Part 4
"O'Neill, may I come in?" I hear Teal'c ask as he comes to stand at the entrance to the room, hands clasped firmly behind his back.
"I'll leave you gentlemen to it, and make sure you get some sleep Jack, that's why the spare bed is there," Janet says and makes her way to the door.
"I will," I reply, hoping that no one notices the wavering in my voice.
"Jack, Teal'c, I'll be here until 3am so if you need anything just give me a yell," she tells us before leaving the room to give us some privacy.
"Yeah, Teal'c you don't have to ask to come in," I tell the Jaffa as he enters Daniel's room.
"I will not stay long. I just wished to see how DanielJackson and yourself were doing," Teal'c said, coming to stand beside me as I gently stroked Daniel's face.
"How is he?"
"Not good. Doc thinks there is only a very slim chance he'll survive and if he does manage to pull through he'll likely be severely brain damaged and will likely never walk again."
"DanielJackson is a fighter; he will pull through this. He has beaten the odds on many occasions."
"Yeah, but all those times we were off world where there was some alien doohickey to fix him up. This time there is nothing."
"Perhaps. Do not give up hope; DanielJackson needs you at the moment. Do not give up on him."
"Believe me, I don't want to give up hope but at the moment there is very little hope left. I mean, he can't even breathe on his own without the help of a damn machine," I practically yelled at Teal'c. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you. God, this is so hard," I admit while rubbing my hands down my face.
"I will take my leave of you now. I need to kel'no'reem, but remember that your friends are here, O'Neill, if you ask." Teal'c spoke as stoically as ever, bowing slightly before leaving the room, closing the door behind him.
~~~~~~~~~~
"God, Daniel. Wake up, please. I need you. Please survive this, please." I say softly while I brush away the hair that had fallen over his face - he was a bit overdue for a haircut but I don't care. I love him with longer hair. It suits him.
This morning when Janet checked his vitals, she said he'd slipped into a coma and was unresponsive. It's been a week since the dreadful mission, which left Daniel laid up in this hospital bed.
//I finally got up the courage to ask Daniel out on a date. Call me a wimp but I can't even do that properly, I didn't even ask him face to face. I'm a coward I know, but I couldn't handle it if he turned me down. But he was going to get one hell of a surprise when he realised just whom he was going on a date with.
You see I'd fallen for my archaeologist from the word go, well not quiet but since the second Abydos mission - it hadn't been love at first site but that's when I'd felt the first twinge of attraction to him and it's only grown bigger from there. God, it's taken me nearly a year to work up the courage to ask him out.
You would have thought that me being a tough-guy Air Force Colonel I would have ran a mile once I'd realised I'd fallen for another guy but the truth is, I've always been attracted to men, more so than women. I thought I was gay until I met Sara. She was the first woman I'd ever been attracted to. I had been involved with other men before, but nothing since the divorce, and being military kinda kills any chance at a relationship with a guy anyway. The chance of getting caught is too great, but if I met the right person male or female I'd happily give up the military to be with them. I'm getting a bit ahead of myself now. We hadn't even been on a date yet, and I was already planning the happily-ever-afters. Well anyway, I ordered a box of white heart shaped chocolates and a basket filled with Daniel's favourite foods and drinks and had it delivered to his office with a note attached that said:
The fountains mingle with the river,
And the rivers with the ocean;
The winds of heaven mix forever,
With a sweet emotion;
Nothing in the world is single;
All things by a law divine
In one another's being mingle--
Why not I with thine?
See! the mountains kiss high heaven,
And the waves clasp one another;
No sister flower would be forgiven,
If it disdained it's brother;
And the sunlight clasps the earth,
And the moonbeams kiss the sea;--
What are all these kissings worth,
If thou kiss not me?
Dearest Daniel,
Meet me at Rigonii's restaurant at
7.30pm and ask to be seated at a table for
Patrick. I will already be there. Hope to see you
Tonight. Love always, Your Secret Admirer.
Once I'd actually sent the package, all I could do was wait and hope that he turned up. If he didn't I'd have to try a more direct approach. I knew that the whole gift thing is kinda sappy, so sue me, I couldn't give a rat's arse Though if anyone said I was a romantic, I'd deny it. I have an image to maintain, after all.
