"Hey."
Jack looked up from the pack he was poking through. He smiled when he saw that Daniel had followed him back to the chopper. "Hi."
Daniel came to stand next to him, staring at the interior of the helicopter. "What's going to be done about the NID?" he asked quietly.
"Well, we can't keep him tied up in there forever," said Jack, his expression suggesting that was exactly what he wanted to do. Knowing that Daniel wasn't talking about just the operative. "Hammond's ordered me to bring him back to the States."
"Oh."
Jack waited.
"Mac wanted to let you know that you're welcome to share the oasis bathing privileges with the teachers."
"That so?"
"Unless, of course, you'd rather take your turn with the students." Jack winced, and Daniel grinned a little.
"Co-ed bath time?" the Colonel asked.
Daniel nodded.
"Any advice?"
Daniel smirked. "Watch your six, and don't let anyone else watch it for you."
Jack eyed the archaeologist, who blushed faintly. "Is this personal experience talking?" His voice was wary, yet tinged with amusement.
Daniel rolled his eyes. "You have no idea."
Jack grinned.
"We're higher on the food chain than the undergrads, and get to bathe right after supper," Daniel informed him.
"Cool," said Jack. "I'll tell Sam and Teal'c."
Daniel nodded, then turned and went back to the dig. All that afternoon, Jack carefully watched over his archaeologist, talking and joking lightly while Daniel worked on the excavation, mostly silent - yet every once in a while he would say something. Jack took it as a sign of healing, knowing that the rift in the team was mostly between Daniel and himself.
After a supper which showed that the archaeologists were running low on steam - or at least Jack hoped they were - he, Sam and Teal'c met Daniel and the others at the oasis. The teachers were already stripped to their underclothes, and involved in an exuberant water fight. Any hopes of dealing with compliant, tired archaeologists were dashed, and ground into the dirt for good measure.
Jack raised a brow.
Daniel, due to the frightening bruising that covered his chest, shoulder, and back, was carefully excluded as he soaped down. The teachers all shouted and talked to him, but refrained from dragging him into the conflict.
Sam looked at Colonel O'Neill with mischief in her eyes. "Sir?"
"When in Oz, Carter," Jack sighed, pulling his shirt off and dropping it, along with his socks and boots, in a small pile near where the archaeologists had dumped their stuff. "Just make nice with the natives in their natural habitat. These look like hostiles to me. We wouldn't want to . . . provoke them."
Hearing the unspoken suggestion in her CO's voice, Carter grinned. Teal'c also raised a brow, smiling blandly. The Jaffa and the Major stripped quickly, following Jack's lead. Together, the three of them jumped into the oasis with a yell, forming an offensive line that had the archaeologists banding together for defense. The fight was fast and furious, with both sides suffering heavy casualties before a tie was announced, and a truce formed - for that evening, anyway.
Invigorated by the cool water, the archaeologists, Jack and Teal'c stayed to chat and wash. Sam, however, rinsed quickly and got out, wanting to talk to Daniel. He'd left as soon as the fight got serious, washing economically and pulling on his pants to be able to make the walk to his tent with some modicum of decency. He was sitting, shoving his feet into his boots.
"Hey," Sam said, grasping her towel. Daniel looked up and blushed, looking away while Sam dried. As she reached for her clothes, Sam heard a low hissing and froze. "Daniel?" Her voice was pitched slightly higher than usual.
Daniel looked, and saw her problem. It was a puff adder, a short, stubby, venomous snake that became very active after sunset. Now, the sun was just barely lingering over the horizon, indicating the beginning of the adder's day. The snake was gray-brown with black markings, blending into the dirt. Daniel knew that these reptiles were bad-tempered and likely to strike at anyone who disturbed them. The snake was focused on Sam, who had frozen. She didn't have any weapons on her, and was disturbingly close to the snake, which had been slithering among the bundles of clothing on the tiny beach of the oasis. She took a small step back and the snake hissed, rearing its head back menacingly.
"Don't move!" Daniel whispered, reaching toward his boot.
Three things happened almost at once. The snake lunged toward Sam's ankle, Sam shouted and jumped back, and the handle of Daniel's knife impacted with the back of the snake's skull. Sam took a deep breath, the adrenaline making her unable to stay still. She circled around the motionless snake, staying a good five feet away, and moved toward Daniel.
Daniel stood from where he had been sitting, pulling on his boots, and quickly moved to the snake. When he picked up the knife, Sam immediately saw his familiarity with the weapon. Daniel picked the snake up firmly just behind his head, cradling the rest of its body in his left hand. "What are you doing here?" he asked the stunned reptile quietly.
"Daniel?" came Jack's worried voice.
"It's okay," the archaeologist called back before Jack could say a word.
