A/N: Takes place at the beginning of Season 7. This is one year later on purpose. Mainly because it was the easiest way for me to end this. Yes, everyone, this is the last chapter. I thought it'd be nice to finally have a super long chapter since it's been a really long time since I last updated and to celebrate the end. Little bit AU. Enjoy!
"And what of Daniel Jackson?" Teal'c asked.
"Ah, I'm not sure I did a very good job of convincing him," Jack said. First Carter, now Daniel . . . again. He briefly closed his eyes, supressing a groan of self exasperation. Why did he have to act like such an ass when Carter was recaptured a little over a year ago? He knew the answer, of course; he was angry. And he had directed his anger at Carter without regard for the consequences of his actions. He couldn't remember a day when he didn't wake up regreting his every action since the day she was taken by Zeus.
His internal torment was doubled after Daniel . . . ascended. He shouldn't have let Daniel stay behind with Jonas. Because, no matter how matter Jack tried to convince himself to the contrary, to him Daniel died. Just not a perminant death. And no matter how much he told himself that it was Daniel's choice, he was still the one who okayed the archaeologist's request to stay. Daniel would never have done differently, so there was technically never a choice, and Jack felt like he had condemned his friend.
First Carter, and now Daniel. He even had a second chance with Daniel, who was now Arrom, and completely blew it. Again. Why couldn't he ever word anything right? He'd driven Daniel away again.
He looked back at Daniel's—Arrom's—tent. The man in question walked out, caught sight of him and Teal'c, and shuffled over.
"I've given this a lot of thought and . . . ." He ran a hand through his hair. "And I'm sorry. I can't take the chance that I did something. Before I . . . died. I can't remember anything and I'm not sure I want to take the fallout for something I did that I can't remember doing. Ah," he laughed nervously, "if you understood any of that."
"Bull," Jack said harshly. At Daniel's taken aback expression, he immediately softened his tone, "Daniel, you didn't do anything wrong. Well, you may have disobeyed my orders a few times, but aside from that—"
"Jim, I-I-I don't . . . ." He took a deep breath and tried again. "I want to stay here. I'm sorry."
"If that is what you wish," Teal'c interjected before Jack could come up with a response, "Daniel Jackson." He fized Jack with a look that warning him against saying another word to Daniel. Jack glared back but inevitably lost the staredown.
"Fine," Jack said tightly. "We'll leave you with a GDO and give you SG-1's IDC code."
"Ah, I don't think that's necessary," Daniel protested, but Jack waved a hand for silence.
"Just humor an old man, will ya?" Daniel clamped his mouth shut and nodded. "And the name's—" Jack shook his head. "Never mind."
"I really am sorry," Daniel said. Jack studied his young friend. He could see sincere apology in Daniel's eyes.
"Yeah, well," Jack shrugged. "You'll miss me once you remember who I am." If you remember who I am, the cynical side of him said.
Ah! He'll remember. Even if I have to drag him back to the SGC myself and knock some sense into his bull-headed skull.
"Besides," said Daniel, "your men are going to be here for a week looking at the ruins."
"Yeah. Yeah, there is that." Jack smiled sardonically.
"Colonel O'Neill. Perhaps we should collect Jonas Quinn and return to Earth. General Hammond will wish to debrief us," Teal'c suggested.
"Uh, right," Jack agreed although he had no idea what Teal'c was talking about. General Hammond had told them via MALP that SG-1 had permission to stay for three days with no need to report at all unless it was an emergency. They couldn't stay the entire week because Lee aparently had a brilliant plan to go against Anubis. He assumed Teal'c had an excuse emergency worthy to go back.
"Oh, well then I guess I'll see you around," Daniel said. He frowned and turned away, looking thoughtful.
Jack didn't ponder in it. "So what do we need to report to General Hammond?" he intoned quietly to Teal'c behind Daniel's retreating back.
Teal'c raised an eyebrow and went up the stairs. Jack followed, not seeing another choice. At the top, Teal'c headed in the direction on the gate. They met Jonas at some ruins and Teal'c grabbed him by his vest.
Jonas sputtered a few incomprehensible complaints before looking back at Jack. Jack shrugged noncomittally and Jonas, after assuring his strong teammate he would cooperate and come, was freed.
