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Runaway To Hell

Chapter Nine

Annika wasn't normally one to turn to alcohol to deal with her problems. However there were exceptions to every rule, and she figured that if this afternoon didn't qualify as an exception then she didn't know what the hell did. She made her way to the bar and chose a spot at the end. It was far enough away from the guests so they wouldn't think she was one of the masseuses, but close enough that the bartender with his collection of intoxicating concoctions, was only a gesture away. He was in fact was watching her now as he finished mixing a cocktail. "You're Ruddy, right?"

He nodded. "Yes, ma'am."

"Ruddy, I'd like a drink. A very big, very strong one." When the man frowned slightly she guessed what his problem was; the crew were not permitted to 'socialize' during business hours. "I am not a member of staff." She fished one of the small jewels from the stash that she always kept on her person in case she had to leave in a hurry, and slid it across the polished wood of the bar. "And that should cover whatever I plan to drink tonight."

He picked up the cut green gem. "What would you like?" he asked, still a bit dubious.

"Let's start with one of those." She pointed to the drink he'd just put on the tray to be served.

In short order she had the fruity concoction sitting in front of her. She took a sip and smiled at the shot of warmth hitting her stomach. "Perfect. I'll let you know when I'm ready for the next one."

Ruddy gave a nod and moved on to the next customer, though he was determined to keep a watchful eye on her. He'd been a tender for most of his working life, working in many different establishments before joining the crew of the Empyrean Loft. Recognized the signs of someone trying to drown their sorrows. The question remained if she could hold her liquor.

Taking a longer sip, Annika tried to only focus on the drink. The beauty of being on an alien ship was that the food and drink were also alien. She was determined to try to identify the explosion of new tastes swishing in her mouth and not think about anything else. But as the liquid in the tall glass shrank, her mind annoyingly drifted back to the events of the afternoon.

Seeing Jack had rattled her more than she cared to admit. His biting words had cut her deeply, adding to the other wounds of her heart. It didn't matter that those wounds had been self-inflicted because of her decision to abandon her home, or that she had purposely riled Jack, they hurt just the same.

Besides that, the team leader's 'accidental' arrival during her report had raised the dilemma of what to do for any future reports to Hammond. Should I even give those reports? The SGC survived without me for eight years, it could do so again. Perhaps it would be better if I severed all ties for good. If I stop visiting, then eventually they will give up looking for me... She gave an unladylike snort of derision before the thought had even finished. Who am I kidding? SG-1 never gave up! She felt a sinking in her heart. Except in that nightmare, the little voice in her head harshly reminded her. She shook the thought away. No, they'll leave no stone unturned until they find me, if only to give 'closure'...to vent the anger and pain I've caused them, just like Jack did today. Maybe stopping her reports was best for her plans, but would she be able to live with herself if she didn't pass on the warnings her visions gave? What if someone died as a result? People die all the time, that nagging voice intruded again. This time her head shake was firmer. No. She was shown her visions for a reason…she wouldn't disrespect the gift she'd been given. They had to be passed on.

However, she couldn't risk astral traveling to Hammond again. Because it was only Jack who had barged in and not the whole team, she surmised only the two generals knew about her visits. Though she wasn't sure if they would still keep the secret, it was naive to think that there wouldn't eventually be a real accidental intrusion by one of the personnel. And what if the person who stumbled in was Daniel? Jack had almost convinced her to come home. She knew she wouldn't have the willpower to resist the same plea from her husband, and that would be as good as signing their death warrants. Another method of 'delivery' had to be found.

She contemplated that for a bit, but couldn't come up with a solution. The emotions that she had been trying desperately to contain for almost two weeks, longer if the truth be known, were becoming harder and harder to control. She could feel the cracks forming in her psyche; wasn't sure how much longer she could hold it together.

An incident that had happened directly after that disastrous astral visit was adding to her problems. Distracted and distraught by the unexpected confrontation, she had charged out of her room once she'd melded back with her body and had literally barreled into Rinnie, Mahj'arc's wife.

