Chapter 2: Homecoming
Daniel exited the wormhole to the snap of several rifles, all suddenly zeroed in on his appearance at Jack's heels. Jack, who'd been walking toward the cluster of medics surrounding Sam, stopped and raised his hands.
"Whoa. Don't shoot. It's me."
"Colonel." General Hammond, at the foot of the ramp, looked pointedly at the animal currently giving his panting-doggy-grin all he had.
Jack turned. "Damn it, Lucky!"
The wormhole cut out at that moment and the Gateroom froze in a silent tableau for a heartbeat: SFs on alert, Jack glowering. Sam noticed Daniel for the first time and broke out in a surprised smile. Daniel, very aware of the multitude of weapons aimed at him, sat on his haunches and looked innocently up at Jack.
Expression neutral, Hammond inquired, "Does this animal belong to you, Colonel?"
"No, not really. He's Carter's."
Hammond frowned, then dismissing the subject, asked, "Where is Dr. Jackson?"
"Ah." Jack ran fingers through his hair, pushing his cap off and continuing to walk down off the ramp. "He's been kidnapped, sir," he said bluntly.
"What!"
Daniel followed Jack closely. With no further direction, the guards had stood-down, routinely gathering SG-1's weapons. Sam, who had been attempting to fend off Janet, blanched at Jack's terse report and, seeing her opponent falter, Janet swooped in to load the injured woman on a gurney.
"Teal'c, stay with Carter," Jack said. "General, I think a preliminary debrief may be in order."
"I think so, Colonel."
Daniel padded to Teal'c's side as the Jaffa nodded at Jack, trailing the gurney as they left the room. Jack at least had seen Daniel leave the Gateroom, but the Colonel didn't raise the alarm.
As the medical detail rolled her down the corridor, Sam stated, "You know, this really isn't necessary."
"Of course not," Janet confirmed smoothly.
"I could walk."
"Humor me."
When the group entered the elevator, Daniel slipped under the gurney itself. Exiting on Level 21, he returned to Teal'c's side, making sure to keep the large Jaffa between himself and Janet. In the infirmary, Daniel slunk quietly under the bed at the same moment Sam was shifted off the gurney, her protests that she could move from one bed to another growing more querulous as Janet's responses grew more stern.
"Lie down, Major. X-ray will be ready for us in a minute. For now, let me look you over."
"It's just a scratch."
"Mmm, yes… Just a five inch long, half inch deep scratch…"
Sam huffed. "Only one is that bad."
"You're right, the others are barely noticeable. Of course all that purplish-black bruising might have something to do with that."
Sam huffed again.
"What exactly happened? Did you fall?"
"Well…"
"Major Carter was the victim of an attack," Teal'c said.
"Jaffa?" Janet asked.
"Not exactly," Sam mumbled.
"Not exactly?" Daniel could hear that the exam had stopped and Janet was probably staring at Sam with those deceptively soft brown eyes.
"It was an animal."
"Oh my god. An-an animal did this?"
"It was a bear," Teal'c supplied helpfully.
"A bear?"
"Yes..." Sam said, a touch defensively.
"Okay. That explains a few things." Then Janet was all business again. "Did you lose consciousness?"
"I don't think so."
There followed a brief medical question and answer, and soon Sam was transferred back to the gurney and wheeled away to x-ray. Teal'c stepped away too, but Daniel stayed where he was, knowing they would be returning Sam to this same bed.
Sure enough, Sam soon returned, and was cleaned up and changed with the nurses' help. When the curtain was drawn back, Teal'c rejoined her and Janet returned.
"Good news, Major. Nothing's broken. You have a hairline fracture in your humerus, mid-shaft. Even more importantly there is no radial nerve injury. This should shorten your recovery time considerably."
"A few days?"
"Nice try. A few weeks rather than a few months."
"But no surgery?"
"No surgery," Janet confirmed. "Now quiet down and let me practice my sewing."
Sam groaned. "Your sewing! Don't forget, you showed me your old Home Ec project."
"I'll have you know, that tote bag was sewed up nice and neat. All four sides."
His voice puzzled, Teal'c said, "Would not a bag with all four sides closed be useless as a receptacle within which to place-"
"Leave it, Teal'c. Or your pouch will be next."
They didn't speak for a time, only the rustlings of Janet suturing Sam's gashes. Then, her voice quiet, Janet asked, "So. Who's going to tell me about Daniel?"
After a pause, Teal'c said, "Daniel Jackson was taken away by a group of people to an unknown location."
Silence. Then Teal'c continued. "The Aluants were friendly and the mission to P3S-931 proceeded unremarkably until Daniel Jackson separated from the rest of us. He hoped to gain insight as to why the Goa'uld had not targeted this mineral-rich planet. We returned to the temple Daniel Jackson was visiting to find that unknown persons had taken him by force. We had the choice to retrieve our weapons at that time, but O'Neill decided, rightly I believe, that speed was of the essence. Unfortunately, we could not catch up to the group before they had gained the Stargate. Daniel Jackson was unhurt, repeating several times that he would be returned unharmed in time." The Jaffa's stoic recitation faltered for a moment, then he concluded, his voice strong and confident, "I have faith in his assessment and believe that events will conclude as he has predicted."
More silence, and Daniel wished he could see the looks the three must have been exchanging. When Janet finally said, "Sam, I know he'll be back," Daniel wondered why she directed her comment specifically to Sam.
Jack breezed in. "So, Doc, what's the verdict? Amputation?"
"Colonel…"
"Oh. Needle and thread. It's worse than I thought."
"Colonel, would you like to find out how sharp this needle is?"
"Dr. Fraiser says it's only a fracture, sir," Sam reported, "and I should be up and around again in a few weeks."
