2018
By: ChristianGateFan
CATEGORY: Romance
WARNINGS: None
AUTHOR’S WEBSITE:
http://christiangatefankat.110mb.com/
CHAPTER 1
Daniel Jackson gently nudged the woman in the passenger seat of his car, who had fallen asleep on the short journey to the restaurant. When he got no response he nudged a little harder, and this time she shifted and mumbled something in her sleep. He tried once more to no further avail. She'd always been stubborn.
Daniel glanced at the digital time display on the dash board and sighed in frustration; they should have been inside ten minutes ago to help get read for the party at eleven. They of all people should be helping prepare; it was for their kid, for goodness sakes. Well, no more of this. He put a hand on her shoulder and shook "Come on, honey, wake up. We're here," he said, a bit of urgency in his voice. She stirred again, and made an annoyed sound, but at least it sounded like she was starting to wake up. He shook again and one eye cracked open.
"Leave me alone," Vala stated in tired annoyance.
"Vala! It's
Groggily she pushed herself up and away from the car door, the imprint of which was outlined on the right side of her face, though it was slowly fading. "Well, excuse me, Daniel, but you didn't spend half the morning in the bathroom."
"Well, uh…" Daniel stammered, having no response to that. After a moment he just sighed. "Sorry. I should remember; we've done this before."
"Yes, but that was eight years ago today, so I suppose it's all right that you forgot a few of the minor details," Vala replied, an amused smile slowly creeping onto her face. "Besides, you've plenty of time to rediscover them; we've still got six and a half months."
Daniel laughed softly. "Right," he said, leaning to kiss her. She returned the gesture, and a moment later he pulled back and opened the car door. "All right, come on. We have a birthday party to get to." He started to walk around the front of the vehicle to open the door for his wife, but she had already gotten out by the time he turned. She came around the car and leaned back against it beside him, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Now, why did Janet want to have her party here, again?" she asked, eyeing the building curiously.
Daniel shrugged. "Different reasons. It is one of the most popular pizza chains in the country-"
"I know that, Daniel. I've lived on this planet for twelve years, you know…"
"- not to mention that kids love it and most of them conveniently have private party rooms that can be rented. We brought her to a friend's party here once a year or so ago; don't you remember?"
Another moment, and then her face lit up in recognition.
"Oh! That's right. Well, the, we'd better get a move on inside then,"
she said, straightening and walking past him toward the restaurant. "Come
on, Daniel, don't just stand there," she said as she passed, acting for
all the world as if she had not been the cause of the original delay.
Once inside, a waitress directed the couple to the correct room, where Jack and Sam O'Neill, Teal'c, and Cameron and Carolyn Mitchell were already waiting. All looked up when the door opened and the two slipped in.
"Ah!" Jack said, grinning. "Finally the parents of the birthday girl choose to show themselves! Where ya been, Danny-boy?"
Daniel shrugged and smiled. "Unforeseen delay. But we're here, aren't we? Oh, and Jack, please don't call me 'Danny-boy'. Geez, I'm getting a little old for it, dontcha think?" he said, pointing up to his brown hair that was now sprinkled with gray--more gray than he really wanted just yet.
O'Neill grinned and approached his friend, swinging an arm around the younger man shoulder and ruffling his hair with the other hand. "Aww, that's nothing," he as Daniel ducked. "By the time I was your age I was completely gray. Besides, look at me now!"
Daniel pulled away from Jack and smiled at his friend's almost completely white hair. Samantha O'Neill grinned from several feet away. Off all those gathered, she was only one whose hair color made gray harder to see. If she did have any gray hairs, nobody had noticed them yet, and she wasn't telling.
Then Daniel noticed that Jack was staring at him. "What?"
"You still have that sweater?" he said incredulously.
"What, this?"
"Nothing, Daniel, but you wore that thing when you were ascended for cryin' out loud! You must have had it for at least twenty years by now. How old are you. Fifty-two? Fifty-three…?"
Daniel winced. "Yeah, okay, so it's old. Sorry. It still fits me, it's not too worn out, and I like it? You have a problem with that?"
"Not really, just had to say something."
"Did you and Vala have a safe trip, Daniel Jackson?" Teal'c asked then, rescuing him from anymore of Jack's teasing.
Vala sat down in a chair at one of the tables near the door. "In the fifteen minutes it took us to get here, yes," she replied snarkily.
Daniel rolled his eyes. "You wouldn't know. You were asleep."
"So? I woke up, didn't I? That means we got here safely, doesn't it?" she said, blinking.
"Well, yeah, I guess so…"
Cameron stepped away from the wall where he'd been hanging streamers. "So, where's the birthday girl?"
"Cassie's babysitting," Vala piped up.
"We let her spend the night at Cassie's last night. They'll be here at eleven," Daniel explained.
Mitchell shook his head. "She still baby sits? That girl needs to get a life."
"
"She makes a wonderful addition to SG-13, and she's brilliant at astrophysics--sometimes I can't even keep up with her," Sam added proudly of her and Jack's adopted daughter.
"Well, of course she is; the first human from earth she met was you," Cameron replied. "And that's great, but she's almost thirty and she doesn't even have a boyfriend yet."
"I do not believe that is a fair assessment Cameron Mitchell," Teal'c spoke up. "None of the couples in this room were married or involved in a serious relationship before the age of forty."
Cameron shrugged. "I know, but I just think she deserves one. She is a great kid."
Jack raised a finger. "Ah, but our Cassie's not a kid anymore," commented.
"Speaking of kids…" Daniel said. "Where are
the twins,
"What?" Mitchell said, looking around. "They were right…here…ooopps," he said, as he and Carolyn realized that their children were nowhere to be seen and began to frantically search the room for them. Not that there was must searching to be done. There was nowhere in the room for them to hide.
"Wait-" Vala said thoughtfully. "Daniel, didn't we see a couple of three-foot blurs go by on the way in here?"
Daniel eyebrows went up, and he smiled when he remembered what she was talking about. "Come to think of, I believe we did," he laughed. "Don't worry, guys, I'm sure they're around here somewhe-" Before he could finish his sentence husband and wife had bolted for the door, but stopped short of it when it opened and the same waitress who had directed them all to the room as they arrived came in holding the hands of two small children--a boy and girl.
"I think these belong to you," the woman smiled, handing over the five year olds to their parents. Carolyn scooped up the girl, thanking the employee, and Cameron picked up the boy.
"There you are, ya little knuckle-head," he said, mussing his son's hair.
"You had mommy and daddy worried," Carolyn scolded. "We told you not to leave this room without us, didn't we?"
"Sorry," the two children chorused sheepishly together.
"Hey Tiffany! Hey Zach!" Daniel smiled, crouching as the parents set the kids on their feet again.
"Uncle Daniel!" the little girl laughed and gave him a hug, but Zach turned and climbed right into his Aunt Vala's lap. An arm still around Tiffany, Daniel looked at the boy. "Well, be that way then," he laughed as Tiffany pulled away to wrap her arms around Jack's legs next.
He shook his head as he stood, watching as, after he got a hug from Vala, Zach made a bee-line for Sam and reached up at her until she bent and picked him up.
"I've already hugged you, Zach. What do you want now, you spoiled little kid?" Sam giggled.
Jack, in turn, picked up Tiffany. "Yeah,
Cameron started to say something, but was interrupted by Carolyn's startled screech.
"What?" Vala protested at the sharp noise.
"People, we have less than ten minutes to finish whatever we're going to do, unless Cassie's late getting here with Janet."
"Cassie's never late," Jack offered.
Daniel sighed. "I knew we should have allowed for more time…" he said as Vala stood.
"Twenty-twenty hindsight, Daniel. Enough, let's get moving," his wife smiled.
"You of all people to be talking about twenty-twenty hindsight…" Daniel muttered, rolling his eyes.
"What was that?"
"Nothing!"
CHAPTER 2
"All right, she's here! Everybody hide!" Jack O'Neill announced nine minutes later as he peeked out the window into the parking lot. When he turned back around everyone else was staring at him. "What?"
"Uh, Jack, we're not hiding," Daniel explained. "She knows we're here."
"Oh! Well, I knew that…"
"Sure you did."
"Are we done?" Vala said suddenly. "Did we do everything? Are we ready?"
"Yeah, I think we've got everything," Sam assured her.
Vala sighed and sat down. "Good."
"So now we-" Cameron started to say something, but was interrupted by and exited call from the doorway and a speeding bullet that rushed past him.
"Daddy! Mommy!" Janet said, colliding with her father, who hadn't sat down yet, and sending him stumbling back a couple of steps.
"Whoa!" Daniel cried in surprise. "No running
inside Janet Sha're
"Sorry, dad," Janet replied as he pulled her into a hug. He bent down and she planet a kiss on his check. Daniel returned the gesture and then straightened again.
"So, did you have fun at Cassandra's?" he asked, looking up and smiling at the young woman as she came to sit down next to Sam and Jack.
"Hi dad, hi Sam" Cassie smiled, giving both hugs before she sat.
"Hey," Sam replied brightly.
Meanwhile, Janet was nodding vigorously. "Yeah, we had a lot of fun. We watched three Star Wars movies in a row last night!"
Vala raised an eyebrow. "You did?"
"We sure did! You shoulda been there, Uncle Teal'c!"
The jaffa smiled. "Indeed. Which trilogy did you choose?"
"We watched the second one; episodes one, two, and three. Those are my favorites. I think Padme and Anakin are much cooler than Luke, Han and Leia. Not that the older movies aren't cool too…"
Teal'c nodded. "It has been in my experience that the younger generations on this planet prefer the ones that you do, though I myself am partial to the first films."
Janet laughed. "Oh, okay."
"You watched three of those movies in a row? You didn't stay up too late, did you?" Daniel inquired.
"No sir!" Janet assured him. "We started early, and I went to bed at ten like you told me to, I promise. Right, Cassie?"
"Good," Daniel nodded. "Then I'm glad you two had such a good time. You ready to get started? Eat some pizza and cake? What did you have for breakfast?"
Janet grinned. "Doughnuts!"
Vala rolled her eyes. Daniel pinned his on Cassandra again. "You gave her doughnuts for breakfast before a birthday party?" He asked the question seriously, but a shadow of a smile hid just below the surface.
Cassie giggled. "Come on, Daniel, it's her birthday!"
"I'm eight!"
"Actually, not for another…three minutes," Vala
said, looking at her watch. "It's
"You kept up with that?" Jack asked incredulously.
Vala shrugged. "Why not?"
"I know when ours were born," Carolyn beamed.
"Well, I know that they were seven minutes apart…" Cameron said.
Sam grinned. "So basically, when it comes to the exact times, I'm guessing…"
"The men don't bother," Carolyn and Vala sighed together.
"Or ours didn't anyway," Carolyn filled in.
"Hey-!" Daniel protested.
"Ah," Jack said.
"Okay, okay," Janet said impatiently. "Can we start now, daddy?"
"Yes, we can start now, honey. Why don't you go sit with Zach and Tiffany?"
"Okay!" she agreed, and then crossed to the table to climb into a chair in between her two young 'cousins', opposite her parents.
"Food's on the way," Cameron supplied. "Want to open presents first? I would highly suggest that."
"Wait a minute. Wait until I'm eight. How much longer, mommy?" Janet asked.
Vala held her wrist across the table for the girl to look at, and Daniel looked at his own.
"Just a few more seconds," Vala said, and then started counting down from ten. Daniel joined in, and soon everyone at the table, including even Teal'c and the twins, who were giggling, was smiling and counting, as Janet eagerly stared at her mother's watch.
"Three…two…one…"
"Now I'm eight!" Janet whooped suddenly, bringing several laughs and more than few shushes. Once she had calmed down Jack spoke up.
"All right; way to go Jay-girl!" he grinned teasingly.
The girl frowned in annoyance. "Uncle Jaaaack," she whined, just as proficient at it as her father. "You know I don't like that name. Besides, I'm not a little girl anymore. I'm eight."
Daniel laughed. "Janet, Jack still calls your dad 'Danny-boy'. I don't think you're going to deter him from calling you a similar name."
Sam smiled. "He's right; you'd better get used to it."
Janet sighed and sat back. "Oh." But then she sat up again, a smile back on her face, getting over it quickly. "Okay, can I open presents now?"
* * * *
"How much longer do we have?" Jack asked an hour-and-a-half later. Presents had been opened, pizza eaten, cake cut and half of it consumed, and now the adults still sat around the table chatting and eating ice cream while the three children ate theirs and played with Janet's new things on the floor near them.
Daniel looked at his watch. "Well, we have this room 'till two, so about another half hour." Then he looked back up at O'Neill. "But don't change the subject on me, Jack. You can't do any complaining. I haven't died in years," he grinned.
"Well, technically you died once last year," Carolyn supplied. "But we got your heart started again."
Daniel's brow furrowed at the memory. "I thought we decided not to count that one."
"It was really close call, Daniel," Sam said.
Vala wrapped her arms around one of her husband's arms. "We thought we'd lost you there for a minute."
"Ah, well…"
"And you're still just as accident-prone aren't you?" Jack asked mischievously.
"Uhm, well-"
"You can say that again," Cameron said, ignoring Daniel. "Just last month he got bitten by some bug on a basic reconnaissance mission that turned his hand purple for a week!"
"Oh really? I didn't hear about that one," O'Neill said.
"It was really funny!" Janet piped up from the floor.
Vala smiled. "It looked really weird, so he couldn't go anywhere besides the SCG but home. Not that that was a bad thing…"
"Uh, yeah," Daniel said quickly, his face turning red. "It was just…strange, and…well, seriously, Jack. You can't expect us to report everything to you. You're retired."
"Ah yes, and I'm staying that way this time."
"You say that, but in ten years of retirement you've never been able to go more than six months without worming your way onto a mission somehow."
"Daniel Jackson is correct, O'Neill," Teal'c smiled.
Jack shrugged. "What can I say?"
Daniel only smiled and rolled his eyes. There wasn't really anything Jack could say about that. Jack was Jack.
They continued to talk until they were had to get and clean away their things so they could leave. Hugs were exchanged all around, kisses to the birthday girl were given, and then they parted, those that worked at the SGC promising to see each other the next morning.
* * * *
Daniel and Vala Jackson climbed into bed that night tired but happy after a long of the birthday part, taking Janet shopping with he birthday money, and dealing with the girl's overall hyperness. She had still been literally jumping up and down when they'd tucked her into bed and Daniel had smiled, more than glad that his daughter was growing up with both parents to take care of her, unlike he had.
"Well…that was…interesting," Vala sighed.
"That's what you say every year," Daniel laughed. "I take it you didn't do those kinds of things on your planet."
"Well, we had birthdays, of course, but nothing quite like your earth birthday parties." She grinned. "And the presents weren't that great either. My family wasn't that rich."
"And if remember correctly, your step-mother wasn't very nice."
Vala laughed. "That, Daniel, is an understatement."
Daniel smiled, leaned over, and kissed her, and then was about to say something else when something landed on top of them, giggling. Both cried out in surprise.
"Yow!" Daniel yelped, scooting backwards on the bed to get his daughter's knee out of his ribs.
"Janet, be careful," Vala scolded.
"Sorry," the girl answered, pulling up the covers in between her parents and sliding under them. "Can I come in here with you guys tonight? I can't sleep."
Daniel raised an eyebrow. "I thought you were a big girl now?"
"I am, daddy. But since it's my birthday, can I, please?" When her father didn't respond immediately she kept going, babbling on so quickly she could almost rival Daniel. "I mean, I had a day off of school today, and you got off work, but tomorrow's Tuesday, and we both have to go back, and even though your job is cool school's boring, so come on, just this once, please, daddy, please? Come on, mommy…"
Daniel and Vala smiled at each other knowingly. "All right," Daniel said finally.
"Yay!" Janet cried happily, snuggling farther under the covers. Her parents settled back down as well, and all was quiet for a few minutes, until Janet softly spoke up again. "Daddy?"
"Hmm?" Daniel replied sleepily.
"Well…last year when I was seven I found out about the Stargate, and where you really work at the SGC and where mommy and Cassie really came from and everything, and I saw it once, but…when do I get to go through the Stargate with you and mommy? I just wanna go once--somewhere you know is safe or something. Please? When can I?"
"When you're older," Vala answered, her eyes still shut. "Go to sleep, Janet."
Daniel and his daughter muffled giggles behind their hands, and then Daniel lowered his voice to a whisper. "She's right. Maybe when you're a little older?"
"How much older, dad?" Janet whispered back. "Cassie was nine when she went through the first time. She came here. Can I go through when I'm nine?"
"Maybe," Daniel replied. "I don't think I would mind, but we'll see what General Landry says then, okay? But for now, that's a year away."
"I know, I know," Janet said, and then yawned.
"You should go to sleep now, okay?" Daniel said, kissing her forehead.
The girl's eyes were already closed. "Yes, sir…" she mumbled, and seconds later was asleep.
Daniel glanced over her at Vala, who was also asleep. Turning over, he punched his pillow back into the shape he wanted it, and soon drifted off himself.
CHAPTER 3
Dreams. Usually, Daniel enjoyed them. But on nights when they were like this…not so much.
No. Ori? They were gone. They weren't supposed to be here. They'd been destroyed. Where did those ships come from? Oh no, they're orbiting earth-they're shooting! Major cities, gone, Ori warriors deployed to kill the rest. People screaming, running, but no match for Ori weapons, cut down. And he couldn't do anything.
The stargate. As many people as possible being sent through, but the Ori's armies advancing on the mountain. SG-1 covering those fleeing in case of attack. And then the attack. Ori soldiers forcing their way into the complex, shooting, slaughtering…
People running faster up the ramp to escape through the gate, and…Vala, Janet. His daughter jumping onto the ramp, Vala on the other side of it, still shooting at their enemies, keeping them away from their child. Daniel motioning for her to follow Janet up the ramp, through the stargate, get out of here, now! But she won't listen.
More people stampeding up the ramp. General Landry yelling for them to be careful, that more people will be hurt if they're not. But they don't listen either. Janet, being pushed backwards in the flow of people. And the Ori warriors in the gate room now. More people being shot down. Daniel leaping onto the ramp, scooping up his daughter and pushing through toward the open 'gate, Vala finally beside him now, helping to cover Janet.
A scream, and behind him, Vala falling. No! And then Teal'c, Cameron, Sam…all down, all dead. Running up the ramp again, cradling a crying Janet in his arms, but just short of the pool of light, something slamming into his back. Daniel knowing he's a goner as he falls to the metal grating. Janet, screaming for her father. But with his last ounce of strength pushing her through the stargate, saving her…
But then the Ori soldiers are running up the ramp, following the Tau'ri through the 'gate, because no one is left to close the iris. Daniel realizing that getting his daughter through didn't help at all, she'll still be killed…
And then he was closing his eyes as tears slipped down his face…
Daniel's eyes snapped open. He found himself staring at his ceiling, with real tears on his cheeks. Turning his head, he sighed in relief when he saw Vala and Janet beside him, still sleeping peacefully. He wiped the tears from his cheeks and closed his eyes again, but images from the dream bombarded his mind's eye, and he soon realized that he wasn't going to be getting back to sleep anytime soon.
Sighing, he slowly climbed out of bed, careful not to wake either of the girls. Then, slipping a t-shirt on over his pajama pants, he padded out to the kitchen of the small, two bedroom house. It really was rather small. When the new baby arrived, they were either going to have to get a bigger one, or Janet would have to share a room with her brother or sister for a while.
Daniel sank into one of the chairs at the kitchen table and buried his face in his arms on top of it. Where had that dream come from? It had been quite a while since he'd had one quite that disturbing. He sat up and winced when images from the nightmare flashed through his mind again. Tomorrow would not be a good day. He glanced at the clock. Or rather, today would not be a good day.
Sighing, he stood. He needed food. Maybe that would help. He shuffled over to the refrigerator and opened it to find…a lot of stuff, but nothing ready to eat. They'd eaten leftovers the day before, and then for Janet's birthday had been out all day. They'd eaten in the food court at the mall before coming home that night, so nothing else had gotten cooked. All right, the freezer then. Maybe there was something he could stick in the microwave…
Ah ha! Daniel thought triumphantly when he saw what sat still half-full in the freezer--a tub of ice-cream. No, he didn't need food. He needed junk food. He pulled the container out, opened it and peered inside. Good; there was still plenty of chocolate left. When he'd still been single, he'd never bought anything but chocolate ice-cream, but with a family now, he had to buy neopolitan. All three of them liked chocolate, but Janet loved the strawberry too, and Vala sometimes simply wanted vanilla.
Setting the ice-cream on the counter, Daniel pulled open a cabinet with one hand and the drawer below it with another and extracted a bowl and a spoon at the same time. Then, moving back to the ice-cream, he scooped the rest of the chocolate and some of the vanilla into his bowl. Then he shoved the ice-cream back into the freezer and made his way to the living room. He dropped onto the couch and dug in. He thought about seeing what was on TV or watching a DVD as long as he kept the volume down, but soon dismissed it and simply sat and ate.
About halfway through the bowl a sound at the door made him look up, and he saw a pajama pants and t-shirt clad Vala step up to the couch. That was one of the things they'd eventually found out that they had in common--their preferred sleepwear.
"Hey," she said, plopping down beside him.
"I'm sorry; did I wake you up?" Daniel asked.
"No, not really. I just did and saw you weren't there."
"Oh…" he said, putting down the spoon in his hand. As soon as he'd let go of it Vala picked it up and scooped a bite of ice-cream into her mouth. "Hey!" Daniel yelped, holding the bowl away from her when she reached for another. "Mine! Or at least get your own spoon, really…"
Vala pouted. "Oh, come on, Daniel. We're married. It's not like there are any germs we haven't shared already. Beside, I don't recall either of us being sick at the moment."
Daniel rolled his eyes and moved the bowl closer to her again. "Fine, fine. I'll share. But when we run out you have to go get more."
"Deal!" Vala grinned, taking another bite and then handing the spoon back to him so he could have a turn, and he gave her a small smile in return. "Okay, so tell me what's wrong," she said then.
"Wrong?"
"Daniel, you have that look on your face."
"What look?" he asked innocently.
"That look that tells me something's wrong. Now come on, Daniel, what is it?"
"It was nothing, Vala, really…"
She hooked her arms around one of his and hugged it, resting her head on his shoulder. "Oh, don't give me that. You know and I know that something's bothering you."
Daniel sighed, let his head drop back against the back of the couch and stared at the ceiling. "Vala, it was just…a dream."
"What kind of dream?"
Daniel took another couple of bites of ice-cream and gave her the spoon. "I don't know….It was insane. It was…it involved Ori…"
Vala sat up. "Daniel, they've all been gone for five years. They're certainly not a threat anymore-"
"I know," Daniel interrupted. "And believe me, I'm glad. It's been years since I've had such an intense dream like that involving them, and then suddenly it happens again, and…" he shrugged. "I don't know what to make of it."
