1. The 'Gate Opens

A Wormhole in Time

A fic by Raven W. Catz

Disclaimer: Don't own the characters, never will. Just playing with them for the time being. SG-1 belongs to Gekko, Mac and his buddies to Winkler/Rich. Oh, and be warned... This may be frequently updated... I'm a bit of a perfectionist. Reviews gladly accepted!!!

Seconds before the wormhole disengaged, the four members of SG-1 rocketed through the 'Gate, each landing with a sickening crash on the ramp below. Within seconds, the sirens on base were wailing, and people swarmed the 'Gate room. But the four didn't notice. Each one was completely unconscious.

When Col. Jack O'Neill awoke, he rubbed his eyes, moaned groggily, and staggered off the cot. Wherever the hell he was, it definitely wasn't the infirmary, and it definitely wasn't Abydos.

"What the-"he looked around. Teal'c was standing at the door of a vaguely familiar room. Daniel was staring perplexedly at his broken glasses, and Sam was still unconscious on another makeshift cot.

"Carter!" O'Neill hissed, giving her a little shake.

"...Sir?" She sat up, clutching her forehead and the side of the cot. "Where are we?"

"It appears we are in the SGC, MajorCarter." Teal'c said simply, his eyes not moving from the door. The others all looked up.

"Some sort of alien device?" Daniel asked, folding his snapped glasses and stuffing them in his pocket.

"Wait a minute..." O'Neill groaned "I saw this on Star Trek once...Kirk was alone on the Enterprise, only it was..."

But at that moment, the door swung open, and a figure entered that made each of the four stare, mouths collectively dropped open in surprise.

"Hello," the figure said with a grin. "My name is MacGyver. Welcome to 1987."

O'Neill gave the man in the doorway a dazed look, then fainted dead away on the holding cell floor.

"Sir?" Major Carter was hovering worriedly over her CO. Funny, O'Neill thought sarcastically, two of me, and now I see two of her... Daniel interrupted O'Neill's slowly clearing mind.

"...So how did you know we weren't from 1987?"

MacGyver's face split in a lopsided grin... Exactly like Jack, Daniel mused.

"Well, for the past year and a half, the Phoenix Foundation has been working to secure funding for this place. We stumbled across some old footage of this thing in action when we were working on some other projects." Mac indicated down the hall in the general direction of the 'Gate room.

"But you won't get funding for this place for another..." Daniel counted on his fingers, "five years, after the Cold War ends."

"Doesn't mean we don't know what it does." Mac grinned.

"Could ya stop that?!" O'Neill broke in, "It's kinda... creepy!"

Daniel ignored him. "But if you know what it does..."

"Why don't we just tell you what it is, and speed up the process?" Mac finished, "I said we know what it does, not how to work it."

"That's still another nine years in the making, remember, Daniel?" Carter had now joined the group. O'Neill was still reeling from his encounter with his clone. At Carter's words, however, he looked up with a grin.

"Yeah," he smiled nastily. "Until you 'MacGyver' a solution to the missing DHD."

Mac raised an eyebrow and looked at Carter, who was rapidly turning pink.

"You... remember that, sir?"

O'Neill smiled nastily and tapped his temple.

"Well," Mac chimed in, breaking the growing silence, "No sense in keeping you all locked up in here like this. Pete's making arrangements for you, so you can have an, er, more comfortable stay."

"So," O'Neill couldn't resist one more jab. "What's with the hair?" he asked with a grin as they were led out of the holding room and toward the elevators that would take them to the surface.

Author's Note: This is my first published fanfic, and also my first 'Gate fic!! If you have any suggestions, I would be glad to hear them!


	2. Shadows of the Past

"This is your idea of 'arrangements'?" Major Carter was looking around at her surroundings. She was in the sun-lit front room of a beautiful house, secluded on the side of a hill.

"When you said arrangements... that usually means 'Cheap hotel'" O'Neill said loudly, not looking at Mac.

