You can't save them all - can you? pt 6
You can't save them all - can you? pt 6
by whisper99
Summary: A slow day at the SGC has brought the team a mystery. The team
finally gets some answers.
Category: Alternate Universe, Mystery
Season: Season 7
Pairing: none
Rating: 13+
Warnings: minor language
Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. I have written this story for entertainment purposes only and no money whatsoever has exchanged hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations, and story are the property of the author(s).
Archived on: 2004-11-11
Stargate & SG-1 belong to lots of other people and entities. Jess was my idea. Thank goodness for late night visits from the Muse.
***Later***
Daniel enters the room, finding Jess sitting on her bed, eyes half-lidded. She lifts her head on hearing someone enter the room and smiles apologetically when she sees who it is.
"I'm really sorry about that." She gestures to her own eye, as Daniel fingers the tape holding the cut together above his left brow.
"Ah...ok,,,thanks. Would you care to explain why you hit me?"
He moves to starts to sit at the foot of the bed, but she shakes her head, pulling her legs up close to her body, saying, "You scared me. Um...It'd be better if you sat there." And she points to a chair close to the door.
"Oook..." and he moves to sit where she pointed. "So...you wanted to see me?"
Jess nods slowly, not looking at him as she fingers her cast. "Yeah...I...I'm going to tell you some stuff I've never talked to anyone about. So I'm sorry if I ramble but I've never had the practice of telling it, you see."
"Allright" he says as he watches her carefully, sitting back in his chair.
Jess hugs a pillow close to her body as she continues, "I was crazy once...I mean, really nuts, out of my mind...I think the clinical term was borderline psychotic. I was about 9, maybe 10 at the time... it's actually hard to remember."
"But you're better now, right" Daniel asks, sounding a bit alarmed.
She laughs, a short quick sound, "Oh yeah. I'm all kinds a better now. That was a long time ago, Daniel."
"My point is...back when I was crazy...you...I mean, my uncle Daniel was there with me. See...and this is important for you to understand..." she takes a deep breath to steady her voice, "After the war, my dad made a lot of enemies...He sent my uncle and I away, to keep us safe I think, but um...I guess something went wrong - I dunno what since I never could bring myself to find out later." Fiddling with her cast, she continues, "What I'm trying to say is...it was a bad time. Some people we didn't know came to the place we were staying and my uncle got mad and started arguing with them. I don't think they liked what he was saying, because more men came and then they started to fight. Somebody was holding me so I couldn't do anything to help. Then he started screaming at me, telling me to look away but I didn't because I wanted to see what was happening." She sits silently for a while, looking down at the pillow she has clutched in her hands.
Daniel asks gently, "What happened, Jess? What did they do?"
Jess works her jaw for a moment, sitting quietly as she alternately grabs the pillow with her good hand and lets it go. Finally she says, "They stabbed him. He was very brave, I think, because he didn't scream or anything. Not at first anyway, but the man that did it started twisting it around so I guess it must've hurt then because he did start screaming." Jess' voice drifts away.
Daniel sits, unsure of what say.
She continues, "I don't remember much of what happened for a long time after." Jess sniffles, wiping her eyes with the back of her good hand. "See, all I knew was that I was just waiting for him...to wake up and take me home."
Daniel whispers, "God...I'm so sorry."
She shakes her head, tugging at a ragged end of the cast on her arm, "Don't be. Wasn't your fault..." Shrugging her shoulders slightly, she continues, "I'd guess about a year after that... something different happened. I decided I was tired of waiting so I went looking for him. I got lost for awhile but I did finally find him." She lifts her gaze, looking now at Daniel with red-rimmed eyes, "Do you know what he said?"
Daniel nods slowly, answering, "My name is Daniel. But I'm...
"...I'm not your uncle." She finishes for him. "In my whole life, I can't remember being any happier than I was at that moment. I'd found him...and I knew everything was going to be ok. He...you... showed me the way home...".
"I woke up then...and I got better. Doctors said it was some new drugs they'd started me on. I never really gave it much thought...up until today." Taking a deep breath, she straightens her legs, sniffling some more she wipes her nose now with the pillow. "So...now you know why I freaked when you said what you said...all this time I thought it was just some weird hallucination. I hope you can understand. I didn't even think you were real when I saw you after I woke up here, y'know."
Daniel nods, saying, "Yeah...I got that. We all figured it was the concussion."
Running a hand through her hair again, she continues, "Well...yeah, I can see that." Reaching for the bottle of pills on the tabletop, she pulls the cap off with her teeth and downs two more. "Damn arm won't stop throbbing...I guess I deserve that."
