Jack was seated in a restaurant, with Daniel across the table. The man was arranging flatware in front of him. Jack's fork was a bit awry, he didn't care at all.
"I like when things are tidy." Daniel explained, noticing Jack's glances.
O'Neill didn't say anything, quite disconcerted by Daniel's OCD. He was used to Daniel's allergies instead. Probably this one had, in addition to the OCD.
Jack glanced at the young waitress's back who had just taken their orders, then, looked at Daniel. "She's nice." he said.
"She is." Daniel confirmed. "I usually come on Saturdays. It's the first time I come with someone, and not on Saturday." Daniel smiled, a little ashamed, though. "I'm not really the kind of guy who has many friends." he revealed, lowering the head.
"She seems to like you." Jack commented, sincere.
Daniel didn't believe Jack, but he was grateful that he didn't get mockeries, "Thank you, but I think she just has mercy for me. She's not the kind of women I usually attract.". The man's eyebrows raised as he was realizing, "Well, I'm not the kind of guy who attracts women in general."
The archeologist smiled nervously and avoided Jack's look. The visitor didn't react, but he could understand what Daniel was talking about.
The man was very different from the other men in the restaurant, and the other men in general.
With his layer of gel, his short sleeve shirt, his bow tie, and his mannerism, some people would rather look down on him. That was so strange. Jack had seen his Daniel grow up, going from the nerd at the first Abydos mission to the brave adventurer and diplomat. Not to mention these planets where Daniel made some ladies' heart melt...
O'Neill decided to change the subject, "I'm surprised that General Landry authorized this breakfast outside the mountain."
Daniel gave a soft smile, proud. "I thought it would be great to get to know each other before we start working on these people you call the Ancient. General Landry had doubts about this idea, but he told me that Colonel Carter didn't say anything against it, so, he approved."
Jack glanced through the window, to spot the black SUV across the street.
When he looked back at Daniel, the archeologist admitted, "Sorry, couldn't avoid the escort."
Jackson prompted O'Neill to talk about his reality before the meals arrived. The older man gave the big picture while the two were enjoying scrambled eggs, bacon, and vegetables. Daniel was listening carefully, stupefied and amazed by Jack's story. The general could even see the archeologist's face glow the more he was speaking. Daniel asked questions, Jack answered. When Jack was done, Daniel played with his fork, stirring the scrambled eggs in his dish. He was speechless.
Jackson managed to say after a moment, "Wow, that's incredible. Colonel Carter told me about alternate realities once, and since that day, I've often wondered if there were other Daniel Jacksons and how they were doing.". The man paused, thoughtful, before he added, "I'm pleased to hear that the Daniel Jackson in your reality is playing an important part in the Stargate Program."
Daniel smiled softly. Jack could swear that this Jackson was envying the other.
"I'm sure your contribution is greatly appreciated." Jack encouraged.
Daniel snorted. He cut a slice of bacon and ate a mouthful of it. "Thank you, Jack. I don't think the Air Force would say the same." he intoned.
Jack frowned, intrigued.
Daniel sipped his orange juice, and explained, "Things here are quite different from your reality, although we share common elements.". Seeing traces of juice around his glass, Daniel used a napkin to clean it. Then, he looked at Jack and detailed, "We did go to Abydos together for the first mission. I stayed over there and married Sha're. You... You came back to Earth and left without a trace. Then, Apophis came into the picture. The Air Force tried to find you, in vain... Or they couldn't afford spending too much time. But they had Majors Kawalsky and Ferretti, hence, they could send a new team back to Abydos. They added Lieutenant Colonel Robertson as the CO of this new expedition, and Captain Carter as the stargate expert."
Daniel paused, to grab eggs with his fork. Noticing that Jack had no question, he continued, "Apophis came to Abydos and took Skaara. Sha're ran away before she could be taken."
The man with glasses ate the eggs. Jack did the same.
Daniel spoke again, "I decided to return to Earth, to save Skaara, for Sha're and Kasuf. But the Air Force wasn't a big fan of having a civilian in the Program. They put me behind a desk. I realized that I wouldn't be able to do very much from a desk, while the SG teams were looking for alien technologies, as their first priority. So, I quit and got back to Abydos... Only to find out that Sha're got sick. She died a few days after my return."
