“Go Austin,” a young woman’s voice sounded as she ushered a small redhead girl out the door. “Hurry, we haven’t much time.” Austin followed her mother and brother quickly as they rushed from the small village of Raais into the woods that surrounded it. “Hurry Austin,” she called to the young child that was falling behind. Her brother Nikolas ran up behind her and picked her up. She was six years old that day. It was the last day she saw her mother and her brother. In fact, it was the last day she saw anyone from Raais. That was the last day she had any sort of contact with another human. For the next twenty-two years she was completely alone.

That all changed, however, one evening in early fall. Austin had been in her home, cooking herself supper when she thought she heard footsteps in the woods. Her hearing was acute and she could hear for miles, it made up for her lack of sight. The girl was blind she had been all her life. Austin put out the fire in the stove and walked to the door. She stood in the doorway and closed her eyes. The footsteps continued. Austin walked out of her house. She wore a pair of black boots she had made and a simple peasant dress that had belonged to her mother. The dress by now was torn and dirty, the only one she had. It barely covered her up at all, but no one was there to see her so it didn’t matter.

She had short fiery red hair that curled around her freckled face. It brought out her emerald green, sightless eyes. Her hair and eyes had always set her apart as a child. She was the only one in the village’s history to have red hair and green eyes. Some saw her as a demon, others a messenger from the gods. To her mother she was simply Austin, a bright eyed, inquisitive, and outgoing little girl.

Austin was no little girl anymore. She walked through the woods effortlessly until finally stopping in her tracks. The footsteps were behind her now, getting closer. She was certain, whoever was there was close enough to see her. She turned slowly as she heard someone clear their throat. Austin’s hands shook terribly. She didn’t like to show fear; animals in the forest could sense it. The last human contact she remembered killed her mother and brother. She couldn’t help but be frightened. She heard someone step forward. There was more than one person; she could hear the rustling of the fallen leaves. When the steps got closer she moved back.

“Wait wait,” she heard a man’s voice say. She only vaguely remembered the sound of a voice. It had been so long since she heard one. She had stopped speaking for fear that her voice would bring them back. She took another step backwards and fell, but a hand grabbed her arm and pulled her up. The hand was strong, it reminded her of her father when she was very young. “We’re not going to hurt you,” the voice whispered. “Where do you live?”

It had to be them, they came back. Austin chided herself for not being able to remember what her mother had called them. She didn’t take time to dwell on that though. Austin quickly broke free of the man’s grip and took off running. She ran through the trees with ease, she knew where every tree, every branch and every stick was in this forest; it had been her home for over twenty years. She quickly found that she could not run fast enough. A man grabbed hold of her arm, stopping her suddenly and pulling her back to him. It took her a moment to register that it was the same man. “Whoa,” the man said. What did that mean? “Easy there, we’re not going to hurt you.”

“No, no,” another man’s voice said. “We were just wondering where your village is, where the other people are.” The man sighed and Austin’s eyes searched frantically for his voice. She knew that blindness was a weakness and she didn’t want anyone to know. Unfortunately she did not hide it well. “You can’t see me can you,” the man asked as the other slowly loosened his grip on her hand. “My name is Daniel Jackson,” he said to her. Austin felt the man lift up her hand and place it on his face. She closed her eyes and ran her fingertips over his face. It was something she hadn’t had in years. Human contact. After a moment Austin slowly dropped her hands to the side. They didn’t speak like the ones before. He didn’t feel like one of them. “These are my friends, we’re from the Earth,” he said slowly. Austin had heard that before when she was very little. She remembered hearing it as a safe place. Austin’s face lit up when he spoke.

“I’m Cameron,” the other man said. Austin raised her hand and much to Cameron’s displeasure, she ran her fingers over his face, forming the picture in her mind. “This is Sam.” Austin felt much more delicate hands take hers. A woman, Sam was a woman. “Teal’c.” Another set of hands, much bigger than the others, and much stronger took hers. She ran her fingers over his face and jumped back. Jaffa. Fear filled her eyes. “Umm… don’t worry he’s on our side,” Cameron said with a laugh.

“And I’m Vala,” another woman’s voice said, turning Austin around. “Nice to meet you. So, where’s your little town huh?”

