He rested his head on his hands, so weary he could barely see the page in front of him. He blinked a few times and then forced himself to straighten up. He had to get this report done, and the fact that he felt like crap wasn't going to matter to General Cummings. The old tyrant didn't accept any excuses, real or not. He also had no use for the Stargate program and did all he could to put obstacles in Jack's way.

For that reason he knew he had to get the damn report done, even though he felt ready to collapse.

He took a deep breath in – or at least he tried, but a sharp pain in his side caused him to cough. Soon his eyes were watering and he found it hard to get enough air in his lungs. Finally, after too long a time, he calmed down. He was sweating – a cold sweat and he felt nauseated. God, what was wrong with him.

A few minutes more and he turned to his computer. He'd get this report done if it killed him.

He didn't know what was wrong with him although he tried to tell himself he was just under too much stress, was overtired. He had put on weight since coming to DC and didn't get near enough exercise. The knees were shot – the last time he'd gone to the doctor he'd recommended knee replacement. All in all, Jack figured he was something of a mess. He refused to believe, however, that it was anything more serious.

Three hours later he hit save and immediately sent the document to General Cummings. He sighed and leaned back, rubbing his eyes with his hands. He turned slowly in his chair and looked out the window to the dark Washington night. It was time to leave.

He pushed himself from his chair, feeling old. His knees hurt constantly and he limped away from his desk, his hand holding on so he wouldn't stumble. He wondered briefly if he should call for a car rather than drive his own.

But he managed to make it out to the parking lot and to his car, although by the time he arrived he was severely out of breath. He climbed in and rested his head on the steering wheel for a few minutes until he felt well enough to start the engine. He pulled out of the lot and onto the highway.

Fortunately there wasn't a lot of traffic on the road at this time of night. He drove slowly and carefully until he arrived at his house. He pulled the car into the driveway and again sat for many minutes until he finally had enough energy to open his door and stumble into his house.

He moved slowly into the living room, knowing he wasn't up to going up a flight of stairs to his bedroom. He sat down slowly and leaned back, feeling his remaining energy seep out of every pore in his body.

His eyes slowly closed and in a moment he was in a state halfway between waking and sleeping.

He thought about the Pentagon, about his work in Homeworld Security, and knew that his days were numbered. Cummings and his cronies were doing everything they could to shut down the program – or if they couldn't do that, they wanted to so severely restrict it that it became almost meaningless. He was pretty sure their ultimate intent was to privatize it and make money off of it.

He spent all his time fighting to keep the program alive, and until now he had had the ear of the President. But an election was coming and there would be a new President. He didn't know if he had it in him to keep fighting.

His mind switched to his former teammates and colleagues. Teal'c had gone to Dakara to start a free-Jaffa nation, but had eventually returned to Earth when he couldn't take the politicking and bickering that was going on. He knew it was hard on his friend, who had spent so many years fighting for his people.

Daniel had gone to and returned from Atlantis. He was now back on Sg1 with Teal'c, Cameron Mitchell and – her.

His mind immediately shied away from thinking about her. But even though his mind refused to remember, his heart wouldn't forget. He felt like there was a hole there – no, not a hole – a gaping, bleeding wound.

His chest began to hurt and for a moment he thought it was simply because her face, her smell, her voice all consumed him even as he refused to think of her name. It was only as the pain grew that he realized it was real.

He gasped and leaned forward, his hand held to his chest. He couldn't breath and he fell forward, onto the floor.

His eyesight tunneled down to a pinpoint and all he heard was a swooshing sound, as if waves were washing into his ears.

The pain grew in such intensity that he could no longer think. All he knew was the pain.

He didn't know how long he lay there before things started to fade. The pain began to leave, in its place a numbness grew – spreading from his legs up his hips to his chest. Just before the pain left completely a brilliant light appeared.

Jack O'Neill disappeared, but by this time he was unaware of anything.

Daniel knocked on the General's door. "You wanted to see me General?"

