Title: Fly Away
Category: Songfic, Angst
Season: After 'Point of View', before 'Summit/Last Stand'
Summary: A desperate Sam and Daniel have fled from an alternate universe to save a precious child from the Goa'uld. But are they too late?
Disclaimer: I do not own these characters; they belong to MGM/Gekko/Double Secret (except for the child). I do not do this for profit but for enjoyment. The lyrics are from the song 'Fly' by Celine Dion, from the album 'Falling Into You'.
Fly Away
Colonel Jack O'Neill stretched lazily as Major Samantha Carter entered the briefing room, followed closely by Doctor Daniel Jackson and Teal'c.
Sam nodded to him as she took her seat. "What's this about, sir? We're supposed to be on leave 'til next week."
Jack shrugged. "Hammond just called and told me to get my backside on base ASAP." He leaned back in his chair. "He wasn't impressed when I asked if I could finish my beer first."
Daniel snorted softly and Sam made a half-hearted attempt to hide a smirk as General George Hammond entered the room. He returned their salutes sharply. "We have a situation," he said bluntly.
"Don't we always?" Jack interrupted, receiving a glare in response.
"This one could be rather more complex than our usual problems," the general growled. "This morning, we had three intruders discovered in the lab room where the quantum mirror was destroyed."
Jack rolled his eyes. "Not another alternate, alternate reality. C'mon General!"
Sam was frowning. "Sir, how is that possible? I mean, the mirror was destroyed."
Hammond nodded. "According to one of the intruders, the destruction of the mirror left a residue that works the same way the mirror did – but only once."
Daniel interrupted. "Wait a minute, you mean whoever –"
Jack gestured impatiently. "Alright, enough of the 'whoever's' and 'intruders'. Who're the inter-reality gatecrashers this time?"
"Doctors Daniel Jackson and Samantha Carter," Hammond replied.
Jack rolled his eyes at Sam. "What, again? What's with you? One life not enough for you?"
"Actually, sir, I'm the only one of us who hasn't visited an alternate reality, so -"
Jack waved a hand dismissively. "And what's with the Doctor? Don't these other you's join the military?"
The general interrupted. "No, this Carter rose to the rank of Major before resigning and taking on a civilian post with the SGC."
Teal'c spoke for the first time. "I believe Daniel Jackson was about to ask whether those who have come through can return. I presume it was this Doctor Carter who told you of the quantum residue?"
Hammond nodded briefly. "Yes, Teal'c, it was. And she can't go back in any case." His face darkened. "She died shortly after she arrived."
Jack saw the ripple of shock that rippled across Sam's face. He decided to change the subject. "Hang on, you said 'three' earlier. Doctor Carter and Doctor Jackson – who's the third?"
Hammond gestured to the airman by the door. "Show him in."
Though the door came Daniel Jackson and for a brief moment Jack studied him, and the different glasses, and a different haircut – and the deep grief haunting his eyes.
But Jack's full attention was drawn to the child in his arms. Sandy-brown head bowed in sleep and one small thumb tucked firmly in his mouth, he couldn't have been more than four.
The doctor nodded to them, barely glancing at Jack before looking away. "Hi. Umm… First things first, you can call me Dan, that's what you call – called me."
Jack waved his arms. "Great. Daniel, Dan. Dan, Daniel." He nodded his head toward the bundle. "Cute kid."
A strange expression flickered across Dan's face as he took a seat next to Sam. "Right," he began, but got no further. The toddler's eyes suddenly jolted open, alarmed. A soft whimper could be heard, which halted when those incredibly blue eyes met Sam's. For a moment, both the boy and the major just stared; then Sam was holding him close to her chest as the child began to sob quietly. Jack couldn't help being moved.
Dan looked at Sam. "Meet Jackson." He smiled tightly, despite the tears welling up in his eyes. "I promised you I'd take good care of him."
Sam's arms tightened around the little boy. "He's … mine? The other me?"
