Archive of Our Own

"And I'm telling you, Carter." Jack glared at his captain, "you're putting too much charcoal there."

Sam looked back at her CO without flinching. "And I say it's not enough…sir!"

"How would you know? The last time you burnt the dogs—"

"We are cooking dogs?" Teal'c interrupted with a puzzled look.

"No, Teal'c. Hot dogs, sausages, not the four-legged kind." Carter said patiently before continuing. "The only reason why they burnt was because you kept adding more fluid to—"

"Because you kept adding more charcoal, Carter!"

"Only because you didn't want aluminum foil wrapped around the grill."

"How are they suppose to cook if the god damn fire can't even reach the meat?"

Carter placed her hands on her hips, a signal that she wasn't backing down from this. "The fat was dripping into the charcoal and putting out the fire—"

"I like fat in my foods!"

Doctor Janet Fraiser sighed, watching the two bicker for the past ten minutes, the grill long cold with neglect. "Ah…when I said I wanted Cassandra to experience a barbecue, I had meant the eating part, not this." She waved a finger towards both of them. "If I wanted this, I would have stayed married to my ex!"

"Sorry, Janet," Sam apologized, shooting one more glare at Jack who threw up his hands, giving up. The Captain looked around Janet's backyard with a frown. "Where is Cassandra anyway?"

"She is with Daniel Jackson behind the garden." Teal'c spoke up, still standing over the grill with a perplexed look on his face.

"Daniel!" Jack bellowed, causing the women to jump. "No digging up Doc's flowers! I told you! There are no artifacts here!"

"Very funny, Jack!" Daniel shouted back from the distance.

Jack chuckled, turning around. He froze when he saw the two women looking at him with equal signs of disapproval. "What?"

"The neighbors are going to be wondering why I have some crazy man yelling like a banshee in my backyard, Colonel O'Neill." Janet pursed her lips, surveying him like a patient who just came into her infirmary.

"Maybe you should keep an eye on the two, sir." Carter suggested.

"And leave you with this?" Jack retorted. "I think not. General Hammond's going to be here any minute and so is SG-3 and 6. They would like to eat sometime today!"

"I will go see to Daniel Jackson and Cassandra." Teal'c volunteered, but no one answered back. The Jaffa raised an eyebrow as the three began arguing and decided wisely perhaps retreating would be appropriate.

"What is that suppose to mean?" Carter demanded.

"Nothing…I just—"

"I can't believe what you are implying, Colonel!"

"What? I just said—"

Teal'c slipped away, silently wondering how O'Neill could refer to such events as fun when they argued most of the time.

Humans are very strange, Teal'c decided as he followed the path to the garden.

"Are they still arguing?" Cassandra whispered to Daniel. The two were crouched down on the grass, peering under the bushes at the trio.

Daniel chuckled, pushing up his glasses with his index finger. He sneezed as a blade of grass tickled his nose. The movement just made his glasses slide back down again.

"Yup." Daniel winked. "But it's probably Jack's fault to begin with."

The two peered under the bushes again, watching as Jack started waving his arms in wide circles and Janet looking up towards the sky exasperated.

"How come you're not helping out?" Cassandra wanted to know.

Daniel grinned. "Because I've been to barbecues with Jack and Sam before."

The little girl giggled and grabbed Daniel's hand. "Come on. Janet left some food for me in the kitchen."

"B-but the barbecue?" Daniel started to protest.

"Don't put so much lighter fluid!" Sam shouted alarmed.

"Look, you got so much charcoal there, you need more fluid, Carter!"

"Stop trying to torch my house!" Janet yelped.

"I'm not…for crying out loud! I'm not torching anyone's house here!"

Daniel winced. "Um…on second thought…I am a little hungry." He grinned and let the girl guide him into the house.

The cool air from the air conditioner welcomed them as soon as Cassandra slid open the patio glass doors. She gestured towards the table where a plate was set with a pile of black crème-filled cookies. A pitcher of milk sat with the pile along with a stack of napkins.

