Without Question

by Sistine

URL: http://www.area52hkh.net/ass/sistine/withoutq.php
Summary: Someone wants Daniel's knowledge and they'll do anything to get it
Info: This was originally in the "Off The Record 3" zine from Ashton Press. It also won the FanQ best slash zine story in 2007

Jack watched the white mass of energy disappear into the ceiling, taking his heart with it. "Goodbye, Daniel," he whispered.

Up in the observation booth, Jonas smiled.

On Kelowna, in a dark cold room, Daniel screamed.

~~~~

Twenty-four hours earlier...

"I assure you that Doctor Jackson will be perfectly safe," Jonas Quinn, ambassador for the Kelownans, stated to Colonel Jack O'Neill, leader of SG-1 from Earth. "It's just a tour of our scientific research centre."

Jack wasn't convinced; Daniel could find trouble anywhere. "I'd be a lot happier if one of us went along. Carter loves that sort of stuff."

"She's busy looking at the naquadriah," Doctor Daniel Jackson pointed out, annoyed that after five years with the team, Jack still didn't think he was capable of defending himself. "You and Teal'c are going to be looking at weapons, so I'll be fine by myself."

Jack could sense Daniel's annoyance and knew that the younger man had good reason to feel that way. He didn't know what had come over him this past year or so but he knew it was gradually driving Daniel away. "Okay," he gave in reluctantly; something still didn't feel right about the situation. "Sit reps every half hour."

"Fine." He would humour Jack. But nothing was going to happen.

~~~~

Jack rushed towards the labs, a bad feeling in his gut. Daniel had missed his last check-in and Jack just knew that something bad had happened.

Partway there, he was met by his linguist, who was covered in tiny scratches and holding his blistered hands out in front of him. "Daniel?" What the hell had happened?

"Radiation poisoning," a frightened Jonas answered from behind Daniel. "There was a bomb... it was going to explode."

Daniel looked directly at Jack, his blue eyes filled with the knowledge of what he had done - and what the consequences would be for his actions. "I stopped it," he explained simply.

Jack's insides turned cold with fear. "We'd better get you to Fraiser," he said calmly. Deep down, however, he knew that this time there would be no miracle. Daniel was going to die.

Behind them, Jonas followed.

~~~~

Daniel struggled in an attempt to loosen the bindings that trapped him on the cold steel table. "I don't understand what you want from me!" he said in frustration to the military man standing over him. Partway through the tour, he had been shown into this lab and swiftly restrained. Jonas had disappeared soon after that, and Daniel had been left alone with a combination of military officers and either scientists or doctors, he wasn't sure which.

"It's simple, Doctor Jackson," the balding man stated, his slightly rotund body not quite softening the menace he was exuding. "You have a lot of information about the Goa'uld and other races. Tell us what we need to know about them and then you can go."

Daniel didn't think it was going to be that simple. "Why didn't you ask me at the conference earlier?" Their lack of questions then didn't bode well for the present.

"We were still gathering information," the man stated. "Tell me about the Ancients. What technology did they have?"

"I don't know," Daniel stalled, starting to get worried. How had they known about the Ancients? "Their race died out thousands of years ago. How do you know about them?"

"We don't. Your Colonel O'Neill mentioned something in passing."

Daniel frowned; that didn't sound like Jack. Speaking of which... "Listen, you can't hold me here. When Colonel O'Neill realises I'm missing--"

"He won't even know you're gone," the man said with a smug smile on his face.

The linguist was confused; how were they going to make sure of that?

~~~~

Jack sat in the observation booth, staring down at his best friend. Daniel's body was covered in open sores now as the radiation slowly killed him from within. Fraiser and her nurses had started to put bandages over the sores but Jack figured that it was mainly cosmetic; there was nothing that they could do to save Daniel. This time, there would be no miracle, not unless the Tok'ra could be found soon. Even then, Fraiser said that the damage could be too severe, which was not what Jack wanted to hear.

He couldn't lose Daniel, not now when things weren't exactly good between them. He would have to get down there and apologise for all the nasty things he had said over the past year or so; he couldn't let Daniel die thinking that Jack hated him. So he would have to go down there. Soon.

"Colonel?" Jonas timidly entered the observation booth. "How is Doctor Jackson?"

"How do you think?" Jack snapped. "He saved your planet from being wiped out, your government wants to press charges, and he's dying slowly and painfully. He's just peachy."

Quinn's expression fell. "I'm sorry, Colonel. I... My government won't listen to reason, I've tried. But I did manage to bring back a sample of naquadriah," he stated.

"Yippee," Jack replied tonelessly. He didn't like Jonas one little bit, not least because he was a coward and had let Daniel do the self-sacrificing thing instead of him. "I'm going for a walk." He needed to clear his head.

"O-of course." Jonas waited until O'Neill had left and then he looked down at the empty isolation room. Everything was going exactly to plan.

~~~~

How many hours had they been doing this? Daniel wondered as more pain attacked his body. When he hadn't given the Kelownans the answers they wanted, they had started using pain as an incentive. Unfortunately for them - and for him - the use of torture meant that the torturers could not be trusted with the information and therefore Daniel was less inclined to say anything, thereby prolonging the pain.

Abruptly, the intense pain ceased. While Daniel was pleased about that, he naturally wondered why. His eyesight blurry without his glasses, he still managed to see one of the Kelownans leave the room, so he assumed that something important had come up. Hopefully, that something was Jack come to rescue him. What he wouldn't give for Jack to arrive right now, guns ablazing, and take him home.

Unfortunately, Major Pain - as Daniel had dubbed the main Kelownan torturer - stepped into view. "Tell me more about ascension."

Daniel frowned, puzzled; he hadn't said a word about ascension. He had been very careful not to say anything about the Ancients at all. "I don't know what you're talking about," he stalled while the image of the monk on Kheb flashed through his mind.

Major Pain looked at someone behind him but Daniel couldn't see what response was given. All he knew was that the pain started up again and more questions were asked about ascension. Daniel didn't answer any of them but figured they were somehow getting answers anyway when the questions became more and more specific. Were they using a Tok'ra memory device on him then? He couldn't feel one but that wasn't surprising considering the amount of pain he was in anyway.

Eventually, the pain stopped and everyone left the room, leaving Daniel there alone to try to puzzle out just what the Kelownans were after.

~~~~

It was all Jack could do just to be there in Daniel's presence. His best friend was lying on the hospital bed, swathed with bandages. Only the bloodshot blue eyes and cracked red lips could be seen. Daniel had only hours left - if that - and Jack couldn't even find the words to apologist for his behaviour during the past year. He needed to tell Daniel that it wasn't the linguist's fault, that it was something going on inside him, but he didn't know what. He needed to say something before it was too late. There was no way Daniel was going to die thinking that Jack was still mad at him.

"I'm so sorry, Daniel." The words just slipped out. "For everything. Especially my attitude towards you. It's just... I care about you. A lot. And I guess that made me worry about you. A lot. And I took it out on you. A lot."

Jack looked down to see Daniel's lips twitch into what could be construed as a smile. "Yeah, I know, I'm the galaxy's biggest mother hen, so you've told me a million times. But I could live with that if it kept you safe." Tears appeared in his eyes but he refused to let them fall. "I'm sorry I couldn't protect you this time. I shouldn't have let you go alone."

Tentatively reaching out, Jack carefully put his hand over Daniel's. "I'm going to miss you so much," he said gruffly. Daniel blinked twice deliberately and Jack interpreted that to mean 'me too'. He managed a wan smile at that.

The alarm for an unscheduled off-world activation went off and Jack looked at the door. "That'll be Jacob," he told Daniel. "He's going to try to heal you so do your best to co-operate, Danny. I don't want to lose you if I don't have to."

Daniel seemed to agree but then his eyes opened wide before closing. Alarms started sound in the isolation room, and Jack stood back when Janet came rushing in with her nurses to try and revive a flat-lining Daniel. No, this can't be it! Jack thought as he stared at his best friend; I can't lose him now! What am I going to do without him?

Up in the observation room, Quinn's eyes widened; that was an interesting piece of information. He would have to pass that onto his superiors in case it was useful.

Back in the isolation room, Janet realised that she wasn't going to be able to save Daniel this time. Tears in her eyes, she stepped back from the bed just as Daniel's body started to glow.

Jack couldn't tear his eyes away as Daniel shed his physical body and became a swirling ball of energy. He knew what that meant; he remembered the monk on Kheb. Daniel was ascending. Jack supposed that was a better option than actually dying but it still meant that he would never see Daniel again. Unless, of course, the linguist decided to visit, which Jack was fairly sure he would do if the wonders of the universe didn't prove to be too much of a lure. Don't forget to drop by, he projected at Daniel just before the swirling mass disappeared through the ceiling. "Goodbye, Danny," he whispered.

Jacob Carter, formerly of Earth and now a Tok'ra, ran into the room, closely followed by his daughter, Major Sam Carter, and Teal'c. Jacob took one look at the empty bed and turned to Jack, who was wearing a look of naked grief. "I'm sorry, Jack. I got here as soon as I could."

A mask of stoicism fell into place as Jack turned his head to see Jacob. "I know." Death had finally caught up to Daniel.

"What happened?" Sam asked, grief making her voice tremble.

"He ascended," Jack replied matter-of-factly. Then he stuffed his hands into his pockets and walked out, needing to find a private place where he could rail against the injustice of Daniel's death.

Several of the nurses started to cry while everyone else blinked back tears. Daniel was gone.

In the observation room, unseen, Jonas smiled.

~~~~

On Kelowna, in the dark cold room, Daniel screamed.

"What happens once someone ascends?" Major Pain was asking.

Daniel gasped, drawing much needed air into his lungs. The pain was getting worse and worse. "I don't know. They don't exactly mix much with mere mortals."

"Do they have any powers?" the man persisted.

Daniel thought about the lightning that Oma had summoned to kill the Jaffa on Kheb. He still didn't know why Oma had interfered then; surely killing the Jaffa could be deemed breaking the rules?

"Anything else besides lightning?" Major Pain inquired, a glint in his eyes.

Realisation made his stomach tighten with dread. Somehow, the Kelownans were reading his mind! That was how they were getting answers without him saying anything.

Major Pain loomed over him. "Yes, Doctor Jackson, that is correct. We can read your mind. That is how we knew that you had information that would benefit us. There are also a few among us who have the ability to influence others' thoughts through visions." He gave Daniel a cold smile. "By now, Agent Quinn will have convinced everyone of your death by radiation poisoning."

"No," Daniel breathed in disbelief. Jack would never fall for that!

"On the contrary, it is he who believes the most," Major Pain said smugly. "He has wanted to be rid of you for some time so he has more reason than anyone else to believe you dead."

Daniel didn't want to believe that but he knew that their arguments had taken on a hard edge this year. Was it really possible that Jack hated him so much though as to be happy that he was dead? No. Daniel refused to believe that.

Major Pain quietly left the room, giving his prisoner time to develop doubts.

~~~~

Several hours later, Daniel was freed from his restraints and taken to a dark room with a viewscreen. As a guard on each side held him upright, Daniel watched as Quinn appeared on the screen. The control room of the SGC was evident behind him.

"Report!" Major Pain barked at the spy.

[It's done. Everyone now believes that Doctor Jackson is dead,] Quinn stated. [They're holding a memorial service tomorrow.]

Daniel shook his head slowly - no, they couldn't have got away with this. Except they apparently had, thanks to the knowledge he had unwittingly given them.

"Have you been able to access any information yet?" Major Pain questioned, obviously more interested in that than Daniel's fake death.

[I'm working on it. I have access to the unclassified data and I have no doubt that once I'm part of SG-1, the rest will become available to me.]

Don't count on it, Daniel thought before remembering what the Kelownans were capable of. He glanced towards Major Pain, who showed no signs of having heard him, but Daniel knew better than to think that the man might not have heard.

"I have every confidence in you, Agent Quinn. Report again when you have more news." Major Pain turned to Daniel, a smug expression on his face. "Do you believe me now, Doctor Jackson? Your friends will not come looking for you."

