Longing For Home (8/9)
Daniel was only gone for a short time before he returned to the waiting room and whispered to Sha’re that Nick was ready to see them. His expression was guarded, almost as though he did not want her to know what he was thinking, but he did not seem upset. Sha’re took that as a good sign.
She felt as though she should be more anxious than she was as she and Daniel carried their girls through the halls toward the visitors’ room. Meeting Daniel’s family, though, was something she had dreamed about ever since they had married. She had thought it was impossible, first because they were living worlds away from Earth, and then because he told her his family were all dead. She still did not understand why he had not told her that his grandfather was alive all of these years, but she was glad that she could meet him now. She wanted to see how Daniel had come to be the wonderful, handsome, intelligent man he was today.
As soon as she walked into the room, she could tell that this old man was Daniel’s relative. He looked more or less like an older version of her husband, right down to the blue eyes that her children had inherited.
“Nick, this is my wife, Sha’re,” Daniel said with a hint of pride in his voice. “Sha’re, this is my grandfather, Nick.”
Sha’re smiled. “I am pleased to meet you,” she said, giving him as much of a bow as she could while she held her sleeping baby in her arms.
“It is a pleasure,” Nick returned. His smiled seemed a little forced, but otherwise he was perfectly polite. Sha’re began to doubt the description Daniel had given of him earlier.
“And these are our daughters,” Daniel continued. “This is Cate. She just turned two.” He stepped close to Nick with Cate in his arms, and tried to coax her to give her great-grandfather a smile.
“Hello, Cate,” Nick said, waving and smiling at the shy girl.
Cate turned and buried her face in Daniel’s chest.
“She’s a little shy,” Daniel said. He cuddled the girl close and kissed her hair. Then he turned back to Nick and said, “I don’t know what you want her to call you, so…”
“Nick,” he said quickly, but then he seemed to think about it further. “Or grandpa would be fine,” he finished.
Daniel smiled. “Grandpa Nick?”
Nick shrugged and nodded.
Daniel turned to aim his smile in Sha’re’s direction and winked. “Sounds good to me,” he said. “Now that little one over there is Elisa.” He gestured for Sha’re to come closer, so she slowly approached the two men. “She’s just five weeks old.”
“Elisa,” Nick repeated. Sha’re held the baby in such a way that he could easily see her, and he gazed at her with a soft smile on his face.
“Would you like to hold her?” Sha’re asked quietly.
“Yes… if you would allow me,” he replied.
Sha’re nodded, and carefully passed the baby over to him.
Nick seemed a little nervous at holding her at first, but then he relaxed and smiled down at the sleeping child. “She is beautiful,” he said.
“We named her Elisa Claire,” Daniel said softly.
Nick’s head snapped up to look at him. “Claire?”
Daniel nodded.
Tears sprang into Nick’s eyes as he looked down at the baby again. “She is a little like my Claire,” he mused. “She had the same round cheeks and long lashes.” He chuckled. “So did you.”
Sha’re smiled and looked over at Daniel. It was nice to hear about what he was like as a child. “Please, tell me more of Daniel as an infant,” she said.
“No, no, no, I’m sure you don’t want to hear about that,” Daniel said in embarrassment.
“Nonsense,” Nick said. “She would not have asked if she did not want to hear.” He turned to look up at Sha’re then, and his expression softened considerably as he seemed to lose himself in fond memories. “Daniel was a troublemaker from the moment he was born,” he said.
“Oh no,” Daniel groaned, hiding his face in Cate’s hair.
“Did he tell you that he was so strong as a newborn babe that he grabbed onto… what was it? The bedroom curtains? He gave them such a yank that down they came, right on top of his poor mother.”
Nick let out such hearty laughter that Sha’re could not help but join in. This awakened Elisa, and she began to cry at finding herself in the arms of a stranger.
“I will take her,” Sha’re said, bending to take the baby from him. “Please, continue.”
“No, please don’t,” Daniel begged.
