Stargate Horizons

CHAPTER THREE

Daniel left the briefing room and went back to the infirmary.  He learned from a nurse that Danny had been moved to a private room and that Janet was with him.  When the archeologist got there, he was relieved to see that Danny had apparently fallen asleep.

"I gave him a mild sedative," Janet explained.  "It didn't take much to put him out.  He'll probably sleep for a few hours."

Daniel shook his head.  "No, he won't."

"What do you mean?"

Before Daniel could answer, there was a whimper from the bed.  Danny began to grow restless, his respiration increasing.

Even as the first bloodcurdling scream tore from the boy's throat, Daniel was there, scooping him up in his arms.

"Shh.  I'm here, Danny.  You're safe," he murmured softly as he rocked Danny back and forth.  He laid his cheek on the boy's sweat-dampened hair.  "It's going to be okay.  You're going to be all right.  Just go to sleep and dream about all those happy times, like when Mom started teaching you how to read hieroglyphs and Dad let you excavate that statue all by yourself.  Do you remember when you found the entrance to that chamber that nobody else saw?  Dad was so proud of you.  He said that you were a better archeologist than some of those old fuddy-duddies who taught him in school.  Those are the things you need to remember, Danny, the things that showed how much they loved you."

As Daniel talked, Danny's cries faded away to a quiet whimper, which finally went silent.  His movements stilled.

It was then that he did something that had Daniel's eyes filling with tears.  He put his arms around Daniel's waist and whispered, "Daddy."  The archeologist tightened his hold on the boy, squeezing his eyes closed against the tears.

A moment later, Danny grew quiet, slipping into a deeper sleep.  Daniel looked up to see that his teammates had come in.  Sam was crying, and Jack looked like he was holding onto his emotions with a great deal of effort.  Teal'c's deep brown eyes were full of sadness.

Janet came forward, her own large eyes also bright with tears.  She checked on Danny, running a hand through his hair.

"I think he'll be okay now."

"I'm going to stay with him.  I had nightmares several times a night for the first few weeks."

"But you didn't have anyone to hold you like that, did you," Jack said in a roughened voice.

"No," Daniel admitted quietly.

"Then I'd say he's going to be just fine with you taking care of him."

Jack turned and left the room, his back stiff.  Teal'c followed him as he walked out of the infirmary.

"You are greatly distressed, O'Neill," the Jaffa observed.

"You've got a real talent for understatement there, T."  Jack slammed the side of his fist against a wall.  "Dammit!  Daniel shouldn't be going through this.  Neither of them should.  Back when we had that lovely little vacation experience with the Keeper and I found out how Daniel's parents died and that he saw it, I didn't want to think about what that must have done to him.  For an eight-year-old little kid to see something like that.  God.  And then he had to live through it all over again because of that Keeper.  And, now, here he goes again, having to dredge up all that pain once more.  Only, this time, he also has to deal with watching his clone suffer through it as well.  If I was him, I don't know if I'd be willing to go through this, not if I didn't have to."

"Daniel Jackson feels that he is the best person to help his clone through this ordeal."

"And he's right about that.  Watching him back there made that abundantly clear.  But how many more scars is this going to leave?  He's been through too damn much already."

"We must give him all the friendship and support that he needs."

Jack looked at the Jaffa.  "And that's exactly what we're going to do."


Danny was sleeping soundly, his little hand clutching the front of Daniel's T-shirt.  When the archeologist made a move to get off the bed, the hand had come out and grabbed on tight, refusing to let go, so Daniel made himself as comfortable as possible on the bed with him.  Janet was now gone, taking care of other patients.

"What you're doing is a really wonderful thing, Daniel," Sam told him.

"It's something I have to do, Sam.  I can't let him go through this alone, not like I did.  Jack may have offered to do it, but he doesn't know."  Daniel looked down at the sleeping child.  "He doesn't know what I went through, what Danny's going to go through."

Sam touched his arm, rubbing it gently.  "But it's like you said, Daniel, you didn't have anyone to be there for you.  Danny does.  He's got you.  And that's going to make all the difference in the world."

