Disclaimer: usual things apply…if you want more detail on this puppy, go to the first chapter!
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Life at the SGC soon returned to its usual activity. Teams left; tames returned either injured, with valuable items, or—as with a select few—both.
Selene sat hunched over the microscope, viewing and taking notes on the latest blood sample SG-4 was able to acquire on one of their trips through the Stargate.
A month had past since she arrived at Stargate Command. So far, she had been unable to do much in the way of the Jaffa since her only means of samples and research was Teal'c as well as whatever research had been done within the past year: very little.
Minutes later, the alarms began to go off. Selene barely paid them any mind now, since they usually signaled the arrival of whichever team was returning from their missions.
As she wrote more notes down about the Naquada within this latest blood sample, Selene got an odd feeling. Closing her eyes, she sent her mind out, towards the Embarkation Room.
SG-1 had just returned, stepping down the ramp. General Hammond stood at the bottom of said ramp, arms at his sides. Jack stopped in front of the General as the rest of his team headed for the showers and infirmary.
"We had a nice time, Sir. Carter picked up some Naquada, Teal'c made some new friends as usual. Daniel got engaged…and, um, I'm gonna hit the showers."
Selene frowned as she pulled her mind back into her lab. Something was off with the team. The geneticist felt like something wasn't adding up, almost as if one of them was acting unusual.
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Selene walked into the infirmary an hour later, her hair hanging over her shoulder in a braid. She stopped, standing next to Teal'c as SG-1 hovered around a bed. Looking down, Selene noticed that Daniel was on it, machine and IV hooked up to him.
"What happened?" she asked, looking at Janet as the doctor walked over.
Janet checked Daniel's vitals and chart. "From what Sam's told me and from the results of some tests, Daniel seems to be experiencing a massive physical withdrawal."
"From what?" Selene looked down at Daniel as the archeologist woke up.
"He seems to be addicted to the effects and benefits of a Sarcophagus."
Daniel opened his eyes and looked around wildly. Pulling out the IV, he started to get up. Teal'c moved forward from his position at the foot of the bed and tried to push him back down.
"Let me go! I have to go back!" Daniel struggled against the hold the Jaffa had.
"Daniel!" Jack grabbed his friend's legs, trying to aid Teal'c in restraining the younger man.
As Janet prepared a syringe to administer a sedative, Selene calmly walked over, looking into Daniel's eyes.
"You're killing me!" Daniel yelled in pain; tears in his eyes.
Calmly, Selene grabbed both sides of Daniel's head, pressing her forehead against his. Eyes closed, she whispered softly to him. Within seconds, he stopped struggling; falling back onto the bed, asleep.
Selene pulled back, arms at her sides. Blinking she looked around the bed and infirmary. Everyone was looking at her, most of them in awe.
"What?"
Jack shook his head. "What did you do?"
Selene shrugged. "His mind was in chaos. I gave him something to calm him down."
Sam placed a hand along Daniel's face. She, like the rest of her team, were surprised at what just happened. "What did you do to calm him?"
Selene smiled sadly at Sam as the scientist looked over at her. "I brought up memories of his wife and Abydos." Sighing, she continued. "When he's depressed or feels alone, he reminisces on his life there. I guess those were the happiest times of his life."
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"It seems that his cells are breaking down." Selene looked up from the microscope, frowning at Janet.
Selene moved to the side, as Janet gazed down at the blood sample they were able to get of Daniel. After they had heard both Sam and Teal'c describe what the sarcophagus is capable of doing, they began to work on how to help the archeologist.
"There must be another way of keeping him alive than placing him back into that sarcophagus." Selene pondered as she looked over at the doorway. General Hammond and Colonel O'Neill walked in, their expressions blank.
"Is there anything to be done Doctors?" Hammond asked as Janet straightened, facing him.
"I don't know, Sir. From what Major Carter's told me—from the memories Jolinar left behind—the sarcophagus will make things worse if he is more dependent upon it."
Jack frowned, looking at Selene. "So what do we do?"
Selene walks past Jack and Hammond. "We wait it out of course. As with any addiction, you have to wean them off of it." And with that, she left the lab.
