"Look out!"

Not sure if the warning was meant for him, Jack threw caution to the wind and jumped his captor anyway. When no shots or blows followed, he figured Daniel's warning had been meant for either Carter or Teal'c.

His tackle forced his opponent to the floor and Jack followed him down, ending the tussle with a well-placed blow to the temple. A moment later, the whine of an energy weapon filled the room.

Jack ducked out of reflex, then quickly looked at who was firing the weapon. A large bounty hunter wannabe was now aiming his weapon at Daniel, who had his hands full trying to keep a knife away from his throat from yet another aggressor.

Before Jack could get to his feet, Teal'c stepped over to the armed captor and with a quick twist, broke his neck.

Three down, counting the first guy Teal'c had taken out.

He heard a grunt of pain and saw Carter's opponent go down as well.

Four down. That only left Daniel's guy. This escape was looking better all the time.

Moving quickly, Teal'c plucked the knife out of the burly guy's hand while Carter kicked him in a place where the sun don't shine. One kick, two kicks, and that made five. Unconscious bounty hunters, that is.

Okay, things were looking up now.

Plan A – lure one big burly captor into cell and break free - deployed and executed.

Plan B – take out the rest of the bad guys - check.

Plan C – take control of the ship and fly back to the planet where they'd been captured - in progress.

Jack took a moment to gloat – when the going got tough, SG-1 got tougher. He rubbed his hands together in satisfaction, feeling the knuckles of his right hand already beginning to swell.

"Thanks, guys." Daniel touched his throat and to Jack's horror, spread a long bloody smear along the skin. Daniel must have noticed the wetness because he looked at his fingers and frowned at the sight of the blood on them.

Jack hurried over and without a word, tipped Daniel's head back, exposing his throat. He could feel Daniel's warm breath on his face as he wiped his thumb over the area. To his relief, the knife had only made a small nick in the skin. He pressed against it and saw that it wasn't bleeding much.

"It's nothing. You've cut yourself worse while shaving."

He lowered his hand, only to have Daniel take hold of it and stare at the bruised knuckles. "I'd kiss it better, but Sam and Teal'c would probably think I'm giving you special favors."

Jack couldn't help but smile. "But you are giving me—"

The ship gave a sudden, telltale lurch as the engines changed pitch, throwing them out of hyperspace.

"Sir, we have a problem."

"Crap." Something told him that Plan C wasn't going to be executed as flawlessly as he'd hoped. He hurried into the cockpit, where Carter was sitting at the controls. As always, the sight of space was distractingly beautiful; the planet to their right and her two moons would have been something to stare at for hours had he had the time for it.

"The weapon discharged into the main console. We've lost the controls to the hyperspace engines and life support."

"How long?"

"If we're lucky, thirty minutes." Carter punched a few buttons and nothing happened. She hit the series of buttons again and smacked the console with the palm of her hand and the ship turned sluggishly towards the planet. "We're caught in the planet's gravitational pull. Sir, if you'd take over, I'll go see if I can rewire some of these controls. At this rate we'll end up crashing into the planet before we can get the engines to reverse."

"Um, right." Jack slid into the chair and looked over the controls. They looked easy enough to figure out, even if the writing next to each button was in a language he'd never set eyes on before. Still, it'd be safe to actually know which button did what before he started punching haphazardly.

"That one's right, that one's left." Daniel leaned over Jack and pointed out the two buttons, which had little arrows pointing right and left next to each one beside the script.

"Thanks, I sort of figured those by myself." Jack waited for Daniel to have a heyday explaining the rest of the console. And waited. He looked over at Daniel, expecting to see him reading the lettering; instead Daniel was staring out the window.

"So, what'd the other things say?"

"What?" Daniel raised his eyebrows, dislodging his glasses slightly in doing so. He shrugged. "I don't know, I can't read the writing."

"Hey, you're the linguist. You should be able to translate this stuff for me."

"In fifteen minutes? At the speed we're heading for that planet, we'll be at the bottom of a newly dug crater."

"Our prisoners have been secured. Do you wish me to fly the ship, O'Neill?"

Jack popped out of the chair so fast, he nearly bowled Daniel over. "Yeah, sure, go ahead. I'll see if I can give Carter a hand. Or something," he amended quickly when Carter stuck her head up from inside the console she was half buried inside of.

oo~O~oo "Try it now." Carter's voice was almost frantic despite her controlled movements as she continued to fiddle within the guts of the machinery.

"There is still no change." Teal'c, eyes glued to the instrumentation as he punched buttons, didn't seem to be aware of the fact that the planet was growing steadily bigger and bigger with every passing second. "Our velocity has not diminished."

"Look. How about we turn the ship and try something else?" Jack could feel the nervous sweat beginning to drip beneath his armpits and down his back. "Aren't there thrusters or something we could use?"

"I have attempted that already. The controls no longer respond."

"Try it again," Carter yelled, this time pulling out of the console and looking up towards the view port. There was a smear of grease along her cheek and bits of dust and wiring in her hair.

This time when Teal'c touched the console, the whine of the engines changed pitch and the ship lurched heavily.

"The engines are slowing but our descent is too rapid. I am still unable to change our trajectory."

"Okay, how about if I—" Carter disappeared again inside the console. A moment later the ship pitched again, and despite the fact that land was approaching fast, they were definitely slowing. "Okay, now if I try this—" The ship's engines began to vibrate but they slowed down even more. "—And convert power to the shields. That should... There."

"Hang on." Jack hurried over to Carter and grabbed her by the waist, pulling her out of the console. "Grab onto something. We're going to hit—"

"Jack, the prisoners. They won't have a chance, tied up and—" Daniel was running for the door and Jack let go of Carter and quickly headed him off.

"No time." With a desperate glance at the trees nearly upon them, Jack grabbed Daniel and pushed him against the small balustrade separating the cockpit from the machinery behind them. He anchored them both against it and covered Daniel with his body.

Then everything went dark.

oo~O~oo "O'Neill."

Daniel heard Teal'c's voice from far away, calling through a tunnel. When Jack didn't answer, Daniel fought to open his eyes, but the effort was too great. Teal'c's voice called again, fading to nothing as the tunnel got longer and deeper.

oo~O~oo "Daniel. C'mon, wake up."

Jack's voice pulled Daniel out of the darkness but it was the touch to his cheek that gave him the incentive to open his eyes, fighting the pain in his head.

The room was dark, illuminated solely by a streak of sunlight coming through a corner of a ship's view port. He squinted at Jack, whose face was partly in shadow. His vision was off; not quite blurry but slightly out of focus. There was a glint of something dark and shiny along the side of Jack's face, starting from his temple and running down into his collar.

"What..." His tongue felt swollen inside his mouth, saliva thick and pasty. He tried again. "What happened?"

"Ship crashed. Carter got the shields in place so we didn't quite break apart, but..."

Daniel let his eyes slide shut, trying to remember. Bounty hunters, a ship... taken prisoner... escaping... the planet coming fast... he didn't remember the crash, though, for which he was particularly grateful.

"Sam? Teal'c?"

"Carter's got a busted arm and a good knock to the noggin, same as me 'n you." Jack pointed a finger towards his blood-smeared temple. "Teal'c's fine - plenty of bruises all around but you're the one who's the worst off."

"Me?" From the pounding in his head, Daniel couldn't figure what could hurt more. He tried paying attention to the rest of his body, shifting around and tensing fingers, hands, feet – and nearly screamed from the pain that erupted in his right calf.

"Hold still!"

Jack didn't have to worry, Daniel definitely wasn't going to try moving around again. He panted through the agony, his breathing finally slowing as the fire in his leg eased to a resounding throb.

"You got a piece of metal in your leg. We're gonna pull it out in a minute; we're waiting on Teal'c to get our packs and our first aid kit first."

Daniel nodded, tensing against the slowly encroaching grayness at the edges of his vision and slight whining in his ears. He took a deep breath, feeling his back and chest twinge with unknown aches and strains.

"Carter?"

"I'm sorry, sir, the onboard computer's offline. I have no idea what planet we crashed on. Not that it would make any difference; this ship won't be taking off again anytime soon without major repairs."

"What about Stargates?" Daniel turned his head towards Sam's voice. There was a bit of a glow behind some machinery where he presumed Sam was. A moment later, her upper body popped up, the flashlight she held making the room dance sickeningly with shadows.

"I'm sorry, Daniel. We didn't get a chance to search the computer's database before we crashed."

Daniel nodded, letting his eyes close as the whining got louder. He drifted for a while; Sam and Jack's voices slowly meshing into background noises rather than intelligible sounds.

A persistent tapping against his cheek finally got his attention and he jerked his head aside in irritation.

"Daniel, we're going to pull the metal from your leg. Brace yourself."

Someone put their hand on his leg, just below his knee. "What?"

Before he could lift his head to see what was going on, Jack pushed against his shoulders, pinning him to the ground. He gasped as he felt a searing pain in his leg. Then there was a heavy pressure against the agony, the action causing the pain to continue rather than abate.

"Okay, it's over." Jack eased his hold, giving Daniel's right shoulder a gentle rub before peering at his leg. He picked something up and held it up for Daniel to see. It was a long, thin piece of metal, about a half inch wide and several inches in length, with blood staining a portion of it.

"Can you move your foot, DanielJackson?"

With Teal'c still pressing down on his calf, Daniel wiggled his toes within his boot, then slowly rotated his ankle.

"It is merely a flesh wound. There does not appear to be any serious damage."

"Hurts like hell for a mere flesh wound," Daniel muttered under his breath as Sam knelt at his feet beside Teal'c. Slowly Teal'c released the pressure for a moment and all of them peered at his leg.

"Good, the bleeding's slowing down. It doesn't look like you nicked an artery." Sam flashed him a lopsided smile; her cheekbone and forehead were already showing signs of discoloring, and her arm was in a sling. Daniel wondered lethargically how long he'd been unconscious if they'd had the time to set her broken arm.

Fighting eyelids that seemed heavier than normal, Daniel tried to ignore the constant pain from the pressure Teal'c maintained on his leg. Trying to stay focused, he watched as Sam got up and went to look out the view port. After a moment, Jack went to stand next to her. His vision blurred as fatigue slowly crept over him.

oo~O~oo Carter looked exhausted. All of them were pretty much battered but her movements were slow and sluggish. Jack wondered if maybe the concussion she'd suffered was worse than she was letting on. He looked around at the singed console behind them and put a niggling thought into words.

"Is there any kind of scanner on the ship's computer? Anything we can use to try and see if there's a Stargate on this planet?"

"Why would you think there'd be a Stargate here, sir? The odds of actually crashing on a planet that has one would not only be astronomical—"

"The odds of our crashing on a planet that can support life is a miracle in itself. Look out there, Carter. What do you see?"

"Sir?"

Jack motioned towards the view port in exasperation. It was so clear to him, why wasn't Carter figuring it out? "What do you see?"

She rubbed her face, then winced as she took in the vista beyond the debris-covered view port. "Trees, sir," she finally said with a shrug of a shoulder.

Worried that Carter was so slow only uptake, Jack cast a quick glance back towards Teal'c and Daniel. Teal'c was staring at Carter while Daniel was... sleeping. Damn. "Exactly," Jack said with feigned enthusiasm, punching a fist towards the view port.

"But what does that have to do with a Stargate?"

"The Ancients made sure all the planets they fixed with a Stargate could support life, right? And for the most part, almost all the planets we've 'gated to look the same." Jack paused a moment, giving her a chance to catch up on his idea. When she stared at him with an unfocused gaze, he continued. "And so, considering that outside looks pretty much like Earth, it stands to reason that the Ancients have visited this planet. And left a Stargate as a calling card?"

Understanding finally lit within Carter's eyes. Earlier she'd slumped against a piece of machinery, but as she straightened with a bit of renewed energy, she staggered suddenly. Jack grabbed for her and felt his own equilibrium go off kilter.

"Sir, there's something... we need to get out... into fresh air. There must be... a leak of some kind..."

"O'Neill. DanielJackson is unresponsive."

Jack turned and started moving towards Teal'c and Daniel, but the quick movement triggered a bout of dizziness. He lurched sideways, caught himself with a curse and realized they had one option left to them. "Teal'c, we gotta get those doors clear."

Teal'c stood and wobbled a moment before straightening. The look of surprise on his face was actually more frightening than not knowing what the effects of this gas would do to them.

"Colonel, get Daniel up off the floor. Whatever this is, it's heavier than air so it's more concentrated at floor level."

With a grunt, Jack and Teal'c got hold of Daniel's limp and uncooperative body and dragged him to the pilot's chair. As Carter supported Daniel's head, Jack headed for the hatch. "Let's get this debris cleared so we can get fresh air in here."

An earlier attempt at opening the hatch had been unsuccessful. Dirt and debris blocked the exit and Jack had been more concerned at the time in his team's welfare than seeing what was outside. Teal'c, armed with a long, metal pole, began shoving it through the piled soil. Jack grabbed a flat piece of metal and began digging next to the spot Teal'c was working on.

Before long they had an impressive pile of dirt on the floor and a small pinprick of daylight to show for their efforts. "Carter? How're you holding up?" Jack hadn't heard any telltale thuds so he figured she was still conscious and on her feet.

"A little dizzy and wobbly, sir, but that may just be due to my headache."

