The Price of Knowledge

 

Story Notes:

See Chapter One

 

Chapter Two

Sneaking into the SGC

 

             Jack had lost many things as a result of Charlie’s death, but somehow he had managed to retain his love for children.  He was good with kids, and it showed in the way they responded to him.  He had fans everywhere: Hammond’s granddaughters, the Reetu-created-now-Tok’ra-Charlie, Merrin, Cassie.  He loved to visit schools or playgrounds and just hang out with the kids.  His team teased that he did it because he was a kid at heart himself, but Jack liked to think he was carrying on a legacy, making a difference in other kids’ lives now that he could no longer make one for Charlie.  He liked to think Charlie was watching and cheering him on.

             As Jack buckled Daniel in and drove them to the Mountain, he decided taking care of a child was like riding a bike.  His balance might be a little shaky, but even if he hadn’t practiced in years, he’d never totally forget the skill.  With a kid in tow, he watched the world differently, took a little more care in his driving, and kept one ear attuned to Daniel’s every move and sound.

             Now that Jack had gotten over the initial shock, it wasn’t so strange to think of Daniel as a six year old.  This was Daniel, after all, who attracted trouble like a magnet, and in their line of work, they dealt with “strange” on a weekly basis.  Besides, Jack admitted to himself, he had always seen Daniel as a kid, especially in the early days of their friendship.  Daniel had been impulsively curious about everything and hopelessly oblivious of military tactics.  It had taken months just to teach him to duck.  Eventually Daniel adapted, the way he always did, learning the military culture with the same devotion he applied to studying any other culture.  He became proficient enough that Jack no longer had to watch out for him.  Jack did anyway, but he’d learned some things through the years too.  He still watched, a personal radar invariably pointed in Daniel’s direction, but he had been less obvious about it so Daniel didn’t always notice.

             Now his radar was blaring.  Daniel was sitting quietly, not even fidgeting like a normal kid.  In Jack’s experience, a silent Daniel was a pensive one, and no one could brood the way Daniel could.

             He reached a hand to the side and tousled Daniel’s hair.  It hadn’t taken many missions together before Jack realized that Daniel was touch-starved.  Daniel would never admit it, but he needed human contact, needed that connection to the living world.  Jack found little ways to satisfy that need: tousling Daniel’s hair, cupping his neck, patting his shoulder.  Daniel tolerated the contact he wouldn’t accept from anyone else, and in time, touch had become another form of communication between them.

Jack’s fingers slipped easily through the soft strands.  “Penny for your thoughts?”

             Daniel sighed, sounding so adult-like that Jack risked a sidelong glance to be certain the kid hadn’t aged.  “I forget lots and lots of things, Jack.”

             “I know.  Shifu told me.  It’s okay, Daniel.”

             Daniel’s body quivered with another sigh.  When Jack glanced toward Daniel again, he saw tears pooling in Daniel’s eyes.  One tear escaped and trailed down Daniel’s cheek.  Jack pulled over to the side of the road and stopped the truck.

             “Hey, what’s this for?”  Jack smoothed his thumb over each eye, wiping away the moisture.

             “I can’t ’member what things are called!  I don’t ’member what that is--”  Daniel flung his arm out to indicate a nearby street sign and then pointed to Jack’s cap, “or that--”  He gestured to three more items so quickly that Jack wasn’t able to follow, “or that, or that, or that.  I don’t ’member the words, Jack!”

             Daniel’s chest heaved.  More tears spilled.  Jack unbuckled the seat belts and pulled Daniel into his lap.  Daniel burrowed his face into Jack’s chest, dampening the shirt with a silent rainfall.

             Jack stroked his hand up and down Daniel’s trembling back.  His own throat felt clogged with tears, and for a minute, speaking was impossible.  Daniel breathed words.   He couldn’t live without them.  No wonder the kid sounded so scared.

             “Ssh.  It’s okay,” Jack managed finally.  “I’ll tell you what the words are.  You’ll learn them.”

             “What if I don’t?”  Daniel whimpered into Jack’s chest.  On either side of his head, Daniel’s hands fisted, clutching Jack’s shirt.  “What if I forget again?”

             “Then I’ll tell you again.  We’ll work it out.”

             Daniel pulled back enough to look up at Jack’s face.  “If I don’t ’member, will you still want me?”

             Jack rested a palm against Daniel’s cheek, making sure he had Daniel’s full attention.  “I will always, always, always want you, Daniel.”

             Jack knew it was the truest statement he had ever uttered.  Daniel was an integral piece of Jack’s world, a piece Jack hadn’t realized he needed until it was missing.  He had tried to make the last year work, but it was like slogging through mud.  He knew better than to give up, even though the hole in his heart after Daniel left bled as heavily as the one caused by Charlie’s death.  But at times, living without Daniel had seemed an insurmountable task.  Everything became difficult.  It was harder to smile, harder to wake up every morning, harder to face his team.  He hadn’t warmed to Jonas, though he had tried to be fair.  It wasn’t Jonas’s fault that he wasn’t Daniel.

