"Bless." Jack stated as Daniel sneezed for what seemed like the tenth time. A cool breeze rippled through the field of wild flowers outside the high walls of the ancient city. "You okay?"

"Yeah." Hearing the stuffiness in that one word, Jack took the bottle of antihistamine as Daniel dry swallowed two of the pills, needing to satisfy himself there was enough to see his friend through this mission, unwilling to let the archaeologist suffer a severe allergy attack for the sake of contacting the local natives.

"It gets too bad, I wanna know about it. Got it?"

"Got it." Daniel grinned, tossing the colonel a sloppy salute before returning the pill bottle to the jacket pocket. "Can we check out the city now?"

Feigning a sigh of disgust, O'Neill stepped aside, motioning with a lead the way gesture. "Worse than a five year old at Disney World." he muttered, stifling a smile, as the archaeologist hurried toward the open gate.

A soft wistfulness settled on the colonel's features. He had long ago come to terms with how much his young friend reminded him of his son. There was a natural openness about Daniel, that contradicted his constant self protect mode, an often childlike curiousity, naivety and innocence mixed with a boundless energy. Just like Charlie. The linguist put one hundred and ten percent of himself into everything he did. Just like Charlie. Daniel embodied everything that had been good and pure in Charlie, and in him Jack saw the image of the man his son could have grown into. What amazed Jack most was how Daniel had grown to be such a man when the fates had bestowed him with more tragedy in his young life than one person deserved.

"Daniel! You wanna wait for the rest of us?!" O'Neill yelled, receiving a sneeze in response. "Oh for cryin out loud! I hope sneezing isn't against the law on this world."

Daniel froze and Jack, alarm bells going off in his head, picked up the pace as he saw the anthropologist take several steps backward.

"Daniel?" The colonel skidded to a stop his finger automatically coming to rest on the trigger of his assault weapon, knowing Sam and Teal'c did the same, as the team found themselves facing six very large men blocking the entrance, armed with weapons they'd never seen before. "If this is the welcome wagon, they never have to worry about this becoming a tourist trap," he muttered drily.

"Hi....We're explorers from-" Daniel's voice trailed off as the men suddenly parted and a young woman in flowing robes stepped forward.

"Your weapons are unnecessary. We welcome you to Jalana." Her palms and fingers together, she bowed deeply at the waist. "Do not fear. The guards are here merely to see to your safety. I am called Norita." She was indeed a beautiful woman with dark eyes and waist length ebony colored hair. The robes did little to hide her voluptuous figure.

"I'm Daniel Jackson. This is Colonel Jack O'Neill, Samantha Carter and that's Teal'c." Finally finding his voice, the linguist made the introductions.

"If you will come with me, we will escort you to Breetan."

"Breetan?" Jack asked, warily eyeing the men as the guards encircled them.

"He is the leader of Jalana." The woman seemed genuinely puzzled by their confusion. "He is most anxious to see you. You are the travelers who came through the Gateway to the Stars are you not?"

"I....guess that would be us." Daniel agreed, seeing Jack shrug, glancing at Teal'c curiously. The mans instincts were uncanny and the fact the Jaffa warrior hadn't been aware they had obviously been watched was unnerving.

Nudging Carter, Jack silently drew her attention to Daniel whose head swiveled in all directions, trying to see everything as they passed through the marketplace. Booths and wagons selling everything from cloth to grain to live animals filled the area immediately inside the gate. Amazingly enough, the locals seemed to take no notice of the strangers except as potential customers.

The city itself seemed smaller than they first thought. Most of the area inside the walls, occupied by the marketplace, a few houses, and Breetan's enormous palace.

"May I ask why you felt you needed to bring weapons to Jalana?" Daniel forced his attention back to the young woman.

Seeing the others look to him, as so often happened when making first contact with natives, the anthropologist fielded the question. "Our weapons are for self protection only. As peaceful explorers we don't wish to use them but often have to in defense against wild animals or...or...."

