| It was decided that Daniel's memorial stone would be placed up on the mountain. It was generally agreed that Daniel had spent so much of his time at the base that it was a fitting place to commemorate the young genius. The archaeologist had no real ties to the Colorado Springs area other than Cheyenne Mountain and there would be fewer questions asked about the large stone sitting in a clearing in the woods, than there would have been in the Colorado Springs cemetery. |
| When the stone that Jack had arranged to be transported from 'Daniel's pyramid' arrived it was passed to Siler and a couple of his team. Between them they worked the stone and inscribed it with a fitting epitaph. |
| You touched the hearts and souls of all you met, gaining honour and respect along the way. |
| When it was completed the stone was positioned to sit for all time high up on the mountain looking out over the panorama of Colorado Springs. |
| A memorial service was held in the gate room, much like the on held for Daniel so many years before, however this time the wreath was not sent through the gate. It was taken by the three remaining members of SG-1 and placed next to the stone. |
| ~#~ |
| General Hammond put Jack, Sam and Teal'c on stand-down for another two weeks. Upon Dr. Fraiser's advisement he requested that the two human team-mates attend grief counselling sessions. These would be compulsory before either member would be allowed to return to active duty. |
| The General granted Teal'c's request to travel to the Land of Light to visit Ry'ac. George was relieved to find that Ishta would also be there to meet Teal'c and was convinced that between the two of them, Ry'ac and Ishta would help Teal'c through the grieving process. The Jaffa warrior agreed to return when the fourteen day stand-down period expired. |
| ~#~ |
| As Jack expected, he was once again given the thankless task of clearing Daniel's personal possessions from his locker and office. General Hammond also reminded Jack that as he was listed as Daniel's next of kin the Colonel would also be required to make arrangements for Daniel's house as he had done before. Jack grimaced at this and told his commanding officer that he would need more time before he tackled that job. He promised however, to go to the house and return any SGC documentation to the base and that he would also get Daniel's personal computer and laptop to Sam Carter for safe keeping. He told the General that he would then lock up the house and keep an eye on it until he was more prepared to tackle the mammoth task of packing away Daniel's life once again. |
| ~#~ |
| Teal'c returned to the SGC after twelve days off-world. Janet Fraiser checked him over in the infirmary and declared that he was as fit as ever. Teal'c admitted that he had spent a great deal of time in Kel'no'reem while he had been away. Ishta had been distressed when she heard of the loss of the "gentle Tau'ri warrior" and they had spent a lot of time either meditating quietly together, or talking, with Teal'c telling many stories of Daniel's great courage. |
| ~#~ |
| The fourteen day deadline came and went. |
| The grief counsellor agreed to clear Sam for gate travel but told the General, in no uncertain terms, that he would not be clearing Jack. |
| Jack O'Neill was withdrawing from them all - carefully building back those impenetrable barriers that only Daniel had ever managed to break down, several times before. |
| The General was afraid that as well as retreating further into himself, his 2IC was probably also retreating rather a long way into a whiskey bottle most evenings. Seeing as Jack was spending virtually no time at the mountain, there was no way for Hammond to verify his assumption. Unless Jack turned up at the mountain drunk then there was nothing that the General could do about it either. |
| The one piece of good news that Janet Fraiser could report about Jack was that his self-imposed semi-exile in his house had allowed his much battered body the recuperation time that it needed to repair itself. |
| ~#~ |
| By the end of the third week Janet reported to General Hammond that Jack was no longer using the stick and that physically he was at a stage where she could clear him for gate travel. She sighed heavily when she told the General that, mentally however, Jack was a whole different story. |
| The inability of Jack to lead his team meant that Hammond would have to make a difficult decision of what to do with Sam and Teal'c. He couldn't formulate a good enough reason to justify to the bookkeepers keeping them earthbound when they were fit and healthy. |
| Hammond made a conscious decision not to split the two team-mates up. The dynamics of SG-1 were such that the colleagues backed each other up like family, no matter what personal risk to themselves. The General was not going to break this support system further by splitting up the two remaining team members. |
| Looking through the various team dynamics spread throughout the SGC, Hammond remembered that Major Charles Donnelly from SG-2 had requested to be transferred to an earthbound position. The young man had recently married Charlene, one of the infirmary nurses, and she was afraid of her new husband getting injured in the field. Lou Ferretti had requested that Charles stay active on his team for a little longer while they arranged for a replacement team member. |
| 'Yes,' thought the General. 'This will solve both problems.' |
| He summoned Lou Ferretti and proposed that he temporarily turn SG-2 into a five man team. Major Donnelly could be reassigned elsewhere in the SGC as he had previously requested, and Samantha Carter and Teal'c would become SG-2 team members until such time that SG-1 was in a state to be reformed. |
| Ferretti had no objections to running a five man team although he was more than a little upset that Jack had - for the moment - lost his command. Any of the other teams would have been more than happy to take in the two lost souls from SG-1 and Ferretti promised to 'look after' them well, so the arrangements were made. |
| ~#~ (Chapter 10) |
| The 27th day of Jack's stand-down period was Sam and Teal'c's first trip through the gate with SG-2. It was a simple mission to revisit the natives on P2C-387. They were taking replenishments of medical supplies and an enhanced Naquadah generator that Sam had developed a couple of months before. |
| The General had carefully selected this mission as an easy one to break Sam and Teal'c back in gently. Ferretti didn't mind and said that he was just grateful for an easy mission for a change. The General grimaced when Lou said this and told the younger man that he'd better not have jinxed the mission by saying so. |
| ~#~ |
| As he stood in the control room, waiting for the gate to finish dialling, George became aware of an additional presence in the room with him and Walter. He looked round and saw that Jack had slipped quietly in and was standing off to one side silently looking down at the 'new' SG-2. The Colonel had positioned himself in such a way that he would not be seen if either Sam or Teal'c should look up at the window. |
| The General noted this positioning and also the tight set of Jack's facial features. His brows were deeply furrowed and his lips were drawn tightly together in a thin line. Jack was leaning heavily on the wall and was encased in a self-hug that would not have looked out of place on the late Doctor Jackson. |
| George sighed heavily as Walter announced that the last Chevron was locked. Moments later the wormhole burst into life and Lou Ferretti looked expectantly up at the General. |
