Let the truth be known

By Demon Faith

 

TITLE: Let the truth be known

AUTHOR: Demon Faith

EMAIL: rosabeth@hotmail.com

CATEGORY: S/D, Drama, Angst, Challenge Response: 449 (sorta response anyhow!) at Heliopolis

SPOILERS: Minor spoilers for: 1969, The Gamekeeper, Crystal Skull, Thor’s Chariot, Stargate the Movie, Seth, Broca Divide, Hathor, Singularity and Torment of Tantalus. Extremely obscure references to: Fire and Water and Within the Serpent’s Grasp. Bonus points if you can spot them!

SEASON/SEQUEL: After Season 3 sometime

RATING: PG-13

CONTENT WARNINGS: Implications, angsty situations and some strange hairstyles!

SUMMARY: Sam and Daniel discover their past…

DISCLAIMER: What? I don’t own them? Boy, am I deluded…

AUTHOR’S NOTES: I read the challenge on Heliopolis and thought no more of it. Until I saw the Movie. Now my imagination decided to run wild. I really wanted Daniel to say this one line (‘I’m in love with my sister!’) and just had to find a way to do it. Also, I read a story at Heliopolis about Daniel in his late teens and I just had to experiment!!! This story is for…hmm, who this time? Let’s say…all the wonderful Sam/Daniel shippers who inspire all my stories and a special thank you to Christina Kamnikar, whose fic, Statistical Outliers, remains my favourite and always will!

 

(PS. For those of you who have read ‘The Day It All Went Wrong’: this is the fic Steph wanted the ‘evil magician watchmaker’ in! I really should take her to a psychiatrist!)   

 

 

“Please Janet. Just this once…”

 

“That’s what you said last time…”

 

“No really, Janet. I feel fine.”

 

“I don’t know…”

 

“Aw, come on Doc! I’ll take care of him!”

 

Janet looked at the four members of SG1, all eagerly awaiting her answer. She sighed heavily.

 

“Alright. But only if you…”

She didn’t get to finish. Jack had Daniel out of bed in a flash and was already off down the corridor. Sam offered an apologetic grin but quickly dashed after the other two. Teal’c, however, remained.

 

“I will hear your advice, Doctor Frasier.”

 

Janet sighed. At least Teal’c listened to her.

 

“Just tell him: no sex, drugs or rock ‘n’ roll.”

 

Teal’c raised an eyebrow.

 

“What is this ‘sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll’?”

 

 Janet rolled her eyes.

 

“Just tell Jack. He’ll understand.”

 

The Jaffa nodded, then turned to the door. And as he left, Janet could have sworn she heard him mutter:

 

“Not that he’ll bloody well listen!”

 

~

 

“So Danny: how are you really feeling?”

 

“Like hell.”

 

Sam smiled and patted his arm. Daniel smiled and looked down at his arm. He lifted his wrist to the light and swore. Jack turned round at that, nearly crashing into the car in front.

 

“Problem Daniel?”

 

“My watch has smashed! My…friend gave me that.”

 

Jack decided to ignore his hesitancy.

 

“What? When you fell?”

 

You see, earlier that day, Daniel had taken a rather ungraceful tumble down a cliff, resulting in his trip to the infirmary. He had been stuck in there for three days before SG1 had wheedled him out. Now they were off to Jack’s place: to watch hockey, drink beer and relax for once. Daniel sighed and examined his broken watch. His best friend had given it to him before she…Daniel choked on his own thought and tears surfaced in his eyes. Brushing at them furiously, he slipped it off his wrist. He was about to put it in his pocket when Sam stopped him.

 

“May I…”

 

Daniel shrugged and gave her the broken watch. She turned it over and over in her hands, finally stopping at the back. She popped the catch gently and a piece of paper fell out. Daniel snatched it away and stuffed the watch into his pocket. Sam watched him, in shock. He turned away pointedly and didn’t speak for the rest of the trip, leaving Sam to wonder.