The woman hadn't reacted well to the knowledge that Annika was a psychic and that her daughter was well on the way to outshining Annika with the gift. She was of course grateful that a vision had saved her husband's life, but had actively avoided both seers ever since. Rinnie's reaction was so like the hypocritical attitude of her own mother that Annika could barely be civil to the woman when they were 'forced' to speak. And that wasn't even taking into account how hurt Sachee was by such open rejection.

When they had collided, it was the first time Annika had actually touched the woman, and in that moment she'd had a flash of what Rinnie was so scared of. Why would Sachee's blonde hair frighten her so? Even as it clicked in her head that the two other children she'd born had hair as dark as night like their father and Rinnie was a brunette, she had an image drift across her sight that she wished she could scrub from her eyeballs. Too emotionally raw herself, all of her normal compassion and objectivity flew out the airlock, especially when Rinnie had jerked away as if she had been burned. "For god's sake, suck it up," Annika had scowled in disgust, rubbing her hands on her clothes to get rid of the residue. "Your deepest darkest fear is for nothing. Mahj'arc is Sachee's biological father."

Rinnie had paled at the declaration, a mix of shock, relief and defensiveness at the psychic's accusing tone. "I can explain-"

"Sweet-pea, I am not your priest. I don't care what your reasons were for having the affair..." Even as she said the word 'affair' she sensed that it wasn't quite right, but she was too upset, too angry, too mentally exhausted, to delve into it. "Just stop treating Sachee like she has the plague. She's your daughter. You are supposed to give her unconditional love and support. Stop thinking about yourself and think about her." She'd spun on her heal to leave, then turned back to the shocked woman. "Don't worry, your secret's safe with me. I won't break Mahj'arc's heart by telling him." Before Rinnie could form any sort of reply Annika had stormed from the room.

The final straw that had just topped off her day, came in the form of an ion storm that was apparently common in this area of space where they had docked. To counteract the turbulence, so as not to disrupt the gaming tables, the Empyrean Loft had specialized shields, which were activated before the storm front had hit. Annika, however, was convinced that something was still getting through. She'd been feeling nauseous and slightly disorientated ever since the storm began and she was seeing shadows just outside of her peripheral vision that were making her jumpy and even more on edge.

And the cherry on top was that as she was storming out of the room, out of the blue she realized what the date back home was. Knew that Daniel had made plans for them though he had managed to keep the specifics a secret from her. And thinking about him just made her want to bawl.

So all in all, having one night of oblivion wasn't too much to ask for, was it? It would be worth the hangover to have one night of dreamless sleep, a few hours of peace where the ache in heart and the constant worry over her death visions would hopefully be numbed. A soft gurgling sound echoed out of the glass and she saw the glass was empty. She swished the straw around to get the final few drops then pushed the glass aside. "Ruddy, I'm ready for round two."

A A A

Veta studied the psychic perched a little lopsidedly on the stool. She stared blindly into the fresh cocktail she was sipping through a straw, heaved a sigh then tossed the straw into a second glass that was empty beside it.

"Ruddy, don't bother with a straw next time," she said to the bartender. "It just slows down the drinking."

Ruddy's reply was too soft for him to hear, though his concern for her was evident from the expression on his face. Wiping a glass, he was relieved to see the head of security had arrived.

Veta took a seat next to her.

"Veta!" she exclaimed. "Have a drink with me. I'm celebrating."

"Sure." He gave a nod to Ruddy and the man poured him his usual drink of choice. "What are we celebrating?"

"Today I'm twenty-nine years old," she slurred.

"Congratulations. How many of these have you had?"

"Six." She took a gulp of the cocktail. "Soon to be seven."

Veta raised an eyebrow at Ruddy. When he'd received the call, Ruddy had said that she'd been there for an hour. The tender knew better than to serve that many potent drinks in such a short time. It was just bad for business to have drunken guests running about the ship, they caused too much trouble. Before Ruddy could say anything, Annika butted in.

"Now don't be scowling at good ol' Ruddy like that. He's been watering the drinks down since the second one like a nice responsible bartender should. But I'm determined to get myself good and drunk."

