See Part 1 for disclaimer

-3 days later-
"Are you sure it's ok if I go with you?" Aerin asked uncertainly as he
walked with SG-1 towards the Stargate.

Sam looked at him, an amused smile on her face. "Yes, Aerin," she
said, "We've already cleared it with our superiors. You have
clearance to come to the SGC."

Aerin nodded. "Too bad Janet couldn't come, though," Aerin said,
thinking about the woman he was sworn to protect, the woman who had
been stuck in meetings all morning and still hadn't finished with them
yet.

Sam sighed in agreement. "Yeah," Sam agreed, "But this way, we'll
have a surprise for her." Sam winked over at Aerin conspiratorially
and Aerin had to smile. Once word had reached Earth that Janet was
still alive, and that the Janet on Zimmeria was indeed the original
one, it hadn't taken long for General Hammond to begin arranging for
Cassie to learn that her mother still lived and to go back with SG-1
to Zimmeria.

Aerin shivered as he thought of what Sam had told him, of how they
were certain that his Janet was the real one. Exhuming the body of
the clone, it had been to the surprise of the people at the SGC to
find that the interior of the coffin was covered in a viscous liquid,
organic in nature, but not containing any of Janet Fraiser's DNA. Sam
had surmised that, once the clone had died, there was no longer
anything keeping the body of the clone looking like the original, and
the material reverted back to its original form.

The mere thought of it sickened Aerin, but he shoved the thought aside
as he continued to walk with SG-1. Truth be told, he was very excited
to be visiting Janet's planet, even though he wouldn't be allowed to
leave the SGC. There were many things that intrigued him about
Janet's planet and, especially after meeting SG-1, certain theories he
wanted to test out.

The walk to the Stargate took the small group only a little more than
an hour. Aerin showed them several small shortcuts to the valley the
Stargate rested in, taking at least a half an hour off of their total
travel time. When they finally reached the Stargate, Aerin hung back
in awe as he watched as Sam dialed in the address for Earth, silent as
the inner ring started spinning and the chevrons started lighting up.

When the wormhole burst into existence before settling into the blue
shimmering surface of the event horizon, Aerin jumped in surprise. Of
all the ways he had been expecting the Stargate to work, this wasn't
it. Even though Janet had explained to him what it looked like, he
still didn't believe her until he had seen it himself and stared into
the endlessness that was the event horizon.

A hand on his arm startled him out of his stupor and he looked over to
see Daniel standing next to him.

"Come on," Daniel said, removing his hand once he got Aerin's
attention, giving the blond man a reassuring smile. Daniel could
almost feel Aerin's hesitancy, the emotion expressed on his face as
clear as day. Still, despite his hesitant feelings, Aerin couldn't
help the excited fluttering in his stomach as he walked up the steps
to the Stargate, Jack, Teal'c, and Sam having already gone through.
Daniel waited beside him, but Aerin waved him off, watching as Daniel
stepped through the event horizon.

Aerin followed a step later, bravely walking into the unknown
sensation of stepping through the Stargate. Surprisingly, he didn't
feel much, not what he had been expecting, but the shock on the other
end more than made up for it. The moment he stepped on the ramp
leading up to Earth's Stargate, he gasped, literally forced backwards
a step.

"Are you ok?" he heard Daniel's voice ask, but he couldn't answer.
The power swarming around him was too much. He felt a hand on his
shoulder, helping to steady his swaying body, and Aerin hunched over,
his hands on his knees, trying to block out the sensation of the power
that surrounded him. After a few seconds, the sensation subsided and
Aerin was able to straighten his body and get a good look around at
the SGC.

"What was that about?" Jack asked, eyeing Aerin with confusion.

Aerin shook his head, knowing he would have to explain himself
eventually. "I will tell you soon," Aerin said cryptically, knowing
for sure that his theory had been somewhat correct. SG-1 looked at
Aerin suspiciously, but shrugged it off for the moment, letting Aerin
focus on the SGC's surroundings.

It was as Janet described it, Aerin realized, a vast underground
complex with gray walls. Reaching out with his senses, Aerin could
feel the layers and layers of earth above him and knew they were,
indeed, under a mountain.

"Welcome home, SG-1," a male voice spoke. Aerin looked over to see a
bald man walking towards them.

"General," Jack said, his tone respectful, "How have things been at
the fort?"

"Oh, just fine," the other man said, "Care to introduce me to your new
companion?"

"Oh, this is Aerin, sir," Sam said, "Aerin, this is General Hammond.
He was the leader of the base when Janet was still here."

Aerin nodded in understanding, remembering some of the things that
Janet had said about this man. "It's an honor to meet you, sir,"
Aerin said, bowing respectfully, "Janet has told me you are a fair and
honest man. I can see that she hasn't led me wrong."

General Hammond gave Aerin a surprised, yet pleased smile. "It's a
pleasure to meet you as well," Hammond said, "Please, follow me."
Aerin and SG-1 followed General Hammond up a level to the briefing room.

Aerin took a seat in one of the plush chairs, feeling horribly out of
place on this strange world. The thought suddenly occurred to him
that this must have been what Janet felt like when she first arrived
in Zimmeria. The idea humbled Aerin and gave him a new appreciation
for his Queen.

"Can we offer you anything?" Hammond asked.

Aerin shook his head. "No, thank you," Aerin said, knowing this man
was only going through the motions of the pleasantries. Aerin could
feel Hammond's excitement and curiosity from his place next to him and
knew Hammond had a lot of questions for him.

"You sure?" Hammond asked and, when Aerin gave a resolute nod, the
older general moved on, "Well, let me be the first to welcome you to
Earth. I'm sure you have questions for us."

"And you for me," Aerin said, "That is why I'm sitting here, isn't it?"

Caught off guard by Aerin's direct nature, Hammond gave a small cough.
"I suppose you could say that."

Aerin smiled. "Many of my questions about your planet and culture
have already been answered by Janet in the time that I've known her,"
Aerin said, "However, I have no problem answering any questions that
you might have for me. I'm sure you're interested in my planet and my
culture."

If Hammond was surprised that Aerin knew of his interest, he didn't
show it. "I've heard several interesting things about your people
from SG-1..."

Aerin noticed Hammond's questioning tone and gave a small smile. "You
can call me Aerin," he said, "I prefer the use of my name over any
titles one might give me."

"Yes, I had heard you were a person of importance among your people."

Aerin nodded. "My aunt is queen of the country I live in. And I am
Lord Protector to Janet, who will take my aunt's place when she steps
down from the throne."

"I must admit I was surprised to hear that Doctor Fraiser was alive
and the heir to a throne on another planet," Hammond said; Aerin could
feel the happiness and relief coming from the older man at the thought
of Janet being alive and well.

"Sometimes, she is surprised of the same herself," Aerin said with a
smirk, "But, you have questions for me. Please, ask them."

Hammond knew the young man in front of him was not one for small talk,
so he got to the heart of the matter. "I was told your people were in
possession of special abilities," Hammond said, unable to keep the
curiosity from his voice.

Aerin had been expecting the question in some form, so he wasn't
surprised to hear the opened-ended remark. "Special to those who
aren't unaccustomed to them, maybe," Aerin said, "But, to my people,
these abilities are common occurrences. Might I have a glass of
water?" Hammond nodded to Jack, who rose from his seat to fulfill the
request.

Aerin smiled thankfully up at Jack as he placed the glass down on the
table. "Thank you, Jack," Aerin said.

"What are you going to do?" Hammond asked; he recognized the look of
someone set on doing something.

