“Haven’t you ever had a feeling that made absolutely no logical sense, and it turned out to be right?” Mel asked in return. Neither husband nor wife saw Sam stiffen when she recognized the question Daniel had asked her while they were following Kendra to the exit of the Labyrinth on Cimmeria. Apparently Daniel had inherited that amazing intuition of his from his father as well as his focus.
“I will never understand,” Claire said with a sigh and a smile. “Go do your shoring up. I’ll see you at lunch.”
There were no attempts on Claire or Daniel’s lives that day, although Sam would have sworn she could feel a malevolent presence nearby, just out of arm’s reach wherever she and Claire were working in the central work tent. Mel and Teal’c came by at mealtimes with plates for the both of them, and filled them in on the amazing progress the team was making. “I think we may be ready to go late tomorrow morning,” the male archaeologist said as the four of them ate supper that evening, excitement flaring up in his light brown eyes.
Sam looked at Teal’c who silently confirmed the estimate. “Who’ll be going down there?” the blonde asked as she returned her attention to her friend’s father.
“I will, definitely,” Claire said before Mel could respond. “I don’t think any of the other linguists we have here would have any hope of deciphering such an ancient Egyptian script, at least, not without a whole lot of time. We have our grant review coming up at the end of the month - we need something to show them, something different and exciting.”
“You’ve had this argument ready to go all day, haven’t you?” Mel asked, slightly annoyed.
“You bet I have,” the brunette confirmed. “I know I’m close to the baby’s due date, but I’m perfectly healthy. Janelle confirmed that last night. I’m not sure how much I’ll be able to do after the little one arrives, and seeing this kind of thing in person is always preferable to pictures or sketches. Rose and Teal can come with us to make sure I stay safe.” She looked at the two teammates, her hopeful gaze begging for their support.
Sam bit her lower lip as she considered it. She didn’t want to disappoint the woman she’d grown fond of in such a short time, but at the same time she didn’t want to take a chance with her safety - and by extension, Daniel’s. The knowledge that the next day was the eighth didn’t help matters either. “How secure do you think the stairway and the chamber will be?” she asked Mel, determined to be fair.
Mel sighed and dropped his head. “I couldn’t make it any safer if I had a month more time,” he said in a resigned tone of voice. “I’ve done this kind of thing too many times before.” He brought his eyes up sheepishly in yet another familiar expression. “I was hoping you wouldn’t ask that.”
Teal’c raised an eyebrow at that, but chose not to comment. “I have faith in your construction, Melbourne Jackson,” he said solemnly. “Major Grayson and I will do everything in our capabilities to protect you and your family. You cannot let fear prevent you from completing the task you have set before yourself in this place. If you do, the fugitive will have won.”
“You’re right,” Mel said softly, completely raising his head. “I can’t let fear control me. And you’re right, too, Claire. There’s no one here that has a better chance of success with this new language than you. We’ll go down after lunch if everything goes according to schedule.”
“Thank you,” Claire whispered before giving him a loving kiss.
Sam pulled Teal’c aside for a moment. “You do realize that tomorrow’s the eighth, right?” she asked him in hushed tones.
Teal’c bowed his head in acknowledgment. “Indeed I do, Major Carter. I believe that no matter what actions we take the future will unfold as it should. This will likely include Daniel Jackson’s birth at the appropriate time. It is more important that Melbourne and Claire Jackson do not grow accustom to hiding from their fears when concerning their son. What we know of Daniel Jackson’s future with them suggests they cannot do so for our friend to become the man we know and care so much for.”
The major nodded. “I see your point. And a threat can happen here just as much as anywhere else, especially if Claire is in the middle of labor. I think everyone’s going to be a little distracted at that point.”
“So what do you say?” Claire asked, interrupting the quiet discussion.
“I say it’s a plan,” Sam said with a smile, settling the matter. There were smiles all around as the quartet began to anticipate the day to come.
* * * * * * * *
Sam was surprised she didn’t have self-inflicted whiplash by the time lunch rolled around the next day. She constantly found herself snapping her head around to watch Claire every time the other woman so much as shifted in her chair as they worked. Unbeknownst to the pregnant woman, Daniel was due to come at any time now, and Sam was just a bundle of nerves waiting for it.
The two of them made a good amount of progress on the astronomical scrolls in spite of it all. Sam was confident that Claire could easily take things the rest of the way herself once the astrophysicist and her Jaffa friend had been returned to their own time. She couldn’t help but smile. What people didn’t know...
“What’s so funny?” Claire asked, catching the lighthearted expression. She’d been amused by the mother hen act from her new friend, but was happy to see the other woman’s focus shift elsewhere.
“I think the people I work with would find it amusing to know I’ve been working so closely with you on an archaeological find,” Sam said honestly, knowing Claire would misinterpret why.
“The old hard/soft science debate in action, huh?” The brunette grinned. “I had a friend in college who had to deal with that. She was a chemistry major, and was helping me out with some preliminary carbon dating. The other members of the chemistry club were about ready to burn her at the stake for heresy.” She laughed.
Sam joined her. “So how did your friend get herself out of that one?”
Claire’s expression turned smug. “Following a suggestion of mine, she reminded them who was working as a TA for a professor they all had for a class that was a requirement for their majors. And that said professor really liked her and respected her opinion. They backed off.”
The women were still laughing when Mel and Teal’c joined them moments later. “Do I want to know?” Mel asked, eyebrows raised.
