Chapter 8
Skaara and Sha're had finished the meeting with General Hammond and opted to stay for the evening. Daniel had sat in for the meeting and was eager to spend time with the alternate of his late wife. To Sha're, Daniel was a stranger and was introduced as Danni's brother. She had no idea that the man loved her more than life itself and would sacrifice anything just to have her back. Straying in the new reality seemed more and more inviting for Daniel. Why would he want to go home when he would everyone he ever loved and lost were back in his life. Who would wish to give up such a gift? Surely, only an insane man would return to a life of miserable loneliness.
After the meeting Daniel opted to invite Sha're to join him for dinner in the commissary. She graciously accepted and he found himself high on love and escorting her through the line and introducing her to some earth foods. It was just like he imagined his life would be if Sha're lived and returned to earth with him. But his greatest mistake was assuming this alternate version of his late wife would fall in love with him. But that was simply not the case for Sha're who did find Daniel adoring and entertaining but love was not on her mind or in her heart. She had to put her people first and foremost at all cost.
Daniel escorted her to the table with a broad smile upon his face. He seated himself across from her as they pair began to eat. He watched for her reactions to the foods.
Sha're asked, "This blue thing colored edible. What is it again?" She motioned towards the dessert.
"It's berry flavored gelatin. Sam loves it." he mentioned.
She used the spoon and took a taste. She debated, "It's mild and sweet. What are the other flavors?"
He turned his head and squinted to see the options. "They have lemon, lime and strawberry."
"Which is the best?" she wondered.
He didn't really know and replied, "I guess they are all good. Depends on which one you like the best." He then gathered his gumption, "I was wondering if you would like to go off base and have dinner with me?"
She replied, "I must return to my people in the morning."
He then suggested, "I can go with you back to Abydos."
She declined, "I think it would best if you stayed with your own people." She felt rather pressured by the request. "I have much to do."
Daniel felt as if he was losing her once more. He wondered if perhaps he should tell her then truth and in some odd way that would win her heart. "Listen…I know you don't know me…" he began.
Skaara then arrived at the table as he followed Danni Jackson through the line and to the table as well. The young man was desperately trying to win her heart. He greeted, "Daniel Jackson." He then sat down right beside his sister as Danni sat next to Daniel. He gazed upon her, "Won't you come back to Abydos for a visit, Danni?" he requested.
She shook her head, "I'm too busy, Skaara and I'm married."
The situation then hit Daniel as he figured Skaara was in love with his alternate, Danni but Sha're was not in love with him.
Sha're corrected her brother, "Do not be a pest to Danni, Skaara."
"I am not a pest." he proclaimed.
Danni sighed, "You try not to be."
Sha'ri stated to Danni, "Forgive my brother. He doesn't understand."
"I forgive him." she assured.
As Daniel sat at the table he felt as if the universe had played a cruel joke on him. In his reality Sha're loved him. In this other reality her brother, Skaara loved his female alternate. He let out a deep sigh as the world seemed against him once more. He then figured he still had a chance but he would have to work harder to gain her affections. He then noticed Sha're lit up upon seeing Teal'c enter the commissary. She motioned for the Jaffa to come sit with her. "Tea'c." she called.
Daniel turned slightly and noticed Teal'c smiled graciously as he made his way to the table. He sat down beside her in a cozy way. Daniel cocked an eyebrow an observed.
Teal'c suggested, "There is a new motion picture playing at the local theater. Would you like to join me in the showing tonight, Sha're?"
She smiled, "I would." She then suggested, "Skaara will join us as well." She figured she could give Danni a break from her pesky brother.
"Danni will come." he requested.
She told him, "With Jack! He will come with us."
"I shall go." he declared. He didn't care if Jack was with them or not as long as he got an evening with his crush.
Danni asked, "You want to come with us to the movies, Daniel?"
At that moment Daniel felt out of place and in a strange new world where everything seemed backwards. He declined, "I think I will go to bed early tonight."
