At promptly 9:30 am, the members of SG1 gathered in the briefing room to discuss their new companion and what they were going to do with her. Daniel laid out his new theory as he passed around copies of a report he had made up early in the morning after he dropped Calla off with Janet. However, he did first make sure that he brought her down to the mess hall and fed her (what passed for) a good breakfast. Calla had taken cereal and juice and Daniel tried to get her to eat the half-cooked bacon but she refused once he confirmed her suspicion that at one time the bacon on her plate had been an animal. Daniel had asked her if that was a personal or possibly even a religious choice on her part but that was not the case. She revealed that Naganti Kanan did not allow her to eat meat, he had kept her to a diet of fruit, vegetables and grains. Daniel wanted to tell her that she could eat the meat if she wanted to but after twenty-five years without it, reintroducing meat products to her diet would have to be done over time or she would become very ill. That wasn’t any thing particularly special about Calla, it was just what happened to the human (and Janet insisted that Calla was human) body if it cleared itself of meat for a long period of time. The stomach could not digest it and rest of the human system just couldn’t handle it.

Daniel watched as she picked at the cereal and he made her take the anti-biotic, percodan, and supplements that Janet had prescribed. Calla did not want to take any of them but at his insistence she downed the handful of pills and gave him a small smile. To his eyes, she looked pale and weak this morning, she had not given him any trouble when he dropped her off with Janet for more tests, even though she had confided in him that she did not like them.

“I know it’s not much, but I think I’ve got a good bit of this figured out.” He began. “I did ask her about everything Jack, just like you wanted.”

“Hey, he took my advice. Must be a sign of the Apocalypse or something.” Jack cracked with a smile.

Daniel ignored the comment and relayed the information that she had told him the night before, pairing it with the information he had been able to dig up online and in his dusty old Greek Mythology books he laid a new theory before his teammates. Not a really a new theory, it was more like he added information to the theory he was already holding to.

“According to this,” he flipped through a few pages in the report, “in Celtic traditions, sometimes the children of the gods could be a bit unruly,” he began.

“Sounds normal, teenagers and all.” Jack quipped.

“Yeah, I guess.“ Daniel agreed with a smile and went on. “Anyway, sometimes the children would be bound to one of the other gods. Like an apprenticeship.”

“Someone to give them structure.” Teal’c intoned from his side of the table. “Sounds reasonable.”

“Kanan?” Major Carter asked with disgust in her voice as she glanced through the paperwork Daniel had given her. “He’s hardly a good choice, don’t you think?”

“On the contrary, Ares probably hand picked him for the task. He is the God of War, remember?” Daniel returned.

“Fine, if you say so. Then what? What happens after the apprenticeship is over?” Sam asked again.

“Well, then, the offending youngster would be given the opportunity to demonstrate that he or she had learned to deal with their powers and could live a normal productive life.”

“So this would be considered what? Juvenile Hall for the Extremely Gifted?” jack interjected.

Daniel nodded his head while he thought it over, not quite the words he would have chosen but, “Sort of, yeah.”

“That’s a hell of a stint in Juvey.” Jack cracked. “Kanan as the warden? Jeez.”

“So what then? What if they kid couldn’t make it?” General Hammond asked.

“Then the second ritual...”

“The one you took part in,” Jack reminded him.

“Was meant to be more permanent.”

“Lock down.” Jack said with fairly good-natured disgust. “Up the river for life.”

Daniel grimaced. “Let’s not look at it quite that way, shall we?”

“Sorry, didn’t mean to hurt your feelin’s , Danny.” Jack shoved the papers around.

“There is only one problem with your theory, Daniel Jackson.” Teal’c spoke. “Kanan is not a God.”

“I don’t know what he is.” Daniel admitted. “But you’re probably right, he probably isn’t a God. In addition, the reason she was not unbound from him is probably just that Kanan didn’t want to let her go. However, if he took her permanently, he would have to accept whatever children she gave him, they would be his heirs and rule when he died.” The image of that perfect ring of trees appears behind his eyes again as he spoke, Daniel shook his head to clear the image but it would not go. “Kanan didn’t want that either. I don’t think they were aware of the fact that they could have let her go. No one bothered to tell them. Daniel rubbed his temple.

