They called him a cab and took him down to the front entrance in a wheelchair, something he'd always hated. He felt it made him look weak and not in control. He laughed ironically to himself; the fact was he was weak and not in control. He hadn't been in control since his team had turned their backs on him.

Oh, he'd desperately tried to maintain that control he was so used to. He'd rigidly forced his mind and heart to ignore, deny and hide – but all it had done was send him running – not a sign of control.

As they helped him maneuver into the vehicle, accompanied by numerous curses and groans, he had the feeling that things were about to change. How, he wasn't sure – he just knew that the running had come to a quick and sudden end. What happened next was anyone's guess.

"There you go Neil." Nurse Johannson handed him his small bag of possessions which he guessed the police had picked up after his accident. It was rather a pathetic collection of things – all that he thought important in his life. "You take it easy now and don't forget to keep your appointment with Dr. Fuller. He'll want to keep an eye on that leg. If you start feeling sick or notice anything unusual you come back in, okay?"

Just like he had so many times with Janet or Dr. Brightman or his new doc in DC he nodded, agreeing to everything. Only these people didn't know that that meant nothing. Jack would have to be on death's door to come back – in fact, he didn't even know if that would drag him in.

With a smile the nurse closed the car door and watched as the cab drove away. She couldn't figure out this man at all. There was something very wrong there, she just couldn't put her finger on it. Oh well, she said to herself as she turned and walked back into the hospital, my job is to look after his body. He needs someone else to help with the spirit. Her last thought, before turning her attention to her other patients, was that if anyone could do it it would be Molly Simkiew.

Jack looked at the scenery out of the window of the cab, impressed in spite of himself. Penticton was a pretty town, nestled in the midst of the Rockies. Some of the nurses had told him it was quite a tourist destination, with beautiful lakes and beaches. It had a clean, unspoiled look about it and lacked the frantic activity of so many of the places he'd resided.

Having lived in Colorado for years he was used to the mountains but admitted that it was much wilder here, much more untamed. For some reason, that suited his mood.

One of the things that had really surprised him was how warm it got here. Like so many Americans he always thought of Canada as cold, however it turned out that this mountain valley actually got really hot in the summers and was pretty temerate in the winters. That's why so many flocked to the pristine beaches and came with their children year after year. It also turned out that it was a huge wine growing region with award winning wines produced here. In many ways it was similar to northern California but with the backdrop of the mountains.

Right then and there he decided that if things went well he might even consider renting a place, once he was able to get around on his own, and stay a while.

It didn't take long for the taxi to arrive at his destination. It pulled up outside a small white wooden house. The house had a tiny porch with flowers hanging in pots from the front. It was a humble little place but had a charm of its own and was well looked after.

The cab driver helped him out and deposited his things on the front step. He watched as Jack laboriously hobbled on his crutches to the front door. O'Neill hated to admit it but knew he wouldn't have been able to look after himself. The short journey to the door just about killed him!

He knocked and heard the sound of footsteps walking slowly to the door. It opened and there stood the tiniest woman he thought he'd ever seen. For a moment he'd wondered if a child had answered the door but then took a look at the well-lined face and gray hair. Nope, this was a woman with many years behind her.

"You must be Neil. Come in, come in. Don't stand there – you might take root and I don't need a six foot tall beanstalk on my front porch."

"Six two" Jack muttered, hobbling in to the house.

"Oh, six two, eh? Well, we musn't forget those two inches. I know how important they are to a man! It's all about the inches!" She was laughing at him, he realized, although she hadn't cracked a smile. For some reason the ghost of Janet just walked in front of him. He gave a shiver and looked down at his hostess (way down, way, way down). "Come on then, I'll show you to your room. Susanna told me you need to rest as much as possible. Also told me to be wary of you – that you're a sneaky, stubborn one. Is that true?" She turned and looked Jack in the eye – or chest rather – she really couldn't reach his eyes!

