Daniel cleared the locker room in record time. He was annoyed that the latest mission had over-run. It was Christmas Eve and he'd promised Danny he'd be there. He checked his watch. 9pm. Sighing with frustration he left the locker room and ran down the hall to the elevator. He walked in and punched the button for the upper levels.
"Hey!" Jack shouted down the hall and Daniel held the elevator for him. "Thanks."
"You're welcome."
Jack checked his watch and pulled a face. "It's a bit late...you going to go over there?"
"I have to...I promised Danny." Daniel watched the floor numbers pass by. "Besides...Rachel would never forgive me if I didn't."
Jack shuffled his feet absently on the floor. "So...have you told her how you feel?"
Daniel frowned and looked down at the floor.
"Daniel...you need to talk about it. Who knows?...maybe she still feels something for you too." Daniel's head snapped up. "You won't know...until you tell her."
"I can't...the last Christmas we spent together...I proposed. She turned me down. Now is not a good time Jack."
Jack stepped out of the elevator and walked beside Daniel to the car lot. "Of course it is...Christmas is all about family, friends and the people we love. Now...is the perfect time." Jack unlocked his car and turned to face Daniel. "I'll see you tomorrow....bring Rachel and Danny."
Daniel sighed as Jack drove away. "Easy for you to say." He muttered as he unlocked his own car, checked that all the presents were in the trunk and made his way over to Rachel's house. All the lights were on, which he supposed was a good sign. He unloaded his Santa sack of presents and checked his jacket pocket for the most important one. Smiling, he gingerly made his way up the snow covered path and knocked on the door. He heard Danny's excited shout and the thud of footsteps on the stairs and was greeted by his son's excited face as the door opened.
"You came!"
"Of course I came. I promised didn't I?" Daniel smiled and then frowned as Danny stopped him coming in.
"Wait....MOM!" Danny shouted and ran into the house. Daniel looked after him confused. While he waited he studied the decorations outside the house and then finally understood as he looked upwards.
Rachel appeared at the front door and frowned. "Aren't you coming in?"
"Um...yes. I was. But Danny told me to wait...and then called you." He smiled softly.
Rachel looked at him confused and then followed the direction of Daniel's finger with her eyes. "Oh..."
Daniel looked up at the mistletoe and then back at Rachel and shrugged. "It is tradition."
"Yes...but it doesn't mean we have to follow it." Rachel stood back to allow Daniel in. He took one step into the house and turned to her. "Daniel..."
He silenced her with a soft kiss. "Merry Christmas Rachel."
His face was still close to hers. "You shouldn't have done that." Her voice was just above a whisper. She gently drew him back into the kiss and was vaguely aware that he had dropped the presents on the floor. His arms pulled her closer as their emotions finally surfaced.
"Come on...will you guys kiss already and..." Danny stopped dead as he rounded the corner. He watched with a grin as his parents broke the kiss but stayed in each others arms. "...so?"
Rachel laughed softly and turned to look at her son. "We'll see how things go." She looked back at Daniel who smiled and winked at her.
"Cool......so give me my presents!" Daniel grinned as he stepped out of Rachel's embrace and she followed them into the front room. Daniel emptied out the sack into the middle of the floor and sat back on the sofa as Rachel went to make the coffee. "Wow..." Danny's eyes were wide. "...are these all for me?"
"Every last one." Daniel smiled as his son excitedly began to rip the paper off his presents. Soon excited shouts sounded through the house and Rachel smiled as she brought the coffee in.
"I think he's impressed."
"I think so." Daniel took the coffee mug and sipped the warm liquid. Rachel made her way back out to the kitchen to find a bag to put all the rubbish in. She was routing through one of the cupboards when a soft voice interrupted her. "You weren't going to tell me - were you?"
Rachel found the bag and straightened up, leaning against the counter as she did. "Tell you what?"
"How you felt."
"No. Daniel...I look at you and I still see the man who left me behind. But you've changed...we both have." She looked down at the bag in her hands and then back up at him. "I'm confused. I mourned you for so long...and now here you are, and part of me still loves you. I'm just not sure what I'm in love with. The memory of what we once had...or the man stood infront of me."
Daniel pulled her into a hug and held her tightly. "I have changed. Too much has happened in my life. And I understand what you're saying. But what we once had...it's worth fighting for. It's worth fighting to see if we can get that back. I know I didn't fight for it before...but I want to fight for it now." He pulled back and studied her face. He took one of her hands and placed it over his heart. "In here...I'm the same man you loved. What I want to know...is could you love him again?"
A sad look crossed her face as Daniel waited for an answer. "I never stopped loving him." She gently leaned up and kissed him.
"Mom?" Rachel stiffened slightly and turned to her son. "Can dad have his presents now?"
"No sweetie. Your father can have his presents tomorrow - on Christmas Day."
Danny scowled. "But...he won't be here when I wake up."
Rachel ushered him towards the stairs. "He'll be here when you wake up...go on. Bedtime."
"Daddy...can you tuck me in?"
Daniel was still slightly shocked by Rachel's comment to her son. "Sure...lead the way." Daniel followed his son into his room and looked around. He smiled at the photo of Danny in a school play and a very old photo of his parents next to it.
Danny jumped into bed happily and pulled the comforter over him. "Mom says you'll be here when I wake...are you staying over?"
Daniel frowned slightly and sat down on the edge of his bed. "How would you feel about that?"
Danny grinned. "It's cool. I wish you were here all the time."
Daniel smiled. "Do you now?"
Danny smiled as a tear fell from his eye. "That's what I've wished for every Christmas. A real family."
