DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognisable characters and property of Stargate SG-1 belong to MGM/UA, World Gekko Corp. and Double Secret Productions. This fan fiction was created solely for entertainment purposes and no money was made from it. Also, no copyright or trademark infringement was intended. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author. Any other characters, the storyline and the actual story are the property of the author. Not to be archived without permission of the author(s).
Chapter 26: Sunset
The house was shaking...
'Not again...'
Daniel opened his eyes quickly, almost expecting to see falling timbers...
Nothing.
Only the marked vibration shaking the walls...a subdued sound like choppy wind coming from somewhere outside.
"What the...?"
Slipping out from beneath the blankets, Daniel felt a twinge of nausea, a sinking stab of sickness in his gut. He had vague thoughts of food poisoning, but in the end chalked it up to the cumulative effects of everything his body had been through over the past few days. Looking around he saw his crutch was on the other side of the room, Jack was notably absent, and there were...voices...coming from the front of the house.
'Voices. Plural. More than one.'
Daniel congratulated himself on his deductive skills and pushed himself to his feet. A triple hop brought him to the door where he snagged the crutch and settled it under his arm. As he made his way slowly down the hall, Daniel realized there were several voices...one of them definitely a very happy-sounding Jack.
"...stuck under there almost two days, believe it or not until Daniel figured out how to get the beam off."
A quieter voice said something Daniel couldn't quite decipher over the noise of his own breathing.
"Things are good...damn good. He's pretty sick, but a lot better than he was..."
Daniel pushed through the tarp-door at the end of the hall to see Jack and two heavily bundled figures standing by the remains of the debris pile.
"Jack?"
Jack looked up with a smile. "There's our boy now."
The other two turned quickly...brightly familiar smiles breaking out as they regarded Daniel.
"Sam? Dr. Fraiser?"
Daniel couldn't help recognizing the déjà vu familiarity of their expressions. They had believed he and Jack were dead...
Sam moved quickly to hug him gently, one hand slipping up to feel his forehead. Daniel returned the hug but frowned at the maternal gesture.
"I'm alright, Sam..."
Bright blue eyes regarded him with more than a little skepticism as Dr. Fraiser moved forward to take charge in her usual no-nonsense fashion.
"I'll be the judge of that if you don't mind, Dr. Jackson."
It was not a question, but Daniel nodded as if it had been. "Right."
Jack had moved up behind them, grinning foolishly at the familiar Fraiser-Jackson interplay. Daniel caught Jack's expression and favored the other man with a look promising future retribution.
"How'd you find us?"
Sam laughed, relief clear on her face. "The RCMP found the rental car two days ago. Once they tracked down who it was rented to, they called General Hammond to see if maybe you'd come home without reporting the accident. It took us a little longer to find your uncle and get the location on the cabin...the general plans to talk to you about that later, sir...we all flew up to Edmonton and commandeered some choppers. Ferretti and Teal'c headed back when the colonel signaled the okay. You guys ready to get out of here?"
Daniel nodded, trading a look with Jack. "Yeah, I think we're ready, don't you, Jack?"
Jack gave a crooked smile. "Can't see what else we can get into here..."
"I wouldn't say that if I were you...the way this trip has gone."
A shrug and a smile answered as they started walking toward the door. "I don't know, Daniel...this rates right up there as one of my best vacations...ever."