Daughter
Chapter 5 – Opportunity
Daniel's hand hovered hesitantly over the doorknob of his own quarters. He'd given the ladies about two hours of time alone. He wasn't sure how long they really needed to discuss the matter he had brought up, but he would need a final decision soon. The power requirements to send three people back were significantly higher than just two. He needed to make arrangements.
The click of the lock was the only sound in the accommodation. He slowly peeked his head through the door, curious about the quiet. Unlike last time, he did not panic now. Still, Daniel wasn't sure what to expect. "Vala? Gracie?"
"Over here." His eyes followed the sound to his couch in the center of the living room. They huddled together, a photo album in Gracie's lap. She lounged in the crook of her mother's arms as they both stared at the pictures.
He ventured over to them. "I see you found the albums on the shelf." Daniel kept a collection of them on the lower tier of his glass coffee table. When he got a good look, the album they were viewing now was of Sam and Jack's wedding. Gracie's fingers were slowly tracing the outlines of their smiling faces in one happy picture.
Vala looked up at him. "You kept it."
"I kept a lot of their things." He knelt down to pull another album from the shelf. "Did you see this one yet?" They both nodded negatively. Vala sat up to receive the new album. Gracie reverently placed the open wedding album on the coffee table. The album in front of them now showed Gracie as a baby. One of the first photos was of Sam in a hospital bed smiling down at a newborn. As Daniel studied them, he noted red-rimmed eyes and somber expressions. He grimaced as he sat down with them patiently.
"Look, there's you with Carolyn," Vala pointed out. The photo showed the doctor in her hospital scrubs, smiling as she posed with newborn Gracie in her arms. They continued on like this, with Vala and Daniel helpfully supplying the names and contexts of the more interesting photos. Many featured a smiling Daniel with a young Gracie sitting on his lap. The sight of so many of them was softening her hard-edged impression of him even further.
Daniel made eye contact with Vala. She frowned and nodded. Gracie remained quiet as they went through the rest of the pictures. When it was over, she quietly spoke without making eye contact with Daniel. "Thank you. For keeping these."
"It was the least I could do."
The younger woman drew in a deep breath and let it out. "I have questions."
Daniel sat up straighter. "Ask anything you want," he encouraged.
"What happened to each of my parents? Really."
Vala stiffened, but also turned to Daniel expectantly.
Daniel looked down briefly as he sighed, readying himself to dwell on painful memories. He nodded to himself to work up the willpower, then dove right in. "Your mom died first. She had to take a trip to a place called Atlantis just before you left Earth. Our people over there were trying to activate a very old and very dangerous machine. They wanted her help in figuring it out." Gracie stared at him with anticipation. "Something went terribly wrong, and there was an explosion that killed a lot of people, including her. This happened just a handful of days after you left the planet."
Her mouth was a grim line. "What was the machine supposed to do?"
"Make drones. Atlantis and Earth used to have a supply of them left behind by the Ancients, but we depleted nearly all of them trying to protect ourselves. We didn't know how to make more until we found the manufacturing facility for them hidden on Atlantis."
"So my dad lost me and then my mom around the same time?" she asked sadly.
Daniel shook his head. "It was really hard on him." Vala closed her eyes, shaking her head. "There was an official inquiry. It turns out some of the Ancient writing they were using as an instruction manual had been translated incorrectly. The result was catastrophic."
Gracie grit her teeth. "Was someone held responsible?"
"It was more than one person, Gracie. And they didn't mean to make those mistakes. They died along with your mom."
Some of her sudden anger dissipated. "What about my dad?"
"He lived for another handful of years. Without you and your mom around, he tried focusing on taking down the network of bad guys that was threatening you and a lot of our other loved ones on Earth." Daniel turned to Vala, "Maybe I didn't tell you this, but Jack became obsessed. He started doing things that were…" he paused hesitantly, "risky."
Vala wasn't sure she wanted to know, but after all these years, she needed to. "Like what?"
"Personally going on special operations to assassinate the Goa'uld who had infiltrated our governments. The problem was growing like a cancer, unchecked and undetected for the longest time."
"Was that what killed him?" Gracie presumed.
