TITLE: "Unconscious Pursuit"
AUTHOR: Verb
RATING: PG, I would think
CATEGORY: Humor, some Daniel/Janet pre-relationship
SUMMARY: His dedication to his work and to his friends has not gone unnoticed. Part 2 of 2.
DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable Stargate SG-1 characters and places are the property of MGM, World Gekko Corp and Double Secret Productions. This piece of fan fiction was created for entertainment only and no infringement on copyrights or trademarks was intended. This story and other publicly unrecognized events therein are copyrighted to the author.
DEDICATION: For Dessert Blossom-by-the-Sea, because without her this little story would never have seen the light of day.
A/N: Thank you both Shannon K and Blossom for reviewing, it made my day!
The moment Daniel walked into his room, he spied the pile of clothing that had been laid out on his bed. Ok, let's see how bad this is going to be. Walking over to the bed, he reached out his hand to pull the garments closer to him. The second his hand touched the fabric he knew something was up. He instantly recognized the feeling of one of his more formal dark grey suits. Pushing aside the pants and jacket, he discovered a crisp dark blue shirt and a matching tie. Something tells me we're not just helping Janet inventory the infirmary. A flash of something cream caught his eyes. Reaching out and tugging, he realized he was holding a note with very familiarly handwriting on it. He should recognize it – it was on every form that declared him to be medically fit to be released from the infirmary. He unfolded the note, and quickly skimmed over the message. He couldn't help but grin despite his confusion. Why would Janet want to meet me in the infirmary? His heart suddenly gave an involuntary leap. Maybe Janet had felt the same things he had, and was ready to talk about some kind of future where they were more than just friends. Despite his need for this to be true, he had to give the nagging voice in his mind some credit. It would be difficult for Janet to disregard the doctor/patient relationship they had, especially since that relationship defined her job. The last thing Daniel wanted was for her to put her career in jeopardy. Sighing, he started to change into his suit, trying not to let the hope slowly building in his heart to overshadow his thoughts.
Dressed and as ready as he could be to face the unknown, Daniel made his way through the corridors of the SGC to the infirmary. Before he could get his thoughts together, his jaw dropped. Outside of the infirmary stood Janet, wearing her dress uniform. Janet looked up at the sound of his footsteps in the hall and smiled when she caught sight of him dressed in his suit. "Daniel, I was worried you were going to be late!"
Daniel stepped towards her, unable to form a coherent sentence. "You look beautiful, Janet," the words tumbling out of his mouth.
Janet smiled and reached up to straighten his tie. "You look very handsome yourself, Daniel. I knew that blue shirt would be perfect for you." She then pulled at his collar, making sure it was smoothed against the back of his neck. Daniel shivered slightly at the contact, trying to figure out exactly what was going on. "Janet, why did you ask me to meet you here?"
She smiled and pulled him towards the door to the infirmary. "Well, Daniel, to tell you the truth, today is a special day for you and the medical staff on this base. I thought that we should have a celebration of sorts." Janet grinned and gently pushed him into the infirmary.
Daniel could not believe his eyes. There, crowded around his usual bed during his stays in the infirmary was General Hammond, Sam and Jack, all in their dress blues. Teal'c was standing next to Jack, dressed in his Jaffa uniform, complete with cape and a hint of a smile at the corner of his lips. Siler, Davis, and the rest of the SGC's staff seemed to have defied the laws of physics and were all standing at attention, leaving a path that lead straight to another man Daniel recognized but could not believe.
Slipping her had though his, Janet guided Daniel towards the man who opened his mouth to speak. "Hello, Dr. Jackson. I've heard that you're considered quite the institution among the medical staff."
"That's probably true, Mr. President. I do spend enough time here that I probably could be considered a permanent fixture." Daniel replied. "Sir, if I may ask, what prompted your visit to the SGC?"
The President smiled at the man, who was clearly a little confused by the entire setup. "Well, normally Doctor, this kind of ceremony would require the use of the Gate room for a more formal presentation, but upon a conversation with one Dr. Janet Fraiser, it was decided that here might be the more appropriate venue." The Present turned to his left and accepted the square object his aide handed to him. "I am here, Dr. Jackson, to present you with a unique award. Despite your numerous achievements as a member of SG-1, most of those feats will go relatively unknown on Earth until such time when the Stargate program becomes knowledge accessible to the general public. In lieu of this, an award was crafted with you specifically in mind, with input from your coworkers and direct superiors."
The President paused, allowing Daniel the time to have his words sink into the archeologist's mind. "It is a great honour, Dr. Daniel Jackson, to present you with this plaque dedicating this infirmary bed in your name. May it always be in good use, though hopefully not always by yourself." The President smiled, handed Daniel the plaque and reached out to shake the young man's hand.
As Daniel reached out to grasp the President's hand, the infirmary exploded in applause, punctuated by the occasion whistle from Jack. Speechless, Daniel stared at the plaque in his hands, reading the inscription. "Dedicated on behalf of Dr. Daniel Jackson, In recognition of his tireless and usually unconscious pursuit of the advancement of the field of medicine," he read out loud in disbelief. Janet again slipped her hand into his, gently squeezing it and smiling at the look in his eyes.
Jack slapped him on the back. "Got ya, didn't we?" He smiled over at Sam, who was giving Daniel a hug as the crowed dispersed.
"That you did, Jack, that you did." Daniel replied as he shook hands with Teal'c. "How in the world did you get the President down here?"
"It was most difficult, DanielJackson. But it was Doctor Fraiser who was able to organize this event on your behalf." Teal'c explained. "She is a most formidable opponent when it comes to red adhesive."
"That's red tape, Teal'c." Jack corrected. "Teal'c, Sam, let's go check out the cake before the President eats it all. I have a feeling Janet and Daniel need a moment." Jack wiggled his eyebrows at Daniel before he guided Sam over to the refreshments table that had been set up in the corner of the room.
Once his team members had left, Daniel turned to look at Janet, noticing that her hand was still holding his. "Hi," he said softly.
"Hi yourself." Janet smiled up at him, a slow blush creeping across her cheeks. "Surprised?"
Daniel couldn't hold back the grin that spread across his face. "Yes, I am. But you didn't have to go to all of this work for me."
Janet shook her head. "Of course I did, Daniel. This was an important day for you. A visit from the President, a special award, and your very own reserved bed in the infirmary."
"Does this mean that you want to see more of me around here?" Janet looked up and met his gaze. "I mean, when I first read that note I though that maybe you were, um . . . " Daniel struggled with the words that had been swirling around in his brain since he could remember. "I though that maybe you were inviting me to something . . . a little different." He took a huge breath of air, hoping that the chance he had just taken was for the better.
"Daniel, I . . . have to admit that I care for you. Probably more than a doctor should care for her patients." She moved to place one of her hands on the back of his neck. "And if what you just said is how you feel, then I think we should explore that." She smiled up at him, her eyes dancing as he pulled her to him in a tight hug.
"I meant it, Janet. Thank you. For all of this." Daniel whispered against her ear.
"You're welcome." Janet pulled back from his hug, remaining in his arms. "And now that you've got a permanent spot in my infirmary, we'll be seeing a lot more of each other."
Daniel's face split into a huge grin. "I'd like that."
.:The End:.