• SPOILERS: S6 Full Circle and S7 Fallen
• SUMMARY: SG-1 finds Daniel in an unexpected place and in an unexpected form - little
• RATING: PG H/C, angst, kidfic

Dark storm clouds moved in quickly and rolled across the sky. Thunder rumbled. On the planet"s surface, three young men trudged to their village through the ruins of an ancient civilization. One carried a leather water satchel; two were weighed down by yokes holding water-filled buckets. Behind them followed the village elder, weaving a learning story for their benefit as they journeyed home.

"We heard this one already," the first youth complained.

Shamda stopped walking and answered first with a paternal frown followed by, "Has it lost its meaning?"

"I mean you told it just now on the way down to the water hole."

A flood of light illuminated the sky. They turned toward it even as it faded. The young men rushed forward to investigate. Shamda followed at a more circumspect pace. He arrived a few steps behind his young charges to see them leaning over a young child - a small boy, lying naked and shivering on the ground.

"Who are you?"

The child didn"t answer.

They gathered the child up and brought him back to the village. Absently handing off their water burdens as if they were of no consequence, the young men carried the boy around the village center, showing him off as though he were a prize they had earned. Shamda, with a nod of his head, summoned the village mothers who took charge of the child, shushing and shooing the water carriers back to their task.

The little one simply smiled, though he never spoke a word. He twisted and turned in the arms of whoever held him, watching all that moved around him. He wriggled down out of protective arms to sweep his hands through the dirt or stir a spoon in a cooking pot. He fidgeted as the women pulled a small tunic over his head, then ran off to chase a chicken. With gentle, indulgent smiles the women drew him back to themselves, curbing his exploration until finally he was dressed, fed and lying sleepily among a voluminous mound of pillows in the tent of Timira, whose own eight children where shooed outside to play. The little one slept.

While the boy slept, the village turned in its usual rhythm. Children chased each other among the tents. Young men watered livestock. Women bartered in the market. In the center of it all sat Shamda. Quarreling brothers came to him for advice and Shamda told the tale of the Four Foolish Brothers. Children came hoping for a sweet and Shamda spun the yarn of the Grains of Salt - and gave them all a fruit treat. Heartbroken lovers, angry wives, cheated merchants - all sought out Shamda. All received stories. All the while Shamda wondered what story the little boy had come to tell them.

The child slept long. The storm clouds had long since passed and the sun was sliding below the horizon when Timira came to tell Shamda that the little boy was awake. Shamda entered Timira"s tent to find the boy sitting among the same mountain of pillows. He looked small in their midst, but he seemed unaware of this. He happily amused himself with the pillow tassels, playing some game only he understood. He looked up when the rustle of Shamda"s clothes alerted him to the patriarch"s presence. His sudden smile showed his teeth and brightened his eyes. He forgot the pillow game and followed Shamda"s movements.

"So, you are awake, little Arrum."

"Arrum. That"s a funny word. Why did you call me that? What does that mean?"

So the boy could speak.

"It means Naked One."

"That"s not my name. I"m Daniel," the child insisted.

"Little Daniel Arrum."

Daniel giggled.

"I didn"t have any clothes on at all, did I?"

"None at all. The way all of us enter the world. Tell me little Daniel Arrum - what is your story? How did you come to be here?"

Daniel seemed to ignore the question. "I"m wearing clothes now. You don"t have to call me Arrum."

But then his lips pressed together and his eyebrows scrunched toward one another. Shamda wondered what serious thoughts were surfacing behind that small, intense face. Then the look cleared and Daniel smiled again, clearly pleased with whatever he was thinking. He popped up from the pillows, clamoring over them to sit in Shamda"s lap.

"I was a star." An uncertain pause. "I think." He stopped again. "But then I came down." Daniel"s brow creased again, then he sat up straight, his face brightening. "Like a shooting star! Was I a shooting star?"

"Perhaps," answered Shamda, "but I think that if you were, it would be a sad thing."

"Why?"

"Because it would mean that someone somewhere had broken a promise."

"What kind of promise?"

"Long ago, when the goddess Dyala walked among her subjects, her beauty inspired men to rash acts and promises of undying faithfulness to her. Husbands left their wives, young men forgot their betrothed. Whenever a man gazed on Dyala"s face he was captured by her beauty and would promise her whatever she asked. Dyala always asked for a magnificent jewel. These love-struck men would travel the earth searching for a jewel to match the luminescence of Dyala"s beauty. When they returned with their gift, they bowed low, offered up the jewel and promised their eternal devotion to Dyala. Dyala received each jewel and tossed it up into the night sky - and thus were born the stars. But alas, we humans are fickle in our devotion. Though professing undying devotion to Dyala, a man would suddenly remember his wife and return to her, or see a pretty young woman at the river and romance her. And so his promise to Dyala was broken - and the star jewel he offered to the goddess burned out and fell from the sky - shooting stars."

In the silence that followed, Daniel stared into Shamda"s face, his mouth open, and his eyes wide.

"That"s a good story," he whispered. Then he shook his head. "But that"s not what happened to me. I used to live with Jack - well, not live with him in his house. We were friends. And Sam and Teal"c too. Teal"c"s big - a giant. He"s even bigger than Jack. I wonder if they"ll come to get me. Do you think so? Jack usually comes to get me, so he probably will. But I think he might be looking for somebody bigger. I wonder how come I turned small when I came down from the stars."

*****

Reynolds led his team through the gate. Sam, Teal"c and Jonas followed. Jack brought up the rear, half a step behind. The instant before he hit the event horizon he allowed himself to acknowledge the familiar thrill that coursed through him. It had nothing to do with his molecules flying apart and reforming on the other side. Nope, it was just that even after all this time, going through the gate was just so damn cool.

Jack sighed as his molecules reformed on the dirt of Vis Urban. Coolness aside, he had colonel-stuff to do. He caught up with the others who were already tramping toward the most promising cluster of ruins. Leaving Reynolds" team to set a perimeter, Jack led SG-1 in to meet the locals. Jack"s first impression was that he"d never seen so many blue clothes in one place, and considering his employer that was a lot of blue. Carter would"ve loved the chance to dress Daniel in some of these get-ups. The familiar ache made its presence known in Jack"s chest and he forced himself to think of something other than how much Carter loved Daniel in blue.

The first introductions seemed to go well and apparently Blue Guy #1 was off to find Really Important Guy. As they appeared back in the village square, Really Important Guy was trying to reign in Blue Guy #1's impetuous enthusiasm for their visitors.

"They say that they are friends."

"No one can be a friend if you know not whether to trust them."

"Don"t judge a book by its cover," Jack felt obliged to respond.

Really Important Guy addressed his next comment directly to Jack. "Enemies" promises were made to be broken."

"But honesty is the best policy."

Well what do you know - Jack gave his team a pleased grin - who"d have thought a well stocked library of cliches would turn the diplomatic tide?

"He that has too many friends has none."

"Ah, but birds of a feather. . ."

Jack deliberately trailed off, letting the old adage speak for itself. Really Important Guy cocked his head with interest.

"I"m unfamiliar with that story."

Bingo - score a point for the anti-diplomat.

"Colonel." Reynolds" voice interrupted Jack"s attempt to explain the flocking birds concept. He turned back to the village entrance. "We found something you might want to see."

Reynolds descended the first flight of steps holding the hand of a small child dressed in a tunic of the now familiar blue. The little boy was practically leading the way, his small bare feet slapping against stone as he pulled Reynolds along behind him. When they reached the landing the boy looked up.

"Jack!" The little boy forgot all about Reynolds. He leapt down the stairs and ran head long right for Jack. About two steps away he launched himself at Jack and only reflex allowed Jack to catch him. "Jack! You"re here. What took so long? I"ve been waiting here forever! Weeks and weeks."

Overrun by both the child and his flood of words, Jack"s brain refused to process.

"Excuse me?"

"Jack - it"s me! Daniel! Hi, Sam. Hi, Teal"c."

Jack looked over the child"s head at Reynolds. The other colonel just shrugged.

"We found him playing by the creek. He recognized us right away."

"Recognized you?"

The little boy squirmed in Jack"s arms.

"Jack, put me down. I want to hug Sam and Teal"c."

"Just stay put," Jack insisted. Whoever the little wiggle worm was, he wasn"t going to get the chance to compromise any more of the SGC personnel than he already had.

"Recognized you?" Jack repeated.

"Knew our names. Asked if you were here too and whether you were waiting at the gate."

"The gate?" These people had called it the Chaapa"ai.

"Well actually he called it the water puddle thing ""

"I couldn"t remember what we call it," the boy informed Jack. "Can I get down now?"

"No."

The kid was pushing back from Jack"s chest trying to wiggle free. Jack took the opportunity to look closely at him. The eyes were blue and the right shape. High, sharp cheekbones, distinctive chin. It might all be filled in with some baby fat, but the features did look remarkably like Daniel"s. And no one really knew what had happened to Daniel after he disappeared to battle Anubis on Abydos. And weird shit had certainly happened to them before.

"Carter?"

"Don"t ask me, sir. I just got here, same as you. As far as I know, you"re only little once."

"T?"

"I concur with Major Carter, although we have encountered numerous inexplicable phenomena in the past."

"Just what I was thinking."

Jack had almost forgotten Jonas was there, but his fourth stepped forward now and weighed in.

"Why not ask these people what they know about where he came from?"

Jack felt a little body lean back into his chest. A small arm snaked snugly around his neck.

"Who"s that? I don"t think I like him," the boy whispered in Jack"s ear.

Well that was interesting.

"His name is Jonas. Why don"t you like him?"

"I don"t know. He"s " I just don"t." The arm tightened. The boy inched his hand toward his mouth, thumb leading the way, then resolutely pulled it back. "Don"t make me go with him."

The small voice finally broke through Jack"s wariness. Whoever this little kid turned out to be, right now he was a little boy frightened by someone he didn"t know. Jack shifted the boy in his arms to free one hand and then rubbed the child"s back.

"It"s okay. Nobody is going to hurt you. I"m not sure what"s going on here or whether you"re really Daniel, but no matter what, no one is going to hurt you."

The small body in his arms relaxed a little, but continued to cling in a way that Jack had already come to think of as atypical for him. With another reassuring squeeze Jack turned to the villagers for the first time since Reynolds had appeared with the boy. They had remained quietly in the background through the little boy"s exuberant greetings. Now Teal"c was taking Jonas" suggestion, asking them about the kid.

"How did this child come to be with your people?"

"Two months ago four of us were fetching water. Light flashed in a storm sky and when it disappeared we found Arrum lying on the ground."

"Arrum?"

"He calls himself Daniel. I call him little Arrum."

"Why?"

"No!" an insistent little voice shouted next to Jack"s ear. Two little hands rose up to signal stop." "Don"t! Shamda, don"t tell that," the voice pleaded.