 

~

 

Ah, 6.30 briefings! Jack loved those; only because the rest of his team looked like hell. Daniel had his coffee in front of him, looking as if he hadn’t slept a wink (which he probably hadn’t) and Carter’s hair was a fly-away mess, usually soaking wet in her attempts to tame it. Even Teal’c didn’t look his best, with deep shadows under his eyes. Only Jack was happy at these meetings. He was very much a morning person, being used to rising early for numerous Air Force occasions.

 

They had all arrived now and were obviously fighting killer hangovers from the night before. It had been very strained between Daniel and Sam but after a few beers, and a little coaxing from Jack, they were talking again.

 

Like they were talking now.

 

“I liked 1987; I finally grew up!”

 

Jack smiled, then realised who had said it.

 

“Daniel! It took you until ‘87 to grow up!”

 

Daniel scowled at Jack and Sam laughed.

 

“Well, I liked ‘83. Probably my best year.”

 

“And how old were you then, Carter?”

 

“None of your business, sir.”

 

“Yes, ‘83 was good. Fun, nights out…death…”

 

 “What?”

 

Just then General Hammond walked in and they all stood up, looking at Daniel curiously, who seemed lost in a dream world. The briefing started quickly and everyone soon forgot Daniel’s little proclamation.

 

~

 

“Well, here’s our planet!”

 

Jack strode out of the Gate, followed closely by Sam and Teal’c. Daniel only just made it before the wormhole shut down, sending him skidding to the floor. Sam ran back up the steps for him and helped him up. He smiled gratefully and they both went down the steps. Jack raised an eyebrow but said nothing. He turned around to scout the terrain and a flicker of metal caught his eye. He knelt down in the sand and picked up the tiny slip. He felt a great shiver before falling forwards. Sam ran over and noticed the piece of metal in his palm. Without thinking, she touched it and fell into the sand. Daniel and Teal’c rushed onto the scene. Teal’c prised the piece of metal free and Daniel ran his finger over the inscription.

 

“It means…”

 

But the sentence was never finished as they both collapsed backwards. However, Daniel kept the words in his mind, turning them over and over in his head:

 

LET THE TRUTH BE KNOWN

 

~

 

Sam opened her eyes. The trees overhead cast menacing shadows upon her. She tried to get up, then realised she was lying on top of someone. She pressed a hand to his face. Metal…glasses…Daniel! Sam rolled off her best friend, as he woke up with a groan.

 

“What the hell…?”

 

“My thoughts exactly, Danny boy.”

 

Sam glanced up at her CO and the burly Jaffa behind. She felt her cheeks reddening and struggled to suppress it. Daniel sat up now and Sam leapt to her feet, turning around to give Daniel a hand up. When they were all ready, Jack set off through the trees, towards a multitude of lights a few meters away. Suddenly Sam pushed in front, followed by Daniel. Jack couldn’t stop them as they burst into a…car park! Jack and Teal’c came out behind them and Jack whistled softly. In front of them was an old run-down building with a flashing neon sign: The Temptress.

 

“Where the hell are we?”

 

“Actually, Jack it’s more a case of when we are.”

 

Jack stared at Sam and Daniel, who were utterly captivated by the building. Jack wasn’t quite sure what was going on but Sam and Daniel looked like kids at a fairground.

 

“So, when are we?”

 

“ ‘83”

 

They spoke together, still mesmerised by the building before them.

 

“How can you possibly know that?”

 

“They got the lamp in ‘82.”

 

Sam pointed to a red lamp, hanging from a rusty nail.

 

“And it was pulled down in ‘84. It was closed for months beforehand…”

 

Daniel was walking towards the building before Jack grabbed his jacket. Then Daniel noticed the crowd. The moonlight hit various ornaments and piercings and reflected off weapons as well. Daniel laughed and shook Jack off.

 

“Don’t worry; they’re not bad people. Come on, let’s go in!”

 

Before Jack could stop him, he had grabbed Sam’s hand and started running for the door. Jack sighed and followed them. Teal’c was very puzzled but didn’t say anything. He found Earth’s culture very strange. The last time they had ‘time-travelled’, he had met the people of 1969 and was quite alarmed. And these people were even stranger. Sam and Daniel bounded up to the door, delight shining from their faces. Jack couldn’t quite believe his eyes; his best friends had transformed into giggling teenagers before him. They walked up to the bouncer, Jack and Teal’c at their side. The heavy-set man looked at them sternly.

