Chapter one - Weirdness

It had been a very weird day for Daniel Jackson. If he was honest with himself, he hadn't expected it to be normal, not really. Normal people don't get found alone, naked and with no memory. But this was something else altogether.

His curious eyes scanned around the unfamiliar base room. He had hoped that he would have spotted someone, or something by now that would have sparked a memory - this was meant to be his home, his friends, he should know them. - But there was nothing. It may as well been someone else's life he'd stumbled into. Not that that was such a surprise to him. He had no memory of his human life at all, or his life as an Ancient either for that matter. So he expected to feel out of place.

"Not exactly home, but we unpacked some of your stuff." Jim (or was his name Jack?) was saying in a hopeful tone.

So not his home then, but they were his belongings. From the sheer amount there it was clear they had made an effort to make him feel more at ease, but with no memories of this place or any of these things discomfort was guaranteed. "You kept all this even though you thought I was dead?" he question. He didn't want to seem ungrateful, but he did find it strange that they had kept so much. They must have thought a lot of him. Or at least who he used to be. Not for the first time he worried that he wouldn't be able to live up to people's expectations of him.

"To be honest, we tossed out a ton of junk." The older man replied. Daniel frowned, stunned that there had been more than all this to begin with. Clearly, whoever he was, was quite a hoarder.

"…A lot of which seemed to be very valuable," he added, miss-reading the look on Daniel's face as one of annoyance. He couldn't miss what he didn't remember having in the first place.

Daniel paced around the room, hoping that something, anything would catch his eye. He spotted a framed photograph on the bedside table and picked it up for a closer look. It pictured a woman, with a mass of full, waving black hair. She was striking. Dark eyes, framed by thick lashes and the shapely arch of her slender eyebrows, complemented by the warm caramel of her skin. The image stirred a longing feeling from deep inside him, but still no memories floated to the surface.

"I kept a few of your personal things alive there." Jim told him, pointing to the photograph that Daniel was now studying, closely.

"I know her." He meant it as a question, and was surprised when it came out as a statement.

"Really?" Jim was surprised.

"I mean, I must, right?" Daniel half smiled, trying to shake off the emotions that had shockingly gripped him. He couldn't make sense of these overbearing feelings. He had no idea who this beautiful stranger was, but he knew that she meant a lot to him.

"Yeah…" The disappointment was clear in the Colonel's voice.

"Who is she? What's her name?" he asked, without looking up, still analysing the framed photograph.

"You tell me." Jim said, with a very slight hint of persuasion in his tone. He left, closing the door behind him, leaving Daniel to puzzle over the changes that had happened to his life in the last few short hours.

This morning he was Arrom, living in his snug little tent on Vis Uban and his most critical duty was a trip to the local waterhole. But with the arrival of these people (what was it they called themselves Ess Jee wun?), his simple life had been turned on its head. Now it appeared that he was in fact a member of an elite team. Who travelled to other planets through the Chappa'ai (No, the Stargate, he mentally corrected himself) and took on enemies of this planet, a world he had no recollection for. The pressure of this sort of life must be enormous. It seemed daunting, especially after living such a trouble-free life. A life that he was reluctant to give up. It was only his curiosity about who he had been and how he had ended up on that planet that persuaded him to leave with these people.

He had been bewildered by the differences of this planet. Its high dull ceilings and drab clothes were a far cry from the canvas and bright blue robes that he was used to. It wasn't that he didn't realise that other planets would be different from Vis Uban, but he had found their little tents and simple ways very familiar to him. He had expected that his lifestyle to be in some ways similar, even if his responsibilities were far greater.

He had been told that last year he had died and ascended to a higher level of existence. Spending the year as living energy known as an Ancient. No one could tell him how or why he had ended up on Vis Uban, once again human and with no memory.

Things truly couldn't be weirder.

Or so he thought.

…

That night Daniel tossed and turned, thrashing about in the foreign, spongy bed. Vivid dreams forced out from his subconscious, kept him from truly sleeping peacefully. He woke with a start. It was dark, but he was able to make out vague outlines of the objects around the room.