"I saw these on that picture box." Cassandra pointed to the television through the doorway leading to the living room. "And Janet brought some for me to try. They're pretty good."

"TV," Daniel corrected her with a grin. He pointed to the cookies. "Oreo? Janet brought you Oreo cookies?"

"Want one?" Cassandra offered as she plunk down on a stool. She grabbed the pitcher and started pouring milk into the tumblers.

Daniel cocked his head towards the patio doors, still hearing them, Jack most of all, arguing and sighed. "Might as well. We might not be eating any time soon." He grabbed one and was about to munch on it when Cassandra yelped.

"That's not how you eat it!"

"Huh?" Daniel looked at the round chocolate cookie sandwich. He thought it was a cookie. "What do you mean?"

Cassandra sighed, sounding like Janet when Daniel was back in her infirmary for the hundredth time. She grabbed a cookie, gesturing towards Daniel. "Like this."

Cassandra took the cookie firmly with both hands and twisted the top off. Her face fell when she saw the crème was stuck on both sides. "Oh…well…not exactly like this."

"What are you doing?" Teal'c inquired, peering through the patio door at the two.

"Teal'c!" Daniel greeted, looking up from his cookie. He grinned sheepishly as he popped the whole thing in his mouth, crunching loudly.

"Not like that!" Cassandra protested.

"What are you consuming?" Teal'c asked, curiosity moving him inside.

"Whaf Ja'k an S'm do'ng out tfere?" Daniel pointed to the doors, his mouth full.

"What?" Cassandra wrinkled her nose trying to interpret.

"O'Neill and Captain Carter are still…debating." Teal'c tilted his head towards the doors again, listening. He nodded solemnly. "They are still debating." The Jaffa raised an eyebrow when he heard a particular word from O'Neill. "Is this fun yet?"

Daniel and the little girl shook their heads vehemently.

"Want some, Teal'c?" Cassandra extended the plate of cookies towards the Jaffa.

"Thank you, Cassandra," Teal'c said solemnly, inclining his head a bit. He took a cookie which looked small in his palms and studied it. He held it between his index finger and thumb. "What is it?"

"A coofie." Daniel mumbled as he grabbed for another one.

"A cookie—not like that!" Cassandra said exasperated as Daniel just popped another one in his mouth.

Daniel blinked.

"I've seen it on…TV?" Daniel nodded at Cassandra's correct word. "The parent shows the child to twist the top off…like this…" The little girl attempted to do that again, but she pouted when she saw the crème was still on both sides of the cookie. She didn't see Daniel's face shadow. "B-but, it's suppose to be only on one side. Janet was able to do that. I don't see why I can't."

Teal'c tried to imitate Cassandra. He raised an eyebrow when his attempt…failed.

"Your cookie is not very durable."

Cassandra giggled at the crushed cookie stuck to Teal'c's fingers. "No, gently! Just a little twist."

Teal'c tried again.

"It is defective," Teal'c said flatly. He wiped his fingers off of the crème, eyeing Daniel as the young man took another cookie. He opened wide and was about to just shove the whole thing in when the little girl stopped him.

"You need to dunk them in this." Cassandra admonished Daniel, pushing a glass of milk towards the man. She poured another one for Teal'c.

Daniel smiled as he shrugged. "Okay." He took the cookie and dipped it in the glass, but his fingers slipped, and the cookie fell completely in.

The three peered down his glass, watching the cookie merrily bob once before sinking to the bottom.

"I no longer see the cookie," Teal'c announced. "Was that the purpose?"

"No!" Daniel and Cassandra chorused. Cassandra made a face.

"Now your milk is going to be all melted with cookies."

Daniel made a face too which made Cassandra giggle.

Teal'c took another cookie and tried once more what Cassandra was doing before. He smiled slightly as the top twisted off.

"You did it!" Cassandra clapped her hands, but she sobered when she took a good look at the cookie. "Oh."

"It is not correct?"

