*** “Rain, rain, go away Come again some other day. The children want to go outside and play. Come again some other day.” ***
The wipers screeched, as they lazily drug themselves across the windshield. But Jack did not hear them. His ears were tuned to the sounds of the slumbering archaeologist beside him.
Daniel had woken up again, about an hour after he had sobbed himself to sleep and appeared to be doing better--though slightly embarrassed to find himself snuggled against his commanding officer’s hand, like a child and his teddy bear.
Of course, Jack himself was absolutely mortified for not having the heart to remove it.
What a softy I’m turning out to be.
Daniel claimed he didn’t remember anything. Didn’t even mention the massacre and adamantly requested to go home. After, he too, chalked it up to stress and the flu.
Frasier, of course, couldn’t keep him in the infirmary for the flu, so she agreed to release him…under one condition. That it be into Jack’s care, at Jack’s house. And to everyone’s surprise, Daniel didn’t argue…actually, he seemed a bit relieved.
This in itself was uncharacteristic of their independent friend.
…but, nonetheless, it made everyone else relax a bit, because the last thing Daniel needed, was to be robbed while hanging over the porcelain god. Nor, thanks to Carter’s research, did the only man in a five block radius and self appointed sole Crime Watcher; need to be worried about making his rounds.
…but ultimately, Daniel didn’t need any more grief in his heart…EVER, and least of all tonight. Jack hadn’t been able to tell him yet, but he had found out that while they were off world, the bastard that had been terrorizing his neighborhood had moved up to kidnapping and murder.
Jack could only hope that Rebecca Porterfield wasn’t one of Daniel’s neighbors that his heart and soul had sworn to protect…
When they first got in the car, he tried to get his friend to tell him how he really felt. But Daniel just folded into himself and the passenger seat as much as humanly possible and closed his eyes. Jack thought he had fallen asleep until he heard a muffled “torn”, whispered from beside him a few minutes later. He tried to pry deeper, but Daniel wouldn’t elaborate and soon sounds of sleep filled the silence between them.
Glancing over at his precious cargo, Jack noticed how the rain that streaked along the passenger side window painted tears down his friend’s face…
…and he couldn’t help but wonder if it was a reflection of the younger man’s soul…
Daniel always tried to bottle everything up inside of him when it came to his own pain. And he usually did that with two well rehearsed words, “I’m fine.”
He was ‘fine’ after not sleeping for weeks, because he was so worried about his neighbors. He was ‘fine’ when he nearly worked himself into coma trying to figure out what the Murantish wanted from the Tydens.
And he was ‘fine’ when he woke up a few hours ago, way too pale and way too withdrawn for anybody’s liking.
Jack shook his head. Right. And I’m not really a Colonel in the United States Air Force; I just play one on TV.
Not that it mattered. Daniel could say he was ‘fine’ until he turned blue (which Jack wouldn’t put it past him), and he would still be able to tell if his friend was lying.
...because it was not long after he had met the young man, that Jack had come to the shocking realization that if he were quiet enough…he’d literally be able to hear the tears clawing and scraping for a way out of the archaeologist’s protective armor.
…and it sounded a lot like the breaking of his own heart.
Sneaking another look at his charge and taking in the furrowed brows and the way his friend wrapped his arms protectively around himself, Jack decided that the sooner he got him into a comfortable bed and enclosed in the nurturing circle of his over-barring friends, the better.
He’d already have him tucked safely away in the spare bedroom if it were not for the detours they ran into. This, of course, brought them closer to Daniel’s house.
Jack had considered dropping by and picking up some spare clothes for him, but decided against it. He really didn’t want to risk them running into his neighbors. And besides, Carter and Teal’c weren’t too far behind them, and he wanted to have Daniel settled by the time the rest of the team got to his house. If it came to it, he’d just send them over later.
That’s assuming he could pry them away from a certain archaeologist while they were in full blown TLC mode.
…that’s assuming he’d have the heart to ask them to go. ~~~~~~~~~~
~// Daniel’s finger traced the rain as it slowly rolled its way down the window pane. He was stuck inside…again. He swore that if it didn’t stop raining soon, he was going to have to help his father build an ark.
*What I wouldn’t give for a machine that could control the weather.*
Despite the fact that his…“playground” did have some covering, his parents still refused to let him out. Simply because he had puked up most of his major organs for the better part of a week.
But that was LAST week!!
He felt fine now.
Although, if he didn’t find something to do soon, he was certain that he’d be on the 6 o’clock news. “Local boy dies of boredom. Scientists are baffled.”
It was times like these that he really missed Egypt.
Closing his eyes, Daniel wearily rested his head against the glass and willed the vibrations to stop. But on it went…for a little boy’s pleas were no match for Mother Nature’s agenda.
Tap tap tap tap tap…
The elements beat themselves unceremoniously against the window, until they gathered enough strength to become a single pounding force. And Daniel sighed. It was going to be a long day. //~ ~~~~~~~~~~
The rain had started to pick up, so Jack was forced to slow down.
