The way to the briefing room was all too familiar to Sha're. She must have walked it hundreds of times since joining the SGC. As she and Kawalski were lead down the nondescript corridors, she felt her anxiety grow. The absence of Jake was setting her on edge. Since he had been born, he had never left her sight for more than a few minutes. Since his birth, she had been in no condition to go off-world, and to be honest she couldn't bare to be away from the infant. Irrationally, she was afraid that he would disappear if she turned her back on him.
She drew in deep breaths as she walked. She would be seeing Daniel again soon. Despite what she had assured Kawalski, she was not alright with seeing him again. The briefing room as just as it had always been, except the seats at the table were more filled than usual. All eyes were upon her and Kawalski as they walked in.
Sha're took her usual place beside Sam, with Kawalski on the other side of her.
She smiled at the blond.
"It is good to see you again, my friend," she said. "I cannot tell you how good."
Sam's eyes widened.
"Did something happen to me in your universe?" she asked.
Sha're nodded, thinking of the anguish on Jack's face as Sam had kissed him goodbye and walked bravely to her death to buy them a few more days.
"You died," Sha're said softly. She blinked back tears. "You died a hero, Sam."
"Uh… thanks, I guess," Sam said awkwardly.
Kawalski looked around the table.
"Well, some of you I recognize. Carter, Teal'c, Dr. Jackson. But the rest of you…"
"It seems introductions are in order," the General with the bushy eyebrows cut in. "My name is General Hank Landry, and I am in charge of Stargate Command. I have been for the past two years, after General O'Neill decided to manage things from Washington."
"Bet Jack loved that," Kawalski muttered.
The general ignored him. He indicated the tall, clean-cut man on his right.
"This is Colonel Cameron Mitchell, leader of SG1."
"And I'm Vala Mal Doran," said the black-haired woman beside Col. Mitchell. "Adventurer, explorer, all around fabulous person, who is currently lending her knowledge and experience to the SGC for the time being and for a reasonable fee."
It was an extraordinary speech, and Sha're felt inclined to laugh. She glanced at the woman, and was surprised to feel a sensation she had not felt in a long time. Could it be…?
"You were a host," she said slowly.
Vala's head shot up.
"How did you…? Oh. You too, eh? I can sense the naquedah in your blood." Vala looked at her with concentration. "In fact, I knew you were familiar. I'm sure I've seen you somewhere before." her eyes widened. "Amonet?"
Sha're nodded.
"You were host to Qetesh, if I remember rightly."
"They hated each other," Vala said.
Sha're gave a small smile.
"They were Gou'ld queens. Queens are rivals of one another for everything, and detest one another on principle."
The two women shared a sympathetic smile.
General Landry cleared his throat.
"If we could get on with it? We need to know why you came through that mirror. Major."
"Actually, it's Colonel now, sir," Kawalski said.
"I beg your pardon," Landry said, sounding a little impatient. "If you would, Colonel."
"Sorry, sir. My orders are clear. I'm to talk to General O'Neill himself, or no one."
"He should be arriving soon. In fact…"
A blue rush of light filled the room, and Jack appeared. He was cleaner than Sha're remembered, and the absence of a frown and three-day scruff made him seem younger than when Sha're had last seen him.
"….he should be arriving from the Daedelus any moment," Landry finished.
"Hey kids," Jack said. "What was so important that I had to call in sick to the President's lunch, and… holy Hannah!" he had caught sight of Kawalski.
"Good to see you again, Sir," Kawalski said, standing to shake hands with him. Jack's surprise mounted when he felt living flesh in his hand. It was almost as if he had expected Kawalski to be a hologram or apparition.
"You tested him?" Jack asked.
"They're human," Sam said. "And what's more, they match the DNA files on record. It's really them."
"Jack?" Sha're asked hesitantly, rsing from her seat.
Jack's eyes grew round.
"Holy Hannah," he repeated weakly.
"Jack," Sha're couldn't help herself. She walked to him, and hugged the surprised general.
"I don't understand," Jack said over her shoulder. "Are they from an alternate dimension or something?"
"Actually, that's exactly where they're from," Mitchell said. "At least, that's what they claim."
Sha're released Jack, realizing with an inner sigh that this version of him probably didn't consider himself a close personal friend of her's. With a jolt, she realized that he probably didn't even know her.
Kawalski took her arm and led her back to her seat.
"Anyone want to tell me what's going on?" Jack asked, throwing himself into one of the chairs.
"Why don't we start with what's different about your universe?" Sam suggested. "That way, we can figure out why you two are still alive here."
"What is it you would like it know?" Sha're asked. "There is so much to tell I do not even know where to begin."
"We'll, for starters, looks like we're dead here," Kawalski said, a little sarcastically.
Sha're gave him a reproachful glance. Sarcasm was Kawalski's fall-back.
