A/N:
Hello, everyone! I'm sorry about the delay in posting new chapters. They were written long ago but I wanted to have them beta read before posting. Unfortunately my fabulous beta-reader is not responding to my mails and I'm afraid that there's a problem with time or there is something wrong with computer… Anyway, I decided to read it through by myself and correct all a saw was wrong. Here is the next chapter and I'll be posting the following chapters (7 after this one) very soon, maybe one every week.
Here you have the next part of the story. I hope you like it and I hope you'll keep reading to the end.
Have a nice read.
Emotional
Daniel Jackson was spending another night in the lab that was discovered last week. It was some kind of hall of memories and traditions. You could find there some things you would not expect from the Alterans. There was even a section about what you would call 'legends'. So Daniel sat there and explored all the text without stopping. It was a totally new side to the technologically advanced race that invented the Stargate system. It looked like they were much more passionate than they wanted to appear.
"What are you doing here, Danny?" Asked Jack entering the room. "Found anything interesting there?"
"Actually, yes." Said Daniel preparing to show his friend some part of the text.
"I didn't ask 'what' you found, I just asked 'if'!" Jack warned.
"Okay…" Daniel looked at him suspiciously. "So… why did you come here?"
"You're the expert on the Ancients… You know them."
"We're not really friends, you know. Quite the opposite rather."
"Caldwell saw the crew of the Borealis." He informed. "He says he recognized some of them from the Atlantis database. Looks like some of them were part of the group that came back to Earth and apparently ascended."
"And descended back to 'fight for the peace in the Pegasus'?" Daniel asked ironically.
"It looks that way." Jack said. "There is also the thing about a human woman leading them. You think it is even possible?"
"A year ago I would tell you that it was a ridiculous idea…" Daniel started.
"Daniel…" warned Jack.
"After reading through even a small part of this I can see that we may have underestimated the spiritual part of their nature." Daniel said. "Now I think a human might be leading them, she would just have to be quite extraordinary and have a lot to offer."
"Extraordinary, check. Much to offer – probably also check."
"Jack?"
"What?"
"You know who leads them, don't you?" Daniel asked.
"Yeah…" Jack answered truthfully. "We, I mean Carter or more precisely Beckett… did even a DNA test to determine her identity and it looks conclusive."
"You gonna tell me who it is, or…?"
"No."
"Okay…" stated Daniel unsure what to think. "Any other things?"
"Yeah, I just wanted to know if you'd be my best man?" Asked Jack. "You know, the wedding, next month…?"
"Sure, Jack. I couldn't say no, could I." Daniel answered with a smile. "Any idea who's gonna be the braidsmaid?"
"I think Sam wants to ask Vala, but it was just an idea, I don't know who she's gonna choose eventually. The Daedalus will be on Earth in eight days, so there is still time to decide. But Vala certainly WAS invited to the wedding itself, so…"
"It's going to be a momentous occasion." Said Daniel and then looked Jack in the eye and smiled widely. "I still can't believe you actually, finally asked her. It looked like you'd never make the step."
"Well, the circumstances changed a little."
"Thankfully."
When Jack left Jackson looked back to the Ancient notes. After a while he noticed Jack left a red piece of paper on the console beside him. Daniel opened it and saw one short note. It said 'Janus is the XO'. As unimportant as the message seemed it actually gave Daniel an idea where to look for his answers. He found a batch of notes left by the Ancient scientist and searched for the last ones before leaving Atlantis. One name seemed to dominate the log – Elizabeth. Then Jackson noticed the color of the note and instantly knew who was the captain of Borealis. Considering she was a replicator the last time anyone saw her it looked improbable that she would be back but there was something that could be a clue in the notes, he knew. He just had to find it. For himself and for Jack, to give him some answers.
Sam was invited by the Athosians to the mainland, where they had already started to prepare for the wedding. They were more than happy to be hosts to such an event. Carter was happy to indulge in all the fuss. Last time she did that she was not really sure of her decision. This time there was nothing to change. This time was also a much bigger shindig to plan and execute. The first wedding in Atlantis was going to be a cause for celebration for the whole city and only a skeleton crew was scheduled to stay in the cloaked City for the whole afternoon of the ceremony. There was much to see to before then.
While Sam was on the mainland taking care of the party Jack decided that some people needed to know what was happening. He knew the scheduled dial to Earth was close and offered to do it for Carter. After he gave his report to Landry he asked for a minute of privacy.
"What was it?" Asked Landry sitting in his office in front of his laptop. "Seemed serious."
"Need to meet with you, Hank. It's not something we could discuss over the phone, I'm afraid." Jack was talking business. "And I need no one to know about it."
"I can get Mitchell to sit with the communication stones half an hour from now. We can talk there without no one listening."
"Can you keep it from the IOA?"
"I can always tell them you wanted to discuss a personal gift for Carter…"
"Half an hour." Clarified Jack. "Tell Mitchell I'll be in my room and he is not, under any circumstances, to come out. I will leave him something to do. It shouldn't take more than an hour tops."
"See you soon, Jack."
"Yeah…"
Half an hour later Jack was standing, in Mitchell's body, in front of Landry's desk. He sat down in the comfortable chair and sighed.
"We've got a problem, Hank." He said. "We'll be having a lot more problems with the IOA, unfortunately."
"That much I gathered from the fact you don't want to discuss it in the control room." Said Landry. "So, who's the problem?"
"The commander of the Borealis is the problem."