"Why do you have to make anything of it? It was dream; forget about it." Vala suggested before she put the spoon in her mouth again.
Daniel closed his eyes. "That'll be a little difficult," he said quietly.
"Why?"
Daniel sighed and frowned, his eyes still shut. "We all…died," he admitted finally. Quickly he gave her a run-through of what had happened, and when he stopped Vala set down the ice-cream bowl and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him on the cheek.
"It's all right, Daniel. We're not dead, and we destroyed the Ori, so that will never happen," she reassured him.
"Yeah, I know."
"Come on, why don't you come back to bed? You could use some more sleep. It's two in the morning," Vala said then, standing.
Daniel stood beside her. "I'm still not sure I'll actually be able to sleep, but-"
He was interrupted by the sound of the phone ringing. Frowning, he headed back into the kitchen while Vala picked up the bowl she's set on the floor and followed him. Who would be calling now?
The call didn't last long, and by the time Vala had put the bowl and spoon in the sink and come up behind him Daniel was hanging up, a troubled look on his face.
"Daniel?" she asked in concern. "Who was that? What's going on?"
"That was General Landry…" Daniel said slowly. "He wouldn't tell me exactly what's going on over the phone, but he said he needs us back at the SGC immediately--all of SG-1."
"What?" Vala said incredulously. "What does he need us for at this time of night?"
"That's the problem; I don't know," Daniel answered, his brow furrowing as his nightmare flashed through his mind again. "But I have a bad feeling about this."
CHAPTER 4
"What about Janet?" Vala asked as she and Daniel quietly stepped out of the walk-in closet in their bedroom, both now in fresh clothes.
Daniel looked at the sleeping girl on their bed, and then to
the clock on the bedside table. It read
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Vala asked, following him.
"Do we have a choice? She already knows, Vala. I don't see a problem here."
"Well, how is she going to get to school in the morning?"
Daniel pushed open the door to Janet's room. It was relatively clean, thank goodness. Otherwise what he was looking for would be that much harder to find. As it was, there were only a few random items scattered about, and he easily spotted his objection in the middle of the pink-carpeted floor.
"We'll jump off that bridge when we get to it," he muttered, snatching his daughter's tennis shoes off the floor.
"What?" Vala yelped.
Daniel winced. "Sorry--been hanging around Jack too much again."
"Ah," she said, nodding knowingly and moving to
Janet's dresser to find some clothes for her. Diving in, a moment later she
came back up with a pair of jeans a sweat shirt. "Here we go." With
her heavy coat, she would be warm enough in the
Daniel nodded, reached into another drawer to grab a pair of socks and then started back toward their room carrying them and the shoes, Vala not far behind. Vala was the first back to the bed, however, and sat on the edge of it, leaning over her daughter.
"Janet," she said quietly, shaking the girl. "Come on, sweetheart-time to wake to wake up." After a couple more tries her eyes opened.
Janet yawned, "Mommy…it's still dark," she said sleepily.
"I know, Janet," Daniel said, sitting beside Vala. "But we need to go for a ride. Just help your mom get these clothes on you and then you can go back to sleep, okay?"
The eight-year-old nodded minutely, and sat halfway up even though she wasn't quite awake yet. That was all right because they didn't need her to be.
Daniel stood. "Okay. I'll get the car warmed up and I'll be right back, okay?"
Vala nodded, and once he had left she dressed her daughter. By the time Daniel came back in she had gotten the socks on and was tying the first shoe. Janet had already fallen back to sleep. Daniel sat beside her and gently pushed the other shoe on and tied it, then stood and picked the girl up. She didn't stir again. He smiled and then turned toward the door.
"The car's ready. We can go now," he said quietly.
"All right, uhm…wait; she'll need something to do when she wakes up if she's stuck at the base for a while…oh! Her backpack will work. She'll need it for school and she always keeps extra books in there…"
"How do you know that?" Daniel asked, following her into Janet's room again.
She raised an eyebrow at him, a faint smile tugging at her lips. "Despite what you may think, Daniel, my background hasn't made me a terrible mother. From what she's told me, she goes to the school library at least twice a week, she always keeps the books in her backpack, and I usually try to look at the books she's bringing home."
"Oh…" Daniel trailed sheepishly. "That's right. I knew that." The he frowned. "Have I ever given you the impression I think that? 'Cause I don't, I promise-"
Vala held up her other hand to stop him as she picked up the backpack from the floor next to Janet's desk and swung it over her shoulder, now really smiling. "No, no, Daniel; not at all. It was just a stupid comment, really…"
Daniel shrugged. "Okay, fine. Can we go now? Genera Landry's going to wonder where we are…"
Vala nodded. "Right, right. Let's go."
Daniel turned and walked from the room, stopping in the front hall where the coats were. Gently setting Janet on the bench under the coats next to the wall, he reached up and grabbed hers before sliding it on her. Then he and Vala put their own on, Daniel scooped their daughter up again and they headed for the car. Janet still hadn't stirred again. The girl slept like a rock--the world would have to end before she'd wake up. Daniel wished he could do that.
* * * *
Janet finally moved again in the elevator ride down into the mountain.
"Daddy? Where are we?" a small, still sleep-fogged voice asked, and Daniel looked down at her.
"We're at the SGC, Janet. Something came up and mommy and daddy had to come back to work. It's too late to wake up Cassie, so you had to come with us."
"Oh," Janet yawned, stretching her arms. "Okay." Her arms came down around her father's neck and stayed there as she fell asleep again.
Vala shook her head and smiled. "Sometimes that kid amazes me."
* * * *
Daniel got several strange looks walking down the halls of the SGC with a sleeping eight-year-old child in his arm, but it didn't bother him. After all, he was part of an SG team that often made first contact with new worlds. He was used to being looked at strangely.
He hoped that they'd gotten there before their colleagues, so that before the others arrived he could find somewhere to let Janet sleep, but-
"Hey Daniel."
Daniel looked up as he and Vala walked into the conference room, where Sam, Jack, Cameron, Teal'c and General Landry already sat, waiting.
"Jack, what are you doing here?" Daniel asked of the man who addressed him.
The retired general shrugged. "Hank said I could come
along--besides, sounded urgent and all that." Grinning, O'Neill motioned
toward the girl that
"Ha ha," Daniel stated dryly as Vala snorted. Then he directed his attention toward Landry. "Uhm…general, we kind of had no choice but to bring her along since we both had to come, uh…What can I do with her."
The general stood and moved back toward his office. He was smiling faintly, but all could see in his eyes that whatever he had called them here for was serious, indeed. "It's all right, Doctor Jackson. I can have someone come by the conference room and bring her to one of the VIP rooms and watch her. She can sleep there for now."
Daniel sighed. "Thank you, sir."
Vala had already taken a seat and Daniel sat down beside her, still holding Janet. A moment later General Landry returned to sit down again, and Daniel set his daughter's feet on the floor, holding her up while he tried to wake her.
"Come on, Janet. You need to wake up for another few minutes for me, okay?"
She yawned. "Huh?"
At that moment a young female airman came in and stepped up Janet. "I can take her, sir," she said to Daniel, smiling down at the girl.
Janet looked up at the woman and then back at her parents.
"It's all right, Janet. You can go with her," Vala assured her.
"She'll take you somewhere you can sleep, and we'll come get you when we're done here, okay?" Daniel said, rubbing her back.
Janet nodded sleepily, and when the young woman held out a hand for her she took it, but not before reaching out for a hug from both of her parents. Then she quietly followed the airman out. Daniel and Vala watched her go, and then finally turned back to the table, ready for the briefing.
Daniel rubbed at his eyes, and then sighed heavily in frustration, suddenly realizing that everything was blurry.
"What's wrong?" Vala asked.
"Darn it, I forgot to put my contacts in…" the archaeologist mumbled.
"You keep an extra pair of glasses in your office."
Daniel looked up at her, remembering that she was right. "Oh…I knew that." Though the truth was that he had forgotten. He hadn't worn glasses regularly in seven years.
Smiling at the couple's interaction, jack sat up and cleared his throat. "Okay, general, would you mind telling us why we needed to come here at three in the morning?"
Landry sighed. "Because intelligence seems to have discovered something--and unfortunately it involves a word I'm sure we all hoped we'd never hear again-" Everyone came to full attention at that. "-Ori."
Daniel literally snapped back at that. "What?"
"No!" Vala gasped.
"You're kidding!" Sam yelped.
"Don't tell me we missed some," Cameron groaned.
"Wait--wasn't that weapon supposed to destroy all of them?" Jack frowned.
"Hold your horses, people," Landry said, holding up his hands. "Yes, the weapon was supposed to destroy all of them, and it did--but not all of their followers. We knew that."
"What do mean?" Daniel frowned. The first part his dream flashed through his mind again. "Have they gotten one of the ships going again or something? With the Ori gone they shouldn't work…"
The general shook his head. "We're not sure. All we know is that there is a ship, and it's headed toward earth. It's five times as big as any Ori ship we've encountered before, and it's come all the way from the Ori galaxy."
"Right," Sam said, nodding. "All the super-gates were destroyed."
"So that's why it's taken this long to get here?" Mitchell questioned.
"That's what it looks like," Landry nodded.
Jack looked confused. "But I thought that once the Ori were destroyed, all the technology powered by them wouldn't work anymore."
Sam shook her head. "I don't know, Jack. They must have found a way to harness it for use even if they were gone."
"A final blow," Daniel said quietly, realization dawning, along with growing horror.
"What?" Vala asked.
"They knew we'd found Merlin's weapon. They knew they were doomed, so they pulled together everything they could to throw at us before they were wiped out. That all came together as this ship, whoever and whatever's on it and what's powering it." Everyone else seemed stunned.
Finally Cameron broke the silence with a simple, yet accurate, statement. "Crap."
CHAPTER 5
"O…kay," Jack said slowly. "So what do we do about it?"
"We stop it," Daniel answered immediately. "We have to. We can't let it get anywhere near Earth. We have to destroy it somehow."
"Yeah, how?" Mitchell questioned.
Sam spoke up again as well. "And how close is it? How much time do we have?"
General Landry sighed. "The ship remained invisible to our sensors until it was well inside our galaxy. It will only take a couple of days to get to on the Odyssey, which you'll have to depart on first thing in the morning to reach it in time to do something about it before it reaches Earth. You have three days total until it is that close."
"That little time?" Vala said in dismay. "How are we supposed to stop it? We don't even have time to come up with a good plan."
"Bring plenty of bombs," O'Neill smiled.
"Jack, it's not that simple and you know it," Daniel said.
"He's right," Sam agreed. "We have no idea exactly what we're up against. We'll need anti-Prior devices, we'll have to make sure the program we installed on the Odyssey that allowed us to beam nukes onto Ori ships still works. (I sure hope it does 'cause it took us two years to figure out how to get through their shields.) And we have no idea how many foot soldiers that ship is holding..."
Landry held up a hand. "Yes, Colonel Carter, we get the idea. And unfortunately besides hauling everything we've got out there along with our best team-you five-we have no other plan. Constructing one will be your job on the trip."
Vala raised a finger in question. "Uhm, general?"
Landry stopped and looked at her, raising an eyebrow. "Yes, Vala?"
"I know this might not be such a good question to ask right now, but…uh…is this a 'use everything we've got and the ship should blow up pretty easily' type of plan, or a 'throw everything we've got and hope it works even though there's not much chance of it because we have to try or the Earth is going to be destroyed and if we fail it will be and we all die' type of thing?"
Daniel groaned. "Vala…" But everyone else was
looking at General Landry, whose eyes had lowered to the table. Suddenly
Landry looked up at them again, and suddenly the temperature in the room dropped; the tension could have been cut with a knife. "Before I was interrupted, I was getting to the answer to that question--because it's a very good one: That ship is showing power readings that are off the scale. It's more heavily protected and armed than anything we've ever encountered before. And Colonel Carter is right, that we don't know what we're up against."
"Hank…" Jack said slowly. "Are you trying to tell us that we're not sure if we can stop this thing?"
"As much as I hate it, that's exactly what I'm saying, Jack."
O'Neill winced. "Ouch."
"Whoa, wait," Cameron cut it. "You're telling us there really is a big chance we might not be able to do this--we might not come back and the earth could be destroyed anyway?"
Sam gulped. "Yeah, I think that's what he's saying,
"But we can do this," Daniel said adamantly. "We've beaten impossible odds more than once before, haven't we? And these odds aren't even impossible!"
"Calm down,
Daniel slumped in his chair. "I'm sorry, guys. I guess the mention of Ori again just kind of freaked me out…I mean, of course we all believe we can do this…"
"Bad dreams," Vala stated simply, gently rubbing his back.
"Ah," the rest of the table answered collectively. They all knew. They'd all had there share of nightmares in that department.
The room fell into silence for several moments, until finally O'Neill broke it.
"So, general, is there anything else we should know?"
Landry shook his head. "Only that the Odyssey leaves at 0900, and that this mission is not an order; I know the risks involved."
There were solemn nods around the table as the team looked at each other, silently coming to a decision. Jack stood.
"Then I guess we're all going."
Landry nodded and smiled, standing as well. "I thought you might. Good luck, SG-1."
* * * *
Daniel found himself lost in thought as he and Vala walked from his office, where they had gone after the briefing so he could retrieve his glasses. He was thinking so intensely that he barely noticed how uncomfortable the glasses felt on his face after not wearing them for so long. It took Vala shaking the arm she held onto and calling his name for the archaeologist to snap out of it.
"Daniel, what is it?" she questioned.
"Uh-oh."
He glared at her briefly. "Stop it. I'm serious."
"All right, all right. What's on your mind?"
Daniel stopped walking, which forced her to stop walking and face him. He hesitated another moment or so before answering. "I think maybe you should stay here," he admitted.
"What? Why? We're going to need all the help we can get out there. Beside, Daniel, I worked to hard to become an official member of SG-1 to let the rest of you go without me."
"Vala, you heard the General Landry. You know the facts. You know what the chances of all of us making it back safely are--bottom line, they're not good."
"I know that, but the more of us go, the better the chance we'll get back all right."
"Sure, better chance, but I don't even want to take the chance of both of us being killed. I told you what happened to my parents, and you know how I feel about leaving Janet alone like that."
Vala sighed. "Yes, Daniel, but I'm not letting you go on this mission by yourself."
"I won't be alone; I'll be with the others-"
"That's beside the point. You know what I'm talking about."
"Vala…"
"I'm not going to do it, Daniel. Please…don't make me stay. I want to help. I can't explain it, Daniel…but something tells me that I need to go."
Daniel looked at her for a moment. "You're not messing with me, are you?"
She shook her head firmly. "No, Daniel, I'm not. I'm serious too. I don't know what it is, but I just have a feeling…"
The couple looked at each other for another few seconds, until finally Daniel sighed. "All right; we both go."
"Thank you," Vala smiled, pecking him on the cheek. "So, how much of this are we going to tell Janet before we leave?"
"I'm not sure," Daniel frowned. "General Landry said that was up to us…but I just don't know." He sighed. "But anyway, we can't wake her up now. It's only four, and the general also said that we should all try to get whatever sleep we could before we left--we'll need it."
Vala nodded. "Right." Then her face lit up. "Race you to the nearest VIP room!"
"As long as it happens to be the same one Janet's in."
"I know that!" Vala called, already several feet ahead of him. Daniel smiled and followed her, his worries forgotten for the moment.
* * * *
"Daddy, it's time to wake up!" an excited young voice yelled above him. Daniel groaned and rolled away from it.
"What time is it?" his muffled voice filtered out from under his pillow.
"It's 0700! Come on, dad, I have to get ready for school, and you and mommy have work to do, right? How am I gonna get to school from here?" Janet asked, bouncing up and down on the bed in one of the spare VIP rooms of the SGC.
Vala was actually the first to sit up this morning. "Well, isn't this wonderful. We have an eight-year old daughter who knows military time, has a mother who's from another planet and at this very moment is trying to wake a father who's died more times in his career than a cat--just your typical American family, eh, Daniel?"
"Don't start," Daniel said, finally pulling the pillow off his face and sitting up. Rubbing his eyes, he reached for the glasses that sat on the bedside table and slipped them on a moment later. He glanced down at his buttoned shirt that had come halfway unbuttoned, and the collar of which was sticking out like a sore thumb and refused to be smoothed. The scientist sighed. "Now I remember why sleeping fully dressed is not recommended."
"Oh come on, Daniel, you've done enough of it on the desk or couch in your office after pulling all-nighters."
Daniel rolled his eyes. "Whatever. It was just a joke." He reached up to smooth down his mussed hair, but Janet was already doing it for him.
"There you go, dad," the girl said, smiling as she sat back down when she was through.
"Thank you," Daniel smiled, pulling her into a hug and kissing her cheek. Janet hugged him in return and gave him a kiss as well.
"You're welcome. So…what are we doing here? Why did we have to come to the SGC?"
Vala frowned and Daniel stiffened, suddenly remembering the reason.
"Daddy, mom?" their daughter asked, confused with their behavior.
Finally Daniel sighed. "Janet, there was an…emergency, and your mom and I have to go on a mission in a couple of hours."
"Oh. Okay. You'll have time to take me to school before you go?"
Both shook their heads. Vala answered. "Someone else will bring you this morning, and bring you back here after school. Cassie's going to keep you while we're gone, and you'll have to hang out here with her in the afternoons. All right?"
"I know mommy; I always stay with Cassie. What's different? Why did we have to come here in the middle of the night?"
"Well, it's a…big mission…" Daniel started.
"Big is cool."
"Not really--not this time, anyway."
"Why not?"
"Uhm…Janet, there's just a lot of trouble somewhere, and…ah…we have to go try and get rid of it."
The girl's eyebrows went up. "Oh! You mean it's really dangerous or something?"
"You could say that."
That was when Janet reached out and hugged both of her parents together. "It's okay," she said confidently. "You'll be okay. I'll be fine until you get back, because you always come back because you're the coolest parents in the world, right?"
Daniel tried to answer, but suddenly found that he couldn't speak past the lump that formed in his throat. So Vala answered first.
"Of course," she smiled, ruffling her daughter's hair. But when she looked Daniel, he could see what hid behind the smile--the uncertainty.
Daniel swallowed hard. "We'll do our best, Janet," he said quietly, kissing her again.
Janet pulled back, sat down and smiled. "I know you will."
But what both of her parents were wondering was…would it be enough?
* * * *
"Bye mom, bye dad!" Janet called later that morning after hugging and kissing her parents again, turning to go with the airman that was to take her to school. Daniel and Vala, now changed and clad in black BDUs for the mission, watched her follow the young woman down the corridor toward the elevator, smiling and waving goodbye.
Vala clung to her husband a moment later as the elevator doors slid shut on their daughter's smiling face.
"Daniel, tell me it'll be all right. Tell me she'll be safe, that we'll see her again…" she pleaded.
Daniel held onto her, hoping with all his heart that they would. "We will," he said, with more confidence than he felt. He just didn't know. This whole Ori ship situation just felt wrong. "It'll be okay." I hope.
CHAPTER 6
Cameron Mitchell looked up first when Daniel and Vala walked into the 'gate room, where the rest of their team was already gathered.
"And, here come the
"We're not late, are we?" Daniel asked.
"No, but you're not early, either," O'Neill offered.
"Thanks for the update, Jack."
"No problem."
Daniel looked to Mitchell again. "Did you catch Carolyn?"
Cameron shrugged. "Yeah, she came in about half an hour ago. She knows what's going on, but the kids are at school and as far as they're concerned it's life as usual."
"Well, that makes sense; they're only five," Vala commented.
Daniel winced. "Yeah. Janet's eight, but I'm still not so sure that we should have said anything to her. I mean, we didn't say much, nothing specific, but I don't want her to worry or anything…"
"Don't worry about her, Daniel. She's a happy kid; she'll be fine," Sam assured him.
"Unless the planet gets blown to bits,"
"That is true, Daniel Jackson," Teal'c admitted. "But we do not plan to allow that to happen."
Vala hooked an arm around her husband's neck and kissed his cheek. "Yeah, Daniel, cheer up," she encouraged, attempting to bury her own reservations as well. Then she looked at Cameron.
"Let me guess; Carolyn's not happy about being left behind, is she?"
"Can you believe Daniel tried to convince me to stay behind?"
"Hey-" Daniel began.
"I can," Sam interrupted. "Jack tried to do the same to me."
Jack protested. "But I was just-"
"I know what you and Daniel were thinking, Jack. It's sweet, really, but we'll be fine--all of us. We're going to do this."
Vala grinned. "It's time to kick some Ori butt!"
"You can say that again," came a familiar voice, and all turned to see General Landry approaching. "I'm here to send you on your way, SG-1. The Odyssey is prepared to beam you aboard. Ready/"
The six friends looked at each other for a moment.
"As we'll ever be," Daniel sighed finally.
Landry nodded. "I know what you mean. Just do what you do best--all of you."
Jack smirked. "You mean screw up?"
Hank skewered him with a playful glare. "No, I mean save the day. I hope you still know how to do that, Jack."
"Of course, general. I knew that," O'Neill amended, as his colleagues cracked up. Of course he'd known it, but under such pressure as they all were right now he hadn't been able to resist the urge to be snarky."
Landry rolled his eyes and turned to the control room. "All right, Walter, tell Odyssey they're ready."
"Yes sir," Walter Harriman replied from the other side of the window one story above them. The 'gate technician pulled on a pair of headphones and spoke into the mic, relaying the message to the ship in orbit. A moment later he pulled it off again and looked down at them. "Good luck," he wished SG-1.
The team nodded to their friend in the control room, and then returned their attention to Landry, who was backing away so as not to confuse the beaming signals.
"We won't let you down, sir," Mitchell assured him. "At least not on purpose."
"I don't doubt it," the general smiled.
Then came the bright flash of light that carried SG-1 away.
* * * *
Later that day, Jack and Daniel sat together with their lunch in the commissary of the Odyssey as it sped toward the Ori ship. Both wished they could be doing something more at the moment, but planning for the encounter with the enemy would be useless until the next day, when they were much closer and could get more detailed readings of the ship.
Neither was saying much, but simply staring out the window beside them. Outside it the bluish-purple vortex of hyper-space rushed by them, creating a calm the two almost felt guilty for, in their current situation--Earth's current situation.
"Who'd have thought?" O'Neill huffed quietly.
"What?" Daniel asked, his head coming around to look at his friend.
The retired general shrugged. "Oh, I don't know--just everything now. Fifteen years ago, who would've thought that we would ever be anything but what we were? We were happy that way, as SG-1--you, me, Sam, and Teal'c. But then Fraiser was killed, and then I got promoted and took General Hammond's job when he moved on, and…"
"-Everything just changed drastically from there," Daniel finished for him, sighing. But then one corner of his mouth came up. "And now we're all married off and most of us have kids."
