I woke up with the day's purpose firmly placed in my mind and my heart. Today, I would find Sha're, and bring her home.
It was hard to believe that I was back on Earth. In all truth, when Jack O'Neill and his team had left through the Stargate a year ago, I'd been under the assumption that I was here to stay. There was always the possibility that someone could come back, but as the days turned into weeks, I'd pushed the thought out of my mind.
Until the day before yesterday. I was working on the Stargate and its associated pieces of technology when the chevrons lit up. To say that it scared the hell out of us was putting it lightly. Skaara had the boys organized and ready to shoot, while I scrambled out of the way to go hide. It was our plan that we'd developed when I first uncovered the Stargate, and everyone else knew it, too.
A box of tissue was the last thing I'd expect to find deposited on our side of the 'Gate. Skaara was the first one to step out, cautiously investigating the strange object. After he determined that it wasn't a threat, he stared at it.
"Dan'yel?" he called. "I do not know what it is. It is not of Ra." I peered anxiously out of my hiding spot, seeing everyone else emerging at the same time. Sha're and her friends, outside when the Stargate opened, came inside. Together, we gathered to look at what had been deposited on the temple floor.
A tissue box? I hadn't seen tissue in ages, not since I'd used my last one months ago. I showed it to them, opening the lid and pulling out a sheet. A look of understanding came over my people's faces, then Skaara gave me a brilliant grin.
"It is from O'Neill!" he announced.
I assumed it was some weird message from the Colonel, inquiring on our presence and well-being. The man who had led the expedition here wasn't the friendliest of people, but after I confronted him on that little suicide issue, he mellowed a little bit. Well, Skaara had a hand in that, too, but what we found was a man with an odd sense of humor. I can't forget about the sarcasm, either. The first time he used it after Ra's defeat, I nearly spewed the water I was drinking. It was a relief to know that Jack O'Neill was human like the rest of us.
"You will send a message in return, Dan'yel?" Sha're asked. Her large brown eyes were worried, wondering why they picked now to get back in contact. "O'Neill expects a reply."
I nodded, grabbing a charcoal stick as a writing implement. In large block letters, I scrawled out my reply. "Thanks. Send more." I have my own kind of humor, though it pales compared to what Jack can dish out. I dialed up Earth and tossed the box back. Then, it was only a matter of time before we had company. All the while, I wondered why we'd heard from Earth now, nearly a full Abydonian year after they left.
We found out soon enough when Jack came back the very next day. They thought Ra was back on Earth. All I could do was stare at him, not sure if I'd heard correctly. When I glanced at Sha're, I could tell that the same thought had occurred to her. Hadn't we killed him with the bomb?
We were going to find out. With any luck, we would find out whether Ferretti saw the symbols where the Ra look-alike took Sha're and Skaara. The only problem was that in order to get my wife back, I needed to get myself on Jack's team. I knew the Colonel would be leading the recovery mission, and that he'd be taking Kawalsky and Captain-Doctor Carter with him. If all went well, I'd be going with them. Who better to tell them what they probably had no idea about?
That is, of course, if we could get it past General Hammond. He'd already snubbed me when I first emerged from the 'Gate, glaring at me as though I were some kind of lesser being. I guess I hadn't impressed Jack's superiors with the revelation that I stayed with my adopted people instead of coming back to Earth. So? Who were they to pass judgment on my life? There was nothing to come home to, anyway.
"You're not in any position to demand anything, Jackson!"
Outside the guest room, the phone rang. It was jarring to hear it cut through the silence in the house. What a harsh sound! My mother hadn't liked telephones, I remembered, and now I could see why. I never really
thought about it before, even after weeks spent on digs scattered across the Middle East and beyond. Back then, I'd been happy to return to civilization. Now, it was intrusive and loud. All I wanted was the quiet, pastoral sounds of Abydos.
Jack had been up for a while by that time. I could hear him walking quietly downstairs, but he hadn't ventured up to where I was supposed to be sleeping. He must have been trying to let me sleep in, but why, I had no idea. Maybe he knew that I'd had little sleep, and that a little extra couldn't hurt. Did he know what kind of worry that gnawed inside me? The constant fear that we'd be too late to save Sha're, a horrible thought that I kept trying to push away.