Austin stood there for a long time, completely silent and still as stone. It had been so long since anyone had spoken to her, since she had heard another voice, felt another’s touch. She didn’t know what to think. Then their words registered. Her village? The people? She stretched out her hand until she found the one called Daniel. She took hold of his hand, her own small pale hand trembling. Daniel looked down at her, unsure of what to do for her. She was thin, too thin, and terribly fragile looking. Austin shook her head. Then she took Daniel’s hand and led him back to the village. She didn’t remember how to tell him there was no one there, so she had to show him.

She led them back to the empty village and showed them the graves she had managed to make for several of the people. It had taken a long time to do so and there were still many bodies lying on the ground, the smell was pungent but she had gotten used to it. “Oh my god,” Daniel said as they got closer and he took a breath. He looked at the village as they entered it. There were still at least twenty bodies that had been buried and lay in the middle of the town decomposing. “Is there anyone here,” he asked the girl. She shook her head.

Daniel sighed and turned back to the other, letting go of Austin’s hand. “Well, first off she needs medical attention and food. From the looks of things it’s been a long time since these people died and she’s been alone for all of it.” Daniel sighed and ran his hands through his hair. “Why don’t we take her back with us, get her some clothes,” he said pointing to her. He was sure they had noticed that she was all but naked. He felt so bad for this girl. “Get her some food, a warm place to stay. It might take a while before she speaks, if she even can.” Daniel sighed and looked back at her as she continued working on the graves. He looked down as his foot hit a book. Then he picked it up. “The book of Origin,” he said simply. “It must have been the Ori that did this. I’m gonna look around, see what I can see.”

“I’ll let her know what’s going on, see if she wants to come back with us, maybe I can get a name out of her.” They all nodded in agreement. Daniel and Vala investigated the houses while Sam checked out the woods around the village. Cameron walked up to Austin and knelt down next to her. She was patting down the dirt that covered a grave. He noticed a tear fall onto the soil. “Hey,” he said softly, lifting her chin slowly so he could see her face. “Shh," he whispered wiping the tears away with his thumb. “It isn’t safe for you to be alone like this. You need food, and clothing. We can give you that. Now you don’t have to say yes, but we can give you a safe, warm place to stay. We came here through the Stargate, do you know what that is.” Austin nodded slowly, she vaguely remembered hearing stories about the Stargate. “Do you want to come back to Earth with us?” Austin lowered her head, resting in on the mound of dirt that incased the body of her older brother Nikolas. After a moment she sat up again and nodded slowly. “Good, let me just let the folks back home know.” He smiled and patted her on the head as he stood.

Cameron found Daniel and told him that she agreed. Then he went back to the Stargate, which wasn’t too far away actually. He dialed home. “Landry,” the voice on the other side answered. “You find something we should know about Col.?”

“Sorta sir,” he said with a laugh as he looked into the camera on the MALP. “We found a girl sir. She looks to be in her mid twenties. We found her in the woods outside her village. There’s no one else there sir. Everyone else was killed, most of them still haven’t been buried, though it looks like she’s been trying.”

“This girl have a name Col.? Is she dangerous?”

“I highly doubt she’s dangerous sir. She looks like she could use a good meal though, and some clothes. What she’s wearing is pretty tattered. Daniel thought it might be best to bring her back here, get her away from the smell of rotting flesh for a while. I came back to get the okay.”

Landry sighed and it took a long time before he answered. “All right, we’ll get a room set up and have a medical team available as soon as you get back.”

“Sir, I don’t think the medical team is necessary. She’s been alone for a long time; I don’t think it’s a good idea to swarm her now. Plus she’s blind she might get scared. If you could just have a blanket or something ready that we could cover her up in when we get there, that’d be great.”

“All right, we’ll have that for way.”

“We’ll be through in a few minutes sir. Jackson’s just giving this place a look over see if there’s anything we missed. We’re pretty sure the Ori did this sir.”

“All right, but we’ll know more when this girl is ready to talk.”

“Yes sir. Mitchell out.” With that Cameron turned and walked back to the village. He saw Austin where he had left her and Daniel, Teal’c, Sam, and Vala met up with him.

“Did you talk to General Landry,” Daniel asked.

“Yeah, he said she’s welcome.”

“I’ll get her you guys to back and dial home, I’ll meet you at the gate,” Daniel said as he walked over to Austin. He knelt down in front of her and watched her silently for along time as she ran her hand along the ground. “Family?” She raised her head towards his voice and nodded. Daniel sighed and took her hand, helping her up. “Come on, we’ll get you something to eat and let a doctor look at you all right?” She didn’t answer but Daniel assumed since she was walking with him that she agreed.