I hadn't seen Daniel all day. Well that's wasn't entirely true, I'd been avoiding him all day just in case I let something slip and he figured out I sent that basket before our date. I had everything organised perfectly, we'd have dinner at Rigonii's restaurant, before we go back to my place for coffee. Then I'd drop Daniel home and if all went well I could even manage a good night kiss. I didn't want to rush things with him and scare him off, but if all went to plan, by this time next week Daniel would be my.boyfriend? Okay, I thought I was a bit old to use that in this context, even if technically it was true. Okay, slow down O'Neill you haven't even had your first date yet.
~~~~~~~~
I'd been sitting in the restaurant for over an hour by now. All right, so I'd arrived about an hour early, but still -
I was facing away from the door so he wouldn't recognise me at first, and hopefully wouldn't run a mile when he realised he was on a date with his CO.
"Ahh, table for Patrick please?"
God, he's here, I can hear him. I won't look around. I could hear the waiter leading Daniel across the room to our table, which was located in the most secluded and closed off section of the restaurant. I'd chosen to give us more privacy.
"Here you go, Sir, this is your table. Would you gentlemen like anything to drink?" the waiter asked as Daniel took his seat across from me.
"Ah, no thanks, we'll order shortly," I replied before turning my attention to Daniel to see what his reaction was.
"Hey Daniel," I said coolly, trying to break the silence that had started to descend upon us.
"Jack, what are you doing here? I mean, did you send that basket?" Daniel asked quietly, trying to figure me out.
"Ah, yeah I did. Look if you don't want to stay I'll understand, it's not like you knew your date would be a man." I held eye contact with him, trying to convey my feelings to him through that look.
"No. I mean yes, I just wasn't expecting you here that's all. I.I didn't think you had those kinds of feeling for me."
"I guess I didn't have the guts to ask you out in person 'cause I was afraid of what your reaction would be. You do want this to be a.a date, don't you?" I asked while trying not to let the hope in my voice sound too obvious.
"Yes, I want this to be a date. I loved the basket and note. I didn't know you were such a romantic though," he said, smiling broadly and making the room light up with the force of it.
"Okay then, let's order. You can choose a wine from the wine list cause I'm not good at choosing wine," I admitted as I skimmed through the menu looking for something nice to eat. Once we had both chosen what we wanted to order I called the waiter back over and told him.
He returned promptly, bringing with him a nice bottle of red wine, and poured us each a glass before leaving to serve another couple.
When the waiter had gone and we were alone again, Daniel leaned forward and smiled. "I'm glad you had the courage to ask me out, Jack. I don't think I would have been able to do it."
"I'm glad I asked you out too, it took me long enough," I laughed.
"So Jack," he leaned back into his chair again. "What prompted you to ask me out in the first place? I thought you were straight."
"I couldn't stand ignoring my feelings for you any longer, it was driving me nuts," I admitted, lowering my head to hide the blush that had slowly crept across my face. "I'm not straight, I've pretty much been interested in men my whole life. I've only ever been with one woman, which was my ex- wife Sara, but I've always been more attracted to men, however with my career path, being bisexual is not a good career move."
"You mean you haven't had a male lover since joining the Air Force?" Daniel asked in disbelief.
"No, I've had other male lovers, a couple of them were serious, but being military makes it harder to have a successful relationship and at that time I wasn't ready to give up the military. What about you? Ever had a male lover before?" I asked nonchalantly as the waiter brought over our meals.
"Um, no.I haven't, but I want to make a go of this. Once I realised I had.romantic feelings for you, I kind of freaked out a bit, I think. I'd never felt that way about another man before, I had never wanted to, but now that I'm over freaking out about it I really want to try this. I'm very attracted to you and it scares the shit out of me," Daniel explained, trying to hide his own blush that was spreading slowly over his face.
"That's ok. I wanted to take things slowly with you anyway. I don't want to stuff things up between us. You're my best friend, and if us having a relationship is going to mess that up I'll settle with being your friend. I can't lose that, it means too much to me, and to be honest I didn't know how you'd react. I hoped you felt the same but I could never work out if you did or not. So I took an educated guess on how you felt, and, it looks like I got it right," I grinned across at Daniel.
"Jack, nothing could change us being friends. Even if this," he gestured between the two of us, "Doesn't work out, you will always be my best friend." Daniel replied warmly then, realising what else I'd said added, "You knew how I felt about you?" Daniel asked horrified.