Shamda - Jack registered Really Important Guy"s name - smiled and with a small nod acquiesced and held his tongue. Jack grinned. There had to be a story in there " and if this little tyke turned out to actually be Daniel, Jack would get it out of him eventually.

The discussion about whether the kid would accompany them back to the SGC was completely non-verbal and over in a matter of seconds. A series of raised eyebrows, shrugs, vague hand gestures, and nods of the head between the principals and it was decided. A few minutes later, both SG teams took their leave of Shamda"s people and set out for the gate. The kid insisted on walking, but seemed unperturbed by Jack"s insistence on holding his hand. Jack asked about shoes, but the little boy just said he didn"t need any, that his feet were tough, and then trotted along beside Jack barefoot and without complaint. He kept up a steady commentary as they walked, sharing with the whole crew more than they ever wanted to know about life with Shamda"s people. Jack doubted even the adult Daniel would be interested in the minutiae of daily living this kid was rattling off. But when he fell quiet for a few minutes, the silence had them all turning their heads to check on him. Suddenly he wrenched his hand from Jack"s and plopped himself down on his little butt, crossed his arms and glared. Baffled, Jack looked down at the small, angry face.

"What?"

"You called me Arrum. Don"t call me that."

"I did not. I didn"t say anything."

"You did. I heard you."

"I don"t know what you"re talking about," Jack argued. He didn"t. He"d just been walking along, maybe humming to himself. He was aware that his team had stopped and was watching the scene. He suspected they were all smirking. It wasn"t his fault. He"d just been humming. What was wrong with humming? Did humming sound like saying Arrum? And what was the big deal anyway?

"Don"t call me that!"

"Why not?"

"Just don"t. It"s " it"s worse than space monkey."

Jack was sure that was Carter behind him trying to smother an out-and-out laugh. He ignored her and crouched down in front of the boy.

"You know space monkey?"

"Yes, I know space monkey. I"m Daniel. I am. You don"t believe me, but I am." His face turned red just as his lower lip began to tremble; he was making suspicious hiccupping sounds. Jack saw where this was heading. Any second now, tears would make their appearance. Jack lifted the boy into his arms and was relieved when he didn"t resist.

"I believe you more every minute, Daniel," he said quietly. He heard a few sniffles, but the comfort seemed to have forestalled any actual tears. "I really didn"t call you Arrum. I"m sorry if you thought I did. I won"t call you that if you hate it so much."

"Okay."

"I might call you space monkey, but never Arrum."

The tiniest of giggles against his chest let him know the danger was over. With a nod to his team, Jack strode ahead to catch SG-3.

"Can I push the red button?" Daniel asked as Sam dialed the address for Earth.

"Sure," she answered and stepped back after lighting the final chevron.

Jack held tight as Daniel leaned over to reach the center crystal. He splayed both hands over the red dome and pushed with all his might. Jack and Carter exchanged a grin over his head at the little grunting of effort that accompanied the action. Daniel righted himself in Jack"s arms and looked quite pleased at the puddle he"d produced in the middle of the gate. Sam keyed in the GDO code but waited at the DHD expecting SG-3 to go through first.

But Reynolds stepped aside and swept his hand toward the gate.

"Women and children first," he insisted with a good-natured grin. He didn"t seem at all concerned by the triple force glare he was receiving from woman, child and child"s protector. He just kept grinning as Sam stepped through the gate and Jack carried Daniel into the event horizon.

Jack felt a shiver ripple through Daniel"s body as they stepped out onto the ramp in the gate room.

"Sorry Daniel, should"ve wrapped you in something warmer."

"Okay," Daniel replied absently. He was already wriggling free of Jack"s arms. "Look Jack - there"s General Hammond! He"s coming to meet us!"

Hammond was indeed turning away from the control room window on his way down to the gate room. Daniel bolted down the ramp, jumped off the step and was halfway to the door before Jack could shout, "Daniel, stop!"

He handed off his weapon to Teal"c and caught up with Daniel who had frozen in place. Jack crouched down to Daniel"s eye level and without a word, pointed to the gate room guards. Daniel"s eyes widened as he realized every weapon in the room was trained on him.

"Daniel, do you remember what these guys do?"

"Protect the gate room?"

"From?"

"Aliens?"

"Got it in one. And what do you suppose you look like to them?"

"Jack, I"m just a little kid!"

"Daniel, little kids have wreaked havoc on this place."

"But I"m with you."

"Daniel. Don"t do that again or these guys will shoot you. Got that?"

"Got it. Hi, General."

Jack stood up to greet his CO.

"Colonel?"

"It"s me, General. Daniel."

Hammond glanced briefly at the boy but continued to wait for a response from Jack. Jack just shrugged.

"You know us, Sir. Can"t go through the gate without walking into something weird."

"Are you saying this really is Dr. Jackson? I thought he was still ascended."

"Does he mean when I was a star?"

"You weren"t a star, Daniel."

"I think I was. But I"m not now. I fell " like a shooting star. But not like the shooting stars Shamda told me about because they were broken promises and I don"t think anybody broke a promise near me. Well maybe Anubis " I can"t remember that very well and anyway I wouldn"t be his star jewel would I? So I don"t think "-"

Jack clamped a hand over Daniel"s mouth, stopping the waterfall of words. Daniel looked surprised.

"Enough."

"Colonel, just what is this all about? You went to Vis Uban looking for signs of the Ancients" civilization."

"Yes, sir. What we found was a nomadic tribe who had taken up residence in the ruins. They were caring for a child who appeared out of nowhere " this child " Daniel. We think this is Daniel. Somehow."

Daniel, with Jack"s hand still firmly over his mouth, nodded vigorously. Jack waited while Hammond considered this information.

"All right, take him to the infirmary. I want him thoroughly examined and I expect a complete report in the swiftest possible time frame. In the meantime, the rest of you get checked out and we"ll debrief at fifteen hundred."

*****

Everybody was following Jack out of the gate room. Daniel ran to catch up. He was glad Jack slowed down a little when he caught up; Daniel slid his hand into Jack"s. He liked how it felt to have Jack"s big hand around his. He looked up to see if that was okay. Jack smiled down at him. Okay, that was good. Jack smiling was good. Everything was good now. Daniel had waited so long on Shamda"s planet for Jack to come get him. He was starting to get a little worried. He even thought about pushing the buttons on the mushroom thing and going to look for Jack. But it seemed like whenever he thought about it he would see Shamda watching him. He was sure Shamda could read his mind because one day he told Daniel a story about an owl who perched motionless on a tree limb for nearly a whole day until a field mouse popped its head out of the ground and the owl swooped down to catch it. Daniel didn"t really understand what that had to do with going through the puddle thing, but it was a good story. All of Shamda"s stories were good. Daniel decided he could wait for Jack a little longer ifhe had Shamda"s stories to listen to. Then today, there was Colonel Reynolds by the stream. And he said Jack was in the village. And Jack was in the village. Jack picked Daniel up and then brought him through the gate. And now he was here with Jack. And Jack was smiling. So that was good.

Daniel looked over his shoulder. Everybody else was smiling too. Sam"s smile was on her whole face from her mouth to her eyes. Teal"c"s mouth wasn"t really smiling, but Daniel could tell by the way the corners turned up just a little bit that he was smiling on the inside. Even that Jonas man had a big toothy grin for him. Daniel frowned a little as he looked back where Jonas was walking. His tummy felt funny when he looked at Jonas. He didn"t like him, but Jack didn"t seem worried so it was probably okay. He just wouldn"t think about it.

"Jack? What"s going to happen at the affirmary?"

"Infirmary," Jack corrected gently. "You remember the infirmary."

Daniel didn"t tell Jack that what he remembered was something about burning up and people crying and a kind of dark place that was scary and made him want to suck his thumb and hold tight to Jack. He wasn"t going to suck his thumb; he put his hand behind his back and kept the other firmly in Jack"s grasp.

"Janet will be there," Jack said. "She"ll poke you, and make you stick out your tongue, and do a bunch of other stuff to make sure you"re you."

"Okay."

Daniel wasn"t sure it was okay at all, but he probably didn"t have any choice. General Hammond said he had to. Jack would make sure he did what the General wanted " those were the rules. So Daniel would just try to be brave, and not want to suck his thumb and do what Jack told him. But when they got to the infirmary, it wasn"t like Jack said. Dr. Warner was waiting for them with two nurses when they walked through the swinging doors.

"Hello, Daniel. Welcome home," Dr. Warner said. That made Daniel feel good " like nothing was weird even though he was small. But he thought it would be Janet. He remembered her a lot better. Daniel tugged Jack"s hand.

"Where"s Janet?"

"Dr. Fraiser has the weekend off, Daniel," Dr. Warner answered. "I"ll be examining you."

Daniel looked up at Jack.

"Sorry, Daniel " I forgot about that. You gonna be okay?"

Daniel nodded. He would be okay. It was Dr. Warner. He knew Dr. Warner. Everything was fine. This was the SGC. There wasn"t anything to be afraid of.

"Then why don"t we get started?" Dr. Warner suggested. "The rest of you know the routine," he said to the rest of SG-1. "Get your exams and report for your debriefing. When we"re finished with Daniel"s work-up, I"ll bring him to the conference room myself."

Sam, Teal"c and Jonas said good-bye to Daniel and followed one of the nurses. Jack kept hold of Daniel"s hand. Daniel let him.

"Daniel? Are you ready?" Dr. Warner asked.

Reluctantly, Daniel took his hand out of Jack"s and followed Dr. Warner and the other nurse in the opposite direction from his friends.

"Daniel? You want me to stay with you?" Jack asked.

Daniel kind of did, but he thought Jack was supposed to go with that other nurse, plus he didn"t want Jack to think he was scared of maybe getting a shot or anything like that. So after a second he shook his head no."

"You sure?"

Daniel nodded.

"Okay. I"ll see you later."

*****

SG-1's post-mission physicals finished long before Warner was done examining Daniel. Jack wasn"t happy about leaving the infirmary without him, but fifteen hundred loomed and Hammond would expect them in the conference room. Reynolds and SG-3 were already there when Jack walked in with his team members. A few minutes later Hammond joined them and the debriefing got underway. Both team commanders had given their initial reports and Hammond was asking Reynolds for clarification on one point when a young, but insistent voice carried clearly into the conference room.

"You don"t have to hold my hand. I know the way." Small feet could be heard running down the hall and seconds later Daniel bounded through the door. He was notably cleaner than the last time Jack had seen him. His damp hair had obviously been washed; his face, hands and bare feet were dirt free. Jack assumed the rest of him was as well. He wore his own blue tunic. Fortunately it appeared to have been washed too although Jack thought the blue looked a bit faded, as though Vis Uban"s natural dye hadn"t quite survived the military"s hot water laundry treatment. Jack hoped they hadn"t starched it the way they starched everything else.

