TITLE: The Day it All went Wrong
AUTHOR: Demon Faith
EMAIL: rosabeth@hotmail.com
CATEGORY: Angst, Drama, Sam/Daniel
SPOILERS: A few
SEASON/SEQUEL: After Season 3
RATING: PG
CONTENT WARNING: An evil magician
watch-maker!
SUMMARY: Daniel gets cursed!
STATUS: Completed
DISCLAIMER: Stargate SG-1 and its
characters are the property of Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret
Productions, and Gekko Productions. We have written this story for
entertainment purposes only and no money whatsoever has exchanged hands. No
copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations, and
story are the property of the authors. Not to be archived without permission of
the authors.
AUTHOR’S NOTES: This is a little piece
that my good friend Stephali decided to pile onto me, as if I don't have enough
to write already! Well, she set me this little challenge and I decided to
answer it. This one's for you Steph!
THE CHALLENGE:
1. There is some m/f but not d/j or j/j
2. Someone says "Sorry to jet, but
I'm in a hurry!"
3. Sam/Jack/George dies (they can come
back if you really have to)
4. A number of strange events occur and
they all turn out to be the fault of the evil magician who may or may not make
watches
5. Daniel saves the day
(By the way, the 'evil watch-maker'
comment is from Stephali's own warped imagination as to how I should end
another of my stories, about time-travelling. Please excuse her: she blames her
insanity on me!)
So, it went wrong. Yes, I realise
I screwed up. Though how me screwing up saves the day is an odd point. But it
happened, even though I screwed up. Maybe I should screw up everyday; it might
just make the universe a better place. Yeah, who are you kidding, Daniel? Well,
it was an interesting day, if not downright dangerous. If Jack was here, he
would tell me it was just another of our ‘off-days’. How many of those have we
had? Way too many from my point of view. Well, as I lie in the infirmary, waiting
for someone to realise I’m awake again, I’m thinking over the day, the day it
all went wrong…
Jack dashes out of the door,
leaving me alone with Sam and Teal’c. Teal’c raises his customary eyebrow and
Sam shrugs. Am I the only one who worries about Jack? I mean, this is the
second time today that he has gone off somewhere, leaving me to worry. Of
course, I worry too much. But, hey, they get to worry about me; I have to score
even.
I start for the door. I didn’t tell
Jack but I gashed my leg when I slid to the bottom of this huge ravine thing.
He didn’t know I’d fallen; he just presumed I’d climbed. Somehow I stopped
myself from screaming. My trousers are slightly bloody and my ribs hurt like
hell, but seeing as no one seems to care, I’ll just limp to the infirmary on my
own.
“Daniel?”
Oh no, Sam’s coming to see what’s
wrong And if I tell her, she’ll tell Jack and he’ll freak out for sure. No,
just keep walking and pretend you haven’t heard her. Unfortunately, my body has
other ideas. Just as I reach the door, I collapse against the frame and then
slide to the floor. Great, must’ve hit my head! Sam and Teal’c are beside me in
a second, worry displayed in their faces and hushed tones.
“Daniel? Say something please!
Come on, speak to me!”
I’m trying really, Sam, but my
lips aren’t forming words.
“Fine then. Squeeze my hand or
something!”
She takes my freezing hand and I
manage to close mine ever so slightly. She sighs in relief.
“Thank you Daniel! Teal’c, get Janet.
I’ll stay with Daniel.”
She pulls me onto her lap and
slaps my face gently.
“Stay with me Daniel. You’re an
idiot, y’know.”
“Gee thanks.”
I manage to mutter those two words
and she smiles, holding me tightly. I’m so lucky to have a friend like Sam,
someone so caring and attentive. I don’t know what I’d do without her. She’s
checking for injuries now, probing gently.
“Leg.”
She looks at me carefully, taking
in the waxen pallor and cold sweat trickling down my face.
“Which one?”
I flick my left wrist once and she
notices instantly. Tearing my trouser leg carefully reveals a gruesome wound
that makes me swallow twice. Sam grimaces slightly but continues her
examination. Then Janet crashes to the floor beside us, frowning. She examines
my leg, then takes in my physical symptoms, as well as my half-conscious state.