A puff of wind blew through the hole; the scent of freshly dug soil and fir trees filled the immediate area. Jack felt a little better, and attacked the dirt with renewed vigor.

"Daniel...?"

"There's no change but his pulse is strong."

Twenty minutes later, the cleared space was big enough to drag Daniel through. It took a bit of maneuvering and a lot of brute strength to get him not only through the hole but over the furrow the ship created when it crashed into the hillside.

Teal'c stopped beneath the shade of a large tree and they put Daniel down. Once they'd eased him into the recovery position, Jack took a look around. They were on a plateau, halfway up the gentle slope of a mountain, with a forest descending towards a lush valley below. A long, deep furrow in the earth, starting from the rear of the ship, ran nearly a quarter mile uphill, disappearing into yet another copse of forest.

"We must retrieve supplies immediately, before the ship is no longer habitable."

Carter reached for Teal'c as he turned to go back to the ship. "Teal'c, we don't know how bad the air is deeper inside the ship. There's no ventilation; if the gas has permeated throughout the ship—"

"Thus necessitating all haste in salvaging what we can."

"I'll go with you. Carter, you stay with Daniel."

Jack hurried as fast as his bruised body would allow, envying Teal'c his ease as his Junior-healed body showed no signs of stiffness or pain. He entered the gloomy dungeon of the ship and immediately felt the effects of the gas. Lightheaded, he caught the edge of a piece of machinery so he wouldn't keel over.

Teal'c stepped into the hallway while Jack stuffed the first aid kit into one of their packs.

"The air is markedly worse deeper inside the ship, O'Neill. I would suggest you go no further."

"Teal'c, maybe you shouldn't—"

"My symbiote protects me. I am in no danger." His voice faded as the corridor curved.

"Make it fast," Jack yelled. The ship wasn't big, comprising of a small storeroom that had been their brig, tight living quarters and an even tinier mess hall, the engine room and the bridge.

He searched the bridge, making frequent trips to the open hatch and breathing in the fresh air. He found a small hatchet, a coil of rope and a small toolbox under one of the chairs. Those he tossed out next to the packs.

Jack suddenly remembered their captors. He felt a little guilty at having forgotten them for this long, but then again, if they hadn't taken SG-1 prisoner, none of them would have been in this situation to start with.

He took a deep breath and called out loudly down the corridor. "T, the prisoners—"

"Dead," Teal'c proclaimed, entering the room with an armful of blankets and some of the contents of their packs, scrounged by their captors. "The gas has flooded the entire ship." He tossed the bedding outside and returned the way he had come.

Teal'c made several trips, returning with the rest of their gear and four thin mattresses that they could easily carry rolled up. By the time Teal'c returned with a bundle of foodstuffs, Jack had been forced to leave the confines of the ship. Still seeing spots before his eyes, he slowly gathered their weapons and packs, saying nothing as Teal'c staggered several steps and stopped, leaning his hands on his knees and taking deep, gulping breaths of air.

Jack dropped the weapons next to Carter and Daniel, stopping only to ruffle Daniel's hair. He was grateful to see Daniel was awake and sitting up, even if his eyes were bloodshot and looked hung over. He let Teal'c drag the rest of the supplies over; he picked up the hatchet and went looking for branches. Carter's broken arm had been immobilized but she'd need to have a more permanent fix if she was to have some semblance of comfort. Because it sure as heck looked like they were here for the long haul.

oo~O~oo Daniel wanted to curse his lethargy, but that would have taken a modicum of energy and he couldn't really spare any at all. He felt useless sitting, leaning tiredly against a tree, a wasted piece of baggage that was more worthless than any of the items Jack and Teal'c had pulled out of the ship. The least he could have done was offer to whittle the sticks Jack found to set Sam's arm but the way his hands were shaking, the last thing he needed was to have something sharp anywhere near them.

The Advil wasn't doing much for his headache, either. Or for the nausea and dizziness. He considered himself lucky that the pills and the sip of water he'd taken hadn't made a quick exit, although for a few minutes it had been close. Hell, if he was going to feel this bad, the least he could have were scraps of memories of the good times that had led to the hangover. And a kidnap attempt followed by a ship crashing on a planet didn't quite measure up to a good time.

He opened his eyes and saw that Sam was watching him. He gave her a weak smile, knowing it probably looked forced. He shifted his gaze and looked over her shoulder, down the mountain, trying to see if he could spot Teal'c, who'd gone to check out the immediate area. He waited for his vision to adjust but couldn't make out any signs of movement before his vision blurred again.

"Here."

Daniel moved his head fractionally to avoid aggravating his headache, to see Jack holding out an MRE.

"You've got to be kidding," Daniel said through clenched teeth. Hadn't the gagging sounds he'd made earlier been a tip-off that food wasn't something he was ready for yet?

"You need to eat, and you need something in your stomach before you try and take antibiotics."

"Why would I need...? Oh." Daniel glanced at his bandaged calf and took a controlled deep breath. "Later." He went to wave the offered food away but he caught a whiff of the chicken salsa and quickly put a hand up to his mouth as the nausea threatened to spill over.

"Maybe some crackers, sir?" Sam made a face as she took an MRE from where she'd set it to heat in the sun. "They might be easier on his stomach."

Daniel accepted the pack of crackers from Sam and struggled with the packing. Finally he grabbed a corner with his teeth and tore it. When she held up the small packet of peanut butter, he shook his head as he brought one cracker to his mouth and took a tiny bite. Chewing the dry saltine far longer than necessary, Daniel tried to put off swallowing for as long as he could. Finally, his mouth full of pasty saliva, he swallowed. And waited. When his stomach didn't complain overmuch, he took another bite and chewed slowly until he'd eaten all two pieces.

"You still need to take the antibiotics, Daniel." Jack handed him another pack of crackers and the peanut butter he'd refused earlier. With a sigh, Daniel spread a dab of the gluey stuff on a corner of the cracker and took a bite. The moment the flavor hit his taste buds, he knew it was a mistake and he spit it out, breathing deeply as he waited for the nausea to subside. He avoided looking at Sam and Jack, who were eating their MREs, even if it was with less gusto than usual.

"Thanks," he said when Sam handed him her canteen. He rinsed his mouth and took a cautious nibble of plain cracker. He managed to swallow but knew he'd end up being sick if he ate more. Dessert was the pill Jack handed him, and he followed that with a chaser of gum to rid himself of the sickening taste of peanut butter in his mouth. "Sam, can we fix the ship?" He pursed his lips and looked away when Sam slowly shook her head.

"There was too much damage even before we crashed. The engines are still operational but the controls are fried. Plus there's that gas leak—"

"We'd need environmental suits to get back into that ship for any periods of time." Jack, who'd been crouching next to Daniel, suddenly stood and shielded his eyes from the sun. A moment later, he reached for his radio. "T, find anything out there?"

Teal'c's voice, tinny but clear, came through the radio in Jack's vest. "Indeed. The planet appears to be inhabited. I have discovered a path which leads into the valley below. It is not well traveled but there are clear signs that humans have passed through as recently as several days ago."

"Understood." Jack shifted and reached for his weapon in the cache they'd brought from the ship, clicking it onto his vest in one smooth movement. The sun, low in the sky, reflected brightly on the metal. "This puts a slightly different take on things." He handed Carter her handgun, and shoved Daniel's back into its holster. "Maybe we'll get lucky and these people will know where the Stargate is."

"S... stargate?" Daniel turned to Jack, aware that his heart had begun beating too fast in anticipation, making his head pound harder with each beat.

"Colonel, we don't know for sure, and even if there is a Stargate here, we don't know if it's even on this side of the planet."

"There're folks here. If they're low-tech, chances are the population didn't move that far away from the 'gate."

"Sir, human civilizations had spread throughout Earth during Ra's time—"

"Sam's right, Jack." Daniel felt weak with disappointment, even though his heart was still racing and his head thumping right along with it. "The Goa'uld have ruled for centuries. Even if the people here didn't advance technologically..." He stuttered on the word, hearing himself slurring slightly as he corrected himself... "Any more than the people of Abydos, they must have boats. I saw oceans as we came through the atmosphere. The Stargate could be on another continent—"

"If there even is a Stargate."

"We'll cross that bridge when we meet someone. In the meantime, we'll camp here tonight. We'll need to do something about that ship... if we can't air it out properly, then we'll need to lock those doors, make sure nobody comes across it and asphyxiates inside."

"What about the bodies? Should we bury them?"

"Bodies?" Daniel squinted at Sam, the setting sun shining directly into his eyes. "What bodies?" He cursed his headache, realizing that pain and the lingering effects of the gas were making his thought processes exceedingly slow.

"The guys who captured us, Daniel. They... didn't make it."

Daniel closed his eyes against the glare, and the pain he felt at the loss of life. "Was it the crash, or the gas?" he asked after a moment, knowing that the answer Jack gave him could possibly turn into an argument between them. Not that he wanted a fight, but there were times he and Jack looked at loss of life from totally different points of views.

"I'm not sure. I think most likely, both." Jack was watching him warily, as if aware of what Daniel was thinking.

Holding Jack's gaze a long moment, he decided Jack was telling the truth. The men had been locked up in a small room and had probably been thrown violently around during the crash. And Jack's priority had been to get his team out first... "Are we going to bury them?"

"It depends. If the conditions in the ship improve by morning, we'll see. But I'm not risking Teal'c going inside to get them out."

"Okay," Daniel said softly. He shivered as a light wind blew cool, moist air over him. The temperature seemed to have dipped several degrees along with the sun.

"Looks like we're going to have a chilly night. I think we better double up to stay warm. Carter, you up to setting up camp?"

"Yes, sir." She adjusted the sling around her broken arm and shifted to her knees, getting up slowly and awkwardly.

"I'll get the firewood. Teal'c got some food out of the ship so we'll need to take stock and see how soon we can move out."

"I can do that, Jack." He'd rather lie down and rest but he needed to prove to both himself, and Jack, that he could carry his weight and not be a liability.

Without a word, Jack dragged the large backpack over to Daniel. He shifted so he could start digging through the stuff and began to systematically remove and catalogue the contents.

By the time Daniel finished, the sun had set and it had definitely gotten downright chilly. Teal'c had returned and had helped Sam set up the mattresses next to the fire. Daniel was working by the light of the fire, and had several piles of foodstuffs around him. "Well, looks like we won't go hungry for a while." He gave Teal'c a quick smile. "I didn't know the Goa'uld had MREs."

"They do not." Teal'c looked at the piles with disdain, raising an eyebrow when Daniel picked up a packet, squishy to the touch.

"This is written in Goa'uld." He held up the writing towards Teal'c.

"What is it?" Jack asked, leaning over and grabbing one of the packets from the pile.

"I have no idea. I think it's stewed kal'eni."

"And that would be..." Jack tossed the packet back onto the pile after having mashed it together between his fingers, and picked up another one.

"I have no idea." Daniel looked to Teal'c, hopeful that he knew what the food was.

"It is not a food known to the Goa'uld or Jaffa."

"Okay, how about..." Daniel tilted the package to better read the writing. "...Ito'dor'i?"

Teal'c shook his head slowly as Daniel made a face. He picked up yet another packet, this one feeling more solid beneath his fingers. "Okay, lal'lan tar?"

"I do not recognize any of these names."

"You're making those up."

"No, Jack, I'm reading the names that someone else made up." He tossed the packet back onto the pile. "In any case, if all of these are main meals, then we've got enough to keep us going for at least four weeks. Assuming these are similar to MREs, then I'd guess some of these are the main servings, and others dessert, and others side dishes. So under that assumption, we've got at least two week's worth of food here, plus our own MREs. If we ration this out, we could go six weeks. And that's assuming, of course, that the stuff is edible and is actually food, and not lube for the engines."

"I guess we'll have to give the stuff a taste test tomorrow."

Daniel began stuffing the packages back into the backpack, secretly hoping his nausea continued well into tomorrow so he wouldn't have to take part in the taste-testing scenario. "Maybe we can find some fruits or vegetables to supplement our meals." He tossed the last of the lal'lan tar into the pack and pushed the bag aside.

"Colonel, we don't know what's safe to eat—"

"We'll use standard precautions. We'll probably have plenty of time to test stuff out." Jack grabbed the pack and walked over to a tree a fair distance from the camp. With a rope he'd already secured to a branch high up, Jack raised the food out of reach of hopefully human and animal predators.

Standard precautions meant that whatever foods they found would take weeks before finding their way into their diet, if at all. Hopefully they'd meet up with people before then. Jack was right; if there were humans on this planet, there also had to be a Stargate. Then again, maybe they were humanoids, and not humans per se... Although any type of intelligent life increased their chances that the Ancients had deemed the planet worthy enough for a 'gate.

Daniel pulled his flimsy blanket up over his legs and stretched back against the tree. The mattress he was sitting on was thin and lumpy, but it was better than sitting on the ground . When Teal'c tossed a log onto the fire, sparks flew up into the air, illuminating the area brightly for a few seconds. Everyone except Teal'c looked exhausted and battered; it wasn't only the bruises, it was the slump of shoulders and head.

"I think it's time to call it a night. We'll do standard watches. Daniel, you up to taking last shift?"

"Yeah. Not a problem." He nodded gratefully at Jack, who was allowing him the luxury of getting uninterrupted sleep for the majority of the night. Normally Jack reserved that for himself. Daniel slid lower onto the mattress and pulled the blanket up over his shoulders.

