--- --- Going Home --- ---
"I guess it's goodbye now."
She smiled at him with one of those wonderful smiles that could light up the dark. Even with her red and puffy eyes and dark rings under them, she still looked beautiful to him.
"Thor wants to take him to the Asgard home world. I can't leave him alone. I'm sorry."
"Don't be sorry, Sam. This is what I was here for."
It was the first time that he allowed himself to address her by her first name since the bed incident. Fortunately, it had the expected effect, her smile growing and nearly reaching her eyes.
They were standing on the bridge of Thor's ship and he had no idea what to say to her. Her Jack was in a coma; Thor had barely been able to revive him. They had already dropped Tharyl off on their way home. Another Asgard ship would take him back to Earth, while Sam would accompany Thor and 'her' Jack to the Asgard home world.
Despite the smile, tears started to roll down her cheek once again and she looked so utterly alone standing there. He pulled her into an embrace without hesitation and he found himself reminded of a similar situation not that long ago.
"Thank you, Jack. Thank you for everything you've done."
"Always, Sam. This is what friends are for, right?"
She chuckled through the tears as she pulled away again. He could directly see her pulling herself together. Straightening her shoulders, she brushed away the tears and gave him a last smile.
"Say hello to Daniel and Teal'c for me. Tell them we'll be back as soon as possible. Both of us."
"Will do. Goodbye, Sam."
"Bye, Jack. Go and save your world."
He pushed a button on the device next to him and Sam's smiling face faded into now familiar white transportation beam that engulfed him. When the light subsided, he was standing on a bridge similar to the one he had just left. Only, here, it wasn't Sam's face that greeted him.
"Welcome on board of the 'O'Neill2'. I am Heimdall."
A pang of satisfaction rushed through him as the Asgard mentioned the ship's name. While one part of him wondered what had happened to the first ship that bore this name, another part of him felt unbelievably smug.
The small gray alien extended a hand to him and he shook it carefully. Although he hated to leave this reality like that, with 'her' Jack in coma, he knew Sam was right. He had his own world to save. And Sammy would be worried sick by now.
"Nice to meet ya. So, how fast can I get me home?"
--- --- --- --- ---
The fires had burned well through the night but, as dawn sent the first rays of sunlight through the leaves, they were able put out the last smoldering embers. Most parts of the city had been destroyed by the attack or had fallen victim to the fire. As the sun rose higher into the sky and the injured had been treated, Daniel finally found the time to go in search of the Stargate.
He passed the same trees he had yesterday, only, this time, there were no Jaffa hunting him. His leg still hurt but he was able to walk with minimal trouble.
Daniel wasn't sure what had happened yesterday but he was deeply thankful for it. A small part of him wondered whether Jack and Sam had something to do with it and he smiled at the thought. This would've suited them. Normal people save a galaxy, Jack O'Neill or Sam Carter saves the universe.
His search brought him deeper into the forest. He tried to navigate his way by use of the remnants above him. Finally, he found the place where the Stargate had been erected some thirty yards above. Even so, he nearly fell over the metal ring on the ground. It had been hidden in the undergrowth and he stubbed his right foot on it, his leg screaming painfully at the impact. A huge tree shaded the DHD, the form blending in to the stem behind.
In the center of the metal circle was a huge stone. Even if someone had tried to reach them, the Stargate wouldn't have been able to connect. It should be only a few more hours, days at a maximum, until he would be home on Earth. Jeremy was probably going nuts by now. The boy called him nearly every day to tell him what was going on at college and Daniel was long overdue. With Jeremy's background, he must have been on the edge for days now.
"You found it."
The by now familiar voice of Ge're'na disturbed his thoughts and made him jump slightly.
"Yes. How is your family?"
Her big eyes smiled at him as he sat down on the metal bench that was the Stargate.
"Everyone is fine. Minor injuries, but nothing severe. Thanks to you, Doctor Jackson. I owe you my life."
With that she stepped up to him and kissed him quickly on the cheek. As she stepped back, she reached for his hand and pulled him up to his feet. From the distance, the pair looked like a child leading her father to show him something exciting.
