The blast doors slid open slowly, revealing a solitary man standing on the ramp leading to the 'gate. He looked slowly back towards the control room where others were gathered, watching him. They saw the slump of his shoulders and the darkness around his eyes.

He was a man defeated.

"Colonel O'Neill?" General Hammond asked tentatively through the loudspeaker. Jack's eyes focused on the stocky General and the corner of his mouth twitched. "Yes Sir?" He said.

"What happened?"

"He's gone Sir."

The fatal words were still ringing in his ears.

xxxxx

"Close the blast doors!"

Sam watched the two men facing each other on the metal ramp leading to the gate. With a cry she put her hand to the glass separating them as the blast doors lowered. She didn't know whether it would be the last time she saw either of them.

The blast doors closed with a metallic boom and Jack turned back to Daniel, spreading his arms. "We're alone now." He said, using the tone you would use on a wounded animal. Daniel's eyes were darting back and forth, possibly looking for an escape that just wasn't there. What Jack was interested in was the metal shape clutched in Daniel's hand. Somehow, some way he had gotten a grenade. The pin had been pulled and all that was stopping it from going off was Daniel's fingers curled around the pressure trigger.

"Activate the 'gate god dammit, and no unoccupied planet either." He said, gesturing with the hand that held the weapon that could end them both. Jack looked up into his blue eyes. The eyes that had once belonged to a friend of his and who he knew was now further away than ever before.

"Little help here Daniel." Jack prompted, remembering Janet's words that there was something left of Daniel inside. Looking at the hand that held the grenade, he realised that Daniel, his Daniel, was already helping. The hand was white with strain. The creature before him was trying to release his grasp. It had been a last ditch effort to destroy the body it had been trapped in and it was still being held prisoner.

Jack heard a voice, close to his ear. "Zat me."

Jack jerked and raised the zat gun automatically. He fired without thinking and then realised how stupid it could have been. He saw Daniel's eyes widen in fury before he dropped to the ramp. The hand that held the grenade was held aloft and still strong. Jack raced over to Daniel and looked down. One blue eye was open and regarding Jack. "Sorry I had to make you do that." He said, his voice slurred because it seemed only one side of his mouth was able to move. Jack thought that he must only have partial control of his body. "Get me up."

Jack leaned down and hooked an arm under Daniel's, pulling him to his feet. Daniel was leaning heavily to the side. "Much better." He tried to grin but only half of his face quirked and it looked like a grimace. Jack smiled back, despite himself. "How long can you do this?"

"Not long, the bastard's strong and he's already railing at the walls." Daniel said. He looked sideways at Jack, lurching his uncooperative head. "Can you hold the grenade hand for me?" Daniel asked and Jack immediately placed his hand over Daniel's. He felt the fingers go slack beneath his. "I learned this in Ancient school." Jack snorted. He couldn't believe Daniel was trying to make a joke when they had a grenade pressed between their bodies and Daniel only had a half-assed control of his own traitorous body. Daniel was leaning towards the 'gate, his other hand outstretched. Just before he touched the 'gate he looked back at Jack.

"When I do this I'm going to be letting him out. You have to hold him." Daniel instructed. Jack nodded, not really understanding what was going to happen. "Then toss me through the wormhole." Daniel said. Jack stiffened, clutching Daniel's body harder to his own. "Sorry, I must have misunderstood that last part."

"Jack, I don't have time to argue." Daniel admonished, the slur in his voice getting more pronounced. "You have to do this for me. You have to trust me." Daniel turned his face to Jack, one eye bright and alert, the other half lidded and dull. "You have to let me go now Colonel."

"I think that's the first time you've actually called me Colonel." Jack said with a heavy sigh. Daniel's lip quirked again. "Except when I was calling you Colonel Jackass behind your back."

"Ho ho, you don't think I've heard that one before." Jack breathed in, smelling Daniel. He knew they could both use a shower, but there was still that underlying Daniel smell that he would be able to hold onto and remember. The smell of dust and dirt. Clean dirt, like you would smell when toiling in the soil.

xxxxx

"You've been in the SGC for months now, why do you still smell like that?"

"Like what?"

"I don't know… earthy. Like you've just been at a dig all day."

"Is that bad?"

"No… not bad. Actually, it's more comforting. But bizarre."

"I don't know Jack. Both my parents were archeologists. Maybe the dig is in my genes."

"Maybe."

"You always smell like gunpowder."

"What? I do not."

"I'm not saying that's bad either. In a weird way that's the smell that comforts me."

xxxxx

Daniel was reaching out to the 'gate and when his hand brushed it the chevrons ignited and it started to spin. "Holy-" Jack gasped but he realised the body in his grasp had become less a dead weight and more a struggling one. He'd almost lost his grip on the grenade in his surprise and now wrestled Daniel partially down the ramp to not be obliterated by the swoosh, as he liked to call it.

