THE END OF BEGINNINGS

ONE

"Dr. Jackson..."
The sound of his name being spoken created an unstoppable cascade in the archeologist's mind.  Was it real or just part of a dream?  His whole life could be measured against that simple inquiry.
"Dr. Jackson..."
He remembered the faces of his peers from decades ago when they'd addressed him.  There was undeniable derision in their tones.  There was unshakable amusement on their faces.  They were mocking him.  But what did they matter, anyway?  At this point, after so many years had passed and so many events had transpired, they didn't matter.
"Dr. Jackson..."
There was a memory stronger than most in Daniel's mind.  After twenty years, it still felt as if it were something from the day before.  It was a memory of his closest friend, now his oldest friend.  There he was, the one and only Jack O'Neill standing at the steps of the stargate.  They were under the foundation of a pyramid and yet they were bathed in shimmering light as if standing at a sun-lit lake.
That's when Daniel Jackson suddenly opened his eyes.  "Jack," he said, practically shouting.  He blinked, his bleary vision steadily clearing.  He wasn't standing in the depths of a pyramid on an alien world.  He was sitting in a cafeteria nestled between thick, concrete walls within the depths of a mountain in Colorado.
"I'm afraid not, doctor."
Daniel quickly lifted his gaze to the man standing beside the small table.  He exhaled loudly, still drowsy and trying to fully wake up, but also-now-embarrassed.
"But it's good to see you made it in safely," said Major General Hank Landry.  "May I ask why you're in here?  Last I checked we still had staterooms available.  Where's Walter?  Did he not have one readied?"
Daniel Jackson rubbed the sleep out of his left eye as the boisterous older man spoke then quickly said, "Oh, no.  He did.  I just...couldn't sleep."  Daniel heard his own words as he looked up at the general standing over him.  "At least, not in there."
"What time did you get in?"
Daniel leaned back in his chair.  He glanced at his watch.  His eyes widened at the sight of the flat, dark face.  The hands read it was just a little after 9AM.  But that was Eastern Time.  He'd forgotten to change it after his plane had landed.  "Umm...I'm not sure.  Late?  Early?  Somewhere in between."
General Landry nodded.  "I see.  Well, I think I can understand.  Do you mind," the general asked, gesturing to the chair across the table from Daniel.  Landry was already pulling it out and sitting down before Dr. Jackson could answer.
"Sure.  Umm...help yourself, General," Daniel said slowly, watching the commander of the base make himself comfortable.
"Thank you," Landry said with a smile.  "Jack is my friend, too.  But I wouldn't claim to have as close a bond as the two of you have developed over the years.  Add to that the research you've been doing on Atlantis to try to find the Destiny..."
Daniel nodded his head tiredly.
"I'd probably find myself sleeping in unusual places as well, when I could sleep at all.  The first few weeks after I took the post here kept me fairly restless."
"I guess...I'm just..." Daniel breathed deeply.  He was trying to find the right words for his thoughts.  "I feel adrift.  I don't really know what I'm supposed to be doing.  I mean, I do.  But, I don't."
General Landry arched a bushy eyebrow curiously.  He watched the younger man he'd had the pleasure of getting to know over the last twelve years for a quiet moment.  Daniel Jackson was man with a busy mind, maybe one of the busiest Hank had ever been around.  He knew all about Jackson's history, both before his time in the Stargate program and then during.  Landry had read all the mission files.  He'd listened, on more than one occasion, to the stories recounted by Jackson and others he had worked with. 
Daniel's conscience was as big as his brain and it wasn't without its fair share of bruises or scars.  Daniel often seemed to carry the weight of the universe on his shoulders.  In his line of work that was a hazard of the job.  The burden had left its mark on Daniel's heart.  Landry could see it Daniel's eyes.  The pain of watching his best friend suffer was all the more heightened for Dr. Jackson.  And, there was nothing that would numb that pain.
"Happiness and moral duty are inseparably connected," General Landry said, almost to himself.
Daniel looked across the table with confusion.  "I'm sorry?"
Landry shook his head then looked at Daniel again.  "Nothing.  It's a quote from George Washington-one of my favorites, actually.  I like the absolution of it.  It tends to apply to many situations, especially here.  But, maybe not this one as much."
"Oh."
Landry scratched at his chin.  "How is Jack?  I haven't been able to get back to DC since he first collapsed."
"He's...okay.  As good as can be, I think, under the circumstances."  Daniel crossed his arms over his chest.  He broke his gaze with the general, lowering his eyes toward the bare table between them.  "I wasn't really ready to come back yet.  But-"
"Jack insisted," said Landry, cutting of Daniel's sentence.  He'd already known what the younger man was going to say.  That was mostly because he'd spoken with General Jack O'Neill a few days earlier.  Plus, it was also kind of obvious, certainly to General Landry.  "He also insisted on not letting you go anywhere but back to Atlantis."
"Oh."
"His orders, not mine."
"Right."
Landry looked left and right over the empty surface of the tabletop.  He leaned back in his chair, absently smoothing the folds of his dark, leather jacket.  "Are you hungry?  We should eat.  I've become partial to the french toast, myself."
Daniel looked around the quiet cafeteria.  It was still nearly completely empty.  In a far corner of the room, a drowsy airman was nursing a cup of lukewarm coffee while staring at the contents of an open binder.  Another airman was silently wiping the countertop on the opposite side of the rectangular hall.  In another hour or so, as shifts on the base changed, the tables would begin to fill up and the noise level would dramatically increase.  "Umm...I'm not sure there's any food ready yet."
"Coffee, then," Landry said enthusiastically.  "We'll get it to go."