"No. I suspected. I sometimes caught you looking at me too long or touching me a little longer than necessary, nothing that would give you away, but then again I was looking for signs of whether you would be interested in me that way," I said as I finished off the remainder of my meal.
"Well, that's a relief then. I thought I'd been obvious," Daniel replied with a nervous laugh.
"Daniel, you were in no way obvious about how you felt. I had to take a wild guess at it and hope I got it right, and I was looking for it," I replied somewhat sarcastically. Trying to lighten the serious mood a little.
"Jack, I'm kinda new to the whole dating a guy thing. I have no idea what goes and what doesn't. I mean, I'm pretty much going in blind here so, well, I guess, you're going to have to show me the rope's so-to-speak," he told me nervously.
"That's okay. I'd be glad to show you the ropes. It's basically the same as if you were dating a woman. Just do what your comfortable with," I explained to him as I sipped at my wine.
"Okay, I'll, ah, keep that in mind. Though I never pictured you as a romantic."
"Yeah well, just keep mum about it, huh?" I hissed and he grinned and nodded so I continued. "You'd be surprised. I've always been romantic, or so I've been told."
"Well don't change. I like a bit of romance," he replied, a grin spreading across his beautiful face.
"I never pictured you as being gay. You've always been a tough, macho military guy. I never even entertained the thought that you might fancy other guys," Daniel commented.
At that I laughed quietly before replying. "Yeah, I've been told that too. For some reason people assume that to be gay you have to be some sort of wimp."
"Mmm. So, how did you realise that you were interested in guys rather than women?" Daniel asked me curiously.
"I was about 13, when I realised. All the other guys were interested in girls but they never did anything for me. When we got a new kid to the school I realised I felt something for him. I tried to deny it at first - I didn't want to be gay. I think I played the denial game for about two years, trying to pass it off as being a phase I was going through, but my feelings just kept growing. In the end I confessed to my mom about it. She was a children's counsellor. It helped a lot. She explained to me that my feelings were normal and that just because I liked the boys instead of the girls didn't matter, and she said how proud of me she was for admitting my feelings to her. She was very supportive of me, which I appreciated. It was a very hard time for me," I explained, looking up so I could see Daniel's face.
"I can imagine. It must have been great to have a mother like that. Did you ever tell your father?"
"Yeah, she's great. We've always had a close relationship. Dad on the other hand wasn't so supportive of me. I think I was nineteen when he found out. I was caught making out with my boyfriend. He hit the roof at the time but he's slowly come to realise that it's who I am and nothings going to change that. We weren't on speaking terms for about three years then mom managed to convince him I was still the same person I'd always been. Now we're closer than ever."
"It must have been hard seeing your father react that way."
"Yes it was, but I learnt to deal with it. Though I am glad he's finally seen some sense."
"Your parent's seem really nice."
"Yeah, they are," I smiled broadly. "They would love you as well. Come on, let's go back to my place for coffee," I said indicating towards the door.
"Sure. I'll follow you back in my car," he said.
We rose, tossed some notes to cover the bill and tip into the tray that the waiter had put on our table after our meal, and then left the restaurant side by side.
~~~~~~~~~
Once we were inside my house I put a CD on and went to make us both some coffee.
"I had a really great time tonight, Jack. I'm glad you asked me out. I'd like to do it again some time, that is, if you want to?" he asked me nervously.
"Yeah, I'd love to do this again sometime."
As we were talking a song began playing which I'd started thinking of as our song. The words just fit our situation and us perfectly. Whenever I heard the song I always thought of him, even if he didn't know it.
He was standing in front of my mantle place, swaying slightly to the music. I slowly eased myself in behind him and wrapped my arms about his chest, pulling him firmly against me.
As we rocked to the music we let the words flow around us.
One word, that's all was said.
Something in your voice caused me to turn my head.
Your smile just captured me.
You were in my future, far as I could see.
And I dont know how it happened, but it happens still.
You ask me if I love you, if I always will.........
"I can still remember the first time we met. You were this geeky archaeologist who I had an immense dislike for, until you saved my life by jumping in front of that staff blast. I wanted to die on that mission but you pulled me from the brink and made my life worth living again. After that mission when we returned to Earth I'd sit on my roof trying to find Abydos and wondering what you would be doing. I think I started falling for you a bit back then, but I wasn't ready to admit it to myself," I whispered into his ear quietly making him shiver as my breath gently caressed the skin of his neck.