The archeologist's gaze returned to his clone.  "I can't help but wonder how different he's going to be.  Not having a family, being put in foster care and bounced from home to home, I learned to rely only upon myself.  My books became my refuge, burying myself in them and shutting the rest of the world out.  Mom and Dad's death and the life I lived afterwards shaped me into the man I am.  I doubt that I'd even be in the program if they hadn't died.  I'd probably have been off on a dig somewhere and never given that lecture that destroyed my academic career.  I'd never have met Catherine."

"And we'd all be dead now," Sam concluded.

Daniel looked at her.  "Maybe not.  General West only approved that mission to Abydos because I told him I could figure out the symbols on the other side and get everyone back home.  And if we never went to Abydos, Apophis would never have had a reason to attack Earth."

"Oh, come on, Daniel.  You must know that, sooner or later, that mission would have been approved.  The military had to make sure that any threat to Earth was eliminated, even if it would have meant sending a team on a mission they might never get back from.  We know of at least two alternate realities where they went on the mission without you, and look how those turned out."

Sam gazed down at the beautiful little boy who was a mirror image of what her best friend had looked like at that age.  "I don't know how this will change the way Danny is when he grows up, but there's one thing I know for sure.  He's you, which means that he will grow up to be a wonderful, kind, caring man, just like you are."

Daniel's head ducked slightly in embarrassment.

The major smiled.  "And he's also going to have your brains, so you'd better be well prepared."

The archeologist also smiled.  "Better start saving up for the college tuition now."

"It's a good thing you make tons of money.  Eight years isn't much time to save for that."

Daniel shrugged.  "Just because I started at sixteen doesn't mean he will."  That's when a thought hit the archeologist.  "We're going to have to create a whole new identity for him, aren't we."

Sam nodded.  "We did it for the colonel's clone.  It shouldn't be a problem with Danny."

"There's just one big difference, Sam.  Jack's clone was old enough that we had him made an emancipated adult, so there's no problem with parents not being around.  Danny's eight.  His records are going to have to show that he has a mother and a father, or at least did have."

"Anyone who looks at the two of you together is going to assume that you're his father, Daniel.  They couldn't help but assume that."

"I know, which means that whatever fake records we make for him, they're going to have to show that I'm his father."

"What about his mother?"

Daniel studied Danny's face.  "I don't know.  He's too old to be mine and Sha're's, even if our marriage was recorded here on Earth.  I, uh, I guess we'll have to invent someone," his mouth twisted in a wry grin, "some girlfriend I got pregnant."  The smile disappeared.  "We'll have to say she died recently, and I took the child."

"It might be better to say she was your wife, and you got divorced years ago, avoid questions of legality in you having him.  It wouldn't be hard to make up fake marriage records."

"I guess you're right."  Daniel fell silent for a long moment.  "I have to admit that I'm feeling kind of nervous about this.  For all intents and purposes, I'm going to be a father.  Jack was right about one thing.  I have zero experience with this.  I've never even had a niece or nephew to babysit."

"Many first-time parents had no prior experience of any kind."

"Most first-time parents are bringing home a newborn baby, not an eight-year-old."

Sam smiled.  "Yes, you lucky guy.  You get to miss the diaper changing, two o'clock feedings, keeping the kid from putting absolutely everything in his mouth, the terrible twos, and other delightful stuff like that.  The hardest part is over . . . well, that is until he hits his teens."

Daniel chuckled softly.  "Thanks for pointing out my blessings, Sam."

"Think nothing of it.  What are friends for?"  She became serious.  "You do know that we'll be here to help you, don't you?  You won't be alone in this."

Daniel met her earnest gaze.  "I know, Sam."

"You look tired, Daniel.  You should try to get some sleep."

"I can't leave him.  He might have another nightmare."

"Well, you could always ask Janet to bring a cot in here."

"I guess that would work."

