Carter talked and talked with Willow and Dawn sitting, slightly open mouthed, while she ran through the history of the Stargate, their team and their missions. She explained, in much more detail, the war with Gou'ld, the symbiotes, the Ja'ffa and the To'kra. Carter took the two girls around the gate room, the main computer room and finally back to her lab. Carter knew that the girls had absorbed every single word she had said even if they had not given the impression that they had. They had both asked equally intelligent questions, although Willow had shown far more knowledge about the computer systems and grasped the ideas behind the technology quicker than Dawn had. That was not surprising. Dawn was, after all, only 16 and yet she seemed infinitely older than that.
"We've been able to incorporate some of the Gou'ld technology into our systems and we also use some of the weapons. Teal'c, for example, prefers using his staff." Carter handed Dawn a staff and she took it carefully in both hands feeling the weight and then giving a few cautious practice swishes through the air.
"Hey, imagine Buffy with this" Dawn said to Willow who was ducking out of her way, laughing. Carter leaned back against the counter top and watched the two girls with a half smile on her face. They were kids. Nothing more than that and she could not believe that these two had seen the things Riley said they had.
A badly timed swipe of the staff by Dawn had caught one of the monitors on a desk and had knocked it off. Before it hit the floor however, Willow stretched out her hand and moved it upwards. The monitor hung in mid-air for a moment before flipping back on to the desk top.
There was silence in the room for a moment and Dawn, carefully, put the staff down and moved across to Willow, giving her a hug. Willow turned to look at Carter whose bright blue eyes had widened slightly in astonishment.
"How did you do that?" she asked quietly.
"Magic" replied Willow was looking guilty.
Carter moved over to the monitor and ran her hands over it before looking back at Willow. The girl was, if it was possible, paler than before. Dawn stroked her arm and whispered something in Willow's ear. The redhead nodded and Dawn turned to Carter.
"Where's Dr Jackson and Giles?"
"Second door on your left" Carter replied, not taking her eyes from Willow. Dawn headed out of the room in search of Giles and Willow slumped into her seat.
"How?" asked Carter. Willow glanced up at her and realised that her interest was purely scientific. Willow switched her mind on to academia and tried to put into words what, before had only been sensed, what had been felt.
"I don't know how. It just is."
Carter saw that she was shaking a little and poured her some water, which Willow gratefully took.
"How did it start?" Carter somehow realised that it helped to question Willow, to bring her thoughts back to Earth and to concentrate on answering her. Willow was about to answer when the door opened and Dawn came in, followed by Giles and Dr Jackson. Giles came straight to Willow, taking her hand, feeling her pulse, looking in her eyes. He spoke quietly to her and she nodded and then shook her head violently as he asked her a question.
"What's happening?" Daniel asked Carter.
"Willow used magic. She's been trying not to use it but sometimes I think she can't help it and when she does, things get weird." Dawn answered the question without looking at either of the SG members
"She gets a little cranky sometimes. Giles looks after her when she does."
"She looks so guilty" Carter commented trying to get an answer out of Dawn about what was wrong with this girl. She had seen not seen natural power like this before and longed to find out the extent of the power she wielded. Willow could be a powerful ally but mentally she seemed a mess. She watched as Giles spoke softly to the redhead, watched as the girl visibly pulled herself together to the point where she was smiling a little at Giles.
"Does she?" replied Dawn who was obviously hedging the question. Carter realised that the girl was protecting Willow and she wouldn't get any information out of her at this point. Instead, all business and practicality, Carter turned to Daniel.
"How are you doing? Find anything yet?"
Daniel's eyes visibly lit up and inwardly Carter groaned. This boded for a long discussion, she could almost hear O'Neill's voice in her head as Daniel starting speaking.
"Giles and I have been through the basic history of vampires and demonology. It's amazing how this sort of thing has existed for millennia on this planet and here we are concerning ourselves with outer space. We haven't even begun to scratch the surface of what's here."
"Trust me, you don't want to" Dawn spoke wryly, half listening to their conversation.
"Anyway" Daniel continued "We're trying to find a match in history, how the vampires went from our planet to this new one."
"Does this planet have a name?" asked Dawn "Apart from a number."
"We don't usually name the planets, as a rule" Carter replied.
