Chapter 12

Daniel Jackson had arrived home after work. Tired from the long week he collapsed into a reclining chair in his living room and placed his feet up. He laid his head back to rest before making himself something to eat. He closed his eyes and soon found himself in what appeared to be a dream.

He was walking through the halls of an alien city that looked familiar but he had never been before. He seemed to know where everything was in the city. As he walked the halls the klaxons sounded and he bolted towards the scientific labs. He found Sam standing in the hall outside a lab. She was dressed in civilian clothing of jeans and a red flannel shirt over a white tank top. She seemed frantic as she warned, "Daniel! Don't go in there."

He looked past her and saw Jack and Teal'c both laying on the floor and an oblong silver device sitting on a table. He rushed in to drag the two out when he was hit with some sort of energy beam. He saw a bright white light and suddenly woke up in a cold sweat.

He sat up in his chair sweating profusely. Suddenly he started to recall another life that he lived, a life where he knew Jack well. He recalled Jack was suicidal on the first dial out. Jack was with him and helped him defeat Ra. He recalled being Ascended and Janet dying before him on P3X-666. He sat breathing heavy as Daniel suddenly realized he too was exposed to the device that sent Jack and Teal'c back to when they were children. But his exposure was after the device was activated as he tried to save his friends. He was not sent back as far as Jack and Teal'c were. Instead, he was still an adult retained both sets of memories. He closed his eyes for a second and let out a deep breath.

"I know Jack. I was exposed too." he quickly figured. He opened his eyes and gulped, "We changed things. Janet died in front of me. It was Jack who led the team. Cam didn't come on the team until later. Atlantis! We were on Atlantis when it activated." His eyes grew wide, "Sam and Jack are married." He then cocked his head, "If Sam didn't go in after me than she won't remember and she just met him." His head rolled back and he started to laugh, "The cabin! Loki! Jack's kids adopted his clone." He then recalled, "Vala! How could I forget her? Oh' wait, she dumped me. That's why I was living on Atlantis. We haven't found the city yet. We're way behind." He rubbed his face, "I remember now!"

Short Time Later

Jack watched on in horror as Jackie and Charlie settled their new found little brother and Jack's clone, Jon into a bedroom in Jack's house. Upon erecting a bed and donning new curtains in the bedroom the room was now ready for the new occupant.

Jackie looked at the empty closet, "We can take you to the mall and you get you some clothes tomorrow after we check out the cabin for sale."

Jon looked at Jack who stood miffed in the doorway. He smiled, "Sounds good."

Charlie looked over the empty wall, "And some décor. Hey, should we enroll Jon in school?" He looked at his father and sister for answers.

Jon shook his head, "Hell no! I'm seventy-two in here." He pointed to his head.

"But you're a teenager physically." Charlie replied.

Jack knew Jon could easily be assigned to the SGC under his command. He could have given Jon a job and a rank and placed on a team even with a teenage body. But Jack had been searching for a way to get even with his clone in the battle of the wills. Suddenly being turned into a teenager and forced to go to high school would be pure torture for Jack and surely it would be pure torture for his young clone. A smile crept across Jack's face, an awful smile at that. "I think you should go to school." Jack told him.

Jon narrowed his eyes suspiciously, "Why?"

"You're young!" he replied innocently trying to keep the true reason hidden.

Charlie figured, "He can enroll in the Academy with me."

Jon looked at Jack and he knew something was about to go very badly for him by the look on Jack's face. He stated, "College sounds good."

"I was thinking high school." Jack told him.

Jon gasped, "Are you insane?"

Jack just stood giving him a smirk.

Jackie pondered. "Actually that is a pretty good idea. You could socialize with kids today and learn what they are into. Get some friends your own age. You can also get a diploma and prepare for a good college. Going to high school like any other teenager would be good for you."

Jon's mouth dropped as he shook at the idea.

Charlie added, "You could use the time to prepare to get into the Academy. Being a normal kid would be the best thing."

"I'm not a kid." he growled.

Jack told him. "You can't even shave yet."

"I am not going to high school." he determined.

Jackie pleaded, "Give it a chance. You might like it. You got your whole life to live with all of Dad's memories. You can start to be your own person this way."

Jon huffed, "I can go to work in the SGC and be assigned a SG team." He looked at Jack and snorted, "I know for a fact you can make that happen."

Charlie balked, "Work in the SGC? It's gonna be hard enough explaining to everyone that we suddenly got a kid brother. How are we supposed to explain that my kid brother works for the military in a top secret base? High school is the best thing you could do."

Jack grinned wide, "Your big brother and big sister agree with me."

Jackie sadly pleaded, "Do it for us! Please!"

