"Any luck?"

Frustrated and more than a little bit angry, Jack put the phone down and nodded his thanks to Hammond's aide. Trying to control his annoyance and impatience, he walked across the room and back towards the people waiting for him at the table. "No, sir. Daniel's not answering his phone. With your permission, I'd like to go back to his office and drag his sorry ass back here."

"Go ahead, Colonel. But make it quick. You know the urgency with which we need to deal with this problem."

"Yes, sir. I'm sure Daniel's on his way up here and I'll probably catch him in the hallway." As he hurried out the door, Jack caught a glimpse of amusement from Ferretti while the rest of SG-2 looked annoyed. He felt Carter's eyes on him as he left the room, standing forlornly beside the projection screen, her presentation on hold until he returned.

He strode quickly to the elevator, trying to tamp down his irritation, although it wasn't like Daniel to be this late for a meeting, especially one where he'd spent the past six hours working at finding a solution to help locate and free SG-12 from what they'd dubbed to be the Mushroom Planet.

Keeping a lookout for Daniel, Jack hurried up to his office. He stepped inside and immediately saw that the room was empty. Looking around quickly he found a half-eaten sandwich sitting on the side of the desk along with a nearly full cup of coffee. Jack cupped his palm over the mug and found it to be cool. What was disturbing, though, was that there were a couple of printed sheets of Daniel's notes spread out on his desk, as if Daniel had been reviewing them, while the remainder of them were still in the printer.

Jack picked up Daniel's phone and called the briefing room, trying to ignore the hairs that were prickling along the base of his neck. He asked for Hammond and waited several seconds while the general came on.

"Sir, Daniel's not here. His notes are printed but it looks like he left the office before they finished printing. Something doesn't feel right, sir."

"Have someone search the base for Doctor Jackson. In the meantime, you may as well bring his notes back with you."

"Yes, sir." Jack hung up, picked up the papers and gave the room a last check before dialing security.

"I need a search initiated on base for Doctor Jackson. And get the video footage of his office for the past couple hours. I'll be in Hammond's office."

Jack waited for confirmation of his orders and hurried back to the meeting. Video footage taken of SG-12's capture was playing and Jack tried to ignore it as he resumed his seat. He'd seen it dozens of times and each time was just as disturbing, seeing three members of the team descend the dais while Captain Carlson remained and filmed the four-foot high mushrooms scattered amongst the ruins of an ancient city. Jack sat and looked up just as the living vines exploded from the earth and wrapped themselves around all three men. Within seconds the vines pulled them beneath the soil, with no trace that they had ever been there in the first place except for Captain Carlson's frantic screams as she dropped the video camera and tried to dig them out.

He handed the notes to Carter; he'd looked them over in the elevator and nothing jumped out at him and he hoped another set of eyes might be able to figure out if anything there might be actually useful.

She began skimming the pages and stopped on the third page. "Where's page number three?"

"You've got everything that was in his printer."

"Well, the pages are numbered one through eleven, but page three is missing." She continued reading while everyone waited. After a moment, she put the stack down and shook her head. "There's nothing here that appears to be useful, unless there's something I'm not seeing that Daniel would have expounded on."

"Very well." The chair squeaked as Hammond shifted. "Let's move on. Major Carter, you were about to give us a presentation?"

"Yes, sir." Carter stood and moved to the projector where thankfully she stopped the looping video feed.

Jack focused his attention on the task at hand while at the same time tried to bury his concern over his missing team member. Daniel was an adult; he could take care of himself. Most likely someone had called for Daniel's help in another area and Daniel had gone and had somehow lost track of time.

She rewound the tape to the point where the men were being pulled into the soil, and slowed down the movement. "We've analyzed the earth where SG-12 disappeared and found nothing to explain why the soil beneath them turned into what appears to be quicksand."

Carter stopped the videotape just after the last of the men had disappeared from view. "Initial examination has shown that the soil was indisputably disturbed. Two feet away, samples of clay were found approximately one meter below the surface whereas where Colonel Moore was taken, the clay is an inch beneath the surface. Further tests indicate—"

The sudden klaxon over the speakers interrupted Carter's speech. The announcement of "Unscheduled Gate Activation," which followed within seconds of the alarm had them all scrambling to the window overlooking the Gateroom while Hammond quickly descended the circular stairs into the Control Room.

When nobody came through the active wormhole, Jack took a few steps back towards the stairs to eavesdrop into the Control Room. Somehow hearing the alarm eased his worry over Daniel. Surely now that the klaxons were blaring all over the base, Daniel would realize he was late and would come running to see what was going on here. Then the words coming over the speakers drove all thought of Daniel from his mind. Walter was confirming SG-8's IDC from P9J 873, aka the Mushroom Planet.

"General, we're under attack. They've captured two of the miners and they're threatening to kill them unless we stop digging."

"What?" Jack turned to Teal'c and Carter in surprise. Other than the abandoned city, the UAV and MALP had shown no signs of current civilization.

"Have you explained that we're trying to perform a rescue operation? That three of our men are missing?"

"Yes, sir, but they won't listen to anything we say. When we attempted to approach them, they fired at us. We need reinforcements, sir. We're pinned down next to the 'gate and can't reach the machinery."

"Hold off, Major. I'm sending in SG's 2 and 7. I want this situation resolved and that area dug up pronto."

Jack moved sideways to allow Ferretti and his men to pass. Two of them had filed past him when a bright light lit the briefing room table and a small body appeared over it, almost levitating for a second. Jack got a glimpse of long, wet hair plastered over a pale face before the naked boy crumpled on top of the papers littering the table.

"What the—"

The boy tensed, gasped loudly and his body arched before he collapsed back onto the table and began to jerk wildly. Someone hit the alarm and the SFs came running, their guns trained on the little boy who was in the midst of a seizure.

"Call Fraiser!" Jack ordered Hammond's aide. Teal'c moved forward, past the SFs and eased the boy away from the edge of the table where he'd been in danger of falling off. After a moment, the seizure ended and the boy, with a soft cough, quieted. Teal'c turned the child onto his side and Carter shrugged out of her jacket and covered his naked body with it. She ran a finger up his arm and it came back shiny with some sort of goo. That was when Jack realized the boy was covered with it.

"Colonel, what in tarnations is going on up here?" Hammond was striding towards them, his eyes wide with shock as he stared at the child who'd materialized on the middle of his table. "Who is this and how did he get here?"

"Asgard, sir." Jack turned to Carter, who nodded as she brushed strands of sticky hair from the boy's face.

"It was definitely Asgard beaming technology, sir."

Other than Teal'c and Carter, everyone stood in a circle around the table, watching as the boy coughed and suddenly seemed to have trouble breathing.

"GeneralHammond." Teal'c grabbed the child, jacket and all, and took him into his arms. "It will be more efficient if I were to take the child directly to the infirmary."

"Go."

Jack stood back and watched Teal'c hurry out of the room. He heard Fraiser's voice somewhere in the hallway. Teal'c's answer was indistinct.

Teal'c's exit for the room seemed the impetus for everyone to get moving. Ferretti herded his team out while Hammond returned to the Control Room.

"Colonel?"

Jack turned to Carter, who was holding a crumpled piece of paper in one hand. "I found Daniel's missing page." She held it before him and it was damp with the gunk that had covered the kid. "It was on the table."

"So it was in the pile after all?"

"No, sir. I just found it over here." She pointed to the goo-covered area that the kid had smeared when he'd collapsed, several feet from where Carter and he had been sitting earlier. Carter rubbed her fingers together, examining the stuff. "It feels like some kind of gelatin. I should—" She turned when one of the technicians called her name. "Excuse me, sir."

Jack nodded as she left, and he stared at the wet smears on the table for a long moment, then headed out. One of the SFs by the door handed him a videotape as he passed by. He'd planned on heading to the Gateroom to see Ferretti's team off; he could easily appropriate a VCR there and check out the playback and see where if there were any clues to Daniel's whereabouts.

As he settled before the VCR, Jack heard Walter tell Hammond that NORAD reported no Asgard vessels in orbit.

"Doesn't mean they're not there," Jack muttered to himself as he fast-forwarded the tape, watching Daniel do Daniel stuff in his office. He blinked when Daniel, who'd been holding one of the pages of his notes in his hand and reading it, disappeared in a bright light.

"General Hammond!" Jack cried, hitting pause and rewinding the tape back to the start of the disappearance, "I think we have a problem."

The situation on P9J 873 was tense; Jack listened as Ferretti described his attempts to talk with the natives. As a show of good will, he'd had the miners move the heavy equipment back to the Stargate. The damage the miners had done to the area was pretty extensive, video footage from the MALP showed they'd knocked over several small pillars and destroyed some of the giant mushrooms.

"We're outnumbered three to one. And even if we send more teams out there, this can't end without bloodshed, sir, even though our weapons are more advanced. We need someone to go and talk to them. We need Doctor Jackson—"

"I'm afraid that's not possible at the moment, Major." Hammond sat still a moment, his eyes gazing out across the room.

Ferretti quickly glanced at Jack in bewilderment. Oh, right, Ferretti hadn't been here when they'd discovered Daniel's abduction. Before Jack could explain things to him, Hammond spoke again.

"Major Ferretti. Your team will accompany SG-13. Doctor Balinsky will go talk to these people and try to get a peaceful conclusion to this standoff. I'm afraid we may have to list SG-12 as MIA. It's been nearly eight hours and according to the reports, there are no signs of caverns beneath the surface.

"Colonel O'Neill. I want answers as to why Doctor Jackson was abducted and a child returned in his place. We're attempting to contact the Asgard for answers but we haven't received a reply as of yet."

Jack nodded reluctantly, ignoring Ferretti's look of confusion. Great, he had babysitting duties. A thought which had been niggling at him ever since Teal'c had rushed the boy out of the room came rebounding back as he stood when Hammond did. Adult taken, child returned, and the Asgard behind it all. Actually if you put two and two together, you came up with a double.

They had a clone on their hands.

Jack headed for the infirmary, Carter trailing quietly behind him. To Jack's surprise, Teal'c was sitting at the kid's bedside. He approached slowly, noting the IV and the nasal cannula. The kid's hair, now dry, was a very light blond. His eyes were open just a sliver and the blue of his irises were very similar to Daniel's. It hadn't been obvious earlier with the kid's face distorted during the seizure but now Jack could see how much he looked familiar. Actually it was a little disconcerting; he could actually see the adult Daniel within this miniature face and he didn't need Fraiser to confirm that this was Daniel's clone.

"The boy was in respiratory distress, but DoctorFraiser has aspirated his lungs. He responds mildly to stimuli, and DoctorFraiser has assured me he is not in a coma. She believes he is in shock."

"What about the gel he was covered with?" Carter circled the bed to stand on the far side, looking down at the kid.

"That was the cause of his distress. I believe DoctorFraiser is running tests on its composition." Teal'c stood and faced Jack. "Is SG-1 needed offworld?"

"Nah. Hammond's sending SG-13 out to try and negotiate; SG-2's providing backup. We're stuck here trying to figure out why the Asgard took Daniel and sent us his—"

"DanielJackson has been taken by the Asgard?"

"Um, yeah." For a moment, Jack hadn't realized that Teal'c hadn't yet been told. They'd passed that info along to Fraiser and he figured she'd been too busy to inform Teal'c. "Hammond's trying to get a hold of Thor but they haven't gotten back to us."

"Then it is possible the child is—"

"Yeah, that's what I was thinking."

"You think he's a clone?" Carter looked at Jack, wide-eyed with shock. The expressions on her face changed swiftly as comprehension hit her. He thought it odd that she hadn't come to the same conclusion earlier until he realized most of her focus had been in trying to find a way to save the missing SG-12.

"I saw photos of Daniel when he was about this age... how old do you think, three? Four? Spittin' image."

"When did you see pictu—" Carter frowned, the harrowing events of last year coming back to hit her in the stomach. "Oh."

Packing up Daniel's apartment hadn't been easy after he'd ascended, but Jack had insisted on doing it himself. He'd spent an evening going through Daniel's personal stuff with a quarter bottle of scotch.

"Yeah." Jack stuffed his hands into his pockets, wondering if this clone would have the same fate as all the ones the Asgard had played with.

"But Loki—"

"The Asgard merely stated that O'Neill's DNA had been safeguarded. There was no such declaration that DanielJackson has enjoyed the same privilege."

"But why would they try and clone Daniel?"

"Think, Carter." Jack stepped away from the bed as the kid coughed and began to stir. "What's different about Daniel now?"

"He ascended." She nodded to herself. "Maybe when Loki kidnapped and cloned you, sir, he hadn't learned of Daniel's return and he supposes there's something different about Daniel now that he's returned?"

Daniel coughed again and suddenly the cough turned to retching. Teal'c had the kid sitting up so fast that his head must have spun while Carter promptly grabbed a basin and thrust it beneath his mouth. He puked a few mouthfuls of thick liquid and coughed some more before weakly pushing the basin away. Teal'c went to put the kid down again but he grabbed Teal'c's tee shirt and looked around blearily.

"Teal'c?" The fingers were tiny against Teal'c's chest as Daniel's clone looked up at him.

"Do you remember us?" Carter put the basin aside and pressed the call button.