"Yur suppoth to hath crem only on one coofie." Daniel said or tried to say as he popped another one in his mouth.

"I am suppose to have the crème only on one cookie?" Teal'c repeated.

"You understood that?" Cassandra asked dubiously.

"Did you not?" Teal'c countered.

The little girl sighed. "I guess I'm doing something wrong then. The TV with the people in it made it look so easy. And Janet showed it to me once." Cassandra brightened. "Daniel? How about you? Did your mommy showed you how to do that?"

Daniel froze, his hand stilled over the plate. "Me? Um…no one really showed me how to do that."

Teal'c and the girl raised an eyebrow towards him and Daniel flushed.

"Well…" Daniel pretended to be studying the cookies before taking one. "They didn't…um…really have time for me…" Daniel hastily shoved the cookie in his mouth. Suddenly, his eyes widened, and he coughed.

"Oh!" Cassandra got out of her seat and went over to Daniel. "Are you okay?"

"Super," Daniel managed. "That just went the wrong way. That's all."

"Where was it suppose to go, Daniel Jackson?" Teal'c asked innocently.

Daniel rolled his eyes. Sometimes he wondered if the Jaffa was doing this on purpose. "Never mind."

"I'll get you more napkins," Cassandra volunteered, and she left the kitchen to head upstairs to get them.

Daniel nodded and went back to munching on the cookies. He rested his chin with the heel of his right hand and chewed slowly on the edge of a cookie. The young man stared blankly at his glass, lost in thought.

"I do not understand," Teal'c spoke up suddenly.

Daniel looked up. "Huh?"

"Who did not have time for you?" Teal'c tilted his head, puzzled. "You told me once that your parents were deceased."

"Deceased…" Daniel echoed. "Yeah…that's a word for it." He dropped the half-eaten confection to the table, suddenly losing his appetite. "I meant my foster parents."

"Foster?"

"Um…people who take care of you when the parents…go away and you're too young to be alone," Daniel explained.

"Ah!" Teal'c nodded. "An honorable thing to do! My people at Chulak would gladly accept a child into their households and honor them as their own."

Daniel's face clouded for a moment. "Your people have some very nice values."

"Do not your people honor children?"

Daniel smiled wanly. "Sure. It's just that…" He stared at his glass of milk, straining to see if he could actually catch a glimpse of the drowned cookie at the bottom. "Well…sometimes foster parents…" Daniel shrugged. "They might not have time to take care of children who weren't their own."

"I do not understand," Teal'c pressed on, the alien concept confusing to him. "Would not accepting a child into your home be equal to the child being your own?"

"Some think that way." Daniel grinned crookedly. "Maybe I was too much trouble."

"You do often wander from O'Neill's vision." Teal'c agreed.

Daniel coughed awkwardly. "No, that's not what I meant. I meant…never mind."

"So you did not learn this tradition then, Daniel Jackson?" Teal'c tried again. He frowned when the cookie snapped into two in his hands. "Hmm."

Chuckling, Daniel tried to sound nonchalant about it. "Well…I was too busy with my nose in my books. Many just got too sick and tired of trying to get me out of those books. Others…I was just a way for them to get a check from the government." Daniel stared at the milk. "But it didn't matter."

"If I learn this." Teal'c lifted the cookie up and told Daniel solemnly. "I would be honored to show you, Daniel Jackson."

The young man looked startled, his mouth opened to a slight O. But then, he smiled, his eyes sparkling brightly. "Thanks, Teal'c."

"You are quite wel—" Something caught the Jaffa's gaze, and he looked up.

Daniel turned around and nearly jumped when he saw Jack standing by the doorway, arms crossed as he leaned casually by the frame. "Jack!" Daniel turned back. He cleared his throat. "Um…how long were you standing there?"

"They kicked me out!" Jack said indignantly. "Me! Janet said I was going to burn her yard down before they could even eat! They kicked me out!"

Daniel snickered, feeling a little better. "I told you to just let Sam handle it."

