The Challenge (for want of a better title).

“Carter!” Colonel Jack O’Neill yelled over the howling winds on P3x5556 to the Major, who was struggling to get her foothold on the icy plains. 

Strong arms caught the small officer before she slipped further away from the DHD again. “I’m trying to, Sir!” She retorted, answering the colonel’s unasked question. With one hand gripping the top edge of the device for dear life, she punched in the address for home and waited until the worm hole established.  As a small group, the three SG-1 members exited the unforgiving world. 

It was almost eerie back in the SGC now that the wind no longer whipped their face and hair.  Sam stood, stunned slightly, on the ramp and then turned to Jack.  He, also stunned into silence, returned her look then looked at Teal'c.  The Jaffa reached out patted Jack’s shoulder reassuringly.

“We will go back for DanielJackson and we *will* bring him home.”

***

Jack stood at the door of Daniel’s apartment.  He hated doing this.  Hated the ‘next-of-kin’ stuff but he’d made a promise to his good friend that if anything was to ever go wrong on an mission that it was Jack who was to notify Daniel’s lover of the news.  Waiting for the door to open, Jack sighed and shifted on his feet nervously.   The door swung open; bright blue eyes peered around from behind it, long dark curly hair framed a smiling face - a smile made more brilliant by the dark stubble surrounding it.  

“Oh, hey, Jack! Come in.”

 “Thanks,” Jack croaked as he stepped inside, shutting the door behind him.  He followed Daniel’s boyfriend, Blair Sandburg, down into the living area of the tiny, cluttered apartment.  The aroma of dinner assaulted his nostrils. He hadn’t eaten in hours and the thought turned his stomach right now.

“Sorry, Daniel’s not home from work at the moment. Sit down, make yourself comfort..”

 “Blair.” Jack cut him off, making the small man swivel on the spot.  Blair searched the crest-fallen man before him then shook his head. He *knew* that look.

 “He’s *not* dead!” He stepped back slightly, refusing to hear this news.  Jack lifted one hand in placation.

 “No, he’s not!’

 The look of relief that filled Blair’s face now tore Jack’s heart again.  “Oh, thank god, man!” Blair dared to smile again.  “So, what’s wrong?”

 Jack scratched at the side of his nose then huffed out a deep breath.  “Blair, he’s MIA.”

 “Oh man.. NO!” Blair shook his head again, this time the fear and tears were heard in his  cry.  He sunk onto the sofa behind him and Jack went to sit next to him. 

***

Jack was in his office on base, unable to concentrate on the report before him.  After he’d consoled Blair for what seemed like hours, he came back to the base.  He *thought* he could occupy his mind while SG-3 and SG-6 were out on that ice world, searching for Daniel.  Beside, he needed to be close by, should any word come through.  Shoving the report aside he got up and poured himself another cup of coffee.  His phone rang and he hurried to answer it. 

 “Sure, put him through… Blair?  No, still no word. I told you I’d… what?  Who?  Jim Ellison? He’s a WHAT?  …..”  Jack scrubbed his hand down his face as he listened to the almost unbelievable news that he was hearing.  Finally, with great resignation, he sighed and shrugged. “Sure, if you think he’d help. Yeah, I’ll tell Hammond.  See what he says.”

 Jack hung up and went to see the General immediately.  Within hours, Blair and Jim were on base; Blair coming in not as Daniel’s lover, but as Jim’s observer.   The men met for a quick meeting, then Hammond agreed that the rest of SG-1 could go back to P3x5556 to add to the search of the lost team member.

***

Standing on the threshold of the opened gate, Jack looked at Blair and saw the same look in his eyes that he saw in Daniel’s that first time they managed to open the gate.  He shuddered slightly then shook himself from that memory. 

“It’s a piece of cake,” he assured the two new ‘gaters matter-of-factly.  Jim looked far more confident than Blair. In fact, the blue-eyed anthropologist looked positively terrified. 

 He lent closer to the colonel and asked in a quiet voice. “He does this?”  

Jack looked down and gave him a slight smile.  “Three times a week - usually.”

 Swallowing hard, Blair stared at the shimmering wall again.  “Wow!”

 Jack’s smile grew and he nudged Blair with his elbow.  “Pretty impressive, huh?”

 “Yeah, well, yeah!” Blair’s eye were wide.  “He’s… incredible.”

 Jack snorted slightly. He was actually referring to the gate, but realised that Daniel had probably just gone up a few notches in Blair’s eyes.   “Let’s go, campers!” Jack led the team to the new world. 

**

Waking up slowly Daniel first noted his thumping headache then he realised his hands and feet were bound, in a spread-eagle position, over a hard rock.

 “Why me?” He muttered as he struggled against his bindings.

 “Because you are beautiful!”  Came a slurping voice from just out side of Daniel’s range of vision.

  “P.. pardon?” The explorer’s eyes widened as he strained to see where the voice was coming from.  The creature moved into his view, and he was horrified by the sight.  A cross between a large boar and Bear; long, stringy hair matted with muck and blood.  And the smell!! Daniel coughed at the pungent smell as the creature lent over him and stared into his terrified blue eyes.  He started tugging furiously on his restraints.

 “Jack!!!” He screamed out, suffering when his head thumped painfully.

 “Do not fret. I will not hurt you!”

 Daniel looked at the creature, seeing the beady red eyes through the matted fringe. 

“What do you want from me?” He asked, trying not to inhale the disgusting breath floating over him.

 “We will have beautiful babies!” The Creature said, running a long, sharp fingernail down the vulnerable man as he remained tied to the table.  Daniel felt the nail circle his groin through the material and started to violently tug at his bindings again.