             Jack wanted Daniel back.  In any form.

             “I will always want you,” Jack repeated in a whisper.  “I promise.”

             Daniel sniffed.  “Okay.”

             Jack brushed aside a wave of hair falling into Daniel’s eyes and realized that Daniel’s hair was almost as long as it had been when they first met.  He studied Daniel’s face.  Without glasses, the blue eyes were prominent, regarding him in return with a solemn expression that was uniquely Daniel.  Even a smattering of freckles over Daniel’s nose and upper cheeks, the longer and lighter-colored hair, and the age difference weren’t going to disguise the similarity between the boy and the man.  It would be better if no one saw Daniel until Hammond had made a decision on how he wanted to deal with Daniel’s return.

             “I’m going to sneak you into the SGC,” Jack announced.

             Daniel’s eyes rounded.  “Really?  Why?  How?”

             “I’m a big, bad colonel.  I can’t be seen with a kid.”

             “Jack!”  Daniel spoiled the protest by giggling.

             Jack grinned, buckled Daniel into his seat, and pulled the truck back onto the road.  “I don’t suppose you’ll fit in one of my pockets?”

             “No!”

             “Under my cap?”

             “No!”  Daniel giggled again.

             “Hmm.”

             While Jack pretended to contemplate, Daniel spotted Jack’s jacket lying between them on the seat.  He snatched it up.

             “How ’bout this?”  Daniel draped the jacket over his head.

             “Perfect.”

             Daniel uncovered his head and frowned.  “No, it’s not.  It doesn’t go over my--”  Daniel stopped suddenly and stared at his legs.  “Um, Jack, what are these called?”

             “What?  Your legs?”

             “Oh, yeah, that’s right.  This, this, this--”  He waved the jacket and gave a frustrated huff.

             “Jacket,” Jack supplied.

             “Jacket?  Jack’s jacket.  Sounds funny.”  Daniel giggled.  “Jack’s jacket doesn’t go over my legs.”  He looked pleased that he’d finally managed the entire statement.

             “Doesn’t matter.”

             Daniel turned a puzzled gaze toward Jack.  “It doesn’t?”

             “Nope.  It’s a kids’ rule.  If a kid covers his head, the rest of his body is invisible.  Everybody knows that.”

             “Really?”

             Under Daniel’s skeptical scrutiny, Jack fought to keep his expression serious and the laugh out of his voice.  “Sure.  Try it on the gate guard.  You’ll see.”

             Fifteen minutes later, Jack was reaching for the sign-in clipboard.  On the seat beside him, Daniel vibrated with suppressed excitement, his head hidden under the jacket.  The gate guard leaned forward to check inside the truck and lifted an eyebrow when he saw Daniel.  Jack placed a finger to his lips, shook his head, and handed back the clipboard.

             “Thank you, sir.  The general sent this up for you.”

             Jack accepted the guest pass he’d arranged with Hammond, returned the guard’s salute, and drove past the guard station.

“You can come out now.”

             Daniel pulled the jacket down, mussing his hair.  “Did he see me?”

             “Nope.  All he saw was the jacket.  I told you you’d be invisible.”

             Thoroughly impressed with this new game, Daniel was willing to wear the jacket over his head as long as Jack carried him.  When Lou Ferretti joined them in the elevator, Jack was glad of the cover.  There was no way he could have kept Daniel’s identity secret from Ferretti, who had known Daniel as long as Jack had.  After they’d greeted each other, Ferretti eyed the bundle in Jack’s arms.

             “Smuggling contraband, Colonel?”

             Jack shot Ferretti a warning look.  “It’s just my jacket.”

             “Seems bulkier than usual.”

             Jack growled.  “Classified.”

             Daniel giggled.  Jack rolled his eyes.  Ferretti grinned but kept quiet.

             Still carrying the “invisible” Daniel, Jack left the elevators a few minutes later and ignored the bemused looks as he strode through the corridors to medical isolation room three.  He had called Janet on the way to the SGC and asked her to meet them there.

             “Is it working?” Daniel whispered, trying to peek.  “When can I see?”

             Jack held the jacket in place.  “Soon.”

             Daniel settled with an aggrieved sigh.  Jack’s grin threatened to split his face in half.  A passing SF jumped at the sight of the grin and sidled past warily as if Jack had a weapon aimed at her.  Jack kept grinning.  He couldn’t help it.  He was just so damned glad to have Daniel back.

            

 

Back to Chapter 1                                                                                   Chapter 2, cont. >>

Back to Little Danny Home 

 

 

 

 

Disclaimer:  The Stargate characters all belong to Gekko Film Company, Glassner/Wright Double Secret Productions, MGM-UA Worldwide Television, Showtime, Sci Fi Channel, and Stargate SG-1 Prod. Ltd. Partnership.  This fanfic is not intended to infringe on any of those rights and is meant solely for the purpose of entertainment.  All other characters, the story idea, and the story itself are the sole property of the author.