Rostau

Rostau

By Jinx

~~<<->>~~

Daniel is gonna kill me, Jack thought as he lay in the bushes not fifty feet from the base of the Stargate and freedom.

He closed his eyes for a moment, leaning his head against his hands. He had been so excited about this new plan to ready new SG teams by sending them off world for training exercises. It was something that he’d been hinting to Hammond for several months:

“Sir,” he began, standing on the other side of the general’s desk, hands clasped behind his back. “We’ve already scoped out P2R-557. It’s a perfect place for off world training.” He knew he was starting to whine, but in most cases that usually worked in his favor.

He looked down at his commander and silently noted the amusement behind the dark eyes. He wasn’t sure if that was a good sign or a bad sign.

It wasn’t until the silence continued that Jack began to fidget. He started to open his mouth when the general held up his hand, stopping Jack cold.

“Would this be why you were so willing to go to P2R-577, colonel? Now that I think about it, you were awfully eager to visit a planet that, under normal circumstances, would have left you bored silly. More to the tastes of Dr. Jackson than yourself, wouldn’t you say?”

Jack blustered. “Of course not, sir. I’m eager all the time.” Knowing that it didn’t come out the way he wanted and seeing that his commander didn’t believe him anyway, Jack amended. “Actually it was Daniel who was bored. There wasn’t an artifact in sight. Besides, this was the first planet in a long sting that looked promising. I…” Hammond raised his eyebrow in disbelief. Sighing, Jack closed his eyes, dropping his chin to his chest. He’d been caught. He might as well admit it. Damn, the general was a sneaky bastard!

“In this case, colonel, I happen to agree with you.” Jack jerked his head up and stared at Hammond. “I think it’s about time we utilize some of those planets we visit, don’t’ you? Set up your first team, Jack.”

Jack’s eyes lit up. It had been so long since he’d been able to lead a training mission. It was something that he’d secretly missed. He loved putting new recruits through their paces. This was going to be fun! “Yes, sir!” He saluted before spinning on his heels and darting out of the office.

He had had the pleasure of setting up and leading SG-T: the first of several off world training exercises that was supposed to get new SG teams ready for combat. [RC1] If his team was successful, then this new planet could be designated for future off-world exercises, and quite possibly, a new base! Something even General Hammond was thinking about, Jack was sure of it.

His happiness was short lived, however. [RC2]

The new team had been on deep-cover recon for little under an hour when Russell and Shaw started yelling through their radios.

“Sir!” “…Jaffa!” “…they’re ev…” “We can’t hol…!”

[RC3] Jack emerged from his hiding place several yards away only to watch Russell and Shaw go down and there wasn’t a damned thing he could do about it.

“Son of a bitch!” He yelled, managing to fire off a few shots. He killed the ones who murdered Russell and Shaw before more emerged from the trees and began firing at him.

As he ran for cover, he had radioed the remaining rookies, “Collins?! Get your men back to the ‘gate! If I’m not there in fifteen, get your asses home! You got that?!” That was the last he would be hearing from his team, radio contact now officially off-limits. The only thing going through his head as he ran for the Stargate was that he was glad that SG-1 wasn’t with him. Specifically, Daniel.

Unfortunately, he didn’t get very far. He knew he wouldn’t. The gate was surrounded by Jaffa just as he knew it would be. Bastards have to guard everything! Jack thought to himself. He threw himself into a group of bushes just on the edge of the clearing and ducked down to watch. He had a faint hope that they wouldn’t be here long. If he were lucky, they would get what they came for and leave. Oh, fat chance of that NOW! He thought to himself angrily. Now that they blew away two of his most promising recruits, those bastards would comb the planet with a fine tooth… well, comb. They wouldn’t give up until they captured or killed everyone. Especially if they wore the good old SGC uniform. Whichever god they worked for would be thrilled to get a hold of a few Tau'ri.

