Chapter 3

Daniel led the way to the commissary with a parent on either side of him. The rest of SG-1 followed close behind, keeping them company and ensuring that Daniel would not be stuck alone with them. It was clear that he wasn't ready for that situation at all.

"So, Daniel, it's been a while since we've seen you," Melburn said while they were in the elevator. "Tell me, what is it you've been working on lately?"

"Um, translations," Daniel admitted. "Just a few things."

"The Air Force needs translations done?" Claire said, confused.

"Just a few," Carter said, leaping to Daniel's defense. "Sometimes our field teams find things on missions, and we'd like to know what they are, so that's where Daniel and others like him come in."

"I see," Claire said at last after thinking about it. "And here your father and I thought you were simply working on some eccentric person's collection out here in Colorado!"

All Daniel did was shrug and give a little smile. "Well, most of the work I'm doing is still classified, so…"

"So you couldn't tell anyone, not even us," Melburn concluded. "Oh, well. If that's the way it is, then that's the way it is. You work in a team together?"

"Oh, yes," Daniel said, remembering. "Major Carter is our science officer, Colonel O'Neill is team leader, and Teal'c…" Daniel stopped, wondering just how to classify Teal'c.

"Teal'c's our protection and cultural liaison," Jack said quickly. "He's invaluable."

Melburn looked up at Teal'c, who looked down at him and worked hard at giving him a little smile.

"I see," was all that Melburn said.

Lunch that day was chicken and dumplings, Italian hoagie, and asparagus, as well as any dessert you cared to choose. Daniel took chicken and dumplings and a hoagie, but he didn't take any asparagus. As they sat down at an empty table, Daniel got the surprise of his life when Claire placed a small bowl full of asparagus on his tray.

"Um, what's this?" he asked, staring at the asparagus. He hated asparagus!

"If you're exhausted from work, then you need to eat correctly in order to get your strength back up," Claire said, sitting down beside him. "That means vegetables, Danny."

"I don't like…asparagus," Daniel told her, eyeing the bowl with distaste.

"Like it or not, I agree with your mother," Melburn said, taking a sip of coffee. "Come on, a few bites and it's gone."

If the situation with his parents coming back from the dead weren't so darn serious, I'd be enjoying this, Jack thought. I'd say something like, Come on, Danny, be a good boy and eat your vegetables. Although, if I did say that, he'd probably never speak to me again. There are limits to how much strain friendships can take.

Carter was eating her asparagus after sprinkling it with a little salt. "You know, with salt it kind of tastes like green beans," she said in an effort to help Daniel out. "Not bad."

After another two minutes of indecision, Daniel added some salt and gulped the asparagus down, making a face after he'd swallowed the last bit. "Blecch! That did not taste like green beans, Sam!" he complained.

"I thought it did," she said, sounding apologetic.

"Well, it's gone now," Melburn pointed out. "I'm sure the chicken and dumplings will taste good after that."

They did, and they were in the middle of dessert when Claire left the table and returned with a glass full of orange juice and gave it to Daniel, saying that she remembered reading about all of the benefits it was said to contain. So, Daniel had orange juice with his chocolate walnut cookies. It was a very odd combination, and he wanted to kick himself for saying that he had fainted due to overwork. He'd forgotten the way both of his parents could worry! He remembered when he'd had the chicken pox, and neither one of them had gone to work while he'd been sick. Even when he'd been on the mend they took him along on whatever they were doing and made certain he was getting plenty of rest and fluids. He was certain that they were going to suggest he take it easy for the rest of the day, perhaps even have another nap, but there were limits to what he would be willing to do. If they suggested he take it easy, he would say that he intended to. He would do translations on the couch in his office rather than at his desk.

After lunch, Melburn and Claire asked to see where Daniel worked. At that time, Jack, Sam, and Teal'c were called to the general's office for a meeting, and Daniel had a pretty good feeling what that meeting was about. Confident that General Hammond was making the usually-efficient wheels of the SGC turn, Daniel took Claire and Melburn to his workspace, confident that there would be plenty of things to occupy them with and keep them from asking too many questions about what he really did.