Jack smiled. "Yeah, that was fun. I'd do it again, but Sam and I are a little old now--especially me," he grinned. "Besides, we've got Cassie, and that's enough for us. Janet Fraiser will always be 'mom' to her, and Samantha is okay with that, but she still calls me 'dad'!"
"And that's nice," Daniel agreed.
The Jack eyed him, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Oh yes, and speaking of being older…Don't you think you and Vala are pushing the envelope a bit?"
Daniel rolled his eyes. "Jack, she's several years younger than me, and you know it; she'll be fine. Besides, it's not like we plan to keep going after this one. This is it. Two. Is all we need. Janet will have a sibling, and she'll be happy."
O'Neill shrugged. "Sounds good to me. When will you know if it's a boy or a girl?"
Daniel thought for a moment and came up empty. "Uh…I don't remember at the moment. You'd have to ask Vala that one."
"Ah. So…what took you so long for the second one?"
Daniel frowned, as if it was a touchy subject.
"Oh, well, if you don't want to tell me…"
"It was her?"
Daniel nodded. "Yeah. She didn't seem to want another child until recently. I don't know why; she would always avoid the subject."
O'Neill sat back. "Huh. Weird. Well, it doesn't matter now, does it?"
Daniel smiled and looked out the window again. "Not really…" he trailed off, staring for a moment at the warped space outside and trying not to think about where it was bringing them. Jack stared with him, similarly immersed in thought, but a another minute or two and Daniel was looking around again, confusion on his face.
"Where is Vala, anyway?" he asked. "I know everyone has eaten and left, but did she ever come in in the first place?"
A pause for thought, and then O'Neill replied. "Now that I think about it, I don't think she ever did."
Daniel sighed and stood. "I guess I should find her then."
Jack stood with him. "Okay, I'll find the rest of them, then. Maybe we can start on…something."
"Yeah…something," Daniel said noncommittally, before heading off to search for his wife.
* *
Daniel found Vala in the ship's empty briefing room, sitting on the ledge of one of the large windows with her back to him, staring out it as he had been doing in the commissary not long ago.
It wasn't in this room, but it's similar counterpart on the Prometheus, that he had first heard any of Vala's story. She had told him of her past as a Goa'uld host then as she ate a huge meal, while he had sat stiffly at the other end of the table, not really listening and keeping a zat gun carefully trained on the woman who had hijacked the ship he'd been traveling to Atlantis on.
As Daniel got closer he could see the troubled look on his wife's face, and when he reached her he slipped an arm around her shoulders. She swiped at her eyes before looking at him, brushing away a few tears she obviously hoped he hadn't noticed.
"Hey. What's wrong? What's on your mind?" he asked in concern.
Her eyes lowered. "Adria," she said quietly.
Daniel sighed. "Vala, you know that wasn't you're fault…"
"Of course it was. We knew everything would be turned upside-down when we destroyed the Ori, but we did it anyway. And with them gone the subjects on the planet she was on at the time turned on her and and...and killed her, and…"
"You couldn't have known that would happen."
"But I should have said something! Convinced General Landry that we should have captured her first, made sure she was safe…"
"There was no way we could have done that. She was guarded too closely. If we'd been able to capture her, we would have done it before then."
"But she was my daughter, Daniel! I should have done more to protect her, or something…" She trailed off, a few more tears escaping.
Daniel gulped and pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly. "It's okay," he said quietly. She cried for a few moments, and when she had stopped she spoke from where she was, without pushing away from him.
"You've probably been wondering why I hadn't wanted another child until now…That's why, Daniel. Because I was already afraid I'd screw up. Janet just kind of…happened, and then I was afraid I wouldn't make a good mother because I was never able to convince Adria to get away from the Ori. It only got worse after she died. It wasn't until recently I was able to put some of it behind me, but…then this came up, and…"
Daniel sighed. One mystery solved. He pulled her back a few inches so he could look at her. "I'm sorry. I didn't know…"
She sighed too. "No, it's all right." She pulled away and sat on the ledge again, turning back to the window. Daniel watched it with her for a moment before speaking again.
"We never found Tomin either, did we?"
She shook her head. "No. He disappeared. I don't know what happened to him," she gulped.
Daniel stood behind her and put his arms around her, and both continued to watch the mesmerizing vortex of colors that sped by the ship--or rather, that the ship sped through.
Vala was the one to break the silence next. "We can do this, Daniel, can't we?" she asked quietly, of the task at hand.
Daniel held her tighter, knowing what it would mean if they couldn't. "We don't have a choice. We have to."
CHAPTER 7
"Oh dear," Vala stated simply, as she looked out the main viewport on the Odyssey's bridge the next day.
"Ya think?" Daniel shuddered from where he stood beside her. The Ori ship all of them were looking at was unbelievably huge. Ten times bigger, indeed. It looked more like twenty or thirty times from where he was standing. From the angle their ship was facing the enemy craft, they couldn't even see the other end of it.
Off to one side of them, Samantha O'Neill mirrored
"You can say that again," Mitchell agreed.
"Oh boy," Jack sighed.
Teal'c raised an eyebrow. "Indeed."
The journey was over. Now, before them, was the Ori ship, which the Odyssey raced alongside as both ships sped back toward earth. Their goal was to stop the larger ship from reaching it. And they only had eighteen hours left.
Sam stepped over to one of the forward consoles. "How many life signs are we getting?" she asked of the airman who was manning the station.
The young man studied the board for a moment and then looked up at her in confusion. "Only one, colonel."
"One?" Jack asked.
"How the heck can one man run that gigantic thing?" Mitchell questioned.
Sam leaned over the airman's shoulder, looking closer at the screen and pointing to something on it while the rest of her team gathered behind her. "I don't know, but this reading is stronger than a normal human life sign."
"A prior," Daniel stated in realization.
"Or something," Sam nodded. "It's definitely not simply one of their warriors. It's some kind of advanced human, if not exactly a prior."
"Well great, if there's only one of them, this should be simple, right?" Jack said.
"Not necessarily, Jack. This isn't just a man or woman. It's a prior, remember?" Daniel corrected.
"But what about that prior neutralizer thingy that stops their powers? Didn't you even manage to make those devices smaller?"
Sam shook her head. "Those are never guaranteed to work. We may have been able to make the technology hand-held and convenient, but that doesn't mean it's always effective. There are a number of variables that can affect their usefulness."
Vala raised a hand. "Uh, we're still going to bring the un-reliable technology with us, aren't we?"
"Of course we are," Mitchell assured her. "Sam's just trying to say that, yes, this could end up being easy, but we have to be prepared for the alternative."
"And we must still stop the ship once we have eliminated the prior," Teal'c pointed out.
"How?" Vala asked. "We've always had problems getting rid of Ori ships. This one is a lot bigger."
"We blow it up," O'Neill said immediately. "And probably from the inside, to be sure."
Daniel winced. "Uh, yeah…"
Sam nodded. "He's right. That's probably what we'll have to do. We know from experience that we can't control Ori ships. They don't respond to 'non-believers'."
"That must have been annoying," Jack said thoughtfully. "It was always fun stealing Goa'uld ships."
Sam grimaced. "Except when they were sinking under water, of course."
Teal'c nodded at her. "Indeed. That was not a pleasant experience--most notably when we almost lost you."
Daniel cocked his head. "Missed that one."
"You were still glowy at the time," Jack reminded him.
"Ah."
Mitchell clapped his hands. "Okay, people. Playful banter time is over. We've got a planet to save--possibly an entire galaxy."
Vala's eyebrows rose. "No pressure…"
Daniel sighed. "We wish."
All six fell silent, and the only sounds were the thrum of the ship's hyper space engines, and the occasional clicks and beeps of the consoles around the bridge. The few other officers manning their stations remained quiet as well, respecting the team as they thought. They all knew what came next. They had to go over there. They didn't know what, exactly, they would find, or if they would be able to do what they had come to do, but all were resolved to try their hardest.
Jack O'Neill glanced around at the team that had once been his. Now it had gained two members, and one of them was its new leader. He looked at Mitchell, raising an eyebrow. Cameron nodded to him, silently relinquishing control to the retired general. The rest of them saw this, and turned their attention to O'Neill.
Jack shrugged. "Well, let's gear up."
Attempting to lighten the mood again, Sam threw off a mock salute. "Yes sir."
"Don't get smart, Carter," he snapped back immediately, smiling.
Sam grinned. He hadn't called her that in a while. The exchange brought a smile to the rest of them as well.
The Odyssey's commander stood from his chair to face them. "Good luck, SG-1. We'll be right here if you need us."
"Thank you, sir. That's good to know. Though hopefully this won't be as hard as we initially thought it might be," Mitchell said.
The commander nodded. "We all hope so." Then he smiled. "Do your thing."
Mitchell nodded and smiled along with the rest of the team, and then they all followed O'Neill from the bridge to prepare for transport.
* *
The Asgard beams on the Odyssey could beam from anywhere on the ship, or too anywhere on the ship, but it had finally been considered pertinent to designate one small room on the ship as a transporter room. This was where SG-1 gathered about twenty minutes later, geared up and armed and not quite ready to go. But they knew they had to.
Vala sighed as she checked her weapon. "Well, here goes nothing."
As they positioned themselves back to back, weapons drawn, Daniel made sure he was next to her, edged up a bit in front of her, as well. He was not going to take the chance of any aspect of his nightmare coming true.
"Well then, everybody ready?" O'Neill asked.
A simultaneous "no" rang through the transporter room.
Jack shrugged. "Me either. Now let's do this thing. Crank it up, airman!"
And the white flash of the beams took them again.
* *
The interior of the Ori ship was just as they remembered. Vala was the first to speak after they had secured the room they had beamed into, and all spoke quietly.
"Okay…now what?"
"Now we find that prior, or whatever it is," Jack answered.
"Great idea--how?"
"We beamed in not too far from him or her," Sam offered. "Should be…three rooms down. Unless they've moved in the last minute or so. I checked again just before we left."
Daniel glanced out into the corridor again. "There's no one out here," he said, stepping through the door. Mitchell followed him.
"He's right; corridor is still clear."
Daniel 'looked' at him. "As if I wouldn't be right about what I saw myself?"
Cameron shrugged. "Never hurts to double-check."
* *
"Whoa!" Vala yelped quietly, jerking back into the corridor from the room she'd been leaning into to check.
"What?" Daniel asked quickly in concern from beside her.
"He moved."
"What dya mean, 'he moved'?" O'Neill questioned.
"I mean he's not another room or so down, he's in this one!" she whispered.
"So it is a he?" Mitchell asked.
"Yes, but that's not important. It is a prior all right, and since we know this isn't where the bridge is, he must be in some sort of secondary control or monitoring room. There are screens and control panels all over half the walls. But that's not the problem."
"What's the problem?" Daniel said worriedly, not liking the look on her face now.
Vala gulped. "Well, obviously I wasn't going to stay around there long enough to be sure, but I think he saw me."
Jack winced. "Great. Well, let's be positive, shall we? And hope we still have the element of surprise on our hands. I have a feeling we're going to need it…"
* *
On the other side of the room from the door outside of which the whispering SG-1 was hiding, the prior had turned. His eyes narrowed; he was certain he had seen something, knew it had looked like a person ducking from the doorway. He also knew that it couldn't possibly be the person he thought it looked like.
However brief his glimpse of the disappearing figure in the corridor, what he had seen of it had burned in his mind, and he couldn't deny that it was familiar. But, no, there was no possible way…or was there? The ship was nearing earth, its destination…
The prior reached with his mind, probing for the consciousness that couldn't be there, on the other side of the wall…
And found it.
He could almost see her now, standing there. With his mind, with the powers of the Ori he took hold of her, and drew her to him, the long-since-spoken but never forgotten name rising in his thoughts.
Vala.
* *
Jack trailed of when Vala gasped and stiffened, her weapon falling from her hands and clattering to the floor.
Daniel sucked in a breath as the rest of the team winced, hoping the prior in the next room hadn't heard it, that they wouldn't be found.
"Vala?" he asked quietly, his brow furrowing. Her eyes shifted toward him as he grabbed her shoulders, repeating himself, his voice filling with worry. "Vala, what's wrong?"
"Daniel, I can't m-move."
He tried to move one of her arms, but it wouldn't budge. And now he was considerably more worried.
"What the heck is going on here!" Jack whispered fiercely.
Their question was answered when Vala moved--but not on her own. She cried out in surprise when an unseen forced suddenly began pulling her backwards into the room. "Help!"
"Vala!" Daniel yelped. He grabbed her arms in an effort to stop her, but even when the others joined in the effort proved futile, and she was pulled away from them.
Vala gasped when the force holding her released, and she found herself standing several feet inside the room. Another several feet away, on the other side of it, stood the prior, his intent gaze boring into her, and she felt her eyebrows rise nearly to her hairline. At first she stood frozen, staring in shock at the man in front of her until she could form words again.
Outside the doorway SG-1 stood rigid, not going into the room after her yet but listening hard for clues of what was happening. For several moments they heard nothing, but finally they heard a single stunned word from Vala--a name they all recognized.
"Tomin."
CHAPTER 8
The prior frowned. "Vala. What are you doing here?"
Vala gulped nervously. "I could ask the same of you."
"I am here to serve our gods."
"Your gods, Tomin; your false gods, not mine. And they're gone now. The Ori have been destroyed."
He scowled. "You're lying. That’s impossible. The Ori cannot be destroyed. You're only here to destroy me."
She shook her head minutely. "No. Not you…but you know we have no choice but to stop this ship from reaching our planet…"
Out in the corridor, SG-1 continued to listen as Daniel reached out to Sam, asking for the hand-held prior device, praying it would work.
Back inside, Tomin interrupted her. "So there are others with you."
Vala blinked. "Well, uh, by we I only meant those of us on earth in general-"
"Stop lying to me, Vala. We were married once. You can't be alone; they wouldn't send you by yourself. The Ori sent me alone because they trust me. I am in favor with the gods, but the Tau'ri do not send their own out alone. Where are they?"
"Nowhere-"
But that was when the rest of her teams burst around the corner, zat guns aimed at the prior and Daniel punching the controls on the device in his hand. But it wasn't working, and almost immediately everything was pulled from their hands. Wide-eyed, Vala looked back and forth between Tomin and her friends, who now stood dumbstruck and helpless along with her.
That was when Tomin's eyes narrowed and zeroed in on Daniel. "You," he grated through clenched teeth.
Daniel's eyebrows went up and he took a step back, but suddenly invisible hands had closed around his throat, and the same invisible force had lifted him from the ground. He failed uselessly, grabbing at his throat. His air supply wasn't cut off, but it was getting harder to breath.
"Daniel!" Sam yelped.
"Tomin, what are you doing?" Vala asked nervously.
"You were lying, Vala. These others were with you, and he-" he nodded to the man whose feet now dangles inches from the floor, "He stole you from me. I was happy, Vala. I had a wife that I loved; she was even the mother of the Orici. Maybe you didn't believe in the Ori then, but I thought I could save you. He took that chance from me! He's going to pay for that…"
Daniel let out a cut off gasp as the grip around his throat tightened, taking more of his air.
"Tomin, you don't have to do this! He didn't steal me away! From both of our points of view he was rescuing me from that Ori ship! I was somewhere I didn't want to be. I wanted to be with my own friends, my own people. He saved me. He didn't do anything wrong."
His intense gaze rested on her again. "Did you ever even love me?"
Vala gulped and glanced at Daniel, who was fighting to stay calm even as he struggled for air and choking noised came from his throat. She saw his eyes flicker in her direction, catch her gaze.
"Yes," she said finally. "I did love you, but I didn't want to be stranded among the followers of Origin forever. I still care about you, Tomin, but please, leave him alone."
"You know, she's right," Cameron said, holding out a hand, palm out. "How about we all just talk through this."
"Preferably without one of us being strung up while we do," Jack added. "Now just put the nice archaeologist down…"
"Why should I? He never asked me how I felt. He only cared that he wanted you back. He didn't care about what it would do to me," he said vehemently, lashing out with his mind in anger. That something pushed fiercely on one of Daniel's ribs, and he let out a strangled cry of pain when it snapped, his eyes squeezing shut.
"Tomin, don't! Stop hurting him!" Vala yelped urgently, worried eyes going back and forth between her husband and the prior.
But he wasn't listening to her, and his telekinetic grip on
Daniel's neck tightened even more, cutting of his air completely.
"Daniel!" Jack cried.
"Stop it!" Vala shouted, tears in her eyes now. "Tomin, stop! Please! Don't kill him!"
So this is it. This is how it's going to end, Daniel thought in despair as his vision darkened. Janet, Vala…I'm sorry. I love you…
Vala watched in horror as Daniel's eyes rolled up and then closed, his body going limp.
"NO! Tomin, please. If you ever loved me, let him go! Do it for me! Please!"
And when Tomin saw the tears slipping down her cheeks and realized how much he still loved her, didn't want to hurt her…he had no choice.
His head lowered and he released the grip his mind had on Daniel Jackson, letting him fall limply to the floor. Vala swallowed hard and knelt beside him as the others gathered around.
"Daniel…?" she asked worriedly, stroking his hair back. "Daniel, can you hear me? Daniel, wake up…please…" A sudden panic gripped her chest when she realized that she couldn't see his chest moving. "Sam-!" she said, quickly looking up at the other woman.
"What's wrong?" Jack asked, worry bringing his voice up a notch.
Sam knelt on the other side of him and reached out a hand to Daniel's neck. When she found nothing there she went immediately into action. "There's no pulse, and he's not breathing," she said urgently, unzipping his vest and jacket halfway and beginning to attempt to revive him. She pushed on his chest, Vala breathed in his mouth.
Jack, Cameron, and Teal'c shifted on their feet nervously, waiting, hoping.
Finally, after what had seemed too long, Daniel gasped in a small breath.
"Daniel?" Sam called, stopping.
His eyes opened briefly, caught Vala's hopeful gaze…"Daniel?"
But then his eyes rolled back again and he shuddered and went limp once more.
"Daniel don't!" Jack cried, dropping to his knees beside his wife and helping her as they tried to bring him back again. But several minutes later, nothing had happened. It was useless.
"Sam-" Vala choked out, almost begging.
The colonel shook her head. "H-he's gone, Vala…I'm sorry," she said quietly.
"No…no, he can't be," she said in disbelief, shaking her head in denial, more tears finding their way from her eyes. She gathered Daniel up in her arms, resting his head on her shoulder and stroking his hair again, pleading.
"Darn it, Daniel…" Jack gulped, tears stinging the retired general's eyes. "Come on, Danny, come back…or do the glowy thing…something…"
Teal'c lowered his head. "Crap," Cameron muttered.
Vala looked up at Tomin, her face streaked with tears. "Please…if you can do something, please…"
For a moment he only looked at her silently, holding her gaze, until finally he sighed and held his staff away from his body, toward the small group huddled on the floor. The blue orb on the tip began to glow, the powers of the Ori coursing through it from him. So he would bring him back, re-start his heart and get him breathing. But he left the bruises and the broken rib untouched. At least he could still have something of his revenge. Besides, unfortunately in Vala's case they would all have to die soon enough. He could let her have him a little longer.
The rest of SG-1 watched Daniel, and sighed collectively in relief when their archaeologist pulled in an unsteady breath. Sam reached to feel for his pulse again as Tomin set his staff down, finished.
"He's back," Sam smiled.
A moment later Daniel coughed and grimaced in pain. Vala wasn't at ease until his eyes opened and focused blearily on her. He saw her tear-stained cheeks and his friends' worried faces, and easily put two and two together.
He blinked. "I was dead again, wasn't I?" he asked hoarsely.
Vala nodded as she leaned down to kiss his forehead. "But you're all right now. It's okay," she said, more to convince herself than him.
Daniel winced and reached up to his throat, and his other arm went around his chest. "Oww."
Vala stroked his arm with one hand and wiped her tears with the other. Finally she looked at Tomin again. "Thank you," she said quietly.
Thank you? Daniel wondered. He killed me. But then again he must have been the one to bring me back. Why though? But when looked at the prior, the man, and saw the expression in his eyes as he looked at Vala, he didn't have to wonder anymore. It was as plain as the nose on his face.
After a moment Tomin only sorted and turned away. "It doesn't matter. You will all be dead by the time we reach your planet."
Jack frowned and looked up at him. "And just what is that supposed to mean?"
He didn't look at them. "The Ori have placed a weapon on this ship. When it impacts your planet and interacts with its core, it will start a chain reaction that will immediately incinerate your planet and destroy everything else in your galaxy."
"How is that possible?" Teal'c rumbled, his eyes narrowing.
"The Ori can do whatever they wish," the prior said, turning to face him.
"Then why did they see fit to sacrifice one of their own to carry this out if they could have done it otherwise?"
"It is an honor to serve the Ori as closely as I do!"
"Tomin…you were supposed to sacrifice yourself?" Vala asked quietly.
He looked at her for a moment and then looked away, unable to answer her. He went to the door and stopped, his back still to them. "If you wish to remain alive until then to make futile efforts to save yourselves and your planet as I understand the Tau'ri are prone to do then I will not kill any of you now, but understand that no-one in this galaxy will survive."
And then he left. Force-fields snapped into place in all the doorways after him.
Mitchell sprinted over to the door and pounded on the force-field, calling after the prior, but he got no response, and the force-field would not give way.
"Darn it!" he hissed, kicking at the shimmering blue barrier and then hoping back over to the rest of his team on the other foot, wincing.
"That went well," Daniel croaked. That, however, led to a coughing fit. Vala held onto him tighter as he coughed, and through the pain in his throat and chest he felt Sam and Jack's hands on his shoulder as well. When he stopped coughing he moaned, his eyes closing again.
"Daniel? Are you all right?" Vala asked.
Weakly he cleared his throat and tried speaking again. "Not really."
"You can say that again," Jack grumbled. "Not only do we have the fate of Earth on ours hands--now we've got the fate of our entire galaxy sitting on our shoulder. We did not plan this."
Daniel's eyes opened and he rolled them. "Yeah…you can say that again."
CHAPTER 9
Slowly Daniel sat up, but Vala kept her hand at his back. She didn't remove it until she was sure he was stable, supporting himself with once hand braced against the floor. He glanced back at her to tell her he would be all right…eventually, but had to forfeit and turn away again when he grimaced.
Vala saw it anyway.
"Daniel?" she asked, her arm going around his shoulders.
"I'm okay…I got it…" he protested, but his breath was coming up short when he moved.
"Just take it easy, Daniel," Sam suggested.
He snorted. "Take it easy? How much longer do we have?"
"Uh…about sixteen and a half hours," Jack provided, glancing at his watch.
"Exactly. I don't-" His breath caught, and he moaned again, but quickly recovered and looked up at his friends. "We don't have time to 'take it easy'. We have a galaxy to save…now could somebody help me up…?"