"Seems like you're already there."

"Nope. I still have feeling in my left big toe and my drinking arm." She downed the rest of the drink and pushed the empty glass away. "Ruddy, I'm ready for the next one."

"I think you've had enough," Veta said.

"Well, I don't. I'm thinking of moving on to the hard stuff." She wiggled her fingers at the spirit bottles lined up along the back wall and a bottle drunkenly began floating towards her. "This is sim...simil...like Vodka back home." She reached out to grab the bottle and succeeded on her second attempt. "Hey!" Something clicked in her head. "It didn't hurt!" She experimented by using her telekinesis on the empty glass and it wobbled in the air. "How about that. Get drunk and the pain goes away." Or maybe, a little voice in her head whispered, the pain in her heart was just stronger than the headaches her telekinesis caused.

"Trust me when I say drinking doesn't help anything." Veta didn't even blink at the display. He plucked the floating glass from the air and took the bottle. That little trick solved the mystery of how she was able to 'invisibly' toss the bodyguards from her during the assassination attempt. The security man liked to have all the little details explained.

Annika pouted, but then a sly look crossed her face. Her hand shot out and another bottle flew into her grasp.

"Stop that," Veta snapped.

"Then stop taking my booze." She took a swig from the bottle, grimacing a little when it burned a trail to her stomach.

"A lady shouldn't drink from the bottle."

"I'm no lady," she countered. "I'm the harbinger of doom." She took a straw from the glass and though it took a couple attempts, placed it in the neck of the bottle and took a sip. "Happy now?"

"Ecstatic," he replied dryly. "Come on, you and I are leaving. You need to sleep this off."

"No!" She batted away the gentlemanly hand he offered to her. "Can't sleep yet. He's still awake and he'll find me."

"We're shipping out within the hour." He tried to reason with her, using the snippets of her life she had let slip. "Even if your team could track you, we'd be long gone before they arrived."

A little frown puckered her brow as her inebriated mind considered that statement. "Nope, they could do it. They can move like lightning when they need to."

"Well, they still couldn't get on the Empyrean Loft. They don't have the entry discs." He tugged her to her feet.

"You don't know SG-1." She stumbled against him, frowning down at her feet. The floor was awfully uneven. "We've...they've snuck on so many ships they can do it just like that!" She tried to click her fingers but they wouldn't cooperate. She shrugged it off with a giggle. "It drives the snakeheads nuts!"

"Okay," Veta placated, just grateful that she was letting him lead her out. "If they do get by all our security measures, we'll stop them one way or another."

"No!" Annika stopped short, wobbling a little to keep her balance. "Don't hurt them! 'Cause they'll fight back and I don't know which of you would win and I can't risk that it be you," she paused for a breath. "That was the whole point of me leaving!"

"What was?"

Annika rolled her eyes as though the answer were obvious. "To keep them safe."

"I promise not to harm a hair on their heads." That was the second time she had referred to 'safety' in relation to her situation; the first time had been during her hysterical reaction when she had thought they were still in orbit around the planet of the assassination attempt. He recalled his bewilderment over it at the time and knowing now what he did about her, surmised a vision was the cause of everything that had led her to this point.

That answer seemed to satisfy her and she tottered forward again. Veta hid a scowl when Ruddy delayed the 'eviction'.

"Ah, boss?" The bartender reached into his apron pocket and pulled out the emerald Annika had given as payment.

Veta took the gem. "Tonight is on the house."

"I'm not a charity case," Annika protested, pushing his hand away as he tried to give it back.

"Consider it part of your reward for saving Mahj'arc's life." Veta slid the jewel into her pocket then grasped her by the shoulders. "Now are you going to come quietly?"

Violet eyes blinked back at him. "According to my husband I don't." She started counting off on her fingers. "Apparently I have a sexy moan, a cute little whimper...and on occasion I have been known to scream out in pleasure."

"I'll bear that in mind." Taking advantage of her being distracted by counting her fingers, Veta hauled her over his shoulder, striding to the side exit the staff used.

