Personal Best

By Joolz

Feedback:  If you like J  [email protected]

Rating: NC17

Category:  Slash, Established Relationship, Action/adventure, Hurt/comfort, Drama/Angst

Pairing:  Jack/Daniel

Season/Spoilers:  3 / none

Summary:  The team struggles to overcome a horrific experience

Note:  The poetry snippet at the end is by Robert Louis Stevenson.

Warnings:  Graphic violence, nudity, adult situations

 

 

 

 

PERSONAL BEST

 

 

It was the old, ‘Do we spray the hostile natives with bullets from our high powered automatic weapons and commit a massacre, or do we surrender and try to talk our way out?’ dilemma.  The noise of firing over their heads hadn’t stopped them.  Daniel’s desperate shouts in a variety of languages were having no effect whatsoever.  It was time for Jack to decide.

 

The four travelers were surrounded by at least 30 dirty, angry, well-armed men of various heights, skin tones and hair colors.  They were carrying spears and knives with blades long enough that they could almost be called swords.  More men were filtering into the group from the surrounding forest.  They were all moving forward slowly but steadily. 

 

Jack hated this.   This was exactly the worst case scenario situation.  Exactly the kind of thing everyone worries about happening when you talk about going to new worlds cold, not knowing anything about the inhabitants or what to expect:  total failure to communicate during first contact leading to hostile confrontation.  It had happened several times before within the SGC, and not all of the teams had made it out alive.  Jack so hated this.

 

Carter was looking worried.  As well she might.  Teal’c was alert, awaiting his commander’s word.  Jack didn’t look at Daniel.  They’d had this conversation before, and he didn’t need to see the expression on the younger man’s face to know what his argument would be.  Daniel claimed that the burden of proof was on SG1.  They were the ones suddenly appearing through the Stargate, which everyone knew was used by more bad guys than good.  They were armed to the teeth while professing to be peaceful explorers.  If SG1 came in shooting when things got dicey, then they were no better than any other advanced race treating the more primitive locals as expendable.  According to Daniel, if they couldn’t escape causing minimal damage then it was SG1’s moral imperative to put down their arms and try to come to an understanding.  If that didn’t work, then at least they would have done the right thing. 

 

Jack didn’t entirely buy that argument.  He could see the value of living to pursue a greater good, even if it meant inflicting unavoidable casualties in the process.  He’d been hanging around Daniel long enough, though, to recognize that there might be certain self-serving elements in that perspective. 

 

And now it was crunch time.  The only way they were getting out of there in the short term was to kill a lot of people.  He had no way of knowing if these were friend or foe, but if they killed them then they would never find out.  He sighed to himself, --All right Daniel, you win.-- 

 

“Lower your weapons.”

 

Carter flashed him a concerned look.  “Sir?”

 

“Slowly.”

 

As the four eased their respective armaments to the ground, the group surrounding them stopped to watch.  One man spoke a few words and others moved forward carefully and pushed the guns and staff weapon out of range with their feet.  Jack focused his attention on the man who had given the order, and found him returning the regard with equal scrutiny.  The man said a few more sharp words and motioned to the strangers to move. 

 

The group proceeded farther into the dense forest.  Within minutes they approached heavy ramparts made of whole tree trunks woven through the woodland, and followed a path around a corner to a gated entrance.  Inside the fort walls an entire village sprawled.  SG1 had only been a few hundred meters from the gate when they were surrounded and now Jack realized just how close the village was.  The local warriors wouldn’t have had much time to react if they were to protect their people, so maybe Jack could understand the frosty reception. 

 

Daniel had been continuing his attempts to communicate with their captors, who clearly didn’t understand.  They spoke amongst themselves and Daniel hung on every word, his face crunched in concentration, not watching where he was walking.  He tripped and Jack grabbed his arm to keep him upright.  They were herded through a scattering of thatched huts, looking like homes, storehouses and workshops including a blacksmith, and into a central clearing.  There the procession stopped, a new crowd gathering to stare. 

 

To say the people were lightly dressed would be an understatement.  They were all bare from the waist up, men, women and children alike, and were wearing a simple cloth wrapped around their hips covering them to mid thigh.  They were muscular and healthy looking, if unkept.  Their hair was matted into something resembling dreadlocks, and they didn’t look as though they’d ever had a bath.   Jack thought they generally had the look of people who had been marooned in a wilderness and had managed to survive, remembering some of their skills and forgetting others. 

 

As they came to a halt, Jack asked with exaggerated patience, “So, Danny.  What’re they saying?”

 

“Um… I, ah, don’t know.” 

 

“So then how’re we going to convince them that we’re the good guys?  Huh?”

 

“Jack, I can pick out a word here and there, and they’re from different languages.  It’s like the original settlers came from different places, and no one language group was dominant so they learned to communicate by using an amalgam of forms.  What they’re speaking now is a jumble of languages within the same sentence, with hybridized and new words.  With time I could learn it, I’m sure, but they don’t seem eager to teach me.”

 

Time to spread the joy around a little.  “And Major.  Why didn’t we know this village was here?”

 

The woman glanced at the dense forest canopy in consternation.  “I’m sorry sir.  The tree cover must have masked the signs from the UAV.  We knew there were inhabitants, but not where they were.  I’ll re-adjust the heat sensors when we get back.  This many people grouped together should have been detected.  I’m really sorry, sir.”

 

 “It’s okay, Carter.  Not your fault.  It wouldn’t have made any difference anyway.”

 

On to number three.  “And Teal’c, any thoughts?”

 

“We must proceed with caution, O’Neill.”

 

Sometimes Jack thought that Teal’c handed him lines on purpose.   “Ya think?”

 

“Indeed I do.  These people seem most agitated and unpredictable.  We could be in great danger here.”

 

Jack sighed and turned back to the natives just as they seemed to come to a decision.  Several of the warriors stepped forward and surrounded each of the prisoners, poking them with their sharp weapons for emphasis.  They grabbed the team’s packs and vests and tugged them off, then proceeded to pull aggressively at the green jackets until they tore. 

 

O’Neill protested loudly, “Hey!  You never seen a zipper before?  These are perfectly good clothes, here!” 

 

The leader made a sign of encouragement and the warriors continued on to the black T-shirts. 

 

Jack made a decision.  They’d been going along trying to be cooperative, but enough was enough.  It was time to show that they weren’t going to passively accept anything.  They were NOT going to stand there and have their clothes ripped off.  As he shouted, “That’s it!  Hands off the merchandise RIGHT now!” he batted the warriors and their weapons away from his body.  The men reacted aggressively, lunging in toward him so that he was soon trying to defend himself with hand to hand.

 

Teal’c and Carter followed his example, the female officer spurred on by the fact that they were trying to remove her bra, while Jack could vaguely hear Daniel’s voice protesting that they only wanted the strangers to be dressed the same as they were.  It was way too late for fashion makeovers, the situation had turned deadly serious.  Daniel was the only one who hadn’t picked up on that yet.

 

O’Neill was quickly overpowered and forced to his knees by several sharp blades pressing against his body.  His hands were wrenched behind his back and tied there securely.  Teal’c was forced down next to him and received the same treatment.

 

The other two team members were a few feet away, both now bare to the waist as well.  Carter’s hands were tied behind her, but Daniel was still unbound, still trying to communicate with the leader, who was ignoring him.  The leader was looking at Carter.  Looking at her body. 

 

Suddenly Daniel stopped talking, and his face transformed in an instant.  Jack thought, --Right.  Now he’s got it.  He’s finally clued in on how much trouble we’re in.-- 

 

The native man reached toward Carter with both hands and ran his finger tips along the tops and sides of her breasts.  She was being restrained by two men, but held her head up, looking defiantly at the one touching her.  Carter’s breasts were round and high, very different from the local women, whose bodies reflected hard use.  Only the adolescent girls were so firm and tight, making Carter something of an oddity.

 

Daniel, standing right beside Sam, watched the man’s actions with growing alarm.  Careful to make no sudden movements, he slowly extended his arm and passed his open palm between the two, subtly displacing the man’s hands.  He kept the barrier in place as the angry man turned to glare at him.  Daniel met the gaze with his own serious, composed expression. 

 

Daniel said one word, sharp, clear and unambiguous.  “No.”

 

The other clearly understood that word, and just as clearly was not happy about having it said to him by a captive.

 

Jack held his breath and searched for some opening he could use, some way he could intervene.  This was going to be bad.  This was going to be so bad, and Daniel didn’t have any idea. 

 

The native man withdrew a knife from a scabbard hanging at his side, and placed the tip against Daniel’s inner forearm.  He turned to the linguist with an expression that could be roughly translated, ‘Move it or lose it.’  Daniel didn’t react.

 

Jack heard Carter say with a warning tone, “Daniel…”  She understood where this was going. 

 

Jack whispered under his breath, “Come on, Daniel.  Back down.  Move out of there.”

 

Daniel simply held the other man’s gaze, and repeated calmly, “No.”

