This is the standard disclaimer. They don’t belong to me. This story is not intended to violate any copyrights held by Showtime/Viacom, MGM/USA, Double Secret Productions and Gekko Productions. No copyright infringement is intended.

Thank you to my betas Spacepixell, Loopy and Rponda, for all their hard work and efforts.

# 3 Paternal Instinct Series

By Amethyst

Part 3 of 3

Dr. Janet Fraiser started to pull the curtain back around Daniel's bed, blocking him from the anxious view of his teammates. The sight of the suffering young man caused Jack's temper to flare. He wordlessly stopped Janet by standing in the path of the curtain, effectively stopping both the barrier and the doctor. Rank had it privileges, if he didn't push too hard.

Daniel chose that moment to whimper in pain, rolling fitfully from his side, where Janet had propped him at the end of her examination, to his stomach. He curled into a ball, arms automatically drawing up to wrap around his middle for comfort. Barely awake, Daniel pushed his face into the thin pillow and quietly began sobbing. A muffled voice croaked out Daniel's usual one word plea for reassurance and protection. "Jack?"

At the sound of his name, Jack was at Daniel's side, skillfully having maneuvered his way around the diminutive doctor with an ease that spoke of long experience. Easing down onto the bed, Jack first wove the fingers of one hand through Daniel's long, disheveled strands of fine hair, then leaned down to whisper into Daniel's ear. "Hey, Big Guy, it's okay, I'm right here. Ssshh, Danny. You're home now. Everything's gonna be okay. Just rest. You're safe."

Daniel leaned into the warmth of Jack's hip and thigh by his side, turning his head deeper into the caressing fingers in his hair. A deep sigh of relief escaped him as he relaxed into the familiar, wanted presence, along with a low moan. "Head 'urts. M' butt's 'n fire." Tears rolled out of his closed eyes. Jack watched as one ran down the bridge of Daniel's nose to drip onto the pillowcase, his anger growing with the spreading stain of wetness.

Jack threw Janet a questioning, demanding looking. Janet exchanged unhappy glances with Sam and Teal'c, hesitant to discuss a patient's condition openly. At the worried and resolute expressions on all three soldiers' faces, she sighed in defeat then nodded at Jack, saying, "He's suffered injuries in both areas. I've given him something to help with the pain. He should be asleep in a few minutes, Colonel. We can talk then."

Jack tilted his head in acceptance of her brief explanation and decided to hold off on asking her what kind of injuries Daniel had suffered until his youngest was truly asleep. Retribution would have to take second place to reassurance and rest.

"Sshhh. I'm here and I'm going to stay right here. Go to sleep, Danny." He slowly threaded his fingers again and again through the soft strands in a mesmerizing, hypnotic rhythm that had never failed to send Charlie off to sleep within moments. It had the same effect on Daniel. The younger man drifted off under Jack's tender care with a last ragged sigh, as Janet, Sam, and Teal'c silently watched. When Jack decided Daniel was fully asleep he rose from the bed, catching Carter's eyes as he did so, slightly abashed at the tenderness and pride that shone in her decidedly misty eyes.

"You do that very well, sir." Carter let a shy smile of approval grace her lips.

Jack cleared his throat nervously and stuffed his hands in his pockets, momentarily dropping his gaze to the beloved person on the bed before meeting her soft gaze again. "Lots of practice with Charlie. It works on kids of all sizes. Daniel's just taller than he was." Jack darted a slightly embarrassed look over at Janet. The knowing smile on her face eased his discomfort a little and he shrugged his shoulder. "Hey, so I love the kid. He needs somebody to look after him."

Teal'c eased his 'brother's' discomfort with his usual soft spoken words. "Indeed, O'Neill, as we all harbor deep affection for DanielJackson, I am most anxious to know why the boy is in such pain. We found no marks or injuries on his body beyond the small reddened area on his temple."

Jack regained his mental balance now that the spotlight of the two perceptive women wasn't shining so brightly on his personal actions and emotions. "Exactly what kind of injuries are you talking about, Doc? He's in a lot of pain."

Janet stepped further away from the bedside and her audience obediently followed her. Once they were what she considered a safe distance from her patient, she turned and gave them all a stern look. "I usually wouldn't discuss this with anyone outside of the Colonel and General Hammond. But since Sam and Teal'c were with him when this happened and I don't know how this is going to affect him in the days to come, I'm dropping procedure and letting you all know in strictest confidence what I found during my examination." Janet sighed and crossed her arms over her chest in a gesture that the team had come to learn meant the doctor was containing her personal feeling and making sure she remained in clinical mode.

"I found only two areas of physical evidence of injury. The first being the reddened circle you've seen on his right temple. Evidence shows something was attached, embedded in his skin there. There is evidence of nervous tissue having been disrupted. Something like energy pulses was assaulting his nerve endings. Scans show there isn't any hemorrhaging or brain damage present. The puncture wounds made by the device go very deep, deep enough to have made contact with his skull."

"Why?" Jack looked from the doctor to Carter, expecting one of the learned ladies to come up with a suitable explanation for him. He was disappointed when Janet shook her head.

"I have no idea, Colonel, none at all. Apparently, it's alien technology I haven't seen yet."

Sam got that look on her face, the one where her brow furrowed and her eyes squinted like she was seeing something through a distant looking glass and the image wasn't clear enough for her to see all the details yet. The look that said she was in theoretical mode. The look Jack dreaded with all his heart, but had come to appreciate just the same.

"We access brain wave patterns with ECG electrodes in much the same way, Janet. Maybe they were studying or recording Daniel's brain wave patterns. Talmac did tell me those chimes that put Daniel to sleep were specifically set to match Daniel's brain receptors."

Jack frowned at that and knitted his brow together in thought. "When did he tell you that?"

"On the way to the gate, sir. I asked him about them." A slight blush colored Carter's cheeks telling Jack there was more to the story than his 2IC was sharing.

"I thought you weren't talking to him. Not after that lip licking thing back on the planet." Jack mimicked Talmac's earlier actions a little before catching himself.

Sam's color deepened at the interested and surprised look Janet gave her. "Well, sir, it was really a tiny, little threat--request on my part. I may have insinuated that if Daniel didn't regain consciousness soon, it was completely possible those chimes would end up inserted somewhere on his person where the sun doesn't shine."

"Sweet. He's afraid of me?" The pleased look on Jack's face was to juvenile for her to comment on.

"Ah, no, sir. I told him I would do it." Carter blushed and fidgeted, waving her hands in front of her nervously, head tilted to one side as if trying to look at the situation from a different angle would improve it. "And-and he may have heard something about," Sam coughed and cleared her throat delicately, "something about choking on it."

