Author's Notes:- Thanks to Stonedtoad for betaing.
Hope you enjoy and there's more to come.
Sara jumped when the phone started to ring. Hitting save on the computer she grabbed the phone, "Hello."
"Sara," Jack said tersely, "I need you to come to the base."
"Why?" Sara asked uneasy.
"I just need you to get here for Ari," Jack told her, "I'll explain when you get here."
"Jack!!"
"Sara, please I have to go but I need you to get here as fast as you can," he said, "Please."
"I'll be there as soon as possible," she promised before he hung up.
Switching off her computer Sara grabbed her jacket and her bag hoping this wasn't going to be like the last time Jack had called her to the base.
x
Sara grabbed the phone, "Hello?" she called over the noise of Ari crying.
"Sara," Jack said, "I need you to come to the base and I need you to bring Ari with you."
"Jack, what's wrong?" fear filled her.
"I don't have time to tell you," Jack replied, "I need you to bring Ari here."
Sara stiffened as it hit her, "What's happened to Daniel?"
"I'll tell you when you get here," he promised before hanging up.
Quickly Sara fixed Ari and got her into the car aware of how quiet the child was suddenly being after spending a good part of the morning screaming.
Sam met them at the entrance quickly hugging Sara, which shocked her before she led them down into the depths of the mountain.
Jack was pacing waiting for her and instantly hugged her too.
"Okay Jack what's wrong?" Sara demanded as she held Ari close.
"The planet we just left were building some sort of bomb," Jack explained, "Their tests went wrong and Daniel, he stopped it before it killed everyone."
"So?"
"So, doing this he…he," Jack sighed, "He got a lethal dose of radiation."
"He's…he…" Sara trailed off looking at Ari who was staring sadly at the wall.
"Come here honey," Jack reached out to the toddler who moved into his arms and cuddled against him, "He wants to see her."
Watching Jack take Ari to see her father Sara felt tears fill her eyes, they were going to lose Daniel.
x
Sam took in a deep breath as she and Teal'c walked through the Gate into the Gateroom, she missed this place a lot.
"General O'Neill said to go straight up," the young tech told them.
Teal'c nodded and motioned Sam to lead the way following her up the stairs.
"Finally," Jack frowned as he hugged them both, "Sara is on her way to be with Ari."
"What happened Jack?" Sam asked taking a seat.
"To be honest I don't know," he shrugged, "Ari suddenly started screaming and crying saying something has happened. She can't feel him anymore. From what she manages to say between sobs is that something bad has happened to him."
"Is he still alive?" Teal'c asked.
"We don't know," Jack replied, "Ari can't tell."
"That's impossible," Sam said, "Ari has always been able to tell Daniel's alive."
"Except when he was ascended," Teal'c reminded her.
"I doubt he would do that again," Sam argued.
"I've got the SG team he had with him trying to find out what happened," Jack finally managed to get their attention, "Nick is on his way too."
Sam looked at him confused, "Why?"
"Cause he's her guardian," Jack reminded her with a sharp look.
"You believe that the reason for Ari's abilities has arrived," Teal'c gave him a hard look.
"Daniel does," Jack replied, "That's why I wanted Nick here as well. Cause it looks like we get to tell Ari about her past."
x
Sara found Ari sitting in the infirmary on one of the beds leaning against the wall her knees pulled tightly up to her chest tear stains on her cheeks. Cassie saw Sara and walked over to her.
"Hey," she greeted the older woman.
"Is she alright Cassie?"
Cassie shrugged, "She stopped crying finally and she's just sitting there. If something has happened to Daniel I don't know how she'll cope."
Sara rested her hand on Cassie's shoulder, Jack's other surrogate daughter before going to see Ari. Sitting on the bed beside her Sara gently stroked Ari's long dark hair, "Hey sweetheart."
Without a word Ari leaned against Sara's shoulder her blue eyes blank as she stared at the opposite wall, Sara pulled her closer rocking her.
"They'll find him," she whispered, "I know they will Ari, they'll find him."
Ari listened to the soothing words as she fell asleep.
"Hey Ari," Jack gently shook her awake, "Time for school."
Ari opened her eyes and stared at him, "What?"
"It's morning," he smiled, "You've got to go to school."
"But what about Dad? He…"
"We're working on it," Jack stroked her hair.
Ari sat up to face him, "Jack, I can't concentrate knowing…"
"Ari, sweetie," Jack soothed, "If you're here you'll distract us. If you're at school at least I know where you are and that Daniel won't kill me when he gets back for keeping you off."
She sighed in defeat.
"Go get a shower, Sara brought some clothes for you," Jack told her, "And there's someone waiting to see you in the commissary."
