Annie's Song
Disclaimer: I have no claims on the Stargate world and am making no money on this story. I'm just telling the story that's in my head, and hope you enjoy it.
Author's Note:
This story just keeps getting more and more fun to write, and I hope you're all enjoying little Annie as much as I am. Many thanks to all my readers, and extra thanks to those who have offered reviews full of questions, ideas, praise, and appreciation. Endless thanks to Poetheather1 for continuing to read through these chapters, offer me suggestions and advice when I get stuck, and always supporting my writing time.
Chapter Four - Adaptation:
(noun) Something produced through modification of an existing item or situation.
(psychology) Change in behavior of a person or group in response to new or modified surroundings.
Sam and Daniel walked toward the elevator in silence, both feeling somewhat grateful that the rest of the team was not going with them. They stepped in and Daniel pushed 22 for the cafeteria. He sighed as the doors closed. "So, did you want to stay with Annie? I mean, I figure we should both stay on base, but, in her room…"
"Yeah, that works. Though Annie seemed quite confused this morning that you and I weren't in the same tent. I hope she can adapt okay here."
"We'll work it out. She seems to be doing remarkably well, all things considered. I don't know that most kids would deal as well after finding parents previously thought dead." He looked down at the floor, thinking about in regards to his own life. When he spoke again, it was much quieter, "I don't know that I would have."
Daniel quickly got quite lost in his own thoughts. He'd suddenly realized that if they sent Annie back, she would be losing her parents again, and the thought left him feeling as though he'd been stabbed in the gut. He couldn't imagine putting anyone through that pain, especially not Annie. Sam placed a hand on his shoulder – for comfort, he presumed – but he couldn't bring himself to share these thoughts with her. He had to stay calm and this would be an emotional conversation. When the elevator dinged, he heard Sam take a deep breath before she squeezed his shoulder. He looked up, and was then confused by Sam's quick pace and the suddenly tense air about her. He pondered this for a moment and finally stepped out to follow her just as the doors had been about to close again.
He nearly had to jog to catch up to her, but when he finally did he grabbed her arm to stop her. "Sam, what is it?"
Sam looked at him, still amazed by how well he could read her. "I, uh, I'm not sure I'm ready to talk about it." She knew there was no point denying that she was upset, but she couldn't quite put it into words just yet, and as much as Daniel understood her, he probably wouldn't quite get the full meaning behind the incoherent cries and blubbering that was currently happening in her head.
"Okay, I can respect that," he thought about how she was nearly echoing his own thoughts of just moments ago. He hoped it would be easier to talk about once he figured out exactly how he felt about it, and for that matter, why, and could completely understand Sam's feelings in that regard. "But you're kinda radiating some pretty strong feelings right now. If you walk into the cafeteria like this, Annie will know something is wrong. Children are very quick to pick up on those things. Whatever it is, why don't we both just stop and take a few deep breaths and get ourselves calmed down before we see Annie, okay?" His hand slid from her elbow down to her hand, and she felt a whole new batch of confusion pour over her as her heart rate sped up and she tried to avoid looking at their joined hands. She smiled and nodded at him. Daniel always knew just what she needed.
The two of them moved to the edge of the hall, still holding hands, and silently closed their eyes and started breathing slowly and deeply. Daniel felt better after getting some more oxygen into his bloodstream, and felt he was calm enough to handle at least the next few hours. He nearly lost control of that calm when he opened his eyes and found himself staring at Sam while she continued breathing. Her lashes fluttered slightly on her cheeks as she kept her eyes closed and focused on the calming breaths. The rosy flush of her cheeks reminded him of other times he'd seen her blush.
Sometimes when accidental innuendos came up in conversation, he could see this same flush before Sam responded. Sometimes those responses were intentional innuendos as a joke, while other times she simply changed the subject. She'd really surprised him with a very bold comment once, nearly eight years ago, but blushed nearly crimson when she realized what it sounded like. Daniel smiled at the memory as he gazed at the curve of her jawline and the long line of her slender neck. In the back of his mind, he reminded himself that he was supposed to be calming down to interact with Annie, not having confusing thoughts about Sam.