Jack's pleased look turned into delight before he swallowed it down, giving Carter a respectful nod and knowing smirk. "You probably made his day, Carter. The man will be having wet dreams for weeks to come." Startled at his own bad choice of words, Jack apologized. "Sorry, ladies. Carter, the guy has the hots for you." Jack gave Janet a guileless look. "What can I say, the guy gets off on dominant women."

"Yes, sir. I got that." Carter gave her CO a sweetly biting smirk and said, "But I reassured Talmac that you, the father of my children, all twelve of them, would be available to assist me if I had any trouble inserting things."

Jack caught Teal'c's eye. One of the Jaffa's eyebrows actually visibly rose in a graceful arch, the equivalent of laughing out loud for Teal'c. Janet merely opened her eyes wide in disbelief and tilted her head questioningly at Sam, who smiled mysteriously back at her, a mischievous twinkle in her eyes.

"I'll tell you all about the Colonel's and my 'marriage' later. Promise." Sam felt the embarrassment was worth the pained grimace that O'Neill graced them all with.

Janet blinked hard and muttered, "Wouldn't miss it for the world." Janet shook her head to clear her thoughts then got back to business. "Daniel's other injury is a bit more hidden than the first. You won't find it unless you get a view of Daniel's backside. His right hip has bruises in the shape of what look like finger marks. Like someone, someone large, held onto him tight enough to leave his handprint on Daniel's skin." Janet paused a moment to evaluate the others' reactions, noting how the Colonel straightened up and seemed to inflate a size larger with rage. Sam grew more concerned and Teal'c's presence just seemed to darken and expand around him.

"The most extensive injury is to his buttocks. They're bruised. The pattern of the bruising indicates a thin rod of some kind was used to beat him. The lines follow a regular path from the small of his back to the top of his thighs, fifteen distinct marks. Although the skin hasn't been broken, it's abraded in several areas. But that's not what's giving Daniel so much pain. The bruising isn't much worst than a paddling would cause, but whatever the person who did this used on Daniel, the device has the ability to deliver some sort of energy impulse when it meets the skin. Every cell in the nerve endings along the path of each strike has been traumatized. It's like they've been inflamed and disrupted from inside the cell. A few have even ruptured. They'll take more time to heal than the others will. That's what's causing Daniel's pain. It's agonizing to have the pain receptors in nerve cells directly affected. He won't be sitting comfortably for awhile, I can tell you that."

Sam managed to find her voice first. "A spanking caused this?"

Janet shook her head emphatically. "No, Sam. This wasn't a spanking you'd give your kid when they misbehave. This was a beating. Don't confuse the two. A spanking is delivered out of love and caring to help teach discipline to someone who can't seem to learn any other way. I can remember being given one or two of them myself growing up." Janet shook her head, her eyes growing cold and hard with suppressed anger. "This was a beating given with the intent to do harm, both physically and emotionally. I can't imagine a recipient of one of these beatings ever wanting to experience it again. I know I wouldn't. Daniel was beaten by someone who didn't care about the damage they inflicted on him. He was assaulted, Sam, not chastised."

"Is Daniel going to be okay?" Jack's concern was as raw and visible as an open wound.

Janet understood that deep unnamable ache that a parent endured each time their child suffered. Jack's need to father the naïve, inexperienced, young linguist was plain to anyone who spent more than ten minutes in their company. Daniel returned Jack's affection in like strength with his own need to be loved unconditionally and accepted for the unique individual he was.

As different as they were, they complimented each other on several levels. Jack brought stability, discipline and love into Daniel's life and Daniel gave Jack a purpose, a reason to be more than a hardened, combat officer. Daniel gave Jack a reason to care again. They brought a sense of family into each other's lives, and graced Sam and Teal'c with allowing them status within the tight-knit circle.

Janet smiled when she considered the fact that even Hammond and herself had been granted visitor status there, too. She wondered if Daniel ever thought of her as a maiden aunt.

Sam let out a soft sigh as her gaze darted over to the slumbering form of her 'little brother' turned 'son' for a day. She lingered over his smooth youthful face, seeing the occasional small grimace of pain in the fine wrinkles at the corners of Daniel's eyes and the thin press of his dry, chapped lips.

They had left Daniel alone, unprotected and defenseless. While they had been sitting, talking and eating, Daniel had been suffering a severe beating at the hands of some cold-hearted being for reasons that had yet to reveal themselves. If there even was a reason. Maybe whoever had done this had just enjoyed doing it.

Sam was sure Draco was responsible. He was the one who was found with an unconscious Daniel. He lied about why Daniel was separated from the others and was hidden away, locked in a distant chamber. He was the school's disciplinarian and a physically powerful man.

Sam was startled from her guilty contemplation by a strong hand on her arm. She looked up to see her CO sharing her worried inspection of Daniel. Her level of caring and concern for the young man were matched by his own and augmented by a huge dose of anger that made his soft, brown eyes darken.

Jack looked down at her and they exchanged a look that said they both knew how deeply the other cared. Proper or not, regulations be damned, SG-1 were family. Even if the edges of their complex relationships were unconventional, undefined and shifting, they always loved each other.

Today, Jack and Sam had become 'parents' however temporary and they both secretly cherished the roles. Husband, wife, son and Jaffa, the typical SGC all-American family. Jack thought he really should consider buying that dog. But first he had a little fatherly business to attend to. "Carter, stay with him. Rub his back if he gets restless. It helps when he's upset, even if he's sleeping. I'll be back shortly. Uncle Teal'c, wanta join me?"

"Indeed, O'Neill, I would be honored to accompany you on your quest." A knowing glint of anticipation lightened the big Jaffa's mood.

Sam and Janet traded amazed and amused looks as they both moved closer to Daniel's side. "Where are you going?" Sam looked a little put out at being left behind.

Jack continued out of the room, but walked backwards to face the women as he answered. "Questioning my time away from home already? I guess that means the honeymoon is over." He was rewarded with a snicker from Janet and an exasperated sigh from Carter. "A little family business. We're going to find Talmac. I'm going to check him for size for those chimes. Be right back, dear wife of mine. Take care of the children while I'm gone. All twelve of them."

Sam started to deliver a quip back to her irrepressible CO, but stuttered to halt when she overheard Teal'c ribbing Jack with a muttered comment about "Twelve children, O'Neill. It is understandable that CaptainCarter considers you experienced in assisting with any act of 'insertion'." Jack's retort was lost as the two males turned down the hallway.

Janet gave Sam's bright red complexion the once over with a critical eye. "I'm not waiting for later to hear about this 'marriage'. Spill it."

With a sigh that turned into a shy smile, Sam settled herself at Daniel's side, stroking his back as she quietly related the mission's pitfalls to her friend.

*********

Jack slipped past the ever-watchful eyes of the nursing staff and quietly walked up to the bedside. His face creased into a tender smile at the sight of a sleeping Daniel and a drowsy Carter snuggled together on the thin infirmary bed.

