Jack held onto his best friend, as if he were holding onto his very own life.
…and in a way, maybe he was.
…'cause if he lost Daniel again…
God…
Jack shuddered and Daniel clung on tighter, desperate to keep his hold.
…so desperate, it scared Jack.
…and he didn’t know what to do.
He didn’t know what to say.
…so he just held him.
He held Daniel and forced air into his lungs, as tears rushed to fill his eyes.
“Ssshh.” he managed to soothe, but he didn’t know if it was more for himself or his friend.
When he went to secure him tighter against him, a sob broke loose from his charge and Jack instantly began to rock, knowing full well that spilt blood was not the cause of his tears.
“Sshh…we’ll figure this out. We’ll get through this,” he whispered hoarsely, though he honestly didn’t know how and the warm blood spilling between their hands was a cold reminder that they were running out of time to figure it out.
Jesus…
Suddenly bringing his injured hand up to grasp Jack’s shirt, Daniel cried, “Don’t let me go, Jack! They…” But his plea was cut short by another sob, and panic enveloped Jack’s heart as he held his friend even tighter.
“Hey, sshh, I’ve got ya. I’m not gonna let you go. Okay?” he eased.
Daniel simply whimpered, tightening his grip and Jack had to close his eyes. He didn’t know what to do…
God help him, he didn’t know what to do…
~~~~~~~~~~
~// “Just hold on!” Daniel cried.
“Why?”
“Cause I’ll fall if you don’t.”
“Danny, you’re not going to fall.”
“Not if you hold on.”
Mel laughed and shook his head.
“Okay…but you’re not going to fall,” he reiterated even as he began to run beside his son, his hand lightly holding the bike seat.
Spending most of his life in the sand and jungle, Daniel didn’t get much chance to learn how to ride a bike…but he was making up for that now and, watching as his smile reached ear to ear, Mel was happy that he and his wife finally decided to get him one…and give it to him a day early.
When they went to surprise him, they ended up finding him on the roof again. He was working on something, but he wouldn’t let them see.
That boy, Mel chuckled, he’s always got something up his sleeve.
Mel was astonished at how the butterflies never seemed to leave his son’s side, following him around with every move he made…it was almost as…as if they were trying to preserve a precious part of him with their delicate wings.
They clearly shared the same affection for Daniel as he had for them.
“Do you have me?” Daniel yelled, zipping down the sidewalk and snapping his father out of his reverie.
Jogging along side him, already out of breath, Mel prayed his wife would have snacks for them when they got back, because her boys were going to be starved by the time Daniel finally ran out of steam.
“I have you, son,” he answered back, weaving to and fro down the sidewalk with him. “I’ve got you.” //~
~~~~~~~~~~
Standing from above, they watched without speaking.
He was supposed to be asking her questions…
She was supposed to be coming up with the answers…
But all they could do was watch…
…watch while one man tried to put the pieces of his best friend back together...
~~~~~~~~~~
He knew they were there.
…he knew without even looking behind him.
Hammond and Janet were watching from the observation room and Jack knew exactly what they were thinking.
If anyone can help Dr. Jackson now, he can.
…but they were wrong.
…so very wrong.
Put him in a room with pieces of a weapon strewn about, and he would give you a working gun in less time than most people can blink an eye.
…but sit him in a room in front of a broken friend, his broken friend…and he was worthless.
God…
Carter cuts herself and Daniel bleeds.
Jack didn’t even want to think about what that meant for his friend. He couldn’t even begin to imagine what was going on inside of him. What it must be like… and now to see his body bleed as his soul has been…
What were they going to do?
He didn’t even care to know how it happened anymore…all that mattered now was figuring out what they had to do to stop it.
…and making sure they damn well figured it out in time.
Where the hell were their allies when they needed them?
Damnit…
Curled on his side, Daniel clung to Jack’s arm and stared vacantly ahead.
He hadn’t said anything since the VIP room.
…and that was over twenty minutes ago.
