Title: Not Letting Go
Author: Renenet
Category: Team smarm; not-really-a-tag but spoilers for s.7 & everything up to that!
Summary: team bonding shortly after the events in Homecoming
Note: Fallen and Homecoming were nice, but had too little smarmy stuff (was there anything at all?). So, lets say it took some time to bring Daniel back to the living (officially), and maybe he was a little unsure - with all the memory loss and everything - of his welcome back into his friends' lives...? I mean, with the mission, and post mission stuff, paperwork etc..., how much time had passed till they could actually sit and talk? Hmmm... <glaring at the hopping bunny at my feet>
Only Hammond and Janet have stayed at Jack's with his team when the alarm on VCR beeped midnight. All the other guests left over the last couple of hours. The little "welcome back" - party was a blast as far as anyone was concerned, but there was something in the quiet intimacy of the fire-lit living room.
The General strolled into the kitchen to dump the last of the glasses into the sink, catching Janet's eye. She immedeately recognized the give-them-some-space-look and hurried to help him.
That left - non too subtly - Daniel, Jack, Sam and Teal'c nestled on the couch and armchairs around the coffee table, enjoying the physical closeness, denied to them for so long.
Daniel couldn't help but notice Jack getting up from his side of the couch, going over to the drawers on the other side of the room and obviously hunting for something in the top one. He watched couriously as his friend appeared again with a large parcel, wrapped up, ribbon and all.
Both Sam and Teal'c smiled and straightened a little and it was obvious to Daniel that they were all into it - whatever it was. His eyebrows shot skyhigh as Jack put the package onto the table before the freshly ascended archaeologist and cleared his throat, still standing.
"Well, since it's late and I really enjoy living, I've decided not to give a speech after all...", he smirked when all the five remaining
people in his house cheered loudly, then laughed, relieving some of his tension, and sat down. He waited for the relative quiet to return, than leaned slightly forward, his arms resting on his knees.
"Since you're the only linguist in the house, Daniel, I hope this small gift will say much more than any of our warped speech-attempts could..."
Daniel looked slightly embarrased to be at the centre of attention, but then, he become used to it in the last month and a half. Smiling and frowning at the same time, aware of scrutinizing looks from his friends - both from around the table and the kitchen doorway - he carefully untied the ribbon, peeled off the paper and, after getting a nudging nod from Jack, opened the plastic box.
Immedeately he burst out laughing, the others following at his heels.
"Oh, jeez...you finally did it...!", he gasped between laughs, fingering the largest existing retractable dog-leash Jack could find.
But before the banter could even start, Sam redirected his attention to the thick folded card taped on the inside of the lid. Daniel took it and opened it, something thin and wrapped into soft black velvet slipping into his left hand.
Before looking into the curious item closely, he readjusted his glasses and read the big inscription flashing in red all across the card: "Not letting you go ever again! Your team".
Then read it again, his eyesight blurring slightly. Then reread the last line again. And again.
With a shaking hand he unwrapped the velvet, his fingers recognizing it even before the cloth came off. Almost reverently, gently, the fingers carassed the SG1-jacket-patch, then abruptly Daniel took his glasses off before they could slide down across the wet face all scrunched up and trembling.
He couldn't make the words pass his lips, but then, he didn't have to.
He felt himself being gathered up into the crushing embrace and heard Jack's not-so-steady voice almost-whispering in his ear.
"Welcome home, Danny...welcome home." Sam placed a gentle kiss onto the head barely visible under Jack's hands, then left her own hand on Daniel's shoulder. Teal'c moved closer and sat down ramrod straight in the next chair, putting his hand on the younger man's shaking back.
The two spectators leaning on the kitchen door smiled and blamed smoke from the fire for their stinging eyes, then tiptoed through the hallway.
If anyone heard the soft klick of the front door locking, they didn't pay attention other than to the precious gift they held in their arms.
THE END
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