I have no idea where this came from, but it did help me sort a thing or two
out in my own mind, not to mention live through a beastly
headache...feedback feeds my delusions and egoism (or my insecurities,
depending on the feedback), so if you want to see more from my pen (or you
don't want to)...please, let me know. *sunny smile*
Warnings/Disclaimers: I might have gotten the geography or details a bit wrong of Jack's cabin and its environs; I apologize if so (and I have never in my life gone fishing, so again, any bits wrong and I apologize). This takes place during season 4, a week or two after "Absolute Power." I do not own the characters involved, and I make no profit off the story; I write only for entertainment purposes.
LCD
"Hey Jack," Daniel said as he wandered into the colonel's office, "could we go up to that cabin of yours this weekend?"
Jack looked up from his computer, on which he was attempting to reduce the insane backlog of paperwork he'd accumulated. He blinked up at his friend a couple times inquiringly. When that didn't elicit a response, he raised his eyebrows. When he still didn't get anything useful, he drawled out, "Why?"
Daniel shrugged, leaning against the corner of Jack's desk, ever-present cup of coffee (when on base at least) in hand. "You haven't nagged me to come in a while, so due to pure contrariness, I'd like to go now. Isn't that reasonable?"
Jack thought it through and was surprised to find, "Yeah. That is. I ask again. Why?"
"Oh, come on Jack. Don't you want an excuse to get away from this paperwork and go fishing?"
Jack sat back in his chair, studying the linguist. Daniel returned the gaze evenly, without any of his usual facial acrobatics--a wiggle of eyebrows, a twist of the mouth, a squint of the eyes. "Okay," the colonel said at last, simply. "We'll go fishing this weekend."
A brief smile barely touched his friend's face before he slid off Jack's desk and headed back out the door. "Thanks," he called over his shoulder and was gone.
So. Daniel had specifically come to Jack's office to ask him to go fishing.
Something was most definitely up.
***
"Daniel!" he heard Jack's voice calling from inside the cabin through the opened windows. "Where'd you go?"
"Out here," Daniel hollered back, pulling his feet out of the water and resting them on the dock in front of him, turning around so he could face Jack when the older man came out back.
"Got the supplies we needed," Jack said as he strided over to his friend. Daniel could see he was looking over his friend's change in attire with raised eyebrows. "Have fun while I was gone?"
A wry grin barely made it to his lips before he lost the energy or motivation to keep it in place. "Oh yeah," he replied, turning back to the end of the dock where he had placed himself, centered exactly between the two small wood pillars on either end. He immersed his feet once again in the water.
He could feel Jack considering his options behind him, and then he heard the off-duty colonel kick off his shoes and gingerly sit down next to the archaeologist, pulling his socks off and rolling his jeans up as far as he could before soaking his own feet in the shockingly cold water. It didn't even elicit a gasp--or, as was possibly more likely, a swear word--from the older man.
Daniel was sure it made an amusing sight, two grown men acting like a pair of Huck Finns, but he wasn't interested in being amused. He'd had a specific reason to come to this cabin, and sitting here in jeans and a thin, ratty old t-shirt with his bare feet in the water was one of the ways he was going about his intention.
He'd taken off his watch as well, leaving it in the bottom of his bag in the cabin. He hadn't brought a gun or a cell phone with him, had asked Jack not to bring either of those items either, though he had a feeling Jack had anyway. He wasn't going to ask and find out; it wasn't important. He hadn't even brought any books to read or translations to work on--only a journal, a pen, and some clothes. And himself.
He closed his eyes, concentrated on the feel of the cold water against his ankles, swirling in between his toes, how the liquid shifted smoothly out of the way when he idly moved a foot. He listened for the wind against the water and in the trees, heard insects buzzing and a frog talking to itself somewhere nearby. He could even hear the man next to him breathing, but he was gently putting that out of his mind and concentrating on the other sounds.
"Soo," a voice said presently, "here we are. Sitting. With our feet in the water. Not fishing. I'm having fun," the voice added brightly and with patented sarcasm.