Being bounced around, Annika focused on the only thing she had a good view of. "Did you know you have a cute butt?"

"It doesn't come up in conversation."

"Well, you do." She gave his backside a squeeze. "Bet Del would love to get his hands on it. It's not as cute as Daniel's but then it's hard to top perfection."

"So Daniel has a perfect butt, huh?" Veta shifted her weight a bit so that he could hold her steady with just one arm and hit the lift button with his free hand. "Anything else perfect about him?"

She heaved a happy sigh. "Everything. He's got the most dreamy blue eyes and his smile lights up my world and he's got the cutest little dimple that shows up only when he's really happy...and his body..." Another sigh huffed from her. "I could just look at him all day long."

"Sounds too good to be true.

"And he's just as beautiful inside as out. And he's soooo smart. A genius! He deciphered the mystery of the Stargate in just two weeks! And he speaks over two dozen languages."

"So he has a skilled tongue."

"Yeppers. And his soul is as pure as they come."

"Does he have a twin?"

"Nuh uh, he's one of a kind." This time her sigh was one of melancholy. "All of SG-1 are like that."

"Sounds like a special group." He slid the ring-key into the slot and headed straight for her quarters.

"They are. Did you know we saved the universe?" she asked. "Not just a planet but the whole universe? Anubis was gonna wipe out all life and start again with him as the head honcho. We had to die to do it and ever since I've had the worst nightmares, but it was worth it. If everything had been destroyed, then I wouldn't have come here and I wouldn't be able to help Sachee." The last came out in a whoosh as Veta leant over the bed and let her fall onto the mattress.

"We're all grateful for that. How did you save the universe?" Veta encouraged her 'babbling'. It wasn't just so that he could file away all those little details that could possibly help with locating her people. The drinking had let her guard down and her face lit up when she spoke of her team in a way he hadn't seen before. In this moment, lost in the memory, she wasn't thinking about the current situation. Her love and joy of being a part of that family unit shone through.

"An Ancient weapon, it kinda mooshed our souls together," she slapped her hands together to demonstrate, "into one, but we still had our own minds too, making us as powerful as Anubis...but we really couldn't have done it without Daniel dying first and going to the Ascended plane. The Ascended weren't going to help us...Daniel threatened to Ascend the rest of us and told them we'd run riot fixing everything they were too lazy to fix." She giggled at the memory. "They helped us just to keep us out of their backyard. I was so proud of Daniel for standing up to them. He gave up being an enlightened being to come back to us...to come back to me..."

As her mind caught up to her mouth, her eyes well with tears. "And how do I repay him? I runaway and break his heart."

Veta gently caught the tear as it spilled over, wiping it away with his thumb. "You left to protect him."

"But he doesn't know that...and...and I can't explain that to him, not until the vision stops and it's safe to go back..." That first tear was like a dam with a crack. All the misery of the last few weeks clamored for release now that a smidgen of it had escaped. And with her level of control impaired by alcohol, Annika didn't have the energy to stop it. "Gods, I miss him so much."

His heart wrenched as she rolled onto her side away from him, curling into a ball. That simple action was harder to bear than her muffled sobs. It showed just how alone she truly saw herself. When he touched her shoulder he ignored her effort to shrink away. "Stop trying to be so damned strong," he gently scolded, sitting on the bed. The dip in the mattress from his weight made her tilt towards him and he scooped her up.

Annika gave a halfhearted struggle. She didn't deserve anyone's comfort. This mess was all of her own doing, and she didn't want to drag anyone else into the hell that had become her life. It wasn't safe for them and it wasn't safe for her. When the time came for her to leave the ship it would make it that much harder...and yet she found herself clinging to the security man whom her heart was daring to call a friend. "I'm dying inside without him."

"You'll be reunited with your Daniel one day," he softly reminded. "The vision will stop and this will be but a bad memory."

Annika's mind grasped at his words like a lifeline even as doubts intruded that the vision would ever stop. How long would it be? Days? Weeks? Years? How long would be too long for the damage her leaving had caused to be healed? Was it already too late? Did Daniel already despise her? The tears came hotter and faster at the thought.

