A/N: Sorry for the long wait! I seem to upload my chapters right before new episodes.. and tomorrow is another big one! The 200th episode of SG-1. I am very happy to see the return of RDA, even though this is just going to be a silly (as in humorous) episode. For the heavy drama/angst type thing, we all have the upcoming one to look forward to!
Huge thank you to Rinne for volunteering to be my beta! And Lennie, for now, for editing chapters 1-6! Though I never would have gotten around to doing this whole thing right if not for the helpful, constructive, and above all, encouraging reviews.
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It was the day after receiving the call supposedly made by Daniel. While O'Neill wanted to leave immediately to track down their missing friend, Carter managed to convince him they needed some information before rushing into a situation they knew nothing about. Rationally, O'Neill understood this, but it didn't make it any easier to accept.
So it was with surprise that they discovered the house they traced the call to was as innocuous as it first appeared. The same could be said of its occupants, where deep background checks revealed absolutely nothing sinister about them.
"Sir, this doesn't make any sense. Why would Daniel be calling from the home of a couple of retirees?" Carter asked, perplexed at this turn of events.
"That could just be a cover," O'Neill said, though his expression remained uncertain.
"I've been through every channel and contacted every source I could think of, none of them reported anything unusual with these people."
While they mulled over this, Teal'c stepped in with a question he had wanted to ask since this begun. "O'Neill, what did Daniel Jackson say to you?"
O'Neill shrugged and ran a hand through his hair. "He said he called the wrong number." At their looks, he added defensively, "Hey, for all we know, it could be some sort of code!"
Teal'c and Carter exchanged a look. Teal'c raised a brow as was customary when he was puzzled. "What code would that be?"
"How should I know? I barely understand half the things he says when he isn't trying to be so damned mysterious."
Carter thought she detected a note of frustration rising in her CO's voice. The only reason she was not questioning her CO was the fact that she knew, truly knew, that he was not the type to let wishful thinking take the place of reality. Considering, at times, she had trouble following the reality as seen by Jack O'Neill. In this case, she knew his mind would not make Daniel up just because he wanted it to be him.
"There is only one way to find out how Daniel ended up with them, Sir."
"Carter, I like the way you think. Let's go meet these nice folks face to face."
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"Excuse me, ma'am. Could we have a moment of your time?" Carter asked, feeling for all the world like a bad salesman. The team decided to let her do the talking as, it was finally agreed, she was the least intimidating of the three.
The elderly woman who answered the door eyed the major and her companions for a moment, and then, apparently satisfied, she waved them inside.
The house was small, but brightly lit by the mid-morning sun through large bay windows on one side. A slightly older man who was seated inside looked to his wife questioningly.
"Would you like some coffee?" she asked as she gestured for them to sit on the sofa.
They shook their heads in the negative. The woman seemed about to offer them some other refreshment when O'Neill interrupted, the agreed on plan to let Carter ask the questions entirely forgotten. "We just need one thing, actually. Have you seen this man before?" He pulled out a picture of Daniel out of his breast pocket.
The couple exchanged a look, then turned their gazes speculatively on the team. A minute of silence went by as each weighed the other before the couple both seemed to reach the same decision.
"Is he in some sort of trouble?" the man asked.
"He was such a sweet boy," the woman said, a beat behind her husband.
"No, why do you say that?" Carter asked of the man, surprised.
It was the woman who answered. "He seemed like he was running from something. We didn't want to pry, he was so-"
"Sweet, yes. He always was a hit with the ladies," O'Neill said. "Where is he now?"
"He left early this morning, in quite a hurry." The couple exchanged another look, then the woman continued before Jack had a chance to ask the obvious, "He didn't say where."
O'Neill sighed, running a hand through his hair. He fancied he could feel another strand turning gray as they talked.
"Are you people his friends?"
"Indeed," Teal'c answered in his low rumble. "We have been trying to locate Daniel Jackson for some time now."
The couple looked startled. The man said, "Daniel Jackson? We must be talking about the wrong man then, he told us his name was Nathan."
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They left the couple's residence with more questions than answers. At least they could be fairly certain Daniel was okay. Names aside, it was too much of a coincidence for it not to be Daniel.
"Maybe he is going by an assumed name," Carter suggested.
"Why has he not contacted the SGC before now?" Teal'c questioned.
O'Neill frowned. "He still hasn't, actually. He called me, left a hell of a cryptic message after disappearing for two months, and not even a 'hi, how's it going? Oh, I'm still alive, by the way.'"
Was it her imagination or did her CO sound peeved and a little hurt? "It may be that he is being followed and knew the line was not secure." Her brow furrowed slightly. "It could explain why he's going by Nathan. Maybe whoever is following Daniel hasn't figured out his connection to the SGC."
O'Neill brightened up at the possible explanation, but then his expression darkened. "And we might have just given him away by showing up."
"It was just a speculation, Sir."
"It all comes down to finding him. Any ideas?"
"We were told he appeared to have been traveling on his own for quite some time."
O'Neill raised a brow, unconsciously imitating his friend. "What's your point, T?"
"How far could he travel with no means of transportation and limited currency on hand?"
"Excellent! I knew I brought you along for a reason," he said, a plan already forming. "So let's assume--"
Carter coughed while Teal'c remained expressionless. O'Neill paused mid-sentence and rolled his eyes. "I meant that your contributions, nay, your very presence, to the team is too invaluable to leave you behind," he said with exaggerated formality.
"So what about me, Sir?" Carter asked in a teasing tone. The fact that Daniel was alive and they were finally doing something constructive to bring him home lightened their mood of the previous months considerably.
"You look harmless and old people like you."
"Thank you, Sir," she said dryly.
"You're welcome. So, he must have somewhere in mind to head for and I'm betting it's the SGC. Do we try to follow or wait for him back at the base?"
Carter said, "He must have thought it worth the risk in contacting you, even though he's only a day away by ground transport. He might need our help."
O'Neill nodded in agreement. "Then lets go find him."
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It really was logical to see that the only means of getting anywhere on a limited budget in a somewhat timely fashion -all without proof of identity- would be via a bus. Carter was surprised that the Colonel was the one who thought of it first.
They spread out once they reached the terminals. Teal'c to question the tellers, Carter to see to the drivers and other employees, and O'Neill circled the crowd, hoping to see a familiar face.
"Sir!" yelled Carter from across the lobby, waving a piece of paper. O'Neill, along with quite a few other men, turned to her direction. She ducked her head, ignoring the curious looks, and made her way to O'Neill's side.
"Colonel," Carter said as she handed him a schedule. "If Daniel's really heading back home, there's only one way he could get there from here, via this route." She pointed to the relevant section on the paper. "There's a transfer at Fort Worth leaving at 1445 hours. We might be able to catch up with it if we leave now."
"Let's just make sure that we do, shall we? Go find Teal'c and see if you can arrange a plane for us," he said as he pulled his phone out. "I'll see if I can't keep that bus from leaving the station until we get there."