AN: Last chapter! Thank you all for your lovely comments. I've got a couple fics I'm working on right now, but it'll be awhile. I hope you enjoyed this so far. This is set after The Shroud

o0o

"So…" Daniel hesitated at the door to the commissary, reluctant to enter. "Are you sure about the cake? I mean, there's a coffee pot in my office. Actually, there are two. We could be quite comfortable there."

"Daniel, you're going to have to do this sooner or later. It might as well be with a two-star General." Jack raised an eyebrow, patting Daniel on the shoulder before opening the door.

Daniel sighed, but he followed his best friend. He kept his eyes on his feet, so he was surprised to hear people clapping. Risking a glance, he realized that everyone was standing – and they were all looking at him, smiling and cheering.

"Welcome back, Dr. Jackson!"

"Daniel, glad to see you're okay."

The chorus continued as Daniel followed Jack to a table in the back, where he accepted the cake and coffee that an attendant handed to him.

"I told you it wouldn't be a problem, Daniel."

"I was a Prior. I allowed six more ships to enter this galaxy. Hell, I let Adria kiss me!" Daniel was getting worked up again.

"Okay, I sooo did not need to know the last part." Jack gripped Daniel's wrist, and locked eyes with him. "People don't care, Daniel. They know you. They know how much you've done for this planet over the years. You make this place happen, Danny-boy. You think they're going to let some weird body art and a few ships take away from that? You did it to destroy the Ori."

"I'm not…I didn't…I don't even know what to say."

Jack patted his best friend on the cheek. "Now you're just being modest. A linguist who doesn't know what to say. This right here? That's what makes you so you."

Daniel smiled slightly. "I thought I wasn't supposed to do that anymore."

Jack heaved a mock sigh. "I gave up on that a long time ago. Look, I brought you here to relax, get you out of that stuffy office for an hour. Eat some cake."

Daniel sat back, observing the people around him. There was an air of determination, and a light of hope had been kindled in their eyes. Maybe he had made the right decision. He watched Jack devour the cake in front of him, rolling his eyes at the look of childish delight on his face.

"Body art?"

"What?" Jack looked confused.

"You said 'weird body art'. Technically, they were religious symbols." Daniel grinned at the look of horror that came over his friends face.

"If you're about to give me the complete history of religious symbolism, I'm going back to Washington." Despite his threat, Jack made no move to leave, instead sitting back in his chair.

"It is rather fascinating, but I'll spare you for now," Daniel said. "I'm much more interested in what was going on here while I was uh, otherwise engaged."

"I thought Vala told you everything."

"Most of it. I wanted to hear it from you."

Jack had been tipping his chair back, but now he let it drop. "You know, I really thought Wolsey was getting better. Especially after Atlantis."

"He was doing his job."

"Yeah. I notice you didn't let him go through with his plan."

"I had other things to do. He was right, though. I could have done a lot of damage."

"His little plan was never going to happen." Jack's sharp reply told Daniel in no uncertain terms that the point was to be dropped.

Daniel smiled slightly. It was nice to know his best friend would always be there when needed. Speaking of that…

"Don't you have a job?"

Jack blinked, startled at the sudden transition. "Uh…yeah. That's why I'm here."

Daniel shook his head. "No, your office is in Washington. You have a bright red phone to talk to the President, and you make important decisions about off-world activities."

"So?"

"So Sam said you've been here four times in the last three months."

"I was gathering information."

"You didn't come to the base two of those times."

Jack rolled his eyes. "I was working on my second job."

"And that is?"

"Taking care of the two accident-prone members of SG-1."

"Right. Does your staff even know where you are?"

"I may have slipped out the back door."

"There's a back door to the Pentagon?" Daniel grinned again, and then looked at his watch. "It's been an hour. Can I go back to work now?"

Jack sighed. "Fate of the galaxy stuff?"

"Never gets old." Daniel watched his friend stack their dishes. "Jack…"

"Hmm?"

"Thanks."

"I'm just clearing up."

Daniel banged his head on the table. "That's not what I meant."

"I know." Jack smirked, then softened it into a true smile. "I'm glad you're back…Spacemonkey."