CHAPTER EIGHT
Sam woke up about an hour later. The first sight that met her eyes was Daniel in the next bed over, lying on top of the covers, lips parted in a soft snore.
"Hey, there," Janet greeted, coming up to her.
"Hi. Uhhh . . . what happened?"
"You don't remember? I guess that's to be expected."
"The last thing I remember was being in my lab."
Janet sat on the edge of the bed. "Anubis took you."
"Oh, no. What did I do, Janet? Did I hurt anyone?"
"No, Sam, you didn't hurt anyone, but. . . ." Janet paused. "Sam . . . he killed you."
The major gaped at her. "What?"
"Anubis killed you. We tried to revive you, but. . . ."
"But then how come I'm alive?"
"Daniel brought you back. I watched him do it."
Stunned, Sam stared slack-jawed at her, then she turned to Daniel. "He. . . . Wow."
"Uh huh. It sapped a lot of his strength, though, which is why he's zonked out on the bed there."
Sam thought about the significance of what Daniel had done. "I'm finding this hard to believe. I mean, I saw him heal Teal'c, and he healed my hand and his gunshot wound, but to bring someone back from the dead. . . ."
"I completely understand. This isn't something that medical science can explain. Of course, in this job, I see things that can't be explained by medical science on a regular basis, but this one is definitely for the record books." Janet got to her feet. "Can I get you anything? Water or some juice?"
"No, I'm fine. Thanks."
"I need to call Colonel O'Neill and the general. They both wanted to know when you woke up."
Janet left to make her calls, which brought Jack to the infirmary a few minutes later.
"Hey, Carter. You know, you'd better be careful. I think you're getting awfully close to breaking Daniel's record for number of deaths."
"Go me," Sam muttered.
Jack became serious. "We thought we'd lost you, Sam. But Daniel," he glanced briefly over at the archeologist, "refused to give up on you, which really isn't surprising considering all the times we've seen that legendary Daniel Jackson stubbornness in action."
"Janet told me what he did. We saw the Nox bring people back to life and even experienced it ourselves, but. . . ."
"But that was weird little aliens doing it, not one of us," Jack said. "And, on top of that, it took three of them to do it. Daniel managed it all on his own."
"Do you think it's possible that the Ancients could do that before they ascended? We know they could heal people."
"I guess it's possible, although, if they could, I have to wonder why they made that Telchak thing," Jack replied.
"Because healing people themselves caused a physical drain on their bodies. Using technology would be more practical and safer."
"Safer? Seeing what that Telchak thing did, I wouldn't call it safe."
"I doubt that the Ancient who made it intended it to work that way."
"Ya think?"
"Sir, could you tell me what happened? Janet didn't explain."
The colonel recounted to her what happened after Anubis took control of her.
"Then Anubis is trapped," she said after he was finished. "He has no way of getting off that planet. Even if he had a host, without a DHD, he couldn't dial the gate."
"Yep, so, unless some unlucky guy happens by with a spaceship, Anubis is going to be in that winter wonderland for a very, very long time, that is if he doesn't decide to take his chances with the Ancients."
The cessation of the little snore made Sam and Jack turn to Daniel just in time to see his eyes open. The instant he saw that Sam was awake, he was off the bed and at her side.
"Sam," he whispered, taking her hand.
Deciding that was his cue to leave, Jack said he'd be back later and quickly departed. Daniel took the chair beside the bed, his eyes drinking in the sight of Sam's face.
"I'm so sorry," he said, his voice full of guilt.
Sam stared at him, flabbergasted. "Sorry? Daniel, you brought me back to life. Why on Earth are you apologizing?"
"Because I didn't anticipate that Anubis would kill you when I knocked you out. I should have known. It's exactly the kind of thing he'd do. He destroyed Abydos just to spite me and to get even with the Abydonians for daring to defy him."
"And if you hadn't done what you did, Anubis would have taken my body through the gate, and, one way or another, I'd have died anyway, but you wouldn't have been there to save me. You did exactly what you should have. Daniel, Colonel O'Neill said that you spoke to me telepathically, but I don't remember it."