"I will take first and second watch. We do not yet know the length of the night here and it will allow you all to get adequate rest should the nights be longer than anticipated."

Jack didn't reply as he slid down behind Daniel while Sam lay down in front of him. Their body heat was welcome; the blankets were thin and truly didn't do much against the cold. Maybe once they were down in the valley, the temperatures would be a little more comfortable.

oo~O~oo Lingering fatigue and a stubborn headache made it mighty tempting to empty his P-90 into the trees and end the damned birds' constant twittering. The high-pitched screeches and squawks felt like sharp needles puncturing his brain.

Jack knew he would have to force himself up in a few minutes. The birds' chatter had started shortly before the sun began to lighten the sky and they'd been at it for some time already. He could hear Teal'c and Carter talking some distance away so he took advantage of the relative privacy.

He snuggled his face into the back of Daniel's neck, nuzzling the soft hairs there with his lips. Now, as before when Jack had rejoined him after his watch was over, Daniel didn't stir, his breathing remained slow and rhythmic, his sleep deep and hopefully restful. Daniel had been lucky, with Teal'c taking double duty; he'd gotten to skip his turn. He considered lengthening the time of the watches in order to allow everyone a night off. Something to think about if they couldn't find civilization soon.

A whiff of coffee caught on the breeze, tickling his nose. He inhaled deeply, smelling coffee, fresh air, and Daniel. He couldn't put off lying there for much longer, so he rolled onto his back and stretched carefully, mindful of his bruised body.

"Morning, sir." Carter's voice was low, primed just loud enough to carry to him but not wake Daniel. "Did you sleep well?"

Carter probably knew he hadn't slept much during her watch. He'd tried to relax but hadn't been able to do much more than doze in the past two hours.

"Passable," he answered as he rubbed his scalp hard. "Got any Tylenol handy?"

"Headache?"

"Yeah." Scrunching his eyes tightly, he stretched one last time, forcing his muscles to go just beyond the point of pain, then relaxed.

"Here, sir." Carter tossed him a blister pack, then carried over a steaming cup of coffee. He sat up, careful to replace the blanket over Daniel, and helped himself to two of the pills before taking a cautious sip of liquid. Once the coffee had cooled sufficiently to swallow, he tossed the two Tylenol back.

"How's the arm?"

"Feels like it's broken, sir."

"Did you..." He waved the blister pack at her.

"Yes, sir." She gave him a tight smile.

Teal'c joined them and crouched next to Daniel. "Should we not wake him?" He placed a gentle hand to Daniel's neck, probably checking his pulse and temperature. Jack could attest to the fact that his pulse had been slow and steady, his temperature normal, up until just a minute ago, but he didn't volunteer the information.

"Let him sleep." He knew Daniel needed food and water, especially as he hadn't eaten anything last night, but he also needed sleep.

"Sir." Carter eased herself down onto one of the mattress and sat, legs crossed. She held her injured arm close to her chest and looked at Jack, over Daniel's sleeping form. "I'd suggest following the path Teal'c found. It must surely lead to civilization and—"

"I agree, but not today. I think we can take one day off and recoup. Anyways, we need to find a way to see if the ship's still toxic and if so, find a way to shut the door so nobody accidentally stumbles onto it and dies."

"There must be a locking mechanism but it's probably controlled by a code and..."

"We don't have it. Can we jam the lock? Barricade the door?"

"I'll have to examine the locking mechanism but that may mean having to enter the ship."

"What about drawing a skull and crossbones, or a serpent cross, over the door?" Daniel's sleep-heavy voice surprised Jack.

"Sorry, didn't mean to wake you."

"Um... s'okay." Daniel slowly rolled onto his back, his hip brushing against Jack's knee. "Ugh. Anyone else have a small percussion band playing overly enthusiastically inside their heads?"

"Here, this might mute some of the bass." Jack handed Daniel the blister pack, then passed his coffee over to him so he could swallow the pills. Daniel rose onto an elbow, took a sip then handed the coffee back. He lay back down and closed his eyes. The fact that he didn't even try to keep Jack's coffee for himself was testament to how lousy he felt.

"We could draw a warning sign over the door but that doesn't necessarily mean the people here will understand what it means." Carter glanced up the hill, staring at the ship which was reflecting the sunlight where it caught the metal.

"And it probably won't be enough to keep anyone away with a streak of curiosity in them." Jack shuddered when he imagined if a nearby village whose children came up to play and discovered the ship, and managed to get inside.

They sat in silence for a while, until Teal'c passed some MREs around. Daniel didn't stir, he'd fallen asleep again. Jack, conserving water, opted to heat the MRE in the weak sunlight rather than waste the liquid to heat it up. While his breakfast heated, looked up at the ship.

"We're going to need water." He put the bread and jam aside, for later, or for Daniel if he wasn't up to eating anything heavier. "We need to check out the area, see if there are signs of civilization." He picked up his coffee and took a sip. "And we need to secure that ship."

"There must some sort of ventilation control in the ship, except that we'd need—"

"To get inside the ship to look for it. I know. If you can't get the doors to lock, we'll think about that option then. T, I want you to explore a little further today, keep an eye out for water, and anything that you think might be edible."

Teal'c inclined his head.

"Think you're up to stepping inside the ship for a minute to see if the air's gotten any worse?"

"I am."

Jack picked up his now lukewarm breakfast and opened it. "We'll get started as soon as we've chowed down."

oo~O~oo "This one?" Jack's finger hovered over the red button on the console.

"The other red one, sir." Carter's voice was brimming with exasperation. Jack ignored the slight, well aware that the headaches and aches and pain were taking a toll on both of them. He moved to the other side of the console and pressed the button. Immediately a loud hum filled the room and he felt a breeze as the ventilation kicked in.

"That'll do it. It's programmed to run automatically until the toxins have cleared the ship."

Face flushed and shiny with sweat, Carter headed out the door, clambering awkwardly over the mounds of soil. Jack followed her outside, eager to get into the fresh air. The gas had dissipated somewhat overnight in the bridge, thanks to the opened door, but enough of it lingered to make them slow and irritable. The headache was back full force and the multitudes of bruises were making moving around more than a little uncomfortable. They sat a moment on the upturned earth, recouping before returning to their campsite.

He glanced around and looked towards the camp, expecting to see Daniel still asleep. To his surprise, Daniel was sitting up. Jack quickly reached for his radio when Daniel leaned over and began fiddling with the bandage around his leg.

"Daniel, unless you're on the verge of bleeding out, do not touch that bandage."

Jack bit back a smile when Daniel startled at the sound of his voice. It took him a moment to find the radio Jack had left next to an unopened MRE.

"Jack, where are—" Daniel's voice broke off as he searched the surrounding areas and spotted Jack and Carter. Daniel waved, and Jack waved back.

"There's food and we left some coffee for you."

With his free hand, Daniel picked up the MRE. "You guys going to stay up there or are you coming back?"

"We'll be there in a few minutes. Carter got the auxiliary engines online and the ventilation system going."

"So, can we fix the ship?"

"That's a negative." He glanced at Carter, who was biting her lip in frustration. "Carter and I are going to go explore uphill for a ways, see if there's any more signs of civilization. Make sure you take your antibiotic with your meal."

"Yes, Jack," Daniel drawled.

"We won't be long. Just... try and stay alert. We don't know what kind of predators are out here. Teal'c's gone down the mountain and see if there's a road or something we can follow."

"I will."

Jack waited and watched while Daniel began opening his MRE, then motioned to Carter to take point. He didn't plan on going far, just a quick stroll around the area to see if there weren't any other paths or signs of people in this direction. The sun had cleared the mountains, burning the chill out of the long shadows.

Carter's foot slipped and she reached out with her good arm to steady herself on a branch. "We're going to need to bury them."

"We've got zats," Jack said dryly. Carter glanced back at Jack with a surprised look, which in turn puzzled him. He'd expected opposition from Daniel, but not from Carter. "Anyways, I don't think any of us are up to anything that strenuous yet." Okay, maybe Teal'c wouldn't mind digging a mass grave by himself but Jack had other uses for his team other than getting rid of bounty hunter scum.

"We should check the ship's computer, see if there's any record as to who hired them."

"You mean, which overly glitzed Goa'uld put a bounty on our heads?"

"Well, yes, sir. It'd be nice to know which one is going to be disappointed when those goons don't show up with us in tow."

"Not to mention how far spread this bounty thing went... might make it a tad inconvenient going through the Stargate if and when we get off this planet with more bounty hunters waiting for us around the next bend."

They stopped a moment, slightly out of breath. His legs were trembling from fatigue and he wondered if the air were thinner up here, or if it was simply a side effect of exposure to that gas. His body was still pretty sore but the exercise had helped ease some of the stiffness. Still, they'd all be moving slow for the next few days, Daniel most likely more so than the rest of them.

"We'll need to get Daniel some crutches or a cane, or something..." He motioned to Carter to stop when they reached a fairly open area. They stood there for several minutes, surveying the land. It looked undisturbed by man; he hadn't even seen natural trails made by large animals. If there was any travel around this part of the world, then nobody came up this way.

He took point this time, walking down the mountain slowly, keeping an eye for broken branches. He found what he was looking for just before they reached the ship; a long limb with one end split into two. It'd be uncomfortable to use but at least it would help make Daniel mobile.

He tossed the makeshift crutch aside for the time being and lowered the backpack containing their supplies from where he'd stashed it the previous night. He winced inwardly as he rifled through the supply of aliens MREs. Maybe they should get Teal'c to try these out first.

"Did you take some of these out of here?" Jack hauled the backpack over to Daniel and opened it, revealing that a good quarter of the contents were gone.

Daniel tugged the backpack from Jack and dumped the contents onto the mattress next to him. He quickly put the stuff into several piles once again, and it was obvious one pile was much smaller than the rest. "Looks like most of the Ito'dor'i are gone."

"Someone came into the camp and raided our food?" Jack began eying the bushes as both anger and unease coursed through him.

"Well, it wasn't me. I have enough trouble with the macaroni and cheese."

"Maybe it was Teal'c—" Jack swore when he realized how dumb that sounded. "Okay, so we had an intruder. Tonight we bring the food closer to the fire and make sure it doesn't happen again." Jack hoped that that thief had long gone after helping himself to their stash but he wasn't about to hold his breath. Angry that someone had gotten under their guard, he grabbed a package at random, tore it open and sniffed the contents.

Sour stench filled his nostrils and he pulled back in disgust. "Ew." He prodded the bean-like filling with a finger, then made a face as he licked the sauce off. "Spicy and vinegary. Not exactly my idea of a hearty meal." He contemplated actually tasting the beans but from the bitter aftertaste, he decided not to. "I think it's gone bad."

He put the envelope down and Carter reached for it. She fished a bean out of the package and began chewing, only to spit it out a moment later. She made a face as she put the bag down, then handed it to Daniel when he put a hand out for it. "Unless Teal'c has no problem eating this, can I suggest we leave the rest of these out for our burglar tonight?"

Daniel had been watching them with an amused half-grin. But it was Jack's turn to smile when Daniel took one whiff at the contents and put the package down untasted. "Maybe it needs to be heated?"

Jack rubbed his lips with his fingers as he eyed the leftovers from the MREs. "Do you really think it'll make a difference?" He grabbed a package of peanuts and popped several into his mouth. He chewed quickly, anxious to get rid of the underlying taste. If there was any sort of nutrition in this food, eating it was certainly going to be a hardship. A moment later the peanuts were imbued with the sour taste and he ended up spitting them out instead of swallowing. "Gah, that's gross."

"No, Jack, that was gross." Daniel was staring at the mess of saliva and peanuts he'd sprayed over the mattress.

Sweeping the peanuts off with a handful of grass as best he could, Jack swallowed several times, trying to refrain from gagging.

"No, Daniel, it really is awful." Carter looked pale and her face was shiny with sweat. "I really think I'd rather go hungry than to have to..." Her eyes widened and suddenly she was stumbling into the bushes. A moment later the sound of retching brought home the truth of her words.

"I guess we're going hungry." Jack picked up the discarded packet of food and dug a hole. He'd buried it by the time Carter stumbled back to the camp. Without a word he handed her his canteen and she gave him a weak smile. She took a sip and sat down tiredly next to Daniel.

Jack picked up the discarded crutch and unsheathing his knife, began to trim the branches from it. "How much longer before you think the ship is safe to enter?"

Carter squinted at her watch. "It's probably safe now, sir."

Sheathing his knife once he'd evened off the wood, Jack swept the shavings from his lap and mattress. He stood, one hand automatically checking the zat strapped to his leg. Carter caught his eye and nodded. "You two stay put and rest. I'll see if there's anything in there worth salvaging and..." His gaze went to Daniel, who was watching them with a frown. "What?"

"The bounty hunters didn't make it, did they?"

Jack tried not to read accusation in Daniel's tone of voice, but it was there nonetheless. He pursed his lips tightly together, feeling anger begin to rise. "No, they didn't," he said curtly, despite the fact they'd already had this conversation yesterday. Maybe Daniel didn't remember, but he resented the tone.

He turned his back on his teammates and began trudging back up the hill. His back was stiff, knowing Daniel was staring at him. Damned bounty hunters wouldn't be dead if they hadn't tried to capture SG-1. None of them would be in this predicament if someone hadn't put a price on their heads.

