Chapter 1 ~ Twisted Threads.

"Sam?"

The silken and timid voice, snapped the recently promoted Colonel out of her calculations. She glanced up to find Leesia standing, almost nervously, at the threshold to her lab. She was shifting hesitantly, from foot to foot, and Sam had to admit to herself that the former Ancient looked terrible. Her dark eyes were hooded, red rimmed and underlined with dark circles, clearly caused by too much crying and not enough sleep. In the three weeks since Daniel's 'death' she had gone through a dramatic drop in weight, which was only emphasised by the large size of Daniel's shirt, that she now almost constantly wore, on her slight frame. To start with Sam had simply put it down to the fact that she was just used to seeing her pregnant, but now it had become too obvious to be denied.

Sam made a mental note to ensure that she had something decent to eat today. Daniel wouldn't have wanted to see his wife go downhill like this.

She was standing with her shoulders hunched forwards, as if trying to fold in on herself and disappear. In one arm she carried an armful of ancient tablets, identical to the one Daniel had pointed out as important when he had the Ancient knowledge in his mind. With her free hand, she anxiously fiddled with the chain around her neck that housed Daniel's wedding ring.

"Leesia, you okay?" Sam asked softly, immediately regretting her choice of greeting, the second the words passed her lips. Of course, she wasn't okay; you only had to look at her to see that.

Gently, Leesia shook her head, but offered a small smile in gratitude for the concern. "May I work in here?" she asked. "I do not wish to be alone."

"Of course." Sam readily agreed, happy to help in any way she could and she began clearing a space on her bench for Leesia to work.

With another small smile in appreciation, Leesia slid onto one of the raised stools and set about carefully laying the many tablets, face up, across the surface of the workbench.

"I take it these are the other ones sent over from area 51." Sam inquired, glancing briefly over each of the tablets. She recognized the chevron symbols that dotted the framed edges, but the rest of the Ancient symbols were a mystery to her.

"This is some of them." Leesia told her.

Sam quickly did a mental tally of the tablets in front of them. There were eleven there. "How many are there?"

"I stopped counting after the two-hundredth." Leesia told her, absentmindedly thumbing over the surface of one of the tablets.

"Two hundred?" Sam repeated, her eyes widening.

"Plus." she said with a nod.

"Holly Hannah. I had no idea there were that many…Daniel's gonna need a bigger office." Sam added, in a gentle teasing tone, hoping to lighten her friend's mood.

However, Leesia only managed to give her a polite smile in return.

After a few silent seconds Sam asked, "Having any luck?" trying to keep the conversation from dying.

"Unfortunately not." Leesia replied. "To be truthful, I cannot comprehend how these can be of any importance, they all read like gibberish."

"You've translated them all?" Sam gawped in amazement, suddenly realising what had taken up all of Leesia's time, when she clearly hadn't been eating or sleeping.

"Repeatedly." Leesia said wearily, her tone touched with exasperation. "Each one is just as intangible as the next."

"Maybe you should get some rest and look at it afresh tomorrow." Sam suggested, but even before she finished the sentence Leesia was shaking her head.

"I have to get this done," she said in desperate resolve. "I just have to."

"You could at least get something to eat."

Again, Leesia shook her head. "I can't let anything he done be in vein. He said this was important. I have to figure it out. I just have to." Her words began tumbling out. "What if this is how to get him back? What if this is how to find our baby? What if I never find either of them because I could not figure out what this is? What if-"

"Leesia, Leesia." Sam interrupted, placing a gentle hand on her friends arm and ending her panicked ramble. "We don't know any of that. Daniel could have meant to do this himself. Think how clearly he made the instructions for the chair down in Antarctica. If this is that crucial, then he would have made sure you had every thing you needed."

Leesia took a deep quivering breath, in attempt to dull down her rising panic. The truth of Sam's words, as well as her reassuring touch, was some small comfort to her, but it couldn't resolve the bulk of her worry.

"He should have returned by now," she said, so quietly Sam nearly missed it.

"He said he would be back, there's no reason to think otherwise." Sam said trying to give her voice all the confidence that she didn't truly feel. She had been thinking the same thing herself.

Leesia head dropped sadly, her hand instantly returning to the chain around her neck, rolling the ring around her fingers. "I am afraid there is a chance that that may not be the case." The way her voice trembled as she spoke told Sam that there was far more than simple fear there.

The former Ascended kept her head down as she spoke, unwilling to meet Sam's eyes as she explained. "When I was being tried by the Others, for freeing Daniel and therefore breaking their laws on interference, they attempted to place blame for my actions onto Daniel."

"Why?"

"They claimed that I had been corrupted by his views because we were married."

"That's preposterous. Just because you choice to marry someone doesn't mean you have to take on his views. You're still your own person."

"I agree. I did not have to change, but I did when I met him. His mind and heart was so good and pure, that I could not help but be influenced by it. He made me want to be a better person. I don't remember much of who I was before I met him, but I do know that my life change so completely that day."

"He did say that he felt there were some pretty big differences of opinions."

Leesia nodded. "And that is an understatement. He was so passionately determined to make the Others see that every life counted, no matter what plane of existence they were from." She smiled as the memory played across her mind. "It was this that I fell in love with."

"So it wasn't his looks then?" Sam said. Her teasing tone back this time accompanied with a matching smile.