Vala sighed and stood, and together she and O'Neill carefully pulled Daniel to his feet. When Jack let go of him Vala pulled him into a gently embrace.
"I thought we'd lost you again," she gulped.
"It's okay. I'm here," he said quietly.
"What are we going to do?"
Mitchell crossed his arms over his chest. "This just got a whole lot more complicated."
Vala let go of Daniel and he wavered; she put a hand on his arm to steady him and left it there. He winced and reached for his neck again.
"Ya think?" he rasped.
* * * *
"GAH!" Vala yelled, bouncing off the force-field yet again. She lunged back up to it and pounded on it with her fists a few more times. "Let us out!" she shouted to no one in particular.
Sam looked up from where she still fiddled with the control on the other door, frowning, and Jack sighed from beside her. Teal'c, standing near O'Neill, raised an eyebrow. Mitchell was pacing, and flinched at the noise, but didn't miss a step. He'd heard the shouting enough over past few hours to let it hinder his nervous movement.
Daniel leaned against the wall next to the doorway Vala was in front of, his vest on the floor at his feet because wearing the relatively tight piece of equipment/clothing hurt too much with the damaged rib.
"I think that's enough," Daniel said tiredly as she threw her body against the field again. "No matter how many times you hit it, it's not going to change the effect."
"Do I have any other choice, Daniel?" Thump "I don't know how to manipulate technology like Sam can." Thump "I can't make negotiations well like you can." Thump "What am I even doing here?" Thump
"Vala, you can do plenty. You know we established a long time ago that you're just as useful as any of the rest of us-"
"Oh really? What am I supposed to do to help fix this? What else-" Thump "-can I do? We have to get out of here. We have to stop ship." Thump "We can't let it reach earth, or it's all over-" Thump "-Us, Earth, this entire galaxy…Janet-"
Her voice caught there and she paused, but then only began to beat on the force field even harder.
"Vala, just stop it-"
"No! Besides," Thump "This is-" Thump "-my fault!"
She started to hurl herself at the field yet again, but a firm, yet gentle hand on her shoulder and a soft utterance of her name stopped. Gulping, she finally turned to look at her husband.
"Vala, just because it's Tomin doesn't make any of this your fault."
She blinked, suddenly feeling tears in her eyes again as she looked at him. The blue glow of the force-field was bright, and only illuminated the dark bruises around Daniel's neck more.
"Y-yes it does," she stammered. "Just…just look at you-what he did to you because of me, Daniel. It's my fault. I'm sorry…"
Daniel grimaced and pushed away from the wall. "Stop it. I don't blame you. For cryin' out loud, sometimes you're just like-" When he realized what he'd been about to say he stopped and looked away, thoughts in turmoil.
"Like who?" Vala asked after a moment.
A brief smile flickered across his lips. "Like Sha're," he said quietly. He looked up at her again. "After Amaunet took her…it wasn't the last time I saw the real Sha're. And when I did, when the Gould didn't have control, she always kept trying to apologize, like she felt guilty for what Amaunet did, for whatever Amaunet or Apophis ever did to me. I can only hope I succeeded in convincing her that it wasn't her fault before she died--but I can't be sure." Now there was sadness in his eyes. "Don't keep doing this, get yourself killed and leave me in the same predicament again, Vala…please."
Vala swallowed hard at the pleading look in his eyes, the old pain reflected there…and stepped away from the force field covered doorway. She sighed and nodded weakly.
"You're right…going insane isn't going to help keep Janet and the rest of our galaxy safe, is it? I'm sorry."
Daniel nodded and smiled at her. "It's okay. With this job I guess we all have to do it sometimes."
Despite herself, Vala laughed at that, and let him pull her into a hug. She returned it gently, careful not to hurt him. When he pulled back he nodded toward the other side of the room. "Come on; let's go see how Sam's doing."
Vala nodded in agreement, and Daniel took a step away from her toward the rest of their team. He didn't get far, how ever, before he faltered, and she had to reach out a hand to his arm to steady him again. Thankfully though, the room wasn't big, and he leaned gratefully against the opposite wall once he got there. Though the stubborn archaeologist still refused to sit down for any longer than a few minutes at a time.
"So, how's it coming, Sam?" he asked.
The colonel glanced at him and shrugged. "I don't know," she sighed. "This isn't working. It should be, but it's not." She frowned in frustration. Something sparked and she jerked backwards, yelping. "Darn it!" she cried, pounding the wall beside the panel.
Jack put a hand on her shoulder. "Easy, Sam. Getting mad at it won't change anything."
"Wish it could," she muttered. She glanced at her watch, a habit all of them had developed over the past several hours. "We've got just over eight hours left."
"Which means we've been in here at least that long," Daniel concluded. Without thinking he tried to sigh and ended up doubled over in pain.
"Whoa, Daniel," Jack said in warning, helping Vala catch him and straighten him again once he'd caught his breath.
"Th-thanks guys," he gulped, leaning on the wall again. He managed an amused smile. "I guess I should stop doing that."
"Yeah, I would say so," Cameron said, having come over to the group along with Daniel and Vala.
"Are you sure you are all right, Daniel Jackson?"
"Yeah, Teal'c, I'm…"
Now, though, Vala was frowning deeply. "Vala?" Daniel asked. "It's okay. I'm fine…"
But she shook her head and stepped back from the group, raised her head and looked up at the ceiling.
"Tomin!" she shouted. "Listen to me! Don't try to pretend you can't hear me, because I know you can. You're the only other person on this ship; you have to be monitoring your prisoners. I just want to talk to you, Tomin, please! Let me see you!"
She stopped and listened, and the others listened with her. At first there was nothing.
"Vala…" Daniel began.
"Tomin!" she called again, ignoring him.
Again there was silence, but finally a voice came to them over what must have been the ship inter-communication system.
"All right," the prior sighed. "I'll talk to you Vala, but not for long. We are coming closer to earth. There are preparations I must make…"
"Fine! Just let me you for a few minutes. Come down here, or-"
"You may come to the main control room," he said, interrupting her. On cue, the force field on the door next to them snapped off.
"Okay…" Vala said, glancing at each of her friends in turn before stepping out into the corridor. O'Neill instinctively tried to get out as well, but it snapped back on in his face, sending the retired general toppling backwards. Teal'c and Mitchell caught him before he could hit the floor.
"Hey-!" Jack yelped.
Vala flinched. "Sorry…"
"Not your fault," he huffed.
"Don't try anything," Tomin's disembodied voice said firmly. "You won't be able to free them while you're out of that room, Vala. I'll be able to stop you from doing it easily."
"Right," she nodded, shrugging an apology at the others on the other side of the field.
"Vala…be careful," Daniel warned. "He's different now; he's prior. Just remember that, and please don't do anything stupid."
"Where you worried that I would, Daniel?"
His head tilted to one side for a moment. "Well...yeah."
She patted the force-field where his hand pressed against it. "Well, don't worry. I'll be fine." But he could see the trepidation in her eyes as she moved off down the corridor.
Daniel watched until she was out of side.
"She'll be okay," Mitchell said, trying to reassure his friend.
"Yeah…I just hope she can do something about all this."
"No kidding," Sam sighed. "We were supposed to be done and on our way home by now."
"Probably aren't too many happy campers at the SGC right now," Cameron speculated.
Jack grinned. "Oh yeah, I bet the DHD's back home having a field day."
"The what?" Sam, Daniel, and Cameron asked at once, while Teal'c only raised an eyebrow.
"Hey, DHD doesn't just stand for 'Dial Home Device', ya know. DHD, Department of Homeworld Defense--ya know, the department I used to be the head of…I mean, really, the DOD doesn't even know the stargate exists."
"DHD…huh, I never thought about it being the same acronym," Sam mumbled.
Jack rolled his eyes. "Really, people, what am I going to do with you?"
"Okay, fine, nice acronym. Now what do we do?" Mitchell asked.
"We wait," Daniel said. "And hope Vala can get us out of here somehow."
CHAPTER 10
The stars rushed by the viewport in their hyper speed bluish/purple haze as Tomin stared at them. It was the same sight that had greeted him at any window for the past five years. Often he simply sat in the main control room, watching silently.
Instead of holding his staff or laying on the ground beside the only chair in the room-the command chair-he had eventually found in therapeutic to hold it vertically beside his seat in midair with his mind, keeping it in the position it would be in if he were standing and holding it. The action helped him to focus, to keep his mind away from certain thought lines….one of which had recently shown up unannounced on his ship to slap him full in the face.
The Ori Prior winced involuntarily and pushed the thoughts from his mind again, even though he knew she was coming, was keeping an eye on her by way of the monitors surrounding him as she made her way to the room he occupied. He shouldn't be thinking of her…at least not the way he'd once thought of her. Not anymore. Tomin knew he should be focused only on achieving the goal the gods had sent him to accomplish. If he let himself be sidetracked they would become angry with him, and might not grant him ascension at his death.
He had to be careful. Thank goodness, at least, that Vala wasn't making any detours on the way here. If she tried it, he would have to stop her, and he didn't want to hurt her….at least not yet.
An almost physical pang of regret in his chest made him suck in a sharp breath. His orders regarding Vala…No. He couldn't go there. Not yet. But he knew what the Ori had told him to do, and knew he couldn't risk not doing it--all of it. Even if he vehemently didn't like some of the smaller details.
Yes, he would do what he had been ordered. He would complete the smaller task given to him to complete before carrying out the final mission. He wouldn't like it--not at all. But he could not disobey the will of the Ori.
* *
Vala stopped just outside the door to the control room, hesitating. She wasn't really sure that she wanted to go, and if she did she wasn't sure what she was going to say.
Taking a deep breath, she stepped through the doorway. She'd thought that, with his prior's senses, he would be aware of her presence even before she'd come in, as he had the first time, but Tomin didn't even turn, and seemed to be lost in thought as she slowly crossed to the middle of the room to stand beside his chair. His staff floated upright in the air on the other side of it, but when she called his name it clattered to the floor and he looked in her direction in surprise.
He blinked. "Sorry," he said simply, looking ahead again.
So he could be easily distracted. That was good to know; they could use that.
Vala took a deep breath and forced a smile. "Well, you know, you are about to destroy yourself and, billions of other people and thousands of other planets. I'd be nervous too."
He looked at her again and frowned. "Vala…" He sighed heavily. "I don't know what else to tell you. You know I can't disobey the Ori. I don't have a choice."
"Yes you do. You wouldn't listen to me back there. Please, Tomin, just hear me out."
The prior's lips pressed into a thin line, but he nodded. "Fine. As long as you know it won't help you any."
"Whatever," she said in mild annoyance. "As long as you listen…" Vala gulped and continued. "Tomin, you really do have a choice. You don't have to do this; the Ori are gone. They have been for years. They sent you because they knew we were going to destroy them. They knew we'd found Merlin's weapon."
"The sangraal is only a myth. Nothing can destroy the Ori."
"Yes, something can! And something did. Why else would they have sent you?"
"They chose to do it this way. Who am I to question the gods?"
"You're whoever you want to be," Vala stressed. "You don't have to follow them anymore. They're not around to punish you if you don't do what they told you to do. And not only did they never help their followers ascend, but they certainly can't help you if they're all dead."
"I can't take that chance, Vala," Tomin said quietly.
"Why not? You can stop this ship. You can forget about this and come back to earth with us. You'll be safe there," she said desperately.
"The people of your world would never accept me."
Vala blinked, sudden hope sparking that maybe he was seeing the possibility of what she was saying.
"Well…most of them don't know life on other planets exists yet. They wouldn't even know. And those that do know would accept you. The Tau'ri have an uncanny ability to welcome just about anyone. I should know. I was something of an enemy myself at the beginning…"
"It doesn't matter," Tomin interrupted her. He frowned again. "If you're only here to feed me more lies, then I suggest you leave."
"Tomin, I'm not lying!"
He had looked away from her again, and his shoulders tensed when she yelled, but he didn't answer. Sighing, she made her to the other side of the chair and perched on the arm rest, sliding her arm around his shoulders.
"Tomin, please don't throw me out yet-"
"Stop!" he yelped, standing quickly and backing away from her. "Don't. I know what you're doing. I know now that the months you spent in our village you weren't yourself. You were trying to blend in and you did it well. But now I know that wasn't the real you. I know you're really like--like that. Don't; it won't work." His face was set now, determined not to yield to her, not to back down in any way.
"I can't be distracted from my task. I can't let old relationships sway my decision. Only the will of the Ori matters."
Vala swallowed hard. "Tomin…"
"No, Vala. Just go."
She sighed. Then it was over. He wasn't going to listen to her. But she couldn't give up! There had to be something she could do…
And without thinking, Vala quickly bent down, snatched his staff from the floor, and bolted for the door.
"Stop!" she heard him call behind her. But she kept going. She was at the door. She just had to outrun him, maybe…
But no, apparently he could still use his telekinetic abilities at close range without the staff, and something grabbed her and flung her to the ground, sending the staff skittering from her hands across the floor toward the prior. She cried out when she landed wrong, her left ankle twisting painfully.
Grasping the injured joint as she grimaced in pain, Vala quickly looked up with Tomin called her name.
"You shouldn't have done that," he said angrily, retrieving his staff. And as he straightened, one of the larger screens behind him activated to show Daniel and her friends, still gathered around the same door in the room that was their prison.
* * * *
"So, the radios still aren't working either?" Mitchell asked, trying his again.
Sam shook her head. "'Fraid not. He must be blocking them somehow to keep us from raising the Odyssey."
"Great," Jack groaned. "I don't guess you're having any more luck with the door, are you?"
"Sorry, Jack," she sighed.
Daniel was staring out into the corridor from where he still leaned against the wall beside the door, not paying much attention to the others.
"Daniel Jackson?" Teal'c asked in concern.
Daniel looked up, blinking. "Huh?"
The jaffa offered his friend his version of a comforting smile to ease his distraction. "Vala is a formidable woman, Daniel. She will be fine."
Daniel started to return a smile, but stopped and turned to the other side of the room when a sound from one of the screen caught everyone's attention. One of the monitors flickered to life, the words "You shouldn't have done that" drifting in their direction.
Daniel paled. "Oh no," he gulped, when he saw Tomin standing over Vala, staff clutched tightly in his hands. Vala was holding one ankle, a pained look on her face as she looked up at him.
"What's goin' on, Daniel?" Jack asked.
But
"T-Tomin--" Vala stammered weakly, at a loss.
"No, Vala! You turned on me again! I can't let it go unpunished." And with the last sentence, the staff began to glow.
"No!" Daniel shouted, on the chance they were on the screen there, that the connection went both ways. Vala looked at him. Their eyes locked. So it did, then. "Don't hurt her!" he begged.
Tomin turned, glaring at him. "I don't plan to hurt her."
Daniel barely had time to register what the prior meant, and to hear his friends gasp behind him in time with his wife's protest, before the same invisible iron grip closed around his chest again.
Daniel gasped as pain seared through his ribs from the already broken one, and it brought him to his knees. The squeezing sensation continued, left him gasping for air even though it only made the pain worse. Faintly he heard running footsteps behind him, felt gentle arms wrap around him, pull him close.
"Hold on, Daniel," Sam's worried voice said close to his ear. And in the background, through the haze of pain, he heard Vala shouting.
* *
"Daniel!" Vala shouted again, tears gathering in her eyes, watching helplessly as he curled into Sam's arms, shuddering in pain. "Tomin, stop! Don't do this again!"
But the prior's face only became more firmly set in stone. "I won't kill him."
The staff suddenly glowed brighter, and on the screen Daniel shouted.
* *
Daniel cried out as the pressure increased.
"What is he doing to him!" Jack yelled in frustration.
Sam O'Neill, however, was only concerned with holding her friend, offering what comfort she could, and she was looking at the screen, anger in her eyes. "Stop it!" she pleaded.
"Darn it, leave him alone!" Mitchell added.
But Tomin didn't respond, and Daniel only shouted louder, gripping the fabric of her jacket tightly. The squeezing force was pulling in on a smaller area, and he could feel two more of his ribs cracking.
"No!" Vala cried tearfully from the control room.
That was when Daniel screamed. Sam paled when she felt something inside him give way under her arms.
The staff stopped glowing blue. A muted sob from Vala was the only sound besides Daniel's moans as he slumped weakly back against Sam. And then the screen went blank.
* *
Tomin kept his back to her, and ignored Vala's protest when the screen went black again.
"Go," he said firmly, and the tone of his voice left no room for discussion.
Swallowing hard, Vala took hold of the wall and pulled herself to her feet. Once upright she wiped the tears from her eyes, and glanced in Tomin's direction again. But all she could see of him was the back of his head; he was sitting in his chair again, ostensibly staring at the stars. She inwardly debated saying something to him before leaving, but quickly decided against it. He had hurt Daniel again, and she was too upset to talk to him at the moment.
Without a word, Vala limped from the room, gulping back the new tears that were trying to form in her throat.
* *
Jack O'Neill threw a dirty look at the inert screen and crouched next to his friend. "Daniel? You okay?"
The archaeologist moaned again, but finally opened his eyes. "Do I have to answer?" he asked, his pained voice barely a whisper.
Jack winced. "Guess not."
"Daniel," Sam began worriedly. "Something-"
"Broke," he finished for her. "Yeah, I know-two of them," he announced weakly, grimacing as he gently folding arm around his chest.
Mitchell frowned. "That son of a-"
"Cool it,
"-Goa'uld?" the colonel finished.
Daniel managed to smile. "That works too."
* * * *
He'd done it again, Tomin thought in despair after Vala had left with saying anything to him. He'd hurt her, and he regretted the pain in her eyes as Daniel Jackson shouted even though he didn't regret the action of harming Daniel in itself. On the contrary, he still hated the man that had stolen Vala from him.
But that didn't change the fact that he had acted rashly, angered that Vala had turned on him again in trying to get his staff away from him. If she had succeeded, the Tau'ri would have had an advantage, and that point was not lost on him.
But what truly saddened was that, in taking that kind of action again, he had most likely abolished any hopes of getting her to talk to him again. When he'd seen her on the ship for the first time, the hope that somehow there could be some sort of reconciliation between them before they died had taken root, but now he had killed the sprout before it had had much chance to grow. There was no hope of it anymore, and Tomin could only blame himself.
CHAPTER 11
The rest of SG-1 looked up when the force-filed clicked briefly off and Vala hobbled back into the room. Teal'c immediately strode across the empty space between them to offer her support. She gratefully took it and let him help her over to where the others were gathered, and the jaffa gently lowered her to the ground next to her husband.
"Are you okay?" Daniel asked quietly, from where he still sat propped against Sam.
Vala shook her head and swiped at her eyes. "No. But I will be once this is over." Then she leaned over and hugged him gently. "Daniel, I'm sorry. I didn't mean for that to happen. I didn't want you to get hurt again-"
Daniel returned the embrace as best he could. "It's okay. It's not your fault. Besides, I'll…I'll be okay."
But when she pulled back and studied him, saw how heavily he leaned on Sam and the thin sheen off sweat that covered his skin and how obvious it was that he was purposely schooling his features, she knew he was in more pain than he was telling any of them. Gulping, she leaned down again and kissed his forehead.
"Don't worry, Daniel. We'll get out of here. I won't let anything else happen to you."
He smiled weakly and reached up to push the hair out of her face. "Has it ever even occurred to you that you're two months pregnant and probably shouldn't be out here in the first place?"
"Well...yes, but if I hadn't come all of you would be in a lot more trouble than you are now-especially you. You've seen how much Tomin hates you."
Daniel winced. "Maybe you're right-" His voice cut off in another coughing fit, which doubled him over and pulled him away from Sam. Vala took the opportunity to pull him to her and hold onto him so he could lean on her instead. Sam would need to get back to work on the door. The colonel rubbed her friend's back one last time before standing. She waited until he stopped coughing and she was sure he was all right though, until she went back to the control panel by the door where she had been working. Even then, she sat at an angle where she could keep an eye on the others.
"This is getting old," Daniel moaned when he could breathe again.
Jack snorted. "No kidding."
* * * *
"I've got it!" Sam cried excitedly from where she sat. Immediately all attention was on the colonel.
"Well, bring it down," Mitchell prompted.
"Right. Just a minute…" With that, she fiddled with a controls a few seconds more, and the force-field popped out of existence.
"Yes!" Jack applauded. "Sam, you're brilliant, and I love you," he said, reaching down to offer a hand to help her up. When she accepted it the retired general pulled her to her feet and kissed her.
"So that's it? We can get out of here now?"
"Yep," Sam answered, grinning wickedly.
Daniel blinked. "And the plan is…?"
"First we have to neutralize Tomin. If he's distracted, a zat should do it," Vala said quietly.
"Indeed," Teal'c nodded. "And then we would need to contact the Odyssey, but our radios still do not work."
"Once I'm in the main control room I should be able to do something about that. I won't be able to stop the ship entirely, but I think I can manage to stop the jamming and get the shields down so we can beam out and beam the nukes in," Sam said.
"Then it's goodbye Ori uber-ship," Mitchell smiled.
"That's good, because we only about an hour before this thing is too close to Earth. Now how many doors are there into that room?" O'Neill asked.
"Two--the main door at the back and one side entrance," Vala supplied.
Jack nodded. "Perfect. Vala, Daniel you stay here-"
"No. I'm going," Vala said adamantly.
"Me too," Daniel protested, slowly sitting up.
"Jack, they're right. We all need to get out of this room before Tomin notices and reactivates the force-field," Sam suggested.
Jack sighed. "Fine, but stay behind us and be careful. You've already gotten yourself in enough trouble this time, Danny-boy."
Daniel rolled his eyes and grinned. "Whatever, Jack."
Teal'c helped up, and they both help Daniel up. The two leaned on each other and slowly made their way from the room after the others had retrieved their weapons. Teal'c continued to offer them assistance until the group neared the main control room to go over the plan, and stopped.
"Okay, Sam, Teal'c, and Cameron, go in the main door with weapons drawn. Threaten him distract him, whatever. Just make sure he's not thinking about anything else, and I'll come in the side door and zat him. Daniel and Vala, stay out of trouble," Jack went over quickly.
After everyone had agreed with the plan, they split. Or rather, Jack split from the group to go around to the side entrance to the room. Once in position, Cameron glanced back at his team of two, signaled to Jack they were ready and made sure O'Neill was in position as well, and gave the sign to go.
Tomin jumped out of his chair and turned to face them in surprise, his staff clattering to the floor from where it had been hanging in the air beside him again.
"Don't move!" Mitchell commanded sharply.
The prior's eyes narrowed. "How did you get out?"
"We're a lot smarter than you think we are," Sam said simply. "Now stand down." She could see jack creeping into through the side door behind Tomin, and behind her she could hear Daniel and Vala coming around the corner. It was obvious it was them, as neither of them had even footsteps as they helped each other walk.
"Tomin, please; it's over, just cooperate with us. We don't want to have to hurt you." Vala pleaded from just outside the door.
