samandjack.net

Story Notes: Season/Spoiler: Season 7, somewhere at the beginning

Author's note: Okay, I have to admit, I am more than a little nervous right now, because I haven't written/posted anything for almost a year now. Feels like having to start all over again, so sorry if my English is more than a bit rusty *hidesbehindthedictionary*.


The elevator stopped with a quiet sigh. Colonel Jack O'Neill looked at the floor of the cabin with a somewhat hurt expression. The sound the lift had just produced, had really been unnecessary. A really rude. Yes, he ate that cheesy crust pizza last night, but that didn't give the elevator the right to criticize his weight. Jack was sure the thing wouldn't dare to criticize General Hammond's weight so openly. O'Neill shook his head. God, his imagination was as awake as the rest of him. In other words not at all. The elevator came to a halt and the doors started to slide open. Jack blinked. Was it his not-quite-awake imagination or did the doors move much slower than usual? The elevator obviously didn't like him. Maybe because his foot had collided with the doors once or twice in the past. Okay, more than once or twice, but ... O'Neill started to shiver as his survival instincts kicked in and at once started to mould his pointless thoughts to a single, powerful order: Get coffee. Jack's left foot was the first part of his body to follow that order and lifted itself off the floor. O'Neill didn't manage to take the next step. Daniel Jackson rushed into the cabin, pushed a button on the control panel and before Jack's mouth even had the chance to form a surprised "Huh?" the doors slammed close and the cabin started to move again. That the doors closed much faster than they had opened a few seconds before, didn't really surprise O'Neill anymore. While he thought about his relationship with the sgc-personnel transport lift number 4, Daniel flipped through the pages of the book he was holding and simultaneously tried not to drop the file he had squeezed under his left arm. With a sigh he closed the book and switched it with the folder, still not aware of Jack's presence. He opened the folder and started frowning. Of course that was all it took to get Jack's attention. O'Neill leaned forward until he was able to cast a glance into the folder. The sheet of paper he saw contained modern art. At least that's what it looked like to Jack. He waited a few more seconds to give Daniel a chance to notice him. When Jackson didn't use it, O'Neill grinned and said with a loud happy voice.

"Morning, Daniel!"

Daniel flinched and Jack could have sworn the movement had been accompanied by a squeak. Jackson blinked in confusion, shook his head and cleared his throat.

"Morning, Jack."

Daniel flinched again, obviously surprised by the high tone in his voice, Jack noticed with a certain satisfaction. O'Neill thought about teasing his friend with the observation he just made, but decided again it, as his instinct finally reminded him of "Operation Black Bean". Instead of wasting his energy with the production of nonsense, he looked up to the display above the doors, sighed and for the second time this morning pushed the button that was supposed to get him into paradise - or the commissary, as other people called it. Daniel noticed the movement.

"Uh, Jack, did you have to get off....??"

"Forget it, Daniel. I like riding the elevator in the morning."

"Uh, okay."

Daniel shook his head and tried to concentrate again on the folder in his hand. He might even have succeeded, but just then Jack felt a surge of boredom. And boredom was something that he usually fought even more fiercely than hunger or the Goa'uld. "What are you looking at?"

"These are symbols, that SG-3 found on the trees on P7X-7865."

"And? What do they say?"

"I don't know, this is a language I've never seen before and to be honest with you I can't make any sense of it."

"Now a few memories from your time as a fairy would come in handy, right?"

"Jack for the hundredth time I was an ancient not a fairy."

Jack smiled at him innocently. "Sorry, must have gotten that one wrong."

Daniel shot him a glance that told him, that he didn't buy it. Jack raised his eyebrows in utter shock.

"What? You *glowed*! It's a very plausible and understandable error. Instead of being angry at me you should be thankful to whoever raised his wand that you were transformed into a fairy. You could have ended up as a tiny glow-worm, you know?"

Daniel shook his head. "Some things never change, do they?", he sighed.

"Nope", Jack replied with a smirk. Daniel shook his head in angry resignation and without saying another word turned his attention back to the folder. Jack looked back up at the display that still counted down happy red numbers. Where in god's name did t his guy want to go?

"While we're on the subject of things that never chance ..." Daniel started mumbling from behind the wall of paper. Jack turned to him with a questioning look.

"How are things between you and Sam?"

Jack stared at Daniel in confusion.

"What?"

"Sam. You. This thing between the two of you. You know. Something I should know about?"

"No."

"No, there is nothing, or no, I shouldn't know about it"

"Just NO, Daniel."

"Yeah, but NO can be interpreted in quite a few ways in this context..."

"Daniel...", Jack growled threateningly. Jackson sighed, put the folder down and looked at his friend. "I'm serious, Jack."

"Me, too. Never have been more serious about anything." Daniel crooked his head. "Nothing at all?"

"Nothing."

"And why?"

"Daniel!!"

Daniel nodded knowingly. "So it's still the same old problem." Jack wanted to strangle him. But since such an act was - mostly for moral and energy-saving reasons - not an option, he just snarled at him against his better judgement. "And what problem would that be?"

"Oh, fear of a serious relationship, self-..."

"Daniel!!!!"

Ha, that was interesting. It was actually possible to produce an echo in here. Neat.

Daniel scratched his head, but Jack didn't miss that he did it really close to his left ear. Served him right.

"I just meant to point out ....."