"Hi, Jack!" Cassandra said, her arms full with a roll of paper towels.

"Hey kid." Jack smiled warmly at her. "What are you guys doing?"

"We are decapitating cookies." Teal'c told Jack solemnly. Daniel sputtered.

"What?" Daniel nearly choked in his glass of milk. "No! They're just twisting the tops off of them!"

"Cool," Jack just said and sat down on a stool opposite Daniel. "Got the crème on one side?"

"No," Cassandra said glumly.

"The cookies may be defective," Teal'c said flatly.

Daniel shrugged, listlessly dunking a cookie into the milk.

Jack looked at all three of them and then grinned broadly. "There's a trick to this." He grabbed a cookie. "You're suppose to twist it gently to the left first and then wrench it to the right and voila! The crème is on—" Jack gaped at the smeared white filling on both sides of the cookie.

"Where is the trick?" Teal'c asked.

"Ah dam—"

"Jack," Daniel murmured.

"Darn," Jack corrected himself. Scowling at the cookie, Jack just crammed it into his mouth. "Ah forget this…Here, Cass…I'll show you a better trick."

Jack grinned wolfishly. He grabbed a large spoon from the counter top behind him. As the little girl watched curiously, Jack set the cookie on the handle. The colonel's smile grew wider when he realized he now has everyone's interest. "Now pay attention here." Cassandra nodded mutely and watched as Jack turned the handle towards him. With a broad grin, Jack slammed his fist down on the spoon mouth and the cookie flew.

Into Daniel's milk.

"Wow!" Cassandra breathed.

"Very good aim," Teal'c said approvingly.

"That was neat. Can you do that ag…oh—Daniel!" Cassandra gaped at the man next to her.

Daniel, dripping milk from his chin due to the impromptu splash, glared at Jack behind a white film on his eyeglasses. Daniel slowly wiped a hand across the eyewear to clear them.

Jack snickered. "Oops. Did I do that?"

"You know perfectly well that yo—Jack!" Daniel yelped as another cookie sailed across the table and into his glass of milk.

"Cassandra needed another demonstration," Jack said innocently, trying hard not to grin, but it was too much when the little girl began to giggle.

"That does it!" Daniel growled, grabbing a cookie and a spoon of his own. Jack blanched.

"Now, Daniel. You wouldn't want to do that. You know how lousy your aim is—Daniel!" Jack sputtered as milk spilled out of his glass on impact

"An excellent arc, Daniel Jackson," Teal'c approved. Milk splashed onto his face and dribbled down his nose.

"How was that arc, Teal'c?" Jack sniggered, twirling his spoon with a smug look on his face.

The Jaffa eyed the puddle on the floor then Daniel's shocked face, and finally Jack's grin. Calmly, he took a spoon and set it deliberately on the table.

Jack stopped laughing.

"Do you think that'll do it?" Janet asked dubiously as she set the last of the patties on the grill.

Carter groaned. "I don't know, and I'm not going to ask him either!"

"I didn't say you were!" Janet replied innocently. She pretended to not see the glare Sam was giving her.

A shriek pierced through the house out into the backyard.

"That sounded like Cassandra," Carter started, but Janet was already in a run. The two women ran through the garden up the path. Sam reached the patio doors first and slid them open with a yank.

A cookie serenely rolled out the door, bounced off her sneaker and landed on the grass behind her. Sam looked down puzzled at the chocolate round.

"Oh my God," Janet breathed.

Sam looked up and yelped.

The kitchen was a mess. There was a growing puddle of milk on the floor, spoons everywhere, crumbly footsteps on the tiles, napkins scattered about like discarded flyers.

And three men and a girl soaking wet…with milk.

"What happened?" Sam exclaimed. Jack cleared his throat.

"Um…Daniel did it." Jack pointed, milk dripping off the fingertip.

"Jack!" Daniel whipped his head towards the older man. Jack yelped, jumping back as milk from the soaked strands flew towards him.

