacob answered. “He’s proving most elusive.” Back on the hook, Merlin rested his head against his right arm and waited for whatever would come next. The two Jaffa standing to either side of him were having fun poking at him. Nothing painful, really - just finger pokes that made his body sway on the hook, but it was damned irritating. He sighed. “Are you two so brain dead that poking at me can actually amuse you?” he asked. The one on his right punched him hard in the right kidney. Merlin grunted and said, “Ah, now that’s more like it.” 
His tormenter entered and yelled, “Jaffa, kree!” and the two Jaffa stepped back at attention. “You are never to touch my prisoner unless I tell you to, understand?” “Yes, my Lord,” they said in unison. “Don’t make me have to tell you again. Dismissed” Both Jaffa saluted with a fist to their chest and walked out. “Aw, they were just havin’ some fun.” Merlin said. The man backhanded him across the jaw and Merlin laughed. “The sarcophagus is already beginning to effect your mind.” “No, I’ve always been like this. It’s a character flaw, I think.” He spit out some blood and wiped his face on his arm. The man looked at Merlin and smiled sardonically. “Well, let’s see just how much this character flaw of yours can take, shall we?” He wired up his body and said, “A little electricity, Emrys?” “Bring it on.” The current was turned on and Merlin danced on his hook. He laughed as his muscles tightened and his body jerked. The veins in his neck protruded and his bladder emptied, which was strange, actually, because he hadn’t had anything to drink or eat since he’d gotten there. The skin at the contact points sizzled and the odor of burnt flesh reached his nostrils. During the hour and a half it took for him to die, he only cried out once. Many and variable deaths later, the man was getting angry. After six hours of continuous pain sticks, he yelled, “ENOUGH! Jaffa! Kree!” The two Jaffa put down their pain sticks and exited the torture chamber. “As fun as this has been, Emrys, I grow tired of your obstinacy.” “I have nothing to lose and nothing to gain,” Merlin said, the sweat dripping from his hair and the tip of his nose. “I will tell you nothing.” “Perhaps. Perhaps not.” The two Jaffa reentered carrying a clear glass tank. Inside, swam a mature Goa’uld symbiote. “Shortly, you will tell me all I wish to know, and more besides.” A mixture of fear and disgust flashed across Merlin’s eyes before he clenched his jaw in anticipation of the all too familiar pain. The man walked behind him and Merlin closed his eyes, waiting for it. He yelped when the parasite burrowed into the back of his neck. His head slumped forward, only to rise again moments later with eyes aglow. In the cavernous voice of a Goa’uld, he said, “My Lord Baal, this one is difficult. I will need time to break through his mental barriers.” “Very good, Orrin.” Baal smiled at his old friend. “How do you like the host I found for you?” “It is a good, strong body, my lord. I sense a power to it as well. And pain.” Baal laughed. “Yes, I’ve been toying with it.” “Forgive me, My Lord Baal, but it has been so very long …” Merlin’s eyes expressed a longing. “Yes, Orrin? What is it you want?” “You know what I want, my lord.” “Jaffa, release him. Then leave.” Once released, Orrin rubbed his wrists and flexed his new muscles. “A fine body indeed, my lord,” he grinned. Then, he got serious. “May I … touch you, My Lord Baal?” “You may.” Orrin approached his god with reverence. Fingers trembling, he removed Baal’s jacket and opened his shirt before gently running his hands over the smooth chest. He moaned softly and leaned in to kiss one pert nipple and then the other. Baal smiled and gazed into clear grey-blue eyes. Emrys had been a means to an end - a slab of meat to be tenderized, but now that he was host to his old friend Orrin, Baal really looked at him. He was a fine looking specimen: Well proportioned and sound of limb; the features were pleasing as well - the easy smile, the piercing blue eyes, the long brown hair. Even in this disheveled condition, with a growth of beard, splattered with blood and soaked with sweat, he was indeed attractive. Baal pushed him down to his knees. Orrin opened Baal’s trousers and said, “I know what you like, my lord.” He took the good-sized cock into his mouth and worked it till it stiffened. Baal entwined the fingers of one hand through the other man’s hair and leaned back against the table as Orrin stiffened him. When he thought he would surely explode, he moaned and pulled the mouth away. “Yes, Orrin,” he panted. “You do know what I want.” He lifted him up and kissed him hard while he fumbled with the grimy khaki pants. He got them off, turned Orrin around and bent him over the table. With no warning and no lubrication, Baal impaled the other man’s ass. “Oh, YES!” Orrin exclaimed. “You remember what I like too, my lord.” Merlin was only dimly aware of what was happening with his body, as he was concentrating at the moment on fortifying his mental defenses. Suddenly, he was back with Diana, being flung into her bed chamber by two hefty Jaffa. “You exasperate me, Merlin,” she said. “You really do.” He rolled on the floor a few times and hit his head against a table. He didn’t bother getting up, as he would end up back on the floor eventually anyway. Instead, he leaned on one elbow while rubbing his sore head with his other hand. “Nice to see you again, Diana,” he said. “What’s it been? Two, three hours?” “You know what I want,” she continued as if he hadn’t spoken. “And despite all your suffering, you refuse to give it to me.” She sauntered over to him and knelt down to gaze sweetly into his eyes, her flimsy translucent gown leaving little mystery. “Why is that?” “I guess …” he began, but she backhanded him across the mouth and sent him sprawling again. “Jaffa! Kree!” she exclaimed. Several Jaffa rushed to her side. At a gesture from her, they manhandled Merlin. One flipped him over onto his belly and as two others clamped down on his wrists, the first shoved a cushion under his hips. He knew what was coming next. He spit out some blood and sighed. “Do you know how I choose my personal guard, Merlin?” “Oh, I have a pretty good idea, Diana.” She laughed. “Have some fun, boys!” She sat down cross legged on the floor in front of him. A Jaffa stepped up and yanked off Merlin’s loose-fitting trousers - the only clothing he wore. Then, lowering his own trousers, he grabbed a handful of Merlin’s hair and yanked the prisoner’s head up as he drove his fully erect cock into his dry ass. Merlin flinched and grunted with each brutal thrust. He stared into Diana’s eyes as she stared into his, a small sardonic smile curling his lips. Once the third Jaffa had come inside him, Diana called a halt. “Kree!” she ordered. The Jaffa holding him released him and they all went to stand by the door. Blood mixed freely with the semen leaking from Merlin’s ass. He reached back and, placing a hand to his hip, he healed himself and cleared the semen away. He rose and she rose with him. “What is it you want, Diana?” he asked. “What exactly is it you want from me?” He punched her hard enough to knock her off her feet and a Jaffa had a pain stick to his side instantly, driving him down to his knees with a yelp. With a wave of a hand, the Jaffa was flung across the room where he plowed into his fellows. Using both hands in a forward push motion, Merlin slammed them all against the wall and with a squeezing motion, he killed them all. He turned back to Diana, who had gotten up off the floor. She wiped blood from her lip and sauntered up to him, grinning. “I want you, Merlin.” “You want me?” He slapped her down again and straddled her waist. Tearing her gown away, he kissed her hard; staring into deep brown eyes that once belonged to the woman he’d loved as their tongues entwined. He spread her legs and drove himself into her with brutal force. She groaned loudly as he entered her and arched her back, drawing him in even further. “Is this what you want?” he asked. “Hmm?” He grunted with the effort every time he thrust into her. He grimaced and stared into her eyes, looking for any sign of pain at all, but her once expressive eyes were blank now. She smiled at him and moaned every time he pulled almost all the way out of her and then groaned each time he drove himself back into her. She raked her sharp finger nails across his back and he flinched. As soon as she felt his muscles tighten, she reached for the dagger laying nearby. With his final thrust, just as he began to come, she drove the dagger into his back. He cried out, arched his back from the pain, which drove himself in deeper, and laughed down at her as he continued to come forcefully. When she felt he was spent, she pulled the dagger up, cutting through several ribs and slicing the blade into his heart. He groaned heavily through gritted teeth as she pulled the blade up and then coughed up blood all over her. He laughed down at her before his eyes glazed over and he dropped down dead on top of her. Why the hell hadn’t he killed her then when he’d had the chance? Because he still thought Brigitte could be saved? Because he’d grown accustomed to her torments? Because the sarcophagus had made him mad? And why the hell was he remembering all this now? He snapped back to awareness only to find Baal slamming into his ass. He cried out in startled pain, then snapped his mouth shut. “Am I hurting you, Orrin?” Baal asked. And it was Baal, Merlin now