Here you go. New chapter! Finally back from the very last vacation this summer--no more trips! Quicker chapters now! Yay! So, anyway, I hope you enjoy this one, and please review if you like it and want me to continue. Thanks everybody!

Chapter 29

His memories, focusing on pleasant thoughts, kept the tears back as Danny shrugged off questions of whether he was okay from his friends and headed for the surface to his car. He thought he was okay, thought he'd gotten enough rest in the infirmary, thought he was all right with just seeing Sha're free. But on the way home the road and its dark surroundings blurred more than once, and once home he found himself barely able to drag his tired body up the stairs to his apartment. The medication Janet had given him was already starting to wear off.

Danny wanted to collapse on the couch without doing anything else or going any farther, but he made himself trek back to his bedroom to change into something to sleep in and then come back to the kitchen to throw back a couple of Tylenol. He knew it probably wouldn't help much because it wasn't near the strength of what Doctor Fraiser could give him, not to mention that half of the pain was in his head, but it couldn't hurt to try it. Maybe it would help him sleep.

He needed sleep, but he knew it would be difficult, as wildly as his mind was reeling from everything that had happened. It had been an unbelievably long day, with many twists, turns and surprises for him to really take it all in. All he wanted was just to sleep on it all…

Danny trudged back his bedroom and fell onto the bed, weakly grabbing at the covers and pulling them over his head, praying for sleep to take him.

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Back at the SGC, Daniel and the SG-1 of an alternate future were left the only occupants of the commissary. They had eaten and put their trays away, and now sat at their table in conversation.

"So, since it obviously wasn't me, which one of you was it that got stuck it some guy's body in the Ori galaxy and alerted them to our presence?" Daniel asked, smilingly looking forward to the answer.

Mitchell partially raised a hand. "That would have been me. Sha're found the device in the stash at Avalon, but it was me and one Vala Mal Doran that ended up trying it out--and I can tell you that I'm never doing that again."

Daniel's eyebrows rose. "Oh, so you do know her."

Carter grinned. "He knows her all right. She took an immediate liking to our dear colonel, and wouldn't leave him alone until she got, well, removed."

"Sucked through a singularity to the Ori galaxy when she helped destroy the super-gate?"

"That is correct," Teal'c nodded.

"Same here. She used those Goa'uld bracelet things on you, didn't she?" Daniel asked of Mitchell, grinning.

"Uhm…yeah…. I hadn't met her until she showed up claiming to have some tablet that could lead us to some treasure--which we actually did find, of course--but anyway, Sam tells me she hijacked the Prometheus last year."

Jackson rolled his eyes at the unbelievable memory. "Oh, she did all right. I'm sure it was different in your future though…"

"Why?" Carter asked.

Daniel smirked. "She beamed everybody off the ship to a dead-in-the-water Al'kesh when she took the ship, didn't she?"

Sha're sat up in her seat next to Daniel. "She did; I was the only one of us on that mission--which we never got to complete. Thank goodness we know how Atlantis is doing now."

Daniel nodded. "I know. I was the only member of SG-1 on that mission too, and it went pretty much the same way, except for the fact that when she removed everyone from the ship she kept one--me."

"Why would she do that?" Mitchell asked.

Jackson smiled. "Cameron, take a look in the mirror, then look at me and try to tell me you don't know why."

Mitchell blinked once or twice. "Ohhhhh. I get it. She liked you, didn't she?"

Daniel laughed. "Yeah, and I can tell that it was a little disturbing to have kull warrior telling me I was attractive--she did that before she remembered to take the helmet off."

Carter's eye rolled now. "Oh boy. That's just like her."

Teal'c raised an eyebrow. "Though we do still hope that, where she has been taken, she is all right."

Sha're sighed. "Maybe she was more annoying than an uncooperative mastadge, but yes, I hope she is well. Maybe we will even see her again."

Mitchell looked at her. "I hope she's okay too, but can we not talk about that possibility?"