He turned onto his side and reached for his glasses on the bedside table, but as he reached for them he paused, his hand hovering between his glasses and the photograph that he had placed there before settling into the bed to sleep. He picked up the photo again, bringing it close to his face so he could make out her image even in the dim light.

One word sounded in his head: Sha'ra. He smiled broadly. He had remembered. It may only be her name, such a small detail, but it gave him hope. He knew now that the memories were still in there. He was elated and wished to share his discovery with someone. He wondered if anyone would be awake here at this late hour.

'Daniel…' A voice breezed through the darkness as soft as a caress. Shocking him out of his musings. It was nothing more than a whisper, a tickle in the still air and he spun around looking for the source of the bodiless voice.

Just as he started to think that he had imagined it, he heard it again.

'Daniel…'

He froze. The room was shrouded in shadow and he still was without his glasses, but he would have been able to see if anyone else was in the room with him. He was utterly alone.

His very weird day was turning into a very weird night.

"Uh, hello? Who's there?" he called quietly, feeling more than a little awkward talking to himself. He could see there was no one here. He was alone in his room, yet he strained his ears listening, waiting for a reply.

His heart skipped a beat, in shock when he heard the voice once again. 'It is me, Leesia.' Her voice echoed inside his head and he quickly realised that had anyone else been in the room with him they wouldn't have heard anything. But he heard her as clearly as if she was alongside him.

"Leesia?" he questioned, rolling the name across his tongue, testing its familiarity. She spoke to him as if to an old friend, yet the name and the voice was mystifying to him.

'You do not have any recollection of me?'

He could hear sad disappointment in her voice and had to reassure her. "Please don't feel bad, I don't remember anyone." He couldn't help but smile. He had no idea who or what she was, but for a reason he didn't understand, he found her presence soothing. Very soothing, in fact. It was just what he needed after his bizarre day.

He shifted off the bed, subconsciously pulled, in vain, for the source of her appealingly, soft voice. He hesitantly paced the small room as she spoke to him once again, his eyes wiping every darkened spot in his futile search.

'I ascertained that Oma removed your memories. I wished it to be a falsehood. Clearly I am to be disappointed. I have been waiting for you to come home. Since I learnt what happened on Abydos'

He had no idea what she was talking about. Oma? Abydos? These words were new to him. but there was only one explanation he could think of. "You're an Ancient." he exclaimed suddenly halting his pacing as the thought occurred to him. His eyes fixed onto the empty space in the room, waiting a response.

'Yes.' She spoke the word like a sigh of relief.

"And you knew me when I ascended?" he questioned, getting on a role. There was SO many questions burning in his mind, but it was ones about that time in his life that no one could answer.

"In a manner of speaking." Her voice sounded from behind him, echoing in the silence of the still room, making him jump. He spun around towards the source of the voice and saw her. Sitting crossed legged in the centre of his bed, a picture of peace. Every question he had wanted to ask her left his head the instant he laid eyes on her. His thick eyebrows jumped and climbed up his forehead in shock. He swallowed hard.

She was beautiful. Smooth, long, dark hair that shined with richness and framed her heart shaped face. Her eyes sparkled with an innocence and kindliness. But it wasn't her beauty that shocked him. What shocked him were the emotions that flowed through him at that moment. A warmth and longing so powerful they took his breath away, consumed him. His heart skipped a beat and his jaw dropped open.

"Do you have some recollection of me now?" she enquired with a smile that danced all the way up to her eyes, making them light up. Clearly pleased with the reaction she had gotten.

He stared mutely at her and thought he had never (or had he?) seen brown eyes seem so warm; they twinkled even in the dim light. Moving gingerly to sit facing her on the bed, he folded his legs to mirror hers. His gaze locked onto her, studying her features with wonder, as if she was a priceless relic. His jaw clenched and he tried to summon up enough saliva to moisten his dried throat and find his voice before answering. "Um…No…" He answered, but even he could hear the uncertainty in his voice.

Another small smile graced her lips, warm and cheekily knowing. She gazed back into his eyes intently, her warm brown locking onto his cool blue. Polar opposites, magnetically drawn together. Without dropping her stare, she reached to him and stroked her fingers lightly down his cheek. The sensation of her touch was bizarre but not unpleasant. A light tingling of tiny sparks, like static electricity, tickled the surface of his face where her hand had touched. He felt the warmth of his blood rushing to respond to her contact. Yet he couldn't feel the physical touch of her skin on his.

