Another day, another mission. Daniel sighed as he stood before the Stargate, waiting for the others to join him. It wasn’t as if he didn’t want to go on missions anymore either, it was just... Well, he didn’t really know himself. But it was strange somehow. Maybe he just needed to get used to normal life again, if this could be called normal. A little smile tugged at the corner of his mouth at the thought. Most people certainly wouldn’t consider it normal. But it was definitely more normal than living among the Ancients as an ascended being, his body converted into pure energy. Almost anything was more normal than that, really.
He just needed to readjust, that was all. Sure, it had been months since... since what? Since he had been thrown down from the plane of the Ascended, with no memory of his past life... and he didn’t even know why. From what the others had told him, he must have interfered somehow, but he still didn’t know what he had done. From anyone’s point of view, that would take some adjusting to.
He just needed more time, and then he would be fine. Still, with blanks in your memory, in your life, even with most of it filled in, life was a little strange. But it would be all right in time, he was sure it would.
And it wasn’t as if he was unhappy to be here. No, no! It was wonderful to be back with his friends, back where he knew he belonged. He was doing what he loved, with the people he most wanted to be with... but the feeling of something missing was there all the time. And somehow... somehow, he didn’t feel at home, though there was no reason he could see for that feeling.
Maybe he was just tired. After all, sitting up all night working on translations wasn’t exactly the most restful way to spend the hours before a mission. He smiled again, for a moment, at the thought of what Jack would say if he knew. Jack would have seen that Daniel at least got home for a few hours before morning; Jack was like that. Sometimes there was no getting rid of him until Daniel had actually left the base, but this time he had gotten away with it.
Daniel started suddenly as a hand clapped him on the shoulder and a voice seemed to come out of nowhere.
"Next time get some sleep, okay Daniel? I want my team rested before missions, not falling asleep on their feet after a full night’s work."
But... but how did he know? Daniel looked into the hard brown eyes above him, and could only stammer.
"Wh-what?"
Jack sighed.
"Look, Daniel, I know you, and I know that you didn’t get any sleep last night. Listen to me: get some sleep next time, got me? Or I will personally escort you home."
"S-sure, Jack. Whatever you say."
Jack tilted his head and smiled as he clapped Daniel on the shoulder again. "Good," he said lightly, and walked towards the ramp as the seventh chevron engaged and the wormhole opened.
Daniel gazed after Jack, shaking his head slowly. He turned to Sam who was passing then, smiling as if she knew something, and started to open his mouth.
But Sam only looked at him and rolled her eyes. "Don’t even ask, Daniel," she told him. And suddenly Daniel realised that he was far behind his teammates, who were already stepping through the event horizon. Still feeling as though he was missing something, Daniel followed them through the Gate... and in all the commotion, he somehow forgot to ask the others why they had been so late.
~*~
His first view of the planet on the other side of the Gate was less than promising, to Daniel’s way of thinking. As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but prairie, tall grasses swaying in the wind, with a small, miserable group of trees to the left. There wasn’t much chance of finding ruins or anything of interest here, Daniel thought sadly. And, to make matters worse, it was cold, very cold. Daniel shivered.
"Okay, campers," Jack was saying, "let’s get this over with. Carter, Teal’c, get out the gear. Daniel, you’re with me."
Jack waited for Daniel to catch up with him, then they started for the treeline. Daniel was so cold that his teeth were chattering, and the wind seemed to cut right through him.
"Cold?" Jack asked casually, eyebrows raised in inquiry.
"You c-could say that."
Jack laid a hand on the young man’s arm. "Tell ya what, we’ll get some wood for a fire, and then you’ll be toasty warm. How’s that sound?"
Daniel thought it sounded perfect, though it did occur to him to wonder how they were going to build a fire in the middle of a prairie, with that wind swooping down on them. But Jack knew best.
"S-sounds great, Jack."
The older man just smiled a little, and they walked on in silence, Daniel occupied in trying not to freeze, and Jack stealing concerned glances at him from time to time.
"Hey, you all right?"
"Sure, Jack."
"I mean, besides the cold."
"What?"
"Look, I know it’s gotta be hard, and I just want you to know that I’m here if you wanna talk."
