A/N: Alright, here's the last piece to this story. It is actually a flashback to when John and Daniel were kids. John is 12, and Daniel is 17. (I got their ages from the Stargate Wiki). I had thought about putting flashbacks in the actual story, but decided against it, and then realized seeing the boys when they were kids would be a good way to wrap it up. Enjoy!

Epilogue — Always

1982

Daniel was reading as he walked — something Diana continued to warn him against ever since he fell down the stairs not long after he'd moved in when he missed a step because he was distracted. He didn't have as many accidents now, not since he'd learned the house well enough to know where everything was. This time, he was startled back into reality when he was plunged into darkness after stepping into the bedroom he shared with John.

Furrowing his brows, Daniel flicked on the light and looked around the small room. The sun had just gone down, but the curtains were drawn — which was why it was so dark with the lights off and door shut. He didn't see the younger boy now though, which caused the teenager to frown. Diana had sent him up to get John after he got back from the library so they could help set everything up for dinner before Paul got home from work, so he knew John was here — or was supposed to be.

"John?" Daniel's voice wasn't loud, and there was an uncertainty to his tone.

When he didn't get a reply, he moved further into the room, shutting the door behind him. Once he'd gotten inside a few more steps, Daniel sighed.

Nestled in between the dresser and desk — where you wouldn't see him from the doorway — was John. He was sitting on the floor, with his back against the wall and his knees pulled up to his chest. His eyes were fixed on a spot in the carpet.

But Daniel knew the younger boy was aware of his presence; he'd seen him hunch in on himself more. Taking a deep breath, the teenager bit his lip unsurely before setting his book on top of the dresser and squeezing himself into the small space next to John on the floor, matching the younger boy's posture.

"Cozy," Daniel commented wryly.

John didn't say anything, but Daniel could feel the tension running through him.

"Any particular reason we're sitting on the floor?" Daniel asked lightly.

The younger boy's shoulder's moved up and down quickly in a shrug.

Nodding slowly, Daniel's voice was nonchalant. "You know it's almost dinnertime?"

Daniel heard John swallow before the boy nodded.

"So…" The teenager trailed off, not knowing what to say next.

Because they were squished together between the two pieces of furniture, Daniel could feel John's squirming, even though he was trying to hide it.

"Did something happen today while I was gone?" Daniel asked quietly, his voice barely audible.

But his words froze John. Immediately, alarm bells started going off in Daniel's head. They calmed when he realized that Diana would have warned him if it was something serious. She had given him a heads up the day he got back and had a new roommate — a John Doe they knew nothing about.

Even after almost two months, John still didn't talk much, didn't offer up any information about his past or who he was, but he had started to relax more, even have fun — especially a couple weeks ago when Paul and Diana took them to the fair, where John fell in love with the ferris wheel. He was still shy around Diana, still timid around Paul, but he was good with Kelly — would play with her — and had even started to have conversations with Daniel — mostly about books, which was why Daniel had helped him talk to Diana and convince her to let John get his own library card, so he could go with Daniel sometimes and check out his own books.

Right now, though, Daniel was reminded of the boy who couldn't sleep and barely spoke when he first arrived — and closed off even more when Diana tried to get him to talk. This wasn't the smiling kid watching cartoons with Kelly when Daniel left this morning.

"Mrs. Jenkins came by."

The softly spoken words got Daniel's attention, and he turned his head to look at the younger boy, who was now staring at his hands. But he didn't say anything; he'd learned sometimes it was best to just let John process things at his own pace.

"To talk to Diana about school." John's voice was a whisper, but Daniel still heard the anxious tremor.

The teenager let out a long sigh. He'd known school was starting soon, but he hadn't thought about what that would mean for John. It had been hard enough getting the younger boy the library card, and Daniel knew that process was nothing compared to getting registered at a new school — he'd had his own issues with it after moving in with Paul and Diana, and he had all, or most, of his records.

John didn't say anything else. He didn't have to. Daniel knew both Mrs. Jenkins and Diana had tried to get him to open up again. Which explained why the younger boy was hiding out in their bedroom.

"They gonna let you pick a new name?"

His lame attempt at lightening the mood got John to finally look over at him. Daniel sighed when John's eyes were screaming at him, but despite that, he could feel the younger boy's taut muscles relaxing somewhat.

"I'll take that as a no?" Daniel drawled.

John's mouth twitched, one corner beginning to tug upward. "My name is John."

Daniel rolled his eyes. "Fine. Don't tell me."

Now, John was starting to smirk.

Nudging the younger boy, Daniel told him seriously, "You'll be fine."

Turning his head back to look at the carpet, John nodded slowly. "Yeah…"

"Hey." The teenager nudged him again, getting John to meet his eyes again. "The high school is right next door."

"So?" John shrugged.

Rolling his eyes, Daniel shrugged back. "So… I'll be next door." When John furrowed his brows, Daniel was the one who looked away this time, but only for a moment. "Look… New schools are hard… But… If you need…" He shifted uncomfortably, but finished with a steady voice. "Anything… I'm there." Daniel shrugged again, trying not to fidget under the younger boy's intense scrutiny.

"Why?" Though his gaze was intense, John's voice just sounded confused.

Daniel opened his mouth, but the paused, and took a deep breath, scrunching his face up in consternation as he chose his words carefully. "Because…" he finally started simply. "We're brothers."

Raising his eyebrows — to the point they were almost hidden by the unruly mop of hair Diana was itching to trim up — was the only outward reaction John had. Though Daniel did feel him tense up again.

Sighing, Daniel turned his own gaze across the short distance to the bunk bed they shared on the opposite wall — where John had hung pictures of airplanes and helicopters and Daniel had hung notes he'd copied down from books at the library. "Look… Things could change anytime… I've been in plenty of different places, with different people, since my parents died… But…" He took a deep breath and looked at John. "But… You and me?… We're brothers… Nothing changes that."

Watching the turmoil in John's eyes was like watching waves crash against a rocky shore on a stormy day. But there was a light there too. Slowly, the younger boy's mouth began to twitch into something resembling a smile. "Yeah?"

Smiling, Daniel nodded. "Yeah. Always." He held out his hand, grinning when John clasped it and agreed, "Always."

A/N: I hope you all liked this epilogue, and the story! It is officially complete. This story was a lot of fun for me to write. I enjoyed getting to explore John and Daniel's relationship, and including a few others along the way too. This is a 'verse that will most likely continue. I've already thought of a couple more short stories I'd like to write in it. Anyway, thank you for reading! As always, reviews are greatly appreciated!