She leaned towards him. Her gaze into his eyes deepening, as if she was searching through the blue for some long lost treasure. He found the intense pressure of her stare almost intimidating, but remained still. "I can see that," she whispered to him, after a short while.

"See what?" Daniel questioned.

"That you will remember me. Given enough time." She sounded so confident that he couldn't help but be flattered by her belief in him.

"Well that's a comfort. I think I would like to know you." he said, slightly stunned by the honesty of his words. He looked away embarrassed, focusing his attention on the comforter between their folded legs. "Do you know what happened to me?" he asked hopefully, bringing his attention back up to fall upon her face.

She nodded sadly. "You broke our most sacred law. You interfered with the lives of lesser being; humans."

"By fighting Anubis?" Daniel asked with a slow nod, remembering something Jim had said back in his tent on Vis Uban. "Why would I do that?"

"To save their lives. You are very close to the Abydonians."

"And this was my punishment!" he frowned deeply and gestured down at himself. "What sort of society would penalize someone for saving lives?"

"I do not claim it to be right, I even attempted to assist you. But it is the law."

"Attempted?" he questioned.

"You refused to permit me to."

Daniel nodded in understanding, that much made sense to him. He must have been aware at how strictly the Ancients punished lawbreaker. He wouldn't want anyone else to take the fall along with him. Especially not this beautiful creature, who seemed so innocent. She sparked from within him a very powerful need to protect her. "Aren't you breaking that same law yourself by just being here and telling me this?"

"It is a risk," she said stubbornly.

"Why are you taking it?" he quickly asked. He didn't want her to be in any jeopardy simply to provide him with answers, no matter how curious he was. Or how infuriating he found not being able to remember them for himself.

"The most optimum way for you to regain your memories, your human ones at the very least, is to do your typical routine."

"Okay…" He sighed, accepting the subject change reluctantly and letting his original question drop. "What is it I used to do?"

His conformity pleased her and she presented him with another of her smiles in gratitude. "Your friends will help you. Trust them. You used to. They are in a meeting now, you should join them. They will require your assistance."

With no memories to speak of, Daniel didn't see what use he could possibly be to them, but once again he found himself believing her words, unquestionably. He found himself rising from the bed to leave. "What about you?" He asked, pausing at the door and turning back to face her. But he found the bed empty. She had vanished. His face dropped visibly with obvious disappointment.

'…I'll be with you…' Her voice, once again, reverberated in his head and he felt his lips tugging themselves up at the sound.

Taking her advice, he went to the meeting. She had been right, he was needed. The one known as Jonas had misinterpreted an ancient tablet. Daniel didn't know how he was able to read Ancient so easily, but somehow he was. He figured it must be something left over in his subconscious from when he had been ascended, because Jonas had been using Daniel's own notes to translate the tablet and the translation had been way off. Proving to him that it was clearly a new ability of his.

Samantha Carter paused as she was leaving the meeting, noticing they were one archaeologist short of completing the set and turned back to the table. Daniel had remained where he was seating while the others had filed out, focused entirely on the mission log in front of him, that familiar frown pinching his brow. She grinned at the sight, it was nice to know some things just don't change. "Everything all right?" she asked, leaning over and resting her forearms on the back of one of the chairs opposite him.

He glanced up politely at her. She seemed so casual with him, completely at ease. He was reminded of Leesia's words of advice from earlier. 'Trust them. You used to.' Whether it was the friendly knowing look that Sam was giving him or those whispered words that were still so fresh in his mind, he didn't know, but somehow he just knew that it was the truth. He had trusted them - deeply, or so he felt - Why should now be any different? He gave her a warm smile and turned his attention back to the file on the table in front of him. "These logs, they're done each time?"

"We're each expected to hand in a report after every mission." she agreed nodding.

"So I would have done them too?"

"You think they might help you remember?" She guessed, seeing where his thoughts might be taking him.

