A/N: Dream sequences are set off by / and \.

It took a moment for Daniel to get his bearings. If anything, the nightmare had been more intense than usual, and when he woke up in a strange bed, it only served to fuel his panic. It wasn't until Jacob Carter rushed in that he began to remember where he was and what had happened.

"Take it easy, Daniel—that was one hell of a nightmare," said Jacob, coming up to stand near the bed.

"Where's Doc Fraiser?" asked Daniel, eyes darting quickly around the room.

"I'm here," came her voice from the doorway. Janet hurried over to his bedside, looking distraught. "I'm so sorry, Danny. There was an emergency and I was needed in the infirmary."

A look of relief flashed across Daniel's face and he let out a deep breath. "So then you weren't here—you didn't see that last dream?"

"I'm really sorry, but I had a medical emergency, and Colonel O'Neill offered to take over for me here while I was gone," said Fraiser.

Daniel's head shot up fast at that piece of news, his eyes going wide as saucers as he gaped at Jacob. "Jack?"

Jacob hung his head, silently cursing Dr. Fraiser's stupendously bad timing.

Daniel took Jacob's silence for what it was—an acknowledgement that his fears were justified. Jack had seen everything. Daniel's head couldn't begin to wrap around the possible repercussions this would have. All he knew was that he had to get out of there. He needed to be alone. With a flinch of pain, Daniel detached the memory device from his temple and threw it down on the bed before shoving past Jacob and Fraiser to get out.

"What just happened?" Janet asked, staring out the door in confusion.

Jacob gave her an odd look and shook his head. "I really don't think it's my place to say."


Jack needed to pace, and he needed a quiet place to do it. It was still early, but he knew that the SGC would still be a buzzing hive of activity. He wandered the halls for a while, trying to think of a place where he could be alone. After running into three airmen and all four members of SG-8, he was starting to think he'd have to go off-world to get any peace and quiet. It was at that moment that General Hammond caught up with him.

"General, you're awake, I see," said O'Neill conversationally. "You're looking very…non-explosive."

General Hammond smiled a crinkly-eyed smile at him. "I've been given a clean bill of health," he stated proudly. "As has Dr. Jackson, from what Jacob tells me. And that means it's your turn to take a nap, Colonel."

Funny, thought Jack, how the thought of someone spying on his dreams hadn't really bothered him much until now. With the memories of Daniel's nightmare still fresh in his mind, he was worried what sorts of things his own subconscious mind might decide to make public. Whoever was watching could be in for a very entertaining show.

"Uh…about that," said Jack. "Can't it wait 'til later? I've got some, uh…stuff…to do." He winced—it sounded lame even to his own ears.

Hammond's cool eyes narrowed at him suspiciously. "Is there anything you should be telling me, Colonel?"

Jack's eyes shot up instantly to meet the general's, thinking the other man had somehow read his mind. "Um…no, I don't think so, sir," he said.

"You've been late for duty three times this last week," Hammond said. "If it had anything to do with sleep disturbances…"

Jack felt himself relax a little. "General, I don't think there's a single member of my team that can claim to sleep like a baby. Restless nights are a part of the job."

"Still, you should have mentioned that you were having problems sleeping at the debriefing," said Hammond, his voice edgy with concern. "Now I've got Major Carter in the VIP room with Shaneeth and Teal'c. I want you to report immediately to the isolation room. Jacob and Dr. Jackson can do the monitoring."

"Um, yeah…that might not be such a good idea," said Jack. "Daniel's been having a tough time with this whole nightmare thing of his—maybe he should sit this one out."

"Colonel, as much as I appreciate your concern for Dr. Jackson's well-being, there's simply no one else available. All non-essential personnel are currently being gated to the Alpha site. So unless you'd prefer me to monitor your dreams myself…"

"No!" said Jack, a little too vehemently. "No sir, that won't be necessary. I'm sure Daniel will be fine."

"Very well, then, Colonel. Off you go," said Hammond, and as Jack turned to leave he added, "Pleasant dreams."

Jack flicked a wave at Hammond as he walked away, keeping his face turned so he wouldn't see the worry in his eyes. He wasn't too thrilled at having to face Daniel. At least, not yet—he still had a lot of serious thinking to do. He needed more time.