Sam went out to find Janet, who agreed to allow a cot to be put in the room.  She made a call, requesting that one be brought to the infirmary.  When the two women took the cot into Danny's room, they found Daniel fast asleep on the bed, Danny snuggled up against his chest, the archeologist's chin resting on his blond head, an arm draped over the child's body protectively.

"Now, if that wouldn't turn any woman's heart to mush, I don't know what would," Janet stated.

"Yeah," Sam agreed with a soft smile, her heart very definitely turned to mush.  What she wouldn't give for a camera.

Janet got a blanket and tucked it around the two sleeping Daniels, very carefully removing the elder's glasses and placing them on the table.  She then rejoined Sam.

"I'd say that he's not going to need that cot," she remarked, "at least not for a while.  Come on.  Let's let them sleep."


As conscious awareness slowly returned to Daniel's mind, he was struck with confusion for a moment, not remembering where he was.  Then the memories came flooding back, and he opened his eyes – to come face to face with a pair of identically blue eyes.  Danny's nose was mere inches from his, eyes searching the archeologist's face with curiosity.

"Hello," Daniel said softly, giving the boy a little smile.

Danny did not reply, his eyes still doing their intense search.

"Um . . . I guess I should introduce myself, huh.  We really didn't get the chance before.  As it so happens, my name is Daniel, like yours.  You and I are . . . related."

Danny frowned.

"I know.  You're probably wondering why you never met me before or why your mom and dad didn't mention me."

At the mention of his parents, the little boy's eyes clouded up with grief.  There was a question in them as well, one that Daniel really didn't want to answer.  But he knew he had no choice.

"Yes, Danny, it really happened," he murmured gently.  "Your mom and dad, they . . . they died."

Tears welled up in Danny's eyes and began falling down his cheeks to wet the pillow.  Though it was heartbreaking to see, Daniel was glad to see it.  He had never let himself cry in front of people after his parents were killed.  Whenever someone else was around, he'd always held it in, put on a brave face.  Only when he was all alone had he allowed the tears to fall.

Daniel gathered Danny into his arms and held him close as the boy cried.  "That's it, Danny.  Let it out.  I know how much it hurts, how much you're going to miss them.  My . . . my mom and dad died, and it hurt for a really long time.  I still miss them sometimes.  But I know that they loved me, and that we had some happy years together with lots of good memories.  Those good memories you have can make it better, Danny, and you need to always remember how much you were loved."

The child in his arms was sobbing quietly now, his small body shaking.  Daniel simply held onto him, rubbing his hand up and down Danny's back the same way that he remembered his mom doing when she was comforting him.

Danny at last cried himself back to sleep.  By then, Daniel was feeling emotionally drained.  He had known that this was not going to be easy.  Danny was going to need an awful lot of love and patience, especially over the next few weeks.

Daniel had not yet figured out when and how he was going to tell the boy what he really was.  It would have to be done before he was taken off-base.  Daniel had been a very observant and curious child, and there was no reason to believe that Danny would be otherwise.  It wouldn't take him long to see the differences between the world of today and his memories of 1973.  And if he watched any TV or saw a newspaper or something else with a date on it, he'd know for sure that he wasn't living in the year that his memories were telling him it should be.

But how was he going to react to the knowledge that he wasn't the real Daniel Jackson?


Since Daniel refused to leave Danny's side for more than a few minutes at a time, it was up to his teammates to make sure that he ate.

"You know, you can't stay glued to his side forever, Daniel," Jack said when he brought the archeologist some coffee.  Daniel was now sitting in a chair beside the bed.

"I know.  He's just . . . really fragile right now.  He needs to know that he's not alone, that there's someone who cares about him and will watch over him."  Daniel looked at Danny.  "I don't want him to wake up alone.  After Mom and Dad died, every time I woke up those first few days, I was alone, except for when a nurse came in to awaken me from a nightmare."  He noticed the touch of sadness on Jack's face.  "I'm sorry.  I guess that must sound kind of self-pitying."

"It doesn't sound self-pitying at all Daniel.  It sounds like you recounting a life that no child should ever have to have."