"When did you join the Stargate program?" Daniel asked, speaking for the first time since Sha're had entered the room.
Sha're, who up until this point had been avoiding his gaze, looking at him at last. Their eyes met, and the same spark that had once been between them showed itself again. Sha're felt her cheeks grow warm, and looked away.
"I joined seven years ago, to search for my husband… you," Sha're replied. "We were married for a year, and lived on my home planet of Abydos."
"That happened here too," Daniel said. Sha're glanced up, and saw that his eyes were still on her.
"After a year, we reopened the Chapaii – "
"The what?" Mitchell interrupted.
"Stargate," Teal'c intoned.
Sha're winced and felt a stab of embarrassment. She hadn't called it a chapaii in years, but being near Daniel, and speaking of Abydos had caused her to revert.
"We reopened it," she forged on, "and Jack came through, bringing Kawalski and Sam. But Apophis also came through. He took Daniel, and Skaara my brother, and myself as his prisoners, to choose hosts for his family. I was chosen by his queen, Amonet." A shadow passed over Sha're face as she remembered the horrors she had been forced to participate in.
"So far, the same," Sam said.
"For Klorel his son, Apophis chose…"
"Skaara," Teal'c said, his face as impassive as ever.
Sha're was startled.
"He chose Skaara here?" she asked.
"Who did he choose in your universe?" Daniel asked.
Sha're looked at him, and a wave of sadness passed over her.
"You," she said.
Daniel raised his eyebrow.
"Me? That's a big change!"
"Yes," said Sha're.
"We managed to get Skaara out," Kawalski continued, placing a comforting hand on Sha're's. "He joined the SCG on Jack's recommendation, and helped us search for Sha're. Three years later we found her."
Sha're smiled at Kawalski. She was thankful for what he was trying to do by allowing her to collect herself. But this was her story to tell.
"They brought Amunet before the Tokra, who extracted her, leaving only me. Sam took me in," Sha're gave Sam a thankful look. "Skaara and I talked of getting our own house, continuing to look for Dan'iel. Being a family again. But I was…"
Kawalski took her hand again and squeezed it.
"You're too hard on yourself, Sweetheart. You were going through post traumatic stress. You had been held captive against your will for three years. You needed time."
"But before I could get that time, Skaara died," Sha're said. Tears pooled in her eyes. Impatiently, she wiped one away as it streaked down her cheek. "He died a warrior, protecting the Tauri. There is no greater honour than to protect your family, he said. His death… shattered me."
"Sha're was very strong," Kawalski insisted. "She took it hard, but after that there was no stopping her. She started hanging around Doc Fraiser, and learning everything she could about medicine, and figuring out stuff like never before."
"I had lost my brother. I would not also lose my husband," Sha're said firmly. "I joined SG1 to help look for him. I was on it from then until a few months ago."
"What happened a few months ago?" Jack asked.
"Klorel came after us," Kawalski said.
"Klorel? Why Klorel?" Vala asked, playing with the end of one of her pigtails.
"He had a personal vendetta against Sha're, for one. You tend to make enemies when you kill close family relatives."
"Apophis," Sha're clarified.
"You killed Apophis?" Teal'c said.
Sha're gave a short laugh.
"I did."
"Good," the large Jaffa said, leaning back in his chair with a satisfied look.
A triumphant gleam came into Sha're's eye.
"For everything he had done to me, for enslaving me and bringing such misery, I executed justice," she said. She sat straight and tall in her chair, and held her head high. There was no doubt in the room that Sha're was a princess among her people.
"Yeah. But with Apophis dead, Klorel started picking up the pieces. For years we heard rumours of Klorel consolidating his power base. We attempted to thwart him, but eventually he managed to bring his father's armies and planets together. And then he came after Earth," Kawalski said.
"He came after me," Sha're said quietly. "I told you his host was my husband. The symbiote retains the knowledge of the host, so Klorel knew of Dan'iel's… feelings for me. Coupled with the fact that I had killed his father, and the trouble the Tauri had caused him, it was natural."
Kawalski sighed.
"We knew it was coming. Sam had been working for months on the planetary shield, and at first it seemed to work."
Sam looked interested.
"A planetary shield? They've been working on that idea for years down at Area 51. It's a good idea, but we could never get it to work."
"You work best under pressure, Sam," Sha're said wryly. "And you had Rodney McKay to help you. An annoying little man, but together you came up with the shield. Fifteen satellites in orbit, casting a shield over the planet."
"We thought of that," Sam said. "But then if you knock out a satellite, the shield is finished. It's a weak spot."
Sha're nodded.
"That frustrated you for weeks. Then you realized the simple solution: keep the satellites moving, and cloak them. Using a reverse-engineered ancient cloaking device, you hid each satellite, and caused them to move to a different location around the planet every hour."