"Showing you some of those special abilities you are wondering about,"
Aerin said with a secretive smile. Hammond watched with great
interest as Aerin held a hand over the glass of water and he could
barely contain a small gasp as the water lifted out of the glass; a
glance at Aerin's face showed no effort on his part.

Using only the barest of power, Aerin formed the water into a perfect
sphere before freezing it. He let the ice ball fall into his upturned
palm before banishing it. The banishment of things that weren't
created by magic was one of the hardest things to do, as it was hard
to make something that was, no longer exist. That magic could only
work on inanimate objects and the bigger the object, the harder it was
to banish.

Hammond couldn't suppress a gasp as Aerin made the ice disappear. "Is
this the power of you people?" Hammond asked.

Aerin couldn't keep the proud smile off his face. "That is barely a
fraction of what my people can do with the power given to us."

"And your people are human?" Hammond asked.

Aerin nodded. "As human as you. This power is not limited to my
people, General Hammond," Aerin said, "Janet can access the same power
I can. In fact..." Aerin trailed off, uncertain whether he should
continue or not. He had never needed to feel Nyla's comforting
presence more than that moment; he c ould use her reassurance at the
moment.

Aerin glanced about the table, looking at the curious faces turned
towards him. Their power reached out for him imploringly and he could
feel the curiosity contained within.

"What is it?" Sam asked, speaking up for the first time.

Aerin drew in a deep breath. "In fact," he continued, picking up
where he left off, "You all have the same power."

"What?" came the collective exclamation. Aerin nodded, remembering
back to what had been only a few days ago.

Janet had taken SG-1 on a tour of the University, Aerin accompanying
them. Janet had secretly shielded them from the effects of the magic,
subtly touching them to activate the shield. Aerin had felt the
exertion of her magic as she used it to keep SG-1 from feeling the
power in the University. When he questioned her about it, she had
become defensive.

"I don't want them knowing about it yet," Janet said, her voice low as
she and Aerin spoke in private in her office, only a door separating
them from SG-1.

"Why? They have a right to know about the power that they possess,"
Aerin argued.

Janet seemed to shrink at the words. "I know," she whispered, "But
there's a lot I haven't told them yet and I think it's a good idea to
let them get used to the idea of magic first."

"The fact that your friends have magic will shock them no matter if
you wait or not. There is nothing to indicate to them that they even
have it. You might as well tell them now," Aerin said.

Janet shook her head. "Not yet," she insisted, "Please, don't tell them."

Aerin sighed. "I can make no promise," Aerin said, "If they ask me, I
will tell them. But I won't say anything if they don't bring it up."
Janet nodded, knowing it was the best promise she could get from him.

Aerin dragged his mind back to the present, looking into all the
shocked faces around him.

"You do," he stated, "It's particularly powerful in you four." Aerin
nodded to SG-1 as he spoke.

"But, how could we have this power?" Sam asked, her mind racing to
figure it out.

Aerin shrugged. "I don't know," Aerin said, "But when I walked
through the Stargate and entered your world, I could feel the strong,
untapped power all around me. Everyone nearby pulsed with magic.
That's what happened to me when I left the Stargate. It was so
strong, it overwhelmed me."

"Are we as strong as Janet?" Daniel asked, his eyes full of questions.

Aerin shook his head. "No; none of the power I felt can compare to
what Janet has at her disposal. I am one of the most powerful mages
to live in Zimmeria in our history and still, Janet's power is beyond
mine. It's part of who she is. How strong one is in magic varies as
does what hair or eye color one is born with."

"So it's genetic," Sam stated, though there was a hint of question in
her voice.

"Yes," Aerin said, "The offspring of mages tend to be magical, as the
magic is passed down. Sometimes, the gene lies dormant for
generations, only to pop up again suddenly. Even more rare are the
children of mages who show no power at all. We don't have the reason
for that yet, despite thousands of years of searching for the answer.
We have attributed it to chance and nothing more. No mage wants
their child to be one of those without power."

"Could we learn how to use this power as Janet did?" Sam asked.

Aerin nodded. "But you would need to stay in Zimmeria for a few years
to receive proper training," Aerin said, "The training of a mage is no
small thing. It is a sign of honor to be accepted to the University.
People from all over the world, with the exception of Xarnac, our
neighbor to the east, send their gifted young to study at the esteemed
University. But, I am reluctant to extend the invitation to your people."

Jack could hear the wary tone in Aerin's voice. "Why is that?"

"Janet told me many good things about your people," Aerin said, "But
she also told me many of the bad things about your civilization.
Knowing of the destruction your people have caused on your own planet
with the means you have now and the problems your civilization is rife
with, I fear your people aren't mature enough handle being able to tap
into such power."

Aerin paused. "My people have had 30,000 years of using magic.
Before that, we do not know long our people lived without magic, as
there are no records from the Time Before. But, my people have had
the time in order to become mature enough to handle the power that
exists all around us. Your civilization is but a child compared to
our own. I fear if your people are gifted with the power of magic,
the consequences of what would be wrought would be severe." Everyone
could see the worried fear in Aerin's eyes.

"I can understand your concern," Hammond said, "But know that there
are people who wouldn't abuse such power."

Aerin nodded, a smile that touched his eyes spreading on his face. "I
know," Aerin said, "It gives me hope that, someday, your people will
be ready."

Hearing the unspoken words in Aerin's statement, Hammond smiled a
little. "Well, I hope our peoples can still trade."

Aerin gave a nod. "Yes, Aunt Karise told me to relay the message that
she wishes for a trade agreement to be drawn up between our peoples."

"What would she want to get out of such an agreement?" Hammond asked.

At this, Aerin shrugged. "She hasn't confided in me yet, but I know
she would be willing to trade things of a medical and technological
nature. Such things are common among my people; sharing those secrets
would be of no trouble."

Hammond smiled. "This is good news," he said, a sigh of relief in his
voice.

"She also told me to tell you that she will accept no one other than
SG-1 to negotiate the trade agreement," Aerin said, remembering what
Karise had said of Janet's wishes to keep being able to see her
friends, "She will cut off all ties to your people if this wish is not
met. And believe me, you will not be allowed to visit my planet
again; we have ways of preventing it."

Intrigued, Hammond couldn't help but ask. "How would you do such a
thing?"

"There are many ways that could be used that involve magic," Aerin
said, an almost menacing grin on his face, "Many unseen ways. Do know
that such methods would only be used for protection. We don't wish
foreign invaders having run of our planet. We will not allow it."

Hammond held out his hands in a placating manner. "We have no wish to
offend your people, nor harm them. We will follow your queen's wishes."

Aerin smiled in relief, knowing that Hammond would keep his word.
"Thank you," Aerin said with a sigh, "Aunt Karise will be happy to
hear this."

Hammond smiled as he stood up from his seat. "Well, how would you
like a tour of our facilities?"

Aerin knew that this tactic was a trust building move, a reciprocating
action for escorting SG-1 in Zimmeria and he rose from his own seat.
"I would like that very much," Aerin said, "I'm interested in seeing
your infirmary, actually. Would it be alright if we visited there first?"

"That'd be-" Hammond started to say, but was cut off by the glaring
sound of the claxons ringing throughout the base.

"Medical team, report to the gate room immediately!" All of SG-1,
General Hammond, and Aerin looked at each other for a brief moment
before rushing out of the room, Aerin at their heels as he followed
them out of the briefing room.

The scene that greeted them at the gate room was nothing less than
horrifying. Of the 8 SGC members that had returned through the gate,
half of them were severely wounded. The other four had sustained
wounds as well. It was a miracle they had returned through the gate
at all in the condition they were all in. The medical team had
already arrived and was working on stabilizing the worst of the
patients before moving them.

