Title: Waiting Game
Email:[email protected]
Rating: G
Summary: Nirrti is due to arrive in Cheyenne Mountain any minute
now�
but how is Janet feeling, and what can Daniel do about it?
Category: Daniel & Janet friendship, Missing Scene
Spoilers: Singularity, Fair Game
Season: 3
Status: Complete
Disclaimer: "All publicly recognisable characters and places are the
property of MGM, World Gekko Corp and Double Secret productions. This
piece
of fan fiction was created for entertainment not monetary purposes
and no
infringement on copyrights or trademarks was intended. Previously
unrecognised 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."
Author's Notes: Just a little piece that came to me while I was
watching one of my S3 DVDs the other night. We all know what happened
when Nirrti showed up on the base in RoP
Feedback: Will be loved and cuddled and given a very good home.
Copyright � April 2004, Nike Ann Johnston
She was already in her office when Daniel found her, typing furiously
away at a computer keyboard, her back rigid, face unreadable. Open on
the desk beside her was the folder that General Hammond had given to
each of them, detailing their relative assignments and
responsibilities for the upcoming summit. An uneasy atmosphere had
descended over the base a few days before, when news of the imminent
visit by the Goa'uld had first broken, and judging by the air of
determination Doctor Fraiser was exuding, she was already deeply
engrossed in ensuring the infirmary was organised with typical
military precision. The mountain might, at this minute, be getting
cleared of all weapons, but that was no reason to get complacent.
With three of the most powerful and influential System Lords on the
way, the medical staff had to be even more on guard than usual.
Hesitating in the shadows of the doorway, Daniel sighed softly at the
thought of the impending arrival of the Goa'uld. They were the
reason
he had come all the way up here to the medical wards, a place he
usually avoided except when absolutely necessary - he spent plenty of
involuntary time recuperating between these walls without venturing
inside at will. Today was different, though. He had just finished
briefing all essential personnel, including the doctor, on the
unwelcome guests they were preparing to receive, and had watched her
grow more and more uncomfortable and distant throughout his
presentation. At the end of the meeting, she had been among the first
to leave, silent and pensive, without so much as a word in anyone
else's direction. For his part, Daniel was fairly sure he could
guess
what was bothering her. Raising a hand, he knocked lightly on the
door to attract her attention.
Janet glanced up from her computer screen, blinking her eyes
tiredly. "Doctor Jackson!" she exclaimed, puzzled at seeing
the
archaeologist hovering by her door. He was still dressed in the
formal grey suit and tie he had been wearing for the briefing
earlier, she noticed, although he seemed somehow a little more
ruffled and relaxed away from the austere surroundings of the meeting
room. She offered him a brittle half-smile. "Is there something
I
can do for you?"
Daniel dropped his gaze to the ground lifting his eyebrows slightly
before bringing his eyes back up to meet hers. "Actually, I was
wondering if there was anything *I* could do for *you*�" Sensing
her
surprise, he folded his arms and leaned back against the wall,
wrinkling his nose a little as he chose his words carefully. "I
noticed you seemed�kind of�distracted, in the briefing
earlier." He
watched as she tensed, her expression becoming fixed, her brown eyes
wary. "I just wondered�" Daniel paused, shifting uneasily.
"I just
thought that maybe with Cronos, Yu and�Nirrti coming, that maybe
you�" He gestured hopelessly with his hands.
"Maybe I what?" Janet asked, her voice forcibly bright. She
maintained a composed exterior, but Daniel could see the emotions
raging beneath her normally expressive features, the muscles tight
below her olive skin. He let himself regard her for a few moments
even as she held his gaze unwaveringly, and he lowered his hands,
stepping further into the room and letting his voice take on a gentle
tone.
"I know everyone's uptight right now, getting ready for the
Goa'uld
to arrive for the summit. But�I realise it must be especially
difficult for you. I know it can't be easy, waiting for Nirrti to
come to this base, after everything that happened on Hanka. And to
Cassie." The doctor dropped her eyes to the floor at the mention
of
her adopted daughter's name, her hands, folded compulsively in
her
lap, twitched almost imperceptibly. "It couldn't have been
pleasant
to sit through that briefing, listening to us all making plans for
them to come here. I thought maybe it'd help to�to talk about
it."
Daniel shrugged, clasping his hands loosely behind his back. When
Fraiser finally raised her head, he was unprepared for the expression
in her eyes.
"Why are you here?"
Taken aback, Daniel let his hands fall by his sides as he blinked
rapidly. "I�um�I just thought you might�might want to
talk�"
"But why *you*?" Janet asked, vehemently. "You're the
one who's
advocating this little�tryst with the System Lords. You're
the one
who's volunteering to look after the `petty needs of the
Goa'uld.'