 

“Password?”

 

Jack cringed inwardly. Now they were for it! Daniel turned to Sam, who smiled.

 

“Eye of Ra.”

 

The bouncer smiled and moved aside. Jack did a double-take but followed them in. It was a smoky, dusty club with a decidedly Egyptian theme; golden hieroglyphs and massive mosaics of Egypt were plastered everywhere. Daniel and Sam looked right at home and Jack and Teal’c had trouble keeping up. The pair crashed onto a table and sat down. Jack raised an eyebrow at the club’s décor and crowd but shrugged it off.

 

“So, like to tell me what the hell is going on?”

 

Sam and Daniel immediately sobered up.

 

“This was a favourite haunt of mine, sir.”

 

“Yeah, me too, Jack.”

 

They were both looking round now, transfixed by the room. Jack rolled his eyes.

 

“So, how do we get back?”

 

But they weren’t listening. They were both staring at a table across the room, where a lively party was going on. And in the centre of it were two figures who looked strangely familiar...

 

“Wakey, wakey team! What’s going on here?”

 

“I know them.”

 

They spoke as one, their eyes never leaving the table. Jack looked at the figures again and realisation struck him.

 

“Omigod, that’s you!”

 

They both turned to him sharply, then to each other.

 

“Draco?”

 

“Angel?”

 

They flung themselves upon each other, hugging for all they were worth. Jack’s eyebrows were through the roof but he turned to study the other two. The guy he presumed was Daniel had short, spiky hair, dyed a vile green and his glasses were strangely absent. Carter looked positively frightening. It seemed she had been part of the early Goth rebellion and it showed. Her hair was a deep black and her heavy black make-up was amplified by her bone-white skin. They both wore black and seemed pretty ‘together’ to Jack. He turned back to the present-day couple, who were talking a mile-a-minute.

 

“But you’re dead. I mean…”

 

“No! I thought you were dead but there must’ve been…”

 

“Another plane! Oh God, we never checked!”

 

“We were running, remember? But I never forgot you…”

 

“Me neither, Draco. Never…”

 

“Whoa! Slow down, scientists. You’re losin’ me here.”

 

They turned back to Jack and Teal’c, who were looking very tired. Sam started to explain.

 

“This is 1983. We were caught up in…life and, as you can see, looked very different. I went by the alias Angel and Daniel here was Draco. We were dating for…how long was it?”

 

“Eight months. Anyway, one night some men arrived at the club…”

 

Right on cue, several men banged the door open and pointed at Draco and Angel. Daniel and Sam were transfixed again, Daniel still intoning his narrative.

 

“We ran like hell…”

 

The scenes before them seemed to follow his words, as Draco and Angel dived out of the back door.

 

“We headed for the airport. I had enough money to skip the country to Egypt but Angel could only fly home.”

 

“Didn’t you ever find out what they wanted?”

 

Jack stared at them in disbelief. His two level-headed scientist friends could be rash and bold? It scared the hell out of him.

 

“Don’t tell me you were a sensible teenager, Jack?”

 

Jack shifted his feet nervously and stared at the floor.

 

“Yes well, we’re not all perfect.”

 

Jack glanced at Teal’c, wondering whether his Jaffa friend had ever been rebellious.

 

“Anyway…you didn’t check at all?”

 

“Well, we didn’t see the point.”

 

“The point?”

 

Jack was really worried now. Daniel was ashen and Sam didn’t look any better. Then they looked at each other and smiled.

 

“There was a problem at the airport. Two planes were due to take off at 1am, mine to Egypt and Angel’s to Chicago. Suddenly, there was an announcement over the tannoy, about a plane crashing into the control tower. I thought it was Angel’s. No one…survived.”

“And I thought it was Draco’s. I was depressed for days.”

“Yeah well.”

 

“But we’ve worked it out now. There must’ve been another plane. ‘Cause otherwise we wouldn’t be here, right?”

