Author's Notes:- Thanks to Stonedtoad for betaing.
Sorry it took so long to get this up but I got slightly stuck and just recently managed to get going again. Hopefully I'll be able to continue and not end up stuck again.
"Okay," Jack said as everyone sat around the table, "Daniel, you want to tell me what happened?"
Daniel shrugged, "The first thing I remember after going to sleep in my tent was walking into the Gateroom and seeing Ari standing on the ramp," he reached out and placed his hand comfortingly on Ari's shoulder, "She turned and she had been shot by a staff blast, exactly like Sha're."
"That was your panic," Ari whispered.
"I lost it," Daniel continued, "And I heard your voices," he turned to Jack and Sara, "But I was just so grief-stricken I threw you away, or whoever it was pretending to be you. The next thing I remember was waking up in a cell."
"Why didn't you call to Ari then?" Jack asked.
"I thought she was dead Jack," Daniel replied, "I mean I'd just seen it and it blotted out all rational thought."
"How did you finally realise that Ari was still alive?" Sara asked.
Daniel swallowed hard, "Sha're."
"What?" several voices cried.
"She's been watching us honey," Daniel told his daughter, "And she pretty much kicked my ass for wallowing in my grief."
"She watches us?" Ari asked glancing around the room.
"Apparently she always has," Daniel gently squeezed his daughter's hand, "She's very proud of you Ari, very proud."
A small tearful smile covered Ari's face. Sara pulled her into a hug and her eyes met Daniel's.
x
Sara could hear Ari crying again.
Since Daniel had…left she wouldn't sleep through the night. When Jack was here they took turns in walking her in the hope of getting her back to sleep but Jack was offworld. With a sigh Sara pulled herself out of bed and headed into Ari's room.
Sara stopped dead in the doorway as she saw a woman leaning over Ari, she was about to call out but found she couldn't.
The woman lifted Ari from the cot gently stroking the child's back as she held the little girl close. Ari stopped crying resting comfortably on the woman's shoulder. Very quickly Ari was sleeping and the woman gently replaced her back in her cot softly kissing the child's forehead. Sara managed to move from her spot to the woman who smiled at her.
"Thank you for caring for her," the woman said softly, her voice slightly accented before she turned away walking away into the darkness and disappearing.
Sara stared at the empty space before looking down at Ari who was sleeping peacefully. Glancing up the photograph that sat next to Ari's bed caught her eye and Sara found she was staring at Ari's visitor.
x
"Dad," Ari whispered as they sat in his office much later, "You know you said you saw Mom."
"Yeah," Daniel's voice was quiet.
She hesitated for a few moments, "I…I saw someone too."
Daniel turned at her shocked, "Who?" he demanded.
"I'm not actually sure who he was," Ari frowned, "He said I wasn't to tell you but I…"
"It's alright," Daniel told her, "What did he say to you?"
"Just that he was proud of how I'd handled myself over the past few days," Ari shrugged before frowning, "He said when I asked who he was that he was our past. He said he loved us both and not to tell you."
Daniel's mind was buzzing, "What did he look like?"
"A little like you actually," Ari told him, "But with darker hair and eyes."
Daniel frowned and started hunting through his desk finding a book. Inside was a photograph and he handed it to his daughter, "Is this him?"
"Yes?" Ari nodded, "Who is he?"
"Dad," Daniel breathed in amazement.
"What?"
"I think that was my father," Daniel gave a half-laugh, "I wish I'd seen him."
"Dad," Ari whispered moving to him, "It's going to happen very soon, isn't it?"
"It is," Daniel replied, "But I'll be there through everything. You won't be alone I promise."
Ari stepped in and hugged him tightly, "I love you Dad."
"Love you too sweetheart," Daniel whispered holding onto his daughter, "I won't let anything harm you."
Sara and Sam sat watching Jack as he paced, both woman waiting until he was ready to listen to them.
Finally he threw himself into a seat.
"Are you ready to talk to us?" Sara asked sarcastically.
"About?" Jack asked.
Sam shared a look with Sara turning back to Jack, "Elli feels that we should take Ari off world and…"
"No," Jack cut her off, "No way in hell am I putting that girl anywhere that the Gould can get their hands on her."
"Jack," Sam said calmly, years of dealing with him meant that he couldn't frighten her, "What Elli is trying to remind us is that Ari is a weapon to destroy the Goa'uld, taking her off world isn't exactly a bad idea."
"Carter, remind the snake in you that taking Ari off world is not an option," Jack snapped, "She stays on Earth perfectly safe."
"Then how does the prophecy get fulfilled?" Sam asked.
"Do you think I care about that?" Jack cried, "I will not sacrifice Ari's life on the word of some thousand year old prophecy that none of us actually believe in."
x
"Jack is mad," Nick murmured as he joined Daniel in the small office, "Pretty much spitting fire."
"I'm not surprised," Daniel shrugged, "I'm not too happy about the idea of Ari leaving Earth for any reason. I don't care about the prophecy either."
"And yet you left your daughter for a year because you thought you could stop it," Nick reminded him, "Daniel," he sighed seeing his friend's anger, "I don't want to put Ari in any danger either but you have to remember she's not a child. She's grown up around very strong people who've taught her to fight. Not to mention the strength you and her mother have passed along to her. Ari has to face this. No matter what you try to do to stop it you can't. You've already proved it."
"So what?" Daniel snapped, "I'm supposed to allow my daughter, my little girl to walk into danger? I'm her father; I'm supposed to protect her."
"And you do," Nick reminded him, "But Ari was created to fulfil this prophecy."
Daniel turned on him, "She was created because Sha're and I loved each other. Nothing more."
"Daniel…"
"Just get out," Daniel sighed, "Nick, go before I throw you out."
