Oh say can you see - Daniel and the flag

A/N: I'm not really sure what inspired this fic. I may have been looking at a flag or just thinking of the episode where Daniel de-scends and appears in Jack's office, naked. It just cracks me up every time.

Disclaimer: Do we really need to put these? Everyone knows we're here on a fanfiction website. It's not really a surprise.

XOXO

Daniel blinked in confusion, thoroughly disoriented. He glanced around: utilitarian walls, ugly gray cement, a stripey, spangled flag... His blue eyes landed on a messy desk, a yo-yo lying atop a pile of unsigned paperwork. A gold plate, mostly buried in unfinished paperwork read: Brigadier General J. O'Neill.

Of course.

Well, at least this time The Others had put him somewhere familiar and, as far as he could tell, with his memories in tact. A draft from the ventilation system brushed across him and he shivered, glancing down: aaaaaaaand he was most definitely naked. Just then he heard Sam say, "Perhaps it was Daniel!"

"Nope!" he called out, looking around for a spare jacket or something, anything, to cover himself. "Wasn't me!"

"That sounded like Daniel!" Jack exclaimed in disbelief.

He heard someone stand and suddenly Jack appeared around the corner.

"AH! No! Don't come in!" Daniel exclaimed. Although this was definitely not the first time Jack had ever seen him naked, it still wasn't something he would typically choose.

"Hey! Whoa!" Jack exclaimed. He hastened back into the briefing room, and after a moment, Jack's hand reappeared, holding the SGC flag for him. Daniel sighed and hastily wrapped himself. He stepped out to see Jack, Sam, Teal'c, and Master Braytac.

"Oh, boy," Sam muttered, staring anywhere but at him. She rose to get the base phone and quickly called the infirmary to come check him out and finished with- "And please bring a set of scrubs with you- Yeah, yes. Yup. Thanks." Sam, looking anywhere but at Daniel, quickly muttered something about a gate diagnostic and left.

Master Braytac rose, a broad grin on his face.

"It is good to see you once more, Doctor Jackson," he said warmly. "I take it... ascension did not agree with you once more?"
"I think it may have been a parting gift from Oma," Daniel replied, still a little fuzzy on his short time re-ascending. "I think she went after Anubis. That's why..." He gestured wildly with his free hand.

"That was Carter's theory," Jack said in agreement, raising an eyebrow at Daniel's wild arm-waving. Daniel smiled tiredly. "Hey, Daniel, I'm curious... Whyyyy are you always naked when you come back?"

"Well, when you ascend you cut all ties to the physical..." Daniel said slowly, thinking it over. "And, well- remember the first time I died? I left behind the hospital gown, the bandages, everything."

"Ah, right," Jack said in understanding. He looked around awkwardly, playing with the fringe on the American flag still on the pole beside him. Daniel sighed wishing the infirmary would hurry up with those spare scrubs, and wishing that just once, someone else could wind up naked and back-from-the-dead rather than him.