"I would have been here sooner, sir," Daniel explained to Hammond, "But Dr. Warner made me walk." He climbed into the empty chair beside Jack, swivelled it to face forward but then frowned when he realized his chin barely cleared the table top. Jack reached beneath the seat, depressed a lever and a pneumatic hiss accompanied Daniel"s rise to chest level.

"Thanks, Jack."

"No problem."

"Can I have some coffee?"

Jack reached for the carafe and a cup. Carter and Jonas both looked ready to protest, but Jack ignored them and filled the cup half full. A cup of coffee wasn"t going to kill the kid. Daniel reached for the cup with two hands and sipped. His face soured and he put the cup down.

"Something wrong?"

"It doesn"t taste right."

Jack took a sip.

"Taste"s fine."

"It"s - ugh. I don"t remember it tasting like that."

He pushed the cup away and Jack moved it out of reach. Sam poured a class of water and pushed it across the table to Daniel.

"Are we ready to continue?" Hammond asked.

"Yes, sir," Jack replied.

Dr. Warner had joined the group a few moments after Daniel appeared and was seated at the far end of the table. Hammond first glanced at Reynolds before turning to Warner.

"Colonel Reynolds, we"ll come back to this issue later. Dr. Warner, let"s have your report. SG-1 believes this boy is Dr. Jackson ""

"I am."

" " clearly he believes himself to be as well. What can you tell us?"

"He"s a perfectly healthy little boy. Normal human physiology with normal organ functions. The MRI showed no evidence of goa"uld infestation, or any other abnormality. His height and weight approximate that of an average five or six year old, but he appears to have the adult Daniel Jackson"s memories. His memory of the last twelve to thirteen months is somewhat sketchy."

"Was I really not a star?" Daniel whispered to Jack.

"You were really not a star."

"Then what happened to me?"

"We"ll talk about it later."

" " even has a surgical scar corresponding to Dr. Jackson"s appendectomy several years ago.

"You"re saying this boy is Dr. Jackson?" Hammond pressed.

"All of the tests we"ve performed to this point indicate that he is, General. It will require a DNA test to provide conclusive evidence. We"ll have the lab extract a DNA sample from the blood draw we took. They"ll use the blood card we have on file for Dr Jackson for comparison. I"ve asked the lab to make it priority one, but it will take at least thirty-six hours."

"Thank you Doctor. We"ll wait for the DNA results before making any hard and fast decisions about what happens next, but for the moment let"s work from the assumption that this is Daniel Jackson. Theories anyone? How and why did this happen?"

"I don"t think we have enough information yet, sir," Carter answered. "We haven"t really talked with Daniel at all about what he knows, what he remembers about how he ended up on Vis Uban " "

"He appeared in a brilliant flash of light."

"Yes, Teal"c, that"s what Shamda told us. That"s what he and the villagers saw. But what does Daniel know about it?"

Theories ricocheted around the table like an arcade pinball game. Carter fired off ideas. They bounced to Jonas, then Warner. Teal"c kicked a new idea into play. It rebounded off Carter who then suggested another theory of her own. Somewhere about the third round Jack lost track of the balls. He was pretty sure SG-3 had given up the game completely and was playing "hangman" at the other end of the table. Oddly enough, Jack thought, Daniel sat ignored. No one at the table actually asked Daniel what he knew - like everyone was too busy keeping their own balls in play to bother with his.

Also odd was that Daniel didn"t seem bothered by this. About the time Teal"c questioned whether Daniel"s current state was intentional or accidental, Jack discovered why. The little boy"s head bobbed forward once or twice. Then his whole body listed toward Jack and dropped onto the colonel"s arm. Teal"c stopped mid-sentence and raised an eyebrow at the unexpected movement.

"I believe Daniel Jackson has fallen asleep."

Hammond nodded his head. "All right people, we"ll pick this up tomorrow. Eleven hundred hours. Jack, get Dr. Jackson settled in a VIP room. Until the DNA tests confirm his identity he"s not to leave the base."

After Hammond"s exit, Jack lifted Daniel out of the chair. Daniel murmured and snuggled against Jack at the movement, but didn"t wake. The SG-1 entourage followed Jack all the way to the VIP room as though they simply couldn"t let Daniel out of their sight. Jack waved them all away at the door and still they hung close. Mindful of the child sleeping against his shoulder, Jack glared silently until they took the hint. Jonas left first, quietly saying good-night; then Teal"c excused himself with a regal nod of his head. Sam was the last to leave. She touched Daniel"s cheek and her hand lingered briefly. Then she smiled a good night to her CO and left him alone with his charge.

The soft glow of a bedside lamp welcomed them into the room. Jack closed the door with his foot. It shut out the harsh fluorescent lights in the hall. It shut out the retreating footsteps of his teammates. It shut out the de-briefing, the infirmary, the gate and Vis Uban. It shut out everything except Jack and the little boy in his arms. Jack stood still, in the center of the room, and felt a small heart beating strong against his chest. The wariness he had worn like a cloak all day slipped from his shoulders. The tension in his muscles faded. The questions erupting in his thoughts receded. And Jack knew that the child asleep in his arms, sucking his thumb, was somehow the friend he had lost a year before.

Grief had swallowed up the months following the loss. Pain seared Jack"s soul; some days he could barely breathe through it. The others hurt too. He knew that. Sam"s grief had been hot and angry, Teal"c"s palpable but quiet. Even Jonas floundered in his guilt. They all hurt. But the others hadn"t been the ones to say, "Let him go." And they didn"t fall asleep at night, hearing in Daniel"s voice, a desperation that belied his words " knowing that even while Daniel was saying "let me go," he longed to hear Jack say "stay." They didn"t live every moment in Jack"s unspoken but undeniable reality that he had failed " again " to hold onto something precious in his life.

Then suddenly this morning, like a cool breeze relieving the oppressive heat, a high, clear voice broke into Jack"s anguish. A little boy jumped into his arms, overjoyed to finally be found. Jack could feel the small body against his. He could hear the child"s voice; see the bare feet smaller than his hand. His brain couldn"t reconcile it all with the man he had known, but Jack"s soul drank in the salve of Daniel"s presence, recognizing it even when Jack"s senses didn"t. And now Jack stood, still and calm for the first time all day, knowing completely what his heart had known all day - Daniel was home.

Daniel slept all afternoon and into the evening. Jack eventually stationed an airman outside the door, and after leaving instructions that he be notified immediately if the little boy inside the room showed any signs of stirring, went to get himself some dinner. He checked on Daniel around midnight, but it was nearly ten hundred the next morning before the airman sent word that Daniel appeared to be up and about. Jack reached the VIP room to find Daniel trying to weasel his way past the beleaguered sergeant. Fortunately, the sergeant knew who signed his check - so to speak - and was having none of Daniel"s argument that he could find his own way to the commissary.

Jack dismissed the sergeant with a grateful nod and took charge of a hungry, impatient Daniel. Obviously breakfast was the order of the day, after which Daniel happily tagged along with Jack, accompanying him on his appointed rounds: a stop at the infirmary for a quick, routine check of Daniel"s vital stats, a detour to Captain Gregg"s quarters to pick up a donation from his young son"s wardrobe, another debriefing which yielded nothing more helpful than the previous day"s, followed by a long stretch at Jack"s desk hammering out a written account of the trip to Vis Uban, and finally a visit to the gym.

As they headed for the gym, Daniel trotting along beside Jack, his small hand slipped into Jack"s. His upturned face watched Jack to see whether the hand would be allowed to remain. Jack smiled down at the slightly anxious face and gently squeezed the small hand. Apparently reassured, Daniel ventured to bring up the topic causing his anxious expression.

"Jack? Is anybody gonna try to make me big again?"

"What?"

"Make me big. I"m supposed to be big, right?"

"Well, yeah. But you"re so much easier to control this way. I can just pick you up and move you away from stuff you aren"t supposed to touch. Maybe even swat your little butt. I figure we just let sleeping dogs lie."

Right on cue, Daniel stopped dead in the middle of the hall. Grinning, Jack took a couple of steps before turning around to face him. Daniel"s expression wiped the grin off Jack"s face. Wide, round eyes and Daniel holding both hands behind him, as though protecting his "little butt" from the threatened swat were not the reaction Jack expected. Damn. This might be Daniel he was talking to, but it was a Daniel who thought and reasoned like a five year old. And the five year old reasoned that Jack preferred him small and defenseless. He eyed Jack warily. Chastised, Jack immediately crossed the space between them and crouched in front of Daniel.

"For cryin" out loud, Daniel - I"m kidding. Of course we"re going to figure out how to make you big again. Well, Carter is, or Fraiser. Okay?" Daniel"s nod was hesitant. "First we gotta figure out why you"re small. You heard Carter at the briefings yesterday and this morning. Nobody is sure why you came back five years old."

"They aren"t even sure I"m me," Daniel sulked.

"Exactly," Jack said. "Until that DNA test confirms it, there isn"t much point trying to work out how to make you somebody you might not even be."

"I am me."

"I know that. Carter and Teal"c know it too. We just gotta wait for everybody else to be convinced. Just til tomorrow."

"Okay."

"Good. Now let"s get going. I"m late."

Jack ducked. Griff"s well aimed kick caught him on the shoulder. He rolled out of the blow and came up near the edge of the mat. Back on his feet, Jack countered Griff"s next approach, swinging under the major"s left arm to set up a rear attack. Well into their training match, both men dripped sweat, their breath just starting to come hard. Jack blessed the day Griff had shown up at the SGC. Shorter and more compact than Jack, the Marine offered the colonel a good challenge in hand to hand training, and Griff was one of the two men - Teal"c being the other - who wasn"t afraid to go full throttle against the senior officer. Jack would never forget the way he had suddenly been looking up at Griff from the mat the first time Griff knocked him on his ass. Griff had seemed just as surprised, but didn"t back down. He waited for Jack to haul himself off the mat and then set himself for another round. After that, Wednesdays at fourteen thirty were sacred for both men. Unless one of them was off-world, they rarely missed their weekly session.

Griff was turning now. Jack stepped in to trap his leg, reaching for the leverage to bring him down. Abruptly, Jack pulled back, disengaging from the contest.

"Shit. Hold off, Griff."

"Gettin" tired, Colonel?"

"Yeah right. In your dreams. No, Daniel"s disappeared."

Jack turned a full three hundred and sixty degrees, scanning the gym. Daniel was nowhere in sight.

"Where"d he go?"

"Wasn"t he just over there pestering Armstrong at the bike?"

"Damn."

"Colonel, it"s not like he"s gonna get lost. And they"ll never let him out of the mountain. He"ll turn up."

"Yeah, it"s how much trouble he"s gonna get himself into between now and then that worries me."

The sound of heavy footsteps caused both men to turn. Teal"c strode through the door. Under his right arm he carried a small, squirming body whose bare feet were kicking away in front of Teal"c in a valiant effort to free himself.

