A Tok'ra Christmas Carol
By Tels

Part One

It was a cold and snowy night as Selmak returned to her quarters in the tunnels. The mission she had been on was finally over and she was tired. She had a report to write and hand to the council by morning but all she wanted to do was sleep. She was too tired to even notice the several inches of snow covering the desert on the way back from the Chappa'ai.

She stopped by the eating commons and had a quick bite to eat. Then she picked up a six pack of her favourite beer. It was approaching the winter solstice, the mid winter feast for want of a better term and the council had deemed it important to celebrate it this year as most of their hosts were suffering from SAD. This in itself was a pain as the only counsellor had gone on a long mission and would not be back until spring.

Selmak got back to her chamber and flipped the bottle lid across the room, knowing she would cop hell for that from her host in the morning but she did not care. Her previous hosts had never been this finicky about being tidy and they had all been women! All the men she had known had not been slobs exactly but were not averse to leaving clothes on the floor on occasion or toothpaste on the bottom of the sink. As annoying as that was, it was part of having a man around the place.

She took a long drink and propped her booted feet up on the table. She drained the bottle and opened another one. She gazed across the room and did a double take at what she saw reflected back at her in the mirror. She closed her eyes and shook her head. Then she opened them again but he was still standing there. She looked behind her but there was no one there. She shrugged and took another mouthful. Looking back at the mirror again the figure was still there and was the only thing in it now. “You are dead,” she told the reflection matter-of-factly.

The figure nodded. “Yes I am.”

“Then I am not drunk enough,” Selmak replied. “It has been a bad day and I do not wish to sit here imagining dead people in my mirror.”

He grinned at her. “Why not? Do you have something against dead people?”

Selmak flicked her fingers at the mirror. “Ack! Even in death you have perfect teeth Martouf. That is so unfair.”

Martouf gave her one of his characteristic beams. “That is life Selmak. Or death in my case.”

Selmak closed her eyes and took a long drink. When she opened them Martouf was still standing there. “Have you not gone yet?” she asked him.

He shook his head. “I have a message for you. Over the next three nights you will be visited by three ghosts…”

Selmak looked at him and tossed the pillow at the mirror. “Get out of here. I am not drunk enough for this.”

“There will be one from your past, one from your present and one from your future.”

Selmak waved the bottle at him. “No such things as ghosts,” she told him. “They do not exist. You do not exist. So go away and haunt someone who cares.” She took a mouthful of beer.

Martouf ignored her. “If you do not wish to end up as I have done you will listen to what they have to say.”

Selmak shook her head. “Look… you got killed by Sam. I hardly think she will kill me while I am being hosted by her father.”

Martouf glared at her and the bottle broke in her hand showering her with beer. “That was uncalled for!” he said harshly. “I asked her to do so and that is not the issue here.”

“Hey! That was uncalled for too!” Selmak brushed the broken glass off her lap, feeling the beer soak into her pants. She took a deep breath. “Okay, three ghosts… I know lots of dead people. Do I know them?”

“Just do what they ask of you before it is too late.”

“Too late for what?” she asked as the image started to fade.

“You will see.”

Selmak watched as the figure vanished and she tossed the broken bottle at the mirror. “Bah humbug,” she hissed. She picked up another bottle, flicking the lid further this time. “I do not have time for this for one thing and for another… ghosts do not exist.”

She waited for a sarcastic comment from her host and was partly surprised when she did not get one. Then she remembered that he was asleep as he had not had much sleep the past few days. Tempted to wake him up she then decided against it, figuring he would only tell her she could not hold her beer and take it away from her.

“Humbug,” she said again. She had only had one and a half bottles. Not enough to start hallucinating. And hallucinations of dead people at that. She took a long drink and swung the bottle between her fingers. The clock Jacob kept on the side struck twelve. “See…” she said loudly. “Stridnight muck and go nhost.” She giggled slightly. “Okay maybe I am slightly drunk but who cares…”

“Your host will in the morning,” a voice told her.

Selmak swung round. “Excuse me.” She blinked hard. “Saroosh?”

A much younger Saroosh grinned at her. “In the flesh… well sort of.”