"Yes," Janet said. "Good job cleaning the Major's arm up, Colonel."
"Um, yeah, thanks. Just check for infection, okay, Doc?"
"We've given her the usual round of antibiotics, but there's no sign of infection so far."
Once she'd finished, Janet packed up her suturing kit, and left the three SG-1 members alone.
"Sir, what did the priest say? After he dropped off our gear?"
"Not much. Just that those off-world bozos cornered Daniel after he'd finished in the temple, cut him off from the Aluants, and hustled him away."
"But why?"
"I don't know, I didn't have a chance to get any details."
Because you wandered off. Everyone listening mentally finished Jack's sentence.
Jack couldn't know it wasn't Sam's fault; regardless, though, Daniel felt an irrational urge to give his friend a bite in retribution. Jack must have regretted his words too: he shifted his feet, almost squirming where he stood.
Sam's voice was quiet as she said stiffly, "Colonel, my behavior is without excuse-"
"Carter." There was a long pause. "Look, I'm not sure what you thought you saw, but I trust you." Jack put a hand to Sam's good shoulder. "You're gonna heal and he's gonna come back. He's a survivor."
Daniel let his chin drop to his paws as he lay under the tall infirmary bed, voicing a soft whine.
"Ah, and here's our other survivor." Jack squatted down and Daniel's tail thumped automatically as the man scratched him behind the ears. "He been here the whole time?"
"He has," Teal'c said.
"Really?" Sam asked. "Lucky's down there?"
"Indeed. He is a most quiet and well-behaved animal."
"You okay with him being here, Carter?" Jack asked.
Sam peered over the edge of the bed and Daniel popped up to lick her outstretched hand. Sam smiled. "Sure. I guess he's not hurting anything."
Jack stood. "Well, if ol' Doc Fraiser doesn't mind..."
Daniel was sure Teal'c was perfectly aware that Janet hadn't noticed Daniel's presence, but the big man said nothing, merely observing the interaction between woman and dog. Jack slapped Teal'c on the shoulder. "C'mon, big guy. Our turn with the medicos." As they left, Jack called over his shoulder, "Get some rest, Carter, that's an order."
There was a sigh and an unenthusiastic, "Yes, sir," from the bed and Sam shifted around, getting comfortable. Daniel settled himself down, too.
Finally, a chance to stop and think. First order of business: he extended his otherworldly senses, checking for the Dark One. It was weird, being able to 'see' through layers of concrete and tons of earth, but somehow it made sense on the spiritual level. He found it surprisingly easy to identify the auras of his close friends and colleagues from among the general mass: Jack and Teal'c of course, but he could see Janet a few dozen yards away, probably in her office completing paperwork, Hammond down on Level 27 in what must be the Control Room speaking to Sergeant Harriman, and above him on Level 18, a large cluster of familiar auras, Nyan and most everyone from the Arch/Anth Department. He sighed. Probably discussing Daniel's 'kidnapping,' worried out of their minds. He would make it up to them, somehow... But right now he needed to concentrate.
After several minutes, he still couldn't find the hostile Suss'risa. Oh god, he suddenly thought. What had he set loose on the Earth? Had it given up on Sam? Would it go out on a killing-spree like some kind of astral Jack the Ripper?
His spiritual attention skittered around in a panic, peeking into every trans-dimensional corner... There! Pulsing in a little ball, it flittered up above the Mountain, biding its time. Maybe it didn't like being underground, maybe it was accustoming itself to Earth, whatever, it was still there, still tuned in to Sam on some level. Despite the danger to Sam, Daniel was relieved no one else was at risk.
He suspected the thing was only here, still chasing Sam, because of Daniel himself. Daniel's opposition to it was a challenge, and now it wouldn't let its prey go out of obstinate pride. But if Daniel had not fought it, it would've already consumed Sam back in the forest. Daniel took a deep breath, centering himself as Teal'c had taught him during kel'no'reem. He was doing the right thing. He just needed to stay the course.
Of course, protecting Sam would mean keeping her under some pretty steady observation. That could get...awkward. And not in some juvenile peeking-while-she-changes-her-panties kind of way.
He knew about her and Jack.
Although his three teammates and Janet had apparently deemed it necessary to keep him out of the loop during the Zatarc incident, Anise, of all people, had proven a better friend. She'd told him what had been said in that Isolation Room when Jack had been interrogated. When, later that awful day, she'd confirmed to him that Jack and Sam were not Zatarcs, he had asked what they had inadvertently lied about. Her matter-of-fact answer knocked the air right out of his lungs: "There was no lie. They suppressed revealing the fact of their love for one another." She'd sniffed with annoyance. "If I had been informed that they were lovers, I would have accounted for that in my presets for the Zatarc detector."
Now, he chuffed out a weary breath, curling up tighter, paws wedged pads-up under his chin, nose tucked under the end of his tail. He wasn't sure how he had managed to get through the rest of that day, babysitting the Tok'ra negotiators, placating Pentagon flacks and White House wonks. And comforting Sam. She'd had no deep personal feelings for Martouf, but he was beloved of Jolinar and his loss affected her deeply.
It hurt like hell that his four closest friends were colluding to keep him in the dark about something so important to the whole team. God, Daniel had even joked with Jack about Sam making a pass at the team leader earlier that day. He could perhaps understand Jack and Sam not wanting to discuss it because of regulations, but for them to convince Teal'c and Janet to also lie to him by omission...