His body had been stitched up and treated for shock since then…
…but he still had yet to speak, or let go…
And sitting on the cot facing him, Jack tried to think of something to say…
Something that would bring his friend back to him.
Something that would ease his fears and pain.
…but he couldn’t come up with anything either one of them would believe…
So he stuck with the one simple truth they both could count on…
“I’m here.”
~~~~~~~~~~
~// “I know,” Daniel whimpered, “…but it still hurts.”
“Okay, let me see,” Mel soothed, kneeling down beside his son.
Daniel lifted his hand from its protective position over his torn knee and Mel winced for him as he pulled his handkerchief out to gently dab away the blood.
“You scraped it up pretty good…but I’m almost certain it’ll heal by the time you’re married,” he teased.
Ignoring the gibe, Daniel regarded his father with a pout. “You promised you wouldn’t let go.”
“Danny, you were too fast for me. I couldn’t keep up,” he replied, sitting back on his haunches and trying not to show how truly bad he felt. Though his son had been riding on his own for six blocks!
“Really?”
“Yup, you’re a natural, Danny. I didn’t let you go…there was just nothing left to hold onto.”
Daniel bit his lip and lowered his head to study his injury, then suddenly looking up at his father, he smiled mischievously. “Race you home.”
Mel beamed. The ‘Bounce Back Kid’ strikes again.
“Okay,” he replied, standing up. “…but,” he added with a finger in the air, “if I win, you have to sneak me a cookie from the jar right before dinner too.”
Hey! Daniel thought. How’d he…!?
Peering into his father’s eyes, Daniel looked for signs of a trap. When he didn’t see any he shrugged.
“Deal!”
Letting himself be pulled up, the future archaeologist/explorer immediately jumped back onto his bike with barely noticeable discomfort. “On your mark. Get set…” Suddenly pausing, he let down his readied position. “You’re…you’re going to hold on, until I can do it on my own again…right?” he asked, his big blue eyes pleading with his father’s.
Mel smiled and abandoned his own readied position to balance his son. “Of course.”
“Okay. On your mark. Get set…GO!!” //~
~~~~~~~~~~
Closing his eyes, Daniel took in a ragged breath.
He didn’t think he could do this anymore.
God, he was so tired.
…so tired.
“Daniel?”
He knew Jack would be there for him as long as he needed, but he feared that soon…it just wouldn’t be enough…
…that before long, there would be nothing left of him worth…
God, why is this happening?
When Sam cut herself, it didn’t just rip open a piece of his flesh. Like a crack in the ice, it made room for more “connections” to come tumbling in…
And now he felt like he was drowning in them.
Every time he tried to come up for air, someone else would hurt and pull him back down…pull him further away.
…and he kept fighting it and fighting it to keep himself with Jack, but the truth was…he had absolutely no control over it…none. And he feared that the next pull…would be the one he wouldn’t be able to find his way back from.
…or even have the strength to.
“Daniel…?”
…and that not even Jack would be able…
~~~~~~~~~~
Sam could not wait for the Tylenol to kick in. She knew she could…should go back to the SGC and get her wound treated… but there’s no way she’d be able to bear seeing her pain in Daniel’s eyes if he happened to feel it too. Besides, Macintyre actually did a pretty good job stitching it up.
…speaking of Mac, he sure was a Mother Hen, and not just by the way he went about caring for her injury. The way he had taken to Kayna…and her to him, threatened to melt Sam’s heart.
They almost reminded her of her and Cassie when they first came together on that fateful day all those years ago.
…one so lost, and one so eager to be the one to find them.
Watching them together now, sitting in the sun and ashes, Sam swore she saw a smile flutter across the little girl’s face. Subtle and brief...but it was there, and it filled Carter with something she thought was lost…
Hope.
~~~~~~~~~~
“He’s still in shock?” Hammond asked, never breaking himself out of his worry-induced gaze.
