Reflections

by Sistine

URL: http://www.area52hkh.net/ass/sistine/reflecti.php
Summary: A Tag for Moebius. The conversations that went on up at the cabin that we never saw.

"So ... they were us, right?" Jack queried as Daniel sat down next to him on the dock, replacing Sam who had gone inside for a drink.

"Right," Daniel replied, knowing exactly what Jack was talking about. Ever since they had found the video camera in the Ancient Egyptian urn and had seen the footage of themselves five thousand years ago, Jack had been trying to work everything out—annoying everyone else at the same time.

"We went back in time to get a ZPM so that we wouldn't have to go back in time and get a ZPM?" Jack tried to wrap his head around the idea.

"Yep." Daniel hid a grin at the confused look on Jack's face.

"Now you see—that's what I don't get. If that was us who went back, how can we be here now?" Jack hated all this time travel stuff; the rules kept changing on him. "See, I get when we went back to 1969. That was predestined and Hammond knew we were coming because we'd already been ... " He trailed off, not sure if he was confusing himself even more.

"Exactly," Daniel stated, casting his line into the water. Now that there were actually fish in Jack's pond, there was actually some hope of catching one; it appeared to be one of the subtle ways in which the timeline had apparently changed.

"All right, so that note I sent from the future saying not to go to P3C-whatever—"

"The Aschen," Daniel corrected him.

"Yeah, them. Because we never signed a treaty with them, that means that that future will never evolve and we'll never have to send the note, which means that the past won't be warned and they'll make the treaty with the Aschen ... " Jack rubbed the bridge of his nose; thinking about time travel gave him a headache.

Daniel let the grin show this time. "You're asking the wrong person, Jack. Sam would be able to explain it better than I can." Although he was curious as to how it all worked, he had given up trying to figure it out a long time ago.

"I don't want a thirty minute lecture that I'm never going to be able to understand anyway," Jack complained, reeling his line in and then casting it again. "That's why I'm asking you."

"Well, I can't really help you," Daniel said. "All I know is that we, or rather an alternate SG-1 that appeared to be extremely close to our current reality, went back in time to Ancient Egypt and then couldn't get home, so this timeline evolved."

Jack thought about that for a few moments, then asked, "So how many times do you reckon they tried it before they got it right?"

"At least one time was mentioned on the tablet that I, uh, the other Daniel Jackson, wrote where Ra took the gate with him instead of it being buried. But apparently another SG-1 team went back to fix the mistake," Daniel explained as he had done at least twice before in similar conversations.

"Yeah, but you've got to wonder whether there were others. I mean, two tries and we get it right? That doesn't sound like us," Jack pointed out. Things always went wrong when SG-1 was involved.

"No, it wouldn't have been us if things had gone right the first time," Daniel argued, thinking about SG-1's track record.

"So if there was no Stargate in that other future, what do you reckon we would have been doing?" Jack speculated, stretching his legs out and deliberately bumping Daniel's in the process. He had been surprised by the information that his alternate self had been alive; considering how close he had come to dying on that first mission to Abydos, Jack would have thought that O'Neill would have gone through with suicide, especially without a Daniel to get him through that tough time.

"I don't know. If my alternate self had produced the same theories and become an outcast in the archaeological community, then he probably went into teaching like I would have done if Catherine hadn't offered me a job I couldn't refuse," Daniel hypothesized, letting one leg casually rest against Jack's.

Jack chuckled. "You would have been a real geek," he teased. "Scrawny with long hair just like you were nine years ago."

"Probably," Daniel admitted with a quick grin. "And you would have been retired from the Air Force, spending all your time up here fishing."

"Too right," Jack agreed. If Charlie had died in that future, he would have come up here to get away from it all as an alternative to committing suicide. "Maybe even started my own business. Fishing for hire or something like that."

Daniel could just imagine that. "Sam would probably still be an astrophysicist with the Air Force," he continued on with the hypothesis.

"There was no mention on the tablet of her being married with two point five kids though," Jack stated, "so she obviously still didn't have much of a life outside work. That being the case, I wonder what happened when she met up with us. Did she go for the geeky but good -looking archaeologist or the suave, sophisticated and sexy colonel?"

"Who, Kawalsky?" Daniel teased, receiving a glare in return.

"She has picked me in every other timeline that we know about," Jack countered.

