Suggested Rating: for young adult and older readers

Category: alternate universe, angst, drama, Daniel/Janet friendship and romance

Setting: Season 8

Synopsis: The arrival of a visitor from a parallel universe provides opportunity for Daniel to pay back what he felt was owed to a friend – but what happens if he actually follows through?

Spoiler Warning: Includes projected situations for season 8, some based on revealed season 8 spoilers on Gateworld as of April 2004.

Author’s Comments: There’ve been rumors that Brad Wright may be penning an AU story for season 8. Of course, Daniel/Janet fans are hoping against all odds that this particular story just might bring back our favorite doctor, but the idea got me thinking… what could be a plausible scenario for Janet to really show up again in season 8? This story is the result of that musing. As for how plausible it really is… well, you’ll have to decide. Oh, and I’ll warn you up front that the medical scenario I create for this story is a little bit “out there” – I confess to not having any detailed medical knowledge. Realizing that what I came up with may be entirely unrealistic, I apologize to those of you who may be doctors or nurses. Just willingly suspend your disbelief as much as you can. <g> Thanks to Glenda for what little bit of medical know-how she shared with me. And thanks, as always, to my friend and beta reader Sonia, for helping me to make this even better than it would have been!

DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters and places (the Stargate SG-1 stuff) are the property of MGM, World Gekko Corp and Double Secret Productions. This piece of fan fiction was created for entertainment only and no infringement on copyrights or trademarks was intended. Previously unrecognized characters and places, and this story, are copyrighted to the author. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

CHOICES

- by Michelle Lunsford (June 2004)

Colonel Samantha Carter looked at the shimmering event horizon where her friends had just stepped through. It had been a few months since she’d taken command of SG-1 but she still hadn’t adjusted to the feel of it. Making her way up the steps toward the platform she wondered if she’d ever completely adjust. It had been one thing to be responsible for her part as a member of the team and even to take charge from time to time – but to regularly lead that team was something entirely different. Now she felt personally responsible for aspects she’d never considered before. What was she leading her team into with this new mission? Would they gain any real value from this expedition? Were those under her command still finding fulfillment in their role now that she had taken charge?

Sighing to herself, Carter strode through the Stargate, her body becoming immediately transferred into energy. Within the same instant she was transferred back into matter again, and then stepped through the other side onto a stone platform. Automatically her eyes began scanning the surroundings. Continuing to survey the room she descended the hewn steps and, with a distinctive sucking sound, the wormhole disengaged behind her.

“It appears to be just as the MALP relay displayed,” Teal’c said, his calm monotone echoing in the large chamber as Carter moved up beside him.

She glanced around again, squinting at the beams of sunlight that shone from windows cut at regular intervals along the walls. ‘Yes,’ she thought with some disappointment, ‘just as the MALP had shown – one huge and very empty chamber.’

“Well,” she muttered under her breath, “so much for the possibility of this developing into an interesting morning.”

“This is amazing!” Daniel’s voice, full of excitement, sounded from somewhere behind her.

Carter turned and caught a glimpse of Teal’c’s arched eyebrow response. Smiling to herself at the Jaffa’s customary amusement regarding Daniel’s enthusiasm, she looked around and spotted the archaeologist farther into the chamber. He was inspecting the walls, video camera in hand. Her curiosity engaged now, she walked over to see what had garnered his attention.

“What is it?”

“A mixture of symbols.” Daniel’s eyes never strayed from the stone walls as he rapidly rattled on, “There’s Ancient, Asgard, and I think this,” he pointed to a mass of script that was unfamiliar to her, “may be some text from the Furlings.”

“Is it anything like what we encountered on Ernest’s planet?” Carter asked, her voice softening slightly as she recalled the reunion of Ernest and Catherine that had resulted from that mission.

“You mean that ‘meaning of life stuff’?” Daniel quipped, the hint of a grin pulling at the corner of his mouth. “I’ll have to work on the translations back at the base, but just at first glance I’d have to say this is something different.”

Carter nodded, not entirely certain what to make of that. “Well, record as much as you can. Teal’c and I are going to have a look around.”

She rejoined the Jaffa and they began a systematic search of the chamber. The entire place was constructed of stone, the walls rising at least 16 or 17 feet above them. The windows Carter had noticed earlier appeared to be the only source of light, although there were a few odd shaped structures spaced throughout that looked as if they had once served as torches. The Stargate sat near one end, but there appeared to be no other entrance or exit to the room.

The chamber was roughly rectangular in shape, with the two long walls being the only source of the writings that so enthralled Daniel. At the far end opposite the Gate the room did open up slightly, extending off each side into two smaller alcoves. The area to the right was bare except for a few straw mats that looked as if they had seen entirely too much use. However, a thick layer of dust over both mats and floor was a fair indication that no one had used them recently.

“Looks like this may have served as some kind of sleeping area,” Carter commented, kicking lightly at one of the mats with a booted foot.

“I concur,” Teal’c replied. “Although I admit I am at a loss as to the purpose of the remainder of this structure.”

“Let’s check out that other alcove, see if it reveals something more,” she suggested, leading the way.

They crossed the main chamber again and Carter noticed Daniel was still preoccupied with the walls – although it did look as if he’d made progress in his recording. The left anteroom was slightly lower than the rest of the chamber, necessitating a trip down a short flight of stairs. Carter noted it was cooler at this level and much darker, since there were no windows. She fished out her military issue flashlight, switched it on and cast the beam around the room. It was joined seconds later by a beam from Teal’c’s light and Carter took advantage of the increased visibility to study her new surroundings.

This alcove appeared to be completely empty and as Carter continued to survey the room she felt a distinct sigh of disappointment forming. Suddenly her light flickered across something in one corner of the room.

“Teal’c, point your light over here,” she instructed, focusing her own beam directly into the corner. As he did so the object became fully illuminated and Carter felt the skin on the back of her neck tingle. “Is that what I think it is?”

“I am… unsure,” Teal’c finally replied, his own tone reflecting a touch of disbelief.

She took a couple of cautious steps closer to the object. It was shaped a little different, and was probably four or five inches shorter, but otherwise it looked identical to the one Daniel had first discovered on P3R-233.

“Could there be two such devices in existence?” Teal’c asked.

Carter shrugged. “I don’t know. The existence of one was pretty phenomenal.” She took another step closer. “But after all the things we’ve seen over the years I’m not willing to write it off as completely impossible.”

A thought suddenly came to mind and Carter turned her torch aside, casting the light around the room again. “If it is another Quantum Mirror,” she began, “then there should be a hand-held control device somewhere.”

A few minutes of thorough searching produced no such device. Carter could feel that frustrating sense of disappointment tugging at her again.

“I suppose the last residents of this place could have taken it with them,” she suggested into the ensuing silence.

“Or perhaps it is hidden in a secret panel, or stored elsewhere in this structure,” Teal’c offered.

She nodded absently, her mind already turning in other directions. The real question was what were they going to do about this new discovery? General Hammond had ordered the first Mirror destroyed, and not without good reason. And yet, they’d never gotten a chance to really study the device. The scientist in her had always wondered what might have been revealed from such a piece of astounding technology.

“Well, the Mirror will have to stay where it is for now,” she said, finally coming to her decision. “We’ll head back to the SGC, give a report of what we think we’ve found, and decide what to do about it from there.”

“Very well,” Teal’c replied, and she caught the slight movement of his nod in the reflection from his flashlight.

She turned toward the stairs. ‘I hope Daniel has finished his recording,’ she thought. If not then she had the unenviable task of having to order him away from his current source of fascination. ‘Yeah,’ she reflected wryly, ‘sometimes being in command really stinks.’

Just as she reached the steps Carter heard a faint whop noise, followed immediately by Teal’c’s curt, “Colonel Carter!”

“What is it?” she questioned, spinning around.

“I thought I detected a flash of light from the object,” Teal’c answered. “As if the Mirror had been activated.”

His torch was already focused back into the corner of the room and Carter added her own beam. But their light merely reflected off the mirrored surface, preventing her from actually seeing anything. She held her breath, straining to see and listen.

There was a second whop, followed by an unmistakable glimmer of light from the Mirror. And where seconds before their flashlights had revealed nothing, a figure now stood before them. Reflexively, Carter’s weapon came up, the muzzle of her automatic falling in line with the beam of her flashlight.

“Don’t shoot!” A steady voice hastily pleaded. A pair of hands – one of them holding tightly to a control device for the Mirror – rose above the figure’s head. Large brown eyes blinked at the bright beams being thrown from the pair of flashlights. “I assure you that I come in peace and mean no harm.”

Carter’s immediate recognition of both the figure and its voice hit her like a punch in the gut. She stood frozen in shock for a couple of heartbeats before military training kicked in and took control. ‘You have to play it safe – don’t assume anything,’ she silently ordered herself. She closed her eyes momentarily in concentration. Not sensing any Goa’uld presence in the figure, she breathed a sigh of relief. Then, in her best military voice, she asked, “Who are you?”

“My name is Doctor Janet Frasier,” the figure replied. “And I must get to this universe’s equivalent of the command center for the Stargate program – I must get there immediately.”

~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~

Janet stood perfectly still, forcing her breathing into a steady rhythm. The intensity of the flashlight beams aimed her direction prevented her from being able to see the other people in the room, but the sound of the woman’s voice had been unmistakable.

‘Careful’, her inner voice warned. ‘It doesn’t necessarily mean you can trust her.’ In the few discussions about alternate realities she’d had with her universe’s version of Samantha Carter one thing had been made painfully clear – you could never be certain what scenario existed in the parallel universe you encountered. As the seconds of silence continued to tick past another thought ran through Janet’s mind. ‘And if this Sam Carter is anything at all like my friend, then she’s probably thinking the exact same thing about me right now.’

“Please,” Janet finally broke the silence. “I don’t have a lot of time.”

“One thing at a time, Doctor Frasier,” came the reply.

Janet heard the clear sense of caution in Carter’s tone and fought against a sigh of exasperation. She really did not have time for this.

“I’ve just come from a parallel universe,” Janet went on, purposefully keeping her voice neutral. “And I’m guessing that unless this is the first time you’ve encountered a Quantum Mirror you know exactly what I’m talking about.”

There was no response.

“And you’ll also know that I only have a certain amount of time before my own life is in danger,” Janet added.

She couldn’t be certain but it seemed as if Carter’s flashlight wavered, ever so slightly.

“If it’s entropic cascade failure you’re concerned about, then don’t be,” Carter replied.

The implication of the statement hit Janet immediately – the Doctor Frasier in this universe was dead. But it was the tightness in Carter’s voice that had given her the real clue.

“I’m sorry, Sam,” Janet said softly, slowly lowering her hands. “I know she was a good friend.”

Another tense heartbeat passed before Carter’s beam of light lowered completely.

“Yes,” Sam admitted. “She was.”

Janet released a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding. For the first time since activating the Mirror she began to believe this hadn’t been one huge mistake after all.

“Why have you come?” a deep voice unexpectedly questioned from her left. Janet recognized it as Teal’c. She also noticed he had not yet chosen to lower his flashlight, which still prevented her from seeing much of anything.

“Because I need your help,” Janet answered.

“What kind of help?” That was Carter, and a hint of caution had returned to her tone.

Battling a growing sense of frustration, Janet decided it was up to her to take the next step in this delicate dance of trust. “Someone I care about very much is dying,” she began. “But his counterpart in this universe – if he’s still alive – can save him.”

When no additional questions or comments were forthcoming she decided to force their hand. Using what she knew was her best doctor voice, Janet leveled her gaze in their direction and said, “Listen, this is not something I really feel comfortable discussing at gunpoint. So either let me go, and I’ll return through the Mirror, or take me to your Stargate facility where we can decide what to do.”

Although she couldn’t clearly see them, Janet stood firm and stared down the figures she knew were opposite her.

“Okay, we go to the Stargate,” Carter eventually declared. “Teal’c, please escort Doctor Frasier.”

At Carter’s command the Jaffa lowered his flashlight. Janet blinked. As her eyes adjusted to the sudden dimness, she glanced around and got her first real look at the parallel versions of her friends. Their uniforms were identical to those used by the SGD, right down to the arm patch insignias. All weapons also appeared the same. There were, however, a few changes. She’d never seen Teal’c with hair.

“Please come with me,” Teal’c instructed, stepping along side her.

Taking a deep breath, she nodded once and headed up the stairs after Carter. As they reached the top and rounded the corner, Janet wasn’t too surprised to see a chamber like the one Daniel had described when they’d found the second Quantum Mirror in her universe. But she wasn’t at all prepared for the sight of the figure, squatting in the middle of that chamber, his attention directed at something in his backpack.

“Good, you’re finished,” Carter commented, apparently having noticed him as well.

“Um, actually I was just looking for another blank tape,” Daniel replied, continuing to rummage in his bag. “The one I was using was already mostly full from our last mission, and I still have the entire wall along the left side of the camber to record – ah, here we go…”

“Sorry Daniel, but we have to return to the SGC,” Carter said as she walked past him on her way toward the Gate.

Janet stared ahead, aware that each step was taking her closer.

“Come on,” Daniel appealed, standing up as he worked the blank tape into his recorder. “Just fifteen more minutes.”

Instead of answering Carter simply began punching in coordinates on the DHD. Janet felt her heartbeat quicken. Just a few more steps and they’d be right beside him.

The wormhole engaged with it’s characteristic swoosh.

“Okay, five minutes then,” Daniel pleaded at Carter’s back. But she only turned and gave a negative shake of her head.

“We must depart immediately,” Teal’c added as they approached.

“What? Why?” Daniel inquired, spinning around to face the Jaffa.

Without another word they stepped past him. Janet caught the shocked expression that fell across his face at seeing her, heard his baffled “Janet?” a few seconds later. Following Teal’c up the steps to the Gate, she paused long enough to glance over her shoulder. A thousand questions were reflected in his eyes and Janet longed to stop then and there to answer every one of them. But the Jaffa was gently pulling on her arm, indicating it was time to go.

