Author's Note: Just a short one-shot that popped into my head randomly and I had to write it down. Not my best work, but let me know your thoughts!

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT own Stargate SG-1, it's characters, or anything associated with it. I'm just letting my imagination run wild with their creation.

AUTHOR'S NOTE 9/26/2021 - This was intended to be a One-Shot, but I had a few asking for more and the inspiration struck so I wrote more. The extra chapters I wrote for this story won't be like most of my stories - they'll jump ahead a few months or longer. Again, it's not and wasn't intended to be a full on story, so I hope you all don't mind.

o0o

Dreams Teach

He used to get them a lot, dreams of Sha're, after she had been taken. He had dreamed of her almost every night from the time Apophis took her to…well, he didn't really know when they stopped every night, but he had them multiple times a week up until he ascended and retook human form. Even then, he had dreamed of her frequently, it was natural with the way his memories were at that time, but not long after, they had slowly begun to taper off, and he hadn't really noticed.

He used to dream of her, them, the life they had, and the life they could've had if she hadn't been taken as a host. He used to see their future so clearly – exploring the temples of Abydos, translating the history, discovering what the cartouche had in store for them, and most of all, the family they would create. He didn't have anything in the way of family, aside from his estranged grandfather, and he had been alone for so long…that was until he went through the Stargate for the first time and met Sha're. She became his family and through her, he had extended family – father-in-law, a brother, countless cousins, and the people of Abydos, and he had really wanted to add onto it.

It had been the first home he had since his parents had died and when it was destroyed by Anubis, that had crushed him almost as painfully as losing Sha're did.

After she had died, the memories of her, the dreams he experienced with her, were what got him through it. He knew it wasn't healthy, clinging so hard to her, but she was the first woman he had truly loved in his life, and he didn't have it in him to try again, not when it could very well end in disaster – especially when his ex-fiancée ended being a host as well. After that, he closed himself off to the possibility – he couldn't survive it if he did find someone only for them to end up as a host, dead or whatever else the Stargate would do to them.

That is until a certain space pirate walked into his life, beat the crap out of him, and turned his life upside down with one short but passionate kiss.

Daniel Jackson couldn't pinpoint the moment when he stopped dreaming of Sha're and began dreaming of Vala Mal Doran. If he was being honest with himself, he didn't even realize the transition…until tonight, when Sha're reappeared in his mind. He could feel the shock spread through him, even in his sleep, as he realized he hadn't dreamed of her or even thought of her, in a while, and guilt flooded him as he stared at the woman his mind conjured up after a long absence. He felt even worse when he realized he had replaced her in his mind with Vala.

"Hello, Daniel," she greeted softly.

"Sha're," he uttered softly, still slightly shocked at himself.

"I have missed you, husband," her sweet voice told him with a soft smile.

While her tone, demeanor, and body language held no malice or the least bit of accusatory, Daniel felt his guilt intensify as if it had. He took a step towards her, reaching out to her, "I'm so sorry, sweetheart," he grabbed her hand and held tight, his eyes pleading for her to believe him.

Sha're continued to smile sweetly at him and she brought her free hand to cup his cheek. "What are you sorry for, my Dan-yel?" she asked gently, "You have nothing to apologize for."

He leaned into her hand, placing his own over hers. "I haven't…I mean, I…" he stumbled, not knowing how to say this, "I didn't mean for it to happen. I can't control it."

She stepped back so she could convey her message better. "You are speaking of the fact that you haven't not dreamed of me in a some time but have dreamed of another," she stated.

Daniel's eyes went to the sandy ground. He just realized his dream was taking place on Abydos. "I didn't mean for it to happen," he continued to defend himself, "I can't control what I dream of."

"You have nothing to be sorry about," she reiterated softly and forced him to meet her eyes, "In fact, I am glad of it."

He jerked back slightly. "What?" he practically hissed, "You don't mean that."

"You must let me go," she told him gently, "You must stop clinging to the past and move on with your future."