knew. “Yes, my lord,” Merlin answered. “Good.” Merlin rolled his eyes and endured the pounding until Baal stilled and came inside him. He sighed quietly in relief when Baal pulled out of him. “As always, Orrin,” Baal said as he pulled up his trousers and refastened them. “You’re a good fuck.” “My Lord Baal,” Merlin said as he pulled on his own rather pungent pants. “I have the information you require.” “EXCELLENT!” cried Baal, clapping his hands together. “I could have saved a lot of time using you in the first place, but the torture really was delicious. So, what have you got for me, Orrin?” “First, he would like you to know his real identity - you might recognize the name.” Baal walked closer, cocking his head to the side. “He would like me to know? Have you not got full control of him, Orrin?” “Actually, Orrin doesn’t have any control over me, Baal.” Baal frowned a moment, but then a look of realization began to dawn. Merlin drove his hand through his tormenter’s chest and grasped the symbiote. “My name is Merlin,” he whispered close to the man’s ear before yanking the symbiote out through his chest. The host collapsed and the parasite squirmed in his hand. He squeezed it until it ruptured. “I told you - quick and permanent.” He shoved the dead worm into the side pocket of his fatigues and turned just as a group of Jaffa burst through the door. He took care of them with a wave of his hand. Familiar enough with the layout of a Goa’uld mother ship, he knew where the stargate would be located if this tub had one, so that’s where he headed. Nothing stood in his way. He had the look of madness in his eyes and he didn’t bother to spare any Jaffa he came across. The alarm klaxons sounded as Sergeant Davis announced an off world activation. “Security to the gate room!” General Hammond ordered. “It’s SG-1, General.” “Hell-o,” Colonel O’Neill said. “Merlin,” Major Carter said. “Open the iris!” Hammond ordered. “Stand ready for possible hostiles.” A single rag-tag looking wild man stepped onto the ramp and stood glaring at all the weapons trained on him. Wearing nothing but a grimy pair of fatigues and splattered with blood, he lifted his empty arms to his sides and said, “Go ahead and shoot! It’s not like I haven’t died 28 times already in the past two weeks anyway!” Carter ran out to the bottom of the ramp as the wormhole disengaged. “Stand down!” Hammond ordered and the Marines lowered their weapons. “Sam.” Merlin walked down the ramp and took Carter into his arms and into a good long kiss. “I thought I’d never see you again.” “God, Merlin, me too,” she sobbed. She pulled away and her shirt front was covered in blood. “Sorry,” he grinned. “Are you the son of a bitch who got my little girl pregnant?!” Jacob Carter exclaimed as he walked up to Merlin. “Who the hell are you?” “Uh, Merlin, this is my father, General Jacob Carter.” “Oh. Then, in that case, yes, that would be me.” Merlin bowed ever so slightly in a courtly gesture. Jacob got right into Merlin’s face and said, “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t break you in two.” Merlin got up even closer and answered, “I will, if you give me one good reason why I shouldn’t rip your heart out, you Goa’uld bastard!” Carter stepped between them hastily. “No! Merlin, he’s not Goa’uld!” “He’s Tok’ra,” Daniel Jackson said. “So, what the hell is that?” “That would be a good … Goa’uld,” O’Neill said, surprised those words would come from his mouth. “Have you any idea how stupid that statement is, Jack?” O’Neill nodded as Jacob’s eyes glowed. “Don’t glow your eyes at me!” Merlin yelled. Selmak spoke. “This man is Goa’uld.” “It is true,” Teal’c confirmed as he walked up. “I can sense it.” “Uh, I sense it too, Merlin,” Carter said, pulling away with a frown. “Hang on,” Merlin said. His body tensed and he reached back towards his neck with his right hand. His fingers outstretched, his hand trembled and he grimaced. The head of the symbiote poked out from the entrance wound at the back of his neck. “Oh, my god,” Carter said. Merlin grasped the snake and yanked it out with a cry. “WHOA! Problem solved,” he said, holding the squirming thing up in his fist. Jacob and Teal’c both raised an eyebrow at this display, while the rest of them squirmed uncomfortably. He was about to squeeze it, when a voice from the door said, “Don’t kill it!” “Don’t kill it?” Merlin said to Janet Frasier. “Why the bloody hell not?” “We can study it.” She held an open thermos out towards him, a hint of fear in her eyes. Merlin shrugged. “Knock yourself out, Doc,” he said as he shoved the squirming thing into the thermos. The madness in his eyes was beginning to subside. “His name is Orrin, and even by Goa’uld standards, he’s a jerk.” “Thanks, Merlin.” Frasier capped the thermos. “Will you be visiting the infirmary, Merlin?” “Probably not, dear doctor.” He bowed slightly to her as she left. “Merlin, I had a vision,” Carter told him. “Really? What about?” “You.” “Oh, really?” He grinned. “It was horrible - it couldn’t have been true, could it?” “Oh, well, sometimes visions can be …. No, they’re usually true. What did you see?” “I saw … you were disemboweled by Baal.” “Oh, yeah! That was true! Hurt like hell too.” She blanched. “Then, the other vision I had is true too?” “Other vision?” Jackson and O’Neill said in unison. She hadn’t mentioned another vision. She ignored them and continued. “Er, I saw you … and Baal …” “Having sex? That wasn’t me - that was Orrin. I would never cheat on you, Sam. Well, except maybe with Daniel here.” Jackson’s eyes went wide and he tried to figure if Merlin was joking or not. The wizard didn’t smile or laugh or even crack a grin. Carter ignored that too. “How can I be having visions, Merlin?” He placed a hand on her belly. “Oh, I’d say Junior is pretty powerful indeed.” “The baby?” “Sure.” He grinned. “Oh, by the way, Baal is dead.” “Are you sure?” Jacob asked. “I set the ship’s engines to overload before I left.” “That doesn’t mean anything.” “Want proof?” He reached into his pocket and tossed down the broken and bloody symbiote at Jacob’s feet. “Baal?” O’Neill asked hopefully. “Baal - or what’s left of him.” “Hot damn!” O’Neill grinned broadly. Merlin didn’t want to bother cleaning up before his debriefing. Sarcophagus withdrawal could set in at any moment, so he didn’t want to wait. General Hammond, the other members of SG-1, Jacob Carter/Selmak and another Tok’ra named Cordelia/Mamesh were all present. The first thing Merlin did was drink the entire pitcher of water that sat on the table. “Sorry,” he said, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. “Torture is thirsty business.” “What happened after you left us on P4X-229?” Carter asked. “I went to the gate, but Jaffa were waiting. I was zatted a couple times and then …” “Whoa,” O’Neill interrupted. “You survived more than one direct hit by a zat?” Merlin grinned. “Yeah. I’m tuff.” He was fidgeting in his seat. “Anyway, next thing I knew, I was waking up on a Goa’uld mother ship. I was stripped to the waist and barefoot - much like I am now, only cleaner at that point - and I was hanging from a hook on the ceiling. My wrists were bound like this.” He demonstrated by holding his wrists together, facing each other with fists clenched. “And a sort of hood over them - no way to move my hands, dammit. They didn’t even know who I was and yet, they did the one thing that would keep me from killing them all.” A flash of madness returned. “Er, anyway, do you really want to hear everything?” “Everything, Merlin,” Hammond assured him. Merlin looked to Carter and asked, “You sure you want to hear all this?” “I’m fine, Merlin.” He shrugged. “Okay, well, first thing I noticed was that my power was back - I assume they told you about what happened on P4X-229?” Hammond nodded. “Right, well, then, uh, you know, I haven’t eaten in two weeks, can I have a pork roast or something?” Hammond hit the intercom and asked Sgt. Davis to bring in some food for Merlin. “Thanks. Where was I? Oh, first thing Baal did - although, I didn’t know it was Baal then - but the first thing he did was tell me my life was his and to prove it, he slit my throat.” Carter blanched. “Sorry, babe, but that didn’t really hurt much. In fact, it was kind of ironic because of, well, you know. Anyway, next I was being dragged out of the sarcophagus and hung up on the hook again. He asked who I was and didn’t like me asking questions. He kind of got mad cuz I didn’t die quick enough after he punctured my spleen and then I got a little smart with him and that’s when he disemboweled me.” He looked to Carter. “Yeah, that hurt. “Anyway, he wanted to know the recognition code for opening the iris, which is stupid, cuz you’d change the code as soon as I was captured, but you didn’t, did you?” He frowned. “Anyway, he was fascinated by my high pain threshold and decided to try all kinds of ways to kill me. Electricity, heat, immolation - that hurt … There was freezing, beating …” “Did he do the acid thing?” O’Neill wanted to know. “Oh, yeah! That was pretty bad. He evidently liked my reaction to that, cuz he did that several times. “Anyway, after six hours with the pain sticks today, he got fed up and put that snake in my head. Orrin had control of my body at first, while I was busy fortifying my mental defenses - he never got anything from my mind, I can assure you. Anyway, that’s when they got a little … ahem … intimate.” He looked to Carter. “Wasn’t me, babe. “Anyway, when I got back to my body, I ripped the symbiote out