Title: Faces from the past.
Disclaimer: Standard disclaimers apply.
Summery: The discovery of a new mirror and the unexpected arrival of two people he thought long dead turns Daniel's world upside down, will he ever be able to bury the past and accept the new opportunity or is it more sinister than it seems?
Warnings: Takes place after the season 5 episode the tomb but it is not related to it, also possibly J/D slash in later chapters if it fits.
Chapter 2: Family.
…
"There is no easy way to say this they claim to be Claire and Melburn Jackson."
All the air whooshed from Daniel's body and he was profoundly glad he was sitting down. His parents? He couldn't rap his mind around the thought, sure he'd considered the possibility that somewhere in some reality they might of survived, but that he might meet them? That was too strange to even contemplate.
"Daniel?" The worry was evident in George's voice along with the unusual use of his first name. Daniel had turned a white as a sheet, and appeared to be borderline hyperventilating; Dr Frasier would never let him forget this if Daniel ended up in her care. "Dr Jackson?" He tried again and was relieved when he got a response.
"Sorry General, it was kind of a surprise."
"That's alright son. Your parents are being kept isolated in the VIP suites; they have asked about you and seem anxious to meet you."
"They're not … they aren't my parents. They're not…" Daniel trailed off repeating the mantra over and over; his parents were dead, and whoever these people claimed to be he had to remember they weren't his parents.
"Sorry, do you wish to see them?"
"I… umm I'm not sure."
"That's alright you take some time and think about it."
Daniel stood shakily, suddenly wishing he was back in his office surrounded by all his books, a place he felt safe. He barely even heard the General dismissing him as he turned and rushed back to his office in practically the same manner he had made the trip to the General's office minutes before.
Jack was stunned when Daniel pushed roughly past him in the corridor without even a hint of apology or even recognition, realising that Daniel had come from Hammond's office Jack went to find out what was wrong with his friend.
General Hammond sat staring at the chair Daniel had just vacated, the look of fear and panic had not been what George had been expecting, and Daniel's flat denial of Claire and Melburn as his parents seemed strange, he had thought that Daniel would of jumped at the chance to get to know his parents for the first time, alright their would be differences the fact that they were alive was the most obvious one coupled with their involvement in their reality's Stargate programme, but some things would be the same. There was a smart rap on his office door.
"Come." He smiled despite himself at the appearance of Colonel O'Neill, where his team were concerned the man seemed to possess a sixth sense. "Please be seated Colonel." Hammond waited for Jack to close the door and sit down before continuing. "Something I can do for you?"
"I just ran into Daniel Sir, or should I say Daniel just ran into me, he looked upset and I figured as he was leaving your office you might know why."
"I was about to send for you O'Neill, SG11 found another Quantum mirror during an excavation on PX0-121."
"Isn't that one of those alternate reality dealies?"
"Indeed it is."
"But I thought we had destroyed the one for this dimension?"
"So I thought but obviously there was more than one."
"So what's put the wind up our resident archaeologist, no wait let me guess there was a total lack of writing, no symbols nothing, 'cause Daniel seemed very upset."
"Two people came through the mirror Jack."
"Yeah?"
"They claim to be Melburn and Claire Jackson."
Silence engulfed the room as Jack tried to get his head around what George had just told him.
"You mean Daniel's parents Sir?"
"Apparently so."
Daniel was sat in the dark in his office, his arms wrapped tightly around himself, his head tucked into his chest. His body was shaking as sobs ripped though him, as he remembered watching his parents die, and the abandonment he had felt when Nick has pushed him aside. He rocked slightly back and forth on his office chair, totally oblivious to everything around him. He was currently waging a silent war in his mind, to see them or not to see them? He could think of plenty of reasons for both. On the one hand they might be able to provide them with some knowledge that they, at the SGC, had not attained, maybe there was an attack of some kind under way as had happened before, they could hold vital information regarding the Goa'uld and of course there was his own curiosity. On the other hand it had been a rough year and part of him felt that he couldn't cope with this right now, he couldn't bear this burden alone, this part of him saw this as some kind of trick, these people couldn't possibly be who they claimed, what if they were Goa'uld spies that were on the run? Daniel jumped suddenly and cried out when he felt a pair of arms encircle him, looking up briefly he was more relieved than he thought possible when he saw Jack, sympathy and understanding shining in his eyes. They didn't speak and after a moment Daniel relaxed in Jack's embrace and leaned against him profoundly grateful for the comfort he offered.
Jack had arrived in the doorway moments earlier, his heart breaking at the sight before him, Daniel was devastated. Jack debated for a moment what to do, there was no way his usual flippancy was the right approach and with Daniel the way he was he might just lose a limb, Jack ached to be able to hold him, to be able to support his best friend through such a trying time. Unable to resist the impulse he had quietly closed the door and crossed over to the stricken man, he kneeled down ignoring the protest his knees were making, and wrapped his arms around him. It was all he could do to keep a straight face when he realised that Daniel hadn't noticed he was there, and when after a moment he relaxed into Jacks embrace, Jack immediately knew he had made the right choice. He had learnt long ago that no matter what Daniel was saying, his body language spoke volumes, and despite Daniels words to the contrary he desperately needed a reassuring touch from Jack whenever Jack felt he could get a away with it. They sat that way for a long as Jack's knees would allow, creaking in distaste he stood and looked down at Daniel.
