Standing absolutely still, Teal'c watched as the replicators swarmed his friend's body, each taking turns feeding.

Doctor Fraiser and Daniel Jackson had left more than an hour prior and had yet to return. Some of the replicators had begun showing signs of departing once again, straying further and further from O'Neill's bed before returning to wait once again.

O'Neill had closed his eyes after the initial glance at the replicator on his chest and had yet to open them again.

The entire situation caused Teal'c much pain, knowing the feelings his friend had for the creatures infesting this room, and knowing how helpless O'Neill had to feel—unable to move, to speak, to hear—a warrior trapped within a shell of a body.

It was agony just to comprehend what might be going on behind those closed lids.

It took nearly all of his self-control to hold himself back from acting.

He could see in his mind's eye what he would do: raising the gun and pulling the trigger, each bullet penetrating the body of the replicators, breaking them into pieces. Three blasts from his zat'nik'tel and they would be gone, completely wiped from the face of this planet.

He'd considered that option more than once.

Watching as he was, Teal'c began to notice a change.

They'd begun to move as a group, shifting to the end of O'Neill's bed, the last of the replicators edging out from under the thin infirmary blanket.

Slowly raising his hand, he pressed the button on the side of his radio, and speaking low, he offered his report.

"The replicators are preparing to move. I would recommend teams two through five converge on the infirmary hallways. The replicators will not leave this section alive."

XXX

Daniel raced along the corridor on level 19, heading for the stairwell that would take him directly to the hallway outside the ICU, Sam and Janet running behind, their footfalls echoing on the concrete.

"Daniel, wait," Sam called, but he ignored her, pushing the stairwell door open and heading down the stairs two at a time.

Yanking open the door on Level 21, he raised his P90, steadying it with his left hand, his wrist protesting a little, but he ignored that as well. There were more important things to do right now.

He heard Sam and Janet enter the level several long moments after him, their steps pausing when they entered the dim light.

"All teams," came Teal'c's voice through his radio. "The replicators are on the move, heading into the corridor toward the stairwell."

Daniel smiled.

They were heading to him.

XXX

The sound of gunfire was loud in the confined space of the hallway, but it helped her to find Daniel—with pieces of replicator at his feet.

"Daniel!" she yelled, tapping him on the back to let him know that she was there. His muscles twitched under her hand, but his hands remained steady.

"Keep an eye out, Sam. There has to be more," he said, raising his voice over the racket. Gunfire further down the corridor followed by the sound of zats caught her attention.

"Teal'c?" she asked.

Daniel shrugged. "Probably, but after what they did to Jack, I don't blame him one bit."

XXX

Detouring through the wards, Janet moved quickly, her eyes watching for replicators. With all the noise in the hall, she wouldn't be surprised to see some of the bugs look for refuge somewhere else.

She had one destination in mind, however.

ICU.

This time, though, she made sure she was armed.

The dim light made for slow going, but she knew this floor like the back of her hand and her pace remained steady, her gun held at the ready.

One room away from the ICU she spotted one.

High up on the wall, hiding in plain sight.

It didn't have a chance in hell.

XXX

They were gone.

Or at least he didn't feel them anymore.

And while opening his eyes seemed like a good idea, his mind protested. What if they were still there and he just couldn't feel them anymore? Maybe they'd just sucked him dry.

This had to be hell, because life couldn't be this bad.

Or could it?

Knowing Jack O'Neill's luck anything was possible.

And so he waited.

XXX

Stepping around machine and wires to reach the Colonel's side, Janet stretched out her hand and laid it on his arm, rubbing it gently, trying to reassure him. His pressure was still up but not nearly as high as before, which made her happy. The less drugs she had to give him the better.

But he'd still not opened his eyes for her.

Reaching up, she put her hands on his face and turned it slightly so he could see her better, his eyes slowly fluttering open under her touch.

In them she saw a flash of fear and helplessness, but as soon as it was there it was gone once again, his gaze resting on her face.

"Sir, I know you can't hear me," Janet began, speaking slowly, hoping that he could at least read her lips. "The replicators are dead. You're safe. And you're getting better."

She closed her eyes briefly, trying to gather her thoughts and feeling helpless that she couldn't do more for him. When she opened her eyes, her gaze locked with his and a flash ran through her mind.

There was concern in his eyes and worry. It seemed he understood, at least a little of what she'd said. As she pulled her hands away, his heart rate immediately increased, panic flashing through his eyes for a second. She reached for the pad at his bedside and scribbled a quick note.

"SG-1 safe. Paralysis and deafness temporary. Concentrate on getting better. Okay?"

He held her gaze for a moment longer before closing his eyes once again, his blood pressure dropping another few points.

She sighed. He was going to be fine.