Everyone's eyes went to the man who screamed in pain when a nurse
probed the wound on his leg. The wound was grisly. Something had
crushed his leg, nearly tearing it from his body. A tourniquet had
been tied around his upper thigh to staunch the flow of blood, but
there was no mistaking the severity of the wound. Just above the
knee, his leg was only hanging on by muscle of the front of his thigh.

"There's no saving the leg," one of the doctors said.

"What?" the soldier asked through the haze of pain, his voice tinged
with fear.

"Wait!" Aerin cried out, pushing through the crowd of medical
personnel and soldiers to reach the wounded man.

"Just what do you think you're doing?" one of the doctors asked him,
an older man with thinning hair.

"I can save his leg," Aerin said, "Please, let me heal him." The
doctors looked amongst themselves before turning to General Hammond.

Hammond nodded to the doctors. "Let him try," Hammond said. Having
gotten permission, Aerin knelt on the floor of the gate room by the
soldier.

"Who are you?" the soldier asked.

Aerin smiled in a calming manner. "My name's Aerin. What's yours?"

The soldier, despite the extreme pain he was in, smiled and chuckled.
"That's funny. My name's Aaron."

"They sound nearly the same," Aerin remarked as he gradually used his
empathetic abilities to calm the man down.

"Can you really save my leg?" Aaron asked, his voice breaking with
tears of hope.

Aerin nodded. "Yes, I can. Would you like to be awake while I do it?
I won't blame you if you don't, but know you won't feel a thing while
I'm doing it."

"Don't let me fall asleep," Aaron said in a quiet whisper, his eyes
wide with panic and fear that if he fell asleep, he might never awake.

Aerin nodded as he felt everyone gather around him, their eyes on him
as they watched to see what he was going to do. "I won't, I promise,"
Aerin said gently. Reaching out, Aerin placed his hands on Aaron's
right leg, right above the gaping wound. A soft glow surrounded the
appendage as Aerin numbed the entire leg. The soldier sighed in
relief as the pain faded, and he propped himself up on his elbows to
watch Aerin work.

Once the pain was numbed, Aerin went to work, drawing amazed gasps
from the people around him as he grabbed the dangling leg and held it
up against where it was supposed to go. Resting his hand on the wound
and using the power at his disposal, he made muscles knit back
together, arteries reconnect, nerves fuse together, and bones retake
shape. Slowly, but surely, the leg reformed itself, becoming whole
once more.

The doctors surrounding Aerin leaned in with awe, their expressions
ones of shock and amazement.

Aerin removed his hands and undid the tourniquet, looking over at
Aaron. "How does your leg feel?" Aerin asked.

Aaron looked over, unable to believe what had just happened, and
smiled deliriously. "It feels," he said as he moved his foot,
wiggling his toes.

Aerin smiled, relieved. "That's good."

"Thank you," Aaron said, his tone intense, "I thought I was going to
lose my leg. You've given me a second chance."

Aerin shook his head as he rose to his feet. "Think nothing of it,"
he said as he turned to the other doctors, "May I see to the others?"

The older man who questioned Aerin earlier nodded. "Yes, of course,"
the doctor stuttered, unable to believe the miracle he just witnessed,
as he let Aerin walk over to the other wounded soldiers.

A couple of hours later, Aerin was finished and absolutely exhausted.
Once he had healed the men who had come through the Stargate, the
doctors had asked him to look at the others in the infirmary. As a
gesture of good faith, Aerin agreed to help and had, one by one, gone
through each of the patients in the infirmary, healing each of them
the best he could.

"Are you ok?" Sam asked as Aerin sunk into one of the chairs in the
commissary, his hands shaking from his earlier efforts.

"I will be," Aerin responded, resting his head in his hands, "I
just...need to rest."

"Anything we can do?" Daniel asked.

"Something hot to drink would be nice," Aerin said. "If it wouldn't
be too much trouble," he added.

"I will get you some tea," Teal'c said as he moved away from the table.

"Thank you," Aerin said, his voice full of relief, "I will be much
better when I return to Zimmeria and have some falano. But, this tea
will help."

"Thank you for what you did, by the way," Sam said, "Helping out those
people."

Aerin shook his head to dismiss the thanks. "It is what I do, Sam. I
can't sit by and let people suffer when I know I can help."

"Well, thanks to you, one man isn't going to live the rest of his life
with a prosthetic," Jack said, "I think that's a pretty big
accomplishment."

Aerin smiled. "Maybe," he said, "But the severity of the wound
doesn't matter. If I can help someone, even if they're in the
slightest amount of pain, I'm happy with my accomplishments." Teal'c
returned shortly with a steaming mug and set it down in front of Aerin.

"Thanks, Teal'c," Aerin said as he picked up the mug. He blew on it
to cool it down then lifted it to his lips, taking a sip. He gave a
small moan of relief as he swallowed the liquid and leaned back in his
seat.

"You really like your caffeine-filled beverages, don't you?" Jack
quipped, earning him a smirk from Aerin.

"Yup," he replied before taking another sip. "So," Aerin continued,
"Isn't Janet's daughter supposed to be arriving soon?"

Sam looked down at her watch, surprised to have forgotten the time,
and nodded. "Yes, Cassie should be getting here in a couple of
hours," Sam said.

"I can't wait to meet her," Aerin said with a hopeful tone, "The way
Janet talks about her makes her sound like a wonderful young woman."

"She's a pretty amazing kid," Jack commented, a tender smile on his face.

"Does she know Janet's alive?" Aerin asked, his expression quizzical.

Sam gave a small cough then cleared her throat. "Not yet," Sam said,
"I'm going to tell her when she gets here. I just told her there was
something important that she had to know, but that it wasn't right to
say over the phone."

Aerin nodded. "I would imagine delivering the news in person would be
the best idea," he agreed. Sam gave a curt nod and, quietly, the
group settled down to wait for Cassie's arrival.

Cassie stared blankly out the airplane window, her mind racing at a
million miles a minute. She tuned out the noises in the cabin around
her, trying to puzzle out what was it that Sam had wanted to talk to
her about in person.

At Sam's insistence, Cassie packed up a bag and left the apartment she
shared with three others near Stanford. Her graduation had been a
mere three weeks ago and she remembered the day with a smile. All of
SG-1 was there to celebrate her big day, but one person had been
missing, the one person who would have been the most proud of them all.

A deep pit of sorrow welled up in her chest. The thought of Janet,
the woman who had become so much like a mother to her, still saddened
her to this day. Despite the time that had passed since Janet's
death, a part of Cassie still grieved for the loss of her second
mother. She was only happy for the fact that she was almost 18 when
Janet had been killed in action, so she didn't have to be shoved off
on a new and different family where she'd have to get used to yet
another mother.

Her eyes started to water in remembrance of the depth of feeling she
had experienced at hearing that Janet was dead. Shaking her head, she
wiped away her tears and reburied those feelings; there was no need to
be dragging them up again.

The plane landed shortly, as it didn't take long to fly from
California to Colorado, and it wasn't long until she was off to claim
her baggage. As she stood next to the carousel, a voice from behind
called her name.

"Cassandra Fraiser?"

Cassie turned around to see an Air Force officer standing there,
looking at her expectantly. "Yes?"

"I'm to escort you to the Cheyenne Mountain Complex," the officer
said. Used to this, Cassie quickly located her bag and followed the
young officer out of the airport. The drive from Denver to Colorado
Springs went by in a blur, Cassie staring out from the backseat window.