| "SG-2, you have a go." He announced over the comms, "See you in a few days, God speed people." |
| Ferretti gave a tidy salute and got to work getting his team and all the equipment through the gate in an orderly fashion. |
| Once they were all safely through the General turned away from the window, intending to speak to Jack. When he looked he found that the spot previously occupied by the Colonel was now vacant. |
| He looked quizzically at Walter who looked decidedly uncomfortable. "He slipped out just after the wormhole engaged, I don't think he saw them go through," the technician reported. "I'm sorry, Sir, should I have stopped him from leaving?" |
| "No, sergeant, that's OK." The older man said with a sigh. "Besides, if Colonel O'Neill was determined to leave the room then I don't think there's anything either you or me could have done to stop him at the moment." |
| Walter stuttered at this, amazed that the General wasn't more worried about Jack potentially disobeying a direct command. "Yes, Sir…er…no, Sir…Oh, sorry, Sir." |
| "That's OK, sergeant." George said, patting the younger man on the shoulder. "I'd like to say that I'll be in my office if you need me but right now it looks like I'm going on a Colonel hunt." he said sadly. |
| "Yes, Sir. Do you know where he'll be?" Walter asked carefully. |
| "I have a pretty good idea where to start looking, sergeant." Hammond sighed again. |
| Walter nodded, knowing exactly where he'd start looking for Jack if he needed to. "That's good, Sir." |
| "Call me on the PA if anything urgent comes up," requested the General. "Otherwise I'll see you later on - after I've dealt with Colonel O'Neill." |
| ~#~ (Chapter 11) |
| General Hammond left the control room and made his way straight down to Daniel's office. It hadn't been assigned to anyone else although members of Daniel's department were usually found to be in there due to the many books, scrolls and ledgers stored inside the small room. |
| When the General rounded the corner of the corridor to Daniel's office he was surprised to find Nyan pacing up and down in front of the door that he needed to enter. He could tell straight away that the young Bedrosian was upset and could hazard a guess as to what had occurred. |
| "Nyan, what are you doing out here?" he asked gently. |
| The nervous young man had not noticed the General approaching and jumped when the older man addressed him. "Oh…General Hammond, Sir. I'm…oh…I'll be on my way back upstairs now, Sir." |
| The General caught hold of the young man's arm as he turned to leave. "Wait, son. What's happened? Why are you pacing the corridor outside Doctor Jackson's office?" |
| "Please, Sir, I don't want to cause any trouble." Nyan squirmed in the General's firm grip on his arm. "Please let me just go. I'll not cause you any problems. Please, Sir." |
| "Hey now, calm down, son. You're not in any trouble and you're free to go whenever you want." The older man gently released Nyan's arm to prove this point. "Just please tell me, before you go, is Colonel O'Neill the reason you're standing out here?" |
| "Thank you, Sir." Nyan said, breathing heavily. "…and yes, Sir, he is." |
| "It's OK, Nyan. I thought as much. Would you care to tell me what happened?" The General asked softly. |
| "Well…Sir…I was in Doctor Jackson's office, researching a Celtic dialect for the translation I'm doing for SG-8. I'd just found the book I needed when Colonel O'Neill burst in and ordered me out. Well I just dropped the book on the table and left." The Bedrosian stopped and looked down at his feet. "He looked…well he looks like he hasn't slept in weeks, Sir. Um…I don't mean to speak out of turn but he really doesn't look at all well, Sir." |
| "I know, son, I know." The General told the distraught young man. "I saw him a while back but lost track of him before I got to speak to him. Thank you for the information, Nyan and I'm very sorry that Colonel O'Neill upset you. Why don't you go to the commissary for a while, to calm yourself down before you go back upstairs? Your translation may have to wait a little longer, I think that book will have to stay where it is for the time being." |
| "Yes, Sir." Nyan nodded. "I'll see if I can find another book elsewhere that will tell me what I need to know. Will…will the Colonel be alright, Sir?" |
| "I hope so, son. I really do. It has hit him hard every time Doctor Jackson has 'died' but there's some finality over it this time. Plus it happened right in front of the Colonel and there was nothing he could do about it." The General patted Nyan on the arm, "Off you go, son. I'll see to things here." |
| "Thank you, Sir…and good luck." Nyan bowed his head to the older man before heading off down the corridor in the direction of the lifts. |
| George rubbed his hand over his bald head as he watched the retreating back of the alien man. 'Oh Jack, what are you doing to yourself?' he thought sadly. |
| Turning to the door of Daniel's office he paused with his hand on the handle. Taking a deep, cleansing breath he turned the handle and went inside. |
| ~#~ |
| Upon entering the office General George Hammond was surprised to find the room in darkness. 'Not a good sign.' thought the Texan. |
| Figuring that Jack wouldn't appreciate him turning the harsh main light on, the General wedged the door open to allow the light from the corridor outside to illuminate the room. He located the desk lamp and switched it on letting the gentle light to fill the room. He then returned to the door and closed it firmly, locking both himself and the not-yet-located Colonel O'Neill inside the room. |
| Turning his attention back to locating his missing 2IC, George softly stepped towards the far end of the office. Moving round the couch he located his missing Colonel, sitting hunched up on the floor, leaning against a large, metal filing cabinet with his back against the concrete wall. |
| Jack's legs were tightly drawn up to his body and his face was buried in his knees. He had his arms clasped forcefully over his head and George could see fine tremors running throughout the other man. |
| Jack gave no indication that he was aware of the presence of his commanding officer, so George decided to give him a little more time. The older man moved back and sat on the arm of the couch to wait - for as long as it took for Jack to come back from wherever his mind had taken him. |
| ~#~ (Chapter 12) |
| After nearly three quarters of an hour, General Hammond was beginning to be seriously worried about Jack. The Colonel had not moved since the base commander had entered the room although the tremors in the younger mans arms had long since ceased. |
| The General got up from the couch and made his way to Daniel's coffee machine. He replenished the water and heaped the ground coffee beans into the appropriate compartment. Once he'd done that he quietly made a call to Janet Fraiser in the infirmary and informed her of the situation. He requested that she come to Daniel's office but not to try and enter, only to wait outside. |
| When the coffee was ready George poured two mugs and walked back over towards Jack. He placed both mugs safely on the low table by the couch and moved to crouch in front of the inert form of his 2IC. |
| He knew better than to try and touch Jack but as he crouched down he noticed the muscles in Jack's arms twitch. Hoping this was a sign that Jack was now aware of his presence he softly spoke the Colonels name. After getting no reaction, George tried again. This time when he called Jack's name he was rewarded with movement from the younger man. |
