Chapter 13
The next time Jack opened his eyes, he wasn't on some alien planet. He wasn't at his home or at his cabin.
He found himself back at the USAF hospital.
Being in the hospital made him worry, his mind bringing up images of all that he and Daniel had gone through with the shrinks, and the aides, and the madness.
Then he remembered the planet, the people…
But he wasn't there. He was on Earth. He was safe. They were all safe. It had to be a dream…
Turning his head slowly, his gaze settled onto Carter. She was curled up on a chair by his bedside, pretending to be intrigued with the magazine she had in her possession. But Jack knew better. Her face was a battleground of worry, fear, and guilt.
"Carter," he managed to say, defying the dryness of his throat.
Her head shot up, her eyes brightening as she gazed at him. Tossing aside the magazine, she scooted her chair closer to him, taking his hand into her own. "Sir," she said happily, squeezing it.
Sir. Jack thought he'd never be so happy to hear that one word.
Happy. Really happy.
So happy, in fact, Jack didn't want to take his eyes off her. This was his Carter. This was the woman that was strong, capable and one of the best soldiers he could have under his command.
Carter didn't give up once her mind was set. She'd never give up on him.
It made him feel guilty over the delusion he'd been living…It was a delusion, right?
Jack studied her closely, suddenly doubtful that any of this was really happening. Maybe he was still on that planet. Maybe he was in a lab being dissected. Maybe he was drugged.
Jack eyed the IV suspiciously. Returning his gaze to Carter, he lifted his head and opened his mouth to try to speak, but she shook his head.
"Don't speak," she told him. "Just listen. I know you have a lot of questions."
He frowned, but obeyed, settling back down into the bed. He had a ton of questions to ask, but his mind was still too muddled to fully voice what was on his mind, especially when his thoughts left as soon as they entered him.
"Do you remember what happened on the planet?" she asked him, still holding onto his hand supportively.
Jack couldn't honestly say either way. He'd had flashes. He knew he'd been shot. Something happened to Daniel. They'd been escaping some castle and had been separated, he and Daniel ending up in some of the forested areas around the settlement. Then, it was weird. He'd been hallucinating? Something about ten years. Teal'c. Where did he go? Where was Daniel?
"Sir?" she asked, concerned.
Swallowing hard, he stared at her to let her know he was alright, and lifted his hand to wave it a little, telling her he only had limited understanding of what had happened. Carter understood.
"You ordered us to get to the Stargate, you remember that?"
Jack nodded. They had to get to the Gate. The Decreed or whoever were attacking.
"The Aria were under attack. At this time, we weren't sure whether they could be trusted. You ordered us back to the Gate. But, we came under fire half way there. You and Daniel were separated," she said sadly.
He remembered running. They'd been in the castle when the first shots had blasted the main castle. In the labs? Yeah, the labs. Daniel had dawdled, talking to that Ayi woman, but they'd left in the end. Running for the Gate.
"The Decreed were everywhere, Sir." Carter ran her fingers through her hair and sighed. "They had gained access to some of the Aria's weapons and had even developed some of their own."
He remembered Lofar or someone talking about that. Damn, things were mucked up good.
He motioned with his hand for her to continue, impatient with her pacing.
She smiled sheepishly. "We made it to the Gate and brought reinforcements. I know you didn't want us to get involved militarily but…"
We don't leave our people behind, he finished for her, repeating the mantra in his head.
He nodded, letting her know she did the right thing. He could tell she felt guilty, that she somehow felt this scenario was something reflecting on her command capabilities.
He squeezed her hand in return, making sure she understood.
"We're lucky we found you when we did," she told him, her voice small. "It…"
She never finished. He frowned.
"I know we can't talk about this now, Sir, but I think we should reconsider our position with the Aria."
He raised his eyebrows, wondering where Carter was going with this line of reasoning. Sighing, she withdrew her hand, shoving her arms between her legs as she carefully considered her words.
"They sacrificed so much to get us home," she said quietly. "High Lofar did what she could before she..."
Reading her face, Jack realized just exactly what she was trying to tell him. Damn. He squeezed his eyes shut, running over what he could remember of the mission over and over in his mind. Could they have done better? Could they have done it differently?