Jon stood faced with his genetic daughter's big brown eyes batting at him with that sad look on her face. Jack never could say "No" to that look. It was his one weakness in reality. He could take on any System Lord, destroy any alien Replicator and even laugh in the face of certain death but when she flashed those big brown eyes and gave that pleading look his heart simply melted into a pool of spineless jelly and for Jack's clone it was no different.

"Okay," he sighed in surrender.

A knock came at the door.

Jack mentioned, "I'll get it." He turned and walked down the stairs to the front door. Upon opening the door he found Daniel standing before him. "Daniel!" he stated wondering why he was there.

"After you and Teal'c were exposed to the device on Atlantis, I tried to save you and I remember it now." he told him.

Jack cocked his head, "What?"

"Sam warned me not to go in. I looked through the door and found you and Teal'c lying on the ground. I ran in to drag you out when I was hit with an energy blast. It sent me back. I suddenly remembered it when I was resting in my chair at home. Jack, I remember now. I remember that life. I remember you on SG-1 with me, Sam and Teal'c. I remember living on Atlantis after McKay and Sheppard brought it to earth. I remember Janet dying before me. I remember being the best man at your wedding when you married Sam. I remember!" he told him.

Jack opened the door, "Get in."

Daniel walked past him and found Jon, Jackie and Charlie standing at the bottom of the stairs wondering what was going on. He looked at the clone and stated, "I remember now. I walked into the lab to try to rescue Jack and Teal'c and I was hit with it too."

Jack closed the door and followed Daniel down the hall.

Jon cocked his head, "Does Sam remember?"

"Only if she goes in after me." he told him. "There seems to be some sort of differential between when you are exposed and far back you go. I didn't go as far back as Jack and Teal'c. If she steps in after me then she should remember it too." he figured.

Jackie asked, "You remember the life my father lived the first time?"

Daniel stood before her and nodded, "Yes! Everything he said is true. This device can send you back through time mentally but not physically. I now have two sets of memories. One my life without your father in it and the other, the first time, your father was with us on SG-1 and helped start the entire program." He looked back at Jack, "Where is Sam? I went to her house but she wasn't there."

"She has a date with Rodney!" he proclaimed.

Daniel grimaced, "She's on a date with Rodney!"

"She thinks she marries him." he told him.

Daniel's eyes rolled back along with his head, "Oh god."

Jackie asked, "Does my dad really marry Colonel Carter?"

Daniel nodded, "I was his best man at his wedding." He looked at Charlie and Jackie. "I know for you this has got to look really bad since your mother died two months ago. He's not trying to replace your mom." He looked at Jack, "You aren't gonna let her marry Rodney are you? Because that would be a dream come true for Rodney."

"She's only known me a week, Daniel." he shrugged. "What am I supposed to do? Knock her over the head and force her to marry me!"

"You can knock Rodney over the head." he replied.

Jon cheered, "Yay…Daniel's back! I missed that side of you."

Jack nodded, "Me too!"

Daniel rolled his eyes and then looked at Jackie, "You have no idea just how special you are."

Jackie shrugged, "Um…"

"The first time I lived my life, I was Ascended. This time around I didn't ascend and Oma left us alone and since we never had a hand-thingy operate before we didn't really understand the magnitude of what you are able to do." he started.

Charlie cocked his head, "What do you mean? My dad freaked out and you didn't think too much of it."

"That's because I didn't remember then. Your father was downloaded twice and it nearly killed him. Thor removed it just like he said." Daniel explained.

Jackie asked, "What is the Ascended that you are talking about?"

"There is a group of beings who at one point were Ancients. They were able to ascend to higher level of consciousness and leave their bodies behind. Ancient text on Earth referred to them as Angels. I had ascended for a year and then I was sent back. The Ascended have access to the universal knowledge. A human mind cannot handle that much information and would die from it. For me to be able to survive it's locked in my sub consciousness. Most humans cannot handle the vast knowledge the Ancients left behind in those depositories. You can! That makes you very unique." He looked at Charlie, "And you have the genetic material to save the Asgard. The whole civilization dies without you."

Charlie gulped, "Dad said they died."

"They commit mass suicide and left us with their technology." Daniel told him. "You can help prevent that." He looked at Jon and nodded and could only say, "Loki did it again."

Jon huffed, "Thanks Daniel!"

He replied, "Least you got Charlie and Jackie this time."

"They want me to enroll in high school." he told him.

Daniel winced, "Sorry!" He then looked at Jack, "Let's have Teal'c come over and order a pizza. I haven't got a hold of him yet to tell him that I remember."

Jack agreed with a smile, "I'll call T." For the first time in a long time Jack was beginning to feel like his old self once more. He had his kids but he thought he lost Teal'c, Daniel and Sam in return. He found he wasn't alone as Daniel remembered as well. He gained his old friend back once more and now had just one more hurdle to go.