CATEGORY: D/J, angst (character death!), Alternate Universe

RATING: PG-13

SPOILERS: None

SEASON/SEQUEL: Implied relationship between Janet/Daniel, future season...my reaction to rumors of a character death prior to the airing of "Heroes".

SUMMARY: Daniel takes a moment to reflect after a funeral.

DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognisable characters and places are the property of MGM, World Gekko Corp and Double Secret Productions. This piece of fanfiction was created for entertainment not monetary purposes and no infringement on copyrights or trademarks was intended. Previously unrecognised characters and places, and this story, are copyrighted to the author. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

CONTENT WARNING: This involves character death. It's basically a POV from Daniel's perspective--and, no, it's not particularly happy. It made my beta cry; you have been warned.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Blame Diamond Rio's "I Believe" for the inspiration of this story. I wrote this because I wanted to write something to send to my beta for Easter and this was what my muse came up with.

FEEDBACK: Praise will be forwarded to my beta (she deserves it for putting up with my procrastinating) and flames will be used to warm my cat (he's nineteen--he gets cold a lot). So, let me know whatcha think.

Je Reviens (I Return)

The infirmary was silent. Dr. Warner and most of the nurses were off and the base was on stand-down for the day. Since there was almost no one still at the complex, there were no patients in dire need of medical attention. Just one archaeologist stood in the doorway, his blue eyes scanning the interior for something. Anything. Anything that was a sign that Janet wasn't really gone.

She hadn't ascended.

All of Abydos had ascended. Hell, even he'd ascended.

But Janet hadn't ascended.

Instead, she was just dead. Killed in an accident--a mindless, mercilessly normal accident.

And Daniel was fighting the irresistible urge to curse Oma Desala for her fickleness in picking and choosing those she'd help. Even as the thought sprang unbidden to his mind, he knew it wasn't fair. No one could save everyone. And, in his heart, he didn't think that Janet would've chosen to ascend.

But that meant that he was alone.

Again.

He swallowed and glanced down at his shoes. The black patent leather sparkled with polish--spit and polish, Janet would've called it. He'd come straight from the funeral, an unspoken promise by Sam to watch over Cassandra releasing him to his own grieving. He only dressed up like this for funerals, he realized. Or dates.

Stepping inside the infirmary, he fought the alienness of Janet not being there. Only a week before she'd been laughing at his latest adventures, one eyebrow quirking up at the more unbelievable bits. Only days before she'd been curled in his arms early in the morning, her breath soft and warm. But now she was in the ground, and he had nothing.

He reached out and set his palm on one of the beds, his eyes drifting shut. "I'm alone."

The air seemed to prickle around him and he started a little. He could've sworn that he caught a whiff of Janet's perfume. Je Reviens. She'd joked that she should dab some on Daniel just to make sure he made it back through the Gate.

Je Reviens.

I return.

"Can't be," he muttered, opening his eyes. Searching for the merry prankster who was playing a cruel joke.

But there was no one there. Just the soft rustle of the bedclothes that his fingers absently stroked.

"I'm losing my mind," Daniel whispered to himself.

But, for a moment, he could have sworn that she was there. Watching. And, for a moment, he believed in ghosts and guardian angels.

For a moment he believed.

Finis