"...And we'll make camp here." Jack stopped and looked at his teammates. Sam and Teal'c were patiently listening to him, but Daniel, as usual was staring at something ahead. "Excuse me..." Jack uttered, trying to get the younger man's attention, but the scientist's blue eyes were mesmerized. With a sigh, Jack turned to see what ancient artifact he had fixated on. The sigh died in his throat.

A young woman was walking down the worn path toward them. Her long dark hair framed a youthful, pretty face and wide dark eyes. Dressed in long native robes, she looked at them with a smile dancing on her lips. In her arms she held a child no more than a few weeks old.

Jack nudged Daniel. "It's not nice to stare," he whispered. Daniel made no response, seemingly transfixed by the young woman. With a disgusted sound, Jack tugged on Daniel's arm. "Earth to Daniel..."

The scientist swung around to face him, but his expression stunned the soldier. It was not a look of flushed embarrassement as he had half expected but rather one of sad anguish. He blinked several times as he finally focused on Jack. "W-what?"

Jack shook his head as the young woman walked by them toward the cluster of village huts. Daniel did not give her a second look as the colonel motioned the team down the trail, a thoughtful expression on his face. He had never known Daniel to be attracted to anyone. His heart and mind was always on Sha'uri. A light flashed in Jack's mind. The young woman had resembled Sha'uri...

Camp was set up in short order, and MRE suppers were quickly heated.. Jack, not expecting any trouble with the nearby friendly natives ordered the team to turn in. Not sleepy nor one to let his guard down, the colonel chose to keep watch himself.

Sitting by their fire he listened to the strange sounds in the darkness. In the distance some wild scream of anguish filled the night as a native predator found its supper. Closer, the voices from the nearby huts drifted, words indistinguishable. Then softly, floating on the night breeze came the cries of a baby.

O'Neill momentarily wondered if it was the same baby they had seen earlier. The remembered vision of the beautiful young mother filled his thoughts only to be superseded by the strange anguished look on Daniel's face. There was still so much about the young scientist he didn't know.

The baby's cries drifted louder, and then a new sound broke into his reverie. A voice, frantically calling out. "No! Sha'uri! No!"

He jerked to his feet and crossed the distance to where Daniel lay tossing and turning restlessly, consumed by some nightmare. "No don't take him!" The anguished pleading words spilled from the young man in an agonizing rush. "Please, don't take him..." his voice trailed off in a whisper of distress.

Jack hesitantly reached out to grasp the kid's shoulder, shaking him awake before he disturbed Sam and Teal'c. "Daniel...Daniel, wake up."

The linguist jerked upright. The wet tears shimmering on his long lashes reflected in the flickering firelight. "Ja-ack, w-what...?" He questioned as he settled his glasses into place and stared at the older man.

"You were dreaming..." Jack began, laying a comforting hand on his shoulder.

Daniel stared at him. Then jerking away from the touch, he scrambled to his feet. Dusting his palms on his fatigues, he dashed the wetness from his eyes and moved away.

Regaining his feet, Jack followed Daniel, stopping behind the scientist. He started to reach out, but his hand froze, sensing somehow the young man would reject the comforting touch again. "Daniel, what's wrong?"

Daniel did not turn, but stood with his back to the colonel, shoulders hunched as he shook his head.

"Daniel, if something is bothering you..."

Daniel spun around to face him, his expression unreadable. "A lot's bothering me Jack!" he cried, his face twisting in pain as he lost control of his emotions.

Daniel paced the short distance to the fire and turned, slashing the air with violent hand motions. "Why?! Why?! Why?!" He vehemently shook his head. "You wouldn't understand Jack!"

A flash of undeserved pain crossed Jack's face. "Try me. Talk to me Daniel."

The scientist stopped pacing and straightened to stare at him, his eyes shimmering too brightly in the fire's light. "Why?" he repeated.

"Because sometimes it helps to talk. You can't keep everything bottled inside....Tell me what's bothering you Danny." he urged softly.

Daniel stiffened, his eyes flashing at the tone. "I'm not a baby Jack..." His breath caught and a single tear slipped down his cheek as he softly admitted, "and God knows, I can't even protect one."

Jack frowned in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"Sha'uri's baby....I didn't know how to save it! I couldn't save it! Teal'c saved it. If he had really been a Horus guard..." he looked down at his hands, twisting them together in frustration, "I couldn't think beyond being with her..." he shook his head, falling silent as guilt overrode his emotions.

"Daniel, c'mon! It had to have been a shock finding her there. No one expected you..."

Daniel cut him him short with a violent movement of his hand. "I expect Jack! I expect me to act like a responsible, intelligent adult. Do you have any idea what my stupidity has done? I left the child with Kasuf. Kasuf for God's sake! He doesn't have a wife, and thanks to me, he doesn't even have a daughter or a son anymore! Now he's given up his home to hide the child..." He fell silent, shaking his head, his lips pressed together in an angry line as if he could not bring himself to admit more.

"Daniel..."

"No! Don't tell me it was the right thing to do! Teal'c was right! I am selfish! I just screwed up everyone's lives! Kasuf, the baby...How many more innocent people have to suffer because I want Sha'uri back?" Daniel brought anguished blue eyes up to lock with Jack's brown eyes. "Who's next Jack? You? Sam? What's it gonna cost huh? What's the price Jack? Another innocent life like Charlie's?" Something in the scientist's voice cut Jack the wrong way as he stubbornly went on. "Or is that what you're hoping Jack? Do you want me to be the one to cost an innocent his life?"

The unspoken "Like you did" hung in the air between them like ignited gunpowder. Beyond caring, Daniel pushed on. "Do you need a scapegoat, Jack? Is that all I am to you?"

Jack's expression went from anguish to disbelief as the words sank in, and Daniel knew he had gone beyond the bonds of friendship. He had touched on the one subject which was still strictly taboo. The soldier stared at him, his mouth setting in an angry line as his expression darkened.

Daniel took a deep breath. "Jack...I shouldn't have said that."

Jack continued to stare at him, his dark eyes unreadable. His fingers clenched into fists as he stepped closer to the scientist, looming over him threateningly. Daniel fell back several steps from the fury he saw in the other man's expression. He saw Jack clenching his fist, watched him start to raise the hand, then with a sharply muttered oath, Jack spun and stormed away.

Daniel dragged a deep breath of air into burning lungs, not even aware of holding his breath. He had fully expected Jack to strike him and aptly so, for he deserved it. He knew Charlie was the one subject Jack would not permit anyone to bring up. What had he been thinking? He hadn't been thinking at all! That was the problem!

Head down, hands rammed in his pockets, shoulders hunched in shame, Daniel headed back to the fire to find Jack. Maybe he could salvage their friendship.

Jack wasn't at the campfire, and his bedroll lay untouched. Daniel moved abut the area, searching, then returned to the fire. Sitting, pulling his knees to his chest, he decided to await Jack's return.

As he sat by the dying fire, Daniel's thoughtless words played over and over in his mind and he could still see the shocked expression on the older man's face as he turned away. Sick at heart, Daniel realized silence did have a sound. It was the crystal-like shattering of fragile friendship and broken trust. A million tiny shards pierced his heart as he realized it would be next to impossible to gather all the pieces and harder still to put them back the way they had been.