The Phoenix Reborn

by Ithileon

When SG-1 travels to Celestis to confront Adria, they don't leave empty-handed. Once again, rated for slight use of profanity.

1. Chapter 1

When SG-1 travels to Celestis to confront Adria, they don't leave empty-handed.

Thanks to anonymous reviewer Incognito for bringing my attention to the state of the Ori galaxy post Ark. I have adjusted the plotline accordingly.

2006, Stargate Command, Tau'ri Homeworld

With the Ark successfully weakening Adria and the Ancient Morgan le Fay engaging her in eternal combat, SG-1 thought that was the end of it. They'd never have to deal with the Ori again, Origin would collapse or change, and the Ori galaxy would slowly advance in technology. Right?

Wrong.

Murphy's Law was in full play before the Odyssey had even left the galaxy. The Priors shared a telepathic link via staff. Said connection spanned both the Milky Way and the Ori galaxy, including the Doci. The Doci's exposure to the Ark would be transmitted to the Priors, thus showing them the truth and ending their belief. The human followers of the Ori did not share the same insight as their evolved priests did, and were confused and angry by the Prior's sudden change of belief. This revelation caused a dangerous split in opinion. Side A consisted of the Doci and Priors, all of whom knew the truth about the Ori's claim to divinity. Side B consisted of humans who feared the Priors had become corrupt by their constant contact with legions of unbelievers. Side C, easily the largest, thought the Ori were testing them. They pledged their allegiance to a new leader, a leader who hadn't been corrupted by the poisonous lies the Ark had spewed. Sides B and C were really the same, leaving the Priors badly outnumbered.

In summary, all planets under the banner of Origin were facing civil war.

If that wasn't bad enough, Daniel, ably assisted by Merlin, had used Adria's feelings for the former against her. And because fate loved screwing them that much, Daniel and Adria's relations hadn't been a few nights together. They'd conceived. The result of their union was hiding somewhere in Celestis.

Vala was mad at Daniel for sleeping with her daughter, but she was furious with Merlin for encouraging it. Sam understood that; she wasn't feeling the warm fuzzies for the Ancients either. What was surprising was Tomin's reaction. He ripped into Daniel for being so callous with Vala's feelings, for deceiving Adria, and then for betraying her. After ripping into Daniel for not being around to raise his child, Tomin went to track down his errant granddaughter, at which point Vala broke Daniel's nose with an impressive right hook and started shouting anew.

Two hours of scouring the city later, the Doci returned levitating a beautiful wooden blanket chest, Tomin close behind with Daniel's kid. Nobody was sure what to say when 3 members of SG-1 plus Tomin returned with a little girl, introduced by Tomin as Eve, so they kept their mouths shut.

"Go in peace" the Doci had said, and Sam couldn't help but scoff at the blasé farewell. Knowledge of Daniel's daughter would not bring peace. If anything her presence was a harbinger of war. As Adria's daughter, Eve was assured a place of leadership among the Ori faithful upon reaching adulthood. As the last naturally born Ori hybrid, Eve was the sole survivor of a dying race. Countless people would hate her, not for what she'd done, but for what she was, for who her mother was, for what the Ori had done. Sam tried not to think about possible kidnappings, sacrifices, or assassination attempts that some would be willing to attempt. Ironically, countless others would worship her for the same reasons people would hate her. This time Sam gave some thought to it. The Ori's human followers would not willingly accept the loss of their gods, so long as even one of them survived. She almost pitied the kid, having hoards of people loathe or worship her simply for existing.

In the end they had one choice: Eve had to go with them.

Though it was breaking Tomin's heart, he elected to remain behind.

"I have to try and convince others of the truth," he explained when asked, "Perhaps I can stop any future bloodshed."

Eve whimpered, hugging him for what might be the last time.

"Te amo avo. Vade in pace."

"I love you too Eve. And don't worry, I'll come visit as soon as I can."

Eve said nothing. In fact, in the three days it took the Odyssey to traverse 2 galaxies, Eve hadn't spoken a word to anyone. No one was sure what to say to her either. Sure, they'd just defeated a dangerous enemy, but said enemy left behind an innocent child. It didn't seem fair to celebrate while Eve was hurting, so Sam and Teal'c volunteered to get her off base until the partying died down.

They spent the weekend at Sam's house deeply concerned about Eve's lack of age-appropriate behavior. She ate when they provided food but never looked for more, she slept through the night and napped in the afternoon, but she never wanted to play, never wanted to talk, never wanted to interact with them. Sam honestly would've preferred Eve being angry, destroying things and yelling at them, because her complete apathy made Sam feel guilty. Scratch that, it made her feel like dog poop scraped off the bottom of somebody's shoe. Pond scum ranked higher in Sam's mind than Sam herself did right now. Teal'c too felt bad for Eve, but unlike Sam, he rarely spoke to her, instead simply remained nearby in case she needed reassurance. She never did.