"This is a safe house for Phoenix employees. It's close enough to the 'Gate for you to get back for a quick getaway, if need be, but far enough away, and secluded, so you won't ever run into...um... yourselves."

"I have no such problem." Teal'c said.

"Yeah, and I'm...well, it's not important where I am..." O'Neill said, looking uncomfortable. Carter gave her CO a glance, and Daniel carefully avoided aggravating the subject.

"I s'pose I should leave you all to settle in?"

"Thank you." Carter turned to Mac with a smile. "If—when we get home, we'll make sure to repay the favor."

Mac gave a nod, and left

"Uh, Jack?" Daniel had wandered off somewhere to the second floor.

"Daniel?"

"There are only two bedrooms up here..."

"So?"

"There... aren't any down there."

"Ah..." O'Neill looked around at his team.

"I do not require a bed, ColonelO'Neill." Teal'c said with a nod.

"Great! T, you take the couch, Danny, Carter, upstairs."

"Sir?" Carter looked at him for a moment, apparently wrestling with whether or not she really wanted to hear the answer to the question she was about to ask.

"What about you?"

But O'Neill simply replied with a smile.

"Sir?"

"Forget about it, Carter."

"But sir..."

"I said forget about it, Major."

She fell silent.

"Anyone know what time it is?" O'Neill snapped, suddenly agitated. It wasn't everyday he practically got an invitation from Carter for something like that... But even if it was 1987... There were still rules. Besides, he rationalized, it wasn't even an invitation. She was just wondering where I'd sleep. She most likely would have grinned and told me to go share a room with Dannyboy over there...

"7:30" Daniel brought O'Neill out of his reverie.

"That late?" O'Neill asked, shocked.

"...In the morning. Jack, are you feeling alright?" Daniel cocked his head to one side, the way he always did when trying to figure out something particularly difficult.

"...Yeah... of course."

"I think we've all had a difficult morning." Maj. Carter chuckled nervously. "Why don't we go get some breakfast, then I can try to figure out how to get us back home."

"...Sounds good, Carter..." O'Neill was now staring absently out the window.

As the four headed out for breakfast, they were silent, each looking awkwardly as his or her feet, O'Neill lost in yet some other torturous memory, Daniel and Sam unable to devise a way to cheer him, and Teal'c warily scanning the tree- lined horizon. Yet not even Teal'c saw the figure in the shadows at the edge of the woods, eyes positively glowing with delight.


	3. The Enemy Within

MacGyver did not return to Cheyenne Mountain, but instead returned to the hotel where he was staying. A week in Colorado, then back to the houseboat for some well deserved R&R... at least that's what he had hoped for. With the unexpected arrival of SG-1 through the Stargate... that might complicate things. At least nothing else out of the ordinary had happened lately. And yet...

That familiar spasm of dread passed through his mind and gut simultaneously. Mac, never the one to ignore such an obvious sign of impending danger, glanced swiftly out the window, then padded, in stocking feet, to the phone to get any messages he may have had.

There was but one.

A cold, eerie laugh penetrated Mac's hearing. He dropped the phone, cold shivers making the hair on the back of his neck stand out. It wasn't... It couldn't be...

"Murdoc..." He whispered.

"That's right, MacGyver. In the flesh."

Mac turned slowly. There he was, his arch enemy, grinning away with that creepy, Joker-like grin, sprawled on the sofa.

"No." Mac said quietly. "You're dead. I'm sure this time. I watched you die."

"Surprise, surprise, MacGyver." Murdoc said mockingly, malice twinkling in his brown eyes. "But I'm in a generous mood, today. Tell you what?" Murdoc advanced on Mac. "I'll let you live, if..." He paused, slightly overdramatically, "You take me to the Stargate."

The blood drained from Mac's face. He sat numbly, looking up at Murdoc. "How did you know about that?" It was barely a whisper.

