Daniel curled already abused muscles into a fetal ball on the cold cement floor, bringing his arms over his head, trying to leave as little of his body exposed to the Goa'uld standing before him. "Moot point," he thought. "Protecting what?" he asked himself. Daniel had learned early on that this new technologically-advanced weapon inflicted actual pain and injuries based on the Goa'uld's thought processes. His bruised body was testament to its effectiveness. This virtual reality weapon caused actual injury, and Daniel was sure, very soon it was going to cause his death.

Passage of time had become secondary to the pain inflicted, hours, minutes, day or night, every nerve ending taut with anticipation of the next move, the next vile thought. His teammates' voices had faded into the background as Daniel concentrated on keeping and maintaining control against Wepwawet. In, out... in, out. Daniel could hear the blood pumping in his ears, feel battered lungs struggling for air. His senses strained with heightened anxiety; Daniel knew the Goa'uld was taking a step closer, the brush of the obscenely ornate robes against Daniel's exposed arm forcing him to pull himself in tighter.

"I am in your mind, Dr. Jackson; no matter what you do, I am with you. With every synapse fired, with every beat of your heart, with every breath you take. As you break, I will move to the next, until your tortured bodies are all that are left. Then, and only then, will you be returned to the Tau'ri through the Chaapa'ai and I will have succeeded in breaking the mighty SG-1."

Breathing heavily, sweat and blood dripping from his forehead, Daniel shakily untangled himself, rising up on all fours, and spat in the direction that he hoped the Goa'uld was in. "Kelsha," he muttered. "You may have taken my body but you'll never touch my soul."

Wepwawet's cursing and Jack's, "That's our boy," brought momentary satisfaction before the next wave of pain began.

"I am the nightmare among your thoughts. Imagine the feel of the whip on your body." Daniel collapsed face first onto the floor, Wepwawet counting off as his body jerked with every impact of the imaginary whip across his already raw back.

"Step aside, Danny. Let it go, please," Jack's voice echoed in his mind. "Let me take your place."

"No... not you... only me... please, only me," became his mantra. Keeping the Goa'uld focused on him, buying his teammates, his lover, time before the cavalry from the SGC made an appearance to save the day.

Wepwawet kicked Daniel over, the metallic taste of blood filling his mouth as Daniel bit his bottom lip to withhold a moan. Since the torture had begun, he refused to acquiesce to the Goa'uld and had remained silent.

"I am done with you, Dr. Jackson. You fail to amuse me further." Daniel squirmed as he felt the weight of Wepwawet's foot grind into his chest. "I shall move on to my next playmate. Who shall it be? Oh, but wait, I cannot have you leave without a present, can I? I would never want it said that the great Wepwawet wasn't an inhospitable Goa'uld. Enjoy, Dr. Jackson, a slow and unpleasant way for you to pass to the other side."

Daniel drew a breath once the pressure of the Goa'uld's foot was removed, but his relief was short lived as his back arched against the new onslaught as an indescribable sensation encompassed his body, tendrils touching veins and arteries down to the cellular level. Traveling up limbs, through his groin, chest, and then - nothing.

Gasping as the pain released him, his breathing so unsteady and labored it took him a few minutes to register the sounding of alarms and the clattering of P90s being fired echoing in the hallways of the cement structure.

The alarms, the grating sound of the alarms reverberated within Daniel's head, causing a whimper of pain behind his lips. "Shut it off," he whispered hoarsely. A short burst of laughter, followed by a cough, as he realized how ludicrous his request actually sounded. An alarm, a stupid alarm, a signal of help on the way, was making him do what the Goa'uld torture device couldn't do - plead for mercy.

"Please," he murmured, turning towards the cool hand soothing his hot forehead. "Please, off," he begged.

"Wet-behind-the-ears is gone, Danny, SGC to the rescue - you'll be fine. Just need to get you home to Fraiser," he heard Jack say, callused fingers using surprising gentleness to check Daniel over.

"The alarm, Jack, turn off the alarm. Please." Daniel slowly inched his hands up to his temples to—

"Oh, God!" Daniel shot up in bed, covered in sweat, his tee shirt sticking to his body, the sheet twisted around his legs. He moaned as the sudden movement intensified the pounding behind his eyes. With shaking hands, he leaned over to switch off the offensive noise emanating from his bedside alarm clock. Cautiously he slid his legs over the side of the bed, willing last night's dinner not to make a return visit on his bedroom floor. As an experiment, he began to breathe more deeply, filling what seemed to be oxygen-deprived lungs with air. Bending from the waist, he rested his elbows on trembling knees, cradling his aching head in cupped hands. "See, a nightmare," he said to no one, the red digital numbers changing time as Daniel whispered soft words of reassurance to his vibrating body and pounding heart. "Nothing more than a nightmare."

Pushing off the bed, he shuffled into the bathroom, peed, and turned on the shower. While waiting for the temperature to adjust, he studied his reflection in the mirror; fingering the area under his eyes, memories of bruises still vivid in his mind. They'd faded now to oblivion; there were no longer any visual signs of Wepwawet's torture left on his body. "Nope, need x-ray vision for that, Dannyboy," Daniel said to his reflection.

Carding his fingers through short, sweat slicked hair, he sighed deeply at the man reflected back at him. There were no answers in those blue eyes, no reason why more nights than not, the Goa'uld would again visit him, torturing his sleeping body.

Jerking open the medicine cabinet, he popped the top off the aspirin bottle and dry swallowed three. He replaced the bottle, finding its place on the glass shelves, pushing aside the sleeping pills that Janet had prescribed. Daniel wasn't going to let the past mission get to him; he was going to do this without the help of medication, learn to face the demon that had tortured him on his own.

The shower and coffee had done him a world of good. Between the healing powers of the aspirin, the warm shower, and very strong coffee, the headache had all but disappeared, taking with it the feeling of helplessness that had been Daniel's companion every morning.

The promising warmth of a late spring day began filling his body on the drive to the Mountain. Turning the volume on the radio up, music now blasting, the top down, Daniel exhaled in appreciation as the Thunderbird handled beautifully on this drive along the winding roads. He felt his body relax, releasing for the first time the pent up emotions that he had been withholding since the Goa'uld first turned on the device. This simple release awarded Daniel a sense of freedom as control slowly seemed to seep back into his life.

A small smile started, followed by the stark realization that he missed Jack. For the first time since returning from Wepwawet's stronghold, he honestly and truly felt an emptiness... he missed Jack. He had been a constant presence during Daniel's recovery in the infirmary and the days afterward; but Daniel had shut down, needing to repair himself before he would be able to turn to anyone for comfort. Daniel thought with despair that Jack had obviously misread Daniel's signals and had begun to distance himself from him, sure that Jack believed that Daniel blamed him for their capture and the subsequent torture. Subconsciously he pressed harder on the accelerator, needing to see Jack, and needing Jack to see before they departed on their next mission.

Daniel fidgeted on the gurney as Janet finished entering her notes in the clipboard. "Well, Daniel, all your tests appear normal." In a swift motion, before he had a chance to bolt, Janet placed a restraining hand on his chest. "Not so quick."

Eyes shifting to the clock on the infirmary wall, Daniel watched it ticking away the minutes, calculating how long he had to speak to Jack before the mission he had requested, the mission that the general had given the green light for, the mission that would be Daniel's first trip through the Stargate in almost six weeks. Not even an overnight jaunt to the planet, simply a few hours' visit, just enough for him to get his feet wet before submerging himself back into offworld travel.

Janet tossed the clipboard onto the end of the bed, stepping into Daniel's personal space. "I know what the test results show, but how are you?"

Daniel wanted to give a cursory, "I'm fine," but he remembered waking in the infirmary and greeted by the vision of a very haggard and tired-looking Janet. He recalled how she relegated the responsibility of his recovery to only a select few, assisting with even the most mundane patient care. He remembered her shaking hands and the apparent joy in her voice when he awoke after being in the throes of the residual effects of Wepwawet's virtual reality weapon.

"Jack, Sam... Teal'c?" he'd managed to inquire through fever-parched lips.

Janet had laid her hand on his forehead before answering his question. "I banished them to get some sleep. They're fine, Daniel, just worried about you. We all were worried about you."

"Dead, again? Was I dead?"

Gently spooning ice chips into his mouth, she'd smiled at his question. Clearing his throat, he'd reiterated the question. "Was I dead?"

"Close, but no cigar this time. Not that you didn't try."

Daniel remembered fighting to keep his eyes opened as Janet had explained the injuries he'd received at the hand of Wepwawet. While she'd checked his vitals, Janet had kept up the flow of words, touching on the viral memory implanted in his mind, the delirium, and roller coaster ride of fevers his body had endured as a result of that weapon.

Janet's hand on his arm brought him back to the present. "You haven't answered me, Daniel. How are you feeling?"

Janet deserved honesty and today Daniel could tell her without lying, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that he felt good. Janet was seesawing accepting that answer until Daniel smiled at her and she looked in his eyes.

She picked up the chart, patting him on the arm with the cool metal. "Go. Get out of here. You better be upright when you return from P4W-555 or..."

"Or what?" Daniel asked as he jumped off the gurney, heading for the exit.

"Or you'll have to answer to me, Dr. Jackson," she yelled after his departing back.

"Now?" Jack asked. "You need to see me now? This is really not a good time. We ship out in..." checking his watch, he sighed in exasperation. "...In 30 minutes, Daniel, on a mission that you begged, lectured, and PowerPointed the hell outta us for. Don't tell me you're reconsid—"

"I need to speak to you, Jack," Daniel answered succinctly, hoping that Jack wasn't going to make him beg for an audience.

Jack stood, stamping his boots on the locker room floor, tucking in his shirt.

Daniel's eyes traveled the length of Jack's body, cursed the timing, wishing he had 24 hours and 30 minutes to show him how sorely he missed him. He closed his eyes against a flow of very visual images where the two men's actions spoke louder than their words, mentally berating his stubbornness in not allowing Jack help him put the pieces of his shattered psyche back, not letting him into his life, into his arms, or into Daniel's bed during his recovery. In the flash of a second, he could feel the heat of hating Jack flushing his face, for not forcing the issue with him.

His eyes flew open as a persistent tug on his arm brought him back to reality. Daniel turned towards Jack, unable to hide the smoldering desire apparent in the depths of his eyes.

Never releasing Daniel's arm, Jack glanced furtively around the deserted locker room. "Now?" he hissed. "Oh, damnit," Jack said softly, his hand sliding up and down Daniel's arm. "I thought I... thought we were..."

Goosebumps rose as Jack's fingers began a teasing dance on the exposed warmth of Daniel's arm. An involuntary shudder ran through his body as he softly issued an apology. "I'm stupid... so stupid. Habit, I turned you away because..."

Jack squeezed his arm. "Why, Daniel? I need to know why."

"Failure, fear... faced with my own mortality. I survive best by myself."

Jack's fingers tightened around Daniel's arm. "And I survive best with you." Each finger loosened their hold before Jack mumbled, "I know it wasn't me that Wepwawet tortured, but damn it, it sure felt like it."

Daniel averted his head, swallowing audibly, the warmth of the day becoming a distant memory. "But it wasn't you, was it? I survived the torture alone. I thought I could pick up the pieces by myself."

"That's the way you wanted it, you wanted solitude... I gave you what I thought you wanted." Jack tried desperately, but failed, to keep the anger from his voice.

"I was wrong, Jack, and you were wrong to give me what I wanted," Daniel whispered. "Damn it! Why did you choose this one time to listen to me?" He lifted his glasses to rub the bridge of his nose before continuing. "I'm sorry I didn't remember how important your place in my life is. I'm sorry we leave within minutes..." He scrutinized the face of the man he loved. "I'm sorry I didn't realize how much I missed you, Jack, and how much I need you. Missed you and need you," he softly reiterated.

In the drabness of the locker room, the two men faced each other, close but not touching, SGC regulations prohibited the type of touching that was running through their minds. Jack rocked from leg to leg with nervous tension. "I so want to jump your bones right at this moment, Dr. Jackson."

A burst of laughter flew from Daniel's mouth. "Trust you to say the right thing in a tense moment." Daniel checked his watch. "Gonna have to hold that thought, Jack."

"Wasn't exactly that thought I was thinking of holding," he answered Daniel with a wink.

Daniel adjusted his suddenly too tight BDUs, resisting the urge to point as Jack did the same. He felt a sense of completeness in his world, hoping that maybe the UAV had lied, that there would be no temple on that planet, and that SG-1 returned before the mission started.

The temple was visible from the platform that the ancient circle stood upon; a fairly short walk, Daniel's enthusiasm increasing exponentially with each step in the temple's direction.

All thoughts of Jack jumping his bones dissipated as Daniel stood before the temple. He could feel the tolerant acceptance of his teammates as they split to cover their respective jobs. Teal'c and Sam went to collect soil and local fauna samples. Reminding them to check in at 20 minute intervals, Jack surveyed the perimeter of the temple while Daniel moved closer, occupying his time with tracings and rubbings of the raised pictographs lining the doorway.

Jack walked the perimeter twice, radioing Daniel more times than was necessary. Daniel barely held his annoyance in check when he heard Jack approach him.

Folding the tracings carefully, he placed them in his backpack and then slung the heavy bag over his shoulders. "Can I go play now, Jack?" Daniel questioned sarcastically, canting his head towards the temple opening. "Are you done making sure the playground is safe for me?"

"Daniel," Jack said menacingly. "Safe for you is tying you to the bed and never letting you see the light of day."

Wagging his eyebrows at Jack, Daniel tried to hold in a smirk and failed. "Propositioning me, are you?"

Daniel watched Jack check his watch. "Hold that thought for about three hours twenty minutes, give or take debriefing, showers, and a visit to Fraiser." Jack stepped ahead of Daniel, instructing his lover to watch his six as they entered the temple. Daniel opened and shut his mouth audibly as Jack fixed him with a warning glance. "No smart remarks, oh linguist of mine."

Daniel followed Jack into the coolness of the dim interior of the temple, his gaze darting all around, more intent on studying the pictographs that lined the walls than to the safety of his surroundings. The interior of the temple was no bigger than 18 feet in diameter with two marble altars in the center. Daniel rotated 360 degrees before dropping his backpack onto the dirt floor. Crouching, already mumbling to himself, planning, he unzipped and removed the video camera and notebook from the confines of the backpack. Standing, adjusting the camera to the lighting, Daniel smiled as Jack stepped towards him, having already completed his rotation.

"Um, not exactly the Pepsi Center here. Think I'll wait outside while you play, a little too claustrophobic for my tastes. There's no light—"

"That's okay. I'll be fine; you go sit outside and I'll play like a good boy." Daniel placed his free hand on Jack's shoulder, pushing and guiding him towards the entrance. His time in this treasure trove was severely limited due to Fraiser's restrictions, and having Jack in this enclosed space so near to him would be detrimental to his getting any work accomplished.

"Daniel, I'm right outside, I'm just a radio page away."

"Jack, in reality, you're a whisper away. Enjoy the fresh air, let your mind wander, and if you interrupt me again or distract me in the less than two hours I have left, you'll be sleeping on the couch for many a night. Goodbye." Daniel didn't give Jack a chance to respond before he pointedly switched off his radio. He picked up where he'd left off, examination of the inscriptions in the wall not five feet from the marble altars.

Daniel sat up straight, unsure of his unfamiliar surroundings. Jack's voice cut through his fog, calling his name, something about time being up. Looking down, it registered that he was sitting on a cool bench... the marble altar... in a temple... he had been examining the inscriptions. The video camera was hanging from his limp right arm, his notebook opened on the floor between his legs.

"Coming Jack," he answered automatically, hearing his commanding officer call his name again. He bent to pick up the notebook and a horrific sense of dizziness overcame him. Scooping up his notes, he sat breathing heavily, willing control back into his body before he tried standing again.

Jack's loud voice reverberated within the walls of the temple; he stood at the entrance tapping his watch. "Now... come on. Fraiser will have our hides if we don't return exactly on time with you." Daniel gave Jack a wan smile, which Jack returned before again pointing at his watch face. "Now, Daniel."

Daniel walked over to his backpack, noting the video camera was still running. He switched it off, stuffed his notebook and camera into their appropriate sections and preceded Jack out of the temple. He slammed his eyes shut in the brilliance of the afternoon sun, pulling himself up so short that Jack bumped into him. Jack gripped his arm to steady both their bodies' forward motion.

"Okay, Daniel?"

"Ummm... fine... bright after the darkness."

"Glasses?"

"Wearing them."

"I'm talking about your sunglasses."

"Oh." He blinked a few times, feeling his eyes adjusting. "No, it's okay now."

"Let's go. Carter and Teal'c are going to meet up with us at the 'gate."

Daniel trudged next to Jack, listening and responding in the appropriate places, wishing they would hurry their pace along, wanting to put as much distance between the temple and himself as possible. He was relieved to see that Sam had spotted them and begun to dial the glyphs for home. From his vantage point, Daniel saw her hit the center jewel, the Stargate spring to life, and she raised her arm to enter their IDC.

"Come on, Daniel," Jack said, grabbing his arm. "Let's head for home. There's some unfinished business we have to attend to."

"Get a move on." Jack finished tying his boots. "Debriefing's in ten."

Daniel sat with his hands hanging loosely between his legs, staring at his shoes.

"Jack?"

"Yes, Daniel." Jack gave him a look of long suffering patience. All he wanted was to get the debriefing over with and head home, hopefully with Daniel following behind him.

"Never mind."

"Well, c'mon then." Jack shook his head and pointed. "Daniel, shoes. I don't want you tripping over your shoelaces."

Daniel's eyes followed Jack's pointing index finger.

"Daniel?" Jack felt alarm bells going off as Daniel stared puzzled at the laces. "You okay?" The hand he placed on Daniel's shoulder answered the question, heat was pouring through Daniel's shirt. He kept his voice calm. "Okay, we're just going to take a little side trip to the infirmary." Placing his hand under Daniel's elbow, Jack urged him to stand.

"Jack?" Daniel asked again, his eyes moving from Jack and back to his shoes.

"Don't worry about it," Jack said and knelt down to tie Daniel's shoelaces.

"I should know how to do that, right? Right?" Daniel looked at him in panic.

"It's okay, Daniel. Let's get going." He urged Daniel towards the locker room doors.

Daniel appeared dazed, swaying in the moving elevator, staring at the changing numbers as they ascended from 25 to 21. Jack hated the all too familiar fever flush and glazed eyes that had plagued Daniel these past weeks. But this time there was something different. Jack couldn't put his finger on it, but something was out of place. Daniel's reaction, or actually, his lack of reaction to his immediate surroundings, was more than the fever and delirium usually experienced from the viral memory.

When Daniel didn't make a move to step out of the opened car, Jack grabbed his arm. He belatedly felt the heat of fever through the jacket sleeve as Daniel took two shuffling steps forward. But as he stepped out, he lost his balance and fell against Jack with that strange mixture of slow motion and fast forward that occurred in a time of crisis. It was all Jack could do to prevent them both from crashing to the ground.

"Can I get some help over here?" Jack yelled. Two nurses came running towards him, one kneeling beside Daniel while the other took one look and ran for a gurney.

Jack stirred his bowl of vegetable soup, not really hungry but knowing that Fraiser probably had spies ready to report on his eating habits. The commissary was nearly empty in mid-afternoon. He watched one of the cooks fill the big coffee makers and swallowed hard. His own coffee sat untouched and cold. Carter was in her lab working on taking Wepwawet's device apart yet again. Teal'c was assisting her, providing what knowledge he had of the Goa'uld. And Daniel, well, Daniel was still lying unconscious in the infirmary. Because he needed to get something, anything, inside him, Jack took a spoonful of soup, mentally berating himself.

He should have listened to the niggling voice that had told him Daniel hadn't been ready to go through the 'gate. He should have demanded that Fraiser do more tests. He should have never let SG-1 be captured by Wepwawet in the first place.

His stomach doing another flip-flop, Jack placed the spoon back on the tray and studied the pack of crackers there, wondering if he could force them down. He decided against the effort and glanced at his watch. Thirty-six hours. Could it really only be thirty-six hours since they'd come back through the 'gate from P4W-555?

"Colonel O'Neill?" Jack startled out of his light doze. He looked at the orderly standing by the table, unable to remember the man. His mouth was dry and his heart pounded in his ears as the young man spoke. "Doctor Fraiser would like you to come to the infirmary ASAP."

The soup was forgotten as Jack took off for the infirmary at a near run.

"Doc?" Jack reached out his hands to steady the nurse he nearly knocked over. "Daniel?"

Doctor Fraiser held a clipboard close to her chest, her eyes fixed on his.

"Sir, Daniel's awake." Jack let out a whoosh of breath before he realized that Janet wasn't smiling at the news.

The hope he'd first felt at her words plummeted somewhere to the vicinity of the floor. "Doc, what's wrong? He's awake. That's good news, right?"

"Let's go in my office to discuss—"

Jack cut her off with a short choppy motion of his hand. "Spill it, Doc."

She studied the clipboard a moment. Jack could see her taking deep breaths before she looked back up at him. "Sir, it appears that..." She shook her head, starting over. "We have to do some tests to get more information, but it appears that Daniel suffered some brain damage."

It was one of those moments that Jack would always remember, along with the time when the doctors at the hospital told them that there was nothing they could do for Charlie. He had the same punched-in-the-gut feeling, the same knowledge that somehow, once again, he'd hurt and failed someone he loved, the same belief that somehow he knew better and the doctor was wrong. And he said what he'd said all those years ago.

"Let me see him."

He thought Fraiser was going to say no, but she pursed her lips and then nodded curtly, motioning for him to follow.

"He's very weak and confused, sir. The change in him is... very evident. Just..."

"I won't upset him," Jack replied curtly as he turned into the Intensive Care section of the infirmary.

Daniel was awake, lying on his side. At Jack's approach, a shy smile appeared.

"Jack?" he asked, his voice a different timbre, a younger sounding voice.

"Oh God, oh God." Jack wasn't sure if what he was mentally repeating was a prayer or not, but he forced a smile to his face for Daniel's reassurance because despite the very small smile Daniel was wearing, Jack didn't like the way Daniel's eyes were flitting from Fraiser, to the bed, to Jack and back again. He saw Daniel swallowing hard, trying to keep his fear under control. And because Daniel was scared that meant Jack couldn't be. It was a prayer, he decided. "Oh God, help me. Help him."

"Hey, Daniel." Jack pulled a chair to the bedside, reaching through the rail to rest his hand on top of Daniel's. "How're you doing?"

"I'm scared," Daniel whispered. He looked up at Janet before fixing his eyes on Jack once more. "I don't like this place. Can we go somewhere else? Will you take me to your house?"

The voice was plaintive, confused. Jack forced his own emotions down and smiled at Daniel reassuringly. "Not just yet, Daniel. You've been sick for a little bit and Doc here has to make sure you're getting better."

Daniel twisted his hand out from under Jack's and grabbed Jack's fingers. "Don't leave me, okay? I don't like it here."

"Doc, you want to tell us what's gonna happen next?" Jack asked evenly.

"Sir, I don't think—"

"Well, I do. I think Daniel would feel a lot better if he knew what was going to happen. Right, Daniel?"

His guess was rewarded with a small nod.

"I'm going to order some tests. MRI, PET scan, CAT scan, EEG—" Fraiser began.

"Whoa, Doc, stop with the alphabet soup." Jack held up a hand and heard a very quiet giggle from Daniel at the comment. "Plain English for me, please." He patted Daniel's hand and stilled the restless fingers that were worrying the edge of the blanket.

Fraiser nodded and gave a slight smile of understanding at Jack's request. "In other words, Colonel, we want to take some pictures of Daniel's brain."

"No, no, no," Daniel whispered, beginning to pick at the blanket once more. "Don't let her do it."

"Daniel, we need to see what's going on in that noggin of yours." Jack placed a finger on Daniel's chin, forcing the younger man's eyes to meet his.

"My brain's in here." Daniel reached up to touch his head. "How can she take a picture of it without opening it up?"

Jack thought the pain he felt at Daniel's innocent question would swallow him whole. This was real, not some dream. Daniel was hurt in some way Jack couldn't even begin to fathom. Daniel needed him, maybe now more than ever.

"No, Daniel. They have a special camera. It sees right through your head. They don't need to open anything up."

"You promise?"

"I promise. No opening up your head." Jack nodded and smiled despite the ache that was in his chest, the lump that was in his throat. "Doc, will it hurt?"

Janet shook her head. "Not a bit. Only a pinch when we take some blood. That might hurt a little bit. Okay, Daniel?"

Jack noticed that Daniel fixed his gaze on him once more, a trusting look that he'd seen before, the belief that Jack wasn't going to desert him. If Jack told him it wasn't going to hurt, it wouldn't. That blind faith overwhelmed Jack.

"It'll be fine," Jack nodded with a sense of numbness and unreality. This could not be happening. This wasn't real. Daniel was going to be fine. Fraiser and her minions would run their tests, find out this was just some momentary leftover glitch from Wepwawet's torture and fix him up. SG-1 would be going through the 'gate together next week.

"Okay, Doc Janet," Daniel nodded decisively. Jack had to smile at the name. "Jack says it's okay." He pulled at the blanket nervously and looked to Jack once more. "You're not going to leave me here, are you?"

"I can't go with you to the tests. But I'll be waiting right here for you when you come back."

Daniel nodded, his expression guarded as the orderlies came to wheel his bed to the radiology department.

"I'll be here for you. Always." Jack bent over to speak to him and relaxed as Daniel gave him a small smile. He closed his hand over Daniel's momentarily, enough to give him a quick squeeze of encouragement.

"You won't leave me alone," Daniel repeated, "and it won't hurt."

Jack watched as Daniel disappeared through the double doors before turning back to Fraiser.

"Doc? You have any idea what's going on?"

"Not yet, sir. You're welcome to wait here, but it's going to be awhile. I can call you when Daniel's on his way back."

Jack glanced at the empty space where Daniel's bed had been. There was a book resting on the small table, one of Daniel's very boring tomes. He'd brought it to the infirmary just last evening, figuring that when Daniel woke up, he'd want to read.

"I'm just going to..." Jack picked up the book, the weight of it strangely comforting. "I need to take a walk. Return this to..." Jack wondered why he wasn't able to string a coherent sentence together. "I'll be back."

He left before Fraiser could offer any of her meaningless platitudes, making a list in his mind. He needed to speak to Carter and Teal'c. They needed to hear what was going on from him. Needed to return this book to Daniel's office. Daniel would kill him if anything happened to it. He wondered if Fraiser had contacted Hammond. No matter, he could manage that duty, too. Jack squared his shoulders and walked out of the infirmary on his self-appointed mission.

Jack studied the faces gathered around the briefing room table. It was by his request that Carter and Teal'c were here. They were part of Daniel's family, too, and it appeared that Daniel was going to need all the family he could get. Jack rested his hands on the table, forcing himself not to curl them into fists as Doctor Philips, the psychologist, gave his report. Couldn't the man just bottom-line it? The brilliant Doctor Jackson that had unlocked the key to the Stargate, the man who held three Ph.D.'s, the linguist who knew twenty-three plus languages, was gone.

Regression, Philips was explaining. He was repeating test results he'd shared with Jack the day before. The Daniel who just three days ago had been translating an ancient language halfway across the galaxy now couldn't read or write his own name. The Daniel who headed the archaeology department and routinely managed the budget for said department now couldn't count above five.

"Thank you, Doctor Philips," Hammond said. Jack lowered his head and glanced at Carter out of the corner of his eye. She looked stunned, unable to believe the results she'd just heard. Teal'c was staring at Philips and Jack wondered if he was about to strangle the man with his bare hands. He turned his attention back to the general who was nodding at Fraiser.

"Doctor Fraiser, can you tell us the cause of Daniel's regression?"

Janet closed the thick files that contained the results of Daniel's testing. Her eyes skirted around the briefing room table, hesitating for a moment on Jack. "No, sir, I can't."

"You can't?" Jack asked. "What do you mean you can't? Millions of dollars of taxpayers' money at your disposal and you can't give us a reason why Dr. Daniel Jackson, genius extraordinaire, now has the mentality of a five-year old?"

"Colonel—" Hammond attempted to intervene, Dr. Fraiser held up her hand to halt him.

"No, I can't, Colonel. With Daniel it could be a number of things. His last run in with the Goa'uld torture device, damage from the virus."

"What about P4W-555. Could something have happened to Doctor Jackson while he was alone in the temple? Your mission report states he was alone inside for approximately two hours."

"I was right outside the damn door the whole time." Jack squeezed his hands together, the pain of his grip nowhere close to the guilt he felt for not having stayed inside the temple with Daniel instead.

"MajorCarter and I ran through DanielJackson's equipment," Teal'c replied in a calm voice that was belied by the muscle jumping in his cheek. "He had documented the interior of the temple with his video apparatus, but the last twenty minutes of footage was corrupt."

Carter sat forward as she spoke. "I tried to enhance the video but it's beyond saving."

"So something could have happened to Doctor Jackson during those twenty minutes?"

"There's a remote possibility, sir, but the walls of the temple are peppered with a mineral that puts out small amounts of energy. The footage Daniel taped was full of static and it's just more likely than not that he put the camera down right on top of the mineral, which corrupted the video."

"So you still believe the damage was from Wepwawet's device?"

"Sir, we just don't have enough information about how that device works."

"I'll continue working on it, General." Carter spoke with surprising fierceness as she glared at Fraiser. "We'll find an answer."

"Even if you do find out the why, Sam, there's no guarantee that anything will change. I'm sorry, Colonel, but that's my medical opinion. I don't see Daniel's condition changing. I'm sorry."

Sorry, Jack thought. Sorry. As if that word made it better. Fraiser looked beat. They all did, he thought as he scanned the faces of the doctors, his teammates, his CO. They were military, damn it. They needed a plan. "What about the Nox? The Asgard?"

"We've put out a call to them, including the Tok'ra, but not surprisingly, none of them have replied. We won't give up hope, Colonel. But up until we do, we must take the best course of action for Doctor Jackson's wellbeing."

"So, Doc, what happens next?" he heard himself ask. Maybe he wasn't a colonel for nothing. He'd led his team through hell before. Surely he could do it again, no matter the cost. Daniel needed him, needed them. He placed that mission objective in his mind. Nothing was going to swerve him from the course.

Jack thought of all the times he'd sat at this table, his mind drifting as Carter or Daniel went through long-winded explanations about upcoming missions when they could have summed up their points in two or three sentences. This was different. This was Daniel's life and Jack began taking notes as Fraiser began speaking of Rehab at the Academy hospital, occupational therapy, speech therapy. He held up his hand to stop her.

"I'm taking him home with me."

"Colonel, Daniel needs skilled care. For all intents and purposes, he is a five year old."

"And I was a dad to a five year old." He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Look, you know medicine, but I know Daniel. And he's going to do a lot better being at home with me, with someone who knows him, rather than spending not only his days, but also his nights, in a hospital."

"Sir, you go offworld, your hours—"

"Then I'll resign," Jack said, leaning forward.

"No, Jack." Hammond spoke softly. "We'll work this out. Doctor Fraiser, is there any medical reason that Doctor Jackson can't be released to the colonel's care?" At her head shake, he continued. "It appears that Daniel will be spending most of his days in therapy sessions at the Academy hospital. I'm sure we can manage to keep Colonel O'Neill busy for the same amount of time each day."

Jack smiled grimly. The battle may have been won but victory was so not sweet.

"I'll arrange for a team meeting on Doctor Jackson's case at the hospital. 1300 tomorrow, Colonel O'Neill."

Jack nodded and wrote the time down on his notes.

"I'd like to keep Daniel on base until everything's arranged. Perhaps a VIP room, sir?" she asked General Hammond.

"It'll be taken care of, Doctor," Hammond said. "Dismissed."

Jack watched as the others trickled out of the room, until only he and the general remained.

He stood to leave, but found himself drawn instead to the Gateroom and the Stargate. He was aware of General Hammond beside him, a fatherly hand placed on his shoulder.

"If anyone can do this, Jack, you can."

Jack nodded, wishing he had as much faith in himself as General Hammond did. "Daniel needs me," he repeated in his mind.

"See anything you like?" Jack nudged Daniel's tray to get his attention as Daniel perused the assortment of lunch items displayed before them. This was Daniel's first outing away from Fraiser's clutches, both having decided that Daniel needed the exercise and some food. They'd toured the base's corridors until Daniel had pleaded fatigue. Now hopefully Jack could get some food into him and then coax him into taking a nap.

Daniel shrugged as he stared at the various steaming dishes.

"How about some chicken?" Jack pointed to the grilled meat on his right.

"I want this." Daniel pointed to the meatloaf in front of him.

"I don't think you'll like that, Daniel. There's some fish. Fish is good. You like fish."

"I don't want fish. I want this."

"He'll take the chicken," Jack informed the man behind the counter, who had been staring at Daniel with wide eyes and open mouth.

"I don't want any chicken." Daniel's voice rose as chicken, rice and vegetables were spooned onto a plate. "I don't want any of that. I want some of this stuff and I want some mushy potatoes with gravy." He grabbed his tray before Jack could put the food-laden plate on it and held it against his chest. Utensils slid from the tray and clattered loudly onto the floor while Jack became hyper-aware of everyone's eyes on them.

Most of the base personnel by now knew of Daniel's regression; many people they'd seen today had either averted their eyes as he and Daniel had strolled down the corridors; only a few had actually smiled and greeted Daniel.

"Give him the meatloaf and mashed potatoes," Jack said stiffly, placing the chicken and rice onto his own tray. He bent down, picked up the knife and fork and handed them to Daniel. "Go put them over there." He motioned to the area where dirty dishes were dumped while he grabbed another fork and knife.

Daniel walked slowly, eying what everyone else was eating. By the time he returned, Jack had gotten himself some coffee and was waiting for Daniel by the drinks area. "What do you want to drink? Water?"

Daniel eyed the variety of drinks in the refrigerator. "I don't know. There's lots and lots."

"Let's start with water."

Jack opened the door, grabbed a bottle of water then moved their trays to the cashier. He paid for the lunches then joined Carter and Teal'c, who were already seated at a table at the back of the room.

Daniel grabbed the bottle of ketchup and liberally squirted the condiment over his meal. Jack rolled his eyes as he caught Carter's grin. He watched Daniel as he took a bite of meatloaf, expecting him to spit it out and state he didn't like it. But to his surprise, Daniel chewed and swallowed, and eagerly took another bite.

"Thith ith good," he said, a dab of mashed potato mixed with ketchup stuck to the side of his mouth. He swallowed and Jack pointed to the bit of pinkish white. Daniel wiped it off with the back of his hand and licked the blob off. He reached for his water, then leaned over to sniff at Jack's coffee.

"Whatcha drinking?"

"Coffee."

"Can I have some?"

"You don't like coffee, remember?" That discovery two days ago had stunned everyone. And soon after that Jack had discovered, to his dismay, that this Daniel was a fussy eater. Gone was the adventurous, "I'll try anything once," iron stomach Jackson. Instead it seemed the virus had not only affected Daniel's cognitive abilities, but his taste buds.

Daniel ignored Jack's comment and picked up the Styrofoam cup. He sniffed the coffee, then quickly put it down.

"I don't like coffee," Daniel repeated.

"Want to try some of my Snapple?" Carter asked. She removed her straw and handed the bottle of Kiwi Strawberry juice to Daniel, who took a cautious sip.

"This is good." He took a long drink, made a loud smacking noise, and burped. "This is really, really good." Even as Daniel raised the glass bottle to his mouth again, Jack quickly reached out and caught Daniel's hand.

"Carter offered you a taste, not the whole thing. You've got water, you can drink that."

"Okay, what would you like me to read to you?" Jack glanced at the pile of young children's books that Hammond had delivered earlier this morning, leftovers from his granddaughters who had outgrown the books for subjects geared towards pre-teens.

Daniel shrugged, more interested in walking around and exploring the VIP room that Hammond had assigned Jack. Although Daniel had miraculously recovered from the high fever which had caused such damage, he was still somewhat weak and Jack could see his energy was beginning to wane. He hoped getting Daniel to lie down and relax would lead him to taking a nap; yesterday Daniel had become so tired and overwrought that he'd ended up crying himself to sleep before lunch.

Jack flipped through the books, found one that he remembered reading to Charlie and tossed it onto the bed. He sat on the bed, uncovered the pillows, shoved one against the wall and leaned against it. Daniel stopped his pacing and turned to look at Jack when the bed squeaked beneath his weight. Jack patted the empty side of the bed invitingly, trying to squelch down memories of having done the same thing before at home, except he'd patted the bed while stroking himself, the wordless invitation leading to Daniel pouncing on him and—

He coughed, trying to not picture that Daniel with the one that was still looking around the room, obviously uncomfortable in the cement-womb of the mountain. There was a loud rattle and bang outside and Daniel jumped, taking a couple of quick steps closer to the bed. He eyed the door before letting himself fall onto the bed, jarring Jack and dislodging the pillow from behind him.

Daniel crawled the few inches separating them and tried to plaster himself on top of Jack. The heat of Daniel's body plus the memories Jack had just invoked had him pushing Daniel off, albeit somewhat more forcefully than he'd intended to.

"Don't," Jack said gruffly, but was immediately contrite when Daniel looked at him with a hurt expression. "Just lie down quietly while I read, okay?"

He opened the book, cleared his throat again, and began reading. He finished the first two pages, short as they were, and glanced over at Daniel. He thrust his lower lip out in a pout, which would have been endearing on a five year old, but definitely looked ridiculous on the face of someone more than thirty years older than that.

But it wasn't the sulking that had Jack asking what was wrong; it was the slight tremor in Daniel's hands where they plucked at a thread in the bedspread.

"Daniel, what's wrong?"

"I don't like it here."

"You don't? Would you rather go back to the infirmary?"

The fingers nervously worrying the thread stopped, then started up again, this time with more visible trembling. "No," he said softly. "There're no needles here, right, Jack?"

"No needles, that's right. But why don't you like this room? It's quiet, not like the hustle and bustle of the infirmary." There was a loud thud outside and Jack swore under his breath. They were moving equipment outside and it figured it would have to be during the time he wanted Daniel to try and get some rest.

"No windows. How'll I know if Sam or Teal'c or Doc Janet or – or – or – the guy with the funny hair on his mouth that brings me food or the lady who gives me water even though she gave Doc Janet a needle once. I saw her. She tried to hide it but I saw her—"

"Daniel," Jack interrupted, trying to be patient. "How will you know how they...?"

"How'll I know if they come to visit?" His voice rose into a wail. "There's no windows. Just walls and walls and walls."

"That's what the door's for. If they come and visit, they'll just knock and ask to come in."

"Oh." Daniel stared at the door a moment, got up and padded to it, opened it quickly and peered outside. He looked around, closed the door, rapping on it with his knuckles. Seeming satisfied, he returned to the bed and lay down. He began shifting close to Jack. When he stopped, he looked up at Jack underneath his eyelids and sighed.

Jack opened the book and began to read again.

"Can I have some water?" Daniel interrupted.

Without a word, Jack put the book down, walked to the bathroom and ran the water. He returned with a glassful and waited as Daniel sat up and drank it down. By the time he put the glass back in the bathroom, Daniel had crept closer to Jack's side of the bed.

Jack sat back down, picked up the book, and began reading again. Slowly Daniel crept closer until his shoulders and cheek were lying against Jack's hip and ribs. By the time Jack finished the book, Daniel had inched upwards so that he was leaning in against Jack's chest.

The old Daniel had been a snuggler; it looked like this one was going to be one also. Jack had a feeling he was going to be fighting with his libido for a while, until his body stopped reacting to the feel and smell of Daniel lying next to him.

Jack reached out with one arm and circled the curled shoulders, hugging him gently. Daniel heaved a heavy sigh, relaxing visibly at Jack's touch. Jack put the book down, reached for Daniel's glasses and placed them next to him on the night table for safekeeping. He rubbed small circles on his back with his fingers while he reached for the next book on the pile. He opened it to the first page and began reading, hyper-aware of Daniel who began playing with the button on his jacket.

Jack read slowly, his attention half on the printed words and half on the moving fingers. When the movement began to slow, Jack softened his voice. Daniel's breathing had become deep and rhythmic. Soon the fingers barely moved, twitching occasionally as sleep began to overtake the body in his arms. Jack continued reading, and by the time he finished the second story, the fingers had stilled and Daniel lay heavy in his arms. He leaned down and kissed the top of Daniel's head, then sighed, throwing his head back and staring at the ceiling.

"Danny, glasses."

Daniel squinted at him in confusion and Jack waved to the folded glasses beside the infirmary bed. With a sigh, Daniel picked them up, unfolded them and looked through the lenses at arm's length.

"Why do I need to wear these? I don't like 'em."

"Because you see better when you have them on. C'mon, I'm hungry."

"I don't see better with 'em. Look." Daniel shoved the glasses onto his face and stopped in the middle of the hallway. "Oh." He turned his head, looking at everything. For the whole trip to the elevator and to the commissary, Daniel spent taking the glasses off and then putting them on.

"Oy," Jack thought to himself as Daniel brought the glasses closer to the scrambled eggs in the display case to see out of them.

Jack looked up from his paperwork. A half an hour's more work and he'd be able to take Daniel home at last. Doctor Fraiser had finally released him from the infirmary a few hours ago. But now Daniel was nowhere to be seen, the papers he'd been drawing on scattered across the table. Jack only spared a glimpse at the pictures, childish stick figures, nothing like Daniel's detailed drawings of artifacts.

"Shit, shit, shit," Jack muttered. He had no way of knowing just how much of the base Daniel remembered. He had visions of Daniel wandering around lost and confused.

"Colonel?" He bumped into an airman as he rushed down the hall.

"Call General Hammond. Let him know that Doctor Jackson is missing," Jack shouted after the woman. He punched the button for the elevator and counted the seconds until it arrived.

Jack ran down the hall towards Daniel's office, hoping against hope that he was guessing correctly. He pushed open the door and paused, a huge sigh of relief gusting past his lips.

Daniel was sitting at his computer, the bluish light from the screen casting a glow over his hair. Jack's heart pounded faster. What if Fraiser had been wrong? What if it hadn't been brain damage after all? Daniel was the bounce back kid after all; maybe this time he needed just a little more time to recover. Maybe coming to his office had been the catalyst.

"Daniel?" Jack called tentatively.

Daniel turned to face him, giving him a big grin. "Jack, look at the pretty pictures."

The illusion was broken, shattered. Daniel frowned.

"Jack? Don't be sad. Look, I can make this drawing dance. Just press this button. See?" Daniel's voice was rising in reaction to Jack's distress.

Jack nodded, unable to speak. He picked up the phone and dialed Hammond's office.

"Sir? I've found Daniel. He's in his office."

"Do you need assistance, Colonel? Have you contacted Doctor Fraiser?"

"No, no, sir. We'll be fine. You don't need to send anyone else up here."

"Very well. I'll call off the search."

"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir."

Daniel motioned rapidly. "Jack, c'mere. C'mon. Give me your finger. I'll show you."

Jack pulled up a chair beside Daniel, offering his hand. Daniel took his hand and pressed Jack's index finger to the space bar.

"Isn't he funny, Jack?" Daniel laughed and looked at him. Jack smiled back, unable to resist the infectious giggle.

"That he is."

"I was being real good and quiet." Daniel turned his attention back to the screen. "I like this room. There's lotsa fun stuff in here. Do you like this room, too?"

"Yeah, yeah I do, Danny." Jack reached up to stroke Daniel's hair. "This room belongs to my very best friend in the whole universe."

Jack wasn't prepared for Daniel's sudden frown. "What's wrong?"

"I'm not your friend," Daniel whispered.

"What gave you that idea?" Jack pulled on Daniel's chair, swiveling it so Daniel was facing him.

"I want to be your very best friend in the whole universe." Daniel continued looking at his hands, pulling on the hem of his T-shirt.

"Daniel?" Jack had to pause and cough. "Daniel, listen to me. You are my very best friend."

"I am?" Daniel smiled widely. "Really?" He bounced in his chair. "But what about... you know...?" He waved his hand in a gesture so reminiscent of the Daniel that was, that for a second, Jack couldn't focus.

"I think he'd be really happy that I have you. I know he would." Jack reached over to switch off the computer. "We've got to get going."

"Can I come back here and play another time?" Daniel asked as Jack led him to the door.

"We'll see," Jack offered as a compromise. "We'll see."

Jack didn't miss Daniel's last lingering look at all the treasures in his office. No, Jack corrected, his former office. More tests during the past two days only served to confirm the same results the first ones had. Jack looked at Daniel who was smiling at each person they met in the hallway. He hadn't ever expected this, had no way of foreseeing such a devastating accident to Daniel. They were supposed to have had the rest of their lives together. Together as equals, as people who were whole, as lovers and partners.

Daniel was the one who had taught him how to dream again. Jack thought back to the first time he'd met a shaggy haired Daniel, a man sure of his convictions, unafraid to argue with Jack. He remembered Daniel's wonder stepping through the wormhole and total fascination with the people of Abydos. And when Jack left Daniel on that alien world, he discovered he was able to begin to dream again. As he'd sat on his deck, watching the night sky, dreams flitted through his mind, elusive, never quite coalescing until he stepped through the Stargate once more and Daniel was there.

He shared Daniel's dream that they could rescue Sha're and, when that dream had turned to dust in Daniel's hands, Jack found himself helping Daniel regain the ability to dream. And for the past year there had been a new dream. A dream that he'd finally found someone that accepted him as he was, someone who knew his faults and loved him despite them. A dream that he was going to grow old with someone, with Daniel. When they both decided the fight with the Goa'uld was a fight for folks younger than they, Daniel would write books and translate on the side for the SGC, Jack would fish and watch hockey and fish some more. And in between he and Daniel would argue, drive each other crazy, and then have mind-blowing sex.

Jack watched Daniel push the elevator buttons and laugh as all the numbers lit up. He smiled back at Daniel's grin, wondering if all the dreams had died.

"Jack? Are we going home soon? I've been waiting for it forever." Daniel followed Jack out of the elevator.

Jack nodded, momentarily unable to speak. Less than a week ago those words had a totally different meaning when they came from Daniel's lips. He coughed. "Just a few more minutes, Daniel. I have a few more papers to do."

Daniel sighed. "You sure have lots of stuff to do."

"Sometimes," Jack agreed. "And you can help by hanging some of those pictures you drew up on my filing cabinet. I'll give you some tape to do it."

Daniel smiled at him as he followed Jack into his office. "I can do that."

They were just preparing to leave when there was a knock at Jack's door. Daniel opened it eagerly, his grin fading to a frown as he saw it was Fraiser.

"I don't have to go back to the sick room, do I?" Daniel asked very quietly.

"No, oh no, Daniel," Janet quickly assured him. "I just need to speak to Colonel O'Neill for a few minutes."

Daniel went to stand by Jack's desk, still warily watching Janet.

"Doc? Is there a problem?" Jack stood, placing his hand on Daniel's shoulder, hoping that he was conveying confidence that there was indeed nothing wrong.

"No, sir. I just wanted to check in before you take Daniel home." She glanced from Jack to Daniel and Jack didn't miss the sadness in her eyes "I wanted to remind you of your appointment to visit the Rehab Center at the Academy Hospital tomorrow at 0900." She turned her attention back to Jack. "It's going to be very important to make sure that you establish routines for Daniel."

Jack held up a small notebook to show Janet. "Taken care of, Doc. Appointment at 0900 tomorrow. Check up for Daniel in two weeks here." He didn't even need to look at his notes. He'd been spending most of the past two days filling the notebook with questions, appointments, and ideas.

Janet smiled. "Yes, sir. I'll be going. If you have any problems, well, you have my number both here and at home." She focused on Daniel once again. "Daniel, you take care of yourself."

"Jack? What's a routine?" Daniel sounded worried. The mention of the hospital must have done it. Jack didn't blame him. Daniel had undergone so many tests in the past few days that the thought of more doctors probably scared him silly.

"It just means that we need to do things the same way most of the time," Jack reassured him. "And we're going to visit the hospital to meet some people who are going to help you learn things."

"Oh." Daniel watched as Jack shut down his computer and straightened up his desk.

"Ready to go, big guy?" Jack asked after one last look around the office.

"Home?"

"Home."

Daniel smiled. "I'm ready, Jack. I've been ready forever."

An hour later, Daniel was ensconced on Jack's sofa, remote control in hand, and Jack was staring in the refrigerator wondering just what he should make for supper. Another bout of laughter from the living room helped Jack decide. They'd call somewhere for delivery. Daniel was having way too much fun without him.

Jack paused beside the sofa. Daniel's attention was fixed on the small TV screen Jack had set up in the living room and he laughed again, holding his stomach. Jack couldn't remember ever hearing Daniel laugh like this, totally uninhibited, totally abandoned to the moment. He watched as Daniel bit his lip, trying unsuccessfully to hold back his laughter and then as he gave up the fight and dissolved once again into helpless giggles.

Jack sat down beside Daniel as a commercial came on. "You having fun, Danny?"

"It's funny." Daniel smiled at Jack. "He's a sponge and he's got a friend who's a starfish and there's a squirrel and a crab and a squid. SpongeBob went to school to drive and the lady fish puffed up and then he cheated and—"

"Whoa," Jack held up his hand. "Take a breath. May I watch it, too?"

Daniel's smile grew impossibly larger and he nodded. "I'm so glad I'm home with you."

"I'm glad you're here, too." Jack smiled back even though he felt brittle. This was real. This wasn't some nightmare. Daniel was changed and he wasn't ready.

"Look. It's back on." Daniel pointed to the screen when Jack appeared to not be watching. "I'll explain it to you, okay?"

"You do that." Jack leaned back on the cushions and listened to his first lesson on SpongeBob SquarePant's antics.

"I'm cold."

Daniel got up where he'd been sitting on the floor, flipping through the TV Guide, and came padding to the sofa, the threadbare sweats he was wearing leaving nothing to Jack's imagination. Daniel shifted closer to Jack so he could lean against him.

"Here. Snuggle under this." Jack pulled the afghan over the back of the sofa and spread it over Daniel, effectively hiding the bulge beneath the thin material which Jack couldn't seem to keep his eyes off of. He hated this; hated how his body kept reacting to Daniel's proximity. Daniel and he had always snuggled here, together, in front of the TV in the winter, using their body heat to keep them warm. Often the snuggling had led to another method of keeping warm and—

"I'll turn the heat up a bit." Jack stood, quickly putting distance between himself and Daniel and raised the thermostat in the room to a more comfortable temperature.

"I'm still cold," Daniel whined, shifting closer to Jack when he sat back down. He clutched the blanket close to his chin and stared at Jack woefully.

"Give it a minute. The room'll warm up and..." Jack couldn't resist the look Daniel gave him. With a sigh, he put an arm around Daniel, blanket and all, and pulled him closer. And Daniel hadn't been exaggerating. The hands that curled up against Jack's chest were icy.

"You really are cold, aren't ya?"

"Uh huh." My butt is freezing, Jack."

"What about your toes, are those cold, too?" Teasingly, Jack reached and tweaked Daniel's sock-clad feet. He could feel the chill through the thin cotton.

"Cold. Yep, my fingers and toes are all cold."

"How about we buy you something warmer to wear?"

"A jacket? I already have jacket and gloves and boots to wear outside."

Jack smiled. "No, I was thinking maybe some flannel pajamas. They'll keep you nice and toasty warm."

"Okay." Daniel leaned his head on Jack's shoulder, giving a slight shiver. "Now?"

"No, the stores are closed. We'll go later this week."

"Do I have to wear the pajamas to the Center?"

"No, they'll only be for sleeping in."

"But if they keep me toasty warm, then why can't I wear them outside?"

Jack grimaced and instead of answering, buried his face in Daniel's neck and made a loud, farting sound. Daniel giggled and squirmed, and hopefully he'd have forgotten his question. Jack wondered how Sara had managed alone with Charlie, considering how much of the time he'd been away on missions. He hoped he managed half as well with Daniel.

"But why do I have to sleep here?" Daniel stood in the middle of Jack's spare bedroom, staring forlornly at the bed.

"Because this is your room now." Jack stepped around Daniel and pulled the comforter down, then plumped the pillow invitingly.

"But the other Daniel didn't sleep here. He slept with you. I wanna sleep with you." Daniel took a couple of steps backwards, moving towards the door.

Jack straightened up, passing a hand over his eyes in frustration. Bad enough Daniel had retained snippets of his old self's memories, the last thing he needed was Daniel sharing his bed. He needed to set the ground rules right now.

"That's because you... the other Daniel, didn't live here. He had his own home and only stayed here once in a while. This is your bedroom now, your home. So you get this room all to yourself."

"Mine?" There was a quizzical look on Daniel's face as he processed the idea. "This is all mine?" He moved slowly back into the center of the room, turning around and looking at the four walls. "I get to sleep here all the time?"

"Yep." Jack patted the bed. "C'mon, get in."

Somehow Jack had found the right words, because Daniel hurried to the bed and slid in. "This is bigger than the bed in the sick room. I like this bed." Daniel spread his legs and arms out, scissoring them several times.

"Good, I'm glad." Jack sat on the bed and reached out to remove Daniel's glasses. As he folded them, Daniel blinked up at him sleepily and smiled.

"You gonna read to me?"

"Of course." Jack eyed the pile of books and realized he'd have to go buy some new ones at the rate he was going through them. Of course Daniel couldn't quite retain the stories Jack read to him so he'd be rereading them over and over. He wondered how long it would take before he himself got fed up of reading the same thing. The variety, he feared, was going to be for himself and not Daniel.

Jack pushed open the door to the spare room. Daniel was sprawled in the bed, one hand tucked up under his chin, the other arm flung out to the side. His covers were twisted and half-falling off the bed.

The night light cast a soft glow in the room as Jack made his way to Daniel's side.

Daniel was frowning in his sleep and moaning slightly. Jack put out a hand to touch Daniel's forehead. It felt slightly warmer than usual, but he wasn't sure if it was due to the excitement of the day or a fever. He'd set his alarm and check on Daniel in two hours, see if there was any change.

Daniel's hands came up as if he was pushing someone away and Jack sat down beside him.

"Daniel?" Jack whispered. He stroked back Daniel's bangs. "I'm here."

Daniel came awake with a gasp. "Jack?" He sat up and reached out for Jack, seeking comfort.

Jack rubbed a big circle on Daniel's back, not speaking, just waiting for Daniel's breathing to slow.

