A/N I've decided that real life intrudes upon my fanfiction habit far too much. If only I didn't have to worry about those pesky details like, oh, the mortgage and health insurance… sigh Anyway, I apologize for the delay. Hope I haven't lost any of you!

Chapter 6

"No." Sam's clear blue eyes blazed with more fury than a Naquadria-enhanced nuclear explosion. "Jack, I don't care if going to that planet will unlock all the mysteries of the universe. The only way you're setting foot on P3X-812 again is over my dead body."

For his part, Jack didn't look very surprised by the vehemence of her response. After leaving Daniel's room that afternoon, he'd tried to come up with a diplomatic way of posing the subject to his wife. However, since diplomacy wasn't really one of his strengths, he'd instead gone for the direct approach, explaining the situation with a few simple sentences once the babies had gone to sleep.

Apparently, the direct approach wasn't a good choice.

Trying not to smirk, Jack absorbed her last few statements with typical O'Neill humor. "You'd forgo all the mysteries of the universe just for me? Really?"

Sam didn't look amused. Ignoring him completely, she continued her tirade. "I don't even understand why you're considering it. There's no reason to think that Sha're won't wake up in a few days, as healthy as she ever was. After all, neither you nor Daniel had any lasting effects from your experiences with that damn thing." She shuddered and closed her eyes. "Which is more than I can say for myself. I will never be the same as I was before you set foot on that planet."

Jack sighed. Tugging her up against his chest, he leaned down and softly kissed the top of her head. "I know, Sam. And I'd take it all back in a heartbeat if I could." Pulling away, he reached down and gently tilted her face up to his. Once she was looking into his dark brown eyes, he continued. "But there's just something about this whole situation that's bugging the hell out of me. I can't tell you why. I just have a weird feeling that when Sha're wakes up, she's gonna need more help than we can give her right now."

Sam blinked. Her husband's heartfelt words were incredibly surprising. Jack O'Neill was, by far, one of the least "touchy-feely" people she'd ever met – which was an impressive label, considering her vast experience with the rather unemotional Tok'ra and Asgard. If he was having a "feeling" about something, it was probably important. She raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure it's not gas?"

Jack chuckled. "Ah, Sam, you really do know me better than anyone else in the universe." Then, growing serious, he met her eyes again. "Not this time. Something strange is going on. I wish I could explain how I know that, but I can't."

Sam seemed to deflate in front of him. Wearily, she raised a hand to her forehead and gently rubbed the spot just above the bridge of her nose in a gesture of sheer exhaustion. "Damn," she muttered. When she looked back at her husband, her gaze was tormented. "I just don't know. I'm not sure I can live through that again."

He took her hand in his and brought it to his lips, gently brushing a kiss along her knuckles. "You won't have to. Now that I know how powerful that thing is, I'll be more careful than I was the last time I was there." Seeing her eyes darken at the mention of that encounter, he rushed on. "Sam, I wouldn't put you through this if it wasn't so damn important."

Suddenly, a light of understanding flickered in Sam's eyes. "You're doing this for Daniel," she said softly. The certainly in her voice made it clear that her words were not a question, but a statement of fact.

He nodded. "Daniel took care of you when I wasn't around. I might not be the brightest person on the planet, but I know he'd have stood by you and the twins for the long haul, even if I'd never come back." He shrugged, somewhat uncomfortable by the sentiment in his words. "He needs me to do this. I'll go with whatever you decide, Sam. But I won't feel good about telling him 'no' if it comes down to that."

Sam felt her eyes fill with tears. Leave it to her husband to get to the simple truth of a situation. "I hate it when you're right," she said thickly, swiping the moisture from her cheeks. The steadfast support Daniel had given her after Jack's presumed death was merely one example of their friend's fierce loyalty and selflessness. Still, Sam wasn't without reservations. "Jack, can we at least wait until she wakes up before you go? I know you're convinced there are going to be problems, but we won't know that for sure until she regains consciousness."

Jack paused, absorbing her question. "What if she doesn't wake up?"

Sighing, Sam shrugged. "I'm sure we'll know more in a week or two. If her progress mirrors Daniel's, we should see some change in her brainwaves within a few days."

Jack nodded. "Okay. I think we can all live with that. In any event, it's gonna take some time to get everything ready for the mission." He looked intensely into her worried blue eyes. "Sam, I really will be careful."

Her response was to wrap her arms around his chest and hug him fiercely. "You'd better be," she whispered vehemently. "I'm not the only one who depends on you these days."

Thinking about the two tiny bundles sleeping in the nursery, Jack couldn't suppress an affectionate smile. "Speaking of which," he murmured warmly, "how long do you think we've got before Janelle wakes up?"

Sam smiled into his chest, clearly understanding where his train of thought was heading. "At least three hours… maybe four if we really get lucky."

Jack's smile turned devilish as he drew back and looked into his wife's eyes. "Well, I don't know about you," he said with a twinkle in his gaze, "but I think it's well past time that we really got lucky."

Laughing in spite of her fears, Sam allowed herself to be swept into her husband's embrace. "Amen to that," she murmured.

Resting his head on his arms, Daniel allowed himself the luxury of closing his eyes for a moment. Though still anxious over Sha're's condition, he was beginning to lose the overwhelming fear that she was going to disappear at any moment.