Daniel sighed, and put his hand over his eyes. "Yeah."
He didn’t see it, but Jack was looking at him intently, worry and sympathy simply radiating from him. "It’s been a hard year, for all of us, but..." He broke off suddenly and stared into the distance, then continued softly. "You didn’t need any of this, Daniel."
The archaeologist looked up suddenly, to meet the sad, haunted eyes of his best friend. And his heart warmed in a way that was so familiar, and yet always so new and strange.
"You still can’t remember, can you Daniel?"
Completely taken by surprise, Daniel could only look at Jack and shake his head slowly.
"Must be hard."
Daniel gave a long, shuddering sigh, and felt it all coming to the surface, all the sadness and pain of the last year, one of the hardest of his life.
"Sometimes... sometimes it’s like there’s a hole in my life, a hole I can’t fill, no matter how hard I try. Nothing seems right anymore."
The young man looked up suddenly, his eyes earnest and full of a pain Jack knew he could never understand. "I know it’s in there somewhere, Jack, but I can’t find it! I try and I try, but when I reach for it there’s nothing there, just emptiness. And it... it doesn’t feel like I fit in here anymore, like I fit in anywhere. Jack, I... I don’t know what to do."
Daniel looked at him then, and in that moment, Jack didn’t see the strong man Daniel had become: the brave, capable Daniel who had escaped from guerillas in Central America, leading them away from the other scientist until he could run no more. He didn’t see the patient diplomat who could negotiate with anyone, solve any problem, the genius who could speak so many different languages and translate anything. At that moment, he saw only the young man who was his self-appointed responsibility in life, the best friend who had always turned to him in time of trouble. He saw only a Daniel who needed help, needed protection, needed him.
And, faced with the plea in those amazingly childish blue eyes, Jack pulled him into a rough hug for a moment, his arm around the young man’s broad shoulders. Then he looked into Daniel’s face, his hands on the archaeologist’s shoulders and his eyes very soft.
"Hey, I know what it’s been like for you this past year. Not such a great homecoming. But you do fit in here, and the SGC needs you. I need you. We all do. And I want you to remember this: we’re here for you, and everything’s going to be all right. Trust me on that one, okay?"
Daniel looked into the older man’s eyes, and knew suddenly that Jack was right, that he was going to get through this, with some help from his friends. Things were going to work out. The relief of that realisation was overwhelming, and Daniel felt the tears spring into his eyes at the thought, at the knowledge that he did not have to face his problems alone anymore.
"I will, Jack, thanks." Then Daniel smiled, as he had not smiled since Janet’s death, and that smile was all the thanks Jack needed.
"Hey, no problem. Now, what d’ya say we get that wood before we both freeze to death?"
Daniel met Jack’s smile with a grin of his own. "Great idea, Jack. Let’s go."
~*~
The walk back to where they had left the others was a silent one, but not any less companionable than the walk to the treeline had been. There was nothing they needed to say, it was enough to know that they were together and that they were friends. And within Daniel’s heart was the first peace he had felt in... he didn’t even know how long. Once again the purpose was back in his life, things seemed right again, and he was happy.
He didn’t even seem to mind the cold anymore, and was only made aware of his surroundings when he realised that Sam and Teal’c weren’t anywhere in sight. He was beginning to worry when he noticed that Jack didn’t seem surprised. The older man merely looked around calmly, and turned to Daniel.
"Must be in the cave."
"Cave? What cave?"
Jack seemed to be extraordinarily engrossed in arranging his load of wood as he replied. "Yeah, there’s supposed to be a cave around here somewhere. Carter and Teal’c have gotta be there. It’ll be better for the fire anyway."
"Uh... yeah." Daniel was still confused, but that was all right. These things usually became clear eventually. Usually.
Jack simply walked to the back of the Stargate, and pointed out the hole in its base. Daniel was getting interested now. A cave beneath a Stargate with its entrance in the Gate platform was simply unheard of! There could be writings there that no one had ever seen before, secrets of lost civilisations, even important information left by the Ancients themselves. For all he knew, the cave could even have been built by the Ancients! This could be the archaeological find of... of... of...
Daniel suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder, and turned his head towards Jack.
