Chapter 3: Trying To Forget
When Daniel arrived at the SGC, deep inside Cheyenne Mountain, the first stop he made was the commissary to get another cup of coffee in order to keep himself awake while he worked on his business for the day. Once he had his supply of caffeine, he made his way to his office to start work.
Once Daniel was in his office, he sat down at his desk with the things that SG-10 had brought back the previous day that General Hammond wanted him to translate. Taking another sip of his coffee, he set to work. Daniel tried hard to concentrate but all he could think about was the nightmare he'd had the previous night.
"I have got to get this thing out of my mind for now and not think about it. If I keep letting this thing bother me like this, I'm never going to get any work done. It doesn't really help that I'm so tired. Maybe if I just take a break for a minute and finish my coffee so I can think more clearly." Daniel thought as he finished his coffee hoping to wake himself up sufficiently.
The caffeine in his system seemed to be sufficient for about an hour, but then as the rush began to wear off, Daniel felt exhaustion begin to creep up on him. He moved his materials out of the way, rested his head in his arms on the desk. In moments, the long night took its toll on Daniel and his eyes began to close as he dozed off at his desk.
At about 7:30, Jack came in to the base, having arrived early, which was extremely rare for him, and strolled through the base to see if anyone else was around this early. Coming down the hallway, he noticed the light on in Daniel's office and laughed to himself.
"I guess Daniel really can't stay away from this place. I shouldn't really be surprised that he's here this early."
Jack approached Daniel's office and opened the door. Peeking inside, he noticed that Daniel had fallen asleep over his desk and that he was looking very restless. As he quietly got closer, it became very obvious to him that his friend was having some sort of nightmare. Jack walked over and knelt down beside Daniel, shaking his shoulder gently.
"Daniel. Hey, wake up, Danny. You're dreaming." Jack whispered. Upon hearing a friendly voice, Daniel's eyes snapped open and if Jack hadn't steadied him, he would have fallen out of his chair.
"Jack? Oh, I guess I must have dozed off while I was working on these translations. What time is it?" Daniel asked, confused.
"It's 0745, Daniel. How long have you been here?"
"I got here about 0600, I guess. I didn't sleep that well last night and I guess I was tired. Sorry about overreacting like that but when you came in I didn't hear you and you startled me."
"Yeah. I understand. Sorry I scared you. Have you eaten anything this morning?" Jack asked.
"Actually, no. Sarah offered to make me breakfast this morning before I came here but I turned her down because I wasn't hungry." Daniel admitted honestly as his stomach growled making him regret his earlier decision to skip breakfast.
"That's it. You're taking a break from this and coming with me to the commissary. You need something to eat and it seems to me that you could use with another cup of coffee too."
"I don't have much of a choice in the matter, do I?"
"Nope. Good guess. Now let's go." Jack smiled as Daniel laughed and followed him out of the office.
A short time later, Jack and Daniel were sitting in the commissary having breakfast. Jack decided that he was going to try to get Daniel to open up about whatever was bothering him because it wasn't often that he was this shaken up about anything.
"Hey, Daniel? Is something bothering you? You just seem, I don't know, a little off keel this morning."
"I just had a nightmare last night and it just shook me up a little that's all. I'm really okay." Daniel whispered as he took a sip of coffee.
"Seems to me it was bothering you earlier when I found you sleeping in your office, too." Jack observed as he was sprayed by the coffee that Daniel abruptly spit out in shock.
"What? Sorry about that."
"I was saying before you decided to shower me with your coffee, when I found you sleeping in your office earlier you seemed extremely restless and it was obvious to me that you must have been having a nightmare. That's the only reason I woke you up in the first place. You wanna tell me about what happened?"
"Not really. All I can say is that it was a dark moment from my past that I thought I had buried and that I have to deal with on my own. I really do appreciate your concern though, Jack. I need to get back to work. I'll see you later." Daniel said as he refilled his coffee mug and quickly retreated to the sanctuary of his office, leaving Jack in the commissary, frustrated and confused.
"Damn it. I had it when he gets all cryptic like that. Why can't he just tell me what the hell's going on with him? Doesn't he realize that I'm a concerned friend who wants to help him?" Jack grumbled angrily to himself as he deposited his garbage in the trashcan and walked off, searching the depths of his mind for a solution to Daniel's predicament that he knew nothing about. He was so distracted, in fact, that he didn't realize that he wasn't watching where he was going until he plowed into General Hammond.
"What's the rush, Colonel?" Hammond asked succinctly.
"Sorry about that, sir. I was really needing to discuss something with Teal'c. Have you seen him?" Jack asked quickly, his haste becoming apparent in his voice.
"Teal'c was seen going into his quarters the last I heard. You should probably check there first. Is something wrong, Jack?"
"No, sir. I just need to get Teal'c to do a favor for me." Jack said as he took off down the hall in search of Teal'c, leaving Hammond wondering what exactly was going on with the members of his front team.
