~ Å ~
Sam,
Teal’c and Jack followed the gurney into the hospital room, shuffling to one
side to give the medical staff space to move Daniel into the large bed in the
centre of the suite. The flurry of efficient carers drew back and revealed
Daniel lying still and unresponsive. His pale features stood out against the
brightly furnished room. The large picture windows along one wall gave a
stunning view of the city.
The flight
back to the city of
Two hours
of examinations by a bustle of medicos, including their own Doctor Fraiser had
brought little comfort. Janet moved over to SG1, indicating for them to make
themselves comfortable on the couches along one wall, as she brought them up to
date.
“Okay.
Physically, Daniel is pretty much fine. Autonomic and bodily functions are all
within accepted parameters. Mentally, he shows no awareness of where he is, of
anyone around him. He’s completely unresponsive. His blood work will be back
soon and we should have a better idea of what we’re facing.” Taking in the
frowning displeasure of the Colonel, she hurried on. “I suspect he is under the
influence of some kind of foreign agent. When we get the results back I’m sure
we’ll be able to implement a working care plan. In the meantime, I think Daniel
would benefit from knowing the three of you are near him. If you can sit with
him, talk to him, you might just be able to break through to him.”
Jack
sighed. “Teal’c, Carter, go be with Daniel. I’m gonna check in on SG3.” He
headed over to the open doorway, only to run straight into Doctor Llewellyn.
Jack took in her flushed, earnest face and found hope crawling up a level.
“Doctor?”
“Sorry,
sir. We just got back. I think we’ve found something that might help Doctor
Jackson.”
“Spit it
out Doctor.” Jack stepped to one side to allow Fraiser to peer around him.
Kate
thrust a small container bearing several vials of dark green liquid into
Fraiser’s hands. “Doctor Fraiser, we found this substance within the apparatus
Pheidias was using on Daniel. It was being pumped into the room he was found
in. We don’t know what it is - but it might help.”
Janet’s
eyes lit up and she snatched at the container, already pushing past Colonel
O’Neill and making for the medical labs, her calls to her Ehren colleagues
floating in the air behind her.
Jack
looked down at Kate, her fatigue evident. He suddenly realised that dawn was
nearing. They had all been on the go since the previous dawn, and now
everyone’s nerves and stamina were stretched. “Go get some rest, Doctor. You
did good. Thank you.”
“Thank
you, Colonel. How is Daniel?”
“Still the
same, so far. But I’m expecting that to change real soon.”
“I hope
so, Colonel. I can’t imagine the SGC without Daniel running around telling us
what to do in that politely undiplomatic way of his.”
Jack
smiled at the memories of Daniel herding his geeks into their labs like some
over eager, polite sheepdog. “You won’t have to Kate, count on it.”
“Night,
sir." She left him with a smile, certain that Daniel was in the best of
hands.
In thirty
minutes Janet was back, the Ehren C.M.O. Doctor Chiann surging along in her
wake. “Okay, people. We think we may be onto something here.” Motioning for Sam
and Teal’c to move back from their positions on either side of Daniel, she
seized his IV tube and with a flourish injected a bright green solution into
it.
Doctor
Chiann spoke up from the monitors she was resetting. “We believe Doctor Jackson
was subjected to a very rare drug - one which was stolen from an experimental
facility a few days ago. Its primary purpose seems to be to render the victim
completely susceptible to outside influences, such as suggestion or the will of
another person. His sudden withdrawal from the substance could be the cause of
his current unresponsive state.” She smiled briefly at the three soldiers
clustered around their friend, hoping her tone did not imply any accusation.
“Or it could have been caused by too high dosages being administered within a
short time span. Regardless, we have the antidote - Doctor Fraiser has just
administered the first dose. We should see some response very soon.”
Teal’c
straightened his already ramrod posture and favoured the Doctors with a frown.
“Will there be any harm caused to Daniel Jackson as a result of this drug?”
“We don’t
know, Teal’c,” Janet replied, her gaze focused on Daniel as she took his pulse.
“There appears to have been very little research done on the drug, certainly
none seems to have been done on a human. The few notes we have seen indicate it
affects certain areas of the brain, particularly the limbic system and the
hippocampus - the areas that deal with emotion and memory. Beyond that it’s
mostly guesswork.”
“Can we do
anything to help, Janet?” asked Sam, over the mumblings from Jack in the
background.
“Well, I
would say you could all use some food and rest by now.” Janet took in the
matching stubborn expressions on the three and forged ahead, “But I know you
want to be here with Daniel, so I’ll get some food brought in for you.”