Selmak looked at her and then at the bottle. “What did they put in this stuff…? I can normally drink loads of this with no problems.”

Saroosh took the bottle away from her. “Behave!” She looked Selmak up and down. “I see you let your appearance slip somewhat.”

Selmak looked down at herself. “I will have you know that Jacob keeps himself very fit. He runs several miles each morning, even in the rain.”

Saroosh glanced round. “He's tidy at any rate. Come on, we do not have much time.”

“Where are we going?”

“You'll see.”

The tunnel around them faded and Selmak found herself in bright sunshine. She threw a hand up over her eyes for a moment until she adjusted. “Where are we?”

“Look closely. You know this place,” Saroosh told her.

Selmak lowered her hand. “Wow… Caracalla.” She moved forwards slowly. “I remember this place.”

“You should do. You were born here, took your first host here.”

Selmak moved forwards slowly. The fountain still ran in the centre of the courtyard. The buildings were white and whole, so unlike they were the last time she had been here which is why she had not recognised it at first.

She ran her hand through the cool crystal water and lifted it still dripping and licked the water from her fingers. “Why am I here?” she asked.

“Something you need to see,” Saroosh told her.

A cry from the temple caught Selmak's attention. “Someone is in pain,” she said and ran inside. Torchlight flickered from the walls, casting shadows over the altar and the huge pool in the centre of the room. Several jaffa stood round the pool, their backs turned and they were guarding something.

Selmak could not work out what it was for a moment. There was another cry and Selmak moved forwards. The guards took no notice of her.

“They can not see you,” Saroosh told her.

“Nice,” Selmak said.

“Nor can you change what will happen.”

“Fine… so why show me?”

“This is your past… that can never be changed.” Saroosh pointed to the pool.

Selmak looked at the figure in the water. “Egeria,” she whispered.

Saroosh nodded. “Your birth,” she told her. “Wonder which one you are?”

“Does it matter?” Selmak asked, watching with interest as Egeria finally stood and got out of the tank. She moved over to the tank. “So many,” she said. “And yet now there are so few of us left.”

The chamber blurred slightly and there were several girls standing round the pool chattering nervously. Then silence fell as Egeria came in.

Selmak looked at them. “Marla,” she said.

Saroosh nodded. “Your first host.”

Selmak shook her head. “I do not wish to be here,” she said backing away. “Stop this… if this is my penalty for drinking too much then I need to drink enough to pass out properly.”

Nothing happened though and she was compelled to watch as Marla put her hands into the tank and lifted the symbiote out. She watched as her first blending occurred and then tried again to get Saroosh to take her away.

Saroosh shook her head. “Watch,” she said.

Selmak had no choice but to watch as fire rained down from above shattering the buildings and making the new hosts run for cover. The pyramid ship descended and the fighting began. Egeria led the new hosts to the rings at the back of the temple and send them down into the tunnels she had just finished constructing.

“The Tok'ra have lived underground ever since,” Selmak said slowly. “On the run, dying slowly.”

“But free,” Saroosh told her.

Selmak turned away, seeing someone running past her. “Han…” she called running after the small figure. She had not even thought of Hanna for so many years now. Hanna was the daughter of Tayba, her third host. Tayba had been pregnant when she hosted Selmak. Almost to term anyway the baby lived with them in the tunnels. Her favourite hiding place was under Delek's desk, winding up the Tok'ra by lacing his boots together then running away and laughing as he fell over.

In those days Delek had not been the jerk he was now and usually found Hanna's antics funny. He had often sat with Hanna, alternating with Malek in caring for her when Selmak was on a mission. Strange, Selmak thought as she ran after Hanna, how much Delek had changed over the years.

“You have too,” Saroosh told her.

“Not as much as Delek,” Selmak hissed. She stopped running as she saw Hanna under Delek's desk, teasing him and watching his response. “What happened to that guy? I mean look at him.”

“You know what happened,” Saroosh told her harshly.

She watched as Tayba hurried into the room and over to the desk.

Delek looked up at her and moved into her arms. “My love,” he said kissing her. The kisses became more passionate.

 A small voice from under the desk commented “That's yucky. Uncle Malek said your tongue will fall off if you do that.”