He led her to the gate, which was already open, and Vala was standing there. “The others went through, just waitin on you.”

Daniel nodded and he, Vala, and Austin stepped through the gate at the same time. They both appeared on the other side almost instantly. Austin was shaking and huddled close to Daniel. “Shh,” he whispered. She shook as the sirens went off and Daniel looked at Landry. The sirens stopped and the Gate closed behind them. She jumped but Daniel assured her that it was all right. He grabbed the blanket from Siler and wrapped it around Austin’s shoulders. “There ya go,” he whispered as he led her down the ramp slowly.

“Welcome,” General Landry said as he walked up to her. He took her hand and shook it slowly. “I am General Hank Landry,” he said with a smile, even though she couldn’t see it. She closed her eyes, his voice was so much like her father’s. “Please come this way. We have an excellent medical facility-”

“General,” Daniel interrupted. “I honestly don’t think she cares,” he said with a laugh.

“Of course,” General Landry answered. He led them to the infirmary and that’s when Dr. Lam took over. There were a lot of voices and Austin was getting confused and frightened. But she felt Daniel sit down on the table next to her and take her hand.

“Don’t worry,” he said softly. “No one’s going to hurt you.” Dr. Lam drew some blood and did a couple of X-rays. After Austin was done Daniel led her to the cafeteria. He got her a seat and some food then sat down across from her. Austin just picked at her food for a little while. Have you ever spoken before,” he asked softly. She nodded slowly. “Oh, good. All right, I know you aren’t going to be speaking right away,” he began, “but I was wondering if you knew how to write? I know being blind it might be difficult but you seem like a very smart woman, surviving on her own for so long. I thought you might know. Do you?”

Austin nodded slowly. It was the one thing she kept teaching herself to do while she raised herself. Daniel smiled and handed her a piece of paper and a put a pen in her right hand, which she abruptly switched to her left. Daniel laughed and shook his head; he didn’t think she might be left handed. “Can you write your name?” She nodded slowly. With much concentration Austin slowly wrote her name down on the paper then handed it back to him. “Austin,” he said quietly. “Is that how you say it?” She nodded slowly and smiled. “Well then, hello Austin, I’m Daniel,” he said taking her hand and shaking it. She eventually finished her food and Daniel led her to her room. “It’s not much but it has a bed.” She smiled and gave him a hug, which he didn’t expect. He hugged her back and smiled. “You should get some rest,” he whispered. She nodded and when he left she climbed into bed and quickly fell asleep.

Daniel walked into the briefing room; it was only three o’clock in the afternoon there. Daniel walked in and saw everyone was waiting for him. He smiled awkwardly and sat down in one of the chairs. “Have you found anything Dr. Jackson,” General Landry asked.

“She can write sir,” he said simply. “Which gives us some kind of communication with her until she’s become comfortable with speaking. Which she has been able to do in the past so I believe she has the ability to do. She has spoken in the past. I believe it’s been the seclusion that has led to her not speaking. I asked her to write down her name. Her name is Austin,” he said finally and leaned back in the chair. “Has Dr. Lam found anything unusual in her blood work?”

Sam shook her head. “She said that everything about her was normal, except she was a little underweight. She should be fine in a few days with good meals and rest. A shower would be a good idea too, I’ll help her out with that.” Sam glared at Cameron when he laughed.

“It will take some time sir but I think she might be an asset to us. She doesn’t seem to know who did this to her village, and if she does I highly doubt she believes them gods. We have yet to run into any survivors of something like this. I think she might be a good asset.”

General Landry sighed and nodded. “I’m putting her in your charge Dr. Jackson,” he said simply.

“Yes sir,” he said with a nod. He sighed and walked out of the briefing room and passed Austin’s room. He opened the door and looked in at her as she slept peacefully. Sam stopped by him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“You okay,” she asked in a whisper so she wouldn’t wake up Austin.

Daniel looked over at her and smiled. “Yeah,” he said with a sigh. “I was just thinking. She must have been through hell. I mean she had to have raised herself,” he said with a sigh. “She was constantly surrounded by the smell of her family dying,” he said with a sigh. “That’s no way for a kid to grow up.” Daniel sighed and shook his head. He could relate to her, losing her parents so early in life, the same had happened to him. “I’m got some work to do, I’ll be in my office,” he said with a sigh. Then he walked passed Sam and left her there. Sam closed Austin’s door and sighed. Then she walked into her lab.