"Sam? Do I remem...? Of course I do." The kid frowned at her then turned his gaze towards Jack. It was all Jack could do not to take a few steps backwards. He didn't want this. He didn't want to get involved. It was bad enough he'd met his own clone a few months ago – he still had nightmares waking up thinking that he was the clone instead - he pushed those dark thoughts aside with effort. They were frightening enough in the middle of the night, he didn't want those particular dreams haunting him in the daylight, especially when it looked it would soon be Daniel's turn to live through the guilt of being the real McCoy and knowing there was another copy out there living a different life with his memories and experiences. Unless, of course, Loki still hadn't figured out how to fix a clone so that it didn't expire a few days later.

"Jack?"

The tenor of the question, had it been in Daniel's deeper voice, would have simply been a "Hey, how ya doin'? Did we get our butts kicked again or was it just me this time" type of question. But in this childish tone, it sounded unsure, almost begging for comfort and reassurance. This time Jack did take a step back, hands still thrust deeply into his pockets as the kid frowned at him before turning to watch Fraiser approach.

"Hello there," Fraiser said as she stepped up to the bed. Her gaze went to the bit of liquid in the basin before she gave the kid her full attention. "I see you've been a little sick. How are you feeling now?" She reached down and adjusted the cannula under Daniel's nose.

"I'm fine, Janet." Pulling away from Teal'c, he scooted back on the bed. "A little tired and my chest feels a little odd, but I'm okay." He cleared his throat nervously as Teal'c slid off the bed and stood. "Can I go? I have a meeting scheduled with General Hammond and SG-2." He cleared his throat again. "Am I coming down with something? My voice sounds weird."

Fraiser's eyebrows went up and she gave Carter a confused look. "Um, no, I don't think you should leave right now, and can you give me your name and date of birth, please?"

The kid rolled his eyes. "My name is Daniel Jackson, I'm 39 years old and my birthday is July 8th. And we currently have a team on P9J 873 that's in jeopardy due to some kind of alien plant which attacked them and we need to try and see if we can find a way to dig them out from under the earth and pray they haven't suffocated."

"Did you find anything of importance in your research?"

Jack noted how Teal'c deliberately hadn't called Daniel by name.

"I'm not sure. It's a detailed account of an old folktale describing demons and protective spirits." He squirmed a little against the pillow. "How come the bed's so big? Have you redecorated the infirmary?" Daniel looked around the room for a moment before continuing with his explanation. "The demons, which I take are the Goa'uld, were kept... at bay by the... spirits of the..." He raised his hand and pinched the bridge of his nose while closing his eyes. His face paled and he broke out into a sweat.

"Daniel?"

"Sorry, Sam. I'm just... um... a little dizzy." He dropped his hand and took a few shaky breaths.

Immediately Fraiser wrapped a BP cuff around his arm and began taking his pressure. After a moment she unwrapped it and gave a quiet order to one of the nurses.

"Your blood pressure just dropped. We're giving you something to stabilize it." Shortly after the nurse injected medication into his IV, a little color crept back into Daniel's cheeks. "Better?"

"Yeah," Daniel answered, wiping a sheen of sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand.

"We'd better let you rest." Carter took a step back but Daniel grabbed her arm to stop her.

"No, I'm better. Really. As I was saying, the spirits of the toadstools protected the people from the demons and..." He laughed softly. "I guess we know what those are, huh? Considering the size of those things we saw on the...?" He frowned as his voice faded, staring at his hand which was still latched onto Carter's wrist. He let go and slowly brought his hand in front of him. He made a fist, then wriggled his fingers several times before raising the sheet and looking down at his body underneath.

"What the hell is going on?" The high-pitched voice slowly rose in anger. "Who did this? What happened to me?" He turned on the bed and glared at Jack. "Nobody thought it was important enough to tell me about this?"

"Daniel, we didn't even realize it was you until just a few minutes ago. We're not sure but we think..." Carter glanced quickly at Fraiser before going on. "The Asgard took you several hours ago and then returned you like this. We think you..."

Jack's stomach clenched as Carter fumbled for the words.

"You've been cloned, Daniel," Jack blurted.

"I've been... what?" The paleness had returned and the kid began breathing faster. Although calling the person in the bed before him a kid was an oxymoron because his body might be tiny, his brain was obviously that of an adult. "I can't... I'd know... I'd remember..." He sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed. "I've gotta go... get in touch with Thor." Teal'c reached over and placed a hand on his chest, stopping him from sliding off the bed. "I was working at my desk... I was at my desk... I wasn't sleeping." Gasps began to punctuate his speech. "I'd know. I wasn't sleeping. Jack... you were... missing... for days."

As Daniel's breathing worsened, Fraiser called a nurse over as she picked his legs up and laid him back down on the bed. Jack steeled himself as his instincts cried out that he try and help calm the clone down as the two quickly checked his vitals.

"It's been hours... you said... the Asgard... hours... I can't... I woke up... here... I'd..."

As his eyes rolled back, he fell limp against the pillow. Jack tried to ignore the pang at seeing his friend's miniaturized copy lying helpless as Fraiser hurriedly continued to check him over. After another long moment, she pulled the sheet up to his shoulders and straightened. The kid was breathing easier now that the panic which had overcome him had abated.

"His vitals are strong. I think whatever process that did this to him was a strain on him, both mentally and physically. He should be fine after a few hours' rest. In the meantime, I'll take another blood sample and run a DNA test. Colonel, I think we should contact the Tok'ra. Selmak was a huge help with you... I mean, your clone, sir."

"Yeah, I'll speak to Hammond." Jack pulled a hand out of his pocket and rubbed his jaw with it. He hoped they weren't going to have to call in "Jonathan" for consultation because he really didn't want to see his other self.

"We ran tests on the gel-like substance that Dan..." She paused a moment, then repeated the name with more assurance. "...Daniel was covered with. It's some sort of highly oxygenated compound which apparently he was immersed in. It was in his lungs and—" she glanced at the basin into which Daniel had vomited— "in his stomach. It began to break down within minutes of his arrival here, which most likely caused his respiratory distress earlier." She wrapped a rubber tube around the kid's upper arm and began prepping him for a blood sample.

"I'm assuming whoever did this to him hadn't planned on cloning Daniel into a child's body. My best guess is that his sudden removal from the incubation process caused the seizure Teal'c described. His body is still adapting and his vitals, although strong, are fluctuating, as you saw with his BP earlier."

"What about the abnormality that had been in the colonel's DNA?" Carter looked worried and Jack felt like shaking her. She shouldn't get attached to the kid – best-case scenario, the Asgard wouldn't show and it would die within a few days. Worst case, the kid would live, Daniel would be returned to them and his friend would have to go on with the constant worry in the back of his mind that his clone was living out a totally unhappy life.

The clone's cheek twitched and he made a small sound as Fraiser pushed a needle into his vein.

"We'll see when the DNA tests come back tomorrow."

"So..." Jack raised his chin, pointing to the kid with it. "According to previous abductions, our Daniel will be returned in about a week, right?"

"Sir..." Carter bit her lip, still staring at the kid. "Your clone didn't experience this..." She waved a hand over the bed. "Even the people who went through the same experience who Daniel and Teal'c interviewed when you were abducted, there was no mention of their clones arriving full of... My best guess is that something interrupted the cloning process. And no, it's not based on scientific basis, just a gut feeling."

"Excuse me, sirs." One of the nurses had approached the bed and smiled apologetically. "General Hammond needs you in his office."

"I would remain here, O'Neill." Teal'c pulled out the chair he'd been sitting on earlier and sat. "This may well be DanielJackson's clone, but he still has his memories. I would ensure he does not awaken by himself."

Jack wanted to counter that the kid was just gonna die anyways, but instead he blew air out noisily through his mouth. "If we need you—"

"Then I will come."

"Fine." He turned around and left without looking back at the small form asleep on the bed.

Jack arched his brows as he stepped into the briefing room, accompanied by Carter. Ferretti and all of SG-13 were already seated. Jack walked around the table and took a seat at the far end.

"Doctor Balinsky?" Hammond prompted the man to give his report.

"We tried to talk to them, sir, but from what I could figure out, they're waiting for something to happen. They haven't harmed the miners, sir. We managed to exchange a few words with them and they confirmed they were fine. I don't think negotiations are going to work until whatever event they're expecting... occurs."

"Major." Hammond focused his attention on Ferretti. "Do you still believe a show of force is uncalled for at the moment?"

"Yes, sir. I don't think we can get the miners out without bloodshed on either side."

"Doctor Balinsky, do you have any idea how long we have to wait?"

Balinsky winced. "They seemed to have set up camp, sir. Probably not before tomorrow morning, if even then."

Hammond was silent for a few moments, obviously thinking things over. He then turned to Jack. "Colonel, I want SG-1 on P9J 873 to relieve SG-8 up until the morning. You leave in thirty minutes. And if there's any news from the Asgard, I'll make sure and let you know."

"Thank you, sir." Jack gave Carter a quick side-glance. "About the boy... I think the Tok'ra might be able to help us out when Doctor Fraiser's tests come back tomorrow..."

"Actually, sir," Carter added, "I think my father might be the best person for the job. I'd like permission to contact him."

Hammond nodded. "I'll have someone get on that right away. Dismissed."

He was cold; that plus the fact that he needed to pee were what had driven him from sleep. Daniel brought his legs up to his chest, trying to preserve heat. His feet were chilled and he tucked one just under his knee while folding his hands up against his chest. There was a slight tug against the back of his right hand and he reached out with questing fingers and found the tape that secured the needle in his hand.

He opened an eye and followed the tubing until it reached an IV bag. It seemed far away, and the bed felt too big to be part of the infirmary. He stretched his legs, trying to touch the foot of the bed but his toes met empty space. His perceptions were off; even when he raised his head to look at his feet, they seemed to be closer than they should be.

And then memory hit. What Jack and the others had told him, what he'd seen. The nightmares he'd had for the past six years - the what if he had been the one to wake up as a robot and not the original – had come to life. He was the clone. He was the imposter. He had lost this round, and somewhere, out there, there was the real Daniel Jackson who would go on with his life and he, the clone, the phony version, would either die or be sequestered away to live a false life.

He curled up on himself again, this time not from cold but from self-pity. Just the fact that he'd woken up alone, here in the infirmary, was all the proof he needed that he wasn't their real friend and teammate. Somehow that hurt more than the fact that he'd been cloned into the body of a child and not an adult.

He lay there, shivering, until the need to empty his bladder forced him out of bed. He stumbled, misjudging the distance from mattress to floor. His legs felt weak, shaky. He grabbed hold of the IV pole and began to push it towards the bathroom but his feet seemed to either catch on the hem of the oversized hospital robe or bump on the wheels of the pole – both constantly threatened to trip him.

By the time he made it to the bathroom, he was exhausted and frustrated. He went inside, shut the door and stared at the size of the facilities. He pushed the hospital gown aside and then froze when his fingers touched his penis. He felt like he was handling a stranger's body; unfortunately the discomfort of his bladder was all too familiar and its pressing need forced him up to the toilet.

When he was done, he bypassed the sink; trying to reach up and wash his hands was just too much of a feat to attempt. He opened the door and stared down the line of infirmary beds. Everything appeared huge; his perception was off – he could barely see over the beds and the room itself appeared non-ending. In his head he knew there were less than a dozen beds but there appeared to be several dozens lined up before him.

Feeling overwhelming defeat, Daniel began making his way back to his bed. It was easy to spot, it was the only one that had rumpled bedding.

"Doctor Jackson, what are you doing up? You should be in bed."

Daniel stopped and looked at the nurse who'd approached him and towered over him. Feeling suddenly vulnerable, Daniel took a quick step backwards and promptly tripped over the IV pole. He went down fast and oddly, the distance to the floor didn't seem quite as far as he'd expected.

Then the pain hit him; he'd probably have a bruise along his hip in the morning.

"Did you hurt yourself?" The nurse knelt and reached for him.

"No, I'm fine." Daniel pushed away from both her and the pole, trying not to get caught up in the multitude of wheels running out from the foot of the pole. To his embarrassment, she picked him up by the armpits and put on his feet.

"Let's get you back to bed. It's late, you should be sleeping." She grabbed the IV pole and began pushing it when he began walking.

Daniel felt overpowered by the size of the woman and stared at his feet instead.

"Are you sure you didn't hurt yourself?"

"I'm fine." He hated the sound of his voice; it sounded like he'd inhaled helium. And that was something he could see Jack doing, and the thought brought back the realization that he was alone.

When he got to his bed, Daniel realized that he was too short to get back into it without climbing up the bed rails. He'd only managed to put one bare foot on the metal, the chill of it shockingly cold for just a second before she abruptly lifted him once again and placed him on the bed.

"Thank you," he managed to force out between clenched teeth. He slid back under the blankets, curling up into a ball. Part of him enjoyed the hugeness of the bed and he wondered idly how his own queen-sized bed at home would be like sleeping in, in this body, when he realized with a pang that that bed was no longer his. Just like his friends were no longer his.

When the nurse spread a blanket over him, he simply curled up deeper into himself.

Waking brought familiar feelings of despondency that had followed him throughout various times of his life – his parents' death and Shau'ri's abduction and subsequent release from captivity being the worst of the worst. But this morning, his depression equaled any and all of those trying times.

