Rating: G
Category: Angst, Drabble, Episode Related, Established Relationship, H/C (Emotional)
Pairing: Jack/Daniel, Jack/Jonas (if you tilt your head just right and squint, though I choose not to.)
Warnings: It takes place during Season Six, so mention of character (Daniel) death.
Season/Episode: Smoke And Mirrors
Spoilers: Foothold, Meridian, Smoke And Mirrors
Summary: Jack gets an unexpected moment of comfort after the events in Smoke And Mirrors.
Author's notes: Sort of came to me when Sam briefly mentioned during Smoke And Mirrors that one of the mimic devices mimicked Daniel. And Jonas really does try, he just happens to be there because of really crappy circumstances. (Really, really crappy circumstances.)
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Jack saw him through the open door of Carter's lab, looking completely normal and solid and real in a plaid shirt of all things. He was looking at his reflection in the side of something big and shiny laying on the workbench, his expression puzzled.
Jack cleared his throat and he jumped in surprise, turning to see who it was. Jack's breath caught as a wide smile blossomed on Daniel's face.
"Oh hey, I was just..." Daniel trailed off, motioning vaguely between himself and the big shiny thing. He grinned sheepishly. "The labels got mixed up, so I'm helping Major Carter find which ones are which before they get sent back."
The face was Daniel, the voice was Daniel, but it was all...off just a little. Like whatever made Daniel Daniel was missing from the package.
At Jack's confused expression, Daniel looked concerned, but it quickly cleared and he nodded a little. "Oh right, I'm still..." he said, then looked down and reached into the top of his shirt to something on his chest. A moment later, Daniel melted into Jonas and something twisted painfully in Jack.
Jonas looked at him and held up the something, which Jack recognized as one of the alien mimic devises. "Sorry, Colonel."
For the life of him, Jack didn't know what possessed him to do it. The words just seemed to bypass his brain as he entered the room and said quietly, "Put it back on." It was almost a question, a soft plea, and Jonas, looking a little confused and worried, slowly did so.
Jack stopped a foot from him as Daniel melted back into being in front of his eyes. Then he moved closer and pulled him into a firm hug before he could escape.
Daniel didn't feel entirely right, but the aliens were good at what they did, because Jack could swear he felt the soft flannel under his hands and against his cheek. The smell was off too, but there was enough coffee and academia overlaying it that Jack could pretend he smelled Daniel's soap underneath, and that shampoo that he always refused to give Jack the name of, laughing when Jack buried his nose in his hair and tried to guess...
It was some hopelessly obscure brand from a new agey organics shop Daniel had found while hunting down an elusive reference book. Jack knew because he'd found it hidden away, where Daniel was sure he would never find it, while helping clean out Daniel's apartment. It wasn't classified, so Jack smuggled it home with him and never used it.
Daniel hadn't used it since either.
Jack slowly let go, looking at Jonas who was smiling a little sadly with Daniel's face. He wished Daniel would reach out and stroke his cheek and tell him everything was going to be okay, but it was Jonas looking at him from behind Daniel's eyes and he didn't know what was wrong, though God help him he did try.
It didn't matter anyway, everything wasn't going to be okay.
Nothing would be okay until Daniel was there to say it was.
"Thanks." Jack whispered as he turned to leave, and Jonas nodded at him with Daniel's head.