"We gonna go in, or are we gonna just stare at that hole all day?"
Daniel made his face and voice purposely matter-of-fact and lowered his eyebrows seriously. "Uh... let’s go in."
"Good call, Daniel. After you."
"Right."
The tunnel was dark and narrow, but not uncomfortable. Oddly enough, the musty smell that usually pervaded these places wasn’t even detectable here. Fascinating.
After a few feet, the tunnel suddenly expanded into a hallway, and a flight of stairs led down. With his hand upon the walls on one side, Daniel found scratches and indentations. He could feel the excitement rising in him, the urge to see them, to know who had made them and what they said. But this wasn’t the time for that; it would have to wait until later.
At the bottom of the stairs was only darkness. Where were they? He could feel Jack’s presence behind him as he strained to see in the blackness.
"Sam? Teal’c?"
But only the echo of his own voice came back to him, magnified a thousand times by the walls of the cave.
"Where are you guys?"
Then Jack pushed him around a corner, and there were Sam and Teal’c, a fire behind them, and Sam was holding... a cake? What?
She stepped forward and handed the cake to him. Then she smiled, kissed him on the cheek, and said, "Happy Birthday, Daniel."
Birthday? Him? Oh. Oh, it was his birthday. He’d forgotten all about it – again. But his friends remembered, and the warmth in his heart grew at the thought until it was like a fire within him.
Teal’c simply bowed, his arms behind his back, and a slight smile on his face. Jaffa don’t smile much after all. " Many happy returns, Daniel Jackson."
Then Jack was in front of him, smiling, giving him a one-armed hug. "Happy Birthday, Danny boy."
Suddenly Daniel was smiling too, smiling with an abandon that even his friends saw only rarely. A glow seemed to spread from him through the cave, through the hearts of each of his friends. Before they knew it, they were all laughing and talking, and Sam was cutting the cake.
Jack turned to look at Daniel for a moment, saw the rare smile on his face, the happiness that seemed to fill him completely, and leaned back with a sigh. Yep, he’d done it again. Just leave it to Jack O’Neill to plan a good birthday party. Just leave it to him to make this birthday a memorable one for Daniel, the first one they had been able to celebrate since he was miraculously returned to them. Well, technically it wasn’t really a miracle, but Jack couldn’t seem to see it any other way. He probably never would. For him, it was a miracle and always would be. Looking at the young archaeologist’s shining face, he congratulated himself again. "Happy Birthday, Daniel," he thought to himself, and took a bite of Sam’s cake.
~*~
"You know, Daniel, this was all the Colonel’s idea."
Daniel raised his eyebrows and glanced sideways at Jack. "Oh?"
Jack cleared his throat explosively and tried not to react when he saw the mischievous glee on Sam’s face.
"Well, Daniel, I knew you weren’t going to remember. I didn’t really do anything anyway, Carter’s the one who made the cake."
Daniel turned to Sam in surprise. "Really, Sam? You made the cake?"
Now it was Sam’s turn to look embarassed, and Jack congratulated himself on a successful deflective maneuver. Another victory to O’Neill. Sweet.
"Sam, it’s great!"
Sam smiled, and her face turned pink at Daniel’s approbation. "Thanks, Daniel, but it was nothing. Cooking is really just a matter of combining chemicals in the right amounts and applying enough heat. It really isn’t any harder than -- "
"Carter, Carter!" Jack lowered his hands from his face to look at Sam. She had definitely been getting into her scientist mode; he had stopped her just in time. "Look, Carter, this is a birthday party, not a lecture hall. Let’s just keep that stuff for the long winter nights, shall we?"
"Uh, certainly, sir."
"Thank you, Carter."
Daniel looked from one to the other, at the exasperation on Jack’s face, and the supressed laughter on Sam’s. Daniel’s eyes met hers, and suddenly they were both laughing as if they would never stop.
Jack looked around irritably, a slightly wounded expression on his face.
"Hey, what’s so funny? What’d I miss?"
But Daniel and Sam were too far gone to speak, and Teal’c merely raised an eyebrow in his direction. For once, they were both baffled.