"I figured there was a chance that you wouldn't since you were still under Anubis' control."
"So, I told you how to change the address the gate was dialing?"
"Uh huh." Daniel smiled. "Fortunately, telepathic communication is more . . . comprehensive than verbal communication. There's no way I'd have been able to do it if you'd explained it to me verbally, especially not in the few seconds we had."
Sam also smiled. "So, if I telepathically told you how to build a Naquadah generator, you'd be able to do it?"
"Uh, no, I think that would be way too much for me, even with telepathy."
"Too bad. I could use your help in the lab sometimes."
"Well, even though I can't build a Naquadah generator, I'm always glad to give you a hand with what skills I do have."
Sam pulled his head down to hers. "And what very skillful hands they are," she murmured before taking his lips.
It was quite a while before the two of them came up for air. When they did, they found Janet and a couple of the patients watching them with smiles on their faces. Even the nurses were smiling a little. Apparently, they'd gotten over their jealousy of Sam.
A little embarrassed about the audience, the couple drew apart.
"It appears that both of you are feeling just fine," Janet said, coming up to them.
"I feel perfectly normal," Sam confirmed.
"And I'm not tired anymore," Daniel added.
"That's good to hear," said the doctor.
"So, can I get out of here?" Sam asked.
Janet looked back and forth between the two of them. "You know, I should feel hurt that everyone is always in such a hurry to leave my company." She smiled to let them know she wasn't serious. "Yes, you can go, Sam. All the tests I did came back normal. However, you will need someone to bring you a new shirt. We cut yours open to use the defibrillator."
"Boy, it's a good thing I was wearing just a plain bra." She looked at her lover. "Some of my bras are for Daniel's eyes only."
The archeologist grinned. "Ah, you mean like those lacy little things that you can see—"
Sam covered his mouth with her hand.
Janet smiled, enjoying the sight of the couple's playfulness. The smile died as she thought about what it would have done to Daniel if he'd been unable to save Sam. It was something she prayed that she'd never have to see him suffer. The same went for Sam.
Someone was sent to get a T-shirt out of Sam's locker, then she and Daniel left the infirmary. They went to see General Hammond, who had requested that Sam come to his office once she was released from the infirmary.
"How are you feeling, Major?" he asked with a kindly smile.
"Good, sir. Glad to be alive."
"As are we all. I wanted to congratulate both of you on how you outwitted Anubis. It was a brilliant tactic."
"Thank you, sir, but all the credit belongs to Sam," Daniel responded. "She's the one who had the idea to change the gate address."
"But it was your idea to knock me out, Daniel," Sam pointed out, "and you were the one who made it possible for me to tell you what to do."
"I've already given the president a verbal report," Hammond told them, "and he asked me to pass on his praise to all of SG-1 for a job well done. Also, I'll let you know now that he is planning to visit the SGC on the 29th. He would like to have made it sooner, but that's the earliest he could work it into his schedule. He'll be coming here to tour the base and meet some of the personnel," Hammond smiled at Daniel, "as well as for another very special reason."
Sam grinned. "The medal, sir?"
The general gave her a nod.
Daniel's gaze instantly went to the floor. Then he thought of something. "What about Antarctica, sir? Are Sam and I still going there?"
"Yes, that hasn't changed, though you're getting a later start. If, by the time of the visit, your work there isn't finished, we'll fly you back here for the ceremony, then send you back to the outpost afterwards. And, on that subject, I can have you on a plane to McMurdo on Wednesday. I'd let you leave tomorrow, but Doctor Fraiser insisted that both of you be given a full day to recover from your ordeals, especially you, Doctor Jackson."
"Wednesday will be fine, sir," Sam told the base commander.
After leaving Hammond's office, Sam went to her lab, while Daniel went in search of the six men he'd been forced to push down the stairs. He was able to talk to five of them, all of whom were surprised by the apology since the reason he had attacked them was that they had been trying to kill him. Airman Lippert, who was on light, part-time duty for the next couple of days because of his concussion, was the least surprised by the apology because of what Jack had told him, but was the one who insisted the most vehemently that Daniel had nothing to apologize for. The sixth man, Lieutenant Grover, would be off-duty for a while because of his broken arm, so the archeologist's apology to him would have to wait.