No, he wasn't going to indulge in another bout of self-pity. The last one had lasted long enough. It seemed that he'd never fully realized his feelings for Sam until all possibility of a future with her had been abruptly removed. Even while Shau'ri was still alive and his love for his wife remained solid, he'd nevertheless been falling in love with Sam, slowly, inevitably, a bit at a time. Every impish grin of mischief, every midnight coffee run, every shared leap of intuition. Her intelligence, her strength, her beauty. Despite their differences in appearance, Sam reminded him so much of Shau'ri. Sam was what Shau'ri might have become if the Fates had smiled upon her. Shau'ri was lost to him forever, and with Anise's off-hand remark, so was Sam.
But Sam was alive, he remind himself firmly. She was still his friend, and so was Jack. He would never come between them. And despite their apparently poor opinion of his ability to be discrete, he would never betray them. He wasn't convinced that they were actually 'lovers,' that they had taken that final step, but regardless, 'Lucky' would be giving them their privacy.
o0.0o
Dinner that evening was provided by Teal'c. He brought Sam a tray from the commissary's Infirmary section with a generous selection piled high on several plates.
"Where's the Colonel?" Sam asked around a mouthful of cornbread.
"He is consulting with General Hammond regarding a negotiating team's return to P3S-931."
"Oh."
They ate quietly for a time. Then Sam asked, "Did you bring something for Lucky?"
"Indeed. I brought extra chicken and bread. I witnessed Cassandra Fraiser's dog Rover consuming these very items at O'Neill's last barbecue."
Sam chuckled. "Yeah, from Janet's plate. Who knew she could run that fast?" She and Teal'c took turns feeding Daniel tidbits from their plates, Daniel refusing to let the sheer weirdness of this stop him from eating. He was hungry. He didn't think The Bear Blood Diet really did that much for him.
Teal'c left for the night when Visiting Hours were officially over. Not that official hours usually meant much to SG-1. Daniel was vaguely surprised Jack had not come back again. Of course Sam was in no medical danger; she simply needed rest. Jack wouldn't have bothered if it had been Daniel in that bed. But Daniel wasn't his girlfriend. He'd have thought Jack would come by to say goodnight at least.
The Infirmary lights dimmed and Daniel relaxed fully for the first time, sure that between the privacy curtain and the poor lighting, no snoopy nurse would discover him camped out under Sam's bed. He'd just have to make sure he didn't sneeze, what with all the Infirmary smells magnified to him.
Sam's hand appeared reaching down and Daniel jumped up on his hind legs, fore paws and chin resting on the gurney railing. Sam grinned at the sight, her hand on his head, stroking him between the eyes with her thumb. "Goodnight, little boy," she whispered.
Daniel breathed in her exhalation, reveling in the warmth and familiarity. He snuffed a goodnight of his own, then dropped back down to his post. Everything was under control for the time being, with the Dark One safely quiescent up above the Mountain. Of course, Daniel's love life was equally quiescent, nonexistent in fact, but he absolutely refused to moon about that.
Ah, Sam was asleep now. Then he back tracked. How did he know that? With amazement, he realized that he could actually hear her heartbeat, now that things were quiet and he was so close. He let the steady, strong, comforting rhythm lull him to sleep.
Later, Daniel woke to the sound of Sam mumbling incoherently, asleep. When her voice took on an urgent moan, Daniel jumped up to the gurney rail again. The jolt to the bed woke her and she stared blearily, her eyes wandering. When she fastened her gaze onto Daniel's, he let out a quiet little bark that sounded like, "Buhf." She blinked, then slowly smiled as she came more awake. "Hey, little boy," she whispered. With her good hand, she stroked his head, rubbing behind one ear. He gave her little lick, then dropped back down to the floor, re-settling himself as she did the same on the bed.
The duty nurse came around the curtain, checking Sam's vitals as she asked, "And how are we feeling, Major?"
"Fine," Sam mumbled, already mostly asleep again. "I'll be okay. Lucky's here."
"Hmm. Yes, of course he is," came the distracted reply.
The nurse left them in peace soon enough, however Daniel realized he had a problem. He had to go. Now.
He padded quietly over and peeked around the curtain. No one in sight. Across the way was one of the small Infirmary bathrooms, its door ajar. Stepping very carefully, so his nails wouldn't click, Daniel crept over and slipped through the door. He nudged it closed, making sure it didn't latch. Not having opposable thumbs sucked.
He nosed the toilet lid up and open, then stood and considered the toilet bowl water. He was a little thirsty. Teal'c had let him lap up some water from a cup, but it really hadn't been enough. Heck with it, he finally decided. He'd never heard of a dog dying from toilet-water-poisoning.
Once he'd lapped and slurped his fill, he listened at the door for a second. If anyone saw what he was about to do, they'd know he was no ordinary dog, and heaven knows what they'd do with him.
He stood at the front of the toilet and reared up, placing his paws on the toilet seat, nails skittering until he steadied himself. Crap, he wasn't high enough. With difficulty, he reared up as high as he could, just barely managing to reach his paws to rest on the top of the open toilet lid.
He was high enough now, his aim was perfect, his relief was blessed...
Before plopping back down to the floor, he managed to hit the handle, flushing away the evidence.
Quite smug, he padded silently back to Sam's gurney.
o0.0o
Waking to the renewed bustle of the Infirmary the next morning, Daniel rose and stretched out, first with forelegs extended and butt high, then reversing the motion, forelegs high, and butt and hind legs flattened out behind him. He ended with a vigorous shake. He seemed to be in pretty good shape, just a little sore from yesterday's exertions.
He sniffed at his scrapes. Most of them were inconsequential, the only significant one being on his shoulder where the bear's claw had caught him at the beginning of their battle. Instinctively licking, he found it to be a little warm under his tongue, but not feverishly so. Healing then, but not infected.