 

Jack smiled at his two friends. Then realised that they had conveniently changed the subject.

 

“Hang on a minute! That’s not what I meant! I meant, what about the men?”

 

Sam glanced at Daniel nervously, and he shrugged.

 

“Sir? We weren’t always…as we are now.”

 

“How do you think I had enough money to go to Egypt?”

 

Jack’s eyes widened at the implication of Daniel’s words.

 

“But, Danny…no…”

 

“I didn’t take them, Jack. I was a dealer. Angel was my decoy.”

 

“And a fun job it was too.”

 

Daniel smiled at Sam as Jack shook his head in disbelief. Daniel was a drug dealer and Sam was…a prostitute? Okay, bad thoughts, bad thoughts!

 

“Right. So, how do we get back?”

 

“No idea whatsoever. You remember that metal slip thing?”

 

Jack nodded. How could he forget?

 

“Well, that got us here. And the inscription? It said ‘Let the truth be known’. Maybe there’s another one.”

 

Jack nodded again and did a double-take. In front of him, embedded in the table, was another metal slip, with another inscription.

 

“I think I just found it.”

 

Daniel studied the inscription and then reached out to touch it. He disappeared! Jack shrugged and the remaining three touched the slip. They disappeared in a flash of light.

 

And as they tumbled through time, Daniel thought over the latest inscription, wondering where they would end up now:

 

And we delve deeper into the past

 

~

 

“Well, this sure ain’t home.”

 

“Or that other planet.”

 

“You don’t remember the designation?”

 

Sam shot him a look.

 

“I don’t always listen during briefings.”

 

Jack had a feeling that the happy memories of 1983 had been skipping through her mind and he had no desire to find out about those. They appeared to be in some kind of office. Daniel picked up a file on the desk and paled. Jack came up behind him and his eyes widened. Daniel dropped the file and Sam read the title.

 

“Melbourne and Claire Jackson? Who the…oh, right.”

 

Jack glared at her and she lifted Daniel’s chin.

 

“Are you alright?”

 

“Sure Sam. Fine.”

 

He choked slightly and Sam enveloped him in a hug. Just then, Jack heard noises from outside the door.

 

“Quick hide!”

 

Jack pushed Sam and Daniel into a cupboard while motioning for Teal’c to slip into another closet. Jack couldn’t think of anywhere to hide, so just stood near the door.

 

It opened and almost went right back, sheltering Jack from prying eyes. Sam and Daniel had found that the cupboard was only about a meter square and Sam was pressed against Daniel’s chest, feeling his heart quicken in anticipation. Teal’c had kept quiet so far and now listened closely to the conversation.

 

“I don’t know what to do, Marty.”

 

“They’re small kids, Tom. Someone’ll take ‘em.”

 

“Yes, I suppose. But that isn’t really the problem, is it? I’ve got a perfect home for the girl but the boy wants to stay with her. Of course, she doesn’t remember. The psychiatrist says she’s submerged the memories to save herself the shock. At the moment, dear little Samantha can’t remember a thing.”

 

Sam sucked in a breath. Daniel had a sister? Called…Samantha? Sam shook her head furiously. No, don’t think that!

 

“Yes, that certainly makes things easier. What’s the name of her family, again?”

 

“I believe it’s…yes; the Carters.”

 

Sam felt as if she was going to be sick. Daniel’s hold on her tightened ever so slightly and he was shaking slightly. Omigod…no! Carter was a common surname, it couldn’t happen!

 

“Yeah, I remember. Jacob’s picking her up tomorrow.”

 

Jack was growing tenser by the minute. This wasn’t what he wanted to hear. He had been waiting for his two friends to get it together for months now, ever since Carter had secretly told him she fancied Daniel. And then he had got Daniel drunk and received the same reaction. And after the expedition to 1983, he thought they had made. And now this.

 

“What about Daniel then? Have you contacted their grandfather yet?”

 

“Can’t find him. Last time I heard, he was in Belize.”

 

“Right then. We’ll keep Daniel in foster care for a while.”

 

The two left the room again and slammed the door. Jack stepped forward, not knowing what to say. Firstly, he let Teal’c out and then slowly approached the cupboard. He opened it swiftly and Sam and Daniel bolted out.