When Sam opened her eyes, she saw Daniel glancing away, and squeezed his hand. "You are so right – that helped." She'd managed to get herself re-focused on the needs of the moment. She had to take care of Annie and try to avoid more trauma or confusion for her. Nothing else mattered at that moment. Annie needed her mother. Annie's mother is dead, Sam's inner voice reminded her. She sighed and shook her head in determination. Those thoughts wouldn't be helpful right now. She'd have to stay focused for Annie's sake.
Daniel glanced up and smiled at Sam. She seemed oblivious to his previous staring, which made it much easier for him to shake it off so they could go get their daughter. He let go of her hand, pushing his reluctance to the back of his mind, and nodded at her as he started toward the cafeteria doors again.
Walter watched as Annie peeled her banana from the bottom end instead of the stem as he'd always seen done. "Why do you peel them that way?" He'd finally realized it must have been about lunch time when they came through the gate because the jello wasn't enough for Annie. She'd already asked for a corndog and fries after her jello and was now having a banana, which she called "second dessert."
"Daddy teached me. He said it works better, and that's how monkeys do it." She smiled and took a bite of the banana, shaking her head side to side while she chewed. She'd been quite chatty, and Walter had managed to find out that Annie was very attached to her stuffed monkey but it was left at Janet's before she "found Mommy and Daddy." He'd also learned that she loved spaghetti, egg rolls, most fruits, and all things chocolate. She liked monkeys, dogs, and bears, but monkeys were definitely her favorite animal. She thought unicorns were cute, but didn't seem as enamored with them as many girls her age. She talked about living with Janet, and seemed to have made up her mind that it had been a temporary situation due to the "oops" of her parents' supposed deaths, and that now she would, of course, be living with them again. She told Walter about her day with Cam and Vala, and about the last time she'd seen Vala and "Muscles." Annie giggled a bit when she whispered that she caught them kissing, and Walter smiled, amused at the idea of Vala and Teal'c as a couple, which he was fairly certain hadn't happened in this reality.
Behind Annie, Walter saw the cafeteria doors open and Colonel Carter and Dr. Jackson walk in. They smiled at him and he waved back, which would have caught Annie's attention were she not still happily eating her banana, bouncing in a silent sing-songy manner with her eyes closed. He thought there was likely a song stuck in her head. He noticed Annie's parents watching her as they approached. She finally opened her eyes and saw that he was looking behind her.
Annie turned in her seat and her blue eyes opened wide with excitement when she saw her parents there. She laid the banana down and jumped up to greet them with tight hugs around their legs, first Sam's, then Daniel's. "I thought you would never get done," she said impatiently. "Walter was fun, but I misseded you too much." She grabbed their hands and led them to the empty chairs at their table. Sam sat next to Annie, with Daniel across from her, with Walter. Annie happily picked up her banana again, started to take a bite, and then looked at Sam from the corner of her eye. "Oook." Sam giggled, recognizing that as her own childhood 'this is what monkeys say' vocabulary.
Without hesitation, she smiled at Annie, leaned toward her and replied "Oook." Annie seemed to think this was perfectly normal and proceeded to start on the second half of her banana.
Walter turned to Daniel and said "So, Dr. Jackson, Annie said you told her that's how monkeys eat bananas. Why is that?"
Daniel looked at Annie's banana, tickled to see that the stem was still intact. He gathered from Walter's comment that this was commonplace for Annie, and he was grateful for the subtle tip from Walter. "Oh, if you pinch the end and peel from the bottom, you can access the banana earlier without getting a smooshed tip like sometimes happen if you bend the stem over and the peel doesn't split quickly enough." Walter nodded, and stood up.
"Thanks for the explanation. I'll have to remember that the next time I have bananas." He smiled at Annie. "Thanks for keeping me company, Annie. Now I have to go see if Mr. General wants me to do any other projects today. I'll see you later, okay?"
