Chapter XIII: The Calvary Arrives
A/N: Many thanks to IzzieStar for this chapter. Hope everyone likes it! Sparky She-Demon.
When the small, blue Ford pulled into the drive, that atmosphere was somewhat lighter than it had been when Jack had made that phone call the previous day as the men had set aside their own worries and differences to support Elizabeth, who was looking increasingly worried and exhausted over the prospect that faced her. In light of this, John and Jack had silently agreed to keep their previous conversation unspoken, both concerned by how she would react if she had too much time to consider the proposition. For Jack though, there was an ulterior motive which was revealed as the door of the Ford opened to reveal Doctor Daniel Jackson.
Immediately, the group who had convened to eat dinner on the lawn, looked to Jack for answers about this unexpected arrival, but the most piercing look of all was that of John's, which Jack skillfully ignored as he stood up to greet Daniel, who looked equally uneasy as he viewed the surprise on people's faces.
"Did you forget to tell them I was coming?" He muttered to Jack, as they shook hands.
Instead of replying, Jack simply smiled at him, in a knowing way, and stood back to allow him to say hello to the group and to reacquaint himself with Elizabeth, who he was delighted to see after all this time, despite the circumstances in which this was. After passing on his condolences to John and Elizabeth about this terrible situation, he gently turned the conversation between him and Elizabeth onto politics and, for the first time in days, Elizabeth looked genuinely animated and interested.
"Sam's sure changed in the last couple of months." John said, as he purposefully sidled up to Jack.
Jack looked to John and smiled guiltily, "I thought it was worth taking the risk of bringing in our resident ascension expert."
John opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted by Webb slamming the door of the trailer and marching across the lawn before stopping before them with his hands on his hips. Both Jack and John looked to each other and rolled their eyes at Webb's obvious and failing attempts to be imposing, before looking back to Webb with expressions of amused tolerance.
"I told you to clear it with me before bringing anybody else in on this." Webb said.
"Technically, we didn't know, so no harm done." Rodney said with a condescending smile.
"What do you mean you didn't know?" Webb spat.
"That would be my fault. I thought Doctor Jackson here could help with the search. I must have forgotten to mention it." Jack said, with a shrug.
"Anything else you've forgotten to mention? There seem to be a lot of comings and goings from this house." Webb said, icily.
"All part of the search." John said, stepping forward beside Jack.
"I suppose you don't have your inside knowledge now Doctor McKay has kindly disabled those sneaky little bugs that you had planted around the house." Jack said.
Hearing this, a red blush of anger and embarrassment rose to Webb's cheeks and after a disparaging stare in McKay's direction, he turned and stomped back to the trailer, slamming the door with a force that made the side of the vehicle shake. Despite themselves, the group couldn't help but chuckle slightly at Webb's petulance and seeming uselessness.
"You have to wonder what the hell they're doing in there." Jack said, shaking his head.
With that, they returned to the house, away from the glaring watch from behind the blacked-out windows of the trailer, where Jack left Daniel to explain why he had travelled over and why he thought it was worth talking to the replicators about ascension. Although she was dubious about Kaleel's openness over the matter, she couldn't deny that it was worth a shot, but on the condition that both she and Rodney escorted them, ready to activate the program at the first sign of trouble. This stance somewhat surprised John who had assumed that the program would only be a last resort for Elizabeth, preferring negotiation and the avoidance of weapons at all costs. It occurred to him that making sacrifices was what parenthood was all about.
Despite his trepidation, given his previous experience with human-form replicators, Daniel politely declined Jack's offer of staying with him. He knew Jack well enough to know that he was the last person to be around when things needed to be taken slowly, with patience and consideration. Although Daniel was fairly certain that nobody was trained to deal with this kind of situation, asides from Oma perhaps, but her sacrifice had meant that simply wasn't possible.
So he waited alone, the enormity of what this meeting could mean for not just John, Elizabeth and their children, but for their extended family. Even over the phone he could tell just how much the kidnapping of the twins had got to Jack. Soon, his thoughts were broken with the entrance of a party of five, led by a man with a nervous, welcoming smile.
"Welcome. I am Kaleel, the leader of my people." The man said.
"Doctor Daniel Jackson." Daniel said, brusquely.
"Would you care to take a seat?" Kaleel offered, indicating the single piece of furniture, a chair in which Daniel had already walked past to avoid.