"Does it really matter? Oh, and one more thing, just to square things up. I want the team who came through the 'Gate this morning."

"Murdoc..."

But Murdoc simply sauntered around behind him, and before Mac could react, he felt the cold barrel of a pistol against his neck.

"MacGyver."

"Murdoc, what do you want with the Stargate? We can't even use it!" Mac said quickly.

"A problem easily overcome." Murdoc growled.

"What do you say?"

Mac looked at his feet.

"They'll be at Cheyenne Mountain tomorrow morning."

"Good." The gun was withdrawn. Mac sighed.

"And... I'll know if you change your plans, MacGyver. I always do."

And as silently as he had come, Murdoc disappeared. Mac sighed, pulled on his white sneakers, and dashed out the door.

"I have to warn them."

_Starstarstar_

Major Carter pulled the car to a stop on the lonely road back to the house. The road block had not been there before. The cop leaning lazily against the sign tipped his hat up, slipped off his sunglasses, and approached the four.

"This road is closed." He said simply. He then leaned down, and looked inside the car. His eyes flashed.

"Get out of the car." The Goa'uld growled.

The four reluctantly exited the car. Teal'cs' hand strayed to his zat.

"I wouldn't if I were you..."

"Who are you?" Major Carter looked at the Goa'uld.

"My name is Akhenaten. I have been trapped on this infernal rock for three thousand years because I am the one true God among the Goa'uld." He grabbed Carter. As the others advanced upon him, he stretched his hand over her forehead. The ribbon device on his hand began to glow.

"Take me to the Chappa'ai, or she dies."

_Starstarstar_

The Jeep barely made it around the last curve, nearly careening off the side of a cliff. Mac was speeding dangerously, and he knew it, but if Murdoc killed SG-1...

He had to slam on the brakes to avoid the stopped car. He leapt out of his own Jeep.

"Murdoc!"

The Goa'uld turned, thrust Carter back toward SG-1, and strode toward MacGyver.

"I knew you would come to warn them, MacGyver..." He grinned nastily.

"He's a Goa'uld!" Daniel shouted.

"He's a what?" Mac looked at Murdoc. The villain's deep brown eyes glowed.

"What the hell is that?!?"

The ribbon device was brought up to Mac's forehead.

In a flash, Murdoc had collapsed.

Teal'c was looking murderous, zat in hand.

"...Something tells me we have some explaining to do." O'Neill said, finally meeting MacGyver's eyes.


	4. Confessions

"So these 'Goa'uld' are a major threat to Earth in the next 10 years?"

The four members of SG-1, and MacGyver were sitting around the kitchen table of the safe- house. They had been there all afternoon. Now that the sun was setting, it was time to reach a decision about what to do about Murdoc.

"To let him through the 'Gate would alter history. Who knows what our time would be like when we get back?" Major Carter looked gravely around at them all.

"Judging by what he said, this Murdoc has to have an automatic Dialing Device. How else would he get the 'Gate to dial out?" Daniel added.

"If he has significant Goa'uld technology, he can't stay here." O'Neill said harshly.

MacGyver sat, lost in thought. With everything SG-1 had told him about the Goa'uld, Murdoc suddenly seemed quite run- of- the- mill. That certainly explained his theatrics, penchant for vanity, and invincibility. If these people from the future had the technology to destroy him for good... Why wouldn't they jump at the chance? And yet, Mac knew that Carter was right. Anything they did now would alter the future invariably. But how were they supposed to defeat a villain without defeating him?

It had been decided that SG-1 would go to the mountain the next morning. Some sort of trap would have to be laid from there. Mac would stay at the house all night, further crowding an already overcrowded space, in case Murdoc woke slightly crankier than before. He did, after all, know where SG-1 lived...

"We'll just have to see what happens tomorrow morning." Mac said with a yawn.

_Starstarstar_

Major Carter awoke, cottonmouthed, at three o'clock that morning. She stumbled groggily out of her bed, and began shuffling down the stairs to get a glass of water.

