Rachel cursed as she swung into the car park and abandoned her car in the first space she could find. She ran into the school, heading straight for the principles office. She burst into the secretary's office and sobbed in relief to see Danny sat in a chair, swinging his legs.
"Oh my god..." She made her way over to her son and hugged him. "...you're alright?" She pulled back and looked at him. "Are you ok? Did he hurt you?"
Danny shook his head. "Daddy would never hurt me."
Rachel frowned in confusion and glanced at the secretary who beckoned her over. "Stay right here ok...do not move."
Danny nodded. "Sure Mom."
Rachel walked over to Ms Baxter. "What happened?"
"We noticed a man standing outside the school yard at lunchtime. We informed security but before they could act, Danny went running over to him calling him 'daddy'. Of course, we know his father is dead so naturally, security separated them."
Rachel nodded. "Thank you. Where is this man now?"
"He's in with the Principle. Danny is insistent that the man is his father." The secretary gently took Rachel's arm as she went to walk away. "Ms White...his security number checks out. His is Dr Daniel Jackson."
Rachel closed her eyes. "That's just not possible...it's just..." Her voice trailed off as the door to the other office opened and the Principle looked out.
"Ah...Ms White. Please. Come in."
Rachel looked at her son. "Do not move." She walked into the office and froze. There, sitting in a chair, infront of the desk, was a very sheepish looking Daniel. Even though 7 years had past, and even though his physical appearance had changed, she knew her son was right.
"Please...take a seat." The Principle indicated to a seat next to Daniel's and Rachel dutifully sat down, her eyes not leaving his. "I am sure that Ms Baxter has filled you in on the situation. We wanted to talk to you before we called the police in..."
"There won't be any need for that." Rachel's voice was soft and it betrayed her feelings all too well. "This is Danny's father." She looked at the ghost from her past and shook her head softly. "May we have a minute please."
The Principle stood up. "Of course." She made her way over to the door. "I'll be outside if you need me."
Rachel sighed as she left the office and returned her attention once more to the man sat beside her. "What were you thinking?" Her voice was barely above a whisper and she berated herself for sounding so weak.
Daniel's mouth twitched upwards slightly. "I wasn't. Oh god Rachel...I didn't know. When I came back, so much in my life had changed. I'd just lost my wife and..." He stopped at the expression on her face.
"Your wife? You were married?" Utter disbelief ran through her words. She laughed softly. "You walked out on me...after two years, without a word. And you reappear...at my son's school nearly 8 years later and tell me...you got married! How long did that take you Daniel? Was I that easy to forget?"
Daniel cursed under his breath. "Now is not the time for this...this isn't about us..."
"No...you're right! This isn't about us. Regardless of how I feel about this...this is about a little boy, who has wanted nothing more, than a chance to know his father. I'm not about to deny him that chance. But I want to make one thing perfectly clear." Daniel winced at the hard, cold tone of her voice and watched her as she stood up. "If you hurt him...in any way...you'll wish you were dead."
Daniel looked at the woman opposite him. They'd shared so much together and he felt guilty about how quickly he'd forgotten her. He'd met Sha're on Abydos and married her, without giving the woman he'd left behind a second thought. And now, he felt nothing but remorse for the way he'd behaved. He knew he'd loved Sha're and he had no regrets about the time they'd spent together - but Rachel had supported him through his darkest times, when he'd been writing his theories, she'd encouraged him. And he'd dismissed her so quickly. He sighed softly. "Rachel...I..."
She raised her hand quickly. "I think...we all need some time to adjust Dr Jackson."
"It's Daniel." He sighed heavily. This was not going well. "Rachel...what's in the past is gone. I can't change it. I can't magically turn back time and erase the past 7 years. What matters now is how we move forward." He frowned slightly as a small smile crossed her face. As a memory clicked into place, he returned that smile. "A very wise friend once told me that."
Rachel looked at him carefully, unwittingly connected to him via the same memory. She sighed softly. "Friends is a good place to start Daniel." She extended her hand out to him and helped him up. "I do believe...there is a little boy outside...who wants to be held...by his father."
Daniel's smile grew wider. "Really?"
"Daniel...I can't say that I'm completely happy about this...I'm not even going to try and lie to you. This is very confusing for me. You disappeared without even a phone call and it hurt. It hurt me a lot." She frowned softly and looked down at the table. "But having said that...this isn't about me...it's not about us...it's about Danny. He needs his father...in whatever capacity you feel comfortable with. You can see him as much as your job allows...I'm not going to deny you that. It's up to you."
Daniel nodded and slowly opened the door. Danny jumped up and ran into his open arms. And as Rachel watched them, she swore to herself that no matter what happened...she would put the needs of her son first. They all had a long road ahead of them...and she was going to make sure that her feelings on the matter stayed well and truly buried.