"O"Neill." Unfazed by the wiggling form under his arm, Teal"c stopped a few feet from Jack. "I have discovered a small child skulking through the halls of the SGC."

"Teal"c!" the small child in question squealed. "Put me down!"

"He appeared to be planning an attack on a dessert cart intended for the General"s private dining room."

Jack couldn"t help himself; he laughed out loud.

"Serious offense, T. String him up by his ankles."

Teal"c grasped both of Daniel"s ankles in his free hand and released the little boy from his arm hold. Daniel shrieked as he swung abruptly to hang upside down in front of Teal"c.

"Is this what you had in mind, O"Neill?"

"That"s it exactly," Jack answered as he advanced on the bare tummy exposed when Daniel"s t-shirt slipped down to his chin.

"NO! No Jack - don"t!"

Face red, protesting in loud shrieks, Daniel twisted futilely in Teal"c"s grasp while shielding his stomach with his hands. Hiccupping sobs mingled with his pleas for release. His frantic struggle to defend himself set klaxons blaring Jack"s head. When had it ever been okay to torment Daniel? Why was it okay when he was small and helpless? Jack"s eyes met Teal"c"s and he was relieved to see his own thoughts reflected there.

"Easy, Daniel. Relax."

Teal"c gently set Daniel on his feet. Jack steadied him when he stumbled trying to regain his balance. Kneeling in front of Daniel, he casually tugged the disheveled t-shirt back into place.

"I"m sorry, Daniel. It wasn"t fair for Teal"c and me to treat you that way."

"I am sorry as well Daniel Jackson. O"Neill and I have no wish to shame you."

"We meant it in fun," Jack said, "and we"re sorry we went too far. I"m not going to tickle you - or swat your butt or call you Arrum, or anything else that makes you feel stupid."

Daniel sniffled.

"Promise?"

"Promise."

Daniel edged a bit closer to Jack who recognized the request for a hug and complied.

"Might still call you space monkey though."

Again, Daniel giggled at the mention of the silly nickname. Adult Daniel would be shooting daggers from his eyes, but apparently five year old Daniel just thought space monkey was funny. The little boy pulled back from Jack"s embrace and peered up at Teal"c.

"Upside down was kind of fun. You could maybe do that again sometime. But I don"t like tickling."

"We will not attempt to tickle you again," Teal"c vowed.

Jack gave Daniel a gentle squeeze and then stood up.

"So, Teal"c - gonna stay and teach Griff here a lesson?"

"I regret that I cannot. I must attend an orientation session for new SGC personnel."

"Ah. Gonna show off Junior?"

"New personnel sometimes have difficulty believing in space aliens." Lieutenant Smythe believes my symbiote is helpful in persuading them."

"I"ll bet." Jack shuddered. He still clearly remembered the first time he"d seen Junior poke its slimy fanged head out of Teal"c"s pouch. "Guess you"re off the hook, Griff. Daniel and I are gonna get some ice cream."

"We are?"

"Chocolate peanut butter. Carter"s got a private stash."

"She does?"

"Keeps it in the frig in her lab. Camouflaged as blue Jell-o pops."

After a quick shower and a raid on Carter"s ice cream, Daniel asked what they were going to do next. He looked crestfallen when Jack replied that he had a stack of mission reports to review. Jack realized that for a five year old the day had already been long; Daniel probably needed some down time. So Jack proposed an alternative. They would go by Jack"s office and pick up the reports he needed to review, then go back to the VIP level. The lounge had a VCR and they could find a movie for Daniel to watch while Jack caught up on the paperwork. Daniel brightened considerably at this idea.

Twenty minutes later, with a movie in the video player for Daniel, Jack stretched out on the lounge sofa. Short and lumpy, it also smelled of cigarettes, stale popcorn and old pizza. Given a choice Jack might have chosen the ancient hide-a-bed on Grandma O"Neill"s sleeping porch. He squirmed for a few minutes finally balancing himself with a foot on the floor and the other dangling over the armrest. Settled, he reached for the first file in the stack on the floor.

Reading through SG-9's report of their recent mission to a tropical planet, Jack thought Major Chaulk took a little too much pleasure describing the white, sandy beach that stretched from a dense forest down to the gate dais and then outward to water as crystal, clear blue as any found on earth. Jack wondered sourly why SG-1 never got those assignments.

For a while Daniel seemed more interested in what Jack was up to than in watching the movie. He peppered Jack with questions - whose report was he reading, what planet did they visit, did they meet anyone interesting. Jack finally reminded him that the more he pestered Jack, the longer it would take him to finish. Reluctantly, Daniel settled down on the floor and turned his attention to the video playing on the TV screen. He was quiet just long enough for Jack to finish an initial read-through of SG-9's write up.

"Jack?"

"Hmm?"

"What if he isn"t dead?"

"What if who isn"t dead?"

"The man they"re making into a mummy?"

Jack glanced up at the television. Black and white images from an old film moved across the screen. Three women dressed in long robes appeared to be wrapping gauze around the body lying on a stone slab. Jack resumed scribbling in the margins of SG-9's report as he answered.

"I think he"s pretty dead, Daniel. They only make mummies out of dead people."

"But I wasn"t dead yet."

Jack stopped writing. "What?"

"When you wrapped me up like a mummy. I wasn"t dead yet."

Wrapped him up like a mummy? They hadn"t wrapped him up like anything. He"d only been back a day. When had they - oh shit. Daniel didn"t mean recently. Shit, shit, shit. Jack tossed the Sun and Sand Report on the floor.

"Daniel, come here." Daniel scrambled up on the couch. With very little fuss he settled himself into the tiny space between Jack and the sofa back, and rested his head against Jack"s shoulder. "Now, tell me what you"re talking about. What are you remembering?" Maybe, just maybe Daniel wasn"t talking about what Jack thought he was talking about.

"When I was a grown-up. I was in the affirmary and Janet wrapped me all up like a mummy. It hurt. Is that because I wasn"t dead? Does being a mummy hurt and that"s why they wait until you"re dead? Except I wasn"t dead yet?"

Okay, definitely talking about the same thing. Jack inhaled deeply and let the breath out slowly. How did he explain radiation poisoning to a five year old? It had been easier when they were both adults and Daniel had done the explaining. Unbidden, Jack recalled sitting in the infirmary with Daniel. It was just the two of them for a few precious minutes while the medical staff was busy elsewhere. Bandages swathed Daniel"s hands. Lesions that would soon spread across his body were just beginning to blemish the healthy skin on his face. They sat there, face to face, for probably the last time in their lives, and Daniel did the talking. Calmly, as though explaining the slight difference between similar languages, he recited the litany of his death - internal organs failing, cell structure breaking down, uncontrolled bleeding, his own fluids drowning him. Jack listened helplessly - angry, defiant, heartbroken. No, it hadn"t been easier then. It had been hard. Unbearably hard. The hardest thing Jack had ever done was watch his best friend face his own imminent death. And if Daniel could do that, Jack could do this. Taking another breath he started with the first thing he could think of.

"Daniel, do you remember yesterday when I said you weren"t a star and you asked what happened if you weren"t a star?" Daniel nodded. "I said we would talk about it later." Another nod. "I think it"s later."

"Maybe we should turn off the mummy movie."

"Good idea." Jack stretched for the remote and turned off the TV. "Okay " do you remember anything from before Janet was wrapping you up in the infirmary?"

"Lots of stuff. Fighting goa"ulds, sploring planets, meeting an Unas and once we" "

"No, I mean right before."

"Oh. No."

"Okay, well . . ." Jack trailed off. Without the television"s background noise the room seemed unnaturally quiet. Daniel waited patiently while Jack tried again to marshal his thoughts. "We went to visit a planet - SG-1, you, me, Carter and Teal"c. It was Jonas"s planet -"

"I don"t really like him."

"Yeah, I know," Jack acknowledged, but pressed on fearful of losing his momentum now that he had started. "Jonas"s nation Kelowna wasn"t quite as advanced as Earth is, but it was close, and they found something we didn"t have - naquadria."

"I thought it"s naquada."

"It is," Jack answered patiently. "This was different stuff. Sort of the same material, but more powerful. Carter could explain it."

"Okay, never mind."

"Well, they were working on an experiment with the naquadria. You wanted to see the experiment with Jonas, but Carter, Teal"c - "

"How come Sam didn"t want to see the naquadria esperiment?"

Jack stopped. So much for momentum.

"Ex-periment, and I"m not really sure," he finally answered.

"Okay, keep going."

But Jack was still trying to recall how it went down. Everything that happened after the government aide grabbed his arm and shouted, "You must come; your friend is hurt" was permanently etched in his mind. And those memories obliterated the memory of anything that came before. Jack had no idea what he, Carter and Teal"c had been doing.

"Jack?" Daniel prompted when Jack was silent too long.

"Sorry. So, you stayed with Jonas to watch - "

"Wait! Was it a little room with a glass window? And we were watching the esperiment on the other side of the window."

"Yes." The room grew suddenly warm; the air close. Jack"s gut tightened, forcing air from his lungs. Helplessly, he watched the memory dawn in Daniel"s eyes.

"Something bad was happening to the esperiment. I think I tried to stop it."

"You did stop it."

"Everybody in the room fell down. A man ran away. I broke the window and jumped in and stopped the esperiment."

"Yes, you did." Now there was no air in the room, none at all. Jack couldn"t breathe. Suffocation by memory. Daniel"s mouth hung open. Jack wasn"t sure he was breathing either. Small fists gripped Jack"s shirt. Then Daniel"s breath hitched and his next words came out in a whisper.

"It was a bad esperiment."

"Yes - something went wrong."

"A man ran away and left me there with Jonas. Jonas didn"t do anything. Is that why I don"t like him?"

"I don"t know Daniel - maybe." It sure as hell was the reason Jack hadn"t liked him. Even now, though Jonas had worked to redeem himself at every opportunity and Jack viewed him differently, he still nursed a small, dark spot of anger in his soul.

"Why didn"t he do anything?"

At least that one was simple. That one, Jack knew the answer too.

"He was scared."

Daniel lifted his head from Jack"s chest.

"I was scared too," he whispered.

Jack felt the tremors of Daniel"s small body vibrate against his own. Little white-knuckled fists scrabbled for a tighter hold. Blue eyes, impossibly large and round, wet with tears, stared at Jack until Jack had to close his own eyes against their confusion. How the hell was a five year old supposed to absorb this nightmare? Jack wrapped his arms around Daniel and held tight, willing him to relax. He didn"t.

"Something bad was happening," Daniel whispered. "I had to stop it."

"It was a bomb, Daniel."

"A bomb?"

"Yes."

"A big one?"

"Very big. Like a nuclear bomb. And you stopped it. You saved their planet. But it made you very sick - too sick to get well. Janet tried. Sam tried. Jacob tried. You were just too sick."