Mollified,
Jack plumped down on the couch between Teal’c and Sam. Only to spring back up
as Daniel suddenly came to life with an ear-piercing howl. His eyes flew fully
open and his whole body seemed to contort in a painful seizure. His back
arched, pushing his head back into the pillows as his legs drew up and his arms
flew out sideways, hands curling into fists in the sheets. As several sets of
hands reached to contain and comfort him, Daniel’s mouth gaped open, dragging
in tortured gasps of air.
“He’s
cramping. Everyone grab a leg or arm and see if you can massage it out,” Janet’s
voice rang out urgently.
“Help…
help me… can’t find my way out… Lost… Shouldn’t be here. Jack? Mama? Daddy?
Sha’re! Sha’re… where…? No - Hurts. Hurts. Stealing my soul..."
“Daniel!
Daniel, it’s okay. It’s Jack. I’m here, we’re all here. We’ve got you now,
you’re safe. Can you hear me, Daniel? You’re safe now, just relax, just relax.”
Another
painful shudder rippled through Daniel’s body, as he gradually began to relax.
The two doctors, Sam and Teal’c were all gently massaging his limbs, trying to
work loose the crippling cramps knotting his muscles. Bewildered eyes finally
focused on Jack’s face, floating somewhere above him. “Jack?” he whispered.
“Hey!
There you are! Nice to see you again, Daniel.”
“…
happened?”
“Oh, long
story. Don’t worry about it just yet. Just relax, buddy.”
Daniel’s
next question was choked off in a plaintive cry as the cramps returned with
renewed vigour.
“Doc?
What’s doing this?”
Janet
grimaced in sympathy as she worked the iron hard muscles in Daniel’s arm. “We
think it’s a side effect of the antidote. Unfortunately we can’t give him
anything else to ease the muscle spasms because we just don’t know enough about
these drugs to rule out any further, more serious side effects.” She ducked as
Daniel’s arm flailed out of her grasp. Swiftly recapturing it she continued her
part of the soothing massages. “Talk to him, Colonel. See if you can distract
him from the pain.”
Jack
leaned back over Daniel’s face, reaching out to brush the sweat soaked hair out
of his eyes. “Hey, Daniel. You with me here?”
“Jack,
hurts… Make it stop - please…”
“Just
relax Daniel. Let the guys do their best. It’s not every day you get a massage
from three lovely ladies at the same time.”
“Who…?”
“Well,
there’s Doc Fraiser on your right arm. Doc Chiann is on your right leg, and
Carter is pounding away on your left arm.”
“Sam…”
“Hey,
Daniel. I’m not pounding. But let me know if I’m hurting you, won't you?” Sam
threw a half meant glare at the colonel and kept on gently kneading Daniel’s
knotted biceps.
“Leg…?”
“Huh? Oh -
other leg? Er, that’s Teal’c doing the
“Te…”
“Kel’sha
Daniel Jackson. I am pleased to once again be able to assist you with Pha’tok
na.”
“Wha'?”
Jack glared at Teal’c, demanding English.
“Delights
of thousan’ fingers, Jack,” came the strengthening voice of Daniel. “Massage.
Teal’c does fab’lous massage… mmmmmm…”
Jack
looked down at Daniel’s face, taking in the drowsy half-closed eyes and slow
smile spreading across his face. He threw a ‘you’d better explain that one
later’ look at Teal’c. To Daniel he said, “Does he really? You wanna share with
the rest of the kids, Danny?”
“’Pendix
blew. Hurt - oh - no - hurts so much. Make it stop… please…” Daniel suddenly
began twisting and twitching in pain again. “Please…” His eyes lost their focus
on Jack, tuning into the memories of agony suddenly surging through his mind
and body. Under the caring hands his body tried to fold in on itself, curling
into the remembered pain of his exploding appendix as if it were happening
again.
The combined
voices of his friends all tried to reassure him that the memory was just that -
a memory. Through them all Daniel latched onto the firm, softly spoken words of
Teal’c, trying to follow them to a place where there was no pain.
“Daniel
Jackson, you remember the Pha’tok na sessions I gave you when you were
recuperating. Focus on them, on how good they made you feel.” The others fell
silent, as Teal’c’s words seemed to be reaching Daniel. “You said it made you
feel like you could fly. Fly now, Daniel. Fly up and away from the pain and bad
memories. There is only peace and comfort here for you.”
Daniel was
definitely relaxing now, the pain visibly ebbing from his features. “After…
when you got back from bug hunt… was stiff and sore… T’ gave me nice massage…
nice Phatoknaaaa…” He drifted off, sighs of pleasure gusting gently between his
lips.