After that was taken care of, Daniel returned to the infirmary to get an update on Colonel Vaselov.
"I'm afraid that there's nothing I can do for him," Janet told him regretfully. "The best we can do is manage his pain."
Saddened by the news, Daniel asked. "How long does he have?"
"Maybe two weeks, if that."
The archeologist went over to the Russian.
"Doctor Jackson. I heard about how you tricked Anubis. An excellent strategy. You would have made a good soldier in Russian military."
"I can't take all the credit, Colonel. Without Sam's . . . Major Carter's help, I wouldn't have known what to do."
"Please, Doctor Jackson. Call me Alexi. There is no need for titles."
Daniel nodded.
Vaselov removed his nasal cannula, and, with some effort, managed to get an envelope from the table beside his bed.
"I wonder if you could do me a favor. I have a sister in Bryansk. Could you see that she gets this?"
"Alexi. . . ." Daniel began, not wanting to take the letter.
"The nurses have been careful not to say anything. That is always a bad sign. Please."
Daniel reluctantly took the envelope.
"Da. You know, in Russia, we have a saying." Vaselov spoke in Russian, then translated into English. "'The cord may curl long, but an end will appear.' That holds true for everything in this world, myself included. I accept this."
Daniel responded with a different saying in Russian, smiling gently.
"In the kingdom of hope, there is no winter," the colonel translated.
"I prefer that one," Daniel told him softly.
"Da, it's a nice saying."
Daniel's smile faded as he gazed at the dying man. Dammit, he couldn't let this happen. Anubis had already taken far too many lives. He couldn't let this man be another victim of the Goa'uld.
"I'll, um, I'll be right back, Alexi." The archeologist went back to Janet's office. "I need you to tell me everything that's wrong with Colonel Vaselov."
"Why?" the doctor asked.
"Because I want to heal him."
Janet stared at him. "Daniel, speaking in layman's terms, he's a mess. Among other things, we're talking about multiple organ failure. Even if you could heal all that, if you couldn't repair his immune system, you'd only be delaying things."
"Then I'll have to fix it, too."
"Daniel, every time you heal someone, it drains you. We have no idea what kind of strain it's placing upon your body. You could be risking your health. With all the things you did while fighting Anubis and then bringing Sam back to life, you've already overdone it repeatedly. Healing Vaselov could prove to be too much for you."
"So, I'm supposed to just let him die when I have the power to save his life? I can't do that, Janet."
The doctor sighed. No, of course he couldn't. Actually, she should have seen this coming.
"All right, Daniel. But I'm warning you now. I'm going to watch you like a hawk while you're healing him. If I get even the slightest hint that you're in trouble, I will put a stop to it."
"Agreed."
Janet got a couple of nurses, and the four of them went to Vaselov's bed.
"Is something wrong?" he asked in puzzlement.
"I want to try something, Alexi," Daniel told him. "Have you heard about how I can heal people?"
"Yes. I am aware of how you brought Major Carter back to life. It is an amazing thing." Realization struck. "You wish to attempt to heal me?"
"Yes. I don't know if I can, though. I've never healed someone with as much wrong with them as what is with you. And I have no idea if I can heal your immune system. But I'd like to try."
Vaselov studied him closely. "And is there a risk to you?"
Daniel glanced at Janet. "Um . . . yeah, maybe. We know that it weakens me, but we don't know if it hurts me in any other way."
The Russian shook his head. "I am grateful that you would offer to do this, Doctor Jackson, but I must refuse. I cannot allow you to risk your health for my sake. I am at peace with my fate."
"But I'm not," Daniel said firmly. "You're dying because I destroyed Anubis' ship. I am partly responsible for you being in this situation. One man has already died because of this, and I'm not going to let you die, too."