"So, this is my office," Daniel said, leading his parents into his office. "It's kind of cluttered, but it works. When I'm not in the field I'm usually in here working."

"And what kind of field work do you do?" Melburn asked, examining one of the many artifacts Daniel kept around.

"Uh, just the usual, really," Daniel temporized. "Digs, collecting, that sort of thing. Nothing too exciting."

"How often?" Claire asked.

"Um, every few weeks," Daniel admitted. "We're kind of like the first team to go in, we do preliminary work, and then another team shows up to take over. Listen, I was wondering. Just what made you guys drop in for a visit? I mean, you haven't done that before."

Melburn looked thoughtful. "Well, I guess it was because we haven't seen one another in a while," he said at last. "I mean, it's been how long?"

Daniel didn't say anything.

"Besides, we shouldn't have left you like we did, Danny," Claire said, laying a hand on Daniel's shoulder in a gesture of comfort. "I know we've been gone an awfully long time."

Daniel was surprised. "What do you mean?" he asked. "Gone?" Did they realize they were supposed to be dead?

"We shouldn't have left," Melburn said, echoing his wife's words. "It's taken us a long time to find you again, Danny, and we're not going to leave you ever again."

"What are you guys talking about?" Daniel asked, worried.

"After that accident at the museum, we left you," Claire explained. "You had to grow up with strangers."

Daniel, now beginning to be frightened, decided to come right out and say it. "You guys were killed. That's why you've been gone so long."

"We know. We know that accident is why we left, even though we didn't want to," Melburn said, placing a hand on Daniel's other shoulder. "We know what happened."

"Well, you guys are dead," Daniel persisted. "Dead means that you're not supposed to be here. How is it that you're here?"

"No more questions," Claire whispered, her hand on Daniel's shoulder growing warm. "Do not remember. Accept."

At that moment, before Daniel could pull away, an odd feeling filled his mind. Calm and lassitude swirled through him, easing his fears and worries and leaving him relaxed. It was as if...what was going on? What...? He looked around, and he saw the two people who--according to DNA tests--were his parents. They were both smiling at him, expectant. "Were...were you saying something?"

"We asked you if you had any vacation time coming," Melburn said. "Your mom and I would like to spend it with you--if that's okay."

"That would be..." he stopped, some vague feeling that something was wrong made him stop. What was going on?

"Are you okay, sweetie?" Claire asked, placing a hand on his shoulder, her hand warm.

Calmness flooded once more through Daniel, and he remembered what he was going to say. "Yeah, I'm fine. I've got vacation in another month, and spending it together..." He hesitated, not even sure if they were going to be here in another month, but in the next moment his uncertainty vanished. "That would be great."

Both of them smiled, and Daniel decided to show them his latest project: translating an ancient Egyptian scroll that mentioned glowing-eyed gods.

Space

"What do you think, Dr. Jackson?" General Hammond asked later during a quick meeting with the archeologist in his office.

"Well, they believe they're my parents, they act like my parents, and they treat me like I'm their son," Daniel said, glad that Jack had shown up and offered to show the "folks" around the rest of the base by way of a diversion. "There has been nothing threatening or alien in their behavior, and...I feel...safe...with them. I don't know how to explain it, but I don't feel safe with them because they're like my parents. It's like...these two people could never hurt me in any way."

"Well, security has reported nothing strange on any of the cameras, and no one else has noticed anything strange, either," General Hammond admitted. "I think the whole thing that bothers me is these two people are claiming to be two people who died years ago."

"That creeps me out, too," Daniel said, looking thoughtful. "It kinda creeps me out a lot, but I've been thinking for a while about this. You read our reports on our latest trip, right? The carvings on the temple door on the planet said that the elves would give blessings to those who needed them. According to the headman, Alberich, I was chosen to receive a blessing. What if those 'elves' were actually some kind of alien beings capable of doing things like...this?"

"That makes sense," General Hammond said, still feeling uneasy and worried about the archeologist. "I think we'll have to look into this. In the meantime, please stay on the base and talk to these people and try to find out a little more about them."