“Well, sir,” Frasier started solemnly. “the wound was mild compared to the effect it ultimately had on his body. But yes, he’s still in shock and he won’t speak.”
“He won’t, or he can’t, Doctor?” he asked, finally looking to her.
Janet sighed wearily. “It’s hard to say, sir. I’m guessing a little bit of both. And the only person he seems to be aware of is Colonel O’Neill.”
“But he hasn’t spoken to him either, has he?” It was more of a statement than a question.
“No.”
Hammond subconsciously clenched and unclenched his hands. It was something he started doing when there was nothing else left to do but wait. …and as a person who sent his people off into potential life and death situations every day…he played the waiting game a lot.
“Is there anything else you can do for him?”
Janet clasped her hands and looked down at them briefly, using the moment to steady her strained nerves. “Other than treating his physical symptoms, sir? No. However, I would recommend getting in contact with Major Carter to verify what we know and if she did cut herself, I would strongly suggest having her and Teal’c bring Juni back to the SGC. Colonel O’Neill still thinks he’s the key and I just think it would be safer for...”
Swallowing and looking back down at her hands, she left the last word hanging on the only piece of hope she’d been able to hold onto. Because if she finished that sentence… she feared that there would be no chance of waking up from the nightmare she prayed they were all trapped in.
Hammond didn’t need for her to finish anyway…he knew exactly who she spoke of. And as he turned his troubled eyes back to the impossibly small and fragile looking figure below him, he realized that there was no doubt in his mind that Carter’s hand bore the same mark as Dr. Jackson’s.
And that’s what made waiting all the more difficult.
When the gate ran its last automated diagnostics, it ran into a glitch. The technicians were working on it now, trying to help it along…but the person they needed on the problem was worlds away, worlds away and oblivious to the physical wounds she was leaving on the one she was trying so hard to help.
“I agree, Doctor.” Hammond finally found his voice, surprised to realize that he had even lost it. “…and that’s just what I’ll do the second we can dial out.”
Janet nodded and he went to leave the room, but stopped…his back still facing the Doctor, as he desolately spoke through the stale air. “What would your friend say about this?”
Janet didn’t answer and George didn’t expect her to. And as she listened to the echo of his footsteps fade away, she couldn’t help but wonder what it was like…
To have the power of the universe at your fingertips…
…but none to help your friend.
~~~~~~~~~~ “Daniel?”
Jack never thought he’d be so relieved to see him close his eyes.
However, when he didn’t respond but for a lone tear that dropped carelessly onto the pillow, his relief was short lived.
“Daniel…?” he called again, this time not being able to hide the concern in his voice.
Come on… show me you’re still there.
Show me I haven’t already lost you.
Please…
When Jack was beginning to think that it would never happen, the archaeologist finally opened his eyes and took an unsteady breath.
…but he didn’t look to Jack. Instead, it seemed he found the same place he’d been staring off into for the last half hour…
Empty, agonizing seconds passed and Jack was about to say something, anything…even comment on the weather, just to get his friend to talk, when Daniel finally did.
“How much longer?” he whispered so dejectedly that the cracks in his voice ripped through Jack’s heart, making him wish for just one more unbearable second of silence. “How much longer can I go on like this? How much longer am I expected to?”
Wincing, Jack’s answer was strained and hoarse. “I don’t know.” Then clamping down on the hand that held his arm, he spoke with conviction that was not forced. “But you will.”
“How?” Daniel croaked. “Why?”
“Because, Daniel…” Leaning in, Jack’s voice never wavered. “That’s what you do. You fight.”
The archaeologist closed his eyes and the lone tear drop found companionship.
“You will, Daniel. You’ll keep fighting,” Jack insisted, his voice breaking on the last word and he had to steady himself before he could continue. “And you will win.”
There was no other option.
~~~~~~~~~~
…tick…
…tick…
…tick…
It wasn’t supposed to be so hard. When he took over the SGC, he thought he was prepared…well, as prepared as one can be for dealing with intergalactic relations. He knew the protocol. He familiarized himself with the most pertinent of personnel... their strengths and weaknesses. And he felt confident in his decision making abilities.
