Here's another nice long section for you… I keep forgetting to update this even though I have heaps written. How dumb am I? Hehe. Please let me know what you think about everything.
Jack nearly fell over the ping-pong table when Angel's distress slammed into his head. Teal'c was by his side instantly to steady him.
"What is it, O'Neill?"
"It's Angel." He heaved. "Get Doc Frasier. Now."
"Is Angel Jackson in her office?"
"Yes!" Jack yelled, already half way through the door, cursing Jonas Quinn for not being here.
Jack had no idea how long it had taken him to get there but he'd sprinted all the way. Too concerned to be out of breath, he leapt into the chaos. Registering the scene briefly – a bewildered Daniel sprawled on the floor, looking rumpled with the neck of his shirt torn and a dishevelled Angel squashed into the corner of the room as if she were trying to shove herself through the wall to get even further away. Jack tried to ignore the mini earthquake and tornado going on around them. If he acknowledged what they signified he could lose his nerve. She needed him and Jonas wasn't here. Bastard.
"Jack?" Daniel called to him through the small maelstrom. "What the hell is going on? We've got to get Angel out of here."
"It's all under control, Daniel." God, he wished he could believe that. "Just stay where you are."
"Angelface…" Jack called to her gently as he sunk to the floor and approached carefully. "I'm here."
"Jack…" She gasped, looking completely shattered. "I can't… god… Jack…"
"I'm here. It's okay. Everything's going to be okay." He tentatively reached for her hand, placing himself by her side. She clutched at him in terror. As if he alone could prevent her from being consumed by the much more terrible storm that was raging inside her. "I've got you. Deep breaths, baby. Hold onto me. We'll get through this."
"Janet?" She asked, her voice almost swallowed by how erratic her breathing was.
"On her way, sweetie. She'll be here soon."
Carter made it there before the Doc and she first checked that Daniel was okay. Then keeping low to the ground she made her way across to Jack and Angel, placing soothing hands on Angel's back. This was tentatively at first because it was often hard to tell what was going to help Angel and what was going to make it worse. In this case, having Carter there seemed to be helping. Carter shared an anxious glance with him and he briefly squeezed one of her hands.
Janet arrived not long afterwards with Teal'c. Barely bothering to duck to avoid any of the items flying through the air, she moved directly to her patient. Jack and Carter had to hold Angel as Janet attempted to administer a sedative because Angel suddenly panicked even more, wailing in a heartbreaking way. Finally the medication was delivered and as she slowly succumbed to it, the storm inside her office wound down. The calm afterwards seemed almost stark and strange in comparison.
Jack kept stroking her hair and murmuring comforting words to her but as Angel's eyes grew heavier and she sunk more deeply into his arms, her gaze rested completely on Daniel.
Barely audible – seconds before she passed out – she spoke. "Daniel… please… forgive me."
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Daniel sat by Angel's bed in the infirmary. There had been some discussion about whether he should be there. He didn't really understand it – except that obviously he'd been responsible for what had happened. However, he couldn't bear to be away from her. He felt like she needed him. Which of course could be the most ridiculous thing ever since perhaps the last thing she wanted to see when she woke up was him.
He had stubbornly insisted he stay anyway. Janet had told them that Angel wouldn't wake up for a couple of hours at least. Maybe he'd leave before that. Or maybe he'd wait to see how she reacted and if him being there caused her distress then he'd give her some space. For now, however, he didn't want to be anywhere but here. Holding her hand. Which was a luxury given that had she been conscious she wouldn't have let him do so for even a second.
Sam, Jack and Teal'c were all hovering in the room. Hammond, Walter, members of SG-13 and SG-3 – including that talented young lieutenant – and various other personnel had stopped by as if they just had to make sure she was okay. No-one had said much to Daniel and he hadn't really asked any questions since he was so focussed on her.
"You okay?" Jack asked him once it was just SG-1 in the room again and Daniel was surprised at the gentle tone. He'd expected that it was only a matter of time until Jack yelled at him for upsetting Angel that much. "Get any nasty paper cuts?"
"I'm fine. Was that Angel? I mean was it some sort of psychic manifestation of her distress?"
Jack exchanged glances with Sam and Teal'c. "Uh, yeah. Pretty much."
"Does she have any other abilities like this? And can she control them?"
"Yes and most of the time, yes. Her main thing is empathy, which personally I think would suck. Apart from that there's a bunch of other stuff… bit of the old telekinesis which is way cool, telepathy which mostly she refuses to use – though if you think too loudly she'll pick stuff up… uh… astral travelling…teleporting…"
"Teleporting!" Daniel blinked in surprise.
"Well, that's only really to Atlantis and as far as we can tell that was like a total fluke but she can still do it on occasion."
"Amazing!"