Motioning to Teal’c, she draws a needle and jabs it in my arm. I protest weakly
but feel myself slipping away as Teal’c lifts me off the floor.
~
“Well, he looks alright.”
“That’s nothing to go by, Jack.
He’s got a concussion and has lost a lot of blood from his leg. It also appears
to be infected. I know it’s a surprise but leaving him…”
“I didn’t know, okay? Leave me
alone!”
I struggle to open my eyes. The
room slowly swims into view and I can see Jack’s face peering down at mine, a
huge grin spread over his face.
“He’s awake, Doc!”
Janet’s face also appears,
followed by Sam’s. They look concerned but happy. I smile weakly and wait for
Janet to start babbling. When she doesn’t, I take it upon myself.
“What happened?”
My throat’s dry and Sam holds a
straw to my lips. How did she know? I take a sip and water has never tasted so
good.
“Exactly what I was going to ask
you. Mind telling me how you got yourself so beat up? Unless it’s a secret or
something.”
Jack was angry now and I tried to
get away. He pierced me with a look, his brown eyes hardened with steel. Janet
pulled him back slightly but he was too strong for her.
“I didn’t want to worry you…”
I muttered a few words in the hopes
he would go away. He pulled himself up straight and stared at me in disbelief.
“You what?”
I cleared my throat and said it
again, louder. He just kept staring. Sam bit her lip and Janet shook her head.
“You’re a funny one, Daniel
Jackson.”
Janet walks off and Teal’c moves
into my vision, holding out something metal. Ah, my glasses! I try to take them
but feel strangely weak. Sam smiles gently and takes them for me, bending down
to slip them on my nose. I smile gratefully and she winks. She nudges Teal’c
hard and drags him away, leaving Jack and me alone. He’s still looking shocked
but begins to speak, his tone slow and even.
“So let me get this straight: you
injured yourself but thought that it would worry me, so you kept quiet. Then,
as soon as I leave, you collapse on Sam and Teal’c. Is that the scene?”
I nod slowly, trying to ignore the
pain in Jack’s eyes.
“What did you think I would do?
Shout? Tell you to stop injuring yourself indefinitely? Daniel, we all have our
‘off-days’ but you’re just unlucky. I do worry but it’s because I’m your CO and
I care. Just don’t do it again, okay?”
I bow my head but only to hide the
sudden tears, that have assaulted my eyes. Jack seems to realise and walks
away, leaving me alone. Janet comes at me with another sedative and I slip into
blessed unconsciousness.
~
I wake up and jump straight out of
bed. I’m feeling much better and I quickly get dressed and then head for my
office. It’s dark and I switch on the light.
“Surprise!”
I jump back slightly as my friends
overwhelm me. I quickly glance at the calendar and am amazed at what greets me.
July the Eighth: my birthday. Goodness, I clean forgot! Sam comes up shyly,
leans forward and kisses me on the lips. I feel an unwelcome sensation,
something I’ve tried to hide for too long. Her lips hold longer than they
should, causing some unwelcome stares, but we are quickly interrupted. I don’t
realise at first but then I really begin to notice. It’s raining! I look up to
see mini-clouds floating across my ceiling. Everyone’s eyes are fixed on the
swirling mist that is now drifting through my office.
“What the hell is going on?”
Jack pushes through the crowd and
puts a hand on my shoulder. Then I remember something. There was an instance in
Ancient Egypt when it rained inside the great temple of Ra, followed instantly
by…tremors? Oh god, the floor’s shaking! I grab whatever happens to be nearest,
which turns out to be Sam. Jack is still clutching my shoulder as the ground
trembles with rage, vengeance for being trampled on. Where the hell did that
come from? I’m not normally poetic. It must be the stress.
The next jolt sends me to the floor. Sam leans over me, to try and
help me up but the next tremor sends her toppling onto me. Unfortunately, she
lands on my injured leg, causing me to yell. She mutters apologies and slides
off, still clinging to my shirt. I’m now leaning against Jack’s legs, as he
bends down to whisper if I’m alright. I nod twice but am more distracted by
Sam’s inability to get to her feet. She’s clutching her hand to her. I can see
my latest artefact sticking out of her palm; a perfect flint knife with
miniature carvings. Well, I’ll just have to live without it. Pulling Sam
against me to steady her, I look at her hand. The knife is lodged firmly into
her hand and I’m not about to pull it out. I just hold onto Sam, so that she
can’t hurt herself even more. I notice that the rain has stopped and the
tremors appear to be getting fainter. As the ground steadies, the crowd around
me relaxes. Not for long.
