The knock on his door startled Daniel. Not because he was such a recluse that no one ever came over, but because he was so involved in the translation he doing, he'd completely spaced out the world around him, and the knock brought him abruptly back. So abruptly that he'd spilled his coffee.
"Damn."
He got up from his desk and immediately heard a yowl of protest as he stepped on the tail of his most current houseguest. Instantly contrite, he reached down and scooped up the kitten, rubbing his face against the fuzzy jet black fur.
"Oh, Binky, I'm so sorry..."
The kitten hissed her displeasure at the rough treatment, and swiped at Daniel's nose, which was the closest part of him she could reach. He dodged the sharp little claws, though, jerking his face out of reach. He'd spent enough time with the creature to know she wasn't all that forgiving. He wondered if all cats were like that, or if it were just her.
The knock sounded again, and still carrying the kitten, trying to ignore the claw that she'd manage to stick in his side as she tried to regain her balance, Daniel walked over to the door and opened it. And came face to face with a large stuffed monkey. Binky yowled again, wanting nothing to do with whatever that was, and Daniel cursed when the claw that had been in his side was joined by several of its friends.
Jaffer was looking up at Daniel, wagging his tail happily, and the archeologist wondered what was going on.
"Hey, Daniel," Jack said, shifting the monkey so he could see his friend. There was a serious expression on Jack's face when Daniel first saw it, but it faded immediately when he saw Daniel's predicament.
"What are you doing with her?" Jack asked, smiling.
"Sally's out of town giving a lecture at MIT and I'm kitten sitting." Daniel scowled. "What are you doing here? And where did you get that thing?"
"Andrew's folks gave him to me a few-"
"Not Jaffer, Jack," Daniel said, rolling his eyes. God, O'Neill was such a smart ass sometimes. "The monkey."
"Sam won him at the carnival. I thought you might like him."
"She won him?"
Jack nodded.
"Why are you giving him to me? Why not keep him?"
"Are you kidding? Do you have any idea how much of a mess a chewed up stuffed animal makes in a house?"
"No."
"I do." Jack walked past Daniel and into his living room. "Take the monkey, Daniel. He's much safer here."
Daniel closed the door behind Jaffer, who'd walked into his apartment as well, but was still looking up at Daniel, ignoring Jack at the moment. It took a second for Jackson to realize Jaffer wasn't watching him, he was watching the kitten in his hand.
"He wouldn't hurt Binky, would he?" Daniel asked Jack, looking down at the black lab. Jaffer was a lot bigger than the kitten, and Daniel didn't want to explain to Sally that something had happened to her sweet little kitten while she was away.
"Nah, Jaffer likes him."
"Her."
"Whatever."
Daniel set the kitten down on the sofa, to allow her to jump up to the back of the couch if Jaffer's presence frightened her and she felt the need to escape. The black kitten, however, liked Jaffer as much as he liked her – or at least she found him just as interesting – since she stretched her nose out to meet his when he went over to the couch to see her.
"What are you doing here, Jack?" Daniel asked again, looking over at the clock on his DVD player to check the time. It was about 10:00, which was a bit late for a social call. "Is everything all right?"
Jack shrugged, trying to seem nonchalant. "I had a few questions, and thought you'd know the answers."
"Have you ever heard of the internet? Google?"
"What do I need them for when I have you, Daniel?"
It was Daniel's turn to shrug. He looked over at his notes, which were covered in spilled coffee. Luckily, they were laminated, and not ruined. They could wait. Daniel knew if Jack was here at this time of night there was a reason for it.
"Want something to drink?"
"Coffee?"
"Sure."
Jack followed Daniel into his kitchen, leaving Jaffer with Binky.
"What kind of questions?" Daniel asked, searching through his cupboard for a clean mug for Jack.
"What do you know about Psychics?"
"Psychics?"
"You know... fortunetellers... mind readers... that kind of thing."
Unsure exactly why Jack would ask him a question like that, Daniel frowned.
"Not a whole lot, I'm afraid. It's not a real science, after all. And very subjective."
"What do you mean?"
Daniel handed Jack a cup of coffee, and filled his own mug again.
"Well... a lot of the fortune tellers are fakes. Phonies. They're just for entertainment."
"A lot, but not all?"
Daniel shrugged. "I've known a few people in my time that I suppose could be called mind readers. Of course, they might just be very good at reading expressions and guessing at what the person is thinking about."
"What about someone who doesn't seem to be guessing at all?" Jack asked.
"Are you going to tell me what this is about?"
Jack hesitated.
"Do you think there's real psychics out there?"
"You didn't answer my question."
"You didn't answer mine, either."
Daniel gave up. Sometimes talking with Jack was like dealing with a ten year old.
"Yes. I think some people have a gift. Unexplained, and unexplainable, but a gift, none the less. Have I ever met one? Probably not. But then, ten years ago I'd never met an alien, either."