"Okay, bye Walter!" Annie waved. She turned to her parents as Walter walked away. "I got hungry and the jello was really good, but it was in a different kind of cup and that was weird, but the jello maded my tummy hungrier an' Walter gotted me a corn dog and he stole' some of my fries, and then he said I could get a 'nana cuz I was still hungry and I said it's a second dessert cuz the jello was like dessert before lunch." She paused very briefly to look around, then turned back to them and spoke a little quieter, "Walter said Aunt Janet isn't here today and I don't know that new doctor lady we saw. And how come I was staying with him instead a' Ms. Linda and my class? Is there a magic spell? Walter didn't want me to talk to other people. My banana was good, but can I has some milk? And maybe a cookie?"
Sam smiled at how fast Annie was talking, and glanced at Daniel as if to say 'you know she got that from you, right?' Daniel just smiled back and listened to the last bits of Annie's ramblings, subconsciously seeking the connections that led her from one thought to the next. At her request for more food, considering what she'd just admitted to eating, he raised his eyebrows in surprise.
"Where are you going to put it?" he asked. He didn't think such small children normally ate that much. Annie's next words led Daniel to believe this was a question she was used to being asked.
"In my hollow leg, silly!" Sam and Daniel laughed with her at this.
"You know, Daniel, we haven't had lunch either. How about you go get something for you, and some cookies and milk for Annie, and then I'll get some lunch, too."
"Sure. Be right back." Daniel headed off toward the food. Sam watched him go, smiling, and turned to Annie who was swinging her feet back and forth and looking around the room in a slightly bored manner.
"When are we going home? Did you call Aunt Janet yet? Did other boys forgetted more stuff?"
Sam smiled. The girl certainly had plenty of questions, which Sam would normally be thrilled with because questions show curiosity and interest. In this case, however, the corresponding answers could upset a child that had already had an emotional time. Sam thought about Annie's questions carefully and considered the best way to answer them. "Well, we're not actually going home tonight. The General needs me and your Dad to work on some really important stuff, so you're going to get to stay on base with us all night." She was relieved to see Annie respond with excitement instead of fear or something worse. She'd hoped it would seem like a fun treat to Annie.
"Really? I can stay? All night? Am I gonna get to sleep in the vipp-rooms?" She emphasized the odd word, confusing Sam.
"Vip? You mean V. I. P.?"
Annie rolled her eyes. "I know how to do spelling. If s.i.p. is 'sip' and r.i.p. is 'rip' then v.i.p. is 'vip'. You guys only spell stuff I'm not 'posed to hear."
Sam nodded and tried to hide a smile. She was both impressed with Annie's spelling abilities and finding it incredibly adorable that Annie thought they were spelling things out when she heard them talking about work. She also found it important to note that this meant the Sam and Daniel from Annie's world did casually mention work around Annie. "Actually, Annie," Sam paused as the perfect response dawned on her. "We aren't allowed to tell people lots of things about our work, you know."
Annie nodded. "Cause it's classy-fried."
Sam nearly chuckled and felt her heart aching a bit at how special and precocious Annie was. "Yes, that's right. But the General just told us you can stay on base tonight, and that means we can tell you what V. I. P. means." She leaned toward Annie and lowered her voice as she spoke, careful to act like it was important secret.
She got exactly what she was hoping for. Annie was completely enthralled with the idea that she was getting special, secret information. Her excitement reminded Sam of herself, how she got so much joy from discovering new things, which then led Sam to realize that she was thoroughly enjoying this new thing – getting to know her daughter. Her heart jumped into her throat and she found herself grateful that Daniel chose that moment to return to the table. Annie turned to him, which gave Sam a moment to collect herself.
"Is it true Daddy?" Her excitement was quite obvious, but Daniel wasn't sure what she was asking about. His glance at Sam didn't help, especially since Sam looked a bit upset at the moment.
"Is what true?"
"Mommy said I get to know some classy-fried stuff about the vips and I can stay in the mountain all night!"
Daniel smiled, grateful that whatever Sam had said resulted in this excitement. Her reaction could have been so much worse. "She did, huh?" He looked at Sam, who was blinking a little more frequently than usual. "You told her she can stay here? And are you sure she's ready to know that other stuff?" He acted like he didn't think Annie could handle it, sure that Sam had started them on a safe path.
