Hidden Angel

Author's note: The Jack/Daniel side of me was very confused by the scene from Frozen when Jack accepts the idea of the symbiote, and my muse has only just come up with a way of explaining it. I haven't seen Frozen for a while now, so I am going from memory on how the scene played out, but I did spend hours searching for a transcript of the episode, so the speech is correct at least.

Pain

Noise

Smell

I slowly come out of the darkness, and I am aware of voices around me. Taking in my surroundings I work out that I am in an isolation room, as the beeps suggest medical equipment, but there is not enough sound for it to be the infirmary. Slowly memories appear, Antarctica, The ancient girl Ayiana I think Jonas named her, the illness.

I hear someone move over, and try to open my eyes, but find that it hurts too much, so I lie still and from the clicking of heels and thumping of boots I can hear, it must be Janet and one other person, probably a member of my team.

"Sir," I guess the other person is Carter, I wonder what she wants?

"I don't know if you can hear me...the Tok'ra have offered you a deal." Wonderful, why do I get the feeling that it isn't Jacob healing me with that device?

"There's a symbiote that needs a host." Come on Carter, you know what I think about those snakes, what makes you think I am going to have one in my head?

"!They think it could cure you." Good idea I suppose, in theory.

"Now, it may be your only chance." Come on Carter, you seriously expect me to believe that this is the best you lot could come up with? Get those thinking caps on; pull one of those crazy ideas out of your butt.

"It would only be temporary. It would come out of you as soon as they found another host." Maybe I'm hallucinating, or whatever the sound equivalent is; or dreaming...wait shouldn't that be NIGHTMARE. Yeah, just gotta wake myself up, to see that they came up with a cure for me, that doesn't involve SNAKES. Ok, so if I close my eyes, try to go to sleep, maybe I'll wake myself up.

"Sir...are you getting any of this." Damn, guess I'm stuck in this reality.

Summoning up all the strength I can muster I manage to whisper "Carter?"

"Yeah, I'm right here." She sounds hopeful, I feel rather mean ruining that hope, but come on you really expect me to have a snake in my head!

"Over my dead body." I manage to get my eyes to open, and once I have adjusted to the light I see her close her eyes. Slowly she nods her acceptance, and I realise that she has probably only just considered my point of view, as she was so rapped up in the possibility of the plan working.

Watching them look around blankly, wondering what now, I realise that this is probably the last time I will ever see any of them, and I am surprised by the lack of fear that lies within me. I am not scared by death, to be honest I haven't really cared since Daniel left, ascended or whatever it was he did, I just wish he was here with me to help me make the right decision.

I close my eyes, ready to accept a voice when I see a bright light appear that I can see even though my eye lids.

Opening them again I see Daniel, well what looks like him, surrounded by glowing light, like Oma was, and glancing round I can see that the world looks like it did when he left, all misty and glowy.

"Daniel?" I ask, suddenly feeling full of energy, more alive than I have done for a long time.

"Hey Jack."

"What are you doing here?"

"Helping you decide."

I sit up, but the expected shoot of pain never arrives, so I climb off the bed. Looking back I can see the outline of my body, and looking round the room I can also make out the shapes of Carter and Fraiser. Turning back to Daniel I ask, "Decide what?"

He smiles and tilts his head towards Carter, and I realise that she has started talking again.

"Sir, the symbiote's host died while they were on a mission. The Tok'ra have strong reason to believe that the symbiote has vital information to reveal and this would give him that chance."

"Is that supposed to change my mind?" I ask Daniel, who just laughs in response, and gives me that look that tells me I need to carry on listening.

"Now, they promised that if no other host was found within a reasonable amount of time, the symbiote would sacrifice itself rather than stay in an unwilling host."

I look at Daniel, "not changed my mind!"

"You don't understand Jack. You have to stay alive, to keep fighting no matter what the cost; it's not just the world that needs you."

"Huh?"

I can hear Carter again, her voice louder than before. "Sir...please."

I look back at Daniel, who nods his head, his eyes pleading with me to agree, so I sum up all the strength I have left, and some I didn't know I had and manage a weak nod.

I watch as Carter smiles and turns to look at Fraiser who smiles back. They both then turn to smile up at the observation room, and I realise that Daniel was right, my team needs me, needs me to stay alive, and I want to survive, as now I know that Daniel is still around, and I send up a silent promise that I swill find him, even if it is only to say thank you.