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Suggested
Rating: for teen and
older readers
Category: Daniel/Janet, romance, holiday, fluff
Setting: Thanksgiving, I’m thinking
season 8 (since Cassie’s in college)
Synopsis: My response to the November 2004 fic challenge (see below)
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.
The November 2004 Daniel/Janet
Holiday/Birthday Fic
Challenge
1. Must take place during some
kind of holiday or birthday.
2. The storyline must revolve around this
holiday/birthday.
3. Must include a Daniel/Janet
kiss-gone-wrong.
4. Make it a happy ending, please!
THE RIGHT CHOICE
- by
Michelle Lunsford (November 2004)
“No
one could believe it,” Cassandra declared. Animatedly waving her hands she went
on, “The small observatory dome on top of the science building had been
painted to look like a giant freshman beanie!”
“No
way,” Daniel countered, a wide smile breaking across his features.
Cassie
nodded enthusiastically.
“They used school colors, and someone had even managed to
fashion a fake propeller for the top.
It was absolutely hysterical.”
As the
duo fell into laughter, Janet, who had been quietly listening to the story
from her end of the dining room table, leaned back in her chair and relished
the moment.
Cassandra
had spent the better part of their meal getting Daniel caught up on the more
noteworthy happenings of her first semester at university. And as Janet had watched him slowly
grow more relaxed, clearly enjoying her daughter’s anecdotes, she was
reassured that inviting him to spend Thanksgiving with them had been the
right choice.
He
glanced over at her then, an amused smile still lingering on his face. Janet returned the expression even as
she fought the irrational notion that he’d just read her thoughts. Relieved when Daniel returned his
attention to Cassie, Janet inhaled a slow breath.
It might have been the right
choice, she
reflected silently, but I still
question the wisdom behind it.
Not that
there was anything terribly brash about it. In years past Janet had spent
Thanksgiving with various groupings of SGC personnel. But when she’d discovered, one
afternoon in casual conversation, that Daniel was going to be spending
Thanksgiving alone, she’d not hesitated in asking him to join her and
Cassie. It had been offered as a
friendly invitation, and she was fairly certain it had been accepted in a
similar spirit.
Then why do you have to constantly
remind yourself of that?
Janet
sighed at the tiny internal taunting.
Good question.
“Oh
no, you’re getting that look.”
Janet’s
musings were interrupted as she suddenly realized her daughter had directed
this statement at her.
“What look do you
mean?” she asked, attempting to appear nonchalant.
“You’re
sitting there reminiscing, going all nostalgic and sentimental.” The young woman’s tone was slightly
teasing but there was clear affection behind the words. Turning her attention back to Daniel
she continued, “Mom does this every year during the holidays. Next thing you know she’ll be
dragging out the photo albums and Christmas decorations.”
Janet
knew better than to attempt a denial.
Besides, the touch of embarrassment that flushed her face was easier
to deal with than focusing on where her thoughts actually had been headed.
“Well,
there’s nothing wrong with being sentimental,” Daniel said,
glancing at Janet.
“Especially during the holidays.”
It was an
innocent enough comment, but Janet was caught off guard by the charming hint
of smile that accompanied it.
Reflexively
clearing her throat Janet said, “Well, whether I intend to drag out
photos and decorations – or not – the first order of business is
getting these dishes cleaned up.”
She slid her chair back.
“Besides, if I don’t get up and move around a bit after
eating all that turkey, I’m going to go into hibernation where I
sit.”
Both
Cassandra and Daniel offered to help, despite Janet’s protests, and
they made quick work of the task.
When finished, she asked if anyone was ready for dessert, but the
decision to wait a while longer was accepted by mutual consent. They moved into the den and Cassie
challenged Daniel to a game of chess as Janet settled on the sofa to enjoy
the Thanksgiving issue of the local paper.
Conversation
continued as the game began, but eventually the room grew quiet with
concentration. Janet had gotten
caught up on the headlines, looked through all the sales fliers for tomorrow,
and was half-way through the crossword when she heard the first clue that
someone might be gaining the upper hand.
“Check!”
Janet
noted the unmistakable tenor of pride in Cassandra’s tone and glanced
up from her paper. She smiled at
the sight before her. Daniel,
like Cassie, was seated on the floor.
But he was presently hunkered down, almost at eye level with the game
board and studying it with intense focus.
Interesting, Janet thought, the crossword
momentarily forgotten. In all
their years of playing chess, Cassie had never once defeated Daniel.