Jack
looked askance at Teal’c, wondering how many more hidden talents the man had.
Turning to the doctors, he said, “Yeah, well, whatever. It seems to be doing
him some good, don’t ya think?”
“Indeed.
It would seem that the memory of his appendicitis brought pain to Daniel
Jackson, and that a good memory brought a release from that pain. Could such an
occurrence be a side effect of these drugs, Doctor Fraiser?”
“Either that
or the antidote, Teal’c. We’re flying by the seat of our pant, here. We’ll just
have to monitor Daniel, and if the symptoms become too severe I’ll have to
sedate him. I’d like to keep him as aware and conscious as possible though.”
Daniel
floated, half-aware of the people around him. His mind refused to latch onto
coherent thoughts, instead sliding through disconnected memories and emotions
in a confusing tumble. Every now and then a few words from those nearby would
pierce the fog and offer a bright strong hope to latch onto. But even as he
would reach out toward it, to try desperately to connect with another living
soul, he would loose his way again, the fog closing about him and pulling him
under, away from the warm words and gentle hands to sink in a miasma of half
remembered terrors and phantom images.
Over the
next two hours Daniel surfaced from his drug induced fugue three more times,
each time shouting in horror and pain, convinced he was experiencing a moment
from his past that was particularly unpleasant. Each episode prompted his
carers into a flurry of soothing motions, each of the three team members and
two doctors almost vying with each other to be the one to bring peace to
Daniel’s tormented mind and body. They found, with practice, that by diverting
Daniel’s focus to a happier memory than the one currently causing him anguish,
he would quickly settle and become lost in the better feelings brought on by
revisiting happier times.
As Daniel
subsided once more into a relaxed mumbling semi-sleep, Janet sighed and looked
around her at the exhausted faces of SG1. “Okay, people. It looks like we’re in
for a long haul here. Daniel is definitely more responsive when stimulated with
positive memories and also with personal contact. I think it would be to his
benefit if you can take turns being close to Daniel, even holding him, and try
to get him to focus on as many happy memories as you can. Daniel seems to
respond best to you three, so I’d suggest you take shifts.” She paused,
watching as Sam gently stroked her fingers through Daniel’s hair. “You’re all
exhausted. Why don’t two of you go get some food and rest?”
Sam and
Teal’c traded glances with Jack. Jack merely shrugged in acceptance, stripped
off his boots and jacket and climbed onto the big bed. As Janet and Dr Chiann
raised Daniel into a sitting position, Jack slid in behind him. Settling into
the mounds of pillows he reached out and wrapped his arms around Daniel’s
shoulders, guiding him back to rest against his chest, Daniel’s head lying heavy
on his shoulder. Jack caught Daniel’s hands in his own and snugged their joined
arms around Daniel’s chest. Wondering if Daniel was finding as much comfort
from the embrace as he himself was, Jack let out a sigh of relief. Somehow, the
simple act of hugging Daniel seemed to make the situation brighter, as if he
could make his friend well again by believing hard enough. Looking up at his
team, he smiled grimly.
“Let’s do
it.”
~ Å ~
2135 Hours
Day Two
Daniel’s
soft moans filled the silent night.
Sam reached
out and touched Daniel’s cheek gently. It was an hour since the last injection
of antidote, and he was becoming restless once more as the drug sent fiery
trails throughout his nervous system. “Daniel? Tell me what it was like the
first time you saw the Stargate.”
Immediately
Daniel’s eyes brightened again. He smiled, quickly lost in the wonder of seeing
the magnificent stone ring for the first time. “So big,” he whispered. “So
beautiful. The cover stones were amazing, but the Gate - I just wanted to touch
it, make sure it was real. Catherine said ‘There’s your Stargate.’ My Stargate…
The craftsmanship was exquisite, the carvings, the star signs; they were all
there, all around the ring. The symbol was right there. And the event horizon,
so pretty… like the bluest deepest water you’ve ever seen, but it wasn’t wet…
Cold. No air. It was dark. Ferretti had these flare things, made my eyes ache.
But the smell - it was the desert! Even in the Gate room I could tell we were
in the desert. So dry - flavour of heat. And stele - at the bottom of the
causeway. Jack went up the dune. Followed him. Turned around - and I was RIGHT.