…tick…
…tick…
…and it was never supposed to be this hard.
…because he was never supposed to get this close.
…tick…
…tick…
…tick…
Sitting in his office, Hammond listened as the clock ticked away what could very well be Daniel’s life.
It’s funny. he mused. We fight for power, for technology and knowledge. …but at the end of the day, time was our judge. Time was our greatest enemy and our greatest ally.
…and the greatest battle we’ve fought, or would ever fight…would be against it.
...tick…
…tick…
…tick…
…and a very dear friend of his was losing.
“General Hammond, sir?” ~~~~~~~~~~
It pressed upon him like a thousand bricks.
It stole his breath and pumped fear into his heart.
…it was the inevitable.
His strength was waning and so was hope, as exhaustion in every form poured through his veins.
He was dying. He knew this. He could feel it.
…but what hurt even more…
…was the part of Jack he felt dying with him.
It was ironic, he thought. They both so desperately wanted to ease the other’s pain…but in the end, compassion would be what killed them.
“What time is it?” he whispered, desperate to break the silence before it broke him.
Sitting in the hospital chair beside the bed now because Daniel insisted that he was okay and he could let go, Jack pulled the Velcro back from his watch. “About 1600 hours. Why?”
“Cause I wanted you to stop staring at me for one whole second.” The archaeologist replied with a ghost of a grin.
“Sorry, Danny.” Jack sighed, scrubbing at his face wearily.
Danny again, Daniel mused. He didn’t often call him that anymore…not even joking. …and he had to admit that he actually missed it. Jack was the first person he let call him that, since…
Clearing his throat, Daniel dislodged the memory. Not going there. “No…it’s…I just…I don’t know…” he trailed off with his own sigh. “I just…”
“No, it’s…I was just lost in a thought.” Jack whispered with a blank look in his eyes that made Daniel wonder if he found his way back out of it yet.
“Juni touched your head right before he said something to you. Do you remember what it was?” Jack asked suddenly, trying unsuccessfully to ignore the ache in his friend’s eyes.
“No. All I remember is …” Daniel’s words died off, as he watched her pull her father’s limp hand into hers…
/ Back and forth she rocked, holding a doll and her father’s crimson hand in her lap.
“O papai?” she called him softly, gently stroking his thumb. “Papai, acorde.” she begged him to wake up, but her pleas went unheard and unanswered by the man that lifted her chin up, and told her to be good…he’d be right back.
A light breeze tickled her golden brown hair from her eyes and Daniel swore he watched her innocence float away with it.
Today she would say goodbye to more than just her father.
Sitting alone in the war torn field, Kayna held the memory of her papai’s warm embrace in his cold lifeless hand. “Papai, acorde. Acorde, papai,” she begged again and again, the humming growing in strength as she rocked.
…And the plea echoed in Daniel’s heart, for he knew from experience that her father would never be answering that call. /
“You don’t remember a thing?” Jack asked again, snapping him out of his reverie. “You don’t remember grabbing a hold of me?”
Daniel unsuccessfully tried to shake the image of the little girl he had taught hide-and-seek to out of his head. “No,” he whispered…and he had a feeling he didn’t want to.
~~~~~~~~~~
~// “Why not, honey?”
“Cause it will hurt.”
“Oooh, I promise it’ll only hurt for a second,” Claire cooed.
Daniel huffed and reluctantly walked over to the kitchen table and pulled out a chair. Sitting on it, he stretched out his leg. “Oookay, but when I die from shock…” he sing-songed.
Claire laughed and cuffed him lightly on the head. “Tell you what,” she started, bending down beside her son and screwing off the hydrogen peroxide cap. “Will cake batter help take your mind off the debilitating pain?” she teased.
Daniel quirked an interested eyebrow. A cookie and cake mix before dinner…this was too good to be true.
