Jack blinked his eyes open, focusing on the room in front of him. He searched the room frantically, searching for Sam. As soon as he locked eyes with her, the images that threatened to overcome him evaporated.

She was alive. Everything was right with the world.

A small tug on his hand had him looking back to the bed.

Well…almost…

"Ellie…come on," Janet patiently said as she checked over the girl, her eyes still shut. "Come on now. Wake up."

Her eyes twitched and fluttered, the EEG still fervently beeping. Slowly, they fluttered open. As she worked to focus, she looked around at the faces peering down at her.

"Hey doc…" Her brow furrowed before she shot up in the bed, shocked. "Doc! What…what are you…how…?"

"Alright. Calm down, calm down," Janet soothed, eyeing the EEG warily.

Ellie caught her glance and quickly reached up to pull the monitor connectors off her head. Janet tried to stop her, but wasn't fast enough. As the machine quieted, Ellie filled the silence with quiet ramblings.

"Daniel?" Jack queried as he slowly began to recognize the words tumbling out.

"It's Ancient." At Jack's annoyed look, Daniel added, "She's talking too fast. I…I can't get anything specific. It's just… I can just pick out bits. Not enough…" He dropped off as he continued to concentrate.

"Danielle Grace," Janet quietly, yet sternly, said. Ellie stopped talking with a little pop and turned to look at her sheepishly. "We've had this discussion before. You have to slow down." Ellie started to shake her head, on the verge of continuing her rambling; but Janet quieted her with a touch. "Slowly. One thought at a time. Concentrate."

Jack watched the exchange, thoughts running rampant in his own mind. Part of him, the part that inexplicably knew and remembered this girl, was grateful she had Janet there for her.

But there was another part of him that, watching her struggle to simplify her thoughts, knew exactly how hard that task was. He couldn't remember everything from his two encounters with the Ancient repositories. But he could remember the lack of control – not being able to speak, not being able to understand why he was doing the things he felt compelled to do.

He glanced over at Sam; saw fear and concern written across her face as she watched Ellie struggle.

Not being able to tell her it would be okay.

Not being able to tell her how I felt…

He knew. All too well.

He continued to watch as Ellie managed to calm herself somewhat.

"I…I know…what's happening. I…know…what…what we…need to do…" It seemed to take all her effort just to speak that little bit, and again Jack was reminded of his own struggles.

She continued to stutter out little bits, bouncing between slow careful English and quick smatterings of Ancient, nothing as concrete as her first exclamation coming forth. Janet kept trying to calm and soothe her, a hand gently rubbing up and down her back; but Ellie just seemed to get more and more frustrated as she tried, finally shouting out two distinctly Ancient words – clear and concise. As she turned to look at Daniel pleadingly, everyone else followed suit.

"Um…writing board?" She nodded, adding another word. "Big. Big writing board…she…she wants something to write on."

Ellie gestured to him in exasperated thanks, squiggling from Janet's grasp and hopping from the bed. She quickly made her way out the room, everyone else slowly following in stunned silence.

She's fast, I'll give her that, Sam thought with a smile. Thankfully, Daniel had quickly followed behind the girl, having been the closest to the door. He met them in the hallway just outside his office.

"Apparently she already knew the best place for a chalkboard," he smirked as Sam caught up to him. She gave him a smile back as they walked in. Sure enough Ellie was standing in front of the large chalkboard chalk in hand.

As the rest of the group made their way into the office, Jack walked up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I know I'd hate to hear it…but I can't help but ask." She looked up at him curiously. "You okay?"

Her look turned sad, as she quietly whispered in Ancient, her gaze drifting to the chalkboard. When he didn't immediately respond, she looked back at him with a small smile. Jack opened his mouth to respond, but was cut off when Janet called his name. He patted Ellie's shoulder and pulled himself away.

As much as he wanted, he couldn't miss the desperate look she gave him as he walked away. When he turned back, she had started writing, her attention fully on the board in front of her.

"She'll be completely focused on that board until she finishes," Janet offered as he rejoined them. "It's like a switch gets flipped." She watched Ellie curiously, like the objective observer they remembered.

"Janet…" Sam started, hesitantly.

The doctor turned back to her friend with a sympathetic smile.

"I'm going to guess Ellie's description of herself was somewhat…lacking?" The smile grew at Sam and Jack's expressions. "She takes after both her parents a great deal."

"Well…to be fair," Sam offered, "it's been pretty…well…confusing. I just…" She looked up at Jack, unsure of whether or not to continue.

"We just want to know," he finished for her.

"It's a lot to take in, believe me," Janet said, reassuring them that she understood. "The easiest way we've come to understand it is thinking of it as a group effort. You know the saying 'it takes a village…'? In Ellie's case, it's not just in raising her. It took a huge amount of events occurring for her to even become – her."

"And what, exactly, is…she…?" Sam asked.

"She's…human. The ultimate potential of humanity. You remember Ayiana? The girl we found in Antarctica? She was proof of what humanity was, where we started. Ellie is proof that we will get there again. Just…"

"She's just way before her time."