"What's this about?" he asked. "Sir?"
"Beats me," Jack shrugged again. They met Teal'c at the gate, which he was in the process of dialing up. "Say, Teal'c, buddy, care to share with the class?" Teal'c merely looked at him with an arched eyebrow. "Or not."
Teal'c entered the IDC code an stepped through the gate. Jack and Jonas followed closely.
- oOoOoOo -
"Shh, baby," crooned Sam as her eight-month-old, Ariana Nicole, began fussing noisily. She held Lizzy to her shoulder, rocking back and forth, rubbing her back soothingly.
She winced as Ariana began screaming. The wails echoed and bounced off the walls of the temple. "Shh, shh. Baby, what's wrong?" she groaned. I am so not suited to motherhood, she thought dispairingly.
Shoshanah entered Sam and Ariana's room. "Is everything alright?" she asked pleasantly.
"Not especially," Sam replied, trying very hard not to show frustration towards the aunt of her child.
"Let me see." Shoshanah eased Ariana into her arms and bounced her a little bit. Ariana's screams ceased but she still looked less-than-thrilled. "I believe she is merely hungry."
Sam reclaimed her child and sighed. "I'm a horrible mother."
"Why do you say that?" Shoshanah asked, furrowing her brow and looking genuinely confused. Sam knew better. The young girl often knew more than she let on.
"It's been eight months and I still don't know my own daughter." Sam studied Ariana, who was actually calming down. She had a marvelous head of hair, which promised to be a soft brown. Her eyes were a beautiful shade of blue green. It was an exact blend of Sam's and Jaesin's. She wasn't a particularly chubby baby and had potential to be exceptionally gorgeous when she was older.
"The mother-daughter bond takes time to form," Shoshanah reassured. "It is not unusual for it to take this long."
"I have always wanted a kid." Shashanah gave her a reproachful look. "Kid is another word for child." Reproachfulness was replaced by bemused understanding. "I wanted one so badly. I knew I would never be a prime example of mother material, but I'd hoped I could at least bond with the child."
"As I said, it takes time." Shoshanah stood to leave. "You might want to feed her before she becomes fussy again." She was halfway through the doorway when she paused for a second. "Raevyn and I shall miss you."
Sam opened her mouth to ask her what she meant, but young woman was gone and Sam was alone with Ariana. She decided to take care of her daughter's needs before calling Shoshanah up on exactly what she meant
- oOoOoOo -
"Back so early?" Hammond questioned as SG-1 stepped through the horizon on the other side.
"Indeed," Teal'c intoned. "General Hammond. We request permission to bring some of Daniel Jackson's posessions to him."
"We?" Jack mouthed to Jonas. "Since when were we involved in this?"
"I don't see why not, but may I ask why?"
"It may help him regain some of his lost memories."
"If they can be found again."
Jack's hackles began to rise. "Now General—"
"Colonel, I don't like the idea anymore than you do, but we have to be realistic. What if his memories can't be regained? I'm not saying there isn't a chance, but I want you to think about the possibility."
"I thought about it. Didn't like it." Jack turned serious. "General, what's the harm? If it has a chance of bringing his memory back—"
"Go, Jack." Hammond waved his hand in dismissal. "Leave when you're ready."
"Thank you, sir." SG-1, not bothering to get out of their gear, went to storage to find some of Daniel's possessions.
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Nearly an hour later, between the three of them, SG-1 had procured Daniel's glasses (or an extra pair, at least), the infamous picture of Sha're, and several photos of his parents and SG-1 while Sam was still in it.
On the way back to the gateroom, Jack took the time to wonder how Sam was doing. If all fared well, she'd have had her baby. He assumed she'd found a hospitable planet; she didn't look like she was in immediate harm a year ago. Still, so much could happen in a year.
They entered the embarkation room and he signaled Harriman to dial up. Soon the gate was activated and they were on the other side in the ruins of Vis Uban. Not surprisingly, "Arrom" wasn't there to greet them.
"Ah, not that I don't want to see Doctor Jackson, but I was in the middle of—"
"Go." Jack cut Jonas off impatiently. Scientists!
Jack and Teal'c quickly walked back to the city and strode over to Daniel's tent. "Knock, knock!" Jack said loudly, rudely smacking the tent flaps.