The closer the car got to the SGC, the more Cassie was dying to know
what it was Sam wanted to talk about. It seemed like no time at all
until Cassie was several levels underground in the familiar confines
of the SGC and making her way to the briefing room.

Once she got there, she saw Hammond sitting at the head of the table.

"Grandpa George!" Cassie smiled as she went over to him.

Hammond stood to greet her and warmly welcomed her hug. "How are you
doing, Cassie?" he asked, his tone affectionate.

"Good," she said, "A little confused, though. Sam didn't tell me why
she wanted to talk here and I can't stop thinking about what it could
be."

There was no hiding the almost excited smile on Hammond's face.
"Well, she'll be here shortly to tell you. I have to warn you though,
the news she has is very shocking," Hammond said.

Cassie's brow furrowed with concern and confusion, but she said
nothing as she sat down in one of the chairs surrounding the table and
settled in to wait. She didn't have to wait long for Sam to arrive
because only a couple of minutes later Sam burst into the room, a
smile on her face as she spotted the young woman who had become like a
daughter to her.

"Sam!" Cassie exclaimed as she rose to her feet to hug the older woman.

Sam warmly returned the hug and sat down next to Cassie at the table.
"I'm happy you're here, Cassie," Sam said.

Eager to get to the point, Cassie looked at Sam intently. "What is it
you wanted to tell me?" Cassie asked, "I have to admit, you've gotten
my curiosity piqued."

At this, Sam took in a nervous breath. "Ok," she started, "Before I
tell you, I just wanted you to know that what I have to say is very
surprising."

Cassie chuckled. "Grandpa George already warned me about that, Sam.
Now, come on, tell me!"

Sam smiled, unsure of how her news was going to go over, but just
decided to come out and say it. "Cassie, there's really no better way
to say this, but...Janet's alive." The whole room seemed to stop,
time halting around them.

Cassie could feel her eyes going wide and her heart beginning to
pound. Her breathing started to come in panicked spurts and she
pushed herself away from the table, rising to her feet and turning
away from Sam. Sam watched as Cassie paced along the length of the
table, unwilling to say anything more until the young woman was ready.

"Are you sure it's her?" Cassie asked after several moments.

Sam nodded. "Yes, we're sure. The woman who died 4 years ago was
nothing more than a clone of Janet Fraiser. We've had it checked out.
The woman we found is the real Janet."

"Where is she?" Cassie asked, turning to face Sam again.

Sam gestured for Cassie to sit back down and, once she was reseated,
Samspoke. "On a planet at the other end of our galaxy," Sam
explained, "We didn't even know she was there until we got there.
She's been there for 5 years."

"5 years..." Cassie trailed off, "So someone cloned Mom, sent the
clone here, and then sent Mom off to an unknown planet?"

Sam nodded, proud of Cassie's leap of logic. "That's what Janet told
us had happened," Sam said, seeing hope shining in Cassie's eyes at
the thought of Janet being alive.

"Can I see her?" Cassie asked, "Where is she?" There was no hiding
the excitement in her voice.

Sam smiled. "It's why I brought you here," Sam said, "But Janet's not
on Earth. She wasn't able to come back. But, we're going to surprise
her by bringing you to see her."

"Wasn't able to come back?" Cassie questioned, "Why not? What stopped
her from coming back?"

At this, Sam sighed. "I think this is for someone else to explain,"
Sam said as she rose to her feet and went over to the door. Opening
it and poking her head out, Sam said, "You can come in now."

Cassie watched with interest as a tall man she had never seen before
entered the briefing room. With his height, blond hair, and blue
eyes, he was undeniably attractive, but there was something about him
that was simply awe-inspiring.

"You must be Cassie," the man spoke, his voice gentle and
high-cultured; Cassie could tell he was a well-educated man. "Janet's
told me so much about you," he continued.

"You know my mom?" Cassie asked, rising to her feet to greet the man.

He nodded. "Yes, my name is Aerin. I'm Janet's Lord Protector."

At this, Cassie rose an eyebrow in confusion. "Lord Protector?
What's that exactly?"

Aerin turned to look over at Sam. "You haven't told her yet?" Aerin
asked.

Sam shook her head. "I figured you'd be better at explaining it," Sam
said quietly.

Aerin nodded and turned back to Cassie. "On my planet, I live in a
country called Zimmeria. My aunt is the Queen of that country. About
4 years ago, Janet was named the heir to the throne and I was assigned
to her as her Lord Protector."

"My mom's going to be a queen?" Cassie asked, her voice a shocked
whisper, "Wow. So, is that why she couldn't come back?"

"Janet's been in meetings all day," Aerin said, "She couldn't get out
of them. She doesn't even know we're here."

"Ah, I see. She really will be surprised, then," Cassie said, a smile
on her face at the thought of seeing Janet again. She wondered what
kind of life her mother had now.

Probably an opulent one,' Cassie thought, trying to imagine the
riches Janet had found herself surrounded with now.

Looking over at Sam and Aerin, Cassie's smile grew even wider. "So,
when do we leave?"

Janet made a sound that was part moan and part sigh as she stepped
into her chambers mid-afternoon. Tired relief flooded her body as she
trudged her way up to her bedroom and flopped down on her bed. Not
having the energy to slip off her shoes, but not wanting them on the
bed, Janet allowed her legs to dangle over the edge as her eyes
slipped shut.

There was no excusing the fact of how tired she was. Arguing with the
Council for nearly 7 hours had taken its toll and, at the moment, she
was more tired than frustrated. During her meeting with the Council,
Janet had stressed the importance of preparing Zimmeria for an attack
from another country. But, the Council would near none of it.

With the exception of the members of the Council from Lansha and
Quintal, the duchies on the border of the country, the other duchies
refused to give any money over to financing an army just in case there
was an attack. Their reasoning was that there was still reasonable
doubt as to whether or not there even would be an attack.

Janet had grown livid and shouted at them, berating them for their
stupidity. She threw in their faces, again, the fact that she and
Aerin had been attacked by people who were immune to magic, Zimmeria's
most powerful weapon. An immunity like that left Zimmeria extremely
vulnerable.

Shocked by Janet's angry outburst, the Council decided to let the
matter go undecided, resolving to come back to it another day. Though
Janet didn't say anything, the reluctance of the Council would be
their downfall and when they came to a decision regarding the matter,
Janet feared it would be too late for the decision to be effective.

With a sigh, Janet pushed herself up into a sitting position and gave
the tense muscles in her neck a good stretch. Before coming up to her
chambers, she had gone on a quick search for Aerin and SG-1, but had
come up with nothing. Granted, she hadn't looked very hard as she had
no energy, but she still wondered at where they had disappeared off to.

Pushing the issue out of her mind, Janet stood from her bed and ambled
on over to the bathroom, disrobing on her way over, leaving a trail of
clothes in her wake. Turning on the taps of her bath, Janet waited
not-so-patiently for the tub to fill with water, eager for the feel of
the hot water surrounding her tired muscles.

Once it was filled nearly to the brim with steaming hot water, Janet
stepped in, letting her body be engulfed by water. She could feel her
mental exhaustion slipping away and she leaned against the wall of the
tub, closing her eyes as she allowed herself to relax.

She wasn't aware how long she luxuriated in the bathtub, but when she
was finished, the water had gone lukewarm and the tips of her fingers
were all wrinkly. Feeling much better than she had an hour ago, Janet
got out of the tub. She dried off and dressed herself in a pair of
soft, white linen slacks that brushed against the middle of her calves
paired with a yellow tank top. Slipping on a pair of sandals, Janet
left her bedroom for the comfort of her living room.