Annoyed Ari did as she was told, showering quickly and changing into some clean clothes before heading to get some breakfast.
"Well finally," a voice greeted her.
"Nick!!!" Ari ran and jumped into her 'uncle's' arms.
Nick held her as she hugged him tightly, "You okay?"
A small nod meant Nick let her go and Ari sat in the seat across from him taking the plate of food he pushed towards her.
"When did you get here?" she asked.
"Just before dawn," he smiled, "Honey, I know you're worried but Jack and the others will find him."
"But I can't," Ari whispered, "He's not in my mind. Nick, something has made the link sever and I don't feel him. What if he's dead this time?"
"Don't say that," Nick scolded, "Daniel will be fine. Now Sara is waiting to take you to school," he stopped her from speaking, "I agree with Jack. You should be there where we know you won't cause trouble."
Ari frowned at him before sighing, "Fine, I'll go and stare into space in a classroom."
Nick smiled, "That's my girl."
x
"Ari," Sara said softly, "We're here."
"Oh," Ari turned to see her friends and classmates milling around happy in their own little worlds.
"Ari, I know…"
"Please don't tell me not to worry," Ari sighed, "I can't help it. I'm scared Sara and being sent away…I'm not a child Sara."
"No you're not," Sara agreed, "And that is why you're not going to be childish and demand to be let off school today."
"Sure" Ari agreed looking sadly at the woman who had practically raised her as her own daughter.
"You have your phone?"
Ari nodded.
"One of us will come and collect you after school," Sara told her, "Call us if anything comes to you."
"I promise," Ari hugged Sara quickly before stepping out of the jeep her head held high.
Sara watched as Ari walked over to her friends. There was a natural grace within her that Daniel once said was from her mother, someone Sara had wished many times that she could have known. With a sad smile she started the jeep and headed back to the base to see if the others had found anything.
x
"No leads?" Sam demanded disgustedly, "How can we have no leads?"
"Apparently nothing was disturbed," Jack was pacing the briefing room, "This was set up."
"How did you work that out?" Nick asked.
"Because this was too neat," Jack explained, "They didn't go after any of the others there, nothing was taken and they got him without him knowing about it."
"Run that past me again?" Sam asked.
"If Daniel had been aware of being abducted," Jack explained, "He would have called out to his daughter. Even if he didn't want her to know."
"Are we assuming he's dead?" Nick asked.
Jack shook his head, "Too much trouble just to kill him."
"Then what?"
"Whoever has him knows enough about their link to be able to sever it," Jack said before shaking his head worriedly, "If they've managed to convince him somehow…" Jack's head came up from its brooding position, "Ari is dead."
"What?" Nick, Sam and Sara all snapped as Teal'c raised an eyebrow in confusion.
"That's the only way that Daniel would lose contact with her," Jack cried, "We won't be able to get to him if he thinks he's lost his daughter."
"She could," Sam reminded him.
"I'm not taking her offworld," Jack told them, "She's too important to allow to fall into Gould hands."
"Then who the hell could get through to him?" Nick asked completely frustrated.
"Dan'iel."
Daniel frowned as he heard a voice call to him intruding on his grief.
"Dan'iel," the voice was more insistent and so familiar, "Look at me Dan'iel. Open your eyes my husband."
Daniel jumped at those words and his eyes snapped open to the unbelievable sight in front of him.
"Sha're?" he breathed in amazement to find her kneeling in front of him concern covering her face.
"Yes love," she smiled at him with relief.
"Oh God I'm sorry," he cried in despair, "I failed you."
"You have not failed me," Sha're assured him, "Why would you ever think that?"
"Ari's dead," his voice was flat, "I got our daughter killed."
"Ari is not dead," Sha're told him.
"I saw it," Daniel whispered in despair, "I held her body like I held yours with a staff blast wound to the chest."
"Dan'iel," Sha're said very slowly and deliberately, "Arianna is NOT dead. She is safe on Earth with Jack but is afraid something has happened to you."
"What?" confusion filled his voice, "But I saw…"
"How did you get from there to here?" Sha're asked.
"I…"
"Look where you are," Sha're told him, "Think where you were before you saw her die."
"But I saw her die," Daniel whispered in pain.
"If she was dead my Dan'iel I would know," Sha're reminded him.
"Oh God," Daniel breathed as realisation finally sunk in, "Is she okay?"
"She will be once she knows you are safe," Sha're smiled tenderly at him, "She loves you so much."
"You watch us?" he asked in shock.
"Of course I do," she laughed but her voice and eyes filled with sadness, "I cannot be with you both but I can watch over you and our baby girl as she grows up."
"She loves you too," Daniel told her, "I've always made sure she knew about you."
"I know," Sha're smiled brightly, "Call to her and she will find you."