of that bastard’s chest, killed a few hundred Jaffa, set the engines to overload and came home. And here I am.” He looked around. “Am I done?” Davis came in with a tray of food. “Can I go now?” Merlin wanted to know. “Don’t you want to eat something?” Hammond asked. “No, not really.” “Did you get any information from Orrin while he was in you?” Mamesh wanted to know. “Well, yeah, but it all had to do with Baal and he’s dead, so who cares?” “Perhaps you should go to the infirmary, Merlin,” Hammond said. “Let Doctor Frasier have a look at you.” “I’m acting a little erratic, aren’t I?” Everyone nodded. “It’s sarcophagus addiction and the withdrawal symptoms will begin any time now. Believe me, I’ve been through it many times and there’s nothing the good doctor can do for me. Best to lock me in my room for about a week till it passes.” “Are you sure, Merlin?” Carter wanted to know. “Why can’t you heal yourself?” “Just can’t, Sam. Never could. Heh, Diana used to deliberately lock me away from the sarcophagus every couple months or so. I can handle it, okay?” Everyone glanced at each other and then looked to Hammond. “Okay, Merlin. You’re dismissed.” “Right!” Merlin got up, walked briskly over to Carter, gave her a big fat kiss and said, “Later, babe,” before walking out. Carter blushed furiously. Back in his room, the first thing Merlin did was shed the foul pants and climb into the shower. He scrubbed himself vigorously to get the stench of Goa’uld off his body and then sighed heavily as the hot water streamed down over his head and down his back. He felt the presence of someone else in the room. He hadn’t heard anything - he must have been lost in the relief of being back home. The shower door slid open and a warm body entered behind him. He didn’t turn around. “It’s probably not safe for you here right now,” he said. The hand that caressed his shoulder was large and rough - a man’s hand. Merlin turned around and was somewhat startled to find Daniel Jackson standing there. He must have shown his surprise, for Jackson softly said, “You were expecting someone else?” “Well, yeah, actually.” Jackson gently ran a hand down Merlin’s chest. “I was wondering if you meant what you said earlier.” Merlin tilted his head back and closed his eyes at the gentle touch. “What did I say earlier?” “You said you would consider cheating on Sam …” He leaned in close and whispered in his ear. “With me.” Merlin sighed as Jackson flicked his tongue over a nipple and ran his hands down his back to grip his buttocks. “Be sure you really want it before you ask,” Merlin said. “I’ve been dead for over a year, Merlin.” He licked the other man’s neck. “I want it.” Merlin tilted his head back down and looked at the other man. Tall and slender with endless legs, Daniel Jackson was attractive to say the least. His longish brown hair was now wet and hanging down over one eye in a boyish manner and the other eye was such a vivid blue, Merlin could have gotten lost in it. The sensuous lips were slightly parted, the tips of straight white teeth just visible -- inviting him to … Merlin shoved Jackson back against the wall of the shower, took his head in his hands and kissed him hard on those lips. Their tongues and hands explored and their breathing became quick and erratic. Breathless, Jackson said, “Be gentle with me.” “You want it? You’ll take it as I give it.” Merlin roughly turned Jackson around to face the wall. He lubricated him, but didn’t prepare him in any other way before spreading his cheeks and spearing him. Jackson cried out at the penetration. “Did I hurt you?” Merlin asked. “Yes.” Merlin reached around to Jackson’s crotch. With one hand he massaged the other man’s scrotum, while stroking his aching cock with the other. Jackson grunted each time Merlin thrust into him and crushed him against the wall, then groaned each time Merlin pulled out and squeezed his cock. “Want me to stop?” “Would you stop if I said yes?” “Probably not.” “Then I guess it’s a good thing I don’t want you to stop.” Merlin nuzzled his neck and pumped his ass mercilessly for what seemed hours. Small droplets of blood dripped down to be swirled around the drain, but the initial pain was far outweighed by the electric jolt that passed through him every time the wizard thrust and hit his prostate. His whole body trembled and his knees were getting weak. His own balls began to tighten, but Merlin gripped him and halted his orgasm. “Merlin?” “Daniel.” “Are you gonna let me come? “No.” “Okay.” Merlin grinned, then thrust one last time, stilled and moaned quietly as he came forcefully. There was nothing quiet about Jackson, however. He groaned long and loud as the cock inside him pushed against his prostate and twitched as it sprayed. Afterwards, Merlin leaned against Jackson’s back as they both panted. “Can I come now?” Jackson wanted to know. “No.” Jackson groaned miserably and Merlin laughed. The wizard reached back and turned the water off before pulling out. Jackson was losing a bit of stiffness, so Merlin decided it was safe to release the pressure. Jackson groaned again. “Disappointed?” Merlin asked. “No, no,” Jackson answered, but he wasn’t very convincing. Merlin laughed and pushed him out of the shower ahead of him. With a wave, Merlin dried them both off. “Oh,” Jackson said. “Thanks, that’s - Oomph!” Merlin shoved him onto the cot and was on top of him immediately. He kissed him deeply and then his mouth was all over the place. Jackson squirmed and moaned under the onslaught. Merlin worked his way slowly down the other man’s body. By the time he reached the groin, Jackson was hard as a rock again. He squeezed the base of his penis again to keep him from orgasm as he gently ran his tongue around the tip and probed a finger into the slightly stretched anal opening. He used the first two fingers of one hand to explore the inner reaches of Jackson’s ass - performing actions that should not have been physically possible. At the same time, he took his entire shaft down his throat and smiled at the way Jackson bucked his hips and moaned, rolling his head from side to side on the pillow. “Oh god, Merlin,” Jackson pleaded. “Let me come already.” “Not yet.” Jackson moaned piteously, his breath erratic. After a while longer, Jackson grabbed Merlin’s hair and dragged his head up. “Please, Merlin,” he begged. “I can’t take any more.” Merlin released his grip and Jackson came with more force than ever before, spraying Merlin’s neck before he could get his mouth back in placed to swallow it down. Jackson moaned in relief and smiled. “Oh my god, Merlin, that was incredible. You are incredible.” “So I’ve been told,” Merlin said as he crawled up and collapsed across Jackson’s chest. He was asleep in seconds. Jackson wrapped his arm around the other man and closed his eyes with a sigh; smiling as he listened to the rhythmic breathing and felt the warm breath brush against his chest. Major Carter wasn’t exactly sneaking down the hallway, but she was trying to be discreet. She certainly didn’t expect to walk right into her father. “Dad! Er, what’re you doing up?” “I’ve been arguing with Selmak and needed a walk to clear my head.” “I don’t know how you can ever clear your head, what with two of you sharing it.” Jacob smiled. “It’s an acquired skill. So, what’re you doing creeping along the halls at this time of night, Sam?” “I wasn’t creeping.” She frowned and smoothed the front of her shirt in a pique. “He did say it could be dangerous to be with him for a while. I’ve seen the aftermath of sarcophagus addiction before and it’s not a pretty sight, Sam.” “Yeah, I’ve seen it before too, but I have to be sure he’s okay and who the hell said I was heading for Merlin’s room?” Jacob smiled again. “Why don’t I come with you, just in case.” “I don’t need a chaperone.” “No, you don’t - that damage is already done, isn’t it?” Carter bit her lip to keep from saying something she would regret. “Anyway, someone with the powers he has could very well be extremely dangerous if delirium sets in.” “Yeah, alright, alright, let’s just go, huh?” Carter opened the door to Merlin’s room a crack and whispered his name. There was no response, so she crept inside, with her father right behind her. He almost ran over her when she stopped short at the sight of the two men snuggled on the cot together. “Whoa,” he whispered. “What? Oh …” He raised his eyebrows and pursed his lips, not sure how to react until he saw how his daughter would react. She stood with her arms crossed a moment. The sheet was only covering half of Merlin and one of Jackson’s legs. Her first thought was, what a damned fine ass Merlin has, but then her attention wandered to Jackson’s chest and all the way down one side and that long slender leg. “Damn,” she muttered. “He comes from a different time, Sam,” Jacob leaned over and whispered to her. “I’m sure it doesn’t mean anything.” “Who the hell would have thought Daniel was so fucking sexy?” She finds the father of her baby in bed with another man and all she can think of is how sexy the other man is? Jacob rolled his eyes and smirked. Jackson stirred and opened his eyes. Merlin was still lying across his chest and he ran his hand around the wizard’s back as he stretched his limbs. Then he noticed Carter standing there and started. His sudden balk made Merlin moan and stir in his sleep. “Sam,” Jackson said. “I am so sorry.” He was trying to slide out from under Merlin, but then he realized he was naked and he tried to stop and get under the sheet and ended