A/N: I now know that it takes only two words to make this shipper deliriously happy…

"Not exactly."

HA! How cool is that?

On a much more serious note, I also wanted to say a few words to anyone affected by the wrath of Hurricane Katrina. My heart, like so many others, goes out to the entire Gulf Coast. Please pray for the victims and give generously to the survivors.

Chapter 7

A sharp hiss of surprise whistled out of Daniel's suddenly-dry mouth. As the bitter taste of adrenalin swept through it, he swallowed reflexively.

Looking into his wife's eyes, he searched for some sign of recognition. After a few moments, however, it became clear she had no idea who he was. Pushing past a wave of overwhelming disappointment, he focused on alleviating the fear in her gaze. "What do you last remember?" he croaked, sounding somewhat faint.

"I was tending to the laundry," she said uncertainly. "Then, suddenly, there was a…" she paused, trying to find the right words, "…bright light. I felt a pain in my head." Wincing with the memory, she shivered slightly. "Then I opened my eyes to see you here." Sha're's eyes narrowed. "You have not answered me. Where is my father?"

Daniel let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding. His wife-

No, this wasn't his wife, was it?

Rapidly trying to assimilate all of his observations, he briefly pondered what he knew. This Sha're was certainly from an alternate timeline – Thor had explained as much when he'd outlined her condition to him earlier. She was the correct age for this timeline, though she'd never been infected with a Goa'uld symbiote. And, it was now clear that she didn't know him at all. Pushing back the heartache he felt, Daniel decided to explore her memories further. "Sha're, I will try to answer your questions, but I need some help from you, first." His words were somewhat choppy, both from his emotional state and from speaking in a language he'd not used in years. He was a linguist, certainly, but returning to a normal conversational flow was not immediately easy. "I need to hear more about the place where you came from."

Her dark eyes were beginning to take on a panicked glint. "Is my father dead?" she asked hoarsely. "Why else would you not tell me where he is?"

Daniel ran a hand through his already-tousled hair. How the hell was he going to explain this? "I…" He searched for something that would not be a lie. "I really don't know what happened to your father. But I promise I will explain everything to you, as soon as it starts making sense, okay?"

Sha're looked into Daniel's honest blue eyes and seemed to find something trustworthy there. With a slight nod, she appeared to calm slightly. "What do you want me to tell you?"

Daniel's head was spinning. "Tell me about Abydos," he said softly. The planet which had once been home to him was lost in this reality, making the task before him all the more difficult. Memories of all that the Goa'uld had taken from him were slowly beginning to creep from the safe, quiet place where they'd been long ago laid to rest. It was bittersweet and unexpected.

Reclining on the bed before him, Sha're processed his request for information silently, watching the emotions flicker over his expressive features. If she was surprised by his knowledge of her home world's name, she didn't show it. "It is a quiet place. We work in the mines, avoid the sandstorms, and try to satisfy our gods." She closed her eyes for a moment before examining Daniel warily. "Are you one of them?"

Surprised by the question, Daniel quickly shook his head. He'd forgotten how cowed the people of Abydos had been by the Goa'uld. "No! No, of course not." He timidly took one of her hands and squeezed it gently. "The 'gods' that you speak of…" He looked at her carefully, studying her features for signs of antagonism. Seeing none, he sincerely hoped she was not changed too dramatically from the strong, resilient woman he'd once known. "Sha're, those beings weren't gods. They were powerful, mortal creatures who had mastered very powerful technology, but they weren't all-powerful." Seeing disbelief in her eyes, but not hostility, he continued. "Those beings were cruel. I know that they enslaved your people and made your lives terrible. But, I assure you, they can't hurt you now. You are safe here."

She looked completely overwhelmed and a bit puzzled. "But… If you already know about my people, then why did you ask me to tell you of them?"