 

Wrong answer.  The man pressed the blade firmly against Daniel’s arm, and the point bit into the skin, immediately releasing a flow of blood that fell straight to the ground.  When Daniel said the same word again he pressed harder, causing the tip to dig farther into the flesh, and the blood to fall faster.  Jack could see Daniel’s jaw tighten and sweat break out on his forehead, but despite the pain he didn’t move.

 

Carter interjected, “Daniel, stop it!  Don’t do this!”

 

As much as Jack wished that Daniel would obey, he knew it was unlikely.  In fact, there was no fucking way.  Daniel in full-blown stubborn mode would not give in.  O’Neill knew that better than anybody, but the local chief was finding it out.

 

The man pulled the blade free and with a roar of anger stabbed it toward Daniel’s exposed stomach.  The young man at last responded by jumping back to avoid the blade.  Daniel didn’t have time to take any other action as another of the natives brought a heavy wooden staff down hard across his back, knocking him to the ground where he sprawled, stunned.  The first man replaced his knife in its sheath, grabbed the club and slammed it down again as Daniel curled to try to protect himself.  The attacker ignored the movements and swung again, and again, the blows landing with sickening thuds accompanied by gasps of pain from the victim.

 

Jack heard Carter screaming for it to stop, and when the head man looked at him, realized that he had been doing much the same.  Their captor spoke, and two warriors bent to grab hold of Daniel, and dragged him over to where O’Neill and Teal’c still knelt restrained, dropping him face down in front of them.   The battered and bleeding archaeologist didn’t move, and seemed to be unconscious.  Others then pushed Carter to her knees facing them on the other side of Daniel.  The leader grabbed her by the hair and began speaking to Jack scornfully, shaking the woman’s head so emphatically that her whole body followed suit.

 

Jack tried to placate him, saying soothingly,  “That’s right, I understand what you’re saying.  You’re The Man.  We’re impressed.”

 

Just then Daniel started to stir, and lifted his head.  “Sam?”

 

She tried to keep her voice level as she answered, “Don’t move, Daniel.  Be quiet.”

 

It was too late.  Their attacker’s attention was drawn back to the prone figure, and he released Carter to step forward landing a vicious kick into Daniel’s side.  Daniel groaned and coughed at the impact, and moved weakly to try to shield his abused body. 

 

The chief grabbed Daniel by the shoulders, flipped him over, and heaved him up so that his back lay sideways across Jack’s thighs.  The older man tried not to flinch as the weight hit his aching knees, and steeled himself to do whatever he had to do to end this confrontation, preferably with his archaeologist intact. 

 

The man knelt in front of them and grabbed hold of Daniel’s short hair, pulling his head backwards so that his throat was exposed and his back arched.  He took the knife in his other hand and held it in front of Jack’s face. 

 

O’Neill kept his head and eyes lowered in as submissive a posture as he was able to assume, but then all he could see was Daniel’s bare torso, so familiar to him, streaked with blood from the knife wound and sporting several expanding red patches that would be spectacular bruises.  A small whimper of pain and fear escaped from his distressed friend, and a sudden thrashing movement sent sharp twinges through Jack’s legs.

 

He spoke to Daniel with enough of his command voice that he hoped it would get through to him.  “Daniel, stay down.  Don’t move.  Just do it.”

 

Daniel responded through a grimace of pain, “Jack?” his arm flailing against Jack’s chest, then clutching at the material of his trousers.

 

Jack continued in a softer voice, almost pleading, “This is as much about me as it is about you.  This guy needs to show everyone that he’s number one tough guy, head honcho, the big cheese, understand?  He’s demonstrating that he can do whatever he wants with my people.   We’re going to let him think he’s got us totally dominated.  Just.  Don’t.  Move.”

 

Daniel’s hold tightened on Jack’s pant leg, but he stayed still.

 

The native leader was annoyed at not having been the center of attention, however briefly, and turned the knife sideways in his fist and struck Jack forcefully on the chest with his knuckles.  He leaned in and snarled something menacing, to which Jack replied, nodding his head, “Yes, you are the big alpha male.  We all see that.  We’re no threat at all.  Groveling at your feet, here.”

 

The man wasn’t satisfied.  He lowered the blade not to Daniel’s exposed throat, but to the indentation that had formed below his ribcage as his body arched backwards.  The cutting edge pierced the taught skin and dug in, causing Daniel to gasp. 

 

Jack held himself resolutely still as he watched blood pool on his lover’s abdomen.  He kept his head lowered, but raised his eyes to meet their captor’s own, and said softly, “Please.  You win.  Don’t hurt him.”

 

The other man held his gaze for a moment, a look of pleased triumph spreading across his face.  Smiling deeply, he released Daniel’s head, sprang to his feet, and began to strut about the clearing lecturing to the gathered audience, gesturing frequently at the captives.  Jack kept his head bent passively as the speech droned on. 

 

He risked a peek at the large man by his side, and was glad to see that Teal’c was still in full control of himself.  The Jaffa tended to get really pissy when anyone roughed up his teammates.  Luckily, he seemed to realize that now was not the time to show it.

 

Carter had her eyes lowered, but Jack could see the tracks of tears on her dusty face.  He thought that she would probably be mad as hell that her hands were tied and she couldn’t wipe the marks away.  She looked okay, though.  Holding up.

 

And Daniel, he was taking his orders seriously for once and hadn’t moved from where he had been left, despite the awkward position.  He was breathing roughly, his eyes dulled with pain, but he kept them locked on Jack’s face.  The two men looked at each other, drawing strength from the contact.  So much of their individual selves was wrapped up in the other that in emotionally intense situations it was hard to tell where one began and the other ended.   

 

It was another worst case scenario, a personal one.  One that they had also discussed.  How, when you love someone more than life itself, do you stand by and watch them be hurt?  How do you control your emotions and your actions when you might be on the verge of losing the person that gives your life meaning?  They’d agreed, you just do.  You just have to.  Jack and Daniel had to.  It was that or break up the team.  It was that or only see each other when they both happened to be on Earth.  An impossible feat was required of them.   Jack thought that it absolutely sucked having to test this particular resolution.  It took everything he had to play it the way his ‘Colonel’ mind told him it had to go.

 

But now, in the middle of the make or break field-test, their eyes told each other that no matter what happened the connection was solid.  The important things were still true.  Surrounded by hostile savages, subdued and vulnerable, they waited together for whatever would come next.  Over and above the fear, Jack felt layers of pride and affection for this obstinate, too-brave-for-his-own-good, impulsive man.  Jack thought about telling him that he was doing swell, but decided that Daniel would just laugh, which would probably be painful to both of them.

 

After several minutes, a couple of hairy natives tied Daniel’s hands together in front of him and pulled him to his feet where he swayed unsteadily.  The other three were prodded to stand as well, something that Jack achieved only with significant pain and determination. 

 

The four captives were shoved into a small building, containing nothing more than four barred cells.  They pushed Carter into the one nearest the door,  Jack into the next one, then Teal’c and Daniel.  The doors of each cell slammed shut, and they were left alone.

 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

 

No one spoke for a minute.  Teal’c immediately began to inspect the enclosure, surprised to find the bars made of wood rather than metal.  He thrust his shoulder against them and found them every bit as strong as more advanced forms of construction. 

 

He checked on his teammates and discovered DanielJackson sitting on the floor of the small cell, leaning against the outer wall, facing Teal’c.  His eyes were closed and his face held a look of intense control.   On the other side, in the far cell MajorCarter was also inspecting her area of confinement.  In between them O’Neill was flexing and shaking his legs, apparently in an attempt to return them to optimum working condition. 

 

After a moment O’Neill ceased his movement and sighed loudly.  “So.  Here we are.”

 

Teal’c was momentarily tempted to favor his commanding officer with a ‘Ya think?’ of his own at such a pointless statement of the obvious.  He refrained, however, secure in the knowledge that they would address the situation at hand soon.

 

As expected, O’Neill continued.  “Okay, let’s cover the basics.  Daniel?  What’s your condition?”

 

The man in question opened his eyes and peered across the dim room.  “My condition.  Sore, lost my glasses, but mobile.”

 

“Could you be a little more specific?  How sore?  Anything broken?”

 

His voice was flat.  “More specific.  Okay.  Bruised?  Definitely.  Cracked?  Possibly.  Broken?   I don’t think so.  The bleeding has stopped.  My head hurts like hell.  Anything else you want to know?”

 

“Yeah.  Who’s gonna win the World Series?”

 

Conversation was in danger of drifting again.  Teal’c contributed, “Of what significance is the outcome of a sporting event in our present predicament?”

 

O’Neill glared at him, but moved on.  “Teal’c, Carter.  Either of you found a way out of here yet?”

 

MajorCarter sounded dejected.  “No, sir.”

 

Teal’c added.  “The enclosures appear to be quite solidly built.  But I am at a disadvantage in that my hands are restrained at my back, and I cannot test their strength as I might.”

 

O’Neill turned his back and said, “Bring your hands over here.  Maybe I can do something about that.”

 

DanielJackson spoke.  “I’ll do it.”  They turned to look at him, now standing in his cell.  “My hands are tied in front.  It’ll be easier to untie Teal’c when I can see what I’m doing.”