Price on their heads... Damnit, the computer. Carter had wanted to check the database. Well, she'd do that later. Now that he knew someone was out there in the woods, there was no way in hell he was leaving any of his team alone, injured and in a vulnerable position. A shudder flitted up his spine as he thought of Daniel sleeping earlier, unprotected, while anyone could have waltzed into their camp while he and Carter had been inside the ship. Actually that could have been when their food had been taken, if the thief had acted quickly. Which reminded him... he reached for his radio.

"Teal'c."

"O'Neill."

"We got a party crasher on the loose. Keep your eyes peeled."

"Do you require assistance?"

"Negative. Just thought I'd give you a head's up."

"Understood."

"Any luck?"

"I have found water. I am presently following the trail, which I believe may lead to a more traveled road."

"You believe...?"

"I believed I had seen a glimpse of it through the trees. I was correct. I am now standing at the edge of what is definitely a much-used road. There are tracks which appear to be made by wheeled vehicles drawn by large creatures, possibly similar to the horse and buggy from the ancient Tau'ri world."

"How recent are these tracks?"

Jack clambered over the mound of earth as Teal'c paused. He waited just outside the ship, afraid that the radio might not work inside.

"Some are quite recent, others possibly two or three days old and as much as a week."

Jack breathed a small sigh of relief, feeling some of the nausea ease as he relaxed a notch. He'd rather have broken camp today but he figured by the time they got around to it, with Daniel's bum leg, they wouldn't reach the road before the sun set.

"Good. Come on back to camp, we can fill up on water and then head out tomorrow."

"Understood."

Jack slowly entered the ship and stood near the exit, breathing deeply, ready to go back outside at the first signs of distress. The earlier feelings of lethargy and fatigue didn't appear, so he headed towards the controls. He hit the red button and the sound of the ventilation died down.

He quickly double-checked the rooms in the ship, looking for anything Teal'c might have overlooked. He didn't find anything except a couple of empty containers which they could use for carrying water, and another length of rope, which he placed over his arm and shoulder.

The room where their captors had died wasn't a pretty sight. It was only when he'd zatted the four of them into oblivion that he realized one was missing.

"Damn."

He clicked the radio the moment he crawled through the doors. "One of the bounty hunters survived the crash. He's most likely our thief." He waited a moment for Teal'c and Carter's acknowledgements and made his way back to camp, angry that they had this to worry about on top of everything else. The only good thing is that they'd taken all the weapons out of the ship so unless their friend made another foray into camp, he was unarmed.

oo~O~oo "You sure about this?" Jack looked dubiously at the small handful of berries Teal'c had brought back.

"My symbiote did not react to my ingesting the food." Teal'c held out the kerchief that he'd filled with the berries. Remembering the awful taste of the alien MRE, Jack picked one of the bright red berries, sniffed it, then gave it a lick.

He tasted nothing. Aware of Daniel and Sam watching, he popped it into his mouth and reluctantly chewed down on it.

Immediately sweet flavor burst onto his tongue. He smiled as grabbed several more berries, then nodded at the rest of his team to try them out. He knew the rules, though. As good as these were, only a few were permitted, despite Teal'c's reassurances that they were safe. The last thing they needed was to suffer through the indignation of the trots on top of everything else.

"Here's the kal'eni." Daniel handed Teal'c the package of yet untried alien food. "We decided the lal'lan tar wasn't edible, and we've only got six packages of Ito'dor'i."

Jack had enjoyed tearing up every single packet of the lala tar stuff and burying it. He'd hoped the bounty hunter was watching as he punctured each packet and dumped it into the hole he'd dug. The stench had made his eyes water and the juice had cleaned his knife out quite nicely, making it shine like it was new.

Jack watched as Teal'c sniffed the open packet, then fish out a piece of meat-like stuff that actually looked like doggie kibbles. Teal'c placed it in his mouth and chewed a moment, then swallowed.

"Judging from my experience with Tau'ri food, you will not enjoy eating this. Its taste is similar to that of raw aquatic animals."

"Well, I like sushi." Sam took the bag from Teal'c and took a kibble out. She gave it a sniff and then bit off a small portion, only to spit it out immediately. "Sushi, this ain't." She popped it back into the bag, making a face of disgust.

"Well, that settles that." Jack grabbed the rest of the unopened bags and headed off to bury them.

oo~O~oo With the aid of the makeshift crutch, Daniel hobbled back to his bed. Carrying out bodily functions had become an act of frustration and pain when he could barely put weight on his injured leg. He lowered himself onto the thin mattress, biting back a groan. Ignoring the sheen of sweat that had built up on his forehead and above his lips despite the cooling temperature, he put the crutch aside and wondered how he was going to manage the walk down the mountain tomorrow.

He was aware of Jack's stare as he tried to make a show of relaxing against a tree trunk, glad that the firelight didn't illuminate the area that well. To be honest, his calf was throbbing something awful and to his frustration, he felt something warm and wet trickle down his lower leg.

"You're bleeding."

"Yeah, I know." Daniel leaned forward, reaching for the now bloody bandage wrapped around his leg but Jack beat him to it. He lay back and let Jack unwrap it and place pressure against the gaping cut, grinding his teeth against the increased pain. Soon the sweat was trickling down his armpits and lower back and he wiped his face with the back of his hand. He shivered in the night chill and wrapped his blanket around his shoulders. It seemed to take forever before the bleeding stopped; unfortunately the throbbing didn't go away with the cessation of the blood and a new bandage.

"Here."

Daniel looked at the pill sitting in Jack's palm. He knew the painkiller would not only get rid of the pain but would help him sleep. The problem was, they had no idea how long they'd be stuck on the planet and there might be a time in the future where one of them might be more desperate for a painkiller.

"Take it."

"Jack, I don't need—"

"Daniel."

He needed to sleep, but he also needed to be able to keep up with his team tomorrow. And if his leg was anything to go by, he was going to have a hard time of it. "I'll take it in the morning, if I need to."

"We've got enough meds to tide you over for a few days—"

"You don't need to waste them on me—"

"Daniel." Sam reached over and took the pill from Jack's hand and held it right before his face, along with a water bottle. "We'll worry about it when we run out supplies. You need this, now. So take the pill."

"You heard the Major, Daniel." Jack placed his fingers on Daniel's injured leg, just above the top of his boot, and rubbed the skin gently. Even that gentle touch aggravated the ache in his leg. He closed his eyes a moment, wishing things were different, then reluctantly took the pill from Sam and swallowed it.

"Teal'c, you've got first watch again. Let's keep the same schedule as yesterday. Daniel'll take last watch." Jack turned to give Daniel an assessing look and Daniel nodded. He could sit a watch; at least this way he'd be carrying out his share of duties, finally. He felt guilty that he'd gotten to sleep the previous night through and Sam hadn't.

It took them only a moment to settle. Sam lay on her back on his left, Jack to his right. Neither was close enough to touch, and although it wasn't quite as cold as the previous night, Daniel was chilled. He turned onto his left side and brought his knees up to his chest, trying to conserve heat.

Until the painkiller kicked in, the throbbing in his leg would keep him from sleeping. He listened to the night sounds; the crackling of the fire and the singing of insects. An occasional rustle in the bushes nearby; even less frequently the sound of Teal'c shifting where he sat, away from the fire. Jack and Sam's breathing, slowly evening out and deepening, until both were snoring softly.

It wasn't until Jack shifted in his sleep and spooned up behind Daniel, was he able to start to relax. Jack's body heat was more than welcome, his soft breaths against his nape familiar and reassuring, and the feel of his arm lying loosely against his ribs gave him a sensation of security. His leg wasn't hurting as much, the throbbing reduced to an occasional twinge. His mind began to drift as his body slipped into sleep.

oo~O~oo Oblivion lasted only as long as the painkiller's effects, and by the time Sam had woken Jack for his watch, the loss of Jack's body heat had pulled Daniel from sleep and the increasing throbbing of his leg kept him from returning to it. Sam had burrowed under the blanket and snuggled between him and Teal'c. He felt her shiver a few times but she fell asleep quickly.

By the time Jack came over to him and shook his shoulder, Daniel was more than ready for his turn at sitting watch. The good thing was that his leg would keep him awake and stop him from nodding off. He was feeling muzzy from the painkiller and his stomach was queasy from the antibiotics. The downfall was that he was afraid the pain would distract him and keep him from staying alert.

He grabbed his blanket as he sat and with Jack's help and the use of the crutch, hobbled over to the large tree stump where he could sit and look over the camp without the campfire blinding him. Both of them were moving stiffly; his leg was so bothersome that it wasn't until he tried to move that he remembered how abused the rest of his body was.

He wouldn't be able to walk around to stay warm so he wrapped the blanket over his shoulders. Jack leaned in close and pointed to the right. "There's a rodent of some kind that's playing in the bushes over there so don't get trigger happy if you hear some rustling around."

Daniel stared in the general direction Jack was pointing at. "No sign of our intruder?"

"Nope. Let's hope he's happy with what he stole and went in the other direction." Jack lowered his hand and placed it on Daniel's shoulder. "Wake me at sunrise, which should be in about ninety minutes." Jack's hand lingered on his shoulder for a moment as Daniel nodded.

After throwing a log on the fire, Jack curled up next to Sam, in Daniel's spot. Daniel sighed softly and looked around, getting acquainted with the barely visible landmarks.

Whatever rodent Jack had been talking either moved on or decided to curl up in its den because the next hour passed so slowly that he'd have welcomed anything to break the monotony.

Finally, just as the sun began to rise, Daniel stood and hopped behind a tree to relieve his bladder. He then made his slow way to the campfire. He barely put pressure on Jack's arm when Jack woke with a start, turning onto his back and reaching out to block an imagined attack just as he opened his eyes and recognized Daniel.

"Bad dream?" Daniel asked apologetically as Jack rubbed his hands through his hair.

"You could say that." Jack sat up and gave Daniel an assessing look. "How're you doing?"

Daniel thought a moment about lying but Jack, as leader, needed to know what to expect. He gave Jack a direct look, speaking softly. "My leg hurts like hell. I don't now how far I'll be able to walk today."

Jack nodded, his eyes casting down towards his bandaged leg. "I'm hoping if we can get down to that main road Teal'c saw, we'll get lucky and run across some local folks. I'm thinking maybe there's a village where we can borrow a cart or horse or something..."

Teal'c must have been listening to them speaking. He sat up, the blanket falling from his shoulders and pooling in his lap. "The road is approximately an hour's walk from here. The way is not difficult and if we travel slowly, you should not have a problem reaching it."

"Easy for you to say." Daniel couldn't help glancing in the direction of Teal'c's stomach, momentarily envious of Teal'c's healing abilities. There were times he actually forgot about Junior; so comfortable was he around Teal'c.

oo~O~oo Not difficult, Teal'c had said. Despite his not uttering one single complaint, Jack could see how much the two-hour downhill trek had taken a toll on Daniel. He was pale and sweaty and his balance had been unsteady for the last twenty minutes.

The moment his feet, or foot, rather, touched the rutted path, Daniel hobbled to a patch of grass and sat down with a loud grunt. He put the crutch aside and rubbed the inside of his arm and chest where the wood most likely had rubbed him raw.

Jack had been going for easy mobility; maybe he should have gone for a cane instead and let Daniel use one of them as their crutch. It was more than obvious that Daniel wasn't going to be going much further for a while.

"You explored this trail yesterday?" Although Jack was speaking to Teal'c, he walked over to Daniel to take a look at his bandaged leg. A quick glance showed that although there had been some bleeding from his exertions, it wasn't serious and hadn't done more than stain the bandage.

"I did. North. For about a kilometer. It continues beyond that mountain and into the next valley."

"Any idea which way we should go, sir?"

Jack scratched his head, looking south along the path. He could separate his team and have each of them head off in a different direction, but if Daniel wasn't on the half that found civilization, it would mean having him cover twice the distance. He stared at the footsteps that had dried in the mud, noting that they went in both directions. The southbound path seemed to be straighter, less hilly.

"South."

When Daniel looked up at him in question, Jack shrugged. "One way's as good as the other and for all we know, there's a village just a kilometer away."

"Great. South it is." Daniel reached for his crutch, getting ready to stand, and Jack placed his foot on it, preventing Daniel from tugging it closer.

"We're not heading off yet." Jack stepped over the crutch and circled Daniel, heading for a large tree, and eased himself down on the grass, resting his back against the trunk. "What?" he asked when Daniel kept staring at him.

"I'm fine. I can keep going."

"I know you are. But there's no rush, seeing there's no snakes or Jaffa on our tails. We can take a thirty minute rest."

Carter, taking her cue from Jack, eased back also and sat next to Daniel. Teal'c stood a moment longer before sitting on Daniel's right.

Despite the rest stop, Jack kept his eyes peeled along the trail before him and he knew Teal'c was doing the same thing in the opposite direction. He kept glancing over at Daniel, however, knowing that the painkiller he'd taken with breakfast would begin to affect him once he was no longer moving. So after twenty minutes, when Daniel's eyelids began to droop, he got everyone moving again.