Landry looked up and nodded. "Dr. Jackson, please come in. Have a seat."

Daniel entered and sat down, wondering why he'd been called here. Usually the General would ask for all of Sg1.

"Dr. Jackson," Landry paused and watched him carefully. "I wondered if you'd spoken recently to General O'Neill?"

"Jack?" Daniel looked in surprise at Landry. "Uh yeah, it's only been a couple of – wait," he stopped and frowned. It hadn't been that long ago, had it? He had to think for a couple of seconds. The last he'd talked to Jack had been when his friend had called him on his birthday. They'd only spoken for a couple of minutes as Daniel's team was waiting to take him out to dinner. He'd promised Jack he'd call him back, but he'd gotten busy with a number of missions and – hell he'd never called him back.

"Uh – it's been about six weeks I guess," he said uncomfortably. "Uh why?"

"What about Teal'c? Do you know if he's been in touch with General O'Neill?"

Daniel frowned, wondering what was going on, but from the look Landry was giving him, he didn't think he'd get any quick answers. "Teal'c has been visiting his son and daughter-in-law for the past month," he reminded the General. "He may have been in touch before he left. He didn't say."

"And Lieutenant-Colonel Carter?"

"No – uh – no, she and Jack aren't – don't – no, she wouldn't have talked to him."

Landry frowned but didn't say anything, instead his finger tapped nervously on his desk.

"General? Is something wrong?"

Landry's eyes slowly focused and he looked at Daniel. "General O'Neill didn't show up for work yesterday or today and no one has seen him. He left the Pentagon late Monday – well really early Tuesday morning. He sent a report to General Cummings from his office at 1:45 am. He left in his car at 2:02 am and appeared to drive home – at least his car was found in his driveway. He hasn't been seen since."

"What? You're telling me he's disappeared? But – has someone checked his cabin? Maybe he's gone there."

"No, he hasn't been there in almost a year. We checked with the person who looks after it for him."

"He can't have just disappeared. Someone must have seen him. Where else have they looked?"

"They don't know where to look. Other than his cabin, he doesn't go many places. According to his secretary he works almost seven days a week. Do you have any ideas?"

Daniel pushed himself out of the chair, too nervous and upset to sit. He tried to think. Where else could Jack be? And why would he go anywhere and not tell anyone.

He couldn't believe that he had been so bad about keeping in touch. He had Sg1 and he continued to go through the gate. What did Jack have? He and Teal'c barely spoke to him, he wasn't speaking at all to Sam, and he had no family – at least as far as Daniel knew. The fact that he was working so much told him that Jack didn't have much of a life. God damn it! He felt like a traitor.

"What are they doing to find him?" Daniel asked finally.

Landry sighed and shook his head. "Not enough," he said. "General Cummings is practically accusing Jack of going AWOL."

"You're kidding me!" Daniel practically shouted. "Jack? Damn it! He must have been kidnapped. That's the only explanation. They need to look for him!"

"I know Dr. Jackson. I'm afraid something bad has happened as well. I have a call into the President. Maybe I can get him to do something. In the meantime, I'm going to send a message to Teal'c. Maybe O'Neill told him something that might help us."

Daniel nodded. "Will you – let me know?"

"Of course. Thank you."

Daniel nodded again and then slowly left Landry's office. He could barely think. What could have happened to Jack? Who would have taken him? He didn't think Jack had any enemies that bad – at least on Earth. There might still be a few System Lord's out there who hadn't yet been killed who harbored hatred towards him – and a few other aliens as well, but no one on Earth.

Could it have been for his knowledge of the Stargate? That was possible, although there were others who were now closer to it, who had access to it. Still, Jack was perhaps one of the most knowledgeable, except for Sam.

And that brought up a whole other thought. Should he tell her Jack was missing? Would she care?

Of course she would, he told himself. Even though they no longer spoke to one another, even though there was bitterness and anger between them, he knew that Sam would never wish ill of Jack. But she also wouldn't have a clue where he was. She refused to speak of him, to hear anything about him. She'd blocked him completely from her life.