Jack had a shock, even if this event happened years ago. Obviously, it was still hurting the Daniel in front of him, because the man looked through the window for a moment, lost in his thoughts.
"I'm sorry." Jack said when Daniel's eyes left the window.
"That was a long time ago." Daniel intoned.
"But in the end, you came back to Earth again." Jack concluded, as Jackson was in front of him.
The younger man nodded and ate a mouthful of scrambled eggs. The older man sipped his orange juice.
When Daniel was finished, he resumed his explanation, "To make it short, SG-1 and I crossed paths again and the Stargate Program hired me again. I was lucky that the Air Force had changed its mind about civilians being involved."
Jack smiled softly, pleased to hear that the situation had eventually gotten better for Jackson.
"I'm still operating from a desk." the man with the bow tie revealed.
Jack lost his smile very fast, a little embarrassed. He chose to eat a piece of bacon, while Daniel was continuing.
"As a matter of fact, now, there is more civilian personnel than in the early days. Not that many, though, but there is. The civilians are mainly operating from a desk, but we get to go through the gate. It's rare, but we can do it. Last time was... - Daniel moved his eyebrows, recalling - well, three months ago, when we found the ZPM. I'm not complaining, the situation is better than it was in the early days.". Daniel sank in his chair and sighed after a moment, "I'm glad to hear that another Daniel Jackson is part of the best team and defeating many aliens across the galaxy."
Jack remained silent. He was sad for short sleeve shirt Daniel. This man seemed to have a lot to offer. Unfortunately, his skills hadn't be exploited by the Direction of the Stargate Program. As a consequence, the man was just sitting in the SGC, doing what he was told to do, while the SG teams were living the adventures off world. Jack could tell by Daniel's look that he was definitely envying the other Daniel to be living the kind of life he had wished.
Of course, Jack could tell much more about his Daniel. How he became a true fighter, even firing with a P-90 often. How he saved the day multiple times when it came to translate alien languages or figuring out the purpose of some alien artefacts. How he became a key member of Jack's team, and of the Stargate Program. How he saved Earth many times with Jack's team. How he didn't hesitate to save Jonas Quinn's people without thinking about the consequences for him. How he earned the privilege to ascend. How he refused to not intervene when Anubis was rising. How he came back to life... quite often... How he said out loud his point of view, even if military people wouldn't agree.
Yes. In Jack's reality, Daniel Jackson had grown up and had become a strong, brave, and wise man.
Jack could tell much more about his Daniel Jackson. Nevertheless, he knew it wouldn't help the other Daniel Jackson. It would make him more sad instead. Hence, Jack didn't develop and preferred to talk about SG-1.
"So, here, Lieutenant Colonel Robertson was the CO of SG-1, seconded by Carter, right?"
Daniel nodded. "Until he left last year. Carter took over."
"What about Cameron Mitchell? I saw him in Los Angeles... And Teal'c? And Vala Mal Doran?"
Daniel rolled his eyes, embarrassed, when Jack pronounced Teal'c's name. He cleared his throat. "Well... Teal'c... After Abydos, the military guys went to Chulak and Teal'c helped them escape. Robertson told him he could escape with them. Back on Earth, Teal'c was sent to Area 51, to be interrogated and studied. I don't have all the details, but Teal'c tried to escape one day. SG-1 was over there on that day, and Colonel Carter, captain at that time, shot him. He died."
Jack was holding his fork with the right hand and on the verge of eating a cherry tomato that he picked when Daniel revealed Teal'c's ending. Jack dropped his fork on the table. Hopefully, the tomato remained hooked. He already saw other versions of Teal'c in other realities, so, there was nothing weird with the version shared by Daniel. What was weird, and new, was to hear that Sam shot Teal'c. An image quickly crossed Jack's mind. His Sam shooting their Teal'c, a man they considered like a brother.
Daniel understood Jack's confusion. "Pretty disturbing for you, isn't it?"
O'Neill nodded, speechless.
"About Major Mitchell, he joined SG-1 when Colonel Carter became its CO. About this Vala Mal Doran, I'm afraid I've never heard of her." Daniel ended.