"No, it was his mind, his spirit that I fell for the instant we met. The fact that it is housed in a body that I find very visually pleasing is merely an added bonus. He opened my eyes, but it was because of this that they held Daniel somewhat accountable for my actions."

"And you think that will be the case now?"

Leesia sighed slowly. "I am concerned that it may be. At the time, I was able to draw light to the fact that Daniel had already served his sentence and as such all crimes are pardoned. I do not know how his re-ascending will affect their views on his condemnation, but I am terrified that he may be punished for my crimes…If anything happens to him it will be my fault."

"Was Daniel aware of any of this?"

Leesia shrugged, shaking her head. "I cannot be certain, however he certainly knows how strictly they take their laws and those who break them. So, he could have foreseen the potential."

"Knowing Daniel, if it came to that, he could find a loophole. And it'll be one we'd never have considered."

"He does have his own way of thinking." Leesia agreed with a thoughtful nod.

"So stop worrying." Sam said, wishing she could take her own advice. But, if she was honest with herself, she was just as scared for her friend as his wife was. Jack and Teal'c had both taken a more relaxed attitude. Insisting that Daniel would be back as soon as it was time and at first, Sam had been reassured by their certainty. They had both been visited by Daniel the last time he had joined the ranks of the ascended, whereas she had not, so, because of this, she had trusted their judgement. However, the more worried Leesia had become, the more Sam had also. Logically speaking Leesia - as a former ascended herself - had the most experience in these matters, so if she was concerned then there had to be reason.

Sam shook her head, trying to rid herself of the troubling thoughts. She forced a smile onto her face. "Come on, I'm starving. Let's go get some lunch," she said in a way that told Leesia that she wasn't going to be given a choice in the matter.

"Sam, may I ask you something?" Leesia said as she stepped out into the quiet hall, looking around almost hesitantly.

"Of course."

Leesia glanced back over her shoulder, to see if anyone was following them. "It is about Teal'c." she said quietly.

"Ah." Sam said knowingly, as they reached the elevator. She had been wondering how long it would take the other woman to notice. Frankly, she had expected it to be sooner, but then again, Leesia did have other things on her mind. "You want to know why he's been keeping close to you? It's nothing to worry about, it's a Jaffa thing."

Leesia looked up at the taller woman, her head tilted questionable. "Stalking is a Jaffa thing?"

"No." Sam laughed. "While we were on P3X-439-" Seeing Leesia brow furrow in confusion over the planets assigned title, she added. "-Where we found the repository. Daniel asked him to keep an eye on you."

The elevator doors slid open, and after Leesia glanced up and down the corridor, looking for the man in question, the women made their way towards the mess hall.

"That was three weeks ago." Leesia pointed out. "We have been to two other planets since then and returned home safely, surely he cannot still hold Daniel's request relevant."

Sam glance down at her, the look in her eyes clearly stating 'believe me, he can'. "I think you're under estimating Teal'c. You're just going to have to get used to the fact that…" She paused, not wanting to say 'until Daniel gets back' "…For a while you're going to have your very own Jaffa bodyguard."

"Babysitter, would be more accurate a description." Leesia grumbled in a very child-like manner, as the pair of them pushed opening the swing door to the refectory. They each grabbed a tray and made their way to the counter.

"If it's bothering you, you could talk to him." Sam suggested loading a glass of blue jell-o onto her tray. She doubted it would make any difference to Teal'c resolve, but there was a chance. It all would depend on how strongly he had taken Daniel request. Did he see it as a familiarity, or did he see it as the last plea of a trusted friend and colleague, made to him before he sacrificed himself.

Leesia shook her head. "No, it is not bothering me. In fact I find his near constant presence," she chose her words carefully. "… Reassuring…most of the time. However, I do not wish to be a burden to him. He must have something better things to do with his time."

Sam knew Teal'c wouldn't see watching her as a burden, more than likely he saw it as a duty to a fallen comrade. A duty he was not likely to relinquish. "So, how did you escape?"

"I didn't." she smiled. "He left to take his tretonin. I doubt it will long before he catches up with me."

Sure enough, before Leesia had taken her first bite, the mess doors swung back open revealing the large mass of a frowning Teal'c.

Light.

Nothing but welcoming pale yellow hue. Vibrant brightness, soothing in its purity, warming in its ambience.

Daniel tried to open his eyes, but nothing changed. All that registered in his vision was the light that surrounded him, enveloping him completely.

After trying repeatedly and achieving nothing for his troubles, he figured that either his eyes wouldn't open, or they already were and there was simply nothing to see. There was no way to tell which version was true. He tried to sit up, but had as much luck with his body as he had with his eyes.

There was nothing but the bright light and a heavy numbness that surrounded him. No breath. No weight. No…anything, except a tranquil peace and a presence that told him silently that he was not alone in his personal void.

"Where am I?" he asked, not knowing to whom he was speaking, but somehow knowing he could be heard. "Is this heaven?"

"You may call it what you wish."

He knew that voice, carried with the same whisper through his head as he remembered Leesia's voice had before she had descended. However, this voice, although familiar, soft and feminine, had none of Leesia's silk.

"Oma." he said knowingly, trying to nod his head, but found that wouldn't cooperate either. "I would say it's good to see you." he chuckled. "But I seem to be having some problems in that department."

He could hear the smile when she spoke again. "Honesty can be seen easier in the heart then it can with the eye."

"Okay," he said dragging the word into three syllables. That told him exactly nothing! He went back to repeat his original question. "Where am I?"

