Jack hated rain. He hated being cold, he hated being wet and he absolutely would never come to this Godforsaken planet ever again, because if there was one thing he hated more than rain, cold and being wet, it was the stinking planet he was on. He'd had plenty of time to make the list, short as it was, and plenty of reason to.

He'd thought he'd heard Daniel shout his name when the ground gave way under him, but he wasn't sure. The roaring water that had been all around him had pretty much drowned out all other noises, and he wasn't even sure if he'd yelled anything himself.

The fall had hurt. Not as much as it might have, since the water cushioned the shale he was tumbling down, but it also sped him along faster than if he'd had a smooth, dry surface to maybe get a little friction on. There was nothing to grab hold of to stop himself, and it was so dark Jack couldn't see where he was going so he couldn't brace himself for what he absolutely knew was going to be a sudden stop.

He was right. The first thing he hit, though, was the thing that probably saved his life. A tree. Well, a bush, maybe. Whatever it was, he slammed into the trunk of it sideways, grunting when the wind was knocked out of him but grabbing for something – anything – that he could use to stop his fall. The water was rushing against him, even braced as he was against the trunk of the bush (tree?) and was trying to pull him away so he could finish his fall, but Jack's searching hand found a tangle of branches and he grasped them tightly.

Panting, he jerked his head up out of the water, then was still for a long moment while the water coursed over him, the force of the flow holding him tightly pinned against the tree for almost a full two minutes before the pressure finally began to ease a little as the initial rush of water slowed a bit.

He pulled himself into a sitting position with his back against the trunk, already shivering, but unsure if it were from reaction to his fall, or the cold. Maybe both. The water was still coming. It was like sitting in the middle of a stream, and holding onto the branch to make sure he wasn't swept away once more. His head hurt. His side was killing him where he'd hit the tree (bush?), and his hand hurt, but he was alive, and he wasn't falling. Those were good things.

"Daniel!?"

His call wasn't very loud. He was pretty breathless. There was no way Daniel could have heard him. Not over the rushing water. Jack reached for his radio with his free hand, but when he keyed the mike he didn't even get static. Damn thing was dead. Or just waterlogged. Whatever it was, it wasn't any help to him. He dropped his hand back to his side, and leaned his head back, trying to catch his breath and assessing his situation.

Yeah, he was screwed.

There was no way Daniel was going to be able to find him. Jack prayed he didn't try, since he knew that him hitting the tree and stopping had been a fluke, and he didn't want to hear Daniel come tumbling by, landing God only knew where further down the slope.

"Stay where you are, Daniel!" Jack called weakly, knowing he wasn't going to hear that either. He'd probably fallen at least a couple hundred feet, probably more. And still he had water coming down the hill at him! At least it wasn't as much, which didn't make it all that much better, but the water wasn't so strong now that Jack was worried about being ripped away from the tree as long as he kept hold of the branch.

God, he hated being wet. And cold. He was well aware of just how cold he was, and the water rushing under his clothing didn't make it any better. Jack pulled his legs up, bringing his knees against his chest. This stopped the flow of water up his pant legs quite a bit, but even more importantly, it would help him stay a little warmer. Unfortunately, it also made the water flow right up from his boots, up his legs and into his face, so Jack was forced to raise his head a little higher to be able to breathe. One arm went around his legs, the other hand was still holding tightly to the branch, and he tried to figure out what the heck he was going to do now.

.............

An hour later, he was still trying to come up with something. He was shaking so badly that his teeth were chattering, and he knew he was in real trouble, but he hadn't heard Daniel come passed him, so that was one good thing. Maybe Daniel and SG-3 would figure out a way to get him out. Yeah, they could tie their socks together, make a rope and come rescue him. Jack smiled at his own little wit, and looked at his watch. Luckily it was waterproof, and had see in the dark hands, because he couldn't see anything else (unless you counted water and darkness). An hour and five minutes.