 

“I don’t like heights and I don’t like enclosed spaces!”

 

Sam’s face was tear-streaked but Jack chose to ignore it for the moment. Daniel’s arm was looped protectively around her shoulder and Jack hoped it would be enough.

 

“Right, let’s find another slip.”

 

“It is here, O’Neill.”

 

They all stood around the desk and Daniel quickly translated the inscription before they all touched the piece of metal and disappeared.

 

Now, Daniel thought again, about Sam and about the new inscription:

 

AND NOW TO THE DEBATE

 

~

 

SG1 landed at their table in the Temptress, Sam still sobbing.

 

“Y’alright Sam?”

 

“Yes sir.”

 

Sam wiped her eyes on the tablecloth and smiled faintly.

 

“So, where does this leave us?”

 

Everyone knew Daniel’s words weren’t about the time.

 

“We have a…slight problem. No one ever told me I was adopted. And the memories aren’t coming!”

 

Sam slammed the table in frustration and Daniel laid a hand on her arm. She sniffed for a few moments.

 

“May I speak, O’Neill? I have a question for you.”

 

“Go ahead Teal’c.”

 

“Daniel Jackson once told me that it is immoral to not tell children they are adopted. If this is so, why does Major Carter not know of her adoption?”

 

“Sam here was a special case, Teal’c.”

 

“I was?”

 

“You lost your memory Sam. What I think Jack is trying to say, is that telling you you were adopted would just confuse that brilliant mind of yours. Is there any logic in a past with no memories?”

 

Sam’s brow knitted as she tried to grasp what Daniel had said. Suddenly Daniel’s head shot up.

 

“Oh no!”

 

“What is it, Danny boy?”

 

“I’m in love with my…with my sister!”

 

Teal’c raised an eyebrow and Jack unconsciously copied him. The sight of both of them with their eyebrows raised sent Sam laughing, a rich happy laugh that settled the mood. She hadn’t realised what Daniel had said or maybe simply chosen to ignore it.

 

“Well, do we do now, Samantha Jackson?”

 

Daniel blushed and Jack couldn’t quite work out what he’d said wrong.

 

“Don’t say that, Jack. It sounds like we’re married.”

 

Sam blushed as well and Jack leaned forward, evilly grinning at Teal’c.

 

“Oh really? Anything you two want to spill?”

 

Daniel looked at Sam and she shrugged.

 

“Well, before the mob came, we had just got engaged. Sam gave me a watch, the one that broke the other day. Of course, I gave her a ring.”

 

“So that’s why you were so cut up about the watch?”

 

“And I though I recognised it. I had to check, so I popped the catch and…”

 

“The paper you gave me fell out, just like it did before.”

 

They smiled at each other but Sam began to cry.

 

“What’s up, Angel?”

 

“We can’t fall in love, Daniel. We’re brother and sister, for god’s sake! It’s illegal for a start. And it’s…incest.”

 

Daniel blinked back his own tears, which started Jack off. Even Teal’c shed a tear and sniffed slightly. Sam leaned against Daniel and sobbed. He stroked her hair and looked up at Jack, pleadingly. Jack looked around quickly and found the slip in the table. Daniel gently lifted Sam’s hand and laid it on the slip, just as Teal’c and Jack did the same.

 

And this inscription puzzled Daniel even more:

 

BUT THE STORY HASN’T ENDED

 

~

 

Back in the adoption office. Jack glanced at the calendar and frowned.

 

“That’s odd, kids. Last time we were here, it was 1973. Now it’s 1966.”

 

“66? I was born in ’66.”

 

Sam frowned, wondering why they were here this time. Jack heard footsteps and motioned to the others. They went back to their hiding places, as a much younger Marty and Tom walked in.

 

“Strange business, this. The boy was just abandoned?”

 

“On the orphanage doorstep. The security guard’s called him Daniel.”

 

Now it was Daniel’s turn to fret. Could it possibly be…?

 

“Do we have a family for him?”

 

“Well, the Jackson’s have been waiting for years. Unfortunately, they’ve just had some good news: Claire’s pregnant.”

