Title: Nightmares Shared - Daniel

Author: Magicsunbeam

Email: magicsunbeam@ntlworld.com

Category: POV/Angst

Pairing: None

Rating: PG13

Season/sequel: One

Summary: Daniel tries to help Jack deal with the 'Hathor thing'. Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, Gekko Productions; all the powers that be, not me; This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money exchanged hands. No copyright infringement intended. The story is the property of the author and may not be posted without the author's consent.

Authors notes: Please make sure you read Elizabeth's piece, "Nightmares Shared - Jack" first, as this is a companion piece for that story. We hope you enjoy reading them as much as Elizabeth and I had writing them. J.

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Half way through the briefing, it finally hits me. I know what's different about General Hammond. I've never seen him with hair before. It's a sort of blond with slight hint of ginger, it also has the most spectacular wave in it. It's a very nice head of hair and I can't help wonder if Sam is envious of it. However, what surprises me a lot, is the fact that goes way past his collar in length..I think it's long enough to tie back.

"Doctor Jackson?"

Huh? Oh. I must have been staring. Oops.

"I'm sorry General." I say. " I was just wondering, Sir. When did you get hair?"

Hammond flashes me a huge grin.

"You like it?" He asks, tenderly brushing a lock off his forehead.

I nod enthusiastically. "Yes Sir, I do. It suits you.."

Hammonds face drops. "But...?"

"Well sir, I can't help be surprised that you're allowed to keep it at that length."

He's all smiles again.

"I know Son. I've let it get a little wild lately but hey, I can soon fix that."

"Would you mind helping me out here, Captain?" He asks, as he pushes the hair up off his neck and then turns to Sam.

Sam beams. "Not at all General. I know what a pain these things can be."

The General turns his back to her and Sam pushes a button on the back of his neck. Suddenly, the hair retracts into his head. Only when its gets to the standard military length, does Sam take her finger off the button.

"There," the General states. "How's that?"

I'm about to answer, 'much better' when I hear a heavy knocking sound. Looking around the room I find it seems to be coming from the sarcopheagus in the corner. I walk over to it, push a symbol and it slowly opens. Inside, Jack is laying arms crossed, eyes shut, face relaxed. I reach out and touch his shoulder.

"Jack?"

Suddenly, Jack's eyes fly open. Oh God! They're glowing white. Before I can say anything, Jack grabs me by the throat.

"Hey Toto." The Goa'uld inside him greets me with a low growl. "You have failed our Queen. Do you *know* how much trouble you're in?"

#####

I'm suddenly and most definitely awake.

Whoa, where in God's name did *that* come from?? No, not the Goa'uld bit...the Tressie Doll bit. That was so weird!

The Goa'uld bit I can fully understand, after yesterday's little adventure. I've worked with some really strange people in my field, but this Hathor person is - correction, *was* - seriously deranged.

It's suddenly coming to me that the knocking I heard was, in real life, coming from my front door. I look at the clock - nearly 12.30 in the morning. Grabbing my dressing gown, I hastily wrap it round me, pick up my glasses and head for the door. I know it's Jack before I even get to open it. Only he would be breaking my door down at this hour.

Sure enough.

My mind is still whirring from that insane dream and my eyes are fuzzy, but I can still see it. He has that 'look'. It's a cross between concern and anger, confusion and fear. I don't like that look. It means that for some reason my friend has become slightly unhinged, and a shaken Jack makes for a nervous Daniel. I have no doubts at all about it, whatever is going on in Jack's head has everything to do with Hathor. However, I try to play it cool and not let my own concerns surface.

Leaving Jack to make himself at home, I head off to the kitchen and put the kettle on. I seriously doubt this is going to take less than half the night to sort out.

"So, Jack." I call. "What are you doing waking me up at this time of the night?"

"Nothing." Comes the reply. "Just in the neighbourhood, so I thought I'd drop in and see how you were doing."

Oh yeah, right. Like hell you were, I'm thinking, but give a hopefully neutral "Uh, huh?" in response.

Coffee made, I join him in the living room. He's studying a vase my mother brought back from the Nile, with all the intentness of a first year archaeology student. Not good. I try not to let on how edgy that makes me feel and fold myself onto the couch. Much to my relief, he leaves the vase and comes and sits down on the opposite end to me.

He asks me how I am, I tell him fine and ask him how he is, he says fine. God this is beginning to sound like a comedy sketch.

"So you're fine and I'm fine." Liar, is what I want to say, but instead ask: "Why did you think I may *not* be fine?"

"Just all that business, earlier. You know?"

"You mean Hathor?"

He shrugs and without meeting my eye, says: " Just wondering if you were remembering stuff and was, like, bothered at all about it."

Ahh. Okay. Now I'm *really* awake.

I say no, telling him a little white lie - okay, so it's a little bigger than little and it's sort of black in colour. I'm not ready to confess yet, but I am beginning to get some memory back. At this stage it's all a bit weird, just take that dream I just had.

I ask if he has remembered anything. I don't know if it's the question, or the fact that I'm too 'in' his face, but he gets up a little too quickly, puts his mug down on the table and goes over to the window. I leave it for a while before saying any more.

I *know* he finds it hard to open up to people. To confide, to reach out. To ask for help. God knows, even poor Sara couldn't *fully* get through to him.