Daniel pulled away a few minutes later and looked at Jack with wide eyes. "They were after me. I didn't like them."

"Who was?" Jack cast his mind back over the TV they'd watched earlier, wondering if Daniel had been scared by something he'd seen.

"The man with glowy eyes. His voice was all scary and he said he'd hurt you and Sam and Teal'c. I didn't like him," Daniel shuddered.

"He can't hurt you. He's gone." Jack rubbed at his face as Daniel scooted back under the covers. Okay, so Daniel was having nightmares about Wepwawet's little sessions with him. Now how did one explain the Goa'uld to a five year old?

Evidently, Jack found out as he looked at Daniel, one didn't. Jack's reassurance that the glowy-eyed man was gone and couldn't hurt him was enough for Daniel. Jack bent over and kissed his forehead. Too bad he couldn't reassure himself. Too bad he understood that although Wepwawet was dead, he was still torturing Daniel and those who loved him.

"Sleep tight, Danny," Jack whispered as he stood up to leave. "Busy day tomorrow."

Jack paused at the door. He had the feeling this was going to be a long, long night.

"Here we are." Jack pulled into a parking space on the Academy Hospital lot. "Let's go inside, okay?"

Daniel was rubbing his hand on denim-clad thighs. Jack wondered if the nervous habits Daniel now exhibited were frustration with his limitations. He'd have to put that in the small notebook in which he was keeping questions to have answered, the overload of information thrown at him in the weeks since Daniel's awakening was overwhelming at times. "I don't want to," a small voice said.

"Remember we talked about this? Remember when we visited a few days ago?" Jack prodded. He motioned for Daniel to undo his seatbelt.

Daniel nodded and got out of the truck slowly. His eyes darted back and forth from the building to Jack. He licked his lips and pushed his glasses up on his nose.

"Here." Jack handed Daniel the backpack they'd picked out last night and put his hand on Daniel's shoulder, feeling the tight muscles. He began guiding Daniel towards the doors, their feet crunching loudly over the snow in the parking lot. If his own stomach doing flip-flops was any indication of how Daniel was feeling, it was no wonder Daniel had simply stirred his cereal listlessly at breakfast. It didn't matter that Jack knew Daniel needed the services the Rehab Center could provide. He was going to leave Daniel here, alone, while he went to the base and he wasn't going to be popping down to Daniel's office to pester him while he worked on a translation. Daniel wasn't going to be giving one of his PowerPoint presentations, telling them all about some obscure Egyptian deity, his speech getting faster as he got more excited. SG-1 wasn't going to be walking through the Stargate together anymore. So even though he knew in his head Daniel needed this, Jack's heart stubbornly refused to get with the program.

"Hi, Daniel." The speech therapist they'd met two days ago smiled at them as they came through the double doors.

"Hi." Daniel ducked his head.

"Good morning." Jack smiled back, nudging Daniel.

"I want to go to work with you, Jack. I belong there," Daniel pleaded. Jack nodded to the therapist as she stepped back a few paces.

"Not right now." Jack took a deep breath. "You need to come here for awhile so they can help you."

"Because I'm stupid now," Daniel muttered.

"No, because you need some help," Jack corrected gently. "You just need some help to remember how to do some things. I'm sorry, buddy. I wish you could come with me, too."

Daniel frowned and then raised a finger to his lips, a gesture that said Daniel to Jack. "I used to know lots."

"Yes," Jack replied, nodding, his throat tight at the hesitant tone.

"You have to go to work and I have to stay here," Daniel continued as if he was solving a puzzle. "It's not right. You, me, Sam, Teal'c, we're a team. We should be together. No one gets left behind. Isn't that right?" He looked to Jack for approval.

"That's right," Jack agreed, knowing that the team that had been was no more. "But sometimes we have different jobs to do before we figure things out and well, for now, this is your job. To come here and work hard."

"Okay, Jack," Daniel said, nodding slowly. "You'll come back? You won't leave me here?"

"I'll come back," Jack promised, steering Daniel towards a table and chairs.

"How long?"

One of the skills Daniel had lost was the ability to tell time, but Jack didn't hesitate. He pulled off his watch, placing it in Daniel's hand.

"Look here." Jack pointed to the watch. "When the big hand is here and the little hand is here, that's when I'll be back for you."

Daniel traced a finger over the watch crystal. "I don't want you to forget me. You can't. I need you not to forget."

"I won't." Jack patted Daniel's shoulder, frowning at the faraway look in Daniel's eyes as he'd spoken. He smiled as the therapist approached once more. "And when I come to get you, you can tell me all about what you did all day, okay? I'll tell you what I did, too."

Daniel nodded and turned his back on Jack, studying his hands as they rested on the table.

"He'll be fine, Colonel O'Neill," the therapist said.

Jack left the room, emotions crashing around him. How the hell were they going to live like this? How the hell were they going to cope?

Jack didn't remember getting in the Avalanche and driving towards the base until he glanced down and saw he was speeding. He immediately slowed down. No time for his stupidity. Daniel was counting on him. He opened the window and breathed in the cold air. They would cope. He didn't know how, but they would cope. Cheyenne Mountain loomed in his sight. He wondered if he was ever going to feel the excitement he used to when he came to work each day.

"I'm thirsty. Can I have some Snapple?"

Jack glanced away from the hockey game to Daniel, who was sitting on the floor with a Lego creation strewn all over the den.

"Just give me a second, the period's nearly over." A fight broke out on the ice, riveting his attention back to the screen.

"I can get it, Jack." As Daniel quickly stood, his foot kicked several Legos under the couch. "I can shake it first and then I can open the cover really, really carefully."

"Five more minutes, Danny. Then I'll get you your drink." He leaned forward as both teams threw off their gloves and began pushing and shoving one another. The players on the benches were jumping over the barrier and joining the melee.

"Jaaack, I want something to drink now." Daniel stomped a foot hard onto the floor.

"Okay, go." Jack knew he shouldn't give in to Daniel's peevishness but he just wasn't in the mood to deal with it tonight. "But be careful with it. You stay in the kitchen and drink it there. I don't want you walking around with that bottle in your hand."

"Thanks! I'll be careful. I promise." Daniel ran out of the room and up the stairs, thumping loudly overhead as he entered the kitchen.

Jack heard the sound of the fridge door closing, and then silence. The fight broke up and the game went into a commercial.

"You got your drink, Daniel?" Jack hollered.

"Yeah!"

"You coming back down?"

"I'm not finished yet."

"Come back down when you're done, okay?

" 'K."

Jack picked up a handful of Legos, fiddling with them as he waited through the commercials. The game came back on and he tossed the toys to the side.

The next ten minutes flew by and the hockey game went into intermission. That was when Jack realized Daniel hadn't come back down.

"Daniel?" Jack realized he hadn't heard any noise from upstairs but then again he'd gotten immersed in the hockey game. He began to get worried; normally Daniel guzzled down the treat, not taking time to savor it. He should have come back down already.

He jogged up the stairs, listening intently to try and figure out where Daniel was. He glanced in the kitchen and saw Daniel, his hands resting on the kitchen table, leaning forward, head down.

"Hey, what'cha doing?" Jack entered the kitchen and saw three empty bottles of Snapple on the table, and a fourth one that was three quarters empty.

"Jack?" Daniel raised a pale face and looked at him. "I don't feel good."

Another week. Two whole damned weeks and there had still been no reply to their request for help from any of their allies. He stood before the door to the Rehab Center and took a deep breath, trying to calm himself after the frustrations of the day. He heard the arguing before he opened the door to the common room.

"No, you can't make me. Jack comes to get me when the little hand is here and the big hand is on there. I don't want to eat it. I don't like it."

"Daniel," Emily's voice was infinitely patient, "you haven't eaten anything all day. You have to be hungry."

"No, I don't and I'm not. Jack said he'd be here." Daniel's voice rose louder. "I'm gonna see if he's coming."

"You are not. Remember the rules. You can't go outside alone."

"Why not?"

"It's dangerous for you to go out alone." Emily was gently leading Daniel away from the door when Jack entered.

"Jack!" Daniel launched himself at Jack and Jack found himself on the receiving end of a very enthusiastic hug. "You're here." He turned to Emily. "I told you he'd come."

"Yes, you did." The therapist smiled. "Can you get your backpack? I need to talk to Jack."

Daniel hesitated, looking at Jack.

"It's okay." Jack smiled and patted Daniel's shoulder. "You get your pack and then we're gonna have a surprise."

Daniel narrowed his eyes. "It's not gonna be needles, is it?"

Jack shook his head no. "Go, scoot; get your backpack." He watched Daniel slowly walk to the small bin where his winter jacket and backpack were stored before turning his gaze to Emily.

"Colonel, I wanted to let you know that Daniel has made a good adjustment to being at the Center. He still refuses to eat for us at lunchtime but other than that, he's making good progress. Although he was somewhat worried when you called."

Jack nodded. "He didn't sound too happy when I got here."

"Daniel doesn't have a very good sense of time. He couldn't understand that you were going to be late even after you phoned us. He did try to leave the Center a few times in the past hour. He also doesn't understand the dangers of being out alone. We took the clients to McDonald's for lunch today. He started running across the street without waiting for the traffic light."

"I'll watch him closely, Mrs. Reese." Jack accepted another hug from Daniel as he came back to his side. "And we'll see you on Monday."

"Bye, Emily." Daniel ducked his head in a manner so familiar that Jack felt his heart squeeze. "And I'm sorry I yelled at you."

"That's okay, Daniel." Emily smiled. "You take care."

"Jack?" Daniel asked as they were pulling out of the parking lot. "Do I have to go back there on tomorrow?"

"Nope, we have the weekend free. You go back on Monday."

"Why do you have to leave me there?" Daniel was rummaging in his backpack.

"I have to go to work, Danny."

"I could come with you like before. I wouldn't be any trouble at all. I can be very, very quiet." Daniel finally pulled out a piece of paper from his pack. "And look. Look what I did!"

Luckily the light was red and Jack was able to take the piece of paper offered to him.

"I wrote it all by myself." Daniel was beaming. "Emily showed me how and I did it."

Jack nodded, his throat tight. Daniel had printed his name in big letters across the page. "Good job." Jack reached out to briefly touch Daniel's cheek. "It's beautiful. Just beautiful."

"I can write, Jack. If you show me how, I'll write all your letters for you."

"I know you would, buddy," Jack said. "I know you'd do anything to make me happy."

"I don't want to go back. Please don't make me go back," Daniel pleaded.

"I have to. You can't come to work with me." Jack hated this. He hated every minute he was away from Daniel. Hated this argument they'd had every evening on their way home.

Daniel took the paper with his name on it and tore it up. "I hate you. I hate you. You're a big meanie."

Jack remembered the first time a sobbing Charlie had said those words to him, the way it had cut to the bone. It still did. He remembered the words he'd said to Charlie all those years ago.

"I know you're mad at me and I'm sorry. But I still love you. I will keep on loving you."

There was no answer from the passenger seat, only a small sniffle. Jack kept his eyes on the road; traffic increasing as he approached the mall. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Daniel begin to fiddle with the seatbelt.

"No. Keep it on. It keeps you safe." He covered Daniel's hand with his. "It's in case we're in an accident."

"You keep me safe, Jack." The voice was a whisper. "You drive good. You won't hit any cars."

"Thanks. But sometimes other people are busy and not paying attention and if you don't have your seatbelt on, you'll get hurt."

"Smushed," Daniel agreed. "Like remember in that show with the policemen. The car was smushed."

"Yep, like that," Jack said. "And I don't want a smushed Daniel."

Daniel giggled. "Nope. No smushing. I won't take it off until you tell me. I promise."

Jack pulled into a parking space not far from the west entrance to the mall. "Here we are."

Daniel watched as Jack unbuckled his own seatbelt and then motioned for Daniel to do the same.

"Jack?"

"Yeah, Daniel?"

"This isn't home." Daniel looked out the window dubiously.

"Remember I told you a surprise?" At Daniel's nod, Jack continued. "This is the mall. There are lots of stores in here. And do you remember what I told you I was gonna buy you earlier this week?"

Jack watched as Daniel thought, one finger coming up to press against his lips. Daniel finally shook his head.

"Pajamas, remember? Something warmer than those old sweats you've been wearing." Which Jack was extremely anxious to get Daniel. Seeing him in the old, threadbare sweatpants the old Daniel had worn around the house had just been too hard to take.

"Can we get SpongeBob pajamas? What about Krusty the Clown?"

"Maybe not today. Let's just look for something in flannel to keep you nice and warm for now, okay?"

Daniel started off at a rapid pace, intent on reaching the mall entrance before Jack. A car came across three lanes of parking spaces towards an unaware Daniel.

Jack ran to catch up, the pounding of his heart having more to do with his fear for Daniel than any exertion.

"Take my hand, Danny," Jack ordered and squeezed the gloved hand that slipped into his trustingly. Remember when we went for our walk the other evening?" At Daniel's nod, he continued. "You have to watch for cars. They can be dangerous and they don't always look out for you."

"Okay." Daniel tugged on Jack's hand. "C'mon. Let's go."

A half an hour later, Jack was wondering how on Earth he used to keep up with Charlie. A grown up Daniel Jackson tested his patience; Daniel Jackson with the mind of a five year old was exhausting. When they finally reached Sears, Jack was relieved to enter the relative peace of the store. He led Daniel straight to the men's section and together, they went through the assortment of flannel nightwear.

Jack smiled as he watched the now quiet man. Their trip through the mall had been interspersed with questions.

"Can I get a cookie? How about an ice cream cone? Jack, why is that man smooching that lady? Look, a merry go round, can I ride it later? Oh, look at those ladies. They don't got all their clothes on. I want some fishies, can I have some? Can we fill up the bathtub and let them live there? Jack, why do I have to hold your hand? I'm big. Do big people have to hold hands so they don't get lost? I got lost. Lost and alone. I don't want to be lost, Jack. Will you find me?"

He'd given Daniel the reassurances the younger man seemed to need almost obsessively since the devastating damage from Wepwawet's virus and promised an ice cream cone for later. The request for fish, though, prompted Jack to realize he needed to think about doing something with Daniel's apartment. The fish he could do something about, though.

"How about these?" Jack held up a maroon top and tossed it over to Daniel.

"Oh, it's soft." Daniel brought the material to his face and rubbed his cheek on them.

"Yeah, and warm. You'll be nice and toasty when you wear them."

"Can I have these ones, too?" Daniel fingered a pair with a light blue-checkered pattern, glancing up at Jack over the top of his glasses.

"Sure." Jack chose Daniel's size and tucked the pajamas under his arm. "How about another pair?"

"What about you, Jack? You need to be nice and toasty too."

Jack had also been wearing sweats at night. Maybe he needed a change as well. "Sure. How about these?" Jack grabbed the first pair he came across in his size.

Armed with their selection, Jack headed for the cashier. Daniel followed but as they waited in line, he stepped off to the side to examine a display full of DVDs. Jack pulled out his wallet and removed his credit card, waiting impatiently as the small line moved slowly. He'd take Daniel to the bookstore to get more books and then they'd go have that ice cream to tide Daniel over until supper.

He glanced back at Daniel, who was still examining the covers of the DVDs. Then it was his turn and he paid for his purchases. Grabbing the bag, he turned towards Daniel.

His mouth went dry. Two teenagers stood in front of the DVD display. Daniel was nowhere in sight.

"Excuse me?" Jack interrupted. "Did any of you happen to see a man here about five minutes ago? Light brown hair, my height?"

"Yeah, sure." One of the teens popped her gum. "He left a couple of minutes ago. Didn't see where he went, though."

"Thanks." Jack exited the store and stood, debating. God, he should have never taken his eyes off of Daniel, should have insisted he stay by his side. He thought Daniel would be safe. It had only been five minutes, after all. Jack closed his eyes and took a deep breath. It was a mall. Daniel probably wasn't going to wander out the doors, not with all these distractions. Daniel may have been a child mentally but he certainly didn't look like one. It wasn't likely someone would try to snatch him. It was those earlier pleas, though, that kept playing through Jack's mind, Daniel's anxious questions about getting lost and needing Jack to find him.

Jack rubbed a hand through his hair, trying to come up with a plan. It wasn't as if he didn't have experience tracking down a wayward adult Daniel. Lord knew he did it often enough on missions.

The aquarium store, Jack decided, and took off at a brisk pace. They'd spent a good five or ten minutes there earlier, Daniel standing entranced by the elaborate tropical fish tank that the store had in their window. Jack had promised a return visit after they bought the pjs. Jack wove his way through the crowds, keeping his eye out for Daniel. A quick circuit of the aquarium shop didn't produce his missing charge.

Jack headed toward the opposite end of the mall, the end he and Daniel hadn't begun to visit. Jack wasn't sure if Daniel had any memory of the mall. It certainly hadn't seemed like it when they'd walked in the entrance. But there was that chain bookstore that Daniel insisted on visiting every time he and Jack had come here. Although Daniel complained about the lack of adequate selections of books, Jack always knew where to find him, engrossed in some book he pulled off the shelf and reading it in the middle of the aisle. And Jack had mentioned buying some more books for him.

Jack was halfway back to the literature section before it hit him. This Daniel, this new and injured Daniel, couldn't read. And, from tests that the neurologist and psychologist had performed, indicated that he would probably never regain that ability. A wave of what he, but more importantly, Daniel, had lost, hit him in the gut so hard that Jack needed to reach out a hand to grab a bookshelf. The enormity of the challenges ahead, the prognosis of Daniel's future, came crashing around him and he had to close his eyes to regain his balance.

Jack remembered a priest telling Sara and him that they'd learn to deal with Charlie's death one day at a time, sometimes one hour, one minute at a time. He hadn't been willing to believe it then but he knew it was true. That was what he needed to do now. Deal with this hand Daniel had been dealt by the day, by the hour, by the minute, and the first order on the agenda was to find him.

Jack took a deep breath and straightened as he left the bookstore. Daniel may look like a grown man, but Jack reminded himself that he was, for all intents and purposes, a child. Jack knew exactly where to find a five year old. He headed to the toy store three doors down.

A woman's strident voice coming from the back of the store reached him. Jack saw the other customers trying hard to ignore the commotion. He hurried towards the sound of the voice.

"I want you to call security now. If you don't, I will. My husband is a lawyer. I could..."

Jack turned the corner and saw Daniel sitting on the floor with a young boy of perhaps five or six. They were playing with a train set, oblivious to the adults around them. A well-dressed woman, evidently the boy's mother, held a little girl tightly by the hand while the store manager stood perplexed.

"Daniel!" Jack didn't mean to yell but the relief at seeing Daniel safe and unharmed took over. "Why did you run away from me? I though you were lost."

Daniel blinked at him, pushing up his glasses with one finger. "I wasn't lost, Jack. I was right here. And look. Look at these trains. Aren't they cool?" Daniel's look of wonder and bright smile were replaced with a quick frown. He pushed himself to his feet and went to Jack's side.

"I thought I told you to stay with me. To stay by my side." Jack caught Daniel's hand. "You can't just wander off. You'll get hurt."

"You said to stay away from cars. I did. I didn't even go near them in here." Daniel hung his head and whispered, "I like trains."

"I know you like them. But I also like when you stay by me." Jack shook his head in exasperation at Daniel's confused look. "We'll talk about it later."

"Cars can't hurt me in here, can they, Jack? Did I forget?" Daniel tugged at Jack's hand.

Jack saw the expression on the woman's face turn from anger to pity. The pity was worse, he decided. Her eyes moved from Daniel to Jack and then to her own children.

"Come here, Bobby," she said brusquely, holding her hand out to the little boy. She finally met Jack's eyes once again, totally avoiding looking at Daniel. "I didn't know he was special." She said the word distastefully, as if Daniel's presence had somehow contaminated her child.

"Bye-bye, Bobby." Daniel waved to the little boy. "We had lots of fun. I liked playing with you."

"Some people should be kept at home," Jack heard her say to the store manager as she herded her children towards the front of the store.

"Yeah, some people should," Jack muttered. "People like you."

"Jack?" Daniel tugged Jack's hand again. "Can we go now?"

Jack finally looked at Daniel. "Huh? Go, yeah, sure."

Daniel was silent as they walked through the mall, the excitement he'd shown earlier gone.

"Hey, Daniel. Let's go get our ice cream cones now. They have lots of flavors." Jack smiled. "I think I'm gonna get chocolate and peanut butter. What about you?"

"I'm not hungry. I don't want an ice cream cone," Daniel mumbled so that Jack had to bend slightly to hear him.

"Why not? You were hungry awhile ago."

Daniel shrugged. "Just not. No ice cream. No trains. Just go home. I'm sleepy."

Jack spied an empty bench near the fountain and guided Daniel to it.

"Danny?" Jack placed a finger under Daniel's chin and forced his head up. "Look at me. I need you to tell me the truth. Tell me what's wrong."

"Don't get mad at me," Daniel whispered.

"I'm not mad at you. I was scared; scared because you were lost. I didn't know where to find you and I told you to stay..." Jack stopped realizing something. "I didn't tell you to stay with me in the mall, just on the parking lot."

"Lots of rules, Jack. I can't remember them all." Daniel sighed and placed his head on Jack's shoulder. "It's because I'm a retard. That store man said so. 'Can't you see he's a retard'? That's what he said. The lady said some people need keepers. Do I need a keeper? Are you my keeper? Like a zookeeper like on Animal Planet? Too much to remember."

Suddenly Jack didn't care that they were sitting in the middle of a mall. Daniel needed him and he needed Daniel. He hugged the younger man tightly. "You don't need a keeper. You're smart and brave. Guess what? When you get somewhere and you're lost, you should sit right down and not move from where you are so someone can find you. You were smart. You stayed in one place and I found you right there."

Daniel's face lit up with a smile as Jack smiled back at him. "I stayed in one place. And I didn't touch the cars either, Jack. That was good, right?"

"That was very good." Jack gave him one more quick, hard hug. "So?"

"If I stay with you and don't let go of your hand, can we have ice cream cones?" Daniel stood up, his enthusiasm coming back. "And then can we go look at the fishies some more? And the trains?"

"Sounds like a plan." Jack got to his feet. "A very good plan. And don't forget the books we have to buy."

"And then we'll go home and eat supper and I can take a bath and go right to bed." Daniel was nodding as he outlined the rest of the evening. "You won't have to get angry. No angry eyes tonight."

"Angry eyes?" Jack searched his memory. Surely when he had been angrier earlier, he hadn't looked that angry.

"You know. Like when Mrs. Potato Head says it to Mr. Potato Head in that movie."

"That movie?"

"Toy Story, Jack." Daniel sighed and pulled harder on Jack's hand to get him moving faster. "I really like that movie. Can we watch it tomorrow?"

"When did you see Toy Story?" Jack slowed down as they approached the ice cream stand.

"Sam and Teal'c showed it to me when I was staying with Doc Janet." Daniel's mouth opened in awe at the sight of thirty flavors. "You know, when I had to wait to come home with you."

Jack smiled. He was going to having a talk with his second in command and her cohort in crime. Since when did the commanding officer get left out of the fun?

"What's that one?" Daniel started pointing to the containers one by one.

Jack studied the signs and prepared himself. He had the feeling that Daniel was going to want to hear every flavor and then stick with chocolate or vanilla.

Daniel's hand tightened around Jack's as they exited the mall.

"I won't run ahead. I promise." Daniel looked at Jack sideways.

"I know. I know you won't." Jack gave Daniel's hand a little squeeze of reassurance. "So, did you like your surprise?" he asked.

Daniel smiled at Jack. "I liked the fishies and the trains."

"Not the ice cream?" Jack teased.

"Nope," Daniel giggled and shook his head. "I loved the ice cream."

Minutes later, both of them safely buckled in, Jack maneuvered the Avalanche into the Friday night traffic.

Soon soft snores came from Daniel's direction. Jack risked a glance despite the heavy traffic, made slower in the softly falling snow.

Daniel was sound asleep, head canted to the right and against the window. It was a position Jack had seen more times than he cared to count. He and Daniel driving home after a mission; Daniel's batteries finally run low. Jack turned his attention back to the road and swallowed hard.

He'd made a promise to Daniel. He would take care of him, but it hurt, oh God, it hurt. The memory of Daniel's face when he'd first found him in the toy store flashed into his mind: the look of utter trust and the smile of sheer joy and wonder Daniel had shown him, and that brilliant smile fading to a puzzled look of worry before the whispered, "I like trains."

Jack smiled and turned at the next light. Daniel liked trains; Jack knew exactly where to find one.

"Danny?" Jack shook Daniel's shoulder. "Danny? Wake up a sec. I have to run in this building for something. You stay right here, okay? Don't get out the truck."

"Umhm." Daniel opened his eyes and regarded Jack groggily. "I'm sleeping." He pulled his jacket up higher and put his head against the window.

"I'll be back by the time you count to ten," Jack said and patted Daniel's thigh.

"Okay." Daniel yawned, obviously unconcerned.

Jack took a deep breath as he entered Daniel's apartment building. The last time he'd been here... Jack punched the elevator buttons, glaring at the man who was waiting. No one followed him into the elevator. Jack leaned against the wall, muscles tightening in his shoulders and neck. He'd been in the apartment a week and a half ago, grabbing Daniel's clothes in a haphazard fashion, stuffing them into a suitcase, and getting out as quickly as possible after leaving a note for Daniel's cleaning woman to feed the fish daily as Doctor Jackson was on an extended expedition.

Jack opened the door cautiously, memories crowding from every corner. The last time he'd been here and stayed any length of time had been a few nights before their second to the last mission. Daniel had been sitting on the couch providing acerbic commentary to a documentary on Egyptian mythology while Jack cooked Daniel's favorite spaghetti sauce and complained about the game he was missing.

He'd have to look into subletting the apartment, Jack thought. Get Daniel's stuff that he wouldn't be using anymore packed into storage. Move the aquarium to his place. Daniel was never going to be able to live on his own again. Jack trailed his fingers across the piano keys, wondering if Daniel would be able to relearn that skill, trying to figure out just where he could put a piano in his home.

Jack entered the bedroom, going straight to the closet and avoiding looking at the bed. Maybe Carter and Teal'c would be willing to take care of Daniel while he came back in a week or so and started packing things for storage. Jack let his fingers linger over one of the sweaters he'd forgotten in his haste, a heathery blue one Jack had given him for his last birthday. Jack shook his head at the maudlin turn his thoughts were taking. Daniel was alive. He needed to remember that. Daniel was alive and seemed happy. That had to be enough for Jack. It just had to be.

Jack reached up to the shelf and pulled down the box that held the train set he'd given Daniel a few years back, able to still see Daniel's shock and delight at the present in his mind. Daniel had faithfully set the train up every Christmas season. Jack had begun giving him a new car for it each year. Jack rummaged for the box that held the rest of the train supplies and pulled it out of the closet, carefully placing the train set on top. He lifted the box, turned out the light, and carefully shut the bedroom door behind him.

"Goodbye, Daniel," he whispered to the ghost of what had been.

Jack found himself standing before the bookcases that lined one of Daniel's walls without remembering having crossed the room; so many books, all of them well worn and used. How many evenings had he sat on that couch watching Daniel pull books off the shelf while he researched some ancient culture? Jack ran his fingers over the spines of Daniel's journals, seeing him hunched over the journals by a campfire offworld or sitting in bed writing before he went to sleep.

He pulled some of them from the shelves, unable to resist them, unable to let go of Daniel's words. He placed them in the box almost reverently. He couldn't let go yet, he just knew he couldn't. The pain was too fresh, too raw. He turned to leave and a familiar yellow box caught his eye—a box of sixty-four crayons he'd given Daniel on the same day he'd given him his first train set. Jack pulled the box off of the shelf and flipped back the top. He smiled even though a lump suddenly formed in his throat. Very few of the crayons had pristine sharp tips. Daniel had evidently found uses for them over the past years. He added the crayon box to his collection and zipped up his jacket before closing the door and locking it.

Jack opened the back of the truck and carefully placed the box inside. A frantic mumbling reached his ears.

"Daniel? Daniel, you okay?" Jack slammed the door shut and ran to the front of the truck. He climbed in, the cab's overhead light showing Daniel huddled in his seat.

"One, two, five, four, six... please come back. I'm sorry. I don't know it. One, three, four, five..." Daniel rocked back and forth, tears running unheeded down his cheeks. "One, two, three—"

"Daniel? Daniel, what's wrong?" Jack reached out a hand to stop Daniel's rocking. "I'm here. I told you I'd be back soon."

Daniel stopped his movement and looked mournfully at Jack. "You said you'd be back by the time I could count to ten. I tried and tried, Jack. I couldn't remember. I only know my numbers to six. I couldn't remember what came next." Daniel reached out to clutch at Jack's neck, his crying increasing.

Jack leaned across to hold Daniel closer. "Shhh. Daniel, I'm sorry. I'm back. I shouldn't have left you alone. It's okay. It's okay." He rocked Daniel in an awkward rhythm. "It's okay."

"I thought you wouldn't come back. You left me before. Will you find me if I get lost? Find me and take me home?" Daniel's words tumbled out in between hiccups and lessening sobs.

Jack brought a hand up to cup Daniel's nape. "I'll always find you, Daniel. Always." He straightened and pushed Daniel slightly away, wiping Daniel's tears with his thumbs. "It's been a long day. What do you say we head home?"

Daniel gave a small smile. "I'm glad you came back." He reached up to wipe his nose with his sleeve. Jack grabbed a tissue and handed it to him.

"Blow your nose with this," Jack suggested, giving Daniel's leg a pat. "You know," he continued as he pulled from the parking space and headed home, "you did a good job. You stayed right where you were and waited. That's what you need to do if you're lost or if you can't find me. Just wait. I'll come for you. I promise."

Daniel blew his nose and then smiled at him. "I know. You always do."

They drove in silence the rest of the way home. Daniel made a beeline for the television set, but Jack hurried into the living room after him.

"How about you go right up, get your towels and get ready for your bath?" Jack shooed Daniel ahead of him. "I'll order us a pizza. That sound good?"

"I like pizza a whole lot," Daniel said in agreement. "And Snapple. Can I have some with the pizza? And then will you read me some stories?"

"Then I'll read you some stories." Jack placed his hands on Daniel's shoulders, gently guiding him towards the steps. "C'mon. Get going."

"Jack?" Daniel turned on the second step.

"Yes, Daniel?"

"Can we eat dessert first every night?" Daniel asked.

Jack laughed. "How about we save that for Fridays? A special treat?"

"Okay." Daniel jumped up the next two steps. "Can I put bubbles in the bath?"

"Yes, Daniel. You can put bubbles in the bath." Jack watched as Daniel jumped up the final two steps. "Not too much, though. You wait until I come up to run the water, okay? Just get the towels from the closet."

"Okey dokey, you old slow pokey."

Jack couldn't hold back his laughter at that comment. Despite the sadness, the adjustments, the love he felt for Daniel was still there. Changed but still strong, still as much a part of him as breathing.

"Jack?" Daniel snuggled closer to Jack as he closed Where the Wild Things Are. Seemed like Daniel loved the book as much as Charlie had.

"Yeah?" Jack placed a kiss on the top of Daniel's head. Daniel was yawning now, his head listing further to the side.

"Am I special? You know, like that lady said in the store? She said I didn't know I was special. Is special bad? I don't think she liked me."

Jack sighed and hugged Daniel tight. "Special isn't bad. That bi—lady thinks it is, but she doesn't know any better. Special is good, very, very good. And you are the most special person I know."

Daniel looked up at him, giving a smile that Jack rarely saw from him. "I love you, Jack."

"I love you, too, Danny. You never forget that," Jack whispered, afraid to show any more emotion. He slid off the bed and stood. "Now, it's time for you to go to sleep."

He watched as Daniel slid under the covers. Daniel turned on his side facing the door. "Comfy?" Jack asked.

Daniel nodded, closing his eyes. "Comfy."

"Night, night. Sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite," Jack whispered as he bent to turn off the lamp on the nightstand. "Sweet dreams." He kissed Daniel's cheek and pulled the blankets higher over Daniel's shoulder.

"I'll always take care of you," he vowed silently as he went to his own lonely bed. "Until the day I die, I will love you and care for you."

Jack stripped, slipped under the sheet, and pulled the other pillow close, inhaling the fading scent of his lover.

"Now hand me the other plants." Jack shoveled gravel around the large pieces of coral and waited as Daniel fumbled through the box of aquarium paraphernalia they'd brought back from the apartment. Daniel shoved a bunch of long strings of green plastic into an empty corner of the aquarium and Jack moved them around, smoothed the gravel around their bases, anchoring them in the tank.

"Okay, let's put the water in." He turned one of several buckets that had been sitting overnight and slowly began filling the aquarium.

"Can I pet the fishies, Jack?" Daniel picked up one of the bags containing the transported fish that had been sitting in the buckets of water, and held it up to his face.

"No, they have to stay in the water."

"But I can put my hand in the water and pet 'em." Daniel scratched the plastic bag with a nail, making the fish swim away in fright.

"They're too fast for you to catch—"

"I can be fast."

"I don't want you sticking your hand in the water. You'll end up making a mess on the floor." Jack winced at the mess they'd both already made; they'd set the aquarium up in his living room and as careful as he had been, the bits and pieces were wet and had dripped all over the place.

Jack grabbed a second bag of fish and handed it to Daniel, then took the bucket the bag had been floating in and began pouring the rest of the water into the fish tank.

Five minutes later, Daniel's fish had found a new home. Daniel was on his knees, face plastered to the tank's glass, trying to entice the fish to come to him. Jack hoped the humming of the aquarium's filter didn't drive him crazy.

"Can I feed the fishies?"

"Sure." Jack found the can of fish food and handed it to Daniel. "Just make sure you give them just a pinch, okay? We don't want to overfeed—"

Daniel twisted off the cover and a good portion of the multi-colored flakes flew out of the can, landing in just about every single puddle on the floor.

"It's okay, I have to clean the floor anyways," Jack said with a sigh. He grabbed a rag and began mopping up the mess.

"Here, fishies, fishies, fishies. Come and eat. Jack, can we get some Chicken McNuggets for supper? D'ya think the fishies would like some, too?"

Jack's reply got lost when he looked up and saw Daniel had emptied half the can of fish food into the aquarium.

Daniel was bored; Jack sensed it as Daniel wandered through the house, touching things, following him - a restlessness that sat uneasily on Jack's shoulders. It was almost as if he couldn't find a place in this house, Jack's house. A place that only weeks ago, had been Daniel's refuge, his home away from home.

Fraiser's words from Daniel's last infirmary visit had cut him to the quick, hurting him now as deeply as they had over twenty-four hours ago.

"He's inquisitive, sir. You need to realize that in the scheme of things, he is a normal five year old. He's social and wants to please the adults that are important in his life. But you need to remember, first and foremost, he's a child."

"I know that." Jack had been annoyed with the lecture.

"I know this is hard, Colonel. You're giving Daniel everything he needs at the moment, but you're missing the big picture. Daniel is five. Besides a loving, structured environment, you need to allow Daniel to be a child even if he appears to be an adult. You are treating this like it's temporary—"

"I'm not!" Jack had replied, unable to hide the anger and indignation in his voice.

"Yes, you are. I've seen your house; I've spoken to Daniel... I know, sir." She'd touched his arm in quiet support. "He needs to play, to stretch his imagination. Games and toys teach... will give Daniel confidence... will rebuild his confidence on a level he's comfortable with and won't frustrate him by forcing him to be an adult when he can't. You need to let him be a child."

Fraiser's words forced Jack to see what he hadn't wanted to acknowledge. Short of a miracle or a Nox or Asgard intervention, this wasn't temporary - this was permanent. He needed to let go to let this Daniel in.

This was Jack's second go round through the huge toy store. The shopping cart he was pushing was as empty now as when he'd retrieved it from the parking lot. Armed with a list of ideas from General Hammond on down to what this Daniel would want to play with, Jack berated himself for not following his instincts by letting Carter take on this mission to find ways to occupy Daniel's mind.

She and Teal'c were home with Daniel, Carter insisting that they were more than capable at taking care of him for the afternoon without incident, also reiterating her earlier words that the two men need some time apart from each other.

"He's not a man, Carter."

"He's a man in height and build, sir, but you're right, mentally he is five years old. You've been his constant companion almost every waking hour since this incident and honestly, sir, that's not too healthy. Even children need a change of stimulation.

"Are you saying I'm not stimulating, Carter?"

"What I'm saying, sir, is that... maybe you better be going."

That was how Jack found himself wandering the wide aisles of this store, confused as hell. Deciding to put his military training into effect, he approached this analytically - a rear attack always worked best as he rounded the cart to the ends of the aisle. Military mindset is a wonderful thing, Jack thought as he stood at the checkout line with a now overflowing cart.

He surveyed the items, comparing it to the now crumpled list in his hand: Lego, colored pencils, drawing pads, Etch-A-Sketch, more Legos, Play-doh, the newest handheld Game Boy, a few games, board games, puzzles, Lincoln Logs, books, books on tape, a cassette player, batteries. There was no space left to fit anything else and the brown stuffed camel that Jack had grabbed as an afterthought sat atop the mountain of toys.

The woman and her young son in the check out line parallel to Jack looked first at the cart then at Jack. "Someone got a birthday coming up?"

"Nah. You see—" Jack began before the little boy, who had been squatting near the cart trying to peek through the bars at the treasures inside, piped up.

"Wow, mister, your son sure is lucky. You got him all this stuff and the new Game Boy DS, with those cool games, that great Lego set—"

The woman cut her son off, smiling indulgently at Jack. "Hope his room is big enough for all those toys. Believe me, Legos have a tendency to breed, especially in the middle of the night when you step on them with your bare feet and Play-doh... well..."

"Come on, mom, it's our turn."

"Sorry... good luck. Tell him happy birthday... love the camel, by the way."

Something the woman with the young son had said to him wasn't sitting well with Jack and was prohibiting him from finding joy as he loaded the toys into the back of the Avalanche. Daniel didn't have a room; he had four walls with a bed. That was it. There was nothing that bespoke of Daniel's personality in the house, their house. Jack had allowed Daniel to live with him, but he hadn't permitted Daniel to move in and not just reside in the house, because moving in meant permanence, and permanence meant reality, and reality meant this Daniel was going to stay forever, and forever was a very long time. Doctor Fraiser's words seemed to finally sink in. Jack was doing Daniel an injustice by keeping him at arm's length waiting for the return of a person who was not coming home, no matter how many candles he kept burning in the window or yellow ribbons he tied around the tree trunks.

He slammed the Avalanche's rear trunk door, removed his cell phone, and dialed his home phone number. Leaning against the truck's side panel, he waited impatiently for someone to answer the phone.

"O'Neill residence."

"Carter?"

"Yes, sir. Is there a problem, sir?"

"Ummm... no. No problem. How's Daniel?" Jack smiled despite himself as he heard Daniel's laughter echoing in the background." He could actually hear the smile in her voice when she responded.

"Daniel's fine, sir. Right now he is explaining to Teal'c all about SpongeBob."

"I take it, Carter, that..."

"Precisely, sir, Teal'c is trying to understand why a sponge that lives under the sea needs to wear pants."

"Aaaahhh. Had the same question myself, actually, so I understand perfectly. I have a favor to ask you."

"Anything, sir."

"I need to do a few more errands and I need to work on a surprise for Daniel. Is there a possibility you can take him out to McDonald's for dinner and then bring him to your house? Pop in a few videos..." Jack checked his watch, mentally calculating the remaining errands that needed doing. "I'll pick him up around 1900 hours?"

"Not a problem, sir."

"Thanks, Carter. Can I talk to Daniel?"

Jack listened as Carter yelled for Daniel, muffled conversation ensued, and soon he heard an enthusiastic "Hi, Jack."

"Hi, yourself. Having a good time with Carter and Teal'c?"

"Sam and I made these cookies that you slice and put in the oven... but they burnt a bit and the smoke alarm went off... oh, Sam just said I really wasn't supposed to tell you that. Sorry, Sam."

"Tell her that's fine, Daniel."

Daniel whispered conspiratorially into the mouthpiece of the phone, his voice low but clear. "Jack, I don't really think that Teal'c understands SpongeBob. He's trying really hard... but I just don't think he gets it."

"I'm glad he has you to help him. Would you mind spending some more time with Carter and Teal'c today? As a special treat, they'll take you to MickyD's for dinner and then back to Carter's house for some videos, and I'll pick you up later. Does that sound okay with you?"

"Oh, yeah. Can I have chicken nuggets with fries and a chocolate shake... and I'll take the videos that we got last night from the video store... and ..."

"Slow down, okay, Danny? Just tell Carter what you want and I'm sure she'll get it for you. It'll be dark when I get home, so I don't want you to worry. I'll be there."

"I know, Jack, you won't leave me behind. I trust you."

"Never, Daniel, never."

Before Jack could even ask to speak to Carter one more time, Daniel gave him a quick goodbye and hung up the phone. With a shake of his head in quiet amusement of Daniel's behavior, he got into the cab of the truck and started off to finish the gathering of this spur of the moment surprise.

This was hard, harder than he ever would have expected. With every placement of the masking tape, with every labeling of every box... this had become a difficult, but cathartic, experience for Jack.

He had cleared off all of Daniel's books and artifacts from the spare room. Jack remembered with painful clarity the day that he'd constructed the shelves in this room for that Daniel. The books that Daniel had stored here were now being boxed with love to be replaced with other things. Items better suited for the Daniel that now filled that special place in Jack's heart.

Jack sat on the carpeted floor and sealed the last of the cardboard boxes, gently caressing the carton which sat between his splayed legs. Done, over, finished, sealed away, memories of what had been, and dreams of what would never be, filled the boxes that sat in this spare room. Not a spare room, Jack thought as he stood. Daniel's room.

"Carter?"

Jack approached his 2IC as she stood in the shadows of her back deck. He had finished his project, showered, ate dinner, and came to pick up Daniel. Teal'c had let him in and then went to rejoin Daniel on the couch. Within moments Teal'c became as engrossed as Daniel in the movie on the screen. Daniel had pointed to the back door when he had asked where Carter was.

Jack slowly slid the door shut as he stepped towards her unobtrusively as possible. He mirrored her stance, arms leaning on the railing, staring off into the dark of the back yard.

"Sir?"

"Yeah?"

"How do you deal... with Daniel, how he is now... knowing what he was? Lost... it's lost. All that brilliance... that intelligence... that knowledge... gone. And we're left with what? A shell of a person?"

Jack gently placed his hand on her forearm, giving a small squeeze in a gesture of comfort, acknowledging without words that he understood her red nose and red-rimmed eyes that still shone with unshed tears.

"He's happy. Can anyone really ask for anything more than that? Daniel doesn't remember his foster homes, or being destitute, or ridiculed, or Sha're, or what he's lost to the Goa'uld... all those things that held Daniel back from gaining true happiness... are gone. He's a clean slate, he has issues—hey, don't we all—but he wakes up every morning glad to be alive... taking pleasure in the littlest things. And if you look and really listen... he's brilliant in his view of the world and in his innocence... and his unconditional love he has for all of us."

She drew a ragged breath. "I didn't mean to get maudlin... but the movie... damn, it was a stupid Disney movie, 'Atlantis', about an archaeologist and the team that goes on this adventure with him... and he meets and gets the girl in the end. Stupid movie," she reiterated, trying to hold back a sob.

"Does the hero live happily ever after?"

Unable to trust her voice, she nodded yes in response to his question.

"Think of it this way. Our hero in his own way is going to live happily ever after, okay? Surrounded by people who will always love him and care for him... and treat him with respect. His ability to see the wonder and good in those around him haven't changed... we need to see past our own shortcomings and our loss to remember that."

"I know, sir, but it's hard."

"Carter, believe me, I never said it was going to be easy—"

"Hey guys." Daniel's voice cut through the night air, interrupting their whispered conversations. "The movie is over and can I put on another one? Teal'c said that—"

"Nope, big guy," Jack said as he stepped forward towards Daniel. "You've had a nice day... but Carter's tired..." Jack looked at her and gave his head an almost unnoticeable nod of appreciation as she hid a forced yawn behind her hand.

Jack stood to the side while Daniel gathered all of his paraphernalia and stuffed it into his backpack. He pretended he didn't see the tears well up in Carter's eyes as he bent to tie Daniel's shoes.

Jack berated himself for even mentioning to Daniel that he had a secret waiting for him at home. The cab of the Avalanche reverberated with Daniel's continuous questions.

"Take a breath, Daniel. Please, I'm beggin' you."

Daniel made a zipping motion across his lips. "Zipping it up now, Jack. See?"

Within minutes, Jack's peripheral vision caught Daniel's energy being transferred as his right knee began to vibrate up and down. The humming of the SpongeBob theme song was the next unspoken sign of Daniel's excitement. By the time Daniel's left hand began beating a staccato rhythm on the console, Jack had had enough. Snaking his right hand out and grabbing Daniel's left hand in his effectively brought a halt to Daniel's nervous energy. "Okay, talking would be all right now, Daniel."

"Can I open my eyes now, Jack? Pleeeeeaaassse?"

"Not yet."

Daniel's eyes were screwed shut at Jack's request. Jack cautiously walked backwards through his house, guiding Daniel by the forearms. He opened the door to the spare room and stepped aside.

"Open 'em now."

Jack wasn't sure what he'd expected, but Daniel's reaction wasn't it. Eyes wide at the transformation of the guest room to a child's room, Daniel didn't move. He stood transfixed by the toys that lined the book-vacated shelves, the posters that adorned the wall, the child-themed comforter on the bed.

Jack placed his hand on the small of Daniel's back, urging him forward. Daniel walked to the bed, sitting down with great trepidation, gently fingering the outline of SpongeBob on the comforter.

"Daniel?" He walked to where Daniel was sitting on the bed. Placing his hand under Daniel's chin, he lifted up the head until Daniel's eyes met his. "Don't you like your surprise?"

"For me? You did this for me?"

"All for you."

Daniel wrinkled his brow in concentration, before he answered Jack. "I don't think anyone has done this for me before - ever-never." A lump appeared in Jack's throat, one that his voice couldn't find its way around at Daniel's next question. "Does this mean you're gonna keep me, Jack?"

He hugged the still seated Daniel to him. Jack bent his head, planting a kiss atop Daniel's hair. Daniel threw his arms around Jack's waist, the rims of Daniel's glasses making their presence known through the thin material of Jack's shirt. "Forever and ever, Daniel. I'm gonna keep you forever and ever."

It hadn't been easy getting Daniel to sleep that night. Jack smiled as he adjusted the SpongeBob comforter around Daniel's shoulders. Chuckling to himself as Daniel lay sleeping, his favorite acquisition, Lumpy the Camel, held tightly in his right hand. Tomorrow Daniel was going to learn the art of keeping his bedroom clean as Jack gingerly stepped over the half-built Lego and Lincoln Log creations.

He bent to place a kiss goodnight on Daniel's temple, and before he could think about how absolutely silly this action was going to be, he placed a matching one on Lumpy with a request to the stuffed camel to protect Daniel in his dreams.

"Where did all the fishies go?"

Jack continued trying to tease the dead body from amidst of the plastic plants of the last of the angelfish that had gone belly up.

"Sorry, buddy, this one didn't make it either." He should have known – moving fish in the middle of winter was always a recipe for disaster. Then again, after the initial newness of the aquarium, Daniel had quickly lost interest, leaving Jack with the chore of feeding them and trashing the bodies. "We can go to the store and get some new ones, if you want?"

"Is that one dead, too?"

"Yeah, I'm afraid so." He finally got it free and it floated sideways. He caught it with the net and hurried to the kitchen with it. He wrapped it in a paper towel and threw it into the garbage; the body was too big to be flushed down the toilet.

Daniel had followed him and was staring at the closed garbage pail. "Why'd it die?"

"I guess it was too much of a shock, moving them here." He wasn't about to try and explain to Daniel about ecosystems and water temperature or any of the 101 things that could go wrong.

"So, you want to check out the internet and see what other kinds of fish we can get? Or do you want to get more of the same?"

Daniel shrugged first one shoulder, then the other. His body language told Jack he was unsure.

"What, you don't want more fish?"

"They just die and they're no fun when they're dead."

"I know. But maybe if we try another kind of fish instead, we might have more luck."

Daniel shifted his weight from foot to foot.

"You got an idea what kind of fish you want?"

A slow nod was Daniel's answer.

"Well?" Jack went to the sink and washed his hands. "What kind would you like?"

"A starfish, and a sponge," Daniel said slowly.

Jack, in the middle of lathering his hands, paused, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath.

"Like SpongeBob, huh?"

"But I don't want to get a starfish if he's gonna die like the others did," Daniel said in a rush, his voice rising with each word.

"Well, I think we don't have to worry about that." Jack rinsed his hands and reached for a dishcloth to dry them on. "Starfish and sponges live in salt water. Our aquarium was a freshwater one, so that's way out of our league. Sorry, Daniel. I don't think we're ready yet for a real SpongeBob in our home."

"Oh." Daniel's shoulders slumped and he slid his sock-clad toe across the linoleum.

"So, any other ideas?"

A shoulder lifted in a half shrug. "I don't care."

"Okay, tell you what. How about we dismantle the aquarium for the time being and then later, when you can think of another type of fish you like, we'll set it up again."

"Okay. Can I go watch SpongeBob?"

"You don't want to give me a hand taking the aquarium apart?"

The toe continued tracing an invisible line across the floor; Daniel didn't answer, he just kept his eyes on the moving foot. It was just as well. Jack figured he'd probably get the job done faster and more efficiently, especially as Daniel seemed to have lost all interest in the aquarium. "My head hurts," Daniel said after a long pause.

"Damn," Jack said under his breath. He placed the back of his hand on Daniel's cheek and thought that maybe Daniel felt a little warmer than normal. This would make it three nights in a row that Daniel developed a temperature.

"Go ahead, get your SpongeBob DVD. I'll bring you something to help your head and... want a Snapple?"

"Can I have the red one?" Daniel grinned at Jack at the prospect of a treat, then turned and raced out of the kitchen, leaving Jack to get the Tylenol and drink before he had to start lugging buckets.

"This is fun." Daniel smiled at Jack as he pulled an Egg McMuffin from the sack. "Can we eat in the car every day?"

"Not every day." Jack shook his head. "Just once in awhile. Come on, keep eating. We'll be at the mountain soon."

Daniel finished the sandwich in record time, squirming in his seat as they approached the checkpoint. He burped loudly.

"Daniel!" Jack tried to sound upset but it was ruined by his laugh.

"Sorry." Daniel didn't sound in the least repentant. "Where do burps come from anyway?"

"How about you ask Doc Janet that when you see her?" Jack handed their passes to the guard.

"Have a good day, Colonel O'Neill, Doct... Daniel." The guard handed back their passes and waved them through.

"I wish I could come to work with you every day, Jack." Daniel sighed as he waited for Jack to grab his briefcase from the back of the truck, shifting from foot to foot in the cool winter air.

"I wish you could, too. But you know this is just a special day because you haven't been feeling well and because Doctor Fraiser wants to see you." He studied Daniel as they walked.

"I know." Daniel walked with his head down. "I've got lots to learn. That's what they say. I'm working hard, Jack. Working hard for you."

"I know you are, buddy," Jack said.

This felt right, coming to work with Daniel at his side. He couldn't let himself get used to it, not when Carter wasn't making any progress with Wepwawet's device, not when they were unable to reach any of their allies. Believing there would be a miracle would just make it harder when there wasn't one.

Daniel waved to people they passed on the way to the elevator.

"Can I push the buttons?" Daniel's long fingers hovered over the buttons for a moment before Jack nodded. Jack ignored the groans of some of the other passengers as Daniel pushed them all.

"Colonel, I think it will be best if we wait until Doctor Fraiser is available to see Daniel." Doctor Warner smiled apologetically.

Daniel was currently trying to hide behind Jack, hard to do when Jack was only two inches taller. Jack nodded with a sigh. Daniel had evidently had his fill of doctors in the past and wasn't going to let any other doctor see him besides Fraiser.

Jack had a meeting with the Peronians in less than fifteen minutes and he had no idea what he was going to do with Daniel for that time. Carter and Teal'c were both needed at the treaty signing and he doubted Daniel would go with anyone else. He and Janet had picked this time for the appointment so Daniel would be in her care during Jack's meeting. He'd forgotten that emergencies were going to take precedence.

"Come on, Daniel." Jack left the infirmary, making plans. Daniel had his backpack. Surely he could leave him in his office while he met with the delegation from Peronia.

"Daniel, listen to me." Jack pulled out the chair to his desk. "I have to go to a meeting and you are going to need to stay here while I'm at it. Look, I'll get you some Snapple. You can color and draw me some pictures. You have your Legos, right?"

Daniel looked at him in alarm. "Alone?"

"Alone. You can't come along and Doc Janet is busy." Jack began backing out of the office.

"No." Daniel shook his head, bolting for Jack. "Don't leave me here."

Daniel followed him into the hallway, nearly in tears. "I can come with you. I'll be real, real quiet. You won't know I'm there. You can't leave me alone. I'll get lost."

"Daniel," Jack began, looking at his watch. Five minutes and he needed to be in the Gateroom. "Please."

"Colonel? Is there a problem?" General Hammond asked and Jack wondered briefly if someone had called him to his office.

"No, sir, I mean, yes, sir." Jack ran a hand through his hair.

"Jack said I've got to stay alone," Daniel confided tearfully to Hammond. "I don't want to. I don't want to be alone."

"Of course you don't," Hammond agreed. "The Peronian delegation, Colonel?" He fixed his eyes on Jack.

"Yes, sir." Jack began to explain the situation, stopped by General Hammond's raised hand.

"Bring Daniel to my office, Jack. I'm sure we'll get along just fine." Hammond smiled at both of them and continued his walk down the hall.

"Get your backpack, Daniel. Looks like you're going to get to visit the general while I'm in my meeting."

"Not alone?" Daniel asked, searching Jack's face for reassurance.

"Not alone." Jack breathed a sigh of relief and hoped that the general was up for a few hours of Daniel guarding.