He frowned. "What makes you think you could? We did this yesterday, Vala. I could crush those weapons in seconds if I wanted to. You have no chance."
"We'll see about that!" O'Neill yelled defiantly, firing the zat.
They had thought that it would work that way. Tomin wouldn't know the zat blast was coming, he would fall, and they could save their galaxy. But of course, not everything always goes as planned.
Without turning, Tomin deflected the zat blast back on O'Neill and he dropped with a shout. Then, before any of the others could stop him, the prior mentally seized the zat gun a pulled in up into the air over the unconscious retired general and firing twice more. And Jack was gone.
"NO!" Sam screamed.
"JACK!" Daniel shouted.
"O'Neill!" Teal'c cried.
"General!" Cameron yelled.
"No! No, this isn't happening! Tomin, how could you!" Vala cried.
The prior turned on her furiously. "He was going to kill me!"
Daniel shook his head, tears gathering in his eyes as he watched Sam sink to her knees, sobbing. "Darn it, he wasn't going to kill you. He was only trying to stun you. You didn't have to-" his voice caught. "No, Jack…"
But Tomin was too angry then to care what any of them said. Vala had betrayed him yet again. He couldn't take this anymore. If he was ever going to fulfill the secondary mission the Ori had given him, he had to do it now. They had known that Vala being in the galaxy he had been sent to destroy would be a stumbling block for him and had told him that if he had a chance, he was to kill her himself. He had to do it now.
"It doesn't matter!" Tomin yelled angrily. "I see now that I'll never be able to trust you again, Vala, and it's over now." He snatched his staff from the ground. It glowed, and immediately Sam, Cameron, and Teal'c were swept out of the way of the door and pinned in place, unable to help. Daniel was only pushed out of the way, and he cried out when he impacted with the doorframe. But he could still move, which proved that the prior didn't think an injured archaeologist was a threat to plans.
Vala was left standing precariously on her one good foot in the doorway, gulping. "Tomin, what are you doing…?"
He looked at her for a moment, and then said quietly. "I'm sorry."
"What-?"
And a blast of energy leapt from the staff in her direction, its intent obvious.
"No!" Daniel shouted, pushing himself painfully away from the doorframe in her direction. His body slammed into Vala's and pushed her out of the way, sent her stumbling several feet down the corridor before she fell to the floor. But Daniel had no time to move.
Cameron, Sam, and Teal'c were released, and turned in time to see the blast slam into Daniel, propelling him into the corridor wall so hard that there was an audible crack as something broke.
"DANIEL!" Vala screeched as the light died away.
Daniel fell to the floor with a moan, and Vala quickly crawled over to him.
"Daniel? Daniel, are you all right?" she asked desperately.
His torso was covered in scorch marks, his head tilted at an unnatural angle as he gasped shallowly for air that he would never be able to get enough of.
"Oh no," Sam moaned, as she, Teal'c, and Mitchell gathered around as well. None of them had to be told the seriousness of their friend's injuries.
Tears filling her eyes and spilling down her face, Vala took her husband's hand in hers and brought it to her cheek. She didn't know if he could feel it, but she knew he could see it as he gazed up at her, his eyes glazed with shock and pain.
"Daniel, no-" she choked. "Hold on…"
"I'm…sorry," Daniel gasped, and tears fell from his eyes as well. "Couldn't let him--" But he couldn't finished the sentence, gulped and moved on. "I l-love you…and Janet--tell her….If…if anyone can-can get you all…out of this…you can…do it. Take c-care of her." Vala only nodded weakly, not having the heart to disagree with him, even though it really did look as if none of them were going to get out of this alive--and that their galaxy was going to be destroyed and there would be no daughter to care for.
Sam dropped to her knees beside him and put a hand on his shoulder. Tears were running down her cheeks anew. "Daniel…" she gulped.
"Daniel, I love you too," Vala cried. "Please, don't…" she pleaded, because she knew that this time Tomin would not help. The prior stood where he was behind them, grim satisfaction on his face tinged with sadness.
"I love you," Daniel choked out again. "Sorry guys…"
And then his eyes drifted halfway shut before going dark, and Daniel was dead.
Sam broke into open tears again; Teal'c's head lowered solemnly.
"Crap,
"No!" Vala whispered fiercely, holding tighter to the hand she clutched to her cheek as her eyes clenched shut. But a moment later she realized that she couldn't feel his hand in hers anymore, and a gentle warmth touched her face in its place.
Vala's eyes snapped open, and her eyes widened at what she saw on the ground before her. Daniel's body was suddenly bathed in a soft glow, and as she, Sam, Teal'c, and Mitchell watched, frozen, wide-eyed, he slowly dissolved into the light.
"W-what's happening…" she stammered.
Sam answered in shock. "I think he's-"
All that remained now was the white light, and as they watched, the tentacle of it that touched Vala's face gently caressed it for a moment, before flashing out of existence--out of their plane of existence, as it was.
"Ascending," Teal'c finished for her in surprise. "Daniel Jackson has ascended once again."
CHAPTER 12
Suddenly it was there. Everything that had been missing from his mind, buried in his subconscious, was there, right in front of him--all of the memories, the knowledge from when he'd been ascended, both times before.
Daniel been looking up at Vala, known he was dying, and even though he'd been sorry that he had to leave them, he'd known he'd done the right thing. He'd saved Vala's life, and had given his friends the chance to survive. That he didn't regret. And when his eyes had closed and the familiar warmth had surrounded him once again, he'd let it take him, and said goodbye once more.
Then his eyes had opened again and he'd been…here. Here was hard to describe. It was the plain he remembered, and it wasn't uncomfortable. He felt himself getting used to it again, knowing everything he needed to know…but he simply hadn't been here for a while. But it was also different this time. Now he knew more, even more than the last two times he had been this way. And the further knowledge told him that it was because this time…he'd done it himself. There was no other explanation. Oma Desala was gone; she couldn't have helped him. And then Daniel remembered that it didn't have to have the appearance of an unearthly, mystical seeming other dimension if he didn't want it to.
Immediately the space around him snapped into focus, and he found himself standing outside the swinging glass door of a diner. His hand reached out to push inside, but then he pulled it back. No. If he went through that door, there would be no turning back. The others would know he was here, and he would be subject to their rules again. Not that he wasn't already, being ascended already and not in limbo as he had been last time he'd stepped into that diner, but if he didn't go in now…maybe he would get lucky. He could claim plausible deniability--a newcomer making a mistake because he didn't know the rules, and get away with what he was about to do.
Oh yeah, sure. With all the trouble they've had with me on the subject in the past, they're really going to believe that. But Daniel didn't care. He knew his friends were still in trouble, his galaxy was still in danger, and he had to help no matter what the cost.
So he turned and walked away, leaving the diner behind him in the swirling mists of the ascended realm, secure in his decision. But one stinging thought of unease still pricked at him, because he knew that at least one of his friends was beyond his help. I couldn't save Sha're, I couldn't save Janet, and I couldn't save you either, Jack…I'm sorry. But he could save the rest of his friends, his wife and daughter…his galaxy. Or he could try, anyway--and he had to do it before the others could stop him.
* * * *
Vala swallowed hard, and finally turned to her friends. "You mean…he's not gone?"
Sam managed a weak smile through her tears. "I guess not--not entirely, no. He's still out there…somewhere. We might see him again." It warmed her heart to think that her friend was not really dead, but in turn her heart ached to think of what had happened to Jack. He was gone for good, and not even an ascended Daniel could help him now.
"The guy can't stay dead, can he?" Cameron said quietly, a slight smile touching his face.
Even Teal'c managed a small one as well. "Indeed," he nodded, as he helped Vala to her feet.
SG-1, two short, turned to face the prior, none of their determination lost.
Still holding onto Teal'c's shoulder, Vala took a hop forward. Tears streaks still stained her face, but she didn't bother to wipe them away. "Tomin, did you see that? It was proof--proof that the Ori aren't the ones that ascend their followers. The Ori are the liars, not the Ancients. Not only did they never plan to help you, but they're not here anymore to! The Ori aren't going to bring you to their plane when you die destroying this galaxy; you'll be gone! I don't want that to happen to you. Please, you have to believe us. You have to stop this ship. Don't do this."
Tomin looked at them, his heart torn. He'd hurt them, killed two of their number, and still they pleaded with him, tried to 'save' him. Vala still claimed to care for him. He wanted to believe she did, because he knew he still loved her, but his orders had been clear, and if he believed she returned his feelings it would only make it harder to fulfill the Ori's wishes. All of these humans were getting in his way now, and the ship would be approaching Earth soon. It was time to get rid of these obstacles.
The staff glowed blur again. SG-1 took a step back, but none were quick enough, and the new blast launched their way.
* *
And on his new plane, Daniel sensed what was happening, knew the impending doom of the Milky Way had become imminent danger for the rest of his team. And that was when he took his action, and returned to help them, releasing a mental battle cry for the life of his galaxy.
* *
Vala, Cameron, Teal'c, and Sam flinched, expecting the blast to strike them a second later, killing them all, but when it didn't come and an even more brilliant flash of light filtered through their closed eyelids, they opened their eyes again. The sight they saw before them then was one none of them would soon forget.
In front of them, blocking the blast, his back to them,
stood Daniel Jackson. In the homespun robes of his adopted home of
"Daniel!" Vala cried, reaching for his shoulder. But when her hand passed right through it she jerked back with a gasp.
"He's ascended, Vala. He's not physically there," Sam explained quickly.
"Guys, move!" Daniel ordered shortly, and from the slight strain in his voice they could tell what he was doing was becoming a bit difficult. They were forcing him to keep doing by staying behind him, and when they realized that from his words they quickly moved out of the line of fire.
"Thank you,"
The prior frowned and pulled back on his staff, stopping the attack. He scowled. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm not going to let you destroy this galaxy, Tomin."
"And just how do you plan to stop me--stop the Ori?"
"The Ori are gone. I can stop you the same way I saved them," Daniel replied, nodding toward his friends. Tomin opened his mouth to say something else, but the ascended being cut him off. "But it doesn't have to be that way. You can stop this ship, and go back to earth with them."
"Uhm, Daniel don't you mean come back to earth with us…" Vala pointed out.
Daniel looked away from the prior long enough to give her a saddened expression. "You know I can't come back with you."
"What do you mean, can you just do that de-ascension thing again-"
"Not now, Vala. I'll explain later," he said quickly, and then turned his attention back to Tomin. "It's your choice. If you won't stand down I'll have no choice but to stop you, but I know Vala still cares about you and I don't want to do that. What's it going to be?"
The prior snorted. "Do you really think the others like you will let you stop me?" he said, and it was obvious that his mind wasn't going to be changed.
Daniel sighed and his eyes closed for a moment as he brought his arms up again, déjà vu washing over him as he gathered glowing ascended energy in his hands. "We can find out."
The prior's staff resumed its powerful glow, and Vala shouted out.
"Tomin, don't! You don't have to do this! Daniel!" she cried, as the other three looked back and forth nervously between the two facing off.
Tomin struck first, the fiery energy of the Ori lancing from the staff, and Daniel thrust out with his own blast, praying that it wouldn't be a repeat of what had happened the last time he'd tried to protect friends this way, that he wouldn't be swept away…
And he wasn't. Ori blast met Ancient, and both were pushed back a ways. For a moment they remained deadlocked, until Daniel enough of a feel for the strength and extent of the prior's powers to know that he could easily overwhelm them. But not just yet.
"This is your last chance, Tomin! Stop this and you can go back with them--live at least something resembling a normal life, without having to serve the Ori!" Daniel shouted across the room to his opponent.
But the prior shouted back in defiance. "No! I will obey the will of the Ori!"
And those were the last words Tomin spoke, before the ascended's powers overtook him.
Vala looked away as he was cleanly and painlessly wiped from existence, and the light died down. When she opened her eyes again Daniel's arms were dropping, and he sighed heavily. As she came to his side he sank to his knees.
If it was possible for an ascended being to be exhausted, he was now--mentally, the ascended equivalent of physically…To Vala he looked numb, and she just wanted to hold him, tell him it would be all right. But she had forgotten that he had no physical body for her to touch, and her hands passed through him again. Resisting the urge to yelp she simply pulled her hands back, putting them in her lap as she sat beside him, and the others came to greet him.
"It is good to see you well, Daniel Jackson," Teal'c smiled.
"Yeah, if you call this well,"
"But you saved us, Daniel. You couldn't have done that if you hadn't…well…"
"Not to mention that was one cool battle-even rivaled Star Wars," Mitchell said, grinning.
That brought a small smile to Daniel's lips. "You think so?" But then it faded and his gaze shifted to Vala. "I'm sorry."
She gulped back the tears that were climbing in her throat again. "It's not your fault, Daniel." Then her expression became pleading. "Why can't you come back with us?"
His face suddenly looked pained. "Vala…this is the third time I've become this way…and this time I did it on my own. If I re-take human form now…I don't think I'll ever be able to ascend again. They won't let me back in again-somehow I just know it. But if I stay this way…I can always watch over you and Janet." Then he looked around. "And, if I'm ascended, I can help all of you when the time comes. We can all be together...Well, except for-" He stopped there, and his eyes lowered again.
Sam bit her lip, a tear slipping down one cheek. "He's right," she said after a moment.
Vala looked back to Daniel, looked into his eyes and saw that in them, behind the immediate pain of having to leave his friends and family, there was determination to protect them, and hope for the future.
She sighed. "I'm not going to change your mind, am I?"
He smiled at her weakly. "No. I think this is the right thing to do."
"Are you certain, Daniel Jackson?" Teal'c asked in concern.
"Yeah,
"I know."
"You'll still be…around, right?" Vala asked.
"Of course. I'll always be there…but you may not see me. I don't know if they'll let me interact with you or not. I just broke a lot of major rules. They'll probably be pretty strict with me for a while…" he sighed.
At that moment Mitchell's radio crackled. "Odyssey to Colonel Mitchell. Colonel Mitchell, come in."
Cameron's eyebrows went up.
"I stopped the ship too," Daniel informed them, standing. "The jamming is stopped, and the shields are down. The ship'll drift here until it can be salvaged. Maybe you can use some of the technology, or figure out how to work the thing."
Mitchell nodded at him and reached up to key his radio. "Mitchell here. What's up, Odyssey?"
"Colonel, thank goodness," the voice of the ship's commander filtered into the room. "We've been trying to contact you since you ringed in, but we were being jammed somehow. It finally stopped. What happened over there? We couldn't get General O'Neill on his radio, and we're not detecting either his or Doctor Jackson's transmitters. Are they all right?" the man asked in concern.
Cameron sighed. "Unfortunately sir…no. We've got one…" But Daniel was shaking his head, and he amended himself. "-two casualties. But the mission's accomplished. There's no more threat to Earth.
"Oh…" the Odyssey's commander trailed. "What about the rest of you?"
"Well, Mrs. Jackson's got a sprained ankle, and there are some pretty darn screwed up emotions all around, but the rest of us are otherwise fine."
The voice from the earth ship sighed wearily. "All right. We'll beam you right over."
"All right, Odyssey, but just give us a minute."
"Of course, colonel. Odyssey out." And with that, the radio went silent again.
Mitchell's arms dropped. "What now, Daniel?"
"You have to go…and so do I," Daniel replied sadly.
"Yeah…thought so."
Teal'c's head bowed. "It has been an honor, my friend."
Sam smiled, though there were tears in her eyes again. "We'll miss you."
"Don't get into any trouble,"
"I'll do my best," Daniel smiled back. Then he turned to Vala again.
"Daniel…" She started to say something but failed, trailing off as her head lowered to her chest.
"I love you," he said quietly. "I love you, and Janet, and even if we can't interact I'm not going to leave you alone."
Her shoulders were shaking by then, and when she looked up again tears were streaming down her cheeks once more. She sniffed them back.
"I love you too," she choked in return.
Daniel brought his hand up to her cheek, and even though she couldn't feel it Vala closed her eyes and imagined she could--imagined his soft, warm skin against her face and the tickle of the sleeve of the brown homespun robe on her skin. When her eyes opened again she saw tears slipping silently down Daniel's cheeks as well, and her curiosity about whether ascended beings could cry was answered.
She copied his gesture, bringing the palm of her hand to where his cheek would be if his body were physical. She wished she could wipe away the tears there, and she knew he was wishing the same in reverse.
"Goodbye…for now," he whispered.
Vala managed a tiny smile again. "See you around."
Daniel smiled back as both pulled their hands away, and he took a step back.
"Bye guys," he said to them all once more. And then with a wave of his hand, Daniel Jackson was gone again in a soft flash of white light.
Seconds later, the Ori ship dissolved around the remaining members of SG-1, and the Asgard beams took them on the first leg of their journey home--a home that was now safe once again. But at what cost?
* * * *
Daniel would have gone straight back to the ascended realm, but he still had one more painful goodbye to make.
He reappeared on Earth in the dark, tiny guestroom in Cassie's apartment. He stood beside a twin bed, and in it lay his sleeping daughter. He looked toward the lamp on the bedside table, and it flicked on. He couldn't shake the girl, but the light would wake her up. She wasn't a heavy sleeper.
Daniel took the moment's wait to dry his tears, though he couldn't keep them out of his eyes. A few seconds later, Janet began to stir.
"Janet?" he asked, leaning over her. "Sweetie, its dad. Can you wake up for me?"
The eight-year-old yawn cutely and her eyes flickered open.
"Hey," Daniel said quietly, smiling gently and sitting down on the edge of the bed next to her.
"Daddy?" she asked as she slowly awoke, stretching out her little body in the bed.
"Yeah, it's me," he answered.
"I'm not dreaming? I thought you and mom would be gone for a couple more days…"
"No. You're not dreaming," he gulped. Daniel reached out to brushed some of her mussed hair out of her eyes, but pulled back again when he remembered he could. No reason to scare her with his hand passing through her head. He blinked hard as the tears in his eyes tried to surge forward. He couldn't even touch his daughter.
Now Janet sat up. "Daddy? Is something wrong? You look sad." She reached out to him, and before he could move or stop her, her hand passed through his arm.
She shrieked and jumped back. "Dad, what's going on! Y-you--you're-you're not there!"
"Shhh, shh, it's okay," he soothed. "I am here, Janet. I'm just…different." He shifted uncomfortably. How was he supposed to explain this to a child?
She'd heard many stories of SG-1's adventures since she'd learned of the stargate the year before, when the program had finally allowed the SGC's staff to tell those family members that would sign a non-disclosure agreement. Janet was a smart kid, had understood that she couldn't tell anyone a certain secret if she was told, and had been one of the few family members under eighteen who had signed it and learned what her parents did for a living. She had heard some of the stories of his previous ascensions, but she hadn't understood it very well then. How much would she understand now?
"Janet…" he continued slowly, as she untensed. "Do you remember what we told you about how I ascended before?"
The girl blinked. "Some of it…but I didn't really know what you meant."
Daniel sighed. "Something went wrong on the mission, Janet. I had to do it again. That's why you can't touch me. I'm not physical anymore. You can see me and hear me, but you can't touch me, and I can't touch you."
She moved closer again and tentatively reached out toward his face. When her hand passed through his cheek, here eyes widened and she slowly pulled it back. His eyes closed and Daniel lost his hold on the tears; several fell.
"But…b-but daddy, what does that mean? What's wrong?" Janet asked, her voice scared and worried.
"It means I have to go," he answered softly.
"Go? Y-you mean like you did last time? When you had to leave Uncle Jack and Aunt Sam and Uncle Teal'c? Like…leave?"
He nodded.
"But daddy, you can't just go!" she yelped, as her eyes filled with tears.
"I don't have a choice, Janet," he choked. "The others like this--they have rules that I can't break. I shouldn't even be here now, but I guess they don't mind letting me say…goodbye. I'm sorry.
Somehow, the girl seemed to understand, even though she still didn't like the idea of him leaving her. She gulped back her tears and sniffled. "Will you come visit me and mom like you did then?"
Daniel shook his head. "I don't know if I'll be able to. But I'll be here, okay? Even if you can't see me, I'll be here. And you will see me again. I don't know when, but you will see me again. I promise."
She nodded weakly, and gulped hard again. "I…I l-love you, daddy…"
The sorrow in his daughter's small voice broke Daniel's heart, and he hated to be the one to cause it, but he had no choice at the moment.
"I love you too, Janet." Then he forced a smile. "Be good and take care of your mom for me, okay? The Odyssey will be back in a couple of days."
"Yes sir," she said softly.
So he stood again, not wanting to go but knowing he had to, before the others made him.
"Bye," he gulped.
"Bye daddy," she swallowed.
And Daniel smiled at her reassuringly one more time and then left, before he came to a point where he couldn't.
* *
Daniel found himself standing outside the door of the ascended diner again. He peered uneasily through transparent door. He knew he had to go in, so he took a deep breath and did it before he could think himself out of it.
Once inside, a few heads looked up to take him in, but then turned back to their papers or drinks or food. So maybe he had gotten here the 'right' way this time, and they were allowed to acknowledge him or talk to him, but none of them seemed to want to. Apparently he still wasn't very popular after all the trouble he'd caused the other two times he'd been on this plane.
Slowly he made his way toward an empty booth, not quite sure what to do with himself. He knew he had friends here, and among them all of the Abydonians, but he didn't know where they were. As if on cue a voice rang out from behind him.
"Danyel, there you are!" the happy voice sang.
Daniel looked to his side to find a familiar mop head approaching him. "Skaara!" he said in surprise, as his brother-in-law enveloped him in a bear hug. It was funny how the younger man could always do that, even though he was half Daniel's size.
Skaara patted his friend on the back once more and then pulled away, looking up at him. "So, I see you choose to roam the ascended realm in the robes of home as well, hmm?" he said, indicating his own.
"Yeah…" Daniel said, still a bit bewildered by the sudden reunion in the wake of the sad partings he'd just been through.
"What is wrong, Danyel? You seem surprised, almost as if you had forgotten our people and I would be here."
Daniel shook his head. "No…no, I didn't forget. I just wasn't expecting to find you so soon…"
Skaara sighed. "Danyel, you look upset. You should not be--you saved your friends and your family!"
Skaara grinned and tapped his friend's arm to get him to look up again. "Ah, but Danyel, cheer up. There is someone here that is looking forward to seeing you. I think you be more than glad to see him as well."
Daniel blinked, oblivious. "Kasuf…?"
The young Abydonian laughed. "Well, yes, he is here, but that is not who I meant." Then Skaara nodded toward the bar.
Daniel turned to look in that direction, and his mouth gaped open. There, leaning against the counter not five feet from him with a coffee mug in his hand, dressed in civvies and grinning widely as only he could, stood Jack O'Neill.
"Welcome back to the glow club, Danny-boy! Looks like we're in it together this time."
