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Beaming technology never used to bother Jack. Maybe it was 'cause it had been a while, but his stomach seemed to have hit the ground and bounced all the way into his brain before going back to where it belonged. Then he had this cold shiver go up and down the length of his body and concentrate an aching, crampy feeling into every bone that he had ever broken over the years. So not pleasant. He stumbled ever so slightly and was mortified to see Carter's hand twitch towards him, ready to catch him before he fell.

Jack stabbed his cane into the ground, locked his knees and yelled internally at every aged muscle that he had: Atten-hut! Thankfully most of his muscles still remembered training and obeyed orders and he made a show of stepping forward to look around the forested area. Thank God for his cane. He was definitely too old for this stuff anymore, although that small never-say-die part of him protested the statement once again.

Retirement was proving altogether too slow for him and the condescending attitude of some of the staff at the retirement home was already making his teeth ache. Facts were facts though. He'd hit seventy five and he could barely walk at all some days now with his joints full of arthritis and muscles getting weaker by the day. It was just his body that was feeling his age though –not his mind, at least not so far. There were definitely days when he'd gladly walk through the Gate and hunt down a sarcophagus to help ease his aching bones. There were also days when he just didn't want to face another day.

There was no denying it – getting old sucked big time. Jack took a surreptitious glance at Daniel. Yeah, but dying of cancer – and knowing about it, probably sucked a whole lot more. This time, he'd been sure that he'd be the first to go out of their team. This time he'd been sure he wouldn't be one of the ones left mourning a loss in their family. He'd nearly called Daniel to tell him that he couldn't make the camping trip. He had all sorts of great excuses – like bad knees and old age.

The fact was that he didn't know if he'd be able to cope with losing Daniel again. It would be – too much like losing Charlie all over again – like it had been the last times that Daniel had died. Each and every time they had lost Daniel, it had been like losing his son again. He'd wanted to retire, wanted out of life all together once or twice, but he'd had responsibilities and team mates to help get through Daniel's passing. This time losing Daniel would be final and Jack really didn't know if he would be able to make it through. Some time during this week he'd have to get the courage together to tell Daniel just how much he was going to be missed – and he pretty much knew that Daniel was going to ask him to hold it together. Yeah, Daniel knew them all too well. Jack could lay bets that Daniel was more worried about them than he was about himself. After all Daniel had been there – stone dead - a couple of times and all he had taken out of the whole experience was a more relaxed attitude towards the death thing. Daniel had been more reckless – like he knew that death was no big deal really. The last time Daniel had come back from the dead Jack had had enough – and he had let Daniel know it too. It was one of the rare moments in life when Daniel had been left speechless.

Jack gave himself a mental shake and took a deep steadying breathe of summer warmed air and focussed on what he was seeing. It was midmorning and Daniel had had Cam Mitchell and the crew of the Hammond set them down in a small scrub filled glade, surrounded by trees and a few large rocks. No buildings, no cars – not even the sound of a distant highway intruded. There were just the leaves rustling in the breeze and some birds complaining about them and their beaming in and scaring some of the feathers off of them.

Nothing had been said yet about Daniel's illness. Daniel had been busy coordinating things with the Hammond and Cam and talking at a million miles an hour about all sorts of nonsense. It didn't take a genius to know that Daniel just didn't want to talk about his situation yet – at least not in front of strangers; probably not until the team was completely alone and comfortable with each other again. It had been a while after all. Jack tried to remember the exact date of their last camp out together and came up with somewhere between nine and ten years ago. Where had the time gone? Despite all of that time, SG-1 were still in tune enough to know that Daniel didn't want to talk about dying yet. Nothing needed to be said, by unspoken agreement they would leave it to Daniel to talk about it when he was ready.

Jack found himself frowning at the unfamiliar foliage on the trees surrounding him. "Okay Daniel, the mystery is over now. This doesn't feel like the same continent that we left from this morning. So, where exactly are we?" asked Jack, turning a full three sixty with the aid of his cane.

"No it's not the same continent, Jack. We're in Wales," said Daniel bending slowly to pick up his pack. He was studying the area carefully as well and answered absent mindedly. "It's remote enough that no-one will be bothering us for a few days. And before you ask, it's cleared with all of the relevant people. We've got up to a week of uninterrupted peace and quiet."

"Sweet," said Jack. "Nice warm weather, quiet spot. I hope there's a pond or a river nearby for some quiet fishing."

Daniel nodded vaguely, still looking around carefully, and caught Carter's intense, concerned stare. He glanced away uncomfortably.

"Umm, great spot, Daniel," said Sam, waving her arm around. "Shade and shelter but open enough to make a perfect camp site, so I think I'll set up the tents right here," she said briskly.

"And I shall gather wood for a camp fire," murmured Teal'c.

Jack used his cane to shuffle a few steps forward. "I'll get us some water from said river or pond. You know – the one that's also filled with loads of hungry, snappy fish."

Daniel grinned. "It's supposed to be over that way about forty yards or so. I'll bring a couple of fold out chairs and the fishing gear."

Teal'c put a comforting hand onto Sam's shoulder as Jack and Daniel set off together talking as companionably as if they were on another mission and there hadn't been a gap of well over a decade since Jack had last stepped through the Gate with them.

"Oh, God, Teal'c," whispered Sam, covering Teal'c's hand with her own. "We're going to lose him ... this is really it. He's really dying and there's nothing we can do about it." She took in a shaky breathe. "Why did this have to happen to Daniel?"

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I'm not really happy with this chapter but I have reached my weekly deadline already. R&R please and give me some hints about improvements 'cause I'm going cross eyed over this chapter. Sigh. Ahh, thanks to those that do review.