“We’ve found another Quantum Mirror,” Janet heard Carter say by way of explanation. Then she stepped through and let the wormhole envelop her.

~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~

General Jack O’Neill leaned back, linked his arms across his chest, and allowed his gaze to work its way around the long briefing room table. His newest SG-1 commander was meeting that gaze directly, but was also choosing not to reveal anything in her expression. Not surprising, considering both he and Carter were still adjusting to their altered roles of leadership. Daniel was looking vaguely his direction, but the expression on his face was one Jack had long ago come to recognize as meaning the archaeologist’s mind was running down any number of tangents elsewhere. Teal’c was focused on some blank spot of wall just over Daniel’s head. And their… guest was very pointedly staring at the table.

‘It’s times like this when I really wish Hammond was back in charge,’ Jack reflected wearily to himself. He took a deep breath, let it out slowly. ‘Heck, at times like this I even wish that Weir woman was back in charge.’ Shaking his head, he forged ahead.

“Let me get this straight,” Jack began, uncrossing his arms and sitting upright in the chair again. “Carter and Teal’c found another Quantum Mirror while Daniel was busy recording alien scribbles on the wall. And Doctor Frasier,” here he paused to let his eyes fall on the woman in question. It was too strange to see her sitting there. “—she came through the Mirror, and you all decided to come back here to figure out what to do about all this?”

Tension built as everyone purposefully avoided looking at everyone else.

“Um,” Daniel interrupted the silence, holding up a finger to make his point, “actually, I didn’t have anything to do with the last part of that decision.”

Jack shot the archaeologist his best that was so not helpful look.

“Sorry,” Daniel murmured, his attention shifting to fiddling with the pen in his hand.

“Sir,” Carter began, leveling her gaze at him across the table. “It was my decision to trust Doctor Frasier, and allow her to return with us. I felt it was important to offer her the opportunity to explain herself.”

‘I know that’ he thought silently, holding the Colonel’s gaze. ‘And I trust your instincts, Carter. But how much of that decision was influenced by the fact that this is Janet here – or at least a reasonable version of Janet?’ Glancing across the table at the doctor Jack felt a new wave of weariness wash over him. ‘And how much will my decision be threatened by the same?’

Rubbing a hand across his face, O’Neill took another deep breath. “Alright,” he acquiesced. “You wanted a chance to explain yourself, Doc – you got it.”

Jack watched as the woman who hadn’t spoken once since their arrival finally raised her eyes to meet his. The same sense of fortitude and caring he’d always perceived in the Janet Frasier he’d known was reflected in those eyes. And, except for the different hairstyle, she looked exactly like the woman who had died just a few months ago. He waited, noticing that she swallowed and raised her chin slightly. It was a perfect reproduction of the body language Jack recalled their own Janet doing, whenever she was carefully weighing her words.

“In my universe, on a recent mission, the members of SG-1 encountered an alien virus and – unknown to them at the time – brought it back through the Stargate. It was severe, but it spread slowly and fortunately we were able to get it under control and develop a vaccine.”

Frasier paused, looking to him for some kind of response. Jack nodded and waved a hand, encouraging her to continue.

“Everyone recovered except… except for one member of the team.” Her voice faltered slightly and her eyes momentarily flicked toward the table. “We tried everything, but for reasons I was unable to determine the antibodies simply did not respond in this one case.”

Jack noted she was purposefully avoiding naming her mysterious patient. ‘Has to be some reason for that,’ he considered. ‘And that does not give me a very good feeling right now.’

Silence lingered until the sound of someone clearing her throat drew Jack’s attention toward his right.

“You mentioned, back in the chamber, that this person’s counterpart – in our universe – could save this particular patient,” Carter said, her gaze settling on the woman across from her.

Janet nodded.

“I confess, I’m no medical doctor,” Carter continued, “but if your antidote doesn’t work on the person there, how is the counterpart supposed to help? Our experience with people from parallel universes indicates that they are identical, right down to their DNA.”

Janet’s gaze faltered again and Jack noticed she was beginning to fidget imperceptibly with her fingers. ‘Here it comes,’ he thought, steeling himself.

“As I said, we were unable to determine exactly why the antidote didn’t work in this one case. But I believe that a blood transfusion may help to alleviate the problem, so that the antidote will have a chance to work.”

Jack blinked, his mind attempting to work through that. Admittedly, he was slower than the others to comprehend these kinds of things, but he was pretty sure that based on what Carter had just said, Frasier’s answer made no sense at all.

“I’m sorry, but I still don’t understand,” Daniel interjected from his end of the table. “If everything is identical, including the DNA, then how is something like that going to help? I mean, aren’t you essentially proposing to replace the patient’s blood with more of the same, identical blood?”

“In one sense, yes,” Janet conceded. O’Neill didn’t miss that she failed to meet Daniel’s gaze, choosing to look at him instead. Something about that put him on alert. “However--” she hesitated, and Jack’s simmering sense of apprehension ratcheted up a notch. “At one point in the past he experienced some severe physical trauma. While he did eventually recover, there have been residual effects of that trauma. It’s not anything that affects his day to day life, but it does play out in other ways, particularly at the cellular level, in his blood chemistry. It’s my belief that if his counterpart from a parallel universe didn’t suffer from this same trauma, then he likewise won’t have the residual effects.”

“How could you be certain the universe you encountered would contain such a scenario?” Teal’c questioned, turning to stare point blank at the doctor.

“I couldn’t,” Janet acknowledged, her eyes drifting once more to the table. When she spoke again her voice was so soft that O’Neill had to strain to hear. “But I hoped that even if he’d experienced the same trauma, maybe something would be different. Even the slightest variation might give us a chance. It was a long shot but I… I had to try.”

‘In other words,’ Jack mused, ‘you were desperate.’ Which meant there was more to this story than their visitor was telling. And the more he thought about it, the less and less Frasier’s explanation was making sense – and it wasn’t just because he didn’t grasp all the medical nuances of the situation. Based on what had been said, if the circumstance were reversed, he knew he never would’ve approved such a mission for his CMO.

Jack sighed heavily as the revelation of his own thoughts took shape. He leaned forward slightly, fixing his attention on the petite doctor. “Who gave you the order to go through the Quantum Mirror?” he quietly asked, fairly certain he already knew the answer.

Frasier’s head snapped up and her eyes locked with his. He saw the confirmation in her expression long before she replied. “In my universe General Hammond is still in command of the SGD. However, after fully considering all the options and the implications, he decided it was not worth the risk. So your guess is correct, Sir. I’m not here in any official capacity.” She paused, long enough to take one deep breath. “In fact, my coming through the Mirror was in direct violation of the order I was given.”

The question begged to be asked, although he knew he was not going to like the answer. “Doctor Frasier, considering we’re all here to determine – at least in part – whether or not you can be trusted, I want you to be very careful in answering this next question,” O’Neill said. Resting both hands flat, palms down on the table, he forced his voice to be calm and even. “Why did you choose to disobey a direct order and come here?”

Janet’s eyes closed and she turned away. It appeared to Jack as if she were battling some internal demon. When she finally opened her eyes, the doctor fixed her gaze rigidly ahead, staring right through Colonel Carter.

“Because,’ Janet answered, her voice quivering slightly, “the patient I hope to save is my husband.”

‘This just gets better and better,’ O’Neill thought sarcastically. The doctor was purposefully avoiding his gaze now and he had the sudden impulse to bury his face in his hands in the vague hope that it would make all this madness just disappear. There was another question he knew needed to be asked now, and as before he already had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach regarding the answer. A hasty glance down the table confirmed his suspicion that he wasn’t the only one. Daniel had gone a shade paler than normal, his own gaze wandering anywhere except in Janet’s direction.

“Okay,” Jack said, fighting the urge to drum his fingers against the table. “I’m thinking we’ve all made a pretty fair guess by now, but just to be sure, don’t you think it’s about time you told us specifically who this patient is?”

He had to give her credit. This time Janet didn’t even flinch.

“Doctor Jackson,” she said evenly.

The obvious strain in the room seemed to quadruple with her confession. Jack pinched the bridge of his nose and did a mental ten-count. “Understand that what I’m about to say is in no way meant to indicate that I’m seriously considering offering any assistance in this crazy scheme,” he began. “But I want you to explain to me what exactly is involved in this transfusion you want to do.”

“It will need to be a direct patient to patient transfusion,” Janet slowly turned her gaze back toward the General as she spoke. Her voice and demeanor were calm again, as if dropping into discussion of medical details served as some type of safety net for her. “Therefore, if you did agree to help, then your Doctor Jackson would have to come through the Mirror to my universe.”

Jack grimaced. He’d been hoping, albeit without much confidence, that maybe all Frasier needed was a couple samples of Daniel’s blood. ‘So much for that idea,’ he reflected bitterly.

“The procedure is simple and safe,” Janet went on. “However Doctor Jackson will need time to recuperate afterward.”

“How much time?” Jack inquired.

“Well, there will need to be adequate prep time, plus time for the procedure itself, combined with recovery - if everything goes well, we’re looking at between 45-50 hours total.”

“What?” Carter’s stupefaction echoed in her tone. “Daniel will be vulnerable to the possibility of entropic cascade failure within 48 hours – possibly even less.”

“And what if everything doesn’t go well?” O’Neill demanded brusquely. He hadn’t liked the casual way Frasier had let that comment slip. No, he hadn’t liked it at all.

Her expression reflected a hint of apology, but her voice remained even and unrepentant. “As with any surgical procedure, there is always risk involved. However, the danger posed to your Doctor Jackson is minimal.”

“Um, excuse me,” Daniel interrupted, an audible hardness in his voice. “Do you think we could stop discussing this as if I’m suddenly not in the room?”

O’Neill knew immediately where his friend was going to go with this – could see it clearly in the man’s expression – and he did not want to get into an exchange with his friend right now. “Daniel--,” he pressed in a warning tone.

“Jack--” the younger man fired right back at him.

The General held up a finger in further admonishment, but as usual it did no good.

“I think that I deserve to have some say in this,” Daniel began, leaning forward slightly in preparation to make some point, “and--”

Jack hastily cut him off. “Daniel!” He was fairly certain that Daniel was about to make some spiel that was as influenced by emotion as it was by reason, and he just didn’t think he could handle it at the moment. He fixed the archaeologist with a hard look. “I promise that I will hear you out…,” he paused, carefully enunciating each word, “but not right now.”

Daniel silently held his gaze, obviously seething, but eventually he nodded and turned away.

“Sir,” Carter began, her voice tight.

Jack cut her off with a raised finger as well. The tension that had been building in the room ever since this meeting began had reached a climax, and emotions were definitely coming into play now. What he needed – what they all needed – was time to cool down and get some perspective here. He knew that a leader didn’t always have the luxury to take such time, but maybe he did have that opportunity in this instance.

“I have just one other question, for now,” he said to Frasier. “Exactly how serious is the condition of the Daniel in your universe?”

Janet bit at her lower lip. “He was stable when I left, but the prognosis wasn’t good. He’d already experienced several bouts of unconsciousness.” Jack couldn’t be sure, but it appeared as if her eyes were misting. “By now I’m pretty sure he’s required at least some level of life-support.”

Jack swallowed, hating what he had to ask next. “How long?”

Janet shook her head. “There’s no way to be sure. But at best…” This time, tears actually fell and her shoulders heaved in a defeated shrug. “Maybe two or three days.”

O’Neill stared at the smaller woman quietly struggling to maintain her composure. He felt a prickling of compassion and, seeing the figure that looked so much like their own Janet Frasier, he wished there was some way to offer her a gesture of comfort. But such an action would probably be inadequate, not to mention highly inappropriate. Relying on his customary show them nothing and stick to responsibility defenses, he pushed the notion aside.

“Airman,” he nodded at one of the SFs standing at attention off to one side. “Please escort Doctor Frasier to the VIP quarters. And see to it that she has everything she needs.”

“Yes Sir,” the man promptly replied.

Silently Janet stood and followed the SF out of the room.

“Dismissed,” Jack said, even before the echoes of their footsteps dissipated. Without another word he stood and turned toward his office, not daring to see the expressions of doubt and worry on the faces of his three friends.

~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~

Teal’c made his way silently down the hall, hands clasped casually behind his back. As he rounded the corner and entered the familiar lab he was not at all surprised to find its occupant half concealed among a pile of books, papers, and artifacts – and completely lost in thought.

“Daniel Jackson,” he greeted when the man failed to notice his presence.

“Oh, hi Teal’c,” Daniel replied, glancing up somewhat sheepishly. “Sorry, I guess my mind was somewhere else. What can I do for you?”

“Actually my purpose here is to determine if I can be of assistance to you,” the Jaffa answered, inclining his head slightly. Seeing the archaeologist respond with one of his typical raised eyebrow expressions he continued, “It is my understanding that in circumstances such as these people often feel the need to discuss the matter with a friend.”

Daniel ran a hand through his hair and managed a slight smile. “Thanks, Teal’c. But I have a sneaking suspicion that the person I really need to talk to is presently under guard in the VIP quarters.”

‘As I suspected,’ Teal’c mused silently. ‘And likewise I suspect you’ll require a small amount of goading to actually follow through on that notion.’ He stepped further into the room, retrieved a stool and sat opposite his friend. Opting to go with his customary direct approach he met Daniel’s gaze openly and said, “Then why are you not doing so?”

The archaeologist blinked several times before answering. “Um, yeah, sure. It’s been just a few months since a very good friend of mine died and now her identical twin shows up and announces she’s married to my identical twin in their universe. So I’ll just pop down there and ask ‘so how’s it going?’ or something equally ridiculous.”

Teal’c fought not to smile. He understood full well the delicate nature of Daniel’s current dilemma, but sometimes he really enjoyed playing the naïve and oblivious role for the benefit of his friends.

“I do not believe you would engage in ridiculous conversation of any kind, Daniel Jackson, especially not in this instance.”

Daniel sighed. “I know. Sorry. Just venting I guess.”

The Jaffa nodded as he thought, ‘That’s why I’m here.’

