A Lifetime

Sideburns

It was funny how a man could hold a hope in his heart and acknowledge it only when the hope was lost.

For months Daniel had held a secret yearning, one that he hadn't been all that comfortable actually giving a name. But now, now that the object of his yearning was impossible to attain, the name came easily.

Jack O'Neill.

Daniel was no stranger to same sex relationships, but still, discovering that he had feelings for his best friend had shocked the hell out of him. He'd honestly never expected to love anyone again after Shar'e. He had in fact, chosen not to love again, not to let anyone in. And no, he didn't count Kira, aka, Linea, Destroyer of Worlds. He'd been vulnerable, damn vulnerable, and lonely. No excuse, though. Which brought him back to Jack.

Hard to believe he'd fallen for the man.

Fallen for. Strange phrase, but then, the idea of loving Jack was pretty strange too.

He knew that he hadn't fallen for Shar'e. No, with her, he'd -- floated -- into love. It had been gradual and sweet, full of mornings waking to her warm, soft, willing body, her special sleepy smile, followed by a whispered, "Dan-yel" always said in that 'just for you' way. She never ceased surprising him with her sensual looks and touches, her possessiveness and her aggressive manner when they were alone. Her blend of shyness and eroticism had never failed to blow him away.

Needless to say, Jack was nothing like Shar'e. But then, the love he felt for the man wasn't sweet. In fact, now that he thought about his feelings, he realized his love for Jack hadn't come gradually. In thinking back over the last months, he could now pinpoint the exact moment it had landed on top of him like a mothership.

Jack and Teal'c had been trapped on board a Russian sub with a horde of rampaging replicators, and no way off. Jack was yelling at him to do it, to blow them up, to destroy the replicators before it was too late. But that meant destroying Jack as well.

The memory rushed back to him in a painful burst of odd Technicolor pictures. He could see Jack's face in the viewer, could hear him begging him to push the button, but Daniel was mentally screaming, "NO!" because it would mean - killing the man he loved.

Shaking himself out of the memory, Daniel lifted his coffee mug and took a sip, then stared at his watch. It was late, almost midnight, and Daniel gave a small wry smile. It seemed that time, like so many other things in his life, was slipping away from him.

He watched the second hand travel slowly around the face of the timepiece, and wished with all his heart to go back in time. To either skip the last eight days, or to somehow change what had happened on P4X-639, to change his death. Of course, he was the only one who knew that he'd died when Malikai had fired the weapon at him, but still, if he could go back, he'd make darn certain that he'd miss out on that little joy. He'd take the hint Malikai had tried so hard to give him and make like a leaf. By doing so, he'd be spared the agony of seeing Jack kiss Sam in the control room. By avoiding his death, he'd be able to skip seeing the 'look' Jack bestowed on Sam at the breakfast table after the time loop had ended.

Okay, so he should have been better prepared for Jack's feelings toward Sam; after all, hadn't he been told about the conversation between them when Sam had been trying so hard to keep Jack from having to undergo the Zartac detector? But then, it was altogether different to hear about a conversation then to actually see the physical evidence of Jack's true feelings regarding his 2IC.

In hearing from Teal'c why Sam and Jack had failed the Tok'ras version of a lie detector, he'd assumed they'd all have failed. SG-1 was close, very close. None of them would have been able to leave another behind to save their own life. But then he'd been on those damn stairs just as Jack had entered the control room, witnessed him hand the general his resignation, then tip Sam back and kiss her - oh, yeah, he'd understood the truth then.

Jack hadn't been able to leave the woman he loved. The woman he was in love with.

He shuffled that particular truth into the darkest recess of his mind.

Daniel suddenly realized that perhaps there might be another bonus to going back in time and avoiding his death; he'd also be able to miss his friend allowing him to be knocked down in the hall a couple of times too many. He was pretty sure such antics were a guy thing and definitely a military guy thing; a "laugh till it hurts 'cause the guy slipped on a body part" kind of military guy thing. Daniel had no trouble admitting that he wasn't into that kind of "guy thing." Watching someone get hit, and hit hard, and knowing that it was going to happen, and then letting it happen, had never been a "Daniel thing". He was also pretty sure that the problem lay with him rather than Jack.

If he'd been a different kind of guy with a different upbringing, an upbringing that hadn't included being the butt of jock jokes and being 'accidentally' tripped, not to mention pushed, shouldered and deliberately jostled. If his glasses hadn't been flung off more times than he could count, he'd have laughed the whole thing off -- probably. Yeah, the lack of appreciation for the joke was his problem, not Jack's.

On the other hand, Daniel still had the niggling feeling that Jack had - enjoyed -- seeing him take both tumbles. Enjoyed it not in a 'ha-ha' way, but in an almost perverse manner. As if it satisfied something raw in Jack, a kind of a payback for all of Daniel's lectures, prattlings and failures to jump when Jack yelled. Or for all the times Daniel argued with Jack, or seemed to find fault with him, or... for just being who he was. A geek.

All of which begged the question of why the hell Daniel loved Jack.

For the first time in days, Daniel smiled. It was kind of funny, not in a ha-ha way, but definitely in a perverse way.

Why did he love Jack? Let him count the ways. Now he chortled, then the chortles turned to chuckles, and finally, he was laughing. And if the laughter had a slight edge of hysteria to it, well, Daniel chalked it up to too many hours on the job and not enough sleep.

He slipped his watch back on, pushed time loops into the same dark corner as Jack's love for Sam, and got back to work.

Major Paul Davis was about to do the one thing he didn't want to do, namely going through the 'Gate. He held his military bearing in spite of the weakness in his knees, and prayed his nervousness didn't show. He glanced over at Daniel, and received exactly what he'd wanted: a grin. It wasn't one of Daniel's better smiles, in fact, it appeared to be a bit on the wan side, but still - it was the grin he'd been counting on. He nodded his head in return, then inwardly winced as General Hammond announced over the loudspeaker, "SG-1, you have a go, and good luck, Major Davis."

Okay, he'd done this before, once, and he could do it again. He gave what he hoped was a jaunty salute, a Colonel O'Neill kind of salute, and followed Daniel up the ramp. Halfway, he realized what a pleasure following Daniel could be. He immediately stomped down on his very unmilitary-like libido and concentrated on the shimmering blue in front of him. His body was about to become so many little atoms and who said they'd all come back in the exact same place and way? No one. Unless you counted Major Carter, and didn't everyone?

Paul went back to looking at the back - side - of Daniel Jackson.

"...and the medical advancements that we'd be able to share with you will aid your children, Ankat. What you call 'munshad,' we call 'measles', and we have vaccines that will prevent your children from contracting them."

"And in... return, you wish to ... what was the word again?" the Ukhat leader asked as he turned to face Daniel.

Leaning into the conversation, Daniel said, "Mine." Then in the language of the Ukhat, he said, "In other words, dig for the mineral our instruments have registered."

Ankat nodded in understanding. "I ... see," he said in his halting English. "And our," he turned to Daniel and said, "sheema?"

"Land," Daniel answered.

"Ah, yes. Land. Our... land... will be... clean?"

Major Davis nodded. "Absolutely. The methods used for this kind of mining will not harm your land, nor your environment."

Ankat looked at each member of SG-1, then back to Davis, then, finally to Daniel. "You are... not the... Yuron?"

"No, Major Davis is. I'm a simple scholar... a tumeron."

"Daniel?" Jack said, clearly asking for a translation.

"The speaker of... heart, is the closest translation for Yuron. The Ukhat believe that every tribe must have this Yuron, one who speaks with wisdom, speaks for all, and speaks only the truth, even when truth is not what the tribe wishes to hear. The Yuron is the reason the Ukhat have no wars. If there are disagreements, be it about land, or goods, or leadership, the Yurons of each Ukhat tribe come together and settle it. Each tribe is honor bound to abide by their decision. All of which you'd know, by the way, if you'd listened to my report in the briefing."

"You're kidding, right?" Jack said, a crooked smile on his face.

"Yes, Jack, I'm kidding."

"So let me get this straight... you just told them that Major Davis is our... is this...."

Jack sputtered to a stop and simply could not say the word. Daniel shrugged and nodded. "He speaks for us, for our government. That makes him the Yuron in their eyes."

Jack managed to stuff his disgust down and out of sight, knowing that the Ukhat didn't need to know about the Pentagon, the senator running rough shod over them, and the NID. Not to mention that it wasn't Davis' fault that he'd been assigned to the negotiations instead of SG-1. Hell, they were lucky to have been allowed to accompany him back to P3-whatever. Ankat's voice ended his sour thoughts.

"Then I believe... we have an... an...."

"An agreement, Ankat," Daniel supplied.

"Yes. An ... agreement."

Davis could barely contain his excitement as he pulled the appropriate documents from his pack and handed them to Daniel, who would make the necessary adjustments in both languages. Daniel quickly explained the paperwork to Ankat, and the two of them moved to a small table behind the circle of pillows they were all seated at. Bodies bent, heads almost touching, the two men conversed as Daniel wrote quickly. When he was done, and all explanations made, Ankat took the offered pen and signed. Davis joined them and added his signature beneath Ankat's.

They had their naquada mine.

Jack huffed a bit as he pulled off his boots. "Are you sure we need to do this, Daniel?"

Daniel peeked around the short, thin stone wall that separated their sleeping quarters and said, "Yes, Jack, I'm sure. It's a very important celebration and they have asked that we dress in the manner they deem appropriate."

"Teal'c doesn't have to wear this get-up," Jack whined.

"They respect his tribal robes, Jack, so stop whining and put it on," Daniel mumbled from the other side of the rock partition.

"I'm a colonel in the United States Air Force, Daniel. I do not whine."

"You do, continually. Now hurry up."

"O'Neill, I believe it would be an insult if you were to show up in your uniform," Teal'c said from behind another partition, this one on Jack's right.

"Et tu, Teal'c?"

"He too, Jack."

"All right, all right, I'm changing. But I am not wearing these... these... bedroom slippers. I'm putting my boots back on, and that's that."

When that announcement was met with silence, Jack said, "I can hear you rolling your eyes, Daniel."

"Good for you, Jack," Daniel said as he came around the wall. He glanced down at the clothes he was wearing and commented, "These are really comfortable. I don't know what the material is, but it's nothing like anything we have at home."

Jack stared.

The 'outfit' that had been given to Daniel was amazingly simple. The pants were nicely formfitting and in the palest blue imaginable. The shirt, a pull-over with a v-neck, was the same color as the pants. The sleeves ended just above the elbow and were cuffed and design-stitched with a white thread. The only 'fancy' part of the outfit was the vest. It was an indigo blue in what appeared to be a rich brocade. Jack felt his mouth go dry.

"Jack...."

Daniel glanced up from his clothing inspection when Jack didn't answer. Puzzled, he asked, "Jack? What's wrong?"

Jack closed his mouth. "Uh, nothing, nothing. You're right, that does look... comfortable. Maybe this won't be so bad after all."

Jack turned away and picked up the shirt that had been laid out on his bed. As he did, he noticed that his outfit was very similar to Daniel's, other than the color. In his case, the pants were a pale gray, the stitching on the shirt sleeves, black. His vest was also black, but definitely not brocade. His was leather, but as he ran his hand over it, he realized that it was the softest, smoothest leather he'd ever felt in his life. And the material for the pants and shirt were incredible. Yeah, he could handle this.

Looking back at the vision in blue, he said with a sniff, "Do you mind? I'd like a little privacy here?"

Daniel rolled his eyes and said, "Can you hear this, Jack?" Walking over to Teal'c, he said, "Come on, let's leave the man to his privacy."

"Proceed without me, DanielJackson. I will remain here and await O'Neill."

"Oh, right. Okay."

Daniel scratched his nose, pushed up his glasses, and finally walked out.

Once in the long drafty hallway, he paused and rested against the wall. Why the hell was he here? He felt his pulse throbbing and absently rubbed at his temple. Felt like another migraine. Damn, he could not afford one now. He turned and, reluctantly, went back inside their quarters.

"Don't mind me, Jack, I just need something out of my pack," he said as he walked by, deliberately averting his eyes. He moved quickly, skirting around the partition and over to his bed. His pack was on the floor and he lifted it, dug around inside, found the small packets of migraine medication, pulled out two and stuffed them into his pants pocket. He took a deep breath, then said, with what he hoped was the right amount of tease in his voice, "You decent? Can I come back out now?"