XXX

Peering around the corner of the door, Daniel glanced in, his eyes finally settling on his friend.

Things looked the same as they had before. He was still hooked up to multitudes of machines and life support, but according to Janet the paralysis was wearing off. His hearing would take longer.

It had only been a day since the incident with the replicators and it was the first time he'd had the opportunity to stop by. As painful as it had been to watch the replicators crawling over Jack—especially knowing how he felt about them—it had also brought him a measure of pride to see how courageous his friend could be even in the face of horrible odds.

He had stared his fears in the face and defeated them.

Nurse Matthews offered him a brief smile, but he could see the grief in her face. Lori Johnson had been a friend.

Offering her a supportive smile, he walked to Jack's bed and watched him for a moment.

What made Jack open his eyes then, Daniel wouldn't know, but he was grateful. Reaching over, he snagged the pad and pen lying on the bedside table and began to write. His message was simple.

"I'm sorry."

Confusion passed along the lines of Jack's face and Daniel continued. "I'm sorry for what I said, for what happened on the planet, for everything. It was uncalled for and unfair to you."

Jack held his gaze for several beats before blinking once, slowly and deliberately.

Daniel smiled, placing the pad back on the table, his hand resting on his friend's strong shoulder, grateful that he could still call him friend.

XXX

The sweep of the base took two days and by the time it was completed, Major Wales was already off of life support and had taken her first steps.

For Colonel O'Neill, it took another two days before he was allowed out of bed despite his vehement protests.—in writing.

His hearing loss due to the punctured eardrums was nearly complete but healing nicely. By the end of the first week, his hearing was beginning to return, one small piece at a time. The puncture had also affected his ability to get around on his own due to dizzy spells and occasional bouts of nausea.

He was eventually released, nearly two weeks after his initial admittance, to his on-base quarters, with daily visits to the infirmary for check ups. It didn't make him happy, but it was either that or staying confined to the infirmary.

The nurses wanted no part of that and neither did he.

But even as his hearing returned, he'd remained quiet, much to the surprise of his team and the majority of the base. At first, they'd attributed it to his hearing loss, but when Janet let it slip during breakfast one morning with Sam that he was healing quicker than expected, they'd become concerned.

A quiet O'Neill was a thinking O'Neill, and a dangerous one at that.

XXX

Drumming her fingers on the top of her notes, Sam finally made up her mind, shoving her stool away from the desk, her feet hitting the floor. Striding to the door she was surprised when she walked into Daniel.

"Oh God, sorry," she said, her hands grasping his shoulders as she steadied him.

"You're in a hurry," he commented, a wry smile on his face. "Where are you going?"

"Nowhere."

"Uh huh," he nodded, his face thoughtful. "Have you talked to Jack yet?"

"No."

"And you're waiting for…? You are going to have to tell him you know."

"I know, I know."

"I did. Wasn't so bad."

She flashed him a grimace. "You went before he could yell at you. He's been brooding."

"I don't think it'll be as bad as you think, Sam. Admittedly, he's not going to be happy about it, but I think he'll understand if you explain it to him." Seeing her disbelieving expression, he continued. "Use small words. Apologize a lot. Grovel if you have to."

A half smile found its way to her mouth and she ducked her head. "Is that your expert advice?"

Daniel nodded. "For what it's worth." He shrugged, offering one final nugget. "Be honest. He trusts you and values your opinion. Give him the same courtesy."

XXX

Hammond paused outside the door, his hand lifted as if to knock but hanging in mid-air, the gesture incomplete.

What was he afraid of? This was his base.

But he was worried.

Shaking his head, he rapped on the door, listening for the word to bid him entrance.

"Come in."

Swinging the door open, he watched as Jack O'Neill clambered to his feet, but he waved for him to sit. "At ease, Jack. I wanted to see how you were doing."

"Fine, Sir," he said, shuffling around his desk to clear off his guest chair, dropping the papers on the floor. Hammond smiled. It was a unique filing system and one only O'Neill understood.

"Are you sure about that?"

O'Neill sank back into his chair as Hammond settled into the chair that had been cleared. "Doc Fraiser should give me a clean bill of health soon and I'll be able to go home which will be a nice change to the concrete gray I've gotten used to."

"She just wants to make sure everything is working right before sending you home. After everything you've been through, I wouldn't be surprised if she tried to keep you longer."

"She's trying," O'Neill chuckled, rubbing an invisible smudge off of his finger. "I'm not being very cooperative."

Hammond raised an eyebrow and chuckled, but his expression quickly turned serious. "I wanted to apologize to you about approving Major Carter's request. I was concerned about it but—"

"Sir, I've talked with Carter and she explained everything to me. I would have done the same in your shoes. How could you have known that the dirt on P3S-295 was a distant relative to the Lego bugs from hell?"