"Uh …" Now what does a person say to that! "Probably", he figured he might as well tell her the truth.

"Yeah, I can see that. Well, I'm used to sneaky boys so don't be getting up to any tricks or I'll take the spoon to ya." Jack actually cracked a grin at that. The thought of this tiny little woman beating him with the back of a wooden spoon tickled him. In surprise he realized that was the first time he'd so much as smiled from amusement in a long, long time.

"Here's your room. The bathroom is down the hall to your right. I've cleared some space in the medicine cabinet where you can keep your shaving gear and such. For the first few days you're to stay in bed, except to use the bathroom. I'll bring you your meals. Once you're on your feet" she looked down "or I should say 'foot', you can join Christopher and me for supper. Let me know if there's anything you don't like – not that that'll mean much to me – you'll eat what you're provided! I don't hold with picky eaters! Kids have to learn to eat what they're given!"

That was the second smile she'd coaxed from him. The thought of being called a kid and told to 'finish your vegetables' was very amusing. It had been many years since anyone had tried to do that. No, on second thought there was Daniel. He'd actually acted like a bit of a Mom on more than one occasion. The thought gave him a bit of a jolt but he refused to let it bother him right now.

"Well, go on. Whatya waiting for? You plan on having me carry you over the threshold?"

"Uh, no Ma'am", he answered. "I was just thinking this is very nice." And the fact was, he was telling the truth. The room was plain but it was bright and cheerful. Through the open window he could see the beautiful view of the lake with the mountains behind it. He could also smell the fragrant autumn air coming in through the open window. Yes, this was more than nice, it was … soothing. He could feel a terrible weight lifting from his shoulders. He hobbled into the room and sat on the bed. Molly came over.

"My, you're a polite one aren't you?" her voice sounded softer. "Your mama must have taught you well." Jack briefly thought of his mother who had been gone for many years. For the first time in a long time he missed her. He snorted to himself – yeah, this place must really be affecting him if he had a sudden wish for his Mom to be here.

"Come on, let me help you." He looked at her in doubt. He really didn't see how someone so … little …. could help him. He was a big man, even if he was on the wrong side of skinny. Obviously she was tougher than she looked. She reached down and lifted his legs, cast and all and swung them on the bed. It forced him to move his upper body around until he was laying flat. She then reached down and undid he shoe and took it off.

"There, that's better. You just rest and in a little while I'll bring you something to eat and drink." She reached down and gently stroked his forehead, moving the hair from his eyes. "You just don't worry about anything my dear. Molly is here and I'm gonna look after you."

Jack looked up at the wizened face above him and sighed. For the first time in a long while he felt safe. It was funny really. With all the dangers that he'd faced in the universe, a four foot something little old lady made him feel safe. As his eyes drifted shut he thought again of Janet. He was sure her spirit was here somewhere.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Did you find anything?" Daniel asked, pacing around the small room. He, Teal'c and Sam had all crowded into the guy's hotel room and Sam was looking it up on the Internet. He was pretty sure the 'silver capital' of the US must be in either Nevada or Arizona.

"Yeah, it says here "Wallace, Idaho".

"Idaho? You've got to be kidding. You're sure it's not in the southwest somewhere?"

"No – it clearly says that Wallace is the silver capital. Actually, it says 'of the world'. And it's not surprising Daniel – it is mountainous up there."

"Okay, but why in hell would Jack go to a place like that. Do you think he knows anyone there?"

"Maybe, or maybe he's not going anywhere in particular."

"What? You mean he's just aimlessly driving around America?"

"Yes. He and I talked about it once. We said we'd like to take our bikes and see the country. We thought it would be nice to see what we've spent all these years protecting." Sam was a little embarrassed even talking about this. Oh, she knew her friends had been aware that she and Jack were 'exploring' things, but no one had actually come out and said anything. This was the first time she'd alluded to the fact that she and Jack had discussed having a life together.

