Fated To Be (Part 1/2)

by Sistine

URL: http://www.area52hkh.net/ass/sistine/fated001.php
Summary: Some things are just meant to be, no matter where or in what time people are

1. Prologue - Chapter 4

Prologue:

The pirate ship moved stealthily towards its' prey. In the middle of the night, with no moonlight, a ship without its running lights wouldn't be seen until it was too late.

Twenty-eight year-old Daniel Jackson, anthropologist and linguist, lay sleeping below decks on the Merchant Navy vessel. The young man had spent the previous ten years abroad, most recently in India, and was now heading home to England. He was the only passenger on board the ship, paying an enormous fare to travel with the Navy as there would have been no other ships leaving India for several months. The trip had been peaceful so far and he had used the time to get his research in order, for when he got back to England, he was going to publish his findings. And finally he would prove to his rich grandfather that his choice of career had been worthwhile.

He was woken by loud bangs and lots of yelling. Reaching for his glasses, he tried to work out what was going on. Given the musket fire, he assumed that the ship was under attack, most likely by a group of pirates that roamed the Indian Ocean. Daniel got out of bed, lit the oil lamp, and then hurriedly got dressed. As he did so, he wondered what the odds were of him surviving the attack.

The door to his cabin flew open and he spun around to see a pirate advancing towards him, cutlass held ready to slice him open. Holding his hands up in front of him, Daniel stated, "My name is Daniel Jackson, I'm an anthropologist, not a sailor."

The pirate kept advancing, backing Daniel against the wall. When he had the anthropologist trapped, the cutlass against the vulnerable throat, he peered closely at the young man.

Daniel felt extremely uncomfortable with the close scrutiny, and the nearness allowed him to see the ugly features of the pirate very clearly. Fear clutched at his insides as his mind ran through all the possibilities of what could happen to him. His chances of staying alive weren't very good at that moment.

"You're a pretty boy," the pirate observed, grabbing his prisoner by the shirt collar. "I'm gonna enjoy making you scream."

Before Daniel could even struggle, another pirate interrupted the scene. "Zeb!"

The pirate in question turned to face the newcomer. "Yes, Capt'n?"

Apophis strode into the cabin to get a better view of the captive. "What have you here?" He looked appraisingly over the boy's features and body.

"Says 'e's not a sailor," Zeb explained, disappointed that the captain was taking an interest. He never got to have any fun.

Pinning the kid to the wall by his throat, Apophis asked, "Name?"

"Daniel... Daniel Jackson," the young man managed to say. He didn't like the way the black man had been eyeing him up. "I'm an anthropologist."

"Not any more." With his pretty looks, Apophis decided that the kid would serve him well in bed. Turning to Zeb, he ordered, "Bring him."

"Yes, Capt'n."

Daniel found himself dragged along by the ugly pirate. It looked as if he wasn't going to die but he wasn't sure that living was going to be much better....

Chapter 1:

One month later

'Gentleman' Jack O'Neill was getting old for a pirate. He was thirty-eight years old, which was unusual as pirates didn't live that long unless they were very good or very lucky. He considered himself to be both.

His career in piracy had been a choice made in despair. He had been away at sea with the Navy when his wife and son died of illness. When he had returned, he had been overcome with grief, and when his next voyage had been interrupted by a pirate attack, he had made the decision to join them. The first year had been difficult but he'd survived, and eventually had worked his way up the ranks until he had become captain of his own vessel. The 'Star Dweller'. His interest in the stars was the reason for the name. Many evenings he would sit on the deck and just watch the stars, wondering what it would be like to be out among them. He believed his family were up there, and some day he would join them. But not yet. He had a duty to his crew to stick around and help them.

The 'gentleman' part of his name came from his fair sense of justice, his morals, and his manners. His crew had thought it a sign of weakness at first until one of them challenged him and discovered otherwise. He did kill without remorse but only those who were trying to kill him; he never harmed the innocents, especially women and children. He wouldn't put others through the loss that he had suffered.

"Captain, the 'Alexandria' is in sight," Jack's faithful servant, Teal'c, informed him. The dark-skinned man had come aboard the 'Star Dweller' several years ago and had immediately pledged his loyalty to O'Neill. Not once had that loyalty wavered. His age and origin, though, were still a mystery.

"Assemble the men." Today they would finally get to challenge Apophis, a completely amoral pirate who took pleasure in killing indiscriminately. Hopefully they would be able to rid the seas of the murderer and his crew.

Jack turned and headed up on deck, praying that his luck would hold one more time.

****

Beneath the decks of the 'Alexandria', in the Captain's cabin, a dirty, emancipated figure huddled in one corner. Chains around his wrists bound him to the bed but he sat on the floor, frightened by the noises he could hear above him. Yelling, screaming, crashes... something bad was happening.

/go away go away stop it go away gonna die stop it die die die/

He put his hands over his ears, trying to block out the sounds of the fight. Unconsciously he started rocking back and forth in distress, closing his eyes and making whimpering sounds.

/go away stop it too loud don't come down here go away/

He remained like that for a while, lost in his own world, as the battle raged overhead.

Suddenly there was another voice in the room, one that was unfamiliar to him.

"Hello."

He opened his eyes and looked at the stranger coming towards him. Instinctively he tried to burrow himself further into the corner, trying to get away. His breathing turned into gasps due to the panic he was feeling.

/go away don't come near me bad man don't/

"Don't be scared. I'm not going to hurt you." Jack sheathed his sword and advanced carefully towards the prisoner. He felt sorry for the kid, who looked so young despite - or maybe because of - his terrible appearance. The young man was covered in bruises and welts, his skin brown from dirt, and he looked like he hadn't eaten in weeks. Tattered brown trousers were all he wore. There was no doubt as to why he was chained to the bed. Jack disapproved of such a practice, much preferring to take his pleasure when his ship was at port somewhere. But there were two members of his crew who voluntarily regularly serviced the others - a practice which generally kept the peace. Jack felt a surge of anger towards Apophis for treating someone in such a manner.

/brown eyes he has brown eyes like my master soft face nice face sword still bad man don't talk to him talk is bad talk will get me hurt/

Unwilling to trust the stranger, he wrapped his arms around his knees, making himself a smaller target.

"What's your name?" Jack asked as he knelt down next to the kid, who looked much worse close up.

/whore whore don't have any other name used to but now it's only whore slave idiot boy not my name used to have a name but not anymore go away/

Jack reached out to touch the young man's arm but the kid shied away, blue eyes wide open in fear. "Hey, it's all right. I won't hurt you." How long had the poor kid been there? Obviously long enough to become completely subjugated. Jack managed to stroke the dirty blonde hair once before the kid moved away, trembling fiercely.

/he touched me didn't hurt master only does that after nice hand blood on it bad man hurts others might hurt me help/

"O'Neill."

/no no wasn't my fault master he came in don't hurt me not my fault/

"Apophis." Jack stood up, drawing his sword again. The whole reason he had entered the cabin was to find the pirate but it seemed that the murderer had found him.

"What did you hope to achieve, O'Neill?" Apophis asked scornfully, not even glancing at his prisoner.

"Your death was my first priority," Jack replied, stepping away from the kid and circling around Apophis. He couldn't let this misbegotten son of a whore continue living.

Apophis was supremely confident in his own skill with a sword. "You can try."

They circled each other warily, waiting for the other to make the first move. Then suddenly Apophis lunged towards Jack, who managed to deflect the blow just inches away from his chest. Jack then struck back but found the path of his sword blocked.

The two men continued to trade strikes for the next few minutes, neither one gaining any advantages over the other. Occasionally a sword found skin but nothing that stopped either man from fighting. They were watched carefully by the man in the corner, who had mixed feelings about the fight. Part of him wanted the stranger to kill his master so that he would be free but the other part was scared of what life would be like without his master.

Jack gritted his teeth in determination. He had to win this. If Apophis won, he would continue to hurt the kid and many more like him. That was just not an option. Although his arm was becoming tired, Jack pressed on, hoping for some kind of opening. He had to win soon or he would die.

Apophis sensed his enemy's fatigue and closed in for the kill. Victory was so close, he could taste it...

Something long and silver suddenly appeared in his chest, accompanied by a sharp pain. With dazed eyes, he looked behind him and saw O'Neill's huge servant standing there, sword-wielding hand outstretched. Apophis looked again at the sword that had pierced him and then crumpled to the floor, dead.

"Thanks, Teal'c," Jack said with relieved gratitude. Trust Teal'c to show up just at the right time. He went over and nudged Apophis with his foot; yep, the pirate was quite dead. Objective achieved.

/master what happened to master is he dead please please let him be dead won't hurt me anymore bad master gone/

Jack noticed the agitated rocking of the kid and went back over to kneel beside him. "He's dead. He won't hurt you any more," he said gently, unknowingly echoing the kid's thoughts. "You're free now."

The young man shook his head, silent tears running down his cheeks, leaving dirty streaks behind them.

/can't be free no no master won't let me lying lying he killed master master bad man dead can't hurt me free now free free/

"Who is he?" Teal'c asked, standing a respectable distance away, not wanting to frighten the young man further. He felt pleased that he had killed Apophis, saving the prisoner from any further abuse.

"I don't know, he hasn't said anything." Jack wiped the blood off his hand before cradling the kid's cheek with his palm. "Can you tell me who you are?"

/name name had a name wrote it down so I wouldn't forget not whore where did I write it where can say it now master dead no more hurt free where did I write it where/

He looked down at the floor and saw something scratched into the wood. His name, put there in the early days of his imprisonment.

/read it come on what does it say Da-n-i-el Daniel Daniel Daniel that's it that's my name not other names Daniel/

Jack followed the kid's gaze to the floor and saw the name written roughly there. "Daniel Jackson - that's your name?"

Daniel - he had a name now - nodded. It sounded much better than 'whore'. He was still trembling in fright, the stranger touching his face.

"Hello, Daniel. My name is Jack. I'm going to help you. Will you let me?" Jack felt an urge to protect the kid, who had obviously been through so much. It was entirely possible that Daniel's mind had broken under the strain or maybe he was just too afraid to speak.

/Jack Jack nice name knew a Jack once nice man maybe this man nice too help me/

"Master dead?" Daniel's throat was croaky through lack of use and the beginnings of dehydration. He had quickly learnt not to speak after the first few beatings.

"Yes, he's dead," Jack replied. It was going to take the kid a long time to recover... if he ever did.

Daniel held out his cuffed wrists. "Please?"

Jack motioned to Teal'c, who reached out and pulled the flimsy bed-frame apart. The metal pole fell to the floor, allowing Daniel to move away from the bed.

"Hey," Jack said, gently catching the thin arm before Daniel could run away. "We need to go back to my ship so we can cut those chains off you, all right?"

"Ja'k." Daniel tested out the name, ignoring the person.

"Yes, I'm Jack. Now we need to stand up." He got hold of Daniel's upper arms and started to lift him up.

/no don't touch dirty unclean whore bad person don't touch Jack/

Daniel started struggling weakly, his legs not strong enough to support him so he slid back down to the floor.

"For cryin' out loud, Daniel, I'm just trying to help you!" Jack got a little frustrated with the young man.

"Don't hurt," Daniel croaked, flinching at the tone of voice.

"I won't hurt you," Jack said more calmly. Deciding on direct action, he scooped the kid into his arms and was surprised at how little he weighed. For a man Daniel's size, he should have been a lot heavier - yet another indication of how badly he had been treated. Daniel tried to struggle but his body was too weak to have any effect. Therefore he resigned himself to his fate, becoming limp in Jack's arms.

"Don't worry, kid, I'll look after you," Jack promised softly, feeling that protective urge again. He would help the kid recover and depending on whether Daniel was now insane, send him back to his family.

Jack carried him all the way back over to the 'Star Dweller', earning quite a few curious stares from his surviving crew. But he ignored them as a captain sometimes should. When he reached his own cabin, Jack said to Teal'c, "Get the doc." His ship was one of the only pirate vessels with a qualified surgeon.

"As you wish."

Gently, Jack laid Daniel out on the bed. Terrified blue eyes stared up at him, seemingly unbelieving that Jack was not going to hurt him. Jack could see every rib now that Daniel was lying down, which indicated that he hadn't eaten properly for a very long time.

/bed bed no can't do that anymore Jack said wasn't going to hurt me no bed please no don't want to be here no bed no/

He lay there absolutely still, a tear escaping to trickle down his cheek, waiting to see what Jack would do to him. Scared eyes watched Jack as he found something short and metal, and came over to the bed. Daniel backed away, memories of being hurt running through his mind.

Jack noted the movement and quickly realised why Daniel was scared. He held up the metal rod and said, "This is for taking the chains off, Daniel. I'm not going to hit you." The kid stopped moving backwards so Jack slowly reached out to hold onto one wrist and started to fiddle with the lock.

He had one cuff unlocked when Andy 'Doc' Warner arrived in the cabin. Doc took in the sight of the unfortunate man with professionalism - he had seen injuries that were much worse. "Apophis?"

"Who else?" Jack replied, stepping aside for Doc to examine Daniel, but he continued to unlock the second cuff.

/stranger no don't touch only Jack Jack hasn't hurt me go away/

Daniel started moving away from the stranger's hands, whimpering in fear. He felt someone stroke his hair and his eyes darted upwards to see Jack standing over him, talking to him.

