The Price of Knowledge

 

Story Notes:

See Chapter One

Chapter Nine

Visiting Sam

 

             Daniel set aside the green crayon and studied his latest masterpiece.  Every inch of the page Jack had torn out of the coloring book was colored; Daniel had even stayed in the lines for most of it.  It had been hard work.  But he was done.  Sam would love it.

             Doctor Janet insisted that structure would help Daniel feel safer, so in the week since he’d descended, they’d settled into a routine.  After a morning of tests with Doctor Janet and lessons with Sam or Ally, Daniel and Jack had lunch at the commissary and then retired to Jack’s office.  Jack worked on reports, and Daniel had two hours of free time before spending an hour exercising with Teal’c—Jack called it “roughhousing”—and then helping Ally with translations for the rest of the day.  Free time was Daniel’s favoritest part of the day.  Siler had built a small desk and chair, just Daniel’s size, and they’d been placed in the corner of Jack’s office.  Whatever Daniel did—right now he liked coloring bestest—he could see Jack close by.

             He looked over at Jack now.  Jack was reading a report, his lips silently moving and his forehead scrunched in concentration.  After a moment, he scowled, grabbed for the heavy dishenairy on his desk, and started flipping through it.  Sam’s report then.

             Jack had lots of reports to read.  Daniel had been shocked to see the large stack and even more shocked to discover that Jack actually read them and made sure he understood them all.  After Jack had grumbled once about Sam’s reports because she used big words, Daniel wondered aloud about the reports he had written as a big person.

             “Long, Dannyboy,”  Jack had answered, smiling the special smile that Daniel had come to recognize as belonging just to him.  “They were always long.  And detailed.  Lots of itsy, bitsy details.”

             “Did it have big words like Sam’s?  Did you hafta use the dishenairy?”

             “Yes to the big words.  No to the dictionary.  Whenever you used a big word, you defined it.  In detail.  I figure I’m the only colonel in the Air Force who can identify hieroglyphic, hieratic, and demotic scripts.”

             Later, Daniel had asked Sam if she knew that Jack read their reports.  She’d laughed.  “Yes.  But don’t you dare tell him I know.  He enjoys his dumb act too much.”

             With Sam’s picture in one hand, Daniel headed over to Jack and leaned against him.  Jack’s gaze didn’t leave the dishenairy, but his arm crept around Daniel’s waist and tugged Daniel closer.  Daniel liked it when Jack did that.  Jack touched him a lot.  So did Sam and Teal’c.  It was as if they didn’t believe their eyes and needed to make sure he was actually there.  Daniel could tell by their touch how much they wanted him near.  It made him feel all warm and bubbly inside.

             “I’m done with Sam’s picture.  Can we go take it to her now?”

             “Five more minutes, buddy,” Jack said.

             Daniel waited as long as he could.  When he was sure five minutes must be over, he plucked at Jack’s sleeve.

             “Jaaaaack!”

             “Almost done, Danny.  Don’t whine, okay?”

             Daniel fidgeted.  Five minutes was a very long time.  He wanted to find Sam now.  Then a plan came to him.  A daring plan.  His mouth dried at the thought of it, but he really, really wanted to see Sam and give her the picture.  He licked his lips, rested a hand on Jack’s leg right above the knee, and looked intently at Jack’s face.

             “Jack?  Can I go by myself?” Daniel whispered.

             That got Jack’s attention.  His gaze snapped to Daniel.  “What?”

             “By myself,” Daniel repeated, louder this time, starting to feel more confident with his plan.  “I know where Sam’s lab is.  Teal’c showed me how to use the elly-gator.  It’s magic.  The doors close, and you press a button, and the elly-gator takes you somewhere else.  I can count to twenty now, and I know Sam’s number.  It’s nineteen.  Can I go?  Pretty please?”

             “By yourself?”  Jack lifted an eyebrow.

             Daniel swallowed but nodded gamely.

             “What if you get lost?”

             Daniel hadn’t thought of that.  He was pretty sure he knew how to find Sam, but the SGC was real big, and lots of it looked the same.

             “Ally says everybody likes me.  I can ask somebody for help.”

             “Right.  Daniel Jackson ask for help.  That’ll be the day,” Jack muttered.

             “Please, Jack?  I want to--”  Daniel swallowed again.  Everyone said he was safe.  He needed to start believing it.  He knew Jack was supposed to be going on missions through the Stargate, not tagging along with a kid.  “I have to try, Jack.”

             Jack stared at him and finally nodded.  “Okay.  But only if you promise you’ll ask someone to call me if you need help.”

             Daniel grabbed Jack around the waist and squeezed.  “Promise!”

             “And I’m calling Carter, so she knows you’re coming.  No side trips.”

             Daniel nodded eagerly and skipped to the office door.  “Thanks, Jack!”

             Out in the corridor, he closed Jack’s door and gazed at it cheerfully.  It was covered with coloring book pages.  When Sam had seen it, she’d complained that her door wasn’t as pretty, which had set Daniel off on his current project.  He clutched the page he’d just colored, the first of many to decorate Sam’s door.  He’d have to do Teal’c’s door too.  And Ally’s.  And Doctor Janet’s.  And Mister General’s.

             Absorbed by thoughts of how much more colorful the SGC would look after he was finished with it, Daniel almost bumped into a passing airman.  The airman steadied him with a smile and a pat on the head.  Daniel smoothed his hair with a grimace.  He kinda liked it when Jack and Sam played with his hair, but whenever anyone else did it, he felt like a—a—whatever those furry things with four legs and a tail were called.

             That was when Daniel noticed how far he’d gotten from Jack’s door.  He paused in the middle of the corridor, looking back nervously.  It was scary to be out here by himself.  Not that he was alone.  SGC people kept passing him.  But Jack wasn’t around.  He needed Jack.  He felt himself breathing faster.

             “Hey, Daniel.”

             At the sound of the voice, Daniel looked up.  And up.  Sergeant Siler was real tall.  Some of Daniel’s panic faded.  He liked Siler.

             “Where’re you headed?”

             “To see Sam.”  Daniel held out his picture.  “I colored this.  For her door.”

             Siler took the paper and examined it with great care.  His face was solemn as he handed it back.  “You’re quite the artist, Daniel.  This is quality work.”

             Daniel beamed.  He wondered if Siler had a door.

             “Mind if I come with you?” Siler asked.

             Daniel looked at him suspiciously.  “Did Jack send you?”

 

 

 

Back to Chapter 8                                                                                                Chapter 9, 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.