“Oh, just sharing the tale of Jean and the chemistry club at Columbia,” Claire explained.
“That was funny,” the brown-haired man said, smiling in remembrance. “You were a genius.”
“Were?” she asked in disbelief.
“Were, are, and always will be.” Mel stepped over to his wife and wrapped his arms around her as best he could before kissing her thoroughly. “Now hurry up and eat. We have a chamber to open and explore,” he said once he’d let her go.
The chatter was lighthearted throughout the meal, and once it was over everyone started to get ready to do some work down in the new chamber. “Oh, wait a minute,” Mel said with a distracted look on his face before heading out of the tent, snatching the camera as he went. He came back a moment later, pulling in one of the European workers. “You’re familiar with this kind of camera, right?” he asked his employee.
“Of course, Doctor Jackson,” the man said with a smile. “All of you gather around the work bench.”
“What? All of us?” Sam blurted out, surprised.
Claire laughed. “This is a wonderful idea, Mel. It’ll be nice to have at least one picture of our new friends. Come on, Rose, Teal. We’ll even make sure you each get a copy.” She tried to wave the reluctant pair over.
The major shot Teal’c a panicked look. She didn’t think leaving behind evidence of their presence in the past was the wisest of moves, even though Daniel had never mentioned recognizing either one of them. “I’m... not very comfortable with pictures,” she said hesitantly.
“Oh, it’s just one,” Mel said, coming over to drag her over to where his wife sat waiting. Teal’c followed silently. “We want something to remember you by after you’ve gone.”
Realizing any further protest would most likely hurt the Jacksons’ feelings, Sam sighed and gave in to the inevitable. She was seated next to Claire, with Teal’c and Mel standing behind the two women. It wasn’t long before the picture was taken and the worker was on his way.
“Now that that’s done, let’s get to that chamber!” Claire said excitedly, grabbing the pack she’d filled with reference materials and recording implements.
“Can’t keep a pregnant woman waiting,” Mel agreed with a grin, gesturing toward the open tent flaps. Sam and Teal’c grabbed their packs and followed the round, bouncing woman out into the desert heat.
* * * * * * * *
Sam was just about to follow Claire down the ladder to reach the floor of the excavation site a short while later when one of the security guards called out. “Doctor Jackson! Can I speak with you for a moment? The little thief is acting up again.”
Mel rolled his eyes and gestured for the two teammates to keep going. Once again, this man’s timing was horrible. He knew there was no way to keep his wife from that chamber, especially now that she was right there above it, and the man who had earlier been truly trying to steal some of the artifacts that had been documented and catalogued with no outside influence whatsoever controlling his actions had to pick now to act up enough to worry his security force. They were competent, but Mel had left specific orders not to rough the man up before the authorities arrived to take him into custody. What happened after that, he couldn’t control.
“What’s he doing, Jamal?” Mel asked, resigned to the inevitable.
Sam reached the bottom at that point and missed the rest of the conversation. Looking around she saw Claire hurrying toward the shored-up entrance, excitement definitely lending her speed. “Claire! Wait up!” she called, running after her. The brunette merely gave her a smile and a wave before beginning down the stone stairs.
Teal’c caught up with Sam soon after, and the two of them hurried on, a matched feeling of dread growing in each of their stomachs. “Claire Jackson!” the Jaffa shouted as they reached the top of the surprisingly long set of stairs.
“I’m fine!” Claire’s response echoed back to them.
A subtle rumbling combined with muffled cracks of wood sure to be coming from the beams used in the strengthening of the stairwell cut off any possible rejoinder. The big man flew down the steps, eliminating the distance between himself and the pregnant woman in no time at all. Sam wasn’t too far behind. They converged together at the door that had closed off the underground chamber just as Claire pressed a small panel to the right of it, causing it to slide to the side.
It was just in time. The ceiling began to crumble down, rocks and splinters of wood raining on the three people at the room’s entrance. Claire didn’t even have time to gasp before Teal’c grabbed her and dove into the open space beyond the archway, Sam on their heels as well as an enormous amount of dust and rubble that quickly cut off the way they’d come. All three of them looked around swiftly, hoping that whatever had made the supposedly secure tunnel collapse wouldn’t do the same to the chamber they now found themselves in.
When it was apparent they were safe for the moment, Sam got to her feet and hurried to check Claire over. The other woman had some more cuts and bruises to go with the ones she’d picked up two days previously, but they all seemed relatively minor. What worried the major more was Claire’s rapid breathing and panicked expression. “Claire? What’s wrong?” she asked gently.
“It was a set-up, I know it was. Someone was just waiting for me to come down here to bring all that down on me and my baby. Someone’s trying to kill me and my baby!” The hazel eyes got even wider and her entire body was shaking.
“You have to calm down, Claire!” Sam cried, starting to get panicked herself.
“Calm down! How can you say that? Someone’s trying to kill me! Someone’s trying to kill my baby!”
Teal’c helped the scared woman to her feet, having cushioned as much of her landing as possible. “A baby which you will proceed to deliver in this chamber if you do not gain control of your emotions,” he said firmly.
His words were like a slap in the face. Claire gasped. “You’re right,” she whispered. She squinted her eyes shut and pinched the bridge of her nose under her glasses which had somehow managed to stay on her face. “This whole situation is driving me crazy.” Her hand fell back to her side and she opened her eyes. “Do you think there’s any way out of here?”