It was there - the proof. A pyramid. Sam, I was right. I knew it, I knew it, I
was right, dammit. Should have believed me. Knew they didn’t build them. Knew
it. Knew I wasn’t crazy…”
Daniel
started to rock from side to side, his eyes loosing focus, grimaces of pain on
his face. “Knew I wasn’t…not crazy…’m not… not… not real… it’s not real… it’s -
it’s a Goa’uld - Goa’uld . Jack… in Jack… no, it’s not … not real… not crazy…
I’m NOT CRAZY!!” Daniel suddenly arched his back, pain and distress sweeping
through him. A reflexive jerk cracked his skull against Sam’s chin. “Don’t put
me in here… don’t LEAVE me here… I’m not… Teal’c! Teal’c’s sick. Jack? JACK!!”
“Whoa!
Okay, that is SO not a happy memory.”
Sam clung
onto Daniel’s struggling body as hard as she dared. Jack and Teal’c both were
endeavouring to try to calm their friend. The quick patter of Janet’s footsteps
sounded as she moved forward armed with another dose of sedative.
~ Å ~
0357 Hours
Day Three
“Jack.”
“Hey,
Daniel. How’re ya feeling buddy?”
“Jack.”
“Yeah,
Daniel. I’m right here. You okay?”
“Jack.”
“Daniel.”
“Jack.”
“Dan… Oh,
fer… I’m here, Danny. I’m here.”
“Jack.”
Sigh. Jack
tightened his arms around his lost friend.
“They’re
stealing my soul.”
Dear God.
~ Å ~
1256 Hours
Day Four
“How many
butterflies were in this enclosure, Daniel Jackson?” Teal’c shifted slightly,
bringing Daniel’s head to rest more comfortably on his chest. He could feel the
thrumming of Daniel’s nerves as his body fought to repair the damage done.
“Hundreds,
thousands, millions, squillions…” Daniel burbled happily, lost in a childhood
memory of standing in a zoo’s butterfly house, surrounded by fluttering motes
of colour.
“Squillions?”
“Mmm, ‘s a
technical term. Means lot ‘n lots ‘n lots ‘n lots ‘n…”
“I see. I
would like to see a butterfly house one day.”
“You can
come with me. I’ll ask Mrs Fletcher if she’ll take us again. She’s nice. She
got me some paints so I could paint the flutter-byes.”
“Flutter-byes?”
Teal’c had to smile at the childish words coming from the adult Daniel’s lips.
“Flutter
by Butterfly…”
~ Å ~
1525 Hours
Day Five
Sam felt
Daniel stir again and gently tightened her grip around his chest. Her chin
still ached from the impact of his skull the previous day. She craned her head
down to get a glimpse of half-opened unfocused blue eyes. He had woken again
caught in the throes of pain inducing terrors, this time fighting Ra’s
Thinking
back to the original mission reports she asked, “So Daniel. Tell me how you
managed to go skiing behind a mastage.”
He huffed
a little laugh. “Never yell in a mastage’s ear. They’re very sensitive. Got my
foot caught in the harness lead. She dragged me up and down the dunes… got sand
up the wahzoo. Took us near to the miners' rest tent. Met the family. Sha’re
gave me some water. So beautiful. I could see her soul in her eyes. Think I
fell in love right there. Jack said I only stayed because Kasuf gave her to me,
but the moment I saw her - I knew. This was home. This was where I belonged.
Wherever she is - is home.”
~ Å ~
0410 Hours
Day Six
Daniel’s
legs kicked futilely at the bed sheets, sending them cascading once again onto
the floor. Clad only in pyjama bottoms, his sweat soaked torso writhed in
Teal’c’s grip. Large dark hands slid on slick pale skin, determinedly anchoring
his friend both to the bed and reality. Daniel’s breath slowly evened out,
heaving lungs settling once again to a normal rhythm.
“God,
Teal’c. When is this going to end? Can’t take much more.”
“Doctor
Fraiser is confident you are improving steadily, Daniel Jackson. The periods of
rest you are experiencing between attacks are becoming longer and longer. Do
not despair. We will see you well again, and in a short time. Of this I am
certain.”
Daniel
sighed, the departing attack of pain to every nerve ending he owned leaving him
feeling faint and adrift. “What were you asking about, before?”
“You were
telling me about the wedding of Robert Rothman. Something to do with camels, I
believe.”
“Oh, yeah.
Poor
“Attrition?”
“Yep, we
kept racing till the last man standing. Standing being the operative word,
here. Ever raced a camel, Teal’c?”
“I regret
I have not, Daniel.”
“Be glad
you haven’t. They’re fine for long haul walks, but running… Gods, it hurts! The
camel is coming up as you’re going down. My butt was black and blue for days.
And Robert won - kept going till he was the last man standing. ‘Cause he
couldn’t sit down for a week after. Put a bit of a crimp into his honeymoon!”
