Daniel Jackson sighed as he pulled into the Cheyenne Mountain parking lot on Monday morning and noticed that Jack’s car wasn’t in its usual spot.

He had left two messages on Saturday for Jack and another three on Sunday—none of his calls had been returned. By the time he left the final message, he was feeling very awkward. It was obvious that Jack was not ready to talk—especially not to Daniel.

The last two days had given Daniel more than enough time to sit and think about the events of the past few months and to realize how much his friends—Sam, Teal’c, and Jack—had stood by his side through the entire episode.

Who could ask for better friends?

No one.

If his behavior on Friday night was any indication, he probably didn’t deserve their friendship—but he wanted to—and needed to—make up for it.

Making his way to the mountain and past the various checkpoints, Daniel found himself walking directly to General Hammond’s office to check in. Although Daniel had spoken with the General early last week, he wanted to thank him for his concern and understanding. The extra time had helped to give him perspective on the whole situation. He had another mission now—to find the child whom Sha’re had mentioned—the one she had sent to Kheb.

Rapping lightly on the doorframe outside of General Hammond’s office, Daniel smiled as the General’s face lit up with a smile and he gestured for Daniel to enter the room.

"Doctor Jackson, it’s good to see your face again, son," Hammond said, standing to warmly shake Daniel’s hand. "How are you doing?"

"Good, General. I just wanted to thank you for your understanding of this whole…situation. I really appreciate it."

"Doctor, death is one thing I’ve become very familiar with over the years. Understanding comes easily. Managing the loss is something else entirely."

Daniel smiled faintly. "Well, thanks again, General." He turned to go, but turned back just as Hammond took his seat once again. "Ah, General, one more thing? Have you seen Jack this morning? I need to speak to him."

Hammond’s forehead creased in thought. "No, I haven’t. I’m not scheduled to meet with Colonel O’Neill until later this afternoon, but he should be on base already. Have you tried his office?"

"No," Daniel said, looking absently over the General’s shoulder as he thought, turning the possibilities over in his mind. "I wanted to stop here first. But, I’m not sure he’ll be in his office either. His truck wasn’t in the parking lot when I pulled in."

"Hold on a second, Doctor," Hammond said, indicating that Daniel should take a seat in one of the guest chairs. He pushed a few buttons on his phone and waited a beat as it connected. "This is General Hammond. Has Colonel O’Neill reported in yet?"

He listened intently for several seconds before continuing. "Thank you. Please have him report to me as soon as he gets on base. Well," he said, hanging up the phone and turning his attention back to Daniel, "it appears you were correct. Colonel O’Neill has not signed in yet." Hammond paused again, a puzzled look on his face, his eyes narrowing as he intently studied Daniel. "Is there something going on that I should be aware of?"

"Um…not exactly, Sir. Jack and I had an argument on Friday night and he hasn’t returned any of my calls this weekend. I just figured he was still angry with me, but when he wasn’t on base by the time I got here this morning…" Daniel’s voice trailed off, unsure of what else to say. Everyone knew Jack’s schedule. He tended to be an early riser and as much as he ribbed everyone for working long hours, Jack’s hours usually were just as long if not longer. Under normal circumstances, Jack would have been on base for several hours already. For him not to be here was strange.

Hammond did not look happy about Daniel’s confession, but pushed on with the subject at hand. "When was the last time you left a message?"

"Last night sometime."

"You didn’t stop at his house?"

"No. Honestly, I didn’t think he wanted to see me so I kept my distance."

"Hold that thought, Doctor," Hammond said, reaching again for the phone. "Major Carter, this is General Hammond. Have you heard from Colonel O’Neill lately? Uh huh. Okay, thank you, Major."

Hammond shook his head negatively as he disconnected the phone and started dialing again—this time using an outside line. "She says she spoke with Colonel O’Neill when he was leaving on Friday night, heading for your apartment."

"Ah." Daniel looked at the General with a worried frown.

"If he doesn’t answer his cell phone now, I’m going to send two SFs to his house."

"I’d like to go instead, General."

Hammond sighed, but nodded in agreement, putting the receiver down. "There’s no answer, Doctor. Take Teal’c and Major Carter with you. Go see what’s holding up our good, Colonel."

"Yes, Sir," Daniel said, rising to his feet, his mind a million miles away.

Daniel was waiting impatiently at the entrance of the mountain for Sam and Teal’c when they stepped from the elevator. He stopped pacing long enough to throw them a look that clearly said, "what took you so long?"

Sam sighed as she bent down to sign herself out—the last stop before they could join Daniel. She could see his car just outside the door. He was definitely in a hurry.

