What a Night, by DrGemini86 (DrGemini24)
Summary: A boy turns up to the SGC claiming to be Daniel Jackson. Old relationships are examined and brought to light in what follows. Retelling of Fragile Balance. SamDaniel
Pairing: SamDaniel
Rating: T
Category: Established Relationship
Genres: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe, Episode-related, Thoughts
A/N: It's such a relief to be able to write something other than Jackson Junior; I've seriously had major writer/story block for a little while now and this is the first non-JJ story I've written in a little while. Hope you guys enjoy it – reviews are very, very welcome.
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Sam tried not to tense up as the lift plummeted to level 16 of Stargate Command. Whenever she was summoned by General Hammond it was rarely anything good or positive. She fidgeted a little as she tried to think back to anything that she might have done to warrant a summons from the base commander. The last time – or one of the last times – was when she had accidentally left a prototype naquadria reactor to overload, resulting in her entire level having to be scrubbed down. Not something she liked to remember, although, in truth, she had been sleep deprived for all of a week and could not recall the incident.
She took a deep breath and went back to analysing General Hammond's tone during the phone call she had received at home. For once, she wasn't quite sure – there was something in his tone that she couldn't work out. That was definitely a bad thing if she couldn't at least guess what was to come.
Had he found out about...?
She shook her head, relieved that she was alone in the lift as it began to feel a little too warm. Dangerous thoughts. If she didn't think about it, she could deny all knowledge, although she wasn't much of a liar. Still, if push came to shove, she had rehearsed a number of arguments about that particular dangerous thought, or she could give Colonel O'Neill or Teal'c a run for their money in the emotionless mask department.
Great, she thought. 'Now I can't stop thinking about it.'
She frowned a little as the lift continued its plummet. Who else had been called? If it was just her then perhaps it was either some misdemeanour she had since forgotten, or something that required her expertise. She smirked briefly. Perhaps her Dad had dropped in. Her frown returned as she considered that Level 16 was where the bulk of the holding cells were. Although, one of the armouries was there as well.
The lift at last came to a stop and she quickly composed herself. The doors opened to reveal General Hammond waiting for her. As calmly as she could, she stepped out of the lift. She said, sounding slightly puzzled, "General, what's this all about?"
Hammond replied, "At 0920 hours this morning, someone tried to enter the base using this."
As the two of them walked down the corridor, Hammond handed her something encased in a plastic sleeve. Sam frowned as she turned it over in her hands. She glanced up at Hammond and back at the ID again. She said, confused, "Daniel's security pass."
The last time she had seen Daniel was last night – he had seemed fine then. She tried not to blush as thought, more than fine. Now worried, she said, "How did they get this?"
She noticed that he had an odd expression on his face but he didn't answer her question. He sighed, his expression returning to that inscrutable one that now worried her even further. Why was he playing games with her if Daniel was in trouble? Did he know?
He said, "After the person in question was taken into custody, he insisted on seeing you."
They arrived at the doorway of one of the holding cells on the level they were on. She glanced at the two SFs guarding the entrance and her attention returned to Hammond. She said, trying not to sound guilty, "Me? Why?"
Hammond looked at her seriously and said, "Well, I was hoping you could figure that one out, Major." He looked at one of the SFs and said, "Open it."
The SF opened it, and Hammond and Sam entered the room. She stopped in her tracks upon seeing a teenage boy pacing the room nervously. The boy had short brown hair and wore glasses with round rims that he kept having to push up his nose due to them being a little big for him. He was wearing a dark grey zipped sweater, a white t-shirt, and khaki trousers, all too big for him, just like the sand-coloured boots he wore.
Sam visibly blanched as the boy stopped his pacing on noticing them. He made a gesture of barely contained frustration with his hands. He exhaled and said, looking at Hammond, "Thank you."
He hitched his trousers up, seeming annoyed at their size. He said, looking at Sam, "Sam, it's me. I know this looks really weird, but it is." He closed his eyes and put a hand to his head. "... and I really need some coffee." He opened his eyes and looked past them at the now bemused SFs. He said, "That coffee I mentioned, any time. Any time today would be good." He interlocked his fingers, clenching them as he said, "Really, really good."
Hammond nodded at one of the SFs who then left the room. Sam, confused, looked at Hammond. She said, "He's a boy, Sir."
The boy held onto the waistband of his trousers with one hand as he gesticulated with his other hand, occasionally pushing his glasses back up his nose. He said, "For the moment, it would seem so. I know how bad this looks, but it's me."
Sam looked at him, not in the least amused at what amounted to a serious breach of security. She would have to have a word with Daniel about not keeping his ID safe. He did have a tendency to be absent-minded but this was something new.
She said, "Who are you?"
The boy looked very much as though he was trying very hard to keep his cool. He said, "Come on, Sam, think about it. Look at me. You know who I am. I can't be that different surely?"
Sam looked at Hammond for some kind of explanation, of why she of all people had been brought to the holding room. Hammond said, almost as unimpressed as Sam was,
"We tried to contact Doctor Jackson; even sent someone to his house. We couldn't locate him."
Sam didn't attempt to hide her fear. She said, "Sir, we need to find him; why are we wasting our time here?"
The boy said with a weary sigh, "Look, I'm me. I'm Daniel Jackson." He removed his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose, his head tipped back. He then looked back at the two officers, putting the glasses back on. He said with a frown, "I really need another prescription if I'm going to stay like this."
