CHAPTER 33 – THE DARK

He tumbled head over heels, until there came a time where he no longer knew up from down. Still dark. And no idea where he was. But trapped, without a doubt. His last memory was of Sam Carter looking down into his eyes and knowing instantly that another consequence had occurred as a result of his little quest to meddle in the past. He had managed to avoid all other time travel effects but this one, and knew immediately why the connection with Gina had changed Samantha Carter.

And as he tumbled over and over through that dark place, he saw the change that had occurred in the playing field as the quarterback stepped up to the team and cited a new plan for the third quarter. Oh yeah, the rules had changed.

When Gina died in that car accident, Jacob had come back to Hawaii for her funeral. He was supposed to meet a woman during his return to Hawaii, the woman who would become Samantha's mother. They would commence a long distance relationship, then when he received his next promotion, he had asked her to move to Florida to become his wife and in 1968, Samantha Carter had come into this world. As did all fairy tales, this one began "one upon a time..." How did they normally end. John couldn't remember.

His connection with Gina. Ah, thought John – the real conundrum. The very centre of that giant ball of wool and all threads led back to this. Me and Gina. We are the real story, not the stargate programme. That was the smokescreen. Me and Gina. Gina and I. The King and Queen on the chess board protected by our knights, our rooks and our pawns. What is our real purpose? Why did the ancients lead me back to meet her. Subterfuge, obfiscate and plausible denial. And dangerous liasons.

He continued to tumble through the darkness that had no end not knowing that Gina inhabited the same space and time that he did right now. Chasing her own demons through the dark. She had lost her connection with her own time and with him, just as he had lost his connection with his time. And her. They floated in this black space, occupied together this dark chasm where no souls could meet, where truths were found and denied. The game room. Who would bring who back?

He continued his musings in his dark prison. Jennifer had fallen out with Nat over her interference in their lives as an ancient and Jacob had not come back for the funeral – the funeral that had still taken place as for all intents and purposes it still needed to appear that she had died in that timeline. Jacob had eventually met another woman. A woman who lived in Florida. A woman of the ancient's choosing, one who they felt was more suited to his needs and their requirements. Sam had still been born, but she now only had one half of the gene pool she should have had. Of what importance was that? Who was Sam's mother?

Then he knew without a doubt why the connection had changed and with this knowledge came a glimmer of light and he fought towards it now, knowing if he didn't he would be trapped here in the abyss forever. As he moved toward that sliver of light he felt her then...for the first time – and knew that she fought the same battle that he did, right now.

I know that you don't have the same strength as I do sweetheart, you don't hold the ancient gene. I can't help you from here, I can only fight my own battle. Please Gina, let Callandra guide you out, I can't help you – I wish I could. Stay strong, we'll find a way to be together.

He fought upward, closer to the light now and struggled to connect the next series of puzzles. Jacob had married Catherine. The same Catherine, who as a little girl had watched her father dig up the stargate in Egypt, many years ago. And the same Catherine who had recruited Daniel Jackson, a flakey anthropologist whose controversial views surmising that the ancient pyramids of Egypt were in fact landing pads for alien spacecraft. Turns out he had been right all along. As Jack O'Neill and SG1 had discovered.

It was John's laughter that pushed him out of the dark and back into the light, freed by this final connection. Now all the major players were together. And how did this change affect Sam Carter. Jack had to believe – hell, hoped! - that it was for the better. Or the ball of yarn that had suddenly started to take on the correct shape, would unravel faster than he could put it back together.

When he awoke it was in the infirmary with a worried semi circle of people hovering around him. His voice didn't work too well, almost as though he had forgotten how to use it.

"Hail mary of all time! Quarterback just threw me the ball. Fourth quarter's about to begin..."

Rodney chuckled. "Good to have you back Sheppard. Scared the crap out of us! You were muttering about giant balls of yarn and unprotected sex."

"I was?" He shot a surprised glance at Rodney. "Oh crap... I was! Gina's in trouble. We have to get her out of 1962. Cam, Sam – she's closest to the two of you connection wise, she's a part of you. You've got to help her. To get out. She can't do it alone and I don't know if Callandra is going to be able to help her. If she doesn't this whole game play comes crashing down like a ton of lego bricks.

"Ok son, lie back and rest a bit. You're not making any sense..." General O'Neill decided it was time to assert some much needed authority around here before it became apparent that he would have to have his junior officer carted off to the nut house. It appeared he was beginning to lose it – at least in the General's mind. KIS – not so much at the moment, and the General was not a happy camper.

It was Cam who spoke in John's defence. "Actually sir, he does make sense. I know what needs to be done. The rift Sheppard? They need to find the rift, get her through the rift. You were wrong. It wasn't something you opened when you came through. The rift has always been there, between their time and ours. The time portal? That wasn't the fail safe. The rift was. Small enough so that nothing of importance could get hrough, but at a pinch? Gina's only a little thing by your own account. The rift was torn into time for this very purpose. The portal can't be used. She doesn't have the gene and Callandra can't activate it. She's tried."

"You've been in contact?" John sounded hopeful.

"Not so much – just tendrils. You get the drift, Sheppard?"

"Yeah, I get it.. Cam?"

"Yeah?" Cam looked at him, seeing the pensive look on Sheppard's face.

"That time in Afghanistan, when you stopped that suicide bomber from killing our whole platoon, just before I got the chopper out. How did you know?"

Cam gave a small smile. "There was a monkey riding on my shoulders, Sheppard."

"Yeah, thought so... Why can't she go through the waterfall... oh yeah, ancient gene thing and I guess I can't go back that way. With the connections all repaired, the portal will be closed from this side, only the rift is left. Getting your point loud and clear Mitchell..."

The other man smiled "Rest, Sheppard. We'll bring her back to you..." and saw the knowing looking that flickered in Cam's eyes. Ancient genes – in spades. From dear old granddad – obviously skipped a generation. But he closed his eyes, not afraid of the dark this time and let himself rest for a precious time. He may have closed all the connections to 1962 but he suspected a few more surprises might be coming his way in 2012.

Repercussions...and in the words of William Shakespeare "I say there is no darkness but ignorance."