TITLE: Looking to the Future: Bonding
AUTHOR: Starrynight
DATE: 3/8/02
EMAIL: starry_night_100@hotmail.com
CATEGORY: Series: Looking to the Future; Drama; Angst; Romance
PAIRINGS: Daniel/Other
SPOILERS: The Light
SEASON/SEQUEL: 4/ Part two of a continuing series.
RATING: PG
CONTENT WARNINGS:
SUMMARY: Daniel talks to Linda after he returns from the Goa'uld palace.
STATUS: Revised
ARCHIVE: Heliopolis, Belle's Place, Fanfiction Net
DISCLAIMER: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. I have written this story for entertainment purposes only and no money whatsoever has exchanged hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations, and story are the property of the author. Not to be archived without the permission of the author.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: Thanks to Arraldesse and CalicoCat for beta reading this. :)
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After staying three weeks at the Goa'uld palace, Daniel returned to the SGC hoping to see Linda.
However, she wasn't there that afternoon. General Hammond explained that he had sent her
home earlier that day. Daniel changed quickly and drove to the house Linda had recently bought
in Colorado Springs.
Daniel knocked on the front door, but no one answered. He had seen Linda's car in the driveway
and figured that she might be in the back yard. He walked down the side of the house and as he
rounded the corner he saw her picking up some wood from a large pile of split logs.
Daniel crossed the yard and asked, "Would you like . . . ?"
When she saw Daniel standing on the other side of the pile, Linda dropped the wood she had
been holding and tried to go around the pile as quickly as she could.
"DANNY!"
"Be careful!" He quickly grasped her hand and helped her.
Linda embraced Daniel tightly and he wrapped his arms around her. She held on like she would
never let go. He simply rested his head on top of hers.
"I'm so happy to see you again!"
"Well, I'm glad to be back."
"It was so hard to wait. I kept working so I wouldn't be so anxious." Linda's words all
tumbled out at once.
Daniel nodded. I can only imagine . . .
"General Hammond finally kicked me out. I guess he was tired of seeing me work like that."
"Yeah, he told me. So how are you doing?"
"I'm great now. Or as Jack would say: 'Just peachy.'"
Daniel laughed. "That's good."
They separated a little, looked at each other and their eyes locked. After a few seconds, Linda
began to feel uncomfortable, looked down and broke the silence. "Hey, why don't we get
something to drink and sit on the front porch?"
Daniel looked away. "Uh . . . yeah. Sure."
They parted and walked through the back door into the house.
A few minutes later, Daniel and Linda sat on a bench amidst beautiful potted flowers. Big apple
trees shaded the area. Daniel admired the way Linda had added her touch.
"Well, Danny, you certainly look healthy. Are you feeling better?"
"Yeah, I'm completely free of that addiction now."
"Addiction?"
"Yeah, that palace was the Gou'uld equivalent of an opium den. There was a beautiful light in
there and another device that emitted some kind of radiation or energy which affected our brain
chemistry. That's how we became addicted. When I came back from the planet the first time I
went into withdrawal." He glanced down at the concrete.
I'm just glad you're better . . . you don't know how glad." She held his hand.
"Well, I hope I never scare you or anyone else like that again. I can't believe that I was about to
jump off my own balcony. Jack said you witnessed it, too." Daniel looked back at her,
dismayed, trying to confirm this awful revelation.
"Yes . . . I did . . . " Daniel saw the compassion in her eyes.
"You must have been so afraid . . . I'm so sorry . . . " He said the last words so quietly Linda
barely heard them.
"It's okay, Danny. It wasn't your fault. Jack was already talking to you when I arrived. All I
could do was watch. Once you recognized Jack and realized where you were, we both helped
you. I was so relieved, so thankful that you wouldn't die that way."
"God . . . "
"Danny, I know you didn't do it deliberately. I don't think you even remembered going out
there. When the reality hit, you seemed confused and panicked. You probably wouldn't have
reacted that way if you intended to jump."
"No . . . I don't have a death wish." Daniel shook his head despondently. "I just don't
remember much after I yelled at General Hammond."
"You and I had a confrontation."
"Really?" Daniel looked surprised. He and Linda rarely argued.
"After your argument with Jack you were determined to leave, but I knew that you were in no
condition to drive. It took a bit to persuade you. I finally had to prevail on your feelings about
Barber's suicide to convince you that another death, yours or someone else's, wouldn't be worth
it."
"Well, you were right. I wouldn't want to kill an innocent person. One death was enough . . .
four deaths were too many . . . and so senseless. . . ."
Linda could see that the deaths of SG-5 weighed heavily on him. No doubt Jack had told him
the bad news.
"Well, I didn't like the effect that what I did had on you, either. You changed so radically. You
didn't want to talk . . . You were blank . . . empty . . . like there was nothing there . . . I felt like I
couldn't reach you. I just took you home and offered to stay, but you wanted to be alone. So I
left. When I saw you in the morning, I wished I had never gone."
"Linda, how could you have known?" Daniel asked gently, trying to alleviate her guilt. "You did
what you could."
"I knew about Lieutenant Barber's suicide and how bad you were feeling." Her voice rose as she
spoke. "I just wanted to respect your wishes, but maybe if I had been there, you wouldn't have
done that!"
"Linda!" Daniel looked straight into her eyes and then his voice softened. "You can't blame
yourself. I was withdrawing from the effect of that Goa'uld device."
"I can't help it, Danny. I love you and I feel like I abandoned you." Linda was almost in tears.
"I was so afraid of losing you . . . I just . . . "
Daniel was surprised at first. Then he understood.
"It's okay . . . Come here . . . " Daniel gently pulled her toward him and hugged her. Linda's
head rested on his shoulder. "I love you, too." Daniel didn't know exactly when he started
feeling this way, but he knew it felt right.
Linda didn't say anything. She just appreciated being in his embrace. Neither of them spoke for
a few minutes.
Daniel remembered what he and Jack had talked about back on the planet.
"Daniel, Linda never left your side except when I was there or when Doc Fraiser was checking
on you. She really cares about you. I think you care a lot about her, too. I've seen how you
look at her."
Daniel said nothing.
"You haven't really looked at anyone like that in a long time," Jack said.
"No."
"She's special."
"Yes, she is."
"Daniel, you have a chance for real happiness here."
Daniel nodded.
"Well, I'm glad you see that because it's been too long since you've been really happy."
"That's true. Thanks, Jack."
Jack stood and started walking down the beach, leaving Daniel to think.
Then Daniel focused on the present. "You never abandoned me, Linda. Jack told me about how
you stayed with me in the infirmary. I know that you care."
Linda moved away from Daniel and looked at him. "A friend loves at all times and a brother is
born for adversity."
Daniel seemed puzzled.
"It's something from Proverbs that I shared with you in the infirmary. You always helped me
when I needed it and I wanted to be there for you . . . right to the end, if necessary. When Jack
stayed with you before he took you to the planet, I was right outside the door. I couldn't stand to
leave you."
"Jack's right. You're very special."
"Thanks, Danny. So are you."
"Thank you."
They sat and held hands for a few minutes, enjoying the sunset.
"Danny?"
"Yeah?"
"It's such a nice evening. Would you like to go for a walk?"
Daniel nodded and smiled.
They stood up, hand in hand, and walked toward the street.