While Dr. Lam tried to examine her Monday afternoon, Sam watched Eve. The kid looked about four, though she was really a little over two. Her skin was fairer than Adria's but darker than Daniel's. It looked like she'd have her mother's figure as well. In fact the only thing she appeared to inherit from Daniel was her eye color. Everything else was Adria, right down to the I'm-questioning-your-intelligence look she gave Dr. Lam, who had yet to pierce the personal shield around Eve. Adria's pendant was a little large for her, but if she started aging faster it would fit in no time.

"Could you deactivate this? I need to draw a little blood."

Sam wondered how you could look down on someone who was taller than you, but Eve didn't seem to have a problem with it. Eve shook her head in answer and closed her eyes.

"You have to deactivate it so I can draw blood." Dr. Lam insisted, more firmly this time. The shield remained.

"Carolyn." Sam interrupted, "It's fine."

Dr. Lam wanted to protest, wanted to say that she needed a sample of Eve's blood to test for diseases, that she didn't have any basic data aside from height, weight, hair and eye color, and that Eve needed a number of inoculations, but glancing at the girl again, at the look of defeat her body gave off and the baleful expression on her face, she decided to back off.

"Okay. Maybe later."

Sam offered her hand to help Eve down, but it was slapped away. She was clearly unhappy, and being here wasn't helping.

"The general assigned some family quarters so you and Daniel can bond."

Eve remained silent.

"He can be stubborn at times, but once you get to know him he's alright."

Eve shot her an irritated look, but didn't reply.

"You're two, right? I mean you were born two years ago?"

I am.

"You look like you're four."

I am.

" . . . Okay then. You don't talk like a four-year-old."

Is this a problem?

"No. It's just, unusual, for a kid your age to speak like someone older than they are."

At this a trace of amusement entered Eve's voice, but what she said gave Sam chills.

I am not speaking.

And now she can read minds. Lovely. Sam blinked, shook herself, and continued walking, "Your quarters are this way."

Daniel's new quarters were more apartment-like, and one of several on the base that were reserved for offworld ambassadors.

"Looks like the man of the hour hasn't moved in yet. Probably hiding in his office. Hey, if he or Vala tries something stupid, come find me or Teal'c okay? We'll set 'em straight."

Eve rolled her eyes and gestured toward the door. Once the blonde Tau'ri had left, Eve grabbed the pillow on her bed and screamed into it. Then she gathered her anger, her grief, and her pain and released it in a telepathic pulse that soon encompassed the entire base. Unfortunately it didn't overwhelm them for long, the most people felt was a second or two of Eve's mourning before returning to their pervious jubilance. No one paid her any heed, because no living soul could hear her.

Mama . . . MAMA! Eve cried, listening frantically for an answer. When none came, she shrieked aloud, crying late into the night until curling up on the bed and falling asleep.

Sam checked on her about ten o' clock, covered her with a blanket, and went to find Daniel.

Daniel had little help moving into his new quarters, since he didn't have much to actually move. The hinges of every door had been oiled so Eve didn't wake up, and Sam closed the door of the room Eve had gone to sleep in. Once Daniel's belongings had been put away, SG-1, sans Vala, tiptoed back out and locked the door behind them.

"What now?" Cam asked quietly, glancing backward once.

"I have no idea." Daniel replied with a sigh, taking off his glasses and rubbing his eyes. He didn't. Of all the women he'd been close to, intentionally, drug- or pheromone- induced, this had never happened. Now he was a father, a father to a girl whose age he wasn't sure of, but was pretty sure she hated him. How was he supposed to raise an evolved human? With Adria gone, Tomin choosing to remain behind, and Vala's general bad attitude, raising Eve was Daniel's responsibility.

"We should keep ValaMalDoran and Eve separated DanielJackson." Teal'c suggested, "ValaMalDoran lacks control of her emotions. Eve could take offense to a thought of ValaMalDoran and kill her."

"By accident right?" Cam asked, now concerned, "She's just a kid, a kid can't kill-"

"When Adria was four she healed Vala and was able to read her mind. Eve looks four, but she has more Ori blood than Adria, so she could be stronger. Vala's feelings for Adria aren't exactly a secret, and if she transfers those feelings to Eve . . . I don't wanna think about it."

Sam felt sorry for both Daniel and Eve, neither of them had asked for this.

"Well her age may be a good thing. Think about it Daniel, she's young. If we could convince her the Ori aren't gods, that what they were doing was wrong, then maybe we can get her to accept us."

"At the very least stop her from killing us." Cam added. Sam shot him a look.

"What?"

"What if she can't control her powers? It's not like we have anyone who can teach her." Daniel protested.

The question stumped them. There might be a way to block her powers permanently, but the procedure could cause brain damage. Combined with the fact Eve was aware of and consciously using her powers, taking them from her would be another black mark against Daniel, SG-1, Stargate Command, and Earth in general.

"No one but Tomin and the Priors know where Eve is. We shouldn't have a problem with Ori soldiers trying to find her. Actually we shouldn't have a problem with anyone trying to find her. On Earth she's just another kid." Sam tried to reassure them.