"We think they saved you, Sir."
He opened his eyes, his gaze falling to the two small slender devices in her hand. She rolled them over, exposing tiny metallic pricks on the underside.
"Hemmir?" he croaked.
She nodded again. "They're medical devices. They're used by the Aria to treat their patients. They're used in place of an anesthetic." She paused, closing her hand and pocketing the devices. "The doctors will keep monitoring you for any lasting affects. Ayi promised to tell us more, if we decide to enter negotiations with them."
There was always an "if." Always.
But she never told him why he had been wearing one. Just by glancing at Carter, he doubted she really knew either.
When he tried to remember, and tried to make sense of everything, all he could see were other images.
He remembered fighting. He remembered blood.
The sound of a volley of shots rang through the air, slicing through the serene crispness of the cool morning sky. Grunts, screams, and silence.
Satisfied, Jack did a quick survey of the area. He'd taken out all of their pursuers, as far as he could see. But there would be more. They had the advantage of knowing the terrain, whereas he and Daniel didn't. But if they could find a place to lay low, then maybe they could make it out of this alive.
That hope dashed immediately as Jack found another four of the enemy bearing down on them. Some had staff weapons. Others had what looked like dart throwers.
Jack and Daniel continued to run, knowing that they were entering deeper and deeper into the woodland. This next group seemed to be faster, closer.
He could feel them nearby. It would be close.
Another staff blast whizzed by his head, while yet another singed Daniel's arm. To his credit, Daniel did not cry out, and bit his lip, keeping as quiet as possible. But even now…
Jack turned to Daniel. Daniel turned to Jack. In that moment, they knew the end was at hand. At one time, Daniel might have held a flustered expression of panic, or shock, or even openness as he searched for Jack's guidance, but now, his eyes held the pain of their grim reality.
Daniel wasn't going to die here. Not today. Not on some alien world where no one would find them.
Aiming his P-90, he fired again, knocking out the four pursuers as they faced them down. Only, Jack was so determined on the four men that were charging through the forest, he missed the two that were aiming from the hilltop. Aiming for Daniel. Catching sight of them just in time, Jack pushed Daniel out of the way and fired.
He wasn't fast enough. Just as he fired and took out both of the men, one of them fired a staff weapon, and hit his mark well.
Grunting with pain, Jack fell to the ground. At least, he told himself, he'd spared Daniel.
Gasping, Daniel rushed to Jack's side, pressing his hand on his abdomen. Jack could feel the blood gushing from his side, the staff blast having only nicked him, barely cauterizing the wound.
The world was going hazy, foggy, but through his pain Jack saw that one of the fallen wasn't so dead after all. He fumbled for his P-90, but Daniel beat him to it.
Filled with rage, Daniel dropped to his knees, tossing aside his berretta and grabbed Jack's gun, firing with brutal anger into the forested landscape. There was a sharp cry from the distance as the final enemy fell, rolling down the hill. But not before he managed one last shot.
Daniel yelped, stumbling back as the dart embedded itself deep into his chest.
Daniel, he remembered. Where was Daniel?
Carter looked as if she would tell him more, when Pete walked into the room. Jack was surprised to see him, but had to admit he was touched by the concern even this man seemed to be holding. Passing a small wave to Jack, he handed Carter a cup of coffee with his other hand, and came to stand behind her.
Jack hadn't much time to appreciate Carter's presence or the support Pete was giving her. Not long after they walked through the door, a nurse came in the room, followed by another doctor Jack didn't recognize.
Just by the looks they were giving Carter and Pete, he knew that visiting time was over.
Teal'c? Daniel?
"Everything is going to be okay," she told him, forcing a smile. She reached over and squeezed him warmly. "I promise to tell you everything that I know. And Teal'c will, too. But the doctors need to keep your wound clean."
He didn't care about the damn wound. He wanted answers.
But before he could get them, Carter was ushered out of the room, and he was stuck back in doctorland.
Ironically, it happened to be the drugs pumping through his system that brought him the dreams, and the truth he'd been waiting for since the very beginning.