"And did you notice that there was no Daniel Jackson in the Stargate Program in either of those other realities?" Daniel pointed out. "She'd never had a choice before. And neither had you."

Jack had to agree there. "So you think it wouldn't have mattered if that Carter had liked one of us because we would have been too busy liking each other?"

"Probably," Daniel agreed, giving his lover of nearly two years an indulgent smile. "Of course, it might also depend on whether one of us was in denial," he added, referring to how long it had taken Jack to realize that he was in love and that being in love wasn't a bad thing.

"Hey!" Jack protested although he knew that Daniel had a valid point. In this timeline, he had fallen in love with Daniel nearly five years ago but it had taken the prospect of a life without Daniel to put a stop to the denial. "I came around eventually."

Daniel reached out and briefly rested his hand on Jack's leg, squeezing the hard muscle he could feel beneath the skin. "It took you long enough."

Jack put his hand over Daniel's and entwined their fingers, knowing that if anyone were watching from the cabin, their bodies would hide the gesture. "Yeah, well, you know how slow I can be," he drawled meaningfully.

Daniel smiled at the double meaning and he shifted in his chair as arousal grew. "When are Sam and Teal'c going back?" With their other two teammates in the cabin, they hadn't been able to touch all week except for surreptitiously like this.

"Tomorrow. You still staying for a few more days?" Jack's thumb lightly caressed the back of Daniel's hand.

"Need you ask?" It would be so freeing not to have to hide their relationship for a few days after everything that had happened recently.

"Good." Upon hearing the front door close, Jack withdrew his hand from Daniel's and turned his attention back to the fishing, pleased that he would soon get some time alone with his partner and best friend. It had been so difficult in the past year to find time just to be with Daniel, especially since with Jack being General now, they had to be even more circumspect.

Daniel got the hint and changed the subject slightly. "Teal'c would still be First Prime of Apophis and the Jaffa wouldn't be free."

"Yeah, well, there is that," Jack accepted the change without protest. "But can you imagine us living in Ancient Egypt? No TV, no beer ... "

"Actually, there'd probably be moonshine," Daniel said with a grin, alluding back to the time on Abydos when Jack had tasted Skaara's own brand of alcohol nearly eight years ago.

"Swell," Jack stated dryly; that was one experience he never wanted to have again. "No hockey—and don't say that I'd be able to teach the locals because you know Carter would tell me not to pollute the timeline or something like that."

"I agree with Sam on that actually," Daniel commented blithely. "And obviously the other 'us' prevented the other 'you' from doing just that because in all the digs I've been on and the articles I've read, no-oneno one has mentioned that the Ancient Egyptians played hockey."

"You've obviously been reading the wrong articles then," Jack said as he heard footsteps approach from behind. He turned his head to see Teal'c with Carter not too far behind approaching. "Hey, T."

"O'Neill." Teal'c didn't comment on his friends' closeness nor their obvious attempt to hide their relationship; he had known for a while now and approved of it. Colonel Carter, however, most likely would not if she knew so Teal'c would say nothing unless she jeopardized the relationship. "Have you caught the fish yet?"

Jack noted the use of the singular term and answered, with a slightly sarcastic tone, "The fun isn't in the catching of fish, it's in the fishing." He received three skeptical looks. "What?" Really, none of them had any idea how to relax!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The rest of the day was spent in similar relaxation, although Jack was the only one who was actually fishing. The others spent time with him while holding a fishing rod but that was more for the company than it was for any actual fishing.

The next morning, Jack and Daniel were inside getting the breakfast, confident that the others wouldn't disturb them for a while yet. Jack slid his arms around Daniel's waist and kissed the back of his neck. "So, you having fun?"

"Oh, definitely," Daniel replied, grinning at his partner. "And we'll have even more fun later," he added, alluding to their time alone when Sam and Teal'c left.

"Promise?"

"Promise," Daniel said, turning in Jack's arms and giving the older man a lingering kiss. "Now get out of my way so I can finish these waffles."

Unknown to either of them, Sam had been standing in the doorway long enough to see the kiss. She hurriedly backed away and went out the back door, needing to think about what she had seen.

She couldn't believe the casual intimacy between them, which indicated that the relationship wasn't just new. How long had it been going on? And why hadn't they felt they couldn't tell her?