Well, you had me from "Hello"
I felt love start to grow,
The moment that I looked into your eyes,
You won me, it was over from the start.
You completely stole my heart,
And now you won't let go.
I never even had a chance you know?
You had me from "Hello"
"You hated me, but the feeling was pretty mutual. I hated all you stood for: authority, discipline. You were a hard-assed military man following orders and never questioning whether they were right. But I soon realised all you had lost and I saw you in a whole new light. I saw you as someone I could help as well as being a potential friend," Daniel joined in my heart to heart, quietly turning his head so he was looking me in the eye.
Inside I built a wall,
So high around my heart,
I thought I'd never fall.
One touch, you brought it down.
The bricks of my defenses scattered on the ground.
And I swore to me I wasn't going to love again.
The last time was the last time, I'd let someone in.
"Yeah you're right. But after seeing what you did for a complete stranger, for someone who, for all intents and purposes, hated you, my defences weakened. You got under my skin and you stayed there. I couldn't stop thinking about you. Mind you, they weren't all good thoughts," I added wryly. "I think I started falling for you then but I basically told myself to ignore it while you were searching for Shau're," I confessed.
But, you had me from "Hello"
I felt love start to grow,
The moment that I looked into your eyes.
You won me, it was over from the start.
You completely stole my heart,
And now you wont let go.
I never even had a chance you know?
You had me from "Hello"
"Call me sappy, but ever since I first heard this song I've always considered it to be our song. It reminds me of you," I told him then hoped I haven't scared him off.
Thats all you said.
Something in your voice caused me to turn my head.
You had me from "Hello"
You had me from "Hello"
Babe, I've loved you from "Hello"
"Mmm, I can see how you would get that; it's a beautiful song. I guess it really is our song," he quietly whispered, gazing into my eyes. As the song drew to a close I leaned in and placed a chaste kiss onto his waiting lips.
I pulled back and looked for any sign of regret in his soulful eyes. Finding none, I leaned down again, pulling my soon-to-be-lover into a longer kiss full of promise, of what was to come. //
To Be Continued.
"O'Neill, may I come in?" I hear Teal'c ask as he comes to stand at the entrance to the room, hands clasped firmly behind his back.
"I'll leave you gentlemen to it, and make sure you get some sleep Jack, that's why the spare bed is there," Janet says and makes her way to the door.
"I will," I reply, hoping that no one notices the wavering in my voice.
"Jack, Teal'c, I'll be here until 3am so if you need anything just give me a yell," she tells us before leaving the room to give us some privacy.
"Yeah, Teal'c you don't have to ask to come in," I tell the Jaffa as he enters Daniel's room.
"I will not stay long. I just wished to see how DanielJackson and yourself were doing," Teal'c said, coming to stand beside me as I gently stroked Daniel's face.
"How is he?"
"Not good. Doc thinks there is only a very slim chance he'll survive and if he does manage to pull through he'll likely be severely brain damaged and will likely never walk again."
"DanielJackson is a fighter; he will pull through this. He has beaten the odds on many occasions."
"Yeah, but all those times we were off world where there was some alien doohickey to fix him up. This time there is nothing."
"Perhaps. Do not give up hope; DanielJackson needs you at the moment. Do not give up on him."
"Believe me, I don't want to give up hope but at the moment there is very little hope left. I mean, he can't even breathe on his own without the help of a damn machine," I practically yelled at Teal'c. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you. God, this is so hard," I admit while rubbing my hands down my face.
"I will take my leave of you now. I need to kel'no'reem, but remember that your friends are here, O'Neill, if you ask." Teal'c spoke as stoically as ever, bowing slightly before leaving the room, closing the door behind him.
~~~~~~~~~~
"God, Daniel. Wake up, please. I need you. Please survive this, please." I say softly while I brush away the hair that had fallen over his face - he was a bit overdue for a haircut but I don't care. I love him with longer hair. It suits him.
This morning when Janet checked his vitals, she said he'd slipped into a coma and was unresponsive. It's been a week since the dreadful mission, which left Daniel laid up in this hospital bed.
//I finally got up the courage to ask Daniel out on a date. Call me a wimp but I can't even do that properly, I didn't even ask him face to face. I'm a coward I know, but I couldn't handle it if he turned me down. But he was going to get one hell of a surprise when he realised just whom he was going on a date with.