“The one thing that Daniel was famous for right from infancy,” Nick said, ignoring Daniel completely, “was his fascination for anything and everything around him. His parents had to always carry him facing out so that he could see every person and everything in the room at all times. His little eyes would bulge right out of his head when he saw something new.”
Sha’re laughed. “He is still that way now,” she said. “Cate is just the same.”
“Is she?” Nick smiled at Daniel and waved again at Cate, who had dared to poke her head out from safety to get a look at the man her parents were so busy talking to. “They are beautiful children,” he said wistfully. “You must be very proud.”
“I am,” Daniel said, kissing his daughter’s hair again.
“Thank you for bringing them here to see me.”
Daniel forced a smile, though he looked as though he was trying not to cry. “Hopefully we can make a habit of it now,” he said. “I’d like them to grow up knowing their Grandpa Nick.”
Nick nodded and slowly rose to his feet. Then, to everyone’s surprise, he wrapped his arms around Daniel and Cate in a sweet embrace.
Daniel returned it with his free arm, and in that moment Sha’re wished she could freeze time and keep them in that embrace forever. It spoke of healing and the love of family that Daniel had been sorely missing for so many years. It made her want to cry for joy.
When the two men broke apart, Cate finally came out of hiding altogether, and reached into Daniel’s jacket pocket for the card she had been charged with giving to Nick when they first came in. “Happy birthday,” she said as she held it out to him.
Nick took it from her in what seemed to be a state of shock. “Thank you,” he said. Then he looked at Daniel in amazement. “She speaks!”
Daniel laughed. “Not just English, either,” he said. “She speaks a few words of her mother’s native tongue as well. She’s a smart little kitten.”
Sha’re beamed as the two men continued to talk, sharing stories of their daughters with pride in their voices and contented smiles on their faces. Even though Nick seemed to have forgotten that she was there, Daniel kept looking over at her and sending her silent messages with just an expression or a wink that made her heart soar. She could tell that he had never been happier than he was right then.
By the time they left the hospital, Daniel and Nick had seemingly settled their differences and healed the wounds that had been keeping them apart for so long. Their little trip certainly seemed to have been worth it, as they had resolved to keep in touch through regularly scheduled phone calls and visits from then on.
Suddenly, Earth seemed to hold more ties for them than it ever had, and somehow, Sha’re did not mind at all.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The sound of Cate’s little voice chattering away met Daniel’s ears as soon as he stepped out of the car. He couldn’t hear her words, but her voice was carrying through the open windows of the house. He smiled as he climbed the steps onto the front porch. She was becoming quite the chatterbox.
As soon as he entered the house, he heard the pitter-patter of little feet coming down the hall - or the stomp-stomp of Cate running through from the kitchen would be a better way of putting it.
“Daddy’s home!” she shouted as she hurled herself into his open arms.
“Hey there, Kitten,” he said as he scooped her up and planted a firm kiss on her cheek. “Were you a good girl while Daddy was gone?”
“Yeah,” she replied, “and I went on the potty!”
“Wow! Good for you!” He hugged her tight and she giggled as she hugged him back.
Sha’re bustled into the room then, her eyes full of worry and fear. “Daniel,” she said anxiously. “Is he…”
“He’s free,” Daniel said, setting Cate down on the floor and moving to embrace his wife before she had a chance to react to the news. “He’s alive and well and free.”
Sha’re fell into his arms and began to sob and laugh at the same time. Daniel didn’t blame her - he’d been doing a lot of that himself ever since Klorel had been taken from Skaara forever.
“Where is he now?” Sha’re asked when she could finally talk again. “May I see him?”
“He’s still at the SGC,” Daniel said, pulling her back from him so he could wipe the tears from her face. “He’ll be going back to Abydos tomorrow if all is well. He wants to see you.”
Sha’re smiled and wrapped her arms around Daniel’s neck. “Thank you, Daniel,” she said into his ear. “Thank you so much.”