Inside Austin’s room she slept peacefully, or at least that’s what it seemed like. In her mind she replayed the night her family died. They had been running to find her father to be safe from the men that came with their staves and books. She had never learned who those men were. In the corner of her room as her dreams raged on the faux palm in the corner caught fire. When her dreams calmed the fire went away, but the plant and desk next to it were badly burned.

¶ 6:13 PM

*Author's note: This fanfiction takes place between the episodes Maternal Instinct and Absolute Power.*

Ch. I: Promises
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The lights and sirens went off. Sergeant Harriman’s voice was heard throughout the base. “Unauthorized activation.” Jack, Sam, Daniel, and Teal’c entered the control room just in time to hear General Hammond give Harriman the order to close the iris. “We’re getting an audio transmission sir,” he said to Hammond.

“Well, lets hear it,” Hammond answered.

“Please,” a woman’s voice called. It sounded like she was afraid and in danger. However there were no sounds of danger in the background. They also took notice of the face that she was speaking in another language. She continued speaking, seeming to be pleading with them.

“Please, you must help me,” Daniel translated. “It’s a dialect of ancient Egyptian, very close to Abydonian,” he said to Jack. Jack just nodded for Daniel to continue. “Yes, uhh,” he said as he listened to more. The woman sounded like she was crying. “Please help me. You are the Tauri my father has spoken of. The ones that destroyed Ra on Abydos.” With that Jack looked over at Daniel then to General Hammond as the transmission ended and the Gate closed.

“Sir, request permission to go through and try to locate this girl,” Jack asked.

“Take SG-3 with you just incase,” Hammond answered. They left to get ready and Jack left to brief SG-3.

Daniel took a moment once he got into his office. He removed his glasses and closed his eyes. It hadn’t been long since he had lost Sha’re. Without the prospect of finding her, gate travel seemed pointless. His thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. He turned and saw Jack standing in the doorway. “I’m coming,” Daniel said almost reluctantly. Jack nodded, understanding Daniel’s hesitation. Then Jack turned and walked down the hallway. Daniel sighed and got his gear, bandana and all, on and ran after Jack.

After going through the Gate they found what seemed to be the charred remains of a forest. There was no one in sight. Jack motioned for everyone to spread out. Daniel decided to investigate a small wooded area that seemed to have survived the fire. He wasn’t there long before he heard a woman’s voice from behind him. “Stop now and live,” she said. Daniel recognized the voice as the one from the audio message. He obeyed and stopped. “Turn around,” she said in a much more commanding voice than the one in the transmission. Again, Daniel obeyed and turned around. Standing in front of him was a strikingly beautiful young woman. She had long light brown hair, the same color as his own, and dark brown eyes. She was about an inch or so shorter than him. She wore a long red dress that was dotted with gold medallions and little emerald jewels. She wore no shoes, yet her feet were surprisingly clean. She had somewhat pale skin, which accented her eyes. However, Daniel didn’t notice any of this when he turned around. The first thing he noticed was the ribbon device on her outstretched hand. “Who are you? Speak quickly and maybe I will allow you to die the same way.”

Daniel put his hands up in a don’t-shoot position. “I am Daniel Jackson. You contacted us a few hours ago. I’m from Earth, the Taur’i.”

Almost as soon as he said his name she lowered her arm and her expression became softer. “I am sorry, Daniel Jackson,” she said in a much kinder tone. “I do not know your face, only your name.” Her eyes held more of a plea for help than the icy glare of before. She was indeed very thin and now Daniel noticed small bruises and cuts on her arms. She began to fall but Daniel caught her. As he did he noticed the scare on the back of her neck.

He held her up and stared into her eyes. “You’re a Goa’uld,” he said somewhat coldly.

“N… no,” she whispered weakly. She was unable to hold that charade any longer. She had attempted to look strong but she was not.

“Then explain the entry scar.”

“My… my father… he, he tried but it didn’t work. They died.”

Daniel didn’t know if he could trust her. She had good evidence on her side. She was covered in small cuts and bruises that should have been healed by the symbiote. He decided the best idea was to take her back to the SGC and have Dr. Fraiser check her out. “Jack,” he said over his radio. “I found her.” Daniel helped her along to the Stargate. It was already open and SG-3 had gone through by the time they got there. Jack, Sam, and Teal’c ran up to Daniel as he arrived. Suddenly Daniel remembered the ribbon device. He looked down at the girl’s hand. “Can you give us that? We can’t let you through the Gate with it.” She nodded and took off the device, handing it to Jack. Then they went back through the Gate to Earth.