Jack shrugged uncomfortably. "Well, looks like his all yours now." His 2IC looked up at him, clearly startled.
Jackson's gaze found his and Jack stared back, finding himself unable to look away. 'Yeah, those are Carter's eyes alright,' he thought to himself. And yet… He struggled to lighten the moment. "Really cute kid."
The alternate Daniel looked more than a little awkward. "Funny you should say that. His last name's O'Neill."
Sam felt her eyes widen in shock and she stared over at her C.O. He seemed equally surprised, his gaze flicking from Dan, to Jackson, to her. Their eyes met for a moment and she blushed.
'Why was she so surprised?' she chided herself. Their alternate selves had been engaged, married – she should have realized there'd be some with kids out there. But she certainly hadn't expected to meet any of them and she hadn't really wanted to think about it, because she couldn't –
Daniel broke her train of thought. "Well, that explains the civilian post. If she married Jack -" Sam felt her stomach drop at those words.
Dan shook his head. "No, not exactly."
Jack said what she was thinking. "Whaddaya mean, not exactly?"
The archaeologist looked supremely uncomfortable. "Well, you never actually got around to getting married. Hell, you weren't even officially engaged."
Sam felt like covering her face with her hands, except that they were full with Jackson. She settled for lowering her head closer to his.
Jack rubbed his forehead as Dan continued. "You barely avoided court-martial. Jackson was well on the way before Sammy resigned."
Now she really was embarrassed. Perhaps mortified was the proper word. She was beginning to wish that all these alternate Samantha's – and their alternate lives – would just stay alternate.
Jack groaned, and Sam was reasonably sure that his thoughts were roughly the same as hers. "I didn't need to hear that, I really didn't." When no one had anything to add, he sighed. "So why did you decide to come through the mirror anyway?"
Dan sighed. "The System Lords all formed an alliance and began a large scale attack on Earth. Even Ra and Apophis are working together – for now."
"Oh am I glad we busted their butts in this reality," was Jack's only, slightly irreverent comment.
Dan looked interested. "You've defeated them? Killed them? That would leave only the biggest threat, Anubis. Without him, the alliance would fall apart."
"Anubis? Jackal-headed god of death?" Daniel was fascinated. "We haven't run into him yet."
"Be glad you haven't. He's the worst by far. He's no normal Goa'uld. He's got powers none of the others can match." Dan's expression was tight with clearly painful memories.
Sam cocked her head to the side. "New technology?" If this Anubis were present in their reality, it would be good to have some advance warning – and knowledge.
Dan shook his head. "None of us can – could tell. We do know that he was the one that instigated the attack on Earth. And –" He closed his eyes in grief. "It was he who killed you a year ago Jack. And – Sammy." He opened his eyes to look down at the child in Sam's arms. "He wants Jackson. Desperately. That's why we – you – she, chose the mirror reality that no one could follow us through into. She wanted to be sure he was safe. But she'd already been injured." He wiped his tearing eyes with the back of his hand. "Sorry."
Sam felt shaky. It was strange to hear of her death. And Jack's…
Jackson suddenly shuddered in her arms, and she glanced down in alarm. His tiny body convulsed again, violently and uncontrollably. He began to cough, harsh coughs that racked his frame – and brought up blood.
Sam bolted to her feet and out the door. There was only one thought on her mind; she had to get him to Janet.
Daniel Jackson (the original) stood back in a corner as he watched Sam tenderly smoothing Jackson's hair. He'd seen her like this once before, with Cassie.
Jack stood nearby, clearly anxious but just as clearly trying not to show it. This had to be difficult. He'd lost one son. It had to hurt, the thought of losing another, even one from a different reality. Any child was sacred to the colonel.
Teal'c was being his usual taciturn self, standing away from the action, head bowed in respect to the small boy on the bed before them.
It was Dan whom Daniel watched most closely. He'd never met an alternate version of himself before, and he had to admit that it was an unsettling experience. But it was clear that Dan was terrified at the thought of losing the son of his two best friends, the child they'd fought and died to protect.