"What is it?" Sam asked cautiously.
"Puff adder," Daniel replied. "I'll be right back." He walked off with the snake and Sam stood gaping in amazement.
"Don't be bothered by serpent," said Tobe lazily.
"Excuse me?" Sam asked, looking at the young man wading out of the shallows.
"Sir Pent," said Tobe, enunciating the space between the two words. "That's what Katie calls him. He turned up two weeks ago, and again several days later. We can't quite figure him out."
"You can't," Sam said flatly.
"You see, the natural habitat for a puff adder is the scrublands, brush and suchlike," Tobe explained, briskly toweling off and pulling on loose khakis. "After the first time he showed up, Daniel started teaching the students and undergrads to throw knives, just in case he wasn't around and there was an . . . incident. It's harder than it looks," said Tobe, wrinkling his nose. "I'm not very good, but then I don't have to be. Katie is."
A smile appeared on Sam's face as she noted Tobe's blissful expression whenever he mentioned the young woman. She turned over this new, startling information about Daniel in her head. "Did he say where he learned it?" she asked, curious.
"On a dig in Central America, about ten years ago," Tobe replied. "Why, didn't you know?"
Sam winced a little. Daniel had many talents the rest of SG-1 was only now finding out about - now that he was gone. "No," she said softly. "I had no idea." Just as she'd had no idea about the fighting. Somehow, when she wasn't looking, her 'little brother' had turned into a warrior. A sudden fission of fear struck her. He had become a warrior, but had his spirit changed? The generous, giving, sweet-natured man who had been her friend had somehow been lost to the distanced scholar-warrior who had taken his place.
Gazing out toward where Daniel had carried the snake, Sam relaxed marginally. Stunning the snake rather than killing it was a quintessentially "Daniel" action. But even so, he had changed, and she hadn't noticed.
Pulling on the rest of her clothes, Sam made her way out past the dig, following Daniel. When she caught up with him, he had just set the snake down and slowly, smoothly, backed away, to avoid startling the still-dazed reptile.
"Daniel?" she asked quietly, keeping a sharp eye out for other dangerous desert creatures.
He turned to her with a small, strained smile. "Sam," he said. "What is it?"
Sam took a breath. "Can we talk?"
Daniel looked sharply at her. "Of course," he said.
Sam waited for him to come to her, and together they started walking away from the oasis, in the direction of the Dead Sea.
"I want to apologize," she said softly. "I know there were some things happening with the team that I was partly responsible for. Some things that made you think you had to leave."
"I did have to leave, Sam," Daniel pointed out gently. "The Stargate Program was my life, but after everything that happened this year, I couldn't stay. I'd break if I did." The last was said so lowly that Sam barely heard it.
"I know," she murmured. "But I want to set this straight. I know there was a - a split between you and the Colonel, and I think that it was partly my fault. The whole zatarc issue clouded everything between us, and to a degree I stopped doing my job."
Daniel looked at her sharply in shock. "Sam, you never-"
"But I did," she interrupted. "I wasn't as professional as I should have been, wasn't as distanced as I needed to be."
"When have any of us ever been as distanced as we're supposed to be?" Daniel asked bitterly.
"You are now," Sam said gently, unsure if she was treading on shaky ground.
Daniel's good arm wrapped around his rib-cage in a self-hug. Sam flinched, but Daniel's gaze was focused on the ground, and he didn't see. "I didn't have a choice," he whispered.
The two walked in silence for a while.
"I didn't even realize I was doing it," Daniel admitted softly. "At first, I was sure it was something I had done. I know I didn't help the situation, on Euronda. And with the Enkarans. But I had to keep doing what I felt was right, even if I was no longer able to do my job."
"Daniel?" Sam was confused.
Daniel laughed a little, a sad, acrimonious sound. "Sam, we've turned into a fighting unit, rather than a first-contact team. I learned what was necessary to survive."
What was necessary. Sam hated that phrase with a passion. It should never have been necessary.
"And you were fighting all of us," Sam murmured. "I'm so sorry, Daniel."
"What for?" Daniel was surprised.
"For not supporting you," she said.
"It's all right," Daniel replied, clearly dismissing it.
"No!" Sam's vehemence took Daniel by surprise. Her throat was starting to clog, her eyes tearing up. "No, it's not all right. I just rolled over instead of standing up with you, even when I knew you were right. I'd forgotten that I could disagree with impunity. I'd forgotten that having an opinion isn't grounds for court-marshal. And by not saying anything to support you, I ended up supporting the Colonel." Sam shook her head, blinking back tears. "And I lost all respect for myself by caving like that."
Daniel sighed. It all came back to his estrangement from Jack. With any other team, Hammond would have split them up long ago, rather than let them try - and fail - to work it through. The reason for that was when they were all in agreement, all in balance, SG-1 could pull off the impossible.
