TITLE: When the Time is Right

AUTHOR: Starrynight

DATE: 10/20/01

EMAIL: kitty1jw@hotmail.com

CATEGORY: hurt/comfort

PAIRINGS: None

SPOILERS: Maternal Instinct

SEASON/SEQUEL: 3

RATING: G

CONTENT WARNINGS:

SUMMARY: Daniel talks to Linda about the Harcesis child.

STATUS: Complete

ARCHIVE: Heliopolis

DISCLAIMER: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. I have written this story for entertainment purposes only and no money whatsoever has exchanged hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations, and story are the property of the author. Not to be archived without the permission of the author.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Something that popped into my mind . . . Feel free to comment.

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Linda was sitting on her bed, playing her recorder, when she heard a tentative knock on the door of her SGC quarters. She laid the instrument on the bed next to the music, walked over and opened it. Daniel stood in the corridor, his arms folded tightly across his chest, looking at the floor.

"Hey, Danny. Come in. What's up?"

He quietly stepped into the room. Linda left the door open and turned to face him. Daniel looked up at her and she could see the emptiness in his eyes.

"What happened?" she asked, concerned. She knew that SG-1, Bra'tac and SG-2 had gone to Kheb to locate the Harcesis child.

Daniel said nothing but just stood, looking lost.

Linda walked over, moved her things and sat on the bed. She invited Daniel to sit next to her. He slowly walked over and sat. "I didn't bring the boy back with me," he said desolately, staring at the far wall.

"Didn't you find him?"

He turned his head and looked at her. "Yes, we found him."

"Then why . . . ?"

The depth of sadness in his eyes stopped her from saying any more. "I'm sorry," she mumbled.

"No, don't be," he said as he shook his head. "He's safe. That's all I can ask for. That's what Sha're wanted more than anything else. It's just that . . . "

"What?" Linda gently prompted him as she held his hand.

"Well, when I held him I didn't want to let him go. He's the only part of Sha're that I have left. . . I wanted to have him with me . . . even if he isn't actually my son . . . "

"I can appreciate that, Danny. Then why did you give him up?"

"I realized that Oma Desala, the being who was taking care of him, had been showing me that she could protect him better than I could. She had already killed a number of Jaffa who were trying to take him to Apophis. The evidence was irrefutable. I can't protect him like she can. I just didn't want to see that . . . Giving him up was the most difficult thing I had to do. . . after watching Sha're die."

"But you decided his safety was more important."

Daniel looked away. "Yes . . . God . . . I miss him . . . I wish I could help him . . . I wish we could be a family . . . I wish I could have had my own family with Sha're . . . but that wasn't possible."

"I know what you mean," Linda said quietly.

He faced her. "You do?"

"Yes," she said as she took his hand. "You see, I wanted to have a family, too. I wanted to know the joy of having children, teaching them, playing with them. But once Tom died I knew couldn't do that, at least not right away. For a while, I felt like I had lost that hope entirely, that I would never have children. Now I know that it still can happen. I may eventually marry again and raise a family. It's just a manner of meeting the right person and knowing it's the right time."

"Yeah." Daniel nodded in agreement. "I hadn't really given much thought to that yet. I'm still getting over losing Sha're."

"It's okay, Danny. I understand. I wouldn't expect you get married again immediately. I'm still healing after Tom's death, too, and it's not wise to rush into anything. I just like the idea that I don't have be alone indefinitely. Besides that, you're the only one that can know when you're ready to move on."

"That's true." Daniel thought for a couple of minutes. "I haven't completely lost him . . . She promised that I would see them again . . . She didn't say it verbally, but the way she touched me and looked at me showed that she meant it."

"That's good, Danny. I hope you do see them again."

"So do I."

"I get the feeling that Oma Desala isn't one to break her promises. You'll see her and the boy, when the time is right."

"Yeah . . . and maybe I'll marry again and have a family of my own . . . when the time is right." Daniel smiled a little. "Thanks for reminding me that I still have a future with a family in it."

"Sure. We both do," she said and smiled, too.