Daniel opened his eyes, slowly, not wanting to let go of the peace he'd found for a moment or two there. "I'm not stopping you from fishing, Jack," he pointed out reasonably. "I didn't really come here to do that anyway; I just thought you wouldn't want me at your cabin alone." *Without you guarding it,* he didn't add aloud. *Or maybe guarding me, I'm not sure.*
"Why did you want to come here anyway?" Jack did a good job of making the question sound casual, but Daniel knew he was dying of curiosity and had been wanting to pry the answer out ever since Daniel had brought the subject up on Monday. He was surprised Jack had managed to contain himself this long.
"I thought it'd be a good place to think," Daniel replied honestly, if not with the entirety of his plan for the weekend. "You always seem more relaxed when you come back from here."
Jack nodded. Daniel could feel the colonel's gaze studying him, but he wasn't sure if the study was coming from the colonel's POV or the friend's. Daniel closed his eyes again. "Well, I would do a bit of fishing right about now," he heard Jack say lightly, "but I'd be afraid of snagging you in the line."
"Oh." Daniel opened his eyes and looked around the dock, noting exactly where he'd positioned himself with such precision. "Right."
"Right," Jack agreed solemnly. He grinned then, and slapped Daniel on the back, standing up and splashing water everywhere. Daniel recoiled slightly from the cold, unexpected water droplets that hit his t-shirt and from the puddle that started inexorably soaking its way toward his jeans. "Come on, let's get some dinner. I can go fishing tomorrow, and you...you can do some thinking."
Daniel felt an answering smile trying to tug at his lips, but it didn't get very far before giving up. "Okay," he replied readily and stood up himself, padding barefoot back to the cabin with his friend.
***
"No," he muttered, frowning in his sleep. He clutched convulsively at the sheet Jack had thrown over him a few hours earlier. "No no."
Jack paused to look down at his friend. He'd gotten up to use the bathroom and had been heading back for the single bedroom in the cabin, where Daniel had insisted he sleep while the archaeologist took the old sofa that was entirely too short for the linguist's lanky frame, when the words coming from the sofa had made him divert his route slightly.
Jack was used to nightmares, and he was used to his teammates' nightmares, Daniel's especially. This one seemed a comparatively tame one, if Daniel was just stating with firm finality the word 'no.' That was probably what was so troubling to Jack.
"C'mon," Daniel whispered, "we can kick some Goa'uld ass..."
Jack blinked. He waited. "She's insane," Daniel murmured sadly after a short pause. He twitched, not quite turning over on his cramped, makeshift bed. "No...no!"
Jack waited for more, prepared to wake the younger man up if he felt things got too out of hand, but Daniel didn't say anything else, and his body unclenched itself, though the frown remained on his creased brow. Jack took the glasses off his face gently, with long practice avoiding waking Daniel up, and set them down on Daniel's overnight bag next to the couch, where they were easily located without possibly being stepped on by a blind and stumbling linguist. Then he went back to his own bed and eventually fell back to sleep.
***
Daniel woke up late the next morning, a troubled frown working across his features as he remembered the dream from the night before. He sat up, pulling the sheet away from him with a slight smile at the thought of who had placed it there, then stood up, looking around the room that acted as both living room and kitchen--the only other room in the cabin being the one that Jack used as a bedroom.
He looked out the window and saw Jack already installed in a lawnchair on the dock, a hat pulled over his face and a pole held loosely in one hand. From what Teal'c had told him, Daniel knew the colonel was probably in seventh heaven by now and not about to budge for anything. Another slight smile crossed his face, and he pulled on yesterday's jeans and shirt. His shoes and socks hadn't left the cabin since he'd worn them coming inside yesterday upon arriving, and they weren't about to leave now. He gratefully picked up his glasses from the top of his bag and slipped outside without bothering to look for something for breakfast. He didn't even want coffee--yet.
He avoided the dock and Jack's peaceful 'fishing,' sticking close to the house and wandering haphazardedly and barefoot around the small yard surrounding the cabin. He didn't want to go further, into the woods, and completely tear up his feet, and he wasn't willing to put anymore clothing on than he felt strictly necessary, which at this point still included shoes.
He was methodically stripping himself down, reducing himself to his least common denominator. Simplifying as much as possible. It was a ritualistic gesture he recognized from many cultures, a deliberate act to help soul- searching. Yes, he'd definitely come here with a plan.