Daniel tried to keep his mind blank as he stared back at his torturer. He would have to be very careful with his thoughts from now on.

"Lock him away," Major Pain ordered the guards. "Let's give him time to consider his options."

"I'm not going to co-operate with you," Daniel informed the man. He was not willing going to help these people gain any information that could potentially harm Earth or any other world out there.

Major Pain merely smirked, confident in his torturing abilities. That, and he had an idea on how to break Jackson, thanks to an earlier update from Quinn. All he had to do was play on the linguist's friendship with O'Neill and the rest should be easy.

Daniel was taken to what Jack would remark upon as a cliché - a small dungeon deep below ground with stone walls on three sides and iron bars on the fourth, and manacles hanging from the wall across from the bars. The ceiling, which was several feet above Daniel's head, emitted a dim light from a circle in its centre. Part of the torture, Daniel knew, would be light deprivation, not allowing him to know the passage of time and taking away one of his senses. He didn't know how long he had already been a prisoner but he guessed at a couple of days judging by his bodily functions and the small meals he had received. Since his watch had been taken, however, he didn't know for sure.

He was thrown into the cell, barely able to stop his face from hitting the rough floor by getting his hands beneath him quickly. Then the door was locked behind him and Daniel was left alone to contemplate what could be a very long stay.

~~~~

"Well, I survived the suicide mission. Just thought you might like to know."

From his rooftop observatory, Jack stared up at the stars as he nursed his third beer for the evening. It was a week since Daniel's ascension and the loss still wasn't any easier. Jack knew that Daniel wouldn't approve of drinking himself into a stupor but he hoped his friend would forgive it this once.

"I know you're probably busy exploring the galaxy or whatever but you're welcome to drop in anytime, you know that, right? Just 'cos I've been an idiot this year doesn't mean you have to stay away." Jack took another swig of beer, his eyes never leaving the stars.

Softly, he continued, "Please come back, Daniel. I love you."

But there was no response.

~~~~

Daniel tried to keep himself from swaying as he knelt beside Major Pain in the viewing room. Quinn was currently on the screen again, talking about SG-1's recent mission.

"You didn't actually go on the mission though?" Major Pain clarified.

[No,] Quinn replied. [If I had pushed too hard, I would have risked exposure.]

"And what of O'Neill and the others? How are they coping with Doctor Jackson's death?" Major Pain questioned, knowing what the answer would be.

[Very well. It doesn't seemed to have disturbed O'Neill at all.]

Although there was a pain in his heart at the words, Daniel knew better than most how Jack coped with extreme emotions such as grief. The Kelownans wanted him to think that Jack and the others didn't care but he knew they did. However, he had to play along and pretend to be upset so that they didn't probe his mind for the truth. The ongoing torture over the past week had given him plenty of practice in thinking misleading thoughts, not to mention burying his real ones deep down in his subconscious so that they couldn't be found. He had learnt that the telepathy had a limited range as well, so his nights were free to remember his friends.

"Such a shame," Major Pain was saying, his tone insincere. "Perhaps Doctor Jackson will finally believe that he meant nothing to these people."

"Not in this universe," Daniel muttered, projecting defiance as he always did at the start of these sessions. Perhaps it was time to start toning it down a little though.

A blow to the side of his head almost overbalanced him but Daniel managed to stay upright. "If you damage my brain, you won't get the information you seek," he warned.

Major Pain dismissed Quinn and then looked down at his prisoner. "Then I hope, for your sake, that you tell us the information we need soon." He gestured to the two guards, who hauled the linguist to his feet. "For the moment, I have some documents for you to translate. If you do a good job, you might remain undamaged."

What kind of promise was that? Only 'might'? "And if I refuse?" Daniel inquired.

The Kelownan officer grabbed Daniel's short hair and brutally yanked the latter's head back. "Then you won't be able to walk back to your cell," he threatened.

Daniel bit back any sounds of pain as he contemplated his options. Jack had always told him to do what was necessary to survive until a rescue came. Well, there might not be a rescue coming but Daniel was determined to survive. "What do you want me to translate?"

Major Pain released him and regarded Daniel with a satisfied expression. The first step towards breaking the prisoner had been successful. The rest of his resistance should quickly fade now.

~~~~

There were many documents and inscriptions to translate, and Daniel's heart sank; he would be here for weeks translating it all. At another time, he might have been happy about that but now, it just filled him with dread.

He was forced over to the desk that was piled high with documents and forced to sit in the chair facing it.

"Can you read this?" Major Pain demanded, having escorted the linguist to this room.

Daniel picked up a piece of parchment and scanned it, being very careful to keep his mind blank. The document was written in Goa'uld so it would be easy to translate but the content wasn't something he wanted the Kelownans to know about - how to make naquadriah bombs. It was bad enough that they were already experimenting - they didn't need any extra help. "Some words are familiar but it's in a dialect I've never seen before. It'll take time."

"Then you had better get started," Major Pain ordered before walking briskly away.

Hoping that he would be able to pull this off, Daniel gathered several pages and spread them out in front of him. Then he set about pretending to learn a new language.

~~~~

Things weren't going well. That was Jack's candid opinion as he sat at his desk doing paperwork. In the past six weeks, a new Goa'uld had made himself known in an audacious attempt to destroy Earth, Teal'c's wife had died, SG-1 had almost drowned in a Goa'uld mothership, and... oh yes - Jonas Quinn had become a part of SG-1. Over Jack's strenuous opposition, he might add. There was something about the Kelownan that Jack really didn't trust despite Quinn going out of his way to be friendly and helpful. Maybe that was why Jack had his doubts, or perhaps it was because Quinn was a coward who let Daniel die and take the blame for stopping the bomb.

He's trying too hard to replace Daniel. In Jack's mind, that was cause for suspicion. Or maybe that it was just because Quinn was unaware of the grieving processes here on Earth. Not that anyone had seen Jack grieve; he had kept his emotions locked away at work. At home was a different story.

Feeling his chest tighten, Jack swiftly returned his thoughts to his paperwork. He would get through this.

~~~~

Over the seven weeks that he had been working, Daniel had 'managed' to translate a few of the harmless documents. He had been regularly beaten for being too slow, and he didn't think there was one part of his body that had remained untouched. There had been a few more 'information' sessions where he had tried hard not to let anything slip. However, small snippets of information had been gathered by Major Pain, especially when Daniel was tired, as he often was these days. The lack of exercise and food had caused him to lose a lot of weight, and Daniel knew that if this continued, his body would eventually shut down.

He rubbed his temples; the headache was almost constant now, making it difficult to focus for long periods of time. That was dangerous because if the Kelownans found out...

"Found out what?" Major Pain questioned from right behind him.

Daniel jumped and twisted around in his chair. Oh, this wasn't good. He hadn't even heard the major arrive.

"Found out, perhaps, that your translations aren't accurate. Yes, we know," Major Pain stated as the linguist paled. "Agent Quinn was kind enough to look over some of your translations and he pointed out some errors that a man of your skill should never have made."

Oh, he was definitely in big trouble. "There are always errors when translating a new language if you don't know the context and--"

Major Pain backhanded Daniel hard enough to knock the younger man to the floor. "But you already know this language, Doctor Jackson. Quinn found a journal of yours with the same symbols in it. You've been trying to play us for fools."

"No, I haven't," Daniel immediately denied truthfully; he had merely been playing for time.

"It's no wonder that your team-mates were pleased to be rid of you," Major Pain said spitefully. "Not one of them shed a tear over your death."

Daniel tried to remind himself that just because his friends kept their grief private, it didn't mean that they didn't care, but he was having trouble believing it. Seven weeks of constant torture were making him doubt everything he had thought about them.

"Bring him," Major Pain ordered the two guards. "It seems that Doctor Jackson is in need of another lesson."

~~~~

The room was eerily still now that the screams had stopped, with only the harsh breathing of one man breaking the silence. Major Pain looked down at his handiwork and smiled with satisfaction. Jackson was a broken and bleeding mess as penalty for his deceit. "I trust that you have learnt your lesson, Doctor?"

Daniel didn't bother to reply. His ribs were cracked, his left arm broken, his legs badly bruised, and he was pretty sure he had a concussion too as his vision was more blurry than usual. Oh yes, he had learnt his lesson - be sneakier next time.

"Take him back to his cell so that he can contemplate his actions," Major Pain ordered the young guard standing nearby.

"Yes, sir."

Daniel groaned as he was assisted to stand, his entire body protesting. But he made himself walk so that Major Pain wouldn't have the satisfaction of seeing him completely broken.

Out in the hallway, his guard whispered, "My name is Rowansen. Don't worry, I'm going to help you."

What? Daniel tried to clear his brain because surely he was hearing things. "Wha-what?"

"We should be able to reach the Stargate before anyone notices you're missing," Rowansen continued. "It's not too far."

Was this boy rescuing him? Daniel wished he had the energy to thank him but it was taking all his strength to put one foot in front of the other.

Time passed slowly as the pair made their way through the complex until finally they reached the room where the Stargate was now stored. Rowansen took Daniel right up to the DHD and asked, "Can you get home from here?"

Daniel squinted at the symbols but couldn't make out any details. Not that he could go straight to Earth without a GDO anyway. He would have to try for the Alpha Site. Daniel ran his hands over the raised symbols and pressed the ones he thought were right.

Nothing happened.

Okay, wrong ones, he thought as he quickly searched again. A second and third attempt yielded the same results but the fourth address connected. As he heard the familiar kawoosh of the gate, Daniel turned his head towards Rowansen. "Will you be okay?"

"I'll be fine," the young man assured him, guiding Daniel up the few steps to the Stargate. "Good luck."

"Thank you," Daniel said sincerely; he knew how much the guard was risking if caught. Then he took two unsteady steps forward and fell into the wormhole.

Getting spat out the other side was painful. Daniel remained where he lay on the ground for a minute, getting his breath back as he tried to see whether he was at the Alpha Site. His eyesight was still way too blurry to make out any details.