Daniel thought a moment before answering. He finally decided that the truth might be the best option. And he might as well tell her now, before some higher-up in the military decided that she didn't have the correct clearances to hear the whole story, or that the truth would compromise her timeline. Both possibilities might indeed be true. And he could not deny the possible ramifications that the truth might have on her dimension, should she ever return to it. But none of that changed his mind about what he must do, consequences be damned. She might not be his actual late wife, but she was the closest thing he was likely to ever meet again. He could never keep anything so important from her. Taking a deep breath, he plunged agead.

"Sha're, my people have some pretty powerful technology, too." He gazed intently into her eyes as he spoke. "During a recent test of that technology, we had a… well, a mishap. A transportation device that can reach through time and space seems to have pulled you from your home on Abydos and dropped you here."

Sha're's dark eyes were wide with incredulity. "You have such a power?" When he nodded, she drew a deep breath. "Then your people must truly rival the gods."

Squeezing her hand again, Daniel shook his head. "No, Sha're, we're human, just like you. We've just had a lot more time and freedom to learn things than your people have." He shrugged. "Anyway, we didn't invent the technology that brought you here. In truth, we hardly know how to use it. That's part of the reason why you're here."

Suddenly, Sha're's gaze sharpened. "How do you know who I am? You know of me and my people, and yet I've never met you."

Daniel's eyes dropped for a moment as he hid the flash of pain her words inflicted. When he looked back at her, he could see curiosity painted on her features. "Let me explain something first. Think of an important event in your life, one that had a strong impact on your future. Now imagine that this event never happened. Can you see how different your life might be?"

She nodded, clearly fascinated by his words.

"This might be hard to believe, but my people have come to understand something important about those possible futures. They all exist in an infinite number of alternate realities. Essentially, there are countless different lives that each of us might be living. And, with the right technology, we can actually visit those lives and see how things might be under a different set of circumstances. Do you understand?"

Intelligence flashed deep in her gaze as she nodded. "I understand, but it is hard to believe what you are saying. Seeing the results of choices you might have made… that is something I have often wished for, but certainly not something I dreamed could actually be possible."

Daniel felt his heart swell. This may not be the actual woman he'd fallen in love with on Abydos, but her spirit was the same. "Well, it is possible," he said somewhat tenderly, unable to keep all the emotions from his voice. "And this is how I know of you and your people." He took a deep breath, trying to quell the tide of heartache washing over him. "In my reality, I came to your world almost nine years ago with some friends of mine. We discovered the plight of your people and helped you free yourselves from slavery. Essentially, we became allies. In your reality, this never happened."

Sha're looked amazed. "In your reality, we are free? That is wonderful!" Seeing the undeniable sadness on his face, she looked confused. "Why does this not make you rejoice?"

He replied softly. "Because there was a cost to that freedom." Looking into her eyes, he tried to soften the blow of his next words. "The false gods killed many of your people. They would have slaughtered everyone left on Abydos, but a friend of mine helped prevent that."

"They were saved?" Sha're looked deeply concerned.

Daniel sighed. "They…" Hell, how could he possibly explain this? "They achieved a different kind of life. With the help of a very wise woman, your people left their bodies behind and learned to exist as pure energy. They are now able to be at peace, existing in a way that most ordinary people never could dream of."

Sha're's mouth had formed a silent "O" of amazement during Daniel's explanation. Suddenly, tears clouded her eyes. "In your reality, did my brother…?" She trailed off, choked with emotion.

Daniel gently caressed the back of her hand with his thumb. "Skaara ascended to become an energy being along with all the people left on Abydos."

Her eyes widened at his words. "He… he lived?"

Opening his mouth, Daniel again tried to explain himself, fearing she'd misunderstood him. "Um, well… when he ascended, he stopped 'living' in the sense that you and I think of it-"

Sha're interrupted him with a wave of her hand. Tears streaming down her face, she shook her head impatiently. "I understand that. It's just…" She swallowed a sob. "In my world, Skaara was killed in the mines almost ten years ago. There was a collapse. He tried to help the others out." Blinking tears out of her dark eyes, she smiled softly. "He was little more than a boy, but he died a hero."

