The Path not taken
The Path not taken
This story you are about to read will show how Daniel's life would have gone without the SGC. This is what I believe could have been a possible out come of his life.
Daniel falls asleep in his office at the SGC. He wakes up in the morning, his face on a pile of books strewn everywhere, and papers he was grading the night before, stuck to his forehead. He was tiding up when his wife Shara walks in, with a cup of coffee foe him, " Ha ha, what where you doing this time? Going over one of you many theories or grading papers?" she says in her thick British accent.
"I was grading papers." Daniels said unsure of himself, "I had the strangest dream."
"Really? What was it about this time? That planet, what was it, Abidos? Lets hear it." She says as she sets his coffee on the desk and sits in his lap. Shara was a short but sweet British girl with brown eyes and hair that Daniel meet before the incident.
"Not right now, your going to be late for your plan to Egypt, and I'm going to be late to teach my ancient philosophy class." He looks at the time, and starts grabbing papers and throwing them int o his brief case.
"I suppose your right Daniel. My archaeological students do need some watching over." She kisses him before she leaves the room. Anymore these days he is so distracted." She thinks as she grabs the coffee cup and puts it in the sink. She walks to the bedroom to continue packing. " I know we didn't get married under the best of circumstances," she thought to herself, "I mean we did after all get married right after the SGC blew up."
"Shara are you alright?"
Putting on a fake smile, " Yes, Daniel I'm fine I was just thinking."
Knowing she was worried about him. " Here let me drive you to the airport the students will love to have a short class."
She finishes her packing for her year long trip and they both get in the car. The drive to the airport seemed like a long one due to the silence. They pull up to the entrance of the airport and Shara turns to Daniel, "I love you."
He turns to her, "I love you too. Please stop worrying about me I will be fine." They kiss and she leaves. On Daniels way to the university he thinks, "Why does she worry. I'm fine I haven't been depressed or had any nightmares in three months." He pulls into his usual spot and turns the ignition off. He sits in his car trying to relax. He leans his head back and closes his eyes.
Jack rushes into Daniels office. "Sam and Teal'c are trapped in the gate room and the gate has malfunctioned." Daniel rushes to the control room with Jack close at his heels. They make it to the control room and see Sam and Teal'c trying to keep the gate disengaged. Sam looks up and see Jack and pleads with her eyes.
"Sam, I'm going to get you out!"
"Jack, NO! Get out while you can, you to Daniel! Get out!"
The gate explodes just as Daniel gets the shield down on the control room window.
Daniel wakes up screaming. Someone knocks on the window of his car. "Professor Jackson are you all right?"
"Yes Clara, I'm fine. Aren't you late for class?"
"Yes Sir, but so are you."
He gets out of his car trying to force the image of Sam and Teal'c out of his head. Before he gets to his class he runs into Janet. " Janet, I didn't expect to see you here. So what brought you here today."
"I work here. I teach one of the philosophy classes. How have you been?"
"Shara and I are doing good."
"You two got married? When did this happen?"
"Yes we got married shortly after…" He cut himself off, "I'm late Janet maybe we can talk later."
"OK talk to you later Dr. Jackson."
"It's Professor now."
"OH."
He walks into his class.
"Well it's good to see you finally show up Professor." commit Charlie.
"Well thank you Charlie for volunteering. Please translate this and tell me what it says."
"Zeldala it means….Ancients ,Professor."
"And what does that tell us Charlie?"
"That… what we have today… came from them ancients."
"Wrong. OK you all have the pages I asked you to translate. You can thank Charlie later. You all can take the rest of this class to translate it. When you are done turn it in and you may leave." Daniel began to go through his books he was able to save from the SGC. he was flipping through one and came across a picture of him, Sam, Jack, and Teal'c, that was taken shortly after they established the SGC. He began to think about what happened.
They opened the shield and the site they saw was gruesome. Jack runs out of the control room and into the gate room. He goes straight over to what is left of Sam's body. He hits his knees and began to cry ,for only the second time in his life. He picks her up crying, "I should have never left the room. I should have stayed with you. None of this would have ever happened."Daniel sits in the control room to paralyzed to move. As he watched Jack with Sam he tries to figure out what went wrong.
"Professor Jackson, are you alright? Your not acting yourself today." He comes back to reality. He notices that all his students had left and he had a stack of papers to grade. He picks up the papers and heads out. The rest of the day the classes have Janet as a teacher. Daniel gets back to his apartment. He goes to his office and sits down. He takes the picture out of the book.
"Why of all times does this decide to come back?" He looks at the picture of his and Shara's wedding. Something is missing, none of his friends are there not even Jack. Daniel falls asleep.
"Jack, come on Jack we need to clear out."
"NO Daniel! Why didn't you do something? Why didn't you try to save them?! Why Daniel Why?!
"I tried Jack! There was nothing I could do!! Now get on your dang feet and come on!" Daniel grabs Jack and drags him out. Daniel walks past what was left of Teal'c and he couldn't get the image out of his head. Daniel went to the doctor for help many months after so he could get sleep and not think about what happened. Daniel wakes up at 2am. He sees a book he doesn't remember Ancient time travel, "Where did this book come from." Inside on the backside of the cover was a note.