"Nowhere, everywhere. You can only be where you are."

"Right," he sighed internally, and if he had been able to roll his eyes in irritation, he would have. "I suppose it would be too much to ask for a straight answer for once?"

"You died. Your body became energy and is currently realigning itself…Is that straight enough for you?"

"Pretty much." he said in a tone of surprise. He honestly hadn't expected a clear answer. He decided to see how far he could push his luck. "Why don't I remember that?"

"The mind and body are one. The mind cannot exist without the body, nor the body without the mind. It will come back."

"So, I'm Ascended again?"

"Not yet, but it is the direction you are headed."

"How long is this going to take?"Daniel asked. He was not enjoying feeling like he was trapped inside his own head one iota.

"How deep is the river if you cannot see the bottom?"

"Great, back to riddles."Daniel grumbled.

"Time has no meaning here. The path to Enlightenment is as long as it needs to be."

"So, what have I missed?" he asked with a sigh, disposing himself for a long wait.

"Your friends and wife destroyed Anubis' fleet, then travelled to Tararus in search of your son. However, they found the planet has been deserted."

"He wasn't there?"

"No."

"Why is it never easy?" Daniel thought, the words sounding just as loudly around him as if he had spoken them aloud. He had presumed that destroying Anubis's fleet and his current physical presence would buy Leesia and the others enough time to get their son. He hadn't considered the possibility that their son wouldn't be there when the rescue came.

"So where is he?" he asked Oma, his question coming out more aggressive than he had intended it to, but he was getting too frustrated to care right now.

"I don't know?"

"You don't know!" Daniel repeated loudly, unable to believe that was possible.

"Being ascended doesn't make you all-knowing, Daniel. You know that."

"I know. However, I assumed that the half Ancient child of two former ascended would be on your radar."

"He was," Oma agreed, "but we lost track of him a while ago."

He wanted to grind his teeth, or clench his fist, do anything to physically shift his frustration from him. Not able to, he tried to calm himself and asked. "How does someone like Anubis ascend?"

"It is a long story."

"Well, apparently I've got time."

"Oy." Jack let out an exhausted sounding sigh and dropped the stack of files he had been carrying onto the workbench, so he could rub his hands over his face.

Sam, Teal'c and Leesia, who had gathered in Sam's lab, glanced at each other curiously, but it was Sam that voiced the question they were all thinking. "Problems, sir?"

"Uh, yeah." Jack snapped, his tone dripping with frustration.

"May we be of any assistance?" Teal'c asked.

"I was so hoping you would say that. Need a new team member." Jack gestured to the pile. "Pick one."

"And no 'enie meanie's'," he added as the three of them reached for the files. "Apparently it's frowned upon."

"Pressure from the Russians?" Sam inquired knowingly.

"Yeah," Jack sighed, "You know, it wouldn't be so bad if Daniel was back already," he continued, with an irritated yet casual tone, that made it sound as if Daniel had merely popped out for a second and was running late getting back. "But we can't have a two person team and I'll have a Russian on SG-1 over my rotting corpse."

Leesia looked up from perusing the files, her head tilted questionably. "I do not understand. Why would it be bad to have a Russian on the team?" her eyes turned up to Jack seeking answers.

The newly appointed General glanced back and forth to the two remaining members of his flagship team. They both stared back, their expressions clearly telling him that he was going to get no help there.

"Because they've got their priorities all wrong," he explained. "They don't care who joins SG-1, as long as they're from Russia. Whoever joins the team should be based on what they can bring aboard, not solely on where they're from."

"So they have been disallowed due to their reasoning?" Leesia asked.

"Exactly." Jack agreed. "I've narrowed it down to these guys, who I'd find…" he paused searching for the right word.

"Appropriate?" Sam suggested.

"Nope."

"Honourable?" Teal'c tried.

"No…"

"Worthy?" Leesia offered.

"…Tolerable." Jack settled on with a nod.

Teal'c thumbed through the files, reading each name. "Would Leesia Jackson not be a suitable replacement?" he asked Jack when he did not find her name on any of the files.

Leesia's head shot up, eyes wide. "Oh no, I-I could not I…I do not possess the courage that would be required."

"You are incorrect." Teal'c told her firmly. "You have proven yourself to be loyal, trustworthy, as well as brave in the face of danger. And your knowledge of the Ancients and ability to manipulate the technologies around you could prove most useful against our enemies. You possess the heart of a warrior Leesia Jackson and should not doubt your strength."

"Teal'c, I am flattered, really I am, but you are wrong."

"No he's not." Jack and Sam said in unison.

"You made the short list Sparky." Jack told her. "I only vetoed you because you didn't show an interest. Should you want it, the position's yours." He held his hand out, offering it to her, as if the job role sat on his upturned palm.

She stared in surprised shock at all three of them, one at a time. They stared back at her, expectantly.

"Accompanying you all is one thing, but having the responsibility of being a team member is far more. I do not believe I am ready for that."

The cool, crystalline wave lazily rolled up the beach, raking the top layer of sand back and leaving a dusting of silt in it wake. Daniel stood, shin deep in the undulating waters with his arms wrapped around his waist. Although the waves splashed against him, his cream pants remained dry. He stared out across the ocean, watching as the first of the three sun began to set on the horizon and tried to process all that he had learned, which he had to admit, wasn't a lot to go on.

