Jack found himself once again standing outside of Daniel's room. He had brought breakfast as an excuse, but in truth his conversation with Carter had left him spooked and he needed to see Daniel. He needed to make sure his friend was okay. He'd seen Teal'c on his way to Daniel's room and asked him to keep an eye on Carter, then set out to check in on the archeologist.

Whereas normally he would have just walked in, Jack decided in this case he should knock. Perhaps under the circumstances, it would appropriate to give Daniel a little more privacy than was his usual habit. He balanced the tray in one hand, knocking firmly with the other.

When there was no sound from within the room, he knocked again a little harder. Janet had given Daniel a pretty strong sedative to help him sleep, it might take a minute for him to react. Still, there was no sound coming from within the room.

With a muttered, "Privacy is overrated," Jack fished out his security card and swiped it through the box next to the door. The light turned green and he heard the click of the door unlocking. He turned the knob and slowly swung the door open.

It was dark inside. The light from the corridor illuminated the bed, revealing it to be empty.

"Daniel," Jack called out softly as he opened the door. Setting the tray on the table next to the door, he flipped the light on. The room wasn't that big, it didn't take him long to see the pile of blankets in the corner.

Grabbing the phone, he called Janet before rushing to kneel next to Daniel.

He didn't know what to say, what to do.

Gently pulling the blanket away he found Daniel huddled there, pressed into the corner. The now delicate face was white and the skin cold and clammy, despite being bundled into the covers. He patted the cheek, trying to rouse him.

Daniel slitted open an eye and peered up blearily, "Jack?"

"Hey, big guy," He almost stumbled over the words, but kept on. He thought Daniel probably needed some normality right then, some reminder of who he was. "Bed too soft? I never did like those government issue mattresses myself."

Daniel gave a moan, half way between a laugh and a sob, "I don't think I can do this, Jack."

"Come on, Daniel, I know it's hard..."

Daniel gave a vehement shake of his head, his silky hair covering his face,"No, you don't. You don't have any idea what this is like. My head is saying one thing, and my body is saying something different. I don't know how to deal with this."

Jack was infinitely relieved that Janet chose that moment to arrive, because he had no answer for his friend. She knelt next to Daniel on the other side.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, placing cool fingers on his wrist.

"I can't even tell you that, Janet." Daniel answered hollowly.

Jack was chilled at the hopelessness he heard in Daniel's voice. Daniel always had hope. No matter what else happened to him, he had hope.

"I do know hard this is," she said, "at least medically. You're getting conflicting signals and you don't know how to respond. I'm going to give you another sedative, you need to rest and from the looks of things, you didn't get much of that last night. But after that, the best thing for you is to get up and move around. You need to get used to the signals your body is sending you. Your brain needs to start processing them and get used to the way things are, instead of the way it thinks it's supposed to be."

"I don't want to get used to this, Janet." He looked up at her with pleading eyes. "Are you going to be able to find some way to reverse this?"

Janet glanced over at the colonel and he saw the despair in her eyes, but she masked it quickly and answered Daniel, "I'm still working on it. In the meantime, you have to get back into bed." She pulled a hypodermic from her pocket, giving him the sedative before he could object.

Gamely, Daniel tried to struggle to his feet, but Jack could see that it really wasn't going to happen. Without even asking permission, Jack scooped Daniel up bodily.

Daniel's eyes opened wide, startled. Then his mouth thinned in indignation, "Shit, Jack, put me down. I'm not helpless."

Jack grinned as he set Daniel down. He maintained his hold on Daniel's elbow as he walked on unsteady legs to the bed. Sitting down gingerly, he looked up at Jack shyly, "Thanks, Jack."

Jack smiled grimly, "Anytime, buddy."

Daniel lay down, pulling the covers up around his chin. Within seconds he was asleep again, a sweep of hair framing his… her face.

God, what were they going to do?

Janet sat on the edge of the bed checking Daniel's vitals quickly. She sighed, "He'll be okay, at least physically. It's his mental state I'm worried about."

"I know. I've never seen him like this, so helpless. I've seen him take the worst the Gou'ald have to offer and get up for more. This has him pretty rattled."

"Colonel, you can't even fathom the differences between men and women. We're not just men with breasts."

"I don't think that..."