When General Hammond had called asking about Colonel O’Neill she’d been confused, but didn’t think much of it, turning back to the project she was working on. It wasn’t unusual for the Colonel to be wandering the halls and her laboratory was one of his favorite stops—or so it seemed. Half the time—if not all of the time—she’d just end up swatting his hand away from something or another because he had the inane ability to break just about any piece of advanced technology. She’d never get him to admit just how many television remotes he’d had to buy in the last year—many dying their untimely death during the hockey playoffs.

But when Daniel had called back ten minutes later to say that he was heading to the Colonel’s house and wanted her and Teal’c to go with him, she immediately started to worry.

Even as Daniel was explaining a little about the situation, Sam was already shutting down her computer programs and shoving the various files into one big pile at the end of her desk. She’d worry about them later. By Daniel’s tone alone, she could tell that he was worried and, from the sound of it, slightly scared.

She waited long enough for Teal’c to sign out before moving closer to Daniel. "We’re here, Daniel, you can relax. Why don’t you tell us a bit more of what’s going on?"
"Get in. I’ll tell you on the way," Daniel said, glancing around, his eyes resting lightly on the guards standing nearby. Sam got the message. He didn’t want to talk about it here.

"Fine," Sam said, nodding and getting into the back seat of Daniel’s sedan leaving the front passenger seat for Teal’c. Even though Daniel’s car was considered mid-sized, there was not a single time that she could remember ever getting into the car with Colonel O’Neill when he didn’t complain about the legroom. The Colonel—like many other males apparently—liked his toys big. Whether it was a big gun or a truck or a boat, for some reason with men, bigger was better.

At that very moment, she missed his griping.

Daniel pulled away from the curb even before her door was completed closed, tossing her back into the seat. "Daniel!" she cried, surprised at his uncharacteristic behavior. Usually he was such a good driver. Right now, he was driving like a bat out of hell.

Daniel glanced back quickly, an apologetic look on his face. "Sorry, Sam. I just really need to see Jack."

Sam took a moment to look at him again from her position in the rear seat. He looked tired, but after everything that had gone on these past few weeks, he was entitled to look a little under the weather.

No, it was something else. He was panicked, desperate even. What the hell was wrong with Daniel?

"If your intention is to visit O’Neill, why is it that you drive with so little care? Do you intend on arriving at our destination in small particles?" Teal’c inquired, his voice unemotional.

Sam had to bend her head to hide her smile. Daniel, though, understood and noticeably slowed the car.

"Daniel, what’s wrong? What happened?" Sam asked firmly, determined to get an answer.

Daniel glanced back again, this time with an embarrassed look crossing his face. "Well, Jack came to visit me on Friday," he started.

"Yeah," Sam said, nodding her head. "He said he was going to stop in at your place after he finished for the day. Teal’c and I volunteered to go with him, but he said you probably didn’t want a crowd. I think I even left before he did that night. He was still swamped with paperwork from the last mission."

"I can imagine, Sam," Daniel said, his face darkening a little. "Well, he did show up with some Chinese food. We ended up eating and watching the hockey game."

Sam chanced a glance at Teal’c, but he was looking straight out the window, watching the road in front of them. Apparently, he was a little worried about Daniel’s erratic driving as well. "That seems pretty normal to me, Daniel. What’s the problem?"

"Actually, Sam, that was the problem—at least on Friday." Daniel paused, the muscles in his jaw twitching a little. When he started speaking again, his voice was quiet, barely reaching into the back seat. "We…argued. I accused him of not caring, of not understanding about Sha’re…" Daniel’s voice strengthened as he continued, "I was mad, angry. I felt like he was pushing me. I felt like he was just trying to get things back to normal too quickly."

"Daniel, I’m sure he understood what you were going through—"

"That still doesn’t excuse—"

"Daniel Jackson, I insist that you pull over if you are going to continue this story," Teal’c said, his strong voice cutting through their conversation.

Daniel looked at Teal’c sheepishly and obediently pulled over onto the side of the road. They were nearly at the bottom of the mountain, but there were several dangerous stretches ahead and Daniel really wasn’t paying attention. Teal’c’s instincts, as usual, were on the money.

As they sat in the silent car, Sam tried to think of something to say. Daniel was obvious upset, but over what, she still wasn’t sure. "Daniel—" Sam started, but he cut her off with a choked cry.

"Oh God, Sam!"

"Daniel, what is it?"

"Daniel Jackson, are you unwell?"

"Oh God, Sam, don’t you realize what time of year this is? How could I have been so stupid, so blind?"