"You bear no responsibility for what happened to me," Vaselov insisted. "You destroyed Anubis' fleet to save this planet. My death is a very small price to pay for that."
Daniel's resolve did not waver. "A price I don't intend to see paid."
The Russian looked at Janet. "Doctor, you cannot reason with him not to do this?"
"I already tried, Colonel. It had about as much effectiveness as your arguments did."
Vaselov shook his head, smiling slightly. "I believe this is what you Americans call being stubborn as a mule."
"You don't know the half of it," the doctor told him.
"If you two are done insulting me, I'd like to get started," Daniel said.
"What must I do?" the Russian asked.
"Just lie down all the way and relax."
Vaselov reclined the bed to a horizontal position. As he had with Sam, Daniel placed his hands on the man's head and chest, closing his eyes. His mind delved into Vaselov just as it had Sam. He could sense the terrible damage wrought by Anubis' presence in the man's body. It was there in virtually every organ, in the muscles, tendons and tissues. He could also feel the damage to the immune system.
With an instinct he did not question or examine, Daniel gathered his power and focused it upon Vaselov. It flowed through the man's body, touching every cell. Where it found damage, it healed. The Russian could feel his pain disappearing, could sense strength and vitality returning to his body.
Seconds passed into minutes as Daniel remained unmoving, his mind concentrating solely on the task of healing the man before him. He could feel his strength being drained, and, with each passing second, it got harder and harder to keep going, but he was determined to heal the Russian fully.
At last, he knew that he was done. He removed his hands from Vaselov's body. Janet and her nurses almost didn't succeed in catching him when his knees buckled. They lowered him gently to the floor. Janet called for some more help, and they got him into a bed, where the doctor examined him, finding that he was completely unconscious. Vaselov had gotten out of his bed and was standing a few feet away.
"How is he?" he asked worriedly.
"I think he's okay. He just passed out. I'm going to run some tests anyway. He—"
A groan from Daniel interrupted her. She turned to see his eyes open.
"Daniel? How are you feeling?" Janet asked.
"Like I just ran a marathon and then swam the English Channel," he answered a little weakly. "Wow. That was hard." The archeologist looked up at Vaselov. "Alexi? How are you feeling?"
"I feel wonderful. I have not felt so good since I was young man of thirty." He gazed at Daniel with gratitude and deep respect. "Thank you, Doctor Jackson. I owe you my life."
"Daniel. Call me Daniel." The archeologist's eyelids drooped. "I think I'm going to sleep now." Before anyone could respond, he was out.
"I deeply hope that he was not injured by healing me," the Russian said.
"We'll run some tests, Colonel, which he'll probably sleep right through," Janet responded. "We also need to run some new ones on you."
The tests that followed showed that Daniel was okay, though there were some mild chemical imbalances that Janet hoped would clear up on their own. As for Alexi, it was nothing short of amazing. The man was completely healed. There was not a sign left of the aliments that, only a short while ago, were killing him. His immune system was fully functional. Not only that, but the Russian reported that the mild pain he'd felt in his left knee due to an injury he'd sustained years ago was gone. It appeared that Daniel had healed more than just the damage caused by Anubis.
When Jack found out what Daniel had done, he was pretty ticked off and told Janet that if Daniel ever decided to pull a stunt like that again, he was to be called before it was done, not after. Sam was worried at first, until Janet told her that she was pretty sure Daniel was all right. After that, all Sam felt was pride in the man she loved. Alexi was still there in the infirmary, and he was a different man from the desperately ill one she'd spoken to before. He was healthy and full of energy, smiling several times at comments people made. It was great to see, and it was because of Daniel that they were seeing it.
Surprisingly, the archeologist slept for only four hours. When he awoke, he felt only a little fatigued. Janet didn't even bother trying to make him stay.
It wasn't long after he got back to his office that Jack arrived.
"I know what you're going to say, Jack, so don't even bother," Daniel said before the colonel could even open his mouth.
"Don't bother saying that I should have been there or don't bother saying that you did a really good thing?"
Shocked, Daniel stared at Jack. "You're . . . not mad?"