“To be honest, I’m not sure what I’d say,” Daniel admitted. “My gut instinct is to help her – to just go with her. I mean, forget that it’s my counterpart in a parallel universe – if I can help save someone’s life, with minimal threat to my own, I should do it – right?”

Teal’c merely returned the young man’s gaze. He’d learned over the years that a question wasn’t always asked because someone wanted an answer.

“But I know what Jack is going to say,” Daniel went on. He stood and began to pace the length of his desk. “I can practically hear his voice in my head. ‘The risk is too high for such an unpredictable outcome – I will not allow one of my people to be exposed like that.’” He paused, turned to look straight at the Jaffa. “But surely I should be the one allowed to make that call.”

“General O’Neill has a responsibility to those under his command, both military and civilian,” Teal’c pointed out. He knew he was playing what the Tauri referred to as devil’s advocate, but felt certain it was what his friend needed at the moment.

He watched as the younger man worked his mouth in an expression of irritated resignation. “I know,” Daniel conceded, resuming his pacing. “But if I don’t go, and that Daniel dies, then I have to live with always wondering if I could have saved him.”

“As does General O’Neill,” Teal’c said.

Daniel halted, his gaze drifting back to the Jaffa. He sighed and nodded in acquiescence.

“Perhaps you should not be so quick to assume O’Neill will prevent your accompanying Doctor Frasier to her universe,” Teal’c said, titling his head slightly. “The thoughts and concerns you are experiencing due to the appearance of someone who is so like our deceased friend are similarly being experienced by O’Neill. His judgment is being influenced by feelings resembling your own.”

Retaking his seat Daniel reached for one of the small pieces of stone on his desk and began absently turning it in his hands. “That’s the real problem, isn’t it? Just seeing her… it’s like facing the grief all over again.”

Images and feelings washed over Teal’c in waves. “Indeed,” he agreed, his voice suddenly soft.

“And the idea of them being married in their universe…” Daniel shook his head as the rock continued its dance between his fingers. “I don’t think awkward even begins to cover it.”

Teal’c nodded but said nothing. A new thought occurred to him but he waited a handful of heartbeats before voicing it.

“Perhaps it would be beneficial to consider this from Doctor Frasier’s point of view.”

Daniel raised his head and met the Jaffa’s stoic expression with a curious one. “How so?” he asked, setting the artifact aside.

“She described her Daniel Jackson’s condition as most serious,” Teal’c reminded. “One could assume that when she last saw her husband it was not a pleasant circumstance. No doubt her encountering you in this universe, completely healthy, encompasses its own difficulties for her.”

“Well, I hadn’t actually thought of it like that,” Daniel admitted.

Teal’c watched his friend closely. The younger man was glancing at the mass of items on his desk but his mind was clearly traveling paths elsewhere. The Jaffa thought he recognized the beginnings of a familiar pattern – Daniel was working through his own thoughts and their brief conversation had most likely provided the impetus necessary for the archaeologist to carry through on his original intention. If there was one thing he had learned about Daniel Jackson it was that often all the archaeologist needed in order to become convinced to do something was an excuse.

“I believe your original assessment was correct,” Teal’c said, offering a faint smile as he stood. “It is almost eighteen-hundred. I am certain someone has seen to it that a meal will be provided for our guest. However, it is possible she would be more appreciative if such provision was delivered by a…” he paused, seeking the right word. No, this was not the same Janet Frasier they had known, but the term still seemed applicable. “--by a friend.”

This time the younger man actually smiled. “Maybe you’re right, Teal’c.”

With one final nod the Jaffa exited the lab, leaving his friend to his task.

~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~

Carefully balancing the two trays he’d picked up from the commissary, Daniel made his way toward the VIP quarters. As soon a he stepped past the turn in the hall he spotted the SF standing guard. The young airman gave one sharp nod of recognition at his approach.

“Um, excuse me,” Daniel addressed the guard as casually as he could manage. Tilting his head to indicate the locked door he asked, “Would you mind…?”

A glimmer of curiosity passed across the SF’s features before he managed to mask it and quickly reply, “Of course, sir.” He swiped a security card through the slot and rapped on the door a couple of times with his knuckles before turning the knob.

“Thank you,” Daniel said as he stepped past.

He glanced into the room and saw Janet standing in front of the dresser mirror. She was clad in the same Air Force uniform she’d worn since stepping through the Mirror but her lab coat had been discarded across the bed. Her hands were raised to her head and it took Daniel a moment to figure out she was working with her hair. Her head cocked slightly and he realized she’d caught sight of his reflection. The eyes of her image in the mirror locked with his and a smile began at the corner of her mouth.

“I figured you’d make your way down here to see me sooner or later,” she said, returning her attention to the coil of hair.

Daniel blinked, taken off guard by the bluntness of her statement. He suddenly felt unsettled and, not for the first time, wondered if coming here hadn’t been such a good idea. He wasn’t entirely sure how to take her comment but even before he could contemplate how to ask her what she meant, Janet was speaking again.

“Is it meal time already?” she asked, pulling the last few pins from her hair.

“Um, yeah,” Daniel said. Taking a deep breath he stepped farther into the room. The door closed behind him with a click that sounded inordinately loud to his ears. Attempting to appear nonchalant he crossed the room and placed the trays on the room’s single table.

He turned around to see that Janet had finally completed her task. The twist of hair that had been so perfectly wound on top of her head now fell in a cascade of brunette tresses around her shoulders. He could remember when their Janet had once had longer hair, but both military and medical regulations had required she wear it off the collar. Daniel realized he’d never really had much opportunity to see Janet with her hair down and found himself surprised by how much it altered the appearance of the woman standing before him. It looked thick and soft with a healthy glow that shone in the light. It framed her face bewitchingly, especially in the way the shorter tendrils curled about her neck. Several seconds of silence passed before he became aware that he was openly staring at her. Shoving his hands in his pockets he quickly glanced away.

“I’ve been feeling a slight headache coming on,” she said. Her voice was soft, almost apologetic, and Daniel found his gaze being drawn back to her. She gave a half-shrug before adding, “I thought it might help to let it down for a while.”

“Oh,” Daniel replied, continuing to fight his growing sense of unease. “Um, I can get you something from the infirmary, for the headache I mean.”

Janet shook her head lightly. “No, that’s okay. It’s not too bad – probably just the tension caused by all this stress.”

An odd sort of smile passed her lips then, almost as if she was sharing a joke with herself. Something in the reaction struck Daniel as being significant, although he couldn’t for the life of him imagine what it might mean.

“Well, I’m starving,” Janet said, suddenly changing the subject. She took a couple of steps toward the table, closing the distance between them. “Although I don’t think I’m quite that hungry,” she said, an obvious trace of amusement coloring her tone as she waved a hand at the duo of trays on the table.

“Oh, I-- I thought that maybe-- that is, perhaps--” Daniel worked his mouth in irritation at his own faltering before finally admitting with a shrug, “I thought you might like some company.”

The smile that had flashed earlier revealed itself again. “I’d like that very much.”

He continued to stand there, feeling decidedly uncomfortable – a sensation that was not helped in the least when Janet purposefully crossed her arms and silently scrutinized him.

“I’m making you uncomfortable,” she said at last.

“No, no, no,” he answered hastily, but upon seeing her respond with one arched eyebrow he amended, “Well, maybe just a little.”

Janet frowned slightly and looked away. “I’m sorry. That’s not my intention.”

“I know,” Daniel reassured, taking a step towards her. As her eyes sought his again he searched for some way to explain what he was feeling. “It’s just that the Janet I knew... she was a friend – a very dear friend. But there was nothing else between us.”

She nodded. “I see.”

“And it hasn’t been that long…” he paused, waiting for the familiar sting of grief to subside. “It’s been less than four months since she died.”

A look of compassion so sincere fell across her face then that Daniel felt as if his heart skipped a beat.

“I had no idea it was so recent,” she said, her voice almost reverent. She reached out and tenderly laid a hand on his arm. “Oh Daniel, I am so sorry.”

He didn’t understand why, but something about the way she spoke his name was unlike he’d ever heard it uttered before. And as she held his gaze Daniel was again struck by the earnestness of her expression. He was still experiencing a sense of discomfort being near her but for the first time since this bizarre business had started he thought he caught an inkling of why his counterpart had chosen this woman as his wife.

“Thank you,” he said, offering a slight smile.

Janet dropped her hand and stepped away, her attention turning toward the meal trays as she sat down. “Actually that explains something.”

Grateful she’d chosen to shift the conversation once again Daniel took the seat across from her and asked, “What’s that?”

“I haven’t had any visitors since I was brought to these quarters,” she replied. “Well, except for your Doctor Smith. But she only came at General O’Neill’s request.”

“Let me guess,” Daniel began. “He wanted to get a second opinion?”

“Something like that,” she said, taking a knife and fork to her meal.

Daniel nodded. He really hadn’t expected any less from Jack. “What did Doctor Smith say?”

“She agreed with my assessment that the risk of the procedure itself is minimal. But weighed against the threat of entropic cascade failure, and in light of the improbability that a transfusion will actually make a difference, she didn’t believe it was advisable to actually agree to the procedure.”

He considered that for a moment. “Is it really that far-fetched, your idea about the transfusion?”

She glanced up and steadily returned his gaze. “You mean how desperate am I?”

He opened his mouth to contradict her interpretation but she quickly waved away his protest.

“It’s okay. You don’t have to deny it, or apologize for it. The truth is that it is a pretty far-fetched idea. But…” she hesitated, pushing with her fork at one of the vegetables on her plate. “It’s not completely outside the realm of possibility. And when you love someone as much as I love him...”

‘You’d do anything to save him,’ he thought silently. It was certainly a sentiment he understood.

“I’m sorry,” she muttered, reaching for her glass of water.

“It’s okay,” Daniel assured. He searched for some way to redirect the discussion and latched onto something she’d said before. “You mentioned not having any visitors – how exactly is that explained by our Doctor Frasier’s death occurring so recently?”

“Well, I just kept getting the feeling that people were purposefully avoiding me,” she explained, having regained her composure. “I mean, I anticipated there being some sense of walking on eggshells, because of the whole alternate reality thing, but nothing of this magnitude. Now I understand that people are keeping their distance because the grief is still so distinct.”

Daniel nodded. That certainly made sense. After all, it was part of the litany of excuses he’d given himself for avoiding to see her until now. Still the idea that she’d been sequestered here all day, without anyone even dropping by to see if she was okay, rankled his sensibilities.

“Well, I’m sorry no one else has come to see you,” he said sincerely.

She smiled in reply, the action once again leaving Daniel with a slight feeling of unease. But it passed more quickly this time. They ate in companionable silence as the seconds ticked past.

“Daniel,” Janet began after a while, her voice a little hesitant. “There’s something I’d like to ask you.”

Daniel paused, his fork halted in mid-air. His mind raced as he considered the myriad questions she might pose, as well as the difficulty he’d undoubtedly experience in attempting to answer. But this was part of the reason he’d come – so they could talk. Taking a steadying breath he raised the bite of food to his mouth and slowly nodded.

“I know this won’t be easy for you,” she said softly, “and I’ll understand if you don’t want to tell me. But… I’d like to know how she died.”

Once she’d finally asked, the request didn’t surprise him at all. In fact, he’d expected it to come up sooner or later.

“It was in the line of duty,” he began. “SG-13 had been on a survey mission to P3X-666 when they fell under attack. One of the airmen was wounded and couldn’t be moved so SG-1 and a medical team were sent to retrieve them.”

“And Doctor Frasier was sent as part of the medical team?” she asked.

Daniel nodded.

Janet blinked in mild surprise. “The airman’s condition must have been pretty severe if it required the attention of your CMO.”

“Yes,” Daniel agreed. “And I’m sure that if it hadn’t been for Janet, Airman Wells would not be alive today.” He shook his head, unable to keep the hint of smile from escaping despite the painful nature of the memory. “She was absolutely amazing,” he said, his tone full of awe.

Janet leaned forward slightly, purposefully meeting his gaze. “You were with her when it happened?”

Swallowing against the familiar ache he nodded again. He reached for his glass of water and took a drink, allowing his thoughts time to refocus. He went on to explain how Janet had treated the man’s wound even as the firefight went on around them. He told of how he’d attempted to help by keeping Well’s attention fixed on staying alive. And finally he spoke of how the entire ordeal had managed to be recorded on his videotape.

“I’d just about given up hope for Wells,” Daniel admitted, grimacing slightly as the images replayed through his mind. “And I almost gave in and shut off the video… but then Janet was there, her face mere inches from Well’s face. She fairly ordered him to stay alive, telling him she hadn’t come all the way out there just so he could die.”

He noticed Janet was listening intently now, her meal tray pushed aside and completely forgotten.

“The staff blast came out of nowhere,” he said, his voice surprisingly calm. “It was…” he swallowed, collecting himself. “It happened instantly.”

Stillness settled in the room then. Janet continued to stare at him, and her eyes were misted with unshed tears. Daniel couldn’t shake the feeling that some unspoken communication was suddenly passing between them, but oddly enough this time the sensation was not in any way awkward or uncomfortable. It dawned on him then that this was the first time since their Janet’s death that he’d spoken openly about it. And somehow he doubted that the experience would have been as cathartic if he’d spoken to anyone other than the woman sitting across from him now.

Janet broke the silence first, her voice soft and warm. “Thank you for sharing that with me.”

“You’re welcome.”

“And thank you for… I mean, if it had to happen, then I’m glad you were the one there with her,” she added.

Daniel looked at her quizzically.

“The two of you may have been just good friends in this particular reality, but if your Janet was even slightly like me then I know that your being there by her side was far more important to her than she ever would have said.”

The acknowledgment was bold but Daniel couldn’t deny the truth of it. Unsure how to respond he simply glanced away.

“I miss her.” The confession was out of his mouth before he’d even consciously processed the thought, and guiltily his eyes snapped back toward her face. But there was no condemnation in the pools of brown that gazed back at him.

Janet smiled affectionately and reached across the table to give his hand a reassuring squeeze. “I know you do, Daniel. I know.”