"A barrel of laughs, our Daniel," Jack said with a look at Teal'c. "I've never been accused of being decent, but I am dressed," he added.

Daniel walked around the partition, and his step faltered at his first look at Jack.

God, did anyone look better in black leather? Doubtful. And the soft pale gray of the shirt and pants, in unison with the vest, softened the character lines that Jack had earned over the years. Daniel figured Jack had never looked so good. He really needed to get out of there - fast. He gave a wave and made his escape. It was a safe bet they wouldn't be on his heels since Jack was still barefoot.

He walked quickly down the cool corridor, marveling at how a tribe so similar to the nomads of his world could have architecture like the ancient Egyptians. Homes and communal buildings were built of sun-baked rocks with corbel arches marking each entrance way. Like the Egyptians, the Ukhats dug into the earth, but unlike the Egyptians, they didn't fill the hole with rocks to create a foundation. Rather, they built up to the landline and slightly above so that you were always walking down into a building and up into the sunlight. Considering the heat of the planet, the architecture was brilliant. The buildings were always cool and it was very like walking out of one of the dog days of August in Colorado Springs and into a cool air-conditioned building.

The communal building that was currently serving as living quarters for SG-1 and Major Davis had been designed for the express purpose of housing guests. It was a large building with eight rooms, each sleeping three, with low walls that divided each sleeping room. In the center of the building was a large communal hall, which was also his current destination, as it was the site of the evening's festivities. As he continued around the building, the door on his left opened and Major Davis stepped out. Seeing Daniel, he grinned and saluted.

"Nice work today, Daniel. Very nice. Senator Kinsey might have thought he was taking the negotiations away from you and SG-1, but I knew better, as did General Hammond."

Coming abreast of the man, Daniel said, "I only helped with translating, Paul, you did the real negotiating. Kinsey may be a jerk, but he was right about putting you in charge."

They'd continued to walk toward the hall, but at Daniel's words, Paul stopped. With a hand on Daniel's arm, he said in his best Jack impersonation, "Tell me you're kidding?"

Daniel shook his head, and puzzled, said, "Why would I-"

Davis didn't let him finish since his question had done a flyby straight over Daniel's head. "Daniel, I did what you told me to do, I said what you told me to say, I-"

"Paul, you were honest, heartfelt, and sincere. The Ukhat knew that. They instinctively knew that you meant only good for them, and for us. It's as simple as that."

"Are you really this... this...."

Paul couldn't go any further. He'd worked with Daniel Jackson before, but this far exceeded any notions he'd had of Daniel's ego, or lack thereof. The man honestly had no idea that the contract with the Ukhats was due entirely to him.

Staring at him, Paul felt a familiar tingling, a feeling he tried, as a major in the Air Force, to keep at bay. He stared at the blue eyes across from him, at how brilliantly they blinked back at him, and without thought, blurted out, "When we get home, perhaps we could meet for dinner?"

He should have regretted the words the moment they hit the air, but the sweetly confused look on Daniel's face brought a smile to his own and he knew that he had every intention of following through on the invitation, given half the chance.

"I... sure," Daniel said some hesitation. "Why not?"

Grinning from ear to ear, Paul said, "Good,"

Smiling, they continued on their way.

The festivities were in full swing, SG-1 and Major Davis the center of attention. As Daniel sat on the comfortable cushions, legs crossed, he watched his teammates enjoying the evening. Even though all the members of SG-1 were seated at the table of honor with Ankat and three other tribal leaders, Daniel had found himself at the opposite end, separated by the Ukhats' leaders. He hadn't been surprised to see Jack take the seat next to Sam, nor to see them lean into each other all evening. What did surprise him was how much it still hurt.

It had been months since the time loop fiasco, months and months of trying to reclaim a little something of what he'd had with Jack, of trying to concentrate on the friendship, and the team. Unfortunately, it had also been some of the most trying periods in SG-1 history. He and Jack had spent much of their time fighting and arguing as they bumped heads and philosophies about everything from how to help the Enkarans to what constitutes a life worth saving, let alone studying. He supposed, to be fair, he'd have to admit that the differences between them had started to interfere with their friendship during their interactions with the Eurondans. Never had they been as far apart as when trying to determine how much to help the people who appeared to be descendants of Earth.

And did anyone need to say 'ice world' or 'Jona' and 'Carlin'? Oh, yeah, he and Jack got along just fine while believing they were someone else. Talk about hate at first sight. Jona had hated Carlin instantly and violently. Even toward the end, as hazy memories had resurfaced, Jona only came to a grudging acceptance of Carlin.

Freudian, anyone?

As he watched Jack and Sam now, both laughing, bodies touching, he had to admit that Sam had never looked lovelier. Her outfit was as simply constructed as his and Jack's, but instead of pants, she wore a long, billowing skirt. The color chosen for her skirt and blouse was a pale yellow, the silk vest, a sunny yellow. Not even on Simarka, wearing the dress the Shavadai had put her in, had she looked as beautiful. Her skin fairly glowed, her eyes never brighter. The Ukhats had chosen the colors well for both Jack and Sam. Glancing down the table, he had to acknowledge that Paul Davis looked pretty good in forest green.

As he let his gaze rest on Jack again, he noticed Shakat, another leader, leaning in to speak with Jack. Uh-oh, this should be good, he thought.

"Colonel, we would hear more of your ways."

Jack turned to his right and smiled. Shakat, the only tribal leader to miss most of the negotiations, was leaning toward him, his gaze alight with curiosity. As he looked at Shakat, he thought about the colors that had been chosen for him and his teammates -- okay, more specifically the colors chosen for Daniel. He knew, thanks to his archaeologist, that color was very important to the Ukhat, their belief being that people were governed by it, that their souls were visible via a primary shade that emanated from each soul.

Since Shakat's English was far more advanced than any of the others, Jack felt fairly confident in getting involved in a discussion with the man. He shifted his body toward the leader and said, "I'd like to learn more of your belief in how a person's soul is seen. How 'bout we trade information?" he offered.

Shakat nodded happily. "I would be most pleased to share our beliefs of the shurosh, or as you call it, the soul. We believe that an individual's soul is evident to us in the curok, or glow that surrounds us all."

"On Earth, we call that an aura," Jack said, glad that Daniel couldn't hear him. His reputation would be ruined, not that Daniel actually believed Jack to be stupid. But still, he had a rep to protect.

"Aura?" Shakat asked. "I like that word. I shall steal it," he added with a grin.

"Be my guest," Jack said as he lifted his goblet and saluted Shakat. After Shakat touched his glass to Jack's and they'd each sipped some of the sweet wine, Jack said, "So what do the colors tell you about a man's soul?"

"Ah, the color of a man's soul tells us everything. His future, his past, all that he is. For example, you, Colonel O'Neill. For you, we chose black, or 'burak' because your soul-"

"Let me guess: dark and full of unspeakable-"

Shakat held up a hand. "No, Colonel, not at all, although there is a darkness in you born of your past. A sadness as well. Oddly enough, burak is a color we seldom use as we have no real understanding of its nature, namely the nature of 'space', as you call it, and flight, or movement through space. None of my people have been through what you call the 'Stargate', nor have we reached our own skies yet. But the moment we met you, Colonel O'Neill, we understood that you are the miracle of flight. Flight beyond the skies of our world, beyond the blue that carries our birds.

"But burak is also a color that is absent of color, and thus has great power to banish negativity. We have witnessed this in your ...I believe you call it... 'humor'. Burak also signifies great wisdom hidden deep. Were we wrong?"

Jack found himself stunned. He managed to shrug noncommittally, but he sensed that he hadn't fooled the Ukhat. Time to move away from himself... quickly.

"So you chose the pale yellow-"

"Yroma is our word for this most wonderful color, and we chose it for your Major Carter because her soul sings of intelligence and is governed by it, while others, when exposed to it, find themselves illuminated by it. There is great stubbornness as well in your Major Carter, and this is never more apparent than in an oddly rigid belief system rooted in her scientific beliefs that can sometimes hamper her. Her soul sings of a complicated knowledge that governs her as well as telegraphing her inner... and outer... beauty."

Jack coughed into his fist and glanced to his left, praying that Sam was too busy talking to have heard Shakat. He was relieved to find her deep into a conversation with Major Davis. He turned back to Shakat. "That's very... interesting, Shakat."

"And true," he responded easily.

Smiling, Jack said quietly, "And true."

Shakat's gaze fixed on Davis as he said, "Your Major Davis was more difficult, his soul not as easily seen or understood. But as the talks progressed, he became clear to us."

"So he's in green, why?"

"There are ribbons of desires that run through his soul, ribbons in direct opposition to each other. He has great ambition, yet is unwilling to conform in order to attain that which he desires. But therein lies the strangeness. He desires to conform, so denies other desires. For us, grekat, or 'green' as you call it, represents prosperity, but also division. Major Davis is a soul divided."

Jack looked past Sam to Davis and bit back a low whistle. Who knew Davis could run so deep or be so conflicted? And yet, he took orders from Kinsey, but was loyal to Hammond and the SGC. Yeah, seemed as though green might fit after all. He turned back to Shakat and asked, "What of Teal'c? If you'd dressed him, what color would he be wearing?"

"Ah, he is simple. A fierce and loyal warrior. His soul would be represented by the curok rudt. Or... I believe you call it... red. It signifies health, strength, physical energy, sex, passion, courage, protection. It is associated with the fiery liquid that flows through our bodies, and thus, life and death, birth, and intense emotions. He is a good man to have by your side, is he not, O'Neill?"

"You nailed another one, Shakat. He is a very good man to have protecting your six."

Shakat raised an eyebrow in puzzlement. "Six?"

"Oh, uhm, backing us up? Protecting us from the rear?"

"Ah. Your... six."

Jack nodded and chuckled. This process of exchanging information and words was a lot more fun than he'd ever imagined. No wonder Daniel loved languages. Another question popped into his head and he asked, "You use many shades, but only two per individual. Why is that?"

Shakat folded his hands over his stomach and leaned back. "Do you not wish to know why we chose the curok that we did for Danal?"

Now that Shakat had come to the one individual Jack was truly interested in, he hid his interest behind a joke. "Oh, that one I have figured out. Blue is your representation for geeks," he said with a wink

Puzzled, Shakat said, "Geeks?"

"Uhm, sorry, inside joke."

"Ah, yes, your ... humor again," Shakat said with a smile. He then waved a hand at the table and the people around it, and asked, "Look at us all, Colonel. Do you see anyone else in baul, or anyone else with another curok other than Danal?"

Frowning, Jack looked ... and found that Daniel was, indeed, the only individual wearing a shade of blue and with a different color, in this case, the white thread, trimming the sleeves. Now his curiosity was definitely piqued.

"All right, why two curoks?"

"Baul represents the one element we can not live without: water. It is our life's blood. It brings us peace and healing, patience and ultimate happiness if we have unlimited access to it, if we listen to it, and if we do not try to change its ultimate course. Water purifies and creates. But it also represents the sky, a world we have yet to conquer or understand. But Danal has opened this world for you and your people, and now, because of his accomplishments, the world is open to us as well."

Shakat let the information sink in, then he unobtrusively pointed at Daniel's shirt. "The lighter shade represents a valued ability to my people; the ability to understand that which is beyond understanding for most. It also represents peace and protection, and more importantly, the power to perceive that which eludes all others."

Jack was dumbfounded. Never had anyone captured so thoroughly the individual that was Daniel Jackson.

"You noticed that with Danal, there is a wiute thread at the edge of his sleeve." At Jack's nod, he said, "This small thread is as important as the entire wardrobe," he said. "Wiute contains all curoks, and therefore can be all things. It can protect, discover, purify and heal. It symbolizes faith, hope, truth and sincerity. It represents the potential of us all. It is written that he who has the wiute soul is our future."

Holy shit.

"Let me get this right... you think that Dana... Daniel, is your future?"

"We do not see things in such a narrow manner. When I say 'our future', I mean... all. We, the Uhkat, have always been able to see beyond our world -- we see beyond tomorrow."

Okay, things had definitely entered the Twilight Zone. Good thing Jack was, if not comfortable in the zone, at least able to move around it, thanks to being a member of the SGC. He looked back at Daniel, and it seemed as though there actually was an indigo blue aura surrounding his friend.

