After several hours he heard furious scuffling and hoped one of the traps had caught something. He grabbed his Bowie knife and then sprinted to the oasis.
He found a large rabbit caught in the snare he'd set under a pile of branches. He grabbed the animals by its ears, carefully avoid the long teeth and kicking legs, and quickly slit its throat. He let it bleed out before hauling it back up to the hut to skin. He'd already built a fire pit, with the grill laid over it. Wood and kindling had been gathered and some set under the makeshift barbeque grill. He'd have to rig some kind of turning spit later.
He skillfully skinned and gutted the animal, cutting it up to make a stew. He figured Arwen would find a stew easier to eat than grilled or fried meat. He got out the small pot he had, put in the meat and some water and set it over the fire he'd started earlier. Within a few minutes, the aroma began to make his mouth water and his stomach rumble. He'd already had to tighten his belt in one notch in just a few days, so he was looking forward to something besides MREs.
He set the pot off to the side to simmer the tough meat and went into the hut to check on Dr. Jago. She was just beginning to stir when he entered.
"I must be dreaming. I smell something cooking."
"No dream. We're having rabbit stew for dinner. I came in to get some vegetables from the MRE kit to add to it. It should be ready in about an hour."
"Rabbit? There are rabbits here?" Arwen was struggling to sit up.
"Well, they look something like rabbits. Their body and tail are more like a cat's, but they have the face, long ears and long teeth like a rabbit."
"Daniel, could you help me up? I've had enough lying around and need to move."
"I think you should wait until we eat. If you sit up now, you might get tired and not be able to sit when it's time to eat." Daniel rummaged through the MREs and found some dried veggies. "I'm going out to check on dinner. Be right back."
Daniel was back in the hut within a few minutes. "Should be ready in about thirty minutes or so."
Again, he dug through their meager pile of possessions and found their mess kits. He opened both and set aside everything except the large plates and the spoons.
"I don't know anything about you except what you do for work. Do you have a family?" Daniel hoped that if he kept her talking she'd forget about her discomfort.
"Sure, everyone has a family." Dr. Jago had only been working with SGC for about a month and didn't know anything about Dr. Jackson other than what he'd told her earlier. She wasn't aware that he hadn't had a family since he was eight years old, except for one year on Abydos.
"I grew up in the San Fernando Valley, near Los Angeles. I have two older and two younger brothers – with absolutely horrible Tolkien names. We had a pretty average childhood, both sets of grandparents and numerous aunts and uncles and cousins all lived within an hour's drive. Went to school, played, fought with my brothers – we just did normal stuff." She had no idea how unfamiliar "normal" life was to Daniel.
"You aren't going to tell me your brothers' names?" Daniel was grinning in the dark because he knew some of the Elvish names were terrible.
"You sure you're ready for this? OK, Annunglinioin Jonathan, Numendringion Joseph, Maegisilion Alex, Vanwabelethion Wesley. We always used their middle names."
"I can just see your mother standing on the porch calling her children in from playing!" Daniel was laughing at the picture in his head.
"You know how usually you know you're in trouble when your mom uses your middle name? Well, my brothers always knew they were in trouble if my parents used their first names!"
"What about you? Is Arwen your first name? What's your middle name?"
"My full name is Arwen Jane. I got lucky and my brothers have never forgiven me for it!"
"Anyone ever call you AJ?"
"Not if they wanted to breathe through their nose again! I usually went by Jane. I got teased too much if the teachers called me Arwen."
"Is it all right if I call you AJ? I like that."
"Only if I can call you DJ!" Her chin went up in challenge.
"Deal. But you'll be the only person who can. And only when we're alone."
"Alone?" She looked around as if searching for other people. "That shouldn't be too much of a problem."
There was a moment of silence as both scientists remembered the situation they were in.
"I'll, uh, I'll go get dinner." Daniel picked up the plates and spoons and left the hut.
After they'd eaten, Daniel scrubbed the dirty dishes with gravel and gave them a quick rinse with a little water. He put some more wood into the fire and settled nearby relishing the quiet and the warmth of the fire.
He could hear AJ moving around inside the hut and debated with himself about going back in. She settled the debate when she appeared at the door of the hut and slowly walked over to him.
"You really shouldn't be up, or out here. It's cold and you're still sick."
"I just couldn't stand to stay cooped up another minute. I won't stay long. I promise, Mommy." Her voice was light and playful.
Daniel blushed at her teasing words. Jack had been the only person in his life who'd ever teased him and he wasn't sure how to take it.
"You ever spend any time in the desert?" Daniel was watching the star splashed night sky and remembered that on Earth the best places for stargazing were the desert, the top of a mountain, and the middle of the ocean.
"Just a couple of spring breaks in Palm Springs, but we weren't exactly there to enjoy nature…well, maybe the nature of the human male, but not mother nature."
Daniel raised his eyebrows and looked at her over the top of his glasses.
"Um, a little too much information?" She snickered back at him.
"I, um, I guess…well…yes!"
She laughed and rolled her grey eyes at him. "Hey, I grew up with four brothers! They were so over protective that I had to show them I could do what I wanted to as soon as I got out from under their thumbs. I was a little wild in college."
Daniel thought briefly how different she was from Sha're. Sha're had been quiet and shy with him at first. As they grew comfortable in their marriage, she was loving and gentle. AJ was definitely more outgoing and openly fun loving. The though of how much time they might be spending together before getting home flitted briefly across his mind before he shook it out.
Daniel looked back at her and even in the flickering light from the campfire; he could see that she was rapidly tiring.
"Let's get you back to bed. You shouldn't overdo it or you'll be sick again." Daniel stood and helped support her back to the hut. He gave her a couple more aspirin for the pain in her ribs and as soon as she was tucked into her sleeping bag her breathing slowed and Daniel knew she was asleep.