Oh dear...some of you may not like me anymore after this, but please keep reading. It will all be fine. I love happy endings, and I also want to keep the continuity of the TV show, which means everything has to fit into that storyline. If I'm going to write an AU story, the fact that it is AU will be in the description. But anyway. I hope you enjoy this chapter anyway, and those that come after it. We'e in the home stretch now. Please review and let me know what you think to keep me going so I can finish this story:) Thanks all!

Chapter 37

Daniel blinked at the harsh light that suddenly cut into his eyes as his consciousness returned. "Huh…?" he croaked, bringing a hand up in front of his face. He tried to bring the right one up too, but found something holding it down--or just holding onto it.

"Dan'iel?"

Slowly he opened his eyes the rest of the way and saw Sha're beside him and holding his hand, concern on her face. She was in full gear, and beside her the other three members of her team were too.

"Daniel, are you all right?" Another voice cut into his mind, and he turned to take in Janet Fraiser, who was standing on the other side of the bed. The infirmary; he was in the infirmary. He couldn't have been here long or for anything serious though, because his clothes hadn't been exchanged for anything else; he was still wearing crumpled blue fatigues. His glasses were on the cart next to the bed. He would pick them up later.

Daniel blinked a few more times at Fraiser before the memory of what had happened before he'd blacked out returned. "Yeah, Janet, I'm fine." He turned back to the others, all four of them decked in the black BDUs they'd been wearing when they came through the gate from their alternate future. "What's going on?"

"The ECF has gotten worse," Carter reported glumly. "It's affecting us now, too."

"But that wasn't supposed to happen."

Mitchell shrugged. Arms crossed. "But it did. The device is being moved to the 'gate room, and then we're out of here ASAP," he added.

Daniel sat up, ignoring the residual pain in his head and suddenly squeezing Sha're's hand harder. "What? No…" His heart started beating faster, almost wildly. They were leaving? Sha're was leaving? But they'd had more than two more hours to spend. It couldn't be gone now. No…

Carter sighed heavily. "I'm sorry, Daniel. We have to go now. You'll have to leave after we do. Our younger selves are gearing up now too. They'll make sure you get home."

Daniel was sure that he saw tears in Sha're's eyes, but was he seeing them in this Samantha Carter's as well? When she stepped forward and hugged him fiercely he didn't have to wonder anymore. He returned the embrace just as tightly.

"Goodbye, Sam," he said quietly. But he knew it would have more effect on her than on him. He still had her friendship back in his own future, but she did not have his.

Carter held on for a moment or so before pulling back and kissing his cheek. "Bye," she answered. Her voice suddenly seemed close to breaking and she swiped at her eyes before smiling at him. "Take care of yourself. The other me just might have to bring you back and kill you herself if you go and die again."

Daniel smiled back. "I'll try not to let that happen."

She nodded. "Good." Then she stepped back to allow Mitchell to step up and shake his hand.

"Well, nice to meet you, Doctor Jackson. Good luck wherever you're going back to."

"Thanks. You too," Jackson said in return.

Teal'c was last, and clasped his arm tightly. "You will continue to be missed, Daniel Jackson," he said solemnly, nodding. And for cryin' out loud were there tears in the jaffa's eyes too?

"Bye Teal'c. Tell Riak and his wife I said hi."

"Indeed I will," Teal'c smiled.

Mitchell nodded to him, and then he, Teal'c and Carter turned to go.

"Daniel, are you sure you're all right?" Fraiser asked.

"Yeah, I feel fine, really," he reassured her. So she smiled, gave his arm a friendly pat and then walked away, leaving him alone with Sha're.

She swallowed. "I wish there were more time…" she trailed, head lowering.

Daniel swallowed hard and gently wrapped his arms around her. She held onto him as well. "I know. I do too. I know." Now more time? No. They had to have more time. She couldn't leave now. He couldn't leave now. He only wanted more time with her…but it was not to be.

"Dan'iel, I love you," Sha're said softly.

"I love you too," he whispered. Daniel felt something warm trickling down his cheek; it took him a moment to realize they were tears. He pulled away and brushed at them. "Crap, I promised myself I wouldn't do this…"

Sha're wiped a few of them away with her thumb. "It's all right, Dan'iel. I am too," she said gently. Blinking back the rest of his tears Daniel looked up again to see that there were damp lines on her face as well. They looked at each other's tear streaked faces for a moment before giggling faintly and looking away.

"We have survived this long without one another. I suppose we will keep surviving."

Sha're's statement brought Daniel's head back around, and in his head something clicked. These past two days, he had agonized over how he would survive without her again…but she had the answer, even if neither really felt it yet. They had survived until now, and they would be all right after they had parted again. It was as simple as that, and yet as hard as that.

Daniel stood and embraced her again, and this time when she cried into his shoulder he didn't try to stop his own tears from escaping and falling onto her hair.

Sam was agonizing over Danny again. She knew that he knew that while the SG-1 of this time were gearing up, his older self was in the infirmary saying goodbye to Sha're. None of them would ever see this Sha're again, and Sam could tell that Jackson was scared stiff that he might never see his own again, either. What if they went back to P5R-322 and the Goa'uld had already left, and there was no chance to rescue her--or worse yet, what if she hadn't left yet but they failed to rescue her. Sam couldn't imagine how horrible that would be for him.