"No, Gracie. He got to the point where he was so sad, that he…" Daniel took in a shuddering breath. "You have to understand, you weren't his only child. And he lost you both."
"What?" she asked in surprise.
"He had a son before you named Charlie. He died before I met your dad."
"I could have had a brother?" Gracie looked at her mother.
"I didn't know about this, either," Vala said, also looking shocked.
"His son was from his first marriage. He really didn't like talking about any of it," Daniel explained. Addressing Vala, he added, "And you two were always hamming it up, so, those kinds of things probably never came up."
"What does that mean?"
"Your father and I liked to have fun," Vala explained. "We liked each other's sense of humor."
Daniel shook his head covered in stark white hair, smiling slightly. "Yes, one of their favorite games was to tease me."
Gracie considered him thoughtfully. It sounded like happy times. Strong friendships. Laughter and love. "So, I'm guessing he wasn't the same after everyone was gone."
"No," Daniel replied grimly.
"And so he just ended it," she concluded. She remained quiet for a moment, absorbing these explanations about her parents. She felt relieved that others were regarding her as mature enough to receive such information. But Gracie also felt sadness to finally learn the detailed truth. "What stopped him from leaving Earth to come to me? Before he died?" It was a question that had plagued her since forever.
Daniel's mouth twitched as he shook his head. "He was tagged… without knowing it at first. We realized something was wrong when we first tried to leave Earth to come get you. We were being followed." He pursed his lips as he remembered. "We even double-backed through the gate a few times just to make sure. Your dad got too worried that he would lead them right to you. So we went back to Earth, got scanned, and found out he had a permanent tracker embedded in his body. There was no way to get it out without killing him."
"And what about you?"
"I was clean."
"Why him? Why not you?"
"I wasn't in Washington enough. That's a seat of government here on Earth," Daniel explained. "They secretly tagged anyone there in the higher ranks with knowledge of the stargate."
"Daniel," Vala cut in, "How do you know you've never been tagged since then? Clearly, you would be a target now." She thought back to a few of the close calls that happened soon after his visits. She sometimes wondered if Daniel himself had accidentally led their pursuers to them.
"I shot the bastards who tried to tag me," he said with a faraway look. "We know how to counteract the technology now. So they won't be trying it again."
"Is Jack still afflicted now?"
"No, I had Carolyn deactivate his tracker. It's still physically there, but it's no longer useful."
"Why do they want to hurt us?" Gracie asked desperately. "Who are they?"
Daniel locked eyes with her. "The Goa'uld are a sick race of people who thrive on watching others suffer. We've beaten them down to nothing compared to what they once were. And the few that are left can't stand it. So now some of their attention has been trained squarely on revenge. They want to get to you, and every other innocent loved one, because it means it will bring us to our knees. And when they get that chance, they think they can regain some of the power they lost. At one point in our recent history, they were called the Trust."
Vala searched his eyes. "There's a limit to the number of actual symbiotes these days." It was part-question and part-observation.
"Those limited numbers here on Earth are body-hopping. There's a trail of dead bodies to prove it. And when there aren't enough Goa'uld symbiotes to do the dirty work, they resort to brainwashing and coercion. Hence the threats to anyone and everyone's families."
Gracie shivered at the gravity of what she was learning. Earth didn't sound very welcoming at all. "What would they have done to me, if they got me?"
Daniel grimaced, hesitant to answer. But her eyes insisted. After all these years of running, she deserved some context. He kept his response succinct, hoping not to dwell on the disturbing truths that he knew. "I would imagine they would have kept you alive, but would have hurt you in front of your dad to force him to do things. I've seen and heard of all of these things happening before." He looked away briefly. "It has been beyond tragic," he added quietly.
"If they know I am here now, what would happen?"
"Your parents aren't around to be influenced anymore. At this point, I think they would want you because of the Ancient gene you surely inherited from your father."
"Meaning?" Vala asked him to clarify.
"The Goa'uld acquired some Ancient technology, but they can't use it. Gracie could activate it. She'd be useful to them in that regard. And we both know they'd use her as some sort of sick plaything for their twisted entertainment." His face soured in disgust at the evil the snakes were capable of. "Plus, Gracie's more of a legend in that she's never been caught." He looked at Vala pointedly, quietly offering her credit where credit was due. "Anyone who snatched her now would have bragging rights." He raised a finger. "But, their numbers have dwindled. Our intelligence is showing there's just a few Goa'uld left on Earth. Cameron and I are more confident now that we can protect you here."