 “Err no!” He said, struggling to stop the creature from touching him in places he didn’t want to be touched in.  She had free rein though, and her nail sliced his uniform from him effortlessly, exposing his white skin without resistance.  “Jack!!!!” Daniel screamed as loudly as he could. The creature’s red eyes glared at him hungrily.

 “I will not hurt you.  You and I will be together for a long time!” she said, slipping the back of her hairy hand down his smooth exposed chest, onto his soft stomach and lower.

 “NO!!” Daniel kicked and struggled.  “They-will-find-me!” He said through clenched teeth, dimples appearing on his cheeks.

 The creature gave a maniacal laugh.  “I do not think so.  They are searching in the wrong place!  I saw to that myself.”   Daniel’s blue eyes rolled as he felt the zipper on his pants slowly slip open.

***

When Jack and his team entered the new world several members of SG-3 and SG-6 were working on the DHD.  “What’s wrong?”  He asked, quickly taking note that the wind had died down considerably and was now nothing more than a gentle breeze.

“The DHD is damaged, Sir. A crack of lightening struck it just after we came through.  We’re trying to fix it now!  The rest of our teams are searching for your friend. They think they’re getting closer, they found his jacket close to where you said he went missing.”   He pointed towards the mountain range they were instructed to search in.

 “Good!  Carter, Teal'c.  You two stay here and help with this. You two are with me!” He said to Jim and Blair.  Sam nodded and tapped Teal'c to give her some help as well.  They went to the MALP and started pulling it apart, recalling what they needed to do to get the one at Heliopolis working again.  This time, she hoped silently, it wouldn’t fall through to a raging sea below mere moments before she had it repaired.   Jack indicated for Blair and Jim to follow him but part way across the slippery, barren world Jim reached out and stopped Jack.  Sniffing the air, the Sentinel turned from the direction they were heading and looked back towards the gate.

 “He’s there.” He pointed beyond the Stargate.

 “No!” Jack shook his head and pointed in the opposite direction.  “He went missing over there.”

 Blair held his hand up.  “Whoa, hey, listen. If Jim says it’s this way,” he said, finishing with a shrug.  The officer shrugged and followed the tall detective to the other mountain range.   As they neared the mountains the wind started whipping up again, and once more the small team felt it pushing them from the direction they were heading in.  This time, they came better prepared for the icy ground and wore spikes on their shoes to prevent them slipping on the ice.  Climbing over the rocky terrain, Jim lead the small team deeper and deeper into the mountain range.  Jack sighed when they stopped to catch their breath.  While Blair glugged down water from his canteen, the officer stood staring out at the distant Stargate, watching the team finally get it working and a worm hole establish on the surface of it.  Jim came to stand beside him.

 “We’re getting closer,” he told the worried colonel.  Jack turned to look at him.

 “Ya think?”   Jim nodded then patted Jack’s shoulder.  Blair came and stood beside the other men. 

 “Should we keep looking?  Daniel might need us..” he said, worry tainting his voice.  Jim looked at his close friend.

 “Don’t worry, chief.  We’ll find him.”

 “Yeah, but when and in what condition?” The younger man muttered as he went back to retrieve his pack from the rock. Jack looked a Jim briefly then nodded.

 “Let’s go,” he said, hiking up the rock face further.

***

The creature slowly slipped the zipper down watching the beautiful face before her contort in disgust.  It didn’t stop her though. She had her needs!  She selected this one specifically out of all the team.

 “Please, stop!  We came to explore..” The anthropologist tried to get through to the creature.

 “I wish to explore now,” the creature gave what could loosely be described as a smile as she speared a long nail through the green shorts.

 “Jesus!  NOOOOO!”

**

“What was that?” Jim stopped suddenly, listening to the wind.  Jack and Blair exchanged quick glances then the younger man stepped up to his friend. 

 “Concentrate, Jim.  Focus.. Where is he?”

 The Sentinel listened again but there was silence.  Relying on the memory, he pointed to the left and said, “this way!”   The three men ran over the rise in the rock, finding a hidden opening to a cave.  They ran through the labyrinth, ducking through one tunnel into the next, finally stumbling onto the lair of the creature. 

“Daniel!” Blair cried out as he saw his lover strapped to the rock.  His clothes were in tatters but he was still wearing his green shorts.  He didn’t seem to be moving.  Hissing as she swung from the man on the table, the Creature stood at her full height - at least 12 feet high. Jim and Blair stumbled back slightly as Jack stepped forward.

 “Holy…” The colonel muttered, staring up at the hideous alien.  Before the thing could lunge at them he dropped it to the ground with a round out of his gun.  It took a while, but the creature laid dead at their feet eventually.   Blair ran over to Daniel, who was semi-conscious due to the noxious fumes and the fear. He opened his eyes slowly when he heard his name called gently.

 “Oh, god, I’m hallucinating,” he mumbled, seeing Blair standing over him.

 Blair laughed.  “No, you’re not, babe! I’m really here.  We’re taking you home.”

 Jack stood looking down over the smaller man’s shoulder.  “Hey, Danny. Wake up!”

 The eyes lulled open again.  “Jack?”  He focused on the colonel then looked around at Jim then Blair.  “What..?” 

“I’ll explain it when we get home,” Blair said, helping Daniel to sit up as Jack cut him free.  As they left the cave Blair muttered, “Least the creature had good taste - took the cutest of the group!”

Jack raised a brow.  “Hey!” He said at the slight. 

Jim smiled at him then lent over and whispered into Jack's ear, “Actually I disagree!” 

Jack did a double take then smiled at Jim as they headed back towards the gate.  

-THE END-