Twisted Fate

Finding Home

1

When Jack finally returned with the cookies he seemed to be in a bad mood. He just dropped off the boxes, muttered something about having to take a walk around the ship, and left.

Daniel and Sam shared a puzzled look and opened a box of cookies. "I'll see if Cassie wants some," Daniel said after a while. "She's probably already waiting for me."

He went searching for his friend and found her in their quarters. She was sitting cross-legged on her bed, working on a picture with a pencil. When he entered she looked up briefly and continued her drawing.

"I brought you some cookies," Daniel offered. "Ready for the game?"

"Thanks." She didn't look up again. "Do you feel like a caged tiger, too?" she asked abruptly.

"Um, no. But I know what you mean." He stepped next to her and looked at her picture. It was a dog. "That's good," he said.

"It's Doggy. I can't wait to see him again." She sighed and finally looked up. "I'm horrible, aren't I? I hate this ship, I hate the MRE stuff we still have to eat." She suddenly threw the pencil away. It hit the golden wall, snapped in two pieces and fell to the floor. "It's stupid. When everyone is fussing over me I want them to leave me alone and when I'm left alone I don't want to be alone."

He sat down next to her. "It's okay, Cass. You're just cranky. This was lots harder for you than it was for me."

"No, it wasn't. All I did was sit around, doing nothing." She shrugged. After a pause she said softly, "When everyone died... back on Hanka... when everyone was gone, my parents, my aunt and uncle, all my friends... That was scary. That was worse. When Sam came to rescue me, I thought she was an angel." Cassie laughed and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, going mental here. Anyway, this being kidnapped, it just made me angry. And it makes me mad that I can't just get over it now. But I had so much time to think, being alone in that stupid cell all day. I kept thinking of mom and Sam and how they'd worry and..."

"I was scared," Daniel admitted slowly.

She blinked. "You were?"

"Yeah. I was scared because I didn't know if they'd really come to rescue us. And because I thought Makepeace might kill us once they wouldn't need us anymore."

They were silent for a moment. Cassie's hand slipped in his and she squeezed it. "Me too," she whispered.

"But it's over now," Daniel said.

"I can't wait to be home again. Hey, maybe Jack is going to adopt you after all. Then you could stay in the Springs."

He turned away from her and carefully pulled his hand away. "Cassie..." He trailed off when something on his own bunk caught his eye. "What's that?"

"That? Oh, Uncle Jack put it there a while ago. Said it was for you."

Daniel frowned as he went over to examine the 12inch rubber doll sitting on his pillow. It looked almost like Thor. The doll had huge black eyes and Daniel could almost imagine it blinking at him. He picked it up and squeezed it. A deep voice said, "Greetings, Earthling."

Cassie, still sitting on her own bed, laughed. "Only Uncle Jack would think something cheesy like that is funny."

"Actually," Daniel said, fighting the grin spreading across his face, "I think it's funny, too. Sort of."

"You're both crazy," Cassie said matter of factly.

He found Jack in the section with the escape pods, next to the bridge. He was sitting on the floor with his back against one of the pods, doing nothing. Daniel stopped in front of him, hands behind his back.

"Hey, Jack," he said.

"Hey," Jack replied tiredly. "What's up?"

Daniel pulled his right hand from behind his back and held the doll out to Jack. The gray little alien figure nodded his head. "Where'd you get this?"

"Oh." Jack's eyebrows wandered upwards. "That." He waved a hand at the doll. "I got it in Nevada. You know, Area 51 crap. One of those 'I was there' souvenirs from a gas station." He grimaced. "I know it's cheesy. But it seemed to be a good idea at the time."

Daniel's eyes grew big. He had totally forgotten about the trip. "Nevada," he said. "What happened in Nevada? Did you see the artifacts?"

Jack nodded. "Yep. There was nothing unusual about the ribbon device. But that painting is giving our people a headache. Something seems to be sealed inside the frame or behind the canvas, but they can't open it. Doctor Lee said it'll blow up into their faces if they try to cut through the canvas."

"Wow," Daniel said. "Do they have any idea what it is?"

"Nope. Not that I know of. But I'm sure we'll get to hear whatever they figure out." Jack pointed at the rubber doll with his chin. "I know that's a stupid gift. Sorry."

"I like it," Daniel said. "I had one of those... at home."

Jack squinted up at him. "You did?"

"Yeah. Jack thought it was hilarious and got it for me shortly after I was downsized. I didn't appreciate it much at the time." He sat down lotus-style across from Jack. "But... it's funny you bought the same thing. For me."

"Go figure. Something I actually did right then." Jack gave him a lopsided smile.

"Why? Why did you carry it around with you all that time. You could've just given it to me later." Daniel was really curious about that. It was nice that Jack had gotten him a gift from Nevada. But why would he take it with him on a rescue mission?

"I wanted the company," Jack said with a smirk. But then he sobered and continued. "I've had it sitting on my desk since I got back from Nevada and found out you kids had been kidnapped. I showed it to Frasier and she said you probably wouldn't be impressed. But when we finally heard from you, I... just felt like bringing it with me. I thought you might get a laugh outta it. Or maybe I thought it'd bring me luck."

"Luck?"

"To find you alive. So I could still give it to you," Jack said in an oddly hoarse voice. "When I came back from Nevada I had made up my mind. I was going to ask you to stay... and then you were gone. For a while there the chances of finding you were very slim."

"I don't... I don't understand. You never wanted me to stay before. You were going to send me to that boarding school..." He trailed off, thinking he might just suffocate on his words.

"And who exactly told you about that boarding school?" Jack asked sharply, his eyes narrowing.

Daniel pursed his lips. "Um, Kershaw did. Apparently Grieves overheard you talking to the general."

"Kershaw and Grieves, huh?" For a moment Jack looked utterly annoyed. Then he pressed his fingertips against his temples as if he was getting a headache. "Oy. I realize I haven't exactly been Mister Nice Guy, Daniel. But if you really believe anything that... that... "

"Bitch," Daniel provided helpfully.

"Thank you." Jack snorted. "If you really believe anything that bitch tells you, I must've been even more obnoxious than I thought I was."

Daniel didn't know what to say. He sat on the floor, absently playing with the doll, and gazed at his knees. When Kershaw had told him about the boarding school it had fit so perfectly. Before he'd gone to Nevada Jack had been very sketchy about Daniel's future and he'd hinted at Hammond's refusal to let Daniel work on base. What else was he supposed to believe?

"Look," Jack said after a moment of awkward silence. "I might not be the perfect guy your Jack was..."

"He wasn't perfect," Daniel mumbled. "He was just... He just... I think he loved me. Like his kid. And we were best friends before... the... you know... " Suddenly there was an ache in Daniel's chest and he had to take a deep breath. "And I miss him very much."

"I care," Jack said quietly. "I'll never pretend to be him. Or to take his place. I'm probably just a bad copy... but I do care about you. I can't force you to stay with me, I know that. But I'd like you to give it a try."

His heart squeezed painfully as he tried to process what exactly Jack was telling him. Licking his lips, Daniel slowly looked up into Jack's brown eyes. Warm and deep. "You would let me go though? To Abydos?" he asked.

"Yeah. If that's what you really want."

"But you want me to... stay?"

"I want you to stay," Jack said. "I can't tell you how exactly that'll work out if I go back into the field. And there's still the issue of where you'd stay while I'm gone... I won't make anymore promises I probably can't keep. But yeah, I want you to stay. And we'll figure out the details as we go."

"And... you're not saying this because you feel guilty about sending me away? Or... or because you think it's your duty to... take me? Or because Janet thinks you should? Don't you think you might regret it if you take me home?" Flushing with embarrassment about the outburst of questions, Daniel ducked his head again. Maybe that's exactly why Jack was offering him a home? Out of guilt?

He forced his hands together in his lap, twining his fingers around the Thor doll, so he wouldn't do the self hugging. But he wished he could run out the door so he didn't have to hear the answer to his questions. He wasn't sure he wanted to hear it. But he needed to. "If you're feeling sorry for me, please don't. I'm gonna be fine."

"I'm not feeling sorry for you. I guess you can handle whatever life throws at you. It's a Daniel Jackson trait. One I always admired in my... other Daniel, too."

"But... " Daniel bit his tongue, cursing his inability to stop asking questions even when he knew he probably should.

"I spent a long time feeling sorry for myself. And I guess it's time to quit running and face a few truths. You made me take a good look at myself. And I didn't like what I saw very much."

"Sorry," Daniel mumbled, remembering Jack's outburst after they had come home from the hospital.

"Forget it. You were right."

They fell silent again. The low vibration of the Tel'tak's engines was like a soothing subliminal humming.

"So..." Jack finally said. "I know I'm cranky and irritable. And that probably won't change over night, but..."

"I'll think about it," Daniel cut him off. He didn't know what to say. He had focused on a life on Abydos as something that was going to happen. He had refused to wish for a home with Jack. He wasn't even sure he really WANTED to go home with this Jack. Or was he? Wouldn't he always subconsciously try to compare this Jack to his own?

"I guess that's all I can ask for," Jack said.

Behind Daniel the door swished open. He turned to see who had come in, but the entrance was empty.

When he turned back to Jack, he saw the brown eyes widen for a fraction, then Daniel was pushed to the ground so hard, he hit his head. When he turned on his back, Jack seemed to be air wrestling. There were grunts and curses and Jack was flung across the room, crashing against one of the escape pods. He was back on his feet in an instant, hollering at Daniel to get out of the line of fire.

Because Jack and his invisible attacker were between him and the door, Daniel crawled backwards until he was in a corner next to the escape pods. He tried to see a trace of the invisible attacker, but no matter how hard he looked, all he could see was Jack and the otherwise empty room.

Jack pulled a zat from his belt and started firing randomly at the walls. He had his back to the door now so their enemy wouldn't be able to leave the room again. A knife came flying from somewhere and Daniel let out a warning yell, but Jack ducked, dove away and fired the zat in the direction the knife had come from.

