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Suggested
Rating: for young adult and older
readers
Setting:
Season 7, before and after the events of Chimera
Synopsis: Janet goes out of town with Cassandra
and learns some interesting news upon her return.
Author’s
Notes: mein schatz means “my
sweetheart” in German
DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters and
places 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.
Part 8: SURPRISES
- by
Michelle Lunsford
“Cassie,
get a move on,” Janet called.
“We’re just waiting on you.”
“I’ll
be ready in a minute,” the somewhat apologetic reply echoed from
Cassandra’s bedroom.
“It’s
okay,” Daniel murmured, coming up behind her. “I’ve already put your bag
in the car, and we’re running ahead of schedule. You’ve still got plenty of time
to make the flight.”
Janet
sighed in mild exasperation as she turned to face him. “I know. But if I don’t keep on her,
we’ll still be standing here thirty minutes from now.”
Daniel
smiled and affectionately traced a finger along her cheek. “I love it when you’re
being all tough and motherly,” he whispered.
Janet
felt her frustration melt at his words.
“One of these days, Dr. Jackson,” she playfully poked a
finger at his chest, “that charm of yours is going to get you into
trouble.”
He merely
smiled more broadly in response before dropping a light kiss on her
forehead. “So, is Cass
excited about the trip?”
Janet
rolled her eyes.
“It’s nearly all she’s talked about for the past
several days.”
The
university they were visiting had a rather prestigious school of art, or so
Janet’s research had led her to believe. Cassandra had received her acceptance
letter last month, along with an invitation to come visit the campus for a
few days. While Cassie
hadn’t yet admitted this was where she definitely wanted to attend,
Janet felt pretty certain this trip would make the decision final. A feeling of nostalgia suddenly washed
over her, and Janet felt her eyes unexpectedly misting.
“Hey,
you okay?” Daniel’s
concerned voice broke through her thoughts.
Janet
nodded, blinking back tears.
“Sorry. I was just
thinking about Cassie going off to college next fall.”
Daniel
reached for her and she allowed him to pull her into a comforting embrace.
“You’ve
been a wonderful mother, Janet,” Daniel affirmed, lovingly stroking her
back. “You are a wonderful mother.”
“Thank
you.” She sniffled
slightly, and gazed up into his eyes.
“A part of me is very happy to see her all grown up, and taking
those first steps into adult life.” She sighed. “But I know I’m going to
miss her so much.”
Daniel
nodded in understanding.
“That’s part of the process, and I imagine it won’t
be easy. But we’ll get
through it.”
Janet
continued to gaze at him, carefully measuring the significance of his
words. Daniel’s assurance
that he’d be there, to help her through the transition of Cassie moving
out and going to school, filled her with a sense of warmth that spread all
the way to her toes. Reaching up,
she kissed him.
“I
love you,” she breathed, after eventually pulling away.
“I
love you too,” Daniel said softly, smiling down at her.
“Okay,”
Cassandra announced, coming down the hall and pulling a humongous wheeled
suitcase behind her. “I
think I’ve gotten everything.”
Daniel
turned and scrutinized the piece of luggage dubiously. “Are you sure, Cass? I mean, you are only going for a few
days.”
“Very
funny,” she replied sarcastically as he moved to take the suitcase from
her. Looking over at her mother,
Cassandra continued, “So, Mom, did you give Daniel his little
gift?”
“Um,
no, I didn’t,” Janet confessed, biting at her lower lip. She’d rather hoped to avoid this
particular topic.
“Oh
good grief,” the teen blurted, reaching for the suitcase and taking it
back from Daniel’s grasp.
“Don’t worry, Daniel – I can manage getting this in
the car.” She turned a
pointed gaze back to Janet.
“Mom, just give it to
him already.” Without
another word, she heaved the bag out the front door.
Janet met
Daniel’s questioning gaze and sighed. “It’s… rather silly,
I’m afraid,” she began, shaking her head slightly. “It’s a little something I
made when Cassie had a couple of her friends over to spend the night
recently.”
“Oh
yeah,” Daniel said, nodding.
He casually hooked his hands in his pockets and stepped closer to
her. His face took on an amused
cast as he added, “I seem to recall the unmistakable sound of excessive
female giggling in the background when I called that night.”