The curtain rustled as a nurse came in, asking the usual questions as Sam yawned and mumbled replies. When Sam asked when she would be released, she was smoothly informed only Dr. Fraiser could answer that particular question. The nurse helped her to the bathroom, then got her re-situated in the bed just in time for Jack and Teal'c, bearing breakfast, to make their appearance.
"Hey, Carter," Jack said, pulling a rolling table over for the food tray. "How'd you sleep?"
"Good, sir. Though I think I had a bad dream at some point."
"What occurred in this dream, Major Carter?" Teal'c asked. Not being able to dream himself, Teal'c was endlessly fascinated by the dreams of others and was a staunch supporter of the 'science' of 'psychoanalytic dream interpretation.'
"It was the bear attack, I think," Sam said, taking a first sip of coffee. "But it was more than the bear, somehow. Bigger, darker..."
Huh. Maybe Sam's subconscious knew more than she did.
She shook off the memory. "Anyhow, Lucky woke me up." Taking this for his cue, Daniel jumped up for an ear rub. "You rescued me again, didn't ya, boy?"
Jack came over to give Daniel a good scratch in the loose skin under his throat. Daniel stretched his head up, eyes half closed it felt so good. "Man of the hour again, huh?" Jack said. "Work up an appetite?"
It was nice not having to respond to every off-hand thing Jack said, and Daniel just continued to enjoy his 'massage,' knowing that food would be coming.
Jack had thought to bring an extra plate, so at least Daniel was spared the weirdness of eating out of his teammate's hands. A selection of eggs, bacon and torn up pieces of toast were put on the plate and placed at Daniel's paws. He dug in, lapping up water from a bowl Jack had also thought to bring. He looked longingly at the coffee Jack and Sam were drinking, but they were oblivious. Licking his plate clean, he slowly pushed it under the bed, following it as he did, so when Janet came around the curtain, he was once again out of sight.
"Well, I see your appetite isn't suffering," she said to Sam. "I don't think I've ever seen so much food consumed in my Infirmary before."
"It wasn't just me," Sam protested. "Teal'c eats enough for three."
"And Lucky ate more than his fair share." Jack bent down and retrieved Daniel's licked-clean plate from under the bed, stacking it with the other empties on the tray.
Oops.
There was a long silent pause.
"Lucky?" Janet asked slowly. "What's lucky?"
"The dog," Jack answered, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
Slowly, Janet leaned over and peered under the bed. Daniel sat like a friendly sphinx, his wagging tail rhythmically whacking the I.V. pole.
Janet shot up straight, wheeled on Jack, and roared at a truly impressive volume for someone of her stature, "Colonel O'Neill!"
"What? I thought you knew!"
"You thought I knew an alien animal was in my Infirmary?"
"Teal'c, you told me she knew!"
"I did not, O'Neill, although I can understand how you may have believed so."
"Teal'c!" Jack shouted.
"Colonel!" Janet shouted.
"Guys, Janet!" Sam called. "It's okay. He was here all yesterday and last night and there's been no problems."
The diminutive doctor seemed to swell to twice her normal size with outraged disbelief. "All night? This filthy animal-! In my antiseptic Infirmary-!" She sputtered off into incoherence.
Daniel flattened to his belly and crawled out to her little spiked heels.
"Doc," Jack pleaded, "he's just a dog."
"He is not filthy, Dr. Fraiser," Teal'c added.
"And, Janet," Sam said, "he saved my life. He fought a one ton bear for me. I would've been dead in seconds if it wasn't for him." She looked down at Daniel and he took his cue to lay his chin on the tips of Janet's pumps, blinking his big brown doggy eyes up at her, wagging his tail tentatively.
Janet pursed her lips.
"He didn't get in anyone's way or disrupt anything," Sam wheedled.
"He really loves your Infirmary food," Jack observed brightly.
"Lucky has been of great comfort to Major Carter," Teal'c stated as if this settled the matter.
And apparently it did. Janet's expression softened and Daniel took the chance to squirm a little closer, nosing the nylon-clad arch of her foot. Unable to stop a smile, Janet said, "He is kind of cute…"
"He's gorgeous, doc." Jack ruffled Daniel's ears and Daniel dared to lick a quick swipe straight up Janet's ankle.
Janet jumped back with an undignified giggle. "All right," she relented. "You're off the hook for last night, but I don't want him in here any longer, gorgeous or not." When Jack began to protest, she raised a hand. "I think the Major can be discharged to her base quarters where she and SG-1 can entertain as many non-regulation visitors as it wishes, as long as my staff can monitor her condition."
"That'll be great, Janet, thank you," Sam said.
As Sam patted Daniel's head, Janet's eyes suddenly narrowed. "Colonel, where exactly did this animal-"
"Lucky."
"Where did Lucky do his business?"
Jack blinked. "Oh, well, he- Uh, I'm sure…" It was an indication of how stressed Jack must've been between Daniel's apparent kidnapping and Sam's injury that this little detail left him speechless in confusion.
Then Jack and Janet locked gazes, and both leaned down in trepidation to peer under Sam's bed.
"He did not!" Sam maintained staunchly. "I would've noticed."
After a brief survey, Colonel and Doctor straightened up, sighing in relief.
"No, he didn't," Jack confirmed, "but where…?" Jack looked blankly around the Infirmary, paying particular attention to the corners.
"Colonel, if I find a little surprise waiting for me somewhere-"
"Doc, I'll look the whole place over myself," Jack promised. "I'm sure he didn't. I just...don't know where he did..." Intense fondness for his team leader swept over Daniel and when he nudged himself against Jack's legs, Jack stroked his face double-handed. "You're a resourceful little guy, aren't ya?"
"For now, Colonel, please, just...remove him."