Nothing happened. No sound of a body hitting the floor.

Jack slapped his radio. "Carter! I need a TER in the escape pod bay."

Daniel felt a movement next to him, like a shift of air, then he was yanked to his feet and a strong arm wound itself around his chest.

Dèjà vu.

"Get out of here and close the door, O'Neill," a cold voice said next to Daniel's ear.

"I don't think so," Jack snapped, aiming the zat directly at Daniel and his invisible attacker.

"I want you to jump out of hyper space so I can use one of the escape pods. I have a gun aimed at the kid's head."

Daniel waited for the familiar pressure of having a weapon held to his neck or temple, but it never happened. "He's lying! He doesn't have a gun! Zat him," he yelled, wriggling and squirming in the tight grip the man had on him. "Go ahead! Zat him!"

"Show yourself," Jack snarled, ignoring Daniel.

"No. If you want to zat me you have to zat both of us. And do you know how zatting affects kids? Such small bodies... Get out of here. I'll let the boy go as soon as you've left."

"Don't listen to him! I'll be fine!" Daniel kicked backwards and felt something give away under his boot. So he did it again. Daniel felt the arm around his chest loosen. But only for a moment, then he was grabbed even more tightly.

Jack was standing there like an immovable object, the zat in his hand not wavering, but not firing either. What was taking him so long? Daniel would get over a bit of pain. He'd been zatted a lot in his life...

The door opened and Sam burst in.

Jack lowered the zat and whipped out a handgun from his leg holster. "He's got Daniel!"

Sam aimed the TER at Daniel and he could see the arm around his chest become visible. Suddenly he was free. Someone yelled at him to duck and he fell to his knees, covering his head with his arms. There was a loud bang mingled with a scream, then Grieve's body dropped to the floor next to him.

Daniel stumbled to his feet and across the room.

Someone caught him and held him tight.

Someone else was screaming bloody murder, cursing and whimpering.

Then Jack's voice. "Shut the hell up, Grieves!"

"You son of a bitch! You think you won? You'll never find Colonel Makepeace. He's already on the new base and will continue our work! Even if it means we have to start from scratch!"

"Get Fraiser in here," Jack ordered, disgust lacing his voice. "He's bleeding all over my ship."

Sam said, "Nice shot, sir." Then the door opened and closed again.

Daniel, wrapped securely inside Jack's arm, looked back over his shoulder at Grieves lying on the floor, holding his bleeding shoulder.

"I'll stay with him until Janet is here," Sam said grimly.

"She better hurry or I'll be fucking dead!" Grieves crept backwards, glaring at Sam furiously.

"Shut up, Grieves," Sam said coldly. "Where did you want to go anyway in this escape pod?"

Grieves's mouth was pressed into a thin line as he apparently decided to remain silent.

"When the doc is done with him, lock him up in one of the empty quarters." Jack gave Daniel a little squeeze. "C'me on. He'll live."

Janet rushed past them with her medical bag as they made their way to the bridge.

"What happened?" Kawalsky lowered his gun. Lou put the TER down. They had waited on the bridge in case Grieves had escaped.

"Grieves was hiding somewhere, cloaked. I only noticed because the door opened and no one came in. I guess his original plan was to wait until we reached the planet and ring down with us. He could've used the gate after we were gone. But when he realized I knew he was there, he wanted to make a run for it in the escape pods," Jack said, his arm still around Daniel's shoulders. He clicked his radio. "Mitchell, Jefferson, I want you to sweep the cargo bays again for intruders. Take TER's and open every box big enough to hide a man in it."

"Crap. We checked every area on this ship. We used this thing!" Feretti pointed at the TER. "Sorry, sir. I don't know how we missed him."

"For all we know he might have been hiding in one of the cargo boxes," Jack said as he gently pushed Daniel to sit in the commander's chair. "Don't fret over it, Lou. It's over."

When Daniel's legs stopped being wobbly and his tongue seemed to work again, he looked up at Jack. "Why didn't you zat him? You could have!"

"I knew Carter would be there any second. When he turned visible, he let go of you to reach for his gun. I had a good angle to shoot him without hurting you."

"Makepeace still got away," Daniel said gloomy.

"Yeah. And so did Maybourne," Jack grumbled.

"Really? How?"

"Someone must have warned him. He'd probably planned his escape for quite some time. Those guys took a big risk when they kidnapped you and I'm sure they had a fail safe plan all along in case they got caught. So maybe the relocation had been planned as well. They just didn't think we'd get to them this quickly."

"We damaged them, right? They couldn't take the Tel'tak and we have all their data and most of their scientists now."

"Yeahsureyabetcha. And we'll find Maybourne and Makepeace too." Jack brushed back Daniel's bangs. "About time we get home. Someone needs a bath real bad."

Daniel snorted. "I'm not the only one. You're smelly, too."

"Who, me?" Jack sniffed his own jacket and wrinkled his nose. "And I thought that was you."

"We could all use a shower. I always wondered why there wasn't one on board these ships. Do Goa'uld, Tok'ra and Jaffa never wash?" Kawalsky scratched his hair and grimaced.

"There're bathrooms though," Lou said. "Just no showers. Weird."

"The Tok'ra and Goa'uld don't shower. They take baths. Usually with essential oils. And the Goa'uld have slaves to dry and dress them afterward. Jaffa bath too if they can, at home. The first primes even have hot tubs in their houses. In the field Jaffa wash in any water they find. Lakes, waterfalls, rivers... they don't care about hot or cold," Daniel provided. "There're no tubs on the Tel'taks, only sinks." When everyone stared at him, he shrugged and blushed. "That's, ah, cultural knowledge. Domestic stuff. The... the big ships, the mother ships, they do have tubs installed in the private quarters."

"There you go. Our very own domestic Goa'uld expert," Jack said in the following silence.

"Way to go DJ," Kawalsky grinned and they all laughed.

It was a freeing laughter, Daniel thought as he laughed with them. The way you think every thing is just hilarious after you've been through a tense situation and the stress falls away, making space for relief.

Janet and Sam joined them after a while. "Grieves is stable. No life threatening injuries," Janet reported. "He shouldn't be moved until the bleeding stops entirely, but he's good for now."

Jack grimaced. "Good. Is he ready to answer a couple of questions?"

"I gave him a sedative against the pain. I'll let you know when he's awake enough to talk." She stepped forward and handed Daniel the rubber Thor doll. "I believe this is yours?"

"Oh, I lost it when Grieves attacked us, thank you." Daniel took the doll and held it in both hands. "Jack brought it for me. From Nevada," he said as if it was the most important thing to mention.

"It's cute," Sam smiled. "Looks like Thor."

"Squeeze it," Jack said, and with a smug look at Janet added, "He liked it."

"Greetings, Earthling," Thor said sincerely and everyone started laughing again.

Jack crossed his arms over his chest. "What?! He likes it." He glared at Daniel. "You like it, right? Tell them."

Daniel chuckled. "I like it," he said loudly.

And he did.

2

"O'Neill." Teal'c's voice sounded like sandpaper. He sat up and swung his legs over the bunk. "Have we reached our destination?"

"Yeah. How ya feeling?" Jack eyed his friend worriedly. Teal'c had regained consciousness last night and had drifted in and out of it ever since.

"I am in need of a new symbiote," the Jaffa said.

"I know. We're going to Chulak to get one. Don't worry about it." They had made the decision this morning in a briefing. It was going to be a hell of a risk, but one they all decided they had to take.

Teal'c bowed his head. "There is not much time. My prim'ta is dying. If Bra'tac is currently on Chulak he will be in one of the rebel camps outside of the city. There are three camps I know." Teal'c gave him directions and Jack pocketed them away in the 'access later' part of his mind. "Bra'tac or one of his men will lead you to the temple."

"Yep. And you're going back to the SGC with the doc and the kids. She's determined to keep an eye on you. But we'll be back as soon as we can."

To his surprise Teal'c didn't demand to join them. He gave a curt nod. "I would be a burden to you in my condition." A flicker of hate, so deep it made Jack back off a little, crossed the man's deep dark eyes. "One day we will find Makepeace and Maybourne. Then they will pay for what they have done."

Great. Another Jaffa revenge thing. Jack refrained from commenting and just clapped the big guy's back. "Ready?"

"I am ready to leave."

A glaring yellow sun greeted them on the planet. It was hot and humid and the path to the

gate was overgrown with vines and other green leafy plants.

Grieves, hands zip-tied behind his back, complained about the heat, the too long walk from the ship to the gate, his painful wound... Jack was ready to put him out of his misery when they finally saw the gate looming in front of them. The man did nothing but whine. Until someone tried to get valid information out of him. Then he turned mute as a fish. And Jack had tried everything short of beating the crap out of him.

"Hey, Jack?" Daniel caught up to him. "Do you think Teal'c will be okay once he has the new prim'ta?"

"I wish I knew, kiddo. It's the only chance he has."

"They tortured him. They... did experiments on him. I overheard two of the doctors. They said they tried out every virus they could think off on him. They wanted to know how much a symbiote can take. And they wanted to find a way to make a mature symbiote release its poison into Teal'c so they could separate the poison and use it as a weapon or drug. At least that's what I think they wanted to do."

"Those rat bastards," Jack snarled.

In the hours he'd been conscious, on their way back to Earth, Teal'c hadn't been ready to talk about his ordeal, and Jack hadn't believed pestering his friend for details was a good idea.

"Jack?" Daniel's low voice sounded very young as he repeated his question even more urgently. "Teal'c will be okay, right?"

"I don't know, Daniel," he said curtly. What was he? A Doctor? All they could hope was that a new junior would do the trick.

"I'm sorry," Daniel whispered, moving away from Jack and wrapping his arms around his skinny chest. "I know you can't know."