"So…" Gracie wrung her hands. "You're saying I could stay here? On Earth?"
Daniel nodded. "If you want."
"No more running?" she asked with guarded anticipation, repeating the phrasing the younger version of him had used to refer to their lifestyle. Vala reached over to grasp her hands.
"No more running." He stopped himself from diving headlong into an explanation about how she'd be stuck on the Antarctic base for a time before she could move freely about the planet. Or that there would still be a few more surgical strikes to complete before they could reliably secure her safety. And that he would need to get her a new identity and backstory. Et cetera, et cetera. None of that would matter if she chose to go with Jack to the past instead. Daniel refrained from asking her about her decision outright. He wasn't going to pressure her one way or the other. He also sensed that if it were him asking the question, it would influence her thoughts on the matter.
Staring down at her hands within her mother's, Gracie contemplated his last statement. She had no idea what life could be like without moving from place to place as they did. She thought back to what she had told the younger Daniel back on the Hak'tyl world. This was all she'd ever known. To settle into one place and to feel safe doing so for longer than a few months was unfathomable. In fact, it scared her more than the reality of being hunted. The concept of a home was so foreign to her that she didn't know what to do with it. She couldn't choose between either of the options Daniel had offered her. Which brought Gracie to her next question.
"Why would I go back with the Jack O'Neill that's here now? You're saying it's safe enough for me to be on Earth again… that a lot of the hard work is done. But if I went with him, I'd be going back to watch him lose my first mom. I would just lose her all over again without even getting to know her."
Daniel widened his eyes. "No, I'm sending them back to save your mom. And you." She urged him to explain with her shocked expression. "Their presence here is my doing. I'm giving them all the information they need to fix what's been broken before it gets so bad that life becomes…" he gestured around aimlessly, "this bullshit." He huffed heavily. "This absolute shitty mess." The lines on his face became more severe with his frustrated cursing of the world.
Gracie sat up. "You're trying to save my mom?" She made eye contact with Vala. "She won't die?"
"Not if your dad and my other self can help it. They're ready to act as soon as they get back."
"How?" she breathed.
"It'll start with a call to Atlantis to get your mom on the line. Get her to abort the work before the explosion happens. It will give Atlantis time to realize what could go wrong before it costs anyone their life."
Vala wondered, "What about the incursion at the SGC that forced Gracie to leave in the first place?"
"I can't do anything about that. The wormhole I interfered with had to be one with only Jack and past me. Coming to find you offworld after the incursion was the only opportunity. I won't be sending them further back either. We can't double ourselves."
"But you're willing to double me?" Gracie asked, confused.
"I'm willing to give you a chance to live a life your parents would have wanted for you, without losing this incredible self that you've already become." He met Gracie's eyes. "You're worth it. And the age difference between you and the little girl back there is wide enough, that I think they can make it work. They figured something out with your dad's clone, so, why not you?"
"That's a really weird story that I want him to tell me about."
"You should ask him next time you see him."
"I will." She paused for a beat. "Mom says that if I stay here, we might die?" Gracie was clearly skeptical.
Daniel frowned. "We might blink right out of existence," he corrected. "Time is a tricky thing… Did you know that Teal'c is 50 years older than he should be?"
"Huh?"
"We got stuck on a ship for 50 or 60 years in a time dilation field. Really complicated and hard to explain. But he stayed older while the rest of us just got erased and reset to the moment before the time dilation happened. He went back to fix the problem before it occurred."
"To this day," Vala complained, "he will not tell me what happened on that ship." She turned to Gracie. "He looked instantly older to us in no time at all. But for him, so many years had passed."
She scrunched up her face, struggling to understand it. "So it happened to Teal'c. Is that where you got the idea to do all this?"
Daniel smiled, impressed with her. "Yes. I've been dreaming about making this happen for over a decade." Vala stared, stunned at Daniel's revelation. "I just didn't have the resources nor the influence to get it done."
"But now you do," Gracie stated. "You're obviously in a position of considerable power."