"No problemo. I'll take him out for a pit stop." He patted his leg. "C'mon, Lucky! No more using the Doc's Infirmary for a litter box!"
As Daniel followed Jack out the door, he heard Teal'c say to Janet, "Dr. Fraiser, is it not true that fresh urine is sterile?"
The glare Janet aimed up at Teal'c should have fried Junior in its pouch.
o0.0o
Daniel refused.
He and Jack were up top, Jack holding him with a makeshift leash that Sergeant Siler had MacGyvered out of some nylon cord. Jack was expecting 'Lucky' to do his duty right there on the ground out in the open and, well, it so wasn't happening.
He had to consider the future. This was all going to be over in a couple months and Jack would never let Daniel live it down when he eventually realized he'd held his best friend at the end of a leash while said best friend pooped.
Nope, Daniel refused. He strained at the end of the leash, he whined, he gazed up at Jack, batting his big brown eyes while the man first ordered, then begged him to do his business.
Jack eventually sighed, "Damn it, Lucky," and squatted down to look the dog in the eyes, holding up the cautionary finger Daniel was very well acquainted with in his true incarnation. "Okay, dog, I will let you off-leash, but if you run away I will find you."
~Just running far enough to get a little privacy, Jack.~
"And when I find you, I will shoot you."
~If I had a dollar for every time you've told me that...~
"Do you know what a zat is, Lucky?"
~Yes, I do, Jack.~
"Well, you'll find out if you run away from me."
~I said I know, Jack, now let me go.~ He stretched his fore legs out, ducking down in a playful posture and barking. Jack sighed again. "I'm a sucker for play-bows," he muttered, and untied the leash. Daniel gave another cheerful bark and dashed off into the underbrush.
After he'd done his business, and buried it very neatly, thank you very much, he found he didn't really want to go back down underground. He checked on the Dark One: it was still sulking, or regrouping, or sleeping, or whatever it was doing, up in the sky. In short, it was no threat at the moment, and Daniel...Daniel felt like...playing.
He never played. He felt like he hadn't really played since he was eight years old, before his parents died. Sometimes Jack 'ordered' him to play, maybe baseball at an SGC picnic or a game of tag with Cassie and SG-1, and Daniel went along with it with only token arguments meant to keep Jack on his toes. But there was always a team-building aspect to those kinds of games that also made it work.
Right now, he simply wanted to play. So he did.
On his way back to Jack, he made a deliberate detour straight through a muddy late-springtime puddle. Under cover of a screen of bushes, he approached Jack's position. Jack stood there, fiddling with the cord leash. Daniel waited. Just as Jack straightened up, looked around and began to shout, "Luck-!", Daniel dashed straight at the team leader, jumped up to plant muddy fore-paws on his shirt, and gave him a messy lick on the mouth and nose.
"Bleah! Lucky-!"
Daniel dashed off again, hoping to lead the unsuspecting Jack straight into the puddle. The military man was too canny for that; he was not, however, canny enough to catch the dashing dog, and Daniel led the sometimes laughing, sometimes cursing man on a long chase.
As Daniel crouched behind a rotted log he heard the snap of a cell phone opening. "Harriman, this is O'Neill. Get me Teal'c. ... Teal'c, I need backup. Now. I'm just outside the main entrance. ... No, your staff weapon's not necessary, just get out here."
Spoilsport. Even with two of them, though, it was a good half hour before they caught him. Partly because he could hear them making their fancy little military plans ('flanking movement' this, and 'draw enemy fire' that), and partly because he could smell them coming.
Eventually, however, he got sloppy and Teal'c crashed out from behind a large pine just as Jack cut him off from the side. They must have gone downwind so he couldn't smell them. He didn't mind. He kept leaping and licking at Jack even as the man wrangled the leash over his head. He hadn't heard Jack laugh so hard in awhile and he figured it was the least he could do to get Jack's mind off 'Daniel's kidnapping.'
When they arrived on Level 25 and entered Sam's quarters, she stared at them in alarm. "Sir, what on earth happened to you?"
"What? Nothing, why?"
"You're covered in mud and there's leaves in your hair." She plucked one out, holding it up in demonstration.
Daniel gave an enthusiastic bark. He was quite proud of how muddy he'd gotten his two teammates.
Jack nonchalantly brushed at the drying mud and dog slobber on his clothes, making a mess on Sam's floor. "Covered is an exaggeration..."
"No, Colonel, it's not," came a stern voice from behind them. General Hammond stood in the open doorway and he did not look particularly pleased. "Colonel, I believe you told me last night that this animal was contained."
"He was."
"Dr. Fraiser tells me differently this morning."
"A slight misunderstanding, sir. But he was contained."
"Have any tests been performed on it? For all we know it may contain a Goa'uld.""
"But, sir," Sam protested. "He couldn't. Teal'c and I would sense it."
"Nevertheless, I want at least a blood test performed."
"I'll get right on it, General," Jack said.
"It may be host to more prosaic organisms. Does it have fleas?"
"Sir, I swear, he's cleaner than I am," Jack declared.
Hammond merely raised an unimpressed brow.
"What's a few fleas, anyhow?" Jack asked.
"Colonel, you're not helping your cause. Does the Black Plague ring any bells?"
"Oh."
Teal'c said, "I have read that rats carried the Bubonic Plague to Europe."
"No, Teal'c," Sam said. "It was actually the fleas infesting the rats that were the disease vectors. But, General, I really don't think Lucky has any. I'm very sensitive to flea bites; I welt up. I've been next to him for more than 24 hours now and I've gotten no bites. I think we're okay on that score."
"Very well. Now as for its disposition-"
"SG-1 will take responsibility for him, sir," Jack immediately said.