Veta stopped offering words of comfort. He simply held her as she released the pent up grief, knowing that his arms were not the ones she was pining for. He didn't try to convince her to return home or offer any advice; he just let her cry herself out. In his mind he ran through the ship's schedule for the next week. The plan for including the Earth song into the theatre show was already underway; tonight had been the first performance. Tomorrow was supposed be a rest day. However, hugging the psychic in his arms, he wondered if he could convince Mahj'arc to reschedule and while he was at it, shuffle their ports around a bit. He wanted that song stuck in as many heads, in as many points across the quadrant as quickly as possible. Regardless of what her vision had shown her, the apparent danger her return would bring, she needed the folk called SG-1, and he was going to see that he did everything he could to make sure she got back to them.

It took a while but eventually Veta realized that her sobs had tapered off and her breathing had slowed. Glancing down he saw her eyelids were closed and the creases of pain had been smoothed from her face in sleep. Carefully he laid her on the bed. The removal of his body heat sent a shiver running through her. Not wanting to risk waking her by maneuvering the blankets from beneath her, he went to the cupboard to fetch a spare one. Shaking the folds out he turned back to her and the blanket fluttered to the floor from suddenly nerveless fingers.

A pale lilac light was surrounding the sleeping woman. In the time it took for him to take a step towards her, the lilac had deepened to violet that he absently noted was the color of her eyes. Cautiously he reached out to her, then snatched his hand back when a shot of electricity ran through his fingers at the contact with the glow. "Mystery Lady, you are full of surprises," he murmured. "What new trick is this?"

As though in response, a soft groan blew from her lips.

His eyes examined her body. Her breathing was still even and she didn't seem to be in any sort of pain. His gaze landed on her lips. They had tweaked up into what could only be described as a coy smile. Another moan escaped, but he was distracted by the change in the star shaped mark on her forehead. Not even the skin colored paste she used to hide it could disguise that it was now a pulsing angry purple. Then the violet haze shrunk, enveloping her from head to toe like a second skin and he distinctly saw her nipples tighten beneath her shirt.

Veta was at a loss of what to do. He'd made love enough times to know the difference between sighs of ecstasy and pain. Myst was definitely enjoying herself. He had no desire to find out which of the orgasmic responses she had drunkenly told of earlier, she would culminate with tonight, yet was it safe to leave her? He'd never seen that star birthmark glow before. Hell, he had never seen any birthmark glow before. Was it some sort of natural warning system the psychic had? Was this how the psychic normally experienced an erotic dream?

There was a soft tap at the door interrupting his dilemma. He opened the door a little ways, to see Sachee dressed in her pajamas, swaying groggily on her feet. "Sach', now is not the best time to talk to Myst."

She seemed unsurprised by his presence in the psychic's room. "Uncle Veta, the glow's a good thing." She rubbed blearily at her eye. "Stop stressing, so I can go back to sleep." The last word was lost in a yawn and without further ado she did an about face and tottered back to her room.

Veta watched her go with bemusement then shrugged. He was learning not question either seer's 'knowledge'. Giving a final look over her shoulder at the woman lying on the bed, he slipped from the room leaving Myst alone with her erotic dreams.

A A A

Daniel looked curiously around in the dim lighting. Admittedly he'd suspected that Jack's 'surprise' was to take him to a bar. It was either that or fishing, for those were the two solutions to any problem that Jack tended to live by. And since it was late at night and night fishing apparently didn't have the same soothing effect as fishing in the sun, (or so he'd been informed at some point over the years by 'Master Fisherman Jack',) and that they were heading in the opposite direction of the cabin, it had been an obvious deduction what tonight's plan was. He didn't, however, expect to wind up here. The bar wasn't what he would call Jack's kind of place. For one there was no big screen TV showing the latest sporting event. And then there was the rest of the decor. It was all velvet-covered seats, intricately carved chairs and Daniel was pretty sure that the table he was currently resting his elbow on was a genuine antique. Not that Jack didn't appreciate the finer things in life, but this place was a little too fancy for a man who normally preferred casual hangouts.

