"Rachel, you're going to be late for school!" Daniel called from the kitchen as he drank his second cup of coffee. He'd had Rachel for a couple days now and everything seemed to be going well. She would come and go as she pleased but he always needed to know where and with whom. She didn't mind so much, since he hadn't yelled or anything yet and she actually found herself coming home at decent hours so not to ruin the balance that had been created.
"Rachel" he called again, putting down his cup. He exited the kitchen and bumped smack dab into his daughter.
"Oof!" she exclaimed as she was pushed back a bit.
"Ready?" Daniel asked looking down at her. She was wearing blue jeans and a black t-shirt that said 'I didn't say it was your fault, I said I was going to blame you.' on it in white writing.
"Nice shirt" he commented. She smiled a bit and nodded her head to his question. "Okay let's go" he grinned and she followed him out the front door, not quite as excited as he was about starting a new school.
As they waited for an elevator Rachel looked up at Daniel thoughtfully, but the turned her head away, not saying what she was thinking. Daniel noticed this and glanced at her form the corner of his eye.
"What?" he asked. She looked at the elevator wall and then at him.
"I saw some pictures on your bookshelf, and there was one of a lady with dark hair… who is she?" Rachel asked quietly, curiosity winning the internal battle she was having about whether or not to delve into his personal life.
"She was my wife," he answered honestly. Now was as good a time as any to talk about Sha're. Rachel nodded, waiting for him to continue.
"We were married for about a year before she was... kidnapped, and then killed a couple years later."
"That sucks" Rachel stated as the elevator doors opened and they stepped in.
"Yeah, yeah it does" he replied quietly, thinking how well her words seemed to sum up that whole situation.
They pulled up to the high school where Rachel would be going and Daniel saw Cassie standing with some friends near the parking lot. He turned to the teen beside him.
"Excited?"
"Thrilled."
Cassie noticed Daniels car and ran over to him giving him a big hug when he stepped out. She had heard about Rachel from her mother and Sam. Rachel was left a little confused as to why a teenage girl was hugging her dad.
"Weird" Rachel muttered as she too got out of the car and waited around the front of it for her dad and the girl to stop chatting.
"Ahem" Rachel cleared her throat. Cassie looked over at the girl who was just a tad shorter than her self.
"Hi" she greeted cheerily, "I'm Cassie, Daniel and my mom work together" she stuck out her hand to shake. Rachel accepted the handshake uncertainly and regarded Cassie carefully. The girl was just a little too perky for Rachel's liking - too much the cheerleader type.
"I'll show you around today, cause I know how it feels to be the new girl and everything. We're gonna have so much fun." Cassie squeaked and went and linked her arm in Rachel's and dragged the blond girl away. Daniel laughed and wished he had a camera at the look of complete desperation his daughter gave him.
Daniel headed to the base after that and arrived at the same time as Jack.
-
"Hey Daniel, how's the first day of school goin?" He was still getting used to the idea that his friend had a teenage daughter.
"Alright I guess… Cassie had made herself honorary tour guide and best friend for the day, so Rachel should be alright for the time being."
"Sweet" Jack responded as they went through checkpoints and finally made it to the elevators.
"I told her about Sha're" Daniel spoke up in the silent ride down to the briefing room.
"Yeah, and how'd she react?"
"She just accepted it… didn't say much or show any feelings she may have had on the subject"
"Have you actually had a conversation with her yet?" Jack half smiled, trying to picture Daniel attempting to get the tough teenage girl to open up and talk to him.
"That would be a no." Daniel confirmed Jacks thoughts. "But it's only been half of a week, so we'll see how it goes" Daniel said with more confidence than he felt as they exited on the twenty-eighth floor to go to the briefing room.
The briefing moved along quickly and before the people in the meeting knew it, it had been 3 hours. As the briefing adjourned, Daniel stood up with everyone else in an attempt to get out of the room first, but was stopped by a considerably short airman.
"Doctor Jackson sir? You have a message," the young man said handing Daniel a slip of paper.
"Got another kid and wife we don't know about Daniel?" Jack teased as he came to stand before his friend. Daniel read the note and closed his eyes in frustration.
"Nope, says here I have to go pick Rachel up from school, she's been suspended," Daniel sighed and ran a hand through his hair.