Finding himself alone in the infirmary, Daniel decided to just give in. His time was forfeit – most likely his cells were already degrading even though he couldn't feel it yet. He'd just lie here and wait for the end – one day soon, the Asgard who'd done this to him would beam him up and replace him with his real self and then he'd be... gone. The pain of his friends' rejection wouldn't matter anymore. He coughed, trying to rid himself of the tightening in his throat when he thought back how he'd treated Jack's clone. Yes, they'd tried to help Jonathon but had he given him his fullest support? Self-examination came back with a resounding no.

Many sets of footsteps punctuated by conversation broke through his ruminations. He recognized his teammates' voices amongst the speakers, and curled himself tighter into a ball, deliberately pulling the blanket up past his face in the hopes that they'd think he was still sleeping. He didn't want to see their looks of indifference or glances full of pity. Worst of all, he was afraid they'd tell him that they'd contacted Thor and that he'd be fixed, like Jonathon, and would have the opportunity to live his life over once again.

He didn't want another life. He'd lived close to 40 years with this one; how could he spend the next fifteen in the body of a growing child?

From the conversations going on, it sounded like everyone was undergoing post-mission exams. The place sounded crowded, and the jubilant quality made him want to pull deeper into himself. So when Sam softly called his voice from right next to him, he tensed.

"Daniel, are you awake?"

He didn't move when she pulled the blanket from his face. The air was cool on his skin and he tried to relax his features to make it look like he was asleep. She adjusted the blanket against his neck and sighed.

"He still sleeping?" The tightness in his throat threatened to affect his breathing when he heard Jack's voice.

"Yes, sir. I just wanted to let him know that SG-12 and the miners were safe and back home."

"We'll tell him when he wakes up. C'mon, let the kid sleep."

"He's not a child." Sam's voice was muffled and Daniel guessed that she'd turned from him and was walking away. He cracked an eye open and peeked, and his guess was right. He stayed that way, unmoving, until the infirmary began to empty. When the last person left the room, Daniel finally opened his eyes.

"Are you in need of anything, DanielJackson?"

Startled, Daniel jumped when Teal'c's voice sounded right next to him. He hadn't heard him and he wondered how long he'd been sitting in the chair next to his bed.

"Um... no, I'm fine." He stretched, pretending to be waking up. "Is everything okay? You're not sick or anything—"

"I am fine. I merely wished to ensure you were recovering well."

Daniel pressed his lips tightly together, trying to hold back the feelings that were overwhelming him. He breathed deeply several times, touched that someone had bothered to stay with him. He didn't deserve this; they should be trying to do something to save his real self. Desperate for a diversion, he wracked his brain for something to say.

"What's that status with SG-12?"

"Safe. The creatures that took them did not harm them. They interrogated them at length before they were convinced that the Tau'ri were not demons. Upon their release, the natives of P9J 873 freed their hostages and all have safely returned to the SGC."

"All's well that ends well..." Daniel murmured softly. "I guess everyone's gone home?" He couldn't help himself – this self-flagellation seemed to be taking over and he was digging himself deeper and deeper into misery.

"ColonelO'Neill and MajorCarter are currently debriefing General Hammond. We are also awaiting the arrival of—"

"Don't bother." Daniel sat up and pushed the blanket away, feeling a sudden urge to move. "I don't think I can take..." He began picking at the corner of the tape holding the IV affixed to his hand. "Never mind," he said, realizing he'd almost blurted out his feelings. He was saved by the arrival of a nurse bearing a breakfast tray. As she adjusted his bed, Daniel pretended interest in the food.

"Shouldn't you be at the debriefing?"

"I requested permission to remain here."

"Well, you don't have to stay with me." He picked up a triangle of toast and took a bite and chewed. It felt like sawdust in his mouth and he swallowed with difficulty. "I'm just going to eat, take a shower and do some reading. I'm sure your attending the meeting is more important than sitting here holding my hand."

"I am not holding your hand."

"I meant figuratively speaking." Daniel picked up a fork and held it awkwardly. The size of his hand just didn't fit comfortably around the utensil. He managed to shovel some scrambled egg onto the tines and brought it to his mouth. The fork was larger than he'd expected and the metal struck his teeth and half the egg fell against his chest, landing on his lap. "I'm really going to need that shower when I finish eating." He picked up the pieces of egg with his fingers and put them on the side of his plate before picking up the toast. "Could you please tell General Hammond I'm sorry I wasn't able to be more help and that I'm glad everyone's safe?"

Teal'c stood and bowed. "I shall convey your message and will return as soon as the briefing has concluded."

Daniel waited, toast held halfway to his mouth, until Teal'c left the room. Once he was out of sight, he dropped the toast and pushed the tray away. The few bites he'd eaten were sour in his stomach. He turned onto his side and closed his eyes.

He hadn't thought to sleep again, but the lethargy had crept over him and he'd drifted off. He'd slept too much, though, as his body felt stiff when he turned onto his back and stretched.

"Well, it's about time you woke up."

Daniel's eyes flew open at the sound of the familiar voice.

"Jacob?"

"How are you doing, kiddo?" There was a wry grin on Jacob's face as he sat in the chair Teal'c had used earlier. The nickname shouldn't have angered Daniel as he'd heard Jacob call Sam that many times, but it did.

Daniel raised a finger as he sat up. "Don't... just... don't. It's not funny."

"Sorry, but you know, if the shoe fits—"

"My shoes won't fit for at least ten years... and that's only if we get lucky and the Asgard remember to come exchange me with the real Daniel Jackson before I melt into a puddle." He wanted to punch something – even with his voice rising in anger, he sounded like a child on the verge of a temper tantrum. He thrust his hand beneath the blankets and forced his fingers into a fist and squeezed. Hard.

"Daniel, there's something you need to—"

Jacob broke off as all of SG-1 entered the infirmary, accompanied by Janet. Daniel turned away; it was painful seeing them and knowing how they really felt about him. He laid his palms flat against the mattress, trying to force himself to relax.

"Hey, Daniel."

"Jack." He contemplated the threads on the sheet, wishing they'd go away.

"I haven't told him yet, Jack."

"Oh." There was an odd tone of disappointment in Jack's voice. Daniel steeled himself for the bad news that Jacob was about to impart on him.

"Daniel, Selmak examined the results of your DNA and he's positive you're not a clone."

"So, what happens now?" Daniel brought his hand up and began to tease a piece of thread from the blanket's edge. "How much time do I—I'm what?" Jacob's words suddenly sunk in and Daniel raised his face to stare at Jacob's gently smiling one.

"You're not a clone. There are no abnormalities in your DNA and it matches the one Janet has on file perfectly. And there's no sign of any cellular degradation – you're not dying."

"If I'm not a clone, Jacob, then why—"

"We're still waiting on Thor for that explanation." Jack moved closer and sat on the edge of the bed. "We have no idea why Loki did this to you but—"

"We don't know it was Loki. I don't remember anything about my abduction. Are we even sure it was the Asgard?"

"It was definitely Asgard beaming technology that was used in both your abduction and return."

Sam's expression looked pained while Jack looked... guilty? Then it hit Daniel. He wasn't going to die. At least not anytime soon. But he also wasn't himself anymore. He was now just over thirty years shy of being normal.

Janet moved closer and she gave him a stern look. "What I've concluded from your test results is that you're a normal four-year old child whose body has undergone a severe shock but is recovering well. As soon as you eat a full meal, I can take out that IV and release you from here. I'm sure you'd like to get out of bed, stretch your legs a little?"

"Um... yeah. I would." Suddenly he felt full of energy and his stomach gurgled loudly. "Is it lunchtime yet?"

With as much dignity as he could muster, Daniel slid off the bed, held the ends of the hospital gown in one hand so he wouldn't trip, pressed the bundle of clothes Walter had handed him earlier closer to his chest, and followed Janet to the showers. Stomach replete with a meal under his belt, the next step on his agenda was to wash and put something on that didn't threaten to trip him when he walked. He knew his teammates were staring and he concentrated instead of how different this new body moved.

His earlier disorientation was gone; he just felt as if he'd woken up in a land where everyone and everything was three feet taller than he was. Oh wait, he had woken up where everyone was bigger and taller than him.

There was no weakness, no pain, no dizziness, no odd sensations – it would probably be just a matter of time to get used to the fact that he was shorter than three feet tall instead of six. He nodded at Janet to indicate that all was fine, put his clothes down on a bench and entered one of three cubicles. Quickly doffing his gown, Daniel turned the water on and waited until it was the right temperature before stepping under the stream.

He glanced around to make sure he was alone, and then took time to examine himself. He didn't remember his penis being that small but then again he'd had the majority of his life to enjoy a mature one. From where he stood, everything seemed to be properly proportioned, just... smaller. He was scrawny and hairless and from the effort it had taken to turn the taps on, most likely without much muscle.

As he began soaping himself, the first thing he noticed was the lack of scars. The burn mark on his right shoulder was gone. The puckered wound he'd gotten from shrapnel on P3X 254 was gone, the skin smooth above his knee as if Hathor had never kidnapped him and his team and placed them in suspended animation. And the scar on his belly... did that mean he still had his appendix? His soapy fingers stopped a moment on the area at the sudden fear of the recurrence of that particular pain. He made a mental note to ask Janet to find out whether he was still appendix-free, or not.

He quickly washed his hair, rinsed, and grabbed his towel. Drying himself off, he walked over to the bench, finished quickly and sat down. Out of habit, he raised his index finger to push his glasses back and realized he wasn't wearing any. At the moment, the only good part with this whole scenario was his 20/20 vision, which he knew would most likely begin to deteriorate in another half dozen years or so. He'd make sure to appreciate the lack of glasses or contact lenses until the time Thor came for him.

Fingering the clothes Walter had gone out to buy for him, Daniel enjoyed the solitude here in the shower. The jeans were stiff but they'd soften after he'd worn them a while. He stepped into the underwear, which were slightly too big. The jeans were a fairly good fit, although they were much too long. After zipping them up, he sat and began rolling up the material of his pant legs. The material was unwieldy and he cursed softly at the ineptitude of his fingers.

The maroon tee shirt was slightly baggy and comfortable. He put on socks and stood, then rubbed the soles of his feet on his jeans when he stepped into residual puddles on the tiled floor.

"Daniel? Everything all right in there?"

"I'm fine, Janet. I'm done." He smoothed down his tee shirt, picked up the towel and the hospital gown, bunched them up under his arm and headed for the door. He took a deep breath and schooled himself to face the audience once more.

He handed his dirty laundry to one of the nurses, ignored the two captains who were standing nearby and openly staring at him, and made his way back to his bed. He passed a major and one of the SGC's cooks waiting nearby, and ignored the confused look coming from a patient lying in a bed. The man's eyes widened when his visitor leaned close and whispered in his ear.

Daniel ducked his head, trying not to look at any of the personnel. The infirmary had seen more than its share of visitors today and all of them apparently making a point to come see for themselves the odd predicament he'd gotten himself into this time. When he got to his bed, the privacy curtains were still pulled firmly closed around it. He reached for the edges of the curtain when Janet came across the infirmary towards him.

"I've signed you into a VIP room. You'll be more comfortable there than here and you'll have privacy."

A VIP room still meant everyone staring at him whenever he stepped out.

"Janet, I appreciate you taking the trouble... no offence, but I'd rather just go home." Daniel pushed aside the privacy curtain that Jack, in a fit of anger, had pulled closed around the bed earlier to stop the gawkers, and entered the small space. Sam and Teal'c had gone, but Jack had remained and was sitting at the foot of the bed. Daniel was surprised – Jack had been tense and quiet since the moment they'd broken the news about his not being a clone. And now, Jack was watching him climb onto the bed, which made Daniel awkward. He settled in the middle of the bed, crossing his legs and rubbing his damp socks on the sheets.

When Janet didn't answer, Daniel looked up at her expectantly. She was staring at Jack, her mouth set stubbornly and Daniel got the feeling that there had been some discussion about this behind his back while he'd been showering.

"I'm afraid that won't be possible, Daniel. While everyone here knows that you're not really a child, there's no way we can allow you to stay by yourself without someone noticing and bringing the authorities into the picture. Plus you're somewhat limited by your size at the moment and it would be too dangerous to allow you to fend for yourself, at least until you have your apartment altered for someone your height."

"Hey, you're talking as if this is permanent." Pushing back impending panic, Daniel turned to Jack. "You did try to contact Thor, didn't you?"

"Yeah." Jack didn't meet Daniel's gaze and his voice was soft. "He hasn't answered us yet."

Pushing back the uneasiness that had been growing at Jack's attitude, Daniel turned back to Janet. "It'll probably be just for a couple of days. C'mon, Janet, I can't stay here. I'll go crazy locked up in a room. I can't even see myself going to my office to work because if I can barely climb onto this bed, how am I expected to get my books off my bookshelf? At least if I go home, I can barricade myself in my apartment until Thor beams me up from there."

Janet crossed her arms and glared down at Daniel. Suddenly he felt sorry for Cassie, wondering how often she'd gotten this look. It was different staring her down when he was taller than she was; now that the tides were turned, he suddenly realized how easily cowed children could be just with an adult's presence.

"If you think working is going to be awkward, just picture yourself trying to cook at home. Can you even reach the microwave? What about boiling a pot of water? Can you even reach the stove? Can you take something out of the freezer without climbing onto a chair? What about your dishes? How do you plan on getting home from here? Driving? How about groceries? Doing laundry?"

