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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Dead, again? Was I dead?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Okay, Daniel?"

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

"Glasses?"

"Wearing them."

"I'm talking about your sunglasses."

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Jack?"

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

"Never mind."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Let's go in my office to discuss—"

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

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

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

"Let me see him."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Sir, I don't think—"

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

His guess was rewarded with a small nod.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"You promise?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"I'm taking him home with me."

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

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

"Sir, you go offworld, your hours—"

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

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

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

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

Jack nodded and wrote the time down on his notes.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Daniel shrugged as he stared at the various steaming dishes.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Let's start with water."

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

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

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

"Whatcha drinking?"

"Coffee."

"Can I have some?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Daniel, what's wrong?"

"I don't like it here."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Jack opened the book and began to read again.

"Can I have some water?" Daniel interrupted.

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

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

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

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

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

"Danny, glasses."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Daniel?" Jack called tentatively.

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

The illusion was broken, shattered. Daniel frowned.

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir."

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

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

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

"That he is."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Home?"

"Home."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"I'm cold."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"You gonna read to me?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Hi." Daniel ducked his head.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"How long?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Yeah!"

"You coming back down?"

"I'm not finished yet."

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

" 'K."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Why not?"

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

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

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

Daniel hesitated, looking at Jack.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"I have to go to work, Danny."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Jack?"

"Yeah, Daniel?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Why not? You were hungry awhile ago."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"That movie?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Not the ice cream?" Jack teased.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Okay." Daniel yawned, obviously unconcerned.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Jack?" Daniel turned on the second step.

"Yes, Daniel?"

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

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

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

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

"Okey dokey, you old slow pokey."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Daniel nodded, closing his eyes. "Comfy."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"They're too fast for you to catch—"

"I can be fast."

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

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

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

"Can I feed the fishies?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"He's not a man, Carter."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"O'Neill residence."

"Carter?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Anything, sir."

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

"Not a problem, sir."

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

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

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

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

"Tell her that's fine, Daniel."

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

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

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

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

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

"Never, Daniel, never."

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

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

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

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

"Carter?"

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

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

"Sir?"

"Yeah?"

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

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

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

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

"Does the hero live happily ever after?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Not yet."

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

"Open 'em now."

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

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

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

"For me? You did this for me?"

"All for you."

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

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

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

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

"Where did all the fishies go?"

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

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

"Is that one dead, too?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Daniel shifted his weight from foot to foot.

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

A slow nod was Daniel's answer.

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

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

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

"Like SpongeBob, huh?"

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

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

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

"So, any other ideas?"

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

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

"Okay. Can I go watch SpongeBob?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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