Chapter 6
He was getting way too old to be pulling all-nighters.
Blinking gritty eyes, Jack slowed as he approached Daniel's office. Encouraged by the absence of cursing and breaking glass, he shoved his hands into his pockets and ambled inside.
Daniel was just as he'd left him--hunched over the desk, head propped on one hand and a pencil clutched in the other. Papers covered every available surface, and a stack of books perched precariously at his right elbow.
"Breakfast, Dannyboy. Time for all good little scientists to feed the machine."
Jack glanced around the room, noting that the custodial staff had done an admirable job scrubbing coffee grounds off the wall. Daniel didn't respond, obviously hoping if ignored he'd go away. Fat chance.
"C'mon, Daniel. Fraiser's already pissed that you worked through the night. If you don't eat something, she'll..."
Jack blinked; leaned in for a closer look.
Daniel was asleep. Eyes shut, breathing slow and deep, he didn't move when Jack extracted the pencil from his slack fingers. The yellow legal pad beneath his hand bore a translation that trailed off mid-sentence, as if he'd literally nodded off while writing.
Jack was so dead if the doc found out about this.
He gently shook his friend's shoulder. "Daniel. Rise and shine, big guy."
Daniel came awake full throttle, snapping upright so quickly he nearly toppled the pile of books. Glasses barely clinging to the end of his nose, he blinked up at Jack. "What?"
Jack grinned, using his index finger to shove the glasses back in place. "You had yourself a little power nap. Now it's time to eat."
"Oh. I, uh--no. No thanks, Jack. You go ahead; I'm not hungry." Daniel flicked a hand in his direction, as if shooing away a pesky fly, and began shuffling papers.
Jack moved around the chair and parked his ass in the middle of the desk and, incidentally, the papers.
"Jack! What do you think--"
"Breakfast. That's an order. Then you can get back to your chicken scratchings."
Daniel glared at him. "That's just...just so--"
"Non-negotiable." Jack sighed. "Daniel, you shouldn't even be here. In the last 12 hours you've shot to hell most of Fraiser's medical restrictions. The least you can do is eat something."
Daniel's shoulders slumped, a sure sign of defeat. "Fine." He shoved back his chair and stood, lip thrust out and eyes narrowed. "You know, you're no better than Janet. Your methods are just a bit more subtle."
"Gotta tell ya, subtle is not a word often used when describing me." Jack slung an arm around his friend's shoulders and guided him toward the door. "Breakfast, Daniel. It's the most important meal of the day."
Lip curled, Daniel looked at the tray in his hands. Jack had insisted on following him through the line. As a result, he now had enough food to feed a company of marines. He panned the room, surprised to see Sam and Teal'c at a nearby table, conversing quietly.
"Hey." He slipped into the chair beside Sam, nodding at Teal'c.
"Daniel! You look..." Sam frowned. "Tired."
"Gee, thanks, Sam. You know, maybe you and Jack could form a club. You could get matching tee shirts or something." He speared a piece of cantaloupe and popped it into his mouth.
"Sorry. I heard about SG-11. Any luck figuring out what happened?"
Daniel blew out a long breath. "Don't apologize. And no, luck is not something I've had an abundance of these days."
"Please let me know if I may be of service in this endeavor, Daniel Jackson. I am most willing to lend my assistance, should you require it."
"Thanks, Teal'c. I'll keep that in mind."
"Howdy, campers. How's everyone on this fine morning?" Jack set his tray down with a thump and dropped into the chair beside Teal'c.
"I am well, O'Neill. And you?"
"Peachy, just peachy." Jack dug into his bowl of Captain Crunch, squinting at Sam as he chewed. "Carter, aren't you supposed to be out there somewhere--" He waved his spoon at the door.
"--enjoying yourself?"
Sam pursed her lips. "Well, I was, sir. I visited Dad for a couple days, but then he had a mission, and anyway I've really been wanting to run some tests on the molecular structure of that mineral we discovered on P3X--"
"Whoa, Carter. Too much information. Sounds to me as if you and Daniel are tied in the 'need to get a life' sweepstakes."