"...Colonel..?" She nearly tripped over Colonel O'Neill, asleep on the landing of the stairs, knees curled to his chest.

"Mmm..?" He groaned and looked up, stretching one leg

"Come to bed." She said quietly.

"Carter?"

"I'm not just going to leave you asleep on the stairs." She whispered.

"Carter..."

"Colonel, I will order you."

"As I recall, Major, I am the commanding officer."

"As a doctor."

"You have a doctorate in Physics!"

"I'm still a doctor." She smiled smugly.

"Yes, doc." O'Neill whispered sarcastically.

What had possessed Carter to even ask O'Neill to come up to bed, she didn't know. But she couldn't just leave him curled up, looking so uncomfortable on the stairs.

O'Neill sat on the corner of the bed, looking at the rumpled sheets where Major Carter had been sleeping. In 1987... He sighed as memories flooded back.

In 1987 he was engaged to Sarah. Somewhere, in the back of his mind, this seemed so strange to him. To be back in a time he had been glad to see pass... It wasn't as if he was unhappy with Sarah. Quite the contrary, but he had grown so far away from this place in his life, so much had happened in the ten years or so of time, that he felt like a stranger wandering lost in his own memories.

"Sir? You can sleep you know. That's what beds are for. Sleeping." Carter had emerged from the stairwell, approaching O'Neill and resting a concerned hand on his shoulder.

"You don't like being here, do you?" It wasn't exactly a question.

"No, Carter. I despise being here."

"D'you want to be left alone?"

"I tried that. You ordered me up here, remember?"

"Sorry, sir."

"This part of my life is over, Carter. People aren't supposed to relive their pasts!" He was nearly shouting now.

"Sir..."

"Carter..."

She sat down beside him, but only for a moment, for he suddenly found himself pacing the room.

"You want to know where I am right now, Carter? Rotting away in some hole in East Germany, waiting for something to happen, while my fiancée is crying at her mother's house because she hasn't heard from me for three weeks and is convinced I'm dead." O'Neill smiled nastily, eyes now sparking with self-loathing.

"Happy memories, right Major? Really looking forward to tomorrow. Oh, and you want to know something else? I took that job because I wanted to. I didn't even have to. I could have been in some cushy office in DC, but I picked East Germany instead." He practically spat.

Carter's eyes were the size of dinner plates.

"I wanted to 'See the World' before I settled down. Well, guess who got screwed? Screwed with my job, screwed with my family, Screwed with My Life."

"What about us, sir?" Carter asked meekly. Her eyes had brimmed with tears. She didn't notice the ones that were already rushing down her CO's cheeks.

"Carter..." O'Neill's voice broke.

"Do you regret this too..?"

"Carter..."

"Sir?"

O'Neill sighed heavily.

"No, Carter. I don't regret the SGC." His voice had dropped back down to a whisper. He rejoined Major Carter on the edge of the bed. "One of the few reasons left I still believe in God..."


	5. Akhenaten Unleashed

The Colorado morning dawned clear and cold. It was typical for a late September morn, but it still shocked the four members of SG-1 as MacGyver led them from the house. In the pit of his stomach, he was certain he was leading them to doom, but he knew he didn't have a choice. Were he to help them hide, Murdoc would be on their tail the whole way. There was a good chance he was already one step ahead...

Mac had always known that Murdoc was abnormally clever. But "alien" wasn't the word that normally came to mind. Truth be told, Mac's head was spinning. Somehow it didn't feel like he was dealing with "same old Murdoc" anymore. Murdoc was frightening enough, so what of this new danger? All he knew was that he had to get SG-1 to the Stargate, probably through it, before Murdoc could do anything that would conceivably change history.

Meanwhile, Major Carter was frantically wracking her brain. Anything, anything that might get them home... But her mind was blank. The only thing that seemed to want to surface was "People aren't supposed to relive their pasts, Carter!"