"Daniel!"

Daniel was fighting with his seatbelt, desperately trying to get himself out of the car. His trembling fingers finally found the button and he shot out of the door, staggering a few steps to lean on the hood of the still running vehicle. Sam and Teal’c leapt out of the car a second later, coming to stand at his side.

Daniel was slumped against the car, holding his head in his hands, a mournful sound coming out of his mouth. Over and over again he was muttering, "Oh God, what have I done?"

Sam stepped in front of the shaking man and placed her hands on his, gently at first, and then with more pressure as she tried to pry them away from his face. She needed to see his eyes, to see what was wrong. "Daniel, come on. Please tell me what’s wrong."

His hands finally came away from his face only to reveal his blue eyes bright with unshed tears. He pulled the glasses off so that he could roughly wipe a hand across his eyes as the tears threatened to fall. "It was Charlie. He was thinking about Charlie on Friday. That’s why he came. Oh God, how could have I forgotten? It’s the only night of the year that Jack never wants to be alone and I sent him away. I yelled at him and insulted him and blamed him for everything that had gone wrong. I accused him of not understanding what I was going through, or what I was feeling." Daniel looked away as he uttered his last damning sentence. "I even accused him of not trying to find my wife."

Several minutes passed before Daniel turned back to his friends, the tears now running down his cheeks. Sam took him in her arms, just holding him, soothing him as best she could. Teal’c stepped closer, laying one of his large hands on Daniel’s shoulder. She moved her head so she could speak directly into Daniel’s ear. "I’m sure he understood what you were going though, Daniel. I’m sure he knows you didn’t mean it—that you were angry and upset."

Daniel pulled back, wiping his nose absently with the back of his hand as he tried to bring himself—and his emotions—back under control. "When he left, Sam, he was angry, angrier then I’d ever seen him. I’ve tried calling him all weekend. What if he did something? What if something happened to him? What if he’s hurt or dead? What then, Sam? How can I forgive myself then?"

"Daniel, come on. Let’s think positively. Knowing the Colonel, he probably went up to his cabin or went hiking and he’s just late coming back. We’ll probably meet him on the road coming up to the Mountain and everything will be fine."

Daniel looked back at her with tear-stained cheeks, his eyes still bright. "I hope so, Sam. I hope so."

The traffic wasn’t bad and they made good time cutting across town to get to Jack’s house, but as soon as he pulled in the driveway, Daniel knew something was wrong.
Jack’s truck was in the driveway.

It wasn’t so much that the truck was there, but that he got a really bad feeling as soon as he stepped out of the car.

"Well, Daniel?" Sam asked, coming up from behind, placing a supportive hand on his forearm.

Daniel tried to shake himself to clear his mind, tried to get rid of the feeling, but as he moved closer to the vehicle, he knew—without a doubt—that something bad had happened.

Teal’c approached the driver’s side door first, his hand curving around the door handle and lifting it easily, opening it wide. "O’Neill has left this vehicle unlocked. Is that wise?"

"Not usually, Teal’c," Daniel heard Sam reply. He was already moving up to the house, his fingers searching for the key to Jack’s front door. Bounding up the stairs, he reached the door and found it locked. He could sense Sam and Teal’c coming up behind him, but he was too intent on getting his hands to stop shaking so he could fit the key in the lock and open the door.

No one stepped forward to help him and he was grateful. This was something he had to do himself.

The key finally slid home, the sliding of the bolt loud in the silence. Even the twittering and chirping of the birds had stopped, leaving only the harsh sounds of his own breathing.

Daniel opened the door and found himself pushing back the pile of mail that had accumulated on the floor behind the door. That wasn’t a good sign.

Daniel stepped over the scattered envelopes and magazines, stepping further into the house. Glancing back quickly, he noticed Sam and Teal’c had followed him in, Sam bending down to gather the mail in her arms, while Teal’c strode deeper into the house, heading through the hallway and down the stairs to check the basement level.

Daniel was drawn to the hallway table where Jack kept his phone and the answering machine. The light on the answering machine was blinking. As Daniel stepped closer, he could see the number on the display. Jack had eight messages. Daniel knew he’d left six of them.

Jack had never made it into the house on Friday night.

The reality of that fact nearly drove Daniel to his knees.

"Daniel," Sam called, rising to her feet. "Some of this stuff is several days old. He probably has three days worth of mail here including this morning’s delivery."

"He has eight messages," Daniel said, his voice somber.

"And?"

"Since Friday, I’ve left him six."