"I was going to die?"

"Yes."

"That"s when I was a mummy and then a star?"

Jack smiled just a bit. He was fairly sure Daniel understood now that he hadn"t really been a star - or a mummy - but it was easier for him to talk about it that way.

"Yes. Oma came. Do you remember her?"

"The Mother Star?"

"Yes. And she told you that you didn"t really have to die. She said you could ascend - be a star - and that you could learn all kinds of things about the universe. I think you wanted that. You said you could help more if you knew those things. So you went with her."

"When was that?"

"About a year ago."

"Why did I come back?"

"I don"t know."

Daniel was silent.

"Maybe if I think some more I can remember."

"Maybe. But enough remembering for tonight. Go to sleep."

*****

Sam Carter strode down the hall to the commissary, certain her quest would end just beyond its doors. The door swung open as she approached and mealtime din spilled into the hall. The rattle of dinner trays and the clanking of silverware punctuated the murmur of multiple conversations. Sam acknowledged the lieutenant who was leaving, and stepped into the dull roar of SGC personnel at dinner. She scanned the room intently, but after two careful searches she threw up her hands in frustration. The place was packed with people and none of them were Colonel O"Neill or Daniel.

She turned and walked back the way she had come. They weren"t in the commissary. She had checked the Colonel"s office, Daniel"s room, the gym, and just to be on the safe side, the infirmary. Nothing. She wanted a little time with Daniel, but he and the Colonel eluded her at every turn. If she didn"t know better she would suspect the Colonel of avoiding her intentionally. Although, given the serious dent someone had put in her ice cream hoard, maybe they were hiding.

Sighing, she swiped her access card through the elevator scanner and decided to try the guest level one more time. Daniel"s room was still empty. No one was around. The corridor lights were dim and the level appeared to be deserted. Puzzled, Sam stood outside Daniel"s door contemplating her next move. Soft footsteps alerted her to someone"s approach. Moments later a civilian aide rounded the corner.

"Have you seen Colonel O"Neill around lately?"

"Check the lounge, ma"am. I saw a light on."

Sam nodded her thanks and headed in the direction from which the aide had come.

The guest lounge was nearly dark. A floor lamp on the far side of the room cast dubious light on the sofa and a collection of file folders that undoubtedly belonged to the sofa"s occupant. Sam winced. The Colonel had to be uncomfortable on the sagging piece of furniture, but he seemed oblivious to its shortcomings. The little boy asleep on his chest more than held his attention. One hand gently swept up and down Daniel"s back. Daniel"s head nestled just below the Colonel"s chin and he breathed in tandem with the Colonel. As Sam watched, Daniel"s thumb drifted toward his mouth. Gently, Colonel O"Neill pulled it away and tucked his own hand over the smaller one for safe-keeping.

Quietly, Sam cleared her throat though she suspected the Colonel already knew she was there. He turned his head at the sound and she saw him squint against the hall light silhouetting her in the doorway. She stepped fully into the room where he could see her.

"It"s Carter, sir."

"Hey, Carter. What"s up?"

"Thought I"d see if I could interest Daniel in a game of chess, but it looks like he"s done for the night."

"Yeah, he seems to require more sleep than the adult version." Colonel O"Neill"s hand moved from Daniel"s back to his hair, gently carding through it. "He remembered Kelowna."

Sam"s heart dropped into her stomach. The only response she could manage was a whispered, "Sir?"

"Bits and pieces. He needed some help putting it all together."

"And?"

"And now he"s asleep. If he wakes up screaming we"ll know he"s not taking it well."

Right. Translation: it was intense; I don"t want to talk about it anymore, and I hope he doesn"t either.

"I"d be happy to put him to bed for you sir. It looks like you"re not getting much work done."

"Thanks, Carter. I really gotta get through these reports."

"No problem, sir."

Gently, she lifted Daniel off the couch and settled him in her arms.

"Make sure he"s really asleep before you leave him."

"Yes, sir."

"And don"t forget to post security at the door."

"Yes, sir."

"And be sure whoever it is knows""

"To notify you immediately if anything goes wrong. Yes, sir."

"Thanks, Carter."

"You"re welcome, sir."

Stopping in the doorway, she turned back. The Colonel"s arm had dropped over his eyes and he didn"t look like he was in any hurry to resume reading through the stack of papers on the floor.

"By the way sir, I found my carton of chocolate peanut butter ice cream half eaten and with the spoon still in it. I don"t suppose""

"No idea what you"re talking about, Carter."

"Right, sir." Daniel"s breath smelled faintly of chocolate and peanut butter because he found her stash and ate half a carton of ice cream all by himself. "Good night, sir."

"Night, Carter."

It would have been easier to carry an octopus, Sam thought. At least the mollusk"s suctions cups would glom onto her. Daniel, on the other hand, had half as many arms and legs and they hung from his body like wet laundry as Sam carried him down the hall. When she laid him in his bed, his limbs flopped haphazardly on the mattress. He never showed any sign of waking, not even when she tugged off his jeans and tucked him under the sheet. He stuck his thumb in his mouth, and rolled onto his stomach mumbling something about bunnies.

Maybe she should have gone with the flop-eared bunny after all. Sam leaned down to pick up a plastic shopping bag she had stashed under the bed earlier in the afternoon. Reaching inside she pulled out a soft, squishy stuffed turtle. While running some errands over lunch she passed a toy store and was overcome by the urge to buy a stuffed animal for Daniel. She rejected a bear, a bunny, an elephant and a kangaroo before deciding on the turtle. There hadn"t been a camel and she couldn"t find anything that could pass for an Abydonian mastadge, so the cuddly, friendly-looking turtle won out.

Driving back to the mountain with the turtle on the seat beside her, Sam was beset by doubt. She didn"t want to insult Daniel - none of them did. And the little boy was Daniel. Yet, he was so undeniably five years old. Look at him now, hunched under the covers, apparently dreaming of bunnies and sucking his thumb. He wasn"t the least bit shy about climbing into the Colonel"s lap to cuddle during briefings. He giggled at silly jokes. He sat on the ground and pouted when he didn"t get his way. And though she would bet he still knew the vocabulary for twenty-three plus languages, he seemed to have a distinctly un-Daniel-like difficulty getting his mouth to cooperate with his brain. Well, actually it wasn"t that unusual for Daniel"s brain and his mouth to operate in different gears, but the trouble he was having now was definitely related to being five. But none of those things meant Daniel would appreciate being given a children"s toy to play with, as though he was being relegated to the nursery while the adults did the real work.

By the time Sam reached the mountain, she had decided to stuff the turtle in her locker until she could return it. Unfortunately, Teal"c had seen her with the toy store bag and with uncharacteristic nosiness, asked about it. Sheepishly, Sam opened the bag to let him peek inside and then confided her doubts.

"I do not believe Daniel Jackson will find your gift offensive, Major Carter." Then Teal"c confided something of his own. The night before, after the Colonel had finally left Daniel"s room and gone to bed, Teal"c stopped by Daniel"s room to check on him. Though sound asleep and perfectly safe, Daniel appeared to Teal"c small and lonely. His arms were wrapped around a small mountain of extra bed covers. "I believe a toy of this sort will provide welcome comfort."

So Sam stashed the bag in Daniel"s room instead of her locker.

"Well, here you go, kiddo," she said. She propped the turtle against Daniel"s pillow. To her delight, he chose that moment to roll over again. One arm flopped over the toy. As though sensing its presence even in sleep, Daniel curled his arm around the turtle and pulled it to his chest with a contented sigh. Acting before she could think too much about it, Sam bent to kiss Daniel good-night. Then she turned out the light and left him to his bunny dreams.

*****

"Good morning, sir,"

"Morning, Wilkes. He awake yet?" Jack gestured toward the door Sergeant Wilkes guarded.

"I think so, sir. I"ve heard - squeaking."

"Squeaking?"

"Yes, sir, for several minutes now."

Jack opened the door, peered in and glanced around the room. Nothing seemed amiss. Then he spotted Daniel, awake and upright. Wearing yesterday"s t-shirt and underpants, he bounced gently in the middle of the bed. As Jack watched, Daniel launched himself into the air, hung suspended for a brief moment, then landed feet first on the mattress and launched again. The springs on the bed squeaked. Oblivious to Jack"s presence, Daniel jumped and landed, jumped and landed. Every time he hit the mattress a small green ball of fur popped up into the air and then fell again, bouncing in counterpoint to Daniel. Daniel"s arms swung round and round propelling him higher with each leap into the air. He giggled to himself when he landed off balance and fell on his knees, but popped right back up and started again.

"Daniel?"

Daniel twitched in mid-air, twisted his head around and then landed in a heap when his body didn"t follow. Again, he popped back to his feet and resumed jumping.

"Hi, Jack."

"Daniel, what are you doing?"

"Jumping on the bed."

"Why?"

"It"s fun."

"It"s not a trampoline."

"Do we have one of those?"

"Stop jumping and I"ll tell you."

"What if I don"t? You gonna swat my little butt?"

He kept jumping, his chin jutting out defiantly. Okay, what happened to cute five year old Daniel? Cause this was definitely snarky, thirty-eight year old Daniel putting in an appearance. In which case "

"Don"t tempt me," Jack warned. "Come on; we gotta stop at the infirmary."

"What for? They"re just gonna poke me and listen to my heart and say I"m the same as yesterday." Despite the protest Daniel plopped on his rear end, gathered up the green ball of fur and then clamored off the bed and began looking for the rest of his clothes.

"Yes, but they should have the DNA results back today and Fraiser"s gonna do the poking."

Daniel"s head popped up from his search under the bed.

"Janet?"

"The one and only. Nervous?"

"Do you think she"ll be mad?"

"At you? Nah, you"re too cute. She"ll probably blame it all on me."

Daniel was struggling to pull on his pants while still grasping the green thing. Jack finally recognized it as a turtle. Jack took the toy and set it on the bed. Bending down he sorted Daniel"s legs into the right holes of the pants and pulled them up. Daniel yanked off his rumpled t-shirt while Jack pulled a clean one from the small stack in the dresser drawer. He decided against mentioning that Daniel probably should have put on clean underwear too. There was always tomorrow. Clean shirt pulled over his head, Daniel reached for the turtle.

"So who"s this?" Jack asked.

"It"s a turtle."

"Yes, it is."

"I had him when I woke up. I think Sam got him for me. You know, in case I woke up at night and was lonely or something."

"And did you wake up at night?"

"Once."

Jack frowned at this admission. He didn"t like the idea of Daniel waking up alone in the middle of the night. Apparently, neither did Carter.

"Were you scared?"

"No. It was kind of dark and lonely feeling though, so I was glad Sam gave me the turtle."

Jack sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Daniel, you do know that if you wake up, and you need something or you"re scared or lonely, you can just open the door and tell the guard. He"ll call me right away. You know that right?"