"Unexpected enemies." Jack supplied.

The young woman looked puzzled. "But surely you knew you have no enemies on Jalana."

"How would we know such a fact?" Teal'c's question seemed to further confuse her.

O'Neill stifled a smile as she opened her mouth to answer then closed it again, pressing her lips tightly together, a slight frown furrowing her brow. 'Jalana's version of Daniel.' How many times had he seen the Egyptologist do the same thing. when unable to provide a satisfactory answer. The colonel, had a sinking feeling there was some huge misunderstanding in the works.

As they followed her through the streets several small children squealing in delight as they chased each other, rounded a corner, one of them slamming into Daniel's legs and sending the man stumbling into a booth knocking several bolts of cloth into the mud.

As Jack and Carter helped the linguist to his feet, Daniel assured the apologetic child there was no harm done, then turned apologize himself to the booth proprietor for any damage. His eyes flashing blue fire, Daniel seized the wrist of the upraised hand before the man could slap the child he now held by the scruff of his neck.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Daniel's tone was colder than Jack had ever heard it. "It was just an accident."

With unexpected swiftness, in one fluid movment, the native roughly shoved the child to the ground and drew a wicked looking knife from his robes, lunging at the anthropologist.

Instinctively, still gripping the dealer's wrist, Daniel jerked him forward, using a foot to sweep the man's legs from under him, sending the native sprawling in the dirt. With Teal'c's boot pressing against the knife hand, the angry proprietor found himself looking up into the business end of SG-1's weapons.

O'Neill was well aware of the guards weapons aimed at the strangers until Norita ordered them lowered.

"I apologize for any damage done to your booth or your wares," Stooping next to the native, Daniel coolly wrenched the knife from his hand, driving the blade up to the hilt deep in the ground by the man's ear. "The cloth will wash clean, I will wash it myself if that's what it takes to make amends for such a stupid accident," he leaned closer, his voice low and ominious, "however, if I hear of you touching that child again, I will come back here and very slowly disembowel you with your own knife. Is that understood?" Swallowing hard, the man nodded before nervously accepting Daniel's offered hand of assistance.

Jack watched in bewildered amusement as his young friend helped the native he'd just threatened to disembowel, to his feet. How could one person be so full of contradictions? One minute his normally passive friend was basically kicking the guys ass and the next offering his hand in friendship. He saw a smile pass across Norita's lips as Daniel knelt before the child speaking soft and reassuringly before pulling a chocolate bar from his pack and pressing it into the small hand, to send the child on its way.

Jack saw Teal'c move over by the dealer who was brushing the dirt from his robes. "If you ever again attempt to hurt Daniel Jackson, I will return and you will suffer agonizingly for many days until I allow you to die." The colonel glanced around to see if anyone else had heard the Jaffa's quiet warning. The colonel knew the warrior would never intentionally do anything to undermine Daniel's accomplishments but Jack didn't want the scholar thinking they didn't consider him capable of handling a situation he'd obviously handled extremely well.

"Smooth move, Dannyboy." Jack grinned, clapping the scientist on the shoulder. "Where'd you learn that?"

"From you. See, I really was paying attention at all those lessons you kept dragging me off to."

"Disembowel him with his own knife?" The colonel laughed, playfully ruffling the archaeologist short hair, pleased to see the younger man smile smugly even as he blushed furiously. "You've got to stop watching those old movies."

"I apologize for the rudeness shown you by this one." Norita announced. "He will be dealt with appropriately."

"Please,....I think there is no further need of....retribution.....No one was hurt." Daniel stated, not wanting to be the cause of further harm either to the proprietor or the mission.

"If that is what you wish." The woman bowed again. "I do not wish you to think we condone the beating of children on Jalana. Our children are precious as our numbers grow fewer each year." Without further explanation she turned and continued leading them toward the palace.