Jack closed his eyes briefly at the sight of such misery. So much like adult Daniel. A Daniel from the first year they'd spent together on SG-1. Stubborn and firm in his beliefs and passions, yet so vulnerable. Being a kid again probably brought back some of big Daniel's fears and demons. Or maybe this Daniel had never gotten rid of them in the first place, Jack didn't know. All he knew was that he had snapped at the kid and – again – pushed him away.

He reached out and gently laid his fingertips against a stiff shoulder, putting just enough pressure into the touch to make Daniel look up. "No, not stupid. I want him to be okay, too."

"I'm just so..." Daniel ground out.

"Worried. Yeah, me, too." He slid an arm around the boy and Daniel melted into the hug. Jack held him for a moment, feeling the small, tense body relax slightly. "C'mon. We're almost there, kiddo."

Daniel gave Jack an assessing look. "I don't suppose you'd take me with you?"

"Uh, that would be no and it isn't open for negotiation," Jack said. "But you can keep T company while he's waiting for us to get back."

"Okay. I'd like that."

Teal'c gave Jack a gloomy look while Mitchell dialed home. "I am in your debt once again, O'Neill." He then put a large hand on Daniel's head. "And in yours, DanielJackson."

Daniel blushed and shrugged. "What'd I do?"

"You and Major Carter were the only real chance I had of escaping my prison. I am looking forward to getting to know you, young Daniel."

Jack waited for the kid to say something about Abydos. But Daniel looked up at Teal'c with bright, sincere blue eyes. "Yes. Me, too, Teal'c."

The gate wooshed open and when Carter sent their GDO signal, Jack addressed Daniel. "Don't stay up all night. I want you to have dinner and get some sleep eventually."

"I'm fine," Daniel repeated.

"That wasn't a request. The doc will make sure one of the nurses is keeping an eye on you while I'm gone."

"Yes, sir," Daniel said with a sigh. Then his eyes darkened as they locked with Jack's. "Good luck."

Jack tousled the kid's blond mop of hair, then watched him as he followed Mitchell, Fraiser, Cassie and Teal'c through the gate. Meyers and Jefferson went after them. He waited until it had shut down again, then ordered Carter to dial Chulak.

It was bitingly cold and windy when they came through. Kawalski grimaced and rubbed his hands. "Why can't it be summer here, too?"

"Wimp," Lou said in a friendly manner. Both men were on alert despite their bantering. Chulak was a dangerous place, even after Apophis had abandoned the planet as his headquarters. Rebel Jaffa and those who were still loyal to the Goa'uld fought among themselves and while the rebels had forged a loose alliance with the Tau'ri, one never knew who was friend or foe until they either welcomed you or tried to kill you.

Only four Jaffa warriors were running towards them, leaving the forest they had taken cover in. They immediately opened fire, but Jack, Carter and Kawalsky took them out quickly.

Jack flicked out his binoculars and scanned the treeline. No one seemed to be hiding back there, which was good. Carter stepped up next to him. "No more guards," she murmured.

"Yeah. Could be hiding in the forest though." Jack lowered the binoculars. "All right, kids, let's move out." He took the lead and they made a fast run for the trees to get out of open terrain.

Covered by trees and bushes they regrouped. "Bra'tac is supposed to be in a camp close to the gate," Jack said, remembering what Teal'c had told him. "Why aren't there more guards?"

"Maybe they're all at home waiting for Santa," Kawalsky grumbled. "Frigging cold."

"Santa? I don't even want to know what Jaffa Santa looks like," Carter groused.

Even Jack had to grin at that one.

"There," Lou hissed and they all followed his gaze to the gate. A warrior stepped out of the trees on the other side of the clearing. Jack adjusted his binoculars. A young, fair skinned man, his staff weapon open and ready to shoot.

"You think it's one of Bra'tac's people?" Carter asked.

"Let's ask him. Cover my six," Jack said curtly and left them to make his way through the woods, so he could sneak up on the man from behind. That was easier said than done. All Jaffa were formidable warriors and it wasn't easy to surprise them. But this kid seemed to be too focused on watching the clearing and Jack's sneaking skills were excellent.

The guy didn't make a sound when Jack headlocked him. "Lower your weapon. Nice and easy," he snapped.

"You are O'Neill," the kid hastened to say as he let go of his weapon. "Of the Tau'ri."

"What's your name?"

"Rag'der. I am with Master Bra'tac. Do you wish to see him?"

Jack used his free hand to slap his radio. "Carter - he says he's one of Bra'tac's."

"Roger that, sir. We're on our way."

Jack let go of Rag'der, but had his P90 aimed at him before the young man could lunge for his staff.

"I cannot leave my weapon here," the Jaffa said indignantly. "You are insulting my honor if you believe that I did not hear or see you approaching me. The only reason I did not kill you is that you are our allies and Master Bra'tac considers you a personal friend."

"Right," Jack said. "Let's not rush this though. Is Bra'tac on the planet?"

"Yes. In one of our camps. I was on my way to the feast in the city when I heard the chaapa'ai open. You are fortunate – the gate is not heavily guarded today because of the feast."

He kept his gun aimed at the guy until Carter and the rest of his team joined them. Then he pointed at the Jaffa's staff. "Pick it up. But don't get any ideas."

"I will not." Rag'der took his staff and jerked his head to his left. "This way. Follow me."

After thirty minutes of fast walking they reached a small camp made up from four tents. "This is the camp nearest to the chaapa'ai," Rag'der explained. "Master Bra'tac is in here." With that he pointed to one of the tents, spun on his heel and stalked off to attend some exercise in a training ring.

"Thanks," Jack yelled after the kid. "Nice welcome."

"Sir," Carter said with mild reprimand in her voice.

"What?" Jack asked back, raising an eyebrow. But playing the 'what' game wasn't funny with anyone but Daniel, so he entered the tent. Bra'tac and two young Jaffa were sitting around a fireplace. The old warrior smiled broadly at the newcomers and rose to his feet. "O'Neill!"

"Bra'tac." They clasped their arms and then Bra'tack greeted Carter, Feretti and Kawalsky before he turned to his young students and dismissed them.

"What is it I can do for you, my friends?" Bra'tac asked, inviting them all to sit at the fire.

But Jack shook his head and said, "I'm afraid we don't have much time. It's Teal'c."

Bra'tac's eyes turned dark. "I noticed he is not with you. What is it?"

When Jack and Carter had clued him in, Bra'tac immediately went to the back of his tent and picked up his staff. "Ever since Apophis left Chulak, prim'tas are only bred for the sake of our lives. Most of the priests who are still here refuse to help us." Bra'tack barked a bitter laugh. "They are still waiting for Apophis to return, or for Klorel to take over and be our new god. They do not tell us where to find their queen."

"Wait... Their queen? I thought Amaunet was their queen?" Carter piped up. "But she's dead."

"Amaunet was Apophis's queen, yes. But she never spawned prim'tas. She only gave birth to the Harsisis child. There is another queen, kept in a temple somewhere, that will spawn young ones twice a year. The priests take those prim'tas to the Jaffa worlds so that they can be implanted into us. We do not know where this queen is and if we never find out, the Jaffa will have to find another way to sustain their lives without being dependent on the priests."

"Question is – are there prim'tas on Chulak currently?" Carter asked.

"Indeed. But it is not allowed to take one without permission from the priest's high council, so we have to be quick and break into the temple. The only other way to find one is to kill a Jaffa."

"Well, let's try the temple first," Jack said with a grimace.

"Very well. Follow me. First you must dress in more suitable attire though." Bra'tac led them into another tent and handed them old gunny robes. "Hide your faces under the hoods."

If anything, the robes added extra warmth, which wasn't bad, even though they had a donkey odor. Disguised as civilian Jaffa, they followed Bra'tac through the woods until they could see the high dark walls surrounding the City of Chulak.

"We will go through the main gate," Bra'tac explained. "Nobody should pay attention to us. It is the feast of harvest tonight. Many Jaffa from all over will attend it."

"A feast of harvest?" Lou asked curious. "Like Thanksgiving?"

"I do not know Thanksgiving," the old Jaffa said lightly. "The harvest feast used to be held in honor of Apophis. All Jaffa families who worked in the fields gathered at this time of year to bring sacrifices and offerings to their god so that he would bring them a good harvest for the following year and to thank him for giving a good harvest the past year. Now it is different. There will be no sacrifices, nor offerings. Only celebrating that there has been a good harvest." A triumphant grin crossed Bra'ta's scarred face. "A small step in gaining our freedom. Little rituals change. It is a good start."

They entered the city through the main gate among a flow of other Jaffa who were here for the upcoming feast. Nobody gave them a second look. The narrow alleys and bigger roads were full of people: men, women and children who stood together in groups or sauntered past the many booths offering fruit and hot meals. It was like a huge fair. Some farmers offered live stock, others offered icky looking vegetables, and something that looked like purple potatoes.

Bra'tac led them through the maze of streets until they reached the center of the city where the former palace of Apophis stood looming against the frosty winter sky. The temple was part of the complex. Jack remembered being here with Carter and Daniel when they first set foot on Chulak, searching for Sha're and Skaara. God, that had been only five years ago. Yet, it seemed like a lifetime away.

They rounded a corner and Bra'tac held up a hand to stop them. "I will see who is guarding the temple today. You stay here," he ordered.

They watched him go. Somewhere a horn was blown, a long deep tone, carrying across the city and the mountains. Another horn answered in a higher register. Feeling slightly concerned, Jack let his eyes wander through the groups of people. Nobody looked alarmed or puzzled. Must be part of the celebrations then. Damn, he wished Teal'c or Daniel were here to explain Chulakian customs to them. But not even the Daniel in his head seemed to feel obligated to reveal the mysteries of the horn blowers. Several other horns had joined in with the tune. It was a melancholic sequence of notes. People started to move away from the temple, probably to gather someplace else for whatever they did to celebrate harvests. Jack doubted there'd be turkey.