He experienced the same impression as the previous time she’d spoken his name but this time he was able to guess the reason. ‘It’s as if everything she feels for him, all the love she has for him, gets revealed in that one word every time she says it,’ he thought. And it didn’t matter that he was a different Daniel, because she’d done it so often and for so long that it probably happened unconsciously.

He wondered, as he’d done several times already since this woman had stepped into his world, just what had been different in their universe that had resulted in their circumstances being so different from his own.

“Now,” Janet said, pulling her hand away. “After you’ve been so gracious to answer my question it’s only fair I answer one of yours.”

Daniel blinked, feeling as if she’d suddenly read his mind.

Her features quirked in an amused expression as she added, “Come on. I know you’ve got questions. So go ahead and pick one.”

Prudence was telling him that he should probably ask something else, and he did indeed have plenty of questions he could choose. But curiosity had always been his weakness.

He linked his arms across his chest and leaned forward over the table. “How did you two get together?”

If the question caught her by surprise, she didn’t show it. “Well, it certainly didn’t happen all at once.”

Daniel waited quietly, allowing her time to gather her thoughts.

Leaning back in her chair, Janet took a deep breath and began. “We first met when I officially came on staff at the SGD. As the CMO I studied everyone’s files, and began seeing all personnel for routine physicals and pre-mission checks. The first time I saw Daniel was when SG-1 came in for their check up before going on a mission.” She smiled in recollection. “I remember he needed a booster shot for his allergies, and I noted that we took the same medication. As it turns out, those antihistamines were the key to saving the people they’d later encounter on that mission.”

“Tupelo and the Land of Light?” Daniel interrupted.

“Yes.” She blinked. “How did you know?”

“That was our first mission after our Janet was placed here as CMO,” he replied, wondering just how many of the events from their parallel universes were going to coincide in this story.

“Oh,” Janet said. “I guess there are going to be some things in common between your reality and mine over the past seven years.”

Daniel nodded. “I was just thinking the same thing.”

She went on. “Over time we became good friends and I very much enjoyed our relationship. And even after Sha’re, his first wife, died… well, I never anticipated or even wished that there could be something more between us. But that all changed after the first incident with Osiris.”

Reflexively Daniel straightened in his chair. That was a name he recognized all too well. But this time he chose not to interrupt and simply nodded, encouraging her to go on.

Janet explained about the death of Daniel’s professor, and their later discovery that one of his former colleagues had been taken as a host by Osiris when the stasis jar had been opened. They’d tracked Osiris to Egypt, and on Hammond’s order Janet had accompanied Daniel and Carter there.

“It came down to a confrontation,” Janet went on. “The tranquilizer we’d developed from the liquid in the stasis jar proved to be ineffective. Carter had been knocked unconscious and Osiris took me as a hostage. Daniel was forced to shoot him in order to save my life.”

Daniel paled slightly, not quite certain he’d heard correctly. “You mean Daniel actually killed Sarah?”

Janet’s features crinkled in confusion. “Sarah? No, not Sarah. Actually Osiris had already killed Sarah, in another so-called accident, before leaving the States.”

“Then who…” Daniel murmured, thoroughly confused now. Suddenly the answer dawned on him. “In your reality Osiris must have taken Steven as a host.”

“Yes,” Janet confirmed. “And although there had been some bad history between Daniel and Doctor Raynor, Daniel still took the man’s death pretty hard.”

‘Understandably so,’ Daniel mused to himself. ‘Especially if he was the one who’d pulled the trigger killing the man.’

“At the same time I had this immense sense of gratitude to Daniel for saving my life.” She shrugged. “I guess in the end the situation just threw us together. We talked about it a lot. And out of all those discussions I found myself seeing him in a totally different light. It wasn’t long before I realized I’d developed feelings for him – feelings that clearly went beyond friendship.”

It was plausible enough, he reflected. As Janet paused to take a drink he found himself wondering how he would have responded if the situation had played out that way in his reality.

“In hindsight, I think Daniel’s feelings toward me were beginning to change as well.” Janet picked up her tale again. “But – as we came to discuss this later in our relationship – it wasn’t quite the same for him. Or at least the realization of those feelings didn’t come until later. And so at the time I convinced myself that he still felt only friendship and therefore chose to keep my feelings hidden.”

That struck Daniel as interesting, and it suddenly occurred to him that if this particular Janet Frasier had chosen to respond as she had, then just maybe the Janet he had known could have done the same. It had been one thing to face the concept of this alternate reality version of Janet being in love with his counterpart, but the idea that his reality version of Janet could have possibly felt the same was something of a shock.

His mouth went instantly dry and he reached for his own glass, a little surprised to find his hands weren’t shaking. The glass was still half full but he drained it in one gulp.

“Are you okay?” Janet’s tone reflected concern as she eyed him carefully.

“Yeah,” Daniel said, setting the glass aside and wishing he’d thought to bring an extra pitcher of water. “Just a little thirsty. Please,’ he said, waving a hand at her. “Go on with your story.”

She studied him a few seconds longer, but he was relieved when she didn’t seem inclined to press the matter.

“So, things went on pretty much as they’d been before,” she said. “And I guess I might never have said anything to him at all if it hadn’t been for the incident on Kelowna.”

“The Naquadriah experiment?” Daniel asked, although he’d pretty much guessed the answer.

Janet nodded. Her eyes closed and Daniel wondered if she was momentarily reliving that horrible nightmare. “The radiation exposure was so severe,” she said, her eyes opening to lock with his again. “Faced with the reality that he was going to die, I just couldn’t bear the thought of him not knowing how I really felt.”

Even in the end, she didn’t want to let me go. The words he’d spoken to that journalist, Bregmen, just before giving him the videotape echoed in his mind. Again Daniel was struck by the possibility of the Janet he’d known having feelings for him. ‘Could she have?’ he wondered. ‘And if she did, why didn’t she ever say anything? What choices did she make that resulted in her life being so different from the Janet sitting across from me?’

He noticed she had glanced away, temporarily retreating to her private thoughts again. When she finally met his gaze the look he saw reflected there was so intense that it cut straight to his heart.

“So I told him I loved him, and that’s what changed everything for us,” she said, her voice full of emotion. “He explained to me some time later that it was my confession that gave him the will to fight to live. He told me that Oma Desala, a being he’d encountered previously, had come and offered him the opportunity to ascend…”

“And he was going to,” Daniel finished the thought for her. “But in the end, he decided to stay for you.”

Janet nodded, a tiny smile of obvious affection curving on her lips. But then her brow puckered slightly in puzzlement. “So what was your reason? Why did you decide to stay?”

He sighed heavily. “Actually I didn’t. I chose ascension.”

The slight puzzlement morphed into full blown confusion. “But… you’re here now?”

Shaking his head Daniel managed a somewhat wry smile. “It seems that being ascended wasn’t quite all I’d anticipated it would be. I made some decisions while in that state that resulted in my being outcast. And as part of the punishment, my memories were taken away.”

Her eyes widened. “That’s horrible,” she gasped.

“Fortunately it was mostly temporary,” he assured. “While I’ve not been able to remember much, if anything, of when I was actually ascended, I have recovered almost all of my other memories now.”

Janet nodded, visibly relieved. “Well, that’s just…” she paused, seemingly uncertain what she wanted to say. “Isn’t it interesting how the choices we’ve made have affected the outcome of our lives?” she finally questioned.

“Yes,” Daniel answered. “Yes it is.”

They fell into silence then, each traveling their own thoughts. There was much more Daniel wanted to talk about, but their food had been finished for some time and he figured he should be going. He was just considering gathering up the meal trays when Janet suddenly reached out and grabbed his hand.

“Wait a minute!” she exclaimed, her voice slightly breathless. “That’s it!”

Daniel’s eyebrows arched in perplexity as he gazed back at her. “What?”

“In each parallel universe, both you and my husband were exposed to the Naquadriah radiation on Kelowna. In my reality Daniel chose to live, and with the help of Jacob he eventually recovered.”

“Okay,” Daniel said, trying to follow.

“Don’t you see?” she went on, her tone still laced with excitement. “That’s the traumatic event I referred to in the briefing with General O’Neill. While my Daniel did recover, it literally took months and was not without side effects. Although today he’s healthy and leads a normal life, there were residual effects of both the radiation poisoning and the recovery. Jacob had to use the healing device several times.”

Her logic was beginning to make sense to him now. “But I was healed by being ascended,” Daniel said. “You’re right. It could be the variation you were looking for.”

“Exactly!”

Her mood was contagious and Daniel realized he was grinning back at her with equal enthusiasm. Unexpectedly he became aware that Janet had not removed her hand from his. In fact, in the fervor of their recent exchange they had somehow managed to intertwine fingers without being consciously aware of it. Automatically his eyes locked with Janet’s and he knew that she’d come to the same realization.

Rationally he knew that what happened next was only within the span of a second or two. Yet in that instance it seemed as if they remained there, simply gazing at one another in timelessness. He noted how small and soft her hand was in his own, and the warmth of her skin against his. Her eyes seemed to reflect an unfathomable depth of emotion, and while he knew with every bit of reason that those feelings he perceived were on behalf of some other Daniel Jackson he couldn’t help wishing that, at least in part, they had been meant for him instead.

They slowly released hands and Daniel struggled to find his voice.

“You’ll, um… I guess you’ll want to speak with Doctor Smith.”

Janet nodded, not quite meeting his gaze. “Actually all I’ll need to confirm this is to see a report of your most recent blood work. But yes, I’m sure it would be best to discuss the matter with Doctor Smith as well.”

They stood and Daniel felt as if the tension now was far more unbearable than when he’d first stepped into the room. Seeking a distraction he began gathering the meal trays.

“I’ll take care of this, and then go by the infirmary,” he said.

“Thank you,” Janet replied. Her tone was even, but as Daniel turned to her again he saw her manner remained edgy. Apparently even his casual gaze was too much for her because she eventually turned away.

Daniel managed to balance the trays on one arm so that he could reach for the doorknob. He opened the door and, although unsure what he might say, glanced back once more into the room. Janet had returned to the dresser and was beginning to wind her hair back up into its military style. His image was reflected in the mirror, as it had been when he’d entered, but this time she was pointedly avoiding looking at it. Realizing there wasn’t anything else to say, Daniel sighed and stepped through the doorway. The door closed behind him with an almost imperceptible click and he walked away, the SF guard staring heedlessly behind him.

~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~

Janet eased back against the mound of pillows and sighed. ‘Yes, a little nap will do me wonders,’ she thought. And yet, she seriously doubted sleep would come – at best she might get a few minutes of rest. Sighing again she shifted into a slightly more comfortable position. A glance at the clock told her it was nearing twenty-two-thirty. ‘You should’ve had the good sense to change into the nightgown you know is available for you in the dresser drawer and actually gotten into bed,’ she scolded herself. But the hope that perhaps she’d have word of a decision soon had prompted her to remain in uniform and simply recline on top of the bed covers instead.

She closed her eyes and her mind began to play over events of the past few hours. As she’d suspected the most recent report of the blood work on this reality’s Doctor Jackson had shown a tiny variation compared to her Daniel. It wasn’t anything significant, but it was still there. ‘It will have to be enough,’ her inner voice whispered. But she knew convincing herself was a lot easier than convincing General O’Neill.

She didn’t blame the man. How could she? He was so much like the O’Neill she’d come to know and respect in her own reality. Both men put the safety of the team as first priority, and now that this O’Neill was actually in command of the entire facility that protectiveness had taken on even greater significance. She smiled to herself. ‘General O’Neill,’ she mused. ‘Just wait until I get back and tell Daniel about that.’

Thinking of her husband was second nature, but in this instance it only brought a fresh wave of pain. ‘Please don’t let him be dead,’ she silently prayed. ‘Let him hang on, until I return with help.’

If you can return with help, the silence seemed to mock in reply.

Janet felt the familiar burning in her throat, the dampness in the corners of her eyes, and angrily bit back the tears. “It’s not over yet,” she said aloud, although there was no one to hear her. Both Doctor Smith and this reality’s Daniel would be speaking with O’Neill right now. ‘Not yet,’ she repeated to herself.

It had surprised her a little that Daniel had also come along when Doctor Smith arrived earlier to discuss the blood work report. She’d expected that after the somewhat strained moment they’d shared – when she realized she’d actually been holding his hand – Daniel would have preferred to keep his distance for a while. That’s certainly how her Daniel would have responded in a situation like that.

Rolling onto her back Janet opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling. ‘This whole thing is just too strange,’ she admitted. In some ways, this Daniel was a perfect duplicate of the man she’d married. They looked alike, exhibited all the same mannerisms and tone of voice, and while the uniforms naturally meant they dressed the same, Janet was pretty sure that if she had a look at this Daniel’s civilian wardrobe it would be much like what hung at home in her bedroom closet. ‘He even smells the same,’ she thought, remembering how she’d caught the barest hint of his aftershave when he’d first come in the room earlier that night.

But this Daniel was not an identical twin of her husband, and while she’d been somewhat prepared for the similarities between them she was finding the differences to be a bit more difficult to reconcile. ‘That’s your real problem, isn’t it Janet?’ her inner voice chided. She brought a hand to her forehead, attempting to rub away some of the tension. ‘Of course,’ she answered back, not daring to deny the truth.

When she’d decided to disobey Hammond’s order and come through the Mirror one of the things she’d anticipated was experiencing a certain level of attraction for this alternate version of Doctor Jackson. She’d certainly considered her Daniel to be handsome and intelligent, even before falling in love with him. It seemed only natural, in her way of thinking, that when she encountered another man in a different reality who was so much like her own husband that some of those same feelings would come to the surface. But, to her surprise, it wasn’t the resemblances that were stirring her emotions, but rather those slight discrepancies that she was detecting.

Janet stopped rubbing her temple and let her arm fall lightly across her stomach. The more cautious, level-headed side of her persona warned that she probably shouldn’t even be entertaining these kinds of thoughts. But the more inquisitive sense – the part that sometimes made her a better doctor – urged her to keep right on entertaining.