"I didn't say I wasn't mad, Daniel. Like I said, I should have been there. You also should have put a little more thought into your own welfare, though it doesn't surprise me in the least that you didn't. I'd probably faint from shock if you ever actually considered your own well-being first. But, despite that, you did a good thing. The Russians owe us one for this. Maybe they'll stop being a pain in the ass about their involvement in the program."
Late that afternoon, Vaselov came to Daniel's office.
"Doctor Jackson, I wish to thank you again. I also wanted to say goodbye."
"Goodbye?"
"Yes. I will be going back to Russia early tomorrow morning. Though the Stargate Program is an incredible opportunity for anyone in the military, transferring here was not a decision I made. I must return to Russia so that I may take the time to decide if this is where I wish to be. I love my homeland, and leaving it is not something I could do easily. But in this short time I have been here, I have seen how very important what the men and women do here is. To be a part of that would be a great honor. It could be that, someday, I will return." He smiled at Daniel. "And, when I do, I know that I will have at least one good friend who will welcome me."
Daniel smiled as well. "Count on it." He held out his hand, which the Russian shook. "Good luck, Alexi. I hope we'll see you again someday."
When Janet ran a new set of tests on Daniel that evening, she found that the chemical imbalances she'd detected earlier were almost back to normal. Even so, she intended to send word to the doctor at the Antarctic outpost to keep an eye on him for any signs of fatigue or other symptoms, and she extracted the usual promise from the linguist that he was to immediately report any problems.
It had been four days since Daniel's mind was interfaced with Thor's ship, and there had been no sign that the Ancient knowledge in his subconscious was leaking back into his conscious mind. Despite this, Janet still had some misgivings about Daniel being so far away if he suddenly starting having problems. The archeologist reminded her that, if that did happen, the outpost was actually the best place that he could possibly be since the stasis chamber was there. That eased the doctor's concerns.
That night, Daniel and Sam made love very slowly. With every touch Daniel gave Sam, he imparted to her his joy that she was alive. Wanting her to be totally focused on her pleasure alone, he did not establish their link, bringing her to climax twice before she took control of their lovemaking and began pleasuring him. It wasn't until their bodies were finally joined that Daniel united their spirits. They fell over the edge simultaneously a short while later.
As they lay recovering, their bodies still joined, Daniel's mind reached out to that of his lover.
'Sam.'
'Daniel?'
'It's easier to talk to you like this when we're still connected.'
Sam smiled mentally. 'Psychically . . . or physically.'
Daniel smiled as well. 'Fortunately, I'm speaking of the psychic connection. If we ever need to communicate telepathically on a mission, like to come up with a plan to outwit the bad guys, it might be possible that I could create the link without touching you.'
Sam made a little snickering snort. 'I was just thinking about if we had to be physically connected to do this. I can just picture you trying to come up with something to tell the bad guys to explain why you and I have to have sex before they start torturing us.'
Daniel almost choked on his laughter. 'Can you see the look on Jack's face?'
Sam started cracking up. 'That would be just too funny.'
'And Teal'c's eyebrow would probably become airborne.'
The lovers broke into peals of laughter, both vocally and mentally.
Daniel separated from Sam's body and lay on his back. She snuggled under his chin.
'I love you,' he mentally whispered. 'I can't even think about what would have happened if I wasn't able to bring you back.'
Sam tilted her head up and met his eyes. 'Then don't think about it. I'm alive, and I have every intention of staying that way for at least another fifty years.' She poked his chest with her finger. 'And I expect you to do the same.'
'Only fifty? I have my sight set on us celebrating our hundredth birthdays together.'
'I stand corrected.'
With matching smiles, the lovers closed their eyes and drifted away into sleep, their link bringing shared dreams of joy and the years ahead.
The next morning, the three human members of SG-1 gathered in the gate room to say goodbye to Teal'c. General Hammond had given the Jaffa permission to go to Albaren and spend some time with his son. He would be gone for two weeks.
"Have fun with that rack thing, T," Jack said.