"Yes?" came an amused voice from behind. Jack spun around te see Daniel standing a few feet away, arms folded, looking more than a little entertained by Jack's loud spectacle.
Clearing his throat uncomfortably, Jack said, "We come bearing gifts."
"Gifts?"
"Uh, yeah. Come take a look." Daniel hesitantly came forward, looking very unsure. "Ya know what? Go ahead and try these on." Jack handed Daniel his glasses. After studying them for a second, Daniel put them on.
"Wow," he said. "That's different." He suddenly bore more of a resemblance to the Daniel Jack knew.
"Ready to go home yet?" Jack joked, not really expecting an answer.
"Ahh . . . . "
"You don't have to say anything, just look at the stuff we brought."
"Um, okay," Daniel responded, still sounding unsure. He led them inside the tent where Jack and Teal'c deposited the pictures. He picked up a team photo. Jack remembered when it was taken. Daniel and Sam were more than slightly inebrated. Sam, who had her arms around Teal'c and Daniel, was stumbling, pulling Daniel (and as a result, Jack) down, only to be held up by Teal'c. Janet had been nice enough to take it. She'd been unofficially invited to that particular team night. "Who is she? Where's Jonas?" Daniel asked, jerking Jack out of his memory.
"Jonas wasn't a member of the team then," Jack explained.
"Oh. So who—"
"You tell me." Jack left, Teal'c shadowing him.
He shoved the tent flap aside, ignoring the flapping noise as it hit Teel'c and then fell back into place. Jack didn't hear Daniel following. I guess we gave him some stuff to consider, Jack mused.
"Colonel O'Neill," Teal'c said softly as Jonas, who had been waiting at the stairs, came over. "We should be returning."
Jack looked at him blankly, uncomprehending. What had the big guy heard that he hadn't? It wasn't impossible he would have missed anything, being so distracted by retrieving Daniel's possessions.
"Uh . . . ?"
"I think perhaps Daniel Jackson would appreciate some time to think. He never did appear to like someone hovering over him as he worked on Earth. I do not believe much has changed in that regard." Jack had the feeling Teal'c was implying something about him.
"Sure. But we're coming back." Teal'c eyed him pointedly. "Later." Jack was still getting "the look." "Tomorrow," he grunted reluctantly and Teal'c, with the merest shadow of a smirk dancing on his lips, finally looked away.
"So we're not coming back until tomorrow," Jonas repeated, trying to confirm Jack and Teal'c's conversation.
"Yep," Jack shrugged. "All right campers, let's head back."
- oOoOoOo -
"What do you mean you don't know where she is?" Sam groaned in exasperation. Ariana was asleep so Sam had assumed she could go and find Shoshanah to tell her what she meant by Raevyn and her missing Sam. What did she—they?—know? If Raevyn did know anything, she was very skilled at concealing it.
"Shashanah just said she was going out. She wanted me to help you when you needed it. That's all she told me. Wouldn't say anything else." She patted Sam's shoulder. "Don't worry. She does this. Uses the chappa'ai to visit a neighboring planet, I mean. She'll be gone a month at the most."
"I don't recall her ever leaving like this," Sam pointed out.
"It's an annual trip. She wasn't back long before you showed up. The only reason she didn't leave sooner than now was because she knew her assisstance would be needed."
Sam's eyes narrowed. "Why does she leave?" she asked suspiciously.
"Some people aren't like you. They don't know about Kheb, or if they do, where it's located. A handful of people need Enlightenment. Sometimes she can find them and sometimes she can't. Last time, as you well know, no one came back with her." Raevyn shrugged, her eyes wide and innocent.
"If people come back then why am I the only other person besides you two?"
"They move on. It takes a certain person to become dedicated to the path. I'm not one of them. I stay for Shoshanah. She tells me she'd be fine alone but . . . she's my last living blood-relative. Besides Ariana, of course, but she's going with you when—" Raevyn's eyes widened further and she clamped a hand over her mouth.
Ah ha! "So you do know something," Sam accused. To think Raevyn actually had her convinced of ignorance! "When what? What's going to happen?" she pleaded. She felt she had a right to know the goings on in her future. That and her curiosity had gotten the better of her.