While he waited for Jack to return with their drinks, he glanced at the menu and beverage list. Couldn't stop his eyebrow from rising. Considering that there were quite a few specialty lines the prices were a contrast to the elegance of the place. And the food was an equal mix of traditional bar food and restaurant quality dishes.

Jack slid into the booth seat opposite him, wearing a smirk on his face at his friend's bafflement. "Not what you were expecting, huh?"

The archaeologist shook his head, accepting the glass of dark brown ale Jack slid over to him. "How did you ever find this place?" They had taken a lot of twists and turns through the backstreets of town to get here, many of them Daniel hadn't even known existed, yet Jack had navigated the way with ease born of familiarity.

Jack shrugged, taking a sip of his Guinness. "After the first Abydos mission I had a lot of free time on my hands."

Daniel gave a slow nod. They hadn't really discussed that year in detail. However, Daniel had pretty much put the pieces together. Newly retired, Sara divorcing him, that year couldn't have been easy on a man who was accustomed to living from one mission to the next. Upon learning the key points after returning to Earth after Apophis invaded Abydos, Daniel had privately been amazed that Jack hadn't resumed the downward spiral that had led him to agree to that first suicide mission with the Stargate. Given the current situation, he wondered if this place had been a key factor that had helped Jack through that time. "There's something...different...in here." Daniel couldn’t quite put his finger on what it was, but the atmosphere was unlike any bar he'd been in.

"Yeah," Jack confirmed. "Peaceful isn't the right word, but it's close enough." After a slight pause he launched into the real explanation of how he'd stumbled into this little sanctuary. "After the initial debrief where we gave just the bare minimum of details, we were given two days downtime by CMO orders. West was furious as I recall, he wanted a blow-by-blow account, but that Doc was even tougher than Doc Fraiser. Apparently he believed we were suffering from extreme exhaustion."

"Gee, can't imagine why that would be," Daniel grinned.

Jack's returning smile took on a mischievous tilt. "It was the first time I didn't complain about medical leave. We needed that time to get our stories straight about your 'demise'. You should have heard the tale Ferretti wanted to spin."

Daniel chuckled. "My personal favorite was being stampeded by herd of mastadge who wanted to eat my candy bars."

"He told you, huh?"

"Yep. Being ravaged by the village maidens is the one I believe you came up with."

"Hey, it was true. Ya' gotta keep as much truth spun in your lies as you can when falsifying reports," Jack replied in mock seriousness. "Anyway, we were gonna meet at Kawalski's but I couldn't find the apartment block. I stopped in here for directions. The first time I walked through the doors it was like the world outside didn't exist anymore."

"I'm sure Sam could come up with a scientific reason for that," Daniel mused. His smile turned wistful. "Failing that Annika would have a spiritual theory."

"No doubt, but I don't wanna know." He took another sip. "Some things just shouldn't be explained."

Daniel hesitated a moment before saying, "It's a pity you didn't discover this place earlier. It might have helped."

Jack knew he was referring to the time of Charlie's death. He'd often wondered if things would have been different. "Sometimes I wish I had."

"Just sometimes?" Daniel tilted his head in curiosity.

The general's eyes dropped down to his glass, unable to make the admission meeting his best friend's eyes. "It was my...state of mind...that put me at the top of a very short list for the Stargate Project. If I hadn't been suicidal then I wouldn't be a part of the SGC now...and I can't imagine not being a part of it."

Daniel let the matter drop, knowing how uneasy Jack was about discussing the 'fortunes' of Fate, especially when so many 'bystanders' got hurt as a consequence. Nursing his drink, he relaxed back into the booth, casually studying the other patrons. There were two couples, one of whom was obviously gay, but for the most part the tables were occupied by lone men and women. All looked weary, yet oddly calm. Perhaps it was the soft sound of the jazz playing in the background, or the golden pearl glow of the lights making everything look less sharp and defined. Maybe it was simply the fact that he was in a place that had nothing to do with his normal life. Whatever it was, for the first time in two weeks Daniel could feel the tension seep from his body. He took a longer sip of his drink and welcomed the feeling, his mind going strangely blank. He knew that his problems were waiting for him the moment he stepped outside, yet in here it was like the atmosphere was revitalizing him, giving him the fortitude to take them on.

