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Suggested
Rating: for teen and
older readers
Category: Daniel/Janet friendship
Setting: A pre- and post-scene from The Fifth Race.
Synopsis: Will Daniel reflect too heavily on an
unexpected disappointment?
Author’s
Comments: Part 9 in The Journey series. The
Fifth Race has long been a favorite episode of mine, for a variety of
reasons. But in the Dan/Jan
context, I’ve always loved they way they work together so naturally and
express their mutual concern for Jack.
It also amuses me that this is the episode where Daniel and Janet
really begin to display they way they’ve become quite comfortable being
in one another’s space. So,
I hope some of all that is conveyed in this story. And thanks to Sonia for her editing
efforts and helping me to polish this up a bit.
DISCLAIMER: All
publicly recognizable characters and places (the Stargate SG-1 stuff)
are the property of MGM, World Gekko Corp and
Double Secret Productions. This
piece of fan fiction was created for entertainment only and no infringement
on copyrights or trademarks was intended. Previously unrecognized characters and
places, and this story, are copyrighted to the author. Any similarity to real persons, living
or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the
author.
BURGEONING COGNIZANCE
- by
Michelle Lunsford (May 2005)
“Well,
you’re up and about awfully early today. Should I be preparing for the end of
the world?”
The distinctly
teasing voice drew Daniel’s attention away from the notes he’d
been studying and he looked up.
“Good
morning to you, too,” he replied dryly.
“Ah,
but cheerful as usual at this hour, I see,” Janet quipped as she sat
opposite him. “So life as
we know it probably isn’t in danger of ending just yet.”
Daniel donned
a mock scowl as he slid his breakfast tray aside to make room for hers. But her answering smile, combined with
his own mood, prevented him from maintaining the façade for long.
“Actually
I am feeling pretty
cheerful,” he admitted enthusiastically.
Janet’s
gaze was all intrigued curiosity as she said, “Oh? Do tell.”
He waved
at the file folder and personal notes spread on the table. “I’ve been getting ready
for a mission briefing later this morning.”
Janet picked
up a slice of toast as her eyes briefly flicked across the papers he’d
indicated. “Anything you
can tell me about?”
“Here,
let me show you.” Opening
the folder he quickly scanned the contents, pulling out a set of two
photographs. He placed one of
them in front of her tray.
“This is a copy of the four different languages we found represented
on Ernest’s planet.”
She glanced
up, her eyes reflecting recognition.
“Wasn’t that – what did you call it – the meaning of life stuff?”
“Yeah.” He nodded and pointed at one section
of text in the upper right of the photo.
“Since then I’ve concluded that this particular script
represents the language of Thor’s people, the Asgard. Still have no idea about the other
three, but…” he placed the second photo beside the first, “take
a look at this picture, recently sent back from one of our MALP’s, and tell me if you notice anything.”
He waited
eagerly, exercising all of his willpower not to blurt the answer.
“Well,
I’m no linguist, but it looks a lot like this one,” she
eventually replied and indicated the section of text in the lower right of the
original photo with her fork.
“Exactly! In fact, they’re representative
of the same language. And so…?” He gazed at her expectantly.
Janet studied
the photos again for several seconds.
But when she finally met his eyes her expression was apologetic.
“Daniel,
I’m afraid you’re going to have to clue me in because I’m
just not seeing the significance of this.”
“Well,”
he began, trying not to feel too disappointed that she hadn’t figured
it out, “we’re pretty sure the four races responsible for the repository
of knowledge on Ernest’s planet worked together, which implies they had
some sort of alliance, whether official or not. And since--”
“Oh,
now I get it,” Janet interjected, leaning in a little closer as she
pointed at the circle of alien text in the second photo. “Since the race that speaks this
language was probably an ally of the Asgard, that
means they could be potential allies for us as well.”
“Right!” He retrieved the photos, giving them a
final survey before returning them to the mission folder. “At the very least it makes the
planet where this was found definitely worth checking out.”
“Definitely,”
Janet agreed. She took a sip of
orange juice before adding, “No wonder you’re bouncing in your
seat.”
“It’s
just so exciting – I mean, this is the kind of thing we always hope
we’ll discover when we explore new worlds. I can hardly wait to talk to the
general about--” His enthusiastic discourse came to a screeching halt
as he realized what she’d just said. Leaning back in his chair he shot her
a slightly indignant look. “I
am not bouncing in my seat.”
Janet
merely stared back at him, one eyebrow raised in challenge and her mouth set
in a playful smirk.
He held
up his hands in a placating gesture.
“Okay, okay – so maybe all this is intriguing enough to
get me riled up, even at this ungodly hour of the morning – but
I’m not that excited.”
