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Suggested
Rating: for teen and
older readers
Category: Daniel/Janet, also references to
Sam/Jack
Setting: during and following the events of A Hundred Days
Synopsis: As “fire rain” separates
SG-1 from the planet Edora, Daniel finds himself worried about not only his
missing friend, but Sam as well, and struggles to deal with how his
friends’ situation mirrors his own.
Author’s
Comments: Part 16 in The Journey series. Thanks to Sonia, my editor in crime,
for helping me to make this story a little cleaner and tighter.
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 creations of the author. Any similarity to real persons, living
or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
UNEXPECTED ADVICE
- by
Michelle Lunsford (March 2007)
“Are
you going to eat that thing and put it out if its misery, or what?”
Daniel
gazed at his waffle, noting the fork holes pooling with syrup, and frowned. “Is that your way of saying
‘good morning’?”
He made a couple more half-hearted stabs. “Not your usual bedside manner,
I must say.”
“Oh
shut up,” Janet teased as she sat down across from him.
He
watched as she picked up her glass of juice, waiting to catch her eye. When he did, Janet sat up a little
straighter and set her mouth in a firm line.
“Sorry,”
she said. “I didn’t
sleep very well last night, and judging by your expression I take it you
didn’t either.”
Daniel felt
some of his exasperation fade with her apology. He shook his head and laid his fork to
rest on his breakfast tray.
“Not really. Too
worried about Jack.”
Janet
nodded in understanding and gave her own breakfast an absentminded poke. “Have you by any chance seen Sam
this morning?”
A little
curious at the change of topic, he replied, “No. Why?”
Janet gave
a half-shrug. “It’s
just that I imagine she got even less rest than you or I did.”
Daniel slid
his tray to one side and crossed his arms across the table as he leaned
forward. “Janet, is there
something you’re not telling me?”
Her gaze
fell away as she made another pretense of being interested in her food. “I went to see her last night,
before I left the base,” she said after a moment. “Even took her a cup of
coffee. Thought I’d see how
she was doing, maybe offer a word of encouragement.”
“And?”
Daniel pressed when several heartbeats passed in silence.
“And,”
Janet replied, looking up into his face again, “the truth is that
I’m worried about her.”
Of course you are, he thought. She’s
your friend, and she’s in the middle of a crisis right now. “Listen,” he said aloud,
“I know she’s working pretty hard, but it’s not the first
time Sam has pulled all-nighters to work toward a solution. She knows her limitations. She won’t push herself beyond
what she can handle.”
“No,
it’s not that.” Janet
glanced around, then leaned forward and lowered her voice. “I’m worried this time
she’s making it personal.”
Daniel
shook his head. “What are
you talking about?”
“Daniel,
she misses Colonel
O’Neill.”
“Of
course she does,” Daniel replied, lowering his voice to match her
volume. “She cares about
him, and—“ He
blinked. “Oh…”
Janet
gave him a pointed look.
“You do realize there are certain… regulations with regard
to how officers—”
“Yes,
yes, I know,” Daniel cut her off somewhat testily. A voice in the back of his mind
questioned whether his irritation was due to Janet bringing up this
particular situation involving their friends, or because it hit a bit too
close to home regarding his feelings toward her. “Look, I know you and Sam are
best friends, but she’s my friend too. And even if her feelings for Jack may be
something beyond what is considered purely professional, I’ve never
seen either of them behave in any way that could be called into
question.”
Janet
drew back, her own tone taking on a frosty edge. “I wasn’t trying to
suggest they had. I was merely
saying that I’m worried about my friend.”
Daniel
took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and let the breath out slowly before
opening his eyes again.
“I’m sorry. I
didn’t mean… You
don’t suppose we could maybe start this entire conversation over?”
Janet
waved the suggestion aside.
“Don’t worry about it. We’re both just a little testy
this morning, considering what’s going on.” She took a sip of her juice before
continuing. “I will say
that when I talked to Sam last night, I did sort of hint at my
concerns.”
“And?”