“…of course, you have to eat your dinner first, then you can help me bake your cake for tomorrow,” she added as she poured on the disinfectant, earning a hiss and a scowl from Daniel.
He knew it.
“Can I have the beaters too?” he asked, as his mother blew the sting out of his wound.
“Sure!” Putting a Band aide over the broken skin, Claire patted her son’s thigh and studied his face. She didn’t know why she worried so much about him. He was too stubborn not to grow up okay.
“Well, Mr. Jackson, you didn’t die on the table…so, you owe me TWO kisses,” she informed with an equal amount of fingers in the air.
Daniel regarded his mother impishly, swinging his legs back and forth from both sides of the chair. “Weeell,” he started, “…could you put it on my tab, cause…?” Before he knew it, he was in her clutches, laughing hysterically. “Or maybe…!” Daniel squealed. “…half now, half when it heals!”
“Aahh!” he howled wildly, when she found the most ticklish spot under his arms... //~ ~~~~~~~~~~
Her lungs burned and her legs ached, but she wouldn’t stop.
She ran, and she ran hard. It took twenty minutes to get to the mines…Sam would make it in less than ten.
Her ears were still ringing from the news she couldn’t believe, and her heart was heavy in her chest as it fought to pump through the denial.
Hammond had just radioed her and told her about Daniel.
Damnit!
She should have checked in! Not that she would have been able to. …Still, she can’t believe…
Never losing her stride, Carter briefly looked down at her wrapped hand and imagined her friend bleeding from it. Apparently it wasn’t enough that he could feel it…
Damnit.
Cursing herself, she couldn’t believe she wasn’t more careful. She never wanted to be doing something as futile as picking up debris in the first place…she just didn’t know what else to do.
…and what if it were worse? Now that the rules were different, what if she or Teal’c, or anybody Daniel had a “connection” to, really got hurt…or even…
God…
Pushing past her own physical discomfort and praying against odds that Daniel couldn’t feel it, Sam ran faster.
She had to get to Teal’c.
When she went to hail him on the radio, she was met by only static--leaving her to believe that he and Juni were still in the mines. And they didn’t have any time to waste, because Daniel had none to spare.
She didn’t know what they were going to do. She didn’t know what difference it would make-- them being home. …but she knew they had to get there…and they had to get there fast.
~~~~~~~~~~
He was going to kill him. No. First he’d yell at him, then he’d strangle him…then he’d kill him. How could he do this?! …how did he do this? Something was wrong. He could feel it. He…
Rounding the corner, Jack stopped in his tracks when he saw Daniel’s shoulder peeking out from around the bend he leaned against.
Okay, so thirty-five seconds of being AWOL didn’t exactly call for physical assault…but it sure as hell warranted a lecture on why we don’t scare an old man, such as himself, out of ten years of his life.
Walking up behind him, Jack was about to comment on how the bathroom was the other way, when Daniel spoke.
“You got me back.”
Jack raised his eyebrows, confused. “Uuuhh…no, but I’ m taking you back. Daniel, you can’t be…”
“No.” the archaeologist simply stated, turning around and revealing fresh tear tracks magnifying his bruises. “You got me back. It was you. When I get…When I got taken…pulled away with Annie, it was you…” he stated hoarsely, looking at him…but not with surprise.
Cocking his head, Jack stepped closer to his friend. “Daniel?” he asked gently. What was he talking about?
“I had nothing to hold on to,” Daniel continued, staring at him now with the most agonizing look in his eyes. “I was just …falling. And her…her pain, it tore at me, Jack…stealing everything from me…everything.” The younger man’s face contorted with the memory and Jack found that he suddenly couldn’t move…because he was finally getting a glimpse of the nightmare from within…
…a glimpse that he was never privy to before.
…a glimpse that Jack ached to close his eyes against, because he didn’t know any other way to make it disappear.