Janet hesitated before continuing.

"Right. Like I said, she is solely a consequence of events. If even one event had not occurred, she wouldn't be here. She's basically…"

"A fluke," Jack flatly stated. He was watching Ellie, who was very much not paying attention to the board in front of her. Her hand was poised over the board, hovering in the air, her head tilted ever so slightly in their direction.

Thought you were caught up in what you were working on, kid. You're not supposed to be able to listen to us too.

She flicked her gaze at him for a split second in response before turning back to the board. He couldn't help but give a little grin at the back of her head.

But it faded as a nagging in the back of his mind made him think he was forgetting something.

Again.

"I wouldn't put it like that, Jack," Janet scolded, shaking him from his thoughts. "She is what she is because of everything the two of you…well…them…you…have gone through. Ancient knowledge repository and all your personal knowledge passed on through residual Goa'uld implantation, plus your already present Ancient gene Jack. Then there's natural-mutation of nanite technology mixed with lingering traces of the computer virus you had Sam. That was bolstered by zat-blast effects and sarcophagus effects." She paused, letting it sink in. "All of that, futher allowed to advance and develop due to the necessity of the time dilation field… You say fluke. I say…miracle – incredible, unbelievable, impossible miracle. I mean, for all intensive purposes, she shouldn't exist. And yet – there she is."

This is what I was afraid of, Jack thought. This – right here. To put this on my own kid…

He hated thinking he had been right. But he couldn't imagine how he could manage raising someone like – no, not even that. He couldn't imagine living with himself, knowing he'd caused pain and struggle like this for his own child.

Sam came over and took his hand, squeezing it tight. He looked at her to find his own thoughts mirrored in her blue eyes. But there was something else there, something other than fear and regret.

It was almost like…relief. A sad, sorrowful relief.

But, also, a touch of pride.

Sure, they didn't choose it here. But, somewhere else they had found the courage and strength to do it. And no matter what struggles they faced, no matter the trials and tribulations they fought through, they had her.

She was theirs. And she was pretty incredible.

"That just begs the question…" Jack spoke up, breaking the silence. "Danielle Grace?"

Janet smiled.

"Grace was your choice, Sam. You were rather insistent, just felt it suited her. As for Danielle…" She glanced over at Daniel, who was fervently trying to decode Ellie's writing. "The story I heard had you losing a bet."

"A bet?!" Jack looked between the doctor and the archaeologist, shocked. "What kind of bet?"

"You refused to talk about it. I never knew, just that that was where Danielle came from." Janet smirked, trying not to laugh at Jack's stunned expression. It got harder when Daniel looked up questioningly.

"What?"

At that, both Sam and Janet laughed. Jack looked furiously at his friend, who couldn't understand what he'd done.

"What?!"

Sam laughed, realizing how much she'd missed the familiar banter between the two men. As dramatic as the day had been, all the events coming about, she couldn't help but reminisce about "those good ole days".

She turned to Janet to say just that, but stopped when she saw the sad smile on her friend's face.

"What is it?"

Janet sighed, trying to wipe away a tear without Sam noticing.

"It's just…I never thought I'd see this again…see all of you." She laughed. "You probably thought the same thing, the last time. When me and Martouf showed up at your door."

"Yeah," Sam laughed. "Definitely a shock. But a good one." She didn't want to think of what that meant, of what happened in that other world.

Janet reached over and patted her hand.

"Definitely a good one. Just enough. I don't know what will happen, but I'll be happy to have this. I know Ellie will to."

"I'm glad she has you, Janet. I mean…well…" Sam faltered, not sure of where she meant to take that. Janet just smiled sadly.

"I remember the day she first disappeared, the day she went to the Asgard. You and Jack came back through the gate with this determined look on your faces. A look that said, no matter what, you would wait for her. You would be there when she got back." She paused, looking over at Jack and Daniel. "And you were. All of you. Even if it was for just a short time…"

They lapsed into silence; the only sounds the scratch of chalk as Ellie kept writing and the occasional flip of a page from Daniel.

"Cassie's good…" Sam quietly said. She wasn't sure if she should bring it up, but thought better of it. "Finished her pre-med, should start med school in the fall…"

"A doctor, huh?" Janet smiled. "I bet she'll be amazing."

Sam was about to agree when Mitchell came walking through the door, surveying the scene.

"Everything okay, Cam?"

"Yeah…odd blips of activity on the gate. Like someone's trying to call in but just not getting a connection. Running gate diagnostics, just to check. Nothing popping yet. Just…"

"Something else to add to today's list…" Sam finished. "We'll see what the diagnostic says."

It took them a moment to realize Ellie stood, watching them, waiting patiently.

"Better?" Jack asked from behind her.

"Finished, I suppose," Ellie replied shrugging her shoulders.

"And…?"

"And…I'm hungry." She plopped the chalk in the tray and headed for the door.

Sam grinned at Jack's perturbed look, remembering the last time they were in this predicament. She didn't think he had any room to complain.

"I'll go with her. You help Daniel." She grinned even more as he turned that look at her.