up falling onto the floor instead. Carter grinned and flat out refused to look away as Jackson squirmed and pulled on his pants - almost catching his dick in the zipper. “Oh my god, Sam,” he stammered. Carter snickered. Jacob cleared his throat and Jackson started again. “Oh, shit,” he mumbled, blushing furiously. Merlin grunted and turned over on the cot, his cock still visibly erect. Carter couldn’t help but giggle at the look of terror on Jackson’s face. “Oh, relax, Daniel,” she said. “I won’t go blabbing to anyone and I’m sure my Dad won’t either, right Dad?” Jacob looked amused. He shrugged and said, “Who would I tell?” “You … you’re not mad, Sam?” “Mad about what? You and Merlin? Nah. So, how was he?” “What?” “How was he? Was he gentle?” “Er, no, actually. He was kind of rough.” Merlin started to shake violently. He moaned and thrashed on the cot. “Withdrawal symptoms have started,” Jackson said. Carter rushed over to him and tried to hold his shoulders on the cot. Merlin awoke with a cry and continued to shake uncontrollably. Then the stabbing pain started in his gut, making him draw up his knees. “Sam?” he mumbled. “Get out.” “You need help, Merlin.” “You - argh - can’t help - ugh - Sam, get out now.” Jackson was torn - he desperately wanted to help, but he knew there was nothing he could do and yet, he didn’t want to just leave Merlin like this either. “Sam, let’s go,” Jacob said. “I can’t just stand by and let him suffer!” “Go,” Merlin said between clenched teeth. Suddenly, Carter’s hands began to tingle and Merlin stiffened with a groan. A moment later, he relaxed beneath her hands and his breathing evened out. “What the hell just happened?” Carter asked. “You healed me.” “How the hell did I do that?” Merlin glanced down at her belly. “Our boy is more powerful than I imagined.” They stared at each other for a long moment while Jacob and Jackson hesitated to move. Then Merlin yanked her down into a passionate kiss. “Er …” Jackson stammered. When the lovers hands began to grope, Jacob said, “Okay, time to go, Daniel.” They started out the door, but Merlin called Jackson back. He lay a hand on Jackson’s hip and healed the rectal tearing. “Oh, thanks, Merlin.” “Daniel?” “Yeah?” “Sorry.” Jackson grinned. “No problem.” As the two men walked out and shut the door, Merlin began pulling off Carter’s clothes. Out in the hall, Jacob and Jackson looked at each other. Jackson blushed. “Awkward,” he said, running a hand through his hair. “Just a little,” Jacob agreed. “Uh, you won’t mention …” “No, Daniel, I won’t mention it.” He grinned and slapped Jackson on the shoulder. “Good night, Daniel.” “Yeah, good night.” Early next morning, Carter slipped out of bed and looked for her clothes. She found everything except her panties. With a sigh, she dressed and kissed the sleeping Merlin on the forehead before creeping out the door and walking right into her father. “Shit, Dad!” she whispered. “What the hell are you doing skulking around the halls - again?” “Skulking?” He looked her up and down - at her disheveled hair, wrinkled uniform and the boots she carried. “Who’s skulking?” She sighed. “Merlin’s sleeping, let’s get away from his door before we wake him.” They walked a ways and Jacob asked, “So, how was he?” “He was incredible,” she said wistfully. “He was so - damn, Dad!” she hit him on the arm and he laughed. “I can’t believe you asked me that!” “I can’t believe you answered.” She smiled and shook her head. Twelve hours later, Mamesh was saying, “I thought you said you healed him.” “I did,” Carter said. “Then why is he still asleep?” “He’s tired?” The Tok’ra frowned and walked away, but she had voiced a concern Carter had been trying not to think about. Carter found Doctor Frasier in her office. “Janet,” she said. “Can I speak with you a moment?” “Sure, Sam, what is it?” “It’s Merlin.” Frasier grinned. “Of course it is.” “What’s that supposed to mean?” “It’s always a man, isn’t it?” Carter grinned now too. “Maybe, but I’m worried about him.” “Why? I thought he was healed.” “Yeah, but he’s still asleep and I can’t wake him.” “Well, he’s been through quite a lot, Sam, maybe he just needs the sleep.” “Would you check him out for me?” “Sure.” She grabbed her medical bag and headed out the door. “Come on.” Merlin was laying on his side with the sheet tangled around his long legs. “Er,” Carter stammered. She hurried over to at least cover Merlin’s important bits. “He’s a, uh, restless sleeper.” Frasier grinned. “Okay, let’s see.” She checked his pulse first, which was fine. Then she shined a pen light in his eye, which made him moan and bury his face under his arm. She warmed the stethoscope before placing it on his back to check his breathing. “Everything seems fine, Sam. He’s just asleep. He obviously needs it, so I wouldn’t worry.” Carter sighed. “Okay, thanks, Janet.” On the way out, Frasier couldn’t help but comment, “Nice ass.” “You have no idea,” Carter replied and they both snickered. Next morning, with cup of tea in hand, Merlin walked casually into General Hammond’s office to find Carter and her father there as well. “What’s up?” he said cheerfully. “You, evidently,” Hammond said, leaning back in his chair. “How do you feel?” “Tip top, sir!” He grinned broadly and sipped his tea. “We were discussing the baby,” Jacob said. “Powerful little bugger, isn’t he?” Carter tried not to grin, but she wasn’t very successful. “Didn’t you say you could make the pregnancy easier on me?” she wanted to know. “Sure. I can speed it up and you could deliver almost instantly.” “When can you do that?” “Today, if you like.” “Now?” “Can I finish my tea first?” “No.” Merlin stared at her a moment, grinned, took one last sip of his tea and set the cup down. “Let’s go, then,” he said as he took her by the arm and led her towards the infirmary. Hammond, Frasier and the two Tok’ra were hovering around outside the infirmary when Daniel walked up. “Jack and Teal’c aren’t back yet?” he wanted to know. “No, they’re still with SG-5 on P4X-229,” Hammond answered. “We know now that barrier of theirs can repel Goa’uld.” Looking to Frasier, Jackson asked, “Aren’t you supposed to be in there delivering a baby?” “Merlin threw me out!” she complained. Carter was on the examination table with her feet in the stirrups and Merlin’s hand on her belly. She was breathing evenly. “Okay, now what?” she asked. “Just relax.” His eyes were closed and his head tilted slightly downwards. “I’m perfectly re - Oooooh.” Her belly began to expand beneath Merlin’s hand. “Okay, why is this not hurting?” “Because I’m here, now shush, I’m concentrating.” After a while, Merlin told her, “Okay, now you should push.” “Already?” “Breathe and push, Sam.” The baby was born with no complications. With a wave of a hand, Merlin cleaned the tiny wizard and then breathed life into the brand new lungs. He wrapped the child in a blanket and handed him to his mother with a smile. “Oh my god, Merlin, he’s so perfect,” she beamed. “Of course he is, Sam. Look who his parents are.” She laughed and the baby gripped her finger and cooed. “Have you picked out a name yet?” Merlin asked. “No. Merlin Jr.?” “Probably not a good idea.” “You choose.” “A nice Welsh name, perhaps? How bout Gareth?” “Gareth Emrys,” Carter mused. “I like it.” “Or Gareth Carter.” “Don’t you want to get married?” Merlin looked at her. “You want to marry me?” “Merlin, I just had your baby. Of course I want to marry you.” He leaned down and kissed her tenderly. “So, how long has it been?” Jackson asked. Looking at her watch, Frasier answered, “Only about an hour and a half, Daniel. We may be here all day.” Just then, the door opened. Merlin poked his head out and said, “Mother and baby are fine, if you want to visit.” He beamed at them and they stared open mouthed. “Don’t want to visit?” “Of course we want to visit,” Jacob said. “Whoa,” Frasier stood. “I don’t think everyone should go barging in at once.” “No, that’s fine,” Merlin said. “The more the merrier!” Everyone went in to find Carter beaming in bed with the baby feeding from her right breast. Frasier got close to have a good look at the baby. “He looks perfect,” she said almost as if she was surprised by this. “And it only took an hour and a half.” “It didn’t hurt at all,” Carter said. “And look, my tummy is still tight as ever.” “Amazing.” “He’s got your nose, Sam,’ Jacob said with a tender grin. “My hair too. He’s got Merlin’s eyes, though.” The boy finished his meal and began to fuss. “May I?” Cordelia asked reverently, holding her hands out. Carter hesitated, but then gave in and let the woman hold her new baby. She stared as if she had never seen a baby before. Her eyes glowed and she spoke as Mamesh now. “He is a beautiful boy, Major.” She handed the baby back to Carter, turned and left the infirmary. Carter and Merlin exchanged glances, but could make nothing of the Tok’ra’s odd behavior. “Okay, okay,” Merlin said. “Everyone out now. Let the new Momma rest.” He ushered everyone away. “Dad,” Carter called. “Wait.” “Okay, not too long, now,” Merlin said, wagging his finger. “I’ll be back in a bit.” Once they were alone, Carter pat her hand on the side of the cot for Jacob to sit down, which he did. “What is it, Sam?” “Dad, the other night, you said you were arguing with Selmak. What about?” Jacob hesitated, his eyes glowed momentarily and then he sighed. “Selmak would rather I not discuss it with you, but he understands you’re family. It’s nothing momentous, really; it’s just that … Well, Selmak has strong feelings for