Author's Notes: No notes.

Part 6 - Shopping...

Daniel sat on the floor near the front door and tugged his small sneakers on. "Jack?" he called to his older brother, who was just coming into the hallway from the bedroom. When he had Jack's attention, he held out his left foot.

Concealing a sigh, Jack crouched down and quickly tied Daniel's shoelaces. The kid had perked up a bit after his reading, which Jack supposed was good but he was hoping that Daniel wouldn't be too hard to manage in the shopping centre.

Why are we going shopping, Jack thought as he walked out to his four-wheel-drive with Daniel alongside him. He didn't know what a four-year-old boy needed, especially not this one. From what he'd seen of the kid's books last night, Daniel was into mythology and Ancient Egypt, and Jack knew little about those; he didn't remember his mother reading those kinds of stories to him when he was younger. And Daniel was smart, reading books that Jack reckoned he wouldn't have been able to read when he was at least seven. What kind of toys could Jack get to keep Daniel occupied?

He would deal with the toys after the clothes, he decided as he put the booster seat in the car, Daniel - and teddy - climbing in after it. Jack arranged the seatbelt and clicked it into place before shutting the door and going around to the driver's side. Situating himself on his seat, Jack adjusted the rear-view mirror so that he could see Daniel, who was sitting in the middle of the back seat. "You okay back there?"

"Yep." Daniel looked out the window to his right as Jack started driving. He was still fascinated by all the fancy houses in America; in Egypt, he was used to more simpler houses and tents. He wasn't entirely used to cars yet either, although he had sometimes had travelled in old ones with his parents when they had to get somewhere quickly. "Jack?"

"What?" Jack briefly looked in the mirror as he replied.

"Are we going very far?"

"Not very far," Jack told him. Maybe that would limit the number of questions Daniel would ask.

Ten quiet minutes - not counting a few questions - later, they pulled up at the local shopping centre. Jack parked the car, then got out and walked around to the back door to open it for Daniel. "The bear stays here," he said as the kid scooted across the seat, the teddy in his hand.

"But Jack--" Daniel started to protest.

"But nothing," Jack said firmly, waiting with the door held open for Daniel to obey.

Reluctantly, Daniel put Thoth down, then climbed out of the car and looked around him. There were many cars and many people, and the shopping centre looked huge. Suddenly a bit uncertain, Daniel plastered himself to Jack's left leg. He was used to lots of people, having visited bazaars with his parents, but this was totally different. His right thumb made its way into his mouth.

Looking down, Jack noticed that Daniel seemed a bit nervous. Carefully peeling the arm from around his leg, Jack took the small hand in his and headed off towards the building. As he did so, he noticed a few parents who had their children on some kind of leash or harness, preventing the kids from wandering off. It didn't seem like a bad idea, but it didn't seem necessary at the moment; he would keep it in mind for when Daniel was more confident in his surroundings.

"And no sucking your thumb while we're shopping. You're getting too old for that anyway," Jack added when he realised that Daniel's thumb was still in his mouth.

"Am not," Daniel argued sullenly; if he wasn't allowed to have his teddy, then he had to do the sucking thing.

Jack stopped, crouched down in front of Daniel and pulled the thumb out. "What was our rule?" he asked impatiently.

Daniel looked at the ground and scuffed one sneaker as he muttered, "I don't know."

"Yes, you do," Jack disagreed. "When you talk, the thumb comes out of your mouth. And also, when you're talking to someone, you look at them." He lifted Daniel's chin so that he could see the sulky expression. "Now, you think you can follow those rules or shall we forget about shopping and go home?"

Daniel thought it through carefully; he liked the idea of getting some new things, and it might be worth having to obey the rules to get them. "I can follow them," he stated.

"Good." Jack stood up again and took hold of Daniel's hand. "Let's go."

It didn't take long to find a kids' clothing shop. There were a few women in there with their young children - being a weekday, the older children were at school - but no men. That made Jack uncomfortable, especially as they all turned to look at him as he walked through the store. Probably wondering whether I'm a single father or something, he thought, catching the eye of one young-looking woman. Actually, that could work, Jack decided as the woman smiled at him. If he played the hapless father who didn't know what to get for his son, then the women would flock to him.

"See anything you like?" Jack prompted Daniel as they arrived in the boys section.