"Daniel?" Jack led the other man into General Hammond's office. "I'll be back soon, and no," he raised a hand to stem the inevitable question, "you can't come along. There wouldn't be anything there for you to do." Jack studied Daniel's face, his own frown appearing at Daniel's downcast expression. It was so damn unfair. By all rights Daniel should be at the meeting. He was the one who had established the first contact with the Peronians four months ago. It had been Daniel's interest in and understanding of their culture that had allowed other teams to visit the planet. It had been Daniel's careful and slow negotiations that had persuaded the Peronians that the Tau'ri were their allies, not their enemies. The brief discussion that SG-1, minus Daniel, and General Hammond had held yesterday with the ambassador had the man expressing his deep concern for Daniel. He agreed that the delegation would come to Earth with permission instead of expecting SG-1 to travel offworld.

"Hey, I'll be back, I promise. Not long."

Daniel nodded and looked shyly at the general.

"You sit right there and don't bother General Hammond." Jack pointed to a chair and Daniel left Jack's side reluctantly, sitting in the chair and holding his backpack close.

"I'll be real good," Daniel said.

"Why don't you pull that chair over here, son?" Hammond motioned for Daniel to move his chair.

Daniel looked quizzically at Jack to Hammond and back to Jack.

"Jack?" he asked as he finished moving the chair. "He called me son. Isn't he too old to be my daddy?"

Jack had to turn away to smother the laughter he felt bubbling up inside. He just knew when he turned back those guileless blue eyes would be fixed on him.

He turned, not sure exactly what he was going to say to Daniel. General Hammond was smiling himself, his eyes twinkling with amusement.

"You go on to your meeting, Colonel. Daniel and I are going to get along just fine."

"Jack said I could have some Snapple." There was a slightly hopeful nuance to Daniel's statement. "But I can only have one and I can't get it myself."

"Yes, sir." Jack turned on his heel, hoping that this plan wasn't going to end in disaster.

"That's fine, Daniel. I'll have my aide run out and get us both a Snapple."

Jack paused, hand on the door, unable to resist one last peek.

Daniel had his pack on the general's desk, pulling out its contents and explaining each one to a bemused Hammond.

"These are my crayons. Jack got them for me. Lots and lots of colors, and this is Lumpy." The stuffed camel was placed carefully on the desk. "He doesn't want to be alone, like me. You can hug him if you want to, he likes hugs. And this is my paper. Jack gives me lots of paper. He said, here, Daniel, you may as well use this, it's a just a bunch of yadda yadda anyway. What's yadda yadda?"

Jack ran a hand over his face and tried to hurriedly close the door.

"Jack gave you memos to write on?" Hammond's voice rose and Jack felt laser eyes on him.

"I only used the back. See?" Daniel eagerly showed the paper to Hammond. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No, no, Daniel. Nothing wrong. It's okay," Hammond reassured the anxious man. "Now how about you show me some more of these pictures? You've really been busy, haven't you?"

Jack closed the door in relief and straightened, getting ready to meet the Peronians.

"Perhaps the Ambassador and his delegation would enjoy partaking of the food our commissary has prepared, O'Neill," Teal'c murmured.

Jack nodded. He stood and stretched, smiling at the Peronian ambassador and his two aides. "Ambassador Issarla, would you care to join us in some refreshments?"

"We would enjoy it immensely, Leader Jack." He stood and motioned for his two aides to do likewise. "We will speak with Scientist Samantha for a time. She has shown an interest in our recent experiments with Naqadah."

Jack smiled and excused himself, understanding the implicit dismissal. He knocked on Hammond's door, stepping through at the general's response to enter.

"Hi, Jack!" Daniel looked up from his position on the floor where he was currently showing General Hammond his collection of Legos. "Grandpa George and me are playing. Can you play, too?"

Jack shook his head. "Sorry, Daniel. I still have stuff to do in my meeting," Daniel's nickname for Hammond only beginning to register with him.

"I used to have a Grandpa Nick, did you know that, Jack? But he went away. He wanted to explore. I told Grandpa George about it. He said he'd be my grandpa if I wanted him to." Daniel stopped his rapid-fire explanation to look at both men. "And he gave me some Snapple. Just one drink, though, like you told me I can have when I ask. He's pretty nice, isn't he?"

Jack smiled at Daniel. "Yeah, yeah, he is." Jack stood a moment longer watching Daniel play with his Legos and then turned to the general. "Sir, I..."

"Don't you have a meeting to attend, Colonel?"

"He's not being any trouble is he? Because I can always..."

"Go. That's an order."

From the floor, Daniel snickered. "And if you come back, Grandpa George will make you go to the time out chair. Right?" He grinned at Hammond.

"Right, Daniel. Now let Daniel and I get on with our business. We have important things to take care of."

"Bye, Jack." Daniel was busily showing Lumpy his newest Lego creation, not even bothering to look at Jack.

"Are you sure..."

"The door, Colonel? Now go," Hammond ordered.

"Yes, sir." Jack sighed as he exited the office. Guess he wasn't needed after all. He wiped a hand over his face as he made his way back to the briefing room.

Two hours later, the treaty signed by all parties, Ambassador Issarla stood in the Gateroom with Jack, Carter, and Teal'c. Carter was still talking to Issarla's two aides, writing something in a notebook as they spoke.

"Leader Jack, you will convey our greetings to Speaker Daniel? On our world, the head-touched are considered very precious."

Jack bowed his head in acknowledgement, wishing the same could be said on Earth, thinking of the children who were pulled out of Daniel's way when Jack and went out, the strange looks people gave when Daniel and he went to the supermarket. Not that everyone did it. There were people that understood, Jack knew. It was just those who didn't that you remembered.

"He is very precious to me," Jack finally said.

"He has special gifts, Leader Jack. If you ever need someone to care for him, when you no longer can, you may send Speaker Daniel to us. We would see that he is well cared for, that he is happy and understood."

"Thank you, Ambassador." Jack smiled. "I am beginning to understand that he is a blessing. It's taken awhile. But yes, I am beginning to understand."

The familiar sound of the chevrons engaging had them all looking towards the Stargate.

"We wish you well." Issarla bowed to Jack.

"As we do you," Jack intoned in the traditional Peronian farewell. He stood watching the small delegation go through the wormhole and then nearly ran to General Hammond's office, his need to see that Daniel was safe and happy overwhelming.

"General Hammond said you're to go right in, sir." Hammond's aide looked up from his computer monitor. "And sir?"

"Yes, Robbins?"

"It sounded like both of them were having a lot of fun in there." Captain Robbins smiled.

"Thanks, Robbins," Jack nodded, opening the door to his commanding officer's office, and felt his face break into a grin.

Daniel was seated behind Hammond's desk, in the general's chair no less, his tall figure hunched over and industriously drawing. The general himself sat on the opposite side of the desk, having just a small corner to do his paperwork on.

"Oh, hi, Jack. I'm drawing." Daniel glanced up at Jack a moment and then returned his attention back to his picture. "Grandpa George says I draw real good. Right, Grandpa George?" Daniel gave one of his room-lighting smiles to the general.

"That's right, Daniel."

"You can sit down, Jack. I have to finish this picture." Daniel motioned towards another chair. "I'm not ready yet."

The ringing of the red phone had all of them jumping a few moments later. Despite Hammond's efforts, Daniel had the phone before anyone else could grab it.

"Hi, this is Grandpa George's office. I'm Daniel. Who are you?"

"Daniel, give the gen... General Hamm... Grandpa George the phone." Why oh why did Jack have the feeling this was going to end in disaster.

"Jack, I'm busy talking. Don't interrupt," Daniel scolded. He turned to face Hammond. "He says he's the president. Do you know him, Grandpa George?" He didn't wait for an answer, getting back to the phone. "What's a president? Is that someone who calls while you're busy? I'm drawing pictures. I'm a good drawer."

Daniel nodded, totally ignoring Jack's desperate attempts to get the phone receiver from him. "Grandpa George can't talk right now. He's busy playing with me. He'll talk to you when he's done, okay? Bye."

Daniel hung up the phone to the dismay of the two men who stood open mouthed. He smiled up at them. "He won't bother us anymore."

"Daniel!" Jack groaned. "Sir, I'm sorry. Daniel, you have to apologize to Grandpa George."

"Did I do something bad?" Daniel looked puzzled.

"The president is my boss, son," Hammond explained. "He only calls me when he has something important to tell me."

"Oh." Daniel looked at his papers. "I'm sorry. I won't do it again. Will you still let me come and play with you?"

Hammond nodded as Jack slowly gathered up Daniel's Legos, crayons, and Lumpy. "Yes, Daniel. You can still come and play with me. I think the president will understand when I explain that I was playing with my friend."

"That's good." Daniel came out from behind the desk, carrying two pictures. "These are for you, Grandpa George. They're very special."

Hammond took the pictures from an anxious Daniel. "I can see that. I'm going to hang them up right over there." General Hammond pointed to a filing cabinet. "Then I can look at them everyday and think of the fun we had today."

He rocked back as Daniel threw enthusiastic arms around him. "I love you, Grandpa George."

Jack held Daniel's backpack tightly, ready to apologize once more for Daniel's answering the phone. But Hammond looked over at him, a sad smile on his face and a suspicious brightness in his eyes.

"I love you, too, Daniel." Hammond patted the younger man's shoulder.

"Thank you," Jack mouthed before Daniel turned.

"The pleasure was all mine," Hammond answered, hiding his emotions with a cough.

"C'mon, Daniel. Let's go see if Doc Janet's available," Jack motioned towards the door right as the phone began to ring again.

Daniel's hand snaked out, intercepted by a quicker Jack. "Not this time. Let General Hammond speak to his boss."

Daniel nodded. "Tell Mister President I said hi."

"I'll be sure to do that," Hammond said as he put the receiver to his ear. "Hello, sir. Yes, well, it's a long story."

Jack began gathering the supper dishes, rinsing them and loading them into the dishwasher with the ease of long practice. He shook his head slightly, thinking how domesticated he'd become and how one of the hated chores he always put off became a daily occurrence.

"Go get ready for your shower," Jack ordered as he nudged the dishwasher door closed with his hip.

"Okay." Daniel was out of the dining room and rushing to his bedroom before Jack had time to turn off the running water.

Today had been a good day. Daniel had come out of the Center cheerful, had eaten with appetite and wonders of wonders, didn't complain about having to shower. Of course Jack had an inkling what all of this was about; the colored sheets of paper peeking out of Daniel's backpack were a clear hint of his good mood.

Once he got Daniel into the shower, Jack finished up in the kitchen and went into the den to relax, flicked the television on and began channel surfing while waiting for the start of the hockey game later. Eventually the shower turned off and he heard Daniel's footsteps as he entered his bedroom.

"I'm down here," Jack yelled. "You gonna come watch the hockey game?"

There were a few seconds of silence, then loud thumping as Daniel ran down the hall and descended the stairs. He stopped on the bottom step and fidgeted. "I have something I need to do," Daniel finally said.

"Okay." Jack turned his attention to the television, trying not to look at the damp curl of Daniel's hair as it flicked down across his forehead. He squeezed his hands into fists, holding back the temptation of brushing the hair away from Daniel's face.

He'd need to bring him in soon for a haircut. The old Daniel used to tease him that when Jack began obsessing with the length of his hair whenever they made love, it was past time for a trim.

Daniel pounded back up the stairs, his bare feet slapping the wood loudly.

"Put some socks on!"

"I will."

Jack listened as Daniel ran back into the bedroom, then more slowly, walked into the dining room. The loud screech as he pulled back a chair. The sound of drawers opening and closing. A few minutes later, Daniel rushed back down the stairs.

"Jack," he said breathlessly, "where are the scissors?"

"In the hutch in the dining room."

"Oh." Daniel turned and ran up the stairs again. Jack noted he was still barefoot.

"Daniel. Socks! It's not even close to summertime yet."

"Okay, just as soon as I..." The rest of his sentence was muffled as several items fell loudly to the floor above Jack's head.

"Daniel?"

"It's okay. I found them."

"You need help with anything?"

"No."

Jack smiled at Daniel's quick reply and then Daniel's rapid march to the head of the stairs. "I'm fine. You can watch the hockey game. I'll come down when I finish, okay?" Before Jack could reply, Daniel anxiously called out a little more loudly. "Okay, Jack?"

In response, Jack raised the sound of the television and the swells of the opening theme of the hockey game filled the room. "Come and join me when you're done."

"I will."

As Daniel began hurrying back down the hallway, Jack yelled again, this time allowing a touch of irritation tone his voice. "Daniel, didn't I tell you to put socks on."

"That's where I was going."

Jack smiled to himself as Daniel doubled back and then when he walked into the kitchen, the footsteps were softer, attesting to the fact that Daniel had finally obeyed.

There was the sound of a chair being inched forward, and then quiet. Jack turned his attention to the game, not realizing how much time had passed until he heard Daniel moving around again. There was the unmistakable sound of drawers opening and closing.

Daniel moved to the stairwell again. "Jack, where's the glue?"

"In the junk drawer in the kitchen," Jack answered automatically, his attention on the power play in front of the net.

"I looked. I can't find it."

"Second drawer." He leaned forward as the puck ricocheted off the goalie's leg and everyone scrambled for it.

"I looked." The exasperation in Daniel's voice matched Jack's when he pulled his attention from the game.

"Did you use the glue recently?"

"Yeah." Daniel came down a few steps and sat, peering through the banister poles. "I glued those cutouts in the book the other day, remember?"

"And where were you when you were working with the cutouts?"

"I don't reme... In my bedroom!" Daniel shouted. He stood and twirled on one foot, then ran up the stairs and into his room just as the crowd erupted in cheers when Jack's team made a goal.

"Damn it," Jack groused, leaning back and watched the replays. It wasn't half the fun when you didn't see the goal made in the first place.

"You were right!" The house reverberated as Daniel ran down the hallway again, then silence as he entered the kitchen and Jack could just picture him sliding across the wooden floor in his sock-clad feet. He tensed, waiting to hear a thud or a bang, then released his breath as Daniel's chair scraped loudly above him.

The hockey game continued for several more minutes, and then the first period was over. Jack contemplated going upstairs for a snack and checking on Daniel at the same time. He went up the stairs slowly, his muscles stiff and sore from yesterday's impromptu mission, and envied Daniel's energy. He'd barely made it to the top of the stairs when he heard Daniel's softly spoken, "Oh, no."

But it was Daniel's cries of panic that had Jack running into the dining room. "Jack, Jack, it's ruined!"

Jack's first impression was of multi-colored bits of paper everywhere; on the table, on the floor, Daniel had even tracked some into the hallway. On the table itself were several lopsided cutout hearts of varying sizes, each one carefully placed on top of one another to make a large card. The center of the last heart was a piece of lined paper with block letters written on it in colored ink.

Daniel was swiping at the card and the table with his hands and the sleeves of his pajamas. The plastic bottle of glue had rolled along the length of the table, its top missing, and the white adhesive leaked out every time Daniel nudged it in his attempts to clean up the spill.

Jack quickly caught Daniel's hands, feeling the tacky stuff on his fingers. "Stop it," he ordered when Daniel struggled to free himself, his gaze on the wet paper cutouts. "I'll get some paper towels." Jack let go of Daniel once he'd stopped trying to pull away.

"But it's ruined," Daniel wailed as he brushed his sleeve along his cheek, leaving streaks of glue behind on skin and glasses.

"Maybe not. Daniel, keep your hands away from your face, you're full of glue." Jack hurried into the kitchen and grabbed a handful of paper towels and dampened them.

"Yes, it is," Daniel whined as he followed him into the kitchen. "And you saw it. It's supposed to be a surprise. You weren't supposed to see it until tomorrow. Now it's all ruined." He trotted behind Jack back to the dining room. Daniel leaned over the table again and reached for the mess.

"Ack, don't touch." Jack handed Daniel a piece of wet paper towel. "Here, wipe your hands." Then Jack gently dabbed at the excess of glue on top of the hearts, careful not to pull them apart. Still, despite his care, the ink smeared slightly, giving the words "I Love You, Jack," and "Daniel" underneath them, a slightly blurred look to them.

"You're messing the letters!" Daniel's hand whipped out, his finger accusingly pointing to what Jack had just done. There were tiny bits of red and yellow paper stuck to his hand.

"I know, but see, it's giving it a bit of a fancy look to it." Jack decided to leave the letters alone and concentrated on the paste that had spread across the hearts and onto the table.

"The glue wouldn't come out," Daniel said in a rush, bending close to Jack as he worked. The paper towel he'd handed Daniel was tightly clenched between his fingers. "I tried and tried and then squeezed really hard and suddenly it farted and it came out all over everything."

"You squeezed a little too hard, Daniel. It's okay, though, see, I got most of the glue off." Jack eased the sticky paper off the table. There wasn't much more to be done except let it dry.

"But the paper is all wet."

"It'll dry. Here, how about if we do this?" With the tacky papers balanced on his palm, Jack rummaged in the hutch drawer until he found two pencils. He set the papers on top of the pencils, allowing air to circulate underneath. "It'll be fine tomorrow."

"Are you sure?" Daniel leaned over Jack, resting his chin on top of Jack's shoulder.

"I'm sure."

"But you saw it. I wanted to give it to you tomorrow." Daniel pulled back and crossed his arms, his lower lip sticking out in a pout. There were bits of tiny paper stuck to Daniel's cheek where he'd wiped his face again.

Jack looked back at the words written on the paper, and felt his throat close up. He swallowed hard, the words evoking conflicting emotions in him as he remembered Charlie giving him homemade cards. Those memories warred with the one of last year's Valentine's Day when Daniel had surprised him with a new tube of lube and a night of extraordinary sex. "I know, Danny," he said, his voice slightly strained. "But since tonight's the night before Valentine's Day, it's Valentine's Eve, kinda like Christmas Eve," Jack lied. "So giving gifts the night before is perfectly okay."

"Really?" Daniel's arms fell to his side and he leaned closer to Jack to peer at the still-wet paper.

"Really." Jack wrapped his hand around Daniel's nape and squeezed. "Now, how about you jump back into the shower," he said, shaking Daniel a little when he spied a smear of glue on Daniel's hair.

"But I already washed."

Jack couldn't help smiling over the look of confusion on Daniel's face. "Yeah, but you've got glue all over you. C'mon." He led Daniel back to the bathroom and adjusted the water temperature. He carefully removed Daniel's glasses and put them aside. As Daniel began pulling the pajama top over his head, Jack saw the paper towel was still clenched in his fist. He took the dirty top from him then with a slight shake of his head, grabbed Daniel's hand before he could take his pants off. The paper had dried to his fingers so Jack ripped as much as he could until there were only small strips adhered to the skin.

"Put your hand under the faucet." He pumped out several generous dollops of hand soap into Daniel's palm, watching as the water washed away the glue and paper towel remnants.

Daniel finished stripping and with a flash of bare butt, stepped into the shower.

"Don't forget to wash your hair." Jack picked up Daniel's glasses and cleaned them with soap and water.

"I won't."

When he finished, Jack put the glue-smeared clothes into the pile of dirty clothes and with a sigh, returned to the dining room to finish cleaning up. With plenty of water and soap, the glue came off easily. By the time he was done, Daniel had come out of the shower. He padded to the counter and looked at his drying handiwork.

Jack joined him and Daniel leaned against him.

"Do you like it?" Daniel asked tentatively.

Jack put his arms around Daniel's shoulders and squeezed, smelling soap and shampoo. "I love it, Daniel. Who helped you with the letters?"

"Sam. She wrote them on the paper and then she had lots of pens in different colors and I drew the lines on top."

"You did a great job, buddy."

"It doesn't look the same anymore. The letters are all wavy." Daniel's forehead scrunched up, frown lines appearing between his eyebrows.

Jack wanted nothing better than to kiss the frown lines away. Instead he smiled at Daniel. "It doesn't matter. It's still very special to me."

"Jack?" Daniel pulled away, looking a little shy.

"Yeah?"

"Did you...?" He looked at his toes, then back up at Jack. "Did you get me something?"

"For Valentine's?"

"Mmm hmmm."

"You think I'd forget you?"

Daniel's face lit up as he grinned.

"You want your gift now? Seems fair, since you gave me mine already."

Daniel opened his mouth, then he took a deep breath.

"No, I can wait until tomorrow."

"You sure?"

Daniel nodded quickly. "Yep. I'm sure."

"Then how about we go finish watching the rest of the hockey game?"

"Okay." Daniel bounded out of the kitchen, bare feet slapping the wooden floor as he ran towards the stairs. Jack followed, detouring into the bathroom to pick up the socks Daniel hadn't bothered to put on.

Daniel was already sitting on the couch and Jack threw the socks at him. Daniel missed the catch, the rolled-up socks hitting him in the chest. Giggling, Daniel reached for them and began pulling them onto his feet.

Jack sat beside him, stretching his legs out on the coffee table before him. Daniel, instead of stretching out like he normally did, bundled himself into a ball, arms wrapped tightly around drawn-up legs.

They watched the game in silence. Although Daniel couldn't quite grasp the concept, he enjoyed watching the players skating from one end of the rink to the other.

After several minutes, he leaned against Jack's shoulder. Jack looked down at him and noted that Daniel's eyelids were beginning to droop. Daniel rested his head against Jack's neck and closed his eyes.

Jack slid his legs from the coffee table and slowly eased himself from underneath Daniel. If he didn't get him to bed before he dozed off, he knew from experience he'd be difficult to rouse.

"Okay, time for bed."

Without a word, Daniel stood and followed Jack upstairs to his bedroom. Jack pulled the blankets back and Daniel sat, yawning loudly. He took his glasses off and reached over to put them onto the bedside table, accidentally knocking over Lumpy as he did so. Jack bent over to pick up the stuffed toy.

As he lay down, Daniel looked around him. "Where's—"

Jack handed Lumpy to Daniel without a word and Daniel pulled the blankets over his shoulder. When he settled, the toy camel's neck and head lay across Daniel's cheek, his body tightly clasped in his arms.

"Night, Danny." Jack bent over and kissed Daniel's temple. "Night Lumpy." Jack kissed the camel's cheek as well, eliciting a sleepy giggle from Daniel.

"Night, Jack," Daniel yawned in mid-word, already half-asleep.

Jack went back to his bedroom and took out the SpongeBob Valentine's Day card he'd bought for Daniel and the box of Belgium chocolates. Thankful to Carter for having reminded him, he tiptoed into Daniel's bedroom and placed the gift beside Daniel's glasses, certain that Daniel would spot it the moment he woke.

"I can give these to Sam and Teal'c myself?" Daniel's eyes seemed wider than usual without his glasses as he eyed the three small boxes of chocolates Jack had picked up for his team members. "Are they coming here?" He bit into his toast and chewed happily.

Jack bit back a sigh when he realized Daniel had forgotten about his checkup with Fraiser. "No, Daniel, you have an appointment with Doc Janet, remember?"

"Today?" Daniel asked, nearly choking as he swallowed his mouthful of food.

"Yes, this morning."

"So I won't be going to the Center? I'll be going to work with you?"

"That's right, just for this morning. I told you that yesterday." And the day before that, and the one before that. Daniel's memory was fickle at the best of times, but there were times when Jack felt it seemed to be getting worse.

"But it's Valentine's Day." The affront in Daniel's voice was equal to the old Daniel responding to a statement that no offworld archaeological digs would be budgeted for in the future.

"I know that. But just look at it this way; you'll get a chance to see Carter and Teal'c. And one of those boxes is for Doc Janet."

"It's not fair." Daniel pushed the uneaten portion of his breakfast away, running a finger instead through a dab of half-melted butter on the plate.

"We've been through this already." Jack drained the last of his coffee, setting the mug down with a loud thud. "If you're not going to eat, go and get your stuff – and don't forget your glasses. We're leaving in ten minutes."

There was a mutinous expression on Daniel's face. Jack waited silently, staring Daniel down, until he stood up and stalked out of the room. Jack dumped the uneaten toast into the garbage and the plates into the dishwasher, then swept the gifts into his jacket pocket.

The ride to the Mountain was silent as Daniel continued to sulk. Still he was happy enough to see Fraiser, despite the circumstances. He sat still for the exam, only beginning to squirm when the dreaded syringe for blood tests showed up.

Fraiser tied a rubber band around Daniel's bicep and he began to whimper softly. As always, Jack sat beside Daniel and allowed him to hold his hand. As she disinfected the inside of his elbow, Daniel lowered his head, resting his forehead against Jack's chest.

"Ready?" Fraiser warned. She looked at Jack and he nodded as Daniel tensed.

"Ow ow ow ow ow," Daniel moaned as Fraiser pressed the needle into Daniel's vein. He squeezed Jack's hand painfully but he didn't attempt to struggle.

With his free hand Jack rubbed Daniel's back, feeling the muscles straining. "She's almost done," Jack said softly, his lips pressed against Daniel's ear. Daniel whimpered a response, then relaxed against Jack when a piece of cotton was pressed against the pinprick. Jack reached over and held the cotton down.

"Okay?"

Daniel nodded and sniffed as he pushed away from Jack, letting go of his hand. He looked at the cotton, watching as Fraiser placed a Band Aid over it.

"You wanna give Doc Janet her surprise now?"

Daniel nodded wordlessly and Jack drew the small, fancy box from a pocket. He handed it to Daniel, who had already begun to lose the funky mood. He hopped off the bed and stood beside Fraiser, box in hand.

"For me?" Fraiser grinned at Daniel as he handed the sweets over.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Doc Janet." He stood there grinning wildly as she made happy noises and pulled him down so she could kiss his cheek with a loud smack.

"Thank you, Daniel. I can't wait to taste one."

"They're good." Daniel smacked his lips. "Jack gave me some and he let me have one with breakfast this morning."

"And speaking of which, we have more deliveries to make. If you're finished, doc, we'll just go on our merry way."

"Yep, all done," Fraiser said with a flourish, the box of chocolates disappearing into a pocket of her lab coat. "Thanks again." This time the smile was aimed in Jack's direction.

"You're welcome," Daniel shouted as he began hurrying towards the door.

"My pleasure," Jack said softly with a wink. She nodded and Jack followed Daniel out the door.

Daniel hopped from one foot to another during the short trip in the elevator, even the pleasure of being allowed to push the button of Carter's floor not enough to keep his level of anticipation down.

"Can I have Sam's box?"

Jack handed it to him and Daniel impatiently twirled it around and around. The moment the doors opened, Daniel sprinted out and began running down the corridor.

"C'mon, Jack!"

"Daniel, slow down." But Jack's warning was too late as Daniel turned to look over his shoulder at Jack while running through an intersection. He plowed into an unsuspecting airman who was turning the corner at the wrong moment.

Both went down hard. Daniel rolled lay still a moment before sitting up groggily.

The airman didn't move.

By the time Jack got there, several personnel were leaning over the unconscious accident victim. A bruise was already appearing over the man's temple. Daniel, however, had pulled away, leaning against the wall, knees to chest, mouth open in shock. Sergeant Siler knelt beside Daniel and reached over for the dropped box of chocolates. He handed it to Daniel, who ignored him, rocking slowly to and fro. "I'm sorry. I'msorryI'msorryI'msorry," Daniel repeated.

"Doctor Jackson, are you hurt?" Siler nodded at Jack as he knelt beside him. There was nothing Jack could do for the airman, so he reached over and took Daniel's chin between his fingers and forced him to look at him. "Danny? Did you hurt yourself?"

Daniel stopped the rocking motion but couldn't seem to take his eyes off the downed airman, even as the airman moaned and began to come to. "I'm sorry, Jack. I didn't mean to. Honest, I didn't mean to hurt him."

"I know. It was an accident." An accident waiting to happen, Jack admitted to himself and he knew it was his own fault for not having kept better control over Daniel.

To Jack's relief, a moment later the airman was sitting up, looking a little dazed but definitely not seriously hurt. He was helped to his feet and aided to the infirmary.

"Daniel." Jack deliberately moved to put himself in front of Daniel's view of the corridor and the small party moving towards the elevator. "Did you hurt yourself?"

Daniel dropped his head to his chest and shook it minutely. "No." His voice was soft and muffled.

"You wanna get up? We can go sit in Carter's lab."

Daniel shrugged and with both Siler and Jack grabbing hold of Daniel's arms, they hauled him to his feet. "Thanks, Siler, I got it." Jack took the small box from the sergeant and handed it to Daniel, who took it listlessly from him.

The sergeant nodded, smiled at Daniel even though Daniel wasn't looking at him, and went on his way. With shuffling feet, a very subdued Daniel allowed himself to be led to Carter's lab.

Carter took one look at Daniel as he walked into the lab and dropped whatever doohickey she was working on. "Daniel? Are you okay?" She gave Daniel a worried look when he didn't answer, followed by a questioning look at Jack. "Sir, what happened?" She rubbed Daniel's back and he leaned towards her.

"There was a small accident in the corridor. Daniel's feeling a little guilty."

"Accident? You didn't hurt yourself, did you?" Carter put a finger beneath Daniel's chin and tilted his head so he was looking at her. Daniel shook his head, his bottom lip trembling as he fought back tears.

"It was my fault," he said in a strangled voice.

"It was an accident." Jack mentally stepped back and allowed Carter to do all the mothering. At this point in time he knew Daniel was feeling guilty for having not only caused the accident, but because he had disobeyed Jack and had been careless. He and Daniel would have their little bonding time later; Daniel was obviously looking for comfort with Carter and he let her.

"Oh, Daniel." She put her arms around him and he immediately clutched at her, his quiet sobs muffled against her shoulder. The box of chocolates dropped from his hand and Jack bent down to pick it up, placing it on Carter's worktable.

"It's okay." Her eyes expressed her worry as she looked at Jack over Daniel's bent head. "What happened?" she mouthed.

"Daniel was running and plowed into an airman. Knocked him out for a few seconds and gave Daniel one helluva scare."

"I th... thought he was d... dead," Daniel said, his voice breaking between deep, hiccupping breaths.

Jack suddenly felt hot guilt spread through him; he'd never even considered Daniel might have thought the guy was dead.

"He's fine, though, isn't he, sir?"

"Just a bump on the noggin. I'm sure he's gonna be fine."

"But you don't know that for sure," Daniel cried, lifting his head from Carter and turning to look at Jack.

"I can find out." Jack picked up Carter's phone and dialed the infirmary. After a few inquiries, during time which Daniel finally calmed down and was convinced to sit down while he waited anxiously, Jack got the good news.

"Fraiser says Airman Pringle is suffering from a mild headache and she sent him home for the day. He'll be back at work tomorrow, good as new."

"Really? He's okay?"

"He's really okay."

Daniel squinted at Jack, tilting his head sideways as he spoke. "You're not fibbing to make me feel better, are you?"

"Do I look like I'm lying? And since when have I started fibbing to make you feel better?" Jack asked in an exaggerated pained voice.

Daniel finally smiled a little, his face splotchy and eyes swollen from crying.

"So, you gonna give Carter her goodies or are you going to keep her wondering why we came to visit?"

"Goodies?" Daniel sniffed and then looked at his empty hands in a panic. "I lost 'em, Jack."

"No, they're here." Jack pushed the box towards Daniel, letting it slide along the tabletop. Daniel scooped it up with a relieved sigh and handed it to Carter.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Sam."

"Thank you, Daniel." She examined the label on the box and grinned. "Belgian? Oh, you shouldn't have." Immediately she broke the seal and opened the box, offering Daniel, and then Jack, a chocolate. Jack refused but Daniel eagerly accepted one, and Jack had to laugh as both he and Carter had twin orgasmic looks on their faces as they savored their goodies.

Jack stretched under of the warmth of the blanket covering his body. Without forethought, he instinctually reached for his lover and with a physical ache, reality came crashing through the cusps of his dreams. He was alone; there was no one sharing his bed except memories.

With a sigh, Jack got out of bed, steeling himself for the start of another day.

Morning ritual complete, Jack ran through their plans as he descended the stairs into the living room. "Daniel?" he called out nervously. The house was quiet, Daniel's usual chatter conspicuously absent, the drone of the television nonexistent.

Heart pounding his chest, Jack retraced his steps back to the bedrooms, taking the stairs two at a time. "Dan—" Throwing open the bedroom door, Jack's anxiety softened when he caught sight of Daniel sleeping, sprawled across the bed. One arm hugging the pillow under his head, the other curled tightly against his chest, clutching the stuffed camel.

Jack stood in the doorway, afraid to take a step towards the slumbering body, not wishing to disturb Daniel's relative peace. His sleep patterns were horrible; the shadows under Daniel's eyes darkening as his nightmares increased, forcing him awake the majority of nights. Last night it hadn't been the nightmares that had awakened first Daniel and then Jack; the coughing and sneezing had done that. He remembered asking Daniel the last time he had taken his allergy medication. "I forgot something again, Jack?" was Daniel's plaintive question. Jack regained his mental footing, reassuring Daniel that it was something he had forgotten, and apologized. Jack had located a blister pack of Daniel's allergy medication and he had taken the pills from Jack, finished the glass of water, and allowed Jack to fluff his pillows and tuck him in.

"Stay?"

"Of course, Daniel," Jack replied, sitting at the edge of the bed. Listening as Daniel's breathing eased with the medication, Jack stayed long after Daniel had fallen asleep.

Obviously the medication had alleviated Daniel's allergy attack and aided him in gaining the sleep his body was so desperately craving. He backed out of the room slowly, closing the door behind him.

Jack made himself a simple breakfast of toast and coffee, the morning paper his only companion at the table. Jack felt out of sorts in the solitude of his own house, gladly admitting that he missed Daniel's exuberance within these four walls. After refilling his coffee mug, Jack entered the living room with the desire to start a fire. The early spring day was damp and rainy, dreary and cold, creating an uncomfortable chill in the house.

"Daniel?" Jack's voice was filled with concern as he glimpsed the forlorn figure standing before the picture windows in the living room. Placing the coffee mug on the end table, Jack physically forced Daniel to turn and face him. The shadows under the eyes had lightened, but the blue orbs reflected utter devastation.

"It's raining... I didn't want it to rain," he whined. "We were gonna go to the zoo, and have a picnic and fly a kite and—"

"I know," he sighed, confirming Daniel's observation. "The weather didn't cooperate and I'm disappointed as well." Jack leaned forward, gently pushing Daniel's glasses back up his nose. "I see you remembered to put your glasses on this morning. We need to get these fixed before you lose them."

"Today, Jack?"

"No, not today. Today's an inside day." Jack thought wildly, floundering in a decision on what could be done to soothe a disappointed Daniel and keep his active mind busy.

Jack checked his watch, confirming what he already knew. "It's late for breakfast... how about we do things a little backwards today. Instead of a bath tonight, take one now?"

"Now? It's not dark. I take baths when it's dark." Jack's heart melted as Daniel smiled at the ludicrous suggestion of bathing in the middle of the morning.

Jack walked up the stairs, continuing to mentally outline his plan, Daniel close at his heels. "With bubbles, Jack. I need bubbles... not too hot. You know I don't like... Baby Bear, I want it just right."

Daniel's laughter echoed in the tiled bathroom as Jack bowed before him. "Your wish is my command."

"You're funny today." Daniel giggled as he added a generous squeeze of bubbles to the bath, putting his hand under the faucet. Daniel nodded his head. "Just right."

While the water filled the tub, Jack sat Daniel down on the closed toilet seat. This was an out of body experience for Jack, something that he had literally closed off from himself, refusing to allow himself to feel and remember. Daniel wasn't astute enough to comprehend the smile on Jack's face was forced, his body mannerisms stiff and uncompromising.

Jack carefully removed Daniel's glasses, folding them, placing them gently on the rim of the sink. Even Daniel's eye-lighting smile couldn't break through Jack's shell of self-preservation.

"The tickle machine?"

Not being able to trust his voice, Jack just nodded. Daniel closed his eyes, Jack guided Daniel's head until his chin rested in the cup of Jack's left hand. Jack flicked the switch and began to shave Daniel by rote. This was one necessary task that Jack had a problem facing. Visions of sharing simple pleasures came unbidden to his mind. Bathroom morning rituals... Daniel's voice thankfully cut through Jack's daydreams.

"Can I put on the good smelling stuff like you wear? The kind that always makes Sam go hmmm good?"

Clearing his throat to find his voice, Jack produced a small, harsh laugh. "So Carter thinks I smell good, huh?" He turned away from Daniel, blinking hard to clear the bathroom steam from his eyes. "Sure. Bath is almost ready... how about sweats today, socks, no shoes."

Pulling his shirt over his head, Daniel's voice was muffled as he answered Jack. "Comfy, inside day?"

Jack stepped forward helping Daniel. "Great description, Danny. Comfy inside day, I kinda like that."

The remnants of their indoor picnic were still spread in front of the fire. Daniel's excitement when he saw the quilt, complete with picnic basket on the living room floor, had been infectious. Jack had left Daniel enjoying the contents of the wicker basket and went to prepare the second surprise for Daniel. Cleaning the tub and then refilling it, Jack waited until he deemed the water level would be appropriate before turning off the flow and rejoining Daniel downstairs.

"Finished?" Jack asked, noticing that Daniel had begun to play with his food as opposed to eating it.

Daniel nodded yes, placing his plate containing the uneaten portion of food on the blanket.

Jack stood, reaching out a hand and hauling the younger man to his feet.

"Another surprise?"

"Yeahsureyabetcha."

Sitting next to Daniel on the couch, Jack noted that Daniel's pants were pockmarked with water spots. The beige cotton was still damp from their little "fishing" expedition in the bathtub. Using an old, plastic toy rod and reel, complete with little fishes, Daniel's laughter had reverberated throughout the bathroom while he fished into the oversized tub. Both men had slid their pants to their knees, taking turns trying to reel in the multicolored fish.

And Daniel was still laughing as he and Jack were sitting on the couch watching a video. One of Daniel's choices... Daniel's day. So Toy Story 2 was showing on the television, Daniel's happiness and contentment an emotion that flowed easily into Jack.

Glancing at Daniel's profile, wondering if his Daniel had ever been this content. Laughter had usually been a mere chuckle, or a wide smile... but this... this belly laughter had not been part of Daniel's repertoire. A sudden lump appeared in Jack's throat, making breathing difficult. Without thought, his hand went up to smooth Daniel's errant cowlick. This person sitting on the couch... this was his Daniel now.

Daniel's laughter had turned to yawns through the second showing of Toy Story. It wasn't late in the day, but Jack was thankful for any sleep that Daniel's exhausted body was willing to take. Placing a couch pillow on his lap, he patted it as an unspoken invitation for Daniel to lie down. He turned towards Jack, a confused expression on his face. "Sleep?"

Jack removed Daniel's glasses, placing them on the table. "Yes Daniel, sleep."

"But it's still day. I don't sleep in the day."

Jack had to laugh at Daniel's argument. Blue eyes, heavy lidded with fatigue, he was going to fight Jack every step of the way. "It's a crazy day. Bath during the day, picnic... fishing..."

"An inside, comfy day," Daniel murmured, giving into Jack's reasoning and sliding down the couch. He rested his head on the proffered pillow with a heavy sigh. Jack leaned one arm on the side bolster of the couch, the other he laid on Daniel's shoulder, subconsciously kneading the muscles.

"Safe."

Gentle squeezing the shoulder, Jack repeated, "Safe. Yes, Daniel, you're safe."

"Protect this part of me. Please?" Daniel squirmed as Jack tightened his hold.

"Daniel, what are you talking about?"

"This isn't all of me. Find me." Jack's hand stilled.

Heart thudding painfully within his ribcage. Jack shook Daniel's shoulder. "Wake up... you're having a nightmare."

Daniel turned on his back, opening his eyes slowly. "No nightmare... safe with you. No monsters, or glowy-eyed people... you protect me. Safe." Daniel offered Jack a small smile before turning back onto his side and returning to sleep.

Jack awoke with a start, aware that the warm body under his hand was no longer there. Righting himself so fast that the room swam before him, the flushing of the toilet registered through his sleep-addled brain; mentally exhaling a sigh of relief as to the obvious whereabouts of one errant archeo... five year old. The VCR clock confirmed the lateness of the day as Jack stood, stretching out sleep-stiffened muscles.

Daniel shuffled into the room, sans socks and glasses, hair sticking up in every direction. Squashing down a smile and the question of Daniel's ability to remember to wash his hands, Jack settled on asking about Daniel's sleep.

"Safe," was the only word Daniel was able to use to describe his three hour nap, before the rest of his sentence was swallowed by a sneeze, followed by a wheeze-filled cough.

Jack guided him to the chair in the kitchen, placing before Daniel a glass of apple juice and two allergy relief pills. "Drink, swallow..." he commanded. Daniel acquiesced without argument, much to Jack's satisfaction.

"I'm hungry."

"Pizza?"

"Mmm, pizza... okay." Daniel's eyes followed Jack around the kitchen as he gathered kitchen utensils and ingredients onto the counter. "Jack, the telephone brings pizza."

Facing Daniel, leaning against the counter, Jack explained, "Not today, Danny. Today, we're going to make our own."

Though a success and delicious, the pizza making experiment warranted a hosing down of the kitchen and another bath for Daniel. Both of them covered in flour, Jack was just finishing cleaning the last of their dinner party when he heard Daniel pad from the bathroom.

"Set up the game board on the table, I'm almost done... I'll join you in a minute. 'K?"

"All right," Daniel answered.

"What did you do, Daniel?" Jack hissed, his stomach clenching painfully, swallowing to prevent the recently eaten dinner from making a repeat performance.

"Sorry, sorry, sorry..." The hopeful glance faded in the wake of Jack's reaction. "I'll clean it up... I didn't mean—"

"No, Danny, I'm sorry, I thought a rousing game of Chutes and Ladders. I didn't quite expect, I didn't realize that you could... play... Chess." Wanly smiling at Daniel, Jack plopped himself down in the seat across from him.

Jack played by rote, his brain still making an attempt to register the fact that Daniel had set the board up correctly; the proper pieces in the correct spots, the white pieces on one side, the black on the other. Both queens and kings in their respective spots, all the pawns...

Exasperation was apparent in Daniel's voice as he reprimanded Jack's next move. "No Jack, you can't move that there because my horsie will eat up your lady, and then the pointy one will get your guy with the crown if I do this. Are you even paying attention?" Shocked, Jack looked down and realized that Daniel was two moves from checkmate.

"Danny, I—"

"If you didn't wanna play Chest, I understand. If you wanted to play Chutes and Ladders, that was okay. But you always win at that game, and I wanted to play something I could win at—"

"No, I'm sorry. This is fine. I'm just..."

"Not paying attention?" Daniel's accusatory glance over his the rim of his glasses brought back memories too painful to rehash right now. "Wanna try again? I like Chest."

"Sure."

Jack watched as Daniel set up the pieces and Jack began to supply the names as Daniel found their homes on the chessboard. "Rook, knight, king, queen, pawn, bishop..."

"You go first, Jack."

And Jack did... and he played like his life depended on those wooden pieces. Daniel beat him two games in a row and Jack was going for whumping number three when he noticed Daniel's yawn while setting up the game again.

"Bedtime for Bonzo, Spacemonkey. Come on. Leave the pieces like they are; we can play tomorrow."

Jack turned off the lights, the nightlight casting a glow to the room, affording Jack enough illumination to see that Daniel was truly asleep. He adjusted the blanket around Daniel's sprawled form, resting his hand lightly on his forehead, softly whispering, "Good job," when his hand came in contact with cool skin. Every night he prayed for uninterrupted sleep, the majority of time, his prayers went unanswered. Jack gently shut the door behind him hoping that tonight someone was listening to his prayers, for Daniel's sake, as well as his own.

In the kitchen he checked the time and picked up the phone, dialing the now familiar number without thought.

"Doc?"

"Colonel, is something wrong? Daniel—"

"No, no, Daniel's fine." Jack propped the phone between his shoulder and chin as he went to retrieve a beer from the fridge. "I just have a question. Daniel and I played some chess tonight."

"Chess?" There was a note of incredulity in Fraiser's voice.

"Yeah, and get this. He not only knew how to play, he beat the crap out of me. But the weird thing is, he knew all the moves but couldn't remember the name of the pieces."

"Somehow that's not surprising. There are some autistic patients or people with developmental disorders who have extraordinary skills not exhibited by most people. The fact that Daniel's retained some of his skills from before could be a trace of whatever creates that phenomenon in some patients."

"Yeah, I heard of that, actually. Like someone who can memorize baseball stats or multiply stuff in their heads."

"That's right. They're called idiots savants."

"That's horrible terminology. They really refer to it as—"

"It's also called autistic savant. Actually the word 'savant' is French, meaning someone who's knowledgeable."

"Ah. I see. It just sounded like..."

"I can give you more details on the syndrome, if you'd like, Colonel."

"No, I'm sure someone at the Center could explain it to me."

"Would you like me to set Daniel up for more tests? We could determine exactly what he's forgotten and what knowledge he actually has retained?"

"No, no, I'd prefer not to subject him to any more testing. Thanks, doc. Say hello to Cassie for Daniel and me, okay?"

"Of course."

"Night."

Jack hung up the phone with a deep sigh of exasperation. Placing his unopened bottle of beer on the table, he went to collect his notebook. Writing "idiot savant" on the next available blank page, he underlined it before slamming the book shut. Baptism by fire... words and a language that not so long ago were as foreign to him as Sanskrit. Now he knew the names of tests and scores and what they stood for - a knowledge he would rather have done without.

Jack sat on the recliner, the remote in his right hand, the ice-cold bottle of beer gripped in his left. He hunkered down, settling his ass into the well-worn groove of the leather chair, eyes glued to ESPN on TV. Daniel had been sleeping comfortably the last time he'd checked and he allowed his body to relax for the first time today.

The beer finished, Jack placed the empty on the table, contemplating and then dismissing the urge for another. By the time the announcers were talking about spring training, the TV was broadcasting to a slumbering colonel.

Screams of anguish and pain cut through the levels of Jack's sleep. A moment of disorientation of whether he was home or on a mission caused Jack to pause before throwing the recliner into an upright position. On and on the screams went, no pause for breathing, increasing in pitch as Jack bounded up the stairs two at a time. He threw open the bedroom door and made an attempt to pull a shaking Daniel into his arms.

"No, no, no, no, no. Don't touch me." Daniel's eyes were opened, unseeing as he pushed himself away from Jack's embrace.

Jack threw his hands up in surrender. "Daniel?" A touch to Daniel's wrist resulted in Jack having to ward off a punch thrown in his direction. Jack grabbed both of Daniel's forearms, giving the younger man a shake. "Wake up, Daniel! Damn it, wake up!"

Daniel paused, blinking a few times, eyes focusing on Jack's face. Before Jack could brace himself, Daniel launched his body into Jack's arms, his screams fading to sobs. Even through the sweat-soaked tee shirt, Jack could feel the heat of fever.

"Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry," Daniel sobbed into Jack's shoulder. "I would never. Believe me... but it hurt so much and I was scared."

"Shhh. Danny, it was just a nightmare." Jack patted Daniel's back, cupping the back of his head, rocking the younger man gently until the sobs lessened, turning to ragged breathing. Jack disengaged Daniel from his body, smoothing the hair back off his forehead, wiping residual tears with his thumbs. "It's okay, Daniel, you're safe."

Daniel's face crumbled at those words, tears again flowing unrestrained down his cheeks. "But you weren't, Jack. I was trying to hurt you. In a dark place. It hurt so bad, and you wouldn't let me go back to the box. And I hurt... and I tried to hurt you. My bestest friend... and I wanted to hurt you."

"It's a nightmare, nothing else, Danny. See." Jack opened his arms. "I'm fine. See? I'm in one piece. You would never hurt me."

"But I wanted to... I shot a gun... and the lights went off... and I was so scared... and, and, and..." Daniel began to stutter, hiccupping as he drew a breath Jack placed a finger against Daniel's lips.

"No more. Nightmare... that's it. You have a fever."

"My head hurts."

"I know, that's the fever. Here you go." Jack pushed the pillows against the headboard, indicating with a wave of his hand that Daniel should lean against them. "I'll be right back."

Jack washed Daniel's tear-streaked faced, took his temperature, changed his shirt, and fed him two Tylenol with a glass of water.

Once Jack finished with his ministrations, Daniel slid without complaint under the covers. "Sorry, Jack. Sorry." Tears leaked between closed lids as he buried his face into the pillow, his hand wavering until it made contact with Lumpy who he had flung to the side during the height of the nightmare. Daniel gripped the stuffed camel, bringing it up to face, running the body of the toy over fever-stained cheeks.

Jack sat speechless on the side of the bed, unconsciously carding his fingers through Daniel's hair in silent comfort. No amount of reassurance on Jack's part was able to stem the tide of emotions from Daniel. No words halted Daniel's continued apologies to his friend. Jack settled on touch to calm the body that lay in this bed in the spare room.

Jack was exhausted beyond words; too tired to shower, he brushed his teeth, peed. He barely had the energy to change into sweats before he collapsed onto the bed. Then he tossed and turned, unable to shut down his overactive mind; visions of Daniel playing chess overlapped fishing in the bathtub and finished with him standing in the doorway only moments before, gazing upon a slumbering Daniel. Jack sat up, punched the pillow into submission and threw himself back onto the bed, eventually falling into an uneasy sleep.

A crack of thunder woke him, the bedroom filled moments later by the flash of lightning. The uncommonly warm, damp spring day had finally been chased away by the storm. Jack turned on his side, pulling the blanket tighter around him, closing his eyes, feeling himself drift again into the oblivion of sleep.

"Jack?"

He counted to ten before he cracked open one eyelid. Daniel stood to the side of the bed, his body outlined in the dim light. He opened both eyes, but didn't rise in the bed when he asked, "What are you doing here, Daniel? Feel all right?"

"Scared," was the shaky answer.

Shifting his body to a sitting position, Jack turned on the bedside lamp. Two pairs of eyes squinted in the brightness of light. "Scared?"

Daniel hung his head, hugging the stuffed toy tightly to this chest. "Scared," he echoed.

"Look, Daniel, it's late, go back to bed. The nightmare is finished, I'm fine." Jack stopped abruptly as rolling thunder echoed within the bedroom, lightning following on its heels. Daniel screwed his eyes tightly shut and brought his shoulders to his ears in avoidance of the storm.

"Jack," he warbled and then swallowed audibly, his eyes drifting towards the window. "The noise outside... the noise and lights... I'm scared." Eyes moved from the window to Jack, resting on the empty space next to Jack. "Can I come into bed with you?"

"No."

Daniel drew a shuddering breath, eyes glued to the unoccupied section of bed. "I called for you and you didn't come to me. No matter how loudly I yelled from my bed. I called and called but my words got lost." He hung his head and whispered, in a tone so low that Jack almost missed the words, "I'm scared."

Jack had never allowed Daniel into his bed, this bed, their bed, since returning from the planet. The scales were unevenly tipped, and Jack knew that his body's desire for what had been before was now prohibiting him from providing comfort to the one who stood before him. Jack was too tired to fight himself any longer and without a second thought he pulled back the covers, inviting Daniel into the bed.

Dreams upon dreams, visions of Daniel through the years of their friendship, their relationship. Jack smiled at the warmth of Daniel's hand on his cheek. "Thank you," Daniel whispered, all childish inflection having vanished from his voice. Eyes bright in the darkness of the bedroom, Daniel began to caress Jack's jaw line with his thumb.

"For what?" Jack questioned, his voice echoing Daniel's whisper. Any louder and Jack knew the spell would be broken.

"For taking care of him. For loving him... keeping him safe." Daniel's hands halted their exploration of his lover's face, his eyes bright with tears. "God, I miss you so much, Jack."

Before Jack could respond the bed shifted and Jack's dream state changed into reality. The reality that included a bedroom bathed in dim light, the storm outside, the proximity of Daniel's hand on Jack's pillow, the closeness of Daniel, his smell, his essence, and the painful erection that Jack now sported.

He slowly backed out of the bed, placing the blankets gently over Daniel's slumbering body. Cursing his mind and his body for playing tricks on him, teasing and taunting him, Jack made his way to the bathroom, shuffling and dragging his body along like a man 30 years his senior.

Closing and locking the bathroom door, he leaned against it... not even turning on the lights. Jack didn't want to see the reality of the cold harsh bathroom; he wanted the dreams of the darkened bedroom. Jack's hand touched his cheek, where only minutes before Daniel had placed his own hand. Imagination, or was it warm? Slipping his hands slowly down his own body, touching his intimate areas, like Daniel would touch him. Playing both parts to this horrific drama Jack gasped, arching his back against the closed door when his hand made contact with his engorged cock. Tender, feather-like, Daniel-like touches along the shaft made Jack moan in the back of his throat. He cursed his lover as his come shot over his fisted grasp, dripping to the floor.

He stood, panting and sweating, leaning against the closed door, blinking his eyes back into focus, hating his empty release. Because to Jack that's all it was... empty, void of emotion, void of love, void of what used to make Daniel... Daniel. And he hated himself for not being able to let go of what was, but it was hard, leaving his Daniel behind and accepting the new Daniel.

"Jack?" Daniel swiveled as they drove by the park, turning to watch the small playground slowly recede behind them. "You promised next time we drove here, you'd stop."

Jack glanced into the rearview mirror, noted that the park was packed with kids, and sighed. "Maybe another time, it's kinda crowded today."

"But we never-ever come this way," Daniel whined. "I want to play on the swings. You said I could go on the swings and you'd push me."

Daniel was right. Jack had promised. And he'd forgotten all about it until Daniel spotted the park and now he'd probably have Daniel whining all afternoon if they didn't stop. He turned right at the next corner, slowly heading back towards the park, looking for a parking space. Daniel didn't catch on right away and he kept complaining until Jack pulled in and stopped the Avalanche.

"We're going?" In a flash Daniel had unbuckled his seatbelt and was out the door. He craned his neck, looking for the playground hidden in the back of the immense park. Jack locked the truck and they began walking along the pedestrian path.

"C'mon, Jack, hurry up." Daniel hurried forward a few steps but nervously returned to stay by Jack's side. Since it was a Sunday afternoon and the first warm, sunny weekend of the season, the place was crowded; people strolling, kids running around or biking and skating on the bike path close by.

As soon as the playground was in view, Daniel skipped a few steps, having obvious difficulty holding his enthusiasm in. One child jumped off a swing and Daniel yelled, "I see a swing," and started running towards it.

"Daniel. Don't run!" Jack yelled a little more curtly than he'd wanted to, but the sight of Daniel running full tilt amongst the small children filled him with fear. If Daniel slamming into an adult several weeks ago had knocked a man out, he didn't want to think what could happen if Daniel bowled a kid over.

Thankfully Daniel skidded to a stop, looked back at Jack with a shamefaced expression, and walked quickly instead towards the empty swing. Jack hated having to curb Daniel's enthusiasm and energy; these days Daniel was either full of energy or listless and sick. There seemed to be no in-between, and the energetic ones didn't seem to come as often as Jack would like.

