Chapter 5

Not knowing where else to turn, Daniel suggested bringing this to Sam. "That's a good idea. She'll probably have some theories of her own."

Vala started to take off in the direction of Sam's lab when Daniel caught her arm. "Hold on there."

Vala looked at him, confused. "What?"

"Why don't you let me talk to Sam? I don't know how she's going to take this, and it might be better coming from just me."

Vala sat back down on her bed and crossed her arms. "Fine, but don't think you can leave me out of this!"

"I wouldn't dream of it."

Daniel found Sam in her lab, standing over her latest experiment. Not wanting to surprise her, he stopped at the open door and knocked. She looked up and smiled at him. "Hey!"

"Hey," he said, returning her smile. "What are you up to?"

"Oh, just trying to figure out this device SG12 brought back from P46-229. It's not nearly as fascinating as the Ancient technology that we're used to, but it's still interesting."

"Sam, I don't think they've invented the technology that didn't interest you."

Sam shoved him playfully. "So, what are you up to?"

"Oh, not much. Right now, I'm mostly trying to avoid Vala."

"Oh, no. Again? What is she doing this time?"

"Oh, little bit of this, little bit of that. You know, the usual." He pulled a face at her, and she gave him a sympathetic smile.

"Well, while you're here, can you take a look at this?"

"Sure, what is it?"

Sam walked over to her desk and sat down, pulling something out from under a stack of papers. Daniel followed her to see what she held.

Suddenly, he was somewhere else entirely. Instead of Sam's office, he saw the walls of the Odyssey. Sam was still seated in front of him, but instead of her desk in front of her, it was a cello. She pulled the bow across its strings, and as he watched her, he realized she was older. Her face was lined with wrinkles, and her once short blonde hair was now shoulder length and more silver in color. He and the rest of the team – Mitchell, Teal'c, Landry, and Vala were seated before Sam – an audience of sorts. Vala was seated next to him. She, too, appeared older. He watched himself reach to her and place his hand on her leg. She looked up at him, smiled, and placed her own hand on his.

In an instant, the image was gone, and he was back in Sam's lab. But as soon as the image left him, pain took its place. It felt like someone was using a ribbon device on him. Yet, that too left him, and he was left blinking, his hands holding his temples.

"Daniel? Are you alright?" Sam's hand was on his arm and she looked at him with concern in her eyes.

He stared back at her, trying to reconcile the Sam he saw in front of him now with the version of her he had just seen. "Yeah, I think so. Headache."

"Maybe you should see Dr. Lam."

"Yeah, maybe." He was tempted to shrug this off and ignore it, but he knew Sam wouldn't accept it. Besides, whatever this was, it wasn't just affecting him; it was affecting Vala, too. If he was in some kind of danger, then so was she. He wasn't willing to risk that.

"Actually, Sam, this is what I came here to talk to you about." He sat down heavily in a chair on the other side of Sam's desk. Sam waited patiently for him to continue. "This is the second time I've had one of these . . . headaches. And I'm not the only one getting them. Vala's been getting them too."

"And they just suddenly . . . happen?"

"Yeah. There isn't really any warning. It's fast, though. Doesn't last."

"And you've never had migraines before?"

"No. But I don't think it's a migraine. It's more than just the headache. Vala and I have both been seeing things. Visions of some kind."

Sam's eyebrows instantly shot up. "Really?" Daniel could hear the skepticism in her voice.

"I know what it sounds like, but I swear it's true."

"What exactly are you seeing?"

"Us. It's like we're having memories, but I don't remember any of them."

"What kinds of memories?"

"Well, like just now, I saw you, but you were older. You were playing a cello."

"A cello? Daniel, are you sure?"

"Yeah, why?" Sam's expression had gone from skeptical to worried. "Sam, what is it?"

"I've always wanted to learn how to play the cello." She paused. "I've never told you that, have I?"

"No. I don't think so." They sat in confused silence for a moment. "Sam, this isn't just a coincidence. Something's going on."

"You might be right, Daniel. I just have no idea what it is. Why would you be having visions of some alternate version of us?"

"Vala has a theory." He told her Vala's theory, leaving out the details about any romance between himself and Vala.

"Daniel, that's insane," Sam told him when he had finished. "There is no way you could be having memories from a timeline that doesn't exist anymore!"

"I didn't think so either, Sam, but you have to admit, something weird is going on here."

"If you and Vala had been separated from the rest of us at some point, I might think that someone was messing with your heads, but the two of you haven't been alone together recently."

"No, not really. Not on a mission."

"I think we need more help on this. We should bring it up to the rest of the team, and to Landry."

Daniel sighed. "Yeah, I guess we should." He wasn't really looking forward to meeting with the rest of the team about this, especially since he was certain Vala would use the opportunity to discuss their so-called romance in these visions. He could already feel himself blushing. This was not going to be fun.