“Have you also figured out that she chose you? That she set this whole thing up?” He turned to look at the younger man. “Well, have you?”

“What are you talking about?”

“She used you to get off that rock, to get away from him. She knew you,” Jack stopped for a second and thought, “or one of you, would stand up and ‘claim’ her.”

“What do you mean one of us?” Daniel looked around at the two other men in the room with a bit of suspicion in his eye.

“You did not notice, did you? You were too intent on the moment.” Teal‘c said and watched the puzzled expression on Daniel‘s face. “As Kanan asked who would take her, Corporal Blood stepped forward at the same moment as you.”

“You opened your big mouth first.” Jack poked Daniel in the chest with a sharp finger. “You never know when to shut up.” Jack shook his head. “Look, I’m not saying she’s done something sinister, I don’t blame her for wanting to get out from under his thumb, I’m just saying that she saw an opportunity and she took it. The telepathy thing she has with you, I doubt she even tried to reach of us like that. What about Kanan, if she could tell him what to do inside of his mind, don’t you think she would have told him to keep his damn hands to himself?” There was anger rising inside of him now and he was not sure where it was coming from or just whom he should direct it. “She chose you for this bonding thing. Why do you suppose that is?”

Daniel’s mind first mulled over his theory of just plain dumb luck and the necklace he had been wearing and that she had simply mistaken him for someone else. In the dream he had shared with her, and later after the ritual, he had told her that he was not a God, he was not Ares and that he had not been sent by Ares either. Had she reached for him anyway? “I don’t know. Jealous, Jack?”

“Don’t go there, Daniel.” Colonel O’Neill warned. “How about that appointment with the boys in the lab? Did ya make it yet?”

“No.”

“Not gonna, are ya?” Jack shot.

“Would you two knock it off?” Major Carter asked, watching this little spectacle yet again was getting too much for her.

Dr. Jackson ignored her and kept his eyes fixed on Colonel O’Neill. “She said she would take me to her family, can we wait until after that?”

“Really?” Jack asked. “How do you suppose Ares going to feel about you just showing up with his daughter out of the blue, Daniel? The daughter he sentenced to hell and never went back for.”

It was clear to Daniel that Calla both feared and loved her Father; the idea that she was willing to take him to the home of the Greek Gods gave Daniel reason to hope that a Father/Daughter Reunion between them would go well. That didn‘t guarantee anything. “I don’t know. I guess we’ll find out when we get there.”

General Hammond sat pensively in his chair listening to the exchange. “My question is; where is he? Has she said?”

Daniel turned to look at the base commander. Calla had not said where she would be taking him, only that she would. “An island, some place near Crete.”

“When would you like to go on this little excursion?” The General inquired.

He thought it over for a few moments before he answered. He would like her to get some what acclimated before taking her off somewhere else, it seemed very cruel to offer her a home here and then take her back to a man who had so callously abandoned her. Calla was too fragile for that. “I’d like to wait a few weeks, if that’s all right. I know it may seem like a lot but...”

Janet appeared in the doorway with Calla. “I’m all done with her. Do you want me to take her back to your quarters or are you ready for her?” She asked Daniel.

“If you’re done for now, Dr. Jackson....” General Hammond said.

“Yes, for now.”

“Ok, people. Go to work.” General Hammond rose from his seat and began to make his way to the door.

“About that time frame, General?” Daniel asked.

“Take as long as you need.” General Hammond replied. “Nice to see you again, Calla.”

“When you’re finished here, I’d like to see you in my office, Dr. Jackson.” Janet said before leaving the room.

Sam stared at Calla from across the table and finally broke out laughing. “Daniel, she looks like a little girl playing dress-up in her father’s old military clothes.”

Daniel smiled, as did the rest of the men in the room. “I know.”

“Hey, Calla, you want to go to the mall with me?” Sam asked her.

“Would you do that?” Daniel asked her with relief in his voice. (Shopping is not a hobby for men or the faint of heart.)