"Oh my god..." She made her way over to her son and hugged him. "...you're alright?" She pulled back and looked at him. "Are you ok? Did he hurt you?"
Danny shook his head. "Daddy would never hurt me."
Rachel frowned in confusion and glanced at the secretary who beckoned her over. "Stay right here ok...do not move."
Danny nodded. "Sure Mom."
Rachel walked over to Ms Baxter. "What happened?"
"We noticed a man standing outside the school yard at lunchtime. We informed security but before they could act, Danny went running over to him calling him 'daddy'. Of course, we know his father is dead so naturally, security separated them."
Rachel nodded. "Thank you. Where is this man now?"
"He's in with the Principle. Danny is insistent that the man is his father." The secretary gently took Rachel's arm as she went to walk away. "Ms White...his security number checks out. His is Dr Daniel Jackson."
Rachel closed her eyes. "That's just not possible...it's just..." Her voice trailed off as the door to the other office opened and the Principle looked out.
"Ah...Ms White. Please. Come in."
Rachel looked at her son. "Do not move." She walked into the office and froze. There, sitting in a chair, infront of the desk, was a very sheepish looking Daniel. Even though 7 years had past, and even though his physical appearance had changed, she knew her son was right.
"Please...take a seat." The Principle indicated to a seat next to Daniel's and Rachel dutifully sat down, her eyes not leaving his. "I am sure that Ms Baxter has filled you in on the situation. We wanted to talk to you before we called the police in..."
"There won't be any need for that." Rachel's voice was soft and it betrayed her feelings all too well. "This is Danny's father." She looked at the ghost from her past and shook her head softly. "May we have a minute please."
The Principle stood up. "Of course." She made her way over to the door. "I'll be outside if you need me."
Rachel sighed as she left the office and returned her attention once more to the man sat beside her. "What were you thinking?" Her voice was barely above a whisper and she berated herself for sounding so weak.
Daniel's mouth twitched upwards slightly. "I wasn't. Oh god Rachel...I didn't know. When I came back, so much in my life had changed. I'd just lost my wife and..." He stopped at the expression on her face.
"Your wife? You were married?" Utter disbelief ran through her words. She laughed softly. "You walked out on me...after two years, without a word. And you reappear...at my son's school nearly 8 years later and tell me...you got married! How long did that take you Daniel? Was I that easy to forget?"
Daniel cursed under his breath. "Now is not the time for this...this isn't about us..."
"No...you're right! This isn't about us. Regardless of how I feel about this...this is about a little boy, who has wanted nothing more, than a chance to know his father. I'm not about to deny him that chance. But I want to make one thing perfectly clear." Daniel winced at the hard, cold tone of her voice and watched her as she stood up. "If you hurt him...in any way...you'll wish you were dead."
Daniel looked at the woman opposite him. They'd shared so much together and he felt guilty about how quickly he'd forgotten her. He'd met Sha're on Abydos and married her, without giving the woman he'd left behind a second thought. And now, he felt nothing but remorse for the way he'd behaved. He knew he'd loved Sha're and he had no regrets about the time they'd spent together - but Rachel had supported him through his darkest times, when he'd been writing his theories, she'd encouraged him. And he'd dismissed her so quickly. He sighed softly. "Rachel...I..."
She raised her hand quickly. "I think...we all need some time to adjust Dr Jackson."
"It's Daniel." He sighed heavily. This was not going well. "Rachel...what's in the past is gone. I can't change it. I can't magically turn back time and erase the past 7 years. What matters now is how we move forward." He frowned slightly as a small smile crossed her face. As a memory clicked into place, he returned that smile. "A very wise friend once told me that."
Rachel looked at him carefully, unwittingly connected to him via the same memory. She sighed softly. "Friends is a good place to start Daniel." She extended her hand out to him and helped him up. "I do believe...there is a little boy outside...who wants to be held...by his father."
Daniel's smile grew wider. "Really?"
"Daniel...I can't say that I'm completely happy about this...I'm not even going to try and lie to you. This is very confusing for me. You disappeared without even a phone call and it hurt. It hurt me a lot." She frowned softly and looked down at the table. "But having said that...this isn't about me...it's not about us...it's about Danny. He needs his father...in whatever capacity you feel comfortable with. You can see him as much as your job allows...I'm not going to deny you that. It's up to you."
Daniel nodded and slowly opened the door. Danny jumped up and ran into his open arms. And as Rachel watched them, she swore to herself that no matter what happened...she would put the needs of her son first. They all had a long road ahead of them...and she was going to make sure that her feelings on the matter stayed well and truly buried.