Carter was hunched over in the hard-backed chair, head resting on her folded arm on the mattress near Daniel's chest, eyes closed in a restless doze. Her right hand lay splayed over Daniel's left shoulder, alternately rubbing or twitching against him, still offering a comforting anchor to tie Daniel to home.

Moving with all the stealth he had honed over the years, Jack glided up to Carter's side. He leaned down next to her ear, but still what he judged to be a safe distance away from her right hook. "Fall asleep babysitting, Carter? What will the neighbors say?"

The deep warm tone of Jack's voice startled Sam. She jerked upright, nearly smashing Jack in the nose as she straightened. Expecting her reaction, Jack darted clear of the impact and moved around so his 2IC could see him. The bright smile that greeted him increased the wattage of the one his own lips carried.

"Sorry, sir. It was so quiet in here I must have drifted off."

Sam hid a yawn behind her hand and looked Jack over with an appraising eye. "Did you find Talmac? What did he have to say about Daniel's injuries?"

Jack snorted and lost his smile. "The weasel had already turned in for the night. General Hammond put him in one of the VIP rooms with a guard and granted the creep's request not to be bothered until the morning."

"He probably knew you'd be after his skin once a doctor got a look at Daniel." Sam dropped her gaze back down to the person in question as Daniel let out a small whimper. She automatically began to gently rub long strokes up and down Daniel's back.

"He likes it better if you rub in circles. Let me show you." Jack gestured to Sam to get up and she reluctantly stood up, leaving her hand in contact with Daniel until Jack had seated himself in her place. She felt Jack's hand slid over hers, holding it in place when she tried to step away.

"Just leave your hand there. Do it like this." He slowly moved both their hands in increasing circles over the tense muscles underneath. Within moments Daniel seemed to relax further into the mattress and the hard muscles under their hands felt like warm molding clay, supple and malleable.

"See? He's used to me doing it. Told me once it's one of the few memories he has of his father, the way his dad used to lull him to sleep on restless nights when he was too full of energy and excitement to settle down enough to rest." Jack blushed a little at the sweet look of endearing affection on Carter's face. Her very close and stunning face. Jack swallowed hard once and looked away, deciding to study the small slice of Daniel's face he could see from his position instead.

"He depends on you. You're the first thing he calls for when he's scared or hurt. If you're nearby, he knows everything's going to be all right. That's a lot of faith, sir. A lot of trust and love." Sam withdrew her hand and straightened up, but refused to put any amount of distance between them.

Jack looked down at the sleeping young man under his hand then back up at Carter. He looked her straight in the eye, sincere gaze never wavering, holding her own soft expression captive in a moment of silence until he made a decision on how to respond. His voice was low and husky with emotion. "Daniel deserves the best I have to give him. He's responsible for my still being alive, in more ways than the obvious ones. I love him and need him just as much as he loves and needs me. Maybe more. He's not always happy with me, or the way I show my love sometimes, but he respects it. He's at the center of our little family's life, Carter."

Sam automatically responded to the husky, nearly seductive tones of Jack's voice, making her answering comments just as soft and intimate sounding. "Our family life?"

Jack nodded, eyes still locked on Sam's face. "Yeah. Danny and I discussed this already. He's the son, Teal'c's his uncle, on his father's side. I'm the dad and you. Our little family. Kinda," Jack cleared his throat, but didn't look away, "kinda like I told Talmac."

Reading the unspoken message in Jack's unguarded expression, Sam allowed herself to peek into the man's heart and soul he had just laid at her feet. "So……I'm the mom?"

"Kinda." Jack felt his heart twist a little in his chest at the pleased little smile that tugged up the corners of Carter's mouth. "Daniel's having trouble getting over the big sister thing, but I think he'll get there over time."

"So if… you're the dad and I'm the mom, that makes us…?" Carter tilted her head to one side and watched a bead of nervous sweat pop out on Jack's upper lip.

"Parents." He tone was now husky and playful, trying to draw out the little battle of wits as long as he could.

"Partners." The thoughts of licking that tiny bead of sweat off his lip distracted her for a moment. Sam stepped a pace closer to him.

"Ah…yeah." Jack compounded Sam's problem of control by licking his lips, absently catching the drop on his own tongue.

"Like a… couple." Sam ran her tongue over her own lips purposefully mimicking the Colonel's unwitting seductive move.

"Just like a couple." Jack stared at Carter a moment longer. "If you'll have us." He let his sincerity and devotion register with the perceptive woman, hoping it would be enough to let her know how he felt, how he saw her, thought about her and her place in his world, if she wanted it. Apparently, she understood because she was coming closer to him.

Sam stepped into Jack's personal space and laid her hand back down on his, which was still resting on Daniel's back. A flirtatious glance from under her lashes made Jack return her soft smile with a delighted grin of his own. "You'd better show me how to do that back rub again. Moms need to know these things about their kids."

For long moments, a sleeping Daniel was treated to a single, warm, loving gesture made up of two hands and two hearts in perfect synchronization.

***************

By mid-morning, Daniel woke up to the familiar sight of Jack dozing at his bedside in a hard-backed chair. Sam was perched on the edge of his mattress, lazily rubbing soothing circles over his back, just the way Jack usually did. A sudden burst of warmth and comfort shot through Daniel, feeling a sense of security in having both of them near. He knew Teal'c was somewhere close, mediating and resting while the others took their turn at the watch.

Daniel realized this was becoming a far too frequent event. So frequent, in fact, he almost expected to see them each morning when he awoke in his own bedroom. That was unsettling.

But more unsettling was the fact that Daniel couldn't remember why he was in the infirmary to begin with. He had a faint throbbing on the right side of his head and a heavy, dull burning in his backside, but neither discomfort was great enough to warrant an infirmary visit, let alone an overnight stay. He searched his memory for an explanation until the throbbing threatened to become a full-blown headache.

"Daniel?" Sam paused in her gentle motions and shifted to one side on the mattress so she could touch Jack's leg and wake him. "Colonel? He's awake."

Sam's soft, clear voice reminded him he wasn't alone. Daniel decided forego the headache and just ask one of the two other people who should know the answers to his questions.

Daniel groaned softly at the thought of the coming effort he would have to expend, but forced himself to flop over onto his back to talk anyway. As soon as his bottom settled onto the mattress the groan became a near-shriek of pain. Daniel instantly rolled away to escape the pain, nearly falling out of the bed.

"Jack?" Fear and confusion turned the name into a strangled cry of panic.