“Sure, I’ve got nothing to do for the rest of the day. How about it, Calla, want to go shopping?” There was a hint of anticipatory glee in her blue eyes.

Calla looked up at Daniel. “Do you remember malls and stores?” He asked.

“Hei.” She said. "Agora."

“English.“ Daniel reminded gently. “ Yes, much like the agora. Do you want to go to the mall with Sam, maybe get some new clothes?”

“Yeah, clothes, and other things. Like, I don’t know, a hair brush maybe.” Sam reached out touched Callas’ tangled hair and as she did so, a faint and familiar aroma came to her. “No offense, Daniel, but she smells like you.”

“What’s wrong with that?”

“Nothing, if you’re you know, you. She needs some clothes, her own soap, toothbrush, don’t you, Calla?” Sam encouraged.

“Perhaps a few items.” Calla agreed in a small voice.

“That settles it. We’ll go shopping.” Sam stood up and held a hand out to Daniel who just stared at it. Sam cleared her throat.

“Oh, duh.” Daniel pulled his wallet from his hip pocket and handed over a credit card.

“Yeah, don’t be so cheap, hand it over.” Jack encouraged in a light voice.

“Oooh, Calla look.” Sam held it up so the other woman could see it. “Platinum. Can you say platinum?”

With a puzzled looked on her face, Calla repeated the word, “Platinum.”

“Platinum is good.” Sam nodded her head with a big smile in Calla’s direction. “If you don’t remember much else, remember when it comes to credit cards,” she held the plastic card up, “platinum is very good.”

“Yeah, ok, try not to teach her anything else.” Daniel pleaded and Sam laughed, her blue eyes lit up.

“Ok,” she slung an arm around the shorter woman’s neck, “off to go shopping. Come on, Calla, let’s put a hurt on his wallet.”

Calla turned back to look at Daniel with wonder in her eyes. Did the woman want to hurt Daniel? “Go on, go with Sam.” He told her. “Hey, Sam?” He said quickly as they walked out the door.

“Yeah.”

“Thanks.”

“No problem. Don’t worry, she’ll be fine with me.”

Daniel wasn’t sure that she was right but he stood there and watched them go anyway. Janet wanted to see him. “Wanna come down with me?”

“Sure.” Jack shrugged his shoulders.

“You too.” Daniel said to Teal’c. The three of them left the briefing room and headed toward Dr. Frazier's office.

“As her doctor, I don’t feel comfortable giving you this information in front of them.” Janet said as they all sat down in her office.

“Look,” Daniel began, “I’ve already told them everything else. Just about anything you tell me now I’m just going to relate it to them anyway. Just think of it as cutting out the intermediary. Tell us what you‘ve found out.”

“With very few anomalies, I still say she’s human, genetically speaking anyway.” Janet began the task of relating the results of all her medical testing. Callas’ blood contained an enzyme, which seemed to make it thinner than normal human blood, Janet wasn’t sure what use that was to anyone but it seemed to help in slowing down her normal system. “You know, when you first brought her in here, I thought she was about seventeen. All hair and eyes.” Janet smiled. “Could help explain that.”

“Are you saying she doesn’t age?” Jack asked.

“Not exactly, I think it helps to slow down the aging process. Those enzymes are attacking the toxins in her system, but they are not exactly winning the war. It is more as if they are slowly absorbing it. I haven’t really been able to identify what type of poison she ingested, just lucky it didn’t kill her. However, her blood is very thin and lacking in iron, don‘t be surprised when she starts telling you that she‘s cold.”

“What about her THC levels?” Daniel asked as the thought of the joint she had smoked after the ritual came to him. He had Janet run what tests she could to determine how often Calla smoked the illegal weed and whether or not it was necessary for her to do so.

“They’re off the charts.” She remarked with a laugh. “If I didn’t know better, I would have said that she was smoking a joint as I ran the test!” Janet shook her dark head. “She smokes it fairly regularly, Daniel, from what I can see it isn’t doing her any harm, and in fact it’s probably helped her. At the least, it keeps her calm.”

