Disclaimer: NCIS and Stargate are not mine. Any names not on those shows I made up.

I'm going to apologize now for any and all the mistakes in this chapter. Typing with a migraine is not fun but it wouldn't leave me alone till I got it out.

Monday morning...

Gibbs was not happy at all. The case they had got last Saturday was open and shut. The murderer had not even tried to cover his tracks and confessed the second he saw the team. But today was a different matter. Last night they got a call about another Marine found murdered. He had his dog tags still on him but they could not confirm who he was. He wouldn't come up in any database.

So here he was with Tony and Ziva, listening as Director Vance told them how this investigation was going to be handled. If they agreed to the terms.

"You expect me to babysit some kid who probably doesn't even know how to handle a gun, just because of some stupid clearance issue?" Gibbs glared at Vance.

"Oh I wouldn't call him a kid if I were you." The team turned around to see a man leaning against the door to the office, he had his arms folded and looked to have a coffee cup in each hand. "And I certainly wouldn't call it babysitting." The man smirked as he walked over to stand next to Vance. "Oh and he can handle himself just fine too. Hello Leon, how are you?" He said as he put the two cups on the ledge behind Vance's desk.

"Hello Jack, I'm good, how are you? Great to see you." Vance said blandly as he smiled at Jack.

"Right back at you. Though are you really glad to see me or are you just glad that part of this is no longer in your hands?"

"The latter."

"Figured." Vance shook his head as he introduced everyone.

"Jack this is Special Agents Gibbs, DiNozzo and David."

"Hey, I'm Jack." Jack said with a crooked smile and then clapped his hands together once as he said, "So I'm going to assume from the conversation as I walked in here that we haven't come to a decision yet?"

"No." Both Gibbs and Vance replied at the same time.

"Well how about I give you a quick over view about who you'll be working with. Okay? Good. So his name is Doctor Jackson, yes he's a civilian," Jack said staring at Tony because of the look he had on his face, "and he'll be the first one to remind you of that fact. Now he's got PhD's in Archeology, Anthropology, and Linguistics. He is a civilian consultant for the Air Force. The base he works at is what we like to call our quad base, because it's Air Force run but we also have Marine, Army, and civilian personnel. Doctor Jackson is the head of the Archeology, Anthropology, and Linguistic departments on base. How he has time for one let alone all three, I'll never know. The reason being is that Doctor Jackson is also on the bases number one field team." Jack stopped for a moment to let what he said sink in before continuing. "This team is a first contact unit. They go out, meet and greet the locals, and see if they need anything or have anything worth trading. But nine time's out of ten, the locals they meet, don't want to be greeted. So because of that fact the team is also a combat unit. Doctor Jackson's been on this team for nearly twelve years." Jack looked right at Gibbs as he went on, "So to your prior concerns, no he's not a kid, yes he know's how to handle a gun, better than most of the military personnel on base, no he doesn't need a babysitter, and as I added before, he can handle himself."

Jack and Gibbs just stared at each other as the other three occupants swung their attention between the two.

"So Jack, speaking of handling himself, how is he? And Mitchell?" Vance asked trying to cut the tension between the two men. Jack broke eye contact with Gibbs to give Vance a confused look.

"He's fine?" Jack answered as more of a question than anything.

"Grapevine. Heard they had both got injured a few weeks ago but didn't have a chance to fine out how bad or how he was doing. I assume if he's here he's doing good."

"Yeah he's alright. Get's the crap kicked out of him and bounces right back up." Jack told him with a heavy sigh.

"I guess it was pretty bad then." Vance said, seeing the look on Jack's face. Jack was silent for a moment before he spoke.

"Yeah. Daniel and Mitchell, were missing three day's before they were found. Daniel had seven broken ribs. By the time they got back to base both of his lungs had been punctured and collapsed, so he was no longer breathing on his own, he had more internal injuries than I cared to listen to and he had a massive head injury that left him in a coma for five day's."

At this point Gibbs partially tuned out. He half listened as Jack talked about the Mitchell person. 'It has to be McGee's, Daniel. It has to be the same Jack. It's to much of a coincidence. And I don't believe in those. McGee only said he was in a coma, never said a word about other injuries, so maybe it's not.' But then he heard Jack talk about what Daniel said as soon as he woke up. 'It is them. McGee told me the same thing Jack's saying now. Oh boy is this going to be interesting.' Gibbs was brought out of his thought's by Jack's question.

"So Gibbs, you decided yet?"

Even if it was who Gibbs was thinking it was, he wasn't going to go down easy. "I assume you're going to expect me to take him out in the field."

"Um, yeah." Jack said in his best 'well duh' voice.

"A civilian." Gibbs stated blankly.