| Jack stirred slightly and brought his arms down from over his head. His hands spontaneously clutched at his hair and he stayed like that for a few moments before allowing his hands to fall limply down by his sides. |
| "That's it, Jack." The General encouraged gently. "Easy does it, son." |
| Jack O'Neill seemed to struggle for a moment. Then, with his eyes tightly closed, he slowly raised his face from his knees until the back of his head rested on the concrete wall behind him. Even in the subdued light of the office, George could see the salty tracks of dried tears clearly on the other man's face. |
| Jack stayed still for a short while, breathing deeply as if to steel himself to who or what he would see when he opened his eyes. |
| George sensed his reluctance to take the next step and said quietly, "Don't worry, Jack. It's only you and I here." |
| Jack inhaled a deep, shuddering breath and slowly opened his eyes. George was careful to keep his face neutral but this proved extremely difficult due to the utter devastation that was clearly showing in Jack's eyes. |
| George put a supportive hand on Jack's arm. "Welcome back, Colonel. You had me worried for a while there." |
| Jack chuffed out a breath, George presumed this was supposed to be a small noise of acknowledgement but it came out more like a strangled sob. |
| Jack frowned and cleared his throat before trying again. "Sorry, Sir. Kinda getting a bit worried about myself here too," he admitted in a scratchy voice. |
| "Do you think you can get up and move over to the couch?" The older man asked, raising himself until he was standing upright. "I don't know about you but this floor is murder on my knees, and you've been down there longer than I have." |
| "Well, you know my knees, Sir." Jack said, shifting slightly on the floor. "Uh…sorry, Sir. I might need a hand here - to actually get up I mean." |
| The General reached out a hand for Jack to grasp onto. As Jack started to pull himself up, George realised that the other man was clasping something tightly in the void between his chest and his legs. |
| The Colonel grabbed the General's proffered hand with his right hand and clutched the hidden item with his left. The two men then moved over to the couch where Jack unceremoniously dropped himself down with a loud groan. |
| "Here you are, Jack." George said softly as he handed Jack one of the mugs of coffee. He then retook his previous position on the arm of the couch and took the other drink for himself. |
| As he sat drinking his coffee, George cast an appraising eye over his 2IC. Jack was leaning heavily into the couch, drinking his coffee with his eyes closed. The General noticed that the mystery item was still tightly clasped in Jack's left hand. Now that Jack was off the floor the older man could see that it was a picture frame, although he couldn't see the photograph as it was face down to Jack's stomach. Thinking about the room they were in, and Jack's state of mind at the moment, it didn't take a genius to work out who or what the picture would contain. |
| ~#~ (Chapter 13) |
| Jack let out a small sigh as he drained the dregs from his coffee mug. He leant forwards and placed the mug carefully on the small table in front of him, rubbed over his upper face with his right hand and scrubbed his eyes to eradicate any last traces of tears. He slowly came to realise that the General was watching him intently and he dropped his hand into his lap. This only served to draw the attention of both men to the picture frame in Jack's other hand. |
| "Oh," said Jack, as if he'd only just noticed the frame. He lifted the front of it off his stomach and looked at the photograph. Almost immediately Hammond saw the glimmer of fresh tears in the Colonels eyes. |
| He held his hand out to Jack, silently asking for the photo. The younger man held it out to his commanding officer who gently took it from him. The General looked at it and found, as he expected, that it was a team photo of SG-1, taken not long after Daniel returned from his ascension. |
| "Crap," Jack cursed when a tear escaped his control and ran down his cheek. He wiped the errant tear with the back of his hand, only to find that more replaced it. Giving up any semblance of control, he balled up both fists and, propping his elbows on his knees, crammed them into his eyes. "Crap, crap, crap." he mumbled, each curse being accompanied by a small head-butt onto both fists. |
| "Jack…" the General began. |
| "I've lost them, George." Jack said quietly. "I've lost them all. What am I going to do?" |
| Hammond slid from the arm of the couch and crouched on the floor in front of Jack. Tentatively he laid a hand on the other man's knee and squeezed gently. |
| "Listen to me Jack," he requested. "You will get through this, it will take time, but you will get through it." |
| Jack's only response was a wet sniff. |
| "Jack…" continued General Hammond patiently. "Look at me, Son." |
| Slowly Jack raised his head from his hands and looked into the worried eyes of his commanding officer. |
| "That's better." Hammond reached up and patted one of Jack's arms. "Jack, you've got to remember that you're not alone here. There's a large number of people here who care a great deal about your welfare, and quite frankly you've had us all very worried over the last few weeks." |
| Jack sat up straighter and scrubbed his eyes. He covered the General's hand with his own, an acknowledgement of the comfort the older man was giving. "Thank you, Sir. That means a lot to me. I'm sorry I've worried you, I know I've been 'difficult' since…" Jack faltered and took a deep breath before continuing. "I guess it was just the final straw when I saw they really were going on without me." |
| "Jack, you know I would have kept them here if I possibly could. I'll remind you that Major Carter and Teal'c are only temporarily assigned to SG-2. Once you've recovered sufficiently and can be cleared for gate travel then they will return to SG-1 with you." |
| "As a three, or four man team?" asked Jack. |
| George exhaled - long, slow - while he worked out how best to answer without distressing the Colonel again. "Jack, I don't think this is the time, or the place, to discuss that. When the time comes, the decision may well be out of my hands, you know that." |
| "Yeah, I realise that." Jack said quietly, looking down at his feet. "For the record though, I'm not sure I could go through breaking in a fourth team member again. In fact I'm not too sure I want to go back through the gate again without *all* of SG-1 behind me." |
| "I hear you, Son," the General told him. "The SGC has seen a lot of upset in the past eight years, and SG-1 probably more so than anyone. If you don't want gate travel any more then what are you thinking, Jack?" |
| Jack sighed, exhaustion starting to get the better of him now. "I don't know…to be honest with you, George, that retirement plan I set up years ago has been calling my name - really loudly - for the last few weeks. There's just something stopping me from taking that final step quite yet. I can't define what though, it's just 'something'." |
| "Well, we'll discuss this again at a later date." The General said. "There's no point rushing into something to regret it later. We'll sit down with the options and work out what would be for the best. Please don't forget, you're not going through this alone." |
| Jack managed a weak smile. "Thank you, Sir. For understanding…and for coming to find me." |