When Jack arrived at Teal'c's quarters, he opened the door quietly and slipped inside. He paused momentarily before making his presence known to make sure that he wasn't disturbing his friend in any manner.
"Teal'c." Jack said quietly after a moment.
"Good morning, O'Neill." Teal'c greeted him with a smile.
"I'm glad that I'm not bothering you because I really need your help to brainstorm on something. Do you have some time?"
"Indeed. How may I be of assistance?"
"Well, there's something going on with Daniel this morning. He seems distracted and really jumpy. It's really concerning me and I was wondering if you had talked to him and he might have mentioned to you what was going on."
"I regret to inform you that I lack knowledge in this matter, O'Neill. I have not spoken to Daniel Jackson since yesterday afternoon. Perhaps the reason he has not informed you of the matter at hand is because it is disturbing for him to speak of. I suggest that you offer quiet support but do not push the issue."
"That's a good idea. I should have thought of that but I guess I needed to hear it from someone else to put things in perspective. Thanks Teal'c. I'm going to try to get some work done. I'll be in my office if anyone needs me."
"Indeed. I have an idea that may shed some light on this situation. I shall seek you out later." Teal'c said as Jack headed for his office.
As soon as Jack had left, Teal'c decided to perform Kelnoreem to try and pick up on what was happening with his friend. What Jack had said about his observations of Daniel's behavior concerned Teal'c, though the Jaffa was not normally open about such things so he had kept it quiet. Teal'c was very protective of all of his friends, especially Daniel, and as he entered Kelnoreem, he silently hoped that he would pick up something that would be able to help the situation. Whatever the situation was.
Thirty minutes into his Kelnoreem, Teal'c arrived at the answer he was seeking. He saw very clearly the reason that his friend was troubled and it disturbed him greatly. Teal'c opened his eyes and sat for a moment gasping, trying to catch his breath.
"There is a very good reason that Daniel Jackson has appeared so disturbed. I must speak to O'Neill." Teal'c thought as he left his quarters and went in search of Jack.
At the same time, Daniel was back in his office, having finally finished with the translations he had been working on all morning. He was now thinking back on his earlier conversation with Jack in the commissary and how he had ran out so abruptly when the subject became too much. This fact filled him with a sense of guilt that he couldn't seem to shake.
"I should never have run out on Jack like that this morning. He's my friend, after all, and he was only trying to help me. I guess I should have tried to tell him what's been on my mind all day. I at least owe him an apology for the way I acted. I need to go and talk to Jack." Daniel thought to himself as he straightened up his office and wandered out into the corridor, deep in thought and looking for his best friend.
When Daniel arrived at the SGC, deep inside Cheyenne Mountain, the first stop he made was the commissary to get another cup of coffee in order to keep himself awake while he worked on his business for the day. Once he had his supply of caffeine, he made his way to his office to start work.
Once Daniel was in his office, he sat down at his desk with the things that SG-10 had brought back the previous day that General Hammond wanted him to translate. Taking another sip of his coffee, he set to work. Daniel tried hard to concentrate but all he could think about was the nightmare he'd had the previous night.
"I have got to get this thing out of my mind for now and not think about it. If I keep letting this thing bother me like this, I'm never going to get any work done. It doesn't really help that I'm so tired. Maybe if I just take a break for a minute and finish my coffee so I can think more clearly." Daniel thought as he finished his coffee hoping to wake himself up sufficiently.
The caffeine in his system seemed to be sufficient for about an hour, but then as the rush began to wear off, Daniel felt exhaustion begin to creep up on him. He moved his materials out of the way, rested his head in his arms on the desk. In moments, the long night took its toll on Daniel and his eyes began to close as he dozed off at his desk.
At about 7:30, Jack came in to the base, having arrived early, which was extremely rare for him, and strolled through the base to see if anyone else was around this early. Coming down the hallway, he noticed the light on in Daniel's office and laughed to himself.
"I guess Daniel really can't stay away from this place. I shouldn't really be surprised that he's here this early."
Jack approached Daniel's office and opened the door. Peeking inside, he noticed that Daniel had fallen asleep over his desk and that he was looking very restless. As he quietly got closer, it became very obvious to him that his friend was having some sort of nightmare. Jack walked over and knelt down beside Daniel, shaking his shoulder gently.
"Daniel. Hey, wake up, Danny. You're dreaming." Jack whispered. Upon hearing a friendly voice, Daniel's eyes snapped open and if Jack hadn't steadied him, he would have fallen out of his chair.
"Jack? Oh, I guess I must have dozed off while I was working on these translations. What time is it?" Daniel asked, confused.
"It's 0745, Daniel. How long have you been here?"
"I got here about 0600, I guess. I didn't sleep that well last night and I guess I was tired. Sorry about overreacting like that but when you came in I didn't hear you and you startled me."
"Yeah. I understand. Sorry I scared you. Have you eaten anything this morning?" Jack asked.
"Actually, no. Sarah offered to make me breakfast this morning before I came here but I turned her down because I wasn't hungry." Daniel admitted honestly as his stomach growled making him regret his earlier decision to skip breakfast.