Bra'tac returned. "It is safe to go in."

Silently they passed the two Jaffa guarding the entrance to the temple. Both of them bowed their heads in respect to Bra'tac and let them pass. They hurried through a ceremonial hall. Jack recognized the long table he, Daniel and Sam had been sitting at on their very first Chulak mission. It had been laden with food and wine then. Now it was empty apart from some lonely flower bouquets.

"Festivities do not take place here any longer," Bra'tac explained as if he was expecting them to ask why the temple was not used for the harvest feast. "This is not a place of worship anymore for most of our brothers and sisters."

They entered a small round room dominated by a tank filled with larva Goa'uld. Jack and Kawalski exchanged a shuddering look as Carter fumbled out the small container from under her robes and stepped up next to the Jaffa Master.

"Before Daniel Jackson destroyed one of the prim'ta tanks, they were kept outside," Bra'tac said with a smirk. "Stealing a Goa'uld or destroying the tank was sacrilege. No one would have ever dared think of it."

"Only Daniel," Carster said with a sad smile.

"He was very bold and cunning in his own ways," Bra'tac agreed. He pointed at one of the larval snakes. "Take this one. It is old enough to be implanted into a pouch."

Together they opened the tank, while Jack, Lou and Kawalski guarded the two doors leading from the room.

"Hurry," Lou hissed. "Someone's coming."

Heavy footsteps echoed through the corridors outside.

"I've got it," Carter said as she stuffed the snake into her container. Jack had never seen her so grossed out before. She closed the lid and wiped her hand on her pants.

Both doors to the tank room burst open as four priests accompanied by three Jaffa stormed in. Jack raised his P90 from underneath his robe and fired as the first staff blast zipped past him and hit the wall on the other side of the tank. "Careful," he snarled. "You might blow up your precious babies!"

"Shol'va!" one of the Jaffa spat at him before he went down in the shower of bullets from Jack and Feretti's guns.

"We have been deceived!" Bra'tac swung his weapon and knocked the one closest to him out, then hit another one into the stomach before he started firing at the priests.

They re-treated, using the Goa'uld tank as a buffer. But it was a small room with too many people firing weapons at each other and the next thing Jack felt was water splashing into his face, pieces of splintered glass flying through the room like deadly arrows, and the cries of larva Goa'uld hitting the ground and walls with an ugly splattering noise.

"Fall back! Fall back," Jack yelled into the chaos of Jaffa and upset priests trying to save the wriggling, crying snakes.

They made it through one of the doors by knocking out two more men and hastened through the corridor, back into the ceremonial room. It was there that Jack's right leg gave out under him and he stumbled against the wall.

"What the f..." he ground out as blinding agony shot through his thigh and down into his ankle.

"Colonel!" Feretti was at his side in a flash, grabbing his arm and pulling him towards the entrance. They stumbled out into the cold air. The sky was orange from the impressive sunset and nobody paid attention to them as they pulled Jack down the steps and half walked, half carried him into a deserted alley.

Carter pushed back the hood of her robe and bent over him. "There's a piece of glass stuck to your thigh," she said.

Jack looked down at what appeared to be a long, finger-thick chunk of glass in his thigh. There wasn't much blood around the entry wound, but the pain made it impossible for him to walk. "Crap," he hissed. "Can you pull it out?"

"If it hit an artery you could bleed to death by pulling it," she said.

"I can't move," he snapped at her.

"I'm sorry, sir, but if it hit the femoral artery you could bleed to death in less than three minutes if I pull it. I'm going to fix it with first aid dressings so it won't move inside your leg or fall out on its own. Right now that's all I can do." She began to work quickly, causing him to grit his teeth and throw back his head when she put pressure dressings around his leg, packing it tightly so the glass dagger was immobilized.

"It must have gone in like through butter and you didn't even notice. There's no way to tell how deep it's in," she muttered.

"Can you... just... be DONE?!"

"I'm done, sir." She sat back on her haunches and eyed her handiwork. "This should do it. Try and see if you can stand."

Lou and Kawalsky helped Jack to his feet. He allowed them to take his weight as they hobbled down the alley.

"No one is following us," Carter addressed Bra'tac. "I wonder why?"

"It is of the utmost importance to rescue the prim'tas. On Chulak it's the one thing that gives Klorel's and Apophis's priests power over the people. We and our children need them to survive. If we are not implanted with a prim'ta at a certain age, we will die. Many of our brothers and sisters are too afraid to join the rebels because they fear their children might die without the prim'ta. Those Jaffa and priests know that. They cannot allow the prim'tas to be killed if they want to sustain order until Klorel or Apophis return."

"Bullshit," Jack ground out. "They're both dead." And Skaara was safe and sound on Abydos. At least something they'd done right.

"Belief is a strong fuel," Bra'tac said simply.

They made it out of the city and deep into the woods before Kawalsky and Feretti put Jack down for a rest. Carter tended to his injury and made sure the dressings were still tight enough.

"We're too slow," Jack said as he leaned against a tree, trying to ignore the fact he'd soon freeze his ass off on the hard cold ground. His thigh pounded and the pain crawled down his leg into his ankle. He swallowed the painkillers Carter handed him, took a couple of deep breaths and briefly closed his eyes. "You have to get that symbiote back to the SGC, Carter."

"We're not leaving you here," Kawalsky said grimly. He stamped his feet to keep warm.

"O'Neill is right. You have to hurry," Bra'tac urged them. "Teal'c needs the prim'ta or he will die. Leave him to me. I will take care of him and send him back as soon as it's safe."

"You can't walk with the glass stuck in your leg, sir," Carter warned. "If it moves or comes out..."

"Get to the gate. If it's clear, send Feretti through with the symbiote and come back for me," Jack said impatiently. "We'll stay here."

"Don't move around too much," she said.

"I'm not going anywhere. GO!"

Feretti clapped his shoulder and Kawalsky gave him a sloppy salute. "See you soon, Jack. Don't fall asleep. This isn't a picnic."

Jack snorted and tried to get comfortable as he watched them vanish between the dense trees.

"I will get fire wood," Bra'tac said. "You have to stay warm."

"No kidding," Jack muttered, shivering. He was cold, but his leg felt hot and pulsing. What a stupid way to get hit.

"Jack!"

Jack blinked and frowned at the figure crouching in front of him on the forest ground. "What the..."

"I know I said you couldn't see me," Daniel said enthusiastically. "I just discovered I can do this myself. On that planet... where the kids were held... I managed to talk to Daniel. Only briefly, but it was the first time I was able to DO something outside your stubborn head. So I figured I'd try something new now." The grin that had hovered on his face, slowly vanished. "It seems to take a lot of energy though. I doubt I can do this very often."

"Hey," Jack whispered, trying not to let his teeth clatter from the frost biting air. There wasn't much that mesmerized him anymore, but this... this was... "You're glowing," he informed Daniel after another moment of just looking.

"Yes, because I'm energy. I don't have a real body, remember? I'm dead."

"Ah... yeah. So, you're a ghost?"

"No, no, I don't think so. Or maybe I am. I am the Akh, the combined life forces of my soul. Ba and Ka. But that's a long story..." Daniel bent to examine the injury and Jack could actually see his leg and the heavily dressed wound with the piece of glass shining through his friend's body. He reached out a tentative hand to touch and gaped at the sight of his hand sinking into Daniel like he was nothing but air. Except there was a slight tingling of Jack's skin, running up his arm and spreading out into his whole body. It felt good. And warm.

Holy buckets.

"How are you doing this?" Jack had to ask.

"I don't know. On that other planet I felt the kid needed my help, and I was able to talk to him..."

"Wait... you talked to the kid? And he heard you?"

"Yes. I think Cassie heard me too."

"How... "

"I don't know how." Daniel sounded frustrated. "Now, I felt you're hurt and I wanted to help. So I concentrated and here I am. I'm just not sure what to do now," Daniel said. His non corporal hands touched Jack's thigh and he hissed in pain as a jolt of something shot through it. "Daniel..."

"I'm sorry." Daniel looked puzzled. "I don't think I can do anything for you, Jack. I don't have healing abilities or anything. I'm just..."

"Here," Jack said, and for a moment his leg wasn't important. Neither was the biting cold seeping through every nerve and cell in his body. The pain seemed to back off to make space for other feelings. "You're here. I can see you."

"Yeah, and what good does that do you?" Daniel said bitterly.

"Warm me." The words were out before he knew he was saying them. Swallowing, Jack continued. "When I touched you, it felt warm. And I'm damn cold. Bra'tac's gone for firewood, I don't know what's taking him so long, but you could..."

"Oh," Daniel looked up, his face bathed in the golden glow engulfing his whole being. He was wearing a white knitted sweater and cream colored pants. Jack remembered the shirt and pants... remembered how he'd thought Daniel looked incredibly hot wearing them. "I'm just figuring all this out myself. When you get back, ask Daniel to read up everything he can find about the stone of Akh. It should be in the files I took from Imhotep's library. I read it when I showed you the statue, remember? But maybe I missed something important."

"Stone of Akh," Jack mumbled. "Okay."

Then Daniel was there, his arms wrapping around Jack, his face pressing against Jack's cold stubbly cheek. The tingling feeling spread out all over Jack's skin and sank into his stiff body. His head lolled back against the tree he was leaning on and he closed his eyes. "I never thought this was gonna happen," he murmured.

"What?"

"You're practically in my lap, Daniel."

"This might come as a shock to you, Jack, but I've been inside you for most of the time over the last year." There was a chuckle and then the warmth began to fill Jack completely until no coldness was left in his body or heart.

Processing what Daniel just said was difficult. Grasping a coherent thought at all was hard. Jack wanted to let go and wallow in the sensations Daniel was giving him for as long as possible. But there was something about what Daniel had said... Something Jack had known for some time now, but never dared to analyze.

