Evil, evil week! I had three tests and an English paper... //shudders//

Here's the next part, which wraps up one major part of the storyline so I can begin wrapping up the rest.

Part 35

The ride back to the cabin was made in silence, as Jack was busy convincing himself to resist the almost-overwhelming urge to stop the car and reach into the back seat to strangle the blue alien sitting dejectedly next to a shivering Daniel. With the heater on full-blast, it didn't take long to warm the Jeep's occupants on the outside, but Jack felt an internal cold that wouldn't go away so easily. Daniel had nearly drowned, and it was all Stitch's fault.

Daniel was a strong swimmer at any size, having once admitted when Jack asked that a foster parent took him to lessons after it was learned he'd been born and reared in the desert. He took to it like... well, the proverbial duck to water, and Jack was secretly proud that Daniel was a better swimmer than anyone else on the team, including Teal'c. His aquatic abilities hadn't appeared to have been changed any by his shrinking to child-size, but that mangy mutt-of-an-alien, Stitch, was apparently unable to swim at all. When the boat had capsized, Stitch had latched onto and pulled the down-sized linguist underwater.

Of course, the cause of the boat's sudden upset was a bit of a mystery, too. Jack recalled a sudden lurch, as though one of the boat's occupants had shifted his weight hard to one side, but he didn't remember seeing Daniel move, and Stitch had been seated on the bench next to Jack. It was possible they'd hit something underwater, but Jack hadn't seen anything down below when rescuing Daniel or Stitch.

It was a mystery that was going to have to remain unsolved. For now, he just wanted to get Daniel back to the cabin and into some clean, dry clothes before he got sick. As for Stitch, there were two options: either the alien could agree to return to his homeworld--with or without the assistance of the Tok'ra--or he could stay on Earth and become a guinea pig for Area 51 and the NID. Even as angry as he was with the little monster, Jack hoped Stitch would see reason and agree to the first. No one deserved the NID.

"Stop glaring, Jack," Daniel griped, "it wasn't Stitch's fault."

The colonel gritted his teeth, clutching the steering wheel tightly as he drove slowly down the gravel lane leading back to the cabin. "Wasn't his fault?" he echoed.

"He didn't tip the boat over," Daniel replied, drawing the ratty blanket tighter around his shoulders, gaze sliding away from the rearview mirror and undoubtedly landing on the furry mutant. "It took a lot of guts for him to join us out on the lake when he was scared of water."

Jack pressed the brakes a little harder than he meant to, and the Jeep slid a little in the gravel before stopping. "Scared of water?" he demanded, turning around in his seat after throwing the gear shift into park. "He hadn't the first clue how to swim, Daniel! He shouldn't have asked to go out there in the first place--at least without somehow letting us know he couldn't swim. That mistake nearly killed you!"

Daniel's jaw took on the familiar stubborn set so often seen on the grown-up version. "As I recall, Jack, he didn't ask to go out there. I asked him. Actually, I saw him sitting at the edge of the dock and assumed that's what he wanted, and he agreed. You agreed, too, and you even helped him get in the boat!"

"An action I regretted the very moment he tried to drown you," Jack snapped, casting another sharp look at Stitch. To his momentary surprise, the normally unflappable alien cringed.

"He didn't mean to drown me, Jack, he just panicked!"

"Panic that could have been avoided if he'd let us know he couldn't swim so we could put one of the life jackets on him. He messed up, big time."

"Right. And how many times have I messed up in the field?"

"It's not the same thing, Daniel."

"Of course it is!" he shouted. "He'll know better next time."

Jack shook his head and turned around to open the car door. "There won't be a next time."

Daniel fumbled with his car seat straps before sliding across to open one of the back doors. "What, you're going to shoot him like you did Reese?"

"What?"

"She didn't mean to hurt anyone either, but rather than letting me help her, you--"

Throwing his hands in the air, Jack stomped over to the front door of the cabin and unlocked it. "It's not the same thing and you know it! And no, for your information, I wasn't planning to shoot Stitch... he's going away. Far, far away."

"Oh, and you planning to do the same thing with me, then?"

"Huh?"

