Title: Eternity May Not be Enough
Rating: PG-13
Category: Drama/Romance/Angst
Summary: AU to "Forever in a Day". Sha're and Daniel are reunited, but love might not conquer all as they try to adjust to a new life together.
A/N: This started out as a nice, fluffy, Daniel/Sha're reunion story, but then I thought about all the issues that would be between them if they ever were really together again, and this was born. In the end, I thought it would be more interesting to explore what would obviously be a tenuous relationship between the two of them. May end up being an extremely long fic.
***
"Don't move"
It all ended here, with the gun he had pointed at his wife. No, not his wife, not his sweet, beautiful, Sha're. At Ammonet. There was a difference. It was Amaunet's look of disdain that was directed at him, not his wife's. He had to ignore the features he knew so well, the glistening black hair, the small, upturned nose, the joyous smile on her lips. He couldn't let his guard down, not now.
"Where's the boy?"
Daniel glanced around the tent, adorned with Goa'uld finery. It was small, there was nowhere she could have hidden a child. But he had to be somewhere.
"Where you and the System Lords will never find him"
The voice was hers, but so tainted by the deep timber of Amaunet that Daniel couldn't help but shudder. That the parasite inside his wife was manipulating her every action, defiling her beautiful light voice, sickened him. He could only raise his gun slightly as he noticed Amaunet's arm raise towards him. The Ribbon device.
"Don't"
It was not Sha're, it was Amaunet. Amaunet was trying to kill him, not Sha're. Not his loving wife who had whispered her devotion to him in the still of the night. It was Amaunet. He could stop all this, his finger rested on the trigger of his 9mm. He could incapacitate her, shoot her in the leg. The wound would be painful, but at least that would give them time to remove the Goa'uld. And he wouldn't be shooting his wife, he would be shooting Amaunet.
"Don't!"
But it was his wife. He remembered the last time he saw her, in the pyramid on Abydos. It was Sha're who had seen him behind the pillar, Sha're who had kept Amaunet silent. Behind those glowing eyes was his wife, looking back at him. And he couldn't shoot her. He wouldn't.
Amaunet caught him in her ribbon device, and it was a pain all too familiar. He saw the hate in her eyes, the same smug satisfaction he had seen in Ra and Klorel as they had tried to kill him. But Jack wasn't there to save him this time.
He was alone and dying.
"No Sha're, fight it"
He couldn't move, couldn't think, he could only look into the eyes of his wife that were the eyes of his enemy.
***
When Daniel awoke his first awareness was pain and confusion. What had happened? Thankfully his vision cleared in a few moments, and he was greeted by the sight of his wife, her head resting at his side, her hand in his. He must be dreaming.
"Dan'iel, you're awake. He's awake!"
It was her. Sha're, not Amaunet. Her voice, her smile, which was soon replaced by the intrusion of Janet's penlight. Apparently satisfied, the Doctor withdrew, allowing him to again focus on his wife.
"Sha're…" he managed to choke out. He'd dreamed of this moment so many times, he wasn't sure if it was real. The warm presence of his wife's hand in his, however, comforted him.
"Yes, husband". It had been too long since he had heard her call him that?
"How?" The last thing he remembered was being in the tent of Amaunet's planet.
"I found you in the clutches of Ammonet's ribbon device" Daniel hadn't even noticed that Teal'c was in the room, so engrossed with the vision at his bedside. "I fired my Zatnikatel, rendering her unconscious". Daniel tore his gaze away from Sha're to see that Jack and Sam were also in the room.
"We contacted the Tok'ra" Sam continued, "They had a way to remove the Goa'uld".
"And we managed to save most of the Abydonians" Jack interjected.
"Sha're…"
She leaned in close to him, her fingers gently brushing his brow and he closed his eyes, relishing her touch. He barely heard his friends converse and then leave the room, and when he reopened his eyes, they were alone. He stared into her brown depths and a peace washed over him that he hadn't felt for three years.
He reached up to run his fingers through her hair, "There's so many things I want to say to you, I don't know where to begin…"
"Dan'iel" she halted him with a finger on his lips "You need to rest". Her smile faded slightly as she gently touched the red burn on his forehead. She bit her lip, holding back tears, "I love you, Dan'iel" she said, and laid a soft kiss on his forehead. Reluctantly, he felt his eyes start to close, and he could only mumble an "I love you, too" back to her. With the comforting weight of her head on his chest, he slept.
***
Sha're watched over her husband while he slept, as she used to do on Abydos before she was taken by the demon. She remembered Amaunet trying to kill him with the ribbon device, as she screamed inside. The last time she had seen him, after he had delivered her child on Abydos, she had noticed him behind the pillar in the pyramid. Amaunet was still weak after her awakening, and she was able to silence her, keep her husband hidden from Apophis. But she was powerless to stop her in the tent, Amaunet was too strong, and her hate for Daniel was great. She wanted him dead, and if Teal'c hadn't been there…
When she had awoken on Daniel's world, in what they called their "infirmary", there had only been her own voice in her head, and she was amazed. She had recognised O'Neill, and the blond woman that had come to Abydos the second time. A woman with hair the colour of fire had told her that she was safe, and free from the demon. Dr Fraiser, she had called herself, she was going to look after her.
"A doctor," she had asked "Like my Dan'iel?".
The woman had smiled at her and replied kindly "In a way".
She had wanted to smile back, but she was worried. Daniel wasn't at her bedside, and before she blacked out he was moments from death. She had panicked, tried to rise from the bed, but O'Neill had stopped her, told her that Daniel was alive, but unconscious. But Sha're would not be comforted until she had seen him. She had seen the looks the Doctor and O'Neill shared, but they had allowed her to cross the room, to sit at his bedside. She had wept at seeing the tormented face of her husband, and the large, red burn on his forehead. But she had stayed there until he awakened, only leaving for a few minutes, after Janet's suggestion she get cleaned up. It was certainly nice to experience the Tau'ri "showers" Dan'iel had talked so much about. And though their clothes were not the finery that Amaunet wore, nor the tradition robes of Abydos, they were comfortable.