He said, calmly, "I'm not impersonating anyone. I'm Daniel Jackson."
Hammond and Sam looked at one another, doubting the boy's claims but confused at the entire situation. The boy, frustrated, dropped himself into a seated position on the bed. The General and the Major looked round as the door opened, the Sergeant returning with a white mug. The boy looked up, as though sensing this, and he exclaimed,
"Thank you!" He gratefully accepted the mug from the SF, saying, "Thank you, Sergeant Bates."
The Sergeant looked flummoxed as he left the room. The boy held his trousers up as he took a sip from the mug. His face froze as he tasted the contents of the mug, and he put the mug down on the nightstand next to the bed. He said, grimacing, "Ah, Commissary hot chocolate. Good call. If I had wanted to drink mud, I would have said so."
Sam coughed to cover up a smile at the remark as Hammond looked at her. Mirth soon gave way to perturbation. She held up Daniel's security pass, and said, "Where did you get this?"
The boy rolled his eyes as he hitched his trousers up once again. He said, "Well, I've had an ID since I was instated on SG-1." He inclined his head towards the ID in her hand. "That particular ID I was issued with after you, Jack, Teal'c, and SG-3 brought me back from Vis Uban."
Sam felt her throat closing up a little at what the boy in front of her was claiming. She folded her arms across her chest, and said, "I don't know how you obtained that information or..." She waved the security pass at him. "... this, but it is a federal offence to gain unauthorised access to a United States military installation. Do you even realise just how much trouble you're in?"
He sighed explosively, trying to stop himself from getting very angry. He said, "Oh, for crying out loud!" He seemed momentarily stunned. "Wow, I can see why Jack uses that expression; it doesn't completely express my dissatisfaction at this situation but it will have to do."
"You're not Daniel."
He said, looking at her urgently, "Sam, I realise how hard this is for you, but it's me; it most definitely is me. Just get Doctor Frasier to do some tests on me. Please, Sam."
Tears surged in Sam's eyes as she looked at the boy in front of her. She gave the security pass back to a concerned Hammond. She said, focussing on Hammond, "Sir, we're wasting our time – we need to find Daniel."
In spite of the boy's protests, Sam turned on her heel and left the room, passing Jack who was on his way in. Noticing an expression he knew all too well – Carter trying not let on how much pain she was in – Jack entered the room and looked at Hammond. He remarked, vaguely pointing back to the doorway,
"Who stole her laptop?"
Hammond gave him a look, trying to convey just how serious a situation they were facing. Jack's attention was then drawn to the boy in front of them. The boy appeared to mildly deflate on seeing the Colonel as though feeling a sense of hopelessness. Nonetheless, he said,
"Jack!"
The Colonel looked at the boy, not giving anything away with his facial expression. He glanced at Hammond and murmured, "Peewee's the security breach?"
Hammond nodded quietly but said nothing as the boy rolled his eyes. Holding his trousers up, the boy said earnestly, "Jack, it's me. It's Daniel."
Jack looked utterly unconvinced as he looked at the boy. He said, "Yeah, I'd buy that." He looked at Hammond. "Some joke; where's Danny?"
Hammond said quietly, "We can't contact or locate Daniel Jackson." He gestured towards the boy. "This young man claims to be Daniel Jackson."
The boy looked completely fed up with the turn of events. He said, "Jack, please!" He sighed. "Fine, you want proof, although if I did give you proof, you're too much of an ass to actually believe me."
Hammond and Jack exchanged an odd look. Jack then shrugged and said, "Well, I've got time to kill..." He looked at Hammond and said, "I still get paid for this, right?"
Hammond shot the Colonel a look, and Jack looked at the boy expectantly. "Well?"
The boy nodded as though expecting things to not improve any time soon. He said with forced calm, "Okay." He looked at Jack. "Jack O'Neill with two 'l's. You were once married to Sara Wilson. You and I went to Abydos through the Stargate in about 1995 or 1996, I forget which."
Noticing that neither of the men budged, the boy continued, "I can't remember your birthday... but you like hockey, curling, and golf. Your favourite beer is 'Heineken'. You will eat anything that doesn't move and you can't barbecue to save your life. You like dogs; your favourite movie is the Wizard of Oz. You drive a dark green Ford. You have a picture of Mary Steenburgen in your locker."
Jack raised an eyebrow at this as Hammond shot the Colonel another odd look. Jack was about to speak when Teal'c entered the room. The Jaffa strode past his colleagues until he was face-to-face with the boy. Teal'c looked at the boy, attempting to faze him with his imposing presence and piercing gaze.
The boy, however, didn't flinch, although he did push his glasses up his nose once again. He said, his voice calmer, "You and Bra'tac don't carry symbiotes any more following a Goa'uld ambush which I read about. You and some other Jaffa are now taking tretonin – you have to have daily injections but you don't need a symbiote."
Teal'c stared at the boy, trying further to faze him as he tried to work out how he could know so much. Teal'c turned back to Hammond and Jack, and said, "How could this child possess this knowledge?"
Hammond looked at Jack who looked back at him and at Teal'c. He remarked with a shrug, "Oh yeah, like I'd know." He raised a finger exaggeratedly. "Here's an idea: I'll find Carter."