Carefully and slowly, Daniel got to his feet and tried walking forward. But his body had been put through too much and he collapsed unconscious to the ground.

~~~~

The first thing that Daniel became aware of was the smell of bread. The second was that he wasn't lying on the ground, nor was he on one of the military's uncomfortable hospital beds. So if he wasn't at the Alpha Site or the SGC, where was he?

His eyelids fluttered open - well, one did, anyway; the other felt quite swollen. What he could see out of the undamaged eye wasn't any help as it was all blurry. If Major Pain had permanently damaged his eyesight, Daniel was going to be very annoyed.

He took a deep breath to remain calm and discovered that his ribs were bound rather tightly. His left arm had also been splinted and bandaged to keep it immobile. Wherever I am, at least there are doctors, he thought positively.

"Oh, you're awake," a female voice said - in a derivation of Spanish, Daniel realised. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine," Daniel replied in what he hoped was the same tongue. "Where am I?"

"Destarre," the woman replied. "In my brother's home. My name is Lali."

'To exile' - very appropriate for a planet or place name, Daniel thought, if the Goa'uld had brought them here. "Daniel," he introduced himself as his good eye searched for any shape that might be Lali. There - a dark shape approaching him, that was probably her. "How did I get here?"

"I saw you arrive through the stone circle," Lali stated. "When I saw you needed help, I came back here to bring men to assist you. You have been sleeping for over a day," she informed him, concern evident in her voice.

There were traces of another language in there, although Daniel couldn't quite figure out what yet. "Sorry about that," he apologised for the vigil she must have sat.

"Why? It wasn't your fault," Lali pointed out. She put something cool over his swollen eye. "Your body needed time to start healing itself."

Daniel pushed down the memories that threatened to return at her words; he wanted to put all that behind him, especially the part about his so-called friends not missing him. "Thank you... for all this," he gestured to the bandages with his free hand.

"It was no hardship. Especially since it was the healer who treated you," Lali said, a smile on her face and in her voice. "She will return soon to examine you now you are awake. So you had better eat something first."

Daniel's stomach growled its agreement before he could refuse. With a sigh of resignation, Daniel struggled to partially sit up, Lali gently assisting him when his body wouldn't co-operate properly. When he was settled, Daniel took several deep breaths - well, as deep as he could manage - to slow his heart rate down to its normal pace. Moving, he decided, was going to be difficult for awhile.

"Here," Lali said, holding a bowl in front of Daniel. "Mira, the healer, said that this would help the healing."

Daniel squinted and made out a vague bowl shape in front of him. He reached for it with his right hand but only succeeded in knocking the bowl.

"Careful." Lali caught his hand and guided it to the bowl.

It was a small bowl so Daniel was easily able to hold it with one hand. He cautiously lifted it to his lips and took a tentative sip. "Ew, that's awful," he exclaimed when the aftertaste hit him.

Lali laughed at his reaction. "Mira says that she makes it like that so that the ill recover more swiftly so as not to drink it again."

"I think healers everywhere say that," Daniel agreed, think of Janet's medicines. "They're probably right too." He took another sip - yep, still tasted just as awful. "Are you sure I have to drink this?"

"Every last drop," Lali cheerfully told him. She'd once had need of the healing liquid so she knew what it was like. "She gets very angry when someone doesn't obey her instructions."

"I know someone else exactly like that," Daniel commented dryly before he took yet another sip. This was going to take awhile. "My doctor, uh, healer's name is Janet, and she sounds like she would be very much like your Mira." If he were back at the SGC, he would be hooked up to all sort of monitors and Janet would be checking up on him every five minutes; at least he and Janet had still had a good friendship before he'd been kidnapped.

"Is she on the other side of the stone ring?" Lali asked curiously.

"In a manner of speaking, yes," Daniel replied. "Lali, you have to take me there as soon as possible." He needed to get back and warn everything about Jonas Quinn and the Kelownans. Although if Quinn truly had the ability to produce illusions in people's minds, he would be in for a tough fight.

"When you're well enough," Lali replied. "Mira says that you need to regain your strength."

Daniel's stubbornness kicked in; he had managed to escape, albeit with some help, so it wouldn't take long to heal enough to get to the Stargate. Of course, he didn't know how far away the gate was but he was confident that he would be able to make it anyway. He had a duty to warn the SGC even if they didn't believe him or were less than glad to see that he was actually alive.

As that thought crossed his mind, Daniel wondered whether it might be better to remain here. If Quinn's reports were indeed true, then his return would not be welcomed and his accusations disbelieved. How many times in the past had he asked his friends to believe him or trust him, and how many times had they done neither? Even once was too many for people who considered themselves friends. No - maybe he should try to get in touch with someone else like Bra'tac, who had shown more faith in him than Jack or Sam ever had. Actually, Teal'c might believe him because Daniel knew that his Jaffa friend had a more open mind than his human companions.

But how to contact them - that would be the dilemma. Perhaps he would be able to come up with a plan while regaining his strength. Daniel drained the last of the liquid, grimacing at the taste. He was going to recover quickly so that he didn't have to drink any more of that!

The healer, Mira, chose that moment to arrive. She glided over to Daniel, asking questions of Lali as she advanced. Daniel couldn't tell whether this woman was young or old, and eventually decided on middle-aged.

"And how are you feeling?" Mira asked Daniel as she sat down at his bedside.

Given all that Lali had related, and the injuries Mira had already seen, Daniel knew he should reply truthfully but instead he said, "I'm fine."

"Of course you are. Why, a broken arm, cracked ribs, a head injury, and multiple bruises are just a minor annoyance," Mira chided with a trace of sarcasm. "Can you see out of your right eye?"

"Perfectly," Daniel lied.

Mira sighed and raised her voice slightly. "Take care, Lali, that when you marry, you find one of the rare men who will actually tell you the truth when they are injured."

Lali giggled and Daniel flushed with embarrassment; Mira and Janet seemed to be long-lost twins. "It'll get better," Daniel stated, referring to his eyesight.

"Quite possibly," Mira agreed, "but how quickly is uncertain. You will need to rest it as much as you can." She started mixing some herbs together in a small bowl.

"What are you doing?" Daniel inquired when he heard the sound of wood on ceramic.

"Making a paste that will quicken the healing," Mira replied. She peered curiously at him. "Do you not have medicines where you come from?"

"Uh, a great variety." Daniel shifted uncomfortably, feeling rather than seeing her scrutiny.

Mira stared at him for a few moments more before returning to her task. "You will need complete rest for several days to give your body time to heal. And plenty of food - you are way too thin, Danyel."

"How do you know my name?" Daniel wanted to know. He hadn't heard Lali tell anyone else.

The healer just chuckled and held the bowl over Daniel's face. "Close your eyes," she instructed.

Not wanting to offend, Daniel obeyed even though he hated the thought of being blind for the next few days. He felt something cool being spread over each eyelid, then after a few moments, a bandage was placed over his eyes and tied fairly tightly behind his head.

"Make sure he does not remove this," Mira instructed Lali. "If he needs to pass waste, get your brother to assist him."

"Yes, Healer," Lali replied as Daniel fought embarrassment at the mention of his bodily functions. It was then that he realised that he was almost naked too - his t-shirt and trousers, torn and dirty as they had been after two months of torture - were gone. Fortunately, he still had his underwear, which was reasonably clean as part of the torture session a few days ago had included water.

Daniel heard the healer leave after giving Lali more instruction, and decided to broach the topic of his clothes. "Lali, what happened to the clothes I was wearing when I arrived?"

There was a short silence and then she replied, "They were covered in blood and torn in many places. Mira ordered them burnt. We will give you others to replace them when you are well enough."

Just great. Daniel sighed and went to rub the bridge of his nose but encountered the bandage. Well, at least he was alive - that was something. "Thank you, Lali."

"You are welcome. Now you must rest some more," Lali ordered. "I will be back soon."

Daniel simply lay there and listened to her leave. Since he wasn't the least bit tired, he started to mentally plan how he was going to warn the SGC about the Kelownans.

~~~~

"No, sir, Doctor Jackson hasn't tried to contact the SGC," Jonas reported a day after the linguist's disappearance from Kelowna.

[Would you be told if he had?] the major questioned.

"I'm part of SG-1 now," Jonas replied. "They'll tell me everything that relates to him."

[And the others? How are they reacting to your involvement on the team?]

"Colonel O'Neill hasn't accepted me yet but an Ancient virus almost killed him a few days ago. The Tok'ra have taken him to implant him with a symbiote so he may be healed." Jonas had thought about making the others believe O'Neill had died and sending him through to Kelowna but had decided to let events play out. "Apparently the symbiote shares his memories with the host so once O'Neill returns, I will endeavour to find a way to bring him to you."

[Excellent. And remember, if Doctor Jackson turns up, terminate him.]

Jonas smiled, one more chilling than he gave the personnel at the SGC. "With pleasure." He would enjoy making sure that O'Neill would permanently lose the man he loved.

~~~~

Daniel didn't remember falling asleep but he must have because it was dark. Wait - that was because of the bandage over his eyes. No, it was the stillness of sound that told him it was night. His mind was fuzzy, which meant that he had likely slept for another long period of time; either that, or his concussion was worse. Also, his bladder was full to the point of discomfort, so that was another indication of a long sleep.

"Lali," he called out softly, hoping that someone was around to help him. Finding his way outside in an unfamiliar place was likely to result in an accident.

Someone stirred in the darkness and after a few seconds, a hand was placed on Daniel's left shoulder, startling him.

"It's alright," the unfamiliar male voice said quietly. "I am Karlis, Lali's brother. Do you need anything, Danyel?"

"Yes, I need to go outside," Daniel stated urgently.

"Healer says you are not to leave the bed," Karlis said as he helped Daniel to a sitting position so that the linguist's long legs were dangling over the side of the bed. "Open you legs a bit wider," he instructed.

Daniel had the sinking feeling he knew where this was heading; after all, he had spent plenty of time in the infirmary over the past five years. He felt a bowl being placed between his legs and silently groaned; this part of recovering was never fun.

After Daniel had relieved himself into the bowl and tidied himself up one-handed, Karlis helped him to lie down again. Daniel's cracked ribs were making themselves known, as was his broken arm. A slight layer of perspiration coated his body from the exertion.

"Healer says you are to drink this," Karlis stated, holding another bowl to Daniel's lips.

One smell of the contents and Daniel knew it was the same kind of soup he'd had earlier. Much as he didn't want to drink it, he knew he needed it to get stronger more quickly. He carefully took it from Karlis and drank it as fast as he could so that he didn't have to taste every mouthful if possible. When he was finished - its taste hadn't improved - he handed the bowl back to Karlis with some words of thanks.

"No problem." Karlis patted Daniel's shoulder again, his touch lingering briefly, and then moved away, returning to his chair. "Go back to sleep."

Daniel sighed; obviously Karlis wasn't going to sit and chat with him. More time to just lie there and do nothing while his former friends were in danger. Just what he wanted to do today.

~~~~

Jack had known that putting a snake in his head was a bad idea. He hadn't minded the idea of dying too much, not when it would cure the gaping hole in his heart that had existed since Daniel's ascension. But no, Carter had decided to make a deal with the Tok'ra and look where that had got him: being repeatedly tortured to death by Baal. Or Ball, as Jack preferred to call him, much to the Goa'uld's annoyance. No-one knew where he was so there was no hope of a rescue, not unless Daniel popped by and used his ascended powers to bust him out. But there was no sign of Daniel so Jack to assume that his best friend wasn't coming. Probably just as well; he wasn't exactly looking his best.

Leaning back against the wall of his unusual cell - one that wasn't the least bit clichéd - Jack stared at the opposite wall and just let his mind drift free so that he didn't have to think about the fact that this time, there really was no escape.

~~~~

Daniel awoke with a start, his body burning up. He had just dreamt about Jack being in some sort of light-coloured cell, all hope drained from his body. It had seemed so real but he hadn't been able to do or say anything, just stare at the scene. Was it a dream or had it been something more? Major Pain had once said during one of Daniel's torture sessions - the last one, maybe - that Oma may have planted abilities into his mind that he could access when necessary. Daniel hadn't believed him but what if this was one of those abilities? What if Jack was really a prisoner somewhere and needed help?

A cool hand was placed on his forehead and then he heard Mira say to someone, "His temperature has risen, most likely due to infection. I need..."

Daniel tuned the rest out, disappointment filling him. He was feverish so Jack had just been a dream. He had no telepathic abilities of any kind. But as he drifted back to sleep, he called out to Jack... just in case.

~~~~

Everything was blurry. He no longer knew way was up or down, or whether he was actually sane. Dying a bunch of times in quick succession could do that to a person. So when he finally managed to rescue himself and get back to the SGC for an extended stay in the infirmary, Jack was no longer sure that Daniel had actually been there with him. He thought he had seen Daniel, had even talked to him about ascension and stuff, but now he had to wonder whether it had all been a hallucination. It had been a nice hallucination though as it had been exactly what he had needed to pull through his ordeal. And it had been good to see Daniel wearing that cream sweater that Jack had always liked. At the time, he had wondered how Daniel had known that; now he realised that it had simply been a product of his imagination.