He felt, rather than saw, Sam approach. Her blonde head appeared in his view moments later. Sam paused before pressing the button to play the messages on the answering machine.

"Sam—" Daniel started to protest, but it died on his lips as he heard his own voice, his message, from Friday night. "Hey, Jack…it’s Daniel. I wanted to say that I was sorry. I…I didn’t mean what I said earlier and I wanted to apologize. Call me when you get a chance. Thanks."

The machine continued to play the messages: two more from Daniel on Saturday, a call from the video store saying that the newest Simpsons episodes were available for rent, a call from a gentleman named Fred, and three more messages from Daniel on Sunday. Sometime when the messages were playing, Teal’c quietly returned, standing with his head cocked, listening intently.

When the machine made its final long beep and shut off, silence descended upon them.

"We should call General Hammond," Sam said softly, her eyes downcast, her voice hoarse.

"What do we tell him?" Daniel’s voice quavered as he asked.

Sam raised her head, looking Daniel directly in the eye. "That Colonel O’Neill is missing."

The ride back to the Mountain had been done in silence; each of them too wrapped up in their own thoughts and emotions to speak.

That time, though, had been the calm before the storm because once they got back to base the madness began.

The main briefing room on Level 27, adjacent to General Hammond’s office and overlooking the embarkation room, was turned into a command center of sorts.
Everyone had their specific job. Daniel was on the phone calling local area hospitals on the chance that the Colonel had been admitted on Friday night or early Saturday morning. Teal’c had gone back to the Colonel’s house with a team of specialists to see if there was any evidence that they had overlooked. Sam was busy searching databases for people with a motive strong enough to kidnap the Colonel. With the way he was feeling on Friday, it was even possible that he just wandered off—looking for some time to himself away from everyone and everything. But would he have done that without any gear or without stopping in his house? It was unlikely.

With Daniel striking out at hospital after hospital, it was clearly becoming more than just a missing person’s case. It looked like Colonel O’Neill had been abducted.

Unfortunately, Sam did not have complete access to her CO’s records—most of which were classified. It didn’t make her job of finding a motive for a possible kidnapping any easier. Looking across the table at Daniel, he caught her glance and smiled weakly back at her. She returned his smile with one of her own. Sam thought that Daniel looked a little better now than he had at the Colonel’s house. At one point, she was sure that he was about ready to pass out. Thankfully, he’d been able to pull himself together. And now, he didn’t have such a desperate look about him—maybe it was because he was doing something about the problem at hand.

They’d been at this for several hours already and had even gotten the State Police involved. With little or no evidence to go on, however, there was not much they could do.

Daniel hung up the phone and sighed deeply, stretching the muscles in his back before turning to look at Sam. "We’re not getting anywhere are we?"

"There’s a lot to do, Daniel. We can’t give up. It’s still very early."

"Sam," Daniel said, leaning forward in his chair, his elbows resting on the table. "I’m not suggesting that we give up. I’m just saying that I’m not getting anywhere. No one has any records of a Jack O’Neill, a J. O’Neill, a Jonathan O’Neill, or even a John Doe meeting Jack’s description."

Sam could understand his frustration, but there was little else to do except push forward. "We have to keep looking."

"I know, Sam. I know," Daniel said, sighing and staring at a point beyond Sam’s shoulder. A few seconds later, his eyes lit up. "Sam, what about this Fred guy?"

Sam thought for a moment. "I don’t know. I don’t think we’ve gotten the number from the phone company yet."

"No, wait. I think we did," Daniel said, starting to shuffle through the pile of papers covering the normally pristine briefing room table. "Ah ha!" he cried, pulling the document out. "We did get it. It was faxed over an hour or so ago. I thought I’d seen it."

"Were they able to get a number for us?" Sam asked, rising to walk around the table so she could peer over Daniel’s shoulder. She could see Daniel’s number on the page and the video store’s number—she used the same one. The only number she didn’t recognize was one that was located not far from the Colonel’s house by the prefix code.

"Is this it?" Sam asked, pointing.

"Maybe. Let me call."

Daniel eyed the number again before picking up the phone to dial. It took a few seconds before the call went through. "Hi, yes. I’m looking for Fred. Uh huh. Okay, I will. Thanks."

Sam eyes Daniel expectantly as he hung up the phone. "Well?"

"It’s a bar called The Pub. Fred comes in around six."

"Why would a bartender be calling the Colonel?"

"I think we need to pay Fred a visit," Daniel said, looking up to meet Sam’s gaze. "What do you think?"

"I think I’m going to need a good stiff drink by the time this day is over."

Daniel smiled weakly. "I think I know just the place we can go."