Mamesh. I, on the other hand, don’t particularly like her and I’m not the least bit attracted to Cordelia. So, we’ve sort have been arguing about intimate matters, Sam.” Carter grinned. “Dad, you old dog.” He rolled his eyes. “Okay, joking aside, why don’t you like Cordelia? She’s cute.” “Well, yeah, that may be, but she also looks younger than you.” “Oh, well, I wouldn’t go that far.” “I didn’t mean that as an insult.” “I know, Dad. And this is none of my business, so I’ll just say good luck and leave it at that.” She held her arm out and he leaned down to hug her gently. He kissed his daughter on the forehead and then did the same to his grandson before rising and heading for the door. “All done?” Merlin asked, poking his head in the door. “Yep, Merlin; all done,” Jacob said. Before walking out, Jacob leaned over to whisper in Merlin’s ear, “You hurt her and I’ll tear you apart.” “Fair enough.” “What’s fair enough?” Carter wanted to know. “Nothing, Sam.” Merlin pushed another cot up next to Carter’s and lay down next to her, snaking his fingers through her hair. After a while, Carter looked into his eyes and asked, “What are you thinking about?” “Nothing. And everything. After 1500 years, you’ve just given birth to my one and only child.” Carter smiled. “And he’s beautiful. Just like his Dad.” “And his Mom.” Later that afternoon, O’Neill and Teal’c returned from P4X-229. They walked into the infirmary in full battle dress. “Sam!” O’Neill exclaimed. “I leave ya alone for two days and you go and have a baby!” Carter and Merlin both beamed back. Teal’c leaned over and looked at Gareth. “He is very tiny,” he observed. “Yes, he is,” Merlin agreed. Teal’c stuck his finger under the baby’s chin and Gareth gripped it. Teal’c smiled. “So, you, uh, sped up the pregnancy, then?” O’Neill asked. “Yes, Jack, I did.” “Couldn’t you … speed up his growth now and make him … grown up?” “No. Well, theoretically, I suppose I could, but it wouldn’t be a good idea.” “Why not?” “He’d have the body of an adult and the mind of a little baby.” “Ah, yeah, there is that.” Jackson walked in. “Ah, I heard you two were back,” he said. “So, what do you think of our new arrival?” “He is very tiny, Daniel Jackson,” Teal’c said, the baby still gripping his finger. “Yes, he is, Teal’c,” Jackson smiled. “What’d you guys find out on P4X-229?” “Not much!” O’Neill said. “That barrier thing will indeed kill a Goa’uld - lucky Teal’c no longer carries Junior, huh? Thing is, they have no idea how or why it works. We were thinking, maybe the Asgaard put it up.” He shrugged. “I dunno.” “I don’t think so, Jack,” Jackson said. “I’ve been going over the transmission you sent back yesterday and it looks more like the civilization on the planet used to be far more advanced. They had a sort of holocaust that almost destroyed their world and have since started over. No one remembers, that’s all.” “Well, that’s a bust, then,” Carter said. “Yep,” O’Neill said, grinning at Teal’c playing with the baby. “So, when ya gonna tie the knot?” “How did you know we - ?” Carter began. “Damn.” Merlin laughed. “We thought maybe in a couple weeks.” “And, who you gonna have as your Best Man?” “Best Man?” He looked to Jackson who looked worried and shook his head slightly. “Ah, you mean, my Second. Well, not sure I want one at all. Not sure I want anyone to marry her if I can’t.” He leaned over and kissed Carter. “Now, I was just going to Hammond’s office to request a week’s leave for us. Don’t think there’d be a problem, do you?” “Major Carter is entitled to maternity leave and you work here by your own volition - no, I don’t think there’ll be a problem.” O’Neill smiled and hugged Carter. “Congratulations, Sam.” “Thanks, Jack.” He looked at Merlin and shook his head. “Like beavers,” he mumbled under his breath as he headed for the door. “Come on, Teal’c, let the tiny baby have his hand back.” “He is a fine boy, Major Carter - Merlin.” Teal’c bowed his head and then headed out the door after O’Neill. Jackson smiled and then said, “Thanks for not mentioning … you know.” “Daniel,” Merlin said. “C’mere.” “What?” Jackson went up to Merlin. “Closer.” When Jackson got close enough, Merlin pulled him into a deep passionate kiss. “Damn,” Jackson said once he could breathe again. “Errr …” “Can I try that too?” Carter wanted to know. “What?” Carter pulled him into an equally passionate kiss and Jackson stammered back, staring at the two of them. “Man,” he said. “You guys … Man.” He walked out shaking his head. Merlin and Carter laughed. “He’s adorable when he’s flustered,” Carter said. “Yeah,” Merlin agreed. Hammond told them to take six months, but neither one of them wanted to be away that long. The one week stretched into four, though and they spent most of it in bed. “This four poster is much nicer than my little cot,” Merlin said as they lay side by side on their backs with their legs entwined. “Oh, I dunno,” Carter answered. “There’s something to be said for close quarters.” They both looked over at their baby and watched a while as Gareth made a plush toy turn somersaults in the air above his head. “That’s just strange, Merlin,” Carter said. “Actually, that’s kind of scary, Sam.” “Scary? How so?” “Well, look at him. He’s only a week old and his powers are already fully developed. We’re going to have to be careful - we’ll have to be sure to teach him when it’s okay to use magic and when it’s not.” She frowned. “He can very easily go bad, can’t he?” Merlin nodded gravely. Then he rolled over on top of her and kissed her. “But right now,” he said. “He’s just a sweet innocent little baby.” He smiled. “Shall we start working on another one?” “Oh, god.” Merlin obliterated any other comment she may have made when he covered her mouth with his own. Colonel O’Neill was unenthusiastically taking a bite of what was supposed to be apple pie when Daniel Jackson walked into the chow hall. He threw a notebook on the table and said, “I never thought I’d say this, but I’m bored.” He flopped down in the seat across from O’Neill. O’Neill tossed his fork down and said, “Well, I never thought I’d say this, but this pie sucks.” They both sighed. “Wanna go visit Sam and Merlin?” Jackson asked. “I thought you had some great important translation to work on.” “I’m done. At least until Teal’c returns with more photos.” They both sighed. “You think we could get Sam and Merlin out of bed long enough to visit?” O’Neill asked. “You think they’ve spent the last two weeks in bed?” O’Neill gave him a what-do-you-think look and Jackson grinned. “Should we phone first?” O’Neill grinned now. “Hell no,” he said as he got up and headed for the door. Carter was squirming with Merlin’s head between her legs when the knock came at the door. When the second knock came, she gasped, “Someone’s at the door.” “Ignore it, maybe they’ll go away.” At the third knock, she asked, “Can you see who it is?” “Not without opening the door, Sam. Shut up.” “Ungh,” she moaned. “Damn, I think Gareth just opened the door.” “Huh?” He lifted his head just as O’Neill’s voice called out. “Hello? We bring steaks and beer!” “Blast,” Merlin said, pulling on a pair of jeans. He slipped out of the bedroom and shut the door behind him. “Jack! Daniel! To what do we owe the interruption - er, pleasure?” “We missed you,” Jackson said. “And we were bored,” O’Neill added. They both set their packages down on a nearby table. “Yeah, that too. So, how’s little Gareth?” “He’s levitating his stuffed animals.” “Oh, that is so not right,” O’Neill said. Merlin shrugged. “Eh, it keeps him amused.” “Hi, guys,” Carter said as she came from the bedroom with her blouse buttoned wrong. “Can’t get along without us?” “Nope!” O’Neill said. “They were bored,” Merlin revealed. A beer floated out of the bag on the table and began floating towards the bedroom. Carter grabbed it in mid-air, laughed nervously and said, “Bored, huh? Well, nothing boring here.” “I’ll say,” Jackson commented in a serious tone. “Does he do that often?” “No, he’s just playful,” Merlin said. “Well, any kid who likes beer is okay in my book,” O’Neill said. “Is, uh, is it normal for him to be able to do that at his age?” “No, not really. Well, what’s normal, though? I don’t know. As far as I know, I sure as hell couldn’t do that at his age.” O’Neill looked from Jackson to Merlin and back again, then at Carter holding the beer behind her back. “Is this a problem?” “No,” Carter said. “Not yet, anyway,” Merlin added. “O-kaaay. Then, let’s eat! Where’s the grill?” “Out back,” Carter told him, opening the beer in her hand and taking a swig. Once outside, O’Neill called back, “Have you got any lighter fluid?!” Merlin poked his head out the door, pointed a finger and the grill roared to life. “Whoa! Thanks, Merlin. You’re a handy guy to have around.” Merlin grinned and went back inside to get the steaks before joining O’Neill out at the grill. “So,” O’Neill said straight-faced. “Seen much more than the inside of her bedroom the last two weeks?” “We went to town,” Merlin replied indignantly. “Once,” he added with a sly grin. O’Neill shook his head and mumbled something about beavers, which made Merlin chuckle. “You’re just jealous,” he said. “Damn right I am,” O’Neill replied. The two men stood drinking beer and grilling steaks in silence for a while before O’Neill spoke up. “Back on, uh, P3-whatever that was, and again with Diana, you, uh, killed a Goa’uld just by squeezing your fist.” He closed his fist in demonstration. Merlin nodded with no expression. “And yet, you ripped