‘This is ridiculous,’ she reflected, even as her thoughts turned again to the visit Smith and Daniel had recently made. Only having the report of the one Daniel at her disposal, Doctor Smith had taken Janet’s word that there were indeed variations in the blood of the two men. But it did little to sway her assessment that the whole transfusion idea was not worth attempting. Although she would report this new information to the General, she was not going to alter her recommendation. As soon as Doctor Smith had stepped out of the room, Daniel had turned to Janet and promised that he would also speak with Jack.

‘Well Daniel,’ she thought grimly, ‘I do hope that unyielding persuasiveness is one of the things you do have in common with my husband, because right now I need you to convince your General to agree to this.’ She rubbed her stomach and sighed. ‘Yes, he simply has to.’

~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~

As Doctor Smith made her exit Jack wondered just how far she would get before the man still standing in his office would explode.

The door shut with a dull thunk and he’d barely ticked off a count of one before Daniel adamantly declared, “Jack, you have to let me go.”

The General grimaced slightly but he knew there was no avoiding this. He’d promised to hear Daniel out and the time had finally come.

“Even though I happen to agree with Smith’s assessment?” he asked calmly, crossing his arms as he leaned back slightly in his chair. “Even though I think it’s too much of a risk, considering what we know – never mind the things we don’t know?”

“What don’t we know?” Daniel demanded, throwing his hands in the air. “She’s told us everything – everything about the situation, everything about the procedure she wants to conduct, everything about the danger to me.”

“Yes,” O’Neill nodded. “And if I knew that I could trust her without any doubt whatsoever then I might be willing to look at this differently.”

“Trust her?” Daniel looked at him incredulously. Planting his palms on the General’s desk he leaned forward and asked, “Excuse me, are we talking about the same person here?”

Jack sighed. He’d had a feeling this was going to be part of the problem and dreaded where this conversation was likely to go next. But he’d learned a long time ago that beating around the bush – a tactic he wasn’t too skilled at in the first place – never worked well with Daniel.

Unfolding his arms Jack also leaned forward and met the archaeologist’s gaze directly. “Daniel, I don’t care what she looks like or what she sounds like, the woman currently in our VIP quarters is not Janet Frasier – at least not the Janet we knew.”

He was prepared for Daniel to stand there and silently fume at him, or else go off into a lengthy verbal tirade. But when his friend suddenly slumped into one of the chairs, his eyes clamped shut, Jack knew that it was worse than he’d anticipated.

“Don’t you think I know that?” Daniel’s voice was raw, and when he opened his eyes Jack recognized the look. It was the same expression he’d seen each and every time the man lost someone he’d cared about.

O’Neill shook his head slightly. “Daniel, I miss her too. But part of my job is to look at things from every possible angle – even the ones that aren’t so nice. I have to consider the possibility that this Janet is not exactly as she appears.”

Daniel just stared back at him.

“I know Carter didn’t sense a Goa’uld presence,” Jack went on. “But what if this Janet somehow works for the enemy in her reality? Heck, how do we even know the Goa’uld are the enemy in their world?”

“Don’t you think that’s a bit of a stretch?” Daniel retorted, some of his original ire returning.

“Maybe so,” he admitted. “But not so far of a stretch that I can dismiss it entirely. What I’m trying to say is there’s any number of things that could go wrong if you went through that Mirror.”

Daniel didn’t even flinch. “That doesn’t change the fact that there’s another human being out there who needs our help.”

“We don’t know for sure that this transfusion will actually make a difference,” Jack pointed out.

“But we do know he’ll die if we don’t even bother to try,” Daniel persisted.

O’Neill ran a hand through his hair, wondering how in the world this crazy geek sitting across from him always managed to get right under his skin. ‘Because he’s your friend,’ he reflected silently, ‘and he’s been there for you more times than you can count. All he really wants is for you to do the same for him right now.’

“Listen Jack,” Daniel said, straightening slightly in his seat. “I understand what you’re trying to say, I honestly do. And I know you have a responsibility to consider my safety, not to mention how that could affect the overall safety of this entire base if something really did go wrong.”

O’Neill nodded, although the acknowledgement didn’t make him feel any better in the least.

Daniel went on. “Jack, I owe her – our Janet. She gave of herself, in so many ways, to me – to everyone. We all owed her more than we could ever repay. And I know that this other Janet is not the same person that we lost. But still…” He shrugged. “I just feel like this is a way I can pay back part of that debt.”

Jack propped his elbows on the table, clasped his hands together and rested his chin on them. “Daniel, what happens if something goes wrong? What if something happens during the transfusion, and you end up having to be there far longer than Frasier anticipates? What happens when that cascade failure thing kicks in?”

The younger man shrugged again. “I’m willing to take that chance.”

Daniel fixed him with a hard look then and O’Neill reflexively steeled himself. He knew it was coming – that persuasive catch that he was somehow going to be completely unable to fight.

“Jack, I know how it feels to lose a spouse.”

He knew Daniel was purposefully avoiding stating the obvious – that he knew exactly how that felt too.

The archaeologist sighed. “I just don’t want this Janet to have to face that.”

Jack leaned back in the chair again, absently flexing and relaxing his fists. There was one final trump card he could play, and on impulse he decided to go for it.

“Just tell me one thing,” Jack said, fixing him with a hard look of his own. “If I give you a direct order not to go, will you comply?”

He could tell the younger man was considering it, and considering it carefully. But when Daniel finally answered there was no trace of dishonesty at all.

“I won’t like it,” Daniel admitted. “But yes, I’ll comply.”

Jack nodded, unsure whether he should be relieved or not. Daniel hadn’t always chosen to be so obedient when they’d all served on SG-1, and this was the first time since becoming CO of the base that he’d felt the need to test his friend in this manner. But in answering as he did Daniel had actually given the final push Jack felt he needed to be able to make the call.

“I’m going to allow you to go with her,” Jack said at last. Daniel’s eyes widened slightly as his eyebrows peaked, but before he could speak Jack cut in with, “But there are going to be certain conditions.”

“Such as…?” Daniel asked.

“I’m going to have the Mirror brought here to the base. I would prefer if we could also have one of those hand-held control things, so the next time you talk to Frasier see if she knows anything about where they found the one in her reality. And whether we can find our own or not, I want the one she has left here with us. And the Mirror is to be left on until you get back.”

Jack almost expected Daniel to argue the hand-held control issue, but all he did was nod.

“I’d also like to be able to send someone with you,” O’Neill continued. Daniel opened his mouth and Jack held up a hand to stall the obvious protest. “However, since Frasier’s coming here was in violation of a direct order, when she goes back she’s going to be in pretty hot water as it is. I don’t want to make matters worse by sending any extra visitors. Instead I’m going to have someone on guard – probably Teal’c – on our side of the Mirror at all times.”

Finished with his list of requirements, Jack gazed steadily at the man sitting across from him and waited for the reaction.

“That’s it?” Daniel asked, as if he’d somehow expected there to be at least one more, totally unreasonable stipulation.

Jack paused for several seconds before answering, and when he spoke his tone was lacking its typical edge. “Just be careful.”

“I will,” Daniel replied, holding the older man’s gaze.

“I guess you’d like to tell Doctor Frasier the good news?”

Daniel nodded.

“Okay. But let her know that no one is going anywhere until that Mirror is brought here.” He glanced at his watch and did a mental checklist of all SG teams. SG-16 was currently on standby. He should be able to assign that task to them. “I wouldn’t plan on anything before mid-morning tomorrow at the earliest.”

“Right,” Daniel replied. “I’ll let her know.”

He stood to leave and O’Neill turned to the preparations he’d need to make to get this mission rolling. He was already well into formulating a pre-operation outline in his head when the sound of Daniel’s voice drew his attention back.

“Jack,” Daniel called from where he stood, paused at the door. His entire manner was practically oozing gratitude as he added, “Thank you.”

O’Neill nodded and casually waved the man away. But his eyes lingered on the empty doorway long after his friend had gone. ‘Just don’t make me regret it, Daniel,’ he silently mused.

~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~

As Daniel made his way down the corridor it crossed his mind that if he’d gotten a strange look from the SF earlier when he’d shown up bearing two meal trays, showing up at well past eleven o’clock at night was likely going to make him a topic of the local gossip mill. But he didn’t care. When he’d left Janet with the promise that he’d speak to Jack, she had asked him to come back and give her the news, regardless of the time.

Rounding the corner he saw it was indeed the same SF, but this time the guard anticipated his request and had already swiped his security card by the time Daniel reached the door. He knocked once, pushed the door partially open, and peered inside.

“Doctor Frasier?” Daniel called softly.

“It’s okay, I’m awake,” a voice answered. Then a lamp flickered on and Daniel saw her, lying on top of the bed and propped up on one elbow. She motioned him inside.

“I’ve got good news,” he said, gently closing the door behind him.

He noticed Janet was sitting up now, leaning back against a mound of pillows she’d constructed. He considered pulling a chair over, but then thought better of it. There was plenty of room on the edge of the huge VIP bed.

“What is it?” she asked as he sat on the bottom corner of the bed.

“Jack’s agreed to let me go with you.”

She didn’t answer, but simply bit at her lower lip and nodded.

“There are a few stipulations, however,” Daniel said. He explained Jack’s detailed requirements one by one, each time noting her reaction. He’d expected her to be happy about the overall situation – and by all accounts it appeared she was. But she also seemed to be growing more and more subdued as he went on.

“Jack’s just being cautious, you understand,” Daniel commented after he’d finished. “None of it’s terribly unreasonable.”

“No, of course not,” Janet agreed. She drew her legs up and threw her arms around her knees. “It’s wonderful news, really. I’m glad you came to tell me.”

He eyed her carefully. “Then why do I have a sneaking feeling that something’s bothering you?”

She shook her head, not quite meeting his gaze. “I’m sorry. I’m just tired.” She paused, distractedly tracing the pattern of the bed’s comforter with her finger before finally admitting, “And I guess I’m suddenly feeling a little guilty.”

Confused by her confession Daniel felt his eyebrows automatically rise. “Guilty? Guilty about what?”

She kept her eyes averted for several seconds before eventually taking a deep breath and raising her face to look at him. “I’ve been rather selfish in all of this,” she said softly. “I had no right to come here, to ask you to consider doing all this, to--” she broke off abruptly, glancing away again.

“Hey, it’s okay,” Daniel soothed. He slid a little closer, reached out and gently touched her arm. When she still failed to look at him he lowered his head, purposefully trying to catch her eye. “Please don’t think that way. I want to do this, Janet. I want to help you.”

When she finally met his gaze Daniel noticed that she was fighting back tears.

“Wait a minute – none of that now,” he gently teased, offering an encouraging smile. “I came bearing good news, remember?”

A light chuckle escaped her lips and she nodded. He patted her arm reassuringly before pulling his hand away and then quietly sat there, allowing her a few seconds to regain her composure.

“Sometimes,” she began, sniffling slightly, “you are so much like him that it makes me think it could really be him sitting right there in front of me.”

Daniel, guessing she wasn’t attempting to be presumptuous with her remark, smiled and took the statement as a compliment instead.

“I’m sorry I was being so… dramatic earlier.” Janet began to rub absently at her stomach as she went on, “I guess with all the stress, I’m just not quite myself these days.”

“It’s perfectly okay,” he assured.

She nodded somewhat absently, her hand still at her stomach. Then she audibly swallowed and as Daniel peered at her a little more closely he noticed she looked rather pale.

“Are you feeling okay?” he asked.

Janet managed a feeble smile that Daniel instinctively knew was forced. “Just a little queasy. I think something I ate tonight didn’t quite agree with me.”

Daniel noticed a bead of perspiration had suddenly broken out on her forehead and he frowned. “Do you want me to send for Doctor Smith?”

“No, I’ll be okay,” she insisted. Her eyes fluttered closed as she offered a feeble wave, indicating he didn’t need to fuss.

Daniel hesitated, not entirely convinced. “You’re not feeling feverish, are you?”

Janet shook her head but the movement must have irritated her queasiness even more because her eyes squinted momentarily and she clamped her lips together tightly.

“Just lie still for a few minutes,” Daniel instructed. Easing up from the bed he made his way toward the small personal facilities attached to the VIP room. He retrieved a washcloth from one of the toiletry shelves and dampened it with cool water. Returning to her side he sat on the edge, careful not to move the bed any more than was necessary, and began to gently pat her brow.

“Are you sure you’re really all right?” he asked, concern evident in his voice.

Janet nodded slightly. “Yes. The queasiness is passing.” She reached up to briefly touch his arm where he continued to wipe at her face with the dampened cloth. “And that actually seems to be helping. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” he replied.

A small smile flickered across her lips as she opened her eyes. “You have a great bedside manner,” she said, her voice full of warm affection.

Daniel smiled in response. She did appear to be feeling better now, and her color was clearly improving. Still, something about the scenario just wasn’t making sense. Despite her assurances Janet was continuing to lightly rub at her abdomen. If she really had eaten something that upset her stomach then it would likely pass in time. But if she was coming down with something then maybe he should get Doctor Smith after all. Certainly the last thing they needed now was for Janet to get sick.

Gazing down at her Daniel noticed she was continuing to smile at him, and something about the smile was peculiarly familiar. It was just like that odd smile she’d given before when she’d made the comment about her headache being caused by stress. And then it hit him. Something he’d missed earlier, but which now seemed blindingly obvious. It was the way she kept rubbing at her stomach – the same way she’d done a few times during their supper that night. And it was the way she’d so easily gone from being happy one instant to nearly shedding tears the next just a few moments ago.

Daniel stared at her in stupefaction. “You’re pregnant,” he whispered.

Janet held his gaze and for a few seconds he thought she might try to deny it. But eventually she sighed and slowly nodded her head.

“I only found out for sure right before I came through the Mirror,” she said, her voice soft. “In fact, it was the positive test result that clinched it for me that I had to try something.” Her eyes fluttered closed momentarily as she confessed, “I could have lived with it if I was only losing my husband. But I couldn’t bear to think of losing the father of my child too.”

