A/N: Hey guys this is a short one-shot that I've been thinking of for a while. If you keeping up with my long story Group Outings it will be up in the next couple days maybe even tonight! I LOVE seeing review, favorites and follows, although this is a one-shot. This story doesn't have specific time frame, just after the fact of finding the Mirror. Hope you enjoy it.
Sam, Jack, Daniel, and Teal'c are standing near the gate ready for the computer to dial the gate. They have headed to PX-397 the planet in question had a MALP go through 3 days earlier. There is remanence of civilization, but it looks to have been deserted long ago. A drone flew for miles not finding any recent dwellings or intelligent life forms. The building looked like they could be ancient related so there they were heading yet again into the unknown.
When they got through the gate, it was quiet. It usually was as the gate moving to life made all the local wildlife flee. They knew that the buildings were down over the hill from the gate not too far but not visible from where they were standing. Jack took the lead as they walked through the thinned forest to the clearing of the civilization.
When they got to the buildings, they searched and found no one, the building seemed to be advanced the roofs in decay but overall technology was better than Earth's. They decide to go into the largest building in the middle of the area last. Knowing it had most of the significance. Daniel looked over the lettering and wasn't sure of the text. He couldn't even narrow it down to anything he had seen before. They enter the building cautiously. The open floor plan and multiple windows let the light shine through no need for any lighting. It was bright and lightly colored the whole area was visible and quite empty. There were some obvious animal nests and a thick layer of dirt but that's all that was visible. They walked around seeing lettering on the walls, but no one was able to translate. When they spread out Sam stepped on the tile on the floor that sank slightly, and she quickly jumped back to the previous tile. The sudden move in the room created an echo causing everyone to look over to her, before she could explain a hologram appeared.
It was humanoid in form, the only real difference they could see was the sharp lines in the face, and a 6th finger on both hands. The hologram appeared to be intelligent itself as it cycled through several languages before Daniel understood an ancient form of Arabic. The hologram smiled and then when Daniel talked to it for a few more minutes it quickly changed to English.
"Welcome to the time hall, it has been a long time before anyone has accessed my services." The hologram stated.
"What services?" Sam asks.
The hologram has a puzzled look on his face.
"You do not know my function."
"Not exactly," Jack replied.
"Once you have opened my services, I can show you times that you have missed." The Hologram claims.
"What do you mean?" Daniel asks.
"I can see the times you have missed, can I show you an example, Daniel Jackson?"
"Wait how did you know my name?" Daniel asks.
"Your very present. I have a database of everyone in the galaxy." The hologram claims.
"That can't be possible. That would be too much data to even fit on this planet," Sam stated.
The hologram looked at her, with your technology the feat would be impossible but my creators the Alarans, are more advanced than most of the galaxy. Sam's eyes go wide, and Daniel asks if the hologram is aware of where the Alarans went.
The hologram looks down at the ground. "Unfortunately, the Alaran's are no more, they have seen their time and accepted that no matter what they did, it would not prevail. A group left for another galaxy, that I cannot access so I can no longer see their time.
"Are you telling us you can show us how and when we will die?" Daniel asks.
"No, because if you are shown, you can avoid it, this all the possibilities except this timeline."
"So, you can't show us what could be in the future, but you can show what my life would have been if my parents hadn't died?" Daniel asks.
"Yes, you can see all the timelines of what could have been and will be just not your own timeline. As I said showing "your future will alter it, so it won't be yours."
"I want to see it," Daniel said.
"Danny," Jack warned.
"No I want to see it, Jack, I want to see."
The next thing the group knows, the hologram turns into a large screen. It shows his parents at the museum, they were somewhere else when the installation collapses and were safe. It skips ahead to him growing up in between Egypt and the United States. It seems to only give a glimpse only showing key points in his life. His parents make huge discovery's and that leads both his parents onto the Stargate Project, although an esteemed scientist as well, his parents are contractors for the SGC. Daniel knows nothing about it and scorns them as they stay in the US after an abrupt stop of research. He meets Sam Jack and Teal'c once when he comes to plead for his parents to come back to Egypt. After that last plea he is back in Egypt, he met a woman who he married and had 2 kids but had no contact with his parents and had no idea of the SGC.
"Do you want to see another, that was just one possibility." The machine says. Daniel almost says yes but realized that no matter what any action in that timeline would have diverged. The whole thing lasted 45 minutes and Daniel was convinced that a lot of people would spend their time here trying to figure out a way trying to figure out what's next.
"No, it doesn't matter anyway," Daniel claims.
"But does it not bring you relief or pleasure seeing another side of you?" The hologram asks.
"No, we've seen a few alternate realities," Jack spoke up.
"Oh, so you are not new to my technology." The hologram asks.
"Oh no we are new we just had different ways to get a glimpse," Jack claims
The hologram looks at them again, "I did not know there was similar technology in the galaxy."
"Well, there is," Jack said semi angerly.
"You want to know what would have happened if your son was alive." The hologram stated.
Jack closed his eyes.
"As Daniel said, it really doesn't matter," Jack stated.
"But to you it does." The hologram started and before anything else could be done the large screen returned.
It was like the whole group was all in trance they couldn't look away.
The scene is Jack is in his yard, Jack is waiting for the gunshot, that he's heard so many times in his nightmares but never came. The gun has nothing in the chamber. Charlie comes out with his father's gun, and Jack yells at him to put it down.