"Come on, Doctor. We'll get some people together and, then, we'll get you home."
--- --- --- --- ---
"Father! Mother!"
The little girl threw herself into Rya'c's and Kar'yn's arms and Teal'c watched amused as his son stumbled slightly backwards at the impact of her force. He pulled Ishta a little closer to assure himself that she was all right. Miraculously, both Ishta and Kar'yn, had survived with just a few bruises.
Similar family reunions were surrounding them, as the children pooled out of the Stargate. He had been informed that he should return as soon as possible and he watched patiently as child after child stepped through the horizon. Only a couple of days earlier, he had been doing nearly the same thing on a different planet.
Finally, the last child stepped through and the event horizon disintegrated. When he walked to the DHD, Ishta never left his side and he was thankful for her silent support. The Stargate started spinning as he pushed button after button and, soon, the shimmering blue once again sprang into life.
"I hope you will find your friends, Father. Return soon."
"I will, Rya'c."
He shook hands with his son and Kar'yn a last time, before he and Ishta stepped through the Gate. On the other side, they were greeted by a surprise.
"O'Neill?"
"Hey, Teal'c. Carter says 'hello'. She said you would assist me in going home."
It took Teal'c some moments to realize of what he was talking. If O'Neill was here, they had to have found this reality's O'Neill. But, then, why was neither he nor Samantha Carter here? It appeared there were still some questions to be answered.
"I will, O'Neill. This is my wife Ishta."
The threesome was already on their way out of the embarkation room when the Stargate activated once more, spilling out a rugged Daniel Jackson. And, even though there were still many questions to be answered, Teal'c was grateful. The second he embraced his old friend, a heavy weight was lifted off his shoulders and a sense of relief pervaded his soul.
They were once again safe.
--- --- --- --- ---
"Unscheduled off-world activation! Unscheduled off-world activation!"
As usual, she hurried towards the control room as soon as the first claxons had started blaring. She reached the room the very moment the wormhole engaged. Suddenly, the computer control started to protest. The iris refused to shut and her heart pounded heavily against her chest.
It could be him. He'd been gone for a month now and she was worried sick. She'd tortured herself with images of what might have happened in the other reality and she had wondered how she could have allowed him to ever step through that damn Gate with that damn woman. And why she hadn't forced them to take her with them.
SF's surrounded the Gate immediately, their weapons aimed at the blue pool. She watched the horizon with baited breath until a familiar silhouette stepped through it. Sam was down there in just a split second and flung herself at her husband, kissing him deeply to assure her he was really here.
When they finally pulled apart, he smiled at her with one of those smiles that would turn her insides to Jell-O, red or blue, purple even. God, how she loved him.
"Hey Sammy. Miss me or is this the new way to say hello at the SGC?"
Sam slapped him playfully on the shoulder as they walked down the ramp. Their fingers entwined, she refused to let go of him. He looked tired and worn out but he was alive and that was all that counted at the moment. There was nothing that a weekend at the cabin couldn't fix. At least, she hoped so.
So, when they reached the infirmary, she stayed at his side. Even Janet had to fight her off to take a closer look at him. Fortunately, the General decided the debrief could wait until tomorrow. It was already 2100 and there was no sense in doing it now.
When they finally reached their on base quarters, she threw herself in his arms, holding him as tightly as she could. They had hardly spoken two words since he had returned and she was eager to hear about the other reality.
"Did you find him?"
"Yeah."
Hesitation surrounded him like a blanket and she could feel the 'but' in the air. She wasn't going to like what was about to come but she wanted to know. During the time she had spent with the other her, she had come to like this different version of herself. From what the woman had told her, she had experienced so many bad things in her life, she deserved to find happiness. Even if her husband's month-long absence had sometimes made her doubt the wisdom in that.
"But?"
"But he's in a coma. They're not sure whether he will regain consciousness."
Unconsciously, she tightened her grip. She didn't even want to imagine what her life would be like without Jack.
"They'll be ok, Sammy. And we'll be okay. Look."