Daniel snorted. "Oh, and like you're any better? Face it, Jack, curling up in front of a hockey game with beer and pizza isn't exactly a wild social life."
Teal'c raised an eyebrow. "Indeed."
"Hey, I'm older than you two. I've already sown my share of wild oats. I'll have you know I still hold the record at St. Pat's for racking up the most Hail Marys in one confession."
"That's, um, fascinating, sir. I never realized you were Catholic."
"A lapsed Catholic, Carter. Can't say I've hit the confessional in..."
Daniel stared at Jack, his voice fading to an indistinguishable drone. Gooseflesh broke out on his arms and his mouth dried up. After all the hours he'd spent pouring over documents and translations, could it be that simple?
"Daniel?"
Daniel blinked, abruptly realizing his teammates were all staring at him with identical expressions of concern. "I...I think I...Jose--Escobar--he's Catholic, isn't he?"
"As the Pope. I once overheard him telling--Daniel! Get back here!"
Corridors and people passed in a blur of color and sound. One minor collision and two near misses later, Daniel flew into his office, scrabbling through sheets of Sumerian legalese with shaking hands.
There it was. My God. So simple, it had been staring them in the face all along.
"Damn it, Daniel! What in the--"
Jack, Sam, and Teal'c stood in the doorway, breathless.
"Escobar is Catholic, Jack."
"And this is significant, because--?"
Daniel tapped the sheet of paper in his hand. "The Sumerians are a primitive society and as such, highly superstitious. Their fear of the...the..." Daniel growled in frustration, banging his fist against his thigh."
"Easy, Daniel. Slow down." Jack's soft, steady voice calmed his nerves. "Their fear of what? The unknown?"
"The supernatural?" Sam interjected.
"Yes! Yes, their fear of the supernatural has resulted in them composing an elaborate code for detecting and identifying the presence of evil. The code describes signs--certain behaviors, words, gestures--that serve as positive proof the one exhibiting them is possessed by an evil spirit. As such, they are expressly forbidden."
"Sounds a bit like the Salem witch trials," Sam observed.
"Exactly. We're talking about a highly suspicious and paranoid society."
"This is all very fascinating, Daniel, but what does it have to do with Escobar?"
"Well, according to Miller and Warren, they were eating dinner when their hosts became agitated and attacked Escobar."
"What--he forgot his napkin? Slurped the soup?"
"I've seen Escobar in the commissary, Jack. He always prays before a meal. And when he's done praying, he...he..." Daniel moved his hand over his chest in the pattern of a cross.
"Of course! He crosses himself!" Sam's eyes widened. "Completely innocuous to us, but to the Sumerians..."
"Taboo." Daniel sank into his chair, adrenaline rush ebbing. His arms felt leaden and his eyes burned.
"I'll notify the General we're on our way up." Jack picked up the phone, punching buttons. He nudged Daniel's shoulder. "You did good, Daniel. Real good."
Sam grinned like a Cheshire cat, while Teal'c merely inclined his head. "Indeed."
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Jack set the phone back on its cradle and stared at the man sprawled across his couch. Daniel had held on during the car ride home from the mountain, then practically keeled over on the sofa. He'd been out cold for more than four hours. He knew his friend would appreciate the good news, yet hated to wake him.
One blue eye cracked open. "I'm not sleeping."
Jack raised an eyebrow. "Coulda fooled me."
Daniel pushed himself upright, stretching like an oversized cat. "Well, I mean, I *was* sleeping. I'm just not now, um...anymore." He blinked. "Did I hear the phone?"
"Yeah. It was Hammond. Kovacek brought Escobar through the 'gate about fifteen minutes ago. He's a little roughed up, but basically fine. Said to tell you thanks, and that from now on he'll be putting in a good word for you with the big guy."
Daniel's brow furrowed. "Hammond?"
"Not Hammond. You know, the Big Guy." Jack poked his finger toward the ceiling.
"Oh, um, wow. That's, ah, that's nice of him." Daniel squinted, glancing around the room.