Daniel,
Hey I say this book and thought of you.
It had to do with the Ancients so I thought
it would peak your interest.
Love,
Samantha
"I remember when she gave me this. It was right after Teal'c joined the SG1." He began to rummage through the book when the phone rings. "Hello, this is Daniel Jackson."
"Daniel its Shara this place is beautiful. I wish you could see it."
"I wish I could to," Daniel replied distractedly.
"Daniel are you ok you sound distant."
"I'm fine Shara. Just not use to not having you here that's all."
"Oh ok, Well I better go. I love you."
"I love you too." Daniel hangs up. He looks at the book sitting on the counter where he left it. He looks at the calculations on the page the book opened to. "According to these calculations time travel is possible. Things could be different then they are." He grabs his coat, looks at the time ,7am. "I hope its not to early to pay Janet a visit." He looks up her address and sees it hasn't changed. "Well at least some things never change." He gets in his car and drives to Janet's. On his way there he thinks about the calculations. He pulls in front of Janet's house and sees that Janet is still up. He get out of his car and goes to the front door, rings the door bell.
"Coming," Janet yells from somewhere in the house, "Oh! Daniel what are you doing here?"
"I found something Janet. Do you remember that book Sam gave me?"
"The one called Ancient Time Travel?"
"Yes that's the one. Well I was looking through it and came across some calculations that prove time travel is possible."
"Are you telling me that you have found a way to go back and forth in time?"
"Yes Janet! Do you know what this could mean?"
"No Professor Jackson, elaborate for me."
"We could go back in time and prevent what happened from ever happening?"
"Daniel I don't think that's a good idea."
"Why not? We could change history andwe would still have SGC."
"But what if we can't change history all we would be doing is reliving everything that happened over again."
"Janet I relive it every day in my head it wouldn't change anything. We have to try."
"OK I'll help but we need to talk to Jack and Hammond. They could help."
"I know where Jack is, but Hammond maybe a little harder."
"Well when Hammond retired he didn't want a new doctor so we have kept in touch."
"OK I'll get Jack, you got Hammond." Daniel pulls in front of Jacks cabin. He thinks about the last time they talked two or so years ago.
Daniel and Jack where standing outside the SGC. "Jack I'm sorry. You know there was nothing I could do." Daniel said turning to Jack. Jack looked up at Daniel.
"Don't ever speak to me again." Jack got up and left.
Daniel puts his car in park and gets out. He holds his breath as he knocks on the door. A scruffy but still handsome Jack opens the door. He sees Daniel and starts to shut it again. Daniel stops it.
"Jack?"
"I thought I made it clear I didn't want to talk to you again two years ago, or have you forgotten what happened?"
"Actually Jack that's why I'm here."
"Really? Well that's fascinating, but I'm not interested."
"But I found a way to travel in time. I could change what..."
"Daniel, Sam is dead. She is never coming back."
"But jack we could prevent..."
"Daniel! Stop, Sam and Teal'c are dead because the gate blew up. They aren't coming back, deal with it."
"I do deal with it Jack every day of my life. I have tried to figure out a way to fix it since it happened. I stopped having nightmares about it three months ago, but they have come back. It all started after my wife left for her archaeological trip to Egypt. Right after that I found that picture of me, you, Sam, and Teal'c right after the SGC was started."
"You got married?"
"Yes Jack, but that's not the point."
"Then what is, Daniel?" Jack says very impationly.
"This isn't how it's supposed to be." Daniel gets up, "If you change your mind Jack you know where to find me. Same apartment." Daniel lays the picture of him, Sam, Jack, and Teal'c on Jacks coffee table and leaves. Jack picks up the picture and looks at Sam.
He is kneeling beside her corpse weeping. "Sam I'm sorry I left. I shouldn't have. None of this would have happened. I love you."
To this day he couldn't remember what her face looked like all he saw every time he saw her face looked like the dead corpse in the SGC. "Why does he always have to be right? He knows just how to play the cards."
Daniel gets to his apartment. He walks in and just as he gets in the door the phone rings. "Hello, this is Daniel Jackson."
"So where do we meet?"
"Jack?"
"Who else would be asking you that? Don't answer that."
"OK, um..how about my apartment twelve pm. sharp."
"No promises." Jack hangs up.
Janet and Hammond get there first.
"General." Daniel says opening the door.
"I'm retired now Jackson, it's just Hammond."
"Sorry."
"Don't apologise."
Janet and Hammond have a seat on the sofa.
"We may have Jack, but he said..."
"Well you certainly haven't changed Daniel." Jack says as he lets himself in.
"Colonel, you came."
"I'm retired Doc."
"General"
Hammond starts to say something but Jack cuts him off.
"Bad habit Sir."
"I understand. I'm glad you changed your mind and decided to see it Daniels way, Jack."
"I got a headache trying to see it Daniels way. So i just gave in." Jack walks over and sits in the love seat that sat on the opposite side of the sofa. "So what's this thing about time travel, Daniel?"