Daniel had scarcely settled down at his desk when there was a knock at his door. A part of him seriously considered telling whomever it was to go away. In truth, right now he wished the whole world would just go away and leave him alone. He hunched lower in his chair, as if that might make him somehow less…there.

"Dr. Jackson?" The voice on the other side of the door wasn't Jack's, and Daniel felt some of the tension drain out of him.

"I'm busy," Daniel called out, hoping that would be enough to compel them to leave. It wasn't.

The door opened a crack and Sergeant Harriman peeked his head around. "Sorry, sir," he said. "General Hammond asked me to bring you down to the isolation room."

Daniel's heart nearly stopped with the certainty that they'd either found the bomb in his scan or that he was about to experience some of those repercussions he'd been worried about. "Um…is there a problem?" he asked cautiously.

"No problem," said Harriman. "But we've got to step up the bomb search now that you've been cleared, and we need you in the observation suite."

Daniel nodded his head grudgingly. "Sam's up next, right?" he asked.

Harriman started off down the hallway as he spoke, clearly in a hurry, forcing Daniel to rush to catch up with him. "Major Carter's already being scanned," he said. "We need you to monitor Colonel O'Neill."

Daniel stopped dead in his tracks and it took Harriman a few more steps to realize he'd lost his charge.

"Dr. Jackson?" said Sgt. Harriman, falling back to where Daniel still stood frozen to the spot.

"What?" asked Daniel.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, Walter, I'm fine," said Daniel absently, and they started back down the hall again. "I…uh…I don't suppose there's anyone else who could take my place? It's just…I have a lot of work to catch up on."

Harriman shook his head. "Sorry, sir, but we've got an evacuation underway."

They'd been walking at a brisk pace, and before Daniel knew it he was standing in front of the observation suite door. Taking a deep breath for courage, Daniel opened the door and stepped inside, only to find he was alone in the little room. The projector was set up but was currently switched off. In two short steps, Daniel walked up to the one-way mirror and looked down into the isolation room where Jacob Carter was busy futzing around with the memory device.

As he watched, the door to the isolation room opened and Colonel O'Neill walked in. Or rather, he snuck in; like he was afraid someone might see him enter the room. Jack quickly scanned the room, giving Jacob a cursory nod of greeting before his eyes finally settled on the one-way mirror. Daniel's mouth went dry and a shiver ran down his spine as Jack's eyes somehow managed to lock onto his, despite the fact that he couldn't possibly see him through the one-way glass.

He couldn't read Jack's expression. Was he confused? Angry? Insulted? ... Disgusted? It was impossible to tell, but Daniel knew it was wishful thinking on his part to hope that Jack might be merely confused. In any case, Daniel highly doubted the colonel was all that happy about what he'd seen in his dream.

Jack was so lost in thought that Jacob's hand on his shoulder made him jump.

"You about ready?" asked Jacob with a sympathetic look on his face that made Jack feel like smacking the guy. He didn't need sympathy.

Jacob brought out the memory device and started to raise it to Jack's temple.

"I can do that," Jack said and the snatched the memory device out of the Tok'ra's hand pre-emptively, giving him a look at him that made it clear that he appreciated the offer but that he didn't want any help. He placed the device on his left temple and felt it burrow under his skin. He was ready for it, and only a tiny bit of his discomfort showed on his face. As Jacob was about to leave, Jack called out to him. "Jacob, do me a favour, would ya? When Daniel gets here, tell him…"

Jacob waited as the pause stretched on. "Jack?" he prompted at last.

"Hell, I don't know. Tell him…tell him I'll see him when I wake up." He may not have been the most eloquent orator on the planet, but that little speech was pretty pathetic even by Jack's standards and he shrugged apologetically. Anyway, what was there to say? It wasn't like Jack had even had time to figure out how he felt about all this. He was upset, sure, but he couldn't say for certain what it was he was upset about. It was just a stupid dream, after all. Jack once dreamt that Hammond and Carter were the two finalists on American Idol. Dreams didn't mean anything. He knew that. Except…

Jack took one last glance at the one-way mirror, wondering if Daniel was there watching him already. He gave his reflection a terse little smile and lay down on the cot.

"Sweet dreams, Jack," said Jacob.

"Yeah—that never gets old," Jack quipped and watched as the older man took his leave.