Wouldn’t it figure, Jack mused to himself angrily as he spied the three Jaffa at the gate, that the second I get here, a bunch of snakeheads hafta come roamin’ through to the same planet I’m on. Shit! There are a billion other Stargates out there, why the hell did they[RC4] have to pick this one?! Jack was on his belly, looking through the bushes, angrily glaring at the Jaffa through his binoculars.

What the hell am I gonna do? He wondered for the hundredth time. He closed his eyes again and dropped his forehead on the binoculars. He could only hope that the rest of his team was in better shape than Russell and Shaw.

Jack hunkered down, only fifty feet from freedom, not able to do a damned thing about it.

***********

Daniel aimlessly wandered around the house, randomly picking up items from the mantle and putting them down again. He had spent the first few hours after Jack had left trying to get some reading done, but his mind wasn’t interested in what was written in the ancient tome. He tossed the book on the coffee table and soon after, started drifting through their house.

He didn’t know why he was so anxious. It wasn’t as if Jack had gone off-world without him before. Hell, he had gone off-world without SG-1 lots of times. But for some reason, this time felt different. Perhaps because this was their first time separated since they admitted their feelings for each other a short few weeks ago. Their relationship was fairly new and this enforced separation so soon after, if only for a day, was not making Daniel a happy camper.

He shook his head at his analogy. Such a Jack-ism. Speaking of Jack… Jack was to return home this evening after a full day of training off world and Daniel couldn’t wait for the… he looked down at his watch…final two hours to go by. He wanted Jack now. Needed him now. Oh, the things Daniel had planned for Jack when he got home.

He put the frame he was unconsciously holding back in place. It was easy to find where it had been, dust had settled around the area leaving a frame-shaped space behind. Daniel smiled at the sudden irony… It was a lot like Jack’s place in Daniel’s life… You can remove Jack from Daniel’s life, but there would still be a Jack-shaped space behind… a place where Daniel knew exactly where Jack belonged. And right now… he glanced at his watch again, Jack needed to come back to his ‘Jack-shaped space’ because Daniel was missing him terribly.

Once the picture was returned, Daniel started to move off when the two smiling figures in the photo caught his eye. It was of him and Jack: their arms around each other, grinning at each other like a couple of idiots. Daniel’s hat was crooked over his forehead almost over his eyes and Jack’s other hand was pushing the hat down. They both wore sunglasses, but that did not deflect from the happiness you could see shining from their faces. Daniel rarely smiled and in this photo he was grinning from ear to ear. Jack wasn’t much better.

Daniel closed his eyes and let that day wash over his memories…

They were in Jack’s backyard for one of his famous weekend barbecues. Half of the SGC was in attendance with Hammond commandeering the barbecuing duties and Jack, Sam and Major Davis setting the tables outside. Janet was helping the general and several other people were milling around the spacious backyard, drinking and talking; trying hard not to talk about work. But, that was inevitable especially if your name was ‘Daniel Jackson’.

Jack was going back and forth into the house retrieving salads, plates, etc. and each time he had past Daniel, the younger man was in one of his involved conversations about one artifact or another. Finally, apparently sick of hearing Daniel talk about work, Jack snuck up on him as he returned from the house and wrapped his arm around the other man, smashing the hat further down on Daniel’s head.

“Can’t you talk about anything else, Space Monkey? This is supposed to be a break from work. I order you to stop talking about your damned rocks!”

“Order?!” Daniel sputtered. He was a picture of outrage for about two seconds before Jack’s good mood and the others laughter filtered in and he smiled up at Jack, wrapping his own arm around Jack’s shoulders. “You are so gonna get it,” Daniel mock-whispered as Jack continued to squish the hat down on Daniel’s head. “Just wait!”

“I’m looking forward to it,” Jack replied quietly, leaning down for only Daniel to hear.

Someone had brought a camera and immediately snapped the picture. Jack had proudly displayed it on his mantle ever since.