Strong arms wrapped around Daniel's chest and waist, pulling him back to the center of the narrow bed. The arm on top of him released his waist to allow a hand to settle into his hair, massaging his scalp, while deep, low tones Daniel assumed were words filtered through the blinding haze of the intense pain. Firm warmth was pressed up against part of his back and he gradually relaxed into it as the pain faded to an uncomfortable, but tolerable burn. The low tones began to take shape, turning into the familiar and needed voice of the man he looked to for strength and safety. The man he thought more and more often of as his father.

"Jack?"

"Right here, Danny. I got ya. Just relax and don't move. You good like this?" The firm, confident tone of Jack's voice helped ease some of Daniel's panic.

Daniel swallowed hard, taking several deep breaths to gain control of himself, pushing hard to think clearly. "Yeah, I'm…I'm fine now."

"Dan-iel." Bullshit. I can feel you shaking.

The hand in his hair gave a lock of the fine strands a firm, but gentle tug to get his attention.

"Jaacck." Okay, but I will be fine…later… I think.

Daniel reached up and locked a hand onto the arm still around his waist. "What's wrong with me? What happened?"

A small commotion behind him startled Daniel and he stiffened in Jack's embrace, too afraid to move to see what was going on.

Jack felt him tense up and hurried to ease the vulnerable young man's mind. "Don't worry, it's just old Uncle Teal'c and sweet Cousin Janet sailing to your bedside. That yelp must have carried to the top of the mountain, Danny-boy."

Despite his discomfort and embarrassment over the situation, Daniel managed a small snicker at the familial titles Jack had bestowed on the two new visitors to his cubicle.

"Hey, I at least wanted to be an aunt." The disappointment in the doctor's voice was genuine and unmistakable. She rounded the bed and brushed a hand over Daniel's pale cheek noting the chill of his skin. Her crisp voice was professional and authoritative. "Let's get him settled comfortably as possible and covered up. He's a little shocky from the sudden intensity of the pain."

Jack looked up at her concerned face and nodded, working his arm out from under Daniel. "Whatever you say, Auntie J."

Janet rolled her eyes at him but her tiny smile of delight and self-satisfaction made the Colonel flash a flirtatious wink at her. The tough, petite doctor blushed far easier than Jack had expected.

A sharp pinch to his back, near where Carter stood close enough to his side that he could feel her body heat, made Jack flinch. He looked back over his shoulder and gave Sam an apologetic smile and a slow wink, but this one held a genuine promise in it. A very brief, soothing touch on his back rubbed the ache away and brought a blush to his skin, just not to his face.

Jack cleared his throat and turned his attention back to Daniel, ignoring the slight grunt huffed on his other side. Jack didn't dare look at Teal'c right now. The Jaffa had walked in on Jack and Sam rubbing Daniel's back together last night and Jack had been treated to any number of raised eyebrows and teeny, tiny smirks from the warrior since then. One wrong, teasing word from Teal'c right now and Jack knew he would be a bruised pincushion before the day was over.

Jack felt shudders run through Daniel's slender shoulder as he made to step away. Daniel's hand clutched desperately at him as he tried to ease his arm away. He didn't miss the sharp intake of breath as Daniel struggled to keep silent about his needs. Deciding to work one handed and allow Teal'c and Sam to aid in the effort, Jack kept his hand on Daniel's head and used his other to tuck pillows and blankets around the tense form.

They worked together to prop pillows behind Daniel's back that Sam and Teal'c snatched from unoccupied beds, then added two more layers of the thin, cotton, military issue blankets to the young man's coverings. Within a few moments Daniel was positioned and covered as comfortably as they could make him.

Janet crouched down by his face and looked critically at the furrowed brow. "Do you need something for pain, Daniel?"

"NO. I just woke up. I don't want to be put back to sleep again. Jack, what happened? I don't remember getting hurt. When did we leave the planet?" Confusion and no little bit of fear were pushing Daniel back into a panic. Waking in a place other than the last known location he remembered being in was unnerving Daniel. Not only didn't he remember how he got home, he couldn't remember being hurt. No battle, no attack, no capture, not even an accident graced his hazy recollections. Daniel's brilliant mind raced over memories and details of his last conscious thoughts and nothing triggered any sudden inspirations. He felt lost and adrift, like a part of him had been stolen.

"Jack, Sam? Somebody tell me what happened. When did we come home? Why am I here? I can't remember anything that happened after we went through the gate. Jack" Help me.

Daniel's voice was breathless and pleading, so like Charlie's had been when the boy would come into his parent's bedroom after a nightmare seeking reassurance it was just a dream.

Responding immediately to the tone, Jack sat down on the edge of the bed, displacing Janet from her crouch by Daniel's side. "Hey, slow down there, Big Guy. You're safe." He quickly ran a hand up Daniel's arm and grabbed the back of Daniel's neck, ruffling hair as he went. "We don't really know what happened. Not exactly. We found a Temple on the planet. The people call themselves the Marr. We separated for a while and when we found you, you were unconscious. Teal'c carried you back through the gate and Doc Fraiser," Jack cast a small smirk in Janet's direction, "oh sorry, Auntie J here has been keeping you hostage until you woke up."

"Why does my backside hurt? It felt like I turned over onto a bed of hot coals instead of the mattress. What happened?"

Seeing Jack at a loss to explain the medical nature of the injury, Janet stepped back up to the bed so Daniel could see her clearly. Putting on her best friendly physician face she tried to be as reassuring as possible but knew Daniel was too intelligent for her to gloss over the facts too much. "You were assaulted, Daniel. Beaten, really. I think less modern terms for it would be flogged or caned by a thin, flexible rod of some kind. Wherever it touched skin, it had the capability to disrupt and damage the nerve cells it came in contact with. While the blows themselves were hard enough to bruise you, the nerve damage is what's giving you so much pain. It's increased when any amount of pressure in placed on the affected area. But don't worry, Daniel, the damage isn't permanent and as long as you promise to take it easy, no pressure on the injured tissue, I'll even release you from here in a few hours."

"He'll be good, Doc, I'll make sure of it. He'll have lots of time to recuperate." Jack gave Daniel a reassuring smile. "On my couch."

"Who did it? Why? What did I do wrong?" The need to understand was important to Daniel. If he couldn't remember what had happened, at least he could try to assign the event to a logical explanation of why.

The scientist in him needed to understand, if not accept the reason another being would attack him like this. Did he breach some taboo, insult a cultural icon, break a sacred law, misinterpret a symbol, misspeak a language. He was looking for anything that would give him a clue so that he wouldn't repeat the same offense again, endanger the team again, ruin a mission with his ineptitude. Maybe next time there would be more dire consequences if he didn't learn from it now.

