A Day Past Forever
A Day Past Forever
by Jaz
Summary: A Forever in a Day fic--the team helps Daniel deal with his loss.
Category: Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Missing Scene/Epilogue
Episode Related: 310 Forever in a Day
Season: Season 3
Pairing: Team
Rating: GEN
Warnings: minor character death
Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. I have written this story for entertainment purposes only and no money whatsoever has exchanged hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations, and story are the property of the author(s).
Archived on: 2005-03-04
O'Neill ran across the seemingly endless sea of sand directly on the heels of Major Carter, hurriedly dodging the desert grass and doing his best to avoid tripping over the countless Jaffa bodies that littered the ground around them. He knew there was no way he should be standing right now, let alone running towards the tent that stood several hundred yards away. No way any of them should be alive right now.
He'd felt his first glimmer of hope when they'd freed the Abydonians. Accomplish the objective and live to fight another day...wasn't that the way it worked?
Apparently not when Daniel was around. He always seemed to have other ideas, and this wonderful habit of getting himself, and usually the rest of SG-1 into trouble. Never failed.
And this time was no exception.
Jack barely heard Kasuf as he told Daniel that Sha're's son had been taken; taken by her. He didn't even catch the look on Daniel's face, but he knew it was there just the same--the one where he squints his eyes a certain way, the one that meant trouble, that meant Daniel had suddenly found a higher purpose than their mission objective. Jack had done his best to squash Daniel's noble ideas right there, not that it did him any good.
Daniel never listened to him anyway. Why he thought this time would be any different, he'd never know.
Jackson had run off, headed straight for the tent and into trouble again. Jack sent Teal'c after him, certain that if anyone could keep their errant archeologist safe, it would be the big Jaffa upon whom he'd come to rely so heavily. Then all hell had broken loose, as some of Teal'c's former buddies began firing from the hilltop behind them.
Jack had his second glimmer of hope for the day when Carter picked up the missile launcher dropped by the fallen member of SG-3 and blew the crap out of the Jaffa cannon. You go, girl, he thought proudly.
This hope too wouldn't last.
Uncertain he could believe his eyes, he felt his stomach drop as wave after wave of Jaffa warriors crested the top of the hill, their only intent to take out the SG teams. Outnumbering the SGC forces by too many to count, the Jaffa should have cut them down in no time.
Only their position behind the embankment kept Teams 1 and 3 from being slaughtered. That, the wonderful good luck that seemed to follow them, and a whole lot of ammo could be the only reasons Jack was now sprinting towards the tent on Carter's six instead of lying in the desert sand with his life blood slowly spilling out of him.
Some days are just better than others.
He'd watched Daniel disappear inside the tent only a few minutes (a few years?) ago, followed shortly after by Teal'c. Fearing the worst, he pushed aside the tent flap in tactical position behind Carter, his weapon ready.
He was totally unprepared for the sight that met his eyes.
Daniel lay on the ground in front of him, curled up on his side, his forehead already showing signs of burn marks, which Jack could only assume came from one of those God-forsaken Goa'uld ribbon devices. Inches away from him lay Sha're, or Ammonet, or whoever she was at the moment. Except at the moment she had a whopping big hole in her chest, and it wasn't looking good.
A few feet away from them knelt Teal'c, his staff weapon pointing skyward, little wisps of smoke still circling the tip.
"Oh, God..." he heard Carter mumble beside him.
Jack's thoughts exactly. He shifted his gaze questioningly to his Jaffa teammate. "Teal'c?" he asked, hoping for some sort of answer that would make sense out of the mess this mission had suddenly become.
"Daniel Jackson will be fine," Teal'c promised confidently in his normal even voice, the slight tremor noticeable only to those who knew him well.
As he gazed back at the younger man in question, watching as Daniel ever so gently ran his fingertips over his dead wife's face, hearing his quietly uttered words of love, Jack wasn't so sure.
*********************
O'Neill caught himself to keep from tumbling headlong down the ramp as he awkwardly stepped through the event horizon and returned to the gate room. Daniel's arm was slung around his shoulder and Jack was holding the younger man's wrist with his left hand, his right hand wrapped around Daniel's waist, doing all he could to keep his teammate on his feet. For his part, Daniel barely lifted his head in acknowledgement of his surroundings.
General Hammond stood anxiously at the base of the ramp, awaiting the return of his most reliable team. The fact that they had not come through the gate when the Abydonians had appeared nearly an hour earlier left the general fairly certain SG-1 had hit a snag. General Hammond hated snags.
He noted Dr. Jackson's condition, the way the archeologist was leaning so heavily upon his CO, and knew the young man had come into harm yet again. Turning, he barked an order to the sergeant to get a medical team down here, pronto.
Jack made it down to the end of the ramp with his cargo, gently lowering Daniel to the ground as Sam came and eased Daniel's head backwards, letting it rest against the vest that Teal'c had just offered her.
Daniel moaned softly, the ache in his head growing with each passing moment.
"Colonel O'Neill, report," General Hammond ordered softly, falling back into the military conduct he seldom adhered to with his second in command.
"Ammonet tried to fry Daniel's brains with one of those Goa'uld hand thingys, sir. Teal'c managed to stop her with his staff weapon."
The general took a moment to digest this information, stepping back slightly to allow Dr. Fraiser access as she made her way to Daniel.
"Ammonet?" the general questioned. "What was she doing there? Is she... dead?"
Jack looked at his superior officer, knowing what he was really asking. "Yes, sir," he answered quietly, resignation in his voice. "Both of them."
Janet looked up as she heard Colonel O'Neill's quiet statement, suddenly wondering if any of the skills she possessed would be enough to bring healing to Dr. Jackson. She knelt beside him, laying her hand gently along the side of his face, her touch assessing and comforting at the same time. "Daniel?" she asked softly. "How are you doing?"
Jackson opened his eyes only briefly, closing them again as if the light was painful to him. "Headache," he muttered, raising his arm and laying it across his face.
"Are you hurt anywhere else?" Fraiser continued, her hands and eyes scanning him for obvious signs of injury.
Daniel's sigh gave lie to his words. "No," he answered, his words barely audible.
Sam spoke up. "She couldn't have had that hand device on him for more than, what, five, maybe ten seconds?" She looked to Teal'c for confirmation.
"I believe you are correct, Major Carter," Teal'c acknowledged with a slight bob of his head.
"Well, that's better than the alternative," Janet answered. "Alright, then, Daniel. We're going to get you over to the infirmary so I can run some tests, then I'll see about giving you something for the pain, okay?"