Daniel had been strengthened by the presence inside him and struggled mightily, but Jack's grip was firm and he wasn't letting go. As soon as the event horizon settled into the glowing circle they all stepped through on a day to day basis, Jack man handled Daniel back up the ramp toward it.

"What are you doing?" The voice issuing from Daniel was definitely not the archeologists. It seemed to be a voice dragged over gravel. The blue eyes flooded black and Jack realised it was giving up any ruse at being human in its desperation. He smiled wryly. The creature was making the form in his arms look less and less like Daniel which made it easier to toss through the 'gate.

"Sending you through the 'gate like you wanted." Jack said. He gritted his teeth and leaned into the event horizon until he had Daniel mostly covered in the shimmery blue, He heard the thing screech and Jack let go, stumbling backwards. The 'gate disengaged just as he drew out his arms and Jack dully felt a sharp pain on the very tip of his index finger. He brought his hands up in front of his face and saw that the index finger was slightly shorter. He'd lost the very tip to the event horizon. He looked at the 'gate.

No matter how much it took from you, it was always hungry for more.

The blast doors slid open and General Hammond was asking what happened. Jack couldn't really hear him, there was a strange rushing noise in his ears. He heard faintly his name being called again.

"Yes sir?" He'd gone with the standard response, hoping it was the right one.

"What happened?"

"He's gone sir."

xxxxx

"7th chevron will not engage."

It was the fifteenth time they'd tried to dial the 'gate address last recorded as being used. Sam had confirmed that the address was not one that had been on the cartouche or that Jack had uploaded when he'd received the Ancient knowledge downloaded into his brain.

"Major Carter?" Hammond prompted. Sam was looking tired and her eyes were red-rimmed but she had wanted to keep trying the gate address, just to make sure. She looked up at Hammond and then back at Jack who was slouched in a corner of the control room, as unwilling as she to move. "The 'gate must have been in a valley or cave Sir and the explosion from the grenade buried it." She said. The fact that it would have killed Daniel was left unspoken but understood by all in the room.

"I know we're once again left without a body, but do you think we could have a funeral this time?" Jack's voice was rough with emotion and the words tore at Sam's heart. A hurt look crossed Hammond's features briefly but then the line of his mouth firmed. "Of course Jack."

xxxxxx

"I would call this less a funeral and more a bbq O'Neill." Teal'c said, taking in the people gathered at Jack's house. Two weeks had passed since they'd lost Daniel and Jack had agreed to host the wake at his place. He hadn't realised how many people at the SGC had known and cared for Daniel. As he passed through the throngs of people squeezed into his backyard and house he heard either tears or laughter as people regaled each other with memories of Daniel.

Jack looked back at Teal'c, shifting the bag of ice he had in his arms to minimise the cold pressed against his chest. "What do you think Daniel would have preferred Teal'c? A bunch of somberely dressed people eating triangular cucumber sandwiches or this?" Jack said, jerking his head to indicate the people surrounding him. Amidst the sadness of the occasion, there was joy and comfort. Teal'c also looked around before his large brown eyes returned to Jack.

"I believe you are right in the assumption that this is what DanielJackson would have rathered." Teal'c agreed, inclining his head. He then glanced around again. "Where is Major Carter?"

Major Samantha Carter at that moment was up on the roof of Jack's house, idling toying with his telescope. Janet sat beside her, a glass of wine forgotten in one hand and her feet up on the railing. "This is so right." She breathed, surveying the people gathered below. Sam nodded, one strand of wheat coloured hair falling into her eyes. "But everything else is so wrong." She said.

"Its been wrong for a while." Janet stated simply and Sam looked at her. She let a hand drop onto her friends in the failing light and they sat in companiable silence for a while until a voice behind them issued forth. "This is where you two are." Jack grumbled, being followed up the stairs by Teal'c.

"Sir – " Sam started.

"Carter, you call me Jack today." He said simply.

"Jack, what did – "

"You can call me Jack, but no questions." He looked back at her, his eyes the colour of whiskey in the sunset, a silent plea in them, telling of a wound too raw to expose to the light. Sam nodded slightly, acknowledging his pain and need for time. He would speak of what happened, but not yet. Not today.

"So, borrowed time huh?" Janet sighed, her voice heavy with sadness and unshed tears. Jack stiffened but Sam's hand found his forearm and squeezed and he relaxed. His face was carefully neutral. "There was nothing borrowed about the time we had Daniel for." Jack said, turning away from them all so they wouldn't see an old Colonel cry.

"No… I'd call it more of a gift." He said, raising the glass of scotch he had in his hands in a silent toast to the sky.

"One hell of a gift." He repeated softly.