A waved of anger crashed down on Jack O'Neill and ... just disappeared again. Instead of shouting at Daniel or strangling him, he just gave up. His energy was wasted even before it had actually gotten out of bed and done something - productive or otherwise. Jack blinked C-O-C. A world for a cup of coffee. A resigning sigh was the only answer Daniel got from his friend. The archaeologist looked at Jack. Resignation was written all over his face. That was nothing new to Daniel, but now he saw that during the last year the feeling had burned itself into Jack's eyes as well. Daniel started to worry. So nothing had changed. It was not really a surprise but somehow Daniel had hoped for a miracle during the past year.

"No miracle, I guess.." he whispered to himself. Jack raised his eye- brows. Daniel shook his head, when he realised he had spoken the words out loud.

"Nothing.." Jack crossed his arms in front of his chest, shot Daniel and angry glance and snapped. "Just what I said: No and nothing." When he had gotten on the elevator a few minutes ago he had just been tired and a little annoyed. Now he was tired, really annoyed *and* depressed. Great way to start your day. Daniel felt the angry emotions that whirled around his friend like flies around a buring candle. He lowered his eyes in guilt. He knew he should not asked that question, especially not as an answer to Jack's teasing but not really damaging fairy-attack. He glanced at his friend carefully. Jack didn't pay any attention to him anymore and just stared at the red numbers above the door. Daniel watched him a few more seconds, than said very quietly.

"When I was dying ..."

He left the rest of the sentence hanging in the air. Jack still stared at the display, but Daniel had noticed the short glance his friend had shot him for a second. He knew he had caught Jack's attention again.

"..back then in the infirmary, when all of you were there and you said good-bye to me ... I can remember that very clearly.."

Daniel took in a deep breath. It was difficult to think and talk about it and he had actually promised himself never to do it again, but than again he had also promised himself never to break to rules of the ancients or to drink beer and whine on the same night...

".. it was a weird feeling. I talked to Oma and at the same time I could hear all of you. I wanted to answer you, but I could not.. it was ..."

Daniel shook his head helplessly, not able to find the right words to describe the feeling. Jack still stared at the display, but his eyes didn't really pay attention to the flashing red numbers. Daniel exhaled with a sigh.

"It was really bad when Sam visited me for the last time .. I wanted to tell her something really important, but I could not ... She cried and talked to me... she asked me why we never tell our loved ones that we love them until it is too late."

Jack's head turned sharply, anger and despair digging deep and painful into his soul as his brain drew the only logical conclusion from Daniel's words. That's why he wanted to know. Daniel didn't sense the change in Jack's mood. His eyes looked at the metal plates on the floor of the cabin and into the past. "I still haven't found the answer to that question." "But you have found the answer to a different question, haven't you, Daniel?"; Jack snorted and clenched his hands into fists. Daniel blinked confused, only now realizing that Jack was still there with him in the elevator.

"What?"

"That's why you asked me about Carter. To make sure, that the path is clear."

"Huh?"

"It's okay, Daniel, really, you don't have to worry, there's nothing between me and Carter and there's never going to be anything", Jack growled bitterly. He looked up to the display, then, when another number was about to switch places with the next, his hand reached out and pushed the button of the next floor along with the priority override to make the elevator finally stop. He had to get out of here. Fast. Before he did or said something he would regret later. Daniel shook his head and suddenly stopped, realizing what conclusion Jack had drawn from this conversion.

"Some things really never change. You are still an idiot, Jack."

"What?" The quiet anger in O'Neill's voice would have been enough to make even the most brave Jaffa turn around and run in fear, but Daniel stood his ground. But there was really nowhere to go in here anyway. "Y-o-u a-r-e a-n-I-d-i-o-t. What I wanted to say was simply: I had hoped that after my death, after I ascended, Sam would have found a way to avoid ever having to ask that question agin."

"Huh?"

Now it was Daniel's turn to be angry. He waved the folder impatiently in front of Jack's confused face.

"Gezz, Jack, I had hoped that you or her or both of you had finally realised that there will be a time when it's really too late. I had hoped that you would not take the chance of that happening and .. you know ..." Jack blinked. And blinked. And frowned. And said. "Uh .. ah .. hm.. yeah.."

Daniel looked at him with a serious expression. "Jack, she asked me that question, but I think only you can answer it."

Jack nodded as understanding finally reached his mind and soul. He made a decision. When he finally noticed that Daniel was watching him closely he threw him a critical look. It was reaaaalllly time to change the subject.

"Are you sure, that you aren't still a fairy? You still talk in a really weird way."

"I am sure."

"Really?"

"Really."

"I'm only saying.."

"Me, too."

They looked at each other.

"Just making sure", Jack said. "If you have to", Daniel answered.

"I do", Jack replied.

The elevator produced a happy "ping". When the doors slid open, both men stared into the corridor but neither was moving.

"Are we done here?"

Jack crooked his head and nodded slowly. Daniel sighed and stepped out into the corridor. He would take a different route to his destination now. After three or four steps he turned around and looked at Jack questioningly.

"Uh ... you didn't want to get off here, so where did you want to go?"

Jack pushed the button that would lead him to the level where Carter's lab was located and shrugged.

"Not important anymore and none of your business anyway." Daniel snorted and grinned. "Idiot."

Jack grinned back. "Glow-worm."

The doors of the elevator closed.

*The End*




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