"You see it, do you not?" Shakat asked softly. "You have always seen it, and it has frightened you, still frightens you. That so much should rest on the shoulders of one so troubled, so young. And you worry that such a responsibility will destroy him and you will lose him, Colonel."

Double holy shit. Okay, they'd passed the Twilight Zone and entered the Outer Limits.

Maybe they'd always been there.

"You may indeed lose him, but it is my opinion that the keeping of him, or the losing of him, rests solely within your power, Colonel."

Oh, yeah, Outer Limits.

Daniel's migraine was back. He fumbled in his pocket for the second packet, thanking God he'd thought to bring two. He'd taken the first one upon his arrival in the hall and it had at least helped him make it through the last four hours of food and revelry. He tore the packet open, shook the tiny pill into the palm of his hand and, since he only had wine, he swallowed it dry. If this one got any worse, he'd have to excuse himself.

Thirty minutes later, in the middle of the 'entertainment', his stomach revolted and he managed to get out without anyone taking notice. He doubted that he'd make it to his room, which was a good thing, communal that it was. He hardly needed Jack and Teal'c returning to the wonderful scent of vomit. He scrambled to make it up and out of the building, his head pounding, gagging, and trying his best to hold off until he was outside. He made it.

The little that he'd eaten came up and christened the backside of a rock pile.

Daniel somehow made it back to the room, washed his mouth out, brushed his teeth, then collapsed on the bed, thankful for the cool, quiet darkness. Eyes closed, he worked on some of the techniques Janet had drilled into him when the migraines had started coming back. Fifteen minutes later, the throbbing had subsided enough for him to rise slowly, remove the clothing and slip into his black tee shirt. He crawled under the soft material that served as both a blanket and sheet, settled his head on the pillow, and waited for sleep to claim him.

The celebration seemed to be winding down, and by two in the morning, only a handful of Uhkats were left. Jack, better for the wine he'd imbibed in, needed the strong arm of Teal'c to maneuver his way back to their room. Sam had excused herself earlier, as had Major Davis. Walking back, Jack said, "You're red, Teal'c. Did you know that?"

Looking at his brown hand, Teal'c said, "I believe you are wrong, O'Neill. I am not red."

Jack wagged a finger in his face. "Oh, yes you are. Red is the color the Uhkats would have put you in if you did not have your own... what, royal robes? Red is a very good color for you. The Uhkats have you pegged, my friend."

"And do they have you ... pegged, O'Neill?"

Laughing, Jack said, "Oh, yeah. And no. Shakat rattled on about flight and space and a bunch of other gobbly-gook, but he had you and Carter down pat. Their spin on Davis was interesting, but he blew me out of the water with Daniel. Speaking of which, where is our errant archaeologist?"

"I believe he excused himself a bit before Major Carter."

"They're wusses, both of them."

Teal'c pushed at the door to their room and helped Jack inside. He sat his friend on his bed, lit several candles, then walked O'Neill over to his own bed, sat him down, and began the process of removing his clothing.

"Teal'c, what the hell are you doing?"

"It is altogether possible that you are unable to properly undress yourself."

"Pish tosh. I'm perfectly capable of... besides, I need you to check on Daniel. Is he over there?"

"He is. I can hear his breathing. He is asleep."

"Cheater, skipping out early like that."

"He worked very hard in the days leading up to our mission," Teal'c said as he pulled Jack's boots off.

"Yeah, yeah, he did. All that work, only to have the mission turned over to Davis."

"I do not believe that bothered DanielJackson."

"It wouldn't. But it bothered me. Kinsey is an ass and now that he's in charge of the NID, thanks to his chairing the Intelligence Oversight Committee... and is that not the best possible name? A committee of people for whom intelligence is an oversight. Yep, works for me."

Teal'c pulled off Jack's pants, then pushed him back until he was lying flat on the bed. He pulled up the covers and walked around the partition to his bed, Jack's words following him.

"Yep, the perfect name. And there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that Kinsey is perfect for the committee. Just perfect."

As Teal'c changed, O'Neill kept up a steady stream of comments, but Teal'c was gratified to notice that the words were growing softer... with longer pauses in between. By the time he was ready for bed, the only sound was Jack's heavy breathing. Teal'c walked around the partition, past the sleeping man, and around the final partition to where DanielJackson slept.

The blanket was on the floor and Teal'c immediately picked it up. His friend was on his stomach, one arm dangling over the edge of the bed, his legs askew, his face buried in the pillow. Teal'c draped the covering over his friend, then rested the back of his hand against one pale cheek. Cool. That was good. He'd been worried that perhaps DanielJackson was becoming ill. He returned to his section, sat down, crossed his legs, and began the process of moving into kel-no-reem.

"Excellent job, everyone."

General Hammond rose and closed his folder, declaring by his actions, that the de-briefing was over. He started toward his office, then as if remembering something, turned back and said, "Doctor Jackson, Doctor Frasier mentioned that she'd like to see you again when we were finished here."

Surprised, Daniel looked up and said, "Me, sir?"

"Yes, Doctor, you. Don't get me into trouble with her, understand?"

"Er, no sir, I won't sir."

As soon as Hammond entered his office, Jack prodded Daniel on the back and said, "You been holding out on us, Daniel? You and Mama Frankenstein got a thing for needles?"

"Ha-ha, Jack. Very funny. Now I know why I need to see Janet again... it's because you keep me in stitches with your sharp wit."

"Sir, I do believe you've been one-upped," Sam quipped.

"Me? Never. Why, I can one-up Daniel with my eyes closed-"

"And you haven't... yet... exactly why?" Daniel asked with a smirk.

Jack waved a hand dismissively and said, "Not worth my time." With a smirk, he left, Sam trailing behind him.

Daniel thought that was par for the course.

He gathered up his notes and books, pushed back his chair, and was about to head down to the Infirmary when a voice behind him said, "I will accompany you, DanielJackson."

Damn, he'd almost forgotten Teal'c was still in the room. He shook his head and smiled. "No need, Teal'c. She's been trying some new medication on me and probably just wants to see how I'm doing. Can we say, 'boring'?"

"Boring."

Daniel squinted at his friend, caught the gleam of humor in the dark depths of Teal'c's eyes, and grinned in return. "You're getting damn good at this humor thing, Teal'c."

"I have observed the master for many years now."

Chuckling, Daniel nodded. "Yeah, Jack's the master, all right."

They started out and, once in the corridor, Daniel reiterated the fact that Teal'c didn't need to follow him to the Infirmary.

Bowing his head, Teal'c said, "Very well. I shall see you later."

Daniel gave him a slight wave and turned to his left as Teal'c went right. Daniel really had no desire to see Janet, but he knew better than to disregard an order from her, let alone a more gentle 'order' from Hammond.

"How many in the last ten days?"

Daniel pinched the bridge of his nose and debated telling a small white lie.

"Daniel, the truth," Janet ordered.

Damn.

"I don't know, maybe... three?"

The look she gave him clearly said she was less than thrilled with his answer.

"How many on the latest mission?"

"Uhm... really only one."

Oh, good, that really sounded convincing... not.

Janet crossed her arms over her chest and said, "Care to explain, Daniel?"

"Oh, well, you know... the same one, it receded, then came back, then... you know...."

"Daniel, what am I going to do with you?" Janet asked, clearly exasperated.

Daniel shrugged sheepishly.

"Why do you suppose you're suddenly experiencing migraines again? What's changed?"

With another shrug, Daniel said, "I don't know. But that last set of pills worked pretty well."

"You're sure?"

He nodded in a way that he hoped looked reassuring.

"That's something, then. All right, this is what I want you to do for the next thirty days-"

Daniel groaned inwardly and listened as Janet insisted that he document any further migraines, what he was doing when they hit, what time of day, and where he was. He nodded and jumped off the bed. "Can I go now, mom?" he said with a grin.

"Get out of here," she said with a laugh.

He got out.

He almost had it....

And lost it as his office phone rang.

Throwing his pencil down, he walked over to the wall and picked up the receiver.

"Jackson."

//Daniel, it's me, Paul. I was hoping we could have that dinner... maybe tonight?//

Daniel leaned into the wall. He'd forgotten all about Paul. Even though he'd started out in the debriefing with SG-1, Paul had quickly been summoned away for a conference call with his boss, Senator Kinsey, who evidently hadn't been able to wait for General Hammond's report.

//Daniel? Are you there?//

"Oh, yeah, I'm here."

//So... dinner?//

One phrase kept playing in his head... 'why not?' so he said it.

"Why not?"

//Great. I'll come down there around six, and we can head out?//

"Sure. You up for Italian?"

//If you're thinking of Caesar's, I most definitely could go Italian.//

"Caesar's it is. See you in a few hours."

Hanging up, Daniel wondered what had possessed him to say yes. Besides... loneliness.

Daniel followed Paul down the mountain, still shocked that they were doing this. That he was doing this. By the time Paul had shown up in his office, Daniel had convinced himself that all Paul was looking for was a friend. One look at his face, however, told a different story. The man's eyes glittered as he'd checked Daniel out, clearly glad to see him dressed in civvies. Now, as he followed Paul, he had to admit that this was a 'date'.

He wasn't overly surprised about the date being with Paul, as he'd sensed a kindred spirit. His only surprise was that Paul had asked him out.

Daniel sipped his wine and looked around the restaurant. Paul had just excused himself following their dinner plates being removed by their waiter and Daniel was enjoying a few moments of silence. They'd been talking non-stop, albeit enjoyable talk, but it was equally nice to experience silence. The wine was good and had been an excellent compliment to their shared family-style meal of Caesar's famous cioppino, but he was looking forward to the rich coffee that would accompany their dessert of cannoli.

"Miss me?" Paul asked as his hand brushed Daniel's shoulder and he retook his seat.

Eyes sparkling, Daniel said, "No."

Clutching his heart, Paul said, "I'm mortally wounded."

"Not," Daniel responded with a grin.

Paul leaned forward, the candlelight reflecting an undeniable heat in his eyes as he said, "Yes...."

Daniel entered the SGC whistling and immediately stopped as he realized how silly he probably sounded. He replaced the whistling with a silly grin instead.

It had been weeks since his dinner with Paul -- and what had followed -- and while his problems at the SGC hadn't abated, nor had his conflicts with Jack, they'd all taken a back seat to the joys of sex with Paul. They met as often, and as discreetly, as possible and the sex was... terrific. Of course, some would say that any sex for Daniel at this point would have been terrific, it had been so long, not to mention even longer since he'd been with another man.

And that's what felt so good - sex with another man. Hot, sweaty sex; a man's dick in his mouth; his in a hot, tight ass; the feel of rippling muscles; the strength that came from having sex with a man. If Paul wasn't the right man, he was a man who held Daniel when he needed it, who looked at him with respect, and whose softly whispered words in the middle of the night soothed him back to sleep. Paul was surprisingly funny in bed and it was like a return to his youth, to his first experience with a man, to the wrestling, the fun, gymnastics, and playfulness.

Jack's barbs, when he actually saw the man, now bounced off Daniel, and if it seemed that SG-1 consisted of Jack, Sam, and Teal'c, well, when Daniel left the mountain on many a day, it was to meet Paul, to see the light come on in his eyes at his first glimpse of Daniel, and to feel his cool lips on his. And no, he didn't feel guilty about being with one man when his heart wanted another. He could never have Jack, which meant that he needed to move on, and Paul was everything he needed to move to.

Daniel was happy, as happy as it was possible to be under the circumstances, and for that, he was grateful.

Daniel looked at his watch, then at the restaurant door. Paul was only fifteen minutes late, but for an Air Force major, that was tantamount to days late. Something must have come up - but no, Paul would have called. They'd been back from Russia for days, and this was their first chance to meet up since returning. Daniel smiled at the memory of Teal'c walking through the 'Gate, completely unaware of all that had led up to his resurrection.

Grinning, Daniel glanced up and spotted Paul as he entered. He watched him shake off the hostess' attempt to take his long coat, and Daniel's heart fell. Something had come up, and Paul would not be staying.

He watched as Paul looked for him, spotted him, and started to make his way over to their table. As he came up to his chair, he said with a half-smile, "Hey, Daniel, sorry I'm late."

"That's okay. I take it something's come up?"

Paul glanced around the room, and noting that the table was in one of the darker corners, nodded in satisfaction, pulled out his chair and sat down.

"Not exactly," he finally answered, his eyes darting around the room again.

