Epilogue
Daniel Jackson was sitting in his office staring at a rock. Not just any rock, of course. There was no such thing in Daniel's office. This particular rock held some etchings in it that Daniel was trying to decipher. He wasn't making much progress on it, of course, since he had absolutely no frame of reference, except that it had come from PDW-212, which only meant that it wasn't Egyptian. Probably. Some of the symbols etched into the rock did look a little like some of the ones that he'd seen in Egypt. Of course, that didn't make them Egyptian, either.
Daniel sighed.
There was a knock on the door.
"Come in."
An Airman walked in, holding a plain brown package in his hand.
"This just came for you, Doctor Jackson."
Daniel reached out and took it, curiously.
"Thanks."
The man nodded, and left, not even looking around Daniel's office like some people did. You've seen one rock you've seen them all, as far as he was concerned.
Daniel looked at the package, which had come to the base as a part of the regular Postal delivery, and opened it curiously. It was a simple package, which opened to prove to be a stack of papers, about a quarter inch thick, with three holes punched in them and neatly placed in a simple black binder.
He looked at the first page – a cover page - that was written in sloppy handwriting, and his brow knotted in confusion at what he read. Then he opened the first page, and the confusion turned to surprise. He turned the page again, then again, then flipped through them all quickly, the surprise turning back to confusion. Finally, he stood up, picked up the binder, and the plain brown paper it'd come wrapped in, and left his office.
Jack O'Neill was sitting in his office, as well. Reading a comic book. He'd had a busy day doing absolutely nothing, and was looking forward to a busy night of doing just the same. SG-1 had been off-world for almost a week, and after some hair-raising adventure, he was ready for a little bit of relaxation. He'd already sent Carter home, since she'd sprained her wrist and he wanted her to relax and not go to her lab and get lost in something complicated like he'd known she would. Teal'c was supposed to be coming by in a few minutes, and the two of them were going to go find something to cook at Jack's house that night.
"Hey, Jack. Got a minute?"
It was Daniel's voice, not Teal'c's, and Jack looked up from his comic book.
"Sure, Daniel. What's up?"
Jackson walked in and sat down on the edge of Jack's desk.
"How long were you on that Asgard ship last month?"
"I don't know. A couple days. Carter could tell you the exact-"
"No more than a couple days, though?"
"No. We left Saturday afternoon, got back early Monday."
"Then how do you explain this?"
Daniel handed a black binder to Jack, who took it curiously. He opened it up, seeing a page of notebook paper with sloppy handwriting. A child's handwriting. Turning the page, he saw the same child's handwriting, right next to a symbol that looked like...
"What is that?"
"Oh, that'd be Goa'uld."
"Really?"
"Oh yeah."
"Where did you get this?"
"It came in the mail for me. Here."
Daniel took the book back, and flipped through it. "Look at this, Jack. It's like an English – Goa'uld dictionary. No one on Earth , besides Teal'c, speaks – much less writes – Goa'uld well enough to make this."
"Someone does."
"Uh huh. The interesting thing is... half the English words are spelled wrong. The Goa'uld, as near as I can tell without actually looking at it all more thoroughly, is perfect."
Jack felt the beginnings of a suspicion.
"Where did you get this, Daniel?" He asked again.
"It's anonymous." Jackson said. "Note that 'anonymous' is misspelled." He handed over the plain brown paper that it'd come wrapped in, and Jack looked at it in disbelief, and then stood up suddenly, his comic book forgotten.
"Teal'c!"
~*~
"Jack!"
"Hi, Dotty. Sorry to drop in so unexpectedly, but I was hoping we could see Shawn?"
"Of course."
"You remember Daniel and Murray?"
"Yes, how are you two? It's wonderful to see you. Murray, you're looking very fit."
"Thank you. It is a pleasure to see you again."
"Hi, Dotty."
"Hello, Daniel. I'll go get Shawn, he's in his room."
"We'll go find him, Dotty, if you don't mind?"
"Not at all. Would you like some coffee?"
"Yes, please. In a moment."
The three went down the hall, and knocked on the door to what Jack knew was Shawn's room. There was a rustling of paper, and then a hurried "Come in!"
Jack opened the door, and Shawn smiled.
"Jack! Daniel! Murray!"
"Hey, Shawn."
"Hi."
"Hello."
"What are you guys doing here?" Not that he wasn't glad to see them, but it was certainly unexpected.
Jack held up the black binder, and Shawn paled. Noticeably.
"You know anything about this?" Jack asked.