Daniel looked down at his watch for the tenth time in as many minutes. Jack was late. Well, no, not really. Once he returned from his training mission, there was still to be debriefings and reports. Though, Daniel was hoping that the reports could wait until tomorrow. There were some ‘reports’ that the colonel was in need of filling out here… at home… with Daniel… alone… naked. The important stuff.

Daniel grinned.

Yes, he had thought of going to the SGC to pick up Jack, but he knew in the state he was in right then, he would embarrass both himself and Jack, and that would not be a good thing. As new and as exciting it was, it was not for public knowledge just yet. Jack had his career to think about and Daniel had his place in the SGC. When they were ready to bag the whole thing, then it would okay to tell everyone. As it stood, the only ones that knew were the other two members of SG-1. And that was enough for the time being.

The phone rang and Daniel rushed over to answer it. It was Jack. He knew it. He could just feel it. A quick little session of phone sex should get the colonel home in no time.

“Hello,” he said rather sexily, but not overtly so. If it was someone else, he didn’t want to raise suspicions, but if it was Jack…

“Daniel?”

“Oh hi Sam.” His dejected voice answered. Her continued silence and the fact that she didn’t come back with a quip regarding his greeting got Daniel’s attention. “What’s wrong?”

“SG-T is overdue and the colonel hasn’t reported in. General Hammond wants you back right away.”

He could feel his face drain of all its blood and his mouth went dry. Small tremors began to shake him. “Daniel?” Carter asked when Daniel didn’t answer. “Do you want me to pick you up?”

“N… uh, no,” Daniel replied hoarsely, trying to clear his throat of the large lump that suddenly formed there. “I’ll be right there.”

Practically throwing the phone on the cradle, Daniel scrambled throughout the house hunting for the keys to his car. You better be okay, Jack. You better be okay. He continued his mantra as he found the keys and left the house. I’ll kill you if you’re not okay.

************

Jack had been in his hiding place for several hours. There was no telling when or if he would ever be able to leave. The three Jaffa were still standing guard and he had no idea where the others had gone. For that matter, he had no idea where the rest of his team was.

An hour or so ago, he had decided to risk it and try to contact his team only to find out that his radio was somehow damaged in the fire fight.

He had ordered them to wait for fifteen and then leave him if he didn’t arrive. Unfortunately, that was hours ago and with the ‘gate guarded, none of them were leaving. He rolled over onto his back and stared at the sky.

The movement caused a wave of pain to shoot through his body. Oh yeah… staff blast in my back. Almost forgot about that. He knew he had been hit as he had headed for the Stargate earlier, but he hadn’t realized how bad it was until now.

He was actually shocked at the amount of pain radiating through him. He could have sworn it wasn’t all that bad when he was first hit. He had continued on, finding this hiding place and even spent a few hours looking down at the Stargate without really knowing the extent of his injury.

The adrenaline seemed to have kept him going, but now with the chance of rescue fading, his body was beginning to protest its injury. He had thought it was just a flesh wound, but the small puddle of blood underneath him proved that it was more. Much more. Shit! Danny’s really gonna kill me now! He closed his eyes for a moment if only to rest for a second. It was a second he didn’t have to spare as he quietly slipped into unconsciousness.

**************

Daniel, Carter, Teal’c and SG-4 were in the debriefing room awaiting instructions for the rescue mission. MALP telemetry showed no signs of any reason SG-T would not have returned. They were to go through and check in every hour until SG-T was found.

They waited in the embarkation room, Daniel fidgeting more than normal.

Sam leaned over. “We’ll find them, Daniel. Don’t worry.”

He nodded his head, but deep down in his heart, he wasn’t so sure she was right. Something was telling him that this mission was a search for bodies and nothing more. He shivered visibly and shook himself. Knock it off, Jackson! This type of thinking will not help Jack.

Chevron four was encoded when an incoming wormhole was established and SG-T’s encryption code was identified.