Sha're... All I wanted to do was find my wife and go home. Kasuf would be worried, I knew, about why his children and son-in-law had suddenly vanished from the face of the planet. But then again, hadn't I told the boys that the 'Gate should be covered for one Abydonian year? Well, even if we couldn't get home, at least we'd be here. Together. The day had to start.
Surrendering the safety of the bed, I swung my bare feet down to the floor and yelped loudly. It was freezing cold! I yanked them back onto the bed and under the sheets, all too suddenly aware of the fact that the room was significantly more chilly than what it had been the night before.
My voice must have been loud, because a moment or two later, I heard Jack's feet pounding up the stairs. He knocked hesitantly before poking his head in to look at me.
"Everything okay?" He seemed concerned. I must have been the sight, rumpled and hiding underneath the hastily drawn back blankets. "I heard you yell."
I gave him an embarrassed smile. "It's, uh, a little cold. I wasn't expecting it." The whole damn house was cold, actually. "Uh, good morning...?"
"Morning," was his gruff reply, as though annoyed that he'd been summoned for nothing. "It's February in Colorado, what the hell do you expect? The temperature dropped overnight, by about twenty degrees."
"Ah." That explained it. Winter... One thing I'd never liked and rarely missed. "Last time I was in Colorado, it was June. Definitely a lot warmer."
"You think?" He eyed me again. "Come on, Jackson, it was cold on Abydos at night. That's one place that's never heard of moderation. Fry your ass off in the day, then it freezes where it wasn't burnt at night. All I had was that skimpy little blanket thing..."
I smiled, remembering many cold nights in front of the fire. Those were real family moments; Skaara teasing me over something I'd done, Sha're laughing, me with my face some shade of red, and Kasuf looking as though he
didn't know what to do with us. Invariably, some of the extended family was there. Cousins, mostly, but all part of the family. My family. After our meal, we'd retire, and then I'd sleep with Sha're in my arms. Heaven on earth... or the local equivalent. Puns don't translate geographically, I guess.
God, I had to get her back!
Jack was continuing, not noticing that I'd retreated to my thoughts, all the while muttering something about wishing for an electric blanket while he was on Abydos. He was sorting through one of the drawers, looking for something. He finally came up with a pair of socks.
"Here." He tossed them at me. "Put those on. I'll get you something warmer to wear. You can't argue with Hammond if you're a living popsicle." Surprised, I watched him head out of the room. Not for the first time, I could see that the Colonel had changed over the last year. Last night over the beers, we'd had our longest conversation ever, and while he wasn't exactly overtly generous with the details, I learned a lot more about him than I had on Abydos. But with his actions? It seemed that I'd found a reluctant baby-sitter.
Not the greatest of concepts, I know. Doctorates and academic accomplishments aside, the quality I'm the most proud of and insistent upon is my independence. With a childhood like the one I had, shuttled between foster homes with no say about anything, I preferred to be in control of what I'm doing. One thing I really don't like about the military is that you don't make decisions for yourself. I guess I'd have to put up with it if I want to find Sha're.
"Here." Jack reappeared, dumping an assortment of clothes at the foot of my bed. "You're not that much shorter than I am, so most of these should fit. Try 'em on, find something that works."
I smiled at him. He just looked at me, the familiar brusque exterior over his concern. "Thanks, Jack."
He shrugged it off. "Like I said, you'll freeze your ass off in those clothes. Won't do anyone any good that way. That was the base calling, by the way. Hammond's called a meeting for ten hundred. We should be there on time if we want to get in his good books."
Oh, did we ever. Since when was there a we?
"What time is it?" I asked. There was a clock near the bed, but a little too far for me to see clearly without my glasses. My nice, new pair of glasses that they'd provided me with. I guess tape around the broken arm was just a little too geeky for the military, but, really, I didn't mind.
"Nearly eight." He headed for the door. "I've got some breakfast ready, so come down when you're dressed."