"I love your mom Danny...but it's been a long time. We've both changed. But we've both agreed to try. I want you to have a real family too." Daniel hugged his son. "Merry Christmas Danny."
"Merry Christmas Dad."
"Hey!" Jack shouted down the hall and Daniel held the elevator for him. "Thanks."
"You're welcome."
Jack checked his watch and pulled a face. "It's a bit late...you going to go over there?"
"I have to...I promised Danny." Daniel watched the floor numbers pass by. "Besides...Rachel would never forgive me if I didn't."
Jack shuffled his feet absently on the floor. "So...have you told her how you feel?"
Daniel frowned and looked down at the floor.
"Daniel...you need to talk about it. Who knows?...maybe she still feels something for you too." Daniel's head snapped up. "You won't know...until you tell her."
"I can't...the last Christmas we spent together...I proposed. She turned me down. Now is not a good time Jack."
Jack stepped out of the elevator and walked beside Daniel to the car lot. "Of course it is...Christmas is all about family, friends and the people we love. Now...is the perfect time." Jack unlocked his car and turned to face Daniel. "I'll see you tomorrow....bring Rachel and Danny."
Daniel sighed as Jack drove away. "Easy for you to say." He muttered as he unlocked his own car, checked that all the presents were in the trunk and made his way over to Rachel's house. All the lights were on, which he supposed was a good sign. He unloaded his Santa sack of presents and checked his jacket pocket for the most important one. Smiling, he gingerly made his way up the snow covered path and knocked on the door. He heard Danny's excited shout and the thud of footsteps on the stairs and was greeted by his son's excited face as the door opened.
"You came!"
"Of course I came. I promised didn't I?" Daniel smiled and then frowned as Danny stopped him coming in.
"Wait....MOM!" Danny shouted and ran into the house. Daniel looked after him confused. While he waited he studied the decorations outside the house and then finally understood as he looked upwards.
Rachel appeared at the front door and frowned. "Aren't you coming in?"
"Um...yes. I was. But Danny told me to wait...and then called you." He smiled softly.
Rachel looked at him confused and then followed the direction of Daniel's finger with her eyes. "Oh..."
Daniel looked up at the mistletoe and then back at Rachel and shrugged. "It is tradition."
"Yes...but it doesn't mean we have to follow it." Rachel stood back to allow Daniel in. He took one step into the house and turned to her. "Daniel..."
He silenced her with a soft kiss. "Merry Christmas Rachel."
His face was still close to hers. "You shouldn't have done that." Her voice was just above a whisper. She gently drew him back into the kiss and was vaguely aware that he had dropped the presents on the floor. His arms pulled her closer as their emotions finally surfaced.
"Come on...will you guys kiss already and..." Danny stopped dead as he rounded the corner. He watched with a grin as his parents broke the kiss but stayed in each others arms. "...so?"
Rachel laughed softly and turned to look at her son. "We'll see how things go." She looked back at Daniel who smiled and winked at her.
"Cool......so give me my presents!" Daniel grinned as he stepped out of Rachel's embrace and she followed them into the front room. Daniel emptied out the sack into the middle of the floor and sat back on the sofa as Rachel went to make the coffee. "Wow..." Danny's eyes were wide. "...are these all for me?"
"Every last one." Daniel smiled as his son excitedly began to rip the paper off his presents. Soon excited shouts sounded through the house and Rachel smiled as she brought the coffee in.
"I think he's impressed."
"I think so." Daniel took the coffee mug and sipped the warm liquid. Rachel made her way back out to the kitchen to find a bag to put all the rubbish in. She was routing through one of the cupboards when a soft voice interrupted her. "You weren't going to tell me - were you?"
Rachel found the bag and straightened up, leaning against the counter as she did. "Tell you what?"
"How you felt."
"No. Daniel...I look at you and I still see the man who left me behind. But you've changed...we both have." She looked down at the bag in her hands and then back up at him. "I'm confused. I mourned you for so long...and now here you are, and part of me still loves you. I'm just not sure what I'm in love with. The memory of what we once had...or the man stood infront of me."
Daniel pulled her into a hug and held her tightly. "I have changed. Too much has happened in my life. And I understand what you're saying. But what we once had...it's worth fighting for. It's worth fighting to see if we can get that back. I know I didn't fight for it before...but I want to fight for it now." He pulled back and studied her face. He took one of her hands and placed it over his heart. "In here...I'm the same man you loved. What I want to know...is could you love him again?"
A sad look crossed her face as Daniel waited for an answer. "I never stopped loving him." She gently leaned up and kissed him.
"Mom?" Rachel stiffened slightly and turned to her son. "Can dad have his presents now?"
"No sweetie. Your father can have his presents tomorrow - on Christmas Day."
Danny scowled. "But...he won't be here when I wake up."
Rachel ushered him towards the stairs. "He'll be here when you wake up...go on. Bedtime."
"Daddy...can you tuck me in?"
Daniel was still slightly shocked by Rachel's comment to her son. "Sure...lead the way." Daniel followed his son into his room and looked around. He smiled at the photo of Danny in a school play and a very old photo of his parents next to it.
Danny jumped into bed happily and pulled the comforter over him. "Mom says you'll be here when I wake...are you staying over?"
Daniel frowned slightly and sat down on the edge of his bed. "How would you feel about that?"
Danny grinned. "It's cool. I wish you were here all the time."
Daniel smiled. "Do you now?"
Danny smiled as a tear fell from his eye. "That's what I've wished for every Christmas. A real family."
"I love your mom Danny...but it's been a long time. We've both changed. But we've both agreed to try. I want you to have a real family too." Daniel hugged his son. "Merry Christmas Danny."
"Merry Christmas Dad."