Thanks so much for the reviews on the first chapter! And on with the show…

~

Daniel groaned. Nice thing about being dead - there had been a lot less pain. And the coffee had been good…Coffee? Where would he have gotten coffee? He must be feeling a little delusional…

"It's about time, Danny Boy!" shouted a very familiar, very loud voice, banishing the last lingering memories of Paradise.

"Jack?" He decided that it was time to try opening his eyes. And quickly changed his mind when the world proved to be composed entirely of painful white lights.

"How you feeling, Danny?" asked Jack in a slightly softer voice.

Daniel, amazed at how intact his sense of humor seemed to be, gave a small laugh. "Like I've just been run over be a thousand tons of stampeding wildlife." He opened his eyes again. Though still bright, the only real problem with the world seemed to be fuzziness. Jack handed him his glasses. "How'd I get back here?"

"When you didn't show up a few minutes after us, we went back through to find you. It took a couple of hours and when we did find you…you weren't a very pretty sight. Teal'c carried you back to the 'Gate and we brought you back."

"Thanks, Jack," said Daniel. "But that wasn't exactly what I meant. How'd I get back to being alive?"

"Oh, that…" started Jack.

"That was our fault, Daniel," said another familiar voice. Propping himself into a sitting position, Daniel turned his head to see Sam, Teal'c, and Doctor Fraiser headed toward him.

"Remember the artifact you found on PX4-225 a few days ago?" asked Sam. Daniel nodded.

"I never finished the translation," he said with a frown. "Hey, Teal'c," he said by way of greeting to the Jaffa. Teal'c nodded gravely.

"You got far enough," said Doctor Fraiser.

"And you were reading it upside down." Daniel stared at Sam for a moment, trying decide if this was some sort of practical joke, but she kept talking. "All those instructions you translated about what to do with the thing, followed by the stuff about releasing the spirit?"

"Right. I thought it might be used in some sort of burial ritual."

"Quite the opposite, actually," said Fraiser.

"It goes the other way. Release the spirit, then use the object. And that text you didn't translate yet…"

"Is probably about the end results of resurrection," finished Daniel.

"Hope there aren't any side effects," said O'Neill in an attempt to be helpful. Everyone gave him an odd look. "What? You know, like on medication…May cause sleeplessness, dry mouth…" he trailed off as he realized no one was really listening.

"How long do I have to stay here?" Daniel asked Fraiser. "I want to go finish translating that artifact as soon as possible…" But Sam and Fraiser were shaking their heads. "What?"

"The good news is that you can leave any time you want. I can't find anything physically wrong with you. Although I do want you to take it easy for the next few days," said Fraiser.

"The bad news?"

"You'll have to translate the text from your computer files," said Sam. "The object…dematerialized when we used it on you." A sad look filled Daniel's eyes.

"Oh, come on," said Jack. "The thing brought you back from the dead! What on Earth are you upset about?"

Daniel smiled. "I guess you're right, Jack."

"Of course I am," he said. "Now get dressed and we'll go to the debriefing." He threw a jacket at Daniel.

As the recently deceased archaeologist opened his mouth to reply, the alarm klaxons started up. "Unauthorized off-world activation."

Jack, Sam, and Teal'c were off in a heart beat, leaving Daniel to pull his clothes on hurriedly and rush down the corridors while trying to put on his right boot.


The gateroom was, as usual, flooded with armed guards and the iris was closed when Daniel, boot on but untied, finally arrived on the observation deck.

"Welcome back, Doctor Jackson," said General Hammond, casting a quick glance his way.

"Thank you," said Daniel, watching the iris. "What's going on?"

"Unauthorized off world activation," said Sam, sitting at a nearby consul. "No SG code and the only team off world right now is SG-9. They're not due back for three days."

Before Daniel could ask another question, the iris started to glow. As they watched, a dull blue shimmer began around the edges, slowly cascading into the center and pooling into a massive rift in the titanium.

"What the hell is that?" shouted Hammond.

"I don't know, Sir," said Sam, desperately flipping through command code after command code on her screen. "It seems to be a…hole…in the iris." She looked up, eyes wide.

"A hole?" the General's voice sounded suddenly hoarse.

"Sir! The event horizon…" The soldiers surrounding the 'Gate tensed as a form emerged, took a quick glance around, looked toward the observation deck, and grinned. The hole in the iris cascaded shut again, leaving the titanium shield whole once more.

There was a moment's silence as everyone got a good look at the new comer. Daniel frowned.

"Sir?" said Jack after a moment.

"It's a girl," said General Hammond after a moment.

"It would appear so," said Teal'c.

"Don't you think we should say hello, sir?"

"Yes, of course," said the general, eyes snapping back to Jack. "Let's go, people."

(*)

Tia glanced around as she stepped out of the 'Gate to find herself surrounded by a squad of men with some very serious weaponry - all pointed straight at her. She smiled, trying not to laugh. After all the trouble she'd given Daniel about dying constantly, wouldn't it be a treat if she got herself shot three minutes after joining the physical world?

A clatter announced the arrival of SG-1 and General Hammond. She composed herself, trying to look official and otherworldly. It was hard to look serene and ethereal when all she wanted to do was grin like mad.

Sam stepped forward, eyes apprehensive, but voice steady.

"I'm Captain Samantha Carter," she said. "I need to check you for…"

"Goa'uld, I know," said Tia brightly. Allowing Sam to do her thing, Tia took the opportunity to give the gateroom a good, long look. She'd seen it of course, numerous times - occasionally even when Daniel had his feet under him - but somehow it seemed more real this time round. Probably something to do with having a corporeal form. Her eyes fell on SG-1.

She knew them all, of course, but had never actually met them. Jack was watching her with suspicion stamped on his face and Teal'c was, as always, completely unreadable. Daniel was giving her an odd look, as if he almost recognized her. She winked at him.

"She's clean, Sir," said Sam, stepping back. Hammond nodded and turned to face Tia.

"I'm General Hammond," he said. "This is my base. Who are you?"

Tia tilted her head in a way she knew made her look innocent. "My name is Tia," she glanced at Daniel. No reaction. "I was sent here by…my superiors to, ah, observe the activities of some of the units and individuals within your operation."

"By who?" asked Jack.

"Well…" How should she start? Are you a religious man, General?

"We're waiting," said the General, starting to become impatient.

Funny story, actually. See, on the way to Paradise…

"Are you okay, miss?"

Darn it all! Tia sighed and looked around the room. "Are you sure you want me to say here, sir?" she asked, indicating the myriad guards and technicians.

Hammond nodded. "I trust my people."

"All right." She straightened, dark hair cascading down her shoulders, pale blue robes almost glowing in the artificial lighting. "I'm a guardian angel. I was sent here because my charge can't seem to stay alive no matter what I try."

There was a moment's silence, followed by some soft chuckling from a few of the soldiers.

"And I'm the Easter Bunny," said Jack with a snort. Tia rolled her eyes. "Besides, aren't you a little young to be guarding anyone?"

She shrugged. "I suppose it's all in the perspective. You're probably just looking at it from the wrong side of the hill." Jack raised his eyebrows.

"And you want us to believe that you're a guardian angel?" he asked.

"I don't really care," she said, looking him in the eye.

"And who's angle are you supposed to be?" interrupted Hammond.

"Who else?" she asked with a sigh. "The only person on this base accident prone enough to require a corporeal escort to keep him from hurting himself."

Every eye in the gateroom turned to Daniel.

"What?"

NB: I'm not sure exactly where this is going, but if anyone else would like to find out please tell me!