Something was definitely wrong, Daniel thought. He held up the bottle of wine he'd ordered and asked, "Shall I pour you a glass?"

Paul's gaze came back to the table and he said, "What? Wine? Oh, no, thank you. I... I can't... I'm not staying, Daniel."

The last part of Paul's sentence was said with a degree of finality that put Daniel on edge.

"I... I can't do this anymore, Daniel. I'm sorry. I thought... I thought I could," his eyes raked over the room again, "I thought... but I was wrong. This just isn't worth it to me and I need to think of my career. You know how important it is to me, and you know how the military feels about," he wiggled his finger between the two of them, "this, us, about... well, you know what I'm trying to say." He squared his shoulders and added, "This just isn't worth my career."

Daniel would have loved to say that he'd been expecting this conversation, but truth be told, he hadn't. He should have been, because it wasn't new to him. But once again, he'd been caught by surprise by a rejection, a choice that wasn't him.

Damn, when was he going to learn?

"Hey, I understand, Paul. No sweat. It was great while it lasted, and no, I can't believe I just said that. Trite, eh?"

Paul shook his head, pushed back his chair, and stood up. "I'm sorry, Daniel. Please, have dinner on me, okay?"

He tossed down two twenties and Daniel thought, 'How tasteless,' even as he shook his head. "No, I won't stay either."

"Please, I'd feel better...."

So that was Daniel's job now? To make Paul feel better about Daniel not being worth Paul's career? Sorry to disappoint. He got up quickly. "No, I have some work to do anyway, so I'll be heading back to the Mountain."

"Order to go, then?" Paul said, the pleading evident in his voice and eyes.

Daniel waved off the offer and watched with a perverse satisfaction as Paul picked up the money. Who knew he could be so petty?

"Well, then, I guess this is-"

"It's not good-bye, Paul. We'll see each other at the SGC, work with each other. And don't worry, we're okay, the friendship is intact."

That was evidently what Paul needed to hear. He expelled a long breath, and nodded.

Guess he wasn't so petty after all.

Daniel watched Paul head toward the base, and the plane that would take him back to Washington. He turned his car toward the nearest liquor store. Once in front of the Booze Brothers, he parked, ran inside, got a bottle of scotch, Jack's favorite, paid for it, then got back into his car and headed home. He supposed he could have headed back to the SGC, but he'd have felt too guilty drinking on government property.

Once inside the quiet of his apartment, he opened the bottle, poured what he assumed was a good shot, and downed it in one. As the liquid hit the back of his throat, he started coughing and sputtering, but he let it go down, and a moment later, poured another one.

He thought back to Sarah, now Osiris, and their parting so many years ago....

//"It's not worth it, Daniel, it's just not worth it. I'm asking you not to go."

"Well, maybe I think it is. I believe in what I'm doing, Sarah. I know I can convince them. And it's only one lecture."

She climbed out of their bed and walked over to where he stood by the window. Placing a hand on his arm, she said, "There's no other way of saying this, Daniel, but straight out...you're the laughing stock of our profession and, by association, so am I. My God, Daniel, you've lost your apartment and if that isn't enough, Doctor Jordan has given you an ultimatum. Surely you can see that this trip isn't worth losing everything you have? Your theories just aren't worth it."

"Thanks for your support," he said, knowing his sarcasm wouldn't be lost on her.

"I've tried the supportive bit and now I'm saying I can't take it anymore. It's just not worth it, Daniel. My God, you're the most intelligent man I've ever known. How can you persist in your theory? You're throwing everything away. You're throwing us away."

He turned toward her. "This is what archaeology is all about, Sarah. It's suppositions, investigations, and finally, the attempts to prove our theories. How can you not see that? Or are you really saying that every time there's a bump in the road, we're not going to be worth it? Is that it, Sarah?"

"I'm saying that this particular bump is too much. Everyone thinks you're crazy, Daniel, even Doctor Jordan, and you know how he feels about you. If you keep this up, if you persist in expounding on these ridiculous theories of yours, you're going to lose any respect you've earned so far."

"You're asking me to be something that I'm not, Sarah."

"Then you're not the man I thought you were-"

"Meaning that I'm not worth the fuss, right?"

"That's not what I was going to say, but now that it's out there... damn you, Daniel Jackson. Damn you. You could be so much, you could be the one of the greatest archaeologists of our time. Why do you want to give all that up?"

"Evidently we don't see archaeology in exactly the same way."

Turning away, she pulled on her robe and started toward the bathroom. "Evidently not, Daniel."//

So ended the fiery relationship. Of course, Sarah hadn't been the first to find Daniel 'not worth it'. There'd been a foster household or two, near the beginning, who'd found his nightmares, his silence, and his funny habit of hiding in the closet 'not worth the trouble'. And Paul Davis wasn't the first man to find an affair with Daniel to be 'not worth it'. Hell, Paul hadn't even been the second.

Daniel walked out onto his balcony, bottle and drink in hand, and sat down. He stayed there through the rest of the night.

The weeks and months crawled by as Daniel did what Daniel did best: work. He threw himself into translations, off-world missions with other teams, and eighteen hour days. SG-1 seemed to exist as a threesome, and no one seemed to mind. Except Daniel. Then SG-3 brought back several stone tablets from an abandoned city on P3X-302, tablets that were given to Daniel.

Three days after receiving the tablets, and while hard at work on the translations, he was ordered to report to the briefing room. Tossing his pen aside, he gathered up what he'd been able to put together, and headed upstairs. He was exhausted, but in an energetic, frenetic kind of way. He knew he was close, knew the tablets were important, and he hated this interruption.

Walking into the briefing room, he made a beeline for the coffee. He refilled his cup and took a seat, surprised that he was the first one to arrive. He enjoyed the quiet as he sipped the hot brew, wondering if the tablets were the reason for the meeting. He glanced over at the general's office, surprised that it was dark. So where was everyone?

A moment later, he received part of an answer as Jack, Sam, and Teal'c entered the room.

"Wow, red letter day, guys, Doctor Jackson got here before us," Jack said as he moved to the coffee and poured his own cup.

Teal'c and Sam sat down, both waving off Jack's invitation to join him in a cup. General Hammond came in next, and to Daniel's surprise, Jacob Carter was right on his heels. Jack took the chair to the right of Sam and Teal'c moved over one so that Jacob could sit next to his daughter. Hammond took his usual spot.

"Jacob, you requested this meeting," General Hammond said. "so maybe you'd like to get it started?"

"Thank you, George. I'm afraid the news isn't good-"

"Is it ever?" Jack asked. "Why don't you just cut to the chase and tell us what Earth has to do, and how the Tok'ra will fail to live up to their end of the bargain."

"Colonel O'Neill," Hammond warned.

Looking around the room, Jack said, "Am I wrong?"

"Oddly enough," Jacob said with a wry smile, "I'm here to share information. That's it, just share. But I warn you," he added, "you won't like it."

"Never do, Jacob, never do."

Ignoring the jab, Jacob said, "We've been aware of something happening within the ranks of the system lords for some time. In spite of our recent losses, we'd managed to get a spy within Yu's camp and as a result, we've discovered that the system lords have been under attack from an unknown nemesis. Three major Goa'uld have already fallen and the situation has become so dire, they actually held a top secret meeting in an attempt to identify this new enemy. The answer came from an unexpected source." Jacob glanced over at Daniel and added, "I'm afraid the information came from ... Osiris, Daniel. He attended the meeting as an emissary of a goa'uld believed long dead."

Daniel bent his head and found his pen suddenly fascinating, the memory of losing Sarah in Egypt too fresh.

"Do we have a name for this new guy?" Jack, ever practical, asked.

"Anubis," Jacob said simply.

Daniel knew without looking up that everyone had turned their attention to him as they waited for the information about Anubis that they knew he'd provide. Eyes still fastened on his pen, he said, "Supposed son of Set, although many feel Ra was his father. He was known as the god of the dead, was represented by the dark head of a jackal, and, oddly enough, was superceded by Osiris and relegated to a supporting role in guiding the dead to their final resting place. It must be quite galling for Osiris to be subservient to Anubis now. And the fact that she... he... is, doesn't bode well. Anubis must be extremely powerful."

"That's exactly what we've come to discover, Daniel," Jacob agreed. "So powerful that he's managed to bring on board one other strong Gou'ald, Zipacna. And prior to joining Anubis, Osiris had put together a pretty formidable army as well. An army that, like Zipacna's, now belongs to Anubis.

"Okay, so we have another Gou'ald to worry about, got it," Jack said. "But why do I think you're holding that second shoe in the air, ready to drop it on our heads?"

"Because I'm about to drop it?" Jacob answered with a half-smile.

"Dad, please?"

"Right. Evidently Anubis has collected five jewels. Alone, they're nothing, but when added to a sixth one-"

Daniel's head shot up and he said, "Eyes? As in the Eye of Horus, Eye of Apophis, Eye of-"

"We get it, Daniel, we get it," Jack interjected. "So there are six of them," he waved his hand in a 'gimme' gesture and said, "Let's get to the money page here, guys."

"Jack, you don't understand. The tablets SG-3 brought back," he held up his folder, "mention these Eyes. With some more time, I think I can find-"

"He's already found the last one, Daniel," Jacob announced quietly. "Now that he has all six, he's been able to create a weapon of horrific proportions. And he's already used it. He destroyed an entire planet, Baal's home world. Baal escaped, but lost the majority of his forces."

"Shit," Jack breathed out.

"That seems appropriate, Jack," Jacob said as he looked around the table.

"Uhm, what I'd been about to say was that the tablets seem to be about something that protects against what it calls, 'The Eye of Ra'."

Once again he was the center of attention. He shrugged. "With more time, I should be able to figure it out. "

"Time may be a commodity none of us have, Daniel," Jacob said softly. "Anubis is moving against the other system lords, but how long will it be before he moves against the Tok'ra? And Earth?"

"Hey, Daniel can do this," Jack said in a firm, 'take that, Jacob' voice. Then he looked at Daniel and asked, "Right, Daniel? You can do this?"

Looking a great deal like the Sphinx, Daniel just blinked back at him.

The meeting was adjourned with the understanding that Daniel would keep the general up to date with his translations, and that the SGC would contact Jacob if the news was good.

Daniel walked back to his office, his thoughts in turmoil. His head was pounding, accompanied by small jagged zips of light behind his eyes. Migraine... again. But Janet's medicine had been working pretty well, so he hurried his step. He had a lot of work ahead of him, and he wasn't going to let a migraine stop him.

Back in the quiet confines of his lab, he got one of the packets, tore it open, downed the pill with a swallow of cold coffee, and got back down to work.

"Daniel, tell me you're still not working on those tablets."

"I'm not working on those tablets," Daniel said without looking up.

"Yes, you are."

"Yes, I am."

"I thought I told you not to tell me that," Jack said as he approached Daniel's worktable.

"One of us lied."

"That didn't make any sense. And you look like death, Daniel."

"Then I don't have to worry about Anubis, do I?"

Jack took the pen out of Daniel's hand and said, "Come on, I'm taking you out of here. You need fresh air, good food, and some laughs, provided by yours truly. Get your jacket and let's go."

"Number one, I'm close here. Number two, since when do you... look, I repeat, I'm close to a breakthrough here, so give me some peace, okay?"

"So you really think the answer is in those tablets?"

"Yes, I do, and as Jacob said, time isn't on our side right now."

"Actually, he said time wasn't a commodity we have-"

"What, you remember what he says, but not me?"

"I remember everything you say, I just kind of relegate it to this area in my brain called the 'Daniel Corner', that's all."

"Huh-uh." He made a shooing motion with his hand and added, "Go. Bother Sam."

"I tried, she wasn't in her lab."

Daniel looked away, closed his eyes a moment, then said, "That leaves Teal'c, but let me guess, you went there after Sam and he was-"

"In the weight room, and you know how he gets when he's doing his exercises."

"Right."

"So... you sure you don't want to go-"

"I want you to go," Daniel said, his voice more harsh than he'd intended.

"Hey," Jack said, raising both hands in surrender. "I know when I'm not wanted. I'm outta here."

"Good, and close the door after you ... please."

"Closing doors I can do."

And Jack did. Loudly.

Daniel winced, rubbed his temples, then went back to work.