"That's a little hard," Daniel pointed out. "I mean, they think they're my parents. They're not going to have any idea what I'm talking about when I mention aliens and other planets."

"Just try your best," General Hammond asked. "We'll get to the bottom of this."

Space

Daniel left the shower, dried off, pulled on his pajamas and headed into his quarters for bed. His "parents" were staying in a guest quarters nearby, and he was glad that they'd decided to turn in early after wishing him goodnight. There was only so much company he could take from people who'd died before his eyes. He crawled into bed and was settling into his pillows with a sigh when he realized that he wasn't alone. With a yelp he shot to his feet, his heart pounding.

"Easy, Danny," Melburn said, chuckling, a little amused. "Didn't mean to scare you, scout."

"I thought you guys had gone to bed," Daniel gasped, sitting down on the edge of his bed, waiting for his heartbeat to return to normal.

"Well, we wanted to see you all nice and settled first," Claire told him, giving him a kiss on his forehead. "It's been a long day."

Daniel felt that that was the understatement of the universe.

"Okay, kiddo, into bed you go," Melburn said, gently nudging Daniel back into bed while Claire covered him up. "We'll see you in the morning, Danny."

"Um...okay," Daniel said, feeling completely weirded out. Here he was, a fully-grown man, and he was being tucked into bed by his parents. That was just...odd. Odd, Daniel reflected, but as he felt his mother smoothing the covers over him and his father kiss his temple, he felt that it was worth the oddness. He didn't feel them move away as his eyes closed, but they stayed close by. His mother was singing an Egyptian lullaby just as she used to, and his father was singing the descant, just as he used to. Most people wouldn't think of fathers singing a lullaby, but Daniel always remembered both of his parents singing to him. This was...nice. For a moment, just before he fell asleep, he let himself pretend that nothing bad had ever happened and that he was safe in his room at home. Then, he slipped into dreams of being safe and loved and protected by two powerful beings who were his parents.

Space

Jack wandered into the commissary the next morning, his head hurting and not in a fit state for man or beast until he had some coffee. He located that miraculous brew, poured himself a large cup, and started to search for a place to sit. Until he woke up, he wasn't even going to think about food or anything else.

Talking woke him out of his early-morning stupor. Who could sound that awake at this hour of the morning and not be aware that it was unforgiveably rude? Looking around, he spotted Daniel and his...parents...at a nearby table. They were talking and laughing and having a ball...at oh-seven-hundred in the morning. That was wrong on so many levels, and he couldn't even begin to say which ones. What were they so darn chipper for? Didn't they know that was against the law at seven in the morning?

"Morning, campers," he croaked, heading over. He noticed Daniel no longer looked as scared as he had the day before. An improvement?

"Morning, Colonel," Claire said, giving him a smile.

"Let me guess," Jack said as he sat down at Melburn's invitation. "You're morning people."

"How could you guess?" Claire laughed.

"Well, Daniel's usually pretty awake, it follows that he had to get it from somewhere."

Melburn laughed at that. "Yeah, we were always getting up early for digs and things, so I guess it's become a life-long habit for us. You can't be half-asleep when you're digging."

"Well, you can't," Jack pointed out. "I can be, though. How is it possible you have this much energy?"

That made all three of them laugh, and Jack decided that yes, he had wandered into the Twilight Zone that morning. He'd have to talk to Daniel about his change in behavior. The night before he'd been scared out of his mind by these people, and this morning he was laughing and joking with them. That wasn't normal. It was kind of freaky, actually. What had happened to make him change like that?

"Um, Daniel, you remember that meeting we have at oh seven thirty, don't you?"

"Meeting?" Daniel seemed confused, which was no wonder since there wasn't really a meeting. Jack just wanted to get a chance to talk to him alone.

"Yeah, with General Hammond? Remember?" Jack raised an eyebrow, putting a lot of emphasis on 'remember.'

"Oh...yeah," Daniel said, looking at his watch. "We've gotta be there in a few minutes. Mom, Dad, will you be all right here?"

"Sure, Danny," Claire assured him. "We'll wait here for you, and Lieutenant Michaels can keep us entertained."