"Okay. I guess I can see Jack doing something like that. So, how big is this 'Wallace'?"

"Not very big at all. It looks like the population is under 1000. If this is where he is – or was – it shouldn't be too hard to find someone who's seen him."

"Yeah – unless we find more people who are planning to protect him. For a big, fierce guy he has more protectors than a three year old."

It was true. Jack had a way of either really pissing people off or making them fall for him hard. He had more friends – and probably more enemies – than anyone she knew. She guessed that was the mark of a truly good man.

"So, I guess we'd better get going." They'd contact Thor and have him beam them someplace close where they could rent a car. It was very handy having him around.

"I think someone should go and inform General Hammond as to what is happening. We may also determine what is being done at the highest levels. I will be happy to speak with him unless you wish me to accompany you to Wallace, Idaho?"

"I think that would be a great idea Teal'c. Why don't you go and see him. We'll keep in touch and you can come up if we need you. Hopefully we'll find him and tell him of the danger."

"If you find him I will come. I need to speak with O'Neill as well." Sam nodded, knowing that Teal'c was as anguished by this as the rest of them. He just held it in more.

"Alright. Let's give Thor a dingle and go see this 'silver capital' of the world." Thor was clearly monitoring their communications because he almost instantly appeared. When he understood what they wanted he returned to his ship. Within minutes they had been beamed down in a back alley in Coeur d'Alene, the nearest big town. They checked for car rental places and were soon driving to where they hoped to find Jack.

It didn't take them long to find the little diner and the blonde. She waxed lyrical about the 'tall, handsome stranger'.

"Yeah, we connected right off", she batted her false eyelashes. "If he hadn't been in such a hurry I'm sure we would have gotten to know each other much better." Daniel looked quickly over at Sam, wondering how she was taking this. He was surprised to see a small grin on her face. He'd have to ask her about that later.

"We're good fr-"

"Actually, I'm his girlfriend", Sam interrupted. Daniel stood, mouth hanging open. What was this?

He glanced at the blonde and could see she really didn't look happy. Oh dear – this must be a woman thing. Like myriads of men throughout history he didn't say a word. He knew better than get between two women interested in the same man.

"Oh really hon'? " the waitress did a quick backtrack. "Uh, he just came in a couple of time for a cup of coffee. He didn't say much, just sat and stared off into space. He was polite but didn't want to talk."

"Do you have any idea where he went?"

"No. He had a motorcycle and he was here for a couple of days. I assume he was staying in a motel somewhere nearby."

"Do you know of any that are close?"

"Yes, the Daisy Inn is just down the street. It's not very good. There are some better ones a little farther out, nearer the highway."

"Okay Sam", Daniel asked as they walked away from the diner. "What was that all about?"

"What do you mean?"

"Uh, you know – that bit about being Jack's girlfriend. I've never heard you say that before."

There was a slight pause and he glanced hurriedly at Sam, wondering if he'd over stepped his place. He was surprised to see she had a small smile on her face.

"When that woman was speaking I could just picture Jack with his 'deer in the headlights' look. He never could handle predatory women. I remember seeing him when we were all out at a bar one night; some overdressed woman came on to him. He looked more frightened than I ever saw him when confronted by a Goa'uld. For some strange reason I kind of felt like I was protecting him right then. I know it's silly, he's not even here, but he doesn't need someone like that trying to grab him."

"No, he needs someone like you." That instantly took the smile of her face. He was sorry, but at the same time it had been the elephant in the room for a long time. "I'm sorry Sam. I know this must be incredibly painful for you because of what the two of you had."

Sam stopped and turned to her friend. "It was going so well Daniel. We were getting closer, getting over the discomfort of having a new kind of relationship. We'd even made arrangements to go away together. I was happier than I had been – I think than I'd ever been. That's what makes this all so horrible. I didn't just betray Jack – I betrayed what we had together. I threw away something incredibly precious and I know I'll never find it again."