"It's all right, Daniel, Doc here's going to help you get better." Jack kept up the stroking, trying to reassure the kid. "I won't let him hurt you." He was gratified to see a hint of trust appear in Daniel's eyes, probably because of the non-threatening way he was handling the kid.

Doc stepped forward and proceeded to examine the young man's torso, gently checking the wounds for infection. A couple of them were red around the edges but probably nothing that an alcohol rub wouldn't fix. He then carefully undid Daniel's trousers and pulled them down so he could examine the man's legs and genitals.

Daniel kicked his legs weakly, reacting to the loss of clothing. Doc placed his hands on the man's ankles, holding him still.

Jack put a gentle restraining hand on Daniel's chest. "Shhh, it's all right," he said soothingly. "Nothing's going to happen, remember?" He took his hand away from the chest when Daniel stopped moving.

/it's all right it's all right not hurt me help me Jack here won't let man hurt me/

Doc continued his examination, noting that the patient was extremely thin for his height. Interestingly, his genitals weren't marked but there were scars and bruises all over his legs. When he was finished, Doc said, "Captain, I need to turn him over."

Jack nodded. Still stroking Daniel's long, shaggy hair, he leaned down and said softly, "Daniel, you need to turn over now so Doc can see your back. I'll help you."

"Over?" Daniel croaked, fear rising in him again.

"Yes, turn over," Jack agreed. "Ready?" He put his hands on the kid's left side so he would roll towards Jack. "One... two... three."

Daniel resisted briefly but Jack was easily able to roll him onto his stomach.

/no don't like this no no no master did this all the time don't like this no/

He reached out and grabbed Jack's hands as tightly as he could, trying to convey that message.

Jack was surprised by the strength of the grip and after a few seconds, realised why Daniel was scared. He looked into the pleading blue eyes and tried to reassure the kid verbally since he couldn't use his hands. "Not too much longer, I promise, then you can turn over again."

Daniel closed his eyes and buried his face into the bedding but continued to hold onto Jack's hands.

"Make it quick, Doc," Jack commented to the surgeon.

The surgeon clinically noted the increased number of scars and welts on the patient's back, quite a few of them recently inflicted. The buttocks hadn't gone unscathed, and there was evidence of swelling and tearing around the anus.

"Hurry it up, Doc," Jack ordered, feeling Daniel's grip tighten at the invasive examination.

Doc finished the examination quickly and nodded to his captain when the young man could be turned back over.

"Daniel, you need to let go so you can roll over." The grip on his hands was slowly released and soon Jack was able to help Daniel move onto his back again. "See, that wasn't too bad, was it?"

/over now safe no hurt can trust Jack/

Daniel just stared up at Jack, some of that trust shining through. He rolled onto his side to face his rescuer, his hands automatically next to each other as if they were still chained.

Jack lay a sheet over Daniel's naked body, not wanting the kid to feel too vulnerable. He then followed Doc a discreet distance away and asked the question he already knew the answer to. "Well?"

"As you can see, he's been beaten and flogged many times. The scars don't look more than a few weeks old. He's severely underweight, and if he's been tied up all that time, I'd say that his muscles would be very weak at the moment."

"His grip on me seemed strong enough," Jack commented.

"Could he stand when you found him?" Doc only waited a second before continuing. "There is evidence that he has been sodomised, most likely every day since he was captured."

Jack let out a few choice swear words at that thought. "Will he recover?"

"Physically, he should. He will need to be bathed and some alcohol put on the open wounds to prevent them from becoming infected."

"And his mind?"

Doc shrugged and glanced over at the young man who was watching them intently. "That will be up to him. But you're assuming he wasn't always like this."

"He carved his name into the wood where we found him," Jack stated. "He's not stupid, just.... scared." And there was something in those eyes that hinted at the kid's intelligence, which made Jack wonder whether Daniel would be happy going back to his old self knowing what had been done to him. "I'll need a tub, warm water, and a scrubbing brush," he ordered.

"Warm water?" Doc queried.

"Yes, warm water. He hasn't got any fat on him, Doc; I'm not giving him a bath in cold water."

"Of course." Doc scurried out of the cabin to see to the captain's orders.

Jack went back to the bed and stood next to it, running his fingers through Daniel's hair. The long strands easily slid through his fingers and Jack was suddenly curious as to what it would look like when clean. "You're going to have a bath soon, Danny." The childhood name seemed to suit the appearance. "We're gonna get rid of all that dirt and you'll feel much better."

"Bath?" It had been so long since he'd had a bath, since he was clean.

"That's right, a bath." He would have to lift the kid into it and most likely assist with the scrubbing. "And then we'll have something to eat."

Jack continued to talk to Daniel while they were waiting for the bath, keeping his tone soothing so that the kid would realise that he wasn't going to be hurt again. Apophis had certainly done a great job of breaking Daniel's spirit, Jack thought as the young man remained silent.

When the bath was finally ready and brought to his cabin, Jack picked Daniel up in his arms, took him over to the tub, and then gently lowered him feet first into it. Daniel's eyes widened with surprise as he slid into the water. His 'baths' for the past few weeks had consisted of getting buckets of cold water dumped over him; the warmth of the water now surprised him greatly. The salt water stung his wounds but he tried to ignore that, concentrating on the feel of the water. He looked gratefully at his rescuer, the beginnings of a smile gracing his lips.

Jack smiled back, feeling strangely pleased at having made the kid happy. Going over to his table, he picked up his tin mug - it would make-do as a pitcher. He went back to the bath, filled the mug with water, and then poured it over Daniel's chest. Then he held the cup out to Daniel and indicated that he should pour the water over himself.

Daniel tried to take the cup but his fingers were clumsy with reaction and he dropped it into the water.

/idiot stupid boy can't even hold onto it should be punished don't hit me didn't mean to/

He saw Jack's hand reach towards him and braced himself for the blow. When it didn't come, he allowed himself to look at Jack and with some astonishment, saw Jack retrieve the mug from the water.

"Hey, it's all right," Jack said when he saw Daniel flinch away from him. "You have to start trusting me, Danny. I'm not going to hurt you." How many times would he need to say it before it sank in? He tipped a cupful of water down the kid's back.

"Sorry, master," Daniel muttered; he couldn't do anything right. He wrapped his arms around him, withdrawing into himself.

"I'm not your master, Danny. You're free. You don't have a master anymore."

/I don't? master is dead Jack new master doesn't want that name says I'm free am I?/

"Close your eyes," Jack ordered, totally unaware of Daniel's thoughts. He held the cup over Daniel's head and a few seconds later, tipped the water out. He then brushed the damp locks back from Daniel's forehead. "Open them."

Daniel obeyed, focusing his eyes on the edge of the tub. He should have known that Jack would order him around; he was Daniel's new master even if he didn't want that name. It was only a matter of time before the hurt started again.

Jack noted the tense body language but was unsure as to its cause. Moving around the tub, he lifted one of Daniel's legs out and stretched it out over the edge of the tub. The kid didn't even struggle, continuing to remain docile when Jack picked up the scrubbing brush. He tested it on his own skin first, making sure the bristles weren't going to scratch too much. Before he started on Daniel, he said, "I'm going to get rid of some of the dirt. If it hurts, tell me and I will stop."

Daniel flinched when the brush touched his sensitive skin but didn't say a word. The pain was his punishment for letting his master die.

Every so often, Jack would look at Daniel's face to see how the kid was going. Daniel would not make eye contact or utter a sound, even though Jack could see the flinches of pain cross the kid's face. What was going through that mind of his?

/hurt hurt don't let him know my fault clumsy no good deserve to be hurt/

Jack scrubbed up to mid-thigh, revealing a large amount of pale skin, then he put that leg back in and got the other one out, then proceeding to do the same to it. All the bruises stood out more against the white skin, and Jack mentally cursed Apophis with every new injury that was revealed. He wasn't aware that he was scrubbing harder though until he looked up at Daniel and saw tears escaping from the tightly closed eyelids. Immediately he stopped, feeling guilty at causing so much pain. "I'm sorry, Danny. I wasn't thinking." Or paying attention. "I won't do that again," he promised.

He finished scrubbing the leg, Daniel keeping his eyes closed the whole time. The pirate then moved onto the arms, chest, and finally the back. And when he had done as much as he could reach, he said, "Danny, I know you probably don't want to do this but I need you to kneel up so I can reach the rest of you."

Daniel shook his head. His nerves were completely on edge after having Jack touching him for so long; he really wasn't wanting the man to clean his private parts as well. He felt safe in his refusal because Jack hadn't hit him yet.

Jack sighed; he had expected that refusal. "Well, you'll have to do it then," he said, holding the brush out in front of the kid's face.

Daniel opened his eyes and looked at the brush.

/can't hold onto it too clumsy don't want him to touch no no no have to no can't do this/

He reached out a shaking hand then pulled it back, undecided as to what he should do. Mutely, he looked at Jack, who was watching him calmly. Daniel shook his head.

"Yes, you can," Jack disagreed. "I'm not letting you out only half-clean," he said in a parental tone.

Distress was apparent in Daniel's eyes as he tried to make a decision. Concentrating very hard, he finally reached a hand out again and took the brush from Jack. Although his hand was still shaking, he held onto the brush tightly. He was not going to drop it.

The young man shifted himself so that he could access the unscrubbed areas on his front and then started scrubbing as hard as he could.

"Hey, hey, hey," Jack said, stopping Daniel for a moment. "You'll take all your skin off. Just do it gently." He slowly released the kid's arm and then watched carefully to see if Daniel would obey.

/Jack doesn't want me to hurt me gently gently not hard deserve hard must be gentle or he'll stop me don't want him to touch me must be gentle/

He gently scrubbed the rest of his front, aware of Jack's eyes on him, watching but only to make sure that Daniel was doing as he was told. There was no sexual interest there. And why would there be anyway? He wasn't very desirable at the moment.

When Daniel finished his front, he realised that he was going to have a problem cleaning his back - he needed both arms to support him in a kneeling position as his legs were quite weak. Reluctantly, he made the decision that Jack was going to have to help him so he handed the brush back and tried to get to his knees.

Jack quietly put the brush aside and helped Daniel get into the right position. Up this close, he noted that Daniel must once have had a beautiful body but it held no interest to Jack in its current state. But he could definitely see why Apophis had wanted it.

Daniel leaned forward, his hands resting on the edge of the tubs, his arms taking most of his weight. He hated being exposed like that - it had been his Master's favourite position until Daniel's body no longer had the strength to maintain it. He closed his eyes again when he felt the brush touch his lower back, and when it moved across his buttocks, he ducked his head, fighting the panic. To counteract his trembling arms, he straight-armed his weight, locking his elbows so that they wouldn't collapse.

Mercifully, Jack finished cleaning him quickly and Daniel sat back down, glad that it was over. His muscles were still trembling from the unaccustomed use, and he wrapped his arms around himself to try and hide that fact.

Looking at the kid, Jack decided that the hair-washing could be done another day. He had put Daniel through enough already. "Time to get out, Danny. Ready?" The kid nodded. Jack put a folded sheet onto the floor nearby and then turned Daniel around to face the side of the tub. He swung the long legs over the side, got a good grip under Daniel's armpits, and lifted him high enough to clear the edge of the tub. Jack then lowered Daniel onto the sheet - well, as best as he could anyway - and made him reasonably comfortable while the pirate went to find something to dry him off with.

Daniel's eyes tracked Jack around the room. He wasn't sure whether he should be afraid of the man or not. Jack had been angry earlier but had stopped him from hurting himself. It was confusing.

His skin tingled all over from the scrubbing and it felt tight due to all his injuries. It also felt like every wound was on fire despite the care Jack had displayed in washing him. He tried to hide the tears of pain from his rescuer, not wanting to cause more trouble.

Jack saw the tears though when he came back and knelt down beside Daniel. He patted the kid's legs dry then wrapped the small sheet around the thin shoulders. "Hurting?"

"Yes," Daniel choked out past the lump in his throat.

"I'll give you something for that soon," Jack promised, squeezing the shoulders in a gentle hug. "After I've done your face, we'll move you to the bed and you can have some rum." He picked up a small square of cloth that he had brought over earlier, wet it, and then proceeded to wash Daniel's face.

/touch feels so nice hugged me no-one has done that for years angry though angry at me angry at master not hurting me doesn't want me as a whore treats me nice what does he want?/

"There, now doesn't that feel better?" Jack sat back and took a good look at the kid's face. The big blue eyes stood out against the pale skin, as did the multicoloured bruises. Take away the bruises, add a little bit of weight to his face and Daniel could be beautiful, Jack realised. It was too bad that beauty like that was often destroyed by those who didn't have it themselves.

"Thank... thank-you." Daniel's voice broke on the first word. His throat still felt dry from the lack of moisture in his body.

"You're welcome." Jack gently patted the rest of the kid dry then picked him up and carried him back to the bed. The kid looked, and even smelled, better now. He sat Daniel on the edge then left him there to go and collect some clothing. Jack came back with a pair of his old trousers and a shirt. "These might be a little big but they'll have to do."