"Is he going to attack?" Landry tried to get something out of Jack. "But no, that would be just a military problem, not the IOA kind of problem. I gather you managed to decipher his identity. I remember you saying that all the information suggested it's someone the expedition have met before."
"HER identity, Hank." Jack sat down and ran a hand on his face. "The captain of the Borealis, whom the Ancients call Maia… It's Elizabeth."
"Elizabeth?" Hank asked incrediously. "Elizabeth Weir, you mean? But she's dead!"
"Yeah, or so we thought…." Jack answered. "We were able to do a DNA test, Steven saw her and got a hair sample… and don't ask me how, I don't know. The DNA matches Elizabeth's. Beckett ran the test more than once to be sure. And the kid we heard about is there and is hers."
"You're right, this is going to get us in trouble with the IOA." Landry too, sat down. "Did you consider going with it to Woolsey?"
"Richard?" Jack was a little shocked. "Richard Woolsey? 'R You out of your mind?"
"He did back her up a few times…" started Landry. "And he might be able to think of some way to go over the IOA's heads with the immediate outcome of this."
"Nuts."
"Not to mention he knows how it is to lead Atlantis and she kind of saved both your asses from the replicators."
"Right." Agreed Jack. "As much as I don't like the idea of telling someone else you might be just right here. I'll talk to him to think of some ways out."
"He will think of something."
"Yeah, I suppose you're right with that." O Neill sighed. "Thanks for advice, Hank. Will you take the stones, please?"
"Thank for letting me know what a diplomatic hurricane is in our future." Said Landry just before disconnecting the communication stones. He then smiled to Mitchell who came back to himself and left the room.
Sam was wandering through all the tents that the Athosians were preparing for the party and couldn't help but feel somehow spoiled but them. It looked like everyone was trying to make everything as best as they could. Suddenly Halling came closer and looked at her with worry.
"Are you all right, colonel Carter?" He asked.
"Why are you asking?" Sam asked with a small voice.
"Because you're crying."
Carter moved a hand to her cheek and felt wet tears running there. She wiped them out and looked back at the Athosian man with a smile.
"It's from the emotions, it's nothing bad."
"You deserve, to be happy, colonel." Said Halling touching his forehead to hers. "I believe you will be happy with Jack O'Neill as your chosen mate."
"I believe that too, Halling." Sam smiled with new tears in her eyes. "I think I gave up on us being together, really together, at some point."
"I still don't understand much of your Earth culture." Halling stated leading her towards the fence that was put at the border of the clearing to protect everyone from any creature that could have been dangerous. "We Athosians believe that when one finds the one with whom one belongs he should pursue her and bond with her. Life is too short and too easily lost to wait, to hesitate."
"You sound a little like it's not the first time you say that."
"It is not." Halling smiled sadly. "I told it once to colonel Sheppard."
"Why?" Sam thought she knew what he meant but wanted to hear it anyway.
"I believed he felt a lot of attachment to doctor Weir but he denied it." Said Halling looking into the forest. Then he continued very quietly. "I believe her death was very painful to him. Especially since I think he never told her of his feelings." Then he continued in a normal voice. "I had a wife who was taken by the Wraith very soon but at least I know she knew my heart and I had time with her. As will you with O'Neill."
"Is that why you help with the party? Because you would have liked to do something for someone else?" Sam started to understand.
"We never properly thanked Doctor Weir for her support and the chance she's given us when we needed help." Said Halling. "The truth is we wouldn't be alive, any of us, if it weren't for colonel Sheppard and her. We didn't get a chance to do anything for her in return for her hospitality."
"What would you do if you could see her again?" Said Sam with curiosity.
"I honestly don't know." Halling smiled. "We can do something for you and your future mate. Teyla and doctor Keller were explaining to us the traditions of your world and we try to integrate our customs into it if you don't mind."
"I would be honored." Sam smiled. "I actually talked to Jack and we wanted to ask you if you'd be so kind to perform an athosian bonding ritual for us?"
Halling inclined his head and then left to supervise some of the preparations. Sam stood for a little longer near the border of the makeshift camp, then smiled and went to a jumper waiting nearby where one of the marines with the ATA was waiting for her.
Daniel was sitting in the chair looking into an ancient screen so intently that he didn't notice Sheppard coming into the room. The solider startled him when he put his hand on the archeologist's arm.
"You've been at it several hours straight." Stated John. "I thought you needed to get out."
"This is really interesting."
"'Daniel Disneyland'?" John asked.
Jackson grinned. "Actually, yeah. So much about the Alterans we didn't even suspected. For example did you know they had many legends?"
"I thought they relied on tech not on some religion." John said coming closer to the display. "That their only 'spiritual' belief was ascention."
"The strangest one was something I am really curious about. There is a section of the text about something called 'an avatar of Atlantis'."
"And what would that be?"
"An ancient with specific and heightened connection to the City itself, with some kind of mental and physical link." Daniel explained with wonder. "Looks like he was Atlantis' favorite at any given time."
"Sounds interesting…" started John. "Maybe you'd prefer Zelenka to link this database to the main grid and look through it in some more comfortable place…"
"You can do something like that?" Asked Daniel surprised.
"Yeah, It's actually the usual practice. Nobody told you?" Sheppard scratched his head in confusion. "I was sure I told Rodney to pass it on when he was in the neighborhood about some system…"
"Well, he didn't… It would actually be nice, thanks for an idea. But I will ask him myself."
"Want to grab some lunch?"
"Even better idea."