Daniel didn’t know what to say. As he sat there staring at her, the thought that she carried a child – a child who, genetically speaking, could have just as easily been his – was a little unsettling. He pulled his hand away, the damp cloth falling forgotten from his fingers. His mind was reeling and his own stomach threatened to take a dive toward nausea as he was bombarded with emotions. In one sense he was extremely happy for her, and even for the man he knew had fathered the child. And yet, inexplicably, the sensation of jealousy was clinging at the edges of that happiness. Mixed with it all were feelings of surprise, concern, and protectiveness.

Janet gazed up at him and smiled, as if seeming to understand his discomfort. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t want to say anything because I suspected it would make you feel awkward.”

Daniel shook his head. “No, it’s um…” But he still didn’t know how to respond.

“Don’t worry,” Janet said, placing a hand on his arm. “You don’t have to say anything.”

Several seconds of silence lingered between them.

As he began to get a sense of his bearings again one thing was becoming clearer in his mind – he was even more resolved than before to offer her his help. He waved a hand at her stomach. “Well, at least you don’t have to worry about this little one losing a father.” He raised his eyes to look at her. “We’ll go through the Mirror tomorrow, you’ll conduct the transfusion, and everything will be fine.”

Janet tried to smile but he could see she was fighting tears again. “I hope you’re right.” Resting her free hand on her stomach she patted it gently. “He doesn’t even know he’s going to be a father,” she said, her voice breaking as the drops slowly began to fall down her cheek.

Daniel felt no hesitation in how to respond this time. Reaching out he pulled the petite figure into his arms. “Then I’ll see to it that he gets the chance to find out,” he asserted, gently rubbing up and down her back. “I promise.”

~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~

Around noon the next day Janet was escorted to the Quantum Mirror and she wasn’t terribly surprised to see the entourage gathered there. Daniel was standing beside the Mirror, holding the control device in his hand. Carter and Teal’c were standing beside him in the formation of a loose semi-circle with O’Neill in the center. She suspected the General was giving them last minute instructions but all conversation ceased as soon as she entered.

“All right, campers,” O’Neill announced without preamble. “Time to get down to business.”

Carter stepped forward and Janet noted she also held a control device. ‘Guess my information about SG‑1 finding the device in a hidden compartment of the wall in our reality must have helped them find the device in this world,’ she thought to herself with some relief. She hadn’t been very comfortable with the General’s instruction that the only hand-held control device would remain here if they couldn’t find a second one.

Carter pressed a switch on the device and the Mirror sparked to life. She began cycling through various mirrored reflections and Janet watched closely for the one that represented her parallel universe.

“Wait,” Janet blurted when the image of a familiar storage room appeared. She took a step closer and peered into the Mirror. “Yes, this is it – this is my reality.”

“You’re absolutely certain this is the right one?” O’Neill asked.

“Yes,” Janet confirmed. “You see that small statue, sitting on the shelf there?” she asked, pointing at a feline figurine with Egyptian markings that was resting among a collection of cables and tools.

“It’s a representation of the goddess Bast,” Daniel said. He absently readjusted his glasses as he stared at the statue and Janet couldn’t help but notice that his voice was a perfect echo of how her own husband sounded when he went into what she affectionately referred to as archaeology mode. He went on, “She was originally worshipped as the Eye of Ra and Protector of Pharaoh, but eventually became known as simply the Egyptian goddess of love, sex, and life.”

“All very interesting,” O’Neill said dryly as he fixed his eyes on Janet and jerked a thumb toward the image in the Mirror. “But how does that cat tell me this is the alternate reality we’re looking for?”

Janet met the general’s gaze, her own expression cool and collected as she answered. “It was a wedding gift from my husband. I purposefully placed it on the shelf before I activated the Quantum Mirror so I could use it as a clue to get back to the correct version of reality.”

O’Neill nodded, apparently accepting her answer as proof enough. “Remember our agreement that the Mirror will remain activated the entire time Daniel is in your reality.”

“Of course,” she affirmed.

“Also, Daniel is to have possession of the control device at all times. Once this whole procedure is over, and he’s ready to return to our reality, then he can give it to you – but not one second before.”

Janet glanced past O’Neill to Daniel. From the look on his face she suspected he wasn’t pleased with this stipulation, but he was holding his tongue.

“I understand,” Janet answered. “Will there be anything else?”

O’Neill held her gaze for several seconds before finally shaking his head. With a sigh of resignation he replied, “Nothing else.”

Silence held and Janet could literally feel the anticipation clawing at them. She glanced around the room, purposefully making eye contact with each one of them. With that one look she did her best to communicate to them how much she truly appreciated all they’d done to help her, while also promising that she would take care of their Daniel and see to it that he returned safely. When her eyes met Daniel’s he reached out to her and together they stepped up to the Mirror. One brief touch to its surface and they were immediately on the other side. Daniel paused to give a final wave to his friends. Then Janet opened the storage room door.

The moment they stepped into the corridor Janet was not the least bit surprised to find a guard waiting for them. She quickly pulled the door, managing to get it closed behind her even before the SF had a chance to address her.

“Doctor Frasier,” he said, coming to full attention and holding his weapon ready. “Please halt where you are. I have orders to detain you.”

Janet sighed. That part didn’t surprise her either. But that didn’t mean she had to like it. “Not a problem, Airman, provided you can do one thing for me.” She pointed at the familiar device clipped to his uniform. “Get on that radio and find out the status of Doctor Jackson.”

The SF pressed the side of his walkie-talkie and spoke into it. “This is Lieutenant Harmon. Inform the General that Doctor Frasier has returned.”

There was an answer of acknowledgement from the other end, but the guard said no more. Janet glared at him. “Aren’t you going to find out about my husband?”

“Someone will be with you in a moment, ma’am,” he replied evenly.

Janet’s hands automatically clenched as she fought back the sudden urge to walk up and throttle the man. Then she felt a warm touch on her shoulder.

“It’ll be alright,” Daniel spoke softly beside her. “You’ve come this far – a few more seconds won’t hurt.”

‘I hope you’re right,’ she thought bitterly.

“Janet!” a familiar voice unexpectedly exclaimed.

Janet spun around and saw Samantha Carter coming down the hall at practically a full run.

“I heard the communication on the radio,” Sam said. As she closed the distance between them she grabbed the smaller woman in a huge embrace. “Thank goodness you’re back.”

“How is he?” Janet asked, searching her friend’s eyes as they pulled apart.

“Not good,” Sam answered. “He went unconscious shortly after you left, but Teal’c, the Colonel and I have been taking turns staying with him.” She paused and gave a half-hearted smile. “Although he’s fighting with everything he’s got. You know how stubborn he can be – I think he’s been purposefully hanging in there just so he can fuss at you for running off after he specifically told you not to.”

“Excuse me?”

Janet nearly started at Daniel’s interruption. In her relief of finding that her husband was indeed still alive she’d almost forgotten the man who’d accompanied her. Turning slightly so she could look at him she offered a quick explanation. “I’m afraid General Hammond wasn’t the only one who ordered me not to go through the Quantum Mirror. When I explained my idea to Daniel he was rather adamant that I not attempt it.”

“Let me guess,” Daniel said, his eyebrows arching slightly as he met her gaze. “Something along the lines of he didn’t want you to risk your own safety on his account?”

‘Of course he would understand,’ she mused, smiling in spite of herself. “Yeah,” she answered aloud. “Something like that.”

“Looks like you succeeded in your mission,” Sam said. Janet noticed her friend gave a slight nod to the man standing behind her. “Hello Daniel. Thank you for coming.”

“Carter, Frasier,” the voice of Colonel O’Neill echoed from down the hall. Janet watched as he drew closer, his pace automatically slowing as his eyes fell on their guest. “And Doctor Jackson, I presume?”

“Hello,” Daniel said, a little hesitantly.

“Colonel, I have a pretty good idea that the General is absolutely furious with me,” Janet began before O’Neill had a chance to say anything more. “And I promise that later you can take me to the brig, court martial me, do whatever the General wants.” She stood up to her full height, squared her shoulders, and fixed him with her hardest look. “But right now I’ve got work to do. I’m going to the infirmary to check on my husband, and I have to get Doctor Jackson prepped for transfusion.”

“Okay, okay,” O’Neill replied, holding up his hands in a placating gesture. “No need to go firing off with both barrels, Doc. The General does want to see you – but later. I’m here to escort you personally to the infirmary and to make certain you get everything you need.”

The sense of relief that washed over Janet was so intense that she momentarily felt as if her legs would give out beneath her. Reflexively she reached out to Daniel, her hand clasping on his arm as she steadied herself. “Thank you,” she finally managed, her voice trembling slightly. “Thank you.” Then she took a deep breath and let it out slowly, forcing herself into medical mode. “Okay,” she said, looking to each of her three companions in turn. “Let’s get to work.”

~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~

Daniel had to admit that things moved very quickly once Janet took charge. Upon arriving at the infirmary she began barking out instructions to her staff, and the next thing he knew he was being bustled into a side room. One nurse thrust a familiar bundle of white fabric at him even as another member of the medical staff expertly pulled the privacy curtain closed in one fluid movement.

Sighing to himself Daniel quickly changed into the medical pajamas. He wasn’t entirely certain why he felt so out of sorts all of a sudden. After all, what had he expected – a brass band welcoming party? No, he’d come here to do a job and that should be his primary focus for the moment. He really didn’t have time to be thinking about things like the fact that he was a slightly-out-of-place visitor in an alternate reality, or that the woman he’d come here to help had more or less abandoned him as she’d stepped into her role as CMO. ‘Or that she’s back home… with her husband,’ he thought ruefully.

He pulled the curtain back, calling out to one of the nurses he saw to inform her he was ready.

“Please wait right there, Doctor Jackson,” she said, not even bothering to stop with her task of gathering medical supplies. “Someone will be with you shortly.”

Deciding that he needed to do something, Daniel began folding up his SGC uniform. Recalling Jack’s instructions regarding the control device for the Mirror, he considered what he should do with it. Surely he wouldn’t be allowed to carry it into the room where they were going to perform the transfusion. While it wasn’t full-blown surgery they’d still want to take all the necessary precautions regarding sterility of environment. Casting a quick glance around, to make sure no one was looking, he hastily shoved the small device as far as it would go down inside one of his boots. ‘That will have to do,’ he thought, hoping that Jack would understand.

“Doctor Jackson?” a voice called from behind him.

Daniel spun around to find he actually recognized the face he saw. It was Andrea Simmons – or at least her counterpart in this parallel universe. In his own reality Nurse Simmons had always been extremely kind to him, managing to make him feel very at ease on the numerous occasions he’d been confined to the infirmary. She was smiling the same warm smile he’d grown accustomed to from the Nurse Simmons he knew and immediately he felt some of his apprehension ease. Fleetingly he wondered if perhaps Janet had specifically sent Simmons as the one to retrieve him.

“Yes?” he replied.

“We’re just about ready for you.” She pointed to a small cluster of cabinets along one of the walls. “You may put your things in one of those. And then please come with me.”

As Daniel followed Simmons into the private medical observation room he was immediately struck by how efficient and busy everything appeared to be. Nurses and technicians were all occupied with their tasks. He could just see the edge of an infirmary bed poking from behind a privacy curtain that was partially pulled back, and from the level of activity on the other side he guessed that his counterpart was the patient. There was also the unmistakable sound of life-support equipment and he felt his stomach tighten just a little. He’d believed Janet when she’d told him how serious her husband’s condition was, but seeing it first hand was somehow different. Glancing up at the observation window he spotted the other members of SG-1, as well as General Hammond, gathering for their silent vigil. He turned sharply as he felt a slight tugging on his arm.

“Doctor Jackson,” Nurse Simmons instructed, “if you’ll please step this way.”

Daniel allowed her to lead him to the other empty bed and as she helped him get settled in he momentarily closed his eyes, attempting to quiet his racing mind. ‘It’s just a simple transfusion,’ he reminded himself. ‘A few hours and you’ll be back home. And then everything can return to normal.’

“Hey there,” a tender voice interrupted his thoughts, and as Daniel opened his eyes he saw Janet standing beside his bed. She was clad in scrubs now, her hair pulled back tight beneath the small blue cap. A mask was on her face but she pulled it down and smiled at him. “All settled in?”

He nodded, a little surprised at how just seeing Janet again immediately seemed to calm him.

“I know I’ve already told you a little about the procedure,” she went on, “but I want to talk you through what’s about to happen.”

Meeting her gaze Daniel felt his spirit ease even more. Did she actually realize how much that tiny bit of attention meant to him – how important it was for him to have knowledge about all this? ‘Probably so,’ he silently reflected.

“We’re going to get an IV started,” Janet began. “I want to go ahead and administer the vaccine for the virus that our Daniel has, so that it can be in your bloodstream once the transfusion begins. Now, it’s not dangerous for you, but there will be some minor side effects – dry mouth, fatigue, slight muscle cramps, loss of appetite, and possibly even a touch of nausea. Of course, none of these will be a concern until sometime after you wake up from the procedure. But if any of them gets to be too much for you just let someone know, and we can give you something to help.”

He nodded. “Okay.”

“I’m also going to give you a sedative.”

Daniel’s features scrunched into an expression of inquiry but before he could ask her why Janet went on.

“It’s more for our Daniel’s sake than for yours,” she admitted. “His body is under a lot of stress at the moment and he needs all the help he can get, both through this procedure and during the recuperation.” She patted his arm reassuringly. “Don’t worry. You’ll drift off to sleep and by the time you wake up this will all be over.”

A technician began wheeling various pieces of equipment up beside his bed. “Anything else?” he asked Janet.

“Just the usual apparatus to monitor your heart rate, blood pressure, that sort of thing.” She patted his arm again before turning to go.

“Janet,” he called her back, but when she turned, a questioning look on her face, Daniel realized he wasn’t really sure what he wanted to say. Sighing, he finally finished with, “I’ll see you when I wake up?”

She smiled. “Of course.” Then pulling her medical mask back over her face, she walked away.