Daniel panted hard, dragging Jack through the forest, while attempting to keep himself upright, and keep the pressure on Jack's wound. The two of them stumbled over the underbrush, tripping and falling several times. But Daniel was driven, and relentless, never letting go of Jack, pushing him onward.
Finally, Jack could take the pain no more, and buckled. Daniel tried to drag him farther, but Daniel's own wounds proved to be too great. The two of them fell, alone, isolated in a foreign forest on an alien world.
Jack's breathing was haggard. He could feel the warmth leaving his body, his limbs going numb. He'd lost quite a bit of blood, and his mind was starting to shut down from the shock. He'd experienced a lot of pain, turmoil and torture over the years, but in the end he was only human, and could only endure so much.
This wasn't going to be his lucky day.
Moaning, his world fading in and out of black, Jack struggled to hold on longer, to keep his wits together. Through pockets of clarity and consciousness, he could see Daniel fighting his own battle. He was sweating, pale, the dart still unceremoniously jutting out of his chest.
There was more pressure on his side. Jack recognized Daniel was trying to halt the flow of blood, using what little strength he had to concentrate on Jack.
More blackness. More fading. He heard Daniel speak to him.
"Jack. Don't sleep, Jack."
Daniel, as if for the first time realizing he'd been shot, grabbed the dart and tossed it aside. Then, quickly, he shucked off his jacket and started to rip off his shirt. Jack could only stare, mesmerized by Daniel's blood soaked hands, and the purplish ring on his chest that had started to swell.
"Just stay with me, Jack," he demanded, grunting as he ripped his shirt into pieces. When he was finished, he slipped his jacket back over his goosepimply skin. "You're not dying, okay?"
Jack thought he nodded, but he couldn't tell. He knew the wound was bad; he felt the chills and the heat playing a nasty game of cat and mouse through him. He knew things weren't going to end well, even with Daniel dressing his wound. He knew he was slipping.
Then he saw the things. Hemmir? Those things from the medical labs.
Daniel started coughing. His sweat soaked hair clung to his head; his hands shook of their own accord. In his haste, he nearly dropped the devices he'd brought with him.
"I-I don't know if these will work on us," Daniel told him, offering a small smile as he clicked the piece into place. Jack felt a stinging, almost like the memory device, but the pain quickly faded and blended with the rest of the aching through his body. "It's possible that it doesn't work on human to human physiology the same way."
Daniel was hesitating. Jack could see as much even through his muddled vision. Daniel's strength was waning, and he looked tired, very tired. His trembling hands paused in front of his forehead, his eyes fearful but determined as his gaze centered on Jack.
"Can't sleep. Need a distraction," Daniel mumbled, holding onto the object tightly. "Need to focus. Listen to me. Stay with me, Jack. Stay."
With that, Daniel snapped the final piece to his forehead, and Jack found their world forever changed.
Later that evening, when Jack woke, he found himself staring into the darkness, upward toward the ceiling. If he'd been well, bored, he might have tried to do something useful. But now, he was just tired, weighed down with all that had happened on Aria.
Missions go right. Missions go wrong. That was life. That was the story of their lives.
SG-1 always had a record for defeating the odds. Hell, how many times had they saved the world? He'd started to lose count.
Now that he'd moved on, and SG-1 continued without him, they still defeated the odds and came out victorious. But he supposed that even the luckiest people, or even the luckiest man, had to run out of time at some point.
No one lives forever.
Jack had thought it was his time, that his luck had finally run out on him. It probably had if not for…
Damn him.
Jack wanted to be angry with him, but he couldn't. Daniel aggravated him to the very end, but Jack often found he enjoyed the irritation.
If that made any sense.
It didn't matter anymore. Though, part of Jack held onto the fact it was unbelievably difficult to kill Daniel, and just maybe Oma had taken some kind of perverted alien mercy on him. Daniel had a way with aliens, after all.
He laid like that for a long time, thinking about aliens, his friends, his life. He mulled over his past missions, back when he first joined the military, back to his life with Sara and Charlie, and then to his life after the first Abydos mission.
So much had changed. He started out as a protector for his family. Then a protector for his team. Now, he served as protector of the SGC, and Earth security itself.
