Disclaimer Applies

Epilogue

So, this is where it happened.

Daniel paused in the doorway to his darkened office, holding a cup of coffee in one hand while his other dangled limply by his side.

So many conflicting emotions…

Standing here, alone, Daniel felt his pain resurface, remembering his screams, his shouts as he pleaded with Thoth. There was another way, he had urged, flooding the symbiote with all his emotions and thoughts, willing himself to be heard.

We can do this another way! I swear to you! We can keep our word without involving Teal'c!

Teal'c…Teal'c lying unconscious on the floor.

There had to be another way…

Daniel closed his eyes, feeling weak. He remembered…He had been trapped, stuck between his devotion and love for a friend, for all his friends, and his promise to the symbiote.

Find another way…

Opening his eyes, Daniel stared at the broken security camera in his office, feeling a chill.

He felt, more than knew, that Thoth never had any intention of killing Teal'c. Daniel was certain he had gotten through to the confused and misguided entity. If not…

Daniel swallowed hard.

But Daniel knew Thoth had been desperate. Scared and forlorn, a man will do rash things when faced with his own mortality.

Even a symbiote had these feelings.

Feeling his hands begin to tremble, Daniel settled the coffee on his desk, staring at surface numbly. All the gadgets, all that he had done…

He wasn't sure he understood it himself.

Daniel found himself by one of his cabinets, switching on a nearby light, before he nervously glanced over his shoulder. Tentatively, he opened the door and pushed back a few items, reaching his hands inside.

He was glad that Teal'c hadn't been harmed, though Daniel knew his own guilt would stay with him for a while. He was grateful Sam and Jack had barged into his office when they did.

That had given Thoth more than enough time to complete his work.

Daniel blinked, staring aghast at the Coptic jar in his hands. The first Coptic jar.

Sam and Jack had been successful interrupting the process on the clone in the second Coptic jar, breaking Thoth's concentration as he copied both of their consciousnesses into the parasite. The symbiote had died from the strain of the events unfolding in the office. But not the first…

Swallowing hard, Daniel sensed the buzz of life within the jar, almost feeling as if he could touch the consciousnesses swimming in harmony within the protective casing. He wondered if maybe Jack had been right about being compromised.

But a promise is a promise, and Daniel would not be able to live with himself if he had broken that promise, even if it was with a symbiote.

Their mutual benefit.

Self-preservation.

Freedom.

Shaking his head, feeling cold and disjointed, Daniel quickly placed the jar back into the cabinet, pushing it as far back as he could, and covered it. For added protection, Daniel slid some old, rarely used artifacts in front of it, before closing the drawer.

He exhaled.

"Daniel?"

Daniel jerked at Sam's voice, pressing his body against the cabinet as she entered the room. She smiled at him, holding up a videocassette, and waved it in front of him.

"I have that movie that you've been dying to see." She motioned to the door. "So if you're ready…"

"Uh, yeah, sure."

Daniel winced the moment the words were out of his mouth.

Frowning, Sam took another step forward. "You okay?"

He nodded quickly, pressing a little closer to the cabinet. "I'm fine. I'll be right there." Seeing her hesitate, he shook his head, sending her his best smile. "No, I mean it. I'll be right with you. I promise."

Sam nodded, mouthing an "okay" before she reluctantly left the room.

Breathing out, Daniel brought his head to his hands. He needed to put this behind him. He needed to be able to move on.

But for a moment, as his heart pounded and his mind whirled, Daniel just stared at the cabinet, wondering what could have been or what will be.

But that time was not now.

As Daniel dimmed the lights to his office, and exited into the corridor, he thought back to the infirmary and his last moments with Thoth, hearing the symbiote's final words echo through his mind:

Perhaps one day, you, or someone new, will be ready to accept the knowledge that I possess, and the shared understanding we accomplished together. Until then, I will wait, patiently, and dream of the dawn of a new day.

The End

Endnote: I just wanted to take a moment to thank all of you who have taken the time to read this story. Your reviews have brought a smile to my face, and added to the pride I felt for completing this story. Your support and kind words are greatly appreciated. Thanks again!