“Right,”
Janet replied. She’d been
chatting with the girls at the dining room table when he’d called, and
she too remembered the giggling – accompanied by the good-natured
teasing they’d given her – before she managed to slip away to her
bedroom where she could talk to Daniel more privately. “Well, one of the things they
did that night was work on beaded bracelets.”
“Beaded
bracelets?” Daniel questioned, one eyebrow rising in a clear expression
of curiosity.
“Yeah. Apparently it’s the latest fad
among the older teen crowd,” Janet explained. “Anyway, you know I don’t
intrude with Cassie and her friends’ goings-on, but I do take advantage
of the opportunity when they seem open to welcoming my company. The girls were in a particularly sociable
mood that night, so as it turns out I ended up sitting at the table with them
for a while and they taught me how to make these bracelets.”
Janet
paused as she reached into the pocket of her cardigan. She pulled out her hand and held up a
string of small beads, in muted earth tones. “It seems the thing is that once
you make one of these bracelets, you have to give it away, or else it brings
bad luck.”
Janet
watched as Daniel’s mouth curved into the beginnings of a very
intrigued smile.
“I
see,” he said. “So
this is the gift Cass mentioned you had for me?”
Janet
nodded in bashful resignation.
“I was going to give it to Cassie, but she began insisting I
should give it to you instead.
And, of course, her friends were more than eager to give support to
that notion.” Janet placed
her other hand on her hip, suddenly seeking commiseration. “Do you have any idea how difficult it is to fight
against the enthusiastic persistence of three seventeen-year old
females?”
“Uh,
no, not really,” Daniel replied, evidently relieved at his lack of
experience in this area.
Janet
sighed, her stance relaxing again as her eyes fell to the item in her
hand. “So… I know
it’s rather ridiculous, a woman of my age playing at games like
this--” she hesitated, wishing she didn’t feel so utterly foolish
about this. “But, I figure…
that is, so long as I went to the trouble of making it…”
Janet
felt a growing sense of frustration.
Why couldn’t her thoughts be cooperative and focus on something
to say that wouldn’t make this whole scenario appear so ludicrous?
Her
mental wrestling was interrupted by Daniel’s touch as he gently pulled
her chin toward him. Giving in,
she raised her eyes to meet his.
“I
don’t think it’s ridiculous in the least,” he said, his
voice resonant with sincerity and warmth. “In fact, I think it’s a
wonderful gift – not just because of what it is, but because of who
made it, and what it represents.”
Removing his hand from her chin, he held out his arm.
Janet
blinked, her gaze darting from Daniel’s eyes to his outstretched
arm. “You actually want to
wear it?” she asked, disbelief coloring her tone.
“Of
course,” he said, smiling affectionately. “This way, I’ll have
something to remember you by while you’re out of town.”
Shaking
her head slightly, Janet moved to place the bracelet around his wrist. “You continually surprise me,
Daniel,” she admitted, carefully fastening it just above his watch.
“In
what way?”
“Here
I was, feeling like a silly school-girl,” she answered, “and you
turn the whole thing around so that I end up feeling more like a queen. How do you manage that?”
Daniel
shrugged. “I don’t
know.” Wrapping his arms
around her waist, he pulled her close, fixing her with a meaningful look. “But I’m glad it
worked,” he whispered, lowering his lips to hers.
~ *
~ * ~
* ~ *
~ * ~
* ~ *
~ * ~
Janet
trudged along behind her daughter as they worked their way through the flow
of human traffic. She hated
flying in to or out of an airport on a Sunday, but the scheduling had been
unavoidable. She caught
Cassandra’s eye as the teen cast a quick glance behind her. Janet smiled and nodded, encouraging
her daughter to keep pressing forward.
Cassie’s energy had been as boundless as her enthusiasm the past
few days, and after attempting to keep up with her, plus spending a long day
in travel, Janet was tired. She
was eager to get home, to prop up her feet and relax.
‘And,’
she silently hoped, ‘to talk to Daniel.’
A touch
of concern darted across her mind like a dark shadow and Janet fought a
sigh. She had expected to miss
him while being out of town.
