Davis bought him the news six months later. Daniel was packing up in his lab for another mission. He'd volunteered for every mission he could get lately. Now he no longer had a team of his own, he could go wherever he was needed. And the more dangerous a mission was, the more eagerly he accepted. He'd become scarred, a long white mark across his face, and harder, his muscles defined, shaped by constant work. And his eyes, behind his glasses, were guarded, and cold. The warm, loving, tolerant Danny had long gone.

Davis stopped by the lab.

"Any news on Teal'c?" Daniel asked, without looking up, stuffing items into his back pack.

"Nothing." Paul admitted. "Neither he nor Ishta have been seen this they entered Ba'al's territory three weeks ago."

"Then they're dead." Daniel told him. "Or as good as."

Paul winced, then, told him

"That wasn't what I came to tell you."

Daniel stopped packing, and looked up. Paul had changed too. Not just his promotion. His eyes were shadowed, always sorrowful these days, and he was tense.

"They found him." Daniel said, quietly. Paul nodded.

"In his cabin. Like you said. Frozen to death. He had Sam's dog-tags in his hand." Paul said, miserably. Daniel nodded.

"Sounds like him. Stubborn bastard." Daniel remarked, then went back to stuffing his back pack. He picked up his body armour.

"There's a rumour that there's super soldiers out there, so make sure you've got the ceramic plates in that." Paul said, unhappily, then turned to leave.

"Paul." Daniel said. Davis turned back. "None of this is your fault. None of it. The four of us, it was always all of us or none of us. It had to end like this."

"They carried on when you died." Paul said bitterly.

"But I didn't really die." Daniel said, gently, smiling a little, though it was without mirth. "Look, I'm just saying, do not blame yourself. I know you will, because it's in your nature, but don't."

Paul nodded, and left. Daniel reached out to a picture on his desk. It had been taken two years ago, by a passing stranger Janet had grabbed. The four of them, in a park, all side by side, but not alone. Daniel had his arm draped over Janet, and Cassie stood in between Sam and Jack. Teal'c stood at the end, grinning, for no good reason, with one of his ridiculous hats. They all looked so happy, so young, and alive.

Within six months of the picture, Janet was dead. Then Sam, then Jack, and now probably Teal'c. Daniel looked round his desk. Pictures of his parents, of Sha're, of Janet, and Sam. He was surrounded by pictures of the dead.

He carefully removed the picture of them in the park from it's frame, and put it in his breast pocket, next to his heart. Then, he remembered what Paul had said about the super soldiers. Slowly, deliberately, Daniel removed the protective ceramic plates that Sam had designed, from his suit.

Then he left, to join his friends.

THE END