But this, now, was impossible. He'd never known the true depth of his friendship with Jack - never known that if it should fall apart, it would take the team with it. He'd thought they could weather any storm, but apparently, he was wrong. And even after everything had crumbled around him, he thought they'd still be able to work together. But for some unknown reason, Jack's respect for him had dissolved with their friendship. Daniel felt ill.
"I don't know what to do," he admitted.
They had reached the beach now, the heavy salt air brushing their skin as they gazed over the dark water.
"What do you mean?" Sam asked. The stars and moon were shining, glinting off the waves.
Daniel shrugged. "I love it here. I love the work."
"But?" Sam was gentle, coaxing, praying that she would hear something that would tell her that Daniel would come back to them.
"I miss . . ."
The words were barely whispered, almost lost in the breath of wind that gusted over them.
"I miss the way we used to be," Daniel said, stronger. "We can't get that back, ever. And I can't go back to the way things have been this past year."
Sam felt a ray of hope.
"I just want things to move forward," Daniel finished, slumping to the sand.
Sam sat down next to him. "I'm sorry, Daniel," she said quietly. "I'm sorry for not being as good a friend as I should have been."
Daniel sighed. "Teal'c pretty much said the same thing."
Sam was surprised. "And the Colonel?"
Daniel shrugged. "We talked - but I don't know that we solved anything."
Sam frowned, but Daniel didn't see it. The sound of singing carried on the wind, and Daniel turned back toward the camp. "Looks like it's time to go back," Daniel murmured.
"Daniel - "
He turned to her, and she read the question in his eyes.
"Are we okay?"
Daniel was silent for a long moment, considering the question from all angles. "I think - " he paused, waiting a moment, before he smiled. It was a little smile, but enough to fill Sam with hope. "I think we will be."
Sam grinned, and then threw herself at him, enveloping Daniel in a hug. He was stiff and resistant at first, but slowly relaxed into it, his arms coming up around Sam, returning the gesture. For a moment she just clung, breathing in his smell, hoping that she would be able to hold tight enough to keep him with them.
He gently disentangled himself after a few moments, a tiny smile on his lips, and Sam smiled back. It wouldn't be easy, but there was hope now that they could move past the disaster of the last year, and become a team again.
They walked back to the camp, talking quietly of the goings-on in Colorado Springs. Sam told him of Cassie and Janet, of the latest discoveries through the gate. Both carefully avoided speaking of the events of the last few hours, more involved in discovering that their friendship had not deteriorated as much as either had feared.
By the time they slowly circled the oasis and returned to camp, Sam and Dan were pleasantly easy in each other's presence in a way they had not been in over a year. Things between them were not fully mended - they could not be, in so short a time. But the healing had begun, and begun well.
As they approached the fire, they could hear the noise of the fiddle die down, soothing the wind and becoming softer, like the whisper of a lover. Sam sat down on a log between Daniel and Teal'c, with Jack on Teal'c's far side.
The firelight made Ziv's fiddle gleam a deep wine color. With his eyes closed and his face relaxed, consumed by music, a part of the flighty scientist was revealed that few ever saw. His absorption in the melody was complete, and the sounds produced by the battered instrument fell lightly through the air, enthralling and soothing.
"He's fantastic," Sam murmured. Daniel nodded, and Ziv blinked, looking up as the song finished. He grinned as the archaeologists clapped enthusiastically.
Without lowering the instrument, he began a new song, one which Sam vaguely recognized. Daniel stiffened as the chords began, recognizing one of Louie's favorite songs.
Michelle caught on to the song quickly, and Ziv winked at her. With that cue, the grad student opened her mouth and began to sing, her voice rising softly, molten and golden, through the chill evening air. Ziv's bow caressed the strings, and the song was so pure and emotional that it brought tears to several eyes.
April, come she will
When streams are ripe and swelled with rain.
May, she will stay,
Resting in my arms again.
June, she'll change her tune.
In restless walks she'll prowl the night
July, she will fly,
And give no warning to her flight.
August, die she must
The autumn winds blow chilly and cold.
September, I'll remember,
A love once new has now grown old.
Sam blinked back her tears, and saw the soft look on Teal'c's face as he recalled his wife. She glanced over at the colonel, who roughly wiped his face. Catching Sam glancing at him, he whispered an aggrieved "What?"
Sam shook her head, a small smile playing about her lips. She turned to Daniel, about to comment on the music. Sam was taken aback by the raw grief on Daniel's face. Without a word, the archaeologist turned from the fire and slipped away.
Sam half-stood, but sat when the Colonel rose quickly to his feet and motioned for her to stay put. Her C.O. disappeared into the darkness, following the noise of his friend's passage.