Daniel
relaxed into Teal’c’s embrace, the memory of
~ Å ~
1546 Hours
Day Seven
Daniel was
half aware, muttered words floating from him in disconnected rambles. Jack
listened with half an ear, his head buzzing faintly from lack of sleep and the
prolonged hours of sitting propped in the bed being Daniel’s pillow. Hours
would pass by with barely a murmur from Daniel as he slept or drifted in a
dazed, unaware state. Periodically, usually just when Jack had managed to drift
off himself, Daniel would spring to life, caught sometimes in the throes of
painful memories, other times lost in a wonderland of love and happiness. Jack
smiled to himself. The military way of life never changed - hours of boredom
interspersed with minutes of sheer terror. Sadly this time the terror was all
Daniel’s, the best they could do was interrupt the bad memories and try to
divert his mind into something more pleasant. Pity Daniel had such a wealth of
bad stuff to draw upon. Still, for a guy who had experienced so much sadness in
his life, he had a remarkable amount of happy memories to counterbalance the
rough stuff. Daniel’s mumbles became clearer, a few words dragging Jack back
from the brink of sleep.
“… teach…
shoot baskets…”
“Daniel?
Didn’t know you played basketball?”
“Taught
Skaara … back home…” Daniel’s eyes cranked open a bit further, a soft smile
gracing his lips. “Didn’t tell Sha’re… used her washing basket… we were a bit
drunk… she was having a girls night in so I decided to show my lil’ bro’ how to
dunk.”
Jack’s
laughter bounced Daniel up and down, waking him further. “You and Skaara tied
one on and played basketball? You
tearaway, you.”
Daniel
chuckled, the memories playing in his mind clearly. “We had a ball the boys
used. It didn’t bounce very well, but it was great for shooting hoops. ‘Cept we
didn’t have a hoop, so I stole Sha’re’s washing basket. Ball was a bit heavy
though - Skaara kept slamming it in so hard it finally smashed the bottom of
the basket. Hee hee… he was so gonna get it. He was really scared of her. We
tried to hide the basket but Skaara gets really clumsy when he’s drunk and he
tripped over the water barrel. Tipped over… went everywhere. Soaked Sha’re’s
clean washing, the bed, everything. We tried to dry it, but we were laughing so
much… pretty hopeless. Got mud on everything, us included.”
Daniel
straightened up a bit in the bed, the happy night on
Jack
grinned down at Daniel, imagining squads of
Daniel’s smile
grew even brighter as the image of his bright, beautiful wife played before
him. “Oh, Jack. She stood there looking at me, I couldn’t think of a single
thing to say. She leant over, pulled the basked off my head, helped me up,
dragged me over to our bed. I thought for sure she’d kick me out and make me
sleep in the mastage pens, but… Gods… she stripped both of us, shoved me on the
bed and made the most beautiful love to me that we’d ever shared.”
“Wow!”
“Yeah.
That was my girl.”
“Made you
pay the next day, huh?”
“Oooh,
yeah! Skaara and I found we’d volunteered to clean out the animal pens for the
next week.”
“Ergh,
stinky. Women are a whole different species, aren’t they?”
“Yup.”
Jack felt
himself bracing for the expected onslaught of pain in Daniel, sure that the
mention of Sha’re would segue into the despair over her death. As the minutes
ticked by, he slowly began to relax. Daniel remained lying peacefully against
him, a smile still gracing his lips. A few minutes more and Daniel’s eyes began
to drift shut. His voice floated softly up to Jack, “Doesn’t hurt this time,
Jack.”
“Getting
better, Danny. Getting better.”
~ Å ~
Eight
days. Eight long days and nine even longer nights since they had discovered
Daniel in Pheidias’s lair. Jack sighed as he awoke to gentle sunlight beaming
into his room in the hospital wing that had been given over to the off-world
visitors. His first full night's sleep since Daniel had been kidnapped, and it
had been a good one. Must get Kovachek to
put some of these mattresses on the trade list too.
Jack took
another moment before rising to savour the feeling of peace and relief that had
sent him to his rest the night before. Eight long days battling to bring Daniel
back to himself had taken an emotional and physical toll on all three of them,
but finally the drug and its antidote had cleared Daniel’s system and he had
not suffered an attack at all during the previous day. He and Sam had hit the
bedrooms offered them with a vengeance, leaving Teal’c kel’noreeming at the
foot of Daniel’s bed.
And
finally, today they could gate home. All four of them.
Jack met
up with his team at their usual breakfast spot - Daniel’s room. This time they
were all dressed. Daniel looking pale, shaky and trying not to show the
emotions still flowing too near to the surface for his comfort. He was up,
dressed, mobile and determined to stand on his own two feet again, knowing that
should he stumble there would be no lack of hands to catch him.