"I can order out and I have plenty of clean clothes so laundry isn't an issue!" The moment he yelled the words, he realized how silly they sounded. The only clothes that fit him were on his back. He needed to go shopping for a change of clothes and some shoes, at least, and Janet was right. He couldn't drive himself to the mall and he wasn't about to ask Jack, not when his friend was so tense that he was shaking with controlled emotion.

"He can stay with me."

"Or, I can stay with Jack," Daniel immediately repeated in a softer voice. Janet took a deep breath, but didn't say anything. Jack seemed calmer now, and he raised his eyes to finally look at Daniel.

"Sir, you know that we—"

"It'll be easier on him staying somewhere where he's comfortable. You've seen what it's been like here all day long. I've already spoken to Hammond and I can take a couple days off—"

"Jack, you don't need to take time—"

"Fraiser's right. Unless you plan on living on peanut butter sandwiches, there's no way I could leave you alone at home. It's not that I don't trust you, you know better than that," he added quickly when Daniel opened his mouth to argue. "You don't have the strength, at the moment, to carry a pot of cooked pasta from the stove to the sink to drain the water. When Thor fixes you—"

"What if Thor can't—"

"Then we'll worry about it when the time comes. For now, you need to get away and get used to being... smaller."

"The Colonel's right about one thing. You need to learn your limitations. Even if this is for a couple of days, we can't chance you getting hurt because of our neglect."

Daniel nodded reluctantly. He was terrified that he'd remain this size for good but Jack was right. There was no use worrying unduly until they got the bad news. "Okay."

"Then, you ready to go?"

"Gentlemen, I'm sorry, but Daniel is not leaving my infirmary. In all good conscience, I can't allow him to leave without running more tests. Even though you appear to be healthy and normal at the moment, your body has undergone an incredible shock. It's going to take you time to adapt to what's going on, not only with the physical aspect, but all the mental and psychological ramifications this has caused. You'll need to speak to a—"

"No."

"Daniel—"

"Not today. Not tonight. I have to try and come to terms with this myself before I can even discuss it with anyone. So in the meantime, I need to get out of here and go somewhere where I can think quietly without having half the personnel staring at me in horror."

Janet nodded slowly, albeit reluctantly, when Daniel looked up defiantly at her.

"Okay. I'm not happy with this but I understand where you're coming from. I'm giving you two days' grace, and then I want your ass in here for more tests if we don't hear from the Asgard."

Before Janet could change her mind, Daniel unfolded his legs and slid off the bed, smacking his ankle on the metal rail. Avoiding the temptation of rubbing the stinging limb, Daniel thanked Janet and followed Jack out of the infirmary.

Jack seemed to be in a hurry to get out of the base. His long strides, once not a problem to keep up with, forced Daniel to trot behind him. And having to slip and slide in stocking feet was adding insult to injury, not to mention all the people he was passing by who were blatantly stopping to stare.

"Jack, slow down," he cried when Jack stepped out of the elevator and headed for the locker room at a fast clip.

A sheepish-looking Jack stopped and turned to wait as Daniel caught up to him. "Sorry." They walked together at a slower speed, Daniel more than grateful for Jack's presence when several marines walked by. Their conversation stopped as they all turned to gawk. Jack's glare was motivation enough for them to face forward and move on.

"Have you tried contacting the Asgard again?" Daniel sat on a bench as Jack opened his locker and began changing.

"Yeah. I told you that already."

"So?"

Jack shrugged, the motion declaring the answer loud and clear.

"General Hammond's going to keep trying, right? I mean, they did this to me. They have to put me back the way I was."

Daniel stared up at Jack, who was shrugging into his leather jacket and not making eye contact with him. He sat next to Daniel, took his sneakers out of his locker and began tying the laces.

"Jack?" Daniel winced at the high-pitched tone of his voice. He didn't think he'd ever be able to get used to that.

"Yeah, of course Hammond's gonna keep trying." Laces tied, Jack stood, went to Daniel's locker and handed him the contents of his pants' pockets. His wallet was too large to fit in his smaller pocket so Jack silently took it from him and put it in his jacket. By the time Daniel had transferred his keys, change and other belongings into his jeans, Jack was already at the door. He waited for Daniel but he still appeared to be in a hurry to leave.

Daniel was confused at Jack's attitude. He'd gone from cold and withdrawn when Daniel had first woken up, to quietly supportive. And now he was retreating into himself once more. Something was bothering his friend, and Daniel wondered if it had to do with Jack's experience with his clone. He wasn't sure if he should bring it up, though; his own emotions were still raw after the rollercoaster ride of finding himself in a child's body and believing he was a clone.

They rode the elevator in silence. When they reached the guard station, Daniel bit his lip in frustration at the awkward feel of a pen in his hand when he signed out. Despite years of writing longhand, he found himself struggling; his mind might remember how to but they were used to digits triple the length and with more dexterity.

"Better make a fast run for the car, Doctor Jackson. I hear it's cold and damp outside. Autumn's come in with a vengeance."

Daniel looked up in surprise. Whenever he was on duty, Lieutenant Gibson had always exchanged pleasantries with him. Daniel put the pen down and smiled. "Thanks for the head's up. Did you try that restaurant I suggested?"

"Yes. And Betty and the kids absolutely loved the place. Thanks. I owe you one."

"You're welcome." Daniel nodded at the lieutenant, feeling oddly pleased that someone was treating him normally. The elevator doors behind them opened and Daniel followed Jack inside.

"I hope things turn out okay," Gibson called out as the doors closed.

"So do I," Daniel said softly to himself, staring at his sock-clad feet. He heard Jack sigh noisily and he glanced up. Jack was staring stonily at the closed doors and looked like he was trying to ignore Daniel.

He went back to contemplating his feet. When the elevator doors opened, he stepped out and headed outside, only to be forced back inside when the wind nearly tore the door from his grasp. A wet sheet of rain struck him in the face. He gasped at the shock, then gasped again when Jack picked him up, held him close and began running for the Avalanche.

Instinctively he wrapped his legs around Jack's waist and grabbed onto his jacket, holding tightly as Jack keyed the lock from afar. Jack opened the driver's side door and nearly threw Daniel inside. He clambered over the seats and fell onto the leather cushion, one leg bent beneath him as Jack slid inside and slammed the door shut. Wind buffeted the truck, making the drizzle outside sound more like a downpour.

As Jack turned the motor on and adjusted the heat, Daniel fumbled with the seatbelt. He swore when too small fingers struggled to get the clip into the slot. He heard the telltale click just as Jack put the car into gear. He leaned forward and adjusted the air vent so the warm air blasted straight onto him.

They rode in silence, Daniel not sure if he'd experienced embarrassment or relief during the race across the parking area. He wasn't wearing shoes and the ground was soaked, so it made sense for Jack to carry him. And of course it would have taken them longer to reach shelter with his shorter legs.

Despite the warm air, Daniel shivered. The wind had blown the light rain hard enough that his clothes were uncomfortable despite having been partly protected by Jack's chest. He looked out the window at the gloomy afternoon, suppressing another shiver. From this angle, everything outside looked normal. If he ignored the fact that he was several inches lower in the seat and that his feet didn't touch the carpet, he could almost pretend that the last days hadn't happened and that Jack was giving him a lift home because his car was in for repairs.

The fantasy continued until Jack slowed and pulled into a mall.

"Um, where're we going?"

"You need clothes. Shoes in particular."

"No, I don't." Highly aware of the fact that his jeans were too long and that he was wearing no shoes and hence his white socks were probably so dirty he'd never get the stains out, the last thing he wanted was to be carted out among people to be stared at. "I'm fine like this."

Jack didn't reply and just continued on until he pulled into a parking slot. Short of wrestling the keys from Jack and driving away himself, Daniel had no choice except to sit in the truck and wait for Jack to get him a change of clothes.

So when Jack opened the door and slid out, Daniel crossed his arms and didn't move.

"C'mon."

Daniel simply turned to glare at Jack.

"Oh for crying—" With a quick movement, Jack unlatched the seatbelt and had Daniel in his grip, pulling him out of the truck before he realized what had happened. By the time he began struggling, Jack had positioned him so that his crotch was nestled against his hip and Jack's hand secured underneath his butt in an age-old stance of adult/child conveyance.

"I'm not going in there." In response to Daniel's struggles, Jack nudged the door shut with his knee and used his other hand to secure Daniel more tightly. Then they were hurrying to the entrance. "Put me down!" Even to Daniel's ears, his cries sounded more of a tantrum ready to fly than a tone of voice that would make a Jaffa flinch.

The annoyed stares from other shoppers finally forced Daniel into biting his lip and lapsing in silence. When he quit struggling, Jack loosened his hold. Once they'd gone through the entrance doors, Daniel had expected Jack to put him down but he simply hefted Daniel slightly to adjust his hold and continued striding through the mall as if he knew exactly where he was headed.

Daniel leaned over and put his mouth close to Jack's ear. "Put. Me. Down."

"Almost there."

"I. Don't. Care. Do you have any idea how embarrassing this is?" Daniel hissed.

"It's only embarrassing because you made a scene."

"And why would I ever want to do that? Oh, right. Maybe because I didn't want to be paraded in front of half the city of Colorado Springs."

He felt the shift in Jack's gait and wondered for a moment if he was all right.

"Daniel, this isn't the base. Everyone here sees you and thinks you're just a normal kid who's gone to the mall with his father. Look, we'll make it quick. In and out. Fifteen minutes, twenty, tops."

Daniel suddenly realized Jack was right. He didn't know any of the people here. They had no idea who he was and most, except for a handful of clerks at the stores he did frequent, wouldn't know a four-year-old child from his adult self. Embarrassed that he hadn't thought of this himself, he stopped pushing against Jack and hid his face against Jack's neck.

This close to Jack, he could smell a faint tinge of aftershave mixed with the tang of sweat, accented by the dampness of their clothes. He felt oddly safe and secure and wondered idly whether this was a memory of his childhood, being carried around by his father.

Jack turned into a store that catered to children. Just inside the entrance, he put Daniel down. Immediately a salesman came to them.

"My nephew's family just flew in and the airline lost their luggage. Think you can fit us up with enough clothes to last a couple of days? Pajamas, jeans, tee shirts, underwear, socks and shoes."

"Of course." The man took a quick look at Daniel and led them to the racks holding the specific clothes required. After a quick look at his feet the salesman disappeared, only to return with a couple of boxes in his arms. He pointed to a bench where Daniel sat.

"So, did you like your plane ride? Were you scared?" The salesman grabbed Daniel's foot and slid a sneaker onto it before Daniel could reach for it and do it himself. It was slightly too small and after a moment of wriggling the shoe to try and make it fit, the salesman tossed it back into the box and took out another pair.

"Daniel." Jack, standing with several pairs of tee shirts in his hands, cocked his chin at the salesman.

"Huh?" Busy trying to pull his leg from the salesman so he could put the shoes on himself, Daniel looked up at Jack in confusion.

"Answer the man. Did you like your plane ride?"

Daniel narrowed his eyes at Jack, looked at the salesman crouching before him, and gritted his teeth. "No, I did not like my plane ride. We got hijacked."

"You did?" The man looked back at Jack in alarm.

"By aliens." Daniel canted his head slightly, daring Jack to say something.

"Don't mind him, he's always had an overactive imagination." Jack tossed the tee shirts onto the bench next to Daniel and moved off to examine the jeans. "I'm going to have to talk to his mother about his tall tales."

"So where are you from? Did you come far?" His foot was forced into another shoe; Daniel wriggled his toes once the shoe was on – this one seemed to fit better.

"Egypt," Daniel sighed after contemplating not saying anything at all while the man tied the laces.

"Wow, that is far. Have you traveled a lot with your parents?" He stuck the matching sneaker on his other foot and did the laces up.

"You could say that." Sliding off the bench, Daniel took a few experimental steps and figured the sneakers would do. He turned to the growing pile of clothes Jack had placed on the bench and looked at the prices. His eyes widened in shock; for such tiny pieces of clothing, he would be paying close to what he'd pay for an adult sized shirt and pants.

True to Jack's word, they were out of the store in fifteen minutes. Wearing proper footwear and a jacket, Daniel was relieved to be able to walk out of the mall alongside Jack. He clambered back into the Avalanche without a word, aware that Jack had been right, that he'd needed shoes and was too frustrated to admit it.

He stayed quiet the rest of the way, mimicking Jack's frame of mind. He hadn't enjoyed being treated as a child. Of course it had been quicker to allow Jack to choose his clothes since he seemed to be familiar with the sizes of children's clothing, but the salesman had grated on his nerves. He wasn't sure if dealing with people who knew who he really was would be easier than dealing with strangers who saw him as a four-year old with a four-year old mentality.

It had grown dark when Jack pulled into his driveway. By the time Daniel struggled with his seatbelt and got out of the truck, Jack had picked up their purchases and was already unlocking the door.

He followed Jack into the spare bedroom and picked up a pair of soft pajamas after Jack dumped the contents of the shopping bag onto the bed.

"You'll need to take me to an ATM so I can pay you back for these."

Jack grunted on his way out.

Using his pocketknife, Daniel removed the tags off the new clothes, dumped them into one of the empty drawers in the bureau and debated getting into his pajamas. He was still wearing his jacket and he still felt cold. He opted for replacing the jacket with one of the thicker tee shirts and left the bedroom.