| "Any time, Jack. Any time." The older man said as he raised himself to his feet. "Now, Dr. Fraiser should be waiting in the corridor for us. Jack, would you mind if I let her in, so she can take a look at you. She told me that you didn't keep your appointment with her yesterday and she was extremely worried about you." |
| George could see that Jack was too tired to put up any real objection, even if he had wanted to. |
| "I did?" Jack asked in confusion. "Oh, sure, go ahead. At least it's Janet and not Warner, I don't think I could deal with Warner at the moment. Janet understands me even when I don't really tell her anything." |
| "I know what you mean, Jack." George told him, patting his shoulder as he moved towards the door. "I know what you mean." |
| ~#~ |
| George unlocked the door and slipped out into the corridor, pulling the door to behind him. Janet Fraiser was waiting nearby, pacing slowly up and down the corridor. When she spotted the General she made her was quickly over to him with a concerned expression on her face. |
| "How is he, Sir?" she asked. |
| "Not good, Doctor. Not good at all," he replied with sadness in his voice. "He's talking about retiring again, and I think he might just go ahead with it this time. Although I've told him that I'm not going to discuss that until I feel he's up to it, what worries me is just how long it might take until he is." |
| "Hmm, I don't know, Sir. Let me go and check him over and see where we stand physically. I told you he missed his appointment yesterday, didn't I?" Janet asked. |
| "Yes, Doctor, you did. I don't believe that Colonel O'Neill set foot inside the mountain at all yesterday. I'm sure he didn't miss the appointment deliberately. He seemed genuinely confused when I told him I knew he'd missed it." The General told the petite woman. |
| "I think he's overwhelmed by everything that's going on with him at the moment. On top of the Daniel situation, he's not long recovered from some serious injuries. I'm sure something like my appointment is probably low on his list of priorities at the moment." Janet said sadly. "What am I going to be walking in to, Sir? Do you need to come back in?" |
| "I'll wait out here, Doctor, you'll be fine." Hammond told her. "Jack's on the couch but he's exhausted - I don't know when he last slept but from the state of him it wasn't all that recently." |
| "OK, thank you, Sir. I took the precaution of bringing some sedatives with me." She retrieved a syringe from her lab coat and showed the General. "I wasn't too sure what I would find when you called me. I might see if the Colonel will let me give him a little of this, at least then we'll know he's had some real rest." |
| The General nodded. "Good thinking, Doctor. Also, if Jack feels more comfortable resting in Doctor Jackson's office instead of the infirmary then I'll have a guard posted on the door so he's not disturbed." |
| "Yes, Sir," agreed Janet. "I'll let you know. Do you want to wait out here? I can always let you know when I come out. I don't want to rush Jack into taking the drugs, so I may be a while." |
| "Very well, Doctor. I'll return to my office, Walter will know where I am if I need to leave for any reason." he told her. |
| George nodded to the Doctor and paced slowly away, in the direction of the elevators. |
| Janet watched him go as she replaced the syringe in the pocket of her lab coat. She took a deep breath, pushed the door open and entered the office. |
| ~#~ (Chapter 14) |
| Janet immediately noted that the only light was coming from the small desk lamp. Dull as this was it illuminated enough of the room to allow her to view the still form of Jack O'Neill. |
| The Colonel was slumped back on the couch with his head leaning on the backrest and from the angle she was standing Janet couldn't see his face. She remembered the General telling her that Jack was exhausted and she wondered if he had fallen asleep. |
| She paused for a moment, unsure of what to do. She knew that Jack's black ops training meant that he would awake at the slightest noise and if he had finally succumbed to slumber then she didn't want to disturb him. |
| A moment later though the decision was taken away from the diminutive doctor. |
| Jack swayed slightly although he made no effort to raise his head from the couch. In barely a whisper he said, "Hello Janet. Is it your turn to sit with the screw-up of a colonel?" |
| Janet moved to the front of the couch and sat timidly down next to Jack. "Sir…Jack, please don't talk like that," she said in dismay. |
| "Why?" he asked. "It's what everyone's thinking - I know that." |
| "Jack…no one's thinking that of you, We all know what a hard time you're having at the moment. We all understand…and we miss Daniel as well, Sir." Janet told him. |
| Jack rolled his head towards the doctor and opened his eyes to look at her. "But it wasn't up to you to look after him that day - now was it? It was mine and I failed him…for the last time." |
| Now that Jack's eyes were open Janet felt brave enough to offer him comfort by laying her hand on his arm. |
| "There was nothing you could have done," she told him. "You weren't to know that earthquake was going to happen, you certainly can't blame yourself for that." |
| "I could have made him come outside with me, not left him there on his own," he told her. |
| "He wouldn't have been impressed with that, now would he?" she asked. "You didn't expect there to be any danger did you?" |
| "Not straight away, I should have though. I left him on his own to make radio contact with Teal'c and Carter. Carter'd told me that someone had stolen the UAV so I should have taken him out with me when I went to speak to the other two the second time. Teal'c told me he thought that Daniel shouldn't be alone so I started back towards the pyramids. I stopped because I had to report in to the General and I was speaking on the MALP when all hell broke loose. I tried to run back inside the pyramid but I fell and I couldn't get back up. I can't remember anything else after that until I woke up in the infirmary." Jack was gasping for breath by now and his speech faltered to a halt. |
| Janet moved her hand up his arm to cup his face. She was stunned when he leaned into the touch and closed his eyes. |
| A single tear escaped from Jack's eye and slowly slid down his face onto the doctors hand. She could feel the shuddering intakes of his breath under her palm and quietly questioned him, "Jack?" |
| Slowly Jack opened his tear filled eyes and looked into Janet's concerned brown ones. He opened his mouth to speak but no sound came out. |
| Janet softly stroked his cheek with her thumb and gave him a small, supportive smile. She nodded her head slightly, silently urging him to try again. |
| He swallowed deeply, blinked twice and then quietly, so very quietly the doctor heard the words, "Janet, I think I need help." |
| Without warning he slumped forwards towards her. She tucked his head tightly under her chin as he did so and wrapped her arms around him. She was shocked to feel his arms snake around her waist and cling on tightly and she stroked his back firmly. |
| Subconsciously she began rocking him gently to and fro as a mother would comfort a distressed child. They stayed that way for a short while until Janet quietly asked, "Jack, when was the last time you had any sleep?" |
| He unfurled his arms from their death grip on her waist and carefully pushed himself up to a sitting position. |