“There has to be,” Sam said positively. She actually had no idea, but she wasn’t going to say anything that might set Claire off again. Yes, Daniel was supposed to be born sometime that day, but it wasn’t going to be because of her.
“Perhaps there is something in the writings on the walls,” Teal’c suggested.
Claire’s eyes widened for a totally different reason this time. “Oh my God,” she breathed. “This is incredible! The script and pictures are almost perfectly preserved.” She wandered over to the nearest section of wall across from the landslide that filled the doorway. Her fingers lightly brushed over the carved symbols. “It’s that language from outside the stairwell, the one I didn’t recognize. It seems similar to Egyptian hieroglyphs, but it’s not that at all.”
Sam gave Teal’c a silent request for a translation. They went to the far side of the room, leaving Claire totally enthralled with her find. “The walls speak of a quest to uncover a weapon of mass destruction believed to be left here by a race that fled upon the arrival of the Goa’uld.”
Blonde eyebrows lifted. “If this mysterious race fled instead of using the weapon, it can’t be all that reliable. What good would it do anybody?”
“As we have seen in the past, tales such as this tend to merely be propaganda to espouse the all-knowing, all-powerful status of the false gods. This was most likely written for the benefit of the slaves and Jaffa working at the site, to remind them who and what they worked for.”
“So there really could be a weapon of some sort here.”
Teal’c inclined his head briefly. “Or a device that would be perceived as such.”
A groan from where they had left Claire made them both turn around sharply. The woman was hunched over clasping her swollen abdomen. “I think... this time it’s... the real thing,” the brunette said, gasping. A strange odor and a growing puddle at her feet said louder than words that Claire’s water had broken.
Sam and Teal’c rushed back to her side. “Okay, stay calm,” the blonde said as she and the Jaffa helped her to the floor away from the damp stone, Sam’s backpack becoming a cushion for the cringing woman’s head. “Millions of women go through this all the time.”
“Well, they’re not here right now, are they?” Claire snapped. “God, this is happening so fast!”
“Sounds like the baby wants out and he wants out now,” Sam quipped, ignoring the harsh question.
Teal’c pulled a blanket out of his pack and handed it to his teammate, who managed to get it under Claire without too many threats on her life. “You are confident you know what must be done?” he asked.
Sam shrugged as Claire began to lose herself in a crying jag. “After Argos I had Daniel teach me what he knew about midwifery. I never imagined I’d need to use that knowledge to deliver him!”
A gentle hand was placed on her shoulder. “You will be fine, Major Carter. I will assist you in any way I can.”
“I know you will, Teal’c.”
“Make it stop!” Claire cried.
Sam quickly soothed her, using water from her canteen to dampen a handkerchief to lay across the sobbing woman’s forehead. “The little one will be here soon,” she said after a quick examination. “Let’s focus on that. Just remember that the pain won’t matter once it’s over and you’re holding your child in your arms.” That’s what she’d been told anyway. Sam couldn’t help but cross her fingers and hope it was true. She just might be in trouble if it wasn’t.
Everything was over in an amazingly short amount of time. Two and a half hours later, Claire gave one final push and Sam found her hands full of one future galactic explorer. Even as she automatically cleared his airway and tied off his umbilical cord, her mind buzzed with the reality that she was holding her best friend in her arm, the child who would become the man she had finally realized she was in love with. Blue-grey eyes filled with tears as the baby cried.
“Rose?” Claire asked, tired and slightly worried. “Is everything okay? Is my baby okay?”
“What?” Sam asked, dragged back to reality even as the tiny person in the crook of her arm quieted down. “Oh!” She smiled at the new mother as Teal’c silently cleaned the newborn and wrapped him in a small blanket that had been a surprise find at the bottom of his pack. “Congratulations, Claire. It’s a boy.” She knelt down at the brunette’s side and showed the new mommy the fruit of her efforts.
A trembling hand reached out and lightly brushed the tiny cheek. “He’s beautiful,” she whispered.
Sam brushed away a damp strand of hair from the other woman’s forehead. “Just one last thing to accomplish then you can hold the baby until your arms fall off,” she declared with a warm, almost impish smile. “We’ll see if we can get him his first meal, too.”
Another half hour brought about the end of the birthing cycle. Claire held her little one in her arms, the blanket from Sam’s pack covering her, and Teal’c gripping the last blanket from Claire’s pack with its bundle inside. “What in the world are we going to do with this?” Sam asked. “The floor and walls are stone so we can’t bury it. And we don’t know how long we’re going to be stuck here so I don’t think we just want to leave it lying around.” Her nose scrunched with distaste at the smell and the thought of it getting worse as time went by.
“In the far corner,” Claire said distractedly, her eyes glued to her baby. “That urn should be large enough to hold it and keep it out of the way.”
“She’s got a point,” Sam agreed after spotting the pottery in question. She brought it over and, finding it surprisingly empty, had Teal’c deposit his package. The Jaffa seemed inordinately pleased to be rid of it. “Too bad we don’t have any way of sealing it. We’re still going to end up smelling it if we’re down here too long.”
“Check my pack,” Claire said, again distractedly. She was just getting the new addition to take his first meal.
Sam started to dig through the random contents. “What am I looking for?”
Claire shifted a bit to get more comfortable. “Candles.”
“Why do you carry candles?” Teal’c asked. “Do you not use flashlights for illumination?”
“You never know when your batteries are going to go out on you and you still need light. They’re my back-up plan.”