He enjoyed the feel of the grass against his feet, digging into the dirt slightly with his toes. The air was warm, with a slightly chilly breeze. The sun spent most of the morning and early afternoon obscured by cloud.
Eventually he went back in, to grab a snack from the food Jack had bought yesterday, a drink and his journal. He glanced out the window and saw Jack still sitting by the water, in exactly the same position as he'd seen him that morning. Probably asleep. Daniel wasn't going to begrudge his friend the much-needed rest.
He went back outside to write.
***
Jack woke up gradually, mostly unaware of the process. He slid his fisherman's hat off his face and looked around blearily. At least the sun was still pretty high up in the sky. Damn. He really hadn't meant to fall asleep like that. He'd wanted to keep an eye on his teammate, see if he could get Daniel to spill about why he'd wanted to come here if it wasn't for the fish, or even the act of fishing.
He reeled his line in, leaving his gear on the dock. The place was remote enough he wasn't worried about someone stealing his stuff, and he was only going to be in the cabin for a few minutes.
He found Daniel leaning against the side of the little house, scribbling steadily in one of his notebooks. "Hey," he said as he approached, so as not to startle the linguist.
Daniel looked up, squinting slightly as the sun decided to come out from behind a cloud for a brief moment. "Hey," he answered, the smile sitting on his face a little more easily and for a little longer than yesterday. "How's the fishing?" he added innocently.
Jack made a face in reply, not caring enough to come up with a verbal retort. "You get something to eat?"
Daniel nodded. "Okay," said the colonel by way of reply. "Join me later by the water if you want."
"Sure I won't be in the way?" Another small smile.
Jack smiled back as he looked down at his seated friend. "Nah," he said, "we can work it out somehow."
He went inside to get himself a snack, puttering around the little house for a couple minutes, heaping Daniel's sheet back on the couch so neither of them would trip on it. He should've asked the linguist how sore he was from sleeping on that thing--Jack had never tried it himself.
He paused by the side window, looking over the ledge and down at the top of Daniel's brown head. The younger man had been frowning in thought; now he started writing again, on a page already half-filled with his close scrawl. Jack watched him for a moment before finishing up inside and heading back to his gear and lawnchair.
All in its own time, Jack knew instinctually and for once didn't pry. All in its own time.
***
Daniel did join Jack later on the dock, after his hand had started cramping and his head aching. He leant against one of the posts on the edge of the dock, feet again dangling in the water, and rubbed at his temples methodically, massaging the dull pain away, while Jack stared into the water contentedly and occasionally jiggled his pole. Just for the sake of appearances, Daniel decided to himself. Neither felt a need to say much.
They mutually agreed to go in for a rough dinner, soup cooked on Jack's camping stove and a couple of Daniel's candy bars for dessert. Jack mentioned some sports scores, Daniel told him about a study he'd read on the Protestant Reformation in Tudor England (for a change of pace); they both laughed again at a joke Sgt Siler had told them the other day. Jack refrained from mentioning the nightmare; Daniel still didn't explain why he'd really wanted to come here.
They found themselves outside again, watching the end of a spectacular sunset and staying out as night fell completely over the forest and water. The clouds that had been around all day had disappeared by now, leaving the stars and a quarter moon to sprawl out in the sky, and a refreshing coolness to the air. Jack found another lawnchair for Daniel to sit on, and they stargazed quietly.
Daniel closed his eyes again, the night sounds of the country seeping into him. He'd pulled on a light jacket in deference to the nip in the air, and now he hugged it around himself more tightly, reveling in the cozy warmth it brought him. "It's so noisy," he murmured aloud unintentionally.
"This place is?" Jack asked.
Daniel nodded, even though he was pretty sure Jack couldn't see the movement. On the other hand, Jack had good night vision and they'd left the lights on in the cabin behind them. "The desert's never this loud at night," he explained. "Not unless there was a party or festival of some kind."
"Yeah, but this noisiness sure as hell beats the city," Jack said.
"Or gunfire on an alien planet," Daniel answered quietly.
"That too," Jack agreed.
Daniel stared up at the sky. "Ever wonder how many of those stars we've visited?" he asked.
Jack looked up as well and shrugged. "A lot," he answered laconically. "Too bad I couldn't bring my telescope out here; the view's great."
Daniel smiled slightly. "You should take your telescope to Abydos one night," he suggested. "Just for a different view."