A tendril of flame shoots out of
the wall next to where Sam and I are sitting! She yelps and leaps to her feet.
However, my leg is still hurting and I’m not quick enough. The fire catches my
shirt and the flames take hold. My shirt is burning! Jack swears and rolls me
over, smothering the flames beneath me. I felt my back protest but at least I’m
not burning. Then more tendrils appear, all of them centring on me. Jack pulls
me free, still cursing and I’m propelled into Sam, who steadies me.
“Y’alright?”
“Just peachy.”
She smiles tightly as Jack reaches
for my phone and quickly dials for a fire rescue team. Minutes later, the whole
party staggers into the corridor, coughing from the smoke as the marines deal
with the rest of the fire. Then one last flame breaks through the wall, going
straight through my arm. I yell and Sam quickly wraps her jacket around my
blazing sleeve.
“Some off-day.”
Jack mutters as he drags me to the
infirmary, Sam trailing behind. I protest the whole way but Jack isn’t about to
listen. He practically throws me into the infirmary and tells me to stay put. I
grumble but Janet looks pretty worried. She takes off Sam’s jacket and bandages
my arm, hanging it in a sling. She takes another look at my leg and changes the
bandage.
“You’re a lucky man, Doctor
Jackson. Your arm’s pretty nasty but your back is basically unharmed, though it
may be a bit tender for a while.”
I nod slowly. A marine walks in,
carrying a thin book with him. The cover is singed and the pages are blackened.
I recognise it instantly. It’s the book Sam got me for my birthday: ‘Lost
Incantations of the Pharaohs’…
“Sir? This was your only damaged
book but we though you might want to check it over.”
I nod and take the book from him,
trying to turn a page with one hand. I hear a chuckle behind me and a slim,
familiar hand turns the page for me. Sam leans over my shoulder, turning pages
occasionally. Suddenly I stop, eyes wide in horror. Of course! Why didn’t I
think of it before?
“Turn to page 93!”
Sam obeys instantly, realising
that I’m on to something. She flicks to the page and I quickly read through the
passage, before pointing it out to Sam.
“Oh my…”
The passage reads:
When clouds form above you,
When the earth begins to shake,
When fire fills the room,
Your peace you must make.
For you have committed,
Two of the deadly sins:
Murder of a God, Betrayal with a friend,
These two your plight begins.
But the last one,
A defining fact,
Seals your fate for sure,
From this you may not come back
If you let your best friend die,
Whether by your hand or not,
You will joined the damned,
Your soul forgot.
NB: This is one of the
few curses that has a basis in fact. It is also the only curse to rhyme when
translated out of Egyptian, and into English.
“It fits, Sam.”
“Hmm…well, half of it. The first
verse I get but the deadly sins…”
“Think about it: we killed Ra,
Seth, Hathor and Ammonette, though I should think Ra is the only one actually
considered a god…”
“But what about the other two! I
mean, it must have been completed recently, but when…”
Sam’s words fade in my mind as my
thoughts hit the conclusion. She’s standing in front of me.
“Sam, we don’t need the last one,
as that would make me dead. I’m pretty sure this curse is focused on me, by the
flames and all, and betrayal with a friend happened a few seconds before it all
started…”
Sam shook her head slowly.
“When, Daniel? When was the
betrayal?”
I smile sadly.
“You kissed me Sam.”
Her eyes widened and she lowered
her head in a silent ‘oh’. Then her head raises in question.
“Then, why not me?”
“You didn’t kill Ra, did you?”
She mutters to herself so I can’t
hear. She lifts her head slowly, her eyes shining with moisture.
“Well, your best friend? They have
to die before you go to Hell, or Netu or whatever. So, who’s that?”
I note that she knows it isn’t
her. Then who is it? Oh no…
“Jack! Oh come on! We have to find
him!”
