Title: Journey to the Past
Author: Danielle
Rating: G
Disclaimer: All characters from the television series ‘Stargate SG-1’ belong to Stargate (II) Productions, Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions.I’m only borrowing them for my personal entertainment, and I promise I’ll put them back all nice and proper. I didn’t profit from writing this piece, though if someone wants to pay me huge wads of cash for the copyright, I won’t argue. All original characters and situations belong to me, but you can use them if you really want to - just mail me first. Also mail me first if you want to archive this somewhere else. Thank you kindly.
Summary: Daniel meets up with someone he once knew a long time ago...
Author's Notes: This is a sequel to 'When Danny Met Melly', and hopefully the beginning of something of a series... Hopefully.

Journey To The Past

Daniel paused across the street and looked at the two-storey house with some apprehension. He was still having a hard time wrapping his head around the fact that he was about to see Melly for the first time in... well, a long time. Compared to this, looking for her had been a cakewalk - actually, he'd only found her through pure luck. While hunting in a bookshop for a birthday present for Cassie, he'd stumbled across a hardcover fiction novel. As most people did, he flipped through the book until he got to the back cover and had a look at the pictures of the authors on the dust jacket. There, smiling up at him in full technicolour glory was Melly as he'd imagined she'd grown to look in since they'd last seen each other. In a haze of shock, and completely forgetting about Cassie's present, he'd purchased the novel and took it home to read. As he read the book he grew more confident that it wasn't just a massive coincidence that the person on the back cover just happened to look like Melly and have her name - with each page he was able to get to know her all over again...

He dragged himself back into the present with a jolt. Finding her had been the easy part - he'd merely gotten into contact with her publisher and found out the address any 'fan mail' was sent to, which luckily corresponded with the house he was now standing across the street from. Daniel couldn't help but marvel at the fact that she'd been living so close to him for so long, just three blocks away. Plucking up his courage, the archaeologist strode across the empty street and stopped in front of the garden gate. Before he could get it open a Basset hound hopped down the front stairs and planted its sturdy front paws on the opposite side and regarded him mildly. He stared back at the animal for a few minutes until it put its paws back on the ground and stepped backwards. As he opened the gate, it gave one loud 'wuff' and then padded around the side of the house.

"Hello?" a female voice called from inside the house, quickly followed by the appearance of an older lady at the front screen door.

"Uh, hello. Is this where Melina McShane lives?" Daniel asked uncertainly, moving to stand at the foot of the steps.

"It certainly is," the woman confirmed as she opened the door and stepped onto the front patio. "I'm her mother."

"Mrs McShane?" He blinked - he hadn't expected that Melly would still be living with her mother.

"Do I know you?" Maree McShane asked suspiciously, sizing up her unexpected visitor.

"Uh, its been a while, but I went to school with Melly in San Diego and-" he started to say before Maree interrupted him.

"Ohmigod, Danny Jackson?!" she cried, a large smile lighting up her features. She laughed happily as she all but ran down the steps to stand in front of him. "Oh... I didn't even think... How did you find us?" she asked, grasping his upper arms and looking up at him.

Daniel resisted the urge to duck his head in embarrassment at this joyous greeting. "Actually, it was by accident. I was looking in a bookshop and-"

"You saw one of her books, I see." She nodded and lead him up the stairs. "Melly will be so pleased to see you!"

He let her take his jacket and hang in on a hook by the door. "She still goes by Melly?"

Maree chuckled. "I'm the only one who's still allowed to call her that, and even then she puts up all this bluster about it. This way." She waved him to follow her down a hall towards what looked like a kitchen from what he could see through the door. "Melly, you've got a visitor."

"Coming." a muffled voice replied.

"Please, sit down and let me make you a tea or coffee," she pulled out a chair and gestured for him to sit.

"Coffee, black and one thanks." He looked around the brightly lit kitchen, taking in the lace curtains and cheerful, yellow paint on the walls. This was the last thing he'd expected.

"That I can do," Maree replied as she filled up an electric jug and flipped the switch to turn it on. "So what have you been up to?"

"He's become a famous archaeologist and travelled the world to dig up treasure buried for thousands of years," a voice supplied. "Or at least, that's what he said he was going to do."

Daniel turned in his seat to see a woman enter the room from the corridor with the aid of crutches. "Melly?"