 

Teal’c backed up to the bars separating him from the younger man, and wedged his bound fists into the space between them.   He felt agile fingers inspecting the knots.

 

O’Neill continued with the debriefing.  “So what do we know about these people that we can use?”

 

The archaeologist’s voice sounded softly behind his head.  Teal’c briefly turned his head to glance at him and noted the familiar expression of perplexed concentration; forehead deeply furrowed, chin jutting slightly forward, mouth open.

 

DanielJackson said without looking up from his task, “Well, I don’t really know anything of use.  Other than what I said before, I haven’t been able to communicate with them at all.”

 

O’Neill replied cuttingly, “Well, that makes a change.  Big Chief and I were communicating just fine.  Unusual that it’s my language skills that pulled your nuts out of the fire, isn’t it?”

 

The hands at his bonds stilled, and Teal’c sensed Daniel look up at the other man, though he could not see his face.  Teal’c was displeased.  O’Neill was worried and irritable, and it was not helping.

 

MajorCarter joined the conversation at this point.  She had seated herself and pulled her knees up to her chest.  “We need to talk about what happened out there.”

 

O’Neill shook his head.  “Can’t that wait till we’re out of this?”

 

“With all due respect, sir, I’d like to be sure it won’t happen again.  Daniel, as much as I appreciate your…gallantry…I really wish you wouldn’t have interfered like that.”

 

O’Neill backed her up.  “She’s right, Daniel.  We’ve talked about this before.  Intervening for your teammates can just make things worse.”  Their commander glared meaningfully.

 

Fingers tightened around Teal’c’s wrists.  DanielJackson spoke with agitation.  “Oh, come on, Jack!  Are you going to tell me that you would have just stood there and let that guy…hurt Sam?”

 

“Yes.  That’s exactly what I would have done.  This is a primitive society, even I can see that, and we should assume that the leader rules by force.  He would be vigilant about challenges to his power or any suggestion of weakness.  He already knew that I was the leader of our little troop, and then it was a subordinate who openly challenged him in front of everyone.  And over a woman no less.  You’re lucky he didn’t just kill you where you stood.”

 

DanielJackson’s voice grew angry.  “Come on, Jack.  Don’t kid me.  You always try to redirect an enemy’s attention away from us and toward yourself.  That’s all I did, and I’d like to point out that it worked.”

 

“And you almost got killed, too.  Rule number one.  Survive.  There are other ways of distracting an opponent without inciting him to homicidal rage.  There’s the matter of timing to consider.  Maybe you should leave that to the master, huh?”

 

DanielJackson was silent for a moment, then asked more softly, “Teal’c?  You’ve been very quiet.  What do you think I should have done?”

 

Teal’c could see both sides of this argument.  While he too wished to protect the scholar from harm, he also knew that respect was of utmost importance to him.  He answered, “I do not know, DanielJackson.  I wished to take action as well, but was not in a position to be able to do so.  I understand your decision to intervene.”

 

A hand came to rest on his shoulder and squeezed.  “Thank you, Teal’c.”

 

O’Neill snorted, “Yeah, thanks a bunch, T.”

 

The warrior continued.  “While it is unacceptable to watch MajorCarter being mistreated, it is no better when you are the object of violence, DanielJackson.  We should all avoid provoking this chief’s defensive reactions whenever possible.”

 

The hands returned to their work.  “I can agree to that.”

 

O’Neill squatted in front of their female teammate, and engaged her in a quiet conversation.  This was good.  For all their bold assertions to DanielJackson, it cannot have been easy for MajorCarter to have been handled in that fashion, nor easy for O’Neill to allow it.  It was appropriate that they should check in with each other now, in this time of comparative peace.

 

Their team leader stood again and began pacing the short distance allowed by the cage.  “So, at this point it looks like we’re falling back on the old ‘waiting for someone to rescue us’ plan of action.”

 

Just then the boom of a drum sounded not far in the distance.  All heads swung around to face the noise.  A steady, pounding beat was established and maintained.  It seemed no one had anything else to say. 

 

After working for several more minutes, Daniel said, “Teal’c, would you mind if we did this sitting down?”

 

He reprimanded himself for not having thought of that earlier.  The young man had been severely beaten, and must be feeling weakened by the experience.  He responded, “That would be quite acceptable,” and slid down to the floor, his back still to the bars.  DanielJackson settled in behind him and resumed picking at the bonds.

 

Darkness began to creep into the room.  MajorCarter, who had laid her head down against her knees, volunteered, “Maybe they’ll forget about us.”

 

That was probably more than could be hoped for.

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

 

Daniel tried to ignore the pain in his side as he worked on the rope knotted around Teal’c’s wrists.  He had managed to push one loose end of rope through one loop, and was attempting to ease it backwards into the knot to see where it came out.  It was not good, that pain.  He’d said nothing was broken, but that might not have been entirely accurate.  Not that they could do anything about it at this point. 

 

He had plenty to keep him busy, anyway.  He went over his attempts to communicate in his mind, picking out the words which he had more or less understood and trying to make some sense of the sentence structure.  ‘Bestia’ was generally a noun, but how did it relate to ‘repas’ or ‘bared gelb’ in this context?  And was that one word ‘sonntag’ ?  It very well could have been ‘ sukaardji‘ for all he knew, and what difference did it make if he couldn’t determine any of the verbs? 

 

Jack interrupted his train of thought, “Hey, Daniel.  You making any progress there?”

 

“Uh, not much.  Wait.”

 

Jack stood and resumed his pacing.  “Wait!  He says wait.  Oh, I can do that.  I’m real good at waiting.   Know what I’ll do?  I think I’ll just, hey!  You know?  I think I’ll just wait for a little while.  Haven’t done that for a long time.”

 

“Jack.  Shut up.”

 

Daniel heard a soft humph come from Teal’c, which he took to mean that the Jaffa agreed with his directive.

 

It was completely dark now, and the only illumination in their ‘accommodation’ was the flickering fire light coming through a small window in the outer door.  He was working almost entirely by feel as he tried to pull the loose end of rope through the knot and out the other side.  It was really tight.  They must have been planning to cut it off rather than untie it again.

 

Right, so Jack had been able to communicate when he hadn’t.  Daniel had been too focused on the words and had overlooked the contextual nuances  entirely.  Not his finest hour.  But if he’d had just a little more time, he was sure that he could have gotten them to understand him.  He hadn’t even been able to try the ‘Me Daniel’ approach, which almost always worked.  Once an enemy knows your name, it’s hard to stay enemies.

 

There, another bit of rope came loose.  Small victory.  There was a lot more to go. 

 

Perhaps if he could get a look at some written material, it might speed up his comprehension.  Of course, they might have fallen into illiteracy, if they could ever read or write at all.  While the Chinese have been literate for seven thousand years, the use of written words among average people anywhere on Earth only became common within the last two hundred years or less.  So they might only have verbal language.  Or maybe if he tried single words in different languages, rather than sentences, he could establish some kind of preliminary vocabulary…

 

Jack interrupted his thoughts again with a sharp, “Heads up.”

 

Feet sounded outside the hut door, which opened to admit the leader, significantly better dressed now than earlier, and four other warriors.  The head man strolled in displaying his finely woven white poncho, with gold embroidery and inlays, a feathered band tied in his hair.  It looked like ceremonial garb, which could be a good thing, or not.

 

All four SG1 members stood as the man paraded up and down the short walkway in front of the cells, inspecting them all carefully. 

 

Daniel drew breath to try his one word at a time method, but a terse “Daniel, don’t” cut him off.  He looked at Jack, whose eyes were fixed on the chief, scowling.  Jack shook his head briefly and said again, “Don’t,” and Daniel knew it meant him. 

 

He tried to look demure and passive and inoffensive, but their captor pointed to him anyway, and his cell door was soon opened.  Why was this somehow not a surprise.  What did Jack call him?  A ‘Trouble Magnet’.  Well, fuck.

 

The warriors entered and pushed him out into the hallway with both hands and spear points.  A bit of overkill, considering that he was still tied up.  –-What, are they trying to get me onto a spit to roast me?--

 

They shoved him along to where Big Chief waited in front of Jack’s cell.  The ruler leered into Daniel’s face, then grabbed his hair and pulled his head back again.  --If people keep doing that I’m going to suffer premature baldness.  Where are these thoughts coming from?  Must be a little hysterical.-- 

 

Daniel felt rather than saw the chief draw a line across his throat with his hand, and then caught sight of Jack’s expression.  It was another message to Jack, that they were going to kill one of his.  They were going to kill him.  Daniel’s knees felt shaky as he took in the look on Jack’s face, a mixture of desperation, hate and anguish.  Jack thought that this was it, that Daniel was going to die.

 

He couldn’t leave Jack like this.  He had to comfort him somehow.  “Jack, it’s okay.  I….”

 

His tormentor swung him brutally towards the door by his hair, then pushed him forward.  The other warriors surrounded the prisoner and herded him out without a moment to even glance back. 

 

Daniel felt a lump in the pit of his stomach trying to rise up his throat.  He was scared, yes.  But most of the emotion was grief.  He might never see Jack again.  Or Sam or Teal’c, either, but Jack…. 

