Title: Ourobouros

Author: M.

Feedback: Sure!

Rating: PG

Characters: Jack O'Neill, Danielle Jackson, Sam Carter, Janet Frasier, Teal'c

Pairing: Jack/Danielle,

Keywords: Alternate Universe, genderbender, ascended. AU for 2010

Spoilers: none

Series: another Danielle story

Disclaimers: Stargate? Not mine. Danielle? Well...sort of. Zoe? Definitely mine.

Summary: 10 years in the future, SG1 discovered their alliance with the Aschen wasn't all it was cracked up to be. Now, they must sacrifice everything to change the past...

Author's Note: Some of the dialogue comes right out of the episode as the scenes needed to retain the basic shape of the episode. That dialogue I am not claiming to have written. The rest? I am.

"Ourobouros"

by M.

*****************

"It is a shame that O'Neill could not be here. I had hoped to see him on my visit." Teal'c observed, looking around the party.

"He refused to come." Danielle said by way of explanation. "He refuses to celebrate the anniversary of the alliance. He still believes the Aschen are lying to us. I tried to convince him to come to at least see you all but.." she shook her head."

"I can't blame him." Janet noted with a sigh. "I almost didn't come myself." At the younger woman's surprised look she shrugged a little. "It's different for you, Danielle, your job wasn't made obsolete by the...Mollem!" She quickly bit off whatever it was she was about to say when she saw the Aschen diplomat approaching.

They all fell silent as he greeted them then focused on Joe, Sam's husband, drawing him away from the group. Ever the ambassador, he made his apologies to them and to his wife before letting Mollem draw him away.

When he was gone, Danielle turned her gaze back to Janet, clearly expecting her to continue but the doctor had other plans. "Do you see him often?"

Who the 'him' was, no one had to ask.

A sad expression flitted across the archaeologist's features. "Since the divorce I see him a few times a month. Usually when either I'm picking Zoe up or he is. If it weren't for her?" She smiled wryly. "I wouldn't see him at all."

"How is Zoe handling the divorce?" Sam asked sympathetically.

"She's upset. Understandably so." Danielle absently rubbed her ring finger where her wedding band had so recently been. "Not to mention confused and more than a little angry with us both. She thinks the whole thing is quite ridiculous and is reminding me more and more of Jack with every passing day. I'm starting to wonder if I had any influence on her DNA." She smiled at Teal'c. "Speaking of which, you'll have to drop by to see her. She'll never forgive me if she finds out you were here and she didn't get to see you."

"And where is she today?"

"With Jack. She decided that if he wasn't going to this thing either then she was going to spend the night at the cabin with him." Danielle looked amused. "Had her back packed and was on the vid to him before I could stop her."

"She always was Daddy's girl." Janet agreed with a laugh.

"Indeed. Zoe O'Neill has always displayed a strong affinity for her father." Teal'c nodded. He would have said more but a guest approached him and, after the group quickly made plans to meet for dinner, drew him aside to speak with him leaving the women alone.

"Sam...I've been meaning to ask...How are you and Joe?" Danielle looked apologetic. "With the Jack moving out and the divorce...I'm afraid a few things got lost in the shuffle."

"It's okay, Danielle, I know how hard everything's been for you lately. We understood." Sam smiled a little. "Joe's great. We're doing great."

"Are you by any chance..."

Janet's gentle probe was met with a negative shake of the taller woman's head. "No. The Aschen say it isn't either one of us. They're adamant that we're fine. They say we just...have to keep trying."

"And nothing else?" Danielle's brow furrowed. "After three years of trying all they can tell you is keep trying? No hormones or therapies? Just...that?"

Looking similarly skeptical, Janet spoke up. "You know, Sam, I know my methods may seem prehistoric compared to the Aschen but I do still keep an office and I was your doctor for a very long time, there may be something I can find that they missed." She put her champagne down and waited for the other woman's answer.

"It couldn't hurt, Sam." Danielle put in with a nod. "A second opinion could only help, right?"