Sneaking another…some might call it obsessive, he preferred, ‘concerned’ glance at his slumbering archaeologist, Jack’s heart sank. His friend honestly looked like a little boy.
A little boy who had been through way too much in his life.
But he wasn’t a little boy, was he? Jack thought.
No.
He was a tortured soul. A courageous man. A brilliant scientist. A compassionate being and a loyal friend…
…but a little boy, he was not.
In fact, Jack couldn’t help but wonder how long his friend actually got to be a little boy. His parents were killed when he was so young… before anyone should know what death is…let alone know what it looks like when it’s ripping your parents away from you…
When would the man next to him finally get to start living his life outside of the reaper’s shadow?
When would they all?
A whimper from his right snapped Jack out of his reverie.
Daniel was starting to stir in his sleep, as he begged whatever forces were against him to stop. Jack was trying to decide whether to rouse him or not, when he woke up swinging. ~~~~~~~~~
/Her pain ripped through him like the knife/
/Her fear stole his breath/
Daniel woke from her nightmare gasping for breath and whipping his arms around to fight off an attacker only she could see. He felt the car swerve and lurch as Jack pulled off the road and slammed on the brakes.
He could hear him screaming his name and feel him restraining his arms, as he desperately tried to calm him down.
“Daniel! Sshhh Daniel, hey, it’s okay! It was just a dream!”
/Her screaming burned his throat/
“I have to help her!” he yelled, struggling.
“Wha…” Jack was temporarily speechless, as concern and confusion battled within him. “Who Daniel?”
“I have to help her!” he screamed again, his own fear rippling through Jack like a tidal wave.
When his friend cried out in pain, panicked, Jack loosened his grip thinking it was him. He couldn’t see the knife Daniel felt rip through her.
“Daniel what are you talking about?!”
With one swift move, Daniel unlatched his seatbelt and stumbled out of the truck--running across the road and into the forest before Jack even made it out of the vehicle. ~~~~~~~~~~
Daniel ran. His legs pumping fiercely through the soggy terrain.
Branches bit into his skin and left a trail of blood reflecting the lightning, but he did not yield. He fell and lost his glasses, but he did not hesitate. He did not need to see. Her pain was a beacon and his soul was the ship.
Another stab brought him to his knees, and she cried out within her own hell. Painfully pushing himself up from the mud, Daniel could hear Jack calling his name, as her frantic screams went unheard.
~~~~~~~~~~
~// “Daniel!” she screamed. “Daniel! Come out and play!” He could hear Margaret yelling from all the way down the hall. *That girl has no shame* he thought to himself.
New to the building, ten-year-old Margaret Shoemaker, or “Freckles”, as she was aptly nick-named, made friends just as quickly as she was labeled, “Trouble” by the parents’ whose children had hung out with her.
It wasn’t that she was bad…just ‘busy’, as his mother would say.
Daniel personally adored her. He usually preferred to hang out with his winged friends, but she was the exception…though he couldn’t pinpoint why. None of the kids could, for that matter. She was just one of those people you loved to be around.
“Danny Jackson, no puddle jumping for you young man. I don’t want you coming back in here with pneumonia!”
*Oooh, busted.* “Okaaaay Mooom.” Daniel was inches from escape and unadulterated fun when his mother’s spidey-sense ratted him out.
The only possible thing that could make up for days and days of hard rain and catatonic boredom was the puddle jumping that followed…and now that had been stripped away.
He was thinking that maybe he would just retreat to the roof and join his colorful friends, when a tiny freckled hand reached through the door and pulled him outside with a squeal.//~
~~~~~~~~~~ Thunder cracked and lightning split the sky.
Desperately trying to keep track of Daniel, Jack cursed himself for not grabbing a flashlight--for night was moving in, just as quickly as his friend was disappearing into it.
To think, just a minute ago he was wondering how he was going to get the archaeologist out of the car without waking him…
Straining his eyes to catch even a whisper of his friend, Jack unsuccessfully tried to steady his pounding heart.
I’m losing him.
He knew it…he knew it with a certainty that rivaled any logic. But he knew it.
He felt it on P9X-798 when he caught him. And he felt it when he saw him run blindly into the storm.
…and it sent chills through him that still lingered.
God…
He was losing his best friend… and not just to the night. ~~~~~~~~~~
Minutes passed as distance closed between them.
He was almost there.
Through the storm and his harsh, anxious breaths, Daniel could hear the screams now that had been tearing away at his throat.
Keeping his pace, as he came upon the nightmare that had been plaguing his existence, for what seemed like an eternity now, Daniel thanked the storm for its cover.
He felt flesh strike flesh and watched as she fell, her head snapping to the side, as the force rippled through her long red hair.
…and he felt her desperation, as they saw the blade lift against the angry sky for what they both knew would be the last time.
~~~~~~~~~~
~// “NOOOO!!” he screamed, even as he tried to control his laughter.
