Disclaimer: I don't own Daniel Jackson or Jack O'Neill. I only own the part of Daniel's past and I'm not even sure of that. If I'm wrong I apologize now. I'm making no profit from this so please don't sue.

Author: FelineFeral

Rating: Pg-13 Paring: Daniel/Jack... This is my first attempt at a slash story.

Warnings: Abuse (verbal and physical). Uhh I don't think there's anything else.

Season/Episode: Doesn't really matter. You're choice, pick one, as long as it isn't season 6

Summary: Daniel has a nightmare and Jack listens

Memory in a Nightmare

Gasping for air Daniel bolted into a sitting position starring into the nothingness that the bedroom had become in the early morning hours. Taking deliberately slow breaths he focused on his surroundings and the figure beside him. Relief flooded through him, it had been a nightmare and nothing more. The dreams horrifying grip had yet to let go of him as he laid down slowly repeating a whispered mantra. "It was just a dream...just a dream...just a dream."

Jumping slightly as arms encompassed him he tried feverously to forget the details of the nightmare. He hadn't had any for months and now one was threatening to send him over the edge. The memories of the past had once again become nightmare pulling at his sanity.

His bedmate mumbled into his pillow. "Go back to sleep, Danny. It's too early." Daniel did try but he couldn't even relax he was way too tense. Finally he just gave up and tried to get up. He was stopped by the strong arms that still had a grip on his waist.

"Where do you think you're going? It's three in the morning." Jack asked grumpy as hell at being woken up at this god awful hour. Sitting up he prepared to give Daniel a talking to about proper sleeping hours. Jack stopped before he even started as any feelings of anger or grumpiness were wiped away by Daniel's demeanor and expression.

"What's wrong, Danny?" He asked seeing that whatever it was had certainly done a good job of shaking Daniel up. He looked like he was on the verge of tears.

Daniel didn't reply he didn't even want to remember it. Sighing Daniel laid back down moving closer to Jack. "I had..." He stopped and put his arms around himself in a self hug.

Jack sighed, he hated when Daniel did this. It made him seem so vulnerable. "You had another nightmare, didn't you?" When Daniel nodded slowly continuing his self hug Jack pulled him into a hug of his own. "Geez, this had to be a bad one. I haven't seen him like this since Sha're died." He thought. Placing a kiss on Daniel's forehead he spoke softly. "Do you want to talk about it?" Jack didn't push when Daniel didn't answer, he didn't want Daniel to pull further into himself.

Several minutes went by and Jack had thought Daniel had fallen asleep again when he heard Danny speak in a voice that befitted a child. "It was horrible. I'd thought I'd forgotten what had happened, maybe that was because I wanted to so bad." Daniel trailed off and started to shudder leaving Jack both bemused and worried.

"What, Danny? What did you want to forget? What happened?" Jack knew now that this was both a nightmare and the past as well.
Daniel took a deep breath and began to speak again as the shudders subsided leaving him holding back tears. "I was...It was at one of my foster homes. I can't even remember which one. It was horrible..."

Ten year old Daniel Jackson walked slowly up the steps of the large house he had been forced to call home for over a month. He could already hear the voices yelling. Four o'clock in the afternoon and he was drunk already. Daniel wished he could have stayed at school but he couldn't. "At least I'm going to school" He thought. His foster parents before and even now had rarely cared enough to allow him to go. These ones had made sure he went probably just so they wouldn't have to see some scrawny, know-it-all ten year old they had been stuck with 24/7.

Mustering all the courage he could and holding his books tightly against his chest Daniel entered the house. As soon as he closed the door he had to dunk to avoid the projectile which had barley missed his head. Out of nowhere his foster father was leaning over him and grabbing him by his scruff of his neck. "What are you doing, boy?" He shook Daniel roughly. "Trying to run after all we've done for you?"

Daniel didn't speak, he couldn't. He was terrified of the man that held him in his grips: A man that was drunk almost everyday. A man who would yell, bitch and order to and for anything. The man Daniel had witnessed beat his wife unconscious ignoring her pleas to stop. Daniel knew he should tell someone but to tell you the truth he was terrified of what might happen or having no one believe him to say anything. It had happened before and it would happen again, no one cared about him. He had yet to be beaten and he didn't want to be.

Daniel's silence seemed to enrage the man more. "What was that? I couldn't hear you? You'll have to speak up, boy." He taunted as he dragged Daniel roughly up the stairs and threw him in his room. With a slam the door was shut and locked leaving Daniel more alone and afraid. Daniel would remain there the rest of the night and would eat nothing. It was like they had forgotten about him.