"I think I met one."
"An alien?"
"A psychic."
"Damn."
He got up from his desk and immediately heard a yowl of protest as he stepped on the tail of his most current houseguest. Instantly contrite, he reached down and scooped up the kitten, rubbing his face against the fuzzy jet black fur.
"Oh, Binky, I'm so sorry..."
The kitten hissed her displeasure at the rough treatment, and swiped at Daniel's nose, which was the closest part of him she could reach. He dodged the sharp little claws, though, jerking his face out of reach. He'd spent enough time with the creature to know she wasn't all that forgiving. He wondered if all cats were like that, or if it were just her.
The knock sounded again, and still carrying the kitten, trying to ignore the claw that she'd manage to stick in his side as she tried to regain her balance, Daniel walked over to the door and opened it. And came face to face with a large stuffed monkey. Binky yowled again, wanting nothing to do with whatever that was, and Daniel cursed when the claw that had been in his side was joined by several of its friends.
Jaffer was looking up at Daniel, wagging his tail happily, and the archeologist wondered what was going on.
"Hey, Daniel," Jack said, shifting the monkey so he could see his friend. There was a serious expression on Jack's face when Daniel first saw it, but it faded immediately when he saw Daniel's predicament.
"What are you doing with her?" Jack asked, smiling.
"Sally's out of town giving a lecture at MIT and I'm kitten sitting." Daniel scowled. "What are you doing here? And where did you get that thing?"
"Andrew's folks gave him to me a few-"
"Not Jaffer, Jack," Daniel said, rolling his eyes. God, O'Neill was such a smart ass sometimes. "The monkey."
"Sam won him at the carnival. I thought you might like him."
"She won him?"
Jack nodded.
"Why are you giving him to me? Why not keep him?"
"Are you kidding? Do you have any idea how much of a mess a chewed up stuffed animal makes in a house?"
"No."
"I do." Jack walked past Daniel and into his living room. "Take the monkey, Daniel. He's much safer here."
Daniel closed the door behind Jaffer, who'd walked into his apartment as well, but was still looking up at Daniel, ignoring Jack at the moment. It took a second for Jackson to realize Jaffer wasn't watching him, he was watching the kitten in his hand.
"He wouldn't hurt Binky, would he?" Daniel asked Jack, looking down at the black lab. Jaffer was a lot bigger than the kitten, and Daniel didn't want to explain to Sally that something had happened to her sweet little kitten while she was away.
"Nah, Jaffer likes him."
"Her."
"Whatever."
Daniel set the kitten down on the sofa, to allow her to jump up to the back of the couch if Jaffer's presence frightened her and she felt the need to escape. The black kitten, however, liked Jaffer as much as he liked her – or at least she found him just as interesting – since she stretched her nose out to meet his when he went over to the couch to see her.
"What are you doing here, Jack?" Daniel asked again, looking over at the clock on his DVD player to check the time. It was about 10:00, which was a bit late for a social call. "Is everything all right?"
Jack shrugged, trying to seem nonchalant. "I had a few questions, and thought you'd know the answers."
"Have you ever heard of the internet? Google?"
"What do I need them for when I have you, Daniel?"
It was Daniel's turn to shrug. He looked over at his notes, which were covered in spilled coffee. Luckily, they were laminated, and not ruined. They could wait. Daniel knew if Jack was here at this time of night there was a reason for it.
"Want something to drink?"
"Coffee?"
"Sure."
Jack followed Daniel into his kitchen, leaving Jaffer with Binky.
"What kind of questions?" Daniel asked, searching through his cupboard for a clean mug for Jack.
"What do you know about Psychics?"
"Psychics?"
"You know... fortunetellers... mind readers... that kind of thing."
Unsure exactly why Jack would ask him a question like that, Daniel frowned.
"Not a whole lot, I'm afraid. It's not a real science, after all. And very subjective."
"What do you mean?"
Daniel handed Jack a cup of coffee, and filled his own mug again.
"Well... a lot of the fortune tellers are fakes. Phonies. They're just for entertainment."
"A lot, but not all?"
Daniel shrugged. "I've known a few people in my time that I suppose could be called mind readers. Of course, they might just be very good at reading expressions and guessing at what the person is thinking about."
"What about someone who doesn't seem to be guessing at all?" Jack asked.
"Are you going to tell me what this is about?"
Jack hesitated.
"Do you think there's real psychics out there?"
"You didn't answer my question."
"You didn't answer mine, either."
Daniel gave up. Sometimes talking with Jack was like dealing with a ten year old.
"Yes. I think some people have a gift. Unexplained, and unexplainable, but a gift, none the less. Have I ever met one? Probably not. But then, ten years ago I'd never met an alien, either."
"I think I met one."
"An alien?"
"A psychic."