Daniel gave a single wordless nod and offered no resistance as the medics lifted him onto the waiting stretcher and began rolling him towards the elevators.
Jack moved immediately to follow them, fully intending to carry out his normal hovering and pacing routine in the infirmary, as he did whenever any member of his team was brought there. Daniel, it seemed, most of all.
"Colonel, hold up a moment, will you please?" Though he'd phrased it as a question, there was no mistaking the command in General Hammond's voice.
Jack's gaze longingly followed his team out of the gate room before reluctantly turning to General Hammond.
Hammond was not oblivious to O'Neill's desire, no, his need to be with his fallen team member. It was one of the things that he most respected about his second in command--Jack's commitment to his people. In fact, the general encouraged it.
"Five minutes, Jack, that's all I ask," Hammond quietly stated with kindness in his voice. "Fill me in on the basics, then you can join the others. The rest of the debriefing can wait until Dr. Jackson can join us."
*************
True to his word, the general released O'Neill in the promised time, and Jack hightailed it over to the infirmary. He barreled into the room in his usual bull-in-a-china-shop manner, nearly knocking a tray of blood collection vials off a cart by the doorway. "How's Daniel?" he asked without preamble.
Sam answered him from where she sat on a nearby bed, her arm obediently held out while the lab tech drew her blood. "Janet's barely gotten started, sir. She's got him behind the curtain over there."
Jack's gaze followed the direction she indicated, skimming over Teal'c as he underwent his own physical evaluation that was the routine whenever they returned from off-world. The medic working on Teal'c looked up at the sound of O'Neill's voice. "I'm almost finished here, sir. I can take you next."
"Keep your pants on, Lieutenant. I'm not going anywhere," Jack mumbled, moving across the infirmary. He stepped behind the drawn curtain without asking.
Dr. Fraiser didn't even bother to protest the Colonel's presence. She knew better. She looked up at him as she reached to fill a syringe with something to ease Daniel's pain, and caught Jack's eye.
Jack held her gaze for a moment, before breaking contact to look down at Daniel. He absently laid his hand on Daniel's arm. "Hey, buddy. How ya doin?" he asked quietly.
Daniel opened his eyes again for the first time since he'd been in the gate room, following the sound and immediately focusing in on Jack. "Hurts a little," he admitted, the pain obvious in the tightly drawn lines around his mouth.
"Okay, Daniel," Janet said soothingly. "I'm going to give you something now that's going to help you sleep for a while."
"No," Daniel stated quietly. "Don't want anything..."
Janet glanced at Daniel's face, wondering if he'd been around O'Neill a bit too long. She was quite used to hearing that line whenever a certain gray haired, often belligerent colonel was stretched out in front of her. "You need the rest if you're going to get rid of that headache," she tried reasoning with Jackson.
"I said no, Janet. I don't want to sleep," Daniel stuck to his request.
"Easy there, big guy. Doc here knows what's best, okay?" Jack threw in for good measure.
"No!" Daniel stammered, suddenly struggling to sit up. The energy in his actions took both Dr. Fraiser and O'Neill by surprise. "No, Janet, I don't want anything. Please...I'm okay, really; I don't need it!" His movements were becoming more agitated, threatening to pull out the line Dr. Fraiser had already established.
"Relax, Daniel! Take it easy..." Janet soothed, not hesitating to make the decision to administer the sedative in spite of his objections. She deftly inserted the needle into the med-lock and added the medication through his IV drip.
"Calm down, Daniel," Jack commanded, the words coming out a bit more harshly than he'd intended. He took hold of his friend by the shoulders to help restrain him before he hurt himself.
"No! Jack...God, you don't understand. I don't want to go to sleep, I don't..." Daniel's speech became slurred as his movements slowed. "I don't want to sleep..." he mumbled.
"It's alright, Daniel, settle down. You need to rest...Doc's orders." Jack's hands loosened on the younger man's shoulders as he felt his friend relax beneath his grip. He rubbed his hands lightly up and down Daniel's shoulders, unwilling yet to let go, wanting his touch to communicate his presence to Daniel. "Just relax. Sleep. It's gonna be okay, I promise--I'll be here when you wake up."
Daniel felt himself slipping backward into the blackness, utterly powerless to stop the journey.
Janet quietly observed her patient as his breathing deepened, entering into the relaxed rhythm of sleep. She picked out a small blue tube from a nearby drawer and began applying the cream to the burns on Daniel's forehead, being careful not to disturb the leads from the EEG. "Thank you, Colonel," she acknowledged, "I appreciate the help. Now, however, I'd appreciate it just as much if you'd get out of here and let me finish my work."
"Sure thing, Doc," the colonel replied smoothly, switching gears. He flashed her his most boyish grin, the one he knew she couldn't resist. "As soon as you tell me how he's doing."
Janet shook her head, doing her best to keep the smirk off her own face. The colonel certainly knew how to lay it on when he wanted to. She shifted her mind back to business.
"Well, I need to run some more tests before I can be certain..."
Jack cringed inwardly. When did Dr. Fraiser NOT need to run some more tests?
"Just bottom line it for me, Doc..." Jack pleaded.
"Bottom line?" she echoed. "Bottom line is, I think he's going to be fine. His EEG shows only a slight derivation from his baseline, which I think is normal given the amount of trauma I believe these hand devices must inflict upon the brain. If, like Sam says, Daniel's exposure was limited, then I don't believe that was sufficient enough to cause any permanent damage. I expect he'll have a headache for a few days, but nothing that a little rest won't cure."
She hesitated before continuing. "Physically speaking, anyway. As for the other...Colonel, did I overhear you tell the general that Sha're is dead?" Janet gazed up at him, her hands ceasing their ministrations.
Jack simply looked at her, unable to come out and say it. He nodded.
Janet sighed, returning her gaze to Daniel's face. "Then I'm afraid his wounds may run deeper than we realize. But I don't have anything to fix that..."
Jack stood there quietly, watching Janet in silence for a few minutes as she worked.
As if suddenly remembering he was still standing there, Janet spoke again. "If you'll excuse me, now, sir. Go on out and get Thompson to start your own post-mission med check. I'll finish up here with Daniel and then you can sit with him when I'm finished. Doctor's orders." She gave him half a smile, her mind obviously still preoccupied with her current patient.
O'Neill nodded, gave Daniel's arm a last gentle squeeze, and disappeared behind the curtain.