Daniel had been there. All this time. In Jack's head.

Anger flared up, as hot as the energy Daniel was giving him. He tried to struggle away, to jump to his feet, to pace and yell. Daniel pulled back from him. "What?"

"You were there all the fucking time!"

"Jack..."

"Don't Jack me..." He struggled against the soothing calm and finally Daniel broke free of him and stood, arms crossed over his chest. Jack remembered in time he couldn't stand without the risk of moving the glass dagger. But he welcomed the returning cold. It cleared his mind. "You were right here!" Jack tipped a hand against his head. "And you couldn't have said anything? You couldn't have..." Suddenly the words got stuck in his throat.

All those times when he had missed Daniel so much it hurt. All those times he'd wished he could have one last chance to tell him how he felt. All those times... And then Jack remembered what Daniel had told him in the cargo bay on the Tel'tak.

I can see it all now. Underneath all those layers of denial, military bravado, the loneliness, anger and snarkiness... I can see you. Who you really are.

"You knew," Jack spat. "You knew and you didn't bother to give me a clue you were there. I thought I was going nuts, hearing your voice. I thought you were just a part of my subconscious."

"I'm sorry, Jack," Daniel said softly. "I would have let you know I was there earlier. But it took me some time to figure out where I actually was. WHAT I actually am. I'm still not sure about that, yet. It's..." he sighed, "complicated. It was like seeing the world through your eyes for a while. And then I just... seemed to drift in... space. Or something." He opened his arms in a universal gesture. "And it's not easy to get through to you, by the way. You are one stubborn son of a bitch. Your mental defenses are so strong, I felt like I was caged in a corner of your mind for so long with no... no way of letting you know."

The rage, coiling like a venomous snake in his gut a moment ago, fell away from Jack the moment he saw Daniel's sad, deep eyes and heard the agony in his voice. A distant part of his mind registered how good it was to hear that voice again. Not only in his head, but for real. Jack let his head fall back against the bark of the tree.

"Things began to change when Daniel came," Daniel said quietly. He sat next to Jack. A little bit of the warmth returned with Daniel being so close. "Maybe some of his life force jumped over to me. Or maybe your defenses were lowered little by little through him. All I know is that it became easier to talk to you, but I'm still not sure how this all works, or what I have to do to actually make myself heard. Sometimes you hear me, sometimes you don't."

"You need a manual," Jack said flatly.

"I wish I had one, yes. One thing I know is that I can't force you to do things. I don't have that kind of power. I wanted you to find Imhotep's files and read through them for me, but it didn't work."

"That's a good thing. I don't want to be anyone's marionette. Not even yours."

"I'd never abuse you..."

"I know. You're stronger now though, aren't you? Talking to me, leaving my body, showing yourself..." Jack waved a tired hand at Daniel's figure next to him. "What's up with that?"

"I'm not sure. But it's draining me." He turned to face Jack. "I have to return soon. I need to rest."

"You said you'll be with me until I'm ready to let you go," Jack said, swallowing around a lump in his throat.

"Yes." Daniel's appearance began to flicker.

"What if I'm not ready anytime soon?"

"I'll be here."

"But it's not fair to chain you to me," Jack processed his thoughts. "I have no right to do that to you." Then he frowned. "Where are you going if you don't have to be with me anymore?"

"I don't know. All I know is that it's not the end. Something is out there... waiting for me. I can feel it." Daniel edged closer and shared his energy with Jack once more. "But you're not ready to let me go." And after a pause. "And I'm not ready to leave you, Jack."

Biting his lip, Jack leaned into the entity that was Daniel and they melted again. Torn between wonder and agony, Jack's hands tried to grab his friend's shoulders. He was here. He was real. And yet, out of reach. There was so much Jack wanted to say, such deep regret that he'd never be able to touch Daniel anymore, never be able to show him just how much...

"I know. Me too." Daniel whispered as he faded from Jack's sight.

"Daniel?!" Jack bolted upright and then cursed when the pain in his thigh spiked again.

I need to recharge for a while. Bra'tac will be back soon, Daniel's voice murmured in the back of his mind. I'll be back. I won't leave you.

Jack sat there, staring into the approaching darkness. And despite the single tear running down his face he felt... good. Warm. And energized.

He reached for his P90 when he heard footsteps, but it was Bra'tac who threw down firewood next to Jack. "I crossed patrolling Jaffa on my way back," he said. "It was a short fight, but I lost all the fire wood and had to collect it again." The old man quickly started a fire. He took one look at Jack's face and smiled. "You look better, O'Neill."

"Thanks."

"I brought berries and a chub'ka root for you to eat. Here." Jack took the gnarly looking root into his hands and sniffed it. Not bad. Smelled like cocoa. But he put it down and said, "There's a water canteen attached to my pack."

Bre'tac handed it to him and Jack drank the cold water, feeling it run down his throat and into his stomach. He suddenly wished there was hot coffee. A blanket would be nice, too. He was beginning to feel chilly again. He watched Bra'tac munching the chum'ka, chub'ka or whatever it was called, but he didn't feel hungry. His thoughts focused on his team and he wondered if they'd made it home in one piece...

His radio crackled.

"Sir, this is Carter. Major Kawalsky and I are on our way back to you. What's your status?"

"It's clear. And I haven't gone anywhere," Jack quipped. "What took you so long, Carter?"

"I brought back up to secure the gate," she replied. "We're almost there." As if on cue he heard them breaking through the underbrush and a moment later the beam of a flashlight blinded his eyes.

"It's about time, Carter," he grouched good-naturedly.

"Sorry, sir." She turned to Bra'tac. "Teal'c got the symbiote, but he's slipped into a coma."

"I see," Bra'tac said. "I will accompany you."

Jack grimaced as he discovered something. "A stretcher?"

"Doctor Fraiser's orders, sir," Carter said.

"I can walk. We'll be faster that way. I just need a little help," Jack groused. "C'mon, Kawalsky, help me up!"

"Sorry sir. The doc was very determined. No walking around on that leg," his friend said with a smirk.

Jack grabbed Kawalsky's arm and pulled him down so they were on eye level. "Help me up. That's an order."

"Sir," Carter said, short of rolling her eyes, "You put your life at risk by walking through the forest with that leg."

"Gimme a branch I can use as a crutch," Jack snapped.

Kawalsky shrugged when Bra'tac silently pulled an ax like weapon from his belt and began to cut down a huge branch from a tree. He measured Jack's length, pulled out his knife and quickly worked on the wood for a moment. "This should hold your weight."

They pulled Jack to his feet and he carefully put his weight on the made-up crutch, wedging its end under his armpit and wrapping his hand around a crotch. "This'll do," he said. Energized through Daniel's 'treatment' he took the lead.

Five steps later his leg gave out under him again.

Carter and Kawalsky refrained from any remark as they helped a cursing Jack onto the stretcher. Bra'tac, however, kept chuckling as they made their way to the gate.

One of the marines Carter had posted there was already dialing out when they reached the DHD.

"Sweet," Jack said, deciding to ignore his hurt pride and dignity. "Let's go home, kids."

Hammond awaited them on the other side, a relieved smile on his face and – most important to Jack – still wearing his uniform. "Welcome home, people," he greeted them, his eyes sparkling with warmth. It was good to see the man where he belonged.

It was good to be home.

"How's Teal'c?" Jack asked through gritted teeth as he was put on a gourney under Fraiser's stern eyes.

"He is still unconscious," the doc said as they were rushing him out of the gate room with everyone else following. "But his vitals are improving. We are monitoring his organ functions and the new symbiote is already healing him."

"I will sit with him," Bra'tac said when they reached the infirmary and Jack was rolled into a room.

"Did Daniel go to bed?" Jack asked Frasier as she removed the dressing from his leg and cut off his pants.

"No. Nurse Reyna got him dinner and he ate, but he refused to leave Teal'c alone."

"Stubborn little brat," Jack muttered and groaned when Fraiser gave him a shot of something in his thigh. Probably local anesthesia to ease the pain.

"I haven't had have the heart to make him leave just yet. He's so caring. Just like ours was..." Her voice trailed off.

"He's our Daniel now," Jack said, realizing how true this was.

"Yes, he is, isn't he?" After a minute of silence she cleared her throat. "I gave you a field block anesthesia so you shouldn't feel any pain in your leg. I'll do an ultrasound to make sure the dagger didn't hit an artery."

Today was Jack's lucky day. No artery had been hit and Fraiser removed the glass piece in a small surgery.

"There's deep tissue damage," she said when he was tucked away into a bed later, his thigh stitched and bandaged. "But since there's no infection it should heal just fine. You have to stay off the leg for a while though. At least until the stitches come out."

"Great," Jack groaned.

"You got very lucky, Colonel," Fraiser said sternly. "It could have been much worse. You can walk, once the anesthesia has worn off, as long as you use a crutch. Don't put too much pressure on the leg so the stitches won't burst."

"Yes, ma'am," he muttered.

"There's someone here to see you," she said, a smile softening her features. "I promised him he can visit as long as he goes to bed in ten minutes."

She left and a moment later Daniel breezed in, eyes huge with worry.

"Jack! Are you okay? Teal'c is still in a coma, but Janet says he'll make it." He came to an abrupt halt in front of Jack's bed, putting his hands behind his back. "Are you in pain?" he asked with more composure.

"I'll live." Jack grinned, patting the edge of his bed as an invite for Daniel to sit there.

Hesitantly he sat down. "What happened? Janet could only tell me you had something stuck in your leg and Sam said there was shooting on Chulak..."

"We blew up a Goa'uld tank and one of the glass pieces got stuck here." Jack pointed to his thigh, covered by the blanket. "It's nothing serious. Calm down, kiddo."

"I'm glad you brought Bra'tac back with you," Daniel said. "I think Teal'c is responding to him. They're such close friends." He bit his lips. "They are, aren't they?"