Daniel sat back and took off his glasses. He stared down at his notes, his scribbles blurring on the yellow paper. He almost had it. Actually, he had the important part, but the exact location was still eluding him. So much of translating something like this was knowing the people who'd done the writing. The people and their culture. Daniel just wasn't sure he knew enough about the Ancients yet. There was so much room for misinterpretation, and that worried him. He couldn't afford to make a mistake... not on this.

The phone on his wall buzzed and he got up and walked slowly over. He suspected it was Jack, calling to bug him since Daniel had kept his door closed for the last two days.

"Jackson."

//Doctor, General Hammond has called a special meeting for fourteen hundred hours. He asks that you bring all that you have on your current work.//

"Oh, okay... I'll be there."

//Thank you, sir.//

Daniel hung up and rested his back against the wall. What was up that the general would call a meeting so soon? He glanced at his watch and groaned. It was already one-thirty, which meant the meeting was very last minute, and he had little to no time to get his notes into some semblance of order. He hurried back to his desk.

"Doctor Jackson, I believe you know Doctor Kurt Jamison?" General Hammond asked.

Daniel had arrived on time for the meeting, and had been surprised to find only Hammond and two others present. He'd immediately recognized Jamison and had inwardly cringed.

"Doctor Jamison," he said as he nodded at the man.

"And this is Colonel Myron of the NID. He's replaced the late Colonel Simmons."

Not sure where this was going, Daniel simply nodded at the man and said, "I ... see."

"Doctor, I need you to provide a copy of all your notes on the tablets to Doctor Jamison. The NID thinks things will go faster if two of you are working on the translations. I assume you have copies with you?"

"Sir--"

Daniel started to object but Myron leaned forward and said, "Doctor Jamison is up on the language, Doctor Jackson. He's been studying your reports and findings for six years."

"Doctor, if you would?" Hammond asked gently.

One look at Hammond told Daniel this wasn't his doing, nor his choice, which meant that Daniel had no choice. He took out the copy he'd made for Hammond and slid it across the table to Jamison.

"Thank you, Doctor Jackson," Myron said stiffly. He then turned slightly in his seat and addressed Jamison. "Twenty four hours, Kurt?"

Jamison thumbed through the pages, then nodded slowly. "I think that's all I'll need, Ben."

"Fine. General? Another meeting at sixteen hundred hours tomorrow?"

"Fine. I'll inform Colonel O'Neill."

"Very good."

Jamison and Myron rose and quickly exited the room, leaving Hammond and Daniel alone.

"I'm sorry, son. The word came down from the President. I had no choice."

Closing his folder, Daniel rose. "I understand, sir."

Daniel hurried out, afraid the general would see more than he wanted anyone to see.

Walking back to his office, Daniel had the feeling that the final nail had just been hammered in his coffin - a coffin he hadn't even known was being built.

"I am certain that your work will far surpass Doctor Jamison's, DanielJackson," Teal'c said from where he stood on the other side of Daniel's worktable.

Daniel should have known it would get out.

"Thanks, Teal'c. I appreciate the... support."

"O'Neill says this is the work of Senator Kinsey. If he can-"

"Teal'c, it's okay." He glanced up from the book he was studying and smiled slightly.

"Then I shall leave you in peace, DanielJackson. But if you require my assistance-"

"Thank you, Teal'c. I'll yell."

Teal'c nodded solemnly, then left Daniel alone. He went back to work.

Daniel hurried down the corridor knowing he was late for the briefing, and knowing that the others would be waiting impatiently this time. As he turned the corner, he smacked into Paul and his papers went flying.

"Damn," he muttered as they both bent down to pick everything up.

"Sorry, Daniel. I'm late... well, I guess we both are-"

"No problem," he said as he scraped the last of the papers together and held out his arms so that Paul could dump what he'd collected into them, which he did.

As they both rose to their feet, Paul's hand brushed Daniel's and Daniel pulled quickly away.

"Daniel... I'm so sorry-"

"Never mind, Paul."

"But... look isn't there some way we... I'd like to... maybe we could-"

"Paul, it's okay."

Daniel looked around them both, and thanking God they were alone, said, "We have a meeting to attend and we're both late, okay? And I don't think it would be good idea if we got together for anything, all right?"

Paul ducked his head and rubbed at the back of his neck. "I feel like a total shit, here, Daniel. And not just for how ... things... ended between us. I'm sorry about this whole Jamison thing too."

"Paul, it's over because that's how you wanted it and as for Jamison, hey, no biggie, okay? Now, no one is going to say anything to you about being late, but Jack will hound me to death and never let me live it down, so do you mind?"

He made a motion with his hand, indicating that Paul needed to get out of his way which he did, and Daniel moved on, Paul quickly following. Neither of them saw Sam, who stepped around the corner, a frown on her face.

Paul and... Daniel?

"Sir, sorry I'm late, but-"

"Understood, Doctor Jackson. It seems you're not the only tardy one. But I see that you've brought Major Davis with you... and here comes Major Carter."

No one missed the sarcasm that edged his tone. As the late arrivals went to their seats, Hammond said, "Doctor Jackson, can you let us know what you found?"

Dropping his books and notes onto the table, he tried to catch his breath, but before he could speak, another voice said, "I'm sure Doctor Jackson has found the same thing I have, so why don't I go ahead and give him the chance to collect himself?"

"Doctor Jamison, that's a good idea. Proceed," Colonel Myron answered, then with a glance at General Hammond, he added, "If that's all right with you, sir?"

Hammond looked over at Daniel, then gave Myron a curt nod.

Daniel sat down, felt his heart constrict, and wondered if anyone else would find it ironic that one of the scientists who'd laughed him out of academia, was now sitting across from him, and about to do a report on tablets found on another planet, thanks to his notes?

"So as you can see, I believe that we'll find this device on Abydos."

Kurt Jamison sat down, a slight smile on his face.

Jack looked at the man, then at Colonel Myron. Obviously both were in Kinsey's back pocket - must be a bit crowded back there. All of which was to say that Jack was immediately suspicious.

"Well, Abydos certainly makes this easier. Doctor Jackson, do you agree?"

Daniel glanced up and met the general's steady gaze. He looked over at Jamison, who smiled. Several things popped into his head to say, but what came out was, "It's been a while since we saw each other last, hasn't it, Kurt?"

The smile faded.

"When was it again? Oh, wait, I remember. My little speech about how the pyramids were built long before it was traditionally believed, right?"

"Apparently... you were correct, Doctor Jackson."

"Apparently." Daniel turned back to Hammond. "And no, sir, as it happens, I don't believe we'll find the device on Abydos. In my opinion, that's the last place the Ancients would have hidden such a device. From what I was able to decipher, the device was hidden in what the Ancients called, The Lost City, and I believe-"

"There are many who believe that the Abydos of Ancient Egypt is, in fact, the Lost City of Ani, Doctor Jackson," Jamison interrupted, one dark brow rising.

"Those 'people' are wrong," Daniel countered.

"I see you haven't changed in all these years, Doctor. Surely you can grant the possibility that the ruins at your Abydos represent the Lost City of Ani, and thus possibly the location of this device?"

"No, I can't. And you never understood that language is more than words, that translations are about people and cultures, and that having an intimate knowledge of them is required in order to correctly understand what they were trying to say. You jumped to an erroneous conclusion based on-"

"Doctor Jackson, you've been out of the loop for quite some time. The belief that our Abydos is the Lost City of Ani has grown. It's no longer the opinion of some, but the belief of many. And if our Abydos is the Lost City of Ani, then it makes very good sense that your Abydos is the Lost City mentioned in the tablets. I find it difficult to believe that if that Abydos was the Abydos, Osiris wouldn't know every inch of it."

Jack made a motion as if to dislodge water from his ear, then said, "You know, even for me, that made no sense whatsoever. Did anyone understand what Doctor Jamison just said?"

"It doesn't really matter, Colonel O'Neill," Myron said, "because the President has authorized a mission to Abydos to find the device needed to protect this planet from Anubis. You will lead it, and Doctor Jamison will accompany you."

"General Hammond, tell me-"

"You're set to depart at o-eight hundred tomorrow, Colonel," Hammond interrupted.

"Sir-"

"That's all."

"But sir-"

Daniel watched the interplay between Jack and Hammond, knew that Jack had been about to suggest another team be assigned to Daniel in order to follow through with his ideas, but he knew that the President wouldn't allow Hammond that choice. Money talked, and authorizing another team for Daniel when Jamison had convinced the President that he was right would be an unnecessary expense and one without justification.

His conclusions were proven when Hammond interrupted Jack.

"Colonel, I said that's all. You have your orders."

Daniel looked at his watch. Damn, he was behind, thanks to another headache. He pulled another book forward, opened it, and was about to delve back into the mysteries of the tablets when his door opened and Sam entered. She stopped just over the threshold, knocked on the now open door, and said tentatively, "Daniel?"

"Hey, Sam."

She walked in and over to the spare chair, and at his nod, sat down "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

She picked up a paperweight and started fiddling with it, her action so like Jack that it almost made Daniel laugh. She played with it for a moment, then put it down and said, "I saw you and Major Davis... earlier."

Daniel felt his heart plummet. He swallowed and said, "Oh?"

"I...I mean...."

She'd been staring at the rock, but now looked up and met his gaze. "I guess you two were-"

"What happened to 'Don't ask, don't tell', Sam?"

She blushed and picked up the rock again. Twirling it in her fingers, she said, "I can... delve... without mentioning names, you know. So... what happened?"

Daniel had been prepared to talk about a good many things with Sam, but this hadn't even been a glimmer on the horizon. He stared at the ceiling for a moment, then shrugged and said, "I wasn't worth the risk, okay?"

Blue eyes stared into his and Sam blushed again. "Oh. God, I'm so sorry, Daniel, so very sorry."

"You seem to be taking the idea of me with a-"

She waved her hand quickly and said, "I'm not blind... and besides-"

"Robert told you."

She grinned self-consciously and blushed for the third time. "Yes."

"Was that all, Sam, because I have a lot of work to do."

"Oh. Well... I was just wondering... I mean... I...."

"Spit it out, Sam."

She sighed heavily and said, "I... is it possible Doctor Jamison is right? I mean, I read some things on the net, and evidently-"

"He's not right."

"Oh? But couldn't... he could be, right?"

"Does it matter? You're going and you'll all know soon enough."

"His arguments, his notes... were... seemed... pretty sound. Pretty, you know, black and white."

"Well, there you go then. Black and white - says it all."

"Please, Daniel," she begged, "please understand. We have no choice, and if he's right, and he could be, then we're doing the correct thing here."

"Fine."

She stood up and shook her head. "You're not going to give an inch on this, are you? Is it at all possible that you're allowing your feelings about Jamison to color any valid points he might have?"

Daniel looked up at her and tilted his head. "Is that what you think?"

"I think it's possible, yes. From what he said, you two have never agreed on anything and-"

"Maybe you'd better go, Sam. As I said, I've got a lot of work to do, as I'm sure you do, so...."

He let his voice trail off and was relieved to see her nod.

"Right. Okay, so... see you tomorrow then. Bright and early."

Daniel said nothing and Sam started to edge her way to the door.

"Daniel, I'm ... if things don't go well, I'm sure that General Hammond will authorize-"

"Good-bye, Sam."

Ducking her head a bit, Sam nodded and walked out.

My, that went well. Not.

He looked down at his work and shook his head. No way would anyone believe him if he told them that he believed the device had been secreted right here ... on Earth.

He went back to work.

Five hours later, his theory was confirmed. He checked his watch, did some quick time-zone computing, and decided now would be a good time for a few phone calls.

"Doctor Jackson, if you're here to try to talk me-"

"I'm not. I know you have no choice, sir, and I know that you wouldn't get the authorization for a second exploratory team. The reason I'm here is to request a leave of absence."

Daniel stood in front of Hammond's desk, the appropriate form in his hand. He held it out to the general, who, with some hesitation, took it.

"Son...."

"And I'd like to be excused from the mission tomorrow. I don't think that will be a problem, I haven't actually been on a mission with SG-1 for some time, and I'm pretty certain Jamison won't want me-"

"Hold on, son, hold on."

"Sir, I'm tired. I need the time. It's been a rough several months, and Janet can tell you about the-"

"Migraines? Yes, I know, she's already informed me."

"Then you understand that some time away can only do me good, sir."

Hammond sat back and regarded Daniel, a worried expression on his face. "Are you sure, Daniel?"

