You can't save them all - can you? pt 18
You can't save them all - can you? pt 18
by Whisper99
Summary: A slow day at the SGC has brought the team a mystery. Chapter: A Begining
Category: Mystery
Season: any Season
Pairing: none
Rating: 13+
Warnings: none
Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. This story was created for entertainment purposes only. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations, and story are the property of the author(s).
Archived on: 08/20/05
Stargate & SG-1 belong to lots of other people and entities. Jess was my idea. Thank goodness for late night visits from the Muse.
Note: This is it...the last chapter in this story. And the end of the day, after all is said and done, no matter how good or bad it is...life goes on...
I hope you enjoy.
One month later - Early Morning
Jack heads over to the VIP room assigned to Jess. He doesn't bother knocking as the door is wide open and he walks in. "Hey."
She sits at a table, quietly putting together a large puzzle and looks up at him, "Hey. You clean up nice."
He grins at her, looking down at himself and adjust the jacket of his dress blues.
He walks over to her, tilting his head slightly so he can see which puzzle she's working on. It's a scenic picture of a stormy beach, waves crashing into a pier and the sun just setting in the distance. He asks, "Didn't you do this one already?"
She shrugs slightly, turning back to her puzzle and fits another piece in, "Yeah...but I like this one. The doctor says it's therapeutic."
"Right...but you sure he didn't mean maybe putting together new ones?" He asks as he makes his way to sit on the edge of her bed and leans over to pick up the little brown bear that sits on her pillow.
She ignores the question, picking through the pile of loose puzzle pieces. He gives the bear a once over, he starts to play catch with it. "Well, ok then. Uh, I came by to let you know that I'm off to, you know, do that thing, in about an hour."
She nods, not looking up at him and says, "Ok."
Jack tosses the bear back onto the bed as he stands, ready to head out. Pausing at the door he asks, "Jess...I was just wondering..." he clears his throat and asks again, "I want to know what you..."
Holding the next puzzle piece between her thumb and forefinger, Jess doesn't look up at him as she cuts him off, saying softly, "Jack, don't. I can't have what I want, so please don't ask."
Jack nods, rubbing under his chin as he watches her work the puzzle. Her words remind him of the last ditch effort of contacting the Asgard to see if they could find her a way home. Impossible, they said...there is no way to assure which universe to send her back to and even less likely to send her to the correct time. Ok O'Neill, you know that's not an option. She's here now and all you've got to do is this one last thing that'll pretty much guarantee her safety. You owe me, O'Neill. Oh? To hell I do! I don't even know you...Jack shakes his head slightly as he has this argument with his imaginary other self. He looks at the girl sitting across from him, her words echoing in his ears and he knows what he has to do. "Alright then. So we do this my way. No complaints, ok?"
She nods, finding another piece and says, "No sir. No complaints." As he turns to leave the room, she mutters under her breath, "Just a few objections, probably." and she gives up on the puzzle, staring at the door.
Later that afternoon
Hammond looks up as someone knocks on his door. He sees Jack holding a manila envelope in his hands.
"Come in, Colonel. How did it go?
"As we expected Sir." He gestures to the envelope in his hands as he steps inside the office. "It's all been signed, sealed and it's just waiting for delivery."
Hammond smiles and stands, extending his hand, "I suppose congratulations are in order."
Jack looks a bit bemused as he shakes the offered hand, "Thank you sir. It's kind of weird."
"Having second thoughts?"
"No...no, sir. It's just...I never thought I'd be playing this role again."
"Well, it is an unusual case. I'd wager you've set precedent."
Jack smiles, "I suppose so. I feel I owe it to the other me."
"I understand son. Have you told her the news yet?"
"No...I wanted to see you first. I have a request. I was hoping to take a few days off. Y'know...to get things settled."
"Take a week Jack. Do what you have to."
Jack nods, "Thank you sir."
Short time later
Jack heads to Daniel's office, hoping to talk to him before seeing Jess. As he approaches the office, he can hear voices and knows the girl is there. Pausing right before the door, he quickly rehearses his speech and grins, thinking of the reaction he'll get. He walks in and states, "Well, it's official, you're now an O'Neill."
Sure enough, Jess rolls her eyes at that but offers him a smile as she asks, "So I'm legal? No longer an unclassified entity? A card carrying member of Clan O'Neill?"
Jack nods as he hands her the manila envelope. She opens it and dumps the contents on Daniel's desk.
Daniel smiles at Jack, "Congratulations. Shouldn't you be passing out cigars with little pink bands on them?"
"Thanks and uh...maybe later." He looks at Jess, who has gone quiet as she looks over the paperwork. He asks, "Well?"
Pouring through the contents, she asks, "What...you couldn't get me a drivers license?" She sighs, looking at the birth certificate, "Y'know, would it have been so hard to make me eighteen, seeing as you're already forging these records?"
Daniel counters, "If you want to get technical about it, we could have kept your birth year and made you three."
Jess blinks. She looks between the two of them before she sticks her tongue out at Daniel.
Sam comes in and asks, "Hi guys. You're back early, Sir. I take it everything went well?"
Jess grins at her and then drawls out an answer before Jack can, "Yeah-huh. I am officially the result of a youthful indiscretion of one Colonel Jonathan O'Neill."
Sam says, "Uh...so that's the, official story you settled on?"
Jack shrugs, "It's a simple enough to remember."
Sam smiles as she moves over to Jess, "So Jess, have you decided which school you're going to yet?"
Jack winces slightly as Sam breaks this news.
Jess eyes Sam, "School?"
