Title: Just a Minute Just a Minute by Magicsunbeam
Jack
Sitting here watching Daniel sleep (if you can call it sleep) I wonder what it is that has made his lot so damned unfair. First off, he not only loses both parents in one fell swoop but actually witnesses their deaths too. Bad enough for even the hardest of men you would think, but for an eight year old boy? God, that must have been so hard. Then being thrown from pillar to post, not settling down in one place long enough to be able to make friends. Not that I suppose for one minute there would have been many, Daniel himself told me he was a loner. He has gone through most of his life receiving insult after insult for his thoughts. (And taking it, I might add) Katherine told me of the first time she'd laid eyes on Daniel, he was taking crap from some horse's ass (no pun intended) at some big symposium in New York. Daniel had a theory that the pyramids were not build by the Egyptians. When asked who he thought *had* built them he couldn't answer. The horse's ass did, claiming maybe it was the man from Atlantis or Martians. Daniel was laughed out of the place. Sometimes I think it's a shame the gate is such a high level secret. God I'd love to see the look on that ass' face if he should ever meet Teal'c. Not that I'm an innocent in all of this. I hated Daniel from the first moment I saw him. He was in my eyes, a geek of the highest order. A bumbling idiot of a man, who stood between me and my death wish. I allowed my men to treat him with total disregard, which they did shamelessly, especially after it came to light that Daniel hadn't accounted for all eventualities and couldn't get us home. But in the end, he came shining through and not only did he get my team home but somewhere along the line he managed to save me from myself. Made me see that even if I was ready to die, my men weren't. Guilt can be a subtle ally. Daniel suddenly stirs and mutters something under his breath. Too quiet for me to make out what it was, but I *do* catch one word. Sha're. I say nothing, just lay a hand on his arm and he settles down again. Sha're was another major blow to Daniel. When she was first taken by that gold topped, sadistic son of an alien, Daniel didn't have a clue which way to turn. He totally blamed himself for what happened, saying he should never have uncovered the gate on Abydos. I couldn't get through to him that it wasn't his fault, it was set of circumstances that had led to the gate being reopened. However, I *did* promise him that we'd find Sha're and that we would get her back. I'm ashamed to say that so far, I've failed Daniel on that score too. I didn't think Daniel would ever manage to cope with that particular nightmare, but all credit to the guy, he's a helluva lot tougher than he looks. He deals with it in his own way. one day at a time. Sometimes there's nothing more you *can* do. I know what it feels like to lose something that you cherish most dear. Okay, so Sha're's not dead as such, but it's got to be the same feeling of loss for Daniel. I didn't think I'd ever get over Charlie and I was right. I never will but it helps to have people who care about you. Even Sara cares and I let her down so very badly. This sarcophagus thing is just the latest in a whole heap of crap to be dealt to Daniel. Once more it has involved the Goa'uld, (ok *false* Goa'uld. whoa, now there's a thought to warp your brain. a false false God) and once more Danny Boy has come out the victim. Back in that storeroom I really thought for a second he was going to pull that trigger, my life flashed before my eyes. The sound of that gun touching the floor was one of the sweetest I've ever heard, and the gut wrenching sobs that followed from Daniel being the worst. I don't know for sure how long I sat there holding onto him but my trick knee was all but screaming for mercy when the doc silently intervened and we somehow got Daniel back to the infirmary. She reluctantly gave him something to help him sleep and went to put him in restraints. She must have sensed my blood pressure rise because she stopped in her tracks and gave me a questioning look. I didn't reply but she knew what the answer was and gave me a slight nod. Over my dead body, no way was she going to do that to him again tonight. I wasn't just spouting when I said I'd seen this type of thing before. I have, and I wasn't just spouting when I told Daniel he would get through it, I've seen that too. God knows its not going to be an easy ride for him but he has his friends. his FAMILY, to help him every step of the way. Carter and Teal'c have been down here and stayed a while before being shooed away by the doc, but Daniel can wage money on it that they'll be back again in the morning and we'll all be back again and again 'til he's strong enough to stand on his own two feet. 3.15 am. when did it get this late? I close my eyes and lean back in the chair. I just start to lose the fight and allow sleep to take me when I hear his small voice. "Jack"? Daniels looking at me through half closed eyes. I lean closer so he can see me and lay my hand on his. "I'm here Daniel, go back to sleep." He lets go a soft sigh and his eyes slip shut again. I keep my hand there, to reassure myself as much as him. I lay my head on his bed, just for a minute. All I need is a minute.