"My future?" he asked incredulously, "My future died with you!"

Sha're smiled at him sadly. "That is not true, husband," she corrected, "and it is now time to move on."

"What are you saying?" he asked, still reeling from the scenario his mind was spinning, "Just because I haven't dreamed of you in a…while doesn't mean I have moved on!"

"You love another," she told him sweetly, no trace of jealously or malice.

Daniel gaped at her, shocked, and it took several attempts for him to reply. "What? I, what, no I…I don't! Sha're, I don't!"

She stepped up to him and ran her fingers through his hair. "Shh," she soothed, "It is alright, my Dan-yel. I am pleased."

He pulled out of her embrace and eyed her skeptically. "Pleased?" he asked incredulously.

"Yes," she said simply, "I am happy you have found another."

"You are?" he practically squeaked.

"You deserve to be happy and she makes you happy."

"No, she doesn't!" he protested, "She drives me insane! She's annoying, childish, and, and…" he stumbled out, trying to think of all of Vala's flaws, it oddly made him feel guilty too, "and more! Just because I've had a few dreams of her doesn't mean I found someone to replace you."

"Vala is not replacing me," she assured, "She is loving the man whom I loved so much. I want you to be happy, my Dan-yel, and that is with her. I don't want you to mourn me anymore, to use me as an excuse."

"I'm not," he continued to protest.

"You are," she stated firmly, the sternest she had ever been in her life, "and I will not have you use me anymore. You cannot keep me on a pedestal, especially when you love her, Dan-yel."

"But I don't," he instantly protested.

"You do," she argued gently, "and it is alright."

He felt like he was losing her all over again. "Sha're," he began but cut himself off, unable to continue.

"You are a man who deserves to love someone," she told him, "You deserve to be loved in return and she does."

"Vala doesn't love me."

"Then you are blind, husband," she stated bluntly.

Daniel raised his brows at her tone. She was different this time around. "What makes you think I love her?"

She gave another smile. "I have seen the way you are with her," she replied, "I have seen the way you look at her, and it makes my heart glad to know that you will not be alone anymore."

Daniel chuckled humorlessly. "You've seen, huh?" he said mockingly, "You're a figment of my imagination, my own consciousness!"

"Then your consciousness is trying to tell you something," she retorted, "and you should listen to it."

"Why?"

Sha're looked at him sadly. "Because I don't not want you to be alone anymore," she answered, "I don't want to leave you like this."

He was instantly on alert. "Leave me?" he repeated, "What do you mean by that?"

She smiled sadly. "It is time, my Dan-yel," she said quietly, "and it is time for you to find happiness with Vala. It is time for you to accept your feelings for her."

"You can't leave me," he said, panic lacing his words, "I can't lose you."

"You have already lost me, my love," she told him gently, "but you cannot cling to me any longer. It is time."

"What if I'm not ready?"

"You are," she assured him, "or else you wouldn't have been dreaming of Vala for over a year; we wouldn't be having this dream if you weren't."

"I can't let you go," he continued to protest.

"Holding onto me will not help you, Dan-yel," she told him.

He frowned at her. "Help me with what?"

Sha're softened. "You are scared to lose her like you lost me," she voiced one of his biggest fears, "You are scared to love her because you both take a risk every time you stepped through the Chappa'ai and the thought of losing her keeps you from trying. I am asking you to risk it."

"I can't," his voice cracked, "Losing you was the hardest thing I have ever gone through, and I can't do that again; I won't be able to survive it if I lose Vala."

Her face took on a triumphant smile. "See, you do love her."

Damn it. "Sha're…"

"You would not have been happy with me like you will be with Vala," she interjected before he could continue.

"What?" he hissed in shock and a bit of anger, "What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means you unburied the Chappa'ai for a reason," she declared, her tone neutral with no judgement, "You were not meant for that life; you were meant for more."

Daniel was silent for a moment, thinking on her words. "Sha're, I loved you," he said quietly, "I loved our life and was happy."