Sam looked from one friend to the other. "Right."

~~~~~~~

"Zoe! Will you quit hangin' off the dock! One of these days you're gonna fall in and drown and your Mom'll kill me!" Reaching out with one hand, Jack O'Neill grabbed his daughter's waistband and tugged her back.

Zoe O'Neill turned to peer at her father through a dishevelled mop of brown ringlets, green eyes watching him with amusement. "Na uh. Mom wouldn't kill you. She loves you too much."

His daughter's matter-of-fact pronouncement promptly put the conversation in dangerous territory as far as Jack was concerned and he frowned. "Put some sunscreen on, Zoe, you're starting to burn."

"Am not." She protested, wrinkling her freckled nose at him.

"Are too." he countered. "Now do it."

Zoe rolled her eyes exaggeratedly. "Okayyyy..." Keds slapping against the dock, she went to pick it up. Generously rubbing it on, she gave her father a knowing look that was far too much like Danielle for Jack's comfort."Nice try, Dad." Walking over, she rubbed some of the white cream on his nose, grinning at the result.

Reeling the line in for another cast, Jack grunted.

"Relax Dad. I know you're tryin' to distract me cause you're afraid I'm gonna start bugging you to get back together with Mom."

Damn but the kid was perceptive. "Am not."

"Oh yeah you are." Plopping down next to him, she opened a soda. "Don't worry. I won't."

"No?"

"Nope." Kicking her feet against the dock, she watched a hawk fly over the pond. "Don't need to."

"Oh really. Why not?"

"Cause you'll get back together anyway." Zoe looked smug. "Everybody says you can't live without...MOM!!!" In a flash, the little girl was on her feet and running back up the bank to meet Danielle who was on her way down.

Reeling in his line, Jack got up and followed at a more leisurely pace. He watched his ex-wife's approach with appraising eyes. The attractive suit she'd been wearing the day before had been replaced by jeans and a tank top with one of his old shirts topping it.

God she was gorgeous.

His throat ached as he watched Danielle sweep a giggling Zoe into her arms, swinging her around, laughing.

"How was the party, Mom?" The little girl was asking as he drew close enough to hear the conversation.

Danielle made a face. "Boring. Full of politicians."

"Ugh." The little girl's arms wrapped securely about her mother's neck, her body supported by Danielle's arms, Zoe turned to look at her father. "Sounds like you woulda hated it Dad."

"Oh he would have." Her mother agreed solemnly. "President Kinsey gave a speech."

"Oh yeah, you'd've hated it."

"Oh yeah." He agreed. "I'd say we had a much better time than your Mom did."

Zoe beamed at him. "Yeah, we did. You shoulda skipped the party and come with us, Mom. Dad made s'mores and we had a fire and he's getting a dog!"

"He is?" Danielle raised a brow. "Really?"

"We're in talks." Jack responded. "Lots of pros and cons to consider."

"It's gonna be a beagle and I'm gonna name him Fred."

Jack saw the smirk Danielle was unsuccessfully trying to hide. "Say, kiddo, better go get your stuff. Your Mom's probably in a hurry."

"Well, not really but if we do go now, we can catch Teal'c before he goes back to Chulak." Danielle set her daughter down and smiled at her. "He wanted to see you before he left."

Zoe's eyes went wide with excitement. "COOL! Be right back!"

Watching their little girl race off, Danielle didn't notice Jack's eyes on her face.

"What is it?"

His soft question startled her and she jumped, turning to look at him. "What?"

"Something's wrong, Danielle. You haven't looked this upset since the day you found out about Hammond."

She closed her eyes, releasing the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. "Funny you should mention the General." Drawing him away from the cabin, she kept an eye out for their daughter. "I spent some time with Janet and Sam yesterday. We got to talking about how Sam and Joe have been trying to have a child. Sam said the Aschen doctors had assured them they were fine but... Janet gave Sam an examination." Danielle bit her lip. "She found extensive and severe damage to her ovaries."

Jack winced." Damn. Carter..."

"Cannot conceive a child. No." Danielle shook her head. "Apparently, neither can I. Though, Zoe's presence would beg to differ with that finding."

"What?!" Jack stumbled, staring at her in shock.

