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Jack drove his fist into the heavy bag in front of him, putting all his weight behind the blow. He followed the strike with one from his opposite arm and ignored the burn in the muscles of his shoulders, back and legs.

He'd been here for a while, trying to dull his pain and restlessness with physical exertion. When he wasn't off-world in the thick of battle, of one kind or another, it was the only way to keep his mind from dwelling on his most recent loss.

Because if he thought about it too much then he'd have to deal with it and dealing with it meant either letting go and moving on or ending his pain once and for all. The first wasn't an option, there was no way that he was letting go of Daniel, and the second...well...It felt like a betrayal. Daniel would want him to live.

Not that what he was doing now was living.

He hit the bag one last time and collapsed against it, wrapping his arms around its slick surface and swore out loud. Wasn't he here specifically to not think about Daniel and the misery that his existence had become?

"Colonel O'Neill," someone said from behind him and he turned on the man with a snarl.

"What?"

The airman squared his shoulders, a wary look in his eyes, and said, "General Hammond wants you in the briefing room. Now. Sir."

The sir sounded like an after thought, but he wasn't so far gone that he'd disobey an order and he didn't have time to vent his anger on the undeserving airman and clean up a bit before seeing his CO. So, without a word he turned and stalked out of the gym and into the locker room. He'd rinsed off the worst of the sweat, dressed and was on his way to the briefing room in less than ten minutes, his mind focused on the possible reasons for the summons.

He arrived at the briefing room without having reached any conclusions and wasn't surprised to see his team, minus Daniel, and plus Jonas already there waiting.

He took the empty seat next to Teal'c, facing Carter and leaving the spot on his right empty for Hammond. It didn't escape his notice that his teammates had positioned themselves so that he wouldn't have to look at Jonas and he was grateful.

Keep your friends close and your enemies closer, he thought to himself, but it didn't mean he had to like it.

"So, any idea why we're here," he asked.

"No, Sir," Carter said.

"I, too, am 'in the darkness'."

"That's 'in the dark'," Jack corrected Teal'c absently as Hammond walked into the room.

Jack swallowed his initial irreverent comment when he got a look at Hammond's expression. They'd been through a lot in the past six years and there was very little that could unsettled the general, but unsettled he was.

"Sir," he asked.

Hammond sat down and, without the usual preamble, said, "Less than an hour ago someone came through the mirror."

"Shit! I knew we should have destroyed that thing after the last time. This time I don't care what bullshit Kinsey feeds the President; we're going to blow that thing to smithereens."

"Colonel," Hammond said, cutting Jack's ranting short.

"So, who was it and what do they want this time?"

"Perhaps our visitor is not in need of our assistance. He or she could have passed through the mirror unintentionally, as Daniel Jackson did."

"Or they could be explorers, traveling through the mirror the way we do through the Stargate," Jonas added.

"I'm afraid I don't have the answer to your questions; that's why I asked you here." Hammond took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "shortly after 0900 two SF's responded to someone yelling in the storage room where the quantum mirror is being kept. They opened the door to find Dr. Daniel Jackson, dressed in robes and very much alive."

Jack heard someone gasp and Carter murmuring Daniel's name, but he was frozen, unwilling to believe his ears. Daniel? Alive and here? Right now? It couldn't be...

"I want to see him," he said.

"You will. He's in one of the VIP rooms, under guard."

"Under guard? Why would you be guarding him," Jonas asked.

"Because our Daniel was the sweetest guy in the galaxy, but this one could be as evil as Anubis," Jack said, annoyed that even after six months he still had to remind Jonas of the most basic precautions. Ignoring the fact that Daniel had still tended to take people at face value right up until the day he ascended.

"But..."

"Has he given reason to believe he would be dangerous," Teal'c interrupted Jonas to ask.

"Not exactly," Hammond said. "He didn't attack the SF's, or anyone else, but he's refusing to talk to anyone. He looks...lost." Hammond paused for a moment, his concern for the man that reminded him of an absent friend clear.

"He also doesn't seem to recognize me, so, wherever he's from, it's definitely different from our reality. He might be willing to open up to someone that he does recognize. I just don't know who he'd be familiar with."

