Chapter Eleven

It seemed to take forever, but Dr. Fraiser finally permitted Jack to leave the Infirmary so that he could continue his recuperation in his own home. He'd tried to talk her into letting him drive himself there, but she'd put her foot down on that one, something about not trusting him that far yet.

'Crap,' he thought. 'You'd think I'd been really sick or something.' He winced as he considered his own words. 'Watch it, Jack. You were pretty sick. In fact you thought you'd bought it this time, for good.'

So now he was perched on the side of the bed, waiting for whoever was supposed to drive him home, like some schoolboy who'd gotten in trouble at school and was waiting for the arrival of a possibly irate parent.

He straightened with surprise at the sight of two very familiar faces at his door. "Carter? Teal'c? Come to see me off?"

"No, sir. We're your ride home." Carter smiled, but it was tentative one, as if she wasn't sure where she stood with him.

"My ride home, you say?"

Teal'c inclined his head. "Indeed we are." The big man's mouth turned upward at the corners, which meant he was grinning from ear-to-ear and turning somersaults. Jack was going to have to talk to his Jaffa friend about lightening up just a little bit.

Jack rubbed his hands together in mock glee. "Good, then let's blow this joint before Doc changes her mind."

An authoritative voice made him jump. "Doc has not changed her mind, but I do have some last-minute instructions for you - along with your medicine and recommended diet."

"Diet?" Jack looked suspicious.

"Yes, your stomach is still pretty tender, so I would recommend that you eat bland foods for a few days. And no alcohol with this medicine."

"Bland? As in no taste whatsoever?" Jack looked doubtful and managed to project his disbelief in his words.

Carter's hand covered her mouth but he could tell she was grinning at his antics. As usual, Teal'c raised one eyebrow.

"Yes, Colonel, bland - unless you want a repeat of your earlier episode when you ate that sandwich that Siler snuck to you."

"Sandwich?" Jack tried to look innocent, but gave it up as a lost cause when Janet glared at him. "Oh, yeah. That sandwich."

Carter nibbled her lip and balled her fists at her side. "You saw Siler, sir?"

"Um, yeah, he dropped by to see how I was doing." Jack's face wrinkled with the effort as he stood on his feet. "No big deal."

Sam turned away, "If you say so, sir."

Jack blew his breath out and sighed. 'That went well,' he thought with sarcasm. 'No doubt about it, she's pissed.'

At the time, his decision to keep his team members away from his room in order to prevent them from being subjected to his possible death had seemed like a good one. But now...

'Crap,' Jack thought. 'So much for a happy reunion.'

"Well, I'll meet you at the entrance with the car, Teal'c." Sam smiled brightly but her eyes were suspiciously moist.

"Your ride, Colonel." Janet stepped aside as Joyce pushed the wheelchair into the room.

Much subdued, Jack sank into the wheelchair. "Home, James."

"My name is not James, as you well know," Teal'c objected as he took up his position behind the chair.

"Yeah, whatever," Jack sank down even lower, his mood a match for his posture. Their ride to the surface took much longer than usual, mainly due to the numerous personnel who made a point to stop and chat with him. Overall, everyone seemed relieved that he was on the mend. He could well understand those sentiments. So was he.

Teal'c took it all in stride, seeming to have some innate sense that told him when Jack was tiring. By the time they took the final elevator ride to the surface, Jack was ready for a long nap. The promised car was waiting for them, but it wasn't Carter's. And if it were, her taste in vehicles had become much more conservative.

"Get new wheels, Carter?"

"No, sir. We couldn't fit everyone in my car, so General Hammond suggested I use an Air Force sedan."

"Ah," Jack nodded and smothered the thought of Teal'c trying to fit himself into Carter's backseat that bordered on the ridiculous.

"For which I thanked him profusely," Teal'c added somberly.

"Yeah, that would have been a tight fit." Jack took a deep breath and tried to summon up the energy to stand.

Seeming to appear from out of nowhere, Teal'c was at his side. "Allow me to assist you, O'Neill."

"If you don't mind," Jack muttered.

"I do not." Somehow the big man got him out of the chair without making it obvious that Jack needed help to stand. Carter had the back door open and stood with a worried look on her face.

'Well, at least she's not pissed anymore. But I don't like this either,'Jack thought with discouragement. He laid his head against the back seat and closed his eyes... just for a moment. Not that he would go to sleep. Just to rest them for a bit.

"Sir?"

Jack opened his eyes and blinked. "What?"

"We're here?"

"Here?"