Daniel shrugged slightly.  "I got used to it.  I came to value the solitude I was given by my foster families since it gave me the ability to devote my attention to my studies."

"But how many times did you wish that there was somebody who would just hold you?"

Daniel's gaze immediately dropped to the floor, his expression closed off.  "I did get hugs, sometimes.  Some of my foster families were really nice, people who fostered kids because they loved children.  Most of those people, though, had several kids, so they didn't have a lot of time to devote to each individual child.  And I was shy, kept to myself, so I didn't involve myself in family stuff very much."  He looked back at Danny.  "I survived."

"Like you always do."  Jack couldn't help but wonder if Daniel's remarkable ability to survive and rise above all the crap life threw at him was forged in those childhood years following the death of his parents.

"I want his life to be better," Daniel murmured.

"It will be, Daniel, with you there to take care of him."

"I didn't think about this before.  What am I going to do when I'm on a mission?  We're sometimes gone for days."

"I guess you'll have to find someone who is willing to take him in while you're gone."

Daniel was silent for several seconds.  "I may have to leave SG-1."

Jack didn't respond.  He didn't want to lose Daniel from the team, especially since they'd only just gotten him back a few months ago.  But if there was any reason for Daniel leaving that Jack would be willing to accept, it would be this.

"I really don't want to see that happen, but I guess you'll just have to play it by ear, see how things work out," he said at last.

A movement from the bed alerted the two men to the fact that Danny was waking up.  Daniel got up from his chair and stood over the bed.

The boy's enormous blue eyes opened and looked up at him.

"Hi," Daniel greeted with a smile.  "How are you feeling?"  Danny didn't answer, as the archeologist had expected.  "I bet you're hungry.  Am I right?"

There was a small hesitation, then Danny nodded.

"Actually, I'm pretty hungry, too.  How about if I go get us something to eat?"

The fear that flashed through Danny's eyes was so fleeting that Daniel would have missed it if he hadn't been paying very close attention.  The boy was now trying to look like it was okay, but his hands were clutching the sheet a little too tightly, and Daniel wasn't buying it.

Jack, too, had seen the fear and stepped closer.  "Hello there, Danny.  I'm Jack, a friend of Daniel's.  I was thinking that I could go get the food.  Then you and this guy here can spend some more quality, conscious time together.  How's that sound?"

Both men saw the boy relax, his eyes flitting back and forth between the two men.  He gave another little nod.

"Great!"  Jack clapped his hands together.  "So, what'll it be?  I'll warn you.  The food in this place isn't the best in the world.  In fact, some of it is downright deadly, but there are a few things on the menu that are actually edible, like, um . . . waffles!"

Daniel had to hide his reaction with an effort so that neither Danny nor Jack would see it.  Jack still noticed it, though, and decided that he'd have to ask the archeologist about it later.

"I think, uh . . . waffles would be good," Daniel said.  He looked at Danny.  "Would that be all right with you?"

This nod was a bit more energetic.

Jack smiled.  "Waffles it is, then."

Daniel gave him a look.  "Good luck talking the cook into making waffles at five o'clock in the afternoon."

"Hey, I'm not a colonel for nothing, you know."

Jack sauntered out of the room.  When Daniel turned back to Danny, he saw that the boy was frowning slightly.

"What's wrong?"

Danny's eyes flitted to the door.

"Oh.  You're wondering about Jack?  He and I go way back.  In fact, he's one of my very best friends."

Hesitantly, Danny reached out and fingered Daniel's shirt.

"Ah.  You're wondering why we're dressed alike."  Daniel thought over his words before answering.  "Well, you see, this is a kind of military base, and we both work here.  And now you're probably wondering why you're here.  That's a really long story, one that we should probably wait until you're feeling better before going into.  And, before you ask, no, I'm not in the military, I just work for them.  Actually, I'm an archeologist, like your parents."

A little spark of interest lit within Danny's eyes.

"In fact, my specialty is ancient Egypt, too," Daniel continued.

The interest grew brighter.

"On top of that, I'm also a linguist.  You know what that is, right?  Your mom was one."