Daniel lifted his feet obediently as Jack knelt in front of him and started dressing him. He managed to lift himself up for a couple of seconds so that Jack could pull the trousers up to his waist. Jack was right - the clothing was too big - but at least it meant that he wasn't naked. He lifted his arms and Jack slid the shirtsleeves over them and then over his head to hang loosely over his body. Then he lay down unresisting when Jack lightly pushed at his shoulders. Daniel looked up at the man with gratitude. He was clean, warm and clothed - something he had never thought he would be again. Jack was a good man to do that for him.

"Just relax," Jack said, stroking the long hair again. "I'll be back soon with some food and drink." He hated leaving the kid but it was necessary.

He opened the door to find Teal'c standing there with a tray of food and two cups. "Teal'c?"

"I believed that nourishment would be required," the large man explained, bringing the tray into the room and placing it on the table. He took in the clean appearance of the young man. "You had no trouble?"

"Only a little." Jack picked up the sheets from the floor and handed them to Teal'c. "But it was understandable."

Teal'c nodded as he accepted the sheets. "Apophis died too quickly." When one considered that he had inflicted such pain on an innocent being, Apophis's death had indeed been unfitting.

"Agreed." Jack looked over at Daniel who was looking at the food quietly, his hands pressed together with invisible chains. "He doesn't like company much so we'll keep the crew away until he improves. If you have any problems with that, let me know." He had hopefully rid his crew of the worst pirate qualities but that didn't mean that someone wouldn't try to take advantage of the kid.

"As you wish." Teal'c bowed then left the room.

Jack went over to the table, collected the tray, and then went to sit on the edge of the bed. The kid hadn't taken his eyes off the food, so starved was he. There wasn't a great variety of food - just bread and meat - but Jack supposed that those foods would be best for someone who hadn't eaten for a while. He cut off a piece of meat first - the bread was too dry - and held it out to Daniel. "Here, eat this."

Daniel sat up slowly then took the piece of meat and put it into his mouth. It tasted so good. There was just enough juice in it to lubricate his throat, and the meat slid down easily when he swallowed. A small smile appeared on his face as he turned to Jack.

"More?" Jack held out another piece, which was eagerly snatched away. He looked on indulgently as Daniel quickly ate the rest of the meat and some of the bread. It wasn't a big meal but it would be enough for the moment. He handed Daniel the cup, which was filled with water. "Sorry, kid. It looks like you're supposed to get some water into you before you can get drunk."

Daniel didn't care; he just wanted something to drink. He greedily drank the water then leaned back against the bed-head in contentment. He hadn't eaten so well since before he was captured. His wounds still hurt but not as badly as before. "Thank-you," he said again.

"No problem. Now, lie down and get some rest. There's some more water here if you need it. I have to go and check on my crew but I'll be back later," Jack promised.

The young man shuffled forward until he was lying down again, and reached out a hand to hold Jack's. "Don't go." He didn't want to be left alone on this strange ship, even if the man he was asking was his new master.

"I have to," Jack said, although he didn't want to go. "I won't be long." He released Daniel's hand and then left.

Daniel curled up on his side, feeling abandoned.

/alone don't want to be alone listening waiting for the master to come hate being alone no-one to talk to silence can't talk not allowed Jack let me talk nice man soothing hands seems to care about me doesn't want me though must be ugly even master stopped saying I was beautiful didn't believe him anyway please Jack come back don't leave me here alone/

His heart filled with fear, Daniel cried silently into the strange pillow until there were no more tears left.

Above deck, Jack had talked to some of his crew and had found out what had happened in the fight. Only six of his crew had died, with a few more receiving injuries. Apophis's entire crew had died; those that weren't killed outright in the fighting preferring to drown rather than be captured. The bodies of two Merchant seamen had been found below decks, their throats cut not too long before the fight. Their condition pre-death had been worse than Daniel's, mainly because the kid had only been abused by one person rather than a group of desperate pirates. Jack wondered absently whether they had been taken at the same time as Daniel.

"Captain?"

Jack's thoughts were interrupted by the first mate, Jonas Hanson, a reliable man not too much younger than himself. "What is it?"

"Was it wise bringing the boy back here?" He had caught a glimpse of blue eyes and long legs earlier, and was concerned about the reaction of a couple of the men.

"Where else could he go?" Jack countered. It wasn't like there had been a lot of options.

Hanson couldn't answer that. "You know what Apophis kept him for, don't you?"

Jack knew exactly what he had been kept for. "No-one will treat him like that on board my ship, understood?" He had very strict rules about that.

"Yes, Captain. What do you want done with the ship?"

The pirate captain looked at the nearby empty ship that was only being kept on course by a couple of his own crew. He could, of course, give it to Hanson, along with half the crew, as a reward but that left him short-handed should any trouble arise. There were only two options - to sink her or to sail back to a port in tandem and hope to find more crew members there to help fill the two ships. "Your opinion?"

"She's still seaworthy but will need some pretty big repairs. We're less likely to be attacked ourselves if there's two ships," Hanson noted. "She can be refitted in port; it would be a shame to scrap her."

Jack nodded. "Take some of the crew and clean her out." 'Preferably the ones who might cause trouble over Daniel', was the unspoken command. "You're in command of her until we reach port." It was his reward for loyal service.

"Aye, captain." Finally, his own command. Temporary for the moment but who else would want to command the 'Alexandria'? Gathering some men, he started to make plans.

Chapter 2:

Some time later, Jack went back to his quarters and found Daniel still wide awake in exactly the same position he had been left in. "Hey, you were supposed to be sleeping."

Daniel just stared up at him mutely.

/Jack's back said he would be gone for so long left me alone so scared don't want to sleep might be dream gone when I wake not dream real master was the bad dream free now don't want to be scared Jack's here not alone now/

Jack sat down on the edge of the bed and saw the dried tear marks. "There's no need to be scared, Danny. No-one's going to hurt you here." He felt the kid capture his left hand and hold it tightly. "What?"

"Talk." He wanted proof that Jack was a good man.

"You want me to talk?" Jack asked and received a nod in return. "Yeah, I guess Apophis wasn't really big on talking. Got any ideas?" He wasn't quite sure how to carry on a one-sided conversation.

A shake of the head this time.

"All right then." Jack thought rapidly. "What about other countries? Yeah, that'll do. Have you ever been to Jamaica, Danny? Well, it's the most exotic country I've ever laid eyes on..."

He talked for about fifteen minutes until Daniel finally fell asleep. The kid hadn't let go of his hand once, although now the grip was limp, Jack could have removed it. But he didn't. He held on for a little while longer without exactly knowing why. He stopped stroking the hair though - his arm was getting tired. Fifteen minutes of stroking and talking had lulled Danny to sleep, and Jack hoped that the kid would sleep for a while; he probably hadn't slept too well in captivity.

After a few more minutes, Jack gently freed his hand and then went over to the tub where he had left the face washer. Picking it up, he wet it again then went back to Daniel and washed the young man's face. Daniel didn't even stir.

It brought back memories for Jack of when his son was alive. Wiping the tears away after Charlie had fallen over, washing away the dirt after a particularly dirty day outside, the feel of that warm little body pressed up against his... gifts of love that had been taken away from him. Oh, he could have married again and had more children but he didn't want to take the risk of losing them again. So he had stayed away, caring only about his crew.

Until now.

Daniel had looked so lost, so terrified, that Jack had automatically decided to take care of him. The kid probably had a family somewhere who were worried sick about him so Jack would look after him until he was well enough to go back to them. His parents would be suffering through the pain of believing their son dead... Jack didn't believe any parent should go through that.

He tenderly laid a sheet over Daniel's body to help keep him warm, then went and started to empty the bathtub. The only thing he would have to be careful of was caring too much to let Daniel go.

****

//"Stop! Why are you doing this?" Daniel asked in bewilderment as the chains were locked around his wrists.

"You will not talk, whore," Apophis commanded, striking the young man across the face. He preferred silence in his slaves.

"No, I am not a whore!" Daniel argued, fighting against his restraints. "You cannot do-" His head was snapped back with the force of the blow.

"Silence!" Apophis pulled out a knife and cut the shirt from his new slave's body. He then held the knife under the young man's throat. "You will not speak unless I give you permission."

Daniel remained quiet, not wanting to get his throat slit. He swallowed hard, the movement scraping the edge of the knife. As bad as this situation was going to be, he didn't want to die. Not yet, anyway.

The knife was removed from his throat. He heard Apophis issue an order for the others to leave and then he felt hands undoing his trousers. "No!" Daniel lashed out with his feet, catching Apophis across the chest and sending him sprawling onto the floor.

Apophis was quickly on his feet again, really angry now, and struck Daniel's face several times. His head spun from the blows, making it difficult for him to concentrate enough to prevent the pirate from removing the last of his clothing. Daniel was then flipped onto his stomach, cruel hands exploring what no man should ever touch.

He wasn't prepared for the pain, Apophis splitting him open with one rough thrust. Daniel cried out, his breath turning to sobs as the pain continued to throb through his body. Another thrust...//

"Nooo!"

Jack moved from the chair he was sitting vigil in to gather the young man into his arms. He had been watching Daniel's sleep become more restless and at the vocalisation that was filled with so much pain, he just had to do something. He gently rocked back and forth, trying to provide some comfort. "Wake up, Danny, it's just a dream. Everything's all right now" he soothed.

With a large intake of breath, Daniel woke up and immediately started to struggle within the restrictive embrace.

/no let go let go don't want to be touched let go/

"Danny, calm down, you're safe," Jack said as he held onto the struggling man and stroked the soft hair.

"Jack?" The pirate's voice cut through the fear and pain. Daniel stopped struggling, still breathing heavily.

"Yeah, it's me," the pirate confirmed. He continued to rock the young man - just as he had whenever Charlie had experienced nightmares - until Daniel had calmed down.

Daniel moved out of the embrace and raised a hand to wipe away the tears that had gathered. He knew that he had only been reliving a memory but the pain had still felt as real as the first time. Arms now wrapped around his knees, he looked out the window, absently noting that it was still daylight.

Jack noticed him looking. "You've had about four hours sleep," he supplied the information. The kid looked so small and vulnerable huddled like that, that Jack wanted to go back and run his sword through Apophis a couple more times; he had died way too quickly. "I think you should drink some more water and try to eat something." Jack held out some bread.

Daniel held a hand out for the bread but saw that it was shaking so he pulled it back.

"Yeah, I sometimes have the shakes after a bad dream." Especially if it was alcohol-induced. "How 'bout we wait for a little while?"

The young man pulled his knees closer to his chin and looked out the window again. Every single time Apophis had forced him, he had felt that pain. Every single time. And there hadn't been anything he could do about it except pray that it was over quickly. He'd learnt not to vocalise his pain after being flogged for crying out. He had done everything he could to minimise the pain he received and in doing so, had been reduced to this pathetic shell of a man.

Jack wondered what the faraway look in Daniel's eyes meant. It scared him that it might mean that the kid's mind wasn't 'all there' anymore. If that was true, could he send Daniel back to his family knowing they would probably lock him up in some asylum?

The two men remained sitting like that for several minutes, Jack unwilling to break the silence.

Slowly, Daniel brought his mind back from the memories. It would do him no good to dwell on them. He turned his head towards Jack, catching the older man's attention, then looked at the bread. "Please?"

"Help yourself."

With a reasonably steady hand, the young man picked up a piece of bread before the pirate could rescind the offer, and broke it into more manageable pieces. One by one, he put them into his mouth and chewed, having a mouthful of water in between each one to help swallow them. After draining the last of the water, he sat back, happy that he had been allowed to eat the small meal.

For Jack, it was like watching Charlie take his first steps, taking pride in his son's achievement. Less than half a day ago, Daniel had been a total wreck. Now he was clean, dressed, and had eaten the food without any help or prompting. It would take a long time before he was completely recovered but Jack was happy that the kid had already started on that road. "More?"

Daniel's eyes widened. He was allowed to have more? That was totally unexpected. His old master had never allowed him to have more. "More?"

"Sure. Do you want me to get something for you?" Jack started to get up but was stopped by the tentative hand on his arm. There wasn't even time to be surprised before Daniel removed his hand and cowered back on the bed, plainly expecting to be punished for daring to touch the pirate. Jack had to admit he was a little confused by the kid's behaviour; earlier Daniel had held onto his hand voluntarily, and now he was scared of being beaten for a similar thing. Maybe it had something to do with the nightmare Daniel had experienced. "What?" he asked, keeping his hands low so that they weren't threatening. "You don't want anything?"

"I should get," Daniel pointed out what he thought was the obvious, arms wrapped around his knees again.

"You can barely stand, let alone walk, Danny. And besides, you're my guest. That means I have to look after you."

"Guest?" the young man echoed. How could he be a guest?

"Yes, guest," the pirate confirmed. "So, do you want some more?"

Daniel shook his head. He didn't need too much food to fill him up.

"All right. How are you feeling now?" Jack looked intently at the kid when no answer was given. "Danny? I really want to know."

"Fine." He didn't hurt and he wasn't being hurt, so that, according to his current life, meant that he was fine.

"Uh-huh." Jack was prevented from replying further when a knock sounded at the door. "Come in."

Doc entered the room. He was armed with two bottles of alcohol and some strips of cloth. He surveyed the situation then asked, "Is this a good time to treat the wounds?"

"As good as any." Moving off the bed, he made way for the doctor to get close to Daniel. "Need me to do anything?"

"Given Daniel's current emotional state, it might be wise to hold him down," Doc stated. "And give him some of this. Cleaning the wounds may hurt a little."

