AN: It seems like I am forever going to be apologizing for taking so long to update, lol. This chapter for some reason, has been giving me a lot of grief. I hope I am making this story in some way believable, let me know.

Chapter 7

Daniel was not in a cell. This was something new. Even the hospital beds were comfortable compared to the cot in the brig. And here he had a pillow. Ah, yes, Daniel did not know he could love a pillow so much.

He snuggled down into the bed, pulling the blanket Janet had given him up to his chin. And for some odd reason he had the sudden odd craving for an oversized teddy bear to hang onto. Come to think of it, he had never had a teddy bear of his own. He was far too old for one by the time they were even invented. Perhaps he would get one someday. Perhaps.

"How are you feeling, Daniel?" Janet asked, approaching from the other side of the room where she had been dealing with SG-8. The same people who gazed at him both with accusation and intrigue.

He offered the doctor lady an impish smile, pulling the blanket up to his eyes to hide himself. In the back of his mind, the part of himself that was Anubis was having a conniption fit at such immature behavior.

"I slept," he offered.

"You did," Janet agreed.

"I'm chained to the bed."

"You are."

Daniel smiled ruefully as he shifted his feet, clanking the chains across the bottom railing of the bed. It would have been quite amusing, if he weren't the one in them. The chains were just long enough so that he could sit up and hang his feet over the edge of the bed if he were sitting right at the end. But he could not touch the ground in the chains.

"It's been a long time since I have felt so helpless," Daniel admitted. "My fate is in all of your hands. Such a thing has never before occurred." His blue gaze shifted up o the concrete ceiling, peering blankly at the light fixtures. "What has become of me?" he murmured to himself, but Janet overheard.

She stepped closer to him, brushing a finger across a pale scar on his wrist bone. It was time to get his mind on other things.

"Where did you get this?" she asked, indicating the scar.

Daniel chuckled slightly, wanting to hide himself yet again.

"A camel bit me," he nearly whispered.

Janet stared at him strangely.

"A camel bit you?" she asked incredulously. It just didn't seem plausible. "A camel bit the high and mighty Anubis?"

Daniel shook his head in amusement. "No, this happened before Anubis came. I was twenty, I believe. The camel and I had a dispute on if I could ride him or not. The camel won."

Janet laughed softly, tracing the scar again. "Are there any other scars with stories to tell?"

"Not really," Daniel answered. "I stayed away from camels after that. Llama's too, they're too similar to take a chance. I swear camels have a genetic memory that tells them all to hate me. The camel I'm riding in that picture in my office was the first to let me ride it since I was a child. And even that camel turned on me eventually." He chuckled again. "Pelican's are cruel beasts as well. I would advise you never to get bitten by one of those."

The doctor stared once again in surprise. "Is there a scar for that?" she inquired.

"No, I didn't let it scar. With Anubis' regenerative powers, I can decide whether I want things to scar or not. But once they are a scar, they pretty much stay." He paused for a moment, a slow grin creeping across his face. "You would have loved to see Anubis' indignation when the pelican bit him. It was the first time he had seen one and he was curious. He had the most interesting curse words at the time."

"I'll bet he did," Janet replied as she tugged the blanket down from his face. She casually started checking him over. He flinched when her penlight came out of nowhere to blind him.

"What are you doing?" he demanded in an almost panicked voice. "You know very well there's nothing wrong with me!"

"But it's fun," Janet said with a smirk, flashing the penlight at him again. Daniel scowled and pulled the blanket up over his head. Janet pulled it right back down.

"Stop that!"

"No."

Daniel make a gurgling sound in the back of his throat and promptly gave up. Janet just chuckled at him, patting his head like she would that of a petulant child. Daniel just couldn't find it in himself to be offended. Anubis was going to have an aneurysm any day now anyways, what would it matter if that day were today. Ah yes, he could see it now, the universe would know, the most powerful System Lord of all time was being badgered by a petite woman with a penlight. The world was coming to an end. Right now. This very instant. He was doomed.

"Ah hem," someone cleared their throat, someone decidedly male and sounding very familiar.

Daniel looked up in surprise.

"General!" he cried, quickly jumping up out of the bed, only to end up with his face planted painfully into the floor, his feet held a few inches above the ground. Face meet Floor. "Ow…"

"Daniel, are you alright?" Janet cried.

"No…" he groaned meekly.

General Hammond quickly motioned for one of the officers on guard to undo Daniel's shackles and they quickly had the errant linguist back on his feet. He self-consciously brushed himself off, unaware of the red mark marring his forehead. He drew himself up straighter and wrapped himself in the self-hug they all knew so well. He kept his gaze lowered, wanting nothing more than to disappear.

"I have very good news for you, Dr. Jackson. If you would please follow me," the general ordered. "Dr. Fraiser, please come as well."

