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AUTHOR'S NOTE:

The mystery continues. New details are put into place. Orlin says goodbye. And Jack welcomes back a character most missed.

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And now…

PART NINETEEN: Revival

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Daniel and Adrienne woke up floating naked on the water.

"Where are we?" Daniel asked, sleepily waking first and looking around.

"Don't move. You'll fall."

He started to freak a bit as soon as he noticed the large amounts of nothing between him and the water. "Where the hell is there an ocean on this planet! I thought it was on a plateau."

"We're two miles from the campsite, Danny. Calm down."

"Two miles!" he yelled, turning on his side to face her. Automatically, he fell the foot of air between him and the water and landed with force on the surface, sinking quickly despite struggle to swim back up.

When he emerged again, Adrienne still floated a foot above the calm sea, naked and still with her eyes closed and her hands lay comfortably atop her stomach. He took a moment to admire the curves of her thighs and calves and back up to her delicate yet muscular arms.

He swam the small distance between them and looked up at her. "Ree, what did you do?" he asked sternly.

"Well… when I get 'emotionally' excited, I tend to create a lot of excess energy that needs to be released somehow, so… I took us for a little ride around the uh… planet."

"Were we floating at one point while we were-?"

"Oh yah."

She hardly flinched. He looked around again and saw the shore in the distance. Then he looked down and saw his pale body in the clear blue sea. "I'm naked," he said bluntly in an unimpressed tone. "So are you."

"It happens," she responded.

"Oh," he whispered and looked back up at her still floating naked above him, then opened wide as he said, "Oh! Oh, crap!"

"Well that's a lovely thing to hear in the morning," she said calmly.

"You know what I mean. For cryin' out loud, you're my best friends' daughter! Worse! You're my best friend's clone!"

"I was made from cloned genes but I am no clone, thank you very much."

"Alright, alright. I'm sorry. Besides, from what I remember, I shouldn't be complaining," he joked with a coy smile. She smiled too and before she knew it, his hands were on her thigh, pulling her down with him. When she fell on the water, despite floating a mere foot, she made such a splash that it seemed a tidal wave fell before him.

"What the hell was that!" he yelled when he resurfaced.

"Everyone's got a few extra pounds to shed. What do you think happened!" she yelled, splashing water everywhere with her gestures. "Do you have any idea how much force it takes to make a person float over water?"

She swam towards him and wrapped her legs around his waist, her arms behind his neck as she kissed him good morning. Then she broke away and began to walk out of the water as if stairs took her to shore.

"Jesus must have had it hard," he whispered as he watched her go.

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Jack woke up later than he had expected, and more alone than he had expected. He called out for them as highly as he could without drawing unwanted attention but Daniel and Adrienne's voices did not respond.

He got up and started walking within the area around the campsite, calling out for them as he went but nobody responded.

That's when he saw the great light of the sun coming closer and closer to him until like a falling star, the light landed atop the canopies in the distance just near the edge of the cliff by the Stargate.

Jack went white with horror. A great ball of light, not fire, had Descended upon him. So he ran and ran towards it, driven by shear ambition and expectation.

When he reached the Gate, there she was. A naked angel fallen upon herself, curled up on the land's end.

He had always had her in the back of his mind, saw her behind every tree and every corner of the SGC but now as he came closer and closer to the body on the ground, that image of her left his imagination and became corporeal.

"Sam?" he whispered, gently caressing the hair back from her face. But as soon as he touched her, a current of blue electricity went through her like she'd been hit with a soft zat and her eyes, the same electric blue, came to life.

He backed away slowly. "Sam, is that you?" he said, his voice wanting to break.

"Where am I?" she whispered hoarsely.

"Do you know who you are?"

"Do you?" she said and started to sit up when she looked down and saw herself naked. She didn't really seem to care.

Before she could say anything else, he hugged her so hard that she nearly fell over. She didn't really know who he was but there was something about him, something she remembered. Maybe it was the smell of his aftershave from 2 days ago. Maybe it was his touch or his hugs. But she felt him in her soul. She knew him, even if she couldn't remember him.