Daniel, who had been observing everything with awe, looked up at Jack with wide eyes. "I can choose?" His mother had always chosen his clothes.

"Sure," Jack shrugged.

Taking the responsibility seriously, Daniel looked around him at the rows of clothes, trying to see if there was anything he liked. There were so many items to choose from, he didn't know where to start.

Jack waited patiently to begin with but when Daniel showed no signs of choosing anything, he sighed. He would have to choose for the kid, or at the very least, prompt him along. Picking up a nearby green coat that looked like it was stuffed with huge marshmallows, Jack said, "What about this?"

"Uh-uh." Daniel shook his head; he didn't like the colour nor the puffiness.

"Okay, how about this one?" Jack held up a red one.

Another shake of the head; too bright. Daniel wanted something in blue but he couldn't see anything at the moment.

"First time shopping?" an amused voice inquired from behind.

Jack turned to see a young dark-haired woman in her mid-twenties standing nearby, a big four-year-old boy at her side. "How'd you guess?" he said dryly.

"The look of bewilderment as you entered gave it away," she said before introducing herself. "I'm Linda and this is Adam."

"Jack." He held out a hand for her to shake. "And this is Daniel," he stated, putting a hand on the kid's head. He felt Daniel inch his way behind Jack's leg again, obviously hesitant about meeting someone new.

"Hi," Linda said, smiling at Daniel.

When Daniel didn't say anything, Jack nudged him. "Hi," Daniel said quietly. He didn't like the look of the boy opposite him, and was hiding more from him than Linda. Adam was taller and heavier than Daniel, and the latter hoped that they wouldn't have to play together.

Linda turned her attention back to Jack. "What are you looking for?"

A date, was Jack's immediate thought, but he said aloud, "Some winter clothes - coats, mittens, that sort of thing."

"I know just the thing." Linda led them one aisle over and showed Jack a medium blue coat. "It's warm, and the mittens are attached so there's no excuses about not being able to find them," she explained, pointing the features out to Jack.

"Sounds perfect," Jack said with a grin. He picked one out at random then crouched down and held it up in front of Daniel. "Here, try this one on."

Daniel took it and measured it against himself. "It's too big," he stated; it reached his knees.

Linda got a smaller one off the rack and crouched down in front of Daniel. "Here, try this one." She held it out for him to put his arms into.

Daniel looked up at Jack, who nodded, so he let Linda put the coat on him. It was a lot bulkier than he was used to, and his arms felt like they were sticking out sideways. But on the other hand, he did like the colour.

"How's that?" Linda asked, doing up the zip and smiling at the little boy.

"Okay," Daniel shrugged, studiously examining the mittens and putting a hand inside one.

"Daniel," Jack warned firmly.

Remembering the discussion they'd had outside, Daniel lifted his head to look at the lady. "It's okay," he stated.

"Does it feel too big?" Linda questioned, checking the outfit for herself.

"No?" Daniel replied uncertainly; he wasn't too sure whether it was big or not.

She smiled at him, then unzipped the coat and helped him take it off. "This one is fine," she told Jack, handing it to him.

"Thank you," said Jack, smiling back at her, flirting. "It would have taken us ages."

"Oh, I don't think it would have. You're military, aren't you?" Linda commented.

Jack's smile changed into a grin. "The short hair give it away?" His hair wasn't as short as the Marines but those in Special Ops, like he was, tended to keep it short too.

"That, and the posture," Linda told him. "My partner's a Marine attached to Cheyenne Mountain," she explained with a knowing twinkle in her eyes; Jack's flirting had been rather obvious to her.

"Oh." Well, there went that date, Jack thought, a little disappointed but shrugging it off philosophically. He had always had a policy - well, since he was twenty-five anyway - not to date women who were already involved, after being heartbroken by a married older woman.

"There's a day-care centre just down the road, about a mile, from the base if you need somewhere to take Daniel," she continued, taking Adam's hand when it looked like he was about wander away.

Jack nodded, appreciating the advice. "Thanks, I'll check it out." Since he would be going back to work tomorrow, he needed somewhere to take Daniel for the day. "You wouldn't happen to have the name of a good babysitter, would you?" He would need one if he went out on any dates between now and when Daniel left.

