Author's note: First off I must thank all my kind readers, and reviewer's. Secondly I have to address a couple of issues. The first being, the long Hiatus, don't worry that should be the last. As of today, I have a month off. By the time I return to school, all my fanfic should be finished. Hey, I might even have time to start a new one. Thirdly, this is not a Slash. It is about Jack and Daniel, as friend's and enemies, not as anything else. Nothing against Slash, that's just how my story worked out. Fourthly, This is not a Daniel saved the world epic – I already stated that's what his wife did. Fifthly my chapters from now on will be significantly longer

Chapter 4:

After Jack spoke it all that Daniel could do was stare. Although Daniel with out his glasses couldn't see anything, no matter how long he stared. But he felt like the attempt was part of the journey, and it was disconcerting to say the least.

Shh! Jack warned needlessly, because of the gunshots, anything less then King Kong's roar would have gone un noticed.

Jack reached up, under his jacket, pulling a gun from his shoulder holster. Jack shoot over the mattress towards the door, blindly, too cautious to actually lift his head, over the edge. When he was young perhaps. Hell three year's ago; you would have had to physically prevent him from lunging over the bed, and taking on the assassin's in armed combat. But he had grown. Well not physically, after 50 the chances of that were pretty slim, but he had matured, at least he hoped, so. Hell he was here wasn't he? And even more importantly he was planning to apologize later. Now to say that he would actually make it that far, but he was planning too.

That alone was an achievement, talking to your ex-best friend was never fun, even lest so, when the lives of your entire mutual friend's had hung in the balance. Jack raised his head a little higher over the edge of the bed in the hope of spotting one or another of the assassin's, he saw two gun barrel's, change there direction, and point towards him. He fired one shot, and ducked down. Turned towards Daniel, just to discover, that Daniel was not were he was supposed to be.

'Daniel' jack whispered

'Right behind you' Jack swiveled towards the voice.

' Daniel was sitting there slumped against the wall, a case open besides him. Both the case, and Daniel's hand's held guns, lot's of gun's, and one grenade.

"There is a balcony on the other side of the window," Daniel said pointing at the window directly above him. Obviously neither of us can make it there innless we get a few extra second's' with that Daniel handed Jack the Grenade "through it true"

'When have I not'

"So you say'

Jack threw it, and then hit the floor. After the initial shock wave flooded the room with a heat wave, and an inexplicable shudder. Jack leaped up, Daniel n his groaning arm's. Daniel may have lost weight, since he was wheelchair bound, but Jack wasn't as physically young as he used to be – Hell he was never as young as he wanted to be.

Daniel now in reach of the window, shattered the glass (fire reflected in it) with the edge of his gun. Jack shoved him through, then turned towards the flames, One agent had already been engulfed the other, had survived. Like a cockroach, or a lawyer, and was now hurtling himself at jack, arm's out, Jaguar style. Jack tried to shoot him, but Daniel – through the window, beat him too it.

Even though both agent's were dead – the fire started by the grenade, still made the balcony the only exit option. So Jack claimed up to Daniel.

"What the hell was that all about?" Daniel asked/

"Your book I suspect?'

'But . . . But everyone knows about the stargate . . . Everyone knows what happens. The only thing I tell them, that they don't already know, is about the true hero's. The underling's. The SG unit's not the general, who figured he could handle it on his own and didn't warn everyone'

"I tried'

'I heard – but the president was never able to stop you before so why then'

'And before everything ended up perfect – all hug's and puppies?'

'Well at least not everyone died, before'

'You survived'

'One of the first shot's from the mother ship – crippled me for life, if you didn't notice – So it wasn't as if I didn't pay a price'

Both were screaming at this point, above the traffic, and the people, coming home presently dizzy from the bars.

"Well you became the hero'

"I didn't want to be and you know it" Jack bellowed.

Someone threw a bear bottle at there balconies, even though the last comment had silenced them both.

"Then why?'

"Because the government still wanted to keep the size of the stargate project secret, and they had no desire for the world to know how close everything was to ending, and how many people died to stop that. But most of all they wanted to make it clear that the United States was in control, that the military was in charge, not some Alien like Teoc. Then of course there was the most important element of the plan that your book revel's."

'Daniel had that patented one eyebrow cocked, expression on his face; and what was that?"

"That it was the U.S.'s fault in the first place'

"No, you mean your fault"

"Really as I seem to remember that patrolling earth has noting to do with me, I am not the guard at the Whitehouse, who should have kept something that was openly alien out, but didn't . . . I didn't make one of those mistakes or countless other's

"Shut up" Daniel didn't scream that, rather the 50-year-old Asian, women, her hair full of curler's bellowed it out her apartment window.

They both obeyed – well not completely, but they did get a good deal quieter.

'Well, I guess your right on that count' Daniel conceded, "Is that why you agreed to play hero. To burst public morale?'

Jack grunted ' well not exactly. See that was my ego speaking.'

'We have to get down' Daniel said.

"Why?"

"Were vulnerable from all sides – back up for our dear assassin's should arrive soon, and it should take me a good half an hour to get down the fire escape – with your help'

Jack smiled, and looped his arm under Daniel's. Daniel started jerkily forward, sliding on his bum. When all of a sudden he stopped.

'Shit –I forgot it'

"What? The book? I have it right here"

' No- my wedding ring, '

"Oh no'

'I know – my daily reminder of Sam, gone'

-To be concluded -