A/N Disclaimer; i don't own these characters at all.
Sarah Gardiner didn't know how to settle back into normal life. she'd spent a over a year being controlled by some alien symbiote. It was not normal and now she couldn't tell anyone about it.
Daniel had said she would get used to it but she couldn't see how. It was his life, she supposed and he lived it and was used to it. But it wasn't hers or at least it hadn't been.
But still (to put a good spin on it ) she'd learned a lot. Met the most worshiped gods in Egyptian mythology, she'd even been one. So in on the archaeologist side it had it's plus points But returning to normal life would be a struggle. Daniel had said he would help but in all honesty he was part of that pain now. She had loved him in the past but he had hurt her and now he was not the same person she had known.
He was less of himself. Not as perfect and unbroken. Maybe that wasn't true he was still all for seeing the good in people but he had killed. He owned a gun and wasn't afraid to kill. She'd seen it and it hurt.
He wasn't her Daniel anymore and well she didn't like the person he'd become.
She was going home tomorrow and she couldn't wait. she'd have some adjusting to do and she'd have to try and mend her friendship with Steven.
Steven┘.. Thinking about him made her wince, she'd hurt him. To escape and get the medallion back she's caused him serious harm. oh she hoped everything would be alright.
She was going to have a lot of excuses to make.
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Daniel felt bad for Sarah. for the past few days since the Tok'ra had removed Osiris she'd not been the woman he'd once known but he did suppose he was different now. Honestly his closest friends were military and aliens.
Plus she had been possessed by an alien for quite a long time and the Goa'uld were good at messing with you. it must have been hell for her. Osiris had harmed a lot of her friends.
He'd have to talk to her before she went home in the morning.
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Daniel knocked on her door. he was nervous and he shouldn't be. he'd known Sarah for a long time.
"Daniel!" Sarah said, slightly surprised when she opened the door to find him there.
"Hi Sarah, Can we talk."
"Um sure come in." Sarah replied opening the door wider to let him in.
"I know I've talked with you before but I have to make sure your ready to go back into normal life. You've been through a lot Sarah, you were a host, and as a result were witness to horrible things."
"Witness?" Sarah interrupted him. "All of you people keep saying witness why?" This was something she'd noticed in the talks she had had. No one seamed to say 'she' did these things it was always that she was witness to them. It seamed strange to her when it has her hand that had done terrible things to people. Her mouth that had given out orders to do horrid things and her eyes that had seen it all and shone golden.
"You didn't do this. You had no control. Sure you watched what happened and it was your hand but you weren't in control. You didn't hurt anyone." Daniel said his voice steady and strong, he really believed his words.
"how can you be so sure?" Sarah asked him. She was having difficulty coming to terms with everything she'd been through and Daniels words were grating on her.
"We know them Sarah. We've seen everything they do."
"How can you live this life Daniel? This is just so not you. You're innocent and have lots of phobias and allergies. How can you cope?"
"I've changed really. Remember eight years ago when everyone was laughing at my idea that the pyramids were built by aliens?"
"Yes. You just disappeared."
"I was pulled into this because I was right and I spent a year living on another planet. I got married there."
Sarah felt like someone had kicked her in the gut.
"Married?"
"Yeah." Daniel hadn't thought before he'd spoken and he was staring to think he shouldn't have mentioned Sha'uri at all.
"You got married. Where is she?" Sarah didn't know what to say. He had a wife! Daniel who had always been too wrapped up in his work to have a real relationship, had a wife.
"She's dead. She was taken as a host to a Goa'uld called Amonet. Teal'c had to kill her." he told Sarah. It hurt to even mention teal"c killing her. Even after all these years.
"Oh Daniel I'm so sorry." Sarah knew who this Goa'uld was. Osiris had memory of her, Apophis wife.
"I loved her dearly but it's been a long time now." Sarah noticed how sad Daniel sounded. It was clearly a sore topic for him no matter how long it had been.
"Everyone seams nice here." She said. It was pathetic she knew but she would say anything to draw Daniel away from the current subject.
"Everyone is. Not like the people I used to know but they are good people." Daniel knew why Sarah was doing this and he was thankful for it.
"Do you miss it?" Sarah asked suddenly looking at the floor.
"Miss what?" Daniel asked not quite understanding what she was asking.
"Your old life. Before all this, the stargate, aliens?" Sarah asked her hands gesturing around the room as she spoke.
"No not really. I mean I missed some people but I like this life."
"Don't you miss digs?" Sarah was determined to get Daniel to admit his life wasn't so great.
"I've done some here. Off world. Sarah I love finding out about new cultures and gaining a better understanding of the ones I already now about and here I can do all that."
Daniel told her honestly. He hated having to prove he liked it here and didn't need his old life back. It had been fun all of the things Sarah brought up but they were the past. Sarah herself now was as she seamed to be surrounded by everything he couldn't as the past.
"I'm going back tomorrow. I've got a lot of explaining to do."
"We made up a story for Steven, we told him you had contracted a disease that altered your neural state. He thinks you receiving treatment." Daniel told her calmly. He liked to think it was a great story but unfortunately Sarah didn't quite agree.
"You told him I'd gone CRAZY!?" Sarah couldn't believe this.
"No not crazy just grieving."
"He'll think I'm crazy Daniel. He won't talk to me ever again."
"That's not true Sarah. He's been trying to find you. He's sent me plenty of emails. The last one was just a few days before you came back." Daniel said reassuringly. Maybe the story wasn't great but they had to come up with something. It had been hard. Sarah was totally against violence.
Sarah found herself smiling at him. This lightened her mood.
"Would I be able to call him?"
"Tomorrow you can. Once you've left here." Daniel wanted to ask about her and Steven. The passion with which Steven seamed to miss her had shocked him. There was love there but he didn't know if it was reciprocated or not. "Was there something going on between you?"
"No. but he liked me. He always had. It was one of the millions of reasons he was jealous of you." Sarah said with a laugh. Daniel smiled. He did remember the longing looks he'd seen Steven give Sarah, when she was looking at an artefact or reading or doing anything in particular.
"It's been nice seeing you again Daniel. Knowing where you've been. Some people suggested you were dead."
"It could have seamed like that." Daniel agreed.
"Except you'd done things, like taking you name of the petition to ban guns." This had puzzled Sarah when she'd first seen his name off the list. It hadn't made sense to her but now it did though.
"Well since join the SGC I've learned how to shot a gun and I've done it so many times, it didn't feel right to be on that list now. I carry a gun every where now."
The gun thing had been hard but he had to do it. It just hadn't sat right anymore.
"The you I knew wouldn't have done that but anyway the past is the past and that is were it belongs. It's been nice seeing you Daniel but I have to rest. Goodbye." She said kissing Daniels cheek and she watched him leave.
She was ready to let him go.
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Sarah arrived home as late the next day. Her apartment had been kept by the air force, thankfully. Picking up the phone she dialled Steven's number.
It was late he could be asleep.
It might have been right as it took him a while to answer.
"Hello."
She took a shaky breath and said "Steven."
"Sarah?" Steven's voice was filled with confusion and wonder as well as happiness and the obvious tiredness.
"Yes." she said shakily.
Hearing his voice calmed her and made her feel like she was home.
"Where have you been? Are you alright? Can I come over?"
Sarah smiled to herself. Things might just be alright.
A/N please read and review. For a while I found it difficult to write anything. I had ideas but couldn't put them down on paper. This is the first this I've done so feed back is much appreciated. Constructive criticism are also alright but criticism for the sake of it is not.
Disclaimer ; On an the gun petition thing...I don't know if there is one there might be but it was just a writing tool thing because I wanted to use it.