"A kid who's smarter than all the on-base geeks combined and who can break our necks without laying a finger on us." Cam protested, "Don't get me wrong, I agree she's safe here, but do we really want to raise a superpowered kid on a top secret base?"

"Did you have somewhere else in mind?" Sam asked, sarcasm dripping from her words. "If we send an alien hybrid somewhere else, some other government department could snatch her up and start experimenting on her, or worse try and mold her into a weapon."

When Cam looked ready to protest further, Sam overrode him, "Cam, she's an alien. We work with alien beings and alien technology. Her knowledge alone makes her a threat to anyone who doesn't work here. We have things that can stop her from using her powers temporarily, we have councilors trained to work here, they could help her with her grief and anger. At the very least we can accept who she is and what she's capable of."

Daniel looked at Sam like she'd lost her mind, "Why?"

This time it was Teal'c who answered, "If we accept who Eve is and what she is capable of, then she will come to trust us DanielJackson. If we do not, she may take up the Orici's mantle out of spite or revenge."

Teal'c's words were chilling. They had just destroyed one Orici, they didn't need another.

"Okay. How should we start?"

"I think we should give her some space so she can mourn her loss and get used to her new, environment." Sam began, knowing the Goa'uld would call a ceasefire with the Tok'ra before Eve called this world home.

"Then what?"

"Introduce ourselves, get her comfortable around us, maybe redecorate her room."

"I don't think the general will go for it." Cam remarked. "What happens when she's old enough to move out?"

"Someone will repaint the walls and make the room like it was before." Sam replied in a tone that advised him not to speak again. Cam took the hint.

Daniel sighed again, "Okay. I hope you'll help me out with this though."

The chorus of agreements loosened the knot in Daniel's chest.

Stargate Command. Just the name left a sour taste in Eve's mouth, and she wanted to purge the very words from her mind, from other minds, from the very language that birthed it. Instead, she crawled out from beneath the itchy blanket and screamed into the pillow again.

Sated for the time being, Eve slid to the floor, conscious of the sudden tightness of her clothing. Why was she taller? Was she much taller? How could she find out?

The door to this room was unlocked, leading to a much larger room hosting a plethora of furniture. Plethora. She liked that word. Glancing at each piece of furniture, the names became available in her mind, followed by their purpose: chairs were for sitting in, tables for eating, reading, or writing, cabinets for storage, refrigerators for keeping food cold, sinks for washing hands and dishes that couldn't go in the dishwasher, couches were for sitting or lying on, etcetera etcetera etcetera.

The carpet beneath her feet was thick, as though rarely used, and Eve wrinkled her nose at it before continuing her exploration. The door of the big room was locked, so she turned around. There was a second bedroom, this one with her sire's things in it, and Eve growled. It was a pathetic growl, but when the drawers in the dresser rattled and fell out, Eve was satisfied. His closet was full of stuff too, and Eve seriously considered destroying it.

Her mother's words came to her then, as if from a great distance, Your powers can be taken from you. Use them wisely.

Mama? Eve listened a minute, but when no further words came, she dismissed it as a memory. The next room she found was a bathroom, one with a full length mirror on the back of the door. Yes, she was taller. And older. She looked five now. Eve lifted her hand and touched her reflection, confused.

What was happening to her? Why was she getting older?

For a few seconds, panic threatened to engulf her, and then the knowledge appeared. Mama had aged rapidly because it was the will of the Ori. Eve was aging more quickly than normal because she felt threatened. Rapid aging meant her powers would be within her reach sooner, and if she had access to all her powers she would be able to protect herself. Eve didn't have a problem with that, though she did worry about finding a teacher. Why then, did she feel unsafe?

There wasn't a single answer. Her mother had broken their mental bond, thus eliminating her sense of stability. She'd been taken from her home and family to a strange place, on a strange planet, in the wrong galaxy. Her grandfather had decided to stay behind. Why? Eve gave it some thought, eventually deciding that his job as a soldier meant he couldn't take care of her. She could understand that. As to her current situation . . .

If the Ori were gone (and they were), and her mother was gone (and she was, or she would have answered by now), then who would be looking for her? Not the Doci or the Priors, they had been brainwashed by the box called "the Ark of Truth." Of the lot of them, only her mother, the Doci, and the Priors knew her location, or had a general idea. Mama was never sure if the Ori were aware of her pregnancy. But the rest of the Ori faithful did. The Ori's human children were aware of her existence, but they didn't know where she was. Not that it mattered, as only Mama or a Prior could fly an Ori ship.

Were the Tau'ri holding her prisoner? As the last of the Ori, she was both the human sovereign of the Ori's children and their religious leader. Sovereign . . . she liked this word too. But could she handle the responsibility? Could she rule them in both the secular (another good word) and sacred domains? Did a bunch of grown-ups really expect a two-year-old (or was she five?) to lead them? She wasn't tall enough yet, wasn't smart enough yet!