Teal'c got Daniel up onto his feet but before Daniel could position the crutch under his arm, Jack maneuvered himself so Daniel could wrap his arm around his shoulder. "Use the crutch for balance," he suggested as he slowly turned towards the path, edging Daniel to move with him. He felt Daniel's arm tighten around him and easily took his weight as Daniel took one awkward hop forward.

oo~O~oo Daniel looked at the rocky path running through the stream with trepidation. If he'd had two good legs, he wouldn't give this a second thought. But as it was, he was pretty sure one of them was going to get wet trying to cross the fast-running water.

He was tired, his leg was throbbing despite the second painkiller he'd had with lunch, and the roots that looked like carrots which they'd supplemented their rationed MREs were making him nauseated. Or maybe that was due to the painkiller since nobody else seemed to be suffering from mild vertigo and the shakes that were accompanying the nausea.

"Maybe we should camp here and try to cross tomorrow."

Daniel hated the pitying look Sam gave him. He turned his head away from her and looked up the stream, watching the water splash past the smaller stepping-stones. It wasn't far, no more than ten feet wide, not even a stretch in between stones for a person with long legs, or a short hop for someone shorter. But his inability to walk was going to hamper him greatly.

"Daniel?"

Jack's voice was soft, and the arm around him tightened.

Daniel reluctantly turned to look at Jack. He knew Jack was tired but he'd uncomplainingly supported him most of the day.

"It's your call. We can make camp here and cross in the morning, or we can give it a try now and make camp on the other side, and if we get wet, we'll just dry out in front of a campfire."

"Let's cross." He was going to slip into the water and bring Jack along with him, whether it was today or tomorrow, so he'd rather dry out in front of a fire rather than trek in wet clothes for half a day.

"Then allow me to assist you." Teal'c stepped right up to them and held his staff weapon out to Jack. Daniel didn't think Jack would trade places with Teal'c and he was surprised when he felt Jack's arm let go of him. Then Teal'c was there before Daniel lost his balance, large and solid and strong.

He watched enviously as Sam and Jack made it easily across the stream then turned to watch him cross. Feeling extremely self-conscious, he steeled himself. With that tiring hop, pause, hop he'd been doing all day, he made it to the first of the stepping-stones. The stones were wide enough for one person to stand on; two of them had to move sideways, slowly and carefully.

The second stone was an easy hop once he got to the edge of the first stone. The third one, however, had a larger gap. He had no choice but to put his injured foot down and push off. He felt the pain in his torn muscles burn up his leg but he made it, with Teal'c's support.

Daniel began to think he'd make it across without actually getting his feet wet, and became too confident. On the second to last stone, as he pushed off with his injured leg, it gave out on him and he wasn't able to spring as far. He missed the stone and slid backwards into the water. Teal'c's hold on him prevented from falling ass first in the water but both legs landed knee deep in the chilly stream.

"Shit." The shock of the cold water on his open wound prevented him from saying more. He scrambled back up onto the rock with Teal'c's help and, angry at his misstep, forced himself to hop forward and cross without another mishap.

"I've found a place to set up camp."

Daniel hadn't realized how long it had taken him to cross; obviously long enough for Sam to scout around and find a spot for them to spend the night.

"Guess I should have walked through the water in the first place." He helped himself and Teal'c along with the crutch, despite the blisters on his hand and the ache in his arm and chest muscles from supporting himself with it.

"The stream's filled with rocks; with your luck, you'd have sprained an ankle," Jack said from behind him. Daniel didn't bother answering. Jack was probably right.

Daniel was never so glad to get off his feet when Sam led them up to a clearing near the water, just a stone's throw from the path. The sun was still high in the sky and he rued the daylight they were wasting, but was extremely grateful for the fact that they had no true urgency to keep on moving.

Before he could reach for his bootlaces, Jack was there, undoing his footwear, while Teal'c began gathering wood. Sam was rolling out their mattresses and blankets, a job she could manage one handed, even if it was a little awkward for her.

"We gotta change that." Jack fingered the sodden and stained bandage before slipping off Daniel's boot and sock. He reached for his other foot and did the same.

By the time Jack dried Daniel's feet and put a fresh bandage over his wound, Teal'c had a fire started and Sam had made their beds alongside it. Daniel shifted onto the mattress and stretched his legs out towards the flames, hoping his clothes and boots would dry before morning.

His leg was burning and throbbing and his head was beginning to pound in counterpoint. Laying his head back, he closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths, hoping to at least ease his growing headache.

oo~O~oo Jack stood and carefully walked around the silent camp one last time before going to wake Daniel. Well okay, maybe waking wasn't quite the right expression because he damn well knew Daniel wasn't sleeping, and hadn't slept, at least on Jack's watch. Oh, Daniel had tried to pretend he was asleep but the slow, restless movements were an easy giveaway, considering how well Jack knew Daniel's sleep habits. The man slept like the dead, usually plastered all over Jack. That he needed a painkiller was a given and he knew Daniel wouldn't take one until his watch was over. The danger of nodding off was too great.

Still, he could help with Daniel's pain. He took a moment to rifle through their supplies, then went to crouch next to him. As he reached to touch his shoulder, Daniel turned onto his back and pushed the blankets away, obviously aware that Jack was there. He reached for his glasses as he sat up and Jack noted a fine sheen of sweat on his face, glistening in the moonlight.

"Here." He held out his hand and exposed the three pills sitting on his palm.

Daniel squinted at the pills, then at Jack.

"Tylenol."

Without a word, Daniel took the pills and Jack handed him some water, followed by his socks and boots. He waited until Daniel swallowed the pills and put his boots on before offering a hand up. He got Daniel settled at the camp's perimeter, then stood there, watching as Daniel settled the blanket over his legs and shoulders. He found himself reluctant to go back to bed, unsure if his wanting to stay was due to his worry over Daniel or simply the need for his company.

"Go to bed, Jack." Daniel's voice was low in deference to his other teammates. There was a rustling sound in the bushes and Daniel immediately turned his head in that direction.

"Some kind of critter; looks like a mix between a cat and a porcupine. It's been hunting bugs." Instead of heading to his bed, Jack sat down next to Daniel.

Jack caught a glimpse of the creature as it pounced on something. It lowered its head towards its paws then raised it, jaws working furiously. A moment later, it ran back into the bushes, obviously going back into hiding for another prey.

"You don't need to keep an eye on me. I can do this—"

"I know. That's not why..." Jack put a hand on Daniel's thigh, feeling Daniel's muscles first tauten then relax through the blanket as he gave the leg a gentle pat.

Daniel sighed as he spread the edge of the blanket over Jack. Smiling to himself, Jack inched closer until their shoulders were touching. He let himself relax and closed his eyes, listening to Daniel breathe. He felt himself drifting, the tension of the past days easing momentarily, feeling safe and loved next to Daniel.

oo~O~oo Daniel sat still as Jack's head rested more and more heavily against his shoulder. He listened as Jack's breathing deepened, going from resting into sleep. Despite his discomfort, and despite Jack's certainty of a stiff neck in the morning, Daniel couldn't help but appreciate these small moments they shared offworld. He was pretty sure Jack wouldn't have thought twice about sleeping next to the fire if Daniel hadn't been injured instead of sitting with him. This was probably Jack's way of keeping a closer eye on Daniel, along with giving his support, and his much-welcomed body heat.

He spent the next ninety minutes watching the odd little creature hunt for its supper while staying alert. His butt was numb from sitting on the hard ground, unable to move without disturbing Jack. When the sky began to lighten, though, the lure of coffee forced him to wake Jack a little earlier than he'd planned. Trying not to think of the day when they ran out of coffee, he turned his head and kissed the top of Jack's head before speaking his name softly.

"Wha... What's wrong?" Jack pulled away from Daniel, coming awake immediately. "Ow."

"Nothing," Daniel said quickly, trying not to smile when Jack immediately clapped a hand to his neck. "I just need to get up and make some coffee."

Jack looked around blearily. "It's morning?" He sat there massaging his neck while Daniel awkwardly got to his knees, preparing to stand. "Hold on a second." Jack stood, moving slowly and stiffly, and then reached down to give Daniel a hand. He overbalanced and grabbed onto Jack. His good leg felt heavy and stiff and he realized that today the going would be even harder. With a resigned sigh, he took a short hop forward, towards the fire, and Jack wrapped his arm around his waist, giving him support.

oo~O~oo Jack almost wished he had taken point so he wouldn't have to walk behind Daniel and Teal'c. It was one thing being there beside Daniel and helping him. It was another lagging behind and watching every painful hop-step he made. How every so often he pushed the crutch's edge away from him because of the way it must be digging into his skin, forcing him to put his injured leg down for balance.

"Colonel."

He looked over Teal'c and Daniel's shoulders to see Carter standing to the side of the road, looking to the right.

"The road splits off here." She waved in the direction she was facing with her good hand as everyone stopped to stare. It was immediately evident that the path they'd been following was little used compared to the new road it had now merged with. The grass underfoot was gone, eaten up by hooves and feet and wagon wheels. The churned up dirt was still muddy in places, the rut of wagon wheels grooved deep within the soil. Walking here was going to be more difficult; they'd have to stick to the edge of the road where there was still grass.

"Which way, sir?"

"Most of the traffic appears to be heading southeast."

Teal'c was right. So Jack canted his head towards the southeast and Carter began leading them in that direction.

Teal'c and Daniel immediately moved to the grassy edge, their speed already diminished as Daniel now not only tried to hop forward, but not sprain an ankle in the grooves.

They weren't ten minutes on the new road when Jack heard a familiar clop clop coming from behind them. He turned to see horses coming fast upon them, pulling a wagon. He stepped out of the way and a moment later, the wagon was pulling up next to him. Up close, Jack realized that these beasts were more a mix of horse and ox. They appeared placid enough; their muscles rippled beneath their skin, and he was sure they were as fast as they appeared strong.

"Need a lift, friends?" The driver's face bore the marks of someone who spent the majority of his days outdoors. The lines around his eyes creased as he smiled at them.

"Where ya heading?"

"To the village of Arnyth." The man stared at Daniel, his gaze raking down to his injured leg. "We no longer have a healer, but there is one a half day's journey at Hithon."

"What happened to your healer?" Daniel asked, obviously picking up the strain in the man's voice as he mentioned their healer.

"She died." For a moment, Jack thought the man would simply ride away; his fingers were clutching the reins so tightly, his knuckles were white. But he seemed to shrug away the bad memories and gave Daniel a forced smile. "Forgive me. She was my sister and she was in the wrong place at the wrong time and died trying to save a soldier who'd been injured during a clash—"

"You are at war?" Teal'c seemed to grow a foot taller and wider as he brought up staff weapon up.

"Yes. But you're in no danger here," he added quickly. "There is peace, for the moment, at least." He pointed to the back of the wagon, which was half-full with stuffed burlap bags. "Climb on. We'll be at Arnyth by lunchtime."

Everyone was watching Jack, so he nodded, giving his team permission to get into the wagon. He waited until Teal'c got Daniel situated against the back of the wagon, his leg propped up on one of their packs, before climbing in and settling amongst the lumpy bags. A quick peek inside showed vegetables that looked like red turnips.

The wagon started up with a jerk.

"Name's Nagan."

"I'm Daniel." Sitting with his back right next to the driver, Daniel didn't have to raise his voice to speak. "That's Jack, Sam and Teal'c." Daniel pointed everyone out when Nagan turned to face everyone.

"Honored be." Nagan bowed his head slightly, and Daniel replied in kind.

"How'd you cut your leg?"

"I... fell." Daniel gave Jack a quick, sidelong glance, and Jack made a face back at Daniel. Sure, Daniel had fallen. Fallen right out of the sky, if you really wanted to get technical.

"Heading far?"

"We're actually looking for something. Maybe you know? It's a ring. A large ring made of metal. Some people all it a Stargate, or a Chaapa'ai?"

"Where's this ring at?"

"Um, that's the problem, we don't know. We'd heard... stories, and so we came in search of it."

"Never heard of it. Although you could ask ol' Gat. He was our storyteller up until he got the coughing sickness."

"Thanks."

When Daniel began asking Nagan about his people, Jack let the conversation flow over him. Despite the rough road and bumpy ride, he was very grateful to be off his feet. He was tired and stiff and sore, but with any luck, by tonight they'd have shelter over their heads and hopefully some answers as to how to get home.

The wagon had been slowly going uphill, and as the road turned, they got a panoramic view of the mountains and valleys around them. To their right was the mountain they'd descended; the furrow of the crash an ugly scar amongst the greenery. The ship itself shone brightly in the sunlight.

The valley below them half consisted of cultivated fields, broken up into uneven squares by fences made of grey or red stones. The other half was filled by the ruins of an abandoned city.

"Wow." Carter's exclamation, although softly spoken, held enough awe that Daniel's question faded as he turned to see what they were all looking at.

Daniel rose up onto his knees, leaning over the edge of the wagon. "Nagan? What is—?"

Both Teal'c and Jack lunged for Daniel when Nagan pulled the beasts up short and he nearly fell over the side. "What in Krack's heels is that?" The man stood up into the wagon and was staring at their ex-means of transportation.

"Shooting star?" Jack said under his breath. He'd gotten enough from listening to the two of them talking to learn that this was a low-tech world.

"It's a ship." Even to Jack's ears, Daniel's explanation sounded lame.

"But there's no body of water."

"Which is why the ship's not going anywhere," Jack added quickly as he held onto Daniel, who was still leaning over the edge, staring at the ruins below.

