Sacrifice
by elfin
Characters beloved creations of and copyright Jonathan Glassner and Brad Wright. 

Jack poked his head around Hammond’s office door and glanced around.  It was as empty as Daniel’s and Sam’s offices had been.  He hated it when there was something going on and he didn’t know about it.

Last stop, the briefing room.  As he neared the upper room he could hear the claxon sounding for gate activation.  Most likely it was an SG unit returning, but he had a bad feeling and he set off at a run toward the gateroom itself.

Sam, Teal’c and General Hammond were all there, watching anxiously as the gate burst into life.  Sam glanced around at Jack and gave him a surprised little smile.

“Colonel!”

“Captain… what’s going on?”

She didn’t get a chance to answer.  Five figures stepped from the event horizon and on to the metal ramp.  General Hammond stepped forward.

“Colonel Maybourne, is everything all right?”

Jack’s eyebrows leapt.  Maybourne?

“General Hammond….”  The general was already looking from one uniformed Airman to the next.

“Colonel, where’s Doctor Jackson?”

Doctor Jackson….  Jack stepped forward.  “Daniel?”  What the hell?  “General?”

But Hammond was ignoring him for the moment.  “Colonel?”

Maybourne pulled off his helmet as he approached the small, waiting group.

“Doctor Jackson… made a great sacrifice to save the rest of us.”

Jack didn’t wait.  “General….!”

Hammond turned.  “Permission granted.”

“Thank you, Sir.  Sam, Teal’c….”

“Ready in two.”

In the locker rooms, they changed into combat gear in sixty seconds.

“Would someone care to tell me what Daniel was doing with that… slimeball?”

Sam glanced up.  “Long story, Sir.”

“Shorten it.”

“Maybourne was off on an R&D mission to PXJ755.  Simple civilisation.  He wanted an archaeologist, he asked for Daniel.”

“And General Hammond allowed a member of my team out with that… that man?”

Teal’c cocked his head to one side as Sam answered.  “I think the call came from above.”
 

There were back just as the gate disengaged.

“Dial it up!”

Hammond’s order was clear through the speakers in command and control, and the officer in charge of dialling knew them well enough not to have to ask the destination.

Jack stepped close to Maybourne.

“If anything has happened to him, I will find you and I will kill you.”

His harsh whisper was only loud enough for Maybourne and Hammond, standing near by, to hear.  And the general was pretending he hadn’t.

For once, Maybourne didn’t try a witty or threatening comeback.  That worried Jack more than anything, and the moment the gate burst into life, the three members of SG1 were through it in seconds.
 

The sight that met them took a moment to gel into reality.

It was a moment Daniel didn’t have.

He was hanging by a thin rope by his neck from the long arm of a great statue.

His fingers were clawing desperately at the taut choker as he kicked his legs out in desperation.

Grabbing for his sidearm, Jack lifted, clicked back the safety, aimed and fired.  The bullet sliced through the rope from which Daniel hung, dropping him to the ground amongst some angry shouts of the locals surrounding the execution.

Teal’c walked confidently into the affray, staff raised ready to shoot anyone threatening his team.

To the surprise of them all, the locals fell silent, and dropped to their knees, arms forward, palms to the ground.  In worship.

Whatever worked was good as far as Jack was concerned.  He ran to Daniel, unstopped by any of the locals, and dropped to his own knees in a very different crouch.
 
“Danny….”

Holstering his sidearm, Jack pulled on the knot in the rope behind Daniel’s head while soothing his friend.  Having loosened it, he carefully lifted the noose over Daniel’s head and threw it to one side, helping Daniel to sit up.

Quivering, Daniel looked up through tear-filled, blue eyes.  He got out a whispered, “Jack…” and managed a relieved, grateful smile.
 
Jack wrapped his other arm around Daniel’s shoulders and pulled him close.

“You’re safe now, I’ve got ya.”

Daniel sniffed, trying to pull himself together despite the fact that every limb was trembling.  He sat up slightly, glancing down at his crotch.