"We have arrived at your home, O'Neill," Teal'c turned and looked around the headrest of his front seat.

"Already?" Jack struggled upright and looked out the window. They were right; he was home. He must have slept the entire way.

"So we are," Jack grinned; the nap had restored some energy. He would have to work hard to regain his former level of fitness if he wanted to be restored to active duty as soon as possible.

"Wait here and let Teal'c help you out, sir," Carter suggested as she too watched him from her drivers seat.

"Nonsense, I can do it myself," Jack replied stubbornly as he opened the car door and placed one foot on the driveway - his driveway - at his house.

It had been too long since he'd last seen it. And for a while, he banished the thought that appeared out of nowhere. 'Sure, you almost died, but almost doesn't count in certain cases. Death is one of them,' he told himself silently.

He stood and took a moment to look around; the neighborhood looked the same. At this time of day, the houses were mostly silent, most of the inhabitants at work and the kids at school. Life in the real world - outside the Mountain - went on as usual.

Intending to look at his house, he turned and saw instead, the chest and face of a very burly Jaffa, Teal'c. "Don't do that, T," Jack whined.

"Do you not wish to enter your home?" Jack swore he could see a slight smile on his teammate's lips, but the look of merriment was gone before he could be certain.

"Ya think?"

Carter had trotted ahead and bent over to put the key in the lock, he smiled at the view of her derriere. He directed a glare at Teal'c when he suspected him of enjoying his befuddlement. "What?"

When he looked back, the view had changed as she entered his front door. Mildly disappointed, Jack shuffled forward, under the watchful eye of his most current watchdog.

"You have been missed, "O'Neill."

Jack looked away. "Yeah, I missed you too." He paused and licked his lips. "Listen, about those orders..."

"There is no need to explain the obvious, O'Neill. I understand that you merely wished to protect us from the pain of your demise."

"Yeah, well, thanks for understanding. At the time it seemed like a good idea. Now . . ." he jerked his head toward the front door where Carter had disappeared.

"She will understand, with time," Teal'c placed his hand under his elbow, when Jack faltered.

"But in the meantime?"

"She is a woman of much intelligence," Teal'c replied cryptically.

"She's way smarter than I am, that's for sure." Jack shook his head with uncertainty.

"Do not underestimate her," Teal'c replied. "As for me, I regret not trusting Drey'auc's instincts in the past. Now, it is too late to change my own misconceptions."

Jack said nothing, what could he say that wouldn't sound trite? The man had lost his wife. So he settled for nodding and trusted that Teal'c would understand what wasn't said - what couldn't be put in words.

They paused at the front door and Jack took his cue to proceed through it on his own. He couldn't keep the big grin off his face as he walked into his living room. It had been far too long since he'd last seen it. Taking a moment, he looked around; it hadn't changed.

Thanks goodness he didn't keep plants in the house; they would've died. He winced at the thought of his backyard. The grass would've grown a foot by now. And as for his roses, they had probably given up the ghost long ago.

Carter called out from the kitchen. "I'm fixing you a bite to eat, and then we'll leave you alone for a while."

"I've got food here?" Curious, he started for the kitchen.

"When Janet told us she was letting you go home, we stocked it for you."

"You did?" She jumped when he spoke and dropped the plate. She crouched on the floor to pick it up and he bent down to help. "Sorry."

"For what?" She wouldn't look at him and busied herself with putting the pieces of bread back on the plate.

"For startling you... and other things," he mumbled, not sure where or how to proceed. He used the wall to help himself stand, still not as sure on his feet as he had been before all the previous crap had happened.

Both standing now, she turned toward the sink. "I'll fix you another sandwich."

"No, wait." Jack reached out to her and touched her arm, then jerked it away as she stiffened. But at least she was facing him again, her hands full of bread.

"You aren't hungry?"

"No... I mean yes, I am, but that can wait."

"But your privacy . . . I mean, you did say..." She licked her lips and looked down at her fingers that were tearing at the bread. "Look, I made a mess of it and the least I can do is clean it up."

Jack enfolded her hands in his and held them. "No, I'm the one that made a mess."

She cocked her head, for once seeming to not know what he meant.

"Of us - and the team." He added in a soft voice to clarify. "And I'm sorry for that."

"I missed seeing you, sir." She looked at their intertwined hands and nibbled her lip. "I wanted to help."

"Yeah, I know. And you did, but, there was a real good chance that I was . . . wasn't coming home... ever. And I couldn't see you watching me... like that." He mentally squashed the traitorous voice that insisted that he might still not be out of the woods. That he might have been left - less than a man - less than she deserved.

