"Jack!"
His sleep had been filled with warmth and comfort. The hurts that had plagued him for so long seemed to ease, and he felt soothing hands touching his face and hands. Then the dream had changed, and Shawn was only aware of the rain that was pounding down on his face, and the darkness that threatened to drive him insane with loneliness and fear. Shawn knew even as he cried for help that Jack wasn't there. He was utterly alone in the night, and there would be no answer to his cry. But he cried out anyways, unable to control the fear.
"Easy..." He felt the impossible. Soothing hands touching him, stroking his cheek firmly enough that he actually thought it was real, yet gently enough that the action didn't aggravate hurts he already had. Shawn knew it wasn't real, though, and he struggled to wake up, fought the demons that held him so tightly, and squirmed to get loose. He called again, fear making his voice shrill.
"Jack!"
"Shawn..."
He felt himself picked up bodily and pulled into an embrace. Felt strong arms holding him closely against a warm body, and even as he struggled against it, he yearned for the comfort that the touch promised, and he fought to figure out which was real. The fear and pain, or the comfort and warmth.
"Shawn, it's a dream, nothing more. Wake up, buddy... open your eyes and look at me..."
The voice was Jack's. He was certain of it. As soft as ever, but filled with concern and exhaustion. Shawn did as he was told, and opened his eyes. And saw only darkness. It wasn't real. He was alone and dreaming. Then the strong warmth his head was resting against moved, and Shawn saw a faint light, and realized his face had been pressed against some kind of cloth. That was why he couldn't see. Not because the room was dark. The room wasn't dark at all. Shawn blinked, and looked around him, seeing a normal room, and not an empty ruin.
He looked up, right into the worried brown eyes of Jack O'Neill. And burst into tears.
"Easy, Shawn..." Jack held the boy as he cried, worried about the glassy-eyed look that Shawn had given him, but glad that he'd seemed to recognize him before he'd started crying. "I got you, buddy... I got you...."
He held him as firmly as he dared without causing him any additional hurt, careful of the ankle that was only protected by an air cast until they knew what was wrong with it. But he held him, and had no intention of letting him go.
"I've got you, Shawn..."
"I'm sorry, Jack..." The words were muffled against his shirt, which was growing damp with tears and snot, but Jack ignored the words, and the wetness. He ran his hand along the boy's back, rubbing him gently; soothing him as well as he could with the simple touch as he whispered reassurances to him.
"I've got you... you're okay..."
~*~
"Maybe he's right?"
Daniel looked over at Carter, who was sitting in his office with him. The two had went there together, since there was no sense in trying to talk to Jack or Teal'c, and there was even less reason to talk to contact Thor. And they'd been brooding for the past couple hours, each lost in their own thoughts.
"Jack?"
"Yeah."
"Sam... I don't think so."
"Maybe he is, Daniel." She pressed. "Did you notice that the two people who are the most willing to allow the Asgard to continue teaching Shawn are the two scientists?"
"What does that have to do with anything?"
"Maybe, deep down inside, we want to see how the experiment turns out. We want to see what Shawn can become if the Asgard have their chance with him."
"That ridiculous!"
"Is it?" Sam challenged. "You're not a little curious to see what they want from him? Or what they could make of him if they continue teaching him? Not even a little?"
Daniel paused, thinking that through for a moment. Trying to look at it objectively. Was he curious? Maybe he was a little excited to see what else the boy would be able to do? After all, Shawn had already presented him with a very workable Goa'uld dictionary. Maybe deep down, Daniel DID want more. Maybe he wanted to see how many other languages Shawn could learn and pass on to him?
He looked down at the binder that was sitting on his desk, and sighed.
"Maybe..."
"Yeah, maybe." Sam sighed as well, wondering when she'd decided that the Asgard agenda was worth more than Shawn's happiness.
"It just seems right, though, Sam. He's learned an incredible amount of things already..."
"He's a kid, Daniel." She realized another difference in their point of thinking. "Teal'c and Jack are fathers – at least Jack used to be. Maybe we don't have that protective edge when it comes to children that they do? Maybe that allowed us to be blinded by the what ifs?"
"He could learn so much-"
"He will learn... but his teachers should be the ones that love him the most. Not the ones that want something from him. Teal'c and Jack are right."
God, how many times had she ever heard herself say that? She could count them on one hand, she was certain.