"I had a hunch which I initially blamed it as your paranoia rubbing off but...I had Janet give me the same exam. I have similar damage. Damage I didn't have when I conceived and gave birth to Zoe. Jack, this sort of damage doesn't just happen overnight. Something has to cause it."

"The Aschen..." He muttered. "I was."

"Right." Danielle nodded soberly. "Sam and Janet got into the Aschen's computers. It isn't just me and Sam, Jack. It's almost everyone. The Aschen have somehow managed to sterilize over 90% of the world's population. 90% Jack and we had no idea." She looked sick at the thought. "It's only a matter of time before the Aschen reach the other ten percent and then...my God, Jack. What have we done?"

"We?" He lifted a brow. "Who's this 'we' you speak of? If you recall, I was against the alliance to begin with."

Irritated at the old argument resurfacing, she gave him an annoyed look. "Oh how could I forget, Jack? The Aschen were one of those irreconcilable differences if *you* recall."

"Believe me, Danny, every single detail of our marriage is permanently etched into my mind." Jack responded solemnly. "Including the ending."

She stared at him silently for a long moment, caught by the look in his eyes, then shook herself free, pointing a finger at him. "Don't you dare do that to me, Jack O'Neill, don't you dare! I've finally managed to get some perspective on our marriage and I am *not* going to let you cloud that again."

"I'm not clouding anything, Danielle."

"Oh yes you are!" She almost snapped, defensive. "Stop looking at me with that look in your eyes!" She looked away, pushing her hair back from her face. When she'd shored up her resolve, she looked at him again, sounding as close to conversational as she could. "Sam thinks we can undo the alliance. Use the Gate to send a message to ourselves in the past, warning them about the Aschen."

"Oh for cryin' out loud, Danielle! You can't be serious!!!"

"I am. Perfectly serious." Turning, she watched their daughter lugging her overnight bag out of the cabin. "When I think of the world Zoe's going to grow up in, a world I helped create, and I realize that there's a way I can change it..." She looked defiantly at him. "Sam's pretty sure she can use the Aschen's systems to predict a flare. All we need is to get our hands on a G.D.O and dial the Gate out within the right time frame."

"Simple as that, huh?"

"Whatever it is, it's nothing close to simple." Danielle's gaze returned to watching Zoe.

"Okay...so let's say this absolutely insane plan of Carter's works. We never go to P4C 970 and we don't meet the Aschen. Then what? Everything's different. What about Zoe? What about..."

"Us?" Danielle shook her head. "I don't know. We fell in love once...who knows? Without the Aschen and everything...maybe we'll get it right the second time around."

"And maybe we don't. Maybe Zoe's never born. Are you prepared to give her up?"

"No." She whispered hoarsely. "But, my god, Jack, are you prepared for her reaction if we don't try to stop this? She'll hate us both."

"I did try to stop this! I threw up the red flag! I tried and everyone - including you I might add - shut me down!" Jack shot back angrily. "I am not going to bet my kid's life on some half-assed guilt trip!"

"That's exactly what you are doing!!!!!!!!! Betting her life!" Danielle started up the embankment. "We're doing this, Jack. Help. Don't help. I don't care. But we are doing this."

"Yeah, well, let me know how it turns out." He muttered, bypassing her and walking to hug Zoe. "I'll see you next time, ok, kiddo?"

Hugging him back, she nodded against his shoulder. "See you next time." Seeing her mother's strained features over his shoulder, she pulled back and looked suspiciously at him. "Did you and Mom have another fight?"

"Naw...your mom's just had a rough couple of days is all."

"I'm all right, Zoe." Danielle assured with a smile. "I'll be along in a minute. Your Dad and I just have a few things to finish up with."

Despite still being suspicious, the little girl nodded and continued on down the path.

"Our chances would be a lot better with you, Jack."

He turned to look at her, resigned. "Then you'd better hope they're good enough without me."

She lowered her gaze momentarily, shaking her head, then stepped up to kiss him slowly. His arms went about her automatically, pulling her flush against him, and the kiss deepened, leaving them both reluctant to end it.

When she finally did pull away, it was with a look of infinite sadness as she murmured, "Good bye, Jack." and walked away.