It had been Oma who had been fooled into helping Anubis to ascend. He was starting to understand why the Others objected to her interference as deeply as they did. It was hard to imagine a benevolent being such as Oma, making such a critical error in judgement. There had to be more to the story.

"I know this place," he murmured absently to himself.

"You should, you brought us here." Oma said from her position lounged out on the beach behind him, her legs out in front of her, crossed at the ankle.

"Malgena." he said suddenly, spinning to face her. "This is where I married Leesia the first time."

She smiled in answer.

He padded up the beach towards her, marvelling at how his bare feet didn't leave a single imprint in the sand, even though he felt every grain. He dropped himself down to sit alongside her, brought his knees up and rested his loosely folded arms across their summits.

"Look, I don't mean to sound ungrateful, but if I couldn't follow the rules the last time why give me ascension again?"

"I have given nothing; I am merely here to welcome you."

"Enlighten me." Daniel said firmly, with a fortitude that could not be denied.

"You died with the knowledge of the Ancients within your mind; you did not require my assistance with your ascension. You were able to achieve that all on your own."

"I did?" The memory flittered to the front of his mind. A terrible pain burning through his skull. Trying, to push aside the brain-splitting agony, he had concentrated on one thought: Ascension. Willing his thoughts, spirit and soul to abandon his dying body. Feeling each and every one of his cells combust with bright, hot energy. He had risen, grazing his 'hand' across Leesia cheek as he did, to the next level of consciousness. "I did." he repeated knowingly. "So I can go back?"

"If you should you choose to return to your former existence, there is nothing stopping you."

"What do you mean 'if'?" Daniel argued. "I got the impression that I wasn't the most welcomed of newcomers the last time around. There's just one thing I have to do first; find my son. And if I'm gonna have any hope of doing that, then I have to find out everything I can. How did Anubis trick you?"

"You of all people do not want to know."

"Yeah, actually I do."

"You will not like what you hear." she warned.

"I get that... But, I still want to know." he said adamantly.

Oma's head dropped as she began her tail. "He must have found some old, Ancient research on ascension. He used the information he gained and began experimenting on humans, manipulating their evolution in his attempt to observe an ascension for himself. He was never successful and came to the belief that it was due to humans not being advanced enough."

"That's the Goa'uld arrogance for ya," Daniel said dryly.

"You understand too well."

"Had a bit of experience."

"Believing the Goa'uld to be far superior, he turned his research onto his own kind."

"But, ascension requires someone to be pure of spirit. It could never be achieved by someone who's spent years having their soul manipulated in a sarcophagus." Daniel argued.

"As he soon discovered." Oma agreed, with a small nod.

"DAN'YEL!"

The excited male voice interrupted their conversation and caused Daniel to spin around to find its origin. "Skaara?" he gasped in shock, as he saw who it was that was sprinting over the dunes towards them.

"I did not think to be seeing you again," the young Abydonian cried happily, as he embraced his brother-in-law.

Sam added 'Maj. John Sheppard' to her mental list of approved replacements and reached for the next file. She couldn't help but notice that every one of the candidates Jack had chosen all fit the same criteria; military, Air Force, mostly pilots. There was not one Doctor in the pile, or anyone with any knowledge of any other cultures or languages. When she had first met Jack, she would have assumed that this fact was due to his intense dislike of scientist, but now she knew better. Jack was simply stubbornly unwilling to except the possibility that Daniel might not come back. Jack was looking for a replacement for himself within SG-1, no one else. The mission report was further proof of that. Despite the fact that all four of them had witnessed Daniel's death, Jack had pulled rank and insisted that he be written down as M.I.A and not K.I.A.

"I believe this man would be appropriate." Leesia said, turning the file she was reading upside down and sliding it across the workbench towards the other so they could see more clearly. "He has the same honest heroism in his eyes that I have witnessed in all of you."

"You can't go by their looks you have to read their file." Sam said glancing at the file in question. She had approved of this one when she had looked through it, but she couldn't help but wonder if the reason for the former Ancients choice was based on the fact that this man bore a noticeable similarity to Daniel. He didn't ware glasses and the hair was a little shorter, but the resemblance was defiantly there.

"I have already read all the files." Leesia said, stunning Sam. She had seen her glance through the files and been told by Daniel how fast she was able to read, but she had never seen it for herself. "However, you cannot know who a person is from someone else's evaluation of them."

"How then are we to know who is right, without seeing them in action?" Teal'c inquired.

"We have seen him in action." Sam said, pointing out the passage she was referring to, to Teal'c. "He was the pilot leading the 302's down in Antarctica."

"Then he has done us a great service. For without their assistance, our mission could have failed."

"His service record is impeccable." Sam said.

"Does this mean we have found someone worthy to be your new member?" Leesia asked, looking back and forth between them hopefully.

"I believe so." Sam nodded.

"I agree." Teal'c said.

Surrounded by a sea of bodies, Daniel's expression went from jaw-dropping amazement, to joyous smiles and finally broke into heartfelt laughter, as wave upon wave of the mass of Abydonians surged around each other to get close enough to embrace or touch him.

"Its amazing." he gasped, trying to see each of their faces individually through the moving mass: Tobay, Bolaa, Waalt, Naga, one by one, he recognized each face. "You're here. You're all here."

