Disclaimer: I do not own Daniel Jackson, Janet Fraiser, or any of the characters affiliated with Stargate: SG-1. Furthermore, I do not own Stargate: SG-1. Too bad.
A Peaceful Romance
She wasn't some exotic beauty, and he wasn't madly in love with her. He had no inclinations to elope with her – or even to walk into her office and sweep her off her feet with a romantic kiss. He respected her for her intelligence and bravery, thought she was one of the few people who looked good in air-force-issue clothing and a lab coat, and, he readily admitted – to himself, at least – that he was attracted to her. This was not some spur of the moment impulse, nor was it some remnant of the emotional detritus left over from his recent experiences. These were the rational thoughts of a rational man in a rational state of mind.
Or so Daniel had most confidently assured Jack not ten minutes ago in the locker room. Jack, on the other hand, was worried that the archaeologist hadn't quite recovered from his recent descension. Not that the Napoleonic power-monger wasn't nice, she was just – well, honestly: who would want to date the woman who gave you a physical every year – and gleefully?
So Daniel sat in the infirmary, waiting to see Janet for what Jack had not-very-lovingly termed her 'vampire phase': in short, it consisted of her taking two test tubes' worth of blood out of their bodies and sticking them on a tray labeled 'testing'. That's how it always went: shower, infirmary, debriefing – actually, given SG-1's (and especially Daniel's) propensity for getting into pain- or death-inducing situations, it more often than not turned into 'infirmary, surgery/medical treatment, recovery, debriefing. But that was of little consequence, Daniel thought, as to whether Dr. Frasier preferred Italian food or German.
Daniel caught Jack's wink as the older man sighed and walked over to an angry-looking nurse with an angry-looking needle, leaving Janet open for Daniel. Despite all he'd said, despite all his talk about her Hitlerish power urgings, Jack had been hoping something like this would happen, going so far as to give Daniel a "wink-wink, nudge-nudge" every time they passed something remotely female in the halls. Dr. Fraiser might not have been his first choice, but she would do just fine.
It wasn't a particularly romantic date, and he wasn't in a particularly romantic mood. It was a Tuesday evening at Janet's; he had gone to drop off some books for a research paper Cassie was doing – he had stayed for pizza, a movie, and a root beer float. It might have been 8:45, when, wiping off the table, he flicked Janet with a washcloth, and she turned the water nozzle on him. It might have been somewhere around 9:00, when, while he helped Cassie with her Spanish homework, Janet looked up from her book on neurological toxins and, smiling, smoothed his hair away from his forehead. It might have been 11:28, when Daniel realized that both his girls had fallen asleep watching The Lady Vanishes; Cassie on his right shoulder, Janet on his left. It might have been 12:07, when he stopped at a red light and knew he'd remember this night forever. Or it might not have lasted a measurable unit of time: but somewhere in there was a moment when Daniel realized how much he loved her.
She didn't wear a long white dress and veil, and he didn't ask several hundred people to attend. It was a small ceremony; Cassie, some of Fraiser's closer relatives, SG-1, Hammond, and some of the others from the SGC. It was a solemn but relaxed atmosphere; Janet and all other invited military personnel wore their dress blues. Jack stood with Daniel and Sam with Janet; it was the sole concession to formal weddings Daniel and Janet made. They wanted their friends to be with them – people who had formed such an integral part of their lives – people who would have died for them in a heartbeat. Daniel had offered Teal'c a position, but the Jaffa had politely declined, preferring to observe his first Tau'ri wedding.
Daniel looked at Janet, standing next to him. Sure, he'd seen her in her dress blues dozens of times, but today was special. Every time he'd seen her before she had just been Janet, but today – today she was his.
Daniel sat on the leather sofa, his arm around his wife's shoulders. She looked lovely, her hair falling over her neck, her mouth laughing at some silly joke Jack had just made. Cool air blew in through the window at Daniel's side, making one of Janet's curls wobble – back and forth, back and forth like a slinky.
Cassie sat on the floor, playing with one of the twins; the other lay smuggled, asleep, on Teal'c's lap. Jack held the youngest, often brushing his hand over the baby's head, marveling at it. Sam watched him, smiling, at peace.
Daniel looked around at the mess, the empty pizza boxes, his friends – his family. He looked at Janet.
It wasn't a particularly romantic life, perhaps; but for Daniel Jackson, it was heaven on earth.