There were greeted by General Hammond. “I see you’ve found her.” He walked up to Daniel and the girl. “What’s your name Miss?”

“Miliah,” she whispered hiding behind Daniel somewhat.

“Sir, I think she should be sent to the infirmary. She has an entry scar but claims she’s not a Goa’uld.”

“You didn’t think that was worth mentioning before Daniel,” Jack asked a little upset.

“Then you would have left her there,” Daniel said turning back to Jack. “She could prove useful. Lets just get her checked out first all right.” Miliah looked up at Daniel as if he had stabbed her in the back. “Its only a precaution,” he said with a small smile trying to calm her. General Hammond nodded. “This way Miliah,” Daniel said leading her to the infirmary.

Daniel Waited with the rest of SG-1 and General Hammond in the briefing room. Dr. Fraiser entered with Miliah, who was now dressed in the standard issue SGC uniform. “Well, whatever she told Daniel seems to be true,” Dr. Fraiser, said. Miliah stood there for a moment not sure of what to do.

“Have you found out anything else? Where she came from? Why she was there,” General Hammond asked.

“Not much, she’s only speaking broken English,” Fraiser answered.

“I, I could talk to her,” Daniel said turning around. He had been watching SG-6 return. “I can talk to her.”

“All right Dr. Jackson,” Hammond answered. “I’m putting SG-1 on stand down for nine days.”

“Yes sir,” Daniel answered. He walked over to Miliah. “Why don’t you come with me?” She nodded and Daniel led her to one of the V.I.P. rooms. “Its not much but…”

“Its better than before,” she answered in the same language as the message.

Daniel closed the door and sat on the foot of the bed. “Yeah, about that,” he said in her language. “Where were you before? Why would our father try to blend you with the Goa’uld?”

She looked down and sat behind Daniel on the bed. She seemed very upset about what had happened. “To make me like him.”

Daniel turned almost instantly. “What do you mean like him? Your father was a Goa’uld?”

“Not my father,” she said looking up at him. Daniel moved and sat by her on the bed. “Not my real father,” she whispered in English.

“What happened to your real father,” he asked. He didn’t want to force anything to painful out of her but he needed to know these things.

“He died, so did my mother, when I was baby.” She looked down. “At least, that’s what he told me.” “He? He who?”

“The man that took me.”

“The Goa’uld?” She nodded. “What was his name?”

“Ra,” she whispered.

That’s when Daniel realized why the girl looked so familiar. She was there, on Ra’s ship. “How did you get off Ra’s ship?”

“He had one of his guards take me through the chappa’ia before you got it back.”

“Do you know he’s dead,” Daniel asked. She nodded. “What happened to you after that?”

“I was sent to one of Ra’s worlds. It was no longer under his control though. As soon as the guard and I got to the other side he was killed and I was taken to Apophis.”

The name echoed in Daniel’s mind. “Is that when he tried to make you a host?”

“He did but it didn’t work. It wasn’t the first time. My father had tried, many times. They all died. Apophis did the same, and got the same results,” she answered.

“Do you have any idea why,” Daniel asked.

She shook her head. “He said it was because I was special, different. I don’t know what he meant.”

She stopped when there was a knock on the door. Jack entered and smiled. “How go things with Mia,” Jack asked as he closed the door.

“Miliah,” she corrected him.

“I know,” he said rolling his eyes. “It’s a nickname, kind of a shortened name. Like Danny.”

“Danny,” she asked confused.

“Danny, uh, Daniel,” Daniel answered. “Like Sam. Her real name is Samantha, but her friends call her Sam.” Miliah nodded. “They’re going fine,” Daniel answered, he spoke with a tone in his voice that told Jack to leave.

Jack heard the tone in Daniel’s voice. “All right, all right,” he said then closed the door behind him as he left.

“Jack’s probably going to call you that from now on so you might want to get used to it,” Daniel said with a smile. “So he said you were special. Was this Ra, or Apophis?”

“Ra,” she answered.

“Where did Ra find you? What was the name of your people?"

“Taur… Taur’i,” she whispered.