"I understand." she assured him as it seemed Sha're was not interested in him. Instead, she seemed more interested in Teal'c and that was something Daniel never imagined. She glanced up and spied Jack lead Jackie, Colonel Samuel Carter, Major Samantha Carter and Dr. McKay into the commissary. She grinned, "Jackie is here. She just started her new job."
Daniel looked over and spied the young woman, "Who is Jackie?"
She grinned, "My stepdaughter. Jack's daughter from his first marriage. She's sees me more as an big sister though."
He squinted, "Jack had a daughter from another marriage?"
Danni assured, "You will like her. She's smart, is pilot, loves to read and is fascinated by my work. She went into journalism but wants to go back to college and get a degree in archeology. I'm her role model." she bragged.
Jack led the young reporter to the table. "Dr. Jackson." he addressed him. "This is Lieutenant Jackie O'Neill. She's going to do an interview with you and Major Carter later. She's my daughter. I'm sure Danni told you that already."
"Nice to meet you, Dr. Jackson." she replied rather pleasant. She then went to Danni and gave her a big hug, "Hey step-mom!" she greeted. "Is grandpa Meborn and Grandma Clair in today?"
"They are." she nodded.
"Great! I got some questions for them about some digs I read about." she mentioned and then took a seat.
Daniel volunteered, "Can can answer any questions you have about digs." He figured he might as well make himself feel useful while in the other reality.
"I would like very much to talk with you." she assured him.
Sam took a seat on the other side of Daniel. She asked him candidly, "How is everything going?" She understood he wished to spend time with Sha're.
He gave a heavy sigh, "About as well as to be expected."
She rubbed his back, "Cheer up. I'm right here with you."
"Thanks Sam." he replied grateful. He then leaned close and whispered, "I wonder if Jack's daughter exist in our reality too."
"I suppose it possible." she agreed. "Next link up I can ask about her mother and see if he knows anything."
He agreed, "If she does exist, it would be nice to hook them up especially after losing Charlie."
"I think so too." she agreed.
"How are you and Colonel Carter getting along?" he wondered.
"About as well as me and Mark." she replied annoyed by her male counterpart.
"That good, huh?" he winced.
She nodded not amused, "Yup!"
Next Morning
Major Samantha Carter rose early to get a head start on the day. She hoped to have the mirror fixed soon so she could return home with Daniel. Though the new reality was much like her home universe, it was not exactly the same and she missed her Jack and her Teal'c. She returned to the commissary for breakfast. Upon gathering her food she spied General Hammond sitting with a young woman with light brown hair at a table. She recalled the conversation about Colonel Carter and the paternity test and wondered if perhaps that young woman was June Carter. She made her way to the table.
"Morning General." she greeted George.
He looked up and gave a nod, "Major Carter. How is the accommodations?" he wondered if there was any issue for his guest.
"Good! Thank you, sir." she confirmed. She looked upon the new face and studied her. She did have features similar to her own and blue eyes. She noticed the name badge read Carter and the rank of lieutenant second class.
George figured he should introduce the pair, "Major Carter meet Lieutenant June Carter. You might as well know, the paternity test came back and Colonel Carter is his father. I'm sure what that makes you though."
She stated, "I would be technically be her biological mother." she informed. "If you ran a DNA test that would peg me to her."
June cocked an eyebrow, "What am I missing?"
Sam explained, "I'm from another version of Earth. Another reality. In this reality I was born male. In my reality I was born female. There is a chromosome switch. I'm Major Samantha Carter."
June followed, "Multi universe theory! We have a way of crossing over the veil?"
Sam nodded, "A mirror left behind by the Ancients. They obviously knew more about it than we do."
June looked directly at the General, "Physics is my specialty. I'm working on a multi-universe theory for my thesis."
He assured, "I'm aware of that lieutenant. That's why I asked you to come in early and sit down to breakfast with me." He then motioned to Sam, "Have a seat, Major."
Sam sat down across from General Hammond and beside June Carter. Hammond then noticed the similar features in the pair. "You two could pass as mother and daughter." he informed.
"Or aunt." Sam suggested. "Have you met you father yet?"
She shook her head, "No! I only heard about him and SG-1 on the news."