While Jack and Linda talked, Daniel stared at Adam, who was glaring at him. Daniel didn't know what he'd done to earn Adam's dislike but he hoped that Jack decided against sending him to the same centre. Even though he was only four, he recognised a bully when he saw one.

Adam poked out his tongue at Daniel, which the smaller boy ignored, instead reaching up for Jack's hand and trying to pull him away.

"Daniel, behave!" Jack scolded, planting his feet firmly on the floor so the kid couldn't move him.

"It's alright," Linda said, smiling in amusement at the cute little boy. "We'd better be going anyway. Good luck with the rest of the shopping." With another smile at Jack, she led Adam away.

"Thank you," Jack called after her before turning to Daniel. "What was that about?" he asked, annoyed that the kid had behaved like that in a public place.

"Nothing," Daniel said sullenly, looking at Jack while he spoke and then turning his attention to the floor.

"I don't like lying and I don't tolerate people being rude," Jack reprimanded him. "Now, tell me the truth."

"What's toler... tol-er-ate?" Daniel was distracted by the new word, sounding it out carefully.

"It means put up with," Jack stated briefly. "Answer my question, Daniel." He stared solemnly at the kid.

Chewing on his bottom lip, Daniel spent a moment remembering what the question had been. "Why was I rude?" he asked uncertainly.

Jack nodded. "Exactly." Geez, dealing with Daniel certainly tried one's patience.

"Because Adam poked out his tongue and I don't like him," Daniel explained with a four-year-old's logic. "He's a `ibn haram'."

After Jack translated the Arabic word, he swiftly smacked Daniel's bottom. "Never use those words again," he said sternly. "Where did you learn that?"

His lower lip trembling at the suddenness of being smacked, not at the pain, Daniel sniffed and said haltingly, "On the-the digs." He didn't know what it meant, only that bad people were called by it.

"Well, it's bad and little boys shouldn't use it." Jack took Daniel's hand and led him towards the section for dressing-gowns; the kid needed something to keep him warm on the cold nights to come.

"Daddy never hit me!" Daniel protested tearfully as he was pulled along.

"Well, if your daddy heard you using words like that, he would smack you," Jack countered, coming to a halt in front of the fluffy robes. As he did so, he realised that Daniel had used Arabic; he wondered how many other words he knew. "And just so you know, I can speak Arabic too so I'll know if you use any more bad words." His knowledge was of a guttural dialect, so he knew how to curse fluently.

"My daddy's going to be really mad that you hit me when he gets back," Daniel threatened.

Jack let that one slide; he couldn't very well tell Daniel right now that his daddy wouldn't be coming back. "This looks okay," he said, picking out a green brushed-cotton robe with cartoon-like dogs on it. He checked the size tag against the one on the coat and saw that they were the same.

"I don't like it," Daniel said mutinously, crossing his arms over his chest and sitting on the floor.

"Well, then you'll just have to freeze," Jack stated, putting the robe back and walking away, wondering how Daniel's parents had disciplined him. The occasional smack did no harm - he remembered plenty of times when his father had smacked him. When John was sober, of course; drunk was a different matter.

Daniel stared as Jack left him sitting in the aisle, and two tears escaped to fall down his cheeks. He wasn't used to anyone treating him like this and he didn't know how to deal with it. As Jack turned the corner and disappeared from sight, Daniel panicked. "Jack!" he yelled, running after his big brother, hoping that he wouldn't be left behind.

To his surprise, Jack was waiting just around the corner. Daniel came to an abrupt halt and stuck his thumb in his mouth, relieved that Jack hadn't left him but still upset at the scare.

"Are you ready to behave?" Jack asked, giving Daniel a stern look.

Daniel nodded his head, more tears rolling down his cheeks.

"Good." Jack took pity on Daniel and picked him up, then they went back to the robes together. "Now, which one do you like?"

Surveying the range, his head resting on Jack's shoulder, Daniel eventually pointed to the one his brother had picked out earlier; he thought the dogs looked nice.

"Now we're in business," Jack said, getting the right-sized one off the rack.

After that, they chose some miniature sweat-pants for Daniel to wear around the house in the cold weather, and some polo-necked, long-sleeved t-shirts to wear under the two jumpers Daniel had. Jack paid for the clothes, amazed at how much they cost, and then headed out of the shop with Daniel in search of somewhere to buy shoes.

tbc...