Jack
beamed at his team, glad to see Daniel was making an effort to eat some of the
Ehren version of waffles that Carter and Teal’c were packing away. “So, kids.
Are we ready to head home?
“Have some
waffles, sir. They’re really good.” Sam couldn’t help interrupting the
saccharine flow of comments. At least the colonel seemed to be over his desire
to single-handedly destroy the Earth - Ehren treaty. When he hadn’t been caring
for Daniel he had been making his feelings known to anyone within earshot, his
opinion of certain sociopathic artists who felt the need to make off with, and
nearly destroy, certain archaeologists. Major Kovachek had resigned himself to
following in his wake, soothing feelings and mending diplomatic fences.
Jack
plopped down at the table, helping himself to a large stack of waffles and
eyeing the line up of syrups suspiciously. Trying not to sound too like a
mother hen, he took in the improvement in Daniel’s appearance and asked, “So,
Daniel. How’re you doing this morning?”
Daniel
smiled up at him. “I’m good, Jack. Slept the whole night through.”
“Good. Any
nightmares?”
“Nope, not
one. Well, actually - I had this really weird dream. I was a milkshake and
someone kept sticking a really big straw in me and kept drinking and drinking
and drinking and they wouldn’t stop…”
“What
flavour?”
“What?”
“Huh?”
Daniel
laughed. “Never mind. I’m alright, though. Thanks to you guys. I couldn’t have
made it through this without all of you. I just, well, I appreciate it,
really.”
“Our
pleasure, Daniel.” Sam smiled at him, still revelling in her own feelings of
relief that he was his old self again.
“Indeed,
it is our honour to be able to assist you in such a manner, Daniel Jackson,”
Teal’c beamed at him.
Jack’s
hearty slap on the back nearly made Daniel choke on his waffle. “You might want
to remember that when you get the bill, Danny boy.”
They met
the members of SG9 in the lobby of the hospital. SG3 had returned to Earth on
the second day after Daniel had been recovered. Janet had followed on the third
day, when it became clear that Daniel was responding favourably to the
treatment. Six hourly updates from SG9 had kept her informed of his progress.
Daniel
turned away from Doctor Chiann, his sincere thanks leaving the woman blushing
and happy. He moved slowly over to his team, feeling tired and washed out and
more than ready to go home.
Before
Jack could give the order to head for the hills and the Stargate, Major
Kovachek jumped in.
“Sir,
before you go, the Ehren authorities have asked if Doctor Jackson could spare a
short amount of time to assist them in the disposition of the, er, artworks.”
Jack
scowled at the major, not wanting anything further to stand in the way of
getting Daniel safely home. “I’m sure they can do that themselves, without
draining what little there is of Daniel’s energy, Major.”
Jack
clamped a hand onto Daniel’s shoulder and urged him forward, not giving him the
chance to offer his own opinion.
Kovachek
danced a couple of steps to place himself in front of the colonel. “Actually,
sir, I’m sorry but according to Ehren law they do need Doctor Jackson. If he
cannot do this now, he would be required to return here at a later date, and
until he does the legal proceedings against the accused cannot commence. I’ve
been assured that it will not take very long, sir.”
Before
Jack could launch his opinion of the Ehren legal system, Daniel jumped in.
“What exactly do they want me to do, Stan? I can’t identify any of the people
who kidnapped me. I don’t remember anything after going to bed that night.”
“It’s not
that, Doctor Jackson. It’s the artworks that were produced by the accused
during your, er, stay at the house in the mountains. According to Ehren law
they are the property of the, um, excuse me, victim. They need your decision as
to what you want done with them.” Kovachek grimaced apologetically at Daniel,
not wanting to distress him further.
Jack’s
hand tightened on Daniel’s shoulder. He could feel the waves of disapproval flooding
from Teal’c’s direction behind him. “Fine. Burn the lot. Let’s go.”
He should
have known better.
“Jack,
they can’t do that!”
“Sir.
Forgive me, but as I understand it, the people on this planet value art most
highly. To destroy any artwork is considered near to a criminal offence. It is,
of course, Doctor Jackson’s right to dispose of them as he wishes, but it must
be his decision, sir.” Kovachek wisely kept the part about the General’s orders
not to ruin the new treaty to himself.
“Oh, for
crying out loud!”
“It’s
okay, Jack. I can do this. Actually, I wouldn’t mind seeing them.” Daniel gave
what he hoped was a reassuring smile to Jack’s concerned features.