“I… I think I had an accident.”

“It’s okay.”

Jack clamped down hard on the anger rising within him.  He couldn’t believe how close they’d come… just a couple more seconds for the gate to dial out, just one more minute of talk, just one more hour later driving into work, just one more day on his vacation….

His arms tightened around Daniel for just a moment.

“It’s okay.  I would have too.  But you’re okay.”  Holding Daniel in his arms, Jack tilted his head to look at his friend’s injuries.  Already the fierce bruising was coming out around his throat.  “You’re okay….”

Daniel moved his head slowly, nausea flowing over him.  On top of the pain in his lungs and neck, and the shameful wet patch in his trousers, his head was pounding and his throat felt like it was still being squeezed.

But the nearness of his CO was a comfort.  He was safe for now.  Until the next time Maybourne got a hold of him.  He wasn’t sure he could let that happen.

Jack looked up over his colleague’s head.  The locals were still on their knees, bowing to Teal’c.
 
“Teal’c!”  The Jaffa turned his head.  “What the hell is going on?”

“They appearing to be worshipping me.”

Jack shrugged one shoulder.  “Why?”

“I do not know, O’Neill.”

Sam was at Daniel’s side now.  Between them, they got Daniel to his feet.  He leaned heavily on Jack.

“They…” his voice was rough and talking was painful, but he had to explain.  “… worship… Goa’uld.”

Jack gazed at him, relieved just to hear him talk, despite the effort he knew it must have taken simply to get the words out.

 “Daniel… in one word, what happened?”

“Maybourne… he… volunteered me.”

With that terrible confession, Daniel tried to put his weight on his legs, to stand without the help of the others.  The moment he did, his knees gave way and he lurched forward, caught by Sam and Jack.

“Whoa there, Danny.”  Jack tightened his arm around his friend’s waist.  “It’s okay, we’ve got ya.”

Teal’c took a step back.

The gathered locals – twenty or so of them  - sat back on their heels.  When they saw Jack and Sam with their potential ‘sacrifice’, the one at the head of the group slowly got to his feet.

Watching Teal’c warily, he glanced at the three.

“Nu’ta.”

Jack mouthed the word, looking to Daniel as always for his translation.

More exhausted and nauseous with every passing minute, Daniel tried to pull himself up.

“It means, literally, ‘can’t take’.”
 

Jack took that in, and suddenly his hand was back on his sidearm.  He made eye contact with this stranger.  “Oh, yeah, take.  Most definitely.  He’s coming with us.”

Oddly, they seemed to understand that.  “Na!”

“No.”

Jack nodded, “I got that one.”

He pulled his weapon, but Teal’c was ahead of him.  Lifting his staff, he activated it and blew the statue apart.

Startled, the locals shifted back as a group without ever seeming to move.  The head of them – Jack had guessed he was their leader, none of the others had yet had the courage to get off their knees – cried out something in his surprise, but he backed away, his wide eyes back on Teal’c.

“I don’t think they were expecting that.”  Jack grinned at Teal’c.  “Come on, Danny, we’re going home.”

The three moved toward the Stargate.

Once again the leader stepped forward.

“Nu’ta.  Sa’ri d’Gle!”

Sam let Jack take Daniel’s weight and went to dial.  Teal’c simply watched the scene before him.

“I believe they do not wish us to take DanielJackson.”

“Screw ‘em.”  Jack watched the gate burst into life.  “We’re outta here, people.”

“Colonel….”  The warning in Sam’s tone made him turn despite his determination to get off the planet, to get Daniel to the infirmary.

“Captain?”

“Daniel was supposed to be a sacrifice to their Gods….”

“Yes, Captain.  And guess what!  He isn’t going to be.”

“I’m just concerned about retribution, Sir.”

Jack glanced at the man leaning heavily against him, too scared to think about what might have just happen, what he might have lost had they not been in time.  “Give us ten minutes, Captain, and we’ll send Maybourne through.  Now if we could leave….”