"Shoshanah swore me to secrecy," Raevyn shook her head furiously, removing her hand. "She said Oma told her it was important."
"Oma?" repeated Sam, surprised. What did Oma Desala have to do with . . . whatever was going to happen?
"Shanah didn't tell me much. I think it's safe to say she said you couldn't interfere. If you knew, you'd try to-to . . . I'm sorry. I really can't say. You need to stay in the dark because certain events need to happen that won't if you interfere. We know you wouldn't mean any harm, but Oma isn't willing to take the risk."
"Why?" demanded Sam. "What is so important that I . . . I—" She cut herself off to scowl at Raevyn, who was gazing at her in sympathy.
"I really do wish I could tell you," Raevyn said, "but if Oma herself is adamant about something, then . . . ." She drifted off, letting Sam fill in the gap.
"I don't even get a little hint?" Sam asked half-heartedly, recognizing an uphill battle.
"Um, it's . . . big?" Raevyn said, smiling.
The corners of Sam's mouth twitched. "So let me get this straight: I'm leaving, but you can't say why or where to because it'll mess up some grand scheme Oma can see coming?"
Raevyn shrugged. "If you want to word it that way."
"Does that mean I have to stay on Kheb. I can't go anywhere else until this thing unfolds?"
Raevyn thought for a moment. "Yes," she said slowly, still thinking.
Sam's brow furrowed. "Can you give me a time frame?"
"Oh, soon. Within the next month or so." Raevyn's expression loosened. "I think that if you want more answers, you should speak with Oma." As soon as she spoke, a muffled fussy wail made its way out from the bed chambers.
"I think I will. Later," Sam sighed and hurried to Ariana.
- oOoOoOo -
The cool night breeze whipped Jack's face as he took another sip of beer and gazed through his telescope. The neighbors weren't doing anything interesting; eating dinner, controlling squalling toddlers, having a good time in general. He was bored with watching them, so he settled for trying to find planets. So far he'd only seen Saturn, Mars, and Venus. The ones he was dying to see were too far for his primitive telescope to pick up.
He sighed and downed the rest of his Miller Light.
It had been three weeks since he and his team had discovered Daniel was alive and well on Vis Uban. They hadn't spoken to Daniel in two weeks. He still didn't want to return to Earth, but he kept everything Jack, Teal'c, and Jonas had brought.
Suddenly, his cell phone buzzed.
"O'Neill," he said, after flipping it open and recognizing the number as belonging to the SGC.
"Jack?" It was General Hammond.
"Uh, yeah . . . yes, sir?"
"You might want to come to my office. Now." Something in the general's tone made Jack think he should hurry.
"On my way. O'Neill out." He slammed the phone shut and wobbled uncertainly as he stood up. Shouldn't have had the beer, he thought. He sobered slightly, remembering the general's very serious tone of voice, and stumbled downstairs and out the door. He barely remembered to grab his keys and lock his front door.
The Explorer rumbled to as start and he managed to back out with careful precision. The drive to the mountain was very difficult, but Jack was able to maneuver his way without too much trouble.
Security let him through immediately, apparently having orders to allow his truck in without stopping him. He waved briefly, not wanting both hands off the wheel for long.
He found a parking spot, turned off the engine, yanked the keys out of the ignition, and raced straight for the nearest elevators. After what seemed like hours, the doors finally opened on the correct floor and he sped towards the general's office.
Airman and scientists dodged out of the way, slamming themselves into the wall in some cases. Jack didn't care. As soon as he reached General Hammond's door, he threw it open, not bothering to wait for admittence. Inside was what he least expected to find.
Daniel was anxiously pacing next to the star map, stopping only when he saw Jack. Teal'c and General Hammond were seated across from each other at Hammond's desk.
"Sir?" Jack panted.
"Doctor Jackson has some . . . news," General Hammond said, looking torn between excitement and nervousness.
Only when Jack spared Daniel a second glance did he see that the younger man had shed his Vis Uban garb for BDUs.
"What's changed?" he asked, keeping bitterness out of his voice. He learned his lesson all too well from Carter.