| "Truthfully?" he asked, looking her straight in the eye. "I haven't a clue. I go home, sit on the couch and wish I could invite Daniel round for pizza and beer like we often do when we're not on a mission. Then I remember I can't do that any more so I get myself a drink. Then I'll have another to toast Daniel, then another to commiserate my failure to protect him. Then another for the team that I've lost, then another to forget…" |
| He found that he couldn't hold her gaze any longer and dropped his eyes to his lap. |
| "…at some point I'll fall into bed and toss and turn all night. I might drop off for a few minutes but all I see is that God damn pyramid disappearing in a cloud of dust and I wake up again - stone cold sober and drenched in sweat." He glanced into her eyes again, "You guessed most of that though, I reckon. I don't think you miss much and the rumour mill's bound to be rife round here at the moment." |
| "I guessed you weren't sleeping well, that much is true." Janet agreed. "But, Colonel, you know that you can always talk to me. Day or night I'll always be there for you if you need me - you do know that don't you, Jack?" |
| "I guess so, I think I was in a bit of denial until not too long ago though. I thought I was handling things in my own way. I guess my way's not going too well though any more." |
| "What happened to change things, Jack? What happened today in particular?" Janet knew that Sam and Teal'c had been assigned to SG-2 and that today was their first mission through the gate since they lost Daniel. She figured that if she could get Jack to open up and admit the problem to himself then this would help to kick-start the healing process. |
| "I lost the other two," Jack said simply. "Sam and Teal'c are going through the gate without me, my last two chicks have flown the nest." |
| "And you're afraid that they've abandoned their 'mother hen' for good?" Janet asked him in a soft voice. |
| "Hmph," said Jack. "I think they've moved on without me, yes. I'm sure it's a good thing for the both of them and the SGC as well though. I've told the General that I don't want to keep going through the gate any more anyway. I just can't do it. There's no way I'd want to clip either of their wings and ground them here with me. They're out there doing what they know and love and more importantly, they're doing it together. I couldn't really ask for more, now could I?" |
| "I see what you mean, Sir." Janet agreed. "Are you certain about not going out in the field though? What would you do instead?" |
| "I've got to sit down and have a serious chat with the General about my options. I don't really want to retire again yet. It's always and option but something's telling me that's not the route I want to take at the moment. As I say, I've really got to talk to the General." he told her. |
| "I understand, Sir, really I do." Janet looked nervously at him. "Jack…" she hesitated. "…would you let me give you something? Something so you can rest. Either in the infirmary or on the couch in here if you'd be more comfortable." |
| "I'd prefer to stay here but someone may need something from in here." Jack pointed out. |
| "Not a problem, Sir." Janet said confidently. "I can lock you in and I'll even post someone to make sure no one disturbs you, apart from me. I'll come and check on you at regular intervals, if you don't mind. Once you're asleep I'll be careful that I don't wake you when I open the door. I'll be very quiet, Sir." |
| "Sure thing, Janet. What have you got - a shot or something? Did you come prepared?" he asked. |
| "I'm always prepared, Sir." Janet told him. "I have to be around here. Lie down here, Jack, and lose the boots." |
| Janet moved the cushions to one end of the couch for Jack to rest his head on. She patted them invitingly once Jack had removed his footwear. |
| As he lay down she had a sudden thought, "You've not been drinking today, have you, Sir? I need to know before I give you the shot." |
| "Not since yesterday, Doc. Just when I got home, before bed." he told her. |
| She wiped his bicep with a sterile wipe before injecting the sedative into his arm. "OK, once you've had a good sleep please promise me you're going to try and do something about the drinking. You know you can't keep on the way you are, drinking is never a solution. You're a stronger man than that, Jack. In your heart you know that too." |
| "Hmm, pr'mise J'net," came the slurred reply. |
| Janet sighed, the shot was obviously taking effect very rapidly on the appallingly tired Colonel. |
| "Just remember, we're all here for you, Colonel." she said quietly as she stroked his hair. She pulled a blanket out of the cupboard by the door and covered the now sleeping man with it. She pulled out the desk chair and sat for a few minutes, watching him sleep, before she moved quietly outside and locked the door behind herself. |
| She used the phone in the corridor to call General Hammond and waited until the SF arrived that the General had sent down. She gave the soldier strict instructions that no one was to be allowed inside the office and to call herself immediately if Jack tried to leave. |
| Then, with a heavy heart, she made her way back to the infirmary to make herself a very strong cup of coffee. |
| ~#~ (Chapter 15) |
| Eleven hours had passed by the time Jack awoke, finally roused from his slumber by the overriding need to pee. |
| He opened his eyes and looked around, trying to get his bearings. His eyes settled on the still form of Janet Fraiser. She was sleeping soundly in an uncomfortably looking desk chair with her feet up on the end of the couch near to Jack's own feet. |
| The Colonel clambered to his feet being careful not to disturb the small doctor as he did so. He quietly slipped into the bathroom and took care of the pressing need of his bladder. |
| He washed his face and scrubbed his damp hands through his short hair before attempting to flatten it back into some sort of order. |
| He returned to the main room of the office and gently roused Janet with a slight shake on her shoulders. She opened her eyes and looked around, somewhat confused by her uncomfortable position. |
| "Hey, Doc, you OK?" he asked. "That doesn't look to be the best chair to be sleeping in. How long have you been there anyway?" |
| Janet sat up and stretched her arms above her head then peered at her watch. "Finished my shift about five hours ago," she told him. "I sat in here reading for a while but I guess I dropped off at some point." |
| She looked around for her book before she finally located it on the floor under her chair. She reached down and placed it on the desk behind her. |
| "How are you feeling, Sir?" she asked. "By my reckoning you've had a little over eleven hours sleep. I promise I didn't give you enough sedative to knock you out for anywhere near that long. Your body obviously took what it needed once I gave it a helping hand to get settled in the first place." |
| "Yeah, I guess it did need a bit of help settling," he admitted. "To be honest I do feel a hell of a lot better. Amazing what a good sleep can do for you. Don't know about you but I could eat out the commissary at the moment - and that's saying something." |
| "Good idea, Colonel. Cassie's staying with a friend overnight so I've no reason to rush back. Once we've eaten I'm going to have a shower to freshen up before I even think about going home. Don't take it the wrong way but I think you may want to do the same, Sir." She gave him a careful smile as she offered up this suggestion. |
| Jack looked down at his crumpled clothing and grimaced. "You know what? Hungry though I am, I think I might actually need to do that first. I can't be seen in public looking like this. My stomach will have to wait half an hour while I make myself presentable." |