"That's what I was hoping, yeah." Daniel replied softly. "Either way I guess I should get up to speed. I don't fancy upsetting Jim again."

Sam covered her giggle with her hand, but Daniel spotted and frowned up at her in confusion. "It's Jack." she corrected him, in a quiet voice.

Daniel laughed through his nose, with a small smile. "Well that would certainly explain why he seemed to take it personally."

"Actually, that pretty much Jack at his pleasantest."

"Really?"

"And although he'd never admit it, but he's actually very fond of you…We all are."

He blushed, dropping his head back to the reports so she couldn't see the colour that rose in his cheeks.

"We can have all the reports sent to your quarters. Or you also have an office here. Jonas has been using it while you were-"

"Dead?" He interrupted.

"-Ascended." Samantha continued. "We didn't know if you would be back. But it is your office, so if you'd prefer to have them sent-"

"No, no." Daniel interrupted her once again. "Quarters are fine."

She smiled broadly. "It's really good to have you back Daniel."

As promised Sam had all their mission logs sent to Daniel's quarters, as well as all of his diaries that had been also been saved. When he saw how many there were he was dumbstruck. He had no idea there would be so many.

He sighed and picked up the first one, settling himself down comfortably on the large bed. He read for hours (Only pausing when he was interrupted by Jonas, musing over an idea regarding making a fake tablet with him). Diligently working through the pile with equal amounts of shock, disbelief and wonder.

During his readings, some of the words started triggering random snippets of memories. He remembered manipulating fire with his mind on Kheb, and something about shoes, but he had no idea why they had gone to the planet in the first place. He remembered weeping over the android Reese in the gate room after Jack had shot her, but he couldn't recall how she had gotten to the SGC, or why Jack would have opened fire on her. He remembered kel'no'reeeming with Teal'c and brainstorming with Sam and meeting Jonas and arguing with Jack (a lot), but the names of his parents and where he had grown up or done his schooling still remained blank. The last year of his life - his time with the Ancients - still remained a dense fog.

The strongest of all these scattered visions were that of his wife; Sha're. He remembered moments they had spent together during the year after their marriage - hiding from sandstorms, them sitting with huge groups of other Abydonians while they gathered to eat and rare stolen private moments. He remembered seeing her eyes flash with a yellow glow after she was taken over by the Goa'uld Amaunet and he remembered the lump in his throat as he held back the tears at her funeral on Abydos. Yet how they had met, their wedding and how she had died still remained blank for him. The latter he was not looking forward to remembering.

"Helping?"

His heart skipped an excited beat and slowly he lowered the file folder from in front of his face, revealing Leesia sitting on the foot of his bed. She smiled broadly at him and he returned it readily. Very pleased to see her. He had started to grow a little concerned that he might have dreamed the whole encounter, despite the nagging feeling in his gut that told him she was in fact genuine. "I thought I should get a heads up on what I'm actually expected to do around here and the more I know the better, but yes it is and some of it is actually coming back." he told her running his fingers through his short brown hair.

"Anything regarding me?" she inquired, hopefully.

"No. Nothing from when I was ascended…Sorry," he added, catching the hint of disappointment in her eyes.

"It is no fault of yours." she said, quickly dispelling any blame from him. "I am pleased that your memories are coming back to you."

"Only pieces of them." Daniel clarified.

"They will come back." Leesia told him, matter-of-factly.

"Tell me something about myself." he asked her, he was enjoying reading all the mission logs. But hearing the silk of her voice was a pleasure to him he didn't wish to miss. Besides there were some question only she would be able to answer. He didn't want her breaking this non-interference law she had spoken of, especially seeing how harshly they had punished him, but his curiosity about his time as a higher being was hard to ignore.

She didn't miss a beat before she answered him. "You are kind, and the most selfless man I have ever met. Always putting others first. Yet you do this with such amazing modesty… you do not even know how good a person you really are."

Daniel instantly blushed deeply. Sam had told him something similar, but that hadn't made Leesia's answer any more expected. They really did think highly of him and he hoped he wouldn't disappoint them, either of them, but he was feeling like it was going to be hard to live up to their expectations. Embarrassed, he cleared his throat softly. "I meant tell me something about what I've done. I have a vague idea of who I am, but most of the past is a blank. How did we meet, for example." he asked her keenly.