“So what, you recommend it?” Daniel asked. Janet just shrugged her shoulders and nodded in tacit agreement. Daniel asked as he wondered just where he was supposed to obtain the illegal herb for her. If he decided to continue letting her have it, finding it probably would not present much of a problem.

“Don’t suppose you’ll write him a prescription.” Jack cracked.

“And children?” When he dropped Calla off with Janet this morning, Daniel had asked for several very specific tests, including whether or not she’d ever given birth.

“Yes. From the looks of it, I’d say four.”

“How about five?” He asked quickly. The image of the perfect ring of trees that stood outside the walls of Kanan’s keep would not leave his mind. Last night, as he worked, he had taken the time to hunt down his suspicion. Planting a tree in the memory of a lost relative or loved one was an ancient Celtic tradition. In fact, they would plant so many of these trees that the glens often became Sacred Spaces.

“Sure, ok. Five maybe. It‘s not an exact science.” Janet agreed. “Now you want to know the rest?”

“Yeah.”

From the information Daniel and her tests provided her with, Janet broke the news. The burning sensation when a man touched Calla was being caused by the release of a mild acid by her upper epidermis. A sack located near her heart, where Daniel had plunge the last needle into her, secreted this mild acidic compound. The acid excretion to the touch of the offending male, was triggered because he did not have the same pheromones and genetic code as the one to which she was bonded. In short, it was a defense mechanism. The affect on Calla’s skin, though it burned her, was short lived and she did not suffer any permanent scaring as a result. Janet thought there was a possibility that she could rectify that and lay the acid dormant but she was not sure yet. (Daniel was not sure that he wanted her to.) The ritual had not only bonded her to Daniel it cemented her there. “You know that blood work you had me to do this morning?” Daniel nodded. He and Calla had blood drawn from them at his request. “Your numbers are an exact match, hemoglobin, cholesterol. In fact, from the looks of it, she’s beginning to develop a histamine problem.”

“Allergies?” Daniel asked with amazement and smiled.

“Yep.” Janet agreed. “She’ll probably start sneezing come spring time. You control everything.” She said with amazement. “From her nervous system, to her endocrine system, her immune system, all of it. I just wish I knew how exactly.” Janet pondered the thought for a moment and came up with no real answer. “I don’t know, it’s like your system kicks hers into gear, but she has to wait for you to tell her what to do.”

“How long can I leave her for?” Once again, his thoughts turned the Gate and not wanting to give up his trips through it. “This all works based on her proximity to me, right?” Daniel looked down at his own hands and thought of the way she curled up on him like a cat begging to be pet. The wrong touched produced acid from her skin but the right one produced something essential to her. She just could not live without for very long.

“The longer you’re with her the more she fills up. I think she has been runnin’ on bone dry for a very long time. Anyway, I wouldn’t leave her long if I were you.” Janet returned to her chair. “Not right away. Maybe, down the road, you could leave her here for a week or two at a time, but not right now.”

A week or two at a time. He could live with that. She would be all right without him for that long and he could always return through the Gate whenever he needed to if a problem arose. “Maybe touch isn’t enough to keep her full, huh?” He looked at Janet out of the corner of his eye.

“Hardly,” she replied. “It’s essential, yes. There are all kinds of studies on the benefits of massage and touch therapy. Just the act of touching her releases endorphins, relieves stress and illness, a whole host of things. Nevertheless, if you don’t, um, drop off that other particular DNA sample on a regular basis, she will run completely dry. Your touch kicks her system into gear but the other stuff, is the fuel her system runs on.”

“She’s a junkie, Daniel,” Jack said as he rose from his seat. “You’re not just the drug pusher, you’re the drug. Be careful how you dole it out to her, my friend.”

“Agreed.” Intoned Teal’c in his dark voice.

The moment grew heavier than Jack would have liked and so, being Jack, he did his best to lighten it. “C’mon, Daniel, the task can’t be that difficult.” Jack cracked. “I saw you. You didn‘t seem to have any problems. ” He stood and swiveled his hips in a circular motion, “Nice move, I gotta remember that one.” He patted Daniel on the back while Daniel hung his head in his hands.