"Me," Jack said. "He'd know me if he knew anyone. I should be the one to go see him."

"What makes you think that? If he doesn't know the general then he might not be a part of the Stargate program," Carter said. "The Stargate could have been given to a private research facility or you might not have agreed to be a part of the project. He's just as likely to know me as you," Carter said.

"It would probably be best if he did not meet me until someone he trusts has spoken to him and explained the circumstances of this reality," Teal'c said. "If we have met, it was most likely an unpleasant experience for him."

Jack broke off his attempt to stare down Carter long enough to pat Teal'c on the shoulder. "It sucks being the former first prime of a dead false god, huh?"

"Unquestionably," his friend answered and Jack could feel his distress. They all knew that their visitor was a stranger, but he was still Daniel. He was still the man that they'd lost and missed. They all wanted to see this new arrival and pretend for a moment that their Daniel had returned to them, alive and whole.

He felt for Teal'c; he really did. But, he was still glad that Teal'c's loss meant Carter was the only one standing between him and his gain.

"No offense Carter, but you're loopy if you think you should be the one to see Daniel. Besides, I'm your CO and I say I'm the one who's going to talk to him."

"And I'm your CO," Hammond said, "and I have the final say."

Carter gave Jack one last dirty look then turned towards Hammond. "Of course, Sir," she said.

Jack scowled and said, "I'm Daniel's best friend. It should be me."

"Excuse me? I don't think so," Carter said. "You may have..."

"Enough," Hammond cut them off. "Colonel O'Neill, Major Carter, I know how much Dr. Jackson meant to you. We all loved him. However, I expect you to behave like the professionals that you are. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Sorry, General, won't happen again."

"Somehow I doubt that." Hammond sighed.

"Colonel O'Neill, if you'd come with me? I'll take you to see our guest."

Jack just barely restrained his urge to jump out of his chair and do a victory dance. Instead, he pushed his chair back and headed for the door.  Then had to wait impatiently for Hammond to finish rising, dismiss SG1 and Jonas, and walk over to join him because he'd jumped the gun a bit.

Once Hammond joined him and they had left the briefing room behind, he asked Hammond for details about their alternate reality Daniel.

"I can't tell you much more than I already did, Colonel. He hasn't said two words to anyone since he was discovered in the storage room." He paused for a moment. "My instincts tell me that he's not a threat, that he's not all that different from our own Daniel. But, I'm compromised here. I want him to be like our Daniel because then..."

"We might be able to keep him," Jack finished for him.

"Yes."

"I'll see what I can find out, Sir."

"I know you will, son. But you're even more compromised than I am."

Jack sucked in a breath and very nearly snapped his head around to stare at his CO. Did Hammond know? No. No, he couldn't. No one knew. Hell, Daniel didn't know that Jack was in love with him. So, how could Hammond. He shook off his worry. Hammond just meant that Jack and Daniel were best friends. He was closer to Daniel than Hammond was or could ever be due to the distance that Hammond had to keep because of his position as head of the SGC.

That was all.

He was sure of it.

His mental gymnastics were cut short by their arrival at Daniel's temporary home away from home.

He took in the two SF's standing guard outside the door and tried to squelch the anger he felt. He knew that the guards were necessary, but it still felt wrong to be holding Daniel prisoner.

"He's inside," Hammond said and they both knew that the words were unnecessary. He stood there for a moment, suddenly nervous and uncertain, then flashed a deceptively confident grin at Hammond and reached for the door handle. Faint heart never won fair archeologist, right?

He wasn't sure exactly what he'd been expecting to see when he opened the door. He knew that Daniel had refused to talk to anyone and that Hammond thought he'd looked lost, but he hadn't really believed it. Despite everything he'd been through Daniel had always been passionate and strong-willed. Daniel and defeat just didn't seem to go together.

Until now. And it was the one thing that could convince him beyond a doubt that the man in front of him wasn't his Daniel.

NotDaniel was sitting on the edge of the bed that was centered against the room's back wall. He was wearing the brown robes that Jack associated with Abydos and was slumped forward with his arms wrapped around himself in his habitual self-hug. He really did look broken.