"I remember," Daniel said. "I kept looking over the photos and everything. I began remembering. But there was something about Sam that kept bothering me. That's why I stayed out of contact. If I was aroud you, my memories of you guys would come back the strongest. I spent days looking at Sam's picture, hoping I could remember what it was that was so important."
"I take it you did," Jack asked, beginning to catch Daniel's excitement. He glanced over to Teal'c and saw that he, too, looked excited. For Teal'c anyways.
Daniel smiled. "There was just something at the edge of my mind and I couldn't let it go. I had a lot of theories about why I found her so important for that time and"—his eyes became distant, thinking back—"I know where she is." He shook himself out of his trance. "I knew where she was when I was ascended and for some reason I was able to remember on Vis Uban."
"So where is she?" Jack asked, shocked.
"Kheb."
- oOoOoOo -
Sam gently rocked Ariana in her arms, humming a lullaby. Ever since her last conversation with Shoshanah—or Shanah, as Raevyn had recently taken to calling her—Sam noticed her understanding of Ariana slowly increasing. She could differenciate between Ariana's cries and knew how to comfort her or lull her to sleep.
She smiled and lightly stroked Ariana's tuft of brown hair. Ariana stirred slightly in her sleep but refused to wake up. Feeling restless, she quickly but gently placed Ariana in her cradle and covered her up, before sneaking out.
Raevyn was attempting to meditate, so Sam did her best to avoid the central room, taking the back way out of the temple instead. Her feet pulled her toward the path that'd take her to the stargate. Not knowing what else to do, she just let them take her where they may.
It was nearing Oma's approximate deadline and Sam still knew nothing more than she had a few weeks ago. She'd decided to play the reluctant good girl, not that she hadn't tried to talk with Oma first, of course. Her attempts were in vain. Oma never appeared to allay her curiosity. She could only find comfort in the knowledge that she'd find out in about a month or so, according to Raevyn.
The tree leaves danced in the warm wind that surrounded her. She closed her eyes, soaking it in. Opening them again, she recognized exactly how close she was to the gate. She guessed the distance to be about twenty meters before she reached the clearing that nestled the gate.
As she slowly stepped towards the clearing, pulled by an unseen force, a familiar sound hit her ears. At first she thought she was imagining the sounds of an activating stargate, but the clanks and bangs shattered the redundant noise of the forest.
She scowled. It had to be Shoshanah. Forgetting her easy pace, she jogged for the clearing as the wormhole stablized. As soon as Shoshanah emerged, Sam was going to give her a piece of her mind.
Anything she might have said died on her lips as soon as she saw who was in the clearing. All she could do was stop and stare at SG-1, who was having a similar reaction to her sudden appearance.
She opened her mouth to say something, but all that came out was a strangled noise. Daniel was there, too.
"Carter," the colonel rasped.
"S-Sir," she managed to stammer. "I-I don't understand."
"It was all Daniel," Jack shrugged.
She turned her attantion to Daniel. "You retook human form," she said curiously. "Why?"
"Broke a few rules," Daniel grimaced.
"Oh, is that all," she smiled crookedly. Then she noticed the fourth member standing behind the others uncertainly. "Hi, I'm—"
"Major Samantha Carter," he interupted. "I'm Jonas Quinn. Doctor Jackson's temporary replacement."
"Um, come on. There's some people you should meet," Sam said, leading the way back to the temple. Her heart pounded irratically in her chest. Her team was on Kheb. Daniel wasn't dead. They had a new member. Jack wasn't being hostile toward her. She was so stunned to see them; she had expected Shoshanah.
The walk back was silent, each wrapped up in their own thoughts. Before Sam knew it, they were at the temple and understanding hit her. Whatever it was that Oma was so concerned about had to do with SG-1 finding her.
Raevyn marched out holding Ariana, pausing minutely when she saw Sam with a group of strangers. Sam heard Jack's sharp intake of breath. She wondered vaguely if her recognized Raevyn's resemblance to Zeus. It was strange to think of Jaesin as Zeus, even if she'd never truly known the former.
Raevyn's brow was furrowed with confusion. "Who are these people? Not Shanah's."
"The reason Oma didn't want me leaving, I'm guessing," Sam shrugged.
A smile appeared on Raevyn's face. "Welcome to Kheb. I'm Raevyn. And this," she said, handing the baby to Sam, "is Ariana."