Life was simpler back then. Jack didn't like to think these thoughts, preferring to shove it all aside, and get the job done. But there were times that even he couldn't fight all the thoughts that entered his mind.
He hated to be still.
The darkness began to lift slowly with the light of the new morning poking through the blinds behind him. It left a strange, ribbed affect throughout the room, lighting everything afire, like an Ancient light show. The soft glow passed over the bed, himself, the watercolor paintings on the wall, Daniel, the table, the…
Daniel?
He was hovering over him, a soft, shy, but sad smile touching his lips.
Jack lifted his head, making sure he wasn't dreaming. Nope, there was Daniel, waiting patiently for him to speak, his arms crossed over his chest as he cocked his head.
Go Oma.
"Daniel," Jack finally said, unable to tear his eyes off the deceased man.
"Hi, Jack."
He blinked. "You were dead."
"Yeah." Daniel pursed his lips, and shifted uncomfortably. "But only for a few minutes."
Only a few minutes? For crying' out loud…Wait.
"So…not glowy?" he asked.
"Noooo. Drugs, Jack," Daniel said, snapping his fingers in front of him. The sound made Jack jump, and jerked him back to reality, forcing him to watch. Daniel was sitting by his bedside, a book open and half read on his lap. "I'm seeing pink elephants myself," he joked.
This was not a joking matter and that said a lot coming from Jack. Frowning, he eased himself into a sitting position, eyeing Daniel carefully.
The man looked like crap. He was still pale, with dark circles around his eyes, circles so dark that not even his glasses could hide them. Jack even thought he saw a slight tremble to Daniel's hands as he closed the book in his lap. But by far, the most jarring thing for Jack was the fact Daniel was calmly sitting in a wheelchair.
He motioned to him, waving his head vaguely to the IV and the chair. "What's that?"
"It's a wheelchair."
"Don't be a smartass," Jack warned, but his voice betrayed him. He had to force himself to stay cool, even if he was glad that Daniel hadn't died died, or gone to Omaland.
"I still have some traces of poison in my blood," Daniel confided. "It's…temporary."
Oh. That would be a good reason.
"How?"
"How did they save me?" Daniel asked for him. Jack nodded. "Ayi, the woman in the castle, the one that helped us…you remember her, right? She had this long—"
Jack cut him off with a circular gesture, urging him to get to the point.
"Right. Well, the Aria had been developing anti-toxins to fight the weapons carried by the Decreed. She handed them over to the medical team that came through the Gate, if I recall correctly. That's what I've been told. I don't remember any of it, being dead at the time."
Jack scowled at him. Not funny.
"We actually got pretty lucky," Daniel said quietly, dropping his gaze to his fingers. "Sam and Teal'c had great timing. Another few minutes and we…
"Not we. You." After all these years, Jack could see through his game of words. "I was going to make it. Because of you."
Daniel didn't reply to that comment. Jack really hadn't expected him to try. He might hold a bit of arrogance when it came to his studies, and to all the knowledge he'd accumulated over time, but when it came to heroism or selfless acts, Daniel had trouble acknowledging them.
It irritated the hell out of him.
Jack smiled.
"You took a staff blast for me," Daniel said, his gaze moving to Jack's bandaged side. "I guess we're even now."
"Maybe," Jack said.
Not that he believed it. Just as Daniel would probably never feel enough is enough, neither would Jack. They'd never be even. Not the two of them, not even the four of them: he, Daniel, Teal'c, and Carter. It was a never-ending cycle.
But it was enough for Daniel, at least for now. He grew silent, bowing his head as his face depressed into a myriad of wrinkles.
Jack felt uneasy. He knew, just by the look on Daniel's face, they were about to stray into uncomfortable territory, that place Jack hated to visit.
Daniel couldn't just let things be. He had to dig. He had to know. Even when Jack wanted answers, sometimes he knew when to stop. Now, after all these dreams or hallucinations were done, he had decided maybe he didn't want to know everything. He had enough answers. He was alive. Daniel was alive. Carter and Teal'c were alive. That is all he needed. He didn't want to dig anymore. Maybe a little lie or a fantasy was better than the truth.