"Fires of eternal damnation!" she hissed under her breath. Then her thoughts turned to the unbelievers and the blood drained from her face. Sometimes she accidently read Tomin's thoughts, or the thoughts of Priors who visited Celestis after what Mama called a "tour of duty." So many people had been hurt, so many people had died, that for some it didn't matter that the Ori were trying to show them the light, their very presence bred resentment. There were few true empires in this galaxy, but the largest single group was probably the Jaffa.

The Free Jaffa Nation, while fractured, was still a very real threat. They had shown they would cross any line, break any law (that wasn't their own), and murder anybody, if it hindered them in any way. And they had ships that anyone with the right knowledge could fly. It wasn't unreasonable to expect them to know this world's Stargate address. And there were a few Jaffa believers, the followers of Illac Renin.

Should I reach out to them? Should I reach out to any believer?

That could be what the Tau'ri wanted, letting believer and unbeliever alike know they were holding the leader of Origin for ransom and seeing which side would offer them more. Some of her mother's – her followers, were just crazy enough to throw themselves to their deaths for her. That in itself was disturbing; Eve didn't want anyone dying for her.

Besides, Grandpa Tomin had allowed these unbelievers to take her with them.

Maybe they lied to him. Part of her mind whispered. Eve shook her head. Grandpa hadn't been physically harmed by the Tau'ri. He seemed to trust them. And if he trusted them, that probably meant she was safe here. Or the Tau'ri were really good liars.

So Eve still wasn't sure why the Tau'ri had left her here, alone, or what exactly it was they wanted. Information perhaps? She couldn't tell them very much.

Her stomach rumbled, reminding her she hadn't eaten since yesterday. She opened the bathroom door, peered outside, and made her way back to the kitchenette. There was supposed to be food in there. She was rummaging through the fridge when she heard footsteps. Stilling, she heard the sound of a key being inserted into the lock and hurried back to her room.

Daniel peered inside the den of his new quarters and barely restrained the sigh of relief upon not seeing Eve. He had a daughter. He had a daughter. How was he supposed to come to grips with that?

If I ever see Merlin again, I'll have some choice words for him. Daniel thought, jumping at the derisive snort that seemed to come from nowhere.

"Eve?" he called, uncertain. He half expected her to say "go to hell" or provide the Ori equivalent of the same. The silence unnerved him, so he walked over to the closed door. He could tell she'd been in his room, and was somewhat displeased to see his clothes everywhere, but at least she hadn't overturned the dresser.

WHAM!

"And there goes the dresser," he muttered to himself, resolving not to think about anything else Eve could destroy with relative ease. Like everything else in the apartment.

"Eve, can I come in?"

Still no answer. Swallowing, he continued, "I'm going to come in now okay?"

Did she know how unnerving she was being? Daniel rolled his eyes at the stupidity of the question. She'd been raised by Adria, and Adria was pretty damn intimidating without much effort. Was he really expecting Eve to be different?

He eased the door open and blinked in surprise. A five-year-old girl stared back at him, blue eyes hard and cold, dark hair falling in gentle waves a little past her shoulders. She carried herself like a born leader, her gaze imperious as it swept over him, unimpressed by she saw. Daniel noticed absently that she was wrapped in a blanket from the blanket chest, and what was left of her dress was laid out on the bed.

"Uh, hi?" Daniel's greeting came out more like a question. When her silence continued, he wondered if she spoke Ancient instead, so he repeated his greeting in that language. She replied in kind, but her reply might as well have been a blow to the head.

"My mother's betrayer . . . intelligent but unwise, brave yet spineless, carrying the torch of a race who cares not if their children sicken, die, or are enslaved. What she saw in you I am unsure. Perhaps it was not you, but the Ancient she was seeing."

She hated him. Great.

Eve's eyes narrowed, "I don't hate you, you idiot! I loathe the fact you exist."

It went downhill from there.

The rest of his team, again sans Vala, regrouped a few days later, looking up when an ashen Daniel walked into his office.

"It did not go well DanielJackson?" Teal'c asked, concerned.

"It went about as badly as it could possibly go." Daniel replied, collapsing in his chair.

"That's pretty bad." Cam remarked, "What happened?"

"She's looked around the apartment, made a mess of my room already. The dresser needs to be replaced, she reduced it to kindling . . ."

"Already? Geez, she must really hate you." Cam said, trying to lighten the mood. It didn't work, as he found out when Daniel's face somehow lost even more color and Sam slapped him upside the head.

"Then what happened?" Sam asked gently, crossing her fingers.

"She looks five, it looks like she'll have Adria's figure when she grows up too, she's outgrown the dress she wore here. Was wrapped in a blanket from that chest when I walked in. I greeted her in English, then in Ancient, and . . . She gave me one hell of a dressing down, at one point she said she 'loathed the fact I exist'."

Sam and Cam flinched while Teal'c's brow furrowed.

"'S not like we expected her to run to you and call you Daddy," Cam began, hoping to make up for his previous faux pas. Daniel sighed, "I know. I expected her to throw me into a wall."