"I'd rather stand."
"I sense your anger Doctor Daniel Jackson." Kaleel said, sadly.
"What else did you expect? You have taken two innocent children."
"And I have offered the safe return of one."
Daniel narrowed his eyes at Kaleel, "You think that makes it better? No parent can choose between their children, and no parent should be put in a position where they have to."
A flicker of hurt flashed across Kaleel's eyes, "I was trying to do the best for all. You have no idea..."
"Oh I have an idea alright. Jack filled me, and I am telling you that you will never be able to ascend." Daniel shouted.
"Because we are, as you call, replicators." Kaleel said, with a great sadness in his tone.
Daniel didn't know what it was, but something in that tone conveyed just how distressed Kaleel was, and Daniel felt a small pang of sympathy for them. He realized that this was why Jack had wanted him here, and he finally felt like he could fulfill the role that Jack has assigned him. He understood.
"No, because of what you have done to those children." Daniel admitted, softly.
Kaleel looked at Daniel and studied his face, "You are lying."
"No. No, I'm not. I ascended." Daniel admitted.
"You...you ascended." Kaleel asked, in wide-eyed amazement.
"I did, and that is how I know that the burden of what you have done means you will never ascend. I don't believe that your physical differences are the barrier from your dream. It is you own lack of self-worth. You have to believe that you are worthy of ascension."
Silence fell on the room as the party before Daniel looked to one another, expressions of confusion, guilt and shame coming to their faces.
"We have been our own demise," Kaleel looked up to Daniel in horror, "To think what we have done to that poor family."
Daniel instinctively reached out to Kaleel's shoulder and rested his hand on it, comfortingly. The look in Kaleel's eyes told Daniel all he needed to know. Before him was a man who had been incredibly desperate and who had done a terrible thing in order to end his desperation, but Kaleel was a fundamentally a good man, and Daniel felt and hoped that he was going to do the right thing. Kaleel turned his head slightly to the woman on his left.
"Bring the children. It is time for them to return to their family."
The woman remained where she stood and looked into his eyes searchingly, disappointment etched across her face. If Kaleel noticed, he didn't let him affect him and nodded slightly indicating for the woman to leave. After a moment, the woman returned Kaleel's nod and left them alone in the small room. Hesitantly, Daniel turned his head to face Kaleel who continued to look into the distance, a hint of sadness etched into his face.
"This isn't the end." Daniel said.
Slowly, Kaleel turned to meet Daniel's eye and opened his mouth slightly, but the moment was broken by the sight of two young children who, although he had never met them, Daniel recognized immediately. Unable to suppress his smile, Daniel crouched down to their height.
"I've come to take you home." Daniel said, reaching out for their hands.
"Who are you?" John Junior asked timidly.
"I'm a friend of your Mom and Dad."
Without another word, Daniel stood up and quickly guided the twins to the entrance, desperate to ensure that Kaleel wouldn't go back on his decision. The moment the twins saw Jack, they let go of Daniel's hands and allowed Jack to lift them into the air in sheer delight and relief. Although, neither of them acknowledged, Daniel saw a slight watery glow to Jack's eyes as he embraced the children.
"Now I believe it is time for Doctor McKay to activate his program." Kaleel said resolutely, from behind Daniel.
Immediately, Daniel turned to Kaleel, knowing exactly what Kaleel was suggesting and exactly why he was suggesting it.
"This doesn't have to be the end." Daniel stressed.
"I'm afraid it does. I know of your culture enough to know the trouble that would follow Elizabeth Weir should our existence become common knowledge. And, now...well, now is the time." Kaleel said.
Instinctively, Daniel wanted to talk Kaleel out of his decision, to persuade Kaleel that, despite everything that had happened, he and his people had so much to live for. Yet, as he tried to form the words, he knew such an attempt was futile and that Kaleel could not be turned from his decision. As much as Daniel valued life, even forms that were not human, he understood why Kaleel had made the decision to leave indefinite existence. In some ways, he even respected it.
"Daniel." Jack said.
Slowly, Daniel stepped forward to offer his hand to Kaleel, which was accepted and they exchanged a poignant smile before Daniel nodded slightly and turned to follow Jack out of the building to the view of two cars, parked side by side.