“Sure
you’re not,” Janet fairly drawled. She returned her attention to her
breakfast but not before her smirk broke into a full-fledged grin.
“All
right, fine, whatever,” Daniel relented good-naturedly. He reached across to her tray and swiped
a grape from her fruit bowl as he went on, “But you have to admit, it is exciting.”
“Hey,
get your own,” she chastised, lightly slapping at his hand.
Payback for the ‘bouncing in
my seat’ remark, he thought amicably and raised his eyebrows at her as he popped the
grape into his mouth.
“Yes,
I’ll admit, it’s exciting.” She folded her hands beneath her chin
and smiled as she met his eyes.
“And I also have to admit that I do enjoy seeing you so gung-ho
about your work.”
Daniel
eased forward slightly and peered over his glasses at her. “Especially when it makes me
bounce in my seat, right?”
Janet
responded with a light laugh before quickly glancing away. She reached for her juice again and,
seeming to take a renewed interest in her breakfast, asked, “So, what
time is the mission briefing?”
Something
in her reaction struck him as odd, although he couldn’t quite put his
finger on it. Probably just my imagination, he told
himself, taking a drink of his coffee to cover the pause while his brain
shifted to process what she’d actually said.
“Um…”
he pulled up the edge of his jacket sleeve to see his watch. Oops! “Actually it’s in about
ten minutes,” he answered, quickly gathering everything into his
mission folder. “Sorry, gotta go.”
Janet’s
encouragement of “good luck” echoed after him as he dashed for
the mess hall door.
^ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ^ *
“So,
Doc, are we finished here or what?”
“The
longer you complain, Colonel, the longer it takes.”
Daniel
couldn’t help but smile as he watched from the infirmary doorway. Jack’s semi-feigned irritation
was as good a sign as any that he was indeed back to normal.
Or at least what classifies as
normal around here,
he silently reflected.
It had
been a long day – one that Daniel began with hearty enthusiasm and
curiosity, but which eventually resulted in genuine worry on behalf of his
friend. Jack’s having a
database of the original gate builders downloaded into his brain was just another
in a long line of disastrous experiences for SG-1. Once again they’d managed to
come through it all right in the end, but each time something like this
happened he was reminded just how dangerous their work was.
One of these days it’s not
going to end quite so positively.
Daniel
crossed his arms and shifted his weight as he leaned against the wall,
willfully pushing that assessment aside.
He knew it was true, but for the moment his friend was here and he was
safe. That’s all that
mattered.
“Come
on, Fraiser” Jack’s continued lamenting
interrupted his thoughts.
“You’ve checked and re-checked everything already. How many more little notes can you
make on your chart there?”
Janet
threw the colonel a warning look and Daniel smiled again. It wasn’t the first time
he’d seen this five-foot-two powerhouse stand up to Jack – or any
of the other more cantankerous personnel on base – but he also knew her
sternness was partly for show.
She was just as relieved about Jack’s being returned to them as
he was.
“All
right, Colonel.” Janet took
a deep breath as she leveled her gaze at the older man. “Everything does check out
normal, but I want you to be absolutely honest with me. How are you feeling?”
He
didn’t answer immediately, and Daniel noted that despite all his
friend’s grumbling, Jack really did have a great deal of respect for
their doctor.
“A
little tired… and I could use a bite to eat. But otherwise I feel fine.”
Janet
nodded, seemingly appeased.
“Very well. Eat a
decent meal and get some rest.”
Jack hopped down from the infirmary bed but she halted him with a touch
to his arm. “But I’d
like for you to stay on base for the night, just in case. Check with me in the morning and if it
still looks like everything is as it should be, I’ll release you for
duty.”
“Stay
on base?” Jack responded, clearly not pleased with the stipulation.
Sensing a
potential battle of wills on the rise, Daniel pushed away from the wall and
moved toward his friends.
“But
I already promised my team I’d take them out to
O’Malley’s,” Jack continued. “You know, for a little I’m myself again festivity.”
As Daniel
stepped beside them Janet cut her eyes his direction. He uncrossed his arms and nodded in
confirmation of Jack’s claim.
“See!”
Jack gave him a friendly smack of appreciation on the back. “And you know how excited
Teal’c gets about going out on the town. Wouldn’t want to disappoint him,
now would we?”
Janet’s
expression remained firm but the barely perceptible sigh that passed her lips
told Daniel she was beginning to relent.
“We’d
be there to keep an eye on Jack,” Daniel said, slipping his hands into
his pockets. “And
Teal’c or I could even stay at his place tonight.” He inclined his head toward her
slightly and smiled, in that way he knew Sam always accused as his puppy-eyed
expression. “We promise to
bring him back to base at the first sign of anything out of the
ordinary.”
