A/N: Well, I must say, this whole Daniel Jackson business is challenging. Writing Jack or Teal'c is pretty easy – they've got such distinct personality quirks! And Sam, being the only SG-1 girl is also pretty straightforward. But, Daniel is much more subtle and, well, normal. Please let me know if you have any suggestions or comments.

Again, the parts of the story set in Iraq reflect none of the current tensions in the region, aside from the fact, of course, that the US military pretty much has free reign to go where it wants to in the country (which obviously wasn't the case before the war.) I've been deliberately vague about the geography and timeframe, so I hope it's still believable. As always, hats off to the brave men and women who are currently serving in our Armed Forces.

Oh, and happy 2005!

Chapter 2

Daniel absently pushed his glasses farther up his nose and shifted impatiently from one foot to another. The stifling heat of the early Iraqi summer was extremely oppressive, though it didn't seem to register with the intense archaeologist at all. He was far too wrapped up in his own thoughts to really notice his surroundings. "Honestly, Teal'c. I have no idea why Sam asked me to come out here and play with the new gadget they found."

The large Jaffa warrior stood stoically, not betraying any of his thoughts. He, too, appeared unaffected by the weather. "I would assume, Daniel Jackson, that she asked for your assistance because she trusts you greatly."

Shrugging, Daniel ran a hand through his rumpled, dusty hair. In the dry season, even the salt marshes of Iraq were a parched, uncomfortable place to be. Grit from the fine, sandy soil worked its way into everything. Being an archaeologist, Daniel had done a fair number of expeditions to the Middle East, but the particular annoyances of this corner of the world always required some getting used to at first. "I know she trusts me, but I'm not exactly an astrophysicist. I'm sure there are a hundred other people who are more qualified than I am to examine this device."

Teal'c inclined his head slightly to the side. In anyone else, the subtle gesture would hardly be noticeable. However, when performed by the statue-still Jaffa, the head-tilt spoke volumes. Clearly, Teal'c disagreed with his companion. "Perhaps there are other scientists more familiar with astrophysics, Daniel Jackson. But, certainly, your knowledge of the Stargate makes you an ideal candidate to study the teleportation stones. Additionally, it would seem that Colonel Carter has placed great faith in your ability to…" he paused, searching for the right words, "think outside the square."

Daniel stifled a smile. Teal'c did try to master the many colloquialisms found in American English, but he often fumbled the details. "I think you meant, 'think outside the box.' And, she's not Colonel Carter anymore. She's Colonel O'Neill."

Teal'c leveled a dark stare at his teammate. "Your Earth expressions are very odd." Then, relaxing slightly, Teal'c redirected his gaze to the dusty landscape. "I must admit that it is very difficult to think of Samantha as Colonel O'Neill. Referring to her correctly will be rather confusing at first."

Daniel nodded his agreement. "You've got that right. For most of my years in the SGC, Jack was Colonel O'Neill." He smiled. "Guess I'll just keep calling her Sam." Daniel tried to envision Teal'c using such an informal mode of address with their team leader. It was honestly harder to decide which would sound more peculiar from the Jaffa's mouth – 'Sam' or 'Colonel O'Neill.' Shrugging, he returned to his original focus. "In any event, I suppose I'll just have to do my best for her."

Teal'c nodded. "I am certain you will perform your tasks acceptably, Daniel Jackson."

Just then, the screeching of tires interrupted their conversation. Instantly, the marines standing outside the US outpost had their weapons at the ready. After taking a moment to identify the careening vehicle, the men lowered their guns almost in unison. Clearly, the shiny, black jeep was familiar to them.

The vehicle ground to a halt, and the driver's side door was flung open. Out of the cloud of dust surrounding the car stepped a middle-aged man of obvious Arab ancestry. He was compact, dark-haired, and smiling broadly. Surveying the people standing outside the military compound, he located Daniel and Teal'c and waved cheerfully.

The large Jaffa raised an eyebrow uncertainly. "Is this our guide? His driving skills are most unsatisfactory."

Daniel chuckled. "Look on the bright side, Teal'c. If he keeps that pace up for the whole drive, all the dust will blow off of you and you'll be clean as a whistle."

Teal'c looked confused. "Daniel Jackson, please tell me… How clean is a whistle?"

"I am Kahlil." The cheerful tribesman bowed slightly and extended his hand in greetings to both Daniel and Teal'c. "I drive Mister Jack to Basra from village last season."

Daniel suddenly recalled Jack's entertaining description of the man standing before him. "Ah, yes," he said politely. "Jack told me all about the time he spent with you."

Kahlil smiled warmly. "How is Mister Jack? Did he get home to see his two baby born?" He gestured for the two men to climb into the car. Teal'c squashed himself in the back seat without a word. Apparently, he, too, had heard Jack's tales of Kahlil and would rather get leg cramps than listen to the tribesman chatter continuously for the next several days.

Left with no other choice, Daniel pulled himself into the passenger seat. "He arrived about an hour after they were born," he said, replying to Kahlil's question.

The man laughed loudly. "One hour too late! Mister Jack must be very mad to miss that, yes?"

