Year Seven: Part One

Disclaimer: See previous chapters.

A/N: Only one more left after this two parter, guys! There may be a bonus chapter as many of these V-day's had alternate content than what I published. The last one was pretty fluffy, but this one is all angst. Because that's all we ever got from these people. Lol. Seriously, though.

**Coincidentally, Heroes Pt. 2 aired the closest to Valentine's Day, so tis during this episode that this snippet is set. Spoilers.**

**This is a TWO parter!**

Enjoy!

Daniel leaned against the wall, his back press into a corner and knees drawn up to rest his forearms on. He had taken his glasses off and his vision was blurry, but it didn't matter. There was nothing worth seeing. All the light and color was gone from his world.

Again.

His head thunked back against the wall as his eyes slipped closed, fighting the hot burn of tears that threatened to spill onto his cheeks. His world had been taken from him years ago, when Sha're was taken host and then murdered. He thought he would never be happy again. But he was wrong. Janet Frasier had brought color back into his life, had made things bearable…had made life enjoyable.

He had almost told her. He had been so close. Valentine's Day was coming up and he'd been planning on taking her out to his favorite café, simple and unpresumptuous. He wasn't sure, but he thought there was a good chance that she felt the same way. But he'd never gotten the chance. SG-9 had been ambushed and they were called in for back-up. Four days before he was going to tell her.

He had been distracted, focused on Wells' wound and the message for his wife. He hadn't seen the Jaffa. Hadn't seen them raise the damnable staff weapon and fire. He had only seen her face, illuminated by fire as the blast knocked her backwards, saline bag exploding and Wells screaming, he couldn't think. So he screamed.

Daniel pressed the heels of his hands to his forehead, trying to force the screams and gunfire from his head. He had tried to save her, pressing his hands to her chest, trying to stem the flow of blood. But it was too late. She was dead before she hit the ground.

Dead.

Janet was dead.

Daniel felt his stomach rush up into his throat. He couldn't sit here. He couldn't be here anymore. Launching himself to his feet, he stormed from the room unsteady on his feet, mind blank with grief. He didn't know where he was going, just that he needed to get out of here.

A face in his mind's eye caused his steps to falter momentarily. Cassie. He hadn't been the one to tell her; Sam had. They had fought over that one. Sam thought Daniel should do it, he was arguably the closest to the teenager. Sam knew how Janet had felt about Daniel and thought it only right that he be the one to talk to Cass. He had flat out refused. He couldn't handle it.

Daniel felt fresh tears prick his eyes when he thought about Sam going to the school to pick Cassie up. How had she told her? Did Cassie blame him? Had he even spoken to Cassie in the last few days? He couldn't remember.

As if waking from a dream, Daniel finally realized where his feet had taken him. The room he died in. Janet's eyes had been so wide, so angry. He held her gaze as he felt himself slipping away and all he wanted was to take her anger away. But then he was gone.

And she was left alone here.

Is this what she had felt like? Did she feel like her entire world was shattered into a million pieces and she would never be happy again?

'But I came back.' Daniel thought bitterly. 'You're never coming back, Janet. Never.' The sudden, angry thought surprised him. It was so definitive. So final. Janet was never coming back.

Daniel dropped onto the bed suddenly exhausted. He blinked rapidly for a moment, trying to clear his vision. It took him a minute to realize that it wasn't tears that were blurring his vision, but his lack of glasses. He sighed. He'd left them in his office. But what did it matter? There was nothing to see anyway.

Daniel leaned back and carelessly kicked his booted feet up onto cot. The overhead light was off and Daniel stared up at his blurred reflection in the window above him. He could almost picture Janet standing over him, asking questions about how he felt in a soft voice, eyes warm and open and laughing. But her face changed suddenly. Instead of warmth and light, her skin was grey and her eyes slits of yellowed tissue. Daniel jerked away from this un-Janet.

He refused to remember her that way. She was Janet, small and warm and good-humored.

"Daniel?" The soft voice startled him and he turned expecting to see Sam frowning worriedly at him. Instead, the woman in front of him stopped his breathing.

"Jan-Janet?" He blinked rapidly. Despite her blurred edges, she looked just like the former doctor.

"What're you doing in here, Daniel?" Janet looked around, her white lab coat gleaming in the sudden light from overhead. Daniel frowned. He would swear that the light had been off.

"Waiting for you, I guess." Daniel settled back onto the pillows, but didn't take his eyes off of her.

She laughed quietly. "Waiting for me? Daniel, my job was to wait for you."

"Was?" He retort was quick, almost begging her to tell him he was wrong.

The smile left Janet's face. "Yes, Daniel. Was."

"You can't be gone, Janet. You can't." Daniel felt the familiar sting at the back of his eyes and looked away.

"I'm not gone, Daniel. It's a cliché, but I'll never be gone. I'll always be here." Janet laid a hand on Daniel's and he flinched inwardly expecting her touch to be cold. He blinked in surprise when it was warm…and very solid. "Where are your glasses?"

"I left them in my office."

"Ah. You know, I always thought you looked cute in them." She winked and felt a rush of pride when a small smile lit his face.

Daniel sighed. "I had plans, you know."

"Oh?" Janet grinned and scooched Daniel over so she could sit.

"Yep." Daniel felt calm. He had nothing left to lose now. "Valentine's dinner. And dessert." He raised an eyebrow at her and she laughed.

"That sounds like it would have been wonderful, Daniel." Janet watched as the smile on the man's face faded.

"It would have been." He held her gaze and squeezed her hand. "Do we get second chances, Janet?"

"I think you've gotten more than two, Dr. Jackson." She grinned as Daniel made a face.

"I'm serious. Do you think we—you and I—can get a second chance?"

Janet sighed, hesitating. "Not in this lifetime, Daniel."

Daniel closed his eyes against the onslaught of grief that assailed him. "Why not?"

"Because it's over, Daniel. I had my life and I had my death. As much as we can want to change that, we can't." Janet stroked her thumb over the back of his hand. "So take this chance, Daniel."

He glanced up at her and smiled. "My last one?"

Janet nodded. "For now."

He took a deep breath. "Janet Fraiser, I want to thank you for the numerous times you have saved my life." She laughed at the slightly British accent he adopted. He smiled back then grew serious. "I should have told you a long time ago even though I think you knew…Janet, I love you." He brought her hand to his chest and rested it over his heart.

Janet took a deep breath, a shy smile quirking her lips. "Daniel, I-,"

And he jerked awake. For a minute he wasn't sure what had happened. She had just been right there about to tell him…well, about to tell him the most important thing he would hear for the rest of his life. And he had woken up. Grief hit him like a ton of bricks. She was never coming back. She would never say she loves him. She would just…never.

Daniel felt numb. He felt so utterly broken, that he couldn't feel anything at all. Slowly, he sat up, feeling the weight of the universe settle onto his shoulders. He was about to stand when something on the edge of the bed caught his eye.

His glasses.

A/N: End of Part One (Dan/Jan). Part Two is SamJack. Please R and R!