She’d even been prepared to forego their routine nightly phone
conversations, especially considering the difference in time zones. But Janet had assumed Daniel would
still try to reach her a few times while she was away. The fact that he called only once had
her more than a little unsettled.
She
attempted to push her worries aside while they waited at the luggage
carousel. Cassandra spied one of
their bags and stepped forward to retrieve it. Janet glanced around again at the
crowd of people. Daniel was
supposed to pick them up, but thus far she hadn’t spotted him. She considered digging out her cell
phone to give him a call when she suddenly felt a presence moving up close
behind her. Reflexively she spun
around.
“Hey,”
Daniel greeted her warmly, grabbing her in a welcoming hug. “I would have met you guys right
outside the security check point, but I was running a little late. Sorry.”
Janet
returned his embrace enthusiastically.
“It’s okay,” she said, a little surprised at how
relieved she was simply to see him, and hear the sound of his voice. Daniel released her, but she was glad
when he chose to keep an arm around her shoulder.
“Daniel,”
Cassie exclaimed, bounding up beside the pair.
“Hey,
Cass,” he replied, offering her a quick hug with his free arm. “How was the campus
visit?”
“Oh,
it was fantastic! I can’t
wait to tell you all about it.”
Janet
couldn’t help but grin. Her
daughter was fairly bouncing up and down with excitement. “Can you at least save it until
we get in the car?”
“Sure,”
Cassandra agreed.
“I’ve got both of our bags – we’re ready to
go.”
They made
their way out of the airport, to the parking garage and eventually to
Daniel’s car. Janet slid in
on the passenger side, locked the seatbelt, and reclined her seat a couple of
notches. Within seconds her
eyelids had fluttered closed.
“Plan
on taking a nap?” Daniel asked, easing into the driver’s seat
beside her.
She
smiled slightly, but didn’t bother to open her eyes. “Maybe.” She felt the warmth of his touch as he
lightly patted her knee.
“That’s
fine,” he said. “If
you doze off I’ll wake you when we get home.”
They
pulled out of the parking garage and Janet relaxed as she felt the car slowly
accelerate. Cassandra, eager to
tell Daniel about her experience, was soon chatting away from the back
seat. The sound of their voices
began to lull her into a deeper state of relaxation, and the next thing Janet
knew, someone was gently shaking her shoulder.
“Janet…”
Daniel’s soft voice tugged at her consciousness. “Janet, time to wake up, mein schatz. You’re home.”
She
blinked, forcing away the fog of drowsiness. A quick glance out the front window
confirmed they sat in her driveway.
“Sorry,”
she mumbled. “Guess I must
have dozed off.” She
glanced over to find Daniel staring at her fondly.
“That’s
okay,” he said, reaching up to gently trace the curve of her face. “Although I hope you’re
not feeling too tired. I was planning to take you and Cass
out for a bite to eat a little later.”
Janet
couldn’t help but smile.
“Sounds great. I
wasn’t exactly looking forward to having to cook tonight.”
They made
their way into the house, and as Janet became fully awake her thoughts
returned to their earlier musings.
Silently, she studied Daniel.
He appeared to be his usually charming and affectionate self. He’d certainly seemed pleased to
see her – to see both of them, actually. She tried to pacify her worries, as
she’d done countless times the past few days, that there was likely
some very rational reason why he’d not called more often. He’d probably been busy with
work. Maybe SG-1 had even been
unexpectedly called away on some important, but brief, mission. But there was surely a reason, and as
soon as they had an opportunity to talk, he’d tell her what it was.
“Do
you want me to put these somewhere in particular?” Daniel asked,
indicating the luggage he’d just set down in the front hallway.
“Oh,
don’t worry about those,” Cassandra replied, reaching for one of
the bags. “I can take care
of the unpacking. I’m sure
you two would like to… you know, visit for a while.” She glanced over at her mother, and
smiled knowingly.
Janet
could have kissed her daughter for her thoughtfulness. She smiled at the girl, sending her a
silent word of thanks. Without
another word, Cassandra extended the handle on the larger of the two
suitcases, and rolled it down the hall.
Janet
glanced over at Daniel and noticed he too was staring fondly after the
teen. As always, it filled her
with a sense of warmth to know that the man she loved also loved her
daughter. She reached for his
hand, and he turned his attention to her at the contact.