"Yes, Daniel, they are. The best." Jack saw a flicker of pain cross Daniel's eyes. That pain would probably stay with him for a long time. Jack realized his own pain had eased up a bit over the last couple of weeks. His Daniel was still with him in a way. Not physically. And maybe not forever. But for now his presence was there, like a gentle touch.

He wished this Daniel could have the same happen with his own best friend. But it looked like Jack really was the only Jack Daniel had now. He'd better get it right this time. "Hey, have you thought about coming home with me?"

He pursed his lips. "I'm not going to Abydos, I guess."

"That's still on the table. But if you want to stay I'm going to ask General Hammond about getting custody of you. It's your call."

"I liked being with you on the Tel'tak," he said after a moment without looking at Jack. His eyes were studying his hands in his lap.

"Yeah, me too," Jack replied.

"What about school?" Daniel asked wearily.

"You might have to live with a compromise situation, but we'll figure something out." Jack thought it better to be straight with the kid. He had learned the hard way that making promises he couldn't live up to would come back to bite him.

"Okay," Daniel said finally. "If... If you really want me to stay with you."

"I really want you to stay with me," Jack said sincerely, putting his hand on the kid's shoulder. "Look at me, Daniel." When those brilliant and painfully familiar blue eyes finally locked with his, Jack made a promise he intended to keep. "I'm not going to send you away, okay? We had a rocky start and I can't promise you everything's going to be perfect from here, but I'll do my best."

"Me too," Daniel said finally. He held out his hand. "Let's seal it."

Jack took the boy's hand and shook it. He knew he was sealing far more here than living arrangements. And again there was the flicker of doubt. Was he ready for this? Had he lost his mind to make such a huge commitment? Raising a kid that wasn't even his? A kid that wasn't even a normal kid. Daniel's hand felt very small in his own large one. What if Jack screwed it up again? Like he had with Charlie?

You won't, his own Daniel's voice whispered in his head. You're doing the right thing, Jack

"Now that it's settled..." Jack began, but Daniel cut him off.

"I know, I know. I should have gone to bed hours ago."

"Actually, I was gonna say we should celebrate with cake and ice cream. Tomorrow. When the Napoleon Power Monger lets me out of bed and you don't look cross-eyed anymore," Jack grinned.

"I don't look cross-eyed," Daniel said with mock irritation.

"Sure you do. Totally overtired."

"No, I'm not."

"Cross-eyed," Jack said with a nod. "Like this." He rolled his eyes wildly, making Daniel laugh.

When the door burst open and Fraiser hurried in, Daniel winced. "I was just about to go to bed, honestly."

"Teal'c is awake," she exclaimed, ignoring Daniel's sheepish look. "He just woke up. Most of his vitals are back to normal, the symbiote is taking care of it!"

"YES!" Jack and Daniel yelled together and spontaneously high-fived each other.

"I told him he'd better wake up. After all you just got him back," Daniel grinned.

"We," Jack said. "We got him back. He's your Teal'c too, now."

Another shadow fell over the boy's face. "Yeah," Daniel said solemnly. "He is."

"Now both of you need rest," Fraiser decided. "Daniel, Sgt. Davis has your quarters ready. Cassie's is right next to yours. Colonel, you'll get dinner in a bit and then it's light out in here."

"Yes, ma'am," they replied as one. Daniel slipped from Jack's bed and gave him one last genuine smile before he left.

Jack caught himself grinning widely at the closing door.

"I take it you are going to keep him after all," Fraiser said with a knowing little smile.

"As long as he behaves and does his chores. I'm no hotel, you know," Jack growled.

Shaking her head at him she left the room, laughing.

3

Daniel was anxious.

Not about the briefing which had been postponed until now.

But about Jack asking General Hammond... about Jack taking him home. Okay, not about the fact that Jack WAS taking him home. But Daniel knew how things sometimes went. Life wasn't fair. And not always kind, no matter if you were grown up or a kid in some way.

What if General Hammond didn't approve of Jack taking him home? What if Jack got court-martial after all for going through the gate without authorization? Though, Daniel concluded, Jack had saved the day. He should get a medal for what he'd done. Jack and everyone who was involved in freeing him and Cassie and bringing Teal'c back.

Yet, so much could still go wrong. And Daniel suddenly realized he really wanted to go home with Jack. He hadn't been sure of it until Jack had been injured on Chulak. Sure, they had spent a lot of time together on the Tel'tak and Jack seemed to be much less cranky since he rescued them from Makepeace's base. But Daniel still hadn't been sure that's what he wanted... but then Jack hat gotten injured and until he'd known for sure that it hadn't been a life threatening injury, Daniel had secretly prayed to any god who might have listened that he wouldn't lose this Jack, too.

It was the only Jack he had left.

They would work it out somehow, even if it wasn't the same as it had been... home. Maybe he could find a home away from home with this Jack.

And now that everyone had gathered around the briefing room table, Daniel felt a lump in his throat. What if General Hammond insisted on Daniel going to that boarding school despite what Jack wanted? What if...?

"Hey, kiddo, you okay?" Jack settled down in the chair next to Daniel and leaned his cane against the table.

"I'm fine, Jack," Daniel said automatically.

Jack ruffled his hair just like his Jack used to do and for the first time the gesture didn't bring a jolt of pain, but a warm feeling. "Remember, cake and ice cream as soon as we're done here."

"To celebrate." Daniel nodded. Then he bit his lip. "Jack, what if..."

But he was interrupted by General Hammond clearing his throat.

The base commander opened the briefing by informing them that all the prisoners they'd sent through were in Washington under arrest and being interrogated. The data Sam had downloaded from their base's computer and the batch of stolen and back engineered technology they'd brought back with the Tel'tak had been enough evidence to bring every single one of their prisoners to trial.

So far there was no trace of Colonel Makepeace or Maybourne, but Daniel hoped that someone among the prisoners would eventually reveal the location of the new base. Or maybe the new loaction's gate address was among the data Sam took from their computers.

"That's our status at the moment. I'll keep you all posted about the progress," Hammond ended his speech. "I have to inform you, you will need to make yourselves available for further hearings eventually, but you all know the drill. Teal'c, the Joint Chiefs are especially interested in your report since you've been on that off world base for a long time."

"I was held in my cell most of the time when they were not experimenting on me and my prim'ta," Teal'c said, folding his hands on the table. Daniel thought he looked a lot better than yesterday. The new symbiote had repaired all the damages the old prim'ta hadn't been able to deal with. "But I will provide you with as much detail and information as I can give you."

"I know you will, Teal'c. And with that we can move to our next point." The general re-arranged the files in front of him before he continued. "I need a report from every one of you about the events on that base." He turned to Daniel and Cassie and gently addressed them. "I'm afraid I need reports from both of you, too. And Doctor MacKenzie will talk to you to help you process what you experienced during your time as hostages. We'll do everything to make this as smooth and fast for you as possible."

Cassie nodded sincerely. "Most of the time we were fine. I was left alone a lot, but they didn't hurt us," she said. "I'll tell Doctor MacKenzie everything I know, sir."

"Me, too," Daniel said quietly. He wasn't looking forward to having to talk to MacKenzie, but he'd live.

"Good," Hammond answered with a smile. "Now, Colonel O'Neill if you'll give us a quick report on how you managed to escape from that base..."

"Actually," Jack said, "It was Carter who saved the day. With help from Daniel and Cassie. The rest of us only did the dirty work."

They told their tale in turns and General Hammond listened, intrigued, especially when Daniel and Cassie reported how they'd found Teal'c and managed to steal radios and binoculars and used the ventilation system to escape. "We wouldn't have made it without Sam and Jack though," Daniel finished his part of the story. "And everyone else who came to rescue us." He blushed and gave everyone at the table a shy smile. "Thank you, all of you, for coming for us."

"And risking your lives for us," Cassie said, blushing even more than Daniel. "And being on the Tel'tak was really cool. I've never been on a space ship before."

"Hey, no one gets left behind," Lou said with a megawatt grin. "That's our motto."

"And you kids were super brave," Kawalsky added. "Right, Colonel?"

"Absolutely," Jack confirmed with a huge grin.

Cassie beamed at him from across the table and Daniel bit his lower lip, before finally settling for a smile.

"If it was up to me, people, each one of you would get a medal," Hammond said with a grim expression. "However, as you may have guessed, the Pentagon wants to keep a lid on this one for several reasons."

"Go figure," Feretti grumbled.

"So there won't be any official commendation. However, I'm authorized to put an entry into each of your records about your outstanding work, not only for your country, but Earth."

"I think I'm speaking for all of us when I say the most important thing is; we got our kids back. And we put a stop to their little club of techno thieves. For now." Jack said. "A positive entry in my record would be nice though, thank you, sir," he quipped after a heartbeat.

Daniel could tell General Hammond couldn't suppress a smile as he dismissed them. "Colonel O'Neill, I need to talk to you in my office for a moment."

Here it comes, Daniel thought. The huge big conclusion.

"Are you coming to the commissary with us, Daniel? The Colonel said something about cake earlier." Sam put an arm around Cassie.

"Cake? Do I hear cake?" Kawalsky exchanged a broad grin with Feretti. "What's to celebrate?"

"Nothing yet," Daniel said hastily.

"Oh, I don't know. I think having both of you back is a valid reason for celebrating wildly." Feretti grinned.

Janet winked at Daniel and addressed the others. "Why don't we go ahead and Daniel and the colonel will join us later?"

Sam sent a worried look at the general's closed office door. Through the window they could see Jack sitting in one of the visitor's chair. It looked like they were discussing something calmly. "You guys don't think the colonel will be dressed down for going through the gate against orders?"

"No," Kawalsky said with a shake of his head. "Who in his right mind would do that? We saved those kids. And nailed the rats."

"Yeah," Feretti said thoughtfully. "But you never know."