The next moment is the call, that SG-1 knew was the call for the Stargate but Jack turns them down and said he was fully retired.
The next moment is he and Sarah together, Jack reading the letter of retirement and Sarah holding her belly pregnant with a second child. Jack is beaming with pride. Then the birth of a beautiful little girl.
The next moment is Charlie playing soccer and a coach coming up to Jack to say he would be recruited for college and think about it, as a 4-year-old is holding to Jack's leg.
The next moment is Sarah in the hospital, she has cancer, and there is no cure.
The next moment is her funeral while he holds a 5-year-old not understanding where her mother has gone.
The next shows Charlie off to the Air Force Academy forgoing the soccer scholarship and telling Jack he wanted to be just like him. Jack begs him to reconsider but he doesn't. Charlie ends up in Iraq sending letters back home and that ended Jack's story.
"There is more if you'd like to see." The Hologram offers.
"No," Jack claims. He is already grieving for the little girl that never existed, and Sam is there giving him a supportive squeeze on his shoulder.
Teal'c you wish to know of when the Jaffa will finally be free, but there is a timeline where they already are, here is what you wish to see. The Tokra come into play including Sam's father Teal'c was there as well as SG-1 they had gotten intel, about a meeting of system lords. The Tokra intercepted and exploded the ships leaving only some minor system lords. The Jaffa were told and factions spread they began fighting each other. There were people searching for new planets to call home, some Jaffa searching for a new system lord to call God. The peace wasn't as peaceful as Teal'c had hoped. A moment shows Teal'c pleading for Unity only to be attacked by a fellow Jaffa. It shows Teal'c back at the SGC, upset feeling though he has failed his people.
"Do you need to see more?" the hologram asks.
"No, this is not our reality it matters not," Teal'c claimed.
The hologram looks at Sam, you have an interesting want, although you would like to see reality with your mother still in it there is something else on the top of your list.
Sam blushed.
"I would rather we not," Sam claims.
"You would like to see it though yourself?" The hologram asks.
"I think it is better if I do not know." The hologram nods, well take a peek no one else will be able to see it.
Sam opens her eyes and the guys see a blank screen but she sees something that shakes her to her core.
Sam had agreed to go with Julian Sanders, she was only 13 and she knew with every ounce of her being she should say no, but he was the first "boy" whoever paid much attention to her. Her mom had just died her dad was never at home and he made her feel things she had never quite felt before.
They were in the back seat of Julian's car his dad telling Sam it was alright if she wanted to "stay the night."
She wanted to, but at the same time she didn't, but with her bright smile the words "Yes." Came rolling off her tongue.
Sam visibly frowned as she saw herself on the screen. She saw the two of them awkwardly hugging and kissing, sleeping together their first time. She cringes and the guys see her face but don't know what to do or say.
The video fast-forwards Her dad yelling at her when she comes home late, the rare time he is actually home. She says nothing and goes to her room. Sam, thinks this timeline isn't too different. Then, it happens she ends up running off to live with Julian. She gets pregnant at 15 and has a little boy. Julian's family kicks her out as soon as the baby is born, and her dad is angry he won't let her back in either. She has yet to graduate and sneaks around with a baby, waiting tables at café, spending the night with friends from school when they let her. No military, no college no Julian. Sam sighs grateful, that wasn't the path she chose so long ago right after her mother died. She knew though that in an alternate reality she did.
When it was done, the hologram appears. "Would you like to know what else you're thinking about?"
"NO!" Sam said suddenly.
"Alright, you are the least curious people I have ever met. Some Alarans spent vast amount of time here often forgoing their own needs, the needs of their family, you have been here but a fraction of that." The hologram said.
"You reminded us how much more we need to stay in our present," Jack stated.
The hologram smiled.
"You are much wiser than the Alarans, and for that let me forewarn you because you do not see it will not change your paths.
"For you Teal'c a day will come where your dreams will come true."
"For you Samantha, next time say yes, go when asked, you won't regret it."
"Daniel, you will find love again."
"Jack, although it will take longer than you wish, eventually what you want you will get."
The hologram disappeared.
Sam stepped on the stone she used to activate it but it wouldn't reappear.
"Let's leave this minor detail out of our reports their campers?" Jack asks.
All 3 nod in agreement.
They realize that quite a bit of time has passed they had arrived at the planet at sunrise and the sun was sitting. They go back towards the gate and set up camp.
Daniel and Sam are setting up a tent as Jack and Teal'c do the other.
"So, Sam what was it that you didn't want us to see?" Daniel asks.
Sam shoots him a look.
"No I mean it wasn't about…" He glanced over at Jack.
Sam reddens even know Daniel has been hinting that the two of them should get together for years, subtly to her at least and probably Jack too when she wasn't looking.
"No Daniel, It was about a choice I made a long time ago, and my true question was what would have happened or what would lead up to me not being involved with SG-1 one way or another," Sam explained.
"And?" Daniel asks.
"Come on Sam we saw everyone else's."
"Okay, Daniel if you must know I ended up as a homeless teenager mother." Sam stated loudly enough for Teal'c and Jack to hear."
Daniel squinted and looked down apologizing.
"It's fine it doesn't matter," Sam claims.
"I suppose not, like Jack said it just made us thankful for the lives we are living now," Daniel stated.
"Yes, it does." Sam smiled.