********************
Jack shifted again in the hard backed chair next to the bed Daniel now occupied, doing his darndest to get comfy. He pulled his left foot up onto his lap and began idly picking at something stuck on the side, inspecting the boot as he worked. These were good boots. Well broken in. Just needed a little TLC sometimes.
Every few minutes he snuck a peek at Daniel's face, noting with disappointment that there was no change yet, that Daniel slept on. Contrary to everyone's current belief, the colonel hated this particular duty. Sitting next to the bedside of an unconscious friend was close to torture for Jack O'Neill. You'd think he'd be good at it by now, getting as much practice as he did. But it was boring, for one thing, especially for a guy who needed action as much as Jack did.
Having nothing to do left him with too much time on his hands. Time he usually spent thinking, no matter how much he tried to fight it. Thinking about things that were better left un-thought of. Things he could have done, or should have done, to change the outcome that left him sitting here at this moment anyway.
And always, in the back of his mind, there was the memory of another day, another hospital. No waiting game that day. Jack knew, the minute he'd seen his son, that there was no hope.
He'd give anything and everything to change the outcome of that one solitary day.
He'd give anything to be able to stop thinking about it.
Yeah, so Jack hated this particular duty. Didn't matter, though, because it was his duty. Not just as an officer, as Daniel's CO. But as his friend. That was what kept him here, waiting, wondering. And here he'd stay, until he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that the curious archeologist would be alright. As Teal'c would say, `Undomesticated equines couldn't tear him away.'
Major Carter walked into the infirmary carrying two cups of coffee, noticing immediately the dark look on the colonel's face. She paused, watching him unnoticed for a minute, and wondered not for the first time about the things that must haunt this man.
Things she knew he obviously wanted to keep private, despite her desire to encourage him to share his burdens with her. She resumed walking towards him, clearing her throat a little to warn him of her presence, and watched with fascination as his features shifted and returned to normal, as if the darkness had never been there to begin with.
"Hey, Carter," Jack acknowledged, feeling ridiculously pleased by her presence. He returned his boot to the floor and shifted again in the chair, brushing the dirt off his hands absently.
"Hi Colonel, " Sam returned, "Daniel's still sleeping, huh?"
"Like a baby."
"That must be good, right?" Sam mused out loud, handing one of the cups to Jack. "Brought you some coffee, sir."
"So I see," Jack parried, gratefully reaching for the cup and raising it to his lips. He took a small sip, feeling the warm liquid slide down his throat with pleasure. "Thanks."
"No problem," Sam answered. "Teal'c is right behind me, at least, I thought he was," she continued, looking back over her shoulder. "We thought maybe we'd sit with Daniel a bit while you took a little break. I'm sure you could use a chance to shower, maybe get something to eat..." she persuaded.
"Why, Carter, I'm hurt! You aren't, by any chance, suggesting that I smell, are you?" Jack asked, his voice laced with sarcasm.
Carter knew better than to take the bait, though she did have the good grace to look embarrassed. "No sir. Just thought you might like to get away for a few minutes. Janet said she doesn't expect Daniel to wake up anytime soon anyway," she added for good measure, using her own coffee as a comfort shield as she took a sip.
"Well, thanks, but no thanks," Jack responded. "I'm just getting this chair broken in," he bluffed, ignoring the screaming in his lower back.
"Sir..." Carter made one last attempt.
"Save it, Major. I'm not leaving. I promised Daniel I'd be here when he woke up. And a promise is a promise."
"Yes, sir," Sam answered, knowing she'd been wasting her breath anyway. "How about some company then?"
Jack put his coffee on the floor and stood up, walking a few steps away to grab another chair. "Now that," he said, placing it next to his favorite scientist (as if there could be such a thing) "would be nice."
******************
Daniel slowly opened his eyes, struggling to focus them. Glasses. He needed his glasses, he thought, or tried to think through the fog that encircled his brain. He turned his head on the pillow towards where they should be sitting on the nightstand, but there was no nightstand next to bed. Instead, there was...
"Jack?" he mumbled, pretty certain that the blur sitting next to him with his arms folded and his chin resting on his chest was O'Neill.
The colonel's head snapped up, his years of military training coming to the fore leaving him instantly awake and assessing the situation. His internal clock put him sometime in the wee hours of the morning, a fact that was confirmed by the dim lighting and the quiet atmosphere of the infirmary. He swiped a hand over his face before running his fingers back and forth through his short gray hair. He looked over at Daniel, still uncertain what had awakened him, and was surprised to see Daniel looking back at him.
"Daniel! Hey...how ya doing?" he asked softly.
Daniel ran his tongue over his dry lips, not sure how to answer that. God, he hated this groggy feeling, waking up uncertain of where he was or how he got there. He had the strangest feeling he had done this all before. He tried to focus on what had happened. He knew it was locked in his memory--it was there, just beyond his mind's grasp... The mission to P8X-873, right? To free the Abydonian's, to free Kasuf.
Sha're. She had been there. She had...
With sudden clarity, the events of the last day came crashing down upon him, and he knew the truth. Truth that left him longing desperately for the uncertainty of just a moment ago, before he'd known. Before his world had changed forever. Before he'd lost his hope.
Sha're was dead.
And his world was shattered.
"Oh, God..." he moaned softly, unaware his cry was audible.
"Daniel?" Sam questioned, coming up to stand next to him and running her cool hand gently over his hair. "What is it? What's wrong?" Her concern for her friend was evident in her voice. "Are you in pain?"
Daniel didn't respond at first, simply squeezing his eyes tightly shut as he felt the warmth begin to gather behind them. He shook his head slowly from side to side as the first tear traced a path down his face to fall softly on the pillow beneath him. He took a deep breath, blinking rapidly to clear his eyes, and turned his gaze back to Jack, his eyes questioning.
"Sha're?" he asked simply.
Jack would have cut off his own hand to be able to give a different answer to his friend. Daniel deserved better. But there was only one answer to give him.
"I'm sorry, Daniel," he uttered wearily, lowering his gaze briefly before returning to meet Jackson's eyes, owing him that much at least. "She didn't make it."
Daniel didn't respond, simply closed his eyes again, leaving them shut for long moments until Jack began to wonder if he'd fallen back to sleep.
"How?" he questioned finally, the anguish in his voice nearly palpable.
"You don't remember?" Sam asked with unease.