Jack closed his eyes and turned onto his right side like he did every night when he went to bed. He fluffed up the pillow and nestled his head into it, drawing in a deep, relaxing breath. The pillow smelled like Daniel, he thought—Daniel had lain in this very bed only a short while ago and dreamt about him. Dreamt? More like 'fantasized'. Jack's eyes popped open and he let out a soft groan. As if this wasn't hard enough as it was… He rolled onto his back, which wasn't as comfortable, but at least his face was no longer engulfed in the familiar scent of Daniel Jackson. And wasn't it strange that until now he hadn't even been aware that he knew what Daniel smelled like?

When Jacob entered the observation suite, it was to find a very sullen and silent Dr. Jackson, sitting there waiting like a prisoner about to be sentenced. He took a seat next to the archaeologist, trying to make eye contact and failing miserably. Daniel's eyes were glued on Jack, his expression impenetrable.

"It wasn't Jack's fault, you know," said Jacob soothingly.

"I know," Daniel answered sombrely. And when Jacob was busy preparing the projector, he added almost inaudibly, "It's mine."


/The pond was as quiet and peaceful as ever—a sanctuary that only a handful of close friends ever got the privilege of visiting. The beauty of it was that there were absolutely zero distractions. Just the cottage, the dock, a fishing pole and the dappled water, glinting in the sunlight.

The word 'tranquil' sprang to mind when he looked out at the calm water. Jack liked the sound of it—it seemed to embody the very essence of what his hideaway was about. "Tranquil," he said aloud, letting the word roll off his tongue.

"Indeed," Teal'c said as he joined Jack on the dock. The formidable warrior was decked out in white shorts and a florid Hawaiian shirt, the blinding outfit being topped off with a fisherman's hat, replete with brightly-coloured lures. Jack watched the stoic Jaffa set up a lounge chair next to him and then pick up his staff weapon before settling down into his seat.

"What're you gonna do, shoot the fish?" asked Jack.

"Yes," Teal'c answered simply. "Your method of catching fish is inefficient."

Jack sighed and cast his line out into the water with a plop, ripple rings marking the place where his lure landed. "I thought we went over this before, T. It's not about catching fish—I don't even have fish in my pond. It's about spending time with friends in a nice, safe, and most of all, quiet place. Tell him, Carter."

Sam had arrived, dragging another lounge chair onto the already overcrowded dock, and doing her best to squeeze in between Teal'c and Jack. "Sorry, sir, I'm with Teal'c on this one. I'd rather have a naquadria bomb to play with any day."

"Are you nuts?" said Jack. "This is perfection here. Or…well…almost. Where's Daniel? He said he'd be here."

Teal'c and Sam exchanged concerned glances.

"Do you not remember, O'Neill?" asked Teal'c, his eyebrow arched so high it made his forehead buckle around his golden brand.

"Remember what?" asked Jack.

Sam gently laid her hand on Jack's forearm. "Daniel's dead, Jack. He's been gone almost a year now."

Jack looked at her as if to say 'and I thought I was the dense one'. "What're you talking about? Danny's not dead. Look—see? Here he comes now." Daniel had sauntered around the side of the cottage and had come to a stop next to a large orange and white cooler that sat on the pristine lawn. He was wearing an off-white sweater and khaki pants despite the heat, and his blue eyes looked back at him without the aid of his glasses. "Daniel!" Jack yelled out. "Get your ascended ass over here, and bring me a beer while you're at it."

Daniel crossed his arms over his chest and frowned at Jack. "You know I can't do that, Jack. I'm not allowed to interfere."

"To whom are you talking, O'Neill?" asked Teal'c.

"I'm talking to Daniel," Jack answered. "Can't you see him? He's right over there." He pointed at his friend, who waved back at him from the lawn. Sam and Teal'c looked to where he was pointing, but they obviously saw nothing there. "Never mind. I guess I'll have to get my own damn beer."

Jack set his fishing rod down and squeezed past Sam, quickly covering the distance between him and Daniel. "What's your problem?" he asked the younger man.

"What do you mean?" asked Daniel, his lips doing that slightly pouty thing that drove Jack up the wall.

"Why wouldn't you bring me a beer?"

"I told you, I'm not allowed…"

"…to interfere," Jack concluded for him. "Yadda, yadda, heard it all before."