She grabbed the book she was currently reading and settled herself
down the most comfortable couch, the one she always lounged on when
she wanted to relax. A glance out the patio window showed Rhianna and
Rylus napping on the patio, the sunlight glittering off their silver
scales.

They're like big cats,' Janet giggled. She reached out with her
mind, seeing just how deeply Rhianna was sleeping, and quickly pulled
back, not wanting to disturb her. With a small smile, Janet focused
her attention on her book, losing herself in the words on the page.

After about a half an hour of quiet reading, Janet was interrupted by
the sound of someone knocking. Setting her book down on the table in
front of her, Janet rose and went to the door, opening it to see Nyla
standing on the other side, dressed as casually as Janet was.

Janet smiled at the sight of her friend. "Hey, Nyla," Janet greeted.

Nyla returned the smile. "Hi," Nyla said, "Are you busy right now?"

Janet shook her head. "Nope. Just enjoying the company of my book.
Why?"

Nyla gave a relieved smile. "Oh, because some of us just wanted to
spend some time together."

Janet's eyes lit up at the thought. "Who? You can bring them up
here. We can hang out in the common room."

"Oh, just Christos and Tranell," Nyla said, "Everyone else was busy,
but the three of us wanted to come and see you. We were so worried
about you when you were missing."

Janet smiled, touched by the sentiment. "Well, bring the two
lovebirds on up here. We'll have some food sent up." And so they
did. 20 minutes later, Nyla and Janet were seated in the common room
when Christos and Tranell entered the room. Janet looked over at the
couple, smiling at them as they sat with her and Nyla.

Despite the fact that Christos and Tranell were both men, their
relationship was accepted with ease in Zimmerian society. They made
an odd-looking couple though. Christos, with his sun-kissed, golden
skin and dark blond hair that was so characteristic of the people from
the nation island of Kylar, made Tranell look almost translucent
sometimes.

Tranell was the same tall height as Christos, but his coloring was
almost the opposite. With his pale skin and dark brown, nearly black
hair, Tranell looked ethereal. And despite the fact that Tranell was
15 years Christos' senior, Tranell didn't look a day older than his
partner.

What a pity for all the women out there,' Janet thought with a smile
as Tranell leaned over to kiss her on the cheek.

"It's good to see you," Tranell said, his voice quiet and soft-spoken,
as he pulled away.

"Move aside," Christos playfully commanded as he pulled Janet into a
hug, "We've missed you."

Janet hugged Christos back, able to feel without empathetic powers
just how true his words were. "It's good to be missed," Janet said as
she extracted herself from Christos' hug.

Christos gave her a broad smile as he and Tranell took up a seat on
the loveseat opposite from where Janet and Nyla were sitting. He
availed himself to the pot in front of him, pouring a mug of falano
for both him and Tranell.

The four of them settled into an easy conversation, Janet relaxing as
she chatted with her friends, the easy conversation flowing around her
in comfortable serenity, something she needed to experience after the
day she had had. Smiling at the thought of spending time with her
friends, the thought of where SG-1 could have disappeared off to
filtered through her mind briefly before she shoved it aside and
concentrated on the conversation.

The four of them just sat there, letting the conversation lead them
where it may, for about two hours, all of them enjoying each other's
company.

"So," Christos said with a sly smile, leaning forward in his seat, "I
got a glimpse of those friends of yours from your planet."

Janet raised an eyebrow. "Yeah?" she trailed off, "What about them?"
Janet could hear the gossipy tone in Christos' voice and warning bells
flashed in her mind; when Christos had that tone in his voice, Janet
knew no topic was safe from his inquisitiveness.

"You failed to mention just how good looking those men are," Christos
said with a waggle of his eyebrows.

Tranell rolled his eyes and sighed, used to this. "You say that about
a lot of men. I'm wondering if you even mean it half the time,"
Tranell said sternly, but the smile on his face gave his true emotions
away.

Janet chuckled. "I told you they were good looking, Christos," Janet
said, her gaze firmly fixed on him, "I just don't think you were
listening when I told you."

Nyla giggled. "They really are good looking though, aren't they?"
Nyla said, her cheeks tinged pink slightly at the words that had come
from her own mouth. Still, though, none of the men on SG-1 could
compare to Aerin in her book.

"They are," Janet sighed, her thoughts immediately going to Daniel.
Christos immediately picked up on the loving emotions coming from
Janet; he wasn't a 10th level Empath for nothing. "Janet," he said
slowly, "What aren't you telling us?"

Janet immediately looked like she had gotten caught with her hand in
the cookie jar. "What do you mean?"

Nyla sighed. "Don't even think you're fooling either of us, Janet,"
Nyla said, referring to both her and Christos' abilities as Empaths,
"I think Christos is referring to your feelings for Daniel."

A blush crept up onto Janet's cheeks. "Oh," was all she could say.

"Daniel? Which one's he?" Christos asked, hungry for knowledge.

"He's the one with the glasses," Nyla said.

"Ah," Tranell sighed, "The one who looked like he wanted to read every
book in the Library when he was in the University."

Janet couldn't keep back the laugh that had bubbled up in her throat.
"So, you were there," Janet smirked.

"I was," Tranell said, "I was assisting some of my students in their
free time." Janet nodded; Tranell was a 10th level War Mage, the same
as she was.

"I thought he was particularly good looking," Christos mused, thinking
back on when he had seen SG-1, "But..." Christos trailed off, having
something he wanted to say, but not sure if he should say it.

Janet's brow furrowed. "Christos?" she questioned, able to sense his
unease without being an empath.

Christos took in a deep breath. "It's just, and I don't want you to
take this the wrong way because I'm not in any way trying to imply that-"

"Christos," Janet warned, "Just say it."

Christos sighed. "Doesn't Daniel look a bit like Lorin?"

Janet froze at the mention of that name. "I hadn't thought about it,"
Janet said, "I've tried not to think about him."

"Have you told your friends about Lorin, yet?" Tranell asked, shifting
the topic slightly.

Janet sighed and shook her head. "Not yet," she breathed, "To be
honest, since I know I can't hide anything from you guys, I'm scared to."

"Why?" Nyla asked, "I'm sure they'd understand."

Janet shrugged. "It's not that," Janet sighed, "I guess it's just I'm
ashamed. I mean, the whole country knows about what happened. It's
bad enough that the whole world knows. I just...want to keep it from
my friends for a while. I'm afraid it'll change the way they see me."

"You've been thinking about him, haven't you?" Christos stated,
despite the question at the end of his sentence.

"Yeah," Janet said, her tone regretful, "I'd gotten to a point where I
was able to sleep without the nightmares but, having SG-1 here and
knowing that I'll have to tell them about him eventually has kept him
on my mind."

"Have the nightmares come back?" Christos asked.

Janet shook her head. "No, thank the gods for that," Janet said,
failing to mention her recent string of nightmares, nightmares of
being chased by an unknown enemy with limitless power.

"That's good, at least," Christos said, reaching for Janet's hand
around the table, "And you shouldn't be ashamed of what Lorin did to
you." Janet cringed at the name. "If your friends are truly your
friends, they won't think any differently of you for something that
was out of your control. We don't think any differently of you."

Janet smiled at Christos, squeezing his hand in thanks. "I know,
thank you. I don't think I could have made it through that time
without you all."

