Disclaimer: StarGate SG-1 and its character do not belong to me. I'm not related to the show in any way. I'm merely a fan who writes fanfics. "Rain" is solely mine.
Rain
Prologue
She walked into the white blanket of snow. Stamping her marks along the way, a soft giggle escaped from her mouth as she fell face forward into the snow and bounced back on her feet fast as she could manage for a five-year old.
Looking down she discovered that she was covered with snow head to toe. Shivering from the touch of icy cold wind that kissed her cheeks, she gazed around for her brother, when she saw no one, fear crept into her, blinking back her tears she re-traced her steps.
"Danny?" she called out. When she received no reply she put more energy into her feet, it was like she was almost running. "Danny?" she cried out, letting the tears fall down her cheeks. She turned around a full 360 circle, and did not see anything in the white mist expect the snow that was caught in the wind.
She fell on her knees; she was lost with no way of getting home. Hugging her knees she sobbed, letting tears thick as rain drops on her shoes.
"Rain?" the voice was faint, seemed very far away, yet it was familiar to her ears. She looked up and blinked, trying to find the angle where the voice was coming from. "Rain?" the voice was close now, and she knew it was coming from her right side.
Cheered at the possibility of being found she got up and ran. "Danny," she shouted and stopped when a figure appeared. She couldn't see his face, only the profile of him
"Rain?" he said and he came into her clear view. She grinned; it was her big brother.
"Danny," she said, happily running into his open arms. "I'm sorry," she whispered.
He hushed her, rocking her tiny body in his arms. "That's ok, Rain," he tried to soothe her by putting his fear away. When he had found her gone, he'd panicked. Not just a plain panic but the one that blinds the thoughts, fogs the brain.
He had thought the worst, when she didn't return. He had already lost his parents and the thought of losing her was worse. He wouldn't have functioned without her smile and the twinkle in her eyes when she was up to some mischief. Or the way she dragged him away from his work to play with dolls and tea parties or whatever she would cook up.
"I'm sorry," Rain said again. "I didn't mean to go far," she said and snuggled up in his arms for comfort, for warmth, and mainly for his presence. She had been so wrapped up in her adventure and hadn't noticed that she had gone too far.
He scooped her up and headed to the camp they had made. In the biting cold he was glad he had found her before the storm got worse. Being in Antarctica for an exploration was his aunt's idea. He wasn't keen on leaving his sister behind no matter how young she was. No matter where he was going, or what he was doing. His aunt had told him repeatedly to get a sitter for her. As stubborn as he was, he'd flatly refused, allowing no one to take care of her. She was his responsibility and he wasn't going to let anyone to share it with him. He might be fourteen years old, but he wasn't dependable, he knew the responsibility of taking care of Rain and took with open mind.
He had given his word to his dad when she was born. He would look after her no matter what those circumstances were. After they'd lost both their parents, Rain had become his joy of life.
She was the only thing that kept him sane.
"You found her," Aunt Tina, his mother's sister, released a relieved sigh as she rushed forwards to make sure her niece was all right. Tears stung her eyes when she found Rain unharmed and peacefully sleeping Daniel's arms with a thumb stuck in her mouth. She brushed a strand of hair from Rain's face.
Not wanting to wake her up, Daniel simply nodded.
"Let's get some sleep, it's getting late," a deep voice softly boomed and watched his nephew and niece walk into the shared tent. It was hard for him knowing their situation and not being able to do much about it. He was helpless in everyway he knew. Sighing, he walked with his wife to their tent to sleep.
The next morning was bright and sunny with no sign of the storm from the day before. But the temperatures were sharp cold. The mood for exploring wasn't faded.
"Morning sleepyhead," Daniel woke his sister up with a warm smile and watched her return a smile; it was a sleepy and lazy one she gave him. "Hungry?" he asked then before she could reply, her stomach rumbled on cue; making him laugh.
She got up and tied her arms around his neck, gave him a peck on the cheek, and looked at him with the eyes that were full of love and mischief. "I love you," she kissed him again.
"And I love you," he placed his hands on her waist and placed her on his lap before placing her on the floor. "Now eat, before the food gets cold," he nudged the plate in her direction.
He packed their belongings and kept an eye on her while he worked and she ate. It took him a full hour to finishing packing.
"Danny," she gained his attention. "Where are we going now?" She was tired and cold and afraid; like any other child at her age.
"Rain," he bended on one knee so she could sit on his leg. "Remember we are helping Aunt and Uncle find something." Seeing her nod, he continued, "So it might be another few days before they find what they are looking for."
"But I wanna go home." she pouted.
"I know baby, but I promise we'll go home soon. So be a good sport," he said and gave her a puppy-dog look and had her giggling. But she nodded.
"Daniel?" his uncle called out. "Ready?"
"Yeah, we are," he shouted back. "Let's go pup," he got his sister moving and missed the sour face she gave him behind his back.
They were only an half hour into their walk; Rain was more than three feet ahead of three of them, enjoying stamping her marks in the snow. He heard her giggle then a rumble of earth.
He knew there would be no earthquakes in the middle of the iced land. But he heard the rumble again, and this time he was certain it was coming from where Rain stood.
"Rain," he shouted. She stopped and looked at him.
"What?" she yelled as loud as she could.
"Come back here" he firmed his face and the tone of his voice.
She shook her head and ran a bit further. "Catch me if you can," she teased, poking her tongue at him. Something moved beneath her feet, she froze and slowly turned to face her brother. "Danny," she cried; her voice was full of fear.
"Hang on, Rain," he instructed and started towards her, but the rumbling of the ground made it impossible for him to reach her.
"Daniel," he heard his uncle call out, "be careful."
Without looking he nodded. He heard something break and looked on in horror as the ground where Rain stood give away. "NO!" he shouted as he fell on his knees, still adsorbing the incident. He had heard her cries calling out to him. Not caring if the ground was still or not, he ran and stopped where the hole was. "Rain!" his voice echoed in the ground below. He hoped she was alive, he looked, even the pitch dark below him didn't seem to dim his hope.
"Daniel?" his aunt tried to gain his attention, and failed. It had happened again, she thought grimly. She'd lost another member of her family. The blue eyes looked at her husband and nodded at his firm yet sad face.
"Daniel," Tony Walters moved his nephew away from the ground. "She's gone."
Stubbornly Daniel shook his head. "She can't be gone. I will not accept that." In a blind panic he ran to his equipment and dug out a flashlight. For a split second he looked at his uncle and walked past him. "Rain!" he called out again, moving his torch into the endless black below him. He waited for a reply and waited. When it didn't come; his uncle's words sank in.
She was gone.
Knowing Daniel had slid into a deep shock, Tony and Tina gently moved him away from the site. He heard noises, but the words didn't register his head.
It would be months before Daniel Jackson recovered from his sister's death.
Danielle Rain Jackson was only five years old. The memory of her last day would leave an imprint on Daniel's decision for the future….
TBC….
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