Authors Note: I was surprised at how easy writing Daniel and Janet came back to me; it's been a while since I really wrote them. This was a challenge given to me by steph7085 and I have to say, I really enjoyed it. I hope you guys do too.

The Challenge
Fandom: Stargate
Characters: Elizabeth, Daniel, Ronon, Janet
Pairing: Hints of Rodney/Heightmeyer (An odd one I know but it is just a hintling).
Words – Charging, Cartoon, Flag, woman, mortal

Title: Ghost of the past.
Rating: G
Pairing: As above (Hints of Daniel/Janet too, friendship or romance, it kind of depends on how you see them.)

Ghost of the past

If there was one thing Daniel had learned to hate, it was alternate realities. From the first time he had accidentally slipped into an alternate reality they had been almost nothing but trouble. At the same time though he'd also learned the value of seeing how things could be, seeing how a different choice could affect everything and the knowledge that came along with those choices. That first time, he'd seen a world under siege by the Goa'uld, Teal'c had never switched sides, Sam wasn't in the air force, Jack had been the one in charge of everything and Daniel hadn't even joined the programme. When he'd come back to his own world people had thought he was crazy but along with all the trouble it had brought for him he'd had the co-ordinates of the world the Goa'uld were going to launch their attack from. That knowledge had saved the earth of their world but it had come at a price, he'd had to watch everyone he cared about sacrifice themselves to help him in the other reality.

This time was no different except that he was in his own reality and instead of watching someone he cared about die he was forced to relive the memory of it. The other difference was that when this was all over she would still be gone from his life. He knew Atlantis had its own share of experiences with Alternate realities but the last thing he'd expected when he came here was to be facing down demons he had never quite managed to bury.

"So much for your uneventful visit," Elizabeth said as she moved to stand beside him. He nodded without looking away from the security monitor. The occupants of the room glanced up at the camera occasionally and it was obvious they were getting fed up with being trapped in there.

"Have we figured out how they got here yet?" he questioned and Elizabeth shook her head.

"Our guests seem to know as little as we do, Rodney and Radek are working on it now," she told him and he nodded his head again. It was the second time he'd seen Janet Frasier come through from an alternate reality and just like the last time it made him feel that much worse for not having protected her. She was sitting with an alternate Ronon, he wasn't sure yet how those two fit together in her world but he figured since she'd been dead here when they found Atlantis he had no way of knowing what her life would have been like. Maybe she had been part of the expedition team that had come here originally; maybe she'd transferred here some time later.

Elizabeth was talking to someone over the radio, it sounded like it might be Colonel Sheppard and a moment later she turned to him. "Rodney thinks he might be onto something, in the meantime I don't see a reason to keep them cooped up in there. I'll assign a security detail to each of them and they'll be more or less free to wonder around until we find a way to send them home. Do you want to go tell them?"

"Sure," Daniel said after a moment.

"Are you going to be alright?" Elizabeth asked him and Daniel gave her a thankful smile.

"Yeah, I'll be fine," he replied and watched as she left. He turned his attention back to the security monitor; he was going to have to face her sooner or later, might as well get it over with now.

The alternate version of Ronon hadn't been able to get out of the room fast enough. As soon as the two airmen had arrived to play escort he'd gone and Janet had been left in the room rolling her eyes. Daniel had offered to go with her to the cafeteria to get something to eat and with a familiar smile she'd accepted. He cursed himself as soon as he'd asked, the last thing he needed was to get too comfortable with her, to let his guard down around her. It would only hurt all the more when she left... again.

He hadn't been able to take back the offer though and now he was sat in the cafeteria, eating pasta and discussing the differences between their worlds, conveniently they both seemed to leave out the most obvious difference. Daniel couldn't bring himself to even mention it and he could tell that somehow she knew without having to ask.

"You visit Atlantis all the time, sometimes I go with you, it's an amazing city and every time I go they've discovered something new. You've mentioned the idea of transferring there once or twice, I have too but I don't think either of us will actually do it," she told him and Daniel looked at her curiously.

"Why's that?" he asked her.

"We're both happy where we are, I think you'd miss being a part of SG1 too much to stay away and my entire family is on earth, you guys included. Then there's Cassie and I know she's all grown up now but being so far away from her would be.., hard," Janet explained and Daniel could understand her reasoning. He couldn't deny she was right, he loved Atlantis, loved to come here but SG1 was somehow where he belonged. "What's Cassie up to here, she is here right?"