 Delek laughed. “That's only if you're not madly in love with the person you are kissing,” he said. “You also have to be an adult.”

 Selmak watched herself in Delek's arms. She had forgotten.

 Selmak came fore and she laughed. “Go find Uncle Malek and take him to dinner. I have something I need to talk to Delek about.”

 Hanna grinned and ran off calling for Malek.

 Delek turned to the figure in his arms. “Talk?” he murmured, letting down her hair.

 “Later…” she said responding to him.

The scene changed and Selmak found herself in a cell. Two figures were chained to a wall opposite her. “Apophis,” she whispered.

Saroosh nodded. “He captured Tayba and Delek.”

Selmak looked at the two figures, both bleeding from being tortured. “ Adrian ,” she whispered looking at Delek's
host. “I loved them both so much.”

Saroosh nodded. “Part of you still does.”

Selmak scowled. “Not anymore. Not after this…” She broke off as Apophis came into the room.

Apophis moved over to his two prisoners. Neither had told him anything and he tired of them. “I have decided that one of you may live,” he said. He looked at Delek. “You chose. Which of you shall live and which shall die?”

 “Go to Netu!” Delek hissed. “I will not play your mind games.”

 “Not a fair question,” Selmak hissed. She looked at Delek. She knew Adrian was unconscious now and Delek was fore.

 Apophis looked at her. “Or you could choose if he will not.”

 Selmak looked at him. “Let him go and kill me.”

 Apophis sighed. “How did I know you would say that? How about another idea? You agree to be my queen and I will let him go.”

 Selmak nodded, seeing a way out there for them both. “That sounds good to me. Let him go.”

 “Not so fast,” Apophis hissed. The woman had agreed too fast for his liking.

 “And I thought you wanted a decision,” Selmak said. “Let me down and I will prove my loyalty to you.”

 Delek looked at her. “You do this and you are finished,” he told her.

 She looked at him. “My life for yours,” she told him. “As mates it is fitting.”

 Apophis laughed. “I knew there was something between you,” he laughed. “Then I will take her and it will be the last thing your host sees.”

 Selmak looked at him. “If you want my service and undying loyalty you will honour this wish,” she told him. “Take me and let him go.”

 Delek looked at her. “You do this willingly?” he asked as the jaffa unfastened Selmak's chains.

 Her eyes glowed as Selmak nodded. “Yes I do,” she said. She moved to Apophis side and cringed inside as he kissed her. The sacrifice was worth it if Delek survived. She watched as Delek was let down from the restraints and then taken to the ring room to be released.

Saroosh looked at her. “He never forgave you.”

Selmak shook her head. “No… when I finally got back he brushed me off. Perhaps I did the wrong thing. He never trusted me or anyone else again after that.”

“Nor did you,” Saroosh told her. “You saw it as betrayal on his part. You sacrificed everything to save him and he brushed you off.”

Selmak shrugged. “It is his loss.” She turned round not wanting to see Apophis pull her over to the huge bed. She had spent far too many months in there with him before escaping with enough information to take out several of his ships.

The scene shifted and she was back in the tunnels again. “Now what?” she asked sullenly. She stiffened as a scream echoed in the crystal hallways. “How can you do this to me?” she asked.

Saroosh pointed to the small chamber and Selmak reluctantly stood and watched.

Tayba laboured hard, before finally delivering the small child into Malek's waiting hands.

“Well done,” Malek said seeing to the child as Elise saw to Tayba. “Your daughter is perfect.”

 Tayba's eyes glowed as Selmak came fore. “The child,” she whispered. “Do not let the council find out about her. They cannot know. Malek please hide her…”

 “And why do you not want the council to know Selmak?” Delek demanded from the doorway. “Is it not enough that you have lied to us since you returned?”

 She looked at him. “The child is mine,” she said. “I will take care of her.”

 “We do not have children,” he told her. He looked at the child in Malek's arms. Then he looked at Selmak. “It is his child,” he said shocked.

 Selmak put out a hand. “My child,” she insisted.

 Delek raised the zat. “It cannot live, you know that.”

 “Delek no… please… I loved you. I did this for you, to keep you alive. Please… do not take the baby…”

Selmak turned away. “Please, I do not wish to see this anymore. I know what happened.”