Their eyes locked, and he prayed she'd see the entreaty and pain in his. "Like Daniel?"

"Like Daniel." He nodded somberly, dropped her hands and spoke in a more hearty tone. "So listen, if you both want to stick around a little, that's all right with me. And maybe later, we can do pizza or a barbeque. If you want to, that is."

"I'd like that, sir," her answering smile lit up the room and Jack's life.

"As would I." Teal'c's voice boomed from the living room.

Jack grinned, almost giddy with relief, "Good, no, better than good. That's great. So where's the food? And none of that crap that Doc said I should eat. I want the good stuff."

***

"Thank you, Colonel. You may put your shirt back on."

"So, Doc. I'm good to go?" Jack smirked.

Dr. Fraiser pursed her lips. "Hmmm, you're still two pounds under."

"Two pounds. Doc, my watch weighs that much and I took it off."

"Sir, two pounds down, but you also look two pounds down."

"Ah, Doc..." he whined.

"But I can't see that keeping you from going on this mission," Janet Fraiser signed off on the physical exam form with a flourish of her pen and a smile. "You're good to go, sir."

Jack hopped down off the gurney, and then hesitated.

"Ah, Doc..."

Janet was confused by his actions for a moment before it dawned on her. She had promised the results would finally come in today. It had been a long couple of weeks as she and the colonel waited.

For Colonel O'Neill the wait had to have been stressful considering he was looking for proof positive that all of him had recovered; especially those little packets of DNA that he referred to as his troops.

She had to smirk at his mention of 'his troops.' Like an Air Force Black-Ops colonel would have troops. They would be missiles. The idea thoroughly shocked her in a delighted way. She knew Sam would be extremely happy if she could just tell her. Not that she was under the impression that Jack O'Neill's 'troops' were in anything but excellent shape. But this test would be absolute proof, and provide some much needed peace of mind for the colonel.

"I'm sorry, Jack," Janet remorsefully said, "It's late."

"Not your fault, Janet. It's just the nature of military paperwork," Jack headed for the main Infirmary area where his team's voices could be heard. They should all be ready to suit up for the mission, their next chore.

His team would be the best medicine he could have Janet reasoned as she headed for her office and the pile of paperwork that waited for her there.

No sooner had she slipped her shoes off than she was slamming her feet back into them. There on the very top, the very report that was late. Ripping open the envelope she scanned the technical jargon. Mentally double-checked the patient number, one that was double-blinded like those used when testing for AIDS, it was the colonel's results for sure.

Swinging out into the corridor, her feet tapping a fast tattoo across the tiles she shouted into the Infirmary.

"Colonel!"

Joyce whirled around from her chore of cleaning up after the four pre-mission physicals.

"They all just left together, Doctor."

Janet swept passed her and banged out the door into the corridor.

'Damn, the elevator's already gone.'

Not even slowing down the stair well was her access to the armory below. Her steps were sharp and sure in the deserted hollow of vertical space. Puffing hard she banged out into the corridor just in time to see SG-1 enter the elevator, they were about to evade her once more, headed for the gateroom.

"Colonel!" Janet shouted just as the door banged shut, she was already covered half the distance, but too late.

"Damn!" Popped out loudly, filling the hall with her disappointment.

"Doc?"

And there was Jack, standing in the alcove at the armory's window, papers in hand. Janet picked up her feet and fairly flew for him.

"Doc? What's wrong?"

She could see all of his antennas twitching, his hand dropped to the 9mm on his hip from long years of habit. She was scaring him to death.

"Nothing, sir," Janet placed a restraining hand over the hand that rested on his weapon. "In fact you might say that the troops are in tip-top shape, for a 25-five year-old man."

He was so adorable when he could be confused, not something he often was, and certainly not for long. Dawning reason flashed across his face along with that crooked grin that warned all that knew him that he was going to pull a fast one.

The colonel dashed off his signature on the last paper handing the whole wad to the sergeant there.

"Denny, give me that helmet over there will ya."

With the helmet in hand, he turned back to face her and smiled, just for her.

"Thanks, Doc. That's good news. Gotta go. Mission ya know."

A fully recovered Jack O'Neill dashed past her at a full run for the stairwell. But unlike her his steps were soundless, no banging doors could be heard and only a ghost would be seen in the dark hollow vertical space she had just descended. He would go deeper, to his team and what ever mischief he was up to.

Janet smirked, she would hear of it, most likely in excruciatingly great detail . . . after the mission.

