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).
The next time Jack woke up, he realized he was lying on the ground beside the fire. Something was cooking and he distinctly smelled coffee. Jack opened his eyes slowly, expecting it to hurt...it did.
It was dark now. Carter and Teal'c were talking quietly on the other side of the roaring fire, but he couldn't quite focus yet on what they were saying. As glad as he was to be alone with his thoughts again, a part of him felt...bereft. It was as if he'd lost something...
'Daniel?'
Jack panicked a moment when he didn't see Daniel. Slowly, he became aware of a warmth against his back and realized it was Daniel. Evidently Carter and Teal'c had just pulled them over to the fire, sleeping bags and all.
Jack raised up gingerly, acutely aware of dozens of little aches and pains, waving away Carter's gesture of assistance. Teal'c poured a cup of sweetened coffee and passed it over to Jack. As he took a deep drink, resisting the urge to gulp it all down, Ja ck reached out with his other hand to check on Daniel. Cool, he was still cool after...how long?
"Nine hours now, Sir."
Jack could see plainly that Carter was dying to hear the details of what had occurred here. He filled them in quietly, carefully glossing over the non-essential, in other words personal, details.
"Next thing I knew, you called out to me and I was able to...reconnect...somehow..."
Carter's eyes darkened at that, " And Daniel was really..lost...in there?"
Jack's eyes closed a moment, remembering darkness...
"Oh yeah..."
Jack reached out again to touch Daniel's forehead, as much to reassure himself of his friend's presence as anything else. Still cool.
'Just wish he'd wake up.'
"What about his hand?" Jack asked roughly, slightly embarrassed by the gesture.
Carter shrugged, "The swelling is gone, just some discoloration around the bite itself. We'll just have to wait until he wakes up to see if everything else is back to normal."
Jack nodded and laughed as his stomach grumbled, loudly. "so, what's on the menu?"
"What else?" Carter grinned. "MRE stew."
"Probably...no better than yours, Jack."
The hoarse, barely audible voice caused them all to jump.
Daniel was lying there watching them out of eyes nearly drained of color by exhaustion. Carter smiled brightly and brought over the canteen, but her expression darkened a little as she had to help him raise himself up enough to drink. Daniel simply didn't have any energy to spare right now. Daniel raised two fingers in thanks.
"Wh-what's up?"
Jack smiled at the casual, albeit drained, tone. "Like he's making small talk at a party.' Jack thought. Daniel looked up at him then and Jack understood that it was only the younger man's considerable will that was holding him together right now. Jack no dded as if the thought had been spoken aloud. They'd been here before and Jack didn't need telepathy or some kind of psychic-bug to tell him that Daniel needed a touch of normalcy right now.
"Hey, Carter...bring Daniel some of that stuff you call coffee."
Carter caught on to what Jack was doing and responded with a rude remark. Teal'c moved over to gently help Daniel into a sitting position against the rocks. Jack noticed the way Teal'c handled the younger man, fussing, but without making it look like he was fussing. Jack realized he wasn't the only one whose protective instincts kicked in where Daniel was concerned.
Daniel thanked Teal'c with a slight nod, taking the coffee cup in trembling hands, taking a small sip. He raised an eyebrow at the sweetener, but made no comment. He seemed lost in thought...as if trying to digest the events of the past few days and decide how he felt about it.
Carter brought the food over and Jack dug into it, rediscovering his appetite with a vengeance.
Daniel picked at the food as if he were unsure what it was he should do with it.
"C'mon, Danny...It's not that bad." Jack joked. "Even if it is Carter's cooking."
Carter protested, "Hey., Sir, it's your recipe."
This exchange drew a small smile from Daniel, who took a small taste. " She's right...just as bad..."
They kept up the light banter so common to their quiet-mission camps. Jack didn't think that Daniel was even aware that he'd finished nearly half of his stew before setting it aside. Jack knew how he felt, after going three days with only one small meal it didn't take much to feel full.
Daniel had drifted off after that, his head inevitably landing on Jack's shoulder.
Jack saw Carter smile at the familiar scene. This wasn't the first time Daniel had used Jack for a pillow. Carter gently touched Daniel's forehead again, the smile broadening at the lack of fever.
Jack felt himself relax then and vaguely felt someone remove the cup from his hand as he sank deeper into sleep.