Title: ... And Some Change
Author: P.L.S.
Warnings: AU, lots and lots of spoilers for Changeling.
Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1 tv series, and are copyright property of MGM-UA Worldwide Television, Gekko Film Corp, Glassner/Wright Double Secret Productions and Stargate SG-I Prod. Ltd. In other words, I don't own it, I'm not making money off of it, so please don't sue.
Summery: Dr. Jackson's life is about to get very hard as an old foe shows up and starts to take apart the life he rebuilt after his wife passed on.
Author's Note: Feedback is needed. I'm not loving this story and I want it to make sence and end properly within the year.
It had been with the full support of two of his best friends that his practice was opened just three years ago. Before that he had spent his college and subsequent years doing research, consultations with various high stress work places, and learning still more as he taught a few classes. Jack O'Neill was the one who really pushed him to do something more than just surface analysis. Jack had lost his son and was two steps from being placed on suicide watch at a psych centre, but Jack's boss Chief West had heard of his expertise in dealing with police, fire-fighters, and EMS personnel. Somehow, he the three days on Jack's case turned into a six year long friendship of two men who had nothing in common but shared sorrows.
Dr. Niles Yanni Andrews-Newhouse, better known as Nyan, also helped Jack bully him into opening his own practice. It was just before his wife's death that Nyan came into his life, questioning and wanting to find a way to really help people. When Sherrie died, Daniel almost OD'ed on pain pills but Nyan walked in on him and called 911 and Jack. The two men pulled him together and helped him to live again by not only dragging him kicking and screaming to various events, but also by showing him all the reasons he'd be best off opening a private practice.
His office was in a part of town that needed help and they did a lot of work with their neighbours, but it was just as frequented by the local police officers, highway patrol, and fire-fighters. Daniel often worked with the emergency workers while Nyan seemed to have a gift with connecting to those from low-income homes or broken families.
Recently Daniel's old college friend and research assistant Robert had joined them and with him the office started counselling those who were victims of violent crimes or abusive relationships. Robert wasn't as good as connecting on a personal level or at intuitively knowing just what a person needed, but his no nonsense approach to dealing with his clients worked wonders if it worked at all. Jack liked Nyan but thought that Robert was a geek, but knew that Daniel was good at knowing just how far to trust a fellow psychiatrist.
Daniel was treated by his fellow mental health workers and researchers as a maverick or a black sheep. Daniel had a reputation for not caring about the distinctions between the schools of thought, and breaking everything down into simplistic and unconventional ways of copping for his clients. He could have pretended to be Freudian, Jungian, Behaviourist, or one of the other many types, but Daniel had studied all of them and knew that each only worked for certain things and that there wasn't a single reason why he shouldn't be able to be what his clients needed him to be. It was his unorthodox approach and need to 'help save the world' as Robert put it, that lead him to specialise in working with emergency personnel, which he wouldn't trade for anything.
"Hey, Daniel." Daniel looked up from his laptop and saw the smiling face of his receptionist/ secretary/ security/ maintenance/ whatever-needs-to-get-done man, Eugene Chaka who was bearing a refill of coffee for Daniel.
Chaka was a giant and with his long hair, tattoos, and deep growling voice, no one dared to push him around until they go to know the marshmallow under the surface. Chaka was a childhood friend of Daniel's and was the guy who kept him safe through high school and when he first started college at the age of sixteen. When Daniel was thirteen he was placed with a family in Brooklyn and it wasn't safe for him at all until Chaka, who was the only kid Daniel knew to be able to stay out of the gangs and still be respected, took him under his wing and taught him how to survive.
When Daniel finally had a place to call home he looked for Chaka, who had been drug into a gang as well as drug dealing to get by. Daniel moved mountains to get Chaka sober and then to the town just outside of Denver where he now lived. There wasn't anything Daniel wouldn't do for Chaka and vice versa. Sure, they didn't have the almost telepathic communication that he and Jack did, but no one knew all his demons like Chaka did, and Daniel knew everything and more about his first friend.
"Hey Chaka. Anything I need to know?" asked Daniel as Chaka tossed out the empty cup from Starbucks and put a mug of his own special blend down in its place.
Chaka nodded and started reciting his day's schedule with a sardonic tone. "T, O'Neill's bud's comin' in for his follow up soon. Lou Ferretti's got a ten o'clock, then eleven with Sgt. Makepeace from the OPD." Chaka smiled, "I'll fill you in on the rest during lunch, which you will eat. O'Neill's actually requesting a report on how much you eat because your doc told him all about your test results."