Jack knew that the elder Dr. Jacksons thought that Lieutenant Michaels was their liaison--the person civilians went to if they needed help while on base--but in reality he was their security detail. Hammond was taking no chances on Daniel's or the base's safety while those two were around. They seemed harmless, but appearances had a nasty habit of being deceiving.

"So, what meeting?" Daniel asked once they were in the hallway. "I take it you wanted to talk to me alone?"

"Yeah," Jack said, more than worried. "Daniel, what the heck's going on? Yesterday you were scared to death of the pair of them and today you're all hunky-dory! That's not normal."

"I feel fine," Daniel told him, not understanding what he was implying.

"That's the problem," Jack persisted. "Yesterday you were a nervous wreck. You don't go from being scared out of your mind to peachy-keen overnight. What happened? Did something happen? Have they brainwashed you? What?"

"No, I don't remember anything like that happening," Daniel told him, a little surprised by Jack's impatience.

"Well, what did happen?" Jack demanded. "Tell me everything that happened after General Hammond and I left you last evening."

"Well, we had dinner in the commissary, and after dinner we went to my office and chatted. Mostly about me as a little kid, really. Reliving old times. Then, Lieutenant Michaels arrived and he and I showed them to their quarters and we said good night. I went to my quarters, had a shower, and I went to bed," Daniel finished. "That's it. This morning we were supposed to meet for breakfast, and that was what we were doing until you arrived."

"That's it?"

"That's it," Daniel assured him. "I think I would know if something weird had happened, don't you?"

"That's just it, if they didn't want you to remember..."

"Jack, there has been nothing going on," Daniel told him a little impatiently. "Nothing. They're perfectly...normal."

"Yeah, normal after being back from the dead?" Jack pointed out. "Daniel, keep your guard up, okay? I know that they're just like your folks and that you like them because of that, but remember that they're supposedly your parents back from the dead and that we don't know where they really came from or who they really are."

"I'll be careful, Jack," Daniel promised. "Should we go see General Hammond and report?"

"Yeah, I guess we should," Jack said. "You should make your report to him about how they and you passed the night."

"All righty, let's go," Daniel said, leading the way. "By the way, what do you call that hairstyle?" Jack had walked into the commissary with awful hair and it was clear it had not seen a comb that morning.

"It's called 'before I've had my coffee.' What did you think it was?"

Space

Daniel had finished his report and groaned a little when General Hammond passed along a message from Dr. Frasier. He was asked to report to the infirmary for a follow-up exam. "She wanted you to come as soon as you were done here, Dr. Jackson," he said, smiling the slightest bit at the archeologist's reluctance. "She's promised it won't hurt."

"All right, I'd better get down there before she comes looking for me," Daniel said, getting out of his chair. "Sir, could you page Lieutenant Michaels and ask him to escort my parents to my office, please? They can wait for me there."

"I'll take care of it right now," the general promised him. Daniel thanked him once again and headed to the infirmary, whistling.

"General, there's something going on," Jack said once Daniel was out of earshot. "There's something very wrong with Daniel and I think it has to do with those two...clones of his parents."

"I was about to ask you if you'd noticed anything strange," General Hammond said, sitting down behind his desk. "What have you noticed that's wrong?"

"I'm not sure," Jack admitted. "Yesterday, he didn't want to be alone with them, and today he's perfectly fine. He doesn't seem bothered that these two people are his parents who seem to have come back from the dead. It's like someone gave him a shot of happy-don't-worry juice. That's the only way I can think to explain it."

"I agree with you. Colonel, would you and the rest of SG-1 be willing to head back to that planet and take another look around? None of this started happening until you came back from there."

"Daniel's staying here, I take it?"

"I'd prefer to have Dr. Jackson and those two here where they can have several eyes kept on them at all times," General Hammond explained. "We still don't know what's going on with these two people who are claiming to be his parents."

"Well, biologically they seem to be," Jack reminded him. "The only problem is that it's impossible."

"Exactly. You get the rest of SG-1 together, and I'll call Lieutenant Michaels. Be careful, Colonel. Don't you come back with your parents."

"Don't worry, sir. I won't."