Daniel asks, "You sure you should be taking so much of that?" but Jess shrugs, saying, "It's Tylenol...". Changing the subject, she says, "So...you know...about this whole Ancient thing you were talking about earlier. Um...and this is where my life gets a little more complicated."
Daniel perks up at this, asking, "So you do know something about the being that came through the gate ahead of you?" Smiling gently, he asks, "And how could it possibly get more complicated?"
She shakes her head, "Believe me, it can." She bites her lower lip as she tries to scratch an itch inside the cast, saying a bit hesitantly, "But about the creepy-crawly, no, I don't think I know anything about that. But the thing is, about that whole Ancient business, and I have no idea if this is going to make any sense to you, but, it's really important for you to keep in mind that I'm still mostly, um, y'know...human."
Standing swiftly, Daniel starts to pace the room, looking her over "Are you trying to tell me you're an Ancient?"
She shakes her head quickly, watching him as he moves, appearing agitated, "No, no, nonono...Um...but, um, I do have it on real good authority that my mom was."
He looks at her, smiling suddenly as realization begins to dawn, "So that's the connection then. That's probably how you were able to call me to you. How amazing is that? You were just a little kid. Do you know what this means??"
She looks up at him, shaking her head, "I have no idea...I'm still trying to fight the feeling this is some kind of freaky coma-induced dream."
Daniel gets all excited, forgetting her warning, he sits next to her on the bed, talking excitedly, "I was once ascended, Jess...that's how you and I were able to communicate."
"You mean to tell me you were all...octopussy?" " She wiggles the fingers on her good hand to mimic the wispy tendrils of an ascended being. She reaches out a finger and gently pokes him in the shoulder, "You feel pretty solid to me...just like you did back then."
He blinks, pushing his glasses higher up the bridge of his nose as he says, "Well...I'm human now. Um...but that's a long story. The thing is Jess...you obviously have some kind of gift. It's an amazing thing! We've never been able to communicate with an ascended unless they wanted to talk to us first." Unthinking, he reaches out and puts a hand on her shoulder, "With you, we'll be able to, to...open the lines of communication with them! Try to get them off that damn fence they're on and convince them to help us!"
Not moving, Jess raises her red-rimmed eyes slowly to meet with Daniels as she says, "Slow down there, superman...um..this is just all a bit much for me to take right now."
Daniel finally notices his excitement isn't shared and he scoots back a bit, giving Jess some space. "I'm sorry...I didn't mean to jump all over you like that."
She smiles softly, "It's all right...I'm just...so you're saying that thing took me from my home and brought me here? Why? So I can be a glorified operator?"
Daniel nods quickly, answering, "Yes...well...maybe...um...actually, I don't know."
They both look up as there is a soft knock on the door and Jack steps inside. "Hey kids...just making sure you both are all right. It's been real quiet in here."
Jess raises both hands, palms facing out saying, "I haven't touched him...I poked him once, but that was real gentle like." She offers him a half-smile.
Daniel stands from the bed, looking a bit frustrated that they've been interrupted, "I'm fine Jack. We've really made some progress."
Jack leans against the wall, nodding as he looks Jess over, "Yes, but you've been in here for almost two hours."
"Jack, I don't think that her being here is an accident. And she's not some Goa'uld trick...She's telling us the truth."
"And you say that because...?"
"Because she and I have met before, when she was a little girl and I was ascended. And there's something else Jack."
Daniel places both hands on Jack's shoulders, pulls him closer to where Jess sits on the bed, and whispers "She's not human."
She pipes up, "I'm mostly human."
"She's half Ancient."
Jack gives Jess a long look, finally asking in disbelief, "Nooo...your dad? With an Ancient?"
Jess nods twice.
"She cute?"
Jess nods three times.
Jack stares at Jess, saying, "Sweet."
Jess stands from the bed, running her good hand through her hair as she begins to pace, "This is so messed up. I've been kidnapped by a creepy looking thing, literally dumped God only knows where or when, end up talking to a guy whose been dead for the last 8 years and all he" she gestures with her finger, pointing at Jack, "can think about if is my mom was cute. That's just so gross...ugh. Can you both just get out? I need to think or something."
Daniel and Jack exchange glances, and Jack nods, "Oh yeah, sure...sorry about that."
Daniel offers Jess a sympathetic look, saying, "We'll talk again some more tomorrow, ok?"
She nods, saying, "Sure." As they both leave.
*To be continued - Feedback will be appreciated!!*
If you enjoyed this story, please send feedback to whisper99
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