Author's Notes:

Chapter Eleven
Looking for Daniel

The world stopped. Jack couldn't breathe. Or think. But he could feel. His heart had shattered into a million pieces. The jagged edges of each piece were slowly shredding the rest of his body. It hurt like hell.

And dammit, it shouldn't hurt. Not like this, as if it were the first time. It had been years since it had hurt like that. Years of talking, or sometimes not talking, with Daniel had lessened the pain and guilt. It had hardly been fair for Jack to wallow in his guilt like some hypocritical bastard while trying to persuade Daniel that he was not responsible for Sha're's death or the thousand and one other things Daniel decided were his fault. Because of Daniel, he'd recovered as much as humanly possible and moved on.

Daniel. He could hear Daniel screaming. The little boy's voice was shrill with fury. Then he heard the thud. Daniel cried out, this time in dismay and fear. Jack shoved his way out of the paralysis that had gripped him. Daniel needed him.

Jack blinked. Against the far wall, Elaine's chair lay on its side, the rollers beneath it still spinning. Janet was helping a stunned, but apparently unharmed Elaine, to her feet. General Hammond hurried out of his office, demanding to know what had happened and waving away the SF who had also arrived to investigate the disturbance. Daniel. Where was Daniel?

The sobs drew Jack downward. Daniel was under the table, curled in a fetal position, his arms hiding his head. He was whispering the same words over and over.

"I didn't mean to, good father. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to, good father."

        Jack crouched.  "Danny?  Come on out."
        Daniel whimpered and fell silent.
        Jack touched Daniel's elbow.  The kid's skin was hot and glowing with a faint 
white light.
        "Daniel?"
        A shudder coursed through Daniel's body, and when it abated, the glow 
surrounding Daniel was gone.  Daniel lifted one arm and peeked at Jack. 
        "Did I hurt her?" he whispered.  "I didn't mean to."
        "She's fine.  Come on out, Danny."
        Daniel sighed heavily, uncurled himself, and crawled toward Jack.  Jack 

straightened and moved to pick Daniel up. Daniel gripped Jack's hand instead. When he walked toward the others, Jack was forced to follow.

Daniel stopped in front of Elaine. "I'm sorry, Doctor Rosenberg," he said. "I shouldn't have done that."

Her gaze triumphant, Elaine looked at Janet and then Jack. "I'm sure this proves my point about stimuli."

        Janet looked like a bull about to charge.  "And mine about post-traumatic stress."
        "I assure you, Daniel will have the best of care."
        Janet's eyes narrowed.  Jack squeezed Daniel's hand so hard that Daniel yelped.  

Jack loosened his grip with a murmured apology but didn't let go. Elaine smiled a smile that Jack was getting awfully sick of seeing. It reminded him too much of Ba'al and his little house of tortures. Elaine returned to the table and drew a sheaf of papers from the only file she had brought into the briefing room. She presented the papers to Hammond.

        "This is my authorization to take Daniel." 
        "WHAT?!" Jack and Janet shouted in unison.
        "Because Daniel has displayed abnormal abilities as a result of his year among the 
ascended aliens, my superiors have authorized me to transfer him to a secure facility--"
        "This is a secure facility," Janet offered snidely.
        "So that further research can be explored for his situation," Elaine finished as if 

she had not been interrupted. "You have to admit, that was an impressive display of abnormal ability. I'm lucky he didn't kill me."

        "I wouldn't have!" Daniel protested.
        Elaine speared Daniel with a glare.  He scurried behind Jack's leg.  His breathing 
had sped up. 
        "General, this is ridiculous.  Daniel belongs here."
        "I agree, Colonel.  However, these papers appear to be legitimate."
        Daniel stared upward at the adults, his eyes wide and alarmed.  He jerked his hand 
out of Jack's and backed away.  Jack turned.
        "Daniel?"
        "I won't," he whispered.  "I won't go."
        He whirled and raced out of the briefing room.
        "Daniel!"  Jack started to follow.
        "Colonel, wait."
        Every muscle in Jack's body protested as military protocol forced him to obey the 

general's order. Even as he turned back, his feet itched to propel him toward the door. He clenched his hands until the nails bit into his palms.