 

He was led to a building which abutted the outer fort rampart, with double thick walls and a sturdy wooden roof.  The temple or ceremonial house?  Daniel was surprised to find that he didn’t care.  –-I don’t even want to know.-- 

 

They approached the doorway, and he was shoved into the dark interior.

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

 

Sam bounced her shoulders and arms as vigorously as possible to try to stop the shaking.  She wasn’t cold, this was practically a tropical climate.  She was just so angry. 

 

As if stripping them, tying them up, beating Daniel and imprisoning them weren’t enough, they took Daniel away!  And indicated that they were going to kill him!  This was not good.  This was not all right at all, and she had to do something about it.  And she couldn’t do a blessed thing in this cell.  If her hands were free she could pick the lock, or rig up some kind of weapon, or…something.  Anything other than stand here helplessly.

 

Sam glanced at her CO and saw that he was in as bad a state as she was.  He was about ready to explode, but his outward expression took the opposite form to her manic energy.  He had become as still as a statue.  He was staring at the floor with his hands clenched behind him, and she could see the veins standing out on his face and neck as his tension grew. 

 

Her heart went out to him.  God knew she loved Daniel.  He was one of the most beautiful people she’d ever met, and one of her closest friends.  But the connection between the Colonel and Daniel went beyond that.  For all their differences they’d become inseparable on the emotional level, if not the physical.  If Daniel were… If something happened to him, Sam was afraid that he wouldn’t be able to handle it. 

 

The Colonel choked out one word, holding a question and a plea.  “Teal’c?”

 

“DanielJackson has succeeded in loosening the bindings slightly, but I am not yet able to free myself.  I will continue to make the attempt.”

 

God, that wasn’t good enough.  Sam walked to the door of her cell and leaned her forehead against it.  Staring at the dirt floor on the other side she tried, tried to think of something to do.  How long had Daniel been gone?  At least a half an hour, if not more. 

 

The door of their holding area flew open suddenly, and Sam jumped back from the bars as some warriors worked the lock of her cage.  They strode in and grabbed her arms, pulling her out the door.

 

Colonel O’Neill growled low and fierce, “Let her go, NOW.”  They ignored his words and opened his cell as well, manhandling him out to join her.  Teal’c soon followed, and they were pushed outside into the nighttime village.

 

Crossing the compound, the three were led into a dark building.  The drumming, which had never stopped, was louder here.  A line of bars, like in their cells, stretched across the single room dividing it in two.  They were directed forward, and forced to sit in heavy chairs, the backs of which were forced between their restrained arms and their backs, effectively immobilizing them. 

 

Sam saw a dismayed look on the Colonel’s face and followed his gaze forward.  On the other side of the bars was Daniel.  He was standing at the far end of the room, facing away from them, his arms straight out at his sides, hands and feet chained to solid posts beside him.  He was naked. 

 

The chief was in that section of the room with Daniel.  He watched the rest of SG1 gloatingly as a number of warriors filed in to the ‘observation’ area behind them.  Then he started making another speech, obviously talking about Daniel.  The warriors behind Sam made agreeing, grunting noises to punctuate the presentation.

 

Colonel O’Neill must have decided that it was too late to worry about offending the boss, because he roared over the other man’s voice, “Daniel!  What’s going on?”

 

Daniel tried to twist his head around to look at them, but couldn’t move far enough.  He called back, his voice high and scared, “Jack!  I don’t know!  I think we’re looking at some kind of s..s..sacrifice.”

 

“We’re going to try and get free here and help you, buddy.  Just hold on!”

 

“Sure, no problem…”

 

The native leader moved in front of Jack and shouted him down.  When he had regained the floor, he shifted in front of Sam and pointed to her, then to where Daniel waited.  Then he walked over to Teal’c and pointed to him.  Finally he stood in front of Jack again, relishing the message that the Colonel would be last. 

 

A doorway in the barricade was opened and the chief moved through to join them.  Some men began winding a winch attached to the side wall, and a gate at the far end of the room began to lift toward the ceiling, exposing the forest outside the fort walls.

 

The drumming accelerated and reached a crescendo as a figure appeared in the doorway, then stopped abruptly.  Sam stared in horror as the creature, that was the only thing to call it, stepped into the room.  It was humanoid in the sense of having a head, two arms and two legs, but it definitely wasn’t human.  Sam could only think that it somewhat resembled an Unas, except it was smaller and had very short, dark gray fur instead of scales.  It had long claws on each hand, and frightening, wild eyes.  It walked hunched over slightly, though Sam got the impression that it could come upright if it wanted to. 

 

It had seen Daniel and was very interested.  It crept toward him sniffing the air excitedly.  Daniel was frozen, staring at it in shock.

 

Sam realized that she was saying, “Oh god, oh god” out loud and shut her mouth.

 

The creature approached Daniel and started stroking him with the palms of its hands.  It caressed his chest and belly, skimmed its hands down his flanks,  and then leaned in to lick his back tentatively.

 

Daniel was trying not to flinch with every touch, but not succeeding very well.  He was obviously terrified, and Sam couldn’t blame him one bit.

 

Then the ‘animal’ flashed its claws once, and great bloody gashes opened over his right butt, hip and thigh.  Daniel jerked in his chains, but could do nothing to defend himself.  The thing bent its face to his leg and began to lick the blood from his skin.  Daniel appeared to be hyperventilating, until the creature reached the wounds with its tongue, and then he began to seriously cry out, thrashing as much as he could, clearly in great pain.

 

Sam’s voice was saying, “No, no, no”.  She could hardly bear to watch this. 

 

Beside her, O’Neill called out, “Teal’c!”

 

“I am trying, O’Neill!”

 

The creature began rubbing its body sensually against Daniel’s, circling him like a predator toying with its prey.  Then the claws flashed again, across his right front hip and thigh, and slowly it feasted again.  Agitated, Daniel moaned, but appeared to be weakening, from blood loss, pain and fear, no doubt.  It would almost be a blessing if he passed out. --No!  We can’t lose him this way.  This can’t happen!--

 

 The Colonel called again, “TEAL’C!”, and the large warrior bellowed in response, “NOW!” and tore his hands free.  He leapt to his feet and immediately engaged the warriors standing in the room with them, as Jack and Sam remained helplessly bound. 

 

Sam’s attention was drawn back to the spectacle in front of them as the creature moved in front of Daniel, and stood to its full height, its head reaching the man’s shoulder.  Then it opened its mouth and displayed vicious fangs.  Snarling, it sunk them into the soft flesh of Daniel’s chest,  just below the collarbone, and wrapped its arms around the human’s torso, hugging its prey as it fed.  Sam pulled and struggled against her restraints and the chair she was bound to, as a scream of agony tore from Daniel’s throat.

 

Jack was fighting wildly to get free next to her, and Teal’c continued his battle with the warriors in the enclosed space. 

 

Another human voice suddenly cried out, coming from the doorway open to the forest.  A man in a green uniform crouched in the entrance.  It was Ferretti!  The creature withdrew its bloody maw from Daniel’s chest and turned to snarl at the newcomer.  Ferretti leveled his P-90 and blew the thing half way across the room. 

 

The rest of SG2 and SG5 poured into the room behind him, several of them moving toward the barrier.  The warriors in the room screamed in anger and alarm after seeing what the weapon had done to the animal, and most of them scrambled to get out of the building through the other exit. 

 

Someone shot the latch on the barred door, and the rescue team was through.  Sam’s eyes were glued to Daniel, as she watched Ferretti approach him and look over the chains holding him in place.  She felt someone cut the ropes on her wrists, and then place something around her shoulders.  An SGC jacket.  Her only thought was to get to Daniel, and found herself scrambling through the doorway next to O’Neill and Teal’c as they all rushed to their friend. 

 

Just as they got there, Ferretti released one wrist from its manacle, and Daniel slumped to one side.  Teal’c caught him and held him upright until Ferretti freed the other wrist, then lowered him gently to the ground.  He was covered in blood, pale, and barely conscious.  Teal’c held him, his own hands bloody from where the still tight ropes had scraped the skin off, with Jack kneeling on one side, and Sam on the other.

 

She called to him softly, her voice breaking with anguish, “Daniel?”

 

His glazed eyes found her.  “Sam?”

 

She reached for one of his hands and lifted it to her lips.  “You’re going to be okay, sweetie.  We’re taking you home now.”

 

His face contorted as he tried to remain conscious.  He could only respond, “Oh, god.  Sam.”

 

“I know, honey.  You’re going to be all right.  We’re here.”

 

“Jack?”

 

“I’m here, Daniel.  The good folks of the SGC have come to bust us out.”

 

Ferretti knelt beside Jack and said, “Hey, Doctor J.  We’re going to have to have a little talk about not getting quite so up-close and personal with the locals, eh?  We’re going to move you onto a stretcher now.  You okay with that?”

 

Daniel nodded, and Sam felt hands on her shoulders pulling her out of the way.  Then those hands were guiding her arms into the jacket, which had fallen off again.  Sam followed the hands up to find the face attached.  It was one of the SG5 Marines, what was her name?  Alexander.  The woman zipped the jacket up for her, and helped her to stand.  She asked, “Major, shall we go?”