“Will this work, Major Grayson?”
Sam shrugged. “It’ll be crude but effective. It’s not like we’re trying to seal this off for the rest of eternity. Just long enough for us to get out of here without having to smell it again.”
Teal’c’s expression was as eager as Sam had ever seen it when she pulled out the package of thin tapers. He helped her put the wax in place then returned the urn to the corner they’d found it in. “We should return to our search for an alternative exit,” he said once he’d rejoined the ladies.
“I know, but I’ve got one question for Claire first.” Sam smiled as Claire looked up at the mention of her name. “Have you decided on a name?”
“Not yet, but now that the little one’s here I don’t want to wait any longer. It should be something appropriate...” The nursing mother’s voice trailed off as she considered it.
Both Sam and Teal’c wanted to tell her what they knew the result should be, but felt it best if Claire came to that conclusion on her own. The blonde major looked around at their surroundings, hoping to see something that would push the other woman in the right direction. She snickered as an idea occurred to her.
“What’s so funny?” Claire asked, straightening her clothes now that her son was finished.
“I couldn’t but help but think of a story from the Bible, with all the pictures of lions that are all over the place. Have you considered the Bible as a source for names?” Sam blinked innocently.
“Well, no. Neither Mel nor I are all that religious...” Hazel eyes grew wide and she looked around intently. “Lions... This place does make me think of a den...” She gazed at her son and smiled. “It’s perfect. Absolutely perfect. Welcome to the world, Daniel Alexander Jackson.” She kissed his forehead as he sighed, almost as though he were satisfied with his mother’s choice.
Sam wanted to crow in triumph. She turned to look at Teal’c as a tremor shook the chamber. “What’s going on?” she asked, worry suddenly foremost in her thoughts.
Teal’c’s eyes darted back and forth warily. “I do not know, but I do not believe it is a good thing.”
“No, it isn’t,” a voice the two teammates hadn’t heard since this whole adventure began said urgently. “You must find the device the engravings speak of before the one who seeks Daniel finds him. He’s especially vulnerable right now, and I’m not sure I’ll be able to protect him.”
“Where do we start looking?,” Sam asked, turning around with her friend to face Oma Desala. “This chamber isn’t exactly small.”
Oma pointed to the wall they’d been examining earlier. “You were so close. You’ll find the passage through there.”
Teal’c gazed over at Claire then back at the Ancient woman in confusion. “What has happened to Claire Jackson?” he asked, gesturing to the now-sleeping woman.
“She can’t be allowed to remember this. It could change everything. When you reveal the passage one of you will have to take Daniel in with you. The creature will not be able to harm him once he’s inside the room you’ll find.”
“Why is this device so important? Is that what will stop this creature once and for all?”
Oma locked gazes with Sam as Teal’c returned to the indicated wall. “It will allow me to finish what I’ve started, and in the process keep Daniel safe. That’s all you need to know.”
The grinding noise of a stone button being pressed barely could be heard over a renewed rumble from all around them. “I have found what we seek,” Teal’c announced.
Sam and Oma looked over to see a panel of rock slide to the side to reveal a metal corridor softly lit by blue-tinted light. “Someone should probably stay with Claire,” the blonde said, the hint of a room at the end of the hall peaking her curiosity.
“I will stay,” Teal’c offered. “It would be best if you were to be the one to retrieve the device in any case, as your technical knowledge may be needed to operate it.”
“If you’re sure, Teal’c.” The Jaffa nodded, and Sam went over and picked up baby Daniel, cradling him close. “We’ll be back as soon as we can.” Woman and child quickly disappeared down the hallway even as another tremor shook the room.
“You must hurry,” Oma said, appearing suddenly as Sam reached the expansive room at the end of the corridor a few moments later. “He comes ever closer.”
Sam took a deep breath and released it, looking around at the futuristic space, backlit panels almost randomly spaced along three of the walls, the fourth given over to a stark space that suggested banishment, separation. She looked down at the child she held. “Where do you think I might find the device, Daniel?” she asked softly after a pause she needed to get a startling wave of emotions under control.
Another close search of the room led Sam to the wall opposite the empty space. “What is this place?” she wondered aloud.
“A Hall of Justice,” Oma answered unexpectedly. “Only Judicars are allowed to take action here, and that creature knows it. That is why you’re safe here.”
Sam nodded, glad for the explanation. Her eyes narrowed as she glanced over the script etched into the wall. “This is in the language of the Ancients. I can’t read it.” Her shoulders slumped and she leaned her face down to plant a soft kiss on the top of Daniel’s blond fuzz-covered head. “I don’t think randomly hitting buttons is going to accomplish anything either.”
Oma came to stand to the blonde’s left. “Close your eyes and let your instincts guide you. Let Daniel’s instincts guide you.”
The physicist shot her a look of disbelief then shrugged. Apparently Oma could do no more for her. It couldn’t hurt. She did as she’d been told, stretching out her free right hand to drift back and forth across the wall, a fraction of an inch above the surface. She paused when she felt an odd tingling in her palm and opened her eyes. Her fingers were positioned over a lit green button on the right side of one of the central panels.
“What do you think, Daniel? Should I push it?”
Instinct and familiarity had caused Sam to ask the question, but they didn’t prepare her for the response. For the first time that she’d seen, Daniel opened his dark blue eyes and appeared to be looking deep into her own. He then sighed and snuggled comfortably into her embrace.