Well, the answer to the second question probably had something to do with regulations. The answer to the first, though, would be harder to find out. She felt so stupid, knowing that Jack knew about her feelings for him, whereas he had never said anything definite to her; now she knew why. All that time of pinning her hopes on him confessing his feelings to her had been wasted, and now she didn't even have Pete, either ...

She had really got the wrong impression from Jack but it hadn't entirely been her fault. There had been hints of intimacy over the years, most recently when her father died and Jack had just casually put his arm over her shoulders. It had seemed like the most natural thing for him to do but now she knew it was just between friends. Had always been that.

Sitting down at the lake's edge, she looked down at her reflection in the water. She was still attractive but she was getting older and she wanted to find someone to have a family with. Someone like Pete would have been good but she had blown that ... or had she? Maybe she ought to give him a call and see how things stood.

Sam turned her head and looked up at the cabin, thinking about the scene she had witnessed. There had always been something between Jack and Daniel, something that until now she had thought was just a unique friendship. Now she could see it was more and had been for a long time. The way they stood close to each other, the way Jack got in Daniel's personal space, all the nicknames, the fact that Daniel had ascended naked in Jack's office ... how had she missed all those signs?

Jealousy stirred inside her but it wasn't as strong as she thought it would be. She hadn't really been jealous when Jack had dated Kerry Johnson—uncomfortable would be more like it. Had the colonel told Daniel about Kerry? Holy Hannah, he didn't even wait to see if Daniel was dead before he started with someone else, she thought indignantly. What kind of partner does that?

Of course, she had no proof that they had indeed been having a fling, just circumstantial evidence. But it made her kind of glad that she wouldn't be having a relationship with Jack if that were the kind of man he was. And she felt sorry for Daniel because she knew how much he took things to heart, and a betrayal like that would devastate him. So she would have to make sure he never found out—for his sake, not for the colonel's.

She didn't know if she could be around them right now though, the thought of them being together making her uncomfortable. Maybe she could take a sabbatical for a while, spend some time doing R&D aboard the Prometheus; after all, she had already been asked to do that. Yes, that's what she would do—it would give her more time to think.

Everything decided for the moment, she stood and headed back inside for breakfast, a neutral expression in place. If they didn't want her to know about them, then she wouldn't give any indication that she did ... for the time being, anyway.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Daniel stared out the window at the lake and contemplated the fact that his family was breaking up. Sam had announced at breakfast that she would be working with Area 51 for a few months with their Research & Data staff, which would allow her to be closer to Cassie, who was just starting college. He had the feeling that wasn't the whole reason but if she wasn't going to share, then he wasn't going to pry.

Teal'c had announced that he would be spending more time with the Free Jaffa now that Anubis had been defeated, so he would be going to Dakara to help build the new nation. That left only Jack and Daniel at the SGC, and the latter knew that wouldn't last. He had been asked if he wanted a trip to Atlantis once the Daedalus was operational, and he was still undecided. Yes, he wanted to go because it would be a wonderful opportunity to learn more about the Ancients but he didn't want to leave Jack alone for goodness knows how many months. Fortunately, he still had time to decide.

"Hey, what'cha thinking about?" Jack asked as he came to stand behind his lover.

"How everything changes," Daniel replied, looking at Jack's reflection in the window. "How close we've become as a team in eight years and now we're going our separate ways."

"That's life," Jack stated philosophically, sliding his hands around Daniel's waist to rest on his stomach. "You've still got me though."

"For how long? When General Hammond retires, who do you think he'll recommend to replace him?" Daniel posed the question.

Jack shrugged. "So I won't go. I'll stay and watch your six."

"What if I decide to go to Atlantis?" Daniel persisted.

"Then I'll take the job until you come back and then I'll retire," Jack replied, knowing that he wouldn't last long in Washington with all the paper pushers. "I'll be a kept man and laze around the house all day waiting for you to come home." He grinned, inviting Daniel to share the joke.

"You'll be bored within a week," Daniel predicted, a smile reluctantly appearing on his face at the thought of Jack being a house husband.

"Probably," Jack agreed. "But never with you."

Daniel's smile became wider at the compliment and he turned in Jack's arms. "Promise?"

"I do," Jack stated solemnly but with a twinkle in his eye. "Now, Carter and Teal'c have gone home and I believe you mentioned something earlier about some fun."

Daniel lifted his hands to Jack's face and drew him in for a passionate kiss; he could finish his thinking some other time.