"I took this soul-sucking job so I could finally, one day, reset time," he confessed.
The pair of women stared quietly at him upon his admission. It was an ambitious plan. Crazy even.
"How hard was it for you to become base commander, Daniel?" Vala inquired.
"Harder than you think. I made some real political enemies in the process." He brought a hand to his forehead to pinch the space between his eyes. "They enhance the Hell that is my life," he said with a touch of rueful scorn.
"Couldn't General Landry have done this?"
Daniel dropped his hand with a grim look. "He died before we acquired the technology to do this."
"Who is that?"
Vala smiled sadly. "A wonderful, kind leader. A man who deserved many more years than he was given." She tucked an errant strand of golden hair behind her daughter's shoulder. "He was Carolyn's father."
Gracie's eyes shown with sadness for them. Then she looked away, wringing her hands. She caught sight of the wedding album, still open on the coffee table. Her parents were so happy-looking there. And now having learned more, she understood just how terrible their endings had been. It wasn't just her who had suffered. Nor her adoptive mother. But Daniel was suffering even now. He wasn't quite the demon she thought him to be anymore. He was as much a victim of this cruel galaxy as any of them were.
He was pinning a lot of hope on his younger self and her father to prevent all this heartbreak. And if they were successful, would anyone really know it? Gracie could barely wrap her mind around the concept of time travel, let alone the possibility of having a home on Earth. Could she even handle going back in time to start over? Or wouldn't she be better off here, with the one person she loved and trusted? Gracie looked at Vala now. Her mother simply looked back, knowing she needed time to think.
A chime sounded off on a wall panel. Daniel scowled at it. He got up to read a message on the screen, then turned around. "They're looking for me out there. I have to go."
"It's not Jack and the other you, is it?" Vala asked.
"No, yet another fire I have to put out. I might send them in here, though. It'll be a faster way to get them out of my office without anyone noticing."
Daniel excused himself, emotions unsettled from his painful storytelling session. He forced the burden to the back of his mind, knowing he'd need to compartmentalize his thoughts just to get through the next problem on his hands. There was always too much to do and not enough time to think. He could feel the tension re-forming in his muscles. It wasn't lost on him that he still hadn't gotten an answer from Gracie about what she wanted to do.
As promised, Jack and the younger Daniel were sent to hide out with the ladies. The elder Daniel hurried them in and rushed back to his office to deal with whatever crisis required a base commander's attention now. He made pressured assurances to be back as soon as he could.
And that left Jack and Daniel to stare into one of the most luxurious-looking base quarters either had ever seen. Vala and Gracie watched them from the couch as they took it all in. "Cam wasn't kidding," Daniel said in wonder.
"He must be a really good real estate agent."
Both men began to wander around. Jack mimicked Vala's arrival earlier, checking out every room. Daniel, like Gracie, focused on the shelves littered with artifacts, some of which he did not recognize. He gingerly picked up a few to examine them, noting various qualities that his academic training had taught him to attend to.
"He has a fully stocked fridge in here!" Jack exclaimed from the kitchen. Vala found this entertaining.
"So there really is a freezer?" Daniel asked distractedly as he looked at another item on one of the shelves. He picked up an old-looking tome to see what language it was written in. "Wonder if it's just open to the cold air outside," he mumbled.
Vala waited patiently for him to notice the framed pictures near the books. She watched as he carefully closed and replaced the book once he saw them. Slowly, he stepped over. The largest frame on the shelf featured Sha're. He stood before her reverently, examining her features and trying to remember the way her hands felt in his. Vala could recall him doing this in his office so many years ago, leaving her to wonder just who the woman in the picture was.
Gracie watched him now and pondered the same herself. Daniel quirked a soft look of love toward the tanned-skinned woman posing with an innocent smile. Jack, meanwhile, generated noise all over the accommodation, opening every single drawer and cabinet without any shame.
Soon, Daniel spied the other photo. It was slightly smaller, but still seemed to hold a particular significance in that it was adorned in an intricately carved frame. It showed himself and Vala posing together at a wedding. He had delightfully taken her into his arms, smiling with her check to cheek toward the camera. The merriment of the event had been enough for him to begin showing her open affection without worrying about what others thought. He could have really cared less that day. Or any other day thereafter.