“It’s SG-T!” A voice boomed from the control room. Daniel kept his eyes glued to the Stargate, silently begging Jack to be the first through. C’mon, Jack. C’mon, c’mon, c’mon.

Sam looked over at Daniel and gently touched his arm. “He’ll be okay, Daniel.”

Daniel merely nodded and continued to mouth, “C’mon Jack. Please, please, Jack.”

The iris did not close but several SG personnel came running into the Gateroom with guns drawn. SG-4 did the same. SG-1 stood behind the others as they watched three very dirty, bloody men emerge from the wormhole. Daniel took a tentative step forward; eyes still on the event horizon. But, before anyone could ask where the other members of SG-T were, the wormhole disengaged and Collins, McMurphy, and Lewis staggered down the ramp.

Daniel’s face paled. He vaguely noticed the other shocked faces registering throughout the embarkation room. A voice yelled, “Medical team to the gate room!” Yet the only thing going through Daniel’s mind at the moment was: Where’s Jack?!

Daniel watched as Sam and Ferretti moved forward to assist the three men. Hammond pushed past them all and stood in front of Lewis, who seemed to be the least injured of the three. “Major! What happened?” He looked behind them searching for the other members of the SG-T team. “Where is Colonel O’Neill?”

“Ambushed, sir.” Before he was able to elaborate, McMurphy crumbled to the ramp.

Daniel stood by in a daze.

The medical team entered the room moments after McMurphy collapsed. They pushed everyone out of the way, loaded him onto a stretcher and whisked him from the room. Collins, who wasn’t much better off, stumbled out with the medical team, leaving Lewis behind to explain.

Hammond ordered SG-1 and SG-4 to the debriefing room with Lewis for a report. Daniel followed the others in numbed shock. His mind was running a hundred miles an hour. Thoughts whirling through his mind before another would take its place. And each one of them were thoughts of Jack. Where’s Jack? What happened to Jack? Why didn’t Jack come back with them? If they were this bad off, what about Jack? Did they leave him behind? Did Jack stay behind to find the others? WHERE THE FUCK WAS JACK!?!?

He didn’t realize he was standing alone at the top of the stairs until he felt a nudge beside him. Everyone was sitting around the table waiting for him. It was Sam; she was standing next to him with a hand on his arm. She led him to the table.

“You okay?” Sam whispered in his ear as they both sat.

Not trusting himself to speak, he merely shook his head. No, I’m not okay, damn it! Jack’s not here.

************

“I know you’re probably hurting right now, son, but I need you to tell us what happened.” Daniel noted Hammond’s soft voice echoing throughout the room, compassion and concern in equal measure. He shook himself. He needed to pay attention. Anything that Lewis said would be that much more information in helping Jack. He had to stay focused. Blinking, he leaned forward and forced himself to listen to the major.

Major Lewis swallowed hard before clearing his throat. “We hadn’t been there for an hour yet after the colonel had us split up when I heard Russell yell over the radio that he had spotted Jaffa. I thought he was kidding at first until I heard Shaw a minute or so later come over the radio screaming that he had been ambushed. I think that he and Russell were in the same area because Russell immediately radioed that he was surrounded. I heard gunfire and took cover. A few seconds later, Colonel O’Neill radioed and told us to get back to the gate. We were to wait fifteen minutes. If he didn’t meet us, we were to come back here. And that was it. Radio coms were off limits from that point on.” He cleared his throat again and reached for the glass of water that Carter placed in front of him.

At the mention of Jaffa, Daniel closed his eyes and bowed his head, rubbing his eyes with the heel of his hands. If Jack had been ambushed by a group of Jaffa, he could be a prisoner right now. He refused to think about the alternative.

Lewis cleared his throat again and Daniel looked up. Needing but not really wanting to hear the rest.