"Don't be scared. I'm Jack. Do you remember a Jack anywhere in there?" he said as he helped her up. She looked at him as if he seemed familiar but she wasn't his Sam. There was something different about her. It was a familiar different but different nonetheless.

"No. Nothing. But do you know an Orlin? Is he who I'm supposed to find?" she asked. He took off his jacket and wrapped it around her. Luckily, he was about twice her size so it covered… sufficiently.

They began back to the campsite, Jack explaining what had happened on the way there. Sam noticed Jack's mind was elsewhere afterwards so she said, "I was something to you, wasn't I? Before I… left?"

"You were everything to me, Sam," he responded absentmindedly, his eyes to the ground, his arm around her shoulders as if letting go might make it all a dream again and he'd lose her all over.

"I'm sorry you lost her."

"Don't be silly. You're right here. Never left."

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Daniel had made it to shore, finally. Adrienne was already dressed and sitting on a log doing what looked like meditation. She looked exhausted but with a genuine cheeriness in her tone that brought the size of his ego up a few notches.

"Funny little face you got going on there, Ree," he said with a raised eyebrow as he looked for his pants.

"Yeah well funny little birthmark you got there."

"How long were we… away?" he asked, pulling his shirt over his head.

"Well time works differently here. The night is longer. It'd be 5 o'clock on Earth right now but the sun just came up an hour or two ago. So go with it."

He walked over and sat beside her on the log. "Ree…"

"Yeah I know, Danny. It's ok," she said, trying not to really confront anything, avoiding his eyes at all cost. "The Gate's still blocked but Jacob's coming for us in a Tok'ra ship so we should be out soon. Let's get back to Jack, ok?"

He looked at her solemnly. She felt his eyes upon her as she felt so many others things from him and turned to him, her own eyes closed. As she opened them slowly, a tear left them and Daniel took her in his arms. "Ree, what is it?"

"We're never going to get our day, are we?" she asked. "The end is coming, Daniel. Our story's almost over."

"You see something, don't you? You see something bad."

"No. It's a good. But it'll mean the end for us. Any world where I don't exist is a good one."

"No it isn't. Not for me. Not for Jack. Not for S-"

"Sam? Nearly slipped there, Danny," she said, looking away. Then she looked back up with a fake jubilant smile and continued, "Want to see her?"

He didn't understand. His look told her so.

"Come on," she said happily and took his hand, pulling him into the forest. He watched one of his shoes float off as she pulled him closer to revelation.

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"General Hammond?" a deep voice came from his door. He looked up and there was Teal'c. He had his begging face on which didn't really differ from any other face of his.

"Come in, Teal'c. How's Aileia? Set up a room for her yet?" the old man responded.

"She is for whom I wish to speak."

"Go on."

"Never before have we had to deal with a child being on base. I am not sure if it would be wise to keep her here. I would like to start the search for alternate planets for her to live in, make a life for herself," Teal'c explained.

"You want to set her up off world?"

"Chulak, if possible. I know of many who would look after her. She and her child would be well taken care of."

"That seems fine, if she agrees."

Teal'c sighed. It was actually more like taking in a big breath of strength but he had to say it.

"I'd like to go with her."

Hammond looked up from the papers he was signing and writing and whatnot. "What?"

"I made a promise to her husband that I would look after her. If she does not wish to remain here, I would like to accompany her."

The general lied back in his chair and tapped his fingers on the desk, a hand under his chin pensively stroking.

"Run it by her first Teal'c. We need you here. But if you choose to go, there's nothing I can do. I wish you well."

Teal'c bowed and left. Hammond could see there was something beneath his choice. There was something more. The debt to the husband? Was it the Jaffa revenge thing again? Or was it the woman?

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Jack and Sam sat by the campsite. Sam was so tired she had leaned in and rested her head on his shoulder. It brought back memories and a smile his face had not seen in days. He hadn't had the chance to mourn properly. Others would find it a blessing. But there was a mission behind her revival, a point to it that Jack didn't understand.