 

“Good for them you mean. Not so good for us.”

 

“Or Daniel. They’re coming anyway, just to see.”

 

 The intercom buzzed and a woman’s voice rang into the office.

 

“The Jacksons are here, sir.”

 

“Let them in, Moira.”

 

A young looking Melbourne and Claire Jackson came in, Claire having a very obvious bump.

 

“Don’t suppose you want another?”

 

“Not one to mince words, are you, Marty?”

 

“Not in the least, Melbourne.”

 

“So, do you?”

 

“I think we can take another, Mel. Just one.”

 

“I think we will, Tom.”

 

“Right then. I’ll have him ready.

 

“Good, good. So, what’s his name then?”

 

“Daniel. Daniel Jackson now.”

 

“It has a nice ring to it, Claire.”

 

“It does indeed, Mel.”

 

Jack felt the office vanish around him and he found himself on a carpet of…clouds!

 

“Yikes!”

 

“Indeed, O’Neill.”

 

“Are you alright, Daniel?”

 

Jack turned to their archaeologist who was sitting on a cloud, looking extremely shocked.

 

“I knew they weren’t my real parents but this…”

 

Sam tried to comfort Daniel, while exaltation burned within her. He wasn’t her brother. She wondered briefly whether the law covered marriage between foster brother and sister. Teal’c pulled Jack to one side, looking concerned.

 

“I once placed this question to General Carter but am now…unsure if he was right. Do your people not love their children unconditionally?”

 

“Most of them do Teal’c. But maybe Daniel’s parents didn’t. It’s a tough world, Teal’c. Not everyone can cope with a kid. Hell, I have trouble coping with Daniel now! Must have been a right handful at one.”

 

Teal’c smiled. Daniel Jackson had once said that O’Neill’s humour was a ‘cure for the soul’. On this occasion, Teal’c had to agree with him. Jack sauntered over to Sam and Daniel, who were talking in whispers, obviously not wanting to be overheard, although Jack’s ears caught a few words, like ‘parents’, ‘love’ and ‘adoption’. Well, what else did he expect them to talk about? He was about to break up the ‘couple’ when some golden hieroglyphs appeared in the ‘sky’. Teal’c’s brow furrowed and Daniel looked up, eyes wide in amazement.

 

“Teal’c, I can’t read it!”

 

“It is the language of the Ancient Ones, the race who built the Stargates. It says: ‘And so the truth burns with a thousand fires, forging divides between the greatest. Is the most powerful weapon fear? Or is it indeed love? And the mighty hand of fate shall grace you. The trials before you are great but the path ahead is shadowed. What waits in the future is clearly decided by the past. The present can not affect its boundaries but they can affect it. The sham’kar has told all. Now you must decide.’”

  

“Lovely poem. Now what the hell does it mean?”

 

Daniel straightened his glasses and squinted nervously into the bright sunlight.

 

“Well, what’s it basically means is that the past and future affect us now but we don’t affect them. So…because of what we know, we should decide something.

 

“It’s a cryptic clue! Someone somewhere is trying to tell us we have a decision to make. But what is it?”

 

While the scientists started pondering the message, Jack began looking for the metal slip, or the sham’kar thing. He found it and called Daniel over. Sam pulled the archaeologist up and he came over.

 

“What does it say?”

 

“The inscription? Um…can’t quite make it out.”

 

Without thinking, Teal’c ran his finger over it.

 

“It says…”

 

He disappeared, followed by Jack who had just picked it up. Shrugging, Sam and Daniel touched the metal together.

 

This time, it was Teal’c who was perplexed. What could it mean?

 

AS THE WALLS CRUMBLE, THE FAMILY IS LOST. NO LOVE, NO HATE, NO ONE: WHO MOURNS THE PASSING NOW?

 

~

 

Jack landed with a bump. Who knew sand could be so hard? The first thing he saw was Janet Frasier, leaning over him.

 

“Colonel? Where’ve you been?”

 

“1966, 1973 and 1983. That do ya?”