"Colonel," Hammond said again, gentler this time. "We need to determine our options here. Give me a few minutes to verify Doctor Rosenberg's authorization."

        "But Daniel--"
        "Jack."
        Hammond met his gaze, and something in his tone and in his eyes made Jack 
release the bottled-up tension.  The general had an idea.  Jack drew himself to attention.
        "Yes, sir."
        So Jack waited.  Part of him resented every minute of the delay, but he'd gained a 

lot of trust in Hammond over six years. While Hammond spoke on the phone and Janet returned to the infirmary, Jack stood next to the window that overlooked the gate room. He stared down at the Stargate, fighting the impulse to chuck it all, find Daniel, and escape to a remote planet where the NID would never follow. Elaine moved to the opposite side of the window and mirrored his posture.

"I've read about Daniel Jackson, you know," she said conversationally. "The man who gave his life for a planet of people he didn't know."

Jack pressed his forehead against the cool surface of the window and thought, The man who gave his life for a hard-ass colonel he didn't know. Some things never change.

        "Don't you think he would give his life to save this planet as well?"
        "He already did.  I'm not sure he has any lives left to give," Jack murmured, not 
even aware that he was speaking aloud until he heard the echo of his own words.
        "He was dedicated to the Stargate program--"
        "This program bled him dry, Doctor.  We kept asking him for more, and he kept 

giving it. He should've had weeks to recover from some of things we went through, and days later, he'd be back at work. You have no idea how many times I found him passed out from exhaustion."

"I'm not denying the sacrifices Daniel made. But the knowledge he has now could alter the balance of power in our favor. We could eliminate the Goa'uld and the Replicator threats forever."

        Jack clenched his fists.  "You know what?  I don't care."
        "I don't believe you, Colonel," Elaine said softly.  "I think you care about this 
planet's safety as much as I do.  I think you would do anything to protect our world."
        Jack whirled and glared at the NID doctor.  "You're right.  I would do anything, 

but only at the cost of my own life. Daniel has already done more for this planet than any ten men. And as you pointed out, he's a boy now. A little boy who should be left alone so he can be a little boy. He deserves the same safety you want for everyone else."

Elaine opened her mouth as if to continue the argument, but Hammond emerged from his office, interrupting her. "I've verified your documents, Doctor Rosenberg. You're authorized to take Daniel with you."

        She smiled sharply.  Jack bit back his protest when Hammond lifted a finger.
        "However, your authorization is only in effect for today.  If you can't find Daniel 
within the next six hours, you'll have to return to your superiors empty-handed."
        The smile faded.  "I see.  May I ask if you intend to cooperate with this search?"
        "Of course.  I'll mobilize teams to handle the restricted and more hazardous 

locations. Colonel O'Neill, why don't you take Doctor Rosenberg to linguistics?" Hammond turned back to Elaine. "Linguistics, as you know, was one of Daniel's departments, and I'm sure you'll find the current supervisor, Doctor Michaels, eager to help."

Elaine pursed her lips, not quite believing Hammond's sincerity. Jack didn't believe it either, but he had an advantage over her. Before they left the briefing room, Jack happened to glance over his shoulder toward Hammond. The general was smiling broadly, and when he noticed Jack's scrutiny, he winked. Jack wished he knew what the plan was and how it involved Allyssa Michaels.

#

Ally didn't recognize the lady who was accepting Colonel O'Neill's escort with less-than-enthusiastic grace, but as soon as they entered her office, Ally became horribly conscious of her untidy hair, the smudges of dirt on her face, and her ink-stained fingers. Neither O'Neill or his guest noticed Ally's appearance, however, since they were both too busy scowling at one another. It didn't take a genius to see theirs was not a happy union.

O'Neill made the introductions, earning another frown from Elaine Rosenberg when he added, "She's from the NID."

Elaine tapped perfectly-groomed fingernails against her leg. "If you don't mind, Colonel, I'll speak for myself."

Ally supposed the woman's ire was understandable, given the SGC's opinion of the NID. Anyone who bothered mentioning the NID did so with a couple swear words thrown in for good measure. Sometimes NID was the swear word.

O'Neill stuffed his hands into his pockets, managing to look bored despite the rigidity of his posture. "Fine, whatever."