"I miss you," Daniel whispered, "Even after all this time I miss you as if it were only yesterday I lost you."
"You never lost me my husband," Sha're told him, "Close your eyes,"
Daniel did as she said and felt her lips brush against his in a gentle kiss, which very quickly deepened. Daniel reached out and touched her face pulling her closer tasting the salt from their tears.
Sha're finally broke the kiss, "Call to our daughter my love."
Opening his eyes he found she was gone.
He took a deep breath to calm his racing heart, "I love you," he whispered to her before focussing on his daughter, "Ari!!"
x
The teacher was droning on and on about some book Ari had read years before and hadn't enjoyed then. She was worried about her father and she was worried about the others going to find him. She was frustrated that they'd made her come to school when she wanted to be involved in finding him.
"Ari."
Ari jumped in shock knocking the desk making Donna jump beside her.
"What?" Donna demanded quietly.
"Nothing," Ari replied shakily as she started searching through her bag for her phone.
Ignoring the teacher call her name Ari ran out of the classroom dialling the SGC as she walked.
"This is Arianna Jackson," she told the operator who answered, "I need to speak to General O'Neill."
"Ari, what's up?" Jack asked the instant he answered.
"Dad's alive," she cried, "He's on P4X 118."
"Are you sure?" Jack demanded.
"Yes," Ari snapped, "Jack, he doesn't have a way home without someone going to get him."
"Don't worry," Jack soothed her, "Someone will pick you up after school okay."
"'Kay," Ari whispered.
"Sweetheart, I'll get your Dad back," Jack told her, "I promise."
Hanging up the phone Ari leaned against the wall, there he was in her mind. Alive, sad and yet strangely elated.
"Daddy," she whispered, "Don't leave me again."
"Ari?" Donna called appearing, "You okay? Miss Granger was wondering if you were ill."
"No," Ari smiled, her cheeks slightly flushed, "I'm okay. Now I'm okay. He hasn't left me again."
"Daniel, what about your daughter?" Jack asked as he stood in the strange dreamscape Daniel had pulled him into.
"I'm doing this for her," Daniel explained reaching out to touch the child Jack held in his arms, "I might be able to make sure she never has to fulfil this prophesy thing of the vampires."
"Daniel…"
"Jack, please understand," Daniel whispered, "I don't want to leave her but…" he trailed off and smiled at the toddler, "I want you and Sara to care for her together. Please."
"Where will you go?" Jack asked.
"I don't know," Daniel smiled sadly tears in his eyes, "Take care of my little girl."
Jack nodded, "I promise."
He watched Daniel walk through the Stargate when suddenly he was in the infirmary again.
"Jacob stop…"
x
"Is she asleep?" Jack asked when Sara came back into the kitchen.
"No, but she's not crying anymore," Sara sighed, "He told you he wanted to leave?"
Jack nodded handing her a mug of coffee, "He thinks he can stop her from ever having to use her abilities against the Gould."
"What do you think?"
"That I'm gonna miss him," Jack closed his eyes against the swell of emotion that suddenly hit him.
"Jack," Sara slipped her arms around him pulling him close to her.
"I'm sorry Sara," he whispered into her hair, "Daniel just…"
"He meant a lot to you," Sara gently wiped the tear that was slipping along his cheek.
"Daniel was the one that brought me back from the edge after we lost…lost…"
"Charlie," Sara completed for him, the deep hidden sadness appearing in her eyes.
After a few moments holding each other Sara moved back and took her coffee back off the counter, "Maybe I should get going."
"Sara, don't," Jack said quickly, "Please just stay here tonight. For Ari. She needs more than just me around her for a while. To reassure her."
Sara looked into his eyes and smiled softly, "Of course I will."
As she went to finish her coffee Ari started crying again.
"I'll get her," Jack said.
x
Sara lay awake watching Jack as he slept just across from her in the double bed. Ari rested between them sleeping finally.
In the time she had spent caring for Daniel's daughter when he was working or on the rare occasions he went off world Sara had come to adore the child. She had been drawn into the small family of SG1, Janet and Cassie and could feel the hole Daniel's ascension had made even in the few hours since he'd left.
Jack was so angry and worried for Ari Sara knew she couldn't leave him alone. Reaching out she gently slipped her hand into his before closing her eyes to sleep.
x
Ari watched Jack's jeep draw up at the school smiling as he got out and waved to her. Walking over to him she started to run as her father appeared as well.
"Careful," Daniel said softly as she threw her arms around him.
"I thought you were gone again," she whispered hugging him tightly.
"Never again," he reminded her, "Come on. Let's get out of here."
Letting him go Ari climbed into the back of the jeep and settled back relaxed to know her father was safe. Safe and already arguing with Jack, life was back to normal.