Baal out through the chest.” Merlin nodded again and took a pull from his beer with a look of distaste on his face. It was obvious he was not reacting to the beer. “So, uh, couldn’t you have just … squeezed your fist to kill Baal too?” “Sure. I could have.” He took another drink and then added, “Wouldn’t have been nearly as satisfying, though.” O’Neill nodded and took a drink of his own beer. After another short pause, the two men looked at each other and grinned knowingly. Back in the house, Jackson and Carter sat at the table awkwardly. “I guess we’re left to have, uh, gal talk?” Jackson said. “Gal talk, Daniel?” Jackson shrugged and grinned. “Is he as good for you as he was for me?” Carter rolled her eyes and blushed. “Probably.” They snickered and then leaned their heads together to discuss Merlin’s sexual prowess. After dinner, Gareth became fussy and Carter sat at the table as she breast fed the baby. Merlin didn’t think anything of it, as it seemed perfectly natural to him, but the other two men tried not to stare, but couldn’t help looking. When she’d gotten the boy back down to sleep, Jackson said, “I feel like I need a cigarette.” Everyone stared at the usually taciturn archeologist. He blushed. “Did I say that out loud?” The other three laughed and O’Neill mussed up the younger man’s hair. “Ya know,” O’Neill said. “Wasn’t there something you wanted to check off your Things-To-Do-Before-I-Die list, Carter?” Carter snapped her head up and said, “What?” with a look of warning. Merlin leaned back in his chair and folded his arms across his chest with a grin. Jackson looked confused as he looked from one face to another. “What’s that?” he asked. “Oh yeah,” O’Neill said. “Sam here has a Things-To-Do-Before-I-Die list. We managed to check a few off while on that little fishing trip a while back, but I seem to recall another item on your list that Daniel here could help you with.” “Oh?” Jackson was innocently interested. “Did you want to learn a language?” Carter glared daggers at her CO before smiling sweetly at Jackson. “Er, no, Daniel, it’s not important.” “I don’t mind helping out, Sam. What is it?” From the corner of her mouth, Carter pleaded to Merlin, but he shook his head smugly. “Nope, you got yourself into this one, babe. Besides, I’m all for it!” O’Neill grinned now. Jackson looked from one to another with a stupid look on his face. “What?” Carter thought a moment about how sexy Daniel had looked in bed with Merlin. Then she grinned too and said, “Well, Daniel, you see …” She placed her hand over his on the table and looked him seductively in the eyes. “I’ve always wanted to experience … sex with three men at once.” Jackson blinked. Then he raised his eyebrows. Then he looked at all three of them. “You’re serious?” They nodded in unison. Jackson grinned. “Okay.” “Okay?” Carter was surprised he would agree so readily. “Okay!” O’Neill said as he rose and pulled off his sweatshirt. Merlin and Carter began disrobing too, while Jackson stared with a lopsided grin. Slowly, he rose and began to take his clothes off too. Once naked, Carter and Merlin nodded imperceptibly to each other and in silent agreement, she knelt before O’Neill and Merlin knelt before Jackson. When Carter wrapped her lips around his limp cock, O’Neill leaned back and gripped the table behind him with a sigh. Merlin ran his tongue along the extra-sensitive underside of Jackson’s already stiffening cock and the young man moaned and collapsed onto the chair he had just vacated. O’Neill glanced over at the other two men and couldn’t help but feel a pang of jealousy. Damn, he thought. He’s had Sam and now he has Daniel too. And he couldn’t help but be aroused by the sight either. It was that more than Carter’s ministrations that made him harden. Carter slowly crawled up O’Neill’s body, planting small kisses along his belly and up his chest. He grabbed her face and pulled her into a deep kiss, tasting his own pre-cum on her lips. His hands slid down to cup her buttocks. When he lifted her up, she wrapped her legs around his waist, her fingers entwined through his silver hair, holding his lips to hers as he carried her to the living room and lowered her down to the sofa. She moaned quietly as he nuzzled her breasts, gently nibbling one pert nipple and then the other. Snaking her fingers through his hair once again, she briefly lamented Merlin’s longer locks as she shoved his head down and squirmed into the cushions. O’Neill smiled as he deliberately turned his head slightly and missed the spot she was aiming for when she shoved his head down. He licked her inner thighs, which made her shudder. “What do you want me to do, Major?” he asked, a sensual husky quality evident in his voice. “Anything you want, Colonel,” she answered breathlessly. He chuckled and parted her blond pubic hair with his nose before probing inside her with his tongue. Jackson had his eyes closed and gripped the sides of the chair so tightly, his knuckles were white. He moaned quietly as Merlin toyed with him, not wanting to make too much noise with others around to hear. Merlin grinned and released his play thing before Jackson could explode. “We should save this for Sam, no?” he said. “Who?” Jackson mumbled. “Oh, yeah, right.” He looked down at the grinning Merlin and shrugged. “Sorry, got a bit lost there.” “Uh-huh.” Merlin removed the other man’s glasses and set them on the table, then took him by the hand and led him shakily over to the sofa, where O’Neill had Carter thrashing about wantonly. “Got room for two more?” “God, yes!” Carter exclaimed. She pushed O’Neill away and he sat back on his heels licking his lips as she panted and motioned for Jackson. When he approached, she pulled him down and climbed on top of him in one fluid motion. He didn’t even have time to grunt before she had her mouth over his. Faced with little choice, he embraced her and enjoyed it. When she impaled herself on his erection, they moaned into each other’s mouths. Merlin gestured to O’Neill with a bow and the Colonel inclined his head with a grin before mounting her from behind. Merlin climbed up onto the back of the sofa and waited for the mother of his child to finish playing with Jackson’s tongue. Jackson moaned when she pulled her mouth away, but the sight of Merlin’s thick manhood disappearing down her throat made him groan and harden even more inside her. He looked away and found O’Neill above him. God, but he was gorgeous - that silver hair now slick with sweat, the brown eyes glazed with lust, the little scar over his left eyebrow, the set of his mouth when he leaned over and nibbled at Carter’s neck, the ripple of taut muscles beneath scarred skin and the sight of that glorious cock pumping in and out of an ass that should be his. He groaned loudly and closed his eyes, lost in a fantasy all his own. When he came, he called out O’Neill’s name. He opened his eyes to find everyone staring at him. “What?” he asked. “Ummmmmm …,” Carter mumbled. O’Neill had his scarred eyebrow raised. “You, uh, bellowed Jack’s name, Daniel,” Merlin told him with a grin. “No, I didn’t.” They looked at him seriously. “Oh, my God.” He looked to O’Neill and the colour drained from his face. “Is there something you need to tell me, Daniel?” O’Neill wanted to know. Now, he blushed furiously and stammered, “Errrrr. Oh, my God.” He tried to sink through the sofa cushions and disappear. Merlin pulled a confused O’Neill aside while Carter talked with Jackson, who was still resting comfortably inside her. “How long, Daniel?” she asked. “About six, seven inches?” She smiled. “Smart ass, you know what I mean.” “Oh, my God, I can’t believe this.” He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose as he sighed heavily. “He’s never gonna wanna work with me again.” “Daniel?” She waited for his eyes to open again. “He may surprise you.” “Okay, this is weird, Merlin,” O’Neill said. “Is that why you’re grinning like the cat who caught the canary?” “I’m not grinning.” Merlin folded his arms and smirked. O’Neill smiled broadly now. “Yeah, okay, well it is a strange turn of events, isn’t it?” “So, how do you feel about it, Jack?” “Kinda flattered.” “But how do you feel about it, Jack?” “Ah.” He grew pensive. “Dunno yet …” “You might want to think about it now, Jack.” He started to walk away, but turned back and added, “By the way, he’s a fantastic kisser.” O’Neill stood with eyebrows raised as the wizard walked back to the others. “That was fun,” Merlin said, grinning. “We should do this again sometime.” Jackson was not amused. “Did I ruin it for everyone?” “No,” Carter said. “You were great.” “Did you …?” “We all came in unison, Daniel.” “Well, how did we manage …? Oh, right, you’re a wizard.” Merlin smiled. “Now, kindly remove yourself from inside my bride to be.” Jackson blushed again and pushed Carter up off of him. He sat up, ran a hand through his damp hair and sighed. “This is a really awkward situation,” he said. “Maybe not,” Merlin told him. “I think Jack likes you.” “Well, of course he likes me, but I don’t think he likes me.” O’Neill walked up slowly and asked, “Is this a private conversation or can anyone join in?” “Jack,” Jackson said. “Look, I -“ “Hush a minute, Daniel.” “No, Jack, I don’t want you to think -“ O’Neill smothered his protestations with his mouth and when he finally pulled away from the passionate embrace, he said, “You’re right, Merlin. He is a great kisser.” Jackson sat staring like an idiot. O’Neill took him by the hand and pulled him off the sofa. He