“I
missed you,” she said simply, twining her fingers with his.
Daniel
nodded, his eyes shining as he gazed at her. “I missed you too.”
She was
reassured by the sincerity she heard in his tone, but that sense of disquiet
still nipped at her conscious.
“I… wish you had called more often,” she said
softly, relieved to finally admit it aloud.
A vague
sense of trouble seemed to flicker in Daniel’s eyes, and Janet felt her
stomach suddenly drop. The more
sensible part of her mind warned her not to jump to conclusions, even as she
realized she was clutching his hand a little tighter.
“Do
you feel up to going for a little walk?” he asked.
Janet
nodded. And as Daniel led her out
the door, she tried not to think the worst.
They
walked silently for several minutes, meandering down the sidewalk of her
neighborhood toward the small park that was a few blocks away. Daniel had continued to hold her hand,
but they’d nearly reached the park before he finally spoke again.
“We
had… an encounter, with Osiris while you were away,” he said, his
voice low.
Janet
jerked her head around, quickly scanning his expression for clues that would
reveal more than his words had.
Her words tumbled out in a rush.
“What happened? Is
everyone okay?”
“Everyone’s
fine,” he replied, still staring ahead. “But…” Daniel finally turned his gaze to her
and Janet again felt a sinking sensation in the pit of her stomach. “Why don’t we sit
down? I need to tell you the
whole story.”
Janet
allowed Daniel to guide her to the park bench. They sat, Daniel still holding her
hand, but it was several seconds before he eventually began. She listened attentively, her
reactions vacillating between various emotional extremes as his tale
progressed.
She felt
a great sense of outrage that Osiris had so easily been able to violate not
only the privacy of Daniel’s home, but his mind as well, ruthlessly
invading and manipulating his dreams in an attempt to retrieve information
about the Ancient’s Lost
City. Janet’s fury was simultaneously
mixed with concern as she realized Daniel had been in such obvious danger during
those times. All the while the
doctor in her was running off mental checklists of things to ask him about
later regarding his interrupted sleep and any possible after effects of the
Goa’uld memory device Osiris had used.
As Daniel
explained, at length, the nature of his past relationship with Sarah Gardner,
Janet noted her feelings were an odd mixture of curiosity, sympathy, and
relief. Of course, they had
talked about this part of Daniel’s past before, but it wasn’t
until now that Janet understood exactly why that previous relationship had
ended. She knew Daniel could be
extremely focused at times, but his
confession about his obsession with the work he did as a university professor
almost seemed incongruous with how she saw him now, and Janet realized just
how much he had changed since those days. Somewhat to her surprise, Janet even
found herself experiencing a sense of empathy on Sarah’s behalf. After all, she knew what it was like
to love Daniel, and it was easy to imagine it had not been easy for the young
research assistant to accept her disappointment and heartbreak when things
hadn’t worked out.
But the
part of Daniel’s story that affected Janet the most was his news that they
had actually been able to restrain Osiris and, with the assistance of the
Tok’ra, remove the symbiote.
“So,
Sarah’s still on base?” Janet asked. It was the first time she’d
spoken since Daniel began his account, and her voice contained a hint of hesitancy.
Daniel
nodded. “Doctor Warner
wanted to keep her in the infirmary for a few days, to monitor her
progress.” He paused,
momentarily. “And Doctor
MacKenzie wants to see her… when she feels up to it.”
Janet
caught his eye and saw the flicker of concern there. The mental anguish of being a
Goa’uld host was, thankfully, something she’d never
experienced. But Janet knew Sarah
would have to deal with it. Still, knowing something had to be
done and watching someone else go through it were two different things.
“Are
you worried about her?” Janet asked.
“A
little,” Daniel admitted, holding her gaze. “But I think the worst is
already behind her. And I
promised Sarah that I’d be there, to help her through this.”
“Of
course,” Janet agreed, gently squeezing his hand. She certainly hadn’t expected
anything less from him.
“It’s
all still a little overwhelming, though,” Daniel went on. “I’d almost given up hope
something like this would happen.”