Thankfully, Sam had managed to swallow the lump in her throat and blink away the sudden and confusing tears while Annie was talking to Daniel. She smiled weakly at Daniel. "Oh, yes. She can handle it. After all, if she's going to stay in a V. I. P. room, she's trustworthy enough to know what it stands for."
"Okay," he looked at Annie, noticing her intense interest. She wanted to know. She was yearning for information. It was something he knew not everyone had, but he was so glad to know his daughter had it. He cleared his throat, determining to save that line of thinking until later. "Well, it means Very Important Person, which means those rooms are saved for when Very Important People come to visit the base. Tonight, that means you!" A quick glance at Sam's relieved face showed him that he'd picked up exactly where she left off. He noticed that she seemed to be feeling much better, but thought another moment wouldn't hurt. "Sam, don't forget to get your lunch, now." He gestured to his tray and reached for Annie's milk.
"Right, lunch." Food would help, she was sure of it. Sam stood up, feeling slightly dazed as she watched Annie take the milk and squeal at the chocolate walnut cookies that Sam and Daniel both loved. As she went to get her lunch, she pondered the situation, thinking about what would need to happen for the next several hours. She needed to make sure that Annie was comfortable and happy, but she also needed to figure out why and how Annie was here. She knew they were supposed to be trying to send her home, but that idea was getting harder to stomach with every passing moment.
Sam absently grabbed a chicken salad sandwich from the display as she wondered if Annie liked chicken salad. I'm her mother. I should know if she likes chicken salad, she thought. Of course, Sam understood that she wasn't truly Annie's mother, but she was having a hard time telling her gut that. Sam had always wanted to have kids, but by her late 30s she'd begun to think she'd never have the opportunity. She still wondered if that alternate version of herself had felt the same way and asked Daniel to be a sperm donor. On some level, that idea was less confusing than the thought that she and Daniel were actually married and in love in that alternate reality. That idea triggered too many conflicting emotions for Sam to sort out just yet.
She glanced over at the table where Annie was happily munching cookies and giggling at something Daniel had said. This was going to be interesting. She sighed and grabbed a bowl of grapes to add to her tray. They would need to act like everything was normal around Annie, but they didn't know what would be normal to her. They'd already picked up a few things, like her expectation of a joint bedtime story¸ but daily interaction, especially in a place Annie was familiar with, would have endless possibilities for little things to be different.
Sam picked up a bottle of water before heading back to the table. Thankfully, Annie seemed overall well-adjusted, and Sam hoped she would continue to adapt as well as she had been.
"…won't be back until tomorrow." Daniel was saying as she sat down.
"Who won't?" Sam asked.
"Oh, uh, Cam won't, right? Anyway, I think he's left for the day. Annie was just asking if he and Vala were still around."
"Yes, he said he was leaving, I think. Vala was going to shower and change."
Annie nodded, obviously not surprised about that.
Daniel smiled, "Yes, and she already asked about T, who is also due back tomorrow, but I think later in the day."
Annie looked very serious. "Was his trip a long time? I bet Vala misses him lots."
Daniel was confused by this statement. "Oh?"
"She likes him." Annie said in a tone that told Daniel she thought it was obvious. Thankfully her next statement let him know he hadn't triggered any other concerns for her. "Boys. They never know things like that." She rolled her eyes in exasperation and Sam couldn't help but laugh.
"That's so true, Annie." Daniel watched in a mixture of awe and confusion as mother and daughter shared a moment that made him feel this was completely normal and Annie did belong in their reality.
Walter didn't even realize he was smiling as he left the General's office. He'd filled General Landry in on his conversation with Annie, adding his own observations and suspicions from time to time. The General seemed quite satisfied and asked Walter to get some emergency clothes and toiletries from the supply storage, and a couple appropriate games, toys, and books from the base day care. He'd be having these things, and one of the bunks with extra bedding, set up in one of the V. I. P. rooms.
General Landry had also told Walter some of the full debriefing, primarily the part where Annie and her 'parents' would be staying on base for now, and everyone should act as if this was normal at least until the next afternoon's meeting. Walter wondered how, exactly, they were planning to keep Annie from wandering or asking questions. He could tell she was a very curious child, and the way she reacted to a different jello dish told him she knew details.
