"Excuse me?" Daniel gave him an odd look, wondering if this was some kind of joke, or if Jack had been drinking. O'Neill, however, looked sober, and absolutely serious.

"I think I met a psychic tonight, Daniel." Jack repeated.

"Why would you think that? Where?"

"At the carnival. Sam and I-"

"Jack, carnivals are full of shysters and con artists. I'm pretty sure you didn't meet a real psychic there."

"Daniel..."

"Jack. What makes you think-"

"She knew about Shawn."

Daniel's eyebrows went up, but he still didn't look convinced.

"She knew about Shawn? Or she said you had a son? Guessing you have a son is a little vague, Jack. She didn't-"

"She said I had a son. Then lost him and found another. Found another, Daniel. Nothing about having another. Pretty accurate guess, huh?"

"She said that?"

Jack nodded.

"Well... that's pretty... odd, I'll give you that." He shrugged. "It could have been a lucky guess, though. Maybe something in your expression when she mentioned you having a son gave away some hint, or something."

"She also said I face evils..."

"Everyone faces evil, Jack. It's all around-"

"Not the kind of way she said it, Daniel. You weren't there. She wasn't talking about deciding whether to pay a traffic ticket or something. She was talking about real evil stuff. Bad stuff. Goa'uld-type stuff."

"Oh, give me a break. How would she know that?"

"You tell me. You just said you think there might be people out there with that gift."

"But not-"

"She called Jaffer a guardian spirit."

At the sound of his name, the black lab appeared at the doorway, Binky hanging from his mouth and looking a bit slobbered on, but perfectly content at being toted around like a piece of baggage.

"Jaffer?" Daniel scowled, and reached down to take the half-grown kitten away from the dog before she got hurt. "He's hardly that, Jack. Most of the time it's you protecting him."

"She said Sam can't have children."

"What?"

"She told me – after she sent Sam and Gina out of the room – that Sam can't conceive."

"Are you and Sam trying to have children?" Daniel asked, surprised.

Jack became a little uncomfortable. Talking to Daniel about a psychic was one thing, talking to him about his love life was another.

"We're not trying to, but we're not doing anything to prevent it, if you get my meaning."

"No birth control, you mean..."

Jack nodded.

"Has she talked to Janet? Remember, she did have that miscar-"

"There's nothing wrong with her, Daniel." Jack said. "Fraiser says she's fine, and that the baby she lost didn't do any damage to her. We haven't really been trying to have a baby, but I'd kind of hoped after losing the first one that she'd..."

"It's been almost three years."

"Exactly."

"And this lady knew that?"

Jack nodded.

Daniel set Binky back down on the floor, absently, and didn't even notice that Jaffer picked the kitten back up and headed back into the living room after deciding that even though Jack had said his name, he wasn't holding anything edible.

"That's a pretty wild guess."

"Too accurate to be a guess is my thinking."

Daniel had to agree with that.

"What else did she say?"

"She said Sam's not infertile. She can have kids, if we figure out what's wrong."

"How are you supposed to do that?"

Jack shrugged.

"She didn't tell you?"

"She said something about someone connected with my son knows the solution. She didn't say who."

"Connected with Shawn?"

Jack shrugged. Xara couldn't have meant Charlie. At least, he didn't think she had.

"The Asgard?"

"I don't know, Daniel."

"Probably they'd know. They're far more advanced than we are, after all."

Without even realizing it, Daniel had decided that the woman Jack had talked to must have been the real thing. Jack certainly seemed more convinced than not. Especially after talking to Daniel about it. His analytical mind was already considering the other possibilities.

"Shawn's met Bra'tac as well – more than once."

"I'm not going to go talk to Bra'tac about Sam's personal-"

"Does Sam know you're here talking to me about it?"

"Sam doesn't even know what Xara said about her," Jack said. "And I want it to stay that way. At least for now."

"Xara?" Daniel asked. "The psychic?"

Jack nodded.

"Why wouldn't she discuss it with Sam? Why with you?"

"How should I know? Maybe she figured I could fix it without Sam knowing. She told me it's really bothering Sam that she can't conceive. A darkness on her soul or something like that. Maybe she didn't want to upset her."

"Maybe..."

Daniel was looking at Jack, but not really looking at him. It was a look O'Neill was familiar with; one that Daniel got on his face when he was mulling over some problem or puzzle. Jack didn't say anything, figuring that he'd said far more than he probably should have. He hadn't actually planned on bringing up the Sam thing; he'd just wanted confirmation that it was possible that the woman might have really been what she claimed. The Sam thing had just slipped out in his effort to get Daniel to believe him. Now, though, Jack was glad it had, since he knew Daniel was a better thinker than he was and might come up with something.

Daniel didn't fail him.

"You know who I'd ask?" Daniel asked, finally, looking at Jack again.

Jack shrugged.

"Dotty."

"Dotty?"

"Shawn's mom."

"I know who she is, Daniel..." Jack trailed off, considering, but Daniel did all the considering aloud for him.

"She's connected to Shawn, obviously. She's familiar with Sam and wouldn't need much background information so you wouldn't really be delving too deeply into Sam's personal affairs, and I'll bet she's far more advanced than the Asgard are. If you can get her to talk technology with you. You could probably even get her to keep it between the two of you." He looked at Jack, unsure about the expression on the older man's face, and shrugged. "It's a thought."

"It's a good thought," Jack said, surprising Daniel. "Thanks."

Jack set his untouched coffee down on the counter.

"I'd better get going."

"You're just going to go rushing over to Shawn's house in the middle of the night?"

"No, I can't." Or he probably would. "They're out of town visiting relatives."

"Then where are you going?"

"Home. To think this through." To figure out exactly how to do this without Sam finding out, since he wasn't sure what she'd say if she knew, and wasn't sure it was something he should bring up. He didn't want to open an old wound with her if he didn't have to, and he didn't want to remind her of what she couldn't have – if Xara was right. Better to see what Dotty might have to say, and then go from there.

"Well... if you need any more ideas..." Daniel said, taking a sip of his coffee, and then setting the cup down next to Jack's.

"I'll give you a call." Jack said.

"Or you could try the internet."

Jack smiled, and the two of them headed for the living room.

"Come on, Jaffer."

Daniel looked at the big stuffed monkey that was sitting on his sofa.

"You sure you don't want to take that thing with you?" He asked.

"Positive. Sam can always win me another one if I change my mind."

Jack opened the door, turning for a final look at his friend. "I'd prefer that you didn't really tell anyone about this, Daniel. Especially Sam."

Daniel nodded. He hadn't planned to. No one would believe him anyways, he was sure.

"I won't, Jack."

"Thanks." Slightly distracted, Jack started out the door, with Jaffer close behind.

"Hey, Jack..." Daniel frowned, and O'Neill turned back to look at him, questioningly.

"I need Binky back."

"What?" Jack followed Daniel's gaze down to Jaffer. Sure enough, the black lab was trying to sneak out with the inky black kitten in his mouth. Since Binky was a fair bit larger than he'd been the first time Jaffer had ever tried it, it wasn't quite so easy to miss – although Jack had, because he wasn't paying attention. "Jaffer, give him back."

"Her." Daniel corrected, absently, reaching down and taking the soggy kitten from the lab's mouth.

"Whatever." Jack slapped Daniel's shoulder in thanks, and headed for the elevator with Jaffer at his side, while Daniel watched.

"Guardian spirit my eye." Daniel murmured, looking down at the disgruntled kitten in his hands. "More like a drool machine."

Binky didn't reply. She just tried to take another swipe at Daniel with her claws when he started using his shirt to dry her off.