"Orlin," he whispered. "You here? I need to talk to you. I know you're looking after her. Show yourself."

He looked around. Nothing. Everything was silent. Too silent.

He let her gently slide down onto the log and began to walk gently towards the woods, his P-90 raised cautiously.

"Hello, Jack," he heard a voice say from behind him. He turned around quickly but there was no one there. When he turned back, a figure dressed in white came out from behind a tree.

"You Orlin?" Jack asked, his gun still raised.

"I suppose we haven't met but yes. I am Orlin."

"What's wrong with her?" Jack asked, still refusing to lower his gun.

"Nothing she didn't want to happen."

"What are you talking about? What did you do to her!" Jack yelled as quietly as he could not to wake her.

"I did nothing. She chose it."

"What did she choose?" He was getting aggravated.

"The power of an Ancient."

Jack didn't move, simply lowered his gun. "She's an Ancient? Is this what happened the first time? Is this why Adrienne can do all she can?"

"Somewhat. Most of Adrienne isn't natural. But yes, this restores a large part of the original timeline."

"So Adrienne will still be born… special?"

"That's up to you. I'm done here."

"You care about her."

"As do you. But see, she didn't pick me. She could have. She could have had immortality, but she chose you."

"I don't know what to say to that."

"Say nothing. Take care of her. Oh, and if you harm her, I'll find you," he said with such a smile that made Jack open his eyes in slight fear.

"Hey, wait! Is she going to get her memories back?"

"In time… I hope so."

With that, Orlin turned into a whirl of lights and tentacles and disappeared into the canopy of the forest.

"Jack?" Sam said from behind him. She'd woken. "Who are you talking to?"

"An old friend, Sam. Don't worry. Get some rest and we'll start heading for the Gate. See if it's open again," he said, walking back to her a little calmer.

"I'm not tired. Tell me, was that Orlin?" she insisted as he sat beside her.

"Yeah, that was him."

"Did he tell you why I'm here?" She was eager to know. She'd remembered something, no doubt.

"You're here because of me," he said and looked down from her mystifying blue eyes. They'd started to turn yellow like Ree's. She was turning Ancient.

She brought her hand to his face and caressed his cheek. His eyes were tired. His heart beat steady like an old man looking forward to the end of this chess game. But before he could rest his tired heart, she'd drawn him closer and kissed him. He let his hand wander from his gun towards the small of her back as hers went to lift up his black shirt.

"Sam!" a voice came from the trees. The broke apart quickly but reluctantly. It was Daniel and Adrienne, Daniel still missing a shoe.

Adrienne ran to hug her, leaving Daniel to walk calmly yet shocked to Jack, who had practically jumped up off the log when Adrienne screamed Sam's name.

"Is that--?" Daniel asked, still stunned.

"Oh yah."

"And she's--?"

"Oh yeah."

"And you two were…"

"Not when you keep coming in every chance we get," Jack said through gritted teeth. "So… what were you up to?" he asked with a coy smile.

"Nothing I can tell her father, thank you very much."

"Hey I'm not her father yet."

"Yes and even if you weren't ever, there's no way we're going there… But you're ok with it, right? Me and her -- if anything develops?"

"Ask me when I'm back home and drunk."

Adrienne had let Sam go and she had recognized her right away. Maybe not her face but in that special way she and Adrienne shared now. Kindred souls, Daniel would call it.

"But how?" Daniel asked Adrienne.

"Orlin," Jack responded, his tone not so welcoming to the idea of Orlin saving her. Of Orlin in general, really.

"Hmm. Well we have a small surprise for ya," Adrienne said with a smile.

"You mean she's not all?" Jack asked.

Then Ree pointed up and above the canopy was a cargo ship ready to take them home.

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To be continued in PART TWENTY:

--What's Jacob going to do when he sees Sam and Jack together?

--What's going to happen with Adrienne, Dionysus, and Daniel?

--Why wasn't Jack happier to see Sam alive?

--What's wrong with him?

--What's Adrienne's plan?

--How has Ascension changed Sam, and how will it help them in the final battle for survival?

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