CHAPTER 13
“Jack!” Daniel exclaimed. Almost before he knew what he was doing he found himself hugging his friend tightly. The happiness that all of his friends and family were safe was overwhelming, but he blinked back the tears that sprung to his eyes. One thing he was not going to do was cry here. “Gosh, Jack we thought you were dead…”
O’Neill grinned and returned the embrace. “Yeah, well, you know me…almost as hard to get rid of as you. The others are okay, right?”
Daniel stepped back again and stared at him, still dumbstruck. “They’re fine, but…I don’t understand. How…?”
“Skaara here helped me out. I guess you guys just couldn’t see the whole glow thing ‘cause I kinda got disintegrated and all.”
O’Neill clapped his friend on the back. “Come on, Daniel, you offered to help me ascend once. You thought I could do it. Why are you so surprised?”
Daniel smiled and shook his head. “I’m sorry. I guess even then it seemed a little strange to think of you like…” he gestured vaguely. “-this.”
“Good point,” Jack conceded. “But anyway, we should get going.”
“Going?”
“Yes, Daniel--going. This has been a lot of fun, but we still have lives in the real world.”
Daniel’s smile faded. So Jack didn’t understand yet. Of course he wouldn’t. He was new. He wasn’t attuned yet, didn’t know what had happened on that Ori ship, or what Daniel had told the others.
“Daniel? Something wrong?”
“What are talking about?” O’Neill questioned. “We can’t stay here, Daniel; we have families.”
“I know that, Jack…and they know.” Carefully he explained to O’Neill what he had told their friends. “So…I’ll help you get back, but I can’t come with you…I’m sorry,” he finished quietly.
Jack just stared at him for a moment, a bit stunned. "Daniel…" Before he could get any farther the door to the 'diner' banged open angrily.
"Daniel Jackson!" a loud voice called across the room. Every eye in the room turned to the entrance, where an entourage of ascended beings stood; the man at the front had spoken.
"Friends of yours?" O'Neill asked, raising an eyebrow.
Daniel shook his head minutely, though somehow he knew that he did know this man, or had in the past, and that he was not very well liked by him. He remembered that the ascended being that stood before him now was one of much respect and status among the ascended, and he had been one of those quick to condemn him for his actions in helping his friends--even the small ones that had not 'specifically' broken the rules. But he had broken every rule in the book this time, and now this man was here to bring the verdict; he could feel it. He knew it, and it almost made him shiver.
When he knew he had Daniel's attention the man and those with him crossed the diner to where Jackson, O'Neill, and Skaara stood.
"Problem?" Jack asked.
"Stay out of this," the man ordered. "He knows why I'm here, and it doesn't concern you."
Yeah, I know all
right…
"Daniel?"
"Listen to him, Jack," Daniel advised calmly. O'Neill grumbled in response and backed away a step or two at Skaara's urging. Then the man's attention was focused solely on Daniel.
"You really went too far this time,
"What are you going to do? Kick me out again? Didn't really help much last time."
"No," the man grated. "But we're not going to lenient anymore. That's over. No interference, whatsoever. No appearing to anyone you know for any reason--none, and no giving anyone any ideas. We don't care where you go as long as no one mortal knows you're there and you stay out of our way. Understood?"
Daniel only glared at him.
"Is that understood,
Daniel huffed angrily, "Fine."
Then, satisfied, their visitor and his entourage disappeared in a flash of light, a show unnecessary when already on this plane.
When they were gone Daniel sighed and sank wearily onto an empty stool at the bar beside him, glad that the encounter was over. Jack sighed in response and sat down beside him. His friend suddenly looked dejected, hunched over the counter with his head in his hands. Silently he fetched another cup of coffee for Daniel and then sat down beside him again, handing it to him. The newly re-ascended being took it gratefully and immediately started to sip it; when one was on a higher plane of existence you didn't have to worry about the temperature of a drink that wasn't really there in that sense in the first place.
"So…what was that all about?" Jack asked.
"Just what he said," Skaara supplied, from his set
on the other side of
Daniel nodded. "I was right; I'm going to be on a short leash for a while."
"Meaning…?"
"Meaning you should just go back. I'll be fine. I won't be able to interact with any of you until, well…but then again I didn't really expect to be able to do much of that anyway. I'll still be able to check on all of you, make sure you're all okay. It's not so bad, really." The last part was a lie. It was so bad. He'd thought he would be able to handle it if they wouldn't allow him to talk to his family and friends, interact with them on any level because of what he'd done…but having someone tell him what his punishment would be to his face made it only that much worse.
"But what about us? We wouldn't be able to see you. Maybe you would be okay with that, but what about us?"
Daniel shook his head. "I don't know, Jack. I just know I can't go back--not this time. I would never have another chance."
"He didn't say that."
"But I could feel it. He was telling me that, too. You wouldn't understand; you haven't been here long enough."
Helplessly Jack looked to Skaara for assistance, but the young man only nodded. "He is right, O'Neill," he answered, somewhat sadly. So Jack fell silent and thought for a moment. It didn't take long to come to a decision.
"Fine then. If you're staying, I'm staying."
Daniel looked up, eyebrows rising. "What? No, Jack. You haven't caused any trouble. If you go back you can come here again, probably without any trouble. You should go. I know Sam was really upset. I mean, who wouldn't be? She thinks you're dead."
Jack sighed. "I know, but I mean, I can least let her know I'm okay, can't I?"
"Well…I guess, as long as you're careful. But you should really just go back, Jack. I'll be fine…"
"Ah! None of that, Daniel. I'm not changing my mind. Either we both stay, or we both go. I'm not just leaving you here."
"I have friends here, Jack. Everyone from
"I know that, but we're in this together remember?" O'Neill insisted.
"Jack…"
"Daniel."
The two stared at each other as Skaara watched on in mild amusement. Finally Daniel realized that his friend's loyalty was not going to be shaken, and sighed.
"Besides," Jack added. "With me here, you have a communication outlet. While the others are bust watching you like a hawk, I can sneak around and do some reconnaissance on how everybody back on the mortal plane is doing. What do you say?"
Daniel gave a small smile. "Maybe…"
* * * *
General Landry and the families of SG-1 were waiting for them when the four remaining beamed down into the briefing room.
Immediately the two five-year-old Mitchells gave a squeal of "Daddy!" and ran to him. He smiled and bent to embrace each of them. Janet broke from Cassandra and went straight into her mother's arms, and Carolyn into her husband's once he had given both children a hug. Cassie went to embrace her second adopted mother, and General Landry stood by, not wanting to get in the way of any of it. Teal'c stood with him, silently observing.
"Where's Uncle Daniel?" Tiffany asked suddenly.
"And Uncle Jack!" Zach added.
The children's comments shattered loudly over the room, breaking the spell of happy reunions. The word of what had happened had been forwarded to Stargate Command, and Landry had had the unhappy duty of informing all of them. They knew that Jack and Daniel were gone, but when it was spoken aloud so innocently it left them all feeling even more despairing.
Sam started to cry again, and Cassie tried to comfort her. Cameron and Carolyn held onto each other more tightly. Janet choked back a tearless sob.
"I-I hoped that maybe it was a dream…" the girl trailed.
Vala swallowed hard and pushed her daughter's hair from her eyes. "What do you mean?"
"I saw dad night before last…He-he said that something happened and he had to go. I hoped it was a dream, but it wasn’t, was it?"
Vala shook her head weakly and pulled Janet back into her arms, blinking back tears. The little girl clung tightly to her mother, numb.
General Landry sighed heavily and turned to Teal'c. "I'm glad that our galaxy is safe again; you all did a good job, but…I'm just sorry it had to end this way," he said quietly.
The jaffa nodded sadly. "As am I. But Jack O'Neill and Daniel Jackson will be remembered with honor."
Hank nodded back in agreement, missing his friends. "I suppose you'll want some leave time to visit your own family."
"Indeed."
"How are Riak and his family doing, anyway? How many grandchildren do you have now?"
"They are all well. I have two grandchildren to date, but the third will arrive shortly."
"Right. That's right," Landry said, now remembering. With so many under his command, at times it was difficult to remember details about all of them, even those closest to him. The SGC had grown since his first years in command of the top-secret base.
But it had just shrunk by the size of two of its most important members.
CHAPTER 14
Life went on, even without Jack O'Neill and Daniel Jackson. None of them were happy about it, but it did. They'd had to move on when Daniel ascended the first time. They'd had to manage to keep going after Janet Fraiser's death. They had to keep going this time, as well. There was a memorial service, ostensibly for both of them but more for O'Neill than for the friend they knew was on another plane of existence now. And then life at Stargate Command went on. Even those who had not known the two very well were a bit more subdued than usual for a while, but it went on.
Now Vala sighed as she drove home from yet another day of work at the SGC--without Daniel. It wasn't quite the same anymore. But anyway, Janet was at home and waiting for her. Cassie had a day off today and had been gracious enough to give up the latter part of it to pick the girl up from school and watch her at home until Vala could get there, instead of the bus dropping her off and being watched by the usual neighbor girl baby-sitter.
When Vala walked in the door Cassandra was pacing the hallway.
"Cassie? What's wrong? Where's Janet?"
The young woman crossed her arms. "She's locked herself in her room and she won't come out. I don't know what else to do. I tried everything."
Vala sighed and dropped her purse onto the couch. "Again?"
"I don't know; has she done it before?"
Mrs. Jackson shook her head. "Yes. She's been doing that every now and then since…" she trailed off. It had been weeks and still they had heard nothing from Daniel. Apparently his suspicion that he wouldn't be allowed to interact with them any more had been correct.
Cassie's eyes lowered. "Oh." She hesitated a moment before looking up again. "I can't say I know what you and Sam are going through, but I know how Janet feels. I lost my birth parents when I was about her age, back on my home planet. You know the story. And then mom got killed off-world."
"How are you doing?" Vala asked gently, knowing that besides her original parents and Janet Fraiser, her first adopted mother, she had just lost another father.
She shrugged and gulped. "Okay, I guess. Maybe this universe just doesn't like me having parents."
"Cassie, it's not like that. These things happen…" But she knew that wasn't going to help any. It wasn't helping her either.
"I know, I know," the younger woman said, waving a hand. "At least…I've still got Sam," she sighed. "And Janet's still got you." Vala nodded, and then Cassandra perked up again. "By the way, how are going to get her out of there? Or do you?"
Now Vala finally smiled. "I know how to get it open," she said slyly, slipping past her toward her daughter's room.
Cassie smiled at Vala's professed breaking and entering skills and followed her. "Dad always did say you were a bad influence on me--or anybody," she chuckled.
"Well, Jack was only joking, but he might have been right. Besides, Daniel thought--thinks so too," she corrected herself sharply, stopping at Janet's bedroom door. She sighed and swallowed back the lump that tried to rise in her throat.
"What do you think he's doing now?" Cassie asked quietly.
Vala shrugged. "I don't know. Whatever he did last time he was ascended I suppose. But if he hasn't shown up by now I guess it doesn't matter; they won't let him talk to us."
Cassie sighed. "Oh…well, I'm not leaving yet. I'll be out here if you need me," she said, motioning back toward the living room.
"Thanks," Vala smiled at her. Then as Cassie walked off she turned to the task of getting into her daughter's room. Of course she didn't notice the silent, invisible figure in homespun robes that had stepped briefly from Janet's room to listen to their conversation, before stepping back in again when Cassie walked off.
* * * *
Daniel pulled himself out of the hallway and turned back into Janet's room. None of them could see him, hear him, or know he was there…but that wasn't going to stop him from being there for them. He could do nothing but be there, so he would. What else did he have to do? Jack wasn't in the diner at the moment. He was probably keeping an eye on Sam. And Daniel was keeping an eye on his family. That was all they could really do--especially Daniel.
Janet was huddled against her pillows at the head of her bead, crying into her arms and knees. "Daddy, where are you?" she sobbed. She'd thought she would still see him sometimes, maybe…but so far nothing.
Daniel blinked back the tears that jumped into his eyes and sat down beside her. I'm right here…he thought, reaching out to put his hand beside her face. But if he let her know it he didn't know what the others would do to him. He knew they would stop him, at least.
A moment later the lock clicked, and there was a soft knock before the door slowly opened. "Janet...?" Vala stopped when she saw that her daughter was crying and crossed to the bed, sitting down beside her. At least it wasn't the same side; Daniel didn't have to move.
Vala wrapped the girl in her arms. "It's okay," she soothed gently. "It's all right…" Janet cried for another few moments and Daniel stayed, willing them to understand that he was here, but of course he couldn't really make them realize it. That would be seen as interfering.
"N-no it's not," Janet said finally. "Dad's not here."
Vala sighed and pushed the girl's mussed hair from her eyes. "But at least he's not gone."
"He might as well be," she sniffed. "He can't talk to us. We can't see him."
Vala nodded. "I know it's hard, sweetie. I miss him too, but it'll all be okay. I promise."
"How?" Janet asked miserably. "We painted in art today, and I wanted to show daddy, but then I got home and remembered he wasn't here. How long is it going to hurt this much, mom?" she gulped quietly.
"I don't know," Vala admitted, hugging her again. "But we still have each other, right? We'll be okay." Though Vala seriously wished she were better at this type of thing. She didn't know what else to say. "And when your brother or sister gets here you'll have to help me take care of them, right? That'll be fun."
Janet looked at her mother's stomach, which had started to bulge and managed to smile. "I guess. I always did want a brother or sister, you know."
Daniel's eyes had gone there as well, and he smiled his own smile at the sight. But his happy thoughts of his and Vala's second child on the way were shattered when he realized that the child wouldn't know him.
Vala smiled back and planted a kiss on her forehead. "I know. You told us many times. But I've got more good news."
"Like what?" the girl asked curiously.
"We're going on a trip next week."
"We are?"
"Yep. Remember that your dad and I said we'd talk to General Landry about letting you go through the stargate sometime? Well, I did."
Janet's eyes were wide now, and Daniel looked up at them from his sudden depression. "Really? Did he say I could?"
"He did," Vala grinned.
He did? Daniel wondered. But he didn't have to wonder for much longer as he caught the thoughts that were going through Vala's mind. He and Vala had wanted to wait another year or so before taking Janet through the stargate, considering the possible dangers 'gate travel presented. Now though, the girl desperately needed something to cheer her up, and General Landry had agreed to the idea of letting SG-1 take her through to an already established, uninhabited, safe planet for a few hours at least. Daniel approved. He might have done the same thing had he been in Vala's position.
As for Janet, she was ecstatic. "Yes!" she cried, jumping up and down on the bed. It didn't affect Daniel, but Vala was being jostled quite a bit and told her not to jump on the bed. The girl obeyed and plopped back down onto the mattress, but her spirits seemed to come down with her.
"But…daddy won't be able to come," she pouted. "I wanted to go with both of you."
"The rest of SG-1 is coming. Your Aunt Sam and Uncle Cam and Uncle Teal'c will be there, and I don't think it would be a problem for Cassie to come too if she wants to."
Janet sighed. "Okay…"
Daniel sighed and stood. Janet would be all right. Her excitement was returning, and Vala was home for the afternoon now. He would go see what Jack was doing, but he would be there when Janet went through the stargate.
In a moment he was back at the diner, as it would have looked to humans, but before he could pull the door open to go inside a rough hand landed on his shoulder and turned him around, away from the glass and out of sight of those inside.
"Where have you been,
Daniel scowled at him. "I was keeping an eye on my family. Do you have a problem with that?" he answered, just as annoyed as he pulled away from the man.
"Actually, I do. Hanging around them so much is
dangerous. It'll be too easy for you to go too far and get yourself in trouble.
Not that I care if you do. I didn't want to let you off so easy with that stunt
you pulled earlier, but The Powers That Be wouldn't let me do anything else to
you--yet. You'd better be careful,
With that, he disappeared again, leaving Daniel alone. Yes, even though all ascended were on a higher plane of existence, there were those among them that had more power--what would have been labeled as political power on earth. He'd never had much liking for them, but at the moment he was almost grateful for them. He shuddered to think what else would have been done to him if they hadn't told that particular ascended being to leave him alone. He remembered for a fact that this man that didn't like him very much could be cruel when he wanted to be--which was usually. Daniel wondered how he had ever been able to ascend in the first place.
* *
"Problem?" Jack asked, looking up when Daniel walked in. He looked shaken.
O'Neill raised an eyebrow. "If you say so."
"How's Sam?" Daniel asked, changing the subject.
Jack shrugged. "She's all right, considering, I guess. I still haven't exactly figured out yet how to let her know I'm okay without…you know…breaking the rules. And she hasn't really...adjusted yet." He sighed. "Neither have I, really."
"It is hard to get used to it the first time," Daniel nodded. "But then again I'm not sure I've really figured this situation out yet, either."
"Are we really just going to stay here?"
"Jack, if you want to go back you're more than welcome to, but I just don't see any other option for me. I want to be able to help them all when they'll need it. I want us all to be together again-as a team, as family. I don't see how else that could happen."
"You could go back and be with them," O'Neill said quietly.
Daniel sighed heavily. "You don't know how much I want to. But what if something else happened to me? I couldn't come back here again. This is the last straw, Jack. This is the last chance they're going to give. They haven't said it in so many words, but that's not necessary here. If I throw this away now…" He trailed off and shook his head. "We've been over this…"
"I know, Daniel. I know. But it helps to go over things like this more than one--make sure you're sure you did the right thing and all.
"Sweet. She'll have fun with that. We're going to be there, right?"
Daniel finally again. "I wouldn't miss it for the world."
CHAPTER 15
"Mom, look at me!"
Vala looked up at the sound of her daughter's voice to see Janet skipping into the 'gate room in front of Cassandra, dressed in mini green BDUs. For perhaps the first time in weeks she grinned widely. The sight was, in fact, funny, and the girl's enthusiasm was contagious.
"Don't you look cute!" she smiled.
Janet stopped in front of her and crossed her arms, shaking her head and sighing. "I'm not supposed to look cute, mom; they're BDUs."
Vala crossed her arms in return. "If you say so--but I still think you're cute."
The girl rolled her eyes "Mooom," she drew out, once again demonstrating her ability to sound just like her father. Her mother, however, just reached out and mussed her hair.
"Don't roll your eyes and 'moom' me, young lady," she scolded lightly.
Janet ducked and escaped to go over to the rest of the gathered team.
"Ready to go?" Cameron asked.
"I am. When can we go?" the girl asked excitedly.
"Calm yourself, Janet," Teal'c smiled down at her. "It will not be long."
Sam smiled brightly as well. "Walter just started dialing. "It'll only be another minute or so."
All were as cheerful as they could possibly on purpose. It was times like these that Jack and Daniel's absences were felt the most, and all wanted to keep the others in high spirits. After all, this was supposed to be a fun trip, taken for the purpose of cheering up Janet, who for all practical purposes had lost her father.
True to Sam's word, a minute or so later the stargate opened, and its color was reflected in Janet's blue eyes as the child stared at the display in wonder.
"Wow! That's the ka-woosh you told me about, right, Aunt Sam?" she asked eagerly.
Sam nodded. "That's right. Or that's what we call it sometimes anyway.
"No, that's what you call it sometimes," Mitchell teased. Sam only rolled her eyes.
"Coming?" Vala asked, holding out a hand to her daughter. Janet started to take it, but then stopped and looked around.
"Wait. Where's Uncle Hank? He said he'd be here to see us off."
Sam blinked. "The General?"
"I'm right here," Landry's voice as he stepped into the 'gate room. "Sorry; I got held up in the control room."
"That's okay!" Janet smiled, running to him and giving him a hug which the elder man returned.
"Have fun," he smiled at her.
"Thanks! I will," she assured him, and then hurried back to the other group and took her mother's hand.
Sam took the girl's other hand, and then she, Janet, and Vala started up the ramp first, with Cameron and Teal'c trailing behind them.
Vala felt Janet's hand squeeze her a bit tighter as they neared the event horizon, and looked down at her.
"Are you scared?" she asked gently.
The girl looked unsure for a moment. "I don't know…It doesn't hurt does it?"
"Well, you might get a little dizzy, but no--it doesn't hurt. It's actually kind of fun," Vala assured her. That seemed to help.
"On three?" Sam asked.
Janet nodded. "Okay."
Cameron smiled from behind them as he and Teal'c took up positions on either side of the three females, and SG-1 counted down together, trying not to remember that they'd all been together the last time they had counted down for something with this little girl that they all loved so much.
"One…two…three!"
Then SG-1, minus one but plus his daughter, stepped through the stargate at once. None of them, of course, saw the two ascended beings that had been there all along and slipped through the blue puddle after them.
* * * *
Daniel smiled to himself when he saw what planet had been chosen to bring Janet to--P4X-895, or more affectionately known as The Pink Planet by those from earth that had been there. The grass was just as green as it was on any other planet SG-1 had ever been to, but most of the other foliage was pink; it was the perfect place to bring a young girl.
At the moment, said young girl was shaking herself from the dizzying effects of 'gate travel. Once she had righted herself her eyes widened and she stared in wonder at the world around her.
"Yow! Okay, that was…different," Jack complained from beside him.
Daniel shrugged. "Yeah, it does feel a bit strange going through the 'gate in this form, verses being human, but you get used to it."
"I sure hope so," O'Neill muttered, and then gravitated immediately toward his wife. "So…is this what you did the first time? Did you just spend your time following us around that whole year you were gone."
"Sometimes, I guess, but in general…no,"
"Oh yeah? Then what did you do?"
"I did other things, Jack. Really, do you have to know everything?"
O'Neill shrugged indifferently and returned his focus to Sam, who along with Vala was leading Janet off of the stone platform the 'gate stood on, down its steps and onto the grass. The girl hadn't even mustered a 'wow' yet.
After another minute or so of looking around, open-mouthed, she could speak again. "Sweet!" she exclaimed happily.
Jack whirled in her direction. "Sweet," he nodded in agreement with her vocabulary. Then he grinned to himself, proud that his favorite phrase had rubbed off on his best friend's daughter. Daniel saw this, and his eyes rolled.
Sam, however, had heard Janet's reaction and smiled weakly, bittersweet memories suddenly swirling in her mind's eye. Next Jack noticed Sam, and his joyful expression faded to a sorrowful countenance.
"Sam, I'm okay…" he sighed. He tried to reach out to her, but of course his hand went right through, and she didn't even see him. Sam and the rest of SG-1 had started to walk away, and she was out of reach for him to try again.
Jack spun back to Daniel, blinking back tears. "Daniel, please tell me this gets easier," he gulped hoarsely.
"I wish I could, Jack," Daniel sighed heavily. He would have said something further, but then something else came to his attention, something that nipped at the back of his mind, told him something was wrong. He whirled to face SG-1 again, who were further away now.
