Author's Notes:- Thanks to Stonedtoad for betaing.
Sorry it's so short. I know where it's going I'm just having a wee bit of trouble getting them there.
Ari sighed as she closed her eyes to sleep safe in knowledge her father was home and downstairs watching TV. They had come straight home after she'd been collected from school and she decided to take a nap before dinner, needing to rest after the emotional roller coaster she'd been on for the past few days.
When she opened her eyes her room was dark and the clock read nine o'clock.
"Great," she murmured feeling hungry.
Pulling herself off the bed she was suddenly aware of someone else in the room with her. She spun and found herself face to face with a man, who was strangely familiar.
"Well," he smiled at her, "You were extremely brave over the past few days."
"Who are you?" Ari demanded backing away from him.
"Your past," he told her, "Your father's past."
"I don't understand," she whispered, trying to push him away with her mind and not being able to do it. Fear filled her.
"You have a destiny," he told her, "Something none of us want you to face but we can't prevent it. The only thing we can do is be with you."
"Who are you?" she demanded getting angry.
"Someone who loves both you and your father," he smiled, "Don't tell Daniel you saw me. It'll only upset him."
A knock made Ari jump and turn to her door, turning back her 'guest' had disappeared.
"Ari honey," Daniel said as he entered her room, "Are you hungry?"
"Yeah," she said slightly breathless, "I should get something to eat then go to bed. School tomorrow."
"Actually, you're not going to school tomorrow," Daniel told her, "There's a few things I have to explain to you sweetheart. Come and get some dinner."
"Dad," she called as he was leaving.
"Yes?"
"Please don't leave me again."
Daniel reached out and pulled her into a tight hug, "I won't. I promise."
x
Ari was now getting exceedingly worried.
Her father was never happy when she missed school; he rated her education as a very high priority. But today he'd brought her to the SGC and sat her down in the briefing room.
"Before I left I said I had something very important to tell you," Daniel started his explanation, "Ari, no matter what I tell you just remember that you are the most precious person in my life and I would never do anything to hurt you."
"Dad, you're scaring me," Ari whispered.
"I'm sorry honey," Daniel told her, "But you need to understand why I hid this from you."
"Hid what?" Ari asked slightly bemused.
Daniel sat down beside her, "What I told you about why I came back to Earth from Abydos wasn't exactly accurate."
"I thought you and Mom came here after the Gould kidnapped my uncle," Ari frowned confused.
Daniel took a deep breath, "I came back to Earth after Apophis took Skaara and your mother."
"What?"
Daniel gently brushed his hand through his daughter's hair trying to quash the pain that had risen from having to tell her this, "Sha're was possessed by the Gould Ammonet."
Pain marred Ari's face at the horror her mother endured, "But you got her back, right?"
"A year after she was taken I found her on Abydos pregnant," Daniel explained, "With you and your brother."
"My…my…my brother?"
"What happened was, you were conceived just before she was taken but the Gould held you in stasis until Shifu was conceived," Daniel watched the disbelief that was filling his daughter's eyes, "I delivered you both but I had to leave you with your grandfather and I had to let your mother go."
"Why?" Ari managed to ask.
"So you could live," Daniel told her, "It was the only choice I had. A few months later your grandfather called us to help as Ammonet had taken you both as well as hostages from Abydos. I stupidly headed after her and she caught me in the grip of the ribbon device."
"No," Ari cried.
"There was nothing I could do to get away from it," Daniel continued.
"Don't tell me."
"Teal'c had to…he had to…"
"He killed her?" Ari asked in a small, horrified voice.
"He saved her," Daniel stressed, "But before that happened she managed to contact me. She told me where you were hidden, to forgive Teal'c for what he had to do and to care for both of you."
"So where is he?" Ari asked, "What happened to my brother?"
"When we finally found Kheb, there was the alien being called Oma Desala," Daniel explained.
"The bitch that took you away," Ari snapped.
"Language," Daniel scolded her, "Oma cared for both of you. Shifu holds all the knowledge of the Gould and needs to be protected from them. I couldn't protect you both. I was only able to take you."
"Why did you never tell me this?" Ari asked sadly.
Daniel sighed, "Because I never wanted you to know the horror your mother went through and I wanted you to be as normal as possible."
"What's so special about now?" Ari asked.
"That's the next part of the story," Daniel looked up to see Nick in Hammond's office waiting for his cue to join them, "And this is why you can do the things you can."
Ari saw her uncle walk in to join them and take a seat, "Why is that?"