*

Jack burst into General Hammond’s office, stare locking onto Maybourne where he stood by the desk.

In the next moment, Jack had his hand wrapped around Maybourne’s neck, using his body weight to throw the man back against the wall.

“Colonel!”

But the General’s cry only registered in the back of his mind.  Jack’s full attention was on the man in front of him.

“You bastard!  You left a man, a civilian, one of my team on a planet as a sacrifice!”

Maybourne swallowed passed Jack’s hand with some difficulty.  “He… volunteered….”

“Crap!  He might have volunteered to give up his life for us, for his friends, but never, never for you!”

Hammond stared at the pair.  “Colonel O’Neill!  What the hell are you talking about?”

Jack turned his head, eyes flashing.  Truth be told, he wanted to tear Maybourne apart with his bare hands.  The thought of Daniel dying, alone, terrified, left by a Commanding Officer so that he could save his own skin….  Jack’s hand tightened around the man’s throat for a moment.

“Sir, when we arrived on that planet Daniel was hanging by his neck from a statue.  A few seconds later,” he turned back, “he would have been dead.”

“What?”  Hammond closed up on them.

“This… bastard left him there, handed him over as a sacrifice.”

“General…” Maybourne fought harder but Jack’s fury held his prisoner in check.

“Colonel Maybourne, is this true?”

“General….”  His eyes moved to glare at his superior.  “He’s… choking me.”

“And if you don’t answer my question I’ll let him finish.”

Maybourne’s expression changed from outrage to concern.  “Doctor Jackson… volunteered.”

“I seriously doubt that, Colonel.  Selfless he may be, but he’s not stupid.”

“We had to leave someone.”

Hammond’s eyes widened.  “So you left a civilian?!”

Jack scowled.  “He left Daniel.”

‘Definitely a big mistake.’  Hammond thought it but he kept it to himself.  “Colonel Maybourne?”

“He… was expendable.”

Jack’s free fist clenched and for a moment all he could think of was hitting this man square in the face.  But as provoked as he’d been, it would have eventually led to a court martial.  If Daniel had… died… nothing would have stopped him from pounding Maybourne until he was unconscious and fuck the consequences.

He let go of the colonel, pacing to the other side of the office.

“Expendable?  My archaeologist is expendable?”

Maybourne chuckled, to Hammond’s surprise.  Some men just didn’t learn.

“Your archaeologist?”  Another chuckle.  “He’s a member of the SGC, Colonel O’Neill.  He’s at our disposal.”

Hammond stepped in.

“He’s at no one’s disposal.  There will be an investigation into this, Colonel Maybourne.  You can’t give Daniel Jackson orders, he’s a civilian member of SG1.”

Jack nodded.  “Even I have to ask him nicely.”

Hammond didn’t smile at the dry humour.

“We do not leave people on planets to die!  If I find that you deliberately put Doctor Jackson’s life in danger I will make sure you face the consequences.  Dismissed.”

They watched Maybourne leave the office muttering something about ‘we’ll see who goes up for punishment’.
 
Hammond’s eyes settled on Jack who shrugged.  “Sorry.”

“No apology required.  Let’s go and check on Daniel.”

*

Janet turned and smiled as Jack stepped into the infirmary, General Hammond behind him.

“He’s going to be fine,” she told them without being asked.  “He was in shock when you brought him in.  I gave him a mild sedative and he’s sleeping now.  He has the obvious bruising around his neck, and corresponding injuries to his windpipe.  He’s a little traumatised.  I’m going to keep him here for a few days, keep an eye on him.”

Jack nodded.  “Can I… see him?  Just for a minute?”

“Sure.”  She indicated the bed at the end.

Daniel was lying on his side, his head and one hand sticking out from under the warm blanket tucked over him.

Jack approached quietly.

He could see the sleeve of an infirmary pyjama top lying over Daniel’s hand.  They always managed to dress him in a set one size too big.