He could hear the television downstairs. He wandered into the kitchen and decided that coffee might help warm him up. Immediately he discovered that Jack and Janet had been right. He had to drag a chair to the sink to fill the coffee pot and then could barely heft the overflowing pot to the opposite counter. The chair was needed again to dig the coffee filters out of the cabinet overhead, and measure out the coffee.

As the coffee brewed, he dragged the chair around one last time to get a mug out of the cupboard. He left the chair next to the cabinet and sat down on it, his legs strangely rubbery from climbing up and down. He bent his knees, anchored his feet against the edge of the chair and circled his legs with his arms. Despite the exertion, he was still feeling chilled. And tired. He sighed, then sniffed in the welcoming scent of brewing coffee.

Jack dragged himself back upstairs, empty beer bottle hanging from his fingers. He'd been curious as to what Daniel had been doing but figured the guy would have asked for help if he'd needed it. He entered the kitchen, seeing a child standing precariously on a chair, pouring himself a cup of coffee, struggling to hold the coffee pot with both hands.

For a moment Jack was thrown back into his past and saw his son. He aborted the attempt to grab the hot coffee pot from Daniel's hands as common sense kicked in, hiding the movement by slamming the empty beer bottle on the counter and turning around to get another. "Do you need cream?" Jack asked, hoping he sounded nonchalant as he rummaged in the fridge.

"Please."

As he put the creamer next to Daniel's mug, Jack twisted the cap off the beer and watched his friend from the corner of his eye. It was going to take some time for him to adjust to the fact that Daniel's thirty-nine year old brain was stuck inside the body of a four-year old. And a scrawny one, at that. He watched as Daniel poured cream and sugar into his coffee, stirred it and with both hands, raised the mug to his mouth.

He expected an orgasmic sigh. To his surprise, Daniel smacked his lips, made a face before taking a second, cautious sip. He turned a disappointed face towards Jack.

"Do you think the cream is off? It tastes... funny."

Jack put his beer down, grabbed the mug one-handed and took a swallow of hot coffee. He swirled it around in his mouth, trying to get rid of the lingering taste of beer.

"Tastes fine to me." He plunked the mug onto the counter and grabbed a bag of Cheetos from one of the cabinets. "Want some?" He offered the opened bag to Daniel, who hesitantly snuck one tiny hand into the bag and came out with a handful of snacks sticking between his fingers.

"Coming to watch the game?" Somehow the sight of Daniel's small teeth gnawing on the seemingly gigantic Cheetos was mesmerizing. He turned away in disgust; if he wasn't going to be able to get used to his friend looking this way, how the hell was Daniel expected to adapt?

"No, I think I'm going to read." Daniel licked the orangey residue off his fingers and lowered his head to the mug, sipping noisily. "You're sure this tasted right? It doesn't taste that good." He made a face as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

Jack remembered an article he'd read on the internet a few months back. "You know, your taste buds change all the time. It could be the taste for some things you liked as an adult just haven't developed yet."

"Oh great." Daniel pushed the coffee aside and turned the coffee pot off. "I was such a picky eater as a kid; my parents had the hardest time getting me to eat." He jumped off the chair. "If that's the case, you may have to go out and buy a truckload of pita and hummus. It was the only staple food I ate for years."

Jack went back downstairs and settled on the sofa with his beer and snack, his legs propped up on the coffee table before him. He lost himself in the game until a while later, when Daniel trudged down the stairs and curled up into the far corner of the sofa.

"Changed your mind?"

Daniel didn't answer right away, too busy trying to pull the afghan off the back of the sofa. It was partly trapped behind Jack's shoulder so he leaned forward so Daniel could bundle up with it.

"Not really. Headache. Maybe I do need glasses after all." He stopped squirming, bundled from toes to chin, and turned to watch the game.

"Did you take something for it?"

When Daniel shook his head, Jack stood and went upstairs. He shook out one Tylenol, sliced it in two with a knife, and poured some orange juice into a glass. He offered both to Daniel, who took the half-pill and washed it down with the juice. His teeth clinked against the glass, as if Daniel had trouble gauging the size of the glass with his mouth.

"You look flushed." Jack pressed the back of two fingers against Daniel's cheek and noted the warmer than normal skin temperature.

"I'm just cold." He shivered as he handed the empty glass back. His hand and arm snaked back under the afghan as Jack put the empty glass on the coffee table.

"I think you've got a fever."

"It's just a headache."

"I'll get a thermometer."

Ignoring Daniel's complaints which followed him up the stairs, he dug the thermometer from the medicine chest and picked up his cell phone. He placed both on the coffee table as he sat back down next to Daniel.

Daniel stared at the thermometer then looked at Jack in confusion. "You just drank something cold. Let's give your mouth a few minutes to get back to a normal temperature."

"I'm not sick."

"You've got chills and a headache. What else? How's your stomach?"

"It's fine. I've just got a headache."

"Sore throat?"

"Headache."

"Cough?"

"Headache."

"Aches and pains? Backache? Fatigue?"

Daniel hesitated a moment before answering. "Headache."

"So, fever, chills, achy, headache, and fatigue. Anything else?"

Daniel sighed and closed his eyes. Jack concentrated on the ball game a few minutes before reaching for the thermometer. "Open up."

"I'm not sick." Despite the complaints, Daniel opened his mouth and Jack stuck the thermometer in. It flopped down and Daniel was forced to pull his hand out and support the end. He glared at Jack, then shivered as a tremor shook him.

Jack tapped a tune on his knee, waiting for the thermometer to beep. When it did, Jack pulled it out and looked at the readout.

"Well?" Daniel raised his chin in defiance.

"100.7." Jack shoved the thermometer at Daniel, showing him the proof.

"That's not so high."

"No, it's not. But Fraiser gave you a clean bill of health just a few hours ago." Jack picked up the cell phone and dialed the infirmary. Daniel sighed loudly as Jack asked to speak to Fraiser.

"I'm afraid she's left for the day, and Doctor Warner is with a patient. Can I ask him to get back to you, Colonel?"

Jack quickly explained the situation to the nurse.

"I'll inform Doctor Warner, but I'm sure it's nothing serious. Most likely Doctor Jackson picked up a bug and his immune system is a little out of whack due to the whole scenario. If there's any reason to bring him in, Doctor Warner will call within the hour. Unless his fever gets high or there are any other symptoms, he's probably better off at home."

"Okay, thanks."

Daniel raised an eyebrow as Jack thumbed the phone off.

"You probably caught a bug. Warner'll call if he thinks you need to go in but the nurse I spoke to thinks it's not serious."

"Told you I was fine." His words proved false as he shook again with another shudder.

"C'mere." Jack motioned Daniel forward.

"Why?"

"Because I can help warm you up, that's why. C'mon." Jack motioned again.

Reluctantly lowering the blanket, Daniel crawled over to Jack, dragging the afghan with him. Jack reached over and pulled Daniel close so he was lying against his chest, his legs drawn up close against his lap. He pulled the afghan over them both and wrapped his arms around Daniel. To Jack's surprise, Daniel snuggled closer, nudging his face into Jack's shoulder.

The sensation of clean little boy coupled with the overly warm body heat brought back a sudden pang of loneliness for his dead son. Talk about déjà vu. He'd sat like this a few times when he'd been home when Charlie was sick. His son had been a snuggler and he was surprised that Daniel appeared to be one, too.

"This is damn embarrassing," Daniel said into Jack's shirt.

"Everyone gets sick."

"That's not what I meant." Another shudder wracked the small body and Daniel squirmed, trying to plaster more of himself against Jack.

"Do you want to lie down instead?" Knowing how uncomfortable Daniel was with the whole situation, Jack tensed, intending to lay Daniel down on the couch, but the small hands gripped his shirt.

"No. This feels good."

"Ahhh, okay." Jack relaxed back against the cushions and wrapped his hand around Daniel's head. He fingered the soft hair a moment before beginning to massage his scalp. Slowly Daniel relaxed against him, the shivering easing as his breathing deepened. Jack turned back to the game, watching until the last inning, then stood slowly, trying not to wake Daniel.

Warner hadn't called so Jack figured it was safe to put Daniel to bed. He carefully went up the stairs and then sat Daniel on the edge of the bed. Immediately he tipped over, trying to curl up on the covers before Jack could pull them back.

"Ack, PJs first." He glanced around the room. "Where'd you put them?"

Sleep-glazed eyes looked up at Jack before contemplating the room. Daniel slid off the bed and lethargically walked over to the bureau and pulled open a drawer.

"Get changed, I'll be right back."

Jack went back down to the den to retrieve his phone and the thermometer, then began locking up the house. When he was done, he grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator. He found Daniel curled up under the blankets, afghan and all.

"Still cold?" He sat on the edge of the bed, flicking the edge of the afghan back under the blankets, and clicked the thermometer on.

"Yeah."

There was no complaint when Jack waved the thermometer in front of Daniel's face. They waited in silence together while it registered, Daniel's eyes slowly growing heavier and heavier.

"99.5. How are you feeling?"

"Tired."

"How's the head?"

"Better."

"Good. Go to sleep. I'll check in on you in a couple of hours and take your temperature again. And there's water here if you need it." Jack picked up the bottle of water, twisted the cap to break the seal, and placed it on the bedside table, close to hand.

In answer, Daniel closed his eyes.

"Jack?"

At the sound of the child's voice, Jack jolted up in bed. He stared in confusion at the blond little boy standing at the foot of his bed, an afghan covering half his body and dragging on the floor. It took a moment for his sleep-fogged brain to remember who the little tyke was.

"Daniel." Jack rolled over and turned on the lamp.

"Where did you put the Tylenol? I can't find the bottle. My headache's back."

And so was the fever-flush and the chills. Jack pushed the covers aside and sat up. "Get back to bed. I'll get the pill." His toes curled in annoyance at the chill of the wood floor. He glanced at his watch; he'd been asleep for four hours; he should have woken up sooner to check on Daniel.

Daniel padded behind him and Jack tsk'd at the sight of his bare feet. He stopped by the door of the spare bedroom and pointed towards the rumpled bed. "Get in. And take your temperature. I'll be right back."

He stopped a moment at the entrance to the kitchen and stood staring at all the opened cabinets. One of the kitchen chairs had been dragged to the counter again and obviously been used again as a step stool. Although Jack normally kept his medications in the cabinet near the kitchen sink, he'd left the bottle of Tylenol on the kitchen table, in plain view.

He picked up the half pill from the table where he'd left it and returned to the bedroom where he found Daniel huddled beneath the blankets. The thermometer was still on the bedside table.

"I'm not sick." Heavy-lidded, the glare Daniel threw Jack's way was pretty impressive when he reached for the thermometer. "I've just got a—"

"Headache. Yeah, I know. And the Tylenol I'm holding here says you're sick." Jack dropped the half pill on the table, clicked the thermometer on and stuck it in Daniel's mouth.

This time the thermometer registered a fever of just over 102. He made sure Daniel drank half the water before adjusting the blankets around the small body.

"Stop fussing. I'm fine." Daniel turned onto his side, offering his back to Jack.

"I'll go and get some Children's Tylenol in the morning so we won't have to worry about breaking up the pills. In the meantime I'll cut another Tylenol in half, just in case you need some again—"

"I'll be fine in the morning, Jack. Go back to bed."

Jack hesitated a moment longer, feeling a rush of concern that he suspected had more to do with old memories due to the similarity between this Daniel and Charlie, than of Daniel not feeling well. With a soft grunt, he got up off the bed, turned off the light and returned to his room.

The smell of coffee teased at Daniel's nose. He'd come back to Earth without his watch and had no idea what time it was. He listened to the sounds of Jack puttering around in the kitchen, trying to gauge whether he was hungry or if he was nauseous. The headache had toned down a notch and he wasn't cold so that had to be a good thing. Or maybe it was due to the third half Tylenol he'd taken just as the sun was rising.

He found himself tangled in the afghan and it took him a minute to fight his way free. Crawling to the edge of the bed, he slid down and padded to the bathroom. Even as he freed himself from the pajama bottoms to pee, he hated how his body didn't feel right and how everything else was uncomfortably big or out of reach.

Standing on his tiptoes to wash his hands, Daniel remembered how he'd always been shorter than all the other kids his age. He wiped his hands on a towel and stepped out into the hallway, debating whether to go back to bed or see if he could eat something. His stomach growled so he opted for the latter.

"Hey, just in time." Jack was standing at the stove, flipping pancakes. "How's the head?"

"Better." The chair squeaked loudly as he pulled it away from the table, the sharp noise causing him to wince. He tried not to pull away when Jack stepped closer and pressed his hands against his cheeks and neck.

"No fever. Guess a good night's sleep did the trick."

Daniel squirmed on the chair, trying to find a comfortable way of sitting so he wouldn't be too low at the table.

"Hungry?"

"I could eat. Got any maple syrup?"

"In the fridge. Here." Jack took two glasses from the cupboard as Daniel slid off the chair. "Pour us some orange juice while you're at it. Want coffee?"

"Please." Maybe a jolt of caffeine would help push back the muzzy feeling he had.

Jack poured them each a cup of coffee as Daniel struggled with the large container of juice. He managed to pour the juice into their glasses without spilling too much but it was a close thing. His arms just didn't have the strength to do what he'd been able to do one-handed in his adult size. By the time he replaced the juice in the fridge and taken out the syrup, Jack put the pancakes in a plate and joined Daniel at the table.

