The babies are lying on the floor wiggling around when Daniel comes home. He grabs a beer out of the fridge. He only keeps the beer around for Jack, because Daniel really can get drunk off one. Strike that, it only takes a few sips.

He coos to the babies in what I've decided to call his secret language. Then he plops down on a chair in defeat and takes a sip so deep it lets me know that if I want any intelligent conversation, I'd better do it quick. He's halfway to toasted.

"Are you okay?"

"Certainly. Jack got married," he says, with a false tone of casual.

"What?" I say in surprise.

"It was an accident," he says, taking another sip which almost drains the bottle.

"So, wasn't your wedding an accident?" I quip.

He laughs, "It was, in the beginning. Of course, when they threw me in a tent with my wife who was a stranger, I didn't actually have sex with her."

I glance at the babies.

"Until she wasn't a stranger anymore."

Okay, I'm not imagining it. They might say they don't have feelings for each other, but…

"I know how that sounded. You can toss all those ideas of Jack and I away. It's not jealousy. I'm just mad because of the consequences. Well, and the fact that the stupid 'marriage cake' might be drugged. Janet is testing it."

"So someone raped Jack?" I say.

"I don't know… maybe," he says.

"Did you think to ask?" I ask, angry at Daniel now.

"Sam asked. He didn't want to talk about it."

"So why isn't Jack here, getting drunk with you?" I ask gently.

"He's under quarantine," Daniel mutters. Oh, crap, Daniel mentioned consequences.

"I can't think of an STD that requires that," I say softly.

"Yeah, none of us had heard of it until he got it, either. It's probably going to kill him, too."

My stomach twists at that, "Did the slut know what she had when she drugged him?"

"No, everyone she has ever known has died of this disease, and she had no idea that life was supposed to be long. I don't blame Kynthia, and she's not really a slut."

Well, now the slut has a name.

"There has to be something they can do," I plead.

"Sam and Janet are working on it," he says. Twice now he's mentioned that woman's name. three times, if you count the time I was listening at the window. This person might inherit these babies, if something takes out this entire team.

"Who is Janet?"

Daniel's forehead crinkles a little bit, "Have I really never mentioned her to you? Funny. She actually was the doctor who got Kush the better medicine. She gave me pills that made it so I didn't sneeze every time I went through the…" he stares at the bottle of beer as it were a traitor. He sets it down. "She helped my allergies, so I mentioned my son had a problem too, and she helped me out."

"Well, I feel better knowing a good doctor is working on the problem," I say.

The alcohol has well and completely hit Daniel's brain now. He drank a whole bottle, and Jack once told me half was his firm limit, "She is a good doctor. A very good doctor. She's a short doctor," he leans forward, holding his fingers very close together, "Very short. But she wears these heals," he puts his hands out like a toddler showing his mother how much he loves her, "This big."

I smile. As much as I would like this to go on, "Perhaps you should go to bed, Daniel."

"Yes, I'll go to bed, and they'll save him. They'll save him, because he's not going to die just because he had sex. People don't die from that," he babbles. I grab onto his arm, and help him up, "I got married off-world, and I didn't die. I just got babies, and babies are way better than death."

"Yes they are," I say calmly. Off-world? How drunk is this man? "Let's get you off to bed."

"Yes, Jack bought me the bed," Daniel agrees.

"He'd probably want you to use it then. Up, up."

Daniel just lays down in the bed, fully clothed. So I pull off his shoes, and remove his glasses, and decide to leave it at that.

"They all die. People I like. I should probably stop liking you, Stephanie. You're not safe. Can you please do something that will make me hate you?"

"You're a sloppy drunk, Daniel," I say, walking toward the door.

"Come now, you can do better than that. Really try to do something that will make me hate you, now."

"Good night, Daniel."

"You don't even know how to be mean. I'll teach you. I'll teach you how to be mean, and then you can make me hate you."

"I'm pretty sure that you don't know how to be mean any more than I do," I say, shutting the door to his bedroom.

-0-

I had him a cup of coffee, and don't attempt to talk to him until he's taken the first sip.

"Jack was right, you are a cheap date," I tell him.

"Sorry about that," he mutters.

"It's fine. I just hope you realize that your feelings don't actually have anything to do with bad things happening to people."

Another sip of the coffee, "When I'm sober, yes."

"The fact that people keep getting hurt might have something to do with the crazy job that you all do."

Daniel pauses, "I hope I didn't say anything odd about… my job or anything." I can tell by his face he remembers everything he said.

"Daniel, let's make a deal. You keep on with your little lies that lie as little as you need to. I keep not asking questions, knowing you'll tell me as much as you're able to tell me. If I get some opinions about what you do for a living, I keep them for myself."

He smiles, "I'm curious what opinions you have formed."

"I think you guys work with nasty infectious diseases that you search the world to find."

Daniel laughs, "You think we are the CDC or something?"

"More like the anti-CDC. You seem to be spreading lots of diseases."

"None of them have gotten out of the mountain, at least not yet," Daniel says slowly.

"You still seem to be poking the diseases with a stick."

Daniel chuckles, "What a phrase that is."

"So… this brainwashing, that you wife has gone through? Is it a disease, too?" I ask. I don't know why I'm being so daring.

"It is. It's actually the same thing that killed Kowalski."

"Oh, you did a surgery to try to save him, didn't you?"

"Yeah, and he died during it. His case was actually a great deal less severe than my wife's. So this holding out hope… It's stupid."

"Hope is never stupid, Daniel."

"Thank you for that. Now, I'd better get going; if there is any hope to save Jack, it's got to be happening soon."

-0-

"Jackson residence," I say on the phone. I don't know why I really bother with the formal greeting. Almost anytime someone calls it is Daniel.

"Steph. I just wanted you to know. I know you were worrying about Jack. He's better. He gets to come home."

"Really?" I say in surprise, "Is his wife coming home with him?"

"No, Jack has decided to go with an annulment," Daniel says, "Technically, he can't have an annulment, of course. The General pushed for divorce. Jack made some threats, and they compromised."

"Threats?"

"Well, the chemical analysis went in such a way that Jack could have charged Kynthia with rape."

"Oh," I go a bit pale.

"He doesn't consider it that. He said it felt more like getting drunk and making some bad decisions, but legally… and he didn't want to be divorced twice."

"Still, if he needs to talk…" I say. I've been raped, and I don't want to talk about it, but if it would help my friend…

"I'll relay the offer, Steph, but Jack isn't really the 'talk about it' type," Daniel says.

"I suppose not, but give him my best wishes."