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“Five more minutes, Jack.”
Jack had given Daniel five minutes already. And another five. And another. At least twenty minutes worth of 'just five more minutes, Jack's. As soon as they'd gotten the wormhole stable again and the last batch of artifacts Daniel insisted had to be preserved through the gate, he'd tasked Sam and Teal'C to recording as much of this alien jibberish as they could. Daniel insisted it was an important language; it looked, to Jack’s untrained eye, like a toddler had been playing with a chisel.
The five minutes were up. Jack had no more to spare. The temple walls were shuddering, dust and bits of rock falling in bursts from the ceiling with every minor tremor. If Carter's projections were right, they had twenty minutes at most, and that was an optimistic estimate.
“We have to go, Daniel.”
Daniel waved his hand, panning the camera higher up, trying to capture more of the faint lettering carved into obsidian columns. The single-minded focus was admirable, Jack hated that it usually only came out in situations like this. The temple was minutes away from coming down around their ears and Jack didn't fancy ending his life flatter than the yellow brick road.
“Jack-”
Jack adjusted the strap of his P90, running further into the temple. “I swear, Daniel, if the phrase ”just five more minutes“ leaves your lips once more, I will carry you through the gate myself!”
Daniel tore his gaze away from the pillar he was filming. “But-”
The pleading in his eyes wasn't going to work. Not this time. It probably shouldn't have worked the other times, but Jack was a weak, weak man when it came to Daniel Jackson's puppy eyes.
“No. Daniel. We are out of this temple, across the courtyard and through the gate.” He stabbed his finger towards the entrance for emphasis. “Now!”
Daniel planted his feet, recording and glaring at Jack at the same time. “Jack, you don't understand! This is important! These people, their culture-”
“Are dead and gone and not my priority right now.” Jack scrubbed a hand over his face, Daniel looked like he'd just slapped him. Jack already felt like enough of an ass without that. He took a deep breath, trying to soften his tone. “We've recorded all we can. It'll be useless if you're too dead to translate it.”
Well, he tried.
Daniel was still watching him with the horrified look like Jack had just suggested giving all their artifacts to the NID. Which meant Jack's chances of persuading Daniel through the gate without at least a week of cold shoulders and pointed digs were rapidly dwindling.
Fine. New track.
“Is it going to save the galaxy from the Goa'uld?”
Daniel's defiant gaze skittered away. “No.”
Jack knew this killed him. He did. And he sympathised. Daniel wouldn't be Daniel without the impressive belief he could salvage entire civilisations all on his own. But while Daniel was out trying to preserve the universe, it left a vacancy in the preserving Daniel area.
That was where Jack came in. And gladly.
“You gave up the meaning of life planet, Daniel. This one isn't worth your life either.”
Daniel's face closed off. The same way it always did when he thought Jack didn't understand him. Didn't care enough to try.
“Hey, look at me!” Jack grabbed Daniel's vest, letting Daniel see the urgency on his face, the pleading for him to let this go just this once. He wasn't doing this to be cruel. “There'll be other windmills, Daniel. You can't tilt at the others if you're buried under a collapsed temple.”
Daniel’s eyes flashed. “Why do you even care?”
Daniel was lashing out. Jack sighed softly, “You know why I care.”
Daniel's eyes closed, his shoulders slumping. Defeat. Apology. Acquiescence. “Jack.”
Jack scooped up Daniel's pack, avoiding the resignation in Daniel's eyes. “We have to go.”
Daniel took his pack, stowing his camera reluctantly. He lurched towards Jack as the temple gave a vicious shudder. Carter better not be wrong about the tectonic events timing. “It's not fair.”
Life wasn't fair. Not for people like them. “You saved enough, Daniel. It will be enough.”
Daniel cast a last, longing look around the crumbling temple, allowing Jack to begin to pull him towards safety. “I hope so.”
Later, after countless post mission briefings and a return probe confirming the rubble where the temple once stood, Jack hovered in his civvies in the doorway of Daniel's office. As usual, his resident genius had no concept of the lateness of the hour, pouring over his photographs and the recordings he, Carter and Teal'C had made.
Daniel didn't even seem to realise Jack was there. But he often surprised him.
"You were right."
Jack blinked, and he'd take phrases he never expected Daniel Jackson to say for 500 please. "I was?"
Daniel didn't look up from his computer, at least not obviously. Jack tracked a tiny glimpse, a flash of light reflected from the computer on Daniel's glasses.
"About the windmills." Daniel paused, running a hand through his hair. "Doesn't make it easier."
Jack crossed the room, cocked his hip to lean against Daniel's desk. "Nope."
Daniel finally turned away from the computer. Watched Jack the way he always did on nights like this. When going through the gate cost more than it gave. When Daniel needed Jack to be nothing more than Jack, Colonel O'Neill leaving the building.
"Thank you. For…" He gestured vaguely, encompassing the temple, the gate, everything else they never said but knew all the same.
Jack held his gaze. “Any time, Daniel.”
Daniel looked past Jack to the crates of artifacts they'd salvaged and his archaeology department was undoubtedly launching into dustbunny filled conniptions over. “We saved a lot, Jack.”
Not absolution for Jack's choice, but enough. “Enough?”
Daniel smiled, lips curling in a small, sad quirk. “Their culture is all but gone, Jack, anything is enough.”
Jack nodded, catching Daniel's eyes. “Good.”
“Yeah.” Daniel broke the stare. Cleared his throat. “So, what now?”
“Go home. Rest up. Work on this tomorrow. Then,” Jack shrugged, squeezed Daniel's shoulder in the only affection he could offer here. “Find more windmills.”