Janet
glanced back and forth between them for a few seconds. “Why do I even bother?”
she finally acquiesced, a tiny smile that appeared equal parts exasperation
and affection tugging at the corner of her mouth.
“Thank
you,” the two men replied in unison.
“We
really do appreciate it,” Daniel added, his smile lingering as he
caught her eye.
She waved
away his gratitude. “Yeah,
yeah.” Then placing a
finger squarely in the middle of his chest she went on, “However,
I’m holding you personally responsible for the colonel until he checks
back with me tomorrow morning.
Understood?”
“Hey,
I’ve got an idea,” Jack interjected, slapping both this hands
together. “Doc, why
don’t you come with?
You’ve certainly done more than your fair share this time
around, what with helping to baby-sit me while I was
going all alien-speaking brain-warped.
You deserve to join in our little celebration.”
Janet looked
pleased at the offer but shook her head.
“Thanks, Colonel, but I’m afraid I can’t.”
Consternation
instantly welled up inside of Daniel.
He wanted to make some protest, but nothing appropriate came to mind. Everything around him had suddenly become
overcast and muted, and he had to struggle to stay focused on what Janet was
saying as she continued.
“Cassie’s
putting the finishing touches on a school project tonight and I promised to
help. But maybe next time.”
“I’ll
hold you to that,” Jack answered with a wink. “Now, come on Daniel,
let’s get out of here before Doc changes her mind about letting me out
for the night.”
“Yeah,
sure,” Daniel managed to mumble, still feeling rather dumbfounded by
the intensity of his response to Janet’s refusal. “I, um – I’ll be
with you in a sec.”
Glancing
around he noticed Jack was already headed for the door.
“No
rush. I’m gonna go remind Carter and Teal’c of our
plans. Meet you in the locker
room.”
“Okay,”
Daniel called over his shoulder.
He returned his attention to Janet even as he mentally scrambled to
find some rationale for what he was feeling. “I’m sorry you can’t
join us,” he said sincerely.
“Me
too,” she acknowledged.
For a split
second Daniel thought the tiny smile she offered seemed a touch wistful.
“And
I promise I will look after Jack,” he insisted, rocking forward
slightly on the balls of his feet.
“If there’s even the least little--”
“It’s
alright, Daniel,” she interrupted, smiling again. “I know I can trust you,”
she assured before glancing down to make a few final marks to Jack’s
chart.
Is it because you’ve just
seen her a lot more today than you normally do? That notion had some credence and as
Daniel reflected further he realized this was actually the first time
he’d had a chance to work with Janet outside of some scenario strictly
related to her role as CMO.
Certainly her medical expertise had helped them in dealing with
Jack’s problem, but the assistance she’d offered had gone beyond
that. Yeah, that must be it.
You’ve been with her a good portion of the day, she worked
alongside the team, and now you’re simply let down that she can’t
come along for the fun.
“Daniel,
was there something else?”
Janet’s
query cut through his musings, reminding him he that was still standing in
the infirmary and, apparently, openly staring at her.
“Um,”
he reached up to reposition his glasses.
“I guess I just wanted to say thanks.”
She gave
him a quizzical look.
“For
all the help you were to me and Jack today. I don’t…” he paused, now
poignantly aware that what he was about to say was absolutely true. “I don’t know if I could
have handled it as well without you.”
She
momentarily glanced away and when she eventually met his eyes again Daniel
was certain there was a flush of color in her cheeks.
“I’m
glad I could help – both you and the colonel,” she said softly.
He
continued to stand there, holding her gaze and basking in the sweet comfort
of the moment.
“Excuse
me, Doctor Frasier?”
Daniel started
at the sudden intrusion and pivoted around to find one of the nurses standing
just inside the infirmary door.
“Yes?”
Janet said, her tone decidedly professional.
“Doctor
Warner wanted me to ask you to please speak with him before you went home for
the night.”
“Yes. Thank you.” As the nurse exited Janet returned her
attention to Daniel. “Well,
I better let you get going.”
She smiled and gave his arm a friendly pat as she added, “You
four have fun tonight. I’ll
see you tomorrow.”
“Right
– tomorrow,” Daniel replied, and as he watched her walk away he
felt a quickening of his earlier disappointment.
It’s just because of all
that’s happened today, he reminded himself, even as a small voice at the back
of his mind suggested there was more to it than that. Don’t
worry about it – you need to go get changed for tonight. And you’re bound to have a great
time with Jack, Sam, and Teal’c.
“Right,”
he repeated, nodding slightly to himself. Then moving toward the exit he resolutely
fixed his thoughts on the evening ahead.
~ FINIS ~
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