“…and I screamed. I screamed so loud for help, but there was nobody around to listen. I reached, but there was nothing to hold…” Daniel’s words broke off in his anguish as he tried to bite back his tears and Jack remained frozen in place, locked in a world where the wrong man was bearing someone else’s pain.
“…and I just kept falling” he continued desolately, reclaiming his voice. “I just kept falling until…you caught me.”
Wordlessly, tears pooled in Jack’s eyes and Daniel winced as he felt them stab him right in the heart. “You pulled me back, Jack. You held on.” he whispered, looking him straight in the eyes. “You keep me home…”
Jack stood unmoving, overwhelmed by the emotion in his friend’s eyes…which just happened to be reflecting that which was in his heart…
Pain.
Fear.
…and unquestioning trust.
And that’s when Jack realized that Daniel would be okay. Though he wasn’t exactly sure if he understood everything he had said…he realized that maybe, just maybe it didn’t matter.
…because Daniel trusted him to hold on…
…and Jack trusted him not to let go.
~~~~~~~~~~
“…so,” Riley continued, knowing full well that she was silently hanging onto every word, “the prince finally tried the glass slipper on Cinderella…and it fit.”
Watching as her eyes widened, Macintyre couldn’t help but smile. “I bet you’re wondering what happened…” he teased and when she bashfully ducked her head, he took it as a nod.
“Well, I can tell you this…” he whispered, gently lifting her chin up and looking her in the eyes with a twinkle in his. “They lived happily ever after.”
The smile she granted him brought tears to his eyes and a smile that he reflected back. It was a simple gesture from a simple story, but it held the promise of a nation.
Riley’s expression quickly turned somber, however, as he looked towards the Stargate.
…because it still wasn’t enough.
…not for Daniel.
Although, hopefully, that was about to change. He was told that a woman named Raen might be able to help him…or at least give him more than nods and two word answers. It was said that she was sort of an Historian among the villagers…and that she should be able to explain the way of life they have never questioned, better than anyone else.
…whatever that was supposed to mean.
So now, he waited.
He waited for her to be found alive…so that hope might not die.
Looking back over at Kayna, or his “girl”, as he had begun to affectionately call her, Riley was about to tell her about the prince who had a magic carpet, a monkey and a genie for friends when all of the sudden the pleasant breeze that had been dancing across their bodies turned ominous, and the sun that had been warming their spirits, returned to shadow...
“Oh God…”
~~~~~~~~~~
~// “What is it, honey?”
Looking out his bedroom window, Daniel watched as a family of blue jays settled down for the night in the single tree that was left standing behind the building. They fit perfectly, he mused. It looked as if the nest was built specifically for the three of them…even though, do to the growth of the city, they probably had to move and rebuild numerous times.
Turning to look at his parents, he smiled. “Nothing.”
Flashing one back, they went to turn down the covers of his bed.
“Did you pick?”
“Yup!” Grabbing the book, Daniel jumped into bed and handed it to his father, though he didn’t know if he’d be able to pay much attention. The three of them had just finished baking his cake and he was still wired. Tomorrow was his birthday and he just knew it was going to be the best one ever.
He couldn’t wait!
“One for today.” Claire whispered with a kiss, “…and one for tomorrow.” Mel added with another one upon their son’s head.
Snuggling further down in between his parents for a perfect fit, Daniel inhaled the scent of his mother’s lotion and smiled as a warmth he never acknowledged before settled over him like a blanket.
“You okay, honey?” she asked, as the three of them cuddled closer.
“Yeah, Mama…”
…because he was beginning to think that he was wrong.
…maybe home wasn’t in the sand, or the sun…
…or what tree or nest you lived in…
Maybe it was right here, in the scent of his mother’s lotion and feel of his father’s embrace.
…maybe “home” was where you fit, no matter what.
“Yeah.” he whispered again grinning ear to ear.
I’m home.
I’m home… //~ ~~~~~~~~~~
“Teal’c!!”
Sam never thought she’d be so happy to see the large man.
“MajorCarter.”