Daniel sighed, suddenly wishing things hadn't changed – that Jack was still here, still on Sg1 and the four of them were still going through the gate, still fighting the Goa'uld.

He walked slowly towards his office, not sure what to do. He wanted to be out there, hunting for his friend, but he didn't have a clue where to start or what to look for. He felt completely useless.

He sat in his office for the rest of the morning, trying to think of something, anything that might help. He knew Walter had sent out a message to Teal'c – he'd called him to check – but they hadn't heard anything back as of yet. He stared at his bookshelf, wishing there was something there that could tell him what to do.

"Hey Daniel, want to grab lunch?"

He looked up, startled, to see Sam standing in the doorway.

"What?"

"You want to grab lunch?" She regarded him for a moment and then her expression changed as she realized something was wrong. "What is it? Has something happened?"

"Huh? Oh – no – no. Uh – I don't – I'm not hungry so you go ahead."

"Daniel?" she frowned. "Come on, don't lie. There's something going on. What is it?"

Suddenly Daniel felt angry – angry at Sam. At one time he could have confided in her, at one time she would have been as worried as him and she would have helped him. But now – now he couldn't even tell her. "It's nothing," he snapped, turning away. "Just leave it, okay?"

She looked at him, puzzled. She could sense his anger, but had no idea why or where it came from. "Daniel?"

"Just go!" He closed his eyes and took a breath. "Look – I'm sorry Sam. It has nothing to do with you – just, I need to be alone, okay?"

"O – kay," she said, still looking at him in concern. "You'll be alright?"

He shrugged but wouldn't look at her. Finally she turned and slowly left.

Daniel swore. He hadn't handled that well at all. But he didn't know what else he could have done. He sat down heavily on his chair and leaned forward until his forehead touched the table. What the hell was he going to do?

Sam moved slowly down the corridor, her forehead creased with worry. What the hell was wrong with Daniel? She'd seen him first thing that morning and he'd been his usual self – so what had happened to cause him to be so upset? And why wouldn't he tell her.

She made her way to the Commissary, and glanced around. Cameron was sitting by himself, eating a sandwich. She grabbed a cup of coffee and made her way over.

"Hi Colonel," she said, grabbing a chair and sitting down.

"Hey Sam, how's it going?"

She frowned. "Okay, although I think there's something wrong with Daniel. Have you talked to him?"

"Jackson? No, I haven't seen him today. He seemed alright yesterday. What's wrong?"

"I don't know," she frowned. "He seemed upset, but he wouldn't tell me what it was."

"Hmm – weird. Walter looked a bit upset too. Something must be going on."

"Walter?"

"Yeah, I was in the Gate room and he barely spoke to me- looked like he was pre-occupied with something."

"Something offworld?"

Cameron shrugged. "Maybe, but there hasn't been anyone coming through the Gate. I'm sure if it's anything important we'll hear about it."

Sam tried to let it go, but she knew something was going on and she needed to find out what it was. If Daniel wouldn't tell her then –

She stood up. "See you later," she mumbled to Cameron and headed out of the commissary. He simply looked at her and shook his head. Sometimes he didn't get his teammates.

Sam made her way to the control room, looking for Walter. She knew he would tell her.

"Walter?" she said as she arrived. He was sitting at his usual place behind the computer. She was surprised when he jumped and then turned to her guiltily. "Uh Colonel Carter. What can I do for you Ma'am?"

"Hi Walter. So, what's going on?"

"Nothing," he answered, too quickly. Just then the Gate started to turn and again Walter jumped.

Sam frowned. Something was definitely going on. What weren't they telling her?

"Is a team coming in?"

"Uh no," he said. "I think it's Teal'c."

"Teal'c? I didn't think he was to be back for another week?"

"No – uh – I think he decided to come home early." Just then the gate swooshed open and a second later Teal'c exited the event horizon.