Nyla gave Janet a one-armed hug, her arm encircling Janet's shoulder.
"You would have been there for us," Nyla said, "We were only happy to
be there for you." Tears gathered in Janet's eyes and her smile
broadened. How she got so lucky to have found such good friends,
Janet would never quite know. But she certainly wasn't going to complain.

Cassie drew in a breath of admiration as she stepped through the
Stargate, Sam on one side and Daniel on the other. The clean serenity
of the world she had stepped onto filled her with a sense of awe and
peace; it felt like coming home.

"Pretty, isn't it?" Sam asked.

"Yeah," Cassie sighed as she adjusted the pack on her shoulder,
descending the stone steps leading up the Stargate. "How long is it
to the city?" Cassie asked, turning towards Aerin.

Aerin smiled. "Only a couple of hours, depending on how fast you move
and what route you take," he explained.

Cassie gave a curt nod and moved with the group, the rest of them
going at a slower pace to accommodate her. She knew she wasn't used
to going at the pace they operated at, so she was thankful they were
keeping her in mind.

They walked in relative silence, Cassie taking in the scenery around
her. Eventually though, the silence was too much.

"So, what's Mom like now? Has she changed a lot?" Cassie asked. SG-1
looked amongst themselves for a bit before training their eyes on Aerin.

Aerin could feel their eyes on him and knew they wanted him to answer
the question. "It's really hard to explain," Aerin said slowly,
turning his head to look at Cassie as he spoke, "She's different, but
still the same."

"What do you mean by different?" Cassie asked.

At this, Aerin paused for a few moments. "She...looks different,"
Aerin said, "Like she's a concentrated version of herself..." Aerin
trailed off, realizing he wasn't explaining it very well. "You'll
understand when you see her. It's not easy to put it in words," Aerin
continued. Cassie's brow furrowed in confusion, but she said nothing
in response and just continued walking, her mind coming up with all
sorts of interpretations for Aerin's words.

When they got close enough to see the city, Cassie had to stop and
take a good look at it, her eyes wide with awe.

"Wow," she breathed, unable to believe the breath-taking beauty of the
city.

"Come on," Sam smirked, "It's better up close." At Sam's urgings,
Cassie resumed walking, quickly catching up with the rest of SG-1 and
Aerin. They approached the city gates and walked through without
incident, Aerin waving aside the guards as they passed.

Cassie expressed interest in the dousha that were parked just inside
the city walls, chattering on about them excitedly as she climbed into
one, sitting in between Sam and Teal'c as the door closed and they
were on their way.

Cassie couldn't pull her eyes away from the view from the window,
feeling like a tourist and not really caring.

"Whatcha thinking, kid?" Jack asked.

Cassie rolled her eyes at the nickname, but didn't comment on it.
"Just amazed at the city. Mom's lucky to live in a place like this,"
Cassie said, her gaze flickering over to Jack for a brief moment
before turning back to the view outside the window.

It wasn't long until they reached the Inner City, driving through the
gateway that separated it from the metropolis below. Disembarking
from the dousha, Cassie followed SG-1 and Aerin to the palace.

Cassie couldn't keep the shock off of her face at the sight of the
palace, it was like something out of a fairytale. She felt herself
being pushed towards the stairs leading up to the entrance, but it
wasn't enough to tear her gaze away from the palace exterior.

"This is amazing," Cassie said as they moved through the palace, up
the stairs leading up to the Tower. The further up they went, the
more Cassie was convinced they'd never reach the top but, finally,
they did and Cassie breathed a sigh of relief as they stepped onto the
final landing.

"This is where we live," Aerin announced, "Here, I'll show you to
Janet's rooms before-" Aerin stopped mid-sentence as the sound of
hearty laughter came from behind the door to the common room. Arching
on eyebrow in confusion and amusement, Aerin moved towards the common
room door, SG-1 and Cassie following closely behind, Cassie still
shouldering the bag with her stuff in it.

Aerin threw open the door to reveal Janet and Nyla sitting on one of
the loveseats, laughing uncontrollably, while Christos lead Tranell
around the room in an energetic dance, singing bawdy lyrics in Old
Tongue. If the sight of two men dancing together at all was
uncomfortable for SG-1, Aerin felt nothing of it and he couldn't help
but gasp scandalously at something Christos had just sung.

"If I knew you all were going to be having fun, I would have stayed
here today," Aerin announced.

Wiping tears from her eyes, Nyla looked over at Aerin with a big
smile. "Oh, believe me, we didn't intend things to end up like this."

Aerin chuckled before looking over at Christos and Tranell, who had
stopped dancing and were looking over at him. Tranell had a look of
amused exasperation on his face as he smiled at Aerin.

"Do you often let him pull you around the room?" Aerin asked.

Tranell rolled his eyes affectionately. "I don't let him," Tranell
said with a grin, "But he often ends up doing so anyway."

"And does it often include the singing of tavern songs?" Janet asked,
her lips pulled upwards in a grin.

Christos smiled broadly. "Of course!" he exclaimed, "Would you expect
anything less from me?" Janet called out something in the Old Tongue,
something that had Christos gasping as he feigned hurt before he went
over to her and pulled her to her feet, presumably to lead her around
the floor in a dance.

While this whole exchange was taking place, SG-1 and Cassie watched
wordlessly, Cassie unable to pull her eyes from the sight of her
mother, alive and well after all these years. Tears clouded her
vision, but still, Cassie could see Janet clearly.

Her mother was a vision, and Cassie couldn't believe how much Janet
had changed. Aerin was right; Janet was like a more concentrated
version of herself. Younger and more beautiful than Cassie
remembered, it was like Janet's inner beauty had more of a chance to
shine through, and Cassie couldn't help but stand in awe of the woman
Janet had become.

Christos had only just pulled Janet to her feet when Janet saw a
familiar face, one she hadn't seen in quite sometime. Christos felt
the sharp shift in Janet's emotions and paused, looking down at her in
concern only to find her gaze focused somewhere behind him. He, too,
turned, to see Janet's friends standing behind Aerin, with a young
woman he had never seen before.

"Cassie," Janet breathed, unable to believe her eyes. Everyone moved
aside, nobody standing in the way of mother and daughter as they
slowly gravitated towards each other.

Without saying a word, Janet and Cassie embraced, Cassie falling into
the familiar arms of her mother, feeling better than she had in years.
She couldn't keep the tears from running down her cheeks as Janet
hugged her tightly, aware that her mom was crying too.

"I missed you, Mom," Cassie whispered and sighed as she felt Janet's
hand motherly stroking her hair.

"Me too, baby," Janet whispered, "Me, too."

Much later that evening, Janet sat in her living room, enjoying the
peace and quiet of knowing everyone was asleep but her. There was a
soft smile on her face as she sat cross-legged on one of her couches,
one of her twin swords resting in her lap as she slowly worked on
cleaning it off.

A music sphere was playing softly on the table and she unconsciously
sang along with it, her voice filling the room with its sweetness.
She couldn't keep the smile off her face as she thought back on her
evening. Reuniting with Cassie was more than she could have ever
imagined.

Seeing her daughter after so long filled a part of her that Janet
hadn't known was missing. For hours, they talked, catching up on each
other's lives. Cassie had been awe-struck at everything Janet had
been through and everything she could do. Janet listened with pride
at hearing stories of Cassie and her college experiences.

Stanford,' Janet though proudly as she ran a fine cloth over the flat
of the blade. Janet, herself, hadn't gone to quite such a prestigious
school, but she had always hoped Cassie would. And the fact that
Cassie had been happy with her choice made Janet even happier.