I wanted to tell him that I usually skipped breakfast most days. At least, here on Earth. On Abydos, you needed your morning meal, since you'd otherwise be starving by the time the local equivalent of lunch came around. Thirty-six hour days tend to throw your internal clock for a loop. But I shut my mouth as the door closed behind the Colonel. I'd probably be needing my strength today.
Jack was reading when I came downstairs. I was finally warm, with three layers of clothes. Two tee-shirts and a longer shirt over-top. Toasty. He looked up from his paper, lifted an eyebrow, then went back to what he was doing.
"Perc's by the stove. There's cereal in the cupboard, milk and juice in the fridge, and some leftovers there, too. Help yourself." He didn't bother looking up again as I walked by. "We should leave in an hour." I went to the coffee brewer, greeting it like an old friend. Of everything on Earth that I'd left behind, I think coffee was the thing I missed the most. I poured myself a big mug, holding it in my hands as I just inhaled the scent with a sigh. Ah. Now I knew I was really back on Earth.
"Don't have coffee on Abydos, huh?" Jack said, eyes still glued to the paper. From my spot, I could see it was the sports section.
"Nothing even close." I took a big sip, closing my eyes. Now the day would be a little more bearable.
"I figured you'd like some." He peered up at me with a grin. "I don't think I ever saw you without a mug when you were working on the translation project."
Surprised, I glanced over at him. Jack really hadn't been too fond of me in those days, seeing my status as a civilian on a military project like some kind of necessary evil. Then again, he also seemed amused, those few times I caught him looking at me. That part hadn't changed, while the former thankfully had.
"We archaeologists like our coffee." Not really wanting to eat yet, I sat myself down across from Jack. The other parts of the paper were lying haphazardly across the table. I reached out to snag the news section, glancing across it to see what was new in the world since I'd last looked.
Apparently, not much. There were still problems in the former Yugoslavia, the Middle East and parts of Africa. Popular culture had changed here and there, but not the global picture. It seemed huge and overwhelming, and for a few minutes, I again wished I was back on Abydos. Nothing too extensive there, since Ra's defeat. Until this... twin of his appeared and stole my family.
Sha're was waiting for me, and here I was, relaxing with a paper while sipping on coffee. I put the paper down, disgusted with myself. If only we didn't have to go by Hammond and his superiors to set out on our proposed rescue mission. If only I'd been there... I could have spotted the glyphs on the device, so we didn't have to wait for Ferretti to wake up. If I'd been there, maybe Sha're wouldn't be in the aliens' hands.
Yeah, right, I thought bitterly. Wake up and smell the coffee. Good coffee, admittedly. If I were in the temple with Sha're, the Ra look-alike would have had to kill me to get to her. Or I would be in their hands, not her or Skaara. If only I'd taken her with us to the vili tao an...
My stomach growled. Coffee wasn't enough substance for it this morning, despite the worry that had it twisted. Setting my mug down while pushing aside my mental daggers, I checked out Jack's fridge. A few things I didn't want to identify, but I spotted some eggs that seemed to be in good condition.
"Jack?" I called, making the Colonel look up. "Mind if I fry up some eggs?" He pointed at the pans piled on the stove. "Go ahead. You cook much?"
"Sometimes." I snagged a decent sized pan, getting two eggs out before reconsidering. "Want some?"
"What? Uh, sure. There's bread in the fridge if you want some toast." Jack glanced at me, then got up. "Ah, I'll make the toast. So, you cook, huh? I should keep you around. I suck at cooking. My kid, he used to make jokes about it all the time."
Whoa. He just volunteered more information about his son? I tried not to be too surprised as I found some butter to melt in the pan. Jack, too, seemed a little uncomfortable with the personal fact that had slipped past his lips. His lips narrowed slightly as he grabbed the loaf of bread, slinging it on the counter before looking for something else. Silence descended between us.
Great. Me worrying about Sha're, and the Colonel grumpy because we'd inadvertently brought up one of his personal demons. What a happy pair we made.
"So..." I turned a burner on, waiting for the pan to heat before cracking the eggs. Changing the topic sounded like a wonderful idea at the moment.