Saroosh nodded and suddenly they were on the surface again.

Selmak looked at her. “So what does this prove? That Delek is the way he is because of me? That I am not perfect? I know that. I do not see the point of this.”

“You will understand in time,” Saroosh told her.

Selmak looked at her. “You got old,” she told her bluntly. “And I need a drink.”

“You forgot who you were fighting,” Saroosh told her, beginning to fade now. “You fight too much amongst yourselves. The enemy is without not within.”

“Wait!” Selmak yelled. “You can not just leave me here like this…” Her words echoed in nothingness, carried on the wind.

She suddenly found herself back in her room, alone and cold. She shook her head and picked up the bottle again taking a long drink to try and stop her hands from shaking. Talk about a nightmare. She had not thought about that stuff for centuries and did not wish to dwell on it now. She took another drink, draining the bottle and reaching for another one. Then she stopped.

She looked at the empty bottle in her hand, wondering if it was the beer or what she had eaten for dinner that had caused the hallucination. Whatever it was she needed sleep. She put the bottle down and stretched out on the bed, closing her eyes. There are no such things as ghosts, just bad memories and bad days she told herself as she fell asleep.

Part Two.

Selmak woke suddenly as the clock struck twelve. She lay there for a moment wondering if it was noon or midnight or just what day it was. Surely she had not slept that long. She shook off the last remnants of sleep and got up. She put a hand to her head as she had the mother of all headaches.

She vaguely remembered someone telling her she would do. Who was it? Oh that's right. She had had this stupid dream in which her past literally came back to haunt her and that had told her she would be hung over. Hah, for once her dream was right and she was hung over. Still there was something in the healing chambers that would solve that problem.

Or did Jacob have something stashed away somewhere for the morning after the night before when he and Malek were up all night partying. Those were the days. Now why couldn't she have dreamt about that instead of bad things? She took a deep breath. Adrian … she missed him. Sebastian, Delek's current host, was pretty attractive she had to admit but Jacob didn't think of him in those terms.

Not that Jacob thought of anyone in those terms. She often told him he should take orders and join the priesthood. She tided up a little and then decided she ought to go eat something. Then if it was the middle of the night she would come back here and try to sleep a bit more or maybe work on that report some as she had not got any done the previous evening.

The eating commons was almost empty but she managed to track down a plate of meat and fruit. She picked up a fork and took it to a table, nodding to Malek and Elise who were sitting on the other side of the room. Setting the plate and mug of juice down, she sat and picked at the food.

“You eating that?” a familiar voice asked.

Selmak looked up. “WHOA!” she yelled, almost jumping out of her skin. She started at the figure opposite her.

“Well?” he asked. “Are you going to eat it or not?” He paused. “Selmak you look like you've seen a ghost.”

Selmak leapt to her feet and shrieked. She whirled round several times. Then balled her fists up and shoved them into her eyes hard. “This is not happening,” she told herself.

He shook his head. “Well you can starve if you want Sel,” he told her, “but I am hungry and if you won't eat then I have to.”

Selmak finally sat down and looked at the figure tucking into the plate of food. “Jacob?” she managed.

Jacob smiled at her. “Of course it's me,” he said. “You were you expecting?” He watched as Selmak's hands flew to her face and her head.

“But… but…” she spluttered.

Jacob laughed. Then he looked down at the plate. “You know you should take better care of our body,” he said bluntly. “This is the first thing you have had for several days and you aren't eating it.”

She sat down, noticing the strange looks she was getting from Malek.

“Oh they can't see me,” Jacob said.

Selmak looked over at Malek and then back at Jacob.

“Are you alright?” Jacob asked her.

She nodded. “Just peachy,” she told him. “So what are you? A figment of my imagination I assume or another nightmare. I mean as I am apparently sitting here talking to myself?”

“Basically yeah,” Jacob said. “Literally talking to yourself.” He laughed then shoved the plate at her. “Eat!”

“Not hungry,” she said shoving the plate back.

Malek looked at Elise. “Back in a sec,” he told her. He got up and moved over to Selmak who was shoving the plate of food back and forth across the table carrying on an irate conversation with no one. “Selmak?” he said dropping a hand on her shoulder.

