Chapter Ten:

"Indeed?" One of the other Ancients rumbled.

"Yes." I stated firmly. "Do you except that I was born an Ancient?"

They all nodded. "Yes. You are the first Ancient to be born on Earth for millions of years."

"Then you except I am also an equal?" I said, just as firmly and directly as before.

This time the nods were slower in coming, but they all agreed. "Yes, you are an equal." The first Ancient spoke again.

"What is it you want?" A woman asked, her green eyes curious.

I smiled slightly, both amused and cautious. "That's what I've come to talk about."

"Oh?" the woman asked.

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. This was the tricky part. I had to make sure I wasn't about to offend anyone with what I next said. I needed their support in this.

"I am an Ancient, and with that come certain responsibilities that I have come to understand. My abilities have a price, as does the knowledge I know possess."

The knowledge had come to me as my abilities grew, as if the Ancient part of me had been there all the time, and I had only just realised it. Then I blinked. There was no 'as if' about it. It had the whole time and I had only just realised it.

"This is true. All knowledge comes with a price." The Ancients agreed.

"You have a high price for your knowledge." I continued. "You must hold yourselves apart from the life you created, unable to protect them."

"This, too, is true." The Ancients said. "We cannot interfere."

"But I can." I said.

The Ancients came as close to staring in open-mouthed shock as I think they would ever get. I stared at each of their faces and let them know that I possessed the solution they had been looking for – and that it, too, came with a price.

"How?"

"I was born on Earth. I am a part of that Universe you left behind." I said. "I am an Ancient, yet I am not ascended. I can fight those you cannot touch."

I saw the realisation in their eyes. They were beginning to see the truth as I saw it and the possibilities that came with it.

"What do you propose?" said the white haired Ancient.

"I will rid the Universe of Anubis and those like him and protect those you left behind."

"And in return?"

"I want you to release my father and those who help him from their bonds to you." I answered.

The man looked sharply at me. "You wish to allow them to return home?"

"Yes." I agreed. "But they would also help me in my task."

For a minute they simply stared at me, but I could sense the thoughts going backwards and forwards amongst them as they discussed my proposition. After what seemed like an eternity that answered me. I held my breath, knowing what they were about to say had the power to change my entire existence.

"It is agreed. If you can free the Universe from the Flawed Ones, then you have what you wish."

I nodded. "Thank you, wise ones." I said.

"But there is one more condition." The Ancients continued. "You will take you place amongst the Alliance as our representative when you are done. It is time the Ancients took their place in the Universe once more."

"Do we have a deal?" The green eyed woman asked.

"Yes." I said. "We have a deal."

She smiled. "Good."

Just before I left, Oma spoke straight into my mind. "Well done, child. You have done something I have been trying to do for millennia."

I flashed her a grin and felt my mind drifting back towards my body.

When I blinked my eyes open again, I saw my father's concern face hovering just above mine. All the candles had been blown out and I could see the anger behind my father's eyes. I'm not sure who the anger was directed at, but it was there.

"Shannon." He said levelly. "What did you do?"

"I had a talk with Ancients." I replied.

"You what!" my father cried.

I smiled at him. "Don't panic, Dad."

He frowned at me. "What did you say to them?" he demanded. "Damn it, it was going to be hard enough to let you return to Earth without them being annoyed at you!"

I couldn't help it. I laughed. When I saw my father's annoyed and frustrated face, I bit my lip. "They can't actually stop me from returning to Earth, Dad." I said. "Neither could you. I'm an Ancient. Which means I'm their equal."

At my words, my father lost some of his angry expression and it was replaced by a look of thoughtfulness. "So what did you talk to them about?"

"Anubis." I replied. "And you."

"What?" my father blinked.

"I made a deal with the Ancients." I explained. "I'll do what they cannot and rid the Universe of Anubis and his like before taking my rightful next to the Asgard, Nox and Furlings in the Alliance."

"In exchange for what?" Dad asked.

"Your freedom and mine." I told him.

My father stared at me in absolute shock. "Shannon…"

"Yes, Dad. You can go home. You all can."

"And you'll be with me?" my father suddenly sounded so scared.

"Right by your side." I agreed. "But you have to do one thing for me."

"Oh?"

"Cut your hair." I said, a small frown of distaste on my face. "Dad, what on Earth were you thinking when you let your hair grow like that?"

"You know," my dad replied. "I have no idea."

"So, how are we going to do this, Shan?" Dad asked. "We can't exactly waltz straight in there and say 'Hi, did you miss me?', can we?"

"Nope." I agreed.

After I had explained my deal to dad and the others, we had wasted no time in droping the others off at their homeworlds on the assumption that they would make there way to Earth in a week.

Everyone had been overjoyed to be reunited with their loved ones, but Dad and I knew it wasn't going to be so easy with mom and everyone else at the SGC. Particularly since Dad feared Mom might just shoot him on sight.