~~~~~~~~~~

"Teal'c!!!" With an excited squeak, Zoe threw herself down off the transporter platform and into the waiting Jaffa's embrace.

"It is most gratifying to see you again, Zoe O'Neill." He informed her gravely. "You have grown."

"Uh huh, and look! My tooth grew back! See?!" Opening her mouth, she proudly displayed the newest addition before hugging him tightly. "I missed you."

"And I you." Seeing the expression on Danielle's face, Teal'c turned to walk a few steps away with his charge saying, "You must tell me how your schooling is progressing," as they went.

Zoe safely out of earshot, Danielle stepped down as well. "He's not coming."

Sam closed her eyes in disbelief. "You're kidding me....Okay, okay...so what about the G.D.O.s?"

"There's one on display at the SGC according to the museum's records. Most of the others were destroyed."

"Then we know what our next stop is."

Danielle nodded. "I thought you'd say that." She walked to where Teal'c was talking to Zoe. "Come on, hon, time for Teal'c to go back to Chulak." Resting her hands on her daughter's shoulders, she met her friend's eyes. "We'll contact you in a couple of days when its time."

He inclined his head. "I will be prepared."

As they watched the Jaffa walk toward the Stargate terminal, Zoe looked up at her mother. "Mom..."

"Hmm?"

"What are you guys up to?"

"I'll tell you when you're older."

"Oh yeah sure you will...Rightttt...."

Danielle closed her eyes. If there was ever any inkling of doubt about her daughter's parentage...

"Come on honey, Aunt Sam's waiting."

"Where are we going?"

Danielle and Sam shared a conspiratorial look. "We're going to do a little reminiscing." Sam explained as they stepped up onto the platform. "It'll be fun. I promise."

"That's what you *always* say..."

"And when am I wrong?"

Zoe looked up at her favorite 'aunt'. "You sure you want me to answer that Aunt Sam?"

"Oh yeah." Sam grinned at her friend. "So Jack O'Neill's daughter."

Danielle smirked. "Was there ever any doubt?"