"In a way, I'm glad they were here since they seem to have helped speed your recovery by taking out the excess dirt and toxin in your system."

"How ironic is that? Saved by a bug." O'Neill shook his head.

"And I've already spoken with Doctor Jackson. He approached me after the team briefing and explained what happened on the planet. If you think additional punishment is due, just let me know—"

"No, that's fine. Daniel and I have resolved things between us. And honestly, I should have taken care of it before we left. It won't happen again."

Hammond nodded once, seeing that Jack had made up his mind. Rising, he offered a smile and his hand. "Welcome back, Jack."

XXX

Leaning back in his desk chair, Jack sighed and stretched his arms above his head, trying to get the kinks out of his shoulders.

Good old Doc Fraiser had been happy with his progress this morning, which meant less time under her thumb and the possibility of getting off of the base was much higher. He was optimistic that he'd be able to see the outside by the weekend.

Although, he'd never look at dirt and dust the same way.

He'd had to talk to MacKenzie, always fun when you only heard one in ten words—not that he listened generally, but it was the principle of the matter. He hated missing things.

Like friendships.

He knew that he'd made a mistake when it came to the whole incident with Reese. He'd had the chance to think about it over the past week and there were some things that he wished he could take back.

Daniel had apologized to him early on for his behavior on P3S-295 and he'd accepted it, shouldering some of the blame himself. Jack had known even before they left that there were things that should have been said between then, things that should have been addressed.

In that respect, Jack had acted like an ass, putting his team's lives on the line by allowing personal issues to cloud his professional judgment.

But then, Daniel did have a point. When it came to things he didn't know or didn't understand, his first thought was of protection and self-preservation.

That wasn't always the right thing to do.

Jack sighed, rubbing a hand across his face, wishing the piles of paperwork would go away, but a knock on his door drew his attention.

"Come," he called, leaning forward, grateful for any interruption at this point. The petite form of Major Wales appeared in his door, his infirmary buddy.

"Major, come in. How are you feeling?"

She smiled as she entered, leaving the door ajar. "Good, Sir. Everything's back to working order. How about you?"

"Nearly there, nearly there." Jack gestured for her to have a seat in his guest chair after he cleaned off the papers he'd stacked there.

"Sir," she began a few beats later, her words slow in coming. "You don't seem surprised to see me."

"Nope," he grinned. "Not surprised at all."

"You see, I am," she admitted, ducking her blonde head, a slight flush reddening her cheeks.

"You're worried about something like that happening again, aren't you?"

She nodded once, her eyes meeting his across the desk.

"I can't tell you that you'll never encounter something like that ever again. The universe is a pretty strange place and we've only explored a very small section of it." Jack said, folding his hands before him, movement in the corner of his eye catching his attention. He knew who was standing out there, hovering, but he ignored him. "But, when it comes to missions, there is one thing you can count on beyond the shadow of a doubt. Two things actually."

"What, Sir?"

"First, that no matter what happens, the SGC does not leave its people behind."

"I know that. It's what kept me going when I thought I was dead. I knew someone would come looking for us."

Jack's lips turned up in a smile.

"And the second thing?"

"That sometimes, when things look the absolute worst, help comes from the last place you expect. In my case this time, it came from the people—the person—I'd begun to take for granted."

XXX

Daniel pushed himself away from the wall, not wanting to be found loitering outside Jack's office. He'd been surprised to see the Major in there, but when he heard the words, listened to what Jack was saying, he knew immediately that they were for him.

Jack wasn't big on talking, he knew, and even though he'd apologized for being an idiot, Daniel hated to leave things so open-ended.

While he was still upset at what happened to Reese, what Jack had done, Daniel understood a little better what was going through Jack's mind, and why he'd done what he had.

He didn't agree with him, but then, how many things did he and Jack see eye-to-eye on?

And honestly, there was no one else he'd rather have standing at his side. With all of his faults and his head-strong personality, he trusted Jack.

Shoving his hands in his pockets, he ambled down the hall feeling lighter than he had when he'd arrived. Things still weren't perfect, but that was okay. They didn't need to be. As long as they could talk to each other, even if it was agreeing to disagree, Daniel could live with that.

Imperfection was fine for him—in all its splendid colors.

XXX

FIN

XXX

Plot bunny

A follow-up for season 5's Menace, after Daniel calls Jack a "stupid son of a bitch". I want those two to be at odds with each other after that little 'disagreement' over Reese. Jack can be hurt/upset/guilty over it...and well, Daniel is too come to think of it. But both are stubborn and so haven't sorted it out by the time they have their next off-world mission (not Sentinal).

Basically, I want lots of whumping of Jack, and you can whump Daniel too, and there to be lots of angst between Jack and Daniel. By the end they need to have resolved their issues.