Author: MegTDJ
Category: Missing scene
Rating: K+
Pairing: Daniel/Janet friendship
Spoilers: Tin Man
Summary: Missing scene for Tin Man; #5 in the Love Comes Softly series. Upon returning to Earth from Harlan's planet, Daniel notices that something isn't right with Janet.
Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1, its universe and its characters are not mine. The story itself is, however, so please don't archive without my permission.
Author's notes: For Kerri.
Flesh and Blood
Daniel waved one last time at his doppelganger, and then joined the rest of his team in walking through the gate. It had been interesting but extremely weird to actually talk to himself for the past couple of hours, so while he was rather reluctant to leave so soon, he was also looking forward to stepping out of the Twilight Zone and returning to his regularly scheduled life.
Until he saw that a dozen rifles were pointed in his direction.
He automatically stopped dead in his tracks and raised his hands slightly as he looked around at the officers surrounding the ramp. "Uh..."
"Relax, Daniel," Jack said, slapping him on the shoulder as he walked past him. "Just standard procedure." He held up his hand in a casual wave at General Hammond. "We're back, Sir," he announced.
"So I see," General Hammond said. "However, I hope you won't mind if Dr. Fraiser checks you out, just to see if you really are... you."
"Not a problem, Sir," Jack said. He walked right off the ramp and over to the door without hesitation.
Daniel hurried along behind him, with Sam and Teal'c at his side. He still wasn't completely used to the military life he was leading, so as much as he hated to admit it, sticking close to Jack usually made him feel better in situations like these.
Dr. Fraiser was waiting for them in the infirmary, but they didn't receive a warm smile and welcome from her this time. "Sit down over here, please, Colonel," she said, motioning for Jack to sit down on one of the infirmary beds. Her tone was hard, and she didn't make eye contact with any of them. That was very unlike her.
Daniel, Sam, and Teal'c exchanged confused looks as Jack sat down. General Hammond and a handful of SF's had followed them into the infirmary. Beefed up security, General Hammond on stand-by, and a straight-to-business Dr. Fraiser? What the hell had their doubles done?
Dr. Fraiser was silent as she prepared to take a blood sample from Jack, but as soon as she saw the red blood pouring into the tube, she visibly relaxed. "It's the real Colonel O'Neill, Sir," she said to General Hammond.
"See?" Jack said, shooting Hammond a smug grin. "Told ya we're back."
"So you did, Colonel," Hammond said with a long-suffering sigh. "Now Dr. Jackson?"
Dr. Fraiser nodded and motioned for Daniel to take Jack's place on the bed.
Daniel silently obeyed once Jack had hopped down, and he rolled up his sleeve as Dr. Fraiser prepared another syringe. He tried to catch her eye as she worked, but she kept her gaze on the needle.
Once his blood started to flow, she nodded again. "It's the real Dr. Jackson," she said.
Daniel didn't have anything witty to add to that, and Janet stepped away from him to prepare another syringe anyway, so he just hopped off the bed and stood back for Sam to take his place.
After Sam and Teal'c had been verified, the four of them were whisked off to their debriefing with General Hammond. It took them a while to explain all about Harlan and how they had come to be cloned - that word in itself took twenty minutes to argue around - so by the end of it, Daniel was physically and mentally exhausted. Therefore, it didn't come as a welcome announcement when Hammond rose from the briefing table and said, "Now I'd like you all to return to the infirmary for further tests, just to be sure that Harlan's technology did you no harm. Dismissed."
"Damn that alien robot," Jack mumbled as he pushed back from the table and dragged himself onto his feet.
"Hear hear," Daniel said. He'd almost liked the little guy at first, but he was proving to be more trouble than he was worth.
Daniel almost walked into a wall on his way to the infirmary, his overwhelming exhaustion making him feel almost drunk. He'd never been so thankful for his on-base quarters, as he couldn't even imagine the trouble he'd get into if he tried to drive home. He was looking forward to crashing into bed, not a tree.
The unintended pun made him giggle, even though he hadn't spoken it aloud. Unfortunately, he did so as he entered the infirmary, so not only were his teammates' eyes immediately on him, but Dr. Fraiser's were, too.
"Is something amusing, Dr. Jackson?" she asked.
Daniel blinked at her in stunned silence. Over the past few weeks, this woman had gone from being his colleague and doctor to being his friend, so why had she suddenly turned on the "third-grade teacher" persona? One hand on her hip, a sour, strict look on her face... He felt like he'd been caught passing notes in class or something. It was very disconcerting.
"Um..." he said when he realized everyone was still staring at him, waiting for an answer. "No, just... no." He shook his head and looked down at his hands.
"Alright, then let's get right to it," she said. "I know you're all probably exhausted by now, so I'll try to be as quick as I can with these tests. Colonel O'Neill, you're first."
Jack glanced over at Daniel before following Dr. Fraiser out of the room, and raised his eyebrows as if to say, "What's up with her?"