Sha're sat by Daniel's side, her hand in his, while many of his people came to see him. O'Neill was a constant presence, which surprised her. He was worried about her husband, had an affection for him that was not present when he returned to Abydos. The blond woman, Sam, she had told Sha're to call her, she had brought her food and sat with her during the night. When Teal'c had entered the room, she had remembered him choosing her from the harem of women for the demon. But she also remembered the time on Abydos, when he protected them from the Heru-ur, and saved her child. He had stood silently by the bed of her husband, not daring to look at her as her asked her forgiveness. She had taken his large hard in her small one, forcing him to face her.
"There is no bad blood between us, Teal'c" she had said "There was nothing you could have done". If it hadn't of been her, it would have been another women possessed by Amaunet. Someone else's daughter, someone else's wife. She could not resent Teal'c, not when he had protected her husband for the past few years.
He bowed his head slightly. "Thank you, Sha're. But I have wronged you and Daniel Jackson deeply. I pledge my life to you, whenever you may need my service".
Many others had come by to see Daniel, to check on his condition, and to meet her. Everyone on the base had seemed to know who she was, although she had never me any of them. She was slightly confused by this, Daniel had always told her he didn't have any family, or anyone who cared about him on Earth. But the Tau'ri her husband worked with seemed to have a great deal of respect and admiration for him. And they knew her, told her how happy they were that Daniel had finally found her.
"You're something of a legend around here" O'Neill had told her.
"Did he talk about me that much?" she had asked, intrigued by her husband's behaviour on his home planet.
"Well…no" he had answered. "We didn't really ask, either. It upset him too much. But everyone on this base knew that you were the reason he was here, why he was out there".
"Sha're…" Daniel muttered as stirred on the infirmary bed. Sha're was at his side in an instant, stroking his hairline. It was habit from Abydos, and even though there was less hair to brush out of his eyes, it still felt natural. He squinted at her as he awoke "Sha're" he muttered again "You're here…you're finally here when I wake up". She looked at him, confused "Daniel?" He reached up to touch her cheek, stroking his thumb over her jawline "I used to dream about you…but when I woke up…I-I was always alone". Sha're leaned down to kiss him, to reassure him, but was interrupted by O'Neill clearing his throat. He looked uncomfortable, a look Sha're remembered from the Pyramid on Abydos, when she had kissed Daniel for the last time. Open displays of affection were common on Abydos, given the communal nature of their society. Her people were used to the passion shown between her husband and herself, and said nothing, apart from the open laughter and the taunts of her brother and his friends. But she remembered when they were first married, Daniel had been reluctant to show his affection in public. On his world, he had told her, it was considered rude for such affection to take place in front of others. So she stopped herself, her lips hovering just above his before she pulled away.
The three of them sat in an uncomfortable silence for a few moments. Daniel continued to stare at her, confused by her sudden withdrawal. O'Neill cleared his throat again, while Sha're toyed with a loose thread on Daniel's blanket. Luckily, Janet and Sam entered the infirmary, breaking the silence.
"How are you feeling Daniel?" she asked, moving round the bed.
"What?" he asked "Oh…good" a small smile appeared on his lips "Good". Sha're brushed his cheek fondly, it was good to see him smile through the weariness on his face.
"Uh, sorry to interrupt" Carter spoke up "But the General needs to see Sha're". Jack looked at the couple engrossed with each other on the bed.
"Right now, Major?" he questioned. He saw Carter eye them as well.
"I know sir, the General wanted to wait until Daniel had recovered but…" she lowered her voice "Maybourne's here, sir".
Goddammit, that's all he needed. He watched Sha're whisper something to Daniel, then attempt to stand. His brows came together, and he grabbed her arm desperately; "I'll go with you".
"I don't think so, Daniel" Janet said, easing him back into the bed "You're not going anywhere". She was rewarded with an irritated sigh from the patient "Janet, I'm fine" he spat. This could get ugly, Jack thought, there was no way Daniel was letting Sha're out of his sight without a fight.
But Sha're stroked his cheek to placate him, "I won't be long" she murmured. But instead of being calmed, tears formed in Daniel's eyes.
"Famous last words" he muttered. Sha're continued to caress his face, saying nothing but staring into his eyes. Gradually Daniel calmed himself and relaxed his grip on her arm.
"I'll go with her, Daniel" Jack spoke up. There was not a chance in hell he was going to leave her alone, not with Maybourne on base. Jack watched as Sha're kissed Daniel lightly before vacating her spot by his side, which was soon replaced by Carter.
He followed her out of the room, matching her even pace as they walked through the corridors of the SGC. She was still the picture of beauty she had been when they first visited Abydos, but he recognised a worldly pain in her eyes. She was no longer the impetuous, vibrant young woman that had captured Daniel's heart. She had seen death, and it had changed her. He just hoped their reunion was everything Daniel hoped it would be, they had both changed so much in the past few years. Their first test, he was sure, was waiting for them in the briefing room.
"O'Neill…Thank you for looking after my husband" Sha're spoke up from his side.
"Well I thought it was best to keep him around" he replied "He'd kinda grown on me".
Sha're turned her confused gaze towards him; "I…do not know that expression, O'Neill".
"Oh, well. It just means that I've come to realise what a…great man he is". It was something he would never say to Daniel's face, that he admired him, that he counted him as a close friend. "And call me Jack". He flashed her a smile, which quickly faded as they rounded the corner, finding themselves face to face with Colonel Maybourne.