Daniel thought hard for a moment, his mind working to overcome the haze it was trapped in. He did remember. Seeing Sha're/Ammonet in the tent. The ribbon device. Teal'c firing his staff weapon. Sha're, dying beside him. And... Sha're, here. Alive. Dressed in his clothes. Lying beside him in his bed, speaking to him, touching him, holding him. Telling him of the boy, the harsesis. Of Kheb. Telling him of his need to forgive Teal'c, so together they could find the child. Forgive Teal'c...forgive him for killing her.
He'd never been so confused.
"Teal'c," Daniel stated. "He...he fired his staff weapon."
Sam glanced up at Jack, holding his gaze, the worry that was written all over her own face mirrored in the face of her CO. She watched as Jack laid a strong hand on Daniel's shoulder, squeezing gently, reassuring him that he was not alone.
"Ammonet would have killed you, Daniel," Jack tried to reason with him. "Teal'c had no other choice."
"He did what he had to do," Daniel said softly, repeating the words Sha're had told him.
The silence lengthened between the members of SG-1, until Daniel spoke again. "Where is she now?"
"She's, uh...she's downstairs, Danny. In the, um, in the..." Jack paused, uncertain if he should say the word. "She's with the guys we lost from SG-3, Belletto and Stine," he improvised, knowing for some reason it would be important to Daniel that she not be alone.
"Can I see her?" he asked, looking back at Jack's face.
"Aw, geez, Daniel...I'm not sure that's a good idea..." Jack hemmed.
"Please," he said simply, imploring him with his eyes. "Please, Jack. I need to see her."
Jack locked eyes with Daniel, searching his face. Knowing Daniel spoke the truth but hating it all the same, he relented. "Alright. Let me clear it with Fraiser. If she says it's okay, I'll bring you down there myself."
*****************
The hallway leading to the morgue seemed to stretch on forever, with only the quiet sound of the wheelchair's movement to accompany them on their journey. Jack once again put away his desire to be anywhere else but here in deference to the needs of his friend, solemnly pushing the chair through the narrow door. He'd called ahead, making the arrangements for Daniel to be able to view his wife's body in private. Sam had discreetly disappeared, knowing Daniel well enough to realize he wouldn't welcome witnesses to his grief.
Jack wheeled him up to the table on which a figure lay covered in a white sheet. Stopping, O'Neill came forward and crouched down in front of Daniel, reaching to apply the brakes before resting a hand gently on Daniel's knee.
"You sure you're ready for this?" he asked, looking up at Daniel's face. The younger man's gaze was locked on the figure in front of him.
Daniel started at the sound of Jack's voice in the quiet room, turning his wide, haunted eyes to him. "No," he admitted. "I'm not sure. But...I need to do this. I need to know this is real," he confessed.
Jack didn't quite know what Daniel meant by those words, but it didn't matter. If it was what he needed, then...
The colonel gave Daniel's knee a little squeeze before standing. "I'll leave you alone, then," Jack offered.
"No," Daniel replied quickly. "No...Jack...would you, um, would you stay?"
Jack stared at Daniel, noticing for the first time how small he looked encased in that wheelchair. Small and tired and utterly alone. It was a feeling Jack knew all too well.
"Yeah, Danny," he agreed quietly. "I'll stay." He reached over then and ever so gently pulled the sheet down from Sha're's face before stepping back to stand behind Daniel.
Jack folded his arms tightly across his chest, settling in to watch over his friend, a silent sentinel whom none would dare defy.
*******************
Several hours later, Jack was wandering the halls of the SGC as it returned to life for a new day. He was looking for Teal'c. The colonel had returned a very quiet Daniel Jackson to the infirmary, leaving him there in the capable hands of Dr. Fraiser, assuming she'd insist on Daniel's getting more rest. Jack was surprised, however, when Daniel managed to convince her that he just needed a little time to himself, somewhere other than the infirmary. Janet had relented, giving in to the soft spot she'd always held for SG-1's civilian member, releasing him after giving him a final once over. Daniel had quietly retreated to the privacy of his quarters.
Jack meandered into the commissary, spotting the object of his search sitting alone at a corner table. The big guy was pretty hard to miss as he sat, surrounded by the remnants of what looked like enough food for ten men. Ten marines. Ten really big, really hungry marines.
Jack approached the table and pulled out a chair, reaching for a lone uneaten apple on one of the plates and rubbing it vigorously against his chest. "Teal'c," he said by way of greeting, biting into the apple with a satisfying crunch.
"O'Neill," Teal'c acknowledged, bowing his head, waiting patiently as Jack chewed.
"Just came from the infirmary--Fraiser's given Daniel the rubber stamp. Says he can get his tail feathers out of here and go home."
"I was not aware that Daniel Jackson had feathers on his tail," Teal'c commented, his eyebrow curving slightly upward.
Jack narrowed his gaze at his teammate, looking for the tell tale sign that Teal'c was making a joke. It was subtle, but you could see it in the Jaffa's face. Sometimes.
"Good, Teal'c, good. You're making progress, really. Anyway, I noticed you haven't been by to see the good Doctor Jackson since we brought him back," Jack stated, striving for a casual tone. "Anything going on here I need to be aware of, good buddy?" He looked Teal'c directly in the eyes.
It never once occurred to Teal'c to be anything but truthful with this man, his first friend among the Tauri. "I was uncertain if Daniel Jackson would truly wish for my presence," he explained.
"Why?" Jack asked, playing dumb, taking another bite of his apple.
"I should think it would be obvious, O'Neill. I am responsible for the loss of his wife. For the second time, no less."
"What you're responsible for," Jack emphasized, "is saving his life from one of those damn snakeheads." Jack leaned forward on his elbows, capturing Teal'c's gaze with his own. "If you hadn't acted, Daniel would be dead right now, and that's unacceptable in my book. You had no other choice, Teal'c--you did what you had to do. Daniel even said that himself," Jack finished fervently.
"So he did," Teal'c agreed, remembering Daniel's quietly uttered words in the tent.
"You ever known Daniel to lie?" Jack added.
"No," Teal'c agreed again, "I have not."
"Good," Jack replied, settling back in his chair. "Glad we got this settled, since General Hammond has ordered the debriefing for 1300 hours..."
"I will be present, O'Neill."
"Never doubted it for a second, Teal'c."
****************
The members of SG-1 sat gathered around the table in the conference room just outside General Hammond's office. The Stargate in the room beneath them could be seen through the window, standing proudly erect, silently resting before being called upon again to allow another traveler through its portal. The team was a fairly quiet bunch for once, the general mused, noting the way Sam and Teal'c sat patiently awaiting his words as Jack worked at folding another of his memos into a small triangular football shape. Daniel Jackson sat motionless on the far side of the table, his concentration seemingly focused on the ball point pen he held in his hands. It was to him that the general directed his opening comments.