"Sure, but I have the turtle."

Right. Replaced by a turtle.

*****

"He"s five?"

You ain"t seen nothin" yet. That became Janet Fraiser"s code to live by the day she set foot in the SGC, and SG-4 had come barreling through the gate covered in a blue-green fungus that grew like strands of hair. For a full ten seconds she stood rooted to the floor, staring mutely at the four men growing weeds from their bodies, and wondered what in the hell she had gotten herself into. From that day on, Janet Fraiser let nothing throw her. She anticipated that whatever came next might well be even more incredible, and unhesitatingly responded to whatever the gate threw at her with calm, clear-minded efficiency. Only in the quiet, dark hours of the night did she sometimes shake her head at the absurdities she routinely dealt with.

But this morning her mind refused to comprehend what Dr. Warner was telling her. She held the file in her hands. Pictures of an adorable little boy looked back at her. Charts filled with graphs and numbers explained everything. The results of a DNA comparison confirmed what Warner was saying. Warner had recounted the story twice. Still, Janet"s brain rejected the information.

"He"s five?" she repeated.

"Approximately," Warner answered.

"And he doesn"t know how" "

"He apparently has no idea."

"But he knows who he is?"

"Yes."

"Does he remember what happened before he ascended?"

"That"s not really clear. He seems to have memory recall - but he"s been processing those memories the way a child does. So it"s hard to tell what he"s actually remembering. For example, he refers to his time of ascension as being a star - and for a while seemed to believe he actually had been a star."

"And we"re sure""

"Look at the file, Janet. It"s all right there."

"I"m looking. I"m just not believing."

Outside the office, a meal cart rattled by. A call bell chimed at the nurses" station. The infirmary was waking up. Janet heard the entry doors swing open as someone pushed through.

"Anybody home?" Colonel O"Neill"s familiar voice boomed in the relatively quiet medical bay.

"They say seeing is believing," Warner told her. "Here"s your chance."

Janet followed Warner out of her office just in time to see Colonel O"Neill swing a small boy down from his perch on the Colonel"s shoulders. The boy"s bare feet hit the tile floor with a gentle slap. He wasn"t much more than three and a half feet tall and the clothes he wore were just slightly too large. Unexpectedly, he toted a stuffed turtle under one arm. The other arm hooked over the Colonel"s neck as the Colonel leaned down to hear what the child was whispering in his ear.

Calm and efficient, Janet reminded herself, and briskly approached the pair. The Colonel looked up.

"Hey, Doc. Welcome back. Brought you a present."

"Hi, Janet. It"s me."

The child turned his face to her. For the first time since the blue-green fungus, Janet Fraiser stood dumbfounded. Ten fingers, ten toes. Moppet hair, bright smile. He could have been any child. He could have been someone the colonel borrowed from the local kindergarten. Except for the eyes. Intense and intelligent even in a five year old face, those blue eyes were as familiar as her own.

"Hello, Daniel. Welcome home."

Daniel put up with Janet"s examination, but punctuated it with tortured sighs. He met her requests - sit up straight, lie on your back, breathe deeply - with grudging obedience. She knew she was being more thorough than necessary. Warner had given Daniel excellent care, as always. He had performed all the required tests, and, Janet noted with satisfaction, a few that weren"t strictly necessary, but were certainly reassuring. There was no need for all the re-evaluation she was doing, but she couldn"t help herself. She simply couldn"t quite accept what she was seeing. However, when she attempted to put the blood pressure cuff on Daniel a second time, he pushed her hands away.

"No."

"Daniel." The warning in Colonel O"Neill"s voice was gentle, but firm. Until now, he had observed silently, keeper of the turtle, standing out of the way while Janet examined Daniel.

"She already did that."

"And now she"s doing it again."

"No." Daniel crossed his arms over his chest and glared. "Why don"t you just look if my DNA"s right?"

Surprised, Janet glanced from Daniel to the Colonel.

"You haven"t been given those results?"

Colonel O"Neill shook his head. Janet flipped open the Daniel"s file and glanced at the DNA report. It was time stamped just ninety minutes earlier - right before she herself had arrived. She should have noticed that. No wonder the Colonel was so quiet and Daniel anxious. They probably thought her overly thorough exam was prompted by some abnormality in the test results.

"I"m sorry, sir. I assumed you had already been told."

"It"s my DNA," Daniel pouted when she addressed the Colonel instead of him.

"Yes, it is," Janet mollified him. "A perfect match as a matter of fact. You"re definitely you."

"Told you."

"Hey, don"t look at me - I believed you," Jack insisted.

"So now you can figure out how to get me big again."

"I told you - that"s Carter"s area, or Doc here."

"Janet?"

"Well, I"m certainly going to try, Daniel. I"m not sure where to start. There are a few other tests that might be helpful."

"Oh, I can"t have any more tests," Daniel announced. "I have a ppointment with General Hammond."

The response came just a little too quickly and a bit too casually. Janet glanced over at the Colonel. He rolled his eyes and shook his head. Janet suppressed the smile she felt - apparently Daniel was Daniel no matter what his age. She turned back to him.

"Daniel, are you trying to manipulate me?"

"I can"t even say mamip - manimu - I can"t even say that word."

Janet wanted take her cue from the Colonel and roll her eyes at the earnestness in Daniel"s voice. Yes, Daniel, that"s right. Feign innocence.

"Do you know what it means?"

"Sure, being sneaky to get you to do what I want."

"Uh-huh. And do you manipulate me often?"

Daniel opened his mouth to reply, then closed it abruptly. His eyes narrowed. Finally he asked, "Is that a trick question?"

Behind her, the Colonel laughed.

"Think that answers your question, Doc."

Janet had to agree.

"Yes, I think it does."

*****

Kelowna didn"t have apples. Fruit, sure. Jonas supposed most inhabited planets had some kind of fruit. But nothing on his home planet came close to the tart, crunchy apples he discovered when he came to Earth. He couldn"t get enough of them. He even liked these green Granny Smith ones. Sam had tried to tell him they were used generally for baking, that most people didn"t just eat green apples raw, but he liked them. Swiping one from the produce cart in the commissary, he headed down to his office.

And thinking of Sam, she was waiting when Jonas arrived. She seemed impatient and a little keyed up - as though she was running on caffeine. Jonas wondered whether she had gotten any sleep. He knew his teammates were anxious about Dr. Jackson. He suspected none of them had gotten much rest since returning through the Stargate with the miniature version of their friend. Jonas had spent a few sleepless hours of his own, tossing and turning during the past two nights.

Sam pointed to a file on his desk and asked him to read it through. Jonas tossed his apple core in the trash can and opened the file. It contained pages of excerpts from several different mission reports. Bright yellow ink highlighted passages on each page and Sam"s scrawling notes filled the margins. Most of the highlighted passages referred to various ascended beings with whom the SGC had had contact in the past, but a few mentioned seemingly unrelated incidents with the goa"ulds Apophis and Pelops. Jonas read through the material twice while Sam hovered expectantly.

"Well?" she asked when he flipped back to the beginning.

"What exactly are you getting at?"

"I was trying to come up with something to help Daniel. We don"t know a lot about ascended beings. Oma, Shifu, and Orlin - that"s about it. But then I remembered. Shifu."

Jonas nodded. Sam had highlighted several lines about Shifu in the report he just read. "He had aged several years when he showed up on Abydos."

"Right."

"But that had nothing to do with being ascended. Apophis did that."

"Right! With nanites. The same technology that aged Colonel O"Neill."

"You"re suggesting we use nanites to age Dr. Jackson?"

"We should at least consider it. Obviously, we"d have to get some help with the nanite technology, but " "

"I don"t know, Sam."

"Jonas, we have to try something. We can"t leave him this way."

"No, of course not. But there have to be other options. I just think we need to consider all the possibilities.

Colonel O"Neill chose that moment to walk through the door with Dr. Jackson on his heels. Jonas winced at his own thoughts. He hadn"t known Dr. Jackson well enough before to think of him as Daniel, but it seemed strange now to think of a child as Dr. Jackson.

"Consider all what possibilities?" the Colonel asked. As he spoke, he casually lifted Dr. Jackson - Daniel - off the floor and set him down on a lab stool as though he did it all the time. Jonas marveled at the patience and affection Colonel O"Neill showed his friend. The Colonel seemed not the least bit disconcerted by the constant presence of a child at his side. Even now, as he listened to Sam restating her ideas, the Colonel"s left hand hovered near Daniel"s waist to keep the boy from spinning right off the stool. Daniel was turning round and round on the revolving seat, exploring the office. He stopped momentarily, showing some interest in the fish tank, and then finished his circuit and sat dangling his legs while the others talked.

A few moments later Jonas felt someone watching him and glanced over to find Daniel"s eyes on him. The boy stared benignly for a moment, then, as though coming to some decision, his small face hardened into a glare. Even when he realized Jonas was looking at him, his expression never changed. Jonas turned his attention back to the conversation. Still, the little eyes bore into him from across the table. He knew why, of course. It didn"t take a genius to figure out the boy"s dislike of him, even if Daniel himself didn"t yet realize what was causing it. Somewhere in his subconscious, he would know that Jonas was responsible for the horrible death he experienced before his ascension. A year spent trying to prove himself at the SGC did nothing to alleviate the guilt Jonas felt under the weight of that little, angry stare. It seemed Daniel might glower at him indefinitely, but apparently Colonel O"Neill had also noticed. He placed his hand on Daniel"s shoulder and squeezed gently, effectively turning Daniel"s attention away from Jonas.

"I don"t want robots," Daniel said abruptly.

"What?" Sam asked.

"Those little robots you want to put in me, I don"t want that," Daniel insisted, proving he had been listening despite aiming threatening stares in Jonas"s direction.

Sam looked perplexed, though Jonas wasn"t sure why.

"He means the nanites, Carter," O"Neill supplied.

Sam"s face fell. "Oh. Why not, Daniel?"

"I don"t want any little robots in me like the time we ate all that food and sang the same song."

It was Jonas"s turn to be confused. Again, O"Neill supplied the translation.

"Urgo."

"But, Daniel, that was a completely different technology."

"No! I don"t want them and you can"t make me, and if I was big you wouldn"t put them in me if I didn"t say so."

Jonas was certain Colonel O"Neill was thinking, if you were big we wouldn"t need to," but to the Colonel"s credit, he simply said, "You heard Daniel, Carter. No nanites. We"ll have to find another way."

"Yes, sir." Sam"s face clearly showed her disappointment as she gathered up her file.

"Oh quit mopin", Carter. You"ll think of something else. Besides, Daniel"s got something to say to you."

The glower was gone from Daniel"s face now; he was smiling brightly.

"I like the turtle, Sam. Thanks for giving it to me. It"s in my room now. I think I only need it at night - and maybe at the affirmary."

