Title:
What If
Author:
Annerb
Summary:
Daniel refuses to question.
Rating:
Everybody
Classifications:
Drabble, Missing Scene ('There But For the Grace of God')
Season:
1
Disclaimer:
The
characters mentioned in this story are the property of Showtime and
Gekko Film Corp. The Stargate, SG-1, the Goa'uld and all other
characters who have appeared in the series STARGATE SG-1 together
with the names, titles and backstory are the sole copyright property
of MGM-UA Worldwide Television, Gekko Film Corp, Glassner/Wright
Double Secret Productions and Stargate SG-I Prod. Ltd. Partnership.
This fanfic is not intended as an infringement upon those rights and
solely meant for entertainment. All other characters, the story idea
and the story itself are the sole property of the author.
Author's Note: This is in response to the GateShip Wednesday Shorts 'There But For the Grace of God' Challenge.
What If
Daniel had never been one for 'what ifs,' mainly because they lead to unanswerable questions.
'What if I had done something, anything to keep my parents away from the museum that day?'
'What if I had paid more attention to Sarah?'
'What if I had never worked up the nerve to suggest that the Great Pyramids were unaccountably older than anyone had ever imagined?'
Such questions only highlighted the gaping holes in his life and he couldn't quite decide what would be worse, knowing that a simple change could have made everything better or knowing that his actions meant nothing in the long run.
Depressing, either way, which was exactly why Daniel always refused to indulge in that particular game.
But all of a sudden things are different today and the most bizarre question swirls around in his head as he sits on his dusty balcony overlooking the bustling city of Cairo.
"What if I had said yes to Catherine Langford?"
The words echo discordantly around his cramped apartment. Would Dr. Langford's peculiar offer have changed his life? Could he have been more than a directionless orphan that cringed every time he heard the word 'alien'? Would there at least have been someone for him to call on this dark day, someone who cared if he died?
Stalwartly refusing to glance up in the direction of the looming shadow in the sky that has people running through the narrow streets in panic, Daniel inexplicably knows that this mysterious question is the biggest 'what if' of all.