Hammond eyed Jack's disheveled appearance. "You appear to be having trouble."
"I initiated a game of fetch, sir. And we ended up rolling around a little. No problem. He's just a regular dog."
Daniel did his part, sitting quietly and obediently at Jack's heels, trying to project an air of utter normality and trustworthiness. He didn't think the crawling-and-licking show that worked so well on Janet would work on the General. He didn't want to do anything out of the ordinary or draw any special attention to himself.
Hammond eyed SG-1 for a moment longer. Jack stood projecting an air of sublime confidence that walking around covered in muddy paw prints was just part of the regular job at the SGC. Teal'c gazed with a stoic blandness that dared anyone to point out his own muddy prints: the two carefully placed ones that adorned his rear end and had caused Jack great amusement outside. Sam surreptitiously dropped her hand, hiding the muddy leaf she still held behind her back.
The General finally said. "Very well, carry on SG-1." It was possible that his expression as he turned away was a smile. It was also possible it was a grimace. The entirety of SG-1 played it safe and let him leave without further provocation.
When Teal'c judiciously closed the door behind the General, Jack frowned at Daniel. "You're a lot of trouble, you know that?"
"Why is Lucky so clean while you guys are so dirty?" Sam asked, the diplomacy she used with the General notably missing.
"We stopped at the Motor Pool to hose him off. Oy. I should've hosed myself off." Jack leaned over and scrubbed the leaves out of his hair.
There was a knock at the door and Janet herself came in to draw blood from SG-1's dog. The doctor was afraid 'Lucky' would over-react and she didn't want any of her people in danger. Daniel let Sam hold him, not having to fake a fearful little whine when the needle went in. It felt worse somehow in this smaller body. And when Sam praised him for his bravery afterwards, he couldn't help taking her just a little bit seriously.
Sam insisted that Janet look over Daniel's cuts and scratches, smearing on some topical antibiotic. Janet proclaimed it unnecessary, and Daniel privately agreed with her. If he didn't have an infection by now, he probably wasn't going to get one. Regardless of who was inhabiting the dog's and the bear's bodies, they were both from that same planet and probably immune to the local microbes.
The rest of the day passed easily. Normally Jack had a hard time of it, trying to keep either of his two Science Twins from working when they were on medical leave. Not so this time. The team whiled the day away playing. Sam didn't mention her laptop once. Jack got a basketball and they actually spent two hours playing with it; Daniel couldn't believe it, that two hours could be spent on something so simple. They rolled it from one person to another, Daniel pretending to not understand, getting a kick out of Teal'c's patiently repeated instructions ("Lucky, please roll the ball along to the next person in the circle. ... That is not correct. Please try again."); they played Keep Away; they encouraged Daniel to nose the ball around; to try and gnaw it (impossible, of course, as it was way too big for his mouth).
When the basketball got old, Jack dug up a tennis ball, tossing it against a wall, thankfully without the accompaniment of the infamous 'Row, Row, Row Your Boat.' The object of the game was to keep the ball away from the leaping, snapping dog. When Daniel managed to catch it every few turns, his teammates laughed and praised him. He found he liked to chew the ball, but eventually he let them 'teach' him to drop it when asked.
Periodically during their game play, Sam would seem to look inward, her expression sobering. Daniel would promptly clump up to her, nudging her with his hard skull, dropping a slobbery ball in her lap, and she would have no choice but to smile and come back to life.
In the late afternoon, Jack insisted Sam take a rest, so her two male teammates left her, at least her two humanoid male teammates. Sam dropped right off to sleep in her bed, Daniel curling up on the floor at the foot of the bed. When he woke before her he found he was thirsty. Jack had mentioned getting a bowl for water to keep in the quarters, but he hadn't brought it yet, so Daniel went into the bathroom.
After drinking his fill, Daniel caught sight of himself in the full-length mirror behind the door. A chocolate-brown dog looked back, a splash of white fur centered on his lower chest. His stocky body stood low to the ground, the wide muscular chest bracketed by sturdy forelegs, his back sloping down to narrow hips and shorter hind quarters, his tail a pencil-thin curve. A thick neck supported his rectangular head, expressive eyebrows twitching with every move. Above it all, triangular ears rose up alertly, folding over at the peak.
Looking deep into his golden-honey colored eyes, Daniel wondered if the dog was still 'there.' Had he displaced it as the Suss'risa had Daniel himself? Or was the dog's spirit still somewhere inside, just shunted aside? Somehow he didn't doubt the dog had a 'soul' or 'spirit,' but he wasn't sure which scenario would be worse for it. Was he suppressing his 'host' the way a Goa'uld did? Or was the dog's spirit floating around somewhere, fearful and confused? He tried looking in the mirror with his spirit-vision, to see if there were two souls in this body, but the talent didn't lend itself to such cheap parlor tricks. Regardless, he somehow had the feeling the dog was with him.
Daniel didn't waste time feeling guilty. It hadn't been his own decision to put himself in here, suppressing the dog; and besides he had a feeling any creature as warm and loyal as this animal wouldn't think twice about sacrificing itself for any human, especially Sam. He'd already begun to think of the 'instinct' parts of his new persona as belonging to 'Lucky.' He felt like he had a willing ally in the dog, on some level. He looked deep in brown eyes. ~We'll save her together, huh, Lucky?~
After a quiet team dinner in her quarters that night, Sam and Jack set a pillow and a couple blankets on the floor at the foot of Sam's bed, and, after Sam took him for a final pit stop, he settled down for a comfortable night.
o0.0o
Although Janet would've preferred total rest for her patient, the CMO bowed to the inevitable and reluctantly allowed Sam back on limited duty. Neither Sam nor Daniel seemed to make a conscious choice: after breakfast and a walk, Daniel simply followed her to her lab on Level 19 and curled up against a wall out of the way.