“What,” Daniel asked. He must have misheard her. “Did you say Taur’i?” She nodded. “And Ra took you from the Taur’i?” Again she nodded. “How is that possible,” he said to himself. “Ra hasn’t been her in thousands of years.” He looked up at her. “Are you sure,” he asked. She nodded once more. “Right, well. I’m gonna let you get some rest,” he said standing up. “I’ll come back in a little bit.” She nodded and curled up on the bed.

Daniel walked into the briefing room twenty minutes later. Jack, Sam, Teal’c, and General Hammond were already there. “Why did you call us Daniel,” Jack asked slightly annoyed. He had been eating.

“I’ve found out something about Mia that I thought you should know,” Daniel said slowly walking around the table.

“And what’s that Daniel,” Jack asked a little bored and with a I-knew-something-was-wrong look.

“Well, she says she is one of the Taur’i,” Daniel answered simply. “And if that’s true then she would be thousands of years old.”

“How is possible Daniel Jackson,” Teal’c asked.

“I have no idea. I mean she could have used a sarcophagus to prolong her life but it wouldn’t last for thousands of years unless she was a host.” Daniel sighed and sat down next to Teal’c.

“Maybe she’s lying,” Jack suggested.

“Why would she do that Jack,” Daniel asked.

“Look Daniel, I know you love to think every woman we meet is good, but look at our track record. We can’t let our guard down just because she’s a woman.”

“Jack, you didn’t talk to her. She was scared and weak.” He paused and thought back to the events on P4X-382. “She had the chance to kill us all and still get through to Earth, through the Gate, back on P4X-382. Why didn’t she take it then? Why was she so willing to give up her only weapon? Jack, the Goa’uld may place a call like that to lure us but they would never resort to crying or showing weakness after we arrive. You know that as well as I do.”

“Daniel may be right sir,” Sam piped in. “What do you mean Major,” General Hammond asked.

“Well there were some strange anomalies in her blood and on a genetic level. Maybe whatever made her incompatible with the Goa’uld made it possible for the sarcophagus to sustain her life for thousands of years.”


“But she would have had to have used the sarcophagus thousands of times,”
Daniel said.

He remembered his own experience with the sarcophagus. He had become addicted to it. It had begun to change him. He sighed. “Wouldn’t it have had some sort of affect on her?”

“Not necessarily,” Sam said. “The same abnormality could also account for the affects of the sarcophagus, or lack of affects as the case may be.”

“That’s all guesswork though isn’t it Carter,” Jack asked.

“Well, yes sir. But it makes sense. She has a few scars running down her back. They appear to be entry scars for Goa’uld symbiotes. However she has no protein markers. And the chances that so many symbiotes found a new host and left her willingly are slim. She’s young and healthy. They would have no reason to find a new host. And if they died before blending with her then she wouldn’t have a protein marker.”

“And all that means,” Jack asked.

“She’s been telling the truth so far,” Sam answered.

“Teal’c,” Daniel said looking at his Jaffa friend next to him. “What do you know of this girl? She said a Apophis took her just after Ra’s defeat.

“I have been told of her but was never put in charge of her. She was put in Amonet’s care until Amonet found a new host.”

“Sha’re,” Daniel whispered mournfully.

“Indeed. Just before leaving Apophis’ services I had heard that she would be put under the guardianship of Klorel, once he had a host. She was to be his wife.”

“Klorel,” Daniel said a little surprised. He laughed to himself. “Its almost as if she was a family heirloom or something. Almost like a prize. She was passed from Ra to Apophis to Klorel-”

“And now to you,” a small voice answered from the stairwell. Mia stood at the bottom of the stairs.

Daniel turned around. “No, no,” he said standing up and walking over to her.

“Yes,” she said in a small whisper. “He said I belonged to the Taur’i. To O’Neill and Daniel Jackson.”

“Who said that,” Daniel asked walking her over to the table.

“More importantly how did you get out,” Jack asked quickly.

“The door was open,” she whispered and sat down. “The men outside fell asleep.” She moved a little closer to Daniel and looked up at him. “Klo…no,” she whispered looking down. “I was asleep. He took me away, to the place you found me. He said they would come for me and that I had to find O’Neill and Daniel Jackson of the Taur’i.”

“Who,” Daniel asked again.

“Skaara,” Jack answered for her. “All right. I knew he had it in him,” Jack said triumphantly.

She looked up at Jack and nodded. Daniel also looked at Jack. “How did you know that Jack?”