You see I'd fallen for my archaeologist from the word go, well not quiet but since the second Abydos mission - it hadn't been love at first site but that's when I'd felt the first twinge of attraction to him and it's only grown bigger from there. God, it's taken me nearly a year to work up the courage to ask him out.
You would have thought that me being a tough-guy Air Force Colonel I would have ran a mile once I'd realised I'd fallen for another guy but the truth is, I've always been attracted to men, more so than women. I thought I was gay until I met Sara. She was the first woman I'd ever been attracted to. I had been involved with other men before, but nothing since the divorce, and being military kinda kills any chance at a relationship with a guy anyway. The chance of getting caught is too great, but if I met the right person male or female I'd happily give up the military to be with them. I'm getting a bit ahead of myself now. We hadn't even been on a date yet, and I was already planning the happily-ever-afters. Well anyway, I ordered a box of white heart shaped chocolates and a basket filled with Daniel's favourite foods and drinks and had it delivered to his office with a note attached that said:
The fountains mingle with the river,
And the rivers with the ocean;
The winds of heaven mix forever,
With a sweet emotion;
Nothing in the world is single;
All things by a law divine
In one another's being mingle--
Why not I with thine?
See! the mountains kiss high heaven,
And the waves clasp one another;
No sister flower would be forgiven,
If it disdained it's brother;
And the sunlight clasps the earth,
And the moonbeams kiss the sea;--
What are all these kissings worth,
If thou kiss not me?
Dearest Daniel,
Meet me at Rigonii's restaurant at
7.30pm and ask to be seated at a table for
Patrick. I will already be there. Hope to see you
Tonight. Love always, Your Secret Admirer.
Once I'd actually sent the package, all I could do was wait and hope that he turned up. If he didn't I'd have to try a more direct approach. I knew that the whole gift thing is kinda sappy, so sue me, I couldn't give a rat's arse Though if anyone said I was a romantic, I'd deny it. I have an image to maintain, after all.
I hadn't seen Daniel all day. Well that's wasn't entirely true, I'd been avoiding him all day just in case I let something slip and he figured out I sent that basket before our date. I had everything organised perfectly, we'd have dinner at Rigonii's restaurant, before we go back to my place for coffee. Then I'd drop Daniel home and if all went well I could even manage a good night kiss. I didn't want to rush things with him and scare him off, but if all went to plan, by this time next week Daniel would be my.boyfriend? Okay, I thought I was a bit old to use that in this context, even if technically it was true. Okay, slow down O'Neill you haven't even had your first date yet.
~~~~~~~~
I'd been sitting in the restaurant for over an hour by now. All right, so I'd arrived about an hour early, but still -
I was facing away from the door so he wouldn't recognise me at first, and hopefully wouldn't run a mile when he realised he was on a date with his CO.
"Ahh, table for Patrick please?"
God, he's here, I can hear him. I won't look around. I could hear the waiter leading Daniel across the room to our table, which was located in the most secluded and closed off section of the restaurant. I'd chosen to give us more privacy.
"Here you go, Sir, this is your table. Would you gentlemen like anything to drink?" the waiter asked as Daniel took his seat across from me.
"Ah, no thanks, we'll order shortly," I replied before turning my attention to Daniel to see what his reaction was.
"Hey Daniel," I said coolly, trying to break the silence that had started to descend upon us.
"Jack, what are you doing here? I mean, did you send that basket?" Daniel asked quietly, trying to figure me out.
"Ah, yeah I did. Look if you don't want to stay I'll understand, it's not like you knew your date would be a man." I held eye contact with him, trying to convey my feelings to him through that look.
"No. I mean yes, I just wasn't expecting you here that's all. I.I didn't think you had those kinds of feeling for me."
"I guess I didn't have the guts to ask you out in person 'cause I was afraid of what your reaction would be. You do want this to be a.a date, don't you?" I asked while trying not to let the hope in my voice sound too obvious.
"Yes, I want this to be a date. I loved the basket and note. I didn't know you were such a romantic though," he said, smiling broadly and making the room light up with the force of it.
"Okay then, let's order. You can choose a wine from the wine list cause I'm not good at choosing wine," I admitted as I skimmed through the menu looking for something nice to eat. Once we had both chosen what we wanted to order I called the waiter back over and told him.