Sam smiled. "You"re welcome, Daniel. I"m glad you like it."

*****

Jack slowed his pace and reminded himself - again - not to walk so fast that Daniel had to run. He held out his hand and Daniel took hold.

"So," he said as they stepped into the elevator. "What"s with the laser eyes of death?"

"Huh?"

"You were staring pretty hard at Jonas."

"Well he didn"t do anything."

Jack groaned inwardly. He knew the answer, why had he asked the question? Daniel was having a hard time coming to grips with Jonas"s role in what happened to him. Jack didn"t blame him - five years old or thirty-eight, it didn"t matter; what happened on Kelowna would be difficult for anyone to put in perspective. But if Jack heard the words he didn"t do anything" one more time he might just "

"I"m mad at him because he didn"t do anything."

That was it. Jack threw up his hands.

"Daniel! He couldn"t. Okay? He just couldn"t!" Daniel stared up at him, eyes wide. Thankful they were alone in the elevator, Jack crouched down, eye to eye with Daniel. "Some people can"t. It"s not their fault. It doesn"t make them bad people. They just - can"t . . . do things like jump through windows and save the world." He had served too long in the military, seen too many battles, not to have seen the ones who had no business being there. The ones who came through training just the same as everybody else, but froze when confronted with the moment of truth. And it had taken him a long time to realize what he"d just told Daniel. It wasn"t their fault - they just weren"t wired that way.

But Daniel wasn"t getting that. He stood unmoving, tears hanging on his eyelashes, just waiting for him to blink and send them slipping down his cheeks. He sucked in a deep breath.

"You like him better than me."

The elevator door opened.

Damn. Shit. Hell. The cluster of people waiting seemed uncertain what to do. Jack scooped Daniel up and stepped off the elevator, brushing past the bystanders. At least this was the level he wanted. What he needed now was someplace private. Striding down the hall he walked into the office occupied by Hammond"s aide-de-camp.

"I need your office, Captain."

The aide jumped up from his desk immediately.

"Yes, sir."

He closed the door behind him as he left. Jack seated Daniel on the desk top, then pulled up a chair to sit in front of him.

"That is so not true," he said, picking up the conversation right where they left it. Daniel didn"t seem convinced. The tears were on his cheeks now and he was biting his lower lip. "I do not like Jonas more than you. Ask anybody. Ask Jonas." Nothing. Daniel just kept tugging at his lip with his teeth. "I"m sorry I shouted. I know this is hard and I know you"re mad at Jonas. You have a right to be."

"I got all " all . . . it hurt and I died. I"m mad at him. He could have helped. He could have."

Jack blew out a deep breath. The psychological profile stuff was useless to a five year old. Daniel got hurt, Jonas didn"t help him. He was mad about that and he was just gonna be mad until he wasn"t mad anymore.

"You"re right, Daniel. He could have helped. And he didn"t. That sucks, and you don"t have to like it. Or him. I didn"t like him for a really long time."

That approach seemed to work a little better. The teeth let go of the lip. The feet started swinging gently, knocking lightly on the desk.

"How come you like him now?"

"I"ve had a lot more time to practice than you have."

"You don"t have to practice liking somebody."

"Oh - and you"ve never had to practice liking me?" Jack challenged. Daniel considered that for a few seconds and Jack wondered what memories of their friendship he was reviewing. Finally Daniel conceded the point with a little nod.

"Okay, maybe."

"Okay. Well, it wasn"t just that anyway. Jonas learned something from you. When you jumped through that window and saved his planet, he learned about how to help people even if it hurts. And then he turned around and he did the same thing for us. A couple of times. That"s how I knew he regretted what happened and would undo it if he could."

This didn"t seem to be the appropriate time to remind Daniel that regardless of what Jonas did or didn"t do, nobody had pushed Daniel through that window. With or without Jonas, Daniel would likely have jumped through the window and gotten himself killed " which was why Jack had been almost as mad at Daniel for a while. But they could deal with that later, when Daniel was older and better equipped to handle the emotions likely to be flying around during that conversation.

Meanwhile, Daniel was silently looking at the floor, trying to sort out Jack"s words. Jack waited him out.

"Okay," Daniel finally said. Then he looked up, his face set determinedly. "But I still don"t like it."

"You don"t have to. You don"t have to like crappy stuff that happens to you. You can"t undo it. But you don"t have to like it."

Jack lifted Daniel off the desk and into his lap. They sat comfortably silence for a few minutes. Daniel fiddled with the buttons on Jack"s shirt as he snuggled against Jack"s chest.

"And you like me better?"

"Way better."

"You"re not just saying that cause I"m little and you think I"m cute this way?"

"Who said you were cute?"

Finally, a full-fledged smile.

"Jack?"

"Yeah?

"Can we go somewhere?"

"What do you mean?"

"I"m tired of here. Can"t we go outside or to a restaurant or something?"

"Tell you what. Fraiser should have given Hammond her report by now. So he knows you"re really you. I"ve got a meeting with him, and I"ll ask him if we can go off base tonight. You can sleep at my place. How does that sound?"

"Good, cept tonight is a long way off."

"Yeah. Sorry about that. But I"ve got stuff to do. Including this meeting with Hammond. What do you say we give Captain Walker his office back and go find Teal"c? He found you a trampoline."

The sun slipped behind the mountains and twilight enveloped the yard. A breeze wafted through the trees and rippled the grass. The neighborhood kids had been called in to their baths. Only the sound of crickets kept Jack company as he swung in the hammock. Daniel was in bed following an extensive exploration of the neighborhood park and a supper of burgers and dogs on the deck. It was just the crickets, Jack and a cold long-neck. Peace. Time to breathe. Twilight descended into full dark and stars began to dot the night sky. Jack watched lazily, picking out familiar constellations as they appeared and letting the hammock"s sway lull him into a doze.

The dull scrape of a sliding glass door broke into the silence. Daniel stood on the deck, peering through the rails.

"Jack?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I come out there?"

"Sure."

Daniel padded across the deck and then trotted over the cool grass to the hammock. He pulled himself in and squirmed about until he nestled comfortably next to Jack.

"So what"s up? I thought you were asleep."

"I had a dream. Kind of scary. I think it was real."

"Yeah? Wanna tell me about it?"

"It was when I was scended-"

"Ascended."

"Astend " ascnen " Jack, I can"t say that word."

"Okay. Never mind. It was from when you were a star."

"Right. And Oma said it was gainst the rules to fight nubis."

"Havin" a hard time with those a" words, aren"t ya?"

"Yeah. Cept affirmary."

"You know that"s not an a" word, right? It"s an i" word."

"How come I know all these words but I can"t say them?"

"Because your vocabulary is thirty-eight, but your mouth is five. Don"t worry about it."

"It makes me feel stupid."

"You aren"t stupid. Finish telling me about your dream."

"Oh, right. It"s not a dream though. Well it was tonight, but I"m pretty sure it"s what really happened. I went on nubis"s ship and I fought him. I think I won. Do you know if I won?"

"We figured you did. Things were pretty tense on Abydos, but after a while all the Jaffa turned tail and ran. Then the mothership took off and that seemed to be the end of things. Nobody"s heard a peep out of Anubis since."

"Okay, that"s good. But I don"t think the Others were happy that I fought him. Even Oma. I remember all this lightning and stuff " I think that"s how stars argue. Do you think that"s where thunderstorms come from? From scended people arguing?"

"Maybe."

"Anyway there was lightning and glowy, spirally things swirling round. They said it didn"t matter that I wanted to help my friends, I still wasn"t s"posed to. I didn"t like that. So I decided to come home."

"Wait - you decided? You came back because you wanted to?" That was new, or at least unexpected.

"I"m pretty sure. Why?"

"Well, you said a couple of times that if you tried to help, the Others would stop you. I guess I thought they sent you back."

"I think they would have done a better job. I probably wouldn"t be small."

"You made yourself small?"

"Well," Daniel drew the word out uncertainly. "I"m not sure xactly."

When he didn"t continue, Jack nudged him with his elbow. He squirmed, but the nudge got him talking again.

"I think I was mad at the Others and wanted to just get out of there. But I think I was tired from fighting nubis. So maybe I didn"t get enough energy all together to make a big me."

"Just enough to make a five year old you."

"Yeah. Maybe I should have taken a nap first."

Jack couldn"t help the chuckle that escaped him.

"You"re laughing."

"Just about the nap part. Do stars take naps?"

"I don"t know."

Daniel shivered and pulled his knees up to his chest under the over-size t-shirt he was wearing. Jack pulled him closer and covered Daniel"s cold hands with his own. Jack pointed out constellations and Daniel named them. They talked quietly, picking out random stars and making up stories about the aliens they might find on planets there. Daniel"s voice trailed off in the middle of describing a turtle inhabited planet. Jack never found out how the turtles gained control over the annoying, little red frogs that kept infesting turtle lands with lily pad palaces. The breeze had gotten colder. The beer bottle was empty. Daniel was sound asleep. Jack maneuvered himself out of the hammock and carried Daniel up to bed.

*****

"General, Daniel thinks his coming back younger was an accident. And he thinks the only way to fix it is to ascend and descend again with the right amount of energy " or whatever."

George Hammond barely had his morning coffee in hand when Jack O"Neill appeared in the doorway of his office. The man must have arrived at the mountain uncharacteristically early in the morning. Captain Wilson had tried to stall O"Neill, but as usual, had little luck. The Colonel was not a man to be put off by a mere aide-de-camp when he wanted the General"s ear. Fortunately for Hammond, the high-spirited officer generally didn"t come calling without a damn good reason. He waved Jack in and Wilson out with one nod of his head.

Although George was sitting and had offered Jack a seat, the Colonel had chosen to remain standing - the better to pace when necessary. But at the moment Jack was still, and George recognized two things in his slightly tense posture. Jack believed what Daniel had told him, and he wasn"t happy about it. Understandable. The potential for Dr. Jackson to be lost to them - again - was great. It was not a possibility George was eager to confront, and he knew it was all together unacceptable to his senior officer. Dr. Jackson"s situation presented so many unknowns.

"I thought a person had to die in order to ascend."

"Daniel says no, not necessarily, and Carter agrees. Shifu seemed able to go back and forth between a real body and a glowy one."

"Does Dr. Jackson know how to do that?"

"Meditation."

"Meditation? Colonel, at the moment Dr. Jackson is a rather exuberant five year old. Meditation doesn"t seem like a reasonable expectation."

Jack grinned. Possibly he was also imagining the excited child jumping energetically on the mini-trampoline Teal"c had located.

"Yes, sir. But Teal"c said he would help and Daniel wants this, sir. He wants to be an adult. And frankly we haven"t got anything better to offer at the moment."

The unknowns. They had no idea if this was permanent, or what might happen if they attempted to use nanite technology. Like Dr. Jackson"s team, Hammond felt the need to try something. It wasn"t as though he could stop the boy from trying anyway. He nodded his blessing to the attempt.

