Sam opened her eyes, feeling the immense relaxation that came from meditation. She savored it a moment attempting get up. The effort was backbreaking. At least that was how it felt to her.

In the three months she'd been on Kheb, several things had happened. Most important, she'd felt such a complete peace of mind that hadn't been there in what felt like ages. Still, she wasn't devoted entirely to enlightenment and didn't know if she ever could or would. Physically, her stomach had swelled. She thought that it was a little large but knew that everyone was different when it came to pregnancy. Both her back and her ankles began to pain her, so she couldn't do as much to help Raevyn and Shoshanah work on the temple.

She began to feel so much better that she would have considered going directly back to Earth if it hadn't been for the lack of a GDO. And she wasn't eager to go running to one of Earth's allies in order to go home. Besides, she had a promise to keep.

Before she could get too far in her attempt to stand, everything around her began to change and she ended up in the 'gateroom with Daniel and someone she recognized as Oma Desala, with Daniel looking just as confused as she felt.

- oOoOoOo -

Mark jumped into Sam's car as fast as possible. George had just called saying there was an emergancy at the SGC that he may want to come for. He immediatly thought something happened to Sam, and thus sped the whole way up the mountain. Mind bent only on reaching the mountain, he failed to notice any laws he may be breaking.

George had refuted his request for guest quarters, but allowed him to use Sam's house for the time being. Jack gave him his spare key and Mark made himself at home. The only things he kept away from were Sam's room, except to clean up and organize for her return, and her Harley, which he didn't touch at all.

After awhile, he'd discovered a second guest room. An idea formed and, after he asked Sam's teammates for help, began work on the baby's room. It was almost finished. Mark had been working on it when he got the call.

He effortlesly passed through security and headed for the commissary. That's where George had said SG-1 would be. If the SFs and other occupants of the mountain wondered about a civilian running in the halls, they were good at hiding it. Not that Mark cared enough to pay attention. When he entered the commissary, his heart sank even as brief surprise flared inside.

There were four people he recognized instantly, none of which were Daniel. One was his dad, wearing very weird clothing he supposed was appropriate for Tok'ra. The other was a younger man, high in rank but not Tok'ra, if the clothes were anything to go by. The other two were naturally Jack and Teal'c.

Jack and Teal'c were the first to see him since they faced the door. "What're you doing here?" Jack asked. Mark thought he sounded almost like he was grieving. With growing dismay, he saw the normally stoic Teal'c looking very similar.

"George called me. What happened? Where's Daniel?" Mark flinched when his father turned so fast it was amazing he didn't get whiplash.

"Mark?" he asked. "Why are you here? How did you even get clearance this high?"

"It's not important," Jack said gruffly. To Mark he explained, "We were offworld and Daniel somehow stopped the place from blowing while simultaniously getting a motherload of radiation poisoning in the process."

"He's dying?" Mark croaked, disbelieving.

"He's not gone. He'll find away to come back. Our team always does," Jack stated firmly. Mark didn't think his aged friend could let himself believe otherwise. Daniel had told him that when he first met Jack, the older man was suicidal. Mark didn't ask why and Daniel didn't tell him. Jack glared at the younger man out of the corner of his eye while still somehow managing to look at Jacob. "In fact, that's why good ol' Jacob and Selmak are here."

It took Mark a moment to realize who Selmak was. But before he could say anything, the younger man said, "I understand what you're implying, Colonel, but I've done my best to make amends, including commiting high treason against my people."

"Hey, I'm not faulting you for cowardice. As for the treason part, it won't undo what you did to Daniel, so I'm just gonna have to tell ya it's too bad."

"Can I-can I go and see him?" Mark asked, awkwardly interupting.

"Mark," Jacob said, his voice strained. "He's almost too far gone. There's nothing you can do or say to change that."

Mark crossed his arms stubbornly and glared at his father. He felt like he owed or, strangely enough, would owe Daniel something.

"I believe Mark Carter and Jonas Quinn could watch from the observation room," Teal'c put in, his expression just a little too guarded. Mark wondered if anyone else caught it.

Jack nodded as Janet strode over looking exhausted and grief-stricken. "He's ready."

As one, Jack, Teal'c, and Jacob stood up and followed the small doctor out. Mark and Jonas followed uncertainly. When they arrived at an isolation room, Mark and Jonas went in one door while the others took the second. The two ascended the stairs and Mark's fists clenched in surprise when he saw Daniel. He was reminded of an Egyptian mummy.

Inside, Jacob approached Daniel. The others were hovering behind, expressions now filled with cautious hope. He held a strange, curry-comb like device over Daniel, which activated and cast an orange glow over the white wraps.

His father hesitated and the glow faded away. "His condition is grave. I do not know if I can save him. And even if I can, I do not believe I can restore his full healthy state," his dad said. Or rather, Selmak. Mark didn't like the vocal change.

"Do it," Jack encouraged.

Selmak nodded and continued.

- oOoOoOo -

Sam blinked in surprise, first at Daniel then at Oma. "What's going on?" she asked.

Daniel, still looking confused at her sudden appearance, closed the gap between them and embraced her. "How?" He directed the quesiton at Oma.

"You have one final burden that must be laid to rest," she responded vaguely.

Daniel apparently understood. "Sam," he paused, struggling for the right words. Finally he said, "I'm sorry."

"For what?" Sam was genuinely puzzled. He didn't need to apologize that she was aware of. None of her team did, really.