Although the blanket muffled the shape, it was obvious the irate archaeologist had crossed his arms in his most protective self-hug. "I overheard you talking to General Hammond Sunday morning. You said you didn't trust me. You couldn't wait to foist me off on someone else. All this week, I thought the general had managed to convince you to give me a chance, that maybe you and I were finally starting to find some common ground. That wasn't the case at all, was it?"

Jack gaped. "Where do you come up with this stuff?"

"I heard you, Jack!" Daniel shouted, though his outward vehemence was offset by the way he'd seemed to shrink inside his skin even further, shoulders hunched defensively. "You don't even want to give me or Stitch either one a chance, do you? Just going to kick him through the Stargate and leave me with a foster family until I'm big enough to be useful again?"

His teeth clicked shut. "Daniel," he began, biting off each word angrily, "what are you talking about?"

A visible shudder rattled the small body, eyes screwing shut against a face suddenly pale. "Nothing. Forget I said anything."

Jack started to open his mouth to reply, but then noticed he still had an audience in the form of a dark-eyed blue alien. Rather than wasting the breath to argue, Jack stalked across the front yard and scooped Daniel up, elicting a choking gasp. Ignoring the noise, he entered the cabin, kicked the door shut, and firmly placed the tiny linguist on the sofa.

"Look at me, Daniel." Tear tracks were beginning to creep down the boy's cheeks, and though he tried to turn away from Jack, the colonel caught him by the chin and refused to let him hide. "Open your eyes and look at me," Jack ordered again. "Is this what you've been bottling up inside all week?"

Swiping at his face with a corner of the blanket, Daniel looked away and nodded shakily. "I know I can't go through the 'Gate anymore, Jack, but I can still translate stuff. I can still help the SGC. Don't leave me here, please."

Closing his eyes wearily, it wasn't difficult for Jack to ignore the little voice that reminded him Daniel was a grown man who had issues with people getting into his personal space. Turning around, he sat down on the couch and pulled the blanketed bundle into his lap. With his arms wrapped around Daniel so he couldn't escape even if he wanted to, Jack pressed his cheek against the shaggy dark blond head rested on his chest.

"Daniel, I'm pretty sure what you overheard was me talking to Hammond... about Jonas."

"Jonas?"

"Jonas Quinn, the Kelownan geek who stood by while you got shrimped," Jack clarified. "Turns out he defected to Earth, and even though I don't trust him after what happened to you, I suppose he can stick around for a while until we can find another planet that'll take him or find him a job here."

Daniel was quiet for a long moment, then let out a shuddery breath. "I've been an idiot, haven't I?"

"No more than usual," Jack replied, giving him an affectionate squeeze. "It's been a rough day. Heck, it's been a rough week. You've been down-sized, displaced, and drowned, all in a short amount of time. And no matter how much of a pain in the butt you can be, I have never wanted to get rid of you--big or little."

"Oh," the little archaeologist breathed, looking up at Jack with an expression of tremendous relief. "Then why did we come to Minnesota, then?"

"Would you believe for a vacation?" When Daniel's eyebrows furrowed in concentration, Jack let his head fall against the back of the couch briefly. "No? Crap." He tipped his head forward and rubbed at his nape. "Right. So the NID found about what happened to you--no way they couldn't, not since it had to go in the medical reports--and started making noises about getting you transferred to Area 51."

Now Daniel simply looked annoyed. "I don't think so."

Jack chuckled, and unable to resist, gave Daniel another quick hug. "Neither did me or Hammond, so we cooked up a quick plan to get you away from the Mountain while Hammond worked with the President to get the NID to back down. Then, if for whatever dumb reason the NID thought they could just grab you and take off, well, they'd have to come to Minnesota to do it."

"Wouldn't it have been safer in the Mountain?"

"Maybe, maybe not. But Doc Fraiser's the one who insisted you needed some fresh air, sunshine, and exercise. You hadn't been taking care of yourself before, you know."

The little boy flushed with embarrasment, and Jack ruffled his hair playfully. "Jack..."

"What?"

"I'm sitting on your lap."

Jack shrugged. "So?"

Daniel blinked. "Well, the adult part of me says this is really weird. The kid part..."

"What?"

"...Just wants another hug," he admitted shyly.

"Smart kid," Jack grinned, and complied.

TBC