She pulls me to my feet and I drop
the book. I quickly pull it back and read the last few lines. My heart skips a
beat.
According to mythology,
the only way to break the curse is for the damned to sacrifice himself in place
of his best friend, who is named in the third deadly sin. The legend goes that
the Timekeeper; an evil magician who made the Eternal Pendulum, the device that
keeps time for the entire universe, will come to kill the damned’s best friend.
If the damned takes the blow instead, then all is made right.
‘All is made right’; except for the fact that I’m dead of
course! But I’ll die anyway if I don’t save Jack, and he really deserves to
live. I glance up at Sam who’s giving me a worried frown. I stash the book in a
drawer before heading for the door.
~
We arrive in the Gate room, where Jack is waiting. The Gate
reaches its last chevron and the wormhole blasts open.
“A GDO sir…the computer says ‘The Timekeeper’.”
Okay, now I’m worried. Since when do celestial beings have
their own personal GDO in the SGC? I glance up the General, who looks equally
confused. Jack raises an eyebrow but I try to remain calm. A slight, dark-haired
figure steps through the Gate, wearing a long blue robe and carrying a…staff weapon! Okay, now I’m
really confused. I look into the Timekeeper’s eyes and he points at me.
“You are the damned.”
It was a statement, pure and simple. I nod and Sam looks at
me in horror. The Timekeeper sounds like a regular person but he carries
himself with power.
“Then I have a duty.”
He swings round and shoots Jack in the shoulder. He thuds
back against the wall. I just wasn’t quite fast enough! The Timekeeper primes
him weapon again, lifting it to fire.
“No!”
I leap in front of the staff, taking the blast. I feel the
scorching pain throb through my body as I land rather ungracefully on the
ground. I pull myself up and stand in front of Jack, who’s looking the worst
for wear. The Timekeeper smiles cruelly and lifts his hand. A ribbon device! He
aims a blast at me, knocking me down. He then turns the thing on Jack, pounding
him into the wall, like Sam did to Seth. Jack’s eyes go wide for a second, then
his head slumps. Tears well into my eyes and I turn to the Timekeeper, consumed
by anger.
“You bastard…”
I charge him, uncaring and unfeeling. I hear Sam yell my name but I carry on. The
Timekeeper merely lifts his hand again, sending me onto my knees. The orange light
bores into my head and I feel myself fading. Okay, so am I ready for Hell?
Blackness creeps across my vision and I feel myself slip into non-existence…
~
Faintly, I can hear noises in the infirmary.
“The wall almost crushed him. It actually killed him, sir.
I’ve performed CPR and his heart restarted. Let’s just hope Doctor Jackson can
also pull through.”
“How’s he doing?”
“At this rate, the Colonel’s going to be up before he is.
It’s bad, sir. As if the leg injury, concussion, burns and staff blast weren’t
enough, the ribbon device has sent him into a coma.”
So, this is coma? A great big lead weight pressing down on
you and an inability to communicate? Suddenly, I hear a voice a lot closer.
Sam!
“If you die on me, Daniel Jackson, I’ll never forgive you!”
I try to smile but it isn’t working very well. I must’ve
twitched my lips though because Sam is calling to Janet.
“Speak or something Daniel! Okay, just squeeze my hand!”
That I can do! My fingers close around her palm and she
chokes out her relief. I feel water splash on my face and I realise that Sam is
crying over me. Then I hear a loud bleeping noise, a sound that fills me with
dread: a life monitor hitting deadline. Sam leaps from my side and my reality
line slips. Unconsciousness takes me…
So, quite some day, huh? And now I’m waiting to find out if
my best friend is dead. Oh god if he is…what will I do? Die. The morbid
thought fills me, followed instantly by another. If he is dead, you should be too. Unless the
curse was broken when I took the blow and the Timekeeper just stuck around to
kill some people. Which makes sense if he’s a Goa’uld, but how does that
explain the sudden appearance of a GDO and all the curse’s ‘side-effects’?
Okay, Daniel, you think too much! Now, to get some attention…
“Jack? Sam? Teal’c?
Janet?”
Well, a string of names is better than nothing! I can feel
people overshadowing me and someone’s talking. Is that who I think it is…?