Jack looked at the bottle of brandy he had been given. Maybe he should have some for himself too... "Right. Danny, have a drink of this." He held the bottle out.

Breaking off his staring at the doctor, Daniel switched his attention to Jack, understanding what they wanted him to drink. Brandy? Why did they want him to get drunk? He slowly shook his head, wanting to keep what was left of his wits about him.

"It'll dull the pain. Come on," Jack coaxed. He hated to cause the kid more pain but it was necessary to prevent the wounds from becoming infected.

/pain? he said he wouldn't hurt me no more pain don't want drink no pain/

Daniel backed towards the wall, pressing up against it. He wasn't going to let them hurt him.

"Oh, for cryin' out loud!" Jack knew that he had made a mistake in mentioning pain. "If those cuts get infected, you'll get sick and we don't want that to happen, do we? Now get back here so the Doc can treat you." The command just slipped out in his frustration.

Slowly, contritely, Daniel inched his way back to the edge of the bed, head down the entire time. Tears pricked his eyes as Jack's angry voice washed over him. If he didn't co-operate, Jack might kick him off the ship, or hit him, and Daniel didn't want that to happen. He would have to obey.

Doc indicated that Jack should sit behind the patient so he couldn't move away. Then he focused on the young man. "Daniel, can you hold out your left hand please?"

Daniel, very aware of Jack's presence behind him, held out his hand. Cool fingers held it while examining it, turning it over and carefully checking the chafed skin. Then alcohol was tipped over his wrist, causing him to hiss in pain and to try to snatch his hand back. But it was held tight, the Doc then proceeding to bandage it with a piece of cloth. As soon as he was able, Daniel took his hand back and cradled it to him, the pain subsiding to a dull burning.

"Now your other hand, Daniel." Doc noted the reluctance with which the patient complied. It was obvious that the young man only obeyed in fear of what would happen to him if he didn't. He treated the second wrist with alcohol, holding tight when Daniel reacted in pain, then bandaging it also.

Now Daniel cradled both hands to his chest. He vaguely understood that they were trying to help him - the soft litany of words from behind him told him so - but he hated the fact that he was trapped and that more pain was going to be inflicted on him.

"You're doing very well," Doc praised the young man. "Now, I need you to take off your shirt. Can you do that?"

He could but he wasn't going to. Daniel uncrossed his arms and started to move back wards away from the doctor but was stopped when he ran into Jack. Turning his head, he shot a pleading look at the pirate, hoping that Jack wasn't still angry at him.

"Sorry, Danny." Jack knew that the kid didn't want to be hurt any more but he didn't want Daniel to get sick or even die.

Daniel crossed his arms and held himself tightly so that they couldn't take off his shirt unless it was by force.

Jack shared an exasperated look with Doc. The pirate really didn't want to resort to giving orders or forcing Daniel to comply because that would reinforce the kid's belief that Jack would hurt him. Then he had an idea. "How about if I go first?" Jack asked, taking his shirt off and baring his torso for the Doc to examine. There were a couple of small gashes on his left side which he hadn't noticed before now - he had been too busy looking after Daniel to think about them.

Doc poured some alcohol onto the gashes, and Jack did his best to hide the pain - the things he did to set a good example! He let Doc bandage his waist then put his shirt back on, noticing that Daniel's eyes were tracking his every movement. "Your turn."

Daniel slowly slid forward then took his shirt off and held it in his lap. He didn't look at either of the men while he was stripping. He tried to ignore the doctor's probing but couldn't ignore the sting of alcohol on a couple of open wounds. Biting back the whimpers, Daniel curled his fingers tightly into the shirt he held. He had to get through this as quickly as possible, then the doctor would go away and leave him alone.

A slight pressure on his upper arms indicated that he should turn around so his back could be treated. Slowly, he shuffled himself around so that he was facing Jack but he kept his eyes averted. Now that he knew the injury was there, Daniel fixed his gaze on the small blood-stained area of Jack's shirt. The pirate had been carrying him around, lifting him and bathing him, and hadn't once complained about his injury - that was a gesture of unselfishness that the young man hadn't seen for a very long time.

Cool fingers skimmed over his back and he did his best not to flinch away from the touch. It was different to the examination earlier - for starters, he had been too scared to take it all in; now, though, he knew what was going on. A couple of quiet cries of pain escaped him as the alcohol was poured onto the cuts but he didn't move an inch.

The doctor wound a long piece of cloth around Daniel's torso, covering the worst of the wounds, then said, "Daniel, you can put your shirt back on."

The young man did so as quickly as he could, then wrapped his arms around his chest.

/no more no more no more no more/

Unconsciously he started rocking back and forth, communicating his agitation to the other two.

"Daniel." Jack put his hands on the young man's shoulders, ignoring the attempt to shrug them off. "Daniel, stop it." He held on as the rocking slowed then stopped. The rocking had brought back the memory of when they had first found Daniel, and Jack hated the thought that the kid might still be scared of him.

"Hurts," Daniel stated, wanting to trust Jack but was scared to.

"I know." Jack ran one hand through Daniel's hair - he was beginning to enjoy doing that - then tilted the stubborn chin up. "But you know I wouldn't make you do anything that wasn't good for you."

"No more," Daniel pleaded with his voice and his eyes.

Jack groaned mentally. The urge to protect the kid was hard to resist. He looked over Daniel's shoulder at Doc. "Is it really necessary?" he asked, referring to the removal of Daniel's trousers.

"I believe so, yes," Doc replied, noting that the captain appeared to be becoming emotionally affected by the patient.

"Right." Jack refocused his attention onto the kid. "Danny, the doc has to finish his job so I need you to be brave for just a little while longer."

/brave? not brave scared hurts don't want any pain survived without this before clean now should be fine don't want him looking please Jack no/

Daniel shook his head, the movement limited by the fact that Jack was still holding his chin.

"Please, Danny? Then it will all be over."

The young man considered this, knowing that he was probably safe in refusing but not quite sure. But Jack had promised that it would be quick, and then the doctor would leave him alone. So reluctantly, he nodded.

A soft smile lit Jack's face, pleased that Daniel was co-operating. He shifted off the bed and helped Daniel to lie down on his stomach, then stood near the head of the bed, holding Daniel's hands to reassure him.

"Just relax, Daniel," Doc said as he lowered the trousers to mid-thigh. There were only a couple of wounds that needed the alcohol, and he warned the patient before pouring it on.

Daniel whimpered softly, the alcohol stinging. He squeezed Jack's hands, wanting the pain to go away.

"One more." Doc was very careful as the wound was across one buttock, and he put a piece of cloth nearby to stop it from dripping. He heard the hiss of pain, then said, "All done."

Carefully but quickly, Daniel sat up and pulled the trousers back up, relieved that it was over. Then he moved back against the wall, drew his knees to his chest, and wrapped his arms around them. Sitting on the wound was slightly painful but he ignored that, as sitting was the most defensible position.

"Well done, Danny," Jack praised the young man.

Daniel just stared blankly at him, withdrawing into his own world until the pain went away.

****

Jack left Daniel alone for a few hours after Doc's visit to let the kid have some space. Daniel's privacy had been continually invaded since he had arrived on board, which wasn't a good thing after spending so much time being abused. So Jack spent some time up on deck planning where they should go next and visiting the other ship.

Walking into Apophis's cabin, Jack noticed that although the body had been removed, the bloodstains remained on the floor. But he was more interested in the corner where Daniel had been chained. He knelt down, running his fingers over the name scratched into the floor, recognising that Daniel had likely been a middle- or upper-class kid, literate and educated. What a shock it must have been to suddenly find himself living like this. Had he been spoilt and pretentious, or shy and unassuming? Whatever he had been, he would never be that again, Jack knew. To be taken as a slave, beaten, starved, repeatedly raped, chained up... that would do permanent damage to anyone's soul. Daniel would never fit back into rich society whether he recovered or not; he would be changed by his experience. But Jack also knew that life as a pirate would not suit him either, so that left him in a quandry about what to do with Daniel.

Getting up slowly, he looked at the bed. How many times had Apophis made Daniel lie there while he abused him? He cringed away from the sight of bloodstains on the dirty sheets, hating the man who had caused the blood to be spilled. How dare Apophis treat anyone that way!

On impulse, he gathered the sheets up, went up onto the deck, and threw them over the side. He ignored the eyes of his crew on him, seeing only the sheets as they disappeared beneath the rolling waves. Feeling marginally better, he turned and went back down below to see if he could find any riches to share with his men.

****

When Jack had left, Daniel had thought he was being punished for not obeying; after all, Apophis had frequently done that, albeit Daniel had usually been naked - leaving him alone like that to imagine what the punishment would be for his disobedience.

So now Daniel was wondering what his punishment would be, if that was Jack's intention. The pirate's behaviour so far hadn't indicated that the man would voluntarily hurt him but Daniel was too scared to believe that wouldn't change.

He remembered the care Jack had taken when bathing him, and the support he had shown while the doctor was treating him. Why had he done this? Daniel was a stranger to him. Pirates didn't have the reputation for being caring or kind, yet Jack had displayed those very qualities. Was he genuine or was this the way he would try to get Daniel into bed?

Daniel didn't like that idea, not only because he didn't want to be used that way again but because he didn't want to believe that of Jack. Sure, the pirate had spoken angrily at him but that could easily be frustration rather than true anger. There was something comforting, something honest, about Jack that made Daniel want to trust him, to believe that he wasn't a threat. But he had suffered too much to readily do that.

He slowly unwrapped himself, suddenly curious as to what Jack was like. Gazing around the room, he noticed that compared to Apophis's cabin, Jack's taste in decorating was very Spartan. There was very little in the way of ornamentation; a few pieces of clothing were draped over a plain chair; one picture hung on the wall; and a few personal items lay on the wooden table. Besides the stained-glass windows behind him, there was no colour in the room, just browns and whites. The man who lived there obviously had no interest in living like a king, preferring a simpler life. That was something in his favour.

Daniel moved over to the end of the bed so that he could look at the objects on the table. There was a comb, a mirror, a mug of water, and a picture. He picked the piece of parchment up carefully, looking at the three faces sketched on it. One of them was clearly Jack; the other two, a woman and young boy, were obviously his family. They were all dressed nicely, indicating that they were well-off money-wise. That begged the question of why Jack was living as a pirate.

He ran his fingers lightly over the picture. Suddenly, in his mind's eyes, he could see two different people staring at him; a couple who seemed familiar. His parents? Who were they? Where were they?

//"He will have to stay with you, Sir Nicholas."

"I don't want to look after a child," a gruff, accented voice replied.

"He's your grandson and now your heir. It is your duty to provide him with a home."

"Very well, if I must."//

Daniel put the parchment down, startled at that memory. His grandfather raised him? But that would mean that he had no parents. Maybe his grandfather was dead too, and that was why he was so far from his home. Maybe he didn't even have a home any more. He wished he could remember but as hard as he tried, no more memories surfaced. It was almost as if his past hadn't existed.

There wasn't anything else to investigate - at least, nothing that he could reach. Even if there had been, he wouldn't be able to go over because he couldn't walk; yet another legacy of his slavery. Just to make sure, Daniel slowly swung his legs over the side of the bed, held onto the bedpost, and then cautiously tried to stand up. He managed to stand for about three seconds before his legs gave way and he sat with a thump back on the bed. So much for that plan.

He shifted back onto the bed and lay down. He was useless! He couldn't even stand up! What kind of asset was he going to be if he couldn't even stand? He didn't want to be the ship's whore - the only qualification he had at the moment - so he would have to get himself mobile as soon as possible.

****

When Jack arrived back at his cabin after the evening meal with his men, he found Daniel sprawled on the floor, trying to make his way back onto the bed. He immediately went over to the kid - after putting the tray of food and oil lamp down - and hoisted him onto the bed. "What do you think you were doing?"

Daniel stared defiantly at him. He had lost his balance when attempting to stand again and hadn't been able to pull himself back onto the bed.

Jack had a fair idea anyway. Retrieving the tray, he put it on the bed beside Daniel. "If you want to go somewhere, wait till I'm here to help you."

Daniel winced at the harsh tone. He hadn't expected Jack to be angry at his attempt to stand. Tucking his knees to his chin, he wrapped his arms around his legs, instinctively protecting himself.

It was like owning a puppy, Jack thought as he looked at the hurt expression on Daniel's face - one glimpse of the soulful eyes and you were a goner. He sat down on the bed next to the kid and put his hand on one shoulder. "I'm sorry, Danny. I'm not angry at you, I was angry at someone else before I came in here." He noticed Daniel start to relax a little. "How about some food?"

More food? Daniel looked at the tray. That made three times he had been fed since arriving on board. "Mine?" he questioned, still not certain.

"Yes, yours," Jack replied patiently. "Eat up."

Daniel did so quickly, relishing the bread and slice of orange that he had been given. The fruit tasted so sweet and he savoured it, feeling its cool juices slide down his throat; it was quite likely the best thing he had ever eaten. But it was gone all too quickly.

Jack moved the tray away from the bed when Daniel was finished, still smiling at the pleasure the kid had shown while eating the orange. He always tried to keep a good supply of fruit on board so it had been no problem to secure something for Daniel.

"Thank-you," Daniel said hesitantly, his good manners surfacing.