Selmak shrieked again and leapt to her feet. “Oh… Malek… I am sorry. I had this weird dream and thought for a moment that Jacob was sitting here at the table with me.” She glanced at the table and her eyes widened at the sight of Jacob sitting there waving at her.

Malek looked concerned. “Are you sure you are alright? I can get Elise to…”

“No,” Selmak said quickly. “It is late and I am fine. I do not wish to cut into your evening anymore than I already have.”

Malek nodded. “Good night then.”

Selmak watched him go back over to Elise and then watched the two of them leave. “Some people have all the luck,” she muttered.

Jacob looked at her. “And what is that supposed to mean?” he asked.

“Have you any idea how long it has been since I felt a man's arms round me?” she asked him.

“I can give you a hug now if you want,” Jacob told her.

She rolled her eyes. “Not what I meant!” she hissed picking up the juice and sipping it.

Jacob looked at her. “Sel you are still carrying a torch for Delek and don't try to tell me you're not.”

Selmak choked on her mouthful of juice, spraying the table and her plate. “Excuse me?” she managed out glad the room was finally empty.

Jacob just looked at her. “Well?” he said. “You can't hide your feelings from me Sel anymore than you can hide them from yourself.”

Selmak shook her head at him. “Delek is history,” she said bitterly. “He turned his back on my when I needed him the most. I sacrificed everything for him.” She pushed back from the table. “I do not want to talk about this anymore.”

Jacob nodded. “Fine,” he said. “Then we'll go somewhere else.”

Selmak swung round and looked at him, only to find they were no longer on the base. A huge ocean pulsed in front of her, waves crashing onto the shore. The sun sparkled on the top of the water and gulls swooped and soared overhead. She looked at him. “Let me guess you are the ghost of my present.”

Jacob nodded. “Got it in one, despite the amount you drank.”

Selmak shook her head. “Look I obviously drank too much as I am having this weird dream, hallucination or whatever you want to call it. Hey maybe I am not here at all and some system lord is trying out a new method of torture on us.”

“Trust me, we're here,” Jacob told her as a huge wave swept onto the beach, soaking the both of them.

“Why? To talk about Delek and how I am still in love with him? Because I am not. I got over him a long time ago.”

Jacob nodded. “Fair enough.” He looked over at the children playing in the water. “Do you ever wonder what happened to Jaina?” he asked.

Selmak shrugged. “Sometimes… I wonder if he did kill her or just hid her somewhere.”

“Have you ever thought of finding her?”

“Thought about it? Yes. Done anything along those lines? No. He hid his tracks too well.” She watched the children playing. “It would be nice to know if she grew up, had children of her own, a house of her own, husband…” She broke off. “Or whether he did what he said he did and killed her.”

Jacob looked at her. “Is that what he said?” he asked her.

Selmak nodded. “Yeah, part of me always thought he did it out of spite. Because she was not his child. Can we talk about something else?” She started walking across the sand. “Like this report I have to do. Hey maybe you could do it.”

“I don't think so. Your report, you write it.”

Selmak pulled a face at him. “Knew you would say that. You hate paperwork.”

Jacob looked at her. “I do my fair share of the reports,” he told her. “Hardly my fault if the council would rather deal with you than the host.”

“Delek again. You know he just does not trust you. Or your people.”

“Not just me they don't trust Sel.”

The scene changed and they were standing in the council chamber.

Delek was sat in his usual seat trying to convince them that this really was the best course of action.

Garshaw looked at him. “Selmak should be here,” she said.

 Delek looked at her. “Selmak cannot be trusted,” he said bluntly. “Her host has influenced her too much. She will insist on the Tau'ri being informed. Either that or Jacob will.”

 Garshaw shook her head. “Perhaps they should. After all this affects them just as much as it does us.”

 Delek slammed his hand down on the table. “Did they inform us before they destroyed those two mother ships? No. Did they inform us before they took out Cronos and his fleet? No. How many Tok'ra lives have been lost because they acted without telling us?”