Daniel could have offered platitudes, could have assured her that 'everything would be alright', but the fact was, he believed what she was saying. He knew that her relationship with Jack was something to be found only once in a lifetime. Feeling incredibly sad he walked over and put his arms around her, offering her the only comfort he could.

By the time they made it to the Daisy Inn it was getting late. The person on duty didn't recognize Jack but admitted he hadn't been working the past week.

"Patty's in tomorrow morning. She was working last week so maybe she'll know if he was here. Do you want a room?" Although it was not a particularly pleasant motel, both Daniel and Sam were too tired to care. They took a room – opting to share since neither felt like spending a night alone. They'd shared tents for years so it was no big deal.

The next morning they spoke to Patty when she came on at 10:00 a.m. She took one look at the picture and nodded.

"Oh yeah – he was here. Stayed two nights and then left. He was pretty sick the second day – wouldn't let the cleaning staff in."

"Sick? What was wrong with him?"

"Hey, how am I supposed to know? He looked like hell when he got here but he was standing up. He just paid for his room and didn't cause trouble. He left on his bike so I guess he was okay. Maybe he had food poisoning or something. Wouldn't have been hard if he ate at Moe's Diner." The young woman smirked.

"Do you have any idea where he went?"

"Not really although he asked about highways out of here. Seemed to want to go north."

"What's up that way?"

"Nothing much – just more of Idaho – oh, and Canada of course." That seemed to be all the information the young woman was able to give them.

As they headed back to their room both of them were concerned by what she had said. They hoped that Jack was okay and it was just something temporary.

"So", Daniel sat on the bed. "What do you think?"

"I guess we head north. I don't see any other choice. Did you bring your passport?"

"No, but I can ask Thor to send me back to my place to get it. Do you think he's gone to Canada?"

"It's a possibility. We could ask General Hammond to check with the Canadian Government to see if he's crossed over."

"Hmmm. I don't know Sam. If there is someone at the top level who's involved this may deliver Jack right to the bad guys."

"Okay. So we just go to Canada and hope we find him? It's an awfully big country Daniel."

"Yeah – but we'll find him - I feel it!"

"I hope you're right."

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

He'd had another headache shortly after arriving at Molly's. She'd brought him some lunch be he hadn't been able to tolerate anything. Molly had come back a while later with a cold cloth which she gently wiped on his forehead.

"It's okay Neil. Just you rest." The pain didn't diminish but somehow it was easier to bear.

By the next morning Jack felt much better. He was able to eat a good breakfast; the first in a long time. It probably had more to do with the good home cooking than anything. He gently snoozed all morning but by lunch time found himself wide awake – and bored.

Okay, he thought, this was bad. He knew himself too well. There was nothing worse for him than boredom. With nothing to distract himself he'd begin to brood and then depression would hit. He had to figure out something to do. Maybe Molly had some books or even a small TV he could have in his room.

He tried calling her but there was no answer. He didn't want to shout too loud – it seemed kind of rude. He was just debating whether to try and make it out to the other room went he felt a presence. He stopped but then resumed his movements – didn't want to let whoever it was know he was aware that someone was there.

He felt the eyes on him and started to feel a little concerned. Who in the world could it be? He was confident Molly wouldn't sneak up on him like that but then –"

A small body suddenly scooted in the room and hid behind the door. He could feel his eyebrows rise to his hairline. Who was - Oh yeah, the grandson. He'd forgotten all about him.

"What –"

"Shhh!" the kid looked scared. "She'll hear." Jack could only suppose the kid was talking about his grandmother. He must be hiding from her for some reason. After a few minutes of silence it appeared that the boy was confident his grandmother wasn't coming to look for him. He slowly walked over to Jack.

He was a cute kid – brown hair, big brown eyes. He kind of reminded him of Charlie at this age.

"What's your name?"

The boy didn't look like he was going to answer but then finally got out a sullen "Christopher".