Eventually,
with deliberate slowness, Daniel moved a knight, pausing to give the board
one final perusal before completely releasing the piece to its new
position. Cassie frowned and
Janet figured her daughter hadn’t anticipated him taking that
move. Shaking her head in
amusement she returned to her newspaper.
This could still go on for a
while, she surmised. She
continued on the puzzle, noting that Cassie managed to place Daniel in check
on two more occasions before her crossword was finished. She was just contemplating reading the
comics when her daughter suddenly let out a whoop.
“Checkmate!”
Janet
inhaled a quick breath. Had she
heard that right? She looked over
at Daniel, eager to observe his reaction.
There was
that distinctive Daniel Jackson what-just-happened?
flurry of blinking. Then he
leaned forward to thoroughly scrutinize the situation. Finally he eased back, a light smile
tugging at his mouth as he admitted, “Well Cass, I think you’re
right.”
“Yes!”
she enthused, nearly knocking Daniel flat as she bounded around the side of
the coffee table and tackled him in a hug. “I can’t believe I finally
won, I finally beat you at a game
of chess. Wait ‘til Sam
hears about this!”
“Alright,
alright,” Daniel conceded, his voice resonating with mirth. “Congratulations, good job, and
all that – can I please be allowed to breathe now?”
“Sorry,”
Cassie quickly replied, releasing her hold. “Hey Mom, did you see? I won!”
“Yes,”
Janet answered, beaming at her daughter.
“So, what – shall I take pictures? Contact the media?”
“Oh
no, please,” Daniel pleaded in jest. “My no loss record has just been
broken. Can’t we at least
leave some of my honor intact?”
Janet
glanced at him, somewhat intrigued by his clearly jocular mood. “I’ll think about
it,” she quipped mischievously.
Daniel
met her gaze, eyebrows rising at her playful challenge. Once again Janet found herself
captivated by a smile and twinkling blue eyes.
Forcing
herself to look away she suggested, “How about we celebrate
instead? Everyone ready for
dessert and coffee now?”
“Sounds
great,” Cassie replied.
“But tea instead of coffee for me, please. Mom, did you get any of that special
holiday blend from Celestial Seasonings?”
“As
a matter of fact, I did.”
Tossing the newspaper aside Janet rose from the sofa. “I’ll go put on the
kettle.”
As she
headed toward the kitchen she could hear Daniel offering more sincere
congratulations to Cassie on a well-played game. Despite the fact his words were
directed at her daughter, Janet had the peculiar sensation that he was
surreptitiously watching her.
Don’t be ridiculous, she chided herself, fighting the
urge to look over her shoulder and check.
It was a
feeling that had been recurring of late.
Those heretofore rare glimpses of his smile were becoming almost
regular occurrences. Impromptu
friendly visits to her office were growing more frequent. And casual glances seemed to be
lingering just a little beyond what was absolutely necessary. Janet had tried to tell herself it was
merely her imagination, but the argument wasn’t holding much sway. In recent days she’d had to
admit that her thoughts, where Daniel Jackson was concerned, now dwelt
somewhere between foolish speculating and wishful thinking.
Initially
Janet had been flattered by his notice.
After all, what woman didn’t appreciate being given even the
tiniest bit of attention from an intelligent and attractive man? Still, she couldn’t legitimately
come up with a reasonable explanation as to why it was happening. She and Daniel had been friends for
years. Sure, he was a little
bit… different since
returning from being ascended, but was that alone enough to suggest that he
felt differently towards her now?
While she
wasn’t against the idea, it definitely posed some complications. Of course, she’d avoided
analyzing any of those complications too closely. Why get all worked up over something
that might never actually happen, she’d told herself.
Entering
the kitchen Janet sighed heavily.
That’s the real problem,
isn’t it? Nodding in
response to her own questioning she reflected on the reality of the
situation; despite any mental wrangling she might attempt, she really did
hope that something was genuinely developing between them. It was part of the reason she’d
so impetuously invited him for Thanksgiving. Sure, she’d have willingly
invited any friend for the holidays rather than allow him or her to spend it
alone. But the truth was
she’d simply wanted to be with him.
“Only
I hadn’t figured on going all giddy, like some silly school-girl, every
time he looked at me today,” she softly murmured as she retrieved the
tea blend from the pantry. Amazing how taking this whole thing
outside the “safe” surroundings of our work environment puts a
new spin on it, she noted.