"Come on, that's not gonna happen," Kawalsky huffed. "They owe him. Big time." With an impressed look at Sam, he added. "Actually, they owe both of you."

"General Hammond said the president wants to keep a lid on it," Daniel chimed in anxiously. "What if they make Jack retire? That way they wouldn't have to dress him down or court martial him, but they could officially say they disciplined him for unauthorized gate travel."

"Hammond won't allow it," Kawalsky said confidently. "He's a good man."

"Unless his hands are tied," Feretti muttered. "The kid has a point."

"But Uncle Jack saved us! And he kicked ass," Cassie said with feeling. When Janet coughed and the two men turned away to hide their chuckles, she shrugged. "What? He did! Big time!"

"When she's right, she's right," Sam said with a shrug.

"You can go to the commissary," Daniel repeated Sam's suggestion from earlier. "I'll... I'll wait here for Jack."

Kawalsky sat down heavily in his chair again. "I'm not all that hungry right now, DJ. I'll keep you company."

"Me too." Feretti shrugged and sat down, too.

"Me three." Sam started pacing the briefing room.

"As will I", Teal'c said and remained seated.

Janet smiled as she and Cassie retook their chairs as well.

And so they waited.

"What's taking them so long?" Sam asked. She had her arms crossed over her chest and stared out into the gate room.

Daniel wondered if he should try to sneak over to the door to see if he could hear what was being said. But that wasn't the proper thing to do and everyone would just think he was nosy. And Jack didn't like him eavesdropping.

But he hated to sit here and wait, even though he was grateful for the company.

When he heard Jack calling his name, Daniel almost jumped out of his chair. He'd been caught so deeply in his brooding, he hadn't noticed Jack was standing in the open office door, looking expectantly at him. And a little confused at the rest of his team hanging out in the briefing room.

"The general wants to talk to you, Daniel," Jack said.

"Oh, okay." Feeling a little nauseous, he followed Jack inside. His knees were kind of wobbly, too. And his hands were sweating. He told himself sternly to get a grip, but a tiny, niggling voice began to chant in the back of his mind.

Please don't send me to the boarding school, please don't send me to a foster home, please don't...

"Have a seat, son," General Hammond said warmly.

"Thank you, sir," Daniel mumbled and sat down on the edge of the chair next to Jack.

"Colonel O'Neill tells me he would like you to stay with him permanently. Is that what you want as well?"

"Yes, sir." Daniel tried not to fidget. "If I can't stay with him I would like to request to be sent to Abydos..."

"Colonel O'Neill has informed me about that option."

"Oh," was all Daniel could say.

"Daniel, you do understand the Colonel will be going back into the field again after a considerable leave time. That means we'll have to find a solution for where you would stay when he's off world."

Daniel's eyes widened. "You aren't going to court martial him then or make him retire!" The words burst out before he could hold them back. "I mean... I just..."

"No, we aren't." The general actually smirked. "If anyone wanted to put him through trial they'd have to court martial me too, since I supported Colonel O'Nelil's actions one hundred percent. But that won't happen either, so no worries."

Yes!" Daniel exclaimed. At the general's smile and Jack's snort, he felt the heat creeping into his cheeks. He shouldn't behave like that in front of the general. "Sorry, sir," he hastened to say. "But everyone was worried..." He trailed off and gazed down at his hands.

"Daniel," the general said. "I had to call the president about who will have custody of you. If it was just me, I'd sign any paper necessary. Personally I'm relieved Colonel O'Neill wants to adopt you. I wasn't very keen on sending you to a boarding school myself. However, it had been a suggestion from Washington and you are aware this isn't something I can decide alone, right?"

The lump in his throat was suddenly back. "Yes, sir," he murmured, not sure anyone would hear him over his pounding heart.

"I knew a thing or two about our Daniel Jackson. If he'd been transformed into a boy we wouldn't have sent him away to live with someone else either. He belonged here, no matter what."

"But... but I'm not him," Daniel said anxiously. "I know I'm a security risk in a way. And that the president doesn't trust me. And that you don't want me to work on base in your linguistic department. Because... because I'm not him."

"Yeah, well, things change," Jack spoke for the first time. "Let the general finish, Daniel."

"But... ."

"See what I mean, sir? Just like the grown up version," Jack said in mock despair.

"I see," the general said, but the smile returned to his face. "Now, Colonel O'Neill informed me you belong here as much as your counterpart did. And I have come to believe he's right."

Daniel swallowed down the lump and finally could breath more freely again.

He belonged here.

Maybe that wasn't all the way true. He belonged in his own universe. But there was no way for him to go back, so this was the next best thing, right?

"The colonel also convinced me that you're not just a kid. Though I'd already come to that conclusion on my own. The president approved of Colonel O'Neill adopting you. And you are welcome to work at the SGC's linguistic program part time."

"But... why all of a sudden?" Daniel squirmed in his chair. "Don't think I'm not grateful, I am. Very. Ah, but, why... ?"

"Colonel Makepeace kidnapped you to translate Goa'uld mothership plans. That was enough to convince me and the president," Hammond said. "And I have it from good authority you are going to be a valuable asset to the SGC. And that we'd be crazy not to let you work here."

"Oh," Daniel said again. He was so embarrassed because all he seemed to do was stutter and say stupid things.

"To that end," Hammond said, "Welcome at the SGC, Doctor Jackson. However, you have to be aware there'll be rules and conditions to your ability to work here. You will not go off world for example. And you will have to go through a home schooling program as part of your cover story."

"Yes, sir." Daniel felt a rock falling from his chest. "Thank you, sir," he added, letting out a huge breath. "I won't disappoint you. I'll work real hard." Again, that sounded so juvenile. But Daniel just didn't know what else to say. He was kind of overwhelmed.

Before he knew it they were dismissed and back in the briefing room where they were surrounded by Sam, Teal'c, Janet, Cassie, Major Kawalsky and Captain Feretti. There was a lot of shoulder clapping and laughter when Jack confirmed that he was the new old leader of SG-1. "The best thing is that we start off with four weeks extra leave for SG-1."

"That's typical," Kawalsky growled in mock anger. "You had to stick something into your leg to get leave out of it, too, eh?"

"If you have to know, I requested extended leave some time ago," Jack said, and for a moment Daniel thought he was mad at Major Kawalsky for being so flippant. But then he added. "My kid's going to visit me." And with a look at Daniel. "My other kid."

"Charlie's coming to stay with you?" Kawalsky's eyes widened.

"Yep."

"That's great. Hey, how long has it been since he was last here?"

"Two years." Jack exchanged a knowing look with Major Kawalsky and Daniel remembered that in his universe Kawalsky had been Charlie's godfather. Jack's son had even been named after the major. Maybe it was the same here?

"Well, make sure to invite me over for barbeque when he's here," Major Kawalsky said.

Jack snorted. "You bringing the beer?"

"Oh, yeah."

The little procession made its way to the commissary for cake and ice cream.

Teal'c loaded his tray with so many cupcakes, pieces of cream pie, donuts and bowls of ice cream that everyone gaped at him. "I did not have the luxury of dessert during my captivity," he simply said, glaring at everyone – Jack in particular - who might dare try to snatch something from his tray.

Janet rolled her eyes. "Teal'c, you're the only person I know who can eat all this stuff without getting fat. Or sick. Which is the only reason why I won't tell you how unhealthy all this is." She craned her neck to have a better look. "Is that peanutbutter pie? I have to get that, too!"

"Yeah. Bring some of the donuts, too. The pink ones," Jack called after her.

Daniel was having a hard time concentrating on his chocolate fudge with whipped cream though. He kept thinking of what Jack must have told Hammond and that maybe he really meant all that. About him being a valuable asset to the SGC and belonging here.

He was still thinking about all that when they finally left the mountain and he helped Jack put the cane into the back of the truck. "Are you sure you can drive, Jack?" he asked worriedly.

"Sure, no problem. Hop in."

"You know, I can drive, too," Daniel said when he put on his seatbelt.

"Yeah, but you're not going to. Not. Ever. You got that?"

"Not ever?" Daniel asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Not until you legally have a license again," Jack said sternly.

"You let me fly a Tel'tak," Daniel objected.

"Well, there's no known age restriction about flying space ships. And no police patrolling the universe," Jack muttered.

"Would you believe me if I told you my Jack let me drive his truck all the time?"

"Nice try, brat," Jack said with a snort. Then he gave Daniel the colonel-glare. "You ever take my truck, or any other car for that matter, you'll be in so much trouble you won't see the end of it for a while. I mean it."

"Relax, I was just kidding." He shook his head and gazed out his window at the lazy summer day traffic. "Jack?" he asked after a while.

"Daniel?"

"Thank you. For all the nice things you said about me to General Hammond. And... for taking me home."

Jack cleared his throat. "Well, it was all true. Don't let it go to your head though." After a moment of silence, he said, "There's something I wanna get before we head home."

That 'something' turned out to be a new basketball. They stopped at the mall and Jack bought one in a sports shop. "Charlie's good at this. Maybe the two of you can play."

"Can I invite Cassie too?"

"Yeahsureyabetcha." Jack ruffled his hair and Daniel grinned up at him.

Twenty minutes later they turned into their neighborhood. When they finally parked in the garage, Jack turned off the engine and Daniel hopped out to get the cane for him.

"It's good you won't have to be alone now," he told Jack as they carefully made their way to the front door. "You need someone to help you with that leg."

"Are you saying you're going to mother hen me?" Jack groused.

Daniel punched in the code for the alarm system and opened the door. "Only a little bit. I think we need to go grocery shopping soon. And we have to decide where I'm going to sleep when Charlie comes to stay."

"Oy." Jack sighed and fell onto a kitchen chair. "You mean where Charlie is going to sleep. It's your room now."

"Jack. It was Charlie's room before. You can't just make him sleep on the couch just because I took over his room," Daniel said. "That's not fair. I can sleep on the couch in your office so Charlie can have his room," Daniel suggested.