He gathered a tiny tunic-styled dress and a small robe, then made a mental list of immediate toiletries needed. Someone would need to get Annie some regular clothes by morning if she was supposed to think all was normal. He'd have to talk to the General about that once he got their room set up. Walter picked out a tooth brush and comb, reasoning that the Colonel and Dr. Jackson would already have toothpaste and such from their other visits overnight.
Stopping in the base day care, Walter watched some of the children getting their things and leaving, while others were still picking up toys or coloring pictures. It was nearing the end of the day for some, though he still had several hours on his own shift. He walked over to one of the day care teachers. "Hi, um, excuse me, Ms…"
"Linda" she smiled at him. "And drop the Miss. Only the kids call me that."
"Linda, thank you. I'm Walter, uh, Chief Harriman. General Landry asked me to stop by. We've got a young girl staying on base tonight, and he thought she might like some games and books to keep her occupied."
"Oh, sure. How old is she?" Linda turned and headed toward the storage shelves.
"She'll be four in a couple months, but she seems a little advanced for her age." Walter thought that might have been an understatement, but he tried to stay casual about it.
"Okay, I can work with that." She gathered a couple board games, a deck of Old Maid cards, some coloring supplies, two books, a set of jacks, and a soft grey teddy bear. "Because every little girl loves stuffed animals."
"Actually," Walter looked at the bear and back at Linda. "You wouldn't happen to have a stuffed monkey here, would you? She really loves monkeys."
Linda smiled, "That's so thoughtful of you. As a matter of fact, I think there is one, probably in that bin over there," she pointed at the last of the three bins filled with stuffed animals. I saw Suzanne playing with these earlier and she tends to sort them by color family. The monkey is brown."
Walter looked in the bin and was happy to find the promised monkey. He thought Annie would probably be happy to see it, even though it wasn't her monkey.
"Thanks for your help with this." Walter was grateful to see that Linda had produced a canvas tote bag that held most of the stuff easily. He added the monkey and grabbed the bag and the board games to continue on his way.
"Sure, let me know if you need anything else."
As Walter headed back to the V. I. P. quarters, he wondered if Linda might be able to help get more clothes for Annie. The girl would need regular stuff, and Walter didn't have much experience with the clothing needs of people that small.
Sam and Daniel walked down the hall with Annie diligently staying between them. She gently held onto one finger from each of her parents and was happily babbling all the way through the SGC. Sam smiled as she listened to Annie's chatter about joining her at work. "I could help you look in the teleph-scopes and see the Deep Space," she said. Her voice went up and down with every couple syllables, something Sam had begun to realize meant Annie was very excited about the topic at hand. "Do they have computers in the Deep Space? Or! Or, do they have," she paused a little, apparently searching for the words, "do they have cell phones so, so we can call them?"
"Well, I think even if they do have cell phones, it would be hard to call if we don't have their numbers, wouldn't it?" Sam wondered how long they'd be able to avoid answering so many of her questions. She didn't remember Mark's kids being quite this inquisitive at Annie's age, but then they hadn't been raised by two scientists. Sam had always been very inquisitive, and she knew Daniel had been asking questions all his life.
"Hey, am I gonna go to Miss Linda's class while you guys do work?"
"No, not today anyway. I think probably Vala's going to come hang out with you for a while, and then maybe we can have some popcorn and watch a movie after dinner." Daniel hoped the suggestion would seem normal to Annie, and a part of him felt quite frustrated at not knowing his daughter better, even though he knew that wasn't logical.
Thankfully, Annie seemed excited but not surprised at the idea. "I want the spicy salt on my poppy-corns!"
Daniel and Sam shared a glance over her head, both of them thinking about all the team movie nights when Jack had tried to convince them that popcorn was better with seasoned salt. Daniel usually wanted the extra buttery kind, and Sam liked the slightly sweet kettle corn best. Annie must have learned this from her "uncle" Jack. "We'll see if they have any here," Daniel said, "and we'll have to find out what movies we've got on base, too." He hadn't thought about that before making the suggestion, but he was sure they'd have something appropriate. "Should we see if Uncle Jack is still around? He could join us for the movie."