Jack had also relaxed, sitting sideways in the booth, letting his head rest against the wall. From the corner of his eye he watched Daniel absorb the atmosphere, glad that whatever 'magic' this place had was working for his friend. He had the 'guest appearances' at the elementary school for when he needed to reconnect with the beauty and innocence of life and people; he had his fishing when he needed to reconnect with himself. This place was when he simply needed to recharge the batteries. It had been a long time since he had needed to come here to reboot. The more close-knit SG-1 had become, the less he needed to find solace from outside sources. For a moment it niggled at him that after all this time he did need to come here. Did that mean his team was falling apart? Pushed it aside. This was more for Daniel's sake than his. And even if it weren't, sometimes a person just needed to get away from the outside world.

He downed the last couple of mouthfuls of his drink. Surprisingly Daniel had kept pace with him. Jack caught the eye of the bartender and within minutes fresh glasses were placed before them.

Two hours later Jack was winding a path to the Jackson's front door, with Daniel focusing on the very difficult task of putting one foot in front of the other. While the general wasn't precisely drunk, he knew he was too far over the limit to safely drive; he'd left his pickup at the bar and had called a taxi. Daniel on the other hand, should have known better than to go drink for drink with his best buddy. There hadn't been a lot of talking after that first drink, but Daniel was now more than making up for that, rambling about whatever popped into his head.

Staggering onto the porch, Jack made sure Daniel was adequately supported, by leaning him against the wall of the house, and singled out the spare key to his friend's home. It took a bit of concentration to line up the key to the lock but eventually he did manage to slide it in. Opening the door, he tugged Daniel into the entry and began navigating the stairs. It was only when they had reached the landing that it occurred to him that he didn't understand a single word that Daniel was slurring. Maybe I'm drunker than I thought. Something clicked in his head. "Hey, speak American if you expect an answer."

For a moment Daniel, who had been rambling in a mix of three different languages, blinked with a blank expression, then spoke slowly as though it were taking all his concentration to speak in his native tongue. "Ya' know what I should be doing right now?" His hand flapped out to slap at the light switch.

"Do tell." Squinting a bit at the sudden brightness of the light going on, Jack judged the distance between them and the bed. Figured that it was about right for a soft landing. Pushed Daniel so that he fell for most part on the mattress.

"Making love." His words sing-songed from his mouth as his fall made him bounce on the bed. Now that he was home and on his warm and very comfy bed, the build up of only getting four hours of sleep a night, if that, and the belly full of Guinness, was weighing him down. He struggled to keep his eyes open, which resulted in him looking like an owl...a very drunk owl.

"Sorry, but my best friend duties stop at dumping you in bed," Jack replied drolly. He saw Daniel was in no fit state to successfully complete the complicated procedure of untying his boots. He plunked himself on the end of the bed and tugged at the laces.

"Not with you," Daniel snorted with laughter, watching his boot do a neat little somersault in the air as Jack yanked it from his foot. "I should be subjecting my wife to the best damned birthday sex ever."

"There'll be other birthdays." It took all of Jack's concentration to unknot the second pair of laces.

"But this is the first we've shared..." He frowned. "Or should I say haven't shared since she's god knows where."

"You're the linguist." Jack tossed the second boot aside. "Can you handle the rest yourself?"

"Uh huh," Daniel nodded, though he made no move to continue undressing. "I had the whole night planned." His despondency was replaced with a surge of anger. "And that thing has gone and ruined it. I'm gonna rip that being's balls off when we get her back."

"It might not have balls," Jack pointed out.

"Gonna rip them off just the same," Daniel growled, rolling over on his side. The keys in his pocket dug into his hip and with a muttered curse he jerked at the button of his jeans to remove the offending garment. It didn't occur to him that it would be easier just to take out the keys. "I don't care how many faluting powers it has, it is not going to survive."

