Daniel woke up naked, tied up, on the floor...
"Damn, not again," he muttered.
He shifted slightly, trying to get more comfortable, and quickly realized that comfort was going to be a relative term as long as he remained where he was. And he had no clue where that was.
The last thing Daniel remembered, he had been on his way home from the mountain. He'd pulled over to help a couple who were stranded on the side of the road with a flat tire, and then blackness.
He tried opening his eyes, but realized he was blindfolded. Damn this wasn't good. He felt himself start to panic, and then he heard Jack's voice in his head telling him to assess what he could, and figure out a plan from there. Daniel took a deep breath, and started thinking.
The floor was cold and hard beneath him, concrete or tile, possibly. There was no draft or breeze, so he was most likely in a building. OK, so he wasn't still on the side of the road. That was good. At least, he thought it was good.
Judging from the size of the headache, Daniel guessed he'd been beaned with something fairly heavy. Maybe the couple had used their distress as a ploy; get someone to pull over, hit them, rob them. Although what possible reason they would have for stealing his clothing was beyond him.
There was a steady vibration coming through the floor, deep and rhythmic, like a giant banging his foot to some slow, bizarre beat. This went on for several minutes, then stopped. In the silence Daniel heard traffic noise. It sounded a lot like the highway he took in to the mountain every day. The vibrations began again.
Daniel remembered a heavy metals stamping company along the route he normally took in. OK, that placed him about ten minutes from the base.
He checked his bonds next. He'd been tied with rope around the wrists and ankles. Fortunately whoever his captor was hadn't thought to hogtie him, or tie his hands behind his back. Actually, the ropes were pretty loose. Daniel slipped his hands out easily, then reached up and uncovered his eyes.
He was definitely in a warehouse. He looked around while he untied his ankles. A very empty warehouse, probably the one with the "For Lease" sign he had noticed a while ago. There was a dark blur on the floor a short distance away. As soon as Daniel had the feeling back in his feet he walked over to check it out, and was surprised to discover his clothes with his glasses folded neatly on top. He dressed quickly, and headed outside.
Daniel felt a brief twinge of pride when he figured out that he was pretty much exactly where he'd thought he was. It almost made up for the missing wallet and cell phone. He had no idea where his car was, and figured he would probably never see it again. Robbery had obviously been the motive, and he was relieved to have been let off so lightly.
Daniel headed towards the side road, and the restaurant that he knew was just a few minutes away. It had a pay phone out front, if memory served. He could call Jack to come pick him up and take him home.
Daniel was sitting outside on a picnic table when Jack pulled his truck up. He was trying to figure out why he'd been left tied up naked, but with his clothes close by. Best he could figure, the robbers wanted him to wake up too embarrassed to call the police. A plan which, he had to admit, was working great so far.
He stood and walked over to the truck. He could see Jack frowning, checking him over for damage. Daniel sighed, and wondered if it would really have been that bad to walk home. He slid into his seat, bracing himself for what the inevitable argument.
"So, what happened?" Jack was doing his best to sound casual.
Daniel took a deep breath, and started talking. He told Jack everything, from stopping to help the strangers, right through waking up naked, and finding his way to the pay phone. The older man didn't say a word, just let Daniel tell his story.
"Hunh," was all Jack had to say when it was done.
The rest of the ride was finished silence. Jack was deep in thought, and Daniel knew there was a lecture coming, which he wasn't really in the mood to listen to.
Jack parked the truck in the lot behind the building, and followed the younger man up to his apartment. He still hadn't said anything about what had happened, and Daniel was getting worried. Jack should be yelling, screaming, cursing the fact that he'd managed to get himself into trouble again...
Instead, Jack looked at Daniel expectantly. "Have you got any coffee?"
Daniel blinked several times before the words sank in. Coffee. Jack wanted coffee. He nodded, shocked.
"Are you OK to make it, or would you like me to?" Jack sounded concerned, his words gentle.
Daniel nodded again, and headed into the kitchen. He heard the older man follow, and pull up a chair at the counter. Daniel finished setting up the coffee maker in silence. He turned around and saw Jack watching him, his gaze thoughtful.
"You did good, thinking your way out of that." Jack's voice was low and quiet.
"Thank you," Daniel finally managed to say.
"You didn't have anything from the base in your car." It was a statement, not a question. Jack was watching him carefully.
Not knowing how to react, Daniel just shook his head slowly. Jack nodded, and looked down at the counter.
"I called in to Hammond on my way over to pick you up. He's calling the authorities; everything is being taken care of, you won't have to do anything, except give a statement to the police. We've got a couple days off to sort things out. We'll get you a rental car in the morning." Jack looked up again, a slight smile on his face.
Daniel was stunned. Everything is being taken care of. The words echoed in his ears. There is nothing to worry about. The situation is under control.
He realized that Jack was still looking at him, waiting patiently until his thoughts came back to Earth. And another realization struck.
There would be no yelling, no lecture. Daniel had gotten himself into a bad situation, yes, but he had managed to get himself out again. He had figured out what was going on, and he hadn't panicked; he had gotten himself together and done all the right things.
And Jack just trusted that he had done it. There was a respect and admiration on his face, a touch of concern, but none of the fussing and mother-hen attitude of years past. He wasn't treating Daniel like a lost child; he was treating him like a friend, like an equal.
Daniel smiled as he poured the coffee. Suddenly the quiet didn't seem scary. It felt... right. And "right" was something he hadn't felt in a long time.
And yes, a fic can start with naked Daniel, only have Jack and Daniel in it, and be general. This was a personal challenge to myself. No warnings, no spoilers, no beta. Archive: Comfort Zone, Ozymandia's Home. Other then that, please ask. Feedback: O yes, love feedback, need feedback, want feedback...
October 30, 2002 Stargate Sg-1 and its characters are the property of Stargate (II) Productions, Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money exchanged hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations, and story are the property of the author. This story may not be posted elsewhere without the consent of the author.