"Yes!" Annie pulled on both their arms as she jumped up and down a few times in excitement. "It can be a big movie night and we can have other peoples come too!"
"Well, let's not get too carried away. Our room isn't big enough for a lot of people," Sam said, smiling. She couldn't help but get caught up in Annie's enthusiasm.
They arrived at the V.I.P. room just as Walter was walking out. He stopped abruptly upon seeing them and smiled at Annie. "I was hoping I'd see you again this afternoon. I wanted to show you something." Daniel watched in wonder at how quickly Walter had taken to Annie and how comfortable she seemed with him. "See, I know we can't go get your favorite monkey from Aunt Janet's house tonight, but I didn't want you to miss him too much," he turned and re-entered the room, going to a twin bed that had been moved in for Annie. "So," he said as he picked up a stuffed animal from the pillow, "I borrowed this for you. He can stay with you while you're staying here on base, okay?"
Annie jumped up and down and ran to Walter, reaching out to hug the stuffed monkey. "Thank you Walter. This is Tiggsy; she likes to have tea parties and go 'sploring places." The adults in the room couldn't tell for sure if Annie recognized this particular stuffed animal, or was making it up as on the spot. She quickly moved to sit on the bed with Tiggsy the monkey and start talking about her adventures of the last couple days.
"Thank you, Walter. This is very thoughtful of you," Sam said. She'd seen a few other toys and games and knew that Walter had probably just made their evening much easier. "We talked to her about watching a movie and having popcorn later. You wouldn't happen to know if there are any good kid-movies on base, would you?"
"I can check around. I'll get back to you later and let you know what I find. I'm also going to talk to the General about going out to pick up some regular clothes for Annie. The supplies on base are pretty limited."
Sam nodded and glanced at Daniel. In another of their silent conversations, they came to a sudden plan. Sam moved toward the other side of the room and motioned for Walter to follow her while Daniel sat down with Annie and talked to her and the monkey.
"So, did you get anything from Annie during lunch that might help? I just, well, we want to make her feel as much at home as we can."
Walter nodded. He'd been expecting this. Walter had a feeling they were in deeper than they realized, but he wasn't about to voice those thoughts – not yet anyway. People already thought he was psychic; no need to start predicting the future now. "She told me about the death of her parents, which I'm sure you've already heard?" Sam's nod confirmed that, so he continued. "She's determined that it was a mistake, an 'oops' to quote her. She compared it to a time when Colonel Mitchell was 'lost,' so she's probably decided that you both got lost somehow and people thought you'd never make it back. She figures she won't be living with Janet now that you're home. Of course, I said nothing about Dr. Frasier to trigger more questions," he assured her.
Walter looked over at Dr. Jackson, who had picked up a book and started to read it to Annie. "She talked about foods she likes; the General calls her 'Annie-Banannie' sometimes; she loves visiting the zoo; she seems like a normal kid. A little advanced for her age. I have a nephew in kindergarten and they seem to be at about the same level."
"I thought I noticed that, too. My niece and nephew are older now, but I don't remember them asking quite as many questions at three years old."
"Oh, don't forget she'll be four in just over a month. She's quite excited about it, reminded me three times." Walter smiled. "She's a sweet little girl, and doesn't miss much. You might want to know… she uh," his smile had faltered and he looked so serious Sam was starting to get concerned. "She notices details. A lot of little ones. She saw letters and patterns in the way her French fries were laying on the plate. She noticed that the jello bowl was different than what she's used to. Those questions she's asking, and the little things she notices, they're not gonna get easier to explain."
"I know." Sam sighed. "I'm worried about that, but I don't know what we can do about it tonight aside from keep her in one spot as much as possible. If she's not exposed to those differences, she can't notice them and ask about them. After she goes to sleep tonight, we'll have to figure out when and how to explain things to her."
Walter clearly didn't envy them that task. "I'll get busy on that other stuff, Colonel. Let me know if you need anything else."
"Thanks Walter."