"You're welcome." Jack gently ruffled the hair. "Now, it's time to get some sleep." He helped Daniel to lie down under the sheet then tucked him in. "I'll be in the crew quarters if you need me, and Teal'c will be right outside the door." He started to reach for the night-time bucket but was stopped by a hand on his arm.

"Don't go." Daniel might still have been somewhat scared but he didn't want to be abandoned by the man he was starting to trust.

"Daniel, I have to go. There's nowhere for me to sleep here unless it's in that bed."

That was a problem. Daniel looked behind him to see whether two grown men could fit into the bed without touching - they couldn't. So he would have to sleep on the floor and let Jack have the bed. He pushed back the sheets, preparing to get up, but was stopped.

Jack knew what the kid was planning to do and put his hand on Daniel's to prevent him from getting out of bed. "No, you stay there. You're the guest, remember?" He cast his eyes around the room, trying to come up with a solution. His eyes locked on a nail sticking out of the wall. Hmm... "I'll be right back."

Before Daniel could protest, he had left the room. When he came back a few minutes later, he was carrying a hammer, a few nails, and a hammock. He quickly hammered the nails into the walls and strung the hammock up between them. "There," he said, turning to look at Daniel. "How about that?"

The young man nodded his approval. This way, he wouldn't be alone but he wouldn't be crowded either.

"Good." Jack went over to put the oil lamp out, then carefully felt his way back to the hammock and climbed into it. It had been years since he had slept in one but he was fortunate enough to be able to sleep in or on just about anything. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," Daniel echoed. He lay there for a long time, just listening to the sound of the ship creaking as it moved through the water, until sleep finally claimed him.

Chapter 3:

Soft cries nearby woke Jack from his sleep. Forgetting where he was, he went to roll out of bed and was promptly pitched onto the floor by the swinging hammock.

"All right, that hurt," he grouched to himself as he picked himself up off the floor. His left shoulder ached, having jarred it when he had hit the floor, as did his left hip, making his movements a little stiff. Another whimper from the direction of the bed reminded Jack why he had woken up. He limped over to the bed, fortunately not running into anything in the dark, and lit the oil lamp. The light allowed him to see Daniel restlessly thrashing his head about in the throes of a bad dream. His hair was plastered to his head with sweat, indicating that the dream had been going on for some time.

"Danny, wake up, it's just a dream," Jack tried to wake the kid using just words. When that didn't work, he reached down and gently shook the thin shoulder.

Daniel's eyes snapped open, coming awake abruptly. His eyes darted about in panic, completely disorientated, until they landed on Jack. Although his breathing remained fast, he stopped his unconscious backwards movement. Dreaming... he'd been dreaming that he was still on Apophis's ship, trying to avoid the unwanted touch of the now-dead pirate. His skin crawled with the memory, and he lay unmoving under Jack's gaze, trying to fight the panic. He was safe now, no-one was going to hurt him.

Jack measured the level of panic and judged it was safe enough to try and comfort the young man. He perched himself on the edge of the bed and smoothed the sweat-soaked fringe back from Daniel's forehead as if the kid was his son. "It's all right, it was just a dream."

The young man's breathing started to slow down as his heart-rate returned to normal. Jack's touches were comforting and Daniel relaxed because of it.

Noticing how slick Daniel's skin was, he checked the shirt - it was damp with sweat. It wouldn't be good for Daniel to sleep in that so he would have to encourage the kid to change clothes. Leaving the bed for a moment, Jack went and retrieved another set of clothes, then came back, saying, "Daniel, you need to get changed or you'll catch a chill." He put the clothes on the end of the bed and indicated for Daniel to sit up.

Slowly Daniel obeyed, shivering a little as the adrenaline left his body. He watched as Jack stripped the sheet from the bed, feeling somewhat exposed.

"Come on."

Daniel took the shirt off, the cool night air drying the sweat on his skin. He felt Jack wrap the sheet around him and carefully dry off the exposed areas. Putting a hand to his bandages, Daniel realised they were damp also and he started to untie them.

"Wait," Jack said, seeing the action. "No, on second thoughts, you're probably right. Keep going."

Daniel finished removing the bandages, tolerated Jack putting a new bandage around his torso, then slipped the new shirt on. The cotton material felt cool against his skin. Without prompting, he then undid his trousers and lay down so that he could get them off without standing up. He managed to get them off by himself and he tolerated the brisk rub-down Jack gave him, then pulled the new trousers on. When he had finished, he smiled to himself. He had been allowed to dress himself - that was definitely a good thing.

Jack lifted Daniel off the bed and sat him down on the chair, then proceeded to remake the bed. Daniel started to feel embarrassed that he was causing this much trouble - it was almost as if he were a child who had wet the bed. Speaking of which, how could he let Jack know that he needed to relieve himself?

As Jack remade the bed, his foot hit the bucket under the bed, catching Daniel's attention. "Jack?"

"What?" The pirate turned to look at Daniel then followed the direction of the pointing finger. He pulled the bucket out. "You need this?"

Daniel nodded. He didn't know how he was going to use it though given that he couldn't stand. Maybe he could kneel?

Jack placed the bucket in front of Daniel then helped the kid stand. "I won't look," he promised.

Even more embarrassed, Daniel managed to relieve himself, then tidied himself up. As he sank back into the chair, he decided he was definitely going to have to regain use of his legs because doing that every day was just way too embarrassing.

Opening the window over the bed, Jack emptied the contents of the bucket out, then went back to making the bed. He knew Daniel was embarrassed at needing help for such a basic function so he didn't make a big deal out of it. When the bed was ready, he picked Daniel up and put him in the middle of it.

Daniel just let Jack fuss over him. It felt strange that the pirate was taking such good care of him. Granted, he was being treated like a child but after his recent ordeal, it was a nice change.

Jack finished tucking Daniel in but resisted the instinct to soothe the young man's brow. The kid had been on the ship for less than a day and already Jack was too involved. He cared about what happened to Daniel, and that was not a good thing for a pirate. Caring got people killed because they couldn't do what needed to be done. And he could not afford to let that happen. "Better get some more sleep," he said to the kid, avoiding those clear blue eyes. He extinguished the oil lamp then got back into his hammock. Helpful and detached, that's what he should be.

Daniel sensed a change in Jack but didn't know what it was. All he could recognise was that the pirate had withdrawn his friendliness a little, and that knowledge caused him to lie awake for a long time trying to figure what he had done to cause it.

****

When he woke up again, Daniel was alone in the room. Light was streaming through the window, warming him. Remembering the events of the previous night, his eyes darted nervously around the room, just in case Jack was out of sight. When the pirate didn't appear, Daniel relaxed a little, although he was still worried that Jack wouldn't want to look after him any more.

He spied some food sitting on the table: more bread, a banana, and some water. Obviously someone - most likely Jack - had brought that in while he was sleeping. Not wanting to waste the opportunity, he quickly sat and up and dug into the food.

When Jack hadn't arrived by the time he had finished, Daniel became nervous. He remembered the pirate's withdrawal and wondered whether he had been abandoned for the day - after all, Jack had a ship to command; he couldn't be looking after Daniel as well. Maybe yesterday had been a one-off and now things would go back to normal; pirates weren't exactly known for their compassion. But Daniel had sensed that Jack was different. It just went to show how wrong he could be.

There was a knock on the door, startling Daniel. Jack wouldn't knock, so it was someone else. He remained silent, hoping whoever it was would go away but there was no such luck. The handle turned and the door opened, revealing a young man who couldn't have been more than twenty.

Loren cautiously entered the room. He had been warned by the captain to approach the new arrival slowly and not to make him feel uncomfortable, so he was trying to obey. While he was walking, he was busy looking Daniel over; he was curious about the visitor. When he got closer to the bed, he said, "Hi, I'm Loren. The captain sent me to see if you needed anything."

Daniel remained quiet, assessing the stranger for potential threats.

"Do you want any more food?" Loren was a little unnerved by the man's silence and penetrating stare. "Something to read?"

Read? Daniel tried to remember if he could read. He knew he had been able to read his name, therefore that meant that he could probably read other things too. But slaves weren't allowed to read so why was Loren asking?

Loren saw the spark of interest in Daniel's eyes. "Wait here, I'll get something for you." He ran out of the cabin, went to his bunk, sorted through the few books he had, and then raced back to Daniel. Loren was one of the few on board who could read fluently - the captain had educated him - so he had a small store of books. "Here."

Tentatively, Daniel reached out and took the book. It was a comforting weight in his hand, familiar even. He had read books before, that was now certain. "Thank-you."

"No problem." He noticed the way Daniel held the book and was sure that he had found a kindred spirit. "I'll be back later on, so if there's anything you need, let me know."

Daniel nodded but didn't say anything. He was too busy analysing his feelings about the book.

Loren left Daniel to it and went eagerly to find the captain. He couldn't wait to share the news. "Captain!"

Jack looked up from where he was repairing some battle damage; cannonballs were such a nuisance. "What is it, Loren?"

The kid skidded to a halt, eyes shining with happiness. "I think Daniel can read," he announced.

"Why, did he ask you for something?" He might have known the two would hit it off, as they were pretty close in age. Jack supposed he could have asked Daniel about reading but he had been too busy with the repairs he had neglected yesterday.

"No, but he looked interested so I lent him one of mine." Loren couldn't wait until later when he could go back and talk about the book with Daniel. "Can I visit him later?"

Jack gave his permission; Loren was an enthusiastic kid and definitely not a threat to Daniel. Perhaps it was just what Daniel needed to help him recover.

"Thank-you."

Loren bounded off, a bundle of energy, as Jack turned back to his work. The pirate wanted to go and see if Daniel was indeed reading, but he reminded himself of the decision he had made last night; he had to treat Daniel as if he were one of the crew. Otherwise, it would just be too easy to get too involved. And he couldn't afford to do that.

Meanwhile, below in the captain's cabin, Daniel reverently ran his fingers over the leather cover. How long had it been since he had read anything? Way too long, he decided. His fingers traced over the title - 'Gulliver's Travels' - although it took a couple of minutes of concentration to work out that much. The title sounded familiar, so he had possibly read it before his life had been so devastatingly changed.

He opened the book to the first page and tried to read the opening sentence. His brain stumbled over the words but he re-read it until it made sense. Then he went onto the next sentence and found that it was a little easier. The same thing happened with the next sentence and so on until his fluency came back. And then he became lost in the story, reading hungrily as though starved for words...

When a shadow fell across the book, Daniel flinched back, the book dropping from his fingers. He looked up to see Jack standing next to the bed and for one moment, he thought the pirate was going to hit him for reading. The moment passed, as did the fear.

Jack picked the book up, glanced at the title, then handed it back to Daniel. The kid had seemed to be a fair way into it, considering he'd only had it for a few hours. The fact that Daniel could read well was an indication that the kid was well-educated. So how had he ended up with Apophis?

Daniel accepted the return of the book and continued to stare at Jack. He was puzzled by the older man's silence. Why had he come back at all if he wasn't going to say anything?

//"On your knees, whore."

"Master..." he pleaded, his solitude interrupted.

"I said, on your knees!"

Pain flared in his cheek as his master punished him for not obeying. Fighting back tears, he quickly but reluctantly obeyed. The quicker it was over with, the sooner he would be alone again...//

Jack saw the flinch and wondered what Daniel was thinking. The look in those eyes was distant, as if the young man was remembering something terrible. He probably was, Jack thought, deciding he really didn't want to know what. "Good book?" he asked, striving for a normal conversation.

"Yes." The words 'a brilliant political satire' popped into his head but he didn't know where they had come from. Something from his past, maybe.

"Feel up to some exercise?" He had to get Daniel walking again as soon as possible.

That depended on what exercises Jack had in mind. Wary, his thoughts lingering on the flashback, Daniel nodded.

"Good. Come over here then." Jack patted the edge of the bed.

Daniel did so slowly, dangling his legs over the side.

Jack knelt down in front of Daniel, linked his hands together and then held them palm outwards in front of his chest. "Now, push me over."

Was this a joke? Daniel stared wide-eyed at the pirate. He wasn't going to push Jack over!

"Look, I know you think this is weird but it's a good test of how strong your legs actually are," Jack explained. "So come on, push."

Daniel slowly raised his right leg and pressed the foot against Jack's hands. The pirate responded by pushing the foot gently back towards him. To push Jack over, Daniel would have to straighten his leg and push forward at the same time. Concentrating hard, he tried to push against the hands, succeeding in moving them a little before Jack pushed back again.

"Come on, Danny, you can do better than that," Jack goaded.

Daniel gritted his teeth and tried again, this time rocking Jack backwards but not toppling him over.

"Much better," Jack praised. "One last try." He braced himself for the push, which was just as well because Daniel put all his strength into it and nearly knocked him over. "That was good," Jack said as he righted himself.

Daniel gave a small smile, pleased that he had been able to push the pirate over. That meant that the strength hadn't entirely gone; maybe it had been a subconscious decision to try to minimise his abuse - a protest of sorts.

"Captain?" Loren's voice sounded from behind them. Teal'c had let him in.

Jack stood up, not displaying any embarrassment at being found on his knees in front of the new arrival. "Yes, Loren?"

"I've brought some food for Daniel," the boy said, holding up the items for verification.

"Well, don't just stand there, bring them over," Jack ordered.

