July 8, 2007. Jack O'Neill walked down the corridors of the SGC with brightly colored Mylar balloons that announce happily "Happy Birthday" and two plastic grocery bags. As he walked, he nodded at familiar faces, who welcomed him back to Cheyenne Mountain from his current post as Head of Homeworld Defense in Washington, D.C.
He turned a corner and found Colonel Samantha Carter in her lab, as usual. "Carter." He called.
She looked up and smiled at him. "Hello, sir." Then she frowned. "It's not my birthday."
Jack looked impatient. "Of course, it's not. I know that."
"Oh, my god!" she breathed, suddenly. "It's Daniel's."
Jack grinned. "Ha! I remembered this year and you forgot."
She smiled. "Good for you, sir. I assume you're on your way to give those to him, now?"
"Yep! Just wanted to rally the troops. It shouldn't surprise me that he's working today, should it?"
Sam shook her head with a closed mouth smile. "No. Cam tried to get him to go home last night, but he's too busy translating Asgard."
"Ah." Jack nodded. After a moment's silence, he spoke again. "Well, come." He said, brightly.
Sam walked over to the closet in her lab and pulled out a brightly colored gift bag and turned to accompany her favorite General.
Jack frowned. "What is that?"
She looked down. "Daniel's gift," she said as if she didn't understand the purpose of the question.
"I thought you forgot."
"Oh, I did!" She assured him. "But I bought his gift months ago."
Jack frowned. "I see."
Sam smiled.
Jack harrumphed and turned to walk away.
She followed.
Teal'C and Cameron Mitchell were sparring in the gym when Jack and Sam arrived.
"Sir!" Cam snapped to attention.
Jack didn't look amused. "Relax, Mitchell. Hey, T, guess what day it is."
Teal'C smiled openly. "It is the anniversary of Daniel Jackson's birth."
Jack nodded as if he didn't expect Teal'C to have forgotten. "Yep, come on."
Teal'C and Cam joined the procession. They went to the elevator and Jack looked at Teal'C. "Do you need to get anything?"
Teal'C raised an eyebrow. "Such as?"
"A present for Daniel?!"
Jack thought he could see a smile on Teal'C's face as the taller man said. "I have already given Daniel Jackson the gift I acquired for this occasion."
"What?! When?"
"A week ago."
Jack looked at Sam, who smiled and shrugged.
"Ooo! Pretty!"
Jack rolled his eyes and turned to see Vala Mal Doran skipping down the hall.
She bounced up and looked at the balloons. "How festive, General. What's the occasion?"
Again, Jack looked at Sam. This time, Sam looked like she was trying to hide the smile. He looked at Cam, who looked bemused. Then he looked at Teal'C, who looked – Well, Jack thought. Teal'C just looks like Teal'C.
"Dr. Jackson's birthday is today," Cam supplied, with a miniscule amount of patience.
Vala clapped gleefully. "Oh, goody! Will there be a party? What about cake?"
Jack snapped his fingers. "I forgot the cake!" He said. "Vala, why don't you be a dear and go up to the commissary and get us a cake. Have them put 'Happy Birthday, Space Monkey' on it."
Vala looked confused. "'Space Monkey'?"
Sam shook her head. "It's an inside joke to Daniel. Just go."
Vala smiled, brightly. "Okay. I'll be back."
Sam looked at Jack. "'Be a dear'?"
Jack shrugged. As they entered the elevator, he asked. "Does she always grate on the nerves so?"
Chagrined, Cam nodded. "She grows on you, though."
Jack looked incredulous. "What? Like fungus?"
Sam looked at the bags Jack was carrying and frowned. "Sir, isn't that a cake?"
Jack looked down and ever so innocently responded. "Oh! Well, look at that. It is." He smiled, slightly. "My mistake."
The group exited the elevator and proceeded down the corridor where Daniel's office was. Jack handed the bags and balloons to Cam, Teal'C and Sam and motioned for them to wait, out of sight.
Jack found Daniel sitting at his desk, reading a computer screen with a pen hovering over a page in a journal. All the years of entering this same room to that same picture passed through his mind and he smiled. He marveled at the changes. Gone was the longhaired, over-eager geek who was so desperate to prove a theory that he signed up for a mission he fully expected to be one way – despite his assurances that he could get them back. Here was a strong, confident man who, while still a geek in many ways, could hold his own in any situation. He wasn't as naive or idealistic, but he was still the heart of SG1 – if not the SGC, or even the entire planet.
"Daniel."
Daniel looked up, briefly. "Oh, hey, Jack."
Jack's eyebrows went up at the response he would have expected years ago, before the stars, but he'd somehow expected more now that he lived a continent away.
"Daniel." Jack's voice had more of a singsong quality to it, this time.
"Yes, Jack…Oh, Jack!" Daniel stood, with a smile and dropped his pen. "I'm so sorry. I was…well…Welcome back! When did you get in? How long are you here for?"
"Early this morning and a week."
"Official business or are you finally taking a vacation? You know, now that you've moved to Washington, it seems like you never take any time off. You used to take leave at the drop of a hat when you were here."
Jack smiled as he heard Daniel prattle at the speed of sound.
"Daniel!"
"Yes, Jack."
"Happy Birthday."
Daniel frowned, then look surprised. "I completely forgot…. Thank you."
"You shouldn't be here. You tell me about taking time off and I find you here, hard at work on your birthday, of all days."
Daniel shook his head. "There's just so much to do with all the Asgard information…"
"It'll wait one day."
"But Jack – "
Jack held up a finger. "Carter!"
Sam, followed by Teal'C, Cam and a beaming Vala, entered the room with the balloons, two cakes and a presents.
After everyone offered their birthday wishes, Jack held up his hands for quiet.
"Here's the plan: we will have the mini-celebration now, here. But then we will all go to Daniel's house and have a REAL party. The man needs to get out in the fresh air and relax for a while. I'll buy the steaks and we'll barbecue…You DO still have a grill, Daniel, don't you?"
"Yes, but to be honest, it hasn't been used since the last time you used it."
Jack smiled at this. "Perfect!"
"I'll buy the beer," Cam announced. "And whatever you want to drink, Daniel – since I know you don't care for beer."
As each member of the group announced something they would contribute to the festivities, Daniel smiled. Feeling truly blessed, he looked at his closet friends and teammates. "Thank you all for remembering."
Jack put his arm around his buddy. "Of course, how could we forget?"