Sam had gone to Hammond's office to brief him on the situation of the galaxy with regard to Anubis' growing domination of the other System Lords' territories in his quest for galactic domination. She was in the middle of explaining a particular piece of Tok'ra Intel when Jonas came running in, breathless as he held onto the doorway.
Her heart nearly leapt into her mouth when Jonas had announced that he had found the Lost City mentioned in the tablet that Daniel had bequeathed them. If this was true, it could turn the tables on the war with Anubis and the rest of the Goa'uld... and perhaps the Replicators. It saddened her internally to know that Daniel wouldn't be there to see their discovery. However, there was one thing missing that the Kelownan kept omitting, and it took a couple of reminders to get him to fill them in -- the 'gate address.
After a little theorising with regard to how 'lost' the Lost City actually was, an address was procured from the the list of addresses that Jack had entered years previously when he had the Ancients' Repository downloaded into his head, and SG-1 were suited up and ready to move out.
Arriving on the planet, Jack, having left SG-3 to guard the 'gate, was instantly sceptical, calling it the City of the Dead despite Jonas' objections to the contrary, and they were met by the locals, who almost instantly offered to surrender the site, but Jonas had told them that they only wished to look at the buildings and ruins, and learn more about their people.
Soon afterwards, Reynolds arrived on the scene, and everything after that was a blur to all of SG-1 until they saw Daniel standing there. Jack, despite challenging him about his status as an Ascended being, knew that Daniel had broken rules and done what he could. He recognised a look in Daniel's eyes that he had only seen before - in Special Forces' personnel who had witnessed the most horrifying things and their minds had blocked them out as a safety valve. He had seen many, many good men go to waste in service of their country in that manner.
Teal'c too saw the distant look in his eyes. He was concerned that Daniel Jackson did not appear to recognise them. It was as though they were strangers to him.
Sam didn't care. She saw Daniel, the man she had wanted to come back since he had first gone, the man she had dreamt about. She approached him, noticing the scared and hostile look in his eyes, and was about to touch his shoulder in reassurance, telling him who she was when he intercepted her hand, his eyes narrowing as he gazed at her, his eyes piercing her very soul in their quest for identity.
Her heart broke in two - he didn't recognise her. What had happened to him? As she looked back at him, her smile fading into an expression of bewilderment and admittedly fear, she realised that it wasn't her Daniel any more. He had gone - the once familiar glint of curiosity had left his eye.
Still staring at her, his eyes boring into her soul, he answered the dark man with the golden tattoo's question about not recognising them, but something was troubling him. She seemed very familiar. An image of her crying and being in pain flitted through his consciousness, and then he knew... somewhat. He had hurt her, bad. Maybe that had been the reason why he had been cast down in the forest, although for some reason, he felt laughter bubbling up in his throat each time he considered the concepts of predestiny and divine justice.
He had to leave. He couldn't let her touch him. He had hurt her and she was still reaching out to him. What had he done? Who were these people? Who was she? The confusing images returned, and he left, not answering the grey haired man's question. He needed to think, and he couldn't do that if he was near her.
After Jack had unsuccessfully talked to Daniel in an attempt to persuade him to come home, he emerged from the tent, frustrated, and talked to Sam. She had told him that perhaps he needed time to get his memory back, something which they had plenty of what with Jonas' excavation of the ruins set to take a few weeks at least, and he remarked,
"Tag, you're it."
She fought the urge to roll her eyes at her CO's childish behaviour, and she, apprehensive at what she would find as well as facing the man who was and wasn't Daniel, entered the tent, just as he blew out a candle, the flame reminding him too much of her hair.
She sat next to him, trying to persuade him to come home as her heart threatened to break once more, and she became worried that they had lost him for good. That was right until he started self-doubting when she voiced her concerns about his apparent lack of curiosity about who he was. She fought the urge to grin as she realised that he was still in there - their Daniel... her Daniel... Well, ok, not her Daniel, but her best friend and fellow academic Daniel. She then decided to tell him most of everything that she felt that she should have told him a long time ago.
When she had finished, she became worried that she hadn't done enough, and she was about to leave, when he stopped her, actually remembering her name after getting Jack's name wrong!
"Samantha Carter?"
She turned, curious and yet hopeful, and he asked, something indescribable in his eyes as Oma silently watched from a corner, unseen and smiling, "Was there anything between us?"
She gaped, taken aback by the question. Where had it come from? Had he picked up on her feelings? Had he known all along? No, wait, he had lost his memory. He was just confused. It was better to tell him the truth unless is memories did come back. Mentally shaking herself as her heart cracked, she replied, still sounding surprised,
"No... no, not in that way... We were really good friends."
Oma whispered from her corner before vanishing with a knowing smile, "Your answer will change, Samantha."
He nodded, but he felt that there was something wrong, that she had been lying. After she had left the tent, looking dazed, he cogitated. She had said all those nice things about him, and coupled with his flitting memories of her, he thought that there had been something... far more than friendship. It just didn't feel right. He had a strong feeling that he had done something wrong, and it was related somehow to her.
Jim... no, Jack... that's right... Jack had mentioned that he was one of them, that he had done all of these amazing things that he hadn't remembered doing. He hadn't believed a word - there was something about Jack he didn't trust, that he couldn't fathom. It was as though the older man was hiding something, something dark and endless, something more horrifying than anything that he could possibly imagine.
He was set on refusing to go 'home' with them, but they had to send Samantha in, didn't they? The rush of feelings that he had felt on first seeing her, returned on seeing her again. He had instantly known that he would do anything for her, that he would defy possibility in keeping her safe from harm. There was something about her that challenged him, that made him open his eyes, and he had a strong feeling that she had had the same effect on him before now, even if he couldn't remember.
Despite being scared, he gathered his minimal possessions in his cloth-bag, and emerged from the tent, clutching it tightly, a determined expression on his face. He was going to get to the bottom of this. He was going to find out who he was, find out if he really was as good as she had claimed -- all because of her. It felt irrational to do it for one person that he barely remembered coherently, but at the same time, it felt as though it was something that he was meant to do.
As the dark man, who he presumed was the Teal'c that Jim had mentioned, asked Samantha about him, he replied, feeling a strange almost familiar feeling on answering for her, "He's going home."
SG-1 turned around to face him, stunned, and saw him looking determined and yet scared. Teal'c smiled slightly - this was Daniel Jackson indeed; the man who always did the right thing regardless of his own fear. For the first time in over a year, Sam felt hope. He was coming home!
