A/N: Shew! Talk about delays. I've been so wrapped up in "Learned by Heart," that this one got shoved to the backburner for a while. Anyway, I've been re-inspired, so here's another chapter – just to prove to you guys that I haven't forgotten or given up on this story!

I've actually spent a good deal of time looking back over my early SG-1 DVDs, trying to capture the essence of Daniel's relationship with his wife. (I even re-watched the movie!) My first several attempts at this chapter were tossed into the recycle bin, because they were too syrupy. I think, however, that this one finally works. Oh, and I once again apologize for my rather shaky scientific explanations. I am so NOT into theoretical astrophysics.

Finally, I know there are a lot of Janet/Daniel fans out there, but since I'm writing this as a sequel to Reap, I'm afraid she's already dead. Hopefully, though, his relationship with Sha're will be believable enough to keep things interesting.

Chapter 4

Daniel's experiences with death could hardly be classified as typical. He'd not only seen all the people of Abydos ascend to a higher plain of existence in place of a "traditional" death, but he'd actually undergone the phenomenon himself, before being reborn to a physical presence shortly thereafter. Additionally, he'd witnessed the miraculous "resurrection" of his best friend just a few months ago. In his world, life and death had proven to be relative things – relative, that is, with one, painful exception.

Sha're's death had, in some ways, been more of a life-altering experience for him than his own ascension. Losing her had been horrifying, heartbreakingly necessary, and totally final. At some level, he'd made peace with her death, but in other ways, he knew he'd forever be missing part of himself.

And now, suddenly, he seemed to have found it.

Looking at the pale, expressionless features of his beloved wife, Daniel felt a sense of surreal astonishment creep over him. Could this really be happening? Could his Sha're really be here in the SGC's infirmary, being tended by a small, grey alien from another galaxy?

Quietly, a gentle hand came to rest on Daniel's shoulder. The unexpected sensation made him jump slightly in surprise, then hiss at the sharp pain that the movement elicited.

"Sorry, didn't mean to startle you." Jack's voice was unusually quiet and subdued.

Unable to turn his head far enough to see his friend, Daniel nodded slightly. He was almost grateful for the stiffness in his body, as it gave him an excuse to avoid the concerned look that he was sure Jack was currently directing at him. "It's fine," he said numbly to Jack's apology.

Jack raised his eyebrows at that comment, but said nothing. He wasn't big on deep, emotional analyses – and any conversation that might occur at this moment was guaranteed to include one of those.

Before Daniel could formulate enough coherent thought to frame any of the million questions flying around in his head, Thor padded over and looked piercingly into his eyes. Actually, Daniel admitted, he had no idea if Thor's gaze was meant to be piercing or not, but the alien's physiology ensured that all his expressions appeared disconcertingly pointed.

"Doctor Jackson," the small creature said soothingly, "I'm sure you must have many questions about Sha're's presence here. If you will allow me to explain, I may be able to provide some answers."

Still reeling in shock, Daniel nodded mutely and tried relaxing his death grip on the blanket in his lap.

Apparently satisfied with that response, Thor blinked thoughtfully before speaking. "Then I shall start at the beginning. When O'Neill first activated the stone circle several months ago, our sensors in this galaxy picked up some rather anomalous readings. At the time, we did not connect them with his disappearance, because they were centered here on Earth, and clearly, we did not know there was any connection to the stone circle and this planet. By the time O'Neill was discovered alive, we had long since written off the readings as a sensor malfunction."

As he spoke, Thor's odd features clearly conveyed his interest in the subject. That alone was enough to capture Daniel's complete attention. Anything that the Asgard found fascinating was bound to be significant.

"Two days ago," the alien continued calmly, "our sensors again reported some very irregular readings. This time, however, they recorded values that were exponentially higher than the original set of data. It was clear to us that something quite powerful had affected the fabric of space-time, but we could not fathom what that might be. In our concern, we contacted the SGC for additional information. It was then that O'Neill told us of your incident at the Stone Circle.

"When I analyzed the data gathered during the Circle's activation, I was quite astonished. The device is clearly of Ancient design and appears to be capable of altering time and dimensional realities. Much more research is required to discern how it functions, but we were able to discover a few things."

Daniel listened patiently, though part of his brain was insistently demanding to know how any of this related to his wife's presence in the cubicle's hospital bed. Biting his tongue for now, he waited for the alien to make his point.

