After a satisfying meal of vegetable stew and hearty, brown bread, Ashling's aunt and uncle scooted the children outside. The four adults gathered around the table while Uncail Tomas lit a pipe and sighed contentedly. He glanced over at his wife, who was watching Ashling and Daniel, and gave her a spicy grin and a quick hug. She leaned against him for a quick kiss and then turned back to the young couple seated on the opposite bench.

"Ashling, there have been several, well, 'unpleasant-looking' men in the village searching for you. I assume they were sent by Iollan?" Tomas drew a deep breath from the pipe and blew a circle over his wife's head.

"Yes, Uncail, Iollan has been trying to stop any marriage I might make for the past few years. Recently, he has made a couple of attempts to kidnap me. I believe that he will either keep me hidden until it is too late for me to marry and conceive, or he will arrange an 'accident'." Her eyes flitted between her aunt and uncle while she spoke, the long, tapered fingers of one hand continuously tapping a mindless rhythm on the table. Daniel noticed the ring on her right hand. It was the claddagh of the traditional Irish-Celtic people on Earth. She wore it with the heart pointing away from her heart, signifying that she was unattached.

Tomas and Neala looked at each other for several heartbeats and Neala finally gave him an almost imperceptible nod. Tomas turned back to Ashling. "We believe that to save your life, you and Daniel must marry now and that you must conceive a child as quickly as possible."

He looked over at Daniel to see him duck his head and squirm uncomfortably. He gave his wife a quick grin and continued speaking.

"You should remain hidden until the child is born. If Iollan were to find you pregnant… Well, you can be sure that the child would never survive. As soon as you are delivered of a healthy babe, then you can return to court and your father will recognize you as the legitimate heir to the throne of Aeire."

Daniel had listened in silence to the "proposal" made by Tomas in his behalf. As the silence grew deafening, he finally waved a finger in the air. "Um, excuse me. Can I say something?"

Since no one responded, Daniel continued, "You've got us married with a kid! What if Ashling and I don't want to marry each other?" He held out his bandaged arm. "The first thing she did when she saw me was to shoot me! Not a great way to start any relationship, especially a marriage! Also, I have a life on another planet – completely away from here and I haven't planned to stay here forever and I won't leave a wife and child here without me." He lowered his head and scrubbed his fingers through his hair in frustration. "If I agree to this, I have to choose between my life and Ashling's. I don't see how I can make that choice."

Ashling turned her head and watched as Daniel struggled with this. "I agree with Daniel. Surely there must be someone else I could marry?"

Her aunt reached across the table and patted Ashling's hand. "Ashling, your birthday is in three days. It takes nine months to carry a child to term and who is to say you could get pregnant immediately? You are related to everyone in this village and it is just too dangerous for you to wander around looking for a suitable consort. I see no other solution."

Daniel stood up and walked out of the hut. He continued to march through the village and back down the path that brought him from the stargate that morning. His steps were quick and long, almost a jog, as if by exercise he could remove himself from the problem. How the hell was he supposed to choose between Ashing's life and the life he had on Earth? He'd made that choice once before and was a good choice for the time. He'd had no life to pull him back to Earth then. But now he had responsibilities to his teammates, to the SGC, and to Earth. He couldn't run from the biggest threat the universe had ever faced.

Still, she would probably be killed if he didn't help her.

He walked for hours and found himself back at the stargate late that afternoon. His note was still taped to the DHD, so he knew no one had come through looking for him. If they had, they wouldn't have a way back until someone repaired the DHD.

Frustrated and tired, he climbed into the lean-to he'd built the day before and promptly fell asleep.

XXXXXXXXXX

Ashling started to go after Daniel when he left, but her aunt pulled her back into the hut. "Let him go. This needs to be his decision."

"Aintin Neala, how could I possibly ask him to give up his life for mine?"

"You cannot. He must choose. And he will choose you. I have seen it."

Neala slid an arm around Ashling and led her to a chair by the fire. "Tomorrow he'll be back with an answer."

XXXXXXXXXX

Daniel awoke in the predawn night; that time of day when the sky announces the coming of the sun with trails of high, thin, red clouds and an orange sky. He lay back with his hands clasped behind his head, trying to make a logical decision about the problem.

There was just no way to come up with something. He felt a responsibility to both Ashling and to Earth. He wanted to go home and continue his fight with the Ori and have a chance to go the Atlantis, but realistically he knew there was very little chance that Sam could find him. If he turned down Ashling, he might still be stuck here anyway and have no chance to make a difference for the people here and her brother could have her killed. If he married her, he would become the consort and have some influence on the well being of the people here.

There was also the Prior who was here. There had to be some way he could help Ashling to rid Aeire of that evil.

He pulled himself out of the lean-to and sat, staring at the gate and remembered everything it meant to him: home, work, friends, Sha're. All of that was gone now. There was really no chance to get back.

The only real choice he had was to start a new life here.

He rose to his feet and took a last look at the stone circle that represented his past life. He began the trek back to the village and his future.