Daniel picked it up and turned around to show Vala. "Sam and Jack's wedding," he remarked with a grin.
She smiled. "A good day."
"It was." He returned it to the shelf. And it dawned on him that Sha're and Vala were the only people from his life on display. He blinked and took in a quiet breath. Daniel swallowed, then buried his hands in his pockets. This meant something.
"These quarters are nice," Jack declared, interrupting Daniel's potential reverie. The General now sat on the couch with Gracie. He pulled the wedding album into his lap easily, encouraging Gracie to ask him questions about the photos there. She seemed eager to speak directly with him. Jack was more than happy to oblige her.
As they engaged in conversation, Vala stood up. She briefly patted Gracie's shoulder as she left for the kitchen. She meant to find some water, but realized the leftover breakfast had been forgotten on the table. It was then that her stomach complained.
"It wasn't bad for base food," the younger Daniel commented behind her at the doorway. He wandered in while she sat down, exploring the fridge and the drawers as well, just with less gusto than Jack.
"It's cold."
"Well, this is Antarctica." Daniel picked up her plate, ignoring her protest, then popped it into the small microwave hanging above the stove. He leaned back on the counter while they waited for it to warm her food. "Do you happen to know how long he's been here?" he asked, looking all around.
"I'm not exactly sure, but it's already been a number of years. Like I told you, he wouldn't tell me much at all."
"I think I understand why now. But it still doesn't seem fair." The microwave chimed and Daniel returned the breakfast platter to Vala's seat.
She thanked him with a nod. "You try telling yourself that. Let me know how it goes."
Daniel cringed. "You know what, how about instead, I just go back, help Jack fix the timeline, and then none of the bad things have to happen?"
Vala began eating. "She'll never know what an ass you've been for nearly 20 years."
Daniel set a cup of water in front of her, then sat down. "That bad?" She tilted her head with exhausted disgust, but continued eating. "I'm sorry."
"Technically, you have nothing to apologize for. And believe me when I tell you, he's apologized enough himself. It is what it is, Daniel."
He studied the creases on her face that represented all the stress and pain the years had inflicted upon her. Despite them, he still found her beautiful. He wondered if the next Vala to reach this age, the one he would grow old with, would look different. He stopped himself. Who said they would grow old together?
"Daniel," Jack called, "come see this."
He got up. Daniel made sure to squeeze Vala's shoulder as he exited the kitchen, leaving her to finish her meal in peace. "What is it?"
Jack held up a different photo album, open to some older pictures. "Look at yourself," he said with a cooky grin.
Daniel squinted as he approached. "Oh God."
Jack chuckled.
Gracie pointed. "That was you?"
Daniel huffed, embarrassed by the photo of a younger him with a floppy-do haircut and gigantic glasses. He didn't want to dwell on how incredibly ignorant he was back then. Nor how much danger he had really been putting himself in by stepping through the gate. It was a wonder that young man in the photo was even the same person as himself now.
Then he considered what his older self must be thinking of him. Was he the ignorant one now?
Jack lost interest in teasing him and chose instead to regal Gracie with a story from their early days, inspired by the photos. She listened intently as Daniel just stood there with hands in pockets. He leaned back on the doorframe of the kitchen while Jack yammered on.
Daniel stared at the framed photos across the room on the shelf. Only Vala and Sha're were on display in this entire set of quarters. No one else. Just two women who were important to him in different ways. Part of himself, mainly the part with too much pride, refused to admit that Vala had any influence over him at all. But when he glanced around at the dwelling of his future self, it clicked. Honestly, he didn't actually need all of this space for himself. It's as if he had set himself up in this gigantic apartment with the expectation that someone would join him. It didn't take a genius to guess who.
Clearly, the other him hated his job with a passion. But he trudged through it… for her. He masterminded a crazy scheme to change time… for her. Yes, Gracie was an important motivator. But Daniel suspected, no, he knew, that Vala was the driving force behind all his future self's decisions.
If that wasn't love, then he didn't know what was.