Daniel fled the campfire. He'd heard the song before, occasionally. Louie had requested the melody once or twice, Simon and Garfunkel being among his favorite artists. He'd been able to keep his emotions in check previously, but now his feelings were too close to the surface, and the song hit him hard, dredging up both wonderful and terrible memories. He felt the tears running down his face from a loss that was always present, and rarely acknowledged. Choking back a sob, he sat and finally gave in to his grief.
He was alone for only a few minutes when he heard the noise of someone following him. He shot to his feet, knife in hand, before he saw Jack emerge from the darkness, hands high. "Daniel?" the other asked gently.
Forcing back his tears, Daniel replaced the knife in his boot. He remained on the ground, wiping his face ineffectually.
"Are you all right?" Jack's word were careful, neutral.
Daniel snorted. "No. I will be, though."
"Wanna talk?" asked Jack. Concern shone brightly from warm brown eyes.
Daniel looked up in surprise.
Jack sat next to him, and pulled Daniel to him in an embrace. Daniel just sat there, not shrugging him off, but not accepting the motion, either. "Was it the song?"
Daniel was surprised at Jack's perception. "Not entirely," he admitted quietly. The silence next to him was questioning. Jack was pushing, now, shoving his way back into Daniel's life. He wasn't backing down. Daniel shivered at the realization, and then couldn't seem to stop. Jack gathered him closer, rubbing his back and making soothing noises. "Stop," he whispered before he could hold it in.
Jack sat back, surprised. "Stop what?"
Daniel tried to pull away, but Jack wouldn't let him. After a moment he stopped struggling, knowing that there was no way he would win with one arm immobile. His head hung, defeat written all over him.
"Daniel. Stop what?" Jack demanded.
He was met with silence.
"Daniel."
The archaeologist said, "Stop - this. Just stop. I can't - "
Abruptly Jack understood what Daniel was saying. The younger man had never had any defenses against him, until Jack had started pulling back, pushing him away. He'd had to learn hard and fast how to toughen himself to survive. Now, Daniel was afraid that Jack was pushing himself into Daniel's life only to leave, once more.
"Jeez," Jack whispered, horrified at the realization. "No, Danny. Dear god, no. I would never do that to you again. I'm not going anywhere. I won't leave."
Daniel's eyes were dull. "Don't make promises you can't keep, Jack."
Jack sucked in a breath at the blow. He'd done his damnedest to bring Sha'ure back, as had Daniel. Both had failed, and felt that failure keenly. Daniel turned shocked eyes on him.
"No," he breathed. "I didn't mean - no, Jack." Suddenly the archaeologist was clinging to Jack, trying to offer the comfort that Jack had extended to him. Jack wrapped his arms around Daniel, refusing to let go.
After a few moments, Daniel loosened his grip and sat back a bit. Jack saw tiredness in his eyes, and hated himself for putting it there. "Danny?" he asked.
Daniel turned away. "It wasn't totally the song," he muttered to the wind. Jack had to lean forward to catch all his words.
"I pushed it away, ignored it, for a long time." Daniel's voice was quiet, his pain contained. "It always hurts. It never stopped hurting. God!" he gasped, pushing at his eyes with the heels of his hands. "I miss her. So much," he whispered brokenly.
Jack rocked him, holding the young man close. He knew that ever since he'd pushed his way past the wall Daniel had erected around his emotions, the younger man had been raw and sensitive - which was why Jack had spent the day keeping a close eye on his archaeologist. Now, everything was coming to the surface.
Daniel slowly pulled himself together. Jack helped him to his feet, and led him to the chopper, where he, Sam and Teal'c were bunked. Daniel didn't say anything, and his compliance as Jack wrapped him in a sleeping bag scared the colonel. The archaeologist was emotionally drained, on top of being worn down from his injuries.
Teal'c approached the chopper while Jack watched Daniel sleep. "O'Neill," the Jaffa said.
"Hey, T." Jack rubbed his face tiredly.
"I will take first watch," the Jaffa said. "You will sleep."
"Um, I was -" Jack trailed off, seeing the raised brow over Teal'c's stern expression, which brooked no argument. "I was - just going to sleep," he finished weakly.
Sam entered the chopper as Jack was climbing into his own sleeping bag. She saw Daniel sleeping, Jack pulling up his own bedroll next to the exhausted archaeologist.
Things were far from normal, but it was the happiest sight she had seen in a long time.
- - - - - - - - - - -
I would like to formally acknowledge the several protests lodged against the cut-off proposed ch. 24. I checked, and that's the actual point. I would absolutely love to be open to bribes, but I'm afraid reality isn't that nice. I can simply beg you all not to abandon me now that the end is in sight (sniff, sob!).