Daniel stroked her back and kissed her neck. “You’d better go get ready,” he said after a few moments. “I’ll call Cassie and see if she can come watch the girls while we’re gone.”
Sha’re nodded and peeled herself off of him. Then she hurried back into the kitchen, wiping her eyes as she went.
Daniel sighed. As wonderful as this day was for them, he couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed at the thought of what was about to happen. If Skaara was now free, there was no reason for Sha’re to remain on Earth. She would want to go back to Abydos to be there for him as he rebuilt his shattered life, and Daniel and the children would of course go with her. That meant a lot of work for him in resigning from the SGC and packing up their house, and it also meant saying a lot of painful goodbyes.
Seeing the joy in Sha’re’s eyes, however, wiped any selfish thoughts from his mind. She was about to be reunited with her family. He couldn’t bring a dampener onto this wonderful event by telling her that he wanted to stay.
It only took twenty minutes for Cassie to arrive, and as soon as she did, Daniel and Sha’re left for the SGC. Neither of them said much during the drive, but Daniel could almost feel Sha’re’s excitement crackling in the air between them. He could tell that it was all she could do to keep herself from bouncing in her seat.
Once they arrived at the SGC, Daniel had to practically run to keep up with her as she made her way into the complex and down to the infirmary. Seconds after she stepped out of the elevator on the infirmary level, she was holding on to her brother so tight it seemed that she would never let him go again.
Everyone around them were wiping tears from their eyes at the scene. Sha’re and Skaara clung to each other, crying into each other’s shoulders and babbling away in Abydonian. It made Daniel’s heart ache with happiness.
Over the next few hours, Sha’re and Skaara did a lot of catching up. She showed him pictures of Cate and Elisa and told many little stories about things they had done or said, and they cried together over things that Skaara remembered doing while under the influence of Klorel. It was beautiful to see brother and sister so wrapped up in each other that it was like no one else even existed.
In order to maintain this one-on-one dynamic for them, Daniel stayed back out of sight, keeping his eye on both of them but trying not to eavesdrop on what they were saying. It didn’t escape his ears, however, when his name was mentioned.
Skaara was telling her how he had held Daniel in the beam from his hand device, almost killing him and forcing Jack to shoot him in order to save Daniel.
Sha’re looked over at Daniel with an expression of horror on her face when she heard this. Daniel hadn’t told her about it before because he hadn’t wanted her to go through the pain that he knew the knowledge of this incident would cause. Now she was experiencing it anyway.
Daniel looked down at his hands for a moment, and then raised his eyes again to see if she was still looking at him. She was, but her expression had softened to one of sympathy. As soon as they made eye contact, she turned back to Skaara and continued the conversation.
Daniel could only imagine what else was said during this long discussion, but thankfully, by the end of it Sha’re looked no worse for wear. She gave Skaara one last embrace and then made her way over to Daniel.
“We should return home,” she said. “I only left one bottle prepared, so Elisa will need to be fed.”
“Okay,” Daniel agreed. He stopped her before she walked away, laying his hand on her shoulder. “Is everything alright?” he asked.
“Yes, everything is fine,” she said.
“Are we… do you… when do you want to go back to Abydos?” he asked hesitantly.
Sha’re’s face fell at this question, and she looked thoughtful for a moment. “Skaara returns tomorrow,” she said. “I… I do not believe we could be ready by then, but perhaps the day after?”
Daniel nodded and forced a smile. “That sounds fine,” he lied. “I’m sure it won’t take long to pack the girls’ things. I’ll hand my resignation in to Hammond tomorrow.”
All the way home, Daniel’s heart felt like a lump of lead in his chest. He remembered the reactions his friends had had over his near-departure a year ago. How would they react now? What would he say to Nick? How would they explain the sudden move to Cate? It all seemed more difficult than he was prepared to deal with.
It was late by the time they walked through their front door, and they found Cassie sitting on the couch, quietly reading a book.
“How were they?” Daniel asked as Sha’re slipped off to the girls’ room to feed Elisa.