Dammit, he thought to himself. I've wasted so much time. The Vala that was contemporary to him was, regrettably, nothing more than his friend and teammate. Daniel had already been starting to admit that he wanted more, but remained hesitant to act. He dwelled on thoughts of starting a relationship with her, seeing how far it could go, and then having it all cut short by some sort of work-related tragedy. It was enough to scare him into doing nothing. But seeing this place now… seeing what another version of himself had accomplished in her name… made him realize he'd been an idiot for not getting on with it already. Life was too short for the nonsense that held him back. He promised himself right then and there to correct that oversight just as soon as he got back.
The Vala of this time appeared next to him, listening in to Jack's story. She found herself just as interested as their daughter, not having been around for the period of life Jack was reminiscing about now. Daniel only half-listened as Jack embellished his retelling of some early SG-1 experience. He was distracted instead, imagining how he would approach the Vala from his own time once he got back.
Gracie listened intently and wide-eyed as Jack finished his story. She nodded uncertainly when it was done, only half-believing his tale. "Now tell me about… your clone," she requested. Jack sat up, looked thoughtful, then dove right in.
Cameron leaned in as they stared at the blue puddle shimmering within the stargate. "Maybe this could be our opportunity to get them out quietly," he whispered conspiratorially.
The elder Daniel rubbed at his white beard stubble. "Maybe," he muttered quietly next to him.
The pair stood just outside a set of clearly marked concentric circles on the floor, emanating from the gate. The inner-most circle showed the danger zone that a new wormhole's kawoosh would invade each time the portal activated. The next circle marked the safe zone, where SG-teams and departing visitors typically stood while waiting to step through an active wormhole.
Along that outer circle, emitters were embedded into the floor. Unlike the original SGC, this base did not have an iris for its stargate. Instead it had a shield that formed a protective dome around it, activating when needed to prevent anything from getting through. Should the base be assaulted through the wormhole, nothing would immediately endanger the people who manned the gate room. The defense team would have time to adequately respond and the techs could evacuate, if they didn't also jump to the base's defense. And if anything were to happen to the base externally, say orbital weapons fire or some sort of explosion, the shield would automatically protect the gate from complete destruction. This way, Earth would not be permanently cut off from the rest of the network. The destructive kawoosh of a forming wormhole would clear the path of any debris for someone to come through. Earth allies coming to the rescue would know to be prepared for the dangerous climate of Antarctica. Enemies, meanwhile, would find themselves at a bitterly cold disadvantage.
Louder now, so that the team standing ready could hear, Cameron ordered, "Move out."
A group of five soldiers in green military attire complied. Their leader nodded respectfully to the General as he led them forward toward the shining wormhole. They were armed as any SG-team had been in the past 20-30 years, just with upgraded weapons. The pair watching them didn't blink as the wormhole shut down upon their departure. Daniel and Cameron turned around to face an array of seats positioned at the side of the gate. Within each station sat a worker responsible for control of the DHD, communications, and other vital base functions.
"Sarge, let me know the minute they check back in," Daniel ordered the tech sitting closest to the gate.
"Yes, sir," the man replied easily.
"Strategy session," Cameron announced to Daniel.
"My office?"
Cameron tilted his head in that direction. Daniel nodded and they both exited the gate room, leaving its remaining occupants to continue their work as before. The walk was short. The hallway leading to his office was just beyond the gate room by design. That meant any alien VIP would be whisked immediately into Daniel's audience upon arrival to Earth, preventing them from wandering through the base. They'd had enough problems at the previous SGC to know that letting offworlders witness critical base operations was more trouble than it was worth. If Daniel decided it was appropriate to release newcomers into the facility at large, then their next stop would be Medical, where Dr. Mitchell's team would screen them through yet another filter. All the while, scanners were hidden along their path, watching for bugs of both the technological and pathogenic varieties.
They had caught many an imposter attempting to infiltrate the Antarctic base this way. Thus far, to Daniel's knowledge, the base was clean. But he and Cameron never let go of their concern that any of their beloved colleagues could be compromised elsewhere on Earth. It was a war on two fronts just to keep the base free of undesirable elements. They both hoped to experience a little relief from that constant anxiety soon.