“I managed to find Collins fairly quickly and we both made our way towards the Stargate. A few times we had to take cover and wait it out when we ran into a group of Jaffa. But then we would keep going. We found McMurphy on our way, but as you could see, he was hurt pretty bad. It took us a few hours, but we finally got to the edge of the clearing where the Stargate was located and there was no Jaffa around. I thought it might be another ambush, so we waited. I scanned the area, but couldn’t find either the colonel or Russell or Shaw. With McMurphy being as bad off as he was, I decided to risk radio communication and call the colonel. There was no answer. I kept trying, but the airway remained silent. McMurphy was fading, so we decided to make a run for it and try to get home.” He shrugged and cleared his throat, gulping more water.

Silence filled the room and everyone seemed to contemplate what they just heard. Daniel looked over towards the general. He seemed to be thinking, and Daniel felt himself grow angry. Jack was left behind; perhaps hurt and they were sitting around the table! All Daniel wanted to do was jump up and demand to go through and find Jack. Why were they waiting? It was clear that Jack and the others needed their help. What was there to think about?

He was about to open his mouth and suggest that very thing, when General Hammond stood up. “All right people. It appears the Jaffa are no longer there. We’ll send a MALP through and make sure. Then…”

Daniel couldn’t hold back any longer. He stood and said, “General. We’ve already sent a MALP through. We know the planet’s clear. Let’s just go through and find SG-T.”

Hammond turned to Daniel. “No, Dr. Jackson, we don’t know it’s clear. We…”

“Yes, we do!” Daniel interrupted, agitation making him fidget where he stood. “We sent a MALP through. It came back clear. We were about to go when they,” he waved his hand in the general direction of Lewis, “returned. We have to…”

“One more MALP sweep before I send any of my people through. Is that clear, Dr. Jackson?” Hammond turned and left.

“Crystal!” Daniel spat and he sat back down, glaring at the back of the general as he left. And every second we wait, Jack could be dying, you son of a… He closed his eyes and cut off that thought. He knew Hammond was right, but that didn’t stop him from being angry.

Sam reached over and touched his arm, leaning in to say, “He’ll be all right, Daniel.”

Daniel nodded his head. “Yeah, sure,” he replied without emotion. Somehow he doubted it.

************

Jack woke with the pain in his back intensifying. He knew there was no way he was going to get out of this alive. He couldn’t even harbor the strength to turn around and see if the gate was unguarded. Probably not, he mused. Those bastards will stay here until they find every last one of us.

He closed his eyes as another burst of pain shocked him. Damn it, he thought. This was not fair. He had finally found happiness for the first time in his life since Charlie died and this is what happens… he get taken out on some stupid training mission. A fucking training mission, of all things! And only weeks after he and Daniel had finally admitted they loved each other.

They had been circling each other for several months’… hell; several years, and one evening several weeks ago spent with pizza and a movie got them mellow enough to admit their feelings. No booze was involved, just pent-up emotions and longings. And now, Jack was facing the end of that relationship. One that had held promise. One that had held ‘forever’.

Hand heavy from loss of blood, he managed to reach up and pull out his dog tags from around his neck and grab the third tag that hung from the chain. This tag was not apart of the regulation tags he was required to wear. It was, in fact, so far against regulations that if caught wearing them, it would send his career down the toilet. But, that didn’t keep him from wearing it.

He was at a point in his life that he really didn’t care one way or the other if he stayed with the Air Force. Oh, he enjoyed his work, but if it meant a choice between it and Daniel, he knew which he would pick in a heartbeat. That’s why he didn’t worry about this little extra addition to the chain around his neck.

He took the tag and looked at it. It would only mean something if the person looking at it could understand the foreign language embedded on it. Therefore, unless you knew the language of the Ancients (which fortunately only Daniel did), you would have no clue what it meant.

He hadn’t even told Daniel. It was his little secret.