Unshed tears in his eyes, Jack stared at the ceiling. He missed Daniel so much.

~~~~

"The fever's broken," was the first thing Daniel heard as he returned to consciousness. His body ached all over and the sheet underneath him was soaked with sweat.

"Wha... what happened?" Daniel croaked, his throat and mouth dry.

"You've had a fever for the last three days," Mira replied. "Your temperature was very high but we managed to give you liquids to treat it."

"Infection?" Daniel didn't feel energetic enough to ask more than that.

"Yes, but that has gone now too. You had us very worried," the healer scolded.

"Sorry." Three days? Daniel couldn't remember any of it, save some hazy memories of talking to Jack. But that had only been a dream brought on by the fever... hadn't it?

Mira tsked at him as she started to remove the bandage over his eyes. "Just don't do it again. Now, I need to change all your bandages."

Daniel groaned; he would have to sit up, which was not an appealing thought at the moment. On the other hand, he needed to get clean. "Bath?"

"Karlis will clean you," Mira stated as she helped Daniel to sit up. "And before you ask where Lali is, she is preparing a meal for you."

Food - that sounded good to Daniel's empty stomach. A stronger, larger pair of hands gently helped him to stand while another pair - Mira's, he thought - stripped him of his briefs. If he'd had enough energy, Daniel would have flushed with embarrassment at being naked and blind in front of these people he barely knew.

"Be careful of those cuts," Mira was instructing Karlis as the man shifted Daniel to a nearby chair. "And make sure the water is warm."

"Yes, Healer."

A few seconds later, Daniel was being given a sponge bath. He winced as Karlis rubbed over the bruises, cuts and cracked ribs, but didn't make a sound. Daniel did look away though when Karlis cleaned his genitals - thoroughly - as he hated when someone had to do that for him. He started to get a little concerned also that Karlis might be interested in his body as the man lingered over certain parts.

When he was clean, he was bandaged up again, his arm resplinted, and then assisted back to bed - naked. Fortunately, a blanket was placed over him to stomach-height, which helped to keep him warm as well as protect his modesty. Not that he had anything to be ashamed of but he had always been a very private person.

A bowl was placed in his hand - the dreaded soup. Daniel reluctantly drank it down. This was going to be a long recovery.

~~~~

The days passed slowly and always in the same routine. Sleep, eat, check bandages, sleep, eat, try to walk, sleep, eat, bathroom break. He really, really hated being sick.

It was a big cause for celebration when, a week after his fever had broken, Daniel was allowed to go for a walk outside - which also meant, he could finally get dressed and the bandages across his eyes would be removed. He waited impatiently as Mira slowly unwound the bandages, something that the healer picked up on.

"Danyel, sit still. You are like a child," she scolded.

"Sorry." This wasn't normal behaviour for him but he'd had too much enforced rest over the past week. There had been plenty of time to think - although he hadn't come up with any definite plan yet - and he had learnt a lot about the planet he was currently on, mainly from Karlis, who always made sure to spend several hours a day with Daniel. The extra language he had thought had been mixed with Spanish was Andalusian; the original inhabitants had been taken from a variety of villages in Spain around 1,500 years ago. That explained the changes in the language, which Daniel was easily able to learn.

Lali had also been an eager teacher, telling him all about the village which was home to around a thousand people. The nearest village was eight hours walk and, more importantly to Daniel, the Stargate was less than an hour away. That meant that he should be able to walk there in a week or so when his legs were stronger.

"Now keep your eyes closed for a moment," Mira instructed as the final layer of bandage was removed. "Then open your eyes slowly and let them get used to the light again."

Daniel was nervous; what if his eyesight hadn't improved? He needed his sight to be a linguist and archaeologist - how could he be either if he couldn't see?

Slowly, very slowly, he opened his eyes. One eye was still slightly swollen but the other opened fully. And he could see! Granted, his sight was still a little more blurry than usual but hopefully that should clear up. He gave Mira a report and she agreed with him.

"Best not to strain them," she ordered sternly, knowing how difficult her patient found resting. "No doing any of this reading or writing you were talking about until your eyes have returned to normal, and I'll make you something to wear at night to help."

"Thank you," Daniel said, genuinely grateful for the help Mira had given him. If he had gated to an uninhabited planet and somehow managed to survive, his eyesight could possibly have been permanently damaged; he didn't know enough about medicine to be certain. He looked at Mira and saw that his earlier guess had been right; the healer was in her fifties, with long wavy black hair. Daniel couldn't see her eye colour without squinting but presumed it was black or dark brown as was usual with undiluted Spanish ancestry.

Mira smiled at him and patted his leg as a mother would her child. "Just remember to follow my instructions. I have people who will tell me if you don't."

"Like me." Lali stepped into Daniel's line of sight, having observed quietly up until then. "Are you ready to go outside?"

"Definitely." How long had it been since he had seen the sun? Daniel slowly stood with Lali's help and found that she was almost as tall as him. She was also very pretty as far as he could tell, and young enough to be his daughter. However, she was quite strong and easily supported his weight - which was far less than normal.

They walked together into the sunshine, Mira following. Daniel squinted at the brightness and wished he had his sunglasses handy. The pair that he normally carried on off-world missions were probably on Kelowna somewhere with his glasses and the rest of his gear. At least the tunic and leggings that Lali had given him - which used to belong to her late father - fitted remarkably well, if a little long and baggy. The people of Destarre lived in a simple society and their clothes reflected that. But Daniel didn't mind; until he went home, this was a perfect way to study a society that had evolved only slightly technologically from its ancient roots.

The houses were made from mud brick; most were one-storey but some had two, and all were of a square design. Further down the street they were on, there was a marketplace, and there were many noises coming from that direction. Daniel smiled; this was definitely a sight for sore eyes.

"Alright, we had better go back in," Lali started to suggest but Daniel shook his head.

"No, wait. Just another minute please." His legs, although trembling, were still holding him upright.

"Mira said not to overdo it," Lali pointed out as she glanced towards the healer, who was heading towards the market.

"I'll be fine," Daniel reassured her. "I'm just regaining my strength, that's all."

"Well, if you want to stay outside for awhile, then you'll have to sit down," Lali ordered, guiding Daniel to a tree stump that served as a seat.

Daniel acquiesed to that so that he could stay out and feel the sun on his body. He had missed this feeling so much...

Abydos. He should go back to Abydos and live there if the SGC didn't want him. Kasuf would welcome him back, as would Skaara. He could find a nice Abydonian girl and get married, have a family...

No, he wouldn't do that. Losing Sha're had hurt so much - it still hurt at times, similar it did when he remembered Jack saying that their friendship had 'no foundation'. That had really hurt because Daniel didn't trust or make friends easily, and he thought he had really bonded with Jack. Now, too, he had to wonder whether any of what Jack had said was actually a lie, even though the older man had said it had been. But anyone who got over the death of their so-called friend so easily might have been telling the truth about a foundationless friendship.

Daniel ducked his head as pain tugged at his heart. No, he couldn't think about this now. He needed to concentrate on getting well and showing the Kelownans just how hard it is to get rid of Doctor Daniel Jackson.

"Danyel, are you alright?" Lali asked in concern.

"Yes, I'm fine," Daniel replied, pulling himself together. He would show them all.

~~~~

It had taken a week but Jack was finally back in his home, free of Janet's tests and McKenzie's psych evaluations. He grabbed himself an orange juice - he wasn't allowed alcohol for another few days - and headed up to the roof to talk to Daniel. He hadn't been able to talk to his friend in the infirmary because everyone would have thought he was nuts. Which, quite possibly, he was except it had been a habit to talk to Daniel like this well before the Baal incident. It was his way of coping with Daniel's loss.

"You know, I had the strangest dream," Jack started conversationally, staring up at the star he knew to be Abydos. "I dreamt that you actually came to see me when Baal was torturing me and that you offered to help me ascend. Now I'd like to know whether that was really you or not. Because if it was, I'd have to say that was the most hare-brained idea you've had yet."

He waited but there was no response. "Or maybe my most hare-brained hallucination, and believe me, I've had some doozies. I mean, the thought of my ascending - could you really imagine it? They'd kick me out before I'd even got started. I don't know how you're keeping a low profile because I know you and rules don't really go together, but I'm grateful for you finding a way to get me out. If you weren't a hallucination, that is."

A soft breeze blew past Jack's face and he smiled. It had been real; Daniel had really been there. But no-one would believe him so he would keep it a secret for now. "Well, anyway, thanks for the assist and for giving Teal'c that idea. Just don't wait too long for your next visit, okay?" He took a mouthful of his drink and settled back against the railing. The hole in his heart had filled just a little.

~~~~

It took just over two weeks for Daniel to become impatient enough to attempt to walk to the Stargate. Karlis came with him in case Daniel needed him, and carried food and water for a picnic lunch. As Daniel had learnt from Lali, Karlis was her eldest brother, ten years older than her and the only one unmarried. Daniel figured he knew why as Karlis' touches lingered longer than normal whenever they were together. Karlis hadn't said anything yet so Daniel also kept quiet, waiting to see where this was going; if the younger man didn't make a move, then Daniel wouldn't have to worry about it either.

"You're not yet completely healed, Danyel," Karlis was saying as they walked along.

"My eyes are nearly back to normal, the bruises have faded, my ribs have healed and my legs are getting stronger," Daniel replied patiently. A month of resting had done wonders to heal his body even with the fever's setback. And it was true about his eyes; they were practically back to normal with only a slight extra blurriness in the eye that had been swollen shut. "Besides, I'm not leaving yet." He couldn't go back to Abydos looking like this.

Not entirely convinced, Karlis changed the subject, informing Daniel of the upcoming festival. Daniel did his best to pay attention but his thoughts kept going back to whether he had made the right decision to go to Abydos and not to Earth. He had been gone from the SGC three months now; they would have long got over his 'death' by now, thanks to Quinn. Would he still be welcome on Earth or had the Kelownans been right, that they had merely put up with him?

Stop it! he berated himself. He had to have faith in his friends. Especially Jack, whom he missed the most. There were times during each day where he would just sit and think about what Jack was doing. Although they had grown apart during the last year - and Daniel still didn't know why - he knew Jack's routines inside out, just as the older man knew his... well, the few routines Daniel had, that is. There was no way that was less than a true indication of friendship.

The hour walk stretched into two as Daniel had to frequently stop to let his legs recover enough to continue. Finally, they reached the clearing where the Stargate resided. There was no path leading to the massive stone ring, indicating that travel through it, or even to it, was extremely infrequent. At least that meant that the Goa'uld didn't visit the planet often, not through the Stargate anyway, which was a good sign. But had they simply forgotten about this planet or was there a reason for their possible abandonment?

Daniel slowly made his way over to the DHD. Some of the symbols were familiar but many weren't. Destarre is on the edge of the galaxy, Daniel realised with a sinking heart; that was why the star shapes had changed. It was going to take some work to figure out the addresses he knew.

With some nervousness, he reached out and pressed one of the symbols. Nothing happened. It didn't light up and neither did the first chevron on the ring. Trying not to panic, Daniel pressed a few more symbols at random but nothing worked. The Stargate remained dead, just like Daniel's hopes.

"What's the matter?" Karlis asked, coming to stand right next to Daniel and putting a hand on the linguist's back in a gesture of support... or maybe more.

"It's not working. Something's wrong," Daniel stated flatly. He had no way home. Now he knew how Jack must have felt on Edora for those three months. But at least Jack had known they were doing everything they could to get him back. This time, no-one knew where Daniel was.

"Can you fix it?" Karlis wanted to know, pleased that Daniel wouldn't be going home in the immediate future.

"Probably not." He wasn't the one with that kind of knowledge. Daniel sat down and rested against the DHD. "I wouldn't even know where to start." When he was feeling more up to it though, he would come back and try anyway; he probably couldn't make things worse.

"Did you bring the parchment and charcoal?" Daniel asked Karlis, having been at least prepared for the change in symbols.

"Here." Karlis pulled the items out of the bag he carried and gave them to Daniel, his fingers lingering where they touched skin.

Daniel took the parchment and charcoal in his good hand but didn't rise immediately; the walk had drained his energy. Nor did he respond to Karlis' touch because he didn't want to encourage the younger man. "Let's eat first," he suggested, and so they did. Daniel found that Karlis was a very entertaining conversationalist and he had fun in spite of himself. But he still missed his friends on Earth, especially Jack, whom he had enjoyed arguing with. Well, maybe not enjoyed but he missed it just the same.