Daniel plopped down into the seat behind his desk tiredly. Cameron grabbed a chair from the conference table and sat down on it backwards facing the desk. He leaned his arms on the chair's back and laid his head there. For a moment, neither of them spoke, still trying to process the insanity of the last few days. They not only had worries related to their time-traveling guests, but to other more immediate matters as well. By this point in their long careers working alongside each other, they were both brothers-in-arms and brothers-in-exhaustion.
"I can't wait to get Carolyn off this base and go somewhere warm," Cameron whined through his arms.
"I hear the beaches on Trevia are nice this time of year," Daniel quipped as he let his head fall back on his own chair.
The General popped his head up. "We could make it a double-date," he said, grinning mischievously. "Sure the ladies would love that."
Daniel smirked. He glared when a light on his desk began to flash incessantly, signaling someone was calling. He decided to ignore it. That would prompt the caller to leave a message. There were other ways to get his immediate attention if the situation truly demanded it.
He groaned and sat up straight. Time for business. "What's your idea about getting our guests off this base?"
"Was thinking we treat the offworld incident as an emergency to cause as much activity as possible. Sneak 'em offworld among the crowd in the hubbub. Then meet up and drive 'em over to Praxeon."
"Hide them in plain sight," Daniel mused. He couldn't close half the base down again so soon after the last unexpected shut-down. It would raise far too many questions that would alert their Earth-bound Goa'uld enemies that something was happening. He'd yet to eliminate them all, but at least those plans were already in motion elsewhere.
"Your younger self looks different enough if we put some shades on him. And almost nobody would recognize O'Neill."
"Get him shades and a hat, just in case."
"Yep," Cameron agreed. "We could put them in the largest group bringing through the supplies. Everyone'll be busy, worrying about what they need to pack and where to go. I could light a real good fire under everyone's asses. It'd be a hot mess."
"Just the cover we need then," his friend agreed.
"Question, though. What about the kid?"
Daniel drew in a slow breath. "I haven't heard her answer yet."
"Jackson," Cameron said seriously, "We kinda need to know now."
"This isn't something you can just drop on someone's lap and expect them to decide in an instant." He glanced at the message lights blinking on a panel inlaid on his desk. They seemed to be multiplying. "Besides, if I'm the one that pushes it, it might make her decide something that she'll regret. I can't be responsible for that."
Cameron rubbed at his neck. "Fair enough." He seemed to consider something. "Well, what if I follow up on it? I'm more or less neutral in this whole thing." He gestured at the angry lights on Daniel's desk as he continued, "Besides, looks like you've got people hunting for you."
"Ugh, don't remind me."
"Sorry, that's part of my job."
Daniel rolled his eyes. "I think you enjoy that part a little too much," he complained.
Cameron flashed him a playful smirk. He got up, returned his chair to the conference table, then moved to the back of Daniel's desk. He reached his hand into an inconspicuous groove behind a monitor on the wall. The lever he pulled instantly opened the hidden door. "I'll leave you to it and go check on our friends."
"Hey," Daniel stopped him. "Thanks, Cam," he said meaningfully.
Cameron smiled softly and nodded before disappearing.
When the door clicked shut behind him, Daniel made a face at all the blinking lights on his desk, clamoring for his attention.
"Knock, knock," Cameron announced himself. He let himself into Daniel's quarters.
"He just lets you walk in here?" the younger version asked from across the room. Vala stood next to him, grinning now that Cameron had returned.
"Yeah, of course."
Gracie looked at him with amusement from the couch. "I think the other Daniel still complains."
Cameron just chuckled as he approached. "General," he greeted to Jack.
"General," Jack responded from his seat. He gestured for Cameron to sit. "Just how long have you been wearing those stars, anyway?"
"Oh, it's been a minute, sir."
"Not gonna tell me, huh?"
"No, sir. I'm already afraid we're breaking too many rules as it is."
Daniel concurred from his place leaning on the kitchen door frame. "Probably."
"I see we're taking a walk down memory lane," Cameron observed, looking at all the photo albums. He pointed at one of the photos featuring Sam in her military uniform. "Well, just look at the beautiful mama right there."
Gracie noted admiration in his tone. She was intrigued by his accent. There was a slight difference to it, compared to the rest. "How well did you know her?" she asked curiously.
He smiled wistfully at the young blonde. "Your Mama and I were good friends. For a good long time, we were the same rank. Made things comfortable." He glanced at Jack. "O'course, not too comfortable."