“She
assured me it wasn’t a problem.” She leveled her gaze at him. “And I believe her. But at the same time…” She bit at her lower lip. “I can’t help being a
little troubled by the whole thing because I know it can’t be easy for
her.”
Daniel
wasn’t sure what to say so he simply reached across the table and
squeezed her hand. She smiled in
return and slowly shifted her attention toward eating her breakfast. As Daniel sat in companionable silence,
the inner voice that had taunted earlier returned for a second round.
I never anticipated something like
this would get her so upset… If she’s this fretful over the idea
of Sam developing emotional attachments to her superior, I’m not sure I
want to know how she’d respond upon learning another friend was in a
similar predicament…
“So,”
Daniel began, clearing his throat and searching for something –
anything – to discuss in order to cut off the trail his thoughts had
been pursuing. “Um, how are
the eggs this morning?”
Her eyes
narrowed, but then she nodded as if something had just occurred to her. “Translation: you’ve just
allowed me to dump on you my concerns about Sam, yet when you mentioned
earlier you were worried about the colonel, I glossed right over
it.” She smiled
apologetically. “I’m
sorry. If you want to talk about
it I’m happy to listen.”
Well, that’s not what I
meant, but it works well enough for a change of topic.
Propping
his elbows on the table, Daniel rested his chin in his hands. “Part of my brain can’t
stop thinking about how it must be for him. I mean, if he’s even alive
– and I refuse to think that he isn’t – then he must know
the Gate was buried. But if he
has managed to dig to it, and if the naquadah melted over it as Sam thinks,
then what next? The people of Edora
are primitive by our standards.
They certainly don’t have any means of cutting through something
like that.”
“It’s
only been a couple of weeks,” Janet soothed. “And O’Neill is very
resourceful. I’m sure
he’ll try everything he can think of.”
“I
know,” Daniel agreed. “It’s
just that…”
Janet
raised her eyebrows in unspoken question.
“I’ve
been thinking about what Jack was like when I first met him.” He leaned back and spread his hands,
palm down, on top of the table.
“When he felt he didn’t have anything to live for.”
This time
it was Janet who reached out, touching his hand in a comforting gesture. “But a lot has changed in the
past three years, Daniel, not the least of which is your positive influence
on him. The colonel has a lot to
live for, and he knows it now.”
He
managed a slight smile in recognition of her compliment, but still felt in
danger of being pulled under by the weight of his concern for Jack. “I just can’t help
wondering how he’ll come to terms with the idea that he might not make
it back home.”
And, he silently mused, what would I do in the same situation? His eyes locked with Janet’s for
a moment. How would I cope if I knew I’d never see you again?
“Listen,”
Janet said suddenly. “All
this speculation and worry isn’t doing either of us any good. My shift doesn’t start for
another hour. Why don’t we
go find Sam, and see if there’s anything we can do to help?”
“Sure,”
he replied, standing and gathering his tray. Somehow he doubted it would take his
mind completely off his friend, or off of his own emotional troubles, but
maybe it would help a little.
^ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ^ *
THREE
MONTHS LATER
The debriefing
had been succinct but informative.
During Jack’s account of the situation on Edora, Daniel had
noticed that his friend seemed more reserved than usual. And now that Hammond had exited the room, he suspected
Jack might make a hasty retreat as well.
But the man was still standing at the briefing room table, lingering
in thoughtful silence.
“Listen
guys…” Jack was tapping
his fingers lightly against the surface of the table. He was being careful not to make eye
contact with anyone and Daniel was struck by how on edge his friend seemed to
be. “I just want to say
thanks for not giving up on me.”
Convenient of him not to add, Daniel thought ruefully, that he thinks we believe he’d given
up on us.
“You
are welcome, O’Neill,” Teal’c answered on their behalf. He stood, and placing a hand on their
leader’s shoulder, added, “And it is good to have you home
again.”
“Thanks
Big Guy.”