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Janet stands beside Daniel's bed; Daniel writhing on the bed, muttering to himself. O'Neill watched from a monitor in Janet's lab. Selene was reading Daniel's chart, every now and then looking at the monitor.
"Looks like he's doing better, huh?" Jack looked over at Selene. She shrugged.
"He should be alright in a few hours, but it's still too early to tell." Selene looked at the monitor to notice that Daniel was gone. "Where'd he go?"
Jack looked at the monitor before swearing and rushing down to the room. Selene stood and watched as Jack first checked on Janet then ran back out of the room.
Using her powers, Selene searched for the archeologist. She headed out of the lab, towards his location.
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Daniel stood in the back of the storage room. Jack was facing him, swearing as the younger man used the gun in his hand to shoot the light out above the Colonel.
"Damnit! Daniel, are you trying to kill me!" Jack yelled, lowering his hands.
Daniel raised the gun, pointing it at Jack's chest. "You're trying to kill me!"
"Look, Daniel," Jack stops a few feet away from Daniel as the archeologist fires another shot, this time at O'Neill's feet. "There'll be guards here in about thirty seconds. Let's go back to the Infirmary—"
"No!" Daniel raises the gun again.
"Doc says you're getting better." Jack takes another step towards Daniel. "If you don't believe me, I'm sure we can talk Dr. Frasier into letting you look at your chart…"
"Just let me go back! I don't want to die!" Daniel's hand shook as he tightened his hold on the gun.
Jack raised his hands up defensively. As he tried to think of a way to talk Daniel out of shooting up the storage room, he felt a hand touch his shoulder. Looking down, he saw Selene calmly walk towards the archeologist.
"Dr. Douvre—"Jack tried to warn her but she didn't listen. Instead, she stood between him and Daniel, looking at the younger man.
"Daniel, don't do this." She began calmly, her voice soft and soothing.
"Leave me alone" Daniel moved his hand to aim the gun at Selene's head. "I don't need your help. I just want to go back."
Selene smiled at him. "You just need a little more time. You can and will get through this. If not for yourself or your friends, but for Sha're." She paused. "Your wife needs you Daniel. If you become dependent upon a sarcophagus, you'll never be able to save her."
Daniel hesitated, the finger on the gun's trigger shacking as he debated between firing the gun and not. Slowly, he lowered his arm, the gun falling to the floor in a loud clatter. Crying, the archeologist fell to his knees.
Jack walked around Selene to help his friend up. Daniel clung to the older man as he cried. Jack held him as he looked at Selene, his eyes thanking her for helping.
Selene nodded slightly before heading out of the storage room and back to her lab.
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"Anyone sitting here?" Selene looked up from her book as Daniel sat across from her. He looked tired, but she knew that he never felt better. There were still lingering effects from the sarcophagus, but they would go away with time.
"Feeling better?" Daniel shrugged, sipping on his coffee.
"We went back to the planet and destroyed the sarcophagus." He looked at Selene. "I, uh, wanted to thank you for helping me."
Selene smiled before going back to her book. "Don't worry about it. If it wasn't you, it would've been someone else."
The two sat in silence, eating their lunch. It was a while before they were interrupted by Jack and Teal'c, both of which were carrying trays full of food.
Jack sat down next to Daniel. "So, what's happening in the science department?" He looks over at Selene.
She shrugged, swallowing a bite of her apple. "Boring as usual. Genetics may be a very dull field, but it keeps my mind busy."
Jack smiled before looking at the slice of cherry pie on her tray. "Not hungry?"
Selene blinked. "Huh?" She looked down at the pie slice. "Oh…if you want it, feel free to take it." She handed him the plate.
Jack set the plate down on his own tray. "You didn't answer my question, Doctor."
The geneticist shrugged. "I don't know why they keep putting that crap on my tray. I don't like pie."
Jack stared at her, mouth open for what seemed like a few minutes before answering. "You don't like pie! How can you not like pie?"
"For similar reasons that I don't like coffee: they just don't taste good to me, and I won't eat or drink anything that tastes bad."
Daniel choked on his coffee, staring at her as though she grew a second head. "B-but it's coffee! How do you stay awake if you don't drink it!"
Selene smiles at the two men. "Simple: I drink tea with just a hint of ginseng. Ginseng's a natural energy-booster."