Daniel sighed. Janet Fraiser was a good friend, but he made the mistake of introducing her and Jack and then as when he was sick gave her permission to talk to Jack about his health. He had meant it just while he was ill, but the two now worked together to keep him from overworking. And now Chaka was also a part of their plots.
"Great." Daniel ground out and twirled a finger in mock-enthuiasm which only made Chaka grin more.
"Welp, now ya know." said the man without sympathy, "Ny's just got in an' is already goin on bout some jerk down at tha hospital, a guy called Bow-rr?" Daniel looked at Chaka with a bit of aprehention.
"Dr. Walace Bauer? He's the new head of the hospital's mental health department?" Daniel knew he sounded panicked but Bauer was a person he thought he had finally left behind.
It was under the man that he did tried to do his first disertation, but the man purposely foiled everything until Daniel found help in the form of the then Cheif Hammond. Hammond was the one who helped him start to understand just how much emergency workers needed someone to help them cope with anything from death to just family life, Hammond was also friends with the dean of NYU's school of mental health studies which helped protect Daniel from Bauer.
It wasn't until he was working in Chicago under Dr. Jordan that he found out just why Bauer hated him. Bauer was once a child prodegy but burned out too early, then later was shown up by Daniel's father when Bauer was just starting to date the woman who became Daniel's mother. To make it worce Bauer lost two grants, both to his parents just before they passed on. Jordan was the one who told him to stay away from Bauer, mainly because the man had worked hard to make as many contacts and friends as possible and would never forgive the product of what he saw as unforgivable slights aka Daniel.
But now, Dr. Jordan could no longer help him, and there was no doubt that all his work with the hospital was now lost. The old head, Dr. James MacKenzie, was good at running a hospital department and knew the importance of outsourcing when nothing else worked or when it just made sense, but Mac left for a better job with UCLA. Also there was no doubt that Bauer was going to try to ruin all he had already done for the town's fire and police departments. It was the contracts with the hospital and city that kept the practice out of the red and if they were ruined by Bauer's jealousy then Daniel knew he wouldn't know how to deal with anything anymore.
"Chaka," Daniel said, "I think I'm going to get screwed over." Chaka nodded.
"Yep, Ny's already bitchin bout cancelations. Robbie's times are lookin just as chopped up. Yer the only one not sufferin, but that's cuz the heroes are loyal ta ya." Chaka shrugged, "O'Neill at least'll fight tooth n nail fer ya."
"Yeah, Jack's stupid like that, but Bauer collects influence and will do everything to ruin me and anyone connected to me. Maybourne and others at the hospital and on the city council don't like me too." Daniel said and Chaka growled.
"If he trys ta shut ya down can I bash his head in?"
"Chaka..." Daniel drawled and Chaka glared at him. The giant knew just what Daniel wasn't going to say, 'violence isn't the answer.' Chaka still had a hard time not just using force to get his way and it was only Daniel who could stop him at any stage of his rages.
"Fine." Chaka growled, "I'm gonna go shread junk or somethin." Chaka left and Daniel slumped into his desk chair. This just was not going to go away, but still his instincts told him to cut and run. He sat there watching the clock, trying to think of a way to fight against Bauer. He never really noticed that nine o'clock came until Chaka hit the intercom buzzer and Daniel slapped on a mask to go greet Theodore Turner, or as he wanted to be known, T.
"Hey, T." Daniel said with a smile as he walked T into his office where they sat on opposing armchairs, "Can I get you some coffee, tea, or water?"
"Nah, Doc." Daniel nodded and then he stood and retreaved his coffee mug then sat down again.
"So?" Daniel started, "Welcome to my office. It's a bit of a change of scene from your last few talk with me. Anything new?"
"Sorta, Bray's somehow pulled off a miracle and is doin better. I guess I don't feel like as much of a failure now." Daniel shook his head.
"T, you were never a failure. In fact, you got past your fear and instincts to do something that no one ever said you had to do. You're no doubt one of the bravest and deeply caring people I have ever had a chance to meet." Daniel stood up and pulled off his sportcoat, "Are you still dreaming?"
"About bein an alien?"
"Yeah, that."