"My thoughts exactly," Daniel laughed. Then he had another thought. "Hey, what about Jonas? How's he doing in your corner of the multi-verse?"

At the mention of the Kelownan all seemed confusing, and suddenly Daniel felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"You know…Jonas…funny guy from Kelowna who learns really fast? Met him the first time you went there, didn't you?"

Recognition dawned on Sha're's face. "Yes, we met him. I lent him a couple of books and he did have them read extremely quickly. He was a kind, engaging person. I think I would have enjoyed getting to know him more." Then her expression darkened. "But..."

"But what?" he gulped, not feeling good about this at all.

"Daniel…" Carter started.

"What?" he said, switching his attention to her as Sha're seemed relieved to let her take over.

"Daniel, if you know Jonas, then you know that when we first arrived on his planet some of the other scientists he knew were working with an unstable element of naquida called naquadria, right?"

Daniel swallowed hard and nodded, suddenly realizing that he probably knew where she was going with this, and wishing that he didn't.

Carter sighed. "We all knew how unstable it was, and they did too, but even though there was evidence that the Goa'uld living on the Kelowna past had been experimenting with it as well and caused catastrophe, they kept on with it anyway. One day a couple of weeks after we made first contact we tried to dial the 'gate and…" She took a deep breath. "Nothing happened. We asked the Tok'ra to send a ship out there, and half the planet was gone. Jonas is dead, Daniel. I'm sorry. There were a few cells of survivors on the opposite side of the planet from the explosion that we were able to rescue and re-locate to another planet, a few thousand, but that's it."

Carter took in the shell-shocked expression on Daniel's face and winced. "I take it that didn't happen in your reality?"

Daniel shook his head weakly. "N-No," he stammered, his eyes lowering. It sure went differently, all right…he thought, grimacing at the painful memories.

Suddenly he was realizing the importance of what he had done in stopping that device on Kelowna from exploding, as shock still coursed through his mind. At the time, he had known it needed to be done if he or anyone for miles was going to survive, but it had never occurred to him that if he hadn't existed, if he hadn't been there to stop it, that the Kelownans would have blown themselves to kingdom come.

When he had descended, before he had regained his memory, his friends had tried to tell him how important he was, not only to them but to other people, that he had done a lot of great things. He hadn't believed them much then, and even after he had regained his life he still hadn't seen it that way. Sometimes his friends complained that he was too modest. Not that he agreed with that assessment now, or anything so vain, but hearing what had happened to Kelowna in a future where he wasn't alive to help certainly gave him something to think about--and he knew he would be thinking about it for a while.

"Daniel? You okay?"

"Dan'iel?"

Jackson looked up at Sam and Sha're's voice when he realized he had lowered his head in thought and tuned the others out.

"Oh. Yeah…I'm okay. It's just...that went so differently in my future…"

"How differently?" Mitchell asked.

Daniel sighed. "It's a really long story--one that I don't really want to go into right now. Not to mention that it's late anyway. We should be getting some sleep if we're going to figure this out tomorrow."

Carter stifled a yawn. "I can agree with that."

Mitchell didn't bother to smother his own yawn. "Yeah. I'm beat."

Daniel stretched. "You think you're tired. Try dying yet again and coming back all in the same day. What with starting to get the memories of the altered past from my younger self's point of view, I remember what happened to him too, so I feel like I've done it twice in one day...not fun," he grimaced.

"You can say that again," Carter grimaced.

"It was a lot less fun on our end," Sha're sighed miserably.

Daniel frowned and straightened again. "I'm sorry. Sometimes I can almost forget…I mean, it's not much different than talking to my own friends back in my reality, 'cause except for Sha're being here, you're all pretty much the same…"

"Well, in a way that's sort of good to know I guess," Carter smiled. Then she stood, yawning again. "Okay, I'm off to bed"

Mitchell was the next to get to his feet, followed by Teal'c, Sha're, and Daniel. Carter stepped over to Daniel and hugged him.

"It's good to see you again," she said again, and they smiled at each other before she started toward the door out into the corridor. "Good night, everybody!" she called over her shoulder.