He found himself very popular. There was a constant stream of people coming into Sam's office all day, to commiserate over both the loss of Daniel and her own injury. Daniel was surprised and pleased by how many of his Anth/Arch people felt comfortable coming and talking to Sam. And of course, everyone wanted to hear about the bear fight and pet Lucky, the Alien Wonder-Dog.
It was weird, though, being so low to ground, forced to look up at everyone: staring at people's knees and thighs was getting a little old. He liked it when they crouched down. Almost everyone did. How could they resist him? He tail-wagged up a storm, charming even the people who claimed they didn't particularly like dogs. Sgt. Siler was especially fun, taking Daniel out and rolling a tennis ball down the corridor for him to chase.
The only person who didn't warm to him was Nyan. The Bedrosian native unfortunately associated dogs with the vicious military police of his former nation, and Daniel was sorry to see him keep a cautious distance. Daniel didn't push him, just stayed as non-threatening as possible.
Another weird thing Daniel noticed, though: he found that simply seeing someone wasn't really enough to make him positive of their identity. He needed people to come up close so he could sniff, and preferably lick, them, before he could be absolutely sure of who they were. It seemed dogs relied on their noses more than their eyes, which made sense, he supposed. Daniel had a feeling he was employing his eyes a lot more than a regular dog would.
It was kind of disturbing how easy he found it to fall into the role of a dog. His body had so much energy. When someone new came into the room, he didn't fake the tail wagging and wanting to sniff and lick; he really did want to meet them, and meeting them as a dog was the only option at the moment. His canine instinct was to like all people and that was not far at all from his true character as a human. He always loved to interact with people, this was just a new way to do it. And he didn't fake needing an escort through the hallways: the colors of the floor striping were all off for him now and the signs telling him which level he was on were no longer at eye-level.
A basic pattern formed over the next few days, as Sam eased back into her duties, slowly regaining the use of her arm. When he wasn't drowsing at Sam's feet in her lab, he was even more successful than Jack at rousting Sam away from her work: taking him up top for pit stops and to the commissary to feed him forced her to get some exercise and food for herself. On those occasions that no one from SG-1 was available for a walk, Daniel found himself a favorite of people going up top for cigarette breaks, finally giving those social pariahs a good excuse for the time away from work.
The downside of time away from his team, however, was overhearing snatches of gossip. Everyone seemed honestly distressed that 'Daniel' was missing, which was reassuring on a personal level, but quite a few people felt the need to state how nice it was that O'Neill and Carter could 'comfort' each other at his loss. On the other hand, an equal number maintained that Carter received no comfort and was in fact grieving for her missing boyfriend, Daniel. A nice fantasy as far as Daniel was concerned, but so far off the mark it wasn't even funny. Also not funny were the significant few who insisted it was O'Neill who was the grieving one, missing hisboyfriend. One or two mentioned Teal'c, but Daniel fled into the underbrush before he had to hear that particular permutation.
Mealtimes didn't change, he was still eating table scraps at the commissary. A couple people tried to tempt him with store-bought dog food, but Daniel turned up his nose. The canned stuff didn't really taste awful, but it just wasn't as good as the meatloaf and potatoes Jack piled up for him.
The only thing that surprised Daniel during those days was how little time Jack spent with Sam. Their military comportment was impeccable even when they thought themselves to be completely alone, and the scenario he dreaded, stuck in Sam's single-room quarters with two amorous teammates, never came true. In the end he reasoned they had to keep appearances up while Sam was stuck on base and just thanked his lucky stars.
o0.0o
One morning in the Infirmary, Jack kept 'Lucky' occupied, bouncing a tennis ball, while Sam had what she hoped was her final checkup on the progress of her healing arm. They had made a deal with Janet that the dog could stay in the entry area as long as he didn't make a fuss.
Janet came out of the examination area smiling. "It looks like the Major's healing ahead of schedule, Colonel."
They both chuckled as if sharing a joke.
"Lucky's doing my job for me," Jack said, giving Daniel an enthusiastic ear scratching. "'Distraction' is your middle name, huh, boy?"
"I'm sure she'd have worked herself sick at this point," Janet said. "But I'm watching you too, Colonel. And Teal'c. I know how helpless all three of you must feel."
Ah. They were talking about Daniel's 'absence.'
Janet continued, "Don't think I haven't noticed you've been staying on base too."
Of course Jack would want to stay near his...girlfriend. That term sounded pedestrian applied to the two of them, but must be descriptive enough. And, dear god, better than Anise's choice of 'lover.'
Jack shrugged. "A good CO takes care of his people. And she needs a friend to see her through this." He looked embarrassed to have uttered such an emotional sentence, but Janet smiled and patted his shoulder.
Huh? Daniel puzzled over this exchange. 'See her through...' Yes, a missing teammate was a serious concern, but if anyone, Jack should be the most upset, being team leader.
Just then Sam came out of the exam alcove, flexing her sling-free left arm with a pleased smile. "Hey, sir. Did Janet tell you? I'm as good as healed."
Janet rolled her eyes. "Not my exact words, Major..."
Daniel found himself greeting Sam the way he always did when she'd been out of his sight for more than 90 seconds: jumping up repeatedly to lick at her chin and generally prancing around like a crazy thing. "Hey, goofball," she said him with a laugh, patting his head with her good hand.
"Feel healed enough to sit in on SG-9's debrief?" Jack asked.
Her smile disintegrated, but she answered steadily, "Yes, sir, wouldn't miss it."