Thor seemed to sense Daniel's underlying edginess and began speaking with more haste and purpose. "First of all, it is clear that the circle is not functioning at peak efficiency. It appears to require either a thorough calibration, or a more precise control mechanism. We presume that this inefficiency is caused by the same expansion of space that first hindered your attempts to use the Stargate. For this reason, in its present state, the Stone Circle would only be capable of transporting materials over short spans of time or from realities similar to the present. Additionally, as we stray farther from our current position in space-time, the device becomes less able to compensate for the enormous release of energy that is required for the transfer."

Thor turned to gaze at the pale woman on the bed. When he spoke, his voice was gentle. "Your wife, Daniel Jackson, was brought here from a time or reality very close to our own, though we have no way of knowing how close until she regains consciousness. Her physical age is consistent with what it would be if she were still alive in this reality, though she has no Naquadah in her body and carries no symbiote." He turned his large, glassy, black eyes back to Daniel. "Something of her presence here can be explained by the symbol that you discovered on the surface of the Circle's stones. You obviously recognized the point-of-origin symbol for Abydos and traced it with your finger. This seemed to activate the device in some way, though we are still not certain how. Furthermore, the conjuration of Sha're must have been controlled by some mental guidance on your part. It cannot be chance that, of all the residents of Abydos in all the times and realities the Circle had access to, only a symbiote-free Sha're was summoned."

Daniel's breath left him in a whoosh. In spite of the pain it caused him, he reached up and ran a hand through his tousled hair. Thor's accounting of the facts was almost unfathomable. There was a device in Iraq that had allowed him to pull his wife through space-time from another dimension. Her journey had obviously not been easy, given her current, critically-ill condition. Perhaps most frightening, however, was the fact that not even the Asgard knew exactly how she'd gotten here. It was a truly unbelievable situation.

Finally, Daniel spoke, unable to contain his thoughts any further. "Will she live? And what effect will this have on her reality? Would sending her back make things better or worse? For that matter, can we send her back?" The alien's explanation seemed to have created more questions than it had answered.

Thor blinked his large, obsidian eyes and peered thoughtfully at the archaeologist. "Honestly, Daniel Jackson, I do not know. The device is still very much a mystery to us. Perhaps, in time, we will be able to send her back. However, as you have noted, there may be negative repercussions to that action. We simply will not be able to assess our options completely until we have a more complete understanding of how the stone circle operates."

Daniel sat quietly, struggling with a host of conflicting emotions. Part of him was horrified with the trauma he'd inflicted on this unspoiled version of his beautiful wife. Had he torn her from the arms of an alternate version of himself? That idea was almost too awful to contemplate. He'd seen Jack deal with an "alternate" version of Sam who'd been grieving for her lost alternate-reality O'Neill. It had been awkward and confusing for everyone involved.

At the same time, there was a large part of Daniel that was completely overwhelmed by being in the physical presence of his beautiful, beloved Sha're once again. It was the answer to every grief-induced wish he'd ever held deep in his heart. His wife had been his touchstone and inspiration. Her appearance, for all the complications and dilemmas it presented, was still nothing short of a miracle.

Daniel sighed deeply, and hesitantly reached out to caress Sha're's pale cheek. Her skin was smooth and warm; exactly as he remembered it feeling. "Thor," he asked softly, "will she be okay?" The grayish cast to her features and deep circles beneath her eyes were not an encouraging sight.

Again, the alien eyed Daniel sympathetically. "She has undergone great trauma. Due to the poor calibration of the device, Sha're was exposed to a considerable burst of energy. Honestly, we have no idea what the effects of this trauma will be on a long-term scale. O'Neill appears to have suffered no lasting effects from his encounter with the stones, though he traveled a far shorter path through the fabric of space-time, and was therefore less affected by the device's maladjustment. She appears to be stable, but comatose. It is hard to predict when, or even whether she will recover. Neither you nor she appeared to be affected by any of our standard treatments for brain injuries. Clearly, however, healing is possible. You, yourself, are living proof of that. I suppose, Daniel Jackson, we will have to wait and see."

Again, Daniel felt Jack's hand settle gently on his shoulder. "We're all here to help," he said quietly.

Smiling at his friend's simple, heartfelt words, Daniel nodded. "Then, I suppose, I'll just have to wait." Patience was something that he usually had in spades, especially since his ascension. This time, however, Daniel suspected that the waiting would be much more challenging than any he'd ever undergone before.