Climbing onto the kitchen chair again, Daniel realized he was too short to sit comfortably and reach the table. He clambered onto his knees, the wooden seat immediately digging into skin and bone. He squirmed a little, trying to get comfortable. He'd be able to stay this way for a little while but he'd tire soon.

Fixing his coffee the way he liked it, he began to fear he might eventually need a high chair. Maybe they could take their meals on the couch for a while. He carefully picked up his coffee and took a sip. It still tasted bitter and odd, nothing like the coffee flavor he'd enjoyed for the past twenty-five years. Still he forced a couple more sips before finally giving up on it.

"Still doesn't taste right?" Jack asked as Daniel pushed the mug away.

Daniel shook his head and poured a generous amount of syrup on his pancakes. He picked up a fork, the implement feeling awkward in his small hands, and cut a bite.

"Just as well. Coffee might just stunt your growth."

Jack had his head down, busy with his own pancakes when Daniel threw him a dirty look. "What does it matter? We're gonna get me back to normal as soon as Thor gets here, right?"

"Right." Jack looked at Daniel, almost startled. "I just meant... you know."

"I'm not staying this way," Daniel said with conviction. "This is just a temporary condition." Daniel ate the bite of pancake, which was delicious.

"Of course." Jack speared his own piece of pancake and began dragging it through the small pool of syrup on his plate. He glanced up at Daniel quickly before looking back down. "I just want you to know that we'll get through this together... you know..." Jack coughed softly. "...If Thor can't fix it... if you need a place to stay for a few years, for however long, you know you can count on me."

Daniel swallowed quickly as his throat closed with sudden emotion. Even after these few hours of being... downsized... he knew with certainty that he would never be able to cope on his own. "I... don't know what to say." He cleared his throat nervously. "Thank you, Jack. I hope it doesn't come to that but..." He cleared his throat again. "...It's taken a load off my mind."

"Hey, you know I wouldn't just let you fend for yourself. Anyways, it won't come to that. Thor'll contact the SGC in a day or two and he'll have you back to your annoyingly geeky self in no time."

Daniel laughed softly as he began cutting another piece of pancake. "You haven't called me that in a long time."

"Annoying?"

"No, a geek."

"That's because you haven't given me reason to."

"You mean I haven't acted like a geek recently?"

"No, I mean you haven't been annoying." Jack turned his head, trying to hide his smile when Daniel sighed.

"Oh. Sorry. I'll try harder from now on."

"Don't go out of your way on my account." Jack grinned, fork laden with dripping pancake held before his mouth. "At least now I can pick you up and carry you out of whatever situation you've gotten yourself into."

Putting his fork down, Daniel raised one syrup-coated finger before him. "If you ever pull a stunt on me again like you did last night at the mall, I'll—"

"What? Kick my shins?" Jack plopped the forkful into his mouth.

"No, I'll get Teal'c to kick them for me."

Jack snorted, unable to speak with his mouth full. He merely waggled his eyebrows at Daniel. "Good one," he said when he finally swallowed.

When he finished his plateful, Daniel looked longingly at the stack of pancakes that remained uneaten.

"Go ahead, there's plenty." Jack helped himself to two more from the stack.

"I wish I could." He licked maple syrup from his fingers. "Looks like two is the limit that'll fit in this body's stomach." He rued the days when he could easily down five or six of Jack's pancakes.

Grabbing the plate from the table once he'd slid off the chair, he forewent rinsing it, placing it directly into the dishwasher instead. He went back for the cutlery and coffee cup, his fingers getting even stickier from the syrup that coated the knife and fork. Sighing, he stretched on the tips of his toes to reach the kitchen faucets and rinsed his fingers under the stream of water. Jack and Janet had been right; there was no way he'd be able to function alone in a house, at least not unless everything was lowered by at least a foot until he grew those twelve inches. Jack's offer meant more to him that Jack would ever realize.

"So, anything particular you'd like to do today?" Jack had gotten up and was pouring himself a second cup of coffee. "Other than maybe going to your place and picking up a few things..."

"I don't need much more than a toothbrush and a few toiletries. Thanks to you, I don't need any clothes or—"

"I got a spare toothbrush and..." Jack raised a hand to rub at the back of his neck as he sat down again. "Obviously you don't have to worry about shaving or—"

"I should have brought some work back with me last night," Daniel said, more out of a feeling of obligation than a true need to work. To be honest, he didn't feel like working or actually doing anything but resting. He was feeling tired again and his headache was tapping at the back of his skull, as if asking for permission to come back. He leaned wearily against the door of the dishwasher.

"How about just hanging out here? We could watch a few movies, take a nap—"

"I need to go to the ATM—"

"Don't worry about paying me back. We don't have to go today—"

"I don't want to owe you anything—" "Don't worry, I won't let you forget." He picked up his fork again, then waved it in the direction of the refrigerator. "Other than hummus, any other stuff in there you think your tastes buds won't object to?"

"Huh?"

"Picky eater, right? You said last night you ate hummus and pita as a kid."

"You don't have to go out of your way just for me." Pushing off the dishwasher, Daniel made his way back to his chair. His stomach, full and content just a minute ago, suddenly churned in a sickening way. He burped softly, feeling some of the pressure release as he sat.

"And there's no reason for you to eat something you simply don't like. You don't force me to eat roasted alien lizards when we go visit Kasuf, so I'll return the favor. Of course, if you're not crazy about Mexican or Italian or Greek or Chinese, we may have a slight problem."

Daniel smiled despite the increasingly growing discomfort in his stomach. "I'm sure I'll find a few items from each that I'll be happy with."

His stomach almost felt swollen, sitting in his body like a lump of cement. He rubbed at his abdomen as his headache stopped tapping and instead, stepped over the threshold and insistently made itself known.

Jack put his fork down and swallowed the last of his coffee. "So, any particular movies you'd like to see?" Jack put the cup down and checked his watch. "We can run to the grocery store, stop at the ATM and rent a couple of DVDs on our way back." He looked at Daniel inquiringly.

A wave of nausea spread over Daniel. Pressure built up in his stomach again and the sour taste of coffee bubbled into his throat as he burped again.

"Hey, you okay? You look a little pale—"

His breathing suddenly sped up and he knew without a doubt he was going to spew. Without thinking, he jumped off the chair and ran for the bathroom, stumbling as his legs wobbled beneath him. He made it to the bathroom just as his stomach rebelled, splattering the toilet seat as he lost his breakfast.

He retched until he was dry heaving, his head escalating in pain with every heave. Finally, exhausted, he allowed himself to slide to the side of the toilet, wedged in beside the wall and the porcelain. He shook, either with reaction or fever. At this point, he wasn't sure which it was, and he didn't care.

When Jack flushed and started cleaning up the mess he made, he forced his eyes open and went to sit up.

"Don't move. I got this covered."

"Sorry." A wave of heat came over him and he fought back the threatening nausea. He watched through cracked eyelids as Jack waved his apology aside and finished wiping down the toilet. Just as Jack flushed a second time, hot bile flooded Daniel's throat and he tried to scramble up. Then two strong hands hefted him forward, over the bowl and he coughed as he spit up bile. Jack's hand was warm and strong as it supported his chest, his other hand rested against Daniel's middle back. He dry heaved a few more times, then pushed away.

"You done?" Jack looked at him with concern as he pushed back a strand of damp hair from his face. Daniel closed his eyes and hoped that he was. He nodded slowly, pain stabbing down his neck at the movement.

"Let's get you back into bed." When Jack lifted him into his arms, Daniel didn't protest. He hurt all over, from his joints to his back and all the way up to his scalp. There were pros to being little, he thought as Jack laid him back into his bed. He curled onto his side, one hand coming up to massage his aching stomach muscles.

"You should have told me you weren't feeling good. I'd have made something lighter for breakfast." Jack eased Daniel's bare feet under the blankets and pulled them up to his shoulders.

"I was fine. It hit me really fast." His voice was raspy and he cleared his throat.

"Headache back?"

"Yeah."

"Okay. I'll be right back."

A wave of heat drifted over him and he kicked off the blanket that Jack had just covered him with. By the time Jack came back, he was in the grip of a chill, awkwardly trying to pull the blankets back up. Jack plopped the thermometer into his mouth then pulled the blankets over him. Daniel closed his eyes, embarrassed beyond description.

"Doctor Warner, please."

Surprised to hear Jack's voice, Daniel opened his eyes to see Jack into his cell. Mortified, he turned his head while Jack sat next to him and described his symptoms to the doctor.

When the thermometer beeped, Jack reached over and picked it up. "His temperature's only 100.1. It was a higher overnight."

"Uh huh. Yeah, okay. I will." Jack shut the cell off and placed it on the table next to a bottle of water. "Apparently there's a virulent intestinal bug going around and it's hit the SGC. Warner said to keep an eye on your fever and make sure you don't get dehydrated. Think you can take a pill and a bit of water?"

His stomach definitely wouldn't endure anything in it at the moment but he'd try at least to swallow enough water to down half a pill. He took the medicine with a small sip of water, and lay back onto the pillow, shivering.

"I'll let you rest. If you need anything, just call."

When Jack left the room, Daniel felt... not quite abandoned, but definitely more alone. He wondered if this odd feeling of being neglected was due to his illness or simply a side effect of the stress of his life being turned upside down and reduced to the existence of someone not even big enough to attend school. He settled for listening to Jack puttering around the house, telling himself he wasn't truly alone.

The morning dragged on while Jack attempted to find busywork to keep him occupied. He tried to stay away from Daniel's bedroom but worry and the need to know how he was doing seemed to pull him in there every thirty minutes or so. He was afraid of disturbing Daniel, of waking him if he was asleep but each time he went in, he seemed to be awake, barely dozing.

This time was no different. Tylenol cupped in his palm, he stopped in the doorway and peeked in. Daniel was a small lump under the covers, curled up almost into the pillows, seeming tiny in the double bed. He waited a moment and as every other time, Daniel raised his head from beneath the blankets and looked at him.

"How're you feeling?" Relieved he wouldn't have to wake Daniel to give him his medication, Jack stepped into the room and sat on edge of the bed.

The small shoulders shrugged up and down as Daniel settled back onto the pillow. " 'M okay."

Jack glanced at the still full bottle of water next to him on the bedside table as he felt Daniel's cheeks for fever. It was still fairly high despite the doses of Tylenol. "It's been a couple of hours. Think you can drink something now with the pill?"

A mixture of emotions flitted over Daniel's face, and when Daniel reached for the pill with a sigh, Jack recognized that resignation had won. Jack picked up the bottle of water, twisted the cap open and handed it over. He waited while Daniel drank slowly at first, then with bigger swallows as his thirst finally registered.

"Whoa, slow down." Jack tipped the bottle away from Daniel's mouth. "Slow and easy like before."

Daniel's lower lip came up and pressed against his upper one for a moment. "You're the one who wanted me to drink." He tilted the bottle back to his mouth again but took smaller sips.

"I didn't want you to drown. Look, you might feel better with a little something in your stomach other than water... I can get you crackers... maybe some rice pudding?"

Daniel released the plastic bottle with a loud, wet pop. "Maybe later." He handed the nearly empty bottle back to Jack and lay back down. A full body shiver had him reaching for the blankets again. "How long did Doctor Warner say this would last?" Daniel's teeth chattered together and his breath hissed loudly.

"Twenty-four hours."

"It's nearly that now isn't it? Shouldn't I be feeling better by now?"

"You still have a few more hours to go. It's not even lunchtime yet."

Watery, glazed eyes looked up at him. "It's not? I thought for sure... it's still daylight?" Daniel craned his head up and looked towards the drawn blinds of the window which showed barely a crack of daylight around the edges.

"Fever sort of distorts time." Jack patted the small shoulder as he stood. "I'll bring some crackers, just in case you get hungry later." He'd barely made it to the door when a panicked cry came from the bed. Daniel managed to sit up and push the covers aside when the water he'd drunk came back up with a vengeance.

"Okay, maybe we'll skip the crackers for now," Jack joked in a soft voice as he picked Daniel up with one arm while quickly pulling the soiled blankets off the bed and dumping them onto the floor. He'd intended on heading for the bathroom, but the retching turned into a ragged cough. Jack sat down on the edge of the bed and rubbed the small back, surprised when Daniel leaned against Jack, resting his head against his shoulder.

"God, I hate this."

"I know." Jack stood, took two steps closer to the head of the bed to grab the afghan Daniel had discarded earlier and wrapped the shivering body with it. Jack twisted at the waist, bringing his legs up onto the bed and shoved the pillow behind him so he could lean against the wall.

Daniel squirmed, the little body shifting closer, homing in on his body heat. Once again Jack felt the odd pull of memories hit him - Charlie sleeping with him and Sara, brought into bed either due to illness or a frightening nightmare. He felt a sense of protectiveness surge over him, different than the normal feelings of friendship he had for Daniel or the rest of his team.

He knew it had to do with the vulnerability of his smaller body, the lack of physical strength and the now total dependence on someone older and bigger. The guilt he'd been feeling struck him hard at Daniel's trust in him. Daniel had to be terrified; Lord knew Jack was. What if Daniel was stuck like this for good? How would he cope? How would Jack cope?