Sam blinked. “I’ll take that as a yes,” she said breathlessly. Then she pushed the button.
A deep drawer just below the panel slid out, bumping Sam’s hip and causing her to step aside to allow it to extend completely. Inside was a white and silver handheld device, sized and shaped almost exactly like a buckler. On the side facing the holder where a line of five buttons, each a different color. The green one at the right end of the line was blinking. She carefully removed the device and headed back the way she’d come, Oma nowhere to be seen.
Sam paused as she reached the portal to the hallway. “I think this might be my last chance to say this to you in person,” she said to the child resting in the crook of her arm. “I have a feeling that as soon as I use this and stop the creature that’s after you Oma’s going to take Teal’c and me back to our time. So here goes.” She took a fortifying deep breath and continued. “I love you, Daniel Jackson. Not just because you’re a baby I can hold so close right now, but the wonderful, intelligent man you’ll become. My best friend. My soul mate.” She choked out a short bark of a laugh as her eyes filled with tears and her throat threatened to close. “I didn’t even realize that last one until watching you ascend left my own soul raw and bleeding. Somehow I knew that all it would take is you coming back to heal it.”
She paused to hold back a deep sob. “Anyway, I just want you to remember that. Somewhere in the back of your mind for all the years to come I want you to know that Samantha Carter loves you with all her heart and soul. You may have to remind me someday.” Daniel looked at her one more time, and Sam smiled. “Now let’s go put this baby to bed.” She hurried down the hall.
The sight that awaited her made Sam’s heart skip a beat. The pile of rubble that had followed her into the chamber when she’d first dove in had been forced even further into the room and was filling more and more of it even as she watched. Teal’c had Claire cradled in his arms as he dodged random fist-sized rocks that flew from the heap without a visible source. Every now and again the Jaffa was forced to turn his back and absorb the blow when he knew he couldn’t get out of the way in time. As soon as her presence was made known by a startled gasp, the mini-mountain of stones rushed toward her like a tidal wave.
Sam only had time to close the door to the hallway with a right elbow to the panel Teal’c had used to open it in the first place before she was forced to jump toward her friend. Daniel grew stiff in her arm at the sudden motion, but by some miracle didn’t start to cry. “Where is it?” she asked the only other person in the room who would answer. “Who’s doing this?”
“The creature has not shown itself. The debris began to fill the room immediately following a flash of bright light from the room where you and Daniel Jackson had gone. I could only defend Claire Jackson from the flying rocks until your return with the device.”
“Well, I’ve got it,” Sam confirmed, briefly holding up the item in question. “But I don’t know where to aim it.”
Just then a disturbance in the air that was somehow tainted black flew straight at Sam’s face. She let out a choked scream and ducked just in time. The device was brought up in response, but the thing had moved out of sight.
“Behind you, Major Carter!” Teal’c warned.
Sam spun around, arm holding the device still extended. Pure instinct had her thumb pressing the button on the end of the hand grip, causing a wide pulse of light to shoot out of the silver rectangle in the center of the shield. It just missed the creature, sending it off target. The thing disappeared again. “Why do I get the feeling we’re not protected anymore?” Sam asked, a touch breathless. The thing had come close enough for her to sense that it was pure evil.
Teal’c’s eyes were carefully scanning the room, waiting for the next attack. “Perhaps our benefactor cannot be revealed at this time. We were informed that we were the ones who would be able to take action.”
Sam nodded. “Of course. We’ve had our warning.”
Just then Daniel, who had amazingly enough stayed quiet, started to squirm, his eyes scrunching up and whimpers escaping his throat. When Sam looked down at him in concern, rocking him and muttering nervous sounds of comfort, those big blue eyes opened and shifted slightly toward the ground. Sam’s eyes followed. That’s when she saw the black-tinted distortion moving like a jellyfish through the water toward her feet. With a wordless yell she brought the device in her right hand around and fired, this time the bolt hitting true, the light rippling across the shapeless blob of energy and freezing it in place. The intermittent rumbling of the chamber stopped immediately.
There was only the sound of harsh breathing for a long moment. Then a flash of light heralded the arrival of Oma Desala. “You’ve done it,” she said with a wide smile. “Now I can return with him and... continue where I left off.”
“What about Daniel and his parents?” Sam asked, an inner warmth filling her as the child she held snuggled once again into her embrace. “What about their dig?”
“That will be taken care of so that the timeline is not affected. I will alter people’s memories to account for your departure.”
“Then I guess we should say goodbye,” Sam whispered, looking down at little Daniel. She laid a gentle kiss on the top of his head. “Goodbye, Daniel,” she said even more softly. “Thank you for giving me back my hope that I’ll see you again. I mean, why go through all this trouble if I’m not, right?” Her brief laugh was marred slightly by a sob, but she still managed to smile and give the tiny form one more kiss.
Teal’c stepped over after laying Claire down carefully. His hand was gentle as it cupped Daniel’s head. “Goodbye, my friend,” he said quietly. “We did not have much time together here, but we now have the future. Be well until we meet again, Daniel Jackson.” He smiled slightly as Daniel once again opened his eyes and looked up at him for a moment.
Oma sighed, knowing the pain these two would be returning to. “We must leave now. We can’t take the chance of damaging the timeline.” Sam swallowed and between herself and Teal’c managed to arrange Claire so she was once again holding her son. Then they stepped back over to the standing brunette. “Again, stand near me and close your eyes.” A bright flash again filled the room once they had done so, and again it left behind no trace of anyone outside their appropriate time.
