Author's Notes: One hint with this one... things are not always as they seem...
DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognisable 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 purposes 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. Not to be archived without permission of the author(s).
Part One: Jack
This shit is getting old....fast.
It's bad enough what with all the stuff we've been through lately to be stuck on base this long with no breaks, but to have to argue with Hammond that my team has been pushed way beyond any reasonable limits for way too long....
In the past month, we've all been put through a couple of different kinds of hell. Daniel almost died, Carter got that little Tok'ra guest, Daniel got zatted...by Teal'c no less, we got sent to prison, Daniel almost got the life squeezed out of him by that big smelly guy. Not to mention our last mission to the Gamekeeper's planet where Daniel and I got to relive a couple of our worst nightmares in that twisted do-over virtual reality.
As I make my way to my Jeep, I notice that Carter and Daniel have already left and pray that the old girl starts for once or I'll be commandeering a staff car to take me home. The engine grinds a few times, but finally catches and I am out of here....
The road down from the mountain requires a good driver to pay attention at the best of times. At night and as tired as I am, I have to fight to stay focused on keeping the Jeep between the lines. When I catch myself blinking, I decide I'd better put the window down and let the cool air keep me alert. I glance down at the dash clock...1 a.m...and look up just in time to see a car stopped dead in the road....
I hit the brakes hard, jerking the wheel sharply left and come to a stop just inches from the stupid jerk who....
Daniel?
That's Daniel's car. What the...?
I take a deep breath to settle my already jangled nerves and jump out of the Jeep. Daniel better be okay because I am really going to chew his ass for dinner if he hasn't got a damn good reason for almost killing us both...
He's there in the car, slumped over the wheel. Asleep? I check his pulse...it's racing as if he's just run a mile, not passed out behind the wheel of his car...
He starts to stir a little at my touch...
"Daniel?" I try to keep my voice low and steady, something isn't quite right here....
Daniel raises his head, blinking at me but not like he's really seeing much.
"Jack?" Daniel's voice is barely audible here in the quiet darkness of the road.
"Yeah, it's me, buddy. What the hell happened?"
I'm starting to get a little worried here. This isn't like Daniel at all. I've seen Daniel push himself beyond normal human capacity repeatedly, but I've never seen him so far gone that he couldn't function as long as he needed to. Could he be sick?
Daniel's shaking his head at me. "What happened?"
I don't know if he's repeating my question...or if he just didn't hear it. I shift him around so I can get him out of the car; no way is he doing anymore driving tonight.
"C'mon, Danny, let's get you into my car..."
For once he doesn't argue with me, letting me put him into the front seat of the Jeep with a totally unexpected docility. By the time I get back from parking his car on the side of the road, Daniel is curled up in the seat, dead to the world.
This is just so out of character for Daniel, but considering everything that's happened lately maybe he finally has reached his limit. Funny, I never really thought he had any. I know he seems to think he doesn't.
One sure thing, if I take him back to his apartment he's just going to wind up brooding; not eating, not sleeping....
That last mission to the Keeper's planet was an emotional wringer for both of us....
It was bad enough for me to watch my unit die, again and again, in that instant replay, but for Daniel to watch his parents get crushed under that coverstone....
That still blows my mind. He'd never said anything about 'how' his parents died. Hell, he never said anything about them dying at all. I knew, of course, because I've seen his personnel file...but that was only the bare facts; "Dr. Daniel Jackson was orphaned as a child." That file doesn't say anything about the fact that the boy who was Daniel stood there and watched it happen, heard the screams....
God...I can't imagine....
Well, I guess I can...but he was just a kid. Kids shouldn't have to deal with stuff like that. Kids should have fun, be loved, have a chance....
I kill that train of thought right there. That's too much heavy thinking on an empty stomach.
Spotting a pizza place that's still open, I pull into the drive-through. Looking over at Daniel as I place my order, I'm struck once again by how young Daniel looks when he's asleep. The fine lines of his face are relaxed and far more open in sleep than w hen he's awake. When he's awake Daniel's brain is going full tilt at the latest windmill...usually closely followed by his speeding body...and his eyes look too haunted to be mistaken as young. Knowing what I do now, I doubt Daniel ever really was a kid...
As I finally pull into my driveway, I catch myself steeling my nerves. Daniel's had a little rest now; sure as I'm sitting here he is going to argue with my decision to bring him home....
Figuring it won't get better with waiting, I reach over and shake him a little bit.
He wakes up with a start, bumping his head on the door glass. "Ow...Jack?"
"Let's...eat?" I say a little lamely. Maybe food can sooth an irate scientist just like that savage beast everybody talks about.
"Jack..." Daniel's blinking, still not taking in much of his surroundings. "How did...?"
"You fell asleep....?" I lead him off, but, unlike usual, he's not really catching the uptake. This is getting a little too weird...
"C'mon," I make it an order. "I want to check you out, make sure you didn't hurt yourself back there."
Daniel weaves his way into the house and collapses on my couch. Putting down the pizza box, I bend over him and check for bumps and bruises, but I don't see anything. Daniel is just laying there with his eyes closed, but I don't think he's asleep again.
"Danny, come on...let's eat first, then we can crash for two days."
He lifts a hand, barely, to let me know he hears me, but makes no further moves.
I go into the kitchen and bring back napkins and a couple of beers. Daniel hasn't moved and is snoring softly, asleep again...
I decide to let him sleep....for now. If he's still this out of it tomorrow, our friendly neighborhood SGC doc is going to get an early morning phone call....