When they had finished, Daniel rubbed the symbols onto the parchment so that he could study them later. He would need to know what address to dial if he ever, by some miracle, got the DHD working. Then he and Karlis headed back to the village, sharing companionable conversation and neither man mentioning the fact that Daniel was stuck on Destarre for the foreseeable future.

~~~~

Two months later...

"Dial us out of here!" Major Irvine of SG-6 yelled at his sergeant. The sound of staff weapons and P-90s were almost deafening, and they needed to get back to the SGC asap.

"Yes, sir!" Sergeant McCarthy shouted back. He ran to the DHD, confident that his team-mates would cover him, and dialled what he thought was a safe address - the Alpha Site. He sent through the GDO code and then yelled to his CO that the team could go through.

The four members of SG-6 scrambled to the Gate and then stepped through. Irvine had expected to see a number of soldiers guarding the Stargate but there was no-one, not even any signs of a building. Deciding to worry about that in a moment, he turned back to the Gate and aimed his rifle at the shimmering wormhole just in case they were followed. The wormhole disappeared a few seconds later and Irvine breathed a sigh of relief. They were safe. But where the heck were they? "McCarthy?"

"I dialled the Alpha Site, sir," the heavy-set sergeant replied. His keen blue eyes had already taken in the fact that they weren't supposed to be.

"Well, I think we can safely say that something went wrong," Irvine stated, his keen brown eyes searching their surroundings. There was a faint path leading up to the DHD, indicating that someone had been by recently. "Corporal Ritter, dial up the SGC."

The short, skinny corporal, whose appearance was quite deceptive, jogged over to the DHD and then hesitated. "Uh, sir, the symbols are different. I can't find any for Earth," he reported.

Irvine swore silently and headed over to the DHD to have a look for himself. That was the problem with Stargates, he mused; the further away from Earth one got, the more the stars changed their shapes. Even Abydos, the closest planet to Earth, had completely different symbols on their Gate and DHD. "That's just great," he muttered. "Does it work?"

"I don't know." Ritter pressed down several of the symbols at random but nothing lit up. "Uh, no, sir, it doesn't seem to be working."

Irvine sighed; his day was getting better and better. "Alright. Ritter, King, you two stay have and see if you can fix the DHD. McCarthy and I will follow the path, see if we can find anything that might help us."

There was a chorus of "yes, sirs", and then two members of SG-6 set forth into the unknown.

~~~~

Daniel threw down his quill in frustration. He had been working for two solid months of the DHD symbols and still hadn't figured them all out. He only had five of the seven symbols he needed for either Abydos or Earth, and there was no newspaper nearby to give him inspiration as there had been when he had opened the Stargate over six years ago. He had six symbols for the Nox planet but that didn't help him because firstly, he didn't know which symbol was the point of origin and secondly, the Nox had buried their Stargate. He rubbed the bridge of his nose and slumped back in his chair. Maybe he should take a break for awhile.

He looked around the small house which was now his home. A week after discovering he was stranded, the locals had encouraged him to move into the mud house as it was improper for him to stay with Lali and Karlis. And so he had, spending many hours trying to figure out the thirty-nine symbols and occasionally travelling to the Stargate to fiddle with the DHD. It had only been recently that he had discovered two tiny sets of symbols on the base of the DHD - the symbols for this world from two different points in the galaxy but no point of origin. At least it had helped him work out two-thirds of the other symbols though.

He had also spent time writing down much of the village's oral history and teaching those who wished how to read. A couple of the adults who had learnt quickly were now starting a school of sorts to teach the children. This pleased Daniel as he enjoyed passing on knowledge, especially to ones who were eager to learn. In time, all these activities had started to heal the loss of his friends back on Earth.

Distance had given him clarity of thought and he knew that the Kelownans had wanted him to feel abandoned so they had lied to him. And he had believed it for a time. Until he had remembered all the times that his friends had been there for him, even when they hadn't trusted or believed him. Admittedly, the whole Reese thing had been bad but the underlying foundations of friendships had still remained strong. Jack had just been having a bad day, having found out that Sara had remarried, or at least that had been Jack's excuse. And Daniel had believed him.

Daniel stood up and walked outside into the sunshine. It was now summer - the festival celebrating the season had been held last month and he had attended it with his new friends. There had been lots of drinking, dancing and singing, as well as some matchmaking - from which he had fortunately been exempt. Now though, there were a few women in the village who had their eye on him but he didn't want any of them. Although it was unfair, none of them compared to Sha're. Maybe when he had resigned himself to living his life on Destarre, then he might take a wife. Or a lover, if Karlis had his way, which Daniel currently couldn't imagine.

He stood there staring into the nearby woods for around ten minutes before his peace was disturbed. Lali came running up to him, her dark eyes alight with excitement - or was it warning? "What is it?" Daniel asked as the teenager came to a halt.

"Two men dressed as you were but carrying weapons have arrived in the village," Lali reported breathlessly. "They cannot speak our tongue so Mira thought that since you arrived in similar clothing, that perhaps you might be able to talk to them. Are they friendly?" She didn't want to expose these strangers to Daniel if they were going to hurt him.

Daniel's heart leapt for joy - cautiously. "What do these men look like?" Had Jack somehow found him? If so, where was the rest of the team?

"The taller one has dark hair and pale skin, and the other is shorter with yellow hair," Lali recited, having seen those basic details.

Now Daniel's heart sank as quickly as his hopes had risen; it wasn't SG-1. They're friendly," he said dispiritedly. "They work at the same place I did."

Lali nodded, any wariness of the strangers disappearing. "Then come. They will be pleased to see you."

Or not, Daniel thought darkly, falling into step beside his young friend. He hadn't told anyone that his friends thought him dead, mainly because there didn't seem to be any need to. It would be interesting to see everyone's reaction.

~~~~

Major Irvine looked around him. Villagers of all ages were staring at him and McCarthy, and he was getting freaked out by it. "Are you sure it's Spanish they speak?"

"No, sir. I'm just saying that what we've heard so far is similar but not quite the same," McCarthy replied. He smiled at some children nearby before turning back to his CO. "If Doctor Jackson were here, he'd be talking to them in no time."

"Actually, their language is Spanish mixed with Andalusian."

The two men spun around, their expressions of disbelief quite comical in Daniel's opinion.

"Doctor Jackson?" Irvine couldn't believe his eyes. What was the late linguist doing here, dressed in local garb? "I thought you were ascended or something."

"Yes, well, that's what Jonas Quinn wanted you to think," Daniel replied, some bitterness colouring his tone. "Unfortunately, his colleagues didn't quite succeed."

Irvine frowned in confusion. "So you didn't die of radiation poisoning?"

"Considering I wasn't even on Earth at the time, no." Daniel stepped forward and was pleased to see that neither Irvine or McCarthy flinched. "Where is the rest of your team?"

"Back at the Gate trying to get it working," McCarthy stated, a grin forming on his face. "So how did you wind up here?"

"It's a long story. We'd better get comfortable," Daniel said, inviting the men to follow him. He quickly explained to Lali what was going on so that she could satisfy everyone else's curiosity. Then he led the two soldiers to his house.

Once everyone was seated, Daniel related his story to the two interested men. He was pleased to see that they seemed to believe him, although Irvine was sceptical about the 'planting visions in the mind' thing until he was reminded of SG-1's experience with Tyler.

"You know, no-one but SG-1, General Hammond and a few of the medical staff actually saw you," Irvine told Daniel, thinking back on events. "The rest of us just heard the news from them. So if what you're saying is true, then Quinn didn't have to extend his abilities too far."

Daniel nodded. "That would make sense. The more he had to stretch the visions, the weaker they would probably get, so he just relied on word of mouth for everyone else." And if he had been thought to be ascended, then there would be no body to worry about, which would have otherwise ruined the whole set-up.

McCarthy shook his head, dumbfounded by the lengths the Kelownans had gone to in order to get a spy into the SGC. "Why did they pick you?"

"Because I was the one who knew about all the different races like the Ancients," Daniel replied "That, and they considered me the most expendable of the team."

McCarthy scoffed at that. "They obviously didn't read the minds of the rest of your team and the SGC then."

Irvine agreed, picking up the thread. "Since you've been gone, things haven't been the same, and not only because the injury rate is much higher. Carter was so upset, she was actually crying on base; there have been more injuries whenever anyone's sparred with Teal'c; and O'Neill, he's been like a bear with a sore head. He's been snapping at everyone, staying long hours at the SGC, and no-one's seen him smile in five months. Rumour has it that he chose to go on an Asgard mission a few days after your supposed death because it was a suicide mission. Obviously, he survived but that's not the point."

Daniel couldn't believe what he was hearing. If the rumour was true, then Jack accepting a suicide mission was equivalent to that first mission to Abydos, and Daniel found that difficult to believe; Jack wouldn't rate his death as high as his son's... would he? "I was told that no-one cared," he said, trying to comprehend the loss his friends had suffered.

"That's a standard part of torture," Irvine pointed out. "But trust us, Doc, everyone cared. The whole of SGC turned out for the memorial service and I even saw a few of the Marines wipe their eyes. Quinn has been getting a hard time from everyone, especially your department, for moving into your office so quickly and trying too hard to get everyone to like him. You wouldn't believe how long O'Neill held out on letting him be part of SG-1, and even then it took an order from the General."

"So I'd be welcomed back?" After a lifetime of not being accepted, Daniel was struggling with the idea that so many people had cared about him.

"We'll shove Quinn through the wormhole ourselves," McCarthy volunteered, "and then everyone else will be mad at us because they didn't get to."

"Actually, SG-1 will probably dismember him first once they find out," Irvine stated.

"Yeah, well, we've got to get home first." Daniel was strangely comforted by their words. "And even then, we've got to get Jack and the others away from Quinn because he'll only try to influence them."

McCarthy grinned. "Not if we zat him first."

Daniel couldn't help grinning at that. "Do I get the honours?"

"Of course," Irvine replied. "And then everyone will fire after you." Quinn was in such big trouble.

Greatly heartened, Daniel showed the men how much progress he had made in deciphering the DHD symbols. He had all but two of the symbols for the Alpha Site which meant that if SG-6 could get the Stargate working, they were nearly ready to go home.

As Irvine and McCarthy explored the town, Daniel worked on the remaining symbols. He found that while he was happy to be going home, he was sad to be leaving Destarre. He had made a home in the village, had made a contribution to their lives, and now he would be leaving them and may never see the results. Daniel so wanted to be there when the first group of children became fluent readers. Maybe, since he had the address, he could come back and visit occasionally.

"Danyel, may I come in?" Karlis asked from the doorway. His body language displayed nervousness, which put Daniel on alert.

"Sure," the linguist replied. He set down his quill. "What's wrong?"

"As soon as you can, you will be leaving, yes?"

Daniel noticed that Karlis' face, which reminded him of Skaara, also expressed something more than disappointment at him leaving. "Yes, I will. I have a duty to help my friends know the truth."

Karlis nodded and fidgeted for a couple of seconds before continuing. "Is one of these friends more than just a friend?"

"What? No," Daniel denied, ignoring the fact that whenever he had masterbated recently, Jack's face had always been in his mind. He had come to the conclusion that since being parted from Jack, he had started thinking about men in a more sexual light - thanks to Karlis' flirting - and because the older man was his friend, that was whom he had chosen to think about. But it wasn't anything more than that. "Why?"

"Because I want you to stay. With me." Karlis reached out and took Daniel's hand so that there would be no confusion as to why he wanted the linguist to stay.

"Uh..." Daniel didn't know what to say. He had been trying to avoid this moment as long as possible. "Karlis, I'm flattered and I enjoy your company but I've never thought of you in that way."

"I know. I should have spoken more plainly earlier," Karlis lamented, "but I wanted to give you time to adjust to living here with us."

Oh boy. Daniel had hoped that no-one had noticed that he hadn't resigned himself to his future, although considering how much time he had spent working on the gate symbols, that was probably a false hope. "Karlis--"

"Danyel." The younger man shifted forward so that his face was only a couple of inches away from the object of his love. "I know that you will not remain here but I cannot let you go without one kiss."

Daniel was about to refuse when he realised just what this meant to Karlis, and he wondered whether that was part of the reason Jack had slept with Laira on Edora before the gate was unburied; neither of them liked disappointing the people they cared about. So Daniel nodded, giving his consent.

Karlis' lips were dry when they touched Daniel's but not unpleasantly so. The kiss only lasted for a few seconds - Daniel didn't even have time to close his eyes - and it was nice. Daniel was in no way aroused but it hadn't felt uncomfortable as he had expected.

The younger man pulled back and looked into Daniel's eyes. Karlis nodded once, his expression filled with resignation and regret, and slowly stood. "Thank you, Danyel." Then he bowed his head and walked away.

Before Daniel could follow Karlis, he saw Irvine standing in the doorway. His heart sank; he knew how prejudiced some military officers could be. "He was just saying good-bye," he found himself excusing the kiss.

"So I saw." Irvine advanced into the room and sat down opposite Daniel. "Look, Doc, I'm not going to make any judgements about how you spent your time here. What you did was your choice and your business. I just came to ask you if you'd got the last symbols because Ritter says the DHD is simply out of power so they're going to try to use the mini-naquadah pack to recharge it."

"Oh." He was so close to going home. "I've got one, I've just got to work out the symbol for this planet."

"Good." Irvine stood up and went to walk away but turned back to Daniel when the linguist said his name. "Yeah?"

Daniel didn't know why he felt the need to explain, just that he had to. "I'm not gay, Major. There was nothing between Karlis and I."

"I know. I have to admit that I always thought you and O'Neill were together though," Irvine stated honestly. "There's going to be a lot of folks surprised that you weren't." This time, he managed to walk away without Daniel calling him back.

Him and Jack - together? Daniel frowned at the thought. He hadn't listened to gossip and rumours at the SGC, although he did know that many personnel over the years had thought him to be gay. Granted, he and Jack had had a comfortable, if occasionally volatile, friendship but he hadn't thought that would come across as an actual relationship. Did Jack know about these rumours? Most likely, since Jack knew about pretty much everything that happened at the SGC in spite of his dumb act. So why hadn't he told Daniel so that they could have had a good laugh about it?

Wait - was that why Jack had grown somewhat distant over the past year, not to mention started up a flirtation with Sam? Had Jack been protecting his image at the expense of their friendship?

Daniel didn't know what to think but he didn't have time to dwell on it now. He needed to work out the last symbol so that he could get himself and SG-6 home.