"Um..."
"Did you do this?"
Shawn had never lied to Jack, and never would. He nodded, silently.
"How?"
"I asked my mom to buy me some paper. I already had the pe-"
"I don't mean how did you do it," Jack interrupted. "I mean how did you do it?"
Shawn didn't say anything. He couldn't. He'd promised Thor he'd never tell. He raised his chin slightly, and Jack realized immediately that Shawn had just clammed up. Jack knew the posture well. He wasn't going to learn anything.
"You won't tell me?"
Shawn shook his head.
"I just wanted to help. You won't let me help any other way."
"You're-"
"I know. I'm too young. You've told me that." Shawn's eyes were misty, but the boy just raised his chin again. He wasn't going to bawl just because Jack wasn't letting him help.
O'Neill rubbed his face, tiredly, looking at the boy. It was obvious he expected Jack to chew him a new one, but Jack didn't have the heart to. How badly would he have wanted to help when he was Shawn's age, if he knew what Shawn did? What would he have done? Probably something more extreme than writing a book.
Jack handed the notebook back to Daniel, and then held up the plain brown paper the binder had come in.
"Next time you send something anonymously... Don't put your return address on it, okay? I'll see you next weekend for the ball game."
He ruffled his fingers through the boy's hair, then turned and left the room, leaving Daniel and Shawn staring at him in surprise as Teal'c followed him.
"That's it?" Daniel asked, as they walked outside into the afternoon sun about a half an hour later. They'd stayed long enough to have coffee but not much longer.
"Did you want me to torture him, Daniel?"
"How does-"
"Who knows?" Jack said, shrugging. "Maybe he has a good memory. He was surrounded by that crap nonstop." O'Neill headed for his truck.
"But-"
"Daniel, he's not going to tell. And I'm not going to beat it out of him. When he's ready, he'll tell me."
"But-"
"Get in the truck, Daniel."
Jack would find out, eventually. Just not that day.
~*~
Author's Note: Okay! That's the end. There's another story to come, obviously... but I'm not sure what it will be yet, and I'm not sure exactly how I want it to come out, so I probably won't start it until I have it figured out a little more. As for this one... what did you like? What did you NOT like? Favorite line? Was there one? Final reviews, please! (something to keep you occupied until I start the next one)
Daniel Jackson was sitting in his office staring at a rock. Not just any rock, of course. There was no such thing in Daniel's office. This particular rock held some etchings in it that Daniel was trying to decipher. He wasn't making much progress on it, of course, since he had absolutely no frame of reference, except that it had come from PDW-212, which only meant that it wasn't Egyptian. Probably. Some of the symbols etched into the rock did look a little like some of the ones that he'd seen in Egypt. Of course, that didn't make them Egyptian, either.
Daniel sighed.
There was a knock on the door.
"Come in."
An Airman walked in, holding a plain brown package in his hand.
"This just came for you, Doctor Jackson."
Daniel reached out and took it, curiously.
"Thanks."
The man nodded, and left, not even looking around Daniel's office like some people did. You've seen one rock you've seen them all, as far as he was concerned.
Daniel looked at the package, which had come to the base as a part of the regular Postal delivery, and opened it curiously. It was a simple package, which opened to prove to be a stack of papers, about a quarter inch thick, with three holes punched in them and neatly placed in a simple black binder.
He looked at the first page – a cover page - that was written in sloppy handwriting, and his brow knotted in confusion at what he read. Then he opened the first page, and the confusion turned to surprise. He turned the page again, then again, then flipped through them all quickly, the surprise turning back to confusion. Finally, he stood up, picked up the binder, and the plain brown paper it'd come wrapped in, and left his office.
Jack O'Neill was sitting in his office, as well. Reading a comic book. He'd had a busy day doing absolutely nothing, and was looking forward to a busy night of doing just the same. SG-1 had been off-world for almost a week, and after some hair-raising adventure, he was ready for a little bit of relaxation. He'd already sent Carter home, since she'd sprained her wrist and he wanted her to relax and not go to her lab and get lost in something complicated like he'd known she would. Teal'c was supposed to be coming by in a few minutes, and the two of them were going to go find something to cook at Jack's house that night.
"Hey, Jack. Got a minute?"
It was Daniel's voice, not Teal'c's, and Jack looked up from his comic book.
"Sure, Daniel. What's up?"
Jackson walked in and sat down on the edge of Jack's desk.
"How long were you on that Asgard ship last month?"
"I don't know. A couple days. Carter could tell you the exact-"
"No more than a couple days, though?"