Surprised at the use of his first name, Daniel found himself temporarily at a loss for words. He did manage a nod.

"Have you told Colonel O'Neill?"

"No, sir, but I don't think he'll mind. Like I said, it's been awhile since I was actually a part of SG-1."

Hammond stood, placed both hands flat on his desk, and leaned forward. "What if the device isn't found on Abydos? We'll need you then, Daniel."

"I'll stay in contact, but I've left a copy of my notes with Nyan, so should anything come up...."

He let his voice trail off and waited. Hammond closed his eyes briefly, then opened them and asked, "How long?"

"I'm not ... sure, sir."

Hammond sat back down again, his body language that of a man who'd lost a war. "Take as long as you need, son. As long as you need. But, I expect you back."

Daniel ducked his head and said, "Thank you, sir."

Back in his office, he stood for a moment and gathered his thoughts. He'd need... and....

Excitement warred with sorrow but the archaeologist won out. He quickly packed his notes and the few reference books he'd need, then turned off the lights and shut the door.

Daniel wasn't altogether certain he'd ever be back.

His flight was leaving out of Denver the next afternoon, so it only made sense to head out tonight, especially if he wanted to avoid contact with anyone... like Jack. It took him two hours to pack, check his passport and credentials, and ensure that his fish would be taken care of. He'd change his money at the airport.

Bags on the floor in the foyer, Daniel glanced back at his home... then hoisted his luggage up, opened the door, and ... snapped off the lights. He closed the door and headed toward the elevator.

In his car, he took a few moments to control his breathing, then started the engine and headed for I-25. He made one stop; for coffee.

It took him a little over an hour to reach Denver. He'd decided on staying at the Hilton Gardens Inn so he got off at Pena and drove until he could see the white spires of the hotel. Even in the dark, the view brought a smile to his face. The Hilton reminded him of the pyramids... had they been huge white tents. He pulled into the parking lot, and a few minutes later was walking into the lobby. Ten minutes after that, he was in his room.

He walked over to the windows and pulled open the drapes. No balcony. Just as well. He took his shaving kit out of his bag and put it in the bathroom, then got his folder out of his briefcase, along with his laptop, and put both on the desk. He checked the room service menu, picked up the phone... and called down to the bar. As he waited for them to pick up, his gaze came to rest on his laptop. He sighed, and when a voice came on asking how they could help him, he said, "Sorry, I meant to dial room service," and hung up. He sat down, opened up his computer, plugged it in to the room's DSL line, and waited for the world to come to him.

//It will be good to see you again, mi amigu.//

Daniel smiled and typed in Quechua, "How many years has it been?"

Thanks to AIM, his answer was immediate.

//Eight long ones, Daniel.//

"You have everything ready?"

//Naturally. I received the wired money and all is in place. I will meet you at the airport and in forty minutes, you will be at The City of the White Men in Tiahuanaco.//

There was a pause, but his chat box told him that Rodrigo 'Rico' Rubalcava, one of only two scientist friends who'd, if not believed in his theories, at least continued to respect him, was entering text. He waited, and a moment later....

//You do understand that the war of drugs is close to where you wish to be, si?//

Daniel typed, "Understood, but we should be safe, yes?"

//Safe? That is not the word I would use, Daniel. You must be prepared for the fact that you might not be allowed into the ruins. All permits have been denied since my government decided to declare war on drugs.//

"I'm not interested in the ruins, Rico. I'll be surveying an area just south of them."

//Then we should be all right. Can you not tell me what this is all about?//

"When I arrive, old friend," Daniel typed, "I will tell you all that I can. "

//Fair enough. See you soon, Daniel.//

"Good-night, Rico."

Daniel logged off and moved into his Word program. He pulled up his notes on the translation and began putting together all the clues to the location of what he hoped would be the device to protect them from Anubis' new weapon. Once done, he moved to his Map Publisher program and began constructing the map he'd use once he arrived in Tiahuanaco. He bounced back and forth between MP and existing maps and photos of the City of the White Men, overlaying photos onto the map, making notes, and creating one document that would serve his purpose. It was painstaking, but it kept his mind away from Colorado, and from Jack. It also kept him so busy that the thought of numbing his brain... and heart... with alcohol drifted away.

As he worked, he felt the excitement that came with discovery... a feeling he'd been missing for far too long.

At six in the morning, Daniel fell to Earth. He'd been working for hours, ignoring his stomach, his need for coffee, ignoring everything but the task at hand. Now, finally, his body began to rebel as the need for sustenance took over. He took off his glasses, rubbed his eyes, then reached for the phone, grateful for twenty-four room service. He ordered scrambled eggs, bacon, potatoes, and sourdough toast, orange juice, and of course, an entire carafe of coffee. He knew he'd need his energy, so food was a must.

While waiting for the delivery of his breakfast, he went through everything he'd just completed, and satisfied, saved it, then powered off. Later, he'd use the business room at the airport to print it out, knowing that they had the necessary protection, not that he seriously believed that was needed. No one would know what to do with his map, should they get their hands on it.

He pushed himself away from the desk and walked slowly into the bathroom, his legs and back protesting so many hours in an uncomfortable chair, hunched over the desk. He flipped on the light, turned on the water, and cupping his hands, bent over and splashed his face several times. Eyes closed and dripping, he turned off the faucet and reached for a towel. Drying off, he checked out his reflection and winced. Dark circles underscored his weeks of work, unrest and misery. His pale face was punctuated by the beginnings of a dark beard, the shadow of which gave him a slightly haunted look. He debated shaving, but discarded the idea. He tossed the towel down on the counter, hit the light and walked back into his room. His stomach growled, and was matched by a tentative knock and a voice announcing, "Room service, sir."

He opened the door and the man, tray balanced on one hand, entered with a smile and carried the food over to the small table by the window. He set it down, opened the drapes, arranged the dishes and set the table, then took the cover off the plate and held out the chair. "Sir."

"Uhm, yes, thank you," Daniel said, unused to such service. He took his seat and the bill and a pen was handed to him. He signed, added a nice tip, and handed it back.

"Thank you, sir, and if you need anything, my name is Rick."

"Thank you, Rick."

The man gave him a little bow, that oddly enough, reminded him of Teal'c, and he was hit with a surge of homesickness. Suddenly the whole idea of looking for the device himself seemed ridiculous, especially since, in reality, he'd run away from home.

As the door snicked shut, Daniel put his head in his hands.

God, maybe Sam was right, maybe Daniel was reacting to the past, to Jamison's disparagement and to the being treated like a pariah by his friends and colleagues all those years ago. Maybe he was reacting to the fact that he wasn't needed at the SGC, that he was a useless piece of human machinery caught up in a military endeavor, and that he was still someone who people weren't going to listen to, even after six years of proving himself... more or less. And if so, then he'd have to accept the fact that Jamison was... right.

It was altogether possible that Kinsey's disdain for him was correct. After all, did anyone remember Pandora for unleashing hope? No, they only remembered her for unleashing all that other crap.

Eating lost its allure.

God, what the hell was he doing here?

What the hell was he... doing?

Jack slammed the locker door and sat down on the bench. He bent over to lace up his boots and thought this whole mission was a loser from the getgo. It was a colossal waste of time, in his opinion, but hell, since when did that count when Kinsey and the NID were involved? He straightened and wondered where the hell Daniel was. Even for him, he was late, and they were due in the 'Gate room in twenty minutes. He knew Carter was already there and working on last minute adjustments to some scientific doodad, and Teal'c had been leaving the locker room as he'd entered, so that only left Daniel. Who was nowhere to be seen.

"Colonel?"

He twisted on the bench, then immediately stood as he found himself looking at General Hammond. A distinctly uncomfortable Hammond.

"Sir?"

Hammond looked around, seemingly to assure himself that they were alone and, satisfied, walked further into the room. His blue eyes seemed to bore into Jack, and he had the sudden fear that something was very wrong.

"Jack...."

"Sir?"

"I... this isn't easy for me, but I suspect, thanks to the fact that you didn't blow into my office insisting that I at least jail Doctor Jackson, that he might not have told you that he's requested a leave of absence... and that I've granted it."

Jack now knew what the word 'dumbfounded' meant. He'd found the world of dumb. He couldn't breathe, think or speak. He could blink, so he did. The general took pity on him, sat down on the bench and said, "I tried to talk him out of it, but the truth is... Daniel isn't doing well, and with the number of migraines he's been experiencing-"

Jack moved out of dumb territory into thunderstruck country.

"WHAT?"

"Ah. So you weren't aware of the migraines either. That gives me another piece to the Doctor Jackson puzzle. Perhaps you can tell me how his commanding officer-"

A rising eyebrow stopped General Hammond mid-sentence. He rubbed the back of his neck and said, "Commanding officer and Daniel Jackson don't exactly belong in the same sentence, do they?"

"No, sir, they don't. But that aside, I know what you were going to say, and the fact is, I haven't seen much of Daniel lately and...."

His voice trailed off as the import of his words hit home.

"Yes, that would appear to be a great deal of the problem, wouldn't it, Jack? I have to tell you, I'm not sure what's gone wrong with SG-1, but I know that none of us are quite the same now. The SGC seems to have lost something, and I find that I want it back. How 'bout you?"

Jack bent his head and stared at the floor. The past circled in his brain and he could hear Daniel as he shared his opinion of the Stargate program....

"The SGC may be the single most important human endeavor for the future of mankind."

At the same time, he could see past meetings where the words Daniel used also managed to express his opinion of himself, if anyone bothered to listen.

"I know I'm a guest at this party...."

Did Daniel still feel that way? That he was simply a guest, and not a true member of the SGC, let alone a member of SG-1?

Other phrases, all Jack's, also came back to haunt him, and he realized that he'd spent a good deal of time belittling Daniel's contribution to the SGC without intending it.

He could remember his response when Daniel's pleas to go back to the Land of Light had been heard and Hammond had said, "The president agrees with you... he's asked that we evaluate the scientific and cultural value of each mission...."

Yeah, his response had been so very supportive and typical Jack O'Neill....

"Oh, for crying out loud...."

As he thought back on that moment, he could see so clearly how remarks like that, peppered throughout their friendship, would seem to be negating Daniel and who he was. If evaluating planets, cultures and ruins, was nonsense, than so was Daniel, which was exactly the message he'd been sending all these years. Jack, without realizing it, had been attacking more than Daniel's opinions, he'd been attacking Daniel, because Daniel was his philosophy. Jack, on the other hand, had simply been parroting a military philosophy that, if honest with himself, he didn't even believe in. All of which now begged the question: had he finally worn Daniel down? Had his actions eroded Daniel's trust, faith, and...even his confidence in himself? Was that what was missing?"

"Jack, you're going to be late and the mission isn't a go without both of us there," the general reminded gently.

Jack stood up and straightened his jacket. "Yes, sir, I do want it back," he said as if the question about SG-1 had just been asked.

He didn't bother to add that he also wanted Daniel back.

Having finally succumbed to his exhaustion, Daniel now tossed and turned, his sleep fitful. As General Hammond gave SG-1 a go, Daniel moaned in his sleep. As SG-1, Jamison, and Mayron walked up the ramp and into the wormhole, Daniel kicked off the covers and, still asleep, murmured one word: "Jack."

His 3:25 flight to Miami was uneventful and he arrived pretty close to the announced 9:30. He had almost a two-hour layover before his flight to La Paz, so he searched out the nearest bar, took a seat at an empty table, and ordered a scotch and water on the rocks. He was actually beginning to enjoy the taste. While waiting, he pulled a magazine out of his carry-on. His mind was racing and he hoped the articles, along with the alcohol, would get his attention focused on something other than Bolivia and the City of the White Men. In spite of his new misgivings, he was going ahead with his plan... after all, what did he have to lose?

Nothing.

At 10:45pm, American Airlines announced boarding for first class passengers for flight 922. Daniel downed the last of his drink, gathered up his belongings, and headed to gate 12.

When the plane touched down in La Paz, the sun wasn't up yet, but Daniel was, and had been throughout the entire flight. His nervous energy helped catapult him out of his seat before the plane rolled to a stop. He was first out the door and, as he entered the La Paz-El Alto International Airport, he spotted Rico immediately. He grinned, suddenly extremely happy to be in Bolivia.

"Daniel!"

"Rico, it's damn good to see you."

They hugged and when they parted, Rico immediately took his bag and slung it over his own shoulder. "You have more?"