What was important was that they were all alive. That's it.
"Jack," Daniel began, finally bringing his gaze to him. His eyes were intense, confused, and maybe even a little angry. "Why wouldn't you listen to me?"
The question that haunted his dreams within dreams, or more rightly so, his nightmares. Jack squirmed under Daniel's uncomfortable gaze, struck by the openness in his voice, trapped in a body that had been dragged through hell.
He didn't know.
"I…I tried. I tried, Jack. I tried to get through to you. I did whatever I could."
"What you did is go into my mind with those things," Jack said bitterly. "You went inside without my permission and you messed around with me."
Daniel narrowed his eyes, his cheeks flaring with color. "Well, I'm sorry, but I wasn't going to let you die."
"Besides the point." Jack knew he was losing this argument, but there was still the principle. The very principle of it. "You went in and what? Made some twisted fantasy where I was nuts? You broke up SG-1." Jack couldn't begin to voice his outrage. He hadn't wanted to go this route. He hadn't wanted to bring this to the surface. But Daniel asked for it. "You made my life a misery, and you don't even give a damn about it. Look at Carter. Look at yourself, for cryin' out loud! That's what you want? That's what you thought would be an amusing distraction?"
Daniel shook his head, his eyes wide with fury. "You son of a bitch."
"You created this!" Jack shouted angrily.
"No," Daniel said back, his voice tight and even. "No. You created it. You."
The accusation threw Jack, and he blinked in shock, trying to process what Daniel had just told him. Was Daniel calling him a liar?
Then he remembered. Daniel had called him a liar in the hallucination. Angry, Jack laughed, scowling at Daniel. He ignored the pain in the other man's eyes, and the doubt that was starting to swell deep inside of him. No way. Never.
"Right. I'm lying there dying, and the first thing on my mind is to give myself more stress. I'm not the one that used the little screwy things in the first place."
"Of course," Daniel said in response. His face darkened as he pushed the wheelchair away from the bed. "That was my plan all along. Why not? I've died so many times, what's another time? And while I'm at it, I'll just make up a fantasy where I've lost everything that's important to me."
"Drop the attitude, Daniel."
"No. You still won't listen to me. Not even now."
"Oh, I'm listening," Jack muttered. "But I don't like what you're saying."
"You don't have to like it." Daniel crossed his arms. "But it is what it is."
This was stupid. "So, you're saying that I wanted this fantasy? That I wanted to believe I'd been tortured? That I really wanted to walk out on everyone?"
"It wouldn't be the first time," Daniel muttered.
Low. Low blow. "Go to hell, Daniel," Jack snapped. "I didn't make up that whole nightmare."
Daniel sighed and dismissed Jack by glancing to the window. "Well, not all of it."
"Ah, you see? You just made my point."
"And mine."
"No." Jack winced from the pain as he moved to sit up straighter. "If I was going to play pretend, it would have been fun. Like fishing or something."
Daniel regarded him thoughtfully, his eyebrows raised, glaring at Jack in that knowing way of his.
Now, Jack didn't like what those eyebrows were implying. Not one bit.
"I tried, Jack. I thought of anything I possibly could that would make you happy or at least satisfied, so that we could communicate. You rejected all of it. This," he motioned between the two of them. "This is what you accepted."
"I'm not buying it, Daniel," Jack told him.
"It didn't work the way it should have," Daniel admitted.
Didn't work?
He bowed his head, taking off his glasses to pinch the bridge of his nose. Jack had always recognized that as one of Daniel's signs of stress. The reappearance of the action made Jack grow cold, made him reconsider the doubts that he'd shoved aside.
"For the empathic people of Aria, these devices create…" He pressed his lips together, searching for the right words. Jack always thought he paused too much for a linguist. "Lucid dreaming, allowing the doctor to work with the patient, while the two of them converse and dream up a whole new place. But for us…" He stared directly at Jack. "It…didn't work."
Jack stifled the urge to counter with, "ya think," opting instead to allow Daniel to see this through to the end. It was obvious to Jack now that he needed it, and maybe they both did, whether Jack liked it or not.