"Thank you, sir."

*****

It didn"t work.

Teal"c lit enough candles to celebrate his own birthday. Then, for the better part of two days, Daniel sat with Teal"c and tried to meditate himself into ascension. Teal"c sat cross-legged on the floor; Daniel sat in his lap mimicking the cross-legged posture. Teal"c taught him to close his eyes, clear his mind and breathe deeply. Over and over they tried while Jack remained unobtrusively in the corner of the room. Teal"c was the model of patience. He held the little boy"s hands in his own outstretched palms, and murmured quiet mantras. Again and again, Daniel fell into the deep breathing he was aiming for, then without warning, his concentration would snap. The alert klaxons would blare through the mountain and jar him from his sense of calm. Or his stomach would rumble loudly in the peaceful room and he would start to giggle. Each time, Teal"c began again. But mid-afternoon on the second day, the klaxons sounded again. Daniel kicked out his feet and screamed in frustration. Teal"c"s eyes opened slowly and he exchanged a weary glance with Jack. It wasn"t working.

"Perhaps Daniel Jackson requires the solitude of a less " busy " place."

"What are you suggesting?"

"Perhaps if we return to Vis Uban, he will be able to calm his mind to the required degree."

"You think there"s something about Vis Uban that will help him?"

"I thought only of the slower, more natural pace of life one finds on less advanced planets. Abydos might also be suitable."

"No, not Abydos," Daniel quietly interjected . "Let"s go to Shamda"s planet."

With Hammond"s prompt approval, SG-1 returned to Vis Uban the next morning. They stepped through the gate into sunshine. Daniel immediately ran ahead of the others and would have continued if Jack had not threatened use of a leash. Daniel insisted there was nothing to fear, that he knew his way, that he was in a hurry. Jack insisted Daniel stay with the team. Reluctantly, Daniel obeyed.

He chattered on much as he had on their previous visit. The others listened indulgently, wondering just how much they would miss this version of Daniel if he was successful in resuming adult form. As they neared the village, Daniel began to shout hellos. At Jack"s permissive nod, he ran ahead to the stone stairway. Villagers appeared as Daniel continued to call out in greeting. When they recognized their visitor they greeted him joyfully, welcoming him like a long lost prince returning to his kingdom. They picked him up and passed him around for hugs and kisses. Daniel laughed and hugged them back.

Shamda appeared. The crowd parted and he passed between the people, coming to the center of the gathering where Daniel perched on the shoulders of a young villager. Shamda greeted Daniel with twinkling eyes and asked if little Arrum had returned for want of a story. The villagers groaned and shushed their elder with good natured shouts. Shamda bowed to their wishes. Instead of a story, he dipped his head in honored greeting to Daniel"s companions, and invited them to join the villagers for the mid-day meal.

The meal was a celebration. The people of Vis Uban spread the table with a feast of roasted meats, fruits and freshly baked bread. SG-1 joined in the festivities enthusiastically. But as the afternoon wore on, the reason for their presence began to assert itself. Jack caught Teal"c"s eye and gestured toward the village entrance. Teal"c nodded his understanding. He discreetly collected Daniel and the three of them withdrew, leaving Sam and Jonas to enjoy the villagers" hospitality.

Outside the village, noise of the mealtime gathering faded away. The air smelled sweet with spring rain. Clouds drifted across the face of the sun and their shadows floated over the ground. Teal"c led Jack and Daniel toward the ruins until the last sounds of the village were silenced. In a grassy spot, he settled on the ground and beckoned Daniel to him. With a smile for Jack, Daniel seated himself in Teal"c"s lap as he had done so many times already. Teal"c extended his hands, resting them palm up on his knees. Daniel placed his hands, tiny by comparison, palm down on Teal"c"s. In a hushed voice, Teal"c reminded Daniel to close his eyes, then began a whispered mantra. Jack watched as Daniel breathed in reply. Eventually Teal"c"s voice faded out, leaving only the rhythmic tandem breathing of his two friends.

Taking care to make no noise, Jack settled himself against a toppled stone monument and waited. Two small prairie dog creatures poked their heads up from holes in the ground. They checked out their surroundings with quick, darting glances. Satisfied no predators lurked, they popped out of the holes and began scavenging for food. Jack watched, curious to see that they were more like squirrels than prairie dogs despite having their hidey-holes in the ground. One found a nut to his liking not far from Jack"s boot and sat nibbling away, uninhibited by Jack"s presence. A few minutes later another prairie squirrel popped up from underground and squeaked something at the other two. All three of them scampered off, chasing one another through the ruins.

The sun crawled across the sky. Still Teal"c and Daniel meditated. Daniel fidgeted and Jack heard the low hum of Teal"c"s mantra draw him back. Daniel settled. The hum trailed away. Dark clouds moved in, threatening rain. A breeze stirred up leaves fallen on the ground. The deep rumble of distant thunder vibrated through the air. Scattered drops of rain fell. Teal"c and Daniel breathed, undisturbed by nature"s fanfare. Thunder rumbled again. Jack scanned the darkened sky for lightning and thought about Ascended beings arguing.

"O"Neill."

Jack turned at Teal"c"s low call. Daniel shimmered where he sat, a pale luminescent halo emanating from his body. His eyes opened, bright and alive. He met Jack"s gaze. A tiny, contented smile crossed his lips. Then his body dissolved into strands of light swirling like holy streamers. They danced about Teal"c"s head momentarily, then rose through the air until they disappeared into the clouds.

Neither of the two men left behind spoke. As they sat unmoving, the wind picked-up, then calmed. Rain began to fall steadily. Unspeaking, Teal"c unfolded his legs and raised himself to his feet. Jack did as well. Side by side they traveled the path back to the village.

"He will return."

"When he"s ready.

Epilogue

They remained on Vis Uban two more days. The villagers accepted Daniel"s sudden disappearance with equanimity. Jack suspected Shamda of some inspired story-telling. They invited SG-1 to be their guests, but Jack and the others chose to make camp just outside the village. MREs were uninspired compared to the villagers" fare, but the routine of off-world camp life made the waiting almost bearable.

Sort of. They finished supper their third evening on Vis Uban and Jack wandered out to the ruins as he had the previous evenings. His team seemed to take the hint and left him to his solitary waiting. The night before, Shamda had joined him. Oddly, Jack found the village elder"s presence comforting. As the old man shared the tales and folklore of his people, Jack wondered at the "sameness" of people across the universe " needing to learn the same lessons, fight the same battles, celebrate the same accomplishments.

Tonight though, Jack hoped for solitude again. At their last check-in with the SGC, Hammond had okayed another 24 hours, but Jack suspected it would be their last extension. He knew Hammond wouldn"t let them hang out here indefinitely. The thought of leaving unsettled Jack. The smile on Daniel"s small face as he ascended reassured him that everything would end well, but still, no one knew when, or how, or where.

Jack lay atop "his" toppled monument, staring at an unfamiliar sky and thinking of that last night on earth with Daniel curled up beside him in the hammock. What if Daniel had stayed small? The little kid had wormed his way into Jack"s heart, just as the adult had. If necessary, Jack would have given him a home and loved him " but he missed his friend, plain and simple. He wanted Daniel back.

The wind carried a faint whiff of a campfire. Jack sighed. He should probably head back. Carter would have broken out her stash of marshmallows. She and Jonas would be setting theirs ablaze while Teal"c roasted his to a perfect golden brown.

"You know, Daniel, you"d better hurry it up," he said aloud as he got to his feet. "I"ve almost got Shamda talked into telling me what Arrum means."

"Then I"d better make it fast, by all means."

Jack started at the familiar voice. He turned to find it accompanied a familiar face in a familiar 38-year old body sitting on the boulder Jack had just vacated.

"Daniel?"

"Last I checked."

"Are you " you know, back?"

"Not quite."

"Well, so how soon " "

"Just wait a second, Jack."

It was then that Jack noticed the intensity of Daniel"s face. His eyes were closed and his forehead creased in concentration. Jack wondered if he was only imagining that Daniel looked a little blurry around the edges. Must be the fading light. But then in a blink, Daniel snapped into focus. His faced relaxed, his eyes opened and he stood up.

"Sorry it took so long. It was harder than I expected."

"You"re " ?"

"Yeah."

"For good?"

"Until the next time I die,"

"Don"t even go there."

Jack reached out a hand tentatively. It came to rest solidly on Daniel"s shoulder. He squeezed, and still his fingers remained on Daniel"s shoulder, not slipping through it. Jack"s relief felt like a damn bursting. The rush overwhelmed him. He pulled Daniel into a fierce hug. Daniel returned it just as intensely.

"Don"t ever do that again."

"What - die, jump through a window, become a kid?"

"Any of it. All of it. Just don"t. I can"t take it."

Jack refused to let go. Letting go was too risky. He might wake up. Daniel might dissolve out of his embrace.

"Not much fun for me either, Jack," Daniel whispered.

Finally, reluctantly, Jack relaxed his hold and stepped back. He looked Daniel up and down then nodded.

"Nice robes."

Daniel smiled. "Thanks. They were easier than full-fledged SGC gear."

"Blue," Jack noted. "Carter"ll love them."

"Yeah. Speaking of Sam . . ."

"Right. Marshmallows."

"What?"

"Just, come on."

Jack led Daniel back to camp. If Carter"s marshmallow wasn"t ablaze already, it certainly was when she spotted Daniel and dropped her roasting stick in the flames trying to get to him in a single leap. Jack just stood back and smiled big while his teammates welcomed Daniel back. He had to give Carter a little nudge before she would step aside and let Teal"c have a chance. Teal"c held the dignified forearm clasp for about three seconds before abandoning decorum and embracing Daniel. Daniel looked pleased. Jack wasn"t sure exactly what was going to happen when Daniel noticed Jonas, but Jonas very wisely just said, "Welcome back, Dr. Jackson," and Daniel simply nodded. Jack was satisfied. They"d work it out.

Carter, Teal"c and Jonas had been introducing a few of the village children to the joy of roasted marshmallows. When Jack appeared with Daniel, and the others jumped up to welcome him, the children ran back to the village calling out the news. As SG-1 laughed and cried and welcomed home their friend, villagers ran to greet him also. Strangely, they seemed to have no difficulty accepting the adult Daniel as the child they so adored. Again Shamda made his way through the crowd until he stood in front of Daniel. Firelight shadows flickered over Daniel"s face. He said nothing, waiting for the old man to speak first.

"So. Little Arrum, you are not a shooting star."

"No."

"Just a misplaced jewel."

Daniel smiled and stepped back into the circle of his teammates. Carter"s arm slid around his waist. Jack"s arm slid around his shoulder.

"I think I"ve been found."

End

Kidfic so AU, but I also played with Full Circle a bit, so kind of AU for that