He rubbed his thumb over the raised symbols, knowing what each bump meant. He had thought long and hard of what to place on this tag, and in the end settled for something mushy and sentimental. Everything that everyone thought Jack wasn’t. It was almost ‘high school’ in its simplicity, but that didn’t stop big-tough-Colonel-O’Neill from getting it made and wearing it everyday since. He snorted. Danny would get a kick outta this.

Another burning pain passed through him and he tightened his grip on the tag he held. God, it hurts so much! He was unaware of the tears that slid down his face and into his hair as the pain ripped through him. He decided now would be a good time to pass out, but for some reason, his body refused to obey and he was forced to ride out the pain. Suddenly, the need to cough overwhelmed him and he struggled to stifle the urge. Any sound would give away his hiding place, but he could not stop. It was the coughing that finally allowed him to slip into unconsciousness, unaware that the Jaffa were no longer around to hear him: they had left.

When Jack next awoke, the sky was darker. The suns had not yet set, but one was fairly close to the horizon. The air was much cooler as well, but Jack’s parched skin took no notice. He was burning with fever from infection. The special tag was still clutched in his palm and Jack took comfort from the cool metal. Though he was millions of miles away from his soul mate, Daniel was here, close to him wrapped in Jack’s palm. He managed a smile, thinking: Love you Danny.

It was with this reflection that a part of him thought he heard his lover’s voice, “What does it look like?” Why would Danny be saying that? But, he knew it couldn’t be. Daniel was back on earth waiting for him to return. God, Danny, I’m so sorry.

It was harder to breathe now, his breaths coming in short gasps. Warm tears spilled unheeded over the side of his face, creating dust trails to his hair. The pain of dying was bad enough, but his mind and heart was with Daniel. He prayed that Daniel wouldn’t see him like this: body broken, blood everywhere. Though that was highly unlikely. If the SGC came looking for them, the MALP would show the Jaffa by the gate and any attempt at rescue would be scrubbed. Tightening his hold on the metal around his neck, Jack closed his eyes: his only thought, God, Daniel, please don’t hate me too much for leavin’ you.

************

SG-4 and the three members of SG-1 emerged from the gate to begin their search, Daniel already heading off on his own.

“Jackson, where do you think you’re going?” Ferretti asked after sending two members of his team off to begin the search.

“What does it look like?” Daniel didn’t stop and continued to head away from the others.

Ferretti jogged up to Daniel and placed a hand on his arm, stopping him. “Daniel, we’ll find him. But you just can’t go off alone.”

“Teal’c will go with me,” Daniel stated as he looked over Ferretti’s shoulder and silently asked the other man to accompany him.

Teal’c stalked up to the two men and looked at the leader of the rescue mission. “I will go with DanielJackson.”

“Fine,” Ferretti replied, sighing. And as the two men walked off, he added, “But keep in touch. Radio check-in every fifteen minutes.”

Teal’c turned and inclined his head before returning to Daniel’s side.

**************

Lewis had mentioned that Russell and Shaw were probably taken out, but he wasn't sure if they were alive or not. So, the rescue mission was for Russell and Shaw, as well as their team leader: Colonel O’Neill. As far as Daniel was concerned, he was here to find Jack. End of subject.

About an hour after they had arrived, Thompson and Elliott of SG-4 radioed in; they had found the remains of Russell and Shaw. They had taken multiple staff weapon blasts to their chests. Now, the only one left was Colonel O’Neill and the light was fading fast. If they were unable to find O’Neill by nightfall, the mission would be put on hold until morning. There wouldn’t be much they could do in the dark. Especially on a planet they were barely familiar with.

And that was unacceptable to Daniel. He would hunt throughout the night if need be.

Evening came quickly, one of the two suns had already set and everyone was slowly returning to the gate, the bodies of Russell and Shaw with them.

Ferretti looked down at the fallen men. “Damned Jaffa!” He cursed. He hated the fact that they had not found O’Neill. He knew the odds were practically zero by now, and he did not relish the fact that they had to return home and wait for daylight, but orders were orders and he would follow them whether he wanted to or not. The colonel would expect it of him. “Damn it!” He yelled to no one in particular, though no one spared him a glance. They were as frustrated as he was: SG-1 more so.