"That's it. You're taking a break from this and coming with me to the commissary. You need something to eat and it seems to me that you could use with another cup of coffee too."
"I don't have much of a choice in the matter, do I?"
"Nope. Good guess. Now let's go." Jack smiled as Daniel laughed and followed him out of the office.
A short time later, Jack and Daniel were sitting in the commissary having breakfast. Jack decided that he was going to try to get Daniel to open up about whatever was bothering him because it wasn't often that he was this shaken up about anything.
"Hey, Daniel? Is something bothering you? You just seem, I don't know, a little off keel this morning."
"I just had a nightmare last night and it just shook me up a little that's all. I'm really okay." Daniel whispered as he took a sip of coffee.
"Seems to me it was bothering you earlier when I found you sleeping in your office, too." Jack observed as he was sprayed by the coffee that Daniel abruptly spit out in shock.
"What? Sorry about that."
"I was saying before you decided to shower me with your coffee, when I found you sleeping in your office earlier you seemed extremely restless and it was obvious to me that you must have been having a nightmare. That's the only reason I woke you up in the first place. You wanna tell me about what happened?"
"Not really. All I can say is that it was a dark moment from my past that I thought I had buried and that I have to deal with on my own. I really do appreciate your concern though, Jack. I need to get back to work. I'll see you later." Daniel said as he refilled his coffee mug and quickly retreated to the sanctuary of his office, leaving Jack in the commissary, frustrated and confused.
"Damn it. I had it when he gets all cryptic like that. Why can't he just tell me what the hell's going on with him? Doesn't he realize that I'm a concerned friend who wants to help him?" Jack grumbled angrily to himself as he deposited his garbage in the trashcan and walked off, searching the depths of his mind for a solution to Daniel's predicament that he knew nothing about. He was so distracted, in fact, that he didn't realize that he wasn't watching where he was going until he plowed into General Hammond.
"What's the rush, Colonel?" Hammond asked succinctly.
"Sorry about that, sir. I was really needing to discuss something with Teal'c. Have you seen him?" Jack asked quickly, his haste becoming apparent in his voice.
"Teal'c was seen going into his quarters the last I heard. You should probably check there first. Is something wrong, Jack?"
"No, sir. I just need to get Teal'c to do a favor for me." Jack said as he took off down the hall in search of Teal'c, leaving Hammond wondering what exactly was going on with the members of his front team.
When Jack arrived at Teal'c's quarters, he opened the door quietly and slipped inside. He paused momentarily before making his presence known to make sure that he wasn't disturbing his friend in any manner.
"Teal'c." Jack said quietly after a moment.
"Good morning, O'Neill." Teal'c greeted him with a smile.
"I'm glad that I'm not bothering you because I really need your help to brainstorm on something. Do you have some time?"
"Indeed. How may I be of assistance?"
"Well, there's something going on with Daniel this morning. He seems distracted and really jumpy. It's really concerning me and I was wondering if you had talked to him and he might have mentioned to you what was going on."
"I regret to inform you that I lack knowledge in this matter, O'Neill. I have not spoken to Daniel Jackson since yesterday afternoon. Perhaps the reason he has not informed you of the matter at hand is because it is disturbing for him to speak of. I suggest that you offer quiet support but do not push the issue."
"That's a good idea. I should have thought of that but I guess I needed to hear it from someone else to put things in perspective. Thanks Teal'c. I'm going to try to get some work done. I'll be in my office if anyone needs me."
"Indeed. I have an idea that may shed some light on this situation. I shall seek you out later." Teal'c said as Jack headed for his office.
As soon as Jack had left, Teal'c decided to perform Kelnoreem to try and pick up on what was happening with his friend. What Jack had said about his observations of Daniel's behavior concerned Teal'c, though the Jaffa was not normally open about such things so he had kept it quiet. Teal'c was very protective of all of his friends, especially Daniel, and as he entered Kelnoreem, he silently hoped that he would pick up something that would be able to help the situation. Whatever the situation was.
Thirty minutes into his Kelnoreem, Teal'c arrived at the answer he was seeking. He saw very clearly the reason that his friend was troubled and it disturbed him greatly. Teal'c opened his eyes and sat for a moment gasping, trying to catch his breath.
"There is a very good reason that Daniel Jackson has appeared so disturbed. I must speak to O'Neill." Teal'c thought as he left his quarters and went in search of Jack.
At the same time, Daniel was back in his office, having finally finished with the translations he had been working on all morning. He was now thinking back on his earlier conversation with Jack in the commissary and how he had ran out so abruptly when the subject became too much. This fact filled him with a sense of guilt that he couldn't seem to shake.
"I should never have run out on Jack like that this morning. He's my friend, after all, and he was only trying to help me. I guess I should have tried to tell him what's been on my mind all day. I at least owe him an apology for the way I acted. I need to go and talk to Jack." Daniel thought to himself as he straightened up his office and wandered out into the corridor, deep in thought and looking for his best friend.