It didn't take long for
In a flash Daniel saw Janet, happily following his friends across the grass, and he also saw the microscopic particles that floated lazily from the pink hued foliage toward her. To any normal human adult they were harmless, and that was why they had never been noticed before, but to a human child, not yet fully grown, he suddenly knew they were dangerous, and that no one would realize it until it was too late…
"Daniel…?" O'Neill asked in concern, not understanding what was happening. But before he could question further, his younger friend had launched himself toward his daughter and her oblivious companions.
"Janet!" Daniel shouted, even though she couldn't hear him. Automatically he threw out an invisible, protective net of energy to cover, to keep her from breathing them in or touching them.
It never reached her. A wave of déjà vu that Daniel had hoped he would never sense dropped over him as something abruptly took hold of him and yanked him back. He knew what it was. It was the others, and he fought them.
"No!" he yelled in defiance. "Let me help her!"
"Daniel!" Jack cried in alarm, seeing the form of his friend swept back and somehow understanding what was happening. He was being stopped. "Leave him alone!" she shouted at no-one in particular. But he was ignored, and before his eyes Daniel was pulled away. "Daniel! O'Neill called again. There was no answer. "Crap!" he muttered, and then disappeared himself to look for his friend.
* *
When Daniel's world stopped spinning he found himself back in the ascended realm, its undefined mists swirling in his sights and several angry-looking other ascended being surrounding him. Among him was the one he disliked the most. But he had other things to worry about now besides them. He had to get back to where he had been, had to protect Janet. He tried to leave again but found he couldn't. The others were using their powers to anchor him where he was, effectively trapping him.
"Let me go!" he begged desperately. "My daughter-!"
"Is none of your concern anymore,
"But I can't just let-"
"I don't care!" he interrupted sharply. "You'd better just be glad we pulled you out before the rest of the others noticed what you were trying to do. They would have kicked you out for sure. But I'm going to go back on my promise for you just this one, Jackson. We're going to punish you ourselves, and we won't tell the others a thing. Got that?"
So finally this one had an excuse to do something Daniel.
Even the ascended realm had it bullies.
Daniel cried out, the ascended plane equivalent of physical pain ricocheting through his being.
"Shut up,
And then those around him were pushing in closer, and more blows came, faster. To human eyes it would have appeared like an angry mob torturing one helpless individual, and for all intents and purposes it was, but to one ascended it was different…and much worse.
To Daniel it felt as if several others at once were reaching into his very being, trying to rip things apart, injure him, and beat him down in more ways than one. Agonized screamed tore through the space around them in all directions, but there was no one near to hear them.
Within minutes Daniel was too weak to cry out anymore. Eventually the pain became too much, and he slipped silently into a darkness even deeper than human unconsciousness.
* * * *
Janet sneezed yet again, followed by a small cough, and Vala looked up in alarm.
"Janet, are you all right?" she asked in concern. The girl turned to her from where she was pulling her coat on in the entryway of her house and gathering her things as the readied to leave. Vala would take her to school and then go on to work at the SGC as usual. It had been a little over a week since the trip through the 'gate, and Janet had been in a much better mood ever sense. However, she had been sneezing for two days.
Janet yawned. "I'm okay, mom. It's just a cold or something."
"Are you sure?" Vala questioned again, swinging her purse onto her should and grabbing her keys--or rather, Daniel's keys that she had to use now--from the small table by the door.
"Yes, ma'am, I'm sure," the girl sighed, opening the front door to a blast of cold air. "Can we go please? I don't want to be late for school."
"Yes, we can go now," Vala relented. "But if you're not any better by tomorrow I'm taking you to see Aunt Carolyn."
* * * *
"Daniel? Daniel, come on; wake up!" an urgent voice called.
Daniel moaned. He could hear someone calling him, prodding him to return to consciousness, but he still hurt. He didn't want to wake up.
"Daniel!" the voice insisted again. It went on
that way for several minutes until
"Wh…what…?" he mumbled weakly, as Jack's image took shape in front of him. "What happened?"
"Don't ask me. I've been looking for you forever. What did happen?" O'Neill questioned worriedly. Then, to what would have seemed to any mortal like helping Daniel to his feet, Jack let some of his own energy seep into his friend, effectively reviving him.
Daniel sighed and didn't respond for a moment, assessing the damage done and trying to remember what had taken place before he'd blacked out.
"For cryin' out loud, Daniel, you've been missing for what…about a week in real time? What happened to you. You look horrible. Are you okay?"
And suddenly the painful memory of what was going on before
flooded back, and
"No, I'm not okay," he gulped. He didn't even try to explain what had happened to him; he went straight into the problem. "Jack, Janet's in trouble…"
"What do you mean she's in trouble?" O'Neill asked in confusion. She seemed fine to me last time I think. The kid's got a cold at the moment, but it happens. She'll be fine."
Daniel groaned. "No, Jack, you don't get it. She caught something from the plant life on that planet. We never noticed it; it doesn't affect human adults, but it's dangerous to Janet. That must be how it starts. We have to do something-"
"Daniel, you know just as well as I do that we can't. Now just how dangerous are we talking about? It can't be all that bad. You're acting like it’s the end of the world…"
Daniel shook his head, tears stinging his eyes. "It is, Jack! If we don't do anything she'll die!"
CHAPTER 16
Jack O'Neill felt like he'd been punched in the gut. He swallowed hard.
"Are you sure?" he asked hesitantly.
Daniel nodded miserably, and the look on his face told O'Neill that he had no doubts whatsoever about what he knew. Unbidden, the memories of Charlie, his own son's death came flooding back, racing through his mind's eye with more clarity than he really would have wanted, and with it came the lingering pain that still remained. Immediately, Jack knew that he would do anything he could to keep his best friend from having to go through that.
"Whoa, hold your horses there, buddy," O'Neill interrupted, stepping in front of him. "Look, just calm down, okay? We will think through this, and we'll figure out what to do, but if you go storming back to their plane now trying to correct everything just like that, the others'll pull you out and kick you back to humanity again before you can say 'hey'. And then you won't be able to help her at all."
Daniel stopped and looked at him for a moment, then sighed. "You're right," he relented. "But what do we do?"
Jack shrugged. "I don't know," he admitted. "You've been here more often that I have, Daniel. I guess I could go check on everybody."
Daniel nodded. "Good idea-"
"Ah ah," O'Neill said suddenly, holding up a finger when his friend acted as if he was going too. "You still don't look so great, Danny-boy. You stay here. I'll be right back."
Daniel frowned at him for a moment but then sighed again. "Fine."
Jack gave him a friendly pat on the back. "I won't be long," he promised. Then he vanished.
* * * *
"But mom, I don't want to go to the doctor," Janet
sighed from the passenger seat of the
"We're not going to the doctor's office. We're going back to the SGC so Aunt Carolyn can look at you. I told you that. You like Aunt Carolyn, don't you?" Vala replied.
"I like Aunt Carolyn, mom, and I know where we're going, but I still don't like…well…the doctor stuff."
Of course. What young child did like going to the doctor? That bit of humanity was not limited to earth. But bringing Janet to see someone could not be avoided. Since the day before her cold had gone from mild to bad and was slowly starting to progress from bad to worse.
"It'll be all right…" Vala trailed off when Janet broke into a coughing fit that really didn't sound very good at all. "Goodness, are you okay?" she asked when the coughing stopped again, her brow knit with worry. Maybe the girl didn't want to admit it, but she looked worse than she apparently thought she did. She'd been a little pale and felt worse than the day before ever she'd woken up that morning, and there had been no question of whether she was going to school or not.
"I'm fine," Janet insisted. "Can't I just go to school?"
"No, Janet. You're not going anywhere until Carolyn tells me you can."
Vala shook her head and sighed to herself. As bad as the girl looked and probably felt, too, she was still insisting she was all right, and wanted to go to school, obviously didn't want her mother to worry about her…as if just saying in not so many words she shouldn't was going to stop Vala from worrying about her. Obviously Janet had inherited more than her father's looks. What she was doing now was just what Daniel always did, and having her was almost like having another Daniel around.
At the thought of Daniel, a now familiar pang stabbed through her heart, and inconspicuously Vala glanced in their daughter's direction again. The girl was so much like her father she probably didn't even know the extent of it.
* * * *
Doctor Carolyn Mitchell shrugged and tucked her clipboard under her arm. She stood beside on of the beds in the infirmary, where Janet sat on its edge and Vala stood beside her.
"Well, so far it looks like a severe common cold to me. If that's the case I'll know what to give her, but then again she was off-world last week. If its an alien contagion, there's always the chance that it was missed when we ran her post-mission exam when you got back. Just in case, why don't the two of you stay on base until we get the lab results back." She smiled reassuringly and placed a hand on the girl's back when she seemed a bit worried. "It'll be all right."
Janet nodded and hopped off the bed, still gently rubbing the spot on her arm where blood had been taken. "Okay," she agreed, looking to her mother who was nodding as well.
"I'll let you know when the test results are in," the doctor said to Vala. "It should only be a few hours."
"Okay. Come on, Janet. Let's go find Cassie and Aunt Sam. They'll be happy to see you."
Suddenly enthusiastic again despite the fact that the cold was making her tired, the girl bounded toward the exit, apparently approving of her mother's intended destination.
Vala smiled, shrugged at Carolyn, and then followed her. Knowing the way, Janet led her right to Sam's lab, where both Sam and Cassie were already working, white lab coats over their fatigues. Neither noticed that anyone else had come in until the girl had locked herself around Sam's waist.
"Hey!" Mrs. O'Neill exclaimed in surprise. Then she saw what it was that had her and smiled. "Oh, hi, Janet."
"Hey Aunt Sam."
Cassie looked up from the microscope she'd been squinting through. "Hey. What's going on?" she asked, questioning why Janet was at the SGC.
Vala shrugged. "She doesn't feel so great. Had to let Carolyn look her over, and she said to stay on base until she gets the lab results."
"Ah, okay," Sam said, hugging the girl back.
"Can I stay in here with you until then?" Janet asked, letting go of Sam and moving to hug Cassandra.
"I don't see any reason why not."
"So, how's it going?" Vala asked, looking curiously over Cassie's shoulder at the microscope. "What's that?"
Cassie sighed and turned back to it. "It's a sample from one of the devices Cassie sighed and turned back to it. "It's a sample from one of the devices we--SG-13--brought back from P8X-684. We've been trying to figure out what it does, but that's always harder when there's no writing on it to give us some kind of clue, or, in this case, the inscriptions couldn't be translated."
Sam nodded. "Things we find that have languages we already know, like Goa'uld, or Ancient, or things like that, or language department doesn't have much problems translating, but right now when it comes to entirely new languages we're pretty much sunk, and that's what that one has on it. Sometimes they get lucky and can crack it, but-" she shrugged.
We need Daniel, Vala finished for her silently. No one's as good at that as Daniel. Without him the SGC…Well, without Daniel Jackson, or even without Jack O'Neill lurking at its edges the SGC might as well go hide its head in the sand.
Even so, Vala and Janet stayed in the lab with their friends as the two scientists continued to work on the problem. At first Janet wandered about, watching them, but eventually she ended up napping in a chair. When she woke up, however, she didn't look better, but worse.
"Mom?" she said groggily, sitting up, her eyes still half closed.
Vala went to her side, concern etched on face. "What is it?" she asked gently.
"I don't feel good," the girl admitted finally.
Vala sighed and put a hand to her forehead. Her slight frown deepened. "You're burning up," she remark.
Janet yawned. "Can I go back to sleep?"
Her mother took her hand and pulled her up from the chair. "I think we should go back to the infirmary first…" she began, laying her hands on her shoulders. But before she could finish her thought Janet slipped from her grasp, and the next moment the girl was on the floor at her feet, out cold.
"Janet!" she cried in alarm, dropping to her knees. After years of being around Daniel Jackson, she knew that one fainting dead away at Stargate Command was never a good sign.
"Janet!" Cassie echoed, hurrying to them. Sam's eyes widened, but instead of going to the group on the floor she hustled across the room and punched a button near the door.
"This Samantha O'Neill. We have a medical emergency in my lab!" she said quickly into the intercom to the infirmary. A medical team immediately, probably along with Carolyn Mitchell. Sam went over to the others then, looking just as worried as the other two women. "What's wrong?" she asked.
"If I knew that do you think I'd be sitting here freaking out!" Vala cried in frustration.
"Okay okay, calm down. I called the infirmary. Someone's coming; she'll be all right."
Vala nodded weakly, still worried, but listened. Please let her be all right…she thought silently.
* *
"So what is it?" Vala asked. She took the coffee one of the nurses handed her, thanked the woman, then turned back to Doctor Mitchell's desk.
Carolyn's lips pursed into a fine line for a moment until she finally spoke. "Vala…she's in a coma," she said, as gently as she could.
Vala blinked and sat up. "What?" she gulped, paling.
The doctor sighed. "I'm afraid so, and the test results are back too."
"And…?"
Carolyn shook her head. "I don't how we missed it before. Maybe it was dormant, or undetectable before now somehow, but there's definitely some kind of alien contagion in her system that she undoubtedly got from being off-world."
"But I thought that planet was safe. It's been checked before. There wasn't supposed to be anything dangerous there," Vala protested, her voice raising a notch with worry.
"I know there wasn't supposed to be, but we've tested the sample of it from her blood, and its not dangerous to human adults. That must be why we never saw it before. There were never any children around for it to infect, so it never showed itself."
"But…what about Janet? She'll be all right, won't she? What kind of contagion is it? What's it doing to her? Why is she in a coma?" Vala demanded.
The doctor's eyes fell. "We're not sure exactly what it's doing or how it's doing it, but we do know that it's attacking more than one thing. It started with the sinuses and respiratory system, as you probably noticed from the cold-like symptoms, but now its moved on and put her into this state. We're doing everything we can, but…"
"But what?" Vala asked desperately, standing.
"But if we don't stop it, it might kill her," Carolyn admitted quietly.
Vala fell back into her seat, eyes wide. "W-what? That can't be right. It was just like a cold, it-"
"-only started that way. We're trying everything, Vala. Something is bound to work, and if not, we still have our off-world allies to go to," the doctor reassured her.
Vala nodded, blinking back tears and leaning forward onto the desk. She'd already lost Daniel; if Janet… "I know you're right. It's just, I mean…"
Carolyn reached across the desk and laid a hand over one of her friend's. "It's scary. I know. There were complications with Zach after the twins were born. At one point we thought we going to lose him. I know how hard it can be; just trust me on this one, okay? There've been enough losses here in the past couple of months. I'm not going to let there be any more if I have anything to say about it."
Vala managed a weak, thankful smile. "I know you won't," she agreed.
* * * *
Jack growled in frustration as he pulled away from the mortal plane again to return to his friend. Crap, Daniel was right, he thought, Vala and Carolyn's words still ringing in his mind. None of them had sounded very good.
Daniel was still waiting right where he'd found him, silently sitting amongst the almost nothingness. So O'Neill simply sat beside him, the casual blue jeans and t-shirt he chose to appear in in stark contrast to the plain brown robes his friends wore.
"I'm right, aren't I?" Daniel asked quietly.
Jack sighed heavily. "Yeah…"
Daniel looked away. "So what now?"
"We do something--after we figure out how to do it the right way…Maybe we should go find Kasuf and Skaara. They've been here longer. They'll be able to help us.
"No," Daniel swallowed. "I don't want anything to happen to them." He stood. "We just have to go back and stop it-" He started to move away again, talking to himself and almost completely ignoring O'Neill, when Jack reached up and took hold of his robes, pulling him back down. Or that was what he did in human terms, anyway. In truth he had done the same thing the others had done before converging on him, using their own energy to anchor him in place.
Daniel reacted immediately, without thinking, as the pain that had followed that action the last time it had been done to him flashed through his mind.
"No!" he shouted, lashing out and sending O'Neill flying backwards. It wasn't until the retired general had landed and released a loud groan that he realized what he had done. Spinning around, he hurried back to his friend's side.
"Jack!" he yelped. "Are you okay? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…"
"I know, I know," Jack huffed, sitting up again. "It's okay."
"I'm sorry. I just-"
"Reacted," O'Neill finished for him, looking into Daniel's now wild, fear-filled eyes. "I know, Daniel. I was black ops for ten years and SG-1 after that, remember? I've seen the behavior before." He sighed. "Daniel who was it that pulled you out of there, and what did they do to you?" he asked in concern.
Daniel looked away again, crossing his arms over his chest. "It was that…annoying guy. I don't know his name or anything, but it was him and his posse, I guess. They stopped me before any of the others could, said they'd punish me themselves instead of telling the others and getting me kicked out."
Jack frowned. "But I thought that guy wanted you kicked out."
"Yeah, well, I think he wanted a chance to hurt me more," Daniel shuddered. "I don't know exactly what they did, but they ganged up on me, and…I guess it was like they were trying to beat me up or something, but we're not corporeal, so it was different…" He shivered again. "It hurt a lot more though."
"Are you sure you're okay?"
Daniel shrugged. "Not really, but I'll live. Not that I really have much of a choice here."
O'Neill scowled angrily. "That no good dirty rotten-" He stopped when Daniel raised an eyebrow at him. "Fine, but we're going to have to keep a better eye on each other from now on."
"Ya think?" Daniel said quietly.
CHAPTER 17
Janet had been moved to one of the isolation rooms. Vala sat with her, holding her hand and talking to her when she wasn’t afraid her voice would crack. The news did not look good so far. None of their few more advanced off-world allies had known what the disease was, and Carolyn Mitchell had already exhausted all of earth’s medical options. Only the Asgard had been able to offer them any hope at all, taking a sample of the girl’s blood and promising to look into the matter immediately with any and all resources available on their planet, though they could not promise they would succeed. But after all, Thor had said, it was the least they could do for the daughter of a man who had helped them often enough for them to see fit to name a starship after him.
But that had been yesterday, and Janet had slipped into a come two days before that. Still they had no solution, and their hope was waning. The Asgard’s promise was really all Vala had left to hold on to. But if even the Asgard failed to produce a cure in time…
Vala raised her head from where it had rested on the edge of the bed, blinking back the tears that had become almost ever-present in the past few depressing hours. The monitors and machines connected to her daughter’s body beeped and hummed steadily, belying the seriousness of the situation. Janet was dying, slowly but surely, and there was nothing anyone could do about it. Except maybe…
“Daniel, where are you?” Vala implored. “Can’t you see what’s happening? Can’t you do something? Help us!” she pleaded to thin air.
* *
But Daniel heard her. Silently from the shadows of the isolation room, unseen, he watched. He still could not talk to them, but he did not plan on allowing Janet to die. He would do anything to save her…but Jack was right; they needed a solid plan first. They were working on it. Soon they would know what to do, and then they would put a stop to this. For now, though, all he could do was watch without interacting, assuring himself that she was still alive.
I’m here, Vala, he thought, sighing. I’ll help. I’ll stop this as soon as I can. I promise. Just hold on—both of you.
That was when he heard O’Neill’s voice, pulling up beside him. “Come on, Daniel. Skaara’s waiting for us back there. We think we’ve got a plan now.”
Daniel nodded. “I’ll be there in a minute…” he trailed off, still watching his family.
Jack sighed and watched for a moment. “She’ll be all right, Daniel,” he said after a moment. “We’re not going to let her die. “
“I know,” Daniel gulped. He turned to O’Neill. “All right, let’s go.”
Almost immediately they were back in the ascended realm, stepping through the doors into the diner where Skaara waited for them in one of the booths.
"O'Neill, Danyel, there you are," the younger man said as they sat down.
"Yeah, sorry we're late…" Daniel shrugged.
"It is all right, Danyel…how is she?"
Skaara nodded. "I know. We will."
"How?" he asked miserably.
"Well…if O'Neill and I anchor you, you should be able to keep your place long enough to heal her…"
"You mean, like long enough not to get kicked out before she's okay?" Jack asked.
Daniel nodded, his lips pressing into a fine line. "Yes, Jack, that's what he means. But its no guarantee that all three of us won't get kicked out once I've done it."
"It is the only choice we have, Danyel. I do not know how else we can save her. I o not believe there is any way you can do it without the risk of being 'kicked out', as you say."
Daniel sighed heavily and pressed his forehead into in heels of his hands. "I don't care anymore. I don't want anything to happen to her…I don't have a choice. If I get kicked out for it, then so be it. I'll still have the rest of my human life with them."
Jack put a hand on his friend's shoulder and rubbed. "Yeah….but hey, that's not necessarily a bad thing. You've got another kid on the way, after all."
Daniel smiled weakly. "True." Then something seemed to occur to him, and he turned to Skaara. "Wait…Skaara, you said you and Jack would help me…can't Jack help me stay in place by himself? I mean, he has no problem with being mortal again, but you've been here a while; you're whole family is here…"
Skaara smiled at him. "Not all of my family will be here if we are all returned to human form for this, Danyel. You and O'Neill will be on earth."
"Yeah, and he can always stay with us," Jack grinned. "So…this is what we're doing?"
"Yes," Daniel confirmed, nodding. "And soon."
"Why not now?" Jack asked in confusion.
"Because they might expect us to. We just came from there. I hate to say it, but to give us a better chance of succeeding we should probably stay away from there for a while."
O'Neill's eyebrows went up. "You mean…just long enough to get the others off your immediate tail?"
Daniel nodded slowly. "Something like that."
"Ah…"
"Danyel is right. If you do not go there again until we act, they will not be expecting it. It might take longer for the others to realize what we are trying to do. It could give Danyel--all of us--the time we need to make sure we can save her," Skaara agreed.
"We can't fail," Daniel said quietly.
"We hear you, Daniel," Jack sighed. "And we're with you."
* *
"What now?" Vala asked miserably. Her friends had finally convinced her to leave the isolation room long enough to come to the commissary for dinner, but after the bowl of blue jell-o that had been the only thing Sam, Teal'c, and Mitchell had been able to get down her, she didn't feel any better. Janet didn't have much longer unless something was done, and there were no other options.
"Well, we haven't heard back from the Asgard yet," Sam supplied. "I'm sure they'll come up with something. I mean…they're the Asgard."
"The problem is--will it be in time?" Vala replied quietly.
"It'll be in time," Cameron said quickly. The others looked at him and he sighed. "Sorry…but I love the kid too, ya know--we all do. Not to mention I have my own, and I know…" he trailed off and shrugged.
Vala sighed in return. "I know."
It was then that the unauthorized-off world-activation klaxon sounded, rousing the team from their thoughts.
Vala was the first to her feet. She didn't have to voice her hopes; the other three had the same ones. They rushed from the commissary behind their teammate, all leaving their trays behind on the table. By the time they all skidded to a halt in the control room, general Landry was on his way from it. SG-1 took one look out the window, saw the Asgard Supreme Commander that had just stepped through the Stargate, and followed the general down to the 'gate room.
"Thor, welcome," Landry said warmly. "What news do you have for us?"
Vala was right behind him, her emotions running the gamut on her face. When Thor's face fell into the Asgard equivalent of an apologetic expression, however, she froze.
"Thor?" she prompted hesitantly.