Jack tried
to push down the chill that seemed to creep over his bones at the thought of
Daniel seeing what that maniac had kidnapped him for. “Thirty minutes, Daniel.
Then we are so out of here.”
They were
taken back to the Constabulary headquarters and shown to a pleasant room
overlooking the bay. This whole planet was just a bit too pleasant now, for
Jack’s liking. He was looking forward to getting back to their regular trips to
ice/desert/lava land. Darmen Whey met them and before he could utter a word was
whisked off to a far corner of the room by Jack.
“Look, I
don’t like the idea of Daniel seeing these pictures. He seems to think he’ll be
fine, but who knows what might trigger a relapse. I’ll let him do it on one
condition - get rid of the last one. Understand me? No way in hell is he seeing
that.” Jack spoke flatly, giving no room for compromise.
Darmen
Whey looked at his tired face and agreed without hesitation. “It shall be as
you request, Colonel.”
Within
minutes they were ready to move into the next room where the three pictures
awaited Daniel’s decision about their fate. He paused at the open door,
suddenly nervous about viewing himself depicted as… who knows? The others had
told him who had taken him and why but it had seemed so unreal that he had not
given it much thought. He lifted his chin, bracing for whatever he might face.
He felt the warm solid presence of his three friends close around him, and knew
that what ever awaited him, he would not be facing it alone.
He stepped
into the small room, his eyes going immediately to the three huge pictures
propped along one wall. His eyebrows rose and his mouth dropped open as he
found himself gazing at - himself. Purely and perfectly depicted, his own, very
nude, body was posed romping under a waterfall, surrounded by rather odd
looking women in red, and perched high on a moonlit mountain top. It was -
bizarre. Gently, Daniel touched the closest one, trying to identify the medium
used to capture his image more perfectly than any digital camera on Earth
could. Faintly aware that his teammates, and particularly Sam, were getting
quite an eyeful, he found that while he felt he should be embarrassed,
offended, humiliated, peeved… or something, he really felt a bit flattered.
Daniel
turned around to see the expressions on Jack, Sam and Teal’c’s faces ranging
from annoyance, appreciation and anticipation of his imminent collapse. He gave
them a shaky grin and turned back to the pictures. They really were very good.
It would be a shame to destroy them; after all he felt a fair bit of his own
soul had been poured into them. And yet, he couldn’t see himself returning to
the SGC with them. They really would clash with the décor of the commissary.
Partly to
allay the fears of his team, partly to cover his own uncertainty, he stepped
back and gave the pictures a considered perusal. “Hmmm, well, you know… I think
he caught my good side,” he offered. An impish grin slipped over his face as he
caught the double takes from the others.
Jack
managed a glare at Daniel, aptly covering the anticlimactic sigh, as Daniel
didn’t relapse into his emotionally shredded state of the last eight days. “I’m
sure the general would love one for the briefing room, Daniel.”
Daniel
surprised them all again with an outright laugh. “It might be one way to keep
you concentrating on the briefings, Jack.”
Turning to
Darmen Whey he continued, “I don’t want to take them, Darmen. I’m happy for
them to stay here and you can do what you wish with them.”
Darmen
Whey acknowledged his decision with a bow. “Thank you, Doctor. I do appreciate
your decision, and I would like to pass on the sincere apologies of all our
people for the terrible injustice done to you.”
Daniel
flicked a small smile across his face, suddenly very weary and more than ready
to go home.
As Jack
pushed him towards the exit, Teal’c’s steady presence at his side, Jack’s
bellow nearly deafened him.
“Carter!
Quit ogling the damned pictures, will ya? We’ve got the real thing, anyway!”
~ Å ~
High up in
a white padded room on the top floor of the main Sorenia hospital, a small
red-haired man sat crouched on the floor. Facing into the wall, he gripped a
soft crayon in his hand, methodically etching the outline of a man’s face onto
the wall’s surface. Treated with the best doctors and the best drugs available,
Pheidias nonetheless steadfastly continued to draw the face of his obsession into
every square inch of the walls and floor of the room that would be his only
home for the rest of his days.
The carers
who monitored him constantly were soon inured to the muttering of the sad
little man.
“Mine,
mine, mine, mine, all mine. You are nothing but mine, I created you, and I will
make you live forever…”
~ Å ~
Epilogue.
Soft
yellow moonlight bathed the campsite on P2R 497. It was several weeks later and
the team’s first mission after the disturbing events on Ehren. Sam was
surreptitiously watching Daniel frown into his journal.
“Daniel,
you’re very quiet tonight.”