"Dr. Jackson, on behalf of myself and the rest of us here at the SGC, I would like to extend our sincerest condolences on the loss of your wife. We all know how long and hard you've searched for her--I'm sorry it had to end this way."
Daniel raised his head to stare at the general, as if he were hearing the statement but not quite understanding the meaning. No words were spoken, but after a moment he nodded in silent acknowledgement of Hammond's expressed sympathy.
Hammond paused, concerned that this might be too soon for the young archeologist to be included in this debriefing. He decided to give him the option.
"I want you to know that we can handle this meeting without you, son...please feel free to leave if you'd like to be excused. In fact," Hammond continued, the idea just occurring to him, "perhaps it would be the best thing for you if you got away from here for a little while. Why not take some time off? A leave of absence would certainly be in order, and if it's what you feel you need, I'll have the paperwork drawn up immediately."
Jack stopped playing with the little paper football in front of him and looked up at the general, somewhat surprised by the offer just made. He wasn't at all sure he liked the idea of Daniel taking a leave of absence, although even he could admit it might be the best thing for his friend.
For a moment, Daniel didn't answer; then he slowly shook his head, unaware that all eyes in the room were focused on him, concern evident in each gaze. "No, General, but thank you." He suddenly noticed the pen in his hands, seeing it as if for the first time. "I, well, I can't say I haven't considered it...in fact, I kinda toyed with the idea of turning in my resignation...uh, well, after all, my purpose in being part of SG-1 was to find my wife--you all knew that, and you, sir, were kind enough to give me the opportunity."
"Considered it when, Daniel?" Jack interrupted him. His eyes darted across the table to meet Sam's shocked expression before shooting back to Daniel, searching the other man's face intently. "You've been asleep most of the time you've been back." O'Neill shifted slightly in his chair, hoping no one else in the room picked up on the slight squeak he heard in his own voice. Daniel's taking a leave of absence was one thing, but leaving the SGC altogether...that idea didn't sit well at all.
"Uh, yeah. It's kind of hard to explain," he replied somewhat cryptically. "The long and short of it is that I'd like to stay. Let's just say that I think there's something important that I still have to do here." Even as he said the words, he was struck again by the feeling of dj vu that he'd been unable to shake since leaving the planet. "I think I have some information that could be pretty useful."
"What kind of information?" Sam asked, her interest peaked. "And where'd you get it from?" She didn't think Daniel had been out of sight long enough on P8X-873 long enough to learn anything the rest of them didn't know.
Daniel sighed, uncertain if he could make the others understand. He didn't understand it himself. But he knew they trusted in him, and because of that trust, he plunged ahead.
"Sha're told me," he stated quietly.
"Sha're?" Sam questioned with obvious concern. "Daniel, I don't understand... when did you talk to her? How did you talk to her?"
Daniel laid the pen down on the table and folded his hands. "Like I said, it's kind of hard to explain. In the tent, with Ammonet...when she was using the ribbon device on me...I believe Sha're was able to communicate with me through the device."
Daniel's statement was met with silence as the others gazed at him quizzically, skeptical but wanting to understand.
"In what manner do you believe she was able to communicate with you, Daniel Jackson?" Teal'c asked, as he gazed at his teammate with a solemn expression.
"And what the heck did she say?" Jack added.
"She didn't exactly say anything, at least not directly. But she showed me things, kind of like, like a dream or a vision or...something. I don't know exactly. But it was like I was living the whole thing over and over, each time a little bit different." Daniel turned to face Carter, his eyes imploring hers. "Sam, you told me that you believed it was possible for the host to communicate through the ribbon device."
"I did?" Sam said, surprise evident on her features. "When did I say that?"
Daniel thought for a moment. "Well, actually, I guess you didn't. Not for real, anyway. But in the dream you did. You were blended once...is it possible that it could happen? That the host could get a message through?"
"Daniel, I don't know..." Sam began, then stopped. Her face took on that all too familiar look that came upon her whenever she was thinking through the solution to a problem, her eyes soft and unfocused. "It might...I guess it could happen. I haven't really thought about it. I don't know enough about how Goa'uld technology works, but you might be right. As far as we know, although the ribbon device uses a power source similar to a staff weapon, it has no real power on its own; instead it simply channels the energy from the Goa'uld who is using it..."
The pitch of Sam's voice rose slightly, her excitement becoming obvious as the gestures of her hands became increased. "Now, if something of the host survives, as we've come to believe, then it might be possible for some of their energy to be channeled through the device as well. The possibility is fascinating--to think that both entities could actually make use of the same device to communicate entirely different..."
"Enough, Carter!" Jack said in exasperation. He could tell she was only getting started, and already his eyes were starting to cross at the prospect of hearing yet another Carteresque definition. He returned his gaze to rake over Daniel's face.
"Daniel, just what was Sha're trying to tell you?" he asked again.
Daniel laid the pen down on the table in front of him and pinched the bridge of his nose beneath his glasses, silently trying to gather his thoughts. The dark circles under his eyes, combined with his with unnatural pallor and his characteristic movement of tension left O'Neill wondering if Jackson was still dealing with the physical after-effects of his time on the planet more than he was letting on.
"Well," he started slowly, "there were a lot of things. It, it was pretty weird. It was like I was living through days and days of time, and every time she got close to telling me what she needed me to know, something started to drag her away, and I'd wake up to find her gone again." He raised his eyes across the table, catching and holding the gaze of his Jaffa friend. "She wanted to make sure I didn't blame Teal'c for what happened. She said that I would need to work together with him to complete her task."
Teal'c bowed his head to Daniel in acknowledgement of Jackson's unspoken message.
"Her task?" General Hammond questioned. "What was her task?"
Daniel decided to lay it all on the table. "She wants me to find the boy. Her...her son," he stumbled over the word, "you know, from Apophis. She said the boy is special--he's the harsesis."
"The har-whatsis?" Jack questioned, looking as baffled as ever.
"Harsesis," Teal'c repeated thoughtfully. "It is a word I have not heard in many generations."
"What's a harsesis?" Sam questioned.
"It's the offspring of two Goa'ulded hosts--a child who, though human, contains all the genetic knowledge of the Goa'ulds. Apparently these children are ruthlessly hunted down by the Goa'uld because of the threat they pose by possessing such knowledge," Daniel explained.