“Ready for your IV insertion?” Andrea Simmons asked, stepping up beside him.

‘When you wake up this will all be over.’ Daniel let the thought echo in his mind. Nodding to Nurse Simmons he closed his eyes again, willing himself to relax and accept the oblivion that the sedative would bring.

~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~

Daniel had returned from drug-induced slumber enough times to immediately recognize the signs. He knew the sensation that his eyelids weighed a ton was just that – a sensation – and if he kept at it, eventually he would be able to open them. His persistence paid off but as he squinted and blinked the fuzzy images of the infirmary refused to come into focus. He found a small roll-away tray beside his bed and, much to his relief, his glasses lying there beside a Styrofoam pitcher of water. He slipped the spectacles on and the world instantly became clear.

A glance at the clock informed him it was early morning. He tried to push himself up in bed, the effort earning him the unmistakable tensing of muscles cramping throughout his arms and legs. He winced in pain and bit back the groan that came to his lips. He seemed to recall something about cramps being a side-effect of his condition, but his brain was so muddled at the moment he couldn’t remember the particulars.

Easing back against the pillow he tried to figure out what he’d done this time to wind up in the predicament where he now found himself. Searching through the fog of his mind it slowly began to come back to him… a blood transfusion… something about an antidote for an alien virus… and an alternate reality version of Janet Frasier.

Daniel wasn’t sure if it his was due to the blood transfusion or the vaccine he’d been given – or a combination of both – but he was so groggy that he soon dozed off again. He spent most of the day fading in and out of a light sleep. He’d usually stir when someone came to check his vital signs, and he vaguely remembered a brief visit from the Jack O’Neill of this reality. During one of his bouts of wakefulness he’d learned that his counterpart was reacting well to the vaccine after having the transfusion. Still, there’d been no definitive word on whether or not Doctor Jackson would actually pull through.

He hadn’t seen any sign of Janet. Daniel guessed the reason why, and although logically he knew it made sense for Janet to be at her husband’s side he had to admit it bothered him that she hadn’t been by to see him as well.

As the day passed, activity in the infirmary waxed and waned, eventually settling into quietude late in the night. Daniel woke to find himself feeling particularly rested. The infirmary was mostly dark and he appeared to be alone. A glance across the room at the clock confirmed the reason why – it was almost four in the morning. He shifted slightly, and realized the complaints from his muscles this time were due to body parts confined to the same position for too long rather than the cramps caused as a side effect of the vaccine he’d been given. He felt a little hungry and realized he hadn’t eaten since arriving in this parallel universe. But he doubted any of the medical personnel would be by to make rounds for at least another hour.

Sighing heavily, he eased over onto his right side and his eyes fell on a sight that hadn’t been there any of the previous times he’d been awake. His counterpart was lying in one of the beds, two spaces over, and although Daniel couldn’t see the other man’s face very clearly from this angle, he appeared to be resting peacefully. He was still hooked up a host of machines, but Daniel did notice the equipment specified for life support – most notably a ventilator – was missing. And sitting in a chair beside the bed, half slumped over in slumber, was Janet.

For the longest time Daniel simply watched her. The rise and fall of her breathing was a steady, comforting rhythm. On her face were tale-tale signs of fatigue and stress from recent events, but otherwise she looked utterly serene. Her hair was still mostly up in its coil, but several strands had managed to escape, falling around her face and neck in an undeniably alluring manner. One hand was resting across her midsection, in a somewhat protective gesture, and Daniel was reminded of the tiny life that flourished there.

The minutes passed and Daniel continued his silent observance. He began to be aware that his emotions were seesawing between happiness and remorse. On the one hand he was immensely grateful to have been able to help save another man’s life and, in some twisted sense, to have had the chance to see Janet again. But being with this alternate universe Janet had opened old wounds. It had also – much to his surprise – revealed new feelings and possibilities regarding the Janet that was taken from him. And the knowledge that those feelings and possibilities could never be fulfilled threatened to drag him to the depths of despair. Before the discovery of a second Quantum Mirror he’d started thinking that he could finally move on, without the grief of Janet’s death being so acutely present. Now he wasn’t so sure.

“Oh, Janet…” he whispered into the stillness, not really sure if the sigh was meant for the friend he’d lost, or the woman sitting not far from him now.

A hush settled over the room again. Daniel glanced at the clock. A couple minutes after five now. Janet would likely wake up on her own before long. Or else staff would begin milling about, making the morning rounds. He sighed again, somewhat irritated that this intimate moment – painful though it was – would soon be ending. He allowed his eyes to close, wondering if he shouldn’t save himself the trouble by trying to drift off to sleep again.

Suddenly there was movement from the other bed and Daniel’s eyes snapped open. All was quiet for several heartbeats and he thought perhaps he’d only imagined it. Then it happened again, accompanied this time by a soft moan from his counterpart. It was enough to rouse Janet from her light sleep and Daniel froze. Inexplicably he didn’t want her to know that he was also awake.

He watched as Janet straightened in her chair, all her attention clearly focused on the figure lying in that bed. But she said nothing.

The seconds felt painfully long but eventually a hint of movement was repeated. He saw Janet ease to the edge of her chair but she still remained quiet.

When the other Daniel’s voice finally broke the silence it was strained and frail, but there was no mistaking the wealth of love that flowed in its singly uttered word. “Janet?”

She was instantly at his side. “I’m here,” she answered, her voice echoing the same level of tenderness and affection. “I’m here, sweetheart.”

A part of Daniel knew he should turn away, or at the very least close his eyes. This wasn’t something he should be watching. It was their time, not his. But he couldn’t pull himself away.

Their voices had fallen to whispers, and he could scarcely make out what they said. And he still couldn’t see his counterpart’s face. But the essence of their communication was blatantly reflected on Janet’s features, which he could make out all too well.

Tears of joy were rolling down her cheeks and she fairly glowed as she gazed down at her husband. Her hands were always in contact with some part of him – holding his hand, stroking his brow, or attempting to smooth unruly spikes of hair. Daniel was transfixed by the sight even as he felt conflicted by seeing her tender caresses to hands and a face that was identical to his own. She couldn’t stop smiling, it seemed, and although Daniel couldn’t hear her words, the few tones that did reach his ears were so full of love that it scorched an aching sense of longing through him.

Daniel continued watching, prolonging his own anguish, as her husband reached up to tenderly brush away the tears from her face. Again Daniel was struck by the familiarity of the gesture, an exact duplicate of something he would have done. One finger paused at her chin, winding affectionately around a wisp of curls that clung to her skin there. His counterpart said something then that made Janet laugh, a lighthearted, beautiful sound that tore at Daniel’s heart.

Their soft murmurings continued and then Daniel noticed that Janet’s husband momentarily tensed, his hand reflexively drifting towards her stomach. Daniel didn’t think it would have been possible but Janet’s expression actually beamed even brighter as she slowly nodded. He knew then that she’d just revealed the good news about her pregnancy and he admonished himself again to close his eyes. But he simply could not force his gaze away, even as the man lying there – this peculiar mirror image of himself – slowly pulled Janet close. Daniel guiltily watched the passionate kiss between them and silently acknowledged a smoldering envy for the man whose life he’d only recently saved.

They eventually parted and when Janet spoke again her voice was loud enough that Daniel could hear her.

“You should probably rest, for a little while,” she said, gently touching her husband’s face. “I’m sure the others will be up and about shortly, and once they find out you’ve come back to the land of the living--”

“This place will be Grand Central Station,” her Daniel finished the thought. His voice was still weak but the underlying tone of happiness indicated that the worst was over.

Janet leaned down and placed a light kiss on her husband’s forehead. “Go back to sleep. I’ll check on you later.”

As she turned to leave her gaze inadvertently drifted toward Daniel and his eyes locked with hers. He knew his jealous emotions were still reflected in his expression and he didn’t bother to hide it. He wasn’t even certain he could have, had he wanted to. He noticed Janet paused, almost imperceptibly, as she drew near his bed. A troubled frown drifted across her features and for a moment he feared she might actually approach him. Stirring up ever ounce of courage he had, Daniel forced a feeble smile. ‘Don’t worry,’ he silently assured her. ‘I’ll be okay.’

Janet continued, walking right past him, and Daniel breathed a sigh of relief. He quickly glanced at the bed where his counterpart lay but it appeared the man was already asleep again. Rolling onto his back he stared up at the ceiling, feeling more worn than he had in years.

Some time later a nurse came over to check his vital signs. Other staff members began moving about as well. Daniel knew that Janet’s prediction hadn’t been in jest – soon people would be coming to check on his counterpart. And while they would no doubt celebrate, he would be lying here slowly drowning in his self-induced torment. ‘I can’t cope with this right now,’ he silently confessed. ‘I just can’t.’

He burrowed as far down into his bed as he could and pretended to be asleep. Visitors began to drift in about half an hour later and continued pretty much non-stop for most of the morning. Daniel’s ruse thankfully resulted in the majority of people passing him by. However, the members of this reality’s SG-1 weren’t so easily deterred. After visiting with his counterpart each one would walk over to his bed and utter a few kind words. Somehow Daniel managed to smile and nod in all the right places. But every time he thanked one of them for the heartfelt gratitude they expressed, he would inwardly cringe at his own jealousy. ‘Sure, I helped save your friend’s life,’ he’d silently consider. ‘And yet I’d give anything to trade places with him.’

Still, the encounter he dreaded most – speaking to Janet – had yet to happen. It was a little past mid-morning and a slight lull had settled in the infirmary, but Daniel knew it couldn’t last. As the moments ticked by he grew increasingly restless. He desperately wanted to just get up, get dressed, and get back to his own world.

He was attempting to feign sleep again when someone approached his bed and he felt a hand grab the pulse point of his wrist. He instinctively knew it was Janet, a notion that was confirmed when he heard her whisper near his ear.

“I know you’re not really asleep, Daniel, so why don’t you go ahead and sit up?” Her tone was clearly of the no-nonsense variety.

Sighing in resignation Daniel slowly opened his eyes. He wasn’t certain what he’d expected to see in her gaze, but the look of compassion he found was a little surprising. “I’m sorry,” he murmured, the thought tumbling out of his mouth before he had time to consider why he was actually saying it.

“Don’t be,” Janet said sincerely, offering a slight smile as she dropped his wrist. A couple of heartbeats passed before she went on. “How are you feeling?”

Something about the way she asked it told Daniel she wasn’t just referring to his physical condition. “I’ve been better,” he replied, unable to lie to her. Pushing up with his elbows he eased into half sitting, half reclining position against his pillow. “But, given enough time, I’m sure I’ll be okay.”

She nodded, looking away for a moment. “I imagine you’re feeling about ready to head back home,” she said, her tone an odd mixture of acceptance and regret.

“Yes,” Daniel answered, realizing his own voice carried similar emotions. In a vain attempt to bring some logic to the situation he added, “My forty eight hour window will be up this afternoon. I’d rather not risk entropic cascade failure if I don’t have to.”

She nodded again. “I’ve ordered a meal tray to be brought up for you.”

He was hungry, and yet didn’t feel at all like eating. He opened his mouth to make a protest but she held up a hand, silencing him.

“Daniel, you’ve not eaten anything since you got here. I’m not worried about dehydration since we’ve been keeping your fluid levels up with the IV, but you have to eat.” Her tone communicated there was no room for debate. “You’ll never get your strength back if you continue to go without food.”

“Okay,” he conceded.

“Thank you,” Janet replied. “I’ll arrange to have your clothes brought here too. After you’ve eaten you can take a shower and change. Just make sure you let me or one of the nurses know when you get ready,” she paused, her tone taking on a slightly teasing quality. “I know you hate being checked up on, but you’re still likely a little weak from the procedure. I don’t want you passing out on me in the shower stall.”

Despite his conflicting emotions Daniel was touched by her genuine concern, and he couldn’t fight the hint of smile that pulled at his mouth. “Yes ma’am.”

Janet smiled in return but she quickly grew serious again. “You don’t have to do anything you don’t feel comfortable with,” she began, sending a fleeting glance toward the man resting two beds over. “But I know my husband would very much like the chance to speak with you before you go.” Her eyes came back to his, her expression softening as she added, “And it would mean a lot to me as well.”

How could he possibly refuse her? “Okay,” he answered simply. Silence held between them until an orderly arrived with his breakfast.

“Alright, eat up,” she instructed.

Daniel removed the lid and found a plate laden with toast, bacon, and eggs – fixed just the way he liked them, he noted. There was also some kind of pastry and fruit on the side. But more importantly there was a mug and an entire carafe of fresh hot coffee. Janet picked up the carafe, turned the lid and began pouring. He breathed in the pleasant aroma as the amber liquid flowed into his cup. Janet closed the lid again and then reached to gently touch his arm.

“I’ll talk to you later,” she said, her voice soft, “sometime before you go.”

He nodded, meeting her eyes before she finally turned and walked away. He wasn’t exactly looking forward to that moment, but he also knew there was no way to avoid it. With a sigh he picked up his napkin, unrolled it to reveal the silverware, and began eating his meal.

~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~

Janet had been surreptitiously keeping an eye on the alternate reality Daniel all morning. She was glad to see that he ate most of the breakfast she’d ordered. And when he got out of bed to head for the shower she was relieved to note that he didn’t appear in the least bit wobbly. His last round of blood work and tests all looked good too. She knew it would be a couple of days more before he was completely back to full-strength, but so far he’d recovered as well as she’d hoped.

It was nearing twelve-hundred now and Janet was glad things in the infirmary had quieted down. She’d expected the steady flow of visitors that had come and gone all morning, but she was glad when it eventually ceased and her husband could get some rest. She’d also known the activity hadn’t been particularly easy for the other Daniel either.

She sighed before closing the file she’d been reading. All things considered she couldn’t be more pleased with how things had worked out. It had been a huge risk, her going through the Quantum Mirror, and she’d known that from the start. But her gamble had paid off. The transfusion had provided enough variation in her Daniel’s blood chemistry so that the vaccine had a chance to cure his virus. Her husband had several days of recovery ahead, but he would make it. And try as she might, Janet realized there simply weren’t words enough to express the gratitude she felt about that.

