Daniel's Daughter
He still couldn't believe that they were there, on vacation. Not just any old vacation but an off-world excursion, no less.
The peaceful planet they were on was designated P6J-351 and Daniel was still a little shocked that everyone had been allowed to take the trip off-world. A lot of things had changed recently, including civilian access to off-world planets. More importance was now being given to exploration and investigation, rather than the previously essential gathering of alien technology for Earth's military.
Having seemingly been clear of interference from the Goa'uld and the Ori, the natives of P6J-351 were a quiet race, not as technologically advanced as Earth but working their way in that direction.
Most of Daniel's family had travelled with him that morning, including his two adorable daughters, Mia and Kennedy. Mia in particular had been a big hit with the local children and the eight year old hadn't stopped playing with them since she arrived.
Her younger sister Kennedy, however, had stuck close to her parents. The five year old had always been shy around strangers and kept to herself as much as she could. That worried Shelley a little and she sat on the steps, near to the Stargate, watching her youngest daughter playing in a patch of dirt.
Shelley had been watching for the last five minutes. Switching her gaze between Kennedy and Mia she suddenly realised just how different her two girls were.
Her attention was diverted as Daniel approached. Wondering what was keeping his wife away from him, he carelessly dropped his backpack on the floor next to his feet.
"What are you looking at?" he asked, kissing Shelley gently on her forehead as he sat next to her on the steps.
Daniel followed her gaze, watching as their daughter dug up the ground with her bare hands. She clearly had no qualms about getting down and dirty and was getting plenty of soil stuck under her fingernails.
Shelled smiled, "Remind you of anyone?" she asked.
Daniel looked at his daughter as she happily dug something up from the ground below her. For a five year old she certainly seemed to know what she was doing! Little Kennedy looked exactly like Daniel had when he was her age. The archaeologist remembered being taken from place to place by his parents but Shelley and he had agreed that they wouldn't do the same with their children.
"She looks exactly like you. Look at the two of you, always digging around in the dirt. I bet you even brought your tools with you." Shelley chuckled.
"Well there's nothing wrong with being prepared." Daniel replied.
Daniel's tools were in his backpack, along with a carefully hidden zat'nik'atel. No planet was completely safe and the cautious young man wasn't willing to risk his family by taking them anywhere off-world, unarmed.
Daniel looked over at his daughter again. He wasn't entirely sure if Kennedy was digging because she was at that stage when she was copying everything that everyone did, or because she'd seen her father doing it. He hoped that it was the latter!
"Are you still planning on staying here this afternoon?" she asked.
Daniel nodded. On a preliminary dig, Daniel had found evidence that suggested the Ancients had visited the planet thousands of years before. One of the elders of the village had told him they'd started excavating the site and thought they'd unearthed something that Daniel might be interested in.
"Why?"
"Look at her Danny, she'd love it."
Daniel could see that Kennedy was certainly enjoying digging for her treasure, but he wasn't sure it was a good idea.
"What if something happens?"
Daniel had many regrets in his life and not being there for the early part of his daughters' lives was one of the biggest. He'd been ascended when Mia was born and he'd almost missed Kennedy's birth by going to Atlantis. Luckily for the young family that had been the day when Vala had walked into their lives, forcing Daniel to stay on Earth. He would never tell Vala but he eventually he'd been thankful that she had connected them together with the Goa'uld bracelets. Kennedy's birth had been eventful for all concerned.
Suddenly, a grin a mile wide appeared on the lips of the young girl in front of them. She stood up quickly, frantically searching for someone who would understand what she'd discovered. Heading in the direction of her parents, she ran, clutching something tightly in her hand.
"Daddy, Daddy," she squealed. "Look, look what I finded."
Kennedy stood breathlessly, her excited little face eager to show her father what she'd found. Holding her hand out towards him she dropped her treasure into Daniel's outstretched palm.
"Wow Keddy, that's amazing," he said, smiling at the little girl.
Lying in his hand was what looked like an ordinary lump of rock with little shiny crystals embedded in it. Kennedy's bright blue eyes sparkled under the midday sunshine, alight with a mixture of excitement and wonder. She pointed the crystals out to her mother and this caused Shelley to smile as well.