"Hey, if you're gonna call me that, I'm gonna be forced to call you Danny," she replied with a grin. "Aren't you going to give me a hug?"

He shot upright and stepped towards her. "Of course I am," he murmured as he embraced her. "How did you know it was me?"

"Magic," she replied as she pulled back to look up at him. When he raised an incredulous eyebrow, she grinned. "Actually, its more good hearing than anything." Grasping her crutches again, she easily moved past him and plonked into a chair her mother had helpfully pulled out. "So, was my assessment right?" She slid off her crutches and propped them against a nearby counter.

"Close, but no cigar," he said as he sat down again. "Actually, I've been working for the military for the past couple of years."

Melly looked sufficiently skeptical. "No offence or anything, but what would the military want with an archaeologist?"

He smiled wryly. "None taken. I've been working on some things they've found in their various wanderings around the world. It goes well with my anthropology sideline."

The rather poor explanation seemed to satisfy her. "Ah, so you did the triple whammy then? How many languages can you speak?"

"Twenty-three, including dialects. Pretty good for over ten years work at it." He smiled up at Maree as she placed a steaming cup of coffee on the tablecloth in front of him. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. I'll leave you both too it, Fred needs a walk and I need some fresh air." Patting Melly's hand and smiling at Daniel, she shuffled out of the room. Her leaving the room was followed by the sound of the front screen opening and closing.

"So, what have you been up to - apart from writing novels," Daniel asked to start up the conversation.

"Ah, so that's how you found me then," she said in understanding. "I teach grade one at CS elementary."

Daniel raised his eyebrows. "I never imagined you as a teacher."

Melly chuckled. "Neither did I to be perfectly honest, but I kinda got the calling when Dave had kids."

"How is he?"

"He's good. Got a cushy job working as a property attourney, married with three lovely girls." She wrapped her hands around her mug and looked thoughtful. "He's been luckier than me."

He bit his lip and ventured, "Do you mind my asking about how you got your crutches?"

She slanted him a look. "Still tactful huh? No, I don't mind you asking. I had a massive car accident about," she thought for a moment and ticked off on her fingers, "five years ago. Unfortunately, or fortunately some might say, my husband couldn't handle having a semi-crippled wife so he shot through. That's when mom moved in. We've been here since then."

"You were married?"

"Yeah, but not for all that long. I didn't lose much when he left. So, did you get hitched?" She looked at him with an openly curious gaze.

"Yeah, but it was only a short marriage too." He sighed and looked into his half-finished coffee. "She died in an accident."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that Danny," she said, placing her hands over his and giving it a quick squeeze. "No-one deserves to lose someone they loved."

"It happened a little while ago, so I'm handling it a bit better than I did at the time." He suddenly smiled and chuckled to himself. "Listen to us. I came to catch up with you and we talk about depressing stuff."

Melly smiled too. "You're right, we should be discussing all of the things you've been doing around the world. I heard that a lecture you gave a couple of years ago didn't go down too well."

For the next half an hour they talked about the latest finds in the archaeology world, amongst other inconsequentials. She told him all about the new book she was planning - it was to be about a young girl sent to an alien world populated by humans stolen from Earth by aliens. Daniel gulped a little at the parallels between her purely imaginary plotline and what had happened in the past. Thankfully, she'd missed the slightly panicked look on his face she'd been so caught up in recounting each twist. He'd managed to distract her from the novel by asking about her class.

"You wouldn't believe how sweet they are," she said, her voice filled with affection and pride. "They have a little roster about who pulls out my chair for me each morning. I really couldn't ask for a better bunch of kids to teach, they're really great." Her face brightened as a thought occured to her. "Hey, you could come and talk to them about archaeology."

"Oh, I don't know," he stammered.

"I'll let you bring one of your military pals to talk to them too," she offered, and grinned. "C'mon Danny, I can promise that this is one audience that won't walk out on you."

He laughed self-deprecatingly and finally nodded. "Okay, you've talked me into it. But it might be a bit tricky working it into my schedule," he warned her.

"Ah, where there's a will there's a way," she said, dismissing the problem with a wave of her hand. "Just let me talk to your boss and he'll let me have you for as long as I like," she waggled her eyebrows and looked at him lasciviously, "to do whatever I want with."

He blinked in pretend shock. "What would that be Miss McShane?"

She laughed heartily as she got up to make some more coffee. Unfortunately, Daniel's pager took this opportunity to go off. He pulled it out of his pocket and looked at the message - Jack wanted to know where he was.