"Any ideas?" he asked.

"Nope." I said again.

He frowned. "You're supposed to be a genius." He complained. "Think of something!"

I just shook my head. "Nothing I can come up with results in anything but us being either shot, imprisoned or both."

Dad sighed, and ran his fingers through his newly shortened hair – which I had to say looked a whole lot better. "All I want to do is hold your mother again and tell her I love her. Why is that so hard?"

I smiled and shook my head. "Cause nothings every easy when it comes to you and Mom?" I suggested.

He made a face at me in reply. Together, we turned and looked at the blue and green planet we were orbiting. Earth. Home. The ship was cloaked, so no one knew we were here yet. All we had to do was figure out how to let everyone know Dad was still alive and I was actually an Ancient. Not so hard, right?

I sighed again. "Why don't we just scrap the idea of breaking it to them gently and just shock the hell out of them?" I said after a while.

"What, like just in the middle of the room?"

"Exactly." I said with a grin. "And we could do the whole glowing thing, too."

"Okay." Dad agreed. "Let's do that."

I whirled to stare at him and found he was completely serious. "I was kind of joking, Dad." I said.

"I know." He said. "But if they're going to shoot us, we might as well have some fun."

I opened my mouth to reply, but just grinned instead. "What the hell?" I said. "Let's do it."

"I want you to investigate the ruins…" The General trailed off in shock as the two glowing figures in loose white robes appeared in the centre of the briefing room.

Mom surged to her feet in absolute shock, fear warring with joy in her blue eyes. Dad took three strides towards her and pulled her into his arms. I don't think either of them remembered there were others in the room with them anymore. Crushing her against his chest, my father gave my mother one of the most passionate kisses I had ever seen. And I was simply too delighted to be grossed out by the fact my parents were making out like teenagers in front of me.

"Love." Said a voice behind me. "A truly powerful and beautiful force."

"I know." I told Oma, who had silently appeared.

The General recovered from his open-mouthed shock first. "Can anyone tell me what the hell is going on?" he bellowed. "I was under the impression Colonel O'Neill was dead!"

I opened my mouth to say something, but Oma beat me to it. "I want to tell you a story, General, of a noble warrior who was forced to make a difficult choice. He had to choose between returning to the life and the woman he loved or his daughter's life."

"What are you talking about?" Mom demanded, drawing away from Dad and going to stand beside Teal'c.

I saw the look of pain and guilt in my father's eyes and went to stand beside him, showing everyone that I would stand beside him even if no one else would. I could see the anger and pain in everyone's faces and a part of my heart broke. It would take a long time for all this pain to heal, and I knew that I had to cause them more of it.

"As the knowledge of the Ancients worked its way through my father's mind, it began to alter his DNA, making him part Ancient." I said, reaching out to hold my father's hand. He squeezed back, giving me strength to continue. "He passed that DNA on to me. When the Ancients found out they offered him a choice: Help them and let you believe he was dead or they would take me away from Earth and my mother and raise me as their own."

I paused for a moment, looking at the pain-filled faces around me. "But the fight is no longer my father's alone. I am an Ancient. It is my burden to carry and he has been released from his bonds. He can return to you now, if you wish it."

It was my mother who spoke first. "No." she snapped, anger flashing in her eyes. "I don't wish it. Jack O'Neill is dead."

I watched as my father's heart was ripped apart by her words. I knew my mother was lashing out in pain and surprise but it did not help. My father had suffered as she had, perhaps more.

"No." I said, tears pouring down my face. "Jack O'Neill is alive!"

Teal'c rose and walked to stand next to Mom. He faced us and I could see the same surprise and anger etched in his eyes. "Indeed he is." He calm tone said. "The Jack O'Neill I knew would have found a way back."

I could not bear to turn and see my father's face. I held onto his hand, as if for dear life, and hoped he realised I was still with him. Out of all the scenes I had envisioned of our return, this had never been one of them. I knew that there was a lot of pain and anger that would come out, but I had never thought they would turn away from us completely.

I turned my anguished eyes to Daniel, silently begging him not to turn away as well. Oh, God, what had I done?

Daniel looked at Oma and then at me. He refused to meet my father's eyes. "Jack would have come back." He whispered. "If he could."

Then he looked up, staring directly at my father. "But you couldn't, could you?" he continued. "I know a little about what the Ancients are like. They offered you no choice but to help them, did they?"

"They would have brought up Shannon as one of them." My father said brokenly. "She would have known nothing about Earth or her mother. I couldn't let them do it."

Daniel walked up to Dad, his eyes brimming with tears. "Welcome back, Jack." He said.

Dad just gave a small smile and pulled his friend into a hug. Then Daniel turned to Teal'c and Mom. "At least let him tell his story." He said.

They didn't reply, but nor did they leave. So I took a deep breath and told them everything.