"We were having cookies," Teal'c said stiffly, trying to ignore the streams of milk coming down his face. He showed them the empty plate. "Although I regret there are none to offer you now."

"Hi, Sam. Hi, Janet," Cassandra said meekly. She stood there trying to wring out the edge of her wet shirt.

"What happened here?" Janet repeated Sam's question, crossing her arms across her chest.

"Um…well…" Daniel flushed or at least Sam thought he did. She couldn't tell from the milk-drenched strands of hair that refused to move from his glasses. "We were, um, having a snack, and Jack thought he would show us a trick and well…it, ah…" Daniel ducked his head. "It backfired."

"Trick? What trick?" Janet demanded, trying very hard not to laugh. Although she was upset about the mess, the sight of the sodden group was overriding her anger. Janet could feel the corner of her mouth twitch. She could also sense Sam next to her, trying hard to contain her own laughter. Sam was not helping her here.

Teal'c volunteered. "It was to behead the cookie—"

"No! Not behead!" Jack interrupted, rolling his eyes upward. "We were trying to unscrew the tops off without the crème on both sides."

Teal'c demonstrated by taking the only survivor, sitting on top of Daniel's shoulder and twisted it. He paused, his eyebrow raised to new heights.

Daniel and Jack looked at each other first, mouths agape. Then with Cassandra, they peered down on Teal'c's palm where the cookie lay separated.

With crème on one side.

"How'd you do that?" Jack whispered.

That did it. Sam patted Janet on the shoulder, spun around on her heels to escape, walked out the patio door to let out a long laugh, and ran right into General Hammond.

Hammond eyed the kitchen, the mess, the still dripping crew and just said:

"Why are you all in here? Didn't you smell the burgers burning?"

Janet yelped and dashed back out again.

"I still have crumbs in my hair," Daniel grumbled in the front seat, leaning against the car door to rest. "And I smell like chocolate."

Jack chuckled, his gaze on the road. "Well, I don't think she's going to invite us back there again anytime soon."

"She might have if you had helped out with the cleaning," Daniel whispered, keeping his voice low.

Jack glanced at the rearview mirror, noting that Teal'c was still meditating, and Sam was sound asleep. He chuckled. "I had to help clean the grill before we could use it."

"Never had burnt burgers before," Daniel mused. "Very interesting."

"If you tell me it tasted like chicken, I'm kicking you out of the jeep," Jack warned, but he was smiling.

They kept quiet after that, enjoying the solitude of the drive, backlit by the setting sun. Jack savored the moment of peace, a lazy smile on his lips as he turned the corner out onto the highway.

"So," Daniel spoke again in a hesitant voice. "How long were you standing there, Jack?"

Jack shrugged. "Long enough."

"Oh."

Jack glanced sideways at Daniel. The young man was resting his head on the partly opened window, the breeze blowing strands of hair away from his face to reveal thoughtful eyes. Wanting to break the silence, Jack coughed quietly.

"I never had milk and cookies like that before." Jack chuckled softly.

"Me either."

The two words sounded so…Jack didn't know how to describe it. It was like hearing a child talk about a toy secretly desired but pretends it wasn't important. Those two words sounded casual, yet wistful, barely containing the longing. Jack spared another look over to his friend and saw that look, gazing out into the darkening sky.

"Your father taught you that?" Daniel asked in a hushed voice, but Jack doubted it was because of the two sleeping in the back.

Jack shook his head and grimaced. "Nah. Made that one up myself." Jack grinned. "Taught it to Ch—taught it to my kid though."

"That must have been messy," Daniel commented.

"Are you kidding?" Jack chortled. "Sara had a fit. My kid could never separate the cookies either."

"I wonder if I could," Daniel mused out loud in a light voice.

Surprised, Jack darted another look at the young man. "You mean you never tried?"

Daniel shrugged.

"I like my trick better," Jack said abruptly.