"Well hello Christopher. My name's Jack." He put his hand out but the little guy ignored it.

"Grandma says your name is Neal."

"Well I actually prefer Jack. It's what my friends call me."

"Why?"

"Ah, because that's what my friends called me in school. I thought it was a cool name back then and it stuck." That was the truth – he'd gone by Jonothan or 'Jon' when he was younger. It was as a teen that he'd decided to go by the much tougher sounding 'Jack'.

"Oh" The Boy continued to look at him, a sullen expression on his face.

"So, whatya like to do?" The boy was how old? He thought he remembered the nurse saying he was around seven. He no longer had any idea of what was popular for seven year olds. When Charlie was young he knew all the latest shows and toys.

The boy shrugged. This was going to be a lot of fun!

"My little boy used to like to play ninja games. Do you still pay that?" He tried to think what other things a young boy would like.

He shrugged again.

"Can't talk anymore huh? Oh well, I guess I'll just go back to sleep then. Nice meeting you." The little boy didn't move as Jack lay back and closed his eyes.

"Space stuff"

"What?" Jack opened his eyes and looked at the boy – Christopher – who had moved closer to his bed.

"Space stuff. I like space stuff. I want to go to Mars when I grow up."

"Cool. I like the stars too. I have a telescope and like to look at them." For the first time the little boys face showed some emotion.

"Did you bring it with you?" he asked, clearly intrigued by the possibility of a telescope.

"No, I left it back home. I couldn't carry it on my motorcycle."

"Grandma said you crashed. She said you were a dang young fool but old enough to know better."

Well, out of the mouths of babes!

"Yeah, I crashed. But I'm gonna be okay."

"Grandma will make you stay in bed and give you yucky medicine. She doesn't let you watch TV when you're sick either."

"No? That's too bad. I like to watch TV when I'm sick."

'Yeah, me too. My Mommy used to let me watch cartoons in her bedroom when I was home sick. She'd give me a special blanket and lots of pillows. Sometimes she'd even come and sit beside me. She said it was our special time and that she'd help make me better."

Oh God. He didn't need this. He could feel the rush of emotion upon listening to the boy. This is what he'd been avoiding, what he'd known was going to happen. He looked at Christopher and saw him desperately trying not to cry, not to let the emotions out. He was attempting to be 'strong'. Jack suddenly saw himself in the little boy. Sighing, he knew he'd lost before he'd even had a chance. He couldn't not try and help.

"Hey" he said softly. "It's okay to cry. I know you miss your Mom." Two dark little eyes peered back at him suspiciously. He'd probably heard these kind of things from lots of adults. It didn't mean much to a young child who'd lost his parents. With a sigh he knew that this situation called for courage – much more courage than he'd ever had to demonstrate in battle.

"I lost my little boy. He was just a bit older than you. We used to cuddle too when he was sick and we'd watch cartoons together. I miss him all the time."

The eyes grew bigger, but still shone with unshed tears. "Did you cry?"

A pause and then "Yes, I cried when I lost him. I still cry sometimes."

"Really?", a soft little voice, filled with some kind of hope – as if he could begin to believe he wasn't bad – he wasn't weak – that crying really was okay.

"Really." Jack could see the bottom lip begin to quiver. Next came the tears, silently rolling down soft, innocent cheeks; finally a sob escaped the small child. But he still stood, alone and lost – his anchor, his safety, his world had ended and he didn't know what to do. With a small sob of his own Jack opened his arms and Christopher ran forward and was clutched to the man's chest. Two lost souls had come together and both of their hearts began to heal.

There was a long way to go for both of them, but now they weren't alone. Jack knew he'd just received a blessing in the form of one small boy. He knew that somehow this small innocent boy could be his salvation.

Neither of them saw the tiny figure of the small old woman looking in the room. With a smile she turned and walked away. God had seen fit to bring this man into their lives. Whatever had happened to him – and she knew it was something bad – she believed that this was meant to be.