"Not so much. Shauna made a suggestion that I write the dreams down, between that an a little less stress, I'm not having as realistic of dreams. Ya know its kinda weird." Daniel gave him a look that plainly said 'go on.' "You know how I said I was an alien in those dreams? You were some kinda Indiana Jones dude with a babel fish for a brain, and you sort of died of radiation sickness after you saved a planet. In fact you kind of died a lot before that, but either you got better or you weren't really that dead until a glowy light person came and turned you into a glowy light person. If you want I can e-mail you the stuff I've written. Shauna and I have been drawin way too many paralells and gettin creeped out as I keep writing."
"And it's all from your dreams?"
"Sorta, some of it I just kinda know, other stuff I write with out thinking about it." T shrugged, "You ever do that?"
"Sometimes, I'll look it all over if you want me to, but unless you want to become a regular, I'm not going to be able to help you find the answers." Daniel said, "You'll have to make that choice later. I'm easy as far as things go in this office, or wherever. If you want my help, I'll help. If you want to try to figure out your mind on your own or with Shauna's help, go for it. Everyone has their own personal way of sorting themselves out. If anything, you can think of me as a guide in a jungle. Some people need a helper to read the map and sort out the area, others are just as fine without a guide."
"That makes sense. Chief O'Neill says you've been his shrink for a while now." Daniel laughed.
"I haven't been his doctor for well over four years. Jack's one of my best friends, not my client." T smiled at Daniel.
"He said you'd say that. So, why is it that most everyone at the station has at least heard of you, if not talked with you?" Daniel could tell T was trying to figure out what he wanted to do based upon other firefighters and not really on his own needs.
"I actually have specialized in working with people in high stress jobs where lives may hinge on any little factor. As it is I know the dynamics, the risks, and lifestyle fairly well. While I can't say I've ever been a firefighter, I do know the score and just how much people depend upon you." Daniel said, "But again, just because I may work with a lot of your co-workers or their loved ones, does not mean that it's right for you on a regular basis. Nor does that mean I'm your only option as far as pychaatyrists or psychologists are concerned."
"So I gotta do what's right for me, even if that means ignorin the dreams?" T asked. Daniel shrugged.
"That's one way to deal, but you gotta watch that carefully. Ignoring things, even just dreams, can spiral out of control and land you in deep trouble. Trust me on that one." Daniel said with a serrious look and a soft tone.
"You did that?" T looked at Daniel as if he had just confessed to being a three foot tall grey creature from another galaxy.
"Still do at times. Like I said it's a coping mechanism, but it can turn unhealthy, as can anything you do." T looked at his hands for a long moment, letting the words sink in.
"So moderation?" he said at last.
"You have it." Daniel smiled at him.
"Okay. I think I will still send you my dreams, see if you can make sense of them. I think you and Shauna are the only two who I can trust to help me out. Cheif O'Neill would crack Wizard of Oz jokes, Captain Carter would go off on how maybe it's a sign I need to take up scifi writing, and Bray would just ignore them." T said.
"Sounds like you know Jack pretty well, but don't sell people short. After he stopped calling you Dorethy, he'd give sound advice, maybe." Daniel grinned, "Sorta. Uh, well, he'd be Jack."
Okay, maybe I should explain what you just read a little more. It is an alternate reality kind of story, you will see a great deal of the people from Stargate in here with alternate jobs and histories. No, I am not confused and think Daniel is a psychologist, I'm just in love with SG fic that hasn't an alien in sight and Changeling gave me a spring board into a world with such possibility.
This will probably stay gen with slight mentions of a few het relationships. This will also have distinct parallels to various eps and I will try not to spoil, but no promises on that. I guess I forgot to mention Meridian in the warnings, and as T writes out his dreams ala Citizen Joe, more very prominent spoilers from seasons 1 to 8 will show up. I'm ignoring season nine, I do not like season nine, I wanted Daniel to go to Atlantis and for SG-1 to fade away. Actually I was hoping that Farscape was going to canonisticly crossover, with Vala and Ayren becoming long lost and very 'not nice to each other' sisters or something. The only good part about season nine was Daniel and Vala nearly getting burned alive but then not- I'm a big Danny Whummper.
Ah, heck, I'm probably gonna do about four or five parts of this then slap it all together and beg for a beta then give it to any archive that will have me. Don't expect rapid work, I've got to write about a slave kid Danny, a punk rocker Danny, and then this head doctor Danny.
On another note, I'm thinking Danny finds out about a nun who is taking care of this genius kid named Sharif Jackson(aka Shi'fu.)