"Your information is correct, Daniel Jackson. From where did you learn of such things?" Teal'c asked.
"From you, Teal'c. You told me about it," Daniel replied.
The Jaffa remained motionless, the only change on his face being the slight inclination of one eyebrow. "I did not," he stated.
"Yeah, sorry," Daniel hurriedly amended. "I meant in the dream again--you told me about it in the vision.
"Jeez, Daniel, you were talking to Sha're, talking to Sam, talking to Teal'c...anybody you didn't talk to? And where the heck was I during all these visions you were having?" Jack asked somewhat petulantly.
"I don't know Jack, you were, I guess, doing what you always do..." he answered impatiently.
"Which is?"
Daniel looked at him patronizingly. "I can't think of anything at the moment..."
Jack stared at him, not quite sure how to respond to that, looking for all the world like an overgrown child who'd been told he missed recess. "Oh," he said, unable to come up with any sort of witty retort. "Wait..."
"Look, Jack, the important thing is that we need to do whatever we can to try and find the boy. The knowledge he contains could help us in immeasurable ways in our fight against the Goa'uld."
"Ya think?" Jack asked wryly.
"Yeah, I think," Daniel said, throwing Jack's sarcasm back at him.
"Well, believe it or not, I happen to think you're right," Jack stated, swiveling in his chair to face General Hammond and missing the expression of disbelief on Daniel's face that they actually agreed about something. "What do you think, General?"
"Well, I certainly believe it's worth looking into. Dr. Jackson, do you have any idea where we might locate this child?" the two-star asked.
"Sha're told me that Ammonet kidnapped the child and hid him to protect him from the System Lords. She said that she hid him on Kheb."
"And can we go to this Kheb? Do we have a gate address?"
"Uh, yeah, see that's kind of the problem," Daniel began apologetically. "You see, as far as I know, Kheb only existed in ancient mythology. It was a mythical place where Osiris hid from Seth."
"No address?" Jack asked.
"No address," Daniel answered, taking another sip from his nearby coffee.
"That's a problem," O'Neill stated the obvious.
"Ya think?" Daniel muttered under his breath.
"How's that?"
"Nothing," Daniel said, clearing his throat. "Look, obviously I can't promise anything, but I'd like to start doing some research on it, seeing if I can't pinpoint a location." He looked up at General Hammond expectantly.
The general stood for long moments, pondering the request, all the while wondering about the feasibility of starting a search based upon knowledge received from a man held in the throes of a death device from a Goa'uld who'd taken his wife as host. Still, strange occurrences seemed to be becoming the norm around the SGC.
"Agreed," he stated finally. "Dr. Jackson, you may begin your research as you feel led. SG-1, you are officially on stand-down until after the burial ceremony for Dr. Jackson's wife. Dismissed."
Daniel started inwardly, surprised at the sharp pain that shot through him at the general's words. Burial ceremony...that sounded so...real. This was real. It had to be, right? Standing slowly, he removed his glasses to gently massage his temples before replacing them and exiting the room for the sanctuary of his office, unaware that the gesture had not gone unnoticed by his commanding officer.
************************
Sam stared at the computer screen in front of her, her mind no longer making sense of the series of figures that appeared there. She rubbed her bleary eyes, struggling to stay focused, knowing it was useless. She shouldn't have pulled another all-nighter. But she'd been going over the plans for the Naquada reactor that Merin had helped her put together, trying to find the missing link that would make it work, and as usual found the hours had just flown by.
She pushed back the stool she was sitting on and stood up, stretching. Intent on seeking coffee, she vaguely wondered if Jack would be stopping at Starbucks on his way in to the mountain as he often did. A quick glance at her watch and she decided it was late enough that he was probably already on base, so she went off after the next best alternative--the coffee maker Daniel kept in his office, with the selection of international coffees that he always mysteriously seemed to acquire. This was definitely a morning worthy of Panamanian coffee. She only hoped the line about it being strong enough to put hair on her chest was a metaphor...
As she walked the hallways of the SGC, her thoughts returned again to her friend, worry creasing her brow. She'd seen him only a handful of times in the two days since the burial ceremony on Abydos, each time he'd been distracted and distant, which wasn't unusual when he was focused on something he was working on. But this was different, and she could all too easily figure out why.
She'd watched him during the ceremony as he stood stoically next to his father-in-law, dressed in the garb he'd worn the first time she'd met him. Daniel's voice had never wavered as he recited the burial litany, first in English, and then in the native dialect of the Abydonians, the sounds smoothly flowing from his mouth.
She'd been proud of him, this man who was like a brother to her.
Sam rounded the corner to Daniel's office, her long purposeful strides eating up the hallway. She figured Daniel wouldn't be in yet and smiled at the thought of surprising him with ready-made coffee. The last few days though, Daniel seemed to be here at all hours. Frowning, it occurred to her that she wasn't sure he'd left the base at all since returning from P8X-873. Making a mental note to check on it later, she stopped in front of his office. Finding his door slightly ajar, she knocked before entering.
"Daniel?" she called out softly.
"Over here, Sam," he answered, nearly hidden by the boxes and piles of books next to his bookcase. He removed a book from the bottom shelf and stood up, moving toward his desk.
Sam willed herself not to gasp out loud at the sight of him. His clothes were disheveled, his hair rumpled and there was over a day's worth of growth on his face. But it was his eyes that scared her...bloodshot orbs surrounded by dark circles, and no sign of life coming from within.
She walked over to him, laying a soft cool hand on his cheek. "Hey...are you okay?"
"Why wouldn't I be?" Daniel asked as a bitter laugh escaped him. He stepped aside, breaking the contact with Carter as effectively as if he'd reached up and pushed her hand away.
"I just, um...you look terrible, Daniel!" Sam said, deciding not to beat around the bush. "When's the last time you slept?"
"Looks to me like you should be asking yourself that," he responded pointedly with a hint of a smile, making Sam blush over her own disheveled appearance. The reminder that the two of them were equally capable of getting engrossed in their work to the exclusion of all else acted as a balm to Sam's hurt feelings.
"I'm fine, Sam, really," he continued. He glanced up at her briefly before returning his gaze to the book he was holding, thumbing through its pages. "Were you looking for something?"
"Coffee," Sam confessed, smiling at him.
He smiled back, though it didn't reach his eyes. "Help yourself. It's fresh."