Reaching
for the kettle she reflexively glanced out the kitchen window… and
froze. All thoughts of Daniel and
her complicated feelings were momentarily forgotten as she caught sight of
the enormous snowflakes dancing outside.
“Oh
wow!” she breathed. In a
matter of seconds she had gathered everyone’s coat and was pushing them
toward the back door, offering little more than a comment of
“you’ll see” in response to their questions about her
behavior.
She
hustled them onto the back porch.
When the curious inquiries suddenly ceased Janet knew they
understood. Digging out the pair
of gloves she kept stored in her coat pocket, she quickly slid them on and
then stood, taking in the pleasure of the scene before her.
The
ground was already completely covered and the snow was falling steadily. There was that unique stillness in the
air that only seems to settle when it snows, and Janet momentarily held her
breath to allow the repose to completely permeate her senses.
“Cassie,
misses Frasier!” The
silence was broken by the cry of their very excited four-year-old neighbor.
“Hey
Micky,” Cassie grinned and waved.
“It’s
snowing,” the boy declared as he ran toward them – a rather
comical sight, considering he was bundled up in a snow suit that appeared to
be almost twice as thick as he was.
“I’m helping Dad build a snowman in the front yard. Cassie, you wanna
help?”
“I’d
love to.” Cassandra fairly
bounded down the steps, taking the boy’s offered hand as they trotted
back into his yard.
“She’s
known Micky and has helped take care of him since
he was a baby,” Janet explained.
She stepped off the porch, smiling as she heard the delightful crunch
of snow beneath her feet.
“Sometimes I think she considers him more of a younger brother
than a neighbor.”
Daniel
followed, falling into step beside her.
“This is amazing,” he said, looking around. “I was thinking on the drive
over here how it looked like it could snow, but I thought they weren’t
predicting anything until sometime tomorrow morning.”
She gazed
up at the cloud laden sky.
“I guess it got here a little early.”
Janet
continued her slow pace, wandering around the back yard, and was grateful
they’d fallen into a comfortable silence. She’d always loved snow, ever
since she could remember. There
was just something about it, something she’d never been able to
adequately put into words.
She’d made it a personal tradition that whenever it snowed the
first time of the season, as soon as possible she’d get outside and
simply experience the wonder and
magic of it – walking along in silence and contemplation.
Only this time it’s even
more special than usual, she thought, because
Daniel’s here with me.
“Penny
for your thoughts?”
Daniel’s voice eased softly into her reverie.
If you only knew. She smiled impishly to herself before
answering aloud, “I was thinking about how much I love the snow. I just have to get out and walk around
in it.”
“It
is beautiful,” he conceded.
He halted, turning to face her.
“Unfortunately it’s also rather cold and wet.”
Janet
gave him a mock expression of chastisement. “We haven’t been out here that long…” she paused,
and considered the fact that she really didn’t have any idea how much
time they’d spent ambling around her yard. “Have we?”
He
shrugged, the gesture coming across as surprisingly endearing since his hands
were firmly planted inside the front pockets of his jeans. A smile tugged at the corner of his
mouth as he confessed, “We’ve been out long enough for your nose
to turn a rather fetching shade of pink.”
Janet
blinked. “Oh,” she
fumbled, unsure how else to respond.
She didn’t know if his comment had been simply a friendly crack,
or if he’d been intending to compliment her. Before the moment could get any more
awkward she turned away and impulsively jumped at the first notion that
popped into her head.
“We
can, uh, go inside in just a minute…” she took a few more paces,
studying the ground for exactly the right spot. “But first there’s
something I have to do.”
Without
further explanation she plopped down on the snow covered ground, laid back,
and began swinging her arms and legs in a repetitive back-and-forth
motion. Snowflakes fell on her
face and lashes, and she laughed in spite of herself. When she was satisfied with her
effort, Janet stopped and slowly sat up.
Daniel
was staring at her, a beguiled look evident on his face. He shook his head slightly. “You’re crazy, you know
that?”
She
reached to grasp the hand he offered to help her up. “I prefer to think of it as
still being a child at heart.”
With the
assistance of Daniel’s tug she easily stood. She stepped forward, but in her compensation
not to make any footprints too close to her newly formed snow angel, she
found herself standing much closer to him than she’d anticipated. Janet glanced up, ready to offer a
hasty, if somewhat abashed apology for nearly plowing into him, but unexpectedly
found her voice wasn’t cooperating.
“A
child at heart?” he echoed, his tone warm and affectionate as he gazed
down at her. His expression
remained one of mostly mild amusement, but Janet was riveted by the intensity
she now saw reflected in his eyes.