gently lay the young man down on the floor and caressed him. His skin was soft, but he’d bulked up since his, er, death. He lifted Jackson’s legs and ran his hand over his ass. With a gesture to Merlin, the wizard tossed him the tube of lube and O’Neill used a generous amount on his own cock and then spread some around Jackson’s anus, inserting a finger, then two and then three till the young man was stretched enough. Jackson was afraid to move or even blink - afraid this was all a dream and it would end if he made any sudden movements. O’Neill entered him slowly and as this silver-haired Adonis pumped his ass, Jackson broke down and moaned. What good was a dream anyway if you couldn’t enjoy it? He looked directly into O’Neill’s dark eyes, unsure of just what he was seeing there. When Merlin came over and knelt behind his head, he automatically took the offered cock into his mouth without even thinking - or taking his baby blues off O’Neill. Finally, though, Carter joined the fray and swallowed Jackson down, sending the young man into a sensual frenzy. He closed his eyes, sucked and writhed and moaned in wanton ecstasy. Once again - presumably due to Merlin’s machinations, they all came in unison. Then they all collapsed into a sweaty, satisfied heap. For several more hours, they experimented with different positions, although O’Neill flat out insisted his ass was exit only. An unusual noise outside interrupted the festivities. “What was that” Carter asked just as little Gareth started crying. Merlin frowned and silenced the baby with a wave of his hand so he could listen. “All this time, you could have done that and you didn’t?” Carter asked incredulously. Merlin shushed her and stood. Quickly and silently, he walked outside and stood in the dark, surveying the entire area. O’Neill and Jackson followed after pulling on their pants and Carter joined them a moment later tying a robe around her. “The baby’s okay,” she said. “What do you see, Merlin?” “Nothing. It’s dark.” “I thought you could see in the dark?” He looked down at her. “What? Who said that?” “You did.” He thought a moment and then grinned. “Oh yeah, and I said the cold doesn’t bother me too, didn’t I?” “That’s right.” He looked back out towards the yard. “You were nervous. I was only making small talk, Sam.” “So, you lied?” “Yeah.” She punched him on the arm. “Ow.” He rubbed his arm and looked at her with a mock frown. “Anyway, it’s just a fox.” “So, you can see in the dark?” “No, but I can hear and smell in the dark - it’s a mother fox foraging for her young.” “Oh, bull shit,” O’Neill said. “No, bull shit is very pungent - I would have known that right off.” The other three smiled and shook their heads as they went back inside. Once Merlin joined them, O’Neill spoke up again. “What is it with you and nudity, anyway, Merlin?” “I’m comfortable in my own skin, Jack.” He smiled broadly. “O-kaaay,” O’Neill said. “On that note, we should probably get going back to the mountain.” “Yes,” Merlin agreed. “My woman and my son need some tending to. Be gone, peasants!” “Your woman?” Carter said, hands on hips. “That’s what I said.” Merlin looked down his nose at her and she tackled him so that they were both rolling on the floor and giggling. O’Neill and Jackson quickly dressed and slipped out while the couple was playing. Out in the car, Jackson said, “They do make a nice couple, don’t they?” “Yeah,” O’Neill agreed. “They’re both nuts.” “Aren’t we all?” O’Neill chuckled. “Until tonight, I thought I was the sane one.” “Because of … what … you know … we did?” “Hmm? Nah. Look, I don’t quite know what to make of that, Danny boy, so don’t pressure me. I mean, I enjoyed it and all, but I’m not sure I wanna make a habit of it, okay?” “Oh, no - no pressure from me. I won’t mention it again if you don’t want me to. Thanks, though, Jack. For making, you know, a certain dream of mine a reality.” O’Neill looked sideways at Jackson, grinned and shook his head as he drove back to Cheyanne Mountain where a new report from Teal’c was waiting for Dr. Jackson’s attention. Finally came the day Merlin and Sam became bored with sex in bed 24-7 and they decided to return to duty at the SGC. Everyone wanted to see the baby, but Doctor Frasier shooed them all away. “Thanks,” Carter said. “Don’t thank me,” Frasier said. “I just wanted him all to myself.” She took Gareth and cooed at him as she examined him. “Well, he’s perfectly healthy,” she declared. “He kept making my instruments float around, though.” “Yeah, it amuses him,” Merlin said with a grin. When they announced their desire to get married ASAP, a message was posted off to the Tok’ra. As soon as Jacob arrived, with Cordelia in tow again, preparations began. Merlin and Carter left Gareth with Doctor Frasier as they discussed wedding plans with General Hammond. An off-world activation was instigated. SG-1, Hammond and Jacob ran to the observation room to watch as a squad of Marines prepared themselves in the gate room. “It’s the Tok’ra, sir,” reported Sgt. Davis. Hammond looked to Jacob, who shrugged. “Open the iris,” ordered the General. The iris opened and in marched an army of Jaffa, carrying their own DHD. The Marines were cut down almost immediately. When the wormhole disengaged, the Jaffa began dialing out. “NO!” Merlin yelled and started to bolt for the door. O’Neill grabbed him and said, “What’s going on?” while Hammond ordered “Shut the stargate down!” “I can’t, sir!” Sgt. Davis exclaimed. “The baby!” Merlin yelled. “Don’t you see? The Goa’uld have wanted a wizard baby for centuries!” He tore his arm free and was out the door with everyone else right behind. By the time they made it into the gate room, along with another squad of Marines, Cordelia was standing at the vortex of the stargate with Gareth in her arms. Merlin screamed something in Gaelic as he entered and Jaffa began exploding left and right. He spied the Tok’ra by the stargate and froze a moment. He didn’t want to harm the baby. That moment’s hesitation would cost him dearly. From the corner of his eye, he saw Carter go down and when he turned towards her, he took a staff weapon blast to the chest. The Jaffa who fired it imploded. Before Merlin could do anything else, he took another blast to the chest and fell to his knees. As Cordelia/Mamesh stepped through the stargate with his son, Merlin was hit twice more in the back and went down face first. The remaining Jaffa stepped through after her with the DHD and the wormhole disengaged. The gate room was a shambles, the floor littered with the dead and dying. Those who could still walk were checking on the fallen. Merlin was crawling towards his bride to be. General Hammond, splattered with blood that was not his own, approached and tried to make the wizard rest, but Merlin shoved his hands aside as he reached out to Carter. Placing a hand on her ankle, his body shuddered as he poured all his remaining power into her. As she sputtered awake, completely healed, he collapsed unconscious. “What happened?” she demanded to know as she stood with O’Neill’s help. Blood dripped off his fingers from a wound to his right shoulder, but O’Neill ignored it. “They took the baby, Sam,” he said, trying to hold her and keep her calm. “WHAT?!” She screamed, barely able to keep from slipping into hysterics. “Where’s Merlin?!” “He’s here,” Hammond answered. “He doesn’t look good.” She rushed to his side and turned him over. “Oh, my god,” she muttered. “Help me get him to the surface.” No one moved. “HELP ME! The sprites! They healed him before - maybe they can do it again - HELP ME!” Hammond and Teal’c grabbed Merlin while O’Neill opened the elevator. Medics rushed into the gate room to start helping the wounded. Holding a bloody handkerchief to his head, Jackson slipped into the elevator just before the doors closed. “What’s going on?” he asked, removing his broken glasses. “Merlin is badly injured, Daniel Jackson,” Teal’c answered. “Yeah,” O’Neill agreed. “Sam thinks these sprite things can heal him.” Jackson nodded as if he understood, even though he hardly heard them over the drumming in his head. On the ride up, Merlin regained consciousness briefly. He groaned and looked up into Hammond’s eyes. “Hammond?” he said so quietly that no one else could hear. “It’s alright, son,” Hammond told him. “I’ve got you.” Merlin grinned, muttered, “Son,” and then drifted away again. When they made it to the surface, Carter brought them to the same spot where Merlin had become young again. They gently lay the wizard down on the ground with his head in Carter’s lap. “Please!” she said to the air with tears in her eyes. “You have to help him! Please don’t let him die!” Several misty shapes soared through the area and more swooshed by every moment. “They’re beautiful!” Carter said. “There’s so many of them.” Carter’s eyes followed the shapes as they surrounded Merlin and flew through his body. Merlin twitched, but showed no other signs of life. Every one else looked around, but saw nothing. After a moment, Merlin’s breath seemed to even out and the wounds healed, but he didn’t wake up. One of the shapes flowed together and took the form of a woman’s face. Her eyes were sad and her mouth moved, but Carter could hear nothing. “She’s trying to say something, but I can’t hear her,” Carter said with a frown, straining to hear. “Major, we don’t see anything,” Hammond said. “She’s right here, but I can’t hear her.” The shape moved around, still speaking and suddenly, Jackson snapped his head up, listening. “Oh, I