Janet
allowed her gaze to drift across the mostly empty park as she
considered. From one point of
view, she shared in Daniel’s obvious sense of happiness regarding this
outcome. His friend had become a
Goa’uld host – an act Janet knew Daniel felt responsible for
– and now that friend was free from the nightmare. Daniel hadn’t been able to save
Sha’re, but he had been able to save Sarah. Janet understood clearly why this was
something so important to him.
On the
other hand, Janet had to admit, the fact that Sarah Gardner now rested alive
and well in her infirmary was more than a little unsettling.
She felt
Daniel’s grip on her hand tighten just a fraction.
“Janet?” His tone was soft and comforting, but
it also clearly indicated he’d perceived her change in demeanor. “Tell me what you’re thinking?”
She met
his eyes, aware that all the emotion she felt was plastered across her
face. But words would not come.
Daniel
reached for her other hand.
“This doesn’t change anything, you know,” he
assured, drawing her hands to his lips for a gentle kiss.
“Doesn’t
it?” Her voice trembled
slightly.
Daniel
shook his head adamantly.
“I’m not in love with Sarah.” He fixed her with a gaze full of
meaning. “I am in love with you.”
‘He
doesn’t understand,’ she thought. She took a deep breath and released it
slowly. “I know
that,” she replied.
“But does Sarah know that?”
The look
that flashed across Daniel’s face was confirmation enough.
Janet
shook her head lightly.
“Daniel, please understand – I’m not worried about
the sincerity of your feelings.
That’s never been in question. What does worry me is how will it
affect things if Sarah is still in love with you?”
Daniel
sighed heavily. “I have to
admit, that thought never occurred to me.”
“I
know that we can’t be responsible for Sarah’s feelings,”
Janet went on. “Only Sarah
can make those choices for herself.
But we don’t know how long she’s going to be at the SGC,
do we?”
Daniel
shook his head negatively.
“Do
we even know what’s going to happen to her afterwards?” Janet
asked. “What if she wants
to stay on at the SGC? I mean,
with her knowledge and skills, she could be a valuable asset. I’m sure they could find a place
for her, if it’s what she wanted.”
Daniel
met her gaze. “She might
just as likely want to return to Chicago, or
even to Cambridge.”
Janet
thought about that. It was
plausible, but there hadn’t been any real confirmation in
Daniel’s tone.
“Regardless,
I just want you to be prepared for the possibility that things could be… tense,” Janet
said. She sighed, her eyes
closing momentarily as she confessed, “I hate even the idea of it. The poor woman has already been
through so much… I would never want to make things any harder for her
than it has to be.”
“I
know that,” Daniel responded, kissing her hands again. “Try not to worry. Maybe – maybe it won’t
come to that. We’ll just
try to be prepared for the worst – crossing that bridge if it comes. But in the meantime, let’s hope
for the best instead.”
Janet
gazed up at him, a smile working its way across her features. ‘Ever the optimist,’ she
reflected, feeling some of her apprehension fade away. ‘And just one of the many things
I so adore about you.’
“I
love you,” she said, placing a light kiss on his lips.
He
returned her smile. “I love
you too,” he answered, pulling her into a huge bear hug.
Janet
reveled in the feel of his arms around her. Yes, she had missed him dearly. A sudden twitching in her stomach
reminded her, however, of other, more fundamental, needs.
“Now,
I seem to recall you mentioning something about taking Cassie and me out to
eat?” She glanced up at him
as he released his hold somewhat.
“Yeah,
I guess I did.”
Affectionately dropping a kiss on her nose, Daniel stood and offered
his hand.
Janet
rose to join him, and as she did so, her eye caught sight of something. She felt her smile giving way to a
full-fledged grin. ‘I must
really have been preoccupied before,’ she thought, with a touch of
chagrin, ‘to not have noticed that.’
As they
started walking back, Janet reached with her free hand and ran a finger
across the string of beads at his wrist.
“You’re still wearing it,” she said, her tone full
of appreciative affection.
“Of
course,” he replied, gently squeezing where he held her hand in
his. He dropped his gaze to hers
and Janet caught a sparkle of flirtation in his eyes. One eyebrow cocked upwards as he
intimated, “I never took it
off.”
~ END ~
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