SG-9 was the negotiating team who had been sent back to P3S-931 to talk to High Priest Isedore and the Aluants.
When they arrived at the briefing room, Teal'c was already there. Daniel drew some curious looks from SG-9 and a raised brow from General Hammond as he padded in at Sam's heels, but no one objected and he settled himself quietly down at the side of her chair.
The briefing went on for some time. However, not much was accomplished; not at all surprising to Daniel, but disappointing to the rest of SG-1. Major Kovachek and his team had nothing substantial to add to the basic information Jack had already gotten from Isedore. The Priest still maintained the kidnapping party consisted of basically trustworthy people, if very impulsive.
At one point Sam asked, "What about the research Daniel was doing regarding the lack of a Goa'uld presence on the planet?"
Uh oh. No, no, Daniel didn't want anyone else poking into that and accidentally getting themselves kicked out of their bodies.
"We asked Isedore," Kovachek said. "He didn't think it had anything to do with the abduction. He said he wasn't sure what conclusions Dr. Jackson may have reached, but advised we wait and talk to the Doctor himself when he gets back."
"Yes," the General agreed. "Until we recover Dr. Jackson, any further research on that line of inquiry is secondary."
Whew. Score one for Isedore, discouraging anyone else from making Daniel's mistake.
"We talked to as many people as we could," Kovachek continued. "People on the streets, anyone, to get a general overview of their culture. They all agreed visitors through the Stargate are welcome, even encouraged to stay. But they never ask questions or vet them in any way."
"They seem to be an incredibly trusting people," Lt. Girmay, the team's anthropologist, added. "Something to do with pleasing the spirits they believe rule their world, the, uh..." She consulted her notes. "The Suss'risa."
Kovachek spread his hands. "Long story short, the people who snatched Dr. Jackson looked familiar to most of the people who saw them, but no one could say what their names were or where they came from."
There was silence around the table and Daniel's sensitive ears could hear Sam's heartbeat pounding. He shifted, resting his chin on her foot.
Teal'c, his voice grave, said, "We must trust in the confidence of the priest Isedore and Daniel Jackson himself that he would return unharmed."
Again there was silence until Jack leaned back from the table. "Yeah," he said shortly. "We'll do that." Daniel could read his anger, but knew it wasn't directed at anyone at the table. "Thanks, Major," he said to Kovachek.
Kovachek nodded, clearly wishing he could have done more.
Hammond said, "Anything more, people?" No one replied. "Very well. Dr. Jackson did not have a GDO, and even if he did, its codes would be locked out of the system. Therefore, I will have a team return to the planet every three days to check in and see if the Doctor has returned."
After the General's dismissal, SG-1 remained sitting until Jack rose and nudged Sam. "C'mon, let's go play fetch."
Up top, in the sunlight and fresh air, it took several muddy, filthy sticks plopped in Sam's lap, but 'Lucky' and her teammates managed to restore Sam's good spirits.
o0.0o
The next day Daniel had his only bad experience with any of the SGC personnel. And it wasn't really Lt. Graham Simmons' fault. Well, it was, but not consciously.
Daniel and Sam, coming back from a walk, met the Lieutenant in a hallway, and Graham greeted Sam, saying, "Major, you're looking good." Then the young man blushed furiously. "I mean, you're looking well! I mean your arm looks good-it's healing!"
The Lieutenant's crush on Sam was well known and Daniel could smell his nervousness. However, he also smelled an elevated heart rate and excitement. Oh, yuck. There was only one reason for so much excitement on the lovestruck young man's part. Daniel had never blamed him his crush, but right now with the insight from his dog's nose, he found himself excessively irritated. Hackles rising, his deep growl cut the stammering Lieutenant off.
There was a sudden, stinging swat to his rump and his growl ended with a yelp. Sam leaned over, her finger raised. "Bad dog! No growling! You do not growl at anyone here, for any reason, at anytime!"
Daniel cringed, tail between his legs, peeking up at her.
"Understand, Lucky?"
He ducked his head lower with a whine of remorse.
"Sorry, Lieutenant," Sam said. "I'm not sure why he did that. He's never growled at anyone before."
"Um, that's okay, ma'am," the young man said, edging away.
Humph. Well, if it got rid of him, the smack was worth it.
o0.0o
Jack still took time for a romp with 'Lucky' a least once a day, and today's ramble was a good long one. On the elevator trip back down into the Mountain, Daniel considered the talk he'd been overhearing: Sam's on-base recuperation was complete. She was to be released and take off the rest of the day to get her house in order after her long absence. He wondered how he could convince her to take him along, or would she just take him automatically? The Dark One hadn't made any moves yet, but it may have been waiting for Sam to leave the Mountain and go off on her own.
He wasn't paying much attention, so he was surprised when the elevator stopped several floors early and Jack got out.
"Hey, buddy, let's get off at ol' Level 16, huh?"
~Right Jack, like I have any choice.~ What was on Level 16 anyhow? The base's secondary command bunker? Was Sam working on that? It seemed unlikely. But what else was there on that level except...
Jack led the way to the base Stockade and directly into a holding cell.
"C'mon, big guy, Carter's gone home, this is where you'll be staying."
What? Oh, god, they were going to lock him up! They were going to lock him up here, then probably dump him in an Animal Shelter somewhere, never to return to '931. His body would be forfeit. Meanwhile, Sam would be easy pickings for the Dark One.
Jack gestured around the little cell that Daniel remembered from several uncomfortable incidents in the past as if it were a grand palace. "Whatdya think, Lucky? All the kibble you can eat and all the water you can drink from your very own luxury en-suite toilet bowl."
Daniel thumped down on his haunches, threw his head back and howled.
tbc
[I'd love to hear what you think... :-)]