“Indeed. Certainly, there are worse fates which can befall a man.” Something that almost passed for a smile crossed his lips. “Don’t you agree, Dr. Jackson?”

“That’s just the start, isn’t it?” Daniel asked in a voice that clearly hoped he was wrong. Then he wondered why it had taken Jack so long to start teasing him about it to begin with. He was probably just waiting for the right moment, this one seemed pretty good.

“Oh, yeah. You’re never going to hear the end of that one, my friend. Never.” Jack threatened playfully.

“Ah, men.” Janet tossed her folder down on the desk. “Get out of here, all of you. Shoo.”

The sun was shining and the weather was warm as Calla sat in the passenger seat of the convertible on her way to the mall with Daniel’s lady friend, Samantha. The air smelled fresh and clean, the vibrant colors that surrounded her as they flew down the old mountain road amazed her eyes. With the top down, Calla’s mane of auburn hair billowed out behind her. Everything on Tiberia was so brown, almost sepia toned. The land Daniel called home was bursting with colors; the leaves were brilliant shades of red, gold and rust. Golden flowers grew right out of the ground wild and untended. Although as a child she had wanted it very much, Calla had never been to the land called America. She had always understood it to be a somewhat magickal place, where no matter who you were or what you were, there was a place for you. All you had to do was find it.

“Feels good to be out of there, doesn’t it?” Sam asked as she drove. “Don’t worry, I know, I spend waaay too much time there.” She smiled and shifted the T-Bird into third gear.

“Yes, it does.” Calla watched Sam’s feet and hands as she worked the peddles which made the car move and the stick between her fingers. She had no idea of what the purpose of the stick was, but the peddles seemed to make it speed up, slow down and something to do with the stick. The third peddle had to be depressed when Sam moved the stick. Calla drew in a deep breath of clean mountain air. “What season is it now?”

“It’s autumn, that’s why the leaves all look like that. Beautiful, aren’t they? Do you feel the chill in the air? Pretty soon it will be winter and this place will be covered with snow.” Sam explained and went to ask her if she knew what snow was then realized, of course she did. Daniel had said Ares took her the Gate in Alaska, she had seen snow at least once in her lifetime and it probably was not the best memory she had.

“It’s good here.” Calla remarked as she took her eyes from the motions Sam was making and back the scenery that rolled by. “I like it.”

Soon they were pulling into the parking lot of the local mega-mall, Sam pulled the car to a stop and they walked through the lot. “This place is kind of big, just stick close to me if you get scared or anything, ok?”

The door opened and the many faces of happy people wandering around the big building with brightly colored packages and bags in their hands greeted her. There were smells in the air as they entered, Calla saw they had come through into an area where there many different types of food available for sale. Her eyes scanned the area quickly and came to rest on the Sabrro stand. Pizza. “Are you hungry?” Sam asked. “I’m starving.” Sam grabbed her stomach to show her hunger. For the next half hour, they sat in the food court and stuffed pizza and burgers down their throats with happy smiles. Quickly Sam came to like the woman Daniel had brought back through the Gate. Calla wasn’t stupid and she wasn’t limited in the way other people might think she was. She was just a little shy and very unsure of herself. A dog that has been whipped one too many times by its Master. It was easy to see, that if one could win just a little of her trust, she turned into a completely different person, one whose eyes lit up like the mid-day sun, a sun which saw no set in its future.

“Hey baby,” a man commented as he walked by their table on his way to the exit. Both women looked up at the sound of his voice. Sam noticed that his comment, like his eyes, was directed at Calla who made no move to smile or show or any other sign that she had heard him.

“This going to be fun,” Sam announced. “Ready?” Sam asked as she took the last sip off the Sprite she had been drinking. “Let’s go put that dent in Daniel’s wallet.”

Calla giggled, a sound like faeries dancing around under the full moon light. And smiled which brought the light in her eyes to her lips. At first, Calla was not sure that she would like this woman. For the most part and except for very special occasions, Kanan had kept her away from his other women. Calla had feared that she would be jealous of Samantha Carter and her relationship with Master Daniel but she was not and that was good, bad bad things happened when she became jealous.