"You would," Daniel murmured with no real anger in it. "B-but it would have been nice…to learn…"

Sensing a rare moment of Daniel willing to speak, Jack kept silent.

"Janet's nice," Daniel said softly. "She would make a good mother for Cassandra."

Jack grunted.

"Teal'c was saying how in Chulak, they honor the children no matter if they were their own or not…"

Jack finally had to say something. "It's how it should be, Daniel."

"Uh huh." Daniel grew quiet again.

Tapping a finger on the steering wheel, Jack continued casually. "Too bad though. I'm sorry you never got to learn any of that, Danny."

Daniel shrugged. "I had my books."

"Yeah," Jack's face darkened, "you had your books."

The older man was silent, brooding over what Daniel said. He fumed over the thought of his friend as a child, possibly neglected by parents who just couldn't or wouldn't cope with a grieving boy. Foolishly, Jack wished he could have been there, even though he knew wishing didn't change anything.

"Damn it," Jack muttered. "It's not right."

"Jack?" Daniel blinked.

"Nothing." Jack kept his eyes on the road, but he could feel Daniel's gaze boring down on him. "I just think—ah hell—I think there's more to raising a kid than just leaving a bunch of books for him to read, that's all."

"I didn't mind," Daniel murmured. "If you look at it another way, some kids get placed in foster homes where the adults can be quite…cruel. I was lucky some of mine weren't like that. I stay out of their way and they left me alone. Sometimes," Daniel's voice dropped to a whisper again. "Sometimes they don't even mind me sticking around too long."

Jack gritted his teeth. He heard the catch in Daniel's voice when he said "some".

"No kid should be left alone, Daniel." Jack clenched the steering wheel a bit tighter. "They should be running amuck, rampant around the house, grumbling about doing chores, and sitting in corners when they don't."

"I had my books," Daniel repeated weakly.

Silence fell over the two men again. Jack gnashed his teeth, wondering why he was so bothered. It happened a long time ago, O'Neill. He's not a kid any more. He said he didn't care, so why should you?

Before Jack could stop himself, he spoke. "I would have made you sit at a corner, Danny."

Daniel blinked. "Oh."

"And I sure as hell wouldn't have let you just sit there with some…book," Jack grumbled. "You could be damn sure you would have been mowing the lawn, doing the laundry—"

"And making a mess out of your kitchen dunking Oreos in glasses of milk," Daniel interrupted in a teasing voice.

Jack chuckled. "Yeah. That, too."

"Wow," Daniel said lightly. "Where were you when I was nine years old?"

Jack's smile faded. He heard the underlying sadness in those words. He bit his lower lip, silently berating himself. Great, O'Neill. Open your mouth wider and maybe you could insert the other foot in.

Out of the corner of his eye, Jack saw Daniel had looked away. The young man seemed embarrassed for letting that slip out and looked like he was desperately trying to make himself as small as possible. The posture screamed for Jack to leave him alone.

But that was just it. Jack couldn't. Otherwise, he would have turned around when he heard Daniel and Teal'c that afternoon.

"Hmm…" Jack forced his voice into a light tone. "When you were nine years old? Let's see…I would have been…" Jack grinned widely. "I would have been trying to look into Cindy Meyer's bedroom window."

Daniel jumped slightly, turning his head towards his companion, his mouth slightly open. "Jack!"

"What?" Jack asked in an indignant voice. "You had your books! I had my…interests!"

Daniel choked back a laugh. "I can't believe you! You would have been…what? Maybe—"

"Old enough to appreciate what a godsend Cindy Meyer was," Jack cut in firmly.

The young man's shoulders shook in silent laughter. "Was that when you started looking through the telescope?"

"Nope." Jack just said. "I was looking for Ecretian Disks."

Daniel clamped a hand over his mouth to cover the chuckle that threatened to explode out of his mouth. "S-sure."

"I was!" Jack was grinning broadly.

The two men chuckled softly. Despite their mirth, silence descended in the jeep. Jack kept looking back at his friend, who was hunched over by the window, staring out into the night at the stars beginning to peek out.