~~~~

Just under an hour later, he had it - the address for the Alpha Site. Ritter had radioed half an hour before to say that they had been able to power the gate. So now Daniel gathered up all his belongings, few as they were, and headed outside to where Irvine and McCarthy were waiting. "I'm ready," he told them.

"Do you need to say any good-byes?" Irvine asked as a dozen villagers started to head in their direction.

"Just a few," Daniel replied. He gave the children a hug - well, technically they hugged him - and promised to come back and see how well they were getting along with their schooling. With the adults, he was more reserved but he told them he would visit as often as he could.

Lali gave him a big hug, not wanting her friend to go. "I want to come with you," she said, her arms tight around Daniel's waist.

"No, you don't," Daniel replied gently, untangling himself from her grip. "This is where you belong. Maybe someday you can visit my world but that time isn't yet. Promise that you'll wait until you're older." He had explained about the iris to Lali and the others before but he still wanted to make sure that they wouldn't try to come to Earth.

Although she didn't agree, Lali nodded. "I promise." She knew how important it was to Daniel that she wait.

"Good. And when I come back, you must tell me how things are going with you and Wyan, okay?" Daniel teased, knowing all about the boy's love for Lali.

"He's just a friend," Lali dismissed the assertion that she and Wyan were more than friends.

"That's how the best relationships start," Daniel commented, giving Lali one final hug. "Thank you for everything."

"You are welcome." Lali stood on tiptoe and kissed Daniel's cheek. "Mira said to tell you not to be afraid of loving again, even if it's someone you never thought would be interested. Oh, and to give Jack a kiss from her."

"What?" Daniel was glad that the others from Earth hadn't overheard that. "Why?" He had told a few tales about his friends to the villagers but this comment was totally unexpected.

Lali shrugged. "She didn't say." The teenager's expression became cheeky. "Is Jack really handsome? Are you in love with him?"

Daniel had had enough shocks that day not to become speechless at that. "No, I'm not. Besides, Jack is interested in someone else so even if I was in love with him, it still wouldn't happen."

Lali's eyes twinkled. "So he's just a friend?"

"Yes." Daniel correctly read Lali's expression. "Don't go quoting what I say. Our situations are different."

"Of course they are." Lali's tone implied they were anything but different. "You'd better go, get back to your home. Everyone will be glad to see you again." Of that, she was certain.

"I hope so." If they didn't, then he would have to stick to his original plan - if he could - and go to Abydos.

~~~~

Just over an hour later, SG-6 and Daniel stepped through the Stargate to the Alpha Site, much to the surprise of the base commander, Colonel Matt Riley. "Doctor Jackson?" he said in disbelief.

"Colonel," Daniel replied. He knew he looked different with slightly longer hair and native garb.

"We thought you were--"

"Ascended, yes, so I've heard," Daniel interrupted, not wanting to go through the whole thing again. "Listen, this is very important. We need to get Colonel O'Neill, Teal'c and Major Carter here without Jonas Quinn."

The colonel looked to Major Irvine, who nodded in support of Daniel's request. Turning back to the linguist, Colonel Riley asked, "Why?"

"I really don't want to go into details right now," Daniel deflected, impatient to get this over with. "Let's just say that Quinn isn't who he pretends to be."

Colonel Riley thought that over for a moment and then queried, "Getting only three members of SG-1 here is going to raise questions. Do you have any ideas on how to do it?" He was curious but trusted that Jackson had a good reason.

"Actually, I do."

~~~~

[They want what?] General Hammond questioned from the control room of the SGC.

"To run baseline tests on personnel who have been through the Stargate over five hundred times," Colonel Riley explained. "Then they want to compare them with those who have been through four hundred times, then three hundred... you get the picture, sir."

[Yes, I do. So that's why they want O'Neill, Major Carter and Teal'c. ]

"That's right, sir. They've done more gate travel than anyone else, and the scientists assure me that it will only take a day, maybe less. You know what scientists are like, General," Riley invited him to commiserate.

Hammond chuckled. [Indeed, I do, Colonel. I'll inform them right away. I'm sure Colonel O'Neill will love this.]

"Thank you, sir." Riley shut the gate down and turned to Daniel, who was waiting nearby, still dressed in his native clothes. "Good idea, Doctor Jackson."

Daniel gave him a self-depreciating smile. "I know what scientists are like." He also remembered all too well the theories that Doctor McKenzie had formed over two years ago about gate travel and stress, and figured that it made sense that eventually someone would want to follow up on them. And it discluded Quinn because he had only been with the SGC a short time. Now all he had to do was wait.

~~~~

"They want to do what?" Jack exclaimed when Hammond called the three of them in for a briefing.

"Examine the effects of long-term gate travel on the body," Hammond stated, hiding his amusement; Jack's reaction was exactly as he had expected.

"But, sir," Sam protested, "Doctor McKenzie's theory was thrown out three years ago. Why would they want to test it again?"

"I don't know, Major, but they are. They're starting with those who have been through the Stargate most often, and that means you three," Hammond elaborated.

"Well, they're not going to find anything," Jack predicted, already determined not to co-operate. "McKenzie was just a quack who didn't know what was wrong with Daniel so he made something up." It still burned Jack up inside to think of Daniel in that white padded room, an absolute mess because of the drugs that McKenzie had forced into him. They should have trusted Daniel from the start, not treated him as a flake. Jack resolved that if, by some miracle, Daniel ever returned to him, he would not make that mistake again.

"This won't take long, Colonel. Just go and take the tests, and then come back again," Hammond ordered. "You need some time off anyway, so go."

"You call that time off?" Jack grumbled but walked out of the briefing room anyway, the others in tow. He turned to Teal'c, who had a thoughtful expression on his face. "What's up, T? You were awfully quiet in there."

"I am simply wondering why the scientists have chosen now to conduct these tests," Teal'c stated. "Should not have these tests been conducted when such a concern was first expressed?"

Most wouldn't have heard the undertone to the deep voice but Jack had worked with Teal'c for five years. "Are you saying that Colonel Riley wants us there under false pretences?"

"That's absurd, Teal'c," Sam commented as the trio headed to the armoury. Even though they were only going to the Alpha Site, they needed to be prepared. "What other reason would Colonel Riley have for wanting us there?"

"That is what concerns me," Teal'c replied.

Jack's mind raced through the possibilities and decided that they would have to be careful. Who knew what lay on the other side of the gate?

When they stepped through to the Alpha Site less than an hour later, all three kept their weapons raised. Riley, who was waiting for them, looked puzzled. "Jack?"

"We know you didn't bring us here to run tests, Matt," Jack replied, assessing the situation. Everything looked normal but sometimes that could be deceiving, like that foothold situation two years ago. "So, are you a Goa'uld or some other alien that likes posing as humans to take over Earth?"

"Sorry to disappoint you, Jack, but I'm still me," Riley said with a chuckle. "But you're right - I didn't ask you here to do tests."

"Then why?" Jack still wasn't convinced.

"SG-6 found something you might like to see."

~~~~

Jonas strolled into Hammond's office, his anxiety well hidden. "I heard that SG-1 went to the Alpha Site."

"That's right," Hammond replied. "The scientists there wanted to run some tests on them."