"Thanks." She turned reaching for the mug she kept in his office and pouring herself a cup, breathing in deeply of the heavenly scent.
"Anytime, Sam," Daniel answered off-handedly, his mind already back on his work.
"I'm worried about you, Daniel," she stated the obvious.
Daniel glanced up again, seeing the concern on her face and steeling himself against it. "Don't be."
"Can't help it." Sam cradled the mug in both hands and took a sip, her eyes holding his over the rim of the cup.
"No, I mean it, Sam. Don't be. Please. I...look, I'm, uh, just barely holding all the pieces together here, you know?" His voice broke, and he closed his eyes tightly, fighting against the moisture that was gathering there. "I can't do that if I know you're worried, if you're being so nice to me...I just gotta keep focused on what I'm doing. Get through another day. Okay?" He opened his eyes, pleading with her for understanding.
"Would it really be so bad if a few of those pieces were to fall, Daniel?" she asked him quietly.
He took a deep, quavering breath, pausing so long she almost thought he wouldn't answer. "Yeah. Yeah, it would."
Sam held his gaze for another moment, then slowly nodded. "Okay. But just remember that I'm never far away if you need to talk, alright?" She offered him a small smile, desperately wanting to wrap him in a hug and knowing it would not be what he wanted. Wishing not for the first time for a better understanding of how the male psyche worked, she raised her mug toward him before heading out the door. "Thanks for the coffee..."
************************
By 19:30 that night, Sam had nearly given up hope of catching a moment alone with Colonel O'Neill. She finally spotted him emerging from the men's locker room with Teal'c, obviously fresh from showering.
"Sir! Colonel, can I speak with you for a moment?" She glanced at Teal'c with an apologetic smile. "Hi, Teal'c."
"Major Carter," Teal'c intoned with a slight bow of his head. Correctly guessing that Major Carter wished to speak with O'Neill alone, the Jaffa turned and headed for his room.
"What's on your mind, Major?" Jack asked ambivalently.
"Sir, it's about Daniel."
"And what about the good Dr. Jackson?" Jack asked, suddenly feeling himself fighting to hold onto the good mood he'd been in all day.
"I don't know, sir--he just--he doesn't look right. I'm worried about him."
Jack stopped walking and pulled Carter off to the side of the hallway, speaking quietly. "He just lost his wife, Carter. We're *supposed* to be worried about him. It's what friends do," he explained as if he were talking to a young child.
"I know that, Colonel, but I think there's more going on here. He looks terrible--I'm not sure, but I think he still has a headache. We don't know that much about the after-effects of the ribbon device, but I think maybe Janet should take a look at him. And sir, he hasn't left the base since we came back..."
This caught Jack's attention. "Not at all?" he questioned. "We've been back for over a week--are you sure?"
"Yes, sir. The logs don't show him signing out at any time."
Jack sighed, scrubbing a hand over his face in a tell-tale gesture of frustration. "And just what would you like me to do about it, Major?"
"I don't know, sir. Maybe you can order him to take some time off, or order him to be re-evaluated by Janet."
Jack looked at her cynically. "He's a civilian, Carter. He doesn't follow my orders on the best of days, what makes you think he would now?"
"Well, then maybe you could just talk to him. He wouldn't talk to me, but maybe if you tried...see if you notice anything..."
"I've already noticed," Jack said softly.
"You have?" Sam asked, somewhat surprised.
"Yeah," Jack admitted. "I'm worried about him too."
"So you'll do it?"
"Yes, Mother," he agreed testily, offering her a slight smile to take some of the sting from his words.
"Now?"
"Carter..." he threatened.
"Yes, sir," she sighed, "I won't push it."
"Now that," Jack threw over his shoulder as he headed off in the opposite direction, "would be a first."
************************
The door to Daniel's office was open. Jack didn't bother knocking; he simply sauntered in with a greeting ready on his lips. The sight that met him stopped him from opening his mouth, however, and he gazed with interest at SG-1's civilian member sitting in his chair, his head drifting toward his chest as he nodded off.
Jack moved forward, silently taking a seat on the stool opposite Daniel's desk, wondering if he should waken Jackson just to tell him to find a better place to sleep. He was surprised when Daniel started mumbling, though Jack couldn't make out anything other than the word `no.'
Just as it appeared that Daniel was losing himself to the nightmare, his head snapped up, his eyes blinking owlishly. He swiped a hand across his mouth, reaching for the eyeglasses that were thrown haphazardly on the table in front of him, as yet unaware of another presence in the room
"How ya doing, Daniel?" Jack asked quietly, watching as Daniel nearly jumped out of his skin.
"Geez, Jack! What the hell are you doing, sneaking up on me like that?"
"I didn't sneak up on you--I was just sitting here."
"Well, you nearly gave me a heart attack!"
"I can see that."
Daniel placed a hand on his chest as if that could slow the sudden rapid pace of his heartbeat. He slowly stood and made his way to the coffee maker, disappointed to see that the pot was empty. He opened the drawer beneath it and began dumping coffee into the filter. "So what did you want?" he asked the leader of SG-1.
"Nothing. Just checking to see how you're doing."
"You know, I kinda wish people would stop doing that. I'm fine," he insisted, his very appearance giving lie to his words.
Jack sat silently for a moment. "Carter's just worried about you Daniel," he defended her. "So am I, for that matter. What you're going through isn't easy, we all know that, but--you look like crap, for cryin' out loud. When's the last time you slept?"
"About five minutes ago," Daniel said wryly.
"That's not what I'm talking about, and you know it. There are a lot better places to sleep than in that lousy old chair. When's the last time you took advantage of one?"
"Jack, I mean it, I'm fine, okay? I appreciate the concern, really I do. I'm just trying to get through this in the only way I know how."
"You're not fine, Daniel," Jack argued. "Anyone with eyes can see that. What is it? Nightmares?" Jack knew the younger man's tendency to suffer from bad dreams as a result of many of the things they'd witnessed together, had often sat with him, talking quietly in the aftermath of such a dream during their times off-world.
"No," Daniel said, his eyes darting away.
"Daniel?" Jack prodded, unwilling to believe him. He received no reply, but he wouldn't let it slide. "Look, buddy, I think you need to talk to someone about this. You don't want to talk to Carter, you don't want to talk to me--that's fine. But I think you need some help here. Carter thinks I should order Fraiser to take another look at you, and I'm inclined to agree with her. Unless you can give me good reason not to."