"I do not believe that the Ra'kon Akel will be 'fun', O'Neill. However, it will bring me more pleasure than any other I have performed."
"Say hi to Rya'c and Bra'tac for us," Daniel said.
"I will."
Just then, the Stargate burst to life. Jack, Daniel and Sam said a final goodbye to their teammate, then watched as he walked up the ramp and disappeared through the event horizon. The gate shut down a moment later.
Daniel and Sam went off to finish some projects as Jack went off to deal with some paperwork that Hammond had insisted he do before he left. It was only a fraction of what he'd have waiting for him once he returned from Antarctica.
Work had gotten underway to repair the damage Daniel had wrought to the base, both to Levels 24 and 25 and to the staircase. A few people in charge of the SGC's budget had complained about the expense, that is until Hammond pointed out that it was a small price to pay when you considered that the result was removing Anubis as a threat to Earth . . . and keeping Daniel alive to continue fighting the Goa'uld.
Unfortunately for Daniel – or at least he thought it was unfortunate – the whole thing with Anubis had lifted his reputation up another few notches. Everyone was talking about how he'd beaten the half-ascended Goa'uld. There was also a lot of talk about how he'd brought Sam back to life and then healed Colonel Vaselov. It seemed like Daniel couldn't walk twenty feet without a pat on the back or some word of praise or congratulations. It was extremely embarrassing, and the archeologist was glad that he'd be leaving for Antarctica tomorrow. By the time he got back, this would all be in the past.
That evening, Sam and Daniel were in their respective homes, finishing their packing. Because they'd be getting up so early to catch their flight, they'd decided that the easiest thing to do would be for each of them to spend the night at their own places. In that way, they could take care of all the last little things that would need to be done in the morning to close up their houses for the time they'd be away, which could be several weeks.
This would be the first full night that they'd spent alone at home since they became lovers, and neither one of them was looking forward to it.
It was around nine o'clock when Daniel's phone rang. He didn't even have to look at the Caller ID to know that it was Sam.
"Hi," he said, smiling even though he knew she couldn't see him.
"Hi," Sam said back. "Did you get your packing done?"
"Pretty much. I'm putting the last things in now. How about you?"
"All done."
There was a moment of silence, then Sam said, "This is really pathetic, you know."
"I know."
"Four weeks and it's already an addiction. I want you here with me."
"And I want you here with me. I'm not expecting to get much sleep tonight."
"Me neither. All I can say is that they'd better have quarters that will accommodate two people at the outpost."
The lovers talked on the phone for the next hour, until they decided that they should go to bed and try to get some sleep. It was going to be a very long flight.
"See you in the morning," Sam said. "Love you."
"Love you, too, Sam. Good night."
Daniel hung up the phone and got ready for bed. The bed felt cold and lonely without Sam there beside him. Though it wasn't even remotely the same circumstances, it made him think about that first night he spent without Sha're after she was taken by Apophis.
That thought made Daniel realize that not once since he and Sam became lovers had Sha're entered his mind, though it seemed like she should have. Sam was the first woman he'd been with since his wife died, only the second woman in his entire life that he'd truly loved.
Daniel thought about that, about how his feelings for Sam compared to what he'd felt for Sha're. In some ways, it was the same, but, in others, it was very different. He had loved Sha're with all his heart, but there had always been this tiny gap between them, the differences in their personalities and interests something that they had never fully bridged. Sha're had a love for learning, but she never matched Daniel's unquenchable thirst for knowledge or his passion for archeology. When he found the map room, she had been interested at first, but then left him to pursue his archeological interests alone or with one of the Abydonian boys, which, more often than not, was Tobay, who, much to Daniel's dismay, had developed a bit of hero worship toward him.
With Sam, it was different. Though it was true that they did not share all the same interests, and their personalities differed in many ways, the two of them seemed to fit together perfectly, like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. They complemented each other. Daniel knew that, sooner or later, there would be arguments and disagreements, but he also knew that they would always be able to work things out.
With warm thoughts of Sam in his mind, Daniel closed his eyes. Minutes later, he was asleep.