Jack simply listened, amused by his comment.
Vala snorted. "Cameron, tell her about the time you lost your pants."
Daniel smirked. "Which time? There were so many of them."
"Twice. It only happened twice!" the General responded, somewhat incredulous.
"Please, do tell," Jack encouraged with mirth. Gracie smiled shyly, not sure what to make of the way this group engaged in banter so easily. She was starting to realize just how close they all must have been. You could tell someone so, but to really witness it was quite another thing.
"If you don't tell the story," Vala warned, "then I will."
Cameron pointed at her. "You talkin' about the time when…" She nodded. He dropped his chin down to his chest briefly and sighed. Despite his slight embarrassment, he was smiling. He proceeded to recount the occasion when he had chased after a kidnapped Vala, in the hopes of rescuing her. Daniel made it a point to remind him that he stole a motorcycle in the process. All throughout the story, the others sprinkled in little tidbits that hinted at just how much they cared about each other, even if they teased each other mercilessly.
Their interactions warmed Gracie's heart. All these happy moments they shared were obviously fond memories. Soon, her father and the younger Daniel would leave. They would go back to whatever life they had and make new memories with the people they loved… including her birth mother. But where would that leave her, she wondered? In that moment, Gracie considered what it would mean if she left along with them. Could she make new memories with her birth mother, too?
She glanced at the woman who was her mother now, laughing along easily as Daniel made another snide comment at Cameron's expense. Vala seemed so carefree here among them. When she ever felt safe, then Gracie felt safe. The young blonde longed for that feeling to be permanent. It was something she only ever experienced in rare and fleeting moments, like when they were among their Jaffa friends.
She grit her teeth surreptitiously. It felt like a betrayal to even consider leaving her mother at all. Outwardly, she smiled along with the group as they continued to cajole each other good-naturedly. Gracie thought back to what her mother had tried to explain earlier, about being old enough to not forget her. She studied Vala now. If her mother was so happy with these people, maybe she could get a chance to see those carefree smiles more often in the past. Vala would definitely be different, but she'd be happier. It's what she wanted most for the woman who raised her. Isn't that why she challenged the younger Daniel when she met him? To remove a perceived obstacle on the path to her mother's safety and security?
Gracie glanced at him as the group carried on, now lost in their memories, focusing on the funnier experiences in their lives. The older version of him was so different. Hard-edged. Burdened. Powerful. Gracie knew that powerful men were meant to be regarded with heavy suspicion, no matter how much affection they showed toward you. But this Daniel was nothing like that. He could put one at ease with his soft-spoken words and pure heart. Both versions of Daniel Jackson had good intentions, but she certainly found one more preferable to be around than the other.
She sighed inwardly, glancing at her father now. He would leave. And then she would be fatherless again. She would have just her mother, the older Daniel, and all their shared regrets over what they'd lost. The old man would let her roam free on Earth, eventually. But the thought scared her. She had no idea how this world worked. She'd be dependent on him to learn, knowing that her own mother was not from this planet and hadn't been here since Gracie was a child. Maybe that doctor friend of theirs could help her. She felt comfortable with her. But she was high-ranking and busy, too. Gracie feared that would be too much of a burden.
But, if she went to the past, the so-called burden could be spread evenly among many. Perhaps Gracie would feel less guilty asking them to teach her a new way to live. She'd regain a father, a mother, these uncles, and still keep her adoptive mother, however different she might be. There wouldn't be as much running. There would be more time for… well… Gracie could not even imagine. But anything had to be better than constantly looking over your shoulder. Or holding your nose when a particularly nasty job came their way. She shivered at the thought of some of the worse ones they had to do. All so they could simply afford to fuel their ship. Or just eat.
Gracie considered the benefits of leaving. She wanted her mother to be happier. She wanted to see that every day. In the past, it was almost guaranteed. She realized it as she watched Vala with these old friends here. What's more, she wanted to have her parents back. And here was the opportunity of a lifetime staring her in the face. She could try a lifestyle that didn't involve the drawbacks hers currently possessed now. It would be something new. Something fresh. A life surrounded by family who obviously loved her and could help her.
Above all, it would be safe.