Daniel slipped his glasses back onto his face. "I did what I could, with the limitations you gave me."
Dammit, Jack thought. Limitations? Was he the one that had been confining Daniel in his dream? Was it true? Was it Jack who had been lying to himself all the time? The conspiracy, the medication, the road blocks he'd hit ever step of the way…Was that him? He rubbed his hands over his weary face, listening to Daniel as he continued to explain their ordeal.
"I broke through when I could." His gaze turned sad, his voice changing as it wavered. "I left signs…"
"Signs," Jack muttered.
"I can't remember them all," Daniel admitted quietly. "My mind…I couldn't always treat your wound and keep your mind stable at the same time."
Jack blinked. Just what had Daniel been doing?
Instantly, he thought of those times when he'd gone to see Daniel at the hospital. Good days and bad days, they'd told him.
While we don't like it when he withdraws like that, sometimes it's because he's trying to work out something mentally.
Or physically, Jack realized.
Damn, so much began to make sense to him now. He thought about the hotel, and the ride to the cabin. He thought about both of their illnesses.
Jack had been dying. Daniel had been busy.
Shocked, Jack tried to think of any other time where Daniel had drifted off and entered his own little world. There were so many times.
Could there have been more?
Closing his eyes, Jack sifted through his memory, trying to think of all the times Daniel might have tried to communicate, but had been shut out. As Jack remembered, and dissected the "month" he'd been trying to piece together his life, he realized that any event, any item, any thought could have been Daniel finding a loophole and slipping clues into his mind. Daniel could have tried the obvious, when he spoke to him, coming to him as frightful hallucinations, or he could have been as subtle as leaving him a certain book, saying a certain word, or changing the structure of his dream to suit his needs.
Hell, Daniel could have been there, involved in everything. Every single thing.
Dammit. He'd tried. Never underestimate his crafty side.
"What else did you do?" Jack asked, shooting a wary look over at Daniel. "What signs?"
"I don't remember exactly," Daniel admitted. "But I never gave up," he added quietly.
Daniel had always been a fighter, even in death. He'd fought through Jack's delusions, even when he should have been caring for himself, or calling Carter, or…
"That was you," Jack realized again, thinking back to the cabin, to the hotel. "Talking to Carter. You were talking to her on the radio."
Daniel nodded slowly.
Not only had Daniel left him clues throughout the course of the dream, he'd also blended reality into it as well, hoping to snag Jack into semi-awareness of the situation in order for him to hold on longer.
Daniel had left him so many opportunities to try and break through the lies, lies he fabricated like a tale from his youth, and Jack had been blind to them.
"Dammit," he muttered. These revelations only scratched the surface. How knows what else Daniel had left for him, signs that he had missed.
The two of them were quiet. Jack didn't really know what to say next. He was outraged that Daniel had the gall to go into his head and poke around, but at the same time he recognized that Daniel's involvement, both mentally and physically, was what had kept Jack going long enough for Carter and Teal'c to reach them.
Jack hated this. Too much gray. Everything was easier when it was black and white.
"Jack," Daniel said slowly, hesitantly, refusing to meet his gaze. "The-the delusion we were a part of…Is that how you think of me?"
Jack groaned, resting his head against the pillows while he pressed the heels of his palms against his eyes. "No, Daniel, that's not how I think of you."
"Sam?" he asked. "Teal'c? Because if you see Sam that way she's going to be ticked off when—"
"Daniel," Jack warned, moving to catch a glimpse of him. "Not a word. I don't see Carter that way. No."
Jack didn't know why he'd created the delusion that way. If he knew, he would have never been a part of this stupid fantasy game from the start.
"I have a theory," Daniel said abruptly.
Of course Daniel had a theory. Jack was uncertain whether to throttle him because he wouldn't stop talking, or to just revel in the moment, knowing that Daniel was alive with a sound mind.
"You need to be needed," Daniel said simply. "You feel more at ease when you know people need you, either to care for them or to protect them."
Angry and annoyed, Jack turned to glare at him. "Daniel, that's by far the stupidest thing I've ever heard you say."
"I'm right though, aren't I?" Daniel said more than asked, his eyes dancing with confidence. "You're afraid you aren't needed anymore."