| Jack removed his wrinkled outer-shirt and folded it over his arm. He then patted down his trousers in a vain attempt to flatten them. |
| "Meet you outside the commissary in 30?" he suggested. |
| "OK, Colonel. Will do." she replied. |
| Jack started towards the door intending to leave. |
| "Er, Jack…" Janet called after him. |
| "What?" Jack asked, turning back towards her. |
| "Well…You might need those." she said, pointing at Jack's boots that had been pushed under the couch. |
| "Humph, yeah you may be right there." he smiled, looking down at his sock clad feet. "Oh, sod it." he gave her a cheeky look, bent down and picked up the boots. He then turned and left the room without putting them on. |
| "Men," thought Janet to herself. Looking out of the door at the departing Colonel she couldn't help but smile. A hurdle had definitely been cleared today. The race was far from over but at least they were still in the running. |
| ~#~ (Chapter 16) |
| Three Weeks Later. |
| A considerably improved Colonel O'Neill asked for admittance to the office of General George Hammond. He was ushered inside and sat down himself down when requested. He resisted the temptation to squirm as he felt the scrutiny of his commanding officer. |
| The older man was obviously pleased by what he saw as he let out a deep breath and announced, "Colonel O'Neill, it's good to see you looking so much better. To what do I owe the honour of your visit today? Do you feel you're ready to return to active duty?" |
| "Ah, well, that is one of the reasons I wanted to talk to you. Could I possibly discuss another item first, Sir?" Jack asked. |
| "By all means, Colonel, please do." the General said obligingly. |
| "Well, Sir," Jack began. "It's about Daniel's house." |
| "Ah, yes, I was beginning to wonder about that," the General told him. "I didn't want to press the issue though, I knew you'd make a decision about it in your own time." |
| "Thank you, Sir," Jack said. "I wanted to run an idea past you before I took things any further. |
| "OK, but Jack, the final decision lies with you." the older man reminded him. |
| Jack nodded, "I know, Sir, just this could be a big deal depending on your views of alien humans living out on the streets of Colorado Springs." |
| "Sounds like you have a particular plan in mind, Jack." the General observed. |
| Jack noticed the use of his first name immediately as Hammond's way of letting him know that the conversation would not necessarily end up on file if he felt that Jack's idea was inappropriate. |
| "Thanks, George," Jack said, acknowledging the unspoken agreement between the two of them. "The thing is…you know that Nyan has been lodging with Major Donnelly while he's been getting used to life on planet Earth." |
| "Yes, I realise that. I know the arrangement has been very helpful to him as well. I'm sure it's eased his transition into Earth society a great deal." Hammond said this with a little pride in his voice. He had played a large part in getting Nyan's paperwork through efficiently and had suggested that one of the members of the SGC take the young Bedrosian under their wing for a while. |
| They all held a great deal of respect for the young man who had turned his back on his whole belief system to help SG-1 out of the jam they had found themselves in. |
| "Yes, Sir, me too." Jack agreed, his military training kicking back in automatically as he used the official salutation on his commanding officer. "Well…you already know that Charles Donnelly recently married his fiancé Charlene." |
| "Yes, I'm aware. That's why he requested a transfer off of SG-2," the General replied. |
| "Right, Sir. Well, what you may not yet know is that Charlene and Charles have discovered that they are going to be parents in a little over seven months time." Jack said. |
| "No, I can't say that bit of info has made its way to me. Although it's very early days so I can't imagine they want it to be public knowledge yet?" Hammond asked. |
| "No, Sir, you're right. Not many people know yet at all." Jack admitted. "The only reason that I know is because Nyan told me. I went to apologise for chucking him out of Daniel's office the other week but something else was obviously on his mind. Well, I prodded him a bit and he told me that he was feeling a bit out of place at the Donnelly's house. He feels that the newly-weds deserve to have the house to themselves, especially now there's a baby on the way. I didn't want to get his hopes up so I simply said that I'd explain the situation to yourself and see if another solution could be come up formulated." |
| "Well done, Colonel. I wish Nyan had felt that he could come to me himself with this. I don't want that young man worrying unduly. I think I can guess where your thoughts are headed but go on, Colonel. What's your idea?" the General asked the younger man. |
| "Yes, I think you've probably worked out what I'm going to suggest. I want to offer Daniel's house to Nyan. We owe him a lot for saving our butts out on Bedrosia and I think Daniel would have been more than pleased to see his house and belongings going to someone who would really appreciate them. Nyan has been taken under the wing of the whole archaeological department and he'd basically become Daniel's protégé. I know he'll care for the artifacts in Daniel's house and treat them with the same respect that Daniel would have done. The house is fully paid for and I've taken the more personal items out already, along with anything even vaguely classified. Carter's still got his computer shoved under the desk in her lab and the fish tank has been moved into the rec room here. Everything else is just "stuff" and artifacts with the exception of the piano which, quite frankly, I've got no idea what to do with. If Nyan's having the house I'd like him to keep the piano safe for sentimental reasons although I'll move it into storage if I have to. I'd rather not do that though as it'll do it no good packed away in some cold and possibly damp storage area." Jack paused for breath and the General jumped in before he could get going again. |
| "I'm sure that Nyan would take good care of it." George told the other man. "Let me make some phone calls and I'll check that there'll be no fallout from us allowing Nyan free run of Colorado Springs. Although he is one of the most sensible, level headed young men that I'm ever likely to meet so I'm not anticipating any problems. I'll be telling the powers that be of my opinion on this matter too." |
| "Thank you, Sir." Jack replied. "Do you want me to discuss my other 'issue' now?" |
| "Tell you what, Colonel. Why don't you leave me to make these calls for now?" the General asked reasonably. "Come back in one hour and I'll hopefully be able to let you know what's been decided. We can discuss the other matter once a decision's been made about Nyan." |
| "Fine by me, Sir. I'll be back in one hour." Jack told his commanding officer. He stood and waited to be dismissed. He saluted Hammond before leaving the room. |
| ~#~ |
| When he returned an hour later Jack knocked on the General's door. As he waited to be called in he could hear that the other man was obviously still on the phone. |
| A couple of minutes later the voice inside the office stopped and he was called to enter. |
| As he stepped across the threshold of the office, Jack watched his CO for clues of how the conversation had gone. He noted that George seemed quite at ease although he knew from experience that the Texan was a formidable poker player so nothing was for certain. |