O'Neill stayed silent while Jackson was eating. The general was processing the civilian's inputs. He felt like a complete stranger in this world. He wondered if the situation would have been more similar to his reality if the Jack O'Neill here didn't vanish after the first mission to Abydos.
Daniel Jackson got Jack out of his reflection, "Oh, you should see this as well."
The man with glasses used his fork to show a wall next to the counter. Frames were on this wall. Daniel prompted Jack to have a look at it. Jack didn't resist and left the table without Daniel.
It was a wall of fame. With pictures of people Jack didn't know at all, but they weren't the people Daniel wanted Jack to see. There was a collection of pictures and extracts from newspapers on the right side of the wall of fame. These items were related to the attack perpetrated by the Goa'uld. A picture of a mother ship, a picture of a group of Jaffas arrested after the attack, and other stuff that Jack didn't pay attention to because the frame right before his eyes was the most interesting.
The item contained a newspaper clipping celebrating SG-1's heroic actions that enabled Earth to defeat the enemy. Robertson, Carter, and Siler were standing around the President of the United States... Robert Kinsey. Jack almost choked when he saw Kinsey, proudly smiling. Oh jeez... With Kinsey as the President and Maybourne as the Head of Earth Command, the Stargate Program had certainly taken a very different direction...
Robertson, Carter, Kinsey, and Siler, in this order, from the left to the right, from Jack's standpoint. The military people were in their service dress. Robertson had stitches on the forehead and was using a walk stick. Carter had a wrist brace around the right wrist. Siler was resting on axilla crutches because his left leg was in a plaster.
They all had a Medal of Honor around the neck.
The fourth member of SG-1 was missing. Jack found out why, skimming through the article. Sergeant Colin Herrmann died during the attempt of SG-1 to do a last chance action, and received the Medal of Honor posthumously. The ceremony took place at the White House.
Another newspaper clipping was showing SG-1 in a different context. Without the traces of the battle, but still in service dress and wearing the Medal of Honor. SG-1 was kicking off a base ball game somewhere in Colorado and had to fly to kick off another in Big Apple.
On a third picture, Sam, in the blue outfit and with the Medal, was visiting Harvard and receiving a Honorary Degree from the hands of the Dean.
On a fourth article, Sam was again the main character of an event organized by President Kinsey for the International Women's Day.
Jack saw other similar pictures, either with SG-1 or only Sam attending various events. Jack's eyes eventually were attracted by a frame that was bigger than the rest. It was Sam, in civilian clothing this time, having breakfast in... the restaurant where Jack and Daniel were having breakfast!
"I couldn't come for five months after her visit."
Jack turned to the right, suddenly realizing that Daniel had just joined.
The short sleeve man added, "That was crazy. Everyone wanted to have the same meal she had."
O'Neill didn't react. As Jackson said, it was crazy. Jack looked back at the wall. He understood some things better, now. Sam and her companions had become heroes. That explained why the two guards in Jack's prison were intimidated when Sam came in. Why Sam thought that Jack was a fan looking for an autograph or a picture. Why the Governor of Florida invited her. Attending events could become part of the job when you receive a medal. Jack experienced it twice with his Purple Heart. It could be boring sometimes, well, from Jack's point of view, but it was part of the job. To conclude on a positive note, it was an occasion to see something different and enjoy buffets... when it was temporary.
Receiving the Medal of Honor was something very special, and Jack was proud for the Samantha Carter of this reality. He had nothing to do with her life and career, but he was proud. That was irrational. O'Neill could also easily imagine Kinsey use SG-1 for political reasons. He could easily imagine his military fellows being annoyed to be shown off like this, too. Sam was, for sure, as Jack could recall, based on her reaction in the lab.
Perhaps she was something more than just annoyed, the guest from the other reality suddenly felt, when he remarked the way Sam's was smiling on the pictures, compared to the more joyful smiles of Robertson and Siler.
"Too bad you couldn't be part of this, Jack." Daniel joked.
O'Neill looked at Jackson. The lamp above them flashed, making them look up at it.
When the flash stopped, Daniel joked again, "Interesting... Does the lamp agree with me?". Then, he suggested that they should finish their breakfast because a lot of work was awaiting them.