He had been told by Jack, Sam and Teal'c about what had happened on Abydos. How the whole planet had ascended when Anubis had destroyed the planet, but he hadn't allowed himself to completely believe it. It was the silver lining, the light at the end of a very long, very black tunnel and it was simply to bright to look at. He had lost everything that day. His interference had cost him his wife, his form… his memories. And it had all been for nothing. Despite his efforts, Anubis had gotten the eye and still destroyed the planet, still killed all the people he considered family. To know that all of them, every single one, were all safely living on a higher plane was too amazing, to impossible for him to fully accept.

Eventually, he spotted Kasuf's face through the crowd. The Abydonians parted making room for their chef.

"Good Father," Daniel greeted with a nod, wondering if it was still right to call him that.

"Good Son," Kasuf returned. "You have rejoined us. Is your fight over?"

"No, I will need to go back... I have re-married."

Daniel waited on baited breath for Kasuf's reaction, trying to recall the Abydonian views on second marriages.

"This I already know." Kasuf said, his tone sounding more surprised than angry.

"You do?"

"Yes." Kasuf told him with a sharp nod. "It was your present wife that helped many of us here."

"Oh." Daniel said slowly, not knowing what else to say. "But I thought Oma…" he turned to her.

Oma gave him a cheeky smile. "I had to deal with a certain young man's hot temper at the time. If I hadn't, the Others would have. And they wouldn't have been so nice about it. So, I asked Leesia for her assistance while I attended to her…how did she put it?…her stubborn husband."

"She is a good woman." Kasuf said. "It is a good match and it would please my daughter greatly to know you are once again happy."

At the mention of Sha'ra, Daniel felt a lump rise in his throat. He turned to his father-in-law. "Good Father, I want you to know that…I never stopped loving your daughter. She will always be a part of me…I guess what I'm saying is…I'm asking for your blessing?"

Kasuf smile and placed his hand on Daniel's cheek. "You had it already. As well as all of our gratitude. Without you none of us would have found a place among the enlightened."

Leesia wondered around Daniel's office with an armful of books, in varies degrees of wear. Occasionally she would pause and slip a book onto one of the shelves, doing her best to remember where each one had been stored before, but despite the amount of time she had spent in this office, Daniel's crazy organisation system was still mystifying to her.

"Do not see what is be so bad with the alphabet." she gripped to herself, under her breath.

"Mrs Jackson?"

Grateful for the distraction, she turned to face the unfamiliar voice. The man who stood by the doorway, dressed in his dress blues, she had never seen in the flesh before, but she recognized him easily from his photo. He was taller and broader in person. Other than the bright blue eyes and the same shade of his short hair, she couldn't see the resemblance to Daniel that she had overheard some of the members of the SGC speak about since the Colonel had joined SG-1.

"Colonel Mitchell, welcome." she greeted with a smile.

"Call me Cameron." he said, offering his hand.

"Leesia." she returned, taking his hand briefly. "Are you settling in well?"

"Yeah. Is it always this hectic 'round here?"

"No, sometimes it is worse."

Mitchell laughed, wondering what he had got himself into. "I've been told that you turned down the position yourself and went to bat for me."

Leesia look up with a knowing glint in her eyes. "When did Jack tell you that?"

"Pretty much as soon as I walked through the door."

"That must have been uncomfortable for you."

Cam chuckled. "I did kinda get the impression that he wasn't too fond of me."

"Daniel would say that is a good sign."

Confused, Cameron frowned. "It is?"

"It would indicate that you are well skilled in your work."

"I guess the ole General is going to take some getting used to."

"I wish you luck with that. It has been many months and I am still trying to figure his ways."

"I was wondering why."

"He is a more complex man than he first appears." Leesia stated simply.

"No, I mean why did you recommend me?"

"I had a, how do you put it?… a gut feeling about you. Besides I think we should be thanking you, for your assistance in Antarctica."

"Ah, no need." Cam shrugged off her thanks. "In fact, why don't we call it even? From what I hear if it wasn't for you using your mojo, things could have been a lot worse for my guys and me."

Leesia blushed. "It was the least I could do. You were all risking your lives for us."

"For what it's worth, I'm sorry about Doctor Jackson." he said sombrely. "Has there been any news."

Leesia pinched her lips between her teeth and willed her jaw not to tremble. She shook her head, sadly.

"If there is anything I can do."

"Thank you." she said, gratefully with a quiver.

It wasn't till the Colonel turned to leave that Leesia noticed the similarity. Apart from the fact that Cameron actually seemed to be looking where he was going, it could have easily been her husband walking away.

With the last of the goodbyes and wishes of good fortune uttered, the Abydonians departed and Daniel turned his attention back to Oma, eagerly wanting her to continue her tail. If he was to defeat Anubis and get his son back, he had to know his enemy. "You were saying, Anubis learned that the Goa'uld were inhibited from ascending because of their use of the sarcophagus." he prompted, settling himself down in a manner that he hoped told her that he wasn't going anywhere, until he had all the facts.

"Yes." Oma confirmed, taking a seat beside him in the soft sand. "He knew of only one Goa'uld at the time that refused the use of the sarcophagus. What do you know of Kabechet?"

"Kabechet?" Daniel ran the name through his head, then began speaking very quickly. "Uh in Egyptian mythology she was the goddess of purification. Said to be the daughter of Anubis, who helped him with the rituals of the dead."

"That is a lose interpretation of the facts. She is his daughter, but she did not help him with the ritual, more accurately she showed him the path to ascension, albeit unwillingly."