 

Sam looked down to see Daniel being carried past on the stretcher, much too pale, and unconscious now. 

 

Most of the warriors had fled the building, but the chief was still there, right beside them, being restrained by another soldier.  He was screaming at O’Neill with untamed rage and pointing to the dead creature.  The Colonel calmly reached over, took Ferretti’s spare sidearm, and brought it up to point directly at the man’s face.  Sam prayed that never, not even for a nanosecond, would a look like that ever be directed at her; the depth of the hatred was stunning.  It had no effect, and the native continued ranting angrily as though unaware of how close he was to dying. 

 

Sam saw O’Neill glance at the retreating stretcher, and thought that it could go either way.  Jack could be thinking of the harm done to his friend, or he could be thinking of what Daniel would want him to do.  Apparently it was the latter, as after a moment the Colonel lowered the weapon and said with quiet disgust, “Get him out of here.”  He then turned to follow the stretcher, with Sam and Teal’c trailing closely behind.

 

++++++++++++++++++++++

 

 

Jack complied with the orders he was given.  He submitted to the post mission medical without complaint.  He showered and shaved and changed.  He went to the commissary and ate a complete meal, not that he could remember what it was.  General Hammond had agreed to postpone the debriefing for a few hours, so there was now no argument that could be used to keep him away from the infirmary. 

 

He slouched in a plastic chair in the hallway in front of the infirmary doors. They had been in there for two hours with no word.  What could possibly be taking so long?

 

Teal’c was sitting quietly beside him.  Sure, the big guy was always quiet, but now he was exceptionally so.  Carter was standing in the middle of the hall a few feet away, with her arms clenched around her chest, staring at the wall.  He thought they made quite a picture.  Not doing so well themselves, eh?

 

Jack drew a breath and stood.  He walked over to Carter and startled her by touching her arm.  “You all right?”

 

She looked at him searchingly for a moment, then said almost defiantly, “No, sir.  Not really.”  Her gaze faltered and turned back to the infirmary wall.  “I just can’t get the picture out of my head.  That…thing… eating Daniel….”  Her forehead crinkled as she fought back tears.  “Sorry, sir.  You don’t have to say it.  I know he’ll be all right.  He’ll pull through.  He’s strong.  I know all that.  It’s okay.”

 

She was trying to put her professional face back on, and for once Jack thought that that might not be the way to go.  Instead of giving her the ‘buck-up soldier’ routine, he gently pulled her into his arms and held her close.  This wasn’t the kind of thing they did very often, but it was a special occasion. 

 

The woman was surprised, but gingerly returned the embrace.  Jack spoke to her softly, “Carter.  Sam.  That was, ah, pretty damn scary what happened back there.  I think we might all be a bit shocky now.  But he is going to be all right.  He is going to pull through.  We didn’t lose him.  Try to let it go.”

 

Slowly her head lowered to his shoulder, both relaxing into the contact.  After a minute, Jack stepped back and drew Sam toward the plastic seats, motioning her to sit next to Teal’c.  “Wait with us.”

 

She sat, and Jack took the seat next to her.  Sam brushed the bandages on the back of Teal’c’s hand with her finger tips.  He cocked his head to look at her, then nodded gravely.  After a minute, she said, “Wait.  That is what Daniel told us to do.”

 

Jack quipped back, “Yeah.  And you know the smart money is always on Daniel’s plan.”  The lame attempt at humor actually provoked a grudging half smile from the blonde woman, so he went on,  “But don’t ever tell him I said that.”  The smile stayed a little longer.

 

Jack slipped back into his own reverie, his mind not focusing very long on any one thought.  Images of the past day continued to haunt him as well, and he knew he wouldn’t be able to let them go until he saw that Danny was all right.

 

General Hammond strode down the hall towards them and Jack rose to meet him.  “As you were, Colonel.  Has the Doctor been out yet?  She called me to say she was ready to report.”

 

“No, sir.  We’re still waiting to hear.”

 

On cue the door opened and Doctor Fraiser stepped out, looking tired and drawn.  She glanced at the group standing before her and said, “Good, I’m glad you’re all here.”

 

O’Neill couldn’t restrain himself.  “So don’t keep us in suspense, Doc.  How is he?  Is he gonna be okay?”

 

The woman nodded slowly.  “As things stand now, it looks very much like he will recover completely.  Eventually.”

 

“So why do I hear an ‘I hope’ in there?”

 

She sighed, “Because although none of Daniel’s wounds are in themselves life threatening, he’s still in fairly poor condition.”

 

The General sent Jack a look which ordered him to be still, then turned back to the doctor.

 

“My report should clarify things.”  She went on, “Dr. Jackson has two cracked ribs from the beating he received.  They will be painful, but should have no difficulty healing.  He also has numerous bruises and cuts, as did all of you, along with a couple of slightly deeper knife wounds.  Again, I see no immediate problem with those.  Obviously, he’s lost quite a lot of blood.  That is being replaced.

 

“This is where it gets complicated.”  She glanced at each of them, then continued.  “There are a series of deep lacerations to his right buttock, hip and thigh, as well as a serious flesh wound to his left pectoral area.  The thing is, these wounds are not behaving as they should.  They haven’t stopped bleeding yet, despite the administration of coagulant enhancing medication.  Now, the bleeding has slowed, but the flesh remains raw and there is no indication of scabbing as would be expected.  We have stitched most of the abrasions, but they aren’t knitting and continue to bleed.  Others we have left open for now, so that we can asses his progress more easily.  He is receiving a broad spectrum antibiotic, but under the circumstances there is still a risk of infection.”

 

Carter asked, “But why is he still bleeding?  Do you know what’s causing it?”

 

“Well I can only guess that he came into contact with some agent which is having this result, though we haven’t found it.  The lesions have been thoroughly cleaned, and the effect is reduced, but at this point all we can really do is wait for his body to resume the healing process itself. “

 

She held up one hand to forestall questions.  “And before you ask, no, he hasn’t regained consciousness yet, for which I am actually grateful because the work we just did on him would have been tremendously painful.  And yes, you can all go in and see him for one, and I mean one minute, then everybody out.  While he will not be in isolation for the time being, I will be keeping visitation to a minimum.  People coming and going introduce additional germs into his environment that he doesn’t need right now.  Understood?”

 

The four nodded seriously, and then filed into the infirmary.  Daniel was at the end of the ward, with curtains pulled around his bed.  As they entered the space, they saw him lying on his left side, as wan as they had expected.  The left arm lay on the mattress in front of him, the right draped across his chest, connected to IV lines. 

 

His face was surprisingly unmarred after the ordeal.  Aside from a gauze bandage on the inner left forearm,  no other signs of injury were apparent, all being hidden by the hospital gown and blankets. 

 

Daniel’s teammates stared at him as if trying to memorize his appearance.  General Hammond shared his concerned glances equally among the injured man and the rest of SG1.  After precisely one minute, the Doctor motioned for the visitors to leave.

 

After the others had gone, Jack stopped in front of Janet and made his proposal.  “So, I understand what you said about coming and going, but what about if I just stay here?”

 

She pursed her lips and with a shake of her head began to reply.  Jack didn’t give her a chance, but went on, “Look, Janet.  I saw what he went through on that planet, and I know my boy.  When he wakes up he’s going to need reassurance as much as anything else.  I’m all cleaned up and got nowhere else to go.”  He finished with a pleading tone,  “I really need to stay with him.  Please?  I’ll stay out of the way, I promise.”  Expressive eyebrows lifted over sincere brown eyes.

 

Fraiser regarded him evenly for a moment, then acquiesced.  “All right, Jack.  I’ll allow this for now.”  A small smile crept across her face.  “And the truth is you do have a way with him.  But understand, he’s still in very delicate condition.  If you’re sitting with him you’ll need to alert someone if there’s the slightest change.”

 

O’Neill snapped her a salute, and answered with a brisk military whisper, “Ma’am. Yes ma’am.”

 

Left to settle in, Jack sunk into a white plastic chair by the head of the bed.  He picked up Daniel’s left hand and held it in his own, gently rubbing the palm with his thumb.

 

“Well, Danny-boy.  Just sittin’ here waitin’ for ya to wake up.  So any time you’re ready.”

 

Despite the continuing uncertainty of the situation, Jack felt himself relaxing.  It made all the difference to see this beautiful face in front of him.  Soon enough they would be back to normal.

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

 

Hours had passed, and there was still no movement from the sleeping patient.  Doctor Fraiser had been in to check vital stats, which where holding stable.  Carter and Teal’c debriefed the General about what had happened, all of them agreeing to leave Jack as much time in the infirmary as possible.  The Doctor admired the man’s dedication.  His butt must be sore from sitting in the same chair all that time, but he made no move to leave or to release the hand he was holding.

 

Doctor Fraiser entered the enclosed space carrying a tray of syringes, bottles and materials.  She set them down on a small table, and rolled it to the bedside.  Under all normal circumstances visitors would be asked to leave at this point, but there was no use kidding herself that these were normal circumstances.  It was never normal when it involved Daniel Jackson.  He came fully equipped with one quite visible, corporeal and insistent guardian angel.  If she ordered O’Neill to leave he would just hover about and try to peak through the curtains.  In any case, as he said, he had seen how the wounds were inflicted, so the aftermath shouldn’t be any shock.  Still, she should give him the option.