"What do you know about this General Hammond? What do you think he's going to do today at this meeting of his?"
I didn't dare voice my real question. Would he let me go? Jack seemed to pick up what I didn't say, and answered carefully.
"Well, he's a little... upset at the moment. I mean, from what I got from my initial briefing, these Ra guys came through the Stargate, wiped out the soldiers stationed there, stole one of them, then left." He cleared his throat. "He's also not too impressed that Ferretti, Kawalsky and I kind of fudged our reports when we got back the last time."
"I'm not surprised." The butter was melting in the pan, and I watched it slide to the side. "He wasn't that... welcoming. I kind of wish it was West back in charge. I've had some history with him, but this Hammond... I don't know. I don't think he likes me."
Something flashed across Jack's face. "Couldn't say, Daniel. Then again, you only met him for a few seconds."
"Yeah." Our encounter flashed before my eyes. "I introduce myself, ask to be on the team going after the kidnappers, and he just tells me that I'm in no position to ask anything before storming off. Not exactly a cheerful start."
"It wasn't the best time to ask," Jack shrugged. He inspected a piece of bread, as though expecting to find some mould. Satisfied that it was edible, he slid it in the toaster's slot.
"Then when is the best time?" I cracked an egg a little too forcefully into the pan. Hearing my curse, Jack handed me a spoon so I could fish out the egg shell from the whites. "To get on your mission to Abydos, all I did was offer my services to find the proper address home. West took me up on the offer." We didn't really need to discuss the reactions when I first realized that I would need a little more time to figure it out. Thankfully, Jack seemed to think the same thing. "I can help on this mission. If these are the same people as Ra, I can understand their language. I can communicate with them, or try to if it's something different."
Jack waved his hand to silence me. "I know you can. As far as I'm concerned, you're on my team. I don't really want to go after Sha're and Skaara into enemy territory without being able to communicate. But..."
I nodded. "But you need Hammond's permission as your superior officer."
"Right." He found the toaster rather fascinating just at that moment.
"Well, I don't have a superior officer. I don't need his permission, or anybody's! My wife's out there, Jack, and I'll do anything I need to do to get her back." I forgot the eggs for a moment, too caught up in my words to think about anything other than Sha're.
"Watch the stove!" Jack yanked my attention back to our breakfast.
"Yeesh, last thing we need this morning is to clean up a mess. We're going to get you on the mission, Daniel. Don't worry."
He sounded confident. I wished I could be. I didn't want to contemplate what life might be like if everything failed. Horror of horrors, the worst was that they'd bury the Stargate, send me out on my butt, and I'd be back where I was when Catherine Langford pulled me off the street to work on the Stargate Project.
Speaking of which...
"So where's Catherine these days?" I asked, deciding to change the topic again. I'd often thought of the doctor who'd seemed to take me under her wing as I deciphered the 'Gate's symbols. In some ways, she was a little like a motherly or even grandmotherly figure. Interested in what I was doing, but also interested in me. "Do you know what she's up to?"
"She's doing okay. I talk to her every once in a while. She's in the posher part of town, living the retired life." He must have sensed the surprised look on my face. "After we came back, and after Carter's team in D.C. did all their tests on the Stargate that failed, the military gave her a pension and booted her into retirement."
"Oh." I couldn't really picture Catherine retiring. The older woman was just too full of life and energy. Her eyes were young but wise, one of the first things I noticed when I met her. She was truly committed to the Stargate project, and her enthusiasm was catchy.
"She was... upset, when we told her you didn't make it." He coughed slightly. "I, uh, eventually 'fessed up to her that you were still alive, but made her swear not to tell anyone. She was proud to hear that you'd found a home and a wife. She said that she envied you the chance to study an ancient Egyptian culture. Started babbling about something called Aeration and Bedding something... She lost me there."
I blushed, surprised at her reaction about my welfare. "Amratian and Bedarian. Two pre-dynastic Egyptian cultures. It's believed that they're the direct ancestors of the pharaonic culture that--"
He looked at me blankly, and I smiled.