“They were fine,” Cassie said as she stood up. “They both fell asleep about an hour ago. Cate kept asking a lot of questions about where you’d gone, but I just said you had to visit somebody and you’d be back soon.”
“Thanks, Cass,” Daniel said, giving her a quick hug. God, he’d miss that kid. “Do you need a ride home?”
“Yeah, that’d be great, thanks.”
Cassie was silent as they went out to the car, and for the first minute of the drive she just looked out of the window without saying a word. When they turned onto her street, she suddenly broke the silence by saying, “You’re leaving, aren’t you?”
Daniel glanced over at her in surprise. “How did you figure that out?”
“My mom told me Skaara’s back. Considering he’s back and not a Goa’uld anymore, you guys seemed pretty serious when you walked in. You’re gonna go back, aren’t you?”
“We’re… thinking about it.”
“Why?”
Daniel pulled the car up in front of her house and furrowed his brow at her in confusion. “What do you mean, ‘why?’”
“I mean why would you want to leave us? I heard Jack say once that it’s because you don’t feel at home here. Don’t you like us?”
Daniel’s jaw just about hit the floor at that. “Of course I like you,” he said. “In fact I love you… all of you. I just… I have to think about Sha’re. Abydos is her home. She belongs there. Can you understand that?”
Cassie nodded slowly, though the expression on her face didn’t speak of understanding, rather reluctant acceptance. “I’ll miss you guys, though,” she said quietly.
“We’ll miss you, too,” Daniel said, leaning over to pull her into a hug.
A moment later, Cassie broke away from him, said a quick, “Bye, Daniel,” and scrambled out of the car. Daniel suspected it was because she was about to burst into tears.
That little exchange did nothing to make him feel better about his impending move. He was feeling quite depressed by the time he got back to the house. After pacing the living room for a minute or two, he went looking for Sha’re to see if she could help him to feel better about the whole thing.
The first place he went to look was the girls’ room, but he stopped a few feet away when he saw that Sha’re was standing in the doorway looking in at them. He quietly stepped up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist as he peeked over her shoulder into the room.
Both of the girls were sound asleep, Cate in her little bed and Elisa in her crib. They were both so beautiful that it took Daniel’s breath away.
“I cannot seem to tear myself away,” Sha’re confessed after a minute of silence.
Daniel smiled and kissed her cheek. “I can see why.”
Sha’re sighed and leaned back against his chest. “They are so contented here,” she whispered.
Daniel nodded. “Yes, they are.”
“Cate loved the snow last winter.”
This statement seemed to come out of nowhere, and it threw Daniel off for a second. What did Cate loving the snow have to do with anything? Then it hit him - perhaps Sha’re was questioning their decision to return to Abydos, too.
Once this thought occurred to him, he didn’t know what to think or say. Part of him wanted to reassure her that they were doing the right thing, but the rest of him wanted to convince her that the best thing for them to do was stay. He was so uncertain what to say that he didn’t say anything at all.
“I think we should stay.”
Daniel’s mouth fell open in shock for the second time that night. He slowly turned Sha’re around to face him and looked her right in the eye to see if she was serious. “You think… what?”
“I do not wish to take our children away from the only world they have known,” she said, looking and sounding as calm as could be. “I do not wish to say goodbye to Nick, or Catherine, or any of our friends here. You are enjoying your position on SG-1, and I am building a life for myself and our children here. We should stay.”
Daniel smiled and stroked the side of her face. “You really mean that?”
Sha’re nodded. “I do. There will always be visits to my family, yes?”
“Yes, of course,” Daniel assured her. “Anytime you want.”
“Then I have made my decision,” she said with an air of finality. “I wish to stay.”
Daniel grinned and drew her face closer to his. “I love you,” he said, meaning it with every particle of his being. Then he kissed her, long and soft and sweet.
He had always known that his Sha’re was the most wonderful, courageous woman he had ever known, and she proved it once and for all with those four little words.
This was their home. They would stay.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
To be continued...