"Already? Three hours into her first day of school, wow I'm impressed," Jack said. He hadn't been the best-behaved child in school but even he hadn't succeeded in getting kicked out so fast. Daniel shot Jack a look telling him never to say that to his daughter or there would be hell to pay.
"Now what? I have weeks worth of work to do and now I have to leave" Daniel leaned against the table.
"You go get her, take her home and tell her what's what. Don't worry bout it, Hammond won't mind." Jack reassured.
"Thanks Jack, I owe you one"
"Yep and don't think I'll forget it either next time I need someone to go fishing with me" Jack called after Daniels retreating form. He swore he could hear the younger mans groans from inside the elevator.
-
Daniel wandered down the main hallway in the high school trying to find the principals office. He wasn't too happy about being called away from his work and he was trying to clam down so he didn't completely blow up. He rounded a corner and saw a very unhappy Rachel sitting in a chair outside the secretary's office.
"Suspended?" he demanded not looking impressed. Rachel simply shrugged her shoulders and turned her head looking down at the floor. It was then Daniel noticed a large bruise forming on her left cheek. A fight. She had gotten in a fight.
"Doctor Jackson?" a short round woman with square glasses asked from the doorway.
"Yes?" he answered.
"The principal can see you now"
"Thank you" he said kindly with a smile. He turned back to the teen slouching in her seat before him, his smile wiped from his face. "Stay here" he said firmly.
"Try and make me" he heard muttered. Sighing in frustration he went into the office to find out what exactly happened.
Daniel sat before a large woman with graying hair pulled back into a tight bun. She was the stereotypical hard-ass principal. Even he was slightly afraid at just the sight of her. She sat there her hands clasped before her, a frigid frown plastered on her face.
"Now Doctor Jackson, I realize that Rachel is new to the school but her behavior today was inexcusable, I-"
"What exactly did my daughter do?" he dared to interrupt.
"What did she do! She got in a fight with another student and broke his nose"
"His nose? She beat up a guy?" Daniel wanted to laugh, but kept a straight face for fear of what the woman would do to him.
"The gender of the victim does not matter Mr. Jackson," the principal said, purposely not addressing him formally as 'Doctor'. "The point is she has taken away that students right to be safe at school, and-"
"Did you even listen to her side of the story, I mean she has a bruise on her cheek - the guy hit her too" He interrupted again, quickly tiring of this woman. He wanted to know all details before he resorted to punishing Rachel, an action that he knew was going to result in her hating him, not something he wanted right away.
"There is no side for her to tell, she hit the boy and broke his nose, and he tried to defend himself, that's all there is to it, she is suspended for three days"
"Alright then, she'll be back in three days" Daniel said, abruptly standing up and leaving. He would have to hear what Rachel said before punishing her.
Opening the office door and walking through the secretary's office to get to the hall, Daniel was surprised to see Rachel still sitting in the seat she'd been in before. He figured she would have left. She glanced up at him; he winced at the sight of the bruise on her face. It was getting even darker and he doubted anyone had given her ice or anything to put on it.
"Let's go," he said neutrally, once again confusing Rachel. She thought he would have been fuming, after all her mother would have been. She silently got up and followed him to his car. She sat in the passenger seat as he got in behind the wheel. Instead of starting the car, he looked at her. Rachel simply stared straight ahead.
"So what happened?" Daniel asked, again not showing any emotion in his words, which was getting on the teenagers nerves.
"Nothing" she said.
"That's not what the principal said"
"Yeah, well the principal is full of shit"
"Why wont you tell me what happened?" Daniel sighed. Rachel remained silent, still not looking at him.
"What? Do you want to be punished, is that it?" he asked. How was he supposed to know what a teenage girl was thinking and why she was getting in fights? She didn't acknowledge his question in the slightest.
"Fine, no going out for a week. You are to stay in the apartment for your suspension and when it's up you will go straight to school and straight home right after. Understood?" he said in a disappointed voice. He really didn't want to do that but he had to show her who was in charge.
"You got it?" he asked again as he started the car.
"Yeah" she said quietly.
I won't be able to post more until next week cause I'm going home for the weekend and won't have the story with me… anyhoo,
Thanks to all who have reviewed the story so far!
Like it? Hate it? Please review and tell me : )
Oh and I have nothing against cheerleaders… sorry if anyone was offended by the 'perkiness' reference