From somewhere in his pockets, he pulled out a white stone shaped into an oval and, reluctantly, she let go off him and took it. There were some runes carved in there, but apart from that, the stone looked like many others she had seen during her life.
"Ahh. Jack? This is a stone."
He smiled at her with one of those enigmatic smiles and those brown boyish eyes twinkled impish.
"Just wait, Sammy. You'll see."
Jack took the stone out of her hand and placed it carefully in his pocket, before he pulled her closer to kiss her deeply. And, suddenly, she believed him. They would all be all right again.
--- --- --- --- ---
Pale silver light glittered over the frozen lake outside and Sam imagined she could feel the chill through the walls and windows. The Asgard had found their new home on an unlikely planet. Their physical make up couldn't deal with great cold yet they had sought shelter on this planet, whose winter was just as bad as it could be.
She had been here for three months now and had watched fall turn to winter. The temperatures dropped from day to day and she had hidden a smile as Thor had entered their house fully clothed for the first time. The normal Asgard-sized homes somehow didn't fit the larger humans and they had been given one more appropriate to their physical stature. Jack hadn't seen it once. He was still in a coma.
A knock on the door shook her out of her reverie and she found Thor waiting outside, Heimdall in tow, both tucked snugly in thick woolen clothes.
"Hi Thor, hi Heimdall. Come in. I didn't know you were back, Heimdall."
The two Asgard walked past her and Heimdall started as soon as Sam had closed the door.
"I just arrived. I have found something. You know that the machine O'Neill has been exposed to is an Ancient device. There are several legends amongst the Asgard about such a device. You have to understand that the Ancients are the oldest race in the known universe and there are many legends, which is why I have not told you earlier about this. This particular legend is about a device that could create life out of nothing but, could, at the same time, destroy it.
Though the Ancients had planned the machine as something to bring life with, they soon saw its potential to be used as a weapon. So they built in what precautions they saw fit. To use the device as a weapon, the controller had to give his life. It was a security measurement to restrict the weapon's use. This appears to be why, when O'Neill destroyed the Goa'uld, he very nearly killed himself."
Heimdall stopped and watched her warily but Sam had no idea what she was talking about. She understood the legend part, but...
"You wonder why I am telling you this?"
She nodded and the Asgard hid a slight smile. Over the months, Sam had learned to interpret their facial expressions well enough to see it.
"Now that I know what causes O'Neill's coma, I might be able to cure it."
--- --- --- --- ---
For the first time in what seemed like an eternity, he felt something shift and he didn't like it a bit. Darkness had been his companion for so long; it was comfortable and restful. He was reluctant to leave it, to give in to the pulling towards the far shimmer of light.
"It works. He awakes."
A distant voice drifted through to him and he flinched away from the noise. Hesitantly, he stepped closer towards the light.
"Jack?"
The voice was there again. Calling out for him. He knew that voice. A face smiled at him from somewhere in the light and his feet started walking the way more easily.
A throbbing headache greeted him as he came to. Everything ached. Even his hair ached. He was nothing but aches and he wished he could return to that dark place of oblivion.
"Jack?"
Sam. It was her calling out for him. In a pure act of will power, he opened one eye slightly only to frantically squeeze it shut against the blinding light.
"Thor, could you dim the light?"
It really was her voice. The red behind his closed lids grew dimmer and he opened his eyes again, more carefully this time. He tried to focus on the dark spot over him and, soon, his vision became more clearly, revealing the most precious thing in his world.
"Sam?"
His voice was alien, even to him, but she simply smiled one of those wonderful smiles that made him nearly forget about the ache.
"It's me."
Already, tiredness threatened to overwhelm him. He was barely aware of the little kid next to him, injecting something into one of the tubes that led into his veins. Soon, the pain eased off and sleep was calling out for him.
"Tired."
She smiled again and took his hand in hers, rubbing it softly.
"I know. Sleep. I'll be here when you wake up."
Content, he drifted off to sleep, her smiling face dancing behind his closed lids.
--- --- TBC --- ---