His sleep had been filled with warmth and comfort. The hurts that had plagued him for so long seemed to ease, and he felt soothing hands touching his face and hands. Then the dream had changed, and Shawn was only aware of the rain that was pounding down on his face, and the darkness that threatened to drive him insane with loneliness and fear. Shawn knew even as he cried for help that Jack wasn't there. He was utterly alone in the night, and there would be no answer to his cry. But he cried out anyways, unable to control the fear.
"Easy..." He felt the impossible. Soothing hands touching him, stroking his cheek firmly enough that he actually thought it was real, yet gently enough that the action didn't aggravate hurts he already had. Shawn knew it wasn't real, though, and he struggled to wake up, fought the demons that held him so tightly, and squirmed to get loose. He called again, fear making his voice shrill.
"Jack!"
"Shawn..."
He felt himself picked up bodily and pulled into an embrace. Felt strong arms holding him closely against a warm body, and even as he struggled against it, he yearned for the comfort that the touch promised, and he fought to figure out which was real. The fear and pain, or the comfort and warmth.
"Shawn, it's a dream, nothing more. Wake up, buddy... open your eyes and look at me..."
The voice was Jack's. He was certain of it. As soft as ever, but filled with concern and exhaustion. Shawn did as he was told, and opened his eyes. And saw only darkness. It wasn't real. He was alone and dreaming. Then the strong warmth his head was resting against moved, and Shawn saw a faint light, and realized his face had been pressed against some kind of cloth. That was why he couldn't see. Not because the room was dark. The room wasn't dark at all. Shawn blinked, and looked around him, seeing a normal room, and not an empty ruin.
He looked up, right into the worried brown eyes of Jack O'Neill. And burst into tears.
"Easy, Shawn..." Jack held the boy as he cried, worried about the glassy-eyed look that Shawn had given him, but glad that he'd seemed to recognize him before he'd started crying. "I got you, buddy... I got you...."
He held him as firmly as he dared without causing him any additional hurt, careful of the ankle that was only protected by an air cast until they knew what was wrong with it. But he held him, and had no intention of letting him go.
"I've got you, Shawn..."
"I'm sorry, Jack..." The words were muffled against his shirt, which was growing damp with tears and snot, but Jack ignored the words, and the wetness. He ran his hand along the boy's back, rubbing him gently; soothing him as well as he could with the simple touch as he whispered reassurances to him.
"I've got you... you're okay..."
~*~
"Maybe he's right?"
Daniel looked over at Carter, who was sitting in his office with him. The two had went there together, since there was no sense in trying to talk to Jack or Teal'c, and there was even less reason to talk to contact Thor. And they'd been brooding for the past couple hours, each lost in their own thoughts.
"Jack?"
"Yeah."
"Sam... I don't think so."
"Maybe he is, Daniel." She pressed. "Did you notice that the two people who are the most willing to allow the Asgard to continue teaching Shawn are the two scientists?"
"What does that have to do with anything?"
"Maybe, deep down inside, we want to see how the experiment turns out. We want to see what Shawn can become if the Asgard have their chance with him."
"That ridiculous!"
"Is it?" Sam challenged. "You're not a little curious to see what they want from him? Or what they could make of him if they continue teaching him? Not even a little?"
Daniel paused, thinking that through for a moment. Trying to look at it objectively. Was he curious? Maybe he was a little excited to see what else the boy would be able to do? After all, Shawn had already presented him with a very workable Goa'uld dictionary. Maybe deep down, Daniel DID want more. Maybe he wanted to see how many other languages Shawn could learn and pass on to him?
He looked down at the binder that was sitting on his desk, and sighed.
"Maybe..."
"Yeah, maybe." Sam sighed as well, wondering when she'd decided that the Asgard agenda was worth more than Shawn's happiness.
"It just seems right, though, Sam. He's learned an incredible amount of things already..."
"He's a kid, Daniel." She realized another difference in their point of thinking. "Teal'c and Jack are fathers – at least Jack used to be. Maybe we don't have that protective edge when it comes to children that they do? Maybe that allowed us to be blinded by the what ifs?"
"He could learn so much-"
"He will learn... but his teachers should be the ones that love him the most. Not the ones that want something from him. Teal'c and Jack are right."
God, how many times had she ever heard herself say that? She could count them on one hand, she was certain.