Jack looked guilty for a moment and then blurted out. "Oh, and you know, the old Goa'uld killing thing but we've all been there, done that."
"She killed a Goa'uld? Which one? How?"
"Osiris." Jack held up his hands. "That's all I'm telling you for now. Like Teal'c said before – it's kinda not really our place to tell you some things. Some things you will have to hope to either remember on your own or wait for her to tell you."
Daniel closed his eyes and sighed in frustration. "What if I ask you the right questions?"
Jack shrugged. "Maybe."
Sam put a hand on his shoulder. "Daniel, what happened… you know, before the storm?"
"I confronted her about the DVD… and this…" He pulled the photo out of his pocket.
Sam sighed wistfully as she gazed at the picture. "A copy of this used to be on her desk. Where did you get it?"
"I think Jonas deliberately put that and the DVD where he thought I'd find them."
"Should have known Jonas wouldn't leave without doing something." She smiled. "So, you showed her the DVD and the photo…"
"I asked her what had happened to make her change so much. I guess I pushed pretty hard but I was really angry and frustrated. I couldn't stop thinking about her and no-one would tell me anything. I was going crazy." Daniel stopped suddenly, feeling sick. "God! You said she's an empath! That means when I went after her like that… why didn't someone tell me! I would never have… It's all my fault."
"Daniel, she does have some defences in place." Jack told him awkwardly.
"Some. Big comfort there considering how she reacted."
"How did she react?" Sam asked.
"She got really angry. Told me that she'd changed because I'd died. That she was living in hell. Called me a bastard amongst other things and then she started hitting me."
"Wow." Jack raised an eyebrow.
"Then she, uh…" Daniel coughed, blushing. "…kissed me."
"Wow!"
"Quite passionately."
"Hence the rips in your shirt." Jack waved a hand as if it were all quite obvious.
"It was all very… nice… until she suddenly stopped as if she'd just done the most horrific thing ever and she became hysterical and you know the rest…"
"We do."
"At the end there she asked me to forgive her… what was that about?"
"I really don't know, Daniel." Jack told him, shaking his head. "Personally I can't think of any reason she'd say that but who knows how a woman's mind works? Carter?"
"Don't ask me, sir. I'm as clueless as you." She shrugged. "And that's pretty clueless indeed."
"Hey!"
"Sorry, sir." She grinned.
Daniel turned back to Angel. He was still holding her hand. He examined it. It was a nice hand. He felt like he might have held it before because it was sort of familiar. He concentrated on this feeling.
Then he remembered – perhaps – holding her hand at a graveside. He was wearing a suit and she was like she was now in a way, sad and serious, but her hair was still curly. There was a man maybe about Jack's age – definitely military – with a penetrating gaze that seemed to be evaluating him. A cute girl with dark makeup and dark hair pulled up into two little buns. Black lace dress and parasol. Some clean cut Italian guy in a nice suit. A round faced younger guy.
The image faded and was replaced with another. A hotel room. Everything was swimming out of focus and he suddenly felt an inexplicable feeling of panic and excruciating helplessness. He couldn't work out how to get his shoes off. He was crying. The hands were comforting him, helping him with his shoes. The hands, the eyes and the voice. They made him feel safe when everything around him made no sense.
Again, the memory – if it was a memory at all – faded. He shook his head. "I was drugged."
"What?" Jack asked.
"I remember being in a hotel room. She took care of me. Someone had put something in my drink." He looked at them, searching for confirmation.
They exchanged looks and then Teal'c responded. "It was at a conference, Daniel Jackson. In New York. A woman from archaeology circles who was fixated on you."
"And Angel was there."
Again, they exchanged looks and Teal'c answered. "Yes."
"Wearing something purple. A dress. And we went to see some shows."
"Yes."
"Because she loves musical theatre. Some of the songs from the DVD were from those shows. I bought the tickets as a surprise before we left…" Daniel closed his eyes, following the images in his mind. He thought she might have shrieked in excitement and flung her arms around him while the rest of SG-1 and Hammond laughed. That had been in the briefing room. He remembered feeling such pleasure to have been able to surprise her with something that made her so happy.
"Do you remember why she went with you to New York?" Sam asked carefully.
"I think it was because she didn't want me to be alone with all those people who thought I was a failure. I mean… that's why she agreed to come along. I think I asked her because I thought she'd like to see New York. She said it was us against them."
Daniel could see her again now. They were talking with a pompous old archaeology professor that Daniel had never liked. He was being extremely obvious in pointing out that Daniel hadn't published any papers in years. It had been one vicious jibe too many in a long day and Angel had been furious.
"Daniel, can we go now? This guy is really boring me." She'd deliberately whined.
"Well, I never…" The professor had huffed, thoroughly offended.
"Well, I never…?" Angel had mocked. "What are you? A caricature?"