 

“Colonel, I’m going to change the dressings now, you may want to take a break or wait outside.”

 

“If it’s all the same to you, Doc, I’ll stay.  I’ve got a strong stomach.”

 

“I certainly hope so.”

 

She folded down the blanket, and carefully lifted the hospital gown to expose Daniel’s thigh and buttock.  The whole area was covered in gauze pads, now soaked red.  The Doctor began lifting the pads off with care, revealing vicious lines of stitches scattered among deepening bruises.  She gently laid antiseptic soaked pads over the lesions, then patted them lightly to draw away the remaining blood.  Daniel’s thigh muscles twitched several times in response to the contact.

 

“Well, this is good news.  It looks like the bleeding has almost stopped.  Let’s see how the other ones are doing.”

 

She lifted the gown higher, exposing more bandages on the front of Daniel’s hip, but carefully made sure that it covered the man’s genitals.

 

Jack quipped, “I’ve seen everything he’s got, Doc.  No need to be concerned about the privates on my account.”

 

Fraiser answered wryly as she began removing the pads, “Oh, it’s not on your account, Colonel.  You may not care, but I happen to know that Daniel is exceptionally modest about his body, and he wouldn’t thank me for flashing him when he can’t defend himself.  Besides, that isn’t the part of him we’re concerned with just now.  Luckily.”

 

Several long strips of raw flesh were uncovered, one near enough to the groin to make Jack wince in sympathy.  As the Doctor patted away the old blood, only the smallest beads returned to dot the surface of the pink tissue.

 

“Doing well here, too.  Not the clotting we’d hoped for, but if he continues improving I’ll stitch these up next time around.”  She replaced the sterile pads and tucked the patient in under the blankets again.

 

She then called out softly, “Tom, could you come here for a minute?”

 

One of the duty nurses appeared, and she explained, “I’m going to roll Dr. Jackson onto his back, and I’d like you to hold him so that as little weight as possible is placed on his hip and thigh.” 

 

The pair gently and efficiently shifted Daniel so that his upper body was more horizontal, while the rest maintained a slight angle off the mattress.  The nurse kept one hand under his back, with the other holding his legs in position.  Janet pulled the neck of his gown down over his shoulder to uncover the last affected area.  A larger bandage, as red as the others, was strapped firmly to his chest.

 

Her not-so-silent observer had held up well so far, but this was going to be the test.  Fraiser looked up at Jack.  “You sure you want to see this?”  The man just nodded, and she proceeded to tend the wound, lifting away the soiled covering.

 

The previous injuries had been hard to look at.  Jack had appeared to feel every claw mark, every stitch, as if they were part of his own body.  This, however was just plain gruesome.  A several square inch section of Daniel’s chest was like a patchwork quilt,  with lines of stitches pulling together badly discolored flesh.  Jack started to look queasy, and had to turn his head away.

 

One of the difficult parts of Janet’s job was that she always saw the aftermath of their missions, without knowing exactly what happened or how.  She saw all the teams come back from off-planet.  Sometimes they were blasé and bored as though they’d been on a stroll through the park.  Sometimes they were dirty and tired.  Sometimes they were dead.  And sometimes, like now, good people came back having had incredibly traumatic things happen to their bodies, counting on Janet to put the pieces back together.  It was hard for her to imagine how anyone could inflict something like this on Daniel on purpose.  And it wasn’t the first time she had thought that.  Though she hid it behind her professional demeanor, it was hard for her to accept.

 

But in a way she was lucky that all she had to face were the consequences.  The team members had to deal with the events that caused them, too.  After all the horrific injuries she had tended them for, she honestly didn’t know how they could keep going back out there.  She didn’t know how they could cope emotionally with seeing and suffering so much violence.  And she didn’t know how Jack could stand to relive it again now.

 

Before resuming her work, Dr. Fraiser took a moment to reassure the Colonel.  “It isn’t as bad as it seems.  The, ah, thing that did this seems to have been intending to cause bleeding, rather than consume flesh.  The edges of the wounds fit together cleanly.  He’ll probably have some scarring, but that’s all.”

 

Jack just nodded in response, not appearing to feel particularly better about it. 

 

She touched the tender area with the antiseptic soaked gauze, and Daniel’s body jerked in response.  His head started to rock slightly, and he released a low groan.

 

“Looks like he’s waking up.”

 

“Yes.  I’ll finish here as quickly as I can.”

 

She began working her way across the patchwork, and Daniel shuddered and shifted beneath her hands.  He cried out weakly, “No.  Ahhh… No.”

 

A sudden movement took everyone by surprise, and only O’Neill’s fast reflexes saved the Doctor from suffering a broken nose, as he caught the flying fist in mid air, IV tubes and all.  The woman pulled back, startled.

 

Daniel struggled feebly, but called out, “No!  Stop it.  Hurts.  Jack!”

 

Jack still held one of Daniel’s hands in his own, and gripped the injured man’s right shoulder with the other one, the only spot on the torso that wasn’t damaged.  “Danny!  Daniel.  I’m here, it’s all right.  It’s all over.  You’re safe in the infirmary.”

 

The patient was becoming more agitated, and the nurse sought direction.  “Doctor?”

 

She motioned for him to stay put.  “Just hold him as still as you can, Tom.  Colonel?”

 

“I’ve got him.  Daniel…”

 

“No!  Jack, help!  Get it off.  Please!” 

 

“Daniel look at me.  Open your eyes and look at me.  It’s all over.  That creature is dead and you’re safe.  Daniel, come on.”

 

The blue eyes fluttered open and tried to focus.  “Jack?”

 

“That’s right.  I’m here.”

 

The hand sporting the IV adornments clutched at O’Neill’s shirt.  “Oh god, Jack.  It hurt.  That…that thing…it was licking me.  Digging its tongue into me.  It hurt so much.  Like acid.  It still hurts.”

 

Jack released Daniel’s shoulder and brushed his fingers through the short brown hair.  “Doctor Fraiser is going to help you with that.  She’s right here.  Will you let her help you?”

 

Daniel’s continuing confusion and anguish was evident from his face, but after processing the question for a moment he nodded.

 

Jack moved to the side, never releasing the hand in his, to allow the Doctor closer.  She moved into Daniel’s line of vision and spoke soothingly, “Hey there Daniel.  I need to clean and cover the wound on your chest now.  It may hurt, but then I’ll give you something stronger for the pain and you’ll sleep again.  Do you understand?”

 

Another pause, then the head nodded.  “Janet?”

 

“You’re going to be all right, Daniel.  I promise.  I just need you to hold still for a few minutes.  Can you do that?”

 

Another nod.

 

As she quickly finished cleaning the injured area, Daniel grimaced in pain and groaned, squeezing Jack’s hand tightly.    “Oh god.”

 

“Sorry, Daniel.  Almost done.”  She applied a fresh dressing, and pulled the blanket up over his chest.  Moving away briefly, she returned with a syringe and injected its contents into his IV line.  The tense body began to relax almost immediately, and he turned his face to his friend,  fighting to stay awake a few more seconds.

 

“Jack.  Help me.”

 

“I will, Danny.  I won’t leave you alone.   I’ll be here if you need me.  Rest easy, Spacemonkey.”

 

The eyes slowly closed, and Daniel drifted off to sleep again.  The Doctor and her assistant rearranged his body so that there was pressure on the least number of injuries possible, then the nurse collected the soiled dressings and carried them away.

 

Doctor Fraiser and the Colonel looked at each other, both still shaken from the ordeal. 

 

“Doc?  He said it hurt like acid.”

 

“Yes, there may have been some property in the animal’s saliva that retards healing, and that’s probably what hurt so much.  It makes sense, if its main interest was to drink his blood rather than….”  She stopped, noting the paleness of the Special Ops trained Air Force Colonel’s face.  “Sorry.  Really, I think he’s getting better.  With pain management he should heal fine.  It just may take longer than usual.  He’ll sleep for several hours now, at least.  Why don’t you go get some rest yourself, and I’ll call you if he wakes up.”

 

“I told him I would stay with him, that I wouldn’t leave him.  That’s what I intend to do.”

 

“So do you think you can hold his hand day and night, 24/7?”  She smiled at him teasingly.  “How do you plan to go to the bathroom?”

 

“Well, you must have a spare bedpan around here somewhere.”

 

“I’m going to pretend you didn’t say that.  I’ll let you stay, but there are conditions.  I’ll come back in a couple of hours and sit with Daniel while you go take care of yourself a bit.  I’ll hold his hand, I swear.”

 

“All right.  I just don’t want him to wake up and be alone, you know?”

 

“I do.  And he’s lucky to have you, Colonel.  Call if you need anything.”

 

“I will.  Thanks.”

 

After tidying the area, Janet lifted a pillow from a nearby bed and handed it to the Colonel.  Acknowledging her gift with a grin, he adjusted it under his rear end and returned to his post, studying the sleeping face intently. 