Teal'c stopped beside him next and put a hand on Daniel's shoulder. "It is good indeed to see you alive and well, Daniel Jackson, even if it is not in our reality," the jaffa said warmly, smiling.

"Thanks Teal'c," Daniel said, and then the larger man moved off to make way for Mitchell, who shook the archaeologist's hand.

"Well, it was nice meeting you. I hope we can get to know each other a little better before this is over--though you probably have the advantage on me."

"Yes, I probably do," Jackson agreed, grinning. "You were a little annoying at first, trying to get all of us back together when we had other things to do, but I think we're starting to break you in."

Mitchell shrugged. "Thought so. That's what's happening in my reality. So…good night, and I'll see you in the morning, Jacksons," he said, smiling and turning to go.

Once the others were gone Daniel's smile faded, his thoughts returning to Kelowna and what Carter had said, to the point that he forgot he had been left alone with Sha're.

"Dan'iel, are you all right?" she asked quietly, pulling him from his thoughts.

Daniel blinked and looked down at the hand she had placed on his arm, then at her face, which showed only concern.

"Yeah. I'm sorry; I kinda spaced out there for a minute."

She smiled softly. "So you still do that often, do you? It does not surprise me."

He returned her smile. Me either. But there've been way too many things to space out thinking about recently…"We should probably head that way too," he suggested.

She nodded, and when he started toward the door Sha're followed right beside him, hooking one of her arms around his and holding on tenderly, her head against his shoulder. Gulping as the simple, loving action reminded him how much he really had missed her, he too her hand in his where their arms were linked. With no one else in the corridor they walked down, he found himself walking slowly without complaint from Sha're. Suddenly neither really wanted to reach the end of the hallway, where they would part to separate rooms on opposite sides of it.

But they reached that point all too quickly, and Daniel stopped and gently pulled his hand and arm from hers as he sighed.

"Good night," he said quietly. He looked at her face once more, the face he missed so much, and then turned away from her to go into his room, but he felt her catch his hand again.

"Dan'iel, wait-"

Daniel stopped abruptly when suddenly his arm would not go any farther, and started to turn instinctively back to her to see what had stopped him without even time to register what she had said. And before he knew what had happened Sha're had kissed him, and he was kissing her in return, their hands still intertwined at their sides.

After a moment both stopped, pulled their faces a few inches apart and looked at each other.

"Is something wrong, Dan'iel?" Sha're asked of the look on his face.

Daniel shook his head and gulped. "No…not really. It's just that I'm not sure that was…" he trailed off, at a loss for the right word to use.

"Appropriate?" she asked, lowering her eyes. "I'm sorry. I did not mean to make you uncomfortable, Dan'iel. I have missed you so much; I only…"

"No, it's okay. I know how you feel, remember? And under other circumstances I wouldn't have a problem, but there is another me here, and…"

"You do not wish for him to feel…awkward? I know. I do not want that, either. I do not want to hurt either of you, but, Dan'iel, to him I am still alive here. This is before what happens to me in this future. Don't you think he would understand? We have both lost the other in our own realities--and we are from the same time. Don't you think that we deserve to spend time together while we can? And not have to act professionally all the time? After all, for all practical purposes, we are married…I love you, Dan'iel…"

Daniel sighed. "I know, I…I guess I agree with you. And I love you too, Sha're, but you just got here--both of us just got here. Maybe we shouldn't jump to conclusions. I think we should give each other a little more time…"

Sha're nodded slowly. "Maybe you are right…I did jump to conclusions, I suppose." She sighed and let go of his hand. "I'm sorry. Good night, Dan'iel."

But before she could move off he pulled her into his arms. "Good night," he said softly, as she returned the embrace.

When he let go of her she smiled up at him before turning go into her room. Daniel smiled back and watched her go, not moving until the door closed on another smile she gave him. Then he sighed heavily and went into his own room wondering if, with everything that had happened today, he would be able to sleep.