She held up a hand to stop his protestations, "I know. But this is a change that affects the very essence of who Daniel and Sam are, how they perceive themselves and the world." She paused trying to form the words, "Everything that Daniel has experienced in his life has been as a man: he thinks like a man, he reacts like a man. Now, to suddenly wake up in the body of a woman. I can't even really imagine what that must be like. I just think we're going to have to take this slowly and be patient."

"I understand that..."

She cut him off brusquely, "No, colonel, I don't think you do." Her voice softened as she continued, "But I do know how you feel about Daniel and Sam. I know you'll be there for them."

"Janet," he asked the question he'd been dreading, "are we going to be able to reverse this?"

She shook her head, "I told you yesterday, colonel, I can't find anything to reverse. There's no sign of how this was done to them. There's no virus for me to cure, there's no nanocytes for Sam to reengineer, there's nothing for me to remove or put back. There's no sign of any invasive procedures, there's nothing for me to do. Unless we can go back to that lab and find the reversal there, there's nothing I can do."

"Oh, God. Then this could be..." Jack couldn't say the words.

"This could be permanent, Colonel."

The despair he felt was reflected on her face.

Spending the day watching Daniel sleep wasn't the most exciting of pastimes, but Jack stayed at his friend's side. Sam and Teal'c looked in on them from time to time, but Daniel never stirred. Jack just sat at the table, flipping through a magazine pretending to read, but he didn't really see the words, mostly he thought about what this change would mean to his team.

It confused him to even try to think of Daniel as a woman and Sam as a man. Their gender was basic to who they were, and the way people treated them. How was this going to affect them? And how was this going to affect them on a mission? Daniel was clueless as a man to the way people reacted to him, the subtle attraction that nearly everyone had to him. How were they going to deal with him as a drop-dead gorgeous female? We're peaceful travelers, indeed.

And Sam was used to being a little more aggressive, to being a little more aware of the things around her because she was a woman. They'd had a few close calls over the years of men trying to take advantage of her. What if she lost control of all that pent up aggression on a mission? He had seen the way she reacted in the commissary without even being aware of it. It could be bad, very bad. It was damn sure it would be a while before SG-1 went out on a mission in their present state.

It was nearly time for dinner before Danielmoved again. He stirred and stretched, then sat, taking in the room, Jack sitting at the table. "It wasn't a dream then?"

"Sorry, Daniel, no." Jack watched as Daniel's eyes welled with tears.

Almost angrily, Daniel rubbed at them, "Shit," was his succinct reply. He drew the covers up over his shoulders,trying to hide; whether from Jack or his own body the colonel couldn't tell. "How's Sam doing?"

Jack shrugged, "You know, Carter, any reason to research. She's happy as a clam."

"And I'm the basket case. Seems typical."

"Dammit, Daniel, that's not what I meant."

"I know, Jack." He took a deep breath, trying to hold back the tears. "I just… God, I just… feel everything. Is this what it's like to be a woman?"

Jack smiled, trying to be encouraging, "You'd have to ask Carter, she's going to be here in a little while with dinner."

"No! Jack, I don't want anyone to see me like this." Daniel was horrified at the prospect.

"Daniel, it may be… a… while before Doc Fraiser figures this." Jack tried to use logic, it had never worked withthe women in his life, but it was worth a shot, "You can't stay in here forever." He waved a hand to indicate the VIP room.

"I can try," Daniel asserted stubbornly.

Okay, that was good. He was still stubborn, a prime Daniel attribute. "Whatever. Carter and Teal'c are still bringing dinner. Now, how about you shower and change clothes? You'll feel better after you've gotten out of those sweaty clothes."

Daniel looked doubtful, but he pulled the blanket around his shoulder more securelyandstood. When he wobbled, Jack started to move to help. Daniel turned a forbidding glance in his direction and Jack sat back, studiously flipping through the magazine. Trailing the blanket behind him, Daniel made his unsteady way to the bathroom, shutting the door firmly behind him.

Daniel leaned against the door once it closed behind him.

Hell.

Now that he was in the bathroom, he really did need to take a shower. Rank didn't even begin to describe the way he smelled, but he wasn't looking forward to it. He was going to have to face this change in himself in the most intimate of ways. Somehow he had a feeling that Jack had maneuvered him into the shower, knowing just that.