Daniel walks over to one of his many book shelves and pulls the book Sam gave him from the top shelf. "Well according to this book there is a code you can dial on the DHD and it forms something that looks like a black hole." Daniel says looking at Jack.
"Why are you looking at me?"
"Because Jack you know where the DHD is."
"Who says?"
"Your face does."
"My face talks?" Jack throws Daniel his Jack look. "I guess you learn something new every day."
"Jack don't act stupid. You know what I'm talking about."
"I do?"
"You remember when we walked out of the SGC after the explosion?"
Daniel and Jack were walking out of the SGC. Jack looks down at his hand. He forgot he was holding what looked like a mini DHD. He looks at it. "Good memories, think good memories." Jack looks up at the smoldering SGC, "Bad memories." Once jack was able to go home he boxed up all the pictures of Sam, Letters from her, and the mini DHD.
Jack looks up at Daniel, "You mean that mini remote thing?"
"Yes I know you boxed it up with anything that made you think of Sam."
"How would you know?"
"Jack, I was there when you did it. I watched you try to burn it but you couldn't."
Jack looks away from Daniel, "You don't know what it feels like Daniel. How could you? Your happily married."
"Jack, we got married because I didn't want to be alone. I didn't marry her because I loved her."
Jack looks at Daniel slightly shocked and surprised, "You don't love her?"
"When we got married I did."
"What about now?"
"I don't know Jack. I've been to busy the last few years trying to figure out what happened, and trying to fix it, to think much about my life."
Jack looks at Daniel in disbelief at what he is hearing. "So you have spent the last two years trying to fix what happened?"
"Jack when I was watching you with Sam's corpse it felt like i was watching a movie. This was not how it was supposed to happen." Daniel looks at Jack, "So are you going to help?"
"Well it doesn't look like I have much choice does it? I'm in."
"Hammond do you think you could get us an empty warehouse on base? We will need to do this there."
"I wasn't a General for nothing Daniel. I still have people that can get us on and off the base with no problems."
"Good, Janet I need to have you stand by just in case anything goes wrong."
"I'll do what I can Daniel."
"Alright we meet back here Friday at 12 am. We will need time to get ready before we head to the base."
Jack got home and went to his bedroom, and stood outside his closet door. "I can do this. Daniel is never wrong. Right?"
He puts his hand on the door knob and turns it slowly. He pulls the door open and flips on the light. He stands in the middle and looks up at the box that is marked Sam. Jack grabs the box and lowers it from the shelf. He goes to his bed, where he and Sam had spent one night, he opens it and begins to take things out. He begins to read the letters she wrote him. He started to cry bitterly for only the second time in his life. He looks at the pictures of him and Sam that were taken on the lake. He gets to the bottom of the box and there was the mini DHD. "I hope Daniel is right about this. I want you back Sam." Jack goes into the kitchen and grabs a beer and pops the top off. He sits on the sofa and looks at the picture of Sam asleep.
Friday came fast and they were all back in Daniel's apartment. "General?"
"We got a warehouse on base but we have to do it soon. Landry can't hide what we are doing for too long, Jackson."
"Jack?"
"I found it."
"Good. Janet?"
"I have some colleges of mine that want to help out as well."
"OK. This will work. Tomorrow night at the base we'll change history. We're actually getting the chance to change the worst day of our lives."
"Don't let it get to you head Daniel, you won't even remember this. right?"
"None of us will remember this."
"Good, cuz I really don't want to remember this."
The next evening...
"You'd better be right about this Daniel."
"We'll see in a minute just dial the cordinance."
Jack dials the code and it activates. Daniel goes through.
He wakes up in his office. "Daniel are you alright."
"Yea...Sam...I'm fine."
Jack walks in and wrapes his arms around her, "You ready for the wedding? Your still my best man right Daniel?"
Daniel looks at Jack, Jack begins to slip away. He wakes up on a cold cement floor, Janet over him. "Daniel, Daniel are you alright?"
"I'm fine. Ummm I went forward in time not backwards. Jack?"
"I put in exactally what you told me to,so don't look at me."
"Lets try this again"
Daniel wakes up in his office. Its 2:30 in the morning. He hears the sirens go off. "Unauthorized off world activation." He runs to the gate room, "Don't open the iris, Don't let anyone in there, shut the blast doors!"
"Dr. Jackson?"
"Just do it General please."
Hammond looks puzzled for a minute, then he turns to Walter, "Do it."
Everyone evacuates the Gate room and the doors shut. After several seconds of nothing happening Daniel walks toward the closed doors. All of a suddenthere is an enorumous exploision causing the entire mountain to shake. Several hours later Daniel wakes up in the infirmary. He looks around.
He sees Jack, "Hey there big guy. I don't know how you knew but you were right. The gate malfunctioned, but it's all good now."
"Jack, are Sam and Teal'c ok?"
"Yea, their fine, why?"
"Oh no reason."
A few minutes later in walked Sam and Teal'c. Sam with cookies and Teal'c a candy bar. Daniel thinks to himself, "We did it. we fixed it."