"Rules are made to be broken. Lets call it something" Dawn insisted. Willow and Giles moved over to them.
"We could call the planet Lamia" suggested Giles. Daniel nodded enthusiastically.
"And in English?" Dawn asked "for those of us who don't speak geek."
"In Latin it means vampire" said Willow softly.
"Lamia it is then" Carter agreed.
"We've been able to incorporate some of the Gou'ld technology into our systems and we also use some of the weapons. Teal'c, for example, prefers using his staff." Carter handed Dawn a staff and she took it carefully in both hands feeling the weight and then giving a few cautious practice swishes through the air.
"Hey, imagine Buffy with this" Dawn said to Willow who was ducking out of her way, laughing. Carter leaned back against the counter top and watched the two girls with a half smile on her face. They were kids. Nothing more than that and she could not believe that these two had seen the things Riley said they had.
A badly timed swipe of the staff by Dawn had caught one of the monitors on a desk and had knocked it off. Before it hit the floor however, Willow stretched out her hand and moved it upwards. The monitor hung in mid-air for a moment before flipping back on to the desk top.
There was silence in the room for a moment and Dawn, carefully, put the staff down and moved across to Willow, giving her a hug. Willow turned to look at Carter whose bright blue eyes had widened slightly in astonishment.
"How did you do that?" she asked quietly.
"Magic" replied Willow was looking guilty.
Carter moved over to the monitor and ran her hands over it before looking back at Willow. The girl was, if it was possible, paler than before. Dawn stroked her arm and whispered something in Willow's ear. The redhead nodded and Dawn turned to Carter.
"Where's Dr Jackson and Giles?"
"Second door on your left" Carter replied, not taking her eyes from Willow. Dawn headed out of the room in search of Giles and Willow slumped into her seat.
"How?" asked Carter. Willow glanced up at her and realised that her interest was purely scientific. Willow switched her mind on to academia and tried to put into words what, before had only been sensed, what had been felt.
"I don't know how. It just is."
Carter saw that she was shaking a little and poured her some water, which Willow gratefully took.
"How did it start?" Carter somehow realised that it helped to question Willow, to bring her thoughts back to Earth and to concentrate on answering her. Willow was about to answer when the door opened and Dawn came in, followed by Giles and Dr Jackson. Giles came straight to Willow, taking her hand, feeling her pulse, looking in her eyes. He spoke quietly to her and she nodded and then shook her head violently as he asked her a question.
"What's happening?" Daniel asked Carter.
"Willow used magic. She's been trying not to use it but sometimes I think she can't help it and when she does, things get weird." Dawn answered the question without looking at either of the SG members
"She gets a little cranky sometimes. Giles looks after her when she does."
"She looks so guilty" Carter commented trying to get an answer out of Dawn about what was wrong with this girl. She had seen not seen natural power like this before and longed to find out the extent of the power she wielded. Willow could be a powerful ally but mentally she seemed a mess. She watched as Giles spoke softly to the redhead, watched as the girl visibly pulled herself together to the point where she was smiling a little at Giles.
"Does she?" replied Dawn who was obviously hedging the question. Carter realised that the girl was protecting Willow and she wouldn't get any information out of her at this point. Instead, all business and practicality, Carter turned to Daniel.
"How are you doing? Find anything yet?"
Daniel's eyes visibly lit up and inwardly Carter groaned. This boded for a long discussion, she could almost hear O'Neill's voice in her head as Daniel starting speaking.
"Giles and I have been through the basic history of vampires and demonology. It's amazing how this sort of thing has existed for millennia on this planet and here we are concerning ourselves with outer space. We haven't even begun to scratch the surface of what's here."
"Trust me, you don't want to" Dawn spoke wryly, half listening to their conversation.
"Anyway" Daniel continued "We're trying to find a match in history, how the vampires went from our planet to this new one."
"Does this planet have a name?" asked Dawn "Apart from a number."
"We don't usually name the planets, as a rule" Carter replied.
"Rules are made to be broken. Lets call it something" Dawn insisted. Willow and Giles moved over to them.
"We could call the planet Lamia" suggested Giles. Daniel nodded enthusiastically.
"And in English?" Dawn asked "for those of us who don't speak geek."
"In Latin it means vampire" said Willow softly.
"Lamia it is then" Carter agreed.