Sam crossed the room and pulled a chair up next to the bed where Daniel and Annie sat. She listened as Daniel read a couple more pages of the book about a moose and a bear that were friends. Annie seemed quite content to lean against Daniel's side and play with the stuffed monkey while she listened, and Sam took the opportunity to watch her. Annie's nose crinkled just a little when she giggled at the funny bits, and her eyebrows were expressive, but only during really intense parts of the story. Sam noticed that Annie seemed to be devoting only part of her attention to the book Daniel was reading. There was something else on her mind, and Sam wasn't sure how to ask about it, or for that matter, if she was prepared to deal with it. Who am I kidding, she asked herself. I'm not prepared to deal with any of this. This isn't a normal situation that one could expect. Nevertheless, she'd had over a decade of dealing with things that weren't "normal" and she saw no choice now but to roll with the punches as usual. They'd figure something out, and they'd make it work. She just hoped there wouldn't be too much fallout from it, especially for Annie.
The knock at the door startled Sam out of her thoughts. "Come in?"
Daniel paused in his reading as they all looked up to see Vala coming in. "I thought perhaps I could play some games with Annie while you two finish up that work the General wants." She smiled, and came to see the games and toys Walter had brought in. "Look, there's Candy Land and…" she paused and squinted slightly at the box, "Trouble?" She looked up at Sam and Daniel in confusion. "This is a children's game? You want them to play with trouble? That seems a bit counterproductive if you ask me, I mean, based on what you generally teach people."
"It's not a game to play with trouble. It's just the name of the game. You move pieces around according to the dice." Sam had played it with her niece and nephew a few years ago. The conversation did, however, help her to realize just how many things a mother would know about that she might not. It was overwhelming.
"I like those games," Annie said. "And Walter bringed me coloring stuff, too. Vala, we can color pictures and you can give one to Teal'c!" Daniel held back a snicker, thinking of Annie's comment earlier about Vala and Teal'c. He wondered if they should warn Vala, but decided that would take the fun out things when Teal'c returned and Annie saw them together again.
Vala looked a little confused, but just smiled larger and said "That would be lovely, Annie."
As Sam and Daniel left the room, Vala and Annie were settling down with crayons, markers, and coloring books at the small table. Daniel closed the door behind them and the two started walking toward the elevator. "I'm not entirely sure where to start," Sam said. "Do we start by trying to decipher that language, or looking for a way to send her home, or recreating the situation that brought her here?" She looked at Daniel. "We're going to have to tell her the truth, you know. We can't possibly get this all settled in a day. We're going to have to explain it to her."
"I know." Daniel pulled his glasses off and rubbed his temples, trying to ease the building pressure. "I'm just hoping we can find something that will give us an idea of when we can work this out. I'd rather be able to tell her she can go back home in a month than we don't know."
"Do you think she'll want to go home?" Sam stopped in the midst of the hallway, feeling as though her ribcage was tightening around her lungs as she waited to hear his answer.
Daniel blinked at her a few times and opened his mouth to reply, then stopped. As he thought about it, he realized he had no answer to that… or rather, he had too many answers. "Well, initially, you would think a child would want to go back home, to what's familiar and safe and comfortable, and that would normally – and ideally – be where she was living. But while I'm sure she has all that with Janet, I know how hard it is to lose both parents at the same time, and if I'd had the best foster care, or been adopted by a loving family, or if I were happily being raised by Nick, I still would have wanted my parents back. You're right Sam. She may not want to go home."
I may not want to send her home, Sam thought, but she wasn't ready to share that yet, especially not with Daniel. If it came to that, it would involve a great deal of discussion and thought because it wasn't just about her. It was also about Annie, and anything about Annie, for now at least, was also about Daniel. It was somehow both comforting and nervewracking to have their lives suddenly interwoven like this, and she wondered if it would be something best discussed before Annie knew the truth. No matter, for now. They still had time before they had to tell Annie, which meant Sam still had time before she really had to talk to Daniel about this in depth.
All she said aloud was, "This could get interesting." She reigned in her feelings and headed toward the elevator again.
Daniel followed in silence, but they went their separate ways so they could each focus on different aspects of this puzzle. He knew Sam would be studying the data and energy readings from the scanning crystal, and probably going over old reports and research on the alternate timelines they'd dealt with before. His focus, however, was translation. He needed to find out what those walls said if he was going to have any chance understanding how or why Annie had come to be here.