Shelley nudged Daniel and urged him to ask their daughter to stay and dig with him.
"Do you want to stay with me this afternoon, while Mommy and Mia go home?"
Kennedy looked confused.
"Why?" she asked.
"So we can find some more treasure. Would you liked that?"
"I guess so,"
She looked at the stone in Daniel's hand and smiled. She grabbed it out of his palm and ran towards her big sister, ready to show Mia what she'd found.
"You could sound a bit more enthusiastic," Daniel whispered under his breath as he watched her run away.
Shelley looked a him, seeing he was feeling a little hurt.
"Aww Danny," she cooed, running her fingers through his hair and kissing his temple.
Daniel smiled, turning to look at his wife and remembering why he loved her - why he'd loved her for almost ten years. She always seemed to know what to do and what to say to make him feel better.
"Some piece of rock is more important to her than I am."
"She's five years old, Daniel. Watching cartoons is more important to her than we are."
Shelley rested her head against Daniel's. Watching Kennedy as showed her rock to her big sister. The two children were total opposites. Mia was like her mom, outgoing and adventurous, whilst Kennedy was quieter and more reserved, like her father.
#
At midday, Daniel and Kennedy waved Shelley and Mia off as they went home.
Daniel chuckled at Kennedy who was still waving even though the wormhole had dissipated and her mother and older sister had already disappeared.
Kennedy had been a bit upset at being left behind. She didn't fully understand why she'd been left with her father and was feeling unsettled by the whole thing.
Daniel looked down at the little girl and lifted her up onto his shoulders as he had done several times in the last few days.
"Let's go find some buried treasure."
Daniel had chosen a spot near the Stargate pedestal. He didn't want Kennedy to be too tired at the end of the day when they'd have to walk back to the gate but he knew he'd probably end up carrying her anyway.
The little girl had sat in a round patch of dirt and was already using her fingers to dig away at the ground. Her chocolate brown hair kept getting in her eyes and Daniel smiled as she repeatedly pushed it away with the back of her left hand.
He reached into his pocket and took out a pink piece of cloth. He carefully folded it and wrapped it around Kennedy's hair like a mini bandana. Now she looked like her father, with added pink!
"That better?" he asked.
Kennedy nodded, smiling happily. Her attention turned to the hole she had begun to dig. Using her fingers she dug them deep into the ground and pulled up several chunks of wet dirt.
A gust of wind caused some dirt to blow up into Kennedy's face and made her sneeze, very loudly. Daniel laughed and watched as she tried to use her finger to brush the dirt from her nose but succeeded in spreading even more of it around her face from off her hands.
"Here Keddy," Daniel said. "Use this." He fished another piece of material out of his pocket and wiped the dirt from her nose and cheeks.
When Kennedy had first learnt to talk she had been unable to say her own name and tended to miss out the n's completely. Daniel thought it was cute and eventually Keddy had turned into a nickname which had stuck, even once Kennedy had learnt to say her name properly.
Daniel reached into his pack and pulling out the little cloth satchel that contained his tools. He smiled, found the smallest brush he could and handed it to his daughter.
"Here, hold it like this."
Daniel took Kennedy's hand and showed her how to brush the dirt away from whatever items she wanted to uncover.
"See Keddy, like this. Nice and slow so you don't damage anything."
Kennedy took hold of the brush and gently moved the dirt aside. It seemed they had uncovered a small brown pot which was only slightly damaged and the little girl brushed away the edges, finally managing to see most of her find.
Daniel looked at her and felt proud. He'd love her no matter what she wanted to be when she grew up but he wouldn't object to his daughter following in his footsteps. He'd done it honour his parents after all. They'd passed on their love of history to their son and now he was passing it on to his own daughter.
#
Daniel watched as his daughter spent several hours digging up the village, searching for hidden treasure. Kennedy first uncovered the brown pot and then several pieces of old jewellery and her father was almost glowing with pride by the end of the day.
Just before sunset Daniel removed the zat from his pack and let Kennedy carry the bag as they made their way back to the gate.
