Disclaimer: The Stargate and SG-1 belong to MGM, not me, although it's an absolute joy to work with these characters and settings.

A/N: This is my first fan fiction ever, and the first of any of my stories to be made public. Feedback is welcome. Please note, I've changed my rating from M to K+ because there isn't and there won't be anything graphic in this story, however, please be forewarned that some of the themes might be a little above a young teen's scope of experience.

The sun lay low on the horizon, cradled by the warm sands of Egypt. An orange glow enveloped the rolling dunes, casting long shadows over the ground and promising a coming respite to the day's heat. A low breeze stirred across the empty expanse, teasing the all-encompassing sands into small eddies here and there. Far from human habitation, two lone figures made the long, arduous trek over the vast no man's land towards a long-neglected device hidden among the sable dunes. The older of the two, a man now well into his fifties, pushed a small button, de-cloaking the ship. The young woman beside him gasped audibly, stopping in her tracks.

"This is it," said the man, turning to face his companion. "This ship will take you home. You'll have your parents again, and Teal'c, and me."

"Not really you," said the girl, a quaver to her voice. "Not really any of you."

The man smiled wanly. "There will be more similarities than differences, especially between myself and my counterpart."

"With no memory of what happened here. Of me."

"No." He looked down at his feet, as reluctant to say goodbye as the girl was to leave. "I'm sorry, Mia," he said, meeting her vivid blue eyes again, "but this is the way it has to be."

"I'm not going to fit in there, either," she said, truthfully.

"It won't be easy, but I've taught you as much as I can. You'll find a place for yourself, I'm sure. And the others will help. I'm sure of that, too."

"How? You changed the timeline, Daniel. You can't really be sure of anything."

"Your parents fixed it. They must have, otherwise we'd have met another SG-1 by now."

"You can't know that. They had me. Don't I change things?," she demanded desperately.

"Only if you stay here," replied Daniel with a hint of impatience. "Mia, this is the best chance I can give you at a normal life. You have to understand that."

"I do understand, Daniel. But I still don't like it."

Daniel Jackson smiled more genuinely this time, his eyes crinkling affectionately. "I'm really going to miss you too," he said, pulling the girl in for a rib-crushing hug. By the time they pulled away, both sets of eyes were moist.

"You remember everything I told you?," Daniel asked.

"Think five thousand years into the future, circa 2005 AD, CheyenneMountain."

"Right. The ship will read your thoughts and take you there."

"Assuming I have the gene you were telling me about."

Daniel smiled again. "I'd bet my life you do." Stepping back from her, he opened the door to the Ancient vessel, gesturing her inside. "Think power," he suggested once she had stepped over the threshold.

Mia did as told, closing her eyes to concentrate. The ship's interior lit up as it hummed to life all around her.

"I did that?," she whispered uncertainly.

"Yes," said Daniel, nodding for emphasis. "You can do this Mia. Everything will be fine, I promise."

"What about you?," she asked, still desperately stalling against the inevitable.

"I have to stay here," he said simply. "To go with you would mean creating another paradox. Or worse," he added.

"Worse?"

"We've encountered situations with alternate realities before, where the same person from two realities weren't able to exist in the same place at the same time for more than a very short time. The consequences were unpleasant, to say the least."

"But this isn't an alternate reality," the girl said stubbornly.

"I'm from a different timeline, Mia, one that doesn't really exist anymore. We interrupted it, and even though we restored it as best we could, I can't go back."

"Why not?"

"Because another Daniel is already there," he replied impatiently, though not without compassion. "I have to stay here, Mia. I want to go with you, I do, but I can't."

Tears rolled down Mia's face as she nodded numbly. She knew there would be no winning this debate. Daniel reached over and held her tight for a moment, silently trying to reassure her. "We'll both be all right," he said into her long, blond hair.

"How can you say that?," she sobbed, craning to look up at him. "In the few minutes it will take me to get to the future, you'll have died and been dead for five thousand years. I've already lost everyone else. I don't want to lose you, too."

"You won't," he said, adding his tears to her own. "I will always be there for you, no matter the timeline. Now go," he said, pulling away from her. "Before I break my promise to Sam and keep you here forever."

"Goodbye," she choked miserably, as Daniel pushed another button, sealing the small ship with her inside. She couldn't be sure that he had heard. Still sobbing, she walked unsteadily to the pilot's seat, tears rolling mercilessly down her face. Mia sat, fighting to compose herself least an errant thought redirect the ship. Staring blankly at the panel before her, she took several slow, deep breaths before closing her eyes to concentrate on following Daniel's instructions very carefully, focusing on nothing but the time and place he had described in such detail for her.

As the ship at last rose into the empty desert air, Daniel sighed heavily. "Love you," he whispered, staying long enough to watch the ship disappear into the dying light of day. At last satisfied that she was well and truly on her way, Daniel turned into the deeper part of the desert, willing fate to strike quickly and erasure to be complete. He, too, was ready to go home.