Jack saw the kid running for the swing and knew what was going to happen before Daniel caught on. Seconds before Daniel reached for the free swing's chain, the kid zoomed past Daniel and grabbed the swing and jumped on, giving Daniel a deliberate sneer just as realized the swing was now occupied. The kid kicked off and began swinging back and forth, leaving Daniel standing there, confused and hurt.

"He took my swing," Daniel said as Jack pulled him away by the arm, wishing instead to take that little brat by the ear and give him a lesson in manners. "If you let me run, I'd beat him. Why'd he take my swing? I was here first." Daniel looked at Jack in bewilderment.

"Some people are just plain mean." He rubbed Daniel's arm and leaned back against a tree whose newly sprouted leaves had barely started growing. "Let's just wait, some kid'll get off soon." Already pissed and bored, Jack scanned the area until his attention was caught by a familiar blond figure running by.

The jogger spotted him and slowed her speed. Then she sped up, a wide grin on her face as she left her circuit and hurried towards him. "Jack."

"Hi Sara." Jack stepped away from the tree and hugged his ex-wife. She was damp with sweat and it felt strange holding someone who wasn't Daniel.

"What the hell are you doing here? Isn't it kinda out of your way?" She hugged Jack tightly before letting go.

"I was driving by and Daniel..." Jack turned to Daniel, who was staring at Sara, a small frown on his face. "You remember Daniel, don't you, hon? Danny, this is—"

"Charlie's mom." He pointed at Sara. "You're Charlie's mom. Jack's got pictures all over the house and I like looking at yours. You have a nice smile."

"Why thank you, Daniel." She smiled politely at Daniel but the look she gave Jack spoke volumes.

"Jack lets me help him dust the pictures sometimes. I'm really careful, and I don't put my fingers on the glass because that makes smudges. Then you can't see the pictures if they're all smudgy."

"I didn't realize you'd kept the pictures—"

"You look like Charlie."

Sara looked at Jack, looking a little uncomfortable.

"Daniel, you're interrupting. Wait before you speak."

"I am? But you always tell me it's okay to say what I want to and—"

"I know. But not when other people are speaking."

"And you just interrupted me. That wasn't nice." Daniel turned sideways, looking away from them.

"Jack, it's fine. Daniel, we met a few years ago, didn't we?"

"That wasn't me. That was the other me." Daniel sighed and leaned against Jack. "The smart me." Jack pulled Daniel in close for a one-armed hug before ruffling his hair.

"It's great seeing you again, Jack." Sara said after a moment. "You look wonderful."

"So do you. When have you taken up jogging?"

"A couple of years ago. I usually jog here with some friends but it's such a beautiful day and Andy wasn't free so..."

"Andy?" Jack waited for his gut to clench in jealousy and although there was a little bit of that happening, he realized that if there was something else between Sara and Andy, he was happy for her.

"Yeah." She grinned sheepishly, but there was a sparkle in her eyes. "We—"

"Is Charlie here?"

"No, Daniel. Charlie's not here. Remember, we spoke about what happened to him?"

Daniel kicked a small rock stuck in the dirt with the toe of his sneaker. "We did? I don't remember. But Charlie's mom is here, so why isn't Charlie playing here, too. Is he on the swings?" Daniel frowned towards the swings, glaring at the kid who'd stolen the swing from him. "That's not Charlie, is it?"

"No, that's not Charlie," Jack said softly. He quirked a cheek in apology to Sara, then gratefully noticed one of the kids getting off one of the swings.

"Danny, look. Go get it, quick, before someone else does."

"But..." Daniel looked at the free swing, then back at Jack, indecisive.

"You brought Daniel here to the park?"

"Yeah. Daniel wanted to try the swings." Jack placed his hand on Daniel's back and gave a gentle nudge. "Go on."

Daniel took a few steps then stopped. He spun quickly and looked at Jack without saying a word before turning and continuing toward the swings.

Jack almost called out when Daniel sat down, facing the opposite direction of all the other kids. Then he looked around, noted he was sitting the wrong way, stood up and sat down again, this time facing the park instead of a gate and street.

Daniel's legs were too long, his knees came almost up to his chin. Still, he pushed his legs back and forth, making small motions with the swing until his legs were stretched before him, his sneakers set sturdily in the grooved dirt where hundreds of children's feet had scuffed it deep and bare of grass.

"Daniel had an accident a few months ago. He's not exactly himself anymore."

"And you brought him here for an outing? That was nice of you."

"Sara, Daniel lives with me now. I take care of him."

"You? He's got the mind of a child. Do you have any idea how difficult it is to—" She laughed softly. "Of course you do. You've been taking care of him all this time?" She leaned back on the same tree Jack had been using earlier.

"Yeah. He trusts me and..." Jack rested his shoulder against the rough bark.

"You never fail to amaze me."

"It's no hardship. I couldn't live with myself if he'd been put in an institution, all by himself."

"Is there any hope of recovery?"

"There's always hope."

They stood there in silence, watching Daniel simply sit there and rock himself with his legs. Daniel was watching them, but trying to look like he wasn't, and not doing a good job of it.

"Does he know how to... you know, use the swing?"

"Yeah, he does. Something's bothering him, though. That's why he's not playing."

"Life's funny, isn't it?"

"How's that?" Jack turned his attention from Daniel to Sara.

"That we ended up separating because of Charlie. I wonder if Charlie had survived but had been... like Daniel is, would our marriage have survived? Was it what happened to Charlie all those years ago? Or was it us?"

"I'd like to think we'd have been there for Charlie if he'd... survived."

"Can you actually call this survival, Jack?" She waved her hand, almost angrily, towards Daniel. "Losing what once was, to something not quite the same."

"Daniel's alive, Sara. At this point, that's all that matters."

"But is it? That's not the Daniel I met. That's certainly not the Daniel you knew and worked with."

"It's still Daniel. Deep down, there's still something of the man I lo-... long him to be." Jack ignored the narrowing of Sara's eyes, and turned to Daniel.

"Hey, buddy, I thought you wanted to swing." He stepped forward and easily dodged the swinging children. He moved to the back of the swing and grasped the chain. "Raise your legs and hold them out straight." He touched Daniel's hands on the chains, and squeezed slightly. "Hold on tight." He pulled the chains back, not getting much momentum because of Daniel's weight. But after several forceful pushes, he had Daniel moving at a good clip.

He stepped back and joined Sara, who was still leaning against the tree, watching him.

"If it had happened to me, would you have stayed with me? Taken care of me?"

"Oh, honey. Of course I would. Without question."

"You love him." It wasn't a question.

"Yeah."

Daniel's momentum slowed and he lowered his feet to the ground. He stood, holding onto the chains while watching Jack and Sara uncertainly.

"Had enough?"

Daniel nodded and let go of the swing, moving towards them slowly. He gave the impression of someone walking to their death sentence, head lowered, shoulders slumped. Jack reached for him when he got into hugging distance and pulled him close but Daniel stood stiffly within Jack's embrace.

"Ready to go home?" Jack kept his hold on Daniel, wondering what was bothering him. Daniel nodded, not looking at either him or Sara.

"I have to go, too." Sara pushed away from the tree and then groaned. "Damn, I'm stiff. I should have used this time to stretch." She leaned forward and kissed Jack's cheek. "It was good seeing you again. Maybe we could... you know... talk, someday."

"Yeah, that'd be nice."

"I'll call. Maybe you could come for supper?" She looked at Daniel as she spoke, making sure Jack knew he was invited also.

"That'd be nice. Maybe some time soon."

Sara nodded. "Good. I gotta go." She raised her hand, walking backwards quickly. "Bye."

Jack waved back, but Daniel ignored her.

"C'mon, buddy, it's getting late and I'm hungry."

Daniel trudged along beside Jack, his feet dragging, his upper body still slumped in unhappiness. It was totally opposite of his earlier enthusiasm, and Jack still couldn't figure out what had caused Daniel's gloominess.

"So what d'ya think about hot dogs and burgers cooked on the grill for supper? We might as well make the most of this beautiful day."

"Did Charlie like hot dogs?"

"Yeah, he did."

"Did you make them a lot? For Charlie?"

"Not all the time. Whenever Sara was tired of cooking, I did. Why?"

Daniel shrugged. "Do you miss Charlie?"

"Yes, I do."

"More than you miss the other me?" Daniel slowed down even more; they were barely moving now.

Jack sighed. "It's not the same thing."

"Sara's Charlie's mom. You're his dad. You must miss Charlie. Just like you miss the old me."

"Daniel, Charlie's not—"

"You like him better than me!" Before Jack could remind Daniel that Charlie was dead, he tore off across the park.

"Daniel!" Jack was after him in a flash, and he knew despite Daniel's younger body, days of illness had taken a toll on it over time and Jack would eventually catch up to him. Daniel looked over his shoulder, saw Jack running after him, and suddenly veered to the left. Straight for the nearest street.

"Daniel! Daniel stop!" Oh, God, please, please, stop running. Now. "Danny, please!" Then Jack stopped yelling, saving his breath and putting on a burst of speed. Still he saw he wasn't going to catch Daniel in time as Daniel reached the sidewalk and burst through between two parked cars.

There was the loud screech of brakes and horns followed by a loud bang as the vehicle which had nearly hit Daniel was rear-ended by another. Then Daniel was safely across the street, running as if the devil were after him while Jack was forced to slow down and stop to let a bevy of cars go by before he could cross.

By the time he got to the other side, Daniel had disappeared.

"Damn." Jack continued on at a slower jog, keeping an eye out for Daniel. Neither of them could have kept that pace up for long and even now Jack's legs were heavy and he was breathing heavily.

The houses lining the street were large with wide, open lawns, with no place for anyone to hide unless they ran to the back of the house. Jack continued on down the street, and crossed to the next block, which had smaller houses, several of them with gates and hedges. As Jack passed one such house with a large cedar hedge, he heard someone breathing heavily on the other side of it. He slowed, listened carefully then backtracked and slipped through a small opening near the driveway. Behind the hedge, sitting on the ground between a large tree and the hedge, was Daniel. His knees were drawn to chest and his hands were folded over the back of his neck.

"Danny?"

Daniel turned quickly, coming up onto his knees and nearly overbalancing, managing to catch himself with his hands. Then as Jack crouched beside him, he threw himself on top of Jack, crushing him in his embrace as he buried his face against him.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, don't be mad, Jack. I'm sorry."

"Hey, I'm not mad." He held the trembling body close, glad that they were hidden from the house's occupants. "But why'd you run off like that? You scared the shit out of me."

Daniel shrugged, his face still buried against Jack's neck.

"Are you afraid I'll go back to Sara?"

The body in his arms tensed as the shoulders moved up again in another shrug.

"Danny, Charlie's dead. Do you remember when you asked me about his pictures and I explained to you?"

"He... he is?" Daniel raised his head, then dropped down onto his butt beside Jack. "I don't remember. Why don't I remember?"

Jack eased his own butt onto the ground beside Daniel, glad to get off his knees. "You were curious about Charlie and I explained he was my son. Do you remember that?"

Daniel frowned, looking at him through tear-splattered lenses. "You were sad when you talked about Charlie."

"That's right."

"You told me about the blond lady. Charlie's mom. She's nice."

"Yeah, she is. She wants us to come over and have supper with her sometime. Would you like that?"

Daniel shrugged again, but this time he didn't look away. "Not if it makes you sad."

"It might. But you'll be there with me to make me feel better if I do get sad."

"I can do that. I can hug you when you feel sad, just like I did when you told me about Charlie."

"Good. Would you give me a hug now?"

"Are you sad?"

"No, I'm not. But I was scared when you ran off like that."

Daniel reached over and placed his arms around Jack. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to run off. I don't know why I always make you mad."

"You don't, Danny. And I know you don't mean to." Jack kissed the sweaty temple and thought he felt more than plain warmed skin beneath his lips. "How are you feeling?"

"My head kinda hurts." Arms still clasped around Jack, Daniel lowered his head to Jack's shoulder.

"How about we head on home now?"

"Home. Yeah. Can we go back another time and play on the swings again?" Daniel asked as they stood up.

"Sure."

Jack led Daniel back towards their truck, detouring to another street to avoid the accident scene and hoping nobody recognized Daniel as the guy who ran in front of the car. By the time they got into the Avalanche, Daniel's temperature was making him irritable and tired.

Jack skipped the franks and burgers for supper, giving Daniel instead a bowl of cereal after an appetizer of Tylenol and juice for his rising fever while he made himself toast and an omelet. As he'd expected, Daniel's appetite vanished and he listlessly pushed the cereal from one side of the bowl to another. His upper body drooped over the table tiredly.

"It's been a long day." Jack put a hand on Daniel's arm. "How about you go to bed early?"

"I'm not tired." Daniel took a bite of now-soggy cereal, chewing quickly to show that he still had a reason to be at the table. A small dribble of milk trickled down his chin and he wiped it with the back of his hand.

"Okay. How about you go shower and we'll watch some television together."

Daniel shrugged as he swallowed and pushed some more cereal to the side.

"Are you done?"

Another shrug, and then Daniel dropped the spoon noisily into the bowl, splattering cereal and milk over the table. He slid off the chair and walked out of the room.

With a sigh, Jack followed, starting the shower. He met Daniel in the hallway, entering the bathroom with his pjs under his arm as he was returning to the kitchen.

"I'll be downstairs when you're done."

He cleaned the kitchen and picked up a few odds and ends before sauntering down into the den. He relaxed in front of the television for a short while until Daniel joined him, Lumpy clutched beneath one arm.

Daniel plopped down heavily on the couch cushion beside him. He sat there quietly for a short time before heaving himself along the couch. "I'm cold," he announced as his shoulder and chest landed forcefully on Jack's lap, eliciting a pained grunt from him as bones and muscles connected with more sensitive parts of his body.

At one time in the past, such a position would have led to more enjoyable moments, and Jack was glad of the throbbing in his groin as Daniel twisted and squirmed until he was comfortable. He'd turned to face Jack's stomach, his legs curled against the back of the couch, the stuffed camel scrunched between them.

Jack put a hand to Daniel's temple, feeling the heat beneath the still-damp skin. More often than not this fever came whenever Daniel became emotionally over-wrought. Jack wondered, not for the first time, if the emotions were due to the growing chaos that was Daniel's body, or vice-versa.

Despite the Tylenol, Daniel shivered, and Jack pulled the afghan down from the back of the couch and covered him with it. He'd get Daniel into bed in a little while. But in the meantime, he'd just sit here and give Daniel the comfort he wanted.

There had been no problems today, everything had run smoothly. Daniel had gone into the Center without his usual long face, excited to show his favorite therapist the new drawings he had finished last evening. On Jack's front, the budget had balanced, his inbox was empty and he was able to surprise Daniel and pick him up early. Daniel's cooperation through dinner and his nightly routines had lulled Jack into a false sense of security. He should have known it was too good to last. He should have known that something was going to happen to bring reality crashing down once more.

"It's okay," Jack said breathing through his mouth against the vile odor that permeated the room. He had heard Daniel call his name and before he had a chance to enter the room, the sound of vomiting assaulted his ears. "Ah... Danny."

"Sorry Jack... didn't mean to..." were the only words that Daniel was able to say preceding another round of vomiting. Jack moved quickly, but not quick enough to prevent Daniel from throwing up all over himself and the bedclothes.

Daniel stood forlornly in the corner of the room, his eyes following Jack's movements as he stripped the bed, making a mound of the comforter and the bedding.

"The pillow... my pillow?"

With a sigh of frustration, Jack answered. "Yes, Daniel, your pillow, the pj's, even you, all need to be washed. That's why I have the bath running at..." Jack leaned over to see the SpongeBob clock which sat on the dresser. "Oh two hundred... two–forty five AM."

Jack opened the window to get some fresh, albeit cool, Colorado air into the room. "Why didn't you say you didn't feel good before you went to bed?" Mentally annoyed that the night Daniel chose to upchuck his dinner was the night that he'd managed to eat not only his whole dinner, but had cookies and milk before bed.

Daniel shrugged in response. He wiped the tears from first one eye and then the other with the back of his hand. "I didn't feel bad then, honest, Jack." He drew a ragged breath before continuing. "It... it... it was the dream," he stammered. "I was running in my dream... and I didn't feel good but I was afraid to tell you. I was cold and my stomach hurt." Daniel swallowed audibly. "It hurt bad... right here." Jack's eyes widened as Daniel gingerly touched the site of his appendicitis scar.

"You yelled at me to keep running... that glowy eyes were chasing... but I couldn't... I tried."

"But you did keep running," Jack thought, his heart pounding painfully in his chest as Daniel's nightmare replayed in his mind. "You ran like the wind to save your teammates. Teal'c had been carrying an unconscious Carter and I was covering our six. I yelled at you when you stumbled... I didn't know. You dialed home, punched in the GDO code and got us home ...collapsing the minute your feet hit the ramp."

"I'm sorry, Danny." Touching Daniel's cheek gently, Jack winced at the bloom of fever under his hand. "I didn't know... does your stomach feel better now." Daniel nodded yes before adding that his head hurt.

Jack dumped the comforter and sheets, the pillow cases, the pjs and a cup of detergent into the open washer. He turned it on and leaned against it, cradling his head in his hands. Tired, bone achingly exhausted... he acknowledged that he needed sleep, that Daniel needed sleep. One night of uninterrupted slumber was all he asked for the two of them. With a sigh, he pushed himself off the vibrating machine to call the SGC and let them know he wasn't going to be in today, silently praying that the general was in a forgiving mood when he got the message.

"Damn it, Daniel," Jack yelled, pulling himself up short as he stepped into the bathroom. Willing the vision that appeared before him not to spread south, cursing himself when his cock refused to pay attention to his demands. He took a breath, looking anywhere but at Daniel's bare ass sticking in the air while he searched on his hands and knees for some object on the bathroom floor.

Jack stepped forward, pulled Daniel to his feet, averting his eyes as he grabbed a towel to wrap around the younger man's waist.

"Where's Lumpy?" he wailed as Jack fit the towel into place. "I can't find Lumpy."

"Daniel... he's in the wash," Jack answered, bending to find Daniel's fresh pajamas amid the scattered towels. "Get dressed."

Shaking his head emphatically, squeezing his eyes closed. "No, no, no, no... how could you? He doesn't swim... that's what you tell me all the time when I want to take him in the bath." Daniel grabbed the proffered night clothes from Jack's outstretched hand. "I gotta go save him."

"Get dressed first," was Jack's curt answer before he stepped outside into the hallway, closing the door behind him.

Jack snaked out his arm, latching onto the sleeve of the shirt as Daniel tried to breeze past him out of the bathroom. "Wait."

Daniel attempted to shake himself loose. "I can't wait."

"You can. Poor Lumpy smelled terrible. And he needed a bath, like you did." He brought Daniel's arm up under his nose and ordered Daniel to sniff. "You smell better, don't you?"

"Yes," Daniel whispered.

"Well, Lumpy needed a bath, too."

"I would have taken him with me... I would have been careful."

"I know you would have, Daniel. Really careful, but Lumpy needs different soap than you."

Jack placed two hands on Daniel's shoulders and guided him to the living room couch. "Rest for awhile, okay. I'm gonna shower and change, too."

"I need Lumpy to sleep."

"I know you do and I'm not asking you to sleep... just rest... put your head on the pillow here." Jack grabbed a pillow from the chair and put it against the arm of the couch. Daniel followed his orders, binding himself in a self hug and shivering slightly. Jack grabbed the afghan from the back of the couch, spreading it over Daniel's figure. "...And I'll cover you."

"Can you put a tape on... the one where SpongeBob rips his pants?" Jack was ready to protest but he could tell by the way that Daniel was pulling at the afghan and worrying his bottom lip that his anxiety level was reaching intolerable levels.

Jack stuck in the tape, turning his back quickly, but not quick enough that he didn't see Daniel rubbing his knuckles against his cheek sans Lumpy. Exasperated, Jack went to the washer, stopping it before the spin cycle was complete. Opening it, he grabbed the soggy, dripping stuffed toy, smirking at his own sappiness as he made eye contact with the inanimate object. He gently placed Lumpy in the dryer... put it on the correct setting... and went to take a shower.

Cursing as he dried himself off, remembering that he had given Daniel neither his allergy medication today nor any aspirin for the nighttime fever, Jack hurried through dressing, slipping into sweatpants and a tee shirt before he was fully dry. Pulling his dry clothes away from his damp body, he rushed down the stairs.

An empty couch, the blanket thrown back, and SpongeBob's maniacal laughter was the only sign of life.

Jack heard him before he actually found him, low mumbling matching the thumping of the dryer. His back to the doorway, Daniel's left shoulder and head were leaning against the dryer, his right hand tracing designs in the tile floor.

Jack squatted behind Daniel, resting his chin on the top of the still damp hair. "Whatcha doing, buddy?" he asked, grimacing at the heat of fever though Daniel's shirt.

"Keeping Lumpy company. I left him behind. No one gets left behind, right Jack?"

"Yup, that's right. I'll be right back."

Jack returned with the afghan, tucking it around Daniel's shoulders and body. Cautiously, he lowered his himself down to the floor, until he was shoulder to shoulder with Daniel. Daniel untucked the woolen afghan and extended a corner to Jack. "Thanks," Jack whispered. "Can I wait with you?"

"Lumpy would like that. So would I."

The two men sat in silence, except for the occasional reassurances Daniel would give to Lumpy when the stuffed toy would make an audible thump inside the dryer. "He's okay, right?" Daniel asked after an incredibly loud thump caused him to jump.

Just as the words of solace were about to pass Jack's lips, the buzzer on the dryer sounded and Daniel leaped to his feet with such speed that for a moment Jack tilted sideways.

"Done... done... come on, Jack... don't be such a slow poke." He extended his hand to help Jack off the floor, shifting from one to foot to another in his excitement, his bare feet making slapping noises against the cold tile.

"Okay, hold your horses, Daniel." Jack opened the lid, reached inside, locating the warm, stuffed camel.

Like a precious artifact, Daniel removed it from Jack's outstretched hands. "Lumpy, you're safe." Daniel inhaled deeply of the toy's freshly laundered "fur," but it wasn't until he rubbed its warm body against his cheek did a look of contentment and ecstasy transform Daniel's features into pure happiness.

He threw his arms around Jack, thanking him profusely for confirming that no one ever gets left behind. Ever.

"Jack! Jack!" Daniel's excited voice echoed through the house, bringing Jack up from the basement in seconds.

"Daniel? What's wrong?" Jack searched the living room, running his eyes over Daniel, worried that something had happened.

"They're here!" Daniel was running to the front door, pulling it open before Jack had time to ask who.

"Sam, Teal'c. I thought you'd never ever get here. Jack said you had to go away for a few days and that's why you couldn't come and visit me." Jack grinned as he watched Daniel pulling Teal'c's hand to bring him into the house.

"Did you bring me a present?" Daniel asked eagerly.

"Daniel," Jack groaned. He waited until Daniel's attention was on him. "Not good manners."

"Not?" Daniel echoed. He ducked his head, studying his feet. "Sorry," he mumbled, smiling up at them again an instant later. "But Sam, did you bring me some cookies? Remember you said you'd bring me cookies."

Sam laughed and held up the white paper bag from the bakery. "I brought you cookies, Daniel. Your very favorite."

Daniel took the bag, opening it with a sideways glance at Jack.

"How about we save the cookies for after dinner, Daniel?" Jack asked softly. "You want to have room for hamburgers, after all."

Daniel caught his lower lip between his teeth. "But I want room for cookies, too." He sighed and handed the bag to Jack.

"Hey, Teal'c." He grabbed at the Jaffa's hand. "You wanna see my room? I got new toys."

"I must speak with O'Neill first, DanielJackson." Jack felt unease curling in his stomach as Teal'c spoke.

"Sam? You come?" Daniel searched her face. "Please?"

"I'm sorry. But I need to speak to the colonel, too," Carter said softly.

"Daniel?" Jack loosened the death grip on the cookie bag. This was so not going to be good news. He forced a smile on his face, seeing Daniel's anxiety beginning to mirror his own. "Why don't you take these to the kitchen? Do you think you can get out the silverware, the plates and the glasses, and put them on the table? That would be a big help. Then once I grill the burgers we'll be ready to chow down."

Daniel took the proffered bag. "I won't eat any of them. I promise." Trusting blue eyes studied Jack. "I'll do a good job. I will."

"I know you will, buddy." Jack cupped the back of Daniel's head in his hand, needing the reassurance more than he supposed Daniel did.

"How many glasses and plates?" Daniel held up his hand, pressing his palm against Jack's, his long fingers warm and strong.

"How many of us are there?" Jack ignored the small noise from Carter, didn't dare to look at her as she excused herself to use the bathroom.

Daniel pointed to Jack, to Teal'c, down the hall, and finally to himself, his counting a low whisper. "Four?"

Jack smiled, folding down Daniel's thumb. "Four, exactly right." He touched each of Daniel's fingers. "One," he waited for Daniel to repeat the number, "two, three, and four."

"Four," Daniel said, nodding. "I can do that." He nodded once more, looking at his extended fingers and then walked to the kitchen muttering the numbers over and over.

Jack waited until Daniel was in the kitchen before motioning Teal'c towards the sofa.

Carter came back into the living room, her eyes and nose slightly reddened.

"I heard from my dad, sir." Carter had a tissue in her hands which was slowly being shredded. "Selmac says that if the damage has been caused by the repeated use of the torture device, there's nothing that even the Tok'ra can do, unless Daniel would be willing to be blended. And even then, it's not a sure they'd be able to repair all the damage."

Jack collapsed onto the sofa cushions. "No, he's not going to be turned into a snake. That's not acceptable."

"For you, sir. We don't know what Daniel would want."

"MajorCarter, I believe that O'Neill is saying DanielJackson is incapable of making that decision for himself now."

"But sir, Teal'c, do you think Daniel wants to live this way?"

"Carter." Jack placed his head in his hands.

She sat down in the recliner, perched on the edge. "I'm sorry, sir."

"The Nox send their greetings."

"And?" Jack knew the news was not good. There was no miracle in the wings, no healing of the damaged brain. And it figured that they'd finally hear from two of their allies now, after all these months. The tiny hope he'd been nurturing suddenly winked out.

"Lya of the Nox regrets that they cannot restore DanielJackson to his former self. She sends a message to you. You are to find the blessings in this situation, O'Neill, and enjoy the moments that are, not the moments that are to be or were."

Jack nodded, unable to say more than a rough, "yeah." Daniel was alive, he had to remember that. He was different but he was alive.

Arms twined around his neck from behind and two hands covered his eyes.

"Guess who?" Daniel giggled.

"Hmm..." Jack covered Daniel's hands with his own. "Teal'c?"

"Nope."

"Carter?"

"Sam's got squishier hands than me." The giggle grew louder.

Jack heard Carter's very unladylike snort at that comment. "I just don't know who it could be. Carter, Teal'c, any suggestions?"

"Maybe it's General Hammond." Carter joined in the game.

Daniel's laugh grew from a giggle to a belly laugh. He took his hands off Jack's eyes to put a finger to his lips.

"Don't tell him it's me," Daniel warned.

"O'Neill, whatever you do, do not guess that it is DanielJackson."

"You know, it's a shame that Daniel isn't here. There's gonna to be plenty of hamburgers and cookies for dessert." Jack was rewarded with a hug around his neck. He tilted his head back to look up into Daniel's smiling face.

"It's me, Jack. And I'm getting really, really hungry," Daniel said. "You better go cook. And don't burn them. I don't like them burned. Sam said she's always ready to call the fire trucks when you cook on the fire."

"Does she now?" Jack got up slowly, loosening Daniel's strangle hold around his neck. "Well, I think then that maybe Carter should help me cook, since I'm so bad at it."

Daniel held his hand up to his mouth as he laughed. "Good, 'cause then Teal'c and me can play some games. You wanna play some games with me, Teal'c?"

"I would be most honored to match my skills against yours." Teal'c inclined his head to Daniel.

"Does that mean yes?" Daniel asked. Jack pointed for Carter to follow him to the kitchen. He just knew he was going to lose his battle with the laughter at that.

"Indeed it does," he heard Teal'c say.

Jack placed the burgers on the table and went to the living room, ready to yell his usual, "Chow's on." He stopped at the scene before him, though.

The Candy Land board was on the coffee table between Daniel and Teal'c and Teal'c was making what looked like his final move.

"I have reached the finish line."

Even from his position, Jack could see Daniel's downcast expression.

"That means you win the game. Again." Daniel sighed. He brought his arm up to his face, rubbing his eyes with his sweatshirt cuff.

Teal'c studied the forlorn figure seated on the floor across from him. "I shall endeavor to lose the next time." At Daniel's shaky sigh, Teal'c moved from his position to kneel next to Daniel. He placed one large hand on Daniel's head, stroking the short hair.

"I am sorry," Teal'c spoke in a low voice. "I am sorry that I am unable to assist you in this trial. I am sorry that I failed you when we were captured by Wepwawet."

Jack swallowed hard, his eyes caught by Teal'c's as the Jaffa looked up from his position on the floor. He hadn't realized, hadn't known that Teal'c carried guilt from the disastrous mission, too. Jack closed his eyes, took a deep breath and forced a smile on his face.

"Chow's on. Anybody who wants anything to eat better hurry before Carter scarfs it all down."

Daniel looked up from his study of the floor and smiled at Jack, the lost game forgotten. "Can Teal'c and me play one more game?"

"After supper, Daniel. Okay?" Jack promised. "The food will get cold otherwise."

"Okey dokey." Daniel scrambled to his feet. "Teal'c, after supper, we'll play chest. I'm real good at that one, right, Jack?"

"Right," Jack agreed as six feet of exuberant Daniel grabbed him in a hug. "Chess it is."

Jack leaned back in his deck chair drinking the last of his iced tea. Teal'c and Daniel were currently engaged in their second game of chess on the picnic table while Carter sat on the steps looking into the yard and munching on her cookie.

Daniel stood up, evidently growing bored with the game, and threw his head back. "Look, look!"

"What?" Jack got up, going to stand next to Daniel and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Look at the sky!"

Jack smiled at Daniel and then at Teal'c. "Lots of stars tonight, huh?"

Daniel smiled back and walked down the first two steps of the deck before jumping off the final three.

Jack shook his head. This new Daniel had little sense of self-preservation when it came to exploring the world, although come to think of it, the old Daniel was always one to rush in where angels feared to tread.

"Teal'c. C'mon out here and look." Daniel motioned excitedly. He sat on the grass and then threw himself backwards, lying with arms outstretched, to view the wonders of the night sky.

Teal'c finished putting the game pieces back in the box and went to join his friend. Jack shook his head in amusement. Who would have thought that Teal'c would seemingly have the least trouble accepting this new, changed Daniel?

Jack lowered himself on the stair next to Carter.

"Is he happy, sir?" she asked, her eyes fixed on Daniel as he lay in the grass pointing out the appearing stars to Teal'c.

Jack watched the two, the Jaffa's voice a low counterpart to Daniel's excited questions. "You tell me."

Carter watched, a sad smile gracing her lips. "He seems happy."

"We've got to accept him as he is. No matter how much—" He broke off as Daniel called his name.

"Jack, why are they so little? How many stars are there?"

"They're very far away. Miles and miles and miles. And how many? Millions. Billions."

"Billions," Daniel repeated before turning his attention back to Teal'c. "That's a lot?"

"Indeed. That is the Big Dipper." Teal'c motioned and took Daniel's hand to point out the stars when Daniel seemed confused.

"It's just so... it feels final now, if that makes any sense?" Carter stared down at her clasped hands, her voice barely carrying. "Before, there seemed like there was hope. Now..."

"What's it dipping?" Daniel demanded.

"Yeah, I know what you mean." Jack stared up into the twinkling sky. If only it were as easy as wishing upon a star, make your wish come true.

"My dad said he was coming to visit. He... he says he's sorry, sir."

"It does not dip anything. It is only the name that the Tau'ri have given the star pattern."

Jack heard Carter's soft chuckle at that exchange.

"And there is the Little Dipper."

"I guess that doesn't dip anything either." Daniel sounded disgusted. "Look, Teal'c!" He pointed to the stars excitedly once more.

"What do you see?"

"SpongeBob. See, he's right there." Jack laughed as Daniel sketched a pattern with his right index finger.

"Yes, I believe you are correct. That does indeed look like the sponge that wears pants even though he has no need."

"Hey, Jack? What are the stars made of?"

"Gasses and other stuff."

"Like the gas you put in the truck?"

"No, not like that." Jack looked helplessly at Carter who was smiling broadly, enjoying the show.

"Oh, then like the other gas. You know when we ate chili the other night and—"

"Daniel, no. Not like that gas either. Tell you what. When we go shopping tomorrow, how about we find a book about the stars?" Jack thought maybe he could find the energy to take out his telescope, introduce Daniel to stargazing.

"Okay," Daniel agreed. "Teal'c, show me some more."

The voices grew quieter then. Jack waved off Carter's offer of assistance as he began cleaning the remains of their meal from the table. It could have been any other night that SG-1 had experienced. Back from a mission, having dinner together on a fine summer's evening except, Jack thought as he scraped the plates into the garbage disposal, there was no anticipation of the next mission. No Daniel expounding on the culture they were likely to encounter. He finished putting the dishes in the dishwasher and went out on to the deck once more, resting his hands on the railing and looking at Teal'c and Daniel.

Sprawled in the yard, Daniel was still looking up at the sky with wide-eyed wonder, arguing with Teal'c over the names of the constellations. As if he sensed Jack's presence, Daniel sat up.

"Jack?" he called. "Can we count the stars?"

"Not tonight. Maybe someday, okay?"

Daniel got up, coming over to the deck. "When I get smart again? Then?"

Jack couldn't speak for a long moment. "You are smart. Just not enough time tonight. It's getting pretty late."

Daniel nodded. "Okay." He went to the door. "I'll be right back. I gotta get something in my room."

Jack shrugged at Carter's and Teal'c's questioning looks. "Who knows?" He certainly didn't. He'd never been able to keep up with a thirty-six year old Daniel. How embarrassing was it that he was having trouble keeping up with the way a five year old Daniel's mind worked?

Daniel came out less than five minutes later, a book in one hand, Lumpy firmly tucked under the other arm. He nudged Jack with one foot, a move Jack remembered from countless times they'd watched TV while relaxing on the sofa. Daniel always did like his fair amount of space.

Jack grunted and obligingly got up, Daniel promptly placing himself by Carter's side.

He offered the book to her. "Here, Sam. Read me a story."

Even from his position behind the two, Jack could hear Carter's audible swallow.

"Sure," she said.

Jack settled back on his deck chair, Teal'c taking the one beside him.

"The Giving Tree, by Shel Silverstein," Carter began and Daniel moved closer to her.

Light from the kitchen spilled a golden glow on Carter and Daniel, Carter's voice soft and strong as she read.

"Once there was a tree and she loved a little boy."

Jack watched as Daniel slipped one arm around Carter's waist, his head coming to rest on her shoulder.

Carter didn't pause in her reading, but slowly she brought up her hand to stroke Daniel's hair.

The words washed over them all in the calm summer evening. It was different, Jack knew, but it felt right.

"But the boy stayed away for a long time and the tree was sad."

"Jack's sad," Daniel said, startling them all. "He's sad like the tree is sad because the other Daniel went away."

Carter looked back at Jack in alarm not knowing what to say.

"But the boy always comes back. Maybe the other Daniel will come back, too." Daniel sighed.

"Sir, I..." Carter bowed her head.

Jack closed his eyes.

"I'll always come back, Jack."

"I know," Jack whispered. He went over to sit on the step above them, leaning forward to place a kiss on Daniel's temple, sorrow filling his heart when he realized that now, when Daniel couldn't ever be his lover again, it was okay for him to show the affection he and Daniel shared. "Now let's let Carter finish the story."

Daniel nodded. "Read, Sam."

Carter nodded and began reading once more, Daniel giving happy sighs as the boy returned to the tree time and again.

"Come boy. Sit down. Sit down and rest. And the boy did. And the tree was very happy."

"The End," Daniel finished for her. "That's a good story, Sam. Isn't it?"

"Very good." She kissed him on the top of his head. Jack could see Carter's hands shaking as she closed the book.

"Daniel, we have a lot to do this weekend. Grocery shopping tomorrow, zoo on Sunday. Why don't you go get ready for bed? Go put your pjs on, okay?"

"Don't be sad. The tree was happy, remember? The boy came home to her." Daniel gave Carter a rough squeeze before he got up. "You can read it again if you want. Shower, Jack?" Daniel asked as he passed by, his voice reminiscent of times that Daniel's teasing and urgings to get Jack into the shower with him.

Jack swallowed hard, fighting the emotions that one question brought raging to the fore.

"I'll be in a minute. Get your towel and your stuff, okay?"

"I love you, Jack," Daniel gave him a gentle hug for seemingly no reason at all.

"I love you, too," Jack whispered. "Now skedaddle."

"But I'm not tired," Daniel insisted. The effect Daniel obviously hoped for was lost when he yawned, but Jack was ready to ward off the arguments.

"Why don't you lie down right here on the couch and just rest? Carter, Teal'c, and I are going to be right in the kitchen so if you need anything, all you have to do is call." Jack patted the sofa cushions, urging Daniel to stretch out.

"And you'll be here lickety split," Daniel yawned, echoing the words Jack used every night as he left Daniel alone in his room.

"That's right, lickety split." Jack paused a moment, looking down at Daniel's relaxed position and hoped that for tonight Daniel wasn't going to have a nightmare.

"Sir?" Carter asked as she sat down at the kitchen table. "You're not going to let him sleep there all night are you? You don't have to carry him to bed, do you?"

Jack chuckled. "Carter, how many years have we been managing to get a half-asleep Daniel to go where we want him to?"

"Too many," Teal'c said dryly. Jack studied his face and then smiled at the small upraised turn of Teal'c's lips.

Carter laughed. "I forgot about that. Do you remember the time we were on P11-699?"

"The mud planet?" Jack quickly ran through missions in his mind.

Carter nodded. "Daniel insisted that there was a temple under all that mud and he kept digging and digging."

"And digging and digging," Teal'c added. "Despite our requests for him to stop."

"We had to practically throw him in that hot spring to get him clean enough to take back to camp." Jack smiled at the memory. Daniel, warm and relaxed, nearly falling asleep on his feet as he was gently but firmly guided back to camp.

"I remember when DanielJackson decided to participate in the Ganneshian's rituals on P2W-010," Teal' started. "MajorCarter advised him that..."

Jack relaxed as Carter and Teal'c shared memories of past missions, enjoying their company. He missed the camaraderie that had been so much a part of their days on base, Daniel's absence an open wound at present.

"No!" The scream from the living room had them all on their feet, Teal'c's chair clattering to the floor as he stood.

"No!" Daniel screamed again. "No needles, no more needles, please!" The screams were giving way to a half terrified sobbing.

Jack knelt by the sofa, stroking Daniel's cheek, shaking his shoulder. "Wake up, Daniel!" he ordered. "Wake up!"

"Don't leave me here. No!" Daniel shook with fear. "I'm not crazy, I'm not." His eyes were open, but Jack knew Daniel was not with them. He pulled his legs up, scooting back on the sofa until he was huddled against the bolster. "No more needles."

"Daniel!" Jack said sharply, hoping to break through the fear.

Daniel blinked rapidly, trying to focus, Jack surmised. "I'm sorry." He ducked his head down to his knees.

"It's okay. C'mon, it's okay," Jack soothed, withdrawing his hand as Daniel batted it away.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry I'm such a headcase."

"Oh, God." Jack felt his heart sink to somewhere in the vicinity of his ankles. He glanced back at Carter who had that same stricken look she'd had years ago in the padded cell.

"Daniel?" she whispered in a strangled voice.

"Wake up, DanielJackson," Teal'c reached towards Daniel. "You are having a bad dream."

Daniel brought his hands up in front of his body. "No needles. I said, no needles. Don't give me any more drugs. I'm not crazy. The voices—"

"Daniel." Jack caught one of Daniel's hands, rubbing his thumb across Daniel's knuckles. "It's just a dream. Not real, not real."

"It went into..." Daniel closed his eyes and then opened them, searching the room frantically. "Teal'c?" he asked then he took a deep breath before sitting up. He grabbed at Teal'c's arm. "It's in you. It is!"

Jack slid onto the couch beside Daniel. "Danny, it's just a bad dream. C'mon. Come out of it."

Daniel shivered once, convulsively and then looked at Jack. "No needles? Promise? No needles?"

"I promise. There are no needles here." Jack kept his voice soft and low.

"I was in a bad place. All white. All white and soft and you left me. I was alone, all alone."

Jack looked up at Carter and Teal'c seeing understanding dawn in their eyes. "I know. But you're here now. Safe with us."

"Don't leave me alone, Jack. You don't want to but you do. You are." Daniel hugged Jack's waist and placed his head on Jack's shoulder. "Don't go away like you did before."

"I won't." Jack rocked slightly. "I won't."

"Nor will I." Teal'c rested his hand on Daniel's hair.

"We're here. We're here for you." Carter squeezed his hand.

Daniel nodded against Jack's shoulder and closed his eyes. They sat like that for a time until Jack felt Daniel's tense muscles begin to relax and his own heartbeat begin to slow.

"Sir, I think that Teal'c and I should be going." She nodded towards Daniel who was half-asleep once more.

She patted Daniel's knee. "Good night. I'll call you tomorrow, okay?"

"Uh huh." Daniel yawned. "Tomorrow." He pulled away from Jack, sitting up despite his tiredness. "Thanks for the cookies, Sam. Jack doesn't ever bring me cookies." That comment was accompanied by a blue-eyed puppy dog look at Jack.

Jack forbore making any comment for the present time.

"Good night, DanielJackson." Teal'c inclined his head.

Daniel smiled up at him. "See you later, alligator."

"DanielJackson, why would you compare me to a reptile? Alligators do not even inhabit Colorado."

"No, no, Teal'c." Daniel shook his head in despair, "I say, 'See you later, alligator', and then you say, 'After a while, crocodile'. Okay?"

"I understand."

"Okay then. See you later, alligator." Daniel looked expectantly at Teal'c.

"After a while, crocodile," Teal'c intoned. Jack smiled at him and he would have sworn that Teal'c winked at him as he turned.

Daniel crawled up onto his knees to watch Teal'c and Carter leave by the front door. He hugged Jack when he came back to the sofa.

"This was a fun night, Jack." He sighed happily.

"You know what? It was; it really was," Jack agreed and urged him to stand so he could lead a pliant Daniel towards his room. "Now go to sleep."

"Uh huh." Daniel obeyed, pulling his blanket closer to his chin. "Jack?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry."

"Daniel?" Jack frowned. "What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry that I'm a blessing." Daniel wouldn't look at Jack. "I heard Teal'c tell you I'm a blessing. And I don't know what a blessing is but I think it's bad. Does it mean that I forget how to do lots of stuff and can't read and remember my numbers? Is that why people don't like me?"

"It doesn't mean any of that." Jack rubbed a slow circle on Daniel's back. "Blessings aren't bad. They're wonderful. They're like presents. You don't know what's inside but it's something special and you love it just because it's yours."

"So it's good I'm a blessing?" Daniel smiled hesitantly.

"It's good, Daniel. It's very, very good." Jack smiled back and leaned over to kiss Daniel's forehead. "Now, get to sleep. It'll be morning before you know it."

"Okay," Daniel whispered. "Good night, Jack."

"Night." Jack patted Daniel's shoulder once and then left the room, thinking of what he'd just said. Maybe Lya had been more right than Jack was willing to accept at first.

"It's my turn."

"I do believe you are incorrect, DanielJackson. Has not your dragon depleted all of its lives?"

Another weekend. Another barbeque. The summer seemed to be speeding by faster than a flipping cartoon calendar, Jack acknowledged as he stood in the doorway, smiling at the common exchange. Daniel and Teal'c were sitting on the floor in the den, immersed in playing video games, Daniel losing, changing the rules, and Teal'c was doing the usual song and dance routine. Offering just that little bit of an argument so Daniel wouldn't think he was pulling the wool over his eyes.

"You are truly a master at this game."

Daniel flung his arm around Teal'c's shoulders and hugged the big guy close. "That's okay, Teal'c, practice makes perfect, that's what Jack always tells me."

Jack decided it was time to just add his own two cents. "Teal'c's not going to be able to practice if you don't give him a chance to play." He dropped down on the couch behind the two men.

"Oh. Hi, Jack." Daniel tilted his head backwards, blinking up at Jack. "Teal'c was watching me so he could play better."

"He was?" Jack chose not to mention that Teal'c had been learning the finer points of the same game for weeks now.

"I am indeed. I am honored to be instructed by a master of this game, such as DanielJackson and can only thank my friend for his patience and fortitude in allowing me—"

Jack leaned forward and patted Teal'c on the shoulder. "We get the hint." He slapped his hands on his thighs and stood. "Let Teal'c play, Daniel, dinner is in ten minutes."

Daniel was already informing Teal'c the exact error of his ways by the time Jack had walked to the door. Jacob moved to the side, giving Jack access to pass. "Kids," Jack said to Jacob, positive the older man would understand his reference. He was a little put out when his answer was a stiff shake of his head and tightly pursed lips.

"Okay, Jacob, spit it out!" Jack tossed the garbage in the outside pail then began to drag it down to the street, Jacob hot on his heels. Curbside, he turned, yielding the garbage pail lid like a shield. "What bug has been up your ass all day?"

Today had been an impromptu barbeque and Jack had been looking forward to seeing Jacob, but he'd been taken back by the man's silence the entire day.

"It's Daniel."

"No," Jack replied emphatically, slamming the cover onto the pail.

"You don't even know what I'm going to ask."

"Go ahead, feel free, ask it, the answer will still be no!"

Jacob dropped his head.

"Oh, jeeze. Selmak, go home." Jack waved his hands all around, not even giving the Tok'ra a chance to speak. "This isn't between me and you. Hell, this isn't even between me and your host. The decision is mine and Daniel is not, get this, not getting snaked."

"Colonel O'Neill." The timbre of the Tok'ra voice was unmistakable and as soon as Jack heard it, he angrily rushed past him, shoving Jacob out of his way.

"I'm sorry."

Jack stopped. "Me, too."

Jacob walked around Jack, and turned to face him. "Damn it, Jack, why not?"

"How can you even ask me that?" Jack scrubbed at his face, feeling tired and very old all of a sudden. Older than he had a right to be. "No offense, Jacob, but Daniel would rather die than have a snake in his head."

"He's not dead, Jack. He's worse than dead."

"Fuck you," Jack hissed, leaning into Jacob's face. "Get out of my house. Do me a favor, you and all your Tok'ra buddies—"

"Daniel's intellect was the biggest part of him. He lived each day because he wanted to learn. How do you think he would feel knowing he can't even read, tie his own shoes... his friends have become his guardians, wiping his nose, his ass—"

"Shut up! Just shut the hell up."

Jacob grabbed Jack's arms and forced him through the open back gate to observe Daniel laying on his stomach on a blanket in the backyard, drawing with his crayons. "You need to see."

"I see every day."

"I know you do. But I'm asking you to think about something. What would Daniel hate more? A snake in his head that would help him regain what he has lost? Or spending the rest of his life with the mental capacity of a five year old?"

"I had fun today." Daniel moved over in the bed, patting the space next to him.

"I'm glad you had a good day. So did I."

Jack sat in his proffered spot and settled back into the pillows Daniel had already placed against the headboard. Then as soon as his ass was in the bed, Daniel snuggled up to him, then picked up Jack's empty hands and examined them. "No books tonight?"

"Nope, no books." Jack squeezed the hand in his. "I'm going to tell you a story."

"I like stories."

"Good. I hope you like this one."

Daniel sighed once, and relaxed against Jack.

"Once upon a time..."

Daniel giggled.

"I know. I know they all begin like that. It's a requirement, though." Jack lifted his head and kissed Daniel's temple, procuring another giggle for the effort. Daniel lifted Lumpy up and fit him between their two bodies. "Lumpy wants to listen, too."

"Good, I hope he's quieter than you are. Now let's see, where was I?"

"Once upon a time?"

"Bingo, thanks Daniel. Once upon a time there was a little boy who lived with his family in a wonderful village. He wasn't the smartest boy, or the bravest, or the strongest, but he was the happiest boy because he lived with people that loved him. He loved to run in the fields and just walk the dirt paths and visit all the people that lived on the neighboring farms. And then one day a sickness came to the town and the little boy got sick and his family sat by his bedside, hoping he would get well again and smile for them."

"Did he?"

"Of course he did. But the family learned that their little boy, with the best smile, couldn't walk anymore, no matter what they did for him. And so he would sit in his house and just stare at the fields and the roads he used to travel. Time passed, and the little boy adjusted. His father would pull him in a wagon so he could go visiting, and eventually the boy smiled again.

"The king who lived in the castle had heard of the little boy's plight and he called upon his court magicians to ask if they could make the boy walk again. After two weeks of searching they found the potion that would restore the boy's ability to walk.

"But there was a hitch. The king had only daughters and wanted a son of his own very badly. So he approached the parents and promised them that their little boy would walk again if he would come and live with him. The little boy was overjoyed and the parents, though devastated that their son would have another family, also felt joy that he would again be walking."

"I don't like that story. Not at all." Daniel began switch Lumpy's head back and forth.

"I really wasn't finished."

"What were you going to say? That he lived happily ever after? He was stupid. Stupider than me. He had family and people who loved him. He gave it up so he could walk again? Who would he walk with? The selfish king? That's no fair. No fair. I hate the story. He was dumb and the story's dumb."

"I'm sorry that you didn't like it. This one is your choice. You pick what I should read." Jack gestured to the overflowing bookshelf in Daniel's room.

"No," Daniel yawned. "I want to fix the story."

"Fix it?"

"Yup. So everyone can have a happy ending."

"Okay, you fix it."

"See, the little boy wanted to walk really badly, so badly that he almost went to live with king, but he changed his mind. Being loved was better than walking, I think." Daniel hugged Lumpy tightly to his chest. "Because once he started to walk, where was he going to walk? I bet the king would be so afraid of losing him he wouldn't let him out to walk in the fields or the roads. He would be a prisoner in the castle. No one wants to ever be a prisoner. So the boy and his parents lived happily ever after. The end."

"What about the king, he wasn't happy."

"Yes he was. 'Cause he could visit the boy any time he wanted. The boy didn't have to live with him to make him happy. Maybe they could adopt the king like a pretend Grandpa, like we did with Grandpa George." Daniel yawned. "Now can that be the end?"

"Yup. You gave the story a perfect ending."

"I got it! I got it!"

Laughing, Daniel ran towards the lake, moving to intercept the flying Frisbee that Kayla had tossed. His long legs beat the younger children to it and Jack was relieved to see Daniel taking particular care around them. He missed the Frisbee, but snatched it up from the sandy beach and awkwardly threw it towards Kayla and Tessa. It skidded a few feet and landed upside down on the grass.

Tessa ran for it, picked it up and with much greater skill, threw the Frisbee towards Cassie.

Jack could see Hammond's granddaughters had been grilled about being polite to Daniel, but he didn't miss the older of the two rolling her eyes at her younger sister with a toss of her head in Daniel's direction.

Cassie threw the Frisbee back towards Daniel. Her aim was perfect and it hit his chest. He grabbed it with both arms, holding it against him, caught it awkwardly as it slipped from his grasp, then threw it back towards Tessa before running after the girls as the Frisbee went soaring into a nearby field.

"It's nice to see Daniel having fun." Hammond handed Jack a beer, and Jack nodded his agreement. "Think he enjoyed his birthday?"

"Without a doubt. Thank you for this." Jack used the bottle to indicate the lake and the cabin as he leaned against the veranda's wooden railing, the beer bottle cold and wet against his palm.

"Don't thank me until you've tasted my cooking."

"If you're trying to scare me, sir, it's not working. That's why you invited Fraiser, isn't it?"

"I heard that, Colonel." Dressed in shorts and a halter top, the CMO stepped to the cooler on the veranda and helped herself to a beer. "It's always nice to know you're wanted."

Jack took a sip of the cold brew and winked. "Always, Doc. When it comes to Daniel, it's very reassuring to know you're only a whistle away."

They all watched as Daniel ran across the field towards the cabin with Kayla and Tessa chasing him. The girls were screeching at him to give the Frisbee back but Daniel quickly outdistanced them. He stopped at the edge of the field, turned, and threw the Frisbee their way. With another round of squeals, the girls turned and chased the toy. Daniel began running again, quickly overtaking them and leaving them behind. Cassie wasn't far behind him but Daniel reached the Frisbee and grabbed it, turned, and threw it again, aiming over the girls' heads.

This time his throw was awkward and Kayla caught it. She sent the toy whizzing towards the lake and Daniel began running after it, but after a few strides he tripped and disappeared from sight.

Jack straightened, waiting anxiously. Cassie must have heard him go down because she stopped to look behind her. She'd only taken one step towards Daniel when his head appeared above the long grass. He slowly stood, looked around to get bearings, then walked slowly towards Cassie. Jack saw them talking and Daniel nodding his head. Then together they ran towards the lake, where Hammond's granddaughters had given up the Frisbee and were jumping up and down on the small sandy beach.

"Grandpa, can we go swimming now?"

"Sure, sweetheart. Come and put your bathing suits on." Hammond turned to Jack. "You did remember to bring yours and Daniel's?"

"As if Daniel would let me forget. Let me get our stuff out of the truck." Jack put his beer down and hurried to the Avalanche, sidestepping Kayla and Tessa as they rushed into Hammond's cabin.

Jack had to push away the stash of birthday gifts to get to their bags. He took all three from the truck, and from his, removed a large bath towel, sunscreen, and Daniel's trunks. He put them aside, waiting for Daniel as he stopped to talk to Carter and Teal'c who had been exploring the small grounds.

Kayla and Tessa changed with record speed and a minute later they were running to the lake. "I'd better go supervise," Hammond said with a resigned smile. He followed them, and set up an Adirondack chair beneath the shade of a large tree just to the side of the small pier.

"You planning on going in?" Jack took a sip of beer and looked sideways at Fraiser.

"Nope. Although I have no objections to sitting on the deck and soaking my feet. What about you?"

Kayla jumped into the water, but the older sister stood at the edge of the shore, water lapping over her ankles as she obviously was more reticent about getting wet.