"Can I use your phone?" he asked Melly, who was looking at him curiously, no doubt wondering why an archaeologist would need a pager.

"Sure," she said, pointing towards the door. "Its in the corridor."

"Thanks," he replied as he got up. "Won't be long."

"Take your time."

He soon found the telephone on a side-table in the hall, dialing up Jack's extension at the base. "What's up?" he asked as soon as the colonel picked up.

"Nothing, but SG-4 brought back something from P3X 524 that you might want to have a look at. Dawson was saying something about the Maya," Jack answered.

That statement piqued Daniel's curiosity as an archaeologist. "Okay, I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Where are you?" his friend asked before he had a chance to hang up.

"At Melly's house."

"The kid you went to school with?"

"She's not a kid anymore Jack. Definately not a kid. I'll see you later." Before the colonel could question him any further he hung up and made his way back into the kitchen.

"You have to go?" Melly asked as he came through the doorway.

"Not yet." He sat down again. "Where were we?"

"I believe I was asking what you were doing next Friday," she replied as she put another mug of coffee in front of him.

"You were? My memory must be going in my old age." He stood up and grabbed Melly's own mug, which she was trying to bring to the table. "Let me help you with that."

"No, its okay. I can manage," she protested, not letting go. "Sit."

"You sure?" he asked dubiously as the mug's contents threatened to spill as she hobbled to the table with the aid of only one crutch. "Yeah, I've had five years experience at it after all." Carefully, she placed the item on the tabletop and sank into her chair. "So, are you busy?"

"At this point, no. But it could change between now and then."

"Ah, they keep you on tenterhooks. Well, say you are free for the evening of Friday the seventh, where are you going to take me for dinner?" She grinned cheekily and took a sip of coffee.

"Not backwards about being forwards, are you?" he asked.

"When you've been as dateless for as long as I have, you learn to demand rather than ask."

"Funny, I would've thought you would've been beating off the guys," Daniel observed. "You're very attractive." He wasn't joking either - from her blonde-streaked, brown hair to warm brown eyes to curvaceous figure (which wasn't hidden by the old jeans and rumpled shirt she was wearing) just about any man he knew would find her desirable in the extreme. Even more so once they got to know her.

"You have to say that, you're my friend," she replied.

"Ah, but I'm also a man."

"Yeah, I was going to ask you about that..." she drawled, mischief in her eyes.

He grabbed a convenient teatowel and tossed it at her, striking her in the full in the face. "Shut up you."

Before she got the chance to respond, there was the sound of the front door opening - Melly's mother returning from her walk. "Hello?" she called.

"In here mom," Melly called back.

"There you- Oh, you're still here! Would you like to stay for lunch?" Maree asked as she came into the kitchen.

"As much as I'd like to, I'm afraid I have to get to work." He stood up and put his coffee cup on the sink.

"On a weekend? What kind of slavedriver are they?" Maree looked disgusted as she rinsed out Daniel's cup.

"Just the usual, no-frills kind you get in the airforce," he replied. "They're nothing special."

"I'll bet," Melly said as she got up and fumbled for her crutches. "C'mon, I'll show you out." She lead the way down the corridor to the front door and waited for him to put his jacket on. "Its been great seeing you again," she murmured as he opened the screen.

"Same here." He paused and looked down at her. "I'd like it if I could take you to dinner next Friday."

"Just give me a call and let me know your schedule," she said huskily, giving him a crooked smile. "I know it'll sound dumb, but I missed you like crazy after we left. I think I did up until you turned up on my doorstep an hour ago."

"You know what? I missed you too," he whispered as he enveloped her in an embrace. "I'll call you, okay?"

As he prepared to leave, he felt her grasp his arm. "If you ever need someone to talk to I'm not going anywhere in a great hurry. And I can keep a secret with the best of them." His excuse for him working for the military hadn't fooled her for a second - and strangely, he was glad.

"I'll remember that." Leaning down, he kissed her gently on the cheek. "I'll call you."

She smiled softly. "Okay."

Without another word he walked through the front door, down the path and out the gate. Just as he was about to get into his car he looked back at the house and saw her standing on the patio, her crutches leaning forgotten against the railing. He waved and she waved back. Something in the back of his mind told him that his finding Melly again was going to have a major impact on his life - but what kind he would have to wait and see.