"Thank God Cassie wasn't here to see this," O'Neill muttered. He sounded angered, but his hand rested lightly on Daniel Jackson's shoulder, proving that he harboured no ill feelings toward his friend.
"She'll be back here any minute to stay the weekend, though, right?" Pete Shanahan asked. "I doubt she'll be able to avoid this kind of thing all that time."
"I can hear you, you know," Daniel Jackson said through the hands that covered his face. "I'm sitting right here. I already said I was sorry; what more can I do?"
"You have no need to apologize, Daniel Jackson," Teal'c said, the sight of his friend seated with his shoulders slumped, his elbows on his desk, and his head in his hands becoming disconcerting to him. "You momentarily lost control of your actions due to the chemical imbalance in your brain. You are not at fault."
Daniel Jackson peeked out at him through the gaps between his fingers. "Thank you, Teal'c."
"Yeah, thanks, Teal'c. Now you've given him an excuse to quit trying."
Teal'c raised his eyebrow at O'Neill's harsh tone.
Daniel Jackson groaned and dropped his head down onto his desk. "Please, just go away," he begged. "All of you. Just... leave me alone."
"We did that already, Daniel. Next thing I knew, you were causing all kinds of trouble and hurting Fraiser. Leaving you alone is no longer an option."
Daniel Jackson snapped his head up again and glared at O'Neill. "I did not hurt Janet. I would never hurt Janet."
"What would you call it, then, Daniel? You were holding onto her so hard I thought you were gonna break her ribs, for cryin' out loud. You don't think that was hurting her?"
A pained look passed over Daniel Jackson's face, and he looked off into the air as he thought this over. "I... I didn't know. Is she okay?"
"I don't know," O'Neill replied. "I was kinda too busy dragging you in here to get a good look."
"Could you go find out?"
He looked up at O'Neill with such a sad expression that O'Neill gave in immediately. He nodded to Pete Shanahan, who quickly slipped out of the room to inquire of Dr. Fraiser's welfare.
"So," O'Neill said as he perched himself on the edge of the desk, "want to tell us what the hell just happened?"
"Not really."
"Daniel..."
"Carmichael was bugging me, okay?"
"How could he have been bugging you? You weren't even in the house most of the time, and when you finally came inside, you started at him as soon as you walked through the door."
"He... just was, okay?"
O'Neill sighed. "Well, this is getting nowhere. Just answer one question for me, Daniel - what were you going to do to Fraiser?"
Daniel Jackson looked up at him in confusion. "Do?"
"You were holding her against her will. Why were you doing that?"
"I wasn't... I had my arm around her, that's all."
"Daniel, you were holding onto her so tight she looked like she could barely breathe. You were holding her there for a reason, and I want to know what it was."
"I wasn't! I was just..."
The door opening cut him off mid-sentence, and all three of the men in the room looked up to see Pete Shanahan returning.
"How are things out there?" O'Neill asked.
Pete Shanahan shut and locked the door behind him. "Most of the guests are preparing to go home," he said. "Janet's fine, though, Daniel. Sam's with her now, and Cassie just arrived."
Daniel Jackson sighed and rested his head on his arms again. Teal'c could not tell whether it was from relief or defeat.
"Sam also said we should take him upstairs so she can do her treatment thing," Pete Shanahan continued. "And that it'd be a good idea for someone to spend the night here... just in case."
Daniel Jackson groaned.
O'Neill looked at Teal'c. "You up for that?"
"Indeed," Teal'c said with a tilt of his head.
"Okay, so that's the plan. Daniel?" He patted Daniel Jackson's shoulder and tucked his hand under his chin to lift his head up to look at him. "We're gonna get this sorted out, okay?" he said, his voice uncharacteristically soft. "Just hang in there."
Daniel Jackson regarded his friend for a moment, and then nodded.
"Let's get you upstairs, then. Pete, can you give me a hand?"
O'Neill and Pete Shanahan helped Daniel Jackson to his feet, each of them holding one of his arms to keep him steady, as he seemed quite weak and weary after his outburst. Teal'c unlocked the office door and held it open for them as they passed.
"Teal'c, stay down here and make sure Fraiser's okay, would you?"
He inclined his head in agreement. "Sleep well, Daniel Jackson." He watched them walk down the hall and up the stairs before he made his way into the living room to find Dr. Fraiser.
She was seated on the couch with her arms around Cassandra, and they both looked quite distressed. Major Carter was also with them, as was Dr. Carmichael. The other guests appeared to have departed.
"O'Neill and Pete Shanahan have escorted Daniel Jackson to his room," he announced as all eyes in the room turned towards him. "He seems weak, and feels very guilty over his actions. I feel I can assure you, Dr. Fraiser, that he meant you no harm."
She nodded, though she did not look convinced. "Thank you, Teal'c."
Major Carter rose from her seat after a moment of silence. "I guess I should go up there. Sorry I had to leave it this long before seeing to him, Janet."
"That's okay, Sam," Dr. Fraiser said. "I know you're doing your best."
Major Carter did not seem to know how to respond to this, so she left the room without another word.
"I will remain here tonight, Dr. Fraiser," Teal'c said as he took the chair Major Carter had just vacated. "Is there anything you wish me to do?"
Dr. Fraiser quickly shook her head. "No thanks, Teal'c. Just your being here will be enough."
Teal'c raised his head a little higher as he considered this comment. He hoped that she was right, and that his presence alone was all that would be required.