"You just keep holding on to that thought." Jack felt a bit of the tension leave his body. Teal'c hadn't been the only one to notice the negative spin in Daniel's attitude in the last few days. That renewed fire burning in blue eyes told Jack that Daniel really was back on track.

"Jack?" Daniel managed to free his legs and kicked his jeans to the floor. Drowsiness was fast catching up to him and he flopped his head back onto the pillow.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for taking me to your secret sanctuary." He tried to stifle a yawn without much success.

"Anytime."

"Did the 'magic' work for you?" Though almost to the point of passing out, his concern for his friend reared its head. As the night had progressed in the 'safety' of the bar, Daniel's mind had rid itself of the last vestiges of the control the journal had had over him. In doing so he realized that Jack had something nagging at him, but by that time the alcohol had kicked in pushing out pretty much any coherent thoughts.

"Tonight wasn't about me," he hedged. As much as he wanted to confess about Casper's visits, he was sober enough to know that now was not the time to reveal it to his intoxicated friend. He flicked off the light. "Get some sleep."

Drowsily Daniel managed half a nod before his eyes fluttered close. Just before he completely slipped into oblivion, a single thought nudged him. Jack had that same 'edge' about him when he'd been working undercover and stolen the Tollan weapon neutralizer. The thought had barely formed before his sozzled mind forgot it.

Downstairs, Jack decided he needed some coffee to sober up. He was just contemplating how to work the fancy coffee machine when he heard a distinct moan coming from above. Concern sobered him in an instant and he took the stairs two at a time. He charged into the bedroom, just as his brain kicked in that the light in the room was not coming from any kind of lamp.

Well, damn. It's never been a constant glow before, was the first thing that came to mind. But then he supposed that Casper had never done this trick across a galaxy before.

Daniel, lying asleep just as he'd left him, was engulfed in a purple haze. Jack knew better than to touch the shield and he kept his hands firmly by his sides. His mind was already running through what they had determined about this quirky hocus pocus phenomena. It meant something important was happening, or was going to happen or that a message was being sent. He frowned. Wait…hadn't the wee tree folk said that Casper wouldn't be able to do this anymore? Panic made his heart speed up. Was the thing that had control of Casper doing this? Doing what they had feared, using her abilities as a weapon regardless of the damage it would do to the psychic? Not content with messing with Casper had it figured out how to use the bond thingy to attack Daniel?

He was already reaching for his cell phone to call it in when another moan from Daniel made him pause. That wasn't a sound of pain.

The archaeologist's hands rose up like he was cupping two round objects the size of cantaloupes.

He blinked. If I didn't know better, that looks like...

The thought was cut off as there was distinct tenting in Daniel's shorts.

Oy. A message was definitely coming through, but it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out this was a private message between husband and wife. It seemed Daniel was getting his wish to make love to his wife on her birthday after all. Well, sort of.

Quietly he left the room to give Daniel some privacy. Once again downstairs, he prowled the rooms, too keyed up to sit still. Nothing like an adrenaline rush to counteract the hard worked for mellowing effects of the Guinness. When he bumped into the kitchen table, making the legs screech loudly on the tiles, he reached the conclusion that if he didn't find some space, he could possibly wake up Daniel with the next piece of furniture he knocked into. And then Casper's efforts to keep SG-1 safe would be for naught because he was pretty damned sure Daniel would kill him for interrupting. Maybe he'd take a short walk. A trip around the block a couple of times in the night air could help him clear his head. Decision made, Jack headed for the door.

Locking the door behind him, he set off down the garden path. Turning left, he noted that Teal'c and Keelah hadn't returned home yet. Wondered if they and Sam had made any progress. From the silence of his cell phone all night, he surmised it wasn't likely.

Glanced back at the Jacksons’. Had the curtains been drawn in the main bedroom? An unexplained purple glow from the window could make any night owl neighbors curious. He backtracked to the yard, circling the house to make sure there was no purple light visible, then set off again, letting his mind and feet wander at will.

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