"Great idea." Jack paused. "D'you ever dream about Abydos, Daniel, these days?"
"Sometimes," Daniel admitted. "D'you ever have happy dreams anymore, Jack?"
"Not often enough," Jack replied.
***
Jack had to coax Daniel inside before he decided to fall asleep outside under the stars. He made sure his friend was as comfortable as possible before heading off to bed himself.
"No!" Jack heard the shout a few hours later. "No, I won't!"
The colonel jumped out of bed and ran into the next room. He paused by the couch, staring down at Daniel, unsure if he should wake the younger man or not. "I won't be like that," the linguist said so clearly Jack confidently expected him to open his eyes and look directly up at the colonel. He didn't. "I choose a new path."
Jack frowned at the choice of words, a thought connecting itself to another, and he began to feel he might have an inkling why Daniel had wanted to come here for the weekend. "It's alright, Daniel," he said softly, restraining himself from doing anymore, from touching the still- sleeping archaeologist. He wasn't sure he even wanted to do this much. This was for Daniel to figure out on his own. "You already chose it. It's alright."
"I won't..." Daniel stated with finality before turning uncomfortably onto his side, somehow not falling off the couch. He slept on.
"Always have to have the last word," Jack muttered, worried scowl belying the unconcerned sarcasm. He waited a couple more minutes silently before going back to bed. If Daniel didn't tell him what was going on soon, patience be damned; he'd bloody well ask until he got a straight answer. He wanted a decent night's sleep, dammit.
***
Daniel woke up with a blinding headache and a twinging back. He groaned as he sat up.
"Getting too old to rough it," Jack said from behind him.
"Look who's talking," Daniel retorted and winced, raising a hand gingerly to his forehead. He staggered upright. "Need coffee," he muttered.
That made Jack crack a smile. "I was wondering when you'd say that. Here-- it's instant," he warned.
"I've survived worse," Daniel replied and took a swallow from the mug his friend had offered him. He sighed deeply. "Thanks."
"Not a prob," Jack said casually. "You sure know how to sleep, Daniel. It's after ten, and you were in bed well before midnight."
"Is it?" Daniel was uninterested in time; it was an unneccessary complication still at this point. "I'm gonna clean up a little."
"I'd recommend a shave," Jack said, looking Daniel over critically. "You're getting downright scruffy."
"Look who's talking," Daniel repeated, reaching down for his overnight bag and the toiletries contained within.
"I want some variety here!" Jack hollered at his retreating back. It was Sunday; they'd be leaving that evening to get back to Colorado and the mountain and work.
Jack had gone out with his fishing gear by the time Daniel had shaved and washed up and changed. He picked up his notebook and quietly joined his friend on the dock, sitting in the lawnchair from the night before and writing.
"Whatcha writing?" Jack asked after a couple hours of companiable silence.
"Anything," Daniel answered readily. "Everything. I'm trying to keep a record for myself, for later. And I'm trying to make sense of things."
"And that's why you wanted to come out here," Jack continued, still casual.
"I needed simplicity," Daniel told him. Jack looked up in surprise at getting an answer, and Daniel smiled a little, sitting back in his chair. He looked relaxed, truly relaxed, for the first time in a long while. "I needed to strip myself down, reduce myself to the least common denominator and work up."
"Choose a new path," Jack said slowly.
Daniel glanced at him quickly before looking out at the water. "Yes," he said, "that was certainly part of it. Thanks for coming out here with me, Jack."
"Not a prob," Jack repeated, and Daniel's face creased into another, secretive and knowing, smile. It was nice to see the smile come so easily to his face and linger there for a while.
A few hours later, they packed their stuff up; Daniel finally put on a pair of shoes and dug his watch out, and they headed back to Colorado Springs. Jack dropped Daniel off at his apartment and leant over to speak through the passenger window before Daniel could go inside. "I'm glad this weekend helped," he said, not quite hesitantly. And he was glad to know that, somehow, his being there without actually saying anything had helped as well.
"So'm I," Daniel said simply, seeming to answer both the spoken and unspoken comment. "It's a nice spot you've got there, Jack. Enjoy it."
"Oh, I do," Jack assured him, and Daniel grinned. "See you tomorrow, Daniel."