Shaking his head, Jack continued. "So she's got that pendant back, by the way. She said that it really was for good luck. She's still wearing it every time I see her."
"Good. Thank you." I flipped the eggs, noticing that silence was about to descend again between us. "So is that what the military plans to do to me?"
My question caught Jack by surprise. "What's that?"
"Will they force me to retire if they decide they don't want me?" Might be nice, a little money. But knowing how unfair life could be... "Or are they just going to toss me on my ass back where I came from?"
He cleared his throat. "I really can't say, Daniel. Maybe. I'd say that they owe you something, but I really don't know. It better not come to that, though."
"Good." I sighed. "Catherine pulled me out of a rather... desolate period of my life."
"I heard that the academic community thought you were nuts." He said it a little cheekily, but he summarized my life on Earth rather nicely.
"Catherine had a few notes on that in your file. You weren't exactly the
most popular guy in archaeology, huh?"
"In a manner of speaking. I... had some theories, but not enough evidence for them." The sight of people walking out of the room at my swan song had hurt, as I saw my career going up in flames. At the moment, all I could think about was what a failure I was. "Someone called me up on one of them, and when I couldn't give an answer to their question, well..."
"Ouch." He looked a little sympathetic. "So if you do have to go back out there, what would you do?"
I shrugged. "I don't know. Rebuild my reputation, somehow. That'll be difficult, and I'd have to keep my more... unique theories to myself. They call people like me 'pyramidiots,' actually." I heard Jack's snort. "Or pseudoarchaeologists. That's not exactly what I was hoping to be when I got my doctorates."
"No, I'd expect not. But your theories are right. You just can't say, 'I told you so.'"
"I know." I smiled wistfully. "I've fantasized a few times, where I can finally prove to my colleagues that I was right."
"Yeah?" He mirrored my smile, then added a knowing element to it. "Would this particular piece of proof involve nasty little aliens with glowing eyes, shooting their way into the office?"
I had to grin. "You can't forget the bit about them speaking Ancient Egyptian. Those crytal things on their hands would be a nice touch, too."
"Sweet," he smiled, then laughed. "You have quite the overactive imagination, Doctor Jackson."
"Why, thank you." My voice was wry. How many people had held the same opinion since I first voiced my theories? Sure, people weren't too sure when Egypt the country, or the so-called Two Lands or Kemet, had actually begun. Was it really unified under Narmer, the first Pharaoh, or was that just been something else entirely that history had glossed over? A civil war or uprising? The way I saw it, that was like saying that the United States had been formed after the Civil War, with Lincoln being named as the first President. The closest analogy I could think of, anyway. The question was, just how far back did the culture as we know it go? That was the real divisive issue, and where people swore that my research went more into fiction than fact.
Yes, I was still bitter. Very bitter.
The eggs were finished, and I placed the portions on the plates. Two eggs for me, and three for Jack. By that time, the toast was finished, sitting on two dishes at either side of the table. Jack had refilled our coffee mugs, too, and was settled at his chair as I handed him his eggs.
"Thanks," he said, poking at them with his fork. "Wow, look at that. No black anywhere to be seen. My stomach is in for a treat."
"Good." I hated to imagine what food prepared by Jack O'Neill might be like. I set myself down across from him. "Bon appetit."
He was already eating, a nod my only response. I watched him for a few moments. He seemed sincere in assuring me that we'd get Sha're and Skaara back. Of all the people I knew here, with the possible exception of Kawalsky, Jack O'Neill was truly someone I felt I could trust. Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad day, after all.
*fin*
© February 27, 2000 The characters mentioned in this story are the property of Showtime and Gekko Film Corp. The Stargate, SG-I, the Goa’uld and all other characters who have appeared in the series STARGATE SG-1 together with the names, titles and backstory are the sole copyright property of MGM-UA Worldwide Television, Gekko Film Corp, Glassner/Wright Double Secret Productions and Stargate SG-I Prod. Ltd. Partnership. This fanfic is not intended as an infringement upon those rights and solely meant for entertainment. All other characters, the story idea and the story itself are the sole property of the author.