Sam gently bounced Ariana, who was fascinated with the four strangers in front of her. Her blue-green eyes were wide with wonder. Shyly, she ducked her head into Sam's shoulder. Sam smiled slightly.
"So this is—" Jack began.
"Yeah," interrupted Sam, not really wanting to hear how he would have ended his sentence. She handed Ariana to Daniel, who was holding his arms out for her. Ariana glared briefly at him before grabbing a string on his vest. She gummed it but decided it didn't taste very good and spit it out.
He smiled. "My turn," Jack announced, glancing at Sam for permission. She nodded cautiously, barely daring to hope he was trying to make amends in his own way.
"Ah, right," Daniel said, tearing his gaze away from Ariana. "I'm Daniel Jackson. This is Colonel Jack O'Neill, Teal'c, and Jonas Quinn."
Comprehension was beginning to dawn on Sam. She recalled Shoshanah telling her how she and Raevyn would miss Sam, and she now knew why. Meeting Raevyn's eye, she saw the same understanding. "I'll wait for Shoshanah." Raevyn nodded sadly. "If that's okay with you," Sam said to Jack.
"If what's okay?" he asked, passing Ariana to Teal'c who very gently took her and rested her in the crook of his arm.
"Going back to Earth . . . after saying good-bye to Raevyn and Shoshanah," Sam explained.
"Oh?" Jack said, drawing out the word.
"Jaesin, ah, Zeus's sisters."
"I thought we were done refering to him that way," Raevyn said, making a face.
"Right."
"Actually," Jack said, "could we, as your friends, have an explanation?"
"As long as you update me on the past year," Sam said.
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Sam sat back, haviong just briefed her friends on the past few years. The sun was setting and she was worried about SG-1 missing a check-in, but Jack assured her that they weren't due to report until the next morning.
Jack, with some assisstance from Teal'c and Jonas, told her everything from Mark's finding out about the project up until just after the mission to Abydos, where Daniel took over. He explained how the Others had forced him to descend and his struggle to regain his memories.
"And I suddenly just knew where you were," he finished. "So here we are."
They were sitting in the dining room, picking at the remains of their dinner. Raevyn had retired for bed early, taking Ariana with her.
She took a drink of water. "Here you are," she echoed, setting the glass down. "I am welcome to go back, aren't I?" she asked, tracing the top of her goblet with her fingertip.
"Well, General Hammond doesn't know we found you yet, but I'm pretty sure he won't mind," Jack answered.
"How's Dad and Mark?" she asked. Though they'd been brought up, no one had bothered to elaborate on the well-being of her family.
"Both were alerted as soon as I told General Hammond where you were," Daniel said.
"We didn't keep in touch much. Mark calls periodically to ask if we found anything new about you and there was the occational mission with your dad. Other than that," Jack shrugged, letting his meaning sink in.
Sam yawned widely. "Sorry," she said. "Ariana's been restless the past few nights."
"That's fine," said Jack, getting up. "Night campers." Everyone slowly dispersed in the direction of the guest rooms Raevyn had showed them earlier until just Teal'c and Sam were left.
"'Night, Teal'c," Sam said warmly. She too started to walk out.
"Samantha Carter." She stopped, surprised at Teal'c's use of her first name.
"Yeah?" Teal'c came forward to hug her.
"It has been very relieving to know you are well," he said. "I am sorry."
"For what?"
"I feel that I am responsible for everything that has happened."
"Teal'c, I'm glad everything worked out the way it did. I'm happy. I can't see this situation coming out any better. I have a daughter, a family, I'm going home. There's nothing more I could ask for."
Sam saw his face loose a lot of tension and his shoulders droop minisculely in relief. She patted his arm and went to her room, eager to see the next day.
Okay, here's the thing . . . initially, I was going to cram more into this, but it's late, I'm tired, and it's been exactly one year since this thing was first submitted (I wanted to sort of commemorate that, I guess). I wanted this to be the last chapter, but right now I just want to be able to drag myself into bed. So I'm adding an epilogue. Oh, and any spelling errors are due to an exhausted me and a crappy keyboard. Other than acknowledgement of this being a very AU 'Fallen,' that's about it.
R&R