"A civilian with almost twelve years of combat training and experience." Jack had to stop and take a breath. He continued in a softer voice, "I've read all three of your files, and I can honestly tell you that Daniel has seen, been thru, and lived thru more hell then all three of you combined." The room was silent as Jack closed his eyes and tried to calm himself. "Look if you don't want this case fine. You can go down gather every shred of evidence you have and bring it up here. Now." His tone said he wouldn't deal with anymore argument's.

"Jack," Vance said trying to get his attention.

"No Leon, I'm tired, I'm not going to pussy foot around any more. I've been in a meeting with the Joint Chiefs since four o'clock this morning, playing every card I had to convince them to let Agent Gibbs and his team stay on this case. If they can't except help from one person, that's not my problem." Jack replied, his voice hard.

"All I was going to say was the good stuff's on the bottom shelf over there." Leon pointed to his liquor cabinet.

"Oh, thanks." Jack mumbled as he walked over to the cabinet.

"Why?" Gibbs was confused. If Jack didn't care whether or not they took the case, why did he work so hard to find a way for them to have it. Especially since it sounded like the Joint Chief's didn't want them to have it in the first place.

"You're the best aren't you?" Jack replied with a question of his own as he poured out a little bit of something into a glass and drank it all. "Wow. That's strong. What is this stuff? It tastes like Danny's moonshine."

"Daniel makes moonshine?" Vance asked with a raise of both eyebrow's.

"Well not any more. It was a thing him and his brother in-law did when he lived in Egypt." Jack took another drink and nearly choked again, but he kept pouring more into his glass.

Gibbs had stayed silent. He looked between Ziva and Tony. Neither said a word, but their looks said it all. 'What ever you decide, we'll have your six.'

"Alright." Was all Gibbs said.

"Good." Jack replied with a nod of his head. "Just know he doesn't follow order's well. But if you show him the respect any decent human being deserves, he'll give it back to you ten-fold and listen to everything you say."

"So when do we get to met this Doctor civilian, Mr. helper?" Tony asked not wanting to know what Gibbs may have to say to that new bit of information.

"Now." Jack said with a smirk just before the door to Vance's office opened.

Daniel and Tim walked in laughing and stopped as they saw Jack first thing.

"Hey." Jack smiled. Daniel just stared at him while Tim closed his eye's. Daniel looked over his shoulder at Tim, said "No," and turned to walk out.

"Hey." This time Jack barked out the word. Daniel stopped and dropped his head to his chest, closing his eye's. Jack pointed two finger's at Tim and Daniel and then used his thumb to point towards Vance's desk. Tim sagged back, and then threw his head back to bang it against the door. He grabbed Daniel's collar and dragged him back into the room. Daniel lifted his head opened his eye's and glared at Jack.

"One word."

"Hello."

"No."

"Squirrelly."

"No."

Jack took one more swig from his glass before he put it away.

'Squirrelly?' Tim mouthed to Daniel. 'Don't ask.' Daniel replied the same way.

"I got one," Tim said looking at Jack, "Oh, wait, no that's two words." Tim smiled.

"Screw you." Jack replied smiling back at Tim.

"Close, but not quite. Has the same meaning though." Tim had a hard time not laughing at the look on Jacks face. Daniel's laughter didn't help at all.

"Shut up." Jack said to Daniel as he walked back over to Vance's desk.

"That's another two words." Daniel said shaking his head.

"Mercy." He finally gave up.

"Vacation."

"Oh, sorry about that." Jack winced.

"No you're not." Daniel didn't believe him for a second.

"No, no I'm not." Jack sighed. Daniel turned to everyone else that was in the room.

"Hello Leon, Agent Gibbs, Agent DiNozzo, Agent David. Good to see you again."

"You've met." Jack meant it as a question but said it as a fact. Daniel replied, "Briefly."

"Good. That's over with." Jack could help but notice the looks on the three Agents faces. He had known that Gibbs had figured out who it was when he had been talking to Leon, but the looks on DiNozzo's and David's face's were priceless.

"So why we here?" Daniel asked, also noticing the looks on Tim's teammates face's and wondered exactly what Jack had said before he got there.

"Need you to say yes." Jack told him as he handed him a coffee cup. Daniel looked at him like he was holding a snake before taking the cup, taking the lid off, and taking a sip.

"Why were you with the Joint Chief's, and what do we get out of it?" He countered.

"Wait, what, how did you?" Vance stuttered. Daniel held up the coffee cup after taking another sip.

"This is the coffee I keep at Jacks house. I had it imported so I could have it when I stay there. He said he'd never make it. Never has, except when he's been in meeting's with the Joint Chief's and he needs something from me." He smiled at Jack who cringed back.

"Here's the deal. You and Tim get as much, paid, time off as you wish. When ever you wish to take it. Tim your's will be case's, not pending. Daniel your's will be some mission's pending." Jack stated.

"What?" Tim and Tony both said. Daniel smiled and said,

"Tim, say yes and thank you." Tim did just that but also asked why.