Jack continued to look confused and vaguely hurt until he caught Daniel’s eye. Seeing the young man so happy brought a smile to his lips, and then he was laughing too. Only Teal’c looked on silently. This was one of those times he knew he would never understand humans.
~*~
They sat together around the fire that night, while the flames flickered on the walls of the cave, revealing tantalising glimpses of strange symbols. Daniel wasn’t sure how much longer he could stand it. Turning his head, he saw Jack’s eyes upon him, filled with tolerant understanding.
"You know that’s one of your birthday presents, right Daniel?"
"What?"
"Hammond arranged this mission just so you could study this cave to your heart’s content. But – it was my idea."
"Jack, I – "
The older man shook his forefinger at Daniel. "Ah-ah! Don’t thank me, just get some sleep tonight. You’ll have plenty of time for the walls tomorrow."
Daniel smiled. This was wonderful.
"Thanks, guys, for everything. This is the best birthday I’ve had since... Well, it’s been a long time."
Sam smiled and Teal’c inclined his head slightly. "It is a pleasure, Daniel Jackson."
"Goodnight, Daniel, and sleep well. Happy Birthday."
"Thanks, Sam. Pleasant dreams."
As the others were settling down, Daniel looked at Jack, sitting beside him, and met the dark eyes of his best friend. Jack smiled a little.
"Happy Birthday, Daniel. You deserve it."
Daniel’s blue eyes were very earnest, with a joyful light in them that went to Jack’s heart. "Thanks, Jack... for everything."
"Hey, no problem. Now get some sleep, okay?"
"Sure, Jack. Goodnight."
"G’night, Daniel."
Just for a moment, their eyes met, the blue ones gazed into the brown, and both smiled. Then Daniel lay down in his sleeping bag and closed his eyes. His last thought before he drifted off to sleep was that this was the best birthday he could remember, ever since he was a little boy. For the first time in a long, long while, he was at peace, and he knew that he fit in, that he belonged here with his friends, doing what he had always loved. He fell asleep with a smile on his face.
Jack sat up a little longer, watching the firelight play on the figures of his sleeping teammates. Daniel looked so peaceful lying there, smiling in his sleep. An unusual softness came over Jack’s face as he watched him. Jack could never get over how young Daniel looked when he slept.
And Daniel was back now. He had gotten over the hardest part today, when he had had that conversation with Jack, and now he would be fine. The kid was nothing if not resilient; he’d make it. Daniel was back, and Jack wasn’t going to let anything happen to him... ever. Looking at his sleeping face, Jack renewed that vow: he would always protect Daniel, and see that nothing happened to him again. Having lost him as he did, once, and had Daniel returned to him once more, miraculously, beyond hope, Jack could not bear the thought of losing him again. And, if it had anything to do with Jack, nothing ever would. His best friend was back now, and Jack was going to make sure that he stayed with them. Everything was going to be all right.
Jack smiled again, softly, watching as the archaeologist moved slightly in his sleep and settled into a new position with a sigh. The light of the fire gleamed in Daniel’s hair and showed his mouth hanging open slightly. His eyes opened for a moment, then closed again peacefully, and the smile returned to his lips.
"Happy Birthday, Daniel."
Author’s Note: This story is set on July 8, 2004, but takes place before Lost City Part I. I decided I could be a little loose about the timing since it’s all relative anyway, and we don’t really know exactly when these stories take place. Anyway, this was really my way of wrapping up the events of Season 7 for Daniel, many of which were very hard on him. They all needed a break, especially Daniel, so I decided to give it to them. I wanted a little closure for him, too, especially as regarded his ascension and reappearance on earth. But, most of all, this is my Happy Birthday to Daniel. As Jack said, he certainly deserves it.
© July 8, 2004. The characters mentioned in this story are the property of Showtime and Gekko Film Corp. The Stargate, SG-I, the Goa'uld and all other characters who have appeared in the series STARGATE SG-1 together with the names, titles and backstory are the sole copyright property of MGM-UA Worldwide Television, Gekko Film Corp, Glassner/Wright Double Secret Productions and Stargate SG-I Prod. Ltd. Partnership. This fanfic is not intended as an infringement upon those rights and solely meant for entertainment. All other characters, the story idea and the story itself are the sole property of the author.