After he told the other kids that he wasn’t allowed to jump in the puddles, they took it upon themselves to bring the puddles to him.
How was he going to explain this one? He wondered.
Everyone had gathered in an alley down the street from his apartment building and were already in a full blown water war when he and Margaret got there…
*OH* Daniel thought.
That’s what he could tell his parents!
*“Mama, Papa…I was feverishly trying to negotiate a peace treaty and in doing so, my inherent belief in the good of society ended up turning me into a victim of circumstance.”* (Increased vocabulary was one of the best things that came out of hanging around adults most of his life.)
*They just had to accept that…didn’t they?*
Something glistened out of the corner of Daniel’s eye, and when he turned and saw their next means of attack his heart nearly leapt out of his chest.
Water balloons.
Grabbing Freckle’s hand, Daniel made like the wind.
…ducking with a squeal as one whizzed by them. //~ ~~~~~~~~~~
Leaping onto her attacker, just as the knife began to slice the air- Daniel elicited nothing more than a grunt of surprise from the man before he threw him against a tree like a wet rag.
Landing on his stomach with a huff and a splash, water forced its way into Daniel’s lungs, as he now lay face to face with the young woman whose death was slowly killing him.
It was Annie. His petite next door neighbor, who loved dogs and wanted to be an actress.
Coughing up water, Daniel tried to get up, to fight, but found her weakness within him. So they lay there, helplessly staring at each other, while the rain pounded away at their flesh--seemingly competing for their death as it slowly raised the water they lie paralyzed in.
~~~~~~~~~~ ~// Water streamed down her long brown hair and she shook her head back and forth in an attempt to get Daniel even wetter. “Ah! My eye!” he yelp, clutching the side of his face.
Putting her hands on her hips, Margaret raised an eyebrow and looked at her friend incredulously.
When Daniel noticed that she wasn’t rushing to his side, ultimately giving him the opportunity to exact revenge, he lifted his head slowly. “Oooor not.”
“You actually thought I’d fall for that one, D.J.?”
Daniel rolled his eyes. As much as he like the girl, he hated it when she called him ‘D.J.’ Although, it wasn’t as bad as being called, ‘Freckles’ he admitted. (Even though it didn’t seem to bother her one bit.)
Before he could protest, she grabbed his arm and pulled him down another ally and behind a pile of cardboard boxes. He really needed to make sure that he was close enough to home, incase his mother called for him.
Margaret must have noticed his apprehension.
“Don’t be such a worrywart, D.J.”
“I’m not a worry…wart.” he defended…or at least tried to. He never actually heard that saying before. “Are too. And hush up…I think I hear something.”
Daniel sighed and clutched one of the water balloons they had managed to ‘apprehend’ tighter, as he and Margaret anxiously waited to launch their own counter attack.
…their hearts beating wildly with anticipation, even as they tried to contain the sudden spell of giggles that threatened to give their position away…//~
~~~~~~~~~~
Daniel’s heart beat wildly with helplessness, even as he could feel her own, painfully slow within her chest.
He had always been fond of Annie. Her strong demeanor and carefree spirit reminded him of another neighbor he had had when he was little, before…
Daniel could feel affection for her, just as easily as he could feel her lungs, heavy with fatigue and blood, struggle to expand…just one more time…as they frantically juggled fluids for air.
…and as he powerlessly lay there, he could see her eyes, once wide with fear and brief hope when he landed beside her, begin to dim with acceptance…as they saw their killer’s faceless shadow cast upon them from the storm…
~~~~~~~~~~ ~// An extraordinary pressure exploded against Daniel’s back, spreading spectacular colors that sparkled in the sunlight in all different directions.
One, two, three times, he was struck.
Again and again.
…and he had nowhere to go.
He was pinned down.
Trying to make his body as small of a target as possible, Daniel fell to his knees and cradled his head in his lap. As he did so, he saw that Margaret was sprawled on the ground next to him. …already succumbing to the force.
Even as he fell down next to her, he wanted to protect her, to apologize for not watching her back…but found that his voice would not work and his limbs only reacted to that which threatened to consume him...//~
~~~~~~~~~~
I’m so sorry, Annie…
Closing his eyes at their killer’s approach, Daniel desperately searched for the strength he knew he would not find.
…and as the thunder sounded its protests, he felt a weight bear down upon him that stole his very breath away…
~~~~~~~~~~
~// Landing on his back, Daniel lost his grip on their only defense, as his hand smacked limp against the pavement.
Watching as the inflatable ammunition floated away, Daniel finally closed his eyes and succumbed to the incredibly painful and wonderful laughter. //~
DISCLAIMER: All characters and property of Stargate SG-1 belong to MGM/UA, World Gekko Corp. and Double Secret Productions. This fan fiction was created solely for entertainment and no money was made from it. Also, no copyright or trademark infringement was intended. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author. Any other characters, the storyline and the actual story are the property of the author.