"I don't make the rules, Jack," said Daniel wearily.

"It's a beer for cryin' out loud! It's not as if I'm asking you to save me from being tortured to death over and over, or anything."

The frown returned to Daniel's face and deepened until he looked downright pained. "You know I would have…"

"Don't give me that non-interference crap. You were there. You could have helped me, but you chose not to. Hell, you wouldn't even give me a reassuring pat on the shoulder! Do you have any idea what it was like having you there and not even being able to touch you?" Jack lifted his hand to Daniel's cheek as if he wanted to caress it, but it passed through him without making contact.

"You're not allowed to touch me," said Daniel with a deep sadness in his blue eyes.

"Tell me about it," Jack mumbled.

The sound of repeated staff-weapon blasts cut short their conversation. Teal'c had apparently decided to take fishing into his own hands, and the entire pond was alight with the orange glow of the energy weapon.

"Colonel O'Neill, I thought you said there were no fish in your pond," Teal'c called out over his shoulder.

"There aren't," said Jack, turning away from Daniel to head back to the dock.

"Then, are these not fish?" asked Teal'c, making a broad sweeping gesture with his staff weapon across the pond. Several bloated white shapes had floated to the surface. Far too large to be fish, Jack had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach that he knew what they were. When he reached the dock and got close enough to see what the Jaffa's weapon had brought to the surface, his greatest fears were realized.

Ghostly white and unmistakably dead, the body of Daniel Jackson drifted just beneath the surface of the water, so close to shore that Jack could almost reach out and touch him. His friend's dead blue eyes had milked over, and there was something lodged in his mouth. Something that didn't belong there. Something that looked like a carved stone, but couldn't be, because stones didn't glow like that. In the pond, hundreds of dead Daniels bobbed to the surface, each with cloudy white eyes and glowing stone mouths.

"What is that?" Jack asked Carter.

Sam shrugged and cast her fishing line out into the water. It snagged one of the floating bodies and she began to reel it in, grinning at Jack as she did. "I caught one, sir!" she announced proudly.

The body at the end of her line made a sickening thunking sound as it struck the wooden dock and Teal'c helped Jack haul it over the side of the dock with a grunt of effort. Flipping Daniel's naked body over onto its back, Jack reeled backwards, as much from the sweet reek of rotting flesh as from the horrific sight that met his eyes. Parts of Daniel's body had started to split open and peel away, and beneath his skin…

Jack backed further away, half-falling over Carter as she knelt down next to the corpse to get a closer look. Jack gagged slightly as she poked at the body, tugging the water-bloated flesh apart to reveal what looked like stone beneath. The stone was covered in Goa'uld symbols, glowing red with some sort of internal energy.

Ascended Daniel wandered up to Jack, his hands thrust deep into his pants' pockets and looked down at his own dead body with an almost child-like curiosity. "It's Goa'uld," he said.

"Well…duh," said Jack. "What does it say, mister I-know-the-secrets-of-the-universe?"

Daniel gave him his patented look of patient indulgence and knelt down on the dock next to Carter.

"Hey, Daniel!" said Carter warmly, shifting to make room for him.

"Hi, Sam," Daniel said, smiling brightly back at her.

"Are you two about done with the pleasantries?" Jack said, rolling his hands in the air at them to get on with it.

"Right," said Daniel. "Well…these symbols here, along the outer ring on my chest are numbers in a descending sequence. See?" he said, as the glowing symbols flashed in a slow and steady chase around the perimeter of the corpse's torso. "It's counting down."

"It's a bomb?" asked Jack and Sam simultaneously. Daniel nodded at them, pleased that they'd caught on so quickly.

"How long before it goes off?" asked Jack.

"Oh, don't worry," said Daniel as he stood and brushed the dirt off his knees. "You've still got a good three hours." He smiled serenely at Jack. "Plenty of time."\


Up in the observation suite, Daniel and Jacob were suspended in a bubble of shock and disbelief.

"My God," Daniel muttered at last.

"Can't be," Jacob chimed in. "That can't be right. We should have three days, not hours! The Daniel in the dream must have read the symbols wrong."

Daniel swallowed hard and licked his lips nervously. "No. He…I was right—according to the symbols in the dream, the countdown gives us just under three hours to diffuse the bomb."