Looking back out to Daniel and Jack, carrying their children, Elizabeth and John frantically scrabbled at the doors to the car to let themselves out, and ran across to each accept a child into their bodies, with one arm around each other. After staring deep into John Junior and Olivia's faces to ascertain that, despite everything, they were still the strong, healthy, smiling children they always were, they looked to one another, smiling, and gently pressed their lips together, still smiling, prompting their children to declare that they were 'gross'.
"Oh that is just...Get a room." Rodney said, turning away.
Carson chuckled, '"There are two wee bairns right there, I dinnae think that they want to watch this!"
Laughing slightly, to cover their blushes at their very public display of affection, John and Elizabeth pulled away and cuddled their children into their bodies closer, gently asking if the 'people wearing white', as the twins referred to them, had harmed them in anyway and, although there was no denying that the twins were still in shock over the events, below their smiling exterior, Elizabeth felt comforted to know that, for all their suffering, they had been treated as well as they could have been in the circumstances.
"I can't believe that I spent four days working on some incredibly advanced scientific theory for you to strut in and talk them out of lunacy." Rodney whined to Daniel.
"Actually, they have requested that you proceed with activating the program." Daniel said, hesitantly.
"Suicide?" Rodney said, in shock.
"Seemingly so."
"Why would they suddenly decide to commit suicide?"
"Life loses its value when you realize there is no end to it." Daniel said, staring at the building before them.
"I'll go and get my laptop." Rodney said, still bewildered.
"Do you want me to come with you?" Daniel offered.
"Yes. Thank you."
Leaving Rodney to collect his laptop, frowning with confusion, Daniel walked over to John and Elizabeth who still had the twins firmly attached to them. It all seemed so perfect that he didn't want to intrude, but he knew he had to. After all of their suffering, he felt that they deserved to know the sacrifice the replicators were willing to make to ensure that they wouldn't come to harm because of the faction again. More than that though, he felt he owed it to Kaleel.
"Daniel, thank you. Thank you so much." Elizabeth said, beaming at him.
"It was nothing. I'm just glad to see you all smiling again." Daniel said.
"Well it's all down to you. Thank you." John said.
Daniel smiled and cleared his throat again, "Kaleel has requested that Doctor McKay still activates his program. I'm going to go along with him."
"But that means..." Elizabeth looked to her son in her arms, "We can't let them do that."
"It's what they want. They think it best for both them and you."
"And you said yes?" Elizabeth said.
"I did. Would you want to live for eternity knowing that there is nothing to live for?" Daniel asked, softly.
"He's right." John commented to Elizabeth.
Snuggling closer to her son and kissing his head, Elizabeth nodded and said, "Tell them thank you."
"Thank you for what?" Rodney asked, clutching his laptop.
Looking at Daniel, Elizabeth shook her head slightly and smiled knowing that Rodney would never understand how she could be grateful to those who had taken her children from her. As they left the group and walked towards the building, Elizabeth couldn't help but feel an uneasy sense of guilt that within minutes they would be dead, but a gentle kiss from her son on her cheek made her realize, more than anything, why the replicators were prepared to walk away from life. Daniel was right; they had nothing worth living for eternity for and she accepted their sacrifice.
As much as Elizabeth and John would have been happy to hold their children in their arms for considerably longer, despite the gradual ache that was taking hold in their muscles, they both accepted Carson's suggestion that he should give them a quick check over to ensure that they hadn't sustained any physical damage. After some gentle persuasion and the promise of a 'Doctor Carson special hug', Olivia eventually let go of her father and allowed Carson's quick examination. John Junior wasn't quite so willing to let go of his mother though, and Carson was forced to undertake his examination of him in his Mother's arms, which he did in a jovial manner, managing to bring a small smile from John Junior.
"There's no physical harm, from what I can see and they both seem healthy. Whether there is any psychological harm remains to be seen, as that's not my area of expertise." Carson said, packing his medical bag.
After mouthing a 'thank you' to Carson, Elizabeth looked up and saw Rodney and Daniel leaving the building and speaking to one another with big smiles, which she found slightly insensitive and narrowed her eyes at them as they approached.
"It was amazing..." Rodney said.
"Rodney!" Elizabeth reprimanded.
"No, you don't understand; they ascended." Rodney said, laughing again in amazement.
Elizabeth's mouth opened slightly in shock, but a smile quickly came to her face which was reflected on everyone around her. It felt right. It felt like she had come home.
"It looks like we all got our happily ever after."