“Teal’c! We have to go back…now.” she stated, running up to them out of breath. “And we have to take Juni with us. Daniel’s worse.”
Teal’c didn’t say a word. He simply started walking towards the direction of the Stargate with a grim expression on his face and Juni followed, asking what was wrong. Before Teal’c could respond, however, his back stiffened and the hair on Carter’s neck stood up…
Turning around, all that could be heard was the fierce pounding of their hearts and Carter’s guttural whisper. “Oh my God.”
~~~~~~~~~~~
“What?” Daniel asked when Jack kept looking over at him.
“Why did you ditch me?” he teased as they slowly made their way back to the infirmary, which, surprisingly to Jack, was only about 25 feet from where he found his friend. For some reason, it seemed a lot further when he was worried out of his mind.
“I, uh…” Daniel smoothed the hair on the back of his head down. I didn’t. Someone “pulled” too hard and you weren’t around. …and all I remember is closing my eyes and fighting it and promising myself that no matter how much I hated it, I was never leaving your side again. “I …didn’t actually; I just wasn’t paying attention to where I was going.” he answered.
Jack studied his friend. Liar. ...but didn’t say anything.
He thought, though, that Daniel’s complete inability to successfully lie to him would have been funny…if he weren’t trying to do it to hide his pain.
Watching as his friend walked unsteadily beside him, Jack wished, not for the first time, that his archaeologist wasn’t so stubborn. He wanted to escort Daniel to the bathroom…well at least to the door, but he wouldn’t hear of it. Jack knew Daniel hated depending on him. …and he also knew that he hated needing to depend on him even more. Even after all they’ve been through. …even after as clingy as he’s been these last few days.
Still…as he steadied him by the elbow and absorbed the younger man’s tremors, he thought he felt his friend relax into his grip.
Maybe…hopefully, he was starting to accept the ‘need’ as not a weakness…but as a testament to their friendship.
…a testament to how much they all depended on each other.
…a testament…to them being more than just friends. They were family. A family that would literally go to the ends of the universe for each other…
“So…” Jack started, “when this is all over, how about the four of us take on some serious downtime.”
Daniel grinned, despite the sheen of sweat that had started to cover his face. “Downtime? I’m sorry; I’m not familiar with that word.” he answered breathlessly as he anxiously latched onto the comfort of their old routine.
Slowing his steps even more for the archaeologist, Jack quirked an eyebrow and studied his friend. “Pfft! And you call yourself a linguist.”
Scratching his head, Daniel ended up grabbing the hand that held his elbow when he lost his balance, but he didn’t miss a beat. “Well, it would help if I got the chance to hear it spoken aloud and in some context once in a while…”
“Or if you actually took it when granted.”
Daniel snorted.
He actually snorted. Jack thought.
See, he knew it…things were already looking up. He hadn’t lost him. He wasn’t going to lose him, either. Everything was going to be…
Suddenly, Daniel cried out, ripping from his grip as he flew back against the wall… ~~~~~~~~~~
…the force knocked him to the ground.
~~~~~~~~~~
“Daniel!?” Jack grabbed his friend’s upper arms.
“J’ck!” gasping, Daniel clutched Jack’s shirt with one hand, as the other clenched painfully against his own chest. “J’k…”
“Daniel, God…what?!” he demanded, the panic causing his voice to come out broken.
The archaeologist’s knees buckled and for a second Jack couldn’t decide whether to hold him up or lower him to the ground. Gravity decided for him.
~~~~~~~~~~
…pain and pressure exploded in his chest as she cried out his name. Throwing herself beside him, she clutched at his blood soaked body…
~~~~~~~~~~
Laying him on his back, Daniel arched and whimpered in pain, tears streaming down his face.
“Jesus,” Holding onto his friend, Jack screamed down the corridor to anybody that had the mercy to hear him. “Help!” His voice, raw with uncontrollable fear. “Get me some help over here, now!”