* * * * * * * *
Sam opened her eyes and blinked down at the well-used book she held. Tears formed as she thought once again of its beloved owner. Why couldn’t she have figured out how she truly felt about him before she lost him? Why did it take this loss for her to see it clearly?
The thought made her stop in her mental tracks for a moment as a feeling of deja vu overcame her. She’d been thinking that before, hadn’t she? Before she came over to the table, before she... took down the book? When did she do that? Sam quickly put the book back on the shelf and turned to face the table. It didn’t matter how many times she thought about it, it didn’t change anything. She knew how she felt, and Daniel was gone. She could only hope she could hold herself together long enough to make it to her bedroom where she could cry herself to sleep like she had every night since Daniel’s ascension. It was the only hope she felt she had left.
* * * * * * * *
Teal’c blinked as he gazed into Daniel Jackson’s office and saw Major Carter hesitate for a moment before replacing a book on its shelf. He knew she struggled to keep her emotions in check, knew how much it meant to her to be able to do so until she could be alone. He understood the battle for he fought it himself.
He was suddenly overwhelmed by the need for kel’no’reem, feeling battered and bruised, if not in body than in spirit. Major Carter would not appreciate a witness to her grief. He continued on silently back to his quarters, his own grief at battle with the pride he had in his friend for achieving what every Jaffa strived for. He had a feeling the grief would win.
* * * * * * * *
And somewhere, sometime in the not too distant future, on some other higher plane of existence, an eternal battle was rejoined.
* * * * * * * *
“Ha! What do you think of that, Carter?” Jack O’Neill said triumphantly, holding up the net he held in his left hand that contained the crappie Teal’c had just caught.
“It’s a fish, sir.” Sam’s voice was emotionless.
“Exactly!”
“It seems rather small, Jack.”
“It’s a crappie, Daniel. They don’t get much bigger.”
“It’s barely a foot and a half long.” Annoyance was thick in Daniel’s tone.
“Doesn’t seem to have affected its thrashing ability.”
“Oh, yeah, sorry about that, Carter. You too, Daniel. Maybe you two should go inside and change. The sun’s setting and the temperature’s going to drop.” Jack gave the two soaked scientists a sheepish look. He’d been too thrilled with the catch to notice how close the struggle was to his other two friends.
Daniel looked at Jack like he’d grown a second head. “We’re going to be outside that much longer?”
Jack returned the look with a blank one of his own. “Where else would you suggest grilling the fish once I’ve taught Teal’c how to clean it? Your bedroom?”
“It is not necessary to instruct me on how to clean the fish, O’Neill. The water in the lake appears to be quite clear.”
Jack sighed as Sam and Daniel fought back snickers. “I mean preparing the fish, taking out all the parts people don’t normally eat.”
Teal’c inclined his head briefly. “I see.”
Daniel schooled his face first. “Then we’ll go change. Let us know when everything’s ready.”
“We’ll bring out the rest of the food.” Sam gave a little wave and took off for the cabin before her commanding officer could come up with a retort. Daniel was close behind.
It didn’t take either scientist long to change, but Sam was a bit quicker and joined Daniel as he was finishing buttoning up his new, dry shirt. “You shouldn’t leave your bedroom door open like this. Who knows what kind of strange woman could wander by and do who knows what to you?” She grinned.
He glanced over his shoulder and smiled. “Is that an offer?”
“Would you like it to be?”
Daniel snickered and turned around completely. “You do realize you just admitted to being strange, don’t you?”
Sam’s jaw dropped, about to throw out a quip, when she realized he was right. It stayed open for another long moment. “You snot!”
The snicker turned into full blown laughter. “I didn’t say anything! You set yourself up!”
“Argh! You had to be right about that too!” Sam stepped into the room and shoved Daniel back onto his bed. “There,” she said with satisfaction as the archaeologist lay there still laughing. “I feel better now.”
“Yep, you were right,” Daniel finally managed to gasp out. “I need to shut my bedroom door, or strange women are going to come in and push me around when they insult themselves.”
“If you’re lucky, I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that.” Sam lifted her head haughtily as she turned it away from her recovering friend. She dropped the act when she saw an old, slightly battered shoebox on the dresser. “Hey, Daniel, what’s that?” she asked, pointing at it. “I don’t think that was here earlier.”
Daniel sat up and looked at the item in question. “Oh, that. I pulled that out of my bag when I was looking for a dry shirt. I thought I’d look through it later before I went to bed.”
Sam raised her eyebrows. “But what is it?”
The brown-haired man sighed. “When my parents died, a bunch of their things got shipped over to New York from Egypt, but they didn’t arrive until after I’d been in the foster care system for over six months. My social worker made arrangements for a law firm to set things up for the storage of everything, a stipend from the estate covering the expenses. I had no idea this had happened until after I got back from Abydos. When General Hammond had me brought back to life so to speak, the government tracked down everything connected to me to let everyone concerned know that I was indeed alive and well and able to take care of any and all accounts. I’d been living at my first apartment for a couple months when I got a letter from this law firm telling me about the storage unit, that they’d lost track of me by the time I turned eighteen and hadn’t known my whereabouts until the government contacted them.”
“So if you didn’t know about this law firm and the storage unit, how did the general’s people know to get a hold of them?” Sam asked, moving over to the dresser and running a light finger along the cover of the shoebox.