Danny's head bobbed up and down.

Daniel leaned down closer.  "I happen to know that you love learning new languages.  Since I can speak, oh, around thirty of them, I bet I could teach you a few."

Danny's eyes were bright with excitement now, which made Daniel so happy that he wanted to laugh.  Instead, he gave the little boy a smile and ruffled his hair.

Just then, Daniel's bladder told him that it was full, and that made him realize that Danny probably needed to go as well.

"Do you need to go to the bathroom?"

There was another nod.

"Come on, then."

Danny got out of the bed, and Daniel led him over to the private bathroom.  Knowing that the boy would prefer some privacy, he stayed outside as Danny went in.

"Don't forget to wash your hands," Daniel instructed as he shut the door, leaving it open a tiny crack.  He stood there until Danny was finished and came out.  "My turn now."

When Daniel exited the bathroom, he found Danny wandering around the room, looking at things.  The hem of the hospital gown, which would have come up to around Daniel's knees, was being held bunched up in Danny's hand so that he wouldn't trip over it.

'I guess Janet didn't have any extra small sizes,' he mused.  'We're going to have to get him some clothes.'

The archeologist knew that keeping Danny isolated in here was not the right thing to do.  When this happened to Daniel, he hadn't wanted to go out in public and be around a bunch of strangers.  He had wanted to stay in his room, where it was safe.  But Daniel knew that had actually hindered his recovery.  Danny needed to be given human contact and interaction, lots of it.

The archeologist went to the phone and called the main ward and asked for Janet.

"He's awake, and we're waiting for Jack to come feed us," he told her.  "I thought that you might want to introduce yourself and ask him whatever doctor questions you need to."

"I'll be right there," Janet responded.

She arrived a moment later.  Danny gazed at her uncertainly.

"Hello, Daniel," she said with a gentle smile.  "I'm Doctor Fraiser, but you can call me Janet.  I'm the doctor who has been taking care of you since you came here.  I'm Daniel's doctor, too, so he can vouch for me."

"She's a very good doctor, Danny," Daniel confirmed.  He paused, smiling slightly.  "Even if she is kind of bossy sometimes."

Janet gave him a little slap on the arm.  "I see big needles in your future," she muttered.

"Oh, boy.  I'm in trouble now."  He rubbed his butt cheek with a grimace.  "I can feel them already."

When Daniel and Janet looked at Danny, they were delighted to see that he was smiling.

"So, how are you feeling, young man?" the doctor asked.

The smile vanished as Danny backed up a step, covering his behind with his hands.

Janet burst into laughter.  "Don't worry.  You aren't going to get any shots."

Looking like he wasn't quite sure if he could trust her, he let his hands fall to his sides.

"Okay, sit up on the bed."

With a little boost from Daniel, Danny did as he was told.  Janet pulled out a tongue depressor.

"Open up."

The mouth came open and the depressor went in.

"Yep, everything looks good inside there."  She peered into his ears next.  "All fine in there, too."

Daniel knew that Janet had already given Danny a complete exam and realized that this was her way of putting him at ease.

"Are you hurting anywhere?" she asked.

Danny shook his head.  At that moment, his stomach growled loudly.

Janet frowned.  "Uh oh.  Sounds like a terminal case of hunger to me."  Janet clucked her tongue.  "We've got to treat this immediately, before it's too late."

Right on cue, Jack walked in.  "Colonel Jack O'Neill to the rescue, ma'am," he announced.  "You wouldn't believe what I had to go through to get these waffles.  I just about had to sell my soul, so you guys had better appreciate it."  He brought the tray of food over and set it on the overbed table.  He handed one plate to the archeologist, then positioned the table in front of Danny.  "Dig in."

Danny wasted no time in pouring syrup on the waffles and begin shoveling them into his mouth.  Daniel sat beside him on the bed and started eating his.

"Well, since this patient appears to be saved from death by starvation, I'll go back out and attend to the rest of my patients," Janet said.

"Wait, Janet.  I wanted to talk to you about something," Daniel told her.  "I'll walk out with you."