Daniel
eased up from his chair as well, wondering what in the world was supposed to
happen next. In the past, similar
occasions would have resulted in some type of celebratory meal between the
four of them, likely somewhere off base.
But given Jack’s mood, Daniel didn’t dare suggest anything
like that now.
“Well,”
Jack said, clapping his hands and rubbing them together. “I guess that’s it,
then.”
Carter
turned and exited to the room below, her movements so controlled that her
booted feet barely made any sound upon the stairs. Daniel glanced across to Teal’c,
who merely raised one eyebrow as if to say, perhaps you should handle this one, Daniel Jackson. He took a deep breath, grasping for
something to say, but Jack beat him to the punch.
“Coffee.”
Daniel’s
eyebrows knotted above his glasses.
“Excuse me?”
“I
need coffee.” Jack glanced at
the carafe and mugs on the side table before meeting Daniel’s gaze
straight on. “Really good
coffee. You wouldn’t happen
to have any of that Sumatra on hand?”
“Sure,”
Daniel replied, recognizing the request for what it truly was. “Why don’t we go to my lab
and make a fresh pot.”
They made
the journey without speaking, and upon arriving Jack behaved in typical
fashion – absently fiddling with some artifact on Daniel’s desk
– while Daniel made himself busy with coffee preparation. He rattled off a few facts about the
artifact while the coffee brewed, knowing all the while Jack wasn’t listening
to a word of it. When the coffee
was ready, he poured two mugs, handed one to his friend and then sat down
across from him. It was a long
shot, but he took aim nevertheless.
“So. You want to talk about it?”
Jack met
his gaze, blew across his mug before taking a tentative sip, and then gave
one, barely perceptible shake of his head.
“Ah,”
Daniel replied, taking a swallow of his own coffee in an effort to fight a
rising sense of frustration.
“Shall I continue to entertain you with the intricate variations
in the Egyptian language and culture that I think might be revealed in the
items SG-6 brought back from their latest mission, or would you prefer we sit
here in angst-ridden silence and pretend that nothing is on your mind?”
Jack, his
features hardening in annoyance, replied, “I see your wonderfully
subtle skills of diplomacy have improved in my absence.”
Daniel
said nothing but continued to meet his friend’s stare. Several seconds passed, but Jack was
the first to look away. He sighed,
brought the mug to his lips for another drink, then sat it noisily on the
desk. Crossing his arms in front
of his chest so tightly that Daniel wondered for a moment if he could even
breathe, Jack began.
“I
told her that a part of me would never let go of what I left behind.”
It
didn’t really surprise him that Jack would jump into the conversation
mid-stream but he had to search a few seconds for the right frame of
reference. “Laira?”
he clarified. At Jack’s
quiet nod Daniel went on, “And how did she respond to that?”
His arms
shifted with the intake of a deep breath, but his voice was low and
soft. “She said that
wasn’t the part she was interested in.”
Daniel
sat his mug aside and leaned forward across his desk. “Jack, you thought you were
stranded on Edora. You did what
you could, but when it became clear that you couldn’t get back to
Earth, you chose to continue life there rather than giving in to hopelessness.” He paused, considering his next words.
“You didn’t do
anything wrong.”
His
friend looked up, meeting his eyes, and for the first time Daniel saw the
extent of pain reflected there.
“Then
why do I feel like I’ve betrayed someone I care about?”
Jack held
his gaze for a couple of heartbeats, then with one blink of an eye the walls
were re-established, the rare revelation gone as quickly as it had been
given.
Daniel
knew that last comment had been in reference to Sam, but opted to keep his
reply more generic. “We all
understand what your situation was.
And I think we all understand why you made the choice you did.”
Jack
raised his eyebrows skeptically in response.
Fine, Daniel thought. Then
let me be a little more clear.
“Jack,
you haven’t betrayed anyone’s friendship. And if there’s anything involved
beyond that,” he paused,
noting the way his friend’s entire body went rigid at this implication,
“then I know you’ll figure out some way of dealing with it
appropriately, just as you always have.”