“Oh, come on Daniel. Teal’c said she was supposed to marry Klorel. She almost said that it was Klorel that left her there. Why would Klorel leave his future wife on a deserted fire-ravaged planet, and then tell her to find us? Besides she said that she was told to find O’Neill. Neither Klorel, nor any of the other Goa’uld would ever have called me that.”

Daniel looked down at Mia. “Mia, how long were you on P4x-382, where we found you?”

“I don’t know, she whispered. “But the Jaffa came and I hid. They left then I contacted you.” She looked down and sighed. She was tired but couldn’t seem to sleep.

“Dr. Jackson, why don’t you take Mia back to her room,” General Hammond said after a long silence.

Daniel nodded and picked Mia up and carried her back to her room. Outside the door the two armed guards that were supposed to be watching her were on the ground asleep. Daniel stepped over them and carried Mia to her bed. Then he got up and closed the door slowly. He took one more look at the guards.

“What happened to them,” he asked Mia.

“They fell asleep.”

He looked at her strangely. It was highly unusual for guards to fall asleep while on duty. Something wasn’t right. “When did they fall asleep?”

“Just before I left,” she said looking confused.

“Mia, did you make them fall asleep,” Daniel asked cautiously.

“I don’t think I did.” She had done things like that before. “I asked if they ever slept. They said no. I told them they should, and then they fell asleep. I was only joking.”

Daniel looked down at her with growing concern. “Have you done something like that before?”

She nodded slowly. “My father used to yell at me. I don’t know how it happens it just does.” She knew she had done something wrong and was ready for her punishment. “I’m sorry,” she whispered closing her eyes tightly. She was trying to hard not to cry but she feared what they might do to her. Slowly tears dripped down her face.

Daniel had been looking at the sleeping soldiers that were now starting to wake up. When she stopped talking Daniel looked back at her. “Shh,” he whispered sitting next to her on the bed. “Its all right,” he whispered wiping the tears from her eyes. She opened her eyes slowly and looked at him very confused. Then she closed her eyes again and began to cry even harder. This world was so strange. Here people actually care for her. “No one’s going to hurt you,” Daniel whispered. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly. There was a childlike innocence in Mia that reminded him so much of Sha’re. “You’re safe here.” He sighed as he ran his fingers through her hair. “I promise I’ll take care of you,” he whispered. Those were words he had wanted to tell Sha’re so many times. He only hoped that this time he could protect her and take care of her. He held her tightly as she cried. “Just let it out. Let it out,” he whispered to her. He sat there holding Mia until she had cried herself to sleep. He laid her down gently on the bed and pulled the blanket up over her. Then he just sat there for a while watching her sleep.

“Sweet girl, isn’t she,” Jack asked from the doorway.

Daniel looked up. “Yeah, she is,” he answered as he stood and walked over to Jack. “She made them fall asleep,” he said watching her sleep. “Can you explain that Daniel?”

“Nope,” he said with a sight. “She didn’t seem to realize that she did it until I told her.”

“We gotta keep an eye on her,” Jack said quietly.

“Yeah.” He paused for a moment and watched her. “God, Jack she thought I was going to beat her for it or something,” Daniel said looking at Jack. There was so much pain in his eyes. It hurt him that he couldn’t do much besides this to help the poor girl. “I can’t even imagine what she’s gone through.” He sighed and looked back at Mia.

“Maybe in time you can convince Hammond to let her go home with you,” Jack suggested. “After she’s been here a while.”

“Maybe,” Daniel answered distantly.

“Don’t worry Dannyboy,” Jack said putting his hand on Daniel’s shoulder. “She’ll adjust. You should go home and get some rest.”

“I think I’ll stay here in case she wakes up,” he said with another sigh.

“All right, suit yourself. I’m outta here,” he said with a wave as he left.

“Bye,” Daniel called to him down the hall. Daniel closed the door after Jack left and leaned against it. He wished he could do more for the girl but there wasn’t much else he could do. He sat down in the corner of the room with his arms resting on his knees and attempted to stay awake. However exhaustion soon took over and he drifted off to sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Take care of her Daniel,” he heard Sha’re’s voice whisper in his sleep. He opened his eyes slowly and saw his beloved wife sitting next to Mia’s bed.
“Sha’re,” he whispered as he stood. When he spoke her name she looked up. She smiled at him as he walked over to her.

“Hello my Daniel,” she whispered.

