Hi everyone that is still reading this... dreadfully sorry that I epically failed at updating. Authors who don't update frequently annoy me but I do the same thing... Anyone heard of NaNoWriMo? Yeah, don't do it or you will have no life. ;) Actually if was fun, but that is my excuse for not updating. That, and life. Anyway, here you are. =D

Their joyous reunion was cut off as the cruel man brought his whip down as hard as he could seemingly manage on her fathers back.

"Daddy!" Kayla screamed as he slumped down. She ran forward and pushed the slave driver away.

"I'm okay." Her father smiled up at her, even though she knew he was in unbearable pain.

Kayla bent down on her legs staring at her father, "It's been so long… we thought, we thought you were dead. Mom… she was a mess." Kaylee blinked and looked away, willing herself not to cry. She was stronger than that. Crying was below her. She didn't need tears. She just needed her long lost father.

"I've missed you so much, Kaylee." Without another word, father and daughter were lost in an embrace, after years of separation.

"He's old and decrepit." The slave driver rolled his eyes, "For a fair price, you can have him." Then he walked away.

Kaylee stared after him but then, deciding that ignoring him was best, turned back to her father. "I… you have to come home."

"It's been so long, if I leave here… I don't think I can." He finished.

"But daddy-"

"Jackson!"

Kaylee stood straight up and at attention to her commanding officer.

"What are you doing?" Sam questioned, trying to be demanding but he looked more questioning.

"Sir... this is..." She swallowed the lump that seemed to rise in her throat. "This is my father. My mom told me he died when I was nine. No one knew he survived." She tried to keep her voice as even as she could but was having trouble. She remembered all the times he had taken her places when she was little. He took her to museums and showed her all of the history. Sure, mom taught her many tricks, even though dad discouraged it, but her dad had an awe of history and she loved it when he would teach her things.

On her eighth birthday he had given her a book of myths, telling her not all of them were myths. At the time, she hadn't understood what he meant. Now she does, but it doesn't change the fact that she had spent hours reading the book. After her his supposed death, she had taken the book and given it up to buried in his empty grave. They had wanted something to put under the gravestone, but her mother couldn't even bear to think about it. Without a word, Kaylee had handed the book over. Now she wished she hadn't.

Sam squinted at her father, trying to process his face of recognize him. Suddenly his eyes widened and Kaylee knew it had registered inside him. "Dr. Daniel Jackson."
Kaylee turned and watched as her father nodded. She leaned down and tried to help him up.
He refused her help and whispered in her ear, "If they know I'm okay we won't have the chance to talk."

She smiled in response. Her mother had rubbed off on him.

"What do we do?" Kaylee questioned, looking up at Sam. She asked the question as a friend and not as a military official. She wanted to know what his plan was, not what he was going to order her to do.

"We take him home. We're here to save the slaved, right? It's time we did something. Come on." Sam said, indicating their conversation was over and it was time to take their concerns higher up.

Before Kaylee could leave, she once more threw her arms around her father. "Daddy, I missed you so much. I love you." She whispered, letting one single tear fall down her face. Before Sam or him could see, she wiped it away and replaced it with a smile. "We'll get you home. Mom will be thrilled to see you."

As she walked away she knew they had to do something, because now they had a case. Now they had proof that this slavery had ruined a nine-year-old's life. It was her life that had been ruined. She was that nine-year-old, and Kaylee wasn't about to let that go.

Even though I was a terribly author and didn't update for a long time... will you review? I'll even take character suggestions, because I think Kaylee needs to befriend a slave as well, but I'm not sure... hmm... anyway, I'd love a review if you could spare the time.

Oh, and has anyone read the Hunger Games? I read the first book and it was great. I can hardly wait for the second, but Im told the ending to the series is not satisfactory... -sigh-... I can think of something else like that... (...reason for writing this fanfiction...) oh well, that's what fanfiction is for, right? Anyway, I might consider writing a Hunger Games fanfic... hmmmmm. thanks all!

DeborahSloane