Janet Fraiser stopped on the other side of the bed, her expression grave. "I'm sorry, but he's dying and there's – there's nothing I can do. It's the same thing that killed Samantha. The damage to his cells is so great that they are no longer fixing themselves. And it's happening throughout his entire body. As the cells weaken, they rupture."
Dan looked anguished. "Was it the travel through the mirror? Did we doom him?"
Janet shook her head. "No. The mirror doesn't cause effects like this. And it's not entropic cascade failure, like the other Samantha experienced. It's affected you too, Dan." She pursed her lips. "It's just that Samantha was already weakened, and Jackson so young, that it's had an accelerated effect. You're dying too."
"Anubis," Dan whispered harshly. "He did this to us. He threw a – I dunno, some device at us, spat out some beams of light, as we headed for the mirror. None of them hit us, but I guess a near miss was good enough."
Jack moved for the first time in several minutes, startling everyone, but he just stepped forward to rest a hand gently on Sam's shoulder. She gazed up at him for a moment and Daniel saw the tears burning in her blue eyes before she turned to look back a t her boy. But she reached up to grip his hand tightly.
Daniel, Dan and Janet exchanged glances, then quietly exited, leaving the 'family' alone.
Jack took a seat next to Sam, still clutching her hand. She kept her gaze on Jackson, and her features seemed as cold and still as marble. Then the hot tears spilled down her cheeks and he felt an immeasurable desire to hold her. He slid his arms around her shoulders and she sagged back against him, shaking with silent sobs.
Jack stroked her hair, murmuring softly in her ear. It pained him to see her like this. He didn't feel the connection to the boy that Sam so obviously did. But he understood, and tried to ease the devastation to her soul.
Sam's crying faded into deep breathing and though she did not fall asleep, he felt her deep emotional exhaustion. Gently kissing his hand, she leaned forward out of his embrace to gather Jackson up in her arms. The little boy snuggled against her chest.
Softly, whispering, Sam began to sing and Jack was entranced.
Fly, fly little wing
Fly beyond imagining
The tiny eyelids fluttered open and sleepy pain-filled eyes gazed up into Sam's tearstained face, bent close to his.
The softest cloud, the whitest dove
Upon the wind of heaven's love
Past the planets and the stars
Leave this lonely world of ours
Escape the sorrow and the pain
And fly again
Jack felt his eyes fill up with tears, tears he hadn't felt since that day, so long ago, it seemed, that he'd lost Charlie. Somehow, Sam had found the words to carry her grief – and unlock his.
Fly, fly precious one
Your endless journey has begun
Take your gentle happiness
Far too beautiful for this
Cross over to the other shore
There is peace forevermore
But hold this memory bittersweet
Until we meet
Jack put his arms around both of them, resting his head on Sam's shoulder and letting his tears soak into her shirt. Resting her soft cheek against his, her voice gained strength, but her sorrow and tears could be heard true in her voice.
Fly, fly do not fear
Don't waste a breath, don't shed a tear
Jackson's eyes slid closed, sandy eyelashes shadowing his cheeks. But they flew open again to stare imploringly at the two faces above; the faces of his beloved parents, who he knew were dead, and yet were here with him still; the parents he did not want to leave behind. Jack felt his breath catch in his throat and Sam's voice wavered.
Your heart is pure, your soul is free
Be on your way, don't wait for me
Above the universe you'll climb
On beyond the hands of time
The moon will rise, the sun will set
But I won't forget
The blue eyes of the son he never would have had, but for a precious crossroad in time and space, fluttered closed slowly, gently, finally. Sam's voice softened to a choked whisper again.
Fly, fly little wing
Fly where only angels sing
Fly away, the time is right
Go now, find the light
The last breath left the body of Jackson Jacob O'Neill, and Sam and Jack gazed into each other's eyes – and wept.
I hope you all enjoyed this little songfic. Please review, this is my first Stargate fic, your feedback would be much appreciated.