Jonas quickly scanned Hammond's mind and found that the general was speaking the truth as he knew it. However, Jonas had the suspicion that things were about to go terribly wrong.

~~~~

Sam was pleased to hear that SG-6 were alive. "What happened to them?" she asked as the group walked to the Alpha Site's infirmary. "They missed their last check-in."

"Apparently, they got attacked by some Jaffa but instead of dialling here, they accidentally went to another planet. That's where they found what you really need to see," Riley explained.

Jack was growing more suspicious by the minute and he could tell that Teal'c was too. It was sounding more and more like SG-6 had brought something back that brainwashed or sucked souls out or something. "What planet did they end up on?" he asked as they entered the infirmary.

"The locals called it Destarre."

Jack froze as he heard the familiar voice. No, it couldn't be...

"But I don't think it's in the SGC's database," Daniel continued, his eyes on Jack's still figure.

"Daniel?" Sam gasped as Jack finally unfroze to turn around and see the ghost sitting on the infirmary bed. "You're--"

"Alive? Very much so," Daniel replied, standing and advancing towards his friends. "The Kelownans did their best to change that though."

That comment lured Jack out of his speechless state. "What?" He stared in disbelief at Daniel. The younger man had died in front of him; how could he now be standing there looking so real? Was this another hallucination like on Baal's planet? No, it couldn't be that because Carter and Teal'c were seeing Daniel too.

"It's a long story." Daniel halted in front of Jack but looked at the others. "But believe me when I say that I never died or ascended, and am really standing here in front of you in the flesh." He waited nervously to see how his friends reacted. If they didn't trust him...

Teal'c was the one who broke the silence. He inclined his head solemnly. "It is pleasing to see that you are well, Daniel Jackson."

Daniel relaxed and smiled at Teal'c; he knew that of the three, the Jaffa was the most likely to accept his return without question. "Thank you, Teal'c. It's good to be well." He looked at Sam, trying to judge her expression.

Sam was having difficulty reconciling the knowledge that Daniel had died with the fact that he was standing close enough to touch. She reached out to place a hand on his arm and when it didn't go through, she let go of her usual restraint and hugged him hard. "I've missed you so much," she whispered to him, overwhelmed with joy to have Daniel back.

"I missed you too," Daniel replied softly, returning the hug. It was reassuring to know that his trust in his friends hadn't been misplaced. Although... Jack still hadn't said anything.

Jack was feeling so many things that he was struggling to keep them under control. Top of the list was the man he had thought was dead, the man he secretly loved, had not died but by the sounds of it had been kidnapped by the Kelownans. How was that possible? And how had Daniel ended up on the planet that SG-6 had gated to? There were too many questions and he was afraid that he wouldn't like the answer to any of them.

Daniel stepped back from Sam's fervent embrace and looked at Jack. The older man's face was expressionless but Daniel knew to look at his eyes for an indication of what he was really feeling. Daniel couldn't pinpoint anything but he knew the moment Jack became aware of his scrutiny. Brown eyes that were so often warm when directed at him became blank and Daniel's heart sank. Jack didn't want him back.

He couldn't let Daniel - or any of them - see what he was feeling. He would just play it casual, as if Daniel coming back from the dead was an everyday occurrence. Which it kind of was. "It's good to have you back, Dannyboy."

Daniel's reply was equally as casual. "Thank you, Jack." He turned back to Sam and Teal'c, encouraged by their welcomes. "Where's Quinn?"

"Back on Earth," Sam stated. "Why?"

"Because he's the one who made you believe that I was dead," Daniel explained simply.

"Excuse me?" Jack was sceptical about that. "And just how did he do that? Ow!" He turned and glared at Major Irvine, who had suddenly appeared behind him and stood on his heel.

"Sorry, sir." Irvine wasn't going to tolerate that kind of disrespect towards Daniel, even if it was Colonel O'Neill.

"Quinn is a spy, Jack," Daniel continued a small smile flashing across his face at Irvine's not-so-subtle action to get Jack to shut up. "The Kelownans are adept mind-readers and some of them, like Quinn, can also create false memories or hallucinations. When we were visiting, they probed our minds to see what kind of information we had. I knew the most about the other races so that's why they took me. They also figured that I was the most expendable of the group as I'm not military."

"They were wrong, Daniel Jackson," Teal'c intoned gravely. "You are the least expendable." The Kelownans would pay for this outrage!

"Thanks, Teal'c." It felt good to hear that. "Anyway, they learnt about the Ancients before I figured out what they were doing, and then they resorted to various... methods to get the rest of the information. During the two months I was there, they checked in with Quinn several times and occasionally, I was there when they did so."

"Wait." Jack held up a hand for Daniel to stop talking. He couldn't believe what he was hearing but he was also angry that Daniel had apparently suffered from torture when he hadn't been able to do anything about it. "How could Quinn have used the Stargate without anyone knowing?"

"The same way he made you all think that I had died," Daniel replied. "He probably projected an image into the minds of anyone who was around so that they didn't notice or didn't remember."

"What did he say in the reports?" Sam wanted to know, now feeling guilty. She was the one who had welcomed Jonas onto the team and now she felt like an idiot. It never occurred to her to doubt Daniel's word because she knew that he didn't lie. That, and he was standing right in front of her, as solid as the Stargate.

Daniel hesitated, debating exactly what to tell them. He didn't want to mention about them but Jack was very good at spotting half-truths. "Mainly it was about what records Quinn was able to access, especially after he joined SG-1. The rest... he rubbed in the fact that none of you seemed to be mourning my supposed death." Daniel looked directly at Jack and was pleased to see a flicker of guilt in his eyes.

Jack thought that the comment was aimed at him and he stiffened. "Well, we weren't exactly going to bare our souls in front of Quinn, were we?"

"I understood that, Jack." Daniel tried to convey with his expression that he knew how they had all cope with their grief. "And Quinn would have reported the same thing regardless because they wanted to take away my hope and the foundations of my life on Earth. For a short time, they succeeded," he added quietly.

"Oh, Daniel." Tears came to Sam's eyes as she began to realise just what her friend had been through. "What else did they do to you?"

Daniel ducked his head, not wanting to share the details.

"Danny?" Jack said, a warning in his voice. He needed to know what happened to his friend.

A sigh escaped Daniel; just the bare details. "Oh, just the usual torture. A few beatings, pain, lack of food and water, sensory deprivation, that sort of thing." He tried to sound casual about it but didn't succeed.

"Broken bones, concussions..." Jack added, his gut twisting in anger. How dare the Kelownans do that to Daniel! He wanted to shoot the lot of them.

"From what McCarthy could gather," Irvine spoke up, "the Doc had fractured ribs, one swollen eye and couldn't see properly out of the other, a broken arm, masses of cuts and bruises, and was several malnourished and dehydrated when he arrived on the planet." Irvine sent a look of apology to Daniel, who was glaring at him for revealing that information.

Jack swore under his breath and he noticed that Teal'c's eyes had gone cold. Now it was two of them that wanted to hunt down the Kelownans - possibly three, because Carter wouldn't want to be left out. "Left out a few details, Daniel?"

The linguist shrugged casually. "After the first few weeks, they wanted me to translate some writings a Goa'uld left behind. I procrastinated a little and put in a few wrong words but was caught out. They weren't happy." Which was quite an understatement, and he knew his friends would know that.

"How did you escape?" Sam asked, her fists clenched hard with the need to hit someone - preferably Jonas. How dare they hurt Daniel!

"One of the guards helped me," Daniel replied, his gaze going back to the floor. "But I couldn't see what I was dialling, so I accidentally ended up on Destarre, where the locals helped me to recover."

That was cutting a long story short, Jack thought as he examined Daniel's body language. He knew well Daniel's avoidance of talking about injuries and for him to mention anything at all, that meant it had been pretty serious. Either that, or he was avoiding the details being dragged out of him later.

"They have wonderful native medicines on the planet," Daniel continued, lifting his head to address Sam. "The poultice Mira used on my eyes--"

"Daniel," Jack cut in harshly; he didn't want to hear how close his friend had come to being blind. "How come you couldn't come home and tell us all this sooner?"

"Well, for starters, there was no power in the DHD, and the symbols were different. Secondly, the healer wouldn't let me travel that far for several weeks, and thirdly, I initially wasn't sure whether I'd be welcome. When I was sure, I still hadn't come up with a plan to get you away from Quinn long enough to tell you all this," Daniel explained.

It hurt all of SG-1 that Daniel hadn't been certain of his place in their affections but they were all aware of how torture could wear people down.

Teal'c spoke again, having been contemplating something. "Do you have a plan for how to expose Jonas Quinn?"

Daniel shared a look with Irvine. "Actually, no. I was kind of hoping you guys would be able to come up with something." He hadn't planned too far ahead because he hadn't been sure that his friends would believe him.

"Gee, thanks," Jack said but without any real bite to his tone. Now that he was getting past the initial shock and anger, he had himself under control and was able to think clearly. "If Quinn can make us believe whatever he wants, arresting him could be very tricky."

"So we need to find a way to incapacitate him," Sam gave her input.

"And throw him through the wormhole," Irvine added, wanting revenge like the others.

"We also need to make sure that the Kelownans can't use their gate anymore," Daniel stated, wanting to protect other innocent travellers and worlds.

"Bomb won't work," Jack pointed out, thinking through all the possibilities quickly. "You reckon Thor could drop by and beam up their Stargate?" he asked no-one in particular.

"What happens if Jonas managed to get his hands on any Asgard or Goa'uld technology that could be used to make ships?" Daniel queried. "Or weapons?"

Those with military knowledge all shared a concerned look. Riley was the one who spoke next. "We'd need to destroy whatever information Quinn has passed on."

"So we go in covertly, blow their headquarters, come home and get Thor to take their gate," Jack planned.

"Jack--"

"Daniel, they committed a hostile act against us when they kidnapped you," Jack said firmly. "We are not going to let them get away with that."

Daniel subsided when he saw the need for justice - or revenge - on everyone's faces. After two months of brutal torture, he couldn't say he was totally against the idea himself. "So, do we tell General Hammond first?"

That was a good question. Jack looked at Riley, who shrugged his shoulders. "We risk a court martial if we don't but if we do, we risk Quinn finding out and warning his people," Riley stated.

"So we go in from here," Jack decided as ranking officer. "Daniel, can you draw a map of the facility where you were? That's likely to be the same place the information is stored."

"I'm going with you," Daniel argued stubbornly.

Jack recognised the tone but didn't back down. "Only if the doctor clears you. In any case, we still need a map."

Daniel knew that he had been dismissed. Folding his arms over his chest, he nodded once and walked away, hurt by Jack's manner.

The older man watched Daniel leave and then brought his mind back to the problem at hand. He would apologise to the man he loved later but right now, he had some revenge to plan.

~~~~

An hour later, Jack sought out Daniel, who hadn't returned with the map. They couldn't go any further with their plans until they knew the layout of the facility, for which they needed the map. Plus, he needed to talk to Daniel and say what he hadn't been able to in front of everyone else - within reason.

He found Daniel outside staring at the Stargate. The linguist had changed into a standard green pants and black t-shirt but had refrained from wearing a jacket. Jack could see how slender Daniel now was - the clothes actually fitted well - and he again felt a burning anger at the Kelownans for nearly starving Daniel to death. Mind you, slender looked good on Daniel but Jack had appreciated his body since the early days when the linguist wasn't so thin and muscled. Truth be told, there were days when he missed the floppy hair too.

Jack continued to admire Daniel's body until he came to a halt next to his best friend. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" Daniel had felt Jack's presence a minute ago and wondered why it had taken him so long to walk over here.

"For what you went through." For not being there for you, Jack added silently. "For being a total ass before you disappeared."

"So you should be." Daniel decided not to cut Jack any slack over is behaviour. "Do you know how easy that made their lies to believe?"

Jack hung his head and scuffed one shoe on the ground. "Yeah, I can guess," he admitted.

Daniel could hear the sincerity and remorse in Jack's voice, and turned to face his best friend. "Was it true that you accepted a suicide mission after you thought I'd died?" He really needed to know the answer to that.

Jack contemplated lying but knew Daniel would persist until he told the truth. "Yeah, I did."

"Why?"

"Daniel--" Jack didn't want to talk about this now, not on a military base.

"Why? Because I'm like a son to you? Because I'm a friend? Or because you want me to be something more?" Daniel asked pointedly, finding that as he spoke, he hoped Jack would say the last one. Having had time to think about it, Daniel had discovered that his feelings for Jack were no longer just platonic.

Lifting his head to look directly into Daniel's eyes, Jack replied, "You're not supposed to ask." He held that gaze for as long as he could, the clear blue eyes assessing him, and then looked back down at the ground.

"How long?" Daniel wanted to know, was suddenly desperate to know. "How long?" he asked again when Jack didn't reply.

"Since the Replicators," Jack replied reluctantly. "I thought I was going to die on that sub, and when I heard your voice after I'd ordered you to fire that torpedo, I just knew."

"And then you survived and didn't know how to handle the situation," Daniel surmised, gaining a sudden insight into Jack's behaviour that had blown hot and cold. "Every time you got too close, you had to pull away in case someone noticed." Leaving him hurt and wondering what he had done to drive Jack away.

Jack didn't bother to deny it. "It was stupid, I know, but I couldn't risk anyone finding out."

"Well, I hate to tell you, Jack, but I think you raised more suspicion by avoiding me," Daniel pointed out. "By changing how you behaved towards me, you alerted more people to the fact that something had changed in our friendship. What do you want to bet that half the base thought that we were together and you were just trying too hard not to show favouritism?" That's what he would have thought if it had been two other people.

Jack frowned; he had never thought of it that way. "When did you figure this out?" He hoped that Daniel hadn't known all this time.

Daniel gave a self-depreciating chuckle and it was his turn to look away. "Just now. I had all that time in a cell and on a distant planet to think, and I never figured any of this out." How could he have been so blind?

"Well, don't feel bad. You weren't supposed to figure this out," Jack stated. He shifted awkwardly, feeling somewhat vulnerable now that his feelings were known. "How do you feel about all this?" He needed to know whether he had just made a total idiot of himself

"I'm not sure yet," Daniel said honestly. "I mean, I'm flattered that you like me that way but I can't say that I'd ever thought about... us together until today so..." He trailed off, starting to feel uncomfortable with the subject matter.

"So that's a maybe?" Jack asked hopefully. He nudged Daniel when the younger man didn't reply straight away.

"That's a maybe," Daniel agreed with a faint smile.

"Sweet." Jack couldn't help grinning; that conversation had gone a lot better that he had ever imagined it would. Except, of course, when his fantasy had ended in sex. "So, wanna come over to my place after we kick some Kelownan ass?"