"Soaking sounds good." He turned his attention to Daniel as he ran to stand right below Jack, staring up at him, eyes shining in excitement.

"Jack, can I go swimming, too?" There was dried grass in his hair and grass stains on his pants and shirt.

"Here, you can go change inside." Jack handed him his trunks.

"Okay." Daniel grabbed the item from Jack's hands and hurried inside. Cassie and Carter walked up slowly to the cabin, and while Carter rummaged through her bag for her bathing suit, without a word, Fraiser handed her daughter hers.

Daniel rushed out of the cabin, his clothes in a bundle beneath his arm. "Okay, I'm ready." He thrust the clothes into Jack's arms and hurried towards the beach, running awkwardly in his bare feet on the graveled path.

"Daniel. Glasses."

Daniel stopped, turned around and hobbled back towards Jack and handed him his glasses. Jack pocketed the lenses and laid Daniel's clothes over the veranda and with a tilt towards the water, said to Fraiser, "Shall we?"

Tessa by now had joined her sister. Daniel had run into the water but had stopped. Knee deep, he was shifting around awkwardly.

"Jack, this feels funny on my feet. It doesn't feel like the pool."

"Of course it doesn't, son." Hammond leaned forward in his chair as Jack and Fraiser moved onto the pier. "It's mud, not cement."

"Mud? Is that why it's all sticky between my toes?"

"That's exactly why."

"I don't like it." Daniel came out of the water and wiped his feet on the sand.

"Daniel, it's just mud." Jack sat down at the edge of the small pier and took his shoes and socks off. "It won't bite." He rolled his pants up to his knees and dangled his feet into the cool water. Fraiser kicked her sandals off and did the same.

"It's all squishy. I don't like squishy."

"I don't blame you, Daniel. I don't like it much myself." Hammond waved towards the water. "Why don't you try walking a little deeper? It gets sandier farther out."

Tentatively, Daniel stepped back into the water, this time making it out until the water was up to his thighs.

"Why's there things growing in the water?"

"Those are just weeds, son."

Then one of the girls squealed, laughing. "A fish is nibbling on my toes."

With a loud yell, Daniel ran back to the shore in a spray of water. He stood there, arms wrapped around himself, staring at Jack with a desperate look on his face. "I don't want fish biting my toes. No way. No sir. Jack, there are fish in the lake."

Unable to help from laughing, Jack held an arm out for Daniel to join them. "C'mon and sit here with me and the doc."

"But I wanted to go swimming."

"Then you'll have to swim with the fish."

"The fishies won't bite you, Daniel." As it to prove her point, Tessa threw herself backwards into the water, and immediately began dog paddling towards the deck.

Daniel stepped onto the floating platform, making it sway with his weight. He sat beside Jack, his feet and legs dripping onto the wooden slats as he huddled close.

"Tessa's right, Daniel. The fish won't bother you. Anyways, you're much bigger than they are."

"I don't want fishes. I want it to be like the pool at the Center."

"Hold on a second, Daniel. I have an idea." Hammond got up and went to a small utility shed close by, coming back out a moment later with a small inflatable raft. "You might like this better." Using a bicycle pump, he inflated the raft and threw it into the water. "Go lie down on that, Daniel. That way your feet won't touch the bottom."

"But the fishies, Grandpa George."

"The fish will swim around you but they won't come up to the top."

Daniel hitched his shoulder up to his ear, then with an uncertain look, got up and waded back into the water, wincing and grimacing as he made his way to the raft. He jumped on it, wiggled around until he was comfortable, and was soon paddling around the girls, his fear of the fish forgotten.

Carter and Cassie joined them, swimming circles around Daniel, who tried to follow them on the float. Pretty soon he lost his fear and slid off the raft, swimming awkwardly but enthusiastically.

Jack kept a sharp eye on Daniel, and he saw that Carter never swam far away from him. Teal'c, who'd settled himself beside Hammond, also kept an eye.

"Jack, Jack, lookit me!" Daniel swam to the pier, spluttering slightly before he reached up and reached a hand onto the wooden boards. Carter swam easily up to him and with a wink at Jack, dove under water and caught Daniel's foot. He squealed, threw himself back into the water, splashing both Jack and Fraiser.

"Looks like he's having a good day."

"Considering the way you guys spoiled him? How could he not." Jack swatted away a fly that was buzzing around his beer. "It's hard to believe, but he's actually had a really good week. You think, maybe, whatever's been making him sick is starting to settle down? You know, like his body's adapting to it?"

"After all these months?" Fraiser frowned as she removed her sunglasses to wipe the droplets of water splattered over them. "It's possible, but unlikely. I think it's just like you said - a particularly good week. But of course I could be wrong."

"So I shouldn't get my hopes up?"

She put a hand on his knee. "No, sir, I'm sorry. I'd suggest you just take days like this and treasure them."

"Yeah," Jack sighed.

"Well, I think I'd better get the charcoal heated." Hammond slapped his thighs as he stood and stretched.

"Need a hand, sir?"

"No, I'm fine. The day I can't dump a bag of charcoal onto a BBQ and light it is the day I retire from the SGC." Hammond huffed up the small hill towards the cabin. "Although you can give the kids another twenty minutes and then haul their butts out of the water and get them dressed in time for supper."

"Will do."

"I need another beer." Fraiser stood. "You want another?"

"Sure." Jack drained the last of his brew and handed Fraiser the empty. Daniel came paddling up to the pier once more, breathing heavily as he floated beside Jack.

"Why don't you come and play, Jack? It's really fun."

"Sure looks like fun. But I'm fine right here." He took the fresh beer from Fraiser and took a long swig as the four others swam to the pier.

"You sure you don't want to join us, Uncle Jack?" Cassie splashed some water towards him, earning her a warning from her mother.

"Yeah, we're having lots of fun," Tessa chimed in.

"I'm sure you are. But swimming looks like hard work and old guys like me sometimes like to just sit back and relax."

"You're not old, Jack." Daniel moved around Kayla and put a hand on Jack's upper leg. His fingers were cold against Jack's skin.

"Yeah, tell me another, sir," Carter replied with a sly grin.

"Grampa comes swimming with us sometimes, and he's not as old as you," Kayla stated primly.

"Grandpa is too older. Colonel Jack just looks older because his hair is white."

"Grey. It's grey." Jack self-consciously rubbed a hand through his short strands.

"Grampa isn't older."

"Tessa, Uncle George is older than Uncle Jack." Before an argument could break out, Cassie threw herself back into the water. "Bet I can swim to that rock faster than you can."

With shrieks the two younger girls started swimming after Cassie. Carter and Daniel remained where they were. Daniel shifted to watch them and Jack noted the burgeoning redness across Daniel's shoulders along with the goose bumps that had sprouted down along his arms. Jack realized he'd forgotten to put suntan lotion on Daniel.

"Okay, Daniel, I think it's time you got out of the water."

"No. It's still early."

"And you're sunburned and I don't want you catching a chill. C'mon and sit with me." Jack opened the sun-warmed towel he'd brought with him and Daniel heaved himself onto the pier. Jack wrapped him in the large towel and Daniel leaned against him. He could feel Daniel shivering now that he was out of the water.

Carter lithely hoisted herself alongside Daniel and Fraiser handed her one of several towels she'd brought with her.

"Thanks. It's starting to get a little chilly."

"Cassie!" When Cassie turned to look towards her mom, Fraiser waved her back. "It's time for you guys to come in out of the water now."

"Okay, Mom." The three began swimming to shore, and soon the pier was rocking as they hurried to collect towels.

"You hungry?" Jack asked as the smell of cooking meat wafted towards them.

"Starving." Daniel looked backwards into Jack's face. Drops of water still clung to Daniel's cheeks and nose. "Are we sleeping here tonight?"

"Nope." Jack took a corner of the towel and wiped the drops. "We'll be going home after supper. Carter and Teal'c have a mission tomorrow morning. Why do you ask?"

Daniel shrugged. "This was a fun day."

"And you don't want it to end?"

Daniel shrugged again, shivering as a gust of wind buffeted them.

Carter stood and wrapped her towel around her, sarong-like. "Girls, I think we should go back to the cabin and get dressed." Immediately Kayla and Tessa stood and ran down the pier and to the cabin. Cassie stood also, copying Carter as she tied her towel around her midriff.

"You go ahead. Daniel and I will give you a couple minutes of privacy." The two women began making their way towards the cabin, with Fraiser following behind.

Jack was enjoying this time with Daniel leaning against him for warmth. It wasn't something they could often do before, now he had a legitimate excuse to do so and although it wasn't quite what he'd always dreamed of, it was close. This was still Daniel.

"I'm thirsty," Daniel said after a few moments.

"Then how about we go see if there's any Snapple left in the cooler?" Jack stood and gave Daniel a hand up. The children came running out of the cabin as Jack found Daniel his favorite drink, and he handed the girls each some sodas before herding Daniel inside to change.

Ten minutes later they were all sitting around Hammond's two picnic tables, eyeing the hot dogs and hamburgers, along with salads, coleslaw and chips.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Dig in." Hammond threw another load of burgers and dogs onto the grill and sat down to join the gang.

"Can I have another hot dog?" Daniel stuffed the last bite into his mouth and looked over at the sole remaining wiener.

"You've got quite an appetite tonight," Jack remarked. Maybe it was the exercise, or maybe just the company, but Daniel had eaten everything on his plate without complaint.

"I'm hungry."

"Of course you can, Daniel." Hammond took the plate with the lone hot dog and stood. "But this one's cold. If you can wait another couple of minutes, the last batch will be ready."

"I can wait." Daniel turned to Jack, stealing a chip from his plate. "Grandpa George's hot dogs are good."

"Yeah, they sure are." Jack dished a little more potato salad onto Daniel's plate. "You can eat more of this in the meantime."

"I don't want potatoes. I want another hot dog." Daniel pushed the plate away, his voice starting to get a little whiney.

"You're going to get the hot dog. As soon as it's cooked." Jack pushed the plate back before him. "You can still eat this in the meantime."

"I don't want that. I just want a hot dog." There were lines of fatigue beneath Daniel's eyes and Jack realized he was going to hit the wall soon. Daniel had been much more active than usual today and Jack hoped the crankiness wouldn't hit full tilt before he got Daniel home. He began dreading the hour-long drive ahead of them. Hopefully Carter and Teal'c would be able to create some diversion.

"Here you go." Hammond put down the freshly grilled wieners before them and Jack forked one and put it inside a hot dog bun. He squirted mustard onto it and topped it with relish, and placed it in Daniel's plate. Daniel immediately grabbed it and began eating.

"Daniel's right, these are good." Carter grabbed a bun and wiener and squirted mustard on top of hers.

"They're not your regular run of the mill wieners. These ones are home-made; they add spices to the meat which gives them its flavor."

Jack took Daniel's half-eaten hot dog from him and took a bite. He'd been eating burgers but he had to agree, these were good. He gave Daniel his hot dog back and wiped his hands on a napkin.

Carter raised her hot dog to her mouth and just as she was taking a bite, the wiener slipped out. One-handed, she made a grab for the slab of meat, but instead of catching it, she ended up striking it. The wiener flew across the table and hit Teal'c in the face before landing on his plate.

"Home run!" Jack cheered as Carter sat there dumbstruck. Teal'c raised an eyebrow, yellow mustard decorating his cheek. Then Carter giggled as her cheeks and throat turned red in embarrassment while Teal'c dabbed at his face with a paper napkin.

The table exploded in laughter. "Sorry, sorry," Carter sputtered as she handed Teal'c more napkins, gasping for breath as she laughed hysterically.

The laughter rose in volume as Jack pointed out spots Teal'c had missed. Finally Carter, tears streaming down her face, leaned over the table and wiped the splatters of mustard from Teal'c's tattoo and the top of his bald head. Although Teal'c didn't quite come out and laugh, he did smile, especially as Daniel's mirth was just as loud as everyone else's.

Finally the laughter eased, the table interspersed with a few snorts and giggles and lots of eye-wiping, until one of the girls mimed throwing her wiener at her sister, and everyone started up again.

This time when the laughter stopped, Jack took a deep breath. The release had felt good; he hadn't laughed like this in a long time. Daniel was still caught in the throes of hilarity, leaning over his plate, his shoulders moving up and down as he laughed so hard he gasped for breath. Jack hadn't seen Daniel laugh so much and so hard in nearly a year, when a night of sexual intimacy had been one disaster after another, and their laughter had had them both too weak to do much of anything for a good thirty minutes.

Soon they all composed themselves, wiped their faces dry and blew their noses while a couple of happy sighs echoed down the table. Daniel continued laughing beside Jack, eliciting a few occasional snorts and giggles as someone recalled the mishap once more. Then as people turned back to their unfinished supper, Jack began to worry as Daniel continued to laugh hysterically.

"Hey." He put a hand on Daniel's shuddering shoulders and rubbed, smiling at Daniel's continued amusement. "Your dog's getting cold. You better eat it before Carter gets her hands on it."

Jack's comment elicited a couple more giggles from Carter and Cassie, but Daniel's breathing began to hitch. His face, red and scrunched up in the hilarity of the moment, suddenly fell as his laughter turned to sobs.

"Hey, hey, what's wrong?" Jack physically turned Daniel on the bench so he was facing him. Daniel twisted easily and threw himself against Jack, burying his face against his neck. Jack immediately tightened his arms around Daniel and held him close.

Daniel tried to clamber onto Jack's lap, pushing against him as he looked for reassurance. "It's okay, it's okay," Jack murmured softly. Immediately Carter and Teal'c were there on either side of them, Carter whispering softly in Daniel's ear as he continued sobbing against Jack.

Daniel's tears were warm and hot against Jack's neck, his sobs and cries loud against his ear. He rubbed circles on Daniel's back, feeling the heat of sunburn through the thin cotton tee shirt. "Are you feeling sick, Daniel? Is that what's wrong?"

Daniel shook his head against his neck. Jack tried to pull back to get a good look at Daniel, but Daniel clutched at him tighter, his wails coming louder at the motion.

"He feels hot." Carter had a hand against Daniel's flushed cheek.

"It could be sunburn."

Jack began rocking gently to and fro, hoping to lull Daniel back into calmness. Fraiser stepped in between Daniel and Carter, checking Daniel out herself. "I think he's mostly tired," she said softly. "His temperature is elevated, but that could be due to the sunburn." She caressed Daniel's head a moment, running her fingers through his hair.

"Grampa, why is Daniel crying?" At Kayla's questioning, Daniel squeezed Jack even tighter.

"He's fine, sweetheart. He's just a little sad."

"Why is he sad if he was laughing just now?" Kayla took a bite of hot dog and looked at Daniel in a grown up manner once she'd swallowed. "Maybe he needs to go to bed. You always tell me to go to bed when I'm cranky."

Hammond leaned close to his granddaughter and whispered, "I don't think Daniel's feeling well. Don't tease him now."

"Colonel, if he continues this way, he's going to make himself sick."

"I know. Come on, Daniel. It's all right. Everything's fine."

"Maybe a bit of privacy? He might calm down a little more quickly if there wasn't an audience." She leaned close, speaking into Daniel's ear as Carter had earlier. "Daniel, do you think you can stand up? You and Jack can go sit down near the water. Would you like that?"

There was an imperceptible nod of the head leaning against Jack.

"Sam, you better stay here. Teal'c, can you give us a hand?" Fraiser stood aside as Teal'c and Jack both took one of Daniel's arms and pulled him up. Jack put a hand around Daniel's waist, holding him close as he slowly urged him down towards the beach. Daniel kept his face hidden against Jack's shirt as he struggled for breath while his emotions continued raging out of control.

Once out of earshot of the dinner table, Jack stopped beneath a large tree while Teal'c dragged a lawn chair to them. "Let's sit here," he said, once the chair was situated near them. Daniel dropped heavily into the chair, still clinging to Jack. He flung his arm out and caught Teal'c's tee-shirt as Teal'c moved away.

"Do you wish me to remain by your side, DanielJackson?" In response, Daniel tried to pull Teal'c closer. Teal'c knelt beside him and took hold of Daniel's hand.

Jack leaned back into the chair, trying to draw Daniel down with him. But he remained rigid, staying in a seated position. Then suddenly Daniel coughed, and just as Fraiser had predicted, Daniel let go of Teal'c, leaned over to the side just in time and threw up.

For a moment Jack thought Daniel was going to choke as he struggled to take a breath while vomiting and crying. But once his stomach was emptied, he leaned back tiredly against Jack, breath hitching stridently. This time he allowed Jack to pull him down so that both were half lying on the chair together.

Breaths still hiccupping and tears still flowing, Jack could occasionally feel Daniel's teeth scraping alongside his neck as he took loud, wailing breaths. His neck and shoulder were wet from tears, saliva and mucus.

Then Fraiser was there with a wet cloth, talking softly as she wiped the bits of Daniel's face that were visible. Gently she turned his face to the side and wiped his eyes and mouth. He settled back against Jack when she finished.

Jack caught the cadence of Daniel's breathing finally beginning to slow, the inhalations coming a little more easily as the storm finally passed. The heavy body relaxed into Jack, the active day and the overwhelming emotions having exhausted him.

Jack kissed Daniel's forehead, feeling the heat beneath his lips. When Fraiser brought out one of the fancy thermometers, Jack shifted Daniel slightly so that his ear was easily accessible. Daniel jumped slightly as she inserted it, but didn't move again. After a moment, Fraiser removed it and said softly, "100.3."

Not high, but higher than normal. So much for a good day, Jack thought.

Jack pulled away and got a good look at Daniel, who by now had calmed considerably.

"You feeling better?" Daniel opened swollen, bloodshot eyes and squinted at Jack. He nodded, sniffling loudly.

"Here, blow." Fraiser handed him a handful of tissues and Daniel grabbed them with one hand and made a half-hearted effort of wiping his nose with them.

"Ack. You heard the doc. Blow." Jack sat up, pulling Daniel with him, then pushed the hand clutching the tissues towards his face. As Daniel obeyed, a couple of hitching breaths threatened another round of tears. But he leaned back against Jack, and the tempest was thankfully deflected.

"Any idea what brought this on?" Jack asked as he rubbed Daniel's back.

Fraiser threaded her fingers through Daniel's sweaty hair. "Exhaustion, I think. He's fine now, aren't you, Daniel?"

Daniel nodded against Jack. "Tired," he said in a croaky voice.

"You want to head home?"

Another nod, followed by a catch in his breathing.

"I will gather our belongings and inform MajorCarter."

"Great. Give us a couple more minutes and then we'll come up to say our goodbyes."

"I don't wanna say goodbye."

"Well, you have to. General Hammond was kind enough to invite us and it's the polite thing to do. You want him to invite us again, don't you?"

Daniel shrugged. "I guess."

"It'll just take a minute. We'll say goodbye, thank you, and then we'll go home."

"Jack?"

"Yeah, Danny?"

"Will Grandpa George be mad at me?"

"Why would he be?"

Daniel shrugged again, and Jack felt him tense alongside him.

"Of course not. You had a good time today, didn't you?"

"Yeah."

"So did I. And so did everyone. Nobody's mad."

"I couldn't stop." Daniel's voice threatened to break down again.

"I know. It's okay. It happens sometimes." Jack pressed another kiss to Daniel's forehead.

"Can Lumpy say goodbye, too?"

"Of course."

Jack was relieved when Daniel moved away from him and sat up. As they walked back together, Jack veered towards the Avalanche and took Lumpy out from the back seat. Daniel immediately rubbed his face against the soft fur and smiled at Jack.

Hammond stood when he saw them coming. Dinner was over; there was cake and coffee on the table.

"I'm sorry, sir, but I think it's best we leave now." Daniel ducked his head and leaned closer to Jack, rubbing Lumpy's face against his cheek.

"I understand, Colonel." Hammond turned to Daniel and spread his arms wide. "You gonna give me a hug, son?"

With a shy grin, Daniel rushed into Hammond's hug. "Thank you for everything, Grandpa George. Jack says you wouldn't be mad and I'm glad you're not."

"Of course I'm not mad, Daniel." Hammond patted Daniel's back. "Are you feeling better now?"

Daniel nodded as he pulled away.

"I hope you and Jack come back again some day soon."

Daniel stepped away and nodded enthusiastically. "Yes. Can we, Jack? Today was lots and lots of fun. Can we come back tomorrow?"

"Not tomorrow, sport. But some day soon, when the general has another party."

"But Jack—"

"Bye, Daniel." Fraiser came up beside Daniel and smiled up at him, interrupting what threatened to become an argument. "Can I have a hug, too?"

Pouting a little, Daniel turned from Jack and took Fraiser in his arms, almost enveloping her small form. When Daniel pulled away, she smiled sadly up at him and stepped back. Hammond's granddaughters were busy eating Daniel's birthday cake and all but ignored him, but Cassie waved at Daniel. Daniel waved back, a shy smile on his face before he turned to Jack.

"Can we go home now?" he asked plaintively. His eyes and nose were still red, his face held splotches of color high on his cheeks.

"Sure." Jack quickly shook the general's hand and accepted a huge chunk of cellophane-wrapped cake. He gave Fraiser a one-armed hug, then led Daniel to the Avalanche while Carter and Teal'c said their farewells. Within minutes, they were on their way.

Jack glanced in the rear view mirror and smiled at the sight. Daniel was leaning against Teal'c, his head cushioned on his shoulder. It was evident that Daniel was out for the count.

Lumpy was squished between Teal'c and Daniel, the glassy brown eyes staring at Jack as if to protest his position. Jack smiled, and caught Carter watching him.

"What?"

"Nothing." She smiled softly as she turned to look at Daniel and Teal'c. "He really enjoyed himself today."

"Yeah. It's not often that he's this energetic."

"Is that why... did he overdo it today?"

"Possibly. But the same thing happened to Sara once. Of course she was pregnant at the time. But there she was giggling over something stupid I'd said and two minutes later she was crying hysterically. Scared the shit out of me. I thought she was miscarrying."

"But what happened to Daniel isn't hormonal."

"No, but his whole system's out of whack, so who knows." Jack glanced again into the rear view mirror. "Teal'c, you okay back there?"

"We are fine."

"If he gets too heavy, just push him away. You won't wake him."

They drove back in silence, the hour-long trip seeming longer than normal without Daniel's usual chatter.

The sun was just setting as Jack pulled up into his driveway. "You guys want to come in for some coffee, considering we left the party early and all? We've got cake to eat and I've got ice cream in the freezer."

"Sure."

Jack got out of the truck and opened the passenger door. He reached inside and shook Daniel. "C'mon, sleepyhead. Time to go to bed."

Daniel opened bleary eyes, moaned loudly and burrowed more deeply against Teal'c.

"You must wake up now, DanielJackson." Teal'c gently pried Daniel away from him and unbuckled his seatbelt. Daniel slowly tilted towards the door, and Jack put a hand out.

"Let's go. Bedtime."

"I don't wanna go to bed," Daniel complained as he got out of the truck. He shuffled towards the house, eyes half closed.

"I'll bring your stuff in," Carter said. He heard car doors opening and closing and he figured she was transferring bags to her car and Teal'c's borrowed one from the base.

As Jack unlocked the door, Daniel leaned against Jack, throwing him slightly off balance. "Let's go." He threw the door open and herded Daniel into the bedroom.

Daniel sat heavily on his bed, eyes closed. Then his hand came out and patted the SpongeBob bedspread.

"Where's Lumpy?" Daniel looked up at Jack in panic as he twisted to look around the empty bed.

"Lumpy is here." Teal'c entered the room, stuffed toy in hand. Daniel grabbed Lumpy and rolled over onto his side, bringing his knees up towards his chest.

"Oh, no. You're not getting into bed like that." Jack pulled Daniel back up into a seated position. "C'mon, shoes first."

Daniel whined a little but put toe to heel and tried to pry his sneakers off. Teal'c grabbed his foot, drew the lace and pulled the shoe off. Daniel leaned sleepily against Jack, who pushed him away and grabbed the edge of his tee shirt, pulling it up over his head.

"C'mon, go brush your teeth and take a pee." He pulled Daniel up and led him to the bathroom. While Daniel swayed over the sink and brushed his teeth, Jack went back into the bathroom and grabbed his pjs, placed them on the counter beside Daniel, and pulled back the bed's covers. He shook out a couple of Tylenol and brought some water back into the room.

A few minutes later Daniel came back into the bedroom and headed straight for his bed. His pajama pants were bunched up around the knee of his right leg and there was toothpaste smeared on his chin. The skin on his nose and cheeks were sunburned, as was the back of his neck.

Before Daniel could slide into bed, Jack handed him the pills. Daniel swallowed them and some water with an exaggerated grimace, slid into bed, grabbed Lumpy and curled up on his side.

"Good night, Daniel." Jack leaned over and smoothed the hair over his temple, then leaned over and kissed the spot where his fingers had been.

"Night, Jack." Daniel yawned, his eyes already closed.

"Good night, DanielJackson."

"Night, Teal'c," Daniel breathed.

Jack stood there a moment, watching him, when suddenly Daniel opened his eyes and sat up.

"Where's Sam? I didn't get to say goodnight."

"I'm here."

Jack hadn't seen Carter, who must have been standing in the doorway, watching quietly. The bagful of birthday presents Daniel had received was resting at her feet. She went and gave Daniel a kiss and tucked him in. She brushed her fingers over his temple just as Jack had done, then straightened.

They left the room, and by the time Jack turned out the light, he was pretty sure Daniel was fast asleep.

Jack used the pad of his thumb to wipe away the tears that rested on the flushed cheeks. In response to Jack's invasive touch, Daniel snorted in his sleep and rubbed his face into the unfamiliar pillow, sneezing at the apparent non-hypoallergenic filling.

"Cold," Daniel mumbled, hunkering further down in the bed, tugging an unresisting Lumpy closer.

"I'm on it, big guy." Jack eased himself off the bed and walked to the closet, grabbing the extra blanket from the top shelf. He spread it over Daniel's already blanket-covered body, adjusting the less-than-soft covering so that only Lumpy's head and the top of its owner's were visible. Jack balanced himself on the bed and leaned over to plant a soft kiss to Daniel's head, and for good measure, gave Lumpy a kiss as well, far from embarrassed by his show of emotions to either the man or the stuffed camel.

A warmer than normal hand grabbed a handful of tee shirt before Jack was able to stand.

"Sssssh, I'm sorry I woke you," Jack apologized, sitting back down on the bed. "Go back to sleep."

"We're really here?" Daniel whispered, his sleepy gaze studying Jack expectantly. "An Itch Gardens?"

"Really here. The Six Flags Elitch Gardens. Just like I promised." He adjusted the blanket around Daniel's shoulders. "Remember the hotel? Finding the room?"

Yawning, Daniel nodded. "I remember. No more driving? Right?"

Daniel trapped in a car. Cranky. Excited. And bored with everything he had packed. Jack losing patience. Nope. Not going down in the books as one of their more stellar memories.

Daniel pulled Lumpy down, so the whole camel disappeared under the mound of blankets, and Daniel's arm, with Jack's watch on his wrist appearing in its stead. "What time are we leaving? Can you show me?"

"I have a better idea, what if I set the watch to be like an alarm clock, like we have at home, so it'll ring when it's time to get up and get ready."

"I like that." Daniel waved his arm towards Jack, the older man capturing the undulating arm with a chuckle.

"Hold still." Jack squinted at the watch, mentally calculating the wake up time. "Six thirty," he said. "There you go." Jack showed the face of the watch to Daniel. "When the big hand is here and the little hand is here, then we can get up and wake up everyone else."

Daniel giggled. "Even Cassie? Cassie hates to wake up early."

"So does Doc Janet." Jack pressed his pointer finger to his lips. "But don't tell anyone."

"I promise." Daniel yawned and Jack didn't miss the shiver even under the layers of blankets.

"See you bright and early," Jack promised Daniel.

Jack adjusted the temperature of the room's air conditioner and his hand was still on the control knob when Fraiser gave a "knock, knock" to the opened door between their adjoining rooms.

"It's the fever and not the temperature of the room, Colonel."

"I know."

Fraiser walked over to the bed and placed the back of her hand against Daniel's forehead. Jack held his breath, praying that the doc's touch wouldn't awaken him. "He's still warm. Did you give him Tylenol?"

"Yes," he answered with the twinge of sixteen year old annoyance that Fraiser knew so well.

"If he has a fever, I certainly can't condone a trip to the park tomorrow."

"I understand, but you know something? There's no way in hell I'm going to tell Daniel that and if you decide to tell him that he can't go, you're a much braver woman than I ever gave you credit for."

"This isn't a laughing matter, sir."

"No, it's not," Jack agreed with a sad smile. "I know. But sometimes a little humor is the only way I can get through the day." Jack shrugged and scrubbed his hands though his hair. "Maybe coming here wasn't the best idea in the world, ya know? But maybe Daniel needed this. Heck maybe even I needed this."

"I'm sorry... Jack. I don't mean to rain on anyone's parade, and as much as I may be considered the Wicked Witch—"

Jack held his hand up in surrender. "Honest, it wasn't me who called you that."

Fraiser gave an unladylike snort. "Whatever you say, but I could swear last week while Daniel and Cassie watched the Wizard of Oz you made some comment, asking if a house had ever fallen on my sister."

"You laughed."

"Yes, I did," she answered with a waggle of her eyebrows, "but I didn't forget, just like I'm not forgetting your attempt to derail this conversation."

"Go ahead, you were up to the Wicked Witch comparison."

"Yes, I was, wasn't I? And as much as I hate that, I guess I am. I need to be Daniel's doctor before I can be his friend. I know how hard it is for you and Daniel—"

"And for you, too."

"Yes, and for me, but I have to. I just want you to understand that it doesn't mean I love him any less, or that I get a thrill out of thwarting all the grandiose, fun ideas you have, but I'm Doc Janet first because of how much I do love Daniel, no matter how hard and no matter how mean I seem to be."

The laughing and giggling from the girls' room had died down about an hour ago, but still Jack padded around quietly. Teal'c was in a deep state of kel-no-reem on one of the queen sized beds and Daniel was sleeping restlessly in the other. Jack surely didn't want to disturb Teal'c, but neither did he want to get into bed with Daniel. Indecisively, Jack stood, straddling the carpeting between the two beds.

Finally, Jack slipped into bed with Daniel, but not under the top sheet, so in theory he was in the same bed as Daniel, but not in bed, so to speak. Ludicrous, he knew, but also a matter of self-preservation to not lie in bed with Daniel, his placement under the array of blankets providing him with a sense of self-imposed mental protection. He stiffened as Daniel rolled towards him, making a futile attempt to snuggle against Jack's body. Daniel gave a snort of indignation in his sleep as the barrier between them prevented him from leeching off Jack's warmth. Daniel tried once, twice, the third time even making an offering of Lumpy as he pushed the stuffed camel under Jack's nose.

"Not tonight," Jack whispered, pushing an errant strand of hair off the warm forehead. Jack slid his body up and bent over the sleeping man, taking Daniel's arms and physically wrapping them around the much loved toy. He slowly backed out of the bed, grabbed the blanket at the end of Teal'c's bed, and made himself comfortable on the couch stuck in the corner of their room.

Jack nearly took a header off the couch when he tried to turn, forgetting he wasn't at home lying on a much bigger place to sleep, or offworld on a flat surface. "Damn." He stuck his arm downward, levering his body back onto the too-narrow cushions. Jack jerked the blanket from his feet and tucked it around himself, grumbling at the uncomfortableness of his chosen sleeping arrangements.

"And if we go this way..."

In the silence of the room, snatches of conversation floated loud and clear over to Jack. "Daniel," he hissed, sitting up, swinging his stiff legs onto the floor. "Daniel," he called again, exasperated that once his eyes adjusted to the darkness of the room, Jack could see Daniel's empty bed. The bedside clock showed that it was too early for Daniel to be up. Hell, it was too early for Jack to be up. Nevertheless, curiosity and worry got the better of him. He pushed himself off the couch, stepping over the blanket that fell to the floor and shuffled in the direction Daniel's voice was emanating from - the bathroom.

The door squeaked as Jack pushed it open and he blinked convulsively against the light until his eyes grew accustomed to the brightness.

"Ummm, Daniel?" Jack's hand swept the bathroom's disarray. Lumpy was perched on the closed toilet lid, and Daniel was sitting with towels under his ass, a very black marker in his hands, on his hands and a smudge or two of black on his face and the shower curtain. There was a large multicolored piece of paper between his legs that was covered with "X's" and squiggly lines. "What are you doing?"

Daniel scrunched up his face as he looked up at Jack. "Doing?"

"Yes, what's all this?"

"Shhhh, quiet," Daniel warned, placing the opened marker against his pursed lips. "Come on in and close the door, you'll wake Teal'c."

Jack stepped into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him. He picked up Lumpy, sat on the closed toilet lid and placed the stuffed camel in his lap. Jack leaned forward, tapping the paper that had again captured Daniel's attention.

"Daniel?"

"It's the map of the park. Sam gave it to me when we checked in... you know the man at the desk you gave your credit card to, the guy wearing the suit? Well, he gave it to Sam and she gave it to me. And I've been studying it, to see where we're going to visit. I've been marking the way we should walk. See? Here and here," Daniel said as he pointed to the numbers one and then two written in bold magic marker. "This is where we buy our tickets and over here is the big fountain and the way I figure it—"

"How do you feel?"

"You interrupted me," Daniel said indignantly. "You always tell me that I should wait until the person is done speaking." Daniel wagged the marker at Jack. "That was very rude."

Jack bit his bottom lip and counted to ten to rein in the laughter that was threatening to explode from the absurdity of the situation. "I'm sorry, honest, but you need to answer my question. How do you feel?"

"Wet."

"Wet? Daniel, did you wet the—"

"Ewwwww... no! I'm not a baby. I meant my clothes are wet." Daniel pulled his tee shirt away from his body and then sniffed his armpits. "I stink."

"Yup, I have to agree with the stinky part." Jack held Lumpy up to his ear, nodding his head. "Oh, I agree totally, Lumpy," Jack said as he comically pinched the area he suspected Lumpy's nose would be. "Even Lumpy says you stink."

"Jack," Daniel looked around before whispering conspiratorially. "Lumpy can't talk."

Jack clapped his hands over Lumpy's ears. "Daniel, don't say that too loud, you'll hurt poor Lumpy's feelings."

Daniel's giggles were infectious and soon Jack's laughter was bouncing off the tiled bathroom walls. "You're very silly this morning." Daniel located the cover to the marker and stuck it back on, and then meticulously began refolding the map.

Jack captured Daniel's hand as he went to reach for Lumpy, pulling him close enough to check for a fever with a gentle kiss to his forehead. He tugged at Daniel's shirt. "You're wet 'cause your fever broke. How about a shower?"

Nervous eyes darted from Jack's gaze to over his shoulder, examining the unfamiliar tub. "No shower... bath... bubble bath."

"Bath I can do... but it's a no go in the bubbles department."

"I don't think so," Daniel responded in a sing song voice. "I'll be right back, you start the bath."

Daniel grabbed Lumpy from Jack's embrace and hurried from the bathroom. Jack was starting the bath, getting the temperature just right, but even over the sound of running water he could hear Daniel's grunts, groans and then the sound of a suitcase unzipping. He returned with two unfamiliar looking yellow plastic bags, with very familiar handwriting adorning their front. "I wasn't sure which one so I brought both of them."

Daniel dumped both bags on the vanity and dropped down on the closed toilet. Lumpy was given a seat of honor on Daniel's lap. "Is the water just the way I like it?"

"Of course it is, Sir Daniel," Jack said with an exaggerated bow. "I know I will be sent to the dungeon if the water temperature is not to your liking." Jack had to smile as Lumpy bore the brunt of Daniel's giggles. "Now let's see what's in these bags, shall we?" Jack ruffled Daniel's hair, which did nothing but make the strands stick out every which way. "Think you're gonna have to wash your hair also."

Daniel pointed to the words on the bags. "Sam gave me these bags. She said they were pieces of home that I would need and told me to stuff them in my suitcase. What do the words say?" Daniel used Lumpy's nose as a pointer.

"This one says, 'Things Colonel O'Neill will forget to bring'. Hey, I didn't forget anything."

"Um, Jack, if you didn't forget anything, where's the bubble bath?"

"Hmpf," Jack replied indignantly.

"I bet there's bubble bath in there... betcha, betcha, betcha."

Jack peeked in and smiled. There was more than just bubble bath. There was suntan lotion, one of those new battery operated toothbrushes emblazoned with SpongeBob, and a bottle of that great smelling shampoo that Carter always bought for Daniel. Jack removed the bottle of bubble bath and poured in a generous amount.

"This smells great, Jack. Doesn't this smell good?" Enthusiastically, Daniel stuck the opened bottle of shampoo under Jack's nose and Jack was assaulted by memories of a different time and a very different Daniel enjoying a shower at his house.

"That is a good smell," he said, removing the opened bottle from Daniel's hand and screwing the cap back on. "I'm going to leave it right over here so you can wash your hair before you get out." 'Damn Carter and her good intentions', he thought, turning his attention back to monitoring the bath water.

Daniel took out the toothbrush, examined it and began to attempt to open up the hard plastic wrapping. Eventually, he just gave up and held it in his hand. "What about the other bag? What's in that? What does it say?"

"This one says 'For Daniel—just because'."

"Because what?"

"I don't know, but I think maybe you should look inside, 'cause it's for you."

Daniel shoved Lumpy and the toothbrush at Jack and grabbed the bag. He opened it, peered inside, then shut it, opened it, peered inside and shut it. This went on one more time before Jack called a halt to it. "Enough. What the heck's in the bag?"

Daniel's eyes had widened in shock as he stuck his hand in the bag and pulled out, with great reverence, a brand spanking new Playstation portable. Daniel clutched the bag in one hand and examined the box like it contained the answers to the universe. "Remember I wanted this and you said it was too expensive?"

"I remember all too well." He knew Carter loved to spoil Daniel, but he would have to have a discussion with his 2IC regarding limitations.

"And this, she got me this."

"There's more?"

"Yup... here's a SpongeBob game," Daniel withdrew the boxes and began to pile them on the counter, "a carrying case, and... and look at this, Jack. Movies, I can actually watch movies just like the TV says. She got me SpongeBob and the Fairly Odd Parents... I need to go wake up Sam right now and thank her." Daniel jumped up and had one hand on the doorknob before Jack intervened.

"No, you don't," Jack said, physically maneuvering Daniel's body back onto the closed toilet seat. The empty plastic bag was clutched tightly to his chest, and every part of Daniel's body seemed to quivering with unbridled excitement that Jack now had to reel in. There were times Jack hated being the responsible parent with Daniel, while Carter, Fraiser, Teal'c and even General Hammond had free reign in spoiling him. He held the bag open for Daniel. "Put everything back in the bag."

Immediate tears sprung to Daniel's eyes. "I have to return them?"

The thought had briefly occurred to Jack, but he wouldn't do that to Daniel, though all guilty parties in cahoots to this "Daniel spoiling" were going to be forced to attend a briefing where Jack was going to be laying down some ground rules. "No, you don't have to give them back. It's bath time and these things and water don't mix."

"Oh, okay." Daniel happily put the boxes back in the bag and placed it on the floor next to the toilet, with Lumpy standing guard. Jack tested the water and turned it off.

"I'm going to take the bag and start charging the Playstation," Jack said. "This way if you want to take it with you to breakfast or while waiting for the shuttle bus, it'll be ready." Jack closed the bathroom door three quarters of the way, pushed aside Daniel's opened suitcase and turned on the bedside lamp so he could decipher the instructions on the box. "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em," he mumbled to himself.

Jack handed his credit card to the girl behind the window, fully aware of Daniel's growing excitement. He scrawled his name on the slip she'd passed him and handed out the tickets.

"Careful, Daniel. Don't tear it," Jack warned in a low voice as Daniel nearly crushed the paper.

"I won't. I'll be careful." Daniel looked at him, all solemn blue eyes and eagerness to please. "And I'll stay close and not walk away. And I'll listen to what you say."

Memory washed over Jack, bittersweet and filled with regret—an image of Daniel on one of their many missions, excited and rapturous over some ruins, throwing caution to the wind.

"I know you will." Jack smiled, hoping to reassure the younger man as he took in the anxious gaze. Last week's little incident was evidently still fresh in Daniel's memory. It had shaken both of them. Jack tensed as memories of that day assailed him.

He didn't know what awoke him—except a feeling of unease and 'not rightness'. Jack pushed himself out of bed and walked to Daniel's room, needing to check, to make sure. His heart pounded furiously when he realized the bed was empty, although he told himself that Daniel probably had moved downstairs to put in some videos. Shoes were all still lined up in the closet even though Lumpy was gone. His foray into the den, living room, and the kitchen had Jack's anxiety growing, because Daniel was nowhere to be found. A check of the closet where they kept their jackets didn't alleviate his fears, since Daniel's light windbreaker was gone. Maybe Daniel had gone up to the observatory, but it only took a few minutes for Jack to discover Daniel was nowhere to be found on the property. His voice slightly hoarse from yelling Daniel's name, Jack went back into the house, grabbing the phone and dialing Hammond.

"Sir, we have a problem," he said as soon as the general's voice said a gruff hello.

Jack hung up the phone less than five minutes later, knowing General Hammond would be alerting the SGC to begin its own search. Cursing under his breath at his inability to find his keys, Jack stopped his frantic search and closed his eyes, taking a few deep breaths. He needed to think of this as a military operation, not a parent's search for a lost child. The leadership qualities that served him so well in Special Ops and as CO of SG-1 came to the fore. Jack grabbed his cell phone on the way to the Avalanche, finding the keys where they always were, on the hook by the door. He hit speed dial and explained the situation to Carter, giving her a set of orders while he backed out of the driveway and then dialed 911, deeming the situation serious enough to take that step.

It had begun pouring sometime during the night, and the temperature had taken a dip towards the coolish side. If Daniel was out there, he was going to be cold and wet.

"No, you don't understand," Jack explained, proud that he was keeping his temper under control when he was told that a timeframe of less than four hours didn't constitute a missing person's case. He gripped the phone tighter. "He's brain damaged. He has the mind of a five year old and I really don't think a five year old should be out wandering the streets early in the morning."

He rattled off his cell phone number when the dispatcher prompted him for it, having to place his trust in others to find Daniel if he didn't discover him wandering the darkened streets himself. He glanced at the thermometer above the rear view mirror and felt another flutter of fear for Daniel. It might only be fifty five degrees this morning, and Daniel was wearing nothing more than a windbreaker and most likely the cotton pajamas he'd worn to bed last night. His hands shaking, Jack pulled to the side of the street and rested his head on the steering wheel, praying to a God he wasn't sure was listening.

An hour later, his phone calls to Hammond and Carter not giving him any satisfaction, Jack stopped at an all night gas station to buy some coffee. He'd exhausted all his ideas of possible places Daniel might have gone and his thoughts turned morbid, despite his best efforts. Visions of Daniel being lured into a dark alley and assaulted, or worse, made his throat thicken with unshed tears and bile, making the coffee taste even bitterer.

"O'Neill," Jack barked into the ringing cell phone.

"Colonel Jack O'Neill?"

"Yes."

"My name is Bridget Wellington. I'm calling from St. Thomas More Hospital. Are you the guardian of a Daniel Jackson?"

"Yes, yes, I am. Is he all right?"

"He's not hurt, sir. He's a little shook up and pretty soaked through. A policeman found him and brought him to us when he realized Mr. Jackson wasn't able to give him your address. Can you come and pick him up?"

"I'll be there in ten minutes. May I... can I talk to him?"

"Hi Jack." Daniel's voice was suddenly in his ear, but the usual cheerfulness was gone. "Jack? Are you still there?"

"I'm... I'm here, Danny. I'm coming to pick you up, okay?" Jack managed to say. He dialed Carter, letting her know the good news and then reported to Hammond.

"You can give me the details later, Jack," General Hammond said, the relief in his voice evident. "Meanwhile, just take our boy home and see if you can figure out what happened."

"Yes, sir." Jack's relief began turning to anger on the drive to the emergency room—an anger he remembered feeling when Charlie had once wandered away from Sara and he on a trip to a beach. By the time he walked into the hospital, Jack was almost ready to explode, and clenched his fists into his pockets to remove the temptation to throttle his wandering charge.

"Daniel, it looks like your friend is here," a young police officer said as Jack approached. He stepped between Jack and Daniel, who was sitting on a gurney, wrapped in a blanket.

Leaning around the officer, Daniel looked up at Jack, Lumpy clutched under one arm and his face paled. "Uh oh," Jack heard him whisper.

"Colonel O'Neill," the officer, a Lieutenant Wyman Jack noted, motioned for Jack to follow him a short distance away. "We found him sitting outside the public library."

"The library," Jack repeated—a promise to take Daniel there the previous weekend having to be placed on hold because Jack had been called in to the SGC for an emergency. He hadn't even known Daniel still remembered how to get to the library. A small laugh caught Jack's attention and he looked over to see a nurse speaking to Daniel. As if he was aware of Jack's gaze, Daniel glanced their way, the smile on his face fading as he watched him. Jeeze, Jack thought, next they'll be thinking I abuse him or something, his guilt at allowing Daniel to wander off beginning to gnaw at him.

"He came with us willingly—told us that you told him cops were good guys and he should go to them if he needed help," Lieutenant Wyman said with a grin. "I'm glad this worked out, sir." He hesitated a fraction before continuing. "I'm guessing this is a new situation for you, Colonel. You may want to install some locks he can't open."

"Yeah." Jack wiped his face with his hand. The anger was gone, leaving only regret and sadness in its wake. "I'll look into that." He walked over to Daniel's side and reached out to touch Daniel's damp hair. There was no response, only a tightening of Daniel's arm around Lumpy's neck.

"I'm glad you're safe," Jack finally whispered. The head under his hand moved slightly in negation.

"Are you mad at me?" The words were whispered so quietly Jack had to strain to hear them.

Jack sighed. "I was worried. You scared me."

"I wanted to go to the library," Daniel explained. "I didn't want to worry you."

"It's the middle of the night." Jack moved his hand to Daniel's shoulder, feeling the slight shivers and wondering if they were from fear or cold. He shifted his glance to Daniel's bare feet, dirty and bruised, and shuddered himself.

"I'm sorry," Daniel said, his head still hanging down. "I didn't want to scare you." A noisy sob escaped him. "Don't get rid of me."

"Ah crap." Jack moved closer. "Ah, Danny. It's okay. Shh... it's okay." He pulled Daniel into a hug and held him tight, not caring that his own tears were dripping into Daniel's hair.

"Jack?" Daniel was looking at him. "I'll stay with you. I promise."

Daniel had cried himself to sleep after Jack had gotten him home from the hospital, Jack's reassurances that no, he didn't have to go live somewhere else unable to be processed. Jack had sat in Daniel's room long after the other man had fallen asleep.

"Yeah, I know." He held up the map. "So where do we go first?"

"The train." Daniel smiled. He took a step away from Jack, and then stopped, looking at the crowds. He held out a hand for Jack. Jack took it, smiling at the trust in the habit.

"Are we gonna stand here all day?" Daniel finally asked, the impatience sounding exactly like the archaeologist they all used to know.

"Lead on, DanielJackson," Teal'c said, pointing.

Jack watched as Daniel went off with Cassie, Fraiser and Carter. Teal'c was determined to win Daniel one of the large SpongeBob SquarePants pillows being offered at one of the game stands. Finding himself alone, Jack searched for a bench and smiled when he spied one in the shade.

He wasn't sure if Daniel would go on the newest roller coaster, but despite his quietness after the water ride, Daniel had seemed willing. Jack moved back on the bench, adjusting his sunglasses and settling back for some people watching.

"DanielJackson and the others approach, O'Neill," Teal'c announced, startling Jack. Pushing back the brim of his ball cap, Jack was slightly concerned that Daniel appeared to be lagging behind. But he reminded himself, Daniel had been awake way too early this morning. He glanced at his watch, figuring that if the others agreed, they could take a break and eat some lunch. Jack stood, waiting to see Daniel's reaction to the SpongeBob pillow Teal'c was holding. Just imagining the big smile he expected to see put a grin on Jack's face.

"I have prevailed in the Whack a Mole contest and procured a large sponge that wears pants for you, DanielJackson," Teal'c said as he offered the pillow to Daniel.

Jack noticed Carter and Janet hiding smiles behind their hands at Teal'c's formal announcement.

"Thank you." Daniel accepted the pillow but kept his head down, staring at the ground.

"Do you not like it?" Teal'c picked up on Daniel's subdued response as quickly as Jack did.

"I like it," Daniel said. "It's nice." But there was no inflection in his voice.

Placing a hand on Daniel's shoulder, still not sure what was going on, Jack pasted a smile on his face and announced, "What say we chow down?"

The others quickly agreed, except for Daniel. Jack walked by his side, keeping a close eye on him. Daniel looked fine, no trace of the slight fever from last night.

"Daniel?"

"Huh?"

"Did something happen when you were with Carter, Doc Janet, and Cassie?"

Daniel shook his head and continued walking.

"Because, you know, if something happened, you should tell me," Jack persisted.

"I know." Daniel stopped and handed the pillow to Jack. "I don't want to carry this. It's too heavy."

Jack took the pillow, somehow not surprised when Daniel took off his backpack and pulled out Lumpy. Jack knew something was wrong when he saw Daniel give the stuffed camel a fierce hug. Jack sighed and squeezed Daniel's shoulder, telling himself Daniel always had been a little grumpy when he'd gone without food too long.

Sitting around the picnic table minutes later, Jack watched as Daniel swiped a fry through ketchup and took a small bite of it. Daniel's appetite was iffy at times, but hamburgers and French fries were the one thing he always ate with gusto. Carter and Cassie were talking, trying to get Daniel to participate in the conversation, asking him what rides he wanted to go on after their meal, but unlike his earlier excitement, Daniel was using shrugs, head shakes and nods to communicate.

"Daniel, do you feel okay?" Fraiser asked him, her mouth pulled in a frown. Jack shook his head as she reached out to touch his forehead, not surprised in the least when Daniel pulled away from her.

"Daniel, if you don't feel well, you need to let me know," Jack said, hating how gruff he sounded.

"I'm okay." Daniel pushed his hamburger away, clutching Lumpy even tighter. "I don't want any more of this. It doesn't taste good. They didn't put mustard on it."

"I can get you some mustard," Carter offered. "Or a hamburger instead."

"I don't want it," Daniel said, sounding for all the world like a recalcitrant toddler. "I want to go home. I don't like this place."

"We were going to go on the train again, remember? And you said you'd ride the sky ride with me." Cassie leaned forward, trying to soothe Daniel.

"I don't want to go on the train. I want to go home." Daniel rocked slightly in his seat, stopping the movement when Teal'c put a hand on his shoulder.

"If you wish to go home, DanielJackson, then we shall take you," Teal'c promised. "I am sorry you are not enjoying your time at the park."

Jack didn't miss the look of disappointment on Cassie's face as he began gathering up his and Daniel's things. "Daniel and I will go back to the hotel. Why don't you come back there for supper and, if Daniel feels like it, we'll try coming back with you tonight?"

"Going home?" Daniel was up and waiting by the time Jack had extricated himself from the table.

"Not all the way home, buddy, but back to the hotel," Jack assured him. He rested a hand on Daniel's shoulder.

"You mad at me?" Daniel looked at their other friends, his glance darting from Carter, to Teal'c, to Cassie and then to Fraiser.

"Of course not." Carter got up and gave him a hug. "We want you to be happy."

"Okay," Daniel agreed, and then tugged on Jack's arm. "Let's go. Let's go, Jack."

"Coming, Daniel." Jack waved to the others. He held his hand up to his ear, mimicking a cell phone and pointing to Fraiser. She nodded her head in understanding.

Despite the distractions on the way through the park—stores, games, and food stands, Daniel walked by Jack's side silently, radiating tension that Jack couldn't understand. He almost wished they had driven in the Avalanche instead of taking the shuttle bus in the morning. But Daniel said nothing, sitting on the bench at the shuttle stop and petting Lumpy's head. He moved closer to Jack when a family with two boisterous children came to wait at the same stop.

"I want to go home," Daniel whispered, Jack needing to lean close to even hear the words.

"I know." Jack patted Daniel's knee and sighed in relief when he saw the bus coming. Luckily the only other riders were going to be the family and Jack knew the bus ride wasn't much longer than ten minutes.

Daniel slid into the seat and huddled against the window, all his energy seemingly gone. Jack was sure Daniel didn't have a fever. His skin felt normal where his arm touched Jack's.

By the time they made it back to the hotel, Jack's head was pounding from the two little darlings who thought it was their mission in life to loudly complain that they had the world's meanest parents. Daniel was squinting and pinching his nose, sure sign he had a headache, too.

Reaching their hotel room was a relief. Jack closed the drapes and turned up the air conditioner. He went to the bathroom to get a glass of water for Daniel and smiled as he came back out. Daniel was already stretched out on one of the beds, sound asleep. Jack pulled the comforter out from the side and placed it over his sleeping friend. After carefully removing Daniel's shoes and glasses, Jack stretched out on the other bed, looking over the room service menu, figuring that when Daniel awoke he'd most likely be hungry.

"Mommy! Daddy! No, no, no! Mommy!"

Daniel's hoarse cries woke Jack from his nap. Heart pounding, Jack slid off his bed and sat on the edge of Daniel's. Daniel was sitting up, his eyes fixed on some distant spot, sobbing as if his heart was breaking. Jack extended a hand towards him, unsure if Daniel would respond or not. Hell, he wasn't even sure if Daniel was awake.

"Daniel." Jack spoke in a low voice. "Danny?" His hand was pushed away when he touched Daniel's knee.

"I want my mommy." Daniel gave a hiccupping sob as he looked at Jack.

Okay, definitely awake, but obviously caught up in the aftermath of the dream.

"Your..." Jack paused, rubbing a hand through his hair, having no idea how to handle this, "your mommy isn't here. I'm here to take care of you, remember?"

"I want mommy and daddy." Daniel was still crying, pushing Jack away as he tried to move closer. "I want my mommy and daddy!"

"Oh, Danny." Daniel and Jack were matched pretty evenly strength wise, but Daniel's emotional state put him at a disadvantage, so Jack simply wrapped him in a hug, holding on tightly when Daniel began to squirm. "Calm down. Let's just calm down. It was a bad dream."

"The rocks were falling. All around us." Daniel stopped moving, curling his hand around Jack's forearm. "Mommy and Daddy were in the rocks and then they went away."