Sam stared down at her friend. He was moving quickly and looked serious – even more serious than usual. He knew what was going on. Why the hell didn't anyone want to tell her?

She turned and strode towards the General's office. She was going to find out what everyone else seemed to know.

"Come," General Landry looked up at the knock on his door, to see Colonel Carter.

"What can I for you Colonel," he asked.

"Uh – Sir, I'm wondering what's going on?" she asked, looking at him closely. That there was something was confirmed by the tension she saw on Landry's face.

"Wrong?"

"Yes Sir," she said confidently. "Daniel is upset about something but won't tell me what. Walter is worried, but also isn't talking and Teal'c is home early from his visit to Dakara. And I could tell that he was worried too – as are you Sir," she said boldly.

Landry sighed. He'd heard rumors that there were bad feelings between Carter and O'Neill, but he'd never asked for details. When it came to those two he'd long ago decided that ignorance was the wisest course. Not that he imagined anything untoward had occurred between the two officers – no, he knew them both well enough to know they'd never do something – well, something like that. But that there had been something between them – something not strictly military – well, he could guess. What had happened then, he didn't know – except that it was serious.

He sighed again. But it wasn't fair to not tell her. She would soon find out anyway. "General O'Neill is missing," he told her bluntly.

She stared at him blankly, not sure how to react. She hadn't expected to hear his name. She had refused to even think about him for months. She blinked and the thought came to her that that was why Daniel hadn't told her.

"Missing?" she asked, her voice little more than a croak. "But –how – why?"

"We don't know. He didn't show up at work and no one has seen him. His car is at his house and he's not at his cabin. We just don't know."

She swallowed, still not sure what to say – or certainly how to feel. Colonel – no General O'Neill was missing. Jack was missing. Oh God! She closed her eyes and swayed. It was only when she felt someone's hand on her – and opened her eyes to see a concerned General Landry grasping her arm – did she pull herself together.

"What's being done Sir?" she asked, and this time her voice sounded more secure.

"Not much," he scowled. "They've made a few enquiries, but his commander – General Cummings – seems to think it's Jack's fault."

"He thinks he's gone AWOL?" she asked incredulously.

"Yeah."

"He wouldn't! There's no way Col – ur General O'Neill would do that. They have to look for him!"

"I know. I have a call into the President to see what we can do. I asked Teal'c to return, hoping that he knows something. And – uh – what about you Colonel?"

"Me Sir?" she frowned.

"Would you have any ideas as to where he might be?"

Sam could feel herself go red – not from embarrassment, but rather from guilt. She had no idea about Jack's life in DC – no idea about his life at all.

"I'm afraid not Sir. I haven' spoken to him for – a long time."

"I'm going to call Dr. Jackson and Colonel Mitchell to come up and Teal'c will be here in a few minutes. I think we need to figure this out on our own."

Sam nodded and thanked the General and then slowly made her way to the briefing room.

She could feel tears form in her eyes and impatiently wiped them away. She could do nothing to stop the progression of time.

Jack slowly felt him drift back – from where and to where he had no idea. All he knew was that he was warm and comfortable and felt relaxed in a way he hadn't felt in a long time.

He was surrounded by air that smelled of some exotic flower and lay in what felt like a soft cloud. He was surrounded by beauty – that he could tell. For the first time in a long, long time he felt at peace.

He smiled and allowed himself to drift – knowing that he was safe from any terrors. He slowly felt himself go and his body and mind relaxed. Soon he was sleeping soundly.

"How is he doing?" one of the voices asked. "He should be improving."

"I am afraid that the damage was too extensive," the other voice answered. "His organs were too far gone."

"No! We did not bring him all this way to be defeated by his own body. Fix him!"

"I am trying," a third, very timid voice answered. "He is not responding. I am afraid he won't last long. His heart was almost destroyed."

"Vishta!" one of the women cursed. "Look after him and make sure he doesn't die," she said.