“Is that why you’re practically glowing right now?”
She
swallowed, somehow managing to get out a reply that was only a little
breathless. “No,
I—I’m sure that’s just the cold.”
Daniel
shook his head and Janet felt a gentle pressure where his hand still clasped
her own. “No, I don’t
think so. I think it’s
because when you’re like this – just being yourself, so happy and
full of life…” Reaching up with his free hand he tucked a stray
wisp of hair behind her ear.
“That’s when you’re most beautiful.”
Janet was
pretty sure her heart stopped beating altogether at that moment. She was clearly aware that Daniel was
slowly leaning closer, his hand moving to gently cup her face. She closed her eyes, scarcely daring
to breath.
Suddenly Janet
felt something plow into her side, just below her knees, immediately followed
by a cold and wet sensation impacting along her face. She took a step backwards even as she
felt Daniel’s hand grasping her elbow to help steady her.
“Sorry,
misses Frasier,” a small penitent voice called up to her. “I didn’t see you standing
there.”
Janet
blinked, still struggling to get her bearings, as the sound of
Cassandra’s voice was added to the mix.
“Oh
guys, I am so, so sorry.”
Janet
looked around and finally spotted her daughter, standing a few feet away,
with a look on her face that bordered somewhere between genuine remorse and
guilty mortification.
“Micky and I were having a snowball fight,”
Cassandra went on. “I was
chasing him and knew he’d taken off around the house. I was purposefully aiming a little
high, so as not to actually hit
him…” she trailed off, the remainder of the tale
self-evident.
“Sorry,” she said again.
Janet
nodded, understanding her daughter’s apology was as much for the event
she’d obviously interrupted as it was the actual snowball mishap. “I think we’ll
recover,” she replied.
“Come
on, Micky,” Cassie said, waving the boy
toward her. “Let’s go
back to the front yard.”
The
little boy took off as fast as his snow suit clad legs would allow and Janet
turned back to Daniel. His hair
was wet now on the right side of his face – it appeared he’d
taken the brunt of the snowball impact.
“Are
you okay?” she asked.
“Sure,”
Daniel answered. He pulled off
his glasses, carefully shaking off the water droplets and remains of snowball
that clung to the surface.
“Nothing damaged, except perhaps my pride.”
Janet
smiled, appreciative of his light teasing. It was exactly what was needed to ease
the tension of the moment.
“Why don’t we go inside now? I’ll get you something to clean
those with.”
Once
inside Janet went in search of a clean towel for Daniel’s glasses and
hair. She returned to the den to
find him, glasses in hand and squinting at the television screen as it
displayed a report from the weather channel.
“Thank
you.” He took the towel
from her and continued, “I thought I should check the weather, see if
there’s any report on how long this snow is supposed to continue. The crews are pretty good about
getting the main roads cleared as soon as possible, but if it’s going
to be bad then I probably don’t want to wait too late before heading
home.”
“Right,”
Janet replied, sitting on the sofa beside him. Disappointment at the idea of him having
to leave soon rose within her and before she’d thought out the
implications she blurted, “Of course, you could always stay the night
in our guest room.”
Realizing
how that must have sounded, particularly in light of what had almost just
happened outside, Janet quickly glanced over at him. She wasn’t too surprised to find
him eyeing her uncertainly.
“I’m
sorry,” she said. “I
suppose that came across as rather presumptuous.”
“No,
it’s okay,” he assured.
His gaze fell away then, to where he was absently fidgeting with the
towel in his hands.
“Actually, I’m the one who should probably be
apologizing… for what happened outside.”
What? Janet thought in
bewilderment. She leaned forward,
attempting to catch his gaze again as she asked, “Why?”
“Well,
you were so gracious to invite me to spend the day with you and
Cassie,” he answered, sheepishly meeting her eyes. “I just don’t – I
mean, I’d hate to think…” he sighed, shaking his head
slightly. “I never want to
take advantage of your friendship, Janet.”
She
smiled encouragingly.
“Don’t worry – I trust you, Daniel, and so I know that you’ll never do
that.” A little hesitantly
she reached for his hand. When he
looked at her this time Janet made no attempt to hide the depth of her emotion. “Besides, I didn’t just
invite you for Thanksgiving because you’re a friend… I invited
you because I wanted to spend time with you.”
“Oh.”
Janet’s
smile broadened. She simply loved
that adorable expression that broke on his face when Daniel had one of his
revelatory moments.