 “Too many,” Garshaw admitted. “However more system lords have fallen in the last seven years than…”

 Delek cut her off. “At the cost of how many of us? The Goa'uld have a queen. We do not. They can get new hosts. We cannot. When our hosts die we die with them.”

Selmak glowered at him. “Oh go boil your head!” she yelled, safe in the knowledge he could not hear her. “Perhaps we should all go jump in the sarcophagus too, extend our life span like they do as well. Or hide in the sand and pretend this is not happening.”

Garshaw looked at him. “We are well aware of that,” she said. “Perhaps one day we will find the others like us and perhaps they have a queen amongst them.”

 Delek scowled. “Until then we should continue in the way we have been doing things for centuries. With caution. And without the Tau'ri rushing in killing people left and right.”

 Garshaw thought for a moment then spoke up. “Selmak is on the high council and as such should be involved in all decisions.” She inclined her head slightly. “But perhaps this once,” she said.

 “Not this one,” Delek said. “Selmak cannot be trusted now. Her true allegiance lies elsewhere. You know that as well as I Garshaw.”

 “That was many centuries ago. Surely you do not still blame her for a decision that she made then?”

 Delek looked at her. “Once a traitor,” he began and then he broke off. “There are some matters she should never be informed about. This just being one of them.”

 Garshaw looked at him. “You know she will eventually find out about the other,” she said bluntly. “That should never have been kept from her.”

 Delek shook his head. “She will never find out from me,” he said.

“Find out what?” Selmak asked. She moved forwards and stood in front of Delek. “Find out WHAT??” she yelled at him.

“He can't hear you,” Jacob told her.

“He is hiding something.”

“When isn't he?”

“Jacob stop it! Delek is deliberately withholding information from us.”

“And there is nothing you can do…”

Her eyes narrowed. “Want to bet? If he is here then that means his office is empty right. I can go there and search.” She headed out into the tunnel to find herself on the surface. She glared at Jacob. “Look this is my dream so therefore…”

“Who said you're dreaming Sel?” he asked slowly.

She looked at him. “Then where are we?”

Jacob didn't say anything.

Selmak looked round but didn't recognise anything. There was a figure on the horizon, sitting on the cliff edge. “Who is that?” she asked. Again she didn't get a response so she started walking slowly to see for herself.

Jacob stood still and watched her.

Selmak turned and saw him wave her on. She moved over to the figure and stood behind her. It was a woman and a small child. She stood close enough to overhear the conversation. “She never knew her mother or father as she was taken away. That made her very sad but she was looked after by a kind family.”

The child looked up and Selmak drew in a deep breath. It was Tayba's eyes looking up at her.

“Where are we Jacob?” Selmak asked. She turned round and looked to where Jacob was standing. “Where are we?” she repeated.

“Don't you recognise it?” Jacob asked.

Selmak looked round wildly. “No… there is nothing here. It's a cliff Jacob… seen one cliff and you have seen them all.”

“Look closely.”

Selmak whirled round but saw nothing to indicate where they were. “Cliffs, ocean, ruins… what… what am I meant to be seeing?” she yelled. She looked at Jacob as he slowly vanished from view. “Noooooo! What is it with you ghosts? No manners! You do not answer my questions; you pose more questions than you actually answer and then you vanish and leave me Egeria only knows where! Get back here will you! I want to know what is going on here.”

Suddenly she was back in her chambers again sitting on the bed. She thumped her hand into the pillow in frustration. “Am I awake now?” she wondered. She got up and hit her hand hard against the wall. Okay that hurt so she must be awake. But where did that leave her now?

Selmak left the room and headed towards Delek's office, but he was in there talking with Garshaw. So she returned to her chambers, via the healing quarters for something for the huge headache she had. Fortunately Elise did not ask too many questions and taking the meds, Selmak headed back to her quarters. She put the pills in her mouth and swallowed half a bottle of beer to wash them down. She lay flat on the bed and shut her eyes.

Part Three

Selmak shot her hand out and picked up the clock, hurling it into the wall. “I heard you the first time!” she hissed. She turned over and looked up at the crystal ceiling. Morning or night she wondered slowly. What day was it anyway? She sat up and ran a hand over the back of her neck. “ Bath ,” she said to herself. “Oh my head hurts. Bath and then do this report.”