First stop on their shopping spree was Bath and Body Works where Calla picked out shampoo, conditioner, soap and facial cleansing products that did not smell like Daniel. Though Calla rather liked the way Daniel smelled, Sam told her that was a good thing. Calla picked out floral scents, mainly lavender and jasmine. They pleased her nose most and she hoped they would please his as well. The first hit that Daniel’s wallet took that afternoon was $42.10

Next, they perused through a store called the GAP, Calla thought the name was vaguely familiar but was unsure if she had been to a store by that name before. At the GAP there many pairs of what she remembered were blue jeans. Ares hated blue jeans! If he caught her in them, he would be so angry. The last time she had brought a pair of the wretched pants home Ares had roared his disapproval at her and set them to burn. Klotho, Lachesis and Atropos were not only responsible for weaving and tending the delicate Threads of Life for the Mortals but, for the Gods, they spun the most exquisite silk that Minerva (from whom she had learned several of those ’womanly arts’) sewed into the finest clothing for the Gods. Father would not have his daughter dress in the rags of Mortals when such fine garments were available to her.

Still holding onto a pair of Levis, Calla looked around the hustling bustling people, many of the women here wore blue jeans. Even Samantha was wearing a pair.

“Hmm, any idea what size you are, Calla?” Sam asked as she picked a pair of jeans off the rack. “These are cute.” She held them up for Calla to see.

Calla thought about it for a while. “Some time ago I tried on a pair like that, the tag in them said 3. They fit well at that time.”

Sam looked her companion up and down, she was very small and slender. “Three it is.” Sam began to poke through the rack for the specified size. By the time they left the GAP Calla had three new pairs of the forbidden blue jeans and two warm sweaters. Daniel had been charged $176.33 on his credit card. They were not done yet. After all, no matter how old you are, if you’re female and you have money, (or even better someone else’s money!) shopping is definitely one of your all-time favorite activities!

Thoughts and images from what seemed a lifetime ago, began to fade in and out of her mind as they walked through the promenade. Calla had not been to many stores or malls while she had been here on Earth but she had managed to escape on occasion to places like this, to walk among those she should not and be like them just for a short while. Some of the stores in this mall, such as Macy’s and JC Penny Calla knew and told Samantha very short tales of the last time she had been in a store by such a name. Sam surmised she had been about 12 the last time she had gone shopping, standing at about five feet flat, Sam realized that in that time she had not grown a single inch. She was also able to gather that the last time Calla had done this she had been alone and wandering around by herself. Several Mall Rats caught Sams’ attention as they walked, some of them were as young 12 but frustrated older sisters accompanied most of them. 1979 had been different from 2004, (she couldn’t remember very much of 1979 she had only been nine at the time) but still, who let their pre-teen daughter wander around such a place without any one at all?

They came out of Macy’s without buying anything, something Daniel’s wallet would be grateful for later on, and into the mall itself. Sam watched as Callas’ eyes scanned every inch of her surroundings, stopping to gaze upon things and people that she found to be interesting and then moving on. As the people walked by them, Sam caught on to something; all of them men stared at Calla. Whether they did it out of the corner of their eye or they blatantly stopped and took in a good eyeful, they all did it. A few of them stopped to take in the view as the backside of her pass them by. Some of them were as brazen as the guy in the food court had been and made a lude comment as she passed by. Calla ignored all of them, to Sam it seemed that she did not even notice them looking at her, leering at her, not even the sound of their voices brought her eye to theirs. Sam realized that Calla had stopped, she looked up at the sign above the store; Victoria’s Secret. Cool.

“Let’s go.” Sam ushered her inside where Calla related the information that she had never tried on a bra before. Sam crossed to the counter and the saleswoman there. “She needs to be fitted.” The saleswoman led them to the rear of the store and to the dressing area where Calla removed her shirt in the company of the two women. The saleswoman Sam had asked to assist them had short black hair and dark eyes. There was a strange object, some sort of bolt or something, protruding through the space at the bridge of her nose and she bore a tattoo on her wrist. Now the woman leaned in close to her and drew a tape measure around her breasts, Calla held her arms out to the side as she stared into the younger woman‘s eyes. The woman’s hands closed in front of her and she looked down to read the measurement, her hand brushed across Callas’ nipples and turned them hard.