Daniel's eyebrows jumped up his forehead. "Are you saying that he used his own daughter as a test subject?"

"Yes. She suffered greatly during his examinations. His manipulations of her were physically and mentally torturous. She was brought to the point of death many times, all without the healing effects of the sarcophagus to alleviate her suffering… It took years," she added mournfully.

Daniel couldn't help but feel the same deep compassion and sympathy for the woman that Oma clearly did. No one deserved to go through what she had, especially at the hands of her own father. He wouldn't have wished that fate on anyone…Not even a Goa'uld.

"Only when he had learned all he needed to complete his scheme did he leave her for dead." Oma continued. "When he came to me in Kheb, he already knew what he was doing. When I realised the horrible mistake that I had made I tried to undo it, but I couldn't. That's when the Others stepped in."

"I don't understand. They only sent him halfway back. Why not all the way?"

"It's complicated."

"Yeah, what isn't around here?" Daniel said irritably. "What became of Kabechet?"

"She tried to sacrifice herself to save her hosts life, but her host wouldn't consent to it. The selfless act, the willingness to die for one another, was the last thing needed to achieve ascension."

"So there's another ascended Goa'uld out there?"

"Not exactly. The host and symbiote died in harmony with each other, but while a Goa'uld symbiote could never achieve enlightenment without assistance, her host did. She joined the ranks of the Excubitary to ensure that no ascended being would help a lower being ascend. She kept a close watch and proved a huge hindrance to those of us trying to help people ascend."

"Why?" Daniel asked.

"She did not wish anyone to ever make the same mistake I did with her father. If one of us could be fooled by someone so evil then it could happen again. She thought it better to stop it altogether, rather than risk a repeat occurrence."

"That's ridicules. She can't judge the whole galaxy by the standards of her father."

"She does not view things the same way anymore."

"What changed?"

"She fell in love. Because of her parentage she never thought that she would be loved by someone pure of heart."

"And did he love her back?"

"Yes."

"Is she here? Can I speak to her? She may know where my son is."

"She is no longer with the ascended."

"Always causing a stir, ah Jackson?" An unfamiliar voice said.

With a small sigh of irritation and a roll of his eyes, Daniel spun around to see who it was who had caused the latest interruption. Would he ever get to the end of this story?

The large bellied man with small watery eyes, smiled down at him mockingly. Daniel was certain he had never set eyes on him before. However, there was no mistaking the loathsome essence that rolled off the man in overbearing waves.

Daniel swallowed back the vile taste in his throat. "Anubis."

Brigadier General Jack O'Neill leaned back in the comfy red leather chair, that had until recently been occupied by General Hammond, and glared at the brimming pile of paperwork on the desk before him. He hated paperwork, always done whatever he could to avoid it at all cost. This current pile seemed to be never ending. It felt like as soon as he was done with one, another two would take its place.

With a mused look on his face, he turned slowly to the side and eyed up the shredder that sat next to his desk. He pursed his lips thoughtfully, his head going back and forth, as if he was watching a game of tennis, flitting between the offending pile paperwork and the shredder.

He had spent most of his adult life sticking it to 'the man' (most of his childhood as well, now he thought of it), now he was 'The man', the boss, the big cheese.

"Ugh." he gripped, as he slapped both hands to cover his face.

"Sir?"

Jack removed his hands to see Carter standing in the threshold of Hamm- of his office, her fist poised to knock.

"Am I interrupting?" she asked.

"Yes, but please god do!"

Sam stepped inside and closed the door behind her. It was then that he spotted the papers in her hand. "Unless you're here to add to the pile. In which case, no you may not. You may run, taking it as far from me as is humanly possible."

Despite his light-hearted teasing, Carter stood her ground, pulling the papers nervously between her thumb and forefingers.

He didn't like the look she was wearing. Sam was always more likely to get mad then embarrassed, so why was she blushing?

"What is that?" he asked, pointing at the papers she was fiddling with.

"It's my letter of resignation, sir."

Jack's eyes went round with shock. "Come again."

"It's my letter of resignation." she repeated.

"That's what I thought you said. Why are you doing this, Carter? I just promoted you."

"And an application request to stay on with SG-1 as a civilian." she continued ignoring his question. "They mutually exclusive. And dependent on one thing."

Not convinced he wanted to know the answer; Jack bit the bullet and asked. "And that would be…?"

Sam stared at the floor as she answered, her cheeks flaring pink. "Hypothetically, if" She emphasised the word, strongly. "I were to hand these in, would it make a difference to…" she gathered her courage and finished her sentence. "…us?"

When Jack didn't reply, she peeked up at him through her eyelashes. His wide-eyed stare remain for a second, before he started shifting uncomfortable in his chair, looking like a naughty little boy in the hot seat.

Jack swallowed, cleared his throat, loudly…twice, swallowed again. "Hypothetically, I'd have to say…yes, but that's not to say I'd let you do it." he added the last bit firmly.

"With all due respect, sir, that's wouldn't be your decision to make."

"You're dead." Daniel said, jumping to his feet. "We killed you."

The man laughed and held his arms wide. "Do I look dead to you?"

"Your physical body is dead. You can have no more effect on anyone. If you tried, the Others will stop you."

"There are other vessels I can use to retake a physical presence."

The way he said that, completely void of any amount of compassion, of humanity, sent a fierce shiver run down Daniel's spine and made his blood run cold. It was pointed -he had someone specific in mind.

'My son!'