Daniel wished he knew.
He sat down and dozed for a few minutes until Dr. Fraiser returned and called on him. Then he rubbed his face and got up to follow her, careful this time not to walk into any walls or laugh out loud over some private joke.
"You know the routine, Dr. Jackson," she said once they arrived at the MRI room. "Make yourself comfortable."
Daniel nodded, handed her his glasses, and lay down on the movable platform.
He was getting so used to these scans that as soon as he started to move into the little tunnel, he drifted off to sleep. His mind was suddenly filled with images of half a dozen Daniel Jacksons running around the SGC while he chased after them, trying to keep them from getting into trouble. He ended up running into the infirmary just in time to see them pick Dr. Fraiser up, and as a group march around the infirmary holding her high above their heads.
It was certainly one of the most interesting dreams he'd ever had.
He awoke once he realized that the Dr. Fraiser calling his name over and over again wasn't the one who was being paraded around the infirmary, but the one who was currently running tests on him, and that she wasn't demanding to be put down, but was demanding that he get up.
"Sorry," he said as he forced his eyes to open and pushed himself up to a sitting position. "Guess I fell asleep."
"You sure did," Dr. Fraiser said in the friendliest tone he'd heard from her all day. "You were snoring and everything."
Daniel feigned indignation as he took his glasses back from her. "I do not snore!"
The hint of a smile flittered across Dr. Fraiser's face, but then she turned away to write something down on his chart. "We can continue this tomorrow if you like," she said. "You should get some sleep."
"Thanks." Daniel got down from the platform, but he didn't leave the room. He couldn't get his dream out of his mind, and it made him wonder whether his double really had done something to offend her in some way. He couldn't think what it could be, as the robot was essentially him, and he couldn't imagine ever doing anything to Dr. Fraiser. Still, did it hurt to ask?
Dr. Fraiser turned to look at him again when she realized he was just standing there. "Is there something else?" she asked.
Daniel cleared his throat. "Actually, yes," he said. "I was just wondering... did our robot doubles... do... anything? I mean, you just... seem kind of..." He wasn't sure how to finish his sentence, so he just moved his hand in a helpless gesture as he withered under her unwavering gaze.
She stared at him for a second or two before she looked down at the chart in her hands again. "No," she said. "They didn't do anything inappropriate. It was all just very... unexpected when they started bleeding white blood." She looked up at him and forced a smile, but Daniel could tell that there was definitely something bothering her.
He followed her as she left the room and headed back to the room where Sam and Teal'c were waiting. "So, what's wrong?" he asked. "Why did we get the cold shoulder when we came back?"
Dr. Fraiser stopped and looked up at him in confusion. "Cold shoulder?" she repeated. "I don't know what you're talking about, Dr. Jackson. I've been doing my job as quickly as possible so I can go home to my daughter."
She started to walk away again, but Daniel kept in step. "I realize you've had just as hard a time today as the rest of us, but..."
"But nothing, Dr. Jackson," she said, her tone effectively cutting him off mid-thought. "I'm sure we'll all be feeling ourselves again tomorrow. Why don't you go and get some rest?"
"Okay," Daniel murmured, allowing her to continue on her way unaccompanied. He wasn't happy about it, though. Something was definitely up with her, and it was making him feel uneasy.
He had just started on his way to the elevator when he heard, "Dr. Jackson?"
"Yes?" he said, turning to see that Dr. Fraiser had stopped again and was looking back at him with a somewhat nervous expression on her face. That wasn't a look he was accustomed to seeing her use.
"I, um..." She glanced over at the open doorway a few feet away, seeming to remember that Sam and Teal'c were just on the other side of it. She stepped a little closer to Daniel and lowered her voice as she continued. "It was... unnerving," she said. "When the others came back, and they looked, sounded, and acted exactly like the real SG-1..." She paused and shook her head. "It just made me realize how easily that can happen. When the four of you first came into the infirmary, we had our usual post-mission chat, and the next thing I knew, I was discovering that you weren't even human. I just haven't had the opportunity to process it all yet. Do you understand?"
Daniel wasn't sure he did, but he nodded anyway. "Well, for what it's worth, I'm sorry they came back to Earth and caused so much fuss," he said. "Though since they were technically us, it's only to be expected." He smiled ironically as punctuation to his sentence, but Dr. Fraiser's returning smile was forced.
"You need sleep, Dr. Jackson," she said in what could almost be considered a teasing tone. "I'll see you in the morning."
"Yeah. Goodnight." Daniel watched as she went off into the other room, and then he headed again for the elevator.
As he waited for the doors to open, a slight feeling of paranoia began to settle over him. He looked down at his hands for a moment as if to make sure they were really his. They looked like flesh and blood to him, but you never can tell.
He shook his head and laughed at himself when he realized what he was doing. He was more than ready for that good night's sleep.