Loren quickly walked over and handed the items to Daniel. "Have you been reading the book?" he asked eagerly, grinning when Daniel nodded. "Have you read it before?" He sat himself down on the bed.

"Don't know," Daniel muttered, slightly uncomfortable with Loren's proximity.

"It's the best book ever written," Loren gushed. He loved 'Gulliver's Travels' - it appealed to his sense of adventure. "What part are you up to?"

"I'll leave you two to discuss things," Jack said, making a strategic retreat. Loren on one of his literary rants was almost unstoppable. "Daniel, just kick Loren out if he gets too much."

Loren didn't take any offence at that; he was used to the crew ignoring him or trying to shut him up. He continued talking to Daniel, occasionally eliciting a short response.

Daniel quietly ate his food while Loren talked, puzzling over why Jack had left him again. The pirate had come in, tested his strength, then left again. There had been a hint of friendliness when Jack had come in but then it had disappeared. What had he done wrong?

A touch on his arm startled him and he automatically moved away from it.

"I'm sorry," Loren said, his voice anxious. He didn't want to upset Daniel. "I just... you looked so sad. What's wrong?"

Daniel shook his head, unable to explain; Loren wouldn't understand anyway. He tucked his knees to his chest, hugging them close. No-one would understand.

"Do you want me to leave?" Loren didn't know what to do. "Do you want me to get the Captain?" An adamant shake of the head this time. "What then?"

/don't know I don't know! tell me why Jack doesn't want to be around me anymore tell me what I did wrong/

He looked directly at Loren, aware the boy was no threat to him but still wary of speaking. But maybe Loren knew something about Jack's behaviour. "Captain... mad at me."

"Why do you think that?"

"Not... here."

"That's because he's supervising the repairs. Both ships took a bit of damage yesterday." Not that he had been involved with the fighting but he had watched from his place below decks where the captain had told him to wait.

"Both ship?" Jack had two ships?

"Yeah, our and Apophis's. The captain claimed the ship after..." Loren trailed off when he saw Daniel's face. "Damn, I'm sorry, Daniel. I shouldn't have mentioned his name."

/Jack kept master's ship? why would he do that? bad ship owned by a bad man should have been destroyed/

//Blurry images of a dark ship, dark cabin... Being dragged through the ship to be doused with cold water then dragged back again... Blood staining the decks... His blood in his corner, on the sheets, striping his body... Sounds of pain echoing through the ship, not only his but others as well... No hope of escaping alive...//

Loren got scared by Daniel's rocking and ran to get the captain, bypassing Teal'c at the door. He found the pirate about to climb the rigging. "It wasn't my fault, Captain, I swear. He just started rocking - I think something's wrong!"

Jack managed to work out that Loren was talking about Daniel and was immediately concerned. What had happened? He quickly followed Loren back to the cabin and found his guest in a clearly agitated state. Straight away, he went over to the bed and put his hands on Daniel's shoulders. "Danny, calm down, it's all right." Over his shoulder, he asked Loren, "What happened?"

"He wanted to know if you were mad at him, I said no, you were just busy with the ships, and he asked what ships, and I might have mentioned Apophis but I didn't know he would react like that," Loren explained in a rush.

Well, that explained the agitation. Abandoning the standoffish approach, Jack sat down and gathered Daniel into his arms, while continuing to talk to Loren. "It wasn't your fault, Loren. He's just a little sensitive about you-know-who at the moment."

"I'm sorry, Captain." Loren watched as Daniel fought against the hold and then gradually succumbed to it, going limp in the captain's arms. Feeling guilty, he left the room and headed for his sleeping space where he could be alone.

"That's it, Danny," Jack crooned into the young man's ear. "Just relax. Everything's all right." The pirate reckoned that Apophis's name must have triggered a flashback or something.

Daniel relaxed into Jack's embrace, comforted by the strong arms holding him close. Jack wasn't mad at him, otherwise he wouldn't be doing this. Maybe Jack had just been busy after all. "Not mad?" he asked in a small voice.

"Definitely not mad at you," the older man confirmed. He cradled Daniel to him for another few seconds then released him.

"The ship?" Daniel wanted to know why Jack would keep it. He kept his arms wrapped around his knees.

Jack sighed. "Spoils of war. Apophis doesn't need it anymore, and we're gonna fix it up so it looks completely different." He would make sure of it. "You won't have to go anywhere near it, I promise."

But I know it's there, Daniel thought with a tinge of fear. "Make it go away," he said.

"Daniel, I..."

"Make it go away!" Tears came unbidden to his eyes. He couldn't cope knowing that the place where he was imprisoned still existed and that it was so close to him. He wanted it gone.

Jack reached out and stroked the unwashed hair. "I can't, Daniel, not yet. It's still a good sailing ship and I..."

Daniel pulled away from the touch, upset that Jack was not going to get rid of the ship.

"Look, I would rather the ship be destroyed too," Jack admitted, "but I can't do it for that reason. And once the repairs are done, then you'll never see it again."

What good would that do him right now? "Want to sleep," Daniel said, lying down and curling up into a ball.

"Of course." Jack got up and headed for the door. Before he left, he looked at the resolutely turned back and mentally sighed. That went well, he thought sarcastically.

Daniel waited until the door had closed before letting the tears fall. Every time he looked out the window, he was going to see a living reminder of his imprisonment, and Jack wasn't going to do anything about it. How could Jack do this to him?

Jack went straight above decks and stood looking at the 'Alexandria'. She was a well-built ship if somewhat ugly - a reflection of her former owner, no doubt. If he destroyed the ship now, his crew would think he had gone mad. And he couldn't very well tell Jonas to keep it out of sight until they reached land, could he? Daniel was just going to have to cope with the ship being there for a week or so until they reached the nearest port. So why did Jack feel like he had just hurt his best friend?

****

For the rest of the day, Daniel remained in the cabin, alternatively reading and becoming lost in his own thoughts, while Jack remained above deck. Daniel refused to look out the window, afraid he would see the other ship out there. The knowledge of it, though, haunted him and he couldn't concentrate on the book.

He happened to glance at the table and his attention was caught by the picture. Reaching over, he picked it up and examined it again. Jack's family. Where were they now?

//"No! Where's my mummy? I want my mummy!"

Strong arms enveloped him, lifting him off his feet and holding him close. "Your mother won't be coming back, Daniel. Remember?"

"No! She's not dead! She promised she would come back, she promised!" Hot, scalding tears ran down his face as he struggled against the hold. "Let me go!"

"Daniel!" Another voice spoke, this one less loving than the other one. "Behave yourself. Remember who you are."

"I don't care! I want my mummy!" He stomped down hard on someone's foot, causing the hold on him to be released, and he ran through the house to his room. Flinging himself onto the bed, he looked through wet eyes at the picture on his bedside table. They had to be coming home, they just had to be...//

Real tears ran down Daniel's face as he remembered that day. His mother had promised that she would come back so that he wouldn't have to stay with his grandfather. But she had lied; he had never seen either of his parents again. All he'd had was one picture to keep their memory alive.

"What are you doing with that?"

Jack's voice startled him out of his thoughts. Doing with what?

Jack stepped forward and took the picture out of Daniel's hand. He put it back on the table then turned to face the confused young man. "Well?"

Daniel shrank back from the harsh tone. He had only been looking - why was Jack mad?

The pirate was about to yell at Daniel when he noticed the too-bright eyes. Damn, the kid had been crying again - it was amazing there was any moisture left in his body. In a slightly gentler tone, he said, "Daniel?"

"Family." Something he didn't have. "My parents died," he shared with Jack. "A long time ago."

It was the most words Jack had heard the young man speak at once. "Who raised you?" he asked curiously.

"Grandfather." A strict man who didn't like children.

There was something in that tone that made Jack suspect that the grandfather hadn't showered love on his orphaned grandson. "Brothers or sisters?"

Daniel shook his head.

To Jack, it sounded like the kid didn't have anything to go back to. Feeling sorry for him, Jack picked up the picture and showed it to Daniel. "My wife, Sarah, and our son, Charlie. They both died of influenza nine years ago." No-one else on board the ship knew that. He had kept his previous life private.

"Jack sad." Not angry, just sad at losing his family. Daniel tentatively moved closer to the older man, curiously watching the emotions flit over the pirate's face.

"Yes," Jack agreed. He put the picture back on the table, then changed the subject. "Time to eat again." The pirate had brought some meat, half an orange and some rum down for Daniel. Their fresh water was beginning to go bad, what with no real rainfall to replenish the supplies they had brought on board three weeks ago, so Daniel would now have to start drinking rum like everyone else.

Daniel took a sip of the rum and screwed up his nose. He never had quite developed a taste for the drink, much preferring coffee when he could get it. Coffee...?

"Yeah, I know but it's all we've got," Jack said, noting the kid's dislike of rum. "You get used to it."

"Master... made me drink it," Daniel whispered, not quite believing he was sharing this information with Jack. Rum had been the only drinking liquid on board, and his master had often forced it down his throat before performing the more violent acts... although he had never been given enough to numb the pain.

"Daniel," Jack turned the kid to face him. "Apophis wasn't your master, and he definitely isn't now. He was just a bad man who liked hurting other people."

"Hurt me," the young man said in a small voice.

"Yes, he did." And Apophis had paid for that with his life, Jack thought with satisfaction. "But he can't hurt you anymore. You can do what you want and say what you want without anyone hurting you."

If only that were true. "You yelled."

"I know, I'm sorry. It's just - my past is private. I didn't expect you to be looking." He had been so sure that Daniel would have read all afternoon that he hadn't entertained the idea that the kid might explore. "Come on, keep eating." He held the meat out.

After the meal was eaten, Jack wasn't quite sure what to do. Normally, he would read but the hammock was too far away from the lamp for that to be practical. And he didn't think that they would both be able to sit there and read. So maybe something else was in order. "Danny, do you know how to play checkers?"

When Daniel nodded tentatively, Jack got the equipment out then set up the board in the middle of the bed. He sat at one end, Daniel at the other. As he was setting up the pieces, Jack stated, "You're allowed to win, Danny. I'm not going to be mad if you do. In fact, I'll be very happy if you try to win."

Jack wanted to lose? Why? That was very strange indeed. Daniel took the order to heart, wanting to please Jack, and did his best to win the game.

The pirate quickly discovered that Daniel had a keen mind for strategy and wondered what he would be like at chess. He watched as all his pieces gradually disappeared, Daniel occasionally shooting him wary glances as if checking that winning was still all right. When Daniel finally made the last move, taking the last of Jack's pieces off the board, the older man grinned. Well, he did tell Daniel to try and win, didn't he? "Well done, Danny."

Daniel felt pleased that he had made Jack happy, and couldn't stop a small grin from forming. It felt good to be happy again.

Jack was blown away by how beautiful Daniel looked at that moment. The blue eyes lit up, and the whole expression changed from one of fear and sadness to one of happiness. Doubts began to creep in as to the wisdom of having the boy on board; once he had regained some weight and was able to move around freely, most of the men on board would be susceptible to his beauty, and some might even try to use him. Jack couldn't allow that to happen but he was currently at a loss as to how to prevent it, short of locking Daniel in the cabin or assigning Teal'c as a bodyguard. A punishment of death to anyone who forced him might work but depending on Daniel's state of mind, it could be all too easy for the kid to give in so that he wouldn't get hurt, therefore technically it wouldn't be considered forcing him. He would have to think of something and soon.

After packing up the game, Jack tucked Daniel into bed then planted a kiss in the soft hair. So much for trying to keep his distance; Daniel brought out all his paternal instincts, so he would just have to accept that he needed to look after the kid. "Goodnight, Daniel."

"Goodnight, Jack," Daniel replied as the pirate put the lamp out. For a couple of minutes there, he had felt like a normal person again. He had missed that and was glad that Jack had made the effort to treat him like one. That gave him hope that he could become normal again. Happy, he drifted quickly off to sleep.

Chapter 4:

Over the next week, a pattern evolved. Jack would be there when Daniel woke, helped the young man to dress, then after breakfast, went through some exercises designed to strengthen the leg muscles. Jack then went above deck to perform his duties as Captain, while Daniel stayed in the cabin and either read or continued with the exercises. Loren often dropped in for a chat, as well as to help Daniel shave, and Daniel gradually started to increase his involvement in the discussions. His speech improved until he was occasionally using full sentences but he still tended to use words sparingly.

On one of those days, Jack finally got Daniel to wash his hair, and the pirate was surprised to see that the hair was golden blonde in colour. It felt silky smooth too, and he liked sliding his fingers through it.

The evenings were spent playing either chess or checkers, Daniel proving quite good at both. Jack didn't mind losing as he got to see the young man smiling on those occasions.

Daniel found himself enjoying the time he spent with both Jack and Loren, and the bad memories of his time with Apophis began to fade away. Naturally, they didn't disappear completely, especially with the 'Alexandria' sailing next to the 'Star-Dweller', but the flashbacks and dreams became less frequent. This helped him in his struggle to get back to normal, although his interactions were still quite childlike. He also began to understand that Jack wasn't his master, just his friend.

On the morning of the seventh day on board, when he was able to walk the length of the cabin unaided, he was overjoyed. Jack had been too; enveloping him in an exuberant hug that had almost knocked him off his feet. Those few steps were a huge achievement, another step - literally - towards his recovery, and the hug was the best reward.