Reluctantly, Ferretti told Carter to dial home when he realized that Daniel was not with them. Cursing under his breath, Ferretti clicked on his radio.

“Jackson? Where the hell are you? We have to go back. We’ll come back tomorrow.”

There was no answer, though he figured Daniel was close since Ferretti could just faintly make out the radio transmission in the bushes not far from the ‘gate.

“Jackson!” He yelled in the general direction the transmission sound came from, not bothering with the radio.

“He ventured went this way. I will look for him,” Teal’c announced as he started off into the bushes.

“Wait up,” Carter said, catching up to her teammate.

The two wandered off, flashlights cutting a path into the impending darkness.

********

They had searched for an hour with no luck and the light was fading fast. Daniel knew that they were ordered to return home once it was dark, but Daniel didn’t want to leave Jack behind. It was Teal’c who practically dragged Daniel back to the ‘gate.

“We will find him, DanielJackson.” Teal’c tried to reassure.

“No we won’t, Teal’c. At least not alive.”

“You cannot think such thoughts.”

“It’s the truth, isn’t it? We’ve got two teams sweeping the area and still no sign of Jack. He’s either dead or wishes he were.” Visions of what the Jaffa could do to his lover if captured flooded his mind. Jack was not a well-liked Tau’ri amongst the Goa’uld. There would be great pleasure taken out of torturing Jack.

As they neared the gate, Daniel started veering off towards a group of bushes.

“Be right back,” he told Teal’c.

“Do you need my assistance, DanielJackson?” Teal’c asked as he stopped, watching Daniel move away.

“No. I’ll be back in a minute. I just…” Daniel said absent-mindedly as he wandered off, waving his hand behind him.

Not knowing why he was heading toward the bushes, Daniel continued to walk, stepping over fallen branches and rocks. He had just pushed a rather large bush out of the way when he froze, air leaving his lungs, instant coldness spreading throughout his body, his discovery rooting him to the spot. His brows furrowed together as though the sight before him was a baffling puzzle. His mind refusing to process what was in front of him. He shook his head, eyes blinking, yet the sight remained the same. Then just as quickly, all thought fled his mind.

He didn’t make a sound.

Daniel stood at the edge of Jack’s hiding place and stared numbly down at the body at his feet. He looked up and over his shoulder. He could see the gate so close to them through the bushes, but Jack hadn’t made it.

He vaguely heard the tinny sound of a voice coming out of his radio, but he didn’t answer. He couldn’t. All focus was on the man at his feet.

He looked back down at Jack. One part of him spared a thought that he should probably check for a pulse. Jack could still be alive. There was always that small hope. That minor miracle. But, he couldn’t move. He knew in his heart of hearts that Jack was dead. He had known the second he’d stepped out of the wormhole that they wouldn’t find him alive. It was his head that had refused to give up while they searched. But, his heart had known all along.

He had no clue how long he stood staring down at his lover.

The light had faded and it was dark, but he couldn’t move. Nor could he tear his eyes away. Finally, slowly, he knelt down, eyes never leaving the pale face before him. He reached out a tentative hand and touched a mud-sodden boot. His vision was getting blurry, but he was unaware of the tears that clouded his sight and slipped down his cheeks. His body shook, tremors shaking his frame as though he was in the coldest of climates. His eyes were wide with shock as he continued to stare at Jack’s lifeless body.

Minutes passed. He continued to kneel.

Every breath harsh and labored. Body working on pure instinct.

Words and feelings and thought and emotion were no longer apart of the younger man. He was completely and totally empty.

Twigs snapped behind him, but he didn’t move, couldn’t move; his eyes still fixed on the silence that was Jack.