"I just . . . feel like there was more I could have done-should have done to get you to stay."

"No. I know I was pretty unreasonable. There was nothing anyone could have done. I already had it planned out. Mark's coming was just a catalyst."

"Because of what he said."

"He told you?"

"Yeah. He was pretty upset by it, too."

"Daniel," warned Oma gently.

"I know."

"Know what?" Sam demanded.

Daniel sighed. "I'm dying. Radiation poisoning. Oma's helping me ascend. Jacob's trying to heal me. I'll be right back." He disappeared and suddenly reappeared, the colonel standing several feet away.

He ignored Sam, who looked torn between tears and shock. "Daniel?"

"Yeah?"

"Did you want something?"

"Yeah. Tell Jacob to stop."

"Why?"

"Because I'm ready to move on." They turned to Sam when she gave a strangled sob.

"I'm sorry," she said hastily and tried to wipe the streaming tears off her face.

Jack made no move to comfort her. Instead, Oma approached her and began talking quietly.

"So you're just giving up?" Jack said.

"No. No, I'm not giving up. Believe me." They watched as Oma backed away from Sam and became a glowing white being. She flew through the inactive 'gate and left an active wormhole in her wake. "You remember Oma?"

"Sure. And strangely enough, Carter, too."

Daniel decidedly ignored the comment about Sam. "I think I can do more this way. It's what I want. I have to go now. Everything's gonna be fine. Please, Jack. Tell Jacob to stop."

- oOoOoOo -

"Jacob. Stop." It was so quiet they could barely hear it in the observation room. Mark thought he must have misheard until he heard his father's responnse.

"Are you serious?"

"It's what he wants." How could he know? Mark thought furiously. It's not like Daniel sat up in bed and said, "Let me die. Stop my only chance."

"Does someone else wanna tell me what to do?" Jacob asked, still unsure.

"Just let him go."

Jacob stopped and Daniel's EKG flatlined. "No!" hissed Mark. Jonas winced beside him.

"Colonel?!" Janet cried, moving to help Daniel. Before she got too far, Daniel's body began to glow. Mark gasped in amazement as "Daniel" started to rise. The glowy thing stopped at the ceiling.

- oOoOoOo -

"I'm gonna miss you guys," Daniel said quietly. Sam came over and hugged him tightly. She backed towards the Jack, biting her lip.

"Yeah, you too," Jack responded.

"Thank you both, for everything."

Sam nodded, still biting her lip. Daniel knew she was trying to stop another sob from escaping. Jack nodded, for once out of quips and comments. "Yeah," was all he said.

Daniel walked up the ramp. With one last look at his friends, he turned and walked through the 'gate.

- oOoOoOo -

"Daniel" rose and disappeared into the ceiling. A sideways glance told him Jonas was just as amazed as he was.

"I'm sorry," Jonas seemed to shake himself out of a trance. He left the observation room.

Mark, too, left but went into the isolation room instead. "Wha—? What was that?" he whispered, just loud enough for the others to hear him. Teal'c and Jacob were looking at Daniel's bed in a sort of reverence. Janet looked crushed. Only Jack and George's faces remained even close to semi-expressionless.

"Not here," Jacob said, touching Mark's shoulder and leading him outside. The others followed.

Janet was the first to speak. "Sirs, with permission, I'm just going to—"

"Go ahead, Doc," Jack said. Neither George or Jacob bothered to take the order back. "Where'd Jonas go?"

"He just left after Daniel . . ." Mark had no idea what Daniel did.

"Ascended," said Teal'c.

"Yeah," Mark agreed. "After he ascended."

"I saw Carter," Jack announced unexpectedly.

"What?!" Jacob exclaimed. "Where? How?"

Jack coughed and gestured that they get out of the hall. George told them that they would talk in his office.

"Colonel," he said expectantly once he was seated behind his desk.

"I don't know how to describe it. This was Daniel's area of expretise. One second I was in the iso room, the next Daniel, Carter, Oma Desala, and I were in the 'gateroom. Well, not that one. Like I said, this isn't my area."

"Are you telling me my Sammy's another Ancient?" Jacob demanded.

"No," Jack said slowly. "I don't think she was. She was too upset. You think she'd be happy if she really was ascended too. That and she was pretty obviously . . . going to have a baby."

"So she was fine," George said, the question of confirmation hanging between them.

"Other than the fact she was pretty upset, yeah. Oma didn't seem too worried about her. She talked to her a little but I don't think it helped much."

"That's more than I've found," Jacob admitted. "Until now, it was like she disappeared entirely. She could of ascended and we'd've been none the wiser."

"Alright. Jacob, you're welcome to have an extended stay if the Tok'ra High Council lets you. SG-1, go home. Take a week off. You won't be able to go on any missions until you can find a replacement anyway."

Mark saw mutiny on Jack's face, but the older man wisely kept his mouth shut.

About an hour later, Jacob was back on the Tok'ra home world (his request to stay with his son for a couple days was denied), and the remaining half of SG-1 plus Mark left the SGC.


Back on Kheb, Sam awoke to find herself lying on a bed with a cool cloth being pressed to her forehead, but it meant nothing to her. Numb with grief at the knowledge Daniel was gone for real, she turned on her side and wept.


Sorry this chapter was shorter. Inspiration for it was running out. Good news is I have the end in sight but I'll keep my mouth shut so there won't be any misinformation.

Oh, and any vagueness in this chapter was intended. Most of it was due to a certain muse not helping enough, the rest was me just having an off day.