Desperate anger rose up through him. "No!" he screamed, as he lunged for the man, trying to get his hands around his throat.

He passed harmlessly through him. His speed making him stumble a few steps before he could turn round to face his intended target.

Anubis laughed loudly. "You cannot harm me."

"Maybe not like that." Daniel replied, with a quick raise of one thick eyebrow. He collected all his anger, all his pain and concentrated it all. Instantly, he felt bright yellow energy ball in his palms.

However, the moment he aimed to shot the energy at Anubis, he felt a strong pull. A pull that dragged him away from the evil being and away from the beach of the once peaceful shores of Malgena.

He growled out a scream as he rounded on Oma, barely taking in the new tropical location, that she had yanked him to.

"Why?" he demanded, his eyes spitting rage. "Why stop me? Again!"

"It is not a battle you alone can win." Oma replied, her soft tone remorseful.

"I can try!" Daniel shot out.

Oma shook her head. "No, if you were to fight him you could not win. Neither of you could. You are evenly matched. A battle between you both would never be able to end. It would be a never ending deadlock, one neither of you could surrender from."

In Daniel's mind, he saw it as a game of chess. With a board, as big as infinity two kings could chase each other around forever and never achieve checkmate. And even if a slip up was made and one king was somehow cornered, there was a 50/50 chance as to whether it was the white or the black king that toppled.

What he needed was to tip the balance in his favour.

What he needed was more pieces. He had never felt more alone than he did at that moment. He missed his friends and wife so badly it was almost unbearable. He needed Sam's wisdom, Teal'c strength, Jack's unflappable calm, but most of all he needed the comfort of Leesia's presence.

He turned his desperate eyes to Oma. "Help me!" he pleaded.

Her eyebrows lowered in sympathy. "I cannot interfere with anything he does."

"Why?"

"It is my punishment."

"Wait!" Daniel shot out, raising a hand to halt her. "Anubis can do whatever he wants. Corrupt, enslave and kill hundreds, thousands or innocent people. All to punish you? A good person, who believed they were doing a good thing."

"The Others don't see it that way." Oma said, with a slight shake of her head. "I keep making the same mistakes, helping people ascend."

"What if you stopped?"

"Wouldn't solve the problem."

Daniel huffed and rubbed the back of his head. 'There has to be a way! There just has to be!' With nothing else to go on, he turned to the past to seek the answers to the presence. "What was the name of Kabechet's host?"

Oma looked up at him, startled by his change of subject. "You have to understand Daniel, it is not as simple as black and white. There are shades of grey."

"What's her name?" he repeated, refusing to allow Oma's conundrum to deter his current train of thought.

"It is who we are, not what we are…our choices that define whether we are good or evil." she continued.

"I already know this." Daniel snapped. "Is there some reason why you're avoiding answering the question?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"Because if my son wasn't on Tararus, then there's a chance he could be in this lab that she was kept in."

"She does not remember that part of her life. Those memories were wiped from her mind"

"Of course they were." Daniel said through a sigh. "Would she be willing to remember?"

Oma remained silent, so he continued. "Look, I don't have time for cryptic games. I have a wife back home, who right now must be going crazy waiting for news on our son and on me. I have to know who…" his voice trailed off as the pieces of the puzzle finally clicked into place in his mind. His jaw dropped and his eyes grew wide.

It all made sense. Her irrational fear of the infirmary (or not so irrational he supposed; now he knew the reason behind it). The fact that she had kept an ability after her descension, as well as, how she was able to absorb information so quickly, told him that she had to be something more than human. How Anubis had known of her pregnancy. No doubt he would have wanted to kept watch on his daughter. Something Hathor had once said to him played through his head. 'We must have the code of life…In order to ensure compatibility for the Goa'uld and the host.' Therefore, who would be a better DNA match for Anubis than his own grandson would?

"It's Leesia…she's Kabechet."

The look on Oma's face was hard to read. However, Daniel didn't need her to confirm it to him.

"Holly…Hannah." Sam panted, as she glanced around the disorder around the office. Files and papers littered the floor, having been flung off the desk in one big swoop, seemingly much to Jack's delight. "If I'm being honest, as far as first kisses are concerned, I have to say…wow." Sam gasped.

Jack combed his fingers, lovingly through her tousled hair. "Well, if we're being honest, I have to tell you that, that wasn't our first kiss."

Sam stared up at him questionably, before realisation set in. "The me from the other reality doesn't count, it wasn't actually me."

"Wasn't thinking about that." Jack assured her.

"Surely not the caveman thing?"

"Wasn't thinking about that either... But now that you mention it, do you still own that sweet little tank top number?"

Sam gave him one of her best reproaching glares and waited for him to fill her in on what 'kiss' he was referring to, her arms folded impatiently.

"Remember when Teal'c and I got suck in that time loop?"

"Oh, you didn't."

His brown eyes tweaked with mischief. "Oh, didn't I?" he said through a crocked smile He leaned down and for the second time, he did something he never thought he would be able to do, not in this reality anyway. His kissed Samantha Carter. The woman who he had coveted for, for years. The woman who he had never spoken his love to verbally, but who had understood what his heart was whispering to her, without him having to utter one word. The fighter, the scientist, the woman with more balls than half the man in the base put together.

His backup. His second in command. His strength.

His love.

His Sam.