****

Two days later, Jack was hovering anxiously as Daniel made his way slowly up the steps that would take him up to the main deck. Loren was walking in front of Daniel, ready to catch him if necessary, while Jack waited a few steps below. It was Daniel's first trip out of the cabin since he had arrived, and Jack was nervous as to how he was going to go.

Daniel was starting to look better, the cuts and bruises fading, and the small weight gain had started to fill out his body. He was also gaining more confidence in himself but today would be the big test when he was out among strangers again. How would he react to them?

The young man wasn't thinking about that at all. He was too busy concentrating on getting one foot in front of the other and getting himself up the stairs. His legs were starting to shake with the effort but he doggedly kept going, wanting to make it to the top so that Jack would be proud of him. Daniel had made that his main goal over the past week; he wanted to get better but more importantly, he wanted to please Jack, to make the pirate proud of him. Every time Jack smiled at him, praised or hugged him, Daniel felt good and he wanted that to continue.

When he stepped onto the deck, Daniel turned to face Jack, a huge grin on his face. He'd done it! He had climbed the stairs by himself! After he received Jack's answering grin, Daniel sat down on the top step in order to give his legs a rest. That had been the longest time he had been standing in about a month, and his legs felt like jelly now, but at least he was using them again! He waited patiently for Jack to praise him or hug him or maybe both.

Jack knew Daniel was waiting for him to say or do something like he had in the privacy of his cabin but the pirate was very aware of the nearby members of his crew. He hoped Daniel would understand why they couldn't hug, and as he placed a hand on the young man's shoulder, he said quietly, "Well done, Danny."

Surprised, Daniel stared at Jack. Why wasn't he pleased? Jack had grinned - surely that had meant that he was pleased? But Jack wasn't acting happy now - why? Daniel couldn't think of anything he had done wrong. "Jack...?" he started to ask before becoming aware of many eyes on him. He slowly looked around and saw at least twenty pirates looking curiously at him. Panic began to rise in him and he turned back to Jack, the distress apparent in his eyes.

It was Loren, however, who sat down next to Daniel and tried to reassure him. "It's all right, they won't hurt you. They're just curious." He had learnt a lot about how to deal with Daniel's fears over the past week. "It'll just be for a few minutes. You'll be able to see Cape Town."

Daniel again looked at Jack, who nodded in affirmation. A few minutes... he could manage that, sure he could. But Jack wasn't going to help him so he would have to rely on Loren to keep him upright; he hoped Loren was up to the task. His face set in concentration, Daniel stood up slowly. With Loren as a guide, he managed to walk over to the bow, keeping his eyes on the deck so he wouldn't have to look at the men around him. He stumbled going up the steps but persevered and made it up onto the forecastle.

Jack watched carefully while trying to make it look like he wasn't watching carefully. Daniel was going well. The pirate had discovered that there was a stubborn streak buried underneath the fear, which meant that Daniel didn't give up. A good trait to have in most circumstances, and it probably - in a way - had helped him while he was with Apophis because he didn't totally lose himself.

More of Daniel's personality was beginning to appear when they were together. A shy smile here, a curious tilt to the head there, and a squint that indicated that Daniel may have worn glasses. In a way, it was like watching him grow up again.

"He's a looker," Eric Parker, who was acting as first mate, said as he observed the young man's progress.

"He's off-limits," Jack replied, taking his attention briefly off Daniel. "Remember that."

"I know, look but don't touch." Parker laughed it off while watching the young man. "Has he got a body to match?" The clothes positively hung from the slender frame.

"Parker," came the warning.

"All right, just curious." The younger pirate moved away to discuss the boy with his mates.

Because his eyes were fixed on the distant landmass, Daniel didn't realise he was still being watched, which was probably just as well. He squinted a little, trying to see a little more clearly. "That's Cape Town?" The name sounded familiar but he didn't think he had been there before.

"That's it," Loren confirmed. "We should be there about an hour before sunset."

Not that he would see because he would be back in the cabin by then, away from the crew. Daniel stood there for a while longer, just staring into the distance and feeling the gentle breeze caress his body. How long had it been since he had done that?

As he turned away, ready to head back below, he saw the 'Alexandria'. Immediately he stiffened with fear, even though he knew it was irrational to be scared of a ship. He saw the pirates on board it going about their business, although a few were staring curiously at him. Uncomfortable, he headed for the stairs, waiting impatiently there for Loren to help him. He wanted to get out of sight now.

On the last step, the muscles in his legs gave out and he fell onto the deck. His face became flushed with embarrassment when he heard the snickers, and he hated them for laughing at him. He looked towards Jack, wanting to see his reactions, and found that the pirate captain was glaring at the men who had laughed. That made Daniel feel marginally better. With Loren's help, he got back onto his feet, went over to the other set of stairs, and descended into the ship.

Jack found himself annoyed at his crew for laughing at Daniel but then he remembered that they didn't know anything about the kid. They didn't know about his stubbornness that had helped him cross the ship; or his dislike of being touched, especially after a nightmare; or the thousands of little insecurities that were a direct result of being beaten and abused. They just saw him as a good-looking kid who didn't appear to have his sea-legs after spending nine days in the captain's cabin. And there was probably nothing he could do to alter that perception. Sighing quietly, he went below to check on the food stores; it wouldn't do to directly follow Daniel.

On the 'Alexandria', Jonas Hanson watched the young guest with interest. So that is what Apophis found so appealing, he thought, lowering the telescope. And if rumours were to be believed, what now kept O'Neill occupied day and night, contrary to the captain's earlier statement that the boy would not be treated as a whore on board the ship. He had never known the captain to go for men so it was more likely that the boy hadn't been well enough to leave the cabin before now. Giving the matter no more thought, he went back to work.

Back in the captain's cabin on the 'Star-Dweller', Daniel had collapsed onto the bed and was now curled up on his side, hugging his knees and muttering incoherently. Loren was sitting next to him, trying to comfort him, but having little effect. The cruel laughter of the pirates was taunting Daniel, as was the image of the other ship. He had never seen the whole exterior before and had been struck by how cold it had seemed; very appropriate considering what had occurred on board. Add to all that the fact that Jack hadn't come back yet, and Daniel was seriously agitated. All his pleasure in his achievement had dissipated. Why didn't Jack come back?

/because he was ashamed to be seen with you! you were a slave, a whore, someone to be looked down upon... he's only nice to you when there's no-one else around/

Loren was getting worried at Daniel's behaviour; the latter hadn't reacted like this for at least four days. The younger man didn't understand what had caused Daniel so much distress. So it was with some relief that Loren greeted Jack's arrival. "Captain!"

"What's the matter?" Jack looked at Daniel's defensive position - this was not a good sign. "Loren?"

"He started doing this as soon as we got back," Loren said, getting up from the bed. "He just keeps staring at nothing and muttering."

Jack went and sat on the bed, putting a hand on Daniel's leg. The young man flinched away from the touch. "Daniel."

"Only nice in here. Ashamed. Bad Daniel," the distressed man muttered, seemingly unaware of Jack's presence. "Useless. Idiot slave. Clumsy. Jack doesn't want me, what did I do wrong?"

"Nothing, Daniel, you didn't do anything wrong." Jack reached out to stroke the kid's arm soothingly. He hadn't realised how much of Daniel's confidence came from knowing that he had pleased Jack; the lack of support must have come across as rejection. "I was the one who was wrong. I'm the captain, I should be able to help you if I want to."

"I'll just..." Loren gestured to the door and received a nod of acknowledgement from the captain. He then quietly slipped out of the room, giving them some privacy.

Daniel stopped his blank staring, suddenly aware of Jack beside him, and looked at the older man. "Jack?" When had Jack arrived?

"Yes, Danny?"

The young man uncurled and moved himself back against the wall. Jack was here, being nice again. Pitying him, stroking him like a pet. He was Jack's useless pet. "No."

"What?" Jack didn't understand.

"Not a pet. Person." He wasn't an animal.

The pirate still didn't understand. "I know that." What was Daniel on about?

"Ashamed of me but not in here."

Jack began to understand. "I'm not ashamed of you. I think you're very brave. Out there, I just... I don't know what I was thinking."

Daniel looked at Jack incredulously. "Brave?" He wasn't brave. Scared, definitely, and wanting to please but brave? Not something he had ever thought he was.

"Yes, Danny, brave. Not to mention a survivor. You survived Apophis; and today, even though you were scared, you still went up on deck. That took a lot of courage."

It had, although Daniel hadn't realised it at the time. He had only done it because Jack had wanted him too. A small smile appeared on his face. Jack thought he was brave.

Jack was encouraged by that smile to move further onto the bed to sit cross-legged in front of Daniel. "I don't think you're bad or clumsy or useless or an idiot, and definitely not a slave or a pet."

Daniel's eyes widened at the words - he hadn't said most of those things except in his head.

"You're recovering from something bad and it's gonna take a while to get back to normal. So cut yourself some slack, all right?" He reached out and squeezed Daniel's arm.

"But I was... he..." Daniel couldn't believe what he was hearing. "He told me..."

"Ah! Apophis was the bad one, remember, not you. You haven't done anything wrong." He had thought that he had banished those ideas from Daniel's head; it appeared that the kid had just remained quiet about them. "Don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

Daniel relaxed and unwrapped his arms from around his legs. It was all right; Jack said he wasn't bad. Jack didn't mind what he had done, and didn't blame him for any of it. Knowing this, he felt better. "I thought you were punishing me," he admitted while fiddling with the hem of his trousers.

"I would never do that." How could he anyway when those blue eyes looked at him so soulfully? "Pirates aren't exactly known for their compassion, Danny. Helping you would have been seen as a sign of weakness. Even you being here could be taken as such."

And that wasn't a good thing, Daniel realised. "I should go." He didn't want to be a burden.

"Where? You're not ready yet."

"Someone might hurt you... because of me."

"I'll take that chance." He couldn't let the kid go back into the world like this - if he wasn't murdered straight away, he would be committed or taken as a slave. He thought of Daniel's grandfather who would want his grandson to be returned safely; and he thought about how if his own son had lived, how he would want someone to look after him. "I promised to look after you and I will." He had said that when Daniel had first come on board.

Daniel was a little puzzled as to when and to whom the promise had been made but the important part was that Jack was going to look after him. Jack wasn't going to let anyone else hurt him. Jack was his protector and friend. Happy, Daniel allowed himself to be drawn into Jack's arms, and snuggled up to the broad chest as a child would to his father, the hurt from earlier put aside. Jack would keep him safe until he was better.

****

Several hours later, the 'Star-Dweller' and the 'Alexandria' had docked at Cape Town. Many of the crew had already left the ship - except for those on watch - ready for a night of pleasure and entertainment. Jack left Daniel in Loren's company, going ashore himself but not for his usual reasons. This time he was only going to pay the docking master, then see if he could find a special treat for Daniel.

****

Lady Samantha Carter, explorer and closet scientist, carefully watched the men leaving the two newly-arrived ships. It was strange to see two ships arrive together, and she wondered what business they were in. The men looked fairly rough and tumble, so they were either the crew of a poor trader, or pirates. Personally, she didn't mind which so long as they could provide her with information. Ruefully, she decided as the crew brushed by her without stopping, that perhaps she should have worn a dress rather than the shirt and trousers; at least then they would pay attention to her.

A man, older than the others, caught her eye. He was talking to the docking master, and a ritual exchange of money was taking place. The man had an air of authority about him - most likely this was the captain. Maybe he would have some information.

When the man started moving again, Sam went forward and intercepted him. "Excuse me, may I have a word?"

Cool brown eyes raked her from head to foot then dismissed her. "Sorry, I'm not interested."

"I wasn't offering," she replied coolly. "Have you come from the Far East this trip?"

"Possibly," Jack admitted, eyeing the woman cautiously. She was quite tall, very pretty but had forgone the usual female attire in favour of more comfortable clothing. "Why?"

"A friend of mine was travelling from India to meet me here. He was supposed to arrive three weeks ago." She was getting very worried. She knew that there could have been delays but something told her it was worse than that.

"Maybe his ship was delayed," Jack pointed out. It happened.

"Maybe," Sam agreed. She pulled out a piece of parchment from her pocket and held it out to him. "Have you seen this man?"

Jack took the parchment and looked at the picture. He had no trouble in recognising Daniel. This woman was a friend of his? - What were the odds of that? Should he tell her the truth and have her see the young man in his current state, or lie but find out enough information to return Daniel to her at a later date? "Can't say that I have." He couldn't say that he had either. "He looks too young to be travelling around the world."

"I hardly think twenty-eight is too young," Sam shot back, disappointed but not entirely without hope. Something in his voice indicated that he was interested, and there could really only be one reason why.

Twenty-eight? Jack couldn't believe his ears; no way could Daniel be that old! He let none of his surprise show through though. Handing the picture back, he said, "Look, lady, there are plenty of hazards out there. Odds are that if he doesn't show up soon, he's probably dead." He didn't want to crush her hopes but he also didn't want her to get those same hopes up.

Sam fought back the stab of pain at hearing those words. She wouldn't accept that Daniel was dead, not yet. He wasn't allowed to be dead. "What if he was taken as a slave?" Such things did happen.