"See you tomorrow, Jack."
He watched Daniel let himself in the door to his building before driving off. And he wondered if Daniel had any dreams that night.
Warnings/Disclaimers: I might have gotten the geography or details a bit wrong of Jack's cabin and its environs; I apologize if so (and I have never in my life gone fishing, so again, any bits wrong and I apologize). This takes place during season 4, a week or two after "Absolute Power." I do not own the characters involved, and I make no profit off the story; I write only for entertainment purposes.
LCD
"Hey Jack," Daniel said as he wandered into the colonel's office, "could we go up to that cabin of yours this weekend?"
Jack looked up from his computer, on which he was attempting to reduce the insane backlog of paperwork he'd accumulated. He blinked up at his friend a couple times inquiringly. When that didn't elicit a response, he raised his eyebrows. When he still didn't get anything useful, he drawled out, "Why?"
Daniel shrugged, leaning against the corner of Jack's desk, ever-present cup of coffee (when on base at least) in hand. "You haven't nagged me to come in a while, so due to pure contrariness, I'd like to go now. Isn't that reasonable?"
Jack thought it through and was surprised to find, "Yeah. That is. I ask again. Why?"
"Oh, come on Jack. Don't you want an excuse to get away from this paperwork and go fishing?"
Jack sat back in his chair, studying the linguist. Daniel returned the gaze evenly, without any of his usual facial acrobatics--a wiggle of eyebrows, a twist of the mouth, a squint of the eyes. "Okay," the colonel said at last, simply. "We'll go fishing this weekend."
A brief smile barely touched his friend's face before he slid off Jack's desk and headed back out the door. "Thanks," he called over his shoulder and was gone.
So. Daniel had specifically come to Jack's office to ask him to go fishing.
Something was most definitely up.
***
"Daniel!" he heard Jack's voice calling from inside the cabin through the opened windows. "Where'd you go?"
"Out here," Daniel hollered back, pulling his feet out of the water and resting them on the dock in front of him, turning around so he could face Jack when the older man came out back.
"Got the supplies we needed," Jack said as he strided over to his friend. Daniel could see he was looking over his friend's change in attire with raised eyebrows. "Have fun while I was gone?"
A wry grin barely made it to his lips before he lost the energy or motivation to keep it in place. "Oh yeah," he replied, turning back to the end of the dock where he had placed himself, centered exactly between the two small wood pillars on either end. He immersed his feet once again in the water.
He could feel Jack considering his options behind him, and then he heard the off-duty colonel kick off his shoes and gingerly sit down next to the archaeologist, pulling his socks off and rolling his jeans up as far as he could before soaking his own feet in the shockingly cold water. It didn't even elicit a gasp--or, as was possibly more likely, a swear word--from the older man.
Daniel was sure it made an amusing sight, two grown men acting like a pair of Huck Finns, but he wasn't interested in being amused. He'd had a specific reason to come to this cabin, and sitting here in jeans and a thin, ratty old t-shirt with his bare feet in the water was one of the ways he was going about his intention.
He'd taken off his watch as well, leaving it in the bottom of his bag in the cabin. He hadn't brought a gun or a cell phone with him, had asked Jack not to bring either of those items either, though he had a feeling Jack had anyway. He wasn't going to ask and find out; it wasn't important. He hadn't even brought any books to read or translations to work on--only a journal, a pen, and some clothes. And himself.
He closed his eyes, concentrated on the feel of the cold water against his ankles, swirling in between his toes, how the liquid shifted smoothly out of the way when he idly moved a foot. He listened for the wind against the water and in the trees, heard insects buzzing and a frog talking to itself somewhere nearby. He could even hear the man next to him breathing, but he was gently putting that out of his mind and concentrating on the other sounds.
"Soo," a voice said presently, "here we are. Sitting. With our feet in the water. Not fishing. I'm having fun," the voice added brightly and with patented sarcasm.
Daniel opened his eyes, slowly, not wanting to let go of the peace he'd found for a moment or two there. "I'm not stopping you from fishing, Jack," he pointed out reasonably. "I didn't really come here to do that anyway; I just thought you wouldn't want me at your cabin alone." *Without you guarding it,* he didn't add aloud. *Or maybe guarding me, I'm not sure.*
"Why did you want to come here anyway?" Jack did a good job of making the question sound casual, but Daniel knew he was dying of curiosity and had been wanting to pry the answer out ever since Daniel had brought the subject up on Monday. He was surprised Jack had managed to contain himself this long.