Sam sat beside herself as her mind processed the statement. Heard about SG-1 on the news. It was the most odd statement for her to hear. "In my reality our program is classified. I'm not in the news." she told her.
June mentioned, "It would be cool to go to another reality."
"Not really." she had to disagree. "Though you would be safe from cascade failure in my reality since I never had you there. It's not like it is here where I'm a guy and could have a kid and not know it. I would know it!" she concluded as it would she experiencing the pregnancy.
June explained, "My theory is cascade failure can be avoided by slightly altering molecular vibrations with a pulsating energy source tuned to the body frequency. That should alter the molecular structure just enough to protect against cascade failure but not harm the host organism."
Sam slowly nodded in thought, "That could work."
George stated, "I'm assigning June to work with you and Sam, Major."
"I appreciate that, sir." she smiled happy to have a chance to get to know the young woman.
Meanwhile
Daniel emerged from the guest room only to spy Danni and Jack emerge from their room down the corridor. He paused and watched as Danni wrapped her arms around Jack and kissed him goodbye as she was about to start her day. Upon seeing Jack kissing his female alternate Daniel felt a shiver run up and down his spine. He shook the unpleasant feeling off wondering if he could ever get the image of Jack kissing a female version of himself out of his mind.
Danni walked away promising to see him at lunch time. Jack stood happy in the hall as it was his normal routine to kiss his wife goodbye at the start of the day. He looked over at Daniel who had to most disturbed look upon his face.
Jack asked, "What?"
He shook his head, "Nothing! Just seeing you kiss…her…well, me…" he was a lost for words. He confessed, "Of all the weird alien things we've been through I think this one takes the cake." He walked up to Jack who was just baffled by Daniel's reaction.
Jack stated, "I didn't kiss you. I kissed my wife like I always do."
"But I'm your wife, Jack!" he remarked.
"Brother! I cannot wrap my mind around this whole switching chromosomes thing. You are her brother from another reality. That's all you are." he sounded. "You are a lot like my wife but you are not my wife. You may look like her, but you do not smell like her and you two are not exactly alike. You're her brother. That's how I see it."
Daniel puckered in thought, "I don't smell like her?"
Jack leaned closer and sniffed him. "Nope! You stink!" he told him. "Danni smells great!"
Daniel lifted the neck line of the t-shirt and took a sniff. "I smell like normal to me."
"You don't smell like Danni." he told him. "So, it doesn't matter what Frasier says…You two are not the same person." he deemed.
"I wonder why we smell different?" he pondered. "Maybe it's hormonal?"
"Who knows." he agreed. The two men began to walk the hallway. Jack asked, "Who am I with in your reality?"
"No one that I know of." he replied.
"Hmm…" he debated. "Sam…My Sam, thinks your Sam has the hots for me…your me." he tried to explain.
Daniel asked, "You mean my Sam has the hots for my Jack?"
"Right!" he gave a nod.
"I don't know." he confessed. "I don't pry into Sam's personal life like that. Why do you ask?"
"I was thinking," he began "if I'm me in your world and Danni is you but Sam is your Major Carter then I kind of wonder if I would go for her since I don't have Danni."
Daniel asked, "You are say that if you didn't have a female version of me then you would go for Sam…my Sam?"
"She's hot." he confessed.
"Answer a question for me." Daniel requested.
"Shoot." he agreed.
"Is Teal'c with Sha're?" he wondered.
He thought for a moment, "Teal'c likes her and they get along well. They have a lot in common."
"I suppose…" he let out a deep sigh.
"What?" Jack wondered.
"If Sha're exist in another reality where I am a woman then I suppose Teal'c would be a good choice for her." he concluded. "I know he would take care of her and never hurt her."
"True." he agreed.
Daniel spoke more to himself as he mentioned, "I guess when you love someone you have to let them go."
Jack let out a heavy sigh.
He asked, "What?"
He replied, "You sound like my wife."
Daniel smirked, "Well…it's nice to know that deep down inside I really do mean something to you, Jack."
He rolled his eyes. "The sooner you go back home the better, Daniel."