Shelley stood at the edge of the ramp, awaiting their return and the redheaded mother watched nervously as the last Chevron engaged on the incoming wormhole. Kennedy's last trip through the gate had made the little girl cry because she hadn't understood exactly what had happened. Neither Daniel, nor Shelley, had explained it to her fully and the five year old had been scared by the experience.
Hank Landry stood at the control room window and waited for the return of the youngest Jackson and her father. He had backed the family's petition to be allowed through and had been surprised when it had been granted but he'd not been able to relax while half the Jackson family were still off-world. Daniel wasn't half as bad as he used to be but the young man still tended to attract trouble more often than anyone else.
Shelley held her breath for a moment as the kawoosh spewed out from the gate. After nine years it still shocked her every time. Father and daughter stepped through the gate she released the breath again with a loud 'chuf'.
"Mommy, Mommy. Look what I finded."
Shelley hadn't seen her daughter this excited in quite a long time.
Kennedy squealed excitedly, "I know what I wanna be when I grow up. I wanna be an arkalologist, just like Daddy so I can find more treasure. Just like this. Look Mommy, look, look."
Shelley picked Kennedy up and balanced her on her hip. Suddenly she laughed and patted the little girl's bright pink bandana.
"You look very nice with that on, sweetie."
"Just like daddy." Kennedy replied.
"Just like daddy," Shelley agreed.
She looked at her daughter. All brown hair and blue eyes, with a stubborn streak a mile wide - just like her father. Kennedy was definitely Daniel Jackson's daughter, there was no mistaking that!
"You wanna see what Daddy and I finded?" the five year old asked.
Shelly noticed that an infirmary nurse had entered the gate room, just as she'd done when Shelley and Mia had returned through the gate several hours earlier. General Landry was adamant that the girls be checked over on their return Earth. That last thing he wanted was an outbreak of some alien disease in the schools in the Colorado Springs area. Daniel and Shelley had agreed it was in the best interest of both their daughters and their world.
"Not at the moment, Keddy. Why don't you go with Nurse Lloyd to the infirmary. You remember Nurse Lloyd, don't you?"
Kennedy nodded.
"Mia's waiting for you in the infirmary. She's waiting to hear all about your day, and you can show her and Nurse Lloyd what you've found when you tell them what you've been up to."
The girl looked back at her father and he nodded.
"Okay."
Shelley handed Kennedy to the nurse who immediately placed the little girl on the floor. Kennedy was still clutching Daniel's pack in one hand so she waved at her parents with her other hand, the one that was holding her 'treasure'.
Shelley turned back to look at Daniel who was still smiling.
"Looks like you had a good time."
"Oh yeah. She's got a real gift you know?"
Daniel walked the last few steps down the ramp, still smiling. His whole face lit up in fatherly pride at the thought of the accomplishments his daughter had made that day.
"Just look at you." Shelley grinned, "It certainly looks like you made an impression on your daughter. Just as much as she's made an impression on you."
Daniel knew his wife was right. He hasn't realised it before but he really wanted at least one of his children to follow in his footsteps. Kennedy certainly seemed to have the talent for it.
"I'm just surprised that it's taken you five years to realise just how much that little girl adores you."
"Really?"
"Yes really."
Shelley tugged on Daniel's hand and pulled him close for a hug. When she kissed his forehead Daniel melted into her arms, knowing that she was usually right about these things. Who was he to argue when he'd just spent the most incredible afternoon with his amazing little girl.
"Just don't tell her you planted those things when she was talking to Mia," Shelley suggested.
Daniel shook his head, realising that was the last thing he'd want Kennedy to find out.
"Of course not."
Shelley gave him a light punch on the arm, "…Oh yeah, and when am I gonna get my necklace back?"
Daniel laughed, brushing fallen hair from her face. He looked at her, loving her humour, loving her completely. Neither of them would ever tell Kennedy what Daniel'd done, that he'd pretended to be as surprised as she was when she dug them up.
Both parents would end up being totally surprised their little girl grew up to be the famous Archologist, Kennedy Jackson!