***

Jack felt like he was twenty-five, of an age to go along with his 'troops,' as he hurried to do what his first impulse had been - bedevil Jonas Quinn. Only the lack of news about the test had quelled his natural urge. He now knew that the man wasn't totally responsible for his loss of Daniel Jackson, and in the middle of the night we could admit to himself that perhaps he was entirely innocent of blame. Jack even felt a tinge of guilt at the man's attempts to pay a debt that was more his people's than his own. In fact, that attempt earned his grudging admiration. He wasn't sure that he could have done the same if he wore those shoes.

These thoughts churned across his mind in place of the ones that roared out at him from that room they were usually confined to that agreed upon prison with the uncertain future release date. Where his hopes for a future with a certain smart and very sexy subordinate, one of Earth's greatest natural resources, a woman to whom he had pledged not only 'Carter Territory,' but his heart, a heart kept mostly in stasis, but now allowed a flight of fancy, the fuel for this mad dash to play the jokester. A wild moment of rejoicing before duty was fully donned - Jack would be Jack. Colonel O'Neill would wait, as he always did.

Thankfully he'd given Jonas one last errand to run before joining SG-1 for his first official mission as Daniel's replacement. That thought now gave him less of a pause; he was beginning to believe he was more angry with Daniel than he ever had been with Jonas. But since Daniel wasn't available and Jonas was...

In his present mood he vowed to give Jonas a chance to prove his worth. Perhaps in the future he could vent his anger to the person he'd just discovered it was created for - Daniel. Stranger things had happened.

Reaching the bottom of the stairwell he exited into the corridor that led to the blast door normally used by departing teams, and there was Jonas.

He mentally pumped his fist in the air. 'Yes! Jack you still have that flawless timing.'

"Quinn."

Jonas ground to a halt as Jack dashed up handing him the helmet, which the younger man took automatically.

"Colonel?"

"Ah, goggles. You'll need some goggles to go with that helmet."

Jonas started moving toward the elevator.

"You won't leave without me. Will you?"

"No. We have time. Just make it snappy."

Jack smirked to himself. The kid was so gullible. His heart skipped a beat as a picture of Daniel flashed across his thoughts - Daniel in his helmet - he pushed it aside, that was the past, he needed to move forward, all of them needed to move forward.

Stepping into the gate room, Carter stood there watching the entrance for him, just like she always did. He smiled and she smiled, Teal'c became preoccupied with the windows above them, standing there as if he were totally alone. It startled him for just a moment. This was something they did routinely, only, now did it occur to him that it was his and Carter's moment, something that didn't reside inside the room, the only near-public display of their feelings for one another.

Facing each other their eyes spoke forbidden thoughts as each watched the other's back. When she turned away and moved up the ramp prompted by some unseen signal from Teal'c, Jack dropped his eyes to the floor, feigning boredom. It was their way, for who knew if they would reappear on the other side of that wormhole, or if they could survive past their first breath there.

The blast doors parted and Hammond strode in, business as usual.

"Good luck," spoke the general as Jack looked up.

"Thank you, sir."

Practically on the general's heels appeared the final member of SG-1.

"How do I look?" Jonas announced himself; Jack had to look away to hide his smirk.

"Ahhhh, you might want to lose the helmet."

Jack could have bust out laughingly, leave it to Carter to join in totally unaware of his little joke on Jonas by providing him the helmet. He tried to warn her off, but it was all in good fun, she must have had an inkling of what he was attempting. Probably more than he did.

"Good guess on the green," he responded to Jonas as way of greeting, and to cover his complicity in his failed gag.

Jonas muttered a confused 'Thanks,' and occupied himself with donning his cap.

Jack could feel the tightening up of the team, all of them already watching out for each other. Jonas' smooth merge surprised him, but he was happy about it. They were all safer for it.

"SG-1 you have a go." Jack knew the older man felt the snapping of the bonds, knew that he and his people were ready for this mission.

Thank you, sir," he smirked and turn away to face the gate, visually checking each of his people. Jonas he checked last, he sent a final nod of gratitude to the man and received a sincere reassurance that all would be as agreed.

And with a smile and a nod began to lead them the way up the ramp, he could place each of his teammates' positions by emotional radar as they followed him - their trust humbling.

Carter passed closely, their hands brushing, fingers touching as she dropped back, taking his back. Now nothing could shake him, she was close, protecting him as he would her.

Colonel Jack O'Neill took that finally step, out into the unknown. There was no fear, they would survive, and they had each other - and unbeatable combination once more.

The End and The Beginning