 

“I’m here, Daniel.  You just sleep and get better.  I’m right here.”

 

Maybe that was how they got through all the ugly parts, by sheer force of will and loyalty to each other.  Stepping back or letting go just wasn’t an option.  Maybe knowing someone would always be there when you woke up helped the bad memories to fade.  And maybe it was more than that.

 

Janet left the two men alone and returned to her office, confident that her patient was in the best possible hands.

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

 

When Janet had forced the Colonel to take a break, Sam and Teal’c had joined him for a meal in the commissary.  Then the Doctor had let them take a peek in at Daniel, and sent them on their way again.  Now Sam was supposed to be back in her lab reviewing the results of an analysis that Lt. Simmons had done for her.  But she wasn’t there.  She was standing outside the infirmary door again.  Just because the Colonel got to be the one to hold the bedside vigil, it didn’t mean that she could just get on with her life.   Of course, there was nothing she could actually do here in the hallway.  She told herself she was just taking a break, stretching her legs.  She would go back to work soon.

 

Sam looked up to see a familiar face approaching her.  It was Lieutenant Alexander.  The strongly built woman stopped beside her and spoke politely, “Major Carter.  I thought I might find you here.  I’ve been detailed to find out how Dr. Jackson’s doing.  He looked pretty bad… Well, you know.”

 

“Yes, I do.”  Sam couldn’t stop a slight tremor as the memory returned with full force.  “Thanks for asking, Lieutenant.  Dr. Fraiser says that he will be all right, it’s just a matter of time.”

 

“A lot of people will be glad to hear that, ma’am.  Dr. Jackson is a good guy.  Changed a lot of people’s opinions about having civilians in the program.  He’s a lot tougher than he looks.”

 

Sam smiled at that.  “That certainly is very true.” 

 

“Can I get you anything Major?  A cup of coffee or something?”

 

“No, thanks.  I’m on my way back to my lab.”  She gazed at the young woman beside her thoughtfully.  “I wanted to thank you for what you did for me on the planet.  You know, the jacket.”

 

“No problem, ma’am.  Your mind was kind of on other things and well, we women have to look out for each other.”

 

“Exactly.  And I appreciate it.  At the time I couldn’t have cared less what I was or wasn’t wearing, but now….   I’m glad I wasn’t any more exposed than I had to be.  You know what I mean.”

 

“I do, ma’am.  And I’m sure you’d do the same for me.” 

 

“Count on it, Lieutenant.”

 

As they walked together toward the elevator, Sam took one last look back at the infirmary door.  She sent a thought towards it, --Hey, Tougher-Than-You-Look.  Hang in there.-- 

 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

 

Jack had fallen asleep slumped against the side of Daniel’s bed.  He jerked awake as the hand in his twitched and shifted.   He started to say, “Daniel…?” but the younger man wasn’t awake.  He looked different, though.  Sort of flushed. 

 

Concerned, Jack touched his friend’s forehead with the back of his hand, then grabbed the call button beside the bed.

 

Janet appeared within seconds.  “Colonel, you rang?”

 

“No joke, Janet.  The kid’s burning up.” 

 

As the Doctor practically sprang towards the bed he continued his explanation.  “I didn’t notice anything was wrong till just a minute ago.   I fell asleep.  I should have been paying better attention.”

 

Fraiser clicked a thermometer in Daniel’s ear.   “I know you did, but this isn’t your fault.  I checked him myself not half an hour ago and he was fine.  100.5.  If the fever’s come up that fast it must be something serious.  You may have just saved his life, Colonel.”  She plunged out of the enclosure calling for medications and materials, and reappeared almost instantly. 

 

Jack shrunk back against the wall, hoping to be invisible enough to be allowed to stay.  No one paid any attention to him as the med team did its work.  Daniel was laid flat on his back.  Curtains were pushed back, blood was taken, injections given, considerable rushing in and out accomplished.  Jack couldn’t follow exactly what was happening, but the urgency of the activity worried the hell out of him. 

 

At some point Teal’c appeared against the wall across from the foot of the bed.  When Jack caught his eye, their teammate explained in a soft voice, “I was outside.  I saw that something had happened…”

 

O’Neill nodded, and the whirlwind continued for some minutes.  As Fraiser was injecting yet another something into Daniel’s IV line, Jack risked a question.  “Doc?  What is it?”

 

“Daniel has a bacterial infection.  It doesn’t seem to be responding to the antibiotics that he’s currently taking, so we’re running tests to find something that will work.  In the meantime we keep him stabilized.”

 

“Was he exposed to something?  Did I bring it…?”

 

“I don’t think so, Colonel.  My guess is that it’s another gift from that godforsaken creature.  He’s got enough drugs in him to kill any normal Earth bacteria.  Don’t worry, sir.  We’ll find it.  And don’t you even think about going anywhere.  You’re needed right where you are.”  She hustled out of the room again. 

 

Jack sighed in frustration.  They so didn’t need this.  The kid was supposed to be getting better.  Lord, he’d been through enough already.

 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

 

Teal’c maintained his position plastered against the wall as he observed the efficient movement of the medical personnel.  The fact that they had been too preoccupied to request him to leave was in itself worrying.  The entire concept of medical care was a somewhat new area for him, but in the past three years he had come to appreciate the surprising effectiveness of the inevitably haphazard nature of the practice.  The Tau’ri did not have prim’ta to assure their continued health, but they did have remarkable resilience, and responded well to external interventions.

 

During a lull in the activity around the bed, Teal’c moved forward and pressed quietly into the space directly behind O’Neill.  From there he was better able to observe the equipment that was monitoring DanielJackson’s condition.  He could follow Dr. Fraiser’s comments regarding these indicators, and understood that his health was deteriorating.

 

O’Neill prompted the Doctor, “Doc?  What’s happening?”

 

Her response was clipped and strained.  “He’s very ill, Colonel.  We’re trying.”

 

O’Neill turned and looked over his shoulder at Teal’c.  His face was controlled and unexpressive, but the Jaffa was experienced at reading all of his teammates’ inner states, and could see the alarm in his eyes.  He made an attempt at reassurance.  “DanielJackson will recover.”

 

The other man’s voice was choked as he replied, “It all happened so fast.”

 

“Do not give up hope, O’Neill.”

 

In truth their younger teammate looked quite unwell.  His whole body was slack and his breathing had become erratic.  His face was flushed and a light sheen of perspiration moistened its surface.

 

One of the technicians from the laboratory hurried into the room and approached the Doctor.  Her face lightened as she reviewed the sheets of paper on the clipboard he handed to her. 

 

“Yes.  We’ve got it.  We’ve got it.”  She was only moments in preparing and administering an injection.  As she was doing so, however, one of the monitors began to bleep.

 

“Come on, Dr. Jackson.  Not now.  Hold on.”

 

She turned to the visitors and explained urgently, “I’ve given him something which should eliminate the infection, but he needs to fight until it can take effect.  Talk to him.  Kiss him.  Do anything you have to keep him with us a little longer.”

 

Squeezing Daniel’s hand even harder, and rubbing his forearm vigorously, O’Neill urged, “You hear that, Daniel?  You’re gonna get better now.  You have to try.  Do you hear me, Danny?  You have to try.”

 

The young man’s head rolled gently, and an incongruous smile played about his lips.  A few breathy words slurred forth.  “Shau’ri…  So beautiful…  Shau’ri.”

 

O’Neill shook Daniel’s shoulder slightly, then locked his hand into the man’s hair.  “No, Daniel.  Don’t go with Shau’ri.  Stay with us.  I swear to God, I’m going to be so pissed if you quit on me now!”

 

It was time, as the Earth colloquialism would have it, to ‘pull out the big guns’.  Teal’c leaned forward over O’Neill’s shoulder.  His velvet voice held an unanswerable tone of command.  “DanielJackson.  You must not leave us.  If you do so, then ColonelO’Neill, SamanthaCarter and myself will be placed in grave danger.  It is imperative that you remain alive to assist us.”  This was not entirely a falsehood.

 

His commanding officer shot him a look of gratitude.  It was quite possible that DanielJackson would not fight merely for his own existence, but it was inconceivable that he should do otherwise if the lives of his friends were at stake.

 

The monitor continued to beep annoyingly, but as the Colonel persisted in exhorting the patient, Doctor Fraiser’s demeanor gradually began to relax.

 

“He’s holding his own.  I think it’s working.  Well done, gentlemen.” 

 

O’Neill’s fingers began carding through the sleeping man’s hair again.  “God, Danny.  You know it’s your fault I’m going gray, don’t you.  You have sooo got to stop doing this.”

 

Dr. Fraiser met Teal’c’s eyes over the top of the Colonel’s head.  Teal’c’s regal tilt and inclination communicated his gratitude.  She smiled briefly and nodded, sharing her relief.  They both returned to surveying the pair before them, gratified that tragedy had been averted once again, however narrowly. 

 

In truth, Teal’c was glad that he did not have hair to betray his own nerves.  He would have to suggest to O’Neill the option of shaving his head.  He did not believe that the Colonel would follow his advice on the matter, though.  His gray hair was too good of a pretext with which to torment their archaeologist.  And long may it be so.