"Maybe she doesn't know how? She's five, right?" Sam asked.

"Dr. Lam's gonna throw a fit if she ever gets Eve into the infirmary." Cam commented, staring at his still-pale teammate.

"If we plan to change her views, we're running out of time."

Sam's words rang true, to a point. Upon learning that she was not going to be starved or tortured for information, Eve's aging leveled off. She retained the appearance of a five-year-old, though her knowledge was far beyond it. Daniel and Sam had gone shopping to get Eve a wardrobe, after discovering the blanket chest was stocked with nothing but blankets. Teal'c watched Eve while Cameron went looking for Vala.

Eve's wardrobe was the correct size but had room for her to grow in, Eve had remained in one spot where she could see Teal'c and every doorway, and Vala had been found sulking in her room. The real problems began when Eve prevented them from leaving and demanded to know what was going on.

Nervous looks were exchanged before Eve issued a real threat, "Tell me what's going on or I'll rip the information out of your minds."

Her eyes locked on Daniel and she waited semi-patiently. The archeologist blurted out, "The laws on this planet say that you have to live with the closest blood relative. As your father-"

Eve hissed an expletive and her eyes glowed yellow.

Cam had enough time to squeak, "Crap" before they were lifted and thrown into walls.

"That . . . did not go well." Cam groaned a few hours later. All four of them had been lain out in the infirmary for treatment of blunt force trauma. Eve had been nice enough to drop them off, nicer still to explain what she'd done and recommend options for them, and Dr. Lam informed Daniel right away that Eve was now six.

Daniel laid an arm over his eyes. After a discussion that went late into the night, Sam volunteered to speak to Eve the next day. Alone.

She did. The information she returned with was confusing, and SG-1 was glad General Landry invited himself.

"Adria shielded Eve from the war. She knows there are believers and unbelievers, but she had no idea that the Ori had created an army and sent them to war."

"What did she think?" Landry asked.

"She thought the soldiers were there to keep order until planets converted to Origin."

"Why would Adria try and keep her kid in the dark?" Cam asked.

"When you become a parent your priorities change ColonelMitchell. It is no longer about fighting for honor, it is about protecting someone you love."

"Maybe Adria hoped to end the war before Eve grew up."

"Well it's over now right?" Landry asked.

"Actually Sir that's not true." Sam countered. "The humans in the Ori galaxy weren't affected by the Ark, so they wouldn't take too kindly to the fact their gods weren't really gods and they'd been fighting for nothing. Best case scenario is they'll think the Ori are testing them. Worst case is they'll think the Priors and the Doci have been corrupted or turned against them and rally around Eve as their new leader. If enough soldiers believe the Priors it could lead to civil war."

"What else, did she say?" Landry continued after a short pause.

Sam cleared her throat, "She asked if there was a room on the base she can use for religious purposes."

"You're gonna let her practice Origin here?" Cam asked sarcastically.

"I thought the same thing. She gave me a dirty look for it. Actually, she said she needs to perform funerary rites to appease Adria's spirit."

"The Ori had funerary rites?" Cam asked.

"Apparently." Sam replied with a shrug. Daniel picked up the thread of conversation, "She'll be using the rites where there isn't a body to bury. Three candles, a lot expensive incense, and a personal item that belonged to the deceased. The candles must be new and the incense good quality. After the rite is concluded, everything used must be destroyed by fire and the ashes scattered."

Landry didn't think about it long, "Do it."

Sam looked at him, startled, "Sir?"

"Eve's lost her mother, grandfather, and everything familiar in less than a week. Her faith is all she's got left. If we deny her this, we may not live long enough to regret it."

"I'll get my keys." Daniel said. "Might as well get Eve too, she'll have to pick them out."

"Not yet Dr. Jackson." Landry ordered, holding up a hand. As Daniel sat down again, Landry turned to Sam, "Anything else?"

Sam tilted her head the slightest bit, as if wondering how to word something, before answering, "Adria loved Eve. Eve wasn't seen as an accident or a burden or the next human leader of the Ori, Adria genuinely loved and cared about her."

"Unlike Vala, who was scared to death of Adria." Cam added.

"Maybe she was just trying to prevent Eve from going through childhood like Adria did: alone." Landry suggested.

Sam shook her head, "I don't think so Sir. Obviously we don't know a lot about Adria's childhood, except that Vala wasn't there long enough to make a lasting impression-"

"She said she missed Vala when she saw her again." Daniel interrupted with a shake of his head. "That means she was old enough to know Vala was her mother, and the fact she missed Vala indicates a connection, one-sided perhaps, but a connection all the same."

Sam continued undeterred, "Regardless, Adria probably grew up being told she was the Orici, destined to lead the armies of the Ori 'to glorious victory'. Aside from the servants, the Priors, and maybe Tomin, Adria grew up alone, without family and anything close to a friend. She might have grown up faster knowing the only person she could rely on was herself, because there wasn't anyone else who could do what she'd been destined to do. Maybe it bothered her and she didn't want Eve to go through it alone, personally I think whatever instinct that makes mothers look after their children took hold once she knew she was pregnant, at the very least when Eve was born."