But he's my friend, the first real friend I ever had. Actually, if I'm honest, I think we're probably beyond friends now. Jack is like the brother I never had and I want to know what's going on here.

"Do you want to talk about it?" I finally ask.

"Nah, it's nothing. Just surprised you don't remember anything." He says, turning from the window.

He has me thinking now, about that dream. I give an involuntary shiver, as I picture Jack grabbing me by the throat again.

"I was having a weird dream, I admit, but nothing was in focus. It's just all vague images, meaningless." No *way* am I going to tell him about our 'Tressie' General. That's too weird even for a dream, even for a 'geek' like me. "Do you suppose it's just me that can't remember properly, or just *you* that can?"

I can hear the cogs turning as Jack digests the question. Finally he says quietly:

"I'm supposed to be able to withstand mind-control techniques."

Oh boy, that's a surprise to me. I ask him how he manages to do it and he just shrugs and simply says: "We're taught."

I want to ask him lots more but I get the distinct impression, now is not the time. I suggest that maybe it's part of his training that held out and is now helping him remember. He responds with a very small: "Maybe."

I phase out for a minute, trying to work out how something like that can be taught and when I look up, I find Jack has gone off on a tangent too. Holy Hannah, (as Sam would say) the last time I saw that shade of white, it was on an infirmary bed. Jack looks like he's going to hit the ground at any given moment and I'm up on my feet in a crack.

"JACK!"

I reach out and take him by the shoulders to steady him. He doesn't put up a fight, as I guide him back to the couch and make him sit. Once I've convinced myself he's not going to pass out on me, I hand him what's left of his coffee. He's really got me going now, as he looks me right in the eye and says:

"I can feel her fingers on me, hear her voice. I think I remember everything."

My gut twists at the desolation in those words. However, recognising Jack's need to talk about it, I keep quiet and let him carry on.

"The pain as she made the pouch in me and later, when she put me in the bath with those *things*." He drops his head and looks at his trembling hands. "God, I let her do that to me. I could have endangered the entire planet."

I can't believe he's blaming himself for this. It's not like we had any choice in what was happening - *any* of us. I knew even less than Jack, about what had happened during the day. Once the danger had passed, Sam filled me on some things when Janet was giving Jack the once over. She told me about Hathor making a hole in Jacks belly, ready for a symbiote.

God, I can really comprehend how that must have felt. She might as well have raped him. I know. The memories are beginning to come through more
clearly now. I *do* know what was like to have that woman touch you like that. Judging on what I'm seeing here tonight, Jack *has* to have remembered a lot of what happened.

I put my hands on top of his, to try and halt the trembling.

"You're not to blame for anything Jack. You couldn't help what she did, anymore than I could. If anything, I'm the one to blame."

Something in that statement brings a pained laugh from him, but I ignore it and carry on.

"I knew who she was and didn't put the pieces together quickly enough. I'm the one who she bedded to get our DNA and I'm not about to forget that in a hurry, even if I can't exactly remember."

'Careful Danny - you'll never get to heaven telling lies. ' I can still hear my Mom say that to me.

I'm brought out of my reverie with the words: "How do you feel? I mean about all this and Sha'uri?"

Oh boy. What a question. How do I feel? Angry, hurt, violated, cheated. Take your pick. Of course, I have to keep up the charade - at least for now. Jack 's the one with the full colour Kodak memory, mine's only half developed.

I give him some more white lies, tell him I don't remember and that I'm glad of it. He seems to buy it and visibly relaxes, though just a touch. No doubt in time the truth will be told and I'll deal with the wrath of Jack then. But for now, it's him I'm concerned over.

Feeling brave, I suggest a counsellor and he literally laughs in my face which, I have to say, surprises me - not. I know what he thinks of shrinks and decide not to push the matter with him. I just spin him another small white one and say I just thought they might be better to talk to than me. He doesn't actually say it, but I think Jack would rather keep this all between him and me. I think he's already decided he wants no outside help, not even from Sam and Teal'c.

He's very quiet now and I interject the silence. "We *did* beat her, you know. *You* beat her."

He studies me for a long moment before agreeing, though still not terribly convinced.

I remind him that without the women on the base and him, we'd all still be in Hathors evil clutches and I'd still be in her bed. That thought gives me
the heebies, I can tell you.

"I never did say thank you before, by the way, but thank you, Jack."

He looks at me, still unsure and says simply. "You're welcome."

I suddenly get the yearning to celebrate and ask if he cares for a drink.

"After the day we've had?" he asks.

I can't stop the grin coming to my face and the grin gets wider at the look he gives me. Lifting his eyebrows, he says: "Yeah, sureyabetcha."

I head off into the kitchen in search of beer and when I get back Jack's staring into the wide blue yonder. I'm not sure whether it's the flashbacks he's having, or the fact that its now almost 4am and he's exhausted, but it takes a moment before finally comes back to me. He grins apologetically but says nothing.

We sit in companionable silence, each with our own thoughts, just glad of one another's company. I look across at Jack sometime later to find he's laid his head back and is all but asleep. I realise then, how tired I am myself but can't be bothered to move, so it looks like I'm here for the night too.

I don't know how long it'll take Jack to get past today, but for however long it takes, I'm going to be here for him. Whenever, wherever. Just like I
know that when the time comes - and it will come - he'll be there for me.

We are after all, 'family'.

It's what we do.