can,” he said. A tiny disembodied voice spoke in his head. It didn’t speak any language he could identify, but rather, it communicated in thoughts. He frowned for a moment as he listened. “Well?” Carter wanted to know. Jackson held up a hand - a gesture to wait a moment. Then he cocked his head and said, “Well, she says they’ve done all they can do. They’ve healed his body, but … his mind is broken?” “What the hell does that mean?” Jackson shrugged. “I guess it means he doesn’t want to live, so he’s given up. If he doesn’t fight, he’ll die.” Back in the infirmary, Merlin was in a deep coma. Doctor Frasier, with her head bandaged, tended O’Neill’s shoulder wound while another medic was stitching the gash in Jackson’s head. Jacob was in a bed next to Merlin. His Tok’ra symbiote would heal his wounds with little help from the medics. Teal’c and Hammond were uninjured. “Lucky they only hit your thick head,” O’Neill said to Jackson. “Oh, ha-ha,” Jackson replied unenthusiastically. Turning to Frasier, he said, “Speaking of heads, you should probably be lying down, Doc.” “Oh, I’m okay - just a nasty headache.” “I can’t believe that bitch whacked you on the head and stole my baby,” Carter said vehemently. “I’ll kill her when I find her.” “I’m sorry, Sam. I let my guard down. I never should have let her get so close.” “How were you to know she was Goa’uld?” Hammond said. “She’d been with the Tok’ra for some 800 years. That’s about as deep a cover as you can get. No use trying to pass blame.” “If anyone is to blame,” came the booming voice of Selmak. “It is I. If I hadn’t let love blind me, I may have seen a warning sign. I am deeply sorry, Major.” Lost in thought, Carter didn’t say anything for a moment. When she spoke, it was softly. “It’s my fault,” she said. “I never should have had the baby.” “Oh, knock it off, all of you,” O’Neill said. “Bunch of pathetic whiners. What difference who’s to blame? Main thing now is gettin’ the little guy back. And snapping Merlin out of it. So, quit feeling sorry for yourselves and start thinking of a plan.” Everyone looked blankly at the Colonel. “Well, somebody think of something!” he said exasperated. “Sorry, I got nothing,” Jackson said, shaking his head. “We don’t know which Goa’uld System lord she’s working with,” Jacob said. “Or if she’s working on her own. Until we get some sort of intel from our agents in the field, there’s nothing we can do.” “With all due respect,” Carter said. “I don’t know if I want to trust the Tok’ra in this.” “I’m sorry, Sam.” “Oh, Dad, it’s not your fault. I just can’t believe this is happening. Just a short while ago, I was planning my wedding and now my son is gone and the groom is on his death bed.” Weeks had passed and there’d been no news from the Tok’ra regarding Mamesh’s whereabouts. Merlin was getting weaker. Carter sat with him day and night - grudgingly sleeping only when Doctor Frasier commanded her to, and then only on a cot right next to his. She talked to him, trying to get him to understand that she needed him and their son needed him - trying to get through to him, but never knowing if he could even hear her - never knowing if he was already too far gone or not. She didn’t want to consider that, though. O’Neill, Jackson and Teal’c returned from an uneventful mission one day and stopped by the infirmary to see if there was any change. They found Carter still in the exact same spot they’d left her in the day before. She didn’t look up when they entered, but Frasier approached them. “I’m afraid she may be slipping away with him,” she whispered sadly to them. “And I don’t know what to do about it.” They listened to her ramble on to him for a while and then O’Neill slammed his pack down and said, “Okay, that’s it!” He pulled Carter away. “This isn’t working, so it’s time we tried something else. He straddled Merlin’s chest on the cot. “What are you doing, Colonel?” Frasier wanted to know. O’Neill pointed at her sternly. “You stay back. I take full responsibility if this doesn’t work, but you let me try.” He punched Merlin across the face. “COLONEL!” Frasier was about to pounce on him, but Jackson held her back. Carter was just stunned and showed no reaction at all. O’Neill backhanded him now and Merlin still had no reaction. Another punch and there was a slight moan. Another backhand and another moan. Another punch and this time there was a distinct groan. The next backhand never connected. Merlin’s hand reached out and gripped his with considerably more power than a man on his death bed should have been able to muster. Merlin’s eyes opened to reveal a wild fury. He roared and flung O’Neill across the room, where he hit the wall and slid down unconscious. Merlin screamed and looked around madly for a moment. When he realized where he was, he calmed down and ran a hand down over his face. He spied O’Neill crumpled on the floor and said, “Oh, shit.” He pulled himself out of bed and made his way unsteadily across the room. Everyone else was too amazed to even help him. Laying his hands on O’Neill’s body, he closed his eyes and healed the man. O’Neill came to and shook his head. “Whoa,” he said. Seeing Merlin above him, he smiled. “Hey, big guy. Welcome back.” “I’m sorry, Jack.” O’Neill shrugged and stood. Dusting off his pants, he said, “Eh, you owed me.” Merlin felt the side of his face where the bruises were already forming and smiled. “Yeah,” he said. Turning to the others now, he looked at Carter. “Sam,” he started. “You were gonna leave me,” she said. Merlin blinked. “Yes, I was.” “You gave up on us and you were going to leave us.” Merlin sighed. “I’m sorry, Sam. My only excuse is that I’ve been going through this for a hell of a lot longer than any of you can even imagine. I couldn’t take any more. I couldn’t deal with it. So, I gave up.” He stared at her and watched her lower lip quiver. “I’m sorry, Sam.” She suddenly burst into tears and ran into his arms. He held her as she wept and everyone else looked awkwardly at each other a moment, before walking out and giving the couple a little privacy. “I thought I’d lost you both,” she sobbed. “I know, Sam. I’m sorry. I’m back now. I’ll get him back.” She sniffled and wiped her eyes. “We’ll get him back.” “No, You need to stay here. I’ll go alone.” “No.” Carter shook her head. “No way. You’re not leaving me behind.” He held her by the shoulders and looked into her eyes. “I’m sorry, but I don’t think you’re strong enough to do what may have to be done. I’m not even sure I am.’ “What are you talking about, Merlin? “Sam. If I can’t get him back - and soon - he’ll have to be destroyed.” “What?” She was shaking her head. “How can you say that?” “Sam.” He held her head so she would look at him. “The evil he could do in the hands of the Goa’uld is unfathomable. If I can’t get him back before they’ve managed to corrupt him, I’ll have to destroy him while I still can. As powerful as he is now, he’ll outgrow me and there will come a time when even I won’t be able to stop him. Do you understand?” “Oh, my God.” She slumped down onto the cot. “How can we even discuss this?” “Now you know why I gave up.” She looked up at him and nodded. “When will you go? Where will you go? How can you know where they’ve taken him?” “I have a pretty good idea where he’ll be and I should probably go immediately. I’ve already wasted too much time as it is.” “Shit,” she muttered as she rose and embraced him again. Most of the SGC was gathered in the gate room, waiting to bid farewell to the wizard. Merlin entered with Carter by his side. His eclectic wardrobe consisted of blue jeans, his brown suede tall boots, a black t-shirt, bullet-proof SGC vest, topped off with his feathered robe. He carried his staff, a zat gun and a pack full of supplies, including a GDO. “Well,” he said. “I’ve never been very good at good byes.” “We’ll still be here when you get back,” O’Neill said. “I hope so.” Merlin grinned. “I thank you all for everything.” He turned to General Hammond and took the man’s hand. “Good luck, son,” Hammond said. Merlin grinned. “Thanks, sir.” Teal’c saluted him with a fist to the chest and said, “It has been an honor knowing you, Merlin.” “Same here, big guy.” Merlin hugged him and Teal’c glanced around nervously, not sure what to do. Next, he hugged Jackson and kissed him on both cheeks. Hands on his shoulders, he said, “Hang in there, Daniel. We’re both doing the right thing and I think you know it. It never gets easier, but it does eventually become clear.” Jackson nodded and said, his voice cracking a bit, “Don’t go getting’ yourself killed, okay?” Merlin grinned and moved over to O’Neill, who held his hand out. Merlin clasped the hand, but then went ahead and hugged him. O’Neill held a hand up before Merlin could kiss him too and the wizard smiled. “Take good care of her for me, will ya?” “Yeah sure, youbetcha.” O’Neill forced a smile. “You take care of yourself, kay?” Merlin nodded and turned to Carter. “I’ll try to send word every now and then - let you know how it’s going.” Carter nodded, fighting back tears. “I love you, Sam, and when I get back, we’ll get married if you still want.” “Damn, Merlin, I wish you didn’t have to go.” 
He nodded and kissed her deeply. Fighting tears himself now, he turned towards the stargate which was just opening. He walked up the ramp, turned back once to wave and then was gone. Everyone stood in silence gazing at the empty ring of the stargate for a while before the crowd dispersed.
 
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