"I thought it'd be a good place to think," Daniel replied honestly, if not with the entirety of his plan for the weekend. "You always seem more relaxed when you come back from here."
Jack nodded. Daniel could feel the colonel's gaze studying him, but he wasn't sure if the study was coming from the colonel's POV or the friend's. Daniel closed his eyes again. "Well, I would do a bit of fishing right about now," he heard Jack say lightly, "but I'd be afraid of snagging you in the line."
"Oh." Daniel opened his eyes and looked around the dock, noting exactly where he'd positioned himself with such precision. "Right."
"Right," Jack agreed solemnly. He grinned then, and slapped Daniel on the back, standing up and splashing water everywhere. Daniel recoiled slightly from the cold, unexpected water droplets that hit his t-shirt and from the puddle that started inexorably soaking its way toward his jeans. "Come on, let's get some dinner. I can go fishing tomorrow, and you...you can do some thinking."
Daniel felt an answering smile trying to tug at his lips, but it didn't get very far before giving up. "Okay," he replied readily and stood up himself, padding barefoot back to the cabin with his friend.
***
"No," he muttered, frowning in his sleep. He clutched convulsively at the sheet Jack had thrown over him a few hours earlier. "No no."
Jack paused to look down at his friend. He'd gotten up to use the bathroom and had been heading back for the single bedroom in the cabin, where Daniel had insisted he sleep while the archaeologist took the old sofa that was entirely too short for the linguist's lanky frame, when the words coming from the sofa had made him divert his route slightly.
Jack was used to nightmares, and he was used to his teammates' nightmares, Daniel's especially. This one seemed a comparatively tame one, if Daniel was just stating with firm finality the word 'no.' That was probably what was so troubling to Jack.
"C'mon," Daniel whispered, "we can kick some Goa'uld ass..."
Jack blinked. He waited. "She's insane," Daniel murmured sadly after a short pause. He twitched, not quite turning over on his cramped, makeshift bed. "No...no!"
Jack waited for more, prepared to wake the younger man up if he felt things got too out of hand, but Daniel didn't say anything else, and his body unclenched itself, though the frown remained on his creased brow. Jack took the glasses off his face gently, with long practice avoiding waking Daniel up, and set them down on Daniel's overnight bag next to the couch, where they were easily located without possibly being stepped on by a blind and stumbling linguist. Then he went back to his own bed and eventually fell back to sleep.
***
Daniel woke up late the next morning, a troubled frown working across his features as he remembered the dream from the night before. He sat up, pulling the sheet away from him with a slight smile at the thought of who had placed it there, then stood up, looking around the room that acted as both living room and kitchen--the only other room in the cabin being the one that Jack used as a bedroom.
He looked out the window and saw Jack already installed in a lawnchair on the dock, a hat pulled over his face and a pole held loosely in one hand. From what Teal'c had told him, Daniel knew the colonel was probably in seventh heaven by now and not about to budge for anything. Another slight smile crossed his face, and he pulled on yesterday's jeans and shirt. His shoes and socks hadn't left the cabin since he'd worn them coming inside yesterday upon arriving, and they weren't about to leave now. He gratefully picked up his glasses from the top of his bag and slipped outside without bothering to look for something for breakfast. He didn't even want coffee--yet.
He avoided the dock and Jack's peaceful 'fishing,' sticking close to the house and wandering haphazardedly and barefoot around the small yard surrounding the cabin. He didn't want to go further, into the woods, and completely tear up his feet, and he wasn't willing to put anymore clothing on than he felt strictly necessary, which at this point still included shoes.
He was methodically stripping himself down, reducing himself to his least common denominator. Simplifying as much as possible. It was a ritualistic gesture he recognized from many cultures, a deliberate act to help soul- searching. Yes, he'd definitely come here with a plan.
He enjoyed the feel of the grass against his feet, digging into the dirt slightly with his toes. The air was warm, with a slightly chilly breeze. The sun spent most of the morning and early afternoon obscured by cloud.