She slowly stood up and made her way to the doorway. There she staggered down the tunnels to the pools. She stood at the water's edge for a moment then undressed and buried herself up to her neck in the warm water. Closing her eyes she closed off her mind trying to forget the several hours of nightmares she had had.

She decided it was her own fault for drinking on an empty stomach. Jacob had been right on that point at least. She had been neglecting their body, particularly on missions. Somehow getting the job done was more important that little things like sleep or rest or food. She suddenly became aware that there was someone else in the room. “What do you want?” she asked not opening her eyes.

There was no answer so she shifted position slightly. “I said what do you want?” She sighed still not getting a reaction but she could tell by the tingling feeling that there was another Tok'ra or symbiote in the room. “You know that is very rude… to not reply when asked a question.” There was still no answer so she opened her eyes and turned round.

A tall figure stood there. A black cloak covered them from head to foot, a pair of glowing eyes shining in the dark recess of the hood.

Selmak shouted seeing who was standing there. Her first reaction was how in Netu Anubis got onto the base in the first place. Her second was why had the alarms not gone off and her third was she was standing up in the water with nothing on. She grabbed a towel and as she wrapped it round her waist, her fourth thought occurred to her. Anubis was way taller than this guy.

Selmak got out of the water. “You know it is just as rude to sneak up on a person and scare them half to death as it is not to answer when spoken to.”

The figure just looked at her and then pointed to the pile of clothes.

Selmak shook her head. “What? Are you not even going to give me your name?” She peered at the dark recess of the hood, trying to work out who it was. There was nothing, not even a hint of hair. Not that she could see anyway. “Jake is that you again?” she asked.

The figure shook its head and pointed again to the clothes.

“Okay Mr No Name,” she said dropping the towel and pulling on her clothes. “If this is some kind of wind up, let me tell you I am not in the mood for it.” She looked critically at the figure. The cloak swirled round it, showing the lithe form beneath it clad in tight black leather pants and satin shirt. If she did not know better she would almost say it was Delek or Malek as both of them were slim and fit.

Not that she was allowed to think of men in those terms any longer. Jacob would go as far as letting her look but that was it. Commenting on them was not allowed. Shame he did not control his thoughts so well. At least they both thought the same about Anise.

Pulling her attention back to the matter at hand she finished dressing and looked back at the figure. “Malek?” she asked.

The figure shook his head and pointed towards the door.

Selmak sighed and ran through several other names each of which received a shake of the head. Finally she got fed up with this game. “Rumplestiltskin?” she suggested.

Silence greeted her. Then she sighed and reaching out pulled the hood back. “You!” she said glaring at him. “So you are meant to be my future are you?” she scoffed. “Well that is just so not going to happen!”

The figure pulled his hood back on and pointed into the tunnel. He followed her out guiding her in the way he wanted her to go.

“Not very talkative are you? At least tell me why you hate me so much?”

The figure stopped and pointed to a huge metal door.

Selmak looked at it, wondering what a door was doing on a Tok'ra base, then realised they weren't on a Tok'ra base but rather a Goa'uld ship. “What is going on?” she asked.

The figure shoved her hard in the back and pushed her through the doorway.

“Hey!” she yelled losing her footing somewhat. She staggered a step then regained her balance and looked round the room. It was obviously a throne room of some kind and she moved over to the throne. “I do not recognise the symbols,” she said. She turned as someone came through the door.

“Have them brought in,” the hauntingly familiar voice said. “I will deal with them myself.”

 The jaffa nodded and within a minute SG1 were dragged in and forced to kneel before the figure on the throne.

 Jack looked up. “So we meet again…” he began.

 A blast from the ribbon device shut him up fairly quickly.

 Sam looked up. “Dad…” she began.

 The figure stood up and threw back his hood. “That's enough Samantha!” he said. “Unless you want to die more than once.”

 Selmak looked back at her companion in shock. “What?” she gasped. “That is me? Are you saying I turn into a system lord?”

There was a blast from the staff weapon and three members of SG1 fell dead.

 Jacob smiled. “Selmak enjoyed that.” He looked at Sam. “But you… I have another plan for.” He moved over to one of the jaffa and removed the symbiote. “You will join me.”