Jack was never silent. Even when in pain, especially when in pain, Jack yelled and complained and griped and…

The ‘oh god’ murmured behind him did not make him flinch. He knelt like a crumbled statue in the dirt at the feet of a fallen warrior, one hand still resting on military-issued boots, a thumb unconsciously caressing the hard leather.

Another tinny sound. Then more shuffling sounds from behind. More twigs snapping. A gasp, then a curse. Sounds that Daniel didn’t, couldn’t understand. His focus was solely on the man in front of him.

Without thought, Daniel crawled on his knees in the blood-soaked ground up to Jack’s chest; Jack’s clutched fist catching his eye. He wrapped his fingers around Jack’s wrist. He gasped at the slight warmth of Jack’s skin. “jack?” He quickly checked for a pulse. Not finding one in Jack’s wrist, Daniel quickly reached up and checked Jack’s neck. “c’mon, jack. come on! please…” The slowly cooling flesh coupled with the lack of movement under the skin told him a reality that he didn’t want to know—they must have just missed finding Jack alive by a few hours at the most. “oh my god, jack.” He grasped Jack’s collar in his fist. “jack?”

This time something in Daniel’s mind did snap. He looked down at Jack, eyes wide and unblinking.

Moving on the most basest of instinct, no thought involved, he carefully pried Jack’s fingers from the metal and he leaned down to read the inscription though he knew what it said. However, his breath caught in his throat as he held Jack’s hand in one palm and the dog tag in the other, softly running his thumb over and over the writings. It wasn’t what he thought at all. It was something more. Something only for him. Something private. Personal.

A hand was felt on his shoulder and he shrugged it away like an annoying gnat. He couldn’t understand why there were others around. No one else was to be here with them. This was a private place. A private time. For only Daniel and Jack. No one else should be here.

The hand came back and he shrugged it off again. Murmurs were heard behind him, but he didn’t spare them a second thought. Jack was the only thing that mattered.

Carefully placing Jack’s hand on his chest, Daniel used both hands to gently remove the special tag from its chain and crush it in his palm. He unconsciously began to rock slightly from side to side, as he gazed down at the man on the ground. His face was wet with tears, but he didn't say a word. As he rocked, he tenderly picked up Jack’s hand again, bringing those beloved fingers up to his lips and held them against his mouth, pressing the cooling flesh against his lips.

Soon, he didn’t know how long afterwards, the hand returned. This time, though, the hand brought others. He felt arms trying to move him, take him away from Jack and he fought, yelling at them all to just go away. He collapsed on Jack’s chest, holding tightly, weeping against the dead man’s chest until finally, a prick in his arm and the world went black.

***************

Daniel woke in the infirmary. He thought for a moment that it had all been a nightmare. He prayed that it was. But, when he looked down at his mud-stained hand and opened his fingers, the dog tag was still held there, testament that it was not a dream, but the coldest, harshest reality imaginable. He stared at the tag in his palm, reading and re-reading the inscription: Forever JD. It was spelled out in the language of the Ancients, the defining moment in both their lives.

Sound. Noise. Feet shuffling. Voices murmuring. Hushed dissonance ignored by the man on the bed.

He knew people were coming in to see him, but who they were and why they bothered to come and see him didn’t make a difference nor did he care. He was dead anyway. His world had ended on that planet. With one simple rescue mission… With one quick sweep of his arm to remove a bunch of plants out of the way… All he wanted to do was check to make sure Jack wasn’t there. Only, he was wrong. Dead wrong. And to add insult to injury, they were just that much too late.

His death on that planet was just as assured as Jack’s. Only Jack’s was much quicker. Daniel's was much, much more painful, cutting out his heart and soul with slow, jagged swipes of the blade. Jack’s death came at the hands of the enemy, Daniel’s came at the hands of his lost lover. One death, two souls lost. There was nothing left.

He cradled the tag in his hand and closed his eyes. His soul was dead. If he was lucky, his body would die soon, too. And, he would join Jack wherever he might be.

That was all he could hope for.

Finis