She smiled sadly again. "But yet, you unburied the Chappa'ai for a reason," she reiterated, "I know you loved me and our life. I know you would have been happy had our life continued, but something would have been lacking; you would have always wondered what laid beyond the Chappa'ai and you know that."

"Sha're, you were enough," he insisted.

"Maybe," she relented a little, "but we will never truly know."

Daniel looked at the ground, hating that a part of him was responsible for this conversation, that these thoughts existed somewhere inside of him. His eyes met her. "Sha're, I loved you," he said again.

Sha're smiled wanly. "Loved," she emphasized, "Past tense. You love another now, and that is a good thing. I am very happy that you do; I do not wish for you to be alone, and now I can leave with a light heart, knowing you will be okay."

"Sha're – "

"No, Dan-yel," she interrupted, "no more using me as an excuse to not live."

"I'm living," he protested.

"A half-life, maybe," she countered, "but that is not much of a life, is it?"

"Sha're…" he trailed off, not knowing what to say.

"Vala will not wait forever," she cautioned, "she can only take so much rejection before she gives up entirely. She is more fragile and vulnerable that even you realize. Don't waste this chance, my Dan-yel, please."

His subconscious was really fucking with him. He was fighting with himself over this, and using his dead wife felt like cheating to him, but this was his own mind trying to tell him something, and apparently had run out of ways to get his attention – it was fighting dirty. Daniel resented himself for being forced to recognize and acknowledge his feelings for Vala, which was crazy when he thought about – fighting with himself. He had been perfectly content ignoring them…at least he thought he was.

His subconscious apparently had other ideas.

He could already feel what he had been trying so hard to squash come to the surface and he hated that he had to be forced to acknowledge them. He loved Vala, he did, and she deserved better than him, she deserved someone who didn't have to have his subconscious force his conscious self to admit those feelings. He didn't know when he had begun to move on from Sha're and his feelings for Vala change and grow - it was just there one day, and it scared the ever-living shit out of him.

It kind of sucked that his dead wife was also telling him to go for it with another woman – didn't matter that it was just his subconscious manifesting itself. "I will always love you, you know that, right?" he said quietly, "You were my whole world and no matter what you think, what my brain thinks, I would've been happy with you on Abydos."

Sha're closed the distance between them. "I know, my Dan-yel," she assured him, "just not as happy as you will be with Vala."

Daniel wrapped her in his arms and squeezed hard. "I don't want you to go."

She squeezed back. "But I must," she told him calmly, "I love you."

He pulled her closer. "I love you, Sha're."

Without a warning, she was suddenly a few feet away from him. Giving him a sad smile, she said, "Goodbye, my Dan-yel," before disappearing altogether.

He stared at the empty space she left. "Goodbye," he whispered.

o0o

Daniel woke up with a start.

His heart felt like it beating rapidly as he recalled his dream. He felt different, that dream felt different than it usually did when he dreamt of her; it felt much more real this time around. He didn't feel that longing for her as he normally did after waking up; instead, he had the strangest urge to seek out Vala, despite the fact that it was in the middle of the night…or morning, whatever.

Had he actually done that, admitted to himself that he cared for Vala…that he loved her? He knew he had since the thought of her provoke those feelings to the surface and there was no way to force them back down again – if he was honest with himself, he didn't want to, not anymore. He had tried so hard to deny them and it got harder each day that past, and he didn't want to do it anymore, not just for himself, but for Vala. She deserved so much more that that…than him, but he was a selfish bastard and could now admit he couldn't live without her – he needed her in his life.

For he, Daniel Jackson, loved Vala Mal Doran, and damnit, he was going to do something about it before it was too late.

o0o

Vala Mal Doran flinched awake at the sharp knock on her door. Still practically asleep and confused as hell, she rolled onto her other side and looked bleary eyed at her clock – 0248. Bloody hell, there better be a galactic emergency or else there would be hell to pay for whoever was on the other side of that door.