Janet wasn't sure whether she was holding onto her daughter to comfort or be comforted, but she was glad of her presence either way. It was finally sinking in just what could have happened if Colonel O'Neill hadn't managed to drag Daniel away when he did. The thought made her shudder.
She glanced over at the pile of presents she had received that night, her eyes immediately drawn to the two teddy bears perched on top. They were so cute and looked like they really belonged together, just as she had always thought she and Daniel did. She wondered whether she'd ever be able to look at them without feeling a stabbing pain in her heart.
"Janet?"
All four pairs of eyes in the room turned to look at Pete, who had just appeared in the doorway. Janet released her daughter and rose to her feet. "Yes?"
"Daniel's asking for you," Pete said. He looked very apologetic, almost as though it were his fault. "He says he doesn't want Sam to treat him until he's spoken to you."
Janet nodded and, after forcing a smile for Cassie, Andrew, and Teal'c, she followed Pete out of the room and up the stairs. She had no idea what to expect, but whatever it was, she just wanted to get it over with.
When she entered the bedroom, she was surprised to find Daniel sitting in a corner, tucked away between the wall and the dresser, hugging his knees to his chest. Colonel O'Neill was pacing the room with his hands on his head, and Sam was sitting on the bed watching him. "What's going on?" she asked.
Colonel O'Neill jabbed his thumb in Daniel's direction. "He wants to talk to you. Won't let Carter near him until he does."
"You're making me sound completely unreasonable, Jack," Daniel said. He sounded tired and miserable, which Janet found was a welcome change from crazed and angry.
"That's because you are, Daniel."
"I just wanted to talk to her before Sam made me... different again. Janet?" He leaned forward to see past Jack and into the room. His eyes took on a desperate look once he saw her, and he held his hand out towards her. "Janet?"
Janet took a few steps into the room. "What is it, Daniel?"
He seemed stung by the fact that she didn't come close to him. Looking up at Jack he asked, "Can... we have a minute alone?"
Colonel O'Neill pursed his lips and shook his head warily. "I don't think that would be such a good idea."
"What do you think I'm gonna do, Jack?" Daniel asked, leaning his head back against the wall. "I'm just asking for a minute."
"It's okay, Colonel," Janet spoke up. She took a few more steps towards Daniel and knelt down in front of him. "Just wait outside for a minute, please."
Colonel O'Neill sighed, but he left the room without argument and motioned for Sam to do the same.
"Well," Janet said once they were gone, "what do you want to talk to me about?"
Daniel's sorrowful eyes gazed into hers for a long moment before he spoke. "Sorry I ruined your party."
Janet couldn't hold back an ironic laugh at that. "I appreciate the apology, Daniel, but it seemed as though that's what you wanted to do all along."
"No. You're wrong. That's not... no." He seemed to be struggling to keep his temper under control, and it made Janet nervous.
"Then what happened?"
He sighed and rubbed his eyes with the balls of his hands. "I don't know. I just... I saw everyone in there, and I... I guess it overwhelmed me or something. It won't happen again, though, I swear."
"Then what will happen next time, Daniel?" Janet asked in a low voice.
Daniel looked at her again, his eyes filling up with tears. "I... I don't know." He swallowed hard and blinked a few times. "But I wouldn't hurt you, Janet. I know I wouldn't. I couldn't."
"You were out of control..."
"Not that out of control!" he snapped.
"Okay, minute's up," Colonel O'Neill announced, marching back into the room with a determined air. "Up on your feet, Daniel. Come on."
"No! I haven't finished talking to Janet," Daniel argued, inching farther into the corner away from Jack.
"Daniel, it's time for your treatment whether you like it or not, so quit stalling."
Despite Daniel's howls of protest, Colonel O'Neill hauled him to his feet and deposited him on the bed. As he tried to force him to lie down, Daniel shouted, "Wait! No, wait! Not yet!"
"Colonel, just wait one more minute, please," Janet said, pushing the colonel aside and sitting down on the edge of the bed next to Daniel. "What else did you want to say, Daniel?" she asked, taking his hand in hers.
Daniel looked at their hands then up at her face as he panted for breath. He was silent for so long that Janet almost gave up and walked away. Just as she was about to, however, a very strange thing happened. Without saying a word, Daniel released her hand and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her down into a strong embrace.
She didn't fight against him, though at first she was afraid of what he was trying to do. Once she realized he wasn't trying to harm her, she forced herself to relax, resting her head in the crook of his neck and allowing him to press her body close against his chest. It didn't feel like any hug Daniel had ever given her before, though - if anything it felt needy and possessive rather than loving. Still, she didn't pull away, and tried not to cringe at the feel of his hands clutching the back of her sweater in tight fists.
It was Colonel O'Neill who brought the embrace to an end. Once he felt it had gone on long enough, he pried Daniel's hands off of her and told her to go wait out in the hall while Sam did her thing.
Janet obeyed without protest. She couldn't have spoken even if she wanted to - her throat had constricted to hold in the sobs that were threatening to break free. She didn't understand why she felt so shaken, more so now than she had after Daniel's earlier outburst. He had apologized for his actions and held her in his arms, just as he would have done a few weeks earlier if he had upset her in some way. He was trying. She could tell that he was trying to act the way he used to act - to be the man he used to be.
Why then had his touch left her skin crawling?
To be continued...