They were met back in the meeting room by the rest of SG-1. Sam and Teal'c greeted Daniel. Jack threw him a disgusted look. Daniel cringed away from the Colonel, sitting as far away from the man as he could. Everyone was seated and General Hammond set down a folder on the table.

"The President has decided that it would be to the advantage of this planet to retain the Goa'uld Anubis as an ally. He has decided that the nature of Daniel Jackson's relationship to Anubis be kept highly classified. The knowledge will be given on a need to know basis, and of course, to the people on this base who already know. Any official that needs a meeting with Anubis will have a meeting with Daniel Jackson who will, on record, be acting as Anubis' liaison and will have say in all matters dealing with Anubis. He may also meet people in the guise of Anubis if it is so needed."

Silence reigned throughout the room when the general had finished. Daniel could only stare. A dream come true or a nightmare beyond measure, he could not decide what this was. It seemed like reality was turned upside down and just wouldn't right itself.

"You can't be serious!" Jack nearly choked on his own words, glaring balefully down at Daniel.

"I am very serious, Colonel. And you had better get over your objections because Daniel Jackson will be remaining with SG-1," Hammond said sternly, meeting the colonel's gaze.

"You can't just give the enemy all our secrets!"

"I already know your secrets," Daniel muttered.

"He's a danger to everyone around him!"

"Colonel!" General Hammond barked out the rank, his voice sharp with anger. "You will learn to live with this decision and you will continue to work alongside Daniel Jackson. If this is not acceptable to you then you, not Dr. Jackson, will be removed from SG-1!"

"That's not fair!" O'Neill exclaimed.

The growl that sounded in the back of Daniel's throat was audible as he turned sharply to Jack, his blue eyes dark with fury.

"Jack, stop acting like a petulant child!" Daniel snapped, grinding his teeth in frustration. "I know you have a problem with the Goa'uld, you don't have to yell and scream about it. I know you're pissed because I didn't tell you this before, but if I had told you, I wouldn't be here today, now would I?" He gave a heavy sigh, heaving himself up to his feet as he turned away, shaking his head. "Everything I have done since I have known you has been in your best interest, doesn't that count for anything?"

"You lied…"

"Don't you think I know that!" Daniel rounded on him, a breath of air hissing out through his teeth. "God, Jack, all I ever wanted was for you to be my friend!"

The colonel had the grace to look stunned, his dark eyes shadowed with thought. The room was closed into an uncomfortable, thick silence. No one was staring at the two heated men.

"I just wanted…" Daniel's voice trailed off as he stared at the one of the only people in the world he had ever wanted the trust of. One of the few people he felt he could be friends with. Nothing was going well. He was doomed again. He closed his eyes and when he opened them, those cerulean orbs were resigned to a fate he felt no hope towards.

Daniel turned, facing the general directly as he spoke now. His voice was formal and controlled.

"I'm sorry, general. But, this isn't going to work. I know that the government will not want to let me go, but I cannot stay here now. I do not belong. I never did. Please accept this. And if you cannot get me off this planet, I will find my own way off. I will never deal with the Tau'ri or the Goa'uld again. I will retire all that I am and all of you can be assured that I will never use any of the knowledge I have against you. Please accept this as my resignation and the cancellation of the treaty we would have worked out on behalf of the guise Anubis."

"Daniel…"

It was not the general who spoke. No, it was the voice that Daniel loved to hate. The voice that denied him so bitterly.

"I'm sorry."

Ah, yes, those words…

"Everyone's always sorry. They don't mean it," Daniel stated softly.

Jack smirked. "You're right, I don't mean it. All this is your fault anyways!"

"How is it my fault?" Daniel cried, exasperated beyond measure.

"You're the one who got yourself caught. I don't want to know this crap about you. You should have kept your glowing eyes in your head and that freaky voice to yourself!"

Daniel was outraged…and perhaps overjoyed. Was this a peace offering in Jack language?

"Well, you shouldn't have gone prancing off at the Tok'ra's whim to crash my summit meeting!" Daniel responded.

"Daniel!" Jack snapped.

"Jack!" Daniel snapped right back.

"Daniel."

"Jack."

"Daniel…"

"Jaaaack!"

They glared at each other for a moment.

…….

"Anubis."

"O'Neill."

They smirked. Sam smiled and Janet positively beamed. Teal'c looked overly pleased and the general tried not to smile and failed miserably.

"There's a lot of things we need to talk about," Jack stated, his tone still hard. Daniel was not forgiven just yet. "We'll work this out, you and I."

"We can only hope," Hammond stated, his pale eyes staring at the two men who were almost too proud for their own good on occasion.

Daniel glanced at the General, his eyes then lingering on all the inhabitants of the room. A small smile graced his lips. "Ah yes," he replied. "Hope."

AN: A Giant HUGE Thanks to everyone who has reviewed. Next chapter, Daniel and Jack get to "work out" their problems. We'll see how that goes, hehehe.