Eventually he went back in, to grab a snack from the food Jack had bought yesterday, a drink and his journal. He glanced out the window and saw Jack still sitting by the water, in exactly the same position as he'd seen him that morning. Probably asleep. Daniel wasn't going to begrudge his friend the much-needed rest.
He went back outside to write.
***
Jack woke up gradually, mostly unaware of the process. He slid his fisherman's hat off his face and looked around blearily. At least the sun was still pretty high up in the sky. Damn. He really hadn't meant to fall asleep like that. He'd wanted to keep an eye on his teammate, see if he could get Daniel to spill about why he'd wanted to come here if it wasn't for the fish, or even the act of fishing.
He reeled his line in, leaving his gear on the dock. The place was remote enough he wasn't worried about someone stealing his stuff, and he was only going to be in the cabin for a few minutes.
He found Daniel leaning against the side of the little house, scribbling steadily in one of his notebooks. "Hey," he said as he approached, so as not to startle the linguist.
Daniel looked up, squinting slightly as the sun decided to come out from behind a cloud for a brief moment. "Hey," he answered, the smile sitting on his face a little more easily and for a little longer than yesterday. "How's the fishing?" he added innocently.
Jack made a face in reply, not caring enough to come up with a verbal retort. "You get something to eat?"
Daniel nodded. "Okay," said the colonel by way of reply. "Join me later by the water if you want."
"Sure I won't be in the way?" Another small smile.
Jack smiled back as he looked down at his seated friend. "Nah," he said, "we can work it out somehow."
He went inside to get himself a snack, puttering around the little house for a couple minutes, heaping Daniel's sheet back on the couch so neither of them would trip on it. He should've asked the linguist how sore he was from sleeping on that thing--Jack had never tried it himself.
He paused by the side window, looking over the ledge and down at the top of Daniel's brown head. The younger man had been frowning in thought; now he started writing again, on a page already half-filled with his close scrawl. Jack watched him for a moment before finishing up inside and heading back to his gear and lawnchair.
All in its own time, Jack knew instinctually and for once didn't pry. All in its own time.
***
Daniel did join Jack later on the dock, after his hand had started cramping and his head aching. He leant against one of the posts on the edge of the dock, feet again dangling in the water, and rubbed at his temples methodically, massaging the dull pain away, while Jack stared into the water contentedly and occasionally jiggled his pole. Just for the sake of appearances, Daniel decided to himself. Neither felt a need to say much.
They mutually agreed to go in for a rough dinner, soup cooked on Jack's camping stove and a couple of Daniel's candy bars for dessert. Jack mentioned some sports scores, Daniel told him about a study he'd read on the Protestant Reformation in Tudor England (for a change of pace); they both laughed again at a joke Sgt Siler had told them the other day. Jack refrained from mentioning the nightmare; Daniel still didn't explain why he'd really wanted to come here.
They found themselves outside again, watching the end of a spectacular sunset and staying out as night fell completely over the forest and water. The clouds that had been around all day had disappeared by now, leaving the stars and a quarter moon to sprawl out in the sky, and a refreshing coolness to the air. Jack found another lawnchair for Daniel to sit on, and they stargazed quietly.
Daniel closed his eyes again, the night sounds of the country seeping into him. He'd pulled on a light jacket in deference to the nip in the air, and now he hugged it around himself more tightly, reveling in the cozy warmth it brought him. "It's so noisy," he murmured aloud unintentionally.
"This place is?" Jack asked.
Daniel nodded, even though he was pretty sure Jack couldn't see the movement. On the other hand, Jack had good night vision and they'd left the lights on in the cabin behind them. "The desert's never this loud at night," he explained. "Not unless there was a party or festival of some kind."
"Yeah, but this noisiness sure as hell beats the city," Jack said.
"Or gunfire on an alien planet," Daniel answered quietly.
"That too," Jack agreed.
Daniel stared up at the sky. "Ever wonder how many of those stars we've visited?" he asked.
Jack looked up as well and shrugged. "A lot," he answered laconically. "Too bad I couldn't bring my telescope out here; the view's great."
Daniel smiled slightly. "You should take your telescope to Abydos one night," he suggested. "Just for a different view."
"Great idea." Jack paused. "D'you ever dream about Abydos, Daniel, these days?"