For a
moment Daniel feared he’d said too much. It was the first time he’d spoken
openly of what he’d suspected, and what had become increasingly clear
to him during this recent incident.
But part of being a good friend was letting the other person know how
much you cared. And he had to admit
that during the past three months he’d done as much worrying about Sam
as he had about Jack. Perhaps it
was time he spoke his mind.
“Listen
Jack, your personal business is just that – yours. But you are my friend. You’re both my friends. I
just want you to know that whatever happens, however you decide to handle
things, I support you. I trust
you both, and I believe you know you can trust me. I won’t do or say anything that
might complicate things.”
“In
other words,’ Jack said, each word decidedly measured, “you
won’t mention this particular topic to me ever again.”
He could
have taken it as a threat, Daniel knew, but despite Jack’s controlled
tone and resolute gaze, the rest of the man’s body language had begun
to ease. It was, he realized, his
friend’s very odd but nevertheless sincere way of saying thanks.
“Right,”
he replied neutrally, easing back in his chair.
He picked
up his mug and took a sip. The
brew was becoming tepid, but drinking in silence was a reasonable means of
allowing Jack some space to withdraw.
He half expected the man to offer some viable excuse any moment, in
order to make his exit, but to his mild surprise Jack uncrossed his arms,
placed his forearms squarely on his knees and leaned into them.
“I
have to admit, I did learn one thing from all this.”
Curiosity
piqued, Daniel leaned forward as well.
“Really?”
“That
stuff you said about not giving in to hopelessness? You were right. I… I’d been down that dead end
before.” He inclined his
head slightly. “You taught
me that.”
Daniel was
taken aback by the uncharacteristic praise, but he managed a smile and nodded
his thanks in return.
Jack sat
back again, one hand brushing at some imaginary piece of dirt on his pants
leg. “And while I may have
some regrets, about how my choices on Edora may have affected other people
back here, I think I would have regretted not making those choices even
more.”
Okay, Jack has either been taken
over by some alien, duplicated by some advanced race, or he was genuinely
affected more by this experience than I was willing to give him credit for if
it’s causing him to be this frank with me. Reaching up to reposition his
spectacles, Daniel asked, “And what makes you say that?”
“Something
else you taught me. That you
should make the most of life. Stand
up for what you believe in. Fight
the bad guys and life’s complications.” He paused, and with visible effort
forced himself to meet Daniel’s gaze. “And be willing to take a risk
when something good crosses your path.”
Daniel
swallowed, for a moment unable to move.
He knew the comment had been made in reference to Jack’s recent
experience, but something about the way his friend said it pierced straight
through Daniel’s awareness and targeted his thoughts and feelings about
Janet.
Jack,
oblivious to his perceptive powers, and apparently finished baring his soul
for the day, stood in one fluid motion.
“Thanks for the coffee,” he said, as if they’d just
been discussing something as mundane as the weather.
“Sure,
no problem,” Daniel replied, relieved to have found his voice.
“And
now if you’ll excuse me, I believe Hammond will be expecting my written report
before tomorrow morning.”
Jack turned for the exit and offered a wave over his shoulder. “I’ll see ya
around.”
Daniel started
at the empty doorway long after he’d gone. Wearily, he slumped backward into his
chair.
Be willing to take a risk when
something good crosses your path…
But it’s just not that simple!
With a
sigh, Daniel raked his hands through his hair. Then
again, I don’t recall Jack saying anything about it being simple.
He
drummed his fingers across the surface of his desk, allowing his mind to
wander. Despite his
friend’s unsolicited advice, Daniel felt no clearer in his thoughts or
feelings than he had before.
“I
can’t think about this right now,” he finally murmured aloud. It had become something of a mantra
he’d developed in the past three months, a response he offered any time
his contemplation about Janet became too uncomfortable.
He
realized, of course, that it was nothing more than a stalling tactic. But it had worked thus far so he
continued to employ it. Picking
up the stone tablet piece that Jack had been playing with earlier, he
rummaged for a pencil and returned to his translation.
~ THE END
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