‘But my victory had a price,’ she silently admitted. And the cost was one she’d never considered having to pay.

She’d anticipated the repercussions of her violating a direct order – although she was yet to discover what those were going to be. She’d also been prepared for the emotional difficulties of coming face to face with an alternate reality version of her husband. She’d even anticipated that the other Daniel would have to deal with his own bundle of odd thoughts and feelings about the whole thing. But Janet would never have thought that what she’d witnessed in the wee hours of this morning would be how it would actually happen.

Earlier, when she’d turned around and saw the alternate reality Daniel awake, it had surprised her a little. She had to admit that although those moments she’d shared with her husband when he’d finally stirred this morning were of a rather private nature, it didn’t really bother her that Daniel had been watching them. What had caught her off guard was what she’d seen in his eyes. The raw emotion and total vulnerability reflected there had cut straight to her heart. She’d certainly never intended to hurt Daniel, and yet that’s exactly what she’d done. In showing him an alternate world – her world – in which a parallel version of himself had once again found love, she had exposed him to the pain of realizing that possibility was, in fact, forever lost to him in his own world.

‘Why can’t our lives just be normal for a change?’ she ruefully murmured to herself, rubbing at her temples in an effort to ease some of the tension she felt. Stepping out of her office she made her way to the infirmary. She found Daniel had finished his shower, and was sitting in a chair beside the bed where her husband rested. He was clearly lost in thought, his gaze focused at something in the distance, but he turned as she drew near.

“Hi,” she said, offering a smile. “How are you feeling?”

“Better,” he replied, his gaze drifting toward the bed. “He’s still sleeping. I don’t want to wake him, but…”

Janet sighed. Yes, they were working on a time table here, and the possibility of entropic cascade failure was becoming more real by the minute. “I can wake him,” she offered.

Daniel looked a little hesitant.

As if on cue, her husband stirred, his eyelids fluttering open. Reflexively she moved to his side and reached for his hand.

“Have a good nap?” she asked, smiling as he met her gaze.

“Yeah, finally,” he replied, his voice still a touch weak. “I thought people would never stop coming in this morning.”

“That’s what you get for having such a devoted fan following,” she teased. Taking a deep breath she forged ahead. “Actually, there’s one more person here who would like to see you, before he has to leave.”

Her husband blinked and she saw instant understanding register in his eyes. He peered around her to look for the other man.

“Um, hi,” Daniel said as he stood from his chair.

Janet’s husband smiled, his eyebrows arching slightly. “Well, this is definitely… odd.”

“No kidding,” Daniel replied, shoving his hands in his pockets.

Janet couldn’t help but smile as she watched them. There was a definite awkwardness in the air but it wasn’t really uncomfortable. ‘A little comical,’ she thought affectionately, ‘but not uncomfortable.’

“Listen,” her husband broke the silence first. “I know this doesn’t even begin to come close to expressing what I want to say, or to giving back what I owe you…” He met his counterpart’s gaze straight on. “But thank you – for everything.”

Daniel nodded. Janet could practically see the mental activity going on behind his eyes but he said nothing more.

Her husband held out a hand to him then. “If there’s ever anything I can do…?”

Daniel reached out, accepted the hand and shook it. “Just keep taking care of her,” he said sincerely as he sent a fleeting glance Janet’s direction. “And keep on loving her.”

Janet swallowed against the lump that had suddenly formed in her throat. She instinctively knew that a sense of understanding had just passed between the two men. And glancing at her husband she saw that he was okay with that.

“I will,” her Daniel assured as the men released hands. “You have my word on that.”

Daniel took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Well. As Janet said, I really do have to be leaving.”

Her husband nodded. “I appreciate you taking the time to say good-bye,” he said.

“I’ll need to inform the General that you’re ready to leave,” Janet said, looking to the alternate reality Daniel. “And I imagine some of the others might want to say good-bye as well. Come with me to my office? We can contact Hammond from there.”

Daniel nodded, but she also caught the flicker of comprehension in his expression. This would provide a chance for them to have the private conversation she so desperately wanted to have before he left for good.

Turning back to her husband Janet asked, “Do you need anything before I go?”

He shook his head. “Nah. I’ll just take another nap,” he playfully teased. Holding her gaze he added, “We can visit again later.”

Janet squeezed his hand, silently telling him how much she appreciated him. Somehow her husband had known that she needed to be able to say good-bye to Daniel in her own way. And he not only understood her need, he also wasn’t threatened by it. “I love you, Doctor,” she said, using their affectionate moniker, as she leaned in to kiss him on the forehead.

“I love you too, Doctor,” came the familiar reply. He looked to the other man and gave a friendly wave. “Good luck, Doctor Jackson.” Then he eased back into the pillow and closed his eyes.

Janet reached out and touched Daniel’s arm. “You ready?”

He sighed, his gaze lingering a moment on his counterpart. Finally he nodded and replied, “Yeah. I’m ready.”

~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~

Once they stepped into Janet’s office she closed the door behind them and moved toward the phone to make her call. Daniel placed the hand-held control device he still carried on her desk. He thought about sitting down to wait, but in the end decided he felt slightly more comfortable standing.

“General Hammond will meet you at the Mirror in fifteen minutes,” Janet said after hanging up the receiver. “I think the other members of SG-1 are coming too, to make their farewells.”

Daniel nodded. Knowing their time was limited he asked her something that had started plaguing him since he’d gotten into the shower that morning. “Speaking of Hammond, what’s going to happen to you in response to your disobeying his orders about the Mirror?”

Janet shrugged. “I’m not sure. The General hasn’t spoken with me about it yet.” She stood and casually crossed her arms as she stepped from behind her desk. “He’s been very gracious, waiting to address the issue until it was pretty clear that my Daniel was going to pull through. But I know he can’t put it off forever.”

“Could it be as bad as a court martial?” he asked.

“He would certainly have that right,” Janet admitted. Meeting his gaze she went on, “I’m fully prepared to accept the consequences of my actions. However… in light of the fact that things worked out as well as they have, I’m hoping General Hammond will find some way to work things around so that it doesn’t have to come to that.”

Daniel locked his own arms across his chest, leaning his weight slightly over one foot. “Would it help if I spoke to him?”

Janet smiled but shook her head. “Probably not. But thanks for offering.”

The silence began to build and Daniel started to get an uncomfortable feeling in the pit of his stomach. For the past several hours all he could think about was getting away from this reality and back to his own. But now that it was coming down to it, he really hated having to say goodbye to the woman standing across from him.

He cleared his throat a little nervously. “Well…”

Janet sighed, her arms falling to her sides as she approached him. “Daniel, I owe you an apology,” she said.

His eyebrows arched as he gazed at her quizzically.

“I never meant to hurt you,” she admitted. “But I know that’s what happened anyway. And after everything you’ve done to help me, and my Daniel--” she broke off abruptly as her eyes began to pool with unshed tears.

“Oh Janet,” he sighed, dragging a hand through his hair. As he’d suspected she’d seen right through to his heart. And he knew there was no point in attempting to deny his feelings. “It’s not your fault. No one is responsible for how I feel except myself. And besides, there was no way you could have known that this would happen.”

She nodded. “I know. But that doesn’t make it any easier.” She blinked and bit at her lower lip, clearly attempting to fight back her tears.

Without a second thought Daniel stepped across the small office to her. “Come here,” he said, pulling her into his arms. She tensed at first, but then slowly settled into his embrace.

“More than anything I wish there was some way I could give your Janet back to you,” she murmured against his chest.

“I know,” he whispered into her hair, suddenly fighting against his own tears.

They stood there, in the stillness, as Daniel lovingly stroked her back and her hair. Eventually he could tell that her crying had subsided and she pulled away slightly, gazing up into his face.

“Don’t give up all hope, Daniel,” she said softly. “Please believe me when I say you have so much love to share – you have so much to give.” Her lip trembled but her eyes reflected the sincerity of her words. “Maybe in your reality this particular possibility – of you and Janet – is lost, but if an opportunity for love does cross your path again then I want you to promise me you won’t turn away from it. Give it a chance. Promise me that, Daniel.”

He reached up and gently wiped away the last traces of her tears. Smiling down at her he replied, “I promise.”

She smiled then, a smile so full of warmth and affection that Daniel thought his heart might burst. “Thank you,” she breathed. And then, without any hesitation, she reached up and kissed him.

Reason told him to resist. But as Janet wrapped her arms around his neck he realized that she was offering him what little she could. He gave in to his feelings then, and returned her kiss with all the passion he felt, drawing her closer and reveling in the feel of her against him.

He knew it had to end, and he also knew he didn’t want Janet to be the one to initiate that pulling away. Slowly easing his hold on her Daniel began to break their contact. She held his gaze, even after they parted, and he wasn’t sure how long they remained like that, simply staring into one another’s eyes. But eventually she stepped back and Daniel let her go, his arms falling to his side.

“We should go,” Janet said as she took a steadying breath.

Daniel nodded, unable to give a verbal answer as he struggled with his own internal storm. He retrieved the control device from her desk and followed her wordlessly out of the office and to the storage room where the Mirror was housed. The other members of this reality’s SG-1 were already there, but Hammond had yet to arrive. He cast a quick glance at the Mirror and saw that it was indeed still activated. On the other side, in his parallel universe, he saw Teal’c acknowledge his arrival with a nod of his head.

Daniel knew he needed to do something to get through this or else he was going to fall apart right then and there. “Um, thanks for coming to see me off,” he said, looking around at those in the room.

“Wouldn’t miss it,” O’Neill said, offering one of his characteristic half-grins as he met the younger man’s eyes.

It didn’t really surprise him that Sam was the first one to make a move. She stepped forward and gave him a hug that was only slightly awkward. “Thanks,” she said, smiling, “for giving our Daniel back to us.”

He smiled in return. “Well, I’d like to think he would have done the same for me.”

Sam’s smile grew even bigger as she nodded in agreement. Then she stepped aside, allowing the others a chance to make their farewell.

“It has been an honor, Daniel Jackson,” Teal’c said as he offered his arm in the customary Jaffa handshake. “I have known you only briefly, but you have proven yourself just as worthy of the respect and friendship I have given the Daniel Jackson of this world.”

“Thank you, Teal’c,” Daniel replied. “That means a lot to me, it really does.”

As Daniel turned to Jack he paused, allowing the other man opportunity to make the first move.

“It’s been pleasure, Doctor Jackson… as always,” Jack said, offering a handshake of his own.

“Right,” Daniel answered, unable to hide a genuine smile. The other time he’d been in an alternate reality, there hadn’t even existed a relationship between that Jack O’Neill and Daniel Jackson. He’d always felt a little regretful about that. He liked knowing that in this version of things they were apparently just as close as he and his Jack were.

“Well, Doctor Jackson,” a new voice suddenly announced from the doorway. “This has certainly been a most unusual experience.”

Daniel turned and met the General’s gaze. ‘You have no idea,’ he thought to himself. Aloud he answered, “Well, Sir, experiences with Quantum Mirrors usually are.” And although Janet had told him earlier that it probably wouldn’t make a difference, Daniel felt he had to get in some comment on her behalf in regards to all this. Fixing his eyes on the General he added, “I’m just glad, in this particular instance that things worked out for the best, without any serious repercussions.”

Hammond nodded, and Daniel got the impression the man understood what he’d been trying to communicate.

“I’d like to stay and see you off, but I’m afraid I have to get back the Gateroom,” Hammond said.

“Problem, General?” Jack asked.

“No,” Hammond assured. “Just part of my job.” He turned back to Daniel and offered a respectful nod. “Godspeed, Doctor Jackson.” The without another word he turned and exited the room.

“Well, I guess that’s it then.” Daniel said, his gaze reflexively drifting to Janet. He was relieved to see that she appeared calm now, with all that had passed between them now carefully hidden behind a mask of control.

“Thank you,” she said, stepping over and offering a hug. But it was a reserved hug this time, communicating only her friendship and gratitude.

“Take care of yourself,” he whispered in her ear, before she could pull away. “Take care of all three of you.” He glanced down at the control device in his hand before holding it out to her. “I believe I can give this to you now. It’s the one that belongs in this reality.”

Janet took the device and smiled as she met his eyes. “Good-bye,” she said.

Daniel pushed down all the regret and sadness and answered with only the warmth of his caring for her. “Good-bye, Janet.”

Then he turned, and taking a deep breath reached up and touched the surface of the Mirror.

Teal’c was at his side the moment he arrived back in his reality. Daniel cast one final glance through the Mirror. They were all smiling, and Sam was even offering a little wave. But Daniel’s gaze lingered on Janet. He gave her a final smile. Then he saw her reach up to the device in her hand, and the Mirror shut off.

“I am glad to see you return, Daniel Jackson,” Teal’c said. “But I sense that all is not well.”

Daniel almost laughed at the irony of his friend’s assessment. ‘If you only knew how true that was,’ he silently mused. Turning he gave the Jaffa a reassuring pat on the arm. “No, Teal’c, everything went fine. The transfusion was a success and their Daniel is going to recover. I’m a little tired, but everything is fine.”

Teal’c returned his gaze, an eyebrow arched in skepticism, and Daniel wondered if he would press the issue.

The Jaffa remained silent for several seconds before finally speaking again. “You have done a very brave thing, my friend.” The look in his eyes communicated to Daniel that although Teal’c didn’t know everything that had transpired, he did understand that it had made an irrevocable change in his friend. He placed a hand heavily on Daniel’s shoulder, his head cocking to one side as he added, “And I believe that the Janet Frasier we both knew and loved would be extremely proud of you… as am I.”

Daniel nodded, unable to say anything as the emotions of the past several days washed over him once again. But as he considered Teal’c’s words he was reminded that in spite of all he’d lost, he still had friends who cared about him. He allowed his gaze to drift toward the ceiling, his thoughts turning to the petite, dark-haired, spirited doctor that had been one of those special friends. ‘Yes,’ he silently promised her. ‘I’m going to be okay.’

~ END ~

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