Daniel nodded and Rico took his arm and began to lead him to baggage claim. Daniel grinned again. Rico had always been the 'take charge' guy on any dig they'd worked on. It was nice to see that nothing had changed.

They collected his luggage and Rico guided him outside, where a Land Rover, fully packed, stood at the curb, a special government placard keeping airport security away from the illegally parked vehicle. Rico ran around to the back, opened the gate and began to load Daniel's luggage.

"You hungry, kawsaqe?"

"Not really, just eager to get going," Daniel said as he handed Rico his last bag.

"Then we go."

He closed the gate and they climbed in. Daniel pulled the seatbelt across his chest and snapped it into place, and not a moment too soon. Rico peeled away from the curb and they were off. Good old Rico and his love of speed.

"You have cut your hair, Daniel," Rico observed as he cut off another car in order to speed up.

"Uh, yes," Daniel said as his fingers tightened on the door handle. "A few years back."

"You are well?"

The question was asked easily, Rico's eyes fixed on the road, but there was an undercurrent of something in his voice. Daniel nodded and said, "I'm fine."

"You do not... look fine."

"Thanks, Rico, old buddy, old kawsage. You know how to make a guy feel all warm and tingly inside."

"It is my job to make the women feel all tingly, as you well know. I leave the men to you." There was a slight pause, then he added, "And alas, most of the women as well. It has always puzzled me how you could be so oblivious to the tingles you were responsible for, my friend."

Daniel rolled his eyes and said, "How is it that we've not seen each other for God knows how many years, and yet, you pick up the conversation right where we left off the last time we were together?"

Laughing, Rico took the next corner at forty and said, "Si, you are right. I am hoping to reap the rewards once again of being associated with you. You will ignore the women, the men, and they will all look to me, and I will have my pick, as usual."

"And Isabella will skin you alive, and you'll sleep outside for weeks, and-"

"This is true."

"And how is the lovely Isabella?"

"She is pregnant again. Our third, and if not a boy, I will seriously consider visiting the local shaman."

"Are you still with the University?"

"No, my friend, I am now with the government. It is my job to protect the very cultures that I have spent a lifetime studying," he answered dryly.

Daniel looked at his friend in surprise, and not some irony, and asked, "You? With the government?"

"I am afraid so. Much of our heritage is being destroyed by the drug lords, so I did the only thing I could, I became a part of the solution. I learned well from a certain young archaeologist," he said with a smile.

"So one of the most brilliant minds is now a policeman?" Daniel asked with a grin.

"Nothing so simple, my friend. I work with a special branch of our government, in conjunction with the university, as well as anthropologists and archaeologists around the world. We have become a strong force." He turned his attention from the road and said, "Is it not ironic that we both ended up in the service of our governments?"

Daniel stared at his friend, then said, "Eyes back on the road, and you have been busy, Rico. That special branch you mentioned must be highly connected."

Rico looked back at the road, an enigmatic smile on his face.

A few moments passed and finally Daniel said, "Isabella must be very proud of you."

"She is, when she's not worrying."

"Dangerous then?"

Rico gave a self-deprecating shrug, then pointed to a bag on the console between them. "There is food, fruit and some of Isabella's bread, as well as some cheese. Please, eat. There is hot coffee in the thermos. It has not been so long that I do not remember your love of our coffee."

Ignoring the bag, Daniel immediately reached for the thermos. He unscrewed the top and pulled out the stopper, than looked around for something to drink out of.

"Glove compartment," Rico said with a grin.

Smiling, Daniel popped it open and pulled out one of the two mugs inside. He poured, and took his first sip, then groaned in pleasure.

"Nothing better, eh, old friend?"

Daniel nodded, too busy drinking to talk.

Jack sat on a rock, Skaara beside him. SG-1 had been on Abydos for twenty-four hours and the only good thing had been the chance to see his friend again, whom it seemed, was getting married.

"So when exactly did this happen, this falling in love?"

"We have known each other since childhood, O'Neill," Skaara said with a mischievous grin. "I wish to ask you to sha'loki, to stand beside me."

Surprised, Jack frowned. "I would have thought that you'd want Daniel to do this shylocky thing."

"I would wish my good brother to do aruki for me. There is no one I would trust more to ask the gods to bless our union."

"Ah, then I would be honored to be your best man, Skaara. When do I get to meet the blushing bride?"

"She is with her family in the Thirnoch village but they will be leaving to join us soon." He ducked his head and the long braids temporarily obscured his face as he asked softly, "I do not understand why Daniel is not here with you. Major Carter said that he was well. Have we done something to dishonor my good brother?"

"God, no, Skaara, no. Daniel simply needed some time. He's been working very hard...."

Jack realized how lame his words must sound because everyone knew that Daniel would never miss the chance to see his family, to return to Abydos. And yet... that was exactly what he'd done.

God. How bad must things truly be that Daniel would forgo an opportunity to visit Abydos? Not even that jerk, Jamison, would normally have been able to keep Daniel away. Jack twisted around and glanced over to where Jamison and his team were working, and he frowned. He was missing something here... something important.

Dawn had come in its usual spectacularly South American way and Daniel had watched, enraptured by the beauty. Now, almost forty minutes later, he sat up in interest once again. They had reached their destination.

Tiahuanaco could be seen from their vantage point on the road. It was spread out below, and as always, Daniel was amazed by the ruins. He let his gaze roam further out and he could just see the sparkling blue of Lake Titicacca to his north. As he glanced back at the ruins, he noticed the fence.

"Rico?"

He pointed at it, and Rico, in spite of negotiating the road, looked to his left.

"Ah, yes. A real deterrent to the criminals who traffic in drugs, eh?"

"I doubt that fence deters the animals, let alone man."

"It was our government's attempt to assuage us. We received that fence and two guards. However, there is a military operation only twenty miles from here so the guards have been relieved."

"Military action against?"

"Carlos Mobatay. He is one of the biggest smugglers in this region. They believe they have him cornered." He shot a look at Daniel and asked, "You would wish to turn back?"

"Such an operation isn't likely to interfere with my work. No matter how it goes, we probably won't be here more than a few days."

Rico smiled. "I am glad to hear you say that. I am very curious as to what has brought you back and am eager to work with you again."

"Will the workers you hired feel the same?"

"Pablo and Kio? What do you think?"

Daniel turned in his seat to stare at his friend. "Pablo? Kio? You... they...."

"Yes, Daniel, they are as eager as I to work with you again. You helped them choose all those years ago. Kio is now Doctor Kio Chunaya, Mayan cultures, his speciality, and Pablo, now out of the military and free to pursue his real love, is a few months away from his doctorate."

"My God, I had no idea... you never said anything in your emails, nothing...."

Rico shrugged, and by way of explanation, said, "They wished for it to be a surprise. They have hoped to work with you again. I am only sorry you did not need more assistance. There were several others eager to work with Daniel, the yachachej yachayniyoj and sut'inchaj."

Laughing, Daniel said, "I vaguely recall being called t'uku, Rico."

"But it was always said fondly. You were our lunatic."

"Oh, well then," Daniel said with a grin. He sobered as he reflected back to his months spent in Bolivia and Tiahuanaco. Finally he added, "God, I was so young in those days. Young and foolish."

"Young, yes, foolish, no. Dedicated and focused? Definitely, yes. You taught us all so much, Daniel. You left us better than you found us, and what more can be said of a man, even a very young twenty-year-old with two doctorates to his name? I now see these ruins with your eyes. I see their magic, and believe that the creators came from the stars. Isn't that a great deal for the young man that you were, to have taught the thirty-year-old scientist that I was?"

Daniel didn't answer, couldn't answer. He'd had no idea he'd left any kind of impact following his months in Bolivia. Then a thought struck him and, smiling, he said, "Well, that explains everything, Rico. I obviously used up all my influence on you, old friend."

Rico laughed, then turned the vehicle onto the rough road that paralleled the city's ruins. Daniel spotted a truck a hundred or so feet ahead and watched as two men jumped out and waved. Daniel's grin widened.

Rico stopped the Land Rover next to the truck and shut off the engine. Before opening his door, Daniel turned to him and said softly, "If I find what I'm looking for, we'll have proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that this city was built by those not of this world. But it will be a fact you will be unable to share with anyone, Rico."

"I suspected as much," Rico said easily as he climbed out of the vehicle.

"So. Anything happening, Carter?"

Sam sat down next to Skaara and Jack, and shook her head. "Nothing. Jamison was certain he'd find the device in the map room."

"He should have asked me, I could have told him that it wouldn't be there," Jack said as he shielded his eyes and gazed over at the temple. "Does anyone here think that Daniel could be on this planet an entire year and not find all there was to find?"

Before either Sam or Skaara could, in fact, answer, Jamison and Myron marched over to Skaara. Jamison, hands on hips, asked, "Was there any other place that Doctor Jackson found, young man? Something you haven't shown us? Or a place unknown to Doctor Jackson?"

"All that we know, Daniel also knew. But there is a room in the pyramid-"

Myron pushed Jamison aside and said brusquely, "Take us there now."

It was clearly an order but Skaara looked to Jack for permission. Jack nodded and Skaara said, "Follow me."

Jack got up, held out a hand to Carter and gave her a tug up. They fell in next to Skaara and headed for Ra's pyramid.

Tents had been erected, their supplies unpacked and camp set up. A half-tent had been put together at Daniel's direction, and a table set up for his work space. The generator was humming and his laptop was plugged in. He stood just outside his workspace, Rico, Pablo and Kio before him.

"Okay, what we're looking for is basically a mound of stone that looks natural. It will be covered with vegetation, and will be one of three, all interconnected. It will be no further than four or five miles from the City of White Men, but in what direction, I don't know." He smiled as he looked at each man, and added, "Good thing there are four of us."

Rico made a show of counting heads, then said, "I'm taking the north-"

Kio said, "You wish the breezes of the lake, mi amigu. But then, you are older and this search will be hard on your bones."

Pablo nodded, stretched out an arm, popped a muscle, and said, "I am the strongest, I shall take the terrain of the East."

"No, you are simply the most foolish," Kio shot back. "The terrain to the South is the most difficult, therefore," he added proudly, "I shall take that direction."

"No, actually, I will," Daniel said with a faint smile.

"Daniel, Kio is correct, that direction is not only difficult, but-"

Daniel grabbed his canteen and pack, and said, "Then we'd best be going, don't you think?"

Jack lounged against the rock wall and watched the 'great' Doctor Jamison work, if one could call what he was doing... work. Jack certainly didn't think staring counted, but then, who knew what was going on in the man's head. Maybe he was actually thinking.

Nah.

Jamison scratched at his bare thigh, his Jungle Jim shorts riding up to reveal an expanse of white Jack really didn't want to see. The scientist turned around, then turned again. Jack tried to see the room as Jamison must see it, but he couldn't. For some reason, he could only see it as Daniel must have his first time. Jack could imagine his friend's awe, an awe that would have been overlaid by excitement, and a kind of odd joy and anticipation. He could picture Daniel wandering from wall to wall, touching a pictograph every now and then, running his fingers lovingly, but lightly, over the surfaces, blue eyes going dark with the kind of passion that Jack figured no human had ever seen directed at them... not even Shar'e. The look was more than the result of a scientific passion, it was the look born of a man who actually 'felt' history, became one with it, absorbed it, learned from it, and grew in direct proportion to the amount consumed.

Jamison simply didn't have a clue.

And speaking of the devil....

"Kid, what did Jackson do down here?"

Skaara's head turned unerringly toward Jack, who rested his arm on his P-90 and shrugged. "We all know Daniel loves playing a good game of Tiddly-winks in ruins, but hey, maybe he was different here on Abydos. "

Skaara looked back at Jamison and said, "He found several hidden compartments-"

He got nor further as Jamison moved to stand in front of him. He reached out and grabbed Skaara's arms, fingers gripping tightly. "What... where," he sputtered out as he gave Skaara a shake.

Jack moved so quickly, even Teal'c was surprised. He pressed his body against Jamison's back, placed his hand on Jamison's neck, thumb over the man's carotid, and said mildly,

"Take your hands off of him now."

Jamison's hands dropped as if shocked.

"That's better." Jack moved away and pulled Skaara to his side. "Now, what were you asking the future leader of these people?"

Jamison swallowed hard, then said, "Did he find anything... Mister... Skaara?"