Elaine smiled at Ally, and if she hadn't just seen the woman sneering at O'Neill, Ally wouldn't have believed Elaine capable of unpleasantness. Ally narrowed her eyes. Elaine was trying to "play" her, and Ally didn't like being "played."

"General Hammond said you'd be the best person to help me." Elaine's smile brightened even more. Ally was going to need sunglasses soon. "He recommended you highly."

Well, two could play at this game. Ally smiled back, pretending to preen at the compliment. "Did he? That's so nice of him. I'm always glad to help."

        O'Neill slouched against the door jamb.  "She's looking for Daniel."
        The glare Elaine shot toward O'Neill was laced with venom.  Good thing looks 

can't kill, Ally thought. With a sheepish expression, O'Neill shrugged one shoulder, murmured an "Oops!", and mimed zipping his lips shut.

Ally's mind whirled. If Daniel was missing, O'Neill was better suited to finding him than Ally was. Therefore, finding Daniel was obviously not on the agenda. Although, from the way O'Neill was working so hard at nonchalance, she suspected he did want to find Daniel but couldn't while Doctor NID was hanging around. And General Hammond had sent them to Ally.

The general knew things about Ally that no one at the SGC, not even Daniel, knew about her. After the pre-employment security check revealed her criminal record, the general had pulled her into his office and grilled her. Thanks to Daniel's desire to have Ally in his department and the general's not-so-hidden wish to give Daniel anything he wanted, she'd survived the interview char-broiled but in possession of a job.

The criminal record had actually surprised her, since she'd been twelve at the time. She hadn't expected that particular misdemeanor to follow her into adulthood. Her father was a con artist, and until he was arrested just before her tenth birthday, she'd thought her father's job was perfectly legitimate. Bruce Michaels had taught Ally and her little brother everything he knew about running a con. Ally had a natural flair for it, and with the exception of that one time, she'd never been caught.

She hadn't run a con in years, not since giving up crime for the less-chancy prospects of higher education, but she still remembered the basics. One, pick a mark. Well, that was easy. Elaine Rosenberg had practically gift-wrapped herself. Two, be whatever the mark expects you to be. Easy again. Elaine had already given Ally the role of "dumb blonde." Three, build trust by giving the mark something she wants. What Elaine clearly wanted was Daniel, and since that wasn't happening, Ally needed to skip ahead in the program. So, if you can't give the mark what she wants, give her something she thinks she wants. Foolish as it was, Elaine wanted to ditch O'Neill. Since O'Neill was already the enemy, Ally simply needed to join the war against him.

        She smiled to herself.  Let the games begin.
        "Daniel's missing?  Again?"  Ally gave an exaggerated sigh of annoyance.  

"Colonel, why is it so hard for you to keep track of one six-year-old boy? What is this, the tenth time in the last two weeks?"

Elaine's eyes flashed with malicious glee. O'Neill blinked. Ally stared at him, one hand fisted at her waist, her foot tapping. At the moment, telepathy would have been helpful. Don't blow it, Ally thought hard. O'Neill blinked again.

"It wasn't exactly my fault," O'Neill muttered, sliding a murderous glance toward Elaine.

        "And I suppose yesterday's game of hide-and-seek wasn't your fault either?"
        Never let it be said that O'Neill was slow on the uptake.  He growled something 

unintelligible and studied the floor, looking like a rebellious teen who'd just been scolded.

        Ally sniffed contemptuously.  "Men!"
        She came forward, linked arms with Elaine, and chatted amiably, "Let's look 
together.  I know all of Daniel's hiding spots."  
        Elaine made the token protest.  "I don't want to interrupt your work."
        "It's all right.  I was going to take a break anyway, and I'd love to help.  We better 

get started, though." She shot another irritated glance at O'Neill. "Last time, it took us hours to find Daniel."

        O'Neill didn't bother to look up.  "You've only got six hours today."
        Hallelujah, the Colonel was much smarter than he pretended.  He'd slipped in 
the time frame for this con like a pro.
        "We'll get lots of help, don't you worry," Ally said brightly as she drew Elaine 

out of the office. "Do you have a nickname? Mine's Ally. I can tell we're going to be great friends."