"But I can ask that later." He said after looking at Daniel. Daniel once again smiled and turned back to Jack. "Wait, what mission's will be pending?" Tim asked.

"The one's that involve the world needing saved." Jack replied with a raised eyebrow and a tone that told Tim to drop it.

"Okay." Tim knew to leave it be. Daniel had just stood there drinking his coffee and smirked at the whole exchange.

"Deal. Now why we here?" He asked again.

"You're going to be 'temporarily' assigned to Agent Gibbs' team to help with a case." Jack told him.

"Why don't we all go sit at the table and discuss this." Vance said just before his phone rang. After a few words with his secretary he looked up, "This may take a moment, why don't you all go have a seat, and I'll be over in a minute. And Jack? Play nice."

"Who me?" Jack said as he picked up the other coffee cup and they all headed over to the conference table. Ziva sat across from Tim, Tony across from Daniel, and Jack and Gibbs were next to each other at the end of one side, leaving one chair at the head of the table for Vance.

Tony hadn't stopped staring at Daniel since he had walked in. Daniel thought it was getting a little annoying so he decided to turn the tables on Jack. "So Jack, did you properly introduce yourself?"

"What?" Jack tried to act like he didn't know what Daniel was talking about. Tim looked at the confused looks on his friends faces. Well, you never knew what Gibbs was thinking, but Tony and Ziva certainly didn't know what was going on. Tim had also noticed the same thing as Daniel and was glad to play along.

"You didn't tell them that you're Major General Jack O'Neill?" Tim said in a surprised tone. One that Jack saw right thru. He just glared at them until Tony spoke.

"You mean General 'of Home Land Security' O'Neill?" Tony's surprised voice wasn't fake.

"I've been called that before, yes." Jack replied still staring at Daniel.

'Oh if looks could kill' Daniel thought, 'Right back at you Jack.' "So what's the case?" He asked trying to get the attention focused elsewhere.

Jack sighed before answering, "Leon's going to explain everything so just wait."

"Okay." Daniel drawled out.

They sat in silence until Jack couldn't keep quiet anymore. "So what have you two been up to?"

"Oh you know, the usual. Firing range, paint ball, dinner with beautiful women." Daniel replied.

"Really, you have to go to the firing range on vacation now too, and you don't get shot at enough at work you have to go do it for fun? And do you remember what happened the last time you took a beautiful women to dinner? She got kidnapped!" Everyone around the table just blinked at Jack, but Daniel barely noticed.

"One, I was helping Tim, he has an eval. coming up. Two, it's not the same, it's a lot of fun to kick Marine butt and bring them down a notch or four. And Three, Sarah and Abby are not the kind to get themselves kidnapped."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Um, guy's." Tim said after Jack and Daniel had stared at each other for a good minute. Tim thought the whole exchange was hilarious, but from the looks his team had, it was scaring them a little. 'Oh well, they're just going to have to get use to it.'

Luckily before Jack and Daniel could get into it anymore Vance came over with a file folder's for everyone. "So Jack, did you introduce yourself?"

"Yes Leon, can we get on with this?"

As Vance sat down he started to explain, mainly to Tim and Daniel, but to everyone how the case was going to be handled. "Doctor Jackson, since you have a higher clearance you will be going thru the paperwork and letting Agent Gibbs and his team know what they, 'need to know'. Here's what we have so far." He passed out the folder's to everyone. Jack didn't open his. He had already been down stairs and saw the body for himself. He watched Daniel for his reaction.

"No. It can't be." Daniel whispered.

"It is Danny. I saw him myself." Jack said quietly.

"No, Jack you don't understand." Daniel took a breath trying to understand what he was seeing. "It says he was found here. In D.C."

"Yeah."

"T.J. had leave this weekend." Daniel looked at Jack like this explained everything.

"Maybe that's why he was here." Tony said confused.

"No." Daniel took his glasses off and rubbed his face. "This was the first weekend he's had off since Isabella was born. He's talked non-stop about it for weeks. The whole base knew about it. He was going to take Elizabeth to the Zoo so that Kate could have some one-on-one time with Bell's." Daniel looked devastated. "There is no way he would have been here when he was suppose to be at the Zoo with Lizzy."

Jack sighed, 'great this just got a whole lot more complicated.' He didn't say that out loud though, instead he said, "Okay I'll call Hank again and see what he know's on his end."

"Jack, does Kate know?" Daniel whispered.

"Yeah, Hank was sending someone over there."

"Okay."

Everyone was quiet for a minute, trying to process the new information. Vance once again started to speak and they continued to figure out how they were going to handle the case.

AN: Okay, that was a lot longer than I thought it would be. Didn't seem like that much in my head! Next chapter we'll find out more about the Marine who got killed. (And we'll see if he's the only one : )