Daniel let his eyes drift shut as he silently reveled in her presence beside him. The steady, comforting beep of the cardiac monitor softly echoed in the small chamber, reassuring him that she was very much alive. The slightly scratchy hospital sheets against his cheek were warm with the heat from her body, frail and unmoving as it was. And, somewhere beneath the sterile antiseptic smell of the infirmary, the unique and familiar scent of his wife slipped warmly back into his heart. Despite his aching muscles and sheer exhaustion, Daniel didn't think he'd felt so content in years.

In his mind's eye, he saw her again as she'd been when they'd first met – terrified of what she'd been sent to do, yet bravely accepting her duty without backing down. He wondered for perhaps the zillionth time in his life how, exactly, he'd ever been lucky enough to stumble into such an amazingly fortunate set of circumstances and such a treasure of a woman. He knew, without a doubt, that were it not for Sha're's grit and intelligence, none of them would have made it back from Abydos alive. All the incredible discoveries of the last nine years would have been just another unrealized dimension in the quantum mirror without her. She'd led him to the vault containing the Abydos point-of-origin symbol, even though she'd known the written characters were completely illegal, thus setting into motion a chain of events that ended in this very moment.

Looking back on those perfect first moments together, Daniel smiled faintly. No doubt in his mind, he'd won the lottery with that trip. He'd gone from a laughingstock, out-of-work archaeological geek tormented by hay fever and self-doubt to a larger-than-life hero of his true love's civilization in a matter of days. Staying with her while Jack and the others returned to Earth had really been a no-brainer.

Their time together had been magical. She was bright, compassionate, and… well, hot. They'd been madly in love, content to spend their days together tending to the needs of her people and their nights in each other's arms. Those brief, happy moments were by far the pinnacle of his entire life.

Losing her had nearly killed him.

He'd dedicated his entire self to saving her from the clutches of the goa'uld tyrants who'd enslaved her during those early years with the SGC. He'd tried so hard… and, ultimately, he'd failed. Watching her slip away had smothered something deep and precious within him. In recovering from that loss, he'd really become a whole different person.

Life could never hold the same personal satisfaction as it had during his time with her on Abydos. So, lacking that motivation, he found himself dedicating himself to more selfless causes. Enlightenment, compassion, and universal balance became more than just a few fancy words used by philosophers. Without his beautiful Sha're, those powerful concepts became his True North, guiding him down a path that most mortals in this galaxy had little or no concept of.

Of course, ascension hadn't worked out so well. Strangely enough, while he'd been focused on the lofty, "big picture," a few small but vital details had become imprinted in his heart. Friendship, like a tenacious vine, had slithered into his motivations and taken strong root. When the moment came, he couldn't turn his back on his world… on his friends.

And so he'd returned.

Since those curiously mystical events had unfolded, he'd found himself easily lulled back into the regular rhythms of daily life. Sam's unexpected pregnancy had certainly thrown them all for a rollercoaster ride, as had Jack's untimely "death." But, like all things in the universe, balance had eventually returned. And with that balance had come a new era of contentment for his dearest companions. It was truly idyllic, and he was heartened by their obvious love for each other.

Still, somewhere in the back of his head, he'd been unable to squelch one tiny sliver of envy. There couldn't possibly be two people on Earth who deserved happiness more than Sam and Jack and he reveled in their joy. But, at the same time, he couldn't help being reminded of the perfect love he'd lost each time he saw his two friends sharing a private moment. He was unquestionably happy for them, but also unquestionably melancholy for himself. It was bittersweet.

All of this, of course, brought him back to the present moment. Sha're, here in this room, was something beyond anyone's comprehension. How she'd gotten here was a mystery, as was her long-term prognosis. But, somehow, Daniel couldn't quite believe that Fate would send her back into his life, only to have her waste away before ever reopening her beautiful, shining eyes.

As that thought occurred to him, Daniel found himself reflexively opening his own eyes in order to gaze upon her face. Her pale skin was starting to regain some color, he thought absently. Perhaps it was a good sign. Maybe she was on the road to–

Suddenly, Daniel felt his heart seize in his chest. Jerking his head off the mattress, he examined her delicate features intently.

Movement. He'd seen movement, he was sure of it.

Sure enough, after the briefest of moments, her impossibly long lashes fluttered away from the alabaster cheeks upon which they'd been resting. Dark eyes unfocused and sleepy, it was clear she was not quite aware of her surroundings yet.

"Sha're?" Daniel's voice was barely a whisper. Breathless with nerves and completely unsure of himself, he gently took one of her cool hands in his own.

As the world began to right itself, a series of quick, violent emotions passed over her face. Confusion, then fear, then wariness flashed through her dark eyes in rapid succession. Finally settling on Daniel's face, Sha're's gaze was guarded and cautious. When she finally found her voice, it was gravelly from disuse. Her words, however, spoken in the familiar Ancient Egyptian dialect that Daniel had spoken while on Abydos, contained the quiet, brave strength he'd always associated with her.

"Where am I? Where is my father?"

Pondering her questions, Daniel mutely settled back in his chair and wondered exactly how to answer her. However, before he had a chance to formulate a response, she asked another simple question that stopped him dead in his tracks.

"And who, exactly, are you?"