“Well hello Sleeping Beauty! You’ve had quite a snooze, more
than me in fact and I’ve been dead twice!”
Who else would make light of the fact that they died twice?
Good old Jack, still smiling! Not that I can tell. For that, eye opening is
required…yes, that’s better! My eyes dart across the faces of my friends.
Jack’s head is swathed in bandages and he has a sling, similar to the one
cradled across my chest, which is also covered in a large bandage. Am I just
one big bandage? Sam’s smiling, hand on my arm tightly. Not that I’m about to
tell her that she’s hurting me but it is kinda uncomfortable. Teal’c has his
solitary Jaffa smile on and Janet is smiling broadly, quite a task while
brandishing a syringe.
“Don’t you dare stick that in me!”
Jack turned round suddenly, frowning at Janet. I smile.
“Actually, Daniel it’s for a very stubborn Air Force Colonel
who refused to sleep until you woke up. His arm is probably feeling like a pin
cushion.”
“How long have I been out?”
Jack and Janet glanced at each other and then at Sam. She
shrugged. Teal’c sighed.
“You have been unconscious for twelve days, Daniel Jackson.”
I’m sure my eyebrows could’ve reached the ceiling. Twelve
days! Wow, some time loss! Time…no, not good! I shift uncomfortably and try to
sit up. I get about halfway before the killer headache sets in.
“Ah…”
Sam grabs my arm, causing me to wince. Teal’c grabs me on my
other side. Somehow, I manage to swing my legs over the bed. Janet frowns.
“I would tell you to rest but seeing as you’ve been asleep
for twelve days and you won’t listen to me anyway, you are all on extended leave.
And Colonel? No alcohol for you or Daniel! Understand?”
Jack flashes her a smile and she walks off, grumbling. Jack
seems perfectly happy but I have something to say.
“Jack? I’m sorry I got you into this mess and I’m sorry I
got cursed and I’m just sorry…”
“Okay, quit with the apologising already! I get the picture.
Unfortunately, there’s something wrong with your little ‘equation’. Firstly, I
got myself into this mess. The only reason I was involved was by the fact that
I’m your best friend, and if I had to choose between that and a curse-free
existence, the friendship always comes first. Hell, a dozen curses is worth
your friendship Daniel.”
“Well, I think that was a compliment.”
Jack’s expression changes from seriousness to laughter, then
back for one last important point.
“And, as far as I can make out, the curse part wasn’t your
fault either.”
His glance shifted to Sam, who looked very embarrassed. Therefore,
she had told him. Oh well, never mind. I gave her a dashing smile and she
blushed red. Jack winked at me and it was my turn to lower my head.
“Right kids, let’s head for my place!”
I mutter an excuse about clothes and Jack nods briefly. I
hobble down the corridor, wondering why my leg feels worse than it did twelve
days earlier.
“Daniel?”
I turn to face Janet, smiling when I see the crutches that
she’s holding in her hand. She slips them onto my wrists and I’m grateful once
again to the observant doctor.
“Thanks Janet.
“Anytime Daniel. Just treat her well, okay?”
Treat her well? Oh…right? Feeling even more embarrassed, I
head for the locker room and quickly get changed. It takes me longer than usual
and the trip to the surface is easily ten minutes longer. I finally reach the
top where the guard gives me a sympathetic grin. Good news travels fast, huh?
Well, not that fast. I still can’t believe I was out for twelve days. I see the
others across the car park. Sighing, I hobble over, enjoying their shocked
reaction.
“Nice hockey sticks. Lend me them sometime?”
I shoot Jack a look but he just laughs. Sam helps me into the
back of the car, her touch lingering longer than it should. I smile at her and
she blushes again before climbing in beside me. Jack glances at us in the wing
mirror.
“You know, I’ve been doing some research…”
I’m amazed at that statement alone. Jack doing research?
Novelty phenomenon!
“…And I found out that your curse only effects people once.
So, you’re safe, if you get my meaning.”
Only too well, Jack. Sam lays her hand on mine and closes
her eyes trustingly. I know what is going to happen, I know its real. I lean
towards her, expectant and tense. And as our lips meet, I think back. Maybe it
didn’t all go wrong after all…