He was also feeling anger and relief. Anger at Thor for not responding. Anger at whichever Asgard that had done this to Daniel. And relief that the small, feverish body with the adult mind clinging to him for reassurance was not a clone, which meant that the adult version of Daniel wouldn't be exchanged for this tinier one. And overlaying it all, there was anger at himself for having pulled back earlier when he'd believed that Daniel had been the clone. Because no matter if this was a replica or the real McCoy, they would both be experiencing the exact same fears and pain.

"Daniel, you sleeping?" Daniel hadn't moved in a few minutes. Jack kept his voice soft so as not to wake him if he was asleep. He pulled the blanket back to expose Daniel's face. His eyes were closed and his face slack. He didn't stir, his breathing slow and heavy. Jack readjusted the blanket and laid his head back against the wall. He'd wait a few more minutes to make sure Daniel didn't wake and then he'd put him back onto the bed.

The chime of the doorbell startled Jack out of a doze. He hadn't meant to fall asleep but when he'd gone to put Daniel back down onto the bed, he'd stirred just enough to grab onto his tee shirt to prevent their separation.

Rolling Daniel off him and onto the mattress, Jack immediately felt the coolness of the room now that he was separated from him. He quickly cupped his fingers onto Daniel's cheek and registered the much higher temperature. Then remembering the doorbell, he hurried to answer the door.

"Doc." Jack stepped back in surprise, allowing Fraiser to enter the house. "Is this a—"

"I have the late shift tonight and was on my way to the base. I thought I'd stop by and see how Daniel was doing." She raised her black bag, indicating it was an official visit. "And take some more blood samples, just to make sure there's no surprise developing."

Jack rubbed one eye and shut the door, waving her down the hallway, towards the bedroom. "Warner says he's caught some stomach flu that's going around the SGC. He's still got a pretty high temperature and can't keep anything down." He leaned against the doorframe as Fraiser turned on a bedside lamp and began checking Daniel out.

"Janet?" Daniel's head came out from under the covers as he looked around dopily. "What're you doing here?"

"Shhh, just making a house call." She stuck a thermometer into his mouth and pulled out a BP cuff, laying Daniel's arm on her lap while she affixed the cuff to it. "The Colonel tells me you're having problem keeping food down? Any cramps? Dizziness? Pain?"

Daniel first shook his head no, then yes, and yes again to her questions. "What hurts?"

"Headache," Daniel mumbled around the thermometer.

"He's had a headache since we got home last night." Jack pushed off the doorframe and stepped closer to the bed, leaning against his bookcase.

"Your blood pressure's a little low and you've definitely got a pretty good fever going. Have you given him any anti-pyretics?"

"Half a Tylenol earlier but he threw it up. Then he finally fell asleep and I didn't have the heart to wake him..."

"Do you feel like you could eat or drink something now?" Fraiser took out a stethoscope and placed the bell on Daniel's chest.

"Not really."

"Okay. I'll administer some Compazine for the nausea and we'll see if you can eat and drink a little when it kicks in." She put the stethoscope away and removed the paraphernalia for blood sampling. "I need to take some blood samples; let's get that out of the way first."

When Fraiser was through, she placed the several vials of blood into her bag and rummaged through her medical samples. After a moment she found what she'd been looking for. "Here. It's a suppository so you won't have to worry about vomiting up a pill." She started to tear the wrappings when Daniel sat up and put his hand out for the medicine.

"I'll do it."

"It'll be easier if I—"

"I can do this, Janet." Daniel's face, resolute and pale, seemed at odds with the childish features.

"Daniel, I—" She finally nodded and handed the suppository to Daniel. "I'll give you some privacy." She smiled at him and walked out of the room. When Daniel turned to give Jack a look, he followed Fraiser into the hallway. He flicked the kitchen lights on and offered to make coffee.

"Thanks, sir, but I need to get to the base." She placed her bag on the kitchen table. "His fever's pretty high, and I'm worried about dehydration. If the Compazine doesn't help and he can't keep anything down by tomorrow, bring him to the infirmary." She pursed her lips together, lost in thought. "Actually, I'm debating taking him in with me now. If this illness is related to what happened to him and actually not the flu, I could be putting him at risk."

"He's more comfortable here—"

"Yes, I know. But—"

"And you can't do anything for him until you get the results of the blood tests, right?"

"I could give him an IV to provide fluids—"

"And the stuff you just gave him will have kicked in by the time we'd get to the mountain. So logically speaking, he could be drinking water or juice by the time you'd be sticking an IV into his arm."

Fraiser made an annoyed sound. "If there's any anomalies in the blood tests, I'll call."

"I'll bring Daniel to the infirmary if you feel he really needs to be there. But in the meantime..."

"I'll wait." She sighed heavily. "Give him the Tylenol in about twenty minutes. Try giving him juice and broth, then something light and easily digested. But if he still can't keep anything down by morning, I want him in the infirmary, no questions. He's gone through enough as it is; he doesn't need the stress of illness on top of everything else."

"Yes, ma'am." Jack raised an eyebrow at Janet's pained expression.

"Can I have some water?"

Both Jack and Janet turned as Daniel slowly walked into the kitchen. He looked awful; his hair was stringy and mussed, his face pale except for two fever-spots on his cheeks, with shadows beneath his eyes. As Daniel leaned tiredly against a counter, Jack went to the fridge and removed a bottle of water. He twisted the cap off and silently handed Daniel the bottle.

"Thanks."

Daniel paled visibly before bringing the bottle to his lips. Jack was pretty sure the last thing at the moment Daniel wanted was water and this was just a show for Fraiser. "So doc?" Jack stepped in front of Daniel, blocking her view of him. "How contagious is this flu and what're the chances of me catching it?"

"Fairly contagious and unless you've both been vigilant with washing your hands, chances are pretty high that you'll catch it also, sir."

Jack glanced down at his hands, realizing that he'd been fairly lax, especially with Daniel's last bout of nausea. He rubbed them on his pants, wondering if he was going to get sick and suddenly worried about what would happen to Daniel if he did. Then he remembered Daniel wasn't a child. Sometimes it was hard to keep track; it was rare Daniel was this quiet and it only served to prove how sick he must be feeling.

"Although a fever isn't part of the symptoms and I'm a little concerned." She walked to the table and picked up her bag. "You just make sure you get some liquids inside of you, Daniel."

Nodding, Daniel lifted the water bottle in a toast.

"Liquids, Tylenol for the fever, some food and rest are the best things for him," Fraiser said as Jack walked her to the door. She stopped just outside. "The Compazine may make him sleepy so let him sleep. I'll have the results of the blood tests in a couple of hours. I'll call you..."

"I'll be here."

Jack shut the door and returned to the kitchen. Daniel was leaning against a chair, as if too weak or tired to pull it out and sit. The water bottle, still untouched, was on the table next to him. He raised his head and looked at Jack with eyes that were too old for such a small body. Without a word, Jack picked him up in his arms, feeling Daniel go limp against him, either a sign of trust or one of total resignation. He reached down for the water bottle and carried Daniel to his own bedroom.

He put the water down first next to the bed, and then lowered Daniel onto the mattress. The moment he was flat on the bed, Daniel turned onto his side. Jack pulled the blankets up over him, then left the room to gather his cell phone, several magazines, some juice and half a Tylenol.

He grabbed the water bottle from the bedside table before walking to the other side of the bed and held the pill out to Daniel. With a resigned sigh, Daniel sat up and took the Tylenol from him.

"Take just enough to get the pill down for now." Jack handed him the water. "We'll try with more water in another ten minutes, when we're sure the Compazine's kicked in."

With the half pill held between his fingers, posed before his lips, Daniel seemed to register where they were. "Why am I in your bed?" Small lines puckered around his forehead as he swallowed the pill with a few sips of water.

"Because you threw up in your bed and I need to go wash the blankets and bedspread before putting you back in it." He sat on the bed and waited for Daniel to give him back the water bottle, but instead Daniel hitched himself forward, folded the pillow in half and leaned on it. He took another sip of water, swallowed, closed his eyes and seemed to wait.

"Should I go get a bucket?"

"No." Eyes still closed, Daniel took another, larger swallow. "My stomach's starting to feel better."

"Then try some of this." Jack reached for the glass of apple juice he'd poured earlier and held it out. Daniel reluctantly traded the water for juice, but after a few sips, seemed content to finish it.

"I'll get some more, and maybe some toast?"

"Um..."

"Finish the water first. Maybe by the time the toast are done, you'll feel up to trying some."

Jack took his time, preparing toast on a tray, then adding containers of pineapple jam and peanut butter. He also took out a sleeve of crackers for later, and wrapped some slices of cheese in a napkin.

Daniel lethargically swiped a jam-laden knife over a triangle of toast, then took a tentative bite. He chewed sleepily, his eyelids drooping low over his eyes, looking for all the world like a sick, exhausted child. Except that a true four-year old would be cranky and temperamental at this point. Daniel, on the other hand, was trying hard to eat despite it being obvious he wasn't hungry or feeling up to it, and only because it would keep him out of the infirmary.

Jack didn't say a word when Daniel put down the second half-eaten triangle of toast and pushed the tray aside. He took it away from the bed, placing it on a nearby bureau while Daniel buried himself under the blankets. He was restless, though, tossing and turning until he rolled up against Jack.

Half asleep, he mewled softly as he plastered his short length against Jack's hip. He was like a tiny furnace, giving off heat that was making Jack uncomfortably warm beneath the blankets. But if it kept Daniel quiet enough to rest, he'd gladly suffer for a few hours.

He picked up a magazine and began reading, hoping Daniel's fever would break and waiting for Fraiser to call. The phone vibrated just as he was finishing the second Cracked magazine.

"Colonel, I need you to bring Daniel in right away."

Jack felt a shock of anxiety go through him at the urgency in Fraiser's voice. "Why? What's wrong?"

"To make it simple, sir, he has no antibodies. It's like he's never been exposed to any illnesses, and now he's not only susceptible to catching everything and anything going around, he doesn't even have any titers for childhood illnesses. Whatever made him smaller wiped his immune system clean and until we get him stabilized and fever-free, I can't even give him the normal childhood vaccinations. We need to put him into quarantine ASAP."

"Quarantine?" Immediately thoughts of Daniel came to mind, alone in the isolation room, tended by nurses wearing protective clothing without even the comfort of human contact. "Can't he stay here? If we stay inside, not go out—"

"I understand how he feels, sir, but I need him in a medical environment as a precaution."

Jack hated this and knew Daniel would hate it even more but Fraiser was probably right. He could feel the heat from Daniel's fever and it hadn't gone down much with the Tylenol. "We'll be there in thirty."

It took Jack five minutes to change, gather a few of Daniel's new clothes and put them into a bag. He placed the bag in his truck, turned the motor on and raised the heat in the cab, and then went back for Daniel. Rather than getting him dressed, Jack grabbed the discarded afghan and decided to wrap Daniel up in it.

Daniel jumped, startled when he woke up when Jack pulled the blankets off and picked him up, placing him on his lap. "Easy. It's all right. We gotta go back to Cheyenne."

"Thor?"

"No, sorry. Fraiser."

"What're you doing?" He lethargically pushed Jack's hands away as Jack wrapped the afghan around him.

"Taking you out to the truck. It'll be easier this way." Jack resolutely wrapped the afghan more firmly around Daniel.

"No, I can walk." Another languid push against Jack's hands as he tried to sit up.

Lowering the blanket, Jack sighed, thinking it would be easier after all if Daniel had truly been a child in both mind and body. "Then you'll need to get dressed first. It's chilly out."

"Okay." Daniel leaned forward against Jack's chest. "Where're my clothes."

"Um... in the other room." When Daniel leaned his head against his shoulder, Jack slowly raised the afghan up to cover him.

"Okay." The word came out as a soft sigh as Daniel closed his eyes.

"You gonna get dressed?" Jack eased the rest of the blanket around Daniel's now limp form.

"Mmm hmmm."

"Okay. Want your shoes?" He stood, trying not to move Daniel overmuch as he balanced him in his arms, one hand supporting Daniel's head where it rested against him.

Daniel mumbled something unintelligible as Jack walked to the front door. He hurried through and had Daniel in the passenger seat before he could get chilled. He quickly wound the seatbelt over him, clicked it secure and shut the door.

As he turned to look behind as he began backing the Avalanche out of his driveway, Daniel somehow slid from beneath the confines of the seatbelt and made his way to Jack's lap. He laid his head and shoulders on Jack's thighs, bringing his knees up to the edge of the seat. With one hand on the wheel and the other cupping Daniel's head, Jack started his cautious drive to the mountain.

"This way." Deviating from the corridor leading to the infirmary, Fraiser, who'd met Jack at the elevators, led him instead towards one of the isolation room. When Jack walked in, it was obvious they'd been preparing for Daniel. The two nurses were clad with surgical masks, as was Fraiser. He headed straight for the bed in the middle of the room and carefully lowered his limp burden onto it.

The nurses descended upon Daniel immediately, checking his vitals, setting up an IV, talking amongst themselves and relating their findings to Fraiser. Jack backed out of the way, watching helplessly, hands shoved into jacket pockets. Fraiser was looking worried... maybe Jack should have brought Daniel in sooner, maybe he should have turned around the moment Daniel had a temperature. Definitely before he started throwing up. Jack should have known; he hadn't been able to take care of Charlie, was it any wonder he couldn't help his friend?