Suppressing a grin, Jack retrieved the glasses from the mantle. "Here. You were still wearing them when you fell asleep. I rescued them before they hit the floor. Didn't want you to hand Doctor Dread another excuse to give you grief."
"Thanks." Daniel ducked his head, the corners of his mouth turned up. "For everything. I know I, ah, haven't exactly been easy on you."
"Hey, I'm just glad you were in your office when you got that coffee thing out of your system, and not my kitchen." Jack sat down in his chair with a soft grunt. "God, I hate all-nighters. You all right?"
"Well, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't tired, but the nap helped, and--"
"No, I mean are you *all right*."
Daniel considered the question. "I can pretty much guarantee your glassware is in no immediate...ah...immediate..." He sighed. "Your stuff is safe."
"So...you're good?"
"Well...I won't be *good* until I can make myself a cup of coffee and speak without--" he waved his hand in the air, "you know. But I'm dealing."
Jack smiled. "Pretty damn well, I'd say. Escobar owes you his life, Daniel. Not bad for a guy who's had his brains scrambled." He shook his head. "Yet again."
"Hey, this wasn't my fault!"
"It never is, Danny." He held up a hand to quell Daniel's protest. "What I'm trying to say is that you did your job despite one helluva big roadblock. I'd say you're going to be just fine."
Daniel sighed, rubbing eyes still red from exhaustion. "I just hope I've convinced everyone else of that fact."
Jack huffed a wry laugh. "Daniel, the rest of us never stopped believing in you. *You* were the one that needed convincing." He stood up. "Now how 'bout a pizza? I, for one, am starving. If you promise you won't rat me out to Fraiser, I'll even let you have a beer."
"Deal," Daniel said around a yawn.
Jack held out a hand, pulling him to his feet. "And then, my friend, you're on your own. I'm hitting the sack."
Daniel grinned. "Welcome to the 'need to get a life' sweepstakes, Jack."
Jack cuffed him lightly on the head. "Just for that you get no anchovies."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"...clear indication the inhabitants utilized an actual written language that predates anything we've seen, not only on Earth but on any other planet. The sophistication of the alphabet, the intricacy of the characters is..."
Daniel stumbled when he hit the ramp, but the flow of words never faltered. Lips twitching, Jack steadied him with an unobtrusive hand to the elbow. Daniel had launched into his enthusiastic recitation as they walked to the 'gate, and to Jack's knowledge he hadn't drawn breath yet. His eyes sparkled and his hands flew as the words tumbled effortlessly from his lips.
Sweet.
"...haven't seen a find this well-preserved since P3X-774. I mean, a lot rests on the carbon dating, of course, but given the limited exposure to moisture and light, not to mention the elements, I'm guessing..."
Jack noticed Carter smother a little grin with the back of one hand, ostensibly mopping perspiration from her face. She met his gaze and the grin blossomed into a beaming smile. Together they both turned to Teal'c. Though the Jaffa responded simply by inclining his head, a softening around his dark eyes conveyed amusement and satisfaction.
"...with a proper dig we could undoubtedly uncover..." Daniel trailed off, eyes narrowing as he observed each of his teammates. "What?"
"What what?" Jack asked, deadpan.
Daniel made a circling motion with his finger, encompassing the three of them. "Why are you smiling like that?"
"I'm not smiling. Carter, are you smiling?"
"No, sir, not at all."
"T?"
"I am aware of exhibiting no such facial expression, O'Neill."
"There--ya see? No one's smiling."
"Okaaay." Daniel's voice dripped disbelief.
Hammond met them at the bottom of the ramp. "Welcome back, SG-1. Sounds like the mission was a rousing success. Dr. Fraiser is waiting for you in the infirmary; we'll debrief in one hour. Dr. Jackson, I look forward to your report."
"General, you won't believe what we found. This could change everything we thought we knew about..."
Hammond allowed Daniel to draw him along. Glancing back over his shoulder at the other three members of SG-1, he winked.
Jack slapped Teal'c on the back and followed, no longer able to contain his grin. Daniel was back and better than ever.
Now they were cookin' with gas.
End