"I guess you know." Daniel asked wiping his eyes and putting his glasses on.
"Yeah, just spoke to Hammond." Jack replied as he switched on a desk lamp, they both blinked uncomfortably in the light. "How you doing?"
"I'm fine."
"Uh huh?"
"What?"
"Daniel."
"Jack?"
"Fine?"
"I will be." He said with a sigh.
"Uh huh?"
"Jack."
"Damnit Daniel, you are not fine."
"Thanks." Daniel turned back to his journals and began to scribble in them in a language Jack couldn't make head nor tail of.
"Do you think they are on the level?" Jack asked after a moment abandoning his line of questioning.
"I…" there was a moment's pause, "I have no idea."
"Would you like them to be?"
"What kind of a question is that Jack?"
"Well I thought that you might like the idea of your parents being…"
"They are not my parents," Daniel stood quickly sending his chair spiralling backwards, "My parents have been dead for nearly thirty years Jack."
"Okay, okay," Jack held his hands in front of him to placate his friend, "I just thought…"
"I know, but don't." Jack was surprised at the clear threat hidden beneath those words.
"Alright, no more thinking got it."
Daniel smiled slightly despite himself.
"The General wants me to go and see them; apparently they have been asking for me."
'Of course they have' is what Jack wanted to say 'you're their son' but considering the mood Daniel was in at the moment he was likely to end up with a black eye or worse.
"Are you?"
"I don't know."
"Hey if you need moral support I'd be happy to tag along."
"Thanks Jack, I might just take you up on that offer if of course you can stand to be in a room with three archaeologists."
"Ahh, well as I'm not thinking anymore I should be able to handle it."
There was a tentative knock at Daniel's office door, they both spun to look at it as Daniel beckoned whoever was there in. Daniel smiled warmly as Sam Carter and Teal'c entered his office.
"Hey Daniel," Carter began, "The general spoke to us about umm…" She paused unsure of how to broach the subject.
"The arrival of Drs Claire and Melburn Jackson from an alternate reality." Teal'c finished for her.
"Hey I've got a question." Jack pronounced saving Daniel the bother of going through it all over again. "Didn't we destroy our mirror thingy?"
"Indeed." Teal'c confirmed.
"I've been wondering about that Sir…" Carter began the light of discovery shining in her eyes.
"Yeah I bet you have." Jack whispered to Daniel who smiled slightly.
"Inter-dimensional travel is a science we've barely even heard of let alone studied but I have theorised that the destruction of our mirror caused some sort of subatomic particle disturbance…"
"Ah, in English please."
"Basically the destruction of our mirror caused a … a gap, if you will, in the very matrix of time itself, and this gap had to be filled."
"So what you're saying is that when we destroyed our mirror another one was created in our dimension in its place?" Daniel asked, Jack looked to him bewilderedly.
"You understood that?"
"Jack." The warning in Daniels voice made O'Neill focus back on Carter.
"Carter?"
"Yes Sir, that is what I believe happened."
"Alright, so what do we do about it?"
"Well Sir it would be futile to destroy the mirror again as another one would appear in its place."
"Why don't we just send the doctors packing, and bury the damn thing?"
"Would that be wise O'Neill?" Teal'c asked.
"Yeah, remember all the trouble that thing has given us, lets find some nice remote planet and leave it there."
"Teal'c is right Sir, that may not be the best course of action."
"Why? Why not?"
"We do not yet know the reason why they travelled here."
"Okay so we have a bit of a chat, cup of coffee, cookie whatever, then we send them packing and again bury the damn thing."
"I've been talking to Janet about them," Carter turned to Daniel, who in turn looked decidedly uneasy, "She has run all the tests she can think of and well they are who they say they are, Daniel they are your parents or at least genetically they are, she's compared your DNA and well it's a positive match."
There was silence in the room, every one looking to Daniel. Daniels heart felt like it was going to burst free from his chest at any moment, they were, he had clung to the hope that they couldn't possibly be his parents, and now Jack wanted to get rid of them? He didn't know what to do.
"Would our next course of action not be to go and talk to Claire and Melburn Jackson?" Teal'c asked breaking the silence.
"I…uh," Daniel began, but O'Neill cut him off.
"As SG1 is the premier team, I think we should all go, hell Hammond should be there too."
"Yeah." Daniel agreed thanking Jack silently with his eyes.
"Then I'll talk to the General and arrange a meeting."
Please R&R i would love to know what you think about the story so far and any ideas you have for future chapters. i will be updating soon.