"...Carter?"

"Carter!" She looked up. Two pairs of identical, concerned brown eyes were looking at her.

"You alright?" Colonel O'Neill asked. He had let the sunlight create it's usual mask, and showed no sign of rememberance for the night before.

MacGyver was also looking down at her. He, of course, didn't understand. But the concern was appreciated nonetheless.

"Fine, Sir." She forced a smile and walked on, leaving the two men behind, staring at each other.

"So..." O'Neill said quietly, awkwardly.

Mac looked at the ground, and scuffed a shoe in the dust.

"Is she... always like that?" Mac asked.

"She's always thinking too much, if that's what you mean."

"Ahh..."

"So, why do you... I mean... Well, the last time I looked myself in the eye... It was a clone... an Android clone, actually..."

Mac grinned. "There are only 7 billion genetic permutations. It is possible to be natural, unrelated clones."

O'Neill raised an eyebrow.

"Oh..."

He then walked off, leaving Mac completely alone.

_StarStarStar_

The four members of SG-1 stood in a deserted 'Gate room. Mac had insisted Pete clear the entire level of personnel, and presently, he sat with SG-1 to think. Murdoc would, no doubt, be making his grand entrance soon enough.

Almost as if on cue, the chevrons of the massive 'Gate lit up. As the final one locked into place, the doors of the 'Gate room slid open, and Murdoc sauntered in.

Mac's first impression was that, if it were truly possible, Murdoc was even more immersed in cheap theatrics than before. He stood in the doorway, wearing the double crown of ancient Egypt, robed bizarrely in gold, each arm entwined to the shoulder in unique looking ribbon devices. The shoulders were surmounted with great solar disks, and the ribbons that twined down his arms ended, each with an Ankh, jointed over his knuckles. Even the members of SG-1 stared, openmouthed at the spectacle before them.

"It is time." The villain growled, "To make my glorious return to Amarna."

It wasn't long before Murdoc realized all was not well. It was possible his first hint came in the form of three guns and one zat pointed at his head.

"I don't think you're going anywhere, Murdoc." Mac said, his eyes glimmering intensely.

"No, MacGyver It's you who won't be going anywhere. For a very long time." The solar disks on Murdoc's shoulders began to glow. He raised one hand, and a pulse of energy sent MacGyver flying into the stone of the 'Gate ring, landing like a limp rag- doll in a heap on the ramp. SG-1 followed soon after, scattered like leaves blowing in the wind.

"Follow him!" O'Neill growled, lying upside down in a corner. "Hold the 'Gate open!"

Daniel scrambled up the ramp and thrust the muzzle of his gun through the 'Gate, only seconds after Murdoc leapt through.

"Carter! Teal'c, take Mac, get him through the 'Gate!"

"But Sir!" Carter called.

"Do it, Carter! We'll need his help. He knows how this Murdoc thinks!"

"Yes sir!"

O'Neill ushered his team through, then dove in himself, the 'Gate closing moments behind him.


	6. Time Changes Everything

The four members of SG-1 were astounded to see themselves again in the 'Gate room. Murdoc stood, staring up at the ring, disbelief etched on his face. O'Neill threw himself on Murdoc.

"What was the address? What did you dial?" His hands clamped about the Goa'uld's throat.

Murdoc only stared on mournfully at the 'Gate ring.

"Sir..?" Carter was bending over MacGyver. "He's coming to."

But as Mac stirred, he seemed to grow fuzzy around the edges, as if he were fading.

"Jack?" Daniel was staring. "Jack, look at this."

As O'Neill turned, Mac's image wavered, and he disappeared completely.

"Sir!"

The entire 'Gate room was now wavering.

"I think we're in another time- distortion!"

The 'Gate room gave a shudder, and SG-1 was suddenly surrounded by people. General Hammond and Doctor Frasier were the first to find their side.

"Colonel O'Neill, what happened?" Hammond cried. "And who are these people?"