"So she never left the Ori galaxy after we trounced the Ori," Cam began, attempting to fit what Sam had just said into what they already knew or had guessed. "She stayed there for the rest of her pregnancy, gave birth on Celestis, and raised Eve there. She loved Eve enough to shield her from knowledge of the war and try to be the mother to Eve that Vala never was to her. And until we got there, Eve had never been further than that temple place where the Ark was used. Am I right?"

"Pretty much."

"So how does Tomin fit in to all this?" Cam asked, puzzled by the piece that didn't seem to belong.

"Tomin married Vala, so he was Adria's father and Eve's grandfather through marriage." Daniel replied.

"He visited regularly."

"How regularly?" Landry inquired, folding his hands on the desk in front of him.

"Once a week every four weeks." Sam replied, "If Adria wanted to give Eve a family, she couldn't have picked a better guy. Like Daniel said, Tomin wasn't a blood relative, but he was head over heels for Vala and losing her really hurt him."

"So Adria can sense his pain and gives him someone he can love, thus ensuring his loyalty?" Landry asked.

"I don't know Sir. From a leadership position it makes sense and I don't doubt Adria knew his heart was broken, but maybe she knew getting Vala back wasn't possible without losing a significant number of troops or the Ancients becoming involved, so she gave him the next best thing: a granddaughter."

Judging from the expressions of everyone else, Sam wondered if this information unbalanced them as much as it had her. Like very villain they'd come across, SG-1 had placed Adria in a category, doing what she thought was right but ultimately self-serving. They knew she felt something for Vala, and sought to keep them apart because of it. Then Eve came along and suddenly Adria's behavior shifted. She didn't return to battle, save for a month to put down a rebellion and then again when they lured her into a trap using Vala as bait. Other than that she stayed in Celestis and looked after her baby. She placed the needs of her child ahead of the needs of thousands of others. Why? Did she really love Eve, as Eve insisted? Or was it simply another duty, one more task demanded of her by the war? And if Adria had loved Eve, did that mean they'd struck too soon? What if all Adria wanted was to have her mother back?

Eve was here because of them, had lost her mother because of them, and while Sam knew they'd orphaned children before, they'd never had to raise those children.

Because they weren't our children. She thought to herself, wondering how Eve was doing. Eve didn't like Daniel, but it wasn't because Adria had raised her to hate him. She had been hurt by his actions, Eve had picked up on this pain, and come to the conclusion that Daniel was a bad person because he'd hurt her mother. That he was an unbeliever just added fuel to the fire, and Sam inwardly winced at the awful pun.

"Well Daniel, you should probably go shopping now." Landry suggested.

"I'll come with you." Sam said.

Daniel looked very grateful.

Most of the car trip was spent in a one-sided conversation on Daniel's part. He talked about the different kinds of food on Earth, the different languages, music, literature, theater, television, movies, animals, and anything else he could think of. Sam asked if she had any preference to anything Daniel was talking about. This got a response out of Eve, though her tone was reminiscent of someone questioning a stupid child, "Samantha, how can I have a preference if I've never experienced anything he's talking about?"

Daniel groaned, knowing the sarcasm would get worse as she got older. Sam conceded that Eve had a point; it was hard knowing what you preferred when you couldn't tell pizza from a calzone, Rock from Alternative, or Beowulf from Narnia.

Once he pulled in to the specialty herb shop, Eve blew past him as if he wasn't there. They left the shop with three white pillar candles, myrrh, raspberry leaves, and sage, all of it good quality and all of it very expensive. Daniel suggested lunch somewhere and Sam chose a fast food placed at random. Eve looked at the selection with disdain, picking at her salad as if she'd never seen one in her life.

A short drive later and Eve had commandeered an empty room for the funeral, lighting the candles and burning the incense as required by the rites. She placed her mother's pendant within the triangle of candles and opened a copy of the Book of Origin, purloined from Daniel's office. She read from the book's pages aloud, speaking each word clearly and plainly. The flames brightened, the smoke from the incense encircling first the pendant then Eve. The fire brightened suddenly, comforting heat surrounding her, and Eve glanced up, eyes wide . . .

Several hours later, Eve emerged from the room with an urn containing the ashes from the ritual. She flung the book away, smirking when it caught Daniel in the ribs, and carried the urn outside the base. Waiting until the breeze was just right, she removed the lid and allowed the ashes to be blown away.

Eve snagged a couple fresh peaches when she got back to Daniel's quarters, dividing them into quarters and throwing out the pits. When Daniel peered inside a couple hours later, he found his daughter staring at the television, apparently confused.

"What is this?"

"It's uh, a television."