He returned promptly, bringing with him a nice bottle of red wine, and poured us each a glass before leaving to serve another couple.
When the waiter had gone and we were alone again, Daniel leaned forward and smiled. "I'm glad you had the courage to ask me out, Jack. I don't think I would have been able to do it."
"I'm glad I asked you out too, it took me long enough," I laughed.
"So Jack," he leaned back into his chair again. "What prompted you to ask me out in the first place? I thought you were straight."
"I couldn't stand ignoring my feelings for you any longer, it was driving me nuts," I admitted, lowering my head to hide the blush that had slowly crept across my face. "I'm not straight, I've pretty much been interested in men my whole life. I've only ever been with one woman, which was my ex- wife Sara, but I've always been more attracted to men, however with my career path, being bisexual is not a good career move."
"You mean you haven't had a male lover since joining the Air Force?" Daniel asked in disbelief.
"No, I've had other male lovers, a couple of them were serious, but being military makes it harder to have a successful relationship and at that time I wasn't ready to give up the military. What about you? Ever had a male lover before?" I asked nonchalantly as the waiter brought over our meals.
"Um, no.I haven't, but I want to make a go of this. Once I realised I had.romantic feelings for you, I kind of freaked out a bit, I think. I'd never felt that way about another man before, I had never wanted to, but now that I'm over freaking out about it I really want to try this. I'm very attracted to you and it scares the shit out of me," Daniel explained, trying to hide his own blush that was spreading slowly over his face.
"That's ok. I wanted to take things slowly with you anyway. I don't want to stuff things up between us. You're my best friend, and if us having a relationship is going to mess that up I'll settle with being your friend. I can't lose that, it means too much to me, and to be honest I didn't know how you'd react. I hoped you felt the same but I could never work out if you did or not. So I took an educated guess on how you felt, and, it looks like I got it right," I grinned across at Daniel.
"Jack, nothing could change us being friends. Even if this," he gestured between the two of us, "Doesn't work out, you will always be my best friend." Daniel replied warmly then, realising what else I'd said added, "You knew how I felt about you?" Daniel asked horrified.
"No. I suspected. I sometimes caught you looking at me too long or touching me a little longer than necessary, nothing that would give you away, but then again I was looking for signs of whether you would be interested in me that way," I said as I finished off the remainder of my meal.
"Well, that's a relief then. I thought I'd been obvious," Daniel replied with a nervous laugh.
"Daniel, you were in no way obvious about how you felt. I had to take a wild guess at it and hope I got it right, and I was looking for it," I replied somewhat sarcastically. Trying to lighten the serious mood a little.
"Jack, I'm kinda new to the whole dating a guy thing. I have no idea what goes and what doesn't. I mean, I'm pretty much going in blind here so, well, I guess, you're going to have to show me the rope's so-to-speak," he told me nervously.
"That's okay. I'd be glad to show you the ropes. It's basically the same as if you were dating a woman. Just do what your comfortable with," I explained to him as I sipped at my wine.
"Okay, I'll, ah, keep that in mind. Though I never pictured you as a romantic."
"Yeah well, just keep mum about it, huh?" I hissed and he grinned and nodded so I continued. "You'd be surprised. I've always been romantic, or so I've been told."
"Well don't change. I like a bit of romance," he replied, a grin spreading across his beautiful face.
"I never pictured you as being gay. You've always been a tough, macho military guy. I never even entertained the thought that you might fancy other guys," Daniel commented.
At that I laughed quietly before replying. "Yeah, I've been told that too. For some reason people assume that to be gay you have to be some sort of wimp."
"Mmm. So, how did you realise that you were interested in guys rather than women?" Daniel asked me curiously.
"I was about 13, when I realised. All the other guys were interested in girls but they never did anything for me. When we got a new kid to the school I realised I felt something for him. I tried to deny it at first - I didn't want to be gay. I think I played the denial game for about two years, trying to pass it off as being a phase I was going through, but my feelings just kept growing. In the end I confessed to my mom about it. She was a children's counsellor. It helped a lot. She explained to me that my feelings were normal and that just because I liked the boys instead of the girls didn't matter, and she said how proud of me she was for admitting my feelings to her. She was very supportive of me, which I appreciated. It was a very hard time for me," I explained, looking up so I could see Daniel's face.