"What made you do this?" he asked when his lips finally, reluctantly freed hers. "Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining, but I never thought-"

"I know." she interrupted. "I didn't either." Sam smiled. "It was something Leesia said to me, actually."

"What?"

"She said that if I left it up to you it would never happen."

That made Jack laugh, although he couldn't deny it. "That's Sparky for ya. Cut's through all the crap and sticks her nose exactly where it's needed."

"With Colonel Mitchell joining the team, and you as General, I saw my chance. I thought if Daniel and Leesia could overcome all they went through to be together, then it should be a walk in the park for us…But, then again, maybe I should have chosen a more appropriate time to talk to you."

"You mean wait until after Daniel gets back?"

"No, actually I meant…" she pointed over Jack's shoulder.

His eyes followed the direction her finger and her eyes were pointing.

Walter stood on the opposite side of the star chart covered window, stone still. His mouth and eyes so wide they seemed to be competing against each other, for the 'who-could-look-the-most-shocked' award. It was a dead tie.

"Walter, don't knock." Jack snapped, climbing to his feet and offering his hand to Sam.

"I'm sorry, sir, I-I… I'll come back later." the airman stammered, his voice muffled through the glass. He backed up a few steps, before turning and hurrying from the briefing room.

"I guess that means that playtimes over." Jack grumbled. "But, dinner tonight, my place. I'll coo- I'll order in."

"There's nothing in your fridge except beer is there?"

"There is." He thought for a long second. "Just nothing I would describe as, you know, food."

Sam chuckled, shaking her head.

"So, Mexican, 'bout seven?"

"Sounds good." Sam said smiling widely as she went to leave. However, she paused at the door when Jack spoke again.

"It's good to keep you on the team…Doctor Carter."

"Thank you si-"

"Ah!" Jack shot out, raising his finger, pausing her.

"…Jack." she corrected. Her smile widened, and was returned amplified

"Your own daughter! …How could you?"

Anubis heard and felt the anger and hatred in the voice, before the visual presents of a livid Daniel Jackson materialized before his eyes.

"So you know." he said, coolly. "Did Oma tell you, or did you have to figure it out for yourself, like last time?"

"I knew?" Daniel chocked out, in shock, before he could stop himself. Quickly, he locked his jaw to keep from giving anything more away. He didn't want to create a situation for Oma, and he could sense the Others (who sat around causally lounging on the beach, as if nothing untoward was taking place) listening to every heated word.

"Does it sicken you now, as much as it did then?"

Daniel's fist balled beneath his folded arms. "How could you?"

"She reaped the benefits. She should thank me."

"For torturing her?" Daniel replied, cynically "For leaving her so severely mentally scared that the effects still haunt her, even though she doesn't remember why?"

"A small price to pay." Anubis said, stepping to the side, circling around Daniel, like a jackal stalking his helpless pray. "Tell me, Doctor Jackson, did my manipulations of her make her a more dutiful wife?"

Daniel kept his eyes front, refusing to follow his enemy's revolutions. Minutely, he shook his head. "You're sick!"

"Does she lay submissive to your desires? Unresponsive as the dead to your touch? …Or does she still scream?"

Daniel squeezed his eyes shut, refusing to let the white-hot rage that was surging through him show on his face. He absorbed every burning droplet.

Anubis circled back around to the front and leaned in close. "How does it feel to know that I am in her every cell?"

"She's nothing like you." Daniel hissed, through clenched teeth.

"No. She was a disappointment, not worthy of my mantle, far too weak. Her offspring however, was much more pleasing."

Daniel's eyes snapped open and zeroed in on Anubis like a laser beam. "What have you done to him? Where's my son?" he demanded.

Anubis laughed a deep bellowing cackle. "All the power and knowledge of the universe and you still are just as clueless as you always were."

"Where's my son?" he repeated, threateningly. "You will tell me, or I will wipe you from existence."

"An empty threat, Doctor Jackson."

"You may be." Daniel paused and shot out a single syllabled laugh. "Sorry, what I meant to say was; you may have been a powerful Goa'uld back in the physical plane, but here you are alone."

"As are you."

Daniel couldn't help the gloating smile that tugged the corners of his lips up. "That's where you're wrong. Here, thanks to you, I have an army."

Skaara came to flank him on his left, his arms folded across his chest, mirroring Daniel's determined stance. Kasuf joined them on his right, his head held high and proud. One by one, every single being, that had one time considered themselves Abydonian, came to stand behind Daniel.

"I'll ask once more." Daniel said, slowly. "Where's my son?"

"You will never find him." Anubis replied, obstinately.

Queued by Daniel's slight nod and with a war cry of "For Abydos!" the crowd unleashed the full strength of their energies.

Anubis's own energy shot out of his upturned hands, enveloping him like a shield as the magnitude of beams hit.

"Nooooooooooooooo" came the Goa'uld's strangled scream, as his shield started to shrivel under the pressure of the sheer volume of powers pressing down on him.

"Check mate." Daniel taunted, adding his own yellow beam to the bright hues of the mass.

As Anubis's light ebbed away, his fading voice forced itself, like white-hot needles of rage, into Daniel's mind. "You think you have won Daniel Jackson, but I will relish with the knowledge that your son died with me, for he was on the ship with my Jaffa when you and your people saw to their demise."

"You're lying!"

"You would know if I were." Anubis continued, his voice barley heard. "You're son is dead! And it was by your hand…"

With his final word still resounding in Daniel's head, Anubis faded into nothing.