This got Daniel's attention. He turned back to face O'Neill. "No, Jack. I don't need to see Janet, I swear. Please?" He stopped, part of him wanting to share his fears with Jack, the other unsure if he should. The instinct for self-preservation, for self-reliance was strong. But this was Jack--more than his commanding officer, he was his friend. His best friend, really, if Daniel were being honest with himself, though he'd never admit it to the man in front of him. Some things were better left unsaid. Still...if anyone could understand, it would be Jack. He let out a small, shaky laugh. "Janet's just going to think I need to talk to somebody else, and I'm already on a first-name basis with most of the shrinks in the Air Force. You gotta wonder how many times I can go nuts before somebody decides I'm not quite stable enough to be part of this little project."
Though he knew Daniel meant it as a joke, Jack could see there was a kernel of fear hidden behind his eyes. He nodded solemnly. "Alright then. Fraiser's out. Talk to me then. Convince me that you're going to be okay for our next mission." He spoke now not just as a friend, but as a commanding officer that needed to know he could rely on the man that might be called upon to cover their backs. "If it's not nightmares, then what? What's going on here, Daniel?"
Daniel poured water into the coffeemaker from the pitcher he kept next to it, stalling a bit. He returned to his chair and sat facing Jack, his elbows on his knees with his hands clasped in front of him, his head hanging as he stared at his feet.
Daniel was silent for so long that Jack began to wonder if he'd talk to him at all. He shifted uncomfortably. "Daniel? You still with me here?"
"Yeah. I'm still here. I think... It's not nightmares, Jack, it's the dreams," he said, his voice no more than a whisper.
"The dreams? What do you mean? You mean, like the visions? From Sha're?" Jack questioned as understanding dawned. "You're still having them? You think she's still talking to you?"
"No. At least I don't think so. That's the problem, I guess. I'm not sure. I'm not sure of anything anymore. I'm having a hard time figuring out what's real." Daniel's breath escaped him in a rush as he finally admitted out loud what had been plaguing him since P8X-873, yet hearing it sounded so...lame.
"I'm not sure I'm following you..."
Jackson let out a little laugh. "Don't sweat it--I'm not sure I'm following me either." He leaned back in his chair, running both hands through his hair, still not used to the shortened feel of it. He'd been unable to make sense of any of this, but now, at this moment, he was determined to help Jack understand. To help them both understand. "You see, the dreams, the visions, whatever they were...in one dream Sha're would be...would be dead, and I'd...I'd be trying to deal with it. Then, in the next one, she'd be alive--talking to me, holding me--God, it was so *real!* I could *feel* her hands on my face, Jack; I could feel her touch, smell her hair. And then I'd fall back to sleep and in the next dream she'd be gone again."
"Every time the dream changed, it was because I'd fallen asleep. I guess, in some weird way, I'm afraid to fall asleep again," he finally admitted. "Because every time I did, I'd have to lose her all over again. And I...I just can't, Jack, I can't. Because I don't know how to deal with the loss..."
Jack watched as a single tear traced its path down Daniel's face, could see the heartache that was etched into Daniel's every feature, and felt his own pain fight its way back to the surface. He lifted his gaze off into the distance, his eyes unseeing. His voice was hardly above a whisper, his words hesitant with no trace of their usual humor. "When you lose someone you care about--the one person you love, who means more to you than anything else in the entire world... It's something you never..." His voice trailed off, the sentence and the thought unfinished.
Daniel stared at him silently, momentarily taken aback. This man in front of him, his CO, his comrade, his *friend*--all too often it was easy to forget the loss Jack had suffered himself. The loss that was the very reason Daniel had met him in the first place. Watching O'Neill swagger around the SGC, wearing his self-designed armor of dry humor and devil-may-care attitude, it was hard to imagine the man had ever known that kind of sorrow.
Every so often, though, the armor slipped, just a little. A distant look, something in his face. The pain was there. It was still real. It was still fresh.
And it still hurt more than Jack could bear.
Jack turned unguarded eyes to face Daniel and sighed, resigned to talk about this, no matter how much he wanted to avoid the topic. "The best thing we can do is to find some other reason to go on. A purpose, or a...a hope. And a way to keep their memory alive in us." He looked down at his hands, unconsciously massaging the finger on his left hand where his wedding ring used to be. "You taught me that, a long time ago..."
"Look for the good things, Daniel. There won't be many at first. Maybe none at all. But little things...they'll come in time." He raised his gaze again to meet Daniel's. "Just don't ever expect to forget..."
"No," Daniel agreed quietly. He knew he never would.
"One thing I can promise you--this is real. What you're feeling right now, us sitting here talking--it's reality. For better or worse. You're not on that planet anymore, Daniel. The dreams are over. You need to get some sleep. And when you wake up, you'll still be faced with the same loss. It sucks, I know. But it's real."
Daniel smiled wanly. "Promise?"
Jack held up his right hand. "Scout's honor."
At this, Daniel let out a small laugh. "You were a boy scout?"
Jack winked at him. "I never said that..." He cleared his throat, feeling uncertain of the offer he was about to make. "Listen, uh, I've got a couple things to finish up before I clear out of here. Why don't you, uh, stay at my place tonight? The spare bedroom's open. Maybe it will, um, help you sleep better knowing you're not alone..."
O'Neill's face was flushed, and Daniel knew it wasn't easy for him to make that offer. Which made him all the more grateful. "Jack, you don't have to do that..."
"No problem--that's what friends are for, right? So, what do you say?"
Daniel hesitated, but he knew Jack was right. He *would* sleep better with a friend nearby, and he knew his body was closer to crashing than he'd like to admit. "Okay. I'll take you up on it. But no keeping me up forever watching hockey."
"Season's over, Daniel. Of course, I do have a few of the good ones on tape, if you'd like," he said with a smile.
Daniel held up his hands. "I'll pass."
"Your loss, my friend. I'll meet you back here in about 20 minutes, okay?" Jack climbed off the stool and slowly stood to his feet, having said his piece, at least as much as he was capable of. For him, that was saying a lot. He made his way to the doorway of Daniel's office.
"Jack?"
"Yeah?" He waited patiently while Daniel seemed to gather his thoughts.
"In all of the dreams--when I learned about Sha're, when I turned in my resignation, when I tried to shut everybody out--one thing never changed...you were always there. Always. Lending a hand, standing by my side, watching out for me, whatever...So, I guess, even if it wasn't real, I just want to say...thanks."
Jack turned back to face Daniel, one hand resting on the doorframe, a small smile on his face.
"Sounds pretty real to me."
~End~
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