AN: Wow. I'm so sorry, you guys. I completely spaced on this story . . . Please forgive me! I've been hooked into the Scrubs fandom for a while. It's just so darn addicting! Anyway, I won't bore you with anymore small talk. Please enjoy this last chapter of the first part and the first chapter of the second part -- I've decided to post both, seeing as I've kept you waiting for /far/ too long.

Chapter Eight:

Kaara awakens to the sound of familiar, hushed voices. She moans slightly, feeling the throbbing in her head, and the voices immediately cease.

"Kaara?" A soft voice asks as she feels a cool hand against her forehead. Slowly, she opens her eyes and squints at the blinding light.

"D-Dillon?" She asks, recognizing her brother's face. He gives a weak smile and a sigh of relief.

"God, you gave me a scare," he says quietly, pulling her into a hug, which she returns with some confusion. Suddenly, her mind races with the events that occurred before her encounter with darkness.

"Ernest!" She cries, leaping from her brother's embrace and from the bed. "Ernest! He's in trouble! What happened to him?" Dillon turns to the other nurses in the room, and then looks to Kaara with a sympathetic gaze.

"Kaara . ."

"No!" She shouts, running from the room only to ram into a uniformed-clad figure.

"Jack!" she exclaims, looking up into his soft, brown orbs. "Ernest! It isn't true! He's fine! Please tell me he's all right!" Tears stream from her eyes as he pulls her into a hug, his only way of answering her as his throat closes up.

"I'm sorry, Kaara," he whispers. "I'm so sorry." The young woman can do nothing as the sobs wrack her entire body.

0 o 0 o 0

Jack walks solemnly from the tall hospital building, his lips a grim line as he nears the large, black vehicle.

"Everything taken care of, Sir?" Sam asks as he enters the passenger's side.

"Yeah, Carter," he says quietly. "Everything's been taken care of." Silence ensues for a moment.

"You did what was necessary, Sir," she says, attempting to lift the heavy burden.

"Yeah," is all that Jack replies.

"Jack," Sam shuts the car off, turning to him with concern. "Daniel's safety was compromised. We had to move him."

"And in the process, we probably scarred a young woman for life!" Jack yells. "Her entire career has been 'compromised,' Carter. At least we have the means to fix what happened to Daniel."

"Yes," the scientist agrees, "but the people who were after Daniel are no longer a threat. Thanks to Kaara, he's safe. If she hadn't been there to walk in on their latest attempt-"

"And if I hadn't been there to knock her out-"

"You did what was necessary to save him. And her."

"Can we just go, Carter?" The colonel asks irrately. "I don't want to talk about this anymore."

Sam silently stares at him for a long minute before turning back to the steering wheel and starting the car to begin the endless, awkward drive back to Colorado Springs.

0 Three Months Later 0

Kaara stands silently in the cold, abandoned cemetery in front of a lone headstone. She sighs as she lays the flowers next to the inscription.

Ernest Jackson. Loving husband, brother, and friend.

"Brother," she breathes the word with a sigh.

She had not even known that he had a brother. Another lie perhaps? She knows that the whole thing had been a lie. From the moment that Jack had slipped and said the name 'Daniel' she had known something was amiss.

/"Dillon," Kaara calls as she enters the apartment that she shares with her brother. "Dillon, are you home?"

"Jesus, Kaara, don't yell so loud!" The older man seethes as he enters the living room from his bedroom, holding his head in agony. Kaara places her hands on her hips and glares at him.

"You weren't out drinking again at that damn pub, were you? I swear! Any more of that and I'll have mom drag your ass out of there!" She scolds.

"Yea, yea," Dillon waves her threat away and plops onto the tattered couch. "What do you want?"

"I need you to find some information."

"What kind of information?" Her older brother asks warily, his blood shot eyes narrowing slightly.

"A man named 'Daniel Jackson.' "

"What for?"

"Just . . . curiosity," she shrugs innocently.

"You, Madam, will be the death of me," Dillon shakes his head, taking the pen from behind his ear and scratching the name on his jeans to be remembered for later.

"You're the best, Dillon!" She flings herself forward and clings to him momentarily before standing and heading towards the bathroom for a long, hot shower./

The only information that her brother had been able to find on Doctor Jackson, archaeologist and multiple Ph. D, had been that his current address was most likely somewhere in Egypt and that he had been missing from the academia world for at least four years.

Coincidentally, nothing had shown up for a Mister Ernest Jackson.

"Strange," she murmurs softly. Suddenly, a shadow casts over her, and she turns and squints up at the tall figure, silhouetted by the sun.

"I see you knew my brother," a deep, gentle voice says as the person slowly leans down. Kaara's jaw almost drops off of its hinges as she gets a good look at the unknown person.

Beautiful, pool-blue eyes shimmer at her from behind wire-rimmed glasses as a smile takes the young man's lips. His face resembles that of the man whose grave Kaara stands on at this very moment.

"Daniel," the man greets her, extending a hand in her direction. "Daniel Jackson."

"Kaara," the nurse is able to squeak past her tightened vocal chords, taking the man's hand and allowing it to linger for a long moment. Daniel stands, pulling her to her feet as she remains in a stupor.

