Friday's Child

by

libkat

Chapter One: Return to Sender

Disclaimer: Stargate SG1 and its characters belong to a bunch of folks who aren't me, darn it. I will return them undamaged when I am finished playing with them.

"Friday's child is loving and giving."

"Unauthorized off-world activation." Sgt. Harriman's voice echoed through the PA system of the SGC. The klaxons brayed throughout the base as Col. Jack O'Neill loped towards the gate room to greet whatever new disaster was on its way.

The SGC had been on alert since the devastation of Abydos. In the weeks since, Anubis had cut a swath through the System Lords. Everyone hoped that the half-ascended Goa'uld was not quite daring enough to violate the Protected Planets Treaty openly by attacking Earth. Yet, each time the Gate activated, Jack O'Neill came running, jocked and locked.

Jack arrived in the gate room just in time to hear the muffled sound of the kawoosh. A blue shimmer showed around the circumference of the gate's iris, indicating an incoming wormhole had been established. Then the iris began to open of its own accord, subsumed in blinding white light.

Jack could hear the panic in the control room, Carter and Walter tossing out half completed questions, answers, instructions in the nearly unintelligible language of tech geeks everywhere. Jack stood transfixed as SFs came to firing positions and Siler, with one of his crew, tried to override with the manual iris control.

Jack recognized that light. He had seen it several times and, while it generally didn't signify anything good, it was also not something you wanted to challenge with force.

"Stand down, Airmen. Stand down NOW!" Jack's Colonel voice, the one he didn't use very often, roared over the noise of the gate room. Thankfully, the men were well trained and muzzles dipped towards the floor just as the light coalesced into a figure that hovered just a bit off the ground.

Jack vaguely heard General Hammond's voice trail off over the PA system. He hadn't even had time to finish his outraged "Colonel, what the hell are doing?" before the reality sank in that an ascended being had just breezed past their strongest security measure.

Jack recognized the being. Oma Desala wasn't in the strict schoolmarm persona she had adopted when she had taken Daniel off to enlightenment land. No, this was the more ethereal Earth Mother they had encountered on Kheb. Blindingly white robes cocooned her as she floated her way down the ramp.

Now Jack O'Neill wasn't one of those folks who thought the Ancients were deserving of worship, but even he had to admit the sight was impressive. Less impressive was the noise accompanying her.

Ear-splitting wails were coming from the bundle Oma carried in her arms. Once her flowing robes settled around her, it was revealed that Oma carried a baby in her arms, a very angry, very naked boy child of about 7 months. Pudgy little arms waved and tiny feet kicked as the baby made his discontent known to the whole gate room, the whole mountain, possibly the whole of Colorado. The kid had lungs.

Oma Desala stopped in front of Jack.

"Colonel Jack O'Neill. I have come to return what was lost."

With those cryptic words, Oma thrust the baby outward. It was either take the child or let him drop to the floor. Jack juggled baby and P90 for a moment, then settled the little boy comfortably in his arms. The wailing subsided into snuffling whimpers.

"Whadda ya mean you're returning 'what was lost'? When did we lose a baby, for crying out loud?" Jack's voice stopped the ancient woman as she turned back up the ramp.

"Use the senses we gave you, Jack O'Neill. Do you not recognize the one you hold?"

Jack looked down at the bundle in his arms. Gazing back at him were the bluest eyes he had ever seen. Even with the redness from the tears, Jack knew those eyes. "Holy God," he breathed, "how did this happen? What have you done to Daniel?"

Cold. Cold and bright. No like this. Hold tighter. No drop me. Oh, this better. Know this voice. This voice good. Safe now.

Danny Jackson settled into the arms that now held him close and secure. He looked into the deep brown eyes of the who held him and knew that he would be all right. He was home.