Catching a glimpse of his new face in the mirror, he was caught, studying his own reflection. Blue eyes peered back at him, anxious. Those were the same; but everything else was different, like he was looking at himself in a carnival mirror that distorted everything. The curves of his face was softer now, with high cheekbones and feathery soft eyebrows, his hair was longer and curled under softly at the ends framing his face.

Turning away from the mirror abruptly, he cursed softly. He was trapped in the bathroom with a face that wasn't his. That was probably the worst thing about the whole change. Daniel Jackson no longer knew who he was.

As a man he had his demons and dark places, but he also had friends and work. He had had a wife whom he loved desperately even after her death. They defined him and made him who he was. Now, this change had taken all of that from him. He no longer knew where he stood with Sam and Teal'c and Jack...

He just wanted to find some deep dark place and hide until the whole thing went away. He could feel the tears welling up within him and he wanted to curse, scream, throw things. Even his emotions weren't his to control anymore. They had changed everything about him and he didn't know himself anymore.

He eyed the shower distastefully. He really, really didn't want to do this,but he needed it. He hadn't done more than splash water on his face for two days and his odor was approaching toxic levels. Slowly, reluctantly, he peeled off the scrubs Janet had given him and dropped them to the floor, nudging them away with a toe. He tried to avoid noticing the smooth skin of his arms, the swell of breast, the unreality of his new body.

Turning the water up as hot as he could stand it, he stood under the stream, wishing he could wash the nightmare away. Let this new person swirl away down the drain with the bubbles. He tried not to think about it as he picked up the shower gel and squeezed a dollop into the washcloth. With resolve, he washed himself as quickly as he could, barely skimming his body. He'd known himself so well, he'd been comfortable as a man. He liked being a man. Somehow he'd never thought about being a stranger to himself, not recognizing any part of himself.

Showering was supposed to be simple. You got wet. You washed. You were done. But even washing his hair was different. When he lathered his hair, there was more of it than he knew what to do with. He'd never had hair this long, even when it was at it shaggiest in Abydos. It was even longer now, brushing past his shoulders. He despaired of getting all the soap out of it.

Finally, he was done, clean and soap-free. He was gingerly toweling himself dry when he realized that he'd left his clean clothes on the other side of the door. He considered the clothes he'd been wearing, but he just couldn't put them back on. They were just too gross with the stink of two days worth of stress and worry layered into them.

He could just ask Jack to hand him the clothes, but that would entail an explanation about underwear. He knew Jack had been married and had probably dealt with female underwear before, but Daniel just couldn't deal with the thought of Jack and his underwear in the same sentence. It was wrong somehow.

Okay, there was nothing for it, he was going to have to brave the other room, and Jack, with nothing but a towel to cover his modesty. Suddenly it seemed too small by far.

Wrapping the towel securely around his body, he faced the mirror again to make sure all of his new important parts were covered. He tugged self-consciously on the edge of the material trying to cover his nether regions better. He expelled a breath in frustration. How did women cover themselves in the things? There just wasn't enough material.

With a deep breath he opened the door.

Jack glanced up from his magazine as Daniel walked out of the bathroom in nothing but his towel. His eyes widened in surprise and his mind blanked for a moment. It's not like he'd never seen Daniel in the buff, there was no place for false modesty in the military, but he'd never seen this Daniel in the buff. Tantalizing expanses of smooth skin were exposed and the towel didn't quite meet where Daniel had it tucked together under his arm.

Daniel caught him looking and scowled at him. Jack dropped his eyes to the magazine, but he felt like the sight had been burned into his brain. Don't think about it, Jack told himself. Think about other things – Senator Kinsey, Harry Maybourne, those little replicator things that kept trying to kill them.

"Not a word, Jack," Daniel said dangerously.

Jack really didn't think he could speak, so it wasn't a problem at all. He just shook his head, his hands raised, his eyes studiously glued to the magazine.

With a snort, Daniel picked up a clean pair of sweats. There was a flash of white as he tucked something else into the bundle. Then he turned on his heel and escaped back into the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind him.

Jack had to smile. Daniel definitely had feminine theatrics down.

Thanks to everyone who's reviewed ;-)