"That would be good." If he could get his friendship with Jack on track again, with or without the added features, it would be very good indeed.

~~~~

In the end, the plan didn't even get a chance to get off the ground, so to speak. The Kelownan gate wouldn't connect, leading Daniel to hypothesise that either the inhabitants had taken the Stargate down, or their work on the naquadriah bomb had literally exploded in their faces. Therefore, Jack and Daniel paid a visit to K'tau in order to contact the Asgard. They eventually got a hold of Thor, who promised to drop by Kelowna and see what had happened, then come to Earth to get Quinn. So everything had worked out well except no-one, especially Jack, had got their revenge for Daniel's kidnapping and torture.

Phase two of the plan involved capturing Jonas, although what to do with him became a great matter of debate. In the end, it was decided that Thor should swing by, get Jonas and drop him off on Kelowna even if the country had been levelled by a bomb. There were other continents on the planet and Jonas could be deposited there, although Jack thought that the Kelownan should be put on his continent to slowly die of radiation poisoning; after all, that would be only fitting. But Daniel had vetoed that idea, so Jack had to confine that idea to his imagination.

~~~~

SG-1 strolled casually through the SGC's gate and down the ramp. Jonas wasn't there waiting for them so they split up to find him.

It was Jack who found him in Daniel's office, stuffing as many books as he could into a large backpack. "Going somewhere?" Jack queried casually.

"Colonel." Jonas was surprised by the man's appearance. "I thought you were still at the Alpha Site."

"They finished the tests early. So, whatcha doing?" Jack took a step towards Jonas, who immediately moved back. "What's going on?"

"Nothing," Jonas lied, getting himself under control. He was a professional, there was no need to be nervous. Except that there was something about O'Neill's posture...

"Good. We're going out for pizza, wanna come?" Jack invited, keeping his stance casual and his mind filled with banal matters. "Teal'c's going to try for the record."

"Uh no, thank you, Colonel," Jonas refused. He stood his ground as O'Neill drew closer and probed the man's mind; what was this obsession with 'The Simpsons'? "I was planning on doing some more translations tonight." Not to mention trying to contact his planet since there had been no response yesterday.

"That's too bad." Jack zatted Jonas with the weapon he had kept hidden behind his back. "So sorry you're going to miss it," he added insincerely as he set about restraining the unconscious man, tying the bonds quite tightly. Then he hoisted the man over his shoulder and set off for the elevator.

Daniel, who had arrived with SG-6 not long ago to inform General Hammond of what was going on, was waiting near the cells when Jack finally arrived.

"One spy as ordered," Jack said, dumping Quinn unceremoniously on the floor of the nearest cell. "Didn't even put up a fight."

"You zatted him," Daniel stated the obvious as the cell doors were closed.

"So? I would much rather have shot him but blood is so hard to get out of concrete," Jack replied flippantly. He handed his zat over to Daniel. "Here, your turn." If it were him, Jack would be itching for the opportunity to get revenge on the man who had helped imprison him.

Daniel's fingers closed tightly around the zat, fighting the urge to fire the weapon. If he fired without provocation, he became no better than his captors. He stared at Quinn's unconscious form, not even turning around when Sam and Teal'c entered the room.

"You would be well within your rights, Daniel Jackson," Teal'c intoned.

"I know." Daniel watched as Quinn's eyes slowly opened and became aware of his situation. He waited until Quinn's eyes had opened wide with surprise and the spy started testing his bonds before Daniel zatted him; he didn't want to give Quinn the chance to work his hallucinations.

Jack grinned; he was so proud. He turned to Hammond, who had just arrived. "Permission to throw out the trash, sir?"

"Granted," Hammond replied. He too was struggling with the knowledge of how easily they had all believed the lie.

Jack put his hand on Daniel's shoulder. "You want to do the honours?"

Daniel shook his head. He watched as Jack communicated to Thor that they were ready and received the information that Kelowna had indeed been levelled by a bomb, and then Quinn disappeared in a flash of light as he was beamed up to the Asgard ship. It was finished. His five month absence was finally over. His friends had believed him and wanted him back - a huge boost for his ego, which had taken a battering.

It was good to be home.

An arm draped across his shoulders startled him out of his thoughts. Daniel looked at Jack, whose arm it was, and couldn't help responding to the older man's grin. Why hadn't he noticed before how sexy that grin made Jack look?

"So, Dannyboy, you pleased to be home?" Jack asked, indulging himself in a once-off public display of affection - well, not counting the 'Spacemonkey' episode. They had got Daniel back; he could be excused this once.

"Oh yeah," Daniel replied. He smiled at Sam as she put her arm around his waist. "But what did you do with my apartment this time?"

Hammond couldn't help being pleased at the return of the young linguist, especially as it put smiles on the faces of SG-1 again. He hoped that now Daniel was back, the whole SGC could return to a happier state. "I'm sure your team will fill you in on the way to the infirmary. Doctor Fraiser will be looking forward to seeing you."

"Yes, sir." Even the thought of an infirmary visit couldn't wipe the grin from Daniel's face. He was home.

~~~~

Everyone except the new personnel stopped to greet Daniel on his way through the SGC corridors. Finally, several hours after the scene in the gate room, Daniel was in Jack's car on the way to the latter's house. After being cleared by Janet - who had been overjoyed to see Daniel again and livid with Quinn - Jack had volunteered to take his friend home for some relaxation and adjustment.

"You know, I think Fraiser's mad at us for not telling her about Jonas sooner," Jack said conversationally as they got out of the car. "She could have given him a very thorough physical followed by the largest needle she has."

Daniel chuckled; Janet had seemed rather put out that she hadn't been able to get revenge. "Mira, the healer on Destarre, would be exactly the same. She was a lot like Janet. And fortunately, she didn't have any needles," he joked.

"So, did you make lots of friends?" Jack queried as he opened the door, then he mentally kicked himself; of course Daniel made friends. The man had an uncanny knack for doing so with aliens.

"A few,' Daniel admitted, too modest to say 'the entire village'. "Everyone was very friendly and tried to make me feel at home."

"I'll bet," Jack muttered, jealousy rearing its ugly head. All the eligible women had probably set their sights on Daniel immediately. "So, you didn't end up married or anything?" he probed none too subtly.

"No, I didn't." Daniel kicked off his shoes and lay down on the couch, the stress of the day starting to catch up with him. "I didn't want to marry someone only to leave them when I went home."

Jack, thwarted in his fantasy of having Daniel's head in his lap, sat opposite in one of the chairs. He looked his fill at the lithe body stretched out on the couch and his fingers longed to touch. But he would wait until Daniel gave him some sort of signal that he wanted Jack to touch him. Soon. Hopefully. Jack looked away and asked the question he dreaded. "What about guys?"

"What about guys?" Daniel echoed in reply. Jack simply raised his eyebrows meaningfully, leaving Daniel with two options: tell the truth or go to bed. The latter was an attractive option but Jack would read more into the evasion than was there and would be hurt. "There was one guy who was interested."

Jack's heart sank. "What happened?" he questioned, fully prepared for the worst.

"He told me how he felt, I told him I didn't feel the same way," Daniel reported without looking at his friend. "But it did make me start thinking about us." He bent the truth a little so that Jack would never know about the kiss or what Irvine had revealed to him.

"You missed me." It wasn't a question. Jack could tell by Daniel's expressive face what the answer was before it was said.

"I didn't miss the put-downs and the bad temper but I did miss your company," Daniel admitted. He turned his head to look directly at Jack. "Can we not talk about this right now?" He needed more time to think about it, and right after coming home from five months away wasn't time to decide anything.

"Sure." Talking wasn't really his thing anyway. Jack shifted to sit on the coffee table and gazed down at the man he wanted to be his lover. "Listen, it's been a long time since I've done this but there's no sheets on the spare bed. Do you want me to sleep on the couch?"

Daniel was silent for a few seconds, thinking it over. Jack wanted to share a bed and, if his expression was anything to go by, was nervous about Daniel's answer. Or maybe he was nervous about going too fast, Daniel thought. Part of him said that 'yes' would be the best answer but Daniel didn't listen to that part; he wanted some company to reassure him that he was really home. "I don't mind sharing."

"Yes! Uh, I mean... great," Jack tried to tone down his enthusiasm but didn't succeed too well. "I don't want to push you or anything."

"I'm a big boy, Jack, I don't let myself get pushed into anything I don't want to do," Daniel assured him.

"Tell me about it," Jack muttered dryly; how many times had he come across that at work? "But this is different."

"I know." Daniel was only too well aware of how things could go wrong between them.

Jack tentatively reached over and put his hand on Daniel's chest. He watched the up-and-down movement for a minute before speaking again. "When you were... away, I was stuck on this planet... well, not so much stuck as a prisoner of Baal. He tortured me over and over again, and kept reviving me in a sarcophagus, which isn't really the point," he said when he saw Daniel's eyes fill with sympathy. "The point is, you got me through it. I hallucinated you being there, giving me words of advice, yelling at me for being an idiot, that sort of thing. I thought it had been real because you were ascended and all that, but if you weren't, then you couldn't have been real."

Daniel frowned; something rang a bell. "When was this?" he asked while searching his memory for the details.

"About three months ago. Why?"

A flicker of something came to Daniel. "Were you dressed in brown? In a light coloured cell?"

"Yeah." Jack stared at Daniel, puzzled as to how he knew the details. "How do you--?"

"I had a dream. Three months ago, I had a fever for several days," Daniel related, trying to bring the memories into focus. "The details are mostly fuzzy but I thought I had been talking with you, and I was wearing a white sweater."

Jack was dumbfounded. "Okay, that's just weird." It would seem that Daniel had somehow reached out to him while lost in a fever. Either that, or it was an almighty coincidence.

Daniel thoroughly agreed with him; they'd both had a very rough time of it. "Do you think that when we were on Kheb that Oma did something to me?"

"I don't know. That's your department, not mine." But it wouldn't surprise Jack in the least. "Aliens are always messing with our heads," he complained. Then something Daniel said hit him. "Hey, you had a fever? You didn't mention a fever before."

"That's beside the point," Daniel said as Jack's hand moved to rest on his forehead. He grabbed the roving hand and put it back on his chest. "Somehow, I managed to connect with you."

Jack still wasn't entirely convinced. "Daniel, you were telling me to ascend with you. Why would you be saying that if you knew you weren't ascended?"

Daniel didn't have an answer for that. He rubbed the bridge of his nose, unused to the feel of his glasses after so many months without. Fortunately, Janet had kept a spare pair of glasses with his prescription so he would no longer have to squint. "Maybe you were supplying the conversation and I was just... there or something."

"What?" That explanation sounded absurd.

Exhaling loudly, Daniel looked at Jack with a sheepish expression. "It's a theory," he excused the idea.

"Yeah, well, it's making my head ache." Jack twisted his hand so he was holding Daniel's. "Come on, let's eat, then we can crash." It had been over a day since he'd slept properly.

Daniel let Jack pull him to his feet and then followed him into the kitchen. Food and sleep sounded very good.

An hour later, the two men were lying in bed, together but apart, although Jack was doing his best to remedy that. He scooted across so that he was lying pressed against Daniel's side and smiled down at his soon-to-be lover. "Any objections?" he asked with a grin that hid his nervousness. He had been in love with Daniel for such a long time and he didn't want to mess this up.

"No," Daniel replied, sounding surprised. Despite how new he was to the thought of he and Jack in a relationship, he didn't find the proximity uncomfortable at all. Maybe that was because Jack had always been in his space.

"Good." Jack rested his head on one bent arm and put the other across Daniel's stomach. "I missed you," he said quietly as Daniel turned his head towards him.

"Me too." Daniel reached out to touch Jack's cheek. Then he rolled onto his side and pressed his lips to Jack's in their first - and hopefully, not last - kiss. Desire unfurled inside him and he allowed himself to give in to its lure.

Lips clashed, clothes were removed, and two bodies moved in unison until the peak of pleasure had been achieved by both. Then they slept, their bodies entwined, and nightmares haunted neither of them, both knowing that without question, they loved each other.

~~~~

In the mountains far distant from the capital city of Kelowna, Jonas stared at the ruins of his home and plotted vengeance against SG-1 for everything that had gone wrong...