With one finger, Jack pushed a lock of hair from over Daniel’s eyes.  He’d threatened to cut it once, but they’d talked him out of it, he and Sam.  He loved Daniel’s hair.  He loved the way it fell back in a wave when he pushed his glasses on to his head.  He loved the way it felt between his fingers….

Carefully, he swept his palm over the soft, sandy mane.

Daniel murmured in his sleep but didn’t move and didn’t wake.  Smiling, Jack backed away.  This looked like a healing sleep rather than unconsciousness.

He was alive, and he was going to be okay.  Finally Jack felt the worry ebb away once more.  These days he seemed to live on a diet of worry and Fruit Loops.  He really did have to give up the Fruit Loops.

*

Daniel lay as patiently as he was able while Doctor Fraiser shone the penlight into his eyes.  “How are you feeling?”

“Sore.”

Janet regarded him with sympathy.  “You will be for a week or so.  Open wide.”  She shone the torch into his throat.  “You’ve got serious bruising.”  The light was finally switched off.

Jack wandered into the infirmary.  He knew from experience that Daniel was a bad patient.  Seeing the Doctor standing next to the bed, he smiled.

“Hey, how’s the patient this morning?”

Daniel turned his head painfully.

“I’m fine,” he insisted.

Jack sat cheerfully, but carefully, on the edge of the bed.  “Let me guess, they’re not buying it.”

Janet sighed dramatically.  “Your system is still in a state of shock.  You’ve had a very traumatic experience and I would like to keep a check on you for a little while longer.”

Closing his eyes, Daniel let his head drop to one side, where it was most comfortable for his neck and throat.  He still felt sick every time he aggravated the injury.  But that didn’t stop him from wanting to be out of here.

Jack watched him.  “Oh, now he’s going to sulk,” he teased gently.  But his reach for Daniel’s hand belayed his concern.  And his love.

*

When he next woke, Daniel could hear some activity close by.  Jack was still sitting with him, in a chair next to the bed, holding his hand easily.  Daniel smiled to himself.  This must have been the closest they’d ever come to physical contact on the base.

He opened his eyes to see General Hammond stepping into the infirmary.  He moved to sit up, but the General stilled him with a smile.

“How are you feeling, son?”

Daniel regarded their boss with the same caution he always tended to exercise around the older man, at least when Daniel himself was compus-mentus.

Jack had long ago recognised the paternal emotions Hammond harboured toward SG1.  At about the same time, he’d finally figured out his own feelings for Daniel.

General Hammond had made himself relatively comfortable on the bed opposite them, swinging his legs once and looking for all the word like his errant colonel.

“Doctor Fraiser’s allowed me five minutes, no more.”  Daniel smiled.  At least Janet wasn’t biased.

“If don’t know if Jack’s told you about almost choking Maybourne to death in my office yesterday,” the smile played on Hammond’s lips as he watched Daniel’s eyes widen.

“Wha…?  Jack?”

Jack shrugged, obviously shamed under the accusing blue stare.  No one else on this, or any other planet, could have such an immediate and damning effect on the Black-Ops trained Colonel.  Hammond loved to watch such a simple power exerted so quietly.

“He deserved it,” Jack muttered eventually, in defence.

“What I’d like to know, Doctor Jackson, was whether or not Colonel Maybourne actually deserved it.”  Daniel glanced away.  “It’s okay, son, just tell us what happened.”

“We… stepped through the gate into… an ambush.”  His voice still sounded painfully rough.

“They were waiting for you?”  Hammond often found himself having to clarify terms with Daniel.

“No… no, they were involved in some religious… ceremony.  I think the gate is a part of their religious…” he gestured with his hands, “…grounds.  Sort of.”

“And you walked into it.”

“Yes. They were angry.  Their… leader stepped forward and told us we were trespassing.”

“They spoke our language?”

