"First good snow, you owe me four ski lift tickets."

O'Neill couldn't deny those very thoughts had fleetingly danced through the soldier's mind. "That's why I bought him a helmet and insisted on a promise he'd always wear it."

That morning, before they'd gone to pick up the Harley, Jack had presented his friend not only with the helmet but also with an old and battered but much loved leather jacket. O'Neill had bought the jacket when he'd first started riding and even after years, he'd never had the heart to toss it out. Carter nodded toward the scientist who was in happy conversation with Teal'c and Ferretti, his handsome face animated, those incredibly blue eyes shining, his hands in constant motion. "I think this is the first time I've ever seen him in jeans."

Jack chuckled, remembering Daniel's expression when the colonel had burst into his apartment declaring it was a great day for riding. He'd insisted that's just what they were going to do but first the younger man had to change clothes. Ignoring Daniel's sputtering protests, O'Neill had searched the closets and drawers, tossing items in every direction. Daniel had scurried behind him trying to clean up, until Jack found what he was searching for in an old box shoved into a corner of the storage closet. He emerged triumphantly waving several pairs of patched and faded blue jeans. He had known the archeologist had to have at least one pair. Jack couldn't picture the man crawling around some old ruins in the casual slacks he usually wore.

Like O'Neill, Daniel rarely spoke of his past, but from bits and pieces of conversations, Jack had learned Daniel's life had never been easy. The man seemed to be a lightning rod for catastrophe. Tragedy had touched every part of his life, yet with an amazing fortitude of spirit Daniel managed to hold onto the best parts of himself. It still bothered the older man that Daniel's trusting, open nature constantly left the him exposed to hurt but then he realized again that's what made him Daniel. Jack valued the younger man's friendship even though being Daniel's friend was a huge responsibility. The colonel had discovered he wanted to live up to Daniel's standards, becoming better than he was, becoming more the way Daniel saw him.

With those he cared about, Daniel was loving and loyal, overlooking faults as if they didn't exist, accepting the person as they were, instead of trying to change them into what he expected them to be. Daniel was the the consumate boyscout always willing to help. Oddly enough, it wasn't just the people at the SGC, for it seemed Daniel affected everyone he met, bringing out the best in others, no matter where they were. He just had a knack for touching each person's life. As far as Jack was concerned Daniel epitomized everything good in the world. Love, hope, faith, forgiveness, persistence, courage, innocence and laughter, although laughter wasn't a sound he heard from his young friend often enough.

As strange as it seemed, Jack hadn't brought about any fundamental changes in Daniel. He had just helped the young scientist discover there was more to life than work, books and artifacts. O'Neill knew those things were important to his friend, but he wanted him to realize more of the current world. The colonel wouldn't argue with Daniel that the past was important. What was the saying, 'those who don't remember the past are destined to repeat it' but Daniel had shown Jack that life was worth living and Jack intended to show his friend just how to enjoy all aspects of that life. Secretly, somewhere deep in his soul, in a place he didn't want to recognize or analyze, Jack felt if he could share the wonderous sights through Daniel's eyes then in some small way he might recapture what he had lost with Charlie's death.

The colonel could still remembered reading Daniel's personnel file (which basically listed the bare facts) before that first Abydos mission. O'Neill had almost laughed aloud seeing the bashful young man described as a renegade Egyptologist by one of his former professors. Daniel? A renegade? Well that professor had meant it as an insult but he didn't realize just how correct his description turned out to be. Daniel never hesitated to do what he considered right whether it was arguing his theories about the pyramids or defending a innocent from a maniacal alien, Daniel did whatever he thought necessary. Yes in many ways Daniel was a renegade.