Danny immediately stopped eating, that hint of fright in his eyes again.

"I'll be right back, Danny," Daniel assured him.

"I'll stay with you, kid," Jack said.

Daniel pointed at the colonel.  "Don't you eat my waffles."

"Wouldn't dream of it," Jack claimed with a perfectly straight face.

Daniel left with the doctor, the two of them walking far enough away from the closed door so as not to be heard by the occupants.

"I want to get Danny out of the room," the archeologist said.

"I think it's a little too early for that, Daniel.  He seems to be doing better, but the fact that he's still not talking proves that he's got a long way to go."

"Janet, I know what Danny wants, but I also know what he needs, and what he needs is to be around people, to have plenty of human contact.  If he doesn't get that, he'll just go deeper into his shell."

Janet gazed up at him.  "Are you speaking from experience?"

"Yes.  The people who tended to me in the beginning made the mistake of giving me what I wanted, which was to stay where I thought it was safe, where there weren't a lot of strangers and loud noises.  For months after the accident, loud crashing sounds scared me to death and often made me flash back on that coverstone falling.  When my grandfather took me to breakfast after the funeral, I had to hide how scared I was.  I think that if I'd been slowly exposed to all that stuff, not allowed to hide away, I'd have been a lot better off."

Janet nodded.  "Okay, Daniel.  You're definitely the expert when it comes to Danny, so I'll trust your judgment.  He can leave the infirmary tomorrow."

"Thanks.  Somebody needs to get him some clothes, though."

"I can take care of that when I go home tonight."

Daniel went back into the room.  As he walked up to the bed, he saw that his plate of waffles was missing.

"Where are my waffles?" he asked, eyes narrowing.

"What waffles?" Jack responded innocently.  He turned to Danny.  "Did you see any waffles?"

Appearing as if he was trying really hard not to laugh, Danny shook his head.

"Jack?"

"Daniel?"

"I want my waffles, Jack.  If you don't give me my waffles, I will make you listen as I recite the entire line of Egyptian kings and the names of all their wives and children."

With amazing speed, the plate of waffles appeared from behind Jack's back.

"You don't play fair, Daniel," he groused.  He turned to Danny, leaning down to whisper, "He was going to make me listen to the names of all those boring Egyptians.  Now, that's just plain cruel."

Danny couldn't hold it in any longer and started laughing.  Daniel and Jack shared a smile.

The colonel got to his feet.  "Since you're more interested in your waffles than in your best buddy, I'm going to go find someplace where I'm wanted," he said in a mock tone of effrontery.

Daniel sat in the spot Jack had vacated on the bed and scooped up a mouthful.  "See you later, Jack," he mumbled around the food.

"I get no respect," Jack huffed as he walked out the door, shutting it behind him.

Daniel looked down at the boy sitting beside him.  "So, do you think I should tell him that we don't actually know all those names?"

The boy shook his head, smiling.

"You're right.  I may need to use it to threaten him again."

Danny's large blue eyes gazed up at him for a very long minute, then the boy leaned in, wrapped his arms around Daniel's waist, and laid his head on the archeologist's chest.  His throat tightening, Daniel held the child in a gentle embrace.  They remained like that for several seconds before Danny pulled away.

Daniel finished his waffles, which were now completely cold, then moved the table away from the bed.  He turned to face Danny.

"So, how would you like to get out of here?"

There was no attempt to hide the fear this time.  Danny's head gave a little shake.

"Oh, come on.  You can't tell me that you're not curious about what's out there.  Have you ever been on a military base before?"

Danny hesitated, then shook his head again.

"Well, this one is especially cool.  It's inside a mountain."

That clearly surprised the boy, the fear being replaced a bit by curiosity.

"Besides, if we don't leave here, how am I going to show you my office . . . with all the books and artifacts?"

The curiosity began to overwhelm the fear.

"And then there's the artifact cataloging and storage room.  Oh, and the research library."