The six-year-old's stare made him feel like an idiot, so he tried again, shortening his explanation to what television did: educate, entertain, and inform viewers, not always in that order, and not always simultaneously. He explained the two different rating systems: target audience, and number of viewers. He explained genres and how a program fit into, defied, or created a genre. Finally, he said, "Most TV is watched in the afternoon or evening, when adults get home from work and kids are home from school. That's when the best or most popular shows and movies are on."

Eve pondered this, assuming the base had few such devices in order to keep soldiers focused on their missions. As for the rating system, it had its uses, but ultimately failed. Unless the children in question were hopelessly devoted to their parents, leave them alone long enough and they would find something they'd prefer to watch regardless of parental suggestion. And considering how often Daniel was gone, Eve could watch whatever she wanted on this television, and she had faith in her lying skills to keep it from him.

"Are you hungry? I can make something."

"I have eaten."

"Okay then."

Daniel wasn't surprised to find Sam, Cam and Teal'c in his office again.

"She seems fine," he said in response to their unasked questions, "The rites went well, the ashes were blown away, and the urn she used to transport them was vaporized via incoming wormhole. Landry saw it but let it go. Now, what are you guys doing in here?"

"We were discussing subjects that a child on Earth would be familiar with DanielJackson."

"If we have to take her off the base again, there are references to movies and books that would fly right over her head. Saying she's foreign will only work for so long. Eventually someone will wonder how a well-fed well adjusted child from a first-world country knows nothing about history, math, science, the arts or pop culture."

"Can't I enroll her in school? She knows basic math, basic science, how to read and how to write." Daniel countered.

Sam was undeterred, "She might be highly intelligent Daniel but her social skills are nonexistent. Even if she can control her powers, she may not be able to resist using them on others. Imagine her reading the teacher's mind for the answer to a question, or setting something on fire, or throwing some kid across the playground because he upset her. We don't even know if her growth is stable yet, she could start aging again at any time."

Teal'c cut her off, "There are things most school-age children know before school begins DanielJackson. They know their name-"

"She only has one." Cam interrupted.

"Their date of birth."

"She knows the one on the Ori calendar."

"Their age."

"She's got three."

"How to tell time, the length of a day, a week, a year, shapes, colors, and holidays. Should Eve grasp this information, I would agree with you sending her to school DanielJackson. But on this issue I side with ColonelCarter; she could indeed begin aging at any time."

"And she knows a lot of things that could get her, and us, in hot water." Cam picked up. "What will we say to her teachers if she mentions what goes on at Stargate Command? How are we gonna explain that to Landry?"

"I guess it'll be up to me to explain why she can't tell anyone. She's too young to sign a Nondisclosure Agreement."

"Normally Daniel I'd say go for it, but that would only work if there was a bond between you and Eve. Eve doesn't think of you as her father, she thinks of you as her sire, a man who impregnated her mother and then took off to do the same thing to another woman." Sam disagreed quietly. Daniel reeled as if struck. Not for the first time he cursed the Ancients. Thanks to their actions and lack thereof, the sole surviving Ori was his kid, his responsibility. He hoped the Others choked.

"Okay, we can teach her here for a while I guess. But, what about the pop culture references?"

"Well aside from providing books to read and movies to watch, the only way she'll learn is by experience. We can take her to the movies one day, take her out to eat, go to the mall, the zoo, maybe a couple places out in the country . . . and if she sticks to a certain set of rules we can reward her with a trip offworld."

"Are we sure we want to do that?" Cam asked at the same time Daniel choked out "Rules?"

"It's part of who she is Cam, we can't expect her to deny it. Better we take her with us a few times instead of her hijacking the Gate and taking off by herself. Yes Daniel, rules."

"We might run into an Origin fanatic."

"Maybe she'll reject them in a fit of teenage rebellion."

"Rules?"

"Yes Daniel, rules." Sam replied, exasperated. "A few simple things like keeping her room clean, a set bedtime, what she can and can't watch, or eat, or do unsupervised. Maybe use an allowance as an incentive."

Daniel rested his head in his hands.

"I know you don't like it Daniel, but you are her father and you have to set some boundaries. Adria didn't let her run wild, she kept a fairly regular schedule and if you keep to a schedule she might warm up to you."

Not a snowball's chance in hell. Daniel thought. He'd never been a position of real authority (except that one incident with the hostages on P4M-328), and from what he'd seen, Eve was just fine the way she was. But maybe Sam was right. Maybe if he tried a little tough love, somewhere down the road Eve would thank him. Or she'd get pissed and throw him into a wall. He'd put money on the former.

Or not. Eve already had something of a routine. Rise and meditate with the rising sun, breakfast, lessons in the morning, lunch, a nap, control of her powers, dinner, playing with other children, a bath, a story, then bedtime. Daniel had no problem with this, though he wasn't sure where to find teachers or how to fit in time to read or watch TV. He supposed he would adapt the schedule eventually.

The soft mantra of "I am fire, I am light, I am warmth, I am life" woke Daniel the following morning and he checked the clock. The digital screen read 5:57. Since he didn't have to be up for another hour anyway, he let it go and closed his eyes again. It felt like no time at all had passed when the alarm blared, and Daniel staggered into the bathroom to take a shower.