"No, not really."

~~~~~

When Zoe saw their destination, she promptly grinned. "All right! Cheyenne Mountain, cool Mom!!"

"Yeah, very cool." Danielle agreed, slipping on a pair of sunglasses and adjusting her long coat. After seeing Teal'c off to Chulak, they'd dropped by the house to give them a chance to change into something a little more inconspicious. It wasn't exactly going to be easy for two members of the most famous of the SG team to slip into the former Stargate Command unnoticed but they were going to give it their best shot. "Okay, remember Zoe, we can't mention anything about me or Aunt Sam being SG1 members. We don't want people to notice, okay?"

"I know, I know." She responded, aggravated, her very Jack-like reaction earning an amused grin from the two women. "Cause you're up to something that I'm not allowed to know about and it involves the SGC so we need to be covert and stuff, right, yeah. Got it."

"Okay. Let's go then." Danielle agreed, taking her daughter's hand and starting toward the next tour group.

Falling into step with her old friend, Sam leaned over to murmur. "If she were a boy..."

"I'd think she was a clone." The other woman whispered back. "Oh yeah..."

"Whispering's telling lies!" Zoe proclaimed, looking up at them suspiciously.

They looked back innocently. "Nah uh." Sam protested with a shake of her head.

"Uh huh. Dad said so."

"And if Jack O'Neill says it..." Danielle chuckled.

"It must be so." Sam agreed.

"Shhh..." Zoe hissed, holding a finger to her lips. "The tour lady's getting mad."

Doing their best to look contrite, the two women let their conversation lapse as they followed the group along.

Mollified, the perky young woman led them to the elevators. "Right this way, ladies and gentlemen...our adventure awaits!" The brightly spoken words began a monologue which didn't end even after they emerged from the elevator onto Level 28. Turning to face her charges, she clasped her hands together. "All righty then, please step all the way out and you'll find yourself on level 28. Can anyone tell me what special room is on this floor?"

Zoe knew this one hands down. She'd been here tons so she stuck up her hand. "The Gate Room!"

With a patronizing smile, the girl leaned forward. "That's...very, very close! Anyone else?"

Sharing a confused glance with Sam, Danielle turned to the tour guide. "She's right. It's the Gate Room."

Delivering another version of the patronizing smile, the tour guide shook her head. "What I'm sure many of you don't know is that officially it was known as the Embarkation Room because that's where the SG teams 'embarked' from! Okay, now we're walking," She turned a corner, gesturing for the group to follow her. "This way please."

"Embarkation room?" Zoe whispered, looking up at her mother. "Mom? She's cracked."

Danielle and Sam grinned back.

"Just a little." Sam agreed in the same whispered tone.

Stopping the group before a large picture of SG1, the tour guide turned to them again. "Here we have a photograph of the famous SG-1. They were arguably the most important - although not my personal favorite - team of the entire command. These two," she pointed to Danielle and Jack, "Colonel Jack O'Neill and his wife, Dr. Danielle Jackson-O'Neill are the two original members of the team. They both took part in the very first Stargate mission which took them to Abydos where they liberated the inhabitants from the Goa'uld System Lord, Ra. You might say they were part of the very birth of the world we now live in."

"Don't rub it in." Danielle muttered, adjusting her sunglasses.

Sam gave her a sympathetic look as the tour guide perkily announced, "And we're walking!" before leading them down the corridor again.

~~~~~~

Entering the Gate Room, they found themselves among more people milling about, taking photographs and talking. Stopping before the Embarkation Ramp, the tour guide began her final speech. "While, of course, the real Stargate is in Washington at the J.R. Reed Space Terminal, this one is a perfect replica of the original. Should you want photos, they are twenty-seven dollars and please, do not touch the Stargate itself as you'll leave fingerprints. See you on the other side!" With a snappy salute she left the group.

Sam and Danielle, with Zoe in hand, started up the ramp. "This is ridiculous." Danielle muttered to Sam, ignoring her daughter's sudden sharp tug of her hand.

"Mom."

"Just a second honey," she answered distracted by Sam's reply.

"We couldn't break away before now. Not enough people. Once we're in the control room..."

"Not her personal favorite SG team? I think I've been insulted and that stuff about me and Jack!" Danielle shook her head. "I'm tempted to complain."

"MOM!!!" Planting her feet, Zoe pulled hard on her mother's hand.

"What Zoe?!"

"Look!" The little girl hissed, pointing toward the Gate. Or, more accurately, the man standing beside it. "Dad!"