That did it.  The fear was gone, replaced by intense curiosity.  Daniel knew that when the time actually came for them to leave the room, the fear would return, but at least Danny now had something exciting to look forward to, which would help ease his fear.

There was a soft knock on the door, then it opened to reveal Sam, who smiled.

"Hey.  I thought I'd come by and say hi."  She stepped into the room.

"Danny, this is another really good friend of mine, Sam, which is short for Samantha," Daniel introduced.

Sam walked up to them.  "Hello, Danny.  It's nice to meet you."  She held out her hand, which the boy shook after a short pause.  She sat in a chair.  "So, what's up, guys?"

"Well, Danny and I were just talking about him getting out of here," Daniel replied.

"Really?  That's great.  I hate being in the infirmary," she told the boy, "so I should imagine that you're eager to be set free."

Danny's expression of uncertainty told the major a lot.  She looked at Daniel for confirmation.

"Danny's just a little nervous about it," he said.

"Ah.  Well, I guess that's understandable.  It can be kind of scary going places you've never been to before.  Of course, with all the traveling I do, I had to get used to it.  But I have to tell you.  Some places are pretty strange.  And we won't go into the weird food some places have.  I mean, there are plenty of new things I'm willing to try, but I draw the line at bugs."  She made a disgusted face.  "Fortunately, they don't serve bugs in our commissary.  However, they do serve ice cream."

"And cake," Daniel added, knowing what Sam was doing.

"And pie.  Mustn't forget about that, although, personally, I'm partial to the blue Jell-O."

An expression of longing was now on the little boy's face.

"I suppose that we'll have to stop by the commissary when we're out and about tomorrow," Daniel commented, "just to make sure that the ice cream is up to its usual standards."

"Most definitely," Sam agreed.  "They might even have those brownie bites to put on it."  She'd have to go out and buy a package of brownies tonight.  "Hey.  Would it be okay if I joined you two tomorrow?"

Daniel looked at Danny.  "What do you think?  Should we let her tag along?"

The little boy appeared to consider it for a moment, then he nodded.

Sam grinned.  "Great!  This'll be fun."  She got to her feet.  "I'll see you tomorrow, then."

"Bye, Sam."  Daniel met her eyes.  "Thanks."

She smiled back at him and nodded, then left.

"Isn't she nice?" Daniel asked.

Danny nodded.

"Sam's great, and she's really smart, too.  Just don't ask her any scientific questions.  You won't understand most of what she says.  It's like a foreign language . . . one I haven't learned."  Daniel studied his clone's face.  "Are you getting tired?"

Danny shook his head.

"Okay.  So, what would you like to talk about?"

The question was answered with a shrug.

Daniel snapped his fingers.  "I know.  How about if I talk about some of the digs I've been on?"

That suggestion received a nod.

For the next three hours, Daniel shared with the boy a few of his archeological adventures.  At first, he stuck to digs that were on Earth, then he moved on to the more exciting stuff off-world, changing the location of the adventure and referring to aliens and off-world humans as "natives."  Danny listened with wide-eyed wonder to Daniel's tales of hair-raising adventures, mysterious puzzles, and secret chambers.

"I bet you didn't know that archeology could be like that, did you?"

Danny shook his head emphatically.

"Neither did I, well, at least not quite that exciting and death defying.  I sometimes feel like Indiana Jones."  Danny's frown of puzzlement made Daniel realize his mistake.  "He's a character in the movies, an archeologist," he explained.  "You'll have to see them sometime."

Seeing that Danny's eyelids were beginning to grow heavy, Daniel asked him to get in the bed.  As he tucked the boy in, a little hand snaked out and grabbed his sleeve, the fear back in his eyes.  Daniel gave the hand a squeeze.

"I won't leave, Danny," he promised.  "I'll be here when you wake up."

Relaxing, Danny closed his eyes.  A moment later, he was asleep.  Gazing down at him, Daniel felt his emotions spill over.  At that moment, the boy before him wasn't a clone of himself, he was the child that, in many ways, was going to be his son.

"We'll get through this, Danny," Daniel murmured, "you and I together."

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