"Nobody said you did anything wrong, Daniel. Nobody knows what happened. The guy that was with you, Draco, said you got sick and needed to lay down. Remember him?" Daniel gave a single negative shake of his head. "Too bad. We didn't know what had been done to you until we got back home. I left Draco on the floor in the room we found you in, but his buddy, the old headmaster Talmac, is here talking with General Hammond. I haven't been able to get my hands on--, ah, talk to him, since we came back to earth. But I will." Jack glanced at his watch and stood up, giving the head under his hand a final ruffle and shake. "The general is expecting me in about twenty minutes. I'd better freshen up a bit first. Maybe find my brass knuckles."

He gave Daniel the once over, trying to decide if the still unsettled younger man was okay with his absence. "You don't remember anything that happened?"

"Not after making planet side. Nothing. I'm sorry, Jack." Guilt and embarrassment clung to Daniel's voice and pale face. "I didn't mean to ruin things."

"You're not responsible for any of this Daniel. I don't care what Talmac or Draco says, so stop worrying about it. And stop feeling guilty." Jack bit back his anger. It was for Talmac, not Daniel. "I have to go. I won't be long. Good old Uncle Teal'c and Mom will stay with you."

"This is kind of scary, Jack, you don't know I didn't do something wrong. I could have…….MOM?" Daniel darted wide, surprised eyes between Jack and Sam, taking in the blush that colored Sam's cheeks and the tiny, pleased smiles on both of their faces. "Exactly how long have I been asleep?" Daniel asked suspiciously.

Carter tactfully ignored Daniel's sarcasm. "Actually sir, I thought I would take some time to take a closer look at the gift one of the children on the planet gave me before we left. I haven't really inspected it yet."

Her guilt-ridden glance told them how much it had cost her to put her personal feelings for the young man before her usual steadfast dedication to duty. "I wanted to be sure Daniel was all right first." The pleased look on Jack's face instantly made Sam feel a little guilt was a small price to pay to have that soft, warm look in his dark eyes directed at her.

An audible sigh from Daniel broke the moment. "Jaaack." There are other people still in the room, guys.

"Daniel?" Ya think?

Jack suppressed a grin at the second long, frustrated sigh that escaped the now restless young man. "Okay. Carter, you go investigate the 'what's it' the kid gave you. I'll try getting another crack at Talmac and Teal'c--."

"I will remain with DanielJackson, O'Neill." Teal'c stepped closer to Daniel's side, a decidedly possessive air about him.

Jack nodded, silently sending his friend thanks with a tilt of his head, which the Jaffa acknowledged, with a slight nod of his own. "Okay. Sounds like a plan." Jack reached down and touched Daniel's shoulder. "Catch some rest, Danny. I'll let you know what I learn when I get back. And don't worry, these guys are hiding something, I can feel it. This isn't only about you."

Daniel answered with a tired, "All right. I'm fine, really." Daniel felt the heat rise in his face and he tried not to squirm in place. "I guess this leaves out sitting for awhile."

Jack let his disbelief show on his face. "Ohyeahsureyoubetcha. I believe it." He exchanged knowing looks with Teal'c before leaving the room with Carter at his side.

*************

Jack spent the majority of his time being frustrated with making nice with General Hammond and Talmac.

Once Jack cornered him, Talmac made no apology for Daniel's condition. With all the political savvy of an experienced negotiator, Talmac laid the blame on both Draco and Daniel's shoulders. Mostly Daniel's.

According to Talmac, the 'flogging' was an accepted method for punishing the most extreme of violations at the Temple. Obviously, according to Talmac, Daniel had done something extreme to bring the full wrath of the disciplinarian Draco, down on him so heavily. Thus, according the headmaster, the responsibility for the consequences he had suffered belonged to Daniel alone.

Talmac still denied knowing the reason Daniel had been flogged. After learning Daniel could shed no light on the incident, Talmac became outright smug and increasingly condescending.

Jack still thought the man was a liar and said so, much to General Hammond's displeasure and Talmac's outrage.

Jack argued if you didn't know what you were doing was sacrilegious or weren't aware of the consequences the behavior would reap, a person should be given some amount of latitude, especially a child, as Talmac's culture perceived Daniel to be.

Shortly after hearing of Daniel's amnesia, Talmac decided to return to his home planet. In the future, all contact between their people would be made by SGC personnel other than SG-1.

Talmac bid the General farewell and prepared to return to Marr. As the command center dialed in the coordinates of his planet, Talmac patiently stood at the base of the ramp, exchanging glares with one pissed off and frustrated Colonel.

If he couldn’t punch out Talmac, Jack could at least make damn sure the man was as far away from Daniel as possible, once and for all.

And that's exactly where Daniel found them.

Convincing Janet that he was uncomfortable, but not incapacitated, Daniel obtained his release from the infirmary. He reassured Janet that he would have Teal'c with him if he ran into problems. Daniel stiffly limped into the embarkation room, relieved to be able to catch Talmac before the man returned to his planet, a watchful Teal'c in tow behind him.

The possibility that he had somehow offended the inhabitants of Talmac’s planet ate away at Daniel’s sense of self-worth and honor. He had to know if he had been responsible for leaving these new contacts with a bad impression of humans, and if so, to make any and all efforts to correct the situation. How would he ever explain to General Hammond and Jack that the person they trusted to represent Earth had blundered so badly as to alienate an entire world? And he couldn’t even remember why?

Daniel cringed at the look Jack greeted him with, the immensely unhappy glare from the older man eroding Daniel’s waning self-confidence. Determined to talk with Talmac, he approached the two men. Jack placed himself protectively between Daniel and the dark, turban-topped stranger.

"Daniel?" What are you doing here?

Daniel held up his index finger. "Jaack." Just one minute, Jack.

Jack slid one arm over Daniel’s shoulder, rubbing soothingly at the back of the young man’s neck as he tried unsuccessfully to turn Daniel back towards the entrance to the room. "Daniel, I think you should go back to the infirmary. Wait for me there. I just want to make sure our guest gets home." He shifted his eyes from Daniel’s pleading face to Teal’c’s understanding expression. "Teal’c, will you see that Daniel gets back okay?"

"I will be pleased to accompany him, O’Neill. Come, DanielJackson." Teal’c stepped back a pace, expecting the younger man to obediently precede him out of the room.

"No, wait." Daniel held out his arms, hands palms outward to deter Teal’c from herding him out the door. "Jack, I need to talk with this man." Daniel was desperate to clear his conscience.

"No, you don’t, Daniel. You don’t need this guy anywhere near you. Just go with Teal’c. Now."

Daniel clumsily shifted his weight from one sore, aching hip to the other and stepped around Jack, slowly backing up the ramp towards Talmac. "No. I need to understand what happened. I need to know if I did something wrong out there, Jack. Let me talk to him, for just a minute. I promise I won’t make things worse." Daniel turned wide, pleading eyes up to combat Jack’s flinty stare.