"Sometimes," Daniel admitted. "D'you ever have happy dreams anymore, Jack?"
"Not often enough," Jack replied.
***
Jack had to coax Daniel inside before he decided to fall asleep outside under the stars. He made sure his friend was as comfortable as possible before heading off to bed himself.
"No!" Jack heard the shout a few hours later. "No, I won't!"
The colonel jumped out of bed and ran into the next room. He paused by the couch, staring down at Daniel, unsure if he should wake the younger man or not. "I won't be like that," the linguist said so clearly Jack confidently expected him to open his eyes and look directly up at the colonel. He didn't. "I choose a new path."
Jack frowned at the choice of words, a thought connecting itself to another, and he began to feel he might have an inkling why Daniel had wanted to come here for the weekend. "It's alright, Daniel," he said softly, restraining himself from doing anymore, from touching the still- sleeping archaeologist. He wasn't sure he even wanted to do this much. This was for Daniel to figure out on his own. "You already chose it. It's alright."
"I won't..." Daniel stated with finality before turning uncomfortably onto his side, somehow not falling off the couch. He slept on.
"Always have to have the last word," Jack muttered, worried scowl belying the unconcerned sarcasm. He waited a couple more minutes silently before going back to bed. If Daniel didn't tell him what was going on soon, patience be damned; he'd bloody well ask until he got a straight answer. He wanted a decent night's sleep, dammit.
***
Daniel woke up with a blinding headache and a twinging back. He groaned as he sat up.
"Getting too old to rough it," Jack said from behind him.
"Look who's talking," Daniel retorted and winced, raising a hand gingerly to his forehead. He staggered upright. "Need coffee," he muttered.
That made Jack crack a smile. "I was wondering when you'd say that. Here-- it's instant," he warned.
"I've survived worse," Daniel replied and took a swallow from the mug his friend had offered him. He sighed deeply. "Thanks."
"Not a prob," Jack said casually. "You sure know how to sleep, Daniel. It's after ten, and you were in bed well before midnight."
"Is it?" Daniel was uninterested in time; it was an unneccessary complication still at this point. "I'm gonna clean up a little."
"I'd recommend a shave," Jack said, looking Daniel over critically. "You're getting downright scruffy."
"Look who's talking," Daniel repeated, reaching down for his overnight bag and the toiletries contained within.
"I want some variety here!" Jack hollered at his retreating back. It was Sunday; they'd be leaving that evening to get back to Colorado and the mountain and work.
Jack had gone out with his fishing gear by the time Daniel had shaved and washed up and changed. He picked up his notebook and quietly joined his friend on the dock, sitting in the lawnchair from the night before and writing.
"Whatcha writing?" Jack asked after a couple hours of companiable silence.
"Anything," Daniel answered readily. "Everything. I'm trying to keep a record for myself, for later. And I'm trying to make sense of things."
"And that's why you wanted to come out here," Jack continued, still casual.
"I needed simplicity," Daniel told him. Jack looked up in surprise at getting an answer, and Daniel smiled a little, sitting back in his chair. He looked relaxed, truly relaxed, for the first time in a long while. "I needed to strip myself down, reduce myself to the least common denominator and work up."
"Choose a new path," Jack said slowly.
Daniel glanced at him quickly before looking out at the water. "Yes," he said, "that was certainly part of it. Thanks for coming out here with me, Jack."
"Not a prob," Jack repeated, and Daniel's face creased into another, secretive and knowing, smile. It was nice to see the smile come so easily to his face and linger there for a while.
A few hours later, they packed their stuff up; Daniel finally put on a pair of shoes and dug his watch out, and they headed back to Colorado Springs. Jack dropped Daniel off at his apartment and leant over to speak through the passenger window before Daniel could go inside. "I'm glad this weekend helped," he said, not quite hesitantly. And he was glad to know that, somehow, his being there without actually saying anything had helped as well.
"So'm I," Daniel said simply, seeming to answer both the spoken and unspoken comment. "It's a nice spot you've got there, Jack. Enjoy it."
"Oh, I do," Jack assured him, and Daniel grinned. "See you tomorrow, Daniel."
"See you tomorrow, Jack."
He watched Daniel let himself in the door to his building before driving off. And he wondered if Daniel had any dreams that night.