"No."
"I think so." Daniel smiled, basking in his arrogance. "And I don't think you even realize it."
"You know, now I am sure I liked you better when you couldn't talk," Jack blurted out, regretting his words before he'd even said them.
Daniel paused for a moment, some of the color leaving his already too pale cheeks, but to his credit, he brushed it off with dignity. "I know you don't mean that. And I know you know I'm right."
His patience was wearing thin. "Daniel…"
"You never deal with your emotions. You never have. You just bottle them up inside and they fester there until you snap, in one way or another."
"It's none of your business. What's in my head stays in my head," he said with a glare. What right did Daniel have to go poking around up there anyway? "I don't want to hear any pop psyche from you, Daniel."
Daniel shook his head. "You can't just ignore it, Jack. You can't just push things and people away."
"Well, how would you like it?" Jack snapped. "How would like for me to tell you that you hide from people by burying yourself in your work? It doesn't take a genius to see that you study languages to try and communicate with people, but you're so scared of people walking out on you, that you force yourself to stay independent and keep everyone at arm's length. Add to that this unwarranted sense of guilt that you have and you're the perfect package."
With smoldering eyes, Daniel set his jaw. "That's not true."
Jack took pride in his statement. "Oh, you know it's true, don't you? You said yourself that I didn't make up the whole dream thing. So that means that you played a part in it."
"I didn't come here to argue, Jack.
"Changing topics, are we now?"
Daniel grunted, unlocking his wheelchair before heading for the door. Jack swore, cursing the weakness in his body from being shot.
"Hey, where do you think you're going? You're just proving my point!" Jack called after him.
"I'm going to get Teal'c," he replied tersely.
Teal'c…"Where the hell has he been hiding anyway?"
Daniel didn't turn around as he answered. "He went for a walk. He became upset the last time my heart stopped."
That was enough to make Jack's heart nearly stop. "Daniel," he said quietly.
When Daniel ignored him and continued on his merry way, Jack did the only thing he could think to do. He threw one of his pillows at Daniel.
The pillow smacked Daniel in the head, causing him to screech to a halt.
"What the hell's the matter with you?" Daniel asked, horrified as he bent over to pick up the pillow. "What are you, five? Did those devices suck out the last shred of intelligence you had?"
Jack smiled. He wasn't going to bother to reply. He knew Daniel didn't mean it. Besides, he wasn't man of words. He wasn't a man who could always voice what was on his mind. He was a man of action.
He threw another pillow, this time connecting with Daniel's face. Despite the softness of the pillow, the blow was enough to knock Daniel's glasses askew.
Jack had to chuckle at the sight.
This time, Daniel laughed, too. Not one of those pathetic wheezy laughs in Jack's dream fantasy, but a real, genuine laugh.
Sometimes that's all it takes.
Daniel started wheeling his way back to Jack, holding his pillows on his lap. When he reached the bed, he handed them to Jack, and settled back beside the bed. Daniel's face dropped its levity, and his expression became brooding, deeply troubled once again.
"You know…you know that no matter where you go, or what you do, whatever position you take, you'll always be needed. By us."
Jack knew. Though, he guessed that sometimes he still needed to feel it, to hear it, if not just briefly.
So, when Daniel went to speak again, Jack shook his head. There was no need for Daniel to say things to reassure him. He was a man of action, after all.
Squeezing him affectionately on the shoulder, Jack hoped he'd made his point. "I have an idea."
Daniel arched his eyebrows, intrigued. "An idea? You get those?"
Jack rolled his eyes. Motioning to Daniel's wheelchair, he grinned. "Can you get me one of those? We can go annoy some of the soldiers in the hallway and race to the cafeteria."
Daniel stared at him as if he'd lost his mind. Though Jack was no fool. He saw the sparkle in his friend's eyes.
"You know you want to do it," Jack teased.
"I'm not giving up my freedom to wheelchair races down the hall," Daniel said matter-of-fact. "Besides, I have something more fun."
"Oh?" Jack asked, skeptical. "Better than racing?"