 

Janet raised an eyebrow. Was he joking? Teal’c was already walking around but there was still no sign of Sam and Daniel. Suddenly they both appeared, sprawled in the sand. Unlike the others, they were unconscious, an expression of worry on both their faces. Sam had a fistful of Daniel’s’ shirt and was half-draped over him.

 

“They’ve been through a lot, Doc. Let them rest, okay?”

 

Jack’s voice came softly from her right. Janet looked over her shoulder and saw his mournful expression.

 

“What happened, Colonel? You’ve been gone almost two weeks.”

 

“Two weeks, huh? Wonder why that happened?”

 

“Colonel O’Neill? Mind telling me what’s going on?”

 

General Hammond was standing in the sand, not looking too pleased. Jack stifled a smile and took him to one side. Janet glanced over at Teal’c, who had resumed a defensive position around Sam and Daniel who looked pretty out of it. As Janet watched, Sam’s grip tightened and she let out a low moan. Daniel blinked rapidly and opened his eyes, gazing down at Sam.

 

“Angel? Y’alright?”

 

Angel? Where had that come from?

 

“Oh, go away, Draco!”

 

Sam pounded him with her ‘free’ hand and then released his shirt, leaving a small circle of creases. Eventually, she sat up and opened her eyes.

 

“Finally!”

 

She stood up and turned around to give Daniel a helping hand. He accepted gratefully and was soon face to face with her. He touched her face gently and Janet frowned. What the hell was going on?

 

“Nightmare, Sam?”

 

“You?”

 

“Oh yeah, Mum, Dad, The Keeper: not fun.”

 

“Yeah me too. Same scenes but Dad - I mean, Jacob - was there too. It was freaky.”

 

Janet’s frown deepened. This was very odd. Slowly, they both made their way over to her, arms around each other’s backs.

 

“Hey Janet. Why are you here?”

 

“You’ve been gone two weeks.”

 

“Wow! Maybe the sham’kar has some time-delay factor or maybe time-travelling takes time. Y’know, had to return us later so we’re still in the right chronological time. Just because we were going back in time, doesn’t mean our bodies stopped ageing. Perhaps we have been in flux for two weeks.”

 

Daniel shrugged, obviously getting most of the speech. Janet, however, wasn’t quite with it.

 

“You time-travelled? How did that happen?”

 

“Long story, Janet. Ask Jack.”

 

And with that, the two went off to talk, leaving a very flustered Janet behind.

 

~

 

“I don’t know what to do, Draco.”

 

“For a start, you can stop calling me that. I grew up in ’87, remember?”

 

Sam grinned and slapped him playfully. He loosened his grip on her shoulder a little and she escaped.

 

“Hey!”

 

He chased her into a little forest glade, a strange sight it the middle of a desert. He pinned her against a tree and she drew her breath in sharply. He leaned in closely and kissed her softly. She kissed back, letting herself drown in his embrace.

Why hadn’t she realised? Then again, Draco and Daniel were almost different people. Draco was always comfortable in a group, the life of the party. Daniel really hated crowds and only got drunk if Jack forced him to. But alone, with her, they were one and the same, quiet, but with a powerful silence and a wonderful kiss. Sam’s fingers trailed lightly down his back and his fingers were firmly entwined in her hair. Passion raged within her and she wanted him oh-so-badly. But they were off-world, mere metres from their COs. It just wasn’t the time. And Sam’s heart was still smouldering with rage. This could wait for later. With reluctance, she pulled away from Daniel. He raised his eyebrows but she shook her head gently, whispering something to him. He looked quite shocked but she smiled at him and he laughed. They went out the opposite side of the glade, oblivious to Jack’s watchful eyes. So, it finally happened. As he left, he barely noticed the strange carvings in the tree, or would’ve understood them if he did:

 

AS THE FAMILY DIVIDES, SO DO THE FRIENDS. FRAGILE ROMANCE IS EASILY BROKEN BY HATRED.

 

~

 

They all piled through the Gate. To Sam’s surprise, Jacob Carter, the man she called father, was standing at the bottom of the ramp. She stared at him in amazement and felt Daniel’s supportive hand drop from her shoulder. He knew she had to do this alone.