With a sigh Nick left his friend alone to contemplate what he'd said.
x
"You know I'd really appreciate if you didn't upset him," Ari stopped Nick in the corridor, "He's having a hard enough time having seen my mother. He doesn't need all this on top of that."
"Ari," Nick sighed, he hated having to argue with her.
"It's my understanding that if this is going to happen then nothing will stop it. Right?" she asked pointedly, seeming much more mature than her sixteen years.
"True," Nick nodded.
"Then leave him alone," Ari said sharply, "Don't make him think about it."
Nick nodded, "You really are exceptional sometimes Ari. Do you know that?"
"No, I'm not," Ari replied.
Nick hugged her quickly, "I'm sorry honey but this is why I'm here. I'm your Guardian but I also have to serve the prophecy."
"Do you even believe in it?" Ari demanded.
"I believe in LaCroix," Nick told her, "And he believes in it."
"Fine," she told him, "Just leave Dad alone or I will make you hit the wall."
As she turned and walked away Nick smiled, she was more than ready to face anything that came her way.
"Ari," Donna called waving her over, "What was up yesterday? Where you ill?"
"My Dad was on a business trip and we thought he'd been lost," Ari explained, "He let me stay off yesterday since I was so worried about him."
"You still look a little pale," Donna told her.
"Yesterday was kinda weird," Ari shrugged, "It doesn't matter. Everything's back to normal now."
Donna groaned as the bell rang signalling their first class, Ari grinned and motioned her to hurry up. As she entered the classroom Ari stopped as she suddenly caught sight of a man watching her, the same man she'd talked to a few nights previously her grandfather.
"Ari?" Donna called, "You alright?"
"Yeah," Ari managed to say joining her friend in class wondering why Mel Jackson was not only watching her but allowing her to see him.
x
Ari wandered through the halls of the SGC after school her mind still going over the two sightings of her paternal grandfather. She stopped as she accidentally walked into one of the members of SG4.
"I'm sorry," she said helping him pick up the supplies he had been carrying.
"It's okay," he told her, "Could you grab them from over there."
Ari turned to pick up some rolls of bandages feeling a sting on her arm, she turned to see him standing above her with a syringe but when she tried to throw him away she couldn't focus falling to the ground trying to call for help as the world turned black.
"Jack, have you seen Ari?" Daniel called to his friend, "She's meant to be with Captain Merton working on the translations from P99 7KK."
"Haven't seen her since she left for school this morning," Jack replied, "She's probably found something interesting to stare at and has lost track of time. Like someone else I could mention."
"No idea who you're talking about," Daniel replied before frowning as the alarms sounded, "Who the hell is that?"
"How should I know?" Jack demanded, "Come on."
They jogged through the corridors arriving at the control room as the Gate burst open.
"General," the tech nodded, "SG4 is calling for you."
Jack frowned, "Captain Herd?"
"General," Herd said swallowing as she pushed a hand through her hair, "Lieutenant West is missing."
"Missing?" Jack asked.
"We did a perimeter sweep leaving him to set up camp," Herd explained, "When we returned he was gone and the equipment we brought the container was half empty but in it we found something."
"What?" Jack demanded, "Come on Herd don't keep us in suspense."
She took a deep breath and held up a small rectangular card, "This."
"That's Ari's ID card," Daniel gasped, "She's off-world."
"I'm sorry sir," Herd told him, "If I realised that…if I…"
"Pack up and get back here," Jack ordered, "Now."
"Yes sir," Herd nodded before the Gate shut down.
Jack turned to Daniel who was taking deep breaths trying not to lose control in the middle of the control room.
"Danny, up to my office now," Jack told him before leaning over the tech, "I want Carter, Teal'c, Knight all in my office."
"Yes sir," the young tech replied.
x
"Daniel," Jack said worriedly as his friend sat silently in the office.
"Just a minute Jack," Daniel held up his hand, "I'm trying something."
Jack motioned the others to come in as they arrived; they all waited until Daniel sighed in annoyance.
"Okay guys," Jack said, "Look Ari's gone. One of SG4 somehow managed to kidnap her and she's off-world now."
"What?" Sam cried.
"I can't find her," Daniel added in a soft voice, "They're somehow blocking her ability to contact me."
"We need a plan and we need one now," Jack told them.
"The only thing we can do is go after her," Nick said, "We travel to that planet and hope we can find something."
"No," Daniel replied, "Not yet. There's something I need to try first."
"Daniel?" Sam cried in disbelief, "We have to do something. If we don't the Goa'uld…"
"I know," Daniel turned on her, "Ari is my daughter and this is my decision. I know what I'm doing so let me try this before you start running around and possibly getting my baby killed."
Without another word Daniel stalked out.
Sam stared at her retreating friend open-mouthed.
"Well let's get a plan together in case whatever he's going to try doesn't work," Jack told them.
"I should let Ranon and LaCroix know what's happening," Nick said, "They're in town anyway."
"Why?" Jack asked.
"I called them when Daniel went missing," Nick explained.
"Then get them," Jack told him, "We're going to need all hands on deck. Because I'm not letting Daniel lose his daughter."
x
Ari could feel someone stroke her hair, a gentle presence soothing her fears. Someone kept giving her injections; she couldn't focus her mind enough to call to her father or to even open her eyes properly.
She was scared but even her fear was muted by whatever she had been given. A tear slipped along her cheek as she wished to be home, safe with her father and family.
"Daddy," she murmured, "I want to go home Daddy."
"Shh," a voice soothed as the gentle touch to her face became more prominent, "He will come for you. Do not worry my baby, my beautiful Arianna. Your father will come but until he does, I will hold you."
As Ari slipped into sleep Sha're pulled her daughter closer, Daniel would arrive soon.