Almost to the end, guys! If you have any ideas for what you'd like to see before the story's over, please add them in your reviews. I'll see what I can fit in. Thanks!

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"Are you sure about this?"

Sam watched nervously as Thor fastened an Asgard hand device to his palm, his slow movements beginning to try her patience. Jade rested a hand on her arm and smiled reassuringly.

"Come on, Mom. If there's anybody you'd trust to mess with my head, wouldn't it be the Asgard?"

Sam didn't find this particularly reassuring, but she tried to hide her concern as she stepped back, taking her place with the others behind Thor. He stepped forward and cocked his head sideways at Jade.

"Are you ready for me to begin?"

"Wait," she said, holding up her hand to stop him. "Hold on a second." She stepped around Thor's small, gray body and stood in front of the group of four clustered behind him.

"Listen, I've been thinking," she began, rocking back and forth on her heels as she spoke. "About the future, and about preserving the timeline..." She ran her fingers through her hair and sighed. "Here's the thing. People are always saying that they're working towards a 'better tomorrow', or that they want a 'better future' for their children. But what we're all trying to preserve here is not the better future. I know…I've seen it." Her eyes darkened and she looked seriously at each of the faces in front of her. "The decisions you made the first time around were not necessarily the right ones. You don't have to make the same decisions they did." When Jade's eyes met Colonel O'Neill's, she stopped and held his gaze. "Do you understand what I'm saying? It's your future."

Jack seemed to be processing these words for a few seconds, and then his eyes jumped over to meet Sam's, his expression telling her that he understood exactly what Jade was saying. Their destinies were their own…the future was a clean slate. Why not try things a little differently this time around?

Jade reached into her pocket and pulled out the Asgard crystal and a small bundle of papers.

"Thor, please be sure this research is returned safely. Tell Sigyn he's on the right track…there is hope for your people." She placed the crystal in Thor's small hand and turned to stand in front of Teal'c.

"I need a favor," she told him, taking one sheet of paper from the thin stack and handing him the rest. "Please see to it that no one sees these notes except those they belong to."

Sam and Daniel exchanged glances, and she looked over to see the name "Janet" written on the folded sheet of paper on top.

"Jade…" she said cautiously, but Jack quieted her with a look. Bowing his head to Jade, Teal'c folded the notes together, sliding them into his pocket.

"You have my word."

Turning to Sam, Jade tried to explain. "My dad told me once that if I had the opportunity to help someone, it was my responsibility to do so. I believe that if he was in my place right now…" She flashed a smile at Jack. "…there's no way he would pass up the chance to fix some of the big mistakes made in his past." She raised her chin, a determined look on her face as she backed up and sat in the seat in front of Thor. "I want a better future for my family. I mean, that's the whole reason I was sent here, right?"

Instead of answering, Sam stepped up and hugged Jade tightly, planting a kiss on her forehead. Trying to keep her nervousness at bay, she backed up next to the others and wrapped her arms around herself.

"Thor," she pleaded. "Please be careful."

The room was quiet as Thor raised his hand up over Jade's forehead, the small blue hand device glowing slightly. A visible stream of energy connected the device to Jade, and there was a quiet hum, Jade squeezing her eyes shut as Thor worked. The seconds dragged on, and Sam held her breath, her hand finding its way into Jack's and squeezing tightly. She wished she knew what he was thinking, but he could be so difficult to read, especially at times like these. His face was a blank as he watched Thor carefully with one hand in his pocket.

The hum suddenly ceased, and Sam turned sharply to see Thor step away from Jade.

"The procedure is complete," he said calmly, and he backed out of the way as they all hurried over to her side. Jade sat very still, her wide blue eyes taking in the faces around her. It felt like an eternity before she finally spoke.

"Hey," she said quietly, confusion written across her face.

"Do you know who I am?" Sam asked her gently, barely able to contain her anxiety.

"Of course," Jade answered, and relief flooded through Sam as Jade peeked over her shoulder at Thor, holding one hand against the top of her head.

"I think it worked," she told him, wincing slightly. "This is really weird."

Jack knelt down beside her and laid a hand on her arm.

"How much do you remember?"

Shaking her head slowly, Jade frowned and answered, "I don't know. Everything's kind of fuzzy."

"It will take time for her mind to adjust," Thor explained, stepping behind his control panel. "Do not be concerned, O'Neill. Her mind is intact." He pointed one finger to the screen next to him. "We are entering your solar system."

Sam had mixed feelings about returning home. It was hard to believe how little time had gone by since they'd left…it seemed like days. How would things ever return to normal after all that had happened? What was going to happen to Jade? What about herself and Colonel O'Neill?

The questions flooded her mind as she helped her daughter stand slowly, a deep frown on the girl's face as she leaned on Sam's arm.

"We're going home?" Jade asked nervously.

"Yeah," Sam replied with a smile, taking Jade's hand as they watched the familiar planets come into view. "You're going home."