The language was familiar, but tricky, requiring Daniel to cross-reference a number of things to figure out certain symbols. The translation from PB2-908 where they'd found the writings of the Four Great Races helped, but there was so much more, so many symbols and phrases in the Furling ruins that weren't in that ancient translation. He spent some time comparing a few symbols to some Sanskrit and Thai, then comparing the text from 908, the Utopian moon, and 629 where they'd just been. The book Jack had found on that moon had more Asian influences in the writings, while the writing on 908 was all crescents and dots. 629 seemed to combine those in some cases, but used a lot more symbols and smaller characters, as if the writing was much more detailed, using more words to explain few ideas very meticulously.
He suspected he was looking at an evolution of the language, including some dialectical changes and possibly regional influences. Furthermore, he was fairly certain that the very formal-looking text from 908 was reflective of a higher class, much like calligraphy and formal language sometimes is on Earth. Ultimately, this would make his understanding of the language much deeper and broader, giving him more material to develop a very thorough sampling of their communications. Sadly, though, he wouldn't be able to delve that deeply in just a day or two. To fully translate the writing on the walls of that chamber, Daniel was going to need months, maybe longer. He sighed in frustration and fell back on his habitual problem solving patterns.
He strongly suspected the legend of the Monkey King was involved somehow, and was wondering where best to start for information on the Monkey King here on Earth. He'd heard the stories, of course, knew the legend and a little background on the region, but it had never been his focus of study. In fact, he'd spend so much time studying the Middle East, Europe, and South America that he'd never gotten as far in depth as he'd have liked into the Asian cultures. He thought briefly of contacting an old colleague, but decided against it considering just how long he'd been out of touch with those people. A little research later and he had a book store ordering Monkey and Journey to the West for him. They promised availability by tomorrow afternoon.
Daniel went back to the sections of text that mentioned the Monkey King and focused on those first, hoping to verify his suspicions and glean any other information from it. He'd been at it for hours and was working so intently he hadn't even gotten a new cup of coffee. Finally, as his stomach started growling, he paused to check out the time. It was nearly six, meaning Annie should be getting dinner soon. He put down his work and called Sam's lab.
Sam had been distracted most of the afternoon. She went over old reports, spend the better part of an hour staring at the images of the crystal that scanned them, and wish for a close friend besides Daniel that she could talk to about the confusing feelings she was having over this whole situation. She nearly jumped out of her skin when the phone rang at quarter to six. "Carter."
"Sam, it's me. I thought we should get Annie and go have dinner. Or should I have Vala bring her up and we can meet them at the commissary?"
"That would work, and save a little time. I hope she's doing all right. I didn't realize it was this late already."
"Yeah, me either. It's kinda funny to think of this as late, though, don't you think? We so rarely stop work this early."
"True. I guess we'll have to change that, now," Sam said, then quickly realized how that sounded. "I mean, um, you know, for the next little bit, anyway, until we work this out. I just, well, to take care of Annie, since she's having a hard time with things."
"Yeah," Daniel said, and Sam could almost hear the smile through the phone. "It's okay, Sam. I know."
Suddenly, she thought maybe he did know. There was something in his voice that soothed her, which was not at all unusual for them, but was especially comforting considering their current predicament. She thought maybe it wouldn't be that hard to talk to him about her feelings. She knew they were a lot alike in many ways – they wouldn't be so incredibly close otherwise – so maybe he was reacting the same way.
"Okay, I'll wrap this up and meet you there. You'll have Vala bring Annie?"
"You bet. See you soon, Sam."
Sam took a deep breath as she hung up the phone. Life at the SGC – it never stopped surprising her, and while she'd thrived on that for years, she sometimes thought she'd welcome a little boredom. Oh, but hadn't she just been complaining to herself about being bored a few days ago? Everything had been quiet and routine until Daniel proposed that last mission. So this is what the universe decided to do when Sam Carter was bored – but at least she couldn't claim boredom now, and with Annie's personality, Sam didn't think she'd have a boring, quiet life while Annie was around.