"I know, I know," Jack soothed, rocking them both slowly. "I know, Danny. But I'm here and I promise I'll take care of you." He thought back to the water ride, remembering fake rocks seeming to tumble around the boat. Jack cursed himself under his breath for not realizing the possible confused memories that ride could dredge up.

"Promise?" Daniel asked, his fingers digging into Jack's skin and his voice shaky. "Promise?"

"I promise," Jack assured him. "I won't leave. You're safe."

Daniel took a deep breath, pushing at Jack's arms. "You're squishing me."

Jack laughed and released his arms, still keeping Daniel in a light hold. He wasn't sure if it was for Daniel's reassurance or his own.

"I didn't like that roller coaster," Daniel muttered. "But Sam and Cassie said it was a baby ride and laughed when they heard the people screaming. I didn't want to be a baby. I didn't want them to laugh at me."

Daniel looked at Jack, his eyes searching Jack's.

"I know," Jack said. "And you were very brave doing something that scared you." He made a mental note to speak to Carter and Cassie before returning to the park in the evening. He knew they had meant no harm by their comments, but sometimes they seemed to forget that Daniel wasn't the Daniel they had always known. He pulled Daniel close a moment, pressing a kiss on the top of Daniel's head. They both laughed when Daniel's stomach gave a growl.

"Hungry?" Jack asked. "You didn't eat much at lunch. Can you eat something now?"

Daniel nodded his head with enthusiasm. "Chicken fingers and fries with lots of catsup."

"Coming right up, sir." Jack held up the phone with a flourish and dialed room service.

"They bring the food here?" Daniel asked when Jack hung up. "We get to eat in bed?"

"We'll eat at the table," Jack pointed. "I'll get things set up for our food and meanwhile you can go in the bathroom and get cleaned up."

"I'm not dirty," Daniel said. "Look." He held his hands out for Jack to inspect them.

"We got wet on the rides, and your clothes are dirty. I'll start the shower for you and then you can hop in," Jack mentioned.

"You got wet, too," Daniel countered. "I know. We can take a shower together."

Jack stopped mid-step at that suggestion and felt as if he'd been punched in the gut. He looked back at Daniel, schooling a careful smile on his face. "Ah, no, buddy. I think we'd better take our own showers." At Daniel's crestfallen expression, he forced a smile to his lips. "The tub isn't very big." He searched his mind for something to get Daniel's mind off the shower. "And I was thinking we can go swimming after we eat. So why don't you wash off quick and then you can put your swim trunks on right away." He went in the bathroom to turn on the water and adjust it, hoping to God that Daniel remembered the rules about wearing a bathrobe.

Snagging two chaise lounges, Jack threw their towels on them. He motioned for Daniel to sit on one before opening the sun block.

Daniel looked around the pool area with interest. "This is like the pool at the Center."

"Yep, but here you can do whatever you want." Jack squirted some lotion on Daniel's back, imagining himself smearing it on Charlie's back years ago, telling himself he'd been given a strange second chance at fatherhood. At least Daniel liked his therapy sessions in the pool; Monday and Wednesdays were days there was rarely a fuss about going to the Center.

Giggling, Daniel arched his back. "That tickles."

Jack wiped his hand across Daniel's face. "Rub that in, Daniel. I'm all done with your back." He watched as Daniel dutifully rubbed in the lotion.

"Here," Jack said, squirting sun block in Daniel's hands. "You can do the rest yourself."

"Okay," Daniel nodded, applying the lotion with enthusiasm. He looked up at Jack when he was done. "Sit down." Taking the bottle from Jack, Daniel stood. "Now I'll do your back."

"Uh, Daniel, I..." Jack clenched his fingers into his knees as Daniel began rubbing the lotion into his back. He forced himself to think of Goa'uld, of Maybourne and Kinsey, anything but the feel of Daniel's fingers gliding over his skin.

"There," Daniel said, leaning forward and wiping his hand over Jack's stomach. "All done."

"Yeah," Jack replied, his voice sounding weak. He hoped the pool water was cold, cold enough to shock him back into this reality.

"Can I go in?" Daniel was watching him, his gaze darting between Jack and the pool.

"Go ahead," Jack said, getting to his feet, "but wait for me once you get in the water."

"Okay." Daniel nodded once and hurried towards the steps leading into the shallow end of the pool.

Jack knew Daniel was comfortable in the water, but he didn't quite trust Daniel's sometimes impulsive tendencies. Luckily the pool wasn't crowded and he figured he'd be able to keep a close eye on him.

The water was cool and Daniel was happy paddling around, splashing Jack with water and allowing himself to be dunked repeatedly.

"This is fun," Daniel said, throwing his arms around Jack in an impulsive hug at one point. "Really fun."

"Yeah," Jack agreed, hugging him back and not caring who saw. "It really is."

"How about we get out for a little bit?" Jack suggested some time later. It had been the wrong thing to say; Daniel's frown telling exactly what he thought of that idea.

"I like this," Daniel said, and Jack thought a moment. There was a lifeguard, and Jack would be able to see him from the chaise.

"Well, I'll tell you what. I'm gonna get out of the water, but you can stay in the pool," Jack raised a finger, "as long as you promise to stay in this area."

Daniel readily agreed with a heartfelt nod and swam off towards the side. Jack stretched out on his chair, reaching for the cell phone he'd carried down to the pool. He dialed Fraiser's number, all the while keeping an eye on Daniel, who was floating on his back.

"Hey Doc," Jack responded when Janet answered her phone.

"Colonel? How's Daniel?" Her voice was filled with concern and Jack could hear Carter asking a question in the background.

"He's fine. We're at the pool now. He had a little nightmare earlier, but he's fine now. I'm going to see if he wants to come back to the park in a few hours." Jack had to smile as he watched Daniel hold his nose before ducking his head under the water.

"What was the problem?" Fraiser asked, and Jack knew she was asking less as a doctor and more as a friend.

"I think the water ride triggered a memory." Jack paused, taking time to wave to Daniel who was motioning for Jack to watch. "That simulated earthquake with the rocks falling..." he trailed off.

"Oh, sir. I didn't stop to think." There was silence on Fraiser's end and Jack got the feeling that she was walking away from the others. "Cassie was upset after you left. She said that Daniel was afraid of the roller coaster but she and Sam kept telling him there was no reason to be, that he loved roller coasters."

Jack closed his eyes. It was true, the old Daniel would have gone on any roller coaster without hesitation, but this Daniel was for all intents and purposes a five year old child with memories of the Goa'uld, torture and his parents dying. "Yeah, I know. Look, Doc, I'm going to talk to Daniel. I think we'll be able to come back. I'll call back if I can't get him to agree to give it one more try."

"Understood, Colonel. I'll take care of things on this end," Fraiser said.

Jack glanced at his watch, calculating times. "How about we meet at the big fountain in three hours?"

"Sounds good," Fraiser replied. "And tell Daniel we miss him."

"Will do."

Daniel was getting out of the pool, most likely curious about Jack's phone call. He came over to the chairs, shaking his head and spraying Jack with droplets of water.

"Who were you talking to?"

"Doc Janet." Jack threw a towel at Daniel. He looked at his hands a moment before continuing. "You know, they'd like us to come back the park for the evening."

Daniel paused in rubbing his hair dry. He held out his hand to Jack. "I don't think the mark the lady put on it is there anymore."

It was a good attempt at avoiding, Jack had to give him that. "Don't you want to go back?" Jack asked.

"Go back where?" Daniel began fiddling with the edge of the towel, picking at the hem, until Jack placed a hand over it.

"To the park." Jack gave Daniel's hand a shake. "Why don't we go up to the room and we can talk about it there?" He could see the small shivers coursing Daniel's body and he had the feeling it was more nervousness than cold.

He managed to persuade Daniel to take another shower, despite Daniel's protestations that he was already clean and didn't need to wash again. By the time Jack finished with his own shower, Daniel was settled on his bed, Lumpy tucked under one arm and concentrating on his new Playstation.

"Daniel?" Jack spoke quietly. Amazed that Daniel could master a video game but yet had difficulty remembering how to tie his shoes.

"Hi, Jack." Daniel put the toy down then smiled at him.

"I thought maybe we could go back to the park in a little bit. You know, meet the others for supper." Jack crossed the room and sat down on the bed next to Daniel.

"Oh," Daniel whispered, looking down at the covers and squeezing Lumpy's neck.

"Don't you want to go back? You were so excited about going to the park this morning." Jack felt out of his element, unable to figure out exactly what was bothering Daniel and pretty sure Daniel wasn't going to be able to articulate it himself.

"If you want to go back, we can go back," Daniel said, drawing out the words, looking at Jack with an expression that was conveying his distress.

"Dan..."Jack reached out to stroke Daniel's hair, and then decided on a new plan of attack. "Listen, buddy, how about I ask you some questions and you answer them. Like a game and all you have to say is yes or no."

"Okay," Daniel responded, but he didn't look too sure of Jack's plan.

"Okay." Jack patted Daniel's knee and then took the plunge, figuring to start with an easy one. "Did you want to go to the park this morning?"

Daniel nodded and then at Jack's upraised finger, said, "Yes."

"Did you like the bus ride?" When Jack got an affirmative answer he went further, asking about entering the park and riding the train, not surprised when the answers were all yes.

"What about the water ride?" Jack thought he already knew the answer, but Daniel's body language said far more than the very quiet, "No."

"Hey, it's okay." Jack pulled Daniel's curled up body into a hug, rubbing his shoulders and his nape. Daniel slowly relaxed, finally looking up at Jack.

"That wasn't fun, not at all." As if a dam had been broken, Daniel went on. "Didn't like the dark and the rocks and all that noise." He shook his head. "But everyone said it's a good ride. I didn't think it was a good ride. No way, Jose," he finished with an emphatic nod.

"You should have told me," Jack said.

"I didn't know it was no good until we were on it. You said we can't get off once we're on."

Well, you couldn't argue with that logic. Jack nodded in agreement and reached for an extra map lying on the bedside table.

"I'll tell you what. Let's look at this map, and then you tell me the rides you want to go on." When Daniel looked at him under his lashes, Jack handed him a pen. "I'll read them to you and tell you where to put the circles, okay?"

"Only the ones I want?" Daniel asked.

"Only the ones you want."

"What if I want to go on the train one million times and no one else does?" Daniel was definitely going to be testing Jack's promise.

"Then you and I will ride it as much as you want, even if no one else does. Just you and me." Jack unfolded the map, spreading it over both of their legs.

There was a little fight when Daniel insisted that he wanted to ride space ships despite the fact that he was about two feet too tall, but by the time they finished, they had a list of ten rides that were definites and three that Daniel wanted to watch before making his decision.

Fraiser dropped onto a wooden bench that sat under a large shade tree. She stretched her legs and was in full sprawl out mode as Jack and Daniel approached her.

Daniel ripped off his backpack and sat next to her, dropping it between his knees. "Are you okay, Doc Janet?"

Fraiser whimpered, forcing her feet out of her still tied sneakers. She hooked one leg over the other and began to slowly rub her toes. "My feet hurt," she whined.

Daniel looked up at Jack. "I'm hungry." He glanced at the fast food stands in their immediate vicinity and using his fingers, he began to tick off what he didn't want. "No franks or chicken fingers, chicken nuggets, grilled cheese, or hamburger."

"Are you sure you're even hungry?" Fraiser asked, grimacing as she switched feet and began to rub her right toes instead of her left ones.

"I wouldn't say I was hungry if I wasn't," Daniel replied indignantly.

"Hey," Jack reprimanded, "watch your tone of voice."

"Sorry." Daniel dropped his head and began to fiddle with the zipper on his backpack.

Fraiser patted Daniel's knee, glowering at Jack over Daniel's bent head. "It's been a long day, it's hot, we're tired, cranky..."

"Hungry?" Jack added and Daniel agreed with a nod. "Okay, let's see where the rest of the crew is." Jack was just about to key the mic on the walkie talkies that General Hammond had insisted be part of their trip when Daniel jumped up and began to wave wildly. "There they are."

Jack placed a restraining hand on Daniel's arm, pushing him gently back to the bench. "I think they see us."

Impatience was radiating off Daniel, though Jack had to admit he had been very good when Teal'c, Carter and Cassie decided to take another ride on one of the main attractions with a very long line. "Do you think they're hungry?" Daniel asked.

Cassie was the first to reach them and she squeezed between Daniel and her mom. "That was awesome." She caught Daniel's eye and smiled. "Did you like the train ride?"

Daniel pulled the map from his backpack and pointed out to Cassie the exact route the train took as the young girl listened attentively to the man who used to tutor her. Fraiser started to pet Cassandra's hair and she smiled at Jack over her daughter's bent head as she pointed out to Daniel where they had just been.

Cassie's stomach growled loud enough to interrupt their conversation.

"Young lady!" Fraiser said with a laugh.

"Hey, give me a break, I'm starving."

Daniel quickly folded the map, placed it into the open backpack, and struggled to zip it closed. Jack made a step forward to help before he felt a firm grip on his arm. Teal'c pulled him to the side, out of hearing range. "DanielJackson can accomplish this task. You will wait. If he requires help, he must learn to ask."

Jack knew he had been properly chastised and patted Teal'c's upper arm. The man bowed in response. "I know it is hard, O'Neill, I, too, wish to remove all barriers from him, but as DoctorFraiser informed me, that would be incorrect.

"She's right," Jack agreed with a tight smile. "Come on," he said, slapping his friend on the back, "the natives are getting restless, it's time to feed them."

"I'm with Daniel on this one." Cassie stood next to Daniel, her arms folded defiantly across her chest.

"That's two." Daniel reached behind him and pulled Lumpy from the backpack, holding the stuffed toy in front of him. "Does Lumpy get a vote?"

"No, he doesn't." Exasperated, Jack plucked Lumpy from Daniel's arms and tucked him under his armpit. He joined Carter and Fraiser in reading the menu posted in the restaurant's window.

"I'm afraid I have to vote with Daniel also on this one, sir. The mere thought of standing up and eating a hot dog or hamburger..."

Daniel tugged at Lumpy and Jack turned around, surprised at how upset Daniel seemed. "I'm sorry, Jack." Daniel's attempt at whispering still needed some work, and everyone leaned forward to hear. "I didn't know this place was so much money for dinner. Pizza will be fine." Daniel stopped pulling at Lumpy's head and settled for just smoothing down the fur.

"It's not that." Jack placed Lumpy into Daniel's outstretched arms, wrapping his arm around Daniel's shoulder, pulling him to face the menu in the window. "See." Jack pointed out the various headings on the menu. "This place features food from all over the world." Before, this never would have even been a problem because, of the two of them, Daniel had always been willing to try almost anything. Now, his taste buds were those of a normal five year old, geared towards, hamburgers, fries, nuggets, and Jack would count his lucky stars when Daniel would eat either vegetables or a salad served with dinner.

"I like egg rolls." Daniel pointed to one of the pictures adorning the fancy menu. "And I'll behave, I promise." Daniel squirmed out from under Jack's arm and pivoted, making his appeal to the group standing around him "I'll be good and I won't ask when we're leaving."

Cassie breezed right past them and pulled open the door. "While the bunch of you are standing around deciding, I'm going to get us a table." With a waggle of fingers and a tease of air conditioning from inside the restaurant, she disappeared behind the glass door.

"Jack?"

"Fine."

"Thanks!" Daniel shouted, flinging his arms around Jack's neck and planting a loud, wet kiss on his cheeks. "You're the bestest. Isn't he the bestest?"

"Indeed," Teal'c agreed with a straight face and a lift of his eyebrows.

"Oh, definitely the bestest," Carter said as she walked over to the door and held it open.

Fraiser just snorted as she entered the restaurant.

"Everyone's a critic," Jack complained as he pushed Daniel towards the opened door.

"Aaaaaaah. That feels wonderful." Carter stopped in the foyer and maneuvered her body, lifting her face to the vent in the ceiling.

"Oh, yes," Fraiser agreed, picking her hair off the back of her neck and rotating under the venting.

Jack walked through the foyer into the main dining area, smiling at the smattering of overlapping ethnicities of the restaurant's décor. Though garish in appearance, Daniel seemed mesmerized by the various representations of the different cultures.

The place was fairly quiet, the majority of people in the park obviously not having either the patience nor the inclination of a sit down, more expensive restaurant that featured exotic fare. Daniel didn't hesitate and with Lumpy tucked under his arm he took the lead, while Jack and the others followed behind to the table where Cassie was standing.

Daniel was staring so intently at the waiter that Jack was seconds away from kicking him beneath the table to draw his attention away from the young man, who was becoming uncomfortable under his perusal. Slowly, with a wary expression on his young face, the server handed Daniel his menu.

"Yiasou," Daniel finally said, accepting the menu. "Me léne, Daniel." Daniel smiled hugely at the young man's surprised expression. "Pos se léne?"

"Yiasou, Daniel," the waiter stuttered. "Me léne Nicholas."

"Yiasou, Nicholas." Daniel waved his arm the length of the table, totally missing the wide eyed, slack jawed expressions on his friends. "Afti einai i fili mou.

"Hello, Daniel. I'm happy to meet your friends." Shyly, Nicholas waved at everyone and patted Lumpy's head.

"To onoma tou einai Lumpy," Daniel offered, and gave the waiter one last smile before burying his head in the extensive menu.

"Hello, Lumpy," Nicholas said, his cheeks growing pink in embarrassment.

Jack watched the waiter leave before leaning over to grab the top of the menu Daniel was studying, forcing it down on the table, exposing a very surprised and annoyed Daniel. "Hey," Daniel whined, "what did you do that for?"

Jack waggled his finger between Daniel and the direction the waiter had just left. "What was that about?"

Daniel looked over his shoulder. "Huh?"

"You and the waiter were talking."

"Oh, I was just introducing him to everyone." Exasperated Daniel attempted to tug the menu from Jack's hand. "Can I please have the menu back?"

"That was cool," Cassie said over the top of her menu. "How did you know what language he spoke?"

"His ummm..." Daniel tapped his chest.

"His nametag?"

Daniel nodded enthusiastically, "Yup. The picture on his nametag matched the language."

"Picture?"

"I think Daniel means the flag," Cassie interjected. "Remember you told me that the servers in the park were from all over the world, students who spend the summer here in some kind of program."

"Exchange?" Carter supplied.

"Yeah, so I spoke the language that matched his flag." Daniel shrugged.

Jack concentrated, trying to picture the nation's flag on Nicholas' nametag. "Ya just spoke Greek to him?"

"Was Greek the wrong language? That flag made those words come into my mind and outta my mouth." Daniel blindly reached towards Lumpy, pulling him into his arms. "Are you mad?"

"No, no," Jack said, mentally kicking himself for allowing his surprise at another one of Daniel's streaks of genius to place a damper on the mood around the table. He patted Daniel's hand. "I'm not mad, you just surprised me."

"Did I do something wrong? He was a stranger, right? You told me I shouldn't talk to—"

"You have done nothing wrong, DanielJackson. You extended your hand in greeting as you have always done."

"And that's good?"

"Very good." Jack raised Daniel's menu upward. "Enough, let's order."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I want the Hunan Chicken."

"It's spicy."

"I know... okay, then I'll have the shredded beef."

"That's spicy also."

"I'll drink lotsa water."

"I have an idea, sir. Why don't we all order Chinese and then we can share. Do you like that idea, Daniel? This way we'll all get a mixture of spicy and not spicy dishes." Carter closed her menu.

"I like that idea, Sam."

"Sir?"

"Fine by me," Jack said, thinking that Daniel was going to order, eat nothing, and Jack would be calling room service at midnight for chicken nuggets and French fries.

"Hola, me llamo Daniel," he said the woman who came to take their order.

"Hola, Daniel," she answered with a smile. "Me llama Rita."

"Hola, Rita. Estos son mi amigos." Daniel held Lumpy up for Rita to see. "El se llama Lumpy."

"Hola, Lumpy." Rita smiled and winked at Daniel. "Can I take your order?"

Jack sat back and allowed Fraiser to order, hoping he'd remembered to throw a package of Rolaids in his suitcase.

"Saki," Daniel blurted out. "Can we get saki?"

"Saki?" Rita asked, looked for guidance.

"Warm saki would be nice."

Jack shook his head as he questioned Rita. "You don't have any saki, do you?"

Rita took a moment to contemplate his question. "No sir, we don't, though I could bring Daniel a Shirley Temple if that would be okay."

Daniel screwed up his face. "A girl's drink?"

"Hey, watch that, buster," Cassie teased good-naturedly. "I'd like a Shirley Temple also, two umbrellas please."

Jack waited until Daniel was distracted before he leaned over and whispered a "thank you" in Cassie's ear.

The food was better than Jack ever expected and he smiled, just enjoying watching Daniel instructing Cassie in the use of chopsticks. Little pieces of genius had been peeking out all through dinner and if Jack squinted his eyes, and if the lighting was just right, he could pretend that all was right with his world. But then Daniel would laugh or giggle and Jack would be shoved right back into reality, because the old Daniel had rarely laughed with the intensity or abandon he did now.

Daniel lifted his head from his plate when the girl came to pour the water, and from across the table, Daniel's sharp intake of breath drew Jack's attention away from his own dinner. Daniel was staring, not blinking, and in his widened eyes Jack saw a spark of remembrance and a glimpse of his Daniel. The girl turned to Jack, raising the water pitcher, asking silently for permission to refill his glass and he realized what Daniel saw. Whoever this person was, she was the spitting image of Sha're, not as she would look now, but when Jack had first met her on Abydos. Young, innocent, shy and very beautiful.

He stole a glance at Daniel, who sat frozen, his chopsticks lowered onto his plate, the only movement was the slow blinking of his eyes. The din of the restaurant faded into the background, the clatter of plates, their table's conversations became almost nonexistent as Jack focused only on Daniel and this Sha're look-a-like.

Daniel resembled someone who was slowly awakening from a long sleep, his mind unsure in which reality he truly existed. Would this unknown person be able to bring Daniel back, something Jack had been unable to do? In a flash of pain that was almost too quick to latch onto, Jack felt a flush of jealously spread through his body as Daniel reached out to hesitantly touch the young woman's waist length, unruly, dark and curly hair.

She started when Daniel tugged at a loose curl, waiting patiently as he fingered the dark strand, examining it as he had his precious artifacts. Jack was almost embarrassed at the intimacy in that one simple gesture, feeling like a voyeur, forgetting for a moment that the woman poised over the table with the water pitcher wasn't Sha're, that Daniel, well, wasn't Daniel, and that he, Jack, wasn't sitting under the double moons of Abydos.

Her smile was gentle, her eyes even gentler when she smiled first at Daniel, then at Jack. She placed the water pitcher on the table. "You are very sweet," she said softly with a French accent, gazing at Daniel, touching the hand that held her hair.

Daniel looked at Jack in confusion, then at the woman, jerking his arm from under her hand as if he had touched a hot iron. "Jack?" his voice, high pitched and anxious, his hands fumbled around until they found Lumpy. With shaking hands he pulled the toy into his lap, clenching and unclenching the squishy body. Recognition was totally gone, and Jack was left looking at a Daniel who had obviously just awoken from a dream.

"I am sorry," the young woman said. "I did not mean to upset you. Your chameau ees very nice. Does 'e 'ave a name?"

Daniel fidgeted, his gaze flittering around the dining room as if he was unsure of exactly where he was. Jack was very familiar with that haunted expression; it was the one that Daniel wore after he awoke from his all too frequent nightmares.

"Lumpy, his name is Lumpy." He spoke so softly, and his head was bowed, so that even Jack had a hard time hearing him.

" 'ow do you do, Lumpy," she extended her hand and shook one of Lumpy's hooves. "My name ees Tina."

"Nice to meet you, Tina," Daniel mumbled into Lumpy's fur. "I'm Daniel."

Tina picked up the water pitcher. "I need to return to work, but eet was a pleasure meeting bot' you and Lumpy. I 'ope you enjoy your dinner."

Daniel nodded, watching Tina walk away through hooded eyes, and once she was safely at another table, he put Lumpy back on the table next to his plate and picked up his chopsticks.

Slowly, the sounds of the restaurant began to seep back into Jack's consciousness. Carter's bantering with Cassie, Fraiser's reprimands, a background cacophony signifying the world was righting itself once more. "Are you okay?" Jack asked.

Daniel looked at Jack over the rim of his glasses, a piece of chicken dangling between the chopsticks. "I remember," he said sadly in an adult-timbered Daniel voice.

"Remember what?" Jack hissed, forcing his voice to remain low and steady as he leaned across the table. "What do you remember, Danny?"

"That you promised me ice cream if I finished my dinner? You did promise me that? Why do you look so upset? Did I do something wrong?"

Jack forced out a smile. "No, you didn't do anything wrong and yes, I remember. Now, are you going to remember to leave room for the dessert?"

Jack didn't have to worry about room for dessert, or even dinner, he realized, as he studied Daniel's bent head. The food's appeal had been lost in the last encounter and he hoped that Daniel would break his promise and beg to leave the restaurant, because he would be the first to volunteer to take Daniel back to the hotel.

"Let me move Daniel over to this bed." Jack slid the blanket off Daniel's slumbering body.

Teal'c placed a protective hand on Daniel's shoulder. "Leave him be, O'Neill. There is no reason to disturb his sleep."

"He sometimes gets restless. I don't want him to disturb you."

Teal'c easily tugged the blanket from Jack's grip and adjusted it around Daniel's shoulders. "Do not fear, I will be here if DanielJackson suffers from a nightmare, and you will only be in the next bed if I require aid. Do you not agree that you will get a more restful sleep in a bed rather than the couch?"

Jack nodded. Teal'c was one hundred percent right. Daniel had fallen asleep instructing Teal'c in the fine art of hand-held video games, and was now down for the count, snoring lightly. He was turned on his side, his back pressed up against the length of Teal'c's leg, his head resting on the enormous SpongeBob pillow, and Lumpy was nose to nose with Daniel, tucked tightly in his grip.

Teal'c grabbed Jack's hand as he went to wipe off a smudge of chocolate in the corner of Daniel's mouth. "Maybe it is you that are restless, O'Neill, and not DanielJackson."

"He missed a spot when he washed his face."

"Is not the fact that he is sleeping peacefully more important than a clean visage?"

"It is. I guess you're right," Jack reluctantly conceded. He stepped closer and pointed at Daniel's nose. "Look, he's sunburned." Jack grimaced in sympathy, tsk'ing and shaking his head. "That's going to hurt in the morning, let me go get some cream."

"O'Neill!" Teal'c fixed Jack with an angry gaze. "I believe it is in the best interest of everyone in this room if you take a walk. Now, while it is still early."

"Walk?"

"Yes, you are still appropriately attired to go down to the coffee shop."

"After that big dinner I'm not in the mood—"

"I did not ask if you were in the mood, I instructed you to take a walk and to allow DanielJackson to sleep."

At the exact moment Jack was forming a snappy comeback to Teal'c's argument, Carter stuck her head into the room. "Anyone interested..." she noticed that Daniel was sleeping and lowered her voice to a whisper. "Anyone interested in going down to the coffee shop? I wanted—"

"O'Neill was just expressing an interest in visiting that place, MajorCarter."

"Hey!" Jack replied indignantly.

"Sir?"

Jack glanced from Teal'c's set expression to Daniel's lax, sleeping one. "Let's go, Major."

The lobby was quiet and peaceful, more so than the bustling coffee shop and Jack cocked his head to one of the leather couches set in the back of the cavernous room. "Care to take a load off?"

Carter smiled, eyeing the couches with relish. She sat with an audible sigh which increased in volume as she took a sip of her coffee purchase. She sipped again and passed it under her nose as if testing the oral perfumes of a fine wine. "Wow." Carter licked her lips. "This is absolutely amazing, I bet Dan... Oh." Clear blue eyes clouded with remembrance, and she leaned forward to place the coffee on the table in front of them.

"Sorry, sir. I didn't mean..."

"You miss him. Why are you sorry?"

"Because it doesn't seem fair to this Daniel to still mourn the other one. I mean... oh, hell, I don't know what I mean." Carter abruptly got up, grabbed her coffee cup and dropped it into the nearest trash can. Jack got up with a sigh and followed her over to where she now stood by the windows overlooking the hotel's gardens. He draped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close.

"I miss him, too," Jack admitted.

"I didn't mean to imply that you didn't. It's just that everyone seems to have an easier time than I do dealing with him."

"Is that the reason for the goody bag you stuck in his suitcase?"

Carter nodded. "I guess I overcompensate."

"Yes, and you spoil him rotten."

"And that's a bad thing, right?"

"Very bad," Jack agreed. "But it's okay. This is uncharted territory we're dealing with, even though it's Daniel. We're all feeling our own way along here, sometimes more blindly than others. Finding out what works and what doesn't."

"Spoiling doesn't work," Carter sighed. Jack felt her shoulders sag in defeat.

"Not when you do it out of guilt."

"Do you believe I spoil out of guilt, sir?" Carter slipped from under his arm and turned to face him.

Jack shook his head. "It's not what I believe... what do you believe."

She pushed past Jack and walked back to the couch, dropping into the overstuffed cushions, flinging her feet onto the table and crossing them at the ankles. Exasperated, Jack threw up his hands and followed her. He looked around to make sure he wouldn't receive a reprimand from the hotel personnel and sat on the table facing his 2IC.

"He was a genius," Carter said, and her eyes filled with tears.

Jack nodded, patting her ankles. He had a gut instinct that this conversation was going to destroy him, but he needed his team by his side, all of them united. For strength and guidance, because there were days he wouldn't be able to do it alone. And if Carter, hell, even if Teal'c, wanted to talk, he would sit and listen and die just a little bit more inside. "He was," Jack whispered, the lump in his throat constricting painfully.

"It hurts me to see him have such a hard time with skills..."

"That a five year old could easily accomplish?"

"Yes, sir." Carter began to fiddle with a loose string on the hem of her tee shirt. "I guess I spoil him to give him confidence." She snorted and used the tips of her fingers to wipe away escaping tears. "The old Daniel," she gave a little unCarter-like burst of laughter, "never needed confidence when it came to his intelligence. This Daniel..." she looked at her CO, "I don't know what else to call him, sir, this Daniel, that Daniel, god, it sounds so heartless."

Jack gave a little smile of understanding and an empathetic pat to her leg. There was no way he could trust his voice in this very public place.

She answered his smile with a wavering one of her own before continuing. "This Dan... Daniel's good at video games. He doesn't seem to struggle with them like he struggles with everything else, and when he becomes immersed in them, I can almost pretend... Well, I thought he deserved to feel good about something he can accomplish all by himself. I wouldn't call that guilt, would you?" Carter asked hopefully.

"Not at all," Jack said, standing, giving her a moment to compose herself before offering her a hand to stand.

"Teal'c."

"O'Neill."

"How's..."

Did Teal'c just sigh? Jack was dumbstruck with disbelief and couldn't resist the urge to call the big guy on it. "Did you just sigh?"

"I did not," Teal'c answered tersely. "It is just that I have reached a level on this game in which it appears I must capture the..." Teal'c clicked the game shut and slammed it down onto the bed. "DanielJackson is much more adept at this than am I," Teal'c admitted, gently caressing the sleeping form tucked even closer to his leg than when Jack and Carter had left.

"Frustrated?" Jack shared a smile and a wink with Carter.

Teal'c raised his eyebrows at the mere suggestion that he might be. "I am not."

Teal'c's next statement was interrupted when Daniel threw Lumpy in Teal'c's lap, his hand following to grip the camel's leg tightly.

Jack pointed at Daniel. "I think Daniel's..."

"If you were about to say, 'Out for the numbers', then I concur."

"Numbers?" Jack silently mouthed at Carter.

She smiled and began to put up individual fingers.

"Ah." After all these years with Teal'c you'd think... "Out for the count, Daniel's out for the count."

"Is that not what I said?" Teal'c's hand slipped down and he began to slowly pet Lumpy's head.

"Yeah, it's what you said. Sorry, I'm just..."

"Tired," Carter butted in. "The Colonel was just saying that he could go for a good night's sleep." She added a yawn of her own. "Night, guys." Carter gave a slight wave and a gentle smile at Daniel, but for Jack, her smile was a slight bit broader, and in response, he whispered a soft, "You're welcome."

Jack waited until the door closed between the adjoining rooms. "Think I'm going to get ready for bed. Are you sure you don't want me to..."

"I consider DanielJackson to be a member of my family, as are you and MajorCarter. I am honored to spend time with him, protecting him, sharing knowledge of his video games and watching the sponge that wears pants. I do not mind that, what I do mind is that you do not allow either MajorCarter or myself to be with DanielJackson as much as we wish."

"I'm sorry," Jack stammered. Had he really been doing that, in protecting Daniel, had he cut him off from the people he considered family?

"Do not be. Know that we are there to assist you and help. This is a journey that requires all of our hands and hearts."

Properly reprimanded with almost the same speech he had given Carter, Jack bowed slightly in appreciation. "Daniel snores, T."

"As do you." Teal'c patted the head snuggled against his thigh. "I believe I will feel quite at home."

"Daniel, you need to put the clothes in the suitcase for it to count as packing," Jack said, watching as Daniel wandered away from the open bag for the umpteenth time.

"Uh huh." Daniel was kneeling on the floor, looking under his bed. A heavy sigh came from that direction.

"What's wrong, buddy? Did you lose something?" Jack walked over the bed, but didn't risk his knees by getting in the same position.

"I can't find it." Daniel's voice was muffled and now he was stretched out full length on the floor, one arm under the bed.

"What can't you find?" Jack stood, preparing to get on the floor to help search for the missing item. A quick glance told him that Lumpy was safe at least, propped as he was on top of Jack's suitcase.

Daniel pulled his arm out from under the bed and rolled over to his back, looking up at Jack with an expression that conveyed his disappointment at Jack's apparent inability to understand. "The memory."

"Memory?" Jack frowned.

Daniel got to his knees, placing his hands on Jack's knees and looking at him earnestly. "Last night when we got back here, Doc Janet said we have lots of good memories to take home with us, to carry with us all the time, so I want to find it."

"Ah." Jack leaned forward, hugging Daniel. "The memories are in here." He tapped Daniel's head and then pushed back a little and tapped his heart. "And here."

"Oh." Daniel looked at the floor and Jack wondered if there was a part of him that remembered he used to know things. But then Daniel looked back up, giving Jack a brilliant smile. "I'm glad. 'Cause I didn't know if it would fit in my suitcase."

"Yeah, that's a good thing," Jack managed to say. "I'm gonna go check the bathroom. Make sure we've got everything out from there. And you finish packing."

He closed the bathroom door behind him and found a towel, burying his face in it as he laughed. Jack wasn't surprised that tears were mixed with the smile. Sometimes life with this new Daniel, even more so than with the older one, was a roller coaster of emotions. Jack took a shaky breath and ran some cold water, wetting his face and then wiping it with the towel. He looked at himself in the mirror, wondering if all those lines had been there before. He tossed the towel in the tub and went back out to Daniel.

"Jack!" Daniel gave him a brilliant smile, grabbing Jack's hand and pulling him towards his suitcase. "Look, I did it. I got everything in there."

"That you did," Jack agreed. He looked around the room, not wanting to burst Daniel's bubble and telling him the suitcase actually needed to be closed, and spied the papers lying scattered on the table. "Hey buddy, why don't you do me a favor and get all the papers together? Then when we get home, we can put them in a scrapbook for you."

"Okay." Daniel went to the table, pulling out the chair and starting to arrange the maps, tickets and various papers from the hotel. Jack knew Daniel had no idea what any of the papers said, although Daniel had liked the pictures on all the pamphlets. At least it would keep him occupied while Jack managed to repack the suitcase and get it to close.

He pulled out the SpongeBob pillow that Daniel had placed in the bottom, realizing that it took up the most room. Looking up, Jack saw Daniel talking to Lumpy while he looked at the brochures. Removing the pillow allowed Jack to close the suitcase and he carried it over to rest with his.

He moved closer, listening as Daniel described the adventures of yesterday.

"And see, this is the train. Remember Jack said we could ride it a zillion times if I wanted. And he came with me every time. And there's the Ferris wheel. Teal'c said he'd keep me from falling out and he held onto me the whole time. Remember we could see the whole world from there, way up so high. And Jack let me drive these cars, remember? He said I was a good driver and then he got real quiet." A sigh followed that remark. "I think sometimes he's sad, Lumpy. And I don't know how to make him happy again."

Jack cleared his throat, not wanting to startle Daniel. He smiled and reached out to touch Daniel's head, surprised that when he spoke, his voice was strong. "Hey, you almost done with all this?"

"I was helping Lumpy remember," Daniel said, before looking up at Jack. "We had a good time. Doc Janet was right." Those words were said with a bit of surprise. "I won't forget them? The memories?"

"No. You won't forget. I promise." Jack knew he had a whole lot of happy memories to take home himself.

Jack helped Daniel put the papers in a pile and stuff them in his backpack. He was surprised when he heard a sniffle. "Daniel?"

He looked back to see Daniel biting his lower lip, his eyes filling with tears. "What's wrong?"

"We have to go home." Daniel started to wipe his nose with his hand, but Jack grabbed a tissue.

"Use this," he instructed, putting an arm over Daniel's shoulders as he blew his nose. "Yeah, we do." Jack squeezed Daniel's shoulders in reassurance.

"And then I have to go to the Center and I want to go with you," Daniel said in a low breathless whisper.

"Hey, remember? That's your job. Remember you told me that you know that's your job?" Jack tried to sound enthusiastic, but he wished they could stay here, pretending things were different, too. Pretending that the drive up to the mountain wasn't as lonely as it had become.

Daniel nodded. "I'm trying real hard to be good, Jack."

"I know you are," Jack said, kissing Daniel's temple. "I know." He coughed once. "Now... we have to get going. Okay?"

"Okay," Daniel said, nodding and looking determined to get through this challenge. "Hey, Jack?"

"What?" Jack paused in handing Daniel his suitcase.

"I really really, really, really had fun."

"Me too, Danny. Me too," Jack said, realizing that he had, and maybe come a step closer to acceptance.

"Jack?" Daniel asked in a sleepy voice. "What's today again?"

"Sunday, Danny." Jack turned the radio on low as they headed home on the interstate. He spared a quick glance at his nearly asleep companion, Lumpy held in one relaxed hand.

"Do I have to go to the Center tomorrow?"

Jack sighed. Every weekend ended the same way with the same question. He tried so hard to make every moment of the weekend count, to fill Daniel's and his time together with enough joy to help Daniel face the Center on Monday mornings. But Daniel still resisted every week, every day.

"You know you do." Jack swallowed. Retirement was beginning to look like a possibility but it meant reality, finality, and Jack didn't know if he was quite ready to face that either. Plus, Fraiser had explained that Daniel needed to continue to go to therapy whether or not Jack was at home. For some reason, Daniel did not seem to make any progress or cognitive gains.

"I know," Daniel said in a small voice. "But I wish I didn't have to. I wanna stay with you."

"I know you do," Jack sighed. "I really do." He smiled at Daniel but Daniel had already fallen asleep. Jack blinked hard, trying to get the burning sensation from his eyes. Damn, there must have been something in the air today. He gripped the steering wheel tighter, driving into the twilight, wishing, like this Daniel did, that weekends could last forever. He could see the stars appearing in the night sky and realized he'd missed seeing the first one. Too bad that, unlike this Daniel, he knew wishes really didn't come true no matter how hard you wished them. He brought a hand up to wipe the moisture away from his eyes and continued driving.

"Hi, Colonel O'Neill. Can I speak to you a moment?"

Jack offered one of Daniel's therapists a whisper of a smile before he followed him into his office. He sat heavily on the proffered chair, resisting the urge to check his watch. "Look, I'm sorry I'm so late."

The therapist waved the thought away. "No, sir, that's not it at all. I just wanted to know if you had any objection to adding another OT therapy onto Daniel's schedule. His skills are so scattered, and while he holds a crayon perfectly, he can't seem to carry over the same grip to when he uses a writing implement. There is also the possibility of some type of sensory issue..."

Jack slumped in the chair, exhaling loudly enough that the therapist took that as a sign of rejection. He really didn't need any of this, not after the day he'd just had.

"It was just a thought, Colonel, we don't have to..."

Jack straightened in the chair, scrubbing his hands over his face. "I'm sorry, I understand. Just do what needs to be done. It's just been one of those... Did Daniel have a good day?"

"It was a good day."

"I'm hearing an unspoken 'but'. Is there something that you aren't telling me?"

"I think maybe Dr. Fraiser..."

"I'm thinking I'm here, I'm tired, I'm in a bad mood, I had a bad day at work, and I'm sure you don't want me to have to wait to ask the good Doctor..."

"He had a hard time accepting his limitations today."

"Oooookay... and that means, in Danielspeak... What does that mean exactly?"

"Tantrums, tears, throwing things. His language skills are declining - he's been making up words..."

Jack stood, looking down at the therapist, feeling his misguided anger bubbling inside. "I thought you said it was a good day for Daniel. That doesn't sound like a good day."

"I know it doesn't but the fact that he was getting frustrated at not being able to accomplish—"

"Look, you're fairly new here, new to Daniel's team. The man you are talking about is Dr. Daniel Jackson, who holds multiple Ph.D.'s and speaks over 23 languages. The person you see every day, Danny, remembers none of that. You're getting excited that Daniel got frustrated because he couldn't accomplish what? Coloring in the lines... writing the letter A..." Jack took a deep breath and shook his head.

He, more than ever, needed the old Daniel right now – needed someone who could just be there with him, share today's fiasco with a simple look, touch, gesture. Someone with whom he could talk to if he felt the need, someone he could fuck to remind him he was living, and not existing. And as much as he'd looked forward to seeing this Daniel, hearing about his day, the problems that Daniel had today were the last thing he'd wanted to hear. Still, this wasn't about him, this was about Daniel. But it still felt like it was about him. And that made him angry. The whole situation was nearly intolerable and he had to get a grip on himself before he walked out of here.

"Sorry," he mumbled, straightening up in the chair. "That was totally uncalled for. I didn't mean that... I'll talk to Daniel's team leader about the OT you asked for." Jack left the room in a hurry and ducked into the closest men's room. He walked to the sink, leaning heavily on the porcelain. The person that met his eyes in the mirror, was a stranger. Older than his last examination, exhaustion telegraphed from his eyes and the slump of his shoulders. "Oh, Daniel, we needed you today..." he said to his reflection. Jack turned on the water, gasping as he splashed cold water on his face to ward off the memories of the bloody bodies of SG-9 as they returned to Earth; attacked because the SGC's Archaeological Department misread one important word causing the inhabitants to misinterpret SG-9's appearance on PX3 590.

He was angry. Daniel was upset... not being able to read the reason of Jack's anger was confusing him. His questions on this drive home had been cut short and any attempt at conversation ended before it started.

"Daniel, I'm tired and I don't feel like driving around all night. Choose what you want for dinner." Daniel jumped as Jack pounded on the steering wheel in frustration of the evening traffic.

Nervous hands were crossing and uncrossing Lumpy's legs as the camel sat in Daniel's lap, the repetitive motion in Jack's peripheral vision eating away at his already short fuse. "Daniel! Focus please... dinner."

Daniel shrugged his shoulders, his gaze transfixed by the passing imagery through the Avalanche's passenger window. "Don't care... whatever you want."

Fast food would have been the best, drive thru... bring it home, no fuss, no muss. But the thought of another burger and fry turned his stomach. Pizza? No, they'd had that last night. Chinese? The night before that. "Fried chicken okay with you?"

"Fine. Can I have some of those little rolls and mashed potatoes with the gravy?"

"I'll order it if you're gonna eat it. Last time I ended throwing it out." Jack's response was curt even to his own ears, but he was unable to stop himself. He flipped open his cell phone without waiting for Daniel's answer, placing the order for home delivery. He angrily flipped the phone shut, thinking of all the things that needed to be done after dinner. Clean up, bath, lunch for tomorrow, laundry, ironing... the list was endless... overwhelming, when Jack wanted nothing more than to sit in the recliner with a cold beer in his hands watching some inane comedy show with canned laughter.

"Put Lumpy down, Daniel. You can't eat if you're holding him." Jack's patience was running on fumes at this point. A talking, chattering Daniel he could deal with... the one who was sitting across from him at the table was slowly grating on very exposed nerves. Quietly pensive, shuttered against Jack's presence.

Daniel gently placed Lumpy to the side of his plate, softly petting his head before picking up a forkful of mashed potatoes. Jack didn't miss Daniel's furtive glances towards the stuffed toy as he ate.

"Something happen at the Center today I should know about?"

Daniel's head shot up, eyes large and wide behind his glasses. "No... no... nothing happened... nothing at all." Daniel's hand snaked out to grab Lumpy; only Jack's warning to finish his dinner forced his attention to the task at hand. Jack counted two more forkfuls of mashed potatoes and one bite of a roll before Daniel began to play with his food.

"Can I be excused?" Daniel asked, reaching for Lumpy, pushing the chair away and standing before receiving an answer.

"Seems like I don't have a choice," Jack grumbled, waving Daniel from the room.

Jack finished the meal in silence, cleaned the table and wrapped the remainder of the dinner in tin foil. Jack stood before the opened refrigerator, the wrapped remains of tonight's dinner in his hand, his anger boiling over. He pulled the garbage pail to the fridge and began emptying its contents right into the garbage... slowly at first, building up momentum as uneaten dinners of nights past filled almost two pails. He then washed out the empty shelves, replaced the milk and juice along with the wrapped chicken from tonight's meal. He sighed and rubbed his temples as the need to now food shop registered in his tired brain. Jack slammed the fridge door shut with such force that the freezer door popped open. He closed the doors with deliberate slowness, a colonel in this man's Air Force, feeling old and weary enough to retire tomorrow.

As Jack stood surveying the pictures that he'd removed from Daniel's backpack, fixing tomorrow's lunch got pushed to the back of his mind. Folding the drawings along the pre-existing lines, he climbed the stairs to talk to Daniel.

Daniel lay on his stomach, legs bent at the knees, feet waving slowing in the air. Jack stood in the open doorway, Daniel's name dying on his lips as he listened.

"I won't yell, Lumpy, I promise." Daniel moved his right hand and maneuvered Lumpy closer to the opened book on his pillow. "Look see... that's an "A" and that word is at... and there... there's another "A" and that word is ap... apple."

Jack could feel the all too familiar knot appear in his throat as Daniel grabbed the stuffed animal and rubbed the fur against his cheek. "Good job... see if we work hard... Jack will be proud of us. Remember what I told you about being proud... we need to listen, and do good and learn our alphabet." Daniel placed Lumpy back into his original position by the pillow. "Ready to do more, Lumpy? Okay that letter is—"

"Daniel?"

Daniel slammed the book shut, flipping his long body over, maneuvering until he was sitting up on the bed. "I'm sorry... were you calling me and I didn't answer? I'm sorry... please..."

Jack sat on the bed, placing the pictures behind him, berating himself for missing what was right in front of him. Jack tapped Daniel's knee, physically picking up his chin when Daniel refused to make eye contact. "I spoke to Joe today."

"Joe's new," Daniel whispered, "and he doesn't understand things."

Daniel's hands tightened around Lumpy's body, his fingers kneading the stuffed toy until Jack placed his right hand over Daniel's anxious movements. "Didn't have a good day, did you?"

"No, we didn't," Daniel stated.

"We?"

"Lumpy and me. Both of us. Do I have to go back there tomorrow?" Jack could feel the hands below his radiating with tension.

Jack avoided the much asked question with a sigh. "You threw things today, Daniel. You yelled, you got angry."

"He started it," Daniel blurted out. He lowered his eyes, the thumb that had begun tracing patterns on Lumpy's fur telegraphed feelings into Jack's hand that he needed to keep buried. He pulled back suddenly, covering his movement with a fake cough.

"That's not what he told me... he said—"

"He told me I couldn't take Lumpy into the writing class with me. He wanted me to put him in my cubby." Blue eyes full of innocent indignation met Jack's. "I said no. I said 'no thank you' like you taught me, but Joe got louder. I told him to kree and—"

"You said to what?"

"To kree." Daniel furrowed his brow as a realization struck him. "I don't like Joe... nope, I don't like him at all." Daniel crossed his arms around his body, trapping Lumpy within his self hug. "He didn't understand about Lumpy. I tried to explain it to him... slowly. That it was dark in the cubby and that Lumpy hates the dark and I hate the dark and that I—"

Jack threw up his hands in submission. "Whoa, Daniel. A little slower." He patted Daniel's knee in support. "Take a deep breath... a little slower for me, okay?"

Daniel drew a shaky breath and continued. "His yelling was louder than mine... and he's a grownup. He told me that you were going to be mad at me." Tears dripped from Daniel's eyes, which the stuffed camel blotted up with love as he was swept across Daniel's face. "So I put Lumpy in the cubby and I went with Joe. I tried to pay attention... I really did. But I couldn't think... I left Lumpy behind where it was dark and he was alone. I know how scary that is."

"When did the throwing start?"

"He made me mad, Jack. He wouldn't listen... about Lumpy. Joe kept tapping the paper I was working on over and over." Daniel tapped the bed with his pointer finger, mimicking the therapist's voice. "Pay attention, Danny. Your mind should be here and not on that stupid camel in your cubby. Here." Daniel tapped the bed harder, in anger. "He called Lumpy stupid Jack... and I know Lumpy isn't stupid... you tell me that all the time. Me and Lumpy are not stupid." Daniel hung his head and whispered. "I tried to be nice... but I think I called Joe a hasshak. Then I ripped up my paper and threw it off the desk. And my pencil... I threw my pencil, too. At Joe though I know that was wrong..." Daniel growled in frustration. "I was just so mad."

Despite the situation, Jack bit back a laugh. So these were the made up words Joe had said Daniel had used. At this moment Jack just wanted five minutes alone in a room with Joe to show him how dark and lonely a little cubby could actually be.

"...Joe said you'd be mad. He was gonna talk to you and tell you how bad I behaved." Daniel gulped as the tears started anew. "Not proud... he said you wouldn't be proud of me because of what I did. And that he was going to talk to you about me leaving Lumpy at home. Please, Jack," Daniel sobbed. "I won't complain about the Center anymore. I'll go everyday... I won't ask to stay home... just please let Lumpy come with me."

Jack pulled Daniel into a hug, Lumpy's soft body squished between the two of them. He rubbed Daniel's back in wide circular motions, hating the feel of ribs beneath his hands, not trusting himself to speak. Jack waited until Daniel's tears subsided into hiccups before disentangling himself.

He swallowed audibly before beginning. "Daniel, I'm always proud of you. Always... never let anyone tell you anything else. I'm proud 'cause you're brave and you try so hard. You never give up... you always make me laugh and see the best in people."

"I don't always remember my letters, and I can't read... and I can't always tie my shoes and I forget. I'm too stupid for you to be proud."

Jack grabbed Daniel's shoulders, giving the younger man a slight shake. "That's Joe talking... not me or anyone else that we know. I don't want you saying that or even thinking that. People who try their best are never stupid. Never! I don't know a single person who works harder or tries harder than you." Jack released the tense shoulders, ruffling the hair on the bent head.

"I'm gonna start a bath for you, okay?"

Without raising his head, Daniel nodded his agreement.

"Extra bubbles, 'cause you had a bad day?" Jack wished a bubble bath could work wonders on him as it did on Daniel.

" 'Kay," Daniel answered softly. The guilt that Jack experienced as he watched Daniel fold into himself... knees tight to his chest, his face turned from Jack as his cheek rested on Lumpy who lay obligingly on his knees. He took a step forward, then halted, unable to afford Daniel the comfort he craved.

Getting the towels, filling the bath, adding the extra squirt of bubbles to soothe the tortured soul, Jack allowed his guilt to turn to anger. Hands shaking with the need to spew forth words in retribution to the disgrace that Daniel endured today. Jack would be calling Daniel's team leader to make sure that in the future, Joe's therapeutic ideals were kept to himself.

With a snort, Jack reflected on the usage of team leader. Once upon a time, those two words had a completely different meaning to Daniel, to Jack, to the whole SG-1 and the SGC. He slammed an errant cabinet door shut, angry now at himself for taking what he had had for granted, forgetting past life experiences, that in a blink of eye, things can irrevocably shatter.

Jack finished straightening up the house, keeping one ear tuned to the activities in the bathroom. He put out the garbage, remembering tomorrow as trash day, carrying the pails to the curb. Locking the door behind him, Jack headed to the kitchen to make tomorrow's lunch for Daniel. Peanut butter in one hand, jelly in the other, Jack nearly dropped both jars as Daniel called his name.

"Daniel, you surprised me." Jack canted his head at the image that stood before him. Bare feet, pajama-covered legs, led to Daniel's upper body being totally obscured by Daniel holding a pile of towels, dirty towels, laundry to be done towels. "Whatcha doing... if you don't mind me asking."

"Laundry," came the muffled reply, Daniel's voice hidden by the overflowing pile.

Putting the jars on the counter, Jack took the top of the pile, smiling as Daniel's face came into view. "Follow me."

Daniel sat at the table joining Jack in a bowl of cereal and milk before bed. Daniel got up abruptly, returning with a pencil and paper; he placed them before Jack.

"Write down all the things I can help with. Like tonight, I brought down the towels for wash. I can help... so you don't have to do it all. 'Kay?"

"Sorry. I forget that you can help. I'd like that." Jack mirrored the smile that appeared on Daniel's face.

"Come on, Jack, write," Daniel prompted. "Make number one fixing my bed in the morning. Good. Now number two."

Jack listened and wrote, realizing that sharing the burden of being a family felt like a weight was lifting off his shoulder. "Twenty-two things. That's a lot, thanks for this. I needed help today... Thanks for noticing that."

Daniel pushed his chair back taking his and Jack's empty cereal bowls to the sink. "I think this is a number, isn't it? Cleaning off the table?"

"Yup, you're right, number sixteen, to be exact." Jack posted the list to the refrigerator. "Putting it right there, Daniel, see, so we remember about working together."

Jack forgot all about the drawings that he had removed from Daniel's backpack until saw them sitting on Daniel's bed. He scooped them up, just before Daniel bounded into the room.

"Ready. Brushed my teeth, washed my hands and face, I peed and flushed... just like you reminded me."

Jack held back the covers, allowing Daniel to get into bed.

"Can I have two stories tonight?"