Movement caught his eye and he looked up into the observation room, where Carter, Teal'c and Hammond were watching. Carter nodded at him when she noticed him staring up at them. He nodded back, then turned his attention back to Daniel. He was waking up; who wouldn't, with people poking needles into your arm and sticking suppositories up your butt.

"No, stop it. Don't!" The voice was hoarse and panicked as he thrashed on the bed, trying to move away from the nurses' attentions. "What are you doing to me?"

"Daniel, it's all right." Despite Fraiser's reassurances, Daniel continued to struggle against the nurses' ministrations.

"Stay still, Doctor Jackson." One nurse pushed Daniel back, pinning him to the bed while Daniel increased his struggles.

"Let me go."

"Hey!" Ignoring Fraiser's warning look, Jack pushed the nurse aside, forcing her to let go of Daniel. "He said to let go." He leaned over to put gentle pressure against Daniel's shoulder. "Daniel, stop it."

"Jack?"

"Yeah, who'd you expect?"

Shivering, Daniel collapsed back onto the pillow. "I don't... not you... I think I was dreaming..."

"You're safe, Daniel. You're at the SGC." Jack looked up and glared at the nurse. "He may look like one, but he's not a child. There was no reason to use physical force to restrain him."

"Colonel—"

"No, Doctor Fraiser." Jack raised a finger to stop her from further speech. "He woke up disoriented and confused, and considering what he's just gone through, I think trying to force him into doing what's good for him isn't the best strategy right now. He's an adult, he's used to being treated with respect and just because he's small enough to be manhandled and bullied doesn't mean he should be. A child won't necessarily always understand and an adult may be forced to do things like that to them. But Daniel's adult mind is still inside that body."

"Jack, if I'm good, can I have a lollipop?" There was a hint of a sparkle in Daniel's eyes as he looked at Jack.

Rolling his eyes, Jack sighed. "Not now, Daniel."

"Oh, okay." He pulled the blankets up to his chin. "I'm cold."

Immediately one of the nurses grabbed extra blankets and piled them over Daniel.

"Sir, you should at least put a mask and gloves on."

"I've been with him for a full day. If I'm carrying any bug that could hurt him, I've probably already infected him with it." Jack fiddled with the blankets, patting the edges down near Daniel's neck.

Fraiser's eyes softened over the cover of her mask as she nodded slowly.

"Daniel." Carter's voice came through the loudspeakers.

"Sam?" Daniel looked around in confusion until Jack pointed towards the observation room.

"Jonathon... the Colonel's clone, experienced a couple of flashbacks about being on Loki's ship. Could that be what you just remembered?"

"No..." Daniel seemed to drift off, his eyes fluttering shut. Jack opened his mouth to comment when Daniel spoke again, his voice slurring as he fought sleep. "Not Loki. It was Idun."

"Who?" An exchange of looks with Carter and Teal'c offered him no further explanation. Daniel was out for the count.

"Doc?"

"There's nothing more I can do for the time being. Daniel's blood tests showed he's been infected by two separate viruses, one the intestinal flu that's going around and the second one that Corporal Jennings picked up offworld a couple of days ago. Both aren't serious by themselves but seeing that Daniel's immune system is so vulnerable, it's affecting him more seriously than it normally would. And because it's a virus, there's nothing I can do for him except treat the symptoms and wait for the virus to work its way out of his system."

"And how long's this going to go on for?" Jack looked over the tiny body which seemed lost beneath the mound of blankets.

"He's going to catch everything that's going around, and then some, until his immune system catches up to that of a normal four year old." Fraiser handed Jack a pair of gloves and mask.

"Don't kids need to get sick to...?" Jack made a waving motion in front of him with the gloves... "you know, build up their immunities?"

"Yes, they do. But in this case Daniel's so weak that any other infection or infestation could... well, let's just say his body isn't able to fight anything more until he's over these." Fraiser looked up at the observation room and sighed. "At least the intestinal virus appears to be easing off. He hasn't been sick since I came over, has he?"

"No. He ate a little and slept."

"Good."

Both of them turned back to the bed when Daniel mumbled something under his breath as he tossed his head to the side. "Mushrooms," he said, more clearly.

"Think he's hungry?" Jack made a face even as he knew his joke fell flat.

"No. Toadstools... spirits." Daniel mumbled the words into the pillow as he turned restlessly onto his side. "SG-12... demons. We gotta go talk to them." This last came out clearly, almost frantically.

"I think he's dreaming, sir."

"Ya think?" Jack leaned down so that he was on an even keel with Daniel's face. "Hey, Daniel." He touched the hot, sweaty forehead and stroked back a few strands of hair that were stuck to his temple. "It's okay, Daniel. SG-12 are safe now."

"Safe?" Daniel's brow furrowed and he made a few smacking sounds.

One of the nurses rolled a chair over and Jack perched his butt on it, still leaning close to Daniel. "Yeah. Everyone's safe. Go back to sleep."

"Jack?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks." His voice drifted off once more.

Jack swiped at the sweat pouring down Daniel's face and neck, pushing back the sweaty locks from his forehead and temple. Daniel made a slight face at the treatment but didn't wake. His pajamas were soaked; they were going to change him as soon as Deborah came back with a basin of water for a quick sponge bath.

"Colonel, you should go and get some rest." Fraiser walked briskly through the door, adjusting her mask.

"No, I'm fine." Jack hid a yawn and rubbed his stiff neck which he'd gotten from an earlier catnap. One thing with having had a sick Daniel at home was that he could stretch out in bed right alongside him. "Maybe later, once he's woken up."

"At least go and get something decent to eat." Fraiser added a couple sheets of paper to Daniel's chart, then began viewing the latest vitals the nurses had recorded over the past couple of hours. "You know, a shower might also help."

"What?" Frowning slightly, Jack unobtrusively raised an arm and sniffed his armpit.

"For your neck," Fraiser added, a hint of amusement in her voice.

Jack made a face as he rolled his shoulders, thinking longingly that she was right. He tried to ignore his rumbling stomach that he'd treated to nothing more than coffee and a muffin over the past hours. "How's he doing?" He looked pointedly at the pages Fraiser had attached to Daniel's chart.

"Well, obviously his fever's broken and his latest blood work shows the second virus is finally running its course. He should be feeling better when he wakes up."

Jack dabbed the cloth again at the thick beads of sweat that just kept coming. "So the worst is over?"

"He may be somewhat weak for a few days but yeah, the worst is over." She pulled the sheet back when Deborah arrived with the basin of water. "Sir, we can take care of this. Why don't you go eat and shower and come back in an hour or two?" She smiled down at Daniel who didn't react when her nurse pulled his pajama bottoms down. "He's probably going to sleep through this; you probably could take a nap and come back in four or five hours." She took the cloth from his hands, tugging gently until he let go. "I would ask, though, that you shower just before returning to the Isolation room to cut back on the chance of bringing back infectious agents, and that you wear a mask on your return."

Jack rubbed a hand against his bare face; he'd enjoyed the fact that nobody had insisted he wear protective gear but that would definitely change once he went amongst the SGC personnel. "How about I wear a mask out there?"

Fraiser cocked an eye and the fine lines around her eyes crinkled, indicating she was smiling behind her mask. "That'll work. But you'll have to keep your distance from people if you eat in the commissary."

"Okay." Jack watched, almost reluctant to leave, as Deborah washed Daniel's tiny body with quick, efficient strokes. Fraiser was right; Daniel wasn't stirring and it looked like he was going to be out of it for a while longer. He looked around, spotting the discarded gloves and mask he'd tossed onto one of the tables earlier. He picked up the mask and pocketed the gloves. He figured he'd wear them before returning to the room, kind of like a reverse sterilization procedure. And he planned to have as little contact with people as possible.

He'd get assigned barracks, get something to eat, eat it in his bunk, grab a nap and then shower before returning here. He glanced back down at Daniel, who was now lying on his side while fresh sheets were applied to the bed. He remained limp and dead to the world as he was rolled back onto his other side. Sighing, Jack put the mask on and left the Isolation room, in search of a meal and a bunk.

Infirmary. He immediately recognized the smells, the sounds and the feel of the linen beneath him. Daniel turned and cautiously stretched, feeling achy and strangely weak. Nothing hurt, though, which was a good thing. He moved his legs, feeling for the foot of the bed with his feet. "Jack?"

"Daniel."

Okay, not Jack. But Sam would do. "What happened? Where's Jack?" He squinted and looked around, still feeling for the edge of the bed with his toes. He didn't see Sam anywhere, but the tinny quality to her voice prompted him to look up, towards the observation room. There she was, looking down at him with a smile on her face. Observation room, which meant, isolation... He looked at himself, lying in a bed that was much too big for him—

"The Colonel stepped out to get some rest... he'll be back in—"

Memories suddenly hit him. He raised a hand and massaged the bridge of his nose. His hand shook, accentuating how weak he felt. "No, he won't."

"Of course he will... he's been with you for nearly twenty-four hours. Janet just sent him to get some—"

"He doesn't want anything to do with me. Why are you here, Sam?"

"Daniel?"

"I'm a clone. I understand.... nobody wants to get too close to the fake Daniel. It's okay, I—"

"Daniel, you're not—"

"Doctor Jackson?"

The voice was right next to him and he turned to see a familiar face despite the surgical mask covering half of it. Grey hair pushed back behind her ears, glasses emphasizing light brown eyes... he had a few memories of her caring for him, giving him water, reassuring him, her hands and voice soft and gentle right alongside Jack's.

"Deborah?"

Her smile was immediate and her eyes crinkled above the mask. "Glad to see you back with us. Colonel O'Neill stepped out a few hours ago to get some food and some rest. He'll be happy to hear you've finally woken up."

He felt his lower lip tremble and he pressed his lips together for a moment, almost afraid to ask if what he remembered was true, or if he'd simply been dreaming. "Jack was here?"

"Sat right there the whole time." She nodded at an empty chair next to her. "Let me just check you out and I'll give you some water when I'm done."

He opened his mouth obediently when she waved a thermometer before him. He turned to look at Sam, who clicked the mic on and began to explain what had happened while Deborah did a quick examination.

He eagerly took the glass of water from the nurse when she was through. He gulped it down thirstily, trying to process Sam's explanation along with his bits of memories.

"So, I'm better now, right?" he asked Sam as he sat up and leaned forward, trying to stretch stiff muscles in his back and neck.

"For the time being."

"Then, when can I get out of here?"

"Daniel... did you hear what I just said—"

"Of course I did, Sam." He leaned forward, getting onto his knees and moving closer to the foot of the bed until he felt a tug on the IV line attached to his hand. "I have no immunities to any germs or viruses, and I'm getting over the ones I did catch, here in the infirmary, I might add. So why can't I go back to Jack's house?"

"Because, Daniel, the moment you leave this room, it'll be open season for every germ and virus out there, including every single possible childhood illness until I can get you inoculated."

Still on his knees, Daniel turned to face Janet, who was quickly donning a mask and gloves as she approached his bed. Belatedly realizing that it looked like he was begging, he sank back onto the mattress. "But Janet—" He broke off when she sent him a look that meant business.

Slowly he pushed himself forward with his feet until his head and shoulders were on the pillow. As he waited for Janet to finish reading his chart, he felt his eyes begin to close. He yawned; it would be so easy to just go back to sleep. He blinked and opened his eyes wide a moment, only to realize that Janet had been watching him.

"Sleepy?"

"Mmm, a little."

"How about you take a nap, and when you wake up, I'll make sure there's something here for you to eat. The sooner you get your strength back, the sooner your body will be better able to build up an immune system and the sooner we'll get you out of here."

Making a face, Daniel huffed softly as he turned onto his side. But she was right, he could use a nap, although the idea of food wasn't quite appealing at the moment. He yawned again. Maybe when he woke up again, he'd be hungry...

The first thing Jack noticed when he walked back into the Iso room was that Daniel was awake and watching him. The second thing he noticed was that there was a tray of food sitting next to Daniel's bed on a rollaway table.

He groped at the mask, feeling embarrassed, somehow, at being seen wearing it whereas he'd had no such compunctions as he'd walked around the SGC with it on. He tossed it into the disposal bin, and tried to get the gloves off without Daniel seeing what he was doing. The gloves came off with a loud snap, leaving him with the scent of latex floating around his hands.

"Hey." He turned quickly and pasted a bright smile on his face. "Fraiser said you wouldn't be waking up for a while..."

Daniel cocked his head. "I woke up a couple of times... hell, the first time I woke up, they were putting pajamas on me. Sam said you'd gone to get some sleep?"

The comment didn't sound accusatory, not in the least. Still, Jack felt extremely guilty for Daniel waking up without him being here. He pulled the chair closer to the bed and sat. "Yeah. Fraiser insisted and I was a little hungry. Sorry I wasn't here—"

"That's okay. I visited with Sam."

Jack looked around in confusion, half expecting the rest of his team to be hiding in a corner. Then Daniel waved up towards the observation area which was now empty. "Ah."

Jack motioned towards the tray of food that appeared to be untouched. "You're not gonna eat?"

"I'm not really hungry."

Jack picked up a spoon and tapped a hardening glob of orange Jell-O. "Can't say I blame you." There was congealed butter on the toast, but they'd both had worse and the jam in the miniature containers would easily camouflage everything. "You should eat, though. Fraiser's not gonna be happy."

"Janet explained what happened and that I have to stay here for a fe