“Oh, um,
sorry… I just - I’m trying to work out what Pheidias saw in me.” He smiled at
his friend’s raised eyebrows. “Don’t get me wrong. I’m not trying to be vain
or… anything. It’s just - I can’t see why he took such a liking to ME. I didn’t
even look anything like his lover… What?”
Indulgent
smiles were beginning to replace the dancing eyebrows. He stared back,
wondering if he had his dinner stuck in his teeth or something.
“Oh. I get
it. He was really blind, wasn’t he?”
Sam gave a
long-suffering sigh. Offering up a quick prayer for the terminally clueless,
she rose and moved to crouch in front of her friend. Critically she took his
chin in her hand. Gently removing his glasses, she turned his face to study his
profile from both sides, Daniel’s eyes swivelling round in his head to try to
keep in visual contact. She softly ran her fingers over his face; down his
cheek bristly with evening stubble, along the determined jaw, down the nose,
across hesitantly smiling lips, up and over those wonderful animated eyebrows.
Gently grasping his ears, she drew the attention of those beautiful far-seeing
eyes to her own.
“Daniel.”
Her tone was serious, but lit with delight and love. “Having spent my working
life in a predominantly male society, I can say in all honesty that you are the
most beautiful man I have ever met. You are kind, compassionate, intelligent
and giving. You have the face of an angel and the body of a Michelangelo
sculpture. And I love you dearly.”
She
wrapped her fingers around the back of his neck and pulled him into a
blistering, in-no-way-sisterly kiss. Parting with a loud wet suck on his lower
lip she sat back to admire her handiwork. Yep
- eyebrows hanging off the clouds, eyes a confused and crossed sparkle of blue,
red moist lips parted, gasping, mouth hanging waaay open - my work here is
done.
Sam
sweetly patted Daniel’s cheek, tapped his mouth shut with one finger, and
casually returned to her seat, humming softly as she resumed stripping down her
P-90.
Night
sounds settled around the campfire; the chirp of unseen insects, a zipping buzz
from some unseen night bird, muffled snorts and chuckles from the colonel, a
gentle sighing and clacking of the wind brushing through the reeds along the
creek, a soft wondering “ummmm…” from Daniel.
“Which
sculpture?” Jack challenged.
“Sir?”
“One of
those cute little cherub things?”
“No, sir.
I was thinking more of the statue of David.”
“Ah!”
“Mmmmmm.”
Daniel's soft voice was filled with delight.
Sam
glanced over at Daniel, the glow of the firelight gilding his expression. If
she was expecting blushes and stutters after her little assessment, she was to
be disappointed. Daniel had a huge grin plastered across his face and was
licking his lips appreciatively.
“Nice
kiss, Sam.”
“Thanks.
Not so bad yourself, sport.”
Jack made
an effort to pull himself together and began to brew up some more coffee.
“Major
Carter is correct.”
Uh oh,
pronouncement from the Oracle. He shot a grin at Teal’c. “What, you gonna kiss
him too?”
“No.”
Oh.
Teal’c
merely scowled at O'Neill. “Daniel Jackson is indeed a beautiful human being.
While his features and physical appearance are found attractive by many people,
it is the beauty of his soul that makes him shine. To be so caring and
compassionate towards others, despite the hurts that life has given him, is a
gift to be cherished, and to be protected. He is an inspiration to us all.”
“Wow.
Thanks, Teal’c.” Daniel smiled at his friend, a little unsettled at receiving
so many compliments at one time. His inner devil making its presence known, he
gave Jack a wicked grin and decided to go for three out of three.
“So. Jack.
What do you think?”
Jack
scowled at him. Aaah, let me count the
ides…. Archaeologicide, linguicide, anthrocide… suic… No. No. Not THAT. Never
that. Not any more.
Stretching
his legs out in front of him, Jack took a good hard look at Daniel. This man
who had become one of the most important people in his life. A man who had
shown him compassion in the face of derision. A man who had brought meaning
into a life devoid of purpose. A man whose courage and simple faith in people
was a shining example to him. A man who could infuriate and astound him in a
single moment. A man whom Jack could not imagine living his life without.
“You
inspire me to be a better man, Daniel. To look outside my world view, see the
other side of situations I wouldn’t normally consider. To see the good in
people - to see the good in me.”
Daniel
looked at his friend, his smile simply acknowledging a rare friendship that
flourished in the face of their differences. “Thank you, Jack.”
Silence
settled comfortably over the four friends as they sat under the twinkling
stars. The gentle sounds of the night birds and insects in the reeds filled the
air.
“So,
Daniel. Puffy PINK clouds?????”
The End.