*****

"Is it just me or does this remind anyone else of Chulak?" Jack's comment brought nods from both Sam and Teal'c and while Daniel said nothing, his expression told them all he was thinking of the first time he'd seen Sha'uri after she was taken by Apophis.

"Any indication of Goa'uld?" Jack's whispered question startled the younger man.

Daniel was surprised to find their little group at a standstill a few feet down the hall, unaware he himself at fallen behind when had stopped to examine the intricate carvings on the hallway wall.

"No....not from this anyway."

"Well then let's not keep our host waiting any longer." With a gentle hand on his arm, the soldier steered the scholar back to the others.

*****

Settled in comfortable chairs at an enormous banquet table, SG-1 glanced at the opulant surroundings of the grand hall as servants quickly filled glasses with a deep purple wine and placed bowls of fruit within reach. The guards who had silently escorted the team to this destination had just as silently vanished.

"The wine is perfectly safe and quite delicious Colonel Jack O'Neill." Norita stated as Jack sniffed suspiciously at the liquid before setting the glass back on the table, unwilling to risk drinking just yet.

"Jack will do."

Following Daniel's example, the others rose to their feet, as a tall, slender man approximately Jack's age, hurried into the room his arms held wide, a large smile on his face. He was followed by an incredibly beautiful woman about the same age. Dressed much the same as Norita, her plain robes were offset by an elaborate headress.

"Welcome friends!! Welcome!!! Please sit! You have traveled a great distance and must be weary!" Their host waved them to their seats taking the chair at the head of the table between Jack and Daniel. "We are all most pleased you have graced us with your presence."

"We are most pleased to visit your...world." Daniel smiled. "I'm Daniel Jackson, this is-"

"Yes, yes," The man waved aside the linguist attempt at introductions. "Malina told me each of your names. I was sorrowed to hear of the disgraceful treatment you received in the marketplace." The man's gaze traveled around the table, studying each of them in turn, finally coming to rest on the archaeologist, his eyes lighting with an uncommon interest Jack found unsettling.

"You are different from the rest of our new friends." Breetan turned his attention to Teal'c.

"I was not born among the Tauri." Teal'c explained somberly.

"Yet you stand with them." His hand came to rest on Daniel's forearm. "You attempted to protect this young one."

"Daniel Jackson had no need of my protection. The Tauri are strong warriors and good people." Teal'c nodded pretending not to notice the linguist's duck his head in his normal self effacing manner. "They welcomed me when I refused to serve the Goa'uld any longer."

"He keeps forgetting to mention he saved our lives in the process." Jack guipped.

"Are all the Tauri women as beautiful as Samantha and trained as warriors as well?"

"Unfortunately, the answer is no to both questions." Jack had to admit he got a kick out of seeing the pink streak his second in command's cheek's. "We could use a lot more like Major Carter."

Their host focused on the youngest member of the team again. "Why are you uncomfortable Daniel?"

"Excuse me?" His face reddening at being so easily read by this stranger, the anthropologist smiled shyly, glancing quickly at the two women standing near the wall, before looking away. "I mean no offense but in our culture, it's considered impolite for the men to sit while the women stand."

A raised eyebrow was O'Neill's only sign of confusion at the younger man's answer. He knew Daniel well enough to know the anthropologist didn't normally question so silly a custom when dealing with off world cultures. Something else was bothering his friend.

"That is easily remedied." Breetan laughed, motioning the two women to join them at the table. "Do not worry Daniel, I take no offense." He raised the glass of the wine. "To friendship between our worlds."

Glancing at his team, Jack was pleased to note even though they all raised their glasses to the toast, each of them, including Daniel waited for Breetan to drink before sipping.

"I must apologize as there is no time at the moment to speak with you at length, however, Norita will show you to the chambers we have prepared for each of you. You must rest, for tonight there will be a great feast honoring our new friends!" Rising, followed by Malina, he strolled regally from the room.

"Well....that was interesting." Jack commented.