Looking up in shock, Danielle came face to face with her ex-husband as he walked down the ramp with a faint grin on his face. As he passed by, he slid on his sunglasses. "And we're walking..."

~~~~~~~

"DAD!" Running into the briefing room to find her father sitting at the conference table, drawing on the sheet that covered it, she promptly clambered up into his lap, hugging him. "What're you doing here?"

"Oh, your Mom invited me but I didn't think I could come." He responded with a grin, bouncing her on his lap a little. "But, turns out I could."

Entering the room at a more sedate pace, Danielle looked wary. "Change of plans?"

"Something like that." Fishing some money out of his pocket, Jack handed it to his daughter. "Hey, kiddo, know where the snack machines are?"

"Uh huh. That annoying lady showed us."

Jack grinned. "Yeah, well, mind going and getting a soda for me and whatever you want?"

"Sure Dad!" Money clutched in her fist, the little girl raced out of the room at the same speed she'd entered.

Sighing wearily, Danielle dropped into a chair and met her ex-husband's gaze. "So, why did you really change your mind?"

"I kind of like the sound of Grandpa Jack, ok?" He answered with a shrug as Sam sat down as well. "Zoe left one of her dolls at the cabin, the baby one. Kinda got to me." Getting down to business, he nodded at the Zats lying on the table beside him. "Did a little souvenir shopping. The Zats are fully operational but we do have a problem." He slid the G.D.O he'd stolen across the table to Sam. "See what I mean?"

She picked it up and her face fell. "It's a replica." Handing it to Danielle, she looked worried. "Was this the only one, Danielle?"

"Umm.."

"Excuse me," a familiar voice interrupted their conversation and they looked to see one of the former SGC Techs, Walter Davis, standing in the doorway. Stepping over the rope that blocked it off, he continued to speak. "You people aren't supposed to be..." Jack stood, giving the former technician a good look at his face and Davis stopped in his tracks. "Colonel O'Neill?"

"Sergeant." Jack responded, looking perplexed. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh! Um, well I work here now. Sort of a...er...operations tech advisor."

Surprised, Danielle smiled at him. "Oh? Really? Well...you're doing a great job. That tour guide...now she's a disaster."

"I know what you mean." He commiserated. "Heard that 'favorite team speech' huh?"

"That too." She agreed.

"Um...this section is closed off." Davis turned his gaze back to the waiting O'Neill. "Are you here for old time's sake or..."

"Yeah, that's it exactly. Just felt like droppin' by you know?" Jack shifted a little, trying to block Davis' view of the table but didn't quite succeed as he spotted the Zats lying on it.

"Where did you get those?"

Jack looked back, following his line of sight, "What? Those? Armory. We're taking them."

Shaking his head firmly, the other man protested. "Oh, no, no, no. You can't."

"Sergeant..." Jack cut him off. "Please. You have no idea how important this is. Listen, do you know where the real G.D.O's went?"

"Look, I'm not a sergeant anymore and you," he looked from Jack to Sam and back, "are not colonels, and you're not supposed to have that remote either..."

"Oh that's good." Danielle interjected. "Cause this one's a fake and we want the real one. Mind telling us where it is?"

"The White House. In the Oval Office. On the President's desk."

"Kinsey grabbed a souvenir on the way down huh?" Jack said sarcastically, sharing an aggravated look with Danielle.

"Look, guys, I don't know what's going on here but..."

"But nothing ah..um.." Jack surreptitiously saw Danielle mouth Davis' first name 'Walter' out of the corner of his eye and continued to speak. "Walter, right now, I need you to trust us. Just turn around and pretend we were never here. You never saw us. We were never here. I promise, anything we take I'll return myself...on Thursday."

"And then you'll tell me what's going on?" The other man asked warily.

"Absolutely everything. Scouts honor."

He looked at them for a long moment and then sighed heavily. "Okay."

"Thank you." They all chimed as he started back out the door.

"Thursday!" He reminded before leaving.

With a sigh of his own, Jack sat again. "Okay...last time I was in the Oval office, I kind of got kicked out."

"Can't imagine why." Danielle noted with a faint look of amusement. "I mean, you only called the President an ass."

"He is and I'm retired. I'm allowed to call him that." Jack protested with an upheld hand.

"Mmhmm..." She agreed, her amusement growing.

"Anyway," he stressed, ending the teasing. "No chance I'll get back in there to get it. Can we do this without a G.D.O?"

"Umm..Radio?"

Sam shook her head at Danielle's suggestion. "There's an EM dampening field around the terminal. Part of the automated defense system."

"So...this is about as far back in time as we can go." Jack looked meaningfully at the darkened room they were in.

"No. I think we can get it." Sam disagreed.

Danielle lifted a brow at her. "Joe?"

"He'll get it." Her friend pointed out. "He's a good guy."

"You tell him this," Jack interjected in warning, "there's no going back."

"He'll do it." Sam defended. "I know he will."

TBC in Part 2