The alien blinked slowly. "After examining the substance from the planet you visited that caused your daughter's disease, it was determined that it would be impossible to devise a cure within the next few days. It might possibly take several months. I am sorry, Vala Jackson; we have done everything that we can, but I am afraid we cannot help her."
Vala felt as if someone had slapped her in the face. "W-What? No…no, you have to be able to do something. You're our last chance… "
Thor bowed his head slightly. "Again, I am sorry that we cannot be of more help"
Vala shook her head, ignoring her friends' hands as they tried to steady her when she stumbled backwards. "But…but what about Janet?" she asked desperately, tears filling her eyes. "She'll die! She can't! I-"
"Vala--" Landry started.
But she wasn't listening; she had backed almost to the door by now and was still shaking her head, her hands to her head. "No," she swallowed, and then before anyone could stop her, she had turned and ran from the 'gate room.
No one stopped Vala as she dashed blindly through the corridors. She barely made it back into the isolation room before her legs gave out and she collapsed into her chair beside Janet's bed, trembling as she broke into tears.
"No," she sobbed, grasping her daughter's hand tightly in both of hers. "No…"
* *
Daniel felt more than heard Vala's tears, his wife's sudden sorrow cutting through him like a knife; he had to resist the urge to audibly gasp. As it was, his eyes widened in surprise.
"Daniel?" Jack asked.
Daniel gulped hard and stood. "We have to go--now."
O'Neill glanced around, trying to understand where his friend had come up with this assessment. "What for? Have we even waited long enough?"
"I do not think so," Skaara answered for him.
"I don't care," Daniel said, shaking his head. "Something happened. We have to fix this, and we have to do it now."
Jack and Skaara stood with him. "Okay…are you sure?" O'Neill asked.
"I am going to help, Danyel," the young Abydonian reiterated. He gave a comforting smile. "I am not going to let a brother down."
Daniel swallowed hard and managed a smile in return. "Thank you," he said sincerely. "Both of you." He looked at both of his friends again and took a deep breath. "Here goes nothing…"
CHAPTER 18
"Daniel, where are you…" Vala sobbed again. With her face pressed into the mattress, she didn't notice the flash of light beside her.
"I'm right here," a soft voice said.
Vala's head jerked up in surprise. Sniffing, she looked around in search of the origin of the voice, though she knew he couldn't be there. If he could have been there, he should have been there a long time ago, but…
"Daniel?" she gasped, gaping at the figure that now sat on the other side of the bed. Her heart jumped into her throat, and she couldn't decide whether to laugh, cry, or just grin stupidly. He was right across from her, very close but not close enough, and suddenly even though she knew she couldn't touch him she wished he was next to her.
He smiled softly. "Yeah, it's me. I'm sorry I took so long."
Slowly she sat up, wiping the tears from her face, eyes wide. "Daniel…thank goodness. Where have you been? We've missed you so much…"
Daniel face suddenly looked pained. "I know. I really am sorry…but they wouldn't let me talk to you. I really shouldn't even be here now. I don't have much time."
Vala gulped. "Can you help her?"
He nodded slowly. "I think so…I hope so."
Without thinking Vala reached out to him, but her hand only passed through his arm. She pulled her hand away quickly. "Sorry."
He gave her a smile. "Don't worry about it. Most likely it won't be that way much longer anyway. I'll probably get booted back to humanity again for this, but…" he shrugged. "Being this way isn't more important than she is," he said quietly, looking down at Janet. "Besides…I've missed you two…everyone. It would be good to be back if that happens."
"Daniel…"
He looked up again. "Wait. I'm sorry; I hope we can talk more later, but I have to do this before the others figure out I'm here and try to stop me…"
Vala sighed and nodded. "All right."
Daniel nodded in return, giving her the most encouraging smile he could muster. Silently he brought his hands to where one of Janet's lay on the bed beside him and covered it with his though he couldn't touch it. In his palms a soft light had begun to glow, and Vala watched in amazement as it grew.
Daniel's eyes closed. Okay guys, I need you now. Help me out here…And in his mind he heard his friends' voices. Vala couldn't see either of them, but Daniel knew they were there, holding onto him. He could feel the healing energy flowing into Janet; now if he could only have enough time for it to work…
But now the others knew. He felt their sudden anger just as easily as he had felt Vala's sorrow. He felt their pulls just as quickly. No! I have to do this! Let me save her! But they ignored him, and he felt him self swept back again. NO! Skaara! JACK!
"Daniel!" Vala cried, to some degree seeing what was happening, saw him swept back, but holding onto his place.
Daniel held on, and he felt Jack and Skaara holding on with him. But they wouldn't be able to forever. Just a little longer. We have to do this…The energy was spreading. Both he and Vala could already see the color returning to their daughter's cheeks, evidence of the contagion leaving her body…but it wasn't finished yet.
We've got you, Daniel, O'Neill's strained voice echoed in his mind. But by now the pull from either 'side' was painful, and Daniel couldn't stop himself from crying out.
"Daniel, what's wrong!" Vala asked desperately, now worried.
"They're trying to stop me!" he grated out.
"Hold on!" she gulped, wishing she could help him.
Daniel did, as hard as he could, but his hold was weakening. Just a few more seconds…Hold on, Janet; you'll be all right if I have anything to say about it. But it was beginning to seem as if he didn't. The others were pulling so hard, and Jack and Skaara were holding onto him just as tightly. Daniel screamed, but battled on.
By the time the light died down and he knew that he had succeeded, Vala's frightened voice in his ears was already fading, blending together with the other noises in the room, and his vision was darkening.
Wait…Ears? Vision? But then everything went black.
* *
Vala gasped in surprise when the light died and Daniel collapsed. Instinctively she reached across the bed to his falling form…and caught him. Her mouth dropped open in surprise, but then she remembered what he had said. I'll probably get booted back to humanity for this…Gulping hard, she held onto him tightly. Daniel was back.
A soft groan from beside her shifted her attention from her unconscious husband to her unconscious daughter…who wasn't quiet so unconscious anymore. Vala watched, and a moment later Janet's eyes flickered open. She smiled and took her daughter's hand. Daniel had done it--all the monitors read normal lifesigns.
"Hey, sleepyhead…welcome back." It was the most normal thing in the world to say…but after what had just happened normal felt good. She had her family back, all of it, and Vala couldn't ever remember feeling happier.
Janet blinked. "Mom…?"
"It's me, Janet. I'm right here."
Slowly the girl sat up, rubbing her eyes. "What happened? I was sick…"
Vala nodded, grinning now. "I know, but you'll be fine now. Daddy was able to stop it."
"Daddy?" Janet asked in confusion. Then her eyes fell on the still form that lay in her mother's arms, pinning her own legs to the bed. "Dad!" She looked worriedly back up at Vala. "What happened? Is he okay?"
Vala nodded. "He should be soon. He just needs to wake up."
A flash of light beside the bed brought a gasp from both mother and daughter and the two looked up to find they were no longer alone. Two more figures now stood in the room, one in Abydonian robes like Daniel, and one in jeans and a t-shirt.
Jack O'Neill waved nonchalantly, grinning. "Hey…uh, got room for a couple more glow club drop-outs?
Vala's mouth dropped open. "W-what…? But you…"
"Uncle Jack!" Janet exclaimed excitedly, pulling her legs out from under Daniel and jumping of the bed. She ran to him and hugged him, not questioning how he'd gotten there.
O'Neill caught her and spun her around, laughing. "Hey, J-girl! You're okay!" He kissed the girl on the cheek, and once she had returned the gesture he set her down. Then she turned to the other man present.
"Who are you?" she asked curiously.
"This is Skaara." Jack introduced. "He's your uncle too."
"You are?"
Skaara nodded. "I suppose that I am, in a way. I am the brother of your father's first wife. O'Neill tells me you have been told of her."
Janet nodded now, and smiled at her newfound family member. "Uh huh, dad told me about Sha're. He told me about you, too."
"And he told me about you, as did O'Neill. I am glad to finally meet you," Skaara smiled, holding out a hand.
The girl only shook her head and rolled her eyes. "No, silly, if you're my uncle you get a hug." And with that she threw her arms around him. The Abydonian looked surprised for a moment, but then exchanged a grin with O'Neill and returned the embrace. Vala watched on, still supporting Daniel and smiling. She had heard about Skaara and Sha're as well.
By the time Janet let go of Skaara, the door to the isolation room had opened and the rest of SG-1 had barreled through the door in response to the commotion that had been coming from the room a few short moments before. But all three of them froze when they saw the spectacle before them.
Sam was the first to muster words. "Jack!" she cried, running to her husband and flinging her arms around his neck. O'Neill caught her and held on just as tightly as she was, tears gathering in his own eyes as she started to cry on his shoulder.
"I'm sorry, Sam," he gulped, apologizing quietly. "Skaara helped me out; I didn't die, but I couldn't tell you. They wouldn't let me…"
Sam pulled back. "You were ascended too?"
Jack shrugged and smiled. "Yeah, if you believe that. I didn't at first…"
Sam smiled, pulled his head down and kissed him. “It doesn’t matter. You're back now."
"There's that," the retired general grinned.
Mitchell and Teal'c had made their way over to the bed,
where Daniel was still unconscious in Vala's arms. "
Jack sighed. "Long story…"
* *
The first thing Daniel Jackson noticed when consciousness returned was that his head hurt—which, of course, made him realized that he actually had a head. Groaning, he brought a hand up to his face to shield his eyes from the light that was already starting to pierce through his eyelids. Beside him, he heard and felt someone move, and that was when he recognized the sensation of a hand in his, the one he hadn’t moved.
“Daniel?”
The voice belonged to Vala, and presumably the hand was hers as well. Slowly Daniel cracked his eyes open, and there she was sitting beside him. The only downside was that he was stuck in the infirmary once again. That meant he was mortal again, simply human. He’d thought he would care more, but he didn’t. With his wife right beside him, suddenly he didn’t miss being ascended anymore, even if he couldn’t quite yet remember why he wasn’t…
“Vala…?”
She smiled and squeezed his hand. “There you are. Are you all right?”
Daniel shrugged, smiling back at her. “Yeah…fine.” Then, for some reason he noticed tears in her eyes.
Everything came back: Janet, the bully, the others, the problem, their solution…
“Janet!” he gasped. Daniel shot up into a sitting position and gripped her hand harder. “Is she okay…?”
Vala stood from her plastic chair and sat down on the bed beside him. “Shhh, it’s all right, Daniel; she’s fine. You saved her.”
Daniel slumped and sighed, a small smile lighting his face. “Not by myself…”
“We know,” Vala grinned. “Jack told us the whole story, so you don’t have any explaining to do.”
“Jack did…?”
The green curtain around the bed moved aside, and Jack O’Neill and Skaara stepped into the space.
“Hey,” O’Neill waved.
Daniel blinked. “Jack! Skaara…” He looked back and forth between the two. “You got kicked out too?”
Skaara shrugged. “We did.”
Jack rolled his eyes. “Yeah, they booted us back here too. It’s not a huge deal though. Skaara can stay with Sam and me for now, and besides, Daniel-“ he grinned. “I was only waiting around for you to come to your senses.”
Daniel threw him an annoyed look. “Jaaack…”
O’Neill tossed his hands up. “Okay, okay, shutting up and going away now. Family reunion’s not over. We’ll catch you later.”
With that, Jack and Skaara waved goodbye and retreated again, having only wanted to let their friend know they were okay. Daniel shook his head and smiled as they left, then started to turn back to Vala. He had barely moved at all before he found her arms wrapped tightly around him.
"I missed you so much," she gulped as he returned the tender embrace. "We didn't hear from you at all. I was afraid I'd never see you again, I was afraid our child would never know their father, I was--" she stopped abruptly and held onto him tighter. "I'm just so glad you're back."
"I glad to be back too," Daniel said softly. "I love you."
Vala kissed him on the cheek. "I love you too." Then Daniel eased back enough for his lips to find hers, and kissed her for the first time in nearly two months.
* *
Just outside the infirmary, the two men crossed paths with Cassandra and Janet, who were on their way there. Cassie had already seen them, knew they were there and wasn’t surprised, but was still happy to see them.
“Hey, just in time—Daniel just woke up,” Jack commented. At the same time he pulled his adopted daughter into a bear hug that she cheerfully submitted to, hugging back just as tightly.
“Hi Uncle Jack, hi Uncle Skaara,” Janet greeted them as O’Neill let go of her escort.
“Hey,” Jack smiled in return. “Your dad’s awake, and your mom’s in there. How about you go see them while we steal Cassie here for a little while?”
Cassandra giggled. “Daaad.”
O’Neill frowned. “Funny, you don’t even call me Jack but I still can’t get away from the annoyed drawn-out a’s…” he complained good-naturedly.
Janet laughed. “Okay. See you later, guys,” she said in farewell, and then skipped away from them into the infirmary. Inside, she found her mother sitting on the edge of her father's bed, just pulling away as she came around the curtain. But her eyes went instead to Daniel.
"Dad!" she cried happily, jumping up onto the bed in joy and launching herself at him before either adult knew what was happening.
"J-Janet!" Daniel gasped in surprise. For a moment he froze, stunned while Vala grinned, but then hugged her tightly as tears started to gather in his eyes. "Janet! Thank goodness; I was so worried…" He kissed her cheek, and her hair, and her forehead, and her other cheek…just so happy that she was all right. And before he could stop them the tears started to fall. "I love you…both of you," he cried. "I'm sorry. I never should have left…"
Janet kissed his cheek. Still holding onto him. "It's okay, daddy; it wasn't your fault. Mom told me what happened…We missed you, but you're back now. I love you too."
Vala put her arms around both of them, forming a family group hug that Daniel suddenly wished would never end. After the weeks of having no tactile contact at all for comfort, it was the one thing he needed more than anything else.
"She's right, Daniel," Vala said quietly, gently stroking his hair back. "There's nothing to blame yourself for. You're back now, and that's all that matters. We love you…"
"Thank you…" Daniel gulping, embracing both of them. "I love you too--so much."
CHAPTER 19
"Are we there yet?" came the young voice from the back seat again.
Daniel glanced at his excited, bouncing daughter through the rearview mirror of the car. "Calm down, sweetie; the park's just around the corner."
"And please stop jumping around so much," Vala added.
Janet complied and settled in her seat. "We're not late, are we?"
"No," both parents said together, grinning and glancing at each other. For once it was actually true.
Daniel turned the corner and pulled into the parking lot of
the large, open park just outside
"But everybody else is already here!" the girl yelped, rising up on her knees.
"They're early, Janet, it's okay. Now please sit down!"
She sighed and sat down again. "Sorry, daddy..." Janet waited until the car had come to a stop and the engine had shut off, then opened her door, unbuckled her seatbelt, and hopped out. Daniel was out next, but by the time he had come around the front of the vehicle Vala had already opened the door, but this time hadn't made it out yet. He gave her a hand to her feet.
Once Vala had stood and turned to collect her purse Daniel rounded to the back of the car and opened the trunk, but before he could reach in to bring out the large picnic basket Vala had followed him back there and grabbed it herself and started to hoist it out.
"Oh no you don't," Daniel chastised, gently pulling it from her hands. "I've got it."
"And I've got the blanket," Janet added, plucking out the blue-and-white checked spread.
Vala raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms over her swollen stomach. "I'm pregnant, Daniel, not helpless."
Daniel smiled. "I know, but I've been gone for two months. Come on, can't a guy satisfy a bit of his guilt every now and then by carrying a picnic basket for his wife?"
She looked thoughtful for a moment, then grinned in return and looped her arm around one of his. "Well, when you put it that way…"
Janet giggled and then skipped ahead, leading her parents out into the park and across the grass to where the rest of their group was spread out in the shade on blankets under a small grove of trees. By now those already there had noticed the new arrivals and were waving them over. The eight-year-old hit the blankets running and just about bowled Cassandra over, running into her with open arms. The young woman would have been sent sprawling on the spread if she hadn't flung one hand out behind her.
"Hey!" she laughed, balancing herself again and hugging the girl.
"Hi," Janet smiled, and then went to give the others their hugs. Next was her Uncle Skaara, who had been staying with the O'Neills and she had already taken a liking to. Then, of course, he was already within reaching sitting right next to Cassie. It hadn't gone unnoticed that those two had taken a liking to each other as well…
"And finally, last but not least, the
Daniel rolled his eyes as he set down the picnic basket and picked up from the ground the folded blanket his daughter had discarded. "Be quiet, Jack."
"Hey,
"Something else,"
Sam hit her husband's arm playfully. "Yeah, really, Jack. Be nicer."
Once Janet had made her rounds and Daniel and Vala had spread their own blanket and sat down with the others, Zach and Tiffany Mitchell came running from the playground to latch onto their cousin. With the weight of two five-year olds, she was quickly pulled to the ground and the three landed in a pile of arms and legs, giggling.
"Be careful, you two; don't hurt her," Cameron admonished.
"Janet, you're bigger than they are…" Daniel warned.
"We're just playing!" Tiffany chirped.
"We'll be careful, daddy. Can we go play now?" Janet asked.
Daniel glanced to Cameron and Carolyn, then to Vala, and nodded. "Go ahead."
"Thanks!" Janet replied, stopping to peck her parents on the cheek before running off with the two younger children.
Jack clapped his hands and rubbed them together. "So, who's hungry?"
"I am," Cameron answered, reaching for the basket they had brought.
"I am as well," Teal'c nodded and Jack and Sam pulled their own closer.
"What about the kids?" Vala asked, glancing over at the playground not far away where they were.
"They'll eat when they're hungry," Daniel answered, opening their basket. "They may not be yet, but I know I am."
"Besides, they'll work up an appetite fast enough running around like that," Carolyn added, pulling out sandwiches.
Vala shrugged and started pulling out food too. "Good point."
As they started eating, the team moved in closer to talk. Being together, after all, had been the point of the excursion. After Jack, Daniel, and Skaara's descension, there had been much to be figured out, politicians that knew about the Stargate program to convince that Jack O'Neill and Daniel Jackson were, in fact, alive, and so on. This had been the first free weekend they'd all had in two weeks.
At one point Daniel inched over toward O'Neill. Once he had the older man's attention he gestured discretely toward Skaara and Cassie, who seemed to be having a wonderful time in conversation and laughter by themselves on their own corner of the blankets.
"Hey, Jack…when did that happen?"
"What do you mean by 'that'?" the retired general inquired.
Daniel rolled his eyes. "You know…'that', them."
Jack's face lit up. "Ah! That! Well, I don't know. They met, they clicked, and now they're like that. Go figure. Wouldn't be surprised if they're the next two to hook up."
"You already think that?"
O'Neill shrugged. "Sure, why not."
Daniel blinked rapidly. "You do know that if that happens we'll be related, right? In a way…"
"We would be?" Jack asked in confusion. "Oh! You're right, we would sort of be related, wouldn't we? What's wrong with that, Daniel? I think it'd be fun."
"Nothing's wrong with that, Jack. I was just making sure you knew." Then he sat back and chewed more, mulling over that new piece of information. Related to Jack? That could get interesting…It would also mean he and Vala would be related to both related to Sam too, as well as Jack, sort of, and then they would just have to find some way to get Cameron and Teal'c in…But of course any of it was only a small possibility at this point, though the though of all of them being related in some small way was fun to think about.
As for Skaara and Cassie though…"Maybe it's because they're both not originally from Earth," Daniel suggested.
"Could be," Jack agreed quietly back to him. Then
he smirked playfully. There were several other families and small groups at the
park on this beautiful Saturday
"Wonder what they would all think if they if they knew we had three aliens over here?" O'Neill mussed aloud, this time so the others could hear.
"And there's a half alien over there," Vala smiled, nodding toward the playground.
Daniel looked as if that had never occurred to him. "Now that I think about it, I guess she is, isn't she?" Vala just looked at him and shook her head.
Sam smiled over at Skaara. "That's right; we have three of them now, don't we?"
Skaara shrugged as Cassie laughed and hugged him. "Yes, I suppose that you do. I am happy to be here." Then he grinned. "And that you and O'Neill were married as I suspected would happen."
Samantha O'Neill started to blush profusely. "Uhm…yeah…"
Jack put an arm around her and kissed her. "Come on, Sam, no reason to get shy about it," he smiled.
She grinned back at him. "You're right." Skaara only laughed knowingly.
"Look out, people, kid alert!" Cameron called then, just before all three children came barreling into the ranks of adults to collapse on the blankets.
"Whoa!" Jack yelped when Zach landed in front of him. "I guess you're hungry now?"
"Yes sir!" the boy announced enthusiastically, moving over to his parents to collect his food along his twin sister.
Janet went to her own parents and sat beside them, reaching into her pocket for something.
"Whatcha got?" Daniel asked as she pulled out a folded piece of yellow paper.
She handed it to him. "I was playing and felt it in there. I got it yesterday at school and forgot to give it to you."
"Okay…" he said, unfolding it as Vala came up on her knees and leaned over his shoulder. It should be…yes, it was her report card. The third quarter had ended recently. Janet was a smart girl, and a year ahead in fourth grade instead of third. Usually high A's graced her report card, but Daniel knew almost before he opened it that this one would not be the same.
And it wasn't. There was no drastic drop, but a noticeable enough one. There were still no B's to speak of, but the A's were lower than usual. He knew why, too, and couldn't blame her for it. She had missed him, hadn't been able to concentrate on her schoolwork as well. He'd seen it happening from his ascended state, and hadn't been able to do anything about it. And he'd known it was his fault.
He must not have been able to keep his emotions from showing on his face, because seconds later Daniel realized that both Vala and Janet were looking at him with concern.
"Daniel?"
"What's wrong, daddy? Did I not do good…?" the girl asked, face falling.
"No, no, you did great!" Daniel said quickly, smiling at her. "Really, you did, Janet. I'm proud of you."
And he was. After his parents' deaths when he too had been eight, his world had fallen apart. He'd been ahead from home schooling as he traveled with his parents, and when he'd been put into foster care and placed in sixth grade his grades had plummeted at first. He'd barely made it into middle school. Janet had coped much better than he ever had with a similar situation.
"I was just thinking about something else," he assured his wife and daughter. Vala shrugged, kissed him briefly and sat back down.
"Good job," she said to their daughter, hugging her.
Janet moved to get a hug from her father next, expecting only a brief congratulatory one. Instead, Daniel wrapped his arms around her and held on to her. Janet returned the embrace.
"Dad…?" she asked quietly.
"I love you, and I am sorry I left for so long," he said softly to her alone. Vala knew this; he'd said it so many times she was starting to get a bit annoyed with him even though she was so happy he was back. He needed to make sure that Janet knew as well.
"I know, daddy," she answered back just as softly. "It's okay, really." Then she pulled back and smiled up at him. "Just don't do it again, okay?"
Daniel laughed and pulled her close again. "Don't worry, Janet; I won't. I'm not going anywhere."
** The End **
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