"No, the compartments were not full. Daniel believed Ra had taken what had once been here, but when I told him that Ra was not the only god... false god... to visit, that a ... ship... had landed on the pyramid a few weeks before Daniel and O'Neill came here, he then believed that since we were not bothered by the visitors, they knew where and what they wished to find, and they found it."

"Would... you show me?" Jamison asked with forced politeness.

Skaara moved to the far wall, the one with the more colorful drawings. "It was here," he said as he pointed upward.

Jamison started to move, but he stopped and looked nervously over at Jack, who grinned like the Cheshire cat, then nodded slightly. Jamison almost ran over to the wall. Once there, he looked it over, then stepped up close and ran his hand over the wall. His touch was neither gentle, nor reverent, as Daniel's would have been, and Jack felt almost... insulted. After several moments, it was quite apparent that Jamison didn't have a clue how to unlock the secrets of the wall. Jack kicked up the Cheshire grin.

"I can feel the wider crack here and," Jamison murmured as his fingers traveled up, "here, but there's no spring trap, nothing to trigger it to open." He kept feeling up the wall, his face growing more and more red with his frustration, anger, and embarrassment.

Jack shot a look over at Carter, who just shrugged. He realized that she didn't get it. She didn't realize that the man in front of them was the equivalent of a tofu burger compared to Daniel's filet mignon. Jack approached the wall and, taking a leaf from the book of Daniel-watching, said, "If I remember correctly, Daniel said something once about how these were built to slide up or sideways, no springs, per se, just weights and pulleys?"

"Trust me, I've been in enough of these things to know that there's a spring here. All I have to do is find the right stone to compress."

"Ah," Jack said. He turned to Skaara and said, "Do you remember how Daniel got it opened?"

Skaara favored him with a beautiful smile, then pointed at the red sun painted near the top of the wall. "Daniel figured out that the sun was Ra, the rays the way to open the wall. He-"

Before Skaara could say anything else, Jamison snapped his fingers and said, "YES!" He pulled out his flashlight and aimed it at the sun... and nothing happened. He stepped even closer and... nothing happened.

"DAMN IT!"

Skaara started to speak, but Jack put out a hand to stop him. He walked over to the wall and stared at the sun. He could see Daniel standing here, staring up at it, could envision those blue eyes narrowing, his agile mind working out the puzzle....

"The rays are red," Jack said almost to himself.

"That is exactly what Daniel said," Skaara said, eyes wide with surprise.

Jack chuckled and said, "I've got to know how he did it, Skaara. I know damn well he didn't have this," he pointed to the red target beam on his P-90, "so how the hell did he do it?"

Laughing delightedly, Skaara hurried to Jack's side. He held up one of the colorful strips of cloth that made up his shirt. "He held this up in front of his flashlight."

The strip of cloth was red.

Jack shook his head in wonder, then aimed his target light at the sun.

Slowly... a piece of the wall slid up... revealing the compartment behind.

The empty compartment.

Carter gave a low whistle, and said, "Sir, does this mean that Anubis found one of the Eyes here?"

"Off hand, I'd say it's almost guaranteed. Which means Abydos is damn lucky Anubis didn't have all of the Eyes at that point, and that he didn't want anyone to know that he was alive."

"Yes, sir."

Daniel paused and wiped the sweat from his eyes. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out one of his bandanas. He wrapped it around his head and tied it in back, then grabbed his canteen, opened it, tipped it back, and allowed the stream of water to flow into his mouth and dribble down his chin. He capped the canteen and surveyed the area around him.

He'd been at it for over six hours but, so far, he'd found nothing that matched what he was looking for. He'd been checking in with the others every hour, and they too were coming up empty handed. He sighed, but the stubborn streak that a certain Air Force colonel found so aggravating, surfaced. He kept going.

Twenty minutes later, he hit pay dirt.

He'd been about to change direction when it struck him that he'd been going steadily downhill and had probably made a nice huge half circle.

The back of his neck started to tingle.

Heart rate spiking, he slowly turned to look at what he'd been descending... and caught his breath.

There they were... his crags.

Eyes shining, he walked forward until he stood inches from the more prominent of the three. It was covered with brush and vine-like plants, which he began to pull away until the face was almost completely clear. Eyes narrowing, he studied every inch of the rock, then slowly, tentatively, reached out and touched it. With a reverent hand, he smoothed over the surface... and frowned. It felt... off. He brushed lightly, carefully, lovingly, and particles fell away like peeling paint, more particles than should have. He stepped back and reached for the walkie-talkie.

The three men stared at the rock, then at Daniel.

"This is it?" Kio asked in disbelief.

Smiling dreamily, Daniel nodded. "This is it."

The three men stared at each other.

"T'uku," Pablo said with a grin.

Taking his working brushes from his pack, Daniel said, "I heard that, Pablo."

"Truth is truth, Daniel."

Smiling, Daniel held out the brushes and said, "Let's do it."

Each man took one, and moments later, each was brushing delicately at the craggy surface.

"This feels... different, Daniel," Rico finally said.

"That's because it is. If we were to study this stuff we're brushing off, we'd probably find it's not real rock, sand or dirt at all. Keep brushing."

Kio let some of it trickle into his open hand. He brought it up close and studied the material, then said, "It's almost as if ... as if it had been...."

"Sprayed on?" Daniel suggested with a grin.

"Si, sprayed on."

"It probably was," he said as he continued to brush away what was obviously a façade.

They went back to work. As more and more of the material came away, something else entirely was revealed. They worked faster.

After an hour, a smooth metal material stared back at them.

Daniel stepped back and frowned. No words, no pictographs, no designs of any kind adorned the surface. And thus... no clue as to how to open it.

He glanced upwards... and noticed that the top of the crag jutted out, but it appeared as one smooth curvature. Maybe....

"I'm going up," he announced.

"Up? UP?" Rico exclaimed, stunned.

Daniel faced him and nodded. He pointed at the crag to the left of the one they'd been working on and said, "Footholds, vines, I can make it to the top. I think the answer to opening this baby is up there."

Rico shielded his eyes and glanced up, then shook his head. "It's too dangerous, Daniel. We could go around, maybe approach from the other-"

"Been there, done that. It's a good two hours around, then a steady climb up for another two hours or more, and, unless I'm very much mistaken, I heard gunfire earlier."

Rico nodded. "You did. I suspect Mobatay is fighting back."

"Then we don't have all that much time, do we?"

"There is no way I can say, Daniel."

Daniel walked over to the other crag and started climbing.

The process was slow and laborious as he had to search out handholds and footholds, but it was actually easier than he'd thought when staring up at it from the ground. The height was no more than climbing a two story building, and as long as he didn't look down, as long as he focused on the apex, he was fine, his fear of heights taking a back seat to what he hoped to find at the top.

From below, the others watched, eyes wide, hands clenched. They gasped when, at one point, Daniel lost his footing, but he recovered quickly and continued upward.

It took him three quarters of an hour to reach the top, but at last he was hauling himself up and standing. He had to jump about a five foot crevice to reach his goal, and, with a running start, did so, easily. He walked to the edge and waved at Rico and the others, then dropped down and began to clear the brush away. Some of the vines proved more difficult to dispose of, so he pulled out his knife and began to slice them away. When all the greenery was gone, he started the process of removing the same kind of cover they'd faced down below, but this time the process went faster because the area was much smaller. It only took him twenty minutes to find and uncover the relief.

He sat back on his haunches, hands on his knees. He stared at the one inch thick, raised square with seven symbols... and smiled. The center symbol was flanked on each side by three others that obviously represented the six 'eyes' that Anubis now possessed. But it was the center symbol that captured his attention. He knew instinctively that if he pressed it - the temple below would open. It seemed fitting that he was looking at the glyph for Earth. He leaned over far enough to see over the edge and yelled down, "BACK UP, I'M GONNA OPEN IT!"

The three men did as told and Daniel sat back and gently pressed down on the top of the pyramid.

Rico waited, uncertain of what to expect. There was a kind of ... suction sound followed by a long hiss... then the face of the ... whatever it was... opened outward. He looked at his two friends, who stared back.

"Well, I'll be damned," Kio said. "It opened."

"You are surprised, Kio?" Rico asked, grinning.

"I shouldn't be," the man admitted sheepishly.

"Oh, ye of little faith in our sut'inchaj."

Rico looked up and yelled, "GET DOWN HERE PRONTO, T''UKU, WE'RE NOT GOING TO WAIT ALL DAY!"

A waving hand was his answer. Rico turned to Kio and said, "You two head to camp, break it down, and set up here, all right?"

"You got it," Pablo said. He slapped Kio on the back and said, "Let's go."

The two men headed off with the promise that they'd be back before dark. Rico turned his attention to Daniel, who was coming down the crag much faster than he'd gone up. By the time he was standing next to Rico, sweaty and breathing hard, Rico had water, a towel, their backpacks and his duffel bag. "Here, drink up, clean up, then we'll go in."

Eyes on the dark inviting opening, Daniel took the offered canteen, dumped a good portion of it over his head, then swallowed the rest. The towel came next and Daniel, attention still on the opening, swiped it over his face and hands, then took his pack from Rico and said, "Well?"

"Thought you'd never ask," Rico said.

Smiling, the two men flicked on their flashlights and started forward.

"It's here, I'm sure of it," Jamison said.

Colonel Myron's hard gaze flicked from Jamison to the wall behind him. "Why here?"

"Because the Eye of Ra was found here... at least... that's what I believe. What better place to hide the device that can neutralize the power of the Eyes, then where one of them was found?"

Myron shrugged, then with a curt nod at Jack, turned around and went back up to the main room. Jack sauntered over to Jamison, who managed not to flinch, and said, "You believe the Eye of Ra was found here? You? Nice one, Jamison. Who knew you were so honorable. And were you born this stupid or did your parents drop you on your head one, or fifty, times too many?"

Jamison's eyes narrowed, but he stepped back, muttered something under his breath, then began to inspect the walls again. Jack gave a jerk of his head and said, "Come on, Carter, Teal'c, Skaara, let's up back to the village. This idiot isn't going to find anything."

They left Jamison to his... work.

Rico followed his friend inside, both their flashlights lighting their way. Daniel stopped long enough to inspect the door, running his fingers up the side and giving a low whistle.

"What?"

"You don't think this metal is odd?" Daniel asked.

"I think it's like nothing I've ever seen, but," he flashed his light at Daniel, "I suspect you have."

"Oh, yeah, but if I told you, I'd have to ki-"

"Coming from you, it doesn't work, mi amigu."

Daniel smiled, then said, "It's an air lock."

"Si."

They turned as one and moved deeper inside. They found themselves in a large chamber, no other doors, just three walls and the entrance behind them. But on the wall before them, and to their right, were, even in the limited light, the most beautiful paintings either man had ever seen. Rico opened the duffle bag and lifted out a portable Fostoria halogen light set. He popped the legs of the pedestal, then with a few quick, well-practiced moves, set them up and turned them on. He repeated the process with the second set, but placed them in the opposite corner.

Now the full beauty of the pictures was revealed.

"Amazing," Daniel breathed out.

Rico moved to his side, then pivoted in order to see each wall. "I do not believe what I am seeing, Daniel. The artist... this rivals any artwork ever created. The colors are more vibrant than anything we have here. They almost seem alive and shining."

"The pigments are so deep and rich," Daniel said as he walked over to one of the walls. He held his hand up to the surface, but didn't touch. He chuckled and said, "Jack is always accusing me of being unable to avoid touching things - he should see me now."

"Why do you not touch it, Daniel?"

"Oils from my skin," he answered simply. "This is older than you can imagine, and thanks to the airlock, perfectly preserved. I want to keep it that way."

"Ah, of course. And who is this 'Jack'?"

"Colonel Jack O'Neill. We work together."

Rico nodded and said, "The file says Colonel 'Jonathon O'Neill'."

"You government people," Daniel said with a grin. "No matter where I go nowadays, there you are."

"There we are, my friend."

Daniel winced... and went back to studying the wall.

Sensing that he'd hit a sore spot, Rico rushed to change the subject. "How old are these, Daniel?"

"Old," came the quiet, almost whispered answer.

"You were right, were you not? And this... this was built by others not of this world, si?"

"Si."

He waved his hand at the center wall in front of them, and asked, "What are the pictures telling us?"

Daniel stepped back. "This first panel with the