"Nagan, the city down below—"

Nagan pulled his attention from the crashed ship and turned to stare at Daniel. "It is forbidden to enter Balu, except to pay tribute at the shrine of Krack." He stared at each member of SG-1, holding their gazes for several seconds each. "I mentioned we were at war, earlier. We fight over ownership of the shrine of Krack."

"Krack... he was a god?"

Nagan laughed at Carter's question. "Krack was simply a man who killed a god, thus freeing my ancestors from the god's slavery. The story goes, when the god died, the people abandoned the city, choosing to resume their lives where the memories of mistreatment would no longer haunt them. Some moved to the ocean's edge, others moved inland. But over time, the people flourished, and the cities of Arnyth, Hithon, Iberan and Elar were settled close to Balu. Arnyth and Elar tilled the land, as we still do today. The fields are separated by the stones; red for Arnyth, grey for Elar."

"But if your people are at war, how do you till the fields?"

"We must eat. Both villages require food. Truce is kept so that both cities may survive."

Nagan flicked the reins and Jack tightened his grip on Daniel as the wagon moved forward with a muscle-jarring wrench. But Daniel had braced himself and simply swayed with the movement.

"How did the war start?"

"When the old Lord of Elar died two years ago, his son, Algor, became Lord. He wished to increase their crops, and so began destroying the city to make room for new fields. We of Arnyth and Iberan objected. We have held to the old ways, and follow the old processional through the city when we pay tribute to Krack's memories. If Algor were to take the city apart, piece by piece, he would also be taking apart our beliefs and heritage."

"So you fought in order to stop him."

"We did. The battle was fierce and bloody. Many died that day, and still, neither side won. We have had several skirmishes since that first battle. Now we only enter Balu to pay tribute to Krack."

They watched the panorama change as the road led past the city. The last few bits of broken wall were soon about to be hidden by trees. Jack was leaning back against the edge of the wagon, when he saw Daniel stiffen.

"Look."

Jack scrambled to his knees, peering through the shrinking gap towards where Daniel was pointing. He didn't see anything, but Daniel was already asking Nagan to stop. The man ended up having to back the wagon several feet before Daniel asked Jack for his field glasses.

"What is it?"

"I'm not sure, but I think..." Daniel half-knelt, half-sat in the wagon, swaying slightly until he managed to anchor his elbows on the wagon. "Jack, I think we might have found the Stargate."

He handed the glasses to Jack, and after several false starts, Jack managed to locate the area Daniel wanted him to look at. "I don't see anything."

"It's the growth pattern of the grass, Jack. There's definitely something buried beneath the soil."

"And..."

"It's circular. Big, and round."

"You think they buried the 'gate?" Carter scrambled over the bags to peer over the edge with Daniel. Still unable to see anything, Jack handed the field glasses over to Carter.

She looked over the area, following Daniel's directions. Jack glanced at Nagan, who was watching them with an amused grin.

"Sir, I think I see the... Yes, it's definitely the DHD."

"Where?" Carter handed the field glasses back to Daniel, who found the DHD within seconds.

"Nagan, we have to get down there—"

"Boy, I told you it was forbidden. You can't go traipsing over the city; Algor has guards and—"

"What if we offered a tribute to Krack? Couldn't we then be allowed into the city."

"You'd need to be baptized before you'd be allowed to pay tribute. And that will require the approval of the Lord of Arnyth and the consent of our priests. And I'm not so sure you'll get it if your sole reason for wishing to go into the city is to dig up parts of it."

Nagan started the wagon forward again and Daniel slowly sat back down. He winced as he stretched out his injured leg. Jack gave him a concerned look as he reached over to take his field glasses back from Carter.

"You know, Nagan, that's what I do for a living."

"Dig? Are you a grave digger?"

Daniel gave a short laugh. "No. I search through the remains of ancient ruins to learn about the cultures of forgotten civilizations. If your Lord allowed us to dig up the Stargate, in repayment, I could find out a bit about your ancestors and tell you about them."

Jack simply raised his eyebrows at Daniel. He'd heard Daniel talk about it often enough; excavations were pain-stakingly slow and sometimes took years before the secrets unearthed were enough to extrapolate what might have gone on during the town's heyday.

This time it was Nagan who laughed. "Boy, we know all about our ancestors. We don't need you to go digging in dirt to tell us who they were. We have storytellers who teach of the old times, so that they won't be forgotten."

"You spoke of this man, Krack, who destroyed the god who'd enslaved your ancestors." Teal'c braced himself on the edge of the wagon as it began going downhill. Jack simply leaned into the bags of vegetables, allowing them to take his weight. "Do you have tales from whence the god came?"

Nagan's voice took on a slightly harder edge than before. "Ashur chose the strongest of my ancestors, and pressed them through a holy portal which brought us to this world, where they were bred and trained to fight in his name."

"Ashur was a god of war," Daniel said softly.

Of course he was, Jack thought.

"For centuries, my ancestors served our god, until they had enough, and a revolution slowly grew. Krack, Ashur's champion, bided his time and turned on him at the moment they were to step through the portal to wage war on Ashur's enemy. Ashur's guardians fled through the holy portal when they saw they could not regain the upper hand. The portal then turned into a dhingle beetle, and disappeared from our world."

Daniel closed his eyes and rested his head on the back of the wagon. "Tell me, does a dhingle beetle burrow into the ground?"

"Of course it does."

Daniel opened his eyes and looked at Jack, a small smile lifting the right side of his mouth despite the paleness which Jack hadn't noticed before now that the flush of excitement had worn down. "I know what your holy portal is, Nagan. It's a Stargate. Your ancestors, maybe even Krack himself, buried the Stargate so that no other gods could come through to avenge Ashur's death or take over his holdings. We need to unbury the Stargate and step through it."

The wagon was pulled to a jolting stop. "Are you gods?" There was a slight quiver of apprehension in the man's voice.

"Nope." Jack met Nagan's gaze. "Just four friendly explorers," Jack said, using Daniel's favorite choice of words, "who need to go through that dhingle."

oo~O~oo As happy as he was to have met up with a villager and thus not have to walk, Daniel was anxious for the rough ride to end. Even with the padding of the mattresses they'd carried on their backs, he was getting bruises on his bruises and the constant jarring had kicked his headache up two notches. And he wasn't the only one. Although Sam was trying not to, he noticed her wince several times as she sat hunched, protecting her broken arm. Right now, all Daniel wanted was to be able to lie down without fear of being whacked into a hard, wooden wall and sleep for a couple of hours.

Jack was sitting with his eyes closed, giving the impression he was dozing but Daniel nevertheless recognized the slight tension in his body, betraying the act. Only Teal'c seemed comfortable, body swaying as easily with the wagon's movement as Nagan's.

The nausea had stayed with him since the morning, and from the way his back and hips were aching, he was pretty sure he had a touch of fever. His leg wasn't throbbing more than usual, though, so that had to be a good sign. And unless Nagan's people had discovered penicillin, Daniel had to hope that the antibiotics he'd been taking was keeping any infection at bay because there were only two pills left.

The town of Arnyth lay sprawled along a river. A couple of children playing on the outskirts left their game and ran towards them, waving excitedly. Nagan waved back, grinning as he urged the beasts pulling the wagon into a quick trot for a short ways. The animals seemed to know they were being admired; they pulled their feet up and held their heads up high until Nagan let them slow down again.

When they entered the city proper, four men wearing heavy leathers and riding horses as big as Clydesdales, galloped towards them, surrounding them within seconds and pointed swords at the four in the wagon. Without any words between them, all of SG-1 sat up straight, alert for trouble. Everyone except Daniel put their hands on a weapon closest at hand.

"Nagan?" Jack said between clenched teeth.

Their driver made a quick motion with his hand and the men sheathed their swords. They held their positions, though, two riding on either side of the wagon, forcing all traffic aside as Nagan threaded his way through the streets. "It's okay. They're just a little upset that I left without giving advance notice." There was a hint of irony in Nagan's voice and Daniel noted that one of the men, who wore a crest on his shoulder which most likely identified him the leader of this squad, gritted his teeth together at the words.

Daniel glanced quickly at Jack and caught his eye. Letting go his P-90, Jack cocked an eyebrow at their host. Obviously Jack agreed with Daniel that the man was far more than a simple farmer or merchant. Nagan seemed friendly and open to their discussions so maybe they already had a foot in the door. If Nagan knew the Lord of this town, they might have someone to champion their cause and help them on their way home.

Daniel glanced past the horses, trying to see the people on the streets. Many of them stopped what they were doing and either waved to the entourage or bowed their heads. SG-1 watched silently as Nagan brought them to an enormous mansion in the center of the town. Guards stood at the entrance of the driveway and let them in with no questions asked.

Jack leaned close to Daniel and whispered, "Maybe he's the cook?"

Daniel wagged his head slightly, agreeing with the possibility. "Then he must be a pretty damned good cook to get this kind of welcoming committee," Daniel whispered back. He braced himself when the wagon was brought to a halt before a large door.

Nagan jumped down from the wagon and was there pushing aside the bags of vegetables, clearing space before any of them could make their way to the edge. Daniel waited until Sam and Teal'c, who were closer, to get off before he slid off the wagon. He let Teal'c help him, balancing on a good leg that was feeling heavy, shaky and weak.

The front door opened with a squeak and a man hurried out, half running towards them.

"My Lord, you're back."

"My Lord?" Daniel exclaimed, pivoting on his good leg to stare at Nagan, who was handing bags of vegetables to his guards.

Nagan gave a sheepish smile. "I guess I sort of forgot to mention what I did for a living. Actually, today I went to Elar to negotiate a trade between raddo roots and belchens." He pulled one of the turnip wannabes from a bag. "These raddo roots will bring us a good crop when the seeds are planted. Plus, they're a delicacy." He turned to the man who was still waiting by the door. "Jos, please take my guests to the west wing and make sure they're comfortable. Dinner will be...?"

"In a quarter cycle, my Lord."

"Then add four plates to the table, please."

Jos turned to SG-1, glancing quickly at Daniel and Sam before giving Jack all his attention when he took a step forward. "This way." Two of the guards left the wagon and followed them, which didn't surprise Daniel.

The inside of the mansion was bright and airy. Jos led them down a long corridor, the walls lined with paintings of people, landscapes and architecture. "Do any of these portray the city of Balu?"

Jos hesitated, then nodded. "There's one in the dining room. You can view it when you return for the midday meal." They turned into a smaller hallway that led to a door at the end of it.

"This is your suite." He hurried forward and opened the door, revealing a large living area, complete with fireplace, a small dining table and chairs, and a couple of couches. There were six doors along the walls.

"I will leave it to you to choose your rooms. There is water through here, if you wish to freshen up." Jos hurried to one of the doors and opened it, revealing a large bathroom, complete with tub. "There will be warm water ready for you by this evening. I apologize, we were not expecting guests, otherwise I would have had the water heated in the cistern before your arrival."

"Not to worry," Jack said over his shoulder, already exploring one of the bedrooms while Daniel gratefully sank onto one of the couches. "We sort of dropped in uninvited. Cold water will do for now."

"You have no luggage..."

"We ran into trouble and lost just about everything. Your Lord has been kind enough to take us in and hopefully help us find our way home." Daniel glanced at the two guards who'd remained just outside the doors. "Thank you, Jos. These rooms are more than adequate for our needs."

Jos smiled and bowed at them. "If you require anything, just ask the guards. They will escort you to the dining room shortly. Unless..." Jos gave Daniel a questioning look. "I'm sure my Lord Nagan will not be offended if you wish to eat here and rest your leg."

Daniel shook his head. He really wanted to see the picture Jos had mentioned, plus, as much as he'd rather sleep than eat, he thought it more important to see whether Nagan planned to help them or not. "I'm fine, but thank you for your concern."

Thirty minutes later, after a quick shit, shower and shave routine despite the tepid water and the fact that they didn't actually have time for a soak in the huge copper tub, or clean clothes, for that matter, SG-1 was as ready as they'd ever be to join Nagan for lunch when the guards knocked at the door.

Daniel had swallowed a few more Tylenol, pocketed his antibiotic and gritted his teeth for the walk to the dining room. The guards obviously took pity on him because they walked slowly as he hopped along on one leg, leaning heavily on Jack.

The dining room was huge, comprising of one main table in the center that sat at least twenty people, and a smaller dining table placed next to large picture window. This was where Nagan stood waiting for them; the table was already laden with food.

He watched Daniel intently as they made their way, making him a little nervous. However, Nagan himself pulled out a chair so that Daniel could sit, before moving to the end of the table to take his seat. "Boy, if you need me to, I can send for the healer at Hithon."

"No," Daniel said quickly, looking up from contemplating the bowls and platters of food for which he had no appetite. "Please don't trouble yourself. I'm fine."

"Daniel—"

"Jack, I'm fine. Nothing that a few days being off my feet won't cure." He met Jack's gaze and held it, wishing he didn't feel so tired and achy. When Nagan passed Daniel a plate full of meat that looked like chicken, he speared a small portion and placed it on his plate before holding the dish for Sam so she could help herself.

"I believe I owe you an apology." Nagan passed Daniel a bowl of small round things that looked like young potatoes. He shoved several onto his plate. "I deliberately kept my identity a secret... firstly because I was alone and wasn't sure whether I could trust you and secondly, once you began asking questions about Balu, I was interested in hearing your opinions. I somehow feel inclined to trust you, despite your wild tales."