At quarter after he stumbled his way into the kitchen and started a pot of coffee before rummaging for bowls and a box of cereal. They had none. Great. He'd need to go grocery shopping today.

"What is that?" Eve asked suddenly, eyeing the bubbling liquid in the coffee maker with disgust.

"Coffee."

"It's repulsive!"

Daniel kept one eye on his child and the other on the coffee maker. Eve appeared to be actively planning the destruction of his coffee maker. He decided to move it to his office en route to the mess hall before Eve carried out her evil plot.

The sudden headache was like a blow between the eyes and Daniel crumpled to the ground, clutching his head and biting back curses. Said curses run through his head instead, loud enough for Eve to hear.

"If I was going to destroy this abomination, you wouldn't know until it was too late." Eve said calmly, unplugging the coffee maker and dragging him by the collar as if he weighed no more than a kitten. By the time Daniel knew where they were, several people had seen them and he realized he was still in his pajamas.

"Uh Eve? I'm not appropriately dressed . . ."

Eve either didn't hear him, or didn't care, just kept dragging him until she reached her destination. Oh he would never live this down . . .

Sam looked up right as a pajama-clad Daniel was dropped into the seat across from her. No she had not been mistaken, Daniel had indeed been dropped by Eve's telekinesis. Of course the girl was immaculately dressed in a pair of denim shorts, a spring green t-shirt, and white tennis shoes, hair neatly brushed. By comparison, Daniel looked like he'd just rolled out of.

The blonde decided to act normal, surely Eve had a reason for trying to humiliate Daniel before he'd had coffee.

"Good morning Eve."

Eve did not return her greeting, instead saying, "He drinks black sludge. It will be his undoing. Make him stop."

Cam choked on his orange juice two seats down. Teal'c pounded his back.

"What makes you think I can make him stop?" Sam asked, glancing at her disheveled teammate. Eve looked at Daniel, who tried to block his thoughts. Eve narrowed her eyes and Sam's mostly empty tray hit Daniel in the face.

For the second time in less than an hour Daniel bit back profanities, but the shock of pain was enough for Eve to get in and start rummaging around. He noticed right away her "touch" was a little different. Merlin's was suffocating, Adria's was subtle but present, Eve flitted from thought to memory with the quickness of a toddler on a sugar high.

"He values your opinion as a friend, as a teammate, and as a woman." Eve said, effortlessly holding a frantic Daniel too far away for him to cover her mouth. "He is hopeful you will still be around when I hit puberty, as he has no confidence in explaining it himself and believes Dr. Lam too clinical."

Cam's face was bright red as he tried to stifle his laughter. Daniel wanted to slam his head on the table. Once Sam had processed what Eve had just said, she asked, "And you think my opinion will be enough?"

Eve raised a delicate eyebrow, "Is there some reason it shouldn't be? Should I speak with his commanding officer? Or a doctor?"

"Honestly Eve, cutting off Daniel's coffee supply would do him more harm than good." Here Sam lowered her voice to give the illusion of privacy, "He's addicted to coffee."

Eve's eyes widened a little, "It is a drug then?"

Sam backtracked quickly, "No! No, coffee isn't a drug. It has caffeine, a common and perfectly legal stimulant. The problem is once you're hooked on coffee, trying to stop leads to problems. He'll have headaches, insomnia, and he'll bitch and whine and cry like a two-year-old."

Cam gave up and let loose a hearty guffaw, drawing stares of concern from every corner of the room.

Eve's glance at Daniel revealed she was seriously considering cutting off Daniel's coffee supply. Sam admitted to herself it was a suitable punishment.

Daniel would display classic signs of withdrawal, his resulting behavior would grate on everyone else's nerves, everyone else becomes annoyed, they lose focus, Earth/the galaxy/life as they know it becomes threatened because of it. And in the ensuing chaos, Eve's path to leadership would be clear. Oh yes, denying Daniel his coffee would be one hell of a payback choice.

Seeing Eve's passive interest morph into casual determination sent shudders down Sam's spine. Eve's expression conveyed her choice of vengeance had been made.

If they let Eve do it they were screwed. If they begged her not to they were screwed. Talk about a rock and a hard place.

Thus does Eve's earthside adventure begin. I was honestly surprised at the feedback I received for Death of the Phoenix. The idea of a possible trilogy crossed my mind when I came up with the title. As most fantasy enthusiasts (or Harry Potter fans) will tell you, the phoenix is a bird that dies in fire and is reborn from its own ashes. Make of that what you will.

I am very proud of the first Phoenix, as my first fanfic ever was a now-deleted disaster, my second borderline crack fiction, and my third at a standstill. Hopefully the characters that are not mine are in character and I've gotten the voices right. I have considered making the third part of the trilogy a crossover with Smallville, and given the scaling back of the Stargate timeline this remains a possibility. I have a few ideas to make the crossover both possible and plausible.