Janet glanced up at the room where Cassie and Sam were sleeping.
Having no extra rooms, Sam agreed to bunk up with Cassie and the
younger woman made no objections to the arrangement until more room
could be made. Just having Cassie there helped erase 5 years of
missing her and Janet's eyes welled up with tears; things felt like
they were finally becoming perfect.

The sound of singing slowly dragged Daniel out of the comfortable
sleep he had been in. Lifting his head from the pillow, Daniel
struggled to listen to the faint sound. The melody was sweet and the
voice even sweeter.

Curious about the source of the voice, Daniel pushed himself out of
bed and, shaking his head to make himself more alert, moved over to
the door. He opened it slowly and poked his head out into the
half-lit living room.

Even without his glasses, Daniel could recognize Janet's head of
auburn hair and he smiled, his heart skipping a beat at the thought of
her. He knew it was her voice that was singing and he marveled at the
beauty of it.

Moving downstairs, he didn't even need to alert Janet to his presence;
she seemed to be aware of it without his help.

"Hi Daniel," Janet giggled, her back still facing his. Daniel moved
around the furniture so he could sit on the adjacent armchair. He
raised a speculative eyebrow as he spotted Janet's twin swords on the
couch, one of them lying across her lap.

"You knew I was there?" Daniel asked.

Janet looked over at him, a quirky grin tugging at the corners of her
lips. "I could hear your door opening," Janet stated as she gave one
of her swords a final polish before re-sheathing it. She pulled the
other one in her lap just as the music sphere was switching to a
different song.

Janet started singing along with it, the lyrics in the same fluid,
musical language Daniel had heard being spoken earlier that day. The
sound of her singing in that beautiful language sent a thrill down his
spine and caused goose bumps to rise on his skin. Her voice blended
wonderfully with the music being played through the sphere and Daniel
felt himself relax as the sound washed over him.

"What does it mean?" Daniel asked.

Janet paused in her singing to look over at him. "What?" she asked,
her hand pausing over her sword.

"The lyrics," he clarified, "What does it mean?"

Janet smiled shyly. "Oh, it's your typical popular song," Janet said.

Daniel couldn't help but smile. "Translate it for me," he insisted.

Janet blushed lightly as she waved a hand over the music sphere,
starting the song over again. "How about I Sing it for you?"

Daniel looked over at her with puzzlement. "Weren't you just singing
it?" he asked.

Janet smiled. "You'll hear what I mean in a moment," she said as the
opening strains of the song filled the air around them. Taking in a
deep breath, Janet started singing along with the music, still singing
in the Old Tongue only, this time, Daniel could understand what she
was singing.

He sat there, content to listen to Janet sing about friendship, about
the joy people could bring into others' lives just by being there for
each other. As he listened to her sing, Daniel felt his heart swell
with happiness and he knew the sensations he experienced had something
to do with Janet's singing.

The song eventually came to an end and Daniel didn't realize he had
closed his eyes at some point, until he consciously had to open them.
He looked over at Janet to see her looking at him with an amused
smile on her face, her cheeks tinged lightly with a blush; she was
embarrassed, he realized, though he didn't know why.

"That was amazing," Daniel complimented, unable to keep his own smile
off his face, "But, why could I understand the words this time?"

At Daniel's words, Janet's smile broadened. "The magic of the song,"
Janet stated, "You see, almost every singer's a Mage and when they
write their songs, they write spells that are to be sung into the
music. Songs are always written in the traditional Old Tongue but
most people don't understand that language.

"So, in order for the population to understand them, musicians write
the spells. Along with the understanding of the lyrics, the emotions
of the song are also passed along with the spells. They only work
when being sung live, though. We haven't figured out how to transmit
the spells over music spheres yet."

Daniel thought over what Janet said. "So, did you write this song?"
he asked.

This time there was no mistaking the fierce blush that rose to Janet's
cheeks. "Why do you say that?" she stammered, glancing over at him
nervously. Without his glasses on, Janet felt like he could see right
into her soul.

What an Empath he would make,' Janet mused.

"Just that you said that the people who write the songs write the
spells that go with them," Daniel said, "So, for you to know the
spells, I'm assuming that you wrote the song."

Janet leveled her gaze at him, trying her hardest to make the warm
flush on her cheeks disappear. "Now, that's not necessarily true,"
Janet said, "The lyrics to a song come with the spells written. I
could have merely learned the spells for this song. Your guess was a
lucky one."

Daniel's face split into a grin. "So you did write it," he exclaimed,
"I didn't know you could write song lyrics."

"I didn't, either, until a couple of years ago," Janet said, her
expression sobering slightly with remembrance.

"What got you started?" Daniel asked, noticing the shift in emotion on
Janet's face.

Janet tensed up with fear, scared to tell Daniel the true reason for
her song writing, that it had started out as poetry written as an
escape from the emotions that plagued her during her recovery from
Lorin's control.

"It helped me cope with issues I was having at the time," Janet said
vaguely, "I was under a lot of stress at the time and writing became
an outlet of sorts. It started out as poetry, but when Aerin
discovered I could sing, he convinced me to turn some of my poetry
into songs."

"And, because of your position, they became popular," Daniel continued.

Janet sighed. "Yeah, but most of the time, the songs that I would
like to become popular don't end up making it. But, it's okay, as
those tend to be rather personal. It's sad, though, pages and pages
of writing that don't end up being appreciated by anyone but myself
and my friends."

"I'd like to read them someday, if that's ok with you," Daniel said,
hoping he hadn't overstepped his bounds. The smile he got in return
told him he hadn't.

"Of course you can read them," Janet said, "They're not written in
English, though. But, that's an easily solved problem."

"Really?" Daniel asked, an eyebrow raised doubtfully; he'd looked at
the writing of the people of Zimmeria and he found that the symbols
that made up the Zimmerian language were like nothing he had ever seen.

Janet couldn't help but giggle. "You know, I expressed much the same
sentiment when Aerin offered to teach me the written language here.
But, believe me, it really is a very simple problem to solve."

"So, what do I do?" Daniel asked.

"Come sit over here," Janet said, patting to the empty spot beside her
on the sofa, putting her sword off to one side. Daniel went over and
sat next to her, facing her with curiosity reflected in eyes. "Now,
close your eyes," Janet instructed.

Daniel did as he was told, his eyes slipping shut moments before he
felt Janet's fingers pressed against the side of his face, her
fingertips lightly brushing his temples. The sensation caused a
shiver to run down his spine.

The skin of her hands was soft, despite how often she used her hands,
but Daniel knew the skin of her hands had thickened over the years to
provide the necessary protection for her skin while using her swords.
He could feel the warmth of her hands seep into his skin and he felt
himself relax under her touch.

"Now, you're going to feel a strange tingling sensation in your mind,
as odd as that sounds," Janet said quietly, "It's just me working in
your mind." Daniel opened his mouth to ask her what she meant, but
before he could, he felt the sensation she described.

He could literally feel her presence inside his mind and he was
comforted by the fact that it was very non-intrusive. Her mental
touch was gentle as she navigated her way through his mind.

Janet was amazed that Daniel let her in so easily and knew it was a
sign of how much he still trusted her even after not seeing her for 5
years. She easily sought out the language center of his brain,
marveling at how much energy rested in that particular spot, though
she wasn't surprised given his vast knowledge of linguistics. Giving
Daniel the ability to read and write the Zimmerian language was akin
to pouring a bucket of water into a pool; it added only little to the
total volume contained.

Depositing the knowledge in the right spot, Janet extracted herself
from Daniel's mind, leaving it as gently as she had entered. Daniel
felt the sensation of something being placed in his mind and, when
Janet told him to open his eyes, he felt only minimally different than
before.