Okay, that wasn't exactly true. She'd been there when he'd lost her again on Abydos, and saw how hurt he was on P5R-322 when he could help her, and seen him when he'd come back without her. If he had to do it again Danny would survive, but…she didn't want him to have to go through that again. She hoped and prayed they came home with Daniel safely back in his own time and Sha're in tow, ready to be freed of her invader with the help of the Tok'ra.

The tears had stopped, and Daniel kissed her once more, trying to memorize everything: every curve of her face, the touch of her skin, her scent, the almost silk-like feel of her hair between his fingers…

Sha're pulled her head back and looked up at him, her eyes still wet but not spilling tears any longer. The time for that was past. Their foreheads touched. "Remember your promise, Dan'iel," she said softly, her voice barely above a whisper. "Forever. We'll be together forever…even if it's not physically."

Daniel swallowed, his own eyes still damp. "Forever," he answered. To most it would have sounded lame, melodramatic, frivolous--and both knew it and found themselves smiling at each other again--but to them it was the words that kept them going, that carried deeper meaning and feeling than surface definition. It was their oath to each other to never forget.

Only moment later they were forced to separate so Daniel could put his glasses back on and gear up. They met again and went to the 'gate room together, where the rest of her SG-1 was waiting General Hammond. The defective Goa'uld device sat at the foot of the ramp, ready to be carried up in through time and space to their home in an alternate future.

They didn't have to wait long before the younger SG-1 arrive, their BDUs green instead of black. As they approached, the stargate began to dial, Walter's voice ringing out from the control room.

"Chevron one, encoded."

"Ready to go?" Jack asked as he sauntered in with his team behind him.

Mitchell shrugged. "Yeah. It's been fun and all, but we should be getting home."

"Nice meeting you," O'Neill said, shaking the other colonel's hand. "I'm kind of looking forward to when I meet the you here now."

"Thank you, sir," Mitchell smiled.

The 'gate continued to spin, the chevrons locking. Sha're went to Danny and embraced him, starting a round of hugs and goodbyes. Then the stargate opened, stopping them as the turned to look at it.

"Well kids, time to go," Mitchell sighed, sounding so much like O'Neill that the rest of them smiled.

Carter and Teal'c both hugged both Danny and Daniel one last time before taking their positions beside the device with Mitchell, who had already taken hold of his handle.

"Thanks for everything, general," the colonel waved back to Hammond.

General Hammond returned the wave and smiled. "You're welcome, colonel. Good luck."

Sha're started to take her place with her teammates, but then turned and flung herself into Daniel's arms again, burying her face in his neck. Jackson stumbled backwards a step but squeezed back.

"Goodbye, Dan'iel. I love you, my husband," she whispered.

Daniel held her tightly. "Goodbye; I love you, Sha're," he whispered in return.

Finally she let go, and he was forced to as well Daniel caught her hands as she stepped away from him, and she squeezed them in return for a moment before rejoining her team. Goodbye, his heart called again, silently weeping as the SG-1 of another 2005 that was not his picked up the device and carried it up the ramp to the shimmering blue sheen that was the open portal of the stargate.

There they paused to turn once more and again silently thank those here that had helped them, and Daniel saw Sha're's reply to his silent farewell in her eyes, and heard it just as clearly as if she had spoken it as she looked at him with a brave smile on her face. All waved goodbye and received waves and well wishes in return from those on the floor of the 'gate room.

"Well, just in case this doesn't work and we end up there here, or whatever…everybody be ready to get to your weapons," Mitchell advised. "If this were Star Trek I'd say something like 'phasers set to kill' or something, but it's not…"

Carter rolled her eyes, shook her head and grinned. "Shut up, Cam."

"Yes, ma'am," Mitchell replied jauntily, grinning back and throwing his peer a salute with his free hand.

Then Sha're was the one to reach down and press the button that would bring them to the right place and time, and she and her team stepped through the event horizon and disappeared.

Daniel's heart shattered all over again. He didn't notice when Sam put a hand on his arm, and the other on his younger self. He didn't notice Jack and Teal'c looking back and forth between the two shaken Jacksons with concern as he bent to pick up the pieces and tape them back together as well as he could. It was hard now, to let her go again--almost harder than it had been the first time--but he knew he would be all right. Sha're had been right; they would both survive, and move on, even if it wasn't easy. They had done it the first time, and he could do it again.

O'Neill snapped the Jacksons out of their thoughts, clapping each of them on the shoulder after he'd eyed Sam into moving.

"It's our turn, Danny-boy," Jack said quietly, seeming to address both of them with the one name. They came to and realized that the 'gate was dialing again--to P5R-322.

Daniel sighed heavily. "Yeah. It's time to go home."

"We'll make sure you get there," O'Neill assured him.

Daniel managed to smile at him. "Thanks, Jack."

Sam, however, was now bringing her focus to Danny. "Will you be all right?"

"I will be as soon as we do this," the younger Jackson answered, crossing his arms over his chest in the familiar Daniel Jackson self-hug.

The 'gate opened again, spilling out its bluish wave of particles and then settling into the well-known puddle of blue within the great ring of naquida.

"Everybody ready?" O'Neill questioned.

"Ready as we'll ever be," both Jackson's answered together. They looked at each other again, amused by the occurrence but used to it enough now not to laugh or roll their eyes. There would be no point.

Colonel O'Neill shrugged. "Okay then. Let's go."

And SG-1 plus one marched up the ramp, weapons at the ready, and stepped through the stargate.