Daniel smiled, recalling the touching scene in the hospital following the twins' births. "Actually, I think he was just pretty happy to get there at all." Then, thinking about the hours of agony that Sam had endured during labor, he grimaced. "He didn't miss anything fun."

Kahlil buckled his seat belt and started the car. Looking interested, he spoke conversationally to Daniel. "You there when two baby born?"

He nodded. "Yes. Samantha, Jack's wife, had a lot of pain delivering the babies. But she was very, very happy to see Jack when he got home." Pausing thoughtfully, he looked out the windshield. "Until he walked into the hospital room, she had thought he was dead."

Kahlil glanced incredulously at his passenger. "Dead? Oh no! Then she must be very happy to see him."

Daniel chuckled. "Very happy." He smiled, remembering how totally blown-away they'd all been.

"And they get married now?" Kahlil pulled the jeep out onto the main road, accelerating quickly enough that Daniel thought he heard Teal'c grunt from the backseat.

"Yes, they were married last week." Daniel said, yelling to be heard over the wind rushing through the jeep's open windows. At least, he thought with a sigh, the canvas top was up.

Kahlil grinned. "I am very happy for Mister Jack. When you see him, please give him many my good wishes." Then, smiling even more broadly than before, he gestured to the steering wheel before him. "Mister Jack send me new jeep as 'thank you' for helping him last season. I give Hassan old jeep. We both very happy."

Daniel couldn't help shaking his head. That was Jack, all right. Instead of making a big fuss over the tribesmen who'd saved his life, he'd just quietly located his rescuers and repaid them with a new car. "I'm sure he'll be happy to hear you like the jeep." As the passing buildings began to grow smaller and less frequent, Daniel was finally able to see the natural environment of the Euphrates Delta. It was rugged and dry near the city, though he knew that farther in they'd run into the thick, boggy salt marshes where the tribesmen herded their water buffalo. "How long does it take to reach your village?"

Kahlil shrugged. "Two, maybe three day. It depend on the weather and the road."

Leaning back into his seat, Daniel sighed and settled in for a long, bumpy ride.

With one ear to his cell phone, Daniel squinted at the central paving stone in the middle of the circle. The two-day trip from Basra had been uneventful, if tediously noisy. Kahlil had chattered incessantly for most of the drive. Daniel was pretty sure he now knew the man's entire family tree for the last, oh, six or seven generations.

Sighing wearily, the archaeologist leveled his baby-blue eyes at a barely-discernable set of symbols etched into the weathered stone. "Sam, you'll have to speak slowly. The reception out here is really lousy."

"Okay, Daniel you'll need to… and then twist the… but don't jostle the…" Sam's voice faded in and out with the uncertain cellular connection.

Gritting his teeth in frustration, Daniel ran a hand through his already tousled hair. Days of sitting in a jeep riding over uneven terrain had given him a host of uncomfortable aches in some rather personal places. The grit from the dusty soil covered every part of his body, and he was sure he smelled about as appealing as one of Kahlil's water buffalo. All those discomforts, combined with a monster case of jet lag, had Daniel just about at the end of his proverbial rope. This latest snag with the rotten cellular connection was just about the last straw.

"Sam," he snapped unhappily, "This is going to have to wait until I can dig out my signal booster for the phone. I know you're anxious to get started on this, but we just got here, and I haven't unpacked a thing yet." He knew there was a testy edge to his voice, and that he was taking his frustrations on Sam, but he just couldn't help it. Besides, if the connection was as bad on her end as it was on his, she'd probably only gotten half of his grumpy tirade anyhow.

There was a pause, as Sam seemed to digest his words. "Okay, Daniel. I'll talk to you later. Tell… said hi. Settle in and… Okay?"

Daniel blinked. "Sure Sam." He hoped he hadn't missed anything too important. "Bye." Clicking off the phone, Daniel sighed and shoved it into his pocket. Looking around, he tried to see if Teal'c was around.

The men who'd been sent to this remote hillside had done a good job of securing the site. There was a large, canvas tent set up over the circle of stones. Currently, the tent was filled with a few scientists and host of impressive-looking equipment that flashed and beeped at odd intervals. Just on the other side of the makeshift laboratory, a tiny tent village had sprung up to house the many scientific and military personnel who were staffing the site.

Not seeing the large Jaffa in the main tent, Daniel was just about to get up and look for him, when something on the center paving stone caught his eye. It almost looked like… but, no. That couldn't be.

In typical Daniel fashion, he intently leaned forward to examine one of the symbols carved into the smooth, stone surface. He was so involved with his discovery that he'd completely tuned out the other people in the tent with him – people, who, at the moment, were shouting something urgently in his direction.

When his fingers gently made contact with the symbol, he felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise. Startled, he looked up and saw three of the scientists in the tent running at breakneck speed away from the circle. With a sinking feeling in his gut, Daniel stood up and prepared to do the same. However, before his muscles could respond to his brain's command, a blinding flash of light overcame his senses, followed by the thunderous roar of an explosion.

Daniel had time for one thought before the shock wave hit him.

Oh hell. Sam's really gonna kick my ass for this.