"There seems to be a lot of security here." Sam was struggling with the potatoes. Daniel took pity on her and took the serving spoon from her and put some of the vegetables on her plate. She flashed him a smile as she continued talking to Nagan. "I'm surprised you were traveling alone."

"Nagan was not alone." Teal'c's plate was already piled high with food and he sat, waiting for their host to begin eating. "There were at least four riders behind us at all times and two ahead of us, all of which carefully remained out of sight."

"You are a very perceptive man," Nagan said with a grin. Teal'c inclined his head and lowered his eyes, accepting the compliment. Daniel couldn't help smiling at Jack's look of surprise; obviously he'd never noticed Nagan's guards.

The food would have been delicious if the Tylenol had kicked his headache to the curb. Instead Daniel fought increasing nausea, and barely tasted his food. The bright sunshine wasn't helping his headache, either. He settled for sipping a cup of herbed tea instead, finding it helped settle his stomach a little.

When the meal was done, Nagan leaned back against his chair and waved a hand at the room's expanse. "Please make yourselves at home. Feel free to explore the city at your leisure. For your own safety, I ask that you not leave the city limits without letting me know first. You are not prisoners here; but when word of strangers reaches Elar, they will certainly attempt to discover who you are and why you are here."

"We simply wish to return home," Sam said softly.

"I will speak with the priests tomorrow to see about baptizing you. There may be resistance at first when I tell them why you wish to visit the shrine of Krack but I have always wondered about the portal... If there is any truth to your story, then I wish to learn more.

"There is only one stipulation; if you are granted permission to dig up this... gate, you will have to do so alone. I cannot allow my men to help, otherwise it would draw Lord Algor's attention. Even then, you may have to fight him off. I cannot get involved—"

"We understand." Jack leaned his elbows on the table and palmed the small ceramic cup. "We'd just appreciate the chance to unearth the Stargate."

"And despite what I said earlier, any information you can dig up on my ancestors, boy, would be very much appreciated." Nagan's gaze fell on Daniel, who nodded.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I have a few pressing matters to take care of." Nagan pushed his chair away and stood. "As I said, make yourselves at home. Jos will provide you with anything you need."

Nagan strode quickly out of the room, while Jos, who'd been standing in the sidelines for the last several minutes, took a few steps forward, holding a cane in his hand.

"I took the liberty; perhaps this would help you in getting around?"

Daniel took the cane and examined it dubiously. It would be better than nothing but he'd still have to put weight on his leg.

"Actually, Jos, is there anyone here who can work wood? Nothing fancy, just cut a few sturdy planks to a certain size and then wrap some padding around one end?"

"Crutches, sir?"

"Crutches, Carter," Jack repeated, taking the cane from Daniel and handing it back to Jos.

"Yes, Andeyrs makes the Lord's furniture. He's very talented and—"

"I'm not looking for fancy. What I'm looking for is very simple."

"I'm sure Andeyrs can create whatever you wish to your specifications."

"Jos, what about currency? Is there anything we could trade for his services?" Sam gave Daniel a quick look. Normally they kept beads and a few gems in their packs in case they ever needed to barter but their last mission hadn't been a meet and greet so neither had brought anything.

"There's no need. You are Nagan's guests. You don't need to pay for anything."

"Still, it doesn't seem right..." Jack gave them all a quick look. "We'll think of something. So, can you tell me how to find this Andeyrs?"

"I'll have someone take you to him."

"Good. Carter, Daniel, I want the two of you to rest up the rest of the day. Teal'c, maybe you'd like to come explore the town with me?"

"Colonel, I'm fine. I can walk around just as easily as—" Sam quickly quieted when Jack shifted his gaze over towards Daniel.

"I don't need a babysitter." Daniel bristled at Jack's unspoken order.

"No, you don't. But you got pretty banged up and a few hours' rest won't do you harm. Both of you. Don't worry, I'll be coming in for a nap after I have a look around."

Jack stood and waited until Daniel got to his feet. With the promise of a bed before him, the walk along the long hallway seemed unending. It was only when Jack pushed through the nearest bedroom in their suite and led Daniel to the bed that he realized he'd forgotten to look for the painting of Balu.

He decided he'd look at it tomorrow. He let Jack untie his boots, grateful to finally take them off. Until he got a whiff of his own smell and curled his toes in embarrassment.

He shrugged out of his jacket and vest and slid under the covers. The change in position triggered a dizzy spell and he closed his eyes as the room whirled around him.

"There is an herbalist who may be able to help with your discomfort," Jos said uncertainly from the doorway. "To ease the pain and fever... should I ask him to come later tonight, when you're rested?"

"Daniel?" The questioning tone in Jack's voice was part inquiry, part worry.

"We're running low on Tylenol, Jack, so if he has something for headaches, fever, and maybe something to kill the ache in my leg, then yeah, I'd appreciate it, Jos."

"Bes won't disappoint. He worked with Sila before she died..."

"Nagan's sister?"

"Yes. He mentioned her?"

"Just to say she'd been killed in a battle."

"We all miss her. Her daughter was studying to be a healer but she is far from ready to take on the duties." There was a moment of uncomfortable silence, until Jos walked away, leaving Daniel and Jack alone in the bedroom.

"Sam..."

"Is already in bed. Teal'c's tucking her in."

"See if you can find something better to splint her arm with?"

"I'm on it. After I see to your crutches."

"The cane would work..."

"Ack." Jack held a finger up as Daniel swallowed a yawn. With his back to the door to hide his actions from Jos, Jack reached out and cupped Daniel's cheek. "Sleep well. I'll be back soon to keep you company."

Eyes already drooping with fatigue, Daniel nodded. "I'll keep the bed warm for you." His last words were lost in a yawn. He was aware of Jack closing the door, then nothing.

oo~O~oo Jack was so looking forward to soaking his bruises in hot water tonight. Now that the strain of survival was lifted, he was exhausted. He trudged through the city street next to Teal'c, proud that Daniel was going to have a new pair of crutches by suppertime. He hated owing Nagan, though. Maybe Daniel would be as good as he'd promised and would find some tidbit of history that would help pay their debts.

He juggled the two pieces of wood he'd foraged from Andy's workshop for Carter's new splint, whistling tunelessly until Teal'c grabbed them from the air and tucked them under his arm. He didn't bother objecting, but he did give Teal'c an injured look which was lost on him because Teal'c didn't once glance at him. Jack continued whistling, wondering if the noise bothered the two guards who were following them five paces behind, until they reached the gate leading them to the manor. One of the guards manning the gate opened the door and Jack stepped through, then paused when Teal'c remained on the street.

"If it is permissible, I would continue exploring the city and speak to the people." Teal'c turned to the guards, and one of them nodded. The other left his side and moved towards Jack and the gate.

"I'll see you later." Jack accepted the pieces of wood from Teal'c and tucked them under his arm as he made his way towards the main doors. Once inside, he let the guard take the lead, not quite familiar yet with the layout of the mansion.

There was nobody inside the main living area of their suite. Moving quietly, Jack put the sticks down on a nearby table and opened the door to Daniel's bedroom to see him sleeping. He quietly opened the next two doors until he found Carter curled up on one of the beds, also asleep. Satisfied that Carter was all right, he returned to the other bedroom.

He wasn't planning on sleeping; just lying with Daniel long enough to relax. Taking the time to only take his boots off, Jack slid under the covers, spooning up close to Daniel, wriggling slowly until his front was plastered against Daniel's back. He heard Daniel sigh in his sleep and he stretched forward to plant a gentle kiss against Daniel's neck. He froze when he felt a not so subtle heat against his lips.

"Damn," he whispered to himself after he'd splayed his fingers against Daniel's ribs, beneath his shirt, and confirmed the fever. It wasn't high, and he knew that a low-grade fever was normal for an injury like he'd sustained. Well, there wasn't much else he could do; he'd seen Daniel take the Tylenol earlier. He closed his eyes and listened to Daniel breathing, and before he knew it, the familiar sound was lulling him to sleep.

oo~O~oo Jack woke with a start, not sure exactly what had disturbed his sleep. For a moment he was disoriented, until he remembered with sudden clarity the events of the past hours. There were voices outside the bedroom and he realized that there was someone out there with Carter.

With frantic movements, Jack checked the time. For a moment he couldn't believe what his watch was telling him. He'd been sleeping for three hours, plastered against Daniel, who was still sleeping deeply. Sliding carefully from beneath the blankets so as not to disturb Daniel, Jack moved quietly to the door and listened.

He recognized Jos' voice. He shoved his boots on and sliding a hand through his hair to make sure there was no telltale bed head, he took a deep breath, and then stepped outside as if it was the most normal thing to walk out of another man's bedroom.

"Colonel." Carter was sitting on the couch with Jos next to her, who was in the process of resplinting her arm with the sticks he'd brought back, and a stranger sitting in a chair across from her with a half dozen bottles and bags full of dried plants spread out on the small coffee table. Carter's face was white and her eyes over-bright as she tracked Jack's progress across the room. "Is Daniel okay?"

"Yeah. He's finally sleeping," Jack lied. "He's got a touch of fever, though."

"Bes can help you with that." Jos canted his chin at the middle-aged man who was measuring herbs into a small bottle.

"What's causing the fever? Illness or injury?"

"He's got a cut, on his leg. But we've got medicine to take care of that."

"Is it infected?"

"Um, no." Jack gave Carter a quick look, realizing at that moment that they hadn't even changed Daniel's bandage today. She gave him a wide-eyed look, realizing the same thing. He'd take care of that as soon as Daniel woke up.

"I have herbs that will help with the fever." Bes picked up bottle full of colorful bits of plants and measured out a small quantity, not even looking at Jack as he worked. "Is his injury painful?"

Jack bit back a 'no duh' comment, and nodded instead. "Yeah, he can't walk on it yet."

"I'll mix up two teas for the pain. This one is for Samantha," Bes said, holding up the small glass jar to the light and shaking it vigorously. "A normal infusion won't make you sleepy, but it will ease your discomfort. You can take the tea, when needed, for a few days, until the aching stops." He put the jar aside and removed several more bags and began measuring the herbs into a second bottle.

"This tea I'm preparing will be for your friend. This one will make him sleepy. It won't stop him from getting around but he'll have a tendency to nod off if he stops moving. Once the injury heals, he can switch to Samantha's tea, at a double dose."

As much as Jack appreciated the local meds, and as theirs was already starting to run low, Jack hated to be in debt to others. He spoke up, even though Nagan had said he'd taken care of everything. "Look, we don't have anything to pay you for—"

"Don't worry about it." Bes finally looked up and gave Jack a quick smile, his light grey eyes almost glowing in the late afternoon light. "Samantha has explained to me how to increase the water yield from the pump that controls my irrigation system so that in itself is worth ten times what I'm leaving you." He lowered his head and began measuring again. "If you need more, please don't hesitate to come and see me."

Jos finished with Carter's arm and she gave it an experimental wave. "Thanks. This is much better."

Jack stood, hands in pockets, watching as Bes finished putting a third bottle together. He put all three jars aside and began quickly and efficiently repacking all his herbs.

"This," Bes said, pointing to a jar that had bright orange petals in the mix, "is for fever. This one," he added as he picked up a second bottle that had more green than the other two, "is for Samantha. And this one," he said, pointing to the third jar that had spiky thorns in it, "is to ease your friend's pain. All you have to do is steep about this much for about fifteen minutes." Bes removed a generous pinch from Carter's stash and dropped it into a cup. He stood, walked to the fireplace and removed a large kettle of water which Jack hadn't noticed, and poured the water over the herbs. "I've added sweetroot so the teas aren't bitter. But you can add honey if you need it to be sweeter." He handed the cup to Carter. "Drink this in fifteen minutes and you'll soon be feeling much better."

"Thanks." Carter smiled at Bes, who smiled back. "I'll try and come see you tomorrow and have a look at that pump."

"That'll be fine." Bes turned to Jack. "Use the same amount for your friend's teas. If you have any questions, please, Jos knows where to find me."

Jos stood and pointed to a pile of material on one of the chairs. "I brought you all clean clothes. If you'd like to leave your dirty clothes outside in the basket by the door, someone will clean them and return them to you tomorrow. And the evening meal is in two cycles. If you wish, I'll send someone to remind you?"

"Thanks." Jack nodded pleasantly as Jos and Bes headed for the door. It opened before they could open it themselves, and Teal'c entered. He bowed to the two men as they passed him and he shut the door behind them.

"So, how're you feeling, Carter?" Jack walked to the table and picked up one of the jars and gave it a cautious sniff. He couldn't smell anything, so he put the jar down and picked up another.

"Not bad, sir. The nap helped. A bath will help even more. Jos says the hot water's ready," she said with longing.

Jack put the second jar down, remaining quiet, but he mentally put in second dibs for the tub. He magnanimously made a motion for Carter to avail herself of the bathroom first, and she didn't waste time going through the clothes, selecting pants and shirt that would fit her before darting into the bathroom with her tea.

"So, find out anything?" Jack asked, sniffing the third jar. This one had a faint pungent scent to it.

"Nothing of consequence. Whilst the townsfolk are friendly and willing to converse, they did not have any knowledge of the Stargate other than the fable Nagan told us of it transforming into an insect. I have not learned much more of the war waged between Arnyth and Elar other than that the situation is most volatile. I would suggest we proceed with caution, O'Neill. I fear our presence in the abandoned city may not be well accepted when we attempt to unearth the Stargate."