Without conscious thought, his mouth opened and he heard himself say, "The Daniel Jackson that I know would never give up."

At the sound of his voice Daniel's head whipped around to face him and lit up with joyful recognition. It took Jack's breath away, seeing that beautiful face and the look of pure adoration in Daniel's eyes. It was a dream come true.

And it wasn't real because this wasn't the right Daniel.

And notDaniel seemed to realize it at about the same time as he did because the smile died and notDaniel said, "But, I'm not the Daniel you know. Am I?"

"No, you're not." And I think we're both equally heartsick because of it.

Pushing the pain aside with the ease of long practice, Jack walked over to the desk next to the door and grabbed its chair. He dragged it over beside the bed, where a now wary Daniel sat, and swung it around so he could lean on the chair back while he sat and talked to notDaniel.

"So, tell me all about yourself," he said with as much false cheer as he could muster.

"You first."

So, notDaniel wasn't completely beaten. Jack felt better, suddenly. Maybe there was hope after all.

Jack grinned. "All right, my name's Jack O'Neill and this lovely complex," he waved his hands in the air indicating the area around them, "is the SGC. Look familiar?"

"No."

Jack paused and waited for Daniel to say more, but he didn't. He simply sat there, back ramrod straight, on the bed's edge with his eyes locked on Jack's, giving away nothing.

It felt familiar somehow. Like, he'd seen that kind of control somewhere else, in the past. It certainly wasn't an expression that he was used to seeing on Daniel.

It also wasn't going to help him figure out if this version of Daniel was a danger to them or not. He needed to convince the man in front of him that he could trust Jack and the rest of the people here.

"This would be easier if I had some idea of what your reality is like, but looks like I'll have to make do, huh? Of course, it'll be your fault if I bore you into a coma explaining things you already know."

"I'll risk it," Daniel said. Was that a hint of a smile in his eyes?

So, he was thawing a bit, maybe, but was still cautious. Jack could understand that. They were as much an unknown quantity to Daniel as he was to them. It made sense to not give away too much. Now, Jack had to figure out how to win Daniel over without giving too much away himself.

"OK. You're on Earth in a military base in Colorado. Our official designation is Stargate Command. You've already met our commanding officer, General George Hammond.

"The Stargate, for which we're named, is a big round thing that takes us to various places in the galaxy.

"You and I met or, rather, your doppelganger and I met seven years ago when you...he was hired to figure out how the Stargate worked. Any of this sounding familiar?"

Daniel worried at his lower lip with his teeth, eyes locked on Jack's, searching. Jack did his level best to look as trustworthy as possible and waited for Daniel to make his decision.

"Some. I've never heard of Stargate Command; it was just the Creek Mountain Complex when I was recruited."

"Creek mountain? It's Cheyenne Mountain here."

Daniel nodded politely and then shifted his attention away from Jack, taking in the rest of the room for what was probably the first time.

"Would you like to take a look around," Jack asked. He figured that he could give Daniel the VIP tour that they used for the press and not entirely trusted alien visitors. It wouldn't compromise security and it might convince Daniel to open up some more.

Daniel looked back at him, surprise clear in his expression. "You'd let me wander around this place? I could be a spy?"

"I don't intend to let you 'wander around the place'. You'll be with me."

Daniel looked at him for a moment, looked at the door, and then looked back at Jack. After a brief hesitation, he said, "Yes. I'd like to see as much as you can show me."

"Great," Jack said and jumped up out of his chair. He dragged it back over to the desk, rubbed his hands together and smiled. He watched Daniel stand up and walk over to him, a small smile on his face.

"Come on," he said as he pulled open the door and gestured for Daniel to precede him, "I'll show you the most important spot in the whole mountain. The commissary."

Daniel chuckled and looked over his shoulder at Jack, "Now that's the Jack that I know. Always thinking with his stomach."

A second later his smile disappeared and he turned away from Jack and wrapped his arms back around himself. Jack's heart gave a painful lurch in his chest and he wanted desperately to reach out to Daniel and comfort him, to touch him and tell him that it was going to be all right. But he didn't have the right to touch this Daniel and he couldn't bring himself to give false hopes; he didn't know if it would be all right at all.

Stay Tuned...