“Ahem,” Sam cleared her throat from her place on the soft purple sofa in the dressing area. The saleswoman dropped her hands.

“34, probably B cup.” She said in a slow voice and realized the space between her legs was wet. “We have a lot of things you’ll like.” She smiled a sly and not so innocent smile.

“Thanks,” Sam rose, “that’ll do.” Calla put the black t-shirt back on and they sorted through bras, panties and nightwear in the outer store. “She was a little forward, don’t you think?”

“What?” Calla asked and held up a white lace bra.

“Well, I mean, she was kind of lookin’ like she wanted you, you know?” Sam cajoled, how could Calla not know what she meant. How could she not notice how the men stared at her? “A little pushy.” The look in the other woman’s’ eyes plainly said she had no idea of what Sam was talking about. “Do you like this one?” She held up a bra which matched the one Calla was holding but instead of white, it was dark green like her eyes.

“Yes!” Callas’ eyes lit up and she took the item in her hands. “It’s very pretty. Do you think Master Daniel will like it?”

Sam did not have to stop and think about it, “I’m sure he will.”

They left Victoria’s Secret with seven new pairs of panties ranging from ultra-bikini to thong, four new bras, and three new nightgowns. Once again, Daniel was down on his credit to the tune of $249.87. “Ok, well I guess there’s just one thing left.” Sam looked down at Callas’ feet.

“Shoes!” Calla cried with childish delight.

“Yeah!” Sam agreed in the same tone.

The women made their way through the nearest shoe store where Calla tried on several pairs of shoes. It was wonderful to have something on her feet once again. It had been many years since Naganti Kanan had allowed her to wear shoes. Not having something to cover her feet helped him to keep her inside the Keep where he believed she belonged. Finally, she settled on a pair of black sneakers and a pair of black hiking boots. Calla thought if last night was any indication, Master Daniel may well like to hike into the woods more often and she wanted to be prepared for that. Total cost; $58.62

With bags and packages in hand they began to make their way through the mall and back to the food court where they had come in. “Sam?” Calla asked as they walked. “When I was young they used to have big black discs.” Calla stopped and held up her hands so that they formed a circle that was roughly one foot in diameter. “They played music. Do they still have those?”

“Not exactly,” Sam explained, “they’re CD’s now. About this big,” she made a circle with her own hands but it was only about four inches around, “shiny. They still play music. Do you want to go into the music store?” They had put a huge hurt on Dr. Jackson’s credit rating this afternoon but, what the heck, another fifty or sixty bucks wouldn’t matter much at this point. “It’s right over there.” Sam pointed across the promenade to a store sign that read Strawberries’ “We have to go into the drug store next door anyway. You really do need a hair brush.”

“And a toothbrush? “ Calla sucked on her teeth and the beginnings of the bitter taste there. “If you wouldn’t mind too much, yes, I would like to go.”

“Ok.”

At the music store, Calla ignored the CDs on display in at the entrance and began to wander the aisles looking at the titles and categories. While the instrument that delivered the music may have changed, record stores were still the same as she had remembered them to be. Everything neatly organized and categorized alphabetically by subject. Eyes scanning, searching, she finally found what she was looking for. 70’s rock and roll read a black sign with white lettering. Slender fingers made their way through familiar names and titles, Pink Floyd, Bob Seger, Bruce Springsteen, Jethro Tull, Little Feat, Deep Purple, Cream and more. Most of the CDs here were all called ‘Best of’ or ‘Greatest Hits’ and upon turning them over she realized that all the songs that she remembered best were on each CD that she held.

“Do you want some of those?”

“Yes,” Calla held up Pink Floyd, the Eagles, Bob Seger, David Bowie, and Bruce Springsteen ‘Best of’ CDs, along with two compilations by various 70’s artists. “Do you think he will be very upset?”

“Daniel?”

“Yes, I don’t want him to be angry.” Calla explained.