"No. We left Saturday afternoon, got back early Monday."
"Then how do you explain this?"
Daniel handed a black binder to Jack, who took it curiously. He opened it up, seeing a page of notebook paper with sloppy handwriting. A child's handwriting. Turning the page, he saw the same child's handwriting, right next to a symbol that looked like...
"What is that?"
"Oh, that'd be Goa'uld."
"Really?"
"Oh yeah."
"Where did you get this?"
"It came in the mail for me. Here."
Daniel took the book back, and flipped through it. "Look at this, Jack. It's like an English – Goa'uld dictionary. No one on Earth , besides Teal'c, speaks – much less writes – Goa'uld well enough to make this."
"Someone does."
"Uh huh. The interesting thing is... half the English words are spelled wrong. The Goa'uld, as near as I can tell without actually looking at it all more thoroughly, is perfect."
Jack felt the beginnings of a suspicion.
"Where did you get this, Daniel?" He asked again.
"It's anonymous." Jackson said. "Note that 'anonymous' is misspelled." He handed over the plain brown paper that it'd come wrapped in, and Jack looked at it in disbelief, and then stood up suddenly, his comic book forgotten.
"Teal'c!"
~*~
"Jack!"
"Hi, Dotty. Sorry to drop in so unexpectedly, but I was hoping we could see Shawn?"
"Of course."
"You remember Daniel and Murray?"
"Yes, how are you two? It's wonderful to see you. Murray, you're looking very fit."
"Thank you. It is a pleasure to see you again."
"Hi, Dotty."
"Hello, Daniel. I'll go get Shawn, he's in his room."
"We'll go find him, Dotty, if you don't mind?"
"Not at all. Would you like some coffee?"
"Yes, please. In a moment."
The three went down the hall, and knocked on the door to what Jack knew was Shawn's room. There was a rustling of paper, and then a hurried "Come in!"
Jack opened the door, and Shawn smiled.
"Jack! Daniel! Murray!"
"Hey, Shawn."
"Hi."
"Hello."
"What are you guys doing here?" Not that he wasn't glad to see them, but it was certainly unexpected.
Jack held up the black binder, and Shawn paled. Noticeably.
"You know anything about this?" Jack asked.
"Um..."
"Did you do this?"
Shawn had never lied to Jack, and never would. He nodded, silently.
"How?"
"I asked my mom to buy me some paper. I already had the pe-"
"I don't mean how did you do it," Jack interrupted. "I mean how did you do it?"
Shawn didn't say anything. He couldn't. He'd promised Thor he'd never tell. He raised his chin slightly, and Jack realized immediately that Shawn had just clammed up. Jack knew the posture well. He wasn't going to learn anything.
"You won't tell me?"
Shawn shook his head.
"I just wanted to help. You won't let me help any other way."
"You're-"
"I know. I'm too young. You've told me that." Shawn's eyes were misty, but the boy just raised his chin again. He wasn't going to bawl just because Jack wasn't letting him help.
O'Neill rubbed his face, tiredly, looking at the boy. It was obvious he expected Jack to chew him a new one, but Jack didn't have the heart to. How badly would he have wanted to help when he was Shawn's age, if he knew what Shawn did? What would he have done? Probably something more extreme than writing a book.
Jack handed the notebook back to Daniel, and then held up the plain brown paper the binder had come in.
"Next time you send something anonymously... Don't put your return address on it, okay? I'll see you next weekend for the ball game."
He ruffled his fingers through the boy's hair, then turned and left the room, leaving Daniel and Shawn staring at him in surprise as Teal'c followed him.
"That's it?" Daniel asked, as they walked outside into the afternoon sun about a half an hour later. They'd stayed long enough to have coffee but not much longer.
"Did you want me to torture him, Daniel?"
"How does-"
"Who knows?" Jack said, shrugging. "Maybe he has a good memory. He was surrounded by that crap nonstop." O'Neill headed for his truck.
"But-"
"Daniel, he's not going to tell. And I'm not going to beat it out of him. When he's ready, he'll tell me."
"But-"
"Get in the truck, Daniel."
Jack would find out, eventually. Just not that day.
~*~
Author's Note: Okay! That's the end. There's another story to come, obviously... but I'm not sure what it will be yet, and I'm not sure exactly how I want it to come out, so I probably won't start it until I have it figured out a little more. As for this one... what did you like? What did you NOT like? Favorite line? Was there one? Final reviews, please! (something to keep you occupied until I start the next one)