"Yeah, she is," he replied with a smile. "She's in medical school; wants to be just like her mom. She's grown into an amazing woman, you'd be proud of her."

"Are you close to her?" Janet questioned.

"Yeah, always have been, even more since you..." he trailed off realising he'd just mentioned the giant elephant that was dancing through the room currently demanding attention. Daniel wondered why, in his mind, the elephant was a cartoon but then he figured all these years hanging around Jack probably had something to do with it.

"Died?" Janet finished for him and Daniel didn't have it in him to nod his head. "It's okay; it's not the first time I've found out I'm dead in another world."

"And this isn't the first time I've seen you since," he replied and she smiled sympathetically.

"I'm sure this is actually worse for you that it is for me," she told him and he gave her an incredulous look. "We're all mortal right, we all die but at the end of the day, I'll go home and I'll still be alive but for you..."

"You'll be gone again," he finished and she nodded. He couldn't help but think back to that day, to the moment he'd lost her, to the video tape he'd agonised over giving up, to the service, to Sam standing behind the podium, the American flag and SGC flag behind her as she listed the names of the people that wouldn't have been standing there had it not been for Janet, his name had been one of the first. "I don't think I ever really thanked you when you were alive, for all those times you saved my ass."

"Technically it wasn't me," she smiled and he smiled back.

"I'm willing to bet you've saved my alternate self just as often," he shot back and she laughed.

"You do seem to have a very unique gift for landing yourself in my infirmary," she stated. "If she was anything like me then she didn't need you to say thank you, she knew you were grateful and having you alive was all the reward she needed."

"Still, I should have made a point of saying it, when you get back, make sure you tell me how lucky I am to have you around," he told her and she laughed again.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure he knows," she replied.

McKay had figured it out but there wasn't a lot of time. The gateway between this world and Janet's was rapidly closing and Rodney didn't know if he'd be able to make it open up again any time in the near future. Daniel took Janet to the lab and despite his best intentions he knew he'd gotten used to having here there in just the few hours he'd spent with her. If he was honest he couldn't blame himself, Janet had fitted so easily into his life and the woman that had come through to this universe was like her in almost every way.

"I'm sorry," she said to him as they stopped outside the lab. He looked at her in confusion, he couldn't think of any reason for her to need to apologise. "I know my being here can't have been easy for you."

He smiled. "It's hardly your fault you got sucked through a tear in space into an alternate reality."

"Still..." she said and he shook his head.

"I'm glad I got the chance to see you, you're exactly like her, it's strange but it was a comfort to get to talk to you again," he told her. They could hear McKay inside the lab shouting orders at people and Janet smiled.

"Is he dating Kate Heightmeyer here?" she questioned.

"Not that I know of," he replied curiously.

"That explains it, she has such a calming affect on him," Janet stated and then turned to enter the lab. The alternate Ronon was already there, Daniel could only tell the difference between them because the alternate version had a small scar on his head that their own Ronon didn't.

"Ready to go doc?" Ronon questioned and Janet nodded. "Good, because I am more than ready to get out of here. This McKay drives me crazy more than the one back home."

Janet smiled and turned to Daniel, he hugged her and for the briefest moment he contemplated not letting go just to see if that would keep her here. This wasn't her world though, she had her own home, her own Daniel to go back to and he couldn't be selfish. He released her and she gave him one last smile and a kiss on the cheek before she went to stand with Ronon.

"Wonder what Jackson will think of that," Ronon stated and Janet gave him a mild glare. Daniel could hear the sound of a device charging and moments later both Janet and Ronon were gone. Elizabeth appeared by his side and put a hand on his arm, he hadn't even been aware of anyone else in the room.

"Are you alright?" she asked him.

"Ask me again in a couple of hours," he told her as he turned to leave. He needed some space to sort his thoughts out, to once again put his feelings back in order and push certain memories to the back of his mind. He'd be fine, he always was in the end but that didn't mean he ever had to like the fact that she was gone, that he ever had to get over it, something told him he wouldn't anyway.

END

A/N - There is not a chapter two, for some reason ffnet decided to email everyone a link to a non-existant chapter, just a heads up.