Talmac was satisfied to stand off to one side, partially up the ramp, serenely watching the little family drama unfold. Now that he was sure the young man’s memory of what had happened to him on the planet had been removed, Talmac was anxious to return to his own home world. He had no idea how long the lapse would last, since the memory disc had been interrupted. He wanted to be long gone from the possessive colonel’s reach before the young man remembered details about Draco’s harsh punishment and the true purpose of the Temple in preparing hosts for the Gods these people professed to detest.

Talmac casually studied the numerous armed guards stationed around the room, studying the weapons they wore on their bodies as well as the ones they held in their hands. Behind him, the open gate shimmered, awaiting his departure. Talmac delayed leaving, curious to see if the Colonel would allow the boy to approach him.

Jack realized that if he didn’t give Daniel the opportunity to do this, the young man might always question himself, but Jack wasn’t willing to expose his youngest to any one of these brutal, underhanded people again, for any reason. "I said no Daniel, and I meant it. Go back to the infirmary with Teal’c."

"Jack, please?"

Jack almost caved at the sight of tears forming at the corners of Daniel’s eyes. Just as he was about to give in, Carter swiftly entered the room. She appeared startled by Daniel’s presence.

"Daniel. Should you be here?" Carter stormed up to Jack’s side, a mini-recorder held in one hand. The concern in her eyes for the hunched form of her young teammate warred with anger for the looming, dark figure on the ramp behind them. "Sir. I think you should know about this. It’s Daniel’s findings from the planet. I found it—," Carter darted an uneasy glance up the ramp at Talmac before adding, "in my things." She didn’t want to be responsible for any of the children on the planet receiving the same type of punishment Daniel had.

With everyone’s attention focused on the woman, Talmac stiffened visibly, edging closer to Daniel, who had turned his back to Talmac to listen to what Carter had to say. Oblivious to the change in Talmac’s demeanor, Daniel never registered the fact the man was mere inches away from him.

Carter offered the tape in her hand to Jack. He took it from her, a slightly bewildered look on his face. "Daniel made verbal notes while he was investigating the Temple. He made it into the Pool of Blessings chamber. He wasn’t specific about how, but he did figure out how to translate the Tablet of Marr."

Carter shot a condemning glare at Talmac. "They’re a school for training hosts for the Goa’uld, sir. All those children will be offered up as educated, compliant hosts to the Goa’uld. And Daniel found out about it." Her voice took on a strained edge as she fought to suppress the violent emotions this realization gave birth to. "That’s why Draco must have beaten him. They may have tampered with his memory too. If they can trigger chimes to match brain wave patterns to produce sleep in specific individuals, I’m betting they could erase a person’s memory too, Colonel."

Every eye in the room turned to Talmac, distrust and disgust evident on nearly every face, every face but one. Daniel’s face reflected momentary confusion that rapidly changed to startled fear as a strong arm snaked out to wrap around his chest from behind him.

"What--? Ahh!" Daniel groaned and grimaced as his backside came into contact with Talmac’s body, re-igniting the fire in his flesh. Refusing to give into the larger man’s scare tactics, he squirmed and twisted, unheeding his tortured lower half.

"Let him go, Talmac." Jack and Teal’c immediately advanced up the ramp towards the struggling pair. Jack only paused for a moment when Talmac pulled a hand weapon from under his flowing robes.

Teal’c and the other soldiers remained slightly back, not willing to be the reason either Jack or Daniel was injured by Talmac’s weapon.

"Do not come any nearer, Colonel." Talmac backed up the ramp, allowing a portion of his and Daniel’s bodies to enter the event horizon to prevent someone from closing it down prematurely. "Do not return to Marr. Our purpose and philosophies are not compatible, I fear. Much unease would result in continued relations between our people. I will return your child when I am safely home. I bid you farewell, Tau’ri."

As Talmac made to turn and dive into the shimmering curtain of energy, Daniel managed to squirm partially free, forcing Talmac to readjust his hold before the horizon could suck them into the wormhole.

Jack took advantage of the moment, launching himself at the pair. Grabbing hold of Daniel around his waist, Jack tugged him down to land hard on the metal grate of the ramp on his back. One hard kick from Talmac to Jack’s ribs sent the colonel rolling a few feet down the ramp.

Talmac had managed to maintain a hold on one of Daniel’s wrists and now attempted to drag the pain-racked young man through the gate with him. He kept his weapon trained on Jack as the colonel scrabbled back up the ramp on his hands and knees.

Daniel was in agony. Between his previous injuries and the rough treatment of the last few minutes, his mind was blurred by the intense, burning pain in his lower body. Only one thought pushed through the haze of agony. "Jack, help!"

Jack latched onto Daniel’s legs and pulled himself up the younger man’s writhing body far enough to get a death-grip on Daniel’s waistband and belt. With one massive yank, Jack broke Talmac’s grip. Having little choice, he jerked Daniel further down the ramp, raking the younger man over the harsh metal grating. Keeping Talmac in sight from the corner of his eye, Jack saw him line up his hand weapon with Daniel’s head. Without thinking, Jack scrabbling to place his own body over Daniel’s, shielding his youngest from the threat of death.

Realizing he wasn’t going to win any margin in this battle, Talmac decided to cut his losses and leave before someone closed the portal with his body still in the threshold. Shifting his aim from Daniel to Jack’s head, Talmac fired.

Watching the shift in the battle of wills between the two combatants as they fought for the prize of Daniel Jackson’s life, Teal’c anticipated Talmac’s move to retaliate against his vanquisher. Seizing the gun from the nearest marine’s hands, he fired at the same time as Talmac, hitting the man square in the chest, knocking him back through the active gate.

Talmac’s arm jerked from the impact of Teal’c shot. The lethal energy blast discharged from his weapon missing its intended target. It grazed Jack’s back from right shoulder to left flank as he remained draped protectively over Daniel’s supine form.

From somewhere high above, the command to close the iris blasted over a loudspeaker. The gate deactivated, the iris slamming shut with a finality that was comforting to the occupants of the gate room, especially the barely conscious ones.

Daniel cautiously rolled from his side onto his stomach, moving inch by inch until he settled comfortably onto the firm, lumpy mattress. Infirmary beds were no competition for his bed back home. His bed at Jack’s house was warm, supportive and perfect to snuggle against when exhaustion claimed Daniel. Not unlike the bed’s owner, when Daniel thought about it.

Raising his eyes to look at the occupant on the bed next to him, Daniel studied the graying hair and strong features of Jack’s sleeping face. White bandages ran the length of Jack’s back diagonally from one shoulder down to the opposite side of his waist. The blast from Talmac’s weapon had burned a ridge through layers of skin, muscle and nerves. The wound was painful, but not serious, more inconvenient than debilitating. Janet had promised to release Jack when the colonel eventually woke up.

Daniel was definitely jealous. He was looking at another twenty-four to forty-eight hours under the doctor’s strict care. Then he got to go home and recuperate under Jack’s even stricter version of TLC.