Daniel offers, "Yeah, as in high school."
Jess snorts and says in disbelief, "I'm not going to high school."
Jack tries to mollify her, "You tell `em Jess."
Daniel chastises, "Jack! You aren't helping."
Jack frowns, nodding, "Yeah, he's right. If you don't go, I'll end up in jail or something. I'm pretty sure it's illegal to keep you out of school. I think."
Daniel and Sam glare at him and Jack offers them a helpless shrug.
"Jack, I thought we agreed I'd stick to doing my school work using the computer."
"Well...no. If you had been paying any attention, I said we'd make the change slow, but it's going to happen."
Sam offers, "I know it's different than what you're used to, but we all agree that..."
Jess starts to put away the various papers back into the envelope and says, slightly exasperated, "Yes, yes, I know. Acclimate, incorporate and integrate, yeah, yeah, I got it." She shoots a look at Jack and offers him a sweet smile as she says under her breath, "My therapist is going to cost you a fortune, old man."
Jack makes a face and asks, "Daniel, remind me again why this was a good idea?"
Daniel grins, "Because it's the right thing to do, Jack."
"Right." Jack straightens as he looks over at Jess and asks, "Ready to blow this popsicle stand?"
Jess stares at the envelope containing her old but new identity before she returns his gaze. She says quietly, "You know, nothing good ever came from me being out there."
Jack looks at her and says simply, "C'mon. Let's go home." He reaches out to her, puts his arm around her shoulders and walks her out.
Epilogue
The sounds of the ocean crashing along the shore surround Shifu as he watches the girl. She sits close enough to the water that the waves break around her and by her smile it seems she enjoys the feeling of it. A voice calls out her name and he watches as she reluctantly leaves the tranquility the beach offers her to rejoin the others at the house by the sea.
He goes back to sit in idle contemplation. His thoughts stray in a hundred directions as he picks through his emotions and tries to find one that makes sense. So caught up is he that he does not notice the subtle change in the air around him.
She stands next to the boy and smiles softly, certain sadness in her eyes. She reaches out and touches his head, stroking his hair and smiles as he looks up, surprised.
"Oma."
She asks in a soft voice, "What have you learned on your journey since we last saw each other?"
"I have learned...patience...how to observe..."
"Without interference?"
He does not answer but continues, "I have learned...restlessness..." and he falters.
She smiles softly as she cups his chin in her hand and tells him, "It is love that causes living beings to awaken from their sleep."
He admits sadly, "I could not let her die. I...I see myself in her." He lowers his gaze and asks, "Am I to be punished now?"
"Your love was pure in its motivation as were your actions in saving her." Oma watches as the girl makes her way once again from the house back to the ocean, letting a towel drop behind her as she steps into the water. A voice from the house admonishes a warning to not swim out too far.
"One can argue that this..." and she gestures before her, "is punishment enough. Love requires effort because it takes responsibility for all living beings, not just one. "
"It is only one I care about. Will she ever understand?"
"Will you, child?" Oma smiles sadly, stroking his hair again, "A broken mirror never reflects again; fallen flowers never go back to the old branches. Nothing is gained without seeing."
Hope flares in his chest at her words and he focuses now on this new sensation, this new feeling and he does not notice when Oma leaves.
-Fin?
Footnote:
FACTS:
A Stargate: Constructed a millennia ago by the Ancients, it is a massive, circular ring with an inner track of 39 symbols representing star constellations, capable of sending people and objects hundreds of thousands of light-years via an interstellar conduit.
Ancient Technology: Some ancient technology can be controlled by the mind of an operator, if the operator possesses a rare gene from the Ancients that allows them to use the technology.
Jonathan "Jack" O'Neill: The Asgard saw the potential of the human race in Jack and chose to ally themselves with Earth. Thor has even revealed that the Asgard have found the colonel to be quite unique -- the next stage in human evolution.
Ayiana: An unascended Ancient who was left behind on Earth when the Ancients left between five and 10 million years ago. She was the first sign that Ancients were, in fact, earlier versions of advanced humans -- the first evolution of our form of life. Samantha Carter and Janet Fraiser theorized that the Ancients may have evolved millions of years before humans; our resemblance to them also implies that they played a deliberate role in our evolution.
We know that there are an infinite number of alternate realities. (See episodes There But For The Grace Of God, Point of View)
SUPPOSITION:
Ancient Technology: What if all Ancient technology could be controlled by the mind of an operator? The Stargate opens interstellar conduits; it is therefore reasonable to assume it may have been considered safer to operate via a DHD or a handheld device, since these objects have built in safety mechanisms to avoid certain accidents (see episodes 1969 and Red Sky). If a Stargate is operated via the mind of an operator, who is to say that the interstellar conduits can't rip through dimensions given the right circumstances...or the right talent.
Shifu: The harcesis child. With instruction from the being known as Oma Desala, he has ascended to a higher plane of existence, where he no longer has need of a physical body. Much influenced by Daniel Jackson's example, he mimics his friends' act of selflessness and takes action for the first time by rescuing Jess O'Neill. His actions have opened the way for Jess' future. He is also a boy in love.
Jessmin "Jess" O'Neill; Originally from an alternate reality, she is the unlikely product of the union between Jack O'Neill & the Ancient known as Ayiana. One such as she holds the key to human evolution in her hands...her existence the link between all that was once lost to the dim past and all that could be in the future. Given the chance, she may take human evolution beyond the next step into realms unknown.
Shifu and Jessmin: Alone, their potential is vast. It is beyond imagination what they could accomplish together.
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