| "Sit down, Colonel." The General said in a jovial tone. "It's good knews. The presidential aides have agreed that Nyan is to be given fill and unrestricted access to the Colorado Springs area for as long as he is working within the SGC. Should anything happen to his position here then the decision may be reversed but I can't see their being much likelihood of that myself. They have suggested that you may want to remain as owner of Doctor Jackson's property while allowing Nyan to live their as a tenant." |
| "But…" Jack interrupted. |
| "I'm not suggesting you charge him rent to live their or anything like that. The paperwork can remain in your name but an agreement can be drawn up between Nyan and yourself quite easily." the General told him. |
| "Oh. That's not quite what I had in mind, Sir." Jack told the older man. "I was intending to sign the whole thing over to Byan - lock, stock and barrel - so to speak. I have no need for the house. Both it and my house are fully paid for and I have the cabin for when I eventually retire. That's been in my family for years and was bought and paid for before I was born, Sir." |
| "I understand, Jack. However until Nyan has proved himself trustworthy to the likes of the NID and the IAO they want him to have as little collateral as possible. That sounds as ludicrous to me as I'm sure it does to you but, son, we have to stay on the right side of these people - no matter what our personal opinions are." |
| "OK, Sir. I'll go ahead with that - even if I don't entirely agree with it." Jack agreed graciously. "So it's OK if I run the idea past Nyan later today? I know he's holed up in the archaeology lab today trying to decipher some tablet or the other that SG-11 brought back last week. It's got 'em all stumped at the moment." |
| "You may speak to Nyan, Jack, with my blessing. That young man deserves to truly start living his life here on Earth and this might just be the opening he needs to do that. Now, how about the other item that item that we needed to discuss? I noticed that when you were talking about the cabin it didn't sound like you were intending to retired to it any time soon. That's good news in my opinion, son." |
| "Well, yes and no, Sir." Jack began. "No, you're right I don't intend to retire yet - certainly not under my own steam anyhow." |
| "Glad to hear that, Colonel. Why do I have a feeling there's a 'but' at the end of that sentence?" George asked. |
| "…because there is, Sir. I don't want to retire, but I also don't think I could cope with regular gate travel quite yet - or maybe ever. This thing with Daniel. Sir…it's given me a lot of time to re-evaluate my place here. It's made me sit back and look at my current life as a whole too. I've spent a lot of time in the last few weeks with Dr. Teague - one of MacKenzie's colleagues. Janet arranged for me to meet with her and, Sir, she's been an angel. I still want to be of use here but I don't want to be responsible for breaking in another team only to have them snatched out from under me again." Jack paused and scrubbed his hands through his hair. "Problem is, Sir, I'm not cut out for a desk job so I'm not sure where my options lie at present." |
| "Hmm, I see, Colonel," the older man said. "Leave it with me for a few days and I'll see if I can come up with a satisfactory agreement. Doctor Fraiser tells me that you're still under doctors orders until the end of next week anyway. In the mean time go and break the good news to Nyan, it'll be a nice change to see the spirits lifted a little in the archaeology department. The mood down there has been extremely sombre of late - not without good reason, I understand - but sombre none the less." |
| "Yes, Sir. I'll go and see him now." Jack agreed. |
| The General nodded in acknowledgement. "Dismissed, Colonel." |
| ~#~ (Chapter 17) |
| It was early the next week when Jack was finally recalled to General Hammond's office. He waited nervously while the General spoke to his secretary outside. |
| When the older man stepped back into the room he immediately noticed Jack standing behind the visitors chair. "At ease, Colonel. Take a seat." |
| Jack waited until the General took his own seat before sitting down himself. |
| George leaned his elbows on the polished wooden desktop and steepled his fingers looking at Jack thoughtfully. "I think you know why I asked you here and you don't need to worry. I think I've found a solution that will keep all affected parties happy." |
| "That's good to hear, Sir." Jack told him, letting out a small sigh of relief. "May I ask what your plan entails, Sir?" |
| "Well, it all hinges on you being willing to take the occasional gate trip. Only backwards and forwards between the Alpha site and maybe occasionally the Beta site too," the General explained. |
| "I would be agreeable to that, Sir. Doing what though?" Jack asked. |
| "Off-world training, Colonel." The General said confidently. "Once the new recruits have undergone basic training they will be sent to yourself, and the team that you'll be leading, for more in-depth training. You have completed more missions through the gate than most other men and you've been with the program since it's inception. If there's anyone who can prepare those soldiers for what they might meet out there then - in my opinion - there's no better man than you, Colonel." |
| Jack leant forwards wanting to hear more of the plan. |
| "You would be based at the Alpha site, accommodation areas have already been set up - granted they're not glamorous but they're serviceable. You'll be in constant contact with the SGC and also with teams in the field - to offer advice if needed. You will be the most experienced officer there and the most highly decorated. Basically, Colonel, you'll be your own boss - within reason - while you're there." |
| The General saw an evil glint run through Jack's eyes as he processed the information that the older man had just imparted. |
| "Sir…" Jack said slowly. "I think you're a genius." |
| A relieved smile played across the faces of both men. |
| "I'm glad you approve, son," George told him fondly. "How long do you need to put your things in order here? When can you be ready to go?" |
| "End of next week OK, Sir?" Jack asked. "Nyan's moving into Daniel's house at the weekend and I said I'd help him. I think he's finding the whole prospect a bit daunting actually, Sir." |
| "I'm sure he is, son. I'm sure he is. I'm grateful you accepted the position, Jack. I'm not sure what I would have done with you if you hadn't," the General admitted. |
| "Thank you, Sir. It's more than I could have hoped for when I spoke to you last week." Jack told him. "To be honest I was still wondering if a quick retirement may have been on the cards. I wouldn't have been entirely surprised if you'd ordered it actually, Sir." |
| "No, Colonel. You're far too valuable a commodity to let go that easily." George told him. "This way your vast experience can benefit the SGC for years to come, through the next generation of soldiers. With any luck it'll be the start of a legacy that'll outlive the pair of us." |
| "A cheery thought, I'm sure." Jack said, raising himself to his feet. "If that's all, Sir. I think I've got some packing to do." |
| "Certainly, son." George said. "Dismissed." |
| ~#~ (Chapter 18) |
| Jack was scheduled to leave for the Alpha site at the end of the following week. That gave him just enough time to help Nyan move into Daniel's house, get his basic affairs in order and lock up his house ready for whenever he would next return. |