"Want to test it out?" Janet asked, a sly smile on her face. Before
Daniel could answer, Janet jumped off of the couch and went into her
study. Daniel could hear her rummaging around in the other room and,
while she was gone, he picked up the sheathed short sword that Janet
had left on the coffee table.

Holding the sheath in one hand, Daniel unveiled the sword with the
other, clearing it only a few inches from the scabbard. Even in the
light of the room, Daniel could see the light glow that surrounded it,
the light representing the spell work that had gone into the creation
of the swords.

When Janet came back into the room a few moments later, she found him
studying her sword intently.

"See something you like?" Janet asked with a light, teasing tone.

Daniel glanced up at her with a smile before returning his attention
back to the sword. "Just looking at it," Daniel said, "I'm curious
about what the glowing means, though."

Janet sat back down, a book resting in her lap, and held up the other
short sword, holding it out for him to see. "The glowing represents
the spells cast into the steel itself," Janet explained, "It adds
strength to the sword and, if I'm lucky, every once in a while it'll
cut through an attacking sword. It also helps make the sword feel
lighter. You should pick up a sword that hasn't been lightened
magically; they're pretty heavy."

Daniel studied the sword for a few more seconds before putting it
down, glancing over at the book that Janet had brought out with her.
"What's that?"

Janet couldn't help the smile that appeared on her face. "It's a book."

Daniel rolled his eyes. "Well, I knew that," he sighed with feigned
annoyance, "You know what I meant."

"I did," Janet said as she handed it over to him, "Here, I brought it
out here for you to read." Daniel took the book from Janet's fingers,
his fingertips lightly tracing over the cover. To his surprise,
instead of seeing the undecipherable symbols, they were as clear to
him as the English alphabet.

"'The Birth of Peace'," Daniel read aloud, glancing up at Janet for
clarification.

"It's about the creation of Zimmeria," Janet said, "It traces history
through the civil war between the duchies before they united together.
It also talks about the surrounding nations and the aid they gave
during the war." She paused as Daniel looked at her curiously. "I
thought you might like to learn about how Zimmeria was formed."

Daniel smiled. "Thanks," he said.

Janet smiled in return. "No problem. Oh, and be careful with that
book. It's over 8000 years old."

Daniel nearly dropped the book into his lap. "8000 years old? How is
it still here?"

"Preservation spells. There's not much you could do to it, but all
the same, be careful with it," Janet said, picking up her polishing
cloth once more. Daniel nodded before he turned his attention to the
book in front of him.

The two sat in a comfortable silence, Janet working on cleaning her
short sword and Daniel leafing through the book, getting a feel for
the pages and age before reading it.

"So, are you excited for tomorrow?" Janet asked suddenly, causing
Daniel to jump in surprise.

"Tomorrow?" Daniel questioned.

"The Santsuki festival," Janet clarified, "It starts tomorrow morning."

Daniel smiled, focusing his attention back to Janet. "Yeah, I guess,"
he said, "I'm really interested to see everything that's involved."

Janet smiled back. "It's an exciting time of year," she said, "If
you're not excited now, you will be tomorrow. The mood of the
festival's infectious."

"It's a busy time for you, right?" Daniel asked.

Janet nodded. "Yeah," she said, "But I always make time to take in
the sights of the festival. Besides, despite how busy I am, I always
take a vacation afterwards."

"What do you do on vacation?" Daniel asked.

"Usually Aerin and I go to our island resort."

At that, Daniel raised an eyebrow. "Island resort?"

Janet crinkled her nose in amusement. "Sounds snobbish, doesn't it?
The royal family has a small island off the west coast for their own
personal use. Only the royal family and those invited by the royal
family are allowed to go there. It's a lot of fun, though, and so
relaxing. You can forget all about your problems and responsibilities
and focus on the simple things."

Daniel smiled. "Sounds like the perfect vacation spot," he commented.

Janet grinned. "It is," she said, "You guys should come with us this
year, if you can."

Daniel sighed. "We might not be able to," Daniel said, "I think it
was a stretch allowing us to stay here for two weeks for the festival."

Janet's face fell slightly. "Oh, well, I'm sure we'll be going out
there again sometime this year," Janet said hopefully.

"The others would love it, I think," Daniel said, "Especially Jack.
He's always complaining about a lack of tropical paradises on other
worlds."

Janet laughed, knowing that it was just like Jack. "Well, he's
welcome to come with us whenever he likes," Janet said, "That
invitation is extended to the rest of you, as well, you know."

Daniel nodded. "I know. Thank you." Janet merely smiled, sensing
that the conversation had come to an end, and went back to cleaning
her short sword as Daniel began reading the book Janet had brought out
for him. Once again, a comfortable silence descending on them once
again as they each became absorbed in their own tasks.

Janet wasn't sure how long she was absorbed in what she was doing, the
music from the sphere providing a comfortable background that lulled
Janet into relaxation, but when she looked over at Daniel, she was
surprised to discover that he had fallen asleep, the open book resting
comfortably on his chest. Smiling, Janet finished

up cleaning her
swords and sheathed the second one, putting both of them on the coffee
table.

With a wave of her hand over the music sphere, the music stopped and
Janet leaned over to pluck the book off of Daniel's chest. Making
note of Daniel's place in the book, Janet gently closed it and set it
aside. She took a few moments to watch him sleep, enjoying the
opportunity to just look at him without fear of being discovered.

Her heart constricted painfully in her chest at the sight of him. He
was just as handsome as he had been 5 years ago, age only adding to
his attractiveness. Even though, a shiver ran down her spine at the
thought of what he would look like if he unlocked his power.

Aerin had mentioned to her that he had told SG-1 about their powers,
though none of SG-1 had mentioned it to her. Remembering the
transformation she had gone through and knowing the sheer sense of
power she could feel coming from others, she knew that if Daniel ever
unlocked the power she could feel brimming beneath the surface, he
would be a force to be reckoned with, a man with an irresistible aura
about him. The thought sent her blood racing through her veins.

Though she tried to shake off the thoughts, she couldn't stop herself
from admiring his sleeping form, dressed only in a thin undershirt and
a pair of loose fitting pants. It was apparent that he still kept up
his workout routine back on Earth from the muscles of his chest and
upper arms; the sight made Janet sigh.

Janet finally shook herself out of it, realizing she should probably
take him up to his bedroom before going to bed herself. Levitating
him gently so as to not wake him up, Janet guided him upstairs and
into his room. Careful not to jar him, Janet sent him down gently on
the bed and covered him with the thin, silk top sheet that was used as
bedding during the hot summer months.

Unable to resist, Janet sat down at the edge of the bed, watching him
sleep by the light of the three moons. The moonlight made him glow
and Janet didn't think she had ever seen anything more beautiful.

She sat there for a few minutes, just enjoying being next to him and,
when she went to get up, she found herself being pulled back down.
Feeling Daniel's arm wrap around her waist, Janet turned her head to
see that he was still asleep, that he pulled her back down to the bed
unconsciously.

His firm arm around her waist effectively prevented her from going
anywhere, as she didn't want to use unnecessary force to extract
herself and accidentally hurt Daniel in the process. Resigning
herself to spending the night with Daniel, not that she minded in the
least, Janet made herself comfortable in Daniel's arms. She soon
drifted off to sleep, not thinking of how potentially awkward it could
be in the morning.

As Janet fell asleep, Daniel's hold on her tightened, his soul at ease
with her at his side. And, for the first night in 5 years, Daniel
Jackson fell into a dreamless sleep.