"Well, it's not like we have any other options." He dug a finger in the jar and swirled the herbs around.

Teal'c was quiet for a moment. "No, we do not. Perhaps if we traveled to Elar and spoke to Lord Algor and explained our intentions—"

"We could, but if people are as trigger happy as you think, I don't think our talking to anyone will help. But it's always an option. Let's just hope we can go into the city fast, get the Stargate working ASAP and book."

"What if the priests do not grant us access?"

Jack made a face. "Then we go talk to Elar's people in Arnyth." He held Teal'c's gaze, trying to assess Teal'c's reaction. He relaxed when Teal'c inclined his head. "I concur."

"Let's hope it doesn't take those priests forever to—" A knock on the door interrupted Jack and he put the bottle of herbs down to go answer. One of the guards stood there with a pair of wooden crutches in his hand.

"The woodworker had these sent over, sir."

Jack took the crutches and thanked the man. He shut the door and examined the handiwork. Nagan had been right; Andy did good work. He'd given him a description of what he'd needed and the man had followed them to the letter. They were well padded and were even adjustable so Daniel would at least be halfway comfortable using them. He put them close to the door to the bedroom, then went to search through the clean clothes in anticipation of his bath.

oo~O~oo The herb guy had been right; the tea worked wonders. After Carter had come out of her bath declaring she felt like a new person, Jack had opted to try some himself. That, plus the heat of the bath, had worked out so many of the kinks and pain of his bruises, he hadn't realized how truly stiff he'd been over the past days.

So now Daniel was lounging in the bath, injured leg propped up out of the water, dozing despite his earlier nap thanks to his special tea. And the stuff seemed to work well because it'd given Jack a chance to change Daniel's bandage and he barely blinked an eye.

"Okay, big guy." Jack dipped his fingers into the bathwater and shook his damp fingers into Daniel's face. "Time to get dressed."

Daniel jerked awake, making a face. "What?"

"Jos is gonna be here any second and you're still in the tub. C'mon, let's get you dried." He helped Daniel out of the tub, pleased to see how Daniel was moving more easily. He helped him hop to the toilet and tossed a towel onto Daniel's chest. Daniel caught it and began to dry himself, slowly coming out of the drugged daze.

Jack watched him carefully, assessing his condition. He began to wonder whether he should have given him the teas after all.

"What is it?" Daniel passed the towel across his chest and under his armpit, squinting up at Jack.

"Nothing." He watched the towel move back across Daniel's chest and other the other armpit, then down his stomach, towards his groin.

"Jack, you're watching me like a cat ready to pounce on his poor, unsuspecting supper. If we were home, I'm thinking you'd already have jumped into the tub with me. But since we're offworld I'm pretty sure it's not sex you're thinking of so... spill."

Daniel was wrong; he was thinking of sex, or at least, trying not to think of sex. "I just thought you might want to eat in the room tonight."

The towel stopped moving, pooling on Daniel's leg but leaving his cock and balls exposed. Jack licked his lips and berated himself, wondering if the tea had some sort of Viagra derivative in it as he tore his gaze and looked into Daniel's eyes. They were slightly glassy and his pupils were dilated, but there was full awareness also as his lips curled into a wicked smile.

Jack quickly raised a finger and thrust it into Daniel's face. "Not going there." The smile turned into a grin and the towel started moving again.

"I'm fine, Jack. I admit the tea's made me a little slow but at least for once I'm not hurting."

Daniel tossed the towel aside and reached for his clothes. Jack could hear voices outside so he pointed towards the door. "I'll go tell Jos that we're almost ready." He made sure the crutches were within easy reach before he slipped out the door.

oo~O~oo On second thought, maybe the tea worked too well. Jack had never thought someone was able to weave drunkenly on crutches, but Daniel was making a good attempt at doing so. Carter gave Jack an amused glance before she moved to the right to try and get Daniel back on track.

"Just how much of that stuff did you use for his tea?" Jack hissed when Teal'c reached out to steady Daniel.

Wide, blue eyes looked back at Jack. Her amusement faded, replaced quickly with concern. "No more than what Bes suggested. Actually I used a little bit less than he'd recommended. Maybe it's interacting with the Tylenol?"

Daniel veered towards the right, stopping in front of a painting hanging on the wall, mumbling to himself. "Oh right, it's in the dining room." He smiled widely at Jack and as he started off again, the edge of his crutch caught Teal'c's leg and nearly tripped the poor man.

"Daniel, be care—"

"Sorry, Teal'c." Daniel flashed Teal'c an apologetic smile. "It's been a while and I haven't gotten my crutch legs yet." He giggled at his joke and turned to look over his shoulder at Jack, grinning, and nearly tripped himself when his crutch caught the wall.

"Oy vey," Jack said under his breath as he hurried forward to flank Daniel. Thankfully the dining room was just a few feet away and he was grateful when they entered the room.

Nagan was already there, talking to an elderly man wearing a long, grey robe. Both turned towards SG-1 as they entered, their gazes turning to Daniel as he maneuvered around awkwardly on the crutches. Daniel, oblivious in his own little world at the moment, was following the edge of the wall, looking at the paintings there instead of coming to greet their host. Jack caught Teal'c's eye and motioned for him to stay with Daniel while he greeted Nagan.

"Jack. This is Bishop Purn. I invited him to evening meal so he could talk to you and hopefully speak on your behalf to the rest of the Council about baptizing you into the faith." Nagan turned to watch Daniel, who was still circling the room.

"Those walking sticks are very... interesting," Purn said, rubbing a hand through his beard.

"These are the sticks that you asked Andeyrs to make?"

"Yeah. See, I told ya they'd be better than a cane."

Daniel had stopped in front of one particular painting and was leaning crookedly on the crutches. He was talking more animatedly than since they'd crashed on the planet, his hands moving as he spoke to Teal'c, tracing parts of the painting with a finger, making a quick jab to the side to make a point. Obviously Daniel was feeling no pain at the moment.

Finally Teal'c put a hand on Daniel's shoulder and brought his attention to the group who were standing around, watching him. He turned and looked at them, seemingly startled that there were others in the room with them. After a moment he began hobbling towards them, a crooked smile on his face.

Jack stepped back as Nagan made the introductions and led them to the dinner table. Daniel began talking about the story of Ashur, and soon he and the priest were sitting side by side, talking enthusiastically about theories and stories of gods and kings that went right over Jack's head. Daniel was slightly hyper, the way he got when he'd had one beer too many, his words tripping out of his mouth so fast that at times Jack himself had trouble keeping up. But Purn seemed to enjoy Daniel's enthusiasm, talking back nearly as fast as Daniel.

Carter, on the other hand, was talking with Nagan about plumbing and things Jack generally had no interest in. The food was delicious and he helped himself to a bit of everything, grateful that this food was more palatable than the alien MREs they'd had to give up on.

Jack leaned sideways towards Teal'c and spoke softly. "What was so interesting about that painting you and Daniel were looking at?"

"It appears to be a rendering of the city of Balu before it was abandoned. DanielJackson identified an object in the city that bears a striking resemblance to a Stargate."

"So we have no doubt the thing we saw when we rode past is a Stargate."

"Indeed. The only impediment would be if the Stargate or the DHD is damaged."

"And we won't know that until we've uncovered it and raised it."

Jack concentrated on his food, helping himself to more meat and an unappetizing blue vegetable that actually had a sweet, carroty taste. The table became quiet during a lull in conversation, and when it picked up again, Purn began talking with Nagan. Jack glanced over at Daniel and couldn't help a pang of worry when he noted Daniel just sitting there, staring unseeingly at his nearly empty plate.

As Daniel's eyelids began to droop, Jack recalled the herbalist's warning about how the painkiller would make him sleepy if he wasn't moving around. As much as Jack hated seeing Daniel in pain, he disliked seeing him doped up to the point he couldn't function.

Purn turned suddenly to Daniel, asking him a question. Daniel looked up with a jerk, blinking rapidly and trying to focus.

"Ya gotta excuse Daniel," Jack quickly said when it was obvious that Daniel had lost the thread of the conversation, and actually looked like he had no idea where he was. "I think he's a little overtired tonight."

Nagan laughed softly. "I recognize the effects of Bes's teas too well." He clapped Daniel gently on the arm. "We won't keep you up much longer, boy. You're welcome to stay and enjoy dessert, but you might want to think about going to bed early tonight. Once the tea has you in its grip, it's difficult to climb out of it." This last was said to Jack, who nodded his understanding.

"You two gonna hang around for dessert?" he asked, pushing his chair back.

"If you don't mind, sir. Nagan promised to show me the interior plumbing system and I'd love to see how they've set it up."

"Knock yourself out, Carter." Jack caught Teal'c's eye as he circled the table to pick up Daniel's crutches and Teal'c nodded minutely, indicating that he'd be on Carter's six tonight. He stood behind Daniel's chair, waiting. When Daniel didn't move, he placed a hand on his shoulder and shook him gently. Daniel turned and blinked sleepily up at Jack.

"C'mon," he said softly. He helped Daniel stand and made sure the crutches were securely under him before he urged Daniel from the room. He waved over his shoulder as goodnights were uttered, concentrating on making sure Daniel was steady and wouldn't lose his balance.

After several steps, Daniel seemed a little more alert and in less danger of falling asleep standing up, leaning on his crutches.

"How much of a fool did I make of myself in there?"

"Define making a fool of yourself."

Daniel rolled his eyes at Jack, but he didn't answer, simply plodded along slowly as they followed their escort back to their rooms. Daniel spoke again after a short while. "I meant falling asleep at the table."

"Technically, you didn't fall asleep. That would entail actually closing your eyes and landing face first in the pudding."

"There was pudding?"

"Possibly. For dessert. Which we're missing, thanks to you."

"Because I fell asleep at the table."

"No, like I said, sleeping would have meant snoring and drooling." They turned a corner and Jack let Daniel move ahead so he could maneuver around the corner more easily. "I think you just zoned out for a few minutes," Jack said when he caught up with Daniel again.

"I hate this." Daniel lowered his head and wouldn't look at Jack. They walked in silence, well, Jack walked, Daniel hobbled, until they reached the door to their room.

He sat Daniel down on the bed and turned to put the crutches against the wall. When he turned back, Daniel had lain down on the bed, fully dressed.

"Ack, clothes first, Daniel."

With a sigh, Daniel reached for the buttons of the borrowed shirt and lazily began unbuttoning them. Eyes closed, his fingers slowed as he struggled with the second button.

"C'mon." With an exasperated sigh, Jack pulled Daniel up to a seated position and began unbuttoning the shirt. Daniel leaned his forehead against Jack's shoulder, sighing heavily. Jack held back from planting a kiss against the soft hairs, instead he pulled the shirt off of Daniel, and tossed it onto a nearby chair.

"Daniel, c'mon, sit up for a minute. I gotta get your boots." This time it was a deep sigh from Daniel, who pulled away while Jack leaned down and quickly removed his boots. The pants followed, and then Daniel was under the blankets and asleep before Jack had time to fold the clothes so they wouldn't be too creased in the morning.

"Night, Danny," he whispered, this time leaning over and planting a kiss on the exposed cheek.

oo~O~oo By the time Jack settled down on the couch to relax, his stomach was bothering him. Actually it was the carroty-tasting blue veggie he'd eaten that was repeating on him. He burped, long and hard, but it didn't really ease the growing nausea and dizziness. He tried to ignore the discomfort but after a good thirty minutes, he couldn't take it anymore.

He was rifling through one of the packs, looking for antacids, when there was a crash from Daniel's bedroom as the door opened wildly, smashing into the wall as Daniel ran, limping heavily, towards the bathroom. Jack dropped the pack and even as he hurried after Daniel, he heard the sounds of retching coming from the room.

As much as Jack wanted to help, the sounds and smell triggered his own nausea and clumsily avoiding Daniel's legs as he knelt over the toilet bowl, Jack vomited his supper into the sink. For a short time, the two of them heaved in unison, until Jack's stomach, finally emptied, gave a last cramping lurch before he felt it safe to straighten.

He ran the water, palming some into his mouth as he cleaned the sink, then waited a moment to see if his stomach would accept the peace offering. It gurgled noisily, but didn't reject the liquid. Finally Jack raised his head, aware that Daniel was still sick.

By the time Jack found a towel and ran it under the water, Daniel had sunk onto his butt, leaning tiredly against the wall. Jack handed him the towel and he ran it over the back of his neck before burying his face in it.

"Remind me never to eat those blue vegetables again," he moaned, his voice muffled from behind the towel.

"You, too?" Jack palmed another cautious sip of water, and satisfied that the worst was over, grabbed a metal mug and filled it with water before handing it to Daniel. As Daniel sipped the water, Jack left the bathroom to get Daniel's crutches, only to wince as Daniel began retching again. Jack had to take long, deep breaths to keep his own sympathetic nausea at bay and was ashamed to admit that he took longer to get the crutches than he should.

By the time he got back to the bathroom, Daniel was sitting on the edge of the toilet, his face pale and his body damp with sweat. He still seemed under the effects of the drugs he'd taken in the tea, though, because he looked half-asleep already. "Want to go back to bed?"

Daniel passed a hand over his face, his gaze lowered to the floor. "Can you find a bucket or something