"Just Kaara?" Daniel chuckles, his eyes crinkling as his smile grows wider.

Kaara shakes herself from her dazed state and says quickly, "Whitten . . . Kaara Whitten."

"Whitten," Daniel says the name as if remembering something. "You must be . . . the nurse that Jack was telling me about."

"Y-You know Jack?" She asks. Daniel smiles in amusement.

"Yes . . . Unfortunately."

Kaara laughs lightly, causing Daniel to look at her curiously.

"He said I'd like your laugh," he says as his head cocks to one side. Kaara stops immediately as her cheeks color, looking to her white, scuffed tennis shoes.

"And I do," the archaeologist smiles widely, making Kaara do the same.

"You . . . You weren't at the funeral," she points out, chastising herself for sounding so accusatory.

"Yes," Daniel also looks to his military-issue boots. "I, uh . . . I've been away . . . on a dig in Egypt. I only just received news of his accident . . . It's very difficult to find a post office in the middle of the desert."

"I can only imagine," Kaara says shyly. "I, um, don't mean to be rude, but . . . You seem to be very at peace with his death."

The archaeologist smiles sadly, having to recall the lie that Jack and the others had made him memorize over and over. He wishes that their relationship did not have to begin like this, but maybe in time . . . he would be able to tell her more.

"Ernest was always very sick," he replies quietly, looking to his shoes. He was never good at lying, especially when looking someone in the eyes. "Ever since we were kids. The doctors were amazed he lived as long as he did. I'm just . . . happy he had longer than we expected."

Kaara smiles and nods, obviously approving of the answer. Daniel clears his throat, opening and closing his mouth several times before he is able to find the right words to say.

"So . . . Jack and some friends were going to take me out to dinner tonight . . . Um, would you . . . would you like to come?"

"Oh, I wouldn't want to impose . ." Kaara says with a shake of her head.

"Not at all! You . . . wouldn't be imposing at all," Daniel says quickly. "I just . . . Jack wanted us to get to know each other a little bit, I guess."

"Oh, he did, did he?" Kaara asks, suddenly becoming suspicious of this so-called 'dinner.' "Well, if that's the case . . . It would be a pleasure to join you. Do you happen to know the name of the place?"

"O'Malley's . . . but I'd be more than happy to pick you up . . . if you'd like," Daniel offers.

"That would be lovely," Kaara smiles, reaching into her purse and grabbing a small piece of paper and scribbling on it quickly. "Here's my address and my phone number."

Daniel takes the paper, and for a moment, they remain absolutely still, his fingers gently overlapping her own. Finally, he pulls the paper from her hand and clears his throat.

"Is around six alright?" He asks.

"Six is fine," she nods with a small smile.

Daniel slowly backs away, staring at her until he turns and walks towards the large, blue truck awaiting him on the other side of the cemetery. Leaning against the car, Kaara sees Jack, wearing sunglasses and holding an upside-down newspaper. She shakes her head with an amused grin and turns to walk towards her own car.

As Daniel reaches the truck, he finds Jack staring at him from over the tops of his sunglasses.

"Well?" The colonel inquires.

"Well what?" Daniel asks with a shrug.

"Is she coming or not?" Jack demands.

"Of course she's coming, Jack," Daniel says with a grin. "Why wouldn't she?"

"You were standing out there so long I thought you both already made plans to elope or something," Jack sneers, causing Daniel to roll his eyes.

"Oh, please, Jack. It's just dinner with some friends. What do you think is going to happen?"

Jack merely shrugs as a small smile appears on his lips.

"So, watching us amused you, then?" Daniel asks curiously, barely able to suppress the grin that breaks across his face.

"I wasn't watching you," Jack protests in an appalled tone. "How could you say such a thing?"

"I'm sorry, Jack," Daniel mockingly apologizes. "I just find it fascinating that you've learned to read newspapers upside-down."

Jack immediately looks down to find that his newspaper is, indeed, facing the wrong direction. With a scowl, he looks back to the grinning archaeologist.

"I'm practicing," he says with a shrug.

"Whatever you say, Jack," Daniel chuckles.

"Get in the car, Daniel," Jack demands, folding the paper roughly and stomping towards the driver's side of his truck.

Before he enters the vehicle, however, he stares at the young man. This one had been too close. If Jacob hadn't been able to make it with that healing device . . .

"Jack, you coming, or do I have to hotwire the truck and drive myself back to the base?" Daniel calls from inside, staring out at him from the driver's side window.

"Danny, you can barely work your coffee machine. What makes you think you can hotwire my truck?" Jack protests as he heavily seats himself inside and slams the door. The friendly banter continues until they reach the base, just as it should be now that everything is back to normal.

AN: Questions? Comments? Vague disregard for any or all words written and established in the mind of one who has no sanity?

Well, that's the end of part one. What did you think? Was it okay? Was it too simple? Was it a complete waste of your time? I certainly hope not . . . Well, if you did, in fact, enjoy it somewhat, feel free to move on to part two. A summary is on the first chapter, just so you don't start reading something you totally have no interest in reading. Later, Gators! Catch you on the flip side. :)