"What about the joints?" Sam cut in. "What about the places where one satellite's shield ended? It would be a weak point and easy to target."
"You thought about that too. Each one had a overlap of a mile. That made the places where they joined doubly as thick, instead of a weak spot."
Sam looked thoughtful.
"That could work," she said. She turned to General Landry. "Sir, we could adapt those ideas to make a shield here."
"We can play with your toys later, Carter," Jack said. "About the attack…?"
Kawalski cleared his throat.
"It started maybe six months ago. Only a little while after Sha're escaped from him."
"You were his prisoner?" Daniel asked. His blue eyes were full of compassion and understanding. Sha're felt butterflies in her stomach.
"Sha're was captured and interrogated. Klorel wanted to know about the shield."
"I told him nothing," Sha're said fiercely. "But it did not matter. He guessed enough."
"We mounted a rescue of Sha're, but three months later the attack began. We could hold him off, but not for long. The shield wasn't designed to hold up to a constant barrage. A week ago he broke through our defenses, and started attacking cities. It took him a while to figure out where the SCG was hidden, but he did eventually."
"We were getting as many people as we could through to the Alpha site. Jack wanted me to go, but I refused," Sha're said softly. "Two days ago, they found us. Jack told me to pack what I needed, and get out. The Stargate was already shut down: there was no more power. He said there was another way, to go through the mirror."
"General O'Neill sent me with her," Kawalski said. "To protect her against anything."
Sha're gave Kawalski a warm smile.
"Jack wouldn't come," Sha're bit her lip to hold back tears yet again. "He said a general always goes down with the ship… or something like that."
"So we got out. And we ended up at Groom Lake, right where you found us."
"How do we know you're the real deal?" Jack asked. "I mean, no offense, but we've had our share of weird stuff here, and aliens who take on the forms of people we once knew is not the weirdest."
Kawalski smirked.
"Never lose your touch, do ya Jack? Well? What can we offer you?"
Sha're pulled out the letter Jack had given her right before she stepped through the mirror out of her pocket.
"I have this," she said. "Jack knew you would ask those questions. They are the same ones he would ask. So he gave me this." she passed it to him.
Jack took the letter and glanced over the envelope
"Well it's in my handwriting," he said. He slipped the letter out of the envelope, and began to read.
"Jack.
I know right now you're trying to guess if Kawalski and Sha're are for real.. If I know you, and trust me I do, you're thinking that they're alien invaders, or body snatchers or something. But they're not. You're wondering how you can trust them. Well, I've trusted both of them with my life more than once. Kawalski's a great guy, even if he does break the rules once in a while (and hey, who hasn't?) and Sha're's an amazing woman who has saved my life more times than I care to count. She's been through hell and back, and Klorel going after her doesn't help. I would rather die than see her in his power again, which is why I sent her through the mirror. I planned to send her to the Alpha site, but she insisted on staying and helping heal the wounded. There's no power left for the Stargate now, so my only option is the Quantum Mirror. Hey, follow your own advice and do everything you can to help them.
Kawalski, your orders remain the same. Remember, you got them first, and they come above everything else.
Sha're, Sweetheart, have a good life. I hope you find Daniel. You deserve a little happiness. And make sure you take care of Jake for me. And get him a dog. Every Earth kid needs a dog.
General Jack O'Neill"
Jack stopped reading, and put the letter down.
"Well, there you have it," he said.
"Is this credible?" Mitchell asked.
"It's me," Jack replied. "I wrote this. It's my handwriting."
"The last time we got a letter in your handwriting, we ignored it at our peril," Daniel pointed out. "I think we should believe them."
"So do I," Sam said. "And if they're right about the planetary shield, this could be our way of defending ourselves against an Ori attack."
Landry had been watching them the whole time, a thoughtful expression on his face.
"I agree. I'm going to recommend refugee status," he said. "You are welcome to stay here for as long as you choose."
"That may be a while," Sha're said. "I very much doubt there is much left of our universe now."
Author's Note: No, I have not forgotten this story. I know it seemed like it. It's been literally months since I last updated. Which is totally insane. But I have a policy now to finish all my stories before I start anything new, so I'm going one by one and finishing them, and now it's this one's turn. Actually, the background for this story got so intense that I'm thinking of writing a prequel. After I'm finished this of course.
So I saw Continuum. After all that fuss about Jack being in it, he was hardly there! And what do you mean no Jack/Sam scenes!! After all that waiting! I liked it, but it played a little bit like a Mobeus rerun. I mean they've done a time travel story where the world gets changed and they need to fix it already, and it was called the season 8 finale. Granted, that's one of my favorite episodes of all time, but still. And seriously, Baal needs to die. Forever. He is so overdone. But other than that… I liked it. It's always nice to see my favorite characters again, especially since Sam left Atlantis (sadness).