When another insistent, impatient knock, rapped on her door, she rolled out of bed with a grumpy groan. "What!" she growled when she opened it and was instantly concerned and on alert when she saw Daniel on the other side. "Daniel, what is it, what's wrong?"

He looked as if he had just woken up himself. His hair was still messy and his pajamas rumpled from sleep, which sent more alarm through her – Daniel didn't come to her door like, ever, so it must be an emergency. She was not expecting the explanation that came from his mouth.

"I think I love you," he blurted out.

Vala blinked…and blinked some more. Did she mishear him? She must have. "You love me?" she asked skeptically. Damn him and his sleep deprivation.

"Yes," he responded, "Actually I know I do. I love you."

She cursed him again. This wasn't fair, she couldn't take this – it was too hard. "And this just came to you at two in the morning?"

Some of the elation on his face faded as he continued to stare at her expectantly. "I had a dream..." he explained slowly, sounding unsure now.

"Right," she said quietly and walked over to her chair to grab her robe before going back to the door.

Daniel frowned at her. "What're you doing?"

Vala slipped the robe on, typing the string around her waist. "Putting on my robe," she stated the obvious, "Can't very well walk through the SGC in my nightie," she explained and laid a hand on his forehead.

He jerked his head away from her hand. "What're you doing?" he asked again.

"Checking for a fever," she replied and examined his eyes before grabbing his head and twisting it to look for injuries, "Did you hit your head?"

"What?" he asked, getting more confused by the second.

"Did you fall asleep at your desk and accidentally fall out of the chair and hit your head?" she asked, thinking of scenarios, "Touch anything weird, perhaps?"

Daniel pulled away from her and stared at her incredulously. "Vala, I'm fine!" he insisted and began to look nervous, "Did you hear what I said? Vala, I love you."

She smiled placidly at him. "And I love you," she responded as if she was talking to a child, "you're my best friend."

"No, Vala, that's not what I meant," he insisted, getting frustrated, "and don't you dare pretend that it is!"

She continued to nod calmly. "Darling, why don't we go pay Carolyn a visit?" she suggested almost diplomatically and tried to gently usher him down the hall.

Instead, Daniel pushed her into the room, slamming the door behind him. "Vala, there's nothing wrong with me!" he snapped, "I'm not sick, I'm not injured, I just goddamn love you, okay!"

Vala felt something within her break. He couldn't mean that, not in the way she needed him to, and she couldn't handle this, she couldn't handle him not feeling the same way she did, and she couldn't handle him uttering those words when they didn't mean what they meant to her. To her horror, she felt tears surface and she did her best to not let them show. "Daniel, please don't do this," she begged in low tone, "I can't take it. Please don't."

He held her face and moved it so he could see her fully. She adverted her eyes, looking anywhere but at him. "Look at me," it was his turn to plead, "Vala, please."

She blinked a few times in an attempt to clear the tears before meeting his eyes. "I am literally begging you not to put me through this," she said in a wobbly voice, "It hurts too much already, and I can't do this."

"This is me, Vala," he told her softly, "I'm not sick, injured, haven't touched any weird devices, don't have aliens controlling me or anything; it's me, Daniel, and I'm telling you that I love you."

Vala hated the amount of hope that spung through her, but she had to be strong, had to be sure. "How do I know you'll feel the same tomorrow, a week from now, a month?" she challenged.

Daniel rested his forehead against her. "Because I love you more than I think I have ever loved anyone else."

"Even Sha're?" she blurted out without thinking and cringed, regretting the words the second they came out of her mouth.

But he didn't react the way she thought he would. Instead of pulling away and yelling at her, he pulled her closer and ran one hand through her hair while the other rested against her cheek. "Yeah, I think even more than Sha're," he confessed, sounding surprised himself.

Oh gods. She was mortified when her tears escaped but was also beyond delirious at his words. "Really?" she whispered.

Daniel's thumb gently brushed away her tears. "Really," he assured her, "Vala, I love you beyond anything I've ever felt. I love you so much that I want to marry you, have those babies you want with you; I want live the rest of my life with you. The only question is, do you want the same?"