No doubt both Teal’c and Sam would be there to assist Jack in the campaign to impose his iron rules on Daniel.

As annoying as it sounded, Daniel knew he was growing to depend on those rules and the security, the certainty, they provided. He knew it was Jack’s way of caring, showing his love without saying it out loud. It was warm and caring and possessive, parental and safe and comfortable. And Daniel craved it in all its many annoying forms from the older man.

Jack was the one unchanging element in his life. Jack was his anchor to reality when the chaos that surrounded them threatened to overwhelm him or simply drag him away, like Talmac had tried to do. So much had happened to him in his brief life, not much of it good. From his parents’ early deaths to his grandfather’s rejection, to his years as a foster child, he never belonged to anyone or anything. Finally finding someone who needed Daniel as much as Daniel needed him was nothing short of a miracle to Daniel. A miracle he didn’t always appreciate or accept, but one he was thankful for and terrified of losing. Jack was acceptance, love and security all wrapped up in one grumpy, irreverent, smart-mouthed, intelligent, deadly, authoritative package. What more could a young man ask for in a role model?

Daniel chuckled at his own thoughts. The sound caused the sleeping figure across the small space to stir. Clear, brown eyes instantly met Daniel’s squinting, blue ones. The twisted, pleased smile on Jack’s face made Daniel’s eyes suddenly water suspiciously.

"Hey there, Daniel. What’s so funny? Your back’s gotta hurt worse than mine does, and I don’t feel like laughing." Jack slowly pushed himself into an upright position, swinging his legs over the bed to sit on the edge. He experimentally flexed his shoulders and winced at the tight pull and burn that shot down his back.

One glance at the far end of their beds showed him they weren’t alone. Out of Daniel’s sight, Teal’c sat on the floor, back propped against the wall in a light state of kel-noreem.

"Nothing, really. I was just thinking about today. It’s been kind of confusing for me. I’m still not sure I understand everything that happened. And the funny part is, for a change, I don’t think I really want to know." Daniel gave the other man an exhausted smile. "I think maybe this time, it’s enough to know that I’m home. Dr. Fraiser said my injuries are going heal, and despite what must have happened, I’m not having any nightmares about it. I’m good with that." He turned a questioning gaze to Jack. He tried to keep the slight stir of panic he felt at the thoughts of Jack disagreeing and forcing him to talk about it from being seen.

Jack heard, more than saw, the rise in emotion in Daniel. "I am, too. Let’s just let it be, Danny." He agreed. Some memories were best left unearthed. Especially memories filled with the terror and pain Daniel had to have experienced at the hands of the man who had beaten him so harshly.

Thankfully, Daniel didn’t even remember meeting the children of Marr, and Jack didn’t want him to. It was painful enough to know an entire school existed that was full of youngsters who’s sole destiny in life was to provide hosts for the Goa’uld. The sensitive, caring young man didn’t need to live with the memory of having grown to personally know a number of them. The boys who had given Carter her gift had obviously liked Daniel. They had endangered themselves on his behalf by seeing that his tape recording was secretly returned to Daniel’s ‘mother’.

Carter still hadn’t gotten over that one. Jack was willing to bet she’d be looking in the mirror for wrinkles for weeks to come.

Talmac was undoubtedly dead from Teal’c’s shot and General Hammond had already decided to send another team in. This time a unit of marines was going. Heavily armed marines. If formal talks could be arranged with the government of the planet, maybe they could do something to help the children at the Temple. Jack was going to make damn certain they tried their hardest to make it happen, but having killed the school’s headmaster probably wouldn’t endear them to the planet’s law makers.

Snuggling down deeper under the blankets, Daniel sighed and turned purposefully wide, innocent eyes on Jack. "I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you and go back to the infirmary when you told me to. I just thought that if I could talk to Talmac for a minute, find out what really happened, I could learn from it and maybe, maybe fix things. I never thought anything like what happened would happen, Jack."

Understanding filled Jack’s expression, but his eyes took on a stern glint. "I know you are. You’re always sorry after a disaster. Your actions were insubordinate, rude and down right rebellious. I gave you a direct order and you disobeyed it, Daniel. That’s unacceptable. Your actions put everybody in that room at risk, not just yourself, little boy."

Daniel swallowed hard and glanced around the seemingly empty room for possible witnesses to his coming chastisement. He breathed a sigh of relief when he couldn’t see anyone beside himself and Jack. "I know, and I am sorry, Jack. Really."

"Not as sorry as you’re going to be in the coming weeks. Until Janet puts you back on full active duty, you are one restricted puppy. You haven’t been off house arrest for long enough to forget what it means, so I don’t expect any slip ups in the rules."

"Aaaaaw, Jack. Not again! I barely lived through it the last time. I’ll go crazy. I don’t want—" The whine was clear and grating and needed to be stopped.

"Excuse me?" The dangerous edge alerted Daniel when his freedom was swiftly evaporating before his eyes was back in Jack’s tone. Daniel backtracked and regrouped.

"I…I mean, I understand why you’re upset, I do, but I really think you may be overreacting to—"

"Ex-cuse me?" The sharp edge became a full-blown sword, drawn and ready to cut Daniel’s privileges and personal freedoms into mere confetti. Daniel found it hard to swallow past the rising dread lumped at the back of his throat.

"I just meant that…… I… um, Dr. Fraiser said….. It would have just been me… if you…..ah, well…." Daniel cleared his throat to gain time to find the words he needed to calm the escalating situation down.

His eyes widened and his mouth went suddenly dry as Jack stood and marched to the side of his bed. Crouching down to kneel at the head of the bed, Jack used both hands to frame Daniel’s startled face, lightly shaking him as he talked, fingers buried in the long, soft strands of golden hair.

Jack‘s voice was low and raw with emotion, anger and dread and love made his words sound tortured and strained. "Don’t Daniel. Don’t think that, don’t say that out loud. You are not disposable. You are not unimportant or insignificant or meaningless. To me or Carter or Teal’c or dozens of other people who love and value you. Apparently, more so than you do." A restrained, but more energetic shake of Daniel’s captive face punctuated the sentence. "Whatever it takes, Danny, I’m going to make you see that you’re worth so much more than you’ve been brought up to believe, so much more."

Tears spilled unchecked down Daniel’s face. Fear and uncertainty were reflected up into Jack’s fiercely protective gaze. Daniel answered, his voice cracked and breathless, "How can you know that, Jack?"

Dropping his head down until their foreheads touched, Jack whispered back, "Because my heart tells me so, Danny."

Silent tears became soft sobs. Jack placed a hard kiss on Daniel’s head, ruffling the hair at the back of Daniel’s neck while he rubbed small circles over the thin arm nearest him, avoiding the thick, gauze dressings covering the boy’s back.