"I can imagine. It must have been great to have a mother like that. Did you ever tell your father?"
"Yeah, she's great. We've always had a close relationship. Dad on the other hand wasn't so supportive of me. I think I was nineteen when he found out. I was caught making out with my boyfriend. He hit the roof at the time but he's slowly come to realise that it's who I am and nothings going to change that. We weren't on speaking terms for about three years then mom managed to convince him I was still the same person I'd always been. Now we're closer than ever."
"It must have been hard seeing your father react that way."
"Yes it was, but I learnt to deal with it. Though I am glad he's finally seen some sense."
"Your parent's seem really nice."
"Yeah, they are," I smiled broadly. "They would love you as well. Come on, let's go back to my place for coffee," I said indicating towards the door.
"Sure. I'll follow you back in my car," he said.
We rose, tossed some notes to cover the bill and tip into the tray that the waiter had put on our table after our meal, and then left the restaurant side by side.
~~~~~~~~~
Once we were inside my house I put a CD on and went to make us both some coffee.
"I had a really great time tonight, Jack. I'm glad you asked me out. I'd like to do it again some time, that is, if you want to?" he asked me nervously.
"Yeah, I'd love to do this again sometime."
As we were talking a song began playing which I'd started thinking of as our song. The words just fit our situation and us perfectly. Whenever I heard the song I always thought of him, even if he didn't know it.
He was standing in front of my mantle place, swaying slightly to the music. I slowly eased myself in behind him and wrapped my arms about his chest, pulling him firmly against me.
As we rocked to the music we let the words flow around us.
One word, that's all was said.
Something in your voice caused me to turn my head.
Your smile just captured me.
You were in my future, far as I could see.
And I dont know how it happened, but it happens still.
You ask me if I love you, if I always will.........
"I can still remember the first time we met. You were this geeky archaeologist who I had an immense dislike for, until you saved my life by jumping in front of that staff blast. I wanted to die on that mission but you pulled me from the brink and made my life worth living again. After that mission when we returned to Earth I'd sit on my roof trying to find Abydos and wondering what you would be doing. I think I started falling for you a bit back then, but I wasn't ready to admit it to myself," I whispered into his ear quietly making him shiver as my breath gently caressed the skin of his neck.
Well, you had me from "Hello"
I felt love start to grow,
The moment that I looked into your eyes,
You won me, it was over from the start.
You completely stole my heart,
And now you won't let go.
I never even had a chance you know?
You had me from "Hello"
"You hated me, but the feeling was pretty mutual. I hated all you stood for: authority, discipline. You were a hard-assed military man following orders and never questioning whether they were right. But I soon realised all you had lost and I saw you in a whole new light. I saw you as someone I could help as well as being a potential friend," Daniel joined in my heart to heart, quietly turning his head so he was looking me in the eye.
Inside I built a wall,
So high around my heart,
I thought I'd never fall.
One touch, you brought it down.
The bricks of my defenses scattered on the ground.
And I swore to me I wasn't going to love again.
The last time was the last time, I'd let someone in.
"Yeah you're right. But after seeing what you did for a complete stranger, for someone who, for all intents and purposes, hated you, my defences weakened. You got under my skin and you stayed there. I couldn't stop thinking about you. Mind you, they weren't all good thoughts," I added wryly. "I think I started falling for you then but I basically told myself to ignore it while you were searching for Shau're," I confessed.
But, you had me from "Hello"
I felt love start to grow,
The moment that I looked into your eyes.
You won me, it was over from the start.
You completely stole my heart,
And now you wont let go.
I never even had a chance you know?
You had me from "Hello"
"Call me sappy, but ever since I first heard this song I've always considered it to be our song. It reminds me of you," I told him then hoped I haven't scared him off.
Thats all you said.
Something in your voice caused me to turn my head.
You had me from "Hello"
You had me from "Hello"
Babe, I've loved you from "Hello"
"Mmm, I can see how you would get that; it's a beautiful song. I guess it really is our song," he quietly whispered, gazing into my eyes. As the song drew to a close I leaned in and placed a chaste kiss onto his waiting lips.
I pulled back and looked for any sign of regret in his soulful eyes. Finding none, I leaned down again, pulling my soon-to-be-lover into a longer kiss full of promise, of what was to come. //
To Be Continued.