##### Janet
As I stand here watching these two men and wonder what it is that has made life deal them such cruel blows. Jack O'Neill's life turned upside down a few years back when his son accidentally killed himself with his father's gun. I didn't know him then but from what Daniel has told me (and that's not much) Jack just about fell apart. Losing himself in his nightmare, not showing himself to anyone, even his wife, Sara. In the end it cost him not only his son, but his marriage too. Daniel did say that when he first met him, Jack was suicidal. He took the mission to Abydos knowing that it could well turn out to be a one-way ticket. He didn't care. He had lost everything in his life that made any sense to him and the thought of being blown to hell with that planet didn't faze him one little bit. In the end, it had been Daniel that helped him come back from the brink of literal destruction, by making him think about others instead of just himself. Telling him that even if he wasn't willing to go on with his life, his men still had a right to theirs. After that, Jack had come home, telling the chiefs that Abydos, Dr Jackson and the threat from the Goa'uld were no more. When things suddenly went wacko round here, after our little visit from our friendly neighbourhood Goa'ulds, Jack was recalled to duty and that's *really* when the doo-doo hit the fan. The truth came out that Abydos had not been reduced to a cinder in the night sky and that Daniel Jackson was live and well and married to an Abydonian beauty named Sha're. My, my. On a calm night I can still hear the General chewing Jacks ass over the whole business. (no pun intended) SG1 was formed and they went off in search of answers as to where the Goa'ulds had come from. Jack eventually arrived back from Abydos with a very irate Daniel Jackson and a huge, brooding Jaffa by the name of Teal'c. All had not gone well and as a result Daniels wife and her brother Skaara, had been taken as hosts by Apophis. Jack had promised Daniel that they would get them back and Daniel had no reason to doubt him. Hmm. The one thing I've learned whilst working here is NEVER to underestimate the slipperiness of a Goa'uld. SG1 have grown very close in the time that they have been together. They work together, play together and watch each other's backs. They trust each other, quite literally, with their lives and I'm sure if the event arose, they would give those lives up for each other too. In short, they have become 'family' and at this moment in time, Daniel desperately needs them. As I watch the two men in front of me, Daniel begins to move in the bed. He mutters something but I'm too far away to hear what. Jack hears him and reaches out to his friend, not with words but with a simple touch. Almost immediately, Daniel quietens and is still again. This sarcophagus buisness really has got everyone worried this time. I admit Daniel frightened me half to death when he grabbed and flung me across the room. The strength and savageness behind this normally gentle, quiet man really was something else. Jack has only partly told me what happened in the storeroom, but from what I saw when I got there it wasn't pretty. I stood back for quite a while, giving Jack time to do his thing and allowing Daniel to calm right down. Between us we managed to get him back to the infirmary and safely into a bed. I gave Daniel a sedative and toyed with the idea of restraining him. The glare from Jack was enough to belay that thought. Of course, there have been countless times that Daniel has been there for his friend too. Like when Jack returned from the crystal planet having returned the energy being that had taken on the form of Charlie, his dead son. The man was so stunned by what he had seen I thought it was going to take a whole team of McKenzies to bring his emotions back to any semblance of order. But no, Daniel was the one Jack spoke to, opened out to, accepted help from. For now however, the boot is on the other foot and it's Daniel who is the focus of the teams concern. It's not going to be easy for him to go cold turkey, but he has his friends, his 'family' to help him through. Sam and Teal'c have already been by this evening, they stayed for a while but I sent them on their way. They'll be back tomorrow, no doubt and they'll be no doubt bright and early. Jack's trying to stay awake but failing miserably. I'm just thinking of sending him on his way too when Daniels voice brings him back to full alert. "Jack"? He leans forward so Daniel can see him and lays a hand on Daniels. "I'm here Daniel, go back to sleep." Once again, the O'Neill charm works and Daniel drifts easily back into Jack watches for a while before dropping his head onto Daniels bed and within seconds he has joined his friend in sleep. Very quietly I steal over, take a blanket from the bed next to Daniels and lay it across Jack's shoulders. "Give yourself a minute, Jack." I whisper as I turn out the bedside lamp.
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