She smiled sincerely and leant forward, her petite fingers tracing over his eyebrow to his temple. "You should remember for yourself," she told him, her eyes gazing openly into his. "I do not believe that it would be prudent for you to know your mind from someone else's perspective. Have patience and faith, you will remember."

"How can you be so sure?" he asked her. That was the third time she had said something like that to him and she seemed so confident.

"Because I know you," she grinned at him as if it was the most obvious answer in the world. "And I know how determined you can be."

She pulled away (with Daniel sitting up quickly a millisecond later with a shy blush, realising that he had been following her touch as her hand left his face), and gestured to the many mission logs piled over the large bed. "The palest ink is better than the sharpest memory. These are composed by your hand. They surpass anything I could express. You should learn from you. Only you yourself can truly know your own mind."

He smiled at her logic. "Well, I can't argue that."

The following week passed far too quickly for Daniel. He spent his days with Jonas in his office - Jonas' office, whichever, it didn't matter to him - translating ancient writing to create their very own fake tablet, as lure for Anubis. Every evening he returned to his quarters and absorbed himself in the mission reports, remember lots more about his life with SG-1 as he read. And every evening once he was alone, Leesia appeared to him without fail. They sometimes spoke of what he had remembered that day, or how he and Jonas were getting along with their translation, but most of the time she was silent. Just supporting him and encouraging him with her presence.

By the time the week was up all the pieces of the puzzle where in place; The nomadic people he had lived with for month on Vis Uban had been relocated, the decoy tablet had been set and Anubis had taken the bait, a runway and base camp had been set up on the planet, the 302 had been reassembled, after having to take it apart to fit it through the Stargate and most surprising, the system lord Yu was all set to back them up.

Jack was right. This was definitely their wackiest plan to date.

Keeping her presence hidden from their sight, Leesia followed SG-1 through the stargate to Vis Uban. She couldn't interfere, but she could at least know what was happening. The worry she would feel from not knowing whether or not he was safe would be too much for her to bear. He was human now and being human meant he was vulnerable.

She stayed with him as, along with Jonas, he ringed up to Anubis's ship. Once onboard Daniel provided cover fire while Jonas worked the door controls to gain them access to the control room. Daniel went to the console, it was in Ancient, he could do this, it would just take time. Which they didn't have, she realised, as she hear Sam called over the radio "We need that Intel." and Anubis's Jaffa started on the door.

Leesia's whole being was strumming with panic while she watched the tense scene playing out before her eyes. This was getting risky. More risky than she could stand by and watch... and yet she couldn't interfere. She knew she couldn't interfere, the costs was too great.

"That's it ." Daniel finally told Jonas. "Jack, Sam, we got it. Transmitting data," he added talking into his radio. Though it did little to ease Leesia's worry as the Jaffa continued their assault on the door.

The pair clocked a ventilation hatch and went for their escape as the Jaffa finally broke through the disabled door, drawing their weapons.

"LOOK OUT!" Leesia shouted, pointlessly just as Jonas was hit by a Zatn'tel shot, as he was boosting Daniel up to his escape. Daniel stumbled as he attempting to pull himself into the ventilation system. It was only a slight falter but it gave the Jaffa the chance they needed and he too was shot. He fell, unconscious next to his team mate. Powerless to meddle, and loathing herself because of it, Leesia watched as the Jaffa hosted them up and dragged them off to a holding cell. There they were dumped, unnecessarily harshly, face down on the hard floor. Anubis's Jaffa activated the energy barrier over the doorway as they left to inform their master.

She crouched, unseen, between the two fallen man, feeling so utterly useless. Maybe there was something she could do, she thought. Anubis wasn't a lesser being. There was no law against interaction with him. But to what end? She doubted she would be able to convince him to free them and if she fought him the others would stop her, just as Oma had stopped Daniel before. But maybe, just maybe the threat of it would be enough. She didn't hold much hope, but she had to try.