Daniel looked at her in astonishment. She had died. She shouldn’t be here. “What are you doing here,” he asked, trying to hold back how he felt.
She stood slowly. “Shh,” she whispered placing her finger over his lips, silencing him. Then she looked down at the young woman asleep on the bed. Daniel, too, looked down at Mia.

“I don’t understand,” he whispered holding his wife close to him. He had lost her several times already he didn’t want to let her go, not again.

“She was sent to you for a reason Daniel. You are her protector. The only one that can keep her safe,” she said looking on into her husband’s eyes. They were full of sadness and pain. She smiled and wiped the tears from his bright blue eyes. “Do not cry my love,” she whispered. “The boy is safe, you’ve seen to that.” She looked back down at the sleeping girl. “They will come for her. You must protect her Daniel.” Then she looked back up at her husband. “I must go now.”

“No, Sha’re,” he whispered. “I will, I promise, just don’t leave me again,” he pleaded with her.

She simply smiled and kissed him gently. “Be brave my husband,” she whispered. “I will always be with you.” She slowly placed her hand over his heart and disappeared. Daniel was left at the foot of Mia’s bed as she slept. He closed his eyes slowly, letting the pain sink in.

When he opened his eyes he was back in the corner of the room. “It was all a dream,” he thought. Daniel stood and walked over to Mia’s bedside, pulling a chair over and sitting down. He took her hand as she slept and brushed her hair out of her face as she tossed in her sleep. Her face was covered in sweat and her hair was clinging to it. Daniel placed his hand on her forehead. She was burning up. Daniel ran to the phone and called Dr. Fraiser. “She has a high fever and she’s trembling… Yeah… all right,” he said before hanging up the phone. Then he walked back over to Mia’s bed and sat down. Her hair covered her face once more and Daniel gently brushed it to the side. She slowly opened her eyes and looked up at him. “Morning,” he whispered. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m cold,” she whispered shivering.

“I know, you’re sick. But we’re gonna take care of you. You’re going to be all right,” he said with a comforting smile.

Finally Dr. Fraiser arrived. “Hello Mia,” she said with a smile as she walked up to her. She took out a thermometer and took Mia’s temperature. As she stared at the screen her eyes widened. “Pick her up Daniel,” she said quickly. Daniel looked up at her confused. “Hurry, get her to the infirmary.”

Daniel nodded and picked her up. He rushed her to the infirmary, nearly knocking over Jack in the process. Once in the infirmary he set her gently on the bed. Dr. Fraiser and Jack came in not long after him. Janet ran passed Daniel and pushed him out of the way. Then she hooked Mia up to a heart monitor and an I.V. “What’s wrong Janet,” Daniel asked quickly.

“She has a fever of 106 Daniel,” Janet snapped.

“What? Is she gonna be all right,” Daniel asked. When Janet didn’t respond he grabbed her arm. “Is she going to be all right?”

Jack pulled Daniel back and out of the infirmary. “Calm down Daniel, what’s wrong with you.”

“Jack, I told her I’d take care of her,” Daniel said beginning to panic.

“All right Daniel,” Jack said trying to calm his friend. “The best way to take care of her is to let Janet take care of her.” Daniel looked down and nodded. Then the two walked in silence to the cafeteria. It was not bustling with soldiers getting their breakfasts.

“She said I was her protector,” Daniel told Jack as they sat at an empty table. “That I was the only one that could take care of her.” Daniel sighed and slammed his head down on his arms that were crossed on the table.

“It’ll be okay Daniel,” Jack said. “So you think this dream was more than just a dream?”

“No Jack,” Daniel snapped looking up at him. “I know it was.”
Just then Dr. Fraiser walked in slowly. Daniel stood and walked over to her. “I thought I might-”

“How is she,” Daniel asked quickly.

“Well, we’ve managed to lower her temperature to a less dangerous one. We did a blood test. It seems like some sort of viral infection. It’s not contagious so you don’t have anything to worry about. Its symptoms are much like that of severe pneumonia. I think she’ll be all right though.” Daniel closed his eyes and breathed a sigh of relief. “There’s something else you should know Daniel.” Daniel looked up at her with interest. “She was asking about Sha’re just before I left.”

“What,” Daniel said taken aback. “Is she still awake?”

“She should be,” Janet answered. Before Janet could say anything else Daniel ran out of the cafeteria, heading for the infirmary.

¶ 2:02 PM