"Oh my God, Colonel, he looks just like you!" Dr. Frasier was kneeling beside Mac, staring up at the Colonel.

"He is a friend." Teal'c said simply. "But he is a Goa'uld." He indicated Murdoc, still in his dreamy trance of mourning.

"It's... Gone? My beautiful city is... gone..." He moaned pitifully, as four armed airmen seized him and dragged him off to a holding cell.

"Well... THAT was easy." O'Neill said quietly. "Ole' Snake-in-the-head went bonkers."

"Sir, do you realize what we've done?" Carter seemed to be the only one not celebrating. "History has been altered. Who knows what's different!"

"Relax, Carter. They're not all Goa'ulds. It can't be that different."

_Starstarstar_

A week later, normal activity had resumed for SG-1. Daniel was buried in a stack of books in his office somewhere. Teal'c was Kel'nor'reeming in his quarters. MacGyver was recovering quietly in the infirmary. But O'Neill and Major Carter were spending their weekend at home.

A knock at the door brought O'Neill out of his daze. He flicked off the television, (Swearing once more at the fly-fisherman onscreen with his enormous bass.) and pulled open the door.

"Carter! What're you doing here?" He grinned sarcastically. "Don't you have some work to do? Some naquadah to analyze? Some lab tech. to confuse?"

"Sir, don't you think it's strange that we've been here a week and nothing has changed?"

"Alright, first of all, we're off duty. You can call me Jack. That's what names are for, remember?"

"Sir..." Carter broke in, impatiently.

"Major..." O'Neill shot back. "Maybe we were supposed to bring them back here."

"But if MacGyver isn't still in the past, he can't exist in the future!"

"So?"

"So, I made a phone call... He lives in L.A. Sir, He can't live in L.A if he wasn't in the past to live there!"

"Your point, Carter?"

"Sir, I don't know what's wrong, all I know is that things should have changed... It's like we're not even here..."

"Carter. Relax. We're home. Look around you. You have a whole weekend to yourself. Enjoy it. Go... fishing."

She smiled despite herself. She hated it when he made her grin like that. Especially when so many more pressing matters were at stake.

"So... You know what they did with that... Murdoc guy?"

"He's still being held at the SGC. But he won't say anything. He just paces aimlessly and mumbles about his great city."

"Good."

"Sir, we need to get the address he dialed. It could be the key to all this..."

"Carter, all what? We're home. He gave us a hand. Get over it. Relax!"

"I... I don't think so, sir..."

"Carter, what're you..."

Colonel O'Neill fell silent. His bright, sun filled living room was barren, empty. He looked around.

"Carter... Where did all my stuff go?"

"We're in another time- shift, sir. We need to get back to the SGC... Daniel and Teal'c will likely want an explanation."

_Starstarstar_

The SGC was abuzz with activity. Carter and O'Neill were greeted by Pete Thornton at the surface.

"They just... appeared. Out of nowhere!" Pete cried, leading them down to the 'Gate room once more.

"It's a time- distortion." Carter explained. "Something happened the last time we went through the 'Gate. I think we should all camp out here, in case time shifts again."

MacGyver was the next to enter the 'Gate room, followed by Daniel and Teal'c.

"Dannyboy, T, Macaroni... Get a bit of a surprise?"

"Yeah, actually..." Daniel was once again clutching broken glasses. "I just got these fixed. Who knew there was a big filing cabinet where the middle of my desk used to be?"

"Where the middle of your desk will be, Dannyboy." O'Neill grinned.

"MajorCarter." Teal'c said, with his usual solemn tone, "What happens if there is something in the way of us when a time- shift occurs?"

Carter cringed. "I don't really want to think about it, Teal'c."

The Jaffa nodded silently.

MacGyver just grinned. "Macaroni?"

O'Neill shrugged, eyebrow raised.

"So..." Daniel said, "What do we do now?"

"I'm not sure, Daniel."


End file.