That night Daniel cried himself to sleep as he had many nights before. He could here the screaming coming from downstairs and the punches, kicks and slaps landing. Hearing footsteps he feared he was going to be next, but like before it never came. Only serving to terrify him and make him paranoid.

This is how it went on for many weeks. No one noticed or cared as to why one ten year old boy was so jumpy and scared all the time. He was just a scrawny, good for nothing wimp that couldn't even help his parents that was invisible to the world. At least that was what he was told by the verbal abuse he took from the drunken man who he lived with.

One night would change everything. Daniel had been watching T.V with his foster mother, who like he was, was terrified of the man she was married to. The man had barged into the living-room drunker than he had ever been. As people would have so bluntly put it he was pissed to the gills. Both made a dash toward an exit trying to escape but the man even in a drunken rage was to fast for either of them.
Daniel had been pushed into a corner where he couldn't hide. Where he would have no choice but to watch what the man did. Screaming incoherent obscenities the man proceeded to beat his wife: Her pleas for mercy once again falling upon deaf ears. Daniel tried to block it all out but couldn't. He could still hear her screams and the crack and snapping sounds her bones made as they broke under the strength and pressure of repeated blows. With tears running down his face Daniel attempted to hide in the corner and make himself invisible but it was all to no avail.

His foster father had stopped beating on his wife as she was no longer screaming and held no amusement to him. Daniel couldn't even tell if she was alive through all the blood and bruises. Daniel's silent tears turned into sobs as he flashed back to the death of his parents. It was all to overwhelming. Daniel didn't know when it happened but the next thing he knew he felt a solid kick connect with his legs. He screamed as another one connected and he felt his leg break. What did he do to deserve this?

Still sobbing uncontrollably he tried to move out of the man's drunken reach but was only grabbed by the scruff and slammed into the wall. Daniel wanted nothing more than to succumb to the darkness that was threatening to overcome him but the survival instincts of a ten year old had him struggling, kicking and screaming.

The man's anger grew more as Daniel tried to escape and continued to sob. The man hit Daniel several times but before he could kick him the sound of the front door being smashed in made him pause for a split second. Officers rushed into the room with their guns raised. One of the neighbors had heard the noise and finally common sense had made them call the police after ignoring it for some time.

"Let the boy go and put your hands up." One officer ordered, none wanting to risk making a move because of Daniel. The wife had already been checked and proclaimed dead. The man didn't comply instead he hit Daniel again. The officers ordered and pleaded trying to get the man to listen so that they could avoid their next course of action but he never did.

Finally the only thing that mattered was getting Daniel away from him and they didn't care if the man was dead or alive. After much debating of the effects it would have on a ten year old boy the orders had been received. Whoever got a clear shot was to take it, there was no other way.

The shot rang through the house killing the man instantly with a bullet right between the eyes. Leaving Daniel beside the now deceased man covered in not only his own blood but by that of the man's too. It was only a little but to a ten year old boy it was too much, vomiting Daniel passed out.

Daniel Jackson was taken to a hospital treated for his injuries and forced to see a physiatrist. Once he was deemed well enough he was sent to on orphanage where he would remain until he was placed into another foster home. Even after this Daniel was moved from one home to another never getting the proper love and attention he wanted and deserved.

As Daniel finished his recollection he collapsed against Jack's chest in tears. Just the memory of what had happened had beaten down any barriers Daniel had had and seemed to suck any strength he had out of him. Jack now saw why Daniel had wanted to forget what had happened. Jack was also in tears but his were caused by a mix ofemotions.

They were caused by anger, relief, disbelief, pain and sorrow. Anger at the people who could put a kind, gentle and intelligent soul like Daniel through that and relief that Daniel turned out the way he did because that along with everything else he had been through was enough to send anyone over the edge. Disbelief that no one noticed what was going on before it came to its horrible end; people of this world couldn't be that blind. Could they? By the pain the memories had caused Daniel and partially also by the painful grip Daniel had developed on his arm during the recollection. Jack's tears were also from sorrow, the sorrow of having to see Daniel in so much pain from memories but having no way to protect him. Jack felt helpless.

As Jack comforted Daniel he pulled himself into a laying position bringing Daniel with him. Daniel's tears subsided and Daniel succumbed to the emotional exhaustion that tugged at his mind. Jack knew that it wouldn't be long before Daniel fell into an exhausted and fitful sleep. Soon enough it was true Daniel was asleep and Jack would join him soon after, after thinking about everything and making a decision.
Jack was glad that Daniel had talked about it because whoever said that talking about it helps was right, it did. Jack hoped that Daniel would never have to deal with his past again. He made it a silent promise to Daniel that if he did he would be there to helphim through it, even if it meant helping Daniel fight off nightmares and the past when they decided to gang up on him together.

The End