Sam took the CDs from Calla and looked the titles over. “No, I don’t think he’ll care. Why?” She handed them back to her.

Calla wanted to tell Sam that the last time she had purchased music it had not gone so well, but she just smiled a weak smile and held the small plastic cases close while they made their way to the check out counter. The last hit that Daniel’s wallet took that day came to a total of 81.76. Sam was signing her own name to Daniel’s credit card receipt when she noticed that Calla was no longer next to her. Peeking over the shoulder of the cashier and through the window behind him, she saw the woman standing across the promenade staring into the window of a different type of music store. “Thank you,” she said hurriedly to the cashier as she grabbed the package and headed to where Calla was staring at the instruments in the window. Before she could catch up with, Calla dashed inside the store.

Looking around with eyes hungry for the sight of the, Calla’s fingertips glided along the smooth surface of the guitars hanging from the walls of Bill’s Music Emporium. Glancing around with sly eyes to see if anyone was looking, she took a black Ovation from the wall and sat with it in her lap. Calla began to strum and realized it was horribly out of tune. With only her ears, she turned the keys until the guitar rung out clean and clear.

“It’s a marvelous night for a moon dance with the stars up above in your eyes,” she sang as she strummed and wrapped her knuckles against the wood keeping the time of the backbeat. “A fantabulous night to make romance ‘neath the cover of October skies.”

Samantha Carter stood at the end of the aisle behind a display of sheet music watching Calla as she sat on the floor strumming the guitar and singing. The image was somehow surprising although she didn’t know why that should be. After all, Calla had a different life than the one she had lived on Tiberia, at least, once upon a time anyway. What surprised her most was how talented Daniel’s new friend was. The sales people and shoppers all stopped to listen to her sing and play. Some of them snapped their fingers in time to the beat or tapped their feet, others sang along with her in voices that were not as melodic as hers.

“Can I just have one more moon dance with you,” dunt dut, “my love! Can I just make some more romance with a-you,” dunt dut “my love!” Calla ended the little Van Morrison tune and looked up in dazed at the sound of applause, she had been unaware that anyone was listening to her play. The sight of the small crowd gathered around her caused her to recoil a little.

“That thing was made for you, love.” Said one the salesmen with the British accent. “Why don’t you play us another?” He encouraged. “Better yet, I can wrap it up and you can take it home.”

As much as she might have wanted to, Sam declined to urge to put a charge of a new guitar on Daniel’s credit card. “One more if you want, Calla, and then we really have to get going.”

At the sight of her companion, Calla relaxed a little and realized she would like to play one more song. Calla picked at the strings and whistled; doot doot do do doot do, doot doot do do doot do, she made a humming sounds, “Oh, yeah. Ziggy played guitar, jamming good with Weird and Gilly and the Spiders from Mars. He played it left hand but made it too far, became the special man, then we were Ziggy’s band.” She played the old David Bowie song flawlessly and once again the crowd around her, which had doubled in size, applauded to show their approval when she was done. Call rose silently to her feet, smiled at the nice people around her and hung the guitar back upon the wall.

“You sure you don’t want that, love? I still say it’s made for you.”

Calla just shook her head with a smile and waved good-bye as she set off with Sam.

“That was really good, Calla. Where did you learn to play like that?”

“The love of music was a gift from my uncle, Apollo.”

“Wow.” Sam’s sapphire eyes blinked in amazement.

“I can play piano, saxophone, drums and many others.” Calla paused for a moment and took a deep breath before continuing. “Father never approved of such things.”

“Well, obviously, he never really listened to you play.” Seeing the look in the other woman’s’ eyes, Sam changed the subject. “After the drug store, we really have to go.” Sam said as they walked through the mall. “I think we spent enough of Daniel’s money.” She looked down at her watch and realized they had spent three hours wandering around the mall; Daniel would probably be getting concerned about them by now.

End Chapter Sixteen
Daughter of the Gods: Every New Beginning
By Moon Mistress
Continue to
Chapter Seventeen

This story and all stories in the Kingdom of the Gods & Daughter of the Gods series are copyrighted to Lisa Beth Darling these stories may not be transferred outside of this URL in any fashion.