"Two's fine," Jack answered absently sitting on the bed. "First I have to show you something." He unfolded the drawings, smoothing out the lines. "Wanna tell me about these?"

"I forgot about these. I'm so glad you found them." Daniel's exuberance over the pictures dissipated as he remembered. "I drew them after Joe and I fought. Christine, you know the nice lady who talks to me... heard the yelling and came in. Christine told me I didn't have to work with Joe any more today and took me to her room and let me draw." Daniel screwed up his face in concentration, using the painfully familiar gesture of tapping his finger to his lips. "I think... yeah... she said she wrote a note and stuck it in my backpack... and that she... that's right... she was going to call you tomorrow. Did you find the note?"

Jack shook his head, some of the tension regarding Joe leaving his body with the knowledge that other people were aware of the man's definite shortcomings. "No, I found the pictures first, I didn't open up your folders to see if she sent me a note. I will later, I promise." Jack removed Lumpy from Daniel's left hand, placing him on the pillow. "The pictures... what about the pictures... and these?" Jack's fingers traced a series of glyphs that made up the border of one the drawings.

"Silly, Jack," Daniel chortled. "You have the pictures out of order." Jack watched as Daniel shuffled the four drawings. "They tell a story." Daniel's eyes widened at the prospect of some hidden agenda. "Can I tell you a story tonight? Can I tell you this story? My story?" Jack held in his laughter as Daniel mimicked the move of patting the area next to him in indication that it was storytime.

"Sure thing, buddy." Jack picked up Lumpy, settling the stuffed toy in his lap, absent mindedly petting the brown fur. Leaning back, he maneuvered his body against the headboard. "Ready when you are."

Jack noticed that all the papers were divided into four squares, his eyes following as Daniel pointed to the first box. "This is a story about SpongeBob and his friends, Squidward, Patrick and Sandy. See, here they are holding hands... doing things that friends do." Jack tracked Daniel along the "storyboard", following the four crudely drawn figures on their adventures, listening to the drone of Daniel's voice relating their voyages.

Daniel sighed heavily, turning to the next page. "The four friends go on this one adventure, right here... because Patrick wanted to go. He had been begging for this one trip through the water... even though he didn't feel good. SpongeBob said yes because he's Patrick's best friend and he knew how important this was to Patrick. So they all went through the water together... following this road here. Can you see the road, Jack?"

"Yup, I see the road. You drew that road really well."

A smile lit up Daniel's face before he continued. "Um, where was I? Oh, yeah. So they go and Patrick gets lost... but SpongeBob doesn't know that Patrick is lost... 'cause Patrick is still there. But the real Patrick keeps calling and calling SpongeBob, telling him to find him. SpongeBob and Sandy and Squidward and even Gary thinks Patrick is crazy... 'Patrick you're right here'... 'Pffft', Patrick says."

Daniel paused, taking a deep breath, turning to the last drawing. "One day SpongeBob really looked and really listened and he believed that Patrick... the real Patrick, wasn't with him. So he dialed this number." His fingers traced the border of glyphs and went to get the real Patrick... who was very glad to see that his best friend finally listened. So he took him back home, through the water and down the road and they all lived happily ever after. The End!"

He handed the papers to Jack, who took them with a smile. "Great story. Thank you for reading that to me." He handed Lumpy back to Daniel, embarrassed that the toy had been on his lap through the telling of this adventure. "Night, Daniel."

"Wait. Wait. I read you a story. Now you read me a story. Two stories tonight you said, remember? I read one, you can read the other one."

"You're right, a deal's a deal." Jack walked over to the overflowing bookcase. Even though Daniel couldn't read, books had again become treasured acquisitions in his life. "Perfect."

Jack resumed his place on the bed, reading the title of the book to Daniel before he began. The two shared a laugh at the name - "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day."

Jack read, content at his position, the warmth of Daniel's head on his shoulder, a feeling of righteousness in his crazy world.

Daniel slid under the covers after Jack finished, watching him through eagle eyes as he slipped the book back onto the shelf. Jack bent, removed the glasses, folding them lovingly and placed them on the nightstand. He placed a feather light kiss on Daniel's exposed temple and was answered in a voice on the cusp of sleep, a simple "Thank you," followed by words that haunted the remainder of Jack's evening. "You need to listen, Jack... what's before you... please, listen."

Jack watched Daniel playing with his cereal and then checked his watch.

Daniel sighed and looked at Jack. "It's all mushy."

"It wouldn't be if you had eaten it right away," Jack commented. "Are you done?"

Daniel nodded and dumped the remaining cereal in the garbage disposal. "I don't like that kind anyway."

Jack ran an appraising eye over Daniel's body. Daniel had definitely lost some weight since... well, since he'd changed. Fraiser hadn't mentioned anything about it, so maybe it wasn't anything to be alarmed about. He made a mental note to speak to her on Monday. Finding foods that the new Daniel would eat that wasn't fast food was a challenge. Getting him to actually eat and stay focused on the food long enough to complete a meal was another. Not that the old Daniel didn't have some of the same behaviors, but they seemed exaggerated now.

"What are we doing today?" Daniel carefully placed his bowl and spoon in the dishwasher.

"You tell me." Jack remembered a suggestion from one of Daniel's therapists, have Daniel make lists, repeat directions to help work on his cognitive skills.

"Um... store?" Daniel asked, hesitant. He smiled as Jack nodded. "The store where we buy food."

"Grocery store, Daniel. Or supermarket." Jack grabbed his keys from the little hook by the door. "And then what?"

"We come home and play the rest of the day." Daniel followed Jack eagerly. " 'Cause it's Saturday."

"Right, just because it's Saturday." Jack closed the door. "And Daniel, don't..." But it was too late. Daniel had already jumped down the steps into the garage.

"We're gonna have fun today," Daniel said as he climbed into the Avalanche. "Lots of fun."

"Lots of fun," Jack echoed and smiled at his companion before pulling out the garage and into the street.

Thirty minutes later, Jack was seriously beginning to wonder just how fun shopping on a Saturday morning in a crowded store with Daniel in tow really was. Normally he went shopping without Daniel but the past week had been crazy and now there was no longer a choice. Daniel stuck close by Jack's side, his eyes wide and curious.

"There's lots of stuff in here, Jack," Daniel said as they started through the produce section. "Look at all this stuff."

"Yep," Jack agreed. "Can you get me a bag?"

Daniel nodded and pulled a plastic bag off the roll, handing it to Jack.

"What kind of fruit should we get?" Jack stood before a display of various citrus fruits.

Daniel studied them and then spied another display. "I want those apples."

"Okay, apples it is." Jack held the bag open as Daniel placed six apples in the bag.

They bagged some fresh vegetables and then began to make their way up and down the aisles.

"Hey, Jack," Daniel tugged on Jack's sleeve to get his attention.

Jack followed Daniel's pointing finger. "No, I'm sorry. You can't ride in the cart. You're too big."

Daniel giggled. "I know that. I'd be squished all up. Can I stand on the end?"

"Here," Jack relinquished his hold on the cart handles, "how about you push it? Be careful though. No bumping into people."

"I'll be careful, Jack. You know I will."

Jack ruffled Daniel's hair, ignoring the curious looks of some of the other shoppers. Damned if he was going to deny Daniel the reassurance he needed whether they were in public or not.

They were actually making good time, Jack figured, until they reached the cereal aisle. He watched as Daniel picked up what must have been his twentieth choice and then put it back on the shelf.

"Daniel," he warned.

"That one doesn't have a prize." Daniel looked at him over the tops of his glasses.

"I'm counting to ten and by the time I get there, you need to have one in the cart."

Daniel nodded absently and waved a hand at him as Jack began counting. Daniel must have been the kind of child who, when his parents said don't go over this line, put the tips of his toes right on the edge of the line all the while looking cute and adorable. He drew out his selection until the last possible moment, his hand hovering over a box until Jack enunciated the 'n' in ten. Then quick as a flash, the box was tossed in the cart.

Jack shook his head as he saw Daniel's choice, the very first one he'd declared he'd wanted when they'd turned down the aisle.

"I thought you don't like this kind, Daniel. You told me it gets mushy in the milk."

"Jack," Daniel shook his head, for a moment looking like an exasperated Daniel on a mission, "this one always has the best prizes." He started off once again, looking back at Jack instead of where he was going.

"Oops," Daniel said loudly when he bumped into an older man. "I'm sorry, mister."

"Why don't you watch where you're going?" The man's angry voice carried back to Jack who hurried to Daniel's side.

Daniel looked helplessly at Jack. "I'm sorry, Jack. I didn't mean to hit him." He clutched at Jack's sleeve. "Is he mad at me?"

"It's okay. It was just an accident." Jack glared at the man.

"Perhaps the next time you come you should leave him at home," the man said, evidently assessing the situation.

"Excuse me?" Jack said, moving slightly away from Daniel. "Leave him at home? Why would I want to do that?"

"There are places for people like him, you know," the man continued, straightening at Jack's continued stare.

"People like him?" Jack clenched the hand in his pocket into a fist.

"Jack? Can we go home now?" Daniel tugged at Jack's sleeve.

"Not now, Daniel. Quiet down." Jack wanted to smash the bastard's face in but he forced a fake smile to his face. "And no, I don't know what places there are for people like him. Why don't you enlighten me, mister?"

"Jack, come on. Look, I'll put the cereal back. I don't need it. I'll eat whatever you want me to. We can go home. We have lots of stuff there. I'm sorry, I'm sorry I was stupid."

Daniel's voice was almost frantic, but damn it, there was no way this pompous ass was going to put Daniel down.

A stock boy came over to their little scene. "Hey, mister, you know they have free cookies at the bakery today?"

"Jack, free cookies." Daniel looked hopefully at him.

"Go, Daniel. Get your cookie." Jack waved him off.

"I'll take him, mister," the stock boy volunteered.

"So, why don't you tell me just why I shouldn't bring my friend to the grocery store?" Jack nearly growled. The man just shook his head in disgust. Jack looked around to find Daniel only to discover him gone.

Oh, God, what had he done? Gotten caught up in an ego battle with some idiot who wasn't even worth his time. He grabbed at the cart, ready to take off on a dash through the store to find Daniel and then remembered some kid saying he'd take Daniel to the bakery. Stupid, stupid, stupid, Jack berated himself. Who was the real ass here anyway?

"Jack!" Daniel came running down the aisle, a cookie in each hand. "Look, they gave me cookies!"

He handed one to Jack and held the other out to the man. "Okay? Please?"

The man ignored the cookie and Daniel and brushed past Jack, muttering something about people who shouldn't be allowed in public.

"Did I do something wrong?" Daniel looked at him worriedly.

"No, no. You didn't do anything wrong." Jack threw an arm over Daniel's shoulders. "I'm sorry. I ignored you."

"Why didn't that man like me?" Daniel asked plaintively.

"I don't know."

Daniel looked at the cookie in his hand. "I wanted to give this cookie to him. I thought it would make him happy."

"Yeah," Jack sighed.

"Hey," Daniel brightened. "You don't have a cookie." He offered it to the stock boy.

"Thanks." The teenager smiled. "I like cookies."

Daniel smiled back shyly. "Me, too. My name's Daniel. What's your name?"

The kid laughed. "Guess what? My name's Daniel, too."

"It is?" Daniel turned to face Jack. "His name's like mine."

"I heard that." Jack broke his cookie in half, smiling at both Daniels.

His Daniel took a bite of cookie and Jack mouthed a thank you to the teenager, making a mental note to speak to the manager about the kind stock boy in aisle twelve.

He took over pushing the cart as Daniel munched his cookie.

"Are there more me's?" Daniel asked.

"Only one of you, Daniel. You're the only one like you in the whole world."

"But his name was like mine."

"Yep, lots of Daniels but only one you."

"That's silly." Daniel grabbed a pack of frozen pizzas.

"It's true, though." Jack put the pizzas back in the freezer. "Not this kind, Daniel." There was no way he could ever explain alternate realities courtesy of the quantum mirror, but even those Daniels weren't his Daniel.

Daniel smiled at him, all the hurt of the previous few minutes forgotten. "Can we come grocery shopping every day?"

"Not every day." Jack grabbed the first ice cream container he saw. "But we'll come here again. Gotta feed you, right?"

"Right," Daniel agreed. "Jack, will you let me give the lady the money?"

"Yeah, you can give her the money." Jack steered the cart towards the candy free line. There was no way on earth he was waiting in a line that went past all the candy bars. All Daniel would have to do was look at him beseechingly and the man would have every candy bar in the store.

"I had a good time today," Jack said as he sat on the edge of Daniel's bed.

"Me, too. I liked going to the waterfall place. That was fun." Daniel yawned, reaching for Lumpy and pulling the camel close.

"Seven Falls," Jack corrected gently. "Yeah, that was pretty neat, wasn't it?" It had been too beautiful a day to spend indoors and after they'd brought the groceries home and put them away, he'd decided to take Daniel hiking on the spur of the moment.

Daniel had been transfixed by the waterfall in the narrow canyon and insisted they hike up the two hundred forty four steps to the observation platform. After Daniel's enthusiasm, Jack could hardly wait to see Daniel's face when they stopped at the natural history museum before going to the zoo tomorrow. General Hammond called in a favor from a friend in order to get tickets for the special Egyptian exhibit that was on tour.

"It was fun feeding the fish." Daniel turned onto his side and rubbed his fingers on Jack's jeans. He yawned again. "Tomorrow we go to the zoo?"

"Yep, busy weekend, huh?" Jack agreed, gently placing Daniel's hand back on the bed. "Close your eyes, Danny."

Jack woke with an insistent ache in his groin, surprised to see that it was daylight and that both he and Daniel had slept the night through.

He made his way into the bathroom, turning the shower on cold. The cold spray made his knee ache. He closed his eyes, remembering a time when Daniel would have massaged the ache away. Jack stepped out of the shower a few minutes later, his erection subsided, and his knee hurting. He rummaged in the medicine cabinet for the ibuprofen and took three of them. Jack couldn't stand the thought of disappointing Daniel simply because he couldn't control his sexual desires for the "old" Daniel.

Jack got dressed and went to wake Daniel, only to find the bedroom empty, the comforter half off the bed. Jack made his way downstairs only to hear the muted sound of the television.

"Hi, Jack!" Daniel nearly bounced off the sofa at Jack's appearance. "Can we go now? I'm ready and I've been waiting forever for you to get up."

Jack bit back a grin. Daniel was ready, all right. He had on his jacket already zipped up, Lumpy was on the coffee table apparently ready to join them on their trip to the zoo.

"How long have you been up?" Jack asked and then shook his head. Daniel had no true sense of time any more.

"I watched Toy Story and then my SpongeBob tapes," Daniel said.

Jack glanced at the clock, calculating. Daniel had been up for the past three hours.

"Daniel, you need to sleep." Jack motioned for him to follow him to the kitchen.

"I can't wait, Jack. Can't we go now?" Daniel ignored Jack's, "Sit down, please."

"No, we can't go now. It'll be a few hours until everything opens. So, take off your jacket and sit down. We need to eat breakfast first."

"I'm not hungry. I want to go now." Daniel sat down, glaring at Jack.

"Hm..." Jack looked in the refrigerator. "Let's see. I think I'm going to have some waffles. Looks like there's waffle batter in here." He made a production of getting out the bowl and the maple syrup.

"Uh, Jack?" Daniel fiddled with a fork. "I think maybe I can eat a waffle."

"I thought maybe you'd find some room in there." Jack smiled. "One Jack O'Neill special coming up."

Daniel laughed and went over to watch Jack cook. "Can I have chocolate chips in mine?"

"Chocolate chips and maple syrup?"

Jack sighed as Daniel handed him the bag of chocolate chips, looking at him with an expression of disbelief. He supposed in Daniel's world everyone ate chocolate chips and maple syrup on their waffles.

"Put in lots, please." Daniel smiled at him. Jack smiled back, kissing Daniel's hair.

"You got it, Danny. Chocolate chip waffles coming right up, just like my mom used to make."

Daniel stopped on the sidewalk, his eyes darting from the big building in front of them to Jack and back again.

"What's wrong?" Jack asked, unable to understand Daniel's hesitancy.

"Is this, is this, is this..." Daniel seemed to having trouble finding words and breath.

"Slow down," Jack soothed. "Just slow down and tell me what's wrong, okay?"

Daniel took in a huge breath through his mouth. "Are you gonna leave me here?"

Jack shook his head. "No, this isn't a hospital." Jack knew he'd pinpointed Daniel's fear as soon as he said those words. The fear that was haunting Daniel's eyes faded and he gave a small smile.

"Not a hospital? Not like the Center?" Daniel started walking again, making sure that Jack was close by.

"No, not a hospital. Daniel, this is a museum," Jack explained. "They have lots of neat stuff inside."

"Egypt stuff?" Daniel raised his eyebrows.

"Yep, Egyptian stuff," Jack agreed, pulling out two tickets to show him.

"Then can we go in? Right now?"

The doors swooshed open and Jack watched Daniel as he handed their tickets to the attendant. Daniel's eyes widened as he saw the big sign announcing the touring exhibit. It was the same look of awe and excitement Jack had seen countless times when Daniel made a new discovery or broke the code to understand another language.

"Are we going to see that stuff?" Daniel whispered reverently.

"Yeah." Jack paid for one of the guides to the exhibit, unsure of how many questions Daniel was going to ask. "Come on. You ready?"

Daniel just nodded, his hand coming to rest on Jack's sleeve absently.

They entered the exhibit by going through a passageway that was built to simulate the entrance to a pyramid.

Since they'd made it to the museum right after opening on a Sunday, they were lucky enough to have the exhibit nearly to themselves.

Daniel tugged on Jack's sleeve, pulling him towards a small glass case filled with what looked like gold jewelry.

"What's it say?" Daniel pointed to the small signs inside the case.

Jack read it dutifully, the small ache of Daniel's lost abilities fading as Daniel's excitement and interest grew as they slowly made their way around the hall.

Daniel giggled as Jack read from the guidebook for the final exhibit. "That's silly."

"What's silly?" Jack was confused. The guidebook explained that the hieroglyphs on the two canopic jars were hymns of praise to Ra.

"It's silly, because that's not what this one says." Daniel pointed. He bent his knees to study the jar more closely. "Jack?"

"Yes, Daniel?" Jack wondered if Daniel was truly able to read the glyphs or if it was just some vestige of a memory of Daniel's past life.

"What's goold?"

"Gold? That's what the necklaces were made of." Surely Daniel hadn't just said what Jack thought he heard.

"No, no." Daniel shook his head vigorously. "Not gold. Goold." He drew the word out.

Jack felt his heart begin to pound and looked cautiously around the room. Luckily the few other families that had entered the hall had breezed through the exhibit in half the time it took Daniel and him and the hall was once again empty except for a security guard in the far corner.

"Goa'uld, Daniel. And it's not something good, believe me."

Daniel nodded and pointed a long finger to the jar. "I didn't think so. This one says beware the Goa'uld." He looked back to Jack. "Are you going to tell them to fix the sign, Jack? They shouldn't be telling people the wrong thing, should they?"

"No, no they shouldn't. Let's get going, and I'll make a phone call to someone who can get it fixed."

"Okay," Daniel agreed happily at Jack's assurance.

Jack rubbed a hand over his face as he followed Daniel towards the exit. He was so dreading this phone call to General Hammond.

"I'll send Doctor Lee and Major Carter to speak to the museum's director. If the writing is indeed Goa'uld, then they'll do a search of the rest of the artifacts to see if there are any more."

"Yes, General, I understand."

"How did Daniel know what was written on the canopic jar?"

"I'm not sure how he knew, but I have no reason to doubt he's right."

Daniel reached out to grab the phone. "I want to talk to Grandpa George."

"I'm busy right now, Daniel. Grandpa... I mean, General Hammond, and I are discussing something very important." Jack glanced at Daniel, who was busy glaring back and folding his arms over his chest.

"But I want to talk to him. I have important stuff to say, too."

"I know you—"

"Let me speak to him, Jack," Hammond ordered.

"Yes, sir." He handed the cell phone to Daniel and put both hands on the wheel again.

Daniel beamed at him and put the phone to his ear. "Hi, Grandpa George."

There was a minute pause and then Daniel started speaking rapidly. "We're going to the zoo. Right now. Jack took me to a museum and we saw Egypt stuff and now we're going to the zoo."

He took a deep breath before continuing. "I wish you were coming to the zoo with us. Hey, can I come to your office again and play with you? I'm gonna draw you some pictures to hang on your wall. And guess what, Grandpa George? Jack said I could bring Lumpy to the zoo. He couldn't go in the museum because Jack said he'd be bored, but Jack said he'd like the zoo. He said there's some real live camels there. Jack said we're gonna see a bald eagle. Bald means you don't got any hair, like you, Grandpa George. Where did your hair go?"

"Daniel," Jack held out his hand for the phone. "We'll be at the zoo soon."

Daniel sighed. "Jack says we'll be there soon. I have to give him the phone." Daniel listened intently before beginning to nod. "I will, Grandpa George. Okay. Bye."

Pushing the off button, Daniel handed the phone to Jack, studying him intently. "Jack? Grandpa George said I'm supposed to keep you in line. What does that mean? Should I make sure you get between the white lines in the parking place?"

Jack smiled and patted Daniel's denim-clad knee. "It means that you get to tell me what we do today. Sound good?"

Daniel nodded and pulled his backpack onto his lap. He unzipped it and pulled out Lumpy, holding him up to the window. "Look, Lumpy. It's the zoo. We're gonna see lots and lots of animals."

Jack finally guided Daniel to a bench and had him sit down and drink the bottle of water Jack had bought. Daniel had been entranced by the polar and grizzly bears and had watched the bald eagle intently. Jack sat down beside him and smiled.

"Are you having fun?"

Daniel nodded, taking another long swig of water. "But, Jack, I can't find them. I've been looking and looking. But I can't find them anywhere." He looked at Jack beseechingly.

"What do you want to see, buddy? Tell me and we'll look on the map." Jack spread the map across their knees. "Then we'll go see them after we finish our water."

"Where are the mastadges?" Daniel pushed up his glasses with one finger, never losing his grip on Lumpy.

"Uh..." Jack wasn't prepared for that request. He squeezed Daniel's shoulder. "I'm sorry. They don't have any here."

A quiet, "Oh," was accompanied by a sigh.

"But they do have a place we can explore. It says they have a ruined temple in this building." Jack showed Daniel on the map. Daniel smiled at him. "Finish your water," Jack reminded him gently. "Then we'll go. And after that, we'll take a trip on the train."

Daniel nodded and drank another gulp of the water, hugging Lumpy in his excitement.

Jack had grown used to the strange glances sent their way but he was also beginning to notice that there was understanding in some of those glances, and he found himself smiling back at the folks who smiled knowingly at them.

Daniel was standing, pulling on Jack's sleeve. "C'mon. You said we have more stuff to do."

Jack grinned and got to his feet. "Let's go."

Three hours later, they only had one exhibit left to see. Daniel shook his head at the picture of the snake outside the building.

"What's in here?" he asked in a whisper.

"Snakes and other reptiles."

"I don't want to go in there." Daniel shook his head.

"Okay," Jack agreed, but he was puzzled. "Daniel, they can't hurt you. They'll be behind glass."

"Don't care. I don't want to see them. Don't you remember, Jack?"

"Remember what?"

"You always say I hate those fucking snakeheads," Daniel said in an urgent tone.

Jack glanced around, hoping no one had overheard that particular comment. He and Daniel began making their way towards the exit.

"And you say there's no good snakes. Not even a to... tok... tok'ra," Daniel finally got out.

"You know what? You're absolutely right." Jack felt Daniel's warm, sweaty hand slip into his. "Let's stop in the gift shop before we leave."

"Daniel?" Jack held up the big camel he'd found in the gift shop. "Hey, look at this. You like it?"

"No." Daniel shook his head and began backing up, clutching Lumpy tightly. "No, put it back. Don't want that one."

"Hey, it's okay." Jack put the camel back down. "I just thought maybe you'd like another one. A better one."

Daniel looked at him, hurt in the blue eyes. "I like Lumpy. I don't want another camel."

"We don't have to get it." Jack steered Daniel towards the small puzzles and models.

"I don't have to get rid of him?"

"Of course not." Jack picked up a small wooden puzzle, showing it to Daniel. Daniel's frown was quickly replaced by a smile and a nod.

"Just 'cause something's not perfect you don't have to get rid of it," Daniel said quietly as they walked to the counter. "I won't ever get rid of Lumpy. Not ever." He looked at Jack.

Jack was once again confronted with the strange mix of old and new Daniel. A lump formed in his throat at the thought that maybe, just maybe, Daniel feared that Jack would get rid of him, that Jack saw him as damaged and without value. He missed what Daniel had been, but what Daniel was now was no less precious to him, no less valued.

"You're very smart, Daniel. Thanks for reminding me of that." Jack smiled at him and handed Daniel a twenty dollar bill to pay the clerk. "Lumpy is very lucky to have you for a friend."

"Like you and me," Daniel whispered as they waited in line.

"Exactly like you and me," Jack whispered back, knowing that Daniel still, as always, would challenge his assumptions about life.

"Are you going to put Lumpy's name on that piece of paper, too?" Daniel leaned over Jack's shoulder as he signed them both into the log at Cheyenne Mountain's, waving Lumpy before his face.

"No, there's no need to—"

"But he's coming with us. You have to write his name because then who will know where he is?"

Jack forced a smile at the security guard watching this exchange and pushed Lumpy aside, clearing the logbook so he could see to write. "We know he's with us, so there's no need to—"

"But you always put my name when I come with you – see, right there. Daniel Jackson." Daniel pointed at the name above Jack's, which read 'Dave Siler'. "If you write my name down and you still know I'm here with you, then why do you write it down? You need to put Lumpy and—"

"Fine. See, I'm writing it. Colonel Jack O'Neill, accompanied by Lumpy." Jack scribbled the last name and hoped nobody questioned what he'd written.

He adjusted the strap to Daniel's small backpack and then herded Daniel into the elevator. In his other hand he carried a small carryall with a few days' worth of clothes. Daniel danced to and fro excitedly and Jack watched him. He'd been excited for the past three days when he'd learned of their small vacation offworld. "Are we going to see Grandpa George first? Lumpy wants to say goodbye."

"Yes, the general is expecting us to drop in before we leave."

"Goodie." Daniel shifted his weight and then suddenly went still. "Jack?"

"Yeah, Daniel."

"It's not going to hurt, is it?"

"Going through the Stargate?"

"Uh huh."

"No, it's not." The elevator doors slid open on the 27th floor and Jack placed a hand on Daniel's shoulder, urging him out. "Remember Ca... Sam explained this to you? You won't feel a thing. One minute you'll be here, and then you'll be over there. Sort of like stepping outside through a door."

"But it won't hurt? Lumpy thinks..."

"Is Lumpy nervous?"

As Daniel nodded, staring at his feet, Jack stopped, pulling Daniel close to the wall. "It's okay to be nervous. But you'll be with me, and I promise, nothing bad will happen."

Daniel looked up at Jack and smiled. Jack ruffled his hair and then continued on towards their destination. They stopped in front of the general's office, and Jack stuck his head inside. When he saw that Hammond was alone, he knocked on the doorframe.

"Jack. Daniel. Come on in." Hammond pushed his laptop closed and stood, coming around his desk while Daniel rushed to him for a hug. He put his arms around Daniel and patted his back while Daniel, Lumpy dangling from one hand, enthusiastically crushed Hammond to him.

"We're going to visit Katsup, Grandpa George."

"Kasuf, Daniel." Jack winced internally at the mix up in names.

Daniel looked at Jack wide-eyed and confused. Then he smiled brightly. "Katsup is the stuff you put on your eggs. I don't like Katsup with eggs, no sir. I like it on meatloaf, though." He parked his butt on the corner of Hammond's desk and fiddled with the pull chain on Hammond's corner desk lamp, turning it on and off in quick succession.

"Are we good to go, sir?" Jack asked as he silently caught Daniel's hand and pulled it away from the chain.

"You have a window in twenty minutes."

"Great. I guess we have time to grab a snack from the commissary and—"

"Doctor Fraiser wanted you to stop by the infirmary before you left."

"Oh, no, no no." Daniel jumped off the desk and waved the hand holding Lumping in irritation. "No needles. I don't want any needles." Lumpy's neck smashed into an award sitting on the credenza, knocking it over. "Jack, can we go home? I don't want no needles." Face red and moving quickly towards a tantrum, Daniel began hurrying towards the door.

Jack quickly righted the overturned award while Hammond moved to head Daniel off at the entrance. "It's okay, son. Doctor Fraiser just wants to make sure the colonel has all the medication he may need for your trip."

"No needles? Promise?" Daniel shifted his weight, looking like he was ready to panic.

"No needles, Daniel." Jack took Daniel's arm and tugged him gently towards the door. "She just wants to talk to me."

"I'll see you two in a few minutes." Hammond returned to his desk as Jack led Daniel to the infirmary.

Fraiser was waiting for them and held up a small bag as Jack pulled a reluctant Daniel towards her.

"Good, you're here. I'm not sure exactly what you packed but I wanted to make sure you had everything you might need." She opened the bag and dumped its contents onto a nearby bed. "Analgesics, anti-emetic, anti-diarrhea, Tylenol—"

"Doc, I got most of this stuff." Jack eyed the various bottles while keeping a watch on Daniel, who had wandered to a nearby table and was examining the various paraphernalia on it.

Fraiser began placing the bottles back into the bag, one by one. She handed him the bag. "Good. You can take these with you in case you're missing something or run out of it."

Jack accepted the bag and dumped it into his carryall.

"You will be careful, won't you? If there's any problem, you'll bring Daniel back. He may not be able to take the heat easily."

"You know I will, doc. But I need to do this. For him, or rather, for Sha're's memory. And his."

"Daniel won't know the difference, sir. It's been two years since his wife's death and—"

"I'll know. This isn't for Danny, it's for... what he was. Before... you know. He'd have gone to this memorial ceremony – hell, he wrote the date in his agenda almost a year ago. It's the least I can do."

"And what about her father and brother? What will their reaction be when they see Daniel?"

"They've already been briefed. Teal'c went to Abydos a week ago and told him what happened. Kasuf was insistent that we come and visit."

Daniel had wandered off a ways, heading towards someone lying in an infirmary bed.

"Daniel," Jack hissed. When Daniel turned inquisitively at him, Jack motioned with his head that he should come back. "We better get going," Jack said when Daniel returned to fiddle again with the items on the nearby table.

"Have a good trip, Daniel."

Daniel turned quickly, his hip bumping into the table and one of the glass jars tinkled loudly as it banged into another.

"I will, Doc Janet. We're going to visit Kat... Kasoop."

"I know. Have fun. You, too, sir."

"Thanks, Doc. C'mon, Daniel. It's almost time to go."

"We're going to go through the big round thing, right?" Daniel turned sideways and skip-hopped his way along the corridor beside Jack. "The one we see from Grandpa George's office and it turns blue sometimes and it's like going through a door."

"That's right." Jack pulled Daniel aside when he almost bumped into a marine.

"And Lumpy's not scared and we're going to visit Kasoop and we're going to go on a vacation and it's gonna be hot and we're gonna visit a grave and—" Daniel squealed as they stepped into the Gateroom and ran to Carter and Teal'c, who were waiting by the edge of the ramp.

"Sam, Teal'c. Are you coming with us to Aby... Aby..."

Carter laughed. "Abydos, and no, Daniel, we're not. We just stopped by to see you two off."

Daniel's face fell for a moment, but he perked up as Hammond entered the room.

"Just in time, boys. Walter's finishing up a 'gate diagnostic and he'll be dialing the moment he's done."

As if the technician had heard Hammond's words, the 'gate began to turn. Daniel jumped and scurried to stand behind Jack, looking up at the 'gate in awe.

"Chevron one encoded."

The look on Daniel's face was priceless as Walter's voice came over the loud speakers. He looked around before he waved when he saw Walter through the glass windows, and then looked back at the still-turning Stargate.

"It's noisy."

"Yep. Sounds a bit different from down here instead of up there, doesn't it?"

Daniel turned and looked up towards the briefing room window. He took a few steps backwards but Jack grabbed him before he could bump into the railing.

"Chevron seven locked." The Stargate whooshed and Daniel jumped back, then grinned at Jack.

"Wow."

"That's our ticket," Jack said, pointing to the active wormhole. "We'll be back in five days. Don't do anything I wouldn't do, kids." He grabbed their carryall and kept a light hand on Daniel's bicep as they walked towards the shimmering puddle.

"We go through that?" Daniel stopped just short of the wormhole.

"Just like going through a door."

"There's no window."

"Trust me, just one step and we'll be through in seconds."

Daniel reached out and touched the puddle, which rippled at the disturbance. Daniel hurriedly took two steps away from the wormhole, forcing Jack to let go of his arm. "Nope, no way. I'm not going through that." He wrapped his arms around himself, crushing Lumpy to his chest, and gave Jack a mutinous look.

"C'mon, Daniel, it's safe." Jack held his hand out to him.

Daniel shook his head, ignoring Jack's outstretched arm. "It's all... funny. I don't like it."

Hammond, bless his heart, walked up the ramp to put a hand on Daniel's arm. Daniel leaned close to Hammond. "You know, Daniel, Jack goes through the Stargate all the time. So do Major Carter and Teal'c. And a lot of other good people. Do you think I wouldn't let them walk through that if it wasn't safe?"

"No," Daniel said after a moment through his pout.

"And I wouldn't let you go through it if I didn't think it was okay."

"See, it's safe. C'mon."

"I don't wanna." He took another step down the ramp. Carter and Teal'c approached the ramp, standing in such a way that they were blocking Daniel from retreating further.

Jack sighed and looked at Hammond. "Kasuf is expecting us. I should just go and I'll come back tomorrow after the ceremony. I know it's short notice but could one of you take Daniel tonight?"

"I would be more than happy to share my quarters with DanielJackson."

"You're leaving me here?" Daniel wailed, unconsciously moving closer to the Stargate as he hurried beside Jack. "I don't want you to go. I want you to stay here with me."

"I promised Kasuf and Skaara I'd be at the ceremony. They're on the other side of the 'gate, Daniel, waiting for us. I don't want to disappoint them, so yes, I'm going without you."

"No, no no no. Please, I'll go with you. Don't leave me here."

"You sure?"

Daniel nodded vigorously.

"Then come on. One quick step through." Jack grabbed Daniel's arm and before he could protest, pulled him through the Stargate. Daniel yelled in surprise, and was still yelling when they stepped out of the Stargate and into the pyramid on Abydos.

Torches lit the room, the smell of burning resin strong in the dry, hot room. Daniel stumbled, righted himself, and turned on Jack angrily.

"That's wasn't nice. You scared me."

Jack smiled at Daniel despite the fury in the beloved face. "I'm sorry. But look, we're here now." He waved an arm towards the two men standing beside the DHD, flanked by several guards, all of them with grins on their faces.

Kasuf stepped forward, nodding politely. "Good Son, it is a pleasure to see you again. You are looking well. O'Neill, welcome. We are happy to have you both."

"Jack," Daniel said in a loud whisper. "I'm not his son. Why did he call me that?"

"That's what Kasuf always called you, Daniel."

Daniel scrunched his nose. "Not me, the other me."

"I am sorry, Dan'yel. I did not mean to confuse you. You may not be the same person you once were, but there is still a part of you who is who he was."

"What did he mean, Jack?"

"He likes you," Jack said with a grin.

"I don't have to call him daddy, do I?" Daniel whispered again.

"No, you can call him Kasuf."

Skaara stepped forward, arms spread out and Jack dropped his bag and took the man into an enthusiastic hug. "O'Neer," he said happily.

"It's good to see you, Skaara. How ya doin'?" Jack patted Skaara's back.

"I am well." He stepped back and grinned at Jack. "I am also very glad you have both come for the ceremony."

Jack noticed Daniel scowling at them and placed a hand on Daniel's shoulder, hoping to appease any jealousy he might be feeling. "He would have wanted this," Jack said softly. Skaara nodded, understanding Jack's statement. "Daniel, this is Skaara. He's Sha're's brother."

Daniel said the name several times to himself, then thrust Lumpy into the man's face. "This is Lumpy."

Jack had to give Skaara credit; he merely eyed the stuffed toy and smiled gently at Daniel. "It is a lovely creature. Is it a brave warrior creature from your world?"

"It's a camel," Daniel said in a derogatory tone. "They're not brave, they're just... camels."

"I see. We have no camels here."

"You don't? It's hot." Daniel wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. "We're going to visit with you. Jack said we're also going to go visit someone and say prayers and we're going to stay at Kasoop's place."

"And we must be on our way. Come, it is a long ride home." Kasuf politely showed them the hallway leading towards the pyramid's exit. Jack grabbed their bag and they walked out. The guards stepped forward as they passed, all of them smiling at Daniel and welcoming him. Daniel blushed, looked down at his feet and followed Jack until they turned into the dimly lit tunnel, the glare of sunshine indicating the end.

Daniel reached out and touched Skaara's dreadlocks. "Is that your hair?" He tugged on a dangling braid and Jack reached out and gently tapped Daniel's fingers so he'd let go.

"It is easier to keep them in braids, and the length protects my neck from the heat of the sun." Skaara smiled over at Daniel.

"Jack, can I grow my hair and braid it like his?" Daniel raised a hand to his own short locks and fingered the strand.

"It would take years to grow that long, and you'd be fed up with it in no time."

"No, I wouldn't." Daniel traced a long strand of braids with a finger, trying to see where it led in the intricate hairstyle.

"O'Neer is right, Dan'yel. It takes much time to care for. Were I not living here on Abydos, I would much prefer your own short form."

They stepped outside, with Daniel still staring at Skaara's braids and fingering his own, trying to tug his bangs down over his eyes.

"Daniel, the sun's strong here. Put your hat on." Jack took the boonie hat he'd placed into the carryall's pocket and plopped it on top of Daniel's head, carefully adjusting the strap beneath his chin.

"It's hot," Daniel repeated moodily as he started to remove his jacket.

"I know. Keep your jacket on; it'll protect you a little from the sun. Sunglasses, too." Jack caught the sympathetic glance Kasuf gave him as he patted the jacket back on Daniel's shoulders, raising the collar to protect Daniel's throat. Daniel fumbled through his pockets for his clip-ons.

"I was told of the changes he has experienced, but did not realize how much we have lost," Kasuf said softly as Jack put on his own sunglasses. He was spared answering when Daniel turned and yelled, "Jack! Look!" Pointing excitedly to the two saddled beasts waiting patiently nearby, Daniel grinned at Jack. "Mastadges. Can we go see them?"

"We will do more than see them," Skaara said, sliding down the sand dune towards the beasts. "We shall ride them."

"Really? Jack, we're gonna ride the mastadges." Daniel did an excited little dance before sliding awkwardly behind Skaara. Kasuf, born to this world, managed a much more dignified and graceful descent while Jack, trying to emulate the leader's poise, at least made it down without sliding on his butt.

Daniel ran up to the beasts, but stopped short as one of them snuffled loudly. He peered at it with a grin. "There wasn't any at the zoo. I'm glad they're here."

"Daniel, you better put Lumpy in the bag." Jack unzipped the carryall and held it open.

"No, I want Lumpy to see." Daniel clutched the toy closer to him, rubbing his nose on Lumpy's head.

"It's a long way down, and if you drop him, we might not find him again. It's safer for him in here."

"I won't drop him."

"Do you want to take that chance? The desert out there is pretty big."

Daniel seemed to be thinking it over for a moment, but after a final rub, he reverently put the stuffed camel into the bag. "You won't lose the bag, will you?"

"Nope. It's gonna be tied nice and tight to the saddle." He handed the carryall to Skaara, who made a show of tying it to the beast's side.

"Do you want to ride with me, Dan'yel?" At Daniel's nod, Skaara showed him how to climb up and by the time Jack turned to his own ride, Daniel was already ensconced atop the mastadge, with Skaara sitting behind him.

"C'mon, Jack, climb up. Don't be a slowpoke." Daniel shifted around to watch Jack, and Skaara placed a protective hand on his arm to hold him in place. Jack waited for Kasuf to mount, remembering the one and only time he'd been atop one of these creatures was during a sandstorm when he and Daniel had gotten lost trying to escape from Ra's clutches.

He'd forgotten how much the mastadges stank; as even as he put a foot onto the stirrup to hoist himself up, it noisily passed air. The stench followed him up, the lack of wind not aiding in dissipating the gas.

Within moments the pyramid was hidden from sight as they descended another large dune, the only vista around them was sand, sand and more sand. He heard Daniel whine again about the heat and he simply pulled his baseball cap lower on his forehead, hoping the trip didn't entail any surprise detours because the complaining was getting on his nerves, and he figured Skaara and Kasuf weren't immune either.

"Are we there yet?" The excitement had left Daniel; his voice was one which Jack recognized as bordering on frustration and tiredness. Although it was still early according to Earth's schedule, Daniel had been a bundle of nervous energy all of yesterday and this morning, and Jack was afraid it might end up leaving Daniel in the grips of a fever by this evening. First thing on the agenda when they got to Nagada was to put him to bed in the hopes of warding off any illness.

The trip to the city was mercifully short, thanks to the pace of the mastadges. They entered the city, and Jack wasn't surprised when someone would wave and call out a welcome to him and Daniel. A couple of faces were actually familiar to Jack; Skaara's young militia had grown up but obviously remembered them. There were many more calls to Daniel, though, who waved back, puzzled but enthusiastic.

As they pulled into the corral, Daniel was drooping with exhaustion. This heat was enough to leech the energy from a healthy adult; with Daniel's fitful sleep these nights, Jack began to wonder if all of this might not have been a mistake.

"Are we there?" Daniel looked around, his nose wrinkling at the smell of manure coming from inside the dark stable.

"Almost." Jack slid down the beast's side and stepped to Daniel's beast. Daniel descended slowly, seemed to need a moment to get his footing, then peered curiously into the dark cavernous hold. A grunt followed by a loud animalistic moaning came from one of the pens. Loud sniffing caused Jack to smile. He tilted his head in question towards the door and Skaara nodded, his eyes glinting in amusement.

"Let's go see," Jack said conspiringly. He sneaked a candy bar from the bag, wincing at the softness of the melting chocolate and followed Daniel inside. It took a few seconds for his eyes to adjust but there was no mistaking the creature who was making the noises.

The mastadge was old, its skin wrinkled, its body gaunt compared to those around it. It eyed them myopically, but called out in that same keening sound as it sniffed the air again. "Go on," Jack said, nudging Daniel towards it. "Nothing wrong with its memory," Jack said to Skaara, who went to stand beside the mastadge, petting its now-scrawny mane.

It raised its head over the pen gate, aiming unerringly for Daniel, who stepped back in surprise. "Here." Jack unwrapped the softened candy bar as best he could and handed it to Daniel. "Give him a bite."

Its bellowing increased when it caught the scent of the chocolate and Daniel cautiously stretched his hand until he dropped the treat onto its tongue. Jack noticed it no longer had teeth.

"Yuck." Daniel wiped the strands of saliva mixed with melted chocolate from his hand on his pants, scrunching his nose in disgust and creating streaks of brown on his beige pants.

The creature chewed the soft candy, making low sounds of contentment. Chocolate-coated saliva dribbled onto the boards, and the long tongue reached out to lick it clean.

"Didja see that, Daniel? It likes chocolate."

"I see." Daniel fed the last of the candy bar to the mastadge, then petted it like Skaara was doing. When the animal finished eating, Jack nudged Daniel and they stepped back into the sun-filled yard.

Kasuf's house was only a few minutes away and before long they were out of the sun. Built of timber and canvas, the building had an airy feel to it.

Jack motioned for Daniel to take his jacket off and he did so with a heavy sigh while Kasuf spoke to someone who had come in from another part of the house.

"It's hot. Can't we turn on the air conditioning?" Daniel plopped down on a cushion and wiped the sweat dripping down the side of his face. His tee shirt was soaked, as was Jack's.

"There's no air conditioning on this planet, kiddo. It'll cool off when the sun sets."

"But it's hot. I don't like this."

"You'll get used to it in a day or two. I warned you it was going to be hot, remember?"

Jack circumvented Daniel's "but" by sticking a finger in his face. "You said you wouldn't complain. No complaining."

"Perhaps Daniel would be more comfortable in our galabia?"

"That's probably a good idea. I brought Daniel's..." The robes were more comfortable, although there was always that little niggling embarrassing, "you're wearing a dress," thought that would creep into his mind whenever he considered wearing one. But Daniel had never hesitated to put one on, and Jack would encourage this Daniel to do so as well.

Jack opened the carryall and Daniel immediately pounced on it, grabbing Lumpy. Jack removed the tan item from the bag and unfolded it. "Here, put this on."

Daniel squinted at the robe, scrunching his nose up at Jack. "It's a dress."

"It's a robe, just like what Kasuf is wearing. You won't be as hot wearing this."

"Go ahead, Dan'yel." Kasuf waved his hand at Daniel.

"Why can't I wear pants, like Skaara?"

"How about we buy some tomorrow at the market? For both of us?" Jack glanced at Kasuf, who nodded.

Standing unselfconsciously before them all, Daniel kicked off his shoes and undressed down to his underwear. Jack pulled the robe over his head while Skaara adjusted it. Jack didn't think Daniel would have the patience with the cowl but he didn't seem to mind.

"Better?"

Daniel shrugged, shook one leg and then another. "It feels funny."

"Cooler?"

He dropped bonelessly onto the cushions beside Jack. "I'm still hot." He looked at Jack eagerly.

"Can I have a Snapple?"

"Sorry, Daniel. They don't have any cold drinks here."

Before Daniel could begin to whine, the woman Kasuf had spoken with earlier entered the room, carrying a tray. She placed it on the floor beside Kasuf.

"The tea will help cool you off," Kasuf said with a smile, handing both Jack and Daniel a steaming cup.

"Careful, it's hot," Jack warned Daniel, reaching out and holding onto the cup to make sure Daniel had a sure grip before letting Daniel take the cup himself.

Jack remembered the Abydonian tea; it was minty, sweet, and hot. It'd cause him to sweat, and then he'd feel better for a short time after. He sniffed the aromatic steam and took a cautious sip.

"It's good," Daniel said, slurping noisily. He stretched out amongst the cushions until he sprawled amongst them. Eyes drooping, he sat quietly examining the room from where he was instead of rushing around touching everything while Jack and the two Abydonians made small talk

"You want to lie down for a while, Danny?" Jack asked softly when Kasuf poured them more tea.

"I'm not tired." Daniel yawned widely, belying his statement.

"Just for a little while."

"I don't want to go to sleep."

"How about you just close your eyes and rest?"

Jack had intended to bring Daniel to whichever sleeping area had been assigned to them and hope he'd nap for an hour or three, but Daniel scrabbled closer to Jack, laid his head on the pillow next to his thigh, and closed his eyes. He made small motions with his head, rubbing his chin against Lumpy's back. Jack reached out, placed his hand on top of Daniel's scalp, and rubbed his fingers gently through the soft hair.

Daniel stilled; obviously he'd been unconsciously looking for comfort which Jack had just provided. Jack was aware of Skaara and Kasuf watching him, but he kept quiet until he was sure Daniel had fallen asleep. Then he eased the glasses from Daniel's face and pocketed them.

"He hasn't slept much – he was pretty excited about coming here," Jack said a little awkwardly. Suddenly he felt out of place; Abydos had always been Daniel's second home. Jack was here with Daniel, but not that Daniel. He wondered again if he'd made a mistake by coming.

He'd thought they'd needed a small vacation; getting a few days off hadn't been difficult. But pulling Daniel from his routine, which was very important to his continued progress, would probably prove to be distracting for him. Jack would give it thirty-six hours; after tomorrow's ceremony, if things weren't working out, he'd bring Daniel home.

"So, I didn't get to set my watch to the local time before coming here. What time is it? Morning? Afternoon?"

"It will soon be time for our evening meal."

"Ah. Okay, gotcha."

Jack forced a smile, feeling more and more uncomfortable. He looked at his hand buried in Daniel's hair and realized this small token of affection was something he'd never have permitted himself to do before. But now, it just felt right.

Skaara began talking in the awkward silence, describing his day-to-day life, thanking Jack once again for his part in ridding him of Klorel. He and Kasuf spoke about people Jack didn't know, but who the old Daniel probably did, but it passed the time, and it was better than staring at one another, desperately thinking of something inane to say.

Time passed slowly, Jack half-wishing Daniel would wake up, if only for something familiar to deal with. There were no windows to look out of; everything was pulled tight to ward off the heat of the day. Sounds outside were muffled, the thick canvas providing a secure oasis for a short siesta.

"So, you got someone around the house to help you?" Jack said in an effort to stay awake when the heat finally started to get to him.

"With my daughter gone, there were some who took pity and were willing to provide comfort to an old man."

Skaara snorted. "Do not let my father fool you, O'Neer. Faleneti has always been willing to provide comfort, for as long as I remember."

"Skaara," Kasuf chided his son with both tone of voice and a look, but Jack was surprised to see a faint blush on Kasuf's face.

Kasuf hadn't spoken loudly, but the sharpness must have stolen into Daniel's sleep. He stirred, opened his eyes to look sleepily at Jack before shutting them again.

"He is very popular with the women," Skaara grinned, not at all abashed at his father's embarrassment. "Our mother died when I was very young and I understand that a man gets... lonely."

"You old tiger, you," Jack said with a grin, removing his hand from where it lay on top of Daniel's head as Daniel turned onto his back and stretched. Everyone was entitled to a bit of comfort and joy in their lives; Jack certainly wasn't going to start judging the man in his own home.

Faleneti entered the room and knelt beside Kasuf to speak quietly to him. He placed a hand on her arm and patted it, then smiled softly at her. "The meal is ready, O'Neill."

"C'mon, Daniel," Jack said, giving his chest a couple of pats. "Chowtime."

"It's still hot." Daniel grabbed a handful of material and popped it several times, trying to make air inside his galabia. "What's for supper? McDonalds?" Daniel turned onto his knees and sat back, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Jack handed him his glasses and got up, knees and back creaking painfully from the unaccustomed position. His feet and hands felt stiff and swollen, not-so-gentle reminders that his body was having trouble getting used to the sweltering heat.

They followed Kasuf into another airy room where they sat around a small table, this time on low cushioned chairs. Faleneti served them shyly; foods that Jack had already eaten here and although while admitting to himself they'd probably never be on his favorite list, at least they were filling.

Daniel took one look at the array of vegetables and meats on the table and declared, "Jack, I want fries and a cheeseburger."

"There's no fast food here. You'll have to eat what's on the table."

"Then I want Taco Bell. A Chalupa would be good."

"Taco Bell is a fast food. Here..." Jack dished a small amount of spinach-like mush that he remembered tasted like celery, "try this." He took a few slices of roast... something, and added it to Daniel's plate, covering it liberally in a spicy gravy. There were tubers although they didn't taste like potatoes, more like a mix of carrots and broccoli. He added a piece of spice-laden pita bread for good measure.

"I don't want this. It's all mushy and it looks weird." Daniel pushed the plate away. "Isn't there any Kentucky Fried Chicken close by? Arby's? I want some French Fries."

"Daniel—" Jack took a deep breath, realizing suddenly that he'd taken the easy way out of cooking over the past months. When was the last time Daniel had eaten vegetables – if fries could still be considered a veggie – and had meat that hadn't been deep-fried, grilled or covered with special herbs and spices to make it taste like it wasn't meat?

"Look, just try a bite of everything. There's surely something here that you'll like." Jack picked up a piece of wilted green stuff and held it out to Daniel.

Jack recognized the mutinous look Daniel gave him, and knew there was no way he was going to get Daniel to eat anything tonight unless he trudged back to the Stargate and drove to the nearest fast food outlet. He dropped the piece of green onto his plate and tried to avoid looking at Kasuf. He felt embarrassed for Daniel, which normally he wouldn't, but this situation was awkward since they were sitting amongst Daniel's other family. One with whom he'd spent a year with and who probably knew Daniel almost as well as Jack did.

"I don't want any."

The look was joined with the pout, along with the infamous Daniel Jackson crossing of the arms to get the point across. Well, Daniel wouldn't starve between now and tomorrow, and by breakfast he'd probably be hungry enough to eat baked lizard, which even today Jack wouldn't touch with a ten-foot pole.

"Fine. Don't eat." Jack took a bite of the meat, which was juicy and delicious, the gravy spicy and a perfect accompaniment. He tried to ignore the sound of Daniel's stomach rumbling and concentrated on his meal.

"Dan'yel," Skaara said when Daniel's brow furrowed as he glared at Jack. The glower was aimed at Skaara only by reason of association. "The bread is very good, and if you want, I can get you some sweet berries to put on it." Skaara tore off a bite-sized piece of pita bread and held it out to Daniel. "Try it. The berries are very good also. It was my sister's recipe."

To Jack's surprise, Daniel took the bread from Skaara and ate it. When no further argument erupted and Daniel took to pulling a bite from his own portion of pita, Skaara got up and left the room. He returned a short moment later with three small bowls and placed them before Daniel.

"Here, this is fun to eat." He knelt beside Daniel and took a portion of pita and folding it in half, dipped it into one of the bowls as if it were a spoon. He popped it into his mouth and grinned.

Intrigued, Daniel emulated him, and his eyes opened wide in surprise. "It's good."

"I told you it was." He pointed to the other two bowls. "This one is sweeter, and this one is spicy; you used to like it so you may yet enjoy it."

Jack ripped a piece of bread and dipped it into the spicy concoction. It looked and smelled like humus, but it was much tastier. "Hey, this isn't bad." Jack pulled the bowl towards him, only to have Daniel pull it back with another glare. Silently he tried the other two mixtures and began eating from each.

Kasuf silently handed Daniel more bread when he'd eaten his entire portion.

"You know, the meat's pretty good," Jack said, offering Daniel a piece once again. Now that there was something in Daniel's stomach and he had woken up a little from his nap, Daniel was a little more charitable. He looked at the meat in Jack's hand, then at the nearly empty plate before taking it from him. He nibbled on it carefully, then popped the bite into his mouth. Jack doled a portion of the meat onto Daniel's plate and poured a bit of gravy, and was relieved to see Daniel decide to eat it.

Supper over, they returned to the living room with more tea and cookies made with some sort of date-like fruit. Daniel sprawled on the floor beside Skaara after rummaging through Jack's bag and finding a coloring book and crayons.