 Sam shook her head. “I don't think so.”

 Jacob raised his hand and slapped her. “You will do as you are told. Delek needs a new mate and you are the one he requested.”

 Selmak watched in horror as Jacob implanted his daughter with the symbiote and then gave her to Delek as his mate. She turned to the figure beside her. “And this is meant to show me what?” she asked. “As far as I am concerned that is not going to happen. I am not going to turn my back on the Tok'ra no matter what happens and you will never get your hands on Jacob's daughter.”

The figure simply shoved her into the hallway again.

The tunnels were littered with bodies lying where they fell. Some with zats in their hands, some unarmed. Each had died a violent death and all had eyes wide open and staring upwards or to the side.

 Screams echoed down the tunnels along with the sound of staff weapon fire. People rushed around them, trying to evacuate the base. Jaffa followed them shooting them down indiscriminately.

 Selmak watched almost numb. “What happened?” she asked. “What caused this?” She followed the figure down the tunnel into the council chambers.

“I told you they had turned,” Delek told Malek and Garshaw. “That they have been influenced too much by her past and his tenacity.”

 Garshaw looked at him. “And I told you what would happen if Selmak found out the truth about Jaina. About what you did to her.”

 “What I did was for the good of the Tok'ra!” Delek told her.

 She shook her head. “What you did was out of bitterness and anger.”

 Selmak looked from one to the other and then pulled back as the image of herself flew into the room.

“You killed her!” she yelled. “Used her for your own purposes and killed her.”

 Delek looked at her hard. “That does not justify you wiping out base after base.”

 “If you had told me where she was I would not have had too,” Selmak yelled.

 Malek looked at her. “Revenge just eats away at you,” he told her. “You should have let it go years ago. Instead hundreds are dead and we are on the verge of extinction.”

 Selmak watched as he pressed something against her doppelgangers neck and caught the body as it fell to the floor.

The scene changed and she found herself alone. It was dark and she could not move. Then there was a bright light and pain as she was extracted from the host's body. She could hear voices as she was carried across the room, rough hands holding her far too tightly.

She was placed in a tank and she knew instantly what was going to happen. Noooooo she tried to yell but her voice was gone. She tried to move but the stasis field gripped her tightly.

She was dimly aware of someone standing there looking at her and she tried to get their attention but nothing worked. Everything started to go black. Please do not leave me here she cried in her mind. I do not want to die alone and silent . I do not understand what it is you want… I can change it that is it. I can let the resentment go, move on… please …………….

Part Four

Jacob woke suddenly with a violent scream running through his mind. He sat up, almost falling off the couch and reached out for the lamp on the table next to it. ~Selmak?~ he said trying to comfort his extremely distressed symbiote. ~Selmak what's wrong?~

Selmak trembled intensely, terrified and unable to speak for quite some time. Finally she calmed down enough to tell Jacob. ~A dream… I do not know. It was so real.~

~Tell me~ Jacob said. He padded through to the kitchen and put on the kettle. He sensed Selmak was disorientated. ~It is Christmas Eve, well 3am Christmas morning now I guess. We are staying at Mark's house in San Diego . So this dream…~

Selmak explained and then was most put out when Jacob laughed. ~It is not funny.~

~I'm sorry Sel. Before we went to bed last night we watched A Christmas Carol on the TV. Your dream was exactly like it.~

Selmak humphed.

~But maybe the ghosts or whatever had a point. If you are harbouring ill will or resentment towards Delek, it is only going to make things harder.~

~Okay I will talk to him when we get home.~

Jacob nodded. ~So this Jaina?~

~She existed~ Selmak whispered. ~Only she was never Apophis' child.~

Jacob pulled a face. ~Please tell me she isn't Delek's?~

~Ironic is it not? He killed his own daughter without realising it.~

~If she is dead… maybe we find her Sel or her descendants at least.~

~That would be good. Thank you.~

~After all you gave me back my family, it's the least I can do to help you find yours.~

~And speaking of family…~ Selmak broke off as footsteps ran down the stairs. ~Can we go watch them open their presents now?~

Fin

© Tels