Gathering
her courage she slid closer and leaned forward, squeezing his hand as her
eyes fluttered shut.
The loud
and distinctive sound of the back door being shut with a good deal more
purpose that was needed rumbled through the house the instant before Janet
could carry through on her intent.
“Boy,
it sure is cold out there.”
Cassandra’s voice, also being projected with more force than
normal, followed seconds later.
“Well,”
Janet sighed as she eased away from him.
“At least she gave us fair warning this time.”
“Right,”
Daniel agreed, managing a tiny smile.
“So,
did you and Micky call a truce?” Janet called
out.
Cassandra
stepped around the corner, easing out of her coat and shaking the last
remnants of snow from her hair.
“Yeah, something like that.”
“Uh-huh,”
Janet said knowingly. She slapped
at the top of her thighs as she stood.
“Alright, what do you say we try again on dessert? I’m going to start the coffee
and tea.”
She’d
only been in the kitchen a few minutes when the sound of Daniel’s voice
from the doorway garnered her attention.
“Could
you use a hand?”
“Sure,”
Janet replied. She’d
certainly welcome the company, even if she didn’t truly require the
help. She placed the tea kettle
on the stove and turned the eye to high.
“Filters and coffee are in the cabinet above the coffee
maker.”
“By
the way, the weather report said it should start to clear off in the next
hour or so,” Daniel said as he retrieved the items for the coffee. “So I don’t think driving
conditions are going to be a problem.”
“Good.” She reached into a cabinet overhead
for mugs and dessert plates.
“Cassie and I make it an annual tradition to watch White Christmas every Thanksgiving
afternoon. I’d hate for you
to have to miss that.”
“The
classic with Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye?
I love that movie.”
Janet got
the pitcher of filtered water from the fridge and brought it over to
Daniel. She leaned against the
counter, watching as he carefully poured water into the reservoir. “Ah, so you really do have good
taste.”
Daniel
pressed the button on the coffee maker and then turned to face her. “Of course I do,” he
agreed, giving her a look full of meaning.
Janet
wasn’t certain who made the intimation toward a kiss this time, but she
was so eager for the warmth of his lips against hers now that it hardly
mattered.
The water
in the kettle chose that moment to reach a full boil, and the scream of the
whistle startled her so thoroughly that Janet nearly collided with Daniel
when she jumped.
“Sorry
‘bout that,” she apologized after hastily moving the kettle and
shutting off the burner.
Daniel
simply stood there, hands on his hips as he shook his head in obvious
frustration. “You know, I
think I just don’t care anymore,” he said, his voice low.
Janet
didn’t like the sound of that, but she decided not to jump to
worst-case-scenario conclusions yet.
Taking a couple steps closer she carefully questioned, “Excuse
me?”
He met
her eyes and Janet knew she’d seen that look before – pure,
impassioned, and pretty much indomitable, Daniel Jackson determination.
In one
swift move he reached for her and pulled her forward, effectively closing the
distance between them. He planted
one hand firmly at her waist, the other along the side of her face. “Yeah, I don’t care if the
entire house falls down around us,” he acknowledged, his eyes never
leaving hers, “I just really
want to kiss you.”
In
hindsight Janet had to admit that his somewhat abrupt manner, which had
resulted in pinning her against the kitchen counter, was actually a good
thing. Otherwise she was quite
sure she’d have slid into a puddle of goo on
the floor at that moment. She was
also quite pleased that there were no additional interruptions this
time. Not that it would have
mattered, she knew. Daniel had
been right – the entire house could have fallen down around them and
she likely would’ve never even noticed.
Eventually
Daniel broke their contact. Janet
slowly opened her eyes, still leaning into him as she relished the warmth of
his arms around her. Gradually
she began to come back down to earth and – when she realized she could,
in fact, breathe again – she concluded that kissing him had definitely
been worth the wait.
“Wow,”
Janet finally managed, the huskiness of her tone surprising even herself.
“Really?”
Daniel replied, eyebrows rising slightly.
She knew
that look too – the one Daniel wore when he was inordinately pleased
with himself. Janet decided she
was very happy to have been involved in the reason for him donning that
particular expression, and she was going to make it a point of pride to
insure he had opportunity to display it on a regular basis in the future.
“Really.” She smiled affectionately up at
him. And as she reached a hand
around the back of his neck, pulling him down for another kiss, she knew
without any doubts that inviting Daniel for Thanksgiving had indeed been the
right choice.
~ END ~
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