Instead of answering verbally, she closed the minuscule distance between them, and kissed him, pouring the unrequited feelings she had bottled up over the last year, beyond joyous that they were no longer unrequited.

The next thing she knew, she was flat on her back on top of her bed, and Daniel was frantically trying to strip her of the little clothing she had on. She did the same and impatiently pulled at his shirt, forcing him to pull away from her so she could strip him of it. The second it was discarded, he pulled her back to him.

As his lips made his way down her body, she realized something, and she pulled him back to her face. "Daniel," she breathed, out of breath, "I love you, too."

The most beautiful and amazing smile came to his face, and he kissed her softly. "I know," he whispered before starting on her neck again, "Now, what do you say we get started on those babies?"

"Seriously, who are you?" she asked teasingly, but still a little shocked at his sudden turnaround.

"Fine," he said, continuing as if he hadn't heard her, "we can just practice."

Vala chuckled and let it go. She would think on it tomorrow. While there was still some fear and doubts within her, she knew that this was her Daniel, despite his odd behavior and sudden change. She didn't know what caused it, but what she did know was that it was genuine, and he meant all of it – that's all she cared about.

The rest would come later, but for now, she would enjoy it.

o0o

"It worked," a voice observed, pleasantly surprised, as he watched Daniel confess his feelings for Vala, leaving as the interaction…progressed.

"You doubted?" another asked.

"Daniel is stubborn," the first one responded, "I did not think he would surrender so easily."

"It was a long time coming," a third one butted in, "I thank you for your help."

"Of course, my child," the second on said, "It pained me to see him in such a state, clinging so hard to my beloved daughter."

"It pained us all," the first being said, "Daniel was more than my sister's husband and I know she would not have wanted him to live like that."

"From what little you have told me about her, I do not believe she would have as well," the third being said.

"You assumed right, grandson," Kasuf agreed.

"You played my sister well, father," Skaara complimented.

"While I did not know my mother, I agree," Shifu added.

"I am glad to have done so," Kasfu said, "I am glad I was able to repay Daniel in some way for all he did for us. Without him, you would have been lost to me Skaara, our world would have never been given this chance, and we would have never met Sha're's child."

"It was a small deed to repay so much," Skaara concurred.

"It was a good idea on your part, grandson," Kasuf said with a smile, "I do not believe I would have ever thought to use dreams as a method of persuasion."

"Dreams teach," Shifu said, repeating words he had said to Daniel many years ago.

"Indeed they do."

"How did you know to use him unburying the Chappa'ai?" Skaara asked curiously.

"I hated saying that," Kasuf confessed, "but it was true in someway; he was so curious when he came to Abydos, wanting to learn everything. When he discovered the cartouche, it grew and I knew it could no longer be contained to our world; he hungered for more. While he loved my daughter, that I am certain of, I do not believe he would have been content for long; he would have always wondered what laid beyond the Chappa'ai. I believe this to be the reason why he unburied it."

There was a moment of silence.

"Daniel was meant for more," Skaara agreed quietly, "Without him, the false gods would have never been defeated. His destiny was not om Abydos and I am pleased to see him move on from those past dreams and hopes."

"Indeed," Kasuf said softly, "We did the right thing."

Shifu turned and smiled at the man who would have been his stepfather had he been allowed to, had circumstances been different. "This is the first and only time we should interfere," he told his mother's family, "The others will find out if we attempt something again. We do not wish to cause more discord after all that has transpired with the Ori, Merlin, and Morgan Le Fey."

"You are right, my child," Kasuf said, "We have all sworn not to interfere to restore peace among us and we must adhere to it."

"This was the least we could have done," Skaara argued lightly, "Daniel and his friends risked everything to save this galaxy from the Ori, including ourselves. We owed him this much."

"Quite right," Kasfus conceded, "but now we must go and not return."

The other two were in agreement and with one last look at the new couple, the three ascended beings left, leaving the two humans to their new beginning.