"Thanks, Jack."

Jack blinked. "Huh? What are you thanking me for?"

Sleepily, Daniel shifted in his seat so he could look at Jack sideways. "I think you know. For standing there for so long. For..." Daniel shrugged.

Jack coughed awkwardly. "For a moment, I thought you were going to thank me for giving you a milk bath."

"I wouldn't go that far," Daniel said shyly.

The older man chuckled. He looked at Daniel then back at the road, smiling.

"Get some sleep," Jack said gruffly. "It's going to be a while before we reach home. Might as well catch a wink or two now."

Daniel blinked at the word "home". Jack noticed but said nothing.

"Just close the window before you doze off," Jack said in the same gruff voice, pretending it was no big deal. "Otherwise you're going to catch cold, and I sure as hell am not going on a mission with you sneezing all over those rocks."

"Artifacts," Daniel corrected him with a tired smile.

"Yeah, yeah," Jack muttered, enjoying the routine they were falling into.

"You'll never call them artifacts, will you Jack?"

Jack turned his head slightly towards Daniel and grinned crookedly. "Nope."

Sighing, Daniel wrapped his arms around himself and huddled closer to the car door for support. His shoulders slumped as he fell into a light sleep.

"Daniel."

"Hmm?" Daniel didn't bother opening his eyes.

"The window?"

"'Kay," Daniel said sleepily and drifted off anyway.

Jack glared at the young man, already sleeping. He muttered to himself as he thumbed a switch on his steering wheel. With a quiet purr, the window on Daniel's side glided up and closed.

"Doesn't matter how old he is or what planet we're on," Jack muttered. "Man does not listen." He sighed, not really upset and looked back at the rearview mirror once more. Jack shook his head amused.

"You can stop pretending now, Carter. He's asleep."

Carter's eyes flew open, and she gave an embarrassed smile. "How did you know I wasn't asleep?"

"Last I checked, females don't sleep with only one eye closed," Jack scoffed.

Stretching out, Carter leaned forward to rest her chin on the shoulder of Jack's seat. She smiled fondly at the sight of Daniel dozing off in his seat.

"He still has some crumbs on his shirt, sir," She laughed softly.

She glanced back over to Daniel. Her smile faded as she remembered the conversation. "What he was saying about his foster parents—"

"Don't," Jack said shortly. "He doesn't want to talk about them. Don't force the issue. We can't change anything for him."

"Even if we want to?"

"Yeah." Jack sounded regretful. "Even if we want to."

"You must have been a great father," Carter said softly.

Jack's eyes clouded. He shrugged. "I had my…moments."

"Sorry," Sam said regretfully. "Didn't mean to—"

"It's okay." Jack glanced back at Daniel before diverting his view back on the road. "Sometimes…there's a need to mention stuff like that." Jack cleared his throat. "Speaking of parenthood, you would have made a great mother…Sam."

Her smile was a bit sad. "Maybe. I know what you're trying to say. My life is not the best for a kid. Maybe some day but not now." Sam's eyes narrowed, past missions spinning in her mind, all the close calls. "Too much of a chance that Cassie would become an orphan again. I can't do that to her."

The older man nodded, knowing the sentiment all too well.

"Besides," Sam grinned wickedly. "I already have two kids to watch over. Why would I need another one?"

Jack laughed, glancing over at Daniel once more. He chuckled at the sight of his friend; cheek pressed to the glass, glasses askew, mouth slightly opened as he slept. All Daniel needed right now to complete the image was to have his thumb in his mouth, but if that happened, Jack was going to have to stop the jeep first so he could have hysterics. "You have a point there, Carter." Jack's chuckle grew louder. "Damn, he's going to leave a mark on my window."

"You could make him wash the jeep later," Sam teased as she leaned back into her seat.

"Can I make him sit at a corner if he doesn't listen during missions?" Jack shot back lightly.