Why come down here now and see how *I'm* feeling about it, as if
it
matters in the grand scheme of things?"
Daniel gaped at her for a few minutes, before finding his own voice.
Feeling the heat rising on his cheeks, he knew he sounded sharper
than he intended. "I'm not *advocating* anything here!"
he protested
indignantly. "All I'm saying is that I understand the need to
have
this meeting! I don't like the fact they're coming here any
more than
anybody else! And I'm seeing to their demands, petty or
otherwise,
because there's not another person on this base who will."
Breathing
rapidly, he shook his head, feeling his anger ebbing away as he saw
the barely restrained distress on Fraiser's face. The tension
these
Goa'uld were bringing down on the mountain was no good for any of
them. "Look," he began again, his voice soft, almost
defeated. "Doctor, I only came down here because�because I
was
concerned about you. I know this must be hard for you and I�I
only
want to help, if you'll let me."
Fraiser bit her lower lip, tilting her head back as she fought
visibly to control the tears that were threatening. Daniel had to
strain to hear her voice as she choked, "I just hate the fact
that
they're coming here. I hate that we're welcoming them on this
base,
that we're putting them in *our* V.I.P quarters when by all
rights
they deserve nothing more than a holding room. I hate that for the
next few days I'm going to have to pretend to be *respectful* to
these�*creatures*, Doctor Jackson." Her voice cracked as she
closed
her eyes, her fingertips pressing the bridge of her nose as she
struggled with her words. "What they did�what *she* did to my
little
girl�."
Daniel stood miserably in the middle of the floor, clueless as to
what he should do, fists clenching and unclenching unconsciously. He
had known Fraiser for a long time, it was true, but he had never
found himself in this intimate a situation with the doctor before.
Part of him longed to reach out and comfort her, hold her, to pull
her into his arms and tell her not to worry. To reassure her that it
would all be over soon and she would never have to fear the
Goa'uld
again. Not for her sake, and not for Cassandra's.
Another part of him knew that could easily turn out to be a lie.
Before he could make a choice, however, she suddenly pulled herself
together, drawing a final shaky breath and running her hands briskly
through her short auburn hair. She sent him a strained shadow of a
smile. "I'm sorry," she apologised. Daniel could only
shake his head
mutely. Letting the silence hold reign for a few moments while he
composed what he was going to say, Daniel slowly moved over to the
desk, so that he was standing beside her chair, looking down at her.
She swivelled around slightly towards him, lifting her eyes to his as
he spoke.
"Doctor Fraiser�" he stopped short, taking a deep breath,
then began
again. "Janet. The next few days aren't going to be easy. On
any of
us. And I know that having Nirrti here is going to be particularly
hard on you. But you have to remember that she *lost* to us before.
Cassandra is safe and well, and she couldn't be happier than she
is
with you." He smiled affectionately, thinking of the child SG-1
had
rescued from the ashes of her homeworld. "Nirrti can't get to
her,
she can't hurt her any more." Fraiser closed her eyes and
nodded
slowly. "But I want you to know that I'm here for you, if
things get
too much. I know we've never exactly gotten to know each other
very
well," Daniel watched a ghost of a smile flicker across her
mouth, "and maybe I'm not the first person you would think of
to turn
to, but if you do decide that you need someone to talk to, or even
just some company�you know where to find me." Reaching out,
he let
his fingers brush her shoulder fleetingly. "I'll be
there." Finally
opening her eyes, bright with unshed tears, Janet gave him the first
genuine smile he had seen since he entered the office.
"Thank you," she whispered.
Stepping back, Daniel smiled apologetically. "I suppose I'd
better go
start seeing to those `petty needs' now." A laugh burst
from Janet's
lips as she wiped her eyes, nodding her understanding.
"Yeah."
"Ok. I'll, uh�I'll see you, then." Daniel said,
smoothing down the
rumpled edges of his shirt. Smiling again, Janet reached up from her
seated position and briskly straightened his tie. Laying a hand on
his chest, she echoed his words.
"I'll see you."
Daniel covered her hand briefly with his own, allowing himself the
luxury of gazing into her dark eyes for just a moment longer. Finally
breaking the contact, he turned towards the door, intent on heading
back up to the `gate room before the Goa'uld arrived. Casting
a
glance back over his shoulder he paused at the threshold, offering a
final, tender reassurance. "You'll be okay, you know."
And then he
was gone.
Janet sighed, smiling softly to herself. "Yes," she agreed,
to the
empty air. "I'll be fine."
*****
Finis
*****
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