~#~ (Chapter 4)

Janet sent Jack for his MRI scan while she did Daniel's examination. When the archaeologist returned from his own scan, Janet cleared the pair of them to leave the mountain.

After they both changed they agreed to meet up at the checkout station so that Daniel could collect the photographs from his desk drawer.

The young man hurried to his office and was thankful that no-one stopped to speak to him along the way. He flicked on the light and quietly closed the door, leaning backwards on it while he let out a long cleansing breath. He scrubbed his eyes and looked around the room, remembering the many times that he had come here and hidden himself away. How easy it was to bury himself in his work and lock the outside world away.

This time however, the office didn't feel like a haven to him. It didn't feel like a safe-house where the world could not intrude. His eyes were drawn to the top drawer of his desk - the drawer where he knew the precious mementos of his parents were stored. 'No,' thought Daniel, 'Today seems different, and the office - well that just seems wrong somehow.'

Slowly Daniel moved away from the door and cautiously unlocked his desk drawer. He moved tentatively, as if he was going to release a load of demons, if he wasn't careful.

He removed a padded envelope and hugged it tight to himself as he closed the drawer. He then opened the office door, switched off the light and went to meet Jack.

~#~

They travelled back to Jack's house in silence. The older man kept sneaking worried glances at his best friend. Daniel was huddled in the passenger seat of the truck, staring vacantly out of the window and clinging to the padded envelope like his life depended on it.

Once they were well on their way, Jack patted Daniel's leg. "Won't be long now, Dannyboy. We're nearly home."

Daniel looked away from the window but didn't try to meet Jack's eye. He let out a long sigh and mumbled, "'K, Jack."

~#~

When they entered the house, Jack ushered the younger man into the sitting room and pressed him gently into sitting on one of the sofas. Jack then went through to the kitchen to make some coffee. Thinking about the day that Daniel had just been through, he added a generous measure of whiskey to the archaeologist's mug, figuring that Daniel would need a little help to relax this afternoon.

~#~

The afternoon was spent in Jack's sitting room, looking through Daniel's package of memories. Jack admitted to Daniel that he could see the likeness between Melburn Jackson and the host carrying the Goa'uld System Lord, Seth.

It turned out that as well as photographs and a few newspaper clippings, there was a pair of Claire Jackson's metal rimmed glasses and her wedding ring. When he saw it, Daniel gently picked up the ring and turned it over and over with his fingers.

"You know, Jack, I've saved this ring all these years, I wanted to give it to Sha're but I've never had the chance. Do you realise that, Jack. I've never given my wife her wedding ring. Now she's out there with another man's ring on her finger and, who knows" he says with a sob, "…who knows, by now she might have another baby in her belly too."

'Oh damn, I really don't want to get onto this topic this afternoon.' Jack thought. "Hey, Danny, you can give her the ring when we get her back. You do know that we're not going to give up looking for her, don't you, Daniel?"

"Yeah, I know, Jack, but I'm also realistic. Good things in my life don't last - they never do - I know we might never get her back alive. Even if we do, how's it going to have affected her? Will she still be my Sha're and will she even want me back after I completely failed to protect her?"

"Hey now, no talking like that." Jack scolded. "Sha're will always love you. You didn't fail her, you've spent the last two years searching the galaxy for her after all. When we get her back, if she doesn't want to stay on Earth, well we'll work something out. Daniel, let's concentrate on getting her back first. That's go to be top of the list of priorities now. We'll deal with afterwards - well, after. Now I'm going to make us another drink and then you're going to turn in for the night. I know it's early but you've had an emotionally draining day. I'll add a little something extra to your coffee to help you sleep. Your spare clothes are in their usual cupboard in the spare room You know where everything is so why don't you go and get changed. I'll be right here when you get back."

"OK, Jack. Sure thing." Daniel replied, exhaustion evident in his voice and he got up and moved to the stairs.

Jack carefully gathered Daniel's photo's and memories together into a neat pile and placed them on top of the envelope. "You know, we really need to get you something better to keep these in, Daniel. This old envelope has really seen better days."

Daniel smiled sadly. "I know, Jack, but that envelope is the only thing that managed to travel through all my different foster homes with me. I didn't even manage to keep the furry rabbit that I'd had since birth. That got lost during one of the moves and I never got it back. It took me a long time to settle into the next house after that, believe me. I don't know what I'd have done if that envelope had got lost. They're the only pictures that I've got of my parents. That's why it stays in my office - it seems safer than having it at home somehow."

"OK, so you get to keep the envelope, I understand, Danny." Jack told him. "Now scoot and get changed."

"Scooting as ordered…sir!" Daniel gave Jack the first real smile of the day - albeit a brief one - it was a smile, none the less.

It lifted Jack's heart to se Daniel raising himself a little out of the depression of the day. He smiled at Daniel's retreating back and went to make the drinks.

~#~

Daniel was back on the sofa when Jack came out of the kitchen. Jack watched as Daniel meticulously arranged the photographs into a certain order, then piling them up with the bottom edges in precise alignment.

Daniel looked wistful as he placed the last item on the pile. Jack looked and saw that it was the newspaper article covering the accident that had claimed the lives of Daniel's parents.

With the tip of one finger, Daniel gently stroked the face of his mother in the picture. He then looked at his father and sighed, "How sad am I, Jack? That I'm seeing my long dead father's face in one of our sworn enemies? The enemies who have taken my wife for Christ's sake."

"Danny…" Jack moved over to place a hand on Daniel's arm.

"No, Jack. I'm not going to fall apart again. I should be able to handle this, they've been dead for over twenty years. I know the Gamekeeper showed me them last year, I don't know how well I remembered them before that though. He dragged the memories from somewhere buried so deep in my mind that I only see them in my sleep. Would I have thought that Seth looked like my dad if he hadn't done that? I don't know. I don't know if it's changed how I remember then or not and it's worrying me now. There's a hell of a difference seeing them there 'in the flesh' instead of just printed on paper. If I didn't have these photo's would I have even consciously remember what they looked like at all? It was just so long ago, Jack."

With that comment, Daniel placed the article on top of the pile and carefully put everything into the well worn envelope. He then held it out to Jack, "Can you put this somewhere safe for me? Please."

"Of course I can, Danny. I'll put it in my safe overnight, then you can take it back to your office in the morning." Jack held out his hand and took the envelope from Daniel. "Now drink up, I'll be back when I've locked this away."

"Thanks, Jack." Daniel said and reached for his coffee. He took a large swallow and spluttered as it went down. "Jack!" he shouted, laughingly, after his CO. "Just how much whiskey did you put in here?"

Jack's grinning face appeared at the doorway, "It's purely for medicinal purposes - just don't tell Fraiser!"