"Sure." Sam yawned as she went on. "I have the perfect stool you could have him sit on." Blue eyes blinked back at Jack in the rearview mirror.

"Get some sleep, Carter," Jack said with a soft smile. "I'll wake you when we get back on base."

"Yes, sir."

The older man shook his head as he glanced sideways to Daniel again. He laughed quietly and was going to say something else, but Sam was already asleep. He shrugged and concentrated on driving instead.

"Where were you when I was nine years old?"

Jack's smile faded as he recalled the wistful words. He ached for what his friend never had and it surprised him. He sighed, leaning deeper into his seat, his eyes glued to the white stripe on the middle of the highway. He recalled how Daniel blinked at the word "home".

Question is; which one is home?

Jack knew Abydos was foremost in Daniel's mind. He'd seen the longing in Daniel's eyes on quiet nights in missions far from Earth. Jack knew Daniel wasn't trying to find Earth as Jack would find himself doing on those nights. He knew the young man was looking for a desert planet that mankind had yet to find a way technologically to reach. And yet the way home for Daniel was the alien device, which ironically also took away the reason Abydos was his home in the first place.

Sha're.

O'Neill's eyes narrowed as he thought of the dark haired female. He remembered her as headstrong, yet shy around Daniel. He had seen the young man taking a protective role with her on the first mission. He remembered the determined look on his friend's face when he took her dead body in his arms, hopped within the Stargate circles to get into Ra's ship, looked right at Jack, and mouthed, "Wait for me."

Daniel had nothing to lose when he chose to stay behind, Jack thought. He had no family left here. Only Sha're.

And she was gone.

And Daniel was down here, forever staring at the sky, longing, wishing.

"B-but…it would have been nice…to learn…"

Jack scowled. He had heard the same longing in Daniel's words. The more he thought about it, the more the colonel wished he had met the man when he was a boy. Realistically, Jack knew it wouldn't have done any good back then. Jack had been a teenager, barely enough sense in his own rebel head much less to worry about a nine year old boy who had lost everything and who'd retreated to the paperbound world instead. To Jack's surprise, it actually infuriated him none of the new parents hadn't tried to reach out or tried harder to.

"Well…I was too busy with my nose in my books. Many just got too sick and tired of trying to get me out of those books. Others…I was just a way for them to get a check from the government. But it didn't matter."

But it did.

"I already have two kids to watch over. Why would I need another one?"

Jack smiled again. It was true. Daniel was watched after. By them. And Jack didn't even realize he was doing it until one day he was looking at himself and wondering when all that started.

Doesn't make up for all of those years, Danny, but it's a start.

Jack nodded to himself.

They were a family here. Jack hoped one day Daniel would be looking in the sky, looking for Earth instead during those nights on missions.

So does that mean I get to sit him in a corner if he runs off to look at another rock again?

Jack laughed out loud. He didn't care how old Daniel was. He acted like a kid sometimes. He chuckled as he remembered Daniel's look when the cookie landed in his glass of milk.

Certainty worth a wet T-shirt.

"I already have two kids to watch over. Why would I need another one?"

Nodding, Jack sighed in relief when he saw the familiar turnoff leading to Cheyenne Mountain. "Okay kids, we're almost home," he said out loud.

Only Daniel replied with a sleepy mumble.

Kids, indeed. Carter was right. We have our hands full with these two—wait a minute!

"Two kids?" Jack snarled. "What the hell did you mean by that, Carter?" Jack shot a glare to the rearview mirror. He could have sworn he saw a smile on Carter's lips. "Stop pretending. I know you're awake…Carter?"

Jack grumbled as he nodded to the guards by the fence, flashing his id. "Kids indeed. She better damn well be referring to Teal'c or I'll—"

The jeep slipped beneath the overhanging arch of Cheyenne Mountain and stopped.

Jack sighed at the sense of family surrounding him in the sleep quiet vehicle. He was reluctant to wake any of them just yet, and just leaned back into his seat with a small smile.

It was good to be home.