She found Anubis in the peltak as his Jaffa were informing him of the capture of the ha'tak's intruders. From the way they were speaking it didn't appear they were aware that it was two members of SG-1 that they had caught. That was good, she thought. Had Anubis known precisely whom he had things could get more serious for the pair of them. Especially Daniel, she presumed, as the half Ascended being would most likely hold a grudge against him after their confrontation over Abydos.

One of the Jaffa interrupted the others. "We've been hit. The core is overloading. We must power down the weapon."

Just then an explosion rocked the ship and Anubis roared in rage. Jack's shot had hit his mark, the weapon was destroyed. Leesia smiled to herself, please with their victory over their enemy.

Her smugness was short lived however, when Anubis order that one of the hostages be prepared for him. His Jaffa bowed and silently left. Leesia stared in horror as the black hooded villain spun the spiked memory probe thoughtfully in his fingers.

She paused, rethinking. She didn't have to act rashly. The memory probe would take some time. That could give them chance they needed to be rescued or escape somehow. But what could Anubis learn? She didn't know much about Jonas. And Daniel… well, Daniel didn't have all his memories at the moment so he wouldn't learn much there. This relaxed her and she found it almost amusing that using the memory probe on Daniel would be an almost total waste of Anubis' time. Then she was filled with cold dread as she realised that Anubis would have no reason for keeping Daniel alive.

Now she had no choice. She had to interfere. If given the choice between saving his life and ... the alternative, she knew immediately what she would do, each and every time! She would not lose him. Not again.

She reached the cell just ahead of the Jaffa. Both men were still out cold from their shots from the zats. She called, then screamed at Daniel to wake up, but it made no difference. Despite her efforts he remained unresponsive as the guards entered and dragged Jonas out.

…

"Daniel…" He heard her voice again rebound through his head as he regained consciousness on the smooth black floor of his cell. With the after effects of the Zat blast he had received, still clouding his mind, he hardly knew the difference between her voice and his own thoughts at this moment.

"Leesia, you're here?" He knew she was, he had sensed her earlier in the control room, though he hadn't said anything because he was trying to concentrate and her presence was a little distracting.

In a bright flash, she appeared by his side. "I'm here."

A lopsided grin weakly spread on his face. "It's good of you to come, but I'm a little tied up at the moment." he joked, glancing around the confinements of his prison. "Jonas?"

"Anubis has him." She leaned over and spoke softly. "I am going to get you out of here. I have seen what they have planned for you and that can not be allowed to happen."

"No! You can't do that," he protested immediately.

"Listen to me, please Daniel," she interrupted his arguing. "There is very little time. The ship is in hyperspace at the present. Making departure impossible. It will be necessary for you to remain hidden until such time as you are able to. However I must get you out of this cell before Anubis discerns who he has here."

"You mustn't! If you interfere-"

He was cut off from his objection by the force field over the door, vanishing. "It appears that the ship is experiencing some technical complications." Leesia smiled down at him.

"Lucky for me." Daniel jumped to his feet. He stepped towards her and raised his hand to her cheek. As before he felt a warmth and a light tingle on his fingers, but no physical connection. "Thank you…but you really shouldn't have."

She covered her hand over his and now he felt the sensations on both side. "Go. And please stay safe." she said.

"Come with me." he insisted.

She smiled again. A glow and she was gone.

'I am always with you.' she called to him as she felt the pull as she was summoned by the others. She prayed they would listen to reason. She prayed she would be able to explain her actions. But the strongest of all her prayers was to see him again.

Daniel grabbed his pack and cautiously made his way out into the corridor. He recognized the hollowness in the atmosphere, telling him that she was no longer there. He felt it weight on his mind and choke a lump in his throat, but he forced himself to push those troubling thoughts from his head. He couldn't acknowledge that right now, he had to concentrate. Lives were at risk, his own for one, but also Jonas'. Not to mention the other members of the team that would no doubt attempt a rescue should they fail to escape the ship. The SGC didn't leave people behind.

He checked his watch. He had barely three hours until the radioactive isotope that he and Jonas had been injected with would wear off. After that he would be detected by the ship's sensors. That was his time limit. He set off to find Jonas.

AN ~ Please review. All comments welcome :)