“I guess they tracked down everything connected to my social security number. Or at least that’s how things got explained to me when I asked. I’m figuring the law firm thought it was too much trouble to have done that in the first place to track me down originally.”
Sam turned her head to look at her friend. “Why haven’t we heard about this until now if you’ve known about it for almost as long as I’ve known you?”
Daniel sighed again and dropped his gaze to his lap. “I had everything moved to Colorado Springs, but I never went through it. I think I was afraid of the memories it would all call up, and I didn’t want to face them.” He looked up again. “But now, after this latest... incident...” He paused when he saw Sam flinch. “It wasn’t you, Sam. I’ve always known that.”
“You never should have been in that situation in the first place. And it used my knowledge of you to manipulate you. We won’t go into what I think of you having to see my twisted face as your killer.” Sam squeezed her eyes shut as she frowned.
“You’re right, we won’t. We already have. I never saw her as you. The replicator was never you to me. It was a situation totally out of everyone’s control.” He released an explosive breath. “I thought we talked about this. I don’t blame you. I never will.”
“It’s just hard knowing, Daniel.” She took a deep breath and released it slowly, regaining control of herself as she did it. “But you’re right. It’s over, and you’re back. Nothing else is more important.” She glanced at the shoebox again. “Do you know what’s in here?”
Allowing the change of subject, Daniel nodded. “Pictures. I haven’t looked through them, just a quick glance to confirm what was inside. I didn’t want to miss the chance to relive the happy memories, especially after Catherine and... Jacob passed away.”
Sam smiled sadly. “That makes sense. I may have to do that myself when we get home.”
Daniel stood and joined her at the dresser, taking her into his arms. “I’m sorry I couldn’t be here for you when it happened, Sam,” he whispered. “But I’ll be there if you need me when you air out the old memories.”
The blonde woman returned the embrace wholeheartedly. “Thank you. I’ll probably take you up on that.” Tears welled up in her eyes like they always did of late when she thought of her father. “I miss him, Daniel. Selmac gave me a second chance at a real relationship with him, but there are times when I think it just wasn’t long enough.”
“That’s perfectly natural,” Daniel said gently into her hair as sobs began to shudder through her. “Nobody wants to say goodbye to someone they love. And I miss him too. He was a good man, to the very end. A good friend.” She nodded and continued to silently cry.
A few minutes later, the tears trailed off, but Sam didn’t leave Daniel’s embrace. “Thank you,” she whispered.
“For what, exactly?”
“For being here, for understanding... for coming back.”
Daniel barely caught the last one. “I left once, and, while I managed to do some good things, all in all it wasn’t where I belonged. And I had to break the rules to do those good things. Over a year ago I figured out here is where I belong, where I’m home. Everything fell into place for me. I’m not going anywhere as long as I have any say in the matter.” He pulled back to look her in the eye and smiled. “You’re stuck with me, Sam.”
She smiled back. “I can think of worse fates.”
Excitement lit Daniel’s summer blues as realization dawned in his features. “Thinking of fates...” He gave her shoulders one last squeeze and went over to his bags. “I was reading another one of the books Catherine left me, and there was something interesting about the role of fate in various mythologies that might tie in to a few of the different cultures we’ve run into. Let me dig it out.” He started to search his suitcase.
Sam couldn’t help but chuckle. “Well, do you mind if I peek in your shoebox while you look?”
“Um...” Daniel started, his hunt halting abruptly as he straightened and looked at her. After a moment he smiled. “Sure, go ahead. If there’s anybody I’d want to share those memories with, it’s you, Sam.” He went back to his luggage.
Sam blinked at the response, realizing right after she’d asked that it was asking a lot. Daniel hadn’t even gone through them yet. But there was something in his eyes when he said yes... Blinking away the odd feeling, Sam took the box and went to sit on the bed. “They really loved each other, didn’t they?” she said wistfully after she’d begun to sort through the stack.
“Yes, they did,” Daniel said softly, his search slowing for a moment.
“It’s wonderful that they obviously shared that with you.”
“Yeah.” The exploration came back up to speed, the smile quite apparent in the affirmation.
Sam continued to flip through the pictures as Daniel grumbled to himself. It was interesting to see little pieces of Daniel’s childhood, the various exotic places he’d been and the unique foreign people he’d seen and lived with. No wonder it was so easy for him to see the people of other worlds as equals, as actual people worthy of respect. Not that anyone else on the team didn’t, but every now and again everyone needed a little reminder.
Daniel released a loud explosion of breath. “Maybe I packed it in someone else’s bag,” he mused in frustration before going over to the dresser.
Sam laughed and reached in to the shoebox to grab more pictures. Her hand stilled before she even touched them at the sight of the photo on top of the stack. It was a black and white shot of four people inside a large tent, two women sitting at a table with two men standing behind them. One woman had her long darker hair pulled back into a ponytail, wore thin, round wire-framed glasses, and was obviously very pregnant. The man behind her had somewhat shaggy dark hair and wore thicker framed glasses. But it was the other two that captured Sam’s attention. The man had dark skin, a clean-shaven scalp, and an almost regal bearing that didn’t quite play down his huge musculature. And the woman seated in front of him had short light-colored hair, a lean, muscular build, and an almost panicked look in her eyes. Even after looking through all the pictures she had, that second pair was the more familiar of the two.