"A group back when Ra was still on Earth wanted a way to destroy the Goa'uld," Nick explained, "They took two families. Into the son of one they placed the abilities your father has and into the daughter of the other they placed the ones your mother had. The plan was when the children were old enough they would marry and produce a child with the abilities you have."
"Why didn't it happen?" Ari asked her eyes wide.
"The Gould found out about the plan," Daniel told her, "The girl's family were taken through the Stargate to Abydos to hide them. Ranon went with them to protect her and her descendants."
"While the boy, who produced your father's line was protected by many through the years," Nick smiled.
"Wait," Ari frowned, "You said Ranon, as in Uncle Ranon?"
They nodded.
"But that would make him…" she stopped in mid sentence trying to calculate and believe the number she'd come up with, "He's not a…"
Nick frowned, "I guess it's time you knew the truth about me too."
"What truth?" Ari asked.
Daniel let out a sigh turning to his 'brother', "Show her."
Nick stood up moving away from them and let his vampire face appear. Ari screamed in shock, her mind lashing out throwing him away. Daniel managed to catch Nick before he went slamming into the concrete wall.
"Thank you," Nick nodded to Daniel as his face returned to normal and he turned to Ari. She was out of her chair pressed against her father fear in her eyes, "Ari, you've known me all your life."
"What are you?" she whispered fearfully, pulling her father's arm tighter around her.
"He's a vampire," Daniel told her, "About eight hundred years old."
Ari stared into the youthful face of her uncle, "But…"
"Sit down again honey," Daniel coaxed taking the seat beside her, "The Old Ones were Vampires also and so is Ranon. Nick is both my Guardian and yours, directly from the line of the Old One originally assigned to our family."
"So I'm somehow supposed to destroy the Gould?" Ari demanded.
"That's the prophecy," Daniel shrugged, he took her hands, "I don't want you to have to do this but I think there's no choice."
"But…"
"I tried Ari," Daniel told her, "I tried to change this, to stop it but I couldn't. That's why I left, to try and change it."
"That's why you left?" Ari's eyes filled with tears, "That was the reason?"
"Yes sweetheart," Daniel hugged her, "I thought I would be able to change it. You know I would never leave you for anything…I thought it was the only way. I was wrong."
x
Daniel sat on the infirmary bed waiting.
He knew his name; he knew the others names but he still didn't have a clue who he and they were.
"Hey," Jack appeared at the door, "Got a few people to see you."
"Who?" Daniel asked curiously, he felt as though there was something he was really missing but it wouldn't come.
"Well my wife for one," Jack laughed, "Which I have to thank you for by the way."
"Really?"
Jack laughed, "Sara and I got back together cause of a promise I made you."
"Good, I think," Daniel shrugged.
"And there's someone else," Jack told him.
"Who?"
"Sara," Jack called.
Daniel watched as a little girl of about three years old toddled in with a blonde woman holding her hand, "She's gorgeous," he smiled at the girl who had curly black hair with wide clear blue eyes.
As she made it to him the girl giggled and reached up to him, Daniel leaned down and picked her up to sit beside him.
"Dada," she laughed hugging him as Daniel stared at Jack.
"She's mine?"
"This is Arianna," Jack told him, "Your daughter."
"Ari," Daniel breathed, recognition dawned. Picking her up and holding her tightly he gently kissed her forehead, "My little Ari."
x
"Ari?" Sam called as she walked into the dark VIP room.
"What?" the sullen reply came from the bed.
"Can I turn on the light?"
"Do whatever you want," Ari told her with a deep sigh.
Sam flicked on the light and saw Ari sitting against the headboard her knees pulled up to her chest confusion and pain filling her eyes. Sam took a seat beside her.
"You left pretty fast," Sam said softly, "Want to tell me what's wrong?"
"Did you know my Mom?" Ari asked her hopefully.
"I met her once," Sam answered watching the girl's hope deflate, "Just before Apophis kidnapped her."
"Dad doesn't talk about her much," Ari whispered, "He tried to one night and he was so upset, I guess I know why now."
"Ari, the only thing you need to remember is how much both your parents love you," Sam told her, "When Daniel got you back from Oma he wanted to protect you from everything to do with the Goa'uld."
"How?"
"He and Nick took you to a small town where he changed his name so no one here would find you," Sam shrugged.
"Why would he do that?" Ari asked.
Sam gently brushed Ari's hair out of her face, "He was so scared he would lose you too."
"Sam."
"Yes?"
"I'm really scared," Ari confessed, "I don't want to hurt anyone."
Sam pulled the teenager into her arms and hugged her tightly, "You don't have to be afraid Ari. We're all going to be with you. I promise."