Daniel nodded, wincing slightly, as he reached down and pulled out a box from under his wheelchair. A chess set. Amused, Jack watched as Daniel set up the board and started withdrawing the pieces. The first to make an appearance were a king and a knight.
Frowning, Jack eyed them carefully, finally beginning to understand, shocked to realize that deep down, Daniel was truly a man of action, too. Reaching out, he grabbed the two pieces, ran them over his calloused fingers and held them up to Daniel.
"Knight protects the King?"
A sly little smile spread across Daniel's lips. "Always."
Always, Jack repeated in his mind. He supposed that would work, and had always been the case in Daniel's own little way. In fact, all four of them had their own, unique ways. Just as long as the knight didn't get himself into trouble, Jack could handle it. Then again, that is where the king would come in and set things straight.
"Unless," Daniel started, bringing out more pieces, "he's protecting the Queen." His eyes gleamed with mischief. "But unless you dress in drag and have a hobby I don't know about, I think we're all set."
Jack glared at him, teasing him, as he put the two pieces down. "Cute."
Daniel's grin broadened. "I thought so."
"Hey, there you are." Carter admonished Daniel as she entered the room. Teal'c followed her, gently closing the door behind him. "Do you realize you nearly gave Doctor Wang a heart attack when he found you missing?"
"I left a note," Daniel said, placing the bishops on the board.
"It is not wise to anger Doctor Wang, DanielJackson," Teal'c warned. "He is most resourceful."
"I don't have this Doctor Wang, right?" Jack asked, with a half smile.
"You do not," Teal'c informed him. Was it just Jack or did Teal'c have a devilish gleam in his eyes? "You have Doctor Nichols."
"Much worse," Daniel mouthed to him.
Jack frowned. Peachy.
Both Carter and Teal'c approached the bed, Teal'c coming to stand by Jack's side while Carter hovered over Daniel. Glancing down, she motioned to the board.
"Chess?" Carter asked, stating the obvious.
"We're about to play." Jack pointed to some empty chairs. "Join us?"
"Okay, but I'm on Daniel's side," she said, slipping next to Daniel and wrapping an arm around his shoulder.
With a smile of his own, Teal'c nodded. "As am I."
"Hey, wait just a minute here," Jack muttered, feeling offended. He scowled at Carter, but turned most of his fury to Teal'c. "I can play just as well as Daniel."
There was a chorus of laughter from his old teammates, leaving nothing open for interpretation. Rolling his eyes, Jack just shrugged, but allowed a crooked smile to touch his lips.
So they set up the remaining chess pieces, the four of them, and enjoyed each other's company. Jokes, quips, and comments abounded, all leaving Jack feeling more alive than he'd felt in a long time.
Remaining behind, watching his former team go through the Stargate every day hurt him more than he realized, knowing that they could be in danger, or they could be having the time of their lives without him. He had the gray walls of the SGC, and the personnel that filed in and out on a regular basis, but it wasn't the same.
He longed for the old days, back when he was younger, when they were all younger, and hadn't become jaded.
He had learned to accept the change and knew the old days couldn't last forever. He would probably move on again, and Carter, Teal'c and Daniel would find new places in their lives.
Thinking back to the past few days, and what Daniel had done for him, what he'd done for Daniel, what Carter and Teal'c had done for the both of them, he knew that they were tighter than ever, and that distance couldn't break their bonds.
One thing would always remain and would never change. Their friendship would stay strong, for years to come, no matter where their journeys took them. The twisted, raw dream-fantasy that he and Daniel created would never come to pass. They would conquer their insecurities and their faults and come out better, stronger, wiser.
In the end, the four of them would remain a unit and nothing would ever change that.
Jack smiled, soaking in the content and happy faces of his one-time teammates, his long-time friends, his forever family.
There lives wouldn't just amount to a dream or a fantasy.
This unity of theirs…this was the true reality.
And that was just fine.
THE END
Thank you for reading and reviewing this story. I know that not everyone liked this tale, but then again it's not everyone's cup of tea. All the chapters lead into the ending, and I left clues throughout the entire text, from items to word choice, most of which should make sense after reading the story. That being said, thanks again for taking the time to read. I hope you enjoyed it!