"See, you have to fill in the spaces," Daniel explained, zipping the yellow crayon over the outline of SpongeBob's body. "You're not supposed to color outside of the lines, but it's really hard." He flashed Jack a bright smile. "Jack can do it really good. See?" He stopped coloring and flipped through the book, showing Skaara the already filled in pages. The evidence between Jack's and Daniel's were painfully obvious, but Skaara praised both of them equally for their artistic talents.

He continued whizzing the crayon across the space, making uneven lines across SpongeBob's body. He stopped and looked at the yellow crayon. "Jack, it's not working good." He got up on his knees and offered the 'banana mania' crayon to Jack.

The crayon had softened in the desert heat, half-melting, causing small blobs of it to come apart on the paper when Daniel pressed hard. Already it had taken a gentle curve from the pressure of Daniel's fingers on it.

"It's the heat; it's melting the wax. There's nothing you can do except be gentle with the crayons." Jack handed the yellow crayon back to Daniel.

He continued filling in the square body, his efforts at being gentle soon forgotten as he enthusiastically finished. Daniel then chose a light blue crayon and pointed to SpongeBob's eyes.

"When I finish, do you want to color a page?" He turned the page and twisted to show Skaara. His galabia rode up his leg, exposing a long, hairy thigh. "See, there's a funny picture of Patrick. You can color that one when I'm done." Daniel lay back down on his stomach, the robe riding even higher along his legs. The tip of his tongue sticking out, oblivious of his disarray, Daniel slowly and awkwardly traced the eyes with the soft, waxy crayon.

When he finished, he plopped the coloring book on Skaara's lap and dumped the crayons on the floor at his feet. "Here, you can play with it now."

Skaara bent down and picked up a bright green crayon, but before he could put tip to paper, Daniel had grabbed it and quickly replaced it with a light pink. "No, no, no, Patrick is a starfish and you have to make him pink."

"Daniel, let Skaara choose whatever colors he wants to use."

"But Jack, everyone knows Patrick's—"

"Skaara's never seen SpongeBob."

"Oh, no." Daniel threw himself onto his back and laughed. "You and Teal'c are so funny. Why didn't we bring the DVDs with us, Jack? We could've watched SpongeBob make all those hamburgers at the Krusty Krab and the algae eat them up." Daniel rolled onto his side, his legs wide apart, giving everyone a good view up his robes. They definitely were going to the market in the morning and getting local pants and tunics.

"They don't have televisions here, buddy."

"What?" Immediately Daniel was on his knees, leaning on the cushions. "But how am I going to watch The Rugrats?"

"I set the VCR to tape them," Jack lied, knowing by the time they got home Daniel would have forgotten how many episodes he'd have missed.

"Okay." He leaned over to see how Skaara was doing. "You could make his pants green and purple," Daniel hinted once the starfish's body was done.

"Show me," Skaara said with a patient smile.

"Okay, this one, and this one." Daniel dumped the crayons onto the coloring book and stood. "Jack, I need to pee," he whispered loudly.

Jack stood; he had to go himself. "Excuse us a second," he said to Kasuf and Skaara. He led the way down the hallway, remembering where the small indoor outhouse was. He pulled the curtain back, exposing the room.

"Where's the toilet?" Daniel scrunched his nose at the faint smell of urine and feces.

"Here." Jack leaned down and removed the ceramic cover concealing the facilities.

"It's a hole." Daniel peered into the opening and covered his nose with his hand as the odor was a little stronger without the ceramic cover.

"Yep."

"But how do I—"

"Just aim into the hole instead of the toilet bowl."

"But what if I have to poop?"

"Then you put your feet on either side and squat."

"But what if I fall in?" Daniel took a quick step backwards. Jack put a hand out to stop Daniel from bumping into him.

Hiding a smile, Jack answered. "You won't, it's not big enough." He pushed Daniel forward. "Go on. You can wash your hands here when you're done." He pointed to a large basin and pitcher. "Don't touch those," he said, pointing to another covered container in the corner in which he knew were full of filthy rags, "they use that instead of toilet paper."

"How will I—"

"I packed some. I'll put a roll in your room tonight, okay?"

"You sure I won't fall in?" Daniel began to pull his robe up and Jack turned his back and stepped into the hallway.

"I'm sure."

Jack didn't envy the person whose job it was to regularly come and clean the shit out of these toilets. It really wasn't something he wanted to think about; give him a flush toilet and running water any day. Then again, getting rid of it would be easier here with the hot, arid weather drying out all the crud in no time. Maybe they used the old Naquada mine to dump the shit in; it was big enough and would take centuries to fill in. A fitting end, Jack thought, to centuries of slave labor.

He heard water splashing and turned back to check on Daniel. "Put the cover back on when you're done. It'll keep the smell down and the bugs away."

Daniel pushed it with his foot, and wiped his wet hands on the sides of his robe.

Ignoring the coloring book that Skaara had placed on the floor where Daniel had been lying, Daniel went to the carryall and took out his Game Boy. Jack recalled their conversation when Daniel had wanted to bring half his toys with him. After a short tantrum, they'd settled on the coloring book and crayons, the Game Boy DS because it had a protective cover to keep out the sand and a toy car. And Lumpy. Daniel settled into the corner of the room, Lumpy tucked beneath his arm, and moments later the sounds of Mario Brothers filled the room.

Someone called out through the house and Skaara yelled back as he scrabbled to his feet to greet the visitors. Two men came into the room, looking a little nervous. Both looked around until they spotted Daniel in the corner. They smiled, pretended they'd come to say hello to Jack but despite their small knowledge of English and their efforts to speak to him, Jack could see they only had eyes for Daniel. Besides, he recognized them from his second trip to Abydos when he'd come to collect Daniel and bring him back to Earth, thereby starting the chain of events that had led Apophis to kidnap Sha're and Skaara. They'd been amongst the group to whom Daniel had said that poignant farewell.

"This is Ankhu and Pentu. They have come to say hello." Skaara stood with his friends, the three of them staring down at Daniel.

Daniel only glanced up at them once as they said hello, his attention focused on the game in his hands.

"Daniel," Jack chided gently.

"Hello," Daniel said, barely looking up from his Game Boy. The men spoke a few words to him in Abydonian, but Daniel's answers were short and his voice testy. They stayed long enough to drink some tea, chatted with Skaara and Kasuf while trying not to throw looks in Daniel's direction, then left, obviously uneasy with the change in Daniel.

"We cautioned all of his friends," Kasuf explained while Skaara walked the two out. "But many have expressed wishes to see him. Will it bother him if more stop to speak with him while he is here?"

"No," Jack answered, wondering if anyone else stopping by would at least attempt to speak to Daniel or would be so unnerved with the changes in him as to pretend they didn't notice. "He's still pretty outgoing with people and will probably enjoy meeting new folks." He stood and walked over to Daniel, recognizing the twin spots of color on his cheeks. "I don't think he's feeling good tonight." With a resigned sigh, he placed the back of his hand on Daniel's forehead, feeling the heat of fever he'd hoped they'd have done without during this outing.

Jack took out the Tylenol and brought Daniel some water. Daniel plucked the pills from Jack's hand without a word, testament to how routine it had become for him to down acetaminophen and ibuprofen on a regular basis.

"I'm cold." Daniel shivered, bringing his legs together towards his chest in an effort to conserve body heat.

"Bed sound good to you?"

Daniel squinted towards the darkening sky. "It's still light out. Can we go look at the mastadges again?"

"Tomorrow, maybe. It's gonna be dark soon. C'mon." He held his hand out and Daniel slowly stood up and took Jack's hand. He leaned against him, his head resting on Jack's shoulder. He shivered slightly. Jack glanced towards the hallway and the back of the house.

"I will show you to your rooms." Kasuf led the way, and Jack urged Daniel to follow. He waited a moment while Daniel picked up Lumpy. They stopped before two curtained doorways. "Dan'yel will sleep here," Kasuf said as he swept open the curtain on his right. "You will sleep in Skaara's room." He indicated the other curtained room opposite this one.

"Where will—"

"My son will stay with friends." Kasuf entered the room, which Jack suspected had been Sha're's. Faleneti showed up at the door, carrying a large pitcher of water. While Kasuf busied himself lighting two small lamps, she poured some water into a basin and left the pitcher on the table beside it. She smiled shyly at Jack as she left.

"You wanna wash up while I get your pjs?"

"I don't wanna shower. I just wanna go to bed." Daniel sat on the low cot which was covered with animal skins.

"No showers here. Look, there's soap and water." Jack pointed out the creamy goo beside the basin. "You get started washing up and I'll get our stuff."

Jack hurried back to the living room, meeting Faleneti as she stepped out of his room. He spotted the pitcher of water which she must have just brought him. He got his carryall, then feeling guilty about the messy room, knelt down and began picking up the scattered crayons.

"Sorry about the mess," Jack told Kasuf. He tried arranging the waxy sticks in their box but a few had melted and were no longer straight. Rather than forcing them in, he simply laid them crosswise in the box and placed them in a pocket of the carryall.

"The fever came upon him sudden."

"Yeah, that's part and parcel of the game." He picked up the Game Boy and turned it off. "I was hoping he wouldn't... but I should have expected it. With excitement and all... but he'll be fine in the morning with a good night's sleep."

He returned to the bedroom and took out Daniel's pajamas, the ones with the little fighter jets on them. Daniel was just finishing up, rubbing a wet cloth over his body. Jack averted his eyes, trying not to look at Daniel's glistening skin in the lamplight. The sun had set and the room was mostly lit by the small oil lamps.

"Here, put these on." Jack tossed them onto the bed and busied himself taking out their toiletries. He heard cotton rustling as he lined up the toothbrushes, deodorant and shaving paraphernalia on a low table, figuring a touch of home might make Daniel feel a little more secure.

"Brush your teeth." Jack squeezed some toothpaste over Daniel's toothbrush and handed it to him. Daniel put the brush into his mouth, then quickly took it out. "Where do I spit?"

Jack eyed the basin, but figured the toilet might be better. "In the bathroom." He watched as Daniel hesitantly walked down the hallway to the proper room before entering his own bedroom. He took out his own pjs and threw them on his bed. Daniel's toys he brought back to Daniel's room. He turned down the covers, arranging Lumpy on the pillow while they waited for Daniel to return.

"I'm done." Daniel threw the toothbrush onto the table and crawled into bed. "I remembered to put the bowl back on over the hole. So nobody can fall in it during the night."

"Good boy." Jack pulled the blankets up to Daniel's shoulders, then sat beside him and played his fingers over his forehead, snaking them into the soft hair. Daniel was still hot to the touch.

"Still cold?"

Daniel nodded.

"Want me to get another blanket?"

"No. Are you going to bed, too?"

"In a little while." Jack pulled Daniel's glasses off, folded them, and put them on the floor near the wall.

Daniel sat up abruptly. "You're not going out, are you? You're not gonna go and leave me here alone?"

"No, I'll just be in the other room talking with Kasuf and Skaara. Then I'll come to bed and be in that room over there." Jack pointed to the shadows beyond the curtain of Daniel's bedroom. "Come on, lie back down."

Daniel slid back under the covers, but he wrapped his hand around Jack's thigh. "Can't you sleep here with me?"

"The bed's a little small for the two of us."

"No, it's not. I can scoot over and lie on my side and you can lie on your side and we wouldn't take up all that room." Daniel pushed himself away from Jack to lean flat against the far wall. "See. There's even room for Lumpy."

"I'm not sleeping with you, Daniel," Jack said, trying to sound firm as Kasuf entered the bedroom. "I'll be right next door if you need me."

"Would you like me to tell you a bedtime story, Dan'yel?"

Daniel nodded shyly.

"Good. I know a story that I am sure you will enjoy."

Jack stood and Kasuf took his place. To his surprise, the old man put a hand to Daniel's cheek and smiled fondly.

"Let me tell you about the brave strangers who, one day many years ago, came to our world and helped my people defeat a false god who had enslaved them."

"What's a false god?"

"Someone who was wicked and ruthless and ruled our people through fear."

"Does that mean he was a bad man?"

"Very bad."

"Did the brave people kill the bad god?"

"Do you not wish me to tell you the story?" Kasuf asked in a teasing voice.

"Yes! Sorry. Jack always says I ask too many questions. I won't interrupt no more." A loud yawn punctuated his statement.

Kasuf glanced quickly at Jack and smiled, and Jack smiled back.

"It was the son of the people's leader who first spotted the strangers. They were standing high atop a sand dune. Garbed in strange clothing and speaking strange words, they approached fearlessly."

Jack left the room, leaving Kasuf to the recounting of their first mission offworld. Daniel was in good hands and he'd bet Daniel would be dead to the world before Kasuf got very far with his tale.

"Look at this," Daniel exclaimed, dancing excitedly at a stall which sold marionettes. Jack glanced at the clay figurines; the workmanship so well done it would be hard to find something of similar quality at home.

"Look. Look." With a sigh, Jack followed Daniel to the next colorful stand that had caught his eye. Bowls laden with spices added drama and vibrant color to the drab and sandy city square.

One man was working jewelry, the gold glinting in the already bright sunshine. He glanced up when Daniel leaned close to examine what he was doing and pushed his boonie hat back in order to see better. The jeweler said a few words to Daniel, probably warming up for his sales pitch, but Kasuf quickly intervened, and they moved on.

"Here you will find the clothes you seek." Two stalls down past the jeweler was a table full of cloth. Kasuf expertly dug through the piles and came up with two pairs of pants and two long tunics. Jack opened up the small bag of goods he'd brought with him to barter, should the need have ever arisen, and he stood back and waited while Kasuf and the clothier came to an agreement.

The clothes were quickly bundled up and Jack hoped they could leave the market before it got too hot. Thankfully Kasuf turned around and began walking in the direction they'd come from. Daniel continued going from stand to stall, fingering things that caught his attention. Jack stopped beside a carpet-maker and admired her workmanship.

"That's pretty." Daniel reached a finger and stroked the soft wool.

"The wool is from the mastadge." Kasuf quickly flipped several of the carpets over, displaying the wares. "Neema's work is always exquisite."

"Mastadges have wool?" Daniel leaned forward and sniffed the carpets. "They don't smell like mastadges. And there weren't no yellow mastadges in the barn last night. Or blue ones. Or green."

Kasuf laughed and clapped Daniel's shoulder. "The wool is washed and dipped in paint. Believe me, no mastadge would wish to be this color."

"Can we buy one, Jack?" Daniel put a hand out and caressed a bright yellow carpet interlaced with blue.

"I don't think we have enough goods to trade with."

"Don't you have money?"

Jack smiled. "They barter here, Daniel. They trade things," he explained quickly at Daniel's frown. "I didn't bring enough with me for something this expensive."

Daniel leaned closer to Jack. "I could trade my Game Boy."

"That's very generous but I don't think a Game Boy would be very useful here." Jack reached for Daniel's hand and removed it, then replaced the carpets, hiding the yellow one.

"O'Neill." Kasuf placed a hand on Jack's arm. "Allow me this."

"Kasuf, you don't need to—"

"I wish to. He is still my Good Son, and if this small gift will make him think of us whenever he sees it, it will make me happy."

"Thank you," Jack said softly. He watched Daniel's eyes brighten as the carpet was displayed once more and the negotiating begun. When the carpet was rolled up and presented to Daniel, he looked uncertainly to Jack, who nodded.

"Thank you, Kasoop. You're the bestest. He's the bestest, next to you, isn't he, Jack?" Daniel did a little dance, the carpet clutched to his chest.

"Yeah, that he is."

"The colors match the creature you painted in your book."

Daniel nodded enthusiastically.

"Dan'yel. O'Neer." They all stopped when two more of Daniel's old acquaintances greeted them. "It is good to see you again," one said in halting English.

"You bought..." the other pointed to the rug.

Daniel quickly opened it up to show off his gift.

"It is very nice."

"It's yellow, like SpongeBob."

The men fumbled for words, and soon the conversation switched to Abydonian. Daniel chattered away with them, and the two appeared less concerned with Daniel's changes than those who had visited the previous night.

One of the two had been eating some type of nuts and he offered some to Jack and Daniel. Jack took one; it had a slightly bitter taste, but wasn't bad over all. Daniel appeared to enjoy them and eagerly took more when offered.

All five of them made their way out of the market and back to Kasuf's house, Jack watching a happy Daniel wave to someone who called out his name in the street.

"These people are nice here," he said, turning to grin at Jack, still chomping at a nut.

Jack stole one from the few remaining in Daniel's palm and popped it into his mouth. "Yeah, they are."

Jack was eager to change his clothes, and the new ones were light, airy and he immediately felt much cooler.

"What're we gonna do now?" Daniel demanded as he sat down on Jack's bed, watching as Jack folded their clothes.

"I dunno. I think we got time to kill before lunch. Hey, I got an idea."

He asked Kasuf for several large bowls, a bucket of water, and led Daniel outside until he found a large sandy area.

"We're gonna make a sand castle." He pushed a large pile of sand together, dumped some water over it, and filled one of the bowls with the damp sand. It was easier said than done. Abydonian sand was much lighter than beach sand, and the sun quickly dried off their efforts. Still, they had a crumbly looking fortress before Daniel inadvertently knocked off a large portion of the East turret.

"It doesn't stay," he whined, trying to rebuild the half-dried out tower only to cause it to disintegrate even more.

"Yeah, I know. Sand's too dry. Let's go back to the house and get out of this sun. You're starting to look pretty cooked."

"Your face is all red." Daniel raised a sand-encrusted hand and pointed it at him.

"So's yours. Let's go get some water. I'm thirsty."

Once at the house, Faleneti informed them that Kasuf and Skaara were in the communal area, waiting for them. Jack led Daniel there and found a lot of familiar faces sitting around the section where they had eaten their first meal here on their initial foray to Abydos, complete with roast lizard.

Thankfully today's lunch was a little less festive; which meant a salad, bread and dried meat. It was tasty, and Daniel ate with gusto.

"Can I go play?" Daniel stared at the dozen kids who appeared, kicking a ball around.

"Only if you're careful. They're smaller than you and—"

"I know, I know." Daniel rolled his eyes at Jack. "I'll be careful. Honest."

"Go."

Daniel was up in a flash, rushing down the few steps to join the children. At first they didn't know what to make of him, thinking an adult was coming to chastise them, but they soon embraced him and Daniel's giggles and yells joined theirs.

Jack half dozed; the heat along with the food and knowledge that Daniel was safe and happy led to him relaxing, which these days didn't happen often. The murmur of conversation flew over him; most of it he couldn't understand anyways.

It took a while before he realized he couldn't hear Daniel anymore. He sat up, alarmed, then relaxed when he spotted him kneeling in the corner with the other kids, and Skaara. They were playing marbles.

He watched from his vantage point as Skaara tried to show Daniel how to get the marbles to roll between obstacles to reach the goal. Jack winced, knowing that the skill to learn such a trick was beyond Daniel, and the resulting tantrum wasn't long in coming.

"I can't do it!" Daniel yelled, throwing the handful of marbles into the sand and kicking sand over them. "I tried and tried and did what you said and I can't do it. This game is no fun no more."

Daniel stomped up the steps and threw himself beside Jack, oblivious to the fact that all conversation stopped and everyone was staring at him. His face flushed red, partly in anger and partly from the heat, Daniel sat pouting, arms crossed against his chest.

Jack placed a comforting hand on Daniel's shoulder, and he leaned against Jack. "I'm stupid, Jack. All the little kids can play better than me."

"Remember they've been playing this a lot longer than you. They have more practice." When Daniel put his face against Jack's chest, he placed a hand against Daniel's head and rubbed through his hair. Jack looked up as Skaara approached.

"I don't want to play that game anymore," Daniel warned as Skaara sat down beside him.

"It only requires practice, Dan'yel. Take these home..." He took Daniel's hand and dropped several multi-colored marbles into it, "And if you practice, when you return to Abydos, you will probably be able to beat me."

"Are we gonna come back, Jack?" Daniel played with one of the marbles in his palm, nudging it with his index finger.

"Of course we will."

"Good." With a flip of his wrist, Daniel dropped the marbles into Jack's lap and ran off to play with the kids, who were trying to throw a spear at a small piece of material in the sand. Daniel danced around them, hoping for a chance to throw and Jack and Skaara watched as he threw wide and missed.

Shoulders slumped in defeat, still, he waited his turn again. Once again he took the spear and shifting nervously, threw it. This time it landed in the sand and skidded several feet. A few of the boys laughed but a couple gave Daniel encouragement. One ran to retrieve the spear and handed it to Daniel. When Daniel went to throw again, an argument ensued.

Kasuf called out angrily, and the boys deferred the spear to Daniel, who threw it just as awkwardly again. Feet dragging in the sand, Daniel moved away from the boys and sat down, watching as the kids all either hit the target, or came close to it.

Jack was just about to get up and go to Daniel when one of Daniel's old friends, young toddler in his arms, went to sit with Daniel. The child put out a pudgy hand and took a hold of Daniel's tunic.

Jack could see the two of them talking so he sat back and relaxed a little. Daniel nodded dispiritedly at something the guy said while the baby clambered over his father's lap, into Daniel's. The man pointed at the kids, then made some kind of motion with his hand. Possibly he was trying to explain the finer points of spear-throwing which honestly, was a waste of time and effort on Daniel. But still, Jack appreciated the guy taking the time to try and cheer Daniel up.

Both men laughed and Daniel seemed to straighten a little. The man stood, thrust his child into the arms of one of the boys, took the spear from one who was getting ready to throw it, and waved Daniel forward. Daniel stood, and stepped forward reluctantly. The man handed the spear to Daniel and stood behind him, guiding him, and together, they tossed the spear.

It landed just on the edge of the target, pinning a corner into the sand. Daniel jumped up in joy, whooping excitedly. He grinned up at Jack, eyes shining with joy. Jack gave him a thumb's up, yelling, "Way to go, Danny."

"Didja see? Didja see?" Daniel yelled as he left the boys and ran up to Jack. He threw himself beside Jack and leaned against him. "I did it. I threw the branch and hit it."

"Yeah, you did great." Jack pulled him into a one armed hug, and mouthed a silent, 'Thank you', as Daniel's friend sat down beside him.

"Dan'yel did very well for his first attempts," the man said in accented English. "With practice..." he laughed, "much practice, he may one day hit a moving mastadge."

"You practice on mastadges? That's... that's mean!"

"It's a joke," Jack whispered loudly.

"Oh." Daniel frowned, obviously not getting it. "Jack, can I go back to Kasoop's house and color?"

"Yeah, it's getting a little hot. I'm thinking a nap might be nice." Jack stood and wiped the back of his pants.

"I'm not tired."

"Well, I am." He nodded goodbye to the man with the toddler and he and Daniel made their way back to the house.

"You know, it's kinda weird." Daniel skipped a little so he was walking in front of Jack, then turned and walked backwards so he faced Jack.

"What is?"

"This place. It's not home but it feels nice. Everyone's friendly. It's a really friendly place, isn't it?"

"Very friendly."

"It feels like home, Jack. It's not, that's why it's weird, but it feels like I belong."

Still groggy from his nap and the ensuing late afternoon heat, Jack splashed water on his face and washed away the day's sweat. When he was done, he pulled his new clothes over his sweatshirt, wrinkling his nose at the smell of sweat already imbued in them, then crossed into Daniel's room to check on him.

Daniel was sprawled out on his back in the small bed, one leg dangling over the edge. His head was turned to the side, away from Jack. Lumpy was on the floor, apparently having fallen off the bed. It was so hot that before Daniel laid down for a nap, Jack had told him to remove his clothes. Clad only in his boxers, a fine sheen of sweat covered his whole body.

Jack picked up Lumpy, absently petting the soft fur as he looked at Daniel sleeping. His cheeks were slightly sunburned as was his nose. He was breathing deep and heavily, so Jack decided to let him sleep a little longer. Giving Lumpy a last pat, he placed the plush toy in the crook of Daniel's arm and went to see how much longer before the ceremony.

"We shall be leaving within the hour," Kasuf replied to his question. "The ritual will be performed just as the sun sets. Does Dan'yel still sleep?"

"Yeah. I'll wake him up in about a half hour." Jack accepted a cup of tea from Kasuf and some sort of date-like fruit; the sweet brew and snack helped clear away the pasty feel that was in his mouth.

"Is there anything special we need to know for the ceremony?" Jack took a sip of tea and immediately broke into a sweat in the airless heat.

Kasuf shook his head. "Your being here is more than enough for my daughter's memory. You may stand with Skaara; you are family."

Daniel padded into the room at that moment, minus his glasses, eyes half-closed, one hand clutching Lumpy while the other scratched his scalp. He plopped down beside Jack and laid his head on Jack's shoulder.

"It's hot."

"I know." Jack eased his arm behind Daniel and hugged him, feeling the sweat on his body. "You should have put some clothes on first," he whispered in Daniel's ear.

"But it's hot." There was a rumbling sound from Daniel's stomach and he giggled. "I'm hungry."

"Want some bread and jam?"

Daniel nodded, leaning more heavily against Jack.

"You'll have to move so I can get up and get you some food." Jack jiggled one shoulder up and down, Daniel's head bobbing with the movement. He giggled and pulled away.

"I will get Dan'yel the food." Kasuf got up before Jack could object and returned with bowls of the sweet jam and humus plus two large pita breads. Daniel accepted them eagerly.

"Thank you, Kasoop."

"Eat fast, Danny. We gotta get you cleaned up so we can leave soon."

Armed with a piece of bread liberally smeared with jam, Daniel nodded. Chewing a bite off the edge, he got up and walked out of the room. A moment later he returned with his coloring book and crayons. He lay on his stomach, feet up in the air, and with one hand, turned the pages of the book.

"Don't get too comfortable," Jack warned as Daniel teased a few crayons out of the pack. In answer, Daniel took another bite and began to color.

Jack gave him a few minutes, then reached over and nudged his leg with his foot when Daniel put part of his uneaten bread down to concentrate on coloring. "Are you finished eating?"

Daniel grabbed the bread, stuffed a huge bite into his mouth, and shook his head. Fingers sticky with jam, he picked up the crayon and then looked at his hands in disgust.

"I'm all sticky," he said with his mouth full.

"Then let's go get you cleaned up." Seeing this as the perfect opportunity to get Daniel bathing, Jack stood. Daniel clambered up and followed him into his room, the crayon still clutched in his hand.

"Wash your hands first," Jack ordered. Daniel did so, dropping the crayon into the basin of water. "Wash up like you did last night, then get dressed. I'll be back in a couple of minutes."

Jack cleaned up Kasuf's living room again and brought both the bread and toys back to Daniel's room. By the time he got there, Daniel, whose chest and arms were shiny and white with soap, was attempting to pull his tunic over his head.

"Hey, hey, you gotta rinse first."

"I did." Daniel frowned at Jack as he tried to untangle the mess of material in his hands.

"Not properly. You better get that stuff off or else you'll probably start to itch."

"I rinsed." Daniel's voice rose as his movements became more agitated.

"Not well enough. Look." Jack passed a finger through the slick residue and showed Daniel. "Do it again." Jack took the clothes from Daniel's hands and handed him the washcloth.

"I did this already," Daniel repeated with a pout. Still he passed the wet cloth over his body several times until most of the residue was gone. Jack handed him the tunic and helped pass it over his head.

"You want this?" Jack took the bread he'd put aside and offered it to Daniel, who took it and finished it in a couple of bites. Jack licked the sticky residue from his fingers.

"Okay, listen to me now." Daniel stopped fidgeting and looked at Jack. There was a smear of jam on the side of Daniel's lip and Jack reached out to wipe it away. "Tonight is why we came here. We're going to go with Kasuf and Skaara and attend a ceremony."

"I know. You told me and told me."

"And I'm telling you again. It's going to be long and it's going to be a little boring." Jack figured it would be a lot boring, especially for this Daniel, but he knew they needed to be there. He ignored Daniel's roll of the eyes. "This is very important to Kasuf and Skaara. I want you to be good. No complaining, no whining."

"I'll be good." Daniel looked at Jack earnestly. "I can be good. I won't complain. I like Kasoop. He tells great stories."

"Thank you, Daniel." Jack pulled Daniel into a quick hug. "C'mon, Kasuf's waiting."

They met Kasuf in the living room. The man had changed into a white galabia. "Are you ready?"

"Yep."

Daniel hurried to the cushions and picked up Lumpy from where he'd dropped him.

"You better leave Lumpy here." At Daniel's expression of misery, Jack tried to explain. "It's hot outside and it'll be hotter carrying Lumpy with you." More likely Jack would end up carrying the piece of fake fur around when Daniel would be too tired and cranky to hold onto it himself.

"I won't mind. It's hot already."

"We'll be standing in the sun. Go and put Lumpy on your bed and bring your sunglasses and hat with you."

Feet dragging, Daniel walked slowly out of the room. "Hurry up, Kasuf's waiting."

Daniel ran the last few feet, and returned a short moment later. There was a pout and a frown on his face as he plopped his hat onto his head.

"Are we riding the mastadge?" Daniel asked, perking up visibly as they began walking towards the stables.

"Yes, we are."

"Are we taking the one that ate my chocolate? Can I ride him?"

Kasuf laughed. "No, Good Son, that one is too old. We shall take the younger ones who do not find it a hardship to carry us."

"Can I visit the old one? Can I give it some chocolate?"

"Of course we can visit. But I do not believe O'Neill brought chocolate with him."

"Ja-ack," Daniel whined. "You knew we were coming here. Why didn't you—"

"I didn't know we'd be riding the mastadge."

"You may give him a piece of fruit."

"Okay," Daniel sighed. "But I bet he likes the chocolate better than an old piece of fruit." He squinted at Jack, as if it were his fault there was no chocolate.

"Daniel, put your sunglasses on."

"I don't have them."

Jack sighed. "I told you to bring them along with your hat. Didn't I tell you to bring them?"

"I forgot," Daniel said, kicking at a small rock. They walked in silence for a time. When Daniel spotted the stable, he ran for the entrance. "I'm going to say hello to the old mastadge," he yelled over his shoulder.

Jack stood outside waiting as the beasts were saddled, and Daniel came out with Skaara, chatting excitedly in Abydonian. As before, Jack got up behind Kasuf, and Daniel and Skaara rode the same beast.

They rode out of the city in the direction of the cemetery, passing others on foot or flanked by other mastadges. Jack recognized the place they were heading for thanks to an obelisk off to the far right. It was a short ride compared to the one to the Stargate. They got off and gathered close to a makeshift altar where about a hundred people were already waiting.

Jack followed Skaara, stopping close to the altar, a few steps to Kasuf's right. The sun was hot despite it being low in the sky. There was no shade and Jack was glad for his glasses. He pulled Daniel's boonie hat low over his forehead so that it would help with the sun's glare on the sand.

"I remembered to bring my hat, didn't I, Jack?" Daniel tilted his head to look beyond the boonie's brim.

"Yeah, you did." Jack smiled at Daniel, then turned as Kasuf began speaking.

The ceremony involved several speeches and offerings of water, oil, foodstuffs and other substances Jack wasn't too sure of. To make things worse, he couldn't understand any of the words. The best he could do was stand here and look sufficiently supportive and not pretend it was hot and wish he were somewhere else.

Daniel was bored. He shifted from foot to foot, sighed loudly a few times, turned and watched the people around them before finally crouching down to play with the sand. He leaned his shoulder against Jack's leg and Jack rubbed his fingers against the hot material of the boonie hat, letting Daniel know that all was fine.

Daniel shifted through the sand, finding small pebbles which he placed in a pile.

"These are all mastadges," Daniel said softly to Jack at one point, pointing to a small herd of rocks surrounded by a fence made of twigs. "They're going to take the strangers who saved Abydos to safety, away from the bad god."

Jack looked up and caught Skaara watching Daniel. He flashed Jack a quick grin, then turned his attention back to his father.

Kasuf turned to look at them and his gaze softened as he saw Daniel playing. It hit Jack suddenly that this man hadn't only lost his daughter, he lost his daughter's husband. The man crouched at his feet wasn't the man they had all loved.

The sun was setting, the shadows from a nearby dune nearly reaching the gravesite as the grueling heat of the day began to diminish. Kasuf raised his arms toward the quickly disappearing sun, and recited a litany of prayers. To Jack's amazement, he heard Daniel saying the same words in a sing-song voice as he walked the stones in his makeshift corral up an imagined road.

Skaara's look was of shock.

"He sometimes remembers some things," Jack said softly. "We don't know how or why, some days he can't remember how to work simple equipment, and other days he comes out with something like this." Skaara nodded his understanding.

"I have seen similar injuries in people who have suffered Klorel's ribbon device."

"Any... cures?"

"Unfortunately..." Skaara's face grew dark as he remembered. "Perhaps the sarcophagus would have cured them; Klorel never gave them that chance."

The ceremony ended a few moments later, and Daniel fell silent. People came up to speak to Kasuf. Jack remained where he was, allowing Daniel time to play while he nodded at those faces he recognized.

Once most of the crowd had turned to leave, either on foot or on mastadges, Skaara turned to Jack. He made a small motion towards Daniel. "Who did this to him?"

"Wepwawet."

Skaara paled. "The god of death. It is to him we made these offerings."

Jack laughed. "Don't worry. He's not going to suddenly appear here. The snake's dead."

"I... it's just that the coincidences are so..."

"Ironic."

"Disturbing."

They rode back to the city in the dark, illuminated only by a lantern carried by a handful of people leading the way. Abydos' two moons were crescents in the sky, hardly giving off any light to help find their way home.

Finally they crested a dune and the lights of Nagada became their beacon.

"Will you join me in a celebration, father? O'Neer?" Skaara leaned against the stable door, waiting while Daniel went to say goodnight to the old critter inside.

"My bones are tired, my son. But O'Neill may appreciate the chance to relax." He patted Skaara's shoulder. "I will see you in the morning."

Skaara led them to the communal area where a few men had already gathered around a pit fire. They called out cheerfully when they spotted them coming.

Daniel wandered off to where he'd played marbles with the children earlier that afternoon and began playing in the sand. Jack sat and wasn't surprised when he was handed a cup of moonshine. He took a cautious sip of the powerful stuff and sighed deeply.

He'd like nothing better at the moment than to down this cup and several more, drinking himself into oblivion for a few hours. Instead he promised himself only a few sips; just enough to try and relax.

The mood of the people around him was somber and they had all probably been touched by the ceremony. He suspected the atmosphere would change pretty soon when the alcohol began to affect them.

"Look, Jack." Daniel stood before him, a shiny round marble in his hand. "Look what I found."

"Sweet." Jack took the marble and rolled it around in his hand. "You think the kids might have forgotten more down there in the sand?"

"Maybe, I'm gonna go dig some more and find out." He held a hand out for the cup Jack had cradled in his hands. "Can I have some water?"

Jack immediately berated himself for not bringing anything for Daniel to drink. "It's not water, buddy." Daniel's face twisted in confusion. "We won't be here long; we'll get some water at Kasuf's." He held out the marble to Daniel, who grabbed it and ran back to the sandy spot where he'd found it and sat cross-legged, sifting the sand through his fingers.

Jack took another sip of the strong alcohol, feeling it catch his breath as it slid down his throat and tingled its way down to his toes. He curled his toes inside his sneakers; he hadn't realized how tense he'd been and this nightcap was exactly what he needed.

He leaned back and closed his eyes, listening to the low hum of conversation behind him. He took another sip, then opened his eyes when he heard cloth rustling.

Skaara and had moved away from his friends and sat down next to Jack.

"You look tired." Skaara was looking at him intently, his thumb playing with a small chip on the rim of his cup.

"I am." He took another sip and was surprised to see how much of the moonshine he'd drunk already. He put his cup down, the lure of finishing it off was too great.

"It has not been easy... with Dan'yel?"

"No. I can't even begin to describe what—"

"You loved him."

"I still love him." Somehow the cup had found its way back into his hands and he was drinking some more. His tongue and lips felt numb. This time he poured the contents into the sand beside him before putting the cup down.

"You know what I meant, O'Neer."

"And I meant what I said. I still love him. Just because he's changed doesn't mean I don't care for him less."

"It is painful to see him like this." They both turned to watch Daniel walk around the communal area, kicking at the sand below the rocky terrace.

"He knows he used to be different. My heart breaks every time he realizes he can't do something that he used to be able to do."

"I have seen much evil," Skaara said softly, and Jack knew he was talking about the monster that'd lived inside of him for years. "But it gladdens my heart to see how much love you have for Dan'yel. And he for you."

"And you and your father. Your people. Despite what it looks like, Daniel's enjoying himself here. I was worried at first, about taking him away from what was routine... familiar," Jack amended when he saw the frown on Skaara's face. "But he's adapted pretty well."

"He has not complained about the heat for about two cycles. I believe you are right, he has adapted well."

Jack chuckled as he turned around to see where Daniel had gotten to. He could see his shoulders, his body partly hidden by the small crowd as he bent down to examine something. Then Daniel straightened, brought a cup to his mouth, and downed it in several gulps.

For a moment Jack wondered where he'd gotten the water. But it hit him the moment Daniel's face turned red and he struggled for air that what he'd just knocked back wasn't water.

"Oh, shit."

Jack was up and running just as Daniel collapsed to his knees, the one breath of air he'd managed to inhale coming out as harsh coughs. His face broke out in a sweat and his eyes were wild as he grabbed onto Jack for support.

Skaara slid to a stop beside him and grabbed the cup Daniel had dropped. The crock of moonshine had been left unattended and obviously Daniel, who had already complained of thirst, had decided to help himself to some water. Damnit, why hadn't he just gone home right away?

"It's okay, just breathe." Jack held onto Daniel as he struggled to get past the fire in his throat and stomach. Daniel coughed, spittle flew from his mouth and tears streamed down his face. A moment later he lost his supper.

Skaara was yelling at someone but Jack was more worried about making sure Daniel didn't fall into his mess. Then someone picked up the crock and carried it away, closer to the men. Right, close the barn door after the mastadge has run off.

The moment he could inhale without choking, Daniel began crying. Jack pulled him close despite the overpowering smell of vomit. He patted his back as Daniel clutched at him desperately.

"It's okay, it's okay," he murmured into Daniel's ear. "You're fine, just got a hold of something a little too strong for you." Ironic, considering the art of making moonshine had been Daniel's gift to the Abydonians during his year with them.

"I was thirsty," Daniel hiccupped when he calmed down a little. "I was thirsty."

"It's my fault. I should have gotten you some water."

"S'not water?"

"Nope. Remember I told you what I was drinking wasn't water and that you wouldn't like it?"

"It burned!"

"Yeah, I bet it did." A cup of a hundred proof hitting your stomach in one shot was something Jack definitely didn't want to experience. He was lucky Daniel had puked it up, it could have been enough to give him alcohol poisoning.

"I didn't like it." He took a shaky breath. "I didn't like it at all."

"Dan'yel, I am sorry." Skaara returned to their side and put a hand on Daniel's shoulder.

Daniel sniffed and wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. "I want to go home."

"Wanna go back to Kasuf's?"

Nodding, Daniel sniffled again. Jack tugged at his arm and Daniel stood.

"He's okay," Jack told Skaara. There was a look of fear on the younger man's face, which eased as he examined Daniel for himself. "We'll see you tomorrow." Jack waved to everyone as they called out farewells as he led Daniel back to Kasuf's dwelling.

"My head hurts." Daniel dragged his feet in the sand along the road.

"I bet it does. You'll feel better after some sleep."

Kasuf wasn't around when they got in. Jack brought Daniel straight to his bedroom. First thing he did was pour Daniel some water. Daniel eyed the cup suspiciously.

"It's just water. I promise." Jack took a sip and then handed it to Daniel. As Daniel made a show of slurping some and tasting it cautiously, Jack shook out some Advil. He handed the pills to Daniel, who took them and swallowed the rest of the water. Jack poured him some more and waited for Daniel to drink that also.

"Okay, strip and wash up." He took Daniel's tunic and pants, then stripped off his own clothes, changing quickly into a tee shirt and jeans before bringing their clothes to the back of the kitchen where he could rinse them out. Both of them stank of sweat, mastadge and Daniel's puke.

He'd just poured water from a pitcher into a small basin when Kasuf entered the room.

"Is there a problem?" His voice was full of concern as he quickly approached Jack. "Someone told me Dan'yel had been sick."

"He got into the moonshine. He's fine, just made a bit of a mess." Jack added a bit of soap and dumped the clothes in.

"Leave that." Kasuf waved at the basin as Jack swirled their dirty clothes around. "I'll have someone look after those." Jack shook his hands free of water and wiped them on his pants. "Who gave Dan'yel the intoxicant?"

"Nobody gave him any. He helped himself to it. Actually it was my fault. He said he was thirsty and thought it was water. I should have paid more attention." Jack rubbed his face with his hands. "I should go check on him... he's washing up."

"I will find Faleneti. She will wash these and they will be ready for you to wear in the morning."

Daniel was sitting on the bed, dressed only in his boxers, Lumpy sitting on his lap. "Ready for bed? Did you brush your teeth?"

Daniel nodded. Jack could smell toothpaste and wondered where Daniel had... he peered into the basin with the dirty water and saw gobs of saliva. He sighed.

"How's your head?" He pulled the edge of the sheet up as Daniel slid beneath it.

"Still hurts." Daniel took his glasses off and handed them to Jack. He took them and placed his palm over Daniel's forehead. Thankfully he was cool to the touch.

"We'll be leaving in the morning."

Daniel sat up in a flash. "Why? Because I was sick? I'm sorry. I won't drink that bad stuff anymore." His face crumpled.

"No, Daniel. We came especially for the ceremony, remember? Now it's time to go home."

"But I like it here. Everyone's really nice."

"I know. But we have to go back. Sam and Teal'c and Grandpa Hammond are probably missing you right now."

"Oh. I miss them, too. Can't we stay for another day?"

"We'll see. Get some sleep." He stood up as Daniel lay back down.

"Jack?"

"Hmm?" Jack stopped near the exit.

"I want Kasoop to finish the story." A hand came out from beneath the sheet to scratch the underside of his chin. Jack could hear the sound of scratchy stubble.

"What story?"

"About the warriors who came to stop the bad god. He didn't finish it."

Jack smiled. More likely Daniel had fallen asleep mid-way through the tale.

"I'll ask him."

Jack found Kasuf in the living room. "Daniel wants you to finish that story you started last night."

"Really?" He stood quickly, smiling. "He fell asleep quickly last night. I am surprised he remembered." Kasuf hurried out and Jack eased himself onto a cushion.

"O'Neill," Kasuf pointed to the house's entrance. "If possible, I would like to speak with you in private."

Jack heard the man, but kept his eyes trained on the doorway to the bedroom where Daniel slept. "I think we should—"

"Dan'yel will not hear." Kasuf extended his arm and pushed aside the blankets covering the entrance. "Please. We must talk."

Jack followed Daniel's father-in-law reluctantly into the depths of the house, standing and blinking into the dimness. Jack stayed his position, giving his eyes a moment to adjust to the darkness.

"Sit."

Jack would have rather have stood, sitting on the floor, no matter the number of blankets and cushions surrounding his body, still played havoc on his knees, but when in Rome - so he sat on the pile of material Kasuf indicated, awkwardly arranging the Abydonian clothes around his body.

"My daughter's husband—"

"Daniel," Jack interjected.

"No matter what has happened, he will always be Sha're's husband."

"I didn't mean any offense, Kasuf." Jack scrubbed his hand over his face, the sand imbedded in every facial pore grinding into his skin. "I just want to make sure you understand that the man who was Sha're's husband has been lost to us." Jack couldn't bring himself to say the word 'forever'.

Kasuf seemed taken back by Jack's words. "Even though I have only spent a short time with him, he is still Dan'yel; curious, caring, helpful. Are these not the traits my daughter fell in love with?"

"They are," Jack reluctantly conceded. "But his intelligence—"

"He is truly innocent," Kasuf said with a succinct nod.

"He is," Jack had to agree.

"Dan'yel needs to be among family."

"He is," Jack repeated.

Kasuf sighed deeply. "You love him, as my daughter did."

Jack was going to dispute the implication with a short, nasty answer, but he was unable to lie to a friend from their past. "Yes, I love Daniel."

Kasuf leaned over and patted Jack's knee. "Your love is the problem."

"Excuse me?" The equation of Abydonian sweltering heat, the stress of dealing with Daniel in unfamiliar territory, and the eventual fever, all equaled Jack's paper thin patience, and though the coolness of night was approaching the desert, he was tired, cranky, the tunic was scratchy, he needed a shower, and he was so not into playing head games with Kasuf.

"You are not giving him room to grow."

"In case you haven't noticed," Jack raised his hand as high as it would go. "Daniel's not growing anywhere anytime soon."

Obviously, Daniel's year on Abydos had been long enough for Kasuf to pick up his patented, you cannot really be that stupid, look. Jack gave a smirk of apology. "Sorry," he mumbled.

"Dan'yel needs to fail—"

"No, he doesn't." Jack argued, wondering when all these people who saw Daniel just a few hours a day, became such experts.

"Yes, he does. Because after he fails, Dan'yel will pick himself up and try again, until he perfects the skill. That part of him, his endurance and fortitude, did not die. It is you and the people of Earth who are killing that part of him."

"Okay, now wait one gosh darn minute." Jack drew a deep breath - it wouldn't be beneficial for anyone if he lost his temper. "I live with him on a daily basis. I know what happens when this Daniel fails."

Kasuf shook his head. "There is no this Dan'yel or that Dan'yel." He held his finger up when Jack began to interrupt. "You do not understand."

"No, I don't."

"When Dan'yel fails, he will find another method to accomplish the task he has set out to do. There is always another way. But in the short time that he has been on Abydos, here, with you, failure has not been an option."

Jack recalled, with crystal clarity, countless times since the accident, when Daniel's failures had led to tantrums.

"And because you do not let him fail, he cannot learn. He is spoiled. You allow him all and set poor limitations. Do you not see that? You have become a parent that permits his child to run amok rather than deal with the repercussions from setting limits."

Kasuf was probably right, on the surface that was what their relationship now resembled - the father who kowtowed to his child's demands. But it wasn't, the problem was trying to make Kasuf understand. "You don't understand."

"You are trying to protect him, I understand that."

"No, it's more than that." Jack had never really explained this to anyone, and he hesitated, mainly because saying it made it permanent. "Daniel's sick."

"The injury, yes, Teal'c explained that to me."

Jack shook his head. "There's more than that. There are fevers and nightmares our doctors can't fix. He barely sleeps, and eating, well, you saw that last night, and for that I apologize. This Daniel isn't as adventuresome with his eating habits. He's losing whatever skills he has, or had. There are days he can't remember the words, or how to button and zip—how to dress himself, brush his teeth." Jack tipped his head upwards, to keep the moisture in his eyes where it belonged. He had no time for tears, and he should be feeling sorry for Daniel, not himself. "Daniel can't read."

"He is dying?"

"No!" Jack adamantly yelled, then nodded. "Yes, but dying not in the physical sense. He's dying in the sense that eventually he will forget how to do everything, except how to breathe."

"Surely you exaggerate."

Jack snorted. "Yeah, probably. The thing is, Kasuf, is that nobody knows for sure exactly what happened to Daniel. And nobody knows how to fix him."

"The Tau'ri are powerful people, you are the destroyer of gods. Surely there is a way you can fix Dan'yel?"

"I wish." Jack picked at a stray thread in his outer garment, pulling it along the edging, unraveling the binding.

"You have given up hope, O'Neill." In an uncharacteristic gesture of friendship, Kasuf patted Jack's shoulder.

"I've faced reality," Jack painfully admitted.

"I have seen many horrors in my life. My people lived as slaves under Ra, my children were overtaken, kidnapped and taken away by the demons who lived within them."

"We couldn't save Sha're." Jack averted his eyes. His son Charlie and Sha're, two of his biggest failures.

Kasuf shook his head. "She was saved, by death, from carrying on the demon's wishes. My daughter passed onto the other side in peace. Skaara was returned to his family, whole, as he once was. We now live as free people. All of these things are due to the Tau'ri. These accomplishments are testament to the Tau'ri's power, I have faith that Dan'yel, also, will soon be—"

"Don't," Jack begged, hoisting himself off the ground. "Just don't." He paced in front of Kasuf, pausing by the curtained door, listing for a familiar scream to cut through the peace of the house. "Daniel will be—what he has become. There is no magic cure. There will be no one stepping forth and saving him from the demon that inhabits his body. I've accepted it..." The small smile that touched Kasuf's face made Jack stop in his tracks.

"You do not fool me. You may fool others." Kasuf tapped his eyes. "But I see. You have not given up hope. These words you speak are a shield to protect your heart against disappointment."

Jack shrugged, wishing for a cold beer and a blast of air conditioning.

"Your secret is safe with me, O'Neill. You and I will have enough faith in our hearts to bring Dan'yel back to us."

At this moment, it was easier to bow at Kasuf than risk the use of his voice.

"May the people of Abydos have Dan'yel for awhile?"

"Excuse me?"

"You do not understand the request? I wish to know if the people—"

"No, no. I understood, and I understand that you still think that Daniel's memories will be returned if he stays among his family here, but that ain't gonna happen. I'm sorry."

"What is not going to happen?"

"His memories are not returning and he can't stay here."

"Why not? Do you not trust us to take care of Dan'yel and keep him safe?"

"It's not that," Jack hastily replied. "It's just..."

"Just what?"

"There are so many issues. I wouldn't know where to begin. He needs—"

"Family and friends."

"He goes to a special school. He has—you saw with the marbles."

"I have been the father of a young child, I know of their behavior."

Jack tapped his temple. "Up here, Daniel is young, but he's strong and I am afraid that he'll—"

"You do not trust me."

"I do."

"You just don't trust anyone but you can take care of Dan'yel?"

"Maybe," Jack softly agreed.

"So now that you have admitted that you do not trust either myself, Skaara, or all those who love him on Abydos—"

Jack had to laugh. "That's not true."

Kasuf shot him a scathing glance.

"Okay, it's a little true."

"Dan'yel will remain here with us for a visit."

Jack shut his eyes and just shook his head, exasperated over the man's stubbornness. He sank to the ground next to Kasuf. "Why?"

Based on the look on the man's face, Kasuf was thoroughly confused that he even asked the question. "Dan'yel is my son. You care for him because that is what you wish to do. You will not abandon him so I do not understand why you believe I do not want to spend time with him as well. A day is not enough. I love him as if he were my own."

"I know you do. You. Skaara."

"So he may stay?"

Jack smiled at Kasuf's enthusiasm. "If Daniel wants to, he may stay for a few extra days. But that's it. No more than that."

The house was oddly quiet. Jack turned the page of his magazine and tried to read. Instead, he kept cocking his head, listening for the familiar thud of sock-clad feet despite the fact that those feet were trudging along Abydos' sandy soil.

He flipped through a couple more pages before finally giving up, tossing the magazine onto a large pile of still unread publications. He hadn't had much time to relax and indulge in the past months; but he was on vacation for another three days. You'd think he'd jump at the chance to do nothing.

Jack had the house to himself, and damn if he couldn't stop worrying. From the moment he'd returned home earlier that afternoon, he kept wondering whether Daniel was eating, whether he was feverish, afraid that maybe Kasuf might take his eyes off him for a moment and Daniel might wander off somewhere unsafe.

Sighing loudly, Jack surprised himself when he found himself yawning. There was no use sitting here and staring at nothing. He stood, stretched, and locked up the house.

He slid into bed and spread his body over the four corners of his double bed, just because he could. He hated sleeping on single beds; he was always afraid to turn over, expecting to fall off. He stretched, yawned again, then curled up onto his side.

He loved his bed. And he always realized how much he missed it whenever he came back from a mission.

Or a vacation.

He closed his eyes and let himself go. He felt the stress of the day leach from his body as it grew heavier, the mattress fitting in all the right spots. His mind drifted as he listened to the sound of rain falling against the window. All that was missing was Daniel's warm body beside him, his hand resting heavily against his hip, his groin tucked against Jack's—

Damn it.

Jack turned around abruptly, the bed squeaking with the brusqueness of the motion. He willed his hard on to subside as he slammed his fist against the mattress. He ground his teeth together and forcibly opened his jaw, stretching his muscles, trying to ease the tension.

He tried to find that comfortable place again. His body relaxed, his breathing deepened, his mind slowed... and he listened.

He tensed, not realizing what he was listening for. Until it hit him.

Daniel.

There would be no nightmares tonight. No fever, no upset stomach. No frantic calls in the middle of the night when Daniel woke up confused and scared. No, that was Kasuf's job for the next three Earth days, or two Abydonian ones.

So why was he listening for the sound of Daniel's voice? A cough? A fart?

Jack glanced at the clock. He'd been tossing and turning for close to an hour. It was almost midnight; he'd give it another thirty minutes and then he'd get up and look for a boring infomercial or two to lull him to sleep.

- - - - - -

He groped for the alarm clock, smacking it groggily several times before he realized it was the doorbell that had woken him up from a deep sleep. He glanced at the clock, which read zero two hundred hours.

His first panic-stricken thought was that Daniel had gotten out of the house and couldn't get back in, but almost as fast as that idea hit him, he remembered that Daniel wasn't even on the planet.

Jack stumbled to the door, unable to imagine who it could be. Had there been an emergency, someone would certainly have called him. He stopped at the door and with two fingers, pulled aside the blinds just enough so he could see outside.

Teal'c. And Daniel.

Immediately he flipped the light switch and unlocked the door. He had barely opened the door when he caught sight of a white face with blood-shot eyes and a look of utter despair. Daniel burst past the door and with an inarticulate cry, threw himself onto Jack.

Instinctively Jack put his arms around the man who was sobbing against him. Daniel thrust his face against his neck and he had a death hold on him. Jack managed to tug Daniel forward a few steps to make room for Teal'c. The large man squeezed in and shut the door behind him.

"What's wrong? What happened? Daniel, are you all right?"

At the sound of Jack's voice, Daniel wailed even louder, causing Jack to wince at the sound. The smell of sour sweat, smoke and animal dung permeated Daniel's clothes and hair. Jack took shallow breaths until he got used to the stink. Incredibly enough, he'd probably smelled just as bad right before he'd taken his shower at the SGC.

"DoctorFraiser believes that DanielJackson is domicile-sick."

"Homesick? Daniel, did you get homesick?"

Daniel nodded against Jack's throat, great gulping breaths preventing him from speaking.

"M... missed you," he sobbed.

"I missed you too, buddy," Jack whispered in Dan