But Jack shook his head. "Charlie hasn't been here in two years. You live with me now, so it's become your room. He'll get over it."

"I'd rather he gets the room and I'll take the couch." Daniel wasn't going to make himself Charlie's enemy right from the beginning by taking his room. He would survive sleeping on the couch for a couple of weeks. He was used to adapting, so this was a piece of cake, really. And he had no problems with it either.

Jack looked unconvinced. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Look, it's probably gonna be a shock for him to suddenly have to share his dad with another kid. I don't want him to be mad at me right from the start."

"That's real considerate of you," Jack said thoughtfully. "I could empty out one of the cabinets you can take some of your stuff from your room into my office."

"Okay."

"And by the way... you can use my computer. Until you have your own."

Daniel's face split into a huge grin. "Thanks, Jack, that's cool. When will Charlie be here? Do I have to pack my things right away?"

"Not until next week, so don't panic." Jack looked through the mail on the table. "I think I'll go out on the deck and read the papers from the last couple of days. What about you?"

Daniel wanted to do something normal and relaxing, too. To continue on his puzzle and to go through his new books for example. "I'd like to read for a while. I'm going to fix dinner later, so don't worry about it, okay?"

"Nice," Jack said and Daniel went off to his room. He was already in the hallway when Jack called after him. "Hey!"

Daniel stuck his head back into the kitchen. "Yeah?"

"Welcome home, kiddo." Jack gave him a warm smile, wedged the papers under one arm and maneuvered himself and his cane through the door to the dining room.

Home.

Daniel pondered that word as he stood alone in the sun drenched kitchen.

A little voice in his head was still fretting about several things.

He wondered if he and Jack would get along long term without thinking they'd made a huge mistake. He hoped Charlie would like him and that Jack and his son would find a way to solve their issues, whatever those were.

On the other hand he would work at the mountain and do what he loved doing. Translating. He didn't have to go to school and he didn't have to live in a foster home. Maybe he really was home again. Only time would tell.

For the first time since he'd been stranded here, Daniel felt content enough to see the silver lining at the horizon and to believe his life wasn't always going to be like a puzzle with scattered or missing pieces.

And then the sunlight falling through the kitchen window seemed to wink at him and the lush green trees waved their leaves, calling him to come out and have fun. Daniel's heart was suddenly light with the joy of being able to go outside, to seize the day. He wanted to move. He had been underground and on that ship for so long...

He forgot all about his puzzle and books as he grabbed the new basketball and ran out into the driveway. The truck was in the garage and the old basket over the door cheered him on as he tentatively tried a few shots, trying to remember what Jack and Cassie had taught him.

"You're getting good at that," Jack called from where he was sitting on the deck. He put his paper down, reached for his cane and moved surprisingly fast across the yard until he leaned against the fence, watching Daniel play.

"I'm not. Not really," Daniel said as he caught the ball when it bounced off the basket. "But that's okay," He wrapped his arms around the ball. "When I was still big, Jack and I did a lot of running together. On Sunday mornings. At the park and around the lake. I liked that. Not many people out there and when we were real early we could see the sun coming out."

"Yeah," Jack said with a little smile. "We did that, too."

"Really?"

"We used to meet on Sundays and take a run around the lake, then have coffee at Starbucks. We never skipped it unless we were off world. It's one of those things I miss doing."

"I'm sorry. I didn't want to make you sad..."

"No." He shook his head, the smile remaining in his eyes. "It's okay. It's okay to remember them, Daniel. And it's okay to be sad, too. Someone once told me that keeping it all in makes one bitter and grouchy."

Daniel blushed, remembering how he had yelled at Jack that day after their hospital stay. "Are you sure?" He didn't want to hurt Jack and if he'd rather not talk about his Daniel...

"Yeah. You might have to remind me about it from time to time though. Think you can do that?"

"I can do that," Daniel said as he returned Jack's smile.

Epilogue

So, how is it going?

Why are you asking? You're in my head, you should know.

Jack took a sip of his beer and gazed at the cloudless, starry sky as he listened to the crickets' evening concert. Stargazing on the deck wasn't the same as on the roof, but he was still slightly handicapped. The stitches would come out tomorrow though.

Actually, Daniel's voice said with a hint of amusement, I'm not always in your head anymore.

Yeah? I noticed that. Not a word from you since we left the SGC. It was meant to sound like a whine and it did, even though Jack didn't say it out loud. What'cha up to then?

I'm not sure how... but I can travel through... space. He sounded so much in awe, it made Jack smile. Daniel was excited. And even without body language to underline his amazement, it was right there in his voice. I'm still practicing. Maybe it's because you're more relaxed now, more willing to let go...

I'm not willing to let you go, Jack said, slight panic overcoming him. But he stomped it down, giving himself a mental kick. I mean... I'd like you to... stick around. Do you think this is weird? Because I still think it is.

Ye-ah, it's kind of weird and I don't know how it works. Daniel has to find out for me. In the Imhotep files.

The stone of Akh, I know, I know. We won't be back at the SGC for a while though. He thought about that for a moment, then asked, And what am I going to tell him? He'll ask questions if I ask him to look it up for me.

Tell him the truth. He'll understand.

Are you sure?

Yeah.

Jack took a swig of his beer. How urgent is it for you to know? To figure out if there's a way to... leave?

I can wait. I'm just impatient. Not about leaving you. Not that. Daniel's bodiless voice was tender now, caressing even. I'd never leave you. But I feel there's so much more waiting for me. Out there. But I can't stay away from you for long. It's like I'm being pulled from two sides. Something out there is calling me. But at the same time you keep calling me back.

Jack looked up at the sky. Out there? You mean in space?

Yeah. I can move... to other places. Planets. I'm not sure how. It's a little like having an astral body.

Whoa. Meaning of life stuff, eh?

Yeah. I guess. Daniel grew excited again and his excitement vibrated through Jack like a burst of youthful energy. Jack, I wish you could be with me and see what I've seen. There's so much to explore out there we haven't discovered yet. So many worlds, so many secrets and wonders. The stargate is only the beginning of it all.

You just discovered how to leave me a couple of days ago. Been exploring the whole universe already?

Time somehow doesn't apply to me anymore. I can be somewhere in the blink of an eye. It's... complicated. Like being on another plane of existence. Then the excitement ebbed away and made space for sadness. I miss you. Even being this close to you, it's not the same. I wish we'd had the guts to tell each other when I still had a body.

Oh yeah. Jack missed him too. In more ways than one. Can you show yourself again? Like you did on Chulak?

It takes a lot of energy to take some kind of physical form, even if it's just an illusion I can create for you somehow.

Try, Jack said. Please?

You know you should have reported this, Daniel said out of the blue. You're running around with some entity in your head.

Jack sighed. Yes, he should have reported it. But he hadn't. He'd made a choice to keep Daniel's presence - in whatever form - to himself for the time being.

I trust you. Always have. He shrugged. I want to see you.

What if the kid sees me? He shouldn't see me before you tell him, I don't want him to freak.

He's asleep. He had a lot of fun at the picnic today. Fraiser makes a mean potato salad. Though Teal'c ate most of it. Man, that guy can eat. I'd almost forgotten how much he can stomach. And the kids played board games all afternoon in the yard. It was nice to see Daniel having a good time and when Jack had watched him this afternoon, he'd felt something very close to paternal joy.

He watched, mesmerized, as the softly glowing outlines of his Daniel's body formed in front of him until he was there. "You're beautiful," he breathed.

Daniel chuckled. "If you'd ever said that to me before I would've knocked you on your butt."

"I never would have said that to you before," Jack growled, kind of embarrassed for his slip. Still he added. "But it's true."

Daniel held out his hands in front of him. "Maybe one day I'll learn how to touch again. To manifest a physical form. Maybe I'll find someone like me out there. Someone who can teach me how to control what I can do. To find out what I really am now."

"Yeah. Until then you could do the warming me up thing again," Jack suggested.

"Minnesota boy getting cold in the middle of July?" Daniel teased. He stepped forward and wrapped himself around Jack like an energy blanket. The warmth seeped through him, but it was a different kind of warmth. Not the heat you would feel from a fire or the sun. Daniel was in and around him, filling him wordlessly with all the things they could never have said or shared before.

And Jack opened, almost reluctantly, to the sensation, in a clumsy attempt to show Daniel how much he loved him, too. Wanted him, needed him. And how beyond all that, Jack had always respected Daniel, despite his often rude and cynical attitude towards the archaeologist.

He was aware Daniel had seen all these things in him already, since he ended up 'living' in Jack's mind.

But this was different, because Jack was making an effort to let Daniel see through all his smokescreens. Something he'd never allowed anyone before. Not to this degree. Never before had Jack made himself this vulnerable willingly.

Thank you, Daniel whispered somewhere inside him. I have to go now. But I won't be far. Whenever you need me, I'm here.

When the glow slowly subsided, Jack sat motionless in his deckchair. Slowly the world tuned itself in again, the singing crickets, the soft rustling of leaves in the low breeze, distant noises of the highway, a barking dog somewhere.

"Daniel?"

There was no answer, but he could still feel Daniel's presence everywhere like a gentle touch, like a soothing hand in his hair. Like a promise.

He'd be back.

And for now that was enough.

Fin

Notes:

This story was originally written in 2009 and when I finished it, I had planned a sequel because there are lots of loose ends. Like what about the artifacts at Area 51? How will Charlie's visit affect Jack and Daniel? And, of course, what is going to happen to Big Daniel in his current state... Sadly, I haven't felt the pull to write in this universe again enough to actually start on that sequel, so I can't say if it's ever going to happen. But re-reading this in order to polish it up for the archives has made me wonder if the sequel is still somewhere inside me. So I'm going to think about it and see what comes out of it some day. In the meantime, thank you for reading. This was a bit of a different approach for me and it was fun to have so many supporitng characters in the story. :) Anne