He tried to distract himself from just how cold, wet and miserable he was. Tried to think only warm thoughts. Cuba. Saudi Arabia. Iraq. No, not Iraq. He switched to warm, mushy thoughts, and Sam and Jaffer both came to mind. Jaffer as a puppy, chewing on something, and Sam only a few hours before when she'd agreed to become his wife. Jack smiled again, and closed his eyes, still keeping his head up so the water rushing over him only made it as high as his neck. God he loved Sam. He wondered where she was, and if she was safe. She was probably looking for him and Daniel by then. Maybe even with Jaffer, if the black lab had found her yet.

He felt himself starting to drift off, and snapped his head back up when he suddenly had a mouthful of water. Coughing and sputtering, he retightened the grip on the branch that had loosened as he'd started to fall asleep. He couldn't fall asleep. He searched for other memories to distract him and inevitably his thoughts fell on Shawn.

Ah yeah, Shawn. His son, his responsibility. He was getting old so quickly, now. Already 13. And was already starting to talk about skipping the rest of his formal schooling and going into the Air Force Academy early. They'd put him in high school classes, and Shawn had excelled. Had even managed to make friends with kids much older than himself. Jack smiled. The boy was a social butterfly, and could make friends with anyone.

"Just like his old man."

Jack had to laugh at that. No, not like his old man, but that was okay. Jack didn't want Shawn to be exactly like him, no matter how much Shawn wanted to be. He wanted Shawn to be Shawn.

Jack looked at his watch again. Two hours? Was that all? It felt like forever. Maybe the thing was broken. He wanted to tap it, but didn't release his grip on the tree branch. Actually, by then his hand was so numb, he wasn't sure he could have released his grip.

"I hate this planet," Jack muttered to the darkness and the running water.

........................

Jaffer didn't smell Jack. He didn't hear Jack, and he definitely couldn't see Jack. But he'd known without a doubt where to find Jack. It was almost as if there was a link between him and his Jack. A way to know where Jack was, and what he was doing. Jaffer always knew where his Jack was.

The black lab had jumped willingly through the opening in the ground. He wasn't afraid of water – he loved the water – and he definitely wasn't cold, since his black fur was specially designed to be waterproof. He could be wet but unless it was freezing out, he'd never be cold.

He found himself going downhill, with his paws slipping occasionally on the wet shale, and even more, occasionally he'd find the ground giving way under him. No problem, really. With an agility that belied his size, Jaffer would simply jump to the side and find more solid ground, then would continue his way down. His Jack was closer, now, and Jaffer was eager to be with him.

...............

Three hours. Jack was exhausted, and he wasn't even doing anything. He was having trouble keeping his head up, now, and his grip on the branch was no longer numb, it was painful. When he wasn't cold, he was hurting, and when he wasn't hurting or cold, he was just plain miserable. He couldn't focus his thoughts on anyone, anymore. His mind was as numb as the rest of him. God, he hated being wet.

Then his tired mind thought once more of Jaffer. From nowhere the image came of his black lab, and Jack felt an unexpected warmth spread through him. His baby. Really, the only one he'd ever known that had needed him completely. Sam loved him, but she didn't depend on him entirely. If Jack wasn't there, she could rely on Daniel or Teal'c or Jacob. Shawn loved him, too, but Shawn had Dotty and James, and Jack had had nothing to do with how he'd been raised until recently.

Jaffer was the only one that had truly depended on Jack from the moment he came to live with him, and Jack had responded to that need with his entire being. He'd showered the black lab with everything he could give him – both physical and emotionally. Jaffer had been the one thing that Jack didn't have to have any barriers with. No secrets were held from the lab. When Jack needed to cry, it was Jaffer's shoulder he wept on more than anything. When he laughed, more often than not it was because of something Jaffer had done. His dog could do no wrong in Jack's eyes, because he was exactly what Jack needed.

Sam was there, of course, but she wasn't completely devoted to him. She had her work, her own interests, and he understood that. He knew it had to be that way. Jaffer didn't. Jaffer had Jack. Only Jack. His Jack. There was a bond between the two that Jack had always been vaguely aware of, but until this very moment had never actually felt so keenly. He raised his head slightly, suddenly feeling that Jaffer was close by.

"Jaffer?"