Daniel lay on the floor in a heap. Coughing, wheezing and shaking so badly that Jack feared he’d break into a million pieces right there in the hallway.
“Come on, buddy, hang on!”
Sobbing, Daniel clung onto him. “J’k…”
“It’s okay. Just hang on…” he begged, anxiously trying to soothe with simple words…it was all he had. He didn’t know what the hell was going on.
“Get…” Anchoring himself to Jack, Daniel’s pain and fear filled eyes pleaded with him. “…get meee ba’k.”
The colonel’s heart skipped a beat. “Daniel?”
“J’ck…” he rasped again, trying to breathe through the incredible pressure in his chest, even as his eyes started to roll back in his head. “J’ck…get m…”
“Daniel!” Frantically, Jack strengthened his hold. “Stay with me! Come on!” he demanded, but his friend’s eyes had already closed. “Daniel!” …and there was no response.
“No! God, don’t do this to me!” he howled, pulling him up against him. “Damnit! Come on, Danny!”
“I need help!! Somebody help, damnit!” But he was only met by his own cries.
“Come on, stay with me.” he pleaded, lifting his friend’s head up on his shoulder so he faced him. “Please…”
Suddenly, Daniel reared up with a deep ominous cough.
…and Jack’s heart froze with time.
Oh, God…
Swallowing the bile that had risen to the back of his throat, Jack lifted a hand up and touched his fingers against the warm liquid raining down his own face.
Oh, God…
…and as he pulled it away, it shook at the crimson that stained it.
“Jesus …”
“J’k…?” Daniel choked weakly; limp in his arms, but for a hand that still desperately clung to him.
Looking back down, Jack found that blood not only covered his friend’s face, but was pooling out from his upper body as well.
“God, Daniel!” he cried, securing him tighter against him and blindly placing a hand over his chest. There was so much blood…he didn’t know where it was coming from.
“Get m- b’ck?! Daniel whimpered over and over, his pleas broken as he choked on the precious liquid.
“I’ve got you! Jesus…just hold on, Daniel! Just hold on!” he cried, squeezing him even tighter and urging him to stay. “Hold on! Don’t…God, don’t let go, Danny.”
A pounding approach announced the arrival of help, but neither heard it. They were too busy holding on as crimson and salty rain soaked their faces.
“J’ck?” Wheezing with waning strength, Daniel’s eyes, which had been fixed on Jack’s like a beacon, started to close again. “Jck?..ba’k…?”
“I’ve got you. I’ll get you back!” he declared, rocking him and praying that he wasn’t lying. “God! I swear I’ll get you back. You hear me?! I swear to God!”
Then Jack was being pulled away.
~~~~~~~~~~
…she called for him over and over; his blood saturating her… ~~~~~~~~~~
“Nooo!” he cried, struggling. “NO!! I have to hold …!”
Three SFs and Hammond, who had been around when Janet got called, held him back as Frasier and her team worked on his best friend. Lifting him onto the stretcher, they hooked him up to their portable machines and took off with him down the hall.
Chasing after them, Jack managed to push and pull his way into the infirmary.
“Daniel!” he called feverishly, helplessly watching as his lifeless body was hooked up to more equipment and poked with needles. “Let! Me! Go! DANIEL!”
“He’s crashing!”
“NO!” Jack wailed. “You’re KILLING him!”
~~~~~~~~~~
…and as he closed his eyes for the last time, all he could think…was that she was talking.
~~~~~~~~~~
“Let me go! Let me hold him! I just have to hold him!”
“A systole!”
“NOOO!”
Jack’s cries echoed throughout the mountain, answered only by the single, merciless tone that represented the absence of his best friend’s heartbeat.
DISCLAIMER: All characters and property of Stargate SG-1 belong to MGM/UA, World Gekko Corp. and Double Secret Productions. This fan fiction was created solely for entertainment and no money was made from it. Also, no copyright or trademark infringement was intended. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author. Any other characters, the storyline and the actual story are the property of the author.