Daniel turned his head into the shelter of Jack’s neck. He steadied himself with several deep breaths until he could talk again. "I trust you, Jack. Whatever restrictions you decided on, I’ll accept. Maybe not gracefully all the time, but willingly. If you think it’s worth the effort, it’s the least I can do to try to see it too."

"Not ‘it’, Daniel, you. You’re worth the effort." A watery sniffle answered Jack and he grinned at the flushed, stained face that came out of hiding from under his chin. Daniel was so much like Charlie at times it would have been disturbing a few years ago. Now it was a comfort.

Jack had been given the chance to make a young man’s life better, to make a difference, to help a wounded youth grow and develop into an amazing man with the abilities and intelligence to change worlds. If Jack could keep him alive long enough to reach his full potential.

That was the trick to raising Daniel. Survival. Jack was constantly amazed at the number of times that concept eluded the young archaeologist. Thank God Jack had Teal’c and Carter to help take a turn at Daniel raising.

"If you say so, Jack." A tired sigh escaped Daniel.

Jack slowly released his hold on him and settled Daniel more comfortably on the bed.

A low, growl from near the foot of Daniel’s bed made him jerk around to look past his toes. He found Teal’c’s solemn face staring back at him.

"Indeed, DanielJackson. That is the answer you should learn to respond with more often. It would save us all many a night of sleepless worry and unrest. It is the only appropriate response to a father’s command to begin with."

Too tired to engage the warrior in a battle of words or wits, and not really sure Teal’c wouldn’t make good on his earlier offer to assist Jack in delivering his punishments, Daniel opted for a contrite smile of repentance and a soft reply of "Yes, sir." Then his natural stubbornness raised its head and he added, "Uncle Teal’c."

Teal’c’s lips actually twitched at the unexpected use of the favored title. He did nothing to hide the delight that lit up his dark eyes as well. He gave a small regal bow from the neck. "As you wish. I accept, with honor."

Genuinely surprised, Daniel fell speechless.

The door to the infirmary opened. Carter and Janet entered the room, both smiling at something the other had said. Sam held a small package in one hand, gesturing with it as she murmured conspiratorially to Janet.

"Well, Sam, it seems all your men are awake." Janet ignored the blush that highlighted Sam’s cheeks.

"Hey Carter, Doc." Jack’s gaze lingered a moment on Carter, wondering at the woman’s unusually bright smile.

Janet concentrated on inspecting her patients. Jack moved back to sit on his bed. She checked his dressing and vital signs. Satisfied with her findings she smiled at the impatient colonel.

"Okay, Colonel. I’m releasing you. I’ll go over all your instructions after you get dressed."

"Great." Jack hopped from the bed a little more easily than last time and looked around for his clothes. Not unexpectedly, a timid protest rose from Daniel’s bed.

"What about me? Can’t I go too?" Daniel made the attempt to push himself up off the mattress with his arms. Suddenly realizing how much pain the simple effort caused, he reluctantly settled back down onto his pillow. "Ow."

Janet loomed over his prone form, testy-doctor voice lecturing in Daniel’s ear. "And that, young man, is exactly why you’re not going anywhere for the next twenty-four hours or so. Your back is mincemeat from the colonel having to drag you over the metal grating. Your shirt rode up and the skin on your back took the full brunt of the drag. Until I’m sure infection isn’t going to set in, you’re not leaving here. End of discussion."

"What am I supposed to do for a whole day flat on my stomach?" Daniel let as much outrage as he thought he could chance filter into his complaint.

"Sleep. You never get enough of it. Now’s the perfect opportunity. You can’t do anything else but sleep." Jack buttoned his shirt and walked over to pat Daniel on the head, eliciting a low growl of protest from the young man.

"I can’t just go to sleep like that. I’m not tired." Daniel tucked his arms to his chest. A pout naturally forced its way onto his lips.

Jack had to work to keep the smile off his own face. "I could stay and we could watch the hockey game together. That usually puts you to sleep in no time."

"I think that comes under the heading of cruel and unusual punishment, Jack." The pout deepened, threatening to become a frown.

Carter’s smile widened at the familiar banter. "Colonel, I was thinking maybe we could go grab a bite to eat when you were done here. None of us has had a decent meal in hours. Steaks at O’Malley’s sound all right to you, sir?"

"I think it sounds terrific, Carter, but I want to stay until Daniel falls asleep." His eyes told her how much he appreciated the suggestion of time spent off base together, even if that time included Teal’c.

"That will be hours from now, Jack. I keep telling you, I’m not tired." Pouty was now petulant.

Jack sighed wistfully. This was going to be one long day.

Sam’s smiled never faltered. She made sure to stay out of Daniel’s immediate line of vision as she unwrapped the small parcel in her hand. "That won’t take long, Colonel. I thought I‘d share my gift from the children on the planet."

A light chiming began to fill the air and Daniel struggled to turn his head to see what Sam had. "What is it? Are those wind chimes, Sam?"

"Sort of, Daniel. Pretty aren’t they." Her smug smile turned into a chuckle as Daniel’s eyes fluttered shut. Turning to Jack she gestured at the small object. "I think it was payback for Daniel getting them into hot water with their teachers. The boy who gave it to me seemed to know what it would do."

Carter handed the chimes to Jack and he reached up to hang them off the empty IV pole standing at the end of Daniel’s bed, a wide smile to match Carter’s on his face. "I think I’m gonna love that thing." He dropped a kiss onto the back of Daniel’s head before moving aside so Carter could do the same thing.

Jack cocked his head in Janet’s and Teal’c’s direction. "Would you two like to join us for dinner?"

Teal’c and Janet exchanged knowing looks.

"Thanks anyway, Colonel, but I have a shift to finish here yet. Maybe next time." With a secret smile of her own, Janet checked Daniel briefly and wandered off to her office.

Teal’c stared at the two overly casual teammates in front of him. "I believe there are a number of various projects that require my attention this evening. I regret, I must respectfully decline your offer. Another time, perhaps, O’Neill. CaptainCarter."

Jack would have believed it was a sincere brush off if Teal’c had only refrained from the leer. Okay, it was actually just a raised eyebrow, but it was a really dirty, raised eyebrow.

Carter caught it too, giggling as the warrior stalked regally out of the room without a backward glance.

Jack reached down to rub absently at Daniel’s arm. His hand was joined for a moment by slender fingers before they both straightened up and turned to leave. Jack shoved both his hands into his pants pockets to resist the urge to throw an arm around Carter’s shoulders as they walked out of the room. "Carter, I believe we have a rare and special moment happening here."

"Sir?"

"A night out without the kids, Carter. Cherish the moment." He flashed a hooded look filled with desire her way. "I know I will." Her answering, shy grin was all he needed to know she felt the same way.

End.