Daniel shook his head quickly.  “No.  I translated.  It was… a simple Egyptian derivation.”  He said it like it was the most obvious thing in the galaxy, like his being able to speak a totally alien language within seconds of hearing it was nothing.

Jack smiled, trying not to look like the doting lover.  Which, of course, he was.

“Maybourne told him – through me – that we were just there to do some excavation.  But  he got angry and told us that we had to leave, but … they required one of us to stay behind, to be a sacrifice to the gods.  He said they’d be angry that their ceremony had been interrupted.”

Daniel’s voice faded.  He swallowed, and for a moment he thought his stomach was going to react to the pain.

“Take your time, Doctor.”

He took a minute before he continued.  “Maybourne… patted my shoulder and turned.  For a moment I thought he was… thanking me.  Then I realised he was leaving.”  Daniel looked away.  “He was leaving me there.”

Jack’s fury soared again.  He thought about Daniel watching the others walk away from him.  Something the rest of SG1 would never, ever have done.  He imagined his friend’s fear at the sudden realisation that he was to be the sacrifice.

“I turned to follow… but I was surrounded suddenly by the locals.  I shouted to Maybourne, to the rest of them but I heard him order them back through, I heard him say… if any of them tried to help me, he’d leave them behind instead of me.”

Jack squeezed Daniel’s hand gently, more for his own comfort.  Daniel was here, alive.

They’d saved him, literally in the nick of time.  Too damn close.  Hammond was regarding Daniel with the empathy that was almost overwhelming Jack.

“I’m sorry, son.  I didn’t… he will pay for his actions.”

“No he won’t!”  There was an edge of desperation to Daniel’s voice.  “It’ll be my word against his.”

“No, Danny.  There were seven soldiers with you, remember?  And we saw you.”  Jack shivered, wishing the image of Danny hanging from that rope would vanish forever from his mind.

Hammond nodded.  “We’ll have him for this one, son, don’t you worry.”  He sat back.  “Get some rest, Daniel.”

*

The SGC settled for the night.  Although it was tough to tell day from night so far underground, missions out and arrivals back happened more often during the day.

Daniel shifted over on to his other side, turning his back inadvertently to his constant visitor.  A few seconds later, he opened his eyes and moaned softly.

Jack closed his book, dropping it to the floor.  “Danny, you need more meds?”

“No.”  The other man shifted again, reaching up to batter his pillow into submission. Every part of him seemed to ache.  “Okay.  Yes.”

It was strong medication.  Daniel dozed under the influence.  Jack just sat and watched over him.

To deny that he loved this man would be pointless.

Months ago, after a few too many beers, he’d told Daniel how he felt.  Daniel’s reaction hadn’t been immediate.  In fact, he’d made Jack wait until the next morning before admitting he shared his feelings.

Typical Daniel, needing to be sure, needing to convince himself that it hadn’t just been the alcohol talking.

Once again, Daniel lifted his arm to beat up his pillow.

Sighing softly, Jack stood.  Kicking off his shoes, he sat on the edge of the bed and stretched out carefully.

Daniel turned his head, hissing in pain as he pulled on the bruising around his throat.   “Jack?”

“Ssh.”  The colonel offered his arm for Daniel to use as a pillow.

Daniel grabbed hold of Jack’s hand and pulled until he had the muscled limb exactly where he wanted it.

Jack chuckled.  “Happy?”

“No.”  Shifting back, Daniel snuggled against his lover’s body until they were touching, toes to toes.

Jack pushed one of his feet between Daniel’s.

“Cold feet,” Daniel warned in a murmur.

“You always have cold feet,” Jack reminded him.  “Now go to sleep.”  He wrapped one arm around Daniel’s waist and pressed a kiss to his hair.  They were on surveillance camera, Jack knew.  And he knew how much he could get away with.  He couldn’t wait to get his lover home and drown him in TLC.

For now, he was content to have Daniel close.  “I am never letting you out of my site again,” he whispered.

“Next time, Jack, I promise….  I’ll go fishing with you.”
 

fin
elfin