Daniel absorbed this information mutely. The obvious differences between this Sha're's timeline and his own reality were truly startling. "I'm so sorry," he mumbled quietly. The entire situation was becoming rather surreal.

At that moment, something even more remarkable happened. Sha're, almost unconsciously, gently squeezed Daniel's hand in return, as if to comfort him. Jerking his eyes to meet hers, Daniel was startled to see compassion in her tearful gaze.

Seeming to understand the depth of his emotions, Sha're continued to look at the man before her. "What of me? How did I fare in your reality?"

Daniel drew a deep breath. "Not well." He stopped, unsure of how much to tell her.

She looked at him reassuringly. "Please, go on. I am not afraid to hear what you would say."

Looking into her face, Daniel was somewhat amazed to see a bold and resilient spirit lurking there. She was undoubtedly in great physical pain, and the emotional toll of his explanations could not be insignificant. Yet, she was able to bear the situation with grace and determination. Once again, he remembered why he'd fallen so deeply in love with her.

Pushing those emotions to the back of his heart, he tried to focus on the grim story she'd asked to hear. There would be time later for him to gather his thoughts in the privacy of his own quarters. Now, he needed to focus on the woman before him. "Then I first need to explain some things about the false gods who enslaved your people." When she nodded, he continued. "The creatures that you knew as gods were actually nothing more than parasites inhabiting a human body. In order to survive, those parasites, called Goa'uld, needed to reside inside a person. Unfortunately, because of their evil nature, the parasite completely dominated the host, making them prisoners in their own body."

Sha're indicated her understanding with a disturbed gaze and a slight nod.

Daniel forged ahead with his explanation, hoping to put this discussion behind him quickly. "In my reality, I'm afraid you were taken as a host by one of the Goa'uld. My friends and I were able to find you, but we were not able to save you." He shut his eyes against the horrible memories that flooded his vision. "You were killed in order to keep the Goa'uld within you from… well… killing me." He swallowed, unable to meet her gaze.

Sha're's voice floated gently into his ears. "Then I am glad. I would not want to live as a prisoner in my own body, especially if I was forced to witness my own hands killing a friend."

Hearing no judgment in her words, Daniel looked up. Her eyes were kind and understanding. Overcome by a torrent of indefinable emotions, he could only squeeze her hand in response.

Sha're witnessed the obvious grief in his eyes and tilted her head slightly. Her next words were laced with the same gentle compassion she'd just exhibited moments earlier. "Did we know each other well?"

Stiffening slightly, Daniel nodded slowly. Unable to lie to her, he spoke simply. "We were married."

Somehow, she didn't look startled by this pronouncement. "Then this must be very difficult for you. I am very sorry, Daniel."

He shook his head. "Don't be sorry, Sha're. It's a miracle I'm able to speak to you at all. In fact-" Suddenly, he stopped dead in the middle of his sentence. His heart began slamming in his ribcage faster than a jackrabbit with a fox on its heels. "Sha're," he breathed hoarsely, "How did you know that?"

She wrinkled her eyebrows, puzzled by his obvious shock. "Your emotions were very plain to see-" she began patiently.

Daniel cut her off. "Not that," he whispered. "How did you know my name?"

As the question hung on the air, Sha're's eyes widened in disbelief and astonishment. "Honestly," she said faintly, "I do not know." Looking into his bewildered gaze, she swallowed nervously. "But you needn't confirm it. My mind may not know who you are," she said slowly, "but my heart seems to find you entirely familiar." She gazed at him fondly for a moment before an odd shadow crossed her features.

Sensing that there was something amiss, Daniel leaned forward with concern. "Sha're? Is everything all right?"

At that moment, she answered his question without words by falling limply against her pillows, once again taken by unconsciousness.