Daniel had barely been able to contain his laughter until they got back to the adjoining rooms they were staying in. Angel then continued to keep him entertained with completely ridiculous impressions of Professor Snooty Pants – her new nickname for the professor.
"Oh, Dr Jackson… how pathetic that you haven't written any papers like a good little boy." Then she answered herself as Daniel. "What? What did you say, Professor Snooty Pants? Oh, I'm SO sorry I haven't had time to write any stupid papers. I've been off saving the stupid world. What? You don't know who really built the pyramids? Oh, dear… how terribly embarrassing."
Daniel managed to ask through his laughter. "Why do I also have a bad British accent?"
"Shut up and work with me, Dan. I'm venting." She'd stuck out her tongue. "What was that, Professor? You want me to what? There's an alien attacking? In a big ship? Well, what do you want me to do about it? I have to finish writing this paper you wanted! I'm way too busy to save your stupid ass. Oh, no… you made it perfectly clear that the paper thing was much more important that all that world-saving business. You can't have it both ways. Oh, whoops… by the way, you should have ducked when that staff blast came your way. Oh well."
As funny as she'd been, Daniel had realised just how angry she was at the same time. He had felt genuinely touched by how defensive of him she was.
He smiled as the memory receded and once again turned his attention to the hand he was holding. He noticed she was wearing a bracelet. It was silver swirls entwined around purple stones. There was that colour again. He hadn't noticed it before but perhaps it had been hidden under her sleeve.
"This is nice." He said to his friends. "Where did she get this?"
They didn't respond. He focussed on it again. It seemed the more time he spent with her – something that he hadn't had a chance to do before, the quicker these memories started resurfacing. Plus, the fact that she was unconscious and not actively trying to distract him or run away had its advantages.
The bracelet. It was alien made. He'd been going off-world on a mission and as he left, Angel had joked that he should bring her back something good. He'd decided that it would amuse her if he did bring her back a gift. As soon as he'd seen the bracelet in that little marketplace he knew it was perfect for her – and as soon as he'd traded for it, he'd started worrying that she'd think it was too much. That it would make her feel uncomfortable.
They'd gotten themselves trapped on that mission. Took them ten days to find a way out. And all that time, Daniel had that bracelet with him. He'd even accidentally bled on it at one point. He kept on getting it out and looking at it. Wanting nothing more than to make his way home so he could give it to her. It had no longer mattered what she thought of it, only that she should have it.
When they'd finally made it back, she'd had rushed into the gate room. Daniel thought she might have told him later that she'd asked General Hammond for 'Permission to make a complete idiot of myself, sir' and that he'd responded with 'Granted.' Having reached the gate room, however, she'd hesitated. Unsure. He'd beckoned her forward with a wave of his hand and that was all the encouragement she had needed.
Daniel blinked back to present day. And there it was. The previous image in his mind of her rushing to hug him just as he'd seen her do for Jonas was an actual memory. After post-mission check-ups and having his sprained ankle strapped, he'd returned to their office with her. Wait… their office? He furrowed his brow but the memory continued playing out. They'd gone back to the office and she'd needed to just hold onto him for a while because she'd been so afraid. He couldn't stand for long because of his ankle so he'd ended up sitting and pulling her onto his lap so she could hold him for as long as she wanted.
She cried and laughed at the same time when he'd given her the bracelet – sans blood thanks to the efforts of one of the nurses – and he remembered his cheeks feeling hot and not knowing quite how to feel that she was so pleased by the gift. She then spent some extra time hugging him so it was definitely worth it.
And why was he suddenly thinking about his office being their office? Then he remembered the two sets of holes under his name plate. Had her name been on his door? He couldn't be sure but it made sense. Was that all it had been though? A close working relationship with hugs and laughs? Was there more? Why had she kissed him with such intensity today?
Then he was standing on a balcony outside a ballroom. He was wearing a tux. She was in that gorgeous purple dress. She looked incredible. It was before the whole crazy business with the Rohypnol in his drink had happened. They'd been dancing. He was happy. Content. The night was clear and a soft breeze ruffled her curls. He'd said something to her. Something like how she made the world worth saving.
"I'm sorry but I really need you to not be here at the moment." Her voice broke through his recollections as she pulled her hand away from his. Her eyes were open but fixed on the ceiling deliberately not looking at him.
"Okay." He felt a sort of sorrow wash over him and he got up to leave. "I understand."
He'd reached the door when she spoke up again. "Daniel?"
"Yeah?"
"Later… when I'm feeling more together… maybe… I think… we can talk. Okay?"
"I'd really like that." He smiled softly.
"Only maybe… but I was avoiding you before and I won't do that any more. Now please go."
He nodded and walked out of the room feeling something not unlike hope.