| The day before he was due to leave he paid Nyan a visit and was pleased to see that the young man was starting to settle in nicely. He then delivered his truck, house keys and vital paperwork to Janet Fraiser for safekeeping. |
| He reported for duty on the morning of his scheduled departure and was pleased to see that Sam and Teal'c had arranged to be there at the SGC that morning. He was worried that they would be off-world and that they wouldn't have the chance to see them before he left. They'd been off-world a great deal in the last few weeks, SG-2 basically taking over and filling the void left by the absence of SG-1. |
| Jack felt a little guilty that he hadn't really managed to sit down with Sam and Teal'c to explain why he'd taken the training position at the Alpha site. He hoped they understood why he felt he couldn't lead a team through the gate any longer and that the loss of Daniel was the proverbial straw that had broken the camel's back. |
| When the time came to change into his BDUs, Jack found himself alone in the locker room. He sat for a short while in the quiet space and remembered, with fondness, some of the friendly banter that had gone on in the area between Daniel, Teal'c and himself. |
| "Good times," he thought to himself. He sighed before standing up to slowly get changed. |
| ~#~ |
| Ten minutes later, when he turned the corner into the gate room, Jack was greeted by the sight of all five members of the 'new and improved' SG-2 standing by the ramp. The entire team had gathered to wish him well in his new venture. |
| As he walked towards them Ferretti stepped forwards. "Hey, Jack. We had to come and see you off, to make sure you didn't change your mind at the last moment. I've kinda got used to my team how it is now. You've trained those two well, Jack. If you train your new recruits to anything like the same standard then the Goa'uld of the future ain't gonna know what's hit 'em." |
| "Hmph," replied Jack. "Don't think I can take much of the credit for those two, Lou. The pair of 'em were trained long before I ever got my grubby mitts on 'em! Glad to see you looking after 'em though. You better keep that up too 'cos I'll be back and after your scrawny little Italian ass the minute I hear otherwise." |
| "Don't you worry about that, Jack. I don't think Teal'c'd take no crap from me anyway!" Lou laughed, slapping his former CO on the back. "Anyways, I'll let you say your goodbyes to the others. I just couldn't let you slope away without saying something." |
| "I appreciate that, Lou, I really do." Jack told him as Lou stepped aside to allow Jack to pass. |
| He greeted the other two members of SG-2 with a simple acknowledgement before he got to Sam. |
| She had a glimmer of excess moisture in her eyes but Jack knew from experience that the Major would shed no tears in public. She would probably wait until later that evening to do so in the privacy of her own home. He hoped that Teal'c would be there to offer her a shoulder to cry on and that she'd not suffer the upset alone. |
| "Major," he greeted her formally. |
| "Sir," she replied, grateful that he'd given her the formality to hide behind. "Good luck, Sir. We'll miss you." |
| "Me too, Carter. Me too," he agreed. "You stay safe, you hear me? I don't want to have to come and drag you out of some hell hole 'cos Ferretti's not looking after you like he should." |
| "I'll try, Sir," she promised. "Really I will. Do you know they've agreed that Teal'c and I will stay together and that we're now officially full members of SG-2?" |
| "I heard," Jack told her. "I think it's a good move. You know where you stand now. I never liked the idea of you being left hanging, not quite knowing where you belonged. I suppose that until they'd figured out what to do with me they couldn't really make a decision about what to do with the two of you." |
| "Yes, Sir, I agree. Please try and keep in touch, the best you can. I know you're going to be based mainly at the Alpha site but please, Sir, don't become a stranger to us," she pleaded. |
| "Hey, there ain't many stranger than me. You should know that, Carter." Jack joked, trying to lift the mood. |
| Sam smiled. "Yeah. I know that, Sir," she chuckled, then added more seriously, "…but you know what I mean." |
| "I do, Carter, don't worry." He squeezed her shoulder tightly with one of his hands. It was all the contact he could allow on the base although what he really wanted to do was draw her into a crushing hug and not let go. |
| She looked deep into his eyes and he knew that she understood. She gripped the wrist of the arm holding her shoulder and squeezed back briefly. |
| He nodded, dropped his arm and moved past Sam to speak to Teal'c. |
| "O'Neill," the large man said solemnly. "It has been an honour to serve with you over many years. We have overcome a great number of formidable obstacles together and I owe you my life many times over. I wish you 'Ral-tora kree' a wish of good luck in my language. Excel in the new challenges now set out for you and 'be safe' my brother." |
| With that the large Jaffa clamped his arm to his chest in a mark of respect and dropped his head. |
| "Amen to that," O'Neill said quietly, with a lump in his throat. He was pretty sure that was one of the longest speeches that Teal'c had ever directed at him. |
| He laid a hand on the warriors huge arm. "Look after 'em, T. Carter in particular, even though she won't appreciate me saying it. Ferretti's a good guy but you two are the only family I've got left. I don't want to lose either of you just 'cos I'm not there to keep my eyes on you." |
| "Indeed, O'Neill." Teal'c said. "I understand and pledge to continue protecting my Tau'ri brethren until the final breath leaves my body." |
| "You're a good man, Teal'c." Jack told him. |
| "Farewell, O'Neill." Teal'c finally said as he stepped back to stand next to Sam. |
| Jack turned and looked up towards the control room. He saw General Hammond looking down at them in the gate room and locked on to the older man's eyes. |
| The General held Jack's gaze for a moment or two. "Colonel O'Neill," came his voice over the comms. "Are you ready to depart? The Alpha site are expecting you round about now." |
| "Certainly, Sir." Jack called back. "Let's get this show on the road, General." |
| "Dial it up, Sergeant." George requested, smiling down at the assembled people with a fatherly look on his face. |
| "Yes, Sir." Walter replied and started depressing the appropriate buttons on his computer. |
| The gate spun into life and before long the wormhole was established. |
| The main bulk of people travelling through to the Alpha site went through the gate, taking with them the trunk containing Colonel O'Neill's personal possessions. He hadn't packed a great deal but he knew that the Alpha site was going to be 'home' for the foreseeable future so he'd packed himself a few certain items to make it more 'homely'. These were mainly photographs and mementos of his life with SG-1 and before that of his life with his beloved son, Charlie. |
| Soon only Jack remained and he walked slowly up the ramp. When he reached the top he turned to salute General Hammond, up in the control room. He felt his heart leap into his throat when the salute was answered, not only by the General but by all the five members of SG-2 who were standing to attention near the base of the ramp. |
| He broke the salute and turned swiftly towards the wormhole and the sudden frosty sensation that would mask any rogue tears that may have managed to escape. |