"Then he'd be as good as dead," Jack replied. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have things to do." He strode off, wondering whether he had done the right thing.

Daniel isn't dead, Sam told herself as she watched the man leave. That was only conjecture on the part of a sailor who was probably in a hurry to get to the nearest pleasure house.

"No use, pouting, honey," a voice said in her ear. "He doesn't go for your type."

Sam spun around to see a grizzled but fairly handsome man standing nearby. "He's not exactly mine either." If she were that kind of woman, which of course, she wasn't.

Jonas smiled at her; she was definitely his type. "What's the matter then?"

"Nothing, I suppose." On impulse, she held the picture out to the man. "Have you seen this man?"

The pirate looked at it, mentally lengthened the hair and thinned out the face. Well, well, well, he thought, O'Neill's little friend. "Is there a reward involved?" He was loyal to Jack but only up to a point. The boy was deadwood, a liability; it would be his duty to return the boy to his family.

Sam's lips thinned. She should have known that was what it took to get information. "How much?"

Jonas named a price that he considered reasonable, taking into account what he was about to do. When the woman nodded, he said, "Your friend's ship was attacked by pirates. He was taken prisoner by one named Apophis."

Her heart leapt for joy before sinking when the meaning sank in. "Do you know if he is still alive?" Her Daniel, a prisoner.

Jonas paused for a moment before nodding.

"Do you know where he is?" The outstretched hand in front of her demanded payment before the answer was given.

"I can take you to him right now."

Sam nodded her agreement and warily followed the man onto the ship she had seen the other man disembark from. One of the two had to be a liar but which one? If it turned out to be the man in front of her, she was very capable of defending herself. If it was the other man... what did he stand to gain from the lie?

She was led to the back of the ship and down below the main deck. Remaining alert, she took careful note of where she was in case she needed to escape quickly.

Jonas was relieved to see that Teal'c wasn't on guard duty; getting past him would have been difficult. "In here." At least, the captain's cabin was where he hoped the boy would be.

Daniel looked up from the cards he held as the door opened. When he saw it wasn't Jack - indeed that it was two strangers - he started to get scared. He instinctively disliked the male stranger and reacting to his presence, moved towards the wall away from the bad man.

Loren got up and stood in front of the bed. "What are you doing here, Jonas?" he tried to challenge the older man.

"Doing my good deed for the month," the pirate replied.

"Daniel?" Sam said tentatively. She stepped towards the bed, trying to reconcile this young man with the one she had known. He looked so thin and... and frightened. And his hair was longer than usual. As for his eyes... there was no innocence shining from them, just pain and fear. What had happened to him?

"Excuse me, ma'am," Loren stepped in front of the woman. "But who are you?" In the absence of the captain, it was his duty to protect Daniel.

"I'm Samantha Carter, a friend of Daniel's." Sam looked around the boy to try and see Daniel. She caught a glimpse of wide eyes staring at her, a hint of curiosity in them.

"Can you prove that?"

Sam held out the picture as proof.

Loren looked at it then back at Daniel. They were definitely the same person. He gave the picture back then glared at Jonas - how dare he do this to Daniel! Reluctantly, Loren stepped aside, letting the woman past.

Daniel curled up as the woman drew nearer, trying to protect himself. The bad man was smiling at him, and he assumed that even though the woman looked nice, since she came in with the man, she couldn't be. They were going to hurt him.

/Jack, come back, help me!/

Sam noticed the defensive body language - why was Daniel frightened of her? "Daniel, it's all right, it's me, Sam. Remember me?" The wide eyes just looked at her blankly, then at the man called Jonas. "Daniel?" She was beginning to get scared by his reaction.

/Sam girl Sam don't know can't remember! why is she here? come to take me away no! want Jack want to stay with Jack!/

Jonas stepped forward then, wanting the woman and the boy gone before O'Neill arrived back. He reached for Daniel, intending to pull him off the bed, but the young man avoided his hand, moving further along the bed. "Come on, kid," he said in annoyance. "You've got a home to go to. Don't make things difficult."

"No," Daniel replied. "Home here."

"This isn't your home, now come here!" Jonas reached out again and this time managed to grab the boy's arm.

Daniel immediately started struggling fiercely, not wanting to go anywhere. "No! No! Go away!" He kicked out with his feet as he was dragged closer to the bad man. "Stop it! Jack, help me! Go away!"

Loren jumped into the fray and tried to stop Jonas but was pushed to the floor. He couldn't believe that Jonas was doing this! "Let him go!"

Sam was extremely concerned at the way Daniel was reacting. And who was this 'Jack'? "Stop it, let him go!"

Jonas released Daniel, who immediately moved far out of reach, and turned to the woman. "You want him back, don't you?"

"Not like this. Can't you see he's scared?" She turned to look at Daniel, who was huddling in the corner. He had been terrified of being taken away. But wasn't he a prisoner? Why then didn't he want to leave? "Daniel, I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to take you home."

Daniel didn't say anything, just sat there trembling. Then his eyes lit up when he saw a figure appear in the doorway and he bounded off the bed, throwing himself at the man. "Jack!"

The pirate, who had returned early after finding something for Daniel at a nearby stall, caught the scared young man and held him close. Daniel's arms tightened around his ribs, and Jack could feel the trembling. He took in the scene quickly and demanded, "What the hell is going on? Jonas?"

"The lady wanted to know her friend was alive. I was just helping out," Jonas said defensively. Since you weren't going to, he added silently.

Sam looked at the man, who was obviously someone Daniel trusted, and recognised him as the one who had spoken to her earlier. He had lied to her.

"He doesn't need 'helping out'!" Jack shot back, unconsciously rubbing Daniel's back to soothe him. Just what had Jonas done to upset Danny so much?

"You lied to me," Sam accused, anger beginning to rise in her. This man had tried to keep Daniel from her. "Why didn't you tell me he was here?"

Daniel lifted his head to look at the pirate. Jack had lied? Jack wasn't supposed to lie. "Jack?"

"I didn't lie," Jack defended himself. "All I said was that I couldn't say that I'd seen him."

Daniel rested his head on Jack's shoulder again. That was all right then; Jack hadn't lied. That meant he hadn't lied to him about anything. Jack was a good man.

"You implied that he was dead!"

"'Implied' being the key word," Jack replied, one hand coming up to hold the back of Daniel's head when he felt the arms tighten again. "And could you keep your voice down - Danny doesn't like shouting."

How dare this man tell her what to do! "Why did you tell me he was dead?" For Daniel's sake, she kept her voice down but her words were still dripping with dislike.

"Because he's not ready to go anywhere at the moment, as you can see. I'm not giving him over to you just so you can throw him in an asylum when you decide he's nuts." Jack would have preferred not to be having this conversation in front of the young man but he didn't think Daniel would let him go at the present time.

"I would never do that!"

"Sure you would. He would be an embarrassment, someone who wouldn't fit in to society circles." Now he'd had a good look at her clothes, he saw that they were very well made, so he took a guess that she was probably rich too. "He's not the Daniel you knew any more."

Sam looked at the intimate embrace and had to agree. "What have you done to him?"

"I haven't done anything to him. I saved his life and now I'm helping him recover."

"Good man," Daniel muttered loud enough for Sam to hear.

Jack smirked at the woman, whose eyes had narrowed at what she thought was a false description. Well, she could hate him all she wanted; he was the one Daniel was clinging to. And speaking of which... "Danny, I need to breathe," he whispered to the young man. The pressure on his ribs eased off a little.

"Why are you helping him? What do you get out of it?" There had to be an ulterior motive.

"Friends don't need a reason to help each other." That's what he and Daniel were - friends.

"Friends," Daniel echoed softly, pleased that Jack had said so.

"It looks like more than that to me," Sam observed. The two men hadn't stopped embracing.

"Well, it's not." He felt Daniel tense at her words. "And I'll thank you not to imply otherwise. It isn't my fault Danny is upset at the moment." He glared at Jonas, who was watching the by-play silently.

"Jonas tried to take Daniel away," Loren spoke up from his position near the bed.

The glare intensified. "I'll deal with you later," he said to Hanson. "Get out."

After Jonas left, Jack felt Daniel start to fall down, the kid's legs giving way as reaction hit him. Jack picked him up and carried him over to the bed, sitting on it with Daniel as the young man refused to let go. Once they were both settled, Jack turned back to the woman. "Look, lady, Daniel's been through a very tough time recently so I'd appreciate it if you just left him alone."

"I can't do that." Sir Nicholas would never forgive her if she left his heir with these... these men. Although this one - Jack - actually appeared to care for Daniel. Still, she couldn't leave him here. "Daniel's grandfather is waiting for us to return."

"He'll just have to wait a little longer then, won't he?"

"Mr...?" Sam waited for him to supply the name.

"O'Neill."

"Mr. O'Neill, Daniel is heir to a large fortune and estate. It is his duty to go back."

"And can you really see him doing whatever you rich people do, Miss...?" 'Large fortune and estate'?

"Carter." He had a point. Daniel would not fit in at all as he was now.

"Right. Can you, Miss Carter?" He waited for a few seconds for her reply. "I didn't think so."

Sam suddenly sank into the nearby chair, Daniel's situation beginning to sink in. "I can't believe this," she muttered.

"Why?"

Waving a hand at Daniel, she said, "Because he's a genius. Daniel knows over a dozen languages fluently, yet at the moment, he can't even speak one. He was so passionate, so vibrant..." She looked at her friend, who still had his arms around O'Neill, and was watching her warily. He was so different, like a child.

Jack was still reeling over the 'genius' part. Over a dozen languages? It was hard to reconcile that with the Daniel he knew. Passionate, he could definitely believe that though; there had been a few hints of that surface recently. "It's still there," he told her. "Just hidden. He's been through a lot."

"And now you're looking after him?" Sam still couldn't believe that.

"Yes, I am."

"Staying here." Daniel had been staring at the woman, not participating in the conversation until then. The woman - Sam - looked at him in surprise. "Don't want to go."

"Why, Daniel?"

"Jack's here." If he left, Jack wouldn't be able to protect him.

"You don't belong here," Sam tried to reason with Daniel. She watched him tighten his hold on O'Neill, as if afraid she would try and take him away.

"It's all right, Danny, she's not going to take you away," Jack soothed the young man both verbally and physically. "Are you?" he challenged Carter.

There was a pause as Sam thought through her options, then reluctantly decided on what was best for Daniel. "No." She saw the smirk on O'Neill's face and her next words wiped it off. "I'm going to stay here and help you get better," she said to Daniel.

"What? The hell you are!" He was not going to allow this woman to stay on board his ship.

"It's your choice, Mr. O'Neill. I stay or I call the authorities to remove Daniel forcibly." She would never do that to Daniel but O'Neill didn't know that.

"No, no, no!" Daniel said, holding onto Jack as tight as he could. No-one was going to take him away.

Jack resisted the urge to call this woman all sorts of names when he heard the distress in Daniel's voice. She had to be bluffing; if she really cared about the kid, she wouldn't do that to him. However, he couldn't afford to take the risk. "I can't let you stay on board but you can visit during the day while we're here." And that was his final offer.

Sam assessed the situation and decided that would be the best offer she would get. It would still give her plenty of time to win back Daniel's trust so that she could then take him away from here. "Done."

"Good. Loren," Jack said to the boy, who had been quietly watching proceedings. "Escort Miss Carter off the ship, and let the men on watch know not to hassle her tomorrow when she arrives."

"Aye, captain." Loren opened the cabin door. "Ma'am?"

Sam went over to Daniel first and gently touched his leg. "See you tomorrow, Daniel." There was no response so she sadly followed the boy out of the cabin.

Jack sighed with relief. At least that was over. He squeezed Daniel's waist and said, "Danny, you can let go now."

The young man reluctantly released the pirate and sat up straight. Pulling back his sleeve, he examined his right wrist where the bad man had held him. It was still a little tender, as he discovered when he poked at it.

"Danny, what happened?" Jack gently took the kid's hand and looked at the wrist. There were a couple of red marks where someone had grabbed it tight enough to bruise.

"Bad man tried to take me away. Hurts."

"I know but it will get better soon." Jack decided to get the kid's mind off the incident. "Here, I bought this, just for you." He held out the little totem. "It's supposed to ward off evil spirits."

Daniel took the wooden statue and examined it curiously. The wood felt smooth under his fingertips as he traced over the ugly features. After a minute, his face broke into a smile, pleased with the gift and amused at its ugliness. "Thank-you," he said, hugging Jack enthusiastically. Jack was the best friend ever.

"I'm glad you like it." The statue had appealed to Jack's sense of humour, and the fact that it was supposed to ward off evil spirits was a bonus. Whether it did or not was irrelevant - if it made Daniel feel safe, then it had worked. "Feel like a game of chess?"

Releasing Jack, Daniel nodded and scooted into his position on the bed. He put the statue down right next to him then eagerly waited for Jack to get the chess set.

Chuckling, Jack got the set, sat on the bed, and then let Daniel set the board up. He could well believe the genius part when they were playing, Daniel's chess game improving each time they played - Jack hadn't been able to win one game yet! Tonight wasn't likely to be much different, given his mind was going over everything that had just happened.

Daniel smiled at Jack, signalling that he was ready to start the game. As Jack made the first move, Daniel picked up the statue again, feeling very happy. Between Jack and the statue, nothing bad would happen to him again.

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