“Oh my God,” she whispered. Memories began flooding back into her mind in a jumble, making her blink furiously and lean back on an outstretched arm for balance, the other hand coming up to splay against her forehead. “Oh my God.”
“What is it?” Daniel asked, worried. He turned around sharply. “Sam, what’s wrong?”
Sam was speechless as the archaeologist quickly sat down next to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Daniel,” she gasped once she found her voice, “would it be possible for an Ancient to block all the memories of an event for almost three years?” She shook her head in irritation. “Of course it is,” she answered herself crisply.
Daniel blinked. “What are you talking about?”
The blonde major straightened herself and took out the picture that started it all, handing it over to her friend. “I think this might start to answer your question.”
“What the...” Daniel said, staring at the impossible. “Sam, this looks like you and Teal’c with my parents.”
“I’m pretty sure it is.”
Daniel stared at her for long moment, his mouth hanging slightly open. “How?” he asked finally. “When?”
Sam shook her head. “I don’t remember everything. Well, actually I think I do, but it’s all jumbled up right now, so nothing’s very clear. I do know that it wasn’t long after you’d ascended. I was in your office. They hadn’t cleared it out yet, and I wanted...” She took a deep breath and released it. “I wanted to feel you again, to somehow be close to you again. Oma appeared out of nowhere and said you needed me. Teal’c had just happened to come by to check on me, and Oma took us both back to protect you from somebody who’d gone back in time to kill you before you ever made much of an impact on anyone.”
Daniel nodded slowly. “Before I was born.” He looked at the picture again. “Looks like you got to know them pretty well. They look happy to have their picture taken with you.”
“It was their idea. I didn’t want to leave any evidence that we’d been there, but it would have hurt their feelings to say no. And...” Sam sighed and looked away. “I remembered you had said that you never had many pictures of your parents. Since you never said anything about Teal’c and I looking familiar from one you did have, I decided it was worth the risk.”
“Talking it out is helping straighten it all out for you, isn’t it?” Daniel asked with a small smile.
“Amazingly enough, it is.”
“So were you there when I was born?”
Sam considered it for a moment, then her eyes grew wide as they returned to Daniel’s face. “Uh, you could say that. Daniel, have I ever thanked you for teaching me what that midwife from the Yucatan taught you?”
Daniel’s jaw dropped. “You mean... you delivered me? What happened to the midwife my mom said they’d hired to come with them on their dig?”
“I get this feeling we were trapped somewhere away from everyone else. And I didn’t do it alone. Teal’c helped.”
“You know, I’m waiting for the Twilight Zone theme to start playing. Where was Jack during this whole thing?”
“He wasn’t there. Oma didn’t bring him.”
“Why not?”
Sam’s eyebrows rose. “Daniel, think about it. You’ve heard from a lot of different people what he was like after you left. Do you really think he could have kept himself from tampering with the past if he’d come along?”
Daniel’s forehead furrowed. “But you...”
“Would never have had the strength to tell him no for long, Daniel,” Sam interrupted sadly. “I was grieving too.”
“Oh, Sam,” Daniel whispered, reaching out with his left hand to lightly brush her cheek. “I can never tell you enough how sorry I am that I had to leave. I never wanted to hurt any of you like that.”
“You were just staying true to who you are, Daniel. I have no right to expect anything less.” As she looked into the blue eyes staring steadily into her own, the feelings she’d felt at that time, the feelings she’d worked so hard to deny, the feelings she’d succeeded in convincing herself were for another man, began boiling once again through her veins. Tears threatened to overflow down her cheeks. “Everything’s so confusing, Daniel. Remembering this has brought back feelings I thought I’d originally felt because I’d lost you. But now...”
Realization flared up in Daniel’s expression and he smiled. “Sam, I know you’re mixed-up right now. I don’t want to do anything to make things worse for you. But I also want you to know that I came to a few realizations of my own when I descended and my memories came back. Whatever you decide, however you want our relationship to move forward, I’m willing to make it happen. Don’t let any worries about me and what I want stand in your way of discovering what will truly make you happy.”
The tears fell, and a choked sob escaped Sam’s throat. “I couldn’t ask for anyone better, could I? Thank you, Daniel. Thank you so much.” Her eyes traveled over his features, finally settling on his lips. “I just want one thing. It just might make everything easier.” She leaned over and brushed those lips with her own.
The kiss lingered, gentle and sweet, yet restrained. Daniel returned it, allowing Sam to take the lead on how far things would go. Finally they separated and sat back, their eyes immediately finding each other. “That was wonderful, Sam,” Daniel whispered. “Did it help?”
Sam smiled at the hope Daniel tried to hide in his question. “It’s given me a lot to think about. But I don’t want to rush into anything. I want to be sure. It’s the only thing that would be fair to you. No matter what, we’ll still be friends, right?”
“Of course, Sam. You never had to ask.” He brushed his hand once again across her cheek. “Now I think we should go back out there, or Jack’s going to send out a search party. He’s got to be driving Teal’c crazy by now.”
“No doubt,” Sam agreed with a laugh. “Let’s go join the rest of our friends.”
“Let’s. And Sam,” Daniel said as they reached the door of the bedroom, “thanks for being there for me when I needed you, when my parents and I needed you. We’ll talk about it again when everything’s settled in your mind, have Teal’c join us, too.”
“I’m looking forward to it, Daniel. Now let’s go.”
And the two of them went back out into the Minnesota night, and the promise of a wonderful time with their friends.
Back to 'Ship Fiction