 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

 

It was quiet again.  The storm had passed and they had returned to the calm of waiting.  Janet studied the monitors and made her own hands-on examination, and was satisfied with the results.  He was going to make it.  Again.  This one patient was single-handedly improving her survival statistics. 

 

Colonel O’Neill was still at his post.  His face was grim, and he seemed to be avoiding looking at her, as though if he didn’t make eye contact she wouldn’t notice he was there.  She decided to take pity on him.

 

“Don’t worry, Colonel, I won’t make you leave.  I know there’s no force natural or un-natural that would move you from this bedside.”

 

He looked embarrassed.  “It’s just that, you know, I’m his CO and everything.  If I don’t look after him, who will?”

 

She looked at him thoughtfully.  She’d been debating whether she should say something for a couple of months.  True, it was their business and their decision, but she was an interested bystander in more ways than one.  But once spoken, it couldn’t be taken back.  Looking at them now, she decided that more than anything they could do with some sympathetic support.  –-Well, here goes.-- 

 

“It’s okay.  I know how you feel about him.”

 

The man looked uncomfortable, and turned his gaze back down to the bed.

 

“Yeah, well.  He’s a good kid.”

 

“No.  Jack.  I know how you feel about him.”

 

The Colonel’s face lost its color as he stared back at her.

 

She continued,  “You don’t need to worry about it.  Anything you say to me can be held within doctor/patient confidentiality unless I’m officially commanded otherwise, and if it gets to that point my statement probably won’t make any difference.  You don’t have to talk to me about your relationship, but I want both you and Daniel to know that you can if you want or need to.”

 

Jack had trouble forming his response.  “And you’re, ah, okay with this?”

 

“I am.  Don’t ask me who, ‘cause I won’t tell, but in fact there are several same-sex relationships on base, all of which are successful by most standards and quite beneficial to both parties.  And Daniel’s a civilian.  It’s not an issue.  What I think is that both of you deserve a little happiness in your lives, and I’ll do what I can to see that you get it.”

 

Jack looked flummoxed.   “Um, thanks.  Look, Doc….  I’ve never talked to anyone about this except Daniel.  It’s kind of a shock.  So you think, uh, that it’s okay, that it can work out?”

 

“That depends on you.  There’s no guarantee, same as with any couple.  How do you feel about it?”

 

“I want it more than I’ve wanted almost anything ever in my life.  I…” He blushed and shook his head vigorously.  “I can’t believe I’m telling you this.  I do worry sometimes.  Like before, when he was almost dying, he called out to Shau’ri.  I’m afraid she’ll always be first.”

 

He looked so vulnerable and shaken that Janet got a sense of the stress it had caused him not to be able to talk things out with anyone.  She hoped she could alleviate that a bit.  He was a forthright man.  He would want the truth.

 

“Daniel was very much in love with Shau’ri.  He always will love her.  That doesn’t have to come between you.  He may have dreamed or thought he saw her in his fever, but I notice that it’s your hand he holds on to like a lifeline now.”  They both looked at the entwined fingers.  “Believe in him, and believe in yourself.  There’s a lot you can offer each other.”

 

Voices sounded in the corridor outside Daniel’s enclosure.  Janet rested her hand briefly on Jack’s arm and spoke softly, “My door is always open, Jack.  Anytime you want to come by.”

 

He nodded shallowly.  “Thanks Doc.  I mean it.”

 

A nurse came in and Dr. Fraiser walked back to her office.  Well, now she knew for sure.  Life was never dull, that was certain.  But she’d meant what she said.  She would do her best to shelter those two from the storm.  And she was a force to be reckoned with.

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

 

It was dark and there were noises.  Some of the noises seemed to be inside his head, a faint hiss or ringing.  Others delineated the shape of the room he was in.  Beeping, humming of the ventilation, the dull echo of metal clanging as it was moved around in the distance.  Oh yes, it was so very familiar.  The infirmary. 

 

The pain wasn’t familiar, or at least he wasn’t used to it.  Various parts of his body ached with a dull, fiery burn that made his head swim.  He was lying on his side and felt stiff and leaden.  Strangely, there was also an odd tickle in the fingers of one hand.

 

He opened his eyes and looked at the appendage in question.  Jack was waggling Daniel’s limp fingers with his own strong ones, making them bob and jump.

 

Daniel smiled.  “You must be pretty bored.”

 

Jack jumped guiltily and looked abashed.  He snatched his hand away and held it at his side as if it were a live cobra.

 

“Daniel.”

 

“Who else?”

 

“You were supposed to sleep for a couple more hours yet.”

 

“Sorry, I’ll try to get with the program.”

 

Jack smiled and leaned in closer.  “So how ya doing, sweetie-pie?”

 

“Feeling like I might actually live.  Did…did I get sick?”

 

“Oh, just a little bit.  Massive infection, near-death experience.  Same old, same old.”

 

“Sorry.”

 

“For what?”  Jack’s offending hand crept back and began straightening the fringe of hair on Daniel’s forehead.

 

“For being a pain.  For worrying you.” 

 

“Since you didn’t die, I guess I’ll forgive you.”

 

“And for the whole thing, Jack.  It’s my job to make first contact, and I failed.  I didn’t get through to them at all.  I didn’t find out any of their names or how to say ‘friend’ or anything useful.  We don’t know why they…”

 

Jack interrupted him.  “And we don’t care why.  What they did speaks for itself.  And hey, do you think you’re expected to know every language ever invented anywhere in the universe?  Give yourself a break.  Shit happens.  No, this one rests firmly on my shoulders.”

 

Daniel raised his eyebrows.  “How do you figure that?”

 

“I made the wrong decision.  Right at the beginning I had a chance to get us out of there, we were so close to the gate, and I chose to let them capture us.  Big time wrong-o.”

 

“Jack, it wasn’t your…”

 

“Not my fault?  If one more person says that to me, I’ll deck them.  Not you, you’re already decked.   But, it’s like, I know I’m not the center of the universe or anything, but once in a while the actions I take have consequences.  Sometimes someone else pays the price for the things I do or don’t do.  Sometimes it is my fault.”

 

“Maybe.  But you know, sometimes shit just happens.  A wise man told me that.”

 

Jack’s hand was resting on the pillow above Daniel’s head, the fingertips pressed into the top of his skull, but the older man was looking away, face drawn and preoccupied.   Daniel knew that his friend wasn’t talking just about this latest debacle.

 

“Look, my head might explode before I get half way through this, but I’m going to try to say something.  Okay?”

 

The wry smile flickered again.  “Like I could stop you.”

 

“You didn’t make the wrong decision.  You made the right one.”

 

“How can you say that after how it turned out?  After what happened to you?”

 

“I can say it.  No one, believe me, no one wishes that didn’t happen more than I, but the decision was still correct.  Given the same circumstances, I would want you to make it again.”

 

Jack shook his head.

 

Daniel insisted, “We don’t ever know what will happen in the future.  All we can do is our best in the present moment.  That’s all we can ever expect of each other or ourselves.  You have a decision to make, it’s easy.  Do the right thing and let the future take care of itself.  And that is what you do.  You have a big heart, and it tells you what’s right.  I admire that about you.”

 

The soldier sighed.  “It isn’t that simple, Daniel.  It never is.”

 

“Mostly it is, bottom line.  No matter how things turn out, I would never want you to lose sight of that.”

 

“And you’ll tell me if I do, I’ve no doubt.”

 

“That’s what they pay me the big bucks for.”

 

They fell into a companionable silence, but Daniel could feel that the energy that had sustained him for the extended conversation was running out fast.

 

“Jack, I’m going to be fine.   Why don’t you go home?”  He teased,  “You know, get some sleep, take a walk, maybe get a life.”

 

The warm brown eyes were serious.  “You see, Daniel, the thing is that you are my life.  Where else would I go?”

 

Sometimes Jack could say the nicest things.   “It really helped, you know.  You being here.  Thank you.”

 

The older man said simply, “Thanks, between us, are superfluous.”

 

Daniel smiled sleepily.  “You keep using big words like that and I’ll scoot over and invite you in here with me.”

 

“How ‘bout this, then?”  The Colonel checked to make sure no one was about to walk in on them.  Then he locked his hand behind Daniel’s head and began to devour his lover’s mouth.  Jack poured all his desire and love and longing into the brief, passionate kiss, then pulled back.

 

Daniel’s face was relaxed with pleasure, but through his smile he said, “Oh.  Ow.”

 

“What?”

 

“Inopportune catheter.”

 

Jack stroked the top of Daniel’s head lovingly.  “Just sleep for a while.  There’ll be plenty of time later.  Carter and Teal’c are gonna be beating down the door soon, and you’ll need your strength.”

 

Daniel closed his eyes again.  In the